Marston Meysey Matters
This site will publish material relating to, and of interest to readers in Marston Meysey and the surrounding district. Send your material and any queries to admin@marston-meysey.info .
Updates and reminders will be sent for the public events and, where necessary, will include a call for support.
Events Calendar 2010
The list below shows the currently agreed dates for events sponsored by the MMVHA in 2010; it is not definite and does not preclude other groups organizing their own events using the facilities at the Village hall.
|
Event |
Date |
Time |
|
MMVHC meeting |
February 3rd |
1930 |
|
Annual Rummage Sale |
24th April |
1400 onwards |
|
Village BBQ |
June 20th |
1730 onwards |
|
Dog show and Fete |
22nd August |
1400 onwards |
|
100 Club renewal and party |
9th October |
1830 onwards |
|
Christmas Craft Fayre |
18th November |
1830-2030 |
|
AGM of MMVHA |
24th November |
1930 |
| Pamper evening | TBA | TBA |
Coffee mornings are held in the hall, between 10.30 AM and 12 noon on the second Monday of each month
Village playground
The village playground is currently under review, fortunately , we have obtained a grant for its badly needed restoration. Three possible schemes are under consideration and estimates have been received. All the schemes include some of the existing apparatus with the addition of different types of new equipment. In order to test public opinion on the best scheme to adopt local users were invited to a small exhibition of the different schemes and invited to give their opinions by means of a vote. The pictures below were taken by Harry Seaton at the exhibition.
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Click on picture for a larger image.
Cotswold Canals Trust (CCT) update
The following news letter has been received from CCT.
Cotswold Canals News
Many of you may be unaware that the Thames and Severn Canal passes through our area! Admittedly it has disappeared in some places and is overgrown in others – but it is gradually coming back to life.
The 37 mile canal was built to link England’s two greatest rivers and was completed in 1789. As a result of competition from railways and roads, the eastern section of the canal was abandoned by 1927. The stretch from Sapperton Tunnel to the River Thames at Inglesham, near Lechlade passes through some beautiful, if remote, countryside. The towpath is readily accessible from Coates to Trewsbury Bridge, and again from Siddington to Eisey. The intention is to eventually link these sections and also to extend the path to the Thames. This would then form part of a new long distance footpath, the Thames & Severn Way, enabling the public to become acquainted with the canal, its heritage, its wildlife and the surrounding countryside.
Local groups of volunteers are also actively engaged in maintenance of the towpath, keeping the canal clear, monitoring the condition of the route and restoring canal structures. Restoration work has included the rebuild of the tunnel entrance at Coates, the rebuild of a bridge at Ewen, clearance of the flight of locks at Siddington, and rebuilds of locks near South Cerney and at Cerney Wick. Much clearance took has taken place last winter near the Cotswold Gateway Centre, with the intention of dredging this section in the autumn. This will put a 1.3km length back in water and assist with flood prevention by draining the surrounding area. Volunteers have also cleared the canal bed and redefined the junction with the North Wilts Canal at Latton. Further east, near Marston Meysey, volunteers from the Cotswold Canals Trust and others are engaged in the rebuild of Eisey Lock. Finally, the Cotswold Canals Trust now has the freehold of the first 100m of canal from the River Thames at Inglesham. This includes the first lock on the canal. The lock and junction area will be restored over the next few years.
To do more things, we need more volunteers! Canal and towpath restoration is good fun, it gets you out of the house, you meet new people - and it makes a difference to the local environment. Activities range from scrub clearance to bricklaying, and paperwork to excavating. If you think you might be interested, call Jon Pontefract on 01453 754287 or 07986 351412, or email to jonponte@tesco.net
The intention is to eventually join up all of these initial restorations and clearances. Some of this will be achieved by negotiation with local landowners, and some by agreement obtained between aggregates companies and local planners.
Local councils and residents can assist in this process by monitoring the condition of the canal route in their areas. Encouraging use of the towpath and pressing for extension of public or permissive rights of way will help. Eventually we need to convince everyone that, not only is the restoration of the canal a realistic proposition, it is a positive benefit to everyone.
Jon Pontefract
May 2010