0590 Loddon Reach June 20 64pp Interactive) - Flipbook - Page 67
SWALLOWFIELD PARISH COUNCIL
A
pril and May 2020 have been unusual
and challenging months for Swallowfield
Parish Council. Because of the coronavirus
lockdown, Swallowfield Parish Hall has been
closed, as has Riseley Village Tea Room. Car parks
and playing fields have been out of bounds too.
The Clerk and Finance Officer are working from
home, with working group and parish council
meetings making use of the time and empty
spaces by carrying out decorating, maintenance
and deep cleaning, while observing strict rules of
social distancing. Stephen has been weeding the
outside patios around the hall and clearing Fox’s
Run. A damaged children’s bench in the play area
at Swallowfield has been replaced with a new
“springer”, ready for when the park can reopen.
Members of the community have not been idle
either and the parish council is incredibly grateful
to all those who are volunteering and helping
others: shopping, collecting prescriptions, walking
dogs, arranging WhatsApp groups or Zoom calls.
So many residents are involved but we should
like to thank Jenny Burnett, Mark Binns and their
willing team of volunteers in particular, and those
Invention and ingenuity are now the order of
the day. As the proposed parish VE celebrations
had to be cancelled, many people followed the
government timetable and held socially distanced
tea parties at 4pm and 6pm drinks with the
neighbours. Sounds of “We’ll Meet Again” could
be heard around the parish at 9pm. Flags and
who are running the community Facebook pages,
Keep Riseley Beautiful, which has involved the
many new residents, Swallowfield Community
and Swallowfield Community Help Group, all of
which support and inform. Environmental activists
have cleared the nettles in the Marshes, mulched
the trees in the orchard and sown wildflowers on
green spaces. Another resident, David Entwistle,
has spent days on his hands and knees, weeding
around the road and the war memorial. There are
many more acts of kindness and care taking place
– too many to mention here – but the council and
the parish thank you all. What could have been
such a challenging time has brought out many
positive forces in our community.
bunting were displayed while
people commemorated the
historic importance of the 75th
anniversary of Victory in Europe.
Despite appearances, parish council business is
still being conducted and plans for the car park
are underway. The council have
engaged with a firm of consulting
engineers, getting the necessary
surveys, technical drawings and
specifications, including disabled
access, ready to go to tender.
The parish hall improvement
and future-proofing project
is also underway and will be
taken in discrete stages over a
number of years. An architect
has been selected to lead the
council through the proposed
stages, a working party has been
formed and, when ready, plans
will receive wider consultation.
Unfortunately, the current state
of affairs and the lack of hall
revenue might put this project
on hold, but the council remains
optimistic and excited about the
future.
Liz Halson
BEECH HILL PARISH COUNCIL
Keep in touch with what is happening in Beech Hill
Website: beechhillvillage.co.uk – register to receive email notification when anything is added to the
website on topics of your choosing.
Village email: Allowing residents to be notified of important announcements of specific relevance to
Beech Hill villagers. Our aim is to have everyone in Beech Hill included in this list. To be added to the
list, please send your details to webmaster@beechhillvillage.co.uk.
Facebook: Search for ‘Beech Hill Village Community’ or click on the link on the village website.
66
67