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Carnival 5 July |
Whitchurch, Hampshire – everything you need to know, community groups, events, businesses, services, visitor information and more
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NewsLatest Update is HereThe June issue of Update has been published and is being distributed to all 2,000 households in Whitchurch with an enclosed copy of Whitchurch Town Council's Spring eYe. I contains information about the Town Centre Improvements programme including the inlcusion of Town Centre private houses i the Paint Your Town scheme, the carnival, Twnag Rocks and more!. You can download a copy here Festival King & Queen Crowned
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The judges confer |
The King and Queen are crowned |
The Royal family |
Royal Family, Attendants and Judges |
Sylvanian Invasion
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The Gill Nethercott Hall was invaded by Sylvanian (and many other) families this weekend. Whitchurch based business, Sylvian Families were on sale in the Gill Nethercott Hall this weekend and a steady stream of happy looking children emerged clutching new purchases and balloons.
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Join in the Carnival 
The procession will assemble on Ardglen Industrial Estate from 8am on 5 July and move off at 1pm, led by the Festival King/Queen. The route is down Evingar Road and Lower Evingar Road then left along Bell Street to a decorated Square, where we hope to have some entertainment. The route then follows Winchester Street and Winchester Road to end at Tufton Barracks Cottages, just in time for the start of the Fete on the Millennium Meadow. Entry is open to vehicle-borne floats as well as walking, cycling, dancing, hopping, pogo sticking ........ groups and there will be a each prize for the best vehicle, foot-borne and cycling entry plus diplomas for all entries. Businesses can enter an advertising float but are asked for a donation to Festival Funds.
Entry forms and the rules are now on-line at www.whitchurchfestival.org.uk and available at 1 Winchester Street.
So if you showed your skills as a team in the Pub Race, why not get even more involved for the Carnival, and if you didn't, now's your chance to join in the fun
Become Whitchurch's King/Queen for a Year!
The competition to lead the Carnival Procession and represent the Town for a year is to be held on 14 June at Longmeadow Sports and Social Centre and will be followed by a disco.
The Festival Committee is looking for someone over 12 to lead the Carnival Procession on 5th July and also represent the Town for the rest of the year at various events. If you would like to be this person there's an entry form on-line or at 1 Winchester Street. More information on 892837.
Pub Race off to a flying start
The weather stayed fine for the 19 teams that took part in the first Whitchurch Festival 2008 event, the pub race.
Starting from the Railway Hotal the teams wound their way through the Town (and its pubs to the Longmeadow Sports Centre.
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Organiser Rob Dunlop was very pleased with the event which has raised some £1,200 towards the festival funds. The event ended in a disco at the Longmeadow Sports Centre where the Mayor Pete Williams presented the prizes to the winners of the three categories. Fastest Team - Hawaian Beachboys; Most Money Collected - Alcopops; Best Fancy Dress - Monty Python and the Silly English Kniggits
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Fastest Team |
Most Money Collected |
Fancy Dress |
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1 |
Hawaian Beach Boys |
Alcopops |
Silly English Kniggits |
2 |
Elite Runners |
Kiss Fist |
Smurfs |
3 |
AWC |
Dalai Lamas |
Dalai Lamas |
Vandalism
Last week vandals damaged 2 cars in Oakland Road by walking over the tops of them. One was a softtop so considerable damage was done and the other had its tyres let down. Luckily this sort of thing is uncommon in Whitchurch but one of the victims urges anyone else experiencing the same problems to report them to the police so that the size of the problem can be properly judged and appropriate preventive action taken.
Spring eYe is Here
The Spring edition of the eYe is on-line and downloadable here. A hard copy version will be delivered to every household with the June edition of Update, at the beginning of June.
Bloswood Lane Resurfacing
Basingstoke & Deane have announced that Bloswood Lane will be closed from Dirty Corner to Lower Evingar Road/Wells Lane for resurfacing for approximately 3 weeks sometime after 2 June. The council state that "Reasonable facilities will be provided to allow access to adjacent premises while the work is being carried out". Full details and exact timing will be included in letter drops to residents in the area.
A map showing the closure and the proposed diversion, via Evingar Road, Newbury Road and Harroway is here.
Pub Race is Here
There's still time to enter a team for the race, which will be the major event of next weekend's Bank Holiday.
