David – Gittisham Village

Gittisham Village Hall Acounts April 2023-24

Village Hall Committe April 2024

Gittisham Gazette March 2024

Village Hall Committee March 2024

Village Hall Committee February 2024

Gittisham Gazette February 2024

Gittisham Gazette January 2024

Gittisham Gazette December 2023

Oh! Christmas Tree

Auction of Promises

12 April 2024 by David

	GITTISHAM VILLAGE HALL
Accounts for the year 1 April 2023 – 31 March 2024

		2024		2023
			£		£
Income
Hall & Equipment Hire			4596.40		4953.50
Proceeds from Social Events			1371.36		1791.04
Miscellaneous Income			2005.91		175.98
Donations			0		0.00
Grants			992.45		0.00
Redwood Bank Interest			507.98		226.48
			9474.10		7147.00

Expenditure
Insurance			690.38		643.79
Council Tax			0		0.00
Water,Gas & Electricity			3031.87		2173.82
Cleaning and Grass Cutting			1019.62		748.57
Hall & Equipment Maintenance			5840.55		3624.97
Stationery & Postage			0		0.00
Miscellaneous Expenses			194.3		193.18
Booking Clerk/Treasurer			749.00		0.00
Bank Charges			71.29		76.32
			11597.01		7460.65

Surplus income/loss for the year			(2122.91)		(313.65)


Bank Balances		As at 31.03.2024		As at 31.03.2023
			£		£
HSBC Bank			3627.91		6258.8
Redwood Bank			26811.22		26303.24
Cash in hand			81.32		81.32
			30520.45		32643.36

Less loss for year ending 31 March 2024					-2122.91
					30520.45
I certify that I have audited the books and records of Gittisham Village Hall for the year ending 31st March 2024 and can confirm that the above accounts are in accordance with the books, records and information supplied. To the best of our knowledge and belief, the above accounts give a true and fair view of the financial position of the Parish Hall as at 31st March 2024.


Geraldine Coates – Auditor				Date

12 April 2024 by David

Date	9^th April 19.30 at the Village Hall
Present	Hamish, Sue, Alex, Janet, Stephen, Maggie, Pierre + Claire, observing
Apologies	Cordelia, Stella, Bill, Terry, Nick
Next meet	Tuesday 14^th May AGM date: Tuesday 2^nd July

Item	Details	Actions
Actions outstanding / rolled over from previous meeting	Ongoing action to explore grant options, sitting with various committee members.	Various
Treasurer’s report	Janet presented end of year accounts. See screengrab in annexe. The value of the current account loss for the year is very significant, £2,123. However, if our grants received for the community kitchen are allocated to the period to which they actually apply (so one grant within 2023/24 is accounted for in 2022/23, and one grant to be received in 2024/25 is accounted for in 2023/24), then our losses for the year are more like £800. Accounts will go the accountant for auditing at the end of the week, with the usual gift of wine – thank you Janet for organising. The committee agreed the annual payments to treasurer and booking clerk. Janet needs to print off the remittances for Hamish/Nick to sign. We agreed to defer the discussion on charging rates for the hall until the May meeting so that Hamish could prepare another cost proposal based around the final end of year figures, and so that we could have as full an attendance as possible to discuss this important issue. For ease of reference, the action rolled over from the previous meeting is: Hamish agreed to rework his analysis and present a further proposal at the April meeting. Thank you Hamish. New proposal to include for consideration: a cost base with the 2023/24 significant capital expenditure costs (the boiler replacement) removed, so that subsequent price increases do not need to be so steep; separate rates for parishioners and non-parishioners; a cheaper rate for longer bookings; and a hike in wedding costs(?). Grants: Carol Hall is applying for a grant for the community kitchen, and also preparing a bid for grant for replacement windows – see maintenance below. Thank you Carol! No applicants have responded to the advertisements in the Gazette for a new Treasurer. It was suggested that Damien Furniss might be interested – Hamish to ask Damien. Interest in the savings account is 3.9% and raising a not insignificant amount (£508), but could we do better if we move elsewhere? One to debate once new Treasurer in post.	Janet Hamish
Maintenance	The old shed has gone, the football team picture has been fixed. The tap washer issue has been resolved but alas the whole tap now needs replacement. Hamish to take forwards, thanks Hamish. Shed roof remains a significant issue. Claire kindly offered her tarpaulin as a temporary fix. Alex and Hamish will affix, weighted with sandbags, as a stopgap. Longer-term the committee agreed that galvanised sheeting is probably the way forwards. Alex to speak with Julian to get a quote for some sheeting. Also let’s not forget the stirling board that the church offered us. To discuss again next month. The leak in the back porch was discussed. It’s only an issue in high winds but it still needs sorting. We agreed that the initial action should be to get up in the loft above and use caulking gun around the flashing. Hamish volunteered to tackle this at the same time as doing the shed roof. If this doesn’t fix it then we can go for a specialist. We discussed replacing the windows at the front of the hall, which are badly damaged. On balance the committee agreed to pursue cheaper, better-insulating PVC windows, sympathetically designed, rather than wood frames which will quickly need more work and upkeep. We are applying for a grant and need at least three quotations – we have one already from Hani. Alex will approach Select Windows, Maggie will approach Anglian. Hamish will pursue with the estate how they feel about PVC windows (and also check whether this is permissible in the conservation area). To discuss at next meeting. We discussed maintenance days, or maintenance evenings: Committee and other volunteers coming together for a few hours to progress a series of maintenance actions. Strong support for this and also for advertising for help in the Gazette. We did not agree a date but should do this at the May meeting if not before.	Hamish Hamish, Alex, Alex Hamish Alex, Maggie, Hamish

Long-term maintenance list, for progression when we land a grant. No hierarchy as yet

(Rising?) damp in southern elevation	TBD
Extractor fans in kitchen	TBD
Drainage pipes
Internal repaint
New large range cooker and oven

