PC Newsletter. September 2018

For some of us autumn is a time that shouts “Get This Done. You left it too long while enjoying the summer”. (To be honest, it’s also a time to park things that are going nowhere and wasting effort).

The full agenda for our next Council meeting on September 12 is here.

Transport is on that agenda. We have had no reply yet from neighbouring councils on participation in a Community Car Scheme or Older Driver Training. (We are too small to have a serious push for either.) As for buses, nothing for us, but an interesting new service is running from Ashill to Ilminster, a consequence of local lobbying.

Our village school has a new Lead Teacher, Tim Harnett. When I and Donna Davies visited the school two days ago we were impressed by the energy that he is injecting. We left with a strong impression that our school is on the way up and will be a great bonus for local families. The problem: too few pupils and strong competition from Curry Mallet which is a larger school. I am guessing that our council will wish to think hard about how to help our school grow again.

Other items:

A new one. Our war memorial. It’s looking tired and untended. The price of professional cleaning is high. Steve Williams has kindly cleaned the text. The base needs weeding on a regular basis, which is not happening. One idea: we could draw on village effort to lift the gravel, apply a weedkiller, lay a membrane, then replace the gravel. Also: why not fly the flag at all times? Views.

Footpaths: there are footpaths that cross the A358. If the A358 widening happens they should become overbridges or underpasses, provided they are evidently in use. So, the two crossings at the end of Bicknehall Lane have been opened up and so has another that leaves Village Road just past Hatch Green Garage. The message is: Use Them or (possibly) Lose Them.

Finally, people have recently complained that events are being missed in the village from lack of publicity. The two village Facebook pages, Hub and Inner Circle, automatically alert followers but the event needs to be posted. I can help with that, and if to wish to follow either site, it’s easy. Of course the Parish Magazine also does a good job here.

Speaking of which, the very successful Bingo evening of a few months back is back on September 21st. A great family event!

Our new website will be another way of publicising such things. That will be ready of a launch in October.

As ever, thank you for reading the newsletter.