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Money MattersThe 2019/20 budget for Simpson and Ashland was agreed at the Parish Council meeting in January, and with it a small increase in the precept – the portion of the Council Tax that you pay to Milton Keynes Council that is then transferred to the Parish Council.
When you receive your Council Tax notification in March you will see that the increase is 6.75%, the equivalent of around £0.49 per a week for a Band D property. The increase in income to the parish is matched, in part, by a reduction in the subsidy that the Parish Council will receive from MKC, as a consequence of central government policies.
The future is quite uncertain as Milton Keynes Council (MKC) has yet to decide where it is going to make the multi-million pound savings required by central government between now and 2020/21, with the likely effect that some of its statutory services (for example adult social care) will have to change. MKC is also considering devolving some of the services it currently provides to town and parish councils. The timetable for this has shifted and it now it looks as if these changes may not happen until 2020 at the earliest.
Simpson and Ashland Parish Council (SAPC) is keen to ensure that the parish is well placed to take up the challenges that a shift in services will bring and so we have been considering how best to prepare for this. We know from the feedback that we receive from those who live, visit and work here that the open spaces in Simpson and Ashland are greatly appreciated, and there is a real desire to see them maintained and cared for in a sustainable manner.
Maintenance of open spaces will form one of the devolved services, so we have decided to put SAPC on the front foot and over the coming twelve months we will begin to take over some of the services that keep our open spaces in good order.
To ensure that we get best value for money we are having discussions with those parish and town councils that already manage the maintenance of their open spaces and it may be that we join in commissioning with them. Having greater control of the services at a parish level also means that residents can input into what services we would like – for example, how often the grass is cut or shrubs are trimmed. We will also be moving to a position where these services are funded directly out of the precept.
Over the last two years, SAPC has built up its financial reserves so that money can be spent on upgrading the Village Hall, the Community Action:MK project in Ashland and the
appointment of a part-time community worker (see advert below). This will enable the PC to continue to provide the services that you have come to expect, as well as getting us to a position where we will be able to pay for the additional services we are taking over.
But the PC cannot do this alone and we will be providing many opportunities for you to get involved, and to let us know your thoughts on what services are important to you and how these could or should be delivered in the future.
The latest financial statements and analysis can be found attached to the minutes on the Meetings page of the Parish website.
Parish NewsletterMarch 2019
Simpson & Ashland Community Worker
Are you a ‘people-person’, with a sense of fun and good communication skills, looking for part-time work? The parish council is looking for a Community Worker to expand the range of activities and events that involve the residents of Simpson and Ashland, building on the residents’ interests and ideas and working alongside them to strengthen community spirit and a sense of commitment to their neighbourhood.
Simpson and Ashland are very different areas with a range of different community assets and population. The Community Worker will be active across the parish.
The post, which in the first instance is planned to last for a year, is 8 hours per week at a pay rate of £10.65 per hour. Full details are available on the website www.simpsonandashland.co.uk or from the clerk at [email protected] / 07597 304054 and the closing date for applications is Friday 15th March.
Charles Warren Academy have been learning about how to stay safe online, in response to Safer Internet Day on 5th February.
All children in the school learnt the SMART rules (safe, meeting, acceptable, reliable, tell) and are aware of issues that may arise and how best to solve them. Every class had a project to complete over the week to promote this cause. For example, Year 1 and 2 created posters to display around the school and Year 6 created a quiz for children to complete.
We also had two visits from PCSO Colin Cooper to share the message of staying safe online.
He brought in some police uniforms for us to try on; we had so much fun and learnt an important message.
The NSPCC are conducting a session for parents in March.
Should you wish to find out more about ESafety, then Colin welcomes you to contact him on:
Find your remarkable
Fund-raising in 2018Thanks to everyone involved in the fund-raising events in Simpson and Ashland during 2018. A magnificent £18,454 was raised, ringing up a grand total of £103,685 since 2011, when we began to keep a record.
The bulk of that money has come from quiz nights in Simpson Village Hall, but some has come along via events at St Thomas’ Church and quiz nights in the MK area that Simpson folk attend and support.
We have helped many charities, a lot of them local, including humanitarian, medical, environmental and children’s causes. Also animal charities; plants for the village; a water-bore project in Kenya helping thousands to get fresh water; the arts; the RNLI and medical detection dogs. Some of the money raised has gone to funds at St Thomas’.
