Spring 2009 EDITORIAL Welcome to the Spring ’09 edition of Arley News. This edition brings you the latest on Arley and St. Michael’s Community Centre, Gunhill Allotment open day (7th June), Church Easter services, Arley parish council progress and many more local articles. I hope you find these informative and useful. Thank you to those of you locally and overseas who have written to Arley News, always good to hear your views. 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 put forward. You can also e-mail us at arleynews@hotmail.com. The Arley News team wish you a lovely Easter. Warm regards Emily & the Arley News Team PHOTOS OF ARLEY by the artist John Birch. Arley & St. Michael’s Community Centre FOUNDATION STONE LAYING The new Community Centre will have its foundation stone laid by Mr Martin Dunne the Lord-Lieutenant for Warwickshire on the 8th April. The event will take place between 12am and 4pm. There will be a buffet and fund raising activities for the centre. Everybody is welcome to come to see the plans and take part. ARLEY & ST. MICHAEL’S COMMUNITY CENTRE UPDATE I write this surrounded by snow on the outside and paper around me as I seek to prepare forms required by the Big Lottery Fund! By the time you read this the snow should have gone and the building work be well underway. We hope the work will be completed around the end of September and that the centre will begin to be used at the beginning of October. There are two key events that I would like to invite you to: April 8 12-4pm Laying of the Foundation Stone by Martin Dunne Esq. Lord-Lieutenant of Warwickshire. Presentations, buffet and fundraising events at St. Michael's. Do come to find out more of what is going on, to see how you might help, to share your ideas, to meet all those involved and to enjoy yourself! End October, Grand Opening Celebration. Details and dates yet to be finalised. May I take this opportunity to apologise for the inconvenience to users of the Church and churchyard over these coming months. We shall do our best to keep it to a minimum but some problems simply cannot be avoided. The Church will be closed whilst the builders are on site so will not be available from 8am-5.30pm Monday to Friday until work is completed. May I also thank all those who returned questionnaires, and the children at Herbert Fowler Junior School for sharing what you would like to see happening. Members of Arley and St. Michael's Community Centre (the new body formed to run the centre) will be approaching a variety of organisations and individuals so that as soon as the centre opens we can have the wide range of the activities that you have requested. After years of work by so many we are at last seeing a building to be proud of. THANK YOU ALL! Peter Allan ARLEY PARISH COUNCIL We Need YOU! As of January 2009 the Arley Parish Council has the following Councillors Councillor Melanie Binks (Chair) Councillor E Fellows (Vice Chair) Councillor R Brown Councillor P Cotterill Councillor L Lusty Councillor B Petty Councillor P Reader Councillor V Robinson In addition to the above we have Mr Gerry Brough as our Clerk. The Council should have ten members and at present we have two vacancies, so * Would you like to do more for the community of Arley? * Do you want to spend your time productively acting on behalf of your fellow parishioners? * Can you think, listen and act locally for the benefit of our villages? Then you need to join the Arley Parish Council . If you are genuinely interested in becoming a Councillor please contact Gerry Brough on gerrybrough@hotmail.co.uk or 01676 542563 The Arley Parish Council (APC) meets on the first Thursday of every month at 7.15pm at the Hill Top Community Rooms. New Arley residents and parishioners are always welcome to add their support or bring questions or queries to us for advice, guidance or specific input. Arley Parish Council have been working on your behalf on a number of diverse projects, detailed on the next page is a small sample of these. Work with us and be proud of your village. Old Arley Residents Society would like to thank everyone who attended and supported our Victorian Evening on the 14th December. Together we raised a grand total of £449.74, which will be put to good use in your community. We will be holding other exciting events throughout the year and welcome your continued support in attending these events. We would also welcome new members to our group and any assistance in organising and running our events/functions. Together we can make a real difference to our community For more information contact Helen on 01676 542621 or Phil on 01676 542148 Arley Parish Council – Project Progress Benches : Damaged bench on Spring Hill repaired and the bench opposite the War Memorial replaced :Completed Cemetery : General maintenance and guardianship : Ongoing Donations : Arley News, Royal British Legion, OARS, Over 60s Group : Completed General Matters : NWBC and WCC on matters such as obstructed and uneven footpaths, overhanging branches and hedges, flooded drains, pot holes, fly tipping, vermin, damaged signs, street lighting, planning, etc : Ongoing Grit Bins : New grit bin sited in the area of Fredrick Road/Daffern Avenue : Completed Grounds Maintenance : Negotiated a more competitive proposal with a new contractor for the villages grass cutting, litter picking, bin emptying, etc, so terminated the NWBC contract due to poor