Petition	Sadly our questionnaire to the village in the last Gazette did not receive any responses – thank you Alex for trying. We need responses to gather data to support grant applications, but we also want the communication to gather ideas on how the hall can be used and to advertise the community asset. Alex is going to have another go, this time using Microsoft Forms to create a light touch survey that shouldn’t take as long to complete. Please circulate around the committee when ready Alex so that we can comment/add questions.	Alex
Future events	We are all looking forward to the St George’s Day quiz, Saturday 20^th April, Nick as quizmaster. Thank you Nick. And a ploughman’s supper – thank you Sue. Cheese, no soup. £7 on the door. Nick to advertise. Please be there by 5 to help set up. We agreed to organise an evening of village Skittles on Saturday 18^th May, from 19:30. Steve to organise and advertise. We agreed to run the Father’s Day BBQ on Sunday 16^th June, and to coincide this with the opening of the new village table tennis table. The Parish Council will be asking Damien to organise a table tennis tournament that week, with the finals on the Sunday. Entry fees for the tournament to go to a men’s charity; money for the Father’s Day BBQ to go to the Village Hall. We agreed to pursue live music options as priority. Carol will approach Hani to see if he can run a Syrian music and food event on Saturday 20^th July. But we need many live music options to pursue as we think this will be great and draw in the punters. Maggie to approach Richard Thorn, Hamish to approach skiffle band that he knows, Claire to get a quote for Joey the Lips. We agreed that more evening talks would be brilliant. Alex to consider / organise an astronomy talk from him / Norman Lockyer colleague, to consider at next meeting. Long list of other options: Ceilidh Art exhibition with scones… Hosting the pizza van… Sea defences talk Magical mystery bus tour Villages in action	Carol, Hamish, Maggie, Claire Alex
AOB	On behalf of the committee earlier this month Alex attended the East Devon Village Hall Nest meeting. Thank you Alex for dedicating your time to this. A very useful talk with plenty for us to consider. Listing readout here in full as we did not have much time to discuss and we might want to pick up elements in subsequent meeting: A number of other village halls are adding a supplementary ‘kitchen-use’ fee to their booking prices. ‘Hallmaster’ is an app that could support booking clerk – worth reviewing. South West Water has a regional grant fund called ‘neighbourhood fund’ capped at £2k. One village hall raised £100k simply through…crowdfunding! Alex will attend the next meeting of the committee on Wednesday 12^th June – thank you again Alex! Having observed us in action Claire asked to join the committee – motion approved! Welcome Claire!

Gittisham Parish Hall Accounts – 1st April 2023 to 31 March 2024

INCOME
	2022/23	1.04.22- 31.03.23	1.04.23 – 31.03.2024
Balance brought forward			6,258.80

Hire of Hall	4,953.50	4,953.50	5,588.85

Social Events	1,791.04	1,791.04	1,371.36

Interest	226.48	226.48	0.00

Miscellaneous	175.98	175.98	2,005.91



Total			15224.92


Miscellaneous includes the £2000 drawn dow from Redwood Bank

Gittisham Parish Hall Accounts – 1st April 2023 to 31 March 2024

EXPENDITURE
	2022/23	1.04.22-31.03.23	1.04.23-31.03.24
Insurance	643.79	643.79	690.38
Non-domestic rates	0.00	0.00	0.00
Cleaning/grass cutting	748.57	748.57	1,019.62

Maintenance/Equipment	3,624.97	3,624.97	5,840.55

Water/Gas/Electric	2,173.82	2,173.82	3,031.87

Miscellaneous(inc. bank charges)	269.50	269.50	1,014.59
			11597.01
Balance			3627.91

Total			15224.92
Redwood Deposit A/c		£24,811.22

Miscellaneous includes payments to Treasurer and Hall booker.
Cleaning/grass cutting has risen by 36%, from last year.
The utilities have risen by just under 40%.

10 March 2024 by David

A monthly community newsletter published by St Michael’s Church and Gittisham Parish Council

PARISH COUNCIL – MARCH 2024 REPORT

Seven councillors met for the March meeting. Phil Twiss (DCC), Alasdair Bruce (EDDC) and one member of the public were also present.

Highways Phil Twiss said that thanks to a combination hard work by DCC Highways’ teams and the milder winter, the service has recorded 5,500 safety defect potholes in January, slightly below the 7-year average (5,926). This compares well to the 7,500 in 2023. The significant reduction in the gritting operations frees up resources to continue the planned patching operations, again helping to reduce safety defect potholes across the county. However the prolonged wet weather of the last few months does not help matters when trying to make repairs to the highway. Phil Twiss added that the ‘report a problem’ website now looks somewhat different https://www.devon.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/report-a-problem/ To this Alasdair Bruce added that people should firstly report every relevant hole they find in the road and, secondly, regularly check that it hasn’t been removed from the online map before a successful repair, as this can affect insurance claims. If it has been removed, put it back on and keep doing so until the hole is fixed.

Finance. Members agreed the finances.

Crimes. Due to an ongoing error on the Police UK website which the force is aware of, it is not possible to report crime statistics.

Planning applications.

a) Land at Weston Park Devonshire Road – Construction of new industrial units (Use Class B2) – the clerk agreed to check whether this was another iteration of an application that had come before the parish council last year, to which there was no objection.

Road closures. 20 March: road to Catshayes closed to install sewer level equipment.

Broadband. Adam Powell reported that Richard Foord MP had accepted his invitation to a meeting on 4 th April to discuss the delay in rolling out superfast broadband. He has also invited representatives of other parishes similarly affected, and rural broadband campaigners. To share your experience of poor broadband in Gittisham village, please contact or telephone 07535 233558.

Footpaths Hayne Farm to Gittisham village. Adam Powell and Alex Rowe said they had met representatives of the Combe Estate and the Marker family to discuss a range of traffic-free routes between the new development and the village. The most likely option was a permissive path past the farm

shop and barns to the village along a serviceable farm track that ends by the old marlpit, as it might be more acceptable than a right of way. Conditions of use could be determined by the estate and could potentially be limited to certain times of year. The second route discussed was under the overgrown railway bridge at the Hayne Farm development to follow the hedgerows down to the minor road leading to the garden centre and village. If approved, in both cases the routes and conditions of use may change, as the built landscape is likely to change in the future.

Village play area. The clerk reported that the legal side of releasing the S106 funding for the outdoor ping pong table had been completed, and the parish council could now proceed to purchase the item. This was one of the most popular choices in the public consultation carried out before the pandemic.

