VILLAGE INFORMATION

VILLAGE INFORMATION

NEWS

Litton Cheney Parish Council – We await confirmation from the Government on details below The next meeting of the parish council is planned to be on Tuesday 13th July, and for the first time in many months it should be an actual face-to-face meeting at LATCH. The meeting will hopefully be preceded by a Village Assembly (see below) at 7 pm. Play your part in the life of Litton Cheney, come along and have your say. Village Assembly, Tuesday 13th July at 7 pm, - Date may change This is an actual meeting – yes really! It will be held in the main hall of LATCH and will be the first chance in many months for “live” debate. This BVN notice is intended is to serve as a reminder for local residents to please note their diaries, turn up on the day and have their say. Needless to say, last minutes adjustments may be necessary dependent on Covid restrictions. We want to know how you see the village evolving over the coming years. Current planning intents suggest it will be placed in tier 4 which means further development will be limited to affordable housing, community facilities and redevelopment of redundant farm buildings. In recent times we have seen a number of young families move into the village to the point where the school is close to its maximum capacity. There is a possibility areas of Dorset could be in line to become a national park. What impact would that have on life in the village? Options will be discussed and explained but if you want to influence the debate you will need to be there. 30 MPH Speed Limit The second consultation has been completed concerning the areas of the village that would be included in the speed restriction. It will now be down to Dorset Council as to when they programme the work to have the various signs installed. • • Sponsor a Bench so that others may appreciate our surroundings • The Parish Council will hopefully be able to explain more about this scheme in greater detail at the Village Assembly on Tuesday 13th July. The intent is to set up a ring-fenced fund that local residents can donate to, the idea being to locate a number of benches in and around the parish where there are spectacular views to behold and offering the perfect place to simply rest and enjoy them. Please contact Quentin Blacke 07919905588 or John Firrell 482313 to find out more. Village Soccer Derby For the first time in many moons a football match was played between Litton and Puncknowle on Sunday 13th June on Litton Cheney’s village playing field. The cheering was raucous, the tackling robust and the football talent on display a trifle wanting but hey, everyone had a great time, the result didn’t matter (actually Puncknowle won 5 - 2) and, post match, everyone ambled or hobbled down to The White Horse for sustenance laid on by Andy and Liz and some well deserved liquid refreshment. Huge thanks to Peter Gull for organising this day of fun, frolics and football. Can we make this an annual home and away event and alternate the result? Events at LATCH - July The hall is open and gatherings of up to 30 are allowed, but numbers are still restricted indoors, with social distancing and mask- wearing still required. This may change depending on Government guidance. The patio area has now been extended, giving a much more useable space and there are plans for some shrub and tree planting over the coming months. There will be maintenance work carried out in the car park during the week of July 26th – 30th so access and parking will be limited during that time. Wednesdays 16.00 – Table Tennis (Ron Davidson 482661) 19.00 – Yoga with Anna Forrest (annaiyengaryoga@gmail.com) Fridays 10.00 – Art class in Meeting Room (annvgray@hotmail.com) Tuesday 13th 19.00 Village Assembly – All welcome. Confirmation awaited. Sunday 25th 10.30 - 12.30 Restorative Yoga & Yoga Nidra with Nadiya Wynn (nadiya@restorativebeing.co.uk) Mobile: 07800 712998 Bookings: Wendy Firrell 01308 482532 wtlitton@gmail.com Artsreach will be coming to LATCH on Thursday, August 26th . Please note that booking is online ONLY at: https://artsreach.co.uk/what’s-on. For any further details please contact Ron Davidson on 482661 Summer Art Classes at Litton and Thorner’s Community Hall Drawing, watercolour, sketching, still life, landscape and natural world; Beginners and Improvers - Six week sessions. Small friendly group of up to six - Reasonable rates Please contact Ann Gray annvgray@hotmail.com 01308 482216 or 07923907298 Wine Tasting In Celebration of the life of Steven Spurrier we will be holding a commemorative wine tasting event at LATCH on Saturday 23rd October. It will be organised along the lines of the famous “Judgment of Paris” when, in 1976, as a result of a blind tasting carried out by recognised international wine luminaries and organised by Steven, the world of wine came to the shocking conclusion that fine wine did indeed exist beyond the confines of France and indeed Europe. More details on what will be called “Judgment of the Bride Valley” and how to reserve your judgment will follow in August/September, and, understandably, will be dependent on any restrictions in place at the time. Marriage of Mariesha James and Maciej Biernacki After being cancelled last year due to COVID-19 Tess and John Mulhall are delighted to announce that Mariesha and Maciej got married on the 28th May 2021. We celebrated with a small family Wedding Breakfast at The Club House on the Friday, followed by a Marquee reception at LATCH on the Saturday. The sun shone and the beautiful Bride Valley was an outstanding backdrop for the celebrations. Although limited to 30 guests, there was ample celebratory behaviour to honour such an occasion. We thank all the support given by villagers and friends with special mention to those that provided a secret refuge for The Best Man! We wish Miesh and Maj continued happiness and good fortune as they embark on the next chapter of their lives. Village Kiosk – A Huge Thank You The village kiosk officially opened its doors in its new guise as a book exchange, and offering children’s puzzles, games and small toys and seed sharing on Wednesday 23rd June. The kiosk itself is a thing of beauty, with considerable innovation provided within. This has come about via the sterling efforts of Beverly and Pete Dennis, and Liz Pinfield to whom we owe a huge vote of thanks. The kiosk now stands as a wonderful centrepiece, welcoming visitors to the village as they descend Whiteway. Beverly will keep people up to date with kiosk matters via the village FB page. If you can contribute to its present function please do so, and if you would like to help keep the kiosk looking tickety boo, Beverly would love to hear from you – b.dennis995@btinternet.com The White Horse Not much to say this month really. At time of writing, restrictions have just been extended for four more weeks so we carry on in uncertainty. However, we are open, we are starting to get back on our feet and doing our best to serve our lovely locals and holiday- makers as quickly as possible. Opening times have been a bit variable, but for now we are open Monday to Wednesday evenings from 5pm, Thursday lunchtime and evening, and Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 12. On Monday nights Sourdough Ted is here with his lovely home-made pizzas, Friday night is fish ‘n chip night of course and Sunday roasts are back at lunchtime. Pub menu available the rest of the time. It’s great to see you back; let’s hope we are all nearly through the tunnel at last. Enjoy the sun! Andy & Liz And lastly, but of huge importance for All of US! BC (before Covid) the village was a sociable and active place to live – the sociability to some extent continues in a limited capacity today, conditioned by Covid restrictions, but understandably activity has been limited. Over the last 20 years there have been: Village Fetes, Village BBQs, Producers’ Markets, Village Cafes, Wine Tastings, Artsreach shows, Harvest Suppers, film nights, bingo evenings, quiz nights at the pub, Duck Race, Carol singing, short mat bowls, table tennis, yoga, Pilates, ballroom dancing, archery, art, creative writing and calligraphy classes, toddler group, Scouts, Cubs & Beavers, and a Youth Club…….. Many of these have been fund-raisers, others organised for the sheer joy of being there. Although some of these have already restarted (table tennis, yoga, art classes, an Artsreach show for children in August, toddler group in September and wine tasting in October) it would be lovely for some of the other events and entertainments to happen again. Surely now is the time for a new start to bring the village back to life and give newcomers a proper chance to meet up with the village community. Those who have lived in the village for many years have organised and run all these events and entertainments. It is now the time for new and enthusiastic ideas and action from the “younger” members of our community to come to the fore. Could YOU be the instigator of a vibrant new lease of life for our village; perhaps join with a group of friends to set up and run some eminently sociable events to bring the community together and, yes, have some fun! The resetting of Entertainment and Events will be a feature of the Village Assembly agenda on Tuesday 13th July (date may need to change due to Covid restrictions) and by coming along YOU can be part of it. In ten/twenty years time you could be putting a notice just like this in the BVN seeking someone to take your place! Now there’s something to look forward to!