The Parish Council met on Thursday 11th January 2024 in the Village Hall. There was one member of the public present. Members of the press and public are welcome and there is a period for public participation at the start. If you are unable to attend but wish to submit a comment or question, please contact the Clerk or any member of the Parish Council.
D-Day Events
We are currently planning for the 80th Anniversary of D-Day in June, and intend to light the beacon in the evening of the Thursday 6th June and have some refreshments available. If you would like to be involved in helping organise any additional events to commemorate this, please contact the Clerk on bereregispc@gmail.com.
Distgen Grants
Distgen are the company who own and operate the wind turbine at Rogers Hill Farm. Currently they make a quarterly payment to the Parish Council from a share of the profits generated by the wind turbine, which is specified for community uses. In the past we’ve used this money towards schemes such as assisting with the purchase of the Communibus, supporting the Lunch Club and NeighbourCar schemes, helping with the Elder Road path upgrade, as well as supporting local organisations. In the last quarter the payment we received from Distgen was £2,843.88. If you wish to apply for a grant for your community scheme or organisation, please contact the Clerk on bereregispc@gmail.com.
May’s Wood
Following the closure of part of the land at May’s Wood and the ensuing number of complaints we have received, contact has been made with the Save Me Trust. The Parish Council will continue to pursue the matter in the hope of a more satisfactory resolution.
Parish Council Elections
Alongside the Dorset Council Elections in May of this year all seats on the Parish Council will be up for re-election and all councillors wishing to continue in their role must stand for re-election. If you would like to apply to become a Parish Councillor and stand for election in May, please contact the Clerk on bereregispc@gmail.com.
Road and Traffic Consultation
Following the creation of a roads and traffic working group last year to try and identify issues around the parish and see what, if any, measures the Parish Council can take to help and rectify these, we are about to publish a survey to all residents. The survey asks a number of questions about the local area, accessibility, facilities and what can be done to improve things, and can be completed either online or by hand. Once we have received all responses, we will collate them and see what actions can be taken. Please look out for the questionnaire and complete it as soon as possible. If you prefer the hand written version, you can post it back to the Parish Council using the black letterbox outside the shop.
Communibus Trips
Following the ongoing success of the Communibus, we have now announced trips for the first half of 2024.
Feb 21st. Haskins & Castlepoint - £10 Depart 9.30am Mar 5th. Purbeck Mystery Tour & Lunch - £10 Depart 9.30am Mar 20th. Wells - £15 Depart 9.00am Mar 27th. Afternoon Tea* - £8 Depart 1pm April 9th. The Range & Poole Quay - £10 Depart 9.30am April 24th. Bridport & Weymouth - £10 Depart 9.30am May 7th. Church Visits & Lunch - £10 Depart 10am May 22nd. Romsey & New Forest - £12 Depart 9.30am June 4th Seaton & Donkey Sanctuary - £12 Depart 9.30am June 26th Sidmouth - £12 Depart 9.30am July 9th Mystery Tour & Lunch* - £10 Depart 9.30am July 24th Street & Palmer’s Nursery - £12 Depart 9am Aug 6th Sturminster Mill & Gillingham - £12 Depart TBC Lunch at additional cost
To book please contact Kim Benjafield on 01929 471170
Any queries relating to the Communibus can be directed to the clerk or a Parish Councillor.
Next Meeting
The next meeting will be held on Thursday 8th February 2024 commencing 7pm at the Village Hall. If you wish to have an item added to the agenda for discussion, please contact the Clerk or a member of the Parish Council before the 1st February.
The Parish Council met on Thursday 8th February 2024 in the Village Hall. There were three members of the public present. Members of the press and public are welcome and there is a period for public participation at the start. If you are unable to attend but wish to submit a comment or question, please contact the Clerk or any member of the Parish Council.
Village Meeting
We will be holding our annual village meeting at the Scout Hut on Saturday 20th April. Further details will be released next month, but currently we are planning to have information available on the Neighbourhood Plan Review, new potential plans for a Community Hall and the launch of a Parish-wide traffic and community survey.
D-Day Events
We are currently planning for the 80th Anniversary of D-Day in June, and intend to light the beacon on the evening of Thursday 6th June and have some refreshments available. If you would like to be involved in helping organise any additional events to commemorate this, please contact the Clerk on bereregispc@gmail.com.
