There
was a good turn out at the 2010 Produce Show on Saturday 28th
August. If you click on the thumbnail image on the right you can
see from the photos in this montage, kindly submitted by newcomers to
the village, Catherine Perkington and Allan Culbard, there were some
splendid entries and a good time was had by all.
Pipeline Company Pays for New Produce Show Tent and Footpath Improvements 24/08/2010
National Grid, the company behind
the gas pipeline which has been built across the parish, has fully
funded a new tent for the Produce Show and some remedial work on the
footpath which runs beside the River Coln in Sevenhampton.
Produce Show Committee Chairman, John Benson, said:
“National Grid has been working in the area since the spring laying the
gas pipeline. We've met a lot of their teams and thought we'd
approach them for some help. We're really pleased with the new
tent and their support means the funds we raise will go directly to
benefit the community, rather than paying back the loan we had to take
out to purchase it. There is an added benefit too, as we're
planning on hiring the 6mx12m tent out for other village events
throughout the year to raise further funds.”
The company has also provided £2,250 funding for remedial work which is
needed to stop the footpath which runs alongside the River Coln in
Lower Sevenhampton from slipping into the stream.
Thanking the company for the grant Sevenhampton Parish Clerk, Ann van Rossem said:
"...may I say that listening to the local householders over the course
of the last few months there has been nothing but praise for National
Grid and the way they have handled the massive operation."
National Grid project manager, Mark Beard, said: “National Grid
always tries to support the communities temporarily affected by
pipeline construction work. We're delighted to be able to help
the Brockhampton Show as a way of saying thank-you, and wish them every
success for this and future years.”
Show Entries Must be in by Wednesday 25th August 19/08/2010
A436 to Close for Urgent Bridge Repairs 9th to 13th August 07/08/2010
Gloucestershire Higways issued the following notice on Friday August 6th 2010:-
"Please be advised of the following URGENT road closure.
A436. Andoversford
This road will be closed at the disused at the rail bridge at Shipton
from approximately 7:30am on Monday 9th August until Friday 13th August
2010 to allow for emergency brickwork repairs to the bridge itself. The
works will be carried out by Hammond (ECS) Ltd on behalf of the British
Railway Boards (Residuary).
If you should require further information regarding this closure please contact this office on 08000 514514.
Debbie Palmer
Roadspace Coordinator
Gloucestershire County Council"
A
small clapper
bridge* has been
unearthed at Donnywell over the stream which runs into the
Coln
at that point. Sevenhampton parish council had been intending to
improve the look at Donnywell by placing a large stone slab over the
bridge but when the undergrowth was cleared in preparation for
this vice-chairman Bill Lanfear discovered that there was a small
clapper bridge already in place.
The parish council is now intending to refurbish this bridge, replacing
any stones if necessary.
*A clapper bridge is a structure designed to
carry a trackway across a river by means of one or more large, flat
stone slabs, either resting directly on the river banks or supported on
dry-stone piers. top
Pipeline - Road now Open 18/06/2010 updated 24/06/2010
The
road running East out of
Brockhampton which was closed intermittently on Tuesday and Wednesday
this week has now been re-opened. The closure was to enable the
gas pipeline contractors to excavate the trench across the road. The
geology of the site prevented the implementation of original plan to
tunnel the pipe under the road without the need to close it.
The
official notice stated that the closure would start on Monday 21st June
for a period of seven days although the actual closure times were a lot
less than this.
The official diversion route was via Granna Lane and Baker's Wood lane.
Sevenhampton Parish Council Chairman Bill Jenkin queried the use of
Baker's Wood Lane for the diversion, "The road is single track, in a
dreadful condition - something which we have been regularly complaining
about to Gloucestershire Highways, and there are virtually no passing
places". top
Waste Collection Days Changed on 14th June 17/5/2010 updated 28/05/2010
Cotswold
District Council are introducing new refuse and recycling collection
rounds, to simplify arrangements and increase efficiency. This will be
introduced over the fortnight beginning Monday 14th June. Each
household will soon receive details of the new rounds, advising them of
the new collection arrangements, together with new collection calendars.
