Cows out for Summer - Stroud District Community Websites

THE
COMMONER
VIEWS AND NEWS FROM RODBOROUGH
Published by Rodborough Parish Council, funded by advertising and the Parish Council
and delivered free by volunteers to every home in the parish.
www.rodborough.gov.uk
Cows out for Summer
O
n Friday 13th May, several hundred frisky cattle will
be turned out on the Commons. It’s called Marking
Day and we hope Friday 13th doesn’t prove unlucky; every
year, some of these cattle are killed and injured by drivers.
8 cattle died in both 2015 and 2014, and in 2013 it was 13.
Most are hit by local drivers, often going far too fast. The
worst period is from September as the nights draw in and
the most dangerous stretch of road is near Moor Court
between The Bear and Tom Long’s Post.
New for this year will be a big drive to encourage drivers
Rodborough Summer
Sizzle 2016
MAY 2016 • ISSUE 50
to stick to an advisory 30mph limit across the whole
Commons area. As part of this, large fold-down signs will
be sited at the seven main entrances to the Commons
reminding drivers that the “Cows are Out”, with an advisory
30mph. Each autumn, when the cows come off the
Commons, these signs will be folded down. There should
also be an interactive message board that will be located
by Bownham Park. New too, will be fencing by Crane’s
Quarry to try to prevent cattle crossing the spine road
unexpectedly and the National Trust has agreed to a trial
lighting project around the area most cattle have been
killed in previous years. And Rodborough Parish Council
hopes to locate its new ANPR camera in the same area, so
that drivers who persistently speed can be recorded and
formally warned by the police, as is currently happening on
the A46 Bath Road.
So the message is, please slow down for the cows, we
need them to graze safely in order to preserve the unique
flora of the Commons and Rodborough in particular as
this is one of only 230 Special Areas of Conservation in
England (see http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-23).
Cllr Alick Miskin
limited access and you will be unable to park.
Instead, please park on the nearby hills or many
housing estates and walk to the event.
Sunday 12th June | 2-6pm
Rodborough Community
Hall and Pavillion
R
oll up roll up to what’s set to be the hottest event in
Rodborough this summer….
The Rodborough Summer Sizzle will provide live music,
a fun dog show, dance performances, food, drink, family
entertainment and more stalls than you’ll know what to do
with! Also, get your programme on the door, containing a
ticket to enter into an exciting prize draw. Don’t miss out!
And as an extra treat for the family, Children’s author John
Docherty will be opening the event and will read one of his
stories for the children. So make sure you get there early!
PLEASE NOTE
There will only be disabled parking at the event. Please
avoid driving into Butterrow West as there will be very
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Parish Council
THE RODBOROUGH COMMONER PAGE 2
Our new Clerk, Daphne Dunning
D
aphne joined
us at the end
of February and has
been piled straight
into our sometimes
quaint ways of
working. She hails
from Somerset and
has a background
in HR, finance and
education, so brings
a range of appropriate
skills as well as the
experience of already
working part-time
for a smaller parish
council. Married,
she and her husband have four children, ranging in age
from 24 to 32 and, so far, three grandchildren, so she is
well equipped to deal with the diverse range of ages and
personalities that parish clerks have to contend with.
At present Daphne is commuting up from Pucklechurch,
but with their house on the market she hopes to be moving
closer to Rodborough later this year, enabling her to have
time at home between working in the parish office and
returning to attend our late evening meetings. A move our
way will also bring her closer to the mountains of Wales
and the Lake District for the hill walking she enjoys and
hopefully provide opportunities for the outdoor life and
organic gardening she thrives on.
Commoner Feedback.
Thank you to those who responded to our Commoner
Feedback survey in the last edition. We would still love to
hear from anyone who has opinions on the content, appearance or frequency of the Commoner and the online
survey is still available. Just click on the link on the News
page of the Parish Council website (www.rodborough.gov.
uk). The parish is really interested to hear what you, the
readers, want or how you feel about possible changes to
the format. Alternatively, always feel free to email us with
any comments.
HANDYMAN AND
MAINTENANCE
SERVICES
Routine maintenance. Painting and
decorating. Flat pack installation.
Windows, gutters cleaned.
Fences repaired. Smoke alarms,
shelves, curtain poles installed.
Gardening and vegetables.
References and insurance.
CRB clearance.
Oak Leaf Services
Kevin Lea
01453 762735 • 077408 54170
[email protected]
www.oakleafservices.co.uk
THE
COMMONER
Published by Rodborough Parish Council
Editors Kim Richardson, Huw Oliver and Alison Barnes
Distribution Rodborough Parish Council
Advertising Joy Jackson Compilation Qwertyop.co.uk
Printer CBF Printed on recycled paper
Contact The Commoner, Rodborough Community Hall,
Butterrow West, Rodborough, Stroud, Glos GL5 3TZ
Tel: 01453 762686
Email: [email protected]
Deadline for next issue is: 1st July 2016
No article necessarily represents the views of the editor or
the parish council unless this is specifically stated.
The theme for the next edition of the Commoner
August issue is WW1. Deadline 1st July 2016.
