Parish News

On a wet and windy December Sunday morning we were just able to lift and secure the new Snowflake on the top of the Village Hall replacing the old cross that was there for many years before disappearing without any trace years ago. This is a project completed with PC and VH funding and I hope you agree that it makes a good contribution to the Xmas decorations offering in Barley village.

We have also added a Santa & Sleigh on top of the bus shelter and the Women’s Institute have done a great job of bringing festive lighting to the garden on the car park. I must also add a “well-done” to Newchurch who have done a great job with Xmas illuminations in their village.

For the first time in many years, Barley held a Christmas party for over forty children in the Chapel. A very impressive Father Xmas (John Connor) handed out presents and party games were played throughout the afternoon before Barley to Bethlehem. It was obvious that the children had a great time with the Events Committee and Chapel teams taking great care of them. There are lots of photographs on the Residents Facebook page if you want to see what was going on and who was there. The Parish Council also handed out gifts to Pensioners just before Xmas.

The Barley to Bethlehem was also a great success with circa 200 people in attendance. The weather was kind and so the procession went ahead with lots of people involved; the event gave lots of children a chance to dress up and be centre stage so to speak and, along with a party, I am sure there were happy memories made. There are too many people to thank for making this all happen but I must thank Angie and Lorraine for playing a big part in both.

For fans of MasterChef you will have recently been watching a local young man, George Birtwell, progressing through the early rounds to the final of the competition. I know many residents were following and supporting him and he came as close as you can get to winning.

Thanks for your memorable participation George, I am sure friends and family must be so proud of you and we all wish you the best in your future as a Chef.

Moving on to more mundane matters the Parish and Borough Council have funded the purchase and installation of two new waste bins, one by the toilet block and one by the car park entrance. These two bins regularly overflowed at busy times and so the new ones have double the capacity, they should reduce unsightly overflow and the times some of us have to deal with it. As you may know, the commemoration Coronation Oak Tree on the village green died. A replacement was planted by the Events Committee in December and we hope the King and the tree do well in 2025.

I will finish by asking you all to drive carefully now that the winter has arrived. Whilst we will see the Gritters out and about, the road surface can still freeze before they arrive. And on our rural roads we suffer from water flooding across the roadway from wet fields and washing the salt off – then freezing to create ice patches that can be a real danger. Even if you have seen a Gritter, take care, there could be ice just around the corner.

On behalf of the Parish Council, I would like to wish everybody in the parish a Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.