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Issue No
241
- January 2008
A
Happy and Prosperous New Year
WEEK ST. MARY PARISH PLAN - FEEDBACK DAY
Influence the future of YOUR parish. An exhibition to feedback the views , opinions and issues from the Parish Plan questionnaire. These issues will be open for comment and decisions on priority of action and future development.
The Parish Hall - Saturday 26th January, 2008 drop in anytime from 11:00am to 8:00pm.
An opportunity for ALL residents of Week St Mary Parish to receive feedback on the Parish Plan questionnaire completed by over 66% of the parishioners. This is your opportunity to influence the direction and priority of the key issues that were raised by the questionnaire. Whatever priority issues are established there will be a need for parishioners to participate in achieving the outcomes. There will be plenty of opportunity to "sign-up" to volunteer or participate in a range of community activities. The plan will be used by the Parish Council and community to work towards the outcomes parishioners want.
HELP US MAKE THIS HAPPEN - HAVE YOUR SAY AND LET YOUR VIEWS BE KNOWN
We want you ALL to come and give your views.
Have trouble getting out - then we can arrange to pick you up, contact Jeremy Ward on WSM 341317
We also need volunteers on the day to help serve free food and drink, could you spare an hour or two to help make this day worth a visit then contact Micheline Smith on WSM 341689.
Come on pay us a visit and help get this village the facilities and resources that you have all been asking for.
WELCOME TO THE VILLAGE
...to Dan, Jossie and Kye at Kildagan, The Glebe. We hope you will all be very happy in Week St Mary.
Keep your eyes open for news of events and activities that you can join in with in the future!
Please don't be afraid to contact the editor (editor@weekstmaryvillage.co.uk) or Caroline in the shop if you
need any further information about life in the Parish.
BOYTON COUNTRYSIDERS CLUB
For details of this club please contact Norah Jewell on WSM 341580
COUNTY COUNCILLOR REPORT
The A39 is the one road which most residents in my county division rely upon. It is our route to employment, schools and the services which our towns provide. It's important that we have a quality road with a high standard of safety and it was a great shame that several years ago the government saw fit to remove it from the national trunk road network. Since then funding for improvements has been severely limited.
A temporary speed visor is to be erected at Wainhouse corner. This will flash when activated by motorists who exceed the 40mph limit thus making it quite clear that they are exceeding the speed limit. The visor also records all traffic movements and speeds; this valuable information can be used to assess the need for any potential highway modifications; this same information is also available to the police who may, if traffic speeds are consistently above the speed limit carry out their own speed check.
Work is starting on the A39 at Helscott where the highway has a sharp bend and poor sight lines. There are other poor sections along the A39 with tight bends and poor visibility but Helscott has a very poor accident record. This 400 metre improvement scheme will include a new right-turn lane where traffic can wait before they turn into Helscott Road. Initial work will start with BT and Western Power moving overhead power lines and it is anticipated that Cormac will complete the project by Easter 2008.
Traffic turning off of the A39 at Treskinick frequently fails to slow down as they turn left into the junction adjacent to the old cinema. Some motorists swing in so fast that they cut the corner and drive across the grass verge. The public have been consulted on a proposal to close off this part of the highway so that this residential area becomes a cul-de-sac. An earlier suggestion had been to restrict the junction thus forcing the traffic to slow down. The use of no entry signs have also been suggested during the consultation period. The results of this consultation will be passed on to the executive at county hall for their decision. County Councillor: Bob Booker
'WEEK ST. MARY VILLAGE - a community at large' by David M Martin
It is with great pleasure that I thank all those who attended my 'book signing' on Thursday 29th November. The Chapel's Sunday School Room was decorated with a display of some of the 'old' photographs of the village included in the book, along with a rolling display on a computer screen.
One of the highlights of the day was the arrival of Audrey Tarrant who entered the Sunday School Room wearing much of her evacuee's apparel, including clutching the same teddy bear that she clutched 64 years previously when first arriving in the village. Audrey and one of her daughters had travelled from Croydon purposely.
Signing the books kept me quite busy, making it difficult at times to log who had arrived, except Paul Hamlyn (freelance photographer) who commandeered Raymond Bale from Bude to pose as a customer, because he flashed at us... twice!
Thanks must go to Len Davies for his willingness to see that everything required for the occasion was made available; the ladies who offered all of us suitable refreshments; my wife for acting as "accountant" and of course my sister Linda Cobbledick for her continued support of my long-term project. It was also one of the few occasions that I was surrounded by all my sisters and brother, along with two uncles and an aunt.
