Annual Parish Meeting held at at 7.30PM on Thursday 23rd May 2024 at Abbots Morton Village Hall
Minutes
Present: Martin Willingale (Parish Council Chair), Nick Humphries (Parish Councillor), Jacqueline Allum (Parish Councillor), Karen Brighton (Parish Councillor), Richard Whitlow (Parish Councillor) and Colin Pemberton (Village Hall Bookings Officer & PCC Secretary).
In attendance: Kerry Williamson (Clerk).
Parishioners: 1
- Chairman’s welcome and announcements
Martin Willingale opened the meeting and welcomed attendees.
- Apologies for absence
Ben Hurdman (District Councillor) and Lynne Pemberton (Village Hall Committee Chair)
- To approve the minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on the 18th May 2023
It was RESOLVED to adopt the minutes as a true record, and they were duly signed by the Chair.
- Matters arising from those minutes (if any)
There were no matters arising.
- To receive a report from the District Councillors
Ben Hurdman provided the following report to be shared at the meeting:
This month the Wychavon councillors will be looking at the contract for the Home Improvement Agency which is up for renewal in March 2025. We will be scrutinising the performance of the current contractors and reviewing what they do and do not cover in the field. It is vitally important that especially in our rural communities elderly people and people with a special need can remain in their homes with the correct care to maintain a good quality of life.
Wychavon have committed to using HVO fuel where possible in their diesel equipment in parks and gardens. This should reduce Co2 emissions by 90% in comparison to white diesel. We are also using environmentally friendly herbicides rather than pesticides.
Over the past six months everyone is aware of the amount of rain we have had. However, there is a weather station at the Civic Centre which gives us a bit of detail. We’ve had:
61mm in Jan (slightly lower than average)
143mm in Feb (highest ever recorded)
122mm in March (just below highest ever)
Over the last six months we have seen the highest percentage of winter water run-off in the last 39 years.
Planning – There have been 5 planning appeal decisions over the last month with all 5 being dismissed by the government inspector. This is promising and gives me confidence that the planning committee and officers are making the correct decisions where necessary. Applications are currently being processed in 3 days and last month 320 were processed.
Regarding the applications in Abbots Morton, as you’re aware the application at The Chalet has gone to appeal. I have my fingers crossed on this and hopefully the government appointed planning inspector will see sense and be minded to dismiss the appeal. If I hear anything I will be in touch.
I am concerned by the amount of live/work applications that keep popping up. I don’t think this is always of value to the villages and can be used as a back door to gain permission for a property in a desirable location, whereas normally they would be refused. It also concerns me that those people who really need live/work units may miss out. I am going to speak with our new head of planning regarding this matter in the near future.
Finally, I would like to thank you for welcoming me so warmly into the role of councillor. Over my first 12 months as a district councillor I have learned a great deal and have been reassured by the Parish Council’s commitment to preserving Abbots Morton, it is a beautiful village with a real sense of community spirit. You should all be commended for upholding that.
- To receive a report from the County Councillor
No report provided.
- To receive a report from the Parochial Church Council
Colin Pemberton (PCC Secretary) shared the following report:
Incumbent The Reverend Canon Richard Thorniley
Pioneer Deacon The Revd Dr Chris Sheehan
Licensed Lay Minister Pippa Heenan
Bank Independent Examiner
Lloyds Bank Mike Hoyes
Stratford Rd, 11 Priors Walk,
Alcester B49 5AX Evesham WR11 1GG
Church Architect Churchwarden
John Middleton, Lynne Pemberton
Nick Joyce Architects Limited
5 Barbourne Road,
Worcester WR1 1RS
Number on Electoral Roll: 8 (December 2023)
Average Weekly attendance: 9 Adults 0.5 Children
Parochial Church Council
The Parochial Church Council of St Peter’s, Abbots Morton is a charity exempted from registration with the Charity Commission.
