ANNUAL PARISH ASSEMBLY 23rd May 2018

Contents Page

District Councillors Report 2-3 Chair of the Parish Council’s report 3-6 Policy, Procedures and Staffing 6 Planning, Highways, Lighting and Transportation 7-10 Committee Recreation and Amenities 11-16 Finance and Administration 16-19 Report from Police 20-21 Reports from village organisations 22-36

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Winchester City District Councillors’ report Richard is entering his 13th year of representing and Twyford on District Council, whilst Sue is now starting her 4th year having been re- elected in May 2018. Both villages still have much in common albeit on variable scales. Heavy and speeding traffic, parking problems, planning and enforcement, the need for affordable housing particularly for local people are just some of common issues. Although of different political persuasions, both have the same aims of fighting the Local Plan to introduce a new road that will serve 5,200 new houses on the border of Colden Common which in our opinion, could have a disastrous effect on the countryside and a serious impact on the roads already congested by cars and lorries. Higher speed limits on Main Road, Highbridge Road and more latterly Hensting Lane are a major issue for both Councillors, however, Police and the County Council in particular have to be convinced that these should be reduced, whilst existing lower limits need to be more closely monitored in respect of speeding traffic. Both Councillors have been involved with Committees on Winchester City Council. Richard serving on Winchester Planning, Development and Control Committee, Vice Chair of central Winchester Regeneration group producing the supplementary planning document (Silver Hill 2), Vice Chair of Licensing and Regulation Committee, a Chair of Licensing subcommittee having sat on the hearing panel for the license renewal of Boomtown and the licensing of the new Tesco’s in the High Street and Standards Committee. Sue has been a member of Licensing and Regulation and Personnel Committees and Housing Appeals (now Chairman). The production of the supplementary planning document for Silver Hill 2, is now nearing completion, residents will already have seen initial improvements to the bus situation in the city, however, it is unfortunate that the movement strategy being undertaken by

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Hampshire County Council will not be completed until late summer. Other major projects such as the new leisure centre and the redevelopment of station approach continue to evolve. Working with Parish Council is an important factor in their duties of City Councillors and they are always available to deal with, when possible, the concerns of residents in both villages, including case work on an individual basis.

Richard Izard 01962 712167 Sue Cook 07884 1119616 [email protected] [email protected]

CHAIRMANS REPORT

May sees the start of the Parish Council year with the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council and re-election of Chair, Vice-Chair and Committee membership.

Myself and Maggie Hill remain as Chair and Vice-Chair. This is now my 30th year as a Parish Councillor.

A well as Full Parish Council meetings which take place on the first Monday of every month (except August) the Council has Committees which meet. The Standing Committees of the Council are Recreation and Amenities, Planning and Highways, Finance and Administration and Policy, Procedures and Staffing. You can find the Parish Council calendar of meetings, agenda and minutes on the Parish Council website http://www.coldencommon-pc.gov.uk/Council_and_Committees.aspx

Parish Council meetings are open to the public and have a section of time on agenda for the public to ask questions. We welcome members of the public to attend or contact the Parish Office at any other time.

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Parish Councils make all kinds of decisions on issues that affect the local community, working within strict governance. Probably the most common topics that Colden Common Parish Council get involved in are planning matters, management of play areas and recreation facilities. Parish Councils do have statutory powers to make decisions and they also have the ability to negotiate with, and the power to influence, those other organisations that do make decisions (such as the District or County Council, Health Authorities, Police) Colden Common has 12 seats for Parish Councillors. They are holders of a public office on a volunteer basis. Without them giving their valuable time, continued improvement of the village facilities could not be achieved. An Independent Remuneration Panel published a report in September 2017 to recommend an allowance for those elected Parish Councillors who chose to claim it. The Parish Council considered this matter and unanimously resolved to not claim any such allowance. 2017-18 saw some changes in members. Patrick Hunter, Ann Brown and Jean Bligdon resigned from the Council and we thank them for their commitment to the Parish Council in particular Jean, who served on the Parish Council for over 20 years and well as many other roles in the village over the years which has contributed to the wellbeing in the village as a whole.

All 12 Parish Councillor seats were up for re-election in May 2018. Applications for 11 Parish Councillors were submitted in April, and on the 9th April, the Parish Council received a notification of uncontested election. All 11 Councillors formally were welcomed to the Parish Council during the AGM on 14th May, with the remaining seat being co-opted at some point in the future.

The main project for the Parish Council this past year has been the new Parish Office. Following the previous attempt at negotiations between all parties discussed at the Parish Assembly in May 2017, Rob Veck approached the Parish Council to offer to project manage the negotiations. The Colden Common Community Association (CCCA), Colden Common Music and Drama Group (CCMDG) worked with the Parish Council altogether under Rob’s guidance and a lease was signed in December 2017 to provide a Parish Office in the Community Centre.

This agreement was reached in the Community Centre 25th Anniversary year of opening, a fitting end to the Centre’s celebrations.

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We are thrilled to have a lease in place for a dedicated space, which fits the criteria of a modern, safe, appropriate, welcoming and professional office with almost full exclusive access to the Parish Council.

We would like to thank all of those involved, in particular Cllr Laurence Wilks, Cllr Barbara Kelly, Richard Saunders, Teresa Baraclough and Rob Veck, for all of their hard work and dedication to reaching a compromise amenable to all. The renovations began in January 2018 and were completed within 3 weeks. The new Parish Office will be open on the night of the Annual Parish Assembly for the local community to view the new space.

During the year, the Parish Council commissioned a local resident to re-draw the Parish Council logo. The new logo still reflects the history and important features of the village but has been refreshed and is now in colour. We would like to thank Nadia McCabe of Core Design for her work on the logo re-design. The CCPC is now working with the CCCA Trustees on new signs for the outside of the Community Centre building and the placement of a new Parish Office sign within the building.

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In March 2018, our Clerk Debbie Harding completed the Certificate in Local Council Administration. The qualification together with 2/3 of the Council being elected means that the Parish Council can use the General Power of Competence as contained in the Localism Act. The Parish Council no longer need to ask whether they have a specific power to act, as it gives the Council “the power to do anything that individuals generally may do” as long as they don’t break other laws. This gives the Council greater flexibility, particularly in grant funding other organisations in the village, where previously limits have had to be adhered to.

The best way to keep up to date on Local news is to sign up to the Colden Common Information Service. You will receive Colden Common Community Information & announcements about village events and meetings. You will not receive any commercial advertisements. You will find it under the latest news section of the Parish Council website.

Chairman Richard Izard 01962 712167 [email protected]

POLICY, PROCEDURES AND STAFFING COMMITTEE

The Policy, Procedures and Staffing Committee meets quarterly. Its function is to :-

1) provide policies and procedures which will support the Parish Council in carrying out its duties in an equitable and orderly manner. 2) assist the Parish Council in adhering to standards and procedures which are agreed to, and maintained, by all Parish Councillors 3) Assist the Parish Council in employing and managing staff in accordance with current employment legislation. Policies and procedural matters which have been considered throughout the year can be found within the meeting minutes on the Parish Council website.

