CLYST ST MARY SECTION OF THE MAY 2014 CLYST VALLEY NEWS

CLYST ST MARYChurch ServicesThere will be a Family Communion Service on 25th May and an informal Family Service on 11th May, both starting at 11 am as usual. We welcome new families who would like to bring their children to join us in these services. Refreshments are served afterwards.  There will be a special Mission Community service at Clyst St Mary on Ascension Day, Thursday 29th May at 7 pm.  

Church Coffee MorningsThe April coffee morning raised £114.50. Thank you to those who supported the event by coming along to relax and chat as well as to those who ran and contributed to the stalls and provided the coffee and biscuits. The May coffee morning will be on Saturday 10th from 10 to 11.30 am. We look forward to welcoming you there.  Contributions for the cake and produce stall will be much appreciated.  Please make a note in your diary that the July coffee morning will be held in the Village Hall on the 5th and will include a table top sale as well as our normal stalls.  If you would like to reserve a table, please ring Jeanne Axford on 01392 873615. The cost of a table is £5.00.

Church Fundraising Meeting The next church fundraising meeting will be held on Thursday 1st May at 2.30 pm in church. Please come along if you would like to help us with this task. It can be fun!

Collectors Needed!We are looking for a few collectors for Christian Aid envelopes in Clyst St Mary.  If you would like to help, please ring Rob Hatton on 01392 874305.

Annual Report for Bishops Clyst Parish Council 2013 – 2014Parish met on 11 occasions excluding Finance and Planning, holding additional meetings which were chaired by their respective chairmen. Attendance overall has been good; the most important role for a Councillor is to attend meetings as you cannot form part of the decision making process unless you are present! The Council has a full complement of 12 Councillors, something that hasn’t been seen for some years. Pleased to say that the new Councillors have slotted in very well and are taking on active roles within the Council. Gone is the day when Councillors just attend meetings; as more and more responsibility gets shifted towards Parishes it’s important that every Councillor gets involved and takes on areas of care and responsibility. Luckily for the Parish we have 12 Councillors who are just that; actively sitting on various committees, sub-committees and groups, representing the Council at various events.What can I say that has not already been said about our Clerk, Juliet White? She is fully committed and dedicated to her work which ensures that not only is my life made easier but also that of our Council. Her continued loyalty is very much appreciated and she often goes beyond her brief. For this I have to thank her on behalf of the Council for all her hard work; it is very much appreciated.Councillor Alan Cotterill has been ill for the past few months and is now well on the road to recovery and I am sure Council would want me to wish him well and to welcome him back soon as his valued contribution is missed.Two important committees are chaired by Councillor Shaun Perry on Planning and Councillor Peter Cain on Finance. The work that both Shaun and Peter carry out on behalf of the Council is invaluable and I would wish to thank them for all their hard work. I also wish to extend my thanks to the Councillors who form those sub-committees. Cllr Bowden has attended 5 meetings this year and District Cllr Mike Howe has attended 9 meetings. I fully appreciate their commitments to other Parish Councils and I want to thank them for their diligence and support they give to this Parish Council.PCSO Donna Baker has attended 4 meetings this year. She has a difficult job trying to cover all her areas of responsibility but I know through experience that she does a lot for our Parish and I wish to thank her for her support.Once again, flooding is high on the agenda. In my report last year I stated that it was the second wettest on record for the UK. Nobody could have predicted that this year would be, in some areas of Southern England, the wettest. Two consecutively wet years have resulted in, once again, extreme pressure on our flood defences and pumping stations which residents in the lower

