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Gnosall Parish Logo (Image) 

Gnosall Parish Council           

 (Including the wards of Moreton and Knightley)                                   

 

Dementia Friends Logo (Image)

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Cover by Jim McGregor (Image) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Front Cover

Paddington Bear was created by Vivien Price, as part of the Moreton Scarecrow Festival and photographed by Jim McGregor.

We are always looking for photographs (both for our website and future editions of the GMK) of scenes around the Parish.

Please send any photographs to cso@gnosallparishcouncil.org.uk

 

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Introduction to GMK

And there it was – gone! No Indian Summer for us this year. As I write this at the start of October, it seems that the nights are cold and dark already and the spiders have marched in to take up residence for the winter. I always feel that the Council starting up again in September is rather like the new school year – we are all getting our bearings again and trying to remember what we’ve done and what we’ve promised to do.

There is no doubt that it has been a wonderful year for Gnosall. The tireless BKV group bagged another success, this time as the Best Kept Large Village and also as the Best Kept Village in the whole of Staffordshire. This is a remarkable success, establishing quite a winning streak, but one which is never taken for granted. The amount of hard work which goes into achieving, and maintaining, this high standard cannot be over-estimated and we all owe a debt of gratitude to the team of volunteers who put in so much effort to make our village look so welcoming and fresh.

Another event which needs much work behind the scenes is GFest and that was also a great success, together with the CFest which took place for the first time this year. More details appear elsewhere in this edition but I would like to thank all who helped to make this amazing event another success. GFest profits are returned to the local community in the form of donations to support local groups in need of a boost, so this is a really home-grown affair, showcasing local talent, organised by local residents for the benefit of local groups.

Our Annual Gnosall Community Awards, along with the Derek Watson Jones Award, give parishioners an opportunity to nominate community groups or individuals who have added to the life of the village by going above and beyond. I really love this evening and this year was no exception. Whether they win or not, I know that all those nominated really appreciate their effort being recognised and it’s very humbling to hear of all that is being done, quietly and without fuss, week in and week out, by selfless, community-minded people.

Now we are starting to plan for our Christmas Lights Event, another popular evening which gives pleasure to so many and another favourite of mine, and of course the next Senior Citizens’ Tea. It’s things like this that make the village such a great place to live.

This year the Parish Council has a new face in its ranks. We welcomed Stuart Bishop as a co-opted Councillor following the last elections. Originally from Walsall, Stuart now lives in Coton but is a familiar face in Outwoods thanks to his work as Chairman of the Millennium Centre. His experience as a Civil Engineer is a welcome addition to the team.

Although it is still a little early, our next edition is in March, so I shall take this opportunity to wish every parishioner a Happy Christmas and an enjoyable and fulfilling New Year. We shall all continue to do our best to serve you as Parish Councillors in 2020!

Cllr Gail Gregory

Chair of Gnosall Parish Council

 

Very sad news

Just as this edition was about to go to print, we received some very sad news indeed. Brian Hill (who was Caretaker of the Grosvenor Centre along with his wife Mavis)  sadly passed away on October 16th, just a day after reaching his 86th Birthday.

Brian was a Gnosall man, born and bred, and he had lived in a variety of locations within the village over the years. Born in a cottage near to the present Glendower Close and afterwards to a house in Audmore Road—the very one where his grand-daughter now lives. He attended school in Gnosall and was a mechanic and driver at Happy Days Coaches for 15 years, then worked at MOD Donnington until retirement. He met Mavis in the Happy Days café in Newport and after their marriage, they lived in Oak Cottage on Wharf Road and moved to Sellman Street in 1965. They would have celebrated 55 years of marriage later in October.

Our personnel records show that Brian started work at the Grosvenor in June 2004, along with Mavis, and there was a celebration for them both after 10 years service. Quiet and unassuming, but a fount of funny local stories going back years, he was much-loved and well-respected.  Many, many favourable comments have been received from hirers over the years about how the Grosvenor Centre is kept so lovely by both Brian and Mavis, who had more contact with hirers than anyone else from the Parish Council.

We extend our deepest sympathies to Mavis and the family and we shall never forget him. He was part of the history of our village.

Brian was Gnosall born and bred, in fact I think he was born in one of the cottages still that still exists in the village.  He had so many fascinating stories about the olden days. 

