29th April 2008
Your Chance To Have A Say
There will be a village meeting on Thursday 8th May at 7:00 p.m. on the sports field to discuss plans to build a new village hall for Helmdon.
The Sports Club have submitted outline plans to South Northants Council for a new facility on the sports field that will bring the pavillion up to modern standards but also incorporate a large hall that could be used for plays, dances and indoor sports.
Villagers gave their support to the venture at a meeting in November 2006 but now its time to start planning the build. This is your opportunity to have a say about the precise size, location and design of the building. Village groups and organisations who are potential users of the facility are encouraged to attend to outline their needs and wants. This is the time to say - not once the plans are finalised!!
There will also be a lot of work involved in bringing the project to fruition and it is proposed that a management committee be set up to oversee it. If you would like to be involved, or have any skills that you can offer, now is the time to put your hand up.
The meeting is being organised by the Parish Plan Monitoring Group. For further information please contact the PPMG chair, Danny Moody on 768090 or by e-mail.
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24th April 2008
Cutting The Ribbon On Safer Playground
New tyre swings have
been fitted. |
The adventure playground on the school field has been
given a safety overhaul in the last few weeks and will
be officially reopened on Monday 28th April at 12:00
p.m.
The work was possible thanks to the tireless fundraising
activities of Ray Crouch and a donation from Cllr Andrew
Grant who put £3,927 of his Empowering Councillors
funding towards the project.
The two swings have a new safety surface, the slide
now has a hand rail and the adventure trail has been
repainted and new bark put underneath.
Helmdon Parish Council, who commissioned the work, own
the equipment and lease the ground from the school outside
school hours for the whole village to enjoy.
For further information contact Helmdon
Parish Council.
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]
8th April 2008
The Funeral Of Richard Lloyd
St Peter's, Brackley |
The funeral of Richard Lloyd of Helmdon will take place
on Wednesday 16th April 2008 at 2:30 p.m. in St Peter's
Church, Old Town, Brackley, Northants, NN13 7BX.
Additional car parking available at Honda F1, Brackley
NN13 7BD (please be there before 2:00 p.m. in time for
transport to church).
The service will be followed by a celebration of Richard's
life to be held at 4:15 p.m. at Silverstone Circuit,
Nr Towcester, Northants. NN12 8TN.
Richard's friends are welcome to attend either or both.
The family has asked for no flowers: Donations to:
Cystic Fibrosis Trust, BRDC Benevolent Fund, c/o undertakers
J&M Humphris, 32 Albert Street, Banbury, Oxon.
OX16 5DG.
Any further details from Apex Motorsport, 01280 824445
- e-mail
/ web
site.
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21st March 2008
Free Sand On The Green!
There is a pile of sandbags on the Green which are now
redundant as SNC has supplied special Aquasacs to houses
likely to be affected by flooding.
Helmdon Parish Clerk, Liz Hart, is trying to arrange
collection of the pile by SNC but they would prefer
them to be disposed of locally so please help yourself
if you could do with some sand!
Contact Liz on 760130 if you have any queries.
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9th March 2008
Reading Room Refurb
Your village hall needs you!
The Reading Room is about to receive a 'makeover' and
your ideas will be greatly valued because, after all,
the hall belongs to everybody in Helmdon.
The Reading Room Committee is holding an Extraordinary
AGM in the Reading Room on:
WEDNESDAY 2nd APRIL 2008 @ 8.00 P.M.
Everyone is welcome and it would be great to hear your
ideas. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful facility
but the hall needs a new look and that's where you come
in. Please come along on the 2nd April and be a part
of the planning process for the refurbishment of the
Reading Room.
If, sadly, you can't make that date, please ring either
Bill England
on 01295 760744 or Caroline
King on 01295 768695 and let us know how you think
the Reading Room could be improved.
Caroline King, Secretary, Reading Room.
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18th February 2008
Your Chance To Help Make A Difference
The first meeting of the 2008 Carnival Committee takes
place on Tuesday 19th February at 8:00 p.m. in
the Reading Room.
This is your chance to help make a difference in our
village, as all the funds raised go back in to improving
and supporting our village community, for example some
of the monies raised last year went to: Helmdon Fellowship,
Helmdon School, Friends of St Mary Magdalene, Helmdon
Acorns Pre-School, Helmdon Sports club, Reading Room,
Friends of Helmdon School, Helmdon St Mary Magdalene
Church & Brackley Cottage Hospital, as well as those
entertained throughout the carnival!!!
Meetings normally last approx one hour & we generally
have one meeting a month between now and the Carnival
- August bank holiday weekend.
Please come along and join us, everyone's help is valuable
- see you there!!!
Please contact Ros
Spence if you require further information.
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11th February 2008
Reading Room Refurb - Your Choice
As some of you will be aware, the Reading Room main
hall hopefully, will be refurbished during the course
of this year.
The discussions so far have been whether to expose the
original ceiling, or to have another suspended one,
as is there at the moment. There have been one or two
issues on this matter; one of them is heat loss if the
ceiling is exposed, another is the condition of the
original ceiling.
