Newsletter Winter 2004/05

What’s on this winter

Nov 29 Parish Council Meeting 7.30pm (VH)
Dec 4 Tad Newton’s Jazz Friends jazz band, with food
and drink (VH)
Dec 24 Carol Service 6.30pm (St Mary’s Church)
Dec 20 Extra Christmas Farmer’s Market, 9-1, Towcester
(see article)
Dec 25 Christmas service 9.30am (Chapel)
Feb 4,5 Play ‘Robin Hood and the Singing Nun’(Lois
Weedon VH)

Regular Events

Chapel service 10.45am Sundays, Wappenham Chapel
Church service 11am Sundays, St Mary’s Church, except Nov 28th, Dec 26th, Jan 30th
Table tennis team practice Sun eve (VH) tel 861038
Short mat bowls, Thurs 2pm (VH)
Yoga, Tues, 7pm (VH)

MOBILE LIBRARY TIMES AND DATES
The Green – 2.55-3.10
Council Houses – 3.15-3.30
New Park Farm – 3.35-3.50
Dec 6th, 20th, Jan 17th, 31st, Feb 14th, 28th

From the Editor

Thank you to Wappenham Shop and Post Office and to CC Motors for sponsoring this issue.

Colin Bullock has, as requested, given us some idea of what goes on behind those gates next to the Laurels for this issue!

Welcome to Michael Payne and Paul Devine, who have moved into the Old Reading Rooms, 3 Greenside. They have moved from Daventry and enjoy living in the country including walking. Also welcome to Mr Levers who has moved to 13 Brookside. We hope you enjoy living in Wappenham.

Deadline for next issue: Feb 15th. Please send articles and anything else you want included to me by then, at 1 Highbridge Rd, or email me on wappenham@tiscali.co.uk

A very happy Christmas and New Year to everyone.
Jane Harries

Jazz Evening

An evening with Tadd Newton’s jazz band is happening at the village hall on December 4th at 7.30pm. Tickets are £10 with supper, available from the shop. More details in Village Hall news.

Robin Hood and the Singing Nun….

The Lois Weedon and Weston Drama Group, including members from Wappenham, is staging its latest play Robin Hood and the Singing Nun on Feb 4th and 5th - including Friday night and Saturday matinee and evening. With a name like that you have to come and find out what it’s all about! Contact me for details or buy tickets near the time at the shop.

Anne Marshall – wappenham@tiscali.co.uk

Pub Walks

There will be a village walk this winter. General destination the pub! Look for posters for where and when.

Anne Marshall

Village Hall News

Village Hall Grant

The Village Hall Committee are pleased to announce that after years of apparent inactivity, the toilets are finally to be knocked down and re-built. Pete has been particularly busy applying for grants in order that the said building work can commence. To date £29k has been raised and it is hoped that Mark Garwood will begin work in January subject to planning approval.

Grant details (from Pete)

We now have just over £29,000 towards the £35,000 needed for Toilet Block Renewal and DDA Compliance.

We currently have:

Waiting for decisions from:

Compton CT
Benham CT
Garfield Weston Foundation

We plan to start work Jan'05, subject to planning and building regulations approval. Any shortfall in funds will be met from the Village Hall reserves, but we do hope we will not need to call on this as we need to sort out the kitchen and would like to replace the old chairs with new, comfortable and easy-to-stack chairs.

Regards, Pete

Social Committee

The committee has agreed that there should be a social committee, not directly answerable to the VH committee, but a group with the remit of organising fund-raising events for the hall. A member from that group need not necessarily be on the VH committee, although there should be some feedback on the social calendar. If you are interested in the social side of things but do not wish to sit on a committee contact Jenny at wappenham@tiscali.co.uk

Hall Closure

Apologies to all user groups for the closure of the Hall on the week beginning 1st November. It was particularly unfortunate that we had to cancel the planned Bonfire Night. However, it was imperative that the ceiling was repaired quickly and we couldn't take the chance of anybody getting hurt if there was another fall of plaster. Luckily, Dene Ayres's father was able to step in very quickly and complete the repairs within the week. So we are back in business!

Winter Jazz event

On Saturday 4th December we are having a jazz evening.

Tad Newton and his friends will be performing from 7.30pm. For those of you who have never heard of him he is a professional musician who hails from Northants. His music is big band jazz rather than ‘trad’, although he is extremely versatile. Tickets cost £10 and include supper. They are on sale from the shop. Why not come along and have an early Christmas get together?

