Ampney
Crucis Ampney St
Mary
Ampney St Peter
The Ampney Times
August/September 2005
Rural Cinema
Wednesday 17 August. 7.30 p.m. Vanity Fair. Cert PG-13. Growing up poor in
London, Becky Sharp defies her
poverty-stricken background and ascends the social ladder alongside her best
friend, Amelia.
Sadly no children’s film available this summer – sorry!
Wednesday 14 September. Film to be announced. Look for posters in the
Village.
Enquiries
Anne Bridges (652471.
Car Boot Sales
The Ampney St Peter and St Mary Car Boot Sale will be on Bank Holiday Monday 29 August 8.
00 a.m. until midday on the Moor. Teas, coffees and
home-made cakes. Bacon and sausage butties. Cars £8 – all other vehicles
£10. Proceeds go to the two churches and Cirencester Hospital…….
……to be followed by…..
…the Ampney Crucis Playground Car Boot Sale which will be
held on Sunday 18 September at 2 p.m. at the cricket field. All proceeds to the playground.
Save the Children
The Ampneys Branch of Save the Children are holding a number
of fund raising events in the Village Hall during August to provide cream teas
and salad suppers for small groups of tourists visiting the area. The dates
are:
4 August at 3.30 p.m.
11 August at 8.00 p.m
31 August at 3 p.m.
Anyone who would like to assist on these pleasant occasions
would be most welcome – please call (851292
Summer Ball 2006
A very early date for your diary! Next year’s Summer Ball
(organised by Cirencester Round Table and supported by the Playground
Committee) will be at the Corinium Stadium on Saturday 18 June 2006
Robert Pleydell Trust
The Trustees will shortly be considering educational grants
for the coming academic year. Grants are available to any students going to
college, university, or undertaking a vocational course or apprenticeship. The
grants are to help with the purchase of books and equipment.
To qualify, you must be under 25 and you must have attended
one of the local schools in the past. Additionally, either you or your parents
must live in the parish of Ampney Crucis and must be recorded on the Electoral
Roll as at 31 August
2005.
To be considered for a grant, please write (by no later than
30 September) to David Vessey, Convamore, Ampney Crucis Cirencester, GL7
5SF, giving your name, address, date of birth, details of your course and
saying why a grant would be helpful. Please give a telephone number in case of
queries.
The Trustees will allocate grants at their meeting on 3
October and all applicants will be contacted within the following seven days.
The Trust does not have unlimited funds, so priority will be given to
first-time applicants.
Historic Churches Trust
Get your bikes ready and join the great sponsored ride
(cycle or horse) and walk! On Saturday 10 September, many of our local
churches will be welcoming those who cycle, ride or walk from one to
another. Just to walk to one or two churches could be all you want to do,
or you may set a route to cycle to as many as you think possible. It is a
fun day, and we can all sponsor those who are gallant participants. Funds
support the very good Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust, which seeks to
protect our valued and loved old buildings.
Ampney Crucis Association
John
Ducker
The Association held its AGM on 27 June. Eighteen residents
attended. It should be recalled that the Association exists ‘to protect Ampney
Crucis from development of such a nature and such a scale that it would harm
the village’. At the AGM, elections were held of officers and members of the
committee. The chairman remains John Ducker, the secretary Philip White and
the treasurer Paul Styles. Members of the committee are Peter Bullock, Colin
Denham-Davis, Neil Holt, Harold Stevens, Nicholas Tanner, Paddy Thompson and
Don Underwood.
The chairman outlined the changes in the planning system
which are being introduced by the government, which largely remove
responsibility for planning from the counties and assigns the responsibility to
regional planning bodies appointed by central government. The changes will also
include abolition of Local Plans. The latter will be replaced by a ‘Local
Development Framework’ consisting of a number of documents some of a statutory
nature, some advisory or conceptual. Only experience will show how this works.
The chairman reported that discussions have continued on the
future of the remaining Cripps land in the village. The draft scheme has
continued to evolve but it is premature to describe the revised proposals.
When and if a scheme is arrived at which the ACA committee can support, a
public meeting will be called to permit a full briefing and discussion among
residents.
