Minutes of Extraordinary Parish Council Meeting now on line

The minutes of the extraordinary Parish Council meeting on 13th December are now on line here.

The meeting was called to consider the outline planning application 17/00514/OUT for residential development of 60 units at Bell House Farm, with all matters reserved for future consideration.

At the meeting, Councillors resolved to object to the application and the Council's representation to Tewkesbury Borough Council can be read here.

Happy Christmas

On behalf of Maisemore Parish Council, I would like to wish all residents a very Happy Christmas and all the very best in 2018.

Free Christmas Dinner

Neil Penny of Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group writes

Dear all, 

During a recent meeting with a representative from the Cedar Trust, Natalie Bonner, she mentioned an offer she has made in previous years linked to the Bisto Spare Chair Sunday initiative. Here is the link.

Natalie said she is offering a free Christmas Dinner to any older person who will otherwise be eating their lunch on Christmas Day on their own. This seems a great offer for people who are potentially facing Christmas Day on their own to have a nutritious meal and some company with people of a similar age. She has offered this in previous years but had no response.


I am sure there must be people you come across in the village who may be interested in this. The nearest Cedar Trust homes to Maisemore are Redlands Acre Care Home, 35 Tewkesbury Road, Gloucester GL2 9BD Telephone: 01452 507248 and The Grange Nursing & Care Home, Grange Rd, Northway, Tewkesbury GL20 8HZ Telephone: 01684 850111.

If you think there are people who would benefit from this and would like to take up the offer, or if you have any further questions, please contact Natalie at Natalie.bonner@cedartrust.co.uk.

Thanks and Regards

Neil

Parish Council's objection to 60-house development plan

Maisemore Parish Council has now submitted its representation opposing the proposal for 60 more houses on the northern edge of the village.  You can read it here.

The Council has also provided some additional supporting documentation to the objection:

Maisemore Parish Council's Planning Policy Document.

Maisemore Parish Council's representation opposing application for an Environment Agency permit for an intensive poultry unit on the adjacent field.

Traffic tailing back past the application site toward Hartpury

Sewage and storm water being forced out
of a manhole at the junction of
The Rudge and the A417

Maisemore Parish Council's representation to the Traffic Commissioner's Office opposing the basing of additional HGVs at Overton Farm.

Maisemore Parish Council's calculation of storm water generated by rainfall surcharging sewers (Excel spreadsheet)

The Counci's representation has attempted to pick up all the relevant points from the special meeting on Wednesday 13th December.  

It has also endorsed the submissions by individual residents up to the time it was submitted.  The photos shown here have been included in the submission and a further photo will be sent showing how close the river Severn now is to the edge of the A417 where the cycleway bridge has been repaired.

November minutes now on line

The draft minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 6th November are now on line here.

Funeral of Canon John Evans

Jeremy Chamberlayne writes:

We felt there would be residents who would want to know that the funeral for Canon John Evans is on Saturday, 16th. December, at 11.30, at Staunton Church.

John was a much loved Vicar of our group of Churches and was a popular priest at many wedding and funeral services. His wife, Jane, is still the organiser for Maisemore Friendship Club.

Agenda for special meeting on 60-house planning application

The agenda for next week's special Parish Council meeting has been published - here.

The meeting will be in the main hall of Maisemore Village Hall at 7.30pm on Wednesday 13th December.

The meeting is only to consider the outline planning application for 60 new houses on the field alongside Bell House Farm Old Road Maisemore Gloucester Gloucestershire GL2 8HT.  Details of the application can be found on the Tewkesbury Borough Council website here.

The meeting will start with a public participation section, when residents can tell councillors about their views on this application.  In order to keep the meeting to within a reasonable time, speakers are asked to be as concise as possible.  Each speaker may speak only once and must not speak for more than 3 minutes.

Following the public participation section, councillors will consider what points should be included in their representation to Tewkesbury Borough Council.  Members of the public may remain in the hall for this discussion but may not take part in it.

Tailback to Hartpury today

This morning, Tuesday 28th November, traffic was tailing back from the Over roundabout right through Maisemore all the way to Hartpury.  

The works at the Over roundabout are due next year and may make some improvement.  But they will not include traffic lights, as many Maisemore residents have suggested, although the ducting for possible lights in the future will be installed.

Incidents like this, though, strengthen the case for traffic lights on the Over roundabout, possibly just for use at peak times or when traffic is diverted from the M5 along the M50 and down the A417.

There will be some preparatory work at the Over roundabout during the winter months to clear vegetation from the embankment ready for the main works next year.  Cllr Awford has warned residents not to think this is the start of the main works, but clearing trees and bushes must be done before the main bird nesting season.

Great success for Marian's Tea Party

Moira Norwood - Secretary of Maisemore RDA Group - writes:

The tables were laid, sandwiches prepared with crusts removed, the cake table festooned with every variety you could imagine and RDA volunteers with teapots at the ready. The only thing missing were our 85 guests who had bought tickets. 

