Feature

New Alresford Town Council

The Annual Meeting of the Council At the meeting on 4th May, Councillor Marilyn Weston was re-elected Chair of the Council and Councillor Ann Bean as Vice Chair together with the Chairs of our four Committees for the next municipal year. Details about the committees and members can be found on our website together with meeting dates.

Grants We would like to invite grant applications from local groups and organisations serving Alresford residents to be considered at the Town Council meeting to be held on 27th July 2021.

In April, we were delighted to award three grants. Alresford New Leaf benefitted from the funding of £560.71 for the purchase of equipment and seeds to support community wildflower projects. We also gave a grant of £1000 towards the annual upkeep and maintenance of the churchyard at St John’s Church. Our final award of £500 was to Alresford Allotment Society to rebuild the manure enclosure at Spring Gardens allotments. Information about grants can be found on our website. If you would like to be considered, please submit your application by Friday 2nd July.

Rotary We would like to thank members of Alresford Rotary for getting out of bed at such a ridiculously early hour on Sunday 9th May to clear up the parking bays in Broad Street. We provided the waste bag, and they provided the hard work and enthusiasm. This is just one of the many ways that Alresford Rotary support their community. During the lockdown, they supplied 70 upgraded computers for children for homeschooling and they are feeling positive that their popular Alresford 10k Race will go ahead on 20th June. They welcome new members. wustefeld.co.uk

Barriers We request that if you need to move the planters in Broad Street, then please put them back in the same place as you found them. They are there for safety reasons. Thank you.

Winchester Hospice Nick Vaughan, chair of Winchester Hospice Fundraising Charity, said: “Thank you so much to everyone at New Alresford Town Council for supporting the request to host one of our clothes and shoes recycling banks, and we are grateful to all of the local residents who use it.” “Recycling your unwanted clothes and shoes will raise vital funds for the Winchester Hospice fundraising campaign – and the charity is delighted to have now got its first bank in the New Alresford area.”

They have already raised more than £3.7million but need ongoing funding to support the running of the hospice once it is open. The hospice will provide palliative care for residents in the Winchester district. www. winchesterhospice.com

Save every drop! As the weather grows warmer, many of us are doing more laundry and reaching for the garden hose. But did you know that doing so could have serious consequences for nature?

In Hampshire, much of our water comes from the underground aquifer that also supplies chalk streams like the River Arle. High local demand can cause them to run low or even dry, harming their wildlife. This summer, help keep the flow going by taking up the Save Every Drop challenge. Discover easy ways to reduce your use and lessen the pressure on these precious habitats. www.hiwwt.org.uk/ saveeverydrop

Ultrafast broadband FTTP 4 Alresford are campaigning for ultrafast broadband in New Alresford. They are currently working on an upgrade scheme for 373 properties in South East Alresford and with Openreach to achieve this on your behalf.

But firstly, they need the residents in the scheme area to sign up for this government funded scheme. Please visit www.fttp4alresford.uk for more details. Rollout in the rest of the town will depend on the success of this scheme and on whether there is sufficient demand from residents.

New Alresford Town Council Arlebury Park, The Avenue, New Alresford, SO24 9EP Phone: 01962 732079 www.newalresford-tc.gov.uk

Coot splahing on water ©Andrew Parkinson 2020 Vision for editorial