Parish Council Minutes July 2011

You can download a copy of these minutes here (PDF file).

Broomhaugh & Riding Parish Council

Minutes of the Parish Council meeting, held on 11th July 2011 at 7.45 in the Parish Hall, Millfield Road.

Present: Cllrs Reid (Chairman), Dunhill and Eakins. Cllr Dale was present with 4 members of the public.

1. Apologies: Cllr Mills

2. Co-option of Councillor: Mr Peter Howe was unanimously co-opted onto the Council.

3. Declarations of interests: None

4. Minutes of the last meeting: all agreed as a true record.

5. Matters arising: a) Weir fence: The safety fence had been erected. Cllr Dales’ initial enquiries had suggested that Planning permission is needed for the work on the weir. The fee will be at a reduced rate of £85 as the Council is a public body. It was agreed to go ahead with this; MR

Following discussions with the Environment Agency, the specifications for the tenders have been revised to take account of a further small notch in the middle of the reduced Weir which would angle down towards the water. This will allow all sizes of fish to pass over the weir. It was suggested the tenders be split with a separate price for the small notch and a separate price for an eel run.  Cllr Reid will arrange separate site visits for three tenderers. Cllr Eakins requested that work should  not go ahead before grants are confirmed.  A possibility of the Tyne Rivers Trust doing the work with a team of specialised volunteers may be a way forward as well.

b) Road signs: The extra cost imposed by the County Council is a new charge and the company doing the work, Dambach,  had been informed the Parish Council would cover the cost. Cllr Dale offered to see if she could find the extra £300 from her allowance. The main net cost has been paid from her allowance already.

c): Double yellow lines: this has gone back to square one and a new meeting will be held with Paul McKenna from the County Council; Cllr Dunhill will lead on this as liaison. AyD

d); Car Park status: Andy Pryor has applied for additional grants for this work. Debmat, the company doing the work have been told of the delay. It was agreed however, that if nothing had been heard by the next parish council meeting, the work should go ahead; the Clerk will let Debmat know. Cllr Howe will lead on this as liaison. MA/PH

e): Cllr Dale reported that blocked drains should have been cleared now;

f): The loose utility hole/cover on the A695 near the Wentworth Grange turn has been reported. It belongs to Northumbrian Water. Cllr Dale agreed to chase this up. ADe

g) Millfield Road Bridge: tenders are being drawn up for the bridge repairs. Cllr Dunhill agreed to lead on this.

6. Handyman report: The trees overhanging the March Burn have been trimmed and the ‘Footpath’ sign atthe entrance to the Parish Hall has been relocated. The bench below Bobby’s shop has been cleaned etc. and some small jobs in the Play Park have been done. The bench may need to be replaced in the future. The Clerk will enquire of the donor what their wishes may be. MA

7. Play Park: The annual inspection has been done indicating a number of small faults, most of which Councillors were aware of. Cllr Dunhill will review it in detail.

8. Planning: Considered by Northumberland County Council: Under delegated powers, the following was refused:

11/0076 Dwelling at Grovefield

The following were granted permission:

11/0128 Certificate of lawfulness, 2 The Bungalow, Broomhaugh

11/00471/VARYCO Staward, Long Rigg

11/00695/FUL Double garage at Beauclerc Coach House

The following were considered by the Parish Council with no objections:

11/0071/LBC Listed consent to roof at Shepherd’s Dene

11/00903/FUL House on land west of Kingmead, Sandy Bank

9. Correspondence: Nothing outstanding

10. Finance:

a) The financial statement for June was accepted. Two cheques for a total of £75 had not yet been presented for clearance.

b) The following payments were authorised:

Repayment of transfer from Reserve to C/A – £5,000.00
Darren Johnson (Inv.11) – £70.00
Royal Mail, post redirect – £81.72
MF Anderton, Salary & Expenses(3.50) – £433.39
Wendy Robe (plants for planters) – £36.99
T Smith, repairs to tennis court bridge – £264.00
T Smith, safety fence at weir – £440.52
Playsafety, annual inspection – £82.80

c) S.137 donations: It was agreed to make donations of £50 to each of the following: Community Action Northumberland, Tynedale Hospice, Great North Air Ambulance. Following clarification to be sought, it was agreed in principle to donate £50 to Age UK Northumberland at the next council meeting. MA