It aims to cooperate with the incumbent in promoting in the parish the whole mission of the church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical (PCC (Powers) Measure 1956)
Members
Incumbent The Reverend Canon Richard Thorniley Chair
Pioneer Deacon (ex-officio) The Revd Chris Sheehan
LLM (ex-officio) Pippa Heenan
Churchwarden Lynne Pemberton Lay Chair
Deanery Synod rep Vacant
Elected members Roma Jones, Tim Jones, Lynda Payne, Colin Pemberton,
Honorary Treasurer: Tim Jones
Electoral Roll Officer: Lynne Pemberton
Honorary Secretary: Colin Pemberton
PCC members are appointed in accordance with the Church Representation Rules. The Incumbent, Church Wardens and Deanery Synod Representatives are ex-officio members of the PCC. Other members are elected at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) or co-opted during the year.
Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities
The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently.
- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP 2015 (FRS 102).
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent.
- state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements.
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the trust deed. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud or other irregularities.
The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the charity and financial information included on the charity’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.
Review and thanks for the Year 2023
The year was overshadowed by the confirmation in May that our Rector is planning to retire in 2025 no later than July or August. We have been privileged to have had Richard since 2001 …showing energy, enthusiasm, good humour and inspiration for 23 years so far and one more year to go. We will miss him greatly and there will be a challenge on replacing him.
There will be an interregnum before a new incumbent arrives…In preparation for that, Richard has re-instated the ARCH co-ordinating group… a management committee across the Benefice charged with preparing how to cope with the workload involved. An advantage we have is Pippa Heenan from Goom’s Hill, who leads services at St Peter’s, who now sits on the PCC and has managed an interregnum from her previous parish in Inkberrow.
We are blessed in this Benefice with Rev Chris Sheehan, our Pioneer Deacon; Pippa Heenan LLM; a retired Bishop Robert Paterson and three retired priests The Revds David & Gerry Foster and Steve Tilley who also help with leading services.
SERVICES
We confirmed in May last year that we will continue to have only two services a month, generally with a Communion Service on the second week and a Morning Service on the fourth week and share in hosting a Benefice-wide service when there’s fifth week in the month.
We have had a range of distinctive services through the year, beginning with a celebratory service on 7th May to mark the Coronation of King Charles III. Later in May, the congregation moved outdoors into the churchyard for a Rogation cum Forest Church service in lovely weather. Roma Jones gave out seeds and Colin Pemberton later reported the black French beans and hollyhocks had germinated and were growing well.
A benefice-wide All Souls Service to commemorate those who’ve died during the year was held at Abbots Morton on Nov 2nd.
The Remembrance Service later in November was led by Pippa Heenan and we thank David Bullock once again for his moving rendition of the Commendation.
Mothering Sunday was described as an excellent service with beautiful posies given out to Mums.
Our Harvest Thanksgiving service included a new family participating and gifts being taken to Caring Hands Food Bank in Evesham.
At our annual Carol and Gift Service in December, a speaker from Action for Children talked about the level of need among children in the county and she was able to take away a large number of gifts generously given by parishioners. During the service, Christingles were made with oranges, red ribbon, cocktails sticks, sweets and a candle … always an entertaining way of explaining the Christian message. Our thanks to Roma Jones and Esther Locke and her children for putting up and decorating the Christmas tree in church.
The lights on the parish council’s Christmas Tree on the village green were switched on 1st December by longstanding stalwart of the neighbourhood, Peggy Clarke and, as previously, the church was pleased to provide electricity for the lights without any charge.
Carols on the Green was a very enjoyable gathering and a collection raised £97.11 for the Flower Fund, used for purchasing flowers/plants for those who’ve been hospitalised. The fund now stands at £244.
The Christmas Eve Communion Service celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ.
For the second year running, the church was open throughout the night on one Saturday in August. By the light of a battery-operated candle, anyone could come in at any time to spend quiet moments with God.
St Peter’s is open every day and many entries in the visitors’ book show how grateful people are for that. We thank everyone in the community who give of their time to open and unlock the church and we thank Lynda Payne for organising the locking rota.
