The Caldy Society THE CALDY Newsletter Autumn 2019 SOCIETY Open Gardens 2020 Dates Tour of Britain visits Caldy Autumn Events Conservation & Planning Updates Follow us on FACEBOOK Visit our website for Search for “CaldyVillage” up to date news: www.caldysociety.org Follow us on TWITTER @CaldyVillage THE CALDY Committee Caroline Evans (Chairman) 07816 237 532 [email protected] Donald Lamont (Treasurer & Membership) 625 8122 [email protected] Eve Sorrell (Secretary) 625 0244 [email protected] Jacqui Walsby Tickle 625 6953 [email protected] SOCIETY Julie Kirwan 07771 733 334 [email protected] Nick Lean (Planning) 625 1549 [email protected] David Lawrence (Website) 625 2484 [email protected] Penny Hall (Minutes) [email protected] The Planning Sub Committee Nick Lean 625 1549 Roger White 625 6800 David James 625 6846 Elwyn Edwards The Tree & Planting Sub Committee Marg Kalil 625 5961 Judy Wilcox [email protected] Richard Williams 625 1445 Jacqui Walsby Tickle 625 6953 Rachel Summers 625 7604 John Casson 07885 716 224 Jean Taylor 625 5653 Subscriptions [email protected] Caldy Society AGM Looking to future events, next spring’s AGM will be held at Caldy Golf Club. Look out for emails for further information. If we don’t have your email address please get in touch with any of the committee members or if you would prefer a quick phone call to update you with events again contact us. Summer Notes from the Chairman This last year has been a busy one for the Society, with our usual involvement in Planning Applications and green belt issues. Although we take expert advice and support petitions by local residents about Planning issues, we are not always successful in our efforts to protect the character of the Village. Perhaps the new Leader of Wirral Borough Council may take a fresh approach. I recently attended a Planning Committee meeting, on behalf of the petitioners opposing the development at Roselands. It was an interesting experience, observing the wide variety of developments across the Wirral with which the Councillors have to deal. Turning next to Green Belt issues, we are in active communication with the WGSA (Wirral Green Spaces Alliance), an umbrella organisation for several different residents groups and other parties interested in protecting the Green Belt across Wirral. It has been felt in the past that the Council did not pay sufficient attention to the concern and suggestions of the many experienced professionals within this group. As I understand it, quite often no acknowledgement was given to communications from WGSA, never mind a considered reply. However, I believe a more positive relationship is developing, as the Council still has not published its (much delayed) Local Plan. While the Committee has not seen any changes in Personnel since my last update, Mr David Lawrence, who has been our liaison with WGSA, has had to step down from that role and we are urgently seeking someone to take his place. Once again, we shall be offering several social events in the Autumn (see notes in this Newsletter) which I hope you will enjoy. Any suggestions for other future events would be welcomed. The Society would be interested to know whether members would welcome emails from time to time about local break-ins. We do not wish to overwhelm our Members with emails but we do want to keep you all informed. Please let the Committee know your views on this, or any other subject we can help with. Have a very pleasant summer in our lovely village. Caroline Evans Caldy Open Gardens 2020 Our next Caldy Open Gardens will be on Sunday 24 May 2020 from 1pm- 5.30pm We already have about 14 gardens opening, four of which are brand new. For the first time, there will also be a Children’s Fairy Garden with face painting, and the live owls will be back. Tea and home-made cakes will be on offer, plus BBQ food, ice cream and other goodies to eat and drink. Yet again, there will be an extensive plant sales site, plus a select group of Wirral Artisans will be showcasing and selling their work. It’s a date for the diary not to be missed, with all proceeds going to a local charity For more information contact us at [email protected] Carols on the Green Is it too soon to mention the C word? Well, sorry to offend but our Carols on the Green this Christmas will be on Sunday 15 December. This is our free annual event so join us for mulled wine, hot chocolate, mince pies and sausage rolls. Carols will be 6pm on the Green, then weather permitting, more Carols around the tree and onto the Church Hall for refreshments. Don’t forget your torches! Blue