APRIL 2017 - - Annual Parish Meeting Wednesday 26th April 2017 at 7.00 pm in the Village Hall, West Street - This meeting is for you, our residents, and is hosted by the Parish Council. There are a few formalities we have to go through, some village updates and an opportunity to listen to LARGE PRINT If anyone wishes a large print copy of the our guest speaker and then the floor is yours. It is an informal

newsletter please call Sue Halkett on 01327 341057 meeting where you can bring to our attention any concerns, any good or bad points or matters that you would like to see

If anyone has an item that might be of general interest please let Sue Halkett know progressed by the Council. and, if appropriate, it could be published in a future edition of Weedon News. Guest Speaker in attendance :

WEEDON BEC NEWS Daren Pledger If anyone wishes to place an article for their group’s activities please give the Parish Site Manager, Weedon Depot Clerk, Sue Halkett, a ring on 01327 341057 or email [email protected] . Past, present and future Business rates for advertising are £25 per quarter page advert. Space is limited and (including current plans and the Visitor Centre) will be given on a first come first served basis.

Also The next newsletter will be distributed in June 2017. Deadline for copy: Local Groups: Pocket Park Committee 15th May, 2017.

Weedon Bec Trust Published by Weedon Bec Parish Council, contact Sue Halkett 01327 341057 for more information. Chairman of the Parish Council Sharing what the Council has been doing on your behalf

The inclusion of advertisements does not imply any form of endorsement by the Let’s hear from you, residents of our fine village! Parish Council and any views expressed in the newsletter are not necessarily those of the Parish Council Weedon Bec History Society - The photograph above of Weedon Boys School in 1903 was given to the society several years ago. The head teacher in the centre is Mr Har- bard. The name of his assistant is unknown. The pupils are wearing medals presumably for achievement and attendance. Recently, a copy of the photograph on the left was sent to the society by Peter Waddell of Northampton Numismatic Society. It was a met- - al detector find, but he didn't say where it was found. It is silver, hallmarked 1904 and made by – Vaughton of Birmingham. Although the society no longer has talks, it still exists and continuing to record Weedon's history and is grateful for copies of photos, old deeds and will try to answer any queries about Weedon's past. Contact [email protected] for APPOINTMENTS CAN BE CANCELLED BY TELEPHONING RECEPTION OR further information. THROUGH SYSTMONLINE ON -LINE SERVICES. THANK YOU.

INFORMATION BOX Please advise recepon of your email address if you wish to receive our Remember, if you have any up to date flyers you can also place them in the Newsletters electronically. red phone box on West Street. This is widely used and we try to keep it up Partners: Dr AP Akram, Dr D R Geatch. Dr S E T Harper, Dr J H W Hill

to date. Dr G E Robson, Dr J Robson, Dr M M Rookledge, Dr A Schofield 2 27

WEEDON BEC PARISH COUNCIL — Notes from recent meetings. Full minutes are available on the website www.weedonbec -village.co.uk, or from the Post Office. Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the month in the Village Hall Annexe, starting at 7.30 pm unless otherwise stated on the agenda published on the Parish notice boards outside the Post Office and at - Jubilee Field.

Items from our main Council meeting in February • A new litter picker commenced work on the 1st February. There are currently Dr Mahew Bundock our current GP Registrar will be leaving us on 4 April to con- two working in the village now. nue his GP training within a hospital seng. We wish him well and good luck for • There has recently been a spate of burglaries in the village which the Council the future. On 5 April we welcome our new GP Registrar Dr Richard Garside who found out about via social media. A letter has been sent to the Police asking for

will be working with us for the next 4 months at surgery. monthly updates on all crimes in the parish. • Street name request from the District Council (DC) for the new development off the A5. Developers choice was Yasmin Close although the Council preferred We are delighted to announce that on 25 January 2017 two members of our staff Rose Acre due to the history of the site. DC will make the final decision. aended the Carers Awards at Barton Hall, Keering to accept on behalf of the • Community Litter Pick. This will be carried out on the 25th March, 10 am to 12 noon, meeting at Jubilee Field car park. Pracce our Bronze award for carer’s support. This is an award in recognion of • Weekender: The Council has no objections to this taking place as long as the our hard work in providing services for our paents who are Carers and to help organisers work with the District Council to alleviate the problems encountered them in the role they take on when supporng a loved one. At the Greens Norton last year. and Weedon Medical Pracce we hold a Carers register and any paent who is a • Wicksteed will carry out the annual play area inspections. • Allotments: The compost bins will be emptied and dismantled. The cost of emp- Carer can register on this by collecng a pack from the front desk, compleng the tying these is £1250 . The Allotments committee are encouraging tenants to un- form and returning it to recepon. Carers are eligible for an annual health check dertake their own composting. with our Health Care Assistant and we are also able to offer carers flexible ap- • Planning Applications for consideration: pointments with all our clinical staff, to suit their needs, as we understand that • DA/2016/0983 11 The Greys, First floor extension and change of use of high-

