Parish Plan
The Parish Plan was distributed to every houshold within the Parish in September 2007
.........................
Update JULY 2007
IT'S NEARLY HERE !!!
At the Village Fete on 21st July the first copies of the Parish Plan were
available for viewing. The launch was
celebrated with a balloon race, the furthest of which will receive the prize
of a free glider flight.
The document Charlton and Newbottle: the Future for Two Villages, is now
being collated ready for delivery to every
home in the parish in September 2007. The Parish Plan Steering Group and
helpers will deliver the plans and ask each
household to sign to acknowledge receipt. The last task of the Parish Plan
Steering Group will then be to organise a
"Village Activities Day" in the autumn. It is hoped to encourage more
participation in current village clubs, activities and
committees and also present an opportunity for new clubs and activities to
gain support. The Parish Plan has already
identified new areas for participation, including a Conservation Group and
a Village Business Representative.
Do you want to use this opportunity to start up a new activity, club or
committee? If so could you ring Della on
01869 811504 and register your interest in the Village Activities Day, and
a space will be duly allocated.
All current organisers will be contacted once a date has been set.
This will be the last insert prepared by the Steering Group. The Parish Council
is now eagerly waiting to implement
the Parish Plan and communication will come through the Council, via the
Link and Village Website. If you have any
questions, suggestions or want to offer support in any aspect of the Parish
Plan please either speak to a member of the
Parish Council or alternatively put your suggestion in the Parish Council
box in the shop.
Lastly thank you to everyone in the Steering Group who has given up much
time and energy over the last 2 years
to prepare the Parish Plan.
.......................
Update JUNE 2007
THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS....
The Parish Plan is set for its official launch at The Fete on Saturday 21st
July 2007. The event will be celebrated
with a balloon race, with a prize for the balloon that travels the furthest
distance. The balloons will be in the colour
we have adopted throughout the preparation of the plan - yellow.
Copies of the plan will be available on the stand so please come over and have a first look through.
The final editing is now taking place. It is anticipated that the plans will
be delivered to every house in the
Parish during September.
Discussions are ongoing with the Parish Council as they now officially adopt
the plan, The Parish Plan Steering group
will be disbanded in its current capacity once the plans have been delivered.
The Parish Council will then determine
how they manage the process going forward.
What has become clear in the compilation of the plan is that the delivery
of a successful plan will only be possible
with the commitment of the whole village.
Please get involved, opportunities to do so will be clear throughout the document.
So keep watching this space and checking progress in the Charlton Link.
......................
Update MAY 2007
CREATING A DEFINITIVE STRATEGIC PLAN
The steering group are now meeting weekly in an effort to get the Parish
Plan for Charlton and Newbottle complete
by a self imposed deadline of 21st July.
All work is now focused on creating a definitive strategic plan for the village,
this has involved going through each
section of the questionnaire and analysing the results. The next step has
been to create meaningful action points
around the issues raised. We have been challenging each of these action points
to make sure that each action is
clear and defined, has a timescale, a priority rating and an owner. Some
examples of where the action points have
been allocated to for ownership have included: The Parish Council, The Memorial
Hall, Parochial Parish Council, additionally
there will be a need once the plan is launched to bring some groups together
to deliver specific action points.
The Group have also been working on how to launch the plan and what the action
plan is actually going to look like,
front cover, introduction etc.
The steering group will meet with the newly elected Parish Council in June
to ask them to formally adopt the plan.
We will also ask for their support in maintaining a Parish Plan Steering
Group as we feel that a successful
implementation of the plan will need much support, both from the Parish Council
and all villagers.
So keep watching this space and checking progress on the village website at www.charlton-cum-newbottle.co.uk .
Update APRIL 2007
THE PLAN -WORK IN PROGRESS
Work continues on the Parish Plan, with the Steering Group meeting fortnightly
to discuss the progress
members are making on their drafts of the different sections.
There were a few suggestions for improvement in the services paid for by
our Council Tax, although most of us
declared ourselves "fairly satisfied" with the three tiers of local government
and the police. From the County
Council, the main improvement we want to see is in road and pavement maintenance;
we'd like the District Council
to make some changes and extensions to waste recycling arrangements, and
we want to be better informed about
Parish Council activities - only one in six of us (16.9%) knows who the
councillors are and what they do!
