Dedicated funding for Diamond Jubilee

Dedicated funding of £100 per community group is being offered to help create a party atmosphere for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations this summer.

Cheshire East Council is setting the scene for a summer of fun after the newly-formed Cheshire Community Foundation received a donation from the Duke of Westminster’s charitable fund, the Westminster Foundation, which will be distributed to Cheshire East communities on a ‘first-come, first-served’ basis.

The Diamond Jubilee celebrations will take place across an extended bank holiday weekend between June 2 and 5.

Just a couple of days before the royal celebrations, the party atmosphere will hot up as the London Olympic torch relay passes through Crewe, Congleton, Knutsford and Macclesfield.

Councillor Rachel Bailey, Cabinet member with responsibility for safer and stronger communities, said: “This is going to be one of the most memorable weekends of our time and so it’s a wonderful opportunity to have a party.

“This is such a momentous occasion and we are delighted to offer community groups the chance to apply for £100 of funding to celebrate in their community.

“We are very grateful to the Duke of Westminster for his donation and we would encourage as many people as possible to take advantage of this opportunity to celebrate and throw a street party or use their local park or playing fields to host an event.”

To apply for the £100 funding, community groups should log on to: www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/jubilee and click on the event notification/funding form. The deadline to apply for funding and road closures is Monday, April 9. Alternatively, contact Jane Kavanagh on 01270 685854.

Buckingham Palace is encouraging communities to take part in ‘The Big Jubilee Lunch’ which is all about community, friendship and fun and offers ideas on what to do and how to make it a day to remember. For more information log on to: www.thebiglunch.com

January 20, 2012

PC Moore reported that there had only been 41 incidents since the last meeting and these involved domestic dispute, crime incidents, ASB, theft from houses, criminal damage, theft from Haslington Hall, and assault on Crewe Road.  Anyone concerned about suspicious behaviour is asked to phone 101 which will put them in contact with the police.  This is the new number for non emergency calls but will ultimately be the number for all calls to contact the police.  The emergency number still remains 999.  If any local matter needs to be reported to PC Moore please ring the voicemail on 0845 458 6370.  Our PCSO is Colin Charlesworth who works alongside PC Nick Moore.

Speeding motor scooters along the road at Winterley were deemed to be dangerous as they were driving too close to the cars they were following and would not be able to stop without causing an accident.  The problem of speeding traffic was again a matter of concern and it was suggested the Parish purchase a Smiley Sid to bring the drivers attention to the speed they were doing.  However an article in the LCR magazine supplied to councillors gave a different aspect on this subject and this was to be considered at the next meeting.  The Chairman said he knew someone who would be interested helping in the speed watch campaign and if anyone would be interested in joining this would they please contact 0845 458 6370 and leave a message for PC Moore

The Carol Service around the Christmas Tree was a success once again in spite of the very cold weather.  Unfortunately Father Christmas was not able to attend in his sleigh this year but was in attendance to distribute sweets to the children.

The Christmas Tree on the Village Green was splendid this year and all councillors agreed it was outstanding and very beautiful.

The allotment forum posted on the Haslington.org website had not had a very good response.  If anyone is able to suggest sites for allotments please go onto the Parish website.

The Ward visit by Councillor Michael Jones, Cabinet Member for East Cheshire was made in December and Councillors Casey, Hovey and Hammond accompanied

him.  They all thought the visit was very successful and agreed that Councillor Jones understood the concerns regarding the villages and countryside in a positive way.

The Crewe Green Development is very concerning as the powers that be seem to be ignoring the protests made by residents outside the Hamlet although this development would affect Haslington in a very negative way.  More houses in this area would put a very great strain on schools and doctors in the Haslington area, the existing facilities for residents are not great, unfortunately this seems to be a matter of little concern to the developers and the Duchy Estate.

Whether free bus passes were to be retracted was queried by a parishioner. This was discussed and the Clerk was to ascertain whether Cheshire East were indeed to cease issuing free bus passes in the near future.

