ASHBY ST MARY PARISH COUNCIL

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15 JAN 2024
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Ashby & Thurton
Community Cafe


Village Hall: 2-4pm
Every 2nd Monday
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Welcome to the official website of the Parish Council of Ashby St Mary in Norfolk.    
It provides
not only the records of the Parish Council's proceedings, but also more information about Ashby St Mary including its features, history and much more.  The Parish Council hopes visitors to this website find it an interesting and informative experience.
Most documents in this website open in .pdf format which requires Adobe Reader.
Click on the Adobe icon in the left column to download Adobe Reader.

 

LATEST PARISH COUNCIL NEWS

(This replaces the update of 9th January 2024 - To view previous updates, click HERE)

LATEST NEWS - the headlines
- County councillor report - January
- rainfall data updated
- Community Cafe users - winter opening times/dates
- a Helping Hand for South Norfolk residents - see Reminder below
- 100 club winners 
- DVLA scam warning
- Ashby Amblers post Christmas lunch - see Gallery

NEXT PARISH COUNCIL MEETING

The next parish council meeting
is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 13th March 2024 at 7.00 p.m. at Ashby & Thurton Village Hall, Ashby Road, Thurton.

DRAFT MINUTES OF THE LAST PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
When published, the draft minutes of the last meeting will appear in the appropriate HERE  link on the MANAGEMENT page. All Council Meeting Minutes can be inspected at any reasonable time by appointment with the Clerk.

COMMUNITY CAFE - IMPORTANT MESSAGE
Users please note. CLOSED for February, REOPENS March 11th; CLOSED April 8th but OPEN April 15th.

EXCERPTS FROM THE JAUARY COUNTY COUNCILLOR REPORT
- the full report is at HERE
Householders to get free DIY waste for small projects

Norfolk residents will be able to dispose of small amounts of DIY waste at Norfolk’s Recycling Centres free of charge from 31 December following changes made by Norfolk County Council.
The change applies to small-scale projects carried out by householders on their own home, allowing them to bring a maximum 100 litres (must fit into 2 x 50l bags) for free or one single item (maximum size of 200cm x 70cm x 75cm). Each household is allowed four free visits with DIY waste every four weeks. Anything beyond this will still be charged at normal rates.
The change in policy follows Government abolishing charges for the disposal of limited amounts and types of DIY waste at recycling centres across the UK.
Prior to 31 December, customers with DIY-type construction and demolition waste will continue to be directed to the ‘Pay as you throw service’ which is available at all centres.
Traders must continue to pay for DIY waste.
For more information visit www.norfolk.gov.uk/DIYwaste

24/7 free travel to all disabled bus pass holders in Norfolk

From 1 February 2024 all Norfolk residents who hold a disabled concessionary travel pass will be eligible for free bus travel 24 hours a day, seven days a week when travelling within the county.
The decision, which was published today by Norfolk County Council, means that more than 14,500 people across the county who hold a concessionary bus pass due to disability, and their eligible companions, will now be able to travel on any bus at any time free of charge across Norfolk.
Previously concessionary pass holders with a disability were only able to travel for free on buses off-peak (all day on Saturdays and Sundays but only from 09:30 Monday to Friday) except for those registered blind or visually impaired.
Offering free travel at all times is over and above the minimum requirement set by government, and is something that a local authority can choose to do but doesn’t have to do. The change was recommended following an updated equality impact assessment of the scheme which concluded that it is now unfair to offer a discretionary enhancement to just one group of disabled people (i.e. those who are blind or visually impaired).
The recommendation agreed by the individual cabinet member was to ‘extend the concessionary travel discretion of free travel at all times to all eligible disabled passholders and eligible companions, from 1 February 2024.'

WARNING - DVLA SCAM
A warning to all who licence their vehicle/s online.
If you receive an email proporting to be from the DVLA asking you to update your details as they have a database problem ....don't.
The email will tell you that if you fail to do so your licence will be invalid. It will also ask for your name, address, vehicle make, along with your credit card details including your 3 digit security number.
It certainly looks genuine and even has a real link to the DVLA website.
It's been reported to be a scam.

VILLAGE HALL 100 CLUB WINNERS 2023
March D Mickleburgh no.74; April E Bircham no.33; May J Hawes no.51; June J Byrne no. 49; July M Millward no.34; August J Lambart no.40; September J Wilson 73; October G Gibling no.20; November J Baugh no.83; all £40.  £120 Superdraw November C Brown no.31; December M Taylor 27; January L Patterson 44
.

ASHBY RAINFALL
As usual the latest rainfall figures for our parish can be found via the link on the HANDBOOK page.