11. Minor Matters:

a) Cllr Dunhill suggested putting one of the benches from the play park into the spinney. This was agreed in principle;

b) It was agreed to put the financial statements, including those for the last financial year, onto the web site. Cllr Eakins agreed to do this initially;

c) Cllr Reid reported that he had attended a NCC scrutiny meeting at which windfarms had been discussed and also a Planning Training meeting. The paperwork from the latter was placed in the correspondence file.

The meeting closed at 8.55pm

Date of next meeting 26th September with no meeting in October to allow for holiday commitments.

Parish Council Minutes June 2011

You can download a copy of these minutes here (PDF file).

Broomhaugh & Riding Parish Council

Minutes of the Parish Council meeting, held on 13th June 2011 at 7.45 in the Parish Hall, Millfield Road.

Present: Cllrs Mills (Chairman), Reid and Eakins. Cllr Dale was present with 7 members of the public.

1. Apologies: Cllr Dunhill

2. Declarations of interests: None

3. Minutes of the last meeting: all agreed as a true record.

4. Matters arising: a) Trees: The County Council will evaluate the state of trees on the Main Road and the horse chestnuts and will report back.b) Double yellow lines: Cllrs Mills and Dale had met with Mr McKenna from the County Council about siting the double yellow lines previously discussed. The County Council are reluctant to paint more than are necessary. None of the changes will be done without Cllr Dale offering to pay for the work. The consultation would be referred in draft form to Cllr Dale and the Parish Council to check for detail. NCC

5. Handyman report: The footpath sign has been moved and the bench at Broomhaugh has been restored. Mrs Stephenson asked the Council to consider a programme of tasks which could be considered on a regular yearly, quarterly basis for example. It could be done within the 4 hours per month agreed with the Handyman. Cllr Eakins suggested that a list be made and thanked Mrs Stephenson for her continuing work on this matter.

6. Speed Signs: The order had been placed for these and they would be ready for installation in 2-3 weeks. Cllr Dale has authorised the net cost of these to be paid out of her allowance.

7. Weir: A report had been commissioned from Peter Kerr for £800 (which the Tyne Rivers Trust may pay for). It was agreed to place it, as a draft, onto the website. It recommended a stepped notch of width 4m and depth 30 cm and a further drop of width of 3m and depth of 30 cm below that, which would have minimal silt implications. Removing the whole weir was a possibility but would be much more expensive and would cause considerable silt movement. The weir itself is safe but the walls are poor and a safety fence should be placed on the opposite side of the weir to the existing one in the interests of Health & Safety as a matter of urgency. Cllr Eakins felt that before any decision was made the relative costs of the two options need to be known and confirmation sought that gravel and silt would not be a long term problem. The report concluded that removal of the notch or whole weir would not affect any risk of downstream flooding. It was agreed the fence would be ordered and Cllr Reid would ask for specifications of the work needed so that the possibility of grants towards the main work could be explored. It was noted that the Tyne Rivers Trust could contribute financially and that the Environment Agency also have some grants. MA/MR

8. Car Park: an amended cost of just under £13,000 had been received and the variation in the Planning permission had been approved. Cllr Reid proposed and Cllr Eakins seconded the motion that the work should go ahead. This was agreed. Funding would be discussed after the next item. MA

9. Millfield Road Bridge:A quote had been received from BT Bell to draw up a specification for repairs and to supervise the tendering process and oversee the project. Following discussion the option of using a preferred contractor was not agreed to. The Council has a duty of care regarding the bridge and it was agreed to have the short term repairs done which would allow for a 5 year span in which to decide on the long term solutions. The fees for the work specification and supervision were agreed.Discussion then followed on using a loan facility from the County Council to pay for the bridge work and/or the car park. It was decided not to use this for the time being but to use reserves instead. However, it was also agreed that the Village Hall Trust would try and apply for grants from the Community Chest etc. to help with the costs of the car park. Applying for grants for the weir repairs may mean that the repairs for that cannot be completed in the window for this year. MA/MRAny long term repairs to the bridge would have to be considered by the village with three probable options of upgrading at high cost, reducing to 3 metres width or limiting to pedestrians.