looking a er your own health can be challenging when caring for someone else ways land to garden land. • DA/2017/0016 Stubbs. Work to include removal of trees subject to and that your me is limited. For more informaon, or to book an appointment, TPO DA/123. please contact our recepon team . • DA/2017/0029 Land at 4 West Way. Outline application for one detached dwelling. • DA/2017/0028 Adjacent15 -21 Eton Close. Work to tree subject to TPODA104 We would like to thank all our paents who have been affected by the changes to • DA/2017/1172 Roseacres, Watling Street. Reserved matters application for repeat medicaon ordering at for their understanding and pa- construction of 16 dwellings and associated car parking. ence. It is especially helpful to the dispensary staff if you are able to order your • Pensions: Council has fulfilled its obligation under the new pension rules and has registered with the Department of Works & Pensions. repeat medicaon using SystmOnline and we are pleased to report that the num- ber of prescripons ordered on-line over both sites has increased by 14% since Extraordinary Council meeting in February the changes were implemented. If you would like to register for the on-line ser- Neighbourhood Plan. Following the disappointing news from the Examiner on the Neighbourhood Plan, Councillors agreed to withdraw it from the process. vices simply bring in a photo ID to the recepon or the dispensary and our team Thanks were expressed to Ann Ranshaw and all Members of the Neighbourhood will register you. As well as ordering medicaon you will also be able to book and Plan group who had put in so much work to get the plan to this stage. cancel certain appointments and have access to your detailed coded medical rec- ord. (Please note there has been a recent change to the number of drugs that can Items from our main Council meeting in March • County and District Councillors gave a talk about Unitary Councils. be entered in a SystmOnline medicaon request. If you wish to request more • The Parish Council is concerned about the lack of visibility of police commu- than 5 drugs, then you will need to submit mulple requests. This change is nication in general, and in particular with the recent escalation in burglary and beyond our control and we apologise for any inconvenience.) break -ins. Continued over 26 3 Continued: NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN • The District Council has asked if the Parish would take over the upkeep and maintenance of the Churchyard post June 2018. More information is required before any decisions can be made. There’s no getting away from it, our Neighbourhood • Mound. A full survey has been commissioned to ascertain a final Plan was failed by the Examiner. figure for remediation (either capping or full removal). Insurance underwriters have confirmed that they will only insure the mound for public liability, with 24/7 There is no appeal. The Parish Council and Steer- manned security in place. ing Group are shocked and dismayed and wonder- • Planning Application discussed, DA/2017/0119. 31 New Street. Demolition of ing what to do next. At an Extraordinary Meeting of conservatory, construction of single storey rear extension. the Parish Council held on 20 th February, the Parish Council voted to withdraw the • Neighbourhood Plan —see page 25 plan. • Co -option to the Council. Mr Austin Havell was welcomed to the Council. His first meeting will be 4th April. The Examiner criticised the plan for lacking proper evidence to support the policies, some of which were not ‘clear and unambiguous’. The ‘Call for Sites’ process which was undertaken to a tried and tested format that our consultants had used before, Tennis Club came in for criticism. The Strategic Environmental Assessment, which caused so much trouble and delay in 2015 was deemed inadequate. Underpinning much of the We are a small friendly club offering tennis for all abilities and ages. League criticism was a poor approach to assessing the impact of Heritage Assets on sites identified in the plan for possible development. play is available for those who want it and club nights for everyone, in addi-

tion to almost unlimited court use. Floodlights offer all year round play! Much of the Examiners criticism remains puzzling, particularly since the plan had Please feel free to come along and play at one of our club sessions been complimented by others during its making for its thoroughness and scope. A full Wednesdays 7.00 – 9.00pm or Sundays 10.00 – 12 noon copy of the Examiners report can be found on the District Council website at https:// www.daventrydc.gov.uk/living/planning -policy/neighbourhood -planning/submitted - Further information www.facebook.com/netherheyfordtennis/ neighbourhood -plans/#plan3 . Have a look and see what you make of it.

or contact Jo 01327 349094, [email protected] The Steering Group had become aware lately that government was requiring Examin- ers to set higher standards for evidence required of Neighbourhood Plans. While the

group had anticipated that the plan would go to public Examination and some chang- Weedon’s Entry into es would be made, no one expected it to be totally dismissed. The Steering Group Best Village Competition 2017 certainly feel that they have been harshly judged or let down by all the ‘higher’ plan- The Parish Council is co -ordinating Weedon’s entry into the Northamp- ning authorities that have had overview of our plan. tonshire Best Village Competition 2017. The competition is judged on community involvement, initiative and pride. As we talked to residents What to do next? Without a plan the village has little protection from developers other and collected all the information about our village, we were constantly reminded how than the policies that the District Council has in place in its 1997 Local Plan which is much Weedon offers to all of us. being updated and due for completion in Autumn 2018.

The competition entry is split into two parts – a written entry form and the judges visit. The District Council has offered to meet with the Parish Council to review the plan. A We have just submitted the form and now we are preparing for the visit in May and new consultant would need to be employed to give the existing draft plan a ‘health this is where we need your help. check’. This will cost money for which a grant application must be made. More im- We want to showcase our village by creating photo montage boards of all the village portantly, the task will require a new Steering Group with someone strong to lead it. activities to show the judges. If you run a group or are involved in an activity, can you please email photos or flyers to [email protected] so we can include Thanks are due to the residents and Parish Councillors who worked so hard over the them on these boards. past 3 years to contribute to the plan; a lot has been learned. Steering Group mem-

We would like to say a very BIG thank you to all the people who have sent us infor- bers would be happy to pass on their experience to anyone who would like to take up mation and photographs so far. the challenge of revising or making a new plan.

