Downpour didn’t dampen spirits at Queen’s 90th Birthday Village Get Together

Downpour didn’t dampen spirits at Queen’s 90th Birthday Village Get Together

Well it rained just a bit!  But thankfully not for too long and it certainly didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits at Saturday’s village get together.
Congratulations to Adam and Mary who won the child and adult home made crown competitions, to Charlotte who won the ‘guess the cake weight’ competition and Carina who won the skittles.

A very big thank you goes to all who were involved in making the day so enjoyable including:

  • Derick Parker, Howard Roberts and Les Chaplin for sorting out the hog roast and getting up at 3am to begin cooking it! Also for being involved in the wider preparation of the whole event.
  • The Village Hall Committee for their help with the organisation, staffing of stalls and the afternoon tea and in particular to Martin & Vicki for the use of their garden.
  • John Rylott / Tim Snipe for the donation of logs to cook the hog roast.
  • Brett & Kathryn at the Willow Tree for the keg of beer donation.
  • Steve & Elaine Beeching at Newark Embroidery for the best crown prize donations.
  • Sylvia Hiscock, for the ‘guess the cake’ donation.
  • Yvette Wellard, for donating the Pimms and for all the running around, advice and helping to bring everything together.
  • Simon who lives at the neighbouring property to the village green, for providing an electricity supply.
  • Everyone who helped on the day including Neil G, Clem L, Graham G, Graham & Robert B, Jacqui P, Karin C, and to all who came along to support the event.

It was lovely to see so many villagers coming together, newcomers and old timers alike.  The event wasn’t meant primarily as a fundraiser, but despite this a fantastic £763 was raised on the day which will be split between our 2 community buildings, the church (75%) and the village hall (25%).

A slide-show of photos from the day is below.  If you have any photos you’d like to add, please email them to villagehall@barnbyinthewillows.com.

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Wind Turbine Update – No News is Good News

Wind Turbine Update – No News is Good News

The last definite news we had on the proposed Fulbeck Airfield wind turbines was back in February 2015 at Energiekontor’s exhibition at Stubton village hall. We were told then that the planning application would be submitted to South Kesteven District Council “within 6 weeks.” Since then? NOTHING….

There are several possible reasons for this delay. First and foremost, in March the RWE proposal for 5 turbines at Hough Grange (Temple Hill) was decisively turned down by the South Kesteven planners. Since this site is only a couple of miles from Fulbeck Airfield, it is likely that the same response would be given to the Energiekontor proposal. Twice the number of turbines, and potentially visible from even further away because of the lie of the land, it is extremely unlikely that the council would look more favourably on this application. Of course, it is possible that RWE will appeal; they have until September to do so. The clock is ticking…But there are other factors at work which might possibly explain the silence on both of these proposals.

The Conservatives winning the election, and achieving a parliamentary majority, is a major factor. Of all the larger parties at Westminster the Conservatives were  the only ones before the election openly stating that on–‐shore wind was too heavily subsidized. That and the general unpopularity of wind farms wherever they are proposed led the Conservatives to make a pre-election pledge to  curb onshore wind development. Of course we can’t  always trust what politicians say…

Only this time,  maybe we can! In June 2015 the Energy secretary announced the plan to implement a substantial reduction in subsidies, starting in April 2016. This will affect any proposal that does not already  have planning permission. Both the Hough Grange and Fulbeck Airfield turbines will immediately become much less attractive to the developers. At the same time, proposals to give more say to local communities to oppose unpopular schemes in their area were announced. Both RWE and Energiekontor may be seriously concerned as to whether it is worthwhile to keep trying in our area, given the extent of local opposition.

We cannot be sure that these proposals are really just going to go away; time will tell. As soon as there is anything more to report, we will let you know. For now, all we can say is “NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS”.

Celia Derbyshire, local spokesperson for VETO campaign.

Best Kept Village Competition

Best Kept Village Competition

Judging in the first round of this year’s competition will take

place between Monday 8th June and Friday 26th June. Last year, we came 4th in our category of under 300 population, so let’s aim to improve on that. Marks are awarded for:

  • Domestic (Houses, gardens, hedges, frontages) 30 marks
  • Community Facilities (Village Green, bus shelter, church, village hall, verges and gutters, signs etc)           40 marks
  • Commercial Premises (farms, pub)                    25 marks
  • Obvious Community Effort 5 marks

Judges look for evidence of PRIDE and INVOLVEMENT

Most of the village does look very attractive, and especially the Village Green and playing field where Les is doing a brilliant job, mowing every week. Thanks also to John (Dolan) who filled in while Les was away, and the other volunteers who are keeping the churchyard looking its best.

One thing which is letting the village down is the weeds and debris in the gutters at the sides of the roads. If everyone could weed and sweep outside their own house, (as Geoff has already done on the corner of Dark Lane and Back Lane), it could soon be cleared. Please have a look around and see what you can do.

The Parish Council is very grateful to Les Chaplin who is mowing the Green and field every week, and taking away the cuttings, which we had not been able to afford to do in the last few years since Keith retired. Les is freely giving his own time, which makes it even worse that before he can mow, he has to pick up dog mess from the grass. The Parish Council is considering a Dog Control Order for the Village Green which will make it an offence for any dog to be on there. The eggs of the Toxocariasis parasite which is found in dog faeces and which can cause serious illness and even blindness, can live in the soil for many months. If anyone sees a dog out in the village without its owner, or a dog owner not cleaning up a mess, please report it to the Parish Council.

We are grateful to Tim and Jane Snipe for allowing us to use their field behind the Village Green for recreation, and we certainly don’t want to see any dogs on there where children play. It is an offence to leave dog mess in any public place – not just on pavements, but also on grass verges and public footpaths. ‘Doggy bags’ can be put in any litter bin. Please remember to keep dogs on leads in the churchyard, and on farmland where there are crops or livestock.

In Memory of Vincent Dobson

No doubt most people will by now have heard of the death of Vincent Dobson who represented Barnby as a County Councillor for many years. ln Barnby we will remember him particularly for his generous grant which enabled the Parish Council to resurface the Village Hall car park, his campaign for safety improvements on the A17 which resulted in the central reservation for traffic turning into Long Lane, and his donation towards the new door for the Village Hall, among his many other achievements in our area. Since his retirement in 2013, his wife Maureen has been our County Council representative carrying on Vincent’s work with the same dedication and drive.

Thank you Keith

Sadly, the Parish Council has received the resignation of Keith Johnstone as Village Hall Caretaker. We are very grateful for the way that Keith has looked after the Hall for so many years, but he now feels that it is time to retire. The job does carry a small remuneration, and if anyone is interested, please contact the Clerk or a member of the Parish Council.

Dog Mess

Dog Mess

In spite of previous requests, it seems that people are still not keeping their dogs on leads when walking over farmland. This is extremely important for the protection of livestock and local farmers are again appealing for your co-operation.  Dog mess continues to be a problem. Clearing up after your dog should always be done — on grass verges and public footpaths just as much as on the pavement.