Starston Parish Council.
STARSTON ANNUAL PARISH MEETING 2015
Starston Jubilee Hall
Tuesday 19th May 2015 at 8.30 pm
Meeting Minutes.
Present:
Cllr Edward Libbey (Outgoing Chairman), Cllr Ann Leitch, Cllr Sam Carter,
Cllr Helen Gale, Cllr Graham Curson, Cllr John Formston, Cllr Bobbie Formston.
In Attendance:
Sonja Burnett (Clerk to the Council),
Public:
10 members of the public present.
AGENDA
1
Chair’s Welcome
Cllr Leitch welcomed all present to the meeting.
2
Apologies for absence
Apologies previously emailed by Cllr Coates. Apologies accepted. Names of public present were
not recorded, as advised by Mr J Taylor, further to the conclusion of discussions held in previous
years .
3
Minutes of the Starston Annual Parish Meeting 2014
Members of the public were willing to accept the minutes as an accurate record of the meeting.
4
Matters Arising from those minutes
None arising.
5
Reports from organisations and groups active in Starston
1) Report on Everyone’s War, given by Mrs Dee Palmer.
Dee Palmer gave a report on "Everyone's War" - a performance held on 2 evenings in May
2015. The show was Starston's Tribute to those who served in the First World War. It was
regarded by all who attended as a great success - audience comments included "moving",
"powerful" and "professional". A copy of the write up of the evening by Clare Allan, as
published in June's Pigeon Post, and a report for grant funders (South Norfolk Council and
Norfolk Community Foundation WW1 Fund) will be available on the village website.
2) Parochial Church Council. Report sent in by Mrs Ruth Cawcutt.
Cllr Formston gave a verbal report to those present.
Starston Parish Council.
Cllr Formston stated that it had been a good year, but that the Church Council was fast
running out of money trying to maintain the church that was now in a rundown state.
Special services have been carried out throughout the year. The Great and Small service for
younger people has been reasonably well attended so was to be continuing. There has been
a Fete, a Harvest Festival, carol service, flower festival and special services providing
fundraising to various charities.
Cllr Leitch asked about the state of repair of the church. The PCC had applied for a £200,000
grant but had been turned down. However it is considering applying for another grant
because the fabric of the building is deteriorating. Temporary repairs to a major leak in the
roof were carried out earlier in the year and to a more minor one recently. For the present,
the roof is watertight. Internal alterations are in the early planning stages, to provide a
toilet area in the bell tower and a kitchenette on one side of the church that will require
removing some pews. There are architects drawings prepared. Mr J Taylor offered that the
PCC had not made parishioners aware of the cost of running the building and that funds for
maintaining the building have been running low over the last 10 years. He indicated that
such grant aid funds normally require an applicant to provide 15% of the overall monies and
suggested that the local community may be appealed to. Cllr Leitch stated that the church is
a fantastic heritage building.
Cllr Formston noted the monies given annually of £400 by the Parish Council is for the
upkeep of the grounds and provision of burial spaces. It is understood that the parish has
about 20yrs grace in view of burial plots. It was noted that burial spaces can be reused after
50yrs, but that the PCC have extended this to 100yrs. Mrs Palmer suggested that CIL monies
(Ref to Parish Council Meeting, same evening) might be used for the burial ground.
Mr Grimble asked, after the WW1 Everyone’s War event, if the PCC might use the church as
a community facility in the future, thus serving the community more widely. Mr Taylor
suggested removing the North side pews so that the church could be used in a variety of
ways. It was agreed that the new staging can be erected quickly if needed. He confirmed
that the PCC was agreeable to other local groups using the church building.
(Action: Parish Council: CIL monies - burial grounds)
3) Starston Jubilee Hall Given by Mr Bryan Hanner.
Mr Hanner thanked the Parish Council for its money donation. He suggested that a few
younger members of the Jubilee Hall trust group would be of value to keep things moving.