workmanship and price : Completed Gun Hill Rec : Constant essential repairs to equipment following vandalism and misuse : Ongoing Hill Top Fields : General management and overseeing the operation and use of the football pitches. A new protocol has been produced which has to be agreed to and signed by all parties wishing to use the fields : Ongoing Parish Plan : Working in liaison with the Parish Plan Committee this document has now been completed and circulated : Completed Rectory Road Development : Supported, and worked with, all organisations involved in the possible Rectory Road development : Ongoing Traffic Survey : Joint project with WCC to review all traffic issues in the villages to establish how best to spend the £50,000 allocated to Arley : Ongoing War Memorial : Possible funding of a flag pole : Ongoing Do you own a dog? If so, do you walk your dog, or let it run free on the Gun Hill recreation ground? Do you let your dog foul on the recreation ground? Are you aware that dogs are not allowed on the recreation ground? Despite the clearly visible warning sign on the front fence of the Gun Hill recreation ground a number of local dog owners are continuing to let their dogs run free on the Gun Hill recreation ground and therefore foul the area. Arley Parish Council is becoming increasingly concerned about the number of dogs on the recreation ground and the dangers of the resulting faeces, which in nearly all cases is not removed by the dog owner. Dog faeces carry harmful infections. The most widely known, being toxocariasis. Human toxocariasis is potentially a serious infection that can last between 6 and 24 months and is a direct consequence of soil or sand contamination with faeces carrying eggs of the parasite. Many infected soil samples are found in children’s play areas and as a result of this toxocariasis is mainly found in children between 18 months and 5 years. Eye disorders are the most commonly reported complaint associated with toxocariasis, although other symptoms are vague aches, dizziness, nausea, asthma and epileptic fits. Arley Parish Council would like all dog owners to refrain from exercising their dogs on the Gun Hill recreation ground. If you are taking your dog to the fields at the back of the recreation ground, and your dog has an “accident” on the way, then please ensure that you clean up after your dog immediately. The penalty for not clearing up dog fouling can be up to £1,000 if taken to court. There are plenty of areas in and around Arley to exercise your dog that do not include the Gun Hill recreation ground. It is unpleasant and dangerous for children using the equipment or youngsters playing football and so on to come into contact with dog faeces. Please exercise your dog responsibly! CHURCH - REFLECTION CHURCH NEWS ST. WILFRID’S CHURCH & ST. MICHAEL’S CHURCH 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 Tuesday Night Youth Club (St. Michael's) 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. PLEASE NOTE : Sunday and weekday evening activities at St. Michael's will continue as far as possible during the building of the Community Centre. We regret that the Church will not normally be available for use during the day from Monday to Friday. Please accept our apologies. We will do our best to make alternative arrangements and minimise inconvenience. 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 Easter Services at St. Wilfrid's and St. Michael's Palm Sunday 5 April 10am Starting at St. Wilfrid's, Old Arley. United Procession, Passiontide Reading and Holy Communion. 10.15am St. Michael's, New Arley. Palm Sunday Celebration Maundy Thursday 9 April 7pm Supper in The Barn (beside St. Wilfrid's Churchyard) followed at 8pm by Holy Communion at St. Wilfrid's Church Good Friday 10 April 2-3pm St. Wilfrid's. Quiet Hour at The Cross. Time for quiet reflection. Short readings at 2, 2.15, 2.30, 2.45 and 3pm. Come and go as you please. Easter Day 12 April 9am Holy Communion at St. Wilfrid's 10.15am Holy Communion at St. Michael's NEW TO ST. WILFRID'S 10.30 CLUB An informal service for all the family lasting half an hour. Songs, prayers and activities for all ages. 10.30am March 22, April 26, May 24 and the fourth Sunday of every month. Refreshments served from 10 past 10. Do please join us. All are welcome! Arley Wesley Hall Methodist Church 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 David Hunter on 02476 672148 Forthcoming Services at Arley Methodist Chapel A joint Palm Sunday Service on 5th April at 10.00 am at St. Wilfrid’s Church Easter Sunday Family Service on 12th April at 10.30 am A joint Ascension Day Service on May 21st at 7.30pm at Chapel. A joint service when we worship together with the congregations of St. Wilfrid’s, St. Michael’s and St. Lawrence’s churches. The services are led by Rev. David Hunter and/or Rev Peter Allan. All are welcome. Everyone is welcome to all of our services. 