Community, Parish Council & Village
Concert Band to hold Open RehearsalThis Friday, 23rd September, West Bergholt Concert Band is holding an open rehearsal, opening its doors to new members, giving them a chance to enjoy a FREE night of band playing Continue reading “Concert Band to hold Open Rehearsal”
Traffic Safety ProgressAs a result of concerns about the safety of traffic in the village expressed at a recent Parish Council meeting a group consisting of Parish Councillors, Borough Councillors and village residents has been formed and met to consider what actions we can take to improve safety on our roads in the village. The aim is to produce a plan with a strategy for actions that will be adopted by the Parish Council and lead to residents feeling more safe as they move around the village.
The Parish Council approved a Traffic Safety Plan in September 2012 with the objective of dealing with such issues mainly in the area of the school. After reviewing progress on this plan the new group hopes to have revised proposals to put to the village for consultation.
You can read the 2012 plan here but in brief the vision was:
The Parish Council has a vision for the future travel environment in the village where walking and cycling become the preferred modes of travel, that traffic levels and parking do not dominate our village and that the safety of adult and child pedestrians remains paramount.
The strategy for achieving the Aims and Objectives of this plan included:
Measure |
Progress |
|
| 1. | A “Build Out” in New Church Road from the footpath to Mumford Close. | Not achieved due to objections from local residents but timed yellow line restriction from pathway instead. |
| 2. | “Built up Tables” at each end of New Church Road and School Lane. | Not achieved due to objections but red patches painted in road. |
| 3. | Yellow zig-zag lines outside school to be extended as far as bend. | Timed yellow line restriction added instead. |
| 4. | Improved signage on approaches to school. | Achieved. |
| 5. | New footpath along the edge of Poors Land. | Achieved. |
| 6. | Car Parks at Orpen Hall, Treble Tile and Church to be made more available for use by parents. | Orpen Hall park improved and journey to school made safer at crossing with New Church Road. Use of Treble Tile agreed and operated for a time but then withdrawn due to misuse by parents. |
| 7. | 20 MPH limit in New Church Road. | Achieved with enhanced signage to follow. |
| 8. | Designated space for disabled parking on Lexden Road. | Not achieved. |
| 9. | A “Park and Walk” scheme organised by parents. | No known progress. |
| 10. | Parents who drive to school to be encouraged to operate a voluntary one way system in School Lane. | No known progress. |
| 11. | The school to review its Travel Plan. | Discussions between the school and Parish Council are ongoing. |
Films & LiteratureFilms & Literature is the topic of the upcoming WEA course starting at 8pm on 13th September. The course will investigate the way books & cinema have influenced the other as David Read, the tutor, says:
From the early days of cinema to the present day film has shared with the novel a passion for storytelling. Early pioneer of the Silent Film D W Griffiths, cited the novels of Dickens as an influence on his technique and to this day film makers continue to use literature as an inspiration.
Films/books that we will consider in the study are “The Great Gatsby” and “Pride & Prejudice”.
WEA classes are friendly and supportive. You will work in groups and with the whole class, sharing ideas and views and giving and receiving feedback. The WEA tutor uses a range of different teaching and learning methods and will encourage you to be actively involved in your learning. You will get the texts for the following week each session and might find it it useful to supplement them with some internet research or background reading.
Find out moreThe course will run for 9 evenings at the Methodist Hall, Chapel lane, and will cost £47.25. (If you are on low income and benefits, let the organiser know, the fee may be waived). If you would like to find out more contact Gill on 01206 240512, you are also most welcome to try the first evening for free.
Heathlands Midday Assistant VacanciesHeathlands are looking for enthusiastic, caring, Midday Assistants to join the school to promote positive behaviour and work well in their team, as well as support play leaders by organising and playing games with the children.
Successful applicants must be able to Continue reading “Heathlands Midday Part Time Vacancies”
Every Year the Rural Community Council of Essex holds a competition to determine the best Village of the Year. The award is based on the activities and work of the community as a whole, not just the Parish Council:
This is the only competition of its kind in Essex that focuses on the whole community rather than on the work of the Parish Council or one particular organisation or amenity. We will be looking to reward villages of all sizes that are doing most to enhance the quality of life for their inhabitants.
RCCE Website
St Mary’s Church update for 21st June provides listings of services, bible readings and other events and appeals for support for their stall at Heathlands School Fayre.
Heathlands School Fayre – Friday 1 July – Sweets needed!St Mary’s will be running a stall at the school Fayre on Fri 1 July and have decided to offer 2 activities Continue reading “St Mary’s Update – 21st June 2016”
Earlier today there was an incident in New Church Road whereby a bus struck a tree causing the road to become blocked and passengers, none of whom are believed to have been injured, to be evacuated from the vehicle.
It is understood from early reports Continue reading “Bus Service Strikes Tree in New Church Road”
The Queen’s 90th Birthday CelebrationOn Thursday 21st April the Parish Council have organised an evening of festivities & fun at the Orpen Memorial Hall to celebrate the Queen’s 90th Birthday. Kicking off at 3:30pm with a birthday tea, the evening culminates in the lighting of the Queen’s Beacon and a Firework Display.
If the weather’s good why not bring your own Picnic Blanket & Deckchairs! Red, White & Blue clothing is encouraged with a Prize for the Best Fancy Dress.
The full schedule is:
Free of charge admission tickets for the birthday tea are available from Heathlands School, Bluebells Pre-School, the Co‑op & West Bergholt Pharmacy. Please contact the Heathlands PTA directly for tickets for the Balloon Race.
For more details please contact the Parish Clerk on 07726 424419.
The Annual Parish Meeting on 23rd March 2016 is for all local residents to hear what is happening and, by raising issues and asking questions, to put their mark on the village’s future.
Dear Resident,
You are invited to attend West Bergholt’s Annual Village Meeting, which will be held in the Orpen Hall (main hall) at 7.30pm on Wednesday 23rd March 2016.
Chris Stephenson
Chair – West Bergholt Parish Council
Refreshments will be available.
Neighbourhood Plan Makes ProgressThe Neighbourhood Plan meeting that took place earlier this month resulted in much progress with an almost completed first draft plan. The picture on the right shows the Contents page to give some idea of what to expect when the final report is published (click on it for larger picture).
You will notice that a lot of the the section headings have blank ‘App Buttons’ and, since the plan will impact the children’s future, the NP group are running a competition for the pupils at Heathlands to design what the blanks should be filled in with.
There are 8 categories and these are listed below, there will be a winner and a prize selected for each App Button. The Categories are: