Beneath the Vale 15 Announcement
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Be neath the Vale Published on behalf of Upper Marshwood Vale Parish Council Flood Stories Ali Edwards, her family and friends beat off the weather – just! uly 7th 2012 is a J memorable day as rain and the flooding hit Dorset with such The River Marshalsea in full flow relentless vigour. Many in the county suffered with flooding into their the water into the fields at the end of homes or businesses but, thanks to the cul-de-sac and down into the neighbours, not me. valley. Not only did they quickly Marshalsea, Marshwood is source and utilise lots of materials positioned on a high point looking including bagged carpet off-cuts from over the Vale toward Shaves Cross a skip, scaffolding planks, used drain and Bettiscombe you’d assume we pipes, a few breeze blocks and even are safe from any flood risk, an old worktop, but one had years of however the rain water runs down lots of dam building experience at the the two side of the village and beach as a child. comes straight to MY front door. There was a steady and at times On this particular morning the heavy flow created down the vale, water went from larger puddles to which would have been in my home licking the lip of my door in less and probably at least one of my direct than an hour. Working hard to clear neighbours without the support drains to keep water away was received. limiting as they were at saturation point there was no way to alleviate this easily; thankfully I have the best neighbours who rallied and gathered materials to build a dam to channel 1 Dam good stuff – well it worked! Community spirit is very much alive and kicking here in Marshalsea and it’s a fantastic thing to know that you have. Collectively we are now talking about a more practical flood defence being ready to use quickly in the event of more heavy rain. Instant garden pond Ali Edwards - just add water Throughout the vale the weather Bob Wyatt the parish councilor who tested all our flood precautions. co-ordinates Steve’s usual efforts Parish lengthsman Steve Lee was claimed several phone calls thanking noted by many residents as he Steve: moved from flood to flood ensuring “ All the work in clearing both his cleared drains remained drains and access to the drains has unblocked. Over the time he has been worthwhile. With rain like last been the parish lengthsmen he has weekend we should have had many gained an unrivalled knowledge of roads blocked and bridges down but where flooding may occur and how instead the efforts paid off and I’ve best to deal with it. had calls thanking Steve for all his But this was not an easy task and work.” many residents noted our Superhero One only has to see how other waist deep in floodwater removing neighbouring areas have suffered to debris to allow water to flow safely appreciate how fortunate Upper away. Marshwood Vale has been. In Norway Lane, Stoke Abbott No wonder other parishes water started to threaten the home of throughout Dorset want to get Mr & Mrs Howard. Seeing this involved with the lengthsman idea. elderly couple in such peril, Steve Some even want a time-share of ours. set to and dug deep to build up a Bob cautions: “It’s not the system protective bank, diverting the water that should be copied but it’s about safely away. getting the right person in the first place.” Thanks Steve. 2 Contents Page 1- 2, Flood Stories 12,13 Bottle opens 3, Council News 14 Beaminster Job Club 4, Stoke Abbott Street Fair 15 Editorial 5 Register for Broadband 16 Announcement: CLT 6, 7 From the fields: neospora 17 Bettiscombe Parish Hall news 8 Council Annual Report 18 Events, District & County 9 Chairman’s Report Councils, Editorial Board 10, 11 Stoke Abbott in 1895 19 Parish councillors Council News New Notice Board A smart new notice board for The first few weeks in place have Bettiscombe replaces the old one certainly tested out the weather which was in a very poor state of resistance design. We hope to repair. replace or repair the one at Marshwood in the near future. Jubilee Celebrations We were pleased to be able to District Council. West Dorset assist Marshwood with securing Council provided the maximum grant funds for a Diamond Jubilee party of £250 towards this very special for the residents of Marshwood event. It is understand that a good through West Dorset time was had by all! Marshwood’s Diamond Jubilee party Photos by Alastair and Patrick Shapland 3 Stoke Abbott Street Fair 2012 The weather leading up to the Vic Rus, who ran the (very successful) Street Fair was abysmal. As the rain gift tombola, had these thoughts after poured down and the roads flooded the day: we wavered. Should we cancel? “We had a good flow of punters – I Luckily we held our nerve – the wish we could have given everyone a sun shone and the crowds turned prize. It was heart-wrenching to see the out in their hundreds. After all the youngsters walk away so disconsolate, financial calculations were done, but perhaps a little disappointment there was a surplus of £4800 – a early in life will leave a message that record, and a fitting tribute to chief with games of chance one has to be a organiser, Lucia Borradaile. This is little wary. her last year in charge and she has “My real purpose in writing is to gone out on a high. thank all the contributors for their gifts, At the post-Street Fair meeting and all delivered and of good merchantable barbecue, thanks were expressed to quality too, which saved me a lot of her and everyone who put in so running about and very few were much effort, organising stalls, passed on to Granny’s Attic. We took making things, putting up signs and £272, which I’m told is a reasonable posters and serving teas. It was amount for this stall. Thank you decided to give £2,100 each to the everyone, without your help it would church and village hall and to make not have been a success.” a donation of £500 to the Rex Trevett Band for its charity work For those of you who like statistics: with young musicians. Following the 95 leaflets delivered, 20 ladies and three gentlemen made Sue Roberts donations and we had 164 gifts to offer as prizes. Beneath the Va le now does video reports You can see them on the Parish Council website http://www.uppermarshwoodcouncil.org Superfast is coming ? Now available Street Fair 2012 On website soon Bottle opening On website soon Nettle Eating Shot, now editing 4 Do something important now - Register for Broadband s superfast broadband for It doesn’t cost you to do this - it is a ADor set would seem to be a survey to determine your intentions year or two away why should we and wishes, not a form to sign up to worry about it now? the new service. That will No contractor has been be coming from your appointed, so we don’t present service provider know what we will get or and competition should when it will happen. mean it won’t cost any But one thing is more for a substantial becoming very certain – improvement in speed some parts of Dorset will and service. not get the top level And even if you are lucky service that has been and are getting an adequate promised for the majority and it is the service for your needs now, think about rural areas that will loose out in this those in our community who live in postcode lottery. For more on this go black spots and cannot get proper to the Parish Council website and broadband. If we can persuade the watch the Superfast video. contractors to give us all an upgrade, But there is something you can do they will get the greatest benefit. Think right NOW! Something which will too of the future and of your children help all our rural internet users – you, and grand-children. your neighbour and the whole What you think is good now will not community. seem so good in a few year’s time when Both contractors, BT and Fujitsu those in the towns have got something want to know the sort of demand for better and we won’t. The contractor will these better services in each area only pass by here once. around every exchange and all So register for yourself, your family, for villages. Our County Council is me, for your neighbour and for Upper running an on-line survey to register Marshwood Vale. Go on line, fill in the the demand for Superfast. It can be survey and do something really found at the second website below. important today – and then go and get Put simply, the more people from your neighbours to do the same. Upper Marshwood Vale who answer And if you want to help but don’t do this survey, the better the service we computers, contact the editor who will will get because the contractor will ensure your registration counts. know Marshwood has enough people who will use the Superfast service Check out these websites http://www.uppermarshwoodcouncil.org http://www.dorsetforyou.com/superfast-dorset/register-interest 5 From the Fields – from vet Terry Girling here is growing evidence of within a herd. The parasite can be T the links between a specific picked up by dogs through the disease in livestock and the ingestion of contaminated livestock presence on grazing land of material, such as placentas from faeces from infected dogs.