 

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Brian Hill - a personal tribute

It is with regret and sorrow that we learned of the death of a friend of all of Gnosall recently.Mr Brian Hill, much-loved husband of Mavis, father of Tracey and head of their family, was without doubt the nicest gentleman in Gnosall. Brian's death comes as a great shock to all who knew him and the family. What I learned of him, one of the old school Gnosallites, cannot easily be put into words, there's way too much. However, I’d like to share a few bits of information with you.Brian went to school and played in and around Gnosall, from Badgers Rake (small hill near the estate behind the medical centre) to Broadhill and nearby woods, both before and during the last war. I’m told that, in his day, he was one of the best footballers in the village.   

 

Brian was one of the children who witnessed the RAF bomber come down near Moat Farm during the last war, met the aircrew and remembered setting off ammunition the children took from the crash site. Although, according to Brian,  most of the ammunition and explosives was put in the moat at Moat Farm!

Brian served in the Royal Engineers during his national service and completed basic training at Aldershot. Then he was posted to Hameln in West Germany, building bridges across rivers - especially the fast flowing Weser River. Brian remembered sadly watching the soldiers who drowned whilst building these bridges across these large rivers.

 When I recited the motto of the Royal Engineers ("Ubique" meaning everywhere) Brian punched the chair showing that  the power of this "Wedgey" (engineers’ nickname) was still there as they are all proud of this motto and it has to be recited loudly! Brian was a Sapper through and through and was often seen proudly wearing his regimental blazer.

 After national service, Brian walked and cycled to work and, of course, met Mavis. They both worked at the Base Ordnance Depot (BOD) at Donnington and both of them were later awarded the Civil Service Medal. Brian and Mavis frequented the local dance halls especially the one (blue and white building) in Newport where Mavis is from.

 Most of us will remember the years and years that Brian supported Mavis and buffered the large hall in the Grosvenor Centre (Brian went to school in this old building). We joked about Brian being the Royal Engineer in a new Gnosall Home Guard and laughed at the ideas for who Captain Mainwaring would be! Brian did have a cheeky sense of humour,  often pretending not to listen to Mavis when actually he’d heard Mavis the first time! Without doubt Brian loved Mavis and his family very much and they all meant the world to him. It’s clear that they felt the same toward him.

Along with all who knew him, I offer my most sincere and heartfelt condolences to Mavis and all family and friends. A very, very sad loss  of an irreplaceable man, one of a kind. Fall in Sapper Hill before the ultimate Commanding Officer.

Paul Boston

 

 

PAGE 4

County Council, Borough Council, Parish Council – what’s the difference??

Perhaps you are one of those who finds it hard to work out just who does what in the world of councils? Well, here is a brief guide to the various types of council and their broad functions, responsibilities and roles.

Staffordshire County Council or SCC

 

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As its name implies, this tier of local government has responsibility for the whole of Staffordshire – quite an area, stretching from Kidsgrove to Kinver, with a total area of 2,713 square km. 

SCC is responsible for producing the Local Transport Plan and for all public transport and road safety matters, including safety cameras, cycle paths, Public Rights of Way, road safety matters, roadworks and reporting of road or lighting faults on the county network.

· It has responsibility for waste management, recycling and any fly tipping on roads.

· It is the registration authority for births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships

· It has responsibility for all aspects of social care for both adults and children, including disability support, blue badges, child protection, adoption and fostering, children in care, children’s centres, independent living and public health. It supports children leaving care, those with disabilities and young offenders.

· It is the local Education Authority, co-ordinating school places and all aspects of learning at all ages.

· It has environmental responsibilities including flood risk management, plans and maps, footpaths and bridleways and environmental health.

· Its cultural remit includes heritage and archives, libraries and arts, parks and greenways.

Local authorities are funded through a combination of business rates, central government grants (much reduced in recent years) and council tax. They also generate income through rents, fees and charges, sales, investments and contributions.

Stafford Borough Council or SBC

This is a much smaller area of roughly 600 square km. SBC has a similar range of responsibilities but for this smaller footprint and covers:

 

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· Bereavement services, including public health funerals, bereavement support, end of life care, cemeteries and crematorium management

· Benefits including housing benefit and the collection of council tax.