Mr Grimble noted that the roof of the Jubilee Hall now has 5 inches of insulation, reducing
heat loss and that the vent has been closed, agreed with the conservation officer. The
damp course should have improved the wall which kept getting damp in the rain. Windows
and door were completed, the scaffolding should be down soon. The electrics have been
upgraded and a froststat and heater in the toilets should help prevent freezing. The toilets
now meet full disability standards. Mr Richard Hitchman was replacing the front windows
according to conservation standards. He summarised that the building would be much
more comfortable and energy efficient. The four different grants have paid for all the above
works. Mr Bryan Hanner commended Cllr Leitch and Mr Grimble for their significant efforts
with fundraising. Volunteers are being sought to decorate the inside of the building.
Cllr Formston noted that the 100 Club is run to service maintenance costs of the Jubilee Hall
and raises a lot of money and that new members are always being sought. Cllr Leitch
suggested adding an article in the Pigeon Post for the benefit of the new people of Starston.
Starston Parish Council.
(Action: Starston Jubilee Hall Management Committee - Pigeon Post
article/ advertisement promoting the 100 Club and low cost/free
usage policy of the Jubilee Hall to Starston residents)
4) Glebe Meadow Management Group (a Jubilee Hall subcommittee) Given by Mr Peter Grimble.
Mr Grimble added to his report that the footfall through the Jubilee Hall, including
individuals using the building on more than one occasion, is 2,500, which is considerable for
a small village. He feels that the Glebe Meadow is being well used and would like people to
remain interested and active with it, commending anyone who could spend an hour or two
once or twice a year to assist with maintenance and suggesting that it would be of benefit
for more young people to take an interest. Mr Grimble stated that he had obtained
another grant to fund safety crossing signs for the road for events on the Meadow, to assist
those crossing the road to the Hall. He noted that Cllr Wilby and the highways engineer
from NCC had given permission for these to be erected for use at events without further
NCC consent. The monies also cover safety netting to demarcate the Beck during an
activity.
5) Community Speedwatch Rev Norman Steer.
Read by Cllr Leitch. She noted that the suggestion made by Rev Steer of a permanent sign
for families crossing the road to use the Meadow will be met in part via the temporary,
movable signs that will be secured by the Jubilee Hall Trust, for use when events are held on
the Meadow. Cllr Leitch thanked Rev Steer for his significant efforts towards road safety in
the parish over many years and for being the originator of the SAM team. She also
recognised the contributions of Mr David Payton, Mrs Jane German and Mrs Jane Taylor.
Cllr Leitch also thanked Mrs Philippa Taylor for taking over as lead for the SAM team from
Rev Steer. Cllr Leitch suggested that the Council should sign a card to thank Rev Steer on
behalf of the Parish Council and those residents present. This was agreed.
Cllr Leitch suggested asking more people to become involved in supporting activities that
serve the population of this parish. Mr Michael Bartlett (Pigeon Post co-ordinating editor)
advised that promoting the need for volunteers in the Pigeon Post relies upon people to
proactively send him articles for the magazine.
(Action: SAM team; Jubilee Hall Management Committee; St
Margaret's PCC; The Bell Ringers of St Margaret's Church; Parish
Council: - permanent children crossing road signs)
6) Pigeon Post Given by Mr Michael Bartlett
Cllr Leitch noted that the village magazine and website were significant village assets,
enabling everyone in the parish to be informed about what was happening and how they
could get involved should they so choose.
7) The Bell Ringers of St Margaret’s Church Given by Mr Herbert Websdell.
To his report, Mr Websdell added that the bells were in good condition and easy to ring.
More ringers were needed to maintain continuity. A dozen ringers would mean that tasks
can be shared. Most of the ringers were outside the village. When he spoke to people at
Starston Parish Council.
the flower Festival, they were surprised how easy it was. One person has decided to train
as a result of that event.
8) The Starston Charities Given by Mr Julian Taylor.
Mr Taylor stated that 11 acres of land provided some of the funding for the charity and also
the Dog Show on 14th June on the Glebe Meadow. Mr Taylor indicated the need to appoint
a further trustee and Mr Bryan Hanner was proposed and seconded.
The Book Prize for 2015 is to be presented at the Starston Fete later this year.
9) The Starston Hand Bell Ringers. To be provided later by Mrs Margaret Griffiths.
6
Any Other Business
Mrs Palmer reminded the meeting that the inaugural 2014 Teddy Bear's Picnic was very
successful and would be held again this August.
7
Date of Annual Parish Meeting 2016 was proposed for Tuesday 17th May.
The meeting closed at 9.40pm