The Sprotbrough Arrow by Arrow Publications Ltd

Also covers Warmsworth 5100 copies

April 2021

Issue No. 186

www.arrowpublications.co.uk

Established 2005 | Distributed to 5100 homes & businesses every month

9.9/10

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Welcome to the April issue of the Sprotbrough Arrow Hip hip hooray, at last, we can meet up outside with our friends once again! From 12th April, we can go shopping, have our hair cut, visit YWP and have a drink in a beer garden. As life edges slowly back to normal, Doncaster currently celebrates being one of the leading areas in it’s successful roll out of the vaccine. Well done Doncaster and to the amazing staff and volunteers who have made this happen. Community groups which have not been able to meet throughout the last year, are at last making plans for reopening with hopefully everyone back to normal by September 2021. Auckley Show plans are well underway for what will be a big community celebration and birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and special family occasions are something we can all look forward to celebrating again with our family and friends. Just want to say a special good luck to all of our local hospitality venues, personal care businesses and anyone who has had to suspend all work or reinvent their services to get through this pandemic, I hope everything goes your way from now on. The deadline for the May issue is Wednesday 14th April. The May issue will be distributed the last weekend in April Happy Easter Michelle Sidebottom

Tel: 07795 387937 michelle@arrowpublications.co.uk

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Community News

WARMSWORTH LADIES’ CLUB

Dear Ladies Please raise a cheer, We are now in our 56th year!!! Wishing you all a very Happy Easter Stay safe and in touch until we can all meet again

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Community News Notice from Sprotbrough and Cusworth Parish Council. Parish Precept 2021/22 explained Dear resident If you read our latest edition of Sprotbrough & Cusworth Parish Council News you will have seen our pledge not to increase the parish precept in the next financial year. So, understandably, you will have been surprised to see when you opened your Doncaster Council Tax Bill for 2021/22 a reference to a 2% increase for the Sprotbrough & Cusworth Parish Council precept. We were just as concerned to find this out as we had agreed no increase, so we asked Doncaster Council for an explanation. In short, we have not increased the precept. Our income from the precept remains the same for 2021/22 as the current 2020/21 financial year. It is a complicated financial process involving Doncaster Council's 'tax base' calculation that has led to a precept increase of 93p across the year for every Band D property in the parish. As a Parish Council we did not anticipate this, nor have we received any additional funding as a result of the increase. This is the explanation we received from Doncaster Council's Principal Finance Officer: Following our phone conversation this morning regarding the 2% increase to the parish precept for 2021/22, I can confirm that this is due to a reduction in the Council Tax Base calculation. The Council Tax Base is a calculation (as set by legislation) that effectively converts the number of actual properties within the parish into an equivalent number of Band D properties, further adjusted to account for the numbers in receipt of Local Council Tax Support, Single Person Discounts, anticipated collection rates, etc. Regarding the Council Tax Base calculation for 2021/22, many parishes will have seen a decrease in their 2021/22 Council Tax Base. The COVID-19 pandemic has seen an increase in the numbers of people in receipt of Local Council Tax Support and lower levels of property growth, both of which has had a negative impact on the Council Tax Base. The Council Tax Base has reduced from 3,904 in 2020/21 to 3,830 in 2021/22, a 1.9% decrease. As the Precept amount is divided over the Council Tax Base to give the Band D charge, even though your Precept amount has remained unchanged at £186,507 it is being ‘spread’ over a reduced Council Tax Base, thereby increasing the Band D amount for 2021/22. So in your case, the Band D charge has increased from £47.77 in 2020/21 to £48.70 in 2021/22 (an annual increase of 93p). The Band A annual increase is 62p so 1p per week rounded.

St Mary’s Church Sprotbrough have welcomed the recent easing of Covid-19 restrictions allowing the Church to hold services once more and are pleased to greet folk again following re-opening. At present numbers will be limited and bookings are essential. For more information contact Rev. Amanda Barraclough on 01302 854836.

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School News from Copley Junior School

It is wonderful to be writing to you again, with all the children back together in school. It was fantastic to see children running into school on 8th March with a smile on their faces, the busy sound of learning in the classrooms and the noise and laughter of playtimes. What has been most impressive is the way children have settled back so well to their learning; well done children, we are so proud of you!

