Tolpuddle

  • A BUS shelter has recently been installed outside Orchard Meadow.

This beautiful wooden structure complements the Orchard Meadow site superbly, and was designed and built by local residents Hamish Green and Dennis Bennett.

A handover ceremony was held at the new shelter in which Stephen Buck, chairman of the parish council accepted the shelter on behalf of the parish council.

The parish council paid for the materials for the shelter, together with £1,000 donated by Dorset county council.

TOSCA committee chairman Martin Cooke presented gifts to Hamish and Dennis in appreciation of all their hard work.

It was usual for volunteers to disappear like morning dew, but Hamish and Dennis have worked right through the hot weather to complete the shelter, Martin commented.

Neighbour Janet Johnson kept them going with ice lollies from her freezer from time to time!

Hamish reflected that every piece of wood ordered got used. There were just four screws left over, he added.

Bere Regis

  • PARISH council chairman Ian Ventham reports:

We were delighted that nine parishioners attended the period for public participation at the July meeting.

Topics discussed included wind farms and Purbeck Housing Trust’s lack of notice and consultation over its decision to demolish the garages at the western end of Egdon Close.

The Council decided to write to ask for a delay whilst the matter is more thoroughly discussed.

With many apologies, I have to report that the planned walkabout did not happen in August, but will take place in September, when we will be taking a look at Southbrook, Egdon Close, Rye Hill and Green Close.

For some time now we have been debating the merits of employing a village lengthsman.

This is a term that was in use many years ago, and refers to a person who looked after the length of a village.

Meeting after meeting we talk at council meetings about maintenance problems in the village, and, having no resources of our own, we write, and phone and email Purbeck district council, or Purbeck housing trust or Dorset county council for things to be done.

Sometimes, often after huge delays, things do get done, but often they do not, and we all get very frustrated.

We have taken a decision in principle to take on a self-employed person as a Lengthsman for two days a week, to tackle all the small maintenance tasks that need doing.

These will include cleaning and fixing signs, mending notice boards and benches, tidying up the weeds in the gutters, picking up litter from the stream, cleaning up graffiti, keeping drains and culverts running, chopping back overgrown hedge.

In short, doing all those things that are essential to keeping the village spick and span, and a good place in which to live.

We are still negotiating with the other authorities for them to take some of the cost.

Shortly you may see an advertisement for the post.

This is just to remind you that the new dial up taxi service is still available, though the take-up so far has been a bit disappointing.

We are hoping to arrange some tweaks to the service, but in the meantime, just ring 08452410117 between 0840 and 1720 Monday to Thursday, and between 0840 and 1500 on Friday to book the service.

There is to be a parish forum on Saturday, September 18.

Would all organisation and business representatives please note the date, as we would welcome and value your participation, to help us review and update the parish plan.

There will be a youth forum on Friday, September 24.

This meeting is for the adult leaders of youth groups, schools and activities, to help us to develop better plans and ideas for our young people.

Invitations will be going out soon, but please note the date in your diaries.

Our priority with our PACT partners in October will be to try to revitalise the neighbourhood watch scheme in the village.

Another date for your diary is Sunday, October 24, when we hope to hold another village tidy to pick up litter and tackle some of the weeds around Bere Regis.

As before, we hope to make this a fun and convivial event with groups of neighbours tackling their own roads, and then joining together afterwards for soup and roll. Please put the date in the calendar.

A parish councillor will be joining Peter Wharf, our district councillor, at the regular surgery he holds at Turberville Court on the first Saturday of each month from 9.30am to 10am.

We have decided to combine and hold a joint surgery as many of the issues raised cut across parish, district and county responsibilities and it makes sense for us to work together to address any issues that arise.