The main areas of focus for 2017-18 were to ensure the Parish Council had adequate employment policies covering grievances, disciplinary procedures, performance management, sickness management, and created a grant scoring matrix policy which was applied to the most recent run of grants applied for by the local community.

Maggie Hill, Chair, Policy, Procedures and Staff Committee 01962 712760 [email protected] pg. 6

PLANNING, HIGHWAYS, LIGHTING AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN’S REPORT The Planning Committee meets monthly and considers planning, highways, transport and lighting matters. At this first meeting in the Parish Council’s financial year, Cllr Maggie Hill and Cllr Barbara Kelly were elected as Chair and Vice-Chair of the Committee. Planning matters Parish Councils are not the planning authority but are a statutory consultee. During 2017-18 the Committee considered 73 planning applications. This included attending a variety of meetings at Winchester City Council presenting to the Planning Development and Control Committee, local plan sub-committees and Planning appeals.

During Autumn 2017, the Planning and Highways Committee were involved in the drafting and signing of the S106 agreement for the Sandyfields development. A legal agreement between the Parish Council, Winchester City Council, County Council, South Downs National Park, Taylor Wimpey and the previous owners of the Sandyfields site. Within the S106 agreement, a woodland will be transferred into the ownership of the Parish Council, and an application submitted to install a public access boardwalk around this woodland. You will notice that the development at Sandyfields has commenced. This development is for 171 properties of which 47 will be affordable housing units and 21 affordable shared ownership properties. These properties will be a mix of 1 and 2 bed flats and 2 - 4- bedroom houses. 50% of the 47 affordable homes will be allocated to those who qualify and have a local connection to Colden Common. It is hoped these properties will be ready for occupancy from April 2019. You need to be registered on the home choice website to apply through the link below. https://www.winchester.gov.uk/housing/council-housing-tenants/hampshire-home-choice The commencement of the work on the Sandyfields development will bring a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) payment of £119,943 to the Parish Council, which will be used to enable the Parish Council to undertake key projects over the next 3 years. This development agreement contains sums which are paid by the developer towards local infrastructure. This includes a sum of £641,000 towards expansion of Colden Common Primary School and £507,000 towards improvements in transport schemes to mitigate the developments traffic impact. Both these amounts are paid directly to Hampshire County Council as the authority responsible for both education and traffic.

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The Planning and Highways Committee have met the School Travel plan team at Hampshire County Council. Cllrs met to discuss the impact of the proposed enlargement of the school and to talk about possible improvements. Hampshire County Council have observed the impact of the school on the village at the start and end of each day and are focusing the effort on production of a sustainable school travel plan which focuses on promoting walking, scooting or cycling to school. Hampshire County Council have completed a travel to school survey and once they have analysed the results they will be available in due course. Upgrading of key rights of way is a key part of supporting a sustainable mode of travel to school and the village as a whole. The Parish Council is lobbying Hampshire County Council for some of the S106 funding from the Sandyfields development to upgrade key footpaths in the village as the legal agreement states that the highway contributions can be used to improve pedestrian and cycle infrastructure to support sustainable travel between the site and key locations in the village. Hampshire County Council will be carrying out a corridor study that is looking to improve the junctions along (Main Road) that would include Fishers Pond and the Roundabout at Church Lane which could be part funded by the contribution. Once those studies have been completed and feasibility completed, any planned works will be communicated via the e-mail information system. The Parish Council has been working with officers at HCC in regard to community led initiatives on Church Lane. The County Council has introduced this new initiative to provide an opportunity for Town and Parish Councils, along with local community groups, to be able to fund a range of traffic measures that fall outside the scope of County Council funding. Limited budgets now mean Highway Authority funded traffic measures can only generally be considered at locations where accidents resulting in personal injury have occurred. A meeting with Hampshire Highways identified that installing informal ‘courtesy crossings’ for pedestrians at Church Lane would be acceptable under this scheme and could highlight the most suitable place at which to cross the road Engineers have produced a scheme and an estimate of costs which is £17,000. You can view the design on the Parish Council website. The Council is seeking feedback from residents on whether the Parish Council should fund these works and invite Parishioners to attend the Annual Parish Assembly to share their views.

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The Parish Council has also received authority from Hampshire Council for approval of four new locations for the Speedwatch flashing Speed limit reminders. Two locations of Main Road and two new locations on Church Lane. You will see the flashing SLR speed limit reminders that we share with neighbouring villages shortly in these new locations. The Parish Council would like to thank Richard Saunders and the Community Speedwatch team for their efforts in educating drivers to reduce their speed on the village roads. Despite the Local Plan Part 2 being adopted, Bloombridge LLP submitted an Appeal against Winchester City Council’s refusal to grant planning permission for housing on Church Lane. The Parish Council made further representations to the Inspector in support of Winchester City Council’s refusal and the planning inspector dismissed the appeal on many grounds, most importantly effect on the landscape and strategic gap with Bishopstoke.

The Parish Council have been active in representing the Parish of Colden Common in Eastleigh Borough Council’s Local Plan. One of the options for consultation is a proposed North Bishopstoke Bypass and associated housing in the gap between Colden Common and Bishopstoke. Three road options have been identified- two of which start at Crowd Hill in Fair Oak and one from the Fishers Pond junction. Two of the routes cross over into Winchester City Council's boundary (into Colden Common) before the proposed bypass emerges into Highbridge Road just north of Wardle Road. The third option takes a more southerly route from Crowd Hill across the Itchen flood plain to join the existing road at Allbrook close to the railway arch there.

The Parish Council has raised objections to these proposals. The Parish Council has serious concerns about the viability and practicability of the scheme since the bypass would either have to pass under the main railway line at Allbrook, or cross over the line at some point.

Our main concern is that Eastleigh Borough Council’s development is encroaching onto the rural landscape that runs from the top of Church Lane to Wardle Road, Highbridge. The proposed road would also bisect Bishopstoke Lane leaving a number of our parishioners cut off from Colden Common.

Most of these residents have to access our village amenities by car because the distance is too far to walk.

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Action against Destructive Development (ADD) Campaign have approached the Parish Council for further grant support towards their work against the Eastleigh Borough Council Local Plan parts B&C which have a detrimental impact on Colden Common. This will be discussed during the Parish Assembly to seek resident’s views before discussing any such grant request as a Parish Council.

