DRAFT
MINUTES
CHEARSLEY
ANNUAL VILLAGE MEETING
Draft
Minutes of Annual Village Meeting held in the Village Hall
Monday 24th
April 2017 at 7.30pm
Chairman: Nic Brown,
Councillors: John Lewis, John
Howard, Paul Bown, Julia Witcher, Martin Hearmon, Clerk: Helen Spurgeon. Attendance:
82 Villagers
Nic
Brown, Chairman of Chearsley Parish Council, welcomed everyone to the meeting.
1. Apologies
Michael Edmonds, Ken Birkby.
2.
Report
from the Parish Council
·
Nic Brown introduced the members of the Parish
Council, including Martin Hearmon as a new Councillor, Helen Spurgeon as the
new Clerk and Robert Parkes as the new Financial Officer.
·
John Howard explained the role of the Parish
Council in looking after the village.
·
John Howard listed the achievements of
2016/17. Improvements to the village included the new village notice board, new
flagpole, ‘no parking’ signs around the green, refurbishment of the bus
shelters, tree pruning, improvements to the War Memorial area. Planning for the
future included surveys of HGV traffic through the village and a feasibility
study for traffic calming measures.
·
The plans for 2017/18 were presented by John
Howard. Planned improvements to the village include new traffic calming measures,
kerbing work, refurbishment of the War Memorial, new railings and litter bins
by bus shelters, installation of a defibrillator, removal of the telephone
kiosk, bollards to protect the Village Green, power source to Village Green.
Planning for the future includes lobbying for repairs to village approach roads
and for restrictions on HGVs through the village, looking at speeding through
the village and availability of parking spaces.
·
John Lewis explained how the Parish Council is
funded and its decision to increase the Precept in order to carry out much
needed improvements to the village. Spending figures for this year and next
year were outlined.
·
Villagers were then invited by Nic Brown to
ask any questions. The lack of rubbish collections from the full litter bins by
the bus stops was questioned. ACTION: Clerk to contact AVDC. The
poor condition of the shop front was raised, NB is in dialogue with the shop
owner about this. Parking at the end of Bernards Close leading to poor
visibility was raised. ACTION: to be discussed at the next
Parish Council meeting. A concern was raised over emergency vehicle
access to Dark Lane. NB expressed concerns over the infrastructure of the
village roads in the coming years. A villager suggested a leaflet could be
produced outlining village projects so that people can be more involved. NB
encouraged everyone to attend Parish Council meetings. It was suggested that
Parish Council meetings could be held on different nights, rather than always a
Monday, to increase attendance.
3. Village Hall update
Antonia
Stratford, Chair of the Village Hall Committee, reported on the New Village
Hall. Work is due to start in July with a planned completion date of March
2018. Antonia explained what had been done to date and the various committees
that have been set up to manage the project. The new hall will be bigger than
the current one at 264m2, it will have 2 rooms with a partition that can be
opened for functions. The total cost of the project is £568,723. To date
£506,335 has been secured through donations, grants and village fundraising.
This leaves a shortfall of approx. £60,000 which is hoped will come from
grants, the community and match funding from the Vickers and Heybrooks. On 8th
July there will be a closing event at the hall ‘Meadowsong’ and an auction of
hall equipment. A villager asked if there were any plans to improve the play
park. It will be closed during the build and there are no plans to improve it
but this could be a future project. Antonia put out a request for volunteers to
run a bar and bbq at Meadowsong. Don’t forget Aylesbury Vale Lottery and
easyfundraising to raise funds for the Village Hall.
4. The Bell
Sharon gave an overview of the many
events that run at the village pub including Bingo Night, Quiz Night, Coffee
and Cakes, Lunch Club, Higher or Lower, Bonus Ball, Meat Raffle. Themed events
include Easter Egg Hunts, Summer Parties, Halloween. The Bell supports the
Village Fete hosting a band and providing food. It is a big part of the local
community.