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Book Swap As part of our World Book Day activities all the children who brought a book for our swap event were invited to select a new title to take home. The children thoroughly enjoyed browsing and choosing, and it was made all the more enjoyable as there were so many titles to choose from. World Book Day We are keen to promote interest and enjoyment in reading at Copley Junior and, as always, we were delighted to see the children’s enthusiastic response to our World Book Day activities. Children in the Sports Council chose the theme of ‘Sport’ for our new World Book Day reading collection. Children dressed as book characters or in 'sporty' clothes and completed a range of bookrelated tasks including character selfies, word searches, crosswords, mindfulness colouring and a sporty themed creative writing competition. Pupils were also set the challenge of creating book characters from potatoes! Below is a gallery of our costumes. How many sports and book characters can you name? We look forward to sharing more school news next month. Best wishes, E.A. Crayton

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NEWSLETTER FROM THE DON GORGE COMMUNITY GROUP DATED 10.3.21 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING MONDAY 12 APRIL 2021 AT 10 AM Nominations for Officers and Committee or Items for the Agenda should be received by Monday 5 April 2021 This will be a ZOOM meeting so, anyone wishing to attend, should also contact the Secretary by 5 April: Email: lizreeve@dongorgecommunitygroup.com

Hello again everyone. The last time I wrote was the longest day, 21 June 2020 and here we are again almost 9 months later. We are now looking forward to the anniversary of that last newsletter with anticipation that things will be returning back to some sort of normality after the 14 or 15 months of on-and-off lockdown. With the availability of new vaccinations against Covid 19 to anyone over 50 years of age, we can all feel a little safer in our beds at night, as well as going about our daily routines. Nevertheless, things will never be quite the same again with new ways of working, if you still have a job, the economy in free fall, though I am expecting a big splurge when the shops open, and Brexit still to be fully experienced. THE DON GORGE Things in the Don Gorge have also changed beyond recognition. The increased number of visitors since March 2020 has had to be seen to be believed. Think Blackpool sea front or Matlock Bath and you will get some idea if you haven’t managed to join the throng. The arrival of the coffee bar, as well as the ice-cream van, has been an added attraction welcomed by most. It has been great to see so many people enjoying the countryside, but on the negative side there have been reports of too many people trying to watch the numerous bird species that have happily descended on the Flash, with the result that social distancing has been forgotten on occasion. The perennial problem of lack of parking has really come to the fore, with visitors arriving every day, not just on weekends, high days and holidays. The lack of toilets must also be a problem for some, especially with The Boat Inn closed. Unfortunately,

not all visitors are very considerate when it comes to parking and there have been times when the residents of Lower Sprotbrough have been unable to get home because of vehicles blocking the lane end. Littering has also been on the increase, with coffee cups over-flowing the litter bin on the canal-side. Perhaps the owner of the coffee bar should make a larger bin available and take them home to dispose of. Visitors could also arrive armed with a plastic bag and a litter picker to do their bit whilst enjoying their walks. DON GORGE CONSERVATION VOLUNTEERS The Don Gorge Conservation volunteers were laid off for quite a while, the Canal & River Trust and Yorkshire Wildlife having strict rules which we had to abide by. Unfortunately, Mick, as Co-ordinator, has been unable to volunteer for the past year due to shielding either himself or me, so we have been particularly grateful that a few of our group have been able to continue working whenever they can.. The walling at the Weirside Project, funded by the Don Catchment River Trust and Tesco Bags of Help is almost complete and we are now contemplating how to finish the project off with concrete furniture that might attract families to use the area for picnics and other leisure pursuits. Certainly the footfall appears to have increased in recent months. A questionnaire is attached, which we hope many of you might complete and return, for visitors to express their views on what, apart from the obvious, is lacking and might be appreciated without making the area a theme park.

