Sunday 29 May 2011

Kingsley Benefit Fund AGM

The Annual General Meeting of the Kingsley Benefit Fund was held today in The Cricketers Inn. The Chairman's report presented at the meeting is reproduced below.  The existing committee was re-elected, the formal constitution was adopted and it was further agreed that we will conduct a bulb planting exercise later this year and contact Tony Pears about distribution of almoner's funds.


CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

I took over as Chairman of a sadly reduced Kingsley Benefit Fund at the last AGM held 11th November 2009 in the Kingsley Centre.  At that meeting most of the existing committee members were retiring and, as no new members were forthcoming, the main proposal was to dissolve the KBF.

It was agreed however that the small number of members willing to continue should do so but that we would no longer be involved in the running of the Kingsley Fete.  We would however continue to run the Easter Egg hunt and handle other events on an ad-hoc basis.

Easter 2010 saw the most successful Egg Hunt yet. It was well promoted around the village and in the local schools, well attended and even made a profit as the Treasurer’s report will show!

Marcus proposed holding a Kingsley Concert day at The Cricketers in August in collaboration with the KBF.  This was agreed in principle but subsequently support for the idea faded away due to a series of family, work and sickness conflicts.

In October I was approached by Mary Herbert seeking funds towards the provision of allotments and/or upkeep of St Nicholas.  I explained that neither of those fell within the aims of the KBF but realised that the KBF needed a formal document to express those aims more clearly.  That document will hopefully be adopted at the AGM.

Easter 2011 came very late, 24th April, and without last year’s heavy promotion, it was decided that no attempt at fundraising would occur at the Easter Egg Hunt.  On the day only a few children turned up but all went away happy and stuffed with chocolate so we count that as a success.

Friday 27 May 2011

Cookie cutting

As from today websites need to get your "informed consent" before storing cookies on your computer.

This stems from yet another EC Directive (read the nerdy details here) and, in the immediate future at least, will make no difference to the way most of us experience the web.  Website owners however need to start fiddling, perhaps making use of this PDF guidance.

Cookies are pieces of data which websites use for many purposes, some "good" such as allowing you to build a shopping basket before completing a purchase, some "bad" such as those allowing marketeers to track your web usage.

This shows a selection of websites local to Kingsley together with a summary of their cookie usage split between cookies lasting only for the session and those with a longer, in some cases permanent, lifespan.

WebsiteSessionBeyond
This blog1none
Kingsley Centrenonenone
Sports clubnonenone
Tennis Centre24
5 Churchfields B&B1none
Spring Cottage B&Bnonenone
The Cricketers1none
EHDC24
HCC3none
Damian Hinds MPnonenone
Vicus Scurra25
Dean Farm Golfnonenone
Oakhanger.org.uk13
Holybourne.comnonenone
The Binsted Pagesnonenone
Worldham.org14
Lindford PCnonenone
Country Marketnonenone
easthampshire.org13
Neville Fine Artnonenone
Kingsley Cricket Club3none

Tuesday 24 May 2011

Dean Farm Golf Course, Main Road, Kingsley

This application, 26242/041 valid since 17/05/11, seeking permission for:-

CHANGE OF USE OF LAND FROM GRAZING/AMENITY TO EQUESTRIAN USE AND CONSTRUCTION OF STABLES/TACK ROOM AND MANEGE

is currently marked as open for consultation until 20th June.

Damian Hinds told off

Our local MP, Damian Hinds, was effectively told off in the Commons last Thursday by The Speaker (Bercow) for using too many words during Energy and Climate Change Questions!

His question: "Ofgem’s retail market review finds that many consumers are not getting nearly as good an energy deal as they could, and that includes too many of the poorest and most vulnerable. We have a diverse and dynamic market. That is a good thing, but it also means complexity, with more than 300 different tariffs available, 50% more than a year ago. Does my right hon. Friend agree with Ofgem’s proposal to simplify things and make it easier for consumers to compare prices and get a better deal?"

provoked this interjection: "Order. The questions are becoming too long and they need to be shorter."