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

Parish Council links Who’s who https://gittisham.org.uk/parish-council/

Emergency Plan https://gittisham.org.uk/parish-council/emergency-plan/

Parish Council Clerk Email: Tel: 01404 851442

How’s your broadband?

Of course, we know the answer and yes, the Parish Council is ‘on the case’. Those of us with a connection to the village wifi Voneus do have a fairly good service but it depends on the weather, foliage, pigeons in the way, etc. You do need to have a direct line of sight to the transmitters. Others are left with coping with little more than dial up, How is this affecting you? Your work, your education, your leisure, managing health, finances, etc. Do you feel disadvantaged? It’s not a money thing, it’s just not reached us here in the village. The Parish Council is meeting our MP next month and it will greatly strengthen our case if we can give him some anecdotes from people of all ages, backgrounds and careers. Please send your thoughts to or speak to one of your Parish Councillors. Thank you

The Equinox and Big Tides Hamish Hall

On the 20th March the sun will pass across the earth’s equator, moving from the southern hemisphere to the northern. This means the whole planet gets the same amount of sunlight and we have pretty much equal amounts of sunlight and nighttime (equi -nox). The sun will all rise due east and set due west wherever you are.

This is also a time when we often get high tides and this year is pretty special. On the 11th & 12th March, just after the new moon, we will have one of the highest and lowest set of predicted tides for the last eight years. This happens because the tidal forces are strengthened when the moon is closest to the earth in its elliptical orbit and enhanced when the sun is over the equator. The moon is almost at its closest to earth and on these dates (only 356,800km away, compared to 406,500km away in October). You may note that I;ve said predicted tides as the atmospheric pressure and strength of the wind can make big changes to both the height and the time of the tides

Wash out winter ! Jack Bartlett

Rain rain go away, come back another day! It’s been a while since I’ve written, but the weather hasn’t changed much! It really does need to dry up now, fields are saturated and just can’t take any more. The field work needs to begin but we can’t even get into the fields without making a mess. Slurry needs to be applied for nutrients to this coming years crops, and bagged fertiliser for the same reason. We also need to roll the grass fields, this smooths out any lumps, bumps and molehills so that when we cut the grass the mowers don’t hit these lumps and bumps. Soil contamination in the silage doesn’t make for a good feed.

The wet weather doesn’t mean we haven’t had much to, winter time means all the animals are tucked away in the sheds keeping dry, which means lots of feeding, scraping slurry and bedding up! We are also calving a lot of cows and heifers at the moment too, in just one day this week 7 calves were born! They like to keep us on our toes.

You may have seen lots of sheep around, these have done a good job eating down the excess grass through the winter, which in turn helps for making good quality silage in the summer. As the grass is nice and young & fresh.

Some fields will also be turned over and planted to maize, lots to happen in the next couple months!

Some of you will have noticed the track we have built to Catshayes, although still not completely finished yet, this has made a huge difference to get to and back from Catshayes without going all around the village. This will also help with some of the summer tractor traffic.

Bring on summer !

10 March 2024 by David

Date	5 th March 19.30 at the Village Hall
Present	Hamish, Nick, Sue, Alex, Janet, Bill, Stephen, Maggie, Terry, Pierre
Apologies	Cordelia, Stella
Next meet	Tuesday 9 th April
Item	Details
Actions outstanding / rolled over from previous meeting	Hamish to pass box of files to new Treasurer. Hamish to advertise for a new Treasurer – note to go into April Gazette, including details on stipend. The action remains for us to explore grant options. Hamish to apply for community grant, Alex to try again with lottery fund, but other options available as well. See also summary of grant application discussion in ‘Treasurer’s Report’ section of minutes.
Treasurer’s report	Janet presented accounts. See screengrab in annexe. Hamish needs to submit Burns Night expenditure before accounts closed for year; Helen Hayman needs to be refunded for the auction of promises costs. £1700 has been drawn down from Redwood Bank to pay for the boiler but it will not clear before the Ides of March, so the accounts are currently light. Hamish presented an analysis of hall utilisation, costs and income for the year. The committee expressed its thanks to Carol Hall who has done so much to drive bookings through the year – we have done well, particularly on private functions. In spite (/because of) the high utilisation rate our costs are exceeding our income. This is significantly the case if the costs for the new boiler are included in year’s outgoings, but also true if this large capital expenditures is taken out. The committee agreed that ultimately our hiring costs are too low and that we need to increase them to cover our outgoings. Hamish’s presented an analysis which suggests that eradicating our current variable charging rates and charging a flat £17 an hour would meet our full fat costs for the year. Counter-arguments to this proposal: 1) some of the committee wished to see the cheaper rate retained for parishioners; 2) this flat hourly rate would be felt more significantly by those renting the hall for full days or for significant numbers of hours – a cheaper rate for bookings of long duration could perhaps be retained. Hamish agreed to rework his analysis and present a further proposal at the April meeting. Thank you Hamish. New proposal to include for consideration: a cost base with the 2023/24 significant capital expenditure costs (the boiler replacement) removed, so that subsequent price increases do not need to be so steep; separate rates for parishioners and non parishioners; a cheaper rate for longer bookings; and a hike in wedding costs(?). The committee discussed grants. Nick made the point that we need to settle on an agreed hierarchy of improvement works and engage with grant applications – we may need a sub-committee or a named lead to drive this forwards. For further discussion at next meeting. To support grant work Alex agreed to attend the open days at Membury and Chardstock Village Halls on behalf of the committee and explore some of their funding solutions – thank you Alex. We also agreed to put a questionnaire in the gazette about hall use. This would provide insight into how the parish want the hall to be used and also provide valuable evidence when submitting grant applications. The article / questionnaire should also reference National Village Hall week, coming up this month.
Maintenance	Shed roof is badly damaged. Ply has come off and it needs a temporary tarpaulin, then refelting. Alex has approached Len about the tarpauline – please update when you know more. The longer-term fix will need to be deferred for a month or so but when it happens Nick is bringing buns. The church has stirling (?)board going free that can be used. To return to this at April meeting. The meeting agreed that Hani could remove the dilapidated shed, provided it was disposed of in a reasonable manner. £250. At the same time Hani can repaint around the new boiler flue. Stephen to approach. Big thanks to Alex for unblocking the toilet. Are toilets blocking more due to underlying problem with drains? Inconclusive discussion. Tap needs a new washer. Hamish will do it, thank you Hamish. Hamish may wish to borrow David’s regrinder tool. The picture of the Gittisham football team has cracked glass frame – Stephen to get sorted at Honiton Glass.
Future events	We agreed a St George’s Day quiz, Saturday 20 th April, Nick as quizmaster. Thank you Nick. And a ploughman’s supper – thank you Sue (I think you are leading but apologies if not in fact agreed?). £7 on the door and, as with Burns Night, you have to book ahead. Advertise in the Gazette along with Nick’s number. Nick to advertise. March skittles event was deferred. We will reschedule at next meeting. We agreed to rerun the Father’s Day BBQ – no date agreed but presumably Sunday 16 th June. Other ideas discussed but not yet agreed: Live music… Midsummer ceilidh Art exhibition with scones… Hosting the pizza van…

