April 2021 Newsletter
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Pontesbury Climate Emergency Action Group Pontesbury Spring is in the air, in spite of some cold and wet weather in March. Planting of native bulbs, plants and seeds is continuing along the Hall Bank footpath. A generous donation from a nearby resident and donations from the Parish Council have helped us with this. The group is also putting in plants to help pollinators in a piece of land in front of the library/Pavilion to help nature, bring cheer to the area and to celebrate the Pontesbury Library’s Spring Blossoms in the Pavilion campaign. A new row of native hedging has been planted along Hall Bank in front of the nursery building. Plants for this were donated from the Shropshire Council’s community tree scheme. We continue to seek small green spaces around the parish to “re-wild” or add to our biodiversity so if you know of any such space available and accessible for community viewing please let us know. April 2021 Issue no. 274 Climate Action Cycling Group The cycling group (a sub group of Pontesbury Climate Emergency Group) has now met twice and is a growing Newsletter group. We are all keen to work towards safe cycle routes for Pontesbury Parish Council our children to cycle to school Our Annual Parish Meeting in March took place on zoom, pedestrian safety measures along the A488, complex and also to improve the cycle which was far from how we would want to celebrate all and time-consuming projects. The workload involved in route to town such that more the local groups and organisations that work so hard running the parish and a new community building has people can cycle safely to work to provide activities and support locally. The reports increased over recent years and it has been necessary to and for leisure. An assessment for the different groups and Cllr Duncan Fletcher’s employ an additional member of staff to help with the of the village has been made round up of all the parish council activities throughout workload. For many years the precept was not increased and ideas submitted, the aim 2020/21 can be read on the parish council website www. in line with the real costs of running the parish and this being to make it safer for both pontesburyparishcouncil.org.uk situation is not sustainable. The additional staff in place cyclists and pedestrians. Hall You will notice from your council tax bills received and the community building, we believe, will contribute Bank has been flagged as quite recently that the precept has gone up 59p per week to this parish being better able to meet the demands of (on a Band D property) and the total precept is a 39% unpleasant for these people due the next couple of years, as we support our community increase on last year. The costs of running the parish through these difficult times. It will also ensure that we to heavy and fast moving traffic. including the 120 streetlights, public toilets, grounds can meet the demands of the future as more services We have this mind and are maintenance, play area and a new community building are passed to us at parish level to manage. working to find solutions. Those have increased significantly in recent years. Our new Please contact your local councillor if you would like who we met whilst doing the community building has provided a permanent home more information assessment were positive about for Pontesbury Library and will soon provide a base for On 1 April we will welcome a new member to our reducing the speeding traffic the local policing team. The community hub has already parish council team. Nicola Young will join us as the through the residential streets provided significant support for the community during Deputy Clerk. Nicola brings with her much Local Council and making it more pleasant as the pandemic by housing the foodbank, providing an experience and a long history of working to support well as safe for those on foot and administrative base for the Good Neighbours Scheme communities achieve their aspirations. push bikes. The positive end result will be that the residential roads will have less traffic, reducing pollution and offering debt advice sessions. As we come out The 12 April parish council meeting will take place on for everyone, improving the health of everyone and saving money for those that then cycle and walk more of lockdown the building will provide a much-needed Zoom. If you would like to join the meeting please contact safely. The group are linking with significant people, both locally and nationally. We can assure you that social space with drop-in sessions led by organisations the Clerk for the link – [email protected] children cycling to school do receive lessons and there is a cycling teacher in the village if you are new to or offering information and support and a venue for many If you wish to comment on a planning application nervous of cycling. Alongside the school route we are also working to improve the cycle pathways to town exciting community events and meetings as we all please use the Shropshire Council planning portal at and ultimately other locations. There is significant evidence that this will improve quality of life for many. begin to come together again. Councillors and parish https://pa.shropshire.gov.uk/online-applications/ Or Businesses benefit and boom where people cycle. Congestion is reduced. Health benefits. Money is saved council staff also get involved in wider projects working pass your comments through Cllr A Hodges at ahodges@ by those that walk and cycle. Our next meeting is 7 April on zoom, with work continuing behind the scenes throughout the parish and with neighbouring parishes pontesburypc.org.uk. All new planning applications for in the interim. on things like the solar lighting project for the Minsterley the area are listed on the parish council website. Di Carrington to Pontesbury cycleway and looking at traffic calming/ Debbie Marais, Parish Clerk Carbon zero sub-group We are linking up with the Zero Carbon Shropshire ambition through the Shropshire Climate Action Group Wanted! World Day Of Prayer (SCAP) and their ‘Carbon Watchers’ project. We will be asking groups within the community to work as a Gardeners, could you spare an hour or two to help dig team measuring their carbon footprint and working together to find ways to reduce their footprint. SCAP along the Hall Bank footpath, or an area near the nursery Postponement Please note: The World Day of Prayer Service has been will be tracking group’s progress across the county and we will be reporting on how our local groups are building to help plant a headgerow? If so please contact: elizabethknowles1@googlemail. postponed until Friday 11 June (originally planned for doing within the village newsletter. If you have a family, street, group of friends or any other group that 5 March). would like to sign up and take part please get in touch with the Parish Clerk, [email protected]. com for further details. Liz Knowles This will be held at St George’s Church at 2.30pm. We will support you in terms of foot-printing tools you could use and many ways We look forward to seeing you all again then. in which you can start to reduce your footprint. Zoom talk for Nature Marion Elliott The next carbon zero group meeting on Wednesday, 31 March 7pm on Zoom 21 April, 7pm. – again contact Clerk for a Zoom invite. Zoom talk from Phil Holden from the AONB. We have our talk by Phil Holden from Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Please contact the parish clerk for a Zoom link. Beauty on Wednesday, 21 April, 7pm on Zoom and then the next meeting of the full Climate Emergency Action group will take place on Zoom on Wednesday, 28 April. Contact the Clerk to be added to the mailing list for information and th meeting dates. Closing date for copy for the May edition is April 10 (please include a contact phone number) Email contributions to [email protected] or hand in at the Post Office. 16 Printed by New Era Printing, Shrewsbury Tel: 01743 295881 Advertisers – See inside for details of how to place your ad. Friends of Pontesbury Library Spring and Easter greetings from FoPL – if you’re passing the Pavilion or The Co-op on Easter Saturday (3 April) then look out for FoPL committee members who will be out and about to keep you up to date with our future plans. You’ll be able to sign up for or renew your Library Lottery subscription as well as find out how you can help to support the Library via your Co-op card – just nominate us as your charity via the on-line link and every time you get Co-op points you’ll also be donating to FoPL. Library reopening We think/hope (with so much hope) that the library will re-open on 12 April but are not yet sure of all the details for opening. There will be information nearer the time on the FoPL website and on the Shropshire Libraries website, too. In the meantime it is still possible to borrow books by using the ‘click and collect’ system. Spring Plant Sale At the moment we are planning on holding this event on Saturday, 22 May at The Pavilion so please put a note in your diaries. This has always been an excellent event and a really good opportunity to get some plants for your gardens as well as sampling some delicious cakes and biscuits – who knows, we might even be able to set up the tombola again.