Welcome to Cookhill Parish Council website

Keep informed on local events, read Agendas and Minutes from the Parish Council Meetings and stay up to date with what’s happening in your local area.

NEWS

VACANCIES

Cookhill Allotments

Cookhill Allotments currently have vacancies for tenants at the popular site, situated on the Ridgeway at New End, Cookhill.

Cookhill Allotments is owned by Cookhill Parish Council and has 38 plots of varying sizes. The site is in an idyllic location with panoramic views of the Malvern and Breedon Hills. The site has its own private secure car park and benefits from mains water and a portable toilet.

Plots are charged at £25 per year, including water.

If you are interested in the possibility of taking on a plot, in a friendly rural environment, and you reside within 5 miles of the Parish of Cookhill, please contact David Claydon, Chairman of Cookhill Allotment Association  on 01527 894317 or Kate Brazier, Clerk to Cookhill Parish Council, on 07584 687283.

Lengthsman Wanted for Cookhill Parish

COOKHILL Parish Council is seeking to appoint a Lengthsman for 2023/24

What is a Lengthsman?

Historically a lengthsman was a person tasked with keeping a length of road neat, tidy and passable. This was usually a road between nearby villages.

The term Lengthsman was coined in the 1700s in a concept rooted in the Tudor Era as far back as War of the Roses. Originally, it referred to someone who kept a “length” of road neat, tidy and passable in the Middle Ages, with particular emphasis on boundary marking. Lengthsmen were used on canals and railways from the beginnings of both. On land, lengthsmen might be responsible for a few miles between adjacent villages and especially on commonage. Employed originally by the ‘Lords of the Manor’ and latterly by parish councils, they would keep grass and weeds down in verges, keep drainage ditches clear and repair fences. Litter, such as it was in those times, was cleared and instances are recorded of wild flowers being planted and tended.

Excerpt taken from Wikipedia

The Lengthsman Scheme – Worcestershire County Council

Each parish is given an amount each year, which is calculated based on the length of road within its boundary. Jobs undertaken include the clearing of gully gates, digging out of blocked gullies, removal of vegetation, cleaning of signs and hand gritting of footways/carriageways using County Council grit bins.

In short, the Parish Lengthsman scheme is all about doing the little things that matter to communities – today, and show how local people have the right knowledge to do what their communities really want done and when they want it done.

Learn more about the Lengthsman Scheme here.

What the job entails…

The Parish Lengthsman is a self-employed person who can make a big difference to the community environment by maintaining roadside verges and drainage, some pruning along the highway may be required, along with some minor weed spraying, all in the beautiful Parish of Cookhill.

Work may be expanded to include other small-scale maintenance work at our Playing Fields and involve some bulb planting at our new public meadow.

Appropriate basic training on the hazards of working in the highway, and standards of work to be achieved, will be provided by Worcestershire County Council.

This contract for services is for one year in the first instance, to be reviewed on 1st March 2024. 

Hours and hourly rate to be negotiated and confirmed.

Contact the clerk for more information about the job and to apply.

Email – info@cookhillparishcouncil.com or

Phone – 07584 687283

Rural Crime

The Parish Council welcomed Michael Simpson, Rural & Business Crime Officer from the South Worcestershire Problem Solving Harm Hub division of West Mercia Police, to our February meeting.

West Mercia Police say;

In 2022 our five Rural and Business Crime Officers, provided by direct funding from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia, and based across the force area, made over 1300 personal visits to rural and business locations. These visits included site visits to offer crime prevention advice and visiting victims of crime to offer support and reassurance. In addition the officers attended over 140 community based events and attended over 200 meetings with our partner agencies, all with the intention of assisting in reducing rural and business crime in West Mercia. We will continue to engage with both communities in the future.

To learn more about what is happening in our area please visit Neighbourhood Matters and sign up for alerts.

Platinum Meadows

The photograph shows the widely used footpath in the foreground, leading from the A441 across to Botany Bay, which is lined with a variety of 225 saplings.

The pattern of the Union Flag has been mown into the grass meadow, using a mower set at different heights. The path has been created to form a walk around the meadow, and across the centre, for members of the public to enjoy. The footpath has disabled and wheelchair access on both the east and west sides.

Four fruit trees – a Cox’s Orange Pippin, a Braeburn and 2 Conference Pears – have been planted in the corner of the meadow, to form a small orchard, along with crocuses and daffodils along the paths. A 6ft oak tree has been planted in the centre of the field with a circular bench – a perfect place to take a rest and survey the meadow.

Following an extremely hot and dry summer some of the saplings planted in the early spring of 2022 were lost to the weather, but a further 150 trees from The Conservation Volunteers, have now been planted to replace the lost trees and to finish off the planting around the meadow’s perimeter.

With the assistance of local resident, Mr John Hughes, 4000 crocus bulbs were planted in conjunction with the Rotary Club, monies raised from the purchase of the bulbs will go towards a programme to eradicate Polio across the world. Mr Hughes has kindly sponsored the purchase of the bulbs himself, and organised for children from the Ridgeway school to visit the meadow to plant them to form the letters ELIZABETH II.

The ongoing work at Platinum Meadows is to commemorate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June, and her sad passing on September 8th 2022.