The PCC
The Parochial Church Council, the PCC, urgently needs more members. Pippa Heenan has joined and meetings are now held in the evenings once every two months. The PCC plans and carries out developments to the church and churchyard, organises fundraising activities and contributes to the forms of service used. The current members of the PCC are the Rector, Rev Richard Thorniley, Lynne Pemberton (churchwarden) Colin Pemberton, (PCC secretary) Roma Jones, Lynda Payne and Pippa Heenan.
Post Covid, there was a decision to be made on sharing the Communion cup. It was noted that almost every church, including cathedrals, were now sharing and that it had been shown that Covid was primarily an airborne infection. We agreed that those who wanted to dip the communion wafer in the wine could do so. But in October dipping was no longer allowed by the Church of England and we have returned to kneeling at the altar rail.
An innovation this year has been the appointment of a person from an outside area (Nottinghamshire) of a Mission Accompanier who can be a fresh pair of eyes to look at ways of making improvements in our respective parishes. He is Paul Ward and several meetings of parish representatives have already taken place since last July at Harvington Church.
The PCC agreed in June that Clergy Stipends should rise by 6.8%. It also welcomed a reduction in the amount that St Peter’s has to pay each year to the Diocese. As result of a benefice-wide review, based on population figures within the Benefice from the 2021 Census, our share is reduced from £6338 to £3803 for 2024.
Purchases: A new Advent candle holder and a new coffee jug were bought to replace old ones.
Electricity change: Our contract with British Gas ran out in March and a cheaper, one-year contract with EDF Energy has been taken out.
EVENTS
Coronation Bellringing: A good number of people joined in a joyful bellringing at the church on the morning of Coronation Day 6th May.
The church was very full on 16th September for the wedding of Alice Whitlow and Jeremy Hawkins.
The church was also full for the funeral of the late Colin Turner. The collection of £1,518.00 was kindly donated by the family to the church Fabric Fund.
On 4th June a Pilgrimage Walk was held during Flower Festival weekend. Starting at Abbots Morton cross country to Harvington all on public footpaths.
Flower Festival: The Flower Festival Lunch 2023 made a profit of £505. Rev Richard gave huge thanks to Lynne Pemberton for organising it and to Roma Jones and Jacki Allum who made up the “The Team”.
The festival: Lynne particularly praised Roma who had worked so hard on organising it. The flower arrangements were almost all made without using Oasis, in line with our environmentally friendly policy not to use non-biodegradable materials. A nice touch was to have flower pots on the steps.
Harvest Festival, Harvest Supper: A total of £834 was made. Pippa Heenan was thanked for stepping in and making the food with Nicki Massey and Roma Jones. Lynne apologies for not being able to do it this year because of Long Covid but she was still masterminding it in the background. It was a successful evening and people said they enjoyed the quiz that Pippa had devised.
THANKS & GOODBYES
Church Musician: Richard paid tribute to Lynne Pemberton who will no longer be the church musician because of her health (Long Covid). He gave “huge, huge thanks” for what she has provided over many years and that her input on choice of hymns was hugely appreciated by him and others. Richard expressed “heartfelt sadness…we will miss you”.
CHURCHYARD
New Gates: A highly visible development during the year has been the installation just before Christmas of new gates at the top of the steps to the churchyard. They are in memory of the late Kevin Clarke, our churchwarden for sixteen years before his sad death from cancer. A collection of more than £900 at Kevin’s funeral has paid for the gates… made of oak in exactly the same style as the old gates which had deteriorated badly. Our grateful thanks go to Kevin’s brother, Winston Clarke, for fitting the gates, which were blessed by the Rector during the Carols on the Green Service in December. A small memorial plaque to Kevin will be fixed to the gates in due course.