5.
Chearsley
Cricket Club
Terry Gadsby, the secretary, provided
us with an update on the Cricket Club. An appeal was made for more senior
players. Junior coaching has started and is very well attended. New ‘state of
the art’ practice nets have been installed and look great. Several social
events have already been organised and don’t forget the Cricket Club makes a
great venue for hire.
6.
Classic
and Vintage Fun Day
This is organised for Sunday 10th
September and promises to be a big event with 80+ vehicles already registered,
a hurricane flypast confirmed and live music booked. The event hopes to raise
£5k+ for the Cricket Club. Andy Yorke appealed for volunteers to help run the
event.
7.
Chearsley
and Haddenham Under Fives Pre-School (Chuf)
Hannah Eames from the voluntary
management committee gave an update on Chuf. Over 100 children attend in
Chearsley and Haddenham. Haddenham is full, Chearsley was struggling for
numbers but is now doing well. There are 17 employees, 4 of whom live in the
village and Hannah would like to thank all the staff for the work they do. Chuf
are looking forward to moving to the new Village Hall next year and would like
to thank the Cricket Club who will be housing them during the build. On May 21st
Chuf will be holding a summer party and bbq in Chearsley. Chuf are looking for
new committee members if anyone is interested and you don’t need to have
children at the pre-school.
8.
Chearsley
Flower Festival
This will take place in the Church
from 30th June to 2nd July. It will help raise funds for
the Church which is running at a loss. Joy Payne, Church Warden, appealed for
volunteers to make cakes, serve teas and help with flower arranging.
9.
Chearsley
Village Fete
This will take place on 24th
June. There will be a mixture of stalls including cakes, bbq, bric-a-brac, WI,
children’s. This year the money raised will be going to the Village Hall and
will be match funded by the Vickers and Heybrooks. Angela Gray appealed for
volunteers to help and for donations of prizes.
10.
Sue Jones,
PCSO
Sue reported that crime rates are very
low with the main crimes being thefts from cars, car thefts and shed thefts. Changes
have been made within the policing structure. Waddesdon will lose one of its
Police Officers but there will be no risk to PCSO’s.
11.
St
Nicholas Church
Reverend Richard Phillips explained
that the Church is here to serve everyone in the village and that the village
also serves the Church too. Everyone is welcome to join activities such as the
choir and bell ringing. The Church would like to do more to serve children and
older people and work has already begun with local schools. Reverend Phillips’
contact details are available on the website.
12.
The WI
Anne Lee reported that the WI currently
has 16 members and meets on the 3rd Tuesday of the month in the
Village Hall. It is about education, friendship and learning. Speakers come in,
outings take place and there are singing and craft groups. Non-members are
welcome, the next meeting is on May 16th at 2pm. There will be a WI
cake stall at the village fete.
13.
Supporting
your village
As the meeting drew to a close, Nic
Brown suggested ways to support Chearsley including attending village events,
supporting local businesses, volunteering, looking after the neighbourhood. Thanks
were given to Margaret Morbey for the work she does on the Chearsley News and
the village website, an excellent source of information. Villagers were
encouraged to subscribe to the Chearsley News via the website.
Nic Brown thanked all for attending
and contributing to the meeting. The meeting ended at 9.40pm.
14.
A written
report from Mike Heybrook, Footpaths Officer:
This
AGM I have nothing to report except that there has been vandalism to the
self-closing gates on Footpath No. 9. By the farm track and the railway, the
latches have been bent back, perhaps by kicking, so that they didn't self-close
unfailingly. I managed to repair one by welding. The gates are expensive and,
apparently, now my responsibility.
If
people want to misuse them, they may be replaced with just a style to
everyone's detriment.
Otherwise
I have not come across any obstructed footpaths within the parish. All seems
well.
Date and Time of Next Parish Council
Meeting in Chearsley Village Hall:
·
Monday 15th May 2017 at 7.30pm
