Editorial:
Fete Day this year is Saturday 3rd July commencing at 2.00pm.  Come along and enjoy an afternoon of fun for all the family.
We send good wishes to Vicki Hebblethwaite, our Rose Queen, and her retinue and hope they have a day to remember.

Deadline for August Edition:   Thursday 23rd July
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Dates for your Diary:

Friday 2nd July   Green Household Bin

Saturday 3rd & Sunday 4th NGS Open Gardens - 1 Frandley Cottages 12.00 – 5.00pm

Friday 9th July   Brown Garden Bin, Recycling Boxes, Newspapers

Sunday 11th July  Rambling Club 9.45am School Lane Car Park

Friday 16th July  Green Household Bin
   Antrobus4Youth Event Village Hall 7.00

Friday 23rd July  Brown Garden Bin, Recycling Boxes, Newspapers

Friday 30th July  Green Household Bin
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BE VIGILANT!!!
It's that time of year again when we leave our windows and doors open.  Please be vigilant and don't forget to lock up even if you are just pottering around in the garden.  Also, secure land by keeping field gates locked.
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TAKE TIME TO READ THE FOLLOWING

FLUSHING facial, baby or household wipes down the drain could cost you and the environment more than you think.

These increasingly popular disposable wipes can now be found in over two thirds of blocked shared drains.  They also contribute to flooding as contrary to popular belief they do not easily break down and are not suitable for flushing through toilets. Environmental Health has seen a sharp increase in the number of complaints received from householders over the past couple of years.

 

As many drains are private and the responsibility of the householder, cost to unblock drains is therefore often shared with surrounding neighbours. It can be difficult to identify where the wipes have come from and understandably many people are unhappy to pay towards the work required due to the actions of others.  

For further information or advice ring United Utilities on 0845 746 2200 or visit www.unitedutilities.com 
You can also speak to your local Environmental Protection Team on 0300 123 8 123
For general consumer advice contact Consumer Direct on 08454 040506 http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk


PARISH COUNCIL

Due to the lateness of the Parish Council meeting this month (Parish Council meetings are held on the 3rd Monday of each month) and the deadline for producing the Village News in time for the Antrobus Fete, there are no details of the June Parish Council meeting this month.   Next month's issue will include details of both the June and July meetings.  

The following is an edited version of a presentation made by Ann Barlow at the Quality Councils Forum in February 2010.

*     Reminder regarding vacancy on Parish Council
       The closing date for applications to reach the Parish Clerk is no later than Friday 9th July.

ANTROBUS  PARISH COUNCIL : A QUALITY PARISH COUNCIL.
 
The quality parish and town council scheme was launched in 2003 with the aim of recognising the importance of the work of local councils and providing a benchmark minimum standard for parish and town councils across the country.
 
To be accredited as a quality council a council has to have a Clerk who holds an AQA certificate in Local Council Administration and meet certain criteria.  Quality status requires a council to show that it is representative of the community, communicates with its residents and is properly managed and responsible.   Antrobus Parish Council was awarded quality status in September 2006 and has to apply for re-accreditation this year.     Since 2006 two councillors have attended quarterly meetings with other quality councils in Cheshire.  At some of these meetings there is a presentation and discussion session.  Earlier this year there was a request for a presentation from a small council as compared to Northwich, Middlewich and Weaverham and so there was a presentation from Antrobus
 
"Tonight I am going to share with you my thoughts on how having quality status is important to a small Parish Council like Antrobus, a village with a population of approximately 820 and 640 electors and an annual precept for 2010/11 of £8,428 to some of you a mere drop in the ocean.
 
How does Quality Status affect individuals, the councillors, the clerk and the community and what signs are there to show that Antrobus has a Quality Parish Council?
 
Firstly Quality Parish Council status shows that the Council and its work have been examined externally and have been found to achieve a recognised standard.  It’s important not to underestimate the value of having policies and procedures in place and a clean audit.  If we have to tick boxes to show that this is the case then this is time well spent if it leads to greater efficiency and effectiveness.  Other speakers who are clerks have been perhaps too modest in that they didn’t mention the value of a trained and accredited Clerk. This is an important requirement.   The foundations of a trained clerk and efficient working practices are essential so that we can carry out the work that we are elected to do.  
 
