Around Pattishall July to September 2011 Pattishall Pre-School Children say Thank You in their new play area, May 2011 Final copy date for the October - November 2011 newsletter is 10th September 2011. Copy should be sent to Andy Stewart, The Old Farmhouse, 13 High Street, Astcote (email [email protected], tel: 830042), or given to Janet Taylor, Dalscote. (Please use email if possible.) Pattishall Parish Council undertakes the production of the newsletter, it does not take responsibility for the accuracy of all the articles. Any views or opinions expressed are those of the author in each case. 1 Would you like to see your photograph or artwork on the cover of the next Around Pattishall? If so, please send it to me. It should be something with a local & seasonal flavour. Around Pattishall July to September 2011 Pattishall Pre-School Play Area Pattishall Pre-school would like to thank all those who helped to make our dream of an outdoor play area come true - see front cover photograph! Our fundraising began with a grant from Councillor Ben Smith through the Northants County Council Councillors Empowerment Fund; this was generously added to with contributions from Pattishall Parish Council, a charitable business donation from Mark and Kate Mitton’s company PWC and an anonymous donation. We were also very lucky that Johnny Smith of AJ Design and Build put us in touch with his contact at Jewson who donated our paving slabs, and Paul Leeson was able to borrow a digger and other specialist equipment from Whiting Landscapes. Added to that, our families and staff generously donated their time providing free labour. This hard work included digging out earth from the steep slope, levelling the area, installing a retaining wall and laying the paving slabs – we didn’t know we were such a skilled bunch! We would also like to say a special thank you to Iris Illingworth, Chair of Pattishall Parish Hall committee and Duncan Townsend who have both helped and supported us along the way in creating our beautiful garden which is now providing a fun and secure area for the children to play and learn in. Pattishall Pre-School is non profit making and run by a voluntary management committee and the creation of this garden would not have been possible without the generosity of all of those involved. We are very busy at the moment so there are lots of local children benefitting from this space and enjoying the freedom it allows. If you would like more information about us or you would like your child's name to be added to our waiting list, then please contact Lauren Leeson - 01327 831413 Sure Start at Mums and Tots Mums and Tots offers a chance to meet with other mums, dads, grandparents or carers of babies and pre-school children whilst enjoying tea, cake and a chat. Sure Start, a charity organisation, are now visiting the sessions on a regular basis bringing different activities for the children each week. These include construction toys, art & craft sessions, musical activities and singing. There are large toys and good indoor space for babies and young children to play in. Mums and Tots meet on a Wednesday from 1.30 – 3.00pm at Pattishall Parish Hall. You will be made very welcome, just call in or if you would like further information please phone Jo Townsend 07805 535132 2 Around Pattishall July to September 2011 Patient Participation Panel Much of interest was gained by many of the people who attended the “Drop-in” event on the 10th May ’11. Thank you to those who came and who made the efforts of the agencies represented and the members of the Patient Participation Panel (P.P.P.), worthwhile. The PPP is made up of 10 patient representatives meeting with 2 representatives of Practice to consider ways of improving the service It is essential that the Medical Practice widens it’s involvement with patients of the Practice – other than clinical involvement - to create opportunities for patients to express their views regarding the services provided by the Practice and complete surveys. To this end, a “Reference Group” will be set up. Any patient of the Greens Norton ( and Weedon ) Medical Practice may join the Reference Group, so please feel free to nominate yourself . Derek Wenham representing the Patient Participation Panel [email protected] Greens Norton Medical Centre 01327 351945 Pattishall Good Neighbours Club Time The time rolls on so quickly I find myself amazed that a report for Around Pattishall is again due. I was right in respect of the Singing with Natasha, she did get us all joining in. Our Bring & Buy was another success, again there were more articles than sales but our excellent auctioneers (Rose & Steve) got us to buy nearly all the left over articles. The few remaining were given to charity shops. The only criticism I heard was that there were not enough cakes for sale, perhaps we shall have to plead very nicely to our members to make more in future. Our next outing, June 9th, is to Sandringham so we will keep our fingers crossed for a nice day. We had a very nice visit in May to Joyce’s son’s market garden in Olney. It rained in the morning but cleared up for us to go round and marvel at the variety of plants and trees he had there. Afterwards we enjoyed a cup of tea in Olney before returning home. July we shall be in the Hall again with Victoria Davis “History of Fashion” will be her subject. August 11th will find us journeying to Trentham Gardens , we will keep our fingers crossed again for another fine day. P Gilkes, Hon Sec, 830805 3 Around Pattishall July to September 2011 Pattishall Parish Hall Association & Pattishall Playing Field Association The AGM’s of the above organisations were held and the following officers were re-elected for both associations; Chairman - Iris Illingworth Booking secretary - Suzanne Raper Vice-chair - Jonny Smith Treasurer - Karen Stewart Secretary - Josie Bateman Other committee members are Jo Nicholls, Jane Chapman, Jan Rogers, Jean Waring and Steve Smart. The Afternoon Tea in May was well supported and raised £280. Thank you to all those who made cakes and contributed in making the event a success. The Gardening Club supplied a plant stall with plants donated by their members. Future events Car Boot sale on Sunday 10th July. See the notice for further details. Walking Treasure Hunt on Sunday 25th September. This will be an event for all the family starting at the Parish Hall. Teas and refreshments will be available. See notice boards nearer the date. With the funds raised over the last two years and the support of the Parish Council’s donation of £5000 we are hoping to make some major improvements to the large hall this year. We are still actively applying for grants in order to extend the small hall and provide more storage facilities. Please support us in our events in order to improve the Parish Hall, a vital parish facility. ‘Wave’ goodbye, say hello to 'perm' residence Pattishall resident and former mobile hairdresser, Gordon Anderson, would like to thank all his Pattishall/Cold Higham/Fosters Booth customers for their valued support over the years and looks forward to welcoming them in his new salon, Vanilla Hair Design, which opens at the beginning of May at 28 Church Street, Weedon. He can be contacted at the shop on 01327 438069 or on his mobile 07790 840137. 4 Around Pattishall July to September 2011 Cold Higham Parish Council Six nominations were received for the recent parish council elections and, as there are seven positions to fill, there was no need for a vote. The six nominees, all previous council members, were therefore elected: Judy Coates, Richard Dickens, Jane Kimble, Maggie Merris, Ken Tomkinson, Keith Wootton. After many years of service on the parish council Ruth Dunkley decided not to put her name forward for the recent election. The parish council would like to thank Ruth for all her hard work and offer its best wishes for the future. This means that there is currently a vacancy to be filled. The parish council is eager to find a willing volunteer, perhaps from part of the parish that is currently under represented. Anyone interested should in the first instance contact parish council clerk Pauline Pearson on 01327 830287 for an informal discussion. It is important that the parish council has a full complement of members and, in the longer term, that elections are held as part of the democratic process. The parish council has received notification that the mobile library service will shortly cease to visit Cold Higham and Grimscote as a result of local government cutbacks. It is a shame that this service will no longer be available to local residents. The issue of dog fouling around the parish and in particular in the churchyard and cemetery has arisen once again. More examples have been found despite numerous notes about this is previous editions of Around Pattishall and posters on the various notice boards and at the entrances to the spaces concerned. Dog fouling in these areas is simply unacceptable. There is no need for dogs to foul there and it causes much distress to residents and especially those with a family member or loved one buried in the cemetery. Sadly if this problem continues the parish council will have no alternative but to ban dogs from the churchyard and cemetery and take even more steps if necessary Keith Wootton Cold Higham Art Classes for 2011 Suitable for beginners - you will be very welcome in our friendly group.