Ampney Crucis Summer Fete
Many thanks to all those who helped at the school and
village fete and thanks also to everyone who came and made it such a success.
Approximately £2,500 was made which will be shared between local organisations,
the church and the school. Our very successful raffle was drawn at the end of
the fete and the majority of prizes went to people with connections to the
village. The 1st prize was won by Mrs Weavin, 2nd prize was won by Mrs
Hyde-Clarke and 3rd prize was won by Mrs Jeffries.
Congratulations to Rebekah Harris who guessed the name of
the teddy –Tigger - to Mr A. Calvert who guessed there were 561 sweets in the
jar and to Mrs L. Evans who correctly concluded that the cake weighed 6lbs
10ozs!
Glos
Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Bruce
Evans
I have recently been appointed to the Cheltenham Locality
Group of the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The Group’s
purpose is to identify opportunities for improvements in Hospital Services
from the patient/carer perspective, through the review of user feedback and
observation, to monitor service delivery, and to undertake projects, as we have
access to the Directors of the Hospital Trust. We are, however, not a vehicle
for formal complaints about the service provided.
We have recently obtained improved signage around the
hospital and put forward proposals to improve the way in which patients are
called for their appointments in the Audiology, Ophthalmic and ENT Clinics.
Another project, long term I fear, is to improve parking arrangements at the
hospital. If anybody has comments about the services provided by Cheltenham Hospital, please let me know.
Club news
Cricket
Club – Phil Gearing
Thanks to all who supported our annual Spring Fair and Duck
Race on May 30th.The weather was fine and the first two home in the duck race
were owned by father and son, Jimmy and Ben Woodcock.
On the playing field we recorded League wins against
Cricklade, Andoversford and Nats and lost against Sherston. We are
chasing promotion this year and if we can keep our squad together we are in
with a good chance. The Sunday team also performed well in their matches.
Please note our new web site - www.ampneycruciscc.co.uk
Pétanque
Club – Christine Cridford
Our team had a very enjoyable, if not very
successful, morning at Sherston festival on 16 July. The club meets at the
pitch by the cricket pavilion every Tuesday from 7 p.m. New members welcome - just turn up and have a go. It is
very informal and suitable for all ages and abilities.
Gardening
Club – Gerry Cutts
The club held its annual summer social event on 21 July. It
was held at Sterry’s Mill, the home and garden of Mr & Mrs P. Brake. They
have a lovely garden made even more interesting using the features of the old
mill races. The garden reflected the interest and dedication of the owners. As
usual there was the roses competition and raffle. The food provided by the
members was varied and of a very high standard. The weather was perfect for
such an occasion.
New editor
We welcome Terry Bloxham to the fold. Terry and his wife
Gail have lived in Ampney Crucis since 1994. Gail is the fifth generation of
her family (the Edwards) to live in the village. They live at Mistle House,
(which is in Ashbrook
Lane) with their two
children, Emily and Matthew. Terry is an IT professional and has worked with
“real” computers for all his life although he enjoys “playing” with the small
ones. His hobbies include digital photography, cooking and wine.
Mobile Police Station
The mobile police station, with PC Reuben Wyatt, will visit
the Ampneys, at these times (approximately)
A Crucis A St
M A St P
9 August 1245 1300 1400
22 August 1245 1300 1400
8 September 1245 1300 1400
24 September 1245 1300 1400
É07734
068276
egmps@gloucestershire.police.uk
In Case of Emergency (ICE)
A national campaign has been launched with the support of Falklands war hero Simon Weston and in
association with Vodafone's annual life savers award.
The idea is quite simple. You store the word "ICE"
in your mobile phone address book, and against it enter the number of the
person to be contacted "In Case of Emergency".
In an emergency ambulance and hospital staff will be able
quickly to find out who to contact.
It's so simple - everyone can do it so please do.
Village Hall charges – Anne Bridges
From 1 September the rental fee to local residents and
organisations will be increased from £3.80 to
£4 per hour. Charges to Youth Organisations and people living outside the
Parish will remain the same.
