Whiteparish is an attractive small to medium-sized village centred on the A27, in South-East Wilts; surrounded by farming country and woodland; and near to the border with Hampshire. Population is about 1500, and the nearest towns/cities are Romsey, Salisbury, and Southampton. Click here for more about the locality, and here for more about Whiteparish's history.

Nowadays many villagers work in the nearby towns or further afield (commuting to London or to Bristol, for example). However, there are also several local employers within the village; and quite a few one-person businesses. Click here for a list of local businesses.

We have a church (C of E); a village shop/Post Office; a go-ahead primary school; a flourishing and forward-thinking medical practice; a village hall; a filling station; many village clubs, societies, and organisations; sports clubs; and a large recreation ground with a childrens' playground and facilities for tennis, football and cricket. Last, but definitely not least, there are three pubs.

OTHER SELECTED NEWS ITEMS

8th JULY PC NOTES. The Parish Council Notes for their 8th July 2010 meeting contain (as ever) several interesting pieces of news, including a Village Tidy-Up Day planned for 14th August, and a plea for land suitable for allotments in the village. There's more about both these items in the notice above, but for the full meeting notes document, click here.

MEMORIAL GROUND TRUST AGM. The MGT AGM was held in the King's Head on 12 July. For notes of the meeting, and for meeting dates for the 12-month to the next AGM, click here.

COMMENTS REQUESTED ON NEW COMMUNITY PLAN. Tom Bray, the Southern Wiltshire Community Area Manager, writes as follows:
Dear All,
I write to introduce you to the Southern Wiltshire Draft Community Plan for 2010 - 2015 (attached). A steering group made up of people from across the community area have put this together. We would like to hear your views on the document by no later that 10 September 2010. As always, if you have any questions please get in touch.
Kind regards, Tom

To view the draft plan, click here. To visit the Southern Area Board Web Page, with more info, click here. (Tom's email address, for comments or questions, is at the top of the draft plan.)

BURGLARY PREVENTION, AND DISTRACTION BURGLARIES. The June 2010 Neighbourhood Watch Bulletin from PC Henry Clissold includes advice about how to help prevent burglaries and so-called "distraction burglaries". It seems that these bulletins are going to be produced on a three-monthly basis from now on, but that local crime summaries will continue to be made available monthly. So, for the June Neighbourhood Watch Bulletin, click here. For the June Crime Summary, click here. And for the July Crime Summary, click here!

2010 WHITEPARISH WEEK. This year the two new events (a Quiz Night and a Horse Show) were both evidently very successful, as were the Band Night/Hog Roast and other events in the week leading up to Saturday's Carnival and Fete. For many years now we've been really lucky with the weather for the Fete, and Saturday 19th June 2010 extended this run by another year, being dry and occasionally sunny. However, a strong and not especially warm breeze may have kept some visitors away (it wasn't exactly "flaming June"). Takings on some attractions were apparently a little down on 2009; but thanks to some cost savings this year, the overall profit for All Saints School and Church is estimated to be similar to last year. As always, everyone who came seemed to enjoy it. For a report from the Fete Committee, including a breakdown of takings from the treasurer, and prizewinners for the various events, click here. For some photographs, click here.

PARISH COUNCIL AGM. The Parish Council AGM was held on 20th May, and included a report from Vice Chair John LeQuesne on his findings regarding a "Gypsy and Traveller Site Allocations Development Plan" document received from Wiltshire Council. To read more on this and the other items discussed, as well as notes from the special meeting held on 5th May, click here.

MEMORIAL GROUND NEWS. At the Memorial Ground Trust meeting held on 18th May 2010, members voted in favour of supporting the proposed new community building. For more on this, and the other items discussed, click here.

The Annual General Meeting of the trust will be held on Monday 12 July 2010, in the pavilion. Members of the public are welcome to attend, and the meeting will begin at 8.00 pm.

TAMPERED CREDIT CARD SCAM. The May 2010 Neighbourhood Watch Bulletin from PC Henry Clissold includes advice about a recent spate of credit card fraud in the county, involving cards whose magnetic strips have been tampered with. Also, Wiltshire Police have come out well in a recent comprehansive quality assessment by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, being rated as excellent at reducing crime, good at policing, and offering value for money to the public. For details of these and other stories, click here. For the summary of local crime in our area during April 2010, click here.

