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FAIRFORD TOWN COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
February 2008
MAYOR’S INTRODUCTION
The New Year of 2008 brings with it many new hopes and challenges for Fairford and indeed for Fairford Town Council. We look forward to a year which has already seen a number of changes. The Town Council website has a new look, now being hosted by a company specialising in looking after the needs of local communities. The Churchyard has seen tremendous improvements with extensive work being carried out in the Burial Ground. The skate ramp which was due to have been replaced at the end of last year should now be replaced in the coming months, and January saw the arrival of new Town Councillors Mark Wardle and Suzanne Jones. They have now taken up their posts on their respective committees and will join the other 11 Councillors, the Clerk and the office staff who are all working together to help benefit Fairford and its residents. Councillors are currently bidding for funding which has been made available by Cotswold District Council to help Parish and Town Councils in their efforts to create plans to allow for immediate reaction to flooding or other catastrophes.
The opening of the new Community Centre will be a great accomplishment for the town. Building work remains on schedule and the results of many years’ hard work and tremendous efforts by a team of volunteers from the Town Council, St Mary’s PCC and others should result in a fantastic, new community facility in the heart of the town. The Centre should open on schedule and I look forward to welcoming all the new and returning groups, clubs and associations to the opening ceremonies in the spring.
Cllr John Morgan - Fairford Town Mayor (01285 711321)
A large print version of this newsletter can be supplied on request
www.fairford-tc.co.uk GET TO KNOW YOUR COUNCILLORS
Cllr Mark Wardle
Aged 47 and born in Stockport, Cheshire I moved to Park Street, Fairford from Kempsford in 2000. Married to Kate we have three children – Becky studying at Nottingham University, Jack and Sally at Farmor’s School studying for A-levels and GCSE’s respectively. Like many people I meet in the town we chose to live in Fairford because of the balance between facilities, character and countryside. I believe that Fairford is a great place to live and worth protecting.
Until 2005 I was the Sales & Marketing Director for a multinational consumer goods manufacturer based in North West England manufacturing baby and cosmetic wipes for major retailers across the UK and Europe. Together with Kate I now own and run a small business in Oxfordshire dealing with clients in the Leisure industry. Outside work my interests are sport (especially football), music and walking in the local countryside with our black labrador Eddie.
As the Town Council exists to represent the views of Fairford I believe it is vital that Councillors should be accessible to the people of the town. I am happy to meet with any resident who has an issue to discuss or a point to make – I may not always agree with you but will always talk. I can be contacted by telephone on 07887 707483 or by e-mail
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COUNCIL NEWS
GENERAL
Next Town Council Meeting
The next full Town Council meeting will be held on Tuesday 12th February at 7 p.m. in the upstairs Council Chamber at 3 London Street, Fairford. Members of the public are welcome to attend.
Election Results
Following the election on 13th December, two new Councillors have joined Fairford Town Council. Suzanne Jones and Mark Wardle officially joined the Town Council at the Full Council meeting on 15th January 2008. Suzanne Jones has joined the Facilities committee and Mark Wardle has joined both the Finance and Facilities committees.
Fairford Festive Market 2007
The 2007 Festive Market was a great success with even more stalls than in previous years. The weather was extremely kind, with the wind and rain taking a break for the critical day and hence bringing out the crowds to enjoy the attractions and goods on offer.
Our thanks go to the following people who all made the event a success: Sharron Davies, The Ernest Cook Trust, Andrew Wallace, The Cotswold Building Co, St Mary’s Church Choir, Salvation Army and the Red Cross.
The new Christmas lights were well appreciated and thanks go to Fairford Fire Service & David Nelmes for helping to fix them in place. Various local businesses donated towards these new lights as follows:
Allium, Andrew Butler, Barnes Removals, The Bridge Restaurant, The Bull Hotel, East Glos Engineering, Eventuality, 4MarketPlaceMortages, Londis, Mr Ernest, The Plough, The Railway, Resintech and 7a.
Citizen of the Year and Young Citizen of the year 2008
Fairford Town Council would like to receive nominations for Citizen and Young Citizen of the Year 2008.
If you would like to nominate for both or either category, please write to the Town Council at 3 London Street, Fairford, GL7 4AH. Nominations to be received by 25th February 2008.
