Don’t miss out – receive £10 off Children’s Summer Holiday Active Camps at Wombourne Leisure Centre thanks to funding from the Parish Council

Wombourne Parish Council have once again pledged funding for residents to receive £10 off Children’s Summer Holiday Active Camps (terms and conditions apply, visit http://www.sstaffs.gov.uk/leisure/school=holiday-camps-3.cfm
for more information).

Wombourne Parish Council has once again recognised the hard work of an individual in the Village, and the 2018 recipient of the Joan Williams Civic Award is…

Simon Williams

Simon received several nominations for the Joan Williams Civic Award for 2018 for his contributions to Wombourne through his work with the Best Kept Village Committee.

Here’s a snippet of Simon’s nominations –

‘Simon has worked tirelessly to improve the appearance of the village, leading by example whilst positively promoting community awareness and spirit. With his encouragement and the use of social media, Simon has reached out to a wider audience of residents and groups, publicising the work of the BKV team and involving and encouraging residents to take greater pride in their surroundings by taking part in the regular litter picks and clearing of pathways around the village.‘

‘Simon has inspired so many people to pick up a bag and help tidy our lovely village and has been so enthusiastic with it, he has got people involved and really for the village working together.’

‘Simon has shown commitment, energy, interest and involvement since joining the Committee and cleared vast areas of the village of overgrowth and leaves.’

The Chairman of the Parish Council, Councillor Daniel Kinsey presented Simon with his award at the Annual Parish Meeting on Wednesday 12th June 2019, with his friends from the Best Kept Village Committee there to support him.

Simon graciously thanked his fellow Best Kept Village Committee members in his acceptance speech remarking they had built a sound platform in the Committee which he was simply building on.

The following day on the Best Kept Village Committee’s Facebook page he posted the following message –

‘So I wanted to keep last night’s recognition a quiet affair but those plans went out of the window (and in the bin) when many of my fellow BKV volunteers decided to gate-crash and show their support!
Not one to miss out on a litter pick I walked down to the Civic Centre suited and booted, with a brolly in one hand and an empty bread bag in the other – not my normal litter picking gear and not a position I ever thought I would find myself in. 
Zoom back to this time last year, I hadn’t picked up one piece of litter from the streets of Wombourne, didn’t know the road names around the village green let alone wonder who was responsible for planting many of the plants around Wombourne.
On that evening I bumped into a volunteer sweeping the village green. As I had a spare 30 minutes or so I decided to help him and find out who this weirdo with a broom was!
30 minutes later I walked into a BKV committee meeting not knowing what to expect – and that’s when I was hooked. I saw a handful of volunteers who had given many hours over many years trying to make Wombourne a nicer place to live and build that community spirit that many people think has long gone. 
We owe a lot to this team but it also dawned on me that this team can’t do this forever, it’s time to do my bit – I don’t want my kids to grow up thinking that a messy unkept village is the new norm. 
However, that’s enough about me, BKV as a team have done some great things this year. Like me all our new volunteers have done is simply piggy backed on to the foundations that the existing team have given us. This team were old enough and wise enough to have allowed us to bring in new ideas, new approaches and new energy. Some of these have worked, some haven’t and some of our biggest ideas are still in the pipeline. 

The actual competition doesn’t matter, we have all done our best. We have been joined by many new faces, we have been joined by businesses wanting to support us as they recognise that a vibrant village is good for them too. We have been joined by families with children both young and old. We have been joined by those that have adopted new areas of their neighbourhood, allowing us to focus elsewhere and we have been joined by the likes of the Girl Guides, Cubs, Duke of Edinburgh volunteers, Beavers, Friends of Wombrook, Schools and High Flyers. 
It’s our village not the Council’s but our working relationship and understanding of both the Parish and District Council is second to none. 
I can’t possibly mention everything we do as a team, nor can I talk about every volunteer. However I do know that some of these people have won this award in the past and I know what they continue to do for the good of the village. I know that one of the previous winners has now had a double knee replacement yet still helps us and will be out again this weekend. I know that another is on the lookout for a new set of lungs but works harder than any of us, and I know that others just continue to work quietly in the background supporting us where they can. 
It’s a team and everyone is welcome – enthusiasm always preferred over ability. 
On my own I can’t make Wombourne a nicer place to live, our committee and volunteers can’t make Wombourne that perfect place either. But we hope to encourage ever more to join us and we hope that our enthusiasm is contagious. We hope to bring fresh ideas, fresh approaches and new knees!
Thanks for all your kind messages and support and finally thanks to our family and friends. They have supported us in a role that takes up time but one that is very rewarding.’