If you would like to provide an article for The Commoner,
whether on the theme or not, please send your article to:
The Commoner, Rodborough Community Hall,
Butterrow West, Rodborough, Stroud, Glos GL5 3TZ,
Or email a document file for articles or jpg file for
photos to: [email protected]
ART EXHIBITION
The Art Club, which meets on Tuesdays at
Rodborough Community Hall, is holding
an exhibition of its work
on
Saturday 11th of June -11am - 4pm
Sunday 12th of June - 2pm - 6pm
(as part of the Rodborough Summer Sizzle)
Rodborough Community Hall,
Butterrow Lane, Rodborough GL5 3TZ
Entrance is Free.
Free Car Parking on Saturday.
Please park off site on Sunday.
We formed four years ago as a group of friends
who just enjoy painting and drawing; we learn from one
another and from the tutors who come along occasionally
to give advice and teach different techniques.
Please come along to our exhibition and see some
of the work we have produced this year.
ALPHA AUTO SERVICES
At Kingscourt Garage
Your Local Garage.
SERVICING
REPAIRS
MOT PREPARATION
CLUTCHES
All Makes and
Models welcome.
Tel Maurice 01453 766197
THE RODBOROUGH COMMONER PAGE 3
Somme Cemetary
O
n 1st July 1916 at 7.30am whistles were blown to
signal the start of the attack, in what would be the
bloodiest day in the history of the British Army. Along a 15
mile stretch of the front line 20,000 men were killed on that
day alone and a further 40,000 were injured.
I live here - Sophia Hughes
At 7.15am on Friday July 1st 2016, a short tribute to them
with take place in Rodborough Churchyard, culminating
with the sounding of a whistle at 7.30. All are welcome.
The Five Valleys Great War Researchers Group will be
holding an exhibition at The Bedford St. Church Hall
(alongside the Subscription Rooms) in Stroud on Friday
July 1st and Saturday July 2nd from 10-1, where there
will be the chance to find out more about the men of
Rodborough and the Stroud area who fought at the
Somme. (The August issue of the Commoner will have a
full feature about The Somme).
Remembering Rodborough
in Kingscourt Lane you can see some of those 7 foot
sculptures in Perspex and steel in my garden. For the past
five years I have been painting abstracts and that is my
main occupation now.
Living in Rodborough has been a gift. When I had severe
sciatica years ago and almost had to learn to walk again –
and later, when I had ME for two and a half years – it was
Rodborough Common that was my healer. Short walks in
such a beautiful place got me through, and many a time
I have sat there watching the sun sink, thanking God for
where I live.
W
hen I moved to Rodborough from Somerset with my
two young sons 35 years ago I felt we had come
home. I could be myself, making pots and renovating
the house without being thought odd - as I had been in
Somerset. Stroud is so full of creative people. I became
the local potter for the next 25 years, selling well at Open
Studios, Christmas markets and then the Made in Stroud
shop.
Ten years ago I stopped making domestic ware (though
occasionally making one-off pots as wedding presents
etc.) and made sculptures. If you walk past my house
BOOKS BOUGHT
& SOLD
Cash paid for a wide
variety of secondhand
books. If you are clearing
the shelves or looking
for an ideal gift
Ring Michael
Biard on
01453 750853
0796 797 1850
More recently, I suffered PTSD after falling off a ladder
and impaling the whole length of my arm on a sculpture
(Google ‘Sophia Hughes Guardian’ to read about it). Again,
it was the Common that came to my rescue. When I
realised that I was trying to ‘hide’ on one of the benches, I
made myself walk the full length of the Common and greet
those walking there until I could do so without fear.
Until recently my son Matt was Rodborough’s local IT
support guy in Field Road, but a growing family caused
a move to Cashes Green. My elder son Ridwan has
Aspergers Syndrome and lives with me, expanding his selftaught knowledge of micro-electronics and computing.
Sophia Hughes
THE RODBOROUGH COMMONER PAGE 4
Up on the Common
Big Brother, should protect
his little brothers and sisters…
B
ack in 1996,
Rodborough Parish
Council did a parish
wide appraisal. What this
showed was that ’without
doubt, traffic is seen by
parishioners as the most
important and serious factor
affecting their quality of life on a day-to-day basis.’
That was in 1996 and the speeding problem in our
parish has got considerably worse.
As chairman of the Rodborough Road Safety Group
[RSWG], it has been a very hard task to come up with
a solution for this problem. Speed Watch initiatives
around the parish were found not to be a solution and a
more innovative solution to the speeding problem was
required. Even the Commissioner of Police having spent
time in Rodborough, understands the issues.
A company that designed ANPR [automatic number
plate recognition] software was sourced and after
a new radar unit was designed for the camera,
the system went live in February 2016. The Police
Commissioner has been unbelievably supportive of
the project, funding 80% of the camera system and
related costs. Chief Inspector Steve Lindsay MBE of
the special constabulary and his brilliant team have also
supported the RSWG for over three years.
This powerful system has the ability to monitor speed,
date and time and report speeding vehicles to the
police for appropriate action. Only the police can access
names and addresses of registered owners and under
this trial project the police will send letters to the worst
offenders. They can then target not just those recording
high speeds but also serial speeders. If the warned
driver does then stick to the legal speed limit, this
vehicle will act as a pace car, slowing all the vehicles
down to the safe limit behind him. Marked changes in
driving behaviour are already being witnessed – one
white van had been caught speeding over 44 times
in less than a month. Following a police warning,
monitoring shows he is now driving at speeds of round
30mph. This is a good result all round; drivers, providing
they take notice of the warning, are not fined or get
penalty points. Most important for our community,
slower speeds means our children and relatives are
safer.