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AGM The AGM is coming up on 12 April. So far this year the committee has managed to have two Zoom meetings, but it’s a learning process for us all and they have not been as satisfactory as face to face meetings would have been, but we felt we had to give it a go. The AGM will also be a Zoom meeting so, if anyone intends joining us they will need to contact me for the details. Nominations are also welcome for Officers and Committee and should arrive with me by 5 April at the very latest. As you will know, AGMs give the opportunity for change and I have to report at this stage that I will be resigning as Secretary, so a new one is required if anyone has the relevant skills and desire to be involved with the Group.

a good read and useful or not, and we weren’t even able to have a proper launch, but thankfully it appears to have filled a gap in the knowledge of Sprotbrough residents old and new. There are still a few copies left, which can be purchased from me. We are currently at 18 St Mary’s Walk, but should be back home at 4 Lower Sprotborough by the end of this month.

We hope we might resurrect our Oral History meetings when groups are able to meet again, so if you are interested in joining, let me know by emailing soh.lizreeve@gmail.com I will add you to the mailing list.

The reason I have decided it is time to give up this post is that Mick and I have had a terrible 17 months since we were flooded out for a second time on 7 November 2019. The disasters that have befallen us could fill a book, and may even do Email: lizreeve@dongorgecommunitygroup.com so at some point, what with burglaries and leadWebsite: www.dongorgecommunitygroup.com/ stripping from the roof adding to the flood reparaBlog: http://dongorgecommunitygroup.blogspot.com tions required. The Covid 19 lockdown in March 2020 resulted in delays in the renovations due to tradesmen shielding and the subsequent lack of materials, extending our time in temporary accommodation by months longer than expected. Add onto all that increasing age and health issues, including surgery during 2020 and you might wonder why we both haven’t had nervous breakdowns. But no, we try to keep on smiling and putting a brave face on things. Mick will hopefully, pick up his role again once we are home and • Wallpaper Hanging Specialist the fear of further lockdowns • Emulsion & All Paintwork is over. • Clean & Tidy Work • Reliable & Trustworthy Est. 1988 SPROTBROUGH ORAL • Quality Work at Reasonable HISTORY Prices The only positive thing to

Liz Reeve, Secretary

Tel: 01302 313030 Mobile: 07918 12404

PAUL WHITE DECORATOR

come out of the March lockdown was the publication of our Oral History book, “Sprotbrough” and its subsequent success. Many have conveyed their enjoyment of reading it, for which I am so grateful. It is always a worry before a book comes out as to whether people will find it

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Richmond Hill Academy

Welcome Back to Richmond Hill We are so happy to have welcomed all our children back to Richmond Hill on the 8th of March. They have settled back beautifully from Nursery through to Year 6. Here Year 3 staff welcomed children back with bespoke jumpers which the children loved. In Year 5 each child received an individual ‘Proud of You’ letter from the class teachers, which they were thrilled to receive. Thank you NHS and Care Workers As our school supports many critical worker families, our children wanted to produce something extra special for all our NHS and care workers to say a huge thank you. We didn’t realise how wide it would reach with ITV Calendar News visiting Richmond Hill! Our children interviewed were superstars giving interviewer Martin Fisher some fantastic answers. You can view the video on the school website. A huge thank you to Mrs Dugdale for putting it all together.

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World Book Day World Book Day 2021 will certainly be one to remember, so many characters were colourfully brought to life both in school and remotely. Year 2 brought their novel study text to life - with the staff joining in. International Women’s Day To celebrate international women’s day Makar in Year 1 and Marina in Nursery presented their teachers with beautifully written cards and flowers.

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01320 511700 23

News from Orchard Infant School The team at Orchard were so pleased to welcome all children back into school on Monday 8th March. The children were equally pleased to be back with all their friends in their corresponding year group ‘bubbles’. We would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every family for their support during the latest lockdown. Children, both in school and at home, have ‘wowed’ us with their breadth of learning and we know this is thanks to the hard work of both staff and parents. Our home learning app has never seen so many interesting posts and the levels of engagement have been superb! This half term we are currently enjoying our focus on ‘Traditional Stories and Fairy Tales’. All year groups have engaged enthusiastically with a range of wider curriculum activities, storytelling and fun writing ideas. Year 2 have loved recording each other reading stories to share with the younger year groups. They have also written their own book reviews based on shared class reads and have even designed and written invitations to a particular royal wedding (namely the prince and his ‘real’ princess, accompanied by a trusty pea!) Year 1 have enjoyed designing and making their own fantasy character sock puppets which they will be evaluating on completion! Early years children have had lots of fun retelling and acting out a range of stories using small world resources and they have loved writing about the Gingerbread Man!