Saturday 21 May 2011

Kingsley Common, adventure playground

Kingsley Common today was a real hive of activity.

In addition to the large number of troops being trained in the finer points of lurking, stalking and other military activities whilst wearing full combat kit on one of this spring's warmest days;

In addition to the wide range of model aircraft being enthusiastically flown and the many cyclists "walking" their dogs as well as the more usual dog walking suspects;

Today we also had the May round of the Southern Supermoto Championships entailing around 50 motorcycle racers riding, very very quickly, around a taped off and well-marshalled course, part tarmac'd, part offroad in this exciting speciality.

The organisers and some competitors arrived last night together with the first of many large vehicles, some motorbikes and several dogs.

The remaining competitors arrived this morning for the all day event and the area surrounding the parade ground looked very festive with all the tents and picnic tables. The MoD warden was amongst the crowd of spectators and he seemed to be having more fun than the poor old troops.

The June round of the championships is still awaiting a venue. Who knows, perhaps they'll return to Kingsley Common.

Friday 20 May 2011

Derek Yeomans

I am Derek Yeomans, I was born in 1945 and on returning from the nursing home in Rowledge I spent the next twenty three years living in Kingsley until leaving to join The Prison Service in 1968. I now live in Dorset having retired from The Prison Service eight years ago. I still work, running a number of Shop and Pub Watch schemes in Somerset and Dorset.

Last weekend, 14th May, I visited Kingsley, not having been back for many years. I went to the first house I remember living in only to find it had been replaced by a large new property. I had a very interesting chat with the owner who brought me up to date with a number of matters. The cottage I refer to was Rose Cottage, the first property along The Straits which was owned by Mr Spiers whose daughter Mrs Pethybridge, then ran the village shop.

Heading away from The Straits I set off towards where the railway line once crossed the road and Kingsley Halt was situated just around the corner heading towards the Sports Club. There is still evidence of where the lines ran to the right and left of the road. On the left hand side of the road just before reaching the crossing and located opposite The Halt there was then a strip of land occupied by a family of gypsies. They had, to a large extent, given up travelling and settled on that site. Now there is a very large house where their horses were once tethered. Another large dwelling on the right side of the road opposite The Halt has replaced a bungalow lived in by the Woodwards and my boyhood pal Robby.

On reaching the village I went to Old Park farm where my father and uncle had both worked after the war and where I worked for a while looking after the pig and poultry units. The piggery is now in a very sad state of disrepair with its roof falling in. The dairy is now no longer and the barns have been converted. The walled gardens gone.

Almost everything I saw had changed in some form of another, possibly The Cricketers remains less altered than most other places I saw.

However, nothing ever stays the same and Kingsley is no exception. Having returned home I thought I might look on the Internet to see if there was anything regarding the village and its history. There is very little, but I did find Kings Blog and Bob. It occurred to me that the present residents of the village might well like to know a little of what life was like after the war and during the years that I had the privilege of growing up in Kingsley. Now getting on a bit, Kingsley remains forever with me, I am still what it made me. My boyhood was happy and has left me with an enduring love of all things living and the countryside. Hunting, shooting and fishing, ferreting, foraging, stick dressing, birds, flowers, butterflies, dogs, poultry, goats, pigs and horses all of these loves have their origins in Kingsley. It is where they were formed and developed and over the next few months I shall share that process with you in the form of a blog. I will bring you the characters and events that I recall and lived through in what now seems like a far off age. I hope this has whetted your appetite for the journey and you will join me in the return to my roots.

Meadowgate Farm, Sandy Lane, Kingsley

This application, 30903/005 valid since 12/05/11, seeking permission for:-

SINGLE STOREY EXTENSION TO FRONT AND SIDE

is currently marked as open for consultation until 16th June.

