Broadband Services in Northumberland

Our county council is hoping to secure a £7M government grant to improve broadband services in the county. If secured, this grant would have to be matched by Northumberland County Council. They are hoping that the company that wins the contract to deliver the first phase of improvements will match both grants. This would mean that £28M would be available for the scheme.
For more information, go to www.iNorthumberland.org.uk

Parish Council Notes - Feb 2012

The Councillors are working on the recent parish plan questionnaires, each concentrating on specific areas/questions. The interim results are available to view on the website www.ovinghamparishcouncil.org.uk. The report and plan will be finalised as soon as possible.

Progress continues with the proposal of a seat by the bus stop at the church. However, before any more work is carried out with quotes etc. enquiries are being made to see if planning application is required.

P.C. Cross, our local community officer attended the meeting in January when the problems of cyclists on the footbridge was discussed. There is a possibility of erecting a physical barrier as both the Police and Highways Department feel that no matter what signs are erected, there will always be those who choose to ignore them. Speeding through the village was also an issue and later in the meeting, the Councillors agreed to look at the possibility of a further interactive light.

The next meeting is due to be held on Thursday, 15^th March at 7.15pm, in the Reading Room, but please check either the website or the notice boards for confirmation.

Margaret Davenport

Village Plan 2011

Many thanks to over 200 residents who returned their Village Plan Questionnaire - a great result. Your responses have been collated and councillors are now working on analysing the results. We will be putting together an action plan based on your responses and this will be the focus of the council's work over coming years.

You can see the summary of the responses by clicking the link on the 'What We Do' page on the website.

Parish Council Notes - Jan 2012

Unfortunately, the December meeting of the Parish Council had to be cancelled at short notice and by the time you read this, the next meeting on 19^th January will have been held. Luckily, there were no matters deemed as urgent.

2012 is seen as an important year for the country with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics and the Councillors are keen to organise events to coincide. No firm plans have been agreed on as yet regarding the Diamond Jubilee, but hopefully a “mini” Olympics will be held in Ovingham before the main event! Watch this space.

Both Ovingham and Ovington Parish Councils have agreed to fund the purchase of a wooden bench to be placed in the churchyard, by the entrance. It is hoped it will be used by both residents and visitors alike as a place for quiet reflection.

A reminder that more news as well as minutes of previous meetings etc. can be obtained from the Parish Council website on www.ovinghamparishcouncil.org.uk and you can e-mail them on ovinghamparishcouncil@yahoo.co.uk .

Margaret Davenport

Ovingham Allotments Association

An association of villagers was formed in about 1980 by Ian Heslop to acquire land for allotment gardening. Over the next two years negotiations were entered into with the Parish Council. There were many problems and obstacles to overcome but in April 1982, the Council acquired land near the 'Goose Fair' field and a tenancy agreement was signed. Since these early days more land has been acquired to meet the rising popularity and demand for allotments.


At present there are 36 plots with 9 members on the waiting list. Members are of all ages and come from all parts of the village. In 1982 there was only one lady member but today ladies are in the majority. Just as the composition of the membership has changed so have the gardening practices. Today, raised beds are common with flowers competing with vegetables. Fruit bushes and small fruit trees are widely planted and small ponds are present on several plots.


Committee meetings take place on the second Wednesday of the month in the Bridge End Inn. All members are classed as committee members which affords them the right to vote at committee meetings. The present chairman is Godfrey Good and the treasurer is Mike Broadhurst. Jackie Scrowther is the minutes secretary. Minutes from meetings, the current waiting list and other information is regularly displayed on the notice board in the allotments.


Godfrey Good.

Recycle and Win Prizes!

As a resident of Ovingham you might win prizes worth £250 a month for simply putting a little label on the plastic bottles and aerosols that you chuck in your re-cycling bin.
Look up this site,
http://www.recycle-more.co.uk/nerewards/
When you register, you will be sent a load of sticky labels. Stick one on each of the plastic bottles and aerosols you recycle. If your bottle or can gets pulled out of the junk, then you could win £250 worth of prizes - or donate the prize to your favourite charity.
Look up the site for more details and to register.

GP Out of Hours Survey

We have received the request below from Northumberland LINk.
Please click on the link to respond if it is relevant to you.

"Northumberland LINk is conducting some research about people’s experiences of using the GP Out of Hours service. The findings of this research will be used in our work to improve health and social care services in Northumberland.


We would appreciate it if you could complete the short on-line survey if you have used the out of hours service, by clicking on this link https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/gpoutofhours. Please complete the survey by 28th January 2012."

You will probably need to copy and paste the link into your browser as it doesn't look as though it comes up here as a 'hot' link. If you feel that the parish council might be able to assist to with any issues you might have with GP out-of-hours service, please contact one of our councillors whose details can be found on our main site.