News
2024
August
New Constitution and 2024 AGM date
We need to make some alterations to our constitution, which was last amended in 1996 to bring it up to date with current practice and will be asking members to approve this at our next AGM, which will be on Wednesday 16th October 2024.
The draft which we shall be seeking approval of is displayed here for your information and we shall send it by email to all of our contacts for whom we have email addresses nearer the time. Please do get in touch if you have any comments or to send us your email address if we do not have it already.
April
Speed Enforcement - Neston Road
The following was copied from the Little Neston/Ness Police Facebook page:
Speed enforcement carried out on Thursday 4th April. Neston Road, Burton. Between 11am and 12pm.
8 activations - They will receive communication from the Central Ticket Office in the next few days.
Thank you for everyone who was adhering to the 30mph speed limit.
Speeding is one of the Fatal 5 offences that cause collisions resulting in serious injuries and deaths on our roads.
As well as delivering vital road safety benefits, lower driving speeds help to improve quality of life, especially in urban areas,as they reduce emissions, fuel consumption and noise. #Fatal5
March
Fund raiser for Brain Research UK
Burton resident Steph Hind is raising money for Brain Research UK, after her husband Alex was diagnosed with a brain tumour. In Steph's words, “I've organised a Family Fundraiser for Saturday 6th April at Gladstone Village Hall. On the day there'll be a charity cricket game, drinks, food, music, and lots of family-friendly entertainment - so ideal for the little ones.
We're doing the event, to raise money for Brain Research UK, after we found out (when I was pregnant with our second) that my husband, Alex, has a brain tumour. It should be a really great day, and would be lovely to have some locals from the village attending". Tickets can be brought via, https://www.eventcreate.com/e/alex-hind-brain-research-uk and there is also a JustGiving page https://www.justgiving.com/page/alex-hind-brain-research-uk for anyone who might wish to donate." Let's all support this and wish them all our very best by either attending or giving on the Just Giving page - Alex is also entering the London Marathon to raise more money as well - Well done Alex!
2023
November
Meet the Neighbours...Christmas Warm Up!
A chance to have a nice relaxed evening before the Christmas Party season starts on Friday 1st December, 6pm in the Sports Pavilion. Mulled Wine available, as well as the usual the bar facilities. Children and Dogs welcome. "A relaxed evening of fun for all and better than writing Christmas Cards!" "Dont' forget to bring a neighbour!"
Hampstons Well Update
During our November committee meeting, we had a presentation by Emlyn Jones from the Friends of Hampstons Well on the works that have been carried out over the summmer. This included draining the pool and clearing many years of silt that had built up. One of the major issues was how to drain the pool, as there are no historical plans for the well. This was solved by a neighbour who lives on Station Road who found the original bung and drain for the pool during the volunteer week-ends the Friends have throughout the year. You can see a video of the pool draining via their Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1232410467153526/permalink/1874999792894587/
The Committee thanked all those involved with the Friends of Hampstons Well for the dedication in maintaining this historic site of behalf of the village.
Burton Community Choir
You are invited to join a new choir which is being formed to lead the singing at the Christmas Carol Service, St Nicholas Church Burton, on 17 December 2023 at 7pm. This is a choir from the community and for the community, made up of local people who don’t normally go to church (as well as others from the church itself). There will be a number of instrumentalists, Tony Davies will be the Organist and Alison Routledge will lead the Choir. Whilst some will simply come to enjoy a good sing with others, and you don’t have to be able to read music, we do need some who can follow a score so as to be able to sing parts. It is for all to enjoy making music at this amazing Christmas Season There will be rehearsals at St Nicholas Church, Burton on Wednesday evenings at 7.30pm on 29th November, 6th December, 13th December then late on Sunday afternoon 17th December, prior to the Carol Service itself. If you would like to join in please email Tony Davies, on tdavies630@yahoo.co.uk or Alison Routledge on alisonroutledge@sky.com . Please indicate whether you sing Soprano, Alto, Tenor or Bass.
September
Meet the Neighbours - Three
Following on from the successful second "Meet the Neighbours" last month, a third event has been arranged for Friday 6th October, from 6pm in the Sports Pavilion of Gladstone Village Hall. Children and Dogs very welcome. Don't forget to bring a Neighbour...especially if they are new to our village!
August
Notice of Annual General Meeting
The 2023 Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday 11th October at 7.30pm in the Sports Pavilion at Gladstone Village Hall. Any motions you wish to raise at the meeting must be notified to the secretary, Lara Wild by 27th September at latest or delivered to St.Nicholas House, The Village, Burton. An agenda for the meeting will be issued in due course.
Community Speed Watch Update - Neston Road
Speed watch sessions have now re-started on Neston Road with PCSO Linda Conway in attendance. On Tuesday 15th August between 10 and 11.15 am, even with traffic volumes being quieter due to the time of day, three motorists where caught doing 48, 45 and 36 mph respectively. These motorists will receive warning letters from Cheshire Police. More sessions are planned especially during the rush hours and the Police have also promised to do more enforcement sessions where motorists will be fined, along with points on their licence, if they exceed the 30 mph limit.
