Shipston’s Townsend Hall was the venue of choice for the ‘live’ production of BBC Radio Four’s ‘Any Questions?’ on Friday 30th October.

The audience was packed with representatives from local, Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat, UKIP and Green parties together with representatives from local authorities, community groups, healthcare organisations and charities.

The panel, chaired by Jonathan Dimbleby, comprised Lord Heseltine, Former Cabinet Minister Tristram Hunt, Former Shadow Educational Secretary, Suzanne Evans UKIP and Zoe Williams from the Guardian Newspaper. 

The event began with a ‘warm up’ question – which was the greater health hazard, ‘a bacon buttie’ or ‘smoking’? The number of questions submitted by those attending was considerable. The topics selected and debated by the panel covered the proposed Welfare cuts, the Lords and possible reform, Immigration and the Labour Party Leadership.

David Squires, a trustee of the Townsend Hall, said “We were delighted to host such a prominent BBC Radio Show. It was wonderful to see such a variety of opinions expressed and national topics debated within Shipston. This is one of many exciting events we have planned at the Townsend Hall and we encourage all residents to keep an eye on our website for details of all our events.”

For more information about events at the Townsend Hall, visit www.townsendhall.com.

Local World War Two veteran, Eric Whitehead, has been appointed Chevalier in the Ordre Nationale de la Legion d’Honneur in recognition of his contribution and steadfast involvement in the Liberation of France during the Second World War.

Eric (pictured in his WW2 uniform) served in the Coastal Forces of the Royal Navy throughout WW2. Eric’s main role early in the war was protecting coastal convoys from attacks by German boats in the English Channel and North Sea. During the Normandy invasion in June 1944 and thereafter, Coastal Forces carried out navigational duties including escorting convoys to and from the beaches. At this time Eric was commanding Motor Launch 593 of the 32nd Motor Launch Flotilla, playing a direct role in the liberation of France. 

Between Dunkirk and VE Day, Coastal Forces fought over 780 actions, sinking 800 enemy vessels. In 1944, operating from Norway to the Aegean, there were some 3,000 officers and 22,000 ratings serving in Coastal Forces. That 2,300 were killed shows the hazardous nature of the operations they found themselves undertaking. 

In a letter from the French Ambassador in London offering her heartfelt congratulations, she comments: “As we contemplate this Europe of peace, we must never forget the heroes like you, who came from Britain and the Commonwealth to begin the liberation of Europe by liberating France. We owe our freedom and security to your dedication, because you were ready to risk your life.”

Richard Adams, Chairman of the Shipston Branch of the Royal British Legion, said: “Eric is a member and past president of the Shipston Branch of the Royal British Legion and we are all extremely pleased and proud that his bravery during WW2 has been formally recognised in this way.” 

Shipston Town Councillors also extend their congratulations to Mr Whitehead, who was once Mayor of Shipston in the days of the Shipston Rural District Council. 

The town will have an opportunity to reflect on the bravery of Eric and his comrades, and remember the fallen at the Remembrance Parade on Sunday 8th November. 

The first market arranged by Shipston’s Totally Locally team proved a great success with a steady flow of visitors making the most of the unique items on offer throughout the day.

For the first time, the market was held in Sheep Street and The Bury, minimising impact on the town square and giving the event a more intimate feel. Local craftspeople and artists made the most of the opportunity to meet new customers, explain what they do and how they work. Stallholders reported a successful day of trading, with shoppers able to purchase goods as varied as handmade journals, handcrafted chopping boards, bags, cushions and bunting as well as pottery, photography and other works of art.

Market organiser, Louise Harvey, said: “We are thrilled with the success of this market. The location worked really well and we have had plenty of positive feedback from both residents and visitors. We hope to hold more market events in 2016, so watch this space!”

Shipston’s Spotlight dance group could be thrust into the limelight next year following an invitation to perform at Disneyland Paris. Provided sufficient funds can be raised, the group hopes to take 40 children to France to take up this exciting opportunity.

Spotlight Dance was set up nine years ago by Jennifer Hampton. Having danced professionally for a number of years, she switched to teaching and now teaches about 75 girls, boys and adults in and around Shipston. Students follow the International Dance Teachers’ Association syllabus, with 100% pass rate achieved in the last nine years.

The group started competing about two years ago, which has led to an impressive trawl of medals. Spotlight’s latest competition has earned them a 30 minute slot dancing as part of a Disney show in Disneyland Paris in May 2016. To enable as many children as possible to share in the experience, the dance group is now looking to raise funds to pay for the trip.

