WESTMILL VILLAGE NEWS AUGUST 2016 Issue No.10 Village Party for the Queen on 11th June 2016 (see centre pages) Westmill Art Exhibition Bank Holiday Weekend 27, 28 and 29 August 2016, 10am to 5pm - Westmill Village Hall Everyone welcome Come and enjoy the many works of art on display Entry FREE OF CHARGE All works for sale This is our 30th Year! Look forward to seeing you! Information or to Exhibit; Sue on [email protected] om or Olga on 273654 Funds raised go to village charities and other local causes St Mary the Virgin, Westmill Church News Summer has now arrived and the churchyard looks at it best with the flowers in bloom beside the church path and the grass being regularly mowed. All thanks to the Friends of Westmill Church for tending the flower beds and to Michael and his team of volunteer grass cutters who at the moment are mowing away on a regular weekly basis. As mentioned in the previous church news we are hoping to start the ball rolling for toilet and kitchen facilities in the Church. We are glad to say that a start up meeting th was held with our architect, Melanie Hey, on the 20 June which went very well with a good attendance. At the present time Melanie is drawing up plans showing our proposal which is for a small building adjoining the church on the north wall housing a toilet and kitchen area. This is the proposal at the moment but could be subject to change. There is a long way to go but it is a good start. Everything is on schedule for the refurbishment of the organ which will be starting at the end of August. Discussions are ongoing with regard to the additional War Memorial in the church for Peter Mildren. On the Sunday of the Queen's 90th Birthday celebrations members of the local bell ringing team rang for half an hour (see photo above) which rounded off a weekend following the Queen’s Birthday Picnic in the Park on the Saturday. Archdeacon Venerable Dr Trevor Jones has now retired and we look forward to meeting his successor Revd Janet Mackenzie in her new capacity as Archdeacon. The Beds and Herts Churches Trust annual ‘Bike and Hike’ sponsored event is on Saturday 10th September which will soon be here. Sponsorship forms are now available at the back of the Church. Please do have a go, you can ride round as many Churches as you wish or alternatively walk. Half the money raised by the Church comes back to us. It would be good to sponsor such a good cause especially as The Trust gave us a very generous grant towards the Church roof repairs Date for your diary – don’t forget the annual Churchyard Clearance 10am on Saturday 8th October. Refreshments available. It would be great to see everyone. We hope you enjoy the rest of the summer. St Mary the Virgin Westmill PCC Herts Healthy Homes Service Herts Healthy Homes is a free information and support home-visit service funded by HCC and the NHS, to support vulnerable Hertfordshire residents. A home visit can provide a range of tailored support to help keep residents warm, safe and healthy in their homes, this includes everything from: Information and advice on energy efficiency and ways to reduce the costs of heating homes. Help accessing grants for home insulation and new boilers as well as financial support to help cover energy costs. Installation of draught-proofing and other energy efficiency items such as radiators reflector panels, water-saving shower heads and much, much more! Referrals to free services available including fire and home safety visits, falls prevention, smoke free teams, community meals, gardening support and more. Advice on staying healthy and hydrated and information on exercise classes locally with free items including pedomet ers and cooling fans. If you, or someone you know, needs help or support to stay healthy and well at home call HertsHelp on 0300 123 4044 and quote 'HOME 1’ Calls are local rate and cost no more than a national rate call to an 01 or 02 number. Lines are open Mon - Fri 8am to 6pm. Regards, Derrick Sweeney Watch Liaison Officer Neighbourhood Watch Email: [email protected] Tel: 01707 355841 Successive generations of humans have modified the appearance of the landscape through the creation of fields, enclosed parks, roads and settlements of varying sizes while leaving areas of woodland here and there. In his recent talk to Society members, Tony Morton told us about woodlands in and around the Hundred Parishes, many of which are Essex Wildlife Trust nature reserves. He explained the special features of such flower-rich ancient woodlands and discussed the traditional management techniques required to maintain them. During the 18th century those with extensive estates developed a passion for large scale landscape improvement and 2016 marks the tercentenary of the birth of Lancelot “Capability” Brown. He is remembered for his involvement in over 170 parks across the country, many of which still survive. An astute project manager, he was nicknamed "Capability" because he would convince his clients that their estate had capability for improvement. He had an effective team of contractors who were able to implement his recommendations, many requiring reconfiguration of lakes and substantial plantings of trees. Brown’s skill was to reshape these parks and gardens from formal geometric plots into more natural pastoral scenes, creating the vision of the English countryside we know today. His local commissions included the wonderful grounds at Audley End House. Brown was also involved at Hatfield Forest, which is well worth a visit at any time of the year. This August, to help commemorate Brown’s actual birthday, there is the added attraction of 18th-century themed teas! We are fortunate that the local area also includes some wonderful private gardens which are holding open days in the coming month. Details of these and other opportunities for days out can be found on the What’s On page of our website: www.hundredparishes.org.uk Tricia Moxey, Trustee WESTMILL PARISH COUNCIL The last WPC meeting was held on the 12th May in the Village Hall. The minutes are available to view on our Westmill Parish Council website (www.westmillparishcouncil.co.uk). The parish council, along with several villagers, have continually been putting pressure on Hertfordshire Highways to get the verges cut back, specifically at the north junction from the village on to the A10. This is a dangerous junction at the best of times, but made much more so when vision is severely restricted with the high growth of nettles, weeds, etc. Eventually we managed to get this done but we continue to remind Highways that this requires attention every few weeks in the growing season. East Herts Council (EHC) are presently carrying out a review of the Westmill Conservation Area (WCA). This has involved several meetings between the WPC Chairman with the Assistant Conservation Officer. The EHC proposals will be shared with the other parish councillors in late August. This will be followed by EHC then holding a village meeting / exhibition, probably in late September, to discuss their draft report with parishioners. There will then be a consultation period when they will welcome views and comments before the WCA is finalised. The next Parish Council meeting will be held on the 14th September at 7.30pm in the village hall. Mike McRae, Chairman, WPC CAN YOU SPARE A LITTLE TIME? The Friends of Westmill Church are looking for some help in maintaining the flower beds along the Church Path. At present the flower beds are maintained by a group of 8 people working in pairs who take a monthly responsibility throughout the year to keep them tidy and weeded. In the Summer months this usually involves 2 visits during the month taking about 1 hour. In the Winter months 1 visit is usually sufficient and if we could recruit, say another 4 people, then the rota would only involve being called upon twice a year. If you wish to help please ring Winston on 01763 273519 or email at [email protected]. T & MGreg Trust The work to all the front windows at our Grade 11 listed cottages on Pilgrims Close, facing the village green, has now been completed. This has also included the complete exterior decoration of these properties. The trustees are very pleased with the work carried out which has considerably improved the appearance of these lovely cottages. Our annual Children's Playground inspection is due to take place this month, so we await this independent report to ensure this village facility meets safety standards. The grass is being cut every 10 days through the growing season along with strimming to the surrounds to the field as necessary. We are sure people will enjoy seeing the two shire horses now 'living' in the Trust's grazing field adjacent to the Recreation Field. Interior decoration of the Village Hall is due to take place in early August before the annual Art Exhibition holds its 30th anniversary exhibition over the August Bank Holiday weekend. The trustees wish them every success with this special Westmill event. Mike McRae WESTMILL EVENTS – FORTHCOMING ACTIVITIES. After the successful picnic we are arranging a th on Saturday 8 October at 7.15 in the Village Hall. This is after the annual church yard clear-up. A fish and chips supper will be provided. Tables will be of 6 people. Final details, including how to obtain tickets, will be circulated in September.