Ashwater

Your Newsletter

For nearly five years now you have had a monthly newsletter, before that one was produced but copies were only available at the Post Office and in the Pub. It was started because of a survey carried out by the Parish Council where the Parishioners said they wanted a newsletter and it was thought that it should be delivered to all households, this has been done since January 2003. The major factor in this being achieved was that Tim Kirk has kindly produced the necessary copies for the Parish free of charge. Due to the ever changing business world such as electronic mail and the Internet he can no longer justify his original contract for photocopies and thus now has to pay for all copies he produces. He is still willing to produce them but now finds that he will have to make a charge to cover the costs, our thanks to Tim for his efforts and support over the years.

We are looking for a sponsor/some sponsors to come forward and help to keep this much needed communication channel working. The Parish Council intends to pick up the costs in the short term but your help in financing this project would be most welcome. Anybody who is interested in making a contribution please contact Bettie Batt on 221666, thanks for your support.

Neighbourhood Watch News

Over the summer there has been a number of burglaries and thefts, which have involved people entering isolated sheds and barns and stealing various pieces of farm machinery and equipment. There have also been instances where a 5ft pasture topper and an Ifor Wiliams stock box have been removed from the rear of farm vehicles before being re-attached to other vehicles and taken away.

Whilst the Police are treating these thefts very seriously, and are still continuing with various lines of enquiry, the best way of dealing with this type of crime is to prevent it.

It's a shame to have to give this sort of advice, as generally we are a little safer from crime out in the 'rurals' than perhaps more urban areas. However, please bear in mind there is a very small minority out there that will steal anything that is easily accessible and easy to move.

Is your gear in a safe place? Does your tractor sit with the keys in it over night? Do you have the serial numbers of your equipment? Is it marked? Are the gates and doors to your outhouses and barns securely locked?

I for one do not want to see our rural area become a fortress, that's not the ethos of rural communities. People still watch out for each other around here but as usual, there is a tiny minority that care for nothing of this, they just want to make lazy money off the backs of hard working people in the farming and rural communities. Please, just spend a little time to take reasonable precautions to protect your belongings and help stop criminals making a living off the back of yours.

If you have any information concerning rural thefts please contact your Rural Neighbourhood Beat Team at Holsworthy Police Station on 08452 777444, or Crime Stoppers on 0800 555111. All information will be treated in the strictest of confidence.
If you want more information on becoming part of the Neighbourhood Watch or Farm Watch programs please contact us, we will be happy to help.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article, Regards, PC 5984 John Shepherd, Holsworthy Neighbourhood Beat Manager.

Horticultural Society

The AGM of the Society was held on 17th September and was attended by 18 members. The Secretary and Treasurer were not seeking re-election and were replaced by W Lee as Secretary and B Cox as Treasurer. Our thanks to the outgoing officers for their hard work over the past years. F Bull remained the Society’s Chairperson.
The next months have already been planned and the sessions are as follows:

Mon 15th Oct 7.30pm at the hall Talk by Martin Catt - Fungi (he did the weeds talk which was very interesting)
Mon 5th Nov 7.30pm at the hall Talk on Winter Gardening by Ken Wilcocks.

Ashwater Parish Hall News

Plans for a change in roof design, have been submitted to T.D.C. A plan was available at the September meeting for all to see, one will be put up in the hall to give parishioners further opportunities to view the new roof design.
A ground survey has been completed on the site. The part two lottery application is being put together and progress is being made with a Quantity Surveyor being appointed (a requirement by the Big Lottery), a business plan in progress and arrangements for a disability audit and environmental audit are about to be put into place. At present the application is on line for submission by the end of November.

Events

September 100 club winners

1st prize - Mrs L Yetman ticket no: 51
2nd prize - Mrs M Yates ticket no: 44

Parish Council

The Parish Council is grateful to Viv May for acting as minute secretary during the past few months. It would have been difficult to manage without her help.

We received four replies to our advert for Clerk and a sub committee interviewed three applicants in early September. Mrs. Sheila Myers, who lives at Halwill Junction, has accepted the post as Clerk, starting from this meeting and we look forward to a calm and successful working relationship.

Liz Davenport spoke at the start of the meeting of the proposal to form a separate NHS trust providing mental health, learning disability and forensic mental health services in Devon and Cornwall. For all of us who are uncertain of the implications of this and are concerned, the website is www.monitor-nhsft.gov.uk or phone 0800 0730741. The consultation period closes on 29 September 2007.

Due no doubt to the holiday season there was very little Parish Council business this month.

Correspondence

Notice that a slimmed down proposal for a holiday village at Roadford is in the pipeline. No doubt more about that later.
Lucy McSherry sent a useful signposting sheet for formulating a village plan. This will be discussed by a sub-committee later in the month.

Dominoes

The Ashwater Dominoes League will be starting again early in November. Anybody interested in playing this winter can add their name to the list in the Village Inn by 15th October. The games are played on Sunday evenings and the whole season will last until around Easter time 2007.

From Our District Councilor

Geoffrey Cox QC would like to extend his thanks for the time given and comments made during his visit to Ashwater on 22 August. I know that he enjoyed his day and looks forward to being able to support us in the future. Geoffrey expressed his great admiration for the services given at Barry and Hazel’s village shop and assures that he will make every effort to increase support for our post office facilities.

My own surgery will next take place at The Village Hall on Tuesday 09 October 2007, between 6.30pm and 8.30pm. Please telephone me in advance to arrange a time to see me on 01409 211234 should you wish to see me.

With the issue of climate change moving higher up the political agenda it is increasingly important for us all to make informed decisions. As a member of Network SW (renewable energy councillor network) I have access to a range of information, which I will be delighted to share. There is, too, local advice regarding energy efficiency on 0800 512012.

Every best wish.
District Councillor Barry Parsons

Church News

October 7th The Harvest Festival service will take place

October 8th there will be another service, which will be followed by the Harvest Festival Supper.

Devon County Council News

Devon Wildlife Trust's Biodiversity Records Centre (DBRC) is moving into temporary accommodation in the centre of Exeter, courtesy of Devon County Council.
The Centre's new home will be the former Devon Record Office premises in Castle Street. The Devon Record Office moved to new state of the art accommodation at Sowton in 2005.
The DBRC is expected to stay there for up to two years while permanent accommodation is found.

Devon County Council has won praise from the Carbon Trust for its work to reduce carbon emissions.
The County Council is participating in the Carbon Trust's Local Authority Carbon Management programme and contributed to last year being the most successful year to date. The energy efficiency projects across the national programme resulted in total identified annual savings of 250,000 tonnes of CO2 and over £25 million.
The Carbon Trust highlighted Devon County Council as an "excellent example of this success", thanks to the foundation of its thoroughly developed strategy and Devon's groundbreaking implementation plan.

Ashwater Parish Calendar

Below is a list of events that are taking or scheduled to take place in the parish so that all involved have knowledge of the dates already booked. Please let me have the dates of your event/meeting and I will include them in the calendar.

My thanks to those who provide articles for the newsletters. Copies will as always be available at the Post Office and in the Village Inn. Any information for inclusion in or offers to help please contact Peter Capron, my e-mail address is newsletter@ashwaterparish.org.uk.

Website designed by Anthony Williams and Henriette North.
Comments and Submissions to webmaster@ashwaterparish.org.uk
Last modified: Wednesday October 03, 2007