The meadow is owned by Cookhill Parish Council and has been legally protected, to ensure that it remains for the enjoyment of parishioners and members of the public in perpetuity.

The Platinum Meadows Team is headed up by PC Chairman, Bob Pinfield, Allotment Association Chairman, David Claydon and local resident, John Hughes. The Parish Council would like to thank all the volunteers who have helped to make this project possible, and for the donation of the 6ft oak tree and the 250 Saplings from The Community Volunteers.

New planters in Cookhill

Cyclists in Cookhill can now lock up their bikes safely at a number of locations around the Parish. The new PlantLock planters have been distributed to locations, including Cookhill Baptist Church, the Village Hall, the Nevill Arms and The Why Not.

The planters were sourced from the Front Yard Company based in London.

PlantLock are high quality products, that have been designed thoughtfully in regard of their use. Environmental and social considerations are always at the heart of our thinking. Some products specifically use materials previously destined to be waste; others are chosen for their longevity. All can be re-used, adapted or recycled.

The Parish Council would like to extend their thanks to Wychavon District Council, who were instrumental in obtaining the Section 106 funding required to purchase the planters and who also provided the vital research in finding something suitable! Special thanks to Botany Bay Nurseries for their invaluable advice and assistance with planting up the planters onsite.

Plant a Tree for the Jubilee

The Queen’s Green Canopy

On a sunny Saturday in March 2022 the Parish Council got together with volunteers from the Cookhill Allotments to plant one hundred trees for the Jubilee.

The trees, supplied by The Conservation Volunteers and their initiative ‘I Dig Trees’, comprised of 32 English Oak, 20 Silver Birch, 18 Aspen, 10 Green Beech, 6 Common Alder, 6 Hornbeam, 4 Rowan and 4 Goat Willow.

The Conservation Volunteers say:

We are delighted to be running I Dig Trees for the seventh year during the 2021/2022 planting season with OVO Energy. This fantastic partnership programme goes from strength to strength and is a great opportunity for any community group or volunteer to join in, feel good and make a difference.

By the end of this season, you will have helped to plant over 2 million trees!

The trees have been planted on Parish Council land behind Ridgeway Meadows, to create an avenue along the footpath leading from the Ridgeway to Botany Bay Nurseries, and will continue on around the edge of the field.

The Parish Council have big future plans for the meadow with further trees scheduled to be planted in the autumn. A small orchard in the centre of the field and some wildflowers to attract the bees will complete the vision.

The Parish Council would like to express their thanks to everyone who came out on that Saturday morning to help, to Paul Davis from SE Davis, who worked on the planting plan with Ragley Hall forestry experts and also The Conservation Volunteers for the trees, planting instructions and tree supports.

Public Access Defibrillators in Cookhill

Did you know that there are four public access defibrillators in the Parish?

The only way to access the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) which it contains, is to dial 999 (or 112). … Remember, when someone goes into cardiac arrest, every minute without defibrillation and CPR reduces their chances of recovery by 10%.

The Cookhill Defibrillators are contained within locked cabinets and require a numerical code to unlock the door. The ambulance service will give this code to the person who makes the initial 999 call, once they have confirmed that they are dealing with a cardiac arrest.

To learn more about the Cookhill defibrillators and their locations click here.

Litter Picking in Cookhill

The Parish Council would like to thank the volunteers who are still collecting litter in and around Cookhill.

The Countryside Code

Respect other people
* Consider the local community and other people enjoying the outdoors
* Park carefully so access to gateways and driveways is clear
* Leave gates and property as you find them
* Follow paths but give way to others where it’s narrow

Protect the natural environment
* Leave no trace of your visit, take all your litter home
* Don’t have BBQs or fires
* Keep dogs under effective control
* Dog poo – bag it and bin it

Enjoy the outdoors
* Plan ahead, check what facilities are open, be prepared
* Follow advice and local signs and obey social distancing measures

Click here to learn more about respecting our beautiful countryside when you are out and about.

SCAM CALLERS!

There has been an increase in the number of scam callers in the area over the last few months.

One of the scam calls doing the rounds requests access to your computer remotely, claiming that BT will shut down your connection if you do not do this. Another reports that your internet connection will be terminated if you do not click through to another department.

Please remember that if a caller asks to access your computer remotely, or asks for personal information and bank details, you should end the call immediately and use another method to verify the request.

For more information on how to stay safe online, and to report fraud and cyber crime, please visit the Action Fraud website.

Cookhill Neighbourhood Watch

If you would like to report any suspicious behaviour in and around Cookhill you can either contact the clerk, on 07584 687 283, or the Neighbourhood Watch representative – details below.

Cookhill Neighbourhood Watch – Contact Cllr Terry Bennett on 07765 447997

Cookhill Cricket Club

Further information about the National All Stars Programme can also be found on their website.

ON THE COOKHILL PARISH COUNCIL WEBSITE

You can also find links to  other services supplied by Worcestershire County Council and Wychavon District, as well as organisations and groups that help bring you the everyday things we need and enjoy.

• Read the Agenda for the next Parish Council meeting or read the minutes from previous minutes here.
• Want to grow your own veg? Learn how to rent a plot at the Cookhill Allotments here.
• Read the Chairman’s updates and other news here.
• Learn more about the Council’s policies, standing orders and financial regulations here.
• Need to speak to a Councillor? Find all the contact information here.