The INFORMER
Todwick Parish Council
No. 64
November 2003
THE PARISH PLAN - The Village Appraisal which has not got very far in the last few years has now been renamed the Parish Plan, and changes in the rules have made progress easier. The Parish Council is now permitted to play an active part in the undertaking, and funds are available to support the project. A grant in excess of £5000 has been received from the Rural Target Fund, and a firm of consultants has been appointed to carry out the required survey.
A Steering Group under the Chairmanship of Councillor Clive Pantry approved the final Questionnaire, and by the time you read this you should have received your copy and we hope returned it. The results of the survey will be collated and analysed by the firm of consultants and the results made available to the Parish Council and the Steering Group by Christmas. They will then be published in January 2004.
The information gathered in this way will be essential in supporting any application for funding, whether for Village Hall Refurbishment or any other project to improve facilities in the village. Also a Parish Plan is a prerequisite should Todwick decide to apply for Quality Council status, so this is an important project which we hope you will all have supported by returning your copy of the Questionnaire promptly.
ALLOTMENTS - GROW YOUR OWN FOR £8 A YEAR! You may remember that in the July issue of The Informer it was reported that very few of the allotments were being cultivated. The Council has decided that publicity be given to the fact that there are now 16 vacant and residents be invited to rent some of them. They will be rent-free until the end of March (when the rents for 2004 will be due) and any that are overgrown will be cleared before they are taken on. The cost is only £8.00 a year. If there are still vacant allotments in the New Year they will be advertised outside Todwick, so if you are interested contact Councillor L. Waller at 13 The Pastures (tel: 770819) now. If you wait until 2004 you may have lost your opportunity as there are waiting lists in some neighbouring parishes!
WANTED - TWO NEW COUNCILLORS - The Council was only elected in May this year, but already there have been two resignations. Virginia Anderson resigned in July for personal reasons, and in October Darryl Lythall submitted his resignation due to pressure of business commitments which prevented him from regular attendance at meetings. No requests have been submitted for an election to be held, so the Council has power to co-opt new members. If you are interested and feel that you could contribute to the work of the Council, please write to the Clerk, J.R. Walker, at 10 High Street, South Anston, S25 5AY. You may of course also discuss the matter with any member of the Council. The Council propose to deal with the co-options at the January 2004 meeting.
SKIPS - On the Allotment Field, Sundays 11 January and 21 March 2004.
A57 IMPROVEMENTS - Many of you will have attended the presentation by Rotherham Borough Council' Engineers in August, and will know that they went away with various suggestions from Todwick residents which they undertook to consider. The three main ones were the need for a roundabout at the top of Goosecarr Lane (for the benefit of emergency and bus services and to prevent a heavy increase of traffic on Kiveton Lane); a footbridge over the new dual carriageway near Todwick Grange for the safety of residents there; and a speed limit of 50 mph on the new road if it can be agreed with the Police. No further information has yet been received but the Engineers will no doubt come back to us in due course as promised.
THE BUDGET FOR 2003/5 - Because of the election of a new Parish Council this year consideration of the budget did not take place until much later than usual, so it was agreed to consider possible necessary expenditure over two years. One of the first decisions was to arrange for a structural and condition survey of the buildings on the Recreation Field. This has been completed and the report will be considered at the November Council meeting with a view to carrying out work as necessary during 2003/5. It has already been decided to replace the old surfacing around the igloo (climbing frame) in the Children's Playground with safety surfacing similar to that around the other equipment. A quotation has been accepted and the contractor asked to put the work in hand as soon as possible. It was agreed to fund the Bonfire and Fireworks Display which has already taken place - and was again a great success - and further consideration is to be given to increasing the area of tarmac at the Recreation Ground and to the provision of hanging baskets in the centre of the village.
STREETPRIDE - Various items are being referred to Rotherham's Streetpride to see if they will accept responsibility for them out of their budget for this area. They are: Condition of highway verges; Provision of litter bins; Provision of a new seat at Goosecarr Lane; Provision of road marking at bus stops on The Pastures; Provision of bollards on the southern footway of The Pastures west of Kiveton Lane; Provision of school warning signs on all three road approaches. And remember that if you want to report any problems with potholes, unlit street lights, graffiti, etc. the number to ring is 01709-336003.
TODWICK ENVIRONMENT ACTION GROUP (TEAG) - 2003 has been another
active year, and in the spring the village was really colourful. Now
autumn planting is still taking place, and if you have any spare bulbs
there is still time to plant them on verges near your home to make Todwick
even more attractive in spring 2004. If you have some but don't want to
plant them yourself contact Sheila Pantry (tel: 771024) who is always
happy to dig them in. Congratulations to John and June Hughes of Carol
Aston Carpets who gained second prize for the second year running in
the Small Shops and Business Premises category of Rotherham Chamber of
Trade's annual Rotherham in Bloom Awards. Their floral shop front was
planted by TEAG, and as they were only one point behind the winners this
time they are all hoping for first prize in 2004!
Unfortunately the vandalising of the seat in the Millennium Garden
continues - two separate acts in recent weeks. Those who delight in
kicking the seat to breaking point should realise that there will always
be a seat there - some people do like to sit on it and enjoy the garden
and the environment.
