2 April 2019 - Summer coffee morning
Dear all,
Maureen tells me that the first Summer Coffee morning of the new season will be taking place this coming Friday, 5 April, between 10.30 and 12.00 in the Mission Hall. There will be teas, coffee, homemade cake and of course Jeans famous cheese scones on offer, all for the very reasonable entry charge which is - a closely guarded secret, from me at least! As an added bonus David Burge will be on hand to tell us about the ultra-marathons he has run in aid of the Horse Course charity, and the profits of the morning will go to this charity. There is nothing better than hearing about someone else's fitness routine over coffee and cake, especially when you know it is all for a good cause. So see you there.
Best regards
Chris
22 March 2019 - Peter Broatch talk and SP Society AGM
Dear all,
The relevant documents for the Peter Broatch talk and SP Society Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 10 April at 7.30pm in the Mission Hall can be found on the Society web site at www.suttonpoyntz.org.uk. On the Home Page click on the right at the bottom of the 'Welcome to SP' scroll in the blue link 'Society AGM - 10th April'. You will find all the documents there. Note that if any member wishes to propose business to be discussed or a motion to be proposed at the meeting they will need to contact the Secretary (Bill Egerton 832872) by Wednesday 27 March so that it can be added to the agenda.
Peter Broatch of Eweleaze Farm will be giving a talk on "The challenges of farming in the 21st century". Following his talk refreshments will be served, then the SP AGM will start. It's also a good time to pay your annual subscription to the Society - £2/person or £4/household - as this saves someone having to call at your door to collect it! See you there.
Regards
Chris
18 March 2019 - History evening & SP Society talk and AGM
Dear all,
The History Society have organised a talk by Pru Bollam about "E Walmsley Lewis, Architect" on Wednesday 27 March at 7.30pm in the Mission Hall. Tickets are available from Bill Egerton. Contact him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or on 832872. Refreshments will be served and although there is no charge for admission, donations at door would be appreciated. E Walmsley Lewis was a fascinating man, as I found some years ago when trying to prevent one of his marvellous houses being demolished in the name of 'progress', so this should be a most interesting talk.
Then on Wednesday 10 April at 7.30pm in the Mission Hall, Peter Broatch of Eweleaze Farm will be giving a talk on "The challenges of farming in the 21st century". Peter has considerable experience of meeting - and overcoming - these challenges so this will be most interesting, informative and a valuable insight into a major local industry. Following his talk refreshments will be served, then it's on the SP Society Annual General Meeting. The Society performs many important functions - organises social events that bring the village together, manages village improvement projects, issues Newsbites and Newsletters and is the umbrella organisation for SPLtd, Neighbourhood Planning, Biodiversity, and History Societies - to name but a few of its activities. Do stay on to meet your committee, help elect the new one for the forthcoming year and to show your appreciation of the work they have done and propose to do for your village. It's also a good opportunity to pay your annual subscription to the Society, to save someone having to call at your door! If you have a topic for discussion at the meeting, the subject has to be with the Secretary, Bill Egerton (contact details above) at least a fortnight before the meeting.
Regards
Chris
14 March 2019 - Neighbourhood Plan update & Loppers gone AWOL
Dear all,
Peter Dye has provided an update on the progress of the Sutton Poyntz Draft Neighbourhood Plan which has now been submitted to the Local Authority
He says "The Steering Group is extremely grateful to everyone who participated in this process over the past three years, whether they attended the walk-in days, completed survey forms, emailed or wrote to us. We are also grateful to those many individuals who attended meetings, joined one of the sub-groups or provided support and facilities. It has genuinely been a community effort. Without your help we could not have made the progress we have.
Notwithstanding the vigorous debate and difficult discussions, we believe we have identified what is important to the village in future development and, just as importantly, enabled a greater understanding of the views and concerns of all stakeholders (landowners, businesses, employees and residents).
The policies that we have proposed offer a reasoned, balanced and fair way forward for the development of the village. We may not have been as adventurous or as cautious as some might have hoped (or feared). We have tried to find a middle path that will attract broad support.
The next step will be for the Local Authority to initiate a public consultation (under Regulation 16 of The Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012), followed by an external inspection of the plan (under Regulation 17).
If all goes well, and the imminent reorganisation of local government may affect the timescales, the Sutton Poyntz Neighbourhood Plan should be subject to a local referendum early next year.
All the documents submitted to the Local Authority can now be found on the village website."
And on a more personal note, Erica Ferrari asks if anyone picked up her long handled green wood loppers by mistake during the recent pond clean-up. A pair were left behind on the day, but these were not Erica's, so perhaps someone has taken the wrong pair of loppers home? I'll contact Erica with any information you might have.
Best regards
Chris
6 March 2019 - Nepal supper, Pond clean up and Scout Jumble sale
Dear all,
Okhle Village Trust: Richard Backwell, on behalf of himself, Ruth, Judith and Clive, would like to thank everyone who attended the recent Nepal Supper evening. With donations, the total amount raised was £925, far more, he says, than was ever expected. Richard will be going out to Nepal in November to see for himself the progress on the Samjur project, which should be well underway or even completed by then. From Richard's talk at the Supper Evening it is obvious that the Okhle Village Trust, under Richard's direction and with so much support, has made a huge difference to the lives of those in Nepal. Long may he continue.
Pond Clean up: Jon Waterman (apt name, Jon!) would like to thank everyone who turned out on Saturday to assist in the annual pond clean up, with especial thanks to Peter Riley for allowing him to go off-roading in his garden with the pond debris. Thanks also to the Springhead for providing the bacon rolls and coffee after all that back breaking labour. I am sure that the alligators are very appreciative of their newly spruced up home. It looks very nice indeed. A plastic tub and large cutters were left behind, so contact Jon if they are yours.
The Weymouth East Scout & Guide Autumn Jumble Sale: will take place on Saturday, 13 April at 2pm in the Scutt Hall. I mention this in good time because Mo and Dave Martin would be grateful for donations of anything they can sell - clothes, bric-a-brac, books, toys, household goods etc - to raise funds to maintain the Scutt Hall for the use of our local youngsters. Please contact Mo/Dave on 836322 if you have anything of that they could use. All the money for the Hall comes from the two annual jumble sales and the beach stall in the summer, so each one is very important. Please help if you can.
Regards
Chris
2 March 2019 - Work at the Top of the Pond
Dear all,
The next stage of the work in and around the pond will be to install drainage at the Top o' the Pond, to clear the large puddles that always form after heavy rain, and to repair and re-point the wall. This activity will start on Tuesday 5 March so it would be very helpful if you could avoid parking in this area until the work is complete.
Many thanks
Chris
27 February 2019 - SP WI
Dear all,
The Sutton Poyntz Women's Institute will be meeting in the Mission Hall on Wednesday 6 March between 2pm and 4pm. The speaker on this occasion will be Dr. Anne Collier-Morris, and her subject is "Higglers, Irishmen and Portland Prison". I had to look it up, but apparently a 'higgler' is a pedlar! This should be a most interesting talk, so do make a point of dropping in. You are sure of a warm welcome as a regular member or guest.
Regards
Chris
26 February 2019 - Bio diversity Newsletter
Dear all,
Please find attached an interesting report by John Newbould of the Bio-diversity Group on the Garden Watch scheme.
It contains a test of your bird recognition skills. I didn't do too well, but I should have realised that we don't often see vultures, condors or even an albatross in our village gardens.
Best regards
Chris