A	B	C	D	F	G	H	I
Gittisham Parish Hall Accounts – 1st April 2023 to 31 March 2024				Gittisham Parish Hall Accounts – 1st April 2023 to 31 March 2024

INCOME				EXPENDITURE
	2022/23	1.04.22- 29.02.23	1.04.23 – 29.02.24		2022/23	1.04.22-29.02.23.23	1.04.23-29.02.24
Balance brought forward			6,258.80	Insurance	643.79	643.79	690.38
				Non-domestic rates	0.00	0.00	0.00
Hire of Hall	4,953.50	4,716.56	5,476.75	Cleaning/grass cutting	748.57	748.57	803.62

Social Events	1,791.04	1,767.44	1,371.36	Maintenance/Equipment	3,624.97	3,543.03	3,857.93

Interest	226.48	0.00	0.00	Water/Gas/Electric	2,173.82	2,064.37	2,698.17

Miscellaneous	175.98	175.98	5.91	Miscellaneous(inc. bank charges)	269.50	261.37	991.84
							9041.94
				Balance			4070.88

Total			13112.82				13112.82
				Redwood Deposit A/c		£26,811.22
Total income from Burns night Cash £343.08+ Sum Up £182.86

11 February 202411 February 2024 by David

Date	6th February 19.30 at the Village Hall
Present	Nick, Alex, Stephen, Stella, Pierre, Bill, Sue
Apologies	Janet, Hamish, Maggie, Cordelia, Terry
Next meet	Tuesday 5th March?

Item	Details
Actions outstanding from previous meeting	Agreement with Len about dismantling shed – see ‘Maintenance’ section below. Hamish to sort through box of files and share relevant with Janet. Advertise for a new Treasurer – note to go into March Gazette, including details on stipend.
Treasurer’s report	Accounts reviewed see bellow. Thanks to Janet for including savings account details in the summary. Concern at the rate at which outgoings are outstripping income. This will still be true (though less stark) once community kitchen grant monies of £2,244 are paid into the account at end of March. Agreement to discuss at subsequent meeting with follow-up actions on the following points. Noted that our charging costs are lower than other local village halls – also to discuss fees in March. ● Hamish to being analysis of costs and income (action from January minutes). ● Janet to clarify what is driving the sharp increase in miscellaneous charges – new hob? ● Alex to run a uSwitch comparison of electricity and gas suppliers to inform decision on new contract due end March. Grant applications discussed. Devon Communities Together training session on grant writing, Tuesday 20th February, 10am-1pm, thank you Alex for circulating. Hamish to apply again to ‘Growing Communities Fund’ for a further grant for community kitchen, as per request from Parish Council. Fund opens for applications on 1st April. Alex will try again for £20k Lottery Fund grant. Priority items for investment to be discussed at March meeting.

Gittisham Parish Hall Accounts – 1st April 2023 to 31 March 2024				Gittisham Parish Hall Accounts – 1st April 2023 to 31 March 2024

INCOME				EXPENDITURE
	2022/23	1.04.22- 31.01.23	1.04.23 – 31.01.24		2022/23	1.04.22-31.01.23	1.04.23-31.01.24
Balance brought forward			6,258.80	Insurance	643.79	643.79	690.38
				Non-domestic rates	0.00	0.00	0.00
Hire of Hall	4,953.50	4,490.75	5,090.30	Cleaning/grass cutting	748.57	718.57	803.62

Social Events	1,791.04	1,219.54	956.75	Maintenance/Equipment	3,624.97	3,198.04	3,840.11

Interest	226.48	0.00	0.00	Water/Gas/Electric	2,173.82	1,879.00	2,309.12

Miscellaneous	175.98	25.98	5.91	Miscellaneous(inc. bank charges)	269.50	256.37	986.84
							8630.07
				Balance			3681.69

Total			12311.76				12311.76
				Redwood Deposit A/c		£26,811.22

Maintenance

Childproof fence for hirers, Len taking forwards. Ideally needs to be in place by end of February. What type of fence – committee not clear without Hamish present? Hamish to ensure taken forwards. Shed removal. Yes wait for warmer months but steer from committee was to pay a firm for removal and get it all done in one go. Stephen to get quote from Hani for full removal. Second shed has leaking roof. No action. Boiler installation taking place this Thursday morning, 8am. Well done everyone and especially Nick and Alex for getting us to a solution. Committee agreed that funds for the boiler should be taken from the savings account, not the current account, and authorised Treasurer to make that transfer. There was some debate about what our long-term investment / refurbishment priorities are. For instance, how much of a priority is the sewage pipe works? Can we agree a prioritisation list at the AGM, which we can use as a touchstone throughout the year?

Bookings

Well done to everyone and especially Sue and Alex for organising a fantastic Burns Night. Warm feedback from Honiton Carers and other guests all obviously had a brilliant evening.

Future events

Auction of promises 10th February. Proceeds will raise money for the church. The committee agreed to reduce the booking fee to nothing. Nick to message Helen, copying Carol so she can invoice accordingly.

Friday 1st, skittles and darts. Stephen to add a note to the Gazette and advertise on WattsApp. Alex offered to help set up. Mav is down to collect the Skittles again. Committee agreed to not charge for entry, but possibly a raffle. If successful, run again another evening in March? Agree in March.