· Transport and streets, including car parking, transport and streets, (including litter, street sweeping, bus shelters, trees and hedges and animals) licensing of taxis and private hire vehicles, demonstrations and parades

· Environmental and health services is a very large area of responsibility and includes a great many things, such as:

· Animal welfare, dog warden services, animal licences, fishing, pest control

· Noise and pollution control including air, water, land and invasive plant pollution

 

PAGE 5
· All aspects of waste management 6308

· Health & Safety at work information, complaints, inspection and training

· Health Promotion, housing and public health, energy efficiency, advice on diet, exercise, smoking and community projects, food safety

· Leisure provision including leisure centres and sports facilities, open spaces, events and sport development

· Safeguarding children and vulnerable adults at risk of abuse or neglect

· All areas of housing including homelessness, landlord and tenant information, gypsies and travellers, mobile homes and caravan sites, refugees

· Planning, building control, producing the Plan for Stafford Borough (Local Plan) planning applications and support, trees and hedges

In order to carry out these functions, SBC is funded in a similar way to SCC.

 

Gnosall Parish Council or GPC

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Parish Councils (sometimes called Town Councils) are an official tier of local government but they are much smaller, responsible for their parish only. The main difference between them and the two tiers above is that they are not a decision-making body but a consultative one. This means that we cannot pass legislation for the parish or area. However, we are responsible for certain things:

· Allotments – including maintenance, rental agreements and upkeep

· Local amenities such as public clocks (!), bus shelters, community centres, play areas and equipment

· They are consulted on planning applications as a matter of course but can only make recommendations and pass comment – they are not the deciding body

· They can disburse grants to local organisations

· They can issue fixed penalty fines for some things, such as graffiti, litter, fly-posting and dog fouling

· Parish Councillors must be local residents and fulfil certain criteria to ensure that they are persons of good standing. They are elected for a period of 4 years and may be re-elected.

· Parish Councils are not centrally funded but they levy a “precept” on householders, which forms part of the council tax collected within the parish.

The main difference between Parish and other Councils is that decisions made by parish councils tend to have an effect upon the local community – planning consultations, crime prevention, managing open spaces, helping to develop and maintain local services and community activities. Parish Councillors have an important role in being advocates for their community and acting as a sounding board for local opinion. They are also more immediately accessible than other tiers of local government.

Gnosall Parish Council sees its role very much as one of service rather than one of authority. We are members of this community and we work to improve all aspects of our community life for the benefit of us all.

 

PAGE 6

GFest 2019 Review

Our 2019 Festival was our best yet, with 25+ activities and was made possible by our small but extremely enthusiastic GFest and CFest teams; my thanks go out to them and all the organisers of the various events.

One new event was the highly successful Canal Festival Weekend (CFest) of which more later. Also new was the Rugby Club Fun & Games event with a BBQ, an Active Ageing event and a Wine Tasting evening.

 

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Returning favourites included the highly popular Antiques & Collectibles Valuation (where the three professional valuers worked continuously for most of the session with a queue of people awaiting their turn), GG Youth Club Treasure Hunt and Barbeque. The Fire Station Charity Car Wash had a constant supply of visitors whilst the Family Fun Run again proved popular with all ages. The Heritage Group held a display in the Grosvenor Centre, while the free Pond Dipping on the Boardwalk was extremely popular with children. The Quiz and Prize Draw at the Grosvenor Centre was another of the huge successes, with all available tables being taken. The Community and Countryside event, which included a Dog Show, the sale of Strawberries and Cream and a Bar attracted quite a few people.

 

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Old favourites were not left out with the Classical Concert being well attended; the Family Bike Ride and, of course, the Made in Gnosall Craft Fair and the Church Tour remained popular. Moreton also had its popular Gnosall Singers Concert.

The GFest Church Service, held this year at the Methodist Church, was attended by a Deputy Lieutenant of Staffordshire and the Deputy Mayor of Stafford and his consort.

Other groups within the village also had open sessions for people to visit including Gnosall Phoenix Club and Gnosall Handbell Ringers.

The Festival finished with our (now annual) Fun Fair on the Village Green which coincided with the end of the school academic year and the new Canal Festival.

Canal Festival (CFest) a new event, organised by Barry Witts and Chris Hutton-Ashkenny together with their extremely efficient team, brought out much of the village and attracted

 

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many visitors. Held on the last weekend of GFest2019, the Shropshire Union Canal from the Cowley Tunnel past the Boat Inn and all the way past the Navigation Inn was the perfect setting for the historic and trade boats for visitors to see - all free of charge.

A Cider and Gin event over the weekend at the Boat Inn, together with a full list of events, proved to be a winner as did the Gardens and Music at the Navigation Inn. Gnosall Methodist Church’s Rev. Ken Hawkins room was the venue for a series of packed talks on Gnosall and the canal whilst an exhibition was held in the main hall together with refreshments.