Jenny said: ”I’m extremely proud of the children for getting this far and sincerely hope we will be able to raise enough money to fund the trip to Disneyland. We will be organising some fundraising activities and would be delighted to hear from anyone who would be able to support us, either with donations or ideas for raising money.”

To find out more or to offer help with the fundraising campaign, please contact Jenny on 07872 835422.

Totally Locally Shipston is a voluntary campaign run by a motivated group of people, who are working together to encourage people to support local businesses in and around Shipston. The Totally Locally Team has been hard at work planning two fantastic events to tempt shoppers to make the most of what the town has to offer.

On Saturday 10th October from 10am until 4pm, the first ever Totally Locally Market will roll in to town. The Street Market will focus on local arts and crafts and will run down the lower half of Sheep Street and through The Bury.  If successful, further markets will be organised, with initial ideas including local produce, and a market for teenagers, all with the aim of bringing something extra to Shipston’s town centre. 

Totally Locally campaigner, Louise Harvey, said “We hope that there will be lots of support at our first market where there will be over 20 stalls packed with handmade products from ceramics and paintings to wood craft, jewellery and up-cycled furniture. Calypso kids will also be providing entertainment for the children and there will be some fabulous buskers adding some music in to the mix.” 

A week later, shoppers will have an opportunity to pick up a bargain during Shipston’s first ever Fiver Fest Fortnight starting on Saturday 17th October 2015.  More than 30 independent businesses in Shipston and the surrounding area will be running deals over the fortnight including shops, cafes, service providers and many more.

Many businesses have created a special offer for £5 or great alternative ‘5’ offers.  Sharon Peacock from The Bakery said: “There are some fantastic offers for shoppers to take advantage of, and in the process, discover businesses in Shipston that they may not have used before.”

Details of all the offers will be available in the 2nd edition of the Totally Locally ‘Shipston’ Times newspaper which will be hand delivered to as many homes as possible and can be found in shops, pubs, cafes and facilities in town.  Alternatively, download a copy at totallylocally.org/shipstononstour.

Totally Locally tea towels, bags and postcards can now be purchased from a number of shops around town.

Plans are well underway for what will be the third Shipston Food Festival. Following in the footsteps of the two previous hugely successful festivals, this year it is taking place on Sunday 20th September in Shipston Town Centre. The festival will once again feature a mix of stalls, cookery demonstrations, music and other food-related entertainment.

Fresh from their success at the Last Night of the Proms, aptly named band ‘The Peas’ will be providing music during the festival, which will be interspersed with expert demonstrations and commentaries by local food heroes including The Cotswold Traiteur, Taste of the Country, Sheldon’s Wines, The Cotswold Distillery,  and a special mystery guest!

The town will be packed with artisan food stalls selling everything from hot food to specialist ingredients. There will be fun activities for children including chocolate making and the first ever local bake-off challenge for 11-16 year olds – more on that next month.

Joint Organiser, Philip Vial, said: “We’re really excited about this year’s event. For the first time, the whole festival is being sponsored by a Shipston-based business, Taste of the Country, with additional support from Sheldon’s wine cellars. We’re extremely grateful to both businesses for their support in making this festival possible and look forward to celebrating the best of what the local area has to offer to food and drinks connoisseurs.”

To ensure you don’t miss out, keep the date free in your diary and prepare to head to the town centre between 10am and 3pm for good food, music and hopefully great weather!  For more details, visit www.facebook.com/ShipstonFood or see next month’s Forum.

Councillors have adopted creative measures in an attempt to tackle the problem of dog mess being left on streets, footpaths and pavements. 

Having researched successful campaigns across the country, councillors and volunteers are now spraying dog mess pink or orange to highlight the scale of the issue, in an attempt to shame owners to pick up after their pets. The neon paint is a biodegradable chalk-based paint that washes off in a few days. 

With dog fouling being one of the most commonly reported problems in Shipston, the town council’s General Purposes Working Group has been looking at a range of methods to help tackle the problem.  Chair of the group, Fay Ivens, said “The vast majority of dog owners are responsible and pick up after their pets. Sadly, the minority are causing an unsightly and unhealthy problem for the rest of us which we’re determined to tackle.”

With mounds of mess often being spotted just yards from the nearest dog poo bin, councillors are hoping this colourful campaign will result in positive action. In addition, residents are being urged to name and shame those who are not clearing up after their dogs. If caught in the act, dog owners face an on the spot fine and can be prosecuted.

