Holmes Chapel Parish Council s1

H o l m e s C h a p e l P a r i s h C o u n c i l w w w . h o l m e s c h a p e l p a r i s h c o u n c i l . g o v . u k

Newsletter Summer 2012

HOLMES CHAPEL’S DIAMOND JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS

On Sunday, 3rd June, 2012, Holmes Chapel celebrated the 60 years reign of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II and it was done in great style. Considerable time and effort was put into all the arrangements by a committee of villagers working together, chaired by Parish Councillor, Steve Ranger.

Despite the appalling weather on the day, the celebrations were a resounding success. Proceedings opened early on the Sunday morning with the movement of all the gazebos (which made up Holmes Chapel’s version of Buckingham Palace’s rooms) into the large Sports Hall of Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School. The sports hall, the dining room and the smaller hall had been made available by kind permission of the School. Around the hall were the stalls run by the many organisation we have in Holmes Chapel, everywhere festooned with red, white and blue bunting and flags.

A Service of Celebration commenced at 11.30 a.m., organized by Churches Together in Holmes Chapel, led by Revd. Paul Mason, Revd. Helen Kirk and Revd. Tony Ford. Other speakers participated throughout the service. Around 450 residents attended and joined in the service, accompanied by Holmes Chapel Singers and Orchestra.

This was followed by the Big Picnic Lunch in the large school dining room, which was full to overflowing with residents who had brought along their picnic bags/boxes and they were joined by many others who had come directly to the Big Picnic.

At 1.45pm our Town Crier, David Cowgill, in suitable attire, accompanied by two uniformed guardsmen, Glyn Chambers and Stuart Gammon, complete with busbies, started the proceedings for the Jubilee Celebrations with a parade from the dining room to the sports hall.

“Oyez, oyez”, the Town Crier announced, “Hear ye the good news of our Queen Elizabeth, who has been on the throne for 60 years. Come and celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

“I am pleased and privileged to introduce to you Mrs. Elinor Henshaw and her daughter, Mrs. Jill Booth. They are going to give you a snapshot of what Holmes Chapel was like 60 years ago in 1952 and what happened in Holmes Chapel at the time of the Coronation in 1953. Elinor is one of the oldest residents of the village and she has lived in the village a long time.”

After relating memories of the past, Mrs. Henshaw added, “Without further ado, it gives me great pleasure to officially declare the Holmes Chapel Jubilee celebrations open – enjoy your afternoon.“ 1 H o l m e s C h a p e l P a r i s h C o u n c i l w w w . h o l m e s c h a p e l p a r i s h c o u n c i l . g o v . u k

Thanks were then given to all the individuals and organisations who had made the event possible. Residents poured in to the event throughout the afternoon in an atmosphere of fun and celebration. Chris Appleton did a great job as announcer throughout the rest of the proceedings. It was a real community event for all the family, with many free activities for the children.

On Monday, 4th June 2012, at 10.15 p.m. many villagers, friends and neighbours, watched the lighting of the Beacon which took place at St. Luke’s Church Tower. Luckily, the evening was dry and the event was rounded off with the singing of the National Anthem.

Overall, the events were very well attended by our residents and their friends and it is a credit to Holmes Chapel village that such an important and memorable event was supported so well.

GARDEN COMPETITION 2012

The Garden Competition this year will have a Diamond Jubilee theme. The judges would be delighted to see red, blue and white colours or diamond shaped planting.

Judging will take place throughout the summer at regular intervals with the finalists informed in August. Good luck everyone.

THE DANE VALLEY PROJECT IN HOLMES CHAPEL

You may have heard already about the plans Holmes Chapel Parish Council have for making better use of an area of the Dane Valley just to the north of the village. This 7 hectare site is owned and managed by Cheshire East Council. It is used by walkers and fisherman but it receives relatively few visitors for such a valuable asset so close to the village centre.

The Parish Council want it to remain as an area of natural beauty but for the village to get more benefit by improving access and by attracting a wider range of visitor. To achieve this we have some funds available and have set up a group involving the Parish Council, Cheshire East Council, the Holmes Chapel Partnership and members of the public to take the project forward. The group has identified three strands to the work:

 Access for All – to improve the paths and steps and provide better access for the less mobile.  Environmental Education – to involve individuals, specialist groups and schools in practical ways of improving the environment for wild life and supporting educational projects such as guided walks, species identification and habitat improvement  Art in the Valley – to introduce art into the valley whether it is photography, painting or sculpture.