Although only one in three residents has been the victim of a crime while
living in the village, almost half of us
are calling for greater police presence in the village and 51 people specifically
mentioned this in individual comments.
Better communication between police and village is requested by one in three
respondents.
Preserving the character of the village was often mentioned. Only two people
wanted the village to become much
larger: two-thirds of us want it to stay the same size, and the others want
it to expand gradually. 88% of us are
opposed to new builds and modernizations and, among several suggestions for
visual improvement, tree-planting
was a popular proposal.
The young people's questionnaire revealed that, for most of them, living
in the countryside is one of the most
important aspects of life in Charlton. The play equipment at all three village
sites is well used and children would
like more equipment, particularly at the Playing Field. Fewer than half of
them thought the play areas were well
looked after. There were many suggestions for new activities, a junior football
club receiving six mentions, a
youth club five and tennis thirteen - to add all the adult requests for tennis
facilities!
And the Parish Plan is still on target for a launch at the Church Fete in
July. So keep watching this space and
checking progress on the village website
Update MARCH 2007
PUTTING THE PLAN TOGETHER
The Parish Plan Steering Group members are reaching for the headache pills
again!
The task now is to analyse all your comments and turn your views into a plan
of action. The group are
working in pairs on different sections of the plan and will meet fortnightly
to discuss their drafts.
With the present proposals for reducing the number of rural Post Offices,
it's interesting to see that we
value our Post Office more highly than any other facility in the village
- 79% of us put it in the "most
important" category and another 15% rated it "important". Not surprisingly,
the village shop almost
matched it in importance (78% and 16%).
Also high on our list of valued amenities are the school (55% and 13%) and
the pub (44% and 28%)
- but access to medical services is more vital to us than either of those
(55% and 21%).
Playing Field Crisis....
An urgent issue is the Playing Field crisis: we expected this to feature
prominently in the plan and with
70% of us rating it "most important" or "important" we'll need to find some
way of preserving it. 56% of
children and young people use the Playing Field and 58% of them would like
to see more equipment there.
Yet only ten people told us they were willing to serve on the Playing Field
committee and only one of those
gave contact details on the Participation Sheet. If the other nine of you
would like to get involved, then please
contact Pat Hotson on 812539 or leave your name with Keith Wilks at the ("most
important") village shop.
One area of progress can be reported already. Our efforts have resulted in
Northamptonshire County Council
agreeing to begin restoration of the Church Path in the next week or two.
This is being mainly funded by them,
with contributions from the Parish Council and the landowner, Mrs Perry of
Astrop Estates, and an application
to South Northamptonshire Council for an environmental improvement grant.
ON TARGET....
The Parish Plan is still on target for a launch at the Church Fete in July.
So keep watching this space and
checking progress in the village "Charlton Link".
Update FEBRUARY 2007
WE'VE ALL HAD OUR SAY - AND NOW IT'S ON RECORD
The questionnaire results have all now been fed into our computer program.
Thanks are due to the
school staff who gave up their Tuesday evenings to help the steering group
complete the job in good time.
Adrian Drewry has begun analysing your comments and we will be discussing
the results at a
Steering Group meeting at the end of this month. We're seeing a fascinating
picture of the life of our village.
Did you know that two out of three people in the village don't use the playing
field at all?
Or that only one in ten of us attends a place of worship either weekly or
monthly - although
nearly half of us go to the church for weddings or funerals? And more than
nine out of ten of
us have never used the bus service.
When it comes to the things that people want to see in the village, the new
activity that attracted
the most interest was a Hallowe'en/Bonfire Night celebration (48.1% of
villagers), with Car
Boot Sales attracting the vote of 41.1%. Third in popularity was a tennis
club (32.5% of us want this)
- so maybe that's an indication of how we could make more use of the Playing
Field!
There's bound to be some controversy and two areas are street lighting and
the location of
the Memorial Hall. A 51.4% vote for more street lights was opposed by the
39.6% who think
there are enough and a small minority who think there are too many! Satisfaction
with the present
location of the Memorial Hall is at 44%, the rest of the village being equally
divided between
those who would like it relocated to the Playing Field and those who have
no strong opinion either way.