The gates open outwards instead of inwards and, because of the slope of the footpath, they are in position slightly further up the footpath. This means there is a gap between the gates and the handrail alongside the steps. Until we can extend the handrail the gates are left in the open position to act as a hand support… and also give a welcome to anyone thinking of visiting the church.
Steps: The stone steps to the churchyard continue to be a challenge. Overhanging trees have been professionally pruned to reduce leaf drop in Autumn and we bought a grit box for use in winter. Anyone can scoop out some grit and strew on the steps in icy weather.
Grass Cutting: The churchyard is regularly strimmed by Smartcut. The average cost is substantial but a decision in Parliament may help us. Legislation has been amended to allow local councils to make payments to churches and it may be that our parish council could help with grass cutting costs in future.
Conservation Areas: We now have four conservation areas, one in each corner of the churchyard where the grass is left untouched for wildflowers to develop fully and provide a food source for all kinds of God’s creatures. Some of them are less welcome than others such as badgers, a squirrel in the church, a ferret/ stoat/polecat that Richard had seen climbing up the wall and disappearing between roof tiles.
Unusual fungi have been spotted on the lefthand bank of the footpath as you walk up to the church. They were considered to be two examples of Verpa Conica (Thimble Morel). Wade Muggleton, a representative of Living Churchyards has visited and Rev Richard suggested we should enter the nationwide competition among churches to win an Eco Award. It is hoped that users of the churchyard will accept a less tidy look in exchange for the environmental benefits. However, dog poo continues to be an issue. Signs were put up asking dog owners to keep their pets on a lead near the Conservation areas, but it became apparent that some dog mess had been left on a family grave causing considerable upset.
Leylandii Trees: The PCC has plans to professionally prune the Leylandii trees at the eastern edge of the churchyard come overgrown. We are in regular consultation with the nearest affected resident, Peter Duck at Church View. It was believed the row of trees were probably planted in the 1960s.
Hedge Planting: The PCC considered planting a tree to commemorate the late Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee or to mark King Charles’s Coronation but, as a suitable tribute, it was decided to plant hawthorn whips to fill in substantial gaps in the hedgerow on the northern border of the churchyard. This is planned to take place in 2024 during the planting season.
MAJOR PROJECT 2024
Plastering and redecoration of church interior: The biggest challenge facing the PCC in the year ahead is a huge project to strip off old plaster in the church, replaster and redecorate.
Architect John Middleton of Nick Joyce Ltd of Barbourne Road, Worcester will draw up a detailed scheme of work.
In November the Church of England nationally set up 30 Church Building Support Officers around the country to give specialist advice at Diocese level on the management, conservation, repair and development of church buildings. An £11 million grants fund has been set up nationally called Buildings for Mission for the period 2023 – 2025. A grant of up to £12,000 could potentially be available for our redecoration project which could be very helpful.
New Chairs: It was suggested that while making such a big fundraising effort we could perhaps raise money for new chairs which need replacing. We are now down to 75 chairs and many of them have woodworm. New chairs identical to the village hall chairs now cost £82.79 each if bought through the Church Buying Group. 100 chairs would cost £8,279 (incl of VAT). 90 chairs would cost £7,451.
Future of St Peter’s
It was asked during the year what the long-term future was for the St Peter’s church building. The Rector gave reassurance that it was unlikely to be closed or made redundant He said: “We are custodians of a Grade 1 listed building and it stands a better chance of getting support as a result. It is a jewel well worth polishing”.
Summary
It has been a surprisingly busy year and the year ahead looks to be even busier. This is a major challenge with a PCC comprising just 6 people. The need for more members of the PCC to run this church has never been greater.
Colin Pemberton, Secretary, St Peter’s PCC
Rector’s Notes 2024
Vestry Meeting
On behalf of us all, I would like to thank Lynne for keeping on the role of Churchwarden in 2023 which she has done despite her own health complications. She has ensured that we are kept on track and supported the mission of St Peter’s through her wisdom at PCC meetings and guidance to the Rector at important times for which he is very grateful.
