HARDINGTON WELCOME PACK 2012

WELCOME TO HARDINGTON MANDEVILLE

On behalf of the Parish Council, I would like to welcome you and your family to our beautiful village. The Parish Council comprises 7 members, ably assisted by our clerk Jessica Vale, and meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 7.30pm in the village hall. Occasionally other meetings may be needed, and we usually have a rest in December! One or both of our County and District Councillors normally attend meetings, and members of the public, especially parishioners, are warmly invited to attend. The agenda is always published in advance on the various village notice boards. Opportunity is given to speak on agenda or other matters before the meeting starts, and again for comment at the end.

Once a year the meeting is preceded by the Annual Parish Assembly and representatives from, for instance, the county and district councils, the police and youth leaders may be invited to attend and address us on various issues. Contact details for councillors can be found on the village website www.hardington.net and in this welcome pack.

Do take this opportunity to get involved in what happens in your new village.

Robin Carpenter

Chairman
Hardington Mandeville Parish Council
HARDINGTON MANDEVILLE

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Hardington Mandeville is a rural village 4 miles south-west of Yeovil. At the 2001 census the number of households was 220 with a population of 600. Of the 2007 population, 60% are over 45 years of age whilst 5% are under 15. Over 90% of houses are owner-occupied and approximately half the households have 2 cars. Over 50% of residents have lived in the village for more than 15 years and a quarter for less than 5 years.

The Village is in the centre of farming country and there are a number of working farms in the Parish. In addition, many residents are employed, directly or indirectly, in the local hi-tech aerospace industry, whilst others are engaged in a diverse range of employment activities.

There are many leisure/recreational activities taking place throughout the year and new members are always welcome.

LOCAL DEMOCRACY

The Parish Council

The Parish Council meets at the Village Hall on the third Tuesday of the month (except December) at 7.30pm and members of the public are welcome to attend.

The Annual Village Assembly is usually held in the Village Hall at the end of April/beginning of May and all residents of the Village are welcome.

In 2007 The Parish Council commissioned the production of a Parish Plan and a copy of the Plan is attached.

Parish and District Councillors

Details of the Councillors may be found on this webpage

District Council

Hardington Mandeville is a Parish within the area covered by

South Somerset District Council, Brympton Way, Yeovil, BA20 2HT

01935 462462

www.southsomerset.gov.uk

County Council

Somerset County Council, County Hall, The Crescent, Taunton, TA1 4DY

0845 345 9166

www.somerset.gov.uk

Member of Parliament

David Laws - Liberal Democrat

c/o Yeovil Liberal Democrats, 5 Church Street, Yeovil, BA20 1HB

01935 423284

enquiries@yeovil-libdems.org.uk

Member of European Parliament

Sir Graham Watson

c/o The Liberty, Old Kelways, Langport Somerset TA10 9SJ

01458 252265

info@grahamwatsonmep.org or graham.watson@europarl.europa.eu

REFUSE COLLECTION & RECYCLING

Refuse collection

Household waste is collected every two weeks on a Wednesday morning. Residents are advised to place their black bin outside the house the night before the collection day as the bins are usually emptied quite early.

Recycling

A collection of recyclable waste is made each Wednesday morning. Car batteries, clothes, shoes, glass, papers, cans, foil, cardboard, plastic bottles and food waste are collected. Items to be collected (except food waste) should be placed in the black and green boxes (sorted appropriately) and left outside. Food waste should be placed in the appropriate brown container.

Other recyclables such as electrical items, wood, hardcore and garden waste can be taken to one of the council facilities that are located at Artillery Road, Yeovil and at Blacknell Trading Estate, Crewkerne (there is a charge for using the Crewkerne site).

Further information about refuse collection and recycling can be found on the village website or from South Somerset District Council (01935 462462 or www.southsomerset.gov.uk).

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH

As our village is so spread out, the normal kind of Neighbourhood Watch schemes would not work but we can at least keep an eye on our neighbours’ property and also report any suspicious activity seen around the village to the Police together with car description and registration where possible.

I do have a large group on my "Email NHW look out team" to whom I can quickly pass on messages from the Yeovil and Dorset Police, if anyone would like to be added to my list they can just let me have their address.

New residents are very welcome to contact me if they would like any advice regarding their security arrangements.

My contact details are Brian Bower on 01935 862721.

Email bwbower.747@gmail.com

THE DOMESTIC OIL PURCHASE CONSORTIUM

The Hardington Domestic Oil Buying Consortium was set up following the ‘Parish Plan’ questionnaire in which eighty-five households expressed an interest in joining a Village bulk domestic oil buying scheme.

In essence, the scheme is very simple. Anyone who lives within the village boundary can register by providing full name, address and telephone number, either via the village website or directly to David Beckley who set up and runs the scheme. David asks that all registrations are made in writing to reduce the possibility of error. You only need to register once.

An announcement is made, by David, each time an order is being placed – this is always via the village website and in The Hardington Messenger. Let David know how much oil you require – minimum five hundred litres - and it will be ordered accordingly. You will receive the invoice direct from the oil supplier whom you pay. Please pay promptly as it can affect the whole Consortium.

