Chairman’s jottings

At the Annual Parish Council Meeting held in May, I was re-elected as Chair and Councillor Roger Mason was elected as Vice-Chair. I am grateful for the confidence of my fellow councillors and will do my best to not disappoint! I take this opportunity to thank Councillor Dave Rogerson for all his efforts in his role as Vice-Chair in the last few years. With the anticipated progress in various areas of the Levens Community Project, the Parish Council felt that Roger Mason, as a key player in the Project, becoming Vice-Chair was a logical and beneficial decision. As usual the latest information regarding the Project is elsewhere in the full Newsletter (see below). May also saw elections for future members of the new Unitary Authority to replace SLDC next April. Congratulations to our Parish Councillor, Janet Battye, who was elected as member for the proposed new local ward.

June saw celebrations for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and as on previous national occasions, we had a beacon at Hyning. The weather was mixed, but by the time the beacon was lit the rain had stopped and Roger Mason's experience of constructing these celebratory fires ensured that with just two matches the fire rapidly became visible to all. My thanks go to Roger for moving all the fuel' up to Hyning and for its construction. Thanks also go to our Vicar, Bryan Kerr, for leading our cheers for Her Majesty. Thanks must also go to the organisers of celebrations and street parties which took place in the village over the four day bank holiday.

The sale of the old Carpet Shop is still progressing but not as smoothly as the Parish Council had hoped. We have again stated our support for the proposal and have provided further confirmation of the building's history for SLDC.

As I referred to in our last Newsletter the new village Website [ed: thanks for stopping by!] has been developed and has gone "live'. Whilst there are a few wrinkles to iron out, the Parish Council feel it is a giant leap forward and hope you agree. Our grateful thanks go to Tom Hecht for all the work and expertise he has put into this project.

Other items currently under consideration include the possible replacement of the Parish Council Notice Board by the Methodist Church, because it is showing signs of age and is not really large enough for all the information we feel we have to display these days. The picnic area on the old W.I. site on Brigsteer Road needs the northern boundary wall extended and possibly some other changes. As mentioned elsewhere the Levens Charity has made two recent awards and hopefully will receive a boost to its funds in the near future. At our July meeting we heard about the 20 mile an hour limit recently introduced to the centre of Arnside. It has taken years to be implemented with several surveys and questionnaires on the way. The cost was around £20,000. Something for us all to ponder over.

Please take care, stay safe and do not hesitate to contact any member of the Parish Council if you have any concerns or suggestions to improve our village.

Roger Atfield – Chair Levens Parish Council