end of Clyst St Mary rely on. The Council have hosted two multi-agency meetings with DCC, SWW, Environment Agency and EDDC. We continue to keep up the pressure on these agencies and enable the village to have a voice by inviting members of the public to these events.DCC’s budget cut of £35 million this year will see front line services being axed and libraries, care for the elderly and youth service provisions are just some of those departments being targeted.On a more positive note, the Council has been successful with various funding applications.The Football Club submitted an EDDC S106 Open Space Funding application through the Council which has enabled them to benefit from new perimeter railings. Thanks to a successful funding bid to SITA Trust for £11,790, the play area has been given a new lease of life with new perimeter fencing around the entire area. A much needed improvement to the village. Thanks also to the County Councillor’s Locality Budget and the Recreation Committee Funding held by the Parish Council as additional funders and also to EDDC’s S106 funding pot for the 11% Contributing Third Party payment. The new fence will enable this space to be safer and has improved the visual aspect of the play area as a whole. My thanks go to the Clerk for all her hard work in achieving this.Plymouth Brethren kindly donated and fitted a green metal seat in the play area for visitors to enjoy and my thanks go to them for their kind donation. New springer equipment was installed in May which was financed by an S106 Grant from EDDC. The allotment holders now have a third water tap installed (following a consultation) thanks to a successful application through EDDC’s Parishes Together Fund. Thanks to Farringdon and Clyst St George for their support towards our application. A total of £15,181.90 has been awarded to this Parish Council the past financial year through various grants.The Council provided free hedge laying training to 20 volunteers back in September. The field hedge behind the Village Hall has been transformed and special thanks go to the Blackdown Hills Hedge Laying Association for their superb support.Frog Lane car park has been re-lined and two replacement trees have been planted. This year, organisations from the village that benefitted from the Council’s S137 funding are Clyst St Mary PCC for re-bonding the lightening conductor and re-gilding the weather vane at the church; and Clyst St Mary Players, a newly formed drama group that is based at the Village Hall, for improved stage lighting, The year ahead looks very busy and we can expect the new village S106 survey to be undertaken as well as the Neighbourhood Plan to continue to be progressed. We can expect to see perhaps a start on the 80 houses on the land to the East of the Village Hall and possibly also the start of the Bridge House conversions. Other developments happening just outside our Parish include the rugby club expansion plans in line for the 2015 Rugby World Cup as well as IKEA coming to Exeter. We hope that the Government’s Pinch Point funding initiative will mean that the plans in place for the M5 roundabout will enable it to be able to deal with the increased volume of traffic that these two schemes will bring to the area, as well as additional developments in and around Exeter. 2014 will also see the centenary of World War 1. We will also be re-visiting the car parking problems that Clyst St Mary has.Michael Norman, Chairman, Bishops Clyst Parish Council

New School Governor RequiredWe need a new Local Authority Governor at Clyst St Mary School. You are probably aware that the school has a governing body, a group of people drawn from parents, LA nominees, staff and the local community, whose key role is to assist in the effective management of the school. This is your opportunity to get involved and have a real say in the development of our village school. What have I got to offer? Time is the most important resource any governor can offer. You will also of course bring your life experiences and any additional specific skills.  It will help if you are a good communicator, find it easy to get on with other people, can share ideas and work as part of a team. You don’t need any specific qualifications, but you should be prepared to undertake a certain amount of training to enable you to learn some of the basic responsibilities attached to school governance. What will I be letting myself in for? School governors work as a team, alongside the Headteacher and senior management. As a new governor you would be joining an existing team with varying backgrounds, skills and levels of experience. Individual governors have no power or responsibility, and perhaps more importantly, no liability, and ‘all governors are equal’. Governing bodies meet on average twice a term. In addition there are also meetings of governing body committees dealing specifically with issues such as finance, personnel, buildings, curriculum, etc. As a new governor you would be expected to play a full part, and would probably find yourself on at least one committee. Don’t underestimate the amount of time you may be asked to give. You will need to be able to visit the school regularly, during the day if at all possible, and there will be papers to read between meetings. You will serve a term of four years. If you are interested in being nominated as a Local Authority Governor, talk to the Chair of Governors, Rob Hatton (01392 874305) to register your interest and ask any further questions you have about the work of a governor. 

Stan Hacking Concert Band The Stan Hacking Concert Band will be giving a concert in aid of Village Hall funds on Wednesday 18th June at 7.45 pm.  Tickets at £5, under 14s £2.50, from Rob Hatton (01392 874305) or on the door.  Stan and the band continue their work of fundraising for a variety of charities and have now raised a total of more than £270,000.  The concert is keenly awaited by Stan’s many fans.  If you haven’t heard the band in concert before, come along and join us and enjoy an evening of music by this ever popular band.

Clyst St Mary Primary School Summer FêteClyst St Mary Primary School would like to invite you to our fantastic Summer Fête on Sunday 29th June from 12.30 to 3.30 pm for a great day out for the whole family.  We’ll have an Alice in Wonderland theme this year.  Please come along and join in the fun.  This is just a date for your diaries for now.  We’ll have more information in the next edition of the CVN.  In the meantime, if you would like to help with anything or would like to know more about the fête, then please contact Carole Price on caroljprice7@hotmail.co.uk or on 07732 081962.  All proceeds from the Summer Fête are ploughed straight back into the school.

Clyst St Mary Walking GroupThe May walk will be on Tuesday 20th. We all meet at the Village Hall at 10 am. We shall be walking along the Tiverton canal, with a pub lunch at Sampford Peverell. This is an easy walk, approx 6 miles. We all walk at our own risk. All are welcome. For further information please ring Janice on 01392 876858 or Sue on 01392 879333.

