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Pennard
Community Council |
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PENNARD COMMUNITY COUNCIL
NEWSLETTER AUTUMN 2011
Hi there, it’s me Mark Smith, I’m back.
I have never been asked what it is like to be a Community Councillor but several times I have been asked what it is like to live in the Community of Pennard. My initial answer has always been “It was the best move we (my wife Jane and I) have ever made.” However, then I got to thinking about it and decided that the answer to both questions is the same.
Living in and working for a community like Pennard is great because you can make a difference and see/live with the results of what you do for the Community. It’s satisfying when it looks right; and gratifying when a member of the community tells you it looks good or makes a positive difference. Sometimes it takes a deal of consideration and debate to get the job right but as Councillors we do our best. Don’t forget we are all volunteers! Please tell us gently if we get it wrong.
What is this rambling leading to you may well ask? The current Community Council is nearing the end of its term and in May next year a new Council will have formed. If any of you have the time, inclination and, yes, a degree of passion to make a difference for your Community please consider standing in the May elections next year. There will be times when you wonder why you did it in the first place… but there is a lot of satisfaction to be had as well… plus the Chairman always buys drinks after the December meeting!.
Whatever happens in May next year may I, on behalf of your whole Community Council, thank you all for allowing us to serve you… and for your support at the various activities carried out over the past session. As always I’m done for now, see you later.
Chairman’s Report (Margaret Waymark)
I will also start this report by expressing some thanks. Firstly Darren Hickery, one of our councillors has resigned and his place has been filled by the co-option of Peter Lanfear. Many thanks to Darren for his contribution and a welcome to Peter on his return to the Council (clearly he missed the experience of our monthly meetings). Next a special thank you to our Clerk, Chris James, who has now been in post for over a year (although it probably seems longer to him). Chris undertakes the duties of Clerk on fewer hours than his predecessors, which has effected a considerable saving to the Council. As a result many of the procedures have been updated to enable some efficiency savings. Certainly we all appreciate his hard work.
Much of the work of the Council is carried on by the three sub-committees which manage respectively the Hall, Playing Field and Burial Ground. The burden is especially heavy on the Chairs of these committees, so ‘thank-you’ to all the sub-committee Chairmen. You will read updates on what has been happening with the sub- committees elsewhere in the newsletter.
Now with a look to the future: the Community Council elections are due in May 2012 so perhaps you might like to start thinking about standing. As a prelude to that we would be delighted to see you at one of our monthly meetings (details on the notice boards). Believe me – it can be interesting and even fun!
Pennard Community Council Finances (Chris James – CC Clerk)
Here’s a summary of the Community Council’s finances for the 2010-11 financial year.
Total income was £82,333. The source, in percentage terms, was: Precept 53%; Playing Field 4.5%; Burial Ground 12%; Community Hall 16%; Produce Market 2%; Administration 12.5%. Total expenditure was £49,175, made up as follows: Playing Field 22%; Burial Ground, 18.5%; Community Hall 24%; Produce Market, 0.5%; Administration 35%.
Some significant expenditure was delayed from 2010-11. This has now taken place and you can see it in the form of improvements to the Burial Ground (resurfaced path), Field (fence and path) and Hall (replacement boiler).
The precept for 2011-12 was set at a reduced figure of £37,500 (this being the amount we collectively pay in additional to our Swansea City & County Council Tax to allow for the maintenance of the Burial Ground, Field, Hall etc.) The Council continues to try and reduce its administration costs and generally provide good value in facilities of which we can be proud. The Council’s financial statement is currently being audited by the external auditor for Wales.
Burial Ground (Chairman - Wes Weeks)
Our furry friends caused problems again this year… not moles this time but field mice. It is hard to believe how much soil they can remove around the memorial stones causing the stones to subside. Our groundsman has re-instated the depressions and re-seeded the area. The path through the burial ground has been completely re-laid at some considerable cost but I think it has greatly improved the grounds.
Can I give you some food for thought? In the burial ground at present, unless cremated remains are buried in an existing grave, they are placed in the section reserved for them in mini plots. The difficulty we have experienced is that no matter how careful you are when digging you can disturb the next plot and find cremated remains there. The normal practice in municipal burial grounds is that cremated remains are scattered and a remembrance book is kept. My thought is that we have a row of rose bushes so, in future, cremated remains can be scattered there without separate individual plots. The existing plots will be kept for partners, children to follow but no new plots will be allocated. We cannot keep a book to view so we would keep a small plate check in the memorial cabinet as we do now. This is a delicate issue for many people and we would like to know your feelings and wishes about how we should continue before any commitments are made. Please let your Councillors know how you would like us to proceed as soon as possible.