Since that Thursday I have received many first and second-hand messages, phone-calls and letters telling me how this new book has brought many memories of the past flooding back. A personal card from Joan Matthews told of her great excitement when she received her copy of the book - she has already told me that I need to write a second! Friends of Joan will be pleased to know that her enthusiasm for the village and its inhabitants has not dwindled since leaving the area.
Thanks must also go to Canon 'Rob' for his Foreword. I think he is quite brave putting his name to a book on the basis of only having seen the first few pages!
The final thanks must surely go to all those who contributed in any way, small or large, by way of tales and stories or by allowing the use of so many photographs, as without that help the book would have been so much thinner!
For those who were unable to attend the book signing it may interest them to know that the book is available from Week St. Mary Post Office (thank you Jeff), Spencer Thorn's Bookshop (Bude), Martin Group Services (Bude) and can be purchased securely on-line from the Week St. Mary Community Web Site: www.weekstmaryvillage.co.uk using a credit card or even by writing to me direct and enclosing a cheque. Full details can be found on the web site including UK and International carriage charges. David M Martin
WEEK ST. MARY ADVENT JOURNEY
The Journey of the Church Crib Figures continues as the Magazine is prepared. 69 families have taken part in the Advent Journey and three sets of crib figures have moved to a new home every night.
We are so grateful for everyone's enthusiasm for this epic event and do hope that you have all enjoyed it and got some sense of the true meaning of Advent from it. The Shepherds, the Kings and Mary and Joseph and the donkey will all attend the Chapel Carol Service and then will finally arrive at the Christmas Eve Crib Service. They will then live in the church crib over Christmas until Epiphany.
'Light a candle to welcome the stranger. Hold it, carry it and watch for the light' Sue Dickenson and Lesley Booker
RUMINATIONS FROM THE RECTORY
January 2008: Sunday morning and a hard frost reminds me never to take my garage for granted. Back indoors the powdery scrapings from my labours with the windscreen cover my shirt and make it damp in the warmth of the study. With a tinge of sadness I remember how on mornings like this Dave, my then neighbour's cat, would follow me in from the cold then stand on me to warm his paws. Not only was I his neighbour, friend and hotelier but his doormat too! Alas, George and Anne, mailing from distant Evesham, have imparted sad news; "Dave has succumbed to kidney failure and is now at rest"
At this time of year 'rest' is an uncommon word in our vocabulary as we move towards the nativity of our Lord with increasing momentum. So, no time to wait for a thaw and, driving to Widemouth for early Mass, the windscreen refuses to clear so that I have to stop just below Haydah. Leaving the engine running I get out to savour a scene of contrastingly icy clarity. Over Steele a ghostly moon remains sky, while northwards towards Bude every line of a huge world is given definition by the frost.
In the pasture the puddles are written all over with an intense cold, deep and crisp and even. The grass crackles with frigidity as Paddy Cole's cattle stamp and touch each other to generate warmth, and puff clouds like steam trains. A black iciness glints from the surface of the lane and I begin to find myself questioning the wisdom of travelling so cold, so early. Later, Fr Tucker tells me how, on such mornings, Fr John Edwards would 'phone with the curt message, "Too cold to get the car out, Harold, you'll have to do it!"
Back in the car again, I peer through misted panes all the way to Langford Bridge before the heater takes effect. Was it so, I wonder, for the legendary magi, wise men from Persia, struggling over the icebound Zagros Mountains towards distant Bethlehem. In Week St Mary, however, like the shepherds and the Holy family, they have enjoyed the relative luxury of travelling by basket! Throughout Advent, from night to night and from cosy household to cosy household, they have made their separate journeys towards the Christmas crib; and thanks to the generosity of their hosts, sixty nine in all, there has always been room at the inn! Their arrival, of course, will not be at Christmas but twelve days later at The Epiphany.
Epiphany; a marvellous word; Greek for 'something made clear.' And so, as Advent shepherds stumble towards who-knows-what at the stable in Bethlehem, with little clarity of what they shall find there, for the magi the way ahead will be as clear and sharp as this late December morning. In the Epiphany reading, Isaiah sums it all up in a couple of verses: "The Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn."
So may the Christchild that you have welcomed so generously into your homes and your lives at Christmas continue to light your way; and whatever difficulties may have obscured your vision in the year past be left behind in the promise of a bright and blessed journey into the New Year. Revd Rob
WEEK ST MARY PARISH COUNCIL
The Parish Council Meeting took place on Monday 10th December 2007 under the chairmanship of Mr L Davies with 6 Councillors and 0 members of the public present. The following matters were discussed:
The precept for 2008/09 was set at £11,250 representing a rise of 57 pence per head.