Rodborough has received national coverage for its
ground breaking system to monitor speeding drivers in
our parish and if this project is a success, many other
communities could benefit from similar schemes.
Cllr Charles Pedrick
To read the full version of this article, please see the
link on the news page of the parish council website –
www.rodborough.gov.uk
National Trust's Richard Evans illustrates a point
H
ave you ever wondered why some areas are getting
overgrown by scrub while others are cut back? To get
some answers I met up with the National Trust's Richard
Evans on a cold but sunny morning in March. Area Ranger
for 14 years, Richard has acquired a deep knowledge of the
complex ecological web that is perhaps the finest example
of limestone grassland in the Cotswolds and southwest of
England and, in his words, 'for botanists and lepidopterists
simply THE place to go!'
Traditional 'commoners rights' have dissipated over very
many years and now mainly concern cattle grazing, the only
'natural' control that prevents scrub (and ultimately woodland)
establishing; following WW2 it didn't take many graziers to
fall out of usage to allow a marked increase in vegetation.
In the mid 1990s the Trust took over (from the Commons
Committee) the delicate job of managing the multiple layers of
habitat and specialist ecological niches.
This was illustrated perfectly as we walked back towards
Kingscourt along the lane from Bear Hill. Richard said this
woodland fringe, an extension of Amberley wood, has some
700 years of documentary evidence however is latterly hell
bent on extending up the lower slopes of the common, with
birch and ash often the first to colonise. But it turns out the
'transition zone' between full woodland and open grass, what
you and I might dismiss as 'scrub encroachment', is actually
all-important to many species of rarer herbaceous plants and
insects. Management is all about creating a balance - and
aesthetics are just part of the mix. When he simultaneously
get flack for cutting young trees on the one hand and for not
clearing scrub on the other - that's when Richard knows he
has probably got the balance right!
Geoff March
Next time: cattle management - and a local rarity
THE RODBOROUGH COMMONER PAGE 5
News from Rodborough Parish Council January-April 2016
For more information see the
article elsewhere in
this edition.
For more information about
what happens in Parish Council
meetings, please see the minutes
available on our website.
Grants awarded by the Parish Council 2016-17
Committee agreed grants totalling £2000 allocated as listed:
T
he parish welcomed our new Clerk, Daphne Dunning,
who took up her post at the end of February.
During March volunteers, including councillors and
members of the public, turned out on a cold Saturday
morning to litter pick as part of the nationwide scheme
‘Clean for the Queen’. We cleared various discarded
rubbish along parts of the Quiet Lanes and even found an
abandoned traffic bollard hidden in the hedges.
We held an open meeting for prospective Councillors in
anticipation of the May Local Council elections. The turnout
was good with four people attending to find out more
about what being a councillor involves. The election will be
held on 5th May so please exercise your right to vote.
The Council had to temporally close the Rectory Gardens
playground for a couple of weeks while the slippery
surface was treated. As local families will no doubt
be aware, this is an ongoing problem caused by the
enclosed nature of the playground. The Parish Council
will be looking for long term solutions over the coming
months.
The chair of our Planning, Transport and Amenities
Committee met with Highways Department to discuss the
problems caused by the volume and speed of traffic in
the parish, in particular vehicles using The Butts to travel
up to the Common. We would like to see through-traffic
using Dr Newton’s Way and the A419 rather than the
Common and have requested that Highways look at ways
this could be achieved.
Our Road Safety Working Group has worked hard to
obtain an ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition)
for the parish which has since achieved nationwide fame.
The Old Endowed School
Decoration of main staircase
£150
St. Mary Magdalene Church
Graveyard maintenance
£100
Stroud and District Citizen’s Advice
Bureau
To support work with people in
Rodborough
£200
Home-Start Stroud District
To support family work in the parish
£100
Rodborough Lunch Club
For Ring and ride to Club
£200
Rodborough Friendly Circle
To help with ring and ride and hall
hire
£200
Rodborough Glebe Allotment
Association
To improve access
£150
Insight Gloucestershire
Towards work of Home Visiting Advisor Service
£100
Rodborough Community Primary
School
Sports funding to continue Kick Off
Stroud activities
£100
Stroud Sea Cadets
For maps, compasses and stoves
£100
Remembering Rodborough
For an A0 folder for documents
£100
Rodborough Cub Pack
Towards an archery back stop net
£100
Summer Sunday Family Fun
Towards equipment and games
£100
Rodborough Youth Project
Towards equipment and staffing
£200
Rodborough Playgroup
Interstars floor toy set
£100
TOTAL:
£2000
Committee agreed the following in kind support:
Rodborough Youth Project
Hall Hire for Youth Club (3 hours term
time evening hire)
£1,195
Remembering Rodborough
Hall hire
£300
Summer Sizzle (Fete) Committee
Hall Hire (5 x 1.5 hour meetings)
Pitch and Hall hire for event (9 hours)
£102
£86
TOTAL:
£1,683
THE RODBOROUGH COMMONER PAGE 6
HOLIDAY EXPERIENCES
A scout in Japan: a life-changing
experience
I
n August 2015 I spent my summer holiday at the
International Scout Jamboree in Japan.
