DRAFT MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL SHIPTON GORGE PARISH MEETING HELD AT THE VILLAGE HALL ON 27 APRIL 2011
Present: Cllr Richard Cunningham (Chair), Simon Cleveland, Cllr Peter Gates, Cllr Peter Varney, Cllr Amy Steele, PC Tim Poole, PCSO Alex Bishop and PCSO Paul Miners (Safer Neighbourhood Team), Cllr Ronald Coatsworth and 24 members of the public
11.00 The Chairman welcomed everyone to the Annual Parish Meeting, organised by the Parish Council.
11.01 Apologies Pam and Peter Bates, Gillian Maxfield, Sally Parker.
11.02 Minutes of meeting held on 28 April 2010 – These were signed by the Chairman as a correct record.
11.03 Chairman’s Report – The Chairman gave a brief report congratulating Councillors on their hard work during the year. He particularly mentioned the work done by Clls Peter Gates and Peter Varney in connection with work on the various highways/potholes and the provision of grit bins. Some Councillors had decided not to seek re-election and there had been six nominations for new councillors – Keith Sorrel, Barbara Chambers, Duncan McShee, and Steven Young. No election would be needed on 5 May and there are three vacancies for members to be co-opted on to the Parish Council. Two existing Councillors, Richard Cunningham and Peter Gates were to remain on the Council. The Chairman pointed out that the Parish Council could be at risk of being taken over by another parish if more members could not be found and encouraged the meeting to draw this to the attention of the villagers. He reiterated the importance of villagers drawing the Council’s awareness to problems in the village – these can then be actioned. Much hard work had also been done on Rights of Way in the village and thanks for this were given to Robert Langran and Jane Mallett.
11.04 Reports
a) Safer Neighbourhood Team. Tim Poole explained the reshuffle of the Dorset Police and that the SN Teams had been reduced from five to three. Shipton now being part of the Beaminster team. Shipton PCSO would still be Poppy Wheeler but both Alex and Paul would be available if Poppy was not – hopefully, therefore, offering an enhanced service. Clinics will continue on a fortnightly basis and be held at Cllr Cunningham’s home. There were some queries about the Ringmaster System which would be addressed.
b) Burton Bradstock ‘EC VC Primary School. –
School Organisation
At present we have 96 pupils on roll, who are split into four classes as follows:
Sails Class – 17 Reception and Year 1 pupils taught by Mrs Proctor
Boats Class – 20 Year 1 and 2 pupils taught by Miss Sanderson
Class 3 – 31 Year 3 and 4 pupils taught by Miss Varndell
Class 4 – 28 Year 5 and 6 pupils taught by Mrs Rattenbury
Each class also has full-time teaching assistant support and we have 2 teaching assistants who work with children on a 1:1 or small group basis. We have a full-time school secretary/finance officer who works in the office as well as two midday supervisors, three kitchen assistants and one caretaker/cleaner.
Since the previous meeting we have welcomed four new members of staff into the school – Miss Varndell, Mrs Turner, Mrs Pimbley and Miss Acton.
At present 37 children attend the school from B Bradstock, 11 from Shipton Gorge and 48 children from outside the catchment area.
Breakfast Club – The school has identified a need for before school care and are in the process of setting up a Breakfast club. Children attending will come into school from 8.00am and play games and have breakfast together,
Governing Body – Ms Sue Dampney continues in her role of Chair of Governors this year and she is supported by the rest of the Governing Body. At present we have a vacancy for A Children’s Services Authority ~Governor.
Friends of BB School – At the AGM the constitution was amended and the Parent and Teacher Association became the Friends of BB School. This means that the association is not restricted to only parents and teachers, but anyone with an interest in supporting the school can become a member. The Friends of the school work tirelessly to fundraise and this year they have donated £200.00 per class for staff to spend on their wish list, £200.00 to purchase new books, they have replaced the drinks fountain in the playground and have subsidised transport on school trips. The major event of the year is the Duck Race, which took place on Easter Sunday and raised nearly £1000.00. In total the Friends of the school have raised nearly £3000.00 for the school in the last year, which is so vital with the government budget cuts.