The Diamond Jubilee celebrations were going ahead nicely and the design for the celebratory mug was chosen by councillors at this meeting.  Both the Haslington Primary and the Dingle School had submitted designs for this mug and the winners of each age group would receive a voucher for £10 and the overall winner would receive a voucher for £25.  These would be presented in the near future to the winners by Councillors Lee Allen, Doris Farrall and Sharon Gorman.

Councillor D Farrall

The Clerk was instructed to obtain the cost of purchasing a ‘Smiley Sid’ from the Highways Division to enable monitoring of  speeding traffic in various areas in the Parish.

The Chairman thanked everyone who attended the Remembrance Day Services and made special reference to the band.  Councillor Hovey stated that over £3,200 was collected for The Poppy Appeal from the Parish.

The Chairman also stated that the Clerk had received four applications for an Allotment from three premises within the Parish.  He stated that a suitable reply would be placed on the Haslington Website.

Councillor Hovey stated that he had visited Haslington Hall along with Councillor Hammond and the Planning Officer Declan Clerey.  The owner of the Hall wishes to replace the existing marquee and if the venture is successful to erect a permanent building in this area.

The Carol Singing around the Christmas Tree was organised with mince pies, coffee and tea to be served in the Red Cross Hut after the event.  Hopefully Father Christmas would attend with sweets for the children.

Councillor Lee Allen had organised a competition in the two Primary Schools for a design to go onto the commemorative mugs.  Councillors Lee Allan, Sharon Gorman and Doris Farrall would judge the winning entries in the next week.

Click on the picture below for a full size view:

Refreshments will be served in the Red Cross building afterwards.

November 2011

~~Children Perform at The Royal Albert Hall~~

Three of our current children, Matthew Brett, Rowena Jones and Andrew Beattie, and a number of pupils who have recently left the school, took part in a fantastic musical evening at The Royal Albert Hall. Having begun learning instruments at The Dingle they have furthered their talents playing for the Co-operative Junior Wind Band in Crewe. The band has progressed through county and regional selections before finally being asked to perform on a national stage at The Royal Albert Hall in the Music for Youth School Proms. I can assure you it was a fantastic evening, with many talented children taking part from all over the country. Congratulations and thank you to all the children who took part – it was certainly a very proud moment for our school to be associated with such a prestigious occasion.

To find out more about the Band go to http://www.co-operativeyouthwindbands.co.uk

~~ Governor Elections~~

The school currently has the following governor vacancies.

• 2 parent governors
• 2 community governors
• 1 LA governor

To fill these vacancies we will be holding parent governor elections in January.

~~E Safety Training~~

Last week, Mrs Scott from Sandbach High School visited The Dingle to talk to our children about how to keep safe while using the internet, Facebook and other public websites. Children were reminded that the minimum age for using Facebook was 13 and that they should be very careful in what information they should or should not share. They were also told about appropriate and inappropriate comments and sharing of photographs, that once posted cannot easily be recovered.

There will be an E Safety information evening for parents to attend at the High Schools early next year and I encourage all parents to attend so you are able to help your child stay safe. We will inform you of a date when we have it.

I would also like to remind parents of the Drug Awareness presentation for parents at the Boys’ School on Monday 21^st November at 6:30pm and Sandbach High School on Monday 28^th November for Year 6 parents of girls and boys and again would encourage you to attend.

~~The Dingle – Football Champions~~

I am very pleased to inform you that our Football Team have won the local primary school league. We will now progress to the semi finals of the Crewe and Nantwich Schools’ competition. Congratulations to all the children who have played in the matches, to those who have been valuable members of the squad and worked hard in training, and to Mr Whelan (The Gaffa). Good luck to you all as you aspire to be champions of South Cheshire ! Come on the Blues!

~~Netball~~

The Netball Team have also made a good start to the season with the A Team winning their first 2 matches and losing 1 and the B team taking part in 3 friendlies.

~~Anti Bullying Week~~

This week is National Anti Bullying Week. In assembly and in class your child has been reminded what a bully is and what to do if you feel bullied. On Wednesday we held a ‘Friendship Afternoon’ where all the children were given the opportunity to spend time with children from other classes and year groups taking part in a variety of fun activities.

