Ilmington

Among the audience were a large group of young people who at present use the bus shelter as their meeting place. They had been befriended by Ms Gayle Holmes, and as their spokesman she pointed out that by the time the parish plan had been produced all the young people in the hall would have left school and probably the village. Linda Ridgley said that it was not necessary to wait for the complete plan to be produced. It was possible to take action on specific needs immediately, and they could be incorporated into the plan when it was published. The young people needed a place to meet which was warm, but that of course would mean having at least two adults present all the time. This was difficult in a village like this, as it has been found on previous occasions impossible to involve parents in providing facilities like a youth club. One answer could be to provide transport for the youngsters to go to the Shipston youth club, or anywhere else they wanted to go.

Other concerns expressed by members of the audience were lack of transport at suitable times to Stratford, lack of NHS dentists in the area, difficulty in getting repeat prescriptions from chemists or health centres, and lack of affordable housing for local young people. This latter is particularly difficult in Ilmington, with many young people having to live with their parents well into their 30s because they are unable to find accommodation that they can afford.

PARISH COUNCIL: The February meeting of the parish council, chaired by coun Tony Wilkins, heard from Ms Gayle Holmes that, as a result of the recent parish plans meeting, she was willing to do something for the village youngsters, but was not prepared to be in charge of everything that was arranged. She gave a list of information she had acquired. The Warwickshire Association of Youth Clubs could help find a youth leader, provide legal insurance and other facilities; Rachel Hallett of the Rural Transport Partnership could help with the provision of minibuses; the youngsters wanted to run their activities themselves with help from adults; the youth club at Blackwell was mainly for a younger age group, as there was no youth club in Ilmington, arrangements should be made to take them to do things like skating, etc. Ms Holmes said she would start by getting the youngsters to do a survey of what they wanted, and she would then report back to the parish council.

The chairman reported that progress was being made with the memorial for Paddy and Floy Donnell. The artwork for the information board had been approved, and he had asked for quotes for the board itself. The district council's next step was awaited.

The clerk reported that replies had now been received from Severn Trent and WaterVoice about the sewage problems in Armscote Road, and it appeared that any scheme would not come into effect until after March 2005. In the meantime any incidents of flooding should be reported to Severn Trent's Operational Call Centre.

A letter had been received from Colonel R W Bird about building works at Campden Cottage, Campden Hill, asking whether the imperative of leaving the highway open could be included in the conditions for planning approval in future. The clerk should reply that the local authority could only rule on planning matters, and that blocking the highway was a police matter, and the reinstatement of verges, was a matter for the highway authority.

It was agreed that Ilmington enter the Best Kept Village competition.

Coun Rob Hawkins asked if walkers could be asked not to park large numbers of cars in awkward places in the village, but to park at the playing field instead. Last weekend there were about 10 cars parked in Front Street above the Manor drive, which caused congestion.

Coun Sabin reported on a meeting with the power companies on February 13, attended by the chief executive of Aquila. The chief executive explained that the power supply went on and off because there were overhead cables. If it was all put underground the cost would be passed on to the customer, and electricity would cost twice as much as it does now. With regard to communications with the public during the October storm, because of the volume of calls there was nothing they could do to improve communications.

WEDNESDAY CLUB: So many members turned up for the lunch at the Farriers Arms in Todenham that the club overflowed from the dining room and into the bar. It was an excellent meal after which members went on to visit to the Himalayan Rug Centre. This had been opened specially for the club by the proprietor, Alain Rouveure, who spoke about his collection.

Members will be eating again at their next meeting. Lady members are asked to bring a plate of food, savoury or sweet, suitable for sharing and the men will provide the drink. The feast will be assembled at 12.30 at the village hall on March 12. Musical entertainment will be provided by Mrs Joan Smith of the WRVS.