Midweek Motivator Quiz – Wednesday 24th February

The Midweek Motivator Quiz should go on for the next few weeks but possibly end as and when it is allowed for up to six people (or two households if this is larger) to meet in each other’s gardens – which is currently scheduled to take place on 29th March. 🙂 You will be kept posted.

This week there are 3 rounds of 5 questions (No Local Round from now on) and one picture round of 10 questions.

To Join the Zoom Meeting (the Quiz) – Click HERE.
Meeting ID: 788 9149 1873
Passcode: tJM95z

No prizes! it’s simply breaking the monotony of Lockdown. 🙂 Look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, 24th at 8pm.

#Broadwindsor,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Drimpton,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Dorset,#Village,#MidweekMotivatorQuiz,#Lockdown,#2021,#Zoom,#StayAtHome,#Fun,#Laugh,#SaveYourSanity,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

Local Midweek Motivator Quiz On Lockdown Wednesdays

With this wet weather for half term week bringing a lot of people down, for half an hour on Wednesday evening, you’re invited to have a laugh and join Margery Hookings’ Midweek Motivator Quiz.

Village resident, Margery Hookings is the host of the quiz and has trialled it with a few the past few weeks and interest is growing. Topics are local, current and include a picture round. Margery will continue doing it in Lockdown for as long as people are interested.

Margery commented “It’s just for fun and a way of seeing each other’s faces during lockdown. There are three rounds of five questions and one picture round of 10 questions.”

Please make a note of it in your diary and have your drinks & snacks ready. Make sure you log in with plenty of time to spare otherwise the quiz might start before you join it. The quiz lasts approx 30 minutes as Margery is using the free version of Zoom.

If you don’t have it, Zoom is Free! – Sign Up and get it HERE.

Here are the log in details to take part in this week’s Midweek Motivator Quiz:

To Join Zoom Meeting (the Quiz) – Click HERE.
Meeting ID: 743 0739 0534
Passcode: yWi84j

Hope to see you on Wednesday, 17th at 8pm.#Broadwindsor,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Drimpton,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Dorset,#Village,#MidweekMotivatorQuiz,#Lockdown,#2021,#Zoom,#StayAtHome,#Fun,#Laugh,#SaveYourSanity,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

It’s Half Term From Home Schooling

Congratulations to all those parents who have been coping with homeschooling their child/children. It’s the Half Term holiday next week and time to take a well deserved break. You’ve been indoors for months – here are some ideas to relieve the monotony of Lockdown and perhaps do something a little different this half term holiday.

You can celebrate Valentine’s Day on Sunday 14th with little ones by baking some heart shaped biscuits or making cards for someone they love.

Sunday is also the Chinese New Year – Read more HERE.

Tuesday 16th is Shrove Tuesday – Luckily pancakes are very easy to make and children can get involved with the whisking, tossing, decorating and eating!

Tell your children about Shrove Tuesday:

Shrove Tuesday is a Christian festival celebrated in many countries across the globe. It is the traditional feast day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. This was to remember when Jesus went into the desert for 40 days to fast and pray. Lent is a period of around six weeks leading up to Easter. During Lent, Christians give up rich, tasty foods such as butter, eggs, sugar and fat (some Christians continue to do so). Shrove Tuesday was the last chance to eat them. Anglo-Saxon Christians went to confession and were “shriven” (absolved from their sins). A bell would be rung to call people to confession. This came to be called the “Pancake Bell” and is still rung today.

The exact date of Shrove Tuesday changes from year to year. But one thing stays the same — it’s always 47 days before Easter Sunday. In the UK, Ireland, Australia and Canada, Shrove Tuesday has another name – Pancake Day!
The ingredients for pancakes are seen to symbolise four points of significance at this time of year:
Eggs ~ Creation
Flour ~ The staff of life
Salt ~ Wholesomeness
Milk ~ Purity

The pancake has a very long history and featured in cookery books as far back as 1439. The tradition of tossing or flipping them is almost as old: “And every man and maide doe take their turne, And tosse their Pancakes up for feare they burne.” – Pasquil’s Palin, 1619.
Pancake Races are a common and competitive activity: people racing each other whilst tossing a pancake in a pan.

Exercise:

Climb to the top of Lewesdon Hill 🙂

The MUGA next to the school will be open for socially distanced personal exercise and playing outdoor games with those in your bubble. It is free to use.
To book your time slot please contact David Leader on: 01308 868275
Mobile: 07867 608652
Email: dleader@broadwindsorgroup.gov.uk

Joe Wicks also known as The Body Coach, performs live PE classes online that can be done from your living room helping the nation’s children stay active during throughout Lockdown – not just for the holidays – Click HERE.

