11th June SCFC Minutes

Solar Community Fund Committee Meeting

DATE: Thursday 11th June 2020
VENUE: BY ZOOM Virtual meeting
Opened meeting 7:00PM
Attended by: Julia Dovey, Kathryn Lord, David McNeight, Rosabelle Batt, Lorraine and Simon Wakeford, Andrew Clarke, David Barrass, John Stibbons, Ardna Curran, Frances Prokofiev

1. Apologies: Tracy Toyne

2. The minutes were agreed as a fair reflection of the last meeting (Feb 2020)

3. Projects Update

A. Good Neighbour Scheme
Since the last SCFC meeting the Covid19 pandemic created an emergency to kick start a ‘Good Neighbour Scheme” with our Parish neighbours Bodham. This has created a fantastic foundation for the future.

The Co-Ordinator, Mel Clarke, assisted by family and volunteer neighbours have contacts for 336 villagers in Bodham, and Lower Bodham, East and West Beckham. These contacts were collated in response to 2 leaflet drops by Beckham’s Bulletin delivery team and Bodham’s team.

The demands on the scheme have been steady throughout. Tasks such as Prescription collection from Holt, Boots, Cromer and Aldborough. Weekly shopping and general calls to check up on people. Through their calls it was picked up that an elderly gentleman who had fallen had been on his floor for over 24 hours – Social Services help was arranged and he is back at home but the volunteers are supporting him with cooking food, shopping and prescriptions.

Mel Clarke has highlighted there are several villagers on their list who need help all the time and it is her intention to continue to support them as long as they need it.

A grant of £1000 has been awarded by Government to support the community Good Neighbour Scheme and these funds have been made available to the scheme.

Additionally Mel’s team have also created 94 Laundry bags, 205 knitted Covid heart pairs, 469 knitted ear guards, 48 scrub hats, 10 complete sets of scrubs, 2 scrub tunics, 9 blankets for care homes, 21 face masks.

B. Walking Leaflet
The Parish Walk leaflet has been in great demand and the 200+ copies used up.

A new print run should be ordered. (NB This leaflet is also printable from the village website eastandwestbeckham.org)

As other circular walks have been ‘discovered’ it was suggested a selection of others (5 or 6) should be created with points of interest in the same manner.
E.g. towards Gresham, Hell Hole, Alymerton Cross via East Beckham, JD to review file of West Beckham Walkers past walks to draw upon. KL to send a copy of the walk to Alymerton Cross to JD

Appeal from RB that the Country code be highlighted on the leaflet – especially closing gates; as a recent incident meant the cows had escaped from their pasture into the potato field!

C. West Beckham Village Sign
The new sign is finished and waiting for delivery.
The Old sign needs to be taken down so the RSJ can be refurbished (cleaned and painted black)
The new sign can be stored for installation planned for late summer. Possible picnic or socially distanced gathering on the green by Chestnut Farm to unveil the new sign.
KL to contact RMNW to ask for assistance and storage.

D. West Beckham Cemetery – General Tidy
There are a number of historic gravestones in the cemetery which are being hidden by ivy, brambles, long grass and low lying tree branches.
A general discussion over the pros and cons of working on these areas and it was decided to leave for the time being.
The Church would need to be contacted and would a plan be useful especially with increased interest of ancestors (survey of the burial grounds available?) KL to ask.

E Bus Stop Bench West Beckham
The existing bench has been moved and fitted outside on the concrete pad opposite the Bus Shelter by RMNW and GP. It looks very good. JS advised a flat pack teak bench ‘special offer’ for £284 is available which could be installed in the shelter. JS to order. JD to review fixings in Bus Shelter.

F. Village Van Shop and Bodham Proposed Shop
“The Village Van” had been visiting weekly on a Thursday lunchtime at the Church and had been well used/appreciated during the warm weather, especially as a destination walk from around the village. This may not be sustainable for the van owners especially outside summer months.
Bodham Shop – a public meeting had been planned (pre Covid) with guest speakers from various community shop/cafes/centres in the area. Cllr Ringer had emailed directly those who had taken part in the ‘shop survey’ and there had been keen interest from Bodham. There was no actual shop site available so far. The Wheatsheaf Pub must be struggling during lockdown and the Wheatsheaf shop was not successful. The WB Church did not have facilities (toilet, kitchen, water) to create a social centre/shop location and Bodham and Beckham Village Hall is already a good social centre in normal times.

G. RAF West Beckham Information Board for the Village Hall
The original deadline for this creation was the VE day commemoration in May but as Covid19 changed this. No progress had been made.
Mike Digby has an extensive library of pictures and literature. These are displayed on a Flickr/Facebook etc but not a good resolution for expanding and printing.
Chevertons printers would be able to help create the board.
JD to try and contact Mike Digby to ask for higher resolution images or his help?

H. Horticultural Show 2020
The show had been cancelled for this year. A Solar Community Fund trophy (suggested option a glass paperweight?) could be supplied for a specific class. To be followed up.

I. Next Bulletin
Suggested for inclusion:

Covid19 Good Neighbour Scheme – get a picture of Mel and her team?
Thanks for NHS & Careers & Key workers – photos of the Rainbows and Fences!
RAF West Beckham – do you have any memories we can include? ( Info board to go into the Village Hall)
Thanks to ex Cllr Roy Simpson for the refurbishment of the East Beckham Village sign – he created the sign in the first place but now lives in Gresham
WB Village sign removal and new sign installation
A new fence for the play area in West Beckham –
East Beckham litter picker Tony McKay – keeping the area tidy for everyone.
Village Van photos and write up

4. AOB
The large evergreen tree which was uprooted in a past storm is now dying (+ leaning on the smaller ash tree) outside The Malthouse on the road. Could this be removed? It is also interfering with internet and telephone.
KL to ask RMNW as believed to be on the Wilsons land.
Harry Bruford who produces the Bodham Newsletter is unwell and in hospital.
Felbeck Trust: The annual management meeting will be held on 1st July. JD and RMNW will attend. The entrance to West Beckham Green being kept clear is to be mentioned. AC will send a photo to JD of a split tree also at WB green. The buddleia at East Beckham Common is too big and blocks the entrance.

5. Next Meeting date

7PM (by ZOOM), 13th August 2020

Meeting closed 8.30pm

Cllr Kathryn Lord (Secretary E&WB Solar Community Fund Committee)
kathryn.lord@me.com / 07711070417
2 Hall Farm Cottages, Church Road,
West Beckham, Holt, Norfolk
NR25 6NX

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