The INFORMER
Todwick Parish Council
No. 71
March 2006
GOOD NEWS - VILLAGE HALL REFURBISHMENT TO GO AHEAD!
After many years of frustration and disappointment the Village Hall Committee has been awarded a grant of £195,950 by Yorkshire Rural Community Council. This, together with the £50,000 set aside from the annual precept by the Parish Council over the last 10 years, plus £10,000 included in the 2006/7 budget, and the Committee's own reserves, will enable the refurbishment to go ahead.
The original plans are having to be modified as their cost was higher than funds will now allow, and this means that before any work can commence Planning Permission will have to be applied for again, and when granted by Rotherham's Planning Board a suitable builder will have to be found and appointed to carry out the work. Past experience would seem to indicate that it could be 12 months before the "new" Village Hall is open for use - however it should certainly be worth waiting for! In the meantime the various organisations which use the Hall will be kept fully informed of progress, and it is hoped that alternative accommodation can be arranged during the building work.
THE A57 - ROTHERHAM REPORTED TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT OMBUDSMAN
The A57 Action Committee submitted a complaint to the Ombudsman
claiming that the Borough Council had been guilty of maladministration for
failing properly to consult with the residents of Todwick on the plans for
the improvement of the A57. The Ombudsman decided that Rotherham had "a
case to answer" and one of her representatives duly visited Todwick and
met with 5 members of the Action Committee at the top of Goosecarr Lane,
following which he had a 2 hour meeting with them when he listened to all
their complaints and received evidence including a 9 page report prepared
by one of the Committee.
The decision of the Ombudsman is now awaited - there can be no appeal from
it, so this has been "the last throw of the dice" by the Action Committee,
whose work on behalf of the people of Todwick has been much appreciated by
the Parish Council.
PARISH COUNCIL AWARDS - The Parish Council has decided to make a number of awards this year in recognition of achievements in various fields. Full details have yet to be finalised, but it is thought that they will include both Academic Achievement and Exceptional Effort by Children at Todwick School during the year, Young Sports Person and Young Volunteer of the year, Best Garden and Best-kept Allotment. If you have any suggestions for other categories please contact Councillor Gregory (tel: 770703). The nature of the awards - whether monetary of otherwise - has yet to be decided - as has the definition of "young" - but it is hoped the awards may become an annual event. This year's will probably be made before the next issue of The Informer due in July, so look out for notices in the usual places.
THE 2006/07 PRECEPT - This is the amount which will be collected by Rotherham Borough Council on behalf of the Parish Council to cover expenditure during the year. After a 10 year standstill precept the Council has decided that an increase is necessary, so the 2006/07 figure will be £24,000 compared with £18,650 in recent years. It is intended that £10,000 will be made available towards Village Hall refurbishment.
THE BUDGET - Once again some items have been included for work which has not been completed in the previous year, including Children's Playground fencing and the Rights of Way Notice Board, but money has also been included for additional Hanging Baskets and a Fireworks Display, as well as maintenance and improvements at the Recreation Ground.
THE ANNUAL PARISH ASSEMBLY - will be held on Tuesday 25 April at 7.30 in the Village Hall. This is your opportunity to hear the Annual Reports of the Chairman and the Clerk on the year's work of the Council, as well as the Financial Report and Accounts - i.e. how your money was spent as well as the work Councillors have undertaken on your behalf. You will be able to ask questions and to make comments (critical if you must!) on the reports and accounts.
PARISH COUNCIL MEETINGS - are normally held on the last Tuesday of each month (except August) in the Village Hall, commencing at 7.30 pm. There is always an Open Session at 8.30 pm at which members of the public may ask questions or raise any matters of concern - they are welcome to attend the rest of the meeting but may not speak. The April meeting, however will commence at 7.00 pm and if necessary reconvene immediately after the Parish Assembly. Other forthcoming dates are 30 May, 27 June, and 25 July.
REMAINING COUNCIL VACANCY FILLED - Philip Kettell, of 5 Furnival Close (tel: 771161) has been co-opted to fill this.
