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Due to government regulations prohibiting public meetings the Sept 2020 Parish Council meeting was held online, using the Zoom platform. This is in line with national advice. There is still no indication of how long these conditions will persist, but it is likely that meetings will take place online for the rest of this year. Parishioners wanting to participate in the Public Session should check the Agenda on the Public notice boards, or the Website, for the meeting ID on Zoom.
Due to difficulties experienced by Councillors unused to using the internet, a reduced number of Councillors attended the online meeting, but a quorum was achieved and was augmented by the District and County Councillors.
Illness and unfamiliarity with IT have meant that the number of Councillors at meetings has fallen, and the anticipated election in May was postponed until next year, and this may well have bought an influx of new Councillors. We are able to co-opt new members, subject to them being eligible. The Parish Council does need some active new members, preferably familiar with IT – so if you feel that is you – please contact me or the Chair (details overleaf).
Reports from the District and County Councillors Cllr Adam Brown reported that NCC will give a financial report tomorrow that will show a small underspend on the previous year. Northampton had been downgraded from being an area of intervention as regards Covid19. The Greencore situation had improved. As regards LGR (Local Government Re-organisation) – all is progressing, and the schedule is being met. Most Statutory officers have now been appointed.
Cllr Phil Bignell confirmed downgrading of Covid19 situation, and reported that most new cases were in the younger age groups, and that there was some way to go.
Cllr David Harries confirmed Cllr AB’s analysis of the LGR situation. He referred to the failure of Council’s bid for NHB money for lighting. The panel had taken the decision to not support schemes for which Councils were in any case responsible; preferring to support larger schemes. He felt that schemes which helped with climate change should be supported. AW felt that the rules had been changed, and DH agreed that this had not been made clear enough.
Public Participation Tony Clewett reported that the NP (Neighbourhood Plan) had sustained body blows – participant illness and Covid19, which meant no meetings could be held. Strategic Environment Assessments (SEA) was the next task. SNC have said that the NP group have to screen this themselves, whereas most think that the District Council should be doing this. It was recommended that Kislingbury was approached for advice on this and other NP issues. Tom Dodd felt the need for an SEA was low, but that the NP would not be passed unless there is evidence of a strong scoping plan. Whilst the delays were a cause for concern, the whole process has been delayed in that there would be no referenda before May 6th 2021, and funding had been increased as a result. With the Parish Council’s allocation of £3000 for 20/21 and £500 already held, it was hoped that this would suffice. He had distributed a document on costings. The NP group would continue with the screening and to keep in line with SNC’s local plan. It was hoped to submit to the PC in Jan 2021, followed by statutory consultation. It would then go on to a referendum.
Roads and pavements Felt to be in generally poor condition, although it was acknowledged that there had been extensive re-surfacing work on the lane between the Heyfords.
The Green and Play Area The Green was felt to be in good condition, although there had been some storm damage to trees. The Council thanked Dominic Cawley for removing one substantial Robinia limb from the Green. The Tree surgeon had checked and adjusted a number of trees.
Damaged units in the Play Area had been taped off and would be repaired by Wicksteed shortly.
CK felt that funding for a new Play Area was now problematic although it was still possible to go for NHB money, if this was the case the last opportunity would be Nov 20th.
It was resolved to insert an additional litter bin next to the bench at the bus stop. This would be to help deal with the worsening litter situation, which is felt to have been caused by the removal of the bin outside the One Stop Shop. The re-opening of takeaways was fairly obvious as detritus from the various outlets started to appear at the roadside almost immediately. This is particularly noticeable between the Heyfords; however most of the lane is in Upper Heyford, rather than Nether Heyford Parish. There has also been an issue with cars parking around the entrance to the Playing Fields. Police are aware.
Playing Fields LE reported that the Netball Court had proved very popular and was much used. She felt that the use of the fields had increased generally and that there were now more opportunities for women.
Trees Storm Francis had caused a good deal of damage.
Allotments LE reported that there had been an appeal for members to form an Allotments Association committee. There was now a waiting list of 5.
Footpaths LD commented that dog mess was an increasing issue on footpaths.
Churchyard Tree work would be recommenced in Autumn.
Joint Burial Board CK reported that there was a programme for tidying up the cemetery, and that the existing mapping was to be upgraded. There had been damage to some trees during Storm Francis, which was being dealt with.
Youth Club LD reported that she felt it was unlikely that the club could re-open in the near future. Those activities that were recommended by the County Association were not felt to be attractive to the club members and would be stressful and awkward for helpers to implement, nor were outdoor activities practical going into Autumn. The building has been deep cleaned. SNC had sent a tree inspector to look at the issue with the garden in Ridgeway Furlong.