Late May Bank Holiday: WASTE AND RECYCLING COLLECTIONS Due to the Bank Holiday on Monday May 31st, the waste and recycling collections that would normally have taken place on Friday 4th June will be made on Saturday 5th June.

PETERSFINGER PARK & RIDE. The new Park and Ride facility at Petersfinger will open on Tuesday 1st June, and will be free for the first five days. After this, all-day parking and use of the buses to and from Salisbury city centre will cost £2.50. However, anyone who parks there and cycles into the city can park for free.

More information about the Petersfinger P & R will eventually be available at www.wiltshire.gov.uk/parkandride, though at the time of writing it's not there yet. In the meantime, to see timetable and other information, click here; for a promotional leaflet, click here; and for info on cycle training courses to be held in Salisbury, aimed at helping adults who lack confidence or don't have basic riding skills, click here!

GENERAL ELECTION. Just in case you hadn't noticed, there's an election scheduled for Thursday 6th May! Our polling station will be the Village Hall, as usual, which will be open for voting between 7.00 am and 10.00 pm. Don't forget to vote!

Whiteparish Football Club: Final league positions for 2009/2010. Both the Saturday and Sunday teams finished 5th in their respective divisions: the Salisbury & District Football League Division 1 (Saturday); and the Salisbury & District Football League Division 1 (Sunday). Stats for the season were as follows:

To see full results for the season (or most of them, anyway), click here.

Goodbye to Anita as Parish Clerk. At the 15th April 2010 Parish Council Meeting, Mrs Anita Boakes received hearty thanks and a gift and flowers from from the Councillors for her work as Parish Clerk over the last 10 years. (The Chairman noted that Parish Council funds were not used for this.) Anita's replacement is Niccola Cooper, whose contact details are in the latest Parish Council Notes, along with summaries of the other topics discussed. For details, click here.

QUIZ NIGHT FOR FETE WEEK. This year Whiteparish Week (leading up to the Fete) will include a Quiz Night starting at 7.30 pm on Tuesday 15th June, in the Village Hall. For more details of this, and other news from the 2010 Fete Committee, click here.

MOST CRIME DOWN IN OUR AREA. The April 2010 Neighbourhood Watch Bulletin from PC Henry Clissold includes the welcome news that overall crime figures in the South Wiltshire Community Area (includes us) are down by 13.8%, although both domestic burglaries and pedal cycle thefts have increased. For details, click here.

MEMORIAL GROUND HIRE CHARGES. The Memorial Ground Trust page includes notes from the two most recent meetings of the management committee, including the 2010 charges for hiring the MUGA and the main ground. For details, click here.

2010 FETE ART COMPETITION OPEN TO ADULTS. For the latest news from the fete committee, click here.

Parish Council Supports Village Shop Plannning Application. At the extra meeting held on 16th February, the PC voted to support planning application S/2010/53 for a new shop and post office premises, etc. The latest Parish Council notes also include news of the appointment of a new Parish Clerk, a request for ideas for a Parish Council logo, and the possibility of creating a car park opposite the school. For more on these and other items discussed, click here.

EASTER & EARLY MAY BANK HOLIDAY COLLECTIONS. The waste and recycling collection arrangements for the forthcoming bank holidays will be as follows. The same arrangements apply to normal household waste, plastic, card, and garden waste (where applicable), and to black boxes.

Stats About Our Area. Two interesting documents have been brought to our attention, each containing statistical info about how we in the South Wilts area compare to other areas of the county.

One was compiled in support of a health-oriented strategic needs assessment, showing how we stack up against the other areas in terms of age groups/gender, "deprivation", life expectancy, teenage pregnancy rates, etc etc. It seems we have the highest alcohol consumption, but the lowest percentage of smokers. It also shows up some surprises about other areas: for example, why should Mere have the longest life expectancy for males, but the shortest for females? Probably best not to speculate ! To see the whole document, click here.

The other document, Southern Wiltshire Area Profile, contains more general stats about population, vehicle ownership, crime, benefit claimants, and education, and can be viewed by clicking here.

The March 2010 Neighbourhood Watch Bulletin. The latest bulletin from PC Henry Clissold reminds us that on icy mornings (and we haven't seen the last of them yet) the whole swept area of your windscreen must be clear of ice, or you are committing an offence. There is also news of illegal deer shooting close to us, in Hamptworth, and the usual local crime summary. For more detail, click here.

Fete Planning Progress. For the latest on planning for this year's village fete, click here.

Rural Broadband Survey. If, like us, you're two miles of motheaten copper wire away from the Whiteparish Exchange and you get rock-bottom broadband speeds—or if you're closer to the exchange but still think your broadband speed is unsatisfactory—it may be in your interests to take part in a rural broadband survey being conducted by Wilts Council. The closing date for taking part is 31st March, but it only takes two or three minutes so why not click here and do it straight away?! Unfortunately the survey doesn't seem to cater for people who can't get broadband at all, but one way round it might be to enter upload and download speeds of zero, or whatever your dialup connection can manage.

SW Community Area Small Grants. The South Wilts Community Area Grant Scheme board has introduced a final opportunity to bid for small grants before the end ot this financial year, because they still have £3,531 to disburse. However, applications may not be considered unless they are received by 12 noon on 23 February. If you want to find out more about the scheme, click here. Other Area Board-related links that may be of interest are their Just a Minute newsletter and the SWAB website home page.

ALADDIN (IN)SANE . . .


Uh oh—looks like Aladdin's for the chop . . . .

. . . but of course he wasn't really. Just one of the scenes from the Pepperbox Players' terrific staging of their 2010 pantomime Aladdin in the Village Hall on the 4th, 5th, and 6th of February. For more about the panto, click here. For lots of photos, click here.

The February 2010 Neighbourhood Watch Bulletin, from PC Henry Clissold includes some useful tips on safeguarding vehicles against opportunist thieves, and the monthly crime reports from hereabouts. For more detail, click here.

Brownie Newz. "Little Owl" has sent us the latest activity report from the local Brownie troop, covering happenings in 2009 and looking ahead to some events being planned. For details, click here.

Parish Council Meeting Report, 21st January 2010. The latest Parish Council report includes two invitations to villagers: the Council are asking for villagers' views before end-Feb on a proposal that 30 mph stickers are obtained for fixing to wheelie bins within the 30 mph limit; also villagers are encouraged to attend the 4th March annual Parish Meeting where electors can raise any village matter. For more on these and other items covered, including a warning about unlicensed hawkers (hmm...), click here.

Memorial Ground Trust.  For notes from the MGT Management Meeting held on 18 January 2010, click here.

The January 2010 Farmwatch Bulletin, from the local police Rural Crimes Team, reviews recent rural and farming-related crime in the area—it seems a spate of thefts of Landrover Defenders continued beyond the Christmas period. The bulletin also includes advice on various ways of marking equipment to help protect against theft, or facilitate recovery after theft. For more details, click here.

IT MUST (really) BE WINTER . . .



We don't often get much snow here nowadays, but last winter and this one have been exceptions, with another reasonable snowfall on 5th/6th Jan this year. Nothing like the 40cm originally forecast, but enough to provide a lot of fun, and maybe there's more to come. In the photos: two snowmen that caught our eye in Cowesfield, and some serious snowball-rolling on the Memorial Ground.

The January 2010 Neighbourhood Watch Bulletin, forwarded by PC Henry Clissold, provides some tips on security marking your new presents ! For more details, click here.

Parish Council Meeting Report, 10th December 2009. The latest Parish Council report includes news of a new co-opted member of the council (Mrs Anne Baker), and action the council is taking about the A27 being flooded recently at Brickworth and in Cowesfield. The Southern Wilts Community Area Youth Development Co-ordinator will be attending the next meeting on 21 January, and the council encourages young people to come to the meeting and give their views on what's needed in Whiteparish. For more on these, and the other topics discussed, click here.

Agenda for SWAB Meeting on 17th December. The agenda for the South Wilts Area Board meeting to be held in Whiteparish Village Hall on 17 December includes the following items for discussion:
- Disposal of Wiltshire Council Assets - Coombe Bissett Chalk Pit
- Community Plan Steering Group and Issues Update
- Getting your opinions on Wiltshire Council’s spending in 2010/11
- Youth Provision and Involvement
- Spotlight Session: Wiltshire Police Presentation
In this important presentation Inspector David McMullin will explain some operational and organisational aspects of policing in south Wiltshire.
- Community Area Grants.

If you're interested in any of these, or if you just want to find out more about SWAB, doors open at 6.30 pm, and the meeting starts at 7.00.