Fete, 31st August. Can the village hall committee run the bar? – yes we can.

Cabaret in December.

Other ideas: The Committee was keen for a quiz in April and possibly a regular monthly quiz booking. A regular slot gets on calendar and brings people from wider? Share load of quiz-setting around the village? Return to this in March. Father’s Day BBQ?
Bingo
Cream tea with art exhibition.

AOB

Stephen volunteered to take on some secretariat duties, including publishing historic minutes on GVH website.

7 February 2024 by David

A monthly community newsletter published by St Michael’s Church and Gittisham Parish Council

What’s On?

Village hall

Auction of promises Saturday 10^th February

Pierre’s Kitchen
Sunday, Feb 11th

Tip Tip Toe
Tuesday, Feb 13^th 4.30 pm Open to all children from the parish. Bring a plate of party food.

Skittles and family fun
Friday 1st March

Church Services

Sunday, Feb 11th 11 am Holy Communion, St Paul’s Honiton with Bishop Jackie

Ash Wednesday, Feb 14th Holy Communion Imposition of Ashes St Paul’s Honiton 11 am & 7 pm
St Michael’s Imposition of Ashes 7pm

Sunday, Feb 25th 11 am Holy Communion

Job Vacancy

Village Hall Treasurer Details from Hamish Hall
07880 178297

Village hall committee serve burns night food

Table Talk

A Game of Conversations

Do you like to ponder on the big questions of life and wonder what others think? There will be an opportunity to think about a topic a week over five weeks to do just that!

Bring a friend, grab a drink, join a table and pick a question you fancy.

At the Otter Inn, Weston every Wednesday 7pm starting 21st Feb and continuing throughout Lent. Convened by Julia Barrett

Changes to the 200 Club

The 200 club was first started in1984 as a way of raising much need funds for the upkeep and maintenance of the Church and it remains a popular way of enabling everyone within and beyond the Parish to maintain a connection with our beautiful village church. However, the value of £1 since 1984 has depreciated considerably – the equivalent value today of £1 is 25p! During which time, the 200 subscription cost of £12 per annum (£1 per monthly draw) has not changed while the running costs have risen considerably. St Michael’s PCC has therefore carried out a much-needed review in order to ensure that the 200 club remains viable while at the same time fulfilling its original purpose and has decided to raise the subscription fee while at the same time also raising the prize money to ensure the 200 club remains attractive to its members. We really don’t want to lose you! A tall order, one might think! But having discussed this at length and consulted with our ‘Coffee Together’ members who are also enthusiastic 200 Club members, we believe we have come up with a solution that will enable the 200 Club to thrive for many more years! The timetable for implementation of changes is as follows:

February – all present 200 Club members will receive letters informing them of the changes, new subscription rates and increased prize money.

March – the last draw under the present system will take place March 16^th at Coffee Together at the Coffee Together Club in the Parish Room.

April – no draw to allow time for the set-up of the administration of the new 200 Club

May – May 18^th Launch of new 200 Club with first draw at ‘Coffee Together, Parish Room.

If you are not already a member of the 200 Club and would like to join please contact Janet Twist at for further information.

February 200 Club

Prize Winners

1. Jackson King

2. Jonathan Aylen

3. John Boswell

4. Emma Fuller

5. Phyllis Broadhurst

The Beehive, Honiton

March is packed full with live music at The Beehive Honiton.

We have the sensational Elton John Show on Saturday 2^nd March. If French music is your thing, why not come along to our evening show with Fifi La Mer and be transported to Paris on 7^th March. We have the brilliant Gary Moore Blues Experience coming to Honiton on Saturday 9^th March and The Beehive’s residency – Deane Big Band on March 21st, expect an evening in the 1970’s from Fusion to Disco! Dance the night away with From Gold To Rio on Friday 15^th they’ll take you on a nostalgic journey back to the New Romantic era which ruled the charts for over a decade- Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran. Baskery will be performing on 16^th March who play a combination of classic ‘roots music and Americana’.

Come and visit us at The Beehive Honiton where you can find out lots more about our other shows including A Country Music Songbook theatre show as well as The All Seasons show celebrating the work of Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons.

Beehivehoniton.co.uk.

01404 384050. The Beehive, Dowell Street, EX14 1LZ.

Broadband

Please share your experience of issues caused by the continuing delay in installing superfast broadband in Gittisham village with your Parish Council via or telephone 07535 233558.

PARISH COUNCIL – FEBRUARY 2024 REPORT

Five councillors met for the February meeting. Alasdair Bruce (EDDC) was also present.

Water quality. The focus on seawater bathing quality is a hot topic at present and rightly so, said Alasdair Bruce. He explained there is much anecdotal evidence from outdoor swimmers of a major deterioration in the quality of our coastal waters. Many experience stomach illness and ear infections, even dog walkers tell him their animals are sometimes poorly after a stroll on the beach. With this in mind, Alasdair Bruce thought the parish might be interested in some figures recently released by the EDDC coastal officer:

Permitted Discharges from CSOs (storm overflow discharge): In total in 2023 there were the following (the number in brackets is the number that fell within the formal bathing season May 15th  September 30th) Sandy Bay 21 (8), Exmouth 40 (15), Budleigh 44 (15), Sidmouth 28 (10) Beer 32 (13), Seaton 31(12). Given that in their Water Fit document South West Water commits to achieving no more than 20 discharges at any given beach, this is pretty poor performance.

Devolution. In his absence, Phil Twiss sent a report explaining that the Government had published proposals for a deal that could re-draw the future relationship between local government in Devon, Torbay and Whitehall. It’s hoped that additional powers with the cash that follows will happen in future years. This would enable more decisions to be made locally by people who know their areas best and on things that matter to local people such as building more affordable homes, investing in new quality jobs and skills, and improving public transport.

Finance. Members agreed on the finances.

Crimes. Due to an ongoing error on the Police UK website, it is not possible to report crime statistics.

