NEWS

Greenfingers is the name of the new gardening club that had its first meeting at the village hall last night.

The organisers, Lois Gill and Annie Brooker were delighted to have as many as 17 people attend which they felt for a first meeting was just excellent.  As a group they voted on an annual membership fee of £15.00 single or £20.00 for a couple.  Each meeting there will also be a £1.00 attendance fee to cover the cost of refreshments.  Visitors will be welcome at future meetings where the fee will be £5.00 although it will be refundable if joining within 30 days.

A provisional annual agenda was put forward and agreed but there is still work to be done on it and more information will be forthcoming in future meetings.

The next meeting will be on February 14th when there will be a discussion on

•     plug plants
•     foliage
•     perennials

and a seed swap.

Future meetings will be the second Tuesday each month.  Further information from:

Lois on 01953 488 157 or Annie on 01953 488 477

On the 28th January 2012 the weekly Friday "Drop In" at Caston Village Hall will have reached the first anniversary of its operation.

The "Drop In" was started by members of the Village Hall committee to provide a weekly meeting place for the residents of Caston and the surrounding area , particularly those living alone.  Since its inception it has grown from strength to strength and is now a regular appointment for about 50 to 60 folk each week.  All this has been made possible by the many volunteers who have given of their time and resources once every two or three months to be one of the two or three hosts at each "Drop In" and to provide a menu of drinks and light refreshments.  The hall committee are also grateful to Stephanie Blincow who is the coordinator of the event.

In addition to providing a social hub, the modest charge of 50 pence per item of refreshment has generated some considerable and useful income to help with the upkeep of the hall.  During the year a total of over £2300.00 has been added to hall funds from this event.  Whilst the main aim of the event was not fund raising but to provide a social service, this financial contribution has proved to be very useful.  The hall has been able as a result to carry out several items of upkeep including refurbishment of the entrance step at £690 in order to prevent water running into the hall during snow and heavy rain and to have the electrical system serviced and upgraded at a cost of over £700.  It has also been possible to secure some additional kitchen appliances and also to purchase new crockery and cutlery which Jane Horner kindly arranged and collected for which the hall committee are very grateful.

Whilst on the topic of hall refurbishment, the hall committee are also endeavouring at this time to secure funding to replace the ageing roof and improve the gutters.  The committee continue to try and keep the hall in good serviceable condition for the ongoing use by our Caston and district community until such time as funding can be found to replace the 80 year old timber and metal clad structure.
The hall is available for hire for private use from £4.00 for Caston residents.  Availability can be checked on line at the Village Hall website - www.castonvillagehall.co.uk - where a booking form can be found.  Alternatively contact the Booking Secretary,Stephanie, on 01953 488495.

David Blincow
Chairman
Caston Village Hall Management Committee

Our local MP George Freeman will be visiting the Red Lion this coming Friday 9th December from 7.30 pm onwards to show his support and meet the residents of Caston.  So do come along and have " a pint with your MP". A good opportunity to meet him in the flesh and possibly raise some local issues that any of you may have ???

posted by Carrie Ackrill, Red Lion.

HOMEWATCH

Unfortunately there have been two burglaries in the village in the past week, after a long period of no serious criminal activity. Both break-ins occurred during darkness in the late afternoon/early evening.
Be especially careful now that the days are at their shortest, and if you do not have security lights and alarms, you might consider fitting them. It seems unlikely that the number of robberies will decrease, given the present economic climate

 CASTON COMMUNITY SPEEDWATCH

8 November to 5 December 2011

The Caston Community Speedwatch Team have had 3 sessions since the

last Parish Council Meeting. We have varied the time and location of each session

and the position of the signs we have to display. These sessions together produced 8

motorists driving with excessive speed.

We still have yet to hear about the training of one of our team members to operate a

mobile flashing sign under the Enhanced Speedwatch Scheme.

Speedwatch Volunteers – 05.12.11.

HOMEWATCH

Residents should be on the lookout for two males, one with traces of an Irish accent, looking for scrap etc. The vehicle involved is a white Transit type pickup.
There is possibly a link with a door to door caller who announces herself as a "Romany".
They may be quite harmless, but be cautious in dealing with them.

CASTON COMMUNITY SPEEDWATCH 4 October to 7 November 2011

The Caston Community Speedwatch Team have had 5 sessions since the last Parish Council Meeting. We have varied the time and location of each session and the position of the signs we have to display. These sessions together produced a number of motorists driving with excessive speed relative to the number of vehicles recorded. We have yet to hear about the training of one of our team members to operate a mobile flashing sign under the Enhanced Speedwatch Scheme. Our new member from the village who has joined our team of volunteers has certainly made a difference to us in having a wider choice of days, times and personnel for speedwatch sessions.

posted by Colin Bearne

Six of Caston's male residents undertook to organise and run the weekly Friday "Drop In" on 14th October. They were (left to right) Alan Porter, Graham Penfold, Steve Farmbrough, Maurice Chilver, Malcolm Valentine and Steve Gill.

Normally three volunteers run the "Drop In" event each week which has spawned several comments based on "How many men does it take to change a light-bulb?" and "With just another six of you, a calendar would be possible!"

However, the guys did a fantastic job with many of them making some of the cakes that were on offer.   As can be seen from the photograph, they enjoyed great camaraderie.

A large number of parishioners and friends enjoyed an excellent menu and superb service which was much appreciated.

Friday "Drop In" has become a great place to socialise with fellow residents and visitors to the area as well as to catch up on news and events taking place in the Caston community. If you haven't yet been to one, do give it a try - you are unlikely to be disappointed.
 

posted by David Blincow