10. Squirrels Club: It was noted that fund raising was being pursued successfully and that the Club was considering changes to meet parents’ requirements.

11. Tyne Valley Rail Users Group: The Parish Council agreed to become members of this organisation. MA

12. Freedom of Information Act: Cllr Eakins had collated a procedure for responding to FOIA requests. This was unanimously approved. It would be put up on the website.

13. Network Rail would be queried about the repairs on the rail bridges in the village. MA

14. Planning: Considered by Northumberland County Council: The following was permitted:

11/00456/VARYCO Changes at Riding Mill PH Car Park

The following were considered by the Parish Council with no objections:

11/00471/VARYCO Staward, Long Rigg

11/00695/FUL Beauclerc – Double garage

15. Correspondence: Previously circulated emails are to be listed only and any date – sensitive material will be highlighted.

16. Finance: a) The financial statement for May was accepted. There were no variations in the budget at this early stage of the financial year although it was agreed to write off an unpresented cheque made out to Mencap from the previous financial year.

b) The following payments were authorised:

Squirrels Club, S.137 grant – £1,000.00
Wardhadaway, annual fees 10/11 – £1,470.60
Sandy Bank RA, insurance contribution – £226.00
NALC Annual subs. – £161.82
Darren Johnson (Inv.10) – £70.00
M F Anderton, Salary/May – £433.64
M F Anderton, expense/May – £196.38
Northumbrian Water – £13.94
Dambach/speed signs – £6,639.02
Transfer from Reserve account to C/A – £5,000.00
Tyne Valley rail Users group, membership – £5.00
Linden Stephenson, materials – £12.99

c) Annual return and assets: There has been a problem with the statement of assets to the auditors, requiring a restatement based on last year’s figures. The basis of calculation for assets, taken from insurance valuations as advised by the Clerks Society, is not preferred by the auditors. A letter querying this has been sent to the Auditors and to the SLCC for them to raise with the Audit Panel.

17. Minor Matters: a) Peter Howe has volunteered to be co-opted as a councillor. He would be formally co-opted at the next meeting after reading relevant paperwork;

b) Cllr Mills suggested replacing horse chestnuts along the A695 in the gaps to celebrate the Queen’s diamond Jubilee;

c) The possibility of a lay – by at Bobby’s was suggested. This has been looked at before and the Clerk would find what paperwork was available; MA

d) Cllr Dale had noted a number of blocked drains in the village to report to the County Council;

e) The safety mirror and light at Sandy Bank have been replaced.

The meeting closed at 9.30pm

Parish Council Minutes May 2011

You can download a copy of these minutes here (PDF file).

Broomhaugh & Riding Parish Council

Minutes of the Parish Council meeting and AGM, held on 9th May 2011 at 7.45 in the Parish Hall, Millfield Road.

Present: Cllrs Mills (Chairman), Reid, Eakins and Dunhill. Cllr Dale was present with 11 members of the public.

1. Apologies: None

2. Adoption of Standing Orders: The Long form and Short form of standing orders were adopted. The following addition to both forms was agreed to be included:“Draft minutes of confidential meetings will be circulated to those who attended the meeting. The draft, with any amendments, should be formally approved (without the contents being publicly revealed) at the next Council meeting”. Cllr Reid proposed the motion and Cllr Eakins seconded it. It was agreed.