CYCLIST IN ASHBY OR THURTON?
Interested in joining a friendly, village cycling group?
The Ashby Amblers group was formed in Easter 2022 and continues to flourish. Gentle riding is assured!
All ages and abilities are welcome no matter which type of bicycle you own and ride.
The Ashby Amblers currently now have over 20 members from Ashby, Thurton, and even as far afield as
Heckingham, Thurlton and Norwich.
We meet every Tuesday at 09.30 opposite the Thurton George & Dragon pub.
See more in Gallery on the HISTORY page!
Email ashbywebmaster@gmail.com for more details


REMINDER - BIN COLLECTIONS - NEVER MISS ONE AGAIN!
Download the free Bin Collections app to keep up to date with your bin collection days and find out about recycling.
Search Bin Collections South Norfolk on the App Store or Google Play.
Or go to https://www.southnorfolkandbroadland.gov.uk/sncbinapp
(It really works!)

REMINDER - BUSES - NEVER MISS ONE AGAIN!
Ever wondered when your bus was going to arrive? Now you can.
Go to bustimes.org, select the map and you can see the bus. The square with a number is a bus.
(It really does work! But be advised, it updates about every minute so there is a delay in showing an actual bus position.)

REMINDER - NHS DENTIST - A CAUTIONARY PIECE OF ADVICE
The text about this subject can now be found in Latest News Archive on this page, below.


REMINDER - EMERGENCY ADVICE
The Parish Council's emergency advice leaflet has now been delivered to each village household.
It is hoped parishioners never have to use any of the services referred in it but it is hoped, if required, the information will be of assistance.

REMINDER - INTRODUCTION OF THE ASHBY EMERGENCY GROUP
Ashby St Mary parish council has introduced a method of messaging all parishioners in the event of an impending national or parish emergency e.g. extreme weather, pandemic, danger to life etc.
It hopes you agree to become part of an Ashby Emergency Group for this purpose. All parishioners should have received hand-delivered notices about this new service. Without your details it will not be possible to be included.
(For your reassurance, the requested details will be used by the parish council soley for the purposes of emergency messaging or to keep you informed of important matters within the parish).

REMINDER - A HELPING HAND FOR SOUTH NORFOLK RESIDENTS
South Norfolk District Council recognise how important it is for our elderly residents to stay in their own homes for as long as possible and sometimes a small change can make a big difference.
The Council’s Handyperson+ scheme supports residents with a wide range of small household repairs and minor adaptation work.
The experienced team can help with many tasks including fitting key safes, fall prevention adaptions, smoke alarms, grab rails and better lighting. They can also offer advice on staying warm during cold weather.As well as small works, the handyperson will chat to residents during a visit to see if they would benefit from any additional help.
They have an in-depth knowledge of grants, allowances and services a resident may be eligible for.In addition, the team can direct residents to relevant community support, including social clubs or events in the local area to help combat loneliness.

You may be eligible for the service free of charge if;

You are over 65
Have a long-term condition or disability AND
Receive either Housing Benefit, Guaranteed Pension Credit or Universal Credit.

You may be eligible for our handyperson service with an hourly charge of £10.32 if;
You are over 65 AND
Have a long-term condition or disability

You may be eligible for our handyperson service with an hourly charge of £20.78 if;You are under 65 you have no long-term condition or disability.

This does not include the cost of any materials.
To contact the Council to request the Handyperson+ service please call 01508 505284, or email: handyperson.snc@southnorfolkandbroadland.gov.uk


REMINDER - HIGHWAY RANGERS

Ashby gets announcements in advance of visits to be made by the Highway Rangers. Councillors usually have some parish matters to report to them. However if any parishioner notices any of the following, please get in touch and report it to our council chairman who liaises with the Rangers about matters that require their attention.
- Potholes
- Regular incidents of standing or flooding water – additional inspection of gullies and grips at these sites
- Signs – ensuring visibility and good condition of Highway signs, removal of illegal signs
- Paths – siding out and ensuring a safe surface for the user
- Public Rights of Way – maintaining clear access within the village boundary

(If any pages, their contents or links do not function as they should, please accept our apologies and inform us promptly via the Contact Us tab at the top of this page.   If any sections 'overlap', try viewing our website using another internet browser.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

ASHBY ST MARY PARISH COUNCIL

Email: clerk.ashby@gmail.com   Website: www.ashbystmary.org.uk

Latest News Archive
Until otherwise advised all Latest News will appear on this Home page so make a note to check it regularly. For speedier access in the future why not add the link to this Home page to the Favourites folder of your Internet Browser?  
Latest News for approximately the previous 12 months from the date of the Update above can be found HERE.


ASHBY ST MARY PARISH COUNCIL PUBLIC NOTICES

In line with statutory provisions, formal notice of forthcoming Parish Council meeting agendas, latest meeting minutes for public view and every parish election are displayed on at least one of the Council's three noticeboards - at the junction of Mill Road and Mill Common; the junction of Sandy Lane and Spong Lane; and close to the junction of Chapel Lane and Chapel Road.