Wednesday 18 May 2011

New blog author

Just when you thought the blog was going to be all uninteresting the unexpected happens and a new blog author steps up to the plate.

Unfortunately, he's gone off to France for a couple of weeks on holiday (and there's no internet in France!) so you'll have to hold your breath just a little longer. I'll leave the formal introductions for his return to Blighty but suffice for now to say he'll be providing glimpses of Kingsley in the 50s and 60s, a very different Kingsley.

Perhaps you'd also like to blog here?

Saturday 14 May 2011

Christian Aid Week

Christian Aid Week takes place in Kingsley between tomorrow, Sunday 15th and next Saturday and eager volunteers will be leaving you a donations envelope early in the week and returning to knock on your door to collect it later.

Not only are you not required to be a Christian if you're giving, you're not required to be a Christian to receive either.

Wednesday 11 May 2011

Dean Farm Golf Course, Main Road, Kingsley

This application, 26242/042 valid since 05/05/11, seeking permission for:-

FIRST FLOOR EXTENSION WITH ROOF LIGHTS TO NEW ROOF FOR USE AS GAMES ROOM AND COVERED VERANDAH TO GROUND FLOOR

is currently marked as open for consultation until 7th June.

Land to the rear of Periwinkle Cottage, Main Road, Kingsley

This application, 34068/001 valid since 14/01/11, seeking permission to:-

CHANGE THE USE OF THE LAND FOR THE STATIONING OF CARAVANS FOR RESIDENTIAL PURPOSES FOR ONE GYPSY PITCH, TOGETHER WITH THE FORMATION OF ADDITIONAL HARD STANDING AND UTILITY/DAYROOM ANCILLARY TO THAT USE (AS AMPLIFIED BY INFORMATION RECEIVED 9/3/10)

is currently marked as open for consultation until 23rd May.

Goodnight Irene

Some 100 villagers gathered in All Saints church yesterday for a service led by Rev Lesley Leon to celebrate the life of Irene Brownlow who recently passed away.

Friday 6 May 2011

Did we vote Tory or what!

David Ashcroft, Conservative – 734
Maureen Comber, Liberal Democrats – 151
Sarah Hall, Labour – 129
Turn-out: 57.43%

Farewell party

Wednesday evening saw many Kingsleyites in the Meadow Room of the Kingsley Centre gathered to say farewell to Mike and Jennifer Charles who, after 30 years in Kingsley and a temporary sojurn in Alton, are finally setting up home in West Worldham.

Mike has been Churchwarden at All Saints for many years and Rev Tony Pears thanked the couple on behalf of the villagers for their vast contribution to the wellbeing of the church and the village.

As is often the case on occasions such as this splendid home made nibbles were made abundantly available by the ladies of the village.

An admirable use of the Meadow Room and while Mike and Jennifer will be missed in the village, they're not far away.

Wednesday 4 May 2011

LibDems winning here?

One day to go before polling and the only sign that the LibDems are even standing are the admittedly large number of "winning here" sign boards, no actual campaign literature or door knocking.

Perhaps Maureen Comber is content to rest on her laurels, elected as a Tory last time around with the all time slimmest margin, one vote.

Sunday 1 May 2011

Labour supports Conservatives

Sarah Hall, the silver-spooned ingenue from Newton Valence, is doing her bit to get David Ashcroft elected on Thursday with her frighteningly naive attempt to allow voters to "demonstrate that they are not supportive of coalition policy"

Of course a number of people will choose to vote Labour on Thursday and, in a first past the post election, I wish them luck. Perhaps they're right, there are still people who think that Labour might be part of the solution.

Those voting Labour though won't be disgruntled Conservatives, they'll be disgruntled LibDems. Sarah Hall, unkindly described as one of Lenin's "useful idiots", may well find herself welcomed by local Tories delighted by the presence of someone for whom this experience would represent a "steep learning curve" on the ballot paper.

She is very polite though and you have to admire her for trying.