Deanshanger Parish Annual Meeting Wednesday 22nd May 2019 6.30pm Parish Council Office

Annual Parish Meeting

Programme of events:

6.30 Welcome

6.35 Verbal report from County Cllr Allen Walker & questions

7.00 Any further questions on the reports in the annul Booklet

7.10 Close

Contents

Reports from the following:

• Parish Council • Deanshanger Allotment Association • Brownies • Deanshanger in Bloom • Friends of Deanshanger Library • Memorial Community Centre • Deanshanger Methodist Chapel • 2nd Deanshanger Scout Group

Deanshanger Parish Council 18/19 Annual Report

Finance

The parish council set the precept for 18/19 at £89000 this was the same as the previous year.

During 17/18, the Parish Council awarded grants to the following organisations: • Deanshanger Football Club for Goal Posts. Grant Awarded £2,268.78 • Allotment Association for clearing of vegetation. Grant Awarded £275.00 • Friends of Deanshanger Library for Books & Equipment. Grant Awarded £3,005.00 • Deanshanger Primary School towards pieces of kitchen equipment. Grant awarded £14,630.00 • South Northants Community Responders for a Defib Kit. Grant Awarded £1,194.44 • Haven Court for a bingo machine. Donation given of £125.00

The Parish Council are committed to support the local community where possible. If you would like to apply for a grant, please contact the clerk for a grant application and a copy of the Grant awarding Policy.

Works completed

As you walk around the village you will see the many enhancements we have made. New bins have been installed to try and help with the litter problem along with regular litter picks and new benches have been installed. We have looked at all the play equipment in the village and repaired and replaced as necessary. The Parish Council would like to thank all of those who notify us any issues and would encourage you to continue to do so. The Parish Council welcomes any ideas and suggestions to enhance the village, and we have an open space working party, of which the public are welcome to join and share ideas with the councillors.

The allotments at North Way are fully occupied and we hope all the tenants have enjoyed the fruits of their labours.

Unfortunately, the allotments on the Redrow site were not in a fit state for the Parish Council to take over and have been handed over to Deanshanger Allotment Association.

The handy man continues to work hard around the village and he spent some time clearing overgrown vegetation from our open spaces making them safer for all.

He continues to litter pick and during 18/19 spent 173 hours picking up litter at a cost of £2000 and he could probably do as much again if he had the time. Please use the litter bins provided.

Other

Crime will always be an issue and we are continuing to work with the police to ensure we have issues facilitated and managed to maintain a safe environment. We are also working with the police and the community to support Neighbourhood Watch and understand where we can support new initiatives such as street watch.

The council continues to see a lot of a change with new councillors; we are 2 councillors short of capacity and hope to fill that vacancy as soon as possible. Now is your chance to join the council.

We are also working to try and embrace more and more groups and individuals so that we can share what is happening and deliver any news items. If you wish to contribute please notify the clerk as soon as possible so that she can build up a record of contributors.

The state of the roads is mentioned repeatedly, this is an issue for county council and we do report in the newsletter reminders where you can report these.

We are working on an emergency plan for the village and will be asking for volunteers in the near future.

DEANSHANGER PARISH COUNCIL VACANCY

Deanshanger Parish Council has a vacancy for a Parish Councillor which it is proposing to fill by co-option. The Parish Council would, therefore, like to invite suitably qualified individuals to apply for this vacancy.

To qualify as a co-opted Councillor an individual must fulfil the following qualifications:

1. Be a British subject, a Commonwealth citizen or a Euro national and at least 18 years old.

2. Be either a local government elector of the parish; or a person who a) has, during the whole of the 12 months up to the date of their appointment, occupied land or other premises as owner or tenant in the parish or b) has, during the same period, resided in that area or within three miles thereof, or c) has during the same period, had his/her principal or only place of work in that area.

If you meet the required criteria and would like to apply, please submit your application in writing to Teresa Floyd, Clerk to Deanshanger Parish Council at 3 Hayes Road Deanshanger, outlining what interests you about the role and what you feel you can bring to it.