The first team in fancy dress will leave the Railway Hotel at 4.30pm on Sunday 25th. The event is the first of this Summer's Whitchurch Festival. Teams can be of 3 to 5 and MUST be in fancy dress. They will start at the Railway Hotel in turns from 4.30pm and proceed to each of the Town's pubs where they will take a drink. They will finish (sometime later) at the Sports and Social Club in Winchester Road.
The object of the exercise is to have fun and raise money for the Town's charities. So please turn up, whether you enter a team and collect money on your journey or you support them on their way and give generously. There are prizes for the fastest team, the best dressed team and the team collecting most money. Full details of the rules and an entry form are on the Festival's web site at www.whitchurchfestival.org.uk or from all the Town's pubs.
The White Hart is supporting the event by offering the TEAMS free beer!!
The Town's Benches
The Town Council received complaints that evening users of a seat at the Winchester Road Recreation Ground were causing a public nuisance. Following consultation with the local police, the bench was removed. Councillors have since received a number of complaints from people who use the seat during the day - particularly those who liked to take a welcome rest on their return from doing their daily shopping. In order to accommodate the needs of as many people as possible the Council has agreed to re-install the seat on a trial basis, just off the path, on an old concrete base left from a dismantled shelter.
Another seat has been attracting anti-social and potentially dangerous behaviour. Do you currently use the bench seat situated along the footpath from Chatter Lane to London Road? If it was removed, would you be inconvenienced? Let us know your opinion, by phoning 892107, e-mailing whitchurchtowncouncil@whitchurch.hants.gov.uk, or by dropping a note through the Town Hall letter box.
Lib Dems hold their seats
With a relatively (within the borough) high turn out, the sitting Lib Dems held their seats in the bourough council elections. The percentage difference between the parties was smaller than in any recent election.
Overall in the borough, Conservatives have acheived overall control with 35 of the 60 seats. This is a change from their being the largest party with no overall control before the elections.
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Results |
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| Eric Dunlop (Lib Dem) | 922 |
54.1% | |||||
| Keith Watts (Lib Dem) | 862 |
50.6% | |||||
| Bill Judge (Conservative) | 846 |
49.6% | |||||
| Therese Coffey (Conservative) | 779 |
45.7% | |||||
It would appear that not every one of the 1818 voters voted for 2 candidates - 2 papers were spoiled. |
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| Comparison with previous results: | |||||||
2002 |
2003 |
2006 |
May 2007 |
Oct 2007 |
2008 |
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| Lib Dem | 64% |
57% |
51% |
58% |
53% |
52% |
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| Conservative | 31% |
37% |
37% |
42% |
44% |
48% |
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Labour |
6% |
6% |
3% |
4% |
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| Greens | 8% |
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Turnout |
39% |
32% |
48% |
52% |
42% |
46% |
Annual Town Assembly fills the Gill Nethercott Hall
In the third meeting held in 4 days a full hall and the local press full heard details of what's been happening in the Town for the last year and news of developments in policing and the fire service.
The Mayor, Steve Robbins, chaired the event and explained the Town Council's plans for the coming year including how it would have to juggle the legal demands of health and safety legislation in the cemetery and the need to handle the issue sensitively.
Mr Tommy Carr, Group Manager for Hampshire Fire and Rescue explained the plans for the Fire Service in the area and made a plea for more volunteers to become retained firemen and women.
A very detailed explanation of the new policing arrangement came from Basingstoke's Chief Inspector Jill Baldry.
Local volunteers explained how their organisations had fared during the last 12 months and how their hopes for 2008/9. Reports were given by the Millennium Green Trust, the Parish Hall Committee, the Town Hall Trust, the Whitchurch Association, Whitchurch Welfare Trust, Whitchurch Youth Project, Working4Whitchurch, the and the 2 borough councillors.
The reports and details of the discussions can be obtained form the Town Hall and will be published on this site when they are available.
Hustings 2008
A small but very interested crowd turned up to the hustings organised by Mike Stead to question the candidates in the Borough Council elections. The reason both of Whitchurch's seats are being contested is because of boundary changes since the last elections
Therese Coffey, Eric Dunlop and Keith Watts each gave a short introductory speech and then answered detailed questions on their views on, parking, traffic calming, housing, youth issues and the environment. In answering the questions, the audience learned much about the powers of the borough and county councils. Bill Judge took the opportunity to do some electioneering elsewhere.
Pubs Race is Back
After a gap of over 10 years the event will be back on 25th May. Teams of 3 to 5 in fancy dress will visit all 8 pubs in the town. There will be prizes for the best dressed team, the fastest team and the team collecting most money for charity.
