Page 11 - BR-May-2018

May 2018 May 2018

May Meetings can remember. His contributions to the church and to the village have been
enormous, from churchwarden to postmaster to historian to visitor to countless
The Annual Parish Meeting - This is not a Parish Council Meeting. It is a meeting people who were sick and needed ‘a bit of something from the allotment’ to
with the purpose of raising and discussing parish affairs. All residents are welcome cheer them up. It is difficult to think of any aspect of Bere Regis life that he was not
th
to attend and it will be held on Wednesday 9 May at Briantspuddle Village Hall in some way involved in. And of course, all the while, he was helping Mary to
from 7pm. continue to participate in and enjoy all the many activities that are part of our
community.”
The meeting is an opportunity for the Parish Council to report on the activities it
has been involved in throughout the year. In addition, other organisations have Jon added: “He was a scientist, but he became a very committed historian, very
traditionally offered their own reports. keen to pass on the excitement he felt in his local history discoveries to anyone
who was interested or might benefit.
An Agenda for the meeting will be posted on the Community Website and
Noticeboards. “He had a very engaging manner that almost instantly came across to individuals
and to larger audiences. He had an un-rehearsed way of speaking which came
The Parish Council AGM - This meeting will follow The Annual Parish Meeting.
over as ‘fresh news’ even if he had spoken about it many times before.
The Parish Council May Meeting - This meeting will follow The Parish Council “He was particularly dedicated to the history of the bells and the bell tower –
AGM. witness his books and ongoing research into very old parish magazines and other
records.
Annual Grants Under Section 137 and 133 of the Local Government Act
1972 “His interest in our church history lead him to establish the ‘Guides’ with which he
persevered even if weeks went by with almost no takers. To John, it was worth it if
Each year the Parish Council sets aside a sum of money which can be applied for just one individual benefitted in a whole year – a dedication I appreciated even if
by local organisations for projects which will be of benefit to residents within the I gave my own time more sparingly!
Parish.
“His historical side pops up again and
Last year the Parish Council received grant applications from Briantspuddle again with his ‘Following in George’s
Village Hall Committee and the PCC of Affpuddle. Awards were made as footsteps’ and in ‘Well, Well, Well!’
follows;
There is not much that Captain John
PCC of Affpuddle - Purchase of materials and equipment to maintain the large could not tell you about the tower and
churchyard. Maintenance and repair of churchyard mowers and purchase of a its bells. To mark the Millennium in 2000
new mower to replace a worn-out machine. The award approved was for a sum he researched the first 500 years of the
of £250. tower and published ‘Tower 500’.
“When I first joined the band, Adrian
Briantspuddle Village Hall Committee – To help fund improvements to the kitchen
in the Village Hall, including better cooking and washing up facilities. The award would ring the fifth and John the sixth
approved was for a sum of £750. bell and together they added a
completely together ‘bong, bong’, that
Grant applications for the coming year are invited by 30th June 2018. A copy of followed the wildly variable first four
the Parish Council’s Grant Policy and an application form can be found on the bells with metronome-like precision and
Council’s website. held everything together.
The Council has a budget of £1,000 for awards to be made and has already “John was the Tower Captain for longer
received enquiries from the following organisations; than most of us can remember. He was
taught to ring by Tom Woolfries, who
 Citizens Advice Bureau
was also the clock-winder, churchyard
 Artreach Dorset tender and flag-raiser. John joined our John England teaching in 2004

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