Plant sale

Very many thanks to everyone who bought plants from Bev Lazenby. We managed to raise over £100 which will go towards the current building project. As it was so successful we plan to do another one in the Spring when you will be able to order bedding plants and shrubs.

Don't forget 4th December.

Jenny Szczerbowski
Secretary

Antiques For Sale

Charlotte Supple, who was a sponsor for the last newsletter, has now opened her business at Elm Lodge Farm, selling antique pine and decorative items. Visit by appointment or when the sign is up – tel. 860955. There will also be open days, with refreshments – look out for posters.

Parish Council News

Planning news

We have dealt with an enormous number of planning applications, which has been very time consuming. The following are the most recent.

Other news

Referring to the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme: we propose to put out a message to all WIZ subscribers to request they keep their more vulnerable neighbours aware of the information and follow up that comes via the police i.e. theft and more particularly distraction burglary.

So far we have received no information back on the repair of signposts, street names and golden gravel. We had approved a donation of £50 for the firework display, which sadly had to be cancelled, owing to the damage to the Village Hall. We also held a couple of our meetings in private homes during the closure but are pleased the Hall is back up and running.

Congratulations to the Committee for their perseverance in obtaining what now seems sufficient grants to begin work on the toilet block. We continue to lobby the County Council regarding the condition of SC29 and have copied correspondence to Ben Smith. The Millennium Oak struggled for a day or two but thanks to an expert resident is back upright! We appreciate at this time of year the large leaves and fruit from the fig tree can cause some slippiness on the footpath but are doing our best to keep it clear.

Very sadly we are to lose our Clerk, Lynn Colby, in the near future and within this letter an announcement for the vacancy is placed. We are most grateful to Lynn for all the hard work she has put in during her time as clerk and will miss her when she goes.

The date of our next meeting (after the one on November 29th) will be arranged for early in the New Year. Meetings are at 7.30pm in the village hall and everyone is welcome.

A Merry Christmas to Everyone.

Hilary (Wickham)

Vacancy: Clerk to the Parish Council

A vacancy has arisen for a Clerk to Wappenham Parish Council. The job involves handling correspondence, preparing agendas, taking minutes at Parish Council meetings and liaising with the Chairman and members of the Parish Council.

This is a salaried position and pays in the region of £500 per year. Meetings are held on average, every 6 - 8 weeks.

If you would like to know more about the position or wish to apply, please contact the Chairman of Wappenham Parish council, Mrs. Hilary Wickham, Pittams Farm, Pittams Lane, Wappenham or telephone 01327 860236.

Thoughts on Friendship

Collected by Anne Wright

As Christmas approaches, one thinks of one’s friends – here are some thoughts of others on the subject.

Friendship ain’t just clasping hands
An’ saying howdy-doo!
Friendship grips a feller’s heart –
An’ warms him through an’ through.

True friendship is like sound health,
The value of it is seldom known until it’s lost.
C.C. Colton

The only way to have a friend is to be one.
Emerson

Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing.
Benjamin Franklin

It is only the great-hearted who can be true friends; the mean and cowardly can never, never know what true friendship means.
Charles Kingsley

Friendship is true when silence between two people is comfortable for both.
Kay Warn

The finest kind of friendship is the kind between two people who expect a great deal from each other but never ask it.
Anon

NEW BURGLARY HELPLINE

Self Help Approach for householders

In order to make crime prevention advice widely available in our area, a dedicated phone line where residents can request a burglary pack has been set up.

The pack comprises of leaflets giving advice on measures to make your home more secure, how to deal with distraction burglars, property marking, an ultra violet marker pen and advice on choosing a burglar alarm.

A self-help approach may be adopted by fitting better locks and bolts or changing the habit of a lifetime, such as locking the front door when you are working in the garden!

By following the advice contained in the pack, you will considerably reduce the chances of becoming a victim of this distressing crime.

THIS PACK IS AVAILABLE FREE TO RESIDENTS, BY:

• Telephoning 01327 303189, the dedicated helpline, and leaving your name, address (including postcode) and phone number, or
• E-mailing crimereduction-western@northants.police.uk and leaving the same information.

Lynn Colby, Parish Clerk

Source: Mike Scragg, Crime Reduction Officer

Church News

General

The Harvest Festival Service on 10th October raised £210 from sale of donated produce for farmers in Uganda.

