Author: Jez Wilson

Heyford Scout Group – Update April 2019

Nether-Heyford_Scout_Group

Scouts, cubs and beavers continue to be busy and active, The Scouts have been doing a lot of work towards badges, with two completed and a third in progress. A camp is planned for the summer.

The Beavers were successful in the Daventry District Handicraft Competition, with 3rd place overall in the Colony Project and a second place in the individual handicraft competition. You can view their certificates on our open Facebook page.

Cubs have been learning about woodwork with the help of a local expert working with the leaders and are planning a joint first aid course with the Youth Club.

Do you have a skill or talent that you might be able to share with some of our young people ? We would be really pleased to hear from anyone who would be interested in working with our leaders for a session or two on this basis.

As always you can contact us through our Heyford Scouts Page on The Prattler, or on Facebook www.facebook.com/heyfordscouts

Bee Bombs – April 2019

Beebombs – April 2019

Let’s bring the bees back

I have an idea about making one of the earth banks on the A4500 between Upper Heyford and the new roundabout a thriving hub for insects and more importantly our Bees. There is a large earthwork bank that makes up part of the new road layout, it can be found on the left as you approach the roundabout from Upper Heyford. My vision is to support our local Bee population with wild flowers and at the same time make the landscape beautiful.

If anyone would like to join me, could they help by purchasing a pack of seeds from the link below. I can arrange a time and tools for their distribution. I have already started by planting some seeds, bulbs as well as Lupins etc.

www.beebombs.com

Steve Corcoran 

Pensioners Meal Club – April 2019 – Cook Wanted

As villagers may or may not know, there has been a pensioners meal club run in the village for many years now. However due to a change of circumstances and work commitments, my wife and I are no longer able to run the meals club.

We have run this meal club ourselves for the last 7 years approx and before that it was run by another couple from the village who left the village so were unable to continue to run the club hence we then took the club over. When we started there were around 18 members, we now have in excess of 50 members and more and more enquiries every week.

The club runs on the first Thursday of every month and is a once a month meal club but could be run as often as weekly if anyone wanted to do this, or just keep to how it is at the moment. It was a very emotional last meal club on the 7th March when we had to tell everyone that we could no longer run the club due to our immediate work commitments and also we will be very sad if we cannot find anyone to carry the club on.

So is there any one out there who would be prepared or able to take on this meal club and keep it going? We would give any advice to any interested people and explain how the club runs at the moment. There is a fantastic team of helpers who have helped us over the years to serve and wash up etc and with them the club would not have been as successful as it is, I am sure most of these will still be able to help run the club but they feel they could not fully run the club on the same scale as it is run at present. MY WIFE AND I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS OUR GRATITUDE TO ALL OF THE HELPERS DURING OUR YEARS OF RUNNING THE CLUB.

We really hope there is someone out there who is able to cook for around fifty people once a month or more if they want and keep the club running.

Neil & Debbie Botterill

1 The Pound, Nether Heyford

Nether Heyford Youth Club – Annual Report April 2019

NetherHeyfordYouthCLub_logo_2019

At the end of my first year as Chair, we have had a fabulous year; the youth club continues to go from strength to strength with a steady increase in numbers week on week.

To date we now have 47 children registered of which between 33-35 attend on a regular basis. What is pleasing is that we are having children join from outside the village where there is already a strong Youth Club set up, so we must be doing something right.

We will need to push again for more volunteers to help us on a regular basis as with the present numbers we can only go to 40 before we are pushing our ratios. We set these ratios at what we feel is a safe level to ensure all the children have the time they may need with us. There would be no benefit to any of the children if we were always too busy to spend time with them. Our current ratios level is set at 8:1 which for the ages we run is about average. We currently have 5 leaders with one new lady soon to join, which would give us the ability to take up to 48 children.

We have continued to offer a variety of activities for the sessions, from the reptile lady who brings a selection of animals and other scary creatures, to the art and craft sessions run by both NAYC Richard and Michelle, the children love these sessions and there is always a full table. We have also taken the children roller skating and wall climbing, again another well attended session which was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

We previously mentioned we continue to receive regular support from NAYC whether it be to deliver arts and crafts or a fun indoor all inclusive activity with Iain. Throughout the year we have been pleased to offer placements for older children who are completing their Duke of Edinburgh awards, we have been really lucky to have had some great seniors who have been fully interacting with the children and I would like to hope that they have gone away having had a very full and inspiring time with us.

We are also ever grateful to the Parish Council who continue to support the Youth Club and are always available to offer support or advice when needed. Throughout the year we have continued to maintain and where possible improve the Youth Club for the future, this year we have had a radiator fitted into the disabled toilet, we have replaced the fire exit door and also had the soffits, guttering and cladding replaced.

