Ashwater

THE NEW PARISH HALL

The stage two lottery bid is nearing completion and is about to be submitted to the Big Lottery Fund. This is the end product of a great deal of committed work carried out by the hall committee. As part of the stage two application final build costs have been established. Unfortunately these costs are higher than expected by approximately £68,000.

We cannot, because of the lottery’s funding structure, simply add this to our grant application and raise the money this way. To make the situation more difficult we may, due to grant application conditions, lose grant money from Torridge District Council and the Community Council of Devon.

Undaunted by this problem the hall committee has already identified and applied to three other funders and more applications are in hand. However, the Parish needs to demonstrate to these funders and the lottery its determination to do all it can to contribute to finding this extra money.

When fundraising for the new hall first began one suggestion put forward was for members of the parish to make a personal pledge of a financial donation to the fund. At the time the committee thought it was premature to do this and so delayed the idea, until now. We are asking everyone to pledge a sum of money (minimum £20) to the new hall fund, payable when full lottery funding is obtained. Not only will this help in a financial sense it will clearly demonstrate to the lottery and other funders the Parish’s commitment to the new hall project.

Christmas Lights Competition

The lights were duly judged by Marion Perkins on the 28th December and here are the results.

1. Best overall.............Edward and Mary Gliddon. Good use of the home and trees etc within the grounds.
2. Best small display..... Mark Colwill. Variety within a small area.
3. Most artistic.............. Peter and Jan Capron. Judge liked the subtleness of the display.
4. Judges choice ............. The Forwards of Henford. The display was simple and effective with a reminder of the meaning of Christmas.
Very Highly Commended.... Peter and Lin Jennings
Highly commended........... Linda Hughes (The Barton), Dave Drowne, Shaun and Sharon Drowne.

Marion was very impressed with the overall standard and the obvious commitment and effort. It was very difficult choosing winners. Many thanks to all who joined in and entered the spirit of the season and made the Parish look outstanding with lights of all colours, shapes and designs.

Ashwater Play Group Bazaar

Thanks to all who helped and attended some £400 was raised for the groups funds.

Horticultural Society

The next Horticultural Society Meeting will be held in the Parish hall on Monday 11 February starting at 7.00 pm start. We have a speaker from the Walled Garden at Knightshay and she will be talking to us about vegetables.

Holsworthy Police Station

The New Opening Hours are:

Monday	0800 - 1130
Tuesday	1700 - 2000
Wednesday	0800 - 1400
Thursday	1400 - 1700
Friday	0800 - 1130

During these opening hours a Station Enquiry Officer will be present. At Any other times please use 999 in an emergency and 08452 777 444 for any non emergency incidents….PCSO 30103 Beverly Harvey.

Ashwater Parish Hall Events

23 January 2008 - Wild Cornwall: Illustrated Talk by Dartmoor Guide and Local Historian Paul Rendell. Tickets £3.00 on the door.
2 February 2008 – 7.30pm Pete Coe: Folk music and Song. "A one man folk industry", Pete has been on the scene for many years and has a fine pedigree as a singer and songwriter who plays melodeon, banjo, dulcimer and bouzouki. He has recorded 10 albums and broadcasts regularly on local and BBC radio and has appeared in several TV programmes. Don’t miss this opportunity to see a truly lively performer. Tickets £5.50 (Under 16yrs and accompanied by an adult free). Reserve your seat now: Tel. Ivan on 01409 221073, there will be a bar.

Devon Countryside Access Forum

A statutory forum under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, supported by Devon County Council
Are you interested in advising on improving access to the countryside?
Can you represent the interests of young people or other groups who do not get outside so much?
The Devon Countryside Access Forum has fifteen members. It meets three or four times yearly at public meetings and holds occasional working groups and training days.
If you would like to apply please look at the website:www.devon.gov.uk/devon_countryside_access_forum for details and an application form or ring 01837 810921, e-mail: devoncaf@devon.gov.uk (Lucombe House, County Hall, Topsham Road, Exeter EX2 4QW)

News From Devon County Council

Devon's recycling rate hits the big "50"

Devon received the perfect Christmas gift with the recycling rate reaching an all time high of 50%, thanks to dedicated residents.
The percentage of rubbish recycled in the Devon County Council area is now 50.5%, according to the latest figures for April to September. That is an increase from 45.6% last year, and well above the national average of 30.9%.
The 104,987 tonnes of recycled waste is the equivalent weight of 105,000 family-sized cars. Parked end to end they would reach from Exeter to Norwich. The energy saved from 11,147.21 tonnes of glass recycled alone is enough to power one TV in every Devon household continuously for nearly 24 hours, or a 100 Watt lightbulb for over 70 hours for the same number of properties.
Devon, which is among the top three counties in the country for recycling, has put the success down to projects such as the award winning "Don't let Devon go to waste" campaign, improvements to the recycling centres across the county and improved recycling schemes operated by the District Councils.

County Council steps in to keep Devon protected

Devon County Council has stepped in with emergency funding after DEFRA budget cuts threatened to undermine the county's defences against diseases such as Foot and Mouth, Blue Tongue and Bird Flu.
In November DEFRA reneged on their agreement with local authorities by imposing sweeping funding cuts for the animal health work already done by councils on their behalf this current financial year.
The sudden funding cuts were sparked when DEFRA miscalculated the level of funding needed to meet the animal health protection work previously agreed with local authorities. Although £9.7 million was promised to Councils, the total budget available nationwide was only £8.5 million. DEFRA's attempt to make good the mistake meant a 12% cut in Devon's budget for the current year.

Further Education

FREE Computer Training Session

Interested in digital photography? Want to learn how to edit and enhance your photos? Learn some basic techniques with this FREE 3 hour taster session MONDAY 4TH FEBRUARY 10AM - 1PM at Ashwater Parish Hall.
Reservation is essential Please contact TGTraining (01237 451014) to reserve your place or find out what other computer courses we could run in your community.

Ashwater Church Jigsaw Puzzle Library

The library is now open, no fee to join just 40p per puzzle for a flexible month. Contact Terry or Wendy Darby at Ashgreen Ashwater, telephone 211229.

Parish Council

The Parish Council decided to cancel their meeting this month, as there was little or no business to discuss.

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I,(name)            

 

your email address: 
 

wish to pledge the sum of £ 

to the New Parish Hall Fund on the
condition that the bid, for a grant to build the new hall,
to the Big Lottery Fund is successful.