Village News Issue 108 December 2019 Page 2 Theydon Bois Christmas Market Village News Issue 108 December 2019 Page 3 Theydon Bois Christmas Market (continued) More photos may be found on the Village Website www.theydon.org.uk Village Christmas Market - A Very Big Thank You to Everyone The amount raised by our Charity Collection for Voluntary Action Epping Forest was £1,088.88 (a record), your generosity is much appreciated. Thanks also to our shopkeepers for their generous contributions and support for our market this year, and also to all of the Stallholders who supported it. We hope you all had a successful evening. Finally, thank you again to Theydon Beauty and Butler & Stag for providing power for the artificial shop trees. Village News Issue 108 December 2019 Page 4 Parish Council Chairman’s Report With Christmas rapidly approaching may I first wish everybody a very happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year from all of us at the Parish Council. I am writing this article prior to the Village Christmas Market and the Lighting of the Christmas Tree, and hope and trust that all who did attend had an enjoyable time! I would like to thank all those who have been involved in organizing this event as I am well aware that a lot of effort goes into ensuring that the event runs as smoothly as possible. I would also, of course, like to thank the shopkeepers for their ongoing support. Following my article in the last edition of Village News regarding vacancies on the Parish Council, I was delighted to hear from several people who expressed an interest in joining our team of Councillors. There is a formal process which needs to be followed before we can co-opt additional people onto the Council, but I hope to be in a position to introduce some new Councillors to you shortly. I would also like to thank those who put forward suggestions for improving the shopping area in the Village. You will see from Cllr Anthony Purkiss’ Highways Report that we met with Essex Highways and a Street Design Consultant. We put forward suggestions for consideration, however, unfortunately these were mainly dismissed on cost grounds. One of the issues being the number of services laid in the pavements i.e. telephone and electricity cables, water, gas etc. Moving these or even raising the level of the access covers to these services is cost prohibitive at this time. Another matter worthy of discussion is the condition of the Village Pond and the ditches which feed in and out of it. Following a meeting with the City of London, work has recently been carried out strimming around the ditches and clearing one of the islands in the pond, the latter having become heavily overgrown and reportedly infested with rats. I am aware that there has been some negative feedback on the work done here. I would therefore welcome any views people may have on the condition of the pond, as it is likely that any significant improvements to the ditches and pond will need to be funded by the Parish Council or at least match funded with the City of London. On a positive note, I am happy to announce that the Parish Council now has it’s own website and can be found via the following link: https://theydonbois-pc.gov.uk/ This does not replace our Village Website but will sit alongside it carrying specific Parish Council news and information. Any views on the website are welcome. Again, I would like to thank all those involved in bringing this project to fruition. As we come to the end of another year there is a further group of people I would like to mention. They are the willing volunteers who deliver the Village Newsletter you are reading now. Thank you it is very much appreciated! Don’t forget monthly meetings of the Parish Council take place in the Village Hall on the last Thursday of each month (except in August and December). CLLR. PETER GOOCH Full Parish Council Meetings for the first three months in 2020 These are an opportunity to hear of issues affecting our village. Please come along and see your Parish Council in action. Towards the end of the meeting there will be a point where you will be able to have your say. 30th Jan Parish Council Meeting with Public Participation - 8pm - Village Hall 27th Feb Parish Council Meeting with Public Participation - 8pm - Village Hall 26th Mar Parish Council Meeting with Public Participation - 8pm - Village Hall Village News Issue 108 December 2019 Page 5 Parish Council Highways Committee Report It has been a busy quarter for the Highways Committee of the Parish Council and we are pleased to announce that the much-anticipated works to the kerbs in Purlieu Way will be undertaken at the end of November/ beginning of December. The Parish Council has worked hard to resolve this issue in Purlieu Way, committing £6,000 in funds, which Essex County Council has agreed to match. The Highways Committee is aware of the potholes which currently exist in Woburn Avenue, Graylands, the junction of Morgan Crescent and Orchard Drive. There have been concerted efforts, with the help of County Councillor Chris Whitbread, to arrange for their repair. Unfortunately, liaising with the Highways Authority continues to be a very frustrating and time- consuming process. Where permissible, the Parish Council will explore alternative options to improve the situation. The Parish Council canvassed the views of Villagers and the shop owners in Forest Drive ahead of a meeting with a street designer from Ringway Jacobs. The aim of this meeting was to explore options for the re-design of the shopping area in the Village and to address issues around the lack of parking. The findings of the street designer ruled out any major re- configuration since the road is prohibitively narrow for any alternative layout. Ideas around raising the level of the pavements were also ruled out on the basis of being too costly. However, the Parish Council will continue to explore more modest improvements as well as other parking solutions. The Corporation of London met with the Highways Committee at the end of the Summer to address maintenance issues around the Green. In particular, it had been reported to the Parish Council that the Pond (see left) was looking overgrown in places, that the ditch (running along the back of the Green near Woburn Avenue) was in need of attention and some of the pathways were in need of resurfacing. Accordingly, the Corporation of London has already trimmed one of the islands in the Pond, strimmed around the ditch and they have suggested that they would be keen to work with the Parish Council in the future, on a match funding basis, to resolve further issues. The Highways Committee is currently in the process of obtaining quotes for the resurfacing of the pathways and hopes to resolve this issue in the near future. CLLR. ANTHONY PURKISS Village News Issue 108 December 2019 Page 6 Bugs seem to be everywhere during the colder months - The best way for you to stay well is to do everything you can to prevent yourself from getting ill in the first place – or if you fall ill, to take the right steps to get better quickly to stop things from getting worse. You can treat many minor health conditions without seeing a GP. Top tips from Sailesh and the team at Theydon Bois Pharmacy are: Keep a well stocked medicine cabinet at home with over the counter medicines suitable for you and your family. Medicine Cabinet Essentials are Simple painkillers like paracetamol and ibuprofen Sore throat, coughs, colds and flu medications Heartburn and indigestion remedies Anti-diarrhoea medication Rehydration salts Allergy medicines Pile (haemorrhoid) treatments First aid kit including plasters and bandages Visit your pharmacist at the first signs of illness for advice and over the counter medicines. Discuss about what medicines are suitable for you and your family, particularly if this includes children as they may require something different to you. Get a flu vaccination – it’s free if you fall into one of the eligible criteria. For emergency or life threatening conditions, call 999 or go to the nearest accident and emergency department at a hospital. If you are unsure what to do or you have an urgent need, call 111. You can call 111 at any time of day or night. They will give you professional advice and support, and will make sure you get the care you need whether that be advice on self care, booking a GP appointment, signposting to a pharmacist for advice, booking you into an urgent treatment centre or if it’s more serious calling an ambulance. Village News Issue 108 December 2019 Page 7 District Councillors’ Column The autumn this year at Council has been really quite a busy time. Although many things are in progress, most have not yet reached completion. However, in September, the Council passed a motion, seconded by John, to declare a climate emergency. This will focus our minds to do everything we can to address our carbon footprint. We are particularly looking at areas that we can influence through our Local Plan, including the production of an Air Quality Management Plan. Additionally, we are preparing a guide for developers and developments to maximise their sustainability. We will continue to let you know what measures are being taken. Tied into this, it is important to remind you that the more that we can recycle, then the less waste has to go to landfill.