Links with the Church – We continue to have strong links with the church. Our Friday assemblies are led by the “Open the Book” team and give the children the opportunity to hear the major Bible stories accompanied by relevant prayers and quiet reflection. We also hold our major celebrations in the Church – Harvest Festival, Christmas, Easter and our Leavers’ Service
Links with Parents and Community –We have weekly Good Work Assemblies where the children lead and share their work and achievements. Some members of the local community come into school to run after school clubs and to support the children in their learning. We hold regular events at the school and welcome support from the community. These include our Christmas Fair, The Annual Duck Race and the Jumble and Cake Sales. The children also take part in the Remembrance Sunday Poster competition run by the British Legion, the Art competition for the Village Flower and Produce Show and athe Photography Competition sponsored by Burton Bradstock Online.
OFSTED – The school was due an Ofsted Inspection this term as it has been three years since the previous one. However, we have received a letter informing us that as we were previously graded an outstanding school and our standards and attainment are consistently high they will not be inspecting us this year. Clare Staple, Headteacher.
c) Shipton Gorge Village Hall Trust
In 2010 the Trust held five ordinary meetings with an average attendance of eight Trustees. The AGM was held on the 21 April with an attendance of nineteen. The management of the 100 Club was passed this year from Brian Shaw to Jean Ayers and has been expanded to improve participation, a prize money and profit. We are indebted to both of them. In January we were entertained to a jazz evening with Tom ‘Hot Fingers’ Langham and in October by Mrs Gerrish’s “Rear Window”. Once again thanks go to Jo Warren for all her hard work. During the year we were given the results of the village appraisal as far as it affected the village hall and were very pleased to note that the hall seems to be well thought of. We have addressed the problem of draughts under doors (yoga) and leaking window seals, and are considering providing broadband connection but this is not without significant problems, including cost. We are looking at the request for more films but it will not be through Moviola who have withdrawn support to small villages. We have addressed the problem of a ‘smelly back kitchen’ by starting a conversion from kitchen to office where we can store, process and retrieve information to the benefit of ourselves and other village organisations. We have put this conversion into the capable hands of Peter Gates who rewarded our confidence by securing a grant of £2300.00 from the Lottery Small Scheme Fund! With our old heating system partially condemned we had to take emergency action and installed a new system, which has received some criticism but it’s true value may be appreciated if our investigation into the provision of photovoltaic cells bears fruit. This would allow us to run background heating and sell power back to the grid. Colin Green is investigating this one for us. He has obtained quotations and applied for funding. Ann Hunt secured a grant of £1100.00 towards the heating installation costs from the Bridport Community Fund. Our outgoing Treasurer, John Bredemear, has looked after our monetary affairs splendidly for seven years and we wish him well for the future, One of his last tasks was to get the right insurance deal for us which included the valuation of the replacement cost of our hall at £220,000.00. Eddy Buck – Chairman.
d) New Inn Support Limited. It can be said that the last year has been successful in terms of meeting our objectives but there can be no denying that, like the duck moving upstream, we have been paddling hard underneath to appear serene above water. Raising funds for the kitchen ventilation improvements has been a major problem and our current bank balance of £3000.00 is the minimum we need to meet our commitments. It has been said that the first three years of operation of a new venture confirm its viability and build the foundation for future success. Our pub has been open over four years now and can claim to be successful but other local pubs have noted our success and are improving their service, so we cannot afford to be complacent. Recognising the need to continually refresh our thinking we have added two new directors to the Board, Eric Benedict and Hillary Cunningham have certainly broadened our experience and thinking. To find out more of what our pub users think of our and other pubs we have, under the expert control of Helen Benedict, held a Discussion Group to help us understand their feelings of what a good pub should provide for its customers. If we can find enough volunteers, Helen has offered to run another group, this time comprised of folk who tend not to use our pub. Friends Of The New Inn, ably coordinated by Simon Cleveland, have provided a maintenance service for the pub and the Village Society have helped keep the village smart by organising hanging baskets and the Xmas tree. In addition to managing the pub Gary and Sandra have played their part in handling a very significant media interest in our pub. There have been numerous radio, TV and newspaper articles with national and German TV using live and recorded material relating to both pubs and rural issues. A live appearance on Farming Today at 6.00am introduced Gary to a part of the day previously unknown to him. The New Statesman, The Big Issue, the Times and the Telegraph have all run significant articles and visitors have included Nick Robinson, Aneka Rice, Oliver Letwin and Shirley Williams. Eddy Buck – Chairman.