Street lighting The investment in replacing the Parish Council street lighting continues to be a great success. This significant investment for the Parish has proved to provide new white light that is directed onto roads and pavements and helps protect the darkness of the night sky. It is in line with modern standards and the management contract provides excellent service levels for faults and repairs. An enhanced dimming regime will commence in June 2018 of 45% between dusk and midnight, 65% between midnight and 5.30am and 45% from 5.30am to dawn. This is in line with Hampshire County Council owned street lighting. Previously the lights were dimmed by 35% and 60%. Maggie Hill, Chair Planning, Highways, Lighting and Transportation Committee. 01962 712760 [email protected] Cllr Hill is also a representative on the following external bodies: - Winchester City Council Standard’s Committee - Hampshire Association of Local Councils - Winchester & District Association of Local Parish Councils

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RECREATION AND AMENITIES COMMITTEE The Recreation Committee oversees the management of the Councils open spaces, 5 play areas, woodlands, tennis courts, bowling green, 5 football pitches and the cricket pitch. The Parish Council manages over 14.95 hectares ** (approx. 37 acres) of open space and over 3 miles of hedges with two full time ground staff. The Breakdown of open space and a location map is as follows:-

Map key Public area Area (acres)

1 Hill Lane 2.1 2 The Triangle' 0.8 3 The Green', St Vigor Way 0.2 4 The Recreation Ground 0.2 5 Colden Common Park 0.2 6 Hazel Close 0.1 7 St Vigor Way (N) 0.2 8 Ash Close 0.1 9 Birch Close 0.4 10 Church Lane 0.5 11 Valley Close 0.5 12 Lime Close 0.1 13 St Vigor Way (S) 0.3 15 Bluebell Wood 0.4 16 North Pond, Vears Lane 1.9 17 Church Pond 1.4 18 Colden Common Park 1.5 19 Colden Common Park (SDNP) 1.9 20 The Recreation Ground 5.6 21 Colden Common Park 14.8 22 The Green', St Vigor Way 3.2

** Source Winchester City Council Open Space Strategy Sept 2015

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Map of Open Space in Colden Common

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Other verges and open spaces in the Village owned are the responsibility of either Hampshire County Council or Winchester City Council. If you have queries on individual pieces of land, please contact the Parish Office.

Colden Common Parish Council is also the sole trustee for two charities in the village

• The Allotment for the Labouring Poor (registered charity 235906)

• The Recreation charity (registered charity 301788) Part of the recreation ground which is charity land is managed by the Parish Council under a management agreement. Over the last year the way that the Council manages it open spaces been under significant change, both in personnel and management policies. The financial year 2017-18 ended in some of the open spaces being managed by an external contractor. The resignation of the Grounds and Facilities Manager has resulted in the Council extending this contract to include all the open spaces and no longer directly employs staff. The contract is for 17 cuts per year which is approx. every 2 weeks. Some areas will not be cut and as in previous years will be left for wild flowers to grow. The contract also includes litter picking, 3 rounds of leaf clearance in the autumn and some of the lower hedges cut annually. Larger hedges such as those along St Vigor Way and Tees Farm Road will be also put out to tender for works to be completed between November to January. This decision is cost neutral for the Council and will deliver a consistency in managing our open spaces. The contract has been awarded to a local company Green Smile who work for many local Parish Councils.

The Council’s tractor was out of service for the beginning of the football season in August- September 2017. Followed by some of the worst weather we have encountered, led to a severe impact on the football season this past year. This has impacted on the clubs and the income for both the Parish Council and the Recreation Ground Charity.

The Cricket season has just begun. The pitch has capacity for hire most days except Saturday. and Colden Common Cricket Club moved all of their 2018 season matches to Colden Common Park, and we are looking forward to welcoming them every week from May until end of August. The Cricket Club has also taken on responsibility for the maintenance of the Cricket Square in return for free pitch hire. This is a trial arrangement for the 2018 season, which will be reviewed at the end of the season. We were also pleased to welcome junior team bookings from Twyford Colts and Fair Oak U11B teams, who will both be returning to Colden Common park in 2018-19.

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Following the internal decoration of Colden Common Park in December 2016, the external of the building was re-decorated during Winter 2017 with repairs carried out to the guttering and roof tiles.

Graffiti and vandalism continues to be a problem at the Skateboard park; the Parish Council turned the floodlights off in the evening when the electricity timer clock was tampered with to prolong the lighting in this area. The planning consent for this area permits lighting no later than 9.30pm. This decision had a knock-on effect with vandalism increased in the Community Centre car park and inside the Centre. The Council resolved to turn the floodlights back on.

The most important partner in tackling anti-social behaviour is YOU as members of the public. If you witness an incident of anti-social behaviour or are experiencing repeat incidences of anti-social behaviour it is important that you report what is happening to the Winchester Community Safety Partnership. Without information and complaints from members of the public they are unable to take any action. Anti-social behaviour can be reported in several ways:

• 101: this is 24-hour non-emergency number to report a crime that doesn't need an urgent response and anti-social behaviour. If you need an immediate police response, then you should always dial 999.

• Winchester City Council Online reporting: this can be used to report isolated incidents of anti-social behaviour. Please report isolated incidents of anti-social behaviour via our reporting forms which can be found on WCC’s website (you can choose 'submit the report anonymously' if you don't wish to register or log-in

You can also download the app to your mobile phone

Colden Common resident’s Facebook is a very useful resource, it is extremely well managed by the administrators for which the Parish Council is very grateful. However, it is not effective for reporting issues of anti-social behaviour. It is not monitored by either WCC, Hampshire Police or Colden Common Parish Council.

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The Parish Council are concerned about the state of repair of the Recreation Ground Pavilion and the anticipated cost of work needed to bring the building up to standard. The Recreation Committee began a consultation with the village residents in December 2017 to move all adult football from the Recreation Ground to Colden Common Park, and junior football to the Recreation Ground, thereby removing the need for adult changing rooms and showers at the Recreation Ground. The intention would be to then begin a large project to rebuild the Pavilion to create another Community building available for hire by recreation users. The Committee recommended to Full Parish Council to include costs in the 2018- 19 to move adult football to Colden Common Park, including purchasing of new portable chairs to free up all 4 changing rooms.

The Committee are pleased to support The Colden Common Shed by providing them use of the Recreation Ground store to launch their organisation. The Colden Common Shed approached the Parish Council to take over the Pavilion and bring the building up to a better state of repair. The Parish Councillors decided not to pursue this option, and the Colden Common Shed have secured a lease for land at the Church Rooms to build their permanent home. We wish them every success with this new site.

Following tree surveys carried out in the village every 2 years, the Clerk has been working closely with an arboriculturist and Tree Surgeon to design a woodland management plan for Church Pond. Going forward, these plans will be submitted to Winchester City Council for approval and statutory consultation period.

The Parish Council are extremely grateful to Kieran Gillingham who works for the Environment Agency (and lifelong villager) in gaining authorisation from the EA for his team to complete some much-needed clearance and maintenance at Church Pond. The fencing has been replaced and the steps to the viewing platform have been improved. Kieran has also agreed that EA regularly maintain the inlet and outlets of the pond and these structures have been added to the EA asset register. We are extremely grateful to the Woodpeckers volunteers who continue to maintain many areas in the village and offer history, support and guidance to the Parish Council for the management of Church Pond.

Dog fouling continues to cause much distress. There is no single simple solution to dog fouling. It requires a multi-faceted approach and requires a balance of provision of dog waste bins, Public pressure by challenging offenders and publicity campaigns. Colden Common has over 30 bins which are dual use Litter and Dog Waste Bins. They are clearly marked.

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Our grateful thanks to the many volunteers who support the Parish Council.

Barbara and Adrian Kelly who keep any watchful eye on footpaths, Derek Brunger who is the caretaker for the Allotments, Rob Veck who is the Chairman of the Allotment Association and Paul Nicholson who works tirelessly all over the village clearing vegetation, widening footpaths, planting bulbs and clearing litter.