Antrobus is a non political Parish Council and by and large people become councillors because they want to make a difference.  This means that people come to the Parish Council with a variety of backgrounds and talents. For many years Antrobus has had the reputation of having a good community spirit with individuals willing to devote many hours to working together on such projects as the building, extending and management of the Village Hall.

                       E-mail antrobuspc@yahoo.co.uk.

Chester West and Chester Borough Councillors, Marbury Ward.  
Malcolm Byram :   malcolm.byram@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk
Norman Wright :    norman.wright@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk
Keith Wilson :        keith.wilson@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk
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ANTROBUS4YOUTH
The next youth event will take place at the village hall on Friday 16th July.

As before, the event will be run by Connexions and will be for ages 11-14 (7-8pm) and 14-18 (8-9pm)

We now have a constitution for our youth group which is available on request. Our first priority is to raise funds so that we can manage these events alone, as Connexions can only support us during the set up phase. If you are interested in becoming a member of the 'Antrobus4Youth' charity, please contact Sharon Powell.

Please note the next youth event is fixed for Friday 3rd September, so please put it in your diaries!

18 July  11 am Service of the Word

 25 July  11am Holy Communion

 1 Aug.  11am Family Service
               6.30 pm United Service of Evensong

MY EXPERIENCE OF CONFIRMATION

On the 30th May 2010 a Confirmation Service was held at St. Mark's Church in Antrobus where members of Little Leigh, Whitely and Aston Churches came together to celebrate the confirmation of ten candidates.  The service was led by the Bishop of Chester, who is the Reverend Peter Foster.

When accepting Confirmation, you are saying 'yes' to Jesus's call and to follow him on our journey through life, for we confirm our faith in him.  This is what inspired me to be confirmed into the church.  I attend St Mark's regularly with my Gran.   I was touched by the support and friendliness that the church and chapel community and my family offered me by sending flowers and cards.                                  Ruth Wilkinson, Aged 13.

METHODIST CHURCH – SERVICES FOR JULY

4th - 11.00a m Fete Service

11th - 6.30pm Evening Service – Chris Taylor

18th - 6.30pm  Circuit Service at Padgate

25th - 6.30pm Evening Service – Hazel Bradlet

Flower Rota   
4th  – Mrs A Shaw   11tth   - Mrs A Pugh   18th  – No Service  25th –  Mrs P Brookes

Books for all ages!!  Please come along and browse through the books we have for sale.  Tea and cakes will also be on sale.

WALL Holiday Club Presents…

RAMBLING CLUB

The June walk was a fairly short one from the Ring O Bells at Daresbury, through wooded paths and down to the Bridgewater Canal and along up Hob Lane, and  across the road through the Creamfields Site.  As the pub lunch was not a great success it was decided that we would have a picnic for the July walk for a change.   The next walk on Sunday 12th July will be around the Kelsall area.  time of going to meet at the School lane Car Park at 9.45 bring elevenses, strong shoes and a PICNIC.   (Alternatively meet at Gresty's  Waste car park about 10.15am)

Once again, Sue Lawless is running in the Race For Life and is hoping to raise some money for Cancer Research UK.   If you would like to sponsor Sue, there is a form in the Village Shop or you can contact Sue at school.

At the meeting on 8th June, President Jane Schofield thanked Mo Frith for the table flowers.  She also thanked all who had helped in any way to make the Car Boot Sale successful

Village Group. It is our turn to receive the “Group” Bursary. Members were reminded about the 90th year postcard competition, which everyone may enter.

Members Night. June Bingham, Mary Taylor, Robin Martin, Annie Warburton, Joan Pitchfork and Anita Chapman volunteered to form a committee to organise the evening.

Village Fete, on 4th July.  As usual we will be walking in the procession, for which Janet Featonby is providing costumes. We will also have our stall selling cakes, pies, jams etc, plus organising and running the refreshments. We are having a rota for helpers to allow everyone to have a break.

Speaker Rev Michael Burgess, gave a most interesting and amusing talk about the “seven deadly sins”, providing us with much “food for thought”, as well as much laughter. He based his talk on a painting by Hieronymus Bosch who died in 1516. A vote of thanks was given by Mary Taylor.