Planning applications.

a) 8 Campion Way, Honiton – T1, Oak approx. 14 metres high and 14 metres wide at all points; to pollard back to the previous pollard position when work was last carried out in 2016. No objection.

b) Rapshayes Farm, Gittisham – Variation of condition 2 (approved plans) of planning permission 20/0782/LBC (Conversion of barn to holiday accommodation) to change the proposed roof covering from clay Roman tiles to natural slate. No objection.

c) Kings Arms Farm Nags Head Road, Gittisham– House of multiple occupation (HMO), that provides individual living-rooms for vulnerable people; the facility includes communal areas for socialising, cooking and dining set with private and secure gardens. No objection.

Road closures. 20 March: the road to Catshayes closed to install sewer-level equipment.

Broadband. Adam Powell said he had drafted a letter to Richard Foorde MP regarding the continuing delay of installing superfast broadband in Gittisham village. Councillors agreed he should use the village WhatsApp group to build a picture of the issues people experience. To share your experience, please contact or telephone 07535 233558.

Play area. The clerk reported that she had accepted the offer of a free silver birch tree from Devon Wildlife Trust. The organisation is offering parish councils in East Devon, North Devon and Torridge a “landmark” tree to help combat the devastating effect Ash Dieback is having on the landscape.

Next meeting. Thursday 7th March at 7.30 pm in the parish room.

Parish Council links Who’s who https://gittisham.org.uk/parish-council/

Emergency Plan https://gittisham.org.uk/parish-council/emergency-plan/

Parish Council Clerk Email: Tel: 01404 851442

10 January 2024 by David

A monthly community newsletter published by St Michael’s Church and Gittisham Parish Council

What’s On?

Weds 9^th Jan 5.30-7.30pm Pizza Van at the church

Sunday 14^th Jan 10-4 Pierre’s Cafe

Sunday Jan 14th 11am
Holy Communion, St Michael’s Church, Gittisham

Tuesday 30^th Jan 5.30pm
Fete meeting. Come along if you’d like to get involved

3^rd Feb
Burns Night     at the village hall. Tickets from       Hamish Hall

Saturday 10^th Feb
Auction of Promises

Sunday Feb 11th 11am
Holy Communion at St Paul’s Honiton with Bishop Jackie

Sunday Feb 25^th 11am
Holy Communion at St Michaels

Skittles at the village hall 1st March

January 200 Club Winners 1.Vicky McLachlan Clark
2.Julia Barrett
3.Ann Stansell
4.Auralia Wakley Beddows 5.Paula Madden

Gittisham Cabaret 13&14 December Contact                      Sara Agg-Manning if you’d like to be involved with acting, writing, etc. All welcome

Connor’s Graduation

Connor passed his degree in Rescue and Emergency Management. His graduation was on the 10th November and was held in Truro cathedral. We are extremely proud of his accomplishments over the last few years. Looking forward to see what other goals he will achieve. Well done

Community Kitchen Meeting

Directly following the meal on Thursday 25^th January we will be having a short meeting to discuss the progress of the community kitchen and arrangements for the coming year. We hope to start the meeting at about 7.30pm so please stay on after the meal or for those who don’t want to eat, feel free to turn up at around that time. If you are not able to make it on the day please pass on any views you may have to someone who is going to attend. The following are usually a pretty safe bet: Sara and Bill, Sue and David, Stella or Alex. It would be good to have as many views as possible from all interested parties so we’ll hope for a good turnout!

Superfast Broadband

Jurassic Fibre (now All Points Fibre) will not be installing superfast broadband to Gittisham Village. The Parish Council asked their Head of Strategic Partnerships to join their recent meeting but due to issues with broadband it was not possible to connect to enable this remote meeting. Councillor Phil Twiss said that the company Airband will now be the most likely to deliver fibre. The Parish Council is writing to Richard Foorde MP to explain our situation and the delays we’ve experienced.

Pierre’s Café

Banish the January blues with a visit to Pierre’s pop-up café, Sunday 14th January. We’ll be open from 10am until 4pm in Gittisham Village Hall, serving a range of homemade meals including croissants, pastries and cakes. Please book if you’d like to come for lunch so we can have an idea of numbers. Pierre will be making galette des rois for one of the desserts, a sweet puff pastry pie made with almonds traditionally eaten at this time of year in France. For further information or to book, call 07545 214940. Bon appétit!

St Michael’s Church, Gittisham

All our Advent and Christmas Services including our Advent Concert and Carols at the Lychgate were well attended and enjoyed by everyone. The concert was a wonderful start to the season and raised over £700 with the proceeds donated to the Force Cancer Charity and St Michael’s Church. And so a big ‘Thankyou’ to all who came, support and helped to make it such a lovely occasion and also of course to David and Alison and her fellow singers!

Our Carol Service with the Children’s Nativity Tableau also proved popular as did Carols on the Green with the Honiton Band which has become an annual event with the band already booked for Christmas 2024! Finally, it was lovely to see you so many at our Christmas Midnight and Morning Services and again thank you to all who gave so generously with fifty per cent of the collections taken going To the Force Cancer and Hospiscare Charities.

With all good wishes for the New Year from Julia and all at St Michael’s.

Gittisham Fete

The fete will be on August 31^st this year. We will be having a planning meeting on Jan 30^th at 5.30pm in the hall. All are welcome.

Gittisham Village Hall

Tufty Tots

Hello! My name is Jasmine, I am a great niece of Uncle Reg and Pam Chown and have strong family connections with Gittisham. My family and I now live in Honiton but enjoy visiting the park. My husband and I have two young daughters- who keep us very busy. Tom is a graphic designer and I am a primary school teacher. During my childhood visits and family parties I often visited the Gittisham Village Hall. The beautiful building and space has now inspired me to start up TuftyTots, baby and toddler classes.

I will be running- Tufty Tots – on a Thursday morning. The classes will run from 9.30-11.30 with inclusive activities tailored for children from 6 months- 4 years old. The sessions will include stories, songs, sensory activities and tuft tray activities to ignite curiosity and imagination. To look after the adults there will of course be a selection of homemade cakes and strong coffee! And time for a good natter.

TuftyTots classes will be informed by the Early Years Framework- to develop a love for learning and help children to reach their milestones.

On the last Saturday of each month we will also be running a family – stay and play brunch – these will be themed, based on books and children’s interests such as dinosaurs or princesses! No age limit.

