Youth Club - interested

Nocton Youth Club

As many of you know the Youth Club in the village came to an end in July and did not start up again in September. Six people who live in the village are looking to get the club going again after Christmas with an organised programme of lively, enjoyable activities. First of all we need to know if there is any desire for a Youth Club in Nocton and that's why we are putting this letter out to the whole village.

1. We will need at least 10 children to make it viable.
2. We need to know if your child(ren) is/are interested.
3. We expect to run the club for Year 3 - Year 7 children but would be interested to know if older children might also be keen.
4. The club will be run by volunteers, and parents/carers will be expected to help (no more than once each school term).
5. If there is enough interest we are planning to start in January 2017, on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month, from 6.30 - 8.00pm.

If your child(ren) is/are interested in a new Yough Club please complete the slip below and take it EITHER to the Post Office (there will be a box inside for the slip) OR put it through the letterbox at 29 Nocton Park Road.

The closing date for registering interest is November 21st. We will then get back to you with further information as soon as possible.

Thank you

Julie Ashworth
[Source: What's on in Nocton - Facebook page]
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Please PRINT

Parent/Carer name(s)

Address

Contact number
Email

Name and school year of children who are interested

Name................................ School Year......................
Name................................ School Year......................
Name................................ School Year......................

Job advert - part time youth worker

Nocton Parish Council

Part-time youth worker

Nocton Parish Council is looking to appoint a part-time Youth Worker for one evening a week to run the Youth Club in the village.
 
You must have experience of working with, and delivering activities to, young people between the ages of 7 and 16.

You will be responsible for planning activities, ensuring resources are available, leading and mentoring a team of volunteers, keeping basic financial and other records and preparing reports for management.  You may also be required to attend meetings with members of the Parish Council who oversee the project.

The job will require a DBS check.

The salary will be £8.86 per hour (Point 6 on the JNC Pay Scale for YCW), for 3.5 hours per week for 44 weeks per year.  Initially, the appointment will be for a period of twelve months at which point it will be reviewed.

Please contact the Parish Clerk for more details including a Job Description and Person Specification.

The Closing Date for applications is Friday 16th October, 2015

Application form and further details from the Parish Clerk Steve Altridge at noctonparishcouncil@hotmail.co.uk

Parish Council Report

Report of Parish Council Meeting held on Tuesday 2 December at 7pm in the Village Hall

The Christmas meeting with the enticing offer of a glass of cheer and mince pies along with the prospect of seeing the latest suggestions for the remodelling of our Village Hall attracted a sizeable public attendance!  The meeting was chaired by Ian Goldsworthy in the absence of the Chair and as two councillors have recently resigned the ‘top table’ was a little sparse.  However this did not affect the meeting which was lively and interactive.

Police Report

Thankfully no crimes to report in this village over the last month but residents are warned that any car or house left insecure is likely to provide rich pickings for opportunist thieves in the area.  So please double check before leaving either please.

Village Hall Refurbishment Plans

Councillor Williams, now chairing this team, gave a short summary of the project and we all had a first chance to see the three different development options that had been sent by our Architect that afternoon.  Comment sheets were available and questions (where possible) answered.  These are early days, so if you have any input or constructive suggestions regarding the future of our Village Hall, please do not hesitate to get in touch with either the Clerk or Councillor Williams.  Residents will be updated regularly on progress and anyone who has any expertise which might assist the Project Team is asked to please step forward!

If you wish to support the project financially then our local Co-op will share some of its profits through the Community Champions initiative.  All you have to do is call 01522 781135 and give them your Co-op card number and nominate Nocton Village Hall Management Committee.  Otherwise this money is just donated to a cause chosen by the local store.

Nocton Welcome Pack

Councillor Jones presented the draft of the Welcome to Nocton leaflet.  This was very favourably received and should be available by mid December.  Copies will be kept at the Post Office; however, if you know of someone or have a new neighbour you think may benefit from the information, please do not hesitate in contacting Councillor Jones or pick up a copy at the Post Office.  Thanks were given to the organisers of the 200 Club for the funding of this project.

Nocton Youth Club

Another success!  Some 20 children are now attending each week and volunteers have stepped forward to help the youth leader, Vicky, with the running of the Club.

