Making the Desert Bloom
Alison Crozier and her fellow parishioners have been working very hard to raise essential money to help others to live more humane lives; she has asked me to give you this report. Needless to say the local Christian Aid group would be glad of any further donations which may be prompted by this information:
‘Just two events in Kingswear have raised over £1,700 for the Christian Aid’s Burkina Faso project: Nibbles and Noggins in August added £571 to the amazing £1,131 given in response to the Big Shave in July. Opinion is divided over retaining a clean-shaven Rev’d Ian Blyde or returning to the more familiar bearded version! Using local expertise in Burkina Faso, reversing desertification, returning soil to fertility, repairing wells, training for simple veterinary support are means to food security for local people. And in achieving that comes a boost to family incomes so that access to education and health care becomes possible.
And it works! This is an on-going programme supported by the EU. For every £1 we raise the EU will give another £4 – but the Torbay Christian Aid group must raise £5,000 by the end of October in order to release it. With the last pushes it is an achievable target.
Thank you Kingswear for your very much appreciated generosity.
Harvest Celebration collections in the local churches on Sunday 2 October will go to the project and the last fund-raising jolly will be an Antiques Evening at the Berry Head Hotel on Wednesday 19 October, 7.00 for 7.30 pm. Bring your treasures for valuation.’
Whoosh! Aaaahhhh!!!
All of which means that we are fast approaching bonfire night and fireworks. It’s a bright thought in amongst the gloomy ones of summer waning quickly, the trees turning and the nights chilling down again. Bah Humbug! So it’s thanks to the fund-raisers who get the fireworks together to banish a little of our winter gloom. This is really the point, the fund-raisers, because fireworks do get more and more expensive, just like everything else, and it gets more difficult to make ends meet. SO...... please do contribute towards the fireworks this year then come along to enjoy them safely on Sunday November 6th at 5:30 pm in Jubilee Park. Thanks.
Save the Children
The Kingswear Branch of ‘Save the Children’ fund-raising are issuing an invitation to you to join-in a Bridge session and lunch engagement. They urge you to bring along a friend for a ploughman’s lunch and to enjoy an afternoon of Duplicate Bridge, followed by tea and cake at 4:00 pm. (Please leave your shire-horses and plough-shares in the Marina car park!!) This is to take place in the village hall on Wednesday October 26th at 12:30 pm. Tickets are £12 and available from Sylvia on 01803 842140.
Senior Citizens’ Lunch
Please note that this will take place on January 18th 2012. More details will follow in a later edition of this magazine.
Remembrance Sunday
Remembrance Sunday this year is to be held on Sunday 13th November when the service at St Thomas’s begins at 10:45 am., followed by the usual ceremony on the Lower Ferry slipway at 11:30. This year the organiser is to be Bob Melhuish to whom thanks are due. BRNC are invited and will attend.
Housing Survey
Remember the housing survey which we were offered way back in the year, the one to determine the need, or otherwise, of ‘affordable’ housing in the village? This was reported from the council meeting which discussed the, at present, chosen site on Brixham Road and mentioned the alternative suggestion for the ‘Wilful Murder’ land. A vote was taken by members of the public present at the meeting to support a survey which would conclusively find out whether the need for affordable housing was real or only assumed, and to determine the level of such a need, should it be found. As a result of this the involvement of EVERYONE in the community is essential, and I do stress this, otherwise there will be people who will complain that their views are not being considered when they have not participated in a genuine effort to obtain their views.
The Housing Survey will be available from October 18th for three weeks at the post office and the village shop. Please let everyone know about this as the results of the survey could well help to determine what future building occurs in the village and what does not occur. We want our village to survive as a thriving community so please take this seriously and encourage others to do likewise.
Diamond Jubilee
2012 sees the celebration of a 60 year reign by Queen Elizabeth II and it is felt in the Kingswear parish council and beyond that we should celebrate this event in Kingswear. A street party has been suggested and is being organised currently, but there may be plenty of other ideas to celebrate the event. If you, or a group of you would like to make suggestions for events please let our parish clerk, Emma Illingworth, know about them asap, or tell one of the parish councillors. Emma’s number is 01803 392265. There will have been a meeting preceding the council meeting on September 27th to discuss the Diamond Jubilee so ideas are probably already afoot.
‘Signal Box!’
As everyone will know there has been much reaction to the construction of a new office building in the shape of a signal box down on Kingswear station. It is no secret that a petition opposing the building has been circulated, to be used, when appropriate, in the campaign to challenge the rail and boat company’s surprising decision to place the building near to the listed station in a conservation area.
A group of local people who oppose the building and the process by which it came into being has been set up, calling itself KARRD (Kingswear Action on Rail and Riverboat Development). This group has put forward a case against the building of the signal box, challenging the rail and boat company’s assertion that it needed no planning permission to create permitted development for a working railway. KARRD was represented at a meeting with the parish council on 13.09.11. and the council heard their case with some sympathy.
The Dartmouth and Kingswear Society has entered the fray with a lengthy statement opposing the building work, asking South Hams District Council why such work, without planning permission, should be allowed to be carried out in a conservation area, should be able to spoil an outstanding outlook and should be permitted so close to a listed and important building – one which has been allowed in part to fall into poor repair (although I see some repairs are being currently carried out). The D&K Society allies itself with the aims and objectives of KARRD and, like them, expresses great concern for other important sites and buildings which may be spoiled by thoughtless development throughout the country.
I asked the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway Company to comment on the building of the signal box for reasons of balance but at the time of writing I have not yet heard back from them, however they have not had very long in which to respond. Doubtless this will become a saga to rumble on and on.
Move it - Move it!
Latin America is coming to Kingswear on at 7-30pm Monday October 17th when ladies of all ages, shapes and sizes will be able to take part in a Zumba taster workshop in the Village Hall. So do come along in your lycra (or similar) and enjoy a lively dance fitness session. If it proves popular it may be possible to arrange a regular class throughout the winter months. If you would like more information please ring Tricia on 752495.
Not for the faint hearted....
Halloween hits the WI on Wednesday October 19th when ‘Ghosts’ is the theme of the meeting.
Robert Hesketh is the guest speaker and he will send tingles down the spines of all members bold enough to attend. As always friends and visitors are most welcome to join in so come along to The Sarah Roope Trust Room at 2-15 and prepare to be amazed!
First published October 2011 By the Dart