It takes all of us to do this – many thanks to those who bake, supply raffle prizes, make teas, set up and, most importantly, come along and support the events.
We know that other people have also held fund-raising events in Simpson but we don’t have the records of money made. Regardless of the source, when taken together it’s an impressive and worthwhile outcome and one that we can all take pride in.
Pat and Neil Hodges
Summoned by bellsIf you were in or near Simpson on the afternoon of Sunday 3 February you may well have heard the bells of St Thomas’ being rung. A team of six ringers – Brian Baldwin, Peter Tribble, Martin Petchey, Christina Tribble, Simon Head (Conductor) and Paul Cromblehome were ringing a quarter peal of Candlemas Doubles (1260 changes). The team is based at St Mary’s, Woughton and support St Thomas’ for weddings and other special occasions.
This special occasion was the third attempt by Martin Petchey (seated, right) to meet a challenge to ring a quarter peal in every Milton Keynes tower during his year as Mayor of Milton Keynes. Two previous attempts in Simpson hadn’t been successful but 3 February proved to be third time lucky and the peal was completed in 39 minutes. The choice of Candlemas Double was timely as 2 February is the 2019 date of Candlemas in the church’s calendar. It is a festival of light and, traditionally, was when churches blessed all of the candles to be used during the rest of the year.
Listening to the peal was Simpson resident Eric Coles, now 92, (standing, left) who had himself rung the bells at St Thomas’ when he was younger. He had been following in a family tradition – his uncle Bob was one of the team that rang the bells in November 1918 to celebrate the Armistice at the end of World War 1.
There are six bells in the tower. The oldest (6 cwt) was originally cast by Bartholomew Atton in 1604, in the reign of King James I. The next two also date from the 17th century: by James Keene of Woodstock, Oxfordshire in 1630 (7 cwt), and Anthony Chandler of Drayton Parslow, a village to the south of Milton Keynes, in 1650 (3 cwt). The Chandler family name lives on in Simpson at Chandler Court.
The details of the history of the bells are somewhat unclear. However, there is a more recent record of a new bell by John Taylor and Co (4 cwt) being hung in 1895 at the same time as the other four bells were tuned and rehung at the expense of the Rector, the Reverend William Rice, and Catherine Eaton, his niece and housekeeper.
Twenty-four years later, on Sunday 9 February 1919, a five-man team rang a quarter peal of Grandsire Doubles (1,260 changes), with the bells half muffled, as a last token of respect to Reverend Rice, who had been buried in the churchyard the previous day. Bob Coles was on the treble bell and the conductor, on the tenor bell, was C.W.Smith, known as Bill, the Simpson postmaster.
Bill Smith was still the Captain of the Tower in 1926 when a sixth bell – a treble, weighing 2½ cwt – was hung and he continued to lead the team well into the 1930s when Eric Coles first learned the bell-ringing craft.
Great TitThe great tit is the largest member of the tit family and a regular visitor to garden feeders. Easily distinguished from the similarly numerous blue tit by its black crown, black stripe down the centre of the belly and white sides to the tail.
It has a variety of calls and songs, many of them strident. Listen out for tchee-tchu; think of it as being like ‘teacher’ and you’ll always know when there’s a great tit in the vicinity.
HistoryFollowing the success of John Hammar’s talk Cycling from Colditz in January, the next two Saturday history evenings are closer to home. Eric Gates’s talk about Simpson House has been rescheduled because of a clash of dates in February. Peter Barnes’s talk about Rev William Rice will now be on 4 May.
The talks are in Simpson Hall and start at 7.30. Entrance is free, donations may be invited. For further information – and suggestions – contact Peter Barnes [email protected]
Charles Warren and the Lost Inheritance a Victorian mystery story by Eric GatesSaturday 9 March at 7.30 in Simpson Village Hall
It’s the 11th of April, 1872. Charles Warren, the builder and owner of Simpson House, lies dying in his bedroom. Charles has lived in the house for over 40 years and since arriving in the village as a young building surveyor has become a prosperous builder, farmer and landowner. During the day he is visited by Charles Powell from Newport Pagnell, his long-
term friend, solicitor and business partner.
