Ampney Crucis Ampney St Mary Ampney
St Peter
The Ampney Times
June/July 2004
Splendour on the Grass - What a Fête!
Come lassies and lads to the Ampney Crucis
Village Fête on Saturday 26 June on
the Cricket Ground.
·
Come
at 1 p.m. for the succulent lamb roast and the bun fight at the Old Cake
Corral.
·
Save some
energy for the great sideshows, where you can milk a cow, hammer nails to your
heart’s content and splat a rat.
·
Culture
vultures can visit the Art Exhibition in the Village Hall
·
And wash the
whole lot down in the Pimms tent.
Please come to support your fête whose
profits will support the school, the Church and the playground.
We also need your donations for the
tombola, cake stall and book stall. A member of the committee will call on you
shortly for your kind offerings.
Don’t forget the curtain raisers – on Saturday
19 June there will be a Clay Shoot and a Family Bicycle Rally. Details
will be sent to you.
Film Night
The next showing of the Ampney Crucis Film
night will be “Girl with a pearl earring” (Cert 12A) starring Scarlett
Johanssen and Colin Firth.
It is a fascinating drama based on the
novel by Tracey Chevalier and tells of the great Dutch masterpiece by Vermeer
of the same title.
Ampney Crucis Village Hall, Wednesday 9
June, 7.30 p.m. £2.50 at the door. Refreshments available.
Enquiries to Fran Huckle ((750788).
Summer Barbecue –Janet Gibbs
Come and enjoy our barbecue, stalls and
coffee evening, to help to raise funds for the Royal British Legion, on 15
June 7.00pm, at the home of Henry and Janet Gibbs, The Hope, Ampney St
Peter.
Ampney Crucis Charity Ball
By invitation of our patron, Elizabeth
Hurley, you are invited to a Charity Ball in aid of the Ampney Crucis
Playground.
The Ball will be held at the Corinium
Stadium Marquee on Saturday 10 July from 7.30 p.m. ‘til 1.30 a.m.
There will be a Buck’s Fizz reception
followed by a 3 course meal with coffee. There will be two bars and the
entertainment will be provided by a disco and a string quartet.
Tickets cost £35 per person and are
available from Kim (( 851014), Victoria (( 851835), Eleanor (( 851880) or Rachel (( 850186). Tickets are strictly
limited and are selling fast so apply soon.
News from the School- Andy Simpson
Thank you to all who attended the recent
Casino night and helped to make it a very enjoyable evening.
We are hoping to develop our ‘wild area’
this summer and would be grateful for any additional members for our Ground
force team. Please contact Fiona Senior if you are interested.
Another theme day has been planned for 8
June. This will be an ART day so if you would like to share any skills with
us, please contact the school as soon as possible.
Finally, there is an open invitation to all
for tea on 15 July when we will be having an open day for visitors –
with refreshments! (( 851440)
Broadband- Christine Cridford
People have been asking about Broadband –
the latest we have been able to find is:
·
Paul
Pestille’s wireless system is coming very soon – he will be contacting people
who have registered with him any day.
·
BT say their
system will be here by July 2005!
So if you want Broadband now Paul Pestille
is the person to talk to (( 851976).
If you are prepared to wait you can have a
choice.
To keep up with progress on BT’s system
www.getonandgetit.co.uk/bb4poulton.
News from the Annual Parish Meetings
Ampney Crucis- David Vessey
Elections
After five years in the chair, Peter Kelly
felt it was time to hand over the reins. The Council passed a vote of thanks
to Peter for his work for the Council and the Parish.
David Vessey was elected as the new
Chairman and Adrian Grazebrook was re-elected as Vice Chairman.
Riding Lane
After many frustrating weeks, it is now
hoped that the work done on Riding Lane will solve the water problems in all
but the most extreme conditions. We would like to thank Norman Simpson for all
the work he has put in on sorting these problems out.
The ditch on the left hand side going
towards the A 417 is to be cleared as part of the Parish Partnership initiative
with CDC.
Valuation of
assets
As part of its financial management, the
Parish Council is required to revalue its assets every five years and would
appreciate the help of anybody in the three parishes with the necessary
skills.
The assets requiring revaluation are the Lych
Gate, the Burial Ground Cross, the War Memorial, The Burial Ground gates, the
Burial Ground walls and the benches scattered round the village. The
information required in each case is the full replacement or rebuilding cost.
If you feel you can help the Parish
Council, please contact the Parish Clerk, Helen Tonks (( 640718).