A minimum charge of £5 for hiring items from the Hall will
also be introduced from this date.
___________________________________________________________________
Advertisements
Personal ads cost £1 per advert per
issue. Local businesses may place an ad (£5) or sponsor an issue (£15).
Please contact David Vessey ((851438) for details.
News from Ampney St Peter and Ampney St Mary
Ampney St Peter news – Sue Tufnell
Accounts for 2004/5
The external auditors have completed the audit of our Annual
Return for 2004/5. In accordance with the requirements a notice of this closure
of the audit has been displayed on the village notice board.
The Moor
We are again indebted to Reuben Smith for his hay making on
the Moor and for choosing the right time for completing it in time for the Boot
Fare. As those who attend the Parish Meetings will know, the recommended and
traditional timing of hay making is around Llamas which should ensure that the
hay is ripe and that most of the wild flower species will have seeded.
A417 ( Sunhill)
The Sunhill composting saga is covered elsewhere in this
publication. So this update concentrates solely on its potential impact on the
A417. You will be aware that the proposal is to direct all the 44 ton lorries
along the A417 and that those to or from other parts of Gloucestershire would
therefore travel from Cirencester through Ampney Crucis, Ampney St Peter and
Poulton and turn towards Sunhill at the Meysey Hampton cross roads. In addition
the proposal, as drafted, is open to other sources of compostible material including
from other counties.
At present the number of lorry journeys for the mushroom
compost is much lower than originally approved and enters the site from all
directions. So, the proposed increase would be far more than claimed and all
traffic would be concentrated on the A417. Hence the active support for SAG
from all the local Parishes.
In addition, the “A to B” campaign is still active and GCC
have still not responded to the co-ordinated response we submitted regarding
the status of the A417 as a lorry route. You may recall that this was agreed
with the Towns and Parishes from Lechlade to Cirencester. A meeting has been
held with our newly re-elected County Councillor, Lady Dunrossil, who has
viewed at first hand the various “hot spots” and has been most helpful with her
advice on the traffic issues and how to proceed.
Drainage
The next phase of the drainage scheme is to be carried out
in the next few months, which will help to alleviate the flooding problems in
the village.
Donations
Many thanks to those who have donated to the Village
Development Fund.
Ampney St Mary news – Nicol Ferguson
The annual BBQ for Ampney St Mary and Ampney St Peter was
held on 15 June. A very posh affair this year due to the kindness of Mark and
Naomi Heaton giving us the use of a grand marquee. The affair was well
attended with very good food served under two gazebos. Shades of Agincourt!
The amount raised was £782 of which £500 went to the Church
and, in line with established policy, the balance of £282 to The Friends of
Fairford Hospital.
___________________________________________________________________
|
|
New Village Organisation Directory
The idea of a new annual Directory of village
organisations is proposed. It would contain details of all the
administrative, sports and social organisations which cover the three
villages with details of the main contacts (chair, secretaries etc). It
would also contain maps of the three villages.
If you would like your organisation to be
included, please contact Elisabeth Gerver (by 31 December and by email
wherever possible please) with details of your own email address, address
and telephone number.
Elisabeth’s email address can be found on page 7
It is intended to publish the directory each June
starting in June 2006.
|
|
Ampney Crucis Playground report
Playground open!
Over 100 villagers were at the playing field on Sunday 5
June to celebrate the official opening of the new children’s playground.
The project has taken five years to come to fruition and
results from the combined efforts of many parents and children, Head Teacher
Andy Simpson at the village school, and Parish, District and County councils.
Local district councillor Edward Horsfall also worked strenuously to support
the scheme.
As part of the opening celebrations the playground was
blessed by the rector, Reverend Annette Woolcock. The ribbon was then cut by
long time villagers Don Underwood, Mrs. Jessica Schroder and David Ockwell.
However, a sudden deluge meant that Playground Committee chair Kim Hartshorne
was forced to deliver her thank-you speech from under an umbrella!
What next?
There are still some jobs which need to be done (principally
the construction of a new pedestrian gate off Allotment Lane) but it is hoped that everything will be finished during
the autumn.