3. Elections: Cllr Eakins proposed Cllr Mills as Chair and Cllr Reid seconded the motion. All agreed; Cllr Dunhill proposed Cllr Reid as Vice- Chair and Cllr Mills seconded the motion. All agreed;Cllr Eakins agreed to continue to represent the Council on the VHT management committee – proposed by Cllr Mills and seconded by Cllr Reid – all agreed;It was agreed that the Planning sub-group should continue to be Cllrs Mills and Dunhill (proposed by Cllr Reid and seconded by Cllr Eakins). All agreed.

4. Declarations of interests: None

5. Minutes of the last meeting: All agreed as a true record.

6. Matters arising: a) Trees: The big stump on the amenity land had been successfully moved. It was recognised it would be important to keep the Burn clear, especially if the work on the Weir goes ahead and Councillors agreed to keep an eye on the situation.

b) Road matters: Cllr Dale said that small potholes would be filled in as the machines became available.

c) Double yellow lines: Cllr Dale queried how far the proposed lines in Church Lane should go. Cllr Dale would ask an officer to come out from County Hall and discuss with councillors before the matter is put to consultation.

d) Sandy Bank trees: Overhanging trees were a problem raised at the recent Sandy Bank Residents Association meeting. The Clerk would ask Mr Daffern (Chair of the SBRA) for the names of the homeowners so the parish council could write to them asking for the trees to cut back. Cllr Dale would also ask the County to cut back trees on the Main Road near the Old Tavern and Dere Hollow.

7. Handyman report: substantial tree clearing and tidying up had been carried out on the amenity land and in the play park. In the play park – strips had been affixed to the small apparatus to prevent rotting and some saplings and tree stumps were removed. Detailed reports are available from the Clerk.

8. Speed Signs: Having had three quotes and consulted with other parishes who have similar signs, it was agreed to take the lowest quote from Dambach. The Clerk would order the signs, ensuring that Cllr Dale is kept informed and liaise with Highways at County Hall. Cllr Dale had kindly found £4,500 towards the cost of these from her capital fund. The public near the proposed sites for the signs had been consulted and the two comments that were critical had been replied to explaining in more detail the reasons for the recommended positions for siting the signs. Clerk

9. Weir: A meeting had been held attended by Councillors, 14 members of the public, Professor Newson of the Tyne Rivers Trust and Gareth Pedley from the Environment Agency. There is considerable wear at the bottom of the Weir’s side walls in particular. One option is to repair the weir but that is expensive and there was little interest when this was proposed to members of the public earlier in the year and a fish pass would need to be included which can cost up to £200,000. It could be left alone but the consequences are unknown, Prof. Newson’s survey suggested two options: to remove the Weir in one go which could send a lot of sediment downstream or to remove a course of stonework either 16cm or 30cm from the top. Whatever happens, the flood risk cannot be increased and must be manageable and acceptable to the Environment Agency and the Tyne Rivers Trust. Cllr Eakins felt it was too expensive to upgrade but the side walls need repair. He supported the staged removal. Clarification from Prof. Newson as to the shape of the slabs in the Weir is needed. Work can only be done between the end of May and the end of September. Permission from the Environment Agency would also be needed for improvement works but not for a down grade although it would be desirable to liaise with them in all actions undertaken. Cllr Eakins suggested that they be asked to do a hydrological model of the effects of releasing water downstream of removing the Weir in one or two stages and the possible impact of flooding downstream. It was noted the banks at the Weir may need shoring once the work was completed. Costs of such a survey, if any, would be sought by Cllr Reid with the possibility of sharing them with Tyne Rivers Trust. MR

Tree management, which has been mentioned earlier in the council meeting should be monitored. Cllr Dunhill favoured the staged approach. Cllr Reid pointed out that as making good a satisfactory sill may be a significant part of the cost, removal of a single 30cm stage would be desirable. Cllr Reid proposed authorisation to look at the  removal of a 30cm stage in more detail; and commission the hydrological survey on the impact of removing the 30 cm. level. This was agreed.