We started our trip with four days in Tokyo. The heat and
humidity were immediately a shock but made it feel more
real: we definitely weren't in England any more. During our
stay in Tokyo we navigated the tube system, ate bizarre
and delicious foods, visited temples and shrines, explored
fashion districts, climbed the Skytree and spent an early
morning at the crowed fish market, all of which was unlike
anything I had every experienced before. At night we got
to know our unit better and eventually went to sleep at the
National Youth Centre in the old Olympic village.
From Tokyo we travelled by bullet train to the Jamboree
site near the beautiful coast of Yamaguchi. The site was
huge, with over 35,000 scouts, leaders and IST spread
over 15 sub-camps. We spent ten days at the jamboree
site camping in up to 50ºC heat with scouts from 152
different countries. Days were spent completing different
activities on the theme of ‘WA’, a spirit of unity. I also had
the opportunity to visit a local school, and plant trees with
a local scout group. Hours without set activities were spent
swapping stories, food and badges with scouts from
across the globe.
Four ceremonies were also held, with all 40,000 scouts
taking part. There was live music from J-pop bands,
speeches from various Japanese ministers, the United
Nations and several chief scouts as well as an Olympic
style flags parade. On the 6th of August we visited
Hiroshima, to remember all those affected by the terrible
A-bombings. We visited the memorials and museum,
which was an upsetting and difficult experience, one
that I will always remember and carry with me.
Before leaving Japan we travelled to Hamatsu city in
Shizouka, which is the province home to Mt. Fuji. I then
spent two days staying with a most welcoming and
amazing Japanese family. With them I tried my hand at
Japanese calligraphy, origami, watched some stunning
fireworks, enjoyed Japanese home cooking, visited shrines
and celebrated Obon, the festival that celebrates the return
of their ancestors’ spirits to the living world. The home
hospitality programme was by far my favourite and most
interesting and enlightening part of my whole Jamboree
experience. I learnt so much about Japanese culture and
life and shared much of our own culture with them too.
It was sad to say goodbye to Japan, but I looked forward
to returning home. Spending the three weeks in Japan
has been an absolutely life-changing experience and a
wonderful opportunity. It took a long time to get used
to normal life again but I will never forget my amazing
adventure.
Juliet Biard
Nepal after the Earthquake
I
n April 2015 I was trekking
in the Kanchenjunga area
in Eastern Nepal. This was
my sixth trip to Nepal. I then
moved on to Baseri, a hill
village in Ghorka province
in central Nepal, to give the
school a laptop computer. I
have friends who originally
grew up in that village and I always get such a hospitable
welcome.
Unfortunately Baseri turned out to be very near the epicentre
of the devastating earthquake. All the houses in the village
were completely flattened, many animals were killed. We dug
some out alive. Amazingly no people were killed in the village,
but there were about 10,000 deaths and 750,000 houses
destroyed in the surrounding area. I stayed in the village a
few days helping out, but they were running out of food, so I
left. Many roads had been destroyed and it was a long walk
to the bus for a 10 hour trip, stopping in Dhading temporary
hospital with a badly injured woman we picked up on the
way, and back the chaos of Kathmandu. No power, no water
and little food.
Back in the UK we started fundraising, and with the great
generosity of the people in the Stroud area, we have sent
around £7000 to date. This has gone via my friend Saroj
from the village. (No middlemen!) Initially money was used to
buy emergency food, and then large numbers of corrugated
zinc roofing sheets for temporary shelters.
I went back to the village in October and will be visiting again
in 2016. They are surviving. They are tough people and now
living in small shacks they have knocked up. Education is
very important in the culture, and they had managed to build
a temporary learning centre for 330 secondary pupils. They
used locally cut bamboo, old timber salvaged from collapsed
buildings, old roofing sheets and some of the new sheets.
The catchment area for the school covers many villages.
The children walk several hours to the school, and then
several hours back home.
No roads. No buses.
It was the time of the rice harvest on terraced fields
cascading several hundreds of metres down the valley sides.
A huge thunderstorm hit – shouldn't happen at that time of
year – and destroyed some of the rice. Existence is always
marginal, another blow.
How can you help?
If anyone else would like to help the Baseri villagers and trusts me to
get the money directly to them, please send a cheque payable to Keith
Eyles to 23 Bownham Park, Stroud, GL5 5BY or email sallydavis@
hotmail.co.uk for more information. We will continue to support these
villagers as best we can. What the people of Nepal really need are
tourists! Much of the country wasn’t hit by the earthquake and a lot of
what was has been repaired.
Keith Eyles
THE RODBOROUGH COMMONER PAGE 7
HOLIDAY EXPERIENCES
Holiday Occupation
control where we lived, shopped in the local shops,
brought bread and honey from our neighbour, and learnt
to sleep through the Moslem call to prayer and the sound
of the local chickens and geese.
Eappi Protective presence for shepherds in Qawawis
E
xploring the Old City of Jerusalem was amazing. It is
such an old city, with so many different cultures and
faiths on display. The sight of the golden dome shining in
the sunshine is one that you cannot forget. Nor the view
across to the Jordanian hills as they were lit up by the
rising sun on Easter Day from the Mount of Olives.