Such was the success of this first CFest that the organisers are exploring the possibility of another event at a similar time in 2020.

What more can be said except roll on CFest2020 and GFest2021.

Kenneth Ingram

Chairman GFest 2019

 

 

 

 

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Moreton Scarecrow Weekend

During the weekend of 17th and 18th August, over 60 scarecrows were on display at the Scarecrow Festival in the Villages of Moreton, Outwoods and Bromstead, representing characters from children’s books. A fantastic selection of scarecrows appeared, making the trail and quiz a real family affair. Over 700 visitors came on what turned out to be a lovely weekend weather wise, after a very wet and windy week.

To add to the event there were classic cars, military vehicles and vintage tractors. On Saturday we enjoyed the sounds of the fairground organ, Lady Wulfrun, a craft fair and of course plenty of tea and cakes. All proceeds went to St. Mary’s Church electricity project.

Thank you to everyone who came and helped to make it a jolly weekend.

Below are a selection of some of the wonderful scarecrows that were on display.

 

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Over 84s Tea

At the Autumn Over 84s Tea on the 12th October we were very honoured to entertain our first Centenarian - Mrs. Eve Pitchford.   Looking at the sprightly 90 year olds present, it is more than probable that she is the first of many.   The next Tea will be the Christmas one on the 14th December. 

If you, or anyone you know will be 84 or over on that date and hasn't previously received an invitation, please contact Maggie Hughes on 823526 or via email  maggiehughes123@btinternet.com.

 

Mrs. Eve Pitchford and Maggie Hughes

 

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Rights of Way in the Parish

Our Gnosall Public Rights of Way (PROW) Group is continuing its work.  The volunteers have been busy.  We have had more enthusiastic people join us.  We are pleased to report that over 60 of our 120 public rights of way in the Parish of Gnosall, which of course includes Moreton and Knightley, have now been surveyed.  Some of the most pressing issues or those easily dealt with have been sorted or reported to Staffordshire County Council, which is the local authority responsible for them. With other issues, we are organising a system of categorising them according to whether the problem is dangerous, just fairly straightforward, or merely a new waymarker or similar action needed.

With the grant generously provided by Gnosall Parish News we have purchased small white labels with the number of each PROW printed on. These are to be fixed to the start and finish of every PROW.  They are to help our group when doing our work.  However, they will be useful for the public too, for reference to the County's Definitive Map of rights of way in our parish.  If you find a problem on a route, you can report this with the correct path number to the Parish Council.  This will enable easy identification of the area. It will take us some time to put all the labels up, so please be patient.   We have also estimated the total length of all rights of way in our parish and they add up to an amazing total of over 70 kilometres!

There is a section on the website www.gnosallparishcouncil.org.uk headed 'Rights of Way' where you can find information.  If you would like to contact the group or join our trusty volunteers, please contact the Parish Office or email me on mary.booth@gnosallparishcouncil.org.uk.

 

Gnosall Young Drivers’ Event, Monday 7th October

As we all know, a tragic accident on the A518 earlier in the year galvanised the whole community to try to make something positive come out of something so awful and there has been a plethora of events since that time, with huge funds being raised for a variety of purposes. Gnosall Parish Council wanted to do something to help our young drivers to feel more confident and prepared for whatever driving hazards or conditions they might face and so the idea for this event was born. We liaised over several months with the Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership and Staffordshire County Council, to produce an event specifically targeted to prepare drivers for the challenges of rural driving, especially along our busy roads. It has to be said that the help and support we have had was simply amazing and we are very grateful indeed for the work done behind the scenes to make this event possible.

The event was advertised to other parish councils and we had around 30 young people signed up, although poor weather on the night kept some away, which was a shame. Nonetheless, our attendees were very focussed and attentive and their detailed feedback shows clearly that they thought deeply about what they had seen and heard. All comments will be considered very carefully so that any future course can be even better.

On the night, County Councillor Mark Winnington and Chair of Gnosall Parish Council Gail Gregory welcomed: Louise Martin of the Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership; Mike O’Neill, a local driving instructor and regular presenter of such courses; Kevin Wilcox, Road Safety Officer for Staffordshire County Council; Mark Downes, the Prevent Lead for Staffordshire Fire and Rescue and Sergeant Darren Burney from the Stafford Policing Team. They were accompanied by several other representatives of the First Aid teams at Staffordshire Fire and Rescue. All were mindful of the need to inform without shocking or scaring drivers so much that they were too upset to take on board the advice given.

