March 2024 - Magazine - Page 11
A VIEW FROM (OUTSIDE) THE PAVILLION
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hris Woodley has stepped down from Brenchley and Matfield Parish Council
after eleven years of very valuable service and four years as Chairman.
I am personally very sorry that Chris has stepped down after all the work he
has done in the Parish over all those years, not least the effort he contributed
to the re-building of the pavilion after it was destroyed by fire and Chairing the
Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group. Other valuable service to the community
was to Chair the Tunbridge Wells Area Committee of the Kent Association of Local
Councils. I am sure that he will continue to contribute massively to parish life
going forward and I wish him well with all the many projects he has lined up.
Chris’s shoes as Chairman are hard to fill so the Parish Council intend to use
a scheme, used by other parish councils, to rotate the Chair. Under this new
arrangement each councillor will have a few months tenure as Chair. Whilst this
will put more strain on the Clerk it will be a very valuable learning experience for
each councillor as to what being the Chair involves. It also means that the focus
of the Council might subtly change with each new Chair which may give the
Council different perspectives. This scheme will continue at least until the next
elections, which were scheduled for last May, but were postponed until next May.
At the Extraordinary Meeting of the Council on 9th June I was honoured
to be nominated the first Chair under the new scheme. I am looking forward
to my months as Chair and if you want to contact me please email me on tony.
deguingand@brenchleyandmatfield.co.uk or phone the Clerk on 01892 723586.
Keep safe
Tony de Guingand
Chairman, Brenchley and Matfield Parish Council
Shop Opening Hours
Mon-Fri 7am to 7pm
Sat 8am to 5pm.
Sun 8am to 12pm
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ustomer numbers are currently restricted to five in the shop at any one time
(three between 2pm and 5pm.) This is to allow us to maintain correct social
distancing. Please use hand sanitiser provided before entering the shop. Please
wear a face covering in the shop if it is safe for you to do so.
If you can, please do continue to use our delivery service as it will reduce the
number of customers coming to the shop and ensure the delivery operation is
sustainable for those who depend on it. Deliveries to Brenchley and Matfield
are on Fridays with £3 delivery charge. Collection from store - £1.
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