Opening times
The Playground will be open from 9.00 a.m. every day of the year except Christmas Day and Boxing
Day. During the summer months (March to September) it will close at 8.00 p.m. and at 5.00 p.m. during the winter months.
Safety
The day-to-day running of the playground will be in the
hands of the Playground Committee but it is hoped
that everybody using it will help to keep it clean and tidy. The safety of the children using the playground
equipment is the top priority and the Playground Committee will organise a
rota of weekly inspections to check the equipment and make sure the area is
safe to use. If you notice anything wrong (for example, a fault with a
piece of equipment or dangerous materials lying around) please do what you can
to make things safe and notify a member of the committee immediately.
On that subject, your co-operation would be appreciated
regarding the use of the children’s playground equipment (as distinct from the
skateboard area). This is generally for younger children because it is not
designed for the rather more energetic teenagers. The suppliers have already
had to repair the ‘Scotty dog springer’ which is designed for 5 year olds and
under only.
And finally
Committee members Rosanna Armitage, Victoria Calvert, Eleanor Chard, Kim
Hartshorne and Rachel Kirk would like to thank everyone who supported this long
running project. Creating the playground has been a long and occasionally
frustrating (but worthwhile) experience. It is now all yours.
Enjoy!
___________________________________________________________________
Summer Ball 2005
The hottest day of the year drew many out in their finery to
enjoy classical flute and piano played by cue Music of Cheltenham at the
Summer Ball held at the Corinium Stadium on Saturday 18 June. A four course
summer menu included smoked salmon and profiteroles, and was followed by a
Grand Prize Draw and a marathon of dancing.
The Ball was organised by the Playground Committee,
following the success of last year’s event at the Stadium. However, when the
committee decided to benefit other good causes this year, this drew a number of
members from Cirencester Round Table and Ladies Circle to attend. They are always keen to have a good time in aid
of a good cause!
Only one part of the evening’s fun gave cause for concern.
During the disco, a song by the Gibson Brothers drew the traditional response –
everyone sits on the floor in a line and participates in a kind of rowing
action. One member of the Round Table party, visiting from Australia, became very alarmed as this kind
of dance precedes tribal war in his country!
A jolly good time was had by all but the main beneficiaries
will be the Village School, Cirencester Round Table and the Village Playground who
between them will share the proceeds of £2,000
The committee would like to thank all at the Corinium
Stadium who worked so hard to ensure the evening’s success, and also Ellen
Hopkins who acquired so many fantastic prizes for the raffle.
Ampney Crucis Parish Council news
The new planning system
The Inspector’s report on the draft Local Plan has now been
issued and reflects some of the concerns of local bodies to the draft proposals
(the Parish Council made representations on behalf of the parish). A revised
draft is expected this autumn and should be adopted in early 2006. It will
then run until 2009 when a new planning regime will be introduced with the
following overall structure.
The Government Office for the South West prepares a
‘Regional Spatial Strategy’ (RSS) which broadly identifies where new
development will take place throughout the South West. The District Council
also prepares a series of documents which lay out the strategy for, and control
of, development in the Cotswolds. These documents, plus the RSS, together form
‘The Development Plan’.
The District Council prepares a further series of documents
identifying how the Development Plan will be implemented, monitored and, where
necessary, changed over the following few years. These additional documents,
together with the Development Plan, form the ‘Local Development Framework’ the
basis under which development in the Cotswolds will be planned and controlled
from 2009.
The process has started with the first stage being a
‘Statement of Community Involvement’ which defines the consultation process
that each document will go through. The Parish Council has made a
representation on how it feels communications should be handled.
Road resurfacing
There have been some comments about the standard of the
recent road resurfacing – the Parish Council is taking the matter up with
Highways Department.
Accounts for 2004/5
The external auditors have completed the satisfactory audit
of our Annual Accounts for 2004/5. As required by the Audit Regulations, a
notice to this effect has been displayed on the village notice boards.
Speeding
There has been some comment that a small number of motorists
are overlooking the fact that there is a 30 m.p.h. speed limit through the main
part of the village. The Parish Council is considering carrying out a speed
survey in the near future.