We would like to thank everyone for contributing and supporting the Parish Council this past year. We look forward to working with more of you in the coming year.

Deanshanger Allotment Association 2018/19 Annual Report

Deanshanger Allotments now owns three sites in Deanshanger, although only two are long-established - one at Church Lane and one at Road. The third is our new site at Northfields acquired only a few weeks’ ago, which is slowly being reclaimed from its overgrown state. This is proving extremely challenging as the weeds have badly infested the soil over the eight years or so that it was under the ownership of Redrow Homes, and the ground is very compacted due to the heavy machinery that was stored there. We are working to eradicate the weeds using tried and tested organic methods without poisoning the soil and thus negatively impacting the health and wellbeing of future plot holders. The Northfields site presents a valuable opportunity to build a new community around a healthy outdoor activity that is beneficial to all age groups. It will also enable residents to get to know each other better and help to develop community cohesion both within Northfields and hopefully also with the rest of the village via our Church Lane and Puxley Road gardening communities.

Subject to availability, plots can be rented by anyone in the village to grow their own delicious vegetables and fruit. Plot rents have not been increased for many years, as we rely on volunteer labour to maintain our sites, with every plot holder playing a part in the process.

We have enjoyed another successful year of allotment gardening during 2018 and are all looking forward to growing our crops this year - once the weather becomes sufficiently drier and warmer to give us a window to finish planting this year’s seeds! The ground is very wet at the moment making it difficult for those who have only just taken on plots to prepare the ground.

We welcome all new plot holders into our community and offer our support and encouragement. It can be a slightly daunting experience if you have not had an allotment before, so we’ll all be saying hi to new faces, passing on any gardening tips and information that may be helpful, and sharing/swapping spare seeds, seedlings and plants. There is also our blog at Deanshangerallotments.wordpress.com for additional information, and you can raise gardening questions/issues and share gardening tips and advice on the blog by sending a message to [email protected] .

We are most grateful to our suppliers of free manure and wood chips. The manure is excellent as an accelerator and enricher for our compost bins, and the wood chips are invaluable for a wide variety of uses on our sites and within our allotments.

Anyone interested in a plot should send an email to [email protected] or phone 01908 265413. We’ll be delighted to show what we have available!

Brownies First Unit meets at Deanshanger at Holy Trinity Church every Monday in term time, 6pm -7:30pm. We currently have spaces available for seven to ten-year-old girls in the local area, (not just those that live or go to school in Deanshanger).

This small pack is friendly, informal, bubbly and quite often loud for its size. The three adults in charge are DBS checked and hold basic (or better) first aid qualifications.

A new progressive programme, linking the transition from Rainbows, Brownies, Guides to Rangers, was introduced in September 2018 and should be up and running in all UK units by September 2019. We are already implementing this in an imaginative and enthusiastic way, using the “Skill Builders” and “Unit Meeting Activities” resources. Alongside this we encourage all the traditional crafts and citizenship qualities that are still important and relevant to the girls, the community and the world today. These include Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day and other celebrations. The life skills include respect, conservation, diversity and friendship, to name but a few.

In fact, we are encouraging all Brownies to do their best! Best of all we have FUN doing it!

Go to www.girlguiding.org.uk to resister your daughter/ward or contact Julie Atkinson on 01908 56635 email [email protected] for more details.

Deanshanger in Bloom

Deanshanger in Bloom have enjoyed another successful year enhancing the appearance of Deanshanger by filling the various planters placed around the village with beautiful flowers. We have continued to maintain the large bed on the entrance to the village, the roses were beautiful last year and we look forward to seeing them again in 2019. We have plans to further enhance this bed. There are also plans to add more plants to the bed in front of the Old School House with some emphasis on attracting bees and other beneficial insects.