Christmas meal for Councillors: it was agreed the meal (which Councillors pay for themselves) would be at Trencreek in February. The Internal Auditor, would be invited.
Parking at Week Green: the police who had attended the problem with the Beet Harvester had found the cars parked properly; the harvester was too wide for the street; a vehicle was moved with the full co-operation of the driver; had the harvester been travelling with its front reel or table attached the driver would have been committing an offence; it is the driver's responsibility to find a suitable and safe route. The Divisional Surveyor suggested if such a wide vehicle needs to pass this point again, an arrangement should be made well in advance with the police for to temporarily display No Waiting cones at the pinch point. The police cones have the same legal effect as yellow lines.
One Cornwall Parish and Town Council survey It was agreed that the role of the council is properly influencing rather than delivering services as long as its opinion is not swept aside. The Parish Plan is felt to be more useful to the Parish than applying for Quality Parish Status; and is felt to be the basis from which any collaboration with other Parish Councils would be negotiated. Parish Councils are elected, Community Area Networks are not, therefore Parish Councils should be primary decisionmakers for their area.
Parish Hall - The roof is still leaking; the Football Club have installed 2 shower units which are working well.
Playing Field - The felt has been peeled off the services hut by the high winds. Mr L Davies will investigate.
The following correspondence was dealt with:
Cornwall County Council-Consultation on future street light policy: deferred till January meeting; NCDC- Planning Made Simple: A Guide for Parish Councillors; NCDC-Off Street Parking Places Amendment Order
2008; Cornwall County Council-Fire Brigade IRMP Service Plan 2008/9 Consultation: Clerk to ask Bude Fire Service personnel their opinion of the review.
CCC Emergency Planning Unit - Main Community Meeting Places and Emergency Contacts Database: Mr L Davies to be the contact for both MSR and Parish Hall; Highways - Extension to Closure dates Canworthy Water to Maxworthy Cross 12th Nov to 7th Dec; posted to Parish Notice Board. Cornwall County Council- Notice of Road Closure, Stewarts Road, WSM 14th January 2008 for 2 weeks - posted to Parish Notice Board; Mike Cowley Perranworthal PC - Invitation to comment on unitary authority online at http://cpatc.14.forumer.com/
Finance Cheques were raised for the following: Mr JL A Race for Toilet cleaning and expenses; Week St Mary Parish Hall for upkeep.
Public Toilets - The support bar in the disabled toilet has been wrenched off. Mr L Davies will investigate. The drains in the gents urinal is blocked. It was agreed Mr L Davies would organise professional help with this
problem (a sum had been budgeted for toilet maintenance). Mrs M Smith agreed to be the named Councillor in the magazine for the public to report problems.
Highways - The Cornwall County Council Divisional Surveyor had met with Mr Booker to discuss various matters. The Week St Mary to Marhamchurch road is scheduled for surface dressing in 2008/09. The drainage at the entrance to Ashbury Grove will be investigated. The potholes in the road near the shop will be attended to at the earliest opportunity.
Dog Bins - NCDC reported that after a staff review they are unable to offer extra bins as the person power to empty them is in short supply. Clerk to ask Mr Phil Tucker for assistance in pressing our case, with extra houses in the village now.
Community Policing - Our Neighbourhood Beat Manager has offered a regular report on crime statistics in Week St Mary. It was agreed this would be useful on a quarterly basis or more often if the situation warrants it.
Parish Plan - There will be an Open Day on 26th January to feed back results of the Parish Plan to the community. Clerk to draw up a rota for Councillors to sign up at the next meeting, to be there on the day and guide visitors round the display.
PLANNING
The following has been received:
Full planning application for the erection of a conservatory and internal alterations at Stewart House, Week St Mary for Mr & Mrs S Cox Ref 2007/02265
Next meeting will be on Monday 21st January 2008 at 7.30pm in the Methodist Hall when Dan Rogerson MP will be present to meet the council and answer questions. Nicky May - Parish Clerk
WEEK ST MARY PARISH HALL HUNDRED CLUB
The lucky winners in the December 2007 Draw are:-
1st - No 29 - £75 Mrs E. Pearce
2nd - No 77 - £50 Mike Caesar-Gordon
3rd - No 122 - £25 John Metexas
4th - No 27 - £20 Mr D. Coates
5th- No 96 - £15 Shirley Clinkard
6th - No 14 - £10 Simon Cox
The Parish Hall Hundred Club is the halls main source of revenue. The cost is £10 per year with a draw every month and a "Grand Draw" in December. If anyone would care to have a number, please get in touch with Ivor Barriball or myself Len Davies.