Pennard Community Charity
The Charity aims to support charitable purposes for the general benefit of the inhabitants of the parish of Pennard. However, the Charity cannot consider items or services that should be provided by the public sector or statutory bodies.
Requests for the donations to organizations or individuals are subjected to rigorous vetting, to determine whether they are covered by the Charity’s Governing Instrument. Applications will only be accepted from organizations or individuals resident in the area known as the ‘Parish of Pennard’, which generally embraces Southgate, Pennard and Kittle.
The Charity has, since its inception in 1987, donated an average of £10,000 per annum to organisations and individuals within the “parish”. These have included: Pennard School, Cricket Club, Football Club, Parish Hall, St. Mary’s Church and Carnival. Application forms are available from the Secretary at the address below, or in the first instance phone 232084.,Mr R T Randle, 42 Heatherslade Road, Southgate, Swansea, SA3 2DD
Kittle Residents’ Association
Since the last newsletter two items of interest have come to the fore:
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Two plots of land in Kittle have been registered with the City and County of Swansea for inclusion in the new Local Development Plan. These are opposite the Beaufort Arms car park – a small wired entrance leading to a field behind.
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The egg farm development is nearly complete and will house around 400,000 birds.
Chairman’s note regarding LDP sites. The City and County are required to produce a local development plan to cover all aspects of future provision in the area. As part of this process they asked people to submit areas which might be suitable for development. These sites were then advertised to ascertain local reaction. They were not all advertised at the same time. The Community Council objected to the site off Pennard Drive back in March and to the others later during the consultation time. There will now be a period of further consideration and many of the sites may well be taken out of the plan when the next stage of the LDP production takes place. They are not planning applications merely a consultation.
Pennard Area Community Partnership (PACP)
The PACP was formed to "enhance Education, Leisure and the Environment for residents of all ages". Its particular focus is to provide a forum to progress projects that require coordination between two or more organisations. We also continue to look for new projects to meet the Partnership’s objectives; if you have any bright ideas please contact the secretary, Mark Smith (tel. 232093)
This year we have taken over the ‘Twinning’ mantle with Passage West near Cork in Ireland. If any of you wish to make contact with groups with similar interests in Ireland please contact the Secretary on the number above.
The PACP (predominately in the guise of Jeff Ely) has organised a Care Fayre for Saturday 1st October in the Community Hall, from 11.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. There will be some 24 stalls including Age Concern, Pennard Golden Age, Fire Service, Snowdrop Mobility to name a few. Please come along. You are bound to find something of interest. Refreshments will be available, provided by the local WI ladies.
Environment Committee (Chaired by Lynda James)
The Environment Committee aims to be self-funding and sustainable; the income from the Sunday Produce Markets supports projects within the Community. Hence the more you support the market the more local projects we can support. There are items we would like to provide for the community but do not feel we can use Council funding for in today's economic climate. The Environment Committee not only gives up a Sunday morning each month to organise the event but also spends a lot of time searching out new products for you. We are always looking to expand our range of produce stalls so if you make items locally or know of some one who does, please get in touch with Mark Smith or myself. Christmas is coming and we will hold two Christmas markets: in November and December. We have asked Santa Claus to call in to our December market to distribute presents to the children as last Christmas.
This year we planned to introduce some trees to the play area in the playing field which we hope in the future will bring some shade during our long hot summers or more likely from the rain. We have been advised by the Woodland Trust of trees suitable for our needs to ensure that they will not encroach on neighbouring environments and, of course, that they are safe for the area they are to be planted in. We must next decide where we wish to plant them, taking into account the rebuilding of the field pavilion.
This year a Boules area has been added to the field to provide activity in the field for… shall we say… more senior participants. The Environment Committee has agreed to provide two bench seats for players to watch the game. We hope that many people will avail themselves of this new facility. Copies of the rules can be obtained from the clerk.
A litter pick was organised for Sunday 18th September to cover the lower dunes from Pennard into the Ilston Valley and down to the beach. Thank you or all who came to help. Watch out for posters for future litter picks, showing the meeting place and time, and join us. It can be both fun and rewarding. All equipment will be provided.