Canal The Furnace Lane bridge had been damaged. Clerk had reported to Highways and an inspection had taken place. No report as yet.
Defibrillators The defibrillators were in working order, but would need new batteries shortly as they had been in place since 2017.
Planning S2020/0428/FUL Land behind Denbrook SNC were unhappy with this application but have not heard back from the agent: so there is no current application. There is an issue regarding the crossing of part of the village green for access for any residence built on this site, as to whether an easement is required. AW had contacted Danny Moody at NCALC who had recommended contacting NCALC’s solicitors Weller/Hedley. County Council to be contacted to consult Register of Village Greens to try and clarify exact boundaries of village green. Cllr PB would check with SNC to clarify ownership.
Consideration of how Council would respond to a 2nd wave of Covid 19. It was felt that, should there be a 2nd Wave of Covid19, it would be straightforward to reintroduce the procedures for distributing food parcels and assisting shielding residents. The “mechanisms” and volunteers were still in place.
Lighting A working party would be formed to discuss lighting issues generally, and a possible application to the Salix agency for funding.
Reporting Highway and Footpath Issues. The Clerk will report issues that Council is made aware of, but Council would encourage residents to use the FixMyStreet service to report issues themselves as there will then be no time lag and first-hand reports are almost always better than 2nd or 3rd hand reports. The service can be found here: www.fixmystreet.com It is easy to use; you can have your own account and can check up on any issues you have reported.
Parish Council meetings in 2020 will continue to be on the first Monday of each month, (unless a Bank Holiday) and start at 19:30. The next ones are Monday October 5th (online) and Monday November 2nd.
Clerk to the Parish Council: Guy Ravine, c/o Old Dairy Farm, Upper Stowe, Weedon, Northamptonshire, NN7 4SH Telephone: 07935 931787 Email: netherheyfordparishcouncil@gmail.com
For further useful information about Nether Heyford Parish Council and full contact details for the clerk and the Councillors please visit:
Thanks to everyone that took part in the village clean up in September. Over 9.5 dustbin bags of litter was collected which was an improvement over previous years. The village is slowly getting cleaner.
10:00 am Holy Communion Service via the Facebook Page
11:00 am Harvest Service at Flore church
06:00 pm Harvest Service at Upper Stowe
Sunday 11th
10:00 am Holy Communion Service via the Facebook Page
11:00 am Holy Communion at Upper Stowe
06:00 pm Holy Communion at Heyford
Sunday 18th
10:00 am Holy Communion Service via the Facebook Page
10:00 am United Service at Flore (Venue TBC)
11:15 am Harvest Service at Brockhall
06:00 pm Evening Service at Heyford
Sunday 25th
10:00 am Holy Communion Service via the Facebook Page
11:00 am Holy Communion at Heyford
06:00 pm Evening Service at Flore
Midweek Service: Morning Prayer at 9:00AM every Friday via Zoom. Please contact the Rector for an invitation – all welcome.
As we re-open our church buildings for public worship, we follow all Church and Government Guidelines regarding social distancing, face coverings, no singing, the administration of Holy Communion etc. to ensure we keep people as safe as possible.
During October we shall be praying for people living in The Green in Nether Heyford, for the Bliss Charity Primary School, for the shops, and for all the activities in the Village Hall and the Baptist Church Rooms. In Flore, we pray for people living on Hillside Road and Flore Hill. We pray for the Main Street and School Rooms in Church Stowe, and for Manor Farm, the Old Coach House and Manor Cottage in Brockhall.
Nether Heyford Parish Church of St. Peter and St. Paul
Dear Friends,
I am fairly confident that 2020 has not turned out the way any of us planned! In recent months, our lives have been shaped by the coronavirus outbreak and its effects on us, our communities, our nation and the world. Plans have been changed, weddings and family get-togethers postponed, sports events have been cancelled, or played in empty stadia. We’ve been locked down, we’ve emerged from lockdown, we’ve eaten out to help out. And now we face a tightening of the rules as fears of a second peak in the outbreak rise. In England, we all have to stick to the ‘rule of six’ yet some areas face even tougher restrictions. In the Church, we’ve managed to reopen some of our buildings for public worship and private prayer. It’s great to see people again, but things are still a long way from ‘normal’; no singing, masks worn, socially distanced and so on. We’ve also begun to think about Remembrance Sunday and Christmas, for with no relaxation of the rules in sight, those events and celebrations are likely to look very different this year! Wherever we look, the landscape has changed, yet all around us are the familiar signs of how things were just a few months ago, of how we’d like them to be again. As this crisis continues into the Autumn and Winter, with shorter, darker days and colder weather to come, perhaps it’s easy to feel despondent.