We didn’t have to wait long as people descended on Maisemore Village Hall. Some didn’t have a ticket.  Could we squeeze them in?  Of course we could, in a true Marian style.

There were plenty of smiles and laughter as we all remembered a very special person who gave so much of herself to whatever she was involved in.

Thank you to all who bought tea tickets, raffle tickets, gave donations, it raised just short of £1,500. The money is being donated to Cancer Research UK whose vision is to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.

More time to comment on 60-house planning application

The Parish Council has had confirmation from Tewkesbury Borough Council that the close of consultation date on the 60-house planning application that is specified on the site notices is 19th December.

TBC says, "Comments submitted after this date would still be given full consideration and therefore, local residents are able to submit representations after the 19th, should they wish."

"Given that this is a major application and has a 13 week rather than 8 week determination date, this provides some flexibility for receipt of comments."


Details of the application can be found on the Tewkesbury Borough Council website here. You can also submit your comments using the TBC website.  In planning applications, all comments and representations are in the public domain, so the comments you make will appear on the TBC site. 

When making comments by letter or email to TBC, please ensure you include the planning application reference, which is 17/00514/OUT.

New Councillor co-opted

Peter Wegmann, who has lived in Maisemore for many years, was co-opted on to the Parish Council at the meeting on 6th November.

Peter is a most welcome addition to the Council and his co-option brings the number of councillors up to the full complement of five.  This will make it much easier to avoid situations like the one which caused the cancellation of the Council's September meeting.

Special meeting to discuss new planning application

An outline planning application has been submitted to Tewkesbury Borough Council for 60 new houses on the northern entrance to the village  - adjoining the Bell House Farm application and using the same entrance on to the A417.  Details of the application are on the Tewkesbury Borough Council website and can be found here.  Individual representations from residents supporting or objecting to the application need to be submitted to TBC by Monday 27th November to be sure of them being taken into account.

This is a significant application and the Parish Council is holding a special meeting to consider it on Wednesday 13th December at 7.30pm in Maisemore Village Hall.  The Parish Council will make its representations after this meeting, and Tewkesbury Borough Council has agreed to accept them then.

The special meeting will have just two parts. The first part will be a public participation section when residents can put forward any reasons why they support or object to the proposal. 

The second part, in which the public may not participate, will be a discussion by Councillors to agree the points to be included in the Parish Council's representation.

Maisemore Christmas Get Together

This event is inspired by the 'Great Get Together', when over 9 million people around the UK got together to remember murdered MP Jo Cox and recognise her conviction that we have “more in common”.

It's an opportunity to get together, chat about the things you do in and around Maisemore and share a mince pie - or two!

If you leave having found a new interest, a new friend or just feeling that Maisemore is more of a community than you thought before, then that's great.

There are no tickets and there's no price tag.  If you feel you want to make a small donation towards the costs, that would be welcome, of course.

The really important thing is just to come along and enjoy being part of Maisemore - it wouldn't be the same without you.

Remembrance Sunday service

Anyone wishing to attend the Service of Remembrance Day this Sunday at St Giles Church should gather at the war memorial for 10.45am.

Parish Council signs up for RHS scheme

Maisemore Parish Council agreed last Monday night to register for the Royal Horticultural Society's "Its Your Neighbourhood" scheme.  

RHS photo

This is a non-competitive grassroots community gardening campaign helping people to make lasting improvements to their local environment. There's an introduction here and the scheme has its own 'information hub' here.

It is hoped that enough volunteers will come forward to establish wildflower and pollinator planting on the approaches to the village and the Council will also welcome any suggestions of areas within the village - however large or small - where planting would improve the local amenity and environment.  If you can help in any way,please email bloom@maisemore-pc.og.uk.

Although there is no clear evidence yet, there is a view that planting could help influence drivers to slow down through our village.

Could Maisemore be 'Blooming good'

Prompted by the outstanding success of a village in Lancashire in becoming 'Champion of Champions' in the Britain in Bloom competition, Maisemore Parish Council will be considering a proposal to take part either in Britain in Bloom or the non-competitive RHS "It's Your Neighbourhood" scheme.

Parish Councillors and volunteers celebrate
Elswick's success in becoming Champion
of Champions in the 2017 Britain in Bloom
competition with apples from their community orchard.
Royal Horticultural Society photo.

Elswick, in The Fylde, has been participating in Britain in Bloom for a number of years and the original entry was triggered by a wish to clean up the village, reduce litter and improve community involvement.  These are aims shared by Maisemore Parish Council.

