Well that was another busy and successful month at the hall, and have you seen how wonderful the gardens are looking now?

It was wonderful to see so many of you join us for our recent Coffee & Cake afternoon. The sunshine was certainly on our side, with the garden parasols making a most welcome first appearance of the year. It was lovely to spend such a relaxed afternoon together.

April also saw our much-anticipated kitchen inspection from the Food Safety Agency. Much of the work undertaken in the kitchen over the last 9 months has been with this inspection in mind, given we now need to register with the FSA. We are delighted, and just a little relieved, to report that we passed with flying colours, achieving a fantastic 5-star rating! We proudly display our shiny new certificate and sticker, knowing how much hard work and community support has gone into achieving and maintaining such high standards.

Thanks also to Jim who has given the hall foyer a much needed lick of paint. What a brilliant job he has done and what a difference that has made!

We enjoyed a great turnout for our recent Quiz Night. A huge thank you goes to Hamish Hall for being such an excellent Quiz Master, keeping everyone entertained with a wonderfully varied selection of questions — some certainly more challenging than others! The evening finished with a hilarious final challenge that tested knees rather than knowledge! Thank you to Sue for keeping us well fed, again!

Many of you will know that we held our AGM last week. The Chairman’s Report is available to read on our website, and we were pleased to share that the hall remains in profit despite the significant upgrades and improvements made this year. Everything we achieve is thanks to the incredible support of our community, and we are always keen to hear your thoughts and ideas for future events. Please do send us your feedback using the QR code provided or by emailing the committee directly.

We are hoping to continue with our program of improvements with replacement of the now dilapidated back garden bench. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions as to who might be able to approach for help with this, we are all ears. We are also hoping to arrange some signwriting in our newly painted foyer and to continue with garden upgrades.

We have plenty of exciting events coming up over the next few months. Plans are already underway for a Jumble Sale in October, while nearer at hand we are looking forward to our Father’s Day BBQ in June.

Make sure to save the date for Saturday 11th July, when the fantastic Exeter Street Band will be bringing their energy and music to the hall for what promises to be a brilliant Band Night.

Finally, we look forward to welcoming everyone once again to our next Coffee & Cake gathering at the end of the month, May 30th! We are always grateful to the incredible bakers we have in Gittisham for their gorgeous bakes!

Thank you, as always, for your continued support of Gittisham Village Hall, we look forward to welcoming you to our parish hall soon

Six councillors met for the May meeting and annual parish meeting, along with Richard Jefferies (DCC) and one member of the public.  

Chair & Vice Chair.

Alex Rowe was elected as chair and Peter Orchard as vice chair for 2026/27.

Finance.  Members agreed the finances.​

Crimes. Feb 2026 Parsonage Lane: 1 x other theft

Longlands Way: 1 x violence & sexual offences

Laburnum Way: 1 x drugs

March 2026 Parsonage Lane: 3 x violence & sexual offences

[Please note police crime report areas lack specificity primarily due to legal privacy requirements such as the Data Protection Act, which prevents identifying individual victims, suspects, or exact residential addresses.  As a result, exact incident locations are placed in general hotspots, or rounded to broader geographic units.]

Planning applications.

a) 26/0570/FUL – 1 Hamlet Cottages Weston EX14 3PB – Change of use of existing outbuilding to hair salon with alterations to fenestration and construction of a new roof

b) 26/0457/LBC – 2 Mitchell Cottages Gittisham EX14 3AF – Re-slate roof (re-using where possible) & extend existing ventilation through rear roof space; repairs to chimney stack; replacement of cement render to front elevation with lime equivalents; refurbishment of the stone and timber windows WG1, WG2, WG3, WF1, WF2, WF3 & WF4; replace external suspended ceiling; internal replacement of cement plaster with lime, and installation of ventilated panelling to defective timber framed and party wall

Councillors had no objections to the above applications.

Road closures.

04-22 May 2000-0600hrs Construction / Improvement/Upgrading – A30 westbound and eastbound, Daisymount to Turks Head junctions.

CIL.

The clerk reported that GPC had received approximately £27k in CIL receipts [Community Infrastructure Levy] from East Devon District Council.  According to EDDC, a local council must use CIL receipts passed to it in accordance with the CIL Regulations 2010 to support the development of the local council’s area, or any part of that area, by funding:

a) The provision, improvement, replacement, operation or maintenance of infrastructure; 

b) or anything else that is concerned with addressing the demands that development places on an area

Councillors agreed to reflect on ways of spending these funds and to come to the next meeting with suggestions for how to take this forward.  A public consultation is advisable.

Vale bus shelter.

Peter Orchard said that the solar panel and the floodlight had been removed or stolen from the Vale bus shelter.  Councillors agreed to replace them in the autumn.  

Green Gittisham.

Gary Pester said that he had contacted a range of wildlife organisations who would be interested in visiting the parish to see what could be done to improve biodiversity.  Councillors agreed that an event could be arranged for early next year, with stalls and workshops.

Next meeting.  Thursday 4^th June at 7.30pm in the parish room.  

As we head towards the longest day of the year, the night sky never gets truly dark. This period of “perpetual twilight” gives us a wonderful, deep blue sky to explore. If you are enjoying a warm evening in the garden, here is what to look out for over the parish:

• The Return of the “Summer Triangle”: As the evenings warm up, look toward the eastern horizon just after sunset. You will begin to see three incredibly bright stars rising: Vega, Deneb, and Altair. Together, they form a massive shape known as the Summer Triangle. It is a sure sign that summer has officially arrived in Devon!
• A Kiss Between the Moon and Mars: On the evening of June 3rd, look low toward the western horizon just after sunset. You will see a beautiful, waxing crescent moon passing extremely close to a bright, reddish “star”—that is the planet Mars! It’s a wonderful sight that requires absolutely no binoculars.
• The “Strawberry Moon”: The next full moon peaks on May 31st. Traditionally known by early Native American tribes as the Strawberry Moon, it marked the time of year when the wild strawberries began to ripen.
• Spot the Space Station: Because the sun never dips far below the horizon in June, it is the best time of year to spot the International Space Station (ISS). It looks like a very bright, fast-moving star gliding silently and steadily across the sky (usually taking about 3 to 4 minutes to cross).