Pam Glasspool, Chair Recreation and Amenities Committee, Colden Common Parish Council

FINANCE AND ADMINSTRATION CHAIRMAN The Finance Committee meets quarterly to ensure adequate financial controls are in place to utilise and protect the Council’s finances, assets and reserves. This includes insurance of buildings and property and maintenance of asset register.

The Committee’s function is to ensure that finances and reserves are managed in line with the Council’s Financial Regulations and standing orders, monitors and effect compliance with required internal and external audit and other financial procedures, regulations and statutes, monitor and where appropriate recommend purchase of all assets and advises on the financial provision for future agreed projects.

The Committee also oversees the Councils financial risk assessments and consider costs to the electorate in preparation of annual precept requirements.

At this first meeting in the financial year, I was formally re-elected as Chair of Finance, and Laurence Wilks was re-elected as Vice-Chair.

The following grants were approved in the financial year 2017-18:

2017-18 Date paid Charity Number Amount S137 Grants granted Payee Royal British Legion £50.00 05 December 2017 Donation towards Poppy Appeal 2017 Woodpeckers £310.00 07 March 2018 To cover the cost of insurance Colden Common Shed £2,000.00 07 March 2018 Donation towards cost of building at new site Colden Common Primary School £880.00 07 March 2018 Donation towards new flooring in sports hall

Total s137 Grants £3,240.00 Other Grants Grant towards the cost of maintaining the Burial Ground £800.00 04 October 2017 burial ground

Total other Grants £4,040.00 pg. 16

Area 14 is owned and maintained by Winchester City Council

The major project for this year was to update the Fixed Asset Register. The Clerk, Grounds & Facilities Manager, and Cllr Loughran worked together to check all physical assets and ensure the Council were only insuring the correct level of assets. They compiled a photo asset register of all grounds equipment to assist in a 5-year financial management plan to be developed for the next 5 years.

Final year end accounts have been produced and the internal auditor has completed an audit of the Parish Council policies and procedures. A statement of the Council finances is overleaf and will be adopted by the Full Parish Council at the meeting on 4th June 2018 and will be subsequently submitted to the external auditor.

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Colden Common Parish Council Summary Income and Expenditure account for the year ended 31st March 2018 Unaudited and unadopted - to be formally adopted by the Parish Council on the 4th June 2018

31/03/2017 31/03/2018 Change

£ £

Income Precept £147,685.23 156071.00 £8,385.77 Interest £44.96 0.00 -£44.96 Grants and donation £8,960.77 9525.00 £564.23 Cil monies £1,735.58 2652.83 £917.25 Last year was project income for the Cricket Project Income £100,301.40 -£100,301.40 0.00 nets and tennis court project Income : Recreation Ground £4,073.00 2500.00 -£1,573.00 Reduction in revenue from letting of sports Income : Colden Common Park £17,070.00 13516.78 -£3,553.22 pitches due to poor weather Misc Income £421.40 735.31 £313.91

Total Income £280,292.34 £185,000.92 -£95,291.42

Direct Expenditure Recreation Ground £3,397.87 £4,305.95 £908.08 £2k saving on energy usage, 1k saving on Colden Common Park £25,161.51 £20,828.48 -£4,333.03 maintenance

The Green £2,631.60 £1,357.67 -£1,273.93 Skateboard ramp repairs last year Use of contractors for hedge cutting and Other open spaces £5,445.89 £15,543.47 £10,097.58 grounds maintenance due to staff sickness and vacancies Grounds Costs £58,723.76 £53,948.63 -£4,775.13 £5 saving on equipment repairs incl Tractor

Lighting £5,510.50 £6,100.93 £590.43

Car Park £1,143.29 £1,353.54 £210.25

Misc Expenses £221.46 £351.99 £130.53 Grants and donation £800.00 £800.00 £0.00

S137 payments £2,948.00 £3,240.00 £292.00

£105,983.88 £107,830.66 £1,846.78

Overheads Increase due to increased hours for the Staff £40,583.69 £46,452.59 £5,868.90 Assistant Clerk role and HCC pension deficit contributions pg. 18

Property £180.00 £324.00 £144.00 CCTV maintenance costs reduced year on Grounds £1,029.13 £120.00 -£909.13 year Reduction of projects this year. LY cricket Projects £120,358.28 £51,445.36 -£68,912.92 nets and tennis courts, this year new Van and Parish Office

Office Costs £3,070.02 £3,346.84 £276.82 Last year legal fees incurred in relation to registration of the Recreation ground and Professional Fees £6,275.14 -£5,035.14 preparing the lease to lease the Tennis £1,240.00 Courts Saving made on the policy by transfer of Insurances £4,934.25 £4,312.63 -£621.62 liability (tennis courts) and self-insurance of some items

Publicity £968.42 £1,038.67 £70.25

General £1,044.87 £818.34 -£226.53

£178,443.80 £109,098.43 -£69,345.37

Total Expenditure £284,427.68 £216,929.09 -£67,498.59

Net Income / (Expenditure) -£4,135.34 -£31,928.17 -£27,792.83

Cumulative Fund Balance

Balance brought forward at 1 April 2017 £128,631.66 £124,496.32 -£4,135.34

Add Total Income £280,292.34 £185,000.92 -£95,291.42

Less Total Expenditure £284,427.68 £216,929.09 -£67,498.59

Balance carried forward at 31 March 2018 £124,496.32 £92,568.15 -£31,928.17

Reserves of £98,568.15 will be taken forward to the financial year 2018-19. With discussion on devolution models, the Parish Council existing liabilities and responsibilities could increase in the future and this was something that should be considered. Development of the pavilion on the Recreation Ground is likely to require grant funding consideration but the Council. This is an overview of the Parish Council finances, and we welcome the opportunity to discuss any matters in more details.

Steve Badham, Chair of Finance [email protected] pg. 19

POLICE REPORT – COLDEN COMMON ANNUAL PARISH MEETING

The last twelve months have seen a period of relative stability on the neighbourhood police team based at Bishops Waltham. Under the continued leadership of Police Sergeant Stuart Gilmour, Police Community Support Officer Steve Sharp has remained the constant presence for Colden Common, but I was also able to move PCSO Emma Gill across to join him in patrolling Colden Common, Twyford and .

The decision to double up my resilience in the three villages was partly a response to the burglary series in spring 2017 that caused so much anxiety. It has been well publicised that the offender responsible for the majority of our burglary series in April and May 2017 was identified and finally sentenced in February 2018 to five years and four months imprisonment. Some of you may have seen an article in (I believe) the Daily Mail which referred to the criminal David Adams as “The Gentleman Burglar”. To portray somebody in this manner who has caused real distress and fear to so many victims and whose offending created suspicion and anxiety across the whole community is frustrating to say the least and shows a complete lack of care or concern for all of his victims. The real positive that came out of this crime series was the resilience and sense of community that was generated with neighbourhood watch expanding massively thanks to the determination and commitment of Christine Bibby, Karen Higginson and with support from the Parish Council, especially Debbie Harding.

It would be naïve of me to suggest that locking up one criminal would mean that we were living in a crime free village. Two residential burglaries since the turn of the year are a reminder that we all need to remain vigilant and if you notice anything suspicious then call 101.

