Arley News Online

 

Welcome to the Summer ‘08 edition of Arley News.

 

This edition brings you some informative and important updates from the Arley Community Association, the Arley Parish Plan Steering Committee, Peter Allan (about the funds received to build a community centre), as well as the Housing and Development team for Hilltop.

 

You will find a housing survey from Warwickshire Rural Community Council (WRCC) included with this copy of Arley News, please see Mike William’s comments about this on page 3, suffice to say that if you can complete it and have your say, you will be contributing towards the future plans of development in Old Arley – Thank you.

 

An important date for your diary - 4th October, 2008 will be the date on which the Autumn Fayre for Arley will be held at St. Michael’s church. If you would like a stall please contact Audrey Brown on 01676 541026.

 

Staff from local company Purple Flame Aromatherapy, St. John’s Spinney, Gun Hill, New Arley are completing the Race for Life at Coombe Abbey, in July 2008 to raise money for Cancer Research UK. Helen Duff (Manager), Lorraine Lusty (Accounts), Claire Payne (Dispatch), Louise Smith (College Co-ordinator) and Helen’s daughter Amy Duff are running in memory of Rob Sapsford, Manager and Partner of Purple Flame Aromatherapy who lost his battle with brain cancer on 6th March 2006. Anyone wishing to sponsor the team may do so by visiting their sponsorship page at www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/purpleflamearomatherapy

 

Thank you as ever to all the people who have contributed to this edition. We continue to welcome your content items. Don’t forget that there is a box up at Rowley’s butchers in Old Arley for any paper based items you’d like to see printed. You can also e-mail us at arleynews@hotmail.com.

 

Have a great Summer,

Warm regards

 

Emily & the Arley News Team

 

Two consultation open days were held in April and I would like to thank all those who helped exhibiting the proposed action plans.

 

In addition our thanks to other stall holders at the events and the villagers who visited for their support and comments.

 

Enclosed with this edition of Arley News is a Housing Survey being conducted in New and Old Arley by the WRCC on behalf of the villagers. In view of the proposed development in Old Arley (see elsewhere in this edition an article from the Arley Community Association) it is important that as many people as possible take the time to complete this survey.

 

Mike Williams

Arley parish Plan Steering Committee

 

 

 

In 2004 North Warwickshire Borough Council published a Local Plan that was so contentious that a Public enquiry was held. The areas of most concern in the Parish of Arley were Rectory Road and the Miners Welfare Sites. The Public Inquiry Inspector sided with the local community concerning both sites and recommended that they both be removed from the local plan. The Inspector also said that the Rectory Road site should be developed through consultation of the local community and the parish plan. North Warwickshire Borough Council have totally ignored the remarks made by the Inspector, though it must be said that the findings of the Public inquiry were not legally binding upon North Warwickshire Borough Council. But in November 2005 North Warwickshire Borough Council accepted all but a few findings of the Public Inquiry. None of the unadopted findings applied to the Arleys .

 

The Inspector also stated that the Rectory Road Site should be subject to what is called a PPG 17 Audit. This Audit was carried out by Independent Consultants during the winter of 2006/7 with the Report being presented to the Executive Board of North Warwickshire Borough Council in June 2007 where the PPG 17 Report was accepted.

 

In July 2007 at a Full Council Meeting of North Warwickshire Borough Council a Recommendation was passed by 21 votes to 17 to sell Rectory Road Site, valued at £1.65 million for 65 housing units - 40% affordable and 60% market value. At no time between November 2005 and July 2007 did North Warwickshire Borough Council consult with any persons or bodies in the local area, let alone the Parish Council, thereby ignoring the Public Inquiry Inspector’s wishes.

 

Members of Arley Community Association immediately started asking formal Freedom of Information Questions of North Warwickshire Borough Council regarding the Policy of selling Rectory Road Site without local community consultation, and the outcome of the PPG17 result for this site. It soon became clear that the Rectory Road Site was not submitted for the PPG 17 Audit by North Warwickshire Borough Council, this was subsequently confirmed by a Senior Officer of North Warwickshire Borough Council at an Arley Parish Council Meeting in early 2008.

