In this issue
Ampney & District Royal British Legion Women's Section
Wessex Actors Company is a touring drama group which receives a subsidy from Cotswold District Council to enable it to perform its Community Chest programme in local communities. This autumn it will be visiting Ampney Crucis Village Hall for the first time.
The Snow Queen will be shown on Thursday 11th October at 6.30 p.m. following an afternoon workshop for children at the village school. This newly commissioned version of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale tells a simple but enthralling tale of friendship in adversity. It is open to everyone and is particularly suited to children over 6 and their families. Tickets at £2.50 each are available from Fran Huckle (( 851498) or from the school.
On the evening of Monday 10th December, the company will return to perform Dickens at Christmas, a presentation of entertaining and festive pieces from the master story-teller of the Victorian era. Suitable seasonal refreshments will also be served. Tickets for this event will be available nearer the time, but we anticipate heavy demand, so reserve yours now from Fran Huckle ((851498).
Last year a small group of people managed to make a significant dent in the work required to keep the Burial Ground under control and the parish finances benefited as a result. The exercise is to be repeated this year on Sunday 14 October (10.00 am to 12 noon) and the Parish Council would be grateful for as much help as possible. This year we will be mostly concentrating on ivy clearance so all you will need is a pair of secateurs and some gardening gloves.
Plans are well under way for the programme of events in the village to commemorate the Queen's Golden Jubilee on the weekend 2nd-4th June 2002. These will be along the same lines as the Millennium celebrations last year, with a Barn Dance on the Saturday evening and a range of other activities to suit all members of the community. Keep the weekend free in your diaries!
In addition, the planning committee is looking for ideas for a permanent commemoration - either for the whole village or for the children. If you have any suggestions, please jot them down and deliver them to Sally Hebbs, Cotswold Cottage, School Lane, Ampney Crucis (( 850241)
A reminder about the rules for cutting trees in the village:
If you live in the Conservation Area (CA) you are obliged to give 6 weeks notice to the District Council (DC) if you are intending to work on trees that measure over 75mm. diameter when measured 1.5m. above ground level. This requirement applies to pruning trees as much as felling them. Exemptions to this requirement are:
· if the tree is dead, dying or dangerous, works may be carried out to remove the affected parts. This should be the minimum required to make the tree safe and so may not be outright felling if there are only a few dead branches!
· fruit trees may be pruned in good horticultural practice for the production of fruit but the grey area that allowed them to be felled without notice has been removed; felling is now subject to all the normal requirements. Fruit trees do not include such trees as walnut, mulberry etc.
· if works are to be carried out which are required by an Act of Parliament, or other Authority such as Highways or Drainage,
· if a Felling Licence has been issued, or the tree is allowed to be removed as a direct result of full Planning Permission being granted.
If you intend to use an exemption you must prove that the tree was exempt if questions are raised. Therefore it is advisable to inform the DC of your intention and or take photos or get a tree surgeon's report to show the condition of the tree.
The DC then has 6 weeks to examine the notice, to consult interested bodies such as the Parish Council and to determine whether the work is so detrimental to the setting of the CA that it is forced to serve a Tree Preservation Order to bring the tree under more formal control. The work may be carried out after the expiry of the 6-week period if no objections have been received from the DC.
If your tree has a TPO on it you need to apply in the same fashion. The same exemptions and procedure apply, but this is an application and as such consent must be received before any works are carried out. This may be accompanied by conditions that require certain levels of work or timescale. If your application is refused, it is possible to appeal.
If you want to fell standing trees in a wood it is likely that you will require a Felling Licence from the Forestry Commission.
If in doubt or for further information contact Guy Watson, Forestry Officer, CDC, ( 623555; the Forestry Commission adviser (Richard Paton ( 01594 810983) or our village tree warden, Janet Campbell, (851340.
The last edition of ACT had an article about the work of the Pleydell Trust and mentioned the availability of grants for students in further education. It was pleasing to receive information about Mark Hughes, a recipient of one of the grants, who has asked ACT to pass on his thanks to the Trust.
Mark attended the school in Ampney Crucis before going on first to Kingshill School and then Cirencester College. Mark has recently obtained his Master’s Degree in Mathematics at Magdalen College Oxford and is now working on mathematical modelling for a Birmingham company. During his four years at Oxford, he was helped by the Trust with the purchase of books etc
Mark’s father, Andrew Hughes, rightly feels that Mark is a credit to the primary school and is grateful for all the support he received during his early years. Congratulations Mark and good luck in the future.
Meets Tuesdays, 10 - 11.30 a.m. Ampney Crucis Village Hall. An opportunity for parents and young children to meet and play together. Newcomers welcome. £1.00 per session per child.
Tuesday 6th November - Story time, with Carol Hudson from Cirencester Library.
is holding a
Table top sale,
in aid of Village Hall funds
Saturday 27th October, 2-4 p.m., Village Hall.