The District Council estimates that the total annual savings could be
as much as £70,000.
One advantage of the new system is that it will be the same collection
day for all (CDC) areas of the villages - there will no longer be a
different day for Lower Sevenhampton and Brockhampton Mews . The new collection day for Sevenhampton and
Brockhampton will be Thursday.
The first new collection will be on Thursday 17th June (food &
garden waste only) The following Thursday (24th June) will be a full
collection.
The Changes only apply to the parts of the village which come under
Cotswold District Council, Tewkesbury Borough residents will continue
to have collections on Wednes-days. top
Colin Rosser Memorial 26/05/10
The
Parish Council has made a recommendation for a memorial to Colin Rosser
that it would like some comments on. The idea is to plant a
tree and put a semi-circular stone bench round it on “the triangle”
near the post box in Brockhampton. Being close to Colin’s home
and with his horticultural passion, it seems an appropriate way to
celebrate a life.
At the March Parish Meeting, the Chairman paid tribute to the
enthusiasm with which Colin had embraced local
activities.
From the moment Colin moved in he played the fullest part in village
life including a stint as chairman of the Parish Council. He was active
on committees supporting the Produce Show, Village Hall, Garden Club
and BADS. The Parish Council has been asked by these organisations, in
consultation with Yvonne and family, to devise a fitting memorial in
the village for Colin and would like to appeal for your ideas.
Any comments to the parish clerk, Ann van Rossem at the Old Shop,
Brockhampton. tel. 820718,
. top
Emergency Planning Questionnaire updated 1/4/10
Following
the floods of 2007 a number of towns and villages have been drawing up
plans for local support in various emergencies. The need for this was
highlighted earlier this year with the isolation caused by the snow and
ice.
To this end, a questionnaire has been distributed in order to put
together a list of local people/resources available in emergency - how
could you help and what skills or resources could you could offer?
Although the recent bad weather is still in our minds this plan should
also be able to take other types of emergency on board e.g. long term
disruption to water/power supplies, chemical spillage or gas leak (it
could be a LPG tank).
Please
download the sheets from here and take a few moments to fill it in
so that we can draw up a really effective plan.
Further information from Anne van Rossem (820718) or Lynne
Jackson (820408) top
Waste
Collections Back to Normal. updated 28/01/10
Due to the snow and icy conditions
on roads in much of
the Cotswolds, the Waste collection service has been affected recently.
The current official line from Cotswold District Council reads as
follows:
"All waste and recycling collections are now
fully back to normal."
Parish Council - no to "formal" Street Names but local map instead 26/11/09 updated 28/01/10
The
Parish Council has decided not to go ahead with the ‘formal’ naming of
streets which would have obliged residents to use the names in their
address.
Instead it has been resolved to produce a map for local use showing
names commonly used for our lanes. This could be given to newcomers to
the village. It would also be an opportunity to give names to
some of the roads which do not currently have a locally accepted label. top
We don't want signs
Charities Gain in Local Christmas
Cards Scheme 26/11/2009
This Christmas, instead of sending
cards locally to
friends and neighbours,
the following have chosen to make an equivalent donation to a charity
of their choice.
Thanks to the good weather, plenty
of people, dogs and children, the Produce Show this year made £1,700
for the villages. It was a good Show with entries up on last
year. Thanks to all who took part. top
Sheep Shooting 23/08/2009
A sheep was shot with a rifle on
Manor Farm sometime between 22nd August and the morning of 23rd. The
sheep which was found dead, was in 'Dog Furlong' which is near the top
of Park Lane, opposite the group of three cottages.
If you saw anything unusual on those dates please contact
Gloucestershire Police on 0845 0901234. top
Brockhampton Burglary 15/6/09
A house in Chapel Cottages was
broken into on Monday 15th June - sometime between 8.15am and 6.30pm.
Thieves entered the house by forcing a rear ground floor window with a
screwdriver (or similar) whilst the householder was away from home.
After searching the house, the offenders then stole a small quantity of
jewellery and left via the rear window.