The Parish Council immediately lodged a formal complaint to North Warwickshire Borough Council over their handling of the Rectory Road Site, and on receiving a less than adequate response from North Warwickshire Borough Council initiated a stage two complaint to the same Council. Again the reply was far from allaying any fears of Parish Councillors. This prompted the Parish Council to lodge a complaint with the Local Government Ombudsman, which unfortunately was unsuccessful as one Council cannot complain about another Council to the Ombudsman, and so the complaint had to be withdrawn.

 

A member of the Arley Community Association, after seeking advice, resubmitted the complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman in their own name, the outcome at the time of writing this article is still pending.

 

While all of this was going on Officers of North Warwickshire Borough Council were actively promoting the Rectory Road Site for development, not only to Housing Associations but to the Local Medical Centre and Warwickshire Primary Care Trust, whose bid for the site failed at the Full Council Meeting of North Warwickshire Borough Council at which the decision to sell was taken of Rectory Road Site.

 

Now to the present. Over the May Bank Holiday, or just after, letters were delivered to almost every dwelling in Old Arley informing residents of an application from Midland Heart Housing Association to build 85 dwellings on Rectory Road Site all 85 of an affordable housing type. This again is contrary to the findings of the Public Inquiry. Unfortunately the period of time to lodge objections to the proposed development will have expired by the time you read this article.

 

The Arley Community Association is committed to fighting for the democratic right of consultation given to us by the Public Inquiry Inspector on what should happen to the Rectory Road Site, not just what North Warwickshire Borough Council thinks it will allow us to be consulted on. With the Arley News you should have received a housing need survey from Warwickshire Rural Community Council, We would urge everyone to take a few minutes to fill it in and return it in the free post envelope provided. It is vital we, the local community, show North Warwickshire Borough Council the true requirements for housing needed in this area.  

North Warwickshire Borough Council has decided the best way to modernise and improve the homes at Hill Top, built in the early 1900s, is to work in partnership with Waterloo. Thirty-four council homes at Hilltop will be given a new lease of life thanks to major refurbishment work by Waterloo Housing Association.

The housing association plans to invest its own money, together with grant support from the government’s Housing Corporation, to fund a £3 million refurbishment of the Hilltop homes. This will include fitting new kitchens, bathrooms and heating systems. Changes will be made to internal layouts too, with some homes being extended to provide a bigger second bedroom or to make a third bedroom. In addition to the internal works there are proposed substantial external environmental works to be undertaken. The works will improve the current road and parking arrangements, re-design of the garden layouts and improvements made to street lighting.

The exciting project will create a range of affordable homes for rent to existing residents, and for sale to local people.  Ten houses will be available to part-buy and part-rent through shared ownership.  A further eight houses will be available to buy outright. Fifteen families plan to stay living at Hilltop and some improvements will be done to meet their specific needs.

Waterloo is also liaising with six owner occupiers at Hilltop about the environmental benefits of the planned work. These include linking gardens, currently split from homes by a service road, to the houses. Work is due to start later this year, and completed in 2010.

 

Trustees of the above Foundation meet twice per year (March & September) to consider grants to be made towards further education - Students can apply for application forms if they are attending for example:

§  6th Form  College

§  Universities

§  Higher Education

 

Up to the age of 25 years old. All applicants must be resident in Arley Parish. Applications for September 2008 – please write to: Mrs.R.F.Asbury. ‘Carlyon’, 15 Woodside, Old Arley, Coventry. CV7 8GH  or e-mail: keithasbury@dofe.fsbusiness.co.uk

CLOSING DATE : 24th September, 2008

 

Arley WI meets at Meadow Croft on 1st Tuesday of the month from 7.30pm – 9.30pm.  Future meetings are:

 

Þ      June History of Arley Talk

Þ      July Members night

Þ      Sept Children’s hour talk

Þ      Oct Trading Standards talk

 

The WI has a college, a unity between different branches and a magazine. There are county meetings in Leamington for discussion on serious issues, craft, fun and friendship.