The December 2009 Neighbourhood Watch Bulletin, forwarded by PC Henry Clissold mentions the suspicion that horses and ponies in the district are being earmarked (with a small plait in their manes) for possible theft later. (The Salisbury Journal has covered the same story.) The bulletin summarises some precautions that owners can take to guard against theft of horses and ponies. Happily the regular reports of crimes in the area don't include any in Whiteparish, but there is quite an outbreak not far away in Laverstock/Ford. On a similar theme, PC Clissold has forwarded a bulletin from the Wiltshire Rural Crime Team which gives some interesting insights into the rural team's current activities and priorities county-wide. For the Neighbourhood Watch bulletin, click here. For the Farm Watch/Rural Crimes bulletin, click here.

Refuse/Recycling collection for 2009/2010 Christmas and New Year Holiday. The arrangements are slightly more complicated than for previous bank holidays, with collections rescheduled as follows. (Note: most if not all households in Whiteparish are due one black-box collection during the period, which has been set for 4 January. The other rescheduled black box dates shown are for the benefit of any households on a different collection rota. )

Then back to normal. The above dates are copied from the WCC website; for more information, including recycling of Christmas trees, wrapping paper, etc, click here.

Memorial Ground Trust.  For notes from the MGT Management Meeting held on 23 November 2009, in the Pavilion, click here.

Southern Wiltshire Area Board (SWAB) to meet in Whiteparish.  The next meeting of the Southern Wiltshire Area Board (SWAB for short)—see also earlier item on the same subject, down the page—is scheduled for 17th December 2009, and will take place in Whiteparish Village Hall. Doors open at 6.30 pm for a 7.00 pm start. So if you want to find out more about this new local government initiative, or if you have points to raise, make a note in your diary. To see the SWAB home page, click here.

If you're still a bit vague about the role of area boards, you won't be alone! But Councillor Richard Britton, the chairman of SWAB, is aware of this problem and recently distributed a message on the subject, basically indicating that the board themselves are still feeling their way. To see Councillor Britton's message, click here.

The October 2009 Neighbourhood Watch Bulletin, forwarded by PC Henry Clissold includes news of attacks on cats in Alderbury, a useful summary of the restrictions on using by-ways, and the regular reports of crimes both in Whiteparish and neighbouring parishes. For details, click here.

Parish Council Meeting Report, 22nd October 2009. The latest Parish Council report includes news of the affordable houses project in Newton Lane, which will apparently be finished ahead of schedule. All the houses have been allocated, and will be going to people with strong Whiteparish connections. For more on this, and the other topics discussed, click here.

2010 Fete and Carnival. The date for next year's Fete has been set for Saturday 19th June, with the theme of "Storytime", and as usual there will be other activities during the preceding week—more news of these later. For more information, including names and contact numbers of the organising committee, click here.

2009 Fireworks Display. This year's display, in aid of Whiteparish All Saints Primary School and kindly sponsored by Pains Fireworks, will be held on Saturday 14th November on the Memorial Ground, as usual. Gates open at 6.15 pm, and the display itself starts at 7.00 pm. There will be refreshments (including a barbecue) and drinks available; and fairground rides for younger children. If you buy your tickets in advance from the village shop or school office, they are £3.50 per adult, £2.50 per child (4—16) and under-fours are free, or a family ticket is £10. If you pay at the gate, it's £5 per adult and £3.00 per child. (In the event of wet weather, the alternate date is Friday 20th November.)

Goodbye to Steve Worpole
It seemed like the end of an era when we heard that Steve Worpole was leaving the village. In his 20 years or so as landlord of the Fountain, Steve made many friends locally, and we were glad to catch him at the Kings Head on a recent Friday evening, shortly before he upped sticks. He's bought a 50-ft narrowboat and is embarking on what he calls his belated "Gap Year", starting at Northampton on the canal system and heading north. He hasn't got any firm plans, except that he hopes to meet up in Chester for a meal with a friend who's travelling, also by canal, from Ely, setting off at about the same time. Seems there's a good curry restaurant in Chester . . .

Steve was a very good friend and supporter of Whiteparish School for a long time, and a good sport. We remember once coming across him trudging back from a school fete towards the Fountain, many years ago, covered with the evil-smelling concoction he'd just been gunked with to raise school funds. Many in the village will miss him, and we wish him well in his travels and for the future.

