Local news: Smoothie, Randwick hall award, basketball hoop and more

Here's a host of local issue updates - some good news and some frustrating....

New Year party with Smoothie in Randwick - Yes Smoothee are playing at our village hall fundraiser in Randwick on New Year’s Eve – Tickets are £5 and it’s a case of bring food and drink. Don't miss!!

New Eco Garden at Randwick Playgroup - the Village Hall have given the Playgroup a small garden area which has already been dug over - and I read in the Runner that they joined other playgroups and schools at Rococo Gardens for a scarecrow competition - see here. This sounds like a wonderfully enthusiastic group that used natural and recycled materials to make their mini-scarecrows - good on them!

Randwick Village Hall award - they scooped second place in the community category of the South West regenSW sustainable energy awards - see more here - well done to Alan and the team.

Randwick Runner needs a new Editor - 10 years of wonderful service - get in touch if you think you can help.

Clothing shop Eclipse cut the price of all its products - this is following on from the Government cut to VAT from 17.5% to 15% for 13 months. Although shops do not have to pass the cut on to customers, Eclipse said it would be taking immediate action. Sid Copp, manager at Eclipse who lives in Whiteshill said in The Citizen: "We decided to do it immediately. After all this is customers' money, not ours. It isn't very much but it's something."

Cashes Green Oral History project launched - the study, entitled Cashes Green on the Map, aims to gather residents’ past and present experiences of local people and places. Organisers are seeking volunteers to share their memories or artefacts and help create an exhibition of all the findings. Project manager and Parish councillor Sally May said in the SNJ: "Cashes Green is an under-represented area and hopefully this will put it on the map and help people to understand more of their own heritage. These older people are dying out and we’re in danger of never knowing what Cashes Green used to look like." Community Artist Lis Parker who initiated the project said: "An oral history is a way of getting people to talk to each other a bit more. You can perhaps get young people listening to old people and vice-versa." The pair joined forces last November and received support for research from the adult education department of Gloucestershire County Council. A survey will take place of about 250 householders in Cashes Green during January asking if they have any memories or artefacts to share and whether they would like to help create the exhibition. Organisers not only want people’s experiences of buildings such as Cashes Green Hospital (see photo of land at hospital site - former allotments) but also of everyday life. The exhibition will be held in the Museum in the Park next year. Anyone interested in taking part can contact Lis on 07754 059768 or astrolis (at) btinternet.com

Street Lighting update - some will remember there was a consultation and plans to reduce turn off street lights after 12 to save energy and money - well apparently the equipment for the first batch of schemes is now on order. The delay has been caused by an "opportunity" to obtain for some government funding towards the cost of the scheme. The bureaucracy involved in pursuing this, apparently imposed an inordinate delay on doing anything. Both Parishes expressed an interest but I still have no idea when things will start to move. In Whiteshill the survey results showed 9 people want lights left on, 16 people want one-third of lights turned off and 31 wants two thirds off completely. See re Essex scheme and why it is a good idea here.

Basketball hoop for Whiteshill - as blog readers will know I managed to obtain a hoop (the one pictured) and the Parish have agreed to site it and all was going ahead smoothly when the Stroud Football Club requested to use the football pitch at Whiteshill on a regular basis next season. This is because of the league they are in they have a number of supporters, and restrictions about where the spectators are allowed to stand.

The Parish council didn’t want to install the basketball hoop anywhere that might be a problem for future football pitch use, so they have rightly delayed a decision about the hoop until a decision is made about the football pitch. The Playing Field Working Party are also working on a draft Play Area Policy (including the playing field) so that we have an overall design statement regarding the area.

Woodcutters Arms - several folk have asked me why this application has not gone to Development Control Committee in December. It looks like a mistake may have been made - I am pursing this. I am also surprised to see the land at Glenfield near Ash lane is not listed for DCC. Again I am making inquiries although in this case it does not appear to be a mistake only a delay? Update: Glenfield is in the papers for 9th Dec - we had been sent the wrong papers!

Photo: Bank which faces cutting back in planning application re land at Glenfield