Baking:

There are innumerable sources of recipes available online. The National Trust offer a selection of simple and enjoyable cake, biscuit and savoury recipes for you to bake at home with your children – Click HERE.

Create a Bug Hotel for your garden:

The photograph shows you the wide range of simple things which can provide a home for smaller creatures. You probably won’t need to buy anything, as it will all be lying around the garden or in wooded areas. Think about the creature you’re making a home for – does it need to be warm, light, dry, dark, cold, or wet? Don’t despair if animals don’t move in straight away. Many will take time to get used to a new place. The Woodland Trust have a good page with more advice on building a Bug Hotel – Click HERE.

Recreate a Cinema Trip:

Let the children choose the film in advance and decide a specific time during the day to watch the film. The children can personalise tickets if they want to. Arrange cushions and comfort in the room. Draw the curtains and have the lights off. Have a selection and supply of popcorn, drinks, sweets and choc ices for movie snacks or any interval.

Look Up!

With dark evenings and later bedtimes, share some time together looking at the stars on a clear night. Orion is easily spotted in the Southern sky. You’ll need warm clothes and some patience but it is worth it.
You can see the path of our Milky Way easily once your eyes have become accustomed to the darkness.
The crescent of the New Moon will be in the dark sky, growing every night until it is Full on 27th February.
Night Sky & Star Walk are two popular apps for iOS and Google Sky for Android.

Make A Time Capsule:

We are all agreed that we are living in unprecedented times – make a time capsule. In years to come, when Covid-19 is discussed the way the plague or smallpox is mentioned in history books now, you might want a unique way to remember the smaller details of living through it. Have your child locate items around the house that are unique to the Lockdown habits you’ve formed as a family and put them into a time capsule.

Put On A Performance!

With school pantos, plays and assemblies all cancelled this year, here’s an opportunity to scratch that performing itch. If you plan it over the whole week, putting on a show for your family and friends could become a real focal point. It could be a solo performance, or include parents, siblings, toys, even pets.

Monday: Formally invite your audience with a Zoom, Hangouts or Skype invitation to the Big Show on Friday. Decide what the story is. A retelling of their favourite film or nursery story? Or one they’ve made up on their own?
Tuesday: Casting and getting into character. Who’s going to play what role? Talk about what each character thinks and feels. ‘Workshop’ some or all of the story and be inventive. Trying things out makes all the possibilities of a performance come to the fore.
Wednesday: Think about costume and scenery. Dressing up or make something new. For kids, wearing adults clothes and accessories can be very entertaining. Don’t forget about the make-up. For scenery and props – get inventive with your furniture and decor.
Thursday: Practise, practise practise!!
Friday: Showtime! Remember, this is for fun, so don’t fret and it really doesn’t matter if it all goes a bit pear-shaped ‘on the night’. Your audience will appreciate being invited to some live (and utterly unique) entertainment.

Remember to press record on your phone or Zoom screen creating a memory you’ll cherish in years to come.

The Shakespeare Globe offer Telling Tales: a selection of online storytellings and workshops that you can connect with from home. With options for ages 3-16 years, meet their educational practitioners as they immerse you in the world of Shakespeare’s plays.
Join by Zoom to share in the joy of Shakespeare’s stories on until 21st February 2021. Click HERE.

Check out A Zoo Cam:

Yang Guang, one of Edinburgh Zoo’s giant pandas

Watch the animals live at Edinburgh Zoo –

Visit museums, zoos and other attractions Around The World – Click HERE.

#Broadwindsor,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Drimpton,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Dorset,#Village,#Lockdown,#2021,#HalfTermHoliday,#Zoom,#ValentinesDay,#ShroveTuesday,#Pancakes,#LookUp,#PandaCam,#EdinburghZoo,#TellingTales,#BeKind,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

Monday’s Parish Council Meeting Cancelled

The Parish Council are sorry to report that the February Parish Council meeting has now been cancelled.

The meeting due to take place on Monday, 15th February had already been postponed by one week due to unforeseen IT problems. The next online meeting (via Zoom) will now take place on Monday, 8th March 2021. Apologies for any inconvenience caused. Please do contact the Council if you require any further information – hello@broadwindsorgroup.gov.uk.

They look forward to seeing you next month!

Who are our Parish councillors? Click HERE.

#Broadwindsor,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Drimpton,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Dorset,#Village,#BWGPC,#2021,#ParishCouncil,#Zoom,#NationalLockdown,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

Rotary Club Quiz on Zoom – Saturday, 23rd Jan

On Sat 23rd January 2021 at 7.00 pm – 9.00 pm the Brit Valley Rotary Club is holding a fund raising quiz on the platform Zoom.

