Wombourne Parish Council were sad to hear of the passing of former Councillor Henry (Harry) McTaggart aged 90.

Mr McTggart had served Wombourne Parish, South Staffordshire District and Staffordshire County Council’s for 26 years between 1963 and 1989.

He lived in Wombourne from 1959 until his passing on 20th May 2020.

His funeral will take place on Thursday 25th June, when will take one last journey around Wombourne village green at approximately 10.35am/10.40am before a private ceremony at Gornal Crematorium.

Our thoughts are with his children Carol, Maureen, Alison and Peter at this sad time.

While we are all living through some very difficult times indeed right now, it is really very nice to be able to celebrate something positive as a Council. 

We are therefore very pleased to congratulate Councillor Reg Williams on achieving 25 years in the service of Wombourne residents as a Parish Councillor. 

Councillor Reg Williams was first elected to the Council in 1995 and has served alongside quite a number of Councillors in that time, including of course, his late wife Joan. 

Still a very active member of the Parish Council, Reg is well known for his very thoughtful and considered contributions to meetings, as well as his disarming smile and witty observations. His encyclopaedic knowledge of planning has proven invaluable in his continued role as Chairman of the Planning Committee, and his introductory talk on the subject has become something of a much appreciated right of passage for new Members.

It therefore gives us great pleasure in congratulating Councillor Williams on achieving this milestone, and sending him many well wishes in recognising this service and wishing him many more years of dedicated service to come. 

Congratulations Councillor Williams. 

(Tribute written by Chairman of the Council, Councillor Dan Kinsey – May 2020)

Wombourne comes together (but stayed apart) to celebrate VE Day

Along with the rest of the country, on the 23^rd March 2020, Wombourne went into lockdown. We did this to protect ourselves, our loved ones and the most vulnerable in our community from the disease known as Covid-19. On Friday 8^th May however, Wombourne burst into life once more to join in a national celebration; the 75^th anniversary of VE Day.

This significant anniversary came at a time when our appreciation of life 75 years ago is likely clearer and more meaningful than ever. In the midst of another national, and even international struggle for survival, undertaken for a lengthy period of time, and against all odds, this country similarly erupted into life and song to mark the defeat of Fascism and a new age of peace across Europe. Today, we appreciate sacrifice, the importance of close friends, family and community all the more. We also cherish our freedoms that were so hard-won in 1945 more so for having to relinquish them, even if momentarily.

Even prior to the Prime Minister’s announcement of lockdown measures, we had already got moving in Wombourne with the establishment of the Wombourne Community Assistance Group. Due to our newsletters and social media presence, you probably know plenty about this group already – and perhaps you have benefitted from a phone call, some shopping, or even a Positivity Parcel from one of our fantastic team of volunteers.

In fact, it was this desire to emphasise ‘positivity’ at this time that led the Parish Council and WCAG to promote VE Day celebrations across the community. Having been in lockdown for six weeks already, it was a perfect opportunity for residents to share in some fun and good humour, as well as develop further all of those wonderful friendships we seem to be developing with neighbours we may not have known before.

The message went far and wide, with leaflets to every home in the village; posts on Wombourne Online, Wombourne Best Kept Village and the Parish Council website and Facebook pages; requests to residents with memories of the original VE Day to share their recollections with us, which they did in substantial numbers, and many of you may have seen examples shared online; a number of local businesses were encouraged to offer cream teas or picnic lunches to help mark the celebrations, and I’m pleased to say they all sold out.

What happened next is a credit to all of you who make up our wonderful village. You heard the call to join in the celebration, and you did so in style. You hung out the bunting, raised your flags and got out in your gardens to share the day with your neighbours – all whilst social distancing, of course!

Music rang out from some quarters, and quizzes entertained whole streets in others. Children coloured in posters, pictures and even the pavements in many places, and many of us joined in singing Dame Vera Lynn’s ‘We’ll Meet Again’ which feels ever so apt for our own time.

Thank you for making this 75^th anniversary of peace in Europe so special, and thank you for not letting the lockdown get you down. We hope that WCAG will be able to continue supporting your community as long as is necessary, and we thank you for your very kind support. As part of our VE Day memories, members of the team took many photos and videos of the day around the village, and along with the collected memories, these will be retained for future generations to see that when it came our time to do our bit, support each other and battle through difficult times, Wombourne did so in style!

Thank you for rallying round us for VE Day, and standing tall against Covid-19.

Dan Kinsey
Chairman
Wombourne Parish Council

The funeral service for one of Wombourne’s most respected public servants took place this week.

Alderman Ignatius Kelly, referred to very affectionately by all those that knew him as ‘Paddy’, was a stalwart of our community, serving in a number of important roles, sadly passed away on 23rd March 2020 aged 91.

Paddy came to Wombourne for work, servicing business machines in the days before modern computers, and represented the Parish as it’s Chairman on three separate occasions in 1972/3, 1988/9, and finally in 1992/3.