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 “Dear Emily and Arley News team. Through a fairly long process I came to be reading your winter 2008 issue of the news (here in OZ the temperature well over 40c), for I find reading these small local publications gives me a great insight into other parts of the world. My daughter and I spent two days in Old Arley two years ago, and came away with the impression of it being what we had always imagined as a typical English country village. However, one item did disturb me , the origin of the Burma Rd, the description of the countryside at Arley which created the name but Burma Rd had nothing to do with the ``infamous railway in Burma which cost the lives of so many UK and Australian pows as well as several 100,000 of the local inhabitants. The Burma Railway went from Thailand, across the river Kwai (have been there) across the Three Pagoda Pass into Burma to transport supplies to the Japanese fighting in the area. However the Burma Rd is an entirely different proposition. It was actually a roadway, Built by the Chinese and I think Brits and Yanks from Ledo in northern Assam state in India, across the Himalaya Mountains into China, termination I think in Chunking. When a Japanese advance into northern Burma, driving back Vinegar Joe Stilwell's US and Chinese forces, the road was temporarily closed, and all the supplies were then flown over The Hump as the mountain range was nicknames, but mostly Dakota aircraft (DC 3's). It is unlikely the many of the troops concerned were killed on the Burma Road, other than through accidents or landslides, while the same cannot be said about the about 5,000 plus Australian troops and a very substantial number of Tommies did not survive their time of imprisonment after the fall of Singapore. As an old King Scout (shows you how old I am) I also read with interest the report of the 1st Fillongley Scout Group and their railway travels (yes we in Australia also have considerable difficulty in understanding the announcements at our railway station) I trust you will accept the comments in the spirit of goodwill in which they are sent - one day again, I might well visit Arley.” Regards Dick Richards, Yamba NSW , North Coast Australia Please Note: The comments expressed in this magazine are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial team. “It is lovely to be reminded that there are people living in and visiting our Villages and who care about its appearance and well being. The church yards can usually be a focus on such occasions and those visits can often stir memories of years gone by. Often it is not clearly understood how our church yards, the part around the church, and the cemetery, which is the newer part at St Michael’s are maintained, why and by whom. Perhaps through your columns I can share some facts as I see them which might help anyone visiting to understand some of the complexities. I do so purely as a volunteer and not as any official spokesperson for the church although I have had strong connections with the two churches for many years. The first point to be aware of is the Cemetery, which is the new part at St Michael’s and the church yards , which are the original older ones surrounding the churches (at St Wilfrid’s and St Michael’s churches ) are the responsibilities of two different bodies. The Parish Council pay for the maintenance of the Cemetery whilst the two church yards rely on volunteers for their upkeep. The church yards will not become the responsibility of the Council until we reach a point where there are no more burial spaces left. The volunteers work is very gratefully received and, I believe, reflects their respect for those buried there. The fact that they are not able to match the standards of the cemetery in no way detracts from that respect. Sadly with both an ageing population and band of volunteers the amount of volunteered hours is not enough to maintain the church yards as they themselves would wish to see them and how our visitors would appreciate them I am sure. So what can we do in this interim period and before the responsibility is taken by the Council? Perhaps the ideal solution would be an increase in the willing volunteers. However one has to remain realistic and recognise that these arrangements usually operate in short bursts and become a relatively temporary measure rather than a long term solution. A neighbouring village church spends around £4,000 per year to have the grass cut. My suspicion would be that this would be too costly for our churches, with relatively small attendances and income, to contemplate without additional contributions. What the Church Council have done to try and address the issues at St Michael’s is brought in a professional company to strim the grass on request and for which they pay per cut. However this can never be expected to and will never look as short and as well kept as mown grass. Believe me no one can be totally satisfied with that but it is something which, without additional finances, we have had to accept for the time being. In the meantime and as long as the volunteers continue their main responsibility has been to look after the two front lawns and sides of the church.” With my Best Wishes, Keith Asbury Please Note: The comments expressed in this magazine are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial team. REPORT... REPORT... REPORT Make sure the Police are Informed of ALL Incidents says Borough Councillor Carol Fox Many residents advise that Anti-Social behaviour in their area is causing them to sometimes feel like prisoners in their own homes. This is unacceptable and we all need to make a difference, but how? Until the statistics change the necessary officials will say there is no evidence to convince them that we need a higher profile Police presence and indeed that our Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) need more