THE COMMUNITY MAGAZINE WOLVERTON 101 GREENLEYS& DEC - JAN 2017 FIREWORKS REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY Read more about the event on page 16 ’We Remember’ page 29 DON’T FORGET TO ENTER INTO THE ‘BEST- DRESSED SHOP WINDOW’ CHRISTMAS SERVICES COMPETITION! Save the date! See pages 11&35 LANTERN FESTIVAL See more on page 18&19 COMING SOON! 2 WOLVERTONGREENLEYS DEC - JAN 2017 www.wolvertonandgreenleystowncouncil.gov.uk INSIDE 04 Town Clerk’s Editorial AN APP ABOUT THE TOWN Welcome to the December edition of Wolverton and Greenleys News. Thank you to everyone who attended our Fireworks display and donated to Cycle Saviours. We 08 collected a total of £1355. This BRITAIN IN BLOOM total is split 50/50 to Cycle Saviours and towards the Fireworks display for next year. Well done to all the staff involved in this event and a special thanks to Chris Bridgman and his team for their hard work and dedication. Congratulations to Chris and his team who recently appeared on DIY 10 SOS providing their support to build a rooftop garden SENIOR CITIZENS CLUB at Gt Ormond Street Hospital. Over the past month the council has been busy looking at what they would like to achieve over the next Three Years. The council’s mission statement is included on page 6 in this newsletter. Regular 23 updates on how the council is progressing with it’s mission will be reported at our Full Council Meetings, CALENDARS ON SALE! which are held once a month at the Town Hall. The Christmas lights were officially switched on, on 17th November with some lovely carols in the Square from the children in year 2 at Greenleys First School. Now that Christmas is nearly upon us there is always 26-28 a wide range of activities and events to attend over this festive period more details on all these events SCHOOLS can be found inside. From myself and all the members of our team, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2017! 33 Sally McLellan DIARY DATES Town Clerk Front Page Photo Credit: Roger Suddaby …AND MUCH MORE 3 WOLVERTONGREENLEYS DEC - JAN 2017 www.wolvertonandgreenleystowncouncil.gov.uk 4 WOLVERTONGREENLEYS DEC - JAN 2017 www.wolvertonandgreenleystowncouncil.gov.uk An App About The Town "Imagine a geometric pattern of raw, red brick, guide you around some of the quieter districts of made up of long straight streets of terraced houses early Wolverton, along the footsteps of the railway criss-crossing each other...the whole plumped workers and one recycles some of the existing down in the middle of gently undulating green fields pavement trail markers. For people who don’t have and cornlands…and you have a rough bird's eye or don’t want to have smartphone there will also be view of my home town, Wolverton" a set of leaflets that will include maps, photographs and descriptions. Greta Barker, Buckinghamshire Born Plaques A town of modest red brick terraces, Wolverton is A series of plaques will be created at the same time nevertheless unique as the world's first "railway to be installed on the walls of some of Wolverton’s town" built by the London and Birmingham landmark buildings. These will give brief Railway Company in the 1830's to details of the past lives of buildings house its workshops and workers. we walk past every day. The Wolverton and Greenleys Town shape and colour of the Council have been working with plaques will reflect the Living Archive Milton Keynes railway heritage of the town. to produce a smartphone app School that will guide you around A workshop was held at some of the landmarks and Bushfield school in histories of Wolverton. Many of November with a local artist these landmarks are tied up with who worked with students to the history of the railways and the produce their own interpretation history of the country. of the town history that will be The app includes descriptions and archive installed in The Square and added to the images of over 20 places of interest around town. App. Each place is accompanied by an audio clip from Launch the Living Archive of people who remember how The town trail phone app and leaflets will be the town used to be - going as far back as 1906. launched at the Old Bath House on Friday 20th Trails January, 15.30- 17.30. Come along or to find out There are also three town trails which have been more, download the app or pick up a leaflet. The specially researched and written for the app. These launch will be accompanied by an exhibition of photographs from the archive. 