South Cerney

Mike Stuart

mikestuart.scerney@ btinternet.com

01285 860439

  • SOUTH Cerney is well known for its excellent community spirit which was so well demonstrated last week when so many people volunteered to carry out the final jobs required to finish setting up our new Fenton’s centre. From Monday right through to Sunday teams worked on building the kitchen in the café area while others answered a cry for help in putting together the tables and chairs, clearing up on Saturday and on a bitterly cold Sunday, laying the white markers of the new car park. During all this the sports hall was often in use with classes in zumba, yoga, pilates and dancing taking place.
  • TO SEE a detailed list of the many classes already taking place at Fenton’s, go to Fenton’s@southcerney.org. uk or call Rhian the facilities manager on 077245 18131.
  • TOMORROW evening, Friday, February 17, the Village Hall Club meets with doors and licensed bar open at 7pm and the entertainment starting at 7.30pm. Anyone can join this community group which meets 12 times a year at only £12.50 membership. New members and visitors welcomed. Call me for more details.
  • COFFEEPOT will be in the United Church this Saturday, February 18, from 10am serving coffee and tea with a great selection of cakes, toasted teacakes and scones. No charge but donation towards this year’s charity, Cirencester Signpost, most welcomed.
  • FOLLOWING several weeks of hard work the community composting site at Upper Up is finally back in full working order. New bins have been constructed by the resident team thus saving the parish council considerable costs. The accumulated green material has also been shredded and stacked into the new bins and is now festering nicely towards becoming excellent garden compost. There is still a pile of finished compost available free of charge to anyone so bring your bags and collect it.
  • SHROVE Tuesday, on February 28, will be when the South Cerney pancake races take place at 3.30pm in Church Lane. Races for all age groups so bring your frying pan and pancake and join in.
  • PETER Jay, one of the most active people in the area, has been nominated by Visit Wiltshire for the Visit Britain tourism superstar national award for his top class work with the Cotswold Water Park Trust. Most Saturdays and during school holidays, Peter is at the Gateway Centre on the Spine Road manning the information desk helping visitors from all over the world get the best out of their visit to this area. He also organises the volunteer rota of other regular volunteers. To help Peter get the recognition he thoroughly deserves he needs us all to vote for him on the Daily Mirror website, mirror.co.uk/ lifestyle/travel/britishbreaks/vote-now-decide-whoyour9736671

Siddington

Alison Wagstaff

01285 655838

awsiddington@yahoo.co.uk

  • SIDDINGTON with Preston WI meets on Thursday February 16 at 7.30pm in the Elizabeth Way Community Room. The speaker this month is Mike Bottomley, who will be talking about King Henry VIII’s sixth Queen, Katherine Parr, who lived at Sudeley Castle after Henry’s death. Visitors are welcome to attend.
  • HOLY Communion takes place at St Peter’s Church on Sunday, February 19, starting at 10am.

Down Ampney

Melanie Fouracre

dastandard44@gmail.com

  • PARISH Communion is at Ampney Crucis at 10am on Sunday, February 19, followed by Word and Worship at 6pm at Poulton.
  • GARDEN Club members will take part in a practical class on seed sowing given by Richard Baldwin on Thursday, February 16 at 7.30 pm at the village hall. The competition is “a small vase of spring flowers from your garden”. The snowdrops are in bloom at the Church (see picture,right). There must be some in your gardens too.
  • THE Parish Council (PC) have agreed to increase the precept, the funds they can raise via the community charge, for the village by £500. This will equate to about an extra £2 per year per household paying the charge. The finances of the PC are sound and costs are being managed within the budget set for the current year. The PC is ultimately responsible for a number of key assets in the village, most notably, the village hub, the children’s play area and the multi-use games area next to it. The increased precept will ensure on-going, proper maintenance of these and the physical fabric of the wider village.