But we spent most of our days out in villages in the South
Hebron Hills, an area of Palestine, within the internationally
recognised border of Palestine but under Israeli
occupation, where illegal Israeli settlements have taken
land from the Palestinians and settlers harass local farmers
and herders. The first time we were out shepherding we
were ‘moved on’ by Israeli soldiers with loaded guns
aimed us even though we were on the shepherd’s land.
We visited communities threatened with demolitions
referring individuals to agencies that can try to fight these
illegal actions through the Israeli courts and we attended
peaceful demonstrations with other international and
Israeli peace activists where we supported communities
like Susiya whose residents were demanding the right to
live on their own land.
But I was not in Jerusalem as a tourist. I was spending
three months in Israel and Palestine, taking unpaid leave to
do so. I went as a volunteer Ecumenical Accompanier (EA)
with the Ecumenical Accompanier Programme in Palestine
and Israel, a project of the World Council of Churches.
I imagine living under a military occupation is not most
people’s idea of a holiday. Spending your first days on
holiday learning about permits, international human rights
and humanitarian laws, the difference between Israeli
border guards, police and soldiers is also not the usual
way of getting into the holiday mood.
We also visited Jinba in the Massafer Yatta to get evidence
of damage to crops done by the Israeli Defence Forces
during military manoeuvres and heard how two young
people had been temporarily detained, tied up and in one
case beaten and homes had been raided in the night –
and all this during the main school exam period too.
And after so many sad stories but also after innumerable
cups of sage tea and wonderful hospitality, was the time
well spent? Well it was certainly worth taking the leave
to go.
We were divided into international teams and my team
went to live in Yatta, a town under Palestinian Authority
If you would like to know more about EAPPI go to
eyewitnessblogs.com
Theresa Mansbridge
Hooked on mountaineering
S
ince 2008, when I
became hooked on
mountaineering while
climbing Kilimanjaro
for charity, I have been
going on mountaineering
holidays. I have climbed
peaks in in Nepal and
India such as Mera Peak,
Aconcagua in Argentina and Cotopaxi in Ecuador. These
“holidays” give me the chance to experience something
stunningly beautiful and rare, and I consider that I am very
privileged to be able to do them.
Some aspects of these “holidays” are slightly unusual:
You often have to take your ice axe to the toilet
with you to stop yourself falling off the mountain.
The ‘holiday rep’ is often known as the “lead Sherpa”.
You could spend a week pinned down in a tent
at 20,000 feet where it gets down to -20ºC at night,
whilst waiting for a window of opportunity to summit.
You might spend a morning being shown how to
do a crevasse rescue or use a prusik knot to climb out
of one.
You might need a rest day in order to let your body
catch up with the altitude you have gained.
You might tip a Sherpa for getting you to the
summit or saving your life!
A mule brings your pack to base camp whilst you
arrive on foot.
But imagine the final approaches to a summit, knowing you
have the strength to make it, and the sun has just risen on
you, turning the entire snowfield bright pink, with everything
else around you being a feature the size of a cathedral,
with air so thin that even mountains 20 or 30 miles away
are crystal clear . . . you can see that such unusual features
come with some incredible rewards.
Phil Blomberg
THE RODBOROUGH COMMONER PAGE 8
Rodborough Real Gardens and Sculpture Trail
SUNDAY 26TH JUNE 11- 5 pm
None of the gardens are perfect but there is always
inspiration to be had by the smallest or most recently
created garden. It’s nice to see the solution to a problem
you might have in your own garden.
The gardens and sculptures are in and around Church
Place and there will be plants for sale, ice cream and other
interesting stalls. The Stroud Valley Project will be there
again, giving tips on how to make your garden more wildlife
friendly and a preloved gardening books sale. Local author
Katie Fforde, one of those opening her garden, will be
available to sign books and also books not available in the
shops. Sadly, dogs are not permitted.
L
ast summer over 500 hundred people came to look
round a selection of Rodborough’s gardens. It proved to
be a splendid day out! This year we’re doing it again. There
will be another Rodborough Real Gardens and Sculpture
Trail. There are some new gardens and some garden
improvements, some new artists and some who exhibited
last year. There will be refreshments - home-made cakes,
tea etc served at the Endowed School.
It will cost £5 per person (children free) either in advance
from Stroud Valleys Project Shop or the Albert or on the
day. The money raised will mostly go to The Old Endowed
Schools for their continuing improvements, but the Stroud
Valley Project and another local charity, to be decided, will
benefit from the rest.
It promises to be an entertaining and informative afternoon
out with something for everyone.
If anyone would like to volunteer to be a steward, grow
plants, bake cakes, or help in any way, we would love to
hear from you!
Contact [email protected]
Parking
Rodborough has many narrow roads and we all need to drive and
park carefully to reflect this. Kings Road (off Rodborough Hill) is of
particular concern and we have been made aware more than once
of the problems caused by inconsiderate parking here.
If you have to park here, please make sure that enough room is left
for a wide vehicle to get through to the rest of the estate. On more
than one occasion recently it would have been very difficult for a
Fire Appliance or Ambulance to access homes in an emergency.
Don’t let it be your vehicle which prevents them from saving lives.
ALLOTMENTS
Plots of various sizes available at
Lightpill Allotments
Come and join us and enjoy your
own crops and free exercise.
Contact Doreen on 01453 872733
for more information.