10. Planning:  Considered by Northumberland County Council: The following was granted consent under delegated powers:

20110059 Minor changes at Beauclerc

The following was refused consent under delegated powers:

20110123 Extension at Hopton House, Riding Hills

Considered by the Parish council, with no objections:

11/0128 Certificate of lawfulness at 2 The Bungalow

11/00459/FUL New junction entrance at Shepherd’s Dene from the Slaley Road

11/00456/VARYCO: BRPC Parish Hall Car Park

11. Correspondence: File circulated – no consultations.

12. Finance:

a) Financial statements for March and April were accepted. There were no variations in the budget at this early stage of the financial year.

b) The following payments were authorised:

Stuart Burns (trees) – £200.00
Darren Johnson, Handyman – £70.00
MF Anderton/March/Salaryand expenses – £514.54
VHT – rent – £24.00
MF Anderton/Salary- April – £433.64
Wardhadaway (FOIA advice) – £342.00
Darren Johnson, Handyman – £70.00
L Stephenson, expenses re H’man – £11.63
AON, annual insurance premium – £2,581.48
BT Bell, bridge survey – £1,188.00
VHT – annual grant – £2,000.00
J Mills, expenses(key) – £4.95
SLCC/branch conference – £48.00
P.Basnett- internal auditor – £182.40

c) Fixed Asset list –Noted by Councillors

d) The Annual Audit Governance Statement was agreed by Councillors.

e) 2010/2011 Annual accounts: A £50 cheque issued to Mencap in June 2010 had not been cleared. It was agreed to write it off the new year’s accounts. (Proposed by Cllr Reid and seconded by Cllr Dunhill). The Accounts were approved.

13. Minor Matters:

a) Cllr Dunhill asked that the bin in the Play park be referred to the County council as it had not been emptied for several weeks;

b) Some older teenagers had been playing football in the Old Playground, which is not very safe. They indicated they had been told not to use the grass next to the Tennis Courts though there was no reason the Council could see for such a refusal. It was also agreed to ask the cricket club if they can use the top area of the cricket field which used to be the football pitch. Clerk

The meeting closed at 9.15pm

Confidential matters: Pursuant to section 1(2) of the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) act 1960, it was resolved that, because of the confidential nature of the business to be transacted, the public and press leave the meeting during consideration of these items: To discuss various quotes relating to the car park and the Weir.

Freedom of Information Act requests

Procedures for dealing with Freedom of Information Act requests

It is important that the Parish Council should deal with all Freedom of Information Act requests in a consistent and transparent way, and that councillors should be aware of all such requests and their outcomes.

  1. The Council will aim to respond promptly to all requests made to it under the Freedom of Information Act. To assist this process, parishioners should be made aware that all such requests must be made to the Parish Clerk in writing.
  2. If any councillor receives such a request, he or she will pass it on to the Parish Clerk without undue delay. However, the statutory 20 day period for replies will begin only when the request reaches the Clerk.
  3. If the request is of a routine nature, and can readily be met without requiring undue resources, the Clerk will respond directly, making a copy of the original request and reply available to all councillors through the correspondence file.
  4. If it appears appropriate to charge a fee for answering a request (for example, if a large volume of paperwork is involved), the Clerk will consult with the Chairman of the Parish Council about the level of payment requested.
  5. If the request needs clarification, is of a complex nature requiring considerable resources to answer, appears to involve sensitive personal data, or is potentially vexatious, the Clerk will consult with the Chairman (or other designated councillor) to determine the extent to which the request can be met. If the request cannot be met in full, the Chairman and Clerk will agree on the response to be sent back to the requestor, explaining the grounds for any refusal. In doing this, they will at all times follow the guidelines published by the Information Commissioner’s Office. Again, a copy of the original request and reply will be made available to all councillors through the correspondence file.
  6. The Parish Council will maintain a Model Publication Scheme as required by the Freedom of Information Act, and update it on a regular basis.

John Eakins
13/6/11

Annual Parish Meeting 2011 Minutes

You can download a copy of these minutes here (PDF file).