FOOTPATH WALKS - These will continue during the winter under the leadership of Mr Pat Wilson (tel: 771319) on the second Sunday of each month leaving the Village Hall at 10.00 am. Suitable footwear is essential and dogs are welcome. This is a good opportunity to get to know the footpaths and bridleways in the area - and to ensure they are kept open to walkers.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT GOES ON IN YOUR VILLAGE HALL?
| CONTACT NO. | ||
|---|---|---|
PLAYGROUP |
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 9.00 - 11.30 am |
560566 |
MOTHER & TODDLER |
Tuesday 9.00 - 11.30 am |
518784 |
AFTER SCHOOL CLUB |
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 3.15 - 5.30 pm |
773057 |
OVER 60's |
Monday 2.00 - 4.00 pm fortnightly |
770919 |
MOTHERS UNION |
Monday 2.00 - 4.00 pm monthly Tuesday 7.30 - 9.30 pm monthly |
770173 770050 |
WEIGHT WATCHERS |
Monday 5.45 - 6.45 pm |
0114-248-8169 |
LINE DANCING |
Monday 7.30 - 8.30 pm |
770819 |
PARISH COUNCIL |
Last Tuesday in the month (except August) 7.30 pm |
566639 |
W.I. CRAFT CLASS |
Wednesday 2.00 - 4.00 pm |
0114-287-2515 |
BROWNIES |
Wednesday 6.00 - 7.30 pm |
771931 |
GUIDES |
Wednesday 7.30 - 9.00 pm |
770751 |
DANCING CLASS |
Thursday 6.00 - 7.00 pm |
567204 |
WOMEN'S INSTITUTE |
Second Friday in the month 7.15 pm |
770746 |
THE HALL CAN ALSO BE BOOKED BY PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS AT A VERY REASONABLE CHARGE BY TELEPHONING 770081
THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE - This is made up of representatives of
the various Village organisations which use the Hall and normally meets
every two months. At the Annual Meeting in October officers and trustees
were elected as follows: Chairman - Revd David Bliss (tel: 770283);
Vice-Chairman - Councillor John Mosley (tel: 771384); Treasurer - Mrs
Margaret Grayson (tel: 770646). But this leaves a gap!
A Secretary is urgently required - if you feel you could offer your
services for a not very onerous job, but one that is vital to the village,
please contact either David Bliss or John Mosley as soon as possible.
CHRISTMAS FAIR - This will be held on Saturday 29 November and will be opened by Father Christmas at 2.00 pm in the Hall. The village organisations will all be running stalls, etc. Admission is 30p with children under 12 free. Tickets for the Grand Raffle will be on sale and there will be the usual large number of attractive prizes. Please support this event as it is the only fund raising activity of the year in aid of the Hall.
PARISH COUNCIL MEETINGS - The last Tuesday in the month (except December) in the Village Hall commencing at 7.30 pm (Open Session at 8.30 pm). Forthcoming dates are 25th November and 16th December 2003; 27th January, 24th February and 30th March 2004.
20 YEARS SERVICE! Rod Walker was appointed Clerk to Todwick Parish Council with effect from 1st November 1983, and at a recent meeting the Council congratulated him on reaching this milestone. We are the envy of other local parishes, most of which have had several changes in that time. It goes without saying that once again our annual official audit has passed off satisfactorily and with no adverse comment!
PESTICIDES - A long list of pesticides for amateur use which have been withdrawn and which it will be illegal to use after the end of this year has been published, and it has been made clear that any remaining in gardeners' possession must be disposed of responsibly (i.e. not in the wheelie-bin or down the drain). It was expected that local councils would make facilities available for this in their own areas - in Rotherham this is not the case and an enquiry to their Environmental Health Department was referred to the Environment Agency. Their advice is that provided any banned item is still in its original container, safely sealed and clearly labelled, it should be taken to the local Dumpit Site (the nearest is on Common Road, North Anston) which are obliged to take it. If you have any problems get in touch with Councillor Gregory (tel: 770703) who will contact the Environment Agency again. (NB. The list, which is mainly of lawn weedkillers, can be found on the internet at www.pesticides.gov.uk)
TODWICK WEBSITE - www.todwick.org.uk continues to develop ... send your news to Sheila Pantry at 85 The Meadows or sp@sheilapantry.com The website promoted the possibility of ADSL-Broadband if sufficient people nominated their interest to BT. The vital number of 400 did so and Todwick is now linked via Broadband. Its wonderful, easy to install and saves time and money! See our website for further details.
POLICE CONTACT NUMBERS - Emergency - 999. To report an incident/for prompt attention - Central Switchboard 0114 220 20 20. Crimestoppers: 0800 555111. Our local community police officers, Howard Saul and Tina Jones, can be contacted at Kiveton Police Station (01709 832681) but do not leave a message if your call is urgent - ring the Central Switchboard.
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS - TEAG will again be putting up Christmas
lights around the Village Hall (thanks to them for the electricity) and
elsewhere. Can you help to put the "sparkle" into Todwick at Christmas by
putting a few lights outside your home? More people seem to do so each year.
AND CHRISTMAS CAROLS - Members of Todwick Church will be singing
carols outside the Post Office from 10.00am to 11.30am on Saturday 20th
December. Coffee and mince pies will be served!
Come and join in - as well as enjoying the singing and refreshments why
not buy some HOLLY which Brenda Palmer will be selling in aid of
the Macmillan Fund that week. Proceeds from the Carol singing will as
usual be divided between Christian Aid and the Children's Society.
The Informer is published three times a year by Todwick Parish Council from 10 High Street, South Anston, Sheffield, S25 SAY. The next issue will appear in March 2004.