NEWS ARCHIVE

E-Voting with Stroud District Council

Press release from Stroud District Council.

The Stroud District Council is transforming to become a more flexible customer focussed organisation. From 7am on the 24th April to 12 noon on the 29th April, residents who are eligible to vote in the Local Elections will be able to do so electronically via the Internet or through touch-tone phones. This is part of the government's plan to have all services available electronically by 2005. This scheme is supported by both the leader of the Council John Stevenson-Oliver and the Chief Executive David Hagg.

For more details, contact David Horne at david.horne@stroud.gov.uk thank you.

Chalford Ex-Pat Uses Web Site to Trace Family History

Bob Verinder writes from the States...

"My G G Grandfather, Samuel Verinder lived in Chalford Hill in the 1800's. He was a Millright and built some of the mills in the valley. He and his wife are buried in the Old Vestry church yard behind the Bus stop which we located on our last visit. His father was a weaver and had a loom in France Lynch. I live in Dallas, Texas. USA and have booked a B&B in Stroud from July 29 to August 3. I would appreciate any suggestions you might have that would help me to find where they lived. They attended the Primitive methodist Church in the 1830's. I will also attend the Verrinder Reunion at Cranham on Aug 8th. Thank you, Bob Verinder. 19 May 1998."

If you think you can help, please email Bob at bobver@swbell.net

Ofsted Praise for Bussage Nursery School

No fault was found with the excellent quality of education provided by Bussage Nursery School, every aspect of which promotes the desirable outcomes for children under the age of five. Run by a team of well-qualified and experienced staff, the children enjoy a wide range of activities in the extensive accommodation and grounds of Bussage House.

Whilst developing listening and speaking skills, they are being introduced to reading and writing. The children are taught to use a computer and to acquire the basic concepts of mathematics. Emphasis is given to Art and Music plays an important role in the daily activities of the Nursery.

'It's good to be recognised for the quality of work we do', say Marie Westley and Vickie Musson, teachers and partners at Bussage Nursery School, which was started over twenty-five years ago!

All the staff are dedicated and work tremendously hard to ensure that every child has the best possible start to his or her school life.

Places are available in the September Term for children aged two and a half years and over. Contact: 01452 770326 or 01452 770415.

Colin Willmore opens the debate on speed limits in the village

Open letter to Chalford On-line Village, dated 2^nd March 1998

Chalford is a great place to live, but that’s not to say it can’t be made better.

When I was growing up (not so long ago – I’m only 40!), I was able to walk to school on my own from the age of 6. Now, the prospect of my children walking to school alone at such a tender age is almost unthinkable, despite the fact that we live only a few minutes walk from the school along a route that includes only tiny narrow lanes. The reason is not the fear of abduction, which remains a minute risk, but the fear of traffic.

Much of the village is a maze of small roads with no pavements and poor sight-lines. While most drivers behave responsibly, there is a minority that fail to take these special circumstances into sufficient account and drive too fast for the conditions. Indeed, there may be times when all of us, cocooned in our cars and accustomed to speeds appropriate to more open roads, take insufficient care.

One of the joys of living here is walking around the village in the course of our daily lives. This is made less pleasant by having to be constantly on the look out for cars coming unexpectedly around corners, and always having to be ready to jump into some nook in the walls. Even on the more open stretches of road, the fact that there are no pavements means that cars barrel past only inches away, and even if only doing the legal limit of 30 mph and taking full care, their speed and proximity causes continual disruption and anxiety. For the numerous small children and those in charge of them, the problem is particularly acute.

At Chalford School, the high density of traffic mixed with pedestrians at the beginning and end of the school day has been a long-standing worry. The Headmaster, Mr Bocock, addressed this concern at a recent PTA meeting with an appeal to parents to avoid driving to school wherever possible, but if they must, to take particular care and always give priority to pedestrians in the area around the school. He has in the past attempted to have the road between the two parts of the school closed, but this has proved impossible as apparently it would require Parliamentary approval.

However, there may be another route to improving security, not only around the school, but for the whole village. A recent Government campaign highlighting the numbers of pedestrian injuries and fatalities stated that in accidents at 40 mph 90% of accidents between cars and pedestrians result in death, while at 20 mph, this figure drops to 10%. In response to these figures, local councillors have been granted the right to set up 20 mph zones on an experimental basis – one that I know of is currently in operation in the Blunsdon area of Swindon.

If a new housing estate in Swindon, purpose-built for car traffic with wide pavements and controlled pedestrian crossings, can have a 20 mph zone, then surely Chalford (purpose-built for a mixture of pedestrian and donkey traffic, long before cars were even thought of) should qualify, were a sufficient number of the residents to request it.

I believe a 20mph zone over all the village would definitely improve things on Abnash, Middle Hill, Midway and Burcombe Road and would change driver attitude in the more restrictive parts of the village, giving a clear signal that driving in Chalford is different from other places.

A blanket 20 mph zone is not, in my mind, ideal - personally, I would go for 10 mph and an automatic right of way for pedestrians and cyclists over cars in the more restrictive parts of the village, and a 20mph zone for the roads just mentioned. However, politics is the art of the possible.

The purpose of this letter is to canvas opinion. Whether you think a 20 mph zone is a good idea or a bad one, please respond, either to the website or directly to me at the address below.

Colin Willmore
Pear Tree Cottage, Chalford Hill,
Nr. Stroud,
Gloucestershire,
GL6 8EW,
01453 731754

See 1998 Traffic Survey Results

Scrumptious Cakes

Hannah Perry, a student of Chalford Hill School, has decided to use the web to promote her cake making skills. Hannah, who specialises in a delicious 8 inch chocolate cake, filled with butter icing, priced at £3.50, will also undertake special orders for your next special occasion. See her advert on the Classified Ads page.