Lynne feels that her health limitations preclude her from continuing so she’s not standing again for office.
On behalf of us all ,I would like to thank Lynne for stepping in as she did and give thanks that she still wishes to serve on the PCC.
As no one has offered themselves for the role, we will not have a Churchwarden unless someone wishes to offer themselves after this meeting.
Annual Meeting – APCM
I am hugely grateful to the PCC which has overseen the mission and ministry of the church reported in the Annual report.
I am grateful to the officers – Tim as Treasurer keeping us in good order as well as ensuring we are well informed in regard to the church finances.
Colin, our non-stop working secretary who has kept the church’s administration running smoothly and the community informed as to what we are up to.
Roma has led us in the flower rota and keeping the churchyard under careful review and helped us discover floral treasures within it. Along with Tim, Roma has also kept the church tidy and less cluttered.
Lynda has maintained the church unlocking rota and played a wise part on the PCC to ensure the quality of our worship is maintained, as well – along with other PCC members – set up for services. The sermon deliverers value Lynda’s post-match grilling as it reminds them that someone is paying close attention so be careful what you say.
Pippa is clearly enjoying her time taking services in Abbots Morton – and elsewhere in the Benefice and beyond – and is quite finding her forte. Her generosity at the outstanding Harvest Supper – both cooking and providing the meal – was an extraordinary gift. Almost surpassed by the provision earlier this year of tarmac and its tamping on the path by the new gates.
Financially it has been a surprisingly good year so a huge thanks to all those who have supported the church and given their time and energy to fund-raising activities. The financial challenge will be greatly eased in 2024 with the reduction in contribution towards the Benefice Parish Share which is based on the relative size of the population – other parishes have grown in number while Abbots Morton has stayed the same since 2011 when the last calculation was made.
What impresses me is that the St Peter’s Abbots Morton community, although not large in number, are never complacent and are always looking outward. Inspired by the gospel which offers hope as well as good news look to see how neighbours can be helped – whether it’s through the gifts of flowers or other floral gifts to those who are poorly, to trying to get church steps safer on a public right of way or, as will be considered, the timing and length of services.
In regard to work on the Fabric, this has been a year of preparation. We have now received the plans of what is required to redecorate and refurbish the church. Now we need to get prices in, get the faculty approval and start raising funds. Once done, what a legacy will remain. St Peter’s, which is already a jewel, will receive another polish.
So I pray that St Peter’s Abbots Morton may continue to bring joy, delight, hope and above all the sharing of the good news through word and example for many years to come.
Blessings to all,
Richard.
Richard Thorniley, St George’s Day 2024
Rector of St Peter’s Abbots Morton
Deanery Synod
Meetings throughout the year are planned as a mix of online and face to face. On 15th March there was a varied agenda which included an update on the Diocesan priorities for 2023 -2030 and that the Diocese had been successful in its grant application which had resulted in an award of £8m -10m. This comprised about £2m for projects with young people from the healthy Churches Fund and around £7m from the National Churches Fund for significantly bigger churches and about £1m to enable new worshipping communities. PCCs across the Diocese were being encouraged to see if they could benefit from this new funding. There also was a presentation by Helen Laird, mission Enabler on a new initiative called ‘Gather’ aimed at primary age children and a partnership between schools and the church. The Elmley Castle scheme was described. The worship element includes a contemporary song and a bible story and prayers and allows a mix of learning styles for children to connect with the story – words, emotions symbols and actions. Chris Sheehan made a short presentation on Mission Accompaniers using his experience and the opportunities for parishes from this free initiative. Finally, there was an update on the significant housing growth and new towns planned within the Deanery area over the next few years, which would create new worshipping communities. In lieu of the summer normal Synod meeting a Service of Celebration was held at St Peter’s Bengeworth on 12th July and open to all. The Eucharist service was led by Archdeacon Robert Jones and provided an opportunity to say goodbye before he retired from the role later in the year. At the meeting of 14th November, The Rev Nick Scott, Anglican Chaplain at HMP Long Lartin gave a very interesting talk on his role and experiences at a high security prison which holds over 600 men often on very long or indeterminate sentences. He explained his challenging ministry which he considered it a privilege to fulfil.