JOINT WORKING CHARTER - The Parish Council has signed up to this which has been drawn up by representatives of both Rotherham Borough Council and the Parish Councils in Rotherham, and is intended to lead to the Borough and the Parishes working together - and we hope to better consultation between them, and hence relations!
ALLOTMENT RENTS - These were due for payment at the Village Hall between 11.00 am and noon on Sunday 19 March. If you missed paying yours then please contact Councillor Les Waller at 13 The Pastures as soon as possible. The charge for the year for a full allotment remains at £8.00. There may still be a few vacant plots - if you are interested in growing your own in 2006 contact Councillor Waller (tel: 770819) or as above.
CHILDREN'S PLAYGROUND FENCE - Quotations are at present awaited for this (three are required) and it is expected that the work will be carried out in 2 stages: first the Church Car Park side and secondly the Manor Drive side. The old chain-link fencing will be replaced by railings - vandal proof if possible!
RIGHTS OF WAY NOTICE BOARD - It is hoped that this will be installed in the reasonably near future. It will be similar to one at Whiston (opposite the Sitwell Arms adjacent to the bus stop) and will show all the footpaths in Todwick Parish. Rotherham Council's design team will be responsible for the art work and the cost of that - £336 - borne by their Rights of Way Officer. The notice board will be vandal resistant with the cost to the Parish Council approaching £1000. A decision has yet to be taken as to the actual site, but it will certainly be in the centre of the village.
LUNCHEON CLUB - In response to popular demand a Luncheon Club will take place in the Church Hall on the last Thursday of each month at 12 noon, commencing on 30 March. This is a pilot scheme and initially will be for 15 people at a time - if it is successful both numbers and frequency may increase. "Cooks" will be group of students from RCAT (aka Rother Valley) with their Tutor doing a Life Skills course, and they will set up, prepare, cook and serve the meal and wash up after, and also join in with an after meal drink. The price has not yet been fixed but it will only be enough to cover costs. It is open to all Todwick residents, so if you are interested please book a place by telephoning Liz Sternberg on 515245 (or leave a message on her answering machine). If necessary a waiting list system can be introduced.
TODWICK FUN DAY - Sunday 16 July - the Recreation Ground, 2.00-5.00
pm & 7.30-10.30pm
A programme of entertainment for all ages, with particular emphasis on
children's entertainment - bouncy castles, games, cricket, bowls, 5-a-side
football, etc. There will be free food and refreshments and a raffle. Many
groups in the village are participating in the programme and we hope it
will be "a day to remember". If you or your group would like to put on an
event or even offer sponsorship, however small, it would be much
appreciated, in which case please contact Sheila Pantry on 771024 or email
sp@sheilapantry.com. That is the
afternoon programme. In the evening there will be Music by Moonlight
when a Jazz Band should make a memorable end to the day for Todwick
families and their friends. Bring your own refreshments, tables, chairs,
rugs, umbrellas(?) and candles, get dressed up and enjoy a night of music
and dancing, join in the fun and celebrate summer.
TODWICK GARDEN/HISTORIC TRAIL - Sunday 30 July, 11.00 am - 3.00 pm
Something different. Todwick's history goes back a long way - the Domesday
Survey of 1086 records: "a church is there and 3 acres of meadow" - so now
is your chance to learn something about it. There will be an exhibition of
memorabilia, including many old photographs, almost certainly in the
Church Hall. The trail itself will include older buildings, including the
early 11th century Church, the moat and the trysting tree, and will pass
many attractive private gardens - some of which will be open to visitors
while others can be viewed from the road - and also views from the
village. A number of people have already offered to show their gardens. If
you would like yours to be included, even if only to be viewed from the
road, Sheila Pantry would be pleased to hear from you. She can be
contacted as for the Fun Day, tel 771024, or email
sp@sheilapantry.com. And she would be equally pleased to know if you
have any old memorabilia, including photographs of Old Todwick which you
would be prepared to lend for the exhibition. A trail map will be
available on the day, showing all the stopping points, including those for
refreshments.
