No 477 ALDERTON NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2020 / JANUARY 2021

FROM THE EDITOR

From the Editor

Just to remind you, we do not produce a newsletter for the end of December so the next one will be printed
at the end of January 2021.

I would like to thank our band of willing volunteers for distributing the newsletter every month and to John for
printing it for us. I would also like to take this opportunity to wish everyone in the village a Happy Christmas
and New Year.

PARISH COUNCIL NEWS www.aldertonparishcouncil.org.uk

PARISH PLANNING – One new planning application has been received: Land to The Rear Of Orchard Road,
Alderton (20/00943/FUL) - Change of use of land from agricultural to private equestrian and erection of stables
and associated hardstanding.

The following applications have received permission for development:

• 54 Willow Bank Road, Alderton (20/00631/FUL) - Erection of a single storey side/rear extension. Erection
of a rear dormer. Erection of front porch.
• 37 Willow Bank Road, Alderton (20/00903/FUL) - Alterations to existing building, demolition of rear store
building and erection of extensions to provide additional living accommodation.

DOGS ON THE PLAYING FIELD – The Parish Council have received the following request from a parishioner:
“Can I ask for some clarity over dogs being in the playing field and around the playground. Whilst I myself
am a big dog lover I know many people are not (including my children). I went down to the field earlier today
to kick the ball around with my son and found 5-6 dogs running around off the lead, owners chatting together,
taking very little notice. The upshot was my son didn't feel comfortable even entering the field so we headed
over to Gotherington Park where "Dogs MUST be kept on a lead" signs were clearly visible for all to see. Just
some clarity and maybe a sign (assuming dogs must be on a lead) near the entrance to field would be
appreciated.”

The Parish Council recognises that the Playing Field is for the use and enjoyment of everyone for the purposes
of sport, children’s play, dog walking and relaxation. In order that the area can be maintained as a valuable
recreational amenity for all users we would request that if there are children on the Playing Field/play area
then please could dogs be kept on leads.

VILLAGE DEFIBRILLATOR – Alderton's defibrillator can be found in the old phone box in Cambridge Square,
Alderton, GL20 8TZ. Cambridge Square is at the junction of Blacksmiths Road, Beckford Road and School
Road in Alderton. The defibrillator is available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. To use it you must call
999 to get a code to access the defibrillator. Note: you can’t call 999 from the telephone box - as the line
doesn't work – so you will need to either call on a mobile, or at home first, to get the definition code. The
defibrillator is designed for use by non-experts and will talk you through its use.

ALLOTMENT PLOTS – The site is full and we are operating a waiting list. If you would like to add your name
to the list then please contact the Clerk.

CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR REFUSE & RECYCLING COLLECTIONS – Please see the latest edition of
Tewkesbury Borough News for collection dates, along with Christmas Tree recycling details.

Next Parish Council Meetings: 15th December 2020, then 19th January 2021, both at 7.30pm, in the
Village Hall (subject to guidelines at that time).

Parish Clerk: Tamsin James, 9 Bowler Road, Northway, Tewkesbury, Glos, GL20 8RZ
01684 290392 tamsin.james1@btinternet.com www.aldertonparishcouncil.org.uk

VILLAGE NEWS
As many of you know my wonderful husband, Tony, passed away peacefully on 15th November.

I have been overwhelmed by the incredible support, love, kindness and practical help received
from our friends in the village.

We came to live here first in 1965, after our wedding, and our children spent their early happy
years here. Thank you to all who have sent flowers and cards, in which many remember charming
Tony's cheeky sense of humour! Your messages mean a lot. As you know, we are limited to a
small number of mourners at St Margaret's Church but if you would like to pay your respects
perhaps you could give Tony a "socially distant" round of applause on Monday 14th December as
we make our way at 12.40 pm. from Ellenor Drive to the church, via Beckford Road, where we
first lived, initially at No 17 and then at No.18. The service is at 1.00 pm.

Also, some villagers have asked if they can make a donation to Parkinson's
UK. Please see www.justgiving.com/fundraising/anthony-
keys or b_sweet_sons@hotmail.com THANK YOU. Sandy Keys

A POLITE REQUEST FROM FRAMPTON FARM

As the season of goodwill approaches, we would like to ask all dog walkers who enjoy outings with their four
legged friends to respect the Countryside Code, and ensure that their dogs are kept under close control
when using the footpaths across the farm, and on a lead when entering livestock fields. Though it may be
tempting to let them off the lead as soon as you get to a nice open space, there are currently pregnant ewes
in many of these fields, who can very easily become stressed by seeing a loose dog. We are often told by
owners ‘Oh, he won’t hurt them, he’s just playing’! – sheep will always see a dog as a predator, NOT a
playmate!
Could we please therefore ask everyone to be responsible for their dogs, stay on the footpaths and make
sure that the sheep have a Happy Christmas too. Many thanks for your co-operation.

