Broadwindsor resident Rebecca Burt has been co-opted to Broadwindsor’s Group Parish Council to represent the Broadwindsor ward.
Bex, as she’s known to her friends and colleagues, moved to the village in 2018 with her husband Martin and their son Eddie who attends Broadwindsor school. Bex brings a wealth of experience as a teacher and working with young people and has volunteered at both the community shop and outreach post office.
We wish Bex the very best in her new role 🙂
Monday’s meeting of Broadwindsor Group Parish Council will be held at The Comrades Hall at 7.30pm. All are invited to join the councillors for festive drinks at 7pm.
There are 14 elected Councillors who represent the five wards of Blackdown, Broadwindsor, Burstock, Drimpton and Seaborough. Who are your Councillors? Click HERE.
The full agenda may be downloaded HERE. It includes…
Item 6: Correspondence and Notices:
a. Parishioner, Outdoor Fitness Proposal for Hursey Common Car Park.
b. Dorset Council, Notification of Definitive Map Modification Order Application, Spillers Lane,
Burstock.
c. Broadwindsor Resident, Request for Dog Fouling Notice.
Item 9. Planning Applications:
a. Applications Received and Circulated for Consultation
P/LBC/2022/03600, Lower Sandpit Farm, Hardys Lane, Drimpton, DT8 3RS
P/HOU/2022/07039, Highlands, Horn Ash Crossroads, Kittwhistle, DT8 3LG
P/HOU/2022/06492, 11 Bridport Road, Drimpton, DT8 3RD
Item 14. Coronation of King Charles III, Saturday, 6th May 2023.
Item 16. Highways:
a. Footpaths Update
b. Verge Management Update
c. Parking in Broadwindsor Square
d. Speed Indicator Devices Data
e. War Memorial Project Update
f. Flood Wardens
g. Fingerpost Sign Restoration Programme Update
h. Repositioning of Broadwindsor Litter Bin
19. Public Participation:
Residents are invited to give their views and ask questions of the Parish Council on any outstanding issues on this Agenda or raise issues for future consideration.
The full agenda may be downloaded HERE.
The press and public are invited to attend. Under the Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014, members of the public may now film, photograph and make audio recordings of the proceedings of the formal Council meeting, though not, under current legislation, of the Public Participation session, as this is not part of the formal agenda of the meeting. Recording activity should be respectful to the conduct of the meeting and behaviour that disrupts the meeting (such as oral commentary) will not be permitted. Any member of the public shall not speak for more than five minutes. A question asked by a member of the public during Public Participation shall not require a response or debate during the meeting though the Chairman may direct that a written response will be provided subsequent to the meeting.
Monday’s meeting of Broadwindsor Group Parish Council will be held at Drimpton Village Hall at 7.30pm.
There are 14 elected Councillors who represent the five wards of Blackdown, Broadwindsor, Burstock, Drimpton and Seaborough. Who are your Councillors? Click HERE.
The full agenda may be downloaded HERE.
Item 5 is PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Residents are invited to give their views and ask questions of the Parish Council on issues on this
Agenda else you must wait until item 22.
a. Report from Councillor Christopher, Dorset Council
b. Report from Dorset Police
c. Update on Broadwindsor Parish Council Vacancy, Broadwindsor Ward
Item 6b deals with Chapman Lily Planning Ltd, Proposal for Residential Development of the Site at Hillside, Drimpton Road, Broadwindsor, DT8 3QN.
Item 9 – there are no planning applications this month.
Items 14 & 15 seek management of the MUGA and Broadwindsor Sports Field on the Hursey Road, two places developed and managed previously by the late David Leader.
Item 16 addresses Warm Spaces in the Parish.
Item 17 will discuss the coronation of King Charles III
Item 19 has many issues with our HIGHWAYS
a. Footpaths Officer Update
b. Street Lighting in the Grouped Parish
c. Parking in Broadwindsor Square
d. Dog Fouling
e. Speed Indicator Devices Data
f. War Memorial Project Update
g. Flood Wardens
h. Fingerpost Sign Restoration Programme Update
i. Repositioning of Broadwindsor Litter Bin
j. Hedgehog Awareness Sign
The full agenda may be downloaded HERE.
The press and public are invited to attend. Under the Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014, members of the public may now film, photograph and make audio recordings of the proceedings of the formal Council meeting, though not, under current legislation, of the Public Participation session, as this is not part of the formal agenda of the meeting. Recording activity should be respectful to the conduct of the meeting and behaviour that disrupts the meeting (such as oral commentary) will not be permitted. Any member of the public shall not speak for more than five minutes. A question asked by a member of the public during Public Participation shall not require a response or debate during the meeting though the Chairman may direct that a written response will be provided subsequent to the meeting.
** Update **
The tape is only round the swings now, the other equipment is good to go! 🙂
The Comrades Hall Management Committee have issued the following request:
Due to the recent wet weather, the ground that has been disturbed during the new installation has become very muddy, and new grass seed has been planted to grow through the safety rubber matting. This is why the whole area has been taped off – it is important that the ground around the apparatus is allowed to settle. We request that children of all ages (including the more adult!) please respect the restriction on use until the official opening on 12th November.
This follows their announcement yesterday on achieving their £20,000 target:
With thanks to our Crowd, extra funding from Sport England and the balance topped up through a generous grant from Dorset Council, we’ve managed to pull it off.
Any money we get over and above our original target will go towards our £25,000 stretch target to help pay for outdoor gym equipment. Some of it can be also put towards new curtains at Comrades Hall to retain the heat generated by the new solar panels and air source heat pumps and therefore doing our bit for the environment.
The new-look Broadwindsor Village Green at Bernards’ Place will be officially opened on Saturday 12th November at 11am, followed by refreshments in The White Lion. We’d love it if you – our Crowd – could come along and join us.
Well done all involved!
Latest:
Opening postponed – sorry!
Huge apologies, but we are having to postpone Saturday’s opening because we’ve had to rearrange the position of one of the pieces of equipment for technical reasons, which has delayed the completion of the installation.
We will let you know the new date for the official opening as soon as we’re able to arrange it.
With 7 days remaining on their Crowdfunder appeal and work almost completed, the Management Committee at the Comrades Hall have released this invitation:
Thanks to your support, the village green project at Bernards’ Place, Broadwindsor, comes to a successful conclusion at the end of this week.
We will have a brand new play area, a refreshed community space, a beautiful new oak shelter, and sustainable heating and self-generating electricity in Comrades Hall.
Join us to celebrate our community achievements at the official opening event on Saturday, 29th October at 11am on Bernards’ Place, followed by refreshments and cake in our community pub, The White Lion.
We could not have done it without you!
We look forward to seeing you on Saturday morning.
Tonight’s meeting of Broadwindsor Group Parish Council will be held at Blackdown Village Hall at 7.30pm.
The full agenda may be downloaded HERE.
Item 5a is Cllr. Simon Christopher‘s report which follows at the end of this agenda information.
Item 5c Broadwindsor Parish Council Vacancy, Broadwindsor Ward.
Item 8 includes to approve payment of £5,000 for Comrades Hall Management Committee (Short-Term Loan) for the village green project at Bernards’ Place.
Item 9 has 2 Planning Applications:
Planning permission for P/HOU/2022/05487, 12 Yarnbarton, Broadwindsor, DT8 3QW was Granted.
Item 14 addresses the management of the MUGA.
Item 16 looks at Communications within the Grouped Parish area.
Item 17. HIGHWAYS
The Editor will be readdressing the matter of a Hedgehog sign on the Beaminster road.
The full agenda may be downloaded HERE.
The press and public are invited to attend. Under the Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014, members of the public may now film, photograph and make audio recordings of the proceedings of the formal Council meeting, though not, under current legislation, of the Public Participation session, as this is not part of the formal agenda of the meeting. Recording activity should be respectful to the conduct of the meeting and behaviour that disrupts the meeting (such as oral commentary) will not be permitted. Any member of the public shall not speak for more than five minutes. A question asked by a member of the public during Public Participation shall not require a response or debate during the meeting though the Chairman may direct that a written response will be provided subsequent to the meeting.
Cllr. Simon Christopher’s report (as received)It appears that this Autumn there is a great deal of change , perhaps it can also be said that there is a great deal of uncertainty……
There is a great deal of interest in Dorset being named as one of 38 local authorities that may see the creation of Investment Zones.
As I see it, Investment Zones would have at least four main interesting aspects :
Firstly, generous business rate treatment for businesses
Secondly, 100 per cent capital allowances for tax purposes for business
Thirdly, generous National Insurance reliefs
Fourthly, what is described as simplified planning arrangements
I will offer some thoughts on each of the above:
Firstly With respect to small businesses, small business rates relief has been enjoyed by micro businesses for many years.
