Village news from Helen Price – 28th Feb 2019

Published 25 February 2019

Kings Bromley Whist Drives

Tuesday afternoon whist drives in the Village Hall begin at 1.30 for a prompt 2.00 pm start. They continue weekly due to popular demand. If you have not been before how about giving it a try, we play friendly whist with a break for tea and coffee. Entrance £1.50 to cover the cost of hiring the Village Hall.

Dedication Event at Kings Bromley Village Hall

On Saturday 2 March at 2pm, there will be an event in Kings Bromley Village Hall to dedicate a new piece of playground equipment donated by a charity concerned with Motherhood, Loss and the First World War. Everyone is welcome to come along to join in the celebration which will include singing by the Village Harmony Choir and poetry readings from pupils of Richard Crosse school. Kings Bromley Historians will be putting on a display commemorating the 14 men from Kings Bromley who died in WWI. Refreshments will be provided by the WI. Entrance is free.

The newly revised Village Hall refurbishment plan will also be on display and the appointed builder, RJK, will be present to meet any village hall users. The Parish Council is pleased to announce that the refurbishment project starts on 25th March and will take about eight weeks.

Kings Bromley Open Gardens 2019

The Kings Bromley Open Gardens weekend will take place on 15th and 16th June. If you would like to take part in this and live within the village boundary, there will be an initial meeting for all those expressing an interest at 36 Alrewas Road on Tuesday 12th March starting at 8.00 p.m. Please ring Alison or Allan Howard on 01543 472720 for further information.

Outline Planning Application for 57 dwellings

Published 23 February 2019

A planning application has been received by the parish council for 57 dwellings to the rear of numbers 67 to 105 Alrewas Road. This is an outline application and the parish council’s planning sub committee will be discussing its response to Lichfield District Council at its scheduled meeting on 14th March. The sub committee meets immediatley after the full council meeting and this is usually around 9.30pm. Members of the public are welcome to attend. The parish council will respond based upon the views of its councillors. The public are free to make their own response directly to Lichfield District Council if they so wish. This is the link to their web site http://www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/Council/Planning/Planning-guidance/Commenting-on-a-planning-application.aspx

Village news from Helen Price – 21st Feb 2019

Published 18 February 2019

Wednesday Club

Our speaker in February was Jacqueline Smith from Nova Chocolates, a small specialised company based in Shropshire, who talked to us about what she described as “the best job in the world” – the making and selling of luxury handmade chocolate.
Jacqueline began with a brief history of chocolate beginning with the Mayan people who it is believed created the first chocolate beverage some 2,500 years ago. The Maya harvested the seeds — or beans — from cacao trees, fermented, dried and roasted them, removed their shells and ground them into paste. They then combined this paste with water, cornmeal, chili peppers and other spices to create a nutritious drink.
Chocolate first arrived in Europe in the 1550’s when it was introduced to the Spanish Court. London’s first Chocolate House opened in 1657. Chocolate remained in beverage form until the 1800’s when British confectioners added sugar and cocoa butter to create a malleable paste that could then be packaged as “eating chocolate.” In 1868, the Cadbury company manufactured and sold the first mass produced boxed chocolates, in addition to selling individual bars and chocolate pieces. The processes involved in the manufacture of chocolate have remained essentially unchanged since the Industrial Revolution.
Jacqueline then went on to talk about the potential health benefits of chocolate and small samples of dark, milk and white chocolate were passed around for us to try.
The talk concluded with a demonstration on how to make and decorate a simple chocolate lollipop. Lin, our Chair, having volunteered to “have a go” was meticulous in ensuring that no chocolate went to waste!
There was then an opportunity to purchase from a range of handmade chocolates including boxes, bars and lollipops. Needless to say, many of us took the opportunity!

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday March 6th at 2.30pm in the Village Hall when we will be “Behind Bars” with Stephen Geale.

Kings Bromley W.I.

Well, 7th February was a great night, the ladies of the KBWI gathered for their Christmas meal. Late, but we like to have the event after Christmas as there is so much going on before and just after.