After the judges visit, we’ll put our completed form on the Parish Council website. In the meantime, if you would like more information about the competition or would like to help us prepare for the judges visit, please contact Sue Halkett on 341057.

4 25 STOWE IX CHURCHES PARISH COUNCIL Parish Council Chairman VACANCY FOR CLERK/ RESPONSIBLE FINANCIAL OFFICER And then it was March… so lovely to see the snowdrops, daffodils and tree blossom across the area. For many it’s a traditional time for spring Applications are invited from persons interested in undertaking responsibil- cleaning and here in the village things are no different - as I write this I ity for the administration of the business and finances of the Council. The am hoping that as many people as possible got involved with our Village Clean Up successful applicant will work from home although some evening work is day on the 25th March. Many hands, as they say, make light work. And if you did involved. He or she must be computer literate with good communication get involved then thank you! I know that our friends from the Brownies and skills. A friendly and positive outlook is essential. Training will be provided members of our very own Junior Parish Council will be among those who will have including a hand over period with the existing Clerk. got involved.

The hours of work are 4 ½ per week. Salary is negotiable within the Local This time of year also means it’s new Council Tax bill time and as you will most Council Salary Scales SCP 21 – 24. £10.261 - £11.191 per hour. probably know, the Parish Council were forced to make the difficult decision to in- crease the precept for the village this year to take into account the cost of the on- going Mound issue. There is a separate statement within this newsletter so I won’t Please apply in writing, by the 16th April, to the Parish Council Chairman: spend more time on it except to say we share your pain on the additional Mrs Sharon Henley, Old School House, Main Street, Church Stowe, North- charge. Whilst we are on the subject of the Mound, it is not possible to say too ants NN7 4SG. Tel: 01327 340728 much as we continue to work with the lawyers in our negotiation with the MOD, but it's fair to say that communication channels remain open with both parties keen to reach a speedy and positive outcome. I hope to be able to share more at the Calling All Keen Gardeners! Annual Parish Meeting which takes place on the 26th April. The Annual Parish Meeting, for those who have not come across this before, is an informal meeting in Would you like a bigger garden or space to show off your green fin- which the Parish Council will report on the past year’s events and activities to the gers? Weedon Bec Primary School would love to hear from anyone village. Our District and County Councillors will also be present. This is an oppor- who would be interested in volunteering to tunity for you to ask questions and express opinions. There is also an article this month on the Neighbourhood Plan, a disappointing result in the end but I wanted to help with gardening at our school. This could repeat the message of thanks to all those villagers who put significant time and involve planting up and looking after planters, effort into producing this work. adopting an area within the grounds or work- Due to personal circumstances, we have sadly said goodbye to two of our Council- ing with a children’s gardening club. If you lors in the past few months and have been actively looking for replacements. We think you may be able to help please give us a welcome a new Councillor, Austin Havell, from April but there is still have another place to fill and ask if you could spare some time to help manage our village ser- ring on 340547or pop in to the school office. vices. There is no denying this past year has been particularly challenging, but this is an opportunity to be part of the decision -making process and help our village to

thrive. There are some really interesting projects going on beyond that of the WEEDON BEC Mound issue including our entry into the Best Village Competition and plans to in- PARISH COUNCIL troduce a community orchard scheme. Every current Councillor has a different You can now keep up to date with the latest news and background and various skills and experience. It’s the combination of all this that information from Weedon Bec Parish Council via our website, helps us to be an effective Parish Council. If you think that you can support the village by becoming a Councillor or want to learn more then please get in contact use the QR Code for easy access or with the Parish Clerk. I am also more than happy to share my experience, I have www.weedonbec -village.co.uk only been a Councillor for around 18 months and don’t always get it right but I try Facebook. facebook.com/weedonbecpc my best. Come and attend a meeting and see what happens.

So that’s all for this newsletter folks Take care Zoe

24 5 The Garden of Weedon - Florist workshop Energy Saving Advice Session We offer fresh flower orders for all occasions, regular pre -orders weekly, fortnightly or Held on Saturday 25th February 2017 monthly flowers delivered to your door or collected from the workshop. Paula Judd and Ian Philpott from the Citizens Advice Flowers fresh from the market. Vase ready or hand tied flowers, giftware, plants, Bureau, Northampton came along to the Village Hall planted arrangements, wedding and funeral flowers to host the session. Residents who turned up received good information and help with their queries, which were not straight forward and required a certain amount of time to be spent with the clients. A very worthwhile event. Thanks to those who came along and to the Citizen’s Advice Bureau.