“It’s clear that for the people of Elswick, Britain in Bloom is not only a competition but a way of life," said Roger Burnett, chair of the RHS Britain in Bloom judges. "The group's entry was fantastic, very well thought through and of the highest standard. To be awarded Champion of Champions is a tremendous achievement. Elswick in Bloom's many volunteers should be applauded for how they’ve turned the village round into somewhere that is clean, green, beautiful and a source of pride for the whole community.”

If you think that Maisemore could - and should - participate in one of these schemes, please do let us know - email bloom@maisemore-pc.org.uk  - especially if you are prepared to help make it happen or can suggest an area in the village that might benefit, however large or small. 

Here are some links to set you thinking:

RHS Britain in Bloom winners 2017 featuring Elswick 

Elswick in Bloom history from their Parish Council website 

The RHS "It's Your Neighbourhood" scheme 

Parish defibrillator proposal is up for discussion

The defibrillator mounted
on Hartpury Village Hall

The proposal to buy a defibrillator for the the parish is up for discussion at next Monday's Parish Council meeting.

Funds have been raised to buy one, and it is hoped that these can be donated to the Parish Council so that it can make the purchase.  Parish Council's are exempt from VAT, which means that no part of the funds raised will go into general taxation.

The idea is that the most accessible place for the defibrillator would be the Village Hall so, if the purchase is agreed by the Parish Council, the Village Hall Committee will be asked if they are willing to have it on the Hall and can find a suitable position for it.

Agenda for Parish Council meeting on Monday 6th November

The agenda for the meeting of Maisemore Parish Council to be held in the committee room of Maiseore Village Hall on Monday 6th November at 7.30pm is now available here.

Members of the public are welcome to attend and there is a period allocated in the agenda for public participation.

Don't be taken in by this scam!

We have received a warning from the area Neighbourhood Watch officer about 'scam' calls being received in the area.  The scammers claim to be from HMRC and that arrest warrants have been sent out for tax fraud offences.

The calls are coming from 020 numbers.  Please don't be taken in by one of these and certainly don't give any personal details to the scammers.

Vacancy for Parish Clerk

Diane Baldwin, who has been our Parish Clerk since the beginning of the year, has now been offered and accepted a full time post, which means she can no longer continue in this role.

The Parish Council is very grateful for the work Diane has done and wishes her well in her new post.

There is now a vacancy for the Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer to Maisemore Parish Council and this has been advertised on the Gloucestershire Asoociation of Parish & Town Councils' website.  The advert is also here.

Well attended History Society meeting

Ros Lane writes:

On Thursday 19 October a large audience turned out on a very wet evening to be rewarded by being informed about yet another interesting character from Gloucestershire's past. 

Barry Harrison gave an illustrated talk on "Thomas Hughes - a Stroud Apothecary". Hughes came from Wotton-under-Edge and, strange as it may seem, took a correspondence course with St. Andrews University in Scotland in the 1760's! 

He also studied weather patterns keeping very detailed records of the weather in the Stroud area. On numerous times he witnessed the Aurora Borealis at Rodborough. 

A rather dapper man in dress, he crossed paths with Edward Jenner but the two were never friends. 

The society now has 53 paid up members, a very healthy position. Our December meeting will be on 14 December 2017 in Maisemore Village Hall starting at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.). This will feature Duncan Coombs illustrating his talk about one of Gloucestershire's favourite gardens - "Hidcote Manor Garden created by Lawrence Johnson"

Ros Lane writes:

“A Harvest of Gloucestershire Poetry” was held on Thursday 12 October 2017 at St Giles Church, Maisemore – a fundraiser for provision of a defibrillator for Maisemore.

An audience of some 50 people was treated to a wonderful evening of poetry written by poets who were either born in Gloucestershire or were influenced by the wonderful landscape of our county.

The poetry readers for the evening were: David Walton, Harriet Cookson, Beth Lampert, Dr Anthony Lynch, Rosealeen Lane, Natalie Girard, Ann Whittington, Eric Freeman and Adam Horovitz.

The numerous poems were written by: Laurie Lee, Frank Mansell, F W Harvey, John Drinkwater, Edward Thomas, Ivor Gurney, Eva Dobell, Leonard Clark and Dr Frederick Brian Cookson.

Highlights included one thought-provoking poem by the late Dr Frederick Brian Cookson with the title “Gregory” read beautifully by his daughter Harriet. Adam Horovitz from Stroud, whose parents Frances and Michael were also both poets, captivated the audience with some of his poetry. Having grown up with Laurie Lee in his life he of course included some of Laurie’s poetry. Melford Jones, born in Hartpury and now living in Tuffley Road, had his poem “Riverside Autumn” read out by Eric Freeman - we were delighted to see Melford in the audience; at 94 he should have been in bed!

Refreshments were provided by “A Tad Fatter Tea Party” along with tea and coffee.

The appreciative audience generously donated to a retiring collection and a total of £450 was raised including £67 on the raffle. With a very generous donation from a local benefactor of £1,000 we now hope in the very near future to get a defibrillator purchased and installed at the village hall, and training arranged.