FLOWER SHOW AND HARVEST FESTIVAL PHOTOS. Two new flower-related photo galleries have been added to the website: one for the Flower and Hobbies Show at the end of August '09 (click here) and the other for some photos of the beautiful flower arrangements prepared by members of the Altar Guild for this year's Harvest Festival(click here). Many thanks to Dawn and Langdon Nichols for sending the latter—and apologies for the delay in getting them onto the website. (Have been a bit busy with other stuff.)

The October 2009 Neighbourhood Watch Bulletin, forwarded by PC Henry Clissold includes news of a spate of thefts in Whiteparish during September, a telephone scam to look out for, and organisational changes at Alderbury Police Station. For details, click here.

Parish Council Meeting Report, 17th September 2009. The latest Parish Council report includes items on the new Community Building, Trickey's Paddock, and the welcome news that the Whiteparish First Responders Group have been granted £1000 for the purchase of a new kit, including a defibrillator. For more on these, and the other topics discussed, click here.

Memorial Ground Trust Management Committee. To see notes from the September Meeting, click here.

10 SEPTEMBER NEWSFLASH: RECENT HOUSE THEFTS LOCALLY. PC Henry Clissold writes: "Within the last 72 hours the Alderbury & Laverstock area has been hit by two dwelling burglaries; on both occasions the occupants have been away. Can I please urge all residents to check properties that are currently vacant while residents are away, and keep an extra cautious eye on them.

I can think of nothing worse than returning from holiday to a burgled house, let's prevent this happening to anyone else. Many thanks for your cooperation, please tell everyone!!!"

For more local policing news, to see the latest Neighbourhood Watch bulletin, click here.

VILLAGE DESIGN STATEMENT: What is it? What's Happening? For anyone who has seen or heard references to a Whiteparish Village Design Statement, or noticed that some Parish Councillors have "VDS" in their list of responsibilities on the Parish Council page, and wondered what it's all about, here's how you can find out. The Steering Group for the Whiteparish VDS have started their own website, with information about how the Whiteparish VDS will be compiled, who's on the Steering Group, and how to join in an online discussion about it. All residents of the parish of Whiteparish are welcome to contribute. To find out more, you can go to the Steering Group website by clicking here.

On the other hand, if you only want a rough idea of what a VDS is, and what it's intended to achieve, there's also a token page on the subject on this website; click here.

Parish Council Meeting Report, 6th August 2009. The latest Parish Council report includes items on Parish Clerk Anita Boakes' plan to retire in 2010 and the need for a replacement, the good news that "Preliminary reports on bat and newt surveys show there will not be a problem with bats or newts" (which is bound to be good news re the proposed new community building . . . ), and the latest on Tricky's Paddock. For more on these, and the other topics discussed, click here.

Refuse/Recycling collection for August 31 '09 Bank Holiday. Collection as normal on Friday 28th August, but the collections that would otherwise take place on the following Friday (4th September) will be made on Saturday 5th September. Then back to normal.

New way of involving local people in council decisions .  We recently received information about the launch of the Southern Wiltshire Area Board (SWAB for short)—one of 18 area boards that have been set up throughout Wiltshire. Apparently their purpose is to ensure that Wiltshire Council involves local people in decisions and to bring together the key partners operating in the area to ensure the right sort of services are being delivered to suit local communities. SWAB covers the "Southern Wiltshire Community area", which includes not just Whiteparish but the parishes of Alderbury, Britford, Clarendon Park, Coombe Bissett, Downton, Firsdown, Grimstead, Landford, Laverstock, Ford and Old Sarum, Odstock, Pitton and Farley, Redlynch, West Dean, and Winterslow. The board is made up of elected councillors; parish councils; a cabinet member from Wiltshire Council; senior reps from the police, fire and rescue; NHS; and ideally community groups and businesses. Because this is potentially an important new layer in the local government picture, we've set up a new page in the "Amenities" section of the website. To read more and find some links, click here.

Flower & Hobbies Show Coming Soon.  The Whiteparish Garden Club's annual Flower and Hobbies Show will be on August 29th, in the Village Hall, and the club are looking forward to welcoming exhibitors. For more information, including the Handicraft and Art classes on the schedule, click here.

Ever thought about being a Special Constable? As described in the August 2009 Neighbourhood Watch Bulletin from PC Henry Clissold, Wiltshire police are currently seeking recruits to join the Special Constabulary. For more details of this, and local crimes in our area (unfortunately including some in Whiteparish last month), click here.