Phone or email to enquire, we would love to hear from you. Check out our Facebook page. WANTED Call: 07985490671 Email: [email protected] 101 The number Deliverer for Harmans Way. Delivering the Weedon News and - Address: Workshop at Townsend Vehicle Hire site, A45 Dodford, NN7 4SR. for all non other flyers 6 times a year. emergencies If you have an hour, every couple of and enquiries months, please call Sue Halkett on 01327 341057

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Plume of Feathers, West Street, Weedon, NN7 4QU

6 23 Parish Council St Peter & St Paul’s Church meeting dates Vicar: Revd. Canon John Knight 01280 706258 Church Warden: Sandra Rogers 01327 209435 April 4th Assistant Church Warden : Betty Harris 01327 349228 May 2nd Dear Friends, June 6th We are immensely grateful for the grant we have received to repair the roof of the July 4th Church at Weedon – and by the time you receive this newsletter, hopefully, the August 1st scaffolding will already be in place and workmen getting on with the task. All three September 5th of our churches – including Everdon and Dodford – have much to be done to keep October 3rd these ancient Churches available for us to use. And it is all very costly. Your pray- November 7th ers and financial support are always much appreciated. December 5th Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter, commences with Palm Sunday on the

9th April – the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey – being hailed by the - – Meetings are held in the crowds as their long awaited Messiah and who then went into the Temple and drove out all those who were using the Temple as a commercial centre for making Village Hall Annexe money. The Temple authorities were furious! This marked the beginning of Jesus’ commencing at 7.30 pm last week on earth in human form. On Thursday the 13th April – known as Maundy unless the agenda states Thursday – we remember the disciples gathering with Jesus for the “Last Supper” – otherwise and the blessing of the bread and wine – at which Jesus commanded his disciples to do in remembrance of him. And the Church has been faithful in observing that in celebrating the Holy Communion service for the last two thousand years. We will be holding a special service on that Thursday evening at Weedon at 7.30pm to

commemorate that very moving event. HIGHWAYS WARDEN That night, after the Supper, he went into the Garden of Gethsemane where he If you spot any problems was taken prisoner and, during the night, faced a mockery of a trial where he was with footpaths, verges or judged guilty of death.That court was unable to pronounce the death sentence, roads, email hence he was hauled before the Roman Governor – who, terrified of creating a riot Jeremy Palmer if he did not bow to their wishes – condemned him to death on what we call “Good who is the Highways Friday”. Good, from the point of Christians, because Jesus – a totally sinless man - Warden for Weedon died on the Cross “to pay the penalty for all our sins”. No wonder he is called “what Bec. a Saviour”! On Good Friday we have a “Three Hour” service, to reflect on those weedonroads@ three hours he was on the Cross. Our service is from 12 until 3pm. You can come for all of it, or for any part of it, as long as you enter and leave on the hour or half hotmail.com hour when a hymn is sung. On Saturday evening, 15th April at 7.30 pm at Weedon something very special is taking place, with the Watling Singers taking part as our special guests! It is part of the ancient Easter Vigil service - a very special service to mark Jesus conquering ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH death and rising again to life. When you arrive you will find a fire burning outside the South door. From this the Paschal Candle will be lit and carried into the Church St Augustine, 28 London Road, Daventry – representing Jesus rising from the dead. Some very beautiful music will be sung by the Watling Singers to mark this amazing event. The service will then conclude Times of Mass with our first Easter Communion service with wonderful triumphal hymns of praise. Monday to Friday 9.15 am And then on Easter morning itself, there will be Holy Communion services at Saturday 5.00 pm Dodford at 9.30am and at Everdon at 11am. Have a wonderful Easter! Why not Sunday 10.30 am come along and enjoy something of these very special events. Be careful of eating Holy Days: 9.15 am to 8.00 pm too many Easter eggs! Holy Hour in Damien Chapel: Tuesdays 7.30 pm With every blessing Parish Priest: Mgr Sean Healy Tel: 01327 300248 John

22 7 St Peter & St Paul’s Church Vicar: Revd. Canon John Knight 01280 706258 Church Warden: Sandra Rogers 01327 209435 Assistant Church Warden: Betty Harris 01327 349228

April Services Sunday 2nd 9.30 am Holy Communion Sunday 9th 9.30 pm Holy Communion Thursday 13th 7.30 pm Last Supper Friday 14th 2 - 3 pm ‘Watch of Passion’ (Good Friday) Saturday 15th** 7.30 pm Easter Vigil and 1st Easter Communion with the Watling Singers (Benefice event) Sunday 16th Easter Day - no service at Weedon Sunday 23rd 9.30 am Holy Communion Thursday 27th 10.00 am Holy Communion Sunday 30th 10.30 am Benefice Service at Dodford

**Please note: Saturday 15 th April The Watling singers will be singing during this Easter evening service . Everyone is very welcome to attend

May Services Sunday 7th 9.30 pm Holy Communion Thursday 11th 10.00 am Holy Communion Sunday 14th 9.30 am Holy Communion Sunday 21st 9.30 am Morning Praise (lay led). Rogation Sunday Thursday 25th 10.00 am Holy Communion. Ascension Day Sunday 28th 10.30 am Benefice service at Everdon

Refreshments are served after each service, do stay and join us. It is particularly important that, at the Family Service/Messy Church, the congregation join the children in worship.

St Peter & St Paul’s Church is open daily. You are very welcome to come in for quiet prayer or reflection, or just to have a look around. There are guide sheets and leaflets available. Further details telephone Sandra Rogers 01327 209435 or Betty Harris 01327 349228.

Regular Group Activities held in the Chapter House.