6 WOLVERTONGREENLEYS DEC - JAN 2017 www.wolvertonandgreenleystowncouncil.gov.uk The Town Council’s Mission statement 2018-2021 • Establish a mobile coffee shop to encourage up where it has been, to promote that business people to come out and meet people in their visited. community spaces. This could be subsidised cafe, artesian bakery, healthy foods, cake shops. • Less cars-Vertical parking to remove cars from streets. Restrict commercial vehicle on residential • Provide quiet spaces with wildlife, greenery, areas and arterial roads. communal area and roof gardens. These could be vertical gardens to promote green space in • Maximise S106 funding- use funding to areas where there is a lack of space. achieve objectives. • Build relationships with businesses- promote • Less rubbish- support Don’t rubbish Wolverton through the newsletters, include as part of MK50, to enable them to expand. Provide free litter taking the concrete cow to businesses and write pickers to residents. The Pre-school Learning Alliance is a leading educational charity specialising in the early years. We provide practical support to over 15,000 early years settings and make a positive contribution to the care and education of over 800,000 young children and their families each year. We are seeking to fill the following vacancy at Milton Keynes. Registered as an educational charity- committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and equal opportunities in employment. All disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the below post(s) will be offered an interview. POST: INDEPENDENT SUPPORTERS’ (VOLUNTEERS) Exciting new opportunities exist which will make a real difference to the lives of children and young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN) across the Milton Keynes area. The Alliance’s Milton Keynes sub-committee will be delivering an Independent Support Service. It is a free, impartial service for parents of children and young adults with SEN. The service will help individuals through the statutory assessment and the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) processes. We would like to recruit committed ‘Independent Supporters’ volunteers to join the service. They will play a crucial role in the project by supporting families and young people on a one to one basis and: • provide tools and encouragement to input their views and aspirations into their EHC plan • support as required during meetings with professionals • be an impartial person to talk to Every independent supporter receives a structured induction programme, free CPD training delivered by the Council for Disabled Children to ensure high quality support is offered to families. Interested in making a real difference to others? Please contact the friendly team at Milton Keynes Pre-school Learning Alliance team 01908 266684. Alternatively, please email karen.caldbeck@pre- school.org.uk to request an application pack. Unfortunately CVs cannot be considered. For details of other vacancies with the Alliance, visit www.pre-school.org.uk 7 WOLVERTONGREENLEYS DEC - JAN 2017 www.wolvertonandgreenleystowncouncil.gov.uk 8 WOLVERTONGREENLEYS DEC - JAN 2017 www.wolvertonandgreenleystowncouncil.gov.uk By the time you read this, we should have planted 600 winter pansies in planters around the area and many new bulbs generously donated by Tesco, Dobbies and the manager of B&M- thank you. We were pleased to be joined by Cheryl with her three children and Jessica who responded to our request for help on Wolverton Massive. The summer bedding plants have looked good well into the autumn. Next Spring, Furze Way will have a swathe of daffodils and narcissi at each end of the central grassy area, planted with help from youngsters from the Ridgeway New Life Church in their half-term. They also cleared an overgrown patch of Hodge Furze Allotments where raised beds for wheelchair users are planned. We have planted tulip, daffodil and crocus bulbs around the War Memorial, using a grant from MK Ward Councillor Rob Middleton. Your Town Council and the In-Bloom group will look after this in future as Milton Keynes Council can no longer afford to put in bedding plants twice a year. We were pleased to get a Silver-Gilt Award again from the judges. The planting all around was praised including the Community Orchard and the Urb Farm, however we lose marks each year for litter, fly- posting and lack of business support. We hope to do better on these aspects in future. Next year the chosen colour scheme is gold, lilac and white. Thank-you to all of you who have looked after a doorstep planter or a logroll planter or a raised bed. We rely on all these very local contributions. If you can come out for a couple of hours a week to join our tiny core team doing public gardening, please let us know via the Town Council Office on 01908 326800. If you live on Greenleys and like the look of the logroll planters and would be willing to look after a new one put around your own road sign, please get in touch. We can start it all off but we need a nearby resident to do the watering, dead-heading and weeding as necessary.