We enjoyed the Royal Oak’s hospitality. Popular with the WI ladies, the food was exceptional. We enjoyed either two or three courses, accompanied by whatever drink took the ladies’ fancy, followed by tea and coffee. The quality of service was excellent as was the entertainment value of ‘John’; he’s worth his weight in gold! All the food was out on time and that takes some doing with 33 ladies all talking at the same time. We had a great raffle; the winners appeared well pleased with their prizes. A great time was had by all.

Any of the ladies of the village who would like to come and join us, we meet the first Thursday of each month. Or why not just come along and visit, as a guest? On the third Thursday afternoon of each month those who wish to, meet informally for a ‘tea and chat’ from 2pm until 4pm at the Royal Oak. Some ladies bring their handicrafts along, but no pressure if you just want some company you can be sure of a warm welcome.

High-Speed Rail (West Midlands – Crewe) Bill

Published 16 February 2019

Many residents in the village have had a letter today from HS2 concerning documents relating to the above. The Parish Council have copies of the documents and over the next few days will be going through them to look at any impact on the Village. Our major concern remains the closure of Common Lane during the
Construction Phase (lasting 5 years).

When we have looked at the implications we will up-date the Parish Council web-site and let you know what further actions the Parish Council need to take.

If any resident has specific concerns, then please contact Charles Cole on charleswcole13@aol.com or phone 07768 465044.

As always, we will try to keep all residents up to date with any developments.

Village Hall Refurbishment to start in March

Published 14 February 2019

The Parish Council is pleased to announce that the contract to carry out the refurbishment work has been awarded to local firm RJK Construction.

Work will commence on 25th March and will take about 8 weeks.

Every effort will be made to keep access to the main hall and upstairs rooms open, ask Julie Bamber for details concerning your particular meetings. However, assume that the kitchen and toilets will be unavailable during this period: Portaloos will be open outside.

The plans have changed slightly from those that have been displayed in the lobby for the last few months. The revised plans will be displayed in the Village Hall during the ‘Motherhood and Loss’ playground equipment launch event which will run from 2pm to 5pm on Saturday 2nd March. Representatives from the Parish Council Working Group and from RJK will be there to answer questions and canvass opinions.

For those who have not yet done so please ‘Buy a Brick’ as this work is only part of a continuing programme of refurbishment. We wish to thank those village organisations and individuals who have already donated to the Refurbishment Fund, which now stands at over £25,000. We would also like to thank ‘Groundworks’, the HS2 Community & Environment Fund, for their grant which has made this work possible.

The Parish Council leases the Village Hall from the Lichfield Diocesan Trust. We have received from the Trust the permissions to carry out this work and to obtain an extension to the current lease which expires in 2035. The secretary to the Trust writes “… we pass on our grateful thanks to the Parish Council for making this facility of enormous benefit to the local community”.

Kings Bromley Parish Council.

Village news from Helen Price – 14th Feb 2019

Published 11 February 2019

Kings Bromley Gardening Guild

For the January meeting, Gardening Guild members and guests welcomed Zdenek Valkoun-Walker from the Dorothy Clive Garden who came to talk on the subject ‘Orchids Unravelled’. Zdenek gave a fascinating and comprehensive talk, wanting to dispel the myth that the cultivation of orchids is difficult. He mentioned the great variety of orchids, which make up the biggest plant family and most widespread plant on earth. They are highly evolved, and range from big plants (the size and weight of a mini car!) to tiny (fitting into a thimble), growing in the wild in India, Indonesia and Central and South America in cloud forests. Zdenek gave a lot of really useful information on the orchid’s growing requirements and finished by suggesting some easy orchids to grow.
Our next meeting is on 18th February, when Helen Harrison will be coming to talk on a very topical subject: ‘Snowdrops’.

Dedication Event at Kings Bromley Village Hall

On Saturday 2 March at 2pm, there will be an event in Kings Bromley Village Hall to dedicate a new piece of playground equipment donated by a charity concerned with Motherhood, Loss and the First World War. Everyone is welcome to come along to join in the celebration which will include singing by the Village Harmony Choir, poetry readings, a display about World War One by Kings Bromley Historians and refreshments provided by the WI. Entrance is free.