Some issues had very strong support. There was a 76.1% view that currently
parking outside the
school is dangerous. Three-quarters of us rate the Church Path important
or most important to us.
And many of the comments supported not changing too much, and maintaining
the peace
and tranquillity of the village.
Some of these views were anticipated, including the need for improving the
Church Path.
We have therefore taken this up as a trial run for implementing the Parish
Plan without leaving
all the responsibility to the seven Parish Council members. On behalf of
the Parish Council,
one member of the Steering Group, Pat Hotson, has been following up the options
for getting
the path resurfaced. She has recruited the help of Alice Townsend, one of
those who
completed the Participation Sheet at the back of the questionnaire, offering
help to implement
the Parish Plan by liaising with local landowners. Their initial progress
is very promising.
Another burning issue, that of traffic problems, is already being tackled,
although not directly
as a result of the Parish Plan initiative. At last year's Parish Meeting,
Deborah Hayter took on
the task of co-ordinating a Community Speedwatch. Adrian Drewry later took
over her
role and a group of ten volunteers recently attended a training session with
Northamptonshire Police.
They will soon begin monitoring traffic through the village and the results
of their
recordings will serve, not only to tackle speeding traffic, but also to consider
what other
interventions may be necessary to control volume of traffic and hazards
- both areas of concern raised in the questionnaire.
And the Parish Plan is still on target for a launch at the Church Fete in
July.
So keep watching this space and checking progress in The Charlton Link
Update NOVEMBER 2006
PHEW!
More than nine out of ten of the village's 499 residents have now completed
the Parish
Plan questionnaire, with some others having asked for an extension to the
deadline.
If you are one of the few people whose copy is still sitting on a pile of
Things To Do
When I Get Round To It, then now's the time to get round to it and drop your
copy
in to the Post Office or phone your distributor to have it collected before
the end of
November. That's when the Steering Group will begin collating and analysing
all your views.
With 86 questions in the main adult document, eight in the one for the under-16s
and five
in the household survey, that's nearly forty thousand separate pieces of
information to be
processed. Phew! Thank goodness we live in the computer age!
An initial scan of the completed questionnaires shows that more people have
expressed
willingness to join in activities (such as a litter-pick or a Sunday school
or application for
a water-butt) than have completed the participation sheet. This was the tear-off
page at the
back of the questionnaire where you could give your name and contact details
to be informed
of events in which you'd indicated an interest. Because the questionnaires
are anonymous
and confidential, we can't tell who you are from them alone.
ONE IN FIFTEEN
More than one in fifteen of you did fill in the participation sheet - but
if you're one of those who
didn't, and would like to be kept informed of events; then please contact
Pat Hotson on 812539,
or leave your name with Keith Wilks at the shop and we'll make sure you don't
miss anything.
And keep watching this space and in the Link for progress
Update OCTOBER 2006
APPROACHING D-DAY
The D is for Distribution - of the Parish Plan questionnaire. The operation
will be carried out
by a small task force of volunteer villagers during the weekend of November
4th- 6th.
You can expect one of your neighbours to call on you that weekend with an
invitation
to influence the future of your village for the next five, ten or fifteen
years - or even longer.
The views of every man, woman and child in the village will be taken into
account and
every suggestion made, if it is practicable and has some support, will be
included in the Plan.
There will be help available for anyone who finds the questionnaire difficult
to
complete for any reason. Parents and carers will be asked to help young children
fill in their own questionnaire - we are serious about needing everyone's
views!
So, once the fireworks have burnt out and the gingerbread's been eaten, it
will be
time to think about your village and what really matters to you about this
little patch of England - and get it down on paper for others to share.
Do you want more street lights, not so many street lights, differently sited
street lights,
a different design of street light, a different colour of light, better
maintenance of street lights,
have you got any other thoughts about our street lights or are you happy
with our
street lights just the way they are? Well, you've just considered one
of the questions
already! The questionnaires are strictly confidential; so you can say what
you really
feel and phrase it any way you like, within the bounds of civility!
There will also be a separate sheet to complete if you want to get involved
in
any existing or new projects, or want more information about any aspects
of life in our village.
The volunteer army will return to collect the questionnaires by November
13th.
If you're going to be away from home during that period, it is possible to
arrange a short extension.
If you need this, please contact Pat Hotson on 812539.