A display was held in the library during April and this has been followed up by contact with the local schools. Feedback has been very supportive and we have now contacted those who want to be involved with any of the projects. We now have a local leader for each of the projects, Marc Granville for the Environmental Education and Sharon Forsythe for the Art in the Valley, and they are in the process of creating proposals for action by these groups. At the same time

2 H o l m e s C h a p e l P a r i s h C o u n c i l w w w . h o l m e s c h a p e l p a r i s h c o u n c i l . g o v . u k we are applying for grant funding to cover the cost of improvements to the paths and steps so access will be easier for all.

If you, or someone you know, would like to assist in any way or would like to know more please get in touch. This area, on Holmes Chapel’s doorstep, is a valuable asset to the community and it is our aim to make it a local focus for the many groups and individuals who enjoy the countryside.

Cllr. John Clowes is Chairman of the Programme Board and he can be contacted on 01477 532266 or [email protected]

TRAFFIC IN THE VILLAGE

For some time now the Parish Council has been working with a group of volunteers in the village to collect data on the traffic in the village in order to identify measure that can be taken to reduce both the volume and speed of traffic in the village. The analysis of this data by Cheshire East Council, the Highways Authority for roads in and around Holmes Chapel, has now begun and a separate update has been prepared which is being distributed with this newsletter.

On Monday 16th July 2012 for a month - in Holmes Chapel Library – Cheshire East Highways have agreed to mount a display giving more information about the work and results to date.

We will continue to post updates on our website with the latest information, and look out for further consultation questionnaires later in the year.

HANGING BASKETS IN THE VILLAGE

This year Cheshire East Council are no longer providing hanging baskets around the village. This service will have to be provided by the Parish Council along with a number of other services such as the maintenance of planters and benches. We have been very fortunate to get the support of Paul Jackson, whose company has supplied at no charge the hanging baskets you see around the village.

GRANTS AND DONATIONS

Every year the Parish Council allocates a small amount in their budget for grants and donations to help facilitate the work and activities of organisations in the village. On 19th July 2012, the Finance Committee will consider applications. Any organisation wishing to be considered for grant funding should apply to the council via the Clerk prior to that date.

MIDDLEWICH ROAD PLAY AREA

The Parish Council, together with the Holmes Chapel Partnership and a group of local residents, are making progress on plans to refurbish the Play Area on Middlewich Road. We started the project in October 2010, when a questionnaire was circulated to all households and pupils at the schools in the village, asking about the extent of use of play area facilities and

3 H o l m e s C h a p e l P a r i s h C o u n c i l w w w . h o l m e s c h a p e l p a r i s h c o u n c i l . g o v . u k requesting ideas for improvements to the present site. After the compilation of the results, a first draft of design was prepared and comments on the plans collected, leading to revision of the plans. Earlier this year, the Parish Council and Partnership set up a Programme Board to oversee the delivery of the project, in line with Cheshire East Council’s procurement policy, so that we can begin the tendering process to choose a supplier. It is hoped that the refurbishing of the Play Area will be completed late 2012 / early 2013. Meanwhile, we continue to look for volunteers to help with this project, especially the raising of additional funds to deliver the improvements we would all like to see. If you feel you could help, please contact the Clerk with your name and contact details and he will pass these on to the Programme Board.

Officers and Members of the Parish Council with contact details Member Telephone Email ** Clerk of the Council David Cowgill 01565 631528 clerk@ Assistant Clerk Nicola Clarke 01477 533934 office@ Chairman Nick Guthrie 01477 549958 nick.guthrie@ Vice Chairman David Savage 01477 537464 david.savage@ Alan Ashworth 01477 537690 alan.ashworth@ John Clowes 01477 532266 john.clowes@ Patricia Cotton 01477 537491 patricia.cotton@ Les Gilbert 01477 544307 les.gilbert@ John Latham 01477 549480 [email protected] May Mackenzie 01477 532007 may.mackenzie@ Rab Parry 01477 533715 rab.parry@ Margaret Ranger 01477 533909 margaret.ranger@ Steve Ranger 01477 533909 steve.ranger@ Mike Street 01477 534745 michael.street@

** Except as shown, all email addresses have the domain name holmeschapelparishcouncil.gov.uk e.g. [email protected] For more details of items in this newsletter and for other communications, please see - The Parish Council website (www.holmeschapelparishcouncil.gov.uk) - The Council notice board located outside the village library Parish Council Office – 1 Church Walk Holmes Chapel CW4 7AZ – Tel 01477 533934