Tidmarsh with Sulham Parish Magazine SPRINGSPRING 20212021 TRADDITIONALL BRITIISH VALLUES Tidmarsh RGG8 8HG We provvideid allll garaage servicess for your caaar “Alec“ Alec Issigonis inventedinventted the Mini in 1959. It became a symbol of true Britishness, trusstworthiness and reliabilityy.. Our PPR Motors team has been aapplyingpplying ththehe same important values for overveer 30 years.” FFREE localocall collection & deliv vvevery service JAASON, Techniciane at PR Motors Email: [email protected] Webeb: prmotors.biztors.biz Tel:e 00118 9844 4889 Opening times: Mon-Fri: 77:30am - 5:30pm Editorial As I write, the sun is shining, temperatures are mild, blossom is appearing everywhere and our lockdown end is in sight! Many of us have already had our first vaccinaUions and some even the second! The lighter evenings are here and hopefully we have a lovely summer to look forward to. I would like to thank the Parish Council for agreeing to a grant in order that we can conUinue publishing this magazine. Over the past few years’, we have managed to fund the producUion of the magazine from adverUising revenue. Last year, not surprisingly, we had less adverUising and funds were getUing very low. We are now in a healthy posiUion thanks to the Grant and adverUising renewals. Whilst on the subject of the Parish Council, I had some feedback that it would be good to know a bit more about the people that represent the villages. In this issue we have three Councillor profiles and I hope that we will be able to feature the remaining two in the next issue. I would like to also extend a thank you to a couple from The Street in Tidmarsh who were out along Mill Lane litter picking a few weeks back. My husband stopped to speak to them and took the bag of rubbish from them to put in our skip. Unfortunately, he did not ask their names but you know who you are and thank you for braving the traRfic and elements to Uidy up Mill Lane/Sulham Hill which does seem to be the road of choice where drivers passing through choose to throw their rubbish out of their car windows! Sadly, we say a fond farewell to Fi Warren-Smith and her family who moved from Oaklands Farm at the beginning of March. Fi generously stepped in and opened her gardens and grounds to host the Village Fete in 2018 and has been a great supporter of village life and our fetes over the 19 years she has lived here. We wish her every happiness in her new home in Upper Basildon. And we can welcome Sean O’Leary and Elizabeth Perkins along with children Oliver, Harry and Grace who are the new owners of Oaklands Farm. Thank you to all those who have sent in arUicles for this issue – oSten my pleas are answered by the same loyal supporters but I am delighted to say things have proved to be diRferent this issue and we have some new contributors and it seems that most people feel the magazine is valued and both villagers and Parish Councils would like it to conUinue for the foreseeable future. In support of this view, I had a lovely message from Linda Price of Tidmarsh, as follows “Just to say thank you so much for producing the magazine in these trying and depressing Uimes: what you do is so valued and appreciated”. Makes it all worthwhile!! Jenny Cope, Editor ([email protected], tel: 0774 777 5900) 3 tidmarsh with sulham parish council BudgEt sEt for 2021-22 with a 5% incrEasE in thE prEcEpt Councillors have agreed to set the Parish’s part of households’ Council Tax bills (the precept) at £8,652 for the forthcoming financial year. This would be an average of £28.69 per year for a Band D property, a rise of £1.37 from the previous year. The precept had previously remained at £8,240 for 3 years, the increase of £412 came in conjuncUion with increased budgets for staRf costs (an extra £1,493) and grants (an extra £1,084). Following a staRfing review the Clerk, Jennie Currie, was awarded addiUional hours each month and her salary remains in line with naUional pay scales for local government oRficers. The increase in the grants budget has come about aSter a review of the current funding provided to the Tidmarsh Millennium Green Trust. The Trust is a separate body to the Council yet in recent years all of the Trust’s expenses have been paid directly by the Council. During 2021 the current trustees will step down and the Parish Council will become the sole trustee. The current trustees include a number of people who organised the creaUion of the Millennium Green in 1999 and oversaw its management, including many years of fundraising. The increased amount provided to the Trust will ensure a fund is established to maintain the