Two Forthcoming Meetings about Tricky's Paddock.  Parish Clerk Anita Boakes asked us to include the following notice about two planning-related meetings to take place in August 2009.

Potholes, Community Building, and Temporary Closure of Newton Lane. These were among the matters raised during the "public statement/question time" section of the Parish Council meeting on 25th June 2009. For more about these, and other topics discussed during the remainder of the meeting, click here.

Police Warning about Crime that can Follow Handbag Thefts. In the latest Neighbourhood Watch Bulletin, PC Henry Clissold includes a warning of a recent kind of scam; for details of this, and local crimes in our area (though happily none listed for Whiteparish last month), click here.

NOTE FROM PARISH COUNCIL
It has come to the notice of your Parish Council that Wiltshire Council is shortly to publish documents relating to the Local Development Framework Core Strategy and the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment.

At this moment in time, the Parish Council has no knowledge of either document’s contents.

Since publication about these matters last year caused concern in the village, please be assured that as and when the Parish Council receive information updates, you will be kept fully informed.

Trevor King
Parish Council Chairman

2009 Fete Raises Over £7000! Sue King writes with good news from the Fete Committee: "I am very pleased to report, on behalf of this year's committee, that the grand sum of £7000 will be shared between the school and the church !!!" For the full report (and a rather less pleasing piece of news about the 2009 event), click here.

2009 HogRoast/Bands Night and Fete as enjoyable as ever. Thanks to a lot of hard work by all those who helped (much of it "behind the scenes"), 2009's Bands Night on 12th June, and the Fete and Carnival the following day, were great fun, with attendances seeming to be at least at the same level as previous years. Funds raised are shared between All Saints Church and School, and we will publish the final figures when we have them. In the meantime, you can find more about both events by clicking here, and photographs of the Carnival and Fete by clicking here

Police Concern about Recent Whiteparish Crime Incidents. In the latest Neighbourhood Watch Bulletin, PC Henry Clissold writes of his concern about worrying incidents at a Whiteparish location, including theft, criminal damage, and harassment, and asks for any information that may help the officers investigating these offences. The bulletin also summarises other recent crime in Whiteparish and nearby villages. For more information, click here.

Name for Affordable Houses Project. As reported in the minutes of the 2009 Parish Council AGM (see below), the council has thanked all those who suggested names for the development. The one chosen is "Witchell Way", to honour the memory of the late Joan Witchell, who did so much for our community both in her nursing role and in many other ways.

Parish Council AGM, 7th May 2009. Chairman Trevor King and Vice-Chairman John Le Quesne were re-elected unopposed, and representatives on Parish Council committees and outside bodies were elected. For a full report of the AGM and the regular meeting agenda which followed, click here. The current council, with new committee roles and contact information, can be found on the Parish Council page by clicking here.

Refuse/Recycling collection for Late May Bank Holiday. Collection as normal on Friday 22nd May, but the collections that would otherwise take place on the following Friday (29th May) will be made on Saturday 30th May. Then back to normal.

Police Newsflash. PC Henry Clissold has written to warn of suspicious behaviour observed very recently in a neighbouring village: " . . . (on) 13th May into 14th May a young male was seen in the Alderbury village dressed in dark clothing attempting to gain access to a house, this attempt was unsuccessful, no damage was caused and no items stolen. Can I please reiterate the need for security minded vigilance. This attempt failed as the property and all vehicles on the drive were secured." PC Clissold has also sent the latest Neighbourhood Watch Bulletin which includes April 09 figures for some categories of crime in the locality, which you can read by clicking here.

SUNDAY FOOTIE SIDE TOP BY A MILE. Whiteparish's Sunday Football team were decisive winners of Division 2 of the Salisbury and District Sunday League, a more-than-comfortable 13 points clear of runners-up West Harnham. Congratulations to them. For the results for Saturday and Sunday sides, click here.

Refuse/Recycling collection for Spring Bank Holiday. Collection as normal on Friday 1st May, but the collections that would otherwise take place on the following Friday (8th May) will be made on Saturday 9th May. Then back to normal.

Police Advice for for householders. Now that the spring weather is here, the Wilts Police want have sent us some good advice on making your house and belongings safer from theft by taking a few simple precautions. For details, click here.