The oblong planters by the village entrance have looked lovely all winter. For Summer 2019 we have great plans for the large planters in front of Elizabeth Woodville and are intending to produce a colourful and dramatic display. We will make a start when time and weather allows.

Earlier this month Deanshanger in Bloom were out supporting a planting initiative with Deanshanger Parish Council, and planted up the narrow border between zebra crossings on Stratford Road. A small group of residents pulled out all the stops and transformed an otherwise ignored area into a stunning border. Finally a big thank you goes out to the customers of the Beehive for their donations in the collection pot. No matter how big or small your donation it is greatly appreciated.

Deanshanger Library

Hopefully you are all aware that the Deanshanger Library has been saved from closure and is therefore remaining open, for the foreseeable future, due to the exceptional hard work and dedication applied by Marion Collyer and Diane Nicklen of FoDL (Friends of Deanshanger Library). We are just waiting for the final details to be ironed out before we become a community-led library, but remaining within NCC’s (Northants County Council) Statutory Provision.

Since the threat of closure, we have continued to provide all the group activities, as in the past, and also all the after-school activities run mainly by Julie and Liz Atkinson.

Please keep your eyes on the Community Centre and Parish Notice Boards and also the Library Facebook page for future events.

During the last 12 months NCC have not supplied any new books so after a request for good quality 2nd hand books many of Deanshanger residents have provided books which are then covered and labelled, as the property of FoDL, ready for loan on an honesty basis. Thank you to all those that have donated.

Until we have signed an agreement with the NCC to be a fully functional community-led library we have some limitations, as we do not have access to the NCC computer system and every two weeks we get a member of the paid staff at the library who can update the computer system for us. We can issue new library cards, issue and renew bus passes and also do the application for a Blue Badge parking permit.

We are open Wednesday 1000 hrs to 1400 hrs, Thursday and Friday 1400 hrs to 1800 hrs so please pay us a visit where you will be most welcome. We even offer refreshments for a small charge.

Jim Waddington FoDL Chairman

DEANSHANGER MEMORIAL COMMUNITY CENTRE

The Community Centre continues at a steady pace and although some classes have ended (it is the natural order of things) and new classes continue to open.

We are lucky in that we continue to have the support of loyal people in the village who regularly book their children’s parties and also the loyal instructors and teachers who continue to hold their classes in the Community Centre. In turn we always endeavour to give them the support that they need, as, at the end of the day it is all about ‘Community’.

As many of you will know we are holding a ‘Craft Fayre’ on Sunday 30th June – this will be an opportunity for people from the village to give a demonstration of special skills such as lacemaking and woodturning and also to promote and sell some of their own craft work. It is hoped that this will be first of many occasions. From the autumn we will also be holding coffee mornings on a regular basis. We also have a new club which has opened in the Community Centre – the ‘Cameo Club’ which is held on the second Thursday of each month (with the exception of August) at 7.30pm. * Please see the noticeboard outside the Community Centre for further details *

With all these new and fresh ideas buzzing around and the increase in the population in Deanshanger we feel that the Community Centre will continue to hold an important place at the centre of the village.

DEANSHANGER METHODIST CHAPEL

At the chapel we continue with our ‘ethos’ of welcome, worship, fellowship and friendship. In doing this we feel we work well in tandem with our friends across the road at Holy Trinity as both churches have a very important part to play in this village community.

In true Methodist style food is very high on our list of priorities and our regular Drop In lunches continue to be well attended. Our Pop In from 10.30 – 1pm with a light lunch of homemade soup and crusty bread with the usual cake and coffee/tea also continues to be popular. Of course, for those who wish to attend a more informal church service we have our usual quarterly Breakfast Communion Service – with full breakfast from 8.15am followed by a communion service held at the table from 9.15am

Two stoic ladies from the congregation also hold regular coffee mornings in aid of different charities and these are also well attended. The next charity coffee morning will be on Wednesday 19th June held from 10.30am – 12noon and is in aid of the Cancer Unit at Hospital.