PLEASE PUT THESE EVENTS IN YOUR DIARY NOW - JULY WILL SOON COME ROUND! BOTH ARE COMPLETELY FREE OF CHARGE AND ALL ARE WELCOME.
THE ENVIRONMENT post TEAG - a sufficient number of volunteers have come forward to take on responsibility for the flower-beds in the village this year, but if you would like to get involved in any way in improving the appearance of the village, please contact Councillor Palmer on 771257. And if you have any spare plants to put at your driveway entrances they would help to brighten up Todwick.
DIRTY DOG OWNERS - Unfortunately we still receive regular complaints about dogs fouling the footpaths in most areas of the village. The dog waste bins provided by the Parish Council (on Kiveton Lane just past the last house going towards Kiveton, on Goosecarr Lane just past the last house on The Pastures, and at the bottom of Manor Drive) are well used, but not by a significant number of dog owners. If you are one of these please show some respect and consideration for other residents and either use the bins in future or take your dog waste home with you!
WERE YOU ONCE A BROWNIE? Were you or your daughter a Brownie in Todwick from September 1977 to the present? Audrey Radford is having to retire as Brownie Guider and her last evening will be Wednesday 26 May in the Church Hall at 6.00 pm. She is inviting all past Brownies to come along on that evening and hopes as many as possible will be able join in the fun. She is looking forward to seeing you again.
MODEL RAILWAYS - We owe an apology to Norman Reay of The Meadows. In the last issue of The Informer we included a request for anyone interested in forming a Model Railway Club to get in touch with him. Unfortunately we gave the wrong telephone number.
W.I. CHANGE OF MEETING DAY - From April the Women's Institute will be on the first Thursday in the month (except in May when the Village Hall will be required as a Polling Station)
SAFE AT LAST - The Parish Council has made a donation of £100 to this Dinnington based Charity which works with young people under 16 from all over South Yorkshire and North Nottinghamshire who have run away from or been forced to leave the place where they usually live or at risk of doing so. They have launched a SAFEplace appeal to fund much-needed refuge accommodation
ASBESTOS - One of Rotherham's Health & Safety Officer's has carried out a survey and produced a report on one of the outbuildings at the Village Hall which has asbestos cement roof sheeting. He has recommended that while there is no requirement for the work to be carried out by a contractor licensed to work with asbestos it should be done by a person with some construction knowledge of demolition. The matter is now in the hands of the Village Hall Committee which requested the survey.
TODWICK PARISH RAMBLES GROUP - You don't need to wait for the new notice board showing all the local footpaths. The Group meets for regular walks on the second Sunday of the month at approximately 10.00 am. All Todwick residents are welcome to join the group together with their children and dogs (if well-behaved). But remember that even in summer stout footwear is necessary. The walks are led by Jim Tompkin (tel: 770700) from whom further information can be sought. And always check the notice board outside the Village Hall for details as times may sometimes vary.
STREETPRIDE - If you want to report any problems with unlit street lights, potholes in the road, condition of the footway, graffiti, fly tipping, signposts facing the wrong way, etc. etc. the number to ring is 01709 336003.
POLICE CONTACT NUMBERS - Emergencies - 999. To report an incident/for prompt attention ring the Central Switchboard 0114 220 20 20. Crimestoppers number is 0800 555111. Our local Community Police Officers, Tina Jones and Howard Saul, can be contacted at Kiveton Police Station (01709 832681) but do not leave a message if your call is urgent - ring the Central Switchboard.
TODWICK WEBSITE - www.todwick.org.uk continues to provide a wide range of information about the village and its activities. If you have any items of news send them to Sheila Pantry at 85 The Meadows or sp@sheilapantry.com. And don't forget this is one way you can keep up-to-date with the arrangements for the Fun Day and the Garden/Historic Trail in July!
The Informer is published three times a year by Todwick Parish Council from 10 High Street, South Anston, Sheffield S25 5AY. The next issue will appear in July 2006.