THE RODBOROUGH COMMONER PAGE 9
Alien Invasion
T
he spread of invasive non-native plants causes problems
in the environment. The most common of these in this
area are:
Himalayan Balsam - a relative of the Busy
Lizzie which has been causing problems along
the canal at Chalford, where there have been
“Balsam Bashing” events to remove this pesky
invader. It out-competes native species and in winter, when it
dies back, can leave the banks bare and exposed to erosion.
Giant Hogweed, related to cow parsley,
can grow over 3m tall. It reminds me of John
Wyndham’s “Triffids”! They have thick bristly
stems, and the sap can cause severe skin
burns which may leave the victim scarred and
sensitive to sunlight. Definitely not a foe you
want to get up close and personal with!
Japanese Knotweed is a nasty
individual which has even been spotted
in the Community Hall car park! It is a tall
herbaceous perennial with bamboo like stems,
which often grows into dense thickets. It outcompetes native flora and can also cause structural damage
by growing through asphalt and undermining foundations.
It is an offence to plant or cause these species to grow in
the wild. This includes moving contaminated soil or plant
cuttings. You’re not legally obliged to remove these plants,
however, if you allow Japanese knotweed to grow onto other
people’s property you could be prosecuted for causing a
private nuisance. Also, both Giant Hogweed and Japanese
Knotweed are classified as controlled waste, which means
you should use a specialist to deal with them.
There are also a number of weeds dangerous
to animals, or agricultural production, and also
controlled by law. One of the most common
of these is Ragwort which if ingested by livestock causes
liver damage and can be fatal.
It’s not an offence to have ragwort growing on your land, but
you must stop it spreading to agricultural land, particularly
grazing areas or land used for producing silage and hay.
If you allow ragwort to spread onto someone else’s property,
Natural England could serve you with an enforcement notice.
You can also be prosecuted if you allow animals to suffer by
eating these weeds.
More information on the above plants and others can
be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prevent-the-spread-ofharmful-invasive-and-non-native-plants
Joanna Bird
THE RODBOROUGH COMMONER PAGE 10
From Rodborough to Western Australia
I
t’s not many months since
we attempted to shoehorn
ourselves and our luggage
into a Corsa and finally leave
Rodborough – with some
trouble fitting everything in. In
some ways it feels a lifetime
ago, in others only yesterday.
Mindful that you have all had a
cold and grey winter it would
seem unfair perhaps to mention
that we look out of the window
at yet another day of bright sunny skies. Notwithstanding,
we are seemingly acclimatising now for Peggy was heard to
complain that it was cold at a 26!
We have seen our first snake in the garden - on our patio a
couple of feet behind Peggy whilst we were sharing a cuppa
with a friend – ironically as Peggy was complaining we had
been here some weeks and had yet to see a snake!
Most weekends Toodyay is visited by crowds of Bikers from
Perth who ride here for a sedate cuppa with friends and
then return home. Brian’s mid-life crisis minds him to join
them and he has acquired a shiny new HOG (well more of
a piglet really) which now proudly sits in our car port; the
car is relegated to the garden. He can be seen and heard
practising circuits of the church car-park most evenings as
he cannot take it on a road before he passes the Aussie
motorbike test. The challenge will be getting the Harley
to do a ‘U’ turn in a narrow road – why would you when a
3-point turn seems far more sensible?!
The long summer School holidays are over and most things
are getting back to normal now. We are getting ‘stuck-in’
to the work involved with two Parishes but seven church
buildings.
Restoration of the Old Endowed School was an experience
for us that we are capitalising on here; we already have
projects to repair and restore a couple of the Church
Buildings, and one was urgent after a mini-tornado stripped
part of the roof from a remote but old ‘Pioneer’ church
building about 10 miles outside town.
¿Quieres hablar español?
Would you like to speak Spanish?
A
s a Rodborough resident,
Spanish teacher and new
Mum, I began a new community
class in January 2016, offering
parents, grandparents, babies
and toddlers the opportunity to
come along to a weekly class
and enjoy some Spanish. Since having my first baby,
Alice, I'd been developing a
repertoire of Spanish songs to keep her entertained during
breakfast, bath time and bedtime. Friends started asking me
to teach them a Spanish lullaby or how to play the Spanish version of Peekaboo, and so I decided to start a weekly
class: Spanish with Little Ones. Each class, we have a new theme and learn some Spanish
words and phrases through songs that can then be used
at home. It's a great way to practise what you've learnt and
also for your little ones to start absorbing the sounds of a
new language. We have plenty of time to chat over tea and home-made
biscuits at the end of each session so that everyone can get
to know each other. The class runs every Tuesday (except school holidays) from
2.15 to 3.00 pm at Rodborough Community Hall. For a free
taster session please email me at [email protected].
Future plans to bring more Spanish to Rodborough include
a conversational class for adults and a Spanish summer
school for primary children, so keep your eyes out for posters and please get in touch if you are keen to learn some
Spanish!
Beth Stapleton
Yesterday Peggy was gardening when a tree fell over in front
of her. This is not unusual here. We’ve still a lot to learn.
We enjoy sipping a small libation on our back veranda at
sundown most days and as it is getting toward that time,
we’ll sign off. G’night Cobbers!