Disaster Action Group
Please see the insert in this newsletter about joining the Disaster Action Group. Volunteers would be much appreciated.
Walnut Tree Playground
The playground in the Walnut Tree Field is run and managed by Fairford Playing Fields Ltd and NOT, as often assumed Fairford Town Council. Fairford Playing Fields Ltd is a registered Charity and consists of a small group of local volunteers. All the recent improvements to the facilities have been as a result of successful grant applications and local fundraising. The land is owned by the Ernest Cook Trust, and their support is always much appreciated.
The new toddler play area was completed in December and is proving very popular with the younger residents.
If anyone would like to help the small group of volunteers that run this facility please email me at
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or telephone the Council Office on 01285 712344.
Fairford & Lechlade Business Club
The lifeblood for most businesses is communication, so Fairford and Lechlade Business Club is pleased to announce that members will soon have their very own website, which will be launched at the March club meeting. As networking is another key factor for businesses, the website has been designed and will be maintained by club member, Kevin Symons of Services Web Design, Whelford.
The new website will have a Business Directory, where club members can list their business for free. The Forum page will encourage networking with other local businesses and an interactive Market Place page will enable members to advertise items for sale or job opportunities – reminiscent of the “card in the newsagent’s window” system. A monthly Newsletter is also in the pipeline for this thriving Business Club and the first edition could be next April with the start of the new business financial year.
On Friday 1 February, Cotswolds MP, Geoffrey Clifton Brown, will present the awards at the first ever Business of the Year and Business Person of the Year Ceremony at the Royal International Air Tattoo’s Conference Centre. The judges of this prestigious event are Dennis Grant, Chief Executive of Cotswold Water Park, Lynden Stowe, Leader of Cotswold District Council and John Cripps, Director of the South West Chambers of Commerce, Gloucestershire Enterprise Ltd and Gloucestershire First.
Phone Chris Roberts on 07721 716350 for more information about the club and future meetings. Come to one of our meetings free before you decide to join. You’ve got nothing to lose, but could have lots to gain.
Air Tatoo changes ticket policy
Organisers of the Royal International Air Tattoo are introducing day-specific tickets for the 2008 event in a bid to control the rising number of visitors to Europe’s premier airshow. Traditionally, visitors have been able to choose whether to attend on the Saturday or the Sunday of the airshow weekend but last summer, due to contrasting weather forecasts for the two days, two-thirds of people opted to attend on the Saturday. This not only put pressure on the event’s traffic management plan but also on facilities inside RAF Fairford.
Earlybird admission tickets are currently on sale priced £29.95. These tickets will be available until February 29, after which time advance tickets will be available at the 2007 price of £32.50. However, for those people who still prefer the flexibility, a limited number of ‘premium’ optional day tickets are available in advance at £37.50. Tickets bought on the day cost £45.00.
Air Tattoo Director, Tim Prince said that we have a responsibility not only to our customers but also to people living along the various traffic routes. Controlling the number of people attending each day will make the Air Tattoo experience that much more enjoyable for everyone.
The Royal International Air Tattoo takes place on July 12 & 13, 2008. Tickets are available from www.airtattoo.com or by calling 0870 758 1918.
New website for Surgery
Doctors at Fairford Surgery have a new website for patients – www.fairfordsurgery.co.uk. There is lots of useful information about the services that the surgery provides e.g. you can order repeat prescriptions on line and save your regular order to your internet “Favourites”; register as a new patient on line; inform the surgery of a change of address and check out which jabs you will need before a foreign holiday. You can also cancel an appointment on line instead of phoning in. There are links to recommended websites for patient information leaflets and self-help groups. The Fairford GPs hope that this will provide a useful additional service for their patients.
Fairford History Society
The next meeting will be on Thursday 21st February 7.30 pm at Fairford Library – please note change in venue, when Edwin Cuss will be showing another selection of his excellent pictures on local transport in the area entitled ‘From Crawling to Concorde’. Log on to www.fairfordhistory.org.uk or contact
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or Alison on 01285 71168 for more information.
FACILITIES
Skate Ramp
After months of negotiation with the supplier, Fairford Town Council is seeking a replacement for the skateboard ramp installed in the Walnut Tree Field eighteen months ago. The suppliers, Park Leisure, have agreed to refund the money paid over for the ramp and the council has agreed to replace the facility.