John Clegg will be the Quiz Master. You can log in from 7 pm and the quiz will start at 7.30pm

There will be 6 categories with 6 questions in each

The entry fee will be £2.50 per person. The easiest way to do this is click HERE, enter the amount and follow the instructions.

The competition is open to all for a real fun night.

The Meeting ID: 818 3237 8083
Passcode: 711285
Zoom is Free! – Sign Up and get it HERE.

The Brit Valley Rotary Club is a Bridport based Rotary Club including Beaminster, West Bay and The Bride Valley and welcome any visiting Rotarians and their partners. Brit Valley Rotary Club welcomes men and women wishing to enjoy life, to serve the community and raise money for charities and good causes, local and international. They are a registered charity: Charity Registration No. 1070791.

#Broadwindsor,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Drimpton,#2021,#BritValleyRotaryClub,#Quiz,#UseYourBrain,#Zoom,#Fundraiser,#Fun,#BeKind,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

Broadwindsor Group Parish Council – Online Meeting Monday 11th January 2021

Broadwindsor Group Parish Council are meeting online using the Zoom platform at 7.30pm on Monday 11th January 2021. All are welcome to attend.

The full agenda is available to download HERE.

The meeting can be accessed HERE.
The Meeting ID: 874 5530 6004
Zoom is Free! – Sign Up and get it HERE.

Once the minutes of the last meeting have been approved, there are no matters arising. Residents are then invited to give their views and ask questions of the Parish Council on issues on this Agenda. This will be followed by:
a. Report from Councillor Christopher, Dorset Council
b. Report from Dorset Police

There is a Parish Council vacancy for the Seaborough ward.

Parish Councillors will deliver their community updates regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are no new Planning Applications to consider but 2 have been approved:

WD/D/20/001069, Higher Farm, Seaborough, DT8 3QY: Approved
WD/D/20/001070, Higher Farm, Seaborough, DT8 3QY: Approved

There will be reports and updates from Broadwindsor Cricket Club on their fundraising, a Working Group Update on Climate Change Emergency and the Allotment Group.

Items in this month’s Highways section include the formal adoption of named verges in Broadwindsor:

a. Report from the Footpaths Officer
b. Verge Management in the Grouped Parish Area
c. To approve request for formal adoption from Dorset Council of named verges in Broadwindsor
d. Common Water Lane Update
e. Damaged Drimpton Bridge Update

Following a report from the Broadwindsor Group Parish Community Land Trust on Affordable Housing and any items of interest for the next agenda, 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.

After the date of the next meeting is established, they will receive the Finance report from the FMR Trust.

#Broadwindsor,#Dorset,#BWGPC,#BGPCLT,#SocialDistancing,#Community,#DorsetPolice,#Farmers,#PlanningApplication,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Drimpton,#BroadwindsorCC,#ParishCouncil,#Coronavirus,#ClimateChange,#Zoom,#AffordableHousing,#ComradesHall,#VillageHall,#Highways,#FMRTrust,#Tier3,#NationalLockdown,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

Broadwindsor Parish Group Council

The focused faces in the photograph belie the festive feel to Monday night’s Group Parish Council meeting. Helen, the Town Clerk reported:

“ It was lovely to see everyone looking so festive thanks to those members of the public who joined us. Another busy agenda, we welcomed Lloyd Curtis back to the Council and paid thanks to Susanna Laurie who has recently stepped down as Councillor for Seaborough. Susanna has made such a positive contribution to the Council and has worked hard to represent and support her community.

The next online meeting will take place on 11 January, please do join us!

Wishing all parishioners of the Grouped Parish a very Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Happy New Year.“

Susanna responded “Thank you for the kind words it was a pleasure to be part of this Parish Council, to meet you all and work in such a positive environment. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.”

#Broadwindsor,#Dorset,#BWGPC,#SocialDistancing,#Community,#DorsetPolice,#Farmers,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Drimpton,#BroadwindsorCC,#ParishCouncil,#Christmas,#Zoom,#Tier2,#StaySafe

Councillor Simon Christopher’s Report – Dec 2020

Here is our local Councillor Simon Christopher’s interim report submitted to the Parish Council’s meeting this evening.

“I am actually writing exactly seven days before the meeting and as a politician famously said, a week is a long time in politics.

I thought I would set out some thoughts at the last meeting of the year. A difficult year in which we have seen so many people rally around to help vulnerable people.

The council has risen to the task of helping the elderly, the infirm and has acted positively to help with the provision of meals to vulnerable children over holiday times. There has of course been financial consequences and the council has had to utilise reserves.