All attendees were given materials to take home to refresh their memories and also equipment to help them ensure that their vehicles were roadworthy and safe for the winter months; we thank Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership for their kind donation of materials and freebies!

Already we have been asked about next year’s course – by young people not yet old enough to drive and by parents of those yet to learn. We would very much like this to be an annual event and we hope that this initial evening will grow into a regular part of our calendar for the benefit of all our families and road users in the area.

 

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The Grosvenor Centre

Earlier this year, the Parish Council appointed ACP Bar Services as its Designated Premises Supervisor to provide a bar service at functions held at the Grosvenor Centre.  Since this appointment, many hirers have given very positive feedback on the exceptional and professional service they received from ACP at their functions whether it was a party, quiz or training events.

The Council receives excellent feedback about the Grosvenor Centre facilities and how it is looked after and meets the needs of our hirers.  We have very dedicated caretakers who keep the centre in tip top condition.   The feedback received is welcomed and enables the Council to have a sense of satisfaction knowing the centre, and its additional services, are valued.

Plans are still being discussed about how the centre could be enhanced and modernised to provide an even better service but changes are still some way off.  The Centre can be hired for very reasonable hire fees, so if you have a function coming up, please consider using the Grosvenor Centre.    Just contact the Parish Office and a visit can be arranged for those who may not be familiar with it.  The arrangement between hirer and ACP Bar Services is dealt with completely separately from the Parish Council’s booking and can be specific to the needs of the hirer, Jordan Archer is the contact on 07715392345.

 

 

Off to pastures new

Council said farewell to Jeanene Walton-Sanders, our Council Support Officer, in October. Jeanene has worked with us for almost 4 years and became a familiar face to parishioners, handling Grosvenor bookings and everyday matters with a friendly smile. Now that her family is growing up, she has been able to obtain full-time employment at a local school, where she will be an asset. We shall miss her of course but wish her every success in her new post.

The Parish is now seeking to appoint a new CSO on 15 hours p/w. If interested, please contact the Parish Office for an application form. The closing date is 14th November.

 

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Gnosall Library Update

Summer is over and so is the Summer Reading challenge for children. There was an excellent response from the school and, of course, the children! The challenge was completed with a presentation at St Lawrence Academy on 23rd September with a certificate for each of the finishers. Well done to all who accomplished reading six books!

Of course, it wasn’t the only thing happening at the library. There has been continuing success with events such as Baby Bounce & Rhyme which is well attended at every session. Not so our Coffee Mornings and IT Buddy Sessions but we hope as people get to know about them , they too will become popular.

Another mention is the continued success of our Family History events and if you want to know your ancestry, either book a session with us or just come along to the library and use our computer which has full, and free, access to www.ancestry.com. Perhaps you didn’t know that?

Other services on offer, for a very small charge, are photocopying, printing and free access to a computer.

Why don’t you come along and sit on a comfy sofa and access our free Wi-Fi or use it as a quiet space to do some work or just have a cup of coffee and surf the web. All you need is to be is a library member, which again is a free signup!

Oh, by the way, we have an excellent choice of books! We are small but you can order any books from any of the libraries within Staffordshire. That’s a lot of books! Visit our library or online at www.yourlibcat.staffordshire.gov.uk

You can see all the dates of our events in the GPN or visit our website www.gleanhub.org

Finally, we now stock the GPN magazine.

 

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Opening Hours 

Mon      05:00pm – 07:30pm

Tue       10:00am – 12:30pm

Wed      03:00pm – 06:00pm

Sat        10:00am – 12:30pm

 

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Christmas Lights Switch-on

The increasingly popular Christmas lights event will be held on Saturday 23rd November at the Grosvenor Centre. The first session will commence at 4.15pm with entertainment and festive refreshments ending with carol singing and the lights switch on at 5.30pm.  The second session will commence at 5.15pm with carol singing and the lights switch on followed by entertainment and festive refreshments. Entry is by ticket only which are available from the Parish Office from Monday 4th November.

A small grant from Stafford Borough Council, as well as funds put aside by the Parish Council, enables both this event and the Christmas trees to be funded. However, any donations received from residents are welcomed and will be put towards other community projects as and when needed.

There will be festive themed stalls in the Grosvenor Centre including a tombola and raffle, proceeds going to GG’s Youth Club and Gnosall Library.  Gnosall Scouts will help serve refreshments and any donations received will retained by the Scouts for their upcoming projects.  Father Christmas has promised to make an appearance and will present all children with an advent calendar.  Christmas card competition entries will be displayed in the Grosvenor Centre.

