Community, Parish Council & Village
Taking place on Saturday 5th November, The 24th Heathlands Fireworks display will definitely go with a bang. With the gate opening at 5pm, tickets on the night (if left) will cost £7.50 for adults and £5 for children. Advance purchase is posisble from Monday 17th October until 2pm on the day at discounted prices of Continue reading “24th Heathlands Fireworks”
New Speeding & Parking InitiativeFollowing the recent Traffic Safety Group meeting, a new initiative has been launched to help reduce parking & speeding issues in and around West Bergholt. Based on a free community safety App, Trygve, users can share and receive local incident information in real time. This information can be as detailed as you want including pictures and GPS location but should always include:
Using the App will allow the group to measure the number of incidents and identify hot spots.
Already in use in many communities in the UK, a Neighbourhood watch coordinator using it in his community has said:
The app has not only been good at creating a community, but we have also been able to help with a few incidents of anti-social behaviour and thefts, by being able to pass more information onto police. It can help map any crime trends, and make users aware of areas they may want to be more alert.
It is an easier and quicker way for the community to communicate with each other as Facebook is not as instant as this app, nor can it use GPS as accurately. I am proud to co-ordinate our group and use my skills from my job to share more safety tips.
You can download Trygve to Android or iPhone devices; there is also a mobile friendly web-version for other mobiles and devices.
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. |
Care Network Calls for Volunteer DriversNew volunteer drivers are needed by the Care Network in order to continue running their local service. For thirty years now they have been helping those who are not able to get themselves to medical or other important appointments and so need support.
So the future of this valuable service can be secured new volunteers are needed. Most drivers run about 10 trips a year and are paid expenses. So, do you enjoy driving and helping others, if so why not join? Driver are asked to commit no more than they feel they can offer, just to help out when they can.
To join the team call Harry Stone on 241026 or email him at [email protected].
The Care Network is a registered charity and relies on donations to continue running.
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.
Afternoon Tea at the Methodist HallThe West Bergholt Methodist Church are inviting older members of the community to afternoon tea. The event takes place at the Methodist Church Hall on Sunday 17th July starting at 3pm. Particularly aimed at those who are elderly, living alone and with no nearby family or friends this will bring Continue reading “Afternoon Tea at the Methodist Hall”
Supporting CarersIf you are a carer in need of some support, or maybe you know somebody who is and does, then Supporting Carers in Essex offers “A single source of help and advice for all unpaid carers”. This organisation is a partnership of registered charities working together offering a single point of contact by phone or email. The group offers the following range of support Continue reading “Supporting Carers”
Essex Challenge launches with a Families Included PrizeEssex County Council are launching a new initiative called Essex Challenge Prize on 12th May. The Families Included Prize is the first in a series of Challenge Prizes. Challenge Prizes are a tried and tested method of generating a broader range of original ideas to solve difficult problems. Over the next few years ECC intend to run a series of prizes to address the diverse issues facing Essex. Along the way they will offer a range of support to nurture and develop the ideas of individuals, communities and organisations, as well as awarding a prize for the winning solution.
We are looking for great ideas, projects and solutions from Essex that involve local families with young children in opportunities that enrich their lives. Ideas can relate to any aspect of life including personal and social experiences. They can look to address the problem across Essex or focus on a local community. All we ask is that solutions come from people or organisations in Essex and will make a positive difference to Essex families.
Entry will be open between 12 May and 14 July 2016. After this a team of assessors and judges will choose the most promising ideas to go forward to receive further support to test and progress their solution. The winner will receive a prize of £10,000 to help them take this forward. We don’t know what the winning idea will look like. It might be a product, a service or a clever bit of tech. It could be completely new or an adapted way of doing things.
BYG Needs You!BYG has been running for over 7 years now, growing in popularity during this time. There are currently over 100 registered members in school years 6 to 10 with each Club evening being attended by between 60 and 70 children.
Although the volunteer list has seen many people come and go over the years, it is the same core of adults that still make up both the Club evening “crew” and the management committee. However after 8 years many of this original group are now looking to step aside.
In addition to the adults, most of the Youth crew, who have come up through the membership, are of a similar age. Some have already been lost to University and over the next 18 months most of the remainder will also depart.
Without an injection of new volunteers – both adult and youth (school year 10 and above), BYG will not be viable and unfortunately will have to close its doors. It is, therefore, necessary to start planning now. By the end of this year a new core of volunteers needs to be in place
If you are interested in helping BYG in any way – ad-hoc or more formally by regular attendance at Club evenings or as a new management committee member – please contact Harry Stone on 01206 241026 or by email: [email protected].
Essex County Council recently issued news updates on two items that might be of interest to local clubs – time is running out though:
Who are your star volunteers?Tell us about a volunteer, business or charitable organisation that has made an impact on your community and improved the lives of others. This is your opportunity to show just how much you appreciate them.
The ‘Who Will Care?’ Awards is a county-wide volunteer awards for Essex. There are seven categories to choose from and nominations close on Friday 9 April.
Find out more and download application forms from the Castle Point AVS website.
The Culture in Essex Small Grants Schemes are funded and run by Essex County Council, offering one-off project support to arts and culture projects within Essex. Grants of between £250 – £2,500 are available for projects and up to £250 for personal development.
The deadline for 2016/17 is the 31st March 2016. Awards of up to £2,500 are offered to projects which meet the schemes criteria. Please ensure that you read the guidance notes before completing an application form. For more information please email [antibot mailto=”[email protected]”].