He makes a number of seemingly inexplicable and substantial changes to his will … and nine days later, Charles Warren is dead. My talk explores the background and the events leading up to the drama surrounding the death of Charles Warren and my attempts to unravel the Mystery – or should it be Conspiracy?
I follow the aftermath: its effect on the future of Simpson House and the impact on all those involved in or caught up in the Mystery of the Lost Inheritance.
Scandal at Simpson: the Life and Times of the Reverend William Rice A talk by Peter BarnesSaturday 4 May at 7.30 in Simpson Village Hall
Rev. William Rice died 100 years ago on 5 February 1919 and is buried in St Thomas’ churchyard. The son of a Welsh sheep
farmer, he was ordained in 1875 and became Rector of Simpson in 1891. He was a ‘colourful’ character and from at least 1900 was the subject of complaints from parishioners to the Bishop of Oxford on account of his behaviour and the neglect of his pastoral responsibilities. He spent more time on his sheep than he did on his human flock. The bishop described the goings on as ‘scandal at Simpson’.
Eventually, in 1916, the Bishop instituted a commission to enquire into the rector’s conduct. It recommended that he should be inhibited from performing his clerical duties at St Thomas’.
William Rice appealed and in June 1917 the appeal was heard at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, before a judge and the Archbishop of Canterbury. The case was of particular legal interest because it was the first to be heard under the Benefice Act (1898).
The proceedings were reported in detail in the national and local press. The appeal failed and Rev Rice was debarred from exercising any clerical functions in the parish, although he continued to occupy the Rectory and to farm.
The talk will cover William Rice’s life and how his unruly behaviour affected the people of Simpson over 100 years ago.
Simpson Village Hall – no more echoes of the pastAs part of the programme of improvements at Simpson Village Hall the floor has been covered with carpet tiles.
This has not only enhanced the appearance but, more particularly, it has had the desired effect of softening the acoustics. This will benefit a wide range of users, especially those with hearing difficulties.
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The Spring Calling by Crystal GrantShall we take a walk outside? The bitter wrath of winter has begun to sleep ... let us close our eyes, step out with me … can you feel?The cunning, crisp, cold air may sting, but that’s OK. If this is the only price to pay, it will ignite the senses; we must!Just let the warmth of the winter sun soak in your skin, consuming every one of your negative sins. Its rays on your lids … the red glow forcing you to reminisce.Can you feel the warmth that is born within your heart seep through to every inch, as if taking your soul on a journey? A new start, new beginnings, another day and breath. The time of innocence - the lambs are born, the spectrum of yellow that owns the countryside, the daffodils sway gently in the wind, the soft sound of petals blooming, passing across field after field.Spring is calling; it is the time of endless possibilities. Fulfil your reckoning. Let’s make our mark.
Claire from florry invites you to ‘spring into flower arranging’ this March at Simpson Village Hall.
Join me, an experienced floral designer, at these hands-on workshops:
Thursday 14 March 7.30pm to 9.30pm. It’s time to bring out the tulips, and create a beautiful
Spring design amongst other florals. £35
Friday 22 March 7.30pm to 9.30pm. The bulbs arrive. Be inspired as you create a floral design
with spring bulbs, complemented with seasonal cut
flowers. £35 – Book both classes for £65
• No previous experience required.
• Relax as the design is fully demonstrated to you.
• Then it’s time for you to create, with help and guidance on hand throughout.
All of your lovely fresh flowers and materials are included.
Book your place by visiting my website link www.florry.uk/flower-arranging-classes, or email me [email protected] with any questions.
Claire from florry invites you to ‘spring into flower arranging’ this March at Simpson Village Hall.
Join me, an experienced floral designer, at these hands-on workshops:
Thursday 14 March 7.30pm to 9.30pm. It’s time to bring out the tulips, and create a beautiful Spring design amongst other florals. £35
Friday 22 March 7.30pm to 9.30pm. The bulbs arrive. Be inspired as you create a floral design with spring bulbs, complemented with seasonal cut flowers. £35
Book both classes for £65.
• No previous experience required. • Relax as the design is fully demonstrated to you. • Then it’s time for you to create, with help and guidance on hand throughout.
All of your lovely fresh flowers and materials are included.