Weedon Bec Church Youth Group (affiliated NAYC ) meet once a month on the 1st Sunday from 5.00 - 6.30 pm, for young people of secondary school age. For further information contact Liz Pearson 01327 542707. April 2nd - Pizza evening with other youth groups, bring a friend. May 7th - Theme to be confirmed

Messy Church. Normally held on 3 rd Saturday of the month from 10.30 -12.00 noon, lunch included. All the family welcome Queries to 01327 209435, April 8th (this month only) Easter activities and Easter egg hunt May 20th (back to normal) theme to be confirmed. Continued over

8 21

We are a newly formed group and our aim is to Continued offer friendship and social evenings to women Little Lambs : Meets weekly on Thursdays from 2.00 - of all ages who live in or near the village of - 3.00 pm and also on 1st Thursday in the month 9.00 Weedon. 10.30 am for tiny tots and pre -school children, songs, We meet on the 3rd Thursday of the month at story and play. Time for mum/dad or carer to have a cup of 7.30pm in the Chapel School Room, New Street, tea or coffee and make new friends. Weedon. The annual subscription for 2017 is £25, although Mothers Union. Meets in the Chapter House on the 2nd Tuesday of each month guests are very welcome at £3 per meeting. For from 2.30 - 4.00 pm. Further details from branch leader Gill Douglas 01327 703197 further information please ring Jennifer Morris on 01327 843010 or Gill Bryan on April 11th Holy Week —service in Church and May 9th Outing

01327 340191. Like -Minded -Ladies. Meet in the Chapter House on the 2nd Thursday in the

month from 7.30 pm, Further details from Isabella Masters 01327 342141. Here’s a taste of our forthcoming events: th April 6th first Thursday for this month only) and May 11th. April 20 – A Historical Re -enactment. Speakers: Angela and Ed Parker Men’s Breakfast. Meet on the last Saturday of the month, in the Chapter House from 8.30 am. A great breakfast enjoyed by all, queries to Tony Wincott April 29th th th May 25 (4 Thursday) – A Fashion Show at Weedon Village Hall and May 27th.

Presented by Wanda Fashions of Dunchurch. Film Club. Monthly in the Chapter House on the fourth Thursday in the month (unless otherwise stated). Doors open 7.00 for 7.30 pm. For further details contact Paul Duck 01327 340124. April 27th and May 25th

Coffee morning. 2nd Saturday in the month from 10.00 - 12.00. Items for sale. Money received is donated to local charities. Exception - There will be no coffee morning on Saturday 8 th April due to Messy Church, but you are welcome to come in for tea or coffee and join the children in their activities. May 13th. Plants for sale as well as cakes and other “nik nacs”

Tea afternoons During the Summer months only. 3rd or 4th Sunday in the month (dates confirmed nearer the time). Cream teas/high tea also coffee. 2.30 - 5.00pm. Items also for sale. First Tea will be on Sunday 28th May.

Quiz nights. Friday 12th May doors open 7.00 pm. Teams of 6 people. Cost per person £6.50 (includes food). Always a great evening out. To book (or queries) con- tact Isabella 01327 342141.

For further details about any of these events, unless otherwise directed, please ring the Church Wardens.

St Peter & St Paul Church will be holding its Annual Parochial Church Meeting on MONDAY 24 TH APRIL in the Chapter House at 7.00pm for light refreshments, fol- lowed by the meeting at 7.30pm. This is an open meeting for anybody wishing to learn more about the church and/or willing to help. Further details from Sandra Rogers 01327 209435 [email protected]

The Chapter House is available for hire. If you need a small hall for your group or for a private party or event, rentals are very competitive and Wifi is also available.

Please contact Sheila Troath 01327 341642 for more information and availability .

20 9 St Peter & St Pauls Church Weedon Community on Facebook

ADVANCE NOTICE There are lots of Weedon community Facebook pages covering all Table top sale. May/June (see posters nearer the time) aspects of life in the village. Next time you are on Facebook you may

st want to take a look at some of these pages. Patronial Festival . Saturday 1 July, open from 12.00 Flower displays, paintings, food tasting -from around the world, entertainment (to be • If you have an allotment or are a keen gardener follow Weedon Bec announced). Allotments where you can share and exchange gardening tips, photos, ideas and recipes. th - Ride & Stride. Saturday 9 September Please make every effort to take part and • Find out what is going on locally by joining the Weedon Bec and nearby villages encourage others to join in. You can do a sponsored ride, walk or even “sit in”. The events group. You can post information about local activities as well as find- aim is to visit as many churches as you can, but just the walk/ride is very enjoyable, ing out about what is going on. especially when you are with friends. Half of the proceeds collected comes to the • Weedon Bec Community is a news, information and discussion page. Updat- Church and the other half goes to the Historic Churches Trust to be given out as ed regularly by members, the page is full of information about activities and ser- grants to help churches in need (we have received a grant of £4,000 from them in the vices in the village plus it often highlights local road closures and traffic problems. past). For further details contact Isabella 01327 342141. Booklets about this Trust can • There are lots of exciting new projects developing at the Depot at the moment. be found in the church. Follow Weedon Depot to keep up with all the news about the Open Weekend in August and the plans for the new heritage centre. • To keep up to date with what is happening at the Mound and all other Parish Girlguiding is thriving in Weedon Our Rainbow unit has gone from strength to strength and Council and village news follow W eedon Bec Parish Council. • If you are interested in the history of Weedon and want to see old photos of the has been running at full capacity since September. We also have a few girls on our “waiting to join” list and hope to get village and its residents follow Weedon Bec Past and Present . • them in very soon. Our first two Rainbows will be moving up Weedon Bec Trading Post is a resident to resident sales page. Members can to Brownies after Easter and from then on we expect a sell unwanted items and see what’s for sale locally. In the past few weeks there have been clothes, toys, fridges and even a fireplace for sale. steady trickle of girls moving up and making room for more! • Follow Weedon Sports Association to find out about their packed funding raising th Rainbows will be celebrating their 30 birthday this year with some great events calendar of events. They organise quizzes, comedy nights and dances which all planned for current and former Rainbows. take place in Weedon.