As the photos
show the condition is pretty good and in my opinion
will not take much work to bring it back to it's original glory. Where the heat loss is concerned, when
I opened up the suspended ceiling I found it to be as
warm above as it was in the main hall. It is YOU who
should have the say on this matter. It is YOUR hall.
Please let us know what you want. Reply to:- Bill England
760744 email bill_england@btinternet.com
or Caroline King 768695 carolineking@dsl.pipex.co.uk.
A meeting will be arranged sometime in March so could
we have your comments by the end of this February.
Bill England.
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12th January 2008
Grab it. Bag it. Bin it.
Dog excrement in the village is increasingly becoming
an issue – particularly bad spots are on Church
Street and on Station Road near the junction with Grange
Lane. South Northants Council has adopted the Dogs (Fouling
of Land) Act 1996 which enables them to designate land
where the 'poop-scoop' law applies. The designated land
includes roads, footpaths, school playing fields, sports
fields and parks. It is an offence... more
>>
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5th January 2008
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to everyone in Helmdon, and to all those
who view and support the Helmdon web site.
2008 is the International
Year of Planet Earth which aims to capture people’s
imagination with the exciting knowledge we possess about
our planet, and to see that knowledge used to make the
Earth a safer, healthier and wealthier place for our
children and grandchildren.
On 21st February look out for a total
lunar eclipse, and any other strange weather 2008
might bring us!
In sport 2008 is a leap year so that must mean the Olympic
Games - hosted this time by Beijing from 8th - 24th
August... with only 4 years to go until the games are
coming home! And dare we hope that on November 2nd 2008
Britain will be able to celebrate a new F1
world champion?!
Whatever you're doing in 2008 I hope it is a worthwhile
and memorable year!
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13th December 2007
Helmdon Rainbow Guides Really Deliver
Too much to do before Christmas? Let Helmdon Rainbow
Guides help you out by delivering your local Christmas
cards. As part of our role in the community, we are
organising a Christmas card collection and delivery
service around Helmdon and Falcutt.
Blue collection boxes can be found at the school,
the Reading Rooms (post-office drop in and Acorns),
and Seckington's Bungalow stores. Cards can also be
dropped at: 17 Shortlands Close, 79 Church St and
40 Station Rd.
All cards should include a name and street name and
house name/no. if possible (if not, please include
your phone no.). Last collection on Thursday 20th
December. Delivery on 22nd/23rd.
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6th December 2007
Cop A Load Of This
PCSO Sam Kent. |
A community policing meeting will take place on Wednesday
19th December 2007 at the Helmdon Reading Room, Church
Street from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
This meeting will cover police issues for Helmdon,
Syresham, Sulgrave, Crowfield, Greatworth, Weston
& Weedon Lois, Radstone and Whitfield.
The Safer Community Team (SCT) will be on hand so
come along to meet your local officers, discuss any
policing issues you may have in your community and
to set your three priorities for the SCT to help resolve.
It is not a meeting to discuss individual cases or
issues relating to themselves personally, but to discuss
issues which effect the whole community as a whole
i.e. speeding and anti-social behaviour.
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26th November 2007
A Legend In His Own Backpack
Dave in training over
the summer. |
Helmdon's very own Dave Bailey has raised a staggering
£2,730.50 for breast cancer research by running
175 miles across Britain.
The achievement is best described in numbers: 175
miles over 6 days, running time 36 hours, 32 minutes,
23 seconds, finishing in 4th position - money raised
£2,730.50.
Dave has produced a thank you poster for all those
that sponsored him in his endeavours - and it's not
too late to give Dave some extra cash if you are inspired
by his efforts - just click www.justgiving.com/mob07
and give generously!!
I wonder what Dave's challenge for 2008 will be?!
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26th November 2007
Don't Get Distracted
There has been a spate of distraction burglaries in
nearby villages including Charlton, Chipping Warden
and Byfield.
Distraction burglary, often called ‘bogus callers’
or ‘burglary artifice’ is a crime primarily
targeted at vulnerable older people. Offenders pose
as officials, including council workers, police officers
and utility workers, in order to gain access to homes.
Once inside the victim is distracted and the burglary
is committed.
The message is simple - if in doubt, leave them out.
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18th November 2007
Wine, women and song
On Friday November 23rd Helmdon Presents are putting
on an evening of music, stories and poetry from Georgian
England (no relation to Bill!).
The very talented musicians, suitably attired, will
be playing harpsichord and cello and will transport
you back to the Regency era of wine, women and song.
A very jovial evening of entertainment in St Mary Magdalene
parish church, Helmdon starting at 7:30 p.m..
There will be mince pies and refreshments available
to add to the atmosphere. Please email Morag
Underwood to reserve tickets @ £8.00 each.
Please spread the word amongst your friends.
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23rd October 2007
Fantastic Evening Of Sportertainment
Mark Wright. |
Helmdon Sports Club's First Sportsmen's Dinner is on
Thursday 8th November with Guest Speaker Mark Wright,
the former England & Liverpool Footballer. The club
have a few tickets remaining which can be purchased
for £35 from Karl Leitelmayer on 01280 850028
or email bluearmy71@aol.com.