Each time an order is ready, David phones several oil companies to obtain the best price. He always points out that, in a volatile ‘pricing period’, oil prices may vary daily and it may just be possible to buy cheaper on another day, as an individual, but the scheme now has one hundred and seven registrants and ‘normally saves’ between four and six pence per litre.

For any questions about the scheme contact David Beckley whose details are listed in the section about Parish Councillors.

VILLAGE MUGS

These are available to purchase from the village shop or from Sue Phillips at Windmill Cottage on 01935 862866. They are made by Dunoon from fine bone china and depict various scenes around the village and at a cost of £8 each and make lovely gifts or keepsakes.

COMMUNICATION

The Messenger

On the first of every month a free village newsletter is distributed to all households within the Parish. This informative publication gives details of village activities for the coming month(s) as well as the names of key contacts within the village.

The Messenger Coordinator is: Liz Raymont 01935 863229 Email: hardingtonmessenger@rocketmail.com

The Village Website

The Village is very fortunate in that it has its own website (www.hardington.net) which provides a valuable source of information such as changes to the refuse collection schedule due to Bank Holidays, etc. It also provides details of the Parish Council agendas and minutes.

The Web-Master is: Brian Dodd 01935 863113 or email: webmaster@hardington.net

Postal Service

There is a Royal Mail postal service that delivers mail each day (except Sunday) and collects from a variety of collecting boxes from around the village.

Village Post Office

Hardington Mandeville is fortunate to still have a post office that is open daily (except Sunday) from 7.30am until 1pm. The post office is part of a shop that sells newspapers, groceries, stationery goods, etc. The post office also tends to be the booking office for village events such as the annual pantomime and the post mistress, Daphne Creed, is a fund of local knowledge and invaluable information (01935 862363).

LOCAL FACILITIES

The Village Hall

The Village Hall (formerly the village school) is the main focus for the vast majority of Village events. The current chairperson is Sian Jinks (01935 863837) and the Hall can be hired for private use. The bookings secretary is Karen Clotworthy (01935 864255).

A calendar of Village Hall bookings appears on the Village web-site

The Church

With its origins in Norman times, The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin is part of the United Benefice that includes the neighbouring parishes of East Chinnock, West Coker and Pendomer. However, the boundary of the Benefice may change in the near future.

The Vicar is the Reverend David Wilson and he resides at: 7 Cedar Fields, West Coker, Yeovil BA22 9DB 01935 862328

The current Church Wardens are: Daphne Creed 01935 862363 and Brian Dodd 01935 863113.

Places of worship for other denominations and faiths will be found in Yeovil.

Mobile Library

A mobile library provided by Somerset County Council Library Service visits the Village once every 4 weeks on a Tuesday morning. It stops at the High Street at 10.45 a.m. for 20 minutes. The first scheduled visit in 2012 is on the 24th of January.

For further information contact the County Library Service (0845 3459177) or enquiry@somerset.gov.uk

Public Houses

There are two public houses in the Village. They are:

Village Events

Included in the many events that tend to be regular features in the Village diary are:

Individual Clubs/Societies may, from time to time, organise events that are open to all villagers. Details of such events are published in the Messenger, on the village website and, sometimes, on a banner outside the Village Hall.

VILLAGE CLUBS & SOCIETIES

Art Group

Gillian Bysouth - 01935 863525

Women’s Institute

Sue Phillips - 01935 862866

Hardington Players Drama Group

Elaine Peters - 01935 864307

Garden Club

Rachel Moulden - 01935 86 2034

Cricket Club

Alan Grassam - 01935 863673

Niblets Golf Group

Nick Lunt - 01935 862538

Bell Ringing

Gordon Rendell - 01935 822329

Tanya’s Tappers

Tanya Ogden - 01935 863912

Pre-school Group

Sarah Quinton - 01935 864296

Pilates Classes

Carolyn Brettell - 07931 828824

Modern American Square Dance Classes

Julia Beckley - 01935 864557

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Bus Services

From Mondays to Fridays the Nippy Bus (N12) travels from East Chinnock to Yeovil, passing through the Village at about 10.15am. . It returns from Yeovil just before 1.30 pm.
The Nippy Bus also has a responsive service N8 allowing passengers to pre-book a service for a particular time Monday - Saturday. It is necessary to register with the Company before pre-booking is possible. Further details: www.nippybus.co.uk (01935 823888).

Rail Stations

There are two railway stations in Yeovil. Yeovil Junction for trains on the London-Exeter line (including Crewkerne) and Yeovil Pen Mill for stations on the Weymouth-Bristol Temple Meads line.

There are often timetables at The Village Shop/Post Office.

Taxis

A list of local taxi companies that serve the greater area around Hardington Mandeville can be found in the telephone directory.

CONCLUSION

The Parish Council hopes that you find this Welcome Pack useful and wishes you a very happy and peaceful time in your new home.

To proceed to the home page of the website, select "Home Page" in the yellow box on the left hand side at the top of this page.