The Brownie unit has also been running at capacity and quite a few girls have made a • Spotted in Weedon is a general interest page where you can post anything successful transition to Guides. We are actively encouraging our girls to work on vari- relating to life in Weedon. Recent posts include activities taking place in Weedon and surrounding villages. ous interest badges, both independently and as a unit. They are currently working on World Cultures and Home Skills. In addition, lots of local groups and businesses have Facebook pages. If

Both units have taken part in a variety of events this year. We had a Girlguiding night you know of any other community pages, please get in touch with the Par- at Riverside Hub, an Advent -themed Christmas Celebration with units from our District ish Clerk, tell us what the page is about and we’ll feature it in the next and in February we celebrated World Thinking Day at an International Day with units edition. from across the Division.

By the time this goes to press, 15 Brownies will have had a weekend away in a Guide Centre in Milton Keynes and 5 Rainbows are joining us for a sleepover on the first I am a professional and qualified teacher of mathemacs, with 17 years of teaching night. They have chosen Jungle Book as the theme for the weekend and I am sure experience. I am offering 1:1 tutoring to students in Years 5 to 11, in the conven- there will be plenty of Monkey business!!! ience of your own home. I have availability 7 days a week, daymes and evenings,

Congratulations to Bernadette Owens and Corrine Perks who have completed their in the Weedon/Daventry/ areas and surrounding villages. Adult Leadership qualification. Bernadette is now the Unit Leader for Rainbows and Coming in September, I will be running small group sessions in Weedon for Year 11 Corrine is an Assistant Leader with the Brownie unit. We have also recruited two de- students to help with revision. lightful young ladies who are helping us as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme and will hopefully go on to complete the Young Leader qualification. If you would like to find out more or arrange a session,

If you know of anyone who might be interested in Rainbows, Brownies or volunteering please contact me for a chat. we would love to hear from you. Please contact us: [email protected] OR [email protected]

10 19 COUNCIL TAX As most of you will have seen by now, the precept (the amount of mon- ey that the Parish Council receives from the Council tax) for Weedon Bec has seen a significant increase this year. This is due to both previ- ously planned and unplanned costs relating to the Mound. Before I go on to cover this in more detail, I wanted to acknowledge that the Parish Council, who are all residents of this village, feel this pain as much as you. These were – tough but ultimately unavoidable decisions. Caroline Chisholm School, Wooldale Road, Northampton NN4 6TP. Exist- ing volunteers can also attend this session as a refresher. Firstly, whilst there is no getting away from the fact that your Council Tax bill will be contributing more money this year towards village expenses, the precept (or budg- If you are concerned about speeding vehicles in Weedon Bec and you et) for the village represents around 10% of your total Council Tax bill. want to do something practical to raise awareness, we would live to wel- The planned increase for this year is the first repayment of the loan agreed in come you to our small but friendly team. Spring last year to remediate the asbestos problem on the Mound. This represents around a fifth of the total increase for Weedon Bec’s element of the bill. The re- We are also looking for a new co-ordinator for this year. This person is mainder is the forecast for expenses to manage the Mound issue; security and le- the link between the team and Northamptonshire Safer Roads Team. For gal expenses. The 24 hour manned security is required by the underwriters of our more information on the co-ordinator role or joining the team, please public liability insurance. We have taken a middle road view and have forecast contact: Ginette Pilkington at [email protected] security costs to mid 2017. The legal expense is also a forecast and is required to optimise our ongoing negotiation with the MoD.

To offset this increase, all other services funded by the precept have been scruti- nised carefully to see where savings could be made without significant impact to residents. As a result of this work £8k of savings were identified. Some of the pro- jects to enhance our village have had to be set aside for this year but currently no existing services are affected.

We hope this gives some more clarity on the increase to the Weedon Bec precept this year. As stated at the start of this update, the Councillors have found the budg- et planning particularly hard this year on top of the other challenges that have been presented by remediating the contaminated Mound. I suspect there are not many villages that have had to face a situation like this.

We hope that a speedy and appropriate resolution to the Mound will be found and we are doing all we can to ensure a satisfactory solution is achieved at minimal cost to our village.

Exciting times are ahead for your local church (St Peter & St Paul). Scaffolding will appear with renovation work beginning on the tower and fabric of the church from Monday 20th March. This work will continue for the next few months. The full timetable of refurbishment can be found inside the church. Services, events and wifi connection will not be affected.