Traditional farms are exempt of course. The proposed new business rate relief would therefore be a benefit skewed towards those with larger business premises.
Secondly, with respect to capital allowances, all but the largest of businesses can already write off capital expenditure on plant and machinery for tax purposes in the year of acquisition of the asset . Thus except for large businesses there will be no tax advantage of being an Industrial Zone
You wonder if Investment Zones favour large scale premises who pay business rates as mentioned above.
Thirdly the National Insurance benefits clearly have the greatest attraction for larger scale, labour intensive or major added value employers rather than small employers .
Fourthly I now turn to the idea of simpler planning proposals,
This would clearly be of concern for instance were the arrangements for an Industrial Zone to incorporate part of the Dorset AONB and were the AONB to be put in jeopardy.
I can see why you might think Investment Zones, with a light touch attitude to planning, might be more beneficial for disadvantaged perhaps urban areas of Dorset with high levels of deprivation rather than for rural areas .
Cabinet of Dorset Council agreed an update to the Local Development Scheme (LDS) at its meeting on Tuesday (4thOctober). The revised LDS (as agreed) sets out the anticipated milestones for key stages in the preparation of development plans. The LDS needs to be reviewed from time to time to ensure the milestones are as accurate as possible so that communities are aware of when a development plan that we are preparing is likely to be reaching a key milestone such as a formal consultation stage.
Project and event funding for cost-of-living challenges, arts, museums, heritage, community, physical activity and play activities.
Dorset Council project funding can help you to make a difference to people living in our communities.
Grants from £1,000 to £5,000 are available to groups who support the council to meet its core priorities.
Round 4 of the Community and Culture Project Fund will open at 9am on Friday 4 November 2022.
In addition to supporting the themes in round 3, the next round will prioritise grants to applicants that address and support the cost-of-living challenge for vulnerable communities and those most in need in the Dorset council area. The types of cost-of-living projects that can be considered will focus on:
o community warm spaces especially in rural areas
o community food projects including lunch clubs and dinner clubs
o foodbanks
o low level Mental Health projects
Cllr Laura Beddow, Dorset Council Portfolio Holder for Culture, Communities and Customer Services said:
“We’re encouraging community groups to apply for the next round of funding. Last time around, we distributed over £35,500 to local groups including theatre companies, groups that help people with learning disabilities, energy champions and efforts to improve recycling of waste. This time around, we will prioritise groups who have a focus on supporting people through the cost-of-living challenge, but also welcome applications from other groups too.”
For more information criteria, how to apply and support with your application, visit www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/community-and-culture-project-fund. The page will be updated as more details become available.
I was sent a copy of the application to the Dorset Council Capital Leverage Fund by the Broadwindsor Village Green project group . The group aims to enhance this outdoor facility by reconfiguring the green to include new, challenging, and inclusive play equipment and open up space at the lower end for community events, outdoor exercise classes and gym equipment. The stated aim is to enhance the facility and contribute to healthy living .
As this project for capital funding through the Capital Leverage Fund is intended to take place within the Dorset Council ward I am pleased to represent, my views were sought by the grant making panel. .
I was asked to provide commentary on the suitability and indeed the need for their project.
Clearly, my enthusiastic support of this project was noted and I was informed that following the Grants panel meeting held on Thursday 29 September the panel has approved a substantial grant of £15,000 to the group.
The panel had by their own admission to make some difficult decisions and the volume of applications was very high . However, in conclusion this Broadwindsor application has been looked on very favourably by the panel acting for the Dorset Councils Capital Leverage fund.
I was formally thanked by the Grants Monitoring Officer for my feedback and support for the application. I must confess, this was particularly pleasing at a time when perhaps, politicians are not universally popular …….
| I attended a constructive meeting of the West Dorset Western Transport Action Group. |
Clearly there is the possibility of changes to the mini budget and it would be more appropriate to further discuss the impact of wider economic influences on Dorset Council when the consequences of the Chancellors early return from the United States are known and the impact on prevailing interest rates, liquidity and inflation.
Best regards
Simon
Councillor Simon Christopher
The Dorset Councillor For the Marshwood Vale Ward
077988 33715
Broadwindsor pupil Lottie Banner got a pleasant surprise this afternoon upon leaving school…. on turning the corner, there was Mum Jo standing their with her pony Cindy to take her home 🙂
Cindy attracted a lot of attention and compliments from passers by while she patiently waited.