May’s Wood
Following the closure of part of the land at May’s Wood and the ensuing number of complaints, the Clerk managed to make direct contact with Dr Brian May to discuss the issue. Whilst no change in the situation is imminent, Dr May was keen to hear the opinion of local visitors on the issue, and as such we are currently trying to arrange a public meeting with Dr May in attendance, so that both sides of the issue can be heard and any attempts at compromise could be pursued.
Parish Council Elections
Alongside the Dorset Council Elections in May of this year, all seats on the Parish Council will be up for re-election and all councillors wishing to continue in their role must stand for re-election. If you would like to apply to become a Parish Councillor and stand for election in May, please contact the Clerk on bereregispc@gmail.com or visit the Dorset Council website for more details.
Memorial Bench
Following an approach from his son, we were pleased to help facilitate the purchase and fitting of a bench in memory of the late Mark Newbold. This will be sited outside of the Drax Arms.
New Noticeboard
The Parish Council recently approved the fabrication of a new metal noticeboard which has been installed at the entrance of Cemetery Lane. This will shortly be fitted with a new interpretation board giving information on Black Hill as well as details of some walks in the area. We will also be updating the other information boards around the village in due course. In the meantime, we would ask residents to remember that Cemetery Lane should be kept clear at all times to allow access for emergency and maintenance vehicles.
Next Meeting
The next meeting will be held on Thursday 14th March 2024 commencing 7pm at the Village Hall. If you wish to have an item added to the agenda for discussion, please contact the Clerk or a member of the Parish Council before the 1st March.
The Parish Council met on Thursday 14th March 2024 in the Village Hall. There were two members of the public present. Members of the press and public are welcome and there is a period for public participation at the start. If you are unable to attend but wish to submit a comment or question, please contact the Clerk or any member of the Parish Council.
Village Meeting
Due to the up and coming local elections, we have been advised by Dorset Council that the Annual Village Meeting should be postponed. We are now aiming to hold it in July, when we hope to have a draft of the Neighbourhood Plan Review available to the public to read and discuss. We will announce the exact date in the coming weeks. D-Day Events
We are currently planning for the 80th Anniversary of D-Day in June, and intend to light the beacon on the evening of Thursday 6th June and have some refreshments available. If you would like to be involved in helping organise any additional events to commemorate this, please contact the Clerk on bereregispc@gmail.com.
Traffic and Amenities Survey
We will shortly be sending out a survey to all households within the Parish, as well as sharing an online version. The survey covers a few key topics and asks for residents’ opinions on certain issues such as traffic, parking, Parish Council communication and available services within the Village. We urge as many of you to complete it as possible once received, as this will then help us identify areas of improvement and gives us quantifiable data that we can use, for example, when making requests to Dorset Council regarding traffic issues. The deadline for returning the survey will be the end of April and full results will be available at the village meeting and on the Parish Council Website.
Parish Council Elections
Alongside the Dorset Council Elections in May of this year, all seats on the Parish Council will be up for re-election and all councillors wishing to continue in their role must stand for re-election. If you would like to apply to become a Parish Councillor and stand for election in May, please contact the Clerk on bereregispc@gmail.com or visit the Dorset Council website for more details.
Pop In Place Food Bank Grant
It was agreed at the meeting to award a grant of £200 to the Food Bank which is administered through the Pop in Place and provides a valuable service to many families within the village. We extend our continued thanks to Alison and her team for continuing to facilitate this much needed service.
Speed Indicator Device (SID)
Further to Dorset Highways identifying an additional location for the SID, at the top of Rye Hill coming into the Village, the Council agreed to purchase a second device, so that we can have both in continual rotation around the 4 sites. Under current regulations the SID must be rotated with a 6 week gap in between locations to maximise the effectiveness, but having noticed marked improvements in traffic speeds with the instigation of a new site at the end of Rye Hill Close, we hope that the purchase of a second device will further reduce incidents of speeding within the village, particularly along Rye Hill, thus making our roads safe.
Next Meeting
The next meeting will be held on Thursday 11th April 2024 commencing 7pm at the Village Hall. If you wish to have an item added to the agenda for discussion, please contact the Clerk or a member of the Parish Council before the 1st April.
The Parish Council met on Thursday 11th April 2024 in the Village Hall. There were five members of the public present. Members of the press and public are welcome and there is a period for public participation at the start. If you are unable to attend but wish to submit a comment or question, please contact the Clerk or any member of the Parish Council.
