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BRAYFORD

A rural parish in North Devon, England including Brayford village, High Bray and Charles, and a part of Exmoor National Park

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From the April 2005 Newsletter:

Parish Council News

May Parish Council Meeting
The May Parish Council Meeting will be held in the Village Hall on Thursday 19th May 2005, following on from the Annual General Meeting. Agenda

Annual Parish Meeting
The Annual Parish Meeting will be held in the Village Hall on Thursday 21st April 2005 at 7.30pm. This will be followed by the normal Parish Council Meeting. Agenda

Co-option
Following the resignation of Pat Folkes and there being no names for an election, the Parish Council has co-opted Louise Jones of Broomhill Villas to the Parish Council. Louise has always lived in Brayford and indeed works here too and offered to serve on the Parish Council.

Brayford School
Congratulations to Christine Bearman, who has been appointed the new Head Teacher of the School with effect from 1^st April, 2005. There will be some vacancies for Parent and Community School Governors on the new governing body in June. Notices will be posted in the village in April, after Easter school holidays. School returns on Monday, 11^th April.

If anyone is collecting the "Active Kids" tokens from Sainsburys, the School would welcome them.

Village Projects
A meeting has been held at The Pound to discuss how to tidy the area now that The Pound has been rebuilt.

A beech hedge has been planted on the land at the bridge and it is hoped that the area will be finished this year.

The LEA is prepared to rent a corner of the field behind the Recycling Pavilion on a ten year lease at no cost provided that the school has use of the area. However, it seems that legal and surveyors’ costs to draw up the lease could amount to £900.

Public Participation at Parish Meetings
The Parish Council welcome and like to see parishioners at our monthly meetings. It is your opportunity to have your say and express any or all concerns you have relating to our Parish. However, in accordance with meeting guidelines as laid down by the DAPC, we are only able to allocate within a meeting agenda fifteen minutes for public participation. Outside of this time, we are unable to open the meeting up further to public comment or contribution. We realise this can be frustrating and bureaucratic, but it is how we have to run the meeting. Please do not allow this to deter you from following up afterwards with an appointed councillor or attending the next meeting to pass comment. We value your opinions, views, concerns or issues. We are there to serve you, so do not feel that we are not open to approach.

Brayford Web Site
The Web Site was launched 2 years ago on 8 April 2003. There are some new photographs in Gallery 2 taken on Easter Saturday, including a couple of the rebuilt Pound.

Village Hall
At a meeting of the Village Hall Committee on 15^th February, it was decided that, owing to the rising cost of the upkeep of the Village Hall, fees for hiring the Hall would have to go up for the first time in ten years. As from 1^st April the new charges will be:

Local:
Skittlers £ 7.00
W.I. £ 7.50
Gardening Club £ 7.50
Parish Council £ 7.50
Boomerangs £10.00
Whist Drives £20.00
Christmas Drives £20.00
Elections £70.00
School £550.00

Main Hall £20 per session
Skittle Alley £15 per session
Max Hire £70 per session
Profit Making £50 per session
Non Profit £40 per session

Gardening Club
On Wednesday, 20^th April, we are much looking forward to welcoming Derek Burdett from Fairhaven Nursery to Brayford again, this time to talk on Landscape Gardening. With spring almost here, thoughts turn to garden visits, and our first outing, on Wednesday, 18^th May, is to Brenda and Bill Davison’s lovely garden at Waytown Barnstaple.
Gardening Club is informal and interesting, all are welcome.
Our meetings are held in the Village Hall, starting at 7.30 pm and there is a modest charge of £1 per person.
Full 2005 Programme

Brayford Quarry
Many people have noticed that the noise from the quarry has considerably increased in the last couple of weeks.

On enquiring of Andy Allen, Hanson’s Quarry Manager, this is due to a stone crusher operating up on the new quarry face, rather than using the usual ground level one. This saves carting the spoil back up the quarry after crushing. They can build a bund to help screen the unit, but it is likely to be in excess of a year before enough space has been cleared to do this. Andy Bowman, of Devon County Council, has spoke to Hansons with regard to measurements of noise.

Any comments should be addressed to Mr A Bowman, Planning Control Group, Environment, DCC, Lucombe House, County Hall, Topsham Road, Exeter, EX2 4QW.

High Bray & Charles Church
Our much loved and respected Vicar, Mark Ward, has now moved to Newton Poppleford and his new Parish. We shall miss his ministry amongst us. If you have need of a Vicar, please contact Tony or Ray, who will be able to point you in the right direction. Well done!! To Bridget, Pauline and Madeline whose kneelers have arrived in Church. Please come and join us, even just for a chat on the first Monday in the month.