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As a school, we enjoyed celebrating a belated ‘World Book Day’ last Thursday (11th March). The postponed event meant that all children could be back in school to share the experience. The children put in lots of effort and we enjoyed seeing an array of ‘non-uniform’ outfits – from character themed pyjamas to famous wizarding wizards! Thank you to all those families that donated a book to school to mark the occasion – we loved sharing some of these in class and are truly grateful for your generosity. We are already excited about our next fundraising venture which will take place on Friday 19th March to support this year’s ‘Red Nose Day’. We look forward to sharing some of our good deeds and fun activities in next month’s issue! Meanwhile, thanks again to all the hardworking staff at Orchard, our fabulous children and their wonderful families. You really are all AMAZING!

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COVID GUIDELINES ARE IN PLACE, PLEASE CHECK IF YOUR CLASS IS GOING AHEAD BEFORE MAKING PLANS

What’s On In Sprotbrough? Day

Activity

Meeting Place

Mon

Rainbows

Scout Barn in Sprotbrough Village

Time 5.30pm

Mon

Rising 2’s play session

Goldsmith Centre, Sprotbrough

9.00-11.30am

Mon

Rising 2’s play session

Goldsmith Centre, Sprotbrough

12.30- 3.00pm

Mon

Brownies

Sprotbrough Methodist Church

6.15-7.45pm

Mon

Beavers (6-7yrs)

Scout Hall, Anchorage Lane, Sprotbrough

6.00-7.30pm

Mon

French Conversation Group

Sprotbrough Community Library

6.00—8.00pm

Mon

Seniors ‘Dancercise’ Keep fit class

St Mary’s Church Hall, Sprotbrough

10.15—11.15am

Mon

Adult Ballroom/Latin Dance

St Mary’s Church Hall, Sprotbrough

2pm –3.30pm

Mon

Adult Ballroom/Latin Dance class

St Mary’s Church Hall, Sprotbrough

7.15-8.45pm

Mon

Scottish Country Dancing (term time)

The Goldsmith Centre, Sprotbrough

7.45—9.45pm

Tue

Sprotbrough Starz

Goldsmith Centre, Sprotbrough

9.15-11am

Tue

Coffee Morning (Term time only)

Sprotbrough Methodist Church

10.30-11.30am

Tue

Tuesday Club

Goldsmith Centre, Sprotbrough

1.30-4.00pm

Tue

Painting Class

Goldsmith Centre, Sprotbrough

2.00-4.00pm

Tue

Dancing

Sprotbrough Methodist Church

4.00-7.00pm

Tue

Story time & Activities (term time)

Sprotbrough Library

1pm—2pm

Tue

Cubs (8-10yrs)

Scout Hall, Anchorage Lane, Sprotbrough

6.30-8.00pm

Tue

Cubs 'Kestrels' (8-10yrs)

The Barn, Main Street

6.45-8.15pm

Wed

Rising 2’s Playgroup

Goldsmith Centre, Sprotbrough

9.00-11.30am

Wed

Sprotbrough Park Playtime (term time)

Sprotbrough Methodist Church

9.30-11am

Wed

Sequence Dance—Ian Sadler

Royal British Legion

1pm –3.30pm

Wed

Story Time & Activities Alternate weeks

Sprotbrough Library

1.30pm—2.30pm

Wed

Dancing

Sprotbrough Methodist Church

4.00-7.00pm

Wed

Taekwondo

Goldsmith Centre, Sprotbrough

6.00-7.00pm

Wed

Yoga

St Mary’s Church Hall

10.15-11.15am

Wed

Music Bugs

St Mary’s Church Hall

12.15 - 2.15pm

Wed

Cubs 'Falcons' (8-10yrs)

The Barn, Main Street

6.45-8.15pm

Wed

Scouts (11-14yrs)

Scout Hall, Anchorage Lane, Sprotbrough

7.00-9pm

Thurs

Coffee Morning

The Stable, Main Street, Sprotbrough

10—11.30am

Thurs

Little tykes (childminders drop in)