Jack Hegarty representative from Harvington
Safeguarding
The Parochial Church Council has complied with the duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016 (duty to have due regard to House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults).
There have been no safeguarding concerns reported in the last twelve months.
As from January 2024, the Diocese requires DBS certificates to be renewed every three years.
Two members of the PCC have completed online Safeguarding Awareness Training during 2023 and one member has completed their first Awareness Training last month. One member needs to refresh their awareness training this year.
The Diocese requires all PCC members to complete or refresh Awareness Training every three years.
In March the PCC reviewed an Action Plan for this parish and were able to verify that most procedures were now in place to enhance The Safer Church criteria.
It is pleasing to inform the meeting that Abbots Morton, St Peter’s has now achieved 93% progress on the Parish Dashboard with only two items awaiting completion.
An important update for this year is the news that The Church of England has begun (in January 2024) a new three-year programme of Safeguarding Audits for Dioceses and Cathedrals. Auditors will be coming to the Worcester Diocese on 1st – 5th July. However, they will begin the process well before this date, doing a deep-dive into our processes and culture. They want to visit parishes and learn what safeguarding is really like on the ground.
Jill Francis Parish Safeguarding Officer
- To receive a report from the Village Hall Committee
Colin Pemberton (Village Hall Bookings Officer) shared the following report on behalf of the Chair of the Village Hall Committee, Lynne Pemberton:
I cannot believe that this is my third Annual Report as Chair of this wonderful village hall ….and I have to say I am honoured to be holding this position of Chair of Trustees of this important charity.
I first want to pay tribute to my fellow Trustees without whom the continued excellence of this community space would not be happening.
A good Secretary is worth her weight in gold. I don’t know what Pat Willingale tips the scales at …. but her value is beyond several bars of bullion.
Her husband Martin has so many talents … whether it’s DIY troubleshooting or Excel spreadsheeting and analysing of our electricity consumption… not to mention his calm and wise assessment of our general needs.
Follow the money… follow the Treasurer… and once again we are indebted (if debt can be a good thing!) to Sarah Dykes. Her grip on the hall’s finances would be the envy of many a private company and we are so fortunate to have her. Although Sarah may be physically moving to the other side of the Malverns, through the wonders of electronic banking and the Internet she can continue to serve us brilliantly in the coming year.
And last, but not least, I thank our Bookings Officer and PRO, Colin. Our survival depends on income and It’s Colin who meets and greets potential hirers, spending an unheralded amount of time showing them the hall, not just once or twice, …and answering so many questions before they sign on the dotted line of the Hire Agreement. Sometimes his hopes are dashed but his eternal optimism brings him back up to celebrate every booking.
As PRO he’s also responsible for occasional Newsletters and entries on the Community Facebook page and in the ARCH Messenger Parish magazine.
The Past Year.
The rhythm of life where people come out to events to celebrate together and mingle with others has still not fully recovered from the COVID experience but, having said that, the top event of the year was The Living History of Abbots Morton with Doris Gisbourne and friends. This hall was packed on a hot summer’s night to hear the stories of old. It’s so encouraging and heartwarming that the community can come together.
The other continuing success is the Community Coffee Morning held on the first Tuesday of every month. Throughout 2023 the Coffee Morning has grown steadily stronger and became the focal point for celebrations such as the celebration of Wychavon’s Council Chairman’s 50th anniversary tour and Clive Holt’s 90th birthday. The Coffee Mornings fulfil the social role of a village hall to bring people together, help combat loneliness and promote wellbeing. and we hope it will continue to go from strength to strength.