Keep watching this space and in the Charlton Link to check the progress.
Update SEPTEMBER 2006
QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS......
Members of the Parish Plan Steering Group are easily recognisable this month:
they're the ones
with staring eyes and a ready supply of headache tablets after several weeks
of work putting all
the views expressed at the Have Your Say Day into a coherent questionnaire
– and finding a
suitable computer software to analyse the answers without bankrupting the
budget.
It looks as though it's been achieved. This month thirty adult and child
volunteers have been
asked to complete a copy each of the draft form.
Steering Group members are now using the answers to test the proposed software.
If it all
works well, then the questionnaire will be ready in another few weeks for
delivery to every
household in the village.
THREE QUESTIONNAIRES.....
There will in fact be three questionnaires, one for each adult to complete
and one for each young
person under the age of 16, as well as a short one for general questions
on the household.
The main one is in nine sections and asks for opinions on matters from footpaths
to funding,
from worship to wildlife, from litter to leisure, from housing to history
and much more
– everything, in fact, which you all identified on March 25th as worth
preserving or in need of improvement.
All the questionnaires will be delivered on the same day and collected two
weeks later by a team of
volunteers and they will be able to answer any queries and offer help with
filling in the forms if needed.
WATCH THIS SPACE.....
The Steering Group are now confident that the Plan will be ready for adoption
by the Parish
Council and launch at next year's Garden Fete in July.
Update JUNE 2006
And the work goes on...
As reported in last month's Parish Plan Newsheet, the Steering Group is hard
at work
formulating together the questionnaire to be delivered to every house within
the Parish.
These will include many queries and issues that were raised at the "Have
Your Say Day" held in March.
The questionnaire will possibly take many weeks or hard work to formulate
into a batch of easy to
answer questions which will help the Parish Council adapt a plan that will
help the local community
for the next 5, 10 or even 15 years (subject to a regular review).
individual set of questions for each person......
The questions apart from a general household range is to be designed to also
include an individual
set of questions for each person to answer in order to ascertain exactly
what will be required in our
community for the benefit of all villagers in the future years to come.
With the questionnaire each person will be encouraged to add any individual
comments they feel
relevant, as the more information received the better long term planning
can be made.
enthusiasm as for the "Have Your Say Day"
We ask you all to be patient, whilst the questionnaire is being created and
the Steering Group hope that
all villagers will make an effort to answer all the questions to the best
of their ability and the reply with
the same enthusiasm as was the turnout for the Parish Plan "Have Your Say
Day".
Update MAY 2006
And Now That We've Had Our Say...the next stage in developing our
Parish Plan is to include
everyone's ideas in a questionnaire to be delivered to every household in
the village.
Even with twenty people working on it, it's going to take a few months! There
was such a good
turnout on March 25th and so many issues were raised (more than 80 separate
items) that it
will be September before the questionnaire is ready.
some revolutionary suggestions.......
There were some revolutionary suggestions, such as giving the Memorial Hall
to the school and
building a new one on the Playing Field, but there was also plenty of support
for not changing
things too much. The biggest complaint was about traffic speeding through
the village
– 44 people objected to that, and there were also several suggestions
of ways to stop it, and
complaints about car parking too. 39 people registered their annoyance about
dog fouling
– but only 11 people thought dog bins were a good idea.
Recycling featured in third place, too, on the list of what we'd like –
more recycling facilities in
the village. Ahead of it on the wish list were an enlarged Post Office and,
the top feature, more to
do at the Playing Field – suggestions for activities there included
swings, see-saw, climbing frame,
climbing wall, tennis court (later amended to two tennis courts!) and there
was a separate suggestion,
strongly supported by the young people in the village, that we should have
a swimming pool.
We're a tidy-minded lot. In addition to the dog fouling, there were complaints
about litter, the state of the
Church Path and the "untidy cemetery" and much support for the provision
of a village skip twice a year.
We also seem to be a very active lot – many suggestions were for more
organised activities and groups,
especially for young people and families, and in support of countryside
activities and local heritage.
Not surprisingly, we didn't all agree: for example some people wanted more
street lighting and others wanted less.
It remains to be seen how many of these suggestions get the support of a
large enough majority of
people in the village – and if they are practical possibilities that
we can work towards.