The reason for the decision is that the ramp was installed without a concrete foundation, making it unstable. Last summer screws began to come loose, causing damage to users’ clothing. The Town Council immediately instituted weekly checks to ensure the safety of the structure and asked Park Leisure to remedy the faults. This has not happened, so the council will be asking another supplier to install a ramp in place of the present one.
We apologise to youngsters for any disruption that will be caused as a result of factors beyond the Council’s control.
Town Council website
As part of the Town Council’s drive to establish value for money in Council service, it was decided to re-advertise the contract for the maintenance of the town website. TGN, the contractors who have supplied us during the early years of the facility decided they did not wish to tender, and withdrew. As the contract period ended in December, there has been a short gap in the service, which we hope to fill swiftly. The preferred bidder, Vision ITC, has wide experience of running local Council websites and their bid came in below the council’s budget for the service.
Other matters:
The council has been given 17 young trees as part of the “Plant a Tree for Gloucestershire’s Millennium” celebration. We are surveying a number of sites, but more suggestions from the public will be welcome.
The banning of alcohol from the Walnut Tree Field is being considered by the Facilities Committee. A Cotswold District Council officer responsible for law and order issues attended the January meeting to discuss the issue further.
The committee is also exploring the possibility of running a Mini Expo as a showcase for local organisations.
Martin Harwood Chair of Facilities (01285 712597)
PLANNING
Lakes 103, 103A and 104
The Planning Inspectorate has advised that the decision regarding Lakes 103, 103A and 104 will be issued on or before 25th April 2008.
HIGHWAYS
Grass Cutting: The grass verge mowing contract for 2008 has been awarded to the same contractor as 2007 and this will now also include the Walnut Tree Field. St Mary's Churchyard and Town Council (TC) Burial Ground grass mowing contract has been awarded to a new contractor who is obligated to cut as and when necessary; this will result in a graveyard where 'our loved ones will have some dignity in death'. It is hoped that all Fairford residents and relatives of the deceased will respect this and finally appreciate what the TC has done on their behalf. We welcome any remarks that one would wish to make about this 'place of rest' or other concerns one might have regarding this town, complimentary or otherwise, these should be addressed directly to TC, not through an intermediary.
Tree Work: Following consultation with a Tree Specialist, St Mary's PCC and Cotswold District Council permission has been granted to fell the large Maple tree that overhangs the High Street opposite the old Chemists shop, reduce in size the second Maple and the Walnut Tree located near to the Community Centre. A suitable type of tree to replace the large maple has yet to be decided.
Horcott Road will be closed from 18th February to 22nd February from the junction with Milton Street to the junction with Little Horcott Lane to allow for a new connection to the sewer.
Rubbish: Please try to delay putting rubbish out for collection until as late as possible as there have been problems recently of debris being scattered across pavements and roads - this not only detracts from the town but can cause a hazard and also block road gullies.
Blocked Drains: It has been brought to the Council's attention that several drains have been blocked in the area because of fat residue. Residents are asked to refrain from being poured down fat down the drain and to dispose of such material with the normal kitchen waste.
General: After repeated requests in this newsletter for persons to refrain from allowing their dogs to foul public places, not to park on pavements to place litter in the bins provided and remove overhanging vegetation from public rights of way, the response has not been what was anticipated. We can do better. Can we demonstrate that we do care about our environment?
Robert Winney Chair of Highways (01285 712452)
New Hassocks
There are two new Mayoral hassocks in St Mary’s Church inscribed with the names of former Mayors, Dave Nelmes and Chris Roberts. The hassocks were kindly made by another former Mayor, Dorothy Paton.
The annual Town Ball will be held on Friday 30th May and will have a James Bond Theme. The Dog Show will be held on Saturday 31st May and the 10k and 3k races on Sunday 1st June.
We still need volunteers to help the 2008 Committee. If you are able to help in any way, please contact me on 01285 711122.
Trevor J Hing, Chairman
Community Courses at Farmor’s School
Mon 4th February 7-8pm – Be Style-Wise - Colour/Body Shape Analysis talk with Carole Stacey of Image Innovators. £3 per head. To be followed up with an optional Saturday workshop.
Mon 11th February 7-9pm – Beyond the Blue Planet with Dr Roger Jones - A behind the scenes insight into the making of the BBC series and others like it, by onetime Senior Producer at the BBC Natural History Unit and professional painter, Dr Roger Jones. £3 per head.