It has not all been plain sailing, we still continue to have trouble from the delightful youths in the village, who feel they have the right to abuse our building, I am ever hopeful that once our community police man is in office, he will play a big part in deterring these delightful youths.

We will also be continuing with our gardening contract, which I am confident will continue to see the grounds maintained to a much better standard than previously. We continue to take booking for parties etc, although we are ever conscious of the type of party and the hours they are, as well as the return of the Boxercise classes which are held once a week.

We are also really pleased to see that Autism East Midlands have continued to use the youth club during the half terms for their base and it is nice to see them out and about in our community. From February they will also be running a youth club for children with Autism on a Sunday Morning once a month.

We have also recently welcomed “Hey Babies” a new babies, toddlers and mums group which runs on a Wednesday morning at the Youth Club, we wish them every success.

All in all the youth club continues to thrive and I cannot thank our leaders enough, who always seem to go the extra mile for the children. Therefore big thanks to Lynda, Keiran, Michelle and Adam and all those others who from time to time have given up their evenings to help us out.

Here’s to the next 12 months.


Lesley Dilkes – Chairperson

The popular Nether Heyford Youth Club for ages 6-11, on Monday Evenings (Term Time), run by volunteers and is a non-for-profit making club.

Sessions are 5:30pm-7:00pm and they ask that children are collected by a responsible person during the dark nights.

Email: netherheyfordyouthclub@hotmail.co.uk
Telephone: 07967 753216
Facebook: www.facebook.com/netherheyfordyouthclub/
Clubhouse Address: Roberts Field, NN7 3BE

The Youth Club is also available for private hire.

Parish Council – March 2019 Meeting

ParishCouncilNotes

The March 2019 meeting of Nether Heyford Parish Council was held on the 4th, at the Baptist Chapel Schoolroom

PCSO agreement
All being well the village should have a part time PCSO in place shortly. Police methods are very different now, and police personnel generally less visible so it will be good to have a regular police presence in the village again. The officer is already at work in Bugbrooke and will share duties between the two villages.

The Annual Parish Meeting
Will take place before the normal Parish Council meeting on April 1st . This is an opportunity for village organisations to give annual reports and for general discussion. Please send any reports to the Clerk by e-mail.

Public Participation
A Parishioner complained of the dumping of trade waste and burning of apparently toxic waste in the field behind Denbrook, as had other Parishioners. The Clerk had reported this to environmental health at SNC who had acknowledged, and had already been made aware by Parishioners. Fire men were apparently putting in a report and there were Police incident numbers. Neighbours were concerned that hazardous materials and trade waste were involved.

There were comments about the parking situation around the school. It was acknowledged that parking around schools was an issue in most villages.

It was reported that SNC were waiting to hear from parliament about confirmation of 2 unitaries. There was a proposal that there be 18 councillors chosen as members of an unelected shadow council.

Lights
The Chair and Clerk had attended a seminar on lighting. The cost of the streetlights has increased by 100% over the past 3 years, but it seems that by switching to LED lighting that anything up to 75% could be saved on electricity costs. It was felt that a working party could look at all existing lights and work on proposals for the village as a whole. The project would be a costly one, but there is a Government supported agency able to give interest free loans.

Allotments
All but 1 of the rents have now been collected, and some new allotment
holders have come forward. Volunteer Saturdays were being held in March, and an
Open day for the Orchard on April 6th. Small strips of land would be offered for rent.

Dog Mess
As ever an ongoing problem, with complaints that irresponsible dog
owners continue to let their dogs foul the Green and elsewhere and do not clean up,
Some who do, proceed to throw the bags into hedges or trees. There are surely
enough dog bins available to avoid this.

Roads and Pavements
Parishioners are reminded that anyone can report a pothole or other highways problem online to the Streetdoctor service, and this can refer to problems outside the village too. Alternatively, phone 0300 126 1000 and ask for Streetdoctor

Next Meeting
The next Parish Council meeting will be on Monday April 1st at the Baptist Chapel Schoolroom at 8 pm and is, like all Parish Council meetings, open to all Parishioners. It is preceded by the Annual Parish Meeting

Parish Council Notes by the Clerk; Guy Ravine c/o The Old Dairy Farm, Upper Stowe, Weedon, Northamptonshire, NN7 4SH. Telephone 01327 340410 Email: netherheyfordparishcouncil@gmail.com – March 2019

For further useful information about Nether Heyford Parish Council and full contact details for the clerk and the councillors please visit our Nether Heyford Parish Council page.

Open Mic Night – Friday 29th March

The Olde Sun, Nether Heyford hosts an Open Mic Night on Friday 29th March 2019.

OpenMicNight_NetherHeyford_2019

The Olde Sun 
Address: 10 Middle Street, Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire NN7 3LL
Telephone: 01327 340164
Email: theoldesunheyford@gmail.com
Website: www.theoldesun.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheOldeSunNetherHeyford 

View more venue information on our Pubs & Shops page.

