Thursday January 17 2019
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Village News
Village youngsters are invited to design a logo for this year’s Alvechurch Picnic in the Park, which takes place on Sunday May 26 in The Meadows.
Victory in Neighbourhood Plan vote
The Alvechurch Parish Neighbourhood Plan is to be legally adopted after a resounding “Yes” vote in a referendum.
Talented young musicians are being sought for the annual Bromsgrove Young Musicians’ Platform (BYMP), with auditions due to take place on February 21 and 22.
A high-level meeting has put a solution to the flooded and pot-holed car park at Alvechurch station back on track, it is hoped.
Campaigners aiming to secure the future of Alvechurch Library, which serves most Village readers, believe the current consultation is trying to achieve the impossible.
This festive display on Birmingham Road, created by Eric Wadlow, was declared the winner of Alvechurch Parish Council’s Best-Dressed House competition.
Work has started on the long-awaited £1 million community centre in Cofton Hackett.
After residents reported concerns over lorry movements and diggers at Marlbrook Tip, district councillor Richard Deeming – chairman of the “working party” formed to keep an eye on developments there – visited the site to investigate.
‘Unitary’ initiative falls on deaf ears
Bromsgrove councillors rejected a motion to discuss the idea of replacing the county and district councils with one “unitary” authority.
The “vacuum” in Alvechurch South ward left by the illness of Coun June Griffiths is no closer to being resolved.
Villagers should be careful about what they post on social media in case it unnecessarily increases people’s fear of crime, neighbourhood policeman PC Simon Albutt told Alvechurch Parish Council.
Lickey and Blackwell Parish Council now has a casual vacancy for Lickey Grange Ward, after Coun Stephen Tibbitts stepped down.
Residents in Lickey and Blackwell will see an increase in how much they pay towards the running of the parish council in the next financial year, after councillors voted unanimously to increase the precept by 4.44 per cent.
In its annual budget setting discussions, Alvechurch Parish Council decided to stick to the £8,000 it has allocated for grants to outside bodies in the next financial year.
Butchers Paul Queen and Geoff Crow, of EJ Crow & Son in Alvechurch, bade farewell to customers as the shop closed for the final time.
There may be a vacancy in the new year on the Alvechurch allotment site in Old Rectory Lane.
A plea from villagers to have a new height barrier restricting access to a park left open has been overruled by parish councillors.
Milly Best and Joshua James, winners of Lickey & Blackwell’s “My Favourite Tree” competition, helped to plant trees in their honour in the Lickey Hills Country Park.
The third Christmas Tree Festival at Alvechurch Baptist Church featured entries decorated by village groups on the theme of a well-known carol.
Charlie and Freddie meet Vinny
Charlie and Freddie Kitchen, of Alvechurch, aged six and three, were the latest winners of a Mini Vinny in our monthly competition.
Villagers in Alvechurch, Barnt Green, Blackwell and Lickey got into the festive spirit with all sorts of special events.
You may think all is quiet with Christmas on its way out and nothing but the winter weather ahead, but behind the scenes there’s a hive of activity going on preparing for Easter!
The West Midlands Girls Tag League held its last tournament of 2018 at Evesham RFC. Kings Norton RFC Rhinos fielded two teams, the Rhinos Reds and Rhinos Blacks.
Alvechurch Library writes: Please don’t assume that because we are busy we are not affected by the library consultation process.
If you missed the Christmas Tree Festival at Alvechurch Baptist Church, don’t worry – the trees will now remain on display until after Christmas.
Alvechurch Village Hall’s committee has produced a 2019 calendar, highlighting the many groups that use the venue.
A selection of Christmas services
Churches in the Village area offer a variety of Christmas services and events, some of which are listed below. For full information, visit the websites.
Villagers are being urged to give their support to Alvechurch Library, as the county council reviews the venue’s future.
The Village’s resident cartoonist Bob Lawton is exhibiting and selling some of his framed cartoons at Artrix in Bromsgrove.
Lickey residents have reported concerns over “activities” at Marlbrook Tip to the Environment Agency, which has responsibility for the site’s safety.
Parish, district and county councillor Charlie Hotham has urged villagers to be aware that two Barnt Green eateries have a low hygiene rating.
Residents of Sandhills Green in Barnt Green have asked the parish council to look into the safety of their unlit lane, which runs under the railway line.
The “Barntchurch” report would not be accepted as evidence by a judge, the chairman of Alvechurch Parish Council told Bromsgrove strategic planning chief Mike Dunphy during a presentation to the council.
Lottery grant boosts stained glass appeal
St Laurence Church in Alvechurch can go ahead with repairs to its historic stained glass windows thanks to a grant of £113,700 from the Heritage Lottery fund.
Lickey & Blackwell Parish Council has decided to fund its own grit bin after a request was turned down by the county’s Highways department.
Bollards must be black and gold
Barnt Green Parish Council decided to buy three new bollards to replace those missing from Hewell Road.
A fashion show held in Alvechurch Village Hall raised £1,112 for Brain Tumour Research.
A poppy centrepiece to a new wrought iron overhead barrier for the gates to The Meadows playing fields in Alvechurch was agreed to unanimously by parish councillors.
Flying of drones is to be subject to the Civil Aviation Authority Drone Code in Alvechurch after the parish council voted to adopt the code on its land.
