It is with great regret that we have to announce the presumed death of Councillor Jeff Clare, following the tragic sinking of the vessel Aquarius.

Jeff was a wonderful friend and servant to the village of Draycott. His contribution to the Parish Council and wonderful sense of humour will be greatly missed.

30th April 2012

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     Newsletter – May 2012

Welcome to our special edition of the Parish Newsletter.  

This edition contains the Chairman’s Report to the Council given at the Annual Parish Meeting. It gives details of some of the activities of the Council and the Councillors during the year, a statement of the accounts of the Council and details of the Councillors and helpful addresses.

   Chairman’s Report

Councillor Tudbury reported that, in an economic climate which continues to be increasingly challenging, the Parish Council by careful management has once more remained within all of its budgets.  As our Concurrent Functions funding from Erewash Borough Council progressively reduces, further demands will be placed on our planning and management of village services and assets.  This is being actively addressed now so that its impacts are minimised but are in accordance with affordable plans.

Events during the year included:

• A very popular and successful Band Concert.
• A 2 week summer Play Scheme for village youngsters.
• Several visits from EBC’s skating and climbing facilities.
• Two Community Litter Picks.
• An increasingly well attended Remembrance Sunday Service.
• Thanks to our local businesses, traders and residents an even better Christmas Lights display and an increasingly popular Carol Service.
• A continuation of our community speed watch programme.

During the year works were carried out on a number of projects aimed at preserving and improving our amenities and assets.

• Repainting the Cemetery Gates and extending the ashes plot.
• Thinning out some of the coppices at St Chad’s Water together with essential maintenance work on the footpaths and hedges.
• Following the theft of the village seat on Wilne Road a replacement has been installed thanks to a Derbyshire County Council grant supported by our County Councillor – Robert Parkinson.
• ‘Smart Water’ has been applied to our War Memorial.

Following the elections last May we have been joined by new Councillors Elaine Wright and Chris Wheatley who are now fully integrated into our committee management system.

Councillor Tudbury concluded his report by paying tribute to all of the Councillors and the active roles they play in representing the Draycott community and managing its services and assets. Their role ofcourse continues to be entirely unpaid and voluntary.

He also commented on the dedicated services of Val Lewis, our Parish Clerk, without whom the management of the Parish Council and its role in the community would fail.

The Parish Council’s receipts and payments for the year ending 31 March 2012 were;

At the start of the year we had        £  29,422

During the year income came from

Precept (Council Tax payers in Draycott)      £ 14,300

Erewash Borough Council (towards the

running costs of the open spaces)                 £45,796

Fees for the use of open spaces                     £1,185                               

Rents and interest                                        £1,400                             

Other income                                            £12,469                                                                     TOTAL                                           £75,150                             

During the year we spent 

Running costs on open spaces                      £ 47,672

Donations (s137 and PoWB payments)             £1,642                                  

Parish Rooms running costs and

Clerks salary                                                £4,845                             

Other expenses                                         £ 18,363

TOTAL                                                               £ 72,522

Leaving a balance at the end of the year of  £32,050

Note – a more detailed copy of the accounts is available from the Parish Clerk.

The Parish Precept for 2011/12 was £14,300

The Parish Precept for 2012/13 is £14,300

 INFORMATION

Parish Council meetings –  

Meetings – dates of the meetings for 2012 are shown below. The first 15 minutes of the meeting is set aside for residents to raise concerns. Further details can be found on the notice boards and on the web-site.

If you want to know more about the activities of the Parish Council please visit the Council’s web-site www.draycottparishcouncil.org. The site gives details of the agenda for forthcoming meetings and minutes of previous meetings. There is also a section on news and events in the village.

CALENDAR OF MEETINGS 2012 – Tuesday evenings – at the Parish Rooms.

All meetings commence at 7.30pm unless stated otherwise.

12 June 2012 – Parish Council Meeting

10 July 2012 – Parish Council Meeting

11 September 2012 – Parish Council Meeting

9 October 2012 – Parish Council Meeting

13 November 2012 – Parish Council Meeting

11 December 2012 – Parish Council Meeting (7pm)

Cemetery – the Parish Council has appointed a specialist contractor to test the safety of the memorials at the Cemetery in March 2013. More information will be provided nearer the date, however should you wish to talk to someone about this matter please contact one of the Councillors or the Parish Clerk.

Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations - the Parish Council will be holding a special brass band concert on Sunday 10 June 2012 to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Commemorative mugs will be presented to all children attending the Draycott Community School and a special seat will be placed on the playing fields.  Grants will be given to the 1^st Draycott and Wilne Scout Group and Draycott Residents and Traders to assist them to celebrate the occasion

Village Champions!

The Parish Council nominated PCSO Karen Pykett for the Derbyshire Constabulary Community Police Officer of the Year award for 2011 and were delighted when she became a finalist – receiving her award from the Chief Constable at Police HQ.

Dave Stone – who is well known in the village for his work with Draycott Utd Football Club and organising trips to Uganda – was nominated by the Parish Council for a Derbyshire County Council ‘Excellence in the Community’ Award. Dave’s hard work was acknowledged and he received his award from Councillor George Wharmby the Chairman of Derbyshire County Council.

Community Speed Watch

Following concerns about speeding traffic in the early mornings and evenings on Derby Road, a group of Councillors together with local residents joined PC Suiter and PCSO Pykett to carry out a series of community speed watch’s. These proved most successful. If you are interested in taking part in a future speed watch in any part of the village please contact the Parish Clerk.

War Memorial

The War Memorial and gates have been marked with SmartWater, thanks to a donation from the Long Eaton area of the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme. If you are interested in starting up a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme in your street, or would like to use SmartWater on your property please contact the Parish Clerk who can provide you with more details.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Mobile skate park/climbing wall – equipment will be on the Leisure Green car park on the 6 June 2012 from 10am.