 

Arley WI’s last meeting was on beekeeping. Local John Ensor showed us his sting proof visor and suit, his smoker (to confuse and sedate the bees) and his hives.  He explained how in the past straw skips held honey bees. The bees were killed to harvest the honey. The modern hive is cavity walled. The clever beekeeper takes the queen from the full frames of honey and puts her on a top frame. He puts in a one way trap. The workers rush to their queen and the honey frames free of bees can be safely removed. The remaining bees are then fed so they survive the winter.  Mr Ensor explained the pitfalls and difficulties of beekeeping - swarms, disease and parasites, but the pleasure of the varieties of honey and wax candle making.

 

 

Galley Common friendship club meets at the Church hall Hickman Road from 10.30am – 12pm each week. There are various fun activities and outings planned. Estee Lauder reps demonstrated perfume and make up in April.

The old Miner’s Welfare Club in Arley has been the subject of controversy for many years. Built in 1929, the club burned down in 2003 and has remained derelict ever since. The site remains in the hands of liquidators, and discussions over its future seem to drag on. For five years now, local residents have watched in despair as the old club has deteriorated into a dangerous and ugly blot that attracts antisocial elements and represents a threat to the safety of children who play on the site. Broken glass litters the floor, and discarded beer cans and even butane gas canisters are in clear evidence. It is on the Warwickshire Police Safer Neighbourhoods team watchlist for antisocial behaviour.

Since becoming ward Councillor for Arley and Whitacre, Cllr Fox has worked hard to seek a resolution to the current situation. Many residents have come to her concerned that the site represents a risk to the children, who use the site as a playground, and has become a magnet for more antisocial elements. Over the past year, Cllr Fox has already mobilised the Borough Council to exercise existing Environmental Health powers to remove and dispose of metal barrels that had been rusting on the site for the last five years. This week, she kept the pressure up by inviting a group of local politicians to see the site for themselves: Cllr Peter Fowler, Chairman of the Community and Environment Board North Warwickshire Borough Council, and Dan Byles, the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for North Warwickshire and an active campaigner on issues effecting local services.

They were joined by local Parish Councillor Paul Reader, who is an active local campaigner on numerous issues that affect the people of Arley. Speaking after the visit, Cllr Carol Fox said: “The residents of Arley have a right to live in peace and quiet, and most of all they have right to be heard. So I will do everything possible to raise awareness with the appropriate people in order to finally see this site cleared and put to good use." After viewing the derelict site for himself, former Army Major Dan Byles said: “I had read about the state of the old Miner’s Welfare Club, but I was shocked to see for myself just how bad it actually is. The place is a potential death-trap for local children and frankly it is scandalous that those currently responsible for the site have allowed it to get this bad over so many years. It is tragic to see that what was once such a community asset at the heart of the village has become a source of real distress for local people. I want to thank Cllr Fox for her hard work in trying to resolve this issue once and for all. The people of Arley are lucky to have such a hard working and dedicated Councillor.”

Local County Councillor Colin Hayfield, whose County ward covers Arley, is working closely with Cllr Fox to seek a long term solution to the MWC problem. Speaking from Shire Hall today, he said: “This site has remained an eyesore for too many years and has become a magnate for anti-social behaviour. I welcome this effort to try and tidy-up this site whilst its long-term future is resolved.” Thanks to Cllr Fox’s efforts, the Council have now instigated talks with the company legally responsible for the site to have the remaining derelict buildings demolished and all debris removed from the site.

 

 

100 Years Heritage in Atherstone

1.     We will be looking for volunteers to get involved in projects such as helping organise exhibitions and events. Duties will include - Design posters and leaflets, Help to organise publicity including media coverage, Help to mount displays, Help to plan events, Attend events and exhibitions.

2.     Archiving Assistant – duties include Sort through variety of artefacts, Place artefacts in relevant storage containers, Label artefacts and Record information on database.

3.     Web Designer – duties include Communicate with Friends of Atherstone Heritage regarding their requirements, Design new web pages relating to the 100 Years of Atherstone project, Keep website up to date.

4.     Receptionist Volunteer - Meet and greet visitors to events and exhibitions, Keep a record of visitor numbers, Provide information to visitors, Answer the telephone and take messages.