In the seventh century before Christ, God sent the prophet Jeremiah to the people of Israel. He was sent to speak to those who were in exile in Babylon – away from all that they loved and cherished. He was speaking to those who were longing for familiarity and normality.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
That is a wonderful promise, one I have reflected on many times in recent years. One I’ve taken joy in, as I’ve looked back at how God has been at work in my life, and in the life of the communities we’ve lived in. Maybe we are frustrated with the way things are, maybe we are looking back to the way things were, but whatever is going on in the present, whatever has gone on in the past, God plans to give us hope and a future.
As these challenging times continue, please be assured of my prayers. If there is anything the Church or I can do to help, support and encourage you, please give me a call.
May God bless you as we look forward with hope and expectation.
Morning services have now re-started and comply with the current government and Baptist guidelines.
We are meeting in the Baptist rooms, holding shorter services and would be pleased to welcome you. (with some restriction on numbers)
Services for October:
October 4th – 10.30am – Harvest service Led by Les Britten –We will celebrate the harvest by gathering groceries and produce for the Hope Centre and by having the usual coin collection for Operation Agri.
October 11th – 10.30am – Morning worship Led by Clive Leakey
October 18th – 10.30am – Morning worship Led by Wendy Manley
October 25th – 10.30am – Communion service Led by Martin Buckby
Nether Heyford Youth Club unfortunately still remains closed as a youth club and for private bookings.
We recently had further guidance from the Northamptonshire Youth Club Association, which is the body to which we are affiliated. At the moment Youth Clubs across the county are still at “Amber”, this means that very little can take place, with only small numbers being allowed in, and bubbles would need to be established and maintained.
We as a Youth Club do not feel it is right to open with numerous restrictions around the children. When children attend the youth club it is an opportunity for them to “let their hair down”, run around freely (albeit safely) and mix with a range of children from both inside the village and the surrounding villages.
Until the Youth Club is able to open “as normal” or as near to normal as possible we will remain closed.
We will as always keep you up-to-date and as soon as we feel the restrictions are lifted enough will welcome the children back to the Youth Club.
I’ve lost both my grandparents now so we’ve moved into New School House so that my uncle has a home and we haven’t got a spare bedroom for him in Furnace Lane. I love this house but Mum says it’s draughty and cold. We have a huge garden so loads of room to play. My bedroom is at the side of the house near the jitty. In the evenings I hear the twins, Joe & Len, who live in Church Lane (Back Lane as it’s known), going home from the pub. They walk well apart and talk like it’s the middle of the day. The Headmaster collects our rent once a month because the house is owned by the School.
I miss my pap, he made me laugh. When I asked him one day why he had so many relatives in the village he simply said “our cat went up their alley” whatever that means. I miss helping my nan shell peas, popping down Mag Courts for some groceries ‘on tic’ and going over to The Foresters Arms to collect her nightly bottle of stout.
I had another nan, dad’s Foster Mother, but we didn’t see so much of her because she lived in Bugbrooke and we had to go by bus. The good thing about visiting her was that she bred Pekinese dogs, kept turkeys to fatten up for Christmas and had a parrot in a cage on her kitchen table which used to swear. She’s no longer with us either.
It’s Heyford Feast weekend soon. Families get together, go to church on Sunday and to the fair which usually runs every evening until after the pubs shut. I hear that in the past, when one man came out of the pub at closing time, he forced the swing boat over the top, losing all the change from his pocket. They wouldn’t allow them to go so high now I bet. Abbott’s fair comes every autumn and parks its caravans and lorries on the green opposite the school. The children from the fair go to the village school and most of the families attend church on the weekend they are here. Two things we can all guarantee winning at the fair is a goldfish and a chalk ornament which is great for drawing on pavements. When the fair leaves, we scour the green for loose change hidden in the grass.
I was confirmed in Kislingbury church this year by the Bishop of Peterborough along with some others from Heyford and surrounding villages. Robert Hensher, the vicar, gave us lessons for 4 weeks beforehand. Now I can go to church regularly to take Holy Communion.
There are plans to build a Village Hall along the area by the top of the green and the first soil was turned recently. It will be built mainly by village volunteers so might take a long time, but how great that will be. Also planned is a motorway from London to Leeds which will run past Upper Heyford. Any soil from this is to be dumped in the old brickyard in Furnace Lane to fill in the pits where the motorcycles used to race.
I’ve done my first year at Duston School. Our school motto is “Have Faith”. There are far more classrooms than the 3 we had in the village so it takes a bit of getting used to and we have a timetable to follow. I lost my sports shorts last term so mum is taking me to Brierley’s for some new ones. “I’m only getting you cheap ones this time” she said. I had a rotten school report this year saying I did too much talking. I can’t believe that.
Polly
Letter published in The Prattler – October edition 2020
The Nether Heyford Prattler 