TuftyTots is still in the planning stages, but soon we will have a website and more information available. TuftyTots will be launched in March, but booking will be available from February. During the Thursdays in February I will be running pilot sessions for families and friends so you may see and hear little people mischief in and around the hall! I ask for your patience with families parking in and around your lovely village. If there are any problems or parking queries please do not hesitate to pop in and see me or ask Carol Hall for my contact details.

Kind regards and best wishes, Jasmine Chugg-Rogers

PARISH COUNCIL – JANUARY 2023 REPORT

Six councillors met for the January meeting. One member of the public was also present.

DCC Budget. In his report Phil Twiss (DCC) said that setting DCC’s budget for the next financial year would once again be a challenging task. More than 79% of the net revenue budget of £743.4 million proposed for 2024/25 is spent on children’s and adult service areas i.e. £588.5m with £154.8m for the others. The council is identifying savings and alternative sources of income, including grants, but the majority is derived from council tax and business rates. He explained that social care provision is particularly impacted by increases to the national living wage, which at first glance a 30p per hour increase announced by the Government does not seem vast. However, it will add an extra £25.7m to the DCC wage bill, which will need to come from further savings and efficiencies.

Broadband. Following the acquisition of Jurassic Fibre and three other internet service providers, All Points Fibre (APF, part of Fern Trading) has looked again at the business case for bringing full fibre broadband to Gittisham village. A representative of APF was due to join the meeting remotely, but due to issues with broadband it was not possible to connect. Members expressed their profound disappointment that the company would not be pursuing its roll-out, which APF explained was no longer commercially viable. Phil Twiss indicated in a recent email that the contract for Airband to deliver the roll-out under the Connecting Devon & Somerset scheme appeared to be the most likely option.

Finance. Members agreed the budget for 2024/25 and the parish precept was increased to £10,139.08; as the population of the parish has increased, this should not represent a rise at the individual level.

Crimes. Due to an ongoing error on the Police UK website, it is not possible to report crime statistics. In his report, Alasdair Bruce (EDDC) said the ongoing issue of anti- social behaviour on the Hayne Farm development has been raised with Sovereign Housing and the council officer whose brief it is.

Donations. Members agreed to donate money to Force, Diabetes UK, TRIP, Citizens Advice and Hospiscare.

Road closures. 20 March: road to Catshayes closed to install sewer level equipment.

Play area. The Chair and Vice Chair signed the grant funding agreement for EDDC to release S106 funds to allow the parish council to go ahead with the purchase of the outdoor ping pong table.

Limited residential development. David Valentine said Gittisham Community Land Trust was drawing up a memorandum of understanding with Combe Estate. The planning application is due to be submitted very soon. Research into a possible housing association partner is ongoing.

Footpath. Councillors discussed how they could take forward the proposal for a permissive path connecting the Hayne Farm development with Gittisham village. All agreed it would fit with the parish council’s climate change agenda and take cars off the road. Adam Powell (new parish councillor, Gittisham Vale) highlighted the success of a recently created path linking Feniton and Colestocks.

Next meeting. Thursday 1 st February at 7.30pm in the parish room. The Chair wished everyone a happy New Year.

Parish Council links Who’s who https://gittisham.org.uk/parish-council/

Emergency Plan https://gittisham.org.uk/parish-council/emergency-plan/

Parish Council Clerk Email: Tel: 01404 851442

10 January 2024 by David

Gittisham Gazette	Dec ‘23 Edition
A monthly community newsletter published by St Michael’s Church and Gittisham Parish Council

What’s On?

at St Michael’s Church, Gittisham

Carol Service

Sunday Dec 17th 4.45 pm

Festive drinks and mince pies during the interval

Carols on the Green

Friday Dec 22nd 5pm

at the Lychgate with the Honiton Town Band, Sausages and Mulled Wine

Christmas Eve

Midnight Eucharist at 11.30pm

Christmas Day

Holy Communion at 11am

ANIMALS IN THE NEWS

Village dogs Reggie and Fig, both celebrated their 2^nd birthdays this month

And this little chap paid an unexpected visit after about 400 years of absence:

**A message from Carol McCann**
I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. As I’m still in Sunningdale care home I can’t do much about cards etc. I do hope you all have a wonderful time. I think I will be here for a while and hope not forever. It would be good to have visitors. I’m allowed out when I want but not on my own, I’m hoping to have a go at driving. I need to go to West Point to practice in my own car, it will give me more freedom and will help me to get out and see more people. Look forward to seeing you soon. Much love C xxx

Over the Christmas period in our village church a Christmas tree (kindly donated by Combe Garden Centre) will be placed by the alter with lights and beside it will be tags that everyone is welcome to write a prayer or memory of someone or something special and place it on the tree.

Auction of Promises

Saturday 10th February 7 pm at the Hall

Do you have a service or skill you could donate as a lot? This would be placed in a catalogue for Auction in February in the village hall, bar and nibbles available on the night

Helen Hayman is preparing catalogues for viewing. Lots which will also be for sale with a glass of wine for entry!
Details from Helen Hayman. 07806480246

PARISH COUNCIL – NOVEMBER 2023 REPORT

Five councillors met for the December meeting.

Flooding Councillors noted the recent flooding along the Honiton Link Road which has made it impassable. They highlighted the statement in the outstanding planning application for the proposed Combe Farm shop that the development will not increase the flood risk elsewhere. Councillors expressed serious concerns that the recent rainfall and surface water flooding have shown this proposed development to be unsuitable, and will highlight this to EDDC planners.

Councillor Walker reported that the lengthsman had been clearing the drains up Parsonage Lane, and he had also dug a hole along that stretch which had kept one entrance to Gittisham village free from flooding.

Finance. Councillors noted the finances.

Crimes. Due to an ongoing error on the Police UK website, it is not possible to report crime statistics. However other sites report 1 x violent crime in Aug 2023 for Honiton Rural, which covers several parishes. Alasdair Bruce (EDDC) said he had passed on information to EDDC and Sovereign Housing regarding an incident of anti-social behaviour at Longlands Way at Hayne Farm. Apparently this has been aggravated by unnamed residents removing the security locks on the main doors.

Road closures. 7th January 0930-1530 road through Alfington closed for BT pole work

Trains. The railway line between Salisbury and Exeter St David’s is expected to re-open on 11 th December, following work to remedy a landslip at Crewkerne. Rail replacement buses have been affected by the recent flooding.

