WINTERBORNE KINGSTON ANNUAL VILLAGE MEETING
TUESDAY 19th APRIL 2022 AT 7PM
HELD AT WINTERBORNE KINGSTON VILLAGE HALL
Present: Cllrs R Allcock, D Knapp, L Luxford, R Brock, H Andrews, B Newman, K Langdown
Chair: Cllr R Jessopp
Clerk: Mrs A Crocker
Also present: 8 members of the public, including James Allan and Colin Pitman
1. Attendance and apologies
No apologies had been received.
2. Minutes of last meeting held on 20th April 2021
The minutes had been issued with the agenda and had been available from the website. They were proposed to be a true and accurate representation of the meeting by R Brock and this was seconded by H Andrews.
3. Matters arising
No matters arising.
4. Parish Council Chairman’s Report
Cllr Jessopp read his report to the meeting. A full copy of the report is available at the end of these minutes and on the Parish Council website.
5. To discuss the future use of the Allotment Field
Cllr Jessopp gave a brief background relating to the field. Initially it had been thought to let the area out as pony paddocks, but subsequent ideas involved a mini nature reserve/recreation amenity for the village – a dog friendly area, an area for the village, tree planting area and some rewilding. Dorset Trees have offered 500 trees. It may be possible to get the school involved with the planting which would now take place in November. Joan Nash suggested it could be a community project with residents helping with work at the field, followed by something at the village hall, such as hot drinks and cake. The area will need topping off at some stage and Colin Pitman will arrange this after the summer growth.
It was agreed that the area would not be used for pony paddocks but would be used as an area for the benefit of the whole village. This will be taken to the Parish Council and a plan for the site drawn up.
6. Village Updates
Floodwatch (James Allen) – not much to report. The groundwater is starting to drop now. He will sort out the new sand store. If anyone needs sand, contact him.
Public Footpaths – no issues have been reported to date. If there are any issues, they should be reported to Dorset Council via the website and to Cllr Jessopp.
Bridleways – nothing to report.
Trees – nothing to report.
Village Hall – Like all similar establishments, the Hall was subject to closure during lockdown, with various restrictions then necessary, to safely reopen. Due to various grants being available to venues affected by Covid, the Hall committee were very grateful to have received over £28,000. A cleaner was employed to ensure all surfaces were clean and safe between hirings and, gradually, some degree of normality returned. The Hall floor was resanded and sealed. New curtains were purchased and two volunteers from the committee have, with help, re-decorated in the main and entrance halls. This has been very much appreciated. Most of the regular bookings have re-started with one or two new hirings. The Outreach Post Office visits twice a week and with four new members having joined the committee, the future looks bright. The AGM of the Hall Management Committee will be held on Tuesday 3rd May with all welcome to attend. There will also be a Plant Sale on the 14th May to raise funds for the Show marquee.
W.I. (Joan Nash) – The year began with another lockdown. In April, members began to meet again every other week for coffee and a chat at the Greyhound. Meetings and quizzes were held via Zoom, and in July a garden party was held in a member’s garden. In September, the first meeting since March 2020 was able to be held at the Village Hall. There has been a variety of speakers from a talk by a Vet, amazing photos of the Jurassic Coast, an afternoon of meditation, members making Christmas decorations, to hearing a fascinating talk by the owner of the UK’s oldest family business. The Annual Show was cancelled once again, but, in September, events were held to mark Green Week. With the help of Terra Cycling, some items which are not collected by household recycling are now being collected on a regular basis. During October, our village was eventually declared Hedgehog Friendly. This has now become a village project. Having proved successful last year, another village Halloween Pumpkin Carving Competition was held. Daffodil and crocus bulbs were planted by the river path and, in December, a Christmas meal was enjoyed at the Greyhound. A member regularly visits the Mother and Toddler group to assist with activities, et. The popular pancake morning was held in February. The Book Club has restarted, a skittles evening was organised, and a visit made to the Blandford Fashion Museum.
A tree has been planted to commemorate the Platinum Jubilee of HM The Queen. Some members have continued to meet once a month to collect litter from the village and nearby verges. Covid has caused the WI Constitution to be amended to allow virtual meetings, and the work involved in preparing risk assessments for meetings and events has increased considerably. However, despite being in lockdown for part of the year again, the prospects are encouraging. The membership is flourishing, with six new members joining during the year, bringing membership to twenty-six.