Brian and Peggy
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THE RODBOROUGH COMMONER PAGE 11
COMMUNITY GROUPS IN RODBOROUGH
Activity and Organisation Name
Contact
Phone
Activity and Organisation Name
Contact
Phone
1st Rodborough Guides
Keeley Burke
07746 710107
Rodborough Tabernacle Secretary
Peter Freeman
759943
3rd Rodborough Brownies
[email protected]
Rodborough Tabernacle URC Minister Eric Massey
766389
5VFit
Kim
www.5vfit.co.uk
Rodborough Toddlers (TOES)
Ellen Edwards
07958134873
Art Class (Endowed School)
Cyril Corio
765649
Rodborough Youth Football Club
Darren Vasey
07742 971974
Art Class (Community Hall)
Steve Smith
752159
Rodborough Youth Project
Dawn Quest
07855426554
Baby Massage
NCT
020 8752 2494
Rugby Rascals Toddler Group
Sharon Ashenford
750124
Break Out Productions
Helen Carter
07899848180
Scrabble Club
Kim Richardson
07833 336843
Cappella Singers
Ken Lawrence
759634
South Cotswold Ramblers
Richard Davis
762373
Coffee Pot
Jane Tubbs
767557
Spanish with Little Ones
Beth Stapleton
07811 923863
Community Hall - Bookings
Joy Jackson
762686
St.John Ambulance
01452 858220
Croc N Roll
Stephanie
07957235413
Stroud & Rodborough Educational Charity Shani Baker
860379
Dance Pointe
Rhianne Banyard
07854298847
Stroud Music & Dance Academy
Charles Dyson
07861699198
Fitness Class (Rodborough School)
Julie McNally
750628
Stroud Rambling Club
Ann Copeland
752654
Five Valleys Bridge Club
Vesta Rock
886404
Stroud Rugby Club
Gordon McDowell
07766763476
Gastrells Primary School Headteacher
Kate Merriman
765959
Stroud Sea Cadets
Paul White
755141
Glebe Allotment Association
Sarah Zodiates
759422
The Old Endowed School (TOES)- bookingsLouise Ratcliffe
752265
Gloucestershire Society for Industrial Archeology
Ray Wilson
860595
Transition Stroud
Seb Buckton
07557 508025
Hayward for the Commons
Mark Dawkins
07973 326772
Village Agent for Rodborough
Angela King
07776 245791
Jolly Stompers Line Dancing (Gastrells) Julie Cole
752480
Wednesday Fellowship (Tabernacle) Dorothy Ede
765978
Kingscourt Educational Trust
Jenny Wills
763984
Woodcraft Folk
Cyril Laffort
764698
Lightpill Allotment Association
Doreen
872733
Yoga Class (Community Hall)
Amanda Sultan-Black 755635
Meditation and Yoga Classes
Elles Theulan
07815 552952
Mid-Cotswold Tracks and Trails GroupPat Harris
823841
Model Engineers (Secretary)
W.P. Phillips
883438
National Trust (Common Ranger)
Richard Evans
01452 810056
Parish Church
Jane Tubbs
765757
Pilates
Karen Brown
07957 539634
Radical Stroud
www.radicalstroud.blogspot.co.uk
Rainbows
Debbie Wood
Remembering Rodborough
[email protected]
Rodborough Beaver Scouts
Mary Jones
766745
Rodborough Cub Scouts
James Lynn
753864
Rodborough Fields Preservation Group
www.rodboroughfields.org.uk
Rodborough Friendly Circle
Olive Heskins
765379
Rodborough Lionessess Ben Spencer
07960712609
Rodborough Old Boys FC
Stuart Thompson
07800589173
Rodborough Playgroup
Nicola Hurford
756141
Rodborough Poultry Club
Kirsty Tallon
07751181076
Rodborough Primary School
Mrs M Halsey
763159
Rodborough Scout Troop
Theresa Mansbridge 07793286534
Rodborough Tabernacle - Bookings
John Rohrbeck
01452 812934
Rodborough Tabernacle Choir
Di Davis
Rodborough Tabernacle Events
RODBOROUGH PARISH WALKS
IN CONJUNCTION WITH SOUTH COTSWOLD RAMBLERS
Thursday 26th May at 6.30pm
Through Manor Woods to Amberley – 4 miles.
Thursday 30th June at 6.30pm
Over to Selsley – 4.5 miles
Thursday 28th July at 6.30pm
Lagger Lane to Boundary Court – 4.5 miles
07810 455774
Thursday 25th August at 6.30pm
Canals and Railways – 4 miles
Friday 22nd September at 5.30pm
Rodborough Common – 3 miles.
•
This year’s programme of evening walks will be held on
Thursday evenings.
•
All walks will start from Rodborough Community Hall,
Butterrow West at 6.30 pm except the September walk
which will start at 5.30 pm.
•
Children are always welcome on walks accompanied
by adults although the walks not suitable for very young
children.
•
Most walks will be over reasonable tracks and quiet lanes
but the nature of the area is such that there will usually be at
least one steep climb.
762373
•
There may be pub stops on some walks
Carole Oosthuysen
872446
•
Published walks may be subject to alteration.
Rodborough Tabernacle Lunch Club
Barbara Cook
763026
•
Rodborough Tabernacle News
Brian Oosthuysen
872446
If you have any queries please ring Richard Davis on 01453
762373.
