We are