Sunhill
As mentioned in an earlier edition of The Ampney Times, the planning application to change
part of the mushroom composting facility at Sunhill to a facility for the
composting of domestic waste did not warrant a full Environmental Impact
Assessment. Instead, it was agreed at county and national level that an
independent survey would be adequate. The survey has been carried out by
Enviros, a specialist firm of environmental consultants. Their report was
published on 24 May.
The Parish Council will respond to this report. A copy of
the response will be posted on the website and will cover the following topics:
o
The report is,
in places, critical of the initial planning application as it believes some of
the supporting arguments were poorly presented. The Parish Council believes
that a revised application should be made with these points clarified.
o
There is still
no satisfactory explanation of how kitchen waste (Mixed Organic Waste – MOW –
which will include meat and dairy waste) is to be collected as part of the
kerbside collection system. The proposal is to collect 22,000 tonnes of MOW –
four times as much as the current target for garden waste. It is also unclear
exactly how MOW will be sorted at the composting site and what will happen to
non compostible material.
o
Recycling
implies the reuse of unwanted materials. However, there is no requirement for
the applicants to justify whether or not the final compost is of any use at
all. It would appear that the proposal could succeed merely because it meets
some arbitrary Government targets for preventing waste going to landfill.
o
The final
product only has a value as a soil conditioner in arable farming. There is
concern that the final product will have no value to local farmers as future
European farm policy could lead to an overall reduction in arable farming
meaning more lorry movements to transport the compost to other parts of the
country.
o
There has been
no response to the concerns that the site could expand to provide composting
facilities to organisations other than the County Council leading to more lorry
movements along the A417.
The Sunhill Action Group continues to press the County
Council on this matter. The final decision may be taken at a meeting of the
County Council currently scheduled for 20 September.
Ampney and District Royal British Legion Women’s Section
Usually
meets monthly Tuesdays Ampney Crucis Village Hall 2.00 p.m. unless otherwise
noted.
20
September, 4.00pm, Tea party with raffle
Contact
Janet Gibbs É851227
Bingo
21
September, Ampney
Crucis Village Hall, doors open 7.00 p.m.; eyes down 7.30
p.m.
Whist
9 August
and 13 September,
the Pop Inn, Cirencester, 7.30 p.m.
Ampneys Gardening Club
Meets
monthly Thursdays Ampney Crucis Village Hall 7.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m. unless
otherwise noted.
18
August,
“Chrysanthemums for pleasure”, by Mr R Haviland
15
September, “Plant
propagation”, by Mr W G Geissler
Contact
Joyce Cutts É 851540
Women’s Institute
Meets
monthly Thursdays Ampney Crucis Village Hall 7.30 p.m. unless otherwise noted
22
September, Film
show by Norman Whearat
Contact
Sonja Payne É850267
Mothers’ Union
Meets
monthly at various venues and times; everyone is welcome.
9 August, Mary Sumner Day: picnic in
Gloucester Cathedral cloister garden at 3.00 p.m., followed by Evensong at 5.30 p.m. in the Cathedral
1
September, 2.30 p.m., Watertown Farm House, “In the steps of St Paul”, by Sylvia Harker
Contact
Rosemary Franklin 654282
Sixties Club
Meets
Mondays Ampney Crucis Village Hall 2.00 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
1 August, Music by the Carousels
15
August, Talk by Jan
Tury
5 September, Summer outing to Poole; departure time to be notified
19
September, Music
from the fifties by Mr John Nutting
Contact
Paddy or Peggy Thompson É851619
Youth Club
The Youth
Club starts again in September for the new academic year. Children from year 2 -
year 6 who live in the village are welcome to attend. The club is run by James
and Rosanna Armitage and generally takes place on the first Friday of the
month during the school term. Please contact them on (850005 to find out more.
|
|
Bookings for the Village Hall
may be made through Paddy or Peggy Thomson ( 851619.
|
|
Copy deadline for next issue
(October/November): Thursday 15 September 2005
Editors: David Vessey, Elisabeth
Gerver, Christine Cridford, Terry Bloxham
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
