Longney & Epney Dates for Parish Newsletter November & December 2020 your Diary November & December 2020 Parish Council Meeting The next meeting is scheduled for the 23rd November 2020. Due to latest Covid A big “Thank You” to Rachel Williams for this sunset photo. The reflection guidelines it will be via looks like a Poppy which is fitting for November and Remembrance a Zoom meeting. Sunday! If you wish to join this please email Longney & Epney clerk@longneyandep- Village Calendar 2021 neyparish.co.uk for the password. This year the wonderful Nikki Leach has created a village calendar with some fabulous images of our parish! The calendars have now sold out and the sales will be donated to Longney Primary Academy School. Due to Covid the usual fundraising events have had to be cancelled so they would like to say a very big “Thank You” to everyone who has purchased one and to the fabulous photographers whose pictures were used! We always love sharing pictures of the villages in the newsletter, on Facebook and our website so please send them in if you have taken a special one! 2 Church Graveyard Maintenance Covid/Lockdown Village Help Group As we find ourselves in another lockdown we would just like to remind everyone that we still have a group of volunteers on hand to help anyone shielding or vulnerable in the villages. Offers of help for shopping, collecting prescriptions etc. are still available and we ask that This fabulous group of people got themselves very busy on a Saturday you check on any morning in October clearing the Ivy from the gravestones in Longney neighbours that may need churchyard. Organised by Tom Whittaker, Churchwarden, they spent three hours snipping, chopping and clearing! a little extra help at the moment. They have done an amazing job and deserve a big “Thank You” from Should you or anyone you everyone who has a loved one at rest in Longney Church. know need assistance please feel free to email clerk@longneyandepney- parish.co.uk and Nikki will arrange a kind volunteer to help. This is the huge pile of Ivy cut down and the clear headstones after the hard work was done! A delicious fruit cake was provided by Gill Farmer and some beverages were provided by Tom, the contents of which cannot possibly be shared but there may have been a few more volunteers if this information had been available prior to the event!! Great work guys, another example of village teamwork! 3 2021 Stroud District Council Road Closures Elections Below is some information the Parish Council has received from Stroud District Council regarding the 2021 elections. LOOKING AHEAD TO THE 2021 ELECTIONS. Following the postponement of the 2020 Elections due to Covid-19 we would like to provide you with a brief update as we start to look ahead to Thursday 6th May 2021. Planning is already underway and we would like to reassure you that our Wicks Green to highest priority is the safety of our staff and our electorate. We are cur- Waterend Lane & rently undertaking initial work with regard to all aspects of our Polling Manor Farm to Yew Stations. Tree Farm AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET INVOLVED In anticipation of a possible shortfall in our usual Polling Station staffing These roads will be closed levels, coupled with the need to be able to offer short notice cover for on 22nd November 2020 to last minute cases of self-isolation we would very much like to add new allow for works by BT staff to our Team. Openreach. If you think you would enjoy the experience of being right at the heart of the democratic process and would like to find out more about the role and rates of pay, please get in touch direct via email: elec- Downend Barn to [email protected] Yew Tree Farm All applicants must be over 18, not a member of a political party, eligible This road will be closed to work in the UK and available for the whole day and evening of th from 27 November 2020 Thursday 6th May 2021. th to 30 November 2020 to allow for works by BT Openreach. 4 Planned Environment Agency Severn Bore Tide Times Floodrisk Management Works Below is an extract of the Environment Agency Newsletter from June 2020. This should have been communicated to the village but for th reasons Covid related and reduced staffing this was somehow missed. Mon 16 Nov Residents living along the area of works were clearly concerned when Epney 08.02am contractors turned up with no notice or explanation. The works seem to be completed now but as per the newsletter the footpath will remain 9.9m 3 Star *** closed for a period of time to allow for the grass to grow. “The Environment Agency is planning a series of flood risk management Epney 20.23pm and environmental works in the parish of Fretherne with Saul during 9.9m 3 Star *** 2020 and 2021. In 2020 we will be carrying out refurbishment of three earth flood embankments. In 2021 we will be making repairs to the River Frome outfall in Upper Framilode and carrying out further environmental works on the River Frome. All works will be carried out th Tue 17 Nov being mindful of Coronavirus (COVID-19) safe working practices. Epney 08.43am Works in 2020 9.7m 3 Star*** Two of the earth flood embankments are on the River Severn in Epney and Fretherne. One is on the River Frome in Upper Framilode. The Epney 21.06am refurbishments on the Severn embankments are to restore the levels of low areas that have developed over time since the embankments were 9.4m 2 Star ** last refurbished in the 1990s. The occurrence of low areas is not uncommon, and is usually as a result of natural settlement of material, damage, or animal and vehicle traffic. On the Frome, the work will be to repair and prevent further damage caused by badgers. Together these earth flood embankments help protect over 270 properties in the parish from flooding. The works are planned to begin in July 2020, starting with the earth flood embankment in Epney. It is anticipated that we will be at each site for about four weeks and that construction should be finished in late autumn 2020. The sites at Epney and Fretherne are crossed by public footpaths. These footpaths will be temporarily closed for the duration of the works and a period of time afterwards to allow grass to grow on the embankments. This is because vegetation stabilises the soil and prevents erosion.” To see the full newsletter please Follow the link below:- https://www.longneyandepneyparish.co.uk/post?s=2020-10-27-envi- ronment-agency-planned-river-bank-works 5 Christmas Church Services Church Services Longney & Elmore Nov & Dec 2020 Sunday 15th November No Service Sunday 22nd November The Christmas services at our Churches will be a little different this year due to Covid and social distancing rules. No Service th Nine Lessons and Carols Sunday 6 December This service will be held on Sunday 20th December at Longney Church, Parish Eucharist at 6.30pm. Elmore 9.30am This will be a ticketed event and limited to fifty spaces. There is no th charge for the tickets, and you can reserve your space by following the Sunday 13 December link at the bottom of this page. Parish Eucharist at Midnight Mass Longney 9.30am This year Midnight Mass will be held at Elmore and will start at Evensong at 11.15pm. Again, as above, there will be limited spaces and ticket only. Elmore 4.00pm Christmas Day th Sunday 20 December This service will be at Longney, 9.30am. Christmas Day Nine Lessons & Carols service will not be ticketed as the Church feel social Longney 6.30pm distancing will be maintained without an issue. Christmas Eve Click on the link below to reserve your ticket for either of the above Midnight Mass services. Please note the event page will go live on the 22nd November 2020. Elmore 11.15pm Christmas Day https://bookings.hardwicke-elmore-longney.church Longney 9.30am .