We are running regular activity groups within the area called Care to Share.  An arts and craft group is currently running where people share their knowledge or can learn in a friendly environment, we will also launch a ‘soon to be’ walking group. Anyone interested in joining the groups or getting involved in setting a group in within their area will be greatly welcomed.

Lastly we want to attract people from a wide range of backgrounds such as faith groups, men, sports, parents, employed people and ethnic minorities.  If anyone who like to visit the centre to see what opportunities we have please contact Karen at VCNW on Tel no. 01827 717073. 

                      

We've made it!

 

You will probably have heard by now the great news that our bid was successful and the Big Lottery Fund have agreed to give £396,500 to provide a Community Centre for New Arley to the rear of St. Michael's Church. We are hoping that work will go out to tender shortly and it won't be too long before building work begins.  As building work commences we shall send out a survey to all residents to find out exactly what you would like to go on in the brand new purpose-built centre so that when we open we can immediately start with the clubs and meetings that you want to take place.  In New Arley we have desperately needed such a centre for a long time. Arley Parochial Church Council and Arley and St. Michael's Community Centre Committee are committed to establishing a centre for the whole community and we shall keep you informed through Arley News how you can be involved.

But for now let's celebrate!

 

Peter Allan

 

 

 

Join us every Sunday... 

 9 a.m.    St. Wilfrid's   Holy Communion

10.15 a.m. St. Michael's 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays Holy Communion

  2nd and 4th Sundays All-Age Worship

 

.... and through the week

Monday Fellowship Group 

Tuesday and Friday Minimikes (Parents and Toddlers) ( St. Michael's)

Tuesday Night Youth Club (St. Michael's)

 

Thursday St. Michael's Over 60's Group and New Way Credit Union (both at St. Michael's)

Thursday Fellowship Group

 

If you would like prayers to be said for you, please pass a note to any church member or drop in a request to the letter box at both churches. We should be delighted to include your name in our prayers on Sunday.

 

For further details, to book a baptism or wedding or if you would like me to visit please telephone the Rector Peter Allan 02476-399070

 

 

Family Service             2nd Sunday of each month at 10.30am

 

Other Sundays             Sunday Club                 10.30am

                                     Evening Worship           6.00pm

 

Most Wednesday evenings Prayer Meeting at 7.30pm

To book a baptism, wedding or funeral, or if you would like a pastoral visit, contact Minister Sue Fry on 02476 312367

 

 

Fashion Show Thursday 3rd July 7.30 pm at Ansley Club Tickets £3 or pay on the door

Strawberry Fayre Saturday 12th July 2 pm at Methodist Chapel Old Arley

St Joseph’s Catholic Church

Spring Hill, New Arley, Sunday Mass 11.00 am

Priest: Fr Stephen Day 02476 392365 (Served by St Anne’s, Camp Hill Road, Chapel End, Nuneaton)

Reader’s Letters/E-mails

Information Sought

 

“I lived in village as a child till I was 18. An old friend told me that the Doctor at this time Dr Bland took some Cinny film of her brothers christening which was shown at a presentation.

My parents were godparents to child on the cinny film.

The film in question was of Peter Hannaby.

Would you be able to put me in touch with anybody who might still have copy of this christening as I was at same christening? Not sure if you can help and not sure if Dr Bland or his family still live in village. Thank you for your help and hope you can help me in some way” Kevin R Kay

Please respond to Arley news at: arleynews@hotmail.com

 

 

“I read the front facing page (about the wasted money spent and ineffectiveness of the fence behind the Rec.) in the spring Arley News with utter dismay. It only served to tell me that the "sticking plaster" policies towards all that ails our village only plays into the hands of those that cause those ailments. Over nearly six years in the village I have constantly been in a state of anticipation wondering when we will be rid of the feral scum that plagues what should otherwise be a pleasant place to live. Countless times I have witnessed/heard about and, even been involved in, events which seemed at the outset certain to result in their removal from our streets; only to see them reappearing soon after, cocky and smug as ever, and seemingly untouchable by any authority. My experiences in attempts to assist or inform the authorities has in every case resulted in no action against any perpetrator(s) and considerable inconvenience (or worse) to myself. Would the Police afford us the same cordial indifference if we set up stocks or a pillory outside the shops every Saturday and rounded up the previous weeks miscreants?  I somehow think not.  A copious supply of rotten vegetables would be provided (a justification for all that allotment money!!) to find out who their friends really were and at least some chastisement would have taken place. I'd certainly risk arrest and a caution but couldn't do it alone. If only.............

