Monday 31 July 2017

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.

Saturday 29 July 2017

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.

Friday 21 July 2017

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.

Sunday 16 July 2017

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

Wednesday 12 July 2017

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.

Monday 10 July 2017

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.

Monday 3 July 2017

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.