A preliminary clearance has been made of the village well at the end of Bendrick Drive. It was found to be in a far better state than expected. The next task is to clear more of the area of weeds and overhanging trees to make it accessible. Hopefully it will also deter the dumping of garden waste there as well (Swansea Council do provide an excellent service for garden waste, so there is no excuse for those who do!). We are hoping the children from Pennard Primary School are going to get involved and take an interest in the well as part of their local history. Our aim is to bring it back as a feature in the village possibly with some sort of information board so that passers-by will know what they are looking at and realise that this would have been a centre of activity at one time. We hope other people in the village will also help out with this project.
If you have queries on any of our projects or ideas of items you would like considered please contact me on 01792 234316 or email: lynda.james01@btinternet.com
Field Committee (Chaired by George Nash)
Despite varying weather conditions over the past year, the playing field and the children's play area have been kept to an excellent standard by our maintenance contractors. Unfortunately, this work has been marred by some dog owners, who have decided it was not their responsibility to remove their dog’s faeces from the field and play areas. This has created problems for the ground staff' and, need I add, possible health dangers to field users and children. Due to this attitude by some dog owners, your council has decided that all dogs are banned forthwith from playing field and children's play area. The only exceptions to this rule are guide dogs for the blind, which must be on a leash. Appropriate notices will be placed on all gates on the playing field. Your co-operation in this matter is requested.
You will recall that I advised you in the newsletter of 2009, that it was the eventual intention of your Council to replace the aging sports pavilion at the playing field. Despite a lack of public interest at that time, the Council has decided to carry on with the application and planning process. We will keep you informed of progress.
Your Council are always attempting to improve facilities at the field and this year we have introduced a Boules Pitch, which we hope will be well used. The youngsters are also catered for with an organised football week. ‘Soccer Skills Swansea’ has promised to return to Pennard in August 2012, so watch out their advertising posters.
The annual carnival was once again blessed with reasonable weather and we offer our thanks to the committee members, who year after year present three excellent days of entertainment for our villages.
We welcome your opinions on any of the subjects raised in this issue, or if you prefer, come along to our Council or Sub-Committee meetings. You will be very welcome.
Community Hall Committee (Chaired by Laurie Irwin)
Hello hall users! We have continued our refurbishment of the Community Hall, with new curtains due to be fitted shortly in the main and small halls. New floor covering is to be provided in the ladies toilet due to the change in layout as the old hot water tank that has been removed.
A ‘Fire Risk Assessment’ has been carried out in the Hall and we have fitted emergency lighting in the toilet area plus an alarm for the ‘Disabled’ toilet.
Please use the Hall a lot, as there are various activities taking place every week -Archery, Art, Badminton, Bowls, Dance, Dog Training, French, Gardening, Parent & Toddler, W.I., Pilates, Rainbow Club, Tea Club, Yoga and other activities.
Pennard Carnival
Hopefully everyone enjoyed the 2011 Carnival Weekend. The rain held off when it mattered and the sun came out for another highly entertaining procession. Where else would you find (peacefully) protesting hippies of Browns Drive alongside Pennard Schools Egyptians, a full ensemble of fairy tale characters with the tea ladies of the WI and Burrows Close literally floating through the village on hundreds of balloons. As always, a fantastic effort was made by all participants, and hopefully we'll see the playgroup and others make a resurgence next year to compete for the coveted Carnival Parade trophies.
Obviously it takes a lot of time to pull together the costumes and props for the floats, but credit must be given to all the hard work put in by the local groups, societies and individuals that make the carnival weekend what it is: a great community event for us all to enjoy. All these people give their time and energy for free, and we all have some fun while creating the backdrop for everyone to have a weekend to remember.
The Carnival Committee try to give something for all members of the community to enjoy, and the people who attended the various events seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves; whether they were meeting friends and enjoying the field events in the sun, or indulging in the WI's tea and cakes in the marquee with the relaxed acoustic music played by "Scotty". In the evening the volume was turned up and the mighty Joe Schmoo played to an atmosphere of festival proportions. The children who came to the junior disco on Friday evening all had a great time, and thanks to Hugo and Hugh. The weekend was rounded off with the "Gower Churches Together" service in the morning and a very enjoyable concert with the Dunvant Male Voice Choir in the afternoon.