Fortunately incidents of bullying appear to be very rare at The Dingle and where the school is informed we act immediately to sort the problem out. If your child raises a concern with you please inform your child’s class teacher.

~~Holidays~~

Just a reminder that parents are requested to avoid booking holidays in term time. If you request absence for holiday the authority’s formula for calculating authorised/unauthorised holiday will be applied. This formula is based on prior attendance and proximity to exams.  Please be aware that any continued unauthorised absence may result in a fixed penalty fine or prosecution.

~~Applications for School~~

Please be aware that this is the time for applying for a place at a Primary School for next September’s intake.  If you live in Cheshire East you must apply to Cheshire East Council.  New starters for Primary Schools have until December to complete the form.

If you have not already applied for a place, please log on to your councils web site below;

www.cheshireeast.gov.uk Search under Admissions

~~Money~~

Please can we ask parents not to send money that is for the school office in your child’s purse or loose in your child’s bag.  Money for trips and dinners should be in a clearly marked envelope with your child’s name, class and the purpose of the money.  Your child should hand the envelope to their class teacher where possible, or failing that, hand it in to Mrs Charlton or Mrs Robinson in the school office. 

~~Academy Photography~~

Please note that Academy Photography will be pickingup late orders on Tuesday 22^nd November 2011. Please ensure that all late photograph orders are handed into the school office before this date.

~~Clubs~~

Please note that where there is a charge for the clubs, this should be paid in full and in advance.

INSET DATES

• Wednesday 4^th January 2012
• Friday 1^st June 2012
• Friday 29^th June 2012
• Monday 3^rd September 2012

# INSET DAYS ARE NOT SET IN STONE AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

~~School Holidays 2011/2012~~

~~ PARENT LUNCHES~~

You are invited to attend your child’s class lunch. You will be sent an invitation with a reply slip to let us know if you will be attending. Please arrive at school at 11.55am where you will be met by your child and enjoy a Dingle Roast Dinner together. We would ask that you leave the school via the main entrance soon after you have finished eating and not accompany your child to the playground. Please see dates below.

Mrs Whiston                                      Wednesday 11^th January

Miss Fisher                                       Wednesday 18^th January

Mrs Mc Creery                      Wednesday 25^th January

Mrs Bradford                                   Wednesday 1^st February

Miss Trickett                                   Wednesday 8^th February

Miss Platt                                           Wednesday 22^nd February

Miss Young                                         Wednesday 29^th February

Mrs Bentley                           Wednesday 7^th March

Miss Parry                                          Wednesday 14^th March

Mrs Hayes /Mrs Hughes                   Wednesday 21^st March

Mr Whelan                                          Wednesday 28^th March

Mr Bennett                                         Wednesday 18^th April

Mrs Peever                                         Wednesday 25^th April

~~DATES FOR THE AUTUMN TERM DIARY~~

November

17^th PTA Cheese & Wine Evening (7.00 p.m. start)

21^ST Drugs awareness session – Sandbach School (6.30pm)

25^th Mrs McCreery’s Class Assembly – 9.10 a.m. parents welcome

28^th Drugs awareness session- Sandbach High School (6.30pm)

December

2^nd Mrs Bentley’s Class Assembly – 9.10 a.m. parents welcome

9^th Miss Hadzik’s Class assembly – 9.10a.m. parents welcome

13^th EYFS + KS1 Party Day (party clothes to be worn)

14^th KS2 Christmas Concert –Afternoon and Evening Performance (New performance)

15^th KS2 Christmas Concert – Evening Performance

16^th KS2 Christmas Dinner

19^th EYFS + KS1 Christmas Dinner

20^th KS2 Christmas Dinner and Disco (afternoon) – BREAK UP FOR XMAS HOLIDAY

~~FUTURE EVENTS~~

Monday 27^th February 2012                          Year 6 Bikeability

Tuesday 28^th February 2012             Year 6 Bikeability

Wednesday 29^th February 2012                   Year 6 Bikeability

Parents’ Evening (late)

Thursday 1^st March 2012                               Parents’ Evening (early)

Wednesday 28^th March 2012                        Spring Fair (6.30 p.m. start)

Thursday 31^st May     2012                            Sports Day (KS2 a.m., KS1 p.m.)