In addition to the usual services, there will be a Carol service on Friday 24th December. Any willing helpers to decorate Church contact Bob Corbishley (Tel: 860948)

Church Clock

Since the Spring newsletter the position is currently:

Two Trusts (the Manifold Trust and the Council for the Care of Churches) have promised funds. We are awaiting proposals from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

A group of volunteers cleared the Clock Chamber for Smiths of Derby to start work.

We have applied for a faculty from the Diocese of Peterborough and with this work will go ahead.

David Foden

A Wappenham Success Story!

Originally started as a consultancy business in 1987 from Silverstone, Enterprise Control Systems grew to occupy a small unit in Litchborough and then came to the Laurels Farm in 1994. At that time, there were three of us, and we remember rattling around in all the space we had. We have grown to be Wappenham’s largest business, employing people from local villages and always using local businesses where possible.

We are both an electronics design house and a production facility. Amongst other things, we design and produce microwave communications systems and in particular the video downlink equipment used on nearly all police helicopters. Our equipment enables the pictures from the helicopter onboard camera/thermal imager to be received on the ground and provide real time pictures for command and control at the scene. This means that resources on the ground can be better allocated in the search for missing people, chasing criminals or finding evidence.

Our systems are exported worldwide and we still enjoy the look of astonishment from first-time visitors taking in the sight of state-of-the-art technology in 300-year-old buildings.

We all enjoy working in a village environment and occasionally get a visit from a police helicopter. Every day is different and it personally gives me satisfaction to think that on a few occasions at least, behind the news headlines lies some Wappenham technology.

Colin Bullock

JASON – TRANSPORT FOR THOSE WITHOUT CARS OR BUSES!

In the last issue, I lamented the absence of buses to Towcester. Well, there is an alternative, which although more expensive than buses is one third of the price of a taxi.

JASON – Journeys Around South Northamptonshire – is ‘a demand-responsive minibus service for use by all residents in South Northants’ operated by the County and District councils and the Volunteer Bureau. It operates Mondays to Fridays between 9am and 5pm. Buses are wheel-chair adapted.

On certain days, journeys can be made to Northampton, Banbury and Milton Keynes, to particular drop-off points. Every day you can book journeys around south Northants, and can be picked up from your home and taken to where you want to go. You pay 50p per mile plus an annual fee of £12. Children under 16 pay half the standard rate.

To find out more about this service, call 01604 237801 or write to JASON, c/o Northamptonshire County Council, PO Box 221, John Dryden House, 8-10 The Lakes, Northampton NN4 7DE.

Village Action Plan Progress

The second draft of the Wappenham Village Action Plan has been provided to the Parish Council for comment. This has been produced from careful analysis of the village questionnaires and once approved will be distributed to each household within the village.

The Wappenham Village Design Statement has received very positive feedback from SNDC. The importance of the open spaces referred to in the document remains the only outstanding issue to be resolved and on site discussions about this have taken place with SNDC.

Colin Bullock
VAP Chairman

The New Homes and the Sub-Regional Strategy 
A Final Chance to Have your Say

The final stage of public consultation is now taking place for the plans to build 169,800 homes in the Midlands. The consultation period ends on December 23rd 2004. Homes are planned to be built at the rate of around 8,500 a year.

The Minister for Regeneration and Regional development, Jeff Rooker, said homes would come alongside new infrastructure: “This is not a house-building programme, it’s a community-building programme.”

£95m has already been allocated to specific areas, including £2.7m for brown field site regeneration in Towcester and Daventry. The South Northants Council district is set to see 6.600 new homes between 2001 and 2021.

The ‘West Northamptonshire Urban Development Corporation’ is planned to oversee new developments in West Northants. Keith Barwell, chairman of the Saints Rugby Club, is Chairman-elect, and there will be a board of 13, including representatives from the 4 councils in the area. Major planning applications would be decided by the UDC, but the district council will still decide all other applications. SNC leader Sandra Barnes said: “This is the most important thing that will happen in this region. …It is important to secure vital infrastructure in Towcester… It is very important for people to get the chance to have their say.”

To get a copy of the strategy, go to the website www.go-em.gov.uk. The consultation period ends on Dec 23rd, send your views to Sustainable Communities team, Government Office for the East Midlands, Belgrave Centre, Stanley Place, Talbot St, Nottingham NG1 5GG.

Gilbert Scott on the Website

Information Eileen Robbins has produced about the Gilbert Scott buildings in Wappenham will be put onto the Wappenham website soon. VAP have approached South Northants. Council about publicising the existence of these buildings, as part of a proposed ‘Gilbert Scott Trail’ for those interested in architectural heritage.

Complaining Can Work!