powers. It is sometimes difficult to get through on the telephone, but report everything no matter how small. Insist on a crime number and keep a note of when and on what day you rang and when the incident took place. Incident Room Tel number 01926 415000 (24 hours per day) Also, why not come to the ‘Area Forum’ meetings, where you can talk one to one with the police, borough and county council officers and indeed your local councillors? These take place every 3 months and the details are advertised locally. Feel free to call me on 01675 481268, I am here to represent you and so your views and input are vital. I am always happy to hear from you! Carol Fox Borough Councillor Arley, Ansley and Over Whitacre Allotment News Gun Hill Allotment Open Day We are planning to hold a “Grand Opening” of the wildlife garden on 7th June 2009. This is timed to coincide with BBC Springwatch activities weekend and we want to make it a fun day for everyone. We have applied for funding to run a series of activities on the day. Would you like to be involved on the open day itself, either running an activity, stall or helping out? Over the next few months we will be completing several on-going projects and preparing and constructing a number of new features to increase the range of interests and activities in the garden. We can use your time or your skills. Are you interesting in getting involved? This can be for as little as a couple of hours once a month. It could be helping to create a pond dipping platform, laying a footpath, building a human sundial or planting up a nectar bar. We are also looking for small quantities of old terracotta flower pots (not plastic), roof tiles, bricks, garden hose pipe, pieces of clay pipe to be used to make a mini beast mansion. The wildlife garden will be open on the first Sunday of every month. You are more than welcome to come down and take a look or come and help. You will need appropriate footwear as parts of the wildlife garden are still being developed. If you can help with any of the above please get in touch. Contact Karen or Wendy on 01676 541364 or email ghaa@hotmail.co.uk or see us on site. WARWICKSHIRE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION ANNUAL COUNTY PARADE TO BE HOSTED BY THE ARLEY ROYAL BRITISH LEGION BRANCH ON SUNDAY 5TH JULY 2009 1.30 p.m. OLD ARLEY FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: FREDERICK GUY 01676 542105 ALL WELCOME Mobile Library One of the actions that resulted from the compiling of the Arley Parish Plan was the parishioners desire to improve the mobile library service. So, imagine how shocked the Arley Parish Council were to hear that this service might be abandoned altogether! However, Warwickshire County Council (WCC) has now confirmed that the mobile library service is not to be terminated. The WCC have further confirmed that the routes for the new fleet of mobile libraries have, for the first time, been required to incorporate a large number of sheltered stops and new locations amounting to a total of 521 stops. In order to accommodate this number of stops, and to fit in with the loan period used by the new library management system, a three week schedule has been adopted. The area of operation for each mobile library has also had to be completely revised due to the change of base for the Wellesbourne vehicle, which was relocated for security reasons to the vacant garage at Bedworth Library. The mobile library stops at Sycamore Crescent in Arley and this is a busy stop which is well used by local residents who have recently requested, and received, a change of time in order for the mobile visit to tie in with the free bus that takes them to the local Tesco supermarket. A copy of the relevant mobile library timetable is attached for your information and Janet Everett, WCC Mobile and Transport Manager, will be happy to provide any further information you may require. Hamlet – Atherstone Mobile Library – Route C The library will run on these Wednesdays in 2009: March 25, April 15, May 6, 27, June 17, July 8, 29, August 19, September 9,30, October, 21, November, 11, December, 2, 23 QUIZ TIME QUIZ 15 QUESTIONS 1 In a set of dominoes how many tiles are there? 2 Which countries flag is red with a gold star in the middle? 3 Which year was the FA cup shown live on TV for the first time? 4 The name of which sixties pop group means far from these things? 5 Claude Erskine Brown was a character in which TV series? 6 In wine tasting what does it mean when the wine is fat? 7 In cockney rhyming slang what does Aristotle mean? 8 The roman road Ermine street links which two cities? 9 Which country won the first eurovision song contest? 10 What creature can be fairy or three banded? 11 What was the name of the first woman to ride in the grand national? 12 What is the memory span of a goldfish? 13 Where is the metropolitan police training school? 14 What is the capital of Guinea? 15 Who is the patron saint of cab drivers? 16 The Paisley Daily Express is which areas local paper? 17 In dad’s army who ran the butchers shop? 18 Who was born at 17 Bruton st London on 21st April 1926? 