How much do you know about the history of the road names in our parish? Only eight people attempted the 20 question sheet that was available from the Parish Council table at this year's Carnival & Fete on 28th June. The joint winners with 13 correct answers were the Chairman of Staplehurst Society and former Chairman of the Parish Council. They each receive a bottle of wine for their efforts. The question sheet with answers highlighted is available through this
ANSWERS link. Thank you to Councillor Wendy Green for having drawn up the question sheet which, on close inspection and understanding her humour, is extremely entertaining. Well done all!
The three parishes of Marden, Headcorn and Staplehurst have each contributed towards a community football scheme to be run by Charlton Athletic Football Club during this year. Weekly sessions have been held in each of the three parishes on a rotating basis and the scheme returns to Staplehurst Primary School from 15 July – 12th August;Open to all young people; 10-14s 5.30- 6.15pm and over 14s at 6.15pm - 7 pm. If you have any queries, telephone Alex Mckay – 07984 732506or just turn up to any session.
STREET CLEANSING
During the weeks allocated for Street Cleansing in Staplehurst, MBC will provide a manual crew as well as a mechanical sweep.
The manual crew will sweep the footpaths, where necessary and road channels off the larger roads. The mechanical sweeper will sweep the road channels on all the larger roads and those the vehicle can access. Please see the Calendar for dates of Street Cleansing. If residents notice an area of the village which has not been included in the sweep, please contact the Assistant Parish Clerk
assistantclerk@staplehurstvillage.org.uk or
deanreader@maidstone.gov.uk
STAPLEHURST PARTNERSHIP/ACTION PLAN
An online survey has now been prepared for Staplehurst residents to comment on what they think about Staplehurst and its future. As well as making choices in answer to questions, the survey will give the opportunity to express new ideas and to tell the community what residents think needs to be done. Initial results of the survey will be made available in May on the partnership web site, in the following issue of the Village Update and at the Annual Parish Meeting on 12th May. Staplehurst Residents please participate in the survey, if you leave it to others your opinions and your creative thoughts and ideas may not be heard. Do the survey now at
www.staplehurst-partnership.com If you know of anyone who hasn't access to the internet, kindly let them know that the survey can be accessed through the Library computers or by appointment at the Parish Office.
Buy With Confidence
Kent County Council have launched a new scheme, called 'Buy with Confidence. The aim of the scheme is to help consumers by providing a list of traders with proven reliability and to make life harder for the rogue traders.
If you know of any reputable traders who would like more information, or may be interested in joining the scheme, please ask them to comtact Sharon Salisbury, E-mail,
buywithconfidence@kent.gov.uk
PARTNERS AND COMMUNITIES TOGETHER - PACT
The Action Plan arising from the first PACT meeting held in November 2006 is now available to view
HERE . This was reviewed in May and October 2007. The PACT newsletter can be downloaded from
HERE. The latest priorities arising from the October 07 meeting were speeding, littering, parking, stewardship at the Parade, complete the Surrenden survey and set up a Youth Forum. If anyone would like to help ensure these goals are reached then please contact either the Parish Clerk on 01580 891761 or email;
staplehurst1@btconnect.com or PC Marc Pennicott on 07980 770575 or email;
marc.pennicott@kent.pnn.police.uk .
SPEEDWATCH TRAINING
Several more volunteers have now been trained to use the Speedwatch equipment and teams will be out and about with increasing frequency. Any drivers who choose to ignore the lawful speed limit will have their car registration numbers noted and details of persistent offenders will be passed to the Police for action in due course. You have been warned! Watch Your Speed as Speedwatch Volunteers are too!
If anyone else wishes to receive Speedwatch Training please contact the Clerk if you wish to put your name down for future training events. Tel: 01580 891761 or Email:
staplehurst1@btconnect.com
COMMUNITY POLICING
PC Marc Pennicott has been working in this area since September 2005 as the Staplehurst and Marden Community Police Officer. When on duty, he can be contacted directly by Mobile on: 07980 770575, Office Telephone: 01622 604391 or by Email on:
marc.pennicott@kent.pnn.police.uk He provides support to the Rural Warden Chris Lomax and Police Community Support Officer Pete Gardner who are regularly to be found walking the streets of Staplehurst. These officers can give advice on protecting yourself, your home and your proprety from crime and on how you can play a part in keeping your community safe.
Rural Warden Chris Lomax helps residents on any community matter and can be contacted on 07811 271254 or Email on:
chris.lomax@kent.gov.uk .
There is a Police and Council Surgery at the Library between 10 and 12 noon on the last Saturday of each month, where parishioners can raise issues or ask for advice face-to-face. Take a look at the Rural Partnership page via the banner on the Home Page for further useful information
KENTCARSHARE
This free, simple, secure, internet-based service enables people to register their car journeys on-line and find others to share the costs. Car sharing can be used to get to work on a daily basis, going to the shops once a week or even for social events that happen just once in a while. A pilot scheme has been running for 1 year and has over 1,700 registered users across Kent. There is every chance of finding a potential car sharer close to your home or place of work. New users are automatically entered into a prize draw to win one year of free car tax. Contact
http://www.kent.gov.uk/carshare for full details.
ROGUE TRADERS
Trading Standards have asked all householders and drivers to be alert. There are Rogue Traders and Doorstep Criminals operating in Kent. If you are approached by anyone offering to carry out repairs to your property, turn them away and call 0845 345 0210.
If you see roofers, builders, gardeners or odd-job workers acting suspiciously, call 0845 345 0210. Keep an eye open to help any vulnerable people. You can call the confidential hotline from Monday to Friday, 8 am to 8pm.
NEW GUIDELINES FOR THE DISPOSAL OF TELEVISION SETS
Due to new legislation regarding hazardous waste, Maidstone Borough Council contractors SITA can no longer collect televisions or monitors in the same vehicle as other items on the Bulky Collection Service or on the Weekend Freighter Service.
TV & Monitors will be collected by a separate vehicle. This will mean that:
• Bulky Collection Service - TVs and monitors will be collected by the separate vehicle that collects fridges and freezers. When taking bookings, our Contact Centre will explain to residents that if their booking includes TVs or monitors (or indeed fridges or freezers) they will be collected separately from any other items.
• Weekend Freighter Service - TVs and monitors will be taken separately by a small caged vehicle that currently takes other unsuitable waste that cannot be put in the back of the freighter. If the resident wishes to dispose of any TVs or monitor using this service, they will have to provide a name and address in order for SITA to be allowed to dispose of these items. If a name and address is not provided, SITA will refuse any TVs or monitors and will advise residents to dispose of them using the Bulky Collection Service.
QUALITY PARISH
Staplehurst Parish Council was awarded "Quality Parish" status in 2005. Read the full Press Release
HERE .
STAPLEHURST VILLAGE UPDATE AND ANNUAL REPORTS The next edition of the quarterly Village Update is being prepared and will be delivered, mainly by hand, to every household within this parish. If anyone wishes to help deliver the Village Update please contact the Parish Office on 01580 891761 or email; staplehurst1@btconnect.com . Copies of the latest and previous Village Updates are downloadable from HERE together with a copy of the Annual Reports of 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 from HERE . The Parish Council hopes you will find these informative and useful.