Village Meeting
Due to the up-coming local elections, we have been advised by Dorset Council that the Annual Village Meeting should be postponed. It will now be help on July 20th, when we hope to have a draft of the Neighbourhood Plan Review available to the public to read and discuss, together with proposals for the location of the new community hall. We will announce more details in the coming weeks.
D-Day Events
We are currently planning for the 80th Anniversary of D-Day in June, and intend to light the beacon on the evening of Thursday 6th June at 9.15pm and have some refreshments available. If you would like to be involved in helping organise any additional events to commemorate this, please contact the Clerk on clerk@bereregisparishcouncil.gov.uk.
Dog Mess
We have again noticed an increase of dog mess being left on paths and pavements around the village, despite there being bins at regular intervals on most walks that these can be deposited into. We would urge all dog users to be considerate of others, and the impact of people walking in, or pushing pushchairs or wheelchairs through dog mess, and pick up after your dog!
Wildlife Group
Due to the recent storms we’ve suffered, plus the continued spread of Ash dieback, The Parish Council have had to remove quite a few trees recently, as a result we will be re-planting replacement trees to maintain the good tree population within the village, in the coming months.
May Parish Council Meeting and Annual Parish Meeting
Due to the local elections on May 2nd, we have moved our May Parish Council meeting. This meeting also acts as our AGM, and is preceded by the Annual Parish Meeting where the Parish Council Chairman gives his report for the year and any representatives from community groups within the Parish can come and update us on their activities for the year. The revised date is Tuesday 14th May at 7pm.
Cemetery Fees
It was agreed at the meeting to increase all cemetery fees for burials and interments by 3% as per previous years.
Village Walks
With the current closure of parts of May’s Wood, which formed part of one route on the Village Walks leaflet, we have reconfigured the route to avoid this area, and will soon be republishing the routes in both the leaflets and on updated Village Information Signs in the Car Park and in the layby outside Wild Woodbury. In conjunction with this, we will also be installing some way markers along the routes to make navigation easier!
Next Meeting
The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 14th May 2024 commencing 7pm at the Village Hall. If you wish to have an item added to the agenda for discussion, please contact the Clerk or a member of the Parish Council before the 1st May.
May 2024
BERE REGIS PARISH COUNCIL
Chairman: Jon Park 07970 727792 chair@bereregisparishcouncil.gov.uk
Vice Chairman: Simon Walker s.walker@bereregisparishcouncil.gov.uk
The Parish Council met on Tuesday 14th May 2024 in the Village Hall for our Annual Parish Meeting followed by the Parish Council Annual Meeting. There were no members of the public present but we were joined by Dorset Cllrs Laura Beddow and Mike Baker. Members of the press and public are welcome and there is a period for public participation at the start. If you are unable to attend but wish to submit a comment or question, please contact the Clerk or any member of the Parish Council.
Distgen
At our Annual Parish Meeting, which preceded the Council Meeting, we heard from representatives from of Distgen regarding their plans to replace their Wind Turbine situated on Roger’s Hill Farm, with a larger, more efficient model. The Council are very fortunate to receive donations of 5% of the revenue generated by the Wind Turbine, which is specified to go to community causes. So far over the 12 years since the turbine has been in place the Council has received £84,000 in donations. This money has been used to support a number of vital community projects such as, Salt & Pepper Lunch Club, NeighbourCar, upgrading Souls’ Moor Footpath, PPE & Cleaning Materials for Bere Regis Primary School during Covid, upgrading Elder Road Footpath, shelving for the Food Bank, Bere Regis Carers Group, upgrading some equipment in the Play Park, improving some traffic signage and more. A full breakdown is available on the Parish Council Website.
Parish Council Roles & Vacancy
At the Annual Parish Council Meeting, Councillor Jon Park was voted in for another year as Chair, with Simon Walker elected as Vice-Chair. At the recent elections, Robin Pitcher decided not to stand again as a Councillor and the whole council would like to extend an enormous Thank You to Robin for his extensive and tireless hard work and commitment during his 12 year period as a Parish Councillor.
This does mean there is currently a vacancy for a new Parish Councillor. If you would be interested in giving up some of your time to help our community then please contact the Clerk on clerk@bereregisparishcouncil.gov.uk for more information.
Dorset Councillors
We heard from our two Dorset Councillors at the meeting; Councillor Laura Beddow and Councillor Mike Baker who are now representing the West Purbeck Ward and will be in attendance at regular Council meetings as well as being contactable via the usual methods should you need their assistance.