Lottie wasted no time in putting her hat on and mounting her pony. With a confident smile, her Mum led Cindy back to their home in Hursey.
This morning (Sunday, 9th October) their donations hit the £5,000 mark. This, together with over 100 supporters meant the £8,000 pledge from Sport England kicked in automatically 🙂
They are now at just over £13,000 which is absolutely tremendous.
You can still donate and claim rewards for your donation 
Click HERE.
The Comrades Hall was gifted to the village in 1952, in the same year the Queen acceded to the throne. It will be celebrating its own platinum jubilee on 19th November 2022
Have you ever found something, maybe from simply walking in fields, gardening or metal detecting?
Finds Day is an exciting FREE special event taking place at Beaminster Museum from 10am on Saturday, 15th October. An opportunity for you to bring along your archelogical find and have it/them identified and recorded by Dorset Council’s Finds Liaison Officer, Ciorstaidh Hayward Trevarthen.
The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) is a voluntary scheme to record archaeological objects found by the public. If recorded, these finds have the potential to tell us much about the past, such as how and where people lived and about the types of objects they made and used. The PAS only want to record information about your finds, not retain them, so they will give your finds back once recorded unless they are classed as Treasure.
Archaeologist Ciorstaidh Hayward Trevarthen (pictured) says there is a procedure that the finders need to follow.
“If it falls into the category covered by the Treasure Act then it needs to be reported to the coroner. That needs to happen within fourteen days. Then it goes through a long process of assessment and we find out whether a museum wants it. If they do, it goes to an inquest with the coroner. A specialist report will decide whether it fits the criteria for treasure. Broadly, objects have to be over 300 years old and more than 10% precious metal,” she explained to Alfred’s Keri Jones in an interview when she visited Shaftsbury in March.
“I don’t just record metal objects, I recall pottery, flint, tile, clay pipe and all sorts of things that come off the land. I’m keen to see everything. When people find the treasure, they often bring me the other things that they find on the same field to see if it is associated. It’s something we have to consider with treasure in particular.”
A drop-in event, there’s no need to book an appointment but you may have to queue.
The photograph shows Cllr. Simon Christopher with his wife, Una at the Reading of the Proclamation by the High Sheriff of the Dorset Proclamation on Sunday, 11th September outside Dorchester County Hall.
Cllr. Simon Christopher has submitted the following report for this evening’s Meeting of Broadwindsor’s Group Parish Council at Blackdown village hall:
Dear Helen and Councillors
Una and I shared the deep sadness felt by everyone in the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and the whole world, at the death of Her Majesty The Queen.
The Queen was a steadfast champion of the British countryside and rural way of life. It is also with sincere gratitude that we remember her tireless service to our nation and its rural community. In an ever-changing world, the Queen was a constant. Her devotion and sense of duty was an inspiration.
On Friday 22 September 2022 the new Chancellor of the Exchequer delivered his financial statement in the House of Commons. I will be pleased to discuss the statement at length but for now will concentrate on discussion of the new proposed Investment Zones and provide you with a message from Dorset Council leader Spencer Flower :
‘“Dorset Council has been in conversation with Government officials where we expressed our interest to be a part of the Investment Zone programme which the Chancellor has announced today as part of the mini-Budget. At this stage we have little detail of the policy other than this is intended to drive investment and economic growth. This is an opportunity for Dorset and sits well with our economic objectives set out in the Council Plan and Economic Development Strategy. For this reason, I have informed Government that we would be interested to participate in the programme. We await further detail and if we are confirmed as an Investment Zone location we expect to be working closely with officials. I will keep you posted on this matter through my regular updates to you.”
(The report continues with cut and pasted information as provided.)
Cost of living help
The link below will connect you to a site which will sign-post residents to webpages which we hope will help people impacted by the cost-of-living crisis. https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/w/cost-of-living-help .
Dorset Council secures funding to improve electric vehicle infrastructure in rural areas
Dorset has been announced as one of just nine areas in England to receive funding from a new government scheme which aims to improve electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. The funding comes from the new Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot scheme, through which we have managed to secure £2.7million to increase the number of EV charge points in the council area
The project will serve a broad range of users, primarily targeting residents without access to off-street parking, while also meeting demand for en-route charging to support our tourism trade.
The project aims to place chargepoints in up to 150 locations around the county for the convenience of residents and to encourage the take up of electric vehicles. This will involve the council working with local community landowners to install charging infrastructure in accessible locations which might include car parks, community halls, pubs, café’s and shops, as well as possible on-street locations where suitable.