Wombourne’s Best Kept Village committee meet on the 3rd Wednesday of the month in the Council Chamber at 7pm.

They have regular litter picks arranged on Friday’s and Saturday’s every month, the next being Friday 12th July and Saturday 27th July.

Visit their facebook page https://en-gb.facebook.com/wombourneBKV/ for more information.

Congratulation to Simon on winning the Joan Williams Civic Award for 2018.

For more information about the Joan Williams Civic Award, please contact the Parish Council office on 01902 896 300.

Wombourne Townswomens Guild – 50^th Birthday Party Celebrations – A Golden Occasion

All the planning over several months made for a truly memorable afternoon at the Civic Centre in Wombourne.

Chris & Dorothy, who share the role of Chair were inspired with the idea to plan this event. They offered greetings to the Sedgley, Perton, Codsall, Penn Townswomens Guild branches and Inner Wheel ladies, who added to our numbers and helped us celebrate.  Previous Chairs and Committee members from the Wombourne branch were present, some of whom are also founder members, 50 years ago.

Our important guest was Maggie O’Hara, who is a versatile vocalist. We were well entertained for a full hour with a range of songs carefully chosen.  Many present would have been part of the Guild Choir, so singing along with most of her numbers came naturally. Lots of feet were tapping too, so perhaps dancing could have been included too!

An excellent selection of sandwiches and various types of cakes, with numerous pots of hot tea were soon served to the 80 of us present. Refreshments were bought, prepared and served by members of the Guild. Following time to chat and eat, the clearing up was quickly achieved with no fuss as members volunteered, with aprons, rubber gloves and many tea towels! A special thank you can be made to 2 of our Members, Jan and Judy for the most delicious sandwiches, professionally prepared and much enjoyed.

All in all, we had a lovely time with a surprise gift to take home from our ‘Crafty Carole’. Reminiscing, working together, and much laughter are always in evidence at TG gatherings and with singing too this event was exceptional. Thank you to the Committee.

Meetings are 2nd Thursday of the month at the Community        Centre, Wombourne 7.30pm. Contact Margaret 01902                753795 for details.

Article written by Sue Stevens, TG Publicity

Councillor Barry Bond wishes to express his grateful thanks to those that attended the celebration service for his late wife, Councillor Mrs Mary Bond, and to those who sent condolence messages, cards and for the glowing tributes to Mary.

Donations totaling £1028 in memory of Mary were raised which will be given to the Dogs Trust.

Wombourne Parish Council is mourning the loss of a respected, long-serving Councillor who has sadly passed away.

Councillor Mrs Mary Bond represented Wombourne Parish Council in the South West Ward for fourteen years and served on a number of committees including the Parish Council’s Finance and General Purposes Committee of which she was Chairman. She had been Chairman of the Parish Council in 2008 and 2014.

Councillor Mrs Bond also represented Wombourne South West Ward on South Staffordshire Council as a District Councillor for twelve years and had lived in the ward for forty years. When she completed her year as Chairman of South Staffordshire Council in 2013 she took on the role of Cabinet Member for Community Services.

Councillor Mrs Bond played a pivotal role in the development of the play area on Poolhouse Estate and the upgrade of the Christmas lighting around the Village in 2018. She was a huge advocate for local businesses and charities, especially High Flyers who benefited from Councillor Mrs Bond’s support in recent years.

Our Chairman, Councillor Miss Mary Roberts added “Councillor Mrs Mary Bond was an integral part of Wombourne Parish Council.  Always ready to help everyone, advise and encourage the newer Councillors like myself.  Councillor Mrs Mary Bond was an inspiration to all, her dedication, work ethic and positive attitude to everything will be a great loss. I will certainly miss her encouragement and guidance.”

She will be sadly missed by all who knew her.

The Parish Council wishes to extend their sincere condolences to Councillor Barry Bond at this sad time.