ALDERTON CHURCH NEWS

Now we have the new announcement on Covid rules from December 3rd, Church services are allowed to
restart. Therefore, we are planning to have a Candlelit Carol Service/s on Sunday December 13th. As the
same rules apply eg social distancing, mask wearing, 2m, we can only fit 27 people in so we would have to
ask you to book in but we would plan on having 2 Carol Services - one at 3.30pm and one at 5pm. If
previous regulations apply, the Choir would be able to sing but unfortunately not the congregation. So
please would you contact Helen West on helenmarywest4@gmail.com or 620587 with the time you would
like to come and how many in your household/bubble as this affects the seating. If you would like to read a
lesson, please also indicate this. These details will be confirmed on the Village website and posters in the
shop and Church noticeboards. The Christmas Day service will be at 10.30am in Alderton.
There won’t be a service on Sunday December 27th.

Because of the difficulties that the rules create, it has been decided that sadly the Christingle and the
Nativity services can’t go ahead but we shall look forward to these happening again next Christmas. But do
visit the Church over the holidays to see the Nativity Crib and the flower decorations.

Because of the reduced events, to ensure we can have a spirit of Christmas in the village, perhaps we could
put a display in our windows to add a bit of sparkle in December - like we have done with the cuddly toys.
Then it would be fun, especially for the children, walking round the village spotting them.

Books will be available again for sale in the Church porch from Thursday December 3rd - please follow the
Covid instructions there.We are very grateful for book donations but it is helpful at the moment if these can
be small in number.

NEW COLLECTION POINT FOR THE HYGIENE BANK - ALDERTON VILLAGE STORE
Thank you to Yari at Alderton Village Store for agreeing to be a drop-off point for Cheltenham Hygiene Bank.
You’ll see a yellow labelled bin in the shop for unused and unopened items such as toothpaste,
toothbrushes, shampoo, shower gel, razors, hairbrush, deodorant, sanitary products, nappies, toilet roll etc.
If you are able to donate, the items will be distributed to local food banks, women’s refuges, social services
and schools. No-one should be suffering from hygiene poverty and due to the current pandemic, many
people are struggling, with families more in need than ever. Every item you donate will make a real
difference.
For more information about The Hygiene Bank, go to https://thehygienebank.com and to see what the local
Cheltenham team are up to https://www.facebook.com/thehygienebankcheltenham
Any questions, please drop me a line (victoria.kane@me.com), and if you know me and want to give me
products direct, I’m very happy to take them. A big thank you to those that have already donated…including
a whole box from one lovely lady!

ALDERTON ACORNS PRESCHOOL

This month at Acorns we have been very busy enjoying many hours in our Preschool garden, digging in our
vegetable patch, spotting minibeasts and making lots of delicious meals in our mud kitchen …. lots of
outdoor messy muddy fun. Our little acorns made some beautiful poppy pictures at the start of the month
using apples and corks as their mark making tools, they looked fantastic and were the perfect tribute for
Remembrance Day. We have got stuck into some festive crafts this month too, many of our wonderful
creations are displayed on our new Acorns display “Being at Acorns is snow much fun!!” which looks
fantastic, fun and festive - perfect for our Preschool and for the festive season. The sound of laughter and
singing from our acorns is such a joy to hear as they join in with many a song and use their imaginations to
create some wonderful role play.
While we are on a festive theme, if any local families would like to see Santa, he will be walking from the
school to the village hall on Wednesday 16th December at 1pm. Any little ones can come and give him a
socially distanced wave if they would like.

We would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to everyone who took part in our sponsored
pumpkin trail fundraiser last month, whether you took part in the trail itself or displayed pumpkins or pumpkin
pictures we are very grateful for all your continued support to Acorns. We raised an incredible £333.20
which is amazing so a big thank you to you all.

Our next fundraiser is a raffle for a ‘Family Night In’ Hamper. Perfect for those long winter nights with
something for everyone. Photos will be on display in the Village and on our Facebook page shortly. Tickets
are £2 each and can be purchased online at https://paypal.me/pools/c/8uzrkKYOKF. Please leave your
name and a contact email/phone number when buying tickets. If you are unable to buy online and would like
to enter the draw, please contact Sian on stryner@btinternet.com. The raffle will be drawn on 16th December
so get your tickets soon.