Financially, we’re just about keeping our head above water. It now costs around £5,000 a year to meet the costs of running this hall. In income terms, and we took a decision at the beginning of 2023 to hold fire on any major expenditure for six months to see how our finances cope. Since the pandemic, we carefully husbanded the Government grants we received, and we decided this year to put £10,000 into a high interest savings account leaving around £3,000 for the “working” account. This will provide a buffer against any unforeseen downturn in income or planned large expenditure.
Our bookings have been somewhat up and down.
We are particularly popular for children’s parties; we’ve done well with small wedding receptions; we’re a good location for funerals and burial services at the Woodland Burial site in Holberrow Green; we’re an amazing central location in the UK for family gatherings that bring people from afar.
We have worked hard to attract and keep consistent revenue streams, particularly in the realms of what I might call Wellbeing:
- Our Monday morning yoga class has now been going for six years and is well attended.
- We had high hopes for a Pilates Classes starting in September last year but a change in the tutor’s personal commitments meant it ended more or less before it had started.
- Our Friday morning yoga class has been doing well for two years but sadly, it closed at the end of December because the tutor Danielle Clarkesmith was branching out on a new venture (not yoga) elsewhere.
- However, as one door closes another one opens. A Tai Chi class is starting here for the first time, in two weeks time on February 21st. It’s a six-week trial to start with and hopefully, if there is a good take-up, it will become permanent.
Out of the blue we’ve had a triple booking for three separate discussion session for a Buddhist group… our central location was the main reason for securing the booking.
The Church of England has booked us this Spring for two Lent Courses in the ARCH benefice and we expect to be the venue again this year for St Peter’s Abbots Morton’s Flower Festival Lunch and Harvest Supper.
St Peter’s also held a one-off demonstration of eco-friendly Flower Arranging last March.
After a year’s gap it looks likely that a cycling event will return on a Wednesday evening in June.
Rogue use of the car park has been eliminated with our signs urging, for instance ramblers’ groups, to call the Bookings Officer who can give them consent to park if there is no event taking place. The users invariably make a small donation.
Overall, the hall is reasonably well used but we would like it to be used more for community events, for instance for Quiz nights. However, we do need people to offer to organise them. The committee comprises just five of us and we can’t do everything ourselves, yet all appeals for new members have fallen on stony ground. Even our plan for a Friends of the Village Hall group has come to nothing.
A vibrant future for our village hall cannot be taken for granted and we really do once again appeal for people to join the Village Hall Committee.
Lynne Pemberton, Chair AMVH
- To receive a report from the Neighbourhood Watch
Cllr Brighton provided the following report:
Door Drop Flyer
Total of 22 residents are now signed up for the scheme, only a couple from the latest initiative.
Neighbourhood Watch
Continues to be active via social media with regular updates and campaign posts on Facebook/Twitter and Instagram. Neighbourhood Alert (the systems side of the NW scheme) communicates actively via email to registered members usually monthly newsletters and promoting new campaigns.
During April, over 30 emails, topics like: graffiti clean-up, speeding/traffic accident/driving using a mobile, crime stoppers, burglary appeal, theft from vehicle, community events, collision appeal, home & property, security roadshow, ticket fraud, suspicious behaviour, security advice and bike marking, cannabis plants found in raid, day of action (16 arrested in Droitwich), join the knowledge hub today (volunteers needed to run events etc), CCTV appeal and promoting Neighbourhood Matters.
Neighbourhood Matters
Under the umbrella of Neighbourhood Alert, ‘Neighbourhood Matters’ is a police initiative (West Mercia Police) providing a community messaging service that enables members of the public to be kept in touch with what’s happening in their area and have a line of communication with their local policing teams.
The public are invited to sign up and become a registered recipient of messages of information, crime alerts or witness appeals local to the area in which they live by email, text, or telephone. People can choose exactly the type of alert they wish to receive when they sign up.
People register via www.neighbourhoodmatters.co.uk. However, if they are already members of their local neighbourhood watch scheme they can automatically tap into Neighbourhood Matters to choose which alerts they would like to receive and how.
