St Mary’s Church Our normal Sunday services continue at St. Mary’s following the usual pattern of Morning Worship on the first Sunday, Holy Communion on the second and fourth Sundays, and Morning Prayer (Mattins) on the third Sunday. Of course we all have to wear masks now, but we can still hum along to our own recorded hymns! Harvest Festival will be celebrated on Sunday 4th October, but at the moment we are not sure whether there can be lunch afterwards – it may have to be a “bring your own picnic” but that will depend on the regulations in place at the time – and also the weather. Look out for posters on the notice boards, on the village website and Litton Observer Facebook nearer the time. Litton Cheney Parish Council The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 8th September, almost certainly virtually but instructions will be provided indicating how you can join the meeting whilst still sat at home. The Parish Council held their last meeting virtually on 14th July and the draft minutes can be found on the village website. Although there are relatively few planning applications within the village, links to details of any current application can be found on the village website and village notice boards. Unfortunately at some point you will need access to an online connection, perhaps via a friend/neighbour if you do not have access yourself. Please contact the Parish Clerk, Maggie Walsh, on 01308 281561 who may be able to assist further. Village Litter Pick – September In line with the Great British Litter Pick being carried out during the months of August and September we are organising our own village litter pick during the month of September. As for 2019 we will be splitting the village up into sections with an organiser for each section to do what organisers do so well – organise! More information will be made available in due course but please stand ready to help, and, have no fear, it will be done with all due precautions in place. Please join in and help us clean up! The Village Telephone Kiosk is being adopted BT have indicated their intent to remove the village telephone kiosk, along with kiosks in many other Dorset villages, because of a lack of use. No calls have been made from the kiosk in the last eighteen months. The Parish Council have objected to the kiosk’s removal and have applied to adopt it at the cost of £1. Once the process has been completed, the telephone equipment will be removed. Local residents are now being asked to decide what use the kiosk should be given – so, the world is your oyster – let your imagination run wild! When we eventually assemble for our belated annual village gathering, we will be asking for your opinions but you don’t need to wait until then as you can pass your suggestion to John Firrell jfirrell20@gmail.com Many thanks in anticipation of a deluge of (polite) suggestions! Would Litton Cheney benefit from a speed limit? Several local residents have approached the Parish Council and enquired if a speed limit would be considered in the village. The Parish Council plan to discuss this matter at their next meeting on Tuesday 8th September. In the meantime several posters will be displayed around the village suggesting motorists watch their speed. If you have an opinion with regards to bringing in a speed limit in the village – presently it is 60 mph! - then either contact a parish councillor (details can be found on the village website) or attend the virtual PC meeting on the 8th September. Litton and Thorner’s Community Hall (LATCH) Although the hall is now officially open, most of our regular hirers have yet to return, though Thorner’s pupils will be using the hall in a limited way again once term starts. You may have seen scaffolding surrounding both ends of the building during August – this was to enable roof repairs to be undertaken and also some painting work to be done. Hopefully the building will now stay smart and watertight for several years to come! Litton Cheney Fun Day – Sunday 20th September Organised by the Litton Cheney Social Committee and beginning at LATCH from noon; bring a picnic, get involved with disc golf, welly throwing, amongst attractions at neighbouring “Kingston’s Towers“ and then eventually, very slowly, edge down towards The White Horse or drift homewards. Ideas, offers of more attractions, and help on the day are warmly welcomed. Please email ronandalison.davidson@gmail.co Covid-19 Guidance regulations must be followed. If you plan things carefully you can start your Fun Day at LATCH, move into Paul Kingston’s adjoining field and then late afternoon, as suggested above, move onto The White Horse to end a fun day – see below Do come along, tell you friends, make new ones, and ENJOY. The White Horse – Back with a bang! Thank you to everyone who has supported the reopening of The White Horse. Can’t say it’s been easy; it’s all been a bit off kilter to be honest, but we are open, we are serving beer and food and you lovely people are coming in and the sun is shining, so that’s enough for now. Hope those of you who were able to attend Liz’s big birthday enjoyed it - we certainly did; the chance for live music in the garden was a treat in itself. So, weather permitting, we have a few weeks of summer left, then look forward to the Village Fun Day on 20th September. Think we will do a quiz for you at the end of the day. Details to follow, but a simple general knowledge quiz with a few prizes to get everyone involved should finish the day off nicely. Watch our Observer Facebook page for details. Thank you Bride Valley. You continue to be amazing in these weird and wonderful times and we can’t think of anywhere better to live our weird and wonderful lives. Andy and Liz x BRIDE VALLEY FILMS at Litton Cheney Community Hall. BVF had hoped to show our two spring films, Judy and Knives Out, in the autumn; however the Covid situation continues to be unresolved. Although we can seat 34 for a socially distanced viewing in Litton, Burton cannot achieve their break even numbers in their hall. So screenings are not viable at present. With this in mind and the fact that many people may not be happy to attend indoor events until possibly a vaccine is created, we have decided to delay any new dates until 2021; hopefully we may be able to resume then. At such time we will need to try to ascertain whether everyone has seen all available films during lockdown etc. so we can confirm titles. Meantime we hope everyone keeps well - and enjoys beautiful Dorset!