Ashfield Cum Thorpe 2019 Recorder's Report Social
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Ashfield Cum Thorpe 2019 Recorder’s Report Social Community Council One of the notable issues affecting Ashfield in 2019 was the future of the Village Hall and the implications of the possible loss of the hall. This was addressed at the Community Council AGM. 29th April The Community Council AGM The Chairman, Malcolm Pease, Treasurer, Myles Hansen and Committee Member Sue Pease resigned from the Council. They felt that it was time to encourage new members with new ideas to get more involved with the running of the hall. Malcom and Sue had been members of the Council for 10 years and Myles for 9 years. There were concerns that if village events were not organised and supported, the hall would not be maintained and could be lost, leaving the village with no meeting place. Consequently, there was a call for Ashfield Residents to attend the AGM, and in order to impress the importance of the meeting, letters were personally addressed, and hand delivered to every household in the village. The meeting was well attended with 43 people from the village present. At the meeting, chaired by President Rupert Bouverie, Malcolm Pease reported that in 2018, events had included 2 gardening/tidying up sessions, 2 socials, wine tasting, the Harvest Supper, refreshments for2 cycling clubs and monthly meetings of the Ladies Group. The Treasurer Reported that the hall cost £1,500 per annum to run, met by income, of which £800 came from cyclists. Insurance was £400, no rates being payable, and the bank balance was £4,850. There was support for the future of the hall and a new Committee was formed of 7 new members and 4 existing members: - Rupert Uthwatt-Bouverie (President), Sam Thomas (Chair), Simon Garrett (Secretary), Geoff Henney (Treasurer), Elaine Marjoram (Bookings Secretary), Richard Ellis, Brian Towler, Mike Harrison, Ryland Thomas, Andy Pitts, Ann Langley The new Committee quickly got to work and arranged several events: - 1st June and 16th November - Coffee Mornings Page 1 of 8 Two Coffee Mornings were held at the Village Hall, both on a Saturday. The first gave villagers the chance to meet the new committee and coffee/tea was provided free with a small charge for cakes. The numbers attending were encouraging and £71.38 was made for Village Hall funds, even though fundraising was not the prime objective of the event. The second coffee morning was held on the 16th November when tea and coffee was served at 50p plus cakes/scones (at £1.50). Saturday 22nd June - Village Hall general maintenance morning. Volunteers were rewarded with free and tea and coffee at the Hall. Friday 28th June - Pop-up Pub. The new village hall committee also organised a pop-up pub, which required applying for a licence and purchasing stock. The event was well attended. Sunday 21st July - A Table-top sale Sunday 1st September - Summer Barbecue and Pop-up-Pub held at the Village Hall. The weather was fine, the food was good, and a pleasant afternoon was had by all. A profit of around £300 was made for Village Hall funds. Saturday 26th October – Halloween Party (cancelled) A plan for a Halloween party was cancelled because October was “too congested.” Saturday 7th December - Christmas Social/Pop-up Pub. A Christmas village social was held in the hall, with subdued lighting, and Christmas decorations. A good number came along to participate and sampled Mike Harrison’s home-made mulled wine. A profit of around £70 was made. (Numerous dates) – Cycling clubs. Refreshments were provided in the Village Hall. Questionnaire and Village Survey The Community Council circulated a questionnaire in December, to gauge opinion about the future of the village hall and preferences for its use. The response would assist in the financial planning for the running the hall and possible grant applications. Significant future expenditure, for the windows and the sinking floor were envisaged. Page 2 of 8 Other Activities Saturday 19th October - Ashfield Mystery Meal Organised by Mike Harrison again. Twenty couples were lined up to take part, but last-minute changes had to be made, due to illness, so some courses had 10 diners and some less than 8. The evening concluded with coffee at Kath and Colling Burton’s house. The weather was kind: the day before had been very wet and dreary, but Saturday was dry with clear skies and some moonlight. Traffic through the village was fairly light and many participants were able to walk from course to course. Ashfield Ladies Group The group continued to meet on the third Tuesday of each month, usually in the Village Hall, with an annual subscription of £25. The hostelry visit was to The Crown in Snape and the Christmas meal was at the Dennington Queen. The theme for the Christmas present was yellow. The Brenton Bash (Gentlemen’s Evening) The annual outing, once again organised by Chris Sharpe, took the gentlemen of Ashfield and friends to the Kings Arms, Haughley, where good food and drink was consumed. The gentlemen travelled by bus from Ashfield and they were joined for the evening by former resident, Dick Knight, now of Thurston. Ashfield St Mary’s Church Ashfield is in the Mid Loes Benefice and the Rector is The Revd. Dr. Stephen Brian, who lives in the Rectory in Earl Soham. Ashfield’s Church Warden, Secretary and Treasurer is Robert Grimsey and he lives in Ashfield. Church news is circulated in the monthly Mid Loes Benefice Magazine. Services Services were held at St Mary’s throughout the year, usually twice a month for Evening Prayer and Holy Communion; as well as ‘festival’ services, and a Benefice Service. 