- To receive the Annual Report of the Parish Council by the Chairman
Cllr Martin Willingale provided the following report:
Abbots Morton may seem a quiet village but there is always something happening!
A new dog fouling bin has been located on footpath 502(B) and has been welcomed by the dog owners who use that area. Thanks to Martyn Walton for the installation, and for
his emptying duties!
The Village Hall hosted a marvellous evening “A Living History of Abbots Morton”presented by Doris Gisbourne with her twin brother John Hulse, together with Marion
Malin, and her sister Pat Roles. It was a full house at the village hall and we heard many wonderful recollections of life in the village over the last 80 years.
A Neighbourhood Watch leaflet drop was arranged by Karen Brighton to encourage more to join the scheme. Well done Karen and Martyn who did all the footwork to get them
delivered.
The Chairman of Wychavon Council was on a tour of all the towns and parishes to celebrate 50 years of Wychavon district. He visited one of the very popular village hall
coffee mornings.
Our meeting in November 2023 was attended by the most parishioners during the year – the planning application for two houses at The Chalet triggered a lot of interest and the
Parish Council took heed of what was said at the meeting in submitting an objection to the application. Wychavon subsequently issued a comprehensive refusal of the
application. Despite this we have recently learned that the owner of the land has appealed that decision. Our District Councillor, Ben Hurdman, offered some great advice
and support on this.
The Village Christmas tree continues to be a success. My thanks to Martyn Walton for making it all happen, and also to Sarah Dykes for her amazing ability in collecting
donations totalling £225 towards the cost of the Tree Lighting event. Carols on the Green also proved very popular.
A repair was effected to a drain outside Home Farm Cottage, where a collapsed underground pipe had been identified. Since then it has been noted that the flooding
further to the east of the village has been much reduced.
Our lengthsman, Carl Brassington has continued to maintain areas around the village and our communication with him has recently been digitised! The Clerks now use a
database entry platform to submit worksheets.
Our thanks to Tim Jones who has been keeping an eye on the many footpaths that criss-cross the parish. From broken and burnt bridges to blocked bridle paths, as well as the usual overgrown and impassable paths and fallen signs.
Graham Hobbs continues to do a great job in keeping the planters around the village as a colourful welcome to all who come here. The wooden planter near the village hall had to
be replaced during the year and a galvanised tank has now taken its place. Our thanks to Graham for his continuing efforts.
After many years with no increase in the precept included in the local council taxes, we have now imposed a small annual increase of £155 as most of our costs have been
increasing.
My thanks, as always, to all the councillors for their time and effort during the year. We welcomed back Richard Whitlow to the fold – his farming and family duties in the spring
of 2023 meant that he missed the deadline for filing his election papers. We were relieved that he found the time to get the co-option papers completed and were very glad to have
him back on the team. His contributions and farm knowledge have been invaluable to us over the years. My thanks also to our clerk, Kerry Williamson, for her excellent work this
year, she is making great progress in her knowledge and handling of council matters.
Thanks go to our District Councillor, Ben Hurdman, for keeping us informed of all things Wychavon. Our County Councillor, Laura Gretton, however, has continued to be AWOL
throughout the year. A great disappointment.
Martin Willingale
Chairman
Abbots Morton Parish Council
- To receive a report on the Parish Council’s finances
The Parish Council’s 2023/24 accounts and audit paperwork would be published online shortly. A summary of the figures is as follows:
Opening balance 01/04/23: £ 10,469.26
Receipts for period 01/04/23 to 31/03/24: £ 6,724.98
Payments for period 01/04/23 to 31/03/24: £ 7,762.02
Closing balance 31/03/24: £ 9,432.22
VAT recoverable 01/04/23 to 31/03/24: £ 187.00
- To invite the public to raise any matters of interest
Colin Pemberton raised that it would be good to have the Police, or a Neighbourhood Watch representative attend a Coffee Morning to chat with residents. Cllr Brighton will investigate the options for this.
The meeting closed at 7:56PM.