Anti-social behaviour around the community centre and the skateboard park during summer and autumn 2017 created some challenges for the team with some evidence of drug use. I am just starting to hear of this activity starting again as the weather improves albeit reporting is nowhere near the level that it was last year. PCSO Emma Gill has recruited a couple of the young people involved on to the Duke of Edinburgh scheme and is also speaking with the parish council about other potential diversionary tactics. I am confident that the issues and level of reported ASB from 2017 will not be repeated this summer.

A positive message this year is that the future of the police station at Bishops Waltham has recently been secured. Since a major re-organisation in 2015 Hampshire Constabulary have undertaken a significant review of not only our people but our estate as well with many neighbourhood teams no longer operating from police buildings but shared facilities with assorted partners. The police station at Bishops Waltham has been part of that review but not only has the presence of the police station in Bishops Waltham been assured, there will also be an increase of staff permanently allocated to the location with a small team of three Country watch officers moving into the building during summer 2018. The expertise of rural matters that these colleagues have will provide a real opportunity for continued learning and a sharing of knowledge that I hope will have a benefit within the many quite rural areas that we police from Bishops Waltham. pg. 20

One of the issues that (again) got raised during the burglary series last year was a concern about the police response cover for Colden Common being allocated to our response team at Fareham. This was an issue that I raised with my Chief Inspector, and which he subsequently escalated resulting in a change in our deployment strategy. The first deployment to an incident in Colden Common will now be from the response team at Winnall. This should not only enable a quicker response to incidents but will also provide opportunity for pro-active patrolling when officers get some downtime. Response cover from Fareham was always a concern for me and when this was supported by the community expressing their concern, this prompted a real change.

There remains a huge amount of challenges for the neighbourhood team and Hampshire Constabulary in general. Road policing issues remain a real issue in almost every village or community that I have a responsibility for. I am sure you have all experienced the gridlock that occurs through the village whenever there is an accident on the motorway. A recent traffic survey shows an average of over 13,000 traffic movements on a normal day along Main Road and with continued house building within Colden Common but also Fair Oak and Horton Heath this number of movements will continue to increase. I recently attended a meeting with residents in Twyford concerned about accidents on and the Highbridge Road junction and I would also include the staggered crossroads at Kiln Lane and Church Lane with Highbridge Road as another area that causes me some concern. I know your elected City Councillors and the respective Parish Council continue to press for improvements to both of these locations.

I am not entirely sure at the time of writing whether I will have an officer able to attend the Annual Parish Meeting in person but if there are any issues, concerns or questions please do not hesitate to contact me. The Parish Council have my contact details and they are also at the bottom of this report for your information.

Stuart Gilmour Police Sergeant 2183 8th May 2018

[email protected]

pg. 21

Colden Common Community Association Report for Annual Parish Assembly

It is now some ten months since a new board of trustees was elected to manage our Community Association. We, the new board, are pleased to report that we have achieved a great deal in this period.

Firstly, and the main reason why so many of us decided to become trustees, is the resolution of the little local difficulty regarding the Parish Office. We swiftly agreed the design with the Parish Council and other users and hammered out all the legal questions which affected us both. The office has now been finished and is occupied by the Parish Council team, and I think that all agree that it is now a bright and airy location which is fit for purpose. I would like to thank everyone whose help and cooperation have helped to ensure the successful but overdue solution to this problem.

Secondly, we have eliminated the clutter which was spoiling the appearance of the Community Centre's entrance. The large electrical chiller unit, which was piled high with second-hand books, has now been sold. Other large items of equipment have been removed to the storage room at the rear of the Gloucester Hall. Some will be retained, others will be disposed of. Incidentally, apart from aesthetic reasons, we realised that this clutter had to be removed in order to maintain the full passage-way width in order to comply with Fire Regulations. We have listened to concerns from residents and decided not to remove the second-hand books completely. There is still a selection of books available both in the entrance to the Centre, as well as in a bookcase in the foyer.

Thirdly, we are in the process of reviewing many policies and procedures for the Centre, including those concerning Cash Control, Food Hygiene, Data Protection, Risk Management, and Stock Control. Some of these reviews have been forced on us by impending legislation. Others have been suggested to us by our observation of how the Centre was being run. Good progress has been made on all fronts. We are also strengthening our procedures and processes in such areas as asbestos and fire risk assessment. Health and Safety procedures have been updated, and we are enhancing our skills base.

Looking towards other issues, progress has also been made in such areas as improving the ageing fabric of the building and the heating system, building future financial reserves, and making grant applications.

Fourthly, we have a change in the role of ‘Centre Manager'. After many years of dedicated service, Maureen Rees has reverted to being just a trustee. We all owe her thanks for the efforts she has expended on behalf of all the villagers. Vanessa Martin and her team are now doing a magnificent job of keeping the Centre running on a daily basis. Vanessa is filling the job as an interim Centre Manager. We are also actively considering ways in which all the teams' job descriptions can more accurately reflect their current responsibilities.

Apart from the paid staff, we also have, and are very grateful for, a team of volunteers. They help with the daily running of the Centre, the operation of the cafe, and the running of occasional functions within the Centre. We would be delighted to welcome any new recruits who could spare a few hours from time to time. If you would be interested in finding out more about what's involved, please call into the Centre's office, or ask one of the trustees. You would be made very welcome!

pg. 22

Fifthly, we have reverted to printing the quarterly newsletter by commercial printers. The main reason for this was the huge amount of time it took to print out and assemble the newsletter in the small Centre office. We will also now be able to get a smaller and less sophisticated printer/photocopier when the hire contract for our current equipment comes up for renewal. We have been helped in this decision by a generous grant from the Parish Council. There has also been a change in editor of the newsletter, and we hope that villagers will appreciate the new house style.

Having now run out of fingers, I would like to finish by inviting those who haven't visited the Centre for a while (like myself, until recently), to come up and see what is happening there now. We have many activities on offer, from the cerebral to the very active. You will almost certainly find something to interest you there. If for nothing else, pop in for one of the home-made cakes or scones, a pot of tea or cafetière of coffee, or one of the snacks or light lunches available.

Richard Saunders Chairman, Colden Common Community Association. [email protected] 11/5/2018

Holy Trinity Church New Incumbent Update

Holy Trinity Church is looking forward to welcoming the Rev’d Damon Draisey, who is at present the Assistant Curate in the parish of Warblington and Emsworth in the Diocese of Portsmouth, to become the next Incumbent of the Benefice of Twyford, Owslebury, and Colden Common.

Damon is married to Amanda and they have two children aged two and three. For 25 years Damon worked as an electronics engineer; during a Christian gap year in his early twenties he worked as a youth evangelist in London.

He and Amanda felt called to Zambia and worked with a Christian charity that looked after orphans and widows affected by HIV AIDS. Upon their return, Damon worked with vulnerable adults in the criminal justice system, until he felt called to ordained ministry. He was ordained in the Portsmouth Diocese in 2013.

Rev’d Damon’s Service of Institution, Induction and Installation by the Rt Rev’d David Williams, Bishop of Basingstoke and the Venerable Richard Brand, Archdeacon of Winchester, will take place at St Mary’s Church Twyford on Tuesday June 26th at 7.00 pm followed by a Reception at Colden Common Community Centre, St Vigor Way SO21 1UU.