e) Shipton Gorge Limited – The planting of the Orchard is now complete and all bar one crab-apple tree seem fine. Money had been donated for the trees and a sum also given for the planting of bulbs which should take place this week. Work is currently taking place to get an Information Display Board agreed, purchased and erected. It is hoped all villagers will enjoy the orchard which will obviously take some time to get established. There is a small committee to which anyone interested would be welcome. Thanks were given to Colin Chambers for his hard work and Colin Green asked what the plans were for the apples. It was hoped that in the future the village may be able to make its own cider. Robert Cornish
f) Homewatch – Richard Cunningham reminded the meeting of PATCH and that the completion of cards or if anyone reported issues (not necessarily strictly legal matter) they would be referred to PATCH and will be taken forward to the authorities if enough people completed cards/reported issues.
g) Shipton Gorge Village Society – Another year gone by in a flash, probably because of a full programme which has been fun for us, and well supported by the Village and friends, especially those from Burton Bradstock. The more costly events to promote do rely on us casting a net beyond our own bounds and certainly, the longer coach trips which need higher numbers to make them economically viable would not go ahead without patronage from surrounding communities. We had four trips arranged this year. Kingston Lacey was popular, well attended and blessed with a beautiful day. A bespoke tour of the Japanese Garden was a highlight, and thanks to Liz Bates for pulling some strings to make it happen. Another good day was spent in London following the Monopoly Board with Bob Ayers who does a splendid and incredibly well researched tour of our Capital. A smaller group spent lots of money shopping in Salisbury one morning and lost even more money at the races in the afternoon. A 17 seater was the ideal size and price for this jaunt. The Christmas shopping trip to Exeter was full, but sadly fell prey to the bad weather, access to and from the Village on that day being impossible. Annoying in that the main road just a mile away was clear all the way to Exeter! Just one of those things. We ran two quizzes this year, both with a supper which is always well received. The format of these is designed to offer something different from Peter Varney’s very successful quiz at the New Inn, and we are learning that there is a very good return on the catering that we can re-invest in our future activities like Picnic in the Park, which we give to the Village for free. Well done for excellent fare Liz and Sally. We tried some new events this year, starting with a Cabaret/Concert with Stompin’ Dave, brilliantly organised by Linda Stockwell. A great evening that we shall probably do again in the future. We also danced – even me, the Treasurer, and the now famous Steve Larcombe – to the sound of One Night Stand. Thanks to Phyl Webster for taking the lead, and again something to be repeated. We also tried a “theme” evening based on Dad’s Army, imaginatively decorated by Kate Kent, and again, beautifully catered for by Liz and Sally. We got a good ‘press’ from this which is always very rewarding and provides an incentive for the Society to try new things. A similar format with “Allo Allo” is planned for October 2011. The traditional events were not forgotten, with our Village Fete, Garden Party/Plant Swap and Village Show all well supported despite the inclement weather. The Picnic in the Park enjoyed its third consecutive year and a fourth is planned for 31 June 2011 – this really does depend on fair weather, so let’s hope for a sunny day. The Society’s marquee has made several of these events possible. It is also available for use by other groups and individuals in the Bride Valley. In the three years we have had it, on average we use it ourselves three, four or even five times a year and it is on hire around another ten to twelve times. That means it has been up and down on about fifty occasions. To date it has more than paid for itself and it’s upkeep and is already booked in 2011 for thirteen events. I have to pay tribute to a group of people, now known and much admired, as the Erection Team. Experts in erections they have become and you can imagine the banter...............We have decided that we will get at least another season out of this one, but need to complement it, and eventually replace it with a new one. This will be the focus of our fund raising this year. The Society again entered The Best Kept Village Competition of behalf of you all and we were delighted when we won it outright with an incredibly high score. Congratulations to you all, but with especial thanks to Barbara and Colin Chambers and to Peter Gates. We are pleased to have been able to support the Parish Council in the purchase of new notice boards, using