14th September - Suffolk Historical Churches Cycle Ride The church was manned for this event. Saturday 5th October - The Harvest Supper Jane Davidson was the main organiser for the harvest supper. There was Page 3 of 8 lovely soup made by Kath and Colling Burton, then cold meat, salad and homemade puddings. Entertainment was provided by the folk group Bristol Fashion who played music with a local connection. including tunes from local musicians, known to some members of the audience. Village Business Ashfield is in the Central Suffolk and North Ipswich Constituency, the Eastern Region for The European Parliament and the Debenham Ward for the Mid Suffolk District and Suffolk County Councils. In August, it was announced that plans to merge Mid Suffolk DC with Babergh DC had been ruled out until after the 2023 Council elections at the earliest. Elections The Village Hall was the Polling Station for three elections: - Thursday 2nd May Mid Suffolk District Council Election. Councillor Kathy Guthrie was elected (Conservative) Thursday 23rd May European Parliament Elections. Thursday 12th December General Election. Dr. Dan Poulter, (Conservative), was re-elected with an increased majority. Ashfield Parish Council An election for Parish Councillors was due on 2nd May, but as six of the seven Councillors were up for re- election a contested election was not necessary. Councillors Anne Langley and Geoff Hazelwood retired after many years’ service. The AGM and the first meeting of the new council both took place on the 8th May. The new Council - Myles Hansen (Chairman), Robert Grimsey (Vice-chairman), David Corcoran, Simon Garrett, Ruth Hart, Whayman and Simon Ashton, Parish Clerk. Simon Ashton resigned as Parish Clerk in September and the vacancy was later filled by Sarah Clare, who was also Clerk for Worlingworth Parish Council. David Corcoran later resigned from the Parish Council. 11th September Parish Council Meeting Matters discussed and noted included: - • Vehicle Speed Indicators: two fixing-pole sites had been agreed; one on the East side of The Street just past 'The Poplars' going North from the A1120, and the other opposite the church. • Defibrillator: this had been installed at the village hall and was fully operational. A further CPR training session had been planned. • Dog fouling: It was noted that this situation with has improved somewhat after the fixing of signage. October 29th Defibrillator Training Session By May, funding had been found for a defibrillator, mostly due to the work of Parish Councillor Ruth Hart, including grants from The County Council and the Lottery. By October, the defibrillator had been installed, (by Ashfield resident Ryland Thomas), on the external wall of the village hall. Page 4 of 8 The Parish Council then organised a training session in the Village Hall led by the Debenham First Responders Group and Ashfield’s two resident first responders. Participants were given an explanation about what to do in the event of a cardiac arrest and shown how to use a defibrillator. The new defibrillator was also on show. Planning Applications In October, District Councillor Kathie Guthrie notified residents of a planning application for the Anchor Storage site in Kenton for ‘up to 32 properties. There was little concern by Ashfield residents about the proposed development. It was perceived that there would be a slight increase in traffic through the village, but no major disruption. Road Works There were numerous road closures and diversions around Ashfield and the A1120, for road repairs and work to hedges. Some roads were closured overnight and some during the day with traffic diversions. Advance notice was given of road repairs in May. Overnight works also took place between Earl Soham and Cretingham in August. For some time, the stretch of the A1120 by Ashfield had no white lines and or cats eyes and comments were made about the need for reinstatement before the dark winter nights and days of poor visibility. The white lines reappeared one morning in October and the cats eyes came back after that. Bus Service There was concern about the two bus routes 118/119, which serve Ashfield, when the bus company Galloways informed Suffolk County Council that it was planning to withdraw from the bus contract with effect from November.