Book your place by visiting my website link https://www.florry.uk/flower-arranging-classes, or email me [email protected] with any questions.
Hope to see you there.
Claire
Claire from florry invites you to ‘spring into flower arranging’ this March at Simpson Village Hall.
Join me, an experienced floral designer, at these hands-on workshops:
Thursday 14 March 7.30pm to 9.30pm. It’s time to bring out the tulips, and create a beautiful Spring design amongst other florals. £35
Friday 22 March 7.30pm to 9.30pm. The bulbs arrive. Be inspired as you create a floral design with spring bulbs, complemented with seasonal cut flowers. £35
Book both classes for £65.
• No previous experience required. • Relax as the design is fully demonstrated to you. • Then it’s time for you to create, with help and guidance on hand throughout.
All of your lovely fresh flowers and materials are included.
Book your place by visiting my website link https://www.florry.uk/flower-arranging-classes, or email me [email protected] with any questions.
Hope to see you there.
Claire
Lorraine – image and logo forwarded separately
The Flowers that Bloom in the Spring Simpson Garden Group announces the following talks in Simpson Village Hall – all welcome – £3 non-members
Tuesday 12 March 8pm Succulents by Rosie Insley of the
Wild Rose Flower Company
Rosie Insley’s desire to follow her passion in horticulture whilst supporting her partner Steve on the family farm near Winslow was the inspiration behind the Wild Rose Flower Company. She grows a wide range of blooms along the theme of wild country flowers to give a naturalistic look. Succulents came into Rosie’s life about five years ago and
she became besotted. Having amassed a collection she started working with them, creating quirky and unusual succulent planters using vintage and recycled containers along with modern ones. These plants are so varied and fascinating in shape and colour they offer fantastic architectural forms for creating indoor and outdoor planters. They are low-maintenance and in most cases slow growing, making them ideally suited to modern living and a great way of introducing children to the pleasure of looking after and nurturing something living.
Rosie will be bringing planters for sale on the night.
Tuesday 9 April 8pmColour in a small garden by Timothy Walker, former Director of the University of Oxford Botanic Gardens
The talk is inspired by the Oxford Botanic Gardens’ Gold Medal winning exhibit at the Chelsea Flower Show. Timothy will explain some of the theory employed by artists and gardeners to achieve a variety of effects.
Garden and Food Waste Wanted! Your grass clippings, dead plants, vegetable peelings and leftover dinner are wanted by Milton Keynes Council Recycling Department!
Food and garden waste placed in the green wheelie bin are sent off by the local council to a composting facility where the organic waste is allowed to rot down to create soil improver for agriculture.
By placing food in your green wheelie bin this also has the added advantage that rats, cats and birds will not rip open your bin bag and litter your area.
Please do your bit by putting the following in your green wheeled bin:
P Garden plants
P Lawn clippings
P Leaves
P Weeds
P Dead flowers
P Windfall fruit
P Branches up to 15cm diameter
Plus all kinds of raw or cooked food waste including:
P Bread, pastries, cakes
P Fruit and vegetable waste
P Tea leaves/bags and coffee grounds
P Meat and fish, both raw, cooked and bones
P Meal leftovers
Although the following are biodegradable, they cannot go in the bin. Put these in your black sack together with any other refuse:
P Pet poo
P Pet bedding, including straw, hay and cat litter
P Nappies
P Fur or hair clippings
If you are an avid gardener consider getting a compost bin, and place any items you cannot home compost in the green wheelie bin.
To order a new green wheelie bin or grey kitchen caddy please call 01908 252570
or email [email protected]
www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/waste-recycling/bins-bags-and-boxes
Small branches (less
than 15cm diameter)
Grass clippings WeedsLeaves
Fruit & vegetables
Any leftover food
Teabags, tea leaves
& coffee granulesBread & pastries
Meat, bones, fish – cooked or raw Cheese & other dairy products
Green wheeled binAll food and garden waste including…
Ashland Action – Sunday 14 AprilFollowing the work which Community Action:MK undertook for the Parish Council in 2018 to find out what the residents of Simpson would like in their village, we have asked Community Action to do a similar piece of work in Ashland.
We have set up a Steering Group to shape and manage this work. Thanks to Brenda Daglish, Peter Hinton and Dan Hargan for agreeing to be part of the Group, together with Councillors Cathy Pope and Carole Baume.