If anyone you saw anything suspicious on Monday, then please contact
Stow Police on 0845 090 1234, quoting Incident 475 of 15/06/09” top
'Streetview' Car Spotted in Village
Google maps
'streetview' car was spotted in the village on Monday 15th June. So
keep an eye out in a few months time for an image of your house on Google
maps.
If you want to have the picture removed you must wait until it appears
then, on the image you want removing, click on 'report a problem' on
the bottom left of the picture. You can then fill in the form to
have it removed. top
Gassons
Lane to Close Again 29/5/2009 updated 13/7/2009
Gassons lane is to close again
from1st to 8th July 2009
The reason given is:
"Surface Dressing (road too narrow for traffic to pass with plant in
road)" NB This will now take place on 21st July top
Search on Again for
Affordable Housing Plot 29/05/09
The search is on again to find a
suitable patch of land for a small
affordable housing development. The Parish Council has been informed
that the original plot, discussed at length in 2006, is no longer
available and wishes to find suitable alternatives which would be
acceptable to the landowner, District Council planners and residents.
Affordable housing developments can be on land currently used for
agricultural purposes, the housing is available only to those who have
connections with the villages by way of family, employment, current or
previous residency.
If you know of, or own a site yourself, which you think might pass
these criteria please contact Parish Councillor Harry Boyd (820327). top
Allotments 29/05/09
The Parish Council is gauging the
level of interest there might be in re-opening the allotment site in
Brockhampton. The site is about half way up Brockhampton Quarry
hill, opposite ‘Hill View’.
There would need to be sufficient interest and a fair amount of work
involved.
If you think you would like to take on an allotment please let the
parish clerk know on 820718, or
top
Sevenhampton
Flooding 29/5/09
Prevention May Prove Too Expensive
At the behest of the Parish Council, District
Sevenhampton Flooding 2007
photo: Philip Box
Councillor Robin Hughes
has been investigating a solution to the flooding problem which beset
Sevenhampton in 2007. It was thought that the flood was caused by
the pipe taking the water under the footbridge by the ford being of
insufficient width. An increase in the diameter would improve the
flow but could increase the risk of flooding further downstream.
This would have to be taken into account in the costing of any
preventative scheme. Gloucestershire Highways are considering the
situation. top
Parish Council Could Go,
Warns Parish Chairman 30/3/09
At
the annual parish meeting on 18th March the chairman of Sevenhampton
Parish Council, Bill Jenkin, warned .. “without a strong
community involvement in all likelihood we will be morphed together
with other villages in the area, thus losing our identity
entirely.”
He complained about increasing government
imposed bureaucracy which used up valuable resources and made the
demise of small councils like Sevenhampton more and more likely due to
the disillusionment of councillors. Mr Jenkin stated that the
problem stemmed from the same rules applying to the largest
metropolitan borough councils as to the smallest parishes. A petition
to Downing Street last year appealed to the government to exempt the
smallest councils from the bulk of these paper exercises but the only
help they offered was that neighbouring parishes could pool resources
in order to raise their effectiveness.
Parish Councillor Vacancy
The
chairman urged volunteers to come forward to fill the vacancy which has
arisen on the parish council caused by the resignation of Alison Giles,
who has left the area. He thanked Alison and her fellow
councillors for their participation and support and hoped that, with
enough local involvement, the council would still be able to continue
to represent the parish as an entity and believed that it should remain
at the centre of a sustainable and vibrant community.
If you would like to
become a parish councillor please get in touch with the parish clerk,
Ann van Rossem, 01242 820718 top
Gas Pipeline to Cross Parish 6/3/09
The
National Grid is proposing to build a high pressure natural gas
pipeline from Wormington to Sapperton which will cross the Eastern part
of the parish. Planned for construction in 2010, the pipeline will be a
diameter of 900mm (2ft 11in) with a minimum covering of 1200mm (3ft
11in).