18 11 BIRD NOTES Continued

Celebration Praise is held on the 1st Thursday of each month at WEEDON the URC Schoolroom, New Street at 7.30 pm . The next meetings will The only Little Egret I have seen during the period (mid -January to mid -March) was a be April 6th and May 4th. The format for these services is old and single bird on 17th January and it or another again on 17th February. Has anyone new hymns, readings, anecdotes and a short talk. Every month is seen more than one together? The previously mentioned Tawny Owl was heard call- different, with different people leading. Why not come along and join ing on 18th January and 5th February, and Ravens passed overhead, picked out by us and share the love of Christ. You will be most welcome. Light refreshments will their diagnostic calls on 17th January and 10th March. I have been lucky enough to be served after these services. have Blackcaps visiting my garden feeders again this year, this time a female from th 9th January to 10th March and a male between 3rd and 20th February. A Blackcap On Thursday 12 May will be our Grand Coffee Morning/Gift Day. Our annual was heard singing in the Whettles on 5th March which may be my wintering male Gift Day will be combined with the Coffee Morning and there will be a raffle. This is rather than a genuine summer arrival. Migrants of this species do not usually appear our big fund raising event for the year and goes to help pay our Maintenance of the and make themselves known by singing from territory until the last few days of Ministry contribution to the URC, which is considerable, and general upkeep of our March. A female Siskin was a brief visitor to my garden on 12th March. lovely Chapel. Whilst we know that at present money is in short supply, our expens- es, along with everyone else’s, only go up. NEARBY Please come along, enjoy a cup of coffee with your friends, and bring your monetary During the period a pair of Mandarins were present at Park Lakes (22nd and gifts. If you pay enough Income Tax, it would help if you could Gift Aid your contribu- 23rd January) and the more regular Water Rails, Siskins and Nuthatches were noted tion, please put it in an envelope with your name and address. This enables us to there, with the latter species also reported from Mantles Heath and Wood. reclaim monies from the Inland Revenue on your gift. We look forward to sharing There were also Woodcocks and Marsh Tits at Nobottle Wood. A pair of Ravens fellowship with you on this special occasion. were regular at Staverton, a now rare Corn Bunting visited a field feeder near If you need to speak to someone from our Church do not hesitate to ring our on 19th February and another Blackcap was in song in a Daventry Minister Revd Jay Phelps on 01327 340282 or mobile : 07436 811514 or our Sec- Town garden on 3rd March. retary Mrs Margaret Hooper tel: 01327 340524.

BOROUGH HILL Please ring Mrs Margaret Hooper if you wish to hire our Chapel Schoolroom. There were single Peregrines and a pair of Stonechats on 21st January and 18th February with a Short -eared Owl, also on 21st January. ‘TALKING ROT’

DAVENTRY COUNTRY PARK Master Composter, Rod Weston, will be presenting "Talking Rot" on In date order, there was a Shelduck and a Peregrine on 14th January and 2nd Febru- Saturday 8 th April 2017 from 2.00 – 4.00pm at the Weedon Village Hall, ary, 8 Goosanders and a Raven on 21st January, 2 Barnacle Geese on 2nd and 3rd West Street, NN7 4QU. - February, a Caspian Gull on 2nd, 3rd and 8th February, a Yellow legged Gull on 2nd, The talk will cover allotment and home composting, reasons to compost, different 3rd and 28th February, 2 Snipe on 8th February with 8 on 28th, a Water Rail on 11th - types of composting, bins and heaps, hot (quick) and cold (slow) compost- February, 4 only Goosander on 18th February. A White fronted Goose and 2 female ing, getting the mix right "Greens" and" Browns" aeration, using homemade com- Scaup on 20th and a Mediterranean Gull and 14 Golden Plovers over on 28th. – post, liquid feeds (compost, comfrey and nettle teas) all that you ever wanted to know about composting. Take a look at his website www.carryoncomposting.com . COUNTY RARITIES The following species, although fairly rare in Northants. have been long stayers this Paul Howgill, the rep of the National Allotment Society will also be on winter, some from back in 2016 and are currently still present. Whooper Swan, one at hand to give advice and answer questions on all aspects of allotments – growing, - management, best practice, tips and tricks. Sywell Country Park from 3rd December. White fronted Goose, one at Reservoir from 17th January. Scaup, at Stanwick gravel pits, one from 2nd January This free talk is hosted by Weedon Bec Parish Council and the Weedon Bec Allot- and 2 from 7th March. Long -tailed Duck, one at Stanford Reservoir from 27th ment Group. Refreshments – tea, coffee & cake - will be available. Everyone who December. Slavonian Grebe, one at Pitsford Reservoir from 19th December. is interested in composting whether on their allotment or at home in their garden is Red -necked Grebe, one at Pitsford Reservoir from 17th January and Short -eared welcome to attend. The talk is free and is also open to people and allotment groups Owl up to 6 near Finedon from 22nd November. Also present in the County at some outside of the village. time between January and March, were Bewick's Swans, Marsh and Hen Harriers, a Merlin, a Kittiwake, many Waxwings, Crossbills and Corn Buntings. For more information contact Libby Hart on 01327 341816 or Sue Halkett on 01327 341057 . Continued over

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Continued

Church Street COUNTY AND BRITISH SUMMER MIGRANTS (just past the Post Office) Although, because of wintering birds it is difficult to ascertain incoming migrants of Blackcap and Chiffchaff appearances, both these species are now in song with a large influx of Chiffchaffs on 11th March. The only other County migrant to date was a Sand Martin on 6th March. Nationally, Garganey, Little Ringed Plovers, Swallows, House Minister Revd Jay Phelps Martins and Wheatears have arrived in the south.