Starting at the Railway Hotel from 4.30pm onwards teams will follow a route that takes them to the Prince Regent, the Red House, the White Hart, the Bell, the Kings Arms, the Harvest Home and finally the Longmeadow Sports and Social Club. The teams will be roped together and provide an interesting spectacle for the late May Bank Holiday Sunday.
Full details are on the Whitchurch Festival website www.whitchurchfestival.org.uk where the rules and an entry form can be downloaded, they are also available at all the Town's pubs. Entry forms should be returned to any of the pubs.
Weather stays fine for Spring Clean
A team of willing volunteers assembled in the Bell Street car park on Sunday dressed for the worst, but the morning rain held off while they scoured the Town's streets for the Winter's collection of rubbish.
Mike Stead again organised the event and sent the 3 teams off ably supported by PC Paula Osmond looking after road safety and Basingstoke & Deane's collection vehicle.
Testbourne School Classes Hit by Teachers' Strike
Pupils in Testbourne's years 7 and 8 had an extra day's holiday this week because of the teachers' strike action. Year 9, 10 and 11 pupils were not effected.
Testbourne School Planning Application
The planning application to build houses on Testbourne School grounds off Micheldever Road which has been referred to the Development Control Committee will not now be on the agenda for 7 May.
There are discussions with the applicant which are not yet complete, so the matter is expected to be tabled at a future Committee Meeting.
Town Bridge
Progress is being made on the replacement for the old Town Bridge. A statement from Hampshire County Council is below (edited to remove 1st person references). The picture shows the type of single span bridge being proposed. It doesn't have the pier in the centre that the old one did.
All officers involved with this project are aware of its importance, particularly for access to the local schools. Every effort is being made to arrange for a new bridge to be installed as soon as possible. There are however certain considerations, procedures and consents that must be explored and obtained prior to proceeding, unfortunately this can be a lengthy process.
The cost of the new bridge is approximately £22,000 which is excluding the cost of foundations. This is clearly a significant sum of money and it has therefore been necessary to firstly secure funding and secondly to go through a tendering process to ensure that Hampshire County Council obtains value for money. A contractor has now been appointed to manufacture and supply the bridge. The contractor is based locally in Stockbridge and has supplied many bridges to Hampshire County Council in the past. Officers in HCC's Bridge Office have been in contact with local residents and landowners to discuss the bridge design. HCC has requested electronic copies of the plans and also photographs of similar bridges supplied by the contractor. Once received these details will be circulated.
HCC is now awaiting a method statement* from the contractor and final drawings. This technical information is necessary to satisfy HCC's requirements as well as those of the Environment Agency, Natural England and Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council. Although preliminary discussions have taken place with these statutory bodies in an attempt to speed up the approval process, it is obviously not possible to apply for full approval until such time as a contractor has been selected and the full plans supplied. A 6 month extension to the Temporary Closure for this section of the path was recently granted. The 6 month closure period commenced on 11th April. HCC is confident that the bridge will be open and available to the public prior to October 08, however this period of closure should cover all eventualities.
Subject to receiving the necessary consents, work to install the bridge abutments is planned to take place during July. This will be followed by the construction of the bridge. HCC's intended completion date is the end of August 2008 and the new bridge will therefore be available for the start of the new school term.
HCC will endeavour to make sure the bridge is completed on time with as little disruption as possible.
* A method statement is a detailed technical description of how the work will be done.
Annual Town Assembly
This year's Assembly will take place in the Gill Nethercott Hall at 7.30pm on 29 April.
There will be reports from the Town Council, Borough and County Councillors and Local Groups and Organisations. The Guest Speaker this year will be Mr. Tommy Carr Group Manager for Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service on Whitchurch Fire Station Action Plan 2008 - 2009.
Everyone is welcome to come along and hear what's been happening - and what will happen - in the Town.
Grants Available
The Big Lottery Fund is offering grants of £2,000 - £500,000 as part of the Changing Spaces Programme to local groups, charities and even some businesses.
The sorts of areas they are funding are:
- Community food growing projects and gardens
- Community parks and gardens
- Town squares and village greens
- Pond/access to green space
- Churchyards Nature reserves
- Green heating systems and energy efficiency measures
- Wildlife-rich natural places.
Details can be downloaded here.
Adult Care - What Do You Think
Hampshire County Council is planning (like all local authorities) to revamp its Adult Services. You can let the council know what you think.