Large Table : £5.00; small table: £2.50
Quality bric-a-brac only, set-up 1 p.m.
To book a table, telephone Sian Defferary, (654948
WI meetings
Meets monthly, Thursdays, Village Hall,
7.30 p.m.
25th Oct Dough designs, by Mrs L Rogers
22th Nov Annual meeting and Members Island Discs
Visitors welcome, particularly newcomers to the area.
Contact: Secretary, Mrs Payne, (850267
Meets Mondays, Village Hall, 2 p.m.
15th Oct Autumn Tints
29th Oct Fish & Chip lunch with entertainment (12 noon)
12th Nov Treasures in the attic by Mrs Blatchley
26th Nov Christmas shopping trip to Milton Keynes
3rd Dec Christmas lunch
Contact Paddy or Peggy Thompson, (851619
Meets monthly, Tuesdays, Village Hall,
7.15 p.m.
16th Oct AGM
20th Nov Magic lanterns, by Mr P Furley
Contact: Secretary, Janet Gibbs, ( 851227
Meets monthly, Thursdays, Village Hall,
7-9 p.m.
18th Oct Improve the look of your garden: a talk by Mr Peter Jones
15th Nov Vegetables and their origins: a talk by Mr Roger Turner
Fixtures for the next three months:
Sat 22 Sep 2001
Ampney United v Cheltenham Saracens Ampney 15:00
Sat 13 Oct 2001
Ampney United v Ultra Electric
Ampney 15:00
Sat 20 Oct 2001
Ampney United v Great Rissington
Ampney 14:30
Sat 27 Oct 2001
FC Staverton v Ampney United
Dowty Rotol Sports Ground 15:00
Sat 3 Nov 2001
Ampney United v Siddington
Ampney 14:30
Sat 17 Nov 2001
Whitbread v Ampney United
Whitbread Sports Ground 14:30
Sat 24 Nov 2001
Ampney United v Phoenix United
Ampney 14:30
Sat 8 Dec 2001
Smiths Ath v Ampney United
The Newlands 14:30
Sat 22 Dec 2001
Ampney United v Great Rissington
Ampney 14:30
Sat 29 Dec 2001
Ampney United v Andoversford
Ampney 14:30
The cricket team has had a good season and has managed to field a side most weekends this summer. The club is in good shape and is very grateful to Dick Gearing who has just completed his 50th year as groundsman.
On 1 September, and after two years of planning, negotiation and consultation, the Council commenced its “Streamlined Committee System” as permitted under the Local Government Act 2000 to District Councils with a population of under 85,000. At the same time, our local District Councillor, Bruce Evans stepped down from his role as Leader/Chairman. There is now an Executive Committee which meets every two weeks to shape and implement policy and strategy as agreed by the full Council. The chairman of this committee (Dr Leslie Jones) is also the Leader of Council. The Chairman of the Council (Timothy Royle) will act as Civic Head and in the “Speaker” role.
The Executive Committee is supported by two Service Committees – Community and Environment with Economy. In addition, there is a Planning (Regulatory) Committee responsible for development control which will meet every three weeks. Under all these committees there are two Overview and Security committees. One will deal with Best Value; the other (to be chaired by Bruce Evans) will review all decisions made by the committees before they are implemented.
Bruce has made the point that after a very busy two years, everyone at CDC is now looking forward to a period of consolidation whilst the new system settles down.
There have been reports on the progress on this item in previous editions of ACT. The position has now been confirmed and, with effect from the local elections to be held in May 2003, the new Ampney Coln Ward will comprise the parishes of Ampney Crucis, Ampney St Mary, Ampney St Peter, Barnsley, Bibury, Winson and Coln St Dennis.There will be one Ward Councillor to represent the above parishes. Driffield, Down Ampney, Poulton and Meysey Hampton will be in the Hampton ward.
One not-so-welcome aspect of life in the village is the aircraft noise which can be very intrusive, especially the smaller aircraft being used for parachute drops. The Parish Council has written to the CO at South Cerney to see what can be done and some steps are being taken.
Lt Col Hickson sympathises with the noise levels of which he is himself more than aware. He has offered the following points as some sort of consolation:
· The foot-and-mouth restrictions have meant the closure of some dropping zones and a subsequent increase in activity round South Cerney. Now that the restrictions have been lifted, activity should reduce.
· The plane being used by the Silver Stars display team has had a quieter propeller fitted (that’s what it says in his letter!) which should reduce noise levels.
· Attempts are constantly made to vary flight patterns to reduce the nuisance to villages.
When all is said and done, the base is an operational airfield so some noise has to be expected. The Parish Council will continue to monitor the situation.
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Copy deadline for next issue (December):
Tuesday 15th November 2001
Send to: Fran Huckle, 3 Dudley Farm Ampney Crucis. É851498
Produced by Ampney Crucis Parish Council
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