Mon 25th February to Mon 31st March 7-9pm – Explore Your Family History - 5 week genealogy evening course using basic computer skills. £20 per head for the whole course, payable in advance.
Contact 01285 712302 to book your place on any of the above
Coln House School Ofsted Report
Staff and pupils at Coln House School in Fairford are celebrating the successful outcome of a recent Ofsted Inspection. The school was described by inspectors as ‘an effective school with some outstanding features.’ Following a 2-day inspection in November, along side a parallel Social Care Inspection, they reported that the school’s major strength lies in the way that it very successfully turns around pupils’ lives: “Within a happy, extremely supportive environment, pupils who arrive troubled and with negative attitudes to learning leave as mature and very sensible young adults who not only enjoy learning more, but also have a keen sense of right and wrong.”
The inspectors’ view was that the Head, together with his senior leaders and committed hard working staff, “form an effective team who have an accurate view about how well the school is doing.”
Head Teacher, Chris Clarke commented, ‘After coming out of special measures six years ago, we knew we were on the right track. The report not only endorses what is a fantastic achievement for a school such as ours nationally, but also reflects the amount of hard work done by the staff, parents and students over the years’. The school’s chair of governors, Richard Wilkinson added, “With the increased incidence and complexity of special needs that we are now seeing across the county, I hope that this excellent report will help to persuade the Local Authority that BESD schools, and Coln House in particular, are worthy of their continued support and increased investment.’
Fairford Community Bus
There have been many changes recently in the Fairford Volunteer Centre, including changes to the Community Bus, now known as Fairford Dial-a-Ride. This simply means that we need clients to phone the office to book a seat whenever you wish to use it; there will also be a small annual membership fee to pay.
We have tried to provide more trips to the places that you want to go, we would like to expand on this but need YOU to use the facility. Costs are kept to a minimum but unfortunately the price of fuel and general running costs have increased dramatically in the last twelve months so therefore there has to be a small increase in our fares etc; We feel that we still provide value! Our drivers and escorts who are all volunteers will not only pick you up from your front door but will also return you to your door with your shopping should you so wish.
We also provide a Hospital Car Service. This is in no way taking patients away from Fairford Hospital League of Friends, but to provide transport for people with a medical need or those on certain benefits to enable them to get a free service, we work alongside the Ambulance Service to provide this aspect of our work. Our car transport scheme also takes children to and from certain schools if there is a need.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our volunteers and suggest that you give yourselves a pat on the back; you have helped us through a difficult time recently and guess what? There is more to come! By the time you read this Stacey who has done an excellent job will have left us as she is expecting a baby in the summer. So yes, you are stuck with me! I need your help, patience and understanding; I will do my best to provide a good service. PLEASE USE IT.
Come along to the office 3 London Street Fairford, telephone 713852, mobile 07889 088167 email
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and make yourself and your wishes known. If you are a driver and would like to help us out occasionally or have some spare time and don’t know what to do with it, come and see me, I NEED YOU!
Ann Nicholls Volunteer Centre (01285 713852)
Fairford Festival
Once again, the rumour is going around that there will not be a Fairford Festival this year. This is not true!
The Festival will go ahead and it is hoped that we will have the usual events and some new ones as well. The main Festival “weekend” events will be held from 29th May to 1st June inclusive.
The building is still on schedule to be handed over to the landlords by the end of April 2008 and an official opening ceremony will be held later in the year. The project team is busy working on the many tasks that have to be completed before the building is opened to the general public.
Composting Advice from Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
The Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust is working in partnership with Cotswold District Council to reduce the amount of biodegradable waste going to landfill. Cotswold Compost Officer Kate Newman is on hand to support local residents and distribute free information packs. She is available on 07902 248814 or
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or visit the website www.gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk - follow the Green Living link.
Pick up FREE ‘Your Essential Flood Guide’
If you haven’t yet got your FREE copy of ‘Your Essential Flood Guide’ from Gloucestershire County Council, you can now pick up a copy from your local library or GP surgery.
