The parish council, at its meeting on Monday, decided to raise its precept - the parish's share of Council Tax. The increase of £1,000, or 9.3 per cent, is the first since 2001/2. It is still below the rise in the RPI over the same period, of about 11 per cent.

The increase - about £1 per elector in the parish - was agreed unanimously, to prevent the current account slipping into deficit, making it necessary to draw on the council's reserves.

Major items of expenditure, in addition to the clerk's salary and insurance, are maintenance of the gas lamps, the playing fields and children's playground.

The village primary school was the scene of great activity last weekend. A working party of parents, staff and children, under the supervision of the designer and local willow craftsman Dave Jackson, started work on the first phase of the grounds improvement project.

Already the appearance of the school, approached from West Malvern Road, has changed substantially. Three raised flowerbeds have been constructed on the left of the school drive, while the old sloping paving on the right has been removed and a woven willow fence to replace it is part finished.

This contains several recesses which will house benches for the use of parents while they wait to collect children from school.