3 May 2017

Minutes: AVM 24th April 2017


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