Competition entitled “the eighth deadly sin” was won by Winsome Deakin with Joy Corlett second.    Scrabble and walking continue and all are welcome.

Next meeting Tuesday 13th July. John Mycock from the Mid Cheshire Barn Owl Conservation Trust is the Speaker.

THINGS MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME!!

APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside, I've just finished cleaning".

RELIGION  - "You'd better pray that will come out of the carpet"

TIME TRAVEL  - "If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week"

LOGIC  -"Because I said so, that's why"

IRONY -"Keep crying and I'll give you something to cry about"

OSMOSIS - "Shut your mouth and eat your supper"

CONTORTIONISM  - "Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck".

HYPOCRISY -"If I've told you once, I've told you a million times, Don't Exaggerate!"

ANTICIPATION - "Just wait until I get you home"

MEDICAL SCIENCE  -"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they will stick like that"

 
 CONGRATULATIONS
To Helen and Vashek Vanek of Barbers Lane on the birth of a son, Adam, weighing 7-lbs. 6-ozs. on the 14th June.

To Mark & Jennie Herd also of Barbers Lane on the birth of a girl, Lucy Elizabeth, weighing 8-lbs. 14-ozs. on the 24th June.  A welcome sister for Thomas and Oliver.

WELCOME TO:
Martin and Annabel Bailey, children Amelia and Max, and black Labrador  Bea,  who have moved into Shawbrook Farm, Keepers Lane.  We hope they enjoy living in Antrobus.

GOOD WISHES TO:
Philip and Kathleen Wilkinson who have moved into Woodbury on School Lane.

OBITUARY
We are sorry to hear of the death of Mrs Olive Webster, aged 104.
Mrs Webster was one of the first occupants of the bungalows in Lowe Crescent but went to live at Essendene Care Home 4 years ago.

We are also sorry to learn of the death of Mr Peter Duxfield of Knutsford Road.

THANK YOU

SMUDGE - As many of you will already know, Cara’s lovely cat, Smudge, died recently. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who looked for him when he disappeared and the many people who gave us their best wishes. Special thanks to Zoe Gallagher. Smudge was such a friendly little fellow and made quite an impact around the village (especially at the school) in his short little life.          Gavin & Helen Newby

RACE FOR LIFE – Michelle Dutton would like to thank all who sponsored her in the Race for Life in Delamere Park recently.  A total of £400 was raised.  Special thanks to the Antrobus Arms and Noel & Zoe Gallagher.


ANNOUNCEMENTS – JULY 2010
Carolyn and Donald Lowe are pleased to announce the wedding of their daughter Rachel to Adam Atkins (from Wolverhampton) at 12:30pm on Thursday 22 July 2010 at Great Budworth Church.  Anyone who would like to come and watch the happy couple get married would be most welcome!

Rachel met Adam at Salford University where they were both studying for a degree in Popular Music and Recording – in which they both achieved First Class degrees.  They have since been combining an element of music teaching, the development of their band “Milo Cho” and now studying for a Masters degree in the same subject also at Salford University.

Carolyn and Donald are also pleased to announce that their son Matthew has recently graduated from Jesus College Cambridge with a First Class degree in Economics.  From October 2010 he will be transferring his allegiances to Oxford where he will be studying for a Masters degree in Development Economics.      Over the summer he will be spending eight weeks on an internship as an economist with the Institute of Fiscal Studies in London, hoping to raise some funds for his Masters course!

Rhino Mania
Our beautifully painted rhino has gone off to this summer’s exciting exhibition in Chester. Well done to all the children who were involved in painting the rhino- she looks amazing!  As soon as we have more information about the location, we will let you know. Please go and visit her this summer. (5 July – 12 September)

 Tonight, I want to talk about some of the things initiated and facilitated by the Parish Council, The Newsletter, The Affordable Housing Scheme, The Playground the Community Shop and the Parish Plan. From the length of time some of them have been in existence you’ll see why Antrobus has been recognised as an active Parish Council for many years.   The newsletter, published monthly was established over 25 years ago and is delivered free to every house in Antrobus.  Ten houses in Manley Close, eight rented and two shared ownership, were built in 1993 to provide affordable housing in perpetuity for the people of Antrobus.  
The community shop, now in its seventh year of trading, is run entirely by volunteers and is open seven days a week.  Each of these projects was initiated by the Parish Council but now stand alone with their own committees or management. Parish Council still maintain the Playground and are involved in the Parish Plan.
 
