Welcome to the October round up of village news.
Parish Clerk retirement
It is with great regret that we have accepted the resignation of our long-standing parish clerk Tim Watton, who will step down from the role on October 31st. Tim has been the parish clerk for nearly 18 years, having started in that role in February 2006. In that time he has served with at least 6 different chairs and has overseen a huge number of changes in the village, including the transition of LMPC from a traditional paper-based activity to embracing the digital age.
With the growing size of the village, the number of activities that the LMPC are invovled with has increased significantly and Tim feels that it is now the moment to take a more relaxed approach to life as he approaches retirement. I am sure that you join with us, and Parish Councillors both past and present, in wishing him the very best for the future.
Contacting the Parish Council
We have introduced a new mobile phone number for the Parish Council – 07596-885667. This is now live and will transfer to the new parish clerk once appointed. As always, you can still contact the PC by email at lytchettmatravers@dorset-aptc.gov.uk.
Allotments
The Allotment plot agreements run from January – December, and therefore it is that time of year again when the allotment agreements are reviewed and renewed. There are usually a small number of plot holders who decide not to renew, to if you have been considering applying for a local allotment, this is the moment. Please email us if you would like to be added to the current waiting list.
Guerrilla Gardeners
The Guerrilla Gardeners have had a busy year. The hedges, grass and verges have continued to sprout longer into the year because of all the good weather and we really need to get a good second round of village tidying in this month.
The tasks are not too onerous, generally involving weeding and pruning, but in addition to improving the overall appearance of the village, they make a huge difference to the accessibility of many of the paths which really helps a lot of people. The Guerrilla Gardeners is both a volunteer gardening group and a social group. If you would like to join us on Tuesday mornings for a snip, dig and chatter at 9.30am, please contact us on by email, or on the new mobile number, 07596-885667.
Village Summer Events
As previously announced, we are planning to join in with the national celebrations around the 80th anniversary of D-Day on June 6th next year. The format of this will be guided by the national organisers, but it is likely to follow the pattern of the Jubilee events in 2022, taking place up on the Rec and giving us a chance to light the beacon again.
We are also planning a summer family/village event on the weekend of June 22nd and 23rd. To get this started, we would like to consult with residents to understand what type of event you would like to have and what you would like us to do. Therefore, Councillor Rob Aspray, who was a long-time member of the carnival committee, will be holding a short village consultation on Wednesday November 8th at 6pm in the Village Hall Blanchard Room to give anyone and everyone the opportunity to drop by and tell us your ideas. Please pop the date and time into your diary, have a think about how what you would like to see at the next village event and then come along, even if only for a few minutes, to let us know. If you are unable to make that date due to other commitments, please email us with your thoughts and ideas at lytchettmatravers@dorset-aptc.gov.uk.
Council Vacancies
Parish Councillor: Lytchett Matravers Parish Council is designated to have 11 councillors, with the goal of providing the widest possible representation of the different groups within the village. We are currently looking for a new councillor. This is a voluntary role, and we would like to meet anyone who has an interest in village activities and is keen to help with improving the village we live in for the benefit of all. Please contact the Parish Clerk or one of the current councillors to find out more.
Parish Clerk: We are advertising for a new Parish Clerk. Please get in touch or visit the DAPTC website for more detail about this role
Upcoming meetings
This month’s Parish Council meetings will be on 11th and 25th October, at 7pm in the Blanchard Room of the Village Hall. Agendas and meeting minutes are available online and can be sent to you automatically if you register for our emails and newsletter on the LMPC website. If you would like a copy the report pack, please email the Parish Clerk who will send them through to you.
There is a slight change of date to the final four meetings of the year, which will now be on 8th and 29th November and 13th & 20th December.