Chris Coe The following are our services and activities for April and May. We would love to welcome you, so come and join with us at any or all of these services and 01327 340493 events.

APRIL SERVICES Sunday 2nd 11.00 am Service Thursday 6th 7.30 pm Celebration Praise Sunday 9th 11.00 am Service with Communion Thursday 13th 7.00 pm Maundy Thursday Communion Service MONTHLY MEETINGS WALKS

Sunday 16th 11.00 am Easter Day Service Evening Walks commencing at 6.30 pm 12th April: Sunday 23rd 11.00 am Service with Moderator 4th April Borough Hill (Grade D) Sunday 30th 11.00 am Service 9th Birthday supper Meet: Borough Hill Car Park

MAY SERVICES Leader Ralph Porter 10th May : Thursday 5th 7.30 pm Celebration Praise 18th April (Grade B) Kevin Varty ’Sweet Memories’ Sunday 7th 11.00 am Service Meet: Harlestone Church Car park A fond lookback at the sweets Sunday 14th 11.00 am Service with Communion Leader: John Evans of our childhood. Have Wag- Sunday 21st 11.00 am Service 2nd May Daventry Country Park (Grade D) on Wheels got smaller? Sunday 28th 11.00 am Service Meet: Queen of Hearts pub car park JUNE SERVICE Leader: Ralph Porter at the Village Hall , Thursday 1st 7.30 pm Celebration Praise West Street, 16th May Nene Way, (Grade B) Sunday 4th 11.00 am Service Meet: Windmill Pub (street car parking) commencing at 7.30 pm. - We hold a drop in for coffee/tea and a chat every Thursday. Coffee/tea and Leader: Viv Crouch biscuits served in the Schoolroom 10 - 11.15 am so come and join us for refresh- £2.00 donation per person ment and a chat with old and new friends. Walk Grades You are very welcome to join Easter Services will take the form of a Communion Service at 7:00 pm on Grade A: Steep hills and/or stiles us at any event or walk. Maundy Thursday 13 th April and our Easter Day service is at 11:00 am on Sunday Grade B: Moderate hills and/or stiles th Affiliated to the British 16 April. Grade C: Gentle hill, no stiles Grade D: Flat ground, no stiles Heart Foundation 50s. Unfortunately it has been decided to cancel the 50s craft day that was scheduled for 28 th April. We have, over the many years the 50s has been running, - For further information had a brilliant time as I am sure all who attended would agree, with good food, good NORDIC WALKS (approx. 5.5 6.5 miles) please contact: company and good learning fun. Sadly all good things come to a natural end. We Monday 10th April @ 2pm Brockhall Walk would like to say a huge thank you to all those who have helped with the catering Meet: Heart of the Shires. Leader: Lesley John Evans and teaching over the years, putting in so much of their time and talents. We also Monday 24th April @ 2pm Borough Hill Walk Tel: 01327 341526 Pauline Brown thank all who participated, we hope you had fun. Meet: Tesco car park Leader:John Evans Tel: 01327 342190 Call in for a Charity Coffee Morning at 3 Capell Rise Flore on Wednesdays Monday 8th May @ 2pm Brampton Way Walk Viv Crouch April 5th and May 3rd, 10 am to 12 noon. The charity for April will be EVE Ne- Meet: Church Leader: Viv Crouch Tel: 01327 341193 ne Valley Family Refuge and May, Haematology Macmillan NGH, We look forward Monday 22nd May @ 2pm Wolfhamcote Jan Miles to seeing you in 2017, pop in for a few minutes and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and Meet: Canal & River Trust Leader: John Evans Tel: 01327 857427 a chat. Yum! Car Park,

16 13 Chairman Junior Parish Council Hello, I'm and I live on a canal boat, I'm wring today to tell you about how I live and do things that you do but in a narrower space and on water. You must be wondering, water, electric, TV and loads of other things that you have but surprisingly we do as well! Let's start with water, well, its easy and free, there are more than 1,000 water points on the canal today, so, you travel in your boat to the nearest water point, get a tap, open the churn lock and you can fill up your tanks. Now, power, you have all these new fangled power staons and power generators, now we have, yes, a generator but it makes noise at 90DB!, that's not a big noise, is it! And we get loads of power from it, how awesome, we also use solar panels in the summer, and they give us loads of power. TV, a very short paragraph, you don't need it so we don't have one, easy! Being in Weedon is an honour as loads of places on earth don’t have a canal, so we use Weedon’s canals to our advantage to get to school easier etc, so all of this for less money than living in a house, that’s a bargain. Drugs have been in Weedon for a long me but young adults think it's a part of life, but it is illegal and bad for you and bad for the environment so if we could stop it now on this spot we would. Teenagers see lots of people using various substances. They see their parents and other adults drinking alcohol, smoking, and, somemes, abusing other substances. Also, the teen social scene o en revolves around drinking and smoking pot. Some- mes friends urge others to drink or smoke something but it is just as common for teens to start using a substance because it is readily available. Lots of teenagers see their friends enjoying it and think it is a part of a teenagers experience. Forty seven percent of teens agreed that movies and tv shows make drugs seem OK but it really isn’t OK also there is seven mes more likely to smoke cigarees, six mes more likely to take marijuana and five mes more likely to drink alcohol.

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