200 Club

The Youth Club is also funded from monies raised by the 200 Club which came about as a direct result of work to prepare our local Parish Plan and the need to raise community funds.  Jim Eagle, the 200 Club Promoter, presented the Parish Council with a cheque for £1,200 which will be used to support projects and activities over the coming year.  Jim took the opportunity to thank those residents who were members of the 200 Club and reminded everyone that now was the time to renew or purchase a new membership for 2015.  50% of the monies raised are given out in a monthly prize draw and 50% are used to support community initiatives.  Judging by results to date, a worthy cause indeed!

Nocton School

Mark Cunningham, Chair of the Governing Body continued with the evening’s upbeat news with the announcement that in the recent OFSTED report Nocton had been scored ‘good” and fell only a little short of “outstanding”.

Responding to complaints about parking around the Green, parents have been asked to be considerate when dropping off or picking up their children and not to block driveways, etc.

There are now 58 children attending the School, a significant increase from last year and it is hoped that next year the news will be even better.

Vattenfall Wind Power Ltd

Councillors Goldsworthy and Jones are to attend a Community Investment Workshop on behalf of the Parish Council which has been organised by Vattenfall as part of the ongoing discussions prior to the submission of any planning application for the wind farm.  A report on the outcome of the workshop will be given at the next meeting.  A resident from Wasps Nest asked that all residents of Nocton look closely at this proposed installation and mentioned that the Action Group is meeting in London with some senior parliamentary figures to try to enlist their support in opposing any application.

Planning Issues

Concerns over plans that have been lodged at NKDC for development in Wellhead Lane were raised by Councillors who felt that too much guidance and support was being given to the applicant with insufficient thought to the wishes of, or impact on, the existing community.  Councillor Kendrick sought to reassure the meeting that all applications were determined on the basis of planning issues only although it was noted in the absence of an approved Local Plan, the National Planning Policy Framework made it more difficult to reject plans since the presumption would always have to be in favour of sustainable development (see below).

Councillor Faulkner also requested that the naming of new roads be addressed.  At the time of the application for the new homes in Nocton Park all the roads were given appropriate names but it seemed that these had been altered and were now causing some problems with postal deliveries as in at least one case, it was very similar to one already in existence.

County Councillor Marianne Overton

Councillor Overton had one piece of advice for 2015 - “Shop Local”.

Four major projects are to begin in 2015 in the area of Canwick Hill which are likely to cause major traffic problems in this part of the district:

• East/West link
• Bomber Command Museum site
• Dualling of the B1188 up Canwick Hill
• Footbridge over the High Street

As 2015 is the 800th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta, the “whole world” is being invited to Lincoln to view one of the four original remaining Magna Carta documents which is being housed in the newly renovated Lincoln Castle.  This was likely to add to the traffic problems in the area!

Councillor Overton also had a word of warning about the increasing number of planning applications that are being submitted in our area.  Without a Local Plan in place, (unfortunately the one submitted was thrown out and it will be some time before a replacement can be adopted), this area is being targeted by developers with no thought as to the impact of any such development on the environment nor the lack of suitable infrastructure in most local areas.

Councillors’ Reports

1. SID is to stay around Nocton for the time being as neighbouring villages have not requested its use - so watch your speed!
2. The final part, Phase 3, of the Nocton Park development should be completed by the end of 2015.
3. BT is to be asked why high speed fire optic broadband is not yet available to the majority of households in Nocton when the necessary cabling is in place along the B1188.
4. A request to ‘tidy up’ the trees on the Green is to be made to NKDC.

Date of next Meeting Tuesday 13 January 2015 at 7pm.

On behalf of all your Parish Councillors may I wish you and your families a very Happy Christmas and Healthy and Prosperous 2015.

Councillor MaryAnn Williams

Forthcoming Events

Nocton Youth Club

Report

There have been four meetings in all since the inauguration of the Youth Club, with numbers increasing from 8 to 16, then 20 and at the latest count 22!  However as indicated below, the continuing success very much depends on volunteers coming forward from the community. If you are interested in joining the team, helping out the six volunteers already in place, then please contact Vicky (Youth Club Leader) via email: v_maskell@hotmail.com

This is the latest report from the Youth Club Leader:

"Following on from the success of the youth club taster sessions, we are now officially open! All children aged 8 upwards are welcome to join us from 6.30 - 8.30 pm every Wednesday at 50p per week. 