CONGRATULATIONS . . . to Whiteparish's Sunday Football team, who are storming home in Division 2 of the Salisbury and District Sunday League. As of the end of March, they had 12 wins from 12 league matches and, with a lead of 9 points over nearest rivals West Harnham and just two league matches to go, they must be set to top the division. They have two home matches left on the Memorial Ground on 12th and 26th April—why not turn out and support them? For the (almost) complete results to date for both the Saturday and Sunday sides, click here.

EASTER BANK HOLIDAY: Refuse & Recycling Arrangements. Friday collections will take place as normal on Good Friday (10th April). However, the collection that would normally have been made on Friday 17th will actually be done on Saturday 18th April. Then back to normal.

Spring Is Here !

Clocks go forward at midnight on Saturday 28th March, and it's officially Spring (even if it doesn't feel much like it). So here are a couple of seasonal photos to brighten up the page: a foal (little girl) about a week old, snapped in a neighbour's field in mid-March, and the usual wonderful display of daffodils in All Saints churchyard at around the same time.

Parish Council. The Annual Parish Meeting was hald on the 19th March 2009, immediately followed by the regular Parish Council meeting. For reports of both, click here.

Also, as reported under in the Salisbury Journal (March 19, 2009), Parish Council chairman Trevor King was cleared of any misconduct after a lengthy investigation by Salisbury District Council's standard's committee into allegations that he had abused his position. Mr King was reported as commenting: "It has been a very unpleasant experience and I am obviously very pleased with the outcome. I have been a parish councillor for 20 years and this just makes me more determined than ever to carry on." For the full story on the Journal's website, click here.

Neighbourhood Watch Bulletin, Feb 2009. PC Henry Clissold has sent an interesting recent bulletin, covering neighbourhood policing priorities, local crime reports by parish, and an alert about a spate of burglaries in South Wiltshire, with advice on some measures you can take to protect property. For more information, click here.

"VAMPIRE" a Great Success. The photo shows just some of the very happy cast (not to mention the equally happy audience!) at the finale of the Pepperbox Players' 2009 panto: "The Vampire Bites Back". For more, click here. For more photos, click here.

PARISH COUNCIL ELECTION. The results of the election held on Thursday 12th February to fill the three vacancies on the Parish Council were as follows.

344 ballot papers were issued with one rejected. With an electorate of 1167, the turnout was therefore 29.48%.

Notice from Wiltshire Council. The Parish Council has received a notice of consultation by Wiltshire Council (the new unitary authority) on the first stage of its Local Development Framework (LDF). Mrs Anita Boakes (Parish Clerk) explains: "It is only a scoping report (ie. stating which topics are being included rather than deciding anything)." The public are not being invited to comment at this stage but the notice is available via the website to keep villagers aware of what is happening. If people do have comments at this stage, they can be made to the Parish Clerk. For more information, click here.

PARISH COUNCIL. The SDC elections team have issued a list of candidates for the election of three Whiteparish parish councillors, which is to be held on 12 February —to view it, click here. To view the the notes of the Parish Council meeting held on the 11th December 2008, click here.

Police Advice for dogowners. Following a request from the Parish Council, PC Henry Clissold has written with some of the legal implications of dog-walking. For details, click here.

WHITEPARISH MEMORIAL CENTRE Planning Comments Update. Dave Boakes, Project Team Chairman, has sent us the confirmed addresses and reference number for comments about the planning application referred to just below. Note that the closing date for public comments is 12th February 2009. For the other details, click here (the new details are appended under the original notice).

Police Advice for AFTER Christmas! PC Henry Clissold and PCSO Bill Parr have written with some good suggestions for looking after all those presents we received a week or two back. For details, click here.

ARCHIVED HOME PAGE ITEMS

By late 2009 the home page had grown to a ridiculous length (because we'd simply been adding to it for five years). So there is now a separate archive page for older material, which you can view by clicking here.

Forthcoming News and Events:

Click here for our Forthcoming News and Events list, or see the diary sections for individual organisations. To suggest an event to be featured on the website, email us at events@whiteparish.co.uk.

If you want to find out more about Whiteparish and what's going on here, whether you live within the village or elsewhere, we hope that this website will be useful and informative. If you find any errors or have any suggestions for improvements, please let us know by emailing us at comments@whiteparish.co.uk.