Route
Construction
During
construction a strip of land approximately 36m wide (118ft) will be
fenced off along the length of the route where all the work will take
place. Sections of pipe up to 18m (59ft) will be taken from
short-term storage areas and laid end to end along the length of the
route. Then the trench will be dug. The sections of the pipe
are
welded together and wrapping applied to prevent corrosion and the pipe
will be lowered itno the the ditch. Following pressure tests
the
excavation is backfilled in layers and compacted, top soil replaced and
land re-seeded. Field boundaries such as hedges are replanted
and
drystone walls re-built to match the existing.
No Road Closures
In
this parish
there will be no road closures while the work is going on because the
pipe can be 'fed' under existing roads without the need for excavation.
Costswold
District Council has issued the following statement:
for the
latest information please see their website.
12/2/09
"Waste
and recycling services have been resumed this week (on Monday 9th
February) following the postponement of services on 2nd to 6th February
because of snow and ice on the roads – a decision that was
taken together by Cotswold District Council and SITA.
The
Council has agreed a plan with contractor SITA to catch up with normal
collections as soon as possible.
All residents who
didn’t receive a refuse or recycling collection last week
(2nd to 6th February) should place their bins and boxes at the
kerbside, where they will be emptied as soon as possible this week.
Residents who have additional non recyclable waste may put it out in
black bags with their grey wheelie bin, where it will be collected,
while garden and food waste will be collected as normal this week.
People are being urged to place their refuse out responsibly and not
cause an obstruction to pedestrians or motorists.
Residents
who are due to have waste and recycling collections this week (9th to
13th February) will receive them as normal.
Mark
Tufnell, Portfolio Holder for the Environment said:
“We
apologise for the inconvenience caused. Our officers with SITA have
been out in the Cotswolds every day last week to assess whether it was
feasible to resume the waste and recycling collections and found
extremely treacherous weather conditions.”
“Unfortunately
we had to postpone collections to ensure we didn’t jeopardise
the safety of residents, motorists, our collection staff and
property.”
“Our crews will be
working hard this week to catch up with the back log of
collections.”
"
In 2008 the Parish
Council co-ordinated the meeting of a group of villagers to discuss how
we might achieve a reduction in this community’s carbon
footprint and possibly save some individual household costs.
Bio
Digester - not just yet
We started
ambitiously with some investigation into bio-digesters and other
technologies. The advice from a visiting consultant
since the meeting was that such things will become more feasible and
cost-effective in years to come and that it would be wise to see how it
develops before tackling the planning and other logistical problems in
a village whose lay-out would present some
difficulties. The Parish Council agreed that this
is good advice and seems in step with much of the informal feedback we
have had from the community.
Forum
- March Meeting
We still feel that there
ought to be some forum for discussing ways in which we might make our
use of fuel, resources and disposal of waste less environmentally
damaging in the short to middle term.
We will
therefore hold another meeting during the last week of
March. There are three Parish Council members who
would like to attend this and we hope that some of those who worked on
the 2008 discussions will also join us. This is really a call
to anyone across the community to join us and look at what we might
practically do.
What
are other Villages Doing?
Immediate
suggestions are that we look at some examples of what other villages
are doing and seek a guest speaker on measures and products which might
suit our situation.
Get
in Touch
Please get in touch with me if
you would like to be involved in the meeting, and please give me your
availability for an evening at the end of March by February
20th. I will then confirm a date and venue. Alison
Giles 820132 top
Brockhampton
and Sevenhampton's two correspondents for Gloucestershire
Echo's 'Where I Live' have retired. Gill Lanfear and
Sheila Bartlett have been reporting on local goings-on in the Saturday
edition's Village and Community section, formerly known as 'Village
Voice', for almost 20 years. To read their valedictory report click
here.
The Echo have also published an article about
Gill and Shiela's time as our local columnists. Click here for this article
If
you would like to take on the role please get in touch The Echo on
01242 271821 top
Parish
Precept to Remain at £5,000 20/11/08
Sevenhampton Parish precept is to remain at
£5,000 for the year 2009/10 (about £30 for a band E
property). It was lowered to this figure by £250
last year. top
Gassons
Lane to Close for Resurfacing 16/10/08
- updated 3/11/08; 29/11/08
Gassons lane will be closed from 8th to
12th
December for surfacing work. top
Sevenhampton
telephone kiosk has been earmarked
for removal by BT. After a trawl of local opinion in the area
Sevenhampton parish council has decided to use the
‘Adopt a Kiosk’ scheme which will ensure that the
kiosk stays but without the telephone equipment.