All are welcome to both the Service and Reception.

The see the full report from the Church and Church Centre on the Parish Council website.

Elaine Izard

pg. 23

A BRIGHT NEW FUTURE for OUR OLD VILLAGE CHURCH Then & Now. Our pretty Victorian Church on Main Road was built by generosity of the people of Colden Common, Twyford, Brambridge and Fishers Pond. Since 1843 it has been used by the village for Christian worship, and to commemorate important moments in people’s lives, including: Weddings, Christenings, Funerals, Community celebrations and National events. However, old buildings are expensive to maintain. Often every penny that comes in is spent on upkeep and repairs. This has made raising funds to add essential basic facilities more difficult than was first anticipated. 175 years on, we still need the generosity of the wider community to keep the building meaningful, vibrant and useful in the 21c. We do not plan to recreate yesterday - More than a monument to the past,

Our Village Church needs to be a maternity ward for strong and sustainable new life. We have adopted the ‘Virtuous Circle’ concept that is a way to help struggling churches add viable basic facilities to allow greater and wider use of under-used buildings. With our simplistic new plans Holy Trinity, Colden Common, could become the ‘Show Church’ for similar developments in other South of churches. Our plan is for a lightweight, stand-alone toilet and kitchen, with no expensive gallery, that takes up minimum space and allows for a fully accessible and open meeting & greeting area that will enable our church to reach out to the growing parish and offer a welcome, not only for Christian worship but also for wider, caring and social community use. To complete the ‘virtuous circle’, greater, more inclusive use and wider community engagement should lead to a more viable building.

Spreading the word

REVIVE & PARTICIPATE is an eye-catching, explanative mobile display showing our modernisation plans. It stands in the church and will be displayed at local events. It allows the community to think about (and offer ideas) on how the re-vitalised building can best be used to meet both the social and worshipping needs of our growing village community.

Investing in the Future Costs to install and connect the fully accessible facilities are approximately £80,000. We are especially thankful to the Parish Hall Trustees for their continued support and offer of a £15,000 grant. We hope the dynamic design will encourage further donations from local individuals, families and companies. Other major grant applications are also being sought. Our thanks go to everyone who has already made individual or company donations, to those who continue to work hard to raise funds for the project, and to the many villagers who support our fund raising. Special thanks go to Colden Common Co-op, Charters Estate Agents and the Parish Council for their on-going support and event promotion. pg. 24

Donations towards the development appeal will be very gratefully received and acknowledged We are a registered charity and donations can be offset against tax. Charity Number :249276

Cheques made payable to: ‘Colden Common Church Special Project’ can be given or sent to either the Treasurer, Mike Gaskell or the Project Leader, Pam Glasspool Details for Bacs:

Bank of Scotland, 144 High Street, Southampton. Sort code: 12 – 09 – 61 Account number: 00231677 (remember to include your name and contact details so we can send a Thank you!) If eligible, please sign a Gift Aid form & make your donation worth 25% more.

Thank you for your support and consideration

For further details please contact: Pam Glasspool, Colden Common Church Project. c/o Church Office, 154 Main Rd, Colden Common SO21 1TJ. Email: [email protected]

COLDEN COMMON TENNIS CLUB A Successful Year – Thank you!

Colden Common Tennis Club continues to thrive with members enjoying use of our smart re-surfaced courts which were completed just over a year ago. We now have 142 households who have taken out or renewed Basic Membership and 33 households who have taken out or renewed Advanced Membership this year. This amounts to over 400 people enjoying the game of tennis at Colden Common Tennis Club!

Many of our members starting from the age of 3yrs to Senior Citizens are enjoying a varied tennis coaching programme and boot camps (cardio Tennis) provided by Head Coach, Gary Waughman and Premier Tennis.

Our mix-ins are proving popular (free to Advanced Members and £5 per session to basic Members). During the winter months we welcomed Twyford Tennis Club to join our evening mix-ins so that they could benefit from use of our floodlights. The arrangement was reciprocated with our Members being invited to join their mix-ins on a Sunday morning.

Our Match Secretary, Mike Robinson, is putting together a series of fun matches with other clubs and ladder competitions.

We held our second Great British Tennis Weekend in conjunction with the LTA aimed at promoting the game of tennis to all. Families turned up at Colden Common Recreation Ground in glorious sunshine to enjoy a family Day out. Gary Waughman (Head Coach) was providing free coaching sessions throughout the day to children and adults of all ages and ability giving all a taste of tennis. pg. 25

It was great to see children who arrived somewhat shy and apprehensive having never held a tennis racquet before go onto the court and 45 minutes later come off with huge beaming smiles on their faces saying they loved it! After the coaching sessions there was a “Fastest Serve” competition which was won by Peter Brown who consistently served with speeds in excess of 90 mph. A leisurely mix-in followed for the rest of the afternoon finishing with a Wimbledon Ticket draw for eligible club members. Children enjoyed the bouncy castle. There was a great relaxed atmosphere with people sitting on the grass enjoying refreshments and burgers and hot dogs cooked on the bbq.

Membership is steadily growing and cost of membership is believed to be the cheapest in Hampshire. Basic Membership is £35 per household per annum giving Court access to all household individuals all year round (e.g. for a family of 4 that works out at £8.75 per person per annum with free unlimited access to the courts!) Members can enjoy a full coaching programme, Cardio tennis (Boot camp tennis), mix-ins playing with other members as well as joining in competitions and social events.

We have started on our next major project – the development of a Clubhouse – We are at the very early stages discussing designs etc. but hope to report more this time next year.

pg. 26

Colden Common Speedwatch

Speedwatch has continued to operate speeding-discouragement sessions throughout 2017 and into 2018. We have only a limited number of sites where we operate, as each site has to be approved in advance by the Police. They try to ensure the safety of all road users as well as that of Speedwatch personnel, and also make sure that we do not obstruct the footpath. We also need to have a clear line-of-sight of oncoming traffic. This means that, unfortunately, we can't normally follow up requests from the public to 'do their road', as we only have this small number of sites where all these requirements are met.

We aim to operate at least one session per month outside the cold and wet season. Standing still and shivering outside, while noting down offenders' details on soggy damp paper, has a strange way of not encouraging volunteers to put their names down for further sessions! We are required by the Police to have at least three volunteers on each session, as we have to note down make, model and colour and registration number of every speeding car, as well as the actual speed and the time of each offence. We only note down the details of those who are doing 36 mph or more in a 30 area, which is where all our sites are situated. I try to ensure that we have at least four volunteers for each session, to ensure that last minute illnesses or emergency domestic situations do not disrupt and cause the cancellation of a session.

We would welcome new volunteers. While we do have a stalwart body of willing helpers, it would be good have a greater number in order to reduce the number of times each person has to turn out. New volunteers are trained by the Police, and are then free to join us. All that is required is the ability to stand for an hour, and to be able to remember briefly and note down basic details concerning the offending cars. Materials are provided to help people recognise the less usual makes of cars. There is something very pleasant about being outside on a glorious spring or summer day, chatting with friends between visitations by 'speeders from hell', while knowing that you are doing something to increase the safety of the village.

