Author: Andrew Goddard

New Path at The Pavilion

We are very pleased with the new path joining the car park to the Pavilion and we have received encouraging comments from those who have used it.  The wider path allows people to walk side-by-side as well as making the use of pushchairs and wheelchairs more possible.  We managed to obtain funding for this venture from the Awards for All grant of the Big Lottery, which meant that our precious Precept funding was conserved.  We are also improving the signs to remind dog owners of the need to ‘scoop the poop’ in order that we can all enjoy this wonderful area to the maximum.  If you or your club or society has ideas for enhancing our Parish further, please let Pauline Gubbins know and we will do our best to seek external funding. 

Neighbourhood Planning

In January, several members of the public attended the meeting and supported the idea of producing a Neighbourhood Plan (NP).  This is part of the government’s Localism Act encouraging the ‘Big Society’ notion of local people being involved in planning the future of their local areas.  Members of the Parish Council have attended training on the production of the NP and as a result of advice given, the Parish Precept will include funding to support this activity.  The writing of the NP will be facilitated by the Parish Council, but will need to involve the participation of as many community members as possible.  As our plans proceed, we will make contact with you, but if you would like to register an interest in being involved, please contact Pauline Gubbins, Parish Clerk (clerk@eastcokerpc1.wanadoo.co.uk; 862062). 

Open Village Meeting Presentation – March 2012

Nearly 400 people attended an Open Village Meeting on 1st March 2102 at East Coker Village Hall.  The meeting introduced the process of the Neighbourhood Plan development, brought everyone up to speed on the current situation with South Somserset District Council’s Draft Core Startegy, and discussed the plan for the Area South Meeting on 7th March 2012.

The presentation is attached here for your reference.

[wpfilebase tag=file path=’OpenMeeting_PP_010312Final.pdf’ /]

The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Planning

On 23 November 2011, the Parish Council held a meeting concerning the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in June 2012 for interested village groups.  This was well attended, and the provisional decisions were:

  • There will be a festival of flowers in the church during the weekend.
  • Church services will take place on Sunday 3 June.
  • It was suggested that a plaque be put in the church to commemorate the Jubilee.
  • It is hoped that cricket will take place on the field at the Pavilion on the afternoon of Sunday 3 June.
  • Kevin Chapman has kindly agreed to change the date of the East Coker Fete, which will now be held in and around the East Coker Hall on Monday 4 June from 12 noon – 4.00pm.
  • During the Fete, there will be a display of village memorabilia in the Dampier Room.
  • From 4 00pm – late, on 4 June, there will be a music event on the Pavilion field starting with a children’s disco.  We are delighted that we have been able to secure the services of our splendid local group, ‘Storm’ who are guaranteed to make the party go with a swing.  People will be encouraged to bring their own food and drink to enjoy a ‘picnic in the park’.
  • To co-ordinate with the Queen’s lighting of a beacon after the Buckingham Palace music concert on Monday 4 June, it is intended that a beacon at Westfield Farm will be lit during the ‘picnic in the park’.
  • If Parishioners have ideas on how we might mark the Jubilee in the village, then they should let Stan or Bridget know. Ideas from the group included a commemorative sign or refurbishment of the existing Silver Jubilee signs.

For more general information please contact Cllr Stan Shayler (01935 429019) or Cllr Bridget Sugg (01935 863435). 

Neighbourhood Plan Support

The Parish Council have recently heard that we have successfully bid for support for the writing of a Neighbourhood Plan.  This is a national funding stream and we will receive professional support from Locality. 

Further updates will be posted when we know more.

Parish Council Awarded Grant for Pavilion Improvements

The Parish Council has successfully applied for a grant from ‘Awards for All’ (Big Lottery) to create a substantial path from the car park to the Pavilion.  This means that having been awarded approximately £5,000 we will have a much needed improvement for us all when using the Pavilion.  We would not have been able to fund this from the money collected from the Precept, so we are pleased to be able to improve our village in this way.  In future, we intend to continue to try to obtain external funding to achieve local improvements. 

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