We are also hoping two or three residents from the newer part of Ashland will also join us.
Now the building work is finished on Ashland, we want to hear what residents think is important for the area: what services and facilities would you like to see?
To start listening to residents we are hoping to hold a Family / Neighbourhood event during the Easter holidays – on Sunday 14 April. More details will follow…
If you would like any more information about this project and/or if you would be willing to be a member of the Steering Group for the project, do contact Cathy at [email protected] or Carole at [email protected]
Have you ever felt you had something to say
about your experience of health or social care
services in Milton Keynes?
Do you have suggestions about how services
could be improved? Healthwatch Milton Keynes is one of a network of 152 local organisations set up to listen to local people’s concerns and ensure they influence the provision and planning of services. They are government funded but independent, with statutory rights so that local NHS and social care services have to listen and respond.
Healthwatch Milton Keynes is a small but very active organisation, often using volunteers to help with projects reviewing local services, always guided by local people’s voices.
For example, in the last financial year they investigated patient communication in Milton Keynes Hospital, access to GP practices, patient experiences of Mental Health Services, the availability of NHS Dentistry provision in Milton Keynes and support to young carers.
They are currently reviewing the experience of residents in 16 care homes, focusing particularly on social wellbeing.
You can contact Healthwatch on 01908 698800 or email [email protected].
Why not become a member of Healthwatch? It is completely free and keeps you up to date with health and social care in Milton Keynes. The regular email newsletters are always interesting, reporting developments as well as all the work Healthwatch is doing.
Check out the website: www.healthwatchmiltonkeynes.co.uk or feel free to chat to one of our Healthwatch volunteers.
Gill Needham [email protected] 01908 670700
Advice and support for adults with dementia and their carers The Alzheimer’s Society in MK provides advice and support for any age group.
Contact them at: www.alzheimers.org.uk
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 01908 232612
Singing for the Brain MK brings people who are affected by dementia together in a friendly, fun and social environment. Based around the principles of music therapy, the sessions include vocal warm-ups and singing a variety of familiar and new songs.
Sessions held at:
The Peartree Centre, Chadd Lane, Central Milton Keynes, MK6 3EB. Monday, fortnightly 2.00 – 3.45pm.
Herons Lodge Guide Centre, Bradwell Road, Loughton Lodge, MK8 9AA. Monday, fortnightly 10.30am –12.15pm.
Please contact the office on 01908 232612 for dates and availability.
Milton Keynes
Considerate Parking Do you drive? Then you may have experienced annoyance, maybe a fine or even interaction with the police when you have either encountered or created an obstructive parking situation. Because it is important to keep traffic flowing freely, you will understand the reasons for the legislation and broadly comply with it.
But what about pedestrians? Please consider others when you park your vehicle. Think of those who find it hard to walk, or who use a mobility aid or are pushing a wheelchair or buggy. They should not have to go in the road or onto a grass verge because your car or van is ‘parking’ on the path.
The two most common inconsiderate parking issues these people face are:• Parking on the kerb, which restricts the path width.• Parking across the path, typically using it as an extension of
a private drive, which totally blocks it.
So please, leave paths for people – and ask your visitors to do so, too.
In a separate but linked concern, members of the Parish Council have surveyed all the MK Council’s paths across Simpson and logged the defects (mainly paths less than 1 metre wide or without suitable dropped kerbs). A report has been sent to the Highways Department where it joins other local lists so that priority sites can be dealt with first.
HomelessnessThe Rough Sleeper Outreach Service is up and running in Milton Keynes. The project has two main aims:
1. To reduce the current levels of rough sleeping across MK, Bedfordshire and Luton.
2. To prevent those at risk of becoming homeless from actually becoming homeless.
It provides a combination of Outreach Support and Assessment Hubs where people can access help and support and includes dedicated mental health workers. Contact [email protected] for more details.
Open Door MK also hosts drop-in sessions for advice and support:
Mondays: 11.00-2.00 and Fridays: 10:30-1.00 at Salvation Army, Ramsons Ave, Conniburrow, MK14 7BA
Wednesdays: 11.00-2.00 at Queensway Methodist Church Hall, Queensway, Bletchley, MK2 2HB
If you are concerned about anyone sleeping rough, you can contact the national 24-hour rough sleeping referral line StreetLink on 0300 500 0914 or online at www.streetlink.org.uk
www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/housing/need-somewhere-to-live/homeless-or-in-danger-of-becoming-homeless
What’s On…The following events are at Simpson Village Hall unless otherwise specified.