A Quality Council should be pro-active and not reactive and it should be willing to initiate and establish projects and then leave them to develop on their own.  Also a quality council should encourage and support other councils planning similar ventures. This is something that we do.
 All the things mentioned so far are ongoing successes but we have had schemes that have been less successful or short lived such as our working with our young people.  However, we are always willing to persevere and yet again over the past year we have been working through the Parish Plan and guided by the young people themselves to set up something. To date two successful youth evenings have been held in the Village Hall.   Having quality status will I believe give us credibility in applying for grants.  But like other projects mentioned above it is hoped that the role of the Parish Council will eventually be to support and facilitate.
 
The guide to becoming a quality council has a long section on communications. One of the things we may or may not benefit from in being a small community is that everyone in the village probably knows a Parish Councillor.  This means we do get feedback, sometimes in the community shop but sometimes when shopping in Northwich. If we get things wrong in the opinion of the community, we are told and we are both small enough and big enough to change or put things right. Communication is a two way process so we listen to our parishioners and because of that we can truly represent them.
 
In Antrobus we still maintain the office of burleymen. In the past they were called upon to settle disputes between neighbours now it is, when appropriate, the quiet word, for example in the matter of overhanging branches or inconsiderate parking.
 I’ve mentioned the newsletter as a means of communication.  This year with the help of the newsletter team and their distributors the Parish Council has produced the Antrobus Quick Reference to help people access local general information and non commercial services more easily.  It is proving very useful, an Antrobus in miniature as it were. From the response we have received it will become an annual publication.   On the back there is an important logo.
 
You may be wondering when I will get round to electronic communication.  It is vital in this day and age and enhances person to person exchanges as well as being essential to the efficiency and effectiveness of the Parish Council I mentioned earlier. meetings and the annual report the Antrobus Parish Council website www.antrobus.info  has a paper on the role of a Parish Councillor together with our complaints and grants policies. The Antrobus quick reference will be put on the website in the near future. As communication is a two way process there is also a form on which parishioners can contact the clerk.
 
I hope that you will agree that Antrobus has always been an active Parish Council.  So why is having quality status important?  As I said at the beginning it is an external sign that we are meeting standards but not only that having quality status brings its rewards. I’ll mention three.  In 2007 Antrobus won the Calor Village of the Year North region sections for the Environment and Older People.  In the older people section the judges were told what older people do for the village rather than what the community do for older people.  On the entry form it was almost assumed that the Parish Council would have quality status, a recognised benchmark of good practice.  Quality status has also been important in obtaining grants, one for new chairs for the village hall- incidentally increasing our comfort at Parish Council meetings, and a second grant for a sound and hearing loop system in the Church.  Finally I believe it enhanced our links with Vale Royal Borough Council and Cheshire County Council and I trust it will also be something that C.WAC recognises in its links with Parish Councils.
 
Antrobus Parish Council also sees itself as outward looking.  Councillors are generally involved in other organisations in the village and each year we give small grants to village organisations.  This year when asked by the Friendship Club for a grant towards speakers for their meetings we not only gave them a small grant but offered the services of one of the councillors as a free speaker.  That might be called going the extra mile but that, I believe, is what quality status is about.  
 
One of the bonuses of being Chairman of Antrobus Parish Council is that you get the opportunity to support your own nominated charity with the proceeds of an annual charity event.  Last year £2000 was raised mainly for St. Rocco’s Hospice.  In the past the Samaritans, the Alzheimer's Society and Guide Dogs for the Blind are amongst charities that have benefitted.  Over the years many thousands of pounds must have been raised…and this year we had The Jitterbug Ball…..so life in a quality Parish Council isn’t all serious.
Quality is central to our work in the community and we are presently working on gathering evidence for our application for re-accreditation."  

 
ANTROBUS PARISH COUNCILLORS
Chairman:           Nigel Pemberton  
Vice Chairman:   Paul Harrison

Councillors:   Christine Ashall         Ann Barlow        

                               
Clerk:             Sue Richards      5, Old Orchard, Antrobus. CW9 6LH