All activities have been very popular so far including biscuit decorating, nail art and not forgetting the well stocked tuck shop.  We also have table football, loom band making, juke box, card games, giant Jenga, Twister and arts & crafts.

The young people can socialise in a fun, safe environment with myself and volunteers overseeing all activities.  This is a great opportunity for the young people of Nocton, and we hope the youth club continues to grow. To enable higher numbers to attend we need the continued support of volunteers so that the ratios can remain safe, so please do get in contact if you are interested in joining us."

Councillor Ian Goldsworthy commented:

"A Youth Club was seen as a very high priority by residents and was included in our Parish Plan. It is funded from monies raised by the 200 Club."

Parish Council Report

Report of the Parish Council Meeting held on Tuesday 21 November at 7pm

Parish Council ’Cabinet‘ reshuffle!

A depleted Parish Council sat this month; the Clerk was on holiday, apologies were received from Councillor Neil Summers and our district and county councillors and news of the resignation of Councillor Jill Burr.

Parish Councillors took the opportunity to thank Jill Burr for all her good work whilst a member of the Council and to wish her well for the future.

Reports

• Police – Councillor Graham Jones reported on the theft of a bicycle and items from unlocked cars in Potterhanworth.  Despite previous requests, the information provided by the police in their written reports is very basic and the Clerk is to ask again that for the information to be of real use to the public and to help us play our part in reducing crime, we need to know rather more!
• Clerk - Information on a proposed new bench at the end of the bridleway (costs kindly donated by a resident) were circulated.
• Wasps Nest Grit Bin - The residents of Wasps Nest (as the principle users) are to be asked where they wish the new bin to be sited.

Central Lincolnshire Local Plan

Councillor Ian Goldsworthy had, on behalf of the Parish Council, read all 97 pages of the draft Plan and prepared a suggested response from the Parish Council.   This can be read in its entirety on the Parish Council website.

 

Important points included making a formal application to have our green spaces protected and supporting the proposal that smaller villages, such as ours, should only be subjected to limited housing development and not be increased in size by more than 10% - measured from 2011.

Vattenfall Wind Power Ltd

Councillors Goldsworthy and Jones had met with a representative from Vattenfall and learnt that following the recent public consultation, the project size was now to be reduced from 23 to 20 turbines and the development moved further away from houses and the River Witham.  Recent news that future subsidies would not continue at the same level or the Prime Minister’s comments that there were enough on-shore windfarms in Lincolnshire were not commented on and it was still currently proposed to put in a planning application next autumn/winter.  Neither would Vattenfall confirm or deny that there was insufficient capacity in the National Grid to deal with the Wind Farm’s output – as had been claimed by some people recently - but said that discussions were continuing with Western Power on this particular point.

 

Budget

The six monthly budget report was circulated and showed that the Council’s expenditure was broadly in line with projections.  However, it was agreed that a close eye would continue to be kept on avoiding unnecessary costs.  A letter had been received from NKDC asking that each Parish Council add £1000 for meeting the costs of electing parish councillors next May to its precept for 2015/16.  This was considered a rather large proportion of our small budget and clarification is being sought.

 

Nocton Village Hall Refurbishment

The long awaited plans for the proposed remodeling of the Village Hall were circulated and will be discussed at the next Project Team meeting.  Councillor Williams is to replace Mrs Burr and Councillor Goldsworthy is taking over from Councillor Tyler for the next phase of this project.  The plans are attached and if anyone has any queries, suggestions or any other positive input please do not hesitate to let either the Parish Clerk or one of the Project Team members know.  It is intended to have the plans and suggestions on show at the next Parish Council meeting on Tuesday 2 December.

 

Nocton Youth Club

Two taster sessions have been well advertised and we are hopeful that this initiative will be a resounding success.

 

Grant Aid

It was agreed to give a grant of £250 to the Parish Church towards its costs in maintaining the churchyard.