Methodist Church - Sunday arrangements for youngsters
1^st Sunday: Family Service (approx. 45 mins followed by coffee).
2^nd and 3^rd Sundays: "Sunday Club" activities in schoolroom, parents welcome.
4^th Sunday: Normal worship.

Services at 11 am and 6.30 pm every Sunday
Minister: Rev. Clay Andrew Tel: 740253

Coffee Mornings
These are held on the first Wednesday in the month between 10.30 and 12 noon in the Methodist Schoolroom, and are well supported and enjoyed by those who attend.

Please come and join us on Wednesday 6^th April. These mornings are non profit making and just for friendship.

Methodist Church
We have always made the church accessible and refrained from locking the entrance to the schoolroom. The Minister and stewards wish to continue down this road but really are being tested. We have tolerated many behaviours, but are really concerned now that this has escalated to the smoking of cannabis in the porch. We do ask for your co-operation in helping us to avoid taking more drastic action. The Police have been informed.

Brayford Boomerangs

Explorers’ Activity Sheets
There is still time to take part in our Easter explorers’ activity competition. Activity sheets cost £1 and they are aimed at primary school age children. There is lots to do and the chance of winning a prize day out for the whole family at Killarney Springs. This will be awarded to the most impressive presentation at the end of Easter school holidays

Quiz Night
This will be held at the Village Hall on 16^th April at 7 pm for 7.30 pm start. Teams can be up to six people at £5 per person. There will be a bar, nibbles and all the usual fun. No need to pre-book, just turn up on the night.

Summer Ball
Provisional arrangements have been made for the Summer Ball to take place on Saturday, 25^th June at the Village Hall. This promises to be a fantastic night out with live music, great food, bar, raffle, and, of course, a chance for everyone to dress up in their very best black tie and ball gowns. Tickets will be available shortly at £10 per person, to include a welcome drink to start the evening off. As with all our fund raising events, all the proceeds go directly to the playgroup providing our young children with the equipment and support they need. Thank you for continuing to support us.

African Evening
The African Evening at the school on Friday 18^th March was very enjoyable. "Well done" children for showing us traditional skills and dancing – hopefully we learned about those in need as well.

North Devon Hospice
The North Devon Hospice is hosting a public weekend on Saturday 21^st and 22^nd May from 10 am to 4 pm at Deer Park Newport. They will be putting on a number of entertainments as well as showing people around the new building. They would be delighted to see everyone and it would be a good chance to see how the money raised in the village is being spent.

Classic Cars
Over 100 sports and classic cars will set out from Clovelly and Appledore on the morning of Sunday, 5^th June for a 70 mile run ending up at West Buckland School in the afternoon to join in an extravaganza in aid of the North Devon Hospice. There will be helicopter rides, bushtucker trials and activities for all ages as well as a chance to look at the cars.

If you are interested in taking part in the car run, your Editor has entry forms. Look out for posters nearer the time giving full details of times and events and support this worthy local cause as well as having a lot of fun.

Dance
The final figure raised for the Hospice from the dance arranged by Hilary and Ruby in February was £578.50. Thank you for all your support, especially to Norman Barrow – without his tractor generator, we would have had a very "silent night".

Mother's Union
On 8^th April, there will be a "Wave of Prayer" from 12-12.30 pm.
On 29^th April, the Cathedral Prayer is being organised this year by South Molton Deanery. There will be a coach leaving South Molton for Exeter at 9.30 am and the return trip will leave Exeter at 3.30 pm. The cost for the coach is £5 per person and all are welcome for the trip, even if you do not wish to go to the Cathedral.
On 10^th May at 10 am, Jenny Gray will be coming to speak to us about the new caravan at Dawlish Warren. This will be in South Molton.
25^th May is our "Quiet Day" and Rev. Wendy Jackson will be coming to the Old School in North Molton at 10.30 am.

Women's Institute
There are two meetings in April, firstly on 13^th April, Dr. Simon Harrison will be talking on Diversity in Devon. Secondly, on Friday, 29^th April, Sid Masters will give his very popular talk on Driving Carriages at Arlington Court.
At our Resolutions Meeting on 11^th May, Ruth Edwards is demonstrating cake icing. There will also be a produce stall at this meeting.
Visitors are welcome to all meetings which are held in the Village Hall commencing at 7.15 pm.

Social Evening
Brayford Conservative Branch held a very successful social evening at the Village Hall during January. Many thanks go to the helpers and the big crowd that attended. The Secretary would be very grateful to anybody in Charles who would like to volunteer a little help with deliveries, etc. during the next few weeks.

Television Association
We would like to thank Geoff Mitchell for his sterling work on restoring the television signal on Budget Day. The weather on that day was wet and windy – not a good day for working on a church tower!

Special thanks to the Newsletter Editor for providing extracts from the April Newsletter.