On Wednesday 18th December 64 people sat down to an excellent three course Christmas Lunch at the newly refurbished Parley Country Club. The group consisted of all the groups that normally a meet on Wednesday mornings The Coffee Group, Health Walkers and the Lunch Club, they are a very friendly group and a great time was a had by all. The picture shows Councillor Sheila Gooden, Chef Tony and their jolly band of helpers receiving a round of applause from all the diners.
All the Wednesday groups re-commence on Wednesday 8th January at 10am at Parley Country Club so come and join us and meet new friends, take the health walk and burn of all those extra calories.
17 Dec 2013 Council plans for 2014
Core Strategy - continue to oppose the plans for large scale housing in West Parley. The Planning Inspector has reduced the number of houses proposed for the field off Dudsbury hill but increased the number in the field on New Road and extended the proposed building area. Our comments will be made in January and we will deal with any planning application if it is submitted.
Social groups and local organisations - we plan to do more to help local organisations and build on the work done in 2013. We already see the benefit of working with some local organisations but wish to encourage others to work together more closely for the benefit of all residents.
We will continue to encourage residents to join local groups, be involved in village life and come along to community events and continue to keep residents up to date with what is happening here.
Parley Wood - Access paths are being widened so that diggers and chippers can be brought in to the wood in January. This is so that drainage ditches can be cleared and small trees and undergrowth chipped to build up the existing main paths. The aim is to make the paths less boggy to make them passable in all weathers.
Finish our MasterPlan - the Plan is a long list of improvements to parish assets. The final major projects are to retarmac the surface and improve the lighting of the very well used public car park by the Recreation Ground and complete these improvements to Parley Wood mentioned above.
South and South East in Bloom competition - After our excellent silver award in 2013 we would like to achieve a silver gilt award in 2014. We have been through the judges comments and suggestions and believe that this is a reasonable target for us. Full details of what we will be doing will be given in February.
11 Dec 2013 disruption to power supplies panned for Jan 2014
The Parish Council has been informed by Scottish & Southern Electricity (SSE), that they will be replacing overhead cables and some telegraph poles, if necessary, during January 2014. >This will require the electricity to be turned off for a day for the affected properties, and they have asked us to contact you so that you are aware to take measures to combat this on the particular day you are affected, eg make up flasks of hot water for drinks, alternative heating / lighting sources etc.
You will have the opportunity to meet with Steve Taylor, a representative from SSE, face to face, at a time of your convenience to discuss any issues or concerns. SSE are in the process of contacting all affected properties, and the gentleman to speak to at SSE is Mr Steve Taylor.
The Parish Council is not aware of the schedule of the properties being affected so we recommend you contact SSE direct with further questions. Email: steve.taylor@sse.com Tel: 08450 737952 Mobile: 07767851304
27 Nov 2013 Bye-Election Notice, vacancy for a Councillor
Notice is hereby given, in accordance with Section 87 (2) of the
Local Government Act 1972, that a vacancy exists in the
Office of Parish Councillor for the village of West Parley.
A bye-election to fill the vacancy will be held if any ten local government electors for the said electoral area submit a written request to that effect
in the manner prescribed below and if no such request is made the
Parish Council will fill the vacancy by co-option.
Any request for an election to be held to fill the vacancy must be in writing
and reach the Returning Officer, East Dorset District Council, Council Offices, Furzehill, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 4HN within 14 days (not including Saturday, Sunday or Bank Holidays) of this notice. To read the published notice please see the Bye-Election Notice.
26 Nov 2013 first Heritage Walk gets underway
walkers about to set off in West Parley, click to enlarge
A group of residents trialled the new heritage walk around West Parley last week. Braving typical winter weather of heavy rain, strong wind and bright sunshine, the group completed the 5 mile circular route, passing over 20 items of historical significance. These ranged from 5000 year old Bronze Age sites to buildings some 300 years old.
The walkers also heard about the history of the local heath and open field system, were shown ancient field boundaries and an outline of how people lived in the past.
Walk Organiser John Cullen explained "We know from our recent Parish Plan that residents are interested in the heritage of the village and this walk is one of a number of initiatives in our Heritage Project. Though we all got wet through, everyone went away understanding a lot more about where we live and had a better appreciation of what is all around us".
A Heritage Open Day was held in April and the ancient All Saints Church was included in this year's East Dorset Heritage Week in September. A heritage book on West Parley is planned as are information signs on important heritage items.
Details of the walk, explanation of each historical item and a 1900 map of the village are all on the West Parley Parish Council web site www.westparley-pc.gov.uk/heritage-walk.
22 Nov 2013 Autumn bonfires
Autumn is the time when we often burn off garden waste in a bonfire. Please let's all be considerate of our neighbours when we do this. Smoke can so easily blow the wrong way and many people, especially the elderly, can be affected by it. Happy gardening.
22 Nov 2013 Parish Council resignations
It is with great regret that we have to announce the resignation of 2 Councillors. Ian Davis has had to resign due to increasing pressure from outside business and personal interests. Kenny Pearce has resigned to explore an inquiry into a local issue that he feels may conflict with his role as a Parish Councillor, so therefore he reluctantly felt it necessary to resign.
Both Ian and Kenny have stressed that they will continue to support village community and volunteer groups in future.
The whole Council thanks both Ian and Kenny for their past contributions and commitment.
Any Resident interested in becoming a Parish Councillor should contact the Parish Clerk.
19 Nov 2013 Volunteers thanked in West Parley
West Parley Parish Council held its annual awards evening to thank all the village volunteers for their help over the last year. Newly elected Dorset County Councillor Ian Smith leads the thanks at this years reception for our hard working community heroes
Many local residents give up their time to litter pick, plant and maintain floral displays and deliver regular parish newsletters. Weekly working parties improve the look of the village by grass cutting, tree planting and verge trimming and this year also have undertaken projects such as installing new information signage, improving paths in Parley Wood and installing new footpath gates in the parish Recreation Ground. Volunteers also help with local coffee mornings and lunch clubs each week and provide a local car transport scheme.
Ian Smith, newly elected Dorset County Councillor, thanked the volunteers for all their hard work and acknowledged the contribution they had made to keeping the village looking good and supporting the local community. Though new to the job he thought the help offered by residents in West Parley was the best he had come across.
Pat Couper, Vice Chair of the Parish Council, presented a number of Volunteer of the Year award vouchers to residents who had given so much of their time over the past year.
Parish Council Chairman John Cullen says "The sheer scale of the local support we get shows the pride residents have in our historic village. We gained a silver award in this years South and South East in Bloom competition and hope to get a silver gilt award next year. Our volunteers play a key role in helping the village improve all the time."
If you would like to get involved, or see what the volunteers are getting up to, please visit our volunteers webpage.