Buses. Phil Twiss (DCC) said the £2 bus fare is to be continued until end 2024 (although there

are still cheaper fares available, depending on the journey). Not only does this help with the cost of living, it also encourages more people to use buses thereby reducing congestion and helping with decreasing carbon emissions. The revised Stagecoach timetables beyond the parish are now bedding in and there are a lot fewer complaints. Unfortunately, the changes coincided with an increase in illness, mainly respiratory infections amongst bus drivers. Resilience will improve as Stagecoach now has a full cohort at the bus training school.

Councillor vacancy, Gittisham Vale. Adam Powell was elected parish councillor for Gittisham Vale by an unanimous vote.

EDDC Local Plan. David Valentine reported that East Devon District Council has decided to proceed with the development of a second new town of 8,000 homes between Exeter Airport and Crealy. He said this was likely to have some sort of impact on the reallocation of development sites in the Local Plan.

Scam awareness. Janet Twist said WhatsApp users are being encouraged to be vigilant after scammers

hacked into accounts and asked their victim’s friends and family for money.

Beavers. Following the visit of a beaver to the River Gitt for the first time since their re-introduction, the clerk said she had reported this to the Devon Wildlife Trust who have suggested giving a presentation on how parishes can manage beaver colonies.

Next meeting. 4 th January in the parish room at 7.30pm. The Vice Chair wished Councillors, their families and all those who support the parish council a merry Christmas, and a happy and healthy New Year.

Parish Council links Who’s who https://gittisham.org.uk/parish-council/

Emergency Plan https://gittisham.org.uk/parish-council/emergency-plan/

Parish Council Clerk Email: Tel: 01404 851442

What’s On?

Tufty Tots Every Thursday at the village hall

Pierre’s Cafe Sunday 10^th March at the village hall

Mothering Sunday Sunday 10^th March 11am the church Family Eucharist with distribution of posies

Palm Sunday March 24th 11am Morning Worship with procession of palms starting at the Lychgate

Good Friday March 29th 10.30am ‘Stations of the Cross’ starting at the Lychgate followed by Hot Cross Buns in the Parish Room.

Easter Day 11am Eucharist followed by Easter Egg Hunt in the old Churchyard

Live music at The Beehive Baskery – the queens of banjo punk. Sat 16^th March

Quiz Night At the village hall on 20^th April with Nick

Gittisham Fete Saturday 31st August

Auction of Promises! Helen Hayman What a fun, entertaining evening with an amazing gathering of people of all ages participating under the expert eye of Graham Barton who was brilliant in persuading us all to part with our money!
With so many great lots from a celebration cake, baby sitting , villa in Crete, holiday getaways to flying high beside The Spitfire ! All going towards our community church which the total looks to be around £3,000.00 ! A huge thankyou must go to so many of you for donating lots, funds and helping to run this event. Also to those who attended, making it a memorable evening!

Your Village Hall Your village hall needs you. As you might be aware the village hall committee is trying to source funding in order to maintain and breathe new life into our community space! To do this we need feedback from the users to explain why the village hall is important to them and what they would like to see updated/improved. Without this, we cannot move forward with any grant request.
So we would be really grateful to hear from you.
Why is the village hall important to you?
What change would improve your experience with the hall?
How much of an impact does the village hall have on the surrounding community?
How can the village hall extend its appeal more widely?

Both Edward and Doreen were faithful members of our telephone service during Covid and we were very pleased at our recent Eucharist Service to welcome Edward, his niece Linda, and Doreen’s daughter Sarah for the blessing by Reverend Robert of a kneeler stitched in memory of Doreen.

Tufty Tots at the village hall 6 months – 5 years old The Tufty Explorer and Learner sessions are planned using the Early Years Framework. Each activity has been tailored to help our little ones reach their developmental milestones in an engaging safe environment. Each session will include singing, dancing and storytelling. Immersing our little ones in new vocabulary, developing their understanding of language and text patterns. To ignite a love of learning we will explore a new story each week… meeting new characters, discovering different settings and embarking on a range of adventures. Nurture Time For You… On arrival you can pre-order your hot drink and treat… it will be waiting for you after the singing and storytelling input. Enjoy some ‘you’ time.

Open Day at The Beehive On Saturday 6th April, The Beehive, Honiton’s community entertainment centre, shall be opening the doors and inviting the public to our open day from 10am until 2pm. The day will give members of the community and visitors from far and wide a chance to discover our diverse range of events, activities, cinema screenings, theatre productions, our café and so much more! During the day, visitors can enjoy live music in the café and free samples of delicious homemade cakes & bakes, discover what events we have coming up in the year, learn more about becoming a volunteer and find out about our venue & room hire.
In the auditorium there’ll be stands providing information about a range of our community groups that use The Beehive. These include Honiton’s Community Theatre Company, TASH: Advancing Inclusion, U3A and Slimming World. There will even be a special theatre performance by Theatre Kidz!

A message from Owen and Sophie
At this moment Sophie and I would like to reach out to you all in ‘the village’ and thank you dearly for your kind words and support during this time. The sudden nature of Jayne’s passing has been felt by many and by far, and we are strengthened by the outpouring of love given by those who were fortunate to have known her.

St George’s Quiz Night In the village hall on Saturday April 20^th starting at 7.30pm.

Ploughman’s supper included, BYOB, £7 a head. Please call or message Nick on 07973 797447 to reserve a table.

Table Talk at the Otter Inn Lent is often mistakenly thought of as a dreary time, a time of self-denial and abstinence that for many does not feel at all life-giving, especially on days when it never seems to stop raining and when much in the news is so awful. So it can be tempting to forget about Lent altogether! But as we have been exploring in Table Talk session at the Otter Inn, hope can shine into the darkest of places. All welcome to come and join us at the Otter Inn Wednesday evenings in Lent at 7pm. Just turn up or for further information email Julia

9 January 2024 by David

Auction of promises in the Gittisham village hall

Catalogue with draw entry and drink on night- Helen Hayman
07806480246
Plenty of lotts for everyone!
Proceeds towards St.Michaels, Gittisham
No need to book- pre Bid form available