A very big thank you to all concerned; the church looked beautiful with the flower arrangements ready for the Harvest Festival the following Sunday.

Marian's Afternoon Tea Party in aid of Cancer Research

Meeting cancelled

The Parish Council meeting due to take place this evening (Monday 4th September) has had to be cancelled as, unexpectedly, only two of the councillors were able to attend.  The quorum required to hold a meeting is three.

There is still a vacancy on the Parish Council to be filled by co-option and, if that place had been filled, it probably would not have been necessary to cancel the meeting.

Agenda for Parish Council meeting on 4th September

The agenda for the next Parish Council meeting on Monday 4th September in the committee room of Maisemore Village Hall is now available here.

MADS event in October

Maisemore Arts & Drama Society is hosting an evening of music and stories on Friday 20th October from 7.30 pm featuring  Mumbo Jumbo performing ‘electric acoustic sound’, songs and stories.  They were nominated for the British Blues Awards as songwriters of the year).

Tickets cost £10 and are available from Sheila Wardle   01452 411402.

Friendship Club and Maisemore loss

Jane Evans, Friendship Club Coordinator, writes    
On behalf of the members and helpers of the Friendship  Club, I wish to send our sympathy to Terry Yardley and his family following the death of Marion his wife. She was a Godsend to the village of Maisemore and beyond. Always reliable, she never let anyone down, nothing was too much trouble. She was a talented cook, dressmaker, friend to everyone, and a Secretary to many Committees etc, etc. Her family will miss her, and the club already miss her laughter and fun. 

However, in her usual efficient way, she had asked her friend and fellow helper Mary Payne at the Maisemore Riding for the Disabled if she would take her place cooking for the Friendship Club. Mary has proved to be the ideal person and we are very grateful that Marion arranged this transition for us.
    
In recognition of the help and involvement of Marion's life - of which I have mentioned only a few things, some 200+ people attended her funeral. The Friendship Club cooks provided the food with help from members of the Maisemore Riding Club plus others. She will be greatly missed, and always remembered, with love.
    

Excellent Fete!

Maisemore Fete on Monday raised £2397.65 to be split between Church and Village Hall funds.  That's over £200 more than last year.

Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make it a success and to everyone who came along and helped achieve such an excellent result.

Maisemore Fete Day

Don't miss Maisemore Fete - 2pm on Bank Holiday Monday at the Village Hall.

What's in your blue bin?

Officers from Tewkesbury Council recently visited the plant that deals with sorting the stuff that comes from blue bins - with some surprising results  and revealing some costly errors by householders.

More details at https://www.tewkesbury.gov.uk/news/whats-in-your-blue-bin.

'Harvest of Gloucestershire Poetry' at St Giles

Ros Lane writes:
Make a note of this future event taking place on Thursday 12 October 2017 at St Giles Church Maisemore – an evening of poetry. The title is “A Harvest of Gloucestershire Poetry” with some beautiful poetry by poets born in Gloucestershire, some of whom lived in Gloucestershire too. 

We will be privileged to have the granddaughter of F. W. Harvey reading his poetry, the daughter of the late Dr Cookson reading his poetry, and Eric Freeman will be reading poetry with his wonderful Forest of Dean accent! We will also be hosting a living poet: Adam Horovitz from Stroud, the son of Frances and Michael Horovitz, a great friend of Laurie Lee.  Adam's poems will be read out as will those of Frank Mansell, Leonard Clark, Eva Dobell, Edward Thomas and Melford Jones.

Starting at 7.30pm, there will be a break for refreshments and it's expected to finish before 10pm. There will be no charge for entry but a retiring collection will be held for money to go towards the provision of a defibrillator for Maisemore.

Thanks for cutting those hedges!

Pedestrians are much safer on the pavements of Maisemore thanks to those residents who have responded to the Parish Council's request to trim back overhanging hedges.  These have had the effect in the past of forcing pedestrians off the pavement and into the road.

Although many of the problem hedges have been tackled, a few still remain.  A particular problem at this time of year is brambles growing through the hedges and hanging down over pavements.  Please do make sure you haven't got any of these as you might be liable if they caused an injury.

Parking on pavements is still a problem for pedestrians, especially if they have a pushchair or wheelchair.  The advice from Gloucestershire Road Safety Partnership is "Please don't park on the pavement, not even for a moment!".  Pavements are for People.

Local History Society programme starts in September

Ros Lane writes:
On Thursday 21 September 2017 the Maisemore Local History Society begins a new season of local history talks. Incorporated with the AGM we have a talk by Mike Hall with the intriguing title “Severn Tsunami? The Story of Britain’s Greatest Natural Disaster”.

