St Helens Village News

by Parish Clerk Jacky Matthews

Phone: 01983 722575 | E-mail: clerk@sthelensiw.org.uk

There has been an issue with the defibrillator, situated at the toilet on the Duver. Due to the vigilance of one of St Helens Councillors the defibrillator has been sent for checking and a loan one now in place.

We are in the process of organising some CPR training sessions over the next month or two, and hopefully looking to do first aid training too. You may have completed these previously but refreshing your knowledge is always a good thing. Each session will have about 10 places. Once we have dates they will be advertised locally, St Helens Facebook page and on the PC Website. If you would be interested in attending then please let me know.

As a Village we are lucky to have The Community Centre for larger gatherings, and also The Sports Pavilion - a space for the smaller get togethers. Trying to expand the use of this building but also, to offer St Helens residents some extra clubs and interests for residents of all ages. In order to do this we need to know your suggestions… e.g., Chess, Bridge, Knitting, Sewing, etc. Please submit these via email.

St Helens Horticultural Society holds two shows each year - along with talks on various horticultural subjects most months. Recently there was a talk about Nunwell House Gardens. The next St Helens Horticultural Spring Show is on Saturday March 18th, at St Helens Primary School - doors open 2:30pm. Staging is in the morning. Many categories, including Cut Daffodils, Flowers, Fruit & Veg, Pot Plants, Flower arranging, Craft, Photography, Domestic Science and a Children’s Class. The full schedule & regulations will be available from February 20th, but this note is to give you time to prepare ready for entering. For other information re the Horticultural Society go to sthelens-horticultural-society.org

Last month the mention of a Community Fridge was rumoured this is something that is still being explored and will hopefully be up and running soon. A Community Fridge idea is basically a way for food that would go into the waste from supermarkets being delivered and free for the people of St Helens to use rather than go into rubbish.

Ideas, improvements, work to be done…. It’s your Village and now we have a great number of Volunteers then please forward any suggestions, and if you see anything that isn’t as it should be or feel could be improved, again please do contact me so it can be resolved.

07880 587931

February is the last month of winter and is usually still very cold and wet but it’s not all doom and gloom as it has two special days to celebrate, Pancake Day and St Valentine’s day. Here are a few interesting facts about both these events.

Shrove Tuesday – more commonly known as Pancake Day, or Pancake Tuesday, is celebrated every year to mark the first day of Lent. This year this flippin’ tasty day is on Tuesday, 21 February 2023

The largest ever pancake was made in the UK and had to be flipped using a crane! The largest pancake was created in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, in 1994, by the Co-Operative Union, Ltd. It was 49 foot (ft) wide and one inch (in) thick. The pancake weighed three tonnes.

In the US, Pancake Day is commonly known as “Mardi Gras,” which is French for “Fat Tuesday.”

The second side of a pancake takes half the amount of time to cook as the first – a good tip to remember.

Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14

Ikea Australia gave away a coupon for a free crib for babies born on the 14th November, which is exactly 9 months after Valentine’s Day. The coupon & proof of birth has to be shown.

Teddy Roosevelt’s diary entry for the 14th February 1884 reads: ‘The light has gone out of my life’. His mother and wife both passed away within hours of each other on that day.

Valentine’s Day is said to be the second most popular day to send cards, after Christmas! St. Valentine’s holy duties are not limited to interceding in loving couples and marriages. He is also the patron saint of beekeepers, epilepsy, plague, fainting and travelling.

Source thefactsite.com and historyhit.com

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News Report from Cllr Joe Robertson - Bembridge joe.robertson@iow.gov.uk

The planning application on the land between Steyne Road and Hillway Road has received some revisions (which seem to be minor) and has therefore been relisted for public comment. The deadline for commenting is 21 days from 20th January, however all existing comments will be taken into consideration. If the planning officers recommend the application for approval, then the application will be decided by the Isle of Wight Council’s Planning Committee which could be as early as March.

I have had an on-site meeting with the Council’s new flood officer to discuss flooding in Station Road and the junction with Embankment Road and Pump Lane. The focus was on finding practical solutions to alleviate the worst effects of the flooding and remove any unnecessary barriers to getting work done. I hope to have some good news in the coming weeks. We will be looking at other key sites in the Village using evidence of the Flood Report as we go.

I am also pleased to have secured an onsite meeting with Island Roads and the Isle of Wight Council to discuss the terrible road surface on Howgate Road and a section of the High Street. Island Roads have so far been reluctant to do any road resurfacing because they say the roads are not “dangerous.” My position is that they are dangerous, particularly to cyclists and those who have difficulty walking when crossing the road, but they are also well below a reasonable standard the public would expect a road to be kept in. The deteriorating surface means there is often loose grit on the road increasing the chances of skidding which is in itself dangerous. That meeting should be happening very soon.

I receive a considerable amount of correspondence on the state of the unfinished building by the Lifeboat station. I have been in regular contact with the Isle of Wight Council about this for nearly 2 years. Their advice is that planning law does not provide for enforcement to complete unfinished building works. They have previously written to the owner to ask that the site be made secure and loose building materials be secured. More recently the Council have agreed to look again more creatively to see if there are other powers to ensure the issue of the unsightly building can be better dealt with.

February is the month for budget setting at the Isle of Wight Council. From figures published so far there is a black hole in the Council’s budget of £20 million and only £2 million left from available reserves. Several Council departments have gone over budget in the last year. I am concerned that the administration that leads the Council has allowed its finances to spiral out of control. The gap in the Budget will have to be filled and I have reached out to the Cabinet Member for Strategic Finance to offer to work with him to achieve a balanced Budget for 2023/24. By the time of going to print I will have met with him in person. I will also be asking why none of the £40 million allocated for affordable house building in the last Budget has been spent and there are still no plans for spending any of it.