Clean-up day
Clean up day on 24 April saw 12 volunteers
doing their best to make the village look clean and tidy. Many thanks for all
your help.
The A 2 B
petition
15 volunteers have spent part of April and
May giving as many people as possible the opportunity to sign the petition for
the downgrading of the A 417. To all of them – many thanks for your help.
Burial
Ground work
With the fine weather finally arriving,
work has commenced on clearing and levelling part of the southern end of the
Burial Ground to make room for more grave spaces.
The Parish Council also has the
responsibility of checking the safety of the standing gravestones. This work
will be done by Messrs Dyke and Sons.
Ampney St. Peter- Sue Tufnell.
Good progress is being made on signatures
for the petition from Lechlade, Fairford, Poulton and the Ampneys, to downgrade
the A417 from a Euro-Lorry route, to a county road. To date 1,000 have been
collected. If you have not already signed, please contact your local
co-ordinator.
Footpaths
Please remember when walking the footpaths
that dogs should be kept under control and on a lead if necessary. This is
particularly important on foot-paths which cross through private property.
Letting your dog roam into farmland, for
example, is technically trespass.
Thames Water
The Chairman has received a letter stating
that work will start on the pumping station and sewage works next Spring.
Aircraft
noise
Correspondence has elicited that Brize
Norton have agreed not to over-fly the village - it has been noted that this
has taken effect. South Cerney however, is going to have a second parachuting
plane and developments will be monitored.
News from Ampney St Mary
-Nicol
Ferguson
Comings and
goings
Farewell to the Boucher family. We wish
them happiness in their new home in Quenington.
Welcome to Eric and Susan Bunce who have
moved into No 1 Twin Cottages.
Congratulations…
… to Francis Reardon on achieving his Gold
Duke of Edinburgh Award. He was one of only 22 young people from across the
country to receive the award.
The Ampney Crucis Playground – Kim Hartshorne
Virtually all the hurdles have now been
overcome and the fund raising is starting in earnest. The main application for
£25,000 has been sent off to the Countryside Agency’s “Vital Villages” scheme.
This scheme is technically closed but the Gloucestershire Rural Community
Council gave our proposed scheme a strong endorsement and so they have decided
to accept our application. In addition, an application has been made to
Cotswold District Council’s Community Projects Fund for £10,000.
Following feedback from villagers, the
committee had a look at some alternative materials for the structure of the
playground equipment. However, the overwhelming view was to stick with the
original design.
And finally…
…. one of our most recent new parishioners,
Elizabeth Hurley, has very kindly agreed to act as the patron of the fund
raising efforts. Details of the Charity Ball are on page 1 – it is hoped that
she will be able to attend but things are moving quickly and it may be too late
for her to fit it in with her other commitments.
Village Quiz – Barry Dent
The Ampney Crucis village quiz this year
was held on April Fool’s Day but still attracted a large number of teams. The
Village Hall was packed and most participants started the evening in high hopes
of success - perhaps related to the glass or two of wine taken beforehand at
the servery.
The organisers did an excellent job in
selecting a wide range of interesting topics. Questions on the “demon drink“
were started with a novel and well appreciated tasting exercise, the results of
which created a great deal of friendly controversy . Then there were sections
on films, Olympic sports and a very tricky picture-recognition round. Most
people found the round on identifying common bird songs most difficult and
teams scored poorly. There were some great recordings, but we were just not
able to distinguish between the call of the song thrush and the chaffinch or
the blackbird and the sparrow! The section on local knowledge was done very
well by the top teams, but not many knew that the highest point in the
Cotswolds is Stow on the Wold.
All in all, it was a most
enjoyable evening and at the end, all the participants thanked those who had
done all the hard work in preparing the quiz and providing the refreshments. In
the interests of village harmony I will not report the name of the winning
team, but I know that they scored a lot more points than my team did.
Mobile Police Station Visits
The mobile police station, with PC Reuben Wyatt, will visit the
Ampneys, at these times (approximately):
|
|
A Crucis
|
A St M
|
A St P
|
5 June
|
12.45
|
13.00
|
14.00
|
15 June
|
12.45
|
13.00
|
14.00
|
2 July
|
12.45
|
13.00
|
14.00
|
22 July
|
16.45
|
17.00
|
18.00
|
Save the Children – Lorna Everett
Earlier this year, Mr Brook of Oxford House, Cirencester, raised £1,000
by serving delicious Sunday lunches. Our fashion show at the Rugby Club raised
£485, while Mr Henegan donated £250 from his sponsored cycle ride. Cream teas
continue to give much pleasure to the mostly elderly groups which we serve. Our
thanks to all who have helped.