We are delighted to be continuing our wonderful annual Quiz and Curry Night fundraiser which will take
place on Saturday 6th February 2021 at 8pm. Our quiz will be fully virtual this year with our fantastic quiz
master Glen setting the questions. Sadly, this year we cannot provide the curry (or bar) however each ticket
will allow you one entry into our draw to win one of our many fantastic raffle prizes (additional tickets can
also be purchased) so don’t miss out on this fun family night. Tickets are £10/household and will be
available to purchase in January from Sian at stryner@btinternet.com/07790342157
Did you know you could help us raise funds for Preschool whilst doing your online Christmas shopping? Alderton
Acorns Pre-School are registered with easyfundraising, which means over 4,000 shops and sites (including big
names such as Amazon, eBay and Argos) will now donate to us for FREE every time you use easyfundraising to
shop with them. These donations will help SO MUCH, so please sign up to support us – it’s completely FREE and
doesn’t take long. https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/aldertonacornspre/?invite=3KICXA&referral-
campaign=s2s&utm_content=raf-w
If you would like any more information about Preschool, please contact our Playleader Steph on 07842
161159 or email aldertonacorns@gmail.com

ALDERTON VILLAGE HALL

The hall is a valued amenity in the village, and is used by a variety of clubs, organisations, and individuals.
Since March, the Village Hall management committee has been working to ensure that the hall can be used
safely by as many groups as are allowed.

We are always looking for new committee members, so that we can benefit from fresh ideas and continue to
provide a hall that people in the village want to use.

The development of plans to upgrade the hall has had to be put on hold this year, but we are hoping to
resume this next year as soon as we are able to organise an Open Day to showcase the hall and gather
opinions.

Meanwhile, the AGM of the Alderton Village Hall Management Committee will be held on Thursday
December 17th at 7.30pm and is open to anyone who wants to come along.

Depending on the situation at that time, and the numbers attending, this may be a virtual (zoom) meeting.

Please let us know if you would like to attend, by emailing aldertonvillagehall@gmail.com

We will either send you the details to access the virtual meeting, or confirm that the meeting will be at the
hall.

Wishing all my friends in the village a very Happy and Healthy New Year. Take care of yourselves .
Donation in lieu of Christmas cards will be given towards the printing of the Village newsletter
Best wishes, Ivona McIlwraith

GARDENER’S ARMS gardeners1@btconnect.com. 01242 620257www.gardenersarms.biz

There will be a village get together on Xmas Eve outside using the bus. We will be serving mulled wine and
food with some great entertainment. We have a fantastic supportive community in Alderton and that has
been demonstrated even more during the difficult periods recently, so it will be a great chance to celebrate
and spread the festive cheer in a safe environment.
We are so excited that our doors will reopen again from 2nd December and we can’t wait to welcome you all
back properly face to face (or mask to mask!) as Christmas wouldn’t have been the same without you.
We love the Christmas festivities and this year more than ever needs to be extra special. So treat your
family to a delicious Christmas meal with us, we have everything from a three bird roast, to beef wellington
and a fantastic vegan pot. roast too, the full menu and booking details are available on our website.
As always, we will continue with the Government safety guidelines and will be social distancing and abiding
by the 11:00pm closing curfew, to ensure that you have a safe and enjoyable experience.
For those of you that would still rather eat at home, don’t forget we are still offering our takeaway menu
Thursday to Saturday from 4pm until 8pm and Sundays 12pm to 2:30pm, throughout December (including
Christmas Day!) with free delivery on a Sunday to those living in the village.
We have firm favourites and something a little special for you to try. We offer contactless delivery and pick
up just give us a call on 01257 620 257 to order.
Also, our Eat out to help scheme will be back in January, so you will receive 50% off your food bill up to the
value of £10 per person Monday-Wednesday. Get your bookings in early as this is very popular.
Don’t forget, if you are still looking for Christmas presents, why not treat someone to a Gardeners Arms Gift
voucher so they can start 2021 off with a well-deserved treat. Just give us a call on 01257 620 257 for
purchasing details.

The Gardeners Arms would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, stay safe!

NEXT NEWSLETTER Deadline for copy is Monday 25th January 2021. All items must have Name & Tel
No. of sender. Our e-mail address is: AldertonNewsletter@googlemail.com or deliver to Caroline Page,
Corner Cottage, Stow Road. The newsletter is also available at www.aldertonvillage.co.uk