Pimm's and Hymns
Everyone is welcome to a free community event "Pimm's and Hymns"at St.Nichola's Church on Tuesday 5th September. All your favourite Hymns and enjoy a glass of Pimm's or a soft drink as well. Bring along friends and family to the beautiful surroundings of the church. If you would like to suggest your favourite hymn, contact johncoyne.bps@gmail.com
July
Meet the Neighbours v.2
Following the success of our last joint event with Gladstone Village Hall, another evening has been arranged for Friday 11th August starting at 6pm in the Sports Pavillion. There will also be representatives from both organisations present to answer any questions you may have. Bar opens at 6pm. Dogs and Children most welcome! This is a great chance for neighbours old and new to meet up..."Dont forget to bring a Neighbour with you!"
Burton Manor Car Park
Burton Manor are allowing neighbours and visitors to use the car park opposite the Café at The Manor in the evenings and at weekends. A barrier is in place which will be down at other times. This carpark is available for public use without charge at week-ends and weekdays from 6:00pm to 07.45am. All vehicles must be removed by 07.45am Monday to Friday.
Please do make use of this car park and encourage your visitors to do so too, as it is valuable resource that will help ease the congestion from on road parking in the village.
June
Burton Resident Jean Gaddas and Bruno appear live on BBC’s Blue Peter!
Jean Gaddas and her dog Bruno from Wood Lane, appeared live on BBC’s Blue Peter along with five children from Woodslee Primary School, Bromborough on Friday 26th May. The show had a feature on “Therapy Pets” which included a starring role from Bruno, along with other animals, their owners and the school children as well.
Bruno joined the Gaddas' family as a rescue dog when he was 10 months old and it was a long journey for him and Jean, as he had not been treated well from an early age by his previous owner. Due to Bruno’s lovely manner, Jean had the idea of training him to be a Therapy Dog and registering him with the charity “Pets as Therapy”. After training and passing his assessment, he is now a firm favourite at Woodslee Primary School every Monday afternoon and even has his own timetable! He is groomed and petted by the children whilst Jean and Bruno do questions and answers which helps them with their confidence. The children read to him, walk him, play ball games, they learn how to keep a dog and Bruno helps children to be not afraid of dogs. Well done Bruno…and Jean…of course!
May
Summer Newsletter
We hope you are all enjoying the warmer weather and long summer evenings. Here is our summer update on Burton news.
CORONATION PARTY
We were delighted to contribute financially and with volunteers to the fantastic Coronation party which was a combined effort from many groups in the village, including Gladstone Village Hall, The Church and the BRA. Notably, BRA members Kerry Denye and Lara Wild worked really hard to set up and run events and it was lovely that there were so many people there to enjoy the super weather.
MEET THE NEIGHBOURS EVENT
Our next joint venture with GVH will be at the Sports Pavilion on June 9th. This will be a relaxed evening for all ages with the bar open and a Tuck Shop too. We can all enjoy meeting our neighbours and hope it will be a chance especially for those who have moved to Burton recently and those who missed out during Covid to catch up. Softball cricket and other games, free snacks and nibbles and lots of fun will start at 6-00pm for the evening.
Please join us and BRING A NEIGHBOUR!
BURTON VILLAGE FARMERS’ MARKET AND FUN DOG SHOW
Don’t forget this fun event on SATURDAY JUNE 3nd at 10am. It will be held at Gladstone Village Hall and offers dogs and food plus much more. What more could you wish for?
“BURTON YOUTHS” WhatsApp GROUP
One of the feedback points from our survey was that many feel that we should provide more for the younger members of our community. It is lovely to have seen an influx of young families and to see the facilities such as the playground used so frequently but there is little going on for our older children once they’ve outgrown this. With the variety of senior schools they attend they don’t all have local friends and for this reason a few of the older children got together a couple of months ago and have set up a WhatsApp group ‘Burton Youths’. This is an invitation only group so if you would like your child to join, please email our secretary, Lara Wild with their name and phone number if they wish to be added: secretary@burtonresidentsassociation.co.uk. Alternatively, you can message Lara on WhatsApp (Mobile: 07866079081). There are two parents acting as admin to ensure that it’s kept safe and appropriate.
The group has already come up with some great social event ideas and thoughts as to what they wanted to do at the Coronation Event and at the forthcoming ‘Meet the Neighbours’ evening. At the former event they helped organise many of the activities and ran the “Tuck shop” themselves raising money for GVH and the Sports & Social Club in the process.
TRAFFIC
We recently met with Mike Powell, Principal Engineer, Highways Department of CWAC (Cheshire West and Chester Council) and our councillor Myles Hogg to explain our concerns and frustrations about traffic volume, speed and parking and look for solutions. In particular we asked about a 40mph speed limit on Mudhouse Lane, 20mph through the village and other speed reducing measures including replacement of the now defunct speed sensitive 30mph flashing sign at the entry to the village. We are currently awaiting responses from him and will in due course present you all with a summary of the work that has been going on over this and possible improvements we can make. Unfortunately, none of this happens quickly and we are grateful for your patience as we explore all avenues available to us.