trees and hedging and for future upgrades of the gates and fencing. The budgeted expenditure is significantly higher than the income. The Council has decided to have a deficit budget due to the high level of unrestricted reserves that it holds in addiUion to developers’ contribuUions that the Council retains from the IKEA development and more recent minor developments. The agreed budget will be published on the Council’s website www.Uidmarshwithsulham.co.uk. Parish Clerk, Jennie Currie, [email protected], 01635 580190 4 tidmarsh with sulham parish council parish councillors StarUing in this issue, we thought you might like to know a little more about our Parish Councillors . Jon Chishick I have lived in Tidmarsh for 33 years, since July 1987. I graduated from Oxford with an Engineering Science degree in 1972 and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1975. I reUired early in 2001 aSter working for 23 years for an American Investment Bank in Asia, New York and London. I have been a governor for 26 years of Englefield C of E Primary school, the catchment primary school for Tidmarsh and Sulham, and was also a governor of Theale Green, our local secondary school, for 17 years. I am married with three sons who all attended Englefield and Theale Green and four grandchildren. I have represented the parish council on the AWE Local Liaison Committee since 2007 and am also the council’s representaUive on the Neighbourhood AcUion Group (NAG) which is the liaison between local parishes and the police. Sima Elliot I’m Sima and have lived in Tidmarsh since 2011. I work for a research company and also volunteer to support young children within the local community. I enjoy all sports and love a good game of chess! Steve Webb (Vice-Chairman) I’ve lived in Sulham since 2007 and joined the Parish Council a couple of years later, at the insUigaUion of my neighbour Ted who was looking to step down aSter lengthy service. Having worked in IT for many years, I set up the parish website (with the help of another resident) as the villages came together and drew up our parish plan in 2008. Amongst other things, the website serves as our repository of Parish Council documents and the online version of our excellent Parish Magazine. Since I’m always out walking my dogs, I’ve naturally a keen interest in the state of our footpaths and the access we’re all lucky to enjoy locally. It’d be fair to say the West Berkshire “report a problem” website receives a good number of reports as I spot things. I’d encourage all residents to use it to keep the council informed of any issues you noUice: https://www.westberks.gov.uk/reportaproblem. 5 nEws innovator award for Young tidmarsh BusinEssman Christopher Elliot runs Untrapped Ltd, a one-stop student rental resource providing advice to tenants and landlords. He has won a presUigious award for this ground-breaking business. The Young Innovator Awards are run by Innovate UK and The Prince’s Trust. They recognise the business iniUiaUives of young people, especially those said to demonstrate significant social or philanthropic value. In all, 64 recipients are set to be announced this year. Untrapped aims to improve market standards and reduce the cost of renUing for both parUies. Christopher, aged 23, is the son of Parish Councillor, Sima Elliot. He comments, “Untrapped’s oRfering will significantly reduce the total cost of student letUing, improve compliance and drive the overall market standards. I am both thrilled and honoured to have been selected for the Innovate UK aware. I hope the funding and support will enable me to soSt test the produce in at least two major ciUies in the UK”. Christopher’s award includes a £5000 grant, personal business coaching and an allowance covering living expenses. Do you have a success story you would like to share? Please contact the editor – [email protected]. Dear Jenny I would like to say, what a delight it has been to see the beauFiful lights outside Coltmoor Cottages these past few weeks, they have cheered us up no end on our drive home from work, during these dark Winter months. I understand that they were put up to add some much needed cheer, during these troubled Fimes. Thank you very much Mick and Karen Fountaine, you have brightened up our days! Valerie Chick 6 nEws tidmarsh villagE hall nEws During the last year use of the village hall has been very limited due to Covid 19. We put in place all safety requirements and hosted a variety of events whilst classes were permitted. The hall has been kept in good repair and will be available subject to the progress of the government road map.