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Please either select a category below for a particular article or scroll down to read the whole Newsletter.

• Chairman's Introduction
• Free Local Amenity!
• Neighbourhood Policing
• Recent Complaints From Local Residents
• Information Centre
• Whitmore & District Village Hall
• Clubs & Societies In The Surrounding Area
• IT Instruction

View a full list of Councillors and their contact details.

From the Chairman

With the thought of warm spring sunshine just around the corner we are spurred on with the projects we have chosen to progress, the most exciting of which will be the Whitmore Festival.

The 2008 Whitmore Festival is planned to start on 6th September and last for just over a week. The Festival has been centred around the 40th Whitmore Horticultural Show which is scheduled for 7th September. There are numerous events planned including talks, fashion show, concerts and a quiz night. If you are interested in becoming involved please contact Derek Pitt, the Village Agent, who is co-ordinating the activities (01785 242525).

We are pleased to have secured funding for the Community Speedwatch Scheme. Seven volunteers will undergo training, hopefully in the Spring. We are still looking for volunteers and if you would like to support the community in this area then please do not hesitate to contact us.

The A53 continues to dominate our meetings. We feel frustrated at the lack of maintenance. From our perspective it appears that the County Council treat the issue as a low priority. It is pleasing however to see the safety camera having some impact on reducing speed through the village.

The Information Centre that is based in the Village Hall continues to fulfil a need and offers faxing and photocopying facilities. It is hoped to extend the services and issue bus passes by late Spring. An extension of the Information Centre is also imminent with the availability of basic classes and tutorials centred around working with computers starting in April (call John Pedley on 680985).

We continue to try to improve the appearance of the Parish. Funding has been received to allow us to improve the Parish Council notice boards. Our other plans for the coming year include a repeat of the floral display with the tubs in the village.

If you have any comments on our work then we are always pleased to receive to your feedback.

Nick Hopper

Free Local Amenity!

With the Christmas festivities over and your New Years resolution to get fit in tatters, there is no better time to go out and enjoy the wonderful countryside we have on our doorstep. There are a number of ways to do this, and one of the easiest is to make use of the number of public footpaths in our parish.

They vary in length and difficulty, and I'm sure that once you choose one you will want to go on another. They are normally well sign posted and will take you off the busy roads and into our local area. The options are wide and varied so why not get some good walking shoes on and get out there - you never know, you might like it.

There is a limited stock of maps available which clearly show all the public footpaths in our parish. They are free of charge from the Information Centre on Thursday afternoons between 2.00pm and 4.00pm and also from local shops and pubs. It is cheaper than the gym and can involve all the family, so you have no excuses. Please enjoy this free local amenity.

Ken Allman
01782 680382

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICING

Local neighbourhoods have dedicated policing teams consisting of Police Officers (PC's), Community Support Officers (PCSO's) and Special Constables. The neighbourhood policing team will deliver;

The local neighbourhood team is:

• PC Ivan Crowley 4609
• PCSO Colin Hodgson 16266
• PC John Bridgett 4012
• PC Lisa Bounfield 0768
• PCSO Jonathan Cartwright 8870

How to contact them:

• The non emergency number for the local team is 0845 330 3132 (follow the instructions for the officer you wish to speak to).
• The non emergency number for reporting incidents is 0845 330 2010.
• e-mail ivan.crowley@staffordshirepnn.police.uk

Recent Complaints From Local Residents

Dog Fouling

Unfortunately as a Parish Council our powers are somewhat limited to deal with this dreadful antisocial behaviour. However Newcastle Borough Council are the enforcing authority. If there is a persistent problem and you think that you can identify the offender, please contact the Dog Warden Team on 01782 742571, and they will treat your complaint in confidence. When a Warden witnesses a dog owner not cleaning up they will report the matter for enforcement action which is highly likely to result in prosecution and a fine.

Where there is a requirement for dog fouling to be cleaned up on a footpath or in a public area, the Waste Management Team can be called on 01782 742592. Experience has shown that they are quite good at responding to such requests.

Recent problems in the centre of the village and around Fair-Green Road have been reported to the Borough Council.

Speeding Traffic On Country Lanes

There have been a number of complaints recently and also over the years relating to speeding along country lanes. It is unfortunate that the majority of the culprits usually seem to be local residents. In the first instance it is suggested that excessive speeding is raised directly with the driver concerned. Should the issue be persistent then it is suggested that the problem be reported more formally to the local Neighbourhood Police Team on 08453 30 20 10.

Bob Haysom
01782 643496

Whitmore & District Village Hall

The committee are pleased to announce that planning permission has now been granted for us to proceed with our plans to extend and refurbish the hall and car park.

We have divided the overall proposals into several individual phases to facilitate the obtaining of grants. By far the largest of these is the construction of a new entrance and the health suite. Having identified possible sources of funding we have already applied for a grant for this and also some of the other individual projects such as the refurbishment of the kitchen.

We would hope to be able to report in the next issue of the next newsletter progress with our applications.

The funds that we have are very limited and we also need to demonstrate local support for these projects to go ahead as many grants require matched funding.

If you can help in any way by supporting our fundraising events and especially by making donations to our "Building Improvement Fund" we should be most grateful.

As we are a registered charity gifts can be "Gift Aided" and we will gladly provide further details on this simple procedure to enable us to reclaim the tax thereby enhancing your donation.

If you require any further information about these plans for the village hall and would like to support us please contact:

Don Lawton 680371 &
John Inchley 680315

CLUBS AND SOCIETIES IN THE SURROUNDING AREA

In the previous edition of the Parish Newsletter we gave details of Clubs, activities, social and leisure groups within the Parish of Whitmore. Below is a list of other clubs, activities and groups in adjacent parishes, which welcome people from outside their parish.

As ever this list is offered in good faith, please make your own enquiries.

If you feel we have missed something or if you have a group that would like to offer its services to the community please contact Bill Murray on 01782 680 252.

WHITMORE VILLAGE HALL

IT INSTRUCTION
(for total beginners or improvers)
WILL COMMENCE IN APRIL
ON THURSDAY MORNNGS

There will be two sessions:-
9.00 am – 11.00 am
11.00 am – 1.00 pm

Five people can be accommodated at each session on the laptops in the Information Centre.
If you are interested in joining the course, please contact John Pedley on 01782 680 985.

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