But we've certainly made a good start! There'll be more news of our progress
in next month's Link –
or you can keep in touch with developments on this village website.
Update APRIL 2006
Charlton and Newbottle villagers have had their say day!
155 villagers responded to the call of the Village Crier, Keith Wilks, with
his handbell and
sandwichboards and went to the Memorial Hall in the village to register their
views.
The Have Your Say Day was the first event in the preparation of a Parish
Plan, which will define
what most people want to happen in their village during the next twenty years.
Mark Aldhous, who co-ordinated the day, expressed his pleasure at the result.
"We were particularly
pleased that the turn-out included all ages, from pre-school to pensioners;
so we had a really good
range of views. And people had obviously put a lot of thought into what they
want to preserve and
where improvements could be made. It was a good reward for all the hard work
the steering group
and helpers had done – a really good team effort"
Having arrived at the Hall, many people were reluctant to leave until they
had seen everything on display.
A village time-line stretched the length of the main room, recording village
events from prehistory to the
present day. Many older people recognised their young selves, or past generations
of their family, in the
photographs and records of the separate memorabilia exhibition. The children
of the school and playgroup
had expressed themselves in a gallery of paintings of the village and local
groups had contributed their own
displays. A number of younger visitors were inspired to cries of "Nee-nar,
nee-nar" by their inspection of
a police car from Northamptonshire Police.
A "Village Issues" list, made up of suggestions from village organisations,
was a popular way to register
support by adding a coloured sticker and the list almost doubled as the day
went on and visitors added their
own ideas. Coloured stickers also identified "hotspots and grotspots" on
a large map of the parish and in
Chat's Corner more detailed comments were recorded by members of the steering
group.
The Free Expression Corner enabled younger children to make their creative
mark and there were also
suggestion boxes for anonymous contributions.
Charlton Brownies earned their Hostess Badges by serving visitors with free
tea, coffee and home-made
cakes at tables they had decorated with posies of spring flowers.
There were a number of prizes to be won: the £50 draw was won by Mark
Pearce; the teenagers' draw for a
£25 music voucher went to Chris French; Dawn Hall won the quiz prize
of a meal for two at the Rose and
Crown; Emily Berr and Ellen Masey won the art and craft sets for the children's
treasure hunt on a map of
the villages, and Linda Hulls the bottle of wine for her personal time-line.
The steering group are now busy collating the day's information into a
questionnaire to be delivered later this
year to every household in the village. The results of that questionnaire
will form the basis of the Plan, which
they hope to launch at the local village garden fete in July 2007.
Update MARCH 2006
Charlton and Newbottle villagers have had their say! 155 villagers responded
to the call of the Village Crier,
Keith Wilks, with his handbell and sandwichboards and went to the Memorial
Hall in the village to register
their views. The Have Your Say Day was the first event in the preparation
of a Parish Plan, which will define
what most people want to happen in their village during the next twenty years.
Mark Aldhous, who co-ordinated the day, expressed his pleasure at the result.
"We were particularly pleased
that the turn-out included all ages, from pre-school to pensioners; so we
had a really good range of views.
And people had obviously put a lot of thought into what they want to preserve
and where improvements could
be made. It was a good reward for all the hard work the steering group and
helpers had done – a really good
team effort."
Having arrived at the Hall, many people were reluctant to leave until they
had seen everything on display.
A village time-line stretched the length of the main room, recording village
events from prehistory to the
present day. Many older people recognised their young selves, or past generations
of their family, in the
photographs and records of the separate memorabilia exhibition. The children
of the school and playgroup
had expressed themselves in a gallery of paintings of the village and local
groups had contributed their
own displays. A number of younger visitors were inspired to cries of "Nee-nar,
nee-nar" by their
inspection of a police car from Northamptonshire Police.
A "Village Issues" list, made up of suggestions from village organisations,
was a popular way to register
support by adding a coloured sticker and the list almost doubled as the day
went on and visitors added their
own ideas. Coloured stickers also identified "hotspots and grotspots" on
a large map of the parish and in
Chat's Corner more detailed comments were recorded by members of the steering
group.
The Free Expression Corner enabled younger children to make their creative
mark and there were also
suggestion boxes for anonymous contributions.
Charlton Brownies earned their Hostess Badges by serving visitors with free
tea, coffee and home-made
cakes at tables they had decorated with posies of spring flowers.