COMMUNITY SPEED WATCH
As we reported in the spring, this has been relaunched but new volunteers are always welcome. Please get in touch if you can help.
WILD FLOWERS
CWAC have started a programme of sowing wildflower seeds in the verges of local roads and common areas. Willaston, for example, has had several patches planted. BRA agreed to fund a trial of these on the area of grass at the junction of Dunstan Lane and Mudhouse Lane. The Council churned up the grass and we sowed the seeds so that people can comment on whether they would wish this to be extended to the verges around the villages. Please do get in touch to give your opinion. The idea is that wildflowers are good for butterflies and bees and biodiversity but we understand that many villagers diligently tend the verges outside their properties, even though technically they belong to the council. Please let us know your views as the seeds (hopefully) grow in to wildflowers.
THE BURTON PLANTER
The planter has been planted and looks lovely! Thank you, Peter and Jill Nicholson from Gordale Nursery.
MYLES HOGG
Myles Hogg was re-elected as our councillor in the recent local elections. He has attended our Residents’ Association meetings now for some months and been a staunch supporter of our causes and acts as a very useful liaison with the council. He has also donated to a number of local projects. We would like to congratulate him upon his election and thank him for all that he has done for us already.
PHANTOM LITTER PICKER
The mystery litter picker whom you may have seen patrolling the village has now been identified! He is Scott Lewis from Puddington and if you haven’t seen him, you will have noticed the effects of his hard work. Thank you, Scott and any other secret litter pickers for keeping our village tidy.
Scott Lewis wields his litter picker
HAMPSTON’S WELL
BRA donated £200 to assist the Friends of Hampston’s Well with improvements to prevent overflow of foul water in surrounding fields during heavy rainfall. This work remains underway and The Friends have applied for “village green status” to protect this important ancient site for generations to come. BRA have offered support for the application and in due course we may be contacting you to do the same as the application progresses.
BURTON MANOR DEVELOPMENT
This approaches completion, though work has still to start on the largest of the development properties which will be adjacent to the sunken garden. The S73 application (which permits amendments to planning permission already granted) still remains undecided. Anybody wishing to view all of the plans and permissions for the site can do so by searching CWAC planning and viewing the plans using the reference 21/02618/S73. Burton Manor have confirmed that residents and visitors are welcome to park in the car park behind the café after working hours during the week and through the weekend and the barrier will be left up during these periods. Please do use this facility and encourage visitors to do so also as it eases the congestion in the village.
DID YOU KNOW?
…..what the boundaries of the Burton Conservation area are?
Many thanks to Myles Hogg for answering this question for us:
….that Burton was mentioned in the 11th century Doomsday book where it was listed as Bur Tun, meaning it was close to a fortified site, this being the iron age fort at Burton Point. The remains of this can still be seen in the far corner of the RSPB reserve.
CONTACTS
We are gradually gathering contact details from more people so that we can keep you informed, ask for help and seek your opinions on matters that affect us all.
Please keep us updated with your details if these change at all and please encourage neighbours who have not sent their details to us to do so.
Finally, please do keep us up to date with your news, concerns or achievements so that we can report them in future newsletters.
email: brachairman@btinternet.com
secretary@burtonresidentsassociation.co.uk
HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!
The Burton Residents’ Association Committee
April
Village Planter
Our thanks go to Gordale Garden and Home Centre...Jill and Peter Nicolson, for agreeing to look after the village planter going forward.
March
Wild Flower Planting in Verges
CWAC (Cheshire West and Chester) Council have commenced a programme of planting wildflowers in road verges to enhance biodiversity and encourage butterflies and bees etc. BRA have been approached to consider this in Burton and we have purchased a small “tester” pack of seed to trial. You will shortly see the Council rake up some grass at the junction of Mudhouse Lane with the main road through the village next to the bench. We will then sow the seeds and hope to see some growth over the next few weeks. During that time the Council will not mow the area of sowing and we can decide whether to extend the project to, for example, the verges further up Dunstan Lane. The verges are owned by the Council but we have pointed out that local residents often maintain them so we offered to seek consultation from them before any decisions are made as to any roll out. Hopefully this test area will give everybody a chance to see how they look? We hope that in due course we might hear back from you as to your opinion on this. To be clear, this is a Council initiative and BRA are acting to inform residents and pass their opinion back to CWAC. Although BRA is funding this small trial, any larger roll out would be funded by the Council. Let us know your thoughts: brachairman@btinternet.com
Waterloo Tree - Update
We have been informed that the felling of the diseased Waterloo Tree, adjacent to the sunken garden at Burton Manor, will take place on Thursday 30th and Friday 31st of March. Equipment will be delivered to the site the day before.
Burton wakes to snow on Friday 10th March
Thank you to residents Renee Syme, Yousef and Chris Litherland for the following photos taken on the Friday morning:
