Author: alpington-yelverton-admin

The Parish Council is seeking a new Parish Clerk to join the team in the New Year. The role would suit someone who is:

• organised and structured in their approach
• confident and professional
• experienced at dealing with enquiries and researching for information
• numerate and literate
• experienced in email, Word, Excel and Zoom

The Clerk’s role requires an average of 4 hours per week including 7 Council meetings per year which are held in the evenings. In recent months the Council meetings have been held using Zoom but at some point, we look forward to holding these in the Village Hall again.

Salary is based on £10 per hour plus allowances including home-working expenses, printing and mileage where travel is required. The Clerk will be required to use their own computer equipment and internet connection.

The Job Profile is available for inspection and a handover is planned with the current Clerk who is retiring from the post. Further training is available once the new Clerk is in post.

Applicants are requested to apply by email to clerk.alpington@gmail.com setting out their experience and stating why they would like to be considered for the role.

The closing date for applications is Monday 7th December 2020 and interviews will take place using Zoom or possibly in person if restrictions allow, during week commencing 14th December.

Please download the following PDF file for the full job description:

If you’re short of any groceries on Monday early evening, Jim’s mobile grocery store could be a convenient option. It makes multiple stops at various villages and locations throughout the week, but is at:

Alpington at 4.45pm
Yelverton at 5pm

You can ring on 07967 108986 to request a stop at your doorstep, or ring with an order and they will bring it to you. Or just listen out for the music playing and pop out to meet the van.

For more information see the flyer below, and click through to the Facebook page

https://facebook.com/Jims-Mobile-Grocery-Store-118260680043855

These tips were kindly contributed by local resident Cara MacColl:

Autumn is a busy time for gardeners, with all the clearing up of leaves and tidying up of flowerbeds and November will be the month where we start to feel the colder air temperatures and it is likely we will have the first Winter frosts.

Planting

Plant any bare-root trees and herbaceous shrubs throughout this month and plant your tulip bulbs in the ground or in pots. You can also create some colour throughout the Winter months by planting up tubs and baskets with evergreen perennials, ornamental grasses, winter pansies and polyanthus.

Protecting from winds and frost

Young trees over 1m high will need staking for support, especially in exposed locations.

November is a rainy and often windy month so protect larger roses from wind-rock by pruning them down by a third and protect any container plants in non frost proof pots with bubblewrap around them or moving them into a greenhouse or shed.

Garden furniture will also need protecting at this time of year, so cover any wooden tables, chairs or benches or move them undercover.

Lawns

November is the last chance to lay turf. If you are planning to lay a new lawn, try to undertake this task over a few frost-free days or when the soil isn’t waterlogged. If the weather is dry and mild you may be able to cut established lawns for the last time this month.

Digging

It’s a perfect time for digging over the vegetable patch or allotment, provided the ground  isn’t waterlogged. If you leave the soil in large clumps, the Winter frosts will break the soil down into a crumbly finish for you.

Tidying up

Continue clearing fallen leaves off your lawn, paths and driveways and putting them into black bin liners to rot down into leaf mulch to use next year.

To mark Remembrance Sunday, we wanted to share a few photos from around the village, taken by parish council member and local photographer Kevin Gotts.

At the church

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Church meadow

• 

• 

• 

• 

If you have any similar photos you’d like to share with us, please contact us and we’ll be very happy to add them to this post.

Remembrance Sunday and the upcoming Armistice Day will of course be a bit different this year, but however you choose to remember, you won’t be alone in doing so.

Due to the government imposing a further lock-down, the Parish Council has made the decision to re-launch the villages Community Emergency Plan, as from Thursday 5 November.

The volunteers in Alpington and Yelverton, who helped and supported local residents earlier this year, are ready to offer help and support again. 

If you would like help with shopping, collecting medicines or just someone to chat to please contact your local volunteer.

If you have misplaced your introductory card which was sent out in March introducing them and giving their contact details, please ring either:

• Louise 01508 492599 – Emergency Plan Coordinator
• Sue 01508 491185 – Deputy Emergency Plan Coordinator

and we will forward your request to your local volunteer.

Hopefully this lock-down will not be as difficult as the first one and has the desired effect.

Thank you to our team of volunteers who work hard for our residents.

We would like to publicise the help available from South Norfolk Council and Norfolk County Council regarding the ongoing Free School Meals situation, and details of how families in South Norfolk can seek support during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Please share this post if you can, in case others in your network might need to access the support.

The South Norfolk Help Hub

Cabinet at South Norfolk Council has put together the following statement regarding the ongoing Free School Meals situation, and details of how families in South Norfolk can seek support from the Early Help Hub:

We recognise that sometimes people needed a little extra assistance and we have worked hard over many years to set up community projects such as Community Fridges and our Connectors service. Through this service, ‘Community Connectors’ from South Norfolk Council’s early Help Hub are posted to GP surgeries across the district to offer support to people before they are in crisis.

But we don’t just restrict ourselves to helping those with children. Your local council has a well-established support network in place and during this pandemic, we have distributed thousands of food parcels and hardship payments to families in all situations.

We are already working to provide additional help to residents who receive council tax support and housing benefit, but our job is to be there for all families, regardless of circumstances,

remembering especially that it is often those with the quietest voices that may need the most help.

Some only need us to solve a small temporary problem, some need longer term assistance. If you need help or know someone who does, it’s easy to get in touch.

Here’s how:

• visit our website for information about our Help Hub and Community Connectors
• use the online request form
• phone us on 01508 533933
• text ADVICE to 07860 017323
• visit your GP who will put you in contact
• ask your District Councillor who can signpost you to someone
• who can help.

https://www.south-norfolk.gov.uk/residents/south-norfolk-help-hub

The Norfolk Assistance Scheme

Norfolk County Council have been provided substantial funds which they have placed within the Norfolk Assistance Scheme, information for which can be found on the following website – https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/care-support-and-health/support-for-living-independently/money-and-benefits/norfolk-assistance-scheme

There are various ways to access the fund on that website, but residents can also access this fund is either by simply calling the Help Hub on 01508 533933 or by contacting the community connector. My understanding is that these are found here for South Norfolk: https://www.south-norfolk.gov.uk/residents/communities/community-connectors

Dear Parishioners,

We are pleased to announce that we have another round of funding available for distribution, received from the CBF (annual monies received from the Solar Farm) and CIL (contributions from new housing).

As in previous years, we would like to invite applications from groups or individuals who seek funding to make a positive impact within our community.

Please download the file below for details of the exact criteria.

If you have an idea, project or need for funding that meets the criteria then please contact the Clerk for an application form at clerk.alpington@gmail.com

Please have your completed applications returned to the Clerk by 13th November 2020.

The results will be announced on 30th November.

Please help us make the best use of these funds and together we’ll make a difference to our community. Thank you.

Alpington with Yelverton Parish Council

October brings cooler weather conditions, welcome rainfall to replenish our water butts and those lovely misty mornings, all signalling that it is now the time to start tidying up and preparing for winter, whilst still enjoying the harvest and the golden Autumn sunshine.

Harvesting

If you have apple or pear trees, now is the time to pick the fruit.

Protecting from early frosts

Move any tender plants, including houseplants, into a conservatory or greenhouse and check to see if your greenhouse heater is working properly.

Outdoor pots and containers

Remove any drip trays from under planted up containers and raise terracotta patio pots with bricks or special pot feet so they don’t sit in water over winter and crack when it freezes.

This is also the time to stop all feeding, as your container plants are slowing down for the winter.

Lawns

Mow when you can, but is you wish to remove any moss in your lawn, treat with a  combination moss killer and fertiliser then scarify to remove the dead moss. If your lawn is in good condition it will still benefit from a granular or liquid Autumn feed which will “green it up” and sustain the grass through the winter months.

Perennials – splitting and moving

While you can still identify the various clumps of perennials in your flowerbeds, dig up and divide any which may be getting too big and transplant any which you think are in the wrong place. Transplanting at this time of year gives them a chance to settle in over the Winter and gives them a strong start for next year.

Planting bulbs, trees and shrubs

Continue planting your spring bulbs, but delay planting your tulip bulbs until November. This is a good time to plant shrubs and trees but avoid very wet or frosty days.

Tidying up

Continue collecting leaves as they fall, putting them in a separate compost bin or in black bin liners to rot down into leaf mulch to be used nest Autumn to condition your soil.

Enjoy it!

If you can, take time out to enjoy the lovely peaceful misty mornings and Autumnal views of your garden in the low October sunlight.

The Yelverton village sign has been returned, completely rebuilt by the gentlemen at the Poringland Men’s Shed.

Though initially it was planned to have the original sign refurbished when taken down but on closer inspection, it was found to have too much rotten wood for this to be feasible.

Special thanks

A team at the Men’s Shed agreed to undertake the project and we, the Parish Council would like to pay special thanks to the following members for all their hard work.  

Tim Mayhew for the wood carving and John Mallot who completed most of the painting with the help of Henry Gowman. 

Jeff Hall assisted with the heavy work of collecting, returning and erecting the sign and David Aldis (of Aldis Farm) used his fork lift tractor to take the sign down and put it up again.

The wedges currently in place are temporary and will be replaced by smaller ones, painted black which will be scarcely noticeable.

The plaque giving the history of the sign is now ready and will be fixed to the stone base shortly.

The sign will be reviewed annually and maintained as needed, it has been built to withstand the elements!! 

From the positive feedback received from local residents all are glad to have it back and looking so good as it is an important part of Yelverton village

Many thanks again to Henry Gowman and the Poringland Men’s Shed team

If you’re curious how quickly cars drive through the village, we have a report for August generated from the speed camera which was on Framingham Earl Road near the pond.

As a summary, the majority of vehicles were under the limit, but over 10% of vehicles were going over 30mph, and there were a couple over 55mph.

For more detail see the pdf report below.

This and future reports will be added to our parish council’s page.