We are still lucky enough to have Revd Margaret Goodall as our minister and feel that with her kind and steady guidance we will continue to go from strength to strength.

2nd Deanshanger Scout Group Registered Charity number: 280521

The 2nd Deanshanger Scout Group was formed in 1959 following an earlier group set up in 1926 and took the name 2nd Deanshanger in line with the Scout Association rules and strategy. In 2019 the group will be celebrating its sixtieth year – look at for special events to be announced shortly.

The current Scout Hall was built in the late 1970’s on land owned by the Deanshanger Oxide Works Limited In 1980 the Group bought the freehold for the nominal sum of £1. When the Oxide works closed at the beginning of the millennium a further piece of land, adjoining the existing premises, was sold to the Group for a nominal sum by Elementis UK Limited, the last owners and operators of the works.

The current building was donated to the Group by the then Towcester Town Council, it having been previously used for many years as the rent collection office annexed to the town hall. The hut was transported in panels and reconstructed on its present site.

The existing scout hall is wooden in construction, poorly insulated and insufficient to meet the needs of the group with growing membership. It has satisfactory kitchen (these having being replaced in 2012) and toilet facilities which are functional but do not always meet the needs of people with disabilities. There is limited off road parking and insufficient storage facilities, with much equipment needing to be stored off-site. An old shipping container is currently used for storage but this is not sufficient for the equipment owned by the Group and is unsightly to our neighbours. There is no natural light in the main hall as the windows were previously boarded up to help with insulation and prevent vandalism.

The hut is frequently used by other scouting groups and associations including regular use by the Northamptonshire Scouting Amateur Radio Club who provide additional activities for the district and county as well as providing an activity Centre for the young people of Deanshanger.

Whilst the current hall is structural sound it does not meet with modern standards or the needs of the Group.

We are part of a global Scouting population of over 28 million with a UK membership of 500,000, there are nearly 800 people actively involved in scouting every week in the Grafton District. Just about anyone from the age of 6 years upwards can be involved in Scouting in one way or another. There is no longer an upper age limit, so if you are interested there is a role for everyone. The possibilities for fun, adventure and friendship are almost endless: some would say the only limit is your imagination (and a bit of Health and safety as well)!

Baden Powell's original idea, core values and ethos are being maintained, but they are being applied to life as it is now, not as it used to be. Scouting, the largest co-educational youth organisation in the world, exists to contribute to the development of young people, by

helping them grow up to be self-reliant, responsible and caring citizens. Scouting is open to those of all faiths and offers equal opportunities to all young people in the community, regardless of their gender, social, religious or ethnic background.

If you would like your son or daughter (or even yourself) to benefit from the amazing things that 21st century Scouting has to offer, particularly in and around Deanshanger, please feel free to contact the Group Scout Leader or the individual Section Leaders for further details.

The group currently consists of three sections, meets at the 2nd Deanshanger Scout hut as follows:

Beavers 6 to 8 year olds meet Wednesday at 5:15 – 6:45pm Cubs 8 to 10½ year olds meet Wednesday at 7:00 – 8:30pm Scouts 10½ to 14 year olds meet on Thursday at 7:00 – 9:00pm

Additionally, there is a District lead Explorer Scout Group for those over 14, which meets in the village on Friday evenings at 7:30pm.

Normally we ask new recruits to come along for about a month during which time they can see what goes on and if they like it, and at the same time learn some of the history of the movement, the Law and Promise, and do some activities.

If after this period they want to remain then we ask them to formally join the Group by becoming invested at which time they will need a uniform and will make their promise.

Cub Section

A busy year for cubs which included a weekend camp, an international trip, theatre and fire station visits, badge work in line with a national programme, district competitions, hikes, rafting, cycling events and participation in fund raising activities. In terms of numbers we have some 36 children regularly attending cubs and they are supported by a leadership team of 6 adults – without whose support and commitment none of this would happen. Until the new hut is built, we meet at the primary school which has the advantage of being able to safely accommodate nearly 40 young people.