There were a number of prizes to be won: the £50 draw was won by Mark
Pearce; the teenagers' draw
for a £25 music voucher went to Chris French; Dawn Hall won the quiz
prize of a meal for two at the
Rose and Crown; Emily Berr and Ellen Masey won the art and craft sets for
the children's treasure
hunt on a map of the villages, and Linda Hulls the bottle of wine for her
personal time-line.
The steering group are now busy collating the day's information into a
questionnaire to be delivered later
this year to every household in the village. The results of that questionnaire
will form the basis of the Plan,
which they hope to launch at the village garden fete in July 2007.
for the village "Have Your Say Day"...
but despite the weather changing to a dull miserable and
continious drizzle, it did not put off local residents to visit
the Memorial Hall and take advantage of the day on
putting forward many points that can only help in the
creation of our new Parish Plan.
There were a steady stream of participants who offered
many relevant questions and issues to be included in the
questionaire for the parish plan.
Photo left shows area designated for "Local Issues"
which proved to be very successful as did the "Chat Corner".
Update February 2006
Brainstorming activities ready for the
village Parish Plan 'Have Your Say Day'
by the Gardening Club above left and
Charlton Women's Institute above right
The History Club (right) prepare the "Time Line"
for Newbottle and Charlton for the big day.
Update No.3 JANUARY 2006
MAKE A NOTE IN YOUR DIARY.....NOW!
THE PARISH PLAN 'HAVE YOUR SAY DAY' SATURDAY MARCH 25
10.00am until 7.00pm In the Charlton Memorial Hall ......Come along
and have your 'say'....
· Interactive displays
· Memorabilia Exhibition
· Quiz and Competitions
· Activities for all ages
· Demonstrations and Displays
· Plus many other attractions Watch this space for further announcements!
REMEMBER....... if you ticked the box at the initial Parish Plan open meeting
on 27 September
last year to help on this "Future needs day" .....you may be hearing from
us soon to help!
Update No.2 DECEMBER 2005
There was a Preliminary Steering Group meeting on 10th November 2005 in the
Memorial Hall, and those
present were: Rachael Abbott (from ACRE) ; Mark Aldhous; Sid Baker; Joanna
Barrons; Karen Boyles;
Adrian Drewry; Deborah Hayter; Barry Hotson; Pat Hotson; Mary Kibble; Cynthia
Lenton;
Angela Milsom; Jill Montagu-Leon; Keith Wilks; Pamela Wilson and Della Wolfe,
with apologies from: David Barnard; Andrea Gladden.
The purpose of meeting was intended to remind people of the process, develop
a timeline for the activities,
and identify people's talents and place them accordingly. It was also an
opportunity to hear Rachael's wide
experience of parish planning elsewhere in the county.
An Overview from Rachael Abbott (Northamptonshire ACRE) outlined the
steering group format
(either formal or informal), the need to identify roles, and the need to
be realistic with targets as
considerable work was involved.
She mentioned the grant money available and the requirement for the PC to
apply.
There was discussion on how to make this sufficient for the plan.
(Avoid lavishness; flexible formats; electronic version).
She discussed the two stages of consultation – the future needs day
and the questionnaire –
and gave some ideas. With the first she emphasised fun and school
and youth
involvement and visuals. With the second she stressed the contact
with all households.
Although the questionnaire was a long haul there were formats available
at ACRE, which could be adapted.
She then described the stages in developing the action plan including review
by the PC and publicising to
the community. Monitoring of progress was essential including annual
review by the PC and quarterly
updates via newsletters and website.
There was considerable discussion on the calendar timing of the key stages.
The following roles were decided upon and the following people agreed to
fill them:
Chair: Della : Vice chair: Keith : Treasurer: Barry : Secretaries: Mary;
Deborah; Pat : Publicity: Sid :
PC representative: Andrea or deputy : Catering: Angela; Jill : Future needs
day event manager: Mark
This list would be augmented with extra roles and/or more assistance as needed
possibly from those
who have pledged support is the previous meeting. A suggestion
to co-opt an elderly resident to the
group was agreed and the involvement of someone with teenage children was
also mooted.
Future 'Steering Group' meetings were agreed for January and February.