Christmas trees will be illuminated in a number of locations across the parish.  This event and the sight of the Christmas trees around the parish is something we know our parishioners and visitors look forward to. 

This annual event always proves a good start to the Christmas period.   Don’t forget to get your tickets in good time, tickets are limited and will be issued on a first come first served basis. 

 

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Best Kept Village Competition 2019

The results were announced at a packed meeting in the Moat House Hotel, Acton Trussell, on Monday August 5th. The first results read out were the Best Kept Large Village in Stafford District.

We sat in hopeful anticipation of being placed in the top three, when John Perry, MBE, Chairman of the Best Kept Village Competition Group said “ and this year first place goes to Gnosall”.

We were absolutely delighted because the BKV team, villagers and businesses had made such an effort to make Gnosall really sparkle! Gnosall also won the BKV Trophy which will be displayed in the village. We received our certificates and enjoyed the presentations to the other three Staffordshire Districts.

Then came the announcement of the County Winners of the Best Kept Village Competition.  To win this award would mean Gnosall was without doubt the Best Kept Large Village in the whole of Staffordshire. “The winner in 2019 is Gnosall!” We did it! Brilliant!

We collected our certificate, a cheque for £200 a shield and a beautiful Cherry tree. You can see the shield in the Parish Office, the tree will be planted on the Village Green with an inscribed plaque and just about every notice board, shop and pub has a copy of the certificate!

Finally, a big thank you to everyone who helped in whatever way they chose to make Gnosall the Best Kept Village!

Dave Clarke

BKV Co-ordinator

 

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What’s on at the GROSVENOR CENTRE

Monday

2.00pm-4.00pm

Phoenix Board Games

2.00pm-4.30pm

Phoenix Table Tennis

5.45pm-7.45pm

Weight Watchers

Tuesday

10.00am-12 noon

Painting classes

4.30pm-9.00pm

Ballroom & Latin

Dance classes

8.00pm-10.00pm

Handbell Ringers

Wednesday

9.45am-12.30pm

Movement class

10.30am-12.30pm

Book Reading Group

7.15pm-10.15pm

Military Whist Club

7.30pm-10.00pm

Bridge Club

Thursday

9.15 am-10.45am

Phoenix Club - Tai Chi

6.30pm-9.30pm

Painting Classes

7.30pm-9.30pm

Flower Arranging

9.30am-12 noon

Gnosall Phoenix Club

Friday

7.00pm-9.00pm

Sequence & Ballroom

Dance classes

2.00pm-4.00pm

Gnosall Heritage Group

 

If you would like any more information on any of the above groups please contact

the Parish Offices on 01785 822685

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Sponsor a defibrillator – save a life!

Did you know that we have several defibrillators in the Parish?  There is one at the Grosvenor Centre,  one at The Boat pub, one at the petrol station, one in the old Outwoods telephone box and another in Moreton Millennium Centre. These wonderful pieces of equipment provide immediate help in the event of a heart attack – when, as we all know, time is of the essence. It is fantastic that our large parish has so many, all provided by fund-raising or generosity.

But people may not be aware that the defibrillators incur running costs. The batteries last for about 4 years and cost approximately £175 each. The pads which go on the charging paddles are replaced free of charge by the ambulance service if they have been used in an emergency but otherwise they must be replaced every two years, at a cost of £25 a time. Thus it costs about £250 to keep each defibrillator working for 4 years – or about £65 per annum each.

If you know of a business, club, family or individual who would like to sponsor a defibrillator, do please let Gnosall Parish Council know. We are trying to ensure the sustainability of the defibrillators in the future so that volunteers don’t have to be forever raising money for running costs.

 

ggs1.jpg (Image)GG’s has been very busy recently, especially over the school Summer holidays, preparing the building for children – for example, putting up colourful displays to make it more inviting. Since we have returned from the summer break, numbers have been less but that has been the pattern since GG’s opened and we anticipate that attendance will increase as we approach Hallowe’en and Christmas.

We have a lot of events coming up, including festive evenings for both Hallowe’en and Christmas. This year we have been very grateful for all the sponsors that have donated money so Youth Club can continue to be a success. We will be purchasing some new games equipment and a new indoor sports table and when these arrive, we shall hold a New Equipment Day, where we’ll also be recruiting new members in Year 4 through to Year 9.

We are also recruiting volunteers to help out at either Wednesday or Thursday Sessions. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please contact Jordan on 07715 392345.