By the time you read this, a copy of the Bridge Par-ish Plan will have been delivered to you. Please read the document; it aims to present a snapshot of the village as it was in 2005 and the hopes and wishes of the parishioners for the fu-ture, based on the questionnaire sent to every house in the village. You may or may not agree with some of the things you read. As I said in the Foreword - with 1500 inhabitants, there are proba-bly as many opinions of the way the village should go. If you do not feel the Plan represents your views, then there is a further opportunity to make your voice heard by coming to the Annual Parish Meeting to be held this year on Thursday 27th April. Make a note of the date now! This superbly produced document has been largely funded by the traders and businesses of the village with contributions from the Parish Council and the City Council. I thank them all. It is a great tribute to Bill Oakey, his Committee and Amanda Sparkes of the City Council who have spent nearly two years working on it. Now read on………….. John Hill, Chairman Bridge Parish Council Bridge has won the ‘Older People’ section of Calor Village of the Year competition, organised by ACRK. We also won Highly Commended awards in the other three sections we entered: Young People, Business and Information Technology. Look out for the brass plaque outside the village hall and visit Bridge web site for more information. Please write, telephone/fax or email the Parish Clerk: Christobel Seath Bridgeford House, Brewery Lane, Bridge 01227 831085 clerk@bridgevillage.org.uk John Hill Chairman 01227 830215 johnh@BridgeVillage.org.uk Colin Beesty Recreation Ground 07989 495202 colin@BridgeVillage.org.uk Barbara Beinder Planning, Village Hall 01227 830514 Julie Bennett 01227 831038 julie@BridgeVillage.org.uk John Corfield Recreation Ground 01227 830976 johnc@BridgeVillage.org.uk Ann Edmonds Vice Chairman, Planning 01227 830795 ann@BridgeVillage.org.uk Mark Esdale Police Forum 01227 832740 mark@BridgeVillage.org.uk Mervyn Gulvin Recreation Ground, Mill Centre 01227 830881 mervyn@BridgeVillage.org.uk Selwyn Lewis 01227 830186 selwyn@BridgeVillage.org.uk Visit the web site for Agendas & Minutes of Council meetings and other village news & information ! "##$ % & ' ( % Cllr Pam Dobson has resigned to spend more time with her family. She is a great loss and we shall miss her energy and enthusiasm. The Council have co-opted Julie Bennett to fill the vacancy. Julie has lived in Bridge for 30 years and is well known in the village. The new Parish Clerk is Christobel Seath (see the back page for how to contact the Clerk) % ) * 7.15 pm Planning Committee 7.30 pm Full Council Thursday 9th February 2006 Bridge Village Hall - All welcome / 0 The Streetrunner youth group meets on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month in the Village Hall. This vital and vibrant service was set up and funded by Canterbury City Council, but that scheme is ending in March. The youth group are applying for funding and the Parish Council has agreed to provide financial backup, if necessary, to pay for the Youth Workers who arrange and run the eve-nings. We still need volunteers to assist the Youth Work-ers. Without more volunteers, the youth group WILL close. If you can help out, even if it©s only once a month, please contact Pam Dobson on 832369 or any Parish Councillor. - . Sometimes requests to the Parish Council do not easily fall within its responsibilities. For example, who should clear the leaves, during Autumn, along Bifron©s Path? Please contact the Council if you know of anyone who would carry out such jobs, from time to time, for expenses plus a small remuneration. , * Fish and Chip van: 4.30 - 8.00 pm Fridays Patrixbourne Road Lay-by Mobile Library: 4.15 pm Thursday, Western Avenue Planning Committee: Meets 2nd Thursday in the month (except August) 7.15 pm followed by the full Council at 7.30 pm in Bridge Village Hall + % ' , A housing needs survey by ACRK (Action with Communities in Rural Kent) was delivered to every household last year, to find out if there is a need for a local needs housing scheme in Bridge. These schemes provide affordable rented or shared ownership homes (with a housing association – they cannot be sold on the open market) for people who must be able to demonstrate a connection to the Parish, either through residency, close family or employment. There was a good response to the survey and showed that the greatest need is for extra housing for young people. It showed that a small scheme of 6 to 8 affordable homes would meet existing and future needs of local people and the Parish Council will now pursue this further. See the web site www.bridgevillage.org.uk for fuller results of the survey and for Minutes of the Council meetings etc. Big changes are underway in how Kent Police operates. Our area, Canterbury, is merging with Thanet area on 1st April. The government is also considering plans to combine various Police forces around the country. On a local note, please welcome Sue Radcliffe, who is our Police Community Support Officer (PCSO). You will see her out and about in the village - she drives a police car and is in uniform. She has direct radio contact to our local Police Constable, Chris Bull, as well as the full back-up of the rest of the Kent Police. Sue can be contacted on her mobile phone: 07969 584289 % RECREATION GROUND You may feel re-assured to know that the children’s play equipment is inspected each year by ROSPA for safety and checked every month for damage. A new bench is being installed and another is planned for Patrixbourne Road. One bench and a picnic table are being repaired after being damaged. LIGHTING PROBLEMS To report a problem with street lighting, ring the City Council on 0845 247800 and quote the number that you will find on the lamp post. ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY The Parish Council recently adopted a progressive Environmental Policy to guide its work. CHRISTMAS TREES Thanks go to all who had a tree (56 in all) on their house in the High Street and to those who helped put them up and take them down. BY-PASS ANNIVERSARY Plans are afoot in the village to celebrate the opening of the By-pass, these include a Supper and a Wine & Wisdom or Barn Dance. CHANGES IN THE VILLAGE Both the Red Lion (re-opens 3rd April) and the White Horse Inn are under new management. We look forward to trying the new fare. FURTHER INFORMATION See the web site www.bridgevillage.org.uk for further details related to these News items.