Speedwatch (Helen Andrews) – This has been going on for seven years at the end of April and, since then, has recorded over 118,000 vehicles passing by. This past year we have recorded 15,214 vehicles with 168 speeding, i.e. 36mph and above, the highest being 59mph. The highest percentage speeding being in West Street. We have been out 50 times, all of which Helen has been present at. It certainly seems to make a difference when we are there and there is less speeding than when we started. Of course, we can’t be out all the time! We are linked with the Dorset Safety Team who occasionally come out with us, giving added support and producing fines accordingly. Two new volunteers were welcomed last year, making twelve in total and, without them, the initiative would be unable to continue. Of course, more could always be done. If anyone is interested or knows of anyone who would be interested in helping, please contact Helen. Sessons are usually twice weekly for just one hour: 08.30 to 09:30; 13:00 to 14:00 or 16:30 to 17:30 and you can do as little or as much as you choose.
Hub Report (Lynn Luxford) – Lynn reported that the bookings over the last four years have continued to improve. New windows have been installed in the last couple of months. Most of the bookings are families for birthdays or parties. Mothers and Toddlers continue to be the main user. Lynn is always happy to show people around. Thanks to Colin Pitmen, the garden is now tidy, and the children have some playthings up there. Scouts did hire the Hub for a while, but they cannot currently get the helpers so have had to stop for the moment.
Best Kept Village (Joan Nash) – there will not be one this year as they cannot get a sponsor.
Platinum Jubilee Events – 3rd June; band at the Hub. If it rains, everything will be moved to the Greyhound. The Greyhound will organise a bar and run a BBQ for the evening. A children’s entertainer has been booked for the afternoon. This will all finish by 11pm. £2,500 has been raised to date to cover the cost of the weekend. Raffles will be run with prizes, and there will be icecreams, etc available. It will be very much a fun night for the whole family. In between the band sets, Dave Knapp will be organising music. St John’s Ambulance will be in attendance.
Thursday 2nd June – WI will be running an afternoon tea.
Sunday 5th – Street party on Church Street from 10am to 3pm.
The committee will next meet on the 21st at 7pm in the Greyhound.
8. Village Appointments
To be undertaken at the May Parish Council meeting.
9. Open Forum
Nothing was raised.
Meeting closed at 19.31pm.
Chairman’s Report for the Parish Meetings, April 2022
The start of the previous year was again dominated by Covid, with the Governments previous allowance for online meetings lapsing and there being no suitable ‘Covid secure’ place for us to hold meetings, the Parish Council did not meet after our May village meetings until July of 2021 and, given that we do not meet in August, it’s fair to say that we probably did not get back into the full swing of things until September last year.
Nonetheless, we were able to make several improvements within the Parish, such as goal posts at the Winterborne Kingston rec, new windows at the Hub, and conducting a traffic survey for Tomson and Anderson (which found that speeding was not as bad as we had feared). We have also submitted representations to the Council Council’s Rights of Way Improvement Plan, suggesting ways to improve walking and cycling through and around the parish. The Parish Council has also been lobbying for improvements to the A31 and are attempting to get the local Members of Parliament involved, as well as carrying out our usual role of commenting on planning applications and trying to reflect the views of our communities in the planning process. Being conscious of the strain on everyone’s wallet, we have also frozen the precept for this year – so, at least the Parish Council element of the Council Tax bill shouldn’t be an extra burden!
As you will be aware, for the year ahead, we have the Jubilee celebrations taking place in June with events happening in both Zelston and Kingston. There is an exciting programme of events planned and it is hoped that everyone will have a good time. We have also received feedback from the local Community Governance Review which shows that Dorset Council are minded to accept Winterborne Zelston’s desire to leave the Parish grouping and form a village meeting – subject to the ongoing consultation which is due to close on the 23rd May. Moving forward, we hope to have as ‘normal’ a year as possible – however, if there are any issues that you need us to look at, please get in touch with your councillors.
Cllr Ross Jessopp
April 2022