April and May 2018 We took the cubs to the Derngate Theatre in to see the 60th Scout Gang Show – an evening of entertainment comprising of songs and sketches from the many West End musicals and shows performed by all sections from beavers through explorers to leaders from scout groups all over the Northamptonshire. To complete their local knowledge badge - we had an entertaining evening presented by the history Society talking about Deanshanger’s past. This was supplemented with hikes through Ouse Valley viewing the features of the and a walk around Stony Stratford’s historic sights. The final piece of the jigsaw had the cubs visiting the MK museum at .

The fire station visit was the culmination of their fire safety badge up to that point they had made fires and cooked fish without utensils (known as backwoods cooking). Participated in fire drills and discussed escape plans in the event of fire.

It is not just the cubs that have been busy – the leaders have also undertaken a number of events from a training weekend in Snowdonia, Wales brushing up on rough terrain map reading and hillside safety to passing minibus driving tests with Bucks County Council enabling us to continue to offer trips out and camps in far flung locations. It should also be noted that Michael, one of our cub leaders, who suffered a major head injury in 2011 (and was told he may not walk again) completed the Milton Keynes marathon and in doing so raised over £3,000 for the group. We all salute you Michael a fantastic effort and one you should be rightly proud of.

June and July 2018 June kicked off with a rafting session at Haversham Sailing Club where the young people in teams of 8 build and launched their own rafts. We successfully managed to keep 3 rafts afloat while the cubs used water pistols to soak the other rafts. We completed cycling skills, bike maintenance and cycling proficiency evaluations at the school and followed this up with a cycling event from Bradwell Abbey back to base. Well done to those that mastered the art of riding a bike for the first time. A joint beaver and cub event was held at Cosgrove to conclude the term which included challenge games, searches for lost leaders in the woods and a BBQ. The term was shortened slightly so the cubs could watch the Football World Cup game on TV.

September – December 2018 September’s programme featured a further cycling event, and a hike whilst the nights were still light enough. Cubs gained a hikes away badge and their cyclist badges. This was followed by badge work covering the Scientist Badge – so lots of experiments were tried by the cubs including looking at different methods of powering model cars, making Lava lamps and getting boiled eggs into bottles. We completed the Global Awareness Badge covering the work of charities around the world, including homelessness and sleeping rough, the benefits of recycling and renewable energy resources as well as (most cubs) sampling unusual foods from around the word. November saw us on parade for Remembrance Day, camping in the New Forest, Hampshire for a weekend – where the cubs cooked on open fires, climbed Jacobs ladder (to a height of 30 metres above the ground), abseiled down a 30 metre wall and shot targets with .22 rifles. The cubs also participated in a badge day where most gained an additional four badges (including Computer Usage, DIY, Entertainers and their Chefs Badges). The event was run at the school in Deanshanger and included over 100 cubs from across the district. A great opportunity to meet loads of other cubs and compare badges and leaders. The cubs were joined by the beavers throughout December for 3 major events - the Christmas floats around the village, which helped us raise funds for the group which helps make all the above possible and an evening at Gravity in Milton Keynes was enjoyed by all bouncing on trampolines.

January to March 2019 January saw the cubs brushing up on the map reading skills and grid references with practical exercises held in and around in the village as part of the Navigators Badge. We also learned a bit about China (to commemorate the Chinese New Year) and each young person made their own passport February – the cubs made wooden crosses, poppies and wrote messages of remembrance as part of their Creative Badge. March took on an international theme with an evening devoted to learning about Belgium, whilst Craft products (creative badge) were made for Mother’s Day. Six cubs represented the pack at the Grafton district quiz and came a credible 3rd ……. Losing to 2nd place by just one point. 18 cubs (half the pack) got up early on Saturday 23rd March (3.00am) and took part in an international visit to Belgium. Most of Saturday was about commemorating the events of World War 1 around Ypres visiting cemeteries, monuments, and museums culminating with participation in front of some 1,200 attendees in the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate. After games of pool, table football and table tennis at the hotel …… and a wasabi challenge the cubs slept soundly. Sunday saw us lay our crosses before visiting a chocolate factory (much sampling of chocolate took place!), visiting the city of Bruges and then onward to Ostend to visit a deep sea trawler museum.

