Gnosall Parish Council           

The Parish Council was delighted to learn that its detailed application to Staffordshire County Council for £50,000.00 funding towards new sports and recreational facilities has been successful.  The money will fund an all-weather tennis court and outdoor gym facilities on The Acres. This is planned to be installed by May 2018 and will be located adjacent to Brookhouse Road – immediately south of the MUGA and football pitch. There will also be extra associated seating provided for users or spectators.

This funding has arisen because of the County Council’s Memorandum of Understanding - following planning permission relating to demolition of the village swimming pool, as part of the school rebuilding project and subsequent loss of community facilities. The parish has relatively few public sports amenities so this project will provide much-needed community access to free sporting and recreational facilities. Previous public consultations, including the Neighbourhood Plan, highlighted a demand for a village tennis court and this is the ideal location – situated alongside other sports facilities at the heart of the village. Comparable facilities have proved popular in parks in Newport and at Wildwood in Stafford and the Parish Council hopes these additional facilities will be just as well appreciated in Gnosall.

Wednesday night Youth Club for children in school years 4, 5 and 6 is remaining to be very popular with a steady intake of new members.  In September, a  Youth Club for children in school years 7,8 and 9 commenced on Thursday nights from 7pm-9pm and is becoming more popular each week.

GG’s has been very much welcomed in the community, not only by children and their parents but also other community groups who have raised money to help buy new equipment and fund trips; most recently donations were gratefully received from Gnosall Singers and Gnosall’s WI.  The County Council has also assisted with financial contributions. Staffordshire Youth Voluntary Services have used GG’s as a model for other communities wishing to set up a youth club and a very positive article about us was included in a recent SCYVS newsletter.

This autumn GG’s members are supporting BBC’s Children in Need appeal by taking part in a BBC 1 Countryfile Ramble on Sunday 15th October and have even invited the TV crew to come to Gnosall and film them!   At the time of writing the invitation has not been accepted but whatever the outcome, photographs will be sent to the BBC TV show.

A Baby & Children’s Nearly New Sale will be held on Saturday 18th November 2017 from 12.00noon to 3.00pm in The Grosvenor Centre, the purpose of this event is to raise money for both sellers and GG’s.   The proceeds of items sold will be split with 70% going to the seller and 30% going to GG’s Youth Club.  Sale items will include baby/children’s clothing & shoes, toys, books, games & jigsaws, equipment, bikes and outdoor toys.  Please note that adult items cannot be accepted. All items must be clean and in good condition, and games and jigsaws must be complete.  For information on how to prepare your items for the sale or if you wish to donate items with 100% of the sale to go to GG’s Youth Club please contact Jordan Archer on 07715 392345 or Jayne Cooper on 01785 822685 or email: clerk@gnosallparishcouncil.org.uk.

At a time when young people often get a bad press due to anti-social activities, often fuelled by boredom and lack of opportunity, it is heartening to see just what may be achieved by a combination of hard-work and high expectations.  The young people in Gnosall are well-supported by this local enterprise which demonstrates the commitment this village has to its parishioners, young and old alike and we thank all the volunteers and community groups who continue to show their support.