Under
the scheme the Parish Council will purchase the box from BT for
£1, the connection and payphone equipment will be removed and
the council will then be responsible for the maintenance etc of the box.
A
sign will be displayed informing the public that there is no telephone
equipment inside. top
New
Bus Service 29/9/08
The local bus service
to Cheltenham has been revised. As Follows
Sevenhampton
parish council is to
go ahead with a ‘Sevenhampton’ sign between
Syreford and the turn to ‘Sevenhampton
village’. The
‘Brockhampton’ signs on the western approach near
Brockhampton Park has been refurbished it is hoped this will also
happen to the sign on Bakers Wood Lane.
GCC have
also agreed to add “unsuitable for heavy goods
vehicles” on the fingerpost pointing to Sevenhampton Village.
UPDATE these signs are now in place.
More
Signs
It has also been decided not to proceed with
any other new signs. top
Increase
in Hall Charges 5/8/08
The Rhodes
Memorial Hall committee
has decided that, from September, the cost of
hiring the village hall should rise. This
is due to spiralling costs of electricity and
insurance. For
details of the now charges
click here All
bookings for the hall and hiring of crockery etc should be
made through Georgina Oldham, 01242 820423. top
Thursday
Coffee Mornings
5/8/08
A Thursday
morning coffee session has started in the Reading Room of the village
hall. The idea is to give a chance for locals to get together
and have a natter. It will replace to some extent the loss of
the Post Office and Luncheon Club.
The session will run
every Thursday from 10.30 to 11.30. Nick Bailey, the local Village Agent
will be present. If you need a lift give Georgina Oldham
(820423) a ring. top
Post
Office Closure 29/05/08
The
current subpostmaster of Brockhampton Post Office, Vanessa Holland,
will be moving to Cornwall in July and no-one has yet been found to
take over as subpostmaster. As a result the Post Office has now closed.
If you or anyone you know would be willing to take
over the post office please contact Alison
Edwards at Post Office Ltd (07801095271).
Vanessa
would like to express her heartfelt thanks to the many customers who
have supported the post office so loyally over the past 11½
years. "Your loyal support has enabled the post office to continue in
Brockhampton while other Post Office branches have faced closure and
your valued custom is much appreciated."
Bob
and Vanessa look forward to welcoming their friends from Brockhampton
and Sevenhampton to their new home at Rose Cottage, Bodelva, (2 minutes
from the Eden Project and 2 miles from Par Sands), "but please don't
all come at once! We are taking with us many happy memories of
Brockhampton. Goodbye and good luck to you all. We shall miss you."
Parish Council
Chairman's
Appreciation Peer hard at the picture
& you’ll see Vanessa - scuttling out of camera range
- demonstrating her most famed quality. Self-effacing to the
last.
Vanessa has made an unpromising corner of the Hall into
a Post Office/Visitor Centre with stationery, cards, occasional books,
sweets and crisps for kids to pensioners, local ads, official leaflets
and, always, a very warm welcome.
In addition, she kept the
Hall diary and helped all users - moving furniture twice her
size in and out to meet users’ preferences. Husband
Bob supported the Luncheon Club by ferrying the meals in each Wednesday
and played and organised many musical events.
Personally, I
will miss Vanessa’s help selling Rural Cinema tickets, and
setting up the “auditorium” each show as well as
providing info for this website.
I’m pleased
though that she will no longer have to work on the accounts until
midnight every Wednesday.
A hard act to follow. -
Bill Jenkin top
Climate
Change:- Local Initiatives Panel to be Formed 29/03/08
A panel is to be formed to consider ways of
reducing our carbon footprint here in Sevenhampton Parish.