Surely I cannot be the only one who is surprised and perplexed by the apathy shown, (particularly that of the Police in my experience), and by at least some residents and businesses. Why are we allowing this to continue to happen? Why are huge amounts of funding being absorbed into a community which is blighted in this way when a relatively small amount spent in a concerted effort to tackle the root cause would produce immediate and lasting results to the benefit of the whole law-abiding population?

These kids are heading for unproductive, fruitless lives. They need to be shown that society will only tolerate and support them if they respect it and obey its rules. If they choose not to, that same society has every right to show them that it is not prepared to put up with their ways and to take appropriate sanctions against them. The law is ineffectual against them but restrictive towards us. Did someone whisper "democracy"? I, for one, do not enjoy being here anymore and have been wondering for some time whether to bail out and just leave the village to its fate; but why should I have to? That would just mean handing victory to the lunatics who are currently running the asylum - a privilege they have neither earned nor deserved.  Am I just a lone voice in a vacuum? Are you all content to continue to tolerate and ignore the criminality (theft, damage, hard drugs, drug dealing, vehicle crime, etc) anti-social behaviour (noise, verbal abuse, swearing, spitting, drinking, drug taking, vandalism, etc)? Surely not...

                    

Good luck, New Arley I fear you'll need it, unless we can do something soon.” 

                        From:-   A maybe soon to be ex-resident.

 

(Someone who would rather not have a name published for fear of further reprisals, but who has no objection to being contacted via this publication arleynews@hotmail.com.)

 

 

At the Arley Parish Council EGM on 2nd June 2008 Mrs L Weyman requested that we issue a formal statement to clarify that no formal process had been entered into that would result in the amalgamation or closure of Herbert Fowler School. We as a Committee fully endorse this.

 

 

As we reported last time we were about to embark on a major undertaking to re-landscape the site, complete the access road and improve the car parking.  The contractor began the job at the start of February.  The first day’s work saw a huge swathe of ground scraped out along the side of the access road, at which point we began to wonder whether we knew what we were doing!  Gradually the roadway was built up and levelled off to provide us with our first decent access to bottom of the site.  The top soil on both sides of the road was scraped up into heaps so that the big dips and hollows in the site could be filled with certified clean sub soil.  The aim was to try to stop the water accumulating in these places, causing the water logging we experienced last year.  A number of springs that had been contributing to the general level of wet on the site were also exposed.  These had to be redirected to the edges of the site.  All was proceeding well until our great British weather sought to throw a spanner in the works again.  The wet weather made extracting sub soil from other sites extremely difficult and delayed the landscaping work for several weeks.   Whilst waiting for deliveries of sub soil to resume, Severn Trent finally confirmed that the storm drain that runs through the site had collapsed and undertook work to replace it.  Once deliveries of sub soil resumed we hoped we would get the site back in operation in time to get some crops planted this spring.  But again we were frustrated, this time by the credit crunch.  Work on house building ceased and with it our supplies of sub soil.   We managed to get one half of the allotments ready by the end of May but the other half is still incomplete.  This is a hard blow for those whose first season on the allotments was badly affected by last years’ rain.  However, the improvements will be worth the wait.  By the time you read this we hope to be fully operational but at the moment we still have our fingers crossed. 

 

The wildlife garden should also have been finished at the end of May but has been impacted by the delays to the landscaping.  We have agreed an extension with the Big Lottery Fund which allows us a further four months to complete the work.  A new footpath has been built from the pedestrian gate, through the trees and bluebells all the way down to the bottom of the site.  The pond will go in as part of the landscaping work.  The bird boxes we installed earlier in the year are occupied and baby blue tits have been heard and seen in residence.   

