Happy Springtime everyone
Spring has sprung but it is all very wet and soggy around the village.
The Guerilla Gardeners have started attacking the weeds and overgrown vegetation again and hopefully, our many paths and walkways will dry off soon
Youth Hall Opening:
We are delighted to be able to say that we have completed our Youth Hall Energy Improvement Project following a very generous grant from Dorset Council, funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) Levelling Up. This work has included installing a new innovative Wi-Fi-controlled heating system, LED and emergency lighting throughout, and new hand dryers for the WCs, plus any new wiring that was required. With the fresh paint, good lighting and added warmth, the Youth Hall is looking very homely, and we are now able to offer a range of activities.
🍵Warm Space Chat Café
From Wednesday 10th April, we will be open on Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 11am to 2:30pm for the warm space/chat café. This will be a quiet space for people to meet and natter, or just read and maybe play a board game; whatever you wish. There will be simple refreshments, including a variety of Teas, Coffees and Hot Chocolate, a range of biscuits, a selection of soups and a supply of toast. We will review what is on offer as we get to know what people would like.
😜Youth Club
Please note: these details have changed from original publication.
Due to contractual requirements- the club will now be starting from Tuesday 21st May 2024. It will run in two sessions across the evening:
- School years 6-7: 6pm-7:30pm
- School years 8+: 7:30pm-9pm
Sessions will cost £1 and membership will require parental agreement
In the meantime, the building will be open on Tuesday evenings from 6pm – 8pm, and can be used by families who wish to play table tennis and pool, or have a chill out with a coffee, etc.
If you are interested in volunteering to be a youth work assistant or young youth leader, please get in touch – we can provide training 😊
🏓Table Tennis
Wednesdays from 2:30 – 5pm will be table tennis time! You can book a game of table tennis for either 30 minutes or an hour.
🚂General Hiring of Youth Hall space
Outside of these community sessions, the Youth Hall will be available to book for your own activities, including group meetings, or clubs who want to focus on card or board games, table tennis or pool, etc. If anyone would be interested in a ‘model train club’ one evening a month, please let us know.
Please contact the Parish Clerk at lytchettmatravers@dorset-aptc.gov.uk or LMYouthHall@gmail.com to get a copy of the Hall Hire rates, Hiring Agreement, and Terms & Conditions or download them from here.
Sports Pavilion Works
The Sports Pavilion is an important feature of the Rec, but upgrades to the double doors meant that the terrace area now feels very narrow. Consequently, we are now extending the terrace southwards to make it much more spacious with ample clearance around the doors.
To give it better access this will include a wide set of central steps up to the double doors, along with the existing path from the upper car park for disabled access. Overall safety will be maintained by installing a traditional-looking white picket fence around the perimeter.
We are also filling in the gap between the pavilion and the Scout Hut. This will be a purpose-built store for the football goalposts, which have dictated its shape!
D-Day 80th Anniversary commemorations Thursday 6th June 2024:
We have now finalised our timetable of events to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landing on June 6th, 1944. Dorset was a major preparation area for the departing forces and no doubt there are stories about Lytchett’s part in that:
- 5:00pm: Commemorative Film – The Longest Day – shown in conjunction with Purbeck Film Festival. Village Hall doors open at 5pm. The film will run from 5:30pm – 8:45pm, with an intermission at 7pm, when teas and coffees will be provided. Tickets £5 to cover film licence, etc. Any surplus will be donated to the British Legion.
- 9:00pm: Beacon Lighting. The ceremony starts at 9pm, with the beacon lit at 9.15pm, accompanied by the reading of the Nation’s tribute.
- Fish & Chip suppers: Jo Meade’s fish & chip van will be #UpOnTheRec car park as usual. Pre-film or intermission suppers can be ordered from them in advance. Seating will be provided on the Village Hall terrace. No food will be allowed in the hall during the actual film screening.
- Pop-up bar: We are hoping to have a bar set up in the Sports Pavilion for the evening.
Local Elections 2nd May:
All seats across the Parish Council and main Dorset Council are up for election. Don’t forget you will need to take a photo ID with you to be able to vote. This can be a passport, driving licence, bus pass with photo, etc. Check the Electoral Commission website for the full list.
Remember: to be able to vote you need to be registered by April 16th. Applications for postal votes need to be made by 17th April, and proxy votes by 24th April. You can find all the details for this on the Dorset Council website ‘Register-to-vote’.
April Meetings:
The April meetings will be in the Village Hall. On Wednesday 10th and 24th at 7pm. Agendas are published online, and the report pack is available on request from the Parish Clerk. Meetings always start with public participation, so please come along if you have suggestions or questions that you would like to discuss with the PC or just want to hear what is going on.
Alf Bush,
Chairman, Lytchett Matravers Parish Council
For further information please visit our website at: https://lytchettmatraverspc.org/ or contact the Parish Clerk via lytchettmatravers@dorset-aptc.gov.uk