Scout Section

The Scout Troop has had a successful year, welcoming new members from both within the Group and from outside, growing the section and maintaining healthy numbers. We have completed the Astronomy Activity Award, making our own telescopes, constructing solar systems and visiting the Open University Observatory. The Community First Responders came and ran a session on their role and taught the Scouts how to use the Defibrillators and carry out CPR. The session was very well presented and engaging, even the Leaders learned a thing or two! The Scouts have enjoyed Scuba Diving sessions with the Stowe Sub Aqua Club at Stowe School, and took part in Dragon Boat races with The Secklow Hundred club at Caldecotte Lake. Artistic talents were demonstrated during a ceramic painting session at Kilning Me Softly in Newport Pagnell. Scouts had a closed session with the resident artist and produced some lovely pieces of work. We have also continued to work on the key Scouting skills through hiking, camp craft, problem solving and team working.

Explorers

Jaguar Explorer Scout Unit launched in February 2018 to provide ongoing Scouting experiences for the young people of Deanshanger and the surrounding area. Explorer Scouts is open to anyone aged 13½ – 18 years old and encourages them to lead themselves in deciding the programme and direction of the Unit, with support from Leaders. At Explorers you can expect to go camping, take part in adventurous activities such as canoeing, sailing, caving, expeditions, hill walking to name but a few. You will have the

opportunity to earn badges, gain awards and qualifications, use decision making and team working skills, which all helps to gain confidence and independence and looks great on a CV! We are working with our District and County Duke of Edinburgh team so you can enrol onto the scheme from the start of Year 9. Enrolment fees through the Scout Association start as little as £26 for the Bronze and Silver Awards. Explorer Scouts also includes the optional Young Leaders Scheme, where Young People are able to take on a leadership role in one of the Younger sections within the Scouting Organisation. Over the last year our Explorers have enjoyed a variety of activities including Driving Experiences, a District Monopoly event, Air Rifle Shooting, Survival Skills, Scuba Diving, Escape Rooms, Cooking, demonstration by the Community First Responders, completed International Award badge criteria and undertaken Expedition Training. Going forward over the next few months they will be embarking on their Duke of Edinburgh Expeditions for both Bronze and Silver Awards, engaging with Birds of Prey during a Falconry experience, a look behind the scenes of the hotel and hospitality industry, camping, and learning the basics of car maintenance. We have also signed up to support a new year-long Community Impact project to help reduce the amount of plastics entering the sea. The initiative is called SNAPP (Scouts Northamptonshire Avoid Plastic Pollution) and was launched by the County on 30th March 2019 and will run to April 2020. Marine life is facing irreparable damage from the millions of tonnes of plastic waste which ends up in the oceans each year. Whilst the scale of the problem sounds vast, Scouts Northamptonshire has over 8000 active members, 6000 of which are young people, who collectively and within their wider family context stand to make an impact on the plastic waste of Northamptonshire by working together on this campaign for 2019/20. The aim is to run a countywide Community Impact project to raise awareness and help Scouts Northamptonshire take action on this problem. In raising awareness of plastic pollution/soup caused by the overuse of unnecessary plastic, we hope that all Sections, Scout Groups and Districts will take action to reduce our impact on both the local and international communities. Taking part in the project will involve a series of challenges and opportunities to Reduce, Recycle, Educate and Remove, single-use plastics from our daily lives where possible. Jaguar Explorer Unit is based in Deanshanger who meet on Friday evenings. We have places available to welcome new members, no previous Scouting experience necessary – why not come along and see if you like it before officially joining?

For more information and meeting details contact Sarah Goodier, Explorer Scout Leader at [email protected]