Village Views continued from previous page
It’s a small world! Dear Editor – My daughter and I were sitting outside a pub in Lon- don, having chosen it at random for a bite to eat. An elderly gentle- man came to sit at our table, and asked where we were from. “The Midlands’,’ I said. “Where in the Midlands?” he asked. “North Worcestershire,” I said. “But exactly where?” he asked. “A little village called Barnt
Green,” I replied. “That’s where I am from!” he said. It transpired that Simon Bendall
lived with his parents, from the 1950s, at the corner of Twatling Road and Plymouth Road. He remembered that Mr Mitchell, or Mr Butler, lived over the road. We spent an hour as he reminisced about his early life, his parents, and characters in the village. A lovely old chap, and what a co- incidence to meet a fellow villager in London! I wonder if anyone here remembers Simon?
Tony Smollett Barnt Green
And the decision is
. . . no decision! Dear Editor – I would like to submit two responses for the price of one.
I am delighted that the “straight
man” [former parish councillor Edwin Gumbley] is making a stand over the proposed public toilet in Barnt Green, but I am disappointed that no decision has yet been made. The most common decision in local government bureaucracy is to “decide not to decide”. This is why very little is achieved, but at least no one can get the blame! Turning now to the outstand- ing landscaping achievement at Burcot: I congratulate Hannah Genders’ concept but this in my
18 The Village July 2017 CAN YOU GUESS THE CLOSE-UP?
Village reader Mark Winson sent us some close-up images of interesting sights around Alvechurch – can you identify where this one is? The answer is on page 67 – no prizes for this, just the satisfaction of being right!
view has been totally destroyed by the hen coop or “Tardis” which has landed in its midst. A sore thumb or, as royalty would
have it, a “carbuncle”; alien in de- sign with a token pathetic gesture of a turfed roof.
David Barton, Weatheroak, Alvechurch Thanks from
Councillor Kate Dear Editor – I would like to thank everyone who voted for me in the district council elections. I am delighted to have been elected to represent Alvechurch Village ward, and I’m committed to being an accessible councillor, willing to listen and to work hard for the people I represent. As an independent candidate, I will be putting local interests ahead of party politics. Protecting our Green Belt is a
priority for me and I’ll be fighting to make sure that when building
much-needed new housing stock, we make the best use of brown- field sites before eroding more of our Green Belt. We also need to ensure ad-
equate investment into infrastruc- ture and services so the impact of new developments on existing communities is minimised. Alvechurch is a brilliant village and one of the things which makes it so special is its vibrant range of community events, clubs and societies – all of which are run by hardworking and committed volunteers who give their time generously. I’m keen to promote a strong sense of community, to support our existing volunteers, including helping access funding, and en- couraging others to get involved too. Thank you again, and I look
forward to representing you. Kate Van Der Plank District Councillor Alvechurch Village
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