Tuesday 12^th June 2012                                 New Starters’ Intake Evening

Wednesday 13^th June 2012                           Reserve Sports Day

Monday 18^th June 2012                                  New Intake afternoon visit

Tuesday 19^th June 2012                                 New Intake afternoon visit

Monday 25^th June 2012                                 Photographs (classes & teams)

Thursday 28^th June 2012                              Transition Day – Year 6 to High School

Other year groups meet new teachers

Thursday 5^th July2012                                  Parents’ Open Afternoon

Friday 6^th July 2012                                      Grandparents’ Open Afternoon

Thursday 19^th July 2012                                Leavers’ Assembly

School Disco

(These dates are current at the time of writing but may be subject to change.  Please check future newsletters for updates.)

After apologies for absence and declaration of interests the Chairman closed the meeting to allow Colin Lythgoe of the Haslington Conservationists to take control of the Gold Award that was presented to them at the recent North West in Bloom event in recognition of the valuable work the conservationists do to keep a little of the countryside as it should be. The trophy  can now been seen in the Food for Thought Bakery in Haslington.

Haslington and Winterley were awarded Silver Certificates for the floral displays throughout the Parish. Congratulations and appreciation was expressed to all who took part in making these awards possible.

The Best Kept Garden Awards were held recently.  This is a lovely community event giving a little back to all who make the parish look so good and pleasing to the eye. A letter had been received by the Chairman via Webmaster@Haslington.org congratulating all who made this event so successful..

PC  Nick Moore reported that very little criminal activity took place in the month of October.  Sadly we are to lose the services of  PCSO Aynsley Threadgold who is leaving to join the British Transport Police and is not going to be replaced leaving PC Moore and PCSO Colin Charlesworth to police the parish.  Aynsley was well known locally and did an invaluable job making and maintaining contact with the youth in the area and he will be clearly missed.

Councillor Lee Allen asked PC Moore about the road closures for street parties on 3 June 2012 to allow the safety of these events to take place.  He was not sure of the procedures at the moment but said if possible he would find out for the next meeting.

Parking on pavements was still an issue and if this parking resulted in the pavement being completely blocked forcing people to step into the road prosecution was very likely.

Dogs on the Gutterscroft Playing Field was again a cause for concern.  The noticeboards state quite clearly that dogs are not allowed on the playing field but selfish dog owners are ignoring the signs and even worse, allowing dogs to foul the field where children are playing.  A complaint was made to the Parish Council that a pitbull type of dog had picked up a ball in its mouth that was being used by the children to play football and popped it.  The ball cost £15.00 and the owner of the dog had the nerve to say the boys should have picked the ball up before the dog got to it.  Complaints have been made about children coming home with dog dirt on their clothes after playing on the field.  The Parish Council urgently requests that dog owners do not exercise their dogs on the playing field and the Dog Warden is to be notified about this problem.

If a street light is out and reported to the Parish Council or direct to Cheshire East could the number of the light be noted to enable repairs to be made more quickly.  This number is clearly marked on the lamp post.

A request for allotments has again been made and this matter is being looked at by the Chairman.  Requests regarding allotments made earlier in the year had shown little ongoing interest and no progress had therefore been maintained.

It was reported that the Arriva 37 and 38 bus service ran along Crewe Road in Haslington every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday. The route and the timetable for the 20 service has been altered and now runs via Crewe Road, the Dingle and Primrose Avenue.  The first of this service is timed for 09.08 at Primrose Avenue 09.14 at Oakland Avenue and continues through to the Dingle.  If parishioners wish to access the full timetable for this service please go the First website www.firstgroup.com or telephone 01244 973330

Councillor Mrs D Farrall