Arreton Parish Council Newsletter - June 2021
The last newsletter was in the spring but now it is definitely summer, although the weather isn’t exactly cooperating at the moment. The original intention was to publish the Newsletter on an irregular basis, as and when news demanded. As there was so much going on with COVID last year, two editions became a regular monthly feature. The ‘COVID and Council’ issue will now disappear and any such news will be in the single edition. The irregularity has already started! However, e-mails will be sent if the information is important or time-sensitive.
Arreton Gardens’ Open Day - 18th July 2021
Seven gardens in Arreton, including Arreton Manor and Haseley Manor, will be open to raise money for WightDASH/WOW and the Scouts on the Island on July 18th, 2021, 12 noon to 4.30pm. There will be a Plant Stall and Cream Teas at Haseley Manor and £5.00 gains entry to all gardens, which will be signed on the day - children free. Parking free at Haseley and the Community Car Park to the right of the White Lion Pub. The no.8 bus goes through the village. Buy tickets at the first garden you go to or at the Post Office on 16th-17th July. Do come along and enjoy the beautiful gardens.
WightDASH is a charity (no 1108138) that supports women who have or are experiencing difficult times and WOW is the Centre in Newport where courses and sessions are run to help and support women. The Scouts have, of course, suffered from a lack of income due to COVID 19. Vivian Roberts 07768 091370 for any enquiries
Parish Council news
Elections
The ‘new’ Parish Council was duly elected with a distinctly familiar look as all but one of the existing councillors were returned. However, there is still one vacancy and we are looking to co-opt. Should you be interested, please contact the Clerk for details - arretonpc@outlook.com or 07587 008183. A poster at the end of this newsletter gives details of the necessary requirements or the official notices can be found on our notice boards and the website - https://www.arreton.org.uk/notice-board/co-option-of-a-new-councillor/
Meetings
After May 7th, town and parish councils no longer had the option of virtual meetings and had to revert to face-to-face, although how we sit is anything but. These meetings are currently taking place in Haseley Manor Barn and our thanks to Cllr Roberts for organising these. Our July meeting takes place before the proposed end of lockdown on the 19th and there is not usually a meeting in August. However, we hope that come September we can resume our meetings in the Community Centre.
Merstone Lane
The Parish Council have received complaints and comments about speeding in Merstone Lane and also its use by tractors as a shortcut to the anaerobic digester, despite the width restriction in place along the full length of the Lane. We have contacted the Police, who are taking action with regard to the tractors and hopefully also the speeding.
If you have any such issues anywhere in the Parish then please do get in touch and we will do our best to help.
Litter
The Great British Litter Pick, organised by the Keep Britain Tidy Group has recently finished. The members of the Parish Council considered getting involved but there were two problems. One is that most of the roads in the Parish do not have pavements, which makes litter picking a dangerous activity. The other is that, when we investigated, there was not really enough litter to warrant organising such an event.
This latter is very good news but I cannot let the occasion pass without saying that the members of the Parish Council are very grateful to a couple who regularly pick up litter when they are out and about. There are no doubt more of you out there who do the same and so our thanks to you too. However, it is interesting to note that it would appear that most of the litter is caused by people throwing it out of cars as they drive through. The other hot spot is by the bus shelters at Arreton Barns, where some of the visitors are less than tidy whilst waiting for a bus. Litter bins may be the answer but consideration has to be given as to how they can be emptied safely.
Whilst on the subject of bins, we are intending to install another dog waste bin in Heasley Lane, near to the start of footpath A14 by Haseley Manor gates.
Fly-tipping
Still, on a related subject, there have been instances of fly-tipping in the Parish, particularly up on St Georges Down. Should any such rubbish be spotted, please contact the Parish Council (details at the end of this Newsletter).
Beavers
The Hampshire and IW Wildlife’s project to introduce beavers into the eastern Yar in Newchurch is still ongoing. A Project Officer has yet to be appointed but we have been promised that we will be kept informed as there are implications in being upstream of the proposed site.
Hedges
The birdnesting season is generally considered to run from March to the end of July and so residents are respectfully reminded to dust off their hedgetrimmers, shears or whatever fairly soon. Those who live on the main road adjoining the pavement may like to inspect their hedges for nests now and consider a cut before the new growth becomes a potential obstacle to pedestrians, particulary for parents with pushchairs and small children going up to the School.
Island Roads
Island Roads have recently circulated Factsheets on hedges and verges, street cleansing and the Highways Safety and Improvement Register. These have been posted in previous post.
Dinosaur Isle Museum
New guidebook to Dinosaur Isle Museum and Isle of Wight fossils
To mark the 20th year of the opening of Dinosaur Isle Museum at Sandown and 200 years since the foundation of the collection, the Museum has published a new guidebook to the Island’s fossils. Alongside their work providing support to other essential services during the pandemic, staff at the museum have worked with local fine and palaeo artist Trudie Wilson to produce the 230-page book.
The book is more than a guide to the museum displays, as it showcases many other fossils, spectacular and common, found on the Island. The new book is called Dinosaur Isle in 101 Fossils and has been written by assistant community learning officer Alex Peaker and Museum General Manager and Curator, Dr Martin Munt. Trudie Wilson designed and brought the work together into an attractive and accessible format. Rather than describing the individual fossils, the book uses them to tell the 125-million-year geological story of the Island, along with what the fossils tell us about ancient environments. Mixed in are anecdotes about the people who discovered them and places they were found.
Dr Munt said: “This book has only been possible because of 200 years of fossil collectors, Museum staff and volunteers supporting the Museum and believing that our world class fossil heritage should stay here where it belongs on the Island. The book has been written for the general reader, and we provide a glossary of the technical terms to help with understanding.”
FREE bus travel offer for young people
The Isle of Wight Council has teamed up with Southern Vectis to encourage younger people to use bus travel across the Island. The council’s Connect2Work Programme has launched a brand new bus offer in partnership with Southern Vectis, aimed at potential new bus users aged between 16 – 19 years old. A limited number of complimentary Multi-Day tickets are available, allowing 15 days of unlimited bus travel on the Island. Aimed at non-bus users, an objective of the scheme is to understand how younger islanders perceive bus travel, and to encourage a new generation of regular bus users.
To take part in the scheme, eligible applicants are required to complete a short online survey designed to capture perceptions on bus travel, and then download the new improved Southern Vectis Mobile app, which has a variety of innovative features including real journey time tracking and a journey planner.
Cabinet Member for Environment, Heritage and Waste Management, Councillor Jonathan Bacon, said: “We know that resident travel patterns will have changed as a result of the pandemic. This initiative will help us find out how behaviour has altered and at the same time provide a great opportunity to introduce a new younger audience to bus travel.” To find out more information on the bus travel offer and to fill in the short survey, please visit: www.connect2work.info/busoffer
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