The evening will include a charity auction with all
monies going to the club, a
list of auction items is attached, if people are
unable to attend but wish to bid for any of the items,
they can lodge a sealed bid with Karl Leitelmayer at
Bluearmy71@aol.com.
And finally raffle tickets are available for purchase
at £1 each, and prizes include Xmas Booze Hamper,
Wayne Rooney England Shirt, Football Manager 2007 for
the Xbox 360, Tickets to the Races, Tickets to Football
and much much more........ Tickets available from Karl
Leitelmayer, Jamie Stothard, Geoff Bridger & George
Stubbs.
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23rd October 2007
Interesting Developments
Silverstone set for development. |
It seems there are proposed developments all around
us just at the moment.
Closest to home is the Blackpits Recycling Centre, where
developers have submitted plans for three buildings
for: the collection and transfer of dry recyclables;
the processing of non hazardous, biodegradable waste;
the in vessel composting of waste and the relocation
of a surface water attenuation pond. Helmdon
Parish Council will be considering this application
on Friday 26th October at 8:00 p.m. in the Reading Room
and members of the public are invited to attend.
Just a little further away, South Northants Council
have unveiled plans for the redevelopment of Silverstone.
The development brief suggests a range of developments
including: the continuing development of the technology
park, an education campus, a new business park, hotels
and restaurants, housing next to Silverstone village,
a welcome centre with a museum, and an arena including
an exhibition area and range of motoring activities.
The developemnt brief is open for consultation until
26th November 2007 and further details can be found
on the SNC
web site.
Finally, Nuon
UK Ltd have applied to Daventry District Council
for the erection of a 60m high mast for the collection
of meterolgoical data near Preston Capes. Nuon is a
company that specialises in developing renewable energy
projects, in particular wind farms. The details of this
planning application (no. DA/2007/1007) are available
on the Daventry
District Council web site.
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9th October 2007
Helmdon Presents...
On The Black Hill |
Helmdon's cultural group, Helmdon Presents..., is proud
to present the AJTC
Theatre Company co-produced with Guildford’s
Yvonne Arnaud Theatre production On The Black Hill.
Tickets are still available for our professional touring
drama production On the Black Hill. It is being
staged in the church on Friday 19 October at 7:30 p.m.
Drinks available. It is about 1 hour 40 minutes long
with a short interval in addition. The play is accompanied
by live cello music and it promises to be an excellent
evening of entertainment. This is high quality drama
brought to your doorstep by Helmdon Presents and subsidised
by Northants Touring Arts.
Please order your tickets NOW. £8 adults and £6
concs. E-mail
orders are fine and payment can be made on the door,
or when your tickets are delivered. Please provide address
for delivery.
For more information please contact
Helmdon Presents...
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7th October 2007
Rural Reach Reaches Out
Rural Reach project workers at South Northants Volunteer
Bureau are planning a major voluntary and community
sector support services exhibition in the Empress Stand
at Towcester Racecourse on Wednesday 17th October 2007
from 2:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.
SNVB is the Local Infrastructure Organisation providing
advice on issues of concern to community groups, such
as setting up new groups, personnel and constitutional
matters, funding, volunteering, signposting and networking.
Their client base is parish councils, village hall meeting
groups, sports associations etc. as well as local and
national charities operating across the districts.
For more information please visit the SNVB
web site or telephone the parish
clerk.
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23rd September 2007
All Wright On The Night
Wrighty scoring in Italia '90 |
Helmdon Sports Club proudly announces it's first Annual
Sportsmen's Dinner with Mark Wright former England,
Liverpool, Derby, Southampton and Oxford United footballer,
at Silverstone Golf Club on Thursday 8th November.
The evening will include a 3 course meal and the very
funny Irish comedian Paddy Greene.
Tickets are strictly limited so get in quick!! Click
here for details of how to apply.
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8th September 2007
Talkabout - Early Bird Edition
Talkabout Autumn 2007 |
It's definitely not one for printing out, but for those
that have adapted to reading documents on-screen we
offer you a sneak
preview of Helmdon's biannual newsletter Talkabout.
This edition is packed full of village news and information
and is a must-read for everyone, whether you've been
in the village 40 years or 40 days!
This is also a special edition in that it is the 11th
and last to be done by Richard Wray, who is announcing
his "retirement" from doing Talkabout. So
who will take up the torch? Offers to Richard at talkabout@helmdon.com.
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1st September 2007
Tributes Pour In For Flood Volunteers
Phil Hope meets school staff
and governors. |
Cabinet Office Minister Phil Hope visited Helmdon on
30th August to check on the flood recovery efforts and
meet volunteers and local poeple. Mr Hope visited the
Reading Room to meet representatives of the Salvation
Army and British Red Cross who worked with SNC and NCC
to set up an emergency refuge there.
The Minister also went to the primary school to see
first hand the damage caused by the floods and the repair
work carried out since.
Mr Hope said "There has been some tremendous
co-operation within communities to support victims
of this summer's flooding."
"I am here to reassure the people affected that
the Government will listen and learn from their experiences
|