Over 260,000 copies of the guide were sent out to homes across the county as part of the county’s recovery operation following the 2007 floods. The guide explains what happened during the emergency and provides important practical advice to help local people cope with future emergencies. Residents are advised to keep the 20 page A5 brochure somewhere safe for future use. The guide can also be downloaded directly from the council’s website www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/flood
FAIRFORD COMMUNITY CENTRE
A series of “open” days are currently being planned to allow potential Users (new and past Users) to view the new facilities. If you are interested in being involved in these open days please contact the Council office and we will ensure that you receive an invitation.
The extent of our ability to equip and furnish the Centre will depend on the success of the latest fund raising campaign. We need the public’s generous support to ensure that the internal facilities and furnishing match the quality of the new and re-furbished building. All donations will be recognised in an appropriate manner when the Centre is finally opened.
Cllr Trevor Hing Project Leader (01285 711122)
COTSWOLD DISTRICT COUNCIL
Flooding Update
CDC is to spend more than £540,000 of the £623,000 Flood Recovery Grant on a range of measures to improve land drainage and assist towns and parishes to prepare for any future emergencies. Up to £10,000 per town/parish is available to improve local flood resilience and plan for emergencies and Fairford is hoping to be one of the recipients.
Several residents in Fairford have received payments from CDC of up to £400 because they were forced to move upstairs or into caravans as a result of the July floods.
Council Aims and Priorities
The Council is coming to the end of the four-year cycle for its corporate strategy and is reviewing its aims and priorities. The priorities for the next four years are a cleaner and greener environment; giving value for money and supporting communities.
Cotswold Leisure Centre Re-Opening
Cirencester’s Cotswold Leisure Centre is due to re-open its doors to the public on 1 March following complex repairs costing £800,000.
Cotswold Play Strategy
CDC’s bid for £200k of Lottery funding for play in the District has been successful. This means that CDC will be able to:
o Fund a play ranger scheme for 3 years in different locations across the District during school holidays and a lesser version of the scheme during term time
o Provide a programme of activities for 3 years across the District under the banner of “Summer off the Streets” during the summer school holidays
o Extend the use of the mobile skate park for more venues
o Provide youth shelters and/or games areas in 5 locations.
Fairford is to get nearly £6,500 towards skate ramp facilities in the Walnut Tree Field.
Community Projects Fund
Fairford has been successful in getting £30,000 from the Community Projects Fund. £15,000 to help equip the Community Centre with kitchen units and storage and £15,000 towards the new extension at Fairford Playgroup.
Recycling Facilities
There was 10 times more cardboard recycled over the Christmas period than ever before resulting in some of the recycling facilities overflowing. CDC will now empty the Fairford container every Thursday and will be asking the new environmental wardens to keep a regular watch on the facility.
Spring Clean
Cotswold District Council is again inviting parishes, schools, community and youth groups to take part in the annual Cotswold Spring Clean to target local litter ‘grot spots’ in the District. The Council will supply refuse sacks, gloves, tabards and litter-picking tools (the tabards and litter-picking tools will need to be returned). Events will be held in February, March and April and organised through CDC.
New On-Line Systems
New on-line Licensing and Building Control services will be available from April this year. The new systems have many advantages to the customer and to CDC, including reduced paper filing and storage, reduced postage costs, reduced data inputting and quicker turnaround of applications. A key advantage is that the on-line forms are ‘smart’, which means that they can only be submitted once all relevant fields have been populated; so the customer can be confident that they have submitted all the information, CDC requires.
Cllr Chris Roberts Cotswold District Cllr (01285 712150)
POLICE REPORT
Please let me introduce myself, my name is Daniel Sinclair and I am the Police Community Support Officer covering Fairford and the surrounding areas. I have already met some of you but look forward to meeting the rest of the community, so please stop me for a chat whilst I am out on patrol or to voice any concerns you may have.
During the coming months I will be using this newsletter to make you aware of various issues that are happening in the area, some of which are:
Parking along London Road near to the junction of the Market Place, this can obscure the view of motorists turning right onto London Road and can be dangerous, this also disrupts the traffic flow on an already busy stretch of road.
As the nights are darker now, can I remind all cyclists of the need to be visible to motorists at night time. Lights on bicycles are a must and reflective clothing/arm bands etc a good idea to ensure you are visible.
Please do make contact with myself at the following e-mail address-
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or call on 0845 090 1234 ext 6501 with any concerns or information you would like to pass on to me, I look forward to hearing from you.
PCSO Daniel Sinclair
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