 

We are planning to hold an open day event for the wildlife garden during Allotment week in the middle of August, assuming the site has been restored to full working order.  Look out for details of this and other events nearer the time.

 

 

The Ley Group now has 5 projects up and running across Ansley, Ansley Common, and New Arley. They include; The Young Women’s project, Ansley Youth Club, Ansley Common Youth Club, New Arley Youth Club, and Home Work Club. We are now working with in excess of 150 young people in all of the villages. The past 6 months has been extremely successful in terms of our work with the young people of the villages. New Arley now has 8 peer mentors who travel across the three villages, working with the young people. There has been an increase in young people from New Arley going into employment and further education. The peer mentors are proving to be positive role models for the young people of the villages.

 

In February the ley group took 11 young women on a residential to Brathay Lodge in Cumbria, this involved many activities such as gorge scrambling, canoeing, and high ropes. This trip proved so successful that we decided to do a cross village residential in March. Unfortunately we had no interest in Ansley village, and only two people interested in Ansley common. We soon filled the spare places with young people from New Arley, we had a fantastic trip and would like to do it again next year!!!!

 

New Arley Youth Club is going from strength to strength with membership increasing to 25 young people aged 7 – 13.  We have very few members of the 13 – 16 age group and are hoping that we can increase membership before the summer.

 

In the half term break we took the younger age group of Arley to Drayton Manor Theme Park, Ansley youth club to West Midlands Safari Park and Arley and Ansley common to Alton Towers. We had a fantastic week and the peer mentors proved to be a valuable asset to the team. They supported the young people by taking them onto rides and helping to manage groups.

 

I am very pleased to say that on April 1st we employed Allan Harvey as a part time youth worker. Allan has been a volunteer for the project for the past few years and all his hard work and dedication have paid off. Well done Allan!!!!!

 

We are now planning our activities for the summer holidays and it would be great if we could get some help from parents. We need volunteers to help with fundraising, working with young people, accounts and home work club. We would appreciate any help we can get as we are a small charity who only has two employees. 

 

Sarah Tiffany, Senior Youth Worker (07971772212)

 

 

Please make an appointment to see Mike at one of his Surgeries – see below.

 

To make an appointment please phone or write to me at my constituency office:

 

92 King Street, Bedworth, CV12 8JF

 

Telephone 024 7631 5084

Fax 024 7664 0139

First and Third Friday in each month:

 

Bedworth                             7.00 pm            –         9.00 pm

                                              Constituency Office, 92 King Street

 

First Saturday in each month:

 

Wood End                           9.15 am            –         10.00 am                       Village Hall, Main Road

Kingsbury                            10.15 am          –         11.00 am

Jubilee Court

Polesworth                          11.15 am          –         12.00 noon                   Tithe Barn

Dordon                                12.15 pm          –         1.00 pm                         Village Hall, Browns Lane

Atherstone                           1.15 pm            –         2.15 pm                         Memorial Hall

 

Third Saturday in each month:

 

Coleshill                              9.00 am            –         10.00 am                       Town Hall, High Street

Water Orton                         10.15 am          –         11.00 am                       Methodist Church Hall, New Road

Baddesley                            11.15 am          –         12.00 noon                   Social Club, New Street

Hartshill                               12.15 pm          –         12.45 pm                       Friends Meeting House, Castle Road

Arley                                     1.00 pm            –         1.45 pm                         Stuart Court Complex, Ransome Road

 

QUIZ 12 QUESTIONS

 

1 What year was Morphine discovered?

2 On the shipping forecast how many areas are there?

3 What is the currency of Angola?

4 Ronald Wycherly was better known as who?

5 Which country has a moon and a star on its flag?

6 In what year was the opera The Taming of the Shrew first performed?

7 How many continents are there?

8 Who’s dying words were “I shall hear in heaven"?

9 What appeared in Harrods in 1898 and was the first in the UK of its kind?

10 Which band had the hit Mystify?

11 Who was the first BBC newsreader?

12 Which football team has the nickname The Shrimpers?

13 What was Betty Turpins husband’s name?

14 Who won the first BBC sports personality of the year award?

15 Which British 400 metre runner now commentators for the BBC?

16 What did the D and the H stand for in D H Lawrence?

17 Its latin name is Allium Cepa but what is it better known as?

18 Which National park in the British Isles is the largest?

19 Where would you find the Lakeside shopping centre?

20 What colours are the flowers of Lily of the Valley?

 