Such dedicated service as a Parish Councillor for so many years would be enough for many people, but not for Paddy. He also served for a long time on the old Seisdon Rural District Council, as well as Staffordshire County Council.

As well as being very politically active with the Conservative Party throughout the 1960s and 70s, he was also, and is perhaps best remembered as a highly respected JP.

Sadly, I had only known Paddy for a very short time. However, in that time I was personally very grateful for his warmth and wisdom. He was an infectiously likeable character, and that is something quite rare. He is, and shall remain, irreplaceable.

The entire Parish Council send prayers and best wishes to his family, particularly his son David, with whom he attended many civic functions. He was a highly respected member of our community, and I am sure there will be many of you who wish to pay their respects to his family. We are extremely saddened by his passing, but very thankful for having known him.

 Dan Kinsey

 Chairman

Wombourne Parish Council

A message to all volunteers

Thank you very much for your support so far, and we hope you will continue to help support our residents throughout this difficult time.

We do want to know a few things from you to help us target the support we can give going forward:

1. Are you still happy to volunteer to assist vulnerable and elderly residents?

2. Are you currently assisting any residents, either by shopping, etc or checking they are okay?
If so, we would like to know about this to help us better understand the scale of need.

3. If you are already assisting anyone, however you’re doing it, what problems have you discovered?
We would like to know this so we can work on solutions to common problems wherever possible.

If you are able to answer any of these questions, please send your replies to the Chairman of the Parish Council, Councillor Dan Kinsey at – dankinsey@hotmail.co.uk

We have now established a private Facebook group for all of our registered volunteers. It is called ‘Wombourne Community Assistance Group’. Please find us and join the group (you do have to have a Facebook account to join). Here is a link – https://www.facebook.com/groups/1628099680686569/

We realise just how important building and maintaining a strong community is at this time, and we hope this group will enable us all to better share this experience with each other, support and celebrate all of our efforts.

This is a private group and only individuals who have signed up to be a volunteer will be able to access it. We would ask you to respect the privacy of others and do not share personal details of anyone you may be supporting with this group. If you do need to seek support, please anonymise the resident you are talking about.

Thank you once again for your time and your assistance, it’s very much appreciated.

If you have any queries, please feel free to call the Parish Council Office on 01902 896300.

Kind regards,

Rachael

Mrs Rachael Wright
Clerk to Wombourne Parish Council
Tel: 01902 896300

 LET’S CELEBRATE WOMBOURNE!

From the organisers of the Christmas Tree Festival at the United Reformed Church…

If you can knit, crochet or sew and would like to celebrate the kind and generous people of this village, why not spend some time making flowers, leaves, butterflies, bees or similar to decorate your houses, gardens and trees when all this is over?

 A burst of colour is what we all need!

If you are interested please email

 wombournectfestival@gmail.com

Have your say!

The Parish Council have been contacted by RPS of Bradford Street, Birmingham who wish to inform you that they have been instructed to hold a public consultation in relation to a proposed retail-led development at Wombourne Enterprise Park, Bridgnorth Road, Wombourne.

The applicant is South Staffordshire Council.

Given the current circumstances, RPS are going ahead with an online consultation.

This will run from 27 March to 10 April.

To have your say, please visit http://www.wombourne-retail.co.uk

In view of the current situation Wombourne Civic Centre will be closed with immediate effect for private functions, classes, meetings and to members of the public accessing the Parish Council Office, until further notice.

For those who have functions booked in at the Civic Centre in the forthcoming weeks, if you haven’t already spoken to a member of staff this week, they will be in touch with you from Monday onwards.

We shall be following the Government’s recommendations closely and if there are any changes to the advice given, we will of course review this decision. The Parish Council will keep you informed via this website and our social media pages.

The health and welfare of our hirers, staff and members of our community is our utmost priority at this difficult time.

The Parish Council staff will continue to work from the Civic Centre where possible during office hours so if you have any queries, please contact them on 01902 896300 or via email – enquiries@wombourneparishcouncil.org.uk

Tenants leasing office space are not affected by this decision to close the Civic Centre and can continue to access their offices for as long as the Government will allow.

Thank you for your understanding and co-operation.

Wombourne Work Club

Are you looking for help with your CV and letter writing? Maybe you need some IT coaching or self employment advice?

Wombourne Work Club can help you… they meet every Tuesday at Wombourne Library/Community Centre from 10am until midday. No appointment is necessary, you can call in for free help and advice.

For enquiries call Val Chapman on 07718911367 or email val.chapman3@btinternet.com

Small office to rent

From Monday 2nd March 2020 a small office suitable for a sole trader or small company will be available to rent at Wombourne Civic Centre.

Electricity, gas, water and full internet connection (from April 2020) will be included in the rental price of £270 per month.

The office comes with ample parking on the Civic Centre site.

For enquiries or to view the room, please call the Parish Council office on 01902 896300.