Coffee morning and Produce Sale, Saturday 16th February

A coffee morning will be held on Saturday 16th February in the Village Hall from 10.30 am until noon to raise Church funds. Entry is 50p which includes a cup of coffee. There will be a raffle, tombola and cake and produce stalls. We would welcome donations for the raffle of good quality items, including bottles of wine etc. and also cakes and produce. Please deliver raffle prizes and produce to Gill and Glen Wright at ‘Chaparral’, Yoxall Road. If possible please bring cakes to the Village Hall on the Saturday morning. The usual delicious Bacon Butties will also be available during the morning!

Bins to be out by 6.30am from 25 Feb

Published 7 February 2019

Residents who live in Lichfield District and Tamworth Borough will need to put their bins out by 6.30am on their collection day, starting from Monday 25 February.

Through the Lichfield and Tamworth Joint Waste Service, Lichfield District Council and Tamworth Borough Council are asking that residents from across both areas put their bins out 30 minutes earlier – by 6.30am rather than by 7am – on their collection day.

This is so bin collections can start earlier, to avoid peak traffic and finish rounds in the light by 3.30pm, which is safer.

Cllr David Leytham, Lichfield District Council’s Cabinet Member for Operational Services, Leisure & Waste, said:

“We’ve moved the start of our bin rounds forward by 30 minutes as our crews are getting stuck in traffic and have more homes to collect from as housing developments are built.

“Even if your bins are emptied later in the day, please make sure they are out by 6.30am as we may change our rounds when we’ve worked out the best routes.

“I’d like to thank everyone in advance for their help with this, however, as many bins go out the night before, most households shouldn’t notice the change.”

From 25 February, if your bin has not been emptied by 3.30pm, please report it as a missed bin online at www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/missedbins or call the team on 0345 002 0022.

To find out more about your bin collections, and what should go in each colour bin, visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/bins.

Village news from Helen Price – 7th Feb 2019

Published 4 February 2019

Kings Bromley Whist Drives

Tuesday afternoon whist drives in the Village Hall begin at 1.30 for a prompt 2.00 pm start. They continue weekly due to popular demand. If you have not been before how about giving it a try, we play friendly whist with a break for tea and coffee. Entrance £1.50 to cover the cost of hiring the Village Hall.

Coffee morning and Produce Sale, Saturday 16th February

A coffee morning will be held on Saturday 16th February in the Village Hall from 10.30 am until noon to raise Church funds. Entry is 50p which includes a cup of coffee. There will be a raffle, tombola and cake and produce stalls. We would welcome donations for the raffle of good quality items, including bottles of wine etc. and also cakes and produce. Please deliver raffle prizes and produce to Gill and Glen Wright at ‘Chaparral’, Yoxall Road. If possible please bring cakes to the Village Hall on the Saturday morning. The usual delicious Bacon Butties will also be available during the morning!

Jumble Sale, Saturday 6th April 2019

The annual church jumble sale will take place at 2.00 pm on Saturday 6th April at the Village Hall. We would be grateful for any items in good condition that we could sell – clothes, small bric-a-brac, books etc. are all welcome but we cannot accept any electrical items or large furniture. Please bring any items to the Hall on Saturday morning between 10.00 and 11.30. Should you have a problem transporting items, give Peter Gee on 472157 and he will arrange transport.
Offers to help sort and sell the goods would be most welcome – please contact Peter to confirm your availability.

Gardening Guild

Gardener’s thoughts are now turning to spring with the hellebores flowering and bulbs starting to appear. The very topical theme for the talk on 18th February in the Village Hall is “Snowdrops”; this talk was due to take place last February but had to be cancelled, so members are looking forward to hearing Helen Harrison talk on this subject. New members and visitors welcome.

Kings Bromley Bowling Club

Kings Bromley bowling club will be holding its AGM on Friday 15th February at 7.30 pm in the Village Hall. We welcome existing members and prospective new members to the meeting which will be followed by light refreshments.