At the Parish Council meeting on Monday 2nd July 2012, the good news was that an application for funds to replace the surface inside the Children’s Play Area and to repaint the equipment had been successful.
An application had been made to the Ministry of Defence Community Covenant Panel for £10,202 for this work. The application had to be supported by DCC Panel and the Armed Forces panel before being submitted to the Community Covenant panel at the MoD in London. It has passed all these stages and the Parish Council has been informed that the grant is available. Tony, the Clerk, will now meet contractors, ‘Surebond’, to discuss details and timing for the work.
The play area, which was provided by Lympstone @ Play about 6 years ago, has been very popular. The original surface is rubber tiles. This was great at the time but, with frequent use, these have worn and moved. Replacing them with a continuous surface, possibly with some different colours laid into it, will jazz the area up. The equipment has also had heavy use and is looking jaded. Minor repairs and re-painting will finish the area off nicely and will be a great place for our young children to play. The work will mean that the play area will be closed for a week or so. Signs will be put up when the details are known.
EDDC CHANGES
Are things looking better at EDDC? The Parish Council heard from District Councillor Ben Ingham that Head of Planning and Countryside Services, Mrs Kate Little, had moved on to pastures new and that the Planning Department were now being encouraged to involve local Councillors in planning decisions. The Development Management Committee will now get involved in the latest stages in the production of the latest East Devon Local Plan. This should help to keep the focus on overall Planning and not just housing numbers, which seem to have been the only thing that matters so far. The Parish Council and the Clerk have seen other changes that show that East Devon members want to get involved in local matters more and that they are willing to listen to local opinion. Contact either David Atkins or Ben Ingham if you would like to know more about the work of EDDC.
JUBILEE
The Jubilee celebrations seem to have been thoroughly enjoyed by everyone who took part. The slightly damp weather on Sunday did not deter picnickers, who were entertained with live music by the Church Band and Master of Ceremonies, Brian Mather. The Scouts provided an excellent barbecue for those who didn’t bring their own and your Chairman, Cllr Peter Acca’s family and the Scouts ran the bar, which didn’t run out of beer
There were no great plans for Monday evening except that there would be a Jubilee beacon and a fireworks display. The event was dubbed an open party evening and that was what it was. A live band was coaxed into leaving Exmouth Football Club to play for party goers on Cliff Field, the Scouts provided the barbecue again and the Acca family ran the bar (which did run out of everything this time!) the bar was topped up from stock from the Sailing Club, thanks to the Commodore and Judith Carter for stepping in to save the evening, although even these supplies did not last long but everyone was happy. Brian Mather provided the PA system and did another great job as MC for the evening. The Beacon took a little while to get going but then grew into a superb bonfire and would have been seen from some distance, as part of the chain of beacons around the UK. It was a proud moment for the village to show it’s thanks to a superb Queen for the last 60 years. The Firework display was a bit of last minute luck when it was heard on the grapevine that Angelfire Pyrotechnics of Exeter had a spare Supervisor for the evening. A couple of phone calls and a site visit confirmed that Cliff Field was indeed a safe venue for a display and what a display it was! The intended 5-6 minute display went on for nearly twice that length of time to the great entertainment of everyone at the Party.
Overall this was a great weekend for the village and perhaps, one that should be repeated on another occasion. The plan from the beginning was for people and Groups to volunteer to do their bit and that it would all come together. There is no doubt that some did put in a considerable effort to make things happen and the Parish Council would like to send out special thanks to all those who got involved in both events.
If you didn’t get involved or come to the Picnic or the Party, please try do get involved for the next Village event. Lympstone has a lot of activities all put on by people offering to share their time and skills but there is always room for more help and fresh ideas.
The Jubilee Textile Project was nearly the last part of the celebrations and it certainly met the high standards that were hoped for. I am sure that everyone who went to the exhibition, and most of you appear to have been, were truly inspired by the creativity and workmanship of the Panels that were on display. This exhibition was a great success and has raised £1,000 for Village hall funds from an investment of only £126.00 by the Parish Council.
BEATING OF THE BOUNDS
The last Jubilee event will take place on Saturday 1st September 2012. Robert Harrison has kindly agreed to arrange a ‘Beating of the Bounds’ starting at 9.00am on that day. This is a walk around the boundaries of the parish, historically, to make sure that they were all in good order. The walk is open to everyone and you don’t have to do the whole walk, you can cover whichever sections you choose although some stalwarts will take pride in completing the whole circuit and then taking refreshment together in which ever pub they finish at. This is an ideal opportunity for those who have not lived in the village for too long to meet up with others and find out a little more about what makes Lympstone such a special place to live.
Clerk to the Council: A J Le Riche