Councillors Jill Haynes and Councillor Tony Ferrari as portfolio holders have written to all Town and Parish Council clerks re the Dorset Council area. The communication is in respect of the Dorset Council Asset review Process, which was presented to Cabinet on 3^rd November 2020.
Extracts include ‘There are a number of (property) holdings which we need to consider in order to rationalize the estate and reduce cash’

‘The desire is to

Create economic growth by creating new homes and jobs
Delivering a more integrated customer focused service, through joint provision with partner organisations
Generate efficiencies through capital receipts and running costs’.

Please contact me if you have not seen the aforementioned email or wish to discuss the matter.

Councillors are currently discussing the budget setting process, primarily:

Children’s Directorate
Place Directorate- including property’s, highways and Dorset Waste
Adults Directorate
Corporate Directorate

There is to be a concentrated effort to achieve savings in contract arrangement without a reduction in service.

The Parish Council will be aware of the considerable correspondence involving Highways and the police about continuing damage to the verges etc at Common water Lane. This is an ongoing matter and many of us are determined that the above authorities are made aware of the continuing concern of residents.

I will be pleased to receive your thoughts on possible changes to Dorset Council car parking charges.

You may have noticed that Dorset Council car parks will be free on Saturday’s in December 2020. (In Sherborne I understand this will be on Mondays)

The mailbag of a Dorset Councillor in a rural ward appears to show continued concern about speeding motorists and I pass on these concerns to the relevant highways officers and other agencies.

Thank you to those Parish Councillors who contact me re concerns about footpaths and I have contacted the officer on your behalf. I continue to request a pavement be installed from Broadwindsor Village to the cricket ground.

I am in touch with officers to make sure drains in Seaborough are properly cleared, as a result of residents concerns.

Rachel Baker, senior communications officer Digital and Change Dorset Council has been publicising the Gigabit Voucher Scheme. An email has come out to John and myself, which has been further circulated and you have comments on this.

On 30^th November 2020 the Government has unveiled its Path to Sustainable Farming.

The reason I draw your attention to this is :

The mere fact that even in the heart of your village you are but yards away from a field managed by members of the farming community.
This will impact on the County Farms Estate of some 46 farms and all our local farmers.

The Government states that it plans to deliver a better fairer farming system in England with the objective of changing the way the Government supports farmers. The roadmap has outlined changes that will come in over a seven year period.

‘The changes will be designed to ensure that by 2028 farmers in England can sustainably produce healthy food profitably without subsidy, whilst taking steps to improve the environment, improve animal health and welfare and reduce carbon emissions.

Next year marks the start of the transition where we will begin to move away from the Basic Payment Scheme(BPS) towards new policies that will be co-designed and tested together with farmers, land managers and experts, to ensure that the new systems work for them.

The ‘Path to Sustainable Farming’ document sets out more detail on the changes we are going to make, and what they will mean to farmers.

The key changes include:

Introducing the Environmental Land Management scheme to incentivise sustainable practices, create habitats for nature recovery and establish new woodland to help tackle climate change.
Investing in improving animal health and welfare as part of our sustainable farming approach. This will initially focus on controlling or eradicating endemic diseases amongst cattle, pigs and sheep.
Direct payments will be reduced fairly, starting from the 2021 Basic Payment Scheme year, with the money released being used to fund new grants and schemes to boost farmer’s productivity and reward environmental improvements.
Launching a Farming Investment Fund, which will support innovation and productivity. This will open for applications next year and will be used to offer grants for equipment, technology and infrastructure for the future.
Simplifying and improving existing schemes and their application processes further from January 2021 to reduce the burden on farmers, and we will take a modern approach to regulation, cutting unnecessary red tape for farmers and working together with industry to design a more targeted regulatory system.

In a nutshell, the bulk of future payments will be through the new Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS), but it will not be fully available to farmers for four years. Meanwhile, cuts to the old scheme will begin in January 2021. By the time the ELM Scheme is fully available, farming businesses face losing 50% of the financial support they previously received. The reliance on BPS for farming businesses of all sizes is it seems, such that farmers may struggle.

The Dorset Local Plan

Many of you will have noticed that there will be consultations in respect of The Dorset Local Plan. The timetable will approximate to:

1^st December 2020 – Details published on the Dorset Council website for discussion at Dorset Council Cabinet

8th December 2020 – Discussion at Dorset Council Cabinet

Mid January 2021 – Consultation period opens for a period expected to be for 8 weeks.

In the event the Cabinet agenda was published yesterday evening and I will be pleased to discuss initial thoughts with you at the meeting this evening.