Anyone Interested in Lunch?The Half Moon Inn at Clyst St Mary would like to invite people along to their first friendly, informal monthly Luncheon Club on Tuesday 27th May (12 noon – 2 pm). Each Luncheon Club meeting will have its own topic or theme that you can decide upon. For example, it might be that you’re interested in expanding your computer/tablet/mobile ‘phone knowledge, in an informal setting, whilst enjoying a delicious meal! If you enjoy meeting new people; advice sharing; companionship; good food; and a bit of a laugh!! - then this is the club for you. Any age welcome and you don’t even have to live in Clyst St Mary!! Please book your place at the first Luncheon Club through Katie at the Half Moon Inn on 01392 873515 or email her at katie@thehalfmooninn.net.

Clyst St Mary Players: Murder Mystery EveningGreat news! With the pantomime well and truly behind us and to thank you for all your support, we are inviting you to join us for another Murder Mystery Evening. This time we take you on a trip to a holiday camp (not unlike Butlin's). The year is 1953 and it is Gala Night at Chitlyn's Holiday Camp, so join your glamorous and talented entertainment stars for a glittering evening of last night holiday camp fun. Bring your bingo dobbers and knobbly knees and enjoy the cabaret. We assure you, you'll be stunned. Get together with family and friends and book your seats for an evening of fun, frolics and fantastic food, all for £12.50 per ticket. The date is 17th May, the time is 7.30 pm and the venue is Cyst St Mary Village Hall. So see you in the canteen or the bar at 7.30. Dress: Anything goes! Tickets available from Claire on 01392 879835 or Jenny on 01392 875714.

Dog FoulingAny witnesses who see dog fouling and the owners not picking up, please provide EDDC with the following information: date; time; full description of the dog; male or female owner; exact location of fouling. If there is a regular pattern for the dog walker, for example they walk their dog at around 8.30 am each day, all this information will be useful so that EDDC can target these people at specific times and create a window of opportunity to catch them.If you wish to report any incidents please contact our Customer Service Centre on 01395 571517 and a call can be logged.  This will be referred to the Environmental Health Department and dealt with by an officer.

Winslade Park: Grass Verges There are a number of grass verges that adjoin driveways to houses on Winslade Park that are being rutted by cars.  If you have damaged the grass verge adjoining your driveway, please could you ensure it's made good so as to prevent any unwanted accidents occurring?

Car Parking Permits for Frog Lane Car Park and Car Park next to Rydon Motors

If your permit is due to expire, you will need to re-apply. Contact the Clerk at clerk@bishopsclyst.eastdevon.gov.uk or on 01392 881256 for an application form or complete a form from the Parish Council website www.bishopsclyst.btck.co.uk and email it through to the Clerk.  If you do not possess a permit and consider yourself an essential user of the car park, please contact the Clerk (as above).  All applications will be viewed sympathetically by the Parish Council.

Badminton ClubThis small friendly club plays 8-10 pm on Tuesdays in the Village Hall. Why not join this club - whose subscription is very reasonable - for fun and helping to keep fit at the same time?   New members of all abilities and ages (13 years +) are always welcome so don't be put off if you haven't played before or you haven't played for a long time. Some members joined decades after they last played! Just turn up at 8 pm on a Tuesday evening  but if you would like more details please contact either Malcolm Macmillen (01392 873280) or Hilary Richardson (01392 874722).

Clyst Valley Pre-SchoolThe Pre-school offers a friendly, secure, stimulating and fun environment for children aged 2 years and 8 months to school starting age.  We are based at our fantastic new building on the primary school site and have close links with the school.  We were judged to be an outstanding pre-school by OFSTED at our last inspection in February 2009.  Our hours are Monday to Friday, 9.15 am to 3.15 pm, and children can come on a full or part-time basis, and for either whole or half days.  All 3 and 4 year-olds are entitled to 15 hours of free 'early years' funding for 38 weeks each year and some or all of this can be used at Pre-school.    Please get in touch by going to our website at www.clystvalleypreschool.org   or calling Pre-school on 01392 876615 during session times.   Some of our sessions are full so we advise booking as early as you can.

Toddler Group We meet from 9.30 to 11.30 am on Mondays in the Village Hall and all children from 0 to 5 years are welcome with their parents, grandparents or carers. If you feel able, come earlier and help set up. There will be craft and other activities, including singing. It costs £2 which includes snacks and drinks for children and adults. Please contact Johanna on 07791 968056.