DIARY
(including other Meetings or Events held in the Parish or that may interest Ashby St Mary residents)

- FUTURE PARISH COUNCIL MEETNG DATES
Please note meetings are aimed for being held on Wednesdays where possible, subject to the Village Hall availability.
Unless otherwise stated, all Parish Council meetings take place at Ashby & Thurton Village Hall commencing at 7.00 p.m.
Confirmed meeting dates:
To be determined - please contact the parish clerk for assistance.
Click HERE to show the location of the hall.  Always check Latest News for advice of meeting date/time changes.

- ASHBY ST MARY FUNDRAISERS



There are currently no / no other Ashby St Mary fundraising activities or announcements concerning Ashby St Mary which the Parish Council has been requested to advertise.

- OTHER LOCAL FUNDRAISERS
None.

ASHBY HEATING OIL SYNDICATE

Do you use Domestic Heating Oil? If so, why not join the Ashby Heating Oil Syndicate?
It’s free to join and you could make real savings.
· Your parish council has set up the Ashby Heating Oil Syndicate.
· The Ashby Heating Oil Syndicate makes worthwhile savings for residents after compiling a bulk order.
· It works! The syndicate’s bulk order regularly saves 2 – 4p per litre over a typical 1000 litres amount.
· Come and join the increasing number of residents who have already benefited.
· This is a free parish service.
· Like to know more? Email webmaster@ashbystmary.org.uk for a fact-sheet.
- This is an Ashby St Mary Parish Council initiative for serving the local community.
RECOMMENDED - A useful site that includes oil price trends between one week and five years ago can be found HERE.

Ashby Heating Oil Syndicate - an update and for oil users interest
If you are a parishioner who is an oil user and have not joined (free) the parish council-run village syndicate, you may be interested to learn a bulk order was made just before the spike in price in early September due to well-publicised world events involving two countries. Via personal negotiation the Syndicate regularly achieves 2p or more per litre less than the cheapest available on Boilerjuice and the village delivery can be within just 5 working days - not up to 25 days via Boilerjuice.  Now are you interested? Contact webmaster@ashbystmary.org for more details or a free factsheet.
During the buying process, the syndicate organiser was advised by one supplier to warn oil users not to let their stock get too low. An instance recently occurred where a boiler failed and upon a necessary service inspection the jets were found to be blocked. Originally it was thought to be due to the quality of oil but it was felt much more likely that when oil is pumped from the delivery vehicle into a domestic tank low on oil, sediment is inevitably stirred up and problems can arise. For interest, premium oil (i.e. higher grade and arguably 'cleaner' and longer lasting) usually costs about 3p more per litre and is the product of an additive to the standard heating oil at the point of delivery.

ASHBY HOMEWATCH / ASHBY WEBSITE UPDATE SERVICE
Ashby's Homewatch service is provided free and is available to any resident.
For more information, please go to the HOMEWATCH page on this website.
The Ashby Website Update service is also included as part of its free service and is available to any Ashby resident.
If you know an Ashby resident who you think should join this free information service, why not tell them about it?
All that is needed is for the recipient to email a few details.
The Parish Council's homewatch representative does the rest - keeping residents informed when a Police Connect alert message affecting our area has been received (including certain national alerts e.g. scams etc), when our parish website has been updated, plus occasional news of the Ashby Heating Oil Syndicate.
Messages are usually issued once per month. For full details look on the HOMEWATCH page.
This is a free parish service.
Contact the webmaster (click on the Contact Us tab near the top of this page) for a fact-sheet.
This another Ashby St Mary initiative for serving the local community.

Ashby Broadband Speed Test
In a bid by the parish council to assist the Better Broadband campaign for rural Norfolk, Ashby residents were asked to test their broadband download speed. Residents undertook tests in 2015, 2017, and 2019.
By 2020 it seems faster broadband has at last arrived in some areas of Ashby - but we like to keep a check on the claimed speeds. If you live in Ashby and are willing to help for the first time (or to check your speed again) just carry out the very simple test below.
1. Click on this website link https://broadbandtest.which.co.uk/   
2. Make a note of the 'Download' and Upload figures, the time you did the test and email the details HERE
For your interest the last reported download speed test figures achieved by a resident in Ashby in November 2023 was only 19 Mbps and an Upload speed of just 2 Mbps. In March 2022 Downloads were 14.6 and 12.5 Mbps and Upload speeds were 3.8 and 3.3 Mbps. A test by another resident in March 2020 was 54.7 Mbps, and Upload speed 18.4 Mbps. These differences could be explained by the distance from the nearest cabinet, the internet provider used and whether it was a wifi or ethernet cable connection. 'Super-fast' fibre broadband is available throughout Ashby via both the cabinets at Chapel Road and Mill Common. BT has told a parishioner 'ultra-fast' fibre broadband is achieved when a fibre connection is made from the cabinet into a property.


Copyright © Ashby St Mary Parish Council 2007 - 2024  All rights reserved  |  Disclaimer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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