Lengthsman duties in Alvechurch are to be carried out by Bromsgrove council workers at least until the end of March.
Village Views
JANUARY 2019
With all the talk of referendums (and despite the protestations, it doesn’t look like there’s any sensible way out of the Brexit Mayhem without another one) some villagers have been left scratching their heads as polling cards for a totally different referendum, on January 10, drop through their doors.
Green belt ‘gifted’ to developers
Thank you for alerting me to the District Plan consultation timeframe recently – which, like yourselves, I found to be a challenging read.
When I was on Barnt Green Parish Council I found out they were paying £200 each year for supply and installation of a Christmas tree.
I write in response to the letter from an Alvechurch resident in last month’s edition, apparently motivated by the inconvenience caused by having to slow down at the two pinch gates in the village.
I read with interest an article written in 2012 in your publication about an Alvechurch resident, Robin Walden.
I moved to Alvechurch just over a year ago and I really like The Village magazine. Now, as I’m keen to be involved with my local community, I thought I would tell you about something I’m experiencing: Where have all the small birds gone?
Planning process should be clearer
Thank you for the article “How To Object” last month, but please could you make a correction?
A big thank you to the guys from Hillscourt Conference Centre/NASUWT for clearing the pathway on Rose Hill.
DECEMBER 2018
Every other week, usually on a Thursday afternoon, I run my near-nonagenarian father from Barnt Green over to the library in Alvechurch.
Planning laws are ‘undemocratic’
The current planning laws are grossly undemocratic, and our local councils should be ashamed that they participate in the implementation of them.
Slower traffic will create pollution
I see the 20mph speed limit is back on the agenda for Alvechurch. I would like to make the following observations.
I am the sister of the late Peter Rippington. I do not live in Alvechurch, but visit the village regularly to see my family. Each time I visit, I go to look at the memorial garden to my brother.
I hope the people who set off the industrial-strength fireworks in Blackwell on Halloween were proud of themselves for creating so much noise.
I have been reading with interest your online article (March 2011) about Barnt Green as seen through the eyes of former resident Gavin Bantock.
NOVEMBER 2018
Too many councils for the coffers
With Worcestershire County Council recently announcing a £17.9 million projected overspend in their current year budget, and the six district or city councils within the county, including Bromsgrove Council, clearly also under financial constraints, surely it is now an appropriate time to revisit the potential financial and other benefits of the whole of Worcestershire being governed by either one or two unitary authorities.
Thank you to Howard Allen for his excellent letter, “Politicians are too car-centric”, which appeared in the October edition of The Village.
It’s good that The Village magazine highlights and has always supported the Alvechurch Parish Neighbourhood Plan.
If you think Brexit is a never-ending nightmare, then a foray into town planning might just tip you over the edge.
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Village Features
Optician features in top journal
Don Williams, who opened Edgbaston Eye Clinic a year ago, is proud to be featured in the UK’s top Optometric journal:
Village Archive. . . 20 years ago
A look back at what was happening around here in January 1999.
Ethical investment for sustainable returns
Martin Pryor points out some of the ways you can invest while keeping your principles.
If you know deep down that you need to sort your drinking out, then seize the opportunity of a fresh start in January 2019!
Recipe for success, the Dodderhill way
A good dollop of fun, plenty of friends, a measure of kindness and a sprinkling of ambition – give it a good stir and you have the essence of what makes Dodderhill Independent Girls school a unique place to learn.
Winterfold is a wonderful and stimulating place in which to spend your childhood and your formative years of learning.
At Bromsgrove School, we believe our pupils are happiest when they are succeeding.
The RGS Worcester schools offer an outstanding education for boys and girls aged 2 to 18 years.
Amateur astronomer Brian Watkiss peers into the Village night sky.
Mary Green shows why our wildlife is fascinating.
Hannah Genders looks back over the growing year.
Alvechurch amateur weatherman Phil Thomas records the changes.
AFC gives fans plenty to get excited about as a new year begins.
In our recipe series, keen baker Jen Morris, of Rowney Green, creates some healthy treats to help keep those resolutions. . .
Barnt Green author Steve Dunn has written a seventh naval history book, this time focusing on the role of Scandinavia in the battle for the North Sea in WWI.
Kingfisher Probus Club recently enjoyed a day trip to Bristol Aerospace Museum, writes Malcolm Shine.
The Village Archive. . . 20 years ago
A look back at what was happening around here in December 1998.
The Village Archive. . . 10 years ago
A look back at what was happening around here in December 2008 / January 2009.
BeautyBox in Barnt Green has a brand new look after a complete refurbishment – and there are a few added extras still to come in the new year.
Our guide to the celebrations taking place in the Village area.
Finstall author Jennie McGregor-Smith, whose previous works have covered the Victorian expansion of Bromsgrove, Aston Fields, Blackwell and Burcot, has turned the spotlight on her own village with a new book called The Story of Finstall.
The 2018 edition of The Bromsgrove Rousler, the popular local history magazine, has been published by The Bromsgrove Society.
Aston Fields author and mineralogist Roy Starkey has produced a beautifully-illustrated book exploring important mineral deposits in the surrounding area.
Alvechurch amateur weatherman Phil Thomas records the changes.
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