This pilot will also include a small number rapid or ultra-rapid (50 kW to 150 kW DC) chargers on or near main roads to support enroute charging. Some chargepoints will be located at popular tourist locations where both residents and visitors can access them.
To overcome user concerns over payment methods, all chargepoints will have alternative access with a minimum payment method (a non-proprietary and non-phone payment method, such as contactless) installed.
Need more landlords
There are several initiatives which aim to work with landlords to provide much-needed housing to families across the Dorset Council area. The housing service is appealing to willing landlords to partner the council and benefit from the assistance the council can give. Please look at the Dorset website for further information.
Foster with Dorset Council
A note from a foster carer “If anyone is thinking about fostering, I’d say don’t hesitate to investigate it, don’t be put off making that initial phone call. Just be open with things that you’re worried about as they probably won’t stop you being a foster carer. Just pick up the phone and make that enquiry. “Every circumstance is different from one person to another, but the process is so thorough that if you have the slightest inkling that this might be what you want to do then give it a go.”
Our fostering service puts the children who need loving, local foster homes at the heart of everything we do. The key focus is on keeping local children close to their schools, friends and birth families. Our foster carers transform the lives of children and young people by opening their hearts and homes to those who need it the most. At present, demand for foster carers in Dorset is high – especially for teenagers and sibling groups.
Find out more about fostering with Dorset Council and register your interest today. Keep up to date with the latest fostering news and subscribe to our monthly enewsletter. If you’d like to find out more in-person, the fostering team hold regular fostering drop-in events across Dorset.
The Dorset Parent Carer Council annual information event is back! Dorset SEND
Free Information Event – 4 October
This FREE event is for parents and carers of children aged pre-school to 14, who are disabled or have additional needs. The event brings together a wide variety of services and information all in one place. Teams and organisations from across education, health, and social care and the community sector will be attending to provide a fantastic opportunity for families to see what work is currently underway to improve services in the future.
Tuesday 4th October; 10am till 2pm; Kingston Maurward College, Dorchester, DT2 8PX
Free parking, free entry, free refreshments. No booking required.
Dorset County Farms
Dorset Council owns 41 farms (and has owned them for quite some time). These are currently managed in accordance with the County Farm Estate Management Plan of which the principal objectives are to:
Provide a provide an initial gateway into agriculture for persons to farm on their own account whilst ensuring a financial return to us. Provide us with a direct interest in the land management of the county, promoting the integration of good environmental and farming practices as well as best practice and innovation in estate management and agriculture. Sustain rural communities whilst providing opportunities for greater public access and understanding of agriculture and the countryside
The estate is currently run on a two-tier system, with smaller ‘starter’ units providing a point of entry into the agricultural industry and larger ‘promotion’ units to allow for career progression. Farms on the estate are predominantly livestock based, with both dairy and stock farms.
The review of the Management Plan was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic but is now in progress. In addition to the current objectives, we are considering how the estate can create additional economic, social and environmental value to help meet the priorities identified in the Council Plan. In particular, conversations are ongoing internally in relation to the role the Estate can plan in helping to support the Council’s climate and ecological emergency which was declared in 2019. The estate is currently run on a two tiersystem, with smaller ‘starter’ units providing a point of entry into the agricultural industry and larger ‘promotion’ units to allow for career progression. Farms on the estate are predominantly livestock based, with both dairy and stock farms.
Dorset Council’s Road maintenance method reducecarbon emissions
As part of Dorset Council’s ‘green’ approach to highways maintenance, road retexturing is contributing to a reduction in emissions, the council has refreshed 67,000sqm of road surface this year – raising skid resistance to improve the safety of highway. Where appropriate, the sustainable solution used eliminates the need to resurface a road and instead uses one of two techniques to blast the road surface to regain its skid resistance to the same – or better – level of resistance it had when the material was first laid. Depending on the individual site, the road will either have small steel shots fired at the surface to improve the texture or will have water blasted at the surface to remove excess binder.
This road retexturing has helped reduce the amount of carbon dioxide produced by over 335,000kg, and saved around 6,700 tonnes of virgin aggregates from being used,It also has financial savings of over £1.2m compared to using conventional resurfacing methods to provide a new textured surface.
Dorset Council Commissionong for a Better Life for Older People with Support Needs. In Dorset 2022-2027
You will continue to read about the ageing Dorset Population.
