The Wimblington and Stonea Parish Plan was
completed October 2002.
From this Parish Plan several projects have
been started, some finished and some still being dealt
with.
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Twinning
It was
suggested that the Parish twinned up with another country.
In July the Parish
Council asked for suggestions of countries the villagers might like to
Twin with. The idea being that once contact was agreed between the two
countries, children and adults alike might strike up a correspondence
with residents within the twinned community. This will in time give
all parties the opportunity to exchange views on how their communities
live, their social lives, their schools etc. The Thomas Eaton School
is very interested in the project as it will promote letter writing as
well as understanding and give them the opportunity to explore the many
diverse ways the communities live.
The suggestions are as follows:
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Romania
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Kenya |
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AAchen in Germany |
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Holland |
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Czech Republic |
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Ghana |
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Other |
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The Parish Council would like the villagers to
decide which of these countries we twin with. Please indicate your
preference by placing a tick by the chosen country
Dec:
The response to the twinning has been tremendous
and very encouraging. I thank all everyone who replied or telephoned.
I would also like to thank the Premier shop owners for hosting the
collection box in their shop.
The vast majority voted for Holland because of the
connections to the Fenland drainage or in some cases men who had been
there during the war and family/friends who have visited the war
graves.
I have been told how warm and friendly the Dutch
people are, how the children speak perfect English and much about the
bulb fields and general countryside.
Czech Republic came second with Spain, Romania
and Aachen third all having the same number of votes.
The Parish Council will have to ratify this
conclusion at the 13th December meeting, once that is done we can press
on to make contact with a village of similar size etc as ours.
We shall need to set up a small group of people
from the Parish to steer this project ahead so would anyone who is
interested in helping please contact me on 741156. I envisage we
should be able to get a small grant to help us with the cost of
postage, stationary etc involved in this initial work. Once this is
completed the scheme will be open to everyone to make contact with our
twin.
*****
Parish Hall
The Parish Hall was badly in need of refurbishment,
not only did it need a good spruce up it had to be modernised
to bring it in line with the Disabilities Act by October
2004 or it would be closed down.
Lots of fundraising has gone on and still
does in the way of bingo's, table top sales, socials
etc.
Some very dedicated people have been hard
at work doing renovation work, the whole place has been
redecorated, a new disable toilet has been installed
and the gents and ladies toilets overhauled as have the
outside drains. The emergency
exit had to be widened to accommodate wheelchairs should there be an emergency
and a concrete footpath laid down that side of the hall. A loop system
for the deaf has also been installed.
A brand new kitchen is now to be installed, work should
start early Aug. The money is in the bank, the design and
materials have been decided upon, so work can commence. Time marches on
and still a lot of work to be done but there is great
confidence that the whole project will be achieved in
time.
*****
Interactive Speed Lighting
One of the biggest problems in the village
is speeding traffic and heavy lorries.
To this end the Neighbourhood Watch has
been busy fundraising to pay for Interactive Lights placed
on the main road running between Doddington and March.
Two of these lights cost £7000 but the Fenland
District Council will match fund half, hence the fundraising.
Whatever the shortfall of money is after fundraising,
the Parish Council will make up to the required £3500.
April 5 2004 the lights were installed and working.
Ideally we could do with 4 sets of lights
but for the time being two are installed and hopefully
the other two will follow in due course.
*****
Children's Activities
With nothing to do and nowhere to go the
school holidays were long and boring. Hence the
introduction of the Summer Activities during the six
week long holiday.
Grant money was obtained to put on three
days of activities for four weeks. This was such
a success that further money was applied for and now
activities such as Art, Dance, Drama, Puppets, Disco's
take place every half term and school holidays held at
the Thomas Eaton School. Professional tutors are
brought in, refreshments are supplied and everyone has
a good time.
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Eaton Estate Play Area.
The play equipment on the Eaton Estate
is not only old it is inadequate for today's youngsters.
Therefore at present it is being researched by the Parish
Council and hopefully residents on the estate whereby
it is hoped to replace the equipment at one end and create
a quiet garden at the other end of the green. It
is very early days so more details on this at a later
date.
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New Hall
From the Parish Plan it was clear that,
although the Parish Hall was still sound in structure
and therefore useful for a long time to come, it is used
to such an extent that there are no vacancies for new
ventures. So it was decided to look into erecting
another hall somewhere in the village.
To this end a feasibility study
is just about to start to look at the possibilities.