The Quiz results from the village meeting were announced......Click Here for Quiz and answers!
Anyone still willing to help in the planning of the Village Plan would be
welcomed and should make
contact with any of the elected officers listed above to discuss how you
can get involved, especially
if you are an elderly resident, or have a family with teenage children.
Update No.1 OCTOBER 2005
CHARLTON-CUM-NEWBOTTLE TO HAVE A PARISH PLAN !
Considerable enthusiasm was generated among those who attended the village
meeting on
September 27th and already 38 people have pledged their active support to
develop the parish plan.
Every single member of our village community will be consulted, in the process
which
will take about two years to complete.
The village meeting was not just an informative one: as Della Wolfe, who
chaired it, said
"Our objectives are to inform you, but also to enthuse you" with a village
quiz and a village exhibition.
THE QUIZ consisted of thirty questions covering
all aspects of life in our village and showed up some
surprising gaps in our knowledge. Dave the postman knew we'd had our
meeting because so many
people asked him next day for his surname (one of the quiz answers).
THE EXHIBITION proved absorbing, with village
organisations contributing records of all kinds,
some of them more than a hundred years old. It was fascinating to note what
has not changed
(the village pantomime was "Cinderella" in 1950 and again in 2005; the village
cricket team were
South Northants champions three years running in the 1930s and again in the
1990s; the school
building is still recognisable as the one in the 1920s photographs)
and to remind ourselves of what has gone (the Billiards Club, the Flower
Show)
and what is relatively new (the History Society, the Gardening Club).
There were reminiscences of people and events, and of fund-raising past and
present,
surprise at the extent of the activities of some village societies and warm
responses to the
photographic reminders of how attractive our two villages are.
It is hoped to repeat this type of exhibition again very soon.
EVEN THE CHILDREN DID WELL The view of those
villages in words and pictures by the school
and Playgroup children was a delight. Favourite subjects were the church,
school, play area and Post
Office and but the forge was also lovingly depicted and fireworks and the
sky-divers had their place
among many other features of the villages that we often take for granted.
THANKS for the success of this meeting, are due
to all those individuals and organisations who
contributed quiz questions and display material, but particularly to Hazel
Haskin, Anne Buckingham,
David and Diane Morgan, who trawled their archives, and of course to the
school and Playgroup
staff and children.
We are also grateful to Sid Baker for publicity; to Keith and Stephanie Wilks,
of the shop and Post
Office, for donating the quiz prize, and for providing the wine at cost and
dispensing it; to
Eileen Graver and Ann Hawkins of the Women's Institute, who prepared and
served other
refreshments, and to Wendy Cone of the Gardening Club, who provided the flower
arrangement for the speaker's table.
QUIZ SHEETS to be returned to the Post Office
by 31st October (Keith and Stephanie have already
submitted theirs so there's no opportunity to cheat!) Any of you who feel
you submitted yours
prematurely (before asking Dave his surname!) is welcome to contact Pat Hotson
on 812539
and take your sheet back for amendment.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HELP DEVELOP THE PARISH PLAN, PLEASE COMPLETE
A PLEDGE FORM,OBTAINABLE FROM THE VILLAGE POST OFFICE,
MISSED THE MEETING? for those in the village
that could not attend on the night mentioned in
this update: The Parish Plan is an appraisal in a way in which the community
evaluates its own
needs currently and for the future and plans to meet them as it is now and
what maybe needed for
the community over the next 5, 10 or even 15 years!
However much you may cherish the idea of the unchanging face of the countryside
and the village life, the reality is that change is its only unchanging feature.
You cannot
prevent change but what you can do is to influence it!. The meeting
was not just for village residents,
but for anyone who has an interest in the future of Charlton and Newbottle.
– for example for those:
· whose children attend or attended the school. · who work or have
a business in the village.
· who are members of the village organisations. · who have family
graves in the cemetery & churchyard.
· who have interest in the enviornment .· with concerns over village
development or infastructure.
What you require as a schoolchild is different from what you need as a young
adult, a mature adult or
as a pensioner. The Parish Plan is a way to appraise those needs
and formulate action to improve
where needed and to protect the community's assets where identified. Further
regular updates and
News Sheets circulated in The Charlton Link will follow to keep
you informed of the progress and
advise where and when you should participate.