 

Welcome Pack

Councillor Jones agreed to take over producing the Welcome Pack from Mrs Burr.  Councillor Faulkner said that he will know when new people move into the Peter Sowerby houses and other new arrivals could be reported by the Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators.  In this way, it was hoped that a Pack would be given to all new residents as soon as they move into the village.

 

Wild Flower on the Green

Councillor Williams asked that seeds donated by National Rail for village space enhancement be sown along the back edge of the Village Green by the wood (opposite the Church).  This was agreed and a one metre strip will be roped off while the seed has a chance to grow.

 

A suggestion that further ‘dragons’ teeth’ be put on the school entrance to stop parking on the Green was rejected for the time being on the grounds of cost and the potential for restricting access to emergency vehicles.  Rather, it was hoped that drivers will respect the grass verges, especially during the wet winter months.

Councillors Reports

• No news yet on Nocton Hall.
• SID has returned although we have not yet received the new speed aware signs.
• The street light outside Halls Yard is to be checked as it appears not to be very bright.
• A lawnmower has now been purchased which will negate the need for the NKDC to cut our Village Green (and the subsequent cost that this entails).

Date of Next meeting Tuesday 2 December at 6.30 p.m.

Before the meeting mince pies and a glass of cheer will be available together with a chance to see the proposed Village Hall plans and suggestions.

Remember “It seems impossible until it is done!”

Councillor MaryAnn Williams

Parish Council

Parish Council Report – 29th July 2014

Amongst the issues discussed at July’s meeting were:

Nocton 200 Club
As you will know, the Nocton 200 Club was established to raise funds for village “projects” which have been highlighted in the Parish Plan but which could not be funded by the Parish Council.  Together with the Club’s Promoter, we are most anxious that these funds are fully spent so if you are a member of any village group, or an individual, with an idea for a project that you think would benefit our village, please do get in touch with the Parish Clerk or one of your councillors so that we can see if we can help you.

Village Hall
It was noted that following the recent testing of the Hall’s electrical equipment a number of problems were identified with some of the building’s circuitry.  The Parish Council endorsed the Management Committee’s proposals to have the necessary remedial work carried out as a matter of urgency.
Since the July meeting of the VHMC was inquorate, it was unable to consider a number of changes to the existing Terms of Conditions for Hire and Scale of Charges.  These would, therefore, be discussed at the next meeting.

We are continuing to make progress with the scheme to refurbish the Village Hall and were pleased to note that the Architect nominated by ProHelp was now in the process of preparing outline drawings based on the Project Team’s initial design scheme.  Once the plans are available, we will then be able to start looking for funding!

Youth Club
Since the meeting, the person appointed to run the Youth Club has, unfortunately, withdrawn her acceptance of the job offer.  We are now in urgent discussions with the County’s Council for Voluntary Youth Service to see how best we can get this important project back on track.

Woodland Trust – Centenary of World War 1
The Parish Council has agreed to participate in the Woodland Trust’s scheme to mark the centenary of WW1 by applying for a “pack” of 30 saplings of native trees to be planted around the village.  Further details will be announced in due course.

Nocton and Potterhanworth Neighbourhood Development Plan
A productive meeting of the joint Working Group was held earlier in the month.  As a first step in the process to prepare this Plan, two public meetings will be held (one in each village) after the summer holiday period.  The meetings will explain what the Plan is about, how all residents can get involved and how they will be consulted about their views on the future development of our two villages.  In addition, we are applying to NKDC for some funding to enable us to have the benefit of specialist advice and support as we begin to put the Plan together.

Proposed Housing Development in Wellhead Lane
As some of you will probably know, we have been consulted by NKDC on the recent outline planning application to build 12 “affordable” houses in Wellhead Lane on the former allotment site.  We were extremely concerned about the effect that this development as proposed could have on Wellhead Lane in particular and on the village in general.  We considered it to be entirely inappropriate both in size, layout and design and did not feel that it complied with the NKDC’s own policies for such developments.  We will, of course, be making our views known to NKDC including our concern and considerable disappointment that the applicant did not see fit to consult with the local community (as encouraged to do under the government’s new planning regime on what has been classified as a major development) before submitting the application.

REMINDER
Next meeting is on Tuesday, 9th September at 7.00 p.m. (Meetings are now held every SIX weeks)

Councillor Ian Goldsworthy

Nocton Youth Group