* QUIZ & SUPPER evenings are held in Simpson Village Hall at 7pm – £12 p.p. To book and for more details please contact Pat Hodges on 01908 644785 or [email protected].
MARCH
Saturday 2 – Quiz & Supper* – Proceeds to HULA
Monday 4 – Parish Council Meeting in the Village Hall, 8pm
Saturday 9 – Charles Warren and the Lost Inheritance – a local history talk about Simpson House by Eric Gates. Village Hall at 7.30pm
Tuesday 12 – Simpson Garden Group talk on Succulents by Rosie Insley at the Village Hall, 8pm
Saturday 16 – Quiz & Supper* – Proceeds to Reader Service
Saturday 30 – Quiz & Supper* – Proceeds to Good News Romania
APRIL
Monday 1 – Parish Council planning meeting in the Village Hall, 8pm
Saturday 6 – Charity Coffee Morning in the Village Hall, 10am – 12.30pm
Tuesday 9 – Simpson Garden Group talk: Colour in a small garden by Timothy Walker. The Village Hall, 8pm
Saturday 13 – Quiz & Supper* – Proceeds to Healing Hands
Sunday 14 – Ashland Action – See page 6
Saturday 27 – Quiz & Supper* – Proceeds to Royal National Lifeboat Institution
MAY
Saturday 6 – Scandal at Simpson – the life and times of the Reverend William Rice – a local history talk by Peter Barnes. The Village Hall at 7.30pm
Saturday 11 – Community Action MK meeting in Simpson Village Hall
Monday 13 – Parish Council Annual Meeting in the Village Hall at 8pm
www.simpsonandashland.co.uk [email protected] 07597 304 054 Twitter: @SimpsonAshland
This edition of the parish newsletter has been edited by Peter Barnes and Lorraine Hodghton.
With thanks to the following contributors: Jane Anderson, Jane Ashby, Danielle Barnes, Carole Baume, Eric Gates, Crystal Grant, Pat and Neil Hodges, Marianne Ling, Robert Ling, Gill Needham, Cathy Pope, David Pye, Sarah Spicer,
Sheila Thornton.
Printed by Prontoprint Milton Keynes This newsletter can be downloaded from the website – just scan code
Looking ahead…The Simpson Garden Group is having an
Open Gardens Day on Saturday 15 June. Gardens can be large or small, formal or informal.
If you would like their garden to be included, please e-mail Brenda Ladd at: [email protected]
COFFEEMORNINGSaturday6thApril10–12.30pm
SimpsonVillageHall
Homebakedgoods,baconrolls&raffle
COFFEEMORNINGSaturday6thApril10–12.30pm
SimpsonVillageHall
Homebakedgoods,baconrolls&raffle
we are supporting Willen Hospice
COFFEE MORNINGSaturday 6th April 10am–12.30pm
Simpson Village HallHome baked goods, bacon rolls & raffle
Willen Hospice needs to raise most of it’s annual funding from the local community. Please support your local Hospice and help them
always be there to care for their patients and their loved ones.
As many of you will know, The Plough in Simpson closed at very short notice in January. We understand that a new landlord will be in residence shortly and we look forward to welcoming them to the parish.
Annual events in the Simpson and Ashland calendar, such as the War Memorial remembrance, the Open Gardens, and Christmas celebrations at the church
and round the tree are well established and gaining popularity each year.
They’re great to attend and create opportunities for us to meet and talk to new people in our community.
With this in mind, a small group of us are starting to plan a variety of Easter-based activities that everyone can be
involved in. But we need more ideas and people on board.
Easter weekend is 19-22 April, so not far away in planning terms. If you want to be involved with the planning and
preparation of Easter activities, or would like to hear about ideas so far please phone 01908 677151. We will get
back to you if you leave a message.
As plans develop, look out for more information on the activities and programme, and how you can join in. Our aim is to make the phrase ‘Happy Easter’ mean just that.
Marianne, Bob and Jane.
Looking forward to
Easter?