The Carnival Committee are always looking for new faces to help on the weekend or in organising this fantastic annual event. If you can offer any help please get in touch. We will start our arrangements for 2012 in January, and if anyone wants a reminder of this year’s carnival there is a gallery of images on our website - www.pennardcarnival.org.uk.
Pennard Community Councillors
Southgate Ward Kittle Ward
Dr. Ralph J. Cook 233822 Mrs. Lynda James 234316
Mr.Peter Lanfear 233624 Mr. Milwyn H. Layton 232213
Mr. Laurie Irwin 429385 Mr. Wes Weeks 234180
Mr. Nigel E. King 233124
Mrs. Helen F. Langford 233365 City & County Councillor
Mr. George T. Nash 234425 Mrs Margaret Smith 233790
Mr. Mark Smith 232093
Mr. Andrew C. Thomas 234310 Clerk to Pennard Community Council
Dr. Margaret Waymark 233607 Mr Chris James 448399
Mr. Lyn Williams 230007
Mr. Jason Thomas 07721 731915
COMMUNITY HALL - REGULAR BOOKINGS
As at September 2011
ARCHERY |
Fri & Mon Eve |
Peter Evans |
899294 |
ART CLUB |
Thu Morn. |
Dr. Alan Marriot |
232224 |
BADMINTON |
Tue Aft. |
Margaret MacDonald |
233521 |
BOWLS |
Mon Aft. |
Selwyn Morgan |
583576 |
COASTWATCH |
Mon eve. |
Geoff Leamon |
232057 |
DANCING |
Fri Aft. |
Tony Wiseman |
323430 |
FOOT CLINIC |
Last Fri. morning of each month |
Sharon Richards Mobile: |
427515 |
DOG TRAINING |
Thur Eve. |
Elenor & Andy Macnab |
851241 |
GARDENING CLUB |
Second Mon. each month |
Jan Jones |
234705 |
PARENT & TODDLER GROUP |
Tue Morn. |
Ellen O’Neill |
233039 |
PARKMILL W.I. |
First Tue Each Month |
Jean Leamon |
232057 |
PILATES |
Wed Morn |
Karen Davies |
404149 Mob 07736 927814 |
RAINBOWS |
Thurs Aft. |
Dani Khastigir |
07791535250 |
TEA CLUB |
Wed. Aft. |
Rosemary Hixon |
233339 |
PARISH HALL - REGULAR BOOKINGS
As at Sept 2011 - To book for any event contact Wally Richards 233467
ART CLASS |
Fri am |
Jeff Kirkhouse |
517737 |
BRIDGE |
Fri pm |
Chris & Anne Evans |
232947 |
BROWNIES |
Weds pm |
Nerys Lloyd |
561778 |
HDSK |
Sundays |
Jean Kearney |
842743 |
GOLDEN AGE |
1st & 3rd Tue pm |
Mrs Jean Butler |
233784 |
MEN’S SOCIETY |
2nd Tue. Eve |
Sec. Ron Harvey |
233868 |
PENNARD WI |
1st Mon. Eve |
Chris Morris |
232282 |
DOG TRAINING |
Mon Eve |
Andrew Flowers |
232672 |
PILATES |
Tue am |
Karen Davies |
404149 Mob 07736 927814 |
PONY CLUB |
1st Tue. Eve |
Ann Walter |
232665 |
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PENNARD CHURCH |
Contact the Vicar – Rev. Peter Brooks |
232928 |
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Pennard Garden Society
We have had a very busy and successful year this year, especially our Garden show, which had over two hundred entries. The committee would like to thank everyone who helped including the army of ladies who brought cakes for the tea.
The show takes more organising than any of our other events, and the way that exhibitors can help is by ensuring their entry forms are completed and submitted by the Thursday before the show. Forms and schedules are available for weeks beforehand from local shops.
New members are always welcome at our meetings, which are also advertised on posters in local shops. They are generally held on the second Monday in the month in the winter in the Small Community Hall at 7.30 p.m.
The Pennard and Ilston Men’s Society
The Pennard Men’s Society is a group of men of all denominations or no denomination who meet for the benefit of mutual interests and friendship. The members have enjoyed a very successful year. Members are from a wide area including but not restricted to Pennard, Southgate, Ilston, and Bishopston.
