Covid Restrictions
Author Archives: Monxton Matters
Easter Church Services
St Mary’s Monxton
We are pleased to inform you that regular church services will resume at Easter, the first being at 11am on Good Friday and then Holy Communion at 10am on Easter Day. Following on from this there will be Morning Prayer on the 2nd Sunday and Holy Communion on the 4th Sunday of each month.
Restrictions are still currently in place and so face masks should be worn and there will be no singing as yet. Social distance needs to be maintained in church and so I would please ask that if you intend to come to either of the Easter services, you contact me as seating is limited. We would love to welcome as many as we can accommodate safely.
Many thanks, David Baugh
david.baugh4@btinternet.com or 710641.
Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator
Your Village Needs You!
David James has been acting as Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator for Monxton for almost eight years and is now looking to recruit a successor.
Neighbourhood Watch (NW) is the largest voluntary organisation in the UK – one in seven homes across the country is a member of a scheme and they work with each other and the Police to reduce crime and the fear of crime in their community.
In Hampshire we have over 4,500 schemes covering about 150,000 homes. In a time of cuts the Police cannot deal with all the problems and issues arising from crime and antisocial behaviour alone. They need the help of the whole Community. NW provides a way for local people to play an important part in addressing this balance and making their communities safer.
The role of the Coordinator involves the need to:
- Keep contact details of scheme members and ensure this is passed to subsequent coordinators.
- Welcome new residents, explain NW and encourage them to join.
- Have a system that allows information to be distributed quickly to your members – i.e. warnings about crimes, incidents or scams. This is currently done via Monxton Matters.
- Encourage members to report to the Police any criminal or suspicious activity in the area. They should also tell the coordinator, so a warning can be passed on to the neighbours if necessary.
- Encourage neighbours to get to know each other.
- Identify your vulnerable neighbours – keep in touch with them.
- Help neighbours by signposting relevant information.
- Support local crime and safety initiatives.
Anyone interested in taking on this important role should contact David for more information on 01264 710049 or djamescdr@gmail.com. Additional training and advice will be made available through Hampshire & IoW Neighbourhood Watch Association.
COVID Vaccination Scam Alert
There have been reports of a new scam where a person receives a text saying they need to book a vaccination appointment and it takes them to a fake NHS form which then asks for their bank details to prove their identity.
The NHS will never ask for a person’s banking information so please do not provide as it will be a scam
There is a texting scam leaflet you can download here: https://cfa.nhs.uk/resources/downloads/fraud-awareness/covid-19/COVID-19_SMS_and_Text_Message_Scams.pdf
The scam has been reported in the media here: https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/science-technology/1378158/NHS-Covid-19-Vaccination-Vaccine-Appointment-Pfizer-BioNTech-Text-Scam-How-To-Avoid
Christmas Church Service, Monxton
St Mary’s Church, Monxton
Christmas is going to be quite different for everyone this year and our Christmas Day 10am service is no exception. Face masks must be worn, there will be no singing and social distancing must be maintained. This means we are restricted by the number of pews we can make available. One family can occupy one of the 14 available pews or 2 individuals. It would be really helpful if you intend to come individually or as a family if you let us know in good time to avoid disappointment. We certainly don’t want to turn anyone away and we want the service to be as meaningful and enjoyable as ever. I can be contacted on 710641 or by email on david.baugh4@btinternet.com
Wishing everyone in our parish a very happy Christmas from St Mary’s
Christmas Celebration 19th December
Village Hall CIL Fund Bid
Members of Monxton Parish Council, the Village Hall Committee, and other generous volunteers have all spent a considerable amount of time preparing the documents and supporting information which has now been submitted for TVBC’s CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) Fund Bid.
The CIL Fund is for infrastructure projects in Test Valley that often require funding in excess of most grants and awards. We anticipate it to be the majority of the funding for the new village hall building, which will most likely be named the Pillhill Hub.
Our bid has been enhanced by some wonderful 3D drawings, which were kindly and generously created free of charge by Andrew Down of Pocket Protector Projects in Grateley.
Remembrance Service Cancelled
From St Mary’s Monxton
It is with regret that due to the current Lockdown measures the annual service of Remembrance to be held in Monxton Church this Sunday has had to be cancelled.
This does not prevent us from remembering and giving thanks for those from this parish who gave their lives during the two Great Wars.
The church will be open this and every Sunday for private prayer until further notice
Please hold in your prayers: –
1914 – 1918
- PRIVATE ERNEST M. BLAKE
- PRIVATE G. FOSTER
- PRIVATE CONRAD GUYATT
- PRIVATE CHARLES KINGSTON
- SERGEANT MAJOR ROBERT LEVY
- PRIVATE SIDNEY RICHARDSON
- PRIVATE LEONARD RUSSELL
- PRIVATE ERNEST GEORGE WHITE
1939 – 1945
- STEWARD SYDNEY JOHN ALDER
- PETTY OFFICER HERBERT HENRY BOUNDS
- CORPORAL ERNEST E. GRAY
- SIGNALMAN JOHN HENRY POTTER
- WARRANT OFFICER ELIAS CHARLES WILLIAM WHEELER
- CORPORAL HENRY LONGMAN
Planning Permission for a New Village Hall
Monxton Parish Council and Village Hall Committee are delighted to announce that, following many months of discussions and negotiations with TVBC, we have now received planning permission for the new village hall as of the 16/10/20.
We now need to raise the funds to pay for the building work required to demolish the current hall and build the new village hall plus equip it with the kitchen, toilets and other equipment. This will be raised from the Community Infrastructure Levy Fund (CIL) via a bid we are making for a grant for a significant sum of money, in addition to the funds we have already accumulated.
If you have any skills in preparing grant applications or wish to assist in any way with any aspect of the project, please contact Penny Kitson (Hall Chairman) on penny@kitsonsonline.co.uk or Sarah Dowding on sarah@classictravelling.com
We will also be looking at fund-raising events over the next few months and into next year so if you have any ideas please contact Penny or Sarah.
Finally, thank you to all those villagers who provided written support either on the planning portal or the Monxton website as this will be used in evidence for the grant application
Oktoberfest Report
In stark contrast to the weather for the recently successful socially distanced Harvest Celebration just 3 weeks ago, even more locals pitched out yet again in damp and chilly ‘timed intervals’ around Amport and Monxton last weekend, to help raise more funds for local causes.
This time the same Ladies group joined forces with newly ‘localised’ American Master Brewer, Tim Hartigan, to recreate the atmosphere of a German beer festival inspired by ‘Fraulein’ Melanie Bacon! Pre-booked guests were invited to book a table for a beer tasting and then be served a variety of delicious Bratwurst from the outdoor kitchen which also doubled up as a takeaway for casual passers-by. Declared yet another compliant success in difficult circumstances the event raised another £300 but did so much more than money in supporting social cohesion, goodwill amongst neighbours and of course wellbeing across all ages. Wunderbar!”