Can you
help?
Because of age and health, most of our committee
have resigned. We welcome Mr Somerville as Chairman and Mr Dent as Treasurer.
But we desperately need a secretary, and others on the Committee as well.
Please, can you help? Contact Lorna Everett (851292
Robert Pleydell Trust
Each year, the Robert Pleydell Trust makes
a small number of grants to students and apprentices up to age 25 who either
live in Ampney Crucis or whose parents live there. The grants go towards the
purchase of books, tools and other equipment.
If you would like to apply for a grant,
full details will be in the next (August/September) edition of
The Ampney Times.
Ampney Crucis Parish Council Report – Peter Kelly
The Parish Council has had another busy
year. We have welcomed Kim Hartshorne, by co-option, to our existing team of
six Councillors: myself, Gerald Gaden, Adrian Grazebrook, Sally Hebbs, David
Vessey and John Dear.
Janet Campbell has continued to act as the
Parish Council’s Tree Warden, and comments on all tree works applications.
Meetings
The Parish Council has had seven meetings
during the year; the regular meetings plus an extra meeting to discuss the
proposed playground. 38 members of the public attended the meetings during the
year.
Planning
The Parish Council comments on various
types of an increasing number of planning applications. In 1999, there were 23
planning consultations - this year there were 56 applications. Of these, 23
were for Full Planning Permission the remainder being for Listed Building
Consent (9), tree works (13), amendments (10), and mineral extraction (1).
The Parish Council objected to only two
full planning applications on policy grounds; the proposal to rebuild
‘Stonelea’ and the proposal to re-open a quarry at Crucis Park Farm.
The Council responds to every planning
application; even if there are no objections in principle, constraints can be
attached to the approval.
The discussions into the new Local Plan
have also been ongoing. Councillor Vessey and myself attended a Round Table
Session on 20 April to oppose changes to Policy 21 (a policy which seeks to
limit the degree of new build open market housing in villages). We also
attended a hearing on a one-to-one basis with the Inspector and the forward
planners of CDC on the 28 April to discuss the lack of clarity in
distinguishing between villages and the open countryside. Our arguments were
accepted and it is likely that a specific definition of ‘rural settlement’ will
appear in the revised draft.
Burial
Ground
The grass-cutting contract for 2003/04 has
been awarded again to a local contractor, Tony Williams.
The Council also agreed that the spoil at
the bottom of the burial ground should be cleared to allow the space to be used
for burials. This will increase the number of spaces available by 23.
A successful clean up day was held in the
Burial Ground during the autumn - thanks should go to Don Underwood who moved
countless trailer loads of debris, and to the other volunteers who turned out
to help.
Finance
The precept for the year ending 31 March
2004 was set at £5,300.
The Council’s accounts were audited
(internally) by Neil Holt, (thank you Neil) and externally by Moore Stephens of
Bath. This is in line with the relatively new audit regulations.
The Council has continued to make donations
to specific organisations that benefit the residents of Ampney Crucis thus
donations were made to the Citizens Advice Bureau and Junior Citizenship.
Communications
The Ampney Times continues to provide valuable
and up-to-date information to the three villages. Our thanks must go to the
editors: Elisabeth Gerver, David Vessey and Christine Cridford.
There is also a village Website run by
Frank Skinner. The Parish Council posts its agendas and minutes on the site as
an additional means of notification, and all minutes, from 2000 onwards are on
the site.
Neighbourhood
Watch
Neighbourhood Watch continues to operate
throughout the village. It can be very effective, and the Council ask you to
be as vigilant as possible.
Highway
matters
County Council finance for highway repairs
is very limited, but the Parish Council continues to lobby for further repair
work when necessary. The resurfacing on Hunt’s Hill has now been completed, as
have the repairs to the drainage system there.
Drainage in Ridings Lane has been
improved. With the help from Norman Simpson of Ampney St Peter, drains have
been cleared and new drains have been laid.
New white lines have been painted on the
A417 near Ampney Park. Hopefully this will make this stretch of road safer.
New sets were also placed on the island at the junction with Allotment Lane.
Playground
At the extraordinary meeting in June, the
Parish Council agreed that £1,500 would be allocated to a playground budget.
The Parish Council receives regular reports
of the progress made by the playground committee.