The country’s ageing population and increasing numbers of adults with physical or learning disabilities, are placing additional pressure on the social care system and its ability to cope with demand. And there is the need to think about how this extra demand will be paid for and provided. Over the next three years, the Government requires local authorities to provide care and support that is tailored to everyone who needs it. This will include offering them personal budgets. By having a personal budget people will be able to choose how their own needs can be met. These changes will impact on and affect all of us, maybe not today or tomorrow but in the future.
Some questions that have already been raised include:
- Are you worried about selling your home to pay for care?
- Should the state pay towards social care for every person who needs it regardless of how rich or poor they are?
- Would you be prepared to match what the council pays towards the cost of your care?
- Would you like to receive money to arrange your own care with support and advice rather than having the care organised for you?
In Hampshire, the County Council wants to hear from anyone, including staff, about their views, stories and experiences of Adult social care. It has begun a Commission of Inquiry and throughout a series of public hearings is gathering evidence from local people, carers and national experts about their experiences and the challenges facing care services. Your views and opinions will help inform this process.
Write to:
The Personalisation Commission team Adult Services
FREEPOST SO2077
Winchester SO23 8BR
Visit: www.hants.gov.uk/adult-services/commission-personalisation
Email: personalisation.commission@hants.gov.uk
Telephone: 01962 847200
Whitchurch is Tops Internationally
Google, worldwide, recognises Whitchurch. A number of recent hits on this website generated by Google searches in places like Poland on the one word "whitchurch" brings up the Town Council's site together with this one as the top 2 in the world!
Other Whitchurchs in England and Canada follow further down the page.
Spring Clean 2008
Yet again, Mike Stead has organised a Spring Clean for Sunday 27th April. Please turn up ready for a couple of hours of healthy outdoor work at the Bell Street Car Park at 1pm.
Those who survive the event will meet in the White Hart for a celebratory drink.
Election Question Time
A Question Time session has been arranged for 7pm on 28 April in the Gill Nethercott Hall. Both the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties will be represented, so come along and ask your questions of the candidates in the 1 May Borough Council elections.
The event is free but a donation to pay for the hire of the hall would be appreciated.
Estate Agent Pulls Out of Whitchurch
Just as other business premises are improving their frontages and interiors in the Town centre, Redwoods has left its premises on The Square.
Redwoods' Operations Manager said that the decline in business had caused the closure of the office. A polite request to leave the windows clean and not to so obviously show that the building was not occupied was refused. The Operations Manager said that it was common practice and we should get used to premises in a similar state in high streets given the current economic downturn.
He did however state that there had already been several shows of interest in taking over the lease and expected new tenants to be in place by the end of the month.
Progress on Town Bridge
Hampshire County Council has just awarded the contract for replacing the bridge. But there are many "bridges yet to be crossed" in the form of consent from various bodies before work can start.
An HCC representative says that "Realistically we are still a few months away from installation".
Spring Flower Show Cancelled
The warm weather to date the year meant that all but a few of the Spring flowers so recently seen in bloom around the Town have finished - so there weren't enough to stage a show.
There were lots of children's entries in the class for Spring drawings and paintings so this will be added to the Summer Show Schedule.
To those who prepared entries, the Garden Association apologies and will try and get the timing right next year!
Old Library Development
The applications to build 3 flats and 3 maisonettes on the Old Library site in Bell Lane have been withdrawn.
Of over 80 letters sent to neighbours and other interested parties, only 8 responses for one application and 12 in the other were received by B&DBC, all were against the development.
The developers are believed to be changing the environmental aspects of the application and will then resubmit them - it is common practice when a developer expects objections to submit multiple applications which can mean that those concerned may only object to one of the applications.
New Parking Proposals - Update
In the first 3 days of the plans being on-line, around 50 users have downloaded one or more of the plans for parking restriction changes. Copies are available in the Town Hall and on line here.
Most interest appears to centre around the proposals for the Town Centre, the Winchester Road/Micheldever Road, Wells Lane and Fairfields/Berehill.
The major changes seem to be in the areas of the Micheldever Road/Winchester Road Junction with double yellow lines and Berehill/Fairfields with the introduction of limited waiting and permit parking.
There are 8 areas each with its own plan some needs lots of magnification (and rotating counterclockwise to read):
Comments can be made until 1 May in writing to Ian James, Civic Offices, London Road, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG21 4AH or ian.janes@basingstoke.gov.uk
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