the prize money that has been won in the various village competitions over the last three years. Thank you Colin Green for organising and negotiating with Heavers. An additional amount has been allocated to cover the final cost. The two benches from WDDC have also been handed over to the Parish Council to site appropriately. Our thanks to Peter Gates in the organising of all this. As you will hear from the Treasurer, we operate on a sound financial basis and gradually accumulate a modest surplus which finds future activities. My thanks to Ed Buck for his devotion to duty and wise council at our meetings. Another vital role that of Secretary, is filled by Liz Gates who is of great help to me personally and whose gift for finding the right words to perfectly balance the feeling of our deliberations is invaluable. The contributions from other Committee Members should not be under estimated and my thanks go wholeheartedly to Simon Cleveland, David Curtis and Terry Hunt. Many of us have been in post a while now, and my tenure of five years, if elected this year, will come to an end in February 2012. It is my intention to stand down from the committee at that point to let someone else have a go with a free rein and not have to consider “what we usually do”. We are in need of new blood, new energy and new ideas. If you would like to join us now or in the future, do not hesitate – we are a friendly and non-threatening group of people who have fun trying to do fun things for our village. John Kent, Chairman.
h) St Martin’s Church PCC– The Parochial Church Council meets four times a year and among other items, the finances and fabric of the church are reviewed as well as arrangements for services and Church events within the village. As you can imagine, the Church building needs careful maintenance and during 2010 after a fantastic fund-raising effort in SG, the West Window was restored and reinstalled. Our grateful thanks are due to the villagers for their help in making this possible. In the immediate future, all the obsolete night storage heaters are to be replaced with more modern and efficient units. Special events and church services over the past year have been enjoyable and well attended. These included the Church Fete, held in extremely fine weather last June and incorporating a Feast of Flowers which proved very successful, the Harvest Festival and Supper, and the Dorset Historic Churches Cycle Ride, where again families in the village took part in this worthwhile charity event. In November we held a mince pie and coffee morning at which Janet Lane played festive music. The highlight of the morning was the presentation of gift of £2000.00 from the Dorset Historic Churches Trust towards essential repairs to the Church building. Unfortunately the bad weather at Christmas meant that our usual carol singing around the village had to be cancelled, but our service of carols and readings, led by James Webster, went ahead despite the cold and icy conditions followed by mince pies and mulled wine in the Village Hall. The Church has many jobs to be performed in order to keep it running and thus many volunteers are needed. I should like to thank all those who help with flower arrangements, bell ringing, flag flying, locking and unlocking, cleaning and maintenance. Special thanks must go to Colin Chambers and his team (John Bredemear, Brian Shaw and Bob White) for all the hard work they have carried out in keeping the churchyard clean and tidy. Last year Colin began to clear the lower churchyard towards the Village Hall of debris, weeds and saplings. This work will be completed by levelling, clearing and re-seeding the ground. Unfortunately, a perennial problem is that of dog fouling in our beautiful churchyard. It is evident that a small minority of dog owners still fail to clear up after their pets. If you see any instances, please do not be afraid to have a quiet word with those concerned and urge them to behave responsibly. We in SG are so fortunate to have a beautiful church in such a lovely setting which is so admired. You only have to read the visitors’ book in the Church to discover how much our Church and its surroundings are appreciated. I should like to express our grateful thanks to Anne and Bob White who have recently left SG. Bob had been a member of the PCC, a bell ringer and helped with the churchyard maintenance. Anne, among other things, was a flower arranger cleaned the Church and organised the cleaning rota. They gave of their time most generously and will be greatly missed. Also, Molly Roast has retired from the PC and we thank her for so many years of dedicated service to St Martin’s Church. Finally, may I on behalf of the PCC thank all others who help our Church in so many ways. I would especially like to thank Gillian Maxfield, our Churchwarden, for her tireless efforts, which are greatly appreciated. I am also most grateful to all members of the PCC for this help and support.