After having moaned in my head for several months about the impenetrable path to the playground from Highbridge Rd, I rang ‘Clarence’, the County Council helpline for road and path maintenance. A nice lady said they’d look at the path within the next 5 working days, and within 2 weeks they had cleared it! I felt a lot better and the path looked it too.

Jane Harries

Wappenham Recreation Association (WRA)

The Playground Funday

The funday in the playground this summer had a slight false start (excuse the pun) when it had to be postponed due to the interference of some minor sporting occasions (European Championship final and Wimbledon final). The revised day at the end of the summer holiday had an unpredictable weather report of wind and rain. Luckily the rain held off, but the obstacle course had to be tied down on more than one occasion. The day had another good turnout, with around 30 children plus accompanying parents. A number of games of treasure hunt were followed by two very amusing relay races (each team won once with intervention). The day was rounded off with some penalty shoot-outs which saw both mums and dads have a go. The event raised around £40 for playground but more importantly I hope it was a fun day for the children.

Village Fete

The WRA for the second year teamed up with the fete committee to help organise and run stalls at the fete, which I think was a great success. As a result, £215 of the proceeds were donated to the playground, for which we are very grateful.

Halloween

After a successful Halloween party last year, it was decided to arrange another one this year. With the planning well in hand for the party, the disappointment of losing the village hall as a venue was replaced with the very kind offer from Rupert and Georgie Fordham to hold the party at their house. The evening started at 6pm with children and parents arriving up the pumpkin-lined driveway to pin the witches tail on the pumpkin, find as many creepy crawlies in the a bucket of worms (spaghetti) as possible, drawing scary pictures & icing biscuits with scary faces. Outside, the traditional apple bobbing drew out the competitive edge in the older children with the timekeeper unable to keep up with the very quick times (two children on 1 second!). Before taking to the house, prizes (sweets) were handed out for the best pumpkin and scariest outfits.

A tour of 10 houses around the village ended at around 8pm with a mountain full of sweets for the children, who considering the energy expended must have had a good night’s sleep. A few more big ‘thank yous’ are needed for the houses who agreed to be visited by the around 30+ children, the village shop for arranging our sweetie prizes and again Rupert and Georgie for hosting it at such short notice.

Many thanks for all of those who have supported us over the last year.

Dene Ayres
WRA Chairman

Towcester Farmer's Market

Did you know that there is a thriving Farmer’s Market in Towcester where you can buy fresh local produce every month? It takes place on the second Friday of the month, in the Richmond Rd car park, between 9am, and 1pm. The next one will be on Fri 10th December, and there will be an extra Christmas one Mon 20th December.

The market operator who publicised the Market has moved away and the County Council are looking for someone to put a sign up the weekend before the market, take it down again afterwards and store it. The sign is 2 feet square, to attach to a telegraph pole or tree, and is lightweight polystyrene – no special skills or strength required to put it up. If you are prepared to do this, please call Marion Lane, Economic Support Officer, on 01327 322317.

Your View

I would like to introduce myself as the new Community Development worker at Northamptonshire Acre. I am appealing to you ‘the reader’ in order to gauge public opinion towards a service that I am currently researching and looking to develop if we feel that there is a need.

The proposed service would include a confidential support telephone line with links to all specialist advice organisations in Northamptonshire. This could also be developed as an Internet service, as B.T. is now extending broadband into rural areas. This would allow people with busy lives to leave a message anytime. Partnering this service would be a team of volunteer befrienders who can give a home visit in special circumstances. A Community Development Worker would also be working in the community in part to assess the effectiveness of this service and to continue gaining local knowledge.

The question I pose you ‘the reader’ is:

	Do you think that this service would be useful to people living in your village?
	Do you think there is confusion over where to get localised help? By localised I mean being able to talk to someone who has knowledge of your area and what is available for you.

I am looking for people to take part in this research project. Anyone giving information will remain anonymous. Please let me know if you can help in this matter and if you have any comments about the two points above, contact me: Camilla Cobb, Northamptonshire A.C.R.E. The Hunsbury Hill Centre, Harksome Hill, Northampton, NN4 9QZ or alternatively to have a discussion please call me on: 01604 825 889. I am also available on Email: camilla.cobb@northantsacre.org.uk

We shall, at a later date be looking for volunteer befrienders, who will be given training and Professionals such as Solicitors, who can give a little time to those who are experiencing disadvantage. If you are interested then please drop me a line.

Camilla Cobb
Community Development Worker
Northamptonshire A.C.R.E.