 

QUIZ 11 ANSWERS

 

1 Summer City 1977

2 James Earl Ray

3 South Africa

4 Freddie Mercury

5 French Bagpipes

6 1st January 1951

7 Romeo and Juliet

8 11

9 Canada

10 A rat

11 World War 2

12 Mary Poppins

13 Dinar

14 South China

15 Yeovil Town

16 Chicago, Los Angeles

17 Bob Dylan

18 Potter,Tilsey,Platt,Hillman

19 John Nash

20 1920-1933

 

Quiz answers and Questions are

Kindly supplied by the

Merry Miner

Check your answers to Quiz 12

in: Arley News, Autumn, 2008

 

 

The summer term has been an exciting and busy time for everyone at Gun Hill School. All the children and staff have worked really hard, supported by the Governing Body and parents. It never ceases to amaze me how many things happen each term and how everyone maintains their enthusiasm and commitment to provide high quality education and life-enriching experiences for the children in our care.

 

We are developing the outside area of our school to enhance the curriculum and to make the site more exciting and challenging for the children. A Tyre Park was installed in April and we are now eagerly awaiting the installation of a fitness trail and an outside stage area. A parents’ shelter will follow, if we are successful in our bid having just completed our School Travel Plan. All these plans have been decided with the help of the School Council who have sought the views of the children in their classes.

 

We are really proud of the after school opportunities we now offer to our children. These include Monday’s Song Club, Tuesday’s Basics Club, Wednesday’s football training and Thursday’s Dance Club. All these clubs are well supported and much enjoyed by the children.

 

We celebrate our children’s achievements in a weekly “Special Award” assembly when the children are given certificates and stickers and where their work is displayed for everyone to see on our “Congratulations” board in the entrance hall.

It was really super that we were also able to present certificates to five parents who have recently completed a course “Keeping up with your Child in Literacy” organized by Community Education. Four volunteers were awarded KerbSafe certificates to acknowledge their commitment to this road safety programme we ran with our Year One children.

 

Activities and events this term have (or will have!) included class walks to Daffern Woods; a visiting Punch & Judy Show; Y2 visiting the Rotary Club’s Safety Show; Y1 taking part in a Tri-Golf Day; Reception children visiting Ash End Farm; Key Stage 1 visit to Stratford Butterfly Farm; the Bug Man meeting the Nursery children; Mia’s Daddy demonstrating his building skills to the Nursery children; our Sports Day (weather permitting!)

 

We said goodbye to our school caretaker, Janet Pointon, as she began her retirement. The children and staff wished her well with beautiful cards, presents and a special assembly performed by our Reception children, when we were all invited to a “Royal Ball”. We hope our new caretaker, Simon Tipping, will soon settle into his new role in our school.

 

We will be holding meetings for parents of our new Nursery and Reception children. We still have a few places available in both of these year groups. We are also taking names of younger children for future intakes.

 

Our Year Two children are getting ready to move on to Junior School In September. They have all worked really hard with their end of Key Stage assessments and we are really proud of their achievements. They are busily preparing a special production for everyone in school and their parents. They will all have the opportunity to visit their new schools before the end of term and we will be saying goodbye to them in a final assembly. We wish them well for the future and thank their parents for the support they have given to our school whilst their children have been with us.

 

 Ann Pipe, Headteacher

 

 

 

We have been delighted with the response to many fund raising activities that have recently taken place in school.  World Book Day raised £62.75 for the ‘Book Aid’ charity.  The children really enjoyed dressing up as their favourite book characters.  The Easter fancy dress disco attended by Easter bunnies, Easter chicks and even Easter eggs, raised a magnificent £130 towards school fund.  Our termly book fayre was very well supported and earned the school £150 to enable us to add to our library stock.

