This issue contains two brief surveys for you to complete, each of which is essential for funding of local projects. The surveys will take less than a minute each, so please take a few moments to complete them.

In this issue:
  1. Parish Council Meeting, Wednesday 20th March
  2. Village Litter Pick, Saturday 23rd March
  3. The Friend’s of St James’ AGM, Tuesday 26th March
  4. New Homes Bonus Applications
  5. Second World War Booklet
  6. Birlingham Memories Project
  7. Bulb Teas
  8. Bystander Archives on the Village Website
  9. Lost Ladies’ Watch
  10. Planning Applications
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1. Parish Council Meeting, Wednesday 20th March

The next meeting of Birlingham Parish Council takes place on Wednesday 20th March at 7.00pm in Birlingham Village Hall. During the meeting there is an opportunity to express your views on local issues, so please come along.

The agenda for the meeting will shortly be available at www.birlingham.org/pc_info/pc_agenda_2019-03-20.pdf and the draft minutes of the previous Parish Council meeting on 16th January will be available at www.birlingham.org/pc_info/pc_minutes_2019-01-16.pdf.

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2. Village Litter Pick, Saturday 23rd March

The Parish Clerk writes:
The Annual Litter Pick takes place on Saturday 23rd March, meeting on the village green at 10.00am. Litter-picking equipment is provided.

Please join us if you can. We should be able to complete the litter pick in an hour if sufficient people turn up.

The litter pick is being timed to coincide with the Great British Spring Clean – full details at https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/get-involved/support-our-campaigns/great-british-spring-clean.

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3. The Friend’s of St James’ AGM, Tuesday 26th March

Adrianne Woodward writes:
The Friend’s of St James’ AGM will be held on Tuesday 26th March at 6:30pm in the Church. All are welcome and light refreshments will be served.

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4. New Homes Bonus Applications

Ian Yates writes::
For New Homes Bonus applications to be successful, it is essential that we can demonstrate positive public support for the projects. Please therefore go to https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScd67a_4gO1wLq-PCP_PhALgAXQ8zaEsELiY3u8vYY3OQ6xnA/viewform?usp=sf_link as soon as possible to complete a short survey and tell us which of the three options below you support. Alternatively, contact the Clerk at birlingham_clerk@yahoo.co.uk with your views. All responses will be treated confidentially.

  • Millennium Bench. Application for £872 towards costs of £1000. Balance from Parish Council funds.
  • War Memorial. Application for £300 towards the stonemason’s cost of £375. Balance from fund raising.
  • Birlingham in the Second World War. Application for £200 towards the printing costs of £432. Balance from Jubilee Committee funds.
Responses are requested no later than Tuesday 19th March.

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5. Second World War Booklet

Following the success of the Great War booklet (which has now sold out), the Jubilee Committee is hoping to produce a similar booklet for the 75th anniversary in 2020 of the end of the Second World War. The booklet would commemorate the 39 men and women from Birlingham who saw active service during the war. Although we would not have access to the census from that era, hopefully there are still people who remember that time (and maybe even some of those who went to war). There should also be more photographs available and people who would have known local families.

The aim is to produce a booklet for an occasion to be organised on or around Friday 14th August 2020 (the anniversary of V-J Day). The booklet is likely to be more substantial than the Great War publication, so an application is being made for New Homes Bonus funding to help with the costs.

The Jubilee Committee would like to involve as many people as possible, so if you would like to contribute in some way please let us know at news@birlingham.org.

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6. Birlingham Memories Project

Running in parallel with the Second World War booklet, the Jubilee Committee is planning to launch a Birlingham Memories Project. The intention is to capture the memories of our older residents (and people who used to live in the village), either in sound or on video, so that these memories are available for future generations. It is hoped to interview as many people as possible about their life in Birlingham and to mount a series of exhibitions to display the results.

As part of the project the Jubilee Committee is applying for a Wychavon Community Grant for recording, playback and display equipment, which could then be used for events by other organisations in the village. As with all grants, it is important to show that there is community support for the project. Therefore it would be appreciated if you could complete a very short survey at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdwXjBo2evqvU2--m0fLHDYirDyHw47MHtmMGaWVxjUyEBUog/viewform?usp=sf_link.

If you would like to be involved in the project in any way, the Jubilee Committee would be very pleased to hear from you at news@birlingham.org – or give your details on the survey.

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7. Bulb Teas

Caryl Mills writes:
The weather in February 2019 has broken all records and this led to a record number of visitors to the church to see the spring bulbs – the weather makes all the difference!

Carl Brassington uncovered the grave of Miss Duke and research by Carl and others made some interesting reading and a talking point for the visitors. It was with thanks to all those who put out and took down tables and set up the Village Hall, baked some fabulous cakes, served hundreds of pots of tea and washed up for hours that £2,000 was raised from the sale of teas and cake. A huge thank-you to all who helped and we look forward to seeing you during the weekends of February 2020; please put the dates in your diary!

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8. Bystander Archives on the Village Website

The third edition of the Birlingham Bystander, originally published every three months, is from Spring 1983, a time when political correctness apparently had not yet reached Birlingham. This edition includes an intriguing piece on an ancient ring found at Swan’s Neck; along with articles on Steeplechasing, fly fishing (by Bill Trow-Poole), the first article by George Revill, and an anonymous article on being a wartime bride in Birlingham. The Gentlemen’s Club debate continues in the Letters section and there is a recipe, a fashion piece, gardening advice, book reviews, a quiz and crossword. There is also advance notice of Parish Council elections – some things never change.

The third edition of the Bystander can now be viewed at www.birlingham.org/village/bystander.

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9. Lost Ladies’ Watch

A lady visitor to the village has lost a watch while walking in the village on Friday 8th March. It was not an expensive one but has sentimental value.

If anyone has found a ladies’ watch in the village, could they please contact us at news@birlingham.org.

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10. Planning Applications

The following planning application has been determined by Wychavon District Council:

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