Broomhaugh & Riding Parish Council

Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting, held on 12th May 2011 at 7.30pm in the Parish Hall, Millfield Road

Present: Cllrs Mills (in the Chair), Reid and Eakins. County Councillor Anne Dale was present with 11 members of the public including Mrs Linda Shepherd for the VHT and Ms Jen Stephenson for the First School. One member of the public made a brief appearance towards the end of the meeting.

1. Welcome and Apologies: Cllr Mills welcomed all present and reported that Cllr Dunhill had offered his apologies.

2. Cllr Reid gave a demonstration of the use of electricity monitors. It is hoped that members of the public will avail themselves of these monitors which can be borrowed, with a surety of £5, so that energy expenditure levels can be checked in homes and offices to help identify potential economies.

3. The minutes of the APM of 2010 were approved.

4. Chairman’s Report: She commented on the busy year – due partly to the low number of Councillors – and thanked the Councillors for their work and also other members of the village for the help given to the Council. She referred to the Millfield Road bridge and the decision of the County Council (now made permanent) to impose a weight limit of 3 1/2 tonnes. She reported that the Parish Council  had obtained and was publishing a survey of work to be carried out on the bridge both immediately and also in the long term.

The Council was considering alternatives in respect of the Marchburn weir. These included no action, expensive restoration of the weir and reduction of the weir in either one or two stages. The Council had been advised by the director of the Tyne Rivers Trust and a member of the Environmental Agency at a meeting attended by some of the riparian owners and would give further consideration to the implications as to cost and liability of reducing the weir by 30 cm.

The Council had submitted a revised planning application for a smaller car park at the village hall, reducing the loss of amenity grass area beside the hall, which was used for village activities and weddings etc

The Spinney, ie the little wood opposite the Church, which belongs to the Council, had been opened up by cutting back weeds, and tree stumps. A path had been covered in wood chippings to suppress weeds. The suggestion that a path through the Spinney be used to enable schoolchildren to walk to school from the Old Playground had been dropped.

The Council had been concerned that some of the traffic passing through the village appeared to exceed the speed limit, endangering people crossing the main road near the corner of the Wellington. The Council therefore decided to install two interactive solar powered speed warning signs as a reminder when a vehicle exceeded the speed limit one at the foot of Whiteside for West bound traffic) C. Cllr Anne Dale kindly offered to provide much of the funding from her County Council allowance.

The Council had asked the County Council to re-site the existing sign at the main road entrance to Millfield Road and to provide a second sign to improve visibility to a driver turning into the road. It wished the double yellow lines at the east end of Church Lane . and at the main road end of Millfield Road to be extended. The Council had asked the County Council to install a new street light at the west end of Millfield Road bridge.

The newly installed mirror at the exit to Hollin Hill Terrace that had been stolen and the mirror at the foot of Sandy Bank had both been replaced.

The playpark was monitored on a weekly basis; bushes between the single tennis court wire netting and the playpark had been severely cut back. Although the damage from moles continued throughout 2010, the position in 2011 had been better.

The planning group of the Council had considered 22 planning applications during the year and its recommendations had been reported in the minutes of the Council meetings

The following policies had been introduced and approved during the year, (a) a Covenants policy (b) a formal complaints policy for any member of the village not satisfied with the way the PC had handled a particular matter and (c) a vexatious correspondence policy to enable the PC to attend to its work without entering into repetitious correspondence.

The Chairman concluded with the comment that the Councillors had given a considerable amount of time and thought to the work of the Council, but were aware that some of the decisions reached may not have pleased all members of the Parish. She reminded the village that If they were not happy with the work, they should apply to join the PC and contribute to the decision making.

There was some discussion from the floor on the Chair’s report, much of which had already taken place at the recent Council meeting concerning the survey on the bridge, the problem of emergency vehicles having access to Marchburn Lane and the priority of bridge repairs versus Weir repairs. One member of the public agreed however that the Council should be looking after the interests of the whole village and not those of a few residents.