Mayor, Jackie Warner, said: “As a responsible dog owner myself, I cannot see any reason why people shouldn’t clear up after their pets. Our Pink Poo campaign is highlighting just how much mess is left around town and I sincerely hope it will motivate people to be more considerate to their fellow residents.”

As well as being unsightly, dog mess can pose significant health risks, particularly to toddlers. Dog mess should be bagged and binned in the nearest dog bin, although public bins can also be used.

Photo courtesy of Mark Williamson/Stratford Herald

Shipston X-fest, the biennial event run by Shipston Youth Club, is set to provide another day of excitement and adventure for local children.

The X-Fest is a free event, featuring live bands throughout the day, a climbing wall, zorb balls, archery, laser quest, caving, a zip wire and art workshops. All activities are free, although there may be a few collecting tins around for those wanting to make donations to the youth club. Otherwise, all you have to pay for is food and drink, or just bring a picnic and keep your fingers crossed for a dry day. 

This will be the fourth X-Fest for Shipston Youth Club, and will be held in the grounds of Shipston High School on Saturday 11th July, 10am to 4pm. 

Don’t miss this brilliant family event to raise awareness and support for Shipston Youth Club.

On Sunday 31 May, residents and guests gathered at the Gyratory Garden for a service of dedication to the men of Shipston who died during WW1. 

The Gyratory Garden has been established as a Centenary Field, in recognition of the 100-year anniversary of WW1. As a permanent memorial to each of the 36 men from Shipston who fell, 36 pavers have been installed in front of the sundial, inscribed with their names and dates of death.

The service was organised by the Shipston Branch of the Royal British Legion and supported by residents and guests. The Last Post was played by Steven Nichols, the great great nephew of Archie Nichols, one of the Shipston men who fell.

Chairman, Richard Adams, said: “It is wonderful to see this new memorial installed in the heart of the town as part of the Centenary Field. We would like to thank all those who have generously supported this project, especially the Town Council and the Lions whose input has been exceptional.”

From 8th May, Shipston Town Council will welcome two new faces, following the departure of councillors Arthur Ivens and Philip Vial, both of whom have stepped down from the council. Marianne Westwood and Kim Perry will join the council later this month (May). To find out more about your new councillors, see page 3.

With the recent boundary changes splitting the town into two wards, councillors now represent either the north or south ward. Councillors Ian Cooper, Ali Henderson, Peter White and Fay Ivens all stood in the North ward, with remaining councillors representing the south. No voting took place as there were the same number of candidates as there were seats.

The first meeting of the new council will be on 11th May at 7pm, where the Town Crier will welcome all attendees and the new Mayor of Shipston will be elected. 

As part of Shipston’s WW1 Centenary commemorations, the town’s fallen during the conflict are to be remembered in the Gyratory Garden, which is to become a Centenary Field. The creation of Centenary Fields is a national move to identify places in local towns and villages where people can remember the sacrifices made by soldiers in the line of duty. 

During WWI, 36 Shipston men fell and each one will have a terracotta coloured paver with his name and date of death inscribed upon it. These will be placed in the flower bed in the centre of the Gyratory garden. 

Plans for installing the pavers are under way including other necessary associated work, and the hope is that it will be complete in time for a dedication ceremony to take place in mid to late May.  Please look out for the date and time in the May issue of the Forum and council website.  

The Shipston branch of the Royal British Legion is calling on as many people as possible to attend the dedication ceremony to show their support for these local soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The Legion is urgently seeking offers to sponsor, or pay for, a paver, costing £18 each. If you would like to be associated with this event and with a Shipston soldier of the Great War, please contact branch chair, Richard Adams on 662328 or richardadams5@hotmail.com as soon as possible.

Shipston Town Council has unanimously approved the 2015/16 budget proposals put forward by the Finance Working Group in February 2015.

The budget sets the town council’s annual precept at £216,000, (from 206,000 this financial year) which equates to approximately £85.85 per household. This represents an increase of just 20 pence per household for the year, due to the growth in the number of contributing households.

The budget defines Shipston Town Council’s income and expenditure plans for 2015/16, together with its anticipated support towards community events and support organisations. The council is looking to provide nearly £15,000 more towards community events and support than it was able to in this current year (2014/15). This includes funds set aside to support community projects, such as provisions to start the development of the riverside walk, support for the flood protection group, repairs to the cemetery chapel and the works to the sports club.

Excluding grants and community support, the council’s 2015/16 income and expenditure has remained largely in line with this year’s expected levels.