19 Princess Grace of Monaco appeared on which sixties game show? 20 Which country has the national anthem called “a toast"? QUIZ 14 ANSWERS 1 The odd couple 2 36 3 Hairy leafed plant 4 Harold Wilson 5 3 6 Los Angeles 7 Federal Republic 8 Australia 9 Colon 10 Godcakes 11 Footloose 12 Wolverhampton 13 Niki Lauda 14 Madonna 15 An Antelope 16 Because she was married and had a child 17 Shrike 18 Fortress 19 Kevin Beattie Ipswich 20 Forenoon watch Quiz answers and Questions are Kindly supplied by the Merry Miner Local School Update The Spring term has been busy with the children enjoying lots of activities and experiences. The Life Education caravan came on its annual visit, giving the children a different perspective on healthy living and lifestyles. It is quite a costly experience (£500) but we have thought very carefully about this and feel that the children’s enthusiasm for the different learning opportunity is well worth the cost. The Warwickshire Brass Quintet visited the school and the children really enjoyed seeing the instruments and listening to a wide range of music. The children in Reception enjoyed a visit to China Chef take-away where Vivien and Tony very kindly gave the children a tour of their premises and cooked noodles to eat before they left. They also shared some Chinese New Year traditions with the children, the most popular being the red envelopes containing a gift of money! Our parents were invited to a coffee morning by County Caterers where they were able to find out a little more about the school meals that are available at school. A very successful after school Street Dance club has been started and the children are really amazing us with their “moves” and their ability to memorise quite complex sequences. The snow before half term caused some disruption to school life with us having to make the decision, on health and safety grounds, to close the school on two days. News from Gun Hill Infant & Nursery School By Ann Pipe Herbert Fowler Junior School By Linda Weyman We rounded off the autumn term with a variety of activities. Our annual Christmas Fair was well supported as always and boosted our school fund by £620. The hot pork and stuffing batches, courtesy of Rowley’s the Butcher, went down a treat! We were very grateful to other businesses in and around the village for donating raffle prizes – Oakridge Golf Club, D & R Motors, The Wagon Load of Lime, The Quicken Tree and McDonalds. The highlight of our Christmas activities at school was the production of ‘Hosanna Rock’, a musical which involved every child in school, either acting or singing. We put on two performances, a matinee and an evening performance at which there was standing room only! The children loved participating in our Christmas extravaganza which was much enjoyed by all who came to see it. The school choir had a wonderful day when they went to the NIA in Birmingham to take part in the Young Voices Concert in aid of the CLIC Sargent charity for children with cancer.127 schools took part in what was a truly spectacular event. Children in Years 5 and 6 took part in a Business Day run by the Warwickshire Education Business Partnership. They undertook tasks to promote team building and working cooperatively. They worked well with their team leaders and were praised for their positive attitude, their politeness and their good behaviour. The New Year has begun with a focus on ICT and the school has made a huge investment into improving ICT Technology in all teaching areas. This initiative will undoubtedly have a real impact on planning and delivering the curriculum in all subject areas. As we come to the end of the first half of the spring term, congratulations go to all the children in Years 4, 5 and 6 who participated in the athletics event at Alderman Smith School. Our school took second place despite some tough competition. The children are looking forward to various events that are taking place over the coming weeks. After the half term break we shall be celebrating World Book Day on 5th March and Red Nose Day on 13th March. On March 6th a group of 16 Year 5 and Year 6 children will be taking part in the preliminary round of the County Road Safety Competition. We hope to get through to the final which takes place in Leamington in June. On a sad note, we send our heartfelt condolences to all relatives and friends of Carol Birchall, mother of Hannah, and to all relatives and friends of Nicola Morgan, mother of Paige. Both girls are pupils at Herbert Fowler. The school will do all that it can to support the girls and their families. LOCAL ACTIVITIES Midweek Activities at: Arley Wesley Hall Methodist Church and Community Centre Monday 5.00pm – 7.00pm Exercise and relaxation based on Tai-Chi Tuesday 10.00am – 12 noon Art Class 5.00pm – 6.00pm Sparkle Club for 4 to 7 year olds 6.00pm – 7.00pm Jaffa Club for 7-11 year olds 7.00pm – 9.00pm Youth Club for 11 years plus Wednesday 1.00pm – 3.00pm Stay and Play Toddler Group ( Surestart) 5.45pm – 6.45pm Beginners Line Dancing 6.45pm – 7.45pm Line Dancing Thursday 9.30am - 11.30am Bumps and Babies (Surestart) Friday 10.00am – 11.30am Crawlers to Walkers (Surestart) 3.00pm – 4.30pm Sequence Dancing 3.00pm, the first Thursday of every month Pop-In for tea, cakes and a chat. Activities at Rowlands Court, Old Arley Mondays - Stroke Club 9.30am - 3 pm or Ray on 01676 540515 or Margaret on 02476 736803. 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 Pat on 01676 541951 or Vera on 01676 541631 Activities at St. Wilfrids Arley WI Meets on the first Tuesday of each month. 7.30pm at Meadowcroft. All welcome Tel. Pat 02476 395447 Activities at Arley Sports Centre: 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