5. Cllr Dale’s report:She reminded people that she was responsible for Mickley, Stocksfield and Riding Mill. The cuts of £45 million to the revenue budget were causing great problems to service deliveries. She mentioned concerns about grit bins in the snow, flooding on the Corbridge road and potholes being slowly repaired. She was concerned about speeding and would contribute £4, 500 towards flashing speed signs. She was working with the Sandy Bank residents to improve access/egress at the Nick. She is contactable by email and phone but has to fit responses into County policies. Locally, major concerns are school buildings and hospitals.Cllr Dale was thanked for always attending meetings and helping whenever she could.

6. The Financial report was circulated for information. There were no questions.

7. Broomhaugh C of E First School Report: There are 65 in the school at present with a full quota coming into reception this Autumn. Improvements to and maintenance of the buildings were a high priority with funding affected by the cuts. The school was only closed 2 days during the snow. The PTA remains very active, helping with school trips and buying books in particular. The Squirrels Club is essential but again, funding remains tight. Support teams for special needs children have been severely affected but there is a low impact in Riding Mill. 41% of the children are from inside the village. The Church school admissions policy prioritises siblings, then Church and then the catchment area. Of the 65 children, only 16 bring packed lunches. The furthest child comes from Prudhoe and others are from Healey, Whittonstall Corbridge and Stocksfield. At the moment there is also one bilingual Flemish speaker and a bilingual Norwegian child starts in the Autumn.

8. Report from the Village Hall Trust: The Village Hall Trust and in particular The Parish Hall, is very busy.  To the usual societies and groups using the Hall, have been added The Bridge Club, The Photographic Society and The Yoga Group, with many additional casual bookings.  Monday and Friday mornings are very popular in The Foyer Cafe and huge and sincere thanks must to go Val Thompson, Elaine Raeburn and their willing helpers for ensuring its success.

The Parish Hall Flat continues to be rented out.  We have had the entrance to the new foyer block paved, a patio built and the drive tarmacadamed.  We intend to purchase a TV licence which will offer another dimension for those who want to watch events on a big screen (we are not providing the equipment).  The Royal Wedding was the first event to be televised and, with the Cafe facilities running alongside, was a wonderful, sociable occasion.

Fund-raising was active in 2010 and we received large donations from The Bridge Club, The Photographic Society, the proceeds from Judith Anderson’s musical weekend, the James Knott Foundation and the Parish Council.  As we expect the roof to need replacing within ten years, we are always grateful for and actively looking for funds from other sources.

Fund-raising in 2011 has not been so concentrated, simply because we worked so hard last year.  Having said that, we will be holding the Village Show in September, a jumble sale in October and the Craft Fair in November.  Throughout the year, we have had several catering assignments, the Vicar’s installation buffet, a Christening, meals for groups of hall users and a wedding at the end of this month.  All of this requires energy and enthusiasm but especially lots of help – we are always looking for volunteers.

We have donated a day’s money from the Cafe to Red Nose Day, hosted a Macmillan coffee morning and are about to have a coffee morning in aid of Multiple Sclerosis.  Whilst it is commendable to support and give our facilities for these charities, I do think we have to be careful not to lose sight of our true purpose.

On Village Show Day, to obtain £750 matched funding from Barclays Bank, Pam Pryor is proposing to run a giant tombola (it is becoming increasingly difficult to sell lots of raffle tickets) so we are asking all hall users to donate something for the stall.

Lastly, may I say a huge thank you to everyone who supports us, offers help in any way, or is their organisation’s representative on the Trust.  Also, my thanks go to Rosie Cummings, Treasurer to the Trust, Val Thompson and her husband, Alan, who both do lots of extra work on top of Val’s contracted hours, and to Pam Pryor, the Secretary of the Trust, who works hard trying to juggle bookings, working with the Charity Commission on our behalf and who gives me 100% support. Thank you all.

Mr Gibson congratulated Mrs Shepherd on the Parish Hall and the Trust. Cllr Eakins confirmed that the VHT would like a Car Park and Mrs Shepherd agreed as parking is an increasing problem.

9. Minor Matters: None