To quote the documentation:

‘ Having an up to date local place is critical in order to shape the future of the Dorset Council area, providing for development to meet the areas needs and manage decisions of planning applications. Public consultation is a vital part of the process and this consultation will enable a wide range of views to be taken into account in moving the plans forward. The plan includes potential development sites in order to meet the needs for housing, employment and other uses over the period to 2038’

It is proposed that the public consultation takes place for eight weeks starting in mid January 2021. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic means that face to face consultations are unlikely to be possible but in addition to the document and supporting evidence being available online a range of consultation methods are proposed including online events, social media and copies available to loan in libraries.

After consultation a final draft plan will be published with an opportunity for further feedback and comments before being submitted for examination. At that stage responses will be considered and assessed by the independent inspector who examines the plan.

The intention is to adopt the plan by April 2023 .

Dorset Council has published the Dorset Highways Winter Service Policy and Operational Plan 2020/21. This document has been made available to all Parish Council clerks.

I wish you all a safe very enjoyable Christmas and New Year.

Best regards

Councillor Simon Christopher
Dorset Councillor for The Marshwood Vale Ward
https://www.simonchristopher.info/

#Broadwindsor,#Dorset,#BWGPC,#BGPCLT,#SocialDistancing,#Community,#DorsetPolice,#Farmers,#DorsetHighways,#DorsetLocalPlan,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Drimpton,#BroadwindsorCC,#ParishCouncil,#Coronavirus,#Christmas,#Zoom,#ComradesHall,#VillageHall,#Tier2,#StaySafe

Broadwindsor Group Parish Council – Online Meeting Monday 14th December 2020

Broadwindsor Group Parish Council are meeting online using the Zoom platform at 7.30pm on Monday 14th December 2020. You are also invited to join from 7.00 pm with your festive drink and nibbles!
All are welcome to attend.

The full agenda is available to download HERE.

The meeting can be accessed HERE.
The Meeting ID: 925 993 0185
Zoom is Free! – Sign Up and get it HERE.

In the matters arising, there is a Parish Council Vacancy, for the Seaborough Ward.

Residents are invited to give their views and ask questions of the Parish Council on issues on this Agenda.
a. Report from Councillor Christopher, Dorset Council
b. Report from Dorset Police
c. Co-option to Broadwindsor Group Parish Council, Burstock Ward

An update from Councillors re: Covid-19 and a Union Connectivity Review: Call for Evidence

Once the Finance Report (Balance £39,807.66 as of 30 November 2020) is received and payments approved, there are two Planning Applications to be considered this month:

WD/D/20/002442 – The Old School House, High Street, Broadwindsor, DT8 3QP
WD/D/20/002187 – Ellaway Cottage, Wood Farm, Wood Lane, Kittwhistle, DT8 3LG

With updates from Broadwindsor Cricket Club, the Working Group for Climate Change Emergency and the Allotments, there will also be a website review.

Dog Fouling is included in the items to be addressed in the Highways section:
a. Report from the Footpaths Officer
b. Verge Management in the Grouped Parish Area
c. Maintenance of Signs in the Grouped Parish Area
d. Update on Oak Tree, Crewkerne Road, Drimpton
e. Dog Fouling
f. Common Water Lane Verges Update

The Broadwindsor Group Parish Community Land Trust will deliver a report on Affordable Housing.

The public are then invited to participate, to give their views and ask questions of the Parish Council on any outstanding issues on this Agenda or raise issues for future consideration.

Broadwindsor Rainbows, Brownies and Guides

The group have spaces available from January 2021.

Rainbows age 5-7
Brownies age 7-10
Guides age 10-14
West Dorset Rangers age 14-18

Leader, Emma House had this update on what they have all been up to:

“We have been meeting via Zoom rather than doing what we do best but that’s not a bad thing! We have had so much fun! (There is a lot less clearing up for us leaders that’s for sure ).
We have been making indoor rockets, clay creatures, edible Houses of Parliament, completed Taskmaster challenges, chatted and laughed – laughed a lot!!
The laughing is what’s making the difference, everything is so strange for the children at the moment. The social life they are used to is hugely restricted so if we can as leaders continue to try and offer a piece of normality in the best way we can then we have done our job well.
The smiles say it all!” – Emma House.

You can contact Emma at emmahouse@btconnect.com.
Learn more at the GirlGuiding website HERE.

#Broadwindsor,#Dorset,#GirlGuiding,#Volunteers,#MentalHealthAwareness,#Girls,#KeepGoing,#KeepSmiling,#SocialDistancing,#Zoom,#StaySafe

Tag: #Zoom

Midweek Motivator Quiz – Wednesday 24th February

Local Midweek Motivator Quiz On Lockdown Wednesdays