Further talks will be on the subjects of Alney Island, Hidcote Manor Gardens, The Industrial History of the Forest of Dean, Stroudwater Textiles, Development of Gloucester Cathedral, Thomas Hughes - a Stroud Apothecary, plus in February a members’ evening with Robin Stayt, Derrick Hall, Andy Sysum and Charles Dobbin.

With membership at £12 and eight meetings, what better value could you have! Plus of course refreshments!

St Giles Church news

Pleased to say the weather was kind for the wedding of Scott and Louise and also for the Christening of Isabella and Hugo later in the month where the church was full of friends and relatives. At our PCC meeting we once again discussed the need for a treasurer in the near future. If anybody could help in this way,even if just with the week to week outgoings, please contact me, many thanks.

We are now into the month of joint services and at the first one at Hasfield it was great to meet up with the Godsell family again, before they join us next year. They each told us of their activities since we last met and have certainly been busy!

We were so sad to learn of the death of Marian Yardley who was such an amazing person,organising and providing much of the food for the fortnightly Friendship club, along with her band of helpers.  Marian also donated the wreath to be laid at the church memorial on Remembrance day. Her kindness and bravery through her illness will not be forgotten. The funeral service at the family church, where she and Terry were married was full to overflowing with many folk standing outside in the rain.  It was lovely to hear Canon John Evans remembering her younger days and those of the rest of the family life.

May I remind you of the change  of service time on sunday 24th which will be at 9.30, for this month only, this is to fit in with other services.  Next month we will be announcing details of our exciting Poetry evening at St. Giles, so watch this space!!

From maerial submitted by Marnie Mitchell.

Extra Parish Council meeting

There will be an extra Parish Council meeting on Tuesday 15th August specifically to consider and approve the Annual Accounts and Governance Statement.  The agenda is here.  Members of the public are welcome to attend.

Comments on this site

There have been several comments on this site by people who have not given any identification.  Despite making it clear that anonymous comments will be removed, more have appeared, and these have been deleted.

As a result, the option to make anomymous comments has now been removed - comments can still be made by anyone using a Google account or an OpenID.

The Parish Council welcomes comments and suggestions from residents, but it would not respond to anonymous letters and will not accept anonymous comments on the website.  Parish Councils are required by law to be open and transparent and anyone wishing to comment on the website or make suggestions by any other means should be prepared to give some identification.

If you want something to be considered by the Parish Council, you should contact the clerk (clerk@maisemore-pc.org.uk, 01531 650885) asking for it to be put on the agenda for a Parish Council meeting.  The next PC meeting is at 7.30pm on Monday 4th September in the committee room of the Village Hall, and members of the public are welcome to attend.  Each meeting begins with a public participation section in which issues relating to any item on the agenda can be raised.

Severn Valley Schoolboy Scramble Club Event in Maisemore

The annual All British 2017 Andy Bubb Memorial Meeting organised by the Severn Valley Schoolboy Scramble Club will take place just outside the village on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th August.

This event is a great opportunity for youngsters from the age of 6 to show their skills on the scramble circuit in the field at the end of Blacksmiths Lane in a fully supervised event.

Residents are very welcome to come along and watch the races, for which there is no admission charge.  Pedestrian access is down Blacksmiths Lane, but no vehicles should use this access which is a private road and bridleway - vehicle access is through the next entrance on the left going out of the village towards Hartpury.

It will, of course, be quite noisy, but it is in full compliance with regulations.

New litter bin installed

Maisemore has its first litter bin - at the 'weir' layby on The Rudge, which is a notorious hot spot for litter.  Whether those dropping the litter will use it is unknown but, for those public spirited volunteers who pick up litter, the bin will make it more convenient  to dispose of it.

The Parish Council bought the bin - and many thanks to Mike Bubb and the Dirtworks team who installed it.  Arrangements will now be made for Tewkesbury Borough Council to include it in their collection rounds.

Concern at spread of invasive plant

Himalayan Balsam. PHOTO: ERICA MARTIN

CONCERNED about the spread of Himalayan balsam, even beyond the rivers and canals where it has usually been found, the Inland Waterways Association has launched a new campaign to encourage everyone to get involved in controlling this invasive plant, according to a report in Towpath Talk.

Himalayan Balsam is now encraching on to Maisemore bridge from the Gloucester side of the river.

The IWA wants to see more individuals helping to control the plant following warnings in national newspapers and elsewhere that the plant has become even more widespread this year.

Whether people are walking the dog or out with family and friends, everyone can help by pulling up a few plants if they see it before the seeds have started to develop. IWA has come up with a 3 stage check list, Pull Snap Stomp, to remind people what to do:

    Pull – Check IWA’s Himalayan Balsam identification guide to be certain that it is Himalayan balsam and then pull up individual balsam stems – they pull up very easily,
    Snap – break off the root below the lowest growing node,
    Stomp – Pile it up in small heaps for it to rot down, away from the path. Bigger piles can be stamped on to assist the rotting process – small children love doing this and it makes a great sound!

And that’s all there is to it, although IWA does also ask people not to trespass onto private land beyond the towpath or bank, to only pull up the Himalayan balsam where it is safe to do so, and not to pull up any plants once the seeds have developed later in the summer, in order to avoid it being spread to new locations.

Further advice and information about Himalayan Balsam and the Pull Snap Stomp campaign can be found on IWA’s website, including a downloadable poster, and people are being encouraged to share their experiences on social media using the hashtag #PullSnapStomp.

Funerals and flowers at St Giles

The sombre note has continued at St. Giles this month  - firstly with the funeral of Colin Streeter, who lived in Maisemore some years back and has family attachments to the village.  It was a beautiful and emotional service. This was followed by the memorial service for Stephanie Parsons whose brother Stephan arranged the most magnificent display of flowers that the church is ever likely to witness!  He and his helpers adorned all the windows and pillars with flowers and foliage, some of the peonies as big as dinner plates and beautiful perfume from dozens of roses, whilst at the altar , 2 enormous urns full of various blooms. The service, with 3 eulogies, was an excellent tribute. I should like to thank everybody concerned who helped afterwards to clear things away. Later in that week, the ashes of Cora Ann Gough were interred in a private service.

Let's hope that this sees an end to the sadness at St. Giles as we look forward to the wedding of Scott Warner and Louise Barter in warm sunshine; the weather certainly keeping us on our toes with such changes in temperature of late.

We send greetings to our friends at Deanwood Lodge, many of whom enjoyed their latest service led by Rev. John, singing along in the sunshine.

From material submitted by Marnie Mitchell

Join the Treasure Hunt

Maisemore Arts and Drama Society are holding a Treasure Hunt on Saturday 5th August starting between 4 and 5pm.  

The starting point is Maisemore Village Hall and it's expected to last between an hour and an hour and a half, walking round Maisemore in search of picture clues and ending up at The White Hart.  See the full poster here.

Entry costs £1.  For more information, please contact Mark Wardle - 07785 367774 or mwardle99@gmail.com.

Consultation on possible new housing development

An open invitation has been issed to residents to attend a Community Consultation Drop-in Event on a proposal for 60 new homes at the northern end of Maisemore.  The event will be in Maisemore Village Hall on Wednesday 19th July between 2.30 and 6.30pm.  The full invitation is here.

The proposal is being put forward by London-based Siteplan UK LLP, and more information about the company is available on their website, www.siteplanuk.co.uk

Parish Council chairman Andrew Cooley has written to Siteplan UK to give them some of the current background to planning in Maisemore and the text of his email is here.

More broadband information

Fastershire and Gigaclear have published a 'Parish Pack' with more information about the roll out of ultrafast broadband, pahse 2.  You can read the brochure here.

Maisemore Local History Society - Summer Outings 2017

The first outing was on Wednesday 24 May 2017 - this was an all-day event coach trip to Rodmarton Manor, an “Arts and Crafts” house filled with beautiful furniture made in that period. We then travelled to Avening where a wonderful buffet lunch was prepared by the WI, which we enjoyed. Then in the afternoon on to Brownshill near Chalford to a very small church, St Mary of the Angels, a Romanesque-Baroque style building surprisingly built as late as the 1930s, where Richard Barton gave us a detailed history of the church - a very successful day.

Our second outing was to Nailsworth on Saturday 24 June 2017. Here we split into two groups and had guided tours of two mills: Gigg Mill and Dunkirk Mill. Our group started with weaving at Gigg Mill with demonstrations by two very knowledgeable people: Peter Frost and Robin Mitchell. We then met up again for lunch at Egypt Mill Hotel and Restaurant. Our group then went to Dunkirk Mill where huge water wheels provided power for the making of fine cloth which became world famous: “Stroud Scarlet” provided the colourful tunics of soldiers, yellow was made into tennis balls and green clad the tops of billiard tables. Plants were grown close to the Gigg Mill providing dyes for the colours of the cloth. Ian McIntosh provided the commentary for the walk to and around Dunkirk Mill with two other people: Keith Browne and Nick Browyer. All in all a long day with so much information given out. What kept occurring were the phrases which had association with the cloth trade. Here are a few: teasing, “wheels within wheels”, “dyed-in-the-wool”, tenterhooks, “fast and loose”, “through the mill”, and lastly “drop him into it”, the sad tale of a very small weaver who kept producing careless work, which of course the very tall powerful mill owner rejected - finally he took the poor man by the collar and hung him out of the window above the mill pond,  threatening to “drop him in it” if he continued to produce any more work which he would have to reject.

Two super outings! We now look forward to the new 2017-2018 season starting on Thursday 21 September 2017 with the AGM followed by a talk on the tsunami which came up the River Severn in 1607 and saw some 2,000 people killed.

Rosealeen Lane, MLHS Secretary

Cycle path re-opens

The long wait is over.  The bridges on the cycle path alongside the A417 have been repaired and the safe route into Gloucester for cyclists and pedestrians has been restored.

Many thanks to Chris Jones who has kept up the pressure on Sustrans and Gloucestershire County Council.  

 

Thanks also to those who generously offered a contribution to the funding of the work.  Chris has confirmed that GCC have agreed to pay, so no other financing is needed.

Agenda for Parish Council meeting on 3rd July 2017

The agenda for the next Parish Council meeting on Monday 3rd July at 7.30pm in the committee room of Maisemore Village Hall is now available on the Agendas and Minutes page of this site.

The minutes of the last meeting on 8th May, which was the Annual Parish Council Meeting, are also available on the same page.

Living well with dementia

Deanwood Lodge has organised an event in Maisemore Village Hall on Thursday June 29th at 3.30pm at which the main speaker will be June Hennell MBE.  Full details are here.

You can join June on a sometimes funny, sometimes dramatic, but always absorbing roller-coaster ride - and leave feeling more prepared for whatever dementia throws at you.

Tickets are free, but pease reply to Deanwood Lodge to let them know you want to attend - email lee@deanwoodlodge.co.uk or phone 01452 415057.

Hempsted Recycling Centre tempoaray closure

Hempsted Household Recycling Centre (HRC) in Gloucester will be closed from 19-23 June for work to accommodate more traffic and reduce queues.

Other recycling centres in the County can be found here.

Funeral of Ron Lane

Ron Lane's funeral was held in St Giles Church, Maisemore, on Monday June 5th.  The church was full to overflowing, bringing friends from so many aspects of his life together. There were tributes from his grandchildren Natalie Girard, Oliver and Abigale Lane and Rev Canon John Evans.  The church was full of laughter and applause, for a celebration of his life, reflecting how much he was loved and respected.  There is more here about that life over the 20 years in Maisemore and before.

Maisemore Fete update

Maisemore Fête is on Monday 28th August 2017.

A few more volunteers are needed urgently to help with the fête this year. Please contact Emma if you can help (ejholdaway@hotmail.co.uk or 07984419596).

Donations of the following items are also needed for this year:
Bric-a-brac, crockery for smashing, jewellery (don’t worry if it is slightly damaged, we can fix it), books, raffle prizes, tombola prizes, cakes and produce.

Non-perishable items can be dropped off at the Village Hall on Sunday July 16th between 2pm and 4pm or on Friday August 25th between 2pm and 4pm.
Cakes and produce can be delivered to the Hall on Monday 28th August between 9am and 11.30am.

Rectory Farm full planning application

The application for full planning permission for 28 new homes on the Rectory Farm site (application 17/00538/APP) has now been submitted to Tewkesbury Borough Council by the developers, Newland Homes.

The site has already received outline permission (application 15/00131/OUT) so the current application is for 'reserved matters' such as the appearance and landscaping of the scheme.

The developers have sent out a card to every household in the village showing the overall plan with some additional details and contact information.  More information is available on the Tewkesbury Borough Council website.  These details include illustrative street scenes but the planning layout has not yet been put on the TBC site so it can be seen here.  The scheme follows closely that included and approved in the outline proposals.

The Parish Council has not yet received formal notification of the application from TBC.  When this happens, councillors will consider whether to include discussion of it on the agenda for the next meeting on 3rd July or whether to hold a special meeting.

Untimely death of Ron Lane

Notice published in Gloucester Citizen

It is with sadness that we report the death of Ron Lane, who made a significant contribution to the Maisemore community.  He was taken ill while walking home from a Village Hall committee meeting and died from a heart attack two days later.

Ron was a member of the Parochial Church Council,  recently organising the new church heating system.  He also gave stalwart support to the History Society, where he did all the photography and slide shows.

He will be greatly missed.  His funeral is at 2pm on Monday 5th June in St Giles Church, Maisemore and afterward in the Village Hall.  People attending the service are asked to park in the Village Hall car park.  It has been requested that there be family flowers only, with other marks of respect being by donation to the British Heart Foundation, which may be sent c/o S C & B S Cocks, Funeral Directors, 59 Hucclecote Road, Gloucester GL3 3TL (01452 617892), with cheques made payable to the charity.

Grapevine on line

The June edition of Grapevine - Maisemore's monthly newsletter - is now on line here.

Spillage on the A417

Around lunch time on Thursday a quantity of compost was dropped from a trailer travelling through the village on to the  A417 near Rectory Farm.

This was rapidly cleared up thanks to Mike Bubb contacting Richard Griffiths (Griff) who came along with the sweeper from Chamberlayne Farms.  Many thanks to all involved.