Anyone interested in joining us is welcome to come along to one of our sessions as an observer, in order to see what is involved. Please get in touch and this can be arranged.

Richard Saunders [email protected], 07941 321413

Enabling every child to hear the story of the Bible at school in their primary years. We know that in modern British society most children never encounter the Bible and know nothing of old testament stories, or the meaningful life, death and resurrection of Jesus. ‘Open the book’ is an OFSTED approved project run in a growing number of primary schools around the UK. Since 2015 a group of Colden Common Christians from different churches have used the scheme to present these specially adapted bible stories in assemblies at our village school. Our volunteers take a share in the organisation and rehearsal for each weekly story and pg. 27 the children from different classrooms who volunteer to participate in the dramatizations always thoroughly enjoy taking part. Each of these Bible stories holds a message that is further explained in the words spoken in our quiet reflection and short prayer after the story is told. In 2017 these hidden Bible ‘messages’ included: How children are very special people; Thinking about people who are ill; Being helpful, safe and honest; Thinking about what we say and do; Being a good friend; Using and caring for the gifts that are given us; Overcoming fear, coping, and having trust. The old testament stories of the life of David provoked both spontaneous laughter (God choosing David rather than his handsome and clever older brothers) and gasps of amazement as a huge scary Goliath fell loudly to the ground. The explanative stories (Parables) that Jesus told 2000 years ago have proved just as relevant and easy to understand in today’s world, whilst Paul’s travels and adventures made for some pretty dramatic assemblies. As a means of sharing our stories to a wider audience, and with help from ‘passing’ youngsters who readily agreed to join some of our team at the Methodist Church activity tent, we presented two Open the book stories at the ‘Have a Go’ Village fete. Our stack of imaginative costumes and props are recycled into each new assembly story and every rehearsal is lively as we discuss how best to read and enact the stories. The use of Church rooms for rehearsals and Church office space to store our ever-growing equipment is absolutely invaluable and we thank the PCC for allowing this to continue. This is a great project to be involved in. The growing friendship between Christians of different denominations who live in our parish that is a bi-product of the scheme continues to inspire each of us. Those involved thank GOD that we have been given the opportunity to be part of telling the word through ‘Open the Book’ and it never ceases to give us great joy as we see and hear the wonderful responsive enthusiasm and happy participation that we always receive from the young people and staff of Colden Common Primary.

Pam Glasspool, Group leader for Colden Common Open the Book

Pam Glasspool, Team Leader for the Colden Common Open the Book Team

pg. 28

CCCC Trust is made up of five Trustees and around forty volunteers, who are managed by a Committee who meet bi monthly. We are lucky to have a Good Neighbours Group in Hampshire who are there to help groups such as ours in many ways. Always very supportive. They also cover our volunteers for insurance purposes and carry out our CRB checks for us, free of charge, which is a great asset to us, with so many volunteers. Our volunteers give of their time, but all their expenses are covered by us. Our willing volunteers continue to provide help and support to residents of Colden Common in several ways – The Community Mini Bus offers two regular shopping trips each week – Wednesdays to Winchester Tesco or Sainsburys and on Thursdays to Eastleigh Tesco or ASDA. Our drivers provide a door to door service, leaving Spring House on Wednesdays at 9.15am and Thursdays at 1.15pm, and then picking up from around the Village. Trips cost £2. Our mini bus is wheelchair friendly. Journeys must be booked in advance with Carole on 714288. We do currently have spaces on both trips for more passengers. Our drivers work on a rota for these shopping trips and transport for Lunch Club. Thus, driving for around one week in four.

Wednesdays is Lunch Club at the Community Centre. Open to residents from Colden Common for an enjoyable lunch and time to meet others. The mini bus can supply transport if needed. Cost is £4 each. Phone Pat for further details 01962 808909. We work with four teams of four, who work together to decide what to cook. Again, each team only has to cook once a month.

A further group of volunteers provide car transport to appointments with GPs, nurses, dentists, hospitals, etc. If help is needed with transport to an appointment, give Mo a ring on 02380 692611 (leave a message if there is no reply). Mo has a list of volunteers and when asked will phone around until someone who is available responds. This can take time~!!

If you would like to become a volunteer, you would be most welcome. It is very rewarding to be able to help others. Please give me a ring Jenny 713784.

pg. 29

TWYFORD AND DISTRICT NURSING ASSOCIATION DO YOU LIVE IN THIS AREA? DO YOU NEED HELP?

Twyford Morestead Compton Colden Common Owslebury Otterbourne Shawford

The Charity is for individuals with needs who reside in this area, by paying for services or facilities to help them in the short term. We can also work in collaboration with other charities. We are here to help you through difficult times, when help is not readily available from other sources (the trustees do not apply any sort of means test). The trustees need to be sure that other sources of help have been explored and cannot provide retrospective funding. There is no complicated form to complete; often a simple telephone call is sufficient. We also respond to emergencies. The Twyford Surgery and Social Services know of us and can apply, or call the Secretary direct to find out more about us and find out if we are able to help you. Giselle Letchworth 01962 712158 All information received is treated with total confidentiality.

CHARITY REG. 800876

pg. 30

The NHS is turning 70 on 5th July 2018 The perfect opportunity to celebrate the achievements of one the nation’s most loved institutions!

Why not join the NHS 1000 miles challenge? Not as daunting as it first sounds!

How to measure As a rule of thumb an average person has a stride length of approximately 2.1 to 2.5 feet taking over 2,000 steps to walk one mile; 10,000 steps would be almost 5 miles. A sedentary person may only average 1,000 to 3,000 steps a day

YOUR STEPS - YOUR MEASURE Good for adults and children alike. Easy!!!

The PPGT will be at the

Colden Common Have a Go event on the 23rd June 2018 Owslebury Church Fete 30th June 2018

with templates to log your miles walking, running, swimming, horse riding, and buggy pushing – anything counts.

The more active we are the healthier we get, which is great news for the NHS.

The challenge is simple – from now until May 2019 note your activities and the total will be our ‘gift’ of 1000 miles – or more - to the NHS.

No entry fee, no sponsors needed, no fund raising involved.

Just your commitment and time!

We will get together and celebrate at the end, (July 2019), count the entries we receive and enter them in to a prize draw – watch out for information as to where and when the draw will take place - it will cover all parishes that the Twyford Practice serves.