Social Events
Sixties Club
Meets Mondays Ampney Crucis Village Hall
2.00pm unless otherwise noted
7 June Music by Mr W Neale
21 June Entertainment by Carousels
5 July Annual outing to Weymouth, time to be
announced
19 July Garden meeting at Mr D Underwood’s
Contact Paddy or Peggy Thompson (É 851619)
Whist and
Bingo
Whist evenings continue on 8 June and 13
July 7.30pm, the Pop Inn, Cirencester, arranged by the Ampney and District
Royal British Legion Women’s Section
Ampneys
Gardening Club
Meets monthly, Thursdays, Ampney Crucis
Village Hall, 7.00pm to 9.00pm unless otherwise noted
17 June 5.00pm Club outing to Willow Lodge
Garden and Arboretum, Longhope
15 July 6.30pm Summer social evening, Clare House, Lower Norcote,
Cirencester, by kind permission of Mr and Mrs Tony Rowlett. Rose competitions.
Contact Joyce Cutts (É851540).
Mothers’
Union
Meets monthly at various venues and times;
everyone is welcome.
3 June 2.30pm, Waterton Farm House, “Hearing dogs for
the deaf” by Frances Lawrence.
9 June 10.00am to 3.00pm, Deanery Quiet Day, Kempsford
Parish Church.
1 July 2.30pm, venue to be announced, “Running a
Christian bookshop” by Ken and Pam Hill.
7 July 12.30pm, Summer lunch at Whelford Mill
Contact Rosemary Franklin (É 654282).
Ampney and
District Royal British Legion Women’s Section
Meets every two months, Tuesdays, Ampney Crucis
Village Hall, 2.00pm unless otherwise noted.
14 July Outing to Evesham.
Contact Janet Gibbs (É851227).
Women’s
Institute
Meets monthly Thursdays, Village Hall, 7.30
pm
24 June “Venice and Tuscany” by Alan Willis
22 July “The Tower of London” by Norman Whereat.
Contact Sonja Payne (É850267).
Youth Club
2 July 5.45p.m. to 7.15p.m., Ampney Crucis
Village Hall. Open to all children in Ampney Crucis School years 2 -
6. For further information and membership enquiries, contact Rosanna
Armitage (
850005.
Bookings for the Village Hall may be made through Paddy or Peggy
Thomson (É851619).
Sports Reports
Football
report
The club played its last game of the season
on May 5 beating Corinium Sports 2-1 at Siddington. Strangely enough, we
also beat Corinium Sports 2-1 on Sept 3 last year also at Siddington – which,
added to our 3-1 victory over Beeches Reserves on April 10, was the sum total
of our League points during the last campaign.
For the record, we played 29 League matches and three cup
games which was a marathon season for a small village club like ours; we had a
small squad of players and limited financial resources !! Mention
must be made of the hard core of players who turned out every week and to
Chairman Doug Coombs and manager Dave Soons who gave sterling performances in
their testing roles. Thanks must be also given to Tim and Penrose Shackel for
the use of their field over the last few seasons. The time has come where we
need to re-group and re-think our future as a club so watch this space for news
of next season !!
Cricket
report
We played our first game of the season on
29 April against Cheltenham Saracens which we won – unfortunately, since that
match, the weather has been against us and the early season optimism has been
somewhat dampened!!
We have 37 fixtures on the card including a
day out in London to play Richmond Legbreakers on 15 August - a team who
usually visit us.
Pétanque
Club
The new season started with a successful
launch on 3 May. Unfortunately, the unsettled weather meant the barbecue was
cancelled but despite this, 18 people came along to play. Club nights are now
Wednesdays from 6:30 p.m. If this is too early for you, don’t worry, we
usually play until 8:30 p.m. depending on numbers and the weather. We are
entering two teams for the Sherston festival on 17 July.
Advertisements
Personal ads cost £1 per
advert per issue. Local businesses may place an ad (£5) or sponsor an issue
(£15).
Please contact Elisabeth
Gerver for details.
This is your newsletter;
contributions from individuals, clubs etc always welcome
Copy deadline for next
issue (August/September): Thursday 15 July 2004
Send to Elisabeth Gerver,
Cider Orchard, Ampney Crucis, Gloucestershire GL7 5RY
( 850508
Editors: David Vessey,
Elisabeth Gerver, Christine Cridford
Produced by Ampney Crucis
Parish Council for the information of residents of the three villages. No
liability can be accepted by the Council or Councillors or the Parish meeting
Chairmen for any losses, however caused, arising from this publication