Great Notley Garden Village Residents Association
Newsletter Number 30
Date : October 2003.
Chairman : Ken Game. Telephone - 343030. Secretary : Bert Rix. Telephone - 341066.
E-mail : herbertrix@btinternet.com
E-MAILS TO THE RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION.
Recently there has been a spate of web messages containing viruses and we know that senders of e-mails are not obliged to identify themselves, but if we receive messages via the web that do not contain an address or phone number we do not open them. So, if you want an answer and don't just wish us to have a laugh please identify yourself.
During the height of the 'virus epidemic' we got one e-mail from a robertburns@ecosse.net' and the heading was 'SOS'. That looked too suspicious to be opened. Thought the eminent Robbie Burns was no longer with us and all the way from Scotland? -- Well! If we have done the sender an injustice please come again.
GREAT NOTLEY WOMENS INSTITUTE.
Great Notley W.I. is again holding a Table Top Sale in the Community Centre on the 27th. March, 2004 and tables cost £6 each. Doors open at 9am. for table holders and 10am for the public. If you would like to reserve a table please ring Pauline Michaels on 01376-342192. Tables will be allotted on a 'first come, first served' basis because the total number of tables is being cut down to 25 for this event. The W.I. will provide light refreshments all day.
COUNCIL TAX BANDING OF HOUSES.
The Residents Association wrote recently to B.D.C. asking why houses in Bands D, E. & F. are charged council tax at different rates, the higher band being Band F which is 144% above Band D. Seeing that residents in each band use about the same amount of Council services this seems very unfair.
A visit to Causeway House produced no answer to the word Justification and we were told to write to Alan Hurst, which has been done. At date no reply has been received from Alan Hurst and we will write further requesting an answer. Watch this space.
COUNCIL TAX INCREASES.
Most people, particularly pensioners, are on nearly static incomes and already rumblings are being heard across the land. A Mr. Tony Constable in Colchester recently collected a large number of signatures on a petition and he has been co-operating with Mrs. Phyllis Webb of Black Notley Pensioners Action Group. The Residents Association is pondering a possible link up to maximise local residents' point of view.
BRAINTREE TOWN CENTRE STRATEGY GROUP.
As most people in G.N.G.V. are aware, the Chairman of the Residents Association is also the Chairman of the above Group who are working hard to bridge the funding gap for Christmas lighting in the town.
Recently the B.T.C.S.G. held a race meeting evening in Causeway House which was hailed a most notable success and was obviously enjoyed by all who attended judging by the noise and enthusiasm. More to the point it raised about £1100 for the Christmas light fund.
A raffle will shortly be held to further reduce the funding gap and last year raffle books were distributed to local houses, which proved a great success. Without this generosity the future of the town centre lighting would have been in jeopardy.
Encouraged by this generous response from a limited number of houses who were targetted it is planned to widen the catchment area this year to every house. We still have a large gap to bridge and your help is vital and will be much appreciated.
THE GREAT NOTLEY DISCOVERY CENTRE.
Everyone's enthusiasm for the stunning display of hot air balloons 'glowing' in the night sky during the Balloon Nite Glow concluded with a round of applause. Certainly, this was a special time for Great Notley Country Park.
Organising an outdoor event doesn't come without it's headaches. Checking the long range weather forecast comes as second nature and becomes a daily ritual. Thankfully the sun shone for the weekend of September's Balloon and Classic Car Event, hosted by the Country Park.
Some might say it was perfect weather - unfortunately wrestling with a 50 metre Bertie Bassett full of hot air in a light wind is not for the faint hearted. The early morning flights on Saturday and Sunday had to contend with more wind than the pilots would have liked and some flights took off from Kelvedon, otherwise the wind direction would have had the balloons into Stansted commercial airspace within minutes. As it was, there was drama and a bit of adventure for one team which had to land at the former Wethersfield airbase, prompting security concerns there - ballooning depends entirely on having near perfect conditions.
The cars were stunning, gleaming and obviously passionately cared for by their owners who proudly shared these vehicles with the general public for the weekend. Over 200 cars turned up for the show on Sunday giving people an insight of the hard work and many hours that go into restoring these projects.
Stall holders congratulated the organising team for their assistance and asked if they could be invited back next year - a sure indication that they all thought it was a successful show.
So what's next...............................
On Saturday, November 1st the Country Park is the venue for a Bonfire and Firework Display at the Bowl together with a funfair and the usual catering wagons. Family tickets will be on sale from Friday 17th October from the Discovery Centre priced at £10 (includes 2 adults and up to 3 children). Please note that these special Family tickets will not be available on the night. Entrance on the gate will be £3 for Adults and £2 for children.
Details for the event are as follows:-
BONFIRE/FIREWORKS/FUNFAIR/REFRESHMENTS AT THE BOWL ON SATURDAY 1st NOVEMBER AT THE GREAT NOTLEY COUNTRY PARK, BRAINTREE.
FRIDAY, 31ST. OCTOBER - FUNFAIR OPENS 5PM TO 9PM.
SATURDAY 1ST. NOVEMBER - FUNFAIR OPENS 4PM - 10PM. BONFIRE LIT AT 6.45PM. FIREWORKS START AT 7.15PM.
SUPPORTING PARC. Play & Resource Centre for Children with disabilities in Essex.
APPLY TO THE DISCOVERY CENTRE FOR FAMILY TICKETS.
The above information was supplied by Sharon Fouracres at the Discovery Centre.
CALLING ALL FISHERMEN.
Braintree District Council have given notice that fishing in the lake at Great Notley Country Park will be available from mid November 2003 on purchase of a day ticket from the Discovery Centre or from the Bailiff on the bank. Price per ticket will be £5.50p. The Bailiff will check anglers on a regular basis throughout the day.
The lake will be open from 7.30am. to dusk, 7 days a week. All enquirers should telephone on 01376-347134.
DO IT YOURSELF CONVEYANCING.
Following our announcements in previous newsletters wherein we promoted two books on the Legal Profession entitled 'THE CONVEYANCING FRAUD' & 'LAWYERS CAN SERIOUSLY DAMAGE YOUR HEALTH' we had a satisfying response and now have only a few books left. To our surprise we have since had requests from the north of England and across in Wales, so it goes to prove the power of our web site.
INFORMATION FOR ALL HUSBANDS.
There only two ways to win an argument with a woman. Neither of them work.
If a husband thinks he had just had the last word he is wrong. It is only the start of the next argument.
October 2003.
The next newsletter number 31 is scheduled for the end of February, 2004.
June, 2003.
next edition end September, 2003
