Summertime is picnic time!
We have installed another new picnic bench at the Gainsborough playpark! This one is designed so that a wheelchair user can tuck a chair under one of the short ends. The playpark area is looking great!
Hazel Hedge Growth
The hedge plants that Martin the Ranger planted last year at the bottom of the allotment site at Gainsborough is thriving! We have asked Martin to follow the ‘no mow May’ advice in order to encourage wildflowers and wildlife but we wanted him to make an exception for the hazel plants because they were suffocating under stinging nettles…
Laptops for Learners
This initiative is spearheaded by South Somerset District Councillor Sarah Dyke (who has also just been elected as our County Councillor), in partnership with her good friend Simon Barfoot who set up a Community Interest Company called DonateIT. The initiative was born out of the Covid-19 crisis and over the last 18 months or so has collected 600 unwanted devices and provided over 125 refurbished computers, PCs, laptops and tablets to individual pupils and schools, including our own Milborne Port Primary School. This great work looks set to continue beyond the easing of restrictions as there is still a significant need. So, please dust off those devices that you know that you will never use again as Simon’s techies can perform wonders on them and turn them into valuable resources for our young people.
Bring them to our office at the Town Hall on any Tuesday or Wednesday morning between 9am and 12 noon (no monitors or printers, please…) Thank you!
New Council Starts to Form:
The Parish has a new Parish Council. 9 Councillors have started a 5-year term in office. At the Annual Meeting in May, Councillor Tim Carty was elected as the Full Council Chairman and the Planning & Environment Committee have elected Councillor Campbell as its Chairman. The council is still looking for 4 more people in the Parish to become involved; do contact the Parish Clerk if interested. We are partially looking for people with experience with managing building projects, local planning law, open spaces management or applying for grants. But if none of these apply, don’t be put off – we would still love to hear from you and we don’t bite.
Other Items in Brief:
- A new fence has been commissioned to run the full length between the Allotments and the Play Park. This will be dog proof, and it should be remembered that dogs are not permitted in the Play Park. This should be in place by August.
- The Council is looking to have the roof of the Chapel in the Cemetery repaired. If you or anyone you know would be able to tender for this work, please do contact the Parish Clerk.
- Along the same lines, the Parish Council is looking to replace/install a lot of new post and rail fencing at the cemetery; again, if you or anyone you know would like to offer a quotation/estimate, please contact the Parish Clerk.
- Finally, the Ball Court paving (ground) needs grouting; a small area by the wall has already been done to see what it would look like and to see how it would last. This has proven successful and we are now looking for someone to continue the job across the whole area. You know what to do…