It is recognised that Dorset has a higher over 65 population than anywhere else in the Country and as such it is especially important that Dorset Council provides the opportunity for a great quality of life for older people.
Dorset Council documentation that I have seen, indicates that typically older people refers to those who are no longer of working age,so traditionally 65 plus.
However with increased life expectancy an increasing number of people find themselves either having to work or wanting to work beyond what was traditionally retirement age.
In England there are 295 older people per 1000 working age population
In Dorset there are 527 older people per 1000 working age population
Currently there are 31,000 people over 80 in Dorset
Council Leader Spencer Flower has written earlier this month to the new Prime Minister seeking funding from HMGovernment for Social Care to reflect cost pressures facing Dorset Council as a result of the figures quoted above and inflationary pressures.
Clearly there is a lot going on in agricultural policy terms:
Farmers are concerned about the move from the Basic Payment Scheme with the Agricultural Transition . In 2022 direct payments will be at least 20 per cent lower than in 2020 . Where 50 % of the 2022 BPS was paid in the Summer the payment being received this December will be dramatically reduced from the usual figure and will impact on cash flow considerations for all farmers, whether County Farm tenants or not .The range of Environment Land Schemes designed to replace BPS are only slowly appearing with the Old Countryside Stewardship scheme filling the gap.
What might be called productivity/efficiency or generally incentivising schemes are being directed at farmers. DEFRA is keen to improve the competitiveness and productivity of Farming in England, a key part of this is capital grants for equipment and infrastructure :
40 per cent capital grants under the Farming and Investment Fund ( FIF)
Farming Equipment Technology Fund fixed payment for 120 specified items on line application minimum grant ,maximum grant £25,000
Farming Technoligy Fund larger grants £35,000 to £500,000 covering 3 areas water manage to , productivity and added value .
Finally many are pondering the Slurry Investment Scheme envisaged from this Autumn . This is understood to be 50 per cent grant minimum £25,000maximum £250,000 for a minimum of 6 months storage .
My final comment is that I understand that a new round of farm advice under the Farm Resiliance scheme will be available from October .
The UK Government has announced a set of measures designed to boost the rural economy in England
This has had a great deal of coverage in the farming National and indeed local press
DEFRA’s Delivering for Rural England report, which includes £110m of funding to boost economic activity in the countryside,
The CLA’s campaign has become increasingly influential over the UK Government’s rural policy-making through 2022, particularly following the launch of a major report into the rural economy earlier this year.
DEFRA’s policy changes were published in the final days of Boris Johnson’s premiership, but are expected to be enacted by the new Prime Minister regardless.
The changes include:
As one of my friends and indeed a fellow Chartered Accountant has said:
“UK Government is showing some ambition for the countryside. Improving productivity in the rural economy could add up to £43bn in GVA – so this fund is money well spent”
“We now need to see the true detail. Rural business owners are working hard to succeed, determined to create prosperity across our communities. But we need this report to deliver genuine planning reform, full connectivity and a cross-departmental policy framework from government that reflects the sheer potential of the rural economy.”
“In the midst of an economic crisis, we need a robust and ambitious plan to create economic growth in the countryside. The UK Government has today taken its first steps towards delivering it.”
DEFRA’s report has heavily been influenced by a report published earlier this year by the All Party Parliamentary Group on the Rural Powerhouse, , entitled ‘Levelling Up the rural economy’. The report followed a year-long inquiry that took evidence from a number organisations representing the rural economy. and including those where I am an active member.
During the Summer I received the fillowing communication from Vicky Abbott Health Programme Advisor | Locality Link for
West Dorset at Public Health Dorset
“Colleagues in the communications team at PHD are about to embark on a promoting positive mental health for rural locations project in the West Dorset (and North Dorset) locality; Broadwindsor (including Marshwood and other surrounding villages) being the focus area for West Dorset. They are particularly looking at working with the community settings in Broadwindsor to reach out to the village communities by way of a support network, including identifying when an individual or family may need support.”
This will move forward next month, starting with a free mental health awareness training session, on Monday 3 October 12.45-5pm, at The Comrades Hall, Broadwindsor. I look forward to working with the Parish Council on this.
Best regards
Simon
Councillor Simon Christopher
Dorset Councillor Marshwood Vale
Hawthorne Cottage
Ryall Road
Whitchurch Canonicorum
Bridport, Dorset
DT6 6RH
Mob: 07798 833715
Email: cllrsimon.christopher@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk
