Can you help by making a donation of a gift or two?

A massive thank you to the Creative Skills Hub, they planted 250 Daffodill bulbs in support of the Parish Council Wildflower initiative around the pond at the entrance to the Recreation Ground. Did you also know they have a great event going on this Saturday at the Village Hall. Why not buy a ticket for a great evening of music and dancing.

Its that time of year again, this year Santa would like some help, come dressed as Elfs or Santa himself. Make a donation to the Stars Appeal and follow Santa to the Recreation Ground where there will be singing and merriment along with some food and drink at The Penny Tap. Have some fun and support a great cause.

Country Watch

A collective of partners working together to tackle rural crime in Dorset.

Its great to see a county wide initiative that supports rural communities, more details are Here!

With winter approaching and the on-going cost of living crisis, many people are increasingly worried about how they are going to pay bills, heat their home and put food on the table.

Citizens Advice in East Dorset and Purbeck would like to remind residents to seek help early on and that they are here to offer free advice and support.

Experienced advisers are available to provide support about a wide range of issues including, debt, energy advice, employment, benefits and housing. There is a range of support available particularly to low income households which many residents many not know about.

Advice is provided through multiple channels including telephone, email, video conferencing and face to face from their offices in Wimborne and Wareham and from outreach services across the region. Home visits are also offered to those more vulnerable people who are unable to access these services.

Free Carbon Monoxide Monitor

Citizens Advice in East Dorset and Purbeck are offering free Carbon Monoxide Monitors. Please speak to an adviser for a chat about the dangers of Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning and a free monitor will be ordered for you.

Drop-in Locations

Local residents can call into one of the drop-in sessions at the following locations. Advice is free and no appointment is necessary:

• Wimborne Citizens Advice - Monday 10am-12noon

• Wareham Citizens Advice - Thursday 10am-12noon

• Ferndown Library - Tuesday & Friday, 10am-2pm

• The Centre, Barns Road, Ferndown - Thursday, 10am-2pm

• Lytchett Matravers Library - Friday 10am-12noon

• Swanage Town Hall, Wednesday 10am-2pm (except first Wednesday of the month)

• Herston Village Hall, Swanage - First Monday of each month 10am-12noon

And by appointment only at:

Bovington Hive, Lytchett Minster & Upton Town Council, Swanage Library, Upton Library &

Verwood Library.

For details of all of outreach and drop-in locations visit www.edpcitizensadvice.org.uk/get-advice/in-person

For general advice and support call the Dorset Adviceline freephone 0800 144 8848 (Textphone: 0800 144 8884), 10am-4pm weekdays or visit www.edpcitizensadvice.org.uk

ends

For more information contact:Sian Smith, Comms Officer, tel: 01929 408947, email: sian.smith@edpcitizensadvice.org.uk

About Citizens Advice in East Dorset and Purbeck

Citizens Advice in East Dorset and Purbeck have offices in Wareham and Wimborne with outreach clinics throughout East Dorset and Purbeck.

Citizens Advice in East Dorset and Purbeck provides free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities to enable them to find a way forward whatever problems they face. We value diversity, promote equality, challenge discrimination wherever we see it and aim to improve the policies and practices that affect people's lives. Visit www.edpcitizensadvice.org.uk for more information.

Citizens Advice in East Dorset and Purbeck is a registered charity, charity number: 1068414

Concern about the cutting back of the recreation ground hedge (part of the medium-term plan below) has been raised on Facebook, this report is to clarify issues raised and provide details on what is taking place. Please note every Parish Councillor is a volunteer, voted in by the community. If you feel strongly about this and other issues please contact a member of the council directly, our details are in the Downsman and on the Parish Council website – https://sixpennyhandleyandpentridge-pc.gov.uk.

The recreation ground hedges have not been managed for over 25 years, this is due to the fact that ownership was not clear, as part of the Recreation Ground review ownership was identified and is the responsibility of the Parish Council. The whole Parish Council met at the Recreation Ground earlier this year to discuss upkeep and maintenance of the ground and facilities which is owned by the Parish. This included buildings, boundaries, and the ground maintenance. All aspects to be considered by the Parish Council were captured in the ‘Grounds Maintenance & Future Planning’ document. At the Finance and General Purpose Parish Council Meeting held on the 3^rd of June at the Parish Office the document was reviewed. The outcome of this was a short, medium and long term plan being agreed and minuted. The following is an extract from the minutes which are available from the Parish Office on request.

Short Term

Members agreed to engage with local contractor Bradley Kilshaw to discuss matters relating to the Cricket boundary perimeter & banking, Artificial strip maintenance & practise nets, Play area & Church boundary hedge and the School end boundary - removal of elder & scrub encroaching onto recreation area. Members agreed to meet Mr Kilshaw at Recreation Ground 4th June @ 5pm Cllrs Reed, Meaden & New to attend. The new hedge along Saddlers boundary needs regular watering – the Bowls Club have an outside tap to provide a possible solution. Cllr D Adams agreed responsibility to mow the L shape grassed area whilst maintaining a pathway for school pick up. Members agreed for the Pitch Groundsman to continue to mow the cricket outfield.

Medium Term

The planting of a hedge behind the green container – continuation of hedge to tidy up the corner of the cricket boundary. The large hedge row between S Judd’s land and the Recreation ground is the responsibility of the PC but works to layer/reduce will require access for the appropriate machinery. Members agreed to gain permission and quotes from landowner & contractor and begin work at the (Church end) and continuing towards the corner of the rapeseed field. Commencement of work late September/October as any waste can be disposed of on the annual bonfire. Cllr D Adams to approach Mr S Judd. A local contractor has been contacted to landscape & grade the land at the rear of the Pavilion – waiting for a child friendly natural design and quote.

Longer Term

• The continuation of hedge row layering – Autumn 2022.
• The reorganisation of storage, increasing capacity, replacement/removal of the green container and the amalgamation of machinery to one compound area – formal planning and grant funding will be required.
• The purchase of a new mower will require raising funds.

Vegetation on the steep football bank to be left longer - a home to wildflowers encourage flora & fauna.

Why cut the hedge back

It is very difficult to find suitably qualified contractors at this time of year and there is limited time for this work to be conducted and allow time for the remaining work in time for spring growth. The state of the hedgerow, habitation, fruit etc was also made, normally at this time of year frost have set in and fruit has been eaten by the wildlife. Whilst the season is mild at the moment it was deemed suitable to complete the work as there were fruit available in the remaining hedgerow and no evident nesting. An opportunity to gain someone was identified earlier this month and so a meeting with the contractor was held at the start of this week. The following was discussed:

We looked at the first 150m from the playground down towards the pavilion up to the point where the grass becomes the arable field. The remainder would have to be done next year if this fitted in with Steve’s cropping plans. This would involve cutting the hedge down close to the ground, removing most of the brush with some being replaced to protect the stumps and any new hedge plants as and when these are planted. Some of the hedge is quite large and would need to be cut with a saw due to the diameter of the wood but there isn’t much scope to leave larger plants to grow into full trees because of the power lines.

The contractor was only available this week and so with agreement with the Parish Council the work was initiated. Unfortunately, this did not give time to inform the wider community and it also transpired that Steve Judd had not been fully briefed on the extent of the work. A member of the Parish Council therefore updated Steve on the work to address this shortfall.

Whilst the cutback looks extreme it is in fact in line with best practice, cutting close to the ground encourages ground level regrowth leading to a stronger hedge, leaving stumps encourages top growth and a weaker hedge. The trees needed to be removed due to the power line running over the top of the hedge line. The brush needed to be removed as it had become a habitat for rabbits which were digging holes in the football pitch resulting in broken ankles and therefore a public liability if not addressed. They also were infected with myxomatosis and so were also an issue to other rabbit populations.

The hedgerow has also become much wider than intended, the ground now exposed will be laid with native wildflowers, there are 400 native bushes on order which will be planted this winter. There are saplings on the bank which will also be relocated to fill gaps and help establish the run of the hedge. As stated, the full hedgerow is not being cut this year, this is to ensure there is still a habitat for wildlife in this area of the recreation ground. Whilst there has been some loss of fruit, most was stripped and there is still the remaining hedgerow as well as the abundance of hedges around the parish.

It should be noted that there is further work being carried out over the coming weeks, trees next to the pond at the entrance to the village hall are being felled, this is to improve visibility at the entrance and again address management of the areas the parish council are responsible. All legal aspects regarding the felling of the trees have been addressed and planning permission is not required due to the tree species.

If you feel strongly about any of this, please contact a member of the parish council directly. Please do not publish further comments on Facebook, not everyone has access, and it can lead to mis information and upset, we are a community and face to face talks are always the best way forward. If you would also like to volunteer to help in this long-term project then please contact us, we are few and could do with some help every now and then.

Thankyou

The Parish Council

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH 2021 CRIME AND COMMUNITY SURVEY LAUNCHED

For the second year running, we want to hear your thoughts about crime, community, and how effective Neighbourhood Watch is.

The survey, launched on Wednesday 20th October 2021, is open to the public across England and Wales, regardless of whether they live in a Neighbourhood Watch area or not.

The results will enable us to better understand on a national and regional level crime, fear of crime and benchmark whether membership to a Neighbourhood Watch scheme, or living in a Neighbourhood Watch area, has an impact on levels of crime, concern about crime, neighbourliness, and the willingness of communities to work together.

Last year our survey received just over 30,000 responses from across England and Wales providing us with a rich and useful set of data. This year we will be able to compare our data to last year’s results.

Please use this link to access the survey online to complete the survey. This will help us receive a good balance of responses from Neighbourhood Watch members and non-members which will enable us to compare experiences between these two groups. To help you reach others we have attached a poster that you can print and display locally or share digitally.

Help IMPROVE public paths and open space in Dorset for walking, horse riding and cycling

Enjoying Dorset's countryside and urban areas on foot, horse, bike and responsible vehicles is a pleasure for many local people and visitors but how can it be improved?

Coast path being lost to erosion; the need for safe vehicle free routes for walking, cycling and horse-riding; maintenance/improvement work sensitive to the paths character & landscape; enabling people to walk and ride and not use vehicles for local trips; how to provide better space for children to play and exercise; routes for vehicular users; better access for disabled people to enjoy the countryside; maximising access opportunities for tourism and economy; complementing farming practices. The Dorset Local Access Forum considers such matters - and more - and works to find solutions to get the best from Dorset's Public Rights of Way and public green space.

Be part of the team that helps develop and improve Dorset's public paths and green space to benefit matters such as recreation, health, equality and diversity, disabled access, planning, transport, economy, conservation, land management and tourism.

The forum is an independent, statutory body providing advice to various organisations, including councils, AONBs, English Heritage, the Forestry Commission, Defra and Natural England, as well as any members of the public who request it.

Anyone can apply to join the DLAF - all you need is commitment, enthusiasm, and experience of using; helping provide or of the wider issues that could be benefited by improved countryside access. That could be:

· someone who enjoys walking, horse-riding, cycling, responsible vehicular driving or other outdoor activities, or who uses the county's rights of way to travel sustainably around their local area;

· an owner, occupier and/or manager of land - especially with open access or Public Rights of Way;

· Someone involved with matters such as health, environment, planning, tourism, the economy where improved paths and green space could bring additional public benefits.

The DLAF brings together a diverse mix of people of all ages and expertise to provide fresh, creative and challenging ideas and advice on how to improve and develop paths and countryside access sites in Dorset. Its members shape the Forum and its work. The forum aims to make Dorset more accessible and enjoyable for everyone, both now and in the future.

Here is a link to the Guidance on how to stay safe that applies from today in England, also attached is the document published in Spring 2021.

Planning for a 3rd Booster injection from September is being initiated. See details in this link

Lots to read about in the latest Surgery Newsletter here

Please be aware of the Fraudsters use the information on the attached document

If you have been impacted at home by COVID 19 you may be entitled to support. You can apply for yourself or someone else who may need support

Please use this link to see if you/they are eligible.

The Parish Council has just received the CAB annual report and felt it would be useful to make this available, it has some useful contact details as well.

A couple of weeks ago the Parish Council had the entrance and car park surface renewed

and the parking bays repainted.

No more bumpy entrance or doubt about where to park.

So things are changing again.....From tomorrow we will be operating on a table service only basis.This means that when you arrive, you need to select a table you wish to sit at for the duration of your visit, remembering that its only 6 people max per table(including children).Once seated, a member of staff will come to the table and take your drinks order and deliver it back to you at your table.Payment will also be made at the table by either cash or card.The visitor record book for track and trace purposes will also need to be filled in whilst seated.If you are planning on using the seating inside the building, a mask will need to be worn until you sit down, it can then be removed. The same applies when going to the toilet, a mask needs to be worn whilst moving inside the building.Please remember the one way system which is in place and use the correct doors for entry and exit and remember the toilets are accessible through the back door.Again thank you for your support and patience whilst we all try to adjust to this new way of operating.The Penny Tap Team

In line with government regulations, we have changed our opening and closing times. Meaning we will now open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 5.30pm till 10.00pm with last orders for food at 8.30. Breakfast will remain the same, 8.30am till 10.30am. And Sunday we will open at 12.00 noon till 3.00pm. Thank you for your support.

Coronavirus (Covid - 19)

In line with the Article in the Downsman (June 21) the Sixpenny Handley & Pentridge Parish Council  Teams of Volunteers are stepping down. We have confirmed support is in place where help is still needed. The Facebook and NextDoor pages will continue for the foreseable future to ensure key messages are available locally.

Thanks to everyone who has been involved.

 “105” has been launched by electricity network operators for customers to call should they need to report or get information about a power cut in their area. Dialling 105 will put customers through to their local electricity network operator – the company that manages the cables, power lines and substations that deliver electricity into homes and businesses in their area.

Customers can call 105 no matter who they choose to buy electricity from. Customers can also call 105 if they
spot damage to electricity power lines and substations that could put anyone in danger. If there’s a serious immediate risk, they should call the emergency services too.