Vicky Thomas, Vice-Chairman, St Martin’s Church PCC.
i) The Lilian Stone Trust – Gillian Maxfield sent her apologies for absence due to illness and Vicky Thomas delivered her report. The Lilian Stone Trust is a Charity, the object of which is to help the poor of Shipton Gorge. The Trustees are Gillian and the Rector, Bob Thorn, although it is not a church charity. Gillian became a Trustee in 2006. No money had been asked for since 1999. That seemed to alter after she had the trusteeship. All requests have been genuine appeals for help when all else has failed. In 2010 grants totalling 950.00 were made to those in need, although no requests for help have been received since August 2010. Anyone needing financial assistance from the Lilian Stone Trust or wishing to see the financial accounts of the charity is asked to contact G Maxfield on 01308 897346.
j) Shipton Gorge Village Plan Simon Cleveland and Richard Cunningham
k) Councillor Ron Coatsworth – Commented on the active, happy and lovely village of Shipton Gorge and his delight in the award for best village.
a. He commented on the decision of the County Council to close libraries and the alternative offer being considered by Burton Bradstock – that the community would pay a long peppercorn lease to the Council and be responsible for maintenance of the library building. Books, professional help and limited access to the library computer system was also being offered. The Council is also working on alternative plans if the above was not acceptable but villages had to agree by the end of July or their libraries would close in September.
b. White lines on the coast road. He asked for the meeting’s views on this together with the restriction of width in Burton Bradstock. There was lengthy discussion.
c. 2.7million had been designated to emergency repairs. 12% of staff were to go and the department was being restructured.
d. Grit Bins – there were alternative ideas. Farmers in many villages were happy to treat the roads and dumpy bags/sand/salt could be purchased which would be considerably cheaper than grit bins. Something to think about.
e. Buses to Dorchester. WDDC to subsidise fares to enable Bus Passes to be used at anytime and not from 9.30 as in other parts of the country. This would make getting to Dorchester hospital for appointments easier. RC commented that the buses were in a “bit of a mess” as at present there were no contracts in place. New contracts being investigated.
f. RC also on the DCC Scrutiny Committee on Health. An Annual Scrutiny Report, a Report on Dementia in Dorset and a Joint Review Panel report on health inequalities with a focus on cardiovascular disease were left with the Council and can be viewed by contacting the Clerk. He also left leaflets on WDDC moving to smaller, cheaper and greener offices – again available from Clerk.
RC offered to reply to any questions and the main question was why he had not touched on the subject of re-cycling. There is no solution at present but RC said an environmental report on the Broomhills site was imminent and agreed a permanent solution must be found but was still being discussed.
Richard Cunningham thanked everyone for their contribution to the meeting.
l) Shipton Gorge Parish Plan – Richard Cunningham and Simon Cleveland delivered a presentation on the Parish Plan which would be completed and available by the end of April. The recent Appraisal had given knowledge and was the basis for an Action Plan to be drawn up
11.05 Any Other Business
i) An “E” Mail Directory was suggested
ii) It was agreed an Open Day for all to see and be helped understand all that went on in the village would be a good idea.
iii) It was agreed the new Parish Council would consider all the ideas put forward at the meeting.
The meeting closed at 9.35pm