Band Concert – the Matlock Brass Band will be performing on Sunday 10 June 2012 at 2.30pm. The event will be at the Leisure Green (off Derby Road) and if wet in the Community Centre.  ALL WELCOME

Play scheme – there will be a play scheme in the village for 2 weeks this summer – 23-27 July and 30 July – 3 August from 10am t0 3pm. For further information please contact the Parish Clerk

RISLEY EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

FOR ALL STUDENTS STARTING THEIR COLLEGE COURSE THIS SEPTEMBER WOULD A SMALL GRANT BE OF USE TO YOU?

This Foundation offers educational grants to young people from 18-24 years who live, or whose parents live, in five local parishes including DRAYCOTT.

For more details and an application form please contact the Clerk to the Trustees; Margaret Giller, 27 The Chase, Little Eaton, Derby, DE21 5AS.

‘Draycott Community Primary School Nursery helps working parents’ – a message from the school;

In response to parents’ requests for full-time Nursery places for working parents, the school has now made this possible.

Children can now attend for a full day at the competitive cost of £12 a day, to cover extra staffing. Our Breakfast Club also takes children from 7.45 am at a cost of £3.50, and our After-school Club entertains children from 3.30 – 6 pm at a cost of £6.50 including a snack.  This means that, if needed, your child could be at the school from 7.45 am – 6 pm for only £22 per day – a very competitive rate considering that the Nursery is run by a qualified teacher who supports the children with their early education as well as offering childcare. Arrangements at the Nursery are very flexible, from five days a week to just a day a week when required. Our Breakfast and After-school Clubs can be used on an ‘as needed’ basis, even just to give you a chance to go shopping on your own! If you are interested in finding out more, please telephone the school on 01332 872261.

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School Holiday sports activities – Draycott Parish Council have secured funding from the Big Lottery Fund to run a series of subsidised holiday sports activities over the next 12 months for children in the village between the ages of 6 and 11. The first sports camp will run from Wednesday 6 June to Friday 8 June – 10am until 3pm each day. For further information please contact the Parish Clerk, Val Lewis on 01332 875278, e-mail draycottpc@btconnect.com or speak to Adam Metcalf of AM Sports Coaching.   

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A MESSAGE FROM DERBYSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Calling all gardeners – is your compost more mushy than magical? More whiffy than wonderful?

Compost is a great, inexpensive way of improving your garden that makes use of uncooked food scraps and other household waste – but it can sometimes be difficult to get it right.

As it’s National Composting Week from May 6 to May 12 now is the ideal time to perfect your compost recipe.

Take a look at the simple steps below for some top tips on getting the balance just right.

Plus, thanks to Derbyshire County Council, you have the chance to win £25 worth of garden centre vouchers just by answering some simple questions online.

Top Tips to successful composting.

What can go in your compost (remember you’ll need a good 50/50 mix of green and brown materials)

GREENS:

• Tea bags                   
• Grass cuttings
• Vegetable peelings 
• Old flowers / nettles
• Coffee grounds and filter papers

BROWNS:

• Egg shells     
• Egg and cereal boxes
• Corrugated cardboards and paper
• Toilet rolls and kitchen roll tubes
• Straw and Hay
• Twigs and hedge clippings
• Tissues, paper towels and napkins
• Ashes from wood, paper and lumpwood charcoal
• Sawdust

What can’t go in your compost:

• Cooked vegetables
• Meat
• Dairy products
• Diseased plants
• Dog mess, cat litter or baby’s nappies

Once you have started filling up your bin remember that patience is a virtue.  It takes between nine and 12 months for your compost to become ready for use so keep on adding browns and greens.

Remember to turn your compost occasionally to get air into it and then let nature do the hard work.

Derbyshire County Councillor John Allsop, cabinet member for technology and recycling, said: “We’re hoping lots of people join in and start composting at home if they aren’t already.

“It’s not hard once you’ve got into the hang of it and the end result is nutrient-rich food for your garden.

“Now is a good time to start as it’s a time when many of us are tidying up outdoors so you can put all those cuttings and clippings to good use.

“By putting less rubbish in your dustbin, you’re helping to reduce landfill, protect the environment and preserve precious resources.”

Once your compost has turned into a crumbly, dark material resembling thick moist soil and gives off an earthy fresh aroma you know it’s ready to use. 

Your homemade compost can then be put to lots of different uses, from enriching flowerbeds and pot plants to growing herbs and feeding your trees.

The county council works in partnership with Even Greener to offer discounted compost bins from as little as £16 plus delivery charge.

For more information go to www.derbyshire.gov.uk/composting or call 0844 571 4444.

TROUBLE SHOOTING

• In order for  the composting process to work it needs four things: food, air, moisture and warmth
• If your compost is too wet and is a bit smelly add more brown materials.
• If it’s too dry and is not rotting then add some green materials.
• Air is essential to the composting process and by mixing material up and adding scrunched up browns such as cardboard as you fill your bin, it will create air pockets and help keep your compost in tip top condition.
• Keep it all warm by placing a flattened cardboard box or piece of old carpet on top of the compost materials
• Picking the right site is important – partially shaded or sunny spots on a flat area of ground with bare soil is perfect, but compost bins will work fine if sited on grass covered areas.
• For more tips see www.recyclenow.com/home_composting

Did you know? Composting at home for just one year can save global warming gases equivalent to all the Co2 your kettle produces annually.

Did you know? Up to 30% of the average household’s waste is organic and can be composted.

For a chance to win £25 worth of garden centre vouchers visit www.derbyshire.gov.uk/composting and answer three simple questions about composting.

(Online competition closes June 29^th).