Village Fete – Facebook Page

The Fete is on its way: Saturday 8th June 2019 2pm – 5pm.

Nether Heyford Village Fete now has a Facebook community page providing updates of what to expect at this years Fete on the village green.

” Welcome to the Facebook Page for this years village fete which will be held on the green on Saturday 8th June 2019 2-5 pm. Watch this space over the coming weeks for news of this years attractions, events and big prize draw “

https://www.facebook.com/Nether-Heyford-Village-Fete-2019-649062938887012/

All proceeds raised from the Fete go towards the ongoing upkeep and management of Nether Heyford Village Hall, one of the villages most valuable assets.

For more information on volunteering or assisting on the day, read the article in the March edition of The Prattler

Heyford Cricket Club – March 2019

The 2019 season is fast approaching. Winter nets at the County Ground are underway (every Thursday, 9-10pm all newcomers welcome!) and Darren Bastin and his team have already started pre-season work on the square.

This season the 1st XI will be competing in NCL Division 3. Captain Jimmy Edwards will have high hopes of mounting a promotion challenge after a strong finish to the 2018 season, and Rob Pardon will be cautiously optimistic about the 2nd XI’s chances in Division 8 after a memorable first season as captain.

We will also be entering the T20 Cup competition again, and re-entering the National Village Knock Out competition after a 9-year absence.

Junior Cricket:
This summer Heyford Cricket Club will be running junior cricket for children aged
5-11.

  • Every Friday from 6pm
  • Official ECB ‘All Stars Cricket’ for 5­-8 year olds (starting 17th May)
  • Fully qualified coaches for 9­-11 year olds (starting 10th May)
  • Boys and girls of all abilities welcome
  • All equipment provided

Please get in touch if you would like some more information or to register your
interest!

Youth Cricket Coordinators:

Bonus Ball:
A full list of Bonus Ball winners can be found on the ‘News’ pages of our website.

The January winners were as follows:
Saturday 5th January (6) – Matt Baker
Saturday 12th January (26) – Rob Pardon
Saturday 19th January (45) – No winner
Saturday 26th January (45) – No winner

Thank you to everyone who plays. If you would like to support the Club for £1 per
week, but also stand the chance of winning £25 each week then please get in touch
for more information.

Forthcoming Events and Home Fixtures:

Friday 26th April – pre-season quiz, keep an eye on the website for more details!
Saturday 27th April – 2nd XI v Horton House

More details about Heyford Cricket Club can be found on our website: www.heyfordcricket.co.uk or via social media where we can be found on both Facebook and Twitter.

If you would like to get in touch you can also email us at: heyfordcricket@hotmail.co.uk

Flood Watch – March 2019

The middle of February witnessed a UK wide demo by the younger generation taking a day off school to raise the issue of Climate Change which threatens their futures and the well-being of the planet. Although directed at the Government, the UK has lead the World by reducing emissions by over 40% since 1990 whilst the USA, China and South America continue to be the major polluters burning fossil fuels.

In the UK the Met-Office Climate Prediction of 2018 predicted hotter,drier summers (rainfall down 47%) with temperatures up by 5.4 centigrade by 2070 and warmer, wetter winters(rainfall up 35%).

The forecast for 2019 expects it to emerge as the hottest in the last 5 years. Locally 2019 has already been exceptionally dry with January recording only 16.7mm (30% of average) and February 19.7mm (47% of average) rainfall respectively. As I write the weeks temperatures are expected to rise towards the 1998 record of 19.7 centigrade.

J.Arnold

Village Hall – March 2019

The Fete is on its way: Saturday 8th June 2019 2 – 5pm.

Following our ‘Ideas Session’ at the end of January, our enthusiastic and active Fete Group members are now working hard, exploring a range of attractions and events which, in due course, will be announced in The Prattler.

Letters are also going out to local groups, organisations and crafters inviting them to take part again and, if necessary, book their pitches. As tables are in short supply it will be ‘first come first served’ as usual. We’re also inviting raffle prizes for our grand draw, so if you’d like to make a donation, please get in touch with me.

Following Ray and Rosemary Haddon, who organised the Fetes over the past 6 years and therefore were absolute experts, is a personal challenge. I should greatly appreciate your support in any way that you feel appropriate. For instance, as this is my first experience of co-ordinating the planning of the Fete, I may make a few mistakes. If so, I should be grateful if you could point them out to me (nicely, if possible, please) so that I can correct them.

Meanwhile, there’s always room for one or two more Fete Group members so if you’d like to join our team, please contact me.

Alwyne Wilson, Nether Heyford Village Hall Management Committee

01327 340803 | alwyne76@gmail.com