Grant money will have to be applied for, land will have
to be sought, it will be a very big project to pull off.
BUT other villages have done it so why can't we.
Watch this space.
*****
Youth Shelter
Wimblington & Stonea's completed Parish
Plan highlighted the need for an appropriate place for
young people to meet within the village. As there
was nowhere specific often the meeting place of choice
would be outside the local shop or near to the church,
in fact anywhere with appropriate lighting.
The Parish Council considered the best place to site
a meeting place, unable to come up with the answer, the
Youth Club welcomed the Parish Council to discuss a design
and site for a meeting place. The Youth Club came
up with the perfect site, at the War Memorial Recreation
Ground on Doddington Road, the spot is safe and close
to amenities. The Youth Club first chose a traditional
style of Youth Shelter, rather like a bandstand or pavilion.
However it became very difficult to gain funding for
such a shelter and so the Parish Council returned to
the Youth Club explained the response from the funders
and the Youth Club decided upon a different and rather
more funky design.
The Parish Council approached the manufacturers
and a site inspection was organised. The manufacturers
approved the site and provided a quote for the Youth
Shelter, delivery and installation. An estimate
was also provided for the time to manufacture, deliver
and install, which was three months. The quote
was considered to be acceptable by the Parish Council
and then it was time to find a funder. This was quite
a difficult task, in fact it took three attempts before
funding was approved. This is a great example of not
giving up if you are turned down initially for funding,
if you keep trying and the project is of value to the
community a funder will come along eventually.
The Parish Council are most grateful to the East of England
Community Safety Fund who provided the funding for the
Youth Shelter. The order was placed for the Youth Shelter
but unfortunately the cost of the Youth Shelter had increased
by over £100 due to the delay in placing the order, through
not being able to find a funder. The Parish Council negotiated
with the suppliers, Sutcliffe Play and they very kindly
agreed to the original price, again the Parish Council
are most grateful to Sutcliffe Play for their generosity.
Surprisingly the Youth Shelter only took two months to
manufacture, deliver and install, which is great news
for the children of Wimblington & Stonea.
Now the young people have a safe and sheltered place
to meet, close to all of the amenities. The Youth
Shelter holds up to ten people at one time and is very
comfortable. More importantly they have a place
of their choice in a location of their choice!
*****
Village Guide
As we now have 4 new developments within the village
and new people are always joining our community, the
Parish Council considered it time to put together a new Village Guide
together for every household. The Village Guide provides people with essential
information, useful numbers and interesting facts.
A Parish Council sub-committee worked hard
on the Village Guide, to ensure the content is appropriate
and most importantly accurate.
The results of the Parish Plan also backed up the Parish
Council's line of thought and it was used to apply for
funding.
The Parish Council are thankful to Cover and the Community
Chest who have provided the funding for the printing
and essential purchases necessary to complete the guide.
The Village Guide has now been delivered to every door in the
village.
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Wimblington's War Memorial.
Wimblington's War Memorial is situated prominently in St. Peter's
Churchyard in Church Street. It is an Italian Marble carving of an
Angel whose wings protect the names of those who courageously gave their
lives so that we can live in freedom today.
Sadly the War Memorial has fallen into a sad state of repair. The
tips of the Angel's wings are chipped, her limbs are falling
away and her clothes are deteriorating. It is a saddening site.
We need to raise several thousand pounds for repairs. With this in
mind a War Memorial Sub Committee has been formed with the aim of
raising funds to repair the War Memorial and to have her reinstalled
ready for this year's Remembrance Sunday service.
To date we have raised over £4,424.34 which is great result for the whole
community in Wimblington, but we still need to do more. The Sub
Committee have worked hard to raise funds with several events including
The Acorn Singers & Friends, St Etheldreda, Gawain & The Green
Knight a Spring Fayre and we still have further events booked including
another Acorn Singers & Friends event and an Auction. We have
also received several very kind donations from individuals and groups
within the village, including The Luncheon Club, The Tea Dance and Keep
Fit Class. Mrs. Moulton and Mrs. Sibley also put on a Dinner &
Dance in order to raise funds for the War Memorial.
If you would like to make a donation towards the War Memorial
restorations or would like some help to organise a fundraiser with your
group or organisation, please contact Amanda Carlin - tel: 01354 740306
or Leslie Colebrook - 01354 740941 we will be more than happy to help
you with ideas, organisations or publicity.