West Parley Parish Council
Pleased be advised that the Clerk is now on leave over the festive period, returning to work on Monday 7th January. Emails will be actioned upon return to work so there may be some delays in response. If you have anything of an urgent nature which cannot wait until that time, please refer to one of the Councillors whose details can be found on the website. Merry Christmas and wishing you all a Healthy and Happy New Year.
The annual community carols on Glenmoor Road took place on 17th December 2018 to help residents get the Christmas feeling. About 100 locals watched and joined in singing the carols, lead by pupils and teachers from Parley First School.
To add to the event, mince pies kindly donated by Tesco and a steady supply of hot chocolates provided by Thirty7 coffee shop, were handed out to everyone by the Parish Clerk and Cllr Penwill. Someone was heard to say ‘You can’t help but feel Christmassy listening to their little voices’ and even the rain cleared for us all to enjoy the event.
The West Parley Gardening Club held their first Christmas Party to celebrate yet another excellent year. A huge buffet was followed by a free raffle of twenty prizes which included donations from local businesses and members of the club.
The Chairman presented a really entertaining ‘Christmas’ quiz which went to a decider between 3 teams, but was ultimately won by members of The West Parley Volunteers. During the evening there was a game for a bottle of champagne and another for £40, and plenty of cakes kindly made and donated.
The Club Secretary compered some of the evening adorned in tinsel, every table enthusiatically joined in a rendition of The Twelve Days of Christmas and ended with carols lead by Thomas Leeding accompanied by Brenda on the piano.
The West Parley Gardening Club began four years with just 22 members and has grown to 54 with new members joining monthly. For more information please contact Malcolm Plascott. Secretary 01202 950521 and details of the year’s agenda is on the noticeboards around the village.
All four lanes on the A338/Blackwater Junction will be reopened two days ahead of schedule on Saturday 8 December, in time for the Christmas period. On the nights of Thursday 6 and Friday 7 December the road will be closed southbound from 8pm, reopening at 6am the following morning, to remove the lane closure, allowing traffic to flow freely from 6am on Saturday 8 December.
Work will still continue on the drainage and widening the embankment southbound up until Friday 21 December, without impacting on traffic.
Gary Powell, Head of Highways and Transportation and the senior responsible officer for the A338 improvements, said: “We are constantly looking at ways to speed up the programme, so we are really pleased that we have been able to reopen all four lanes two days earlier than planned. This will provide some welcome relief to those road users affected by these works and is also great news for residents and businesses looking to make the most of Christmas shopping, festivities and events in Bournemouth, Christchurch and surrounding areas.”
Martin Davies, Chair of the Bournemouth Town Centre BID, added: “We are delighted that the A338 roadworks are being lifted two days ahead of schedule as it will enable even more people to come and enjoy the exciting retail offering in Bournemouth this year and of course to visit the amazing Christmas Tree Wonderland.”
Overnight road closures will be in place southbound for two nights on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 January 2019 from 8pm to 6am to reinstall the steel barriers and reduce the road back to one lane, in a similar layout to the last phase of work.
This will mean that from Sunday morning, 6 January, two lanes will be available southbound heading towards the Blackwater Junction. Lane one will provide a dedicated lane for those motorists wishing to exit off the slip road to Blackwater B3073. All other motorists will use lane two heading straight to Bournemouth.
From 7 January, works will continue on the widening of the southbound carriageway into the verge, installing concrete protection around the Blackwater bridge piers, building a new parapet vehicle restraint barrier over the River Stour Bridge and the new retaining bank for the new lane immediately south of the River Stour Bridge.
In addition, work will start on the Cooper Dean widening works. The first phase of this will involve adding an extra lane in the verge.
The A338/Blackwater improvements are scheduled to last until June 2019. Road users are advised to sign up to the A338 travel blog to stay up to date with road news or check @TravelDorset on twitter for updates.
A338 Update
The bad news is there are 2 night closures on the A338 Thursday 5th and Friday 6th, BUT the good news is that it's to move the barriers to lift lane restrictions for a month over the Christmas period!
5 cars entered and items stolen yesterday in the Chine walk area. All were left insecure. Please lock up your vehicles, even if they are left on the driveway.
Reports have been received of fraudsters making appointments on behalf of Dorset Police, acting as crime prevention advisers with visits scheduled for Tuesday 4 December 2018. These are not legitimate and residents should not allow them entry to their home.
You can verify the identity of any police officer or staff member by asking for their collar number and checking details by calling 101.
Dorset Police Rural Crime Team would like you to be aware of the following suspicious vehicle. The vehicle is a Silver Ford Mondeo with the registration N**8 GXA. This vehicle has been seen in suspicious circumstances in areas across the county over the last few weeks.
The occupants of this vehicle have been seen acting suspiciously near rural premises. It is thought that the vehicle and its occupants are involved in rural thefts.
If this vehicle or other vehicles are seen acting suspiciously, please gather as much information as possible such as the registration number and descriptions of the driver and any passengers and please contact Dorset Police immediately by calling 999 if the vehicle or occupants are seen committing crime. For non-emergency call 101 or visit the Dorset Police website or email Dorset Police
Alternatively if you wish to remain anonymous you can call NFU Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 783 0137 or by visit the Crimestoppers website
At a recent reception jointly hosted by West Parley Parish Council and the Residents Association, Derek and Pam Cooper were recognised as "Volunteers of the Year". Unfortunately Mr & Mrs Cooper were unable to attend the meeting, but District Councillor Barbara Manuel praised Derek and Pam for their outstanding contribution to the community over more than 38 years.
Also receiving recognition was Derek Kearey who has been treasurer of the Neighbourhood Car Scheme since inception in 2013. More than 3700 journeys have now been completed.
Parish Council vice-chairman John Dinsdale highlighted the numerous tasks fulfilled by the various volunteer groups over the past 12 months. In particular he thanked John and Anne Smith and Robin and Sheila Gooden for providing and maintaining a stunning floral display during the hottest summer since records began.
A final award was made to Daniel Morris who is the youngest member of the volunteer group that helps to maintain the appearance of the village.
The Parish Council Chairman then thanked all the volunteers for their continued support in keeping West Parley looking its best and retaining the community spirit of our great village. He ended the formalities by presenting a personal thank you to the Clerk for her commitment to the job, to Cllr Penwill for her determination to continue her role despite major health concerns and to the Vice Chairman for his endless support to the West Parley Residents’ Association Volunteers and the Parish Council.