 

More recently, the Year 6 production of ‘The Button Box’, produced by the pupils under the direction of Miss Clarke, raised £180 towards the cost of their ‘Viking Experience’ day to be held at the beginning of July.  We were very impressed with our Year 6 pupils who organised their props, their costumes, learnt their words and songs, made cakes and games, and held two performances, all in the space of a week!

 

Year 6 are also taking part in two other visits this term – to Coombe Abbey to take part in the  ‘2008 and Beyond – Sustainable Development’ day and to Gaydon to take part in the ‘Live and Dangerous’ day with a real emphasis on being safe. Year 5 have participated in a series of very informative and exciting workshops run by St John’s Museum, Warwick, to support their project curriculum work on ‘The Victorians’. Other popular activities that continue to take place after school and fulfil the Extended Schools agenda are the Multi-Skills club, the Nuneaton Borough football sessions and the cheerleading club.  In addition, the lunchtime supervisors organise a wealth of activities.  More recently, a table tennis tournament was a very popular competition.

 

We have been continuing to stress the importance of healthy eating and have introduced a very successful rewards system in an effort to encourage our children to buy fruit at break times.  Over half the children are now taking part and look forward to the half termly prize draw.

We are still awaiting what we hope will be our final HMI Inspection but in the meantime continue to make many improvements particularly in relation to the delivery of the curriculum and the tracking of pupil progress.

 

We look forward to meeting parents of our current pupils on 24th June at our sports morning and on 7th July at our parents’ afternoon and evening and to meeting parents and pupils who will be joining us in September on 3rd July. I wish you all a pleasant summer holiday and thank all members of the community for their continued support of our school in many positive ways.

 

L N Weyman, Head Teacher

 

 

 

Old Arley youngster, Amy Duff, 15 has been honoured after one of her final pieces of coursework for her GCSE Art studies was chosen to be featured as part of an exhibition at Solihull Arts Complex throughout June. The exhibition featured work produced by students from the area and the work shown was of a high standard. Amy attends Heart of England School, Balsall Common and is studying Art, History, Spanish, French and Geography as well as core subjects of English, Maths and Science. Amy’s ambition is to be a psychiatrist but art is a hobby that she is extremely passionate about.

 

Table of results from incidents fortnightly document 2007/08

Activities 4 U has been working in New Arley on a Thursday evening. The youth club has started operating now to continue this work.

There are people working with the young people in New Arley to hire the hall at Arley sports centre on a weekly basis to play 5-a-side.

    

 

 

 

Monday 5.00pm – 7.00pm Exercise and relaxation based on Tai-Chi

 

Tuesday 10.00am – 12 noon Art Class

                       5.30pm – 6.30pm Sparkle Club for 4 to 7 year olds

                       7.00pm – 9.00pm Youth Club for 12 years plus

 

Wednesday 1.00pm – 2.30pm      Parent and Toddlers

                             5.45pm – 6.45pm                    Beginners Line Dancing

                             6.45pm – 7.45pm Line Dancing

 

Thursday  5.30pm – 6.30pm Jaffa Club for 7 to 12 year olds

 

Friday         3.00pm – 4.30pm Sequence Dancing

 

3.00pm, the first Thursday of every month Pop-In for tea, cakes and a chat.

 

Mondays - Stroke Club 9.30am - 3 pm, Tuesdays - Tenants Community Panel (meetings to be arranged), Thursday - Meals every 3rd Thursday in the month at Wagon Load of Lime, Fridays - Bingo 6.30pm - 9 pm. Other functions every month, Meals, Outings, Buffets and many other things. Call Ray on 01676 540515 or Margaret on 02476 736803

 

Arley WI Meets on the first Tuesday of each month. 7.30pm at St. Wilfred’s Church Vestry, Old Arley, All welcome Tel. Pat 02476 395447

 

Women’s netball practice fitness and fun Every Monday 8.15 – 9.15pm at Arley Sports Centre all ages 11 – 60 welcome, and all abilities. Times vary during summer but most Tuesdays 8.15pm. £2.50 per session. Tel. Hayley 01676 549032