If
you feel we should be doing something
• If you have
any ideas - big or small nothing ruled out.
•
If you have any skills - even just a good head on your
shoulders.
• If you just want to give your views.
•
If you are half good at almost anything else Please
offer a little of your time.
Let Ann
vanRossem have your name (01242 820718)
top
Notice
Board for the Quarry 29/03/08
A new notice board is
to be placed by the entrance to ‘Old
Stones’ for the Quarry end of Brockhampton. top
Wind
Turbine Gets Go-Ahead 1/02/08
CDC
Planning Committee Rejects Local Concerns
The
proposed wind turbine at Nash Barn, Sevenhampton (click here if you don't know where that is),
has been approved by Cotswold District Council’s planning
committee.
The 30th January hearing was addressed by
Di Brown of Sevenhampton Parish Council and Leslie Agius on behalf of
other local objectors, also James Candler in support.
However, following a recommendation to approve the application from the
planning officer, the committee voted in its favour by nine votes to
five.
Sevenhampton parish council opposed the scheme
on account of a vote of 15 votes in support to 18 against the scheme
taken at a public meeting on 5th December 2007.
The
3 bladed turbine will be mounted on a 9m. (30ft) mast with a rotor
diameter of 5.5m. (18ft) and must be painted in an off-white colour.
Reasons
given by objectors who wrote to the planners included the impact on
local amenities by virtue of noise and desecration of landscape;
interference with TV and radio reception; the impact on wildlife; the
amount of electricity produced would not justify the impact
on the environment and that it would set a precedent for similar
schemes in the valley and Cotswolds.
Supporters of
the scheme argued that it was a necessary step in order to ensure
affordable and reliable supply of power; that it was a small scale
turbine which will be readily assimilated into its agricultural
setting; the noise from the A40 on a still summer’s night is
greater than that from the turbine; that the applicant, who already
preserves a sizeable chunk of the AONB for the indirect enjoyment of
the village and visitors, wishes to reduce the crippling electricity
bills inherent with running a farm with this small scale turbine.
A
previous application for a similar turbine on a 15m
mast on the same site had been withdrawn.
The
plans for the turbine may be viewed on Cotswold District Council's
website by clicking here. top
Village
Agent Holds Local Surgeries 5/5/07
The Village Agents
project is a pilot scheme to provide older people in
Gloucestershire’s rural communities with easier access to
information and services. It is being run by Gloucestershire
County Council and Gloucestershire Rural Communities Council.
The
Agents
Bridge the gap between the
local community and statutory and voluntary organisations able to offer
help or support.
Provide high quality
information, promote access to a wide range of services, carry out a
series of practical checks and identify unmet needs within their
community.
Have access to extensive relevant
training, resources and support from GRCC and the County
Council’s help desk.
Be paid a small
‘retainer’ to work ten hours per week in the
community. They hold surgeries in the village hall or other suitable
places and carry out home visits where appropriate.
Form
part of a network of local contact points within Gloucestershire.
Are recruited locally, trained and supported to
provide
face-to face information and support, which enables individuals to make
informed choices about their future needs.
Come along to
talk to your local Village Agent
Nick Bailey
on
Thursday mornings
from 10 to Noon
in the Reading
Room, Rhodes Memorial Hall, Brockhampton.
village
news
A
small clapper
bridge* has been
unearthed at Donnywell over the stream which runs into the
Coln
at that point. Sevenhampton parish council had been intending to
improve the look at Donnywell by placing a large stone slab over the
bridge but when the undergrowth was cleared in preparation for
this vice-chairman Bill Lanfear discovered that there was a small
clapper bridge already in place.
Colin had embraced local
activities. 
Sevenhampton
telephone kiosk has been earmarked
for removal by BT. After a trawl of local opinion in the area
Sevenhampton parish council has decided to use the
‘Adopt a Kiosk’ scheme which will ensure that the
kiosk stays but without the telephone equipment. 
Decision
Peer hard at the picture
& you’ll see Vanessa - scuttling out of camera range
- demonstrating her most famed quality. Self-effacing to the
last.