To get you started why not join the ‘Best foot forward’ group. On Wednesday mornings, leaving Colden Common Community Centre at 10.30am for about an hour. No charge, no membership fee, just turn up. Anyone welcome to join with us. pg. 31

THE WOODPECKERS ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP

We organised The Keep Britain Tidy Campaign 2nd/3rd/4th March – unfortunately of course it was the weekend of the snow! Nice to see everywhere looking litter free and clean just for a short while. Once the weather improved though our valiant villagers were out with their bags, litter pickers and hi viz jackets. Why can’t people passing through in their cars, take their litter home and dispose of it appropriately?? Church Pond is looking very sad these days – so many fish have been dumped there over the years and they have now interbred and multiplied. The numbers have upset the balance of nature, the fish eat the pond weed, the pond life, frogs spawn, etc. Luckily, we have now managed to obtain help from the Environment Agency to cull some of these fish for us. We hope this will happen in the not too distant future. The EA have also replaced the broken safety fencing around the Pond inlet and outlet and repaired the worn away steps to the dipping platform. Hopefully, the fish problem will be resolved soon and we are tentatively planning a Pond Dipping session to find out what life there is returning to the Pond. We hope this will be in September, date will on notice boards, emails, etc. The children always so enjoy and learn lots about the Pond at this event and hope they will be able to come again this year. We have some nets, magnifiers, trays and identification sheets to use. We have continued to do some footpath clearing, litter picking, bramble control and ivy on trees removal during the year. We also helped with clearing the Churchyard of leaves during December. We meet most months, second Sunday at 10am for a couple of hours. The next event is on 10th June, when we plan to be clearing the footpaths in North Pond Woods – come and join us We are few in number of members of Woodpeckers, if anyone would like to come and work with us around the Village they would be most welcome. We have always met on the second Sunday of each month from 10am for a couple of hours. However, if there is now a better time – just let us know and we will try and arrange changes. We live in a lovely Village, lets keep it that way! Look forward to hearing from you Jenny Gray 713784 [email protected] Paul Nicholson 713102

pg. 32

Colden Common WI

To celebrate our 41st birthday, we invited visitors from other WI’s in the group and were entertained by Pompey Pluckers a Ukulele band which played songs from the late 60, s. Many of us sang along and two brave souls danced. Despite losing a few members last year, others joined so our membership remains strong at over 50. Our monthly meetings are well attended with an interesting variety of speakers to entertain us. From talks by a Gynaecological Physiotherapist to “Over the Alps” a history of the Watercress line. Despite some technological problems, Bill Weeks gave a most humorous insight into the training of a Winchester Cathedral Guide. This was followed by a tour of Winchester Cathedral later in the year also attended by partners. Another excellent talk with beautiful slides was by Eric Watson on Wild Flowers.

Members also meet in various groups for Knit and natter, darts and walks. The knitters have made Twiddly muffs as well as hats for premature babies. The walkers have been to a wide variety of places such as Christchurch and Titchfield by mini bus stopping for a pub lunch on the way home. The darts members meet regularly on Thursdays at the Fox and Hounds. WI members also enter the WI Quiz and Skittles.

As an Institute we have supported Associated Country Women of the World and local Charites. Many members are active in supporting local organisations including Parish Council, Community Association, School, PPG, Methodist Church and Holy Trinity Church, Friendship club, Care group, Parish Hall Trust, Environmental Group, and Great British Spring Clean. Individual members also helped with Fundraising events for Macmillan Nurses, Cancer Research, RAB, Prison Visitors support, Young Farmers, Breast Cancer Care and Alzheimer’s. Sue Kirkpatrick with the help of other WI members organized a successful Wreath evening raising money for the Murray Parish charity and Colden Common Hedgehog rescue.

Angie Watts led a Remembrance service in February at the Southampton Memorial to mark the centenary of the sinking of the hospital ship, Glenart Castle and remember the nurses who drowned.

Members have attended Day events at the NFWI owned Denman College. They have also attended training events and council meetings. Three members who are Officers of the Twyford Group will be finishing their roles this year.

pg. 33

We enjoyed a Festive Dinner at a local pub in January and in August went on a coach outing to the Museum of English Rural Life in Reading before taking a boat trip to Mapledurham.

We remain financially stable thanks to the care of our treasurer.

We look forward to future successful years with new members always welcome Ann Couldrey Colden Common WI Secretary 02380 600990

Girlguiding Report for Colden Common

Guiding is flourishing in the Winchester East area, which covers Twyford and Colden Common. The number of girls in all sections is increasing and the new Guide Unit which opened in Colden Common last year is going from strength to strength. Girls come from Twyford, Colden Common, Owslebury, Otterbourne, Bishopstoke, Compton and Winchester. New Leaders have been recruited enabling more activities to take place, but more are needed to secure units from closure-particularly 1st Colden Common Brownies which has been running for 55 years. This will close if leaders are not found….

Guide meetings this year have revolved around Science based and plans are afoot for challenging summer programmes including a camp at the Berkshire Centre at the end of May. One Guide was presented with the highest award for guides under16 and a second will be soon. Brownies have been on Pack Holidays and will be part of a County wide takeover of a PGL centre in September. Their programmes are also very varied and wherever possible the outdoors is used as a learning and fun resource. Rainbow Guides also continues to flourish with a large number of girls meeting weekly for fun activities. They ‘flew round the world’ on Thinking Day (Feb) and discovered different crafts and activities in each area of the world they visited. Several of the units were able to come together for our annual Nativity Service held this year Twyford Parish Hall when the heating failed in St Mary’s Church. This was in the form of a play especially written for young people. A new Rainbow unit opened last year in Twyford and helped to reduce the waiting list.

pg. 34

We would love to welcome more volunteers-both men and women-who would like to help in our units. Could you spare time for one session a month or a regular weekly commitment or help us with our accounts or websites etc. There will be much support for this from our team of dedicated adults.

Do you have any information about Guiding in the past in the area? We would love to hear from you.

My thanks go to everyone who gives of their time and energies to Guiding and who supports us in any way.

Jane Roots Guiding District Commissioner for Winchester East

pg. 35

Colden Common Drama and Music Group

Report of the Colden Common Drama and Music Group’s activities for the Annual Parish Assembly on 23rd May 2018 The group has once again staged two very successful productions in the past 12 months, the summer concert “Enchanted Evening” and the Carol Concert at the Holy Trinity Church “Christmas Starts Here!” The latter raised a respectable amount for the funds of the Church and a donation to the Hampshire Air Ambulance Service. We are busy working towards the next concert – “Our Favourite Sings” (as in “These are a few of...”!) and we are really looking forward to sharing the music that lifts our hearts with audiences on 15th and 16th June. This time last year we were deeply concerned about the threat to the village’s wonderful facilities for staging shows from the need to find space for other things in the Community Centre. It’s a relief to be writing this now knowing that we played our part in finding a workable solution that keeps alive the precious possibility of performing live music and drama in the village. We had hoped that we might be able to gather enough enthusiasm from the village to resurrect the pantomime for 2018, but although there was a lot of interest, it wasn’t quite enough to float this particular boat... yet. Our panto mojo is still somewhat lacking at the moment. However, we joined in with the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Community Centre in October, singing and performing a short play and we will be supporting the Holy Trinity’s celebration of 175 years later in the summer too. Those of us with a dramatic bent got together to enjoy reading a play in February. We enjoyed getting together anyway (the particular play was unfortunately one to chalk up to experience – the frog kissing sort of experience!) We hope to do more of these as and when time allows. Who knows, perhaps we will find the perfect play and just be overcome with the urge to share it with you all? We’d love to have more like minded villagers join us, to get involved with the singing, the drama or even backstage. Sadly, we lost two much loved and committed members of the group this year: Hilary Turner and Peter Griffin. We know that they would both want the show to go on, but it is so much harder without them. Teresa Baraclough, Acting Secretary

pg. 36