COFFEE POT CLUB
The Coffee Pot Club meets every Tuesday. 10am till 12 noon - We meet to drink coffee and tea whilst our pre-school age children have a chance to play. New members are always welcome. Contact Sue Booker WSM 341579 or Nicola Pugh on 341033. We now meet at the Methodist School Room so that the children have more space to run around.
WEEK ST. MARY YOUTH CLUB
I am delighted to say that we have had two volunteers to give Sandy a hand with the Junior Club. We have also had an offer of help with the Senior Club, but are still appealing for a Female helper to join the team. (7.30pm to 9.15 Monday evenings) If you feel that you would able to help us, please come along any Monday evening and meet the team. It is a relief to know that the Youth Club will continue to function in the new year which I'm sure will be appreciated by the young people of the village.
LAUNCESTON MALE VOICE CHOIR
will be giving a concert at the Methodist Chapel on Sunday 27th January at 7.00pm. Anne Rowe will be our
chairperson for the evening. £3.50p on the door including supper to follow. Everyone welcome.
DAN ROGERSON MP WILL BE AT THE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING ON MONDAY 21st JANUARY 2008
7.30 PM IN THE METHODIST SCHOOL ROOM - COME ALONG AND PUT YOUR QUESTIONS TO HIM
MULLED WINE EVENING
A very Merry Mulled Wine Evening was held at Clifton on 14th December. A wide variety of friends and neighbours got together to welcome the Christmas Party Season and to eat Dan's sausages. Many thanks to everyone who helped us to have a very enjoyable evening, to all who brought goods for sale and all who bought those goods. Thank you to Norah Jewell for running a magnificent draw and to everyone who donated prizes. The proceeds of the draw and retiring collection were £197 which will be added to the Church Audio System Fund. Hopefiilly we should soon be able to install the planned PA system and Hearing Loop in the church for the benefit of the hard of hearing and to give us a degree of flexibility for music and performance which has not been available before. Thank you again and Happy New Year from Lesley and Bob Booker
WEEK ST. MARY QUILTING GROUP
Will restart the season on Tuesday 8th January, 2.00pm at the WSM School Room
BIRTHDAYS THIS MONTH
Happy Birthday to Hilda Axford: 13th January, and welcome home to Week St Mary.
Welcome to the Village for our Little People: Congratulations to Mark and Lyndsey of Beechleigh on the birth of their daughter Summer on 6th December.
USING THE NUMBER 112 FROM A MOBILE PHONE
A bit of useful advice - verified by the Dorset Police. This actually happened to someone's daughter. Lauren was 19 years old and in college. This story takes place over the Christmas/New Year's holiday break. It was the Saturday before New Year and it was about 1.00 pm in the afternoon, Lauren was driving to visit a friend, when an UNMARKED police car pulled up behind her and put its lights on. Lauren's parents have four children (of various ages) and have always told them never to pull over for an unmarked car on the side of the road, but rather wait until they get to a service station, etc. So Lauren remembered her parents' advice and telephoned 112 from her mobile phone. This connected her to the police dispatcher, she told the dispatcher that there was an unmarked police car with a flashing red light on its rooftop behind her and that she would not pull over right away but wait until she was in a service station or busy area.
The dispatcher checked to see if there was a police car where she was and there wasn't so he told her to keep driving, remain calm and that he had back-up already on the way. Ten minutes later four police cars surrounded her and the unmarked car behind her. One policeman went to her side and the others surrounded the car behind. They pulled the guy from the car and tackled him to the ground. The man was a convicted rapist and wanted for other crimes. I never knew that bit of advice, but especially for the woman alone in a car, you do not have to pull over for an UNMARKED car. Apparently police have to respect your right to keep going to a "safe" place.
You obviously need to make some signals that you acknowledge them i.e. put on your hazard lights or call 112 like Lauren did. Too bad the mobile phone companies don't give you this little bit of wonderful information. So now that you know please pass on to all your friends & family the number 112 is an emergency number that can be used from any landline or mobile phone & will work on a mobile even without a signal* or a sim card* (999 will not).
*confirmed by Vodaphone and Cornwall & Devon Police. Dennis HICKS, Market Place.
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