Chair of the Finance Working Group, Ian Cooper, said: “This will be the first change to the annual precept since 2010/11, and the first increase since 2008/09. Over this period we have seen a steady decrease in the annual charge per household.” 

Shipston Town Council’s precept in 2009/10 cost each householder an average of £108.37 per year. In 2011/12, the town council reduced its precept and the amount per household dropped to £98.14. This has continued to drop as the number of households increased, and currently, it is £85.65 per household.

“Our calculations, based on the likely level of attributable properties for the 2015/16 year, indicate an average annual cost of £85.85 per household. Bearing in mind that none of these calculations take into account any inflation factors, in real terms this is probably the lowest precept per household we have had in at least 10 years.”  Councillor Cooper added.

Mayor, Philip Vial, said: “We have faced a number of challenges this year. For example, many important services such as the Youth Club and Shipston Young Firefighters have needed our support following funding cuts from other authorities. 

“I am particularly  delighted that despite those challenges, the Town Council has been able to set a precept that maintains services, while keeping rises down to an absolute minimum.”

As a general rule, grants and project budgets will be held in reserve by the town council until they are needed. The new precept will also allow the town council to maintain the level of reserves recommended by the National Association of Local Councils.

Grants:

Shipston Town Council is delighted to be able to increase its grant funding for community organisations by nearly £15,000. Recipients of grants in 2015/16 will include:

Shipston Proms

Shipston Youth Club

Young Firefighters

Shipston First Responders

Shipston Link

The Wool Fair

Victorian Evening

Shipston Angling Club 

The Music Society

Age Concern

VASA

Citizens Advice

The Shipston Churches’ school holiday club.

In addition, the council is looking to support the Sports Club’s renovation project.

With a general election and local elections just a few weeks away, Shipston Town Council is urging all residents to ensure they are correctly registered to vote. 

All residents should by now have received a confirmation letter to show who is registered to vote at their address. Please check the details carefully and inform Stratford District Council straight away if any changes are needed. 

If you’re unsure whether you are already registered, or are about to become eligible to vote, you can either register online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote or contact Democratic Services on 01789 260208.

Shipston has taken a big step forward in its ambition to become a dementia-friendly town, following an awareness-raising workshop held in January. For full details, turn to page six.

The workshop was aimed at traders and service providers in the town. Those attending included representatives from local shops, the bank, the medical centre, therapy centre, town council and the Alzheimer’s Society.  Members of the group were able to exchange their own experiences of assisting residents who were displaying early symptoms of dementia, right up to those who were extremely distressed and confused.  It became clear that the whole community had a role to play in ensuring that Shipston becomes a Dementia Friendly Town, an initiative started by Dr. Sue Pritchard from the Medical Centre.

Apart from the obvious immediate assistance that the group could offer in their business premises, other more far-reaching options were discussed, including local fundraising for the provision of an Admiral Nurse - a specialist dementia nurse - in the town.

Every member of the group signed up as a “Dementia Friend”. This involved making a pledge, a promised action to help raise awareness, tolerance or assistance to those with dementia. All Dementia Friends receive a forget-me-knot badge to help identify to those in need where they can find help. To find out more about becoming a Dementia Friend, visit www.dementiafriends.org.uk. 

Town councillor, Ronnie Murphy, said “We were thrilled to see so many people attending what proved to be a very useful workshop. We learned a great deal about the role we all have to play in supporting people with dementia, including alerting the relevant support services if we feel someone needs help.”

If you are concerned that someone you know may be showing signs of dementia, call 01926 410410 and ask for the Adult Safeguarding Team, who will arrange for an assessment of needs for the individual referred.

If funding allows, the council hopes to host a further workshop in April. If you are a business owner or service provider in the town, please contact the Town Council for more information on 01608 662180.

Shipston’s Safer Neighbourhood Team has seen the largest reduction in crime across the whole of Warwickshire. From April 2014 to the first week of the New Year, crime reduced by 17%, while reports of anti-social behaviour also reduced by 17% in the area.

The Shipston SNT patch covers 54 villages as well as the town of Shipston. Thanks to the determination of the town’s local police officer, Craig Purcell, the team was one of the first SNTs to be given access to more effective and reliable mobile technology, giving access to essential police data when on patrol.

Since adopting a proactive approach to patrols, Shipston’s SNT has seized over 50 vehicles, with 55 people reported or charged to court. 

Mayor, Philip Vial, said “On behalf of all councillors, I would like to congratulate PC Craig Purcell and his team on these results which shows their hard work and proactive attitude is paying off.”