Goldsmith Centre, Sprotbrough

9.15—11.00am

Thurs

Thursday Club

Goldsmith Centre, Sprotbrough

1.30-4.00pm

Thurs

Dancing Class

Goldsmith Centre, Sprotbrough

4.45-8.45pm

Thurs

Brownies

Sprotbrough Methodist Church

6.00-7.30pm

Thurs

Beavers (6-7yrs)

The Barn, Main Street

5.30-6.30pm

Thurs

Scouts (11-14yrs)

The Barn, Main Street

7.00-9.15pm 7.30-9.30pm

Thurs

Explorer Scouts (14-18yrs)

Scout Hall, Anchorage Lane, Sprotbrough

Fri

Sprotbrough Starz

Goldsmith Centre, Sprotbrough

9.15-11am

Fri

Tea Dance

Goldsmith Centre, Sprotbrough

1.00-4.00pm

Sat

Sequence Dancing

Royal British Legion Club

7.30—10.30pm

Sat

Dancing Class

Goldsmith Centre, Sprotbrough

9.15-3.15pm

Sun

Sunday Club

Sprotbrough Methodist Church

10am—11am

Sun

t-Time, Crafts, bible stories and more

St Marys Church Hall

4—5pm—check hall for dates

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COVID GUIDELINES ARE IN PLACE, PLEASE CHECK IF YOUR CLASS IS GOING AHEAD BEFORE MAKING PLANS

What’s on in Warmsworth? Day

Activity

Meeting Place

Time

Monday

Warmsworth Pre School

Warmsworth Community Centre (Front Hall)

9.05am-3.05pm

Tuesday

Warmsworth Pre School

Warmsworth Community Centre (Front Hall)

9.05am-3.05pm

Tuesday

Rainbows

Warmsworth Community Centre

6pm-7pm

Tuesday

Brownies

Warmsworth Community Centre (Front Hall)

6pm-7.30pm

Tuesday

Ladies Club

Warmsworth Community Centre (New Hall)

7pm-9pm

Wednesday

Warmsworth Pre School

Warmsworth Community Centre (Front Hall)

9.05am-3.05pm

Thursday

Warmsworth Pre School

Warmsworth Community Centre (Front Hall)

9.05am-3.05pm

Thursday

Dancing Class

Warmsworth Community Centre (Front Hall)

4pm-9pm

Thursday

Watercolours

Warmsworth Community Centre (New Hall)

10am-12 noon

Friday

Warmsworth Pre School

Warmsworth Community Centre (Front Hall)

9.05am-3.05pm

Sprotbrough Community Centre Bookings Tel: 788093 Methodist Church Hall Bookings Tel: 570036 (office hours 10am-12noon Tue & Fri) St Marys Church Hall & Stable Bookings Tel: 07580 561312 Warmsworth Community Centre Tel: 01302 858200

Monthly Events in Sprotbrough & Warmsworth Monthly

Activity

Meeting Place

Time

3rd Monday 1st & 3rd Tuesday

St Mary’s Mothers Union

The Stable, Main Street, Sp’boro

7.30pm- 9.30pm

Sequence Dancing

Royal British Legion Club

7.30-10.30pm

1st Wednesday

Sprotbrough Wives

Sprotbrough Methodist Church

7.30-10.00pm

2nd Thursday

Lunch Club

Sprotbrough Methodist Church

12.15pm - 2.00pm

2nd Tuesday

Jigsaw Puzzle library & Coffee

The Stable, main Street, Sprotbrough

9.30—11.30am

St Mary’s Church Hall

7.30—9.30pm

2nd Tuesday

Sprotbrough WI

2nd Monday

Ladies Club Committee

Warmsworth Community Centre (New Hall)

7pm-9pm

2nd Monday

Parish Council meeting

Warmsworth Community Centre (New Hall)

7pm-9pm

1st Thursday

Warmsworth WI

Warmsworth Community Centre

7—9pm

2nd Monday

Ward Councillors Surgery

Warmsworth Community Centre (New Hall)

6—7pm

1st Tuesday

Warmsworth & Edlington Lions Club

The Holiday Inn, Warmsworth, DN4 NUX

7pm

3rd Wednesday

Warmsworth Neighbourhood Watch

Cricket Club

7pm

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