Community Survey Responses
The BRPC Community Survey closed at the end of April with a total of 179 responses received, and a good geographical spread of respondents across the Parish as a whole, and the village centre. Thank you to everyone who completed the survey, the results will support improvements in communication, and will help our efforts with Dorset Council to address the various local traffic issues. In summary, it is clear that while traditional methods of getting information to the community (Parish Magazine, Noticeboards) remain popular, there is a growing desire to see wider use of e-mail, social media and the Parish Council website. It is also clear that a quarterly Newsletter would be popular.
From a traffic perspective, not unexpectedly, your responses are dominated by speeding issues, parking problems and pedestrian safety, in a variety of locations. In addition, there are localised issues such as the very poor road surface in Shitterton, poor lighting in some areas and so on. We are still going through the large number of comments, but the information and suggestions that you have given us will support discussions we will be having with Dorset Council in the near future.
Finally, it was good to see that the Salt & Pepper Lunch Club remains popular, and there were many positive comments about this valuable community initiative.
Grants
This month we received applications from Bere Regis Scout Group for a grant towards the cost of improving the facilities in the kitchen in the Scout Hut, and from Bere Regis Youth Football who were looking for a grant towards the cost of travel for a number of the youth football section to travel to Cerences in France.
D Day Event
The Beacon will be lit at 9.15pm on Thursday 6th June to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of D-Day. Before that the Bell Ringers will play to mark the occasion and then there will be hot drinks served in the Scout Hut following the lighting of the Beacon. All are welcome to join this occasion.
Village Meeting
Our village meeting will be held on Saturday 20th July in the Scout Hut. At this event we hope to discuss more about our plans for progressing the Community Hall development, we will hear from DWT about their exciting plans at Wild Woodbury, we will show the proposed updates to the Neighbourhood Plan Review, plus we will have more detailed analysis of the traffic survey responses and what next steps we can take.
Next Meeting
The next meeting will be held on Thursday 13h June 2024 commencing 7pm at the Village Hall. If you wish to have an item added to the agenda for discussion, please contact the Clerk or a member of the Parish Council before the 1st June.
The Parish Council met on Tuesday 13th June 2024 in the Village Hall. There were two members of the public present, and we were joined by Dorset Cllr Laura Beddow. Members of the press and public are welcome and there is a period for public participation at the start. If you are unable to attend but wish to submit a comment or question, please contact the Clerk or any member of the Parish Council.
D Day Event
The Beacon was lit at 9.15pm on Thursday 6th June to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of D-Day and was well attended by parishioners of all ages. We would like to thank all those who helped on the evening – particularly Robin Pitcher, Eddie Butterfield and Tony King for helping with the beacon; Glo Curtis for helping with the refreshments beforehand.
Village Meeting
Our village meeting will be held on Saturday 20th July in the Scout Hut. At this event we hope to discuss more about our plans for progressing the Community Hall development, we will hear from DWT about their exciting plans at Wild Woodbury, we will show the proposed updates to the Neighbourhood Plan Review, plus we will have more detailed analysis of the traffic survey responses and what next steps we can take.
Defibrillators
As a village, we are well covered when it comes to defibrillators. However, the three public ones are all operated by different groups and so the Parish Council offered to take over the management of them all in order to ensure they are always up to date and in working order should they ever be needed. All are checked regularly but if you do happen to notice anything when you pass one of them, please contact the Clerk.
Conservation and the Environment
Dorset Council has recently launched a climate and ecological emergency strategy to help protect our natural environment and combat climate change.
In association with Dorset Wildlife Trust, Dorset Council is developing a mapping system to identify wildlife friendly areas throughout the County. These areas range from Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and nature reserves to smaller areas within communities such as churchyards, parks and gardens. The aim is to bring together all wildlife friendly areas for the benefit of our wildlife that has experienced such severe loss in recent years. The mapping system will start with six case studies in parishes across the County, and Bere Regis is one of the six.
Bere Regis is particularly well placed to do this due to our local environment. The Wildlife and Environment Group will be holding an exhibition entitled ‘Wild Bere Regis’ which will display pictures of the local wildlife and habitats. This will be held at the Drax Hall on Saturday 19th October.
Next Meeting
The next meeting will be held on Thursday 11th July 2024 commencing 7pm at the Village Hall. If you wish to have an item added to the agenda for discussion, please contact the Clerk or a member of the Parish Council before the 1st July.