The Society enjoys 10 meetings a year, 8 of which are usually held in Pennard Parish Hall on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 7.00 p.m. The months of July and August are the exceptions. We endeavour to make our meetings and speakers as varied and interesting as possible, some meetings provide an opportunity to visit and inspect locations of historical and engineering interest.
The June meeting is the Society’s Annual Outing. Next year this will be a trip to Cardiff with a guided tour of Cardiff Castle. The return journey will include a stop-over for dinner. Christmas is, of course, predominant in December and the Society celebrates with a Carol Service at St Mary’s followed by Christmas Dinner at Langland Bay Golf Club. Wives, Partners and friends are welcome to the outing and the Christmas events.
The Society is definitely not restricted to “old fogies” and we look forward to and welcome all new members at our meetings as shown in our programme below:
October 11 |
Barry Evans |
Railway Accidents – breakdown and recovery |
November 8 |
Martin Price |
Shackleton and the Endurance Expedition - 1914 |
December 13 |
Carol Service |
Christmas dinner at Langland Bay Golf Club |
January 10 |
Teifion Davies |
Waterfalls of south and west Wales |
February 14 |
Prof Brian Clarkson |
The Man in the Flying Machine |
March 13 |
Prof John Roper |
The President |
April 10 |
Judge Michael Burr |
The British Justice System |
May 18 |
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AGM and visit to Penderyn Whisky Distillery |
June 12 |
Annual outing |
Guided tour of Cardiff Castle |
Update on Youth Facilities
An update on the Rural Youth Express Bus-Pennard:
There are currently 44 young people enrolled with the project & a regular 15 - 22 attending the sessions. As the Youth Express can only accommodate a certain number of people on board, the playing fields have been an important resource during the sessions. Due to the numbers of young people joining the Monday activities’ session on the ‘Rural Youth Express’, it is now necessary for the project to engage with young people in a larger space.
With support from Pennard Community Council, an evening has been identified (provisionally) at the Community Hall for young people to regularly meet. The Community Council have held a meeting with the Youth Workers to discuss this opportunity further. If there are any young people or potential volunteers who would like to get involved please contact Tim Smith, Rural Youth Worker on 07557197171. If there is anyone who might want to make a contribution to the project e.g. equipment, volunteer sessions/skills etc then please contact Tim.
If you are a member of a group who would like to make a short newsletter item for publication in the next newsletter please let your Community Council know.
Last Minute Item – Road Safety
To see a horse and rider is a common sight these days around our local area, but how many of us know how to pass them correctly on the roads? Horses can be spooked easily by things that may not be obvious to the person driving past e.g. a tractor in a field or a carrier bag stuck in the hedge. These things can cause a horse to make a swift movement into the road or jump with fright; and motorists need to be aware of this. You should pass horse and rider “Wide and Slow”, allowing room so that, if the horse did step out due to being scared, then the driver would have time to react. Riders have reported that they are often passed by drivers at high speed… cars squeezing past when traffic is oncoming (in some cases clipping the rider’s foot with their wing mirror). Also that drivers do not respond to the ‘slow down’ arm signal given by the rider. It is easy to become complacent when passing horses, as we pass so many and nothing dangerous happens, but you must remember that horses are unpredictable animals and it only takes a few seconds to cause a serious accident. So next time you pass a horse and rider, please pass “WIDE AND SLOW” !
Also, whilst we are thinking of animals, we have received a few requests that dog poo is not put in a plastic bag and then left on a tree or bush. It would be far more helpful if you are not going to place it in a bin to kick it without a bag under a bush where it will decompose.
Here we are at the end again. How about finishing with a smile from one of our own local poets. This could become a regular feature if you would like to let me have any contributions.
Dog Free
Dare I now draw back the curtain?
The day is not good, I am certain
Shall I face it, be undaunted?
Or shall I just go back to bed?
Well here goes, it’s time to do it
And yes I was right! I knew it!
Hard to see through the window pane
The wind has covered it with rain.
I see a small moving figure
And another, only bigger
Could it be a crazy stalker?
No, it’s just a doggy walker.
Look! There are others just the same
Can’t help but ask: “Are they insane?”
But, of course, they make their choice
To let the canine have it’s voice.
Don’t need a dog to walk this land
No plastic poo bag in my hand
No frantic yanking on the lead
No endless appetite to feed.
For such freedom much can be said.
I think I will go back to bed.
Domenico R. Carosi.