Plaque Unveiled A Blue Plaque commemorating the renowned Wirral born science fiction author, William Olaf Stapledon, was unveiled at Simons Bridge, Caldy on the Wirral Way on Friday 10 May 2019. Wirral’s Mayor, Cllr Geoffrey Watt, performed the official unveiling and some family memories were shared with the audience by Olaf’s two grandsons. Olaf had bought part of a field in Caldy in the 1950’s and built a house for his family called Simon’s Field and is adjacent to Simons Bridge. The Stapledon name was suggested to Conservation Areas Wirral (CAW) by Justin McDonald, local actor and film maker, who had achieved the exclusive rights last year to create a short film based upon Olaf’s spellbinding story “A Modern Magician”. The film has been shot entirely on location in Merseyside and it is hoped to arrange a screening later in the year although it is already being shown at Festivals in America. (Check out Elevator Productions for more information) This article is reproduced from the CAW website, with kind permission. This is the 7th Blue Plaque commissioned by CAW. Help & Thanks This is my last newsletter as I will be leaving Caldy Society Committee due to other commitments. So we are looking for people to help in the Committee and all that happens in the village. I would particularly like to thank my fellow colleagues and a huge vote of thanks to Jon Tarrant of Jon Tarrant Creative Services for the magic he does in turning my notes into a lovely and readable newsletter. Eve Sorrell Tour Of Britain Visits Caldy On Wednesday 11 September Stage will offer great views! 5 of the Tour of Britain cycle race The Church Hall will be open for comes to Wirral it will start and finish refreshments and toilets, and we in Birkenhead Park. hope you will come along to enjoy the It will pass along Caldy Road and spectacle. through West Kirby in the early We will try to put any local road afternoon. As it will be going right closures on our email as soon as we past Caldy Church, the bends there have them. Fish and Chips Quiz Night on the night as we will form teams. Friday October 11 at 7pm for a 7.30 Tickets £15 include quiz, fish and pm start. chips, and welcome glass of wine. If you have any dietary requirements Last October we had a very full please let us know we can provide Church Hall to enjoy a great fun Gluten free fish and chips or a night for our fish and chips quiz. Our vegetarian alternative. wonderful quiz masters Chris Tann and Jon Stitcher have “volunteered” Tickets are £15 from Eve Sorrell 14 to do it all again this year. Pikes Hey Road Caldy CH48 1PB or book on line at caldysociety.org Come along as a team or take pot luck Caldy Community Gardening Caldy residents come together, with a spot of ‘Community Gardening’ every now and then, trying to make a little difference in the Village. Our recent big achievement was in persuading Vodaphone to donate daffodil bulbs for us to plant at the top of Melloncroft Drive, to replace those they churned up when they erected their mast. These were planted by the Caldy Society volunteers last autumn and what a magnificent display we were treated to this spring. However, Caldy roundabout was a different matter. After the wonderful display of daffodils in the spring, we were then treated to a wonderful display of weeds. The Council had forgotten to weed it. We are currently in discussions with the Council in the hope of making Caldy roundabout look a lot smarter in the future. The Council have very recently cut down the dead silver birch which we requested and have sent their landscape architect to advise us on which plants will best tolerate such poor, dry, soil. We have had a working party to tidy up various bits of land round the Village which we feel would benefit from some TLC, such as on the corner of Links Hey Road and Croft Drive East, and Barton Hey Drive. Can you help on our ‘Community Action Days’? The sessions are only for about an hour, and we tackle one of these communal areas. Are you able to join us to help keep Caldy looking so very lovely? Or do you have any suggestions as to what other things we could do to improve the Village? Please do contact Judy Wilcox /Rachel Summers/Marg Kalil, Caldy Society Tree and Planting Group, or any of the Caldy Society Committee, if you are able to help, or have any ideas. Contact details appear in this Newsletter. Conservation & Planning Trees The Government had plans to force local Councils to consult residents before trees are cut down; if 50% of residents object to such cutting down, a public consultation must be held.