THE RODBOROUGH COMMONER PAGE 12
Date
TimeEvent
Thursday 5th May
All day
Saturday 7th May
11:00
Monday 9th May
20:00
Wednesday 11th May
10:00 Sunday 15th May
tbc
Sunday 15th May
15:00
Monday 16th May
19:30
Thursday 19th May
19:00
Saturday 21st May
11:00
Monday 23rd May
19:00
Monday 23rd May
Thursday 26th May
18:30
Saturday 4th June
10:00
Saturday 11th June 11:00
Sunday 12th June 14:00
Sunday 12th June 14:00
Thursday 23rd June
All day
Sunday 26th June
11:00
Thursday 30th June
18:30
Friday 1st July
07:15
Friday 15th July
15:15
Thursday 28th July
18:30
Sunday 31st July
14:00
Sunday 7th August
14:00
Sunday 14th August
14:00
Sunday 21st August
14:00
Thursday 25th August 18:30
Saturday 3rd September tbc
Thursday 22nd September17:30
Saturday 24th September 10:00
EVENTS DIARY
Venue
Contact
Parish Council Elections
Polling Stations
Stroud District Council 766321
Plant Sale (Amberley Gardening Club)
Black Horse Amberley
Simone 873887
Rodborough Summer Sizzle meeting
Community Hall
[email protected]
Remembering Rodborough archive at the Coffee Pot
Endowed School
Pentecost Service & Fun Day
Community Hall
Tabernacle 766389
Churches together in Stroud Christian aid serviceTabernacle Little Chapel
Tabernacle 766389
Road Safety Working Group
Community Hall
Parish Council 762686
Volunteers BBQ
Community Hall
Parish Council 762686
Christian Big Breakfast
Rodborough Tabernacle
Tabernacle 766389
Annual Council Meeting (ACM)
Community Hall
Parish Council 762686
Full Council Meeting
Community Hall
Parish Council 762686
Parish Walk (to Amberley)
Community Hall
Parish Council 762686
Identification of flowers and grasses
Rodborough Common
National Trust 01453 753358
Art Exhibition
Community Hall
Art Group 762849
Art Exhibition (part of Summer Sizzle)
Community Hall
Art Group 762849
Rodborough Summer Sizzle
Butterrow West
[email protected]
EU Referendum
Polling Stations
Stroud District Council 766321
Rodborough Open Gardens
Church Place etc
[email protected]
Parish Walk (to Selsley)
Community Hall
Parish Council 762686
Somme Tribute
Rodborough churchyard Parish Church
Gastrells School Summer Fayre
Gastrells School
Gastrells School 765959
Parish Walk (to Lagger Lane)
Community Hall
Parish Council 762686
Community Café
Community Hall Tabernacle 766389
Community Café
Community Hall Tabernacle 766389
Community Café
Community Hall
Tabernacle 766389
Community Café
Community Hall
Tabernacle 766389
Parish Walk (Canals & Railways)
Community Hall
Parish Council 762686
Mikron Theatre
Community Hall
Contact Stephen 758138
Parish Walk (to Rodborough Common)
Community Hall
Parish Council 762686
Scrub ‘n’ Spuds on Rodborough Common Rodborough Common National Trust 01452 814213
PARISH COUNCIL – REGULAR MEETINGS
Full Council - Usually third Monday of the month 7pm.Meetings in August
and December subject to confirmation. Contact the clerk.
Planning, Transport and Amenities Committee - meets monthly
– usually the first Monday of the month at 6.30pm
Finance and Staffing Committee - meets once a quarter
(October, January, April, July).
The public are welcome to attend all parish council meetings.
All meetings are subject to change.
For a full list of meeting dates please see our website www.
rodborough.gov.uk and click on ‘Your Parish Council’.
COUNCILLORS
Cllr Philip Blomberg Cllr Joanna Bird Cllr Anna Karmilavicius-Guarino
Cllr Jane Ansell
Cllr Charles Pedrick
Cllr Alick Miskin
Cllr Simon Walker
Cllr Steve Ponting
Cllr Roy Derbyshire
Cllr Shaun Barker
Cllr Kiera Jones
Cllr Paul Gibson
151 Bath Road, Stroud, GL5 3LL
07767834248
68A Kingscourt Lane, Rodborough GL5 3PX
765461
2 Dudbridge Hill, Rodborough, GL5 3HW 753920
Please contact the Parish Office
07847391172
2-3 High View Cottages, Rodborough Lane, GL5 2LH
07879428000
Laurel House, Butterrow Lane, GL5 2LX
753024
Bramble Cottage, Rodborough Hill GL5 3SS
767904
Morningside, Swellshill, Stroud, GL5 2SW
885689
42 Chandos Road, Rodborough Stroud Glos Gl5 3QZ
5 Castlemead Road, Rodborough, Stroud, Glos GL5 3SF
12 Woodhouse Drive, Stroud GL5 3SG
Five Gables Bowl Hill Kingscourt Stroud Glos GL5 5DS
W
W
N
W
B
B
N
W
W
N
N
S
W = West Ward
–
N = North Ward –
S = South Ward –
B = Butterow Ward –
* co-option
5 Councillors
4 Councillors
1 Councillor
2 Councillors
STROUD DISTRICT COUNCILLORS
Elections are due to be held on 5th May
GLOUCESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCILLOR
Cllr Brian Oosthuysen Copperfields, The Street, Kingscourt, Stroud GL5 5DL872446
www.rodborough.gov.uk | Contact the Clerk: [email protected] or 01453 762686