The Parish Council had contacted the County Council, but Griff had dealt with it before GCC could get there, so GCC were contacted again to let them know not to attend.

Annual Parish Meeting

Thanks to everyone who attended the Annual Parish Meeting on Wednesday and contributed to some interesting and constructive discussions. 

The next Parish Council meeting is on Monday 3rd July and members of the public are very welcome to attend.  There is a time allocated at the start of the meeting for questions and comments from members of the public on any item on the agenda.  If you have an item that you would like included on the agenda, please contact the Parish Clerk, Diane Baldwin, who can advise on whether the Parish Council has any relevant powers.

Ward Boundary Review

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) is reviewing ward boundaries of District and Borough Councils across the country, including Tewkesbury Borough Council.  A review is triggered by more than 30% of the electoral wards becoming outside the +/-10% of the average electorate per Councillor.

Details of TBC's submission to the Boundary Commission can be found here.  It is based on the number of councillors remaining the same at 38, and there are no proposals to change the Highnam with Haw Bridge ward, of which Maisemore is part.

The Commission will be consulting on its draft recommendations from 6 June to 7 August 2017, when again any interested party will be able to comment.  The LGBCE will then publish its final recommendations on 10 October for implementation in May 2019 at the next scheduled Borough Elections.

Action on overgrowing hedges

The Parish Council is contacting Tewkesbury Borough Council's contractors, Amey, to take enforcement action on hedges that grow over and partly obstruct pavements.

Amey are expected to contact householders and, if no action is taken, they will cut the hedges and raise a charge.

The decision by the Council follows a number of advisory notes on this site and in Grapevine, but the problem persists.

The Council is also looking at ways in which the rules against parking on pavements can be enforced.  This practice puts pedestrians at risk, whereas parking on the road is both legal and helpful in reducing traffic speed through the village.

New Parish Councillor

Robert Scott will be formally co-opted on to the Parish Council at its next meeting on 3rd July.

The co-option was agreed at the last meeting subject to completion of the necessary documentation, and this has now been done.  Robert's contact details will be put on this site immediately following the next Parish Council meeting.

This will leave one vacant place on the Council, and anyone interested should contact the Parish Clerk, Diane Baldwin - clerk@maisemore-pc.org.uk or phone 01531 650885.

St Giles Church

Marnie Mitchell writes:

With Easter  now well behind us, after Holy week Reflections and the moving Final Hour service at Ashleworth (where all the churches were represented) it was back to our own services at St. Giles. The annual St. Georges day parade took place. Well done to the Leaders on the day who managed brilliantly without their scout master Tim, who was busy awaiting the arrival of his grandchild! All the colours were dutifully presented and vows renewed. 

We had still been having gremlins in the lighting system over Easter when Rev. Jean Herrick took evensong in half light (and we all ate the cup cakes provided by Lynn our organist, thanks Lynn!).  The lights were kindly rectified by Ron Lane before his sudden and untimely recent death - he will be much missed.

Our Annual General meeting took place in church recently where all the standing officers were re- elected and everyone thanked for all their valuable help over the past year, however our treasurer Mick Browning has (once again) asked to stand down after this term of office, so if anybody could help us out, please contact me or we will be in deep trouble!

The wedding season is now upon us so hopefully they will all have some more lovely sunshine on their special days - it has certainly brought us some beautiful blossom on all the fruit trees so with luck we will all have plenty of fruit later in the year!

Community Emergency Plan

The committee that maintains Maisemore's Community Emergency Plan met last week under the chairmanship of Cllr. Debbie Burgess to review the Plan.

The Community Emergency Plan (CEP) is a document which captures key information which would be useful in the event of a major incident or an emergency such as severe weather conditions which caused disruption.  The plan includes a Household Emergency Plan which you may find helpful.  It's available on this website here

At the centre of the CEP is the Communication Network, which is a pyramid structure enabling communication to every household in the parish. For this purpose the village is divided up into small areas of 10-15  houses and each area is allocated to a Network Contact.  

The Network is also used for occasional distribution of information and for raffle tickets for the Village Fete. If you would like to know more about the role and volunteer as a Network Contact, please contact Debbie Burgess, tel 01452 523730

Supporting Dementia Awareness Week

Deanwood Lodge has been running a series of events  in recognition of Dementia Awareness Week and to celebrate its 5th Anniversary.

For more information, email info@deanwoodlodge.co.uk.

Agenda for Annual Parish Meeting

The agenda for the Annual Parish Meeting - on Wednesday 24th May at 7.30pm in the Village Hall - is now on this website here.

The meeting is open to all registered electors of the Parish of Maisemore.  A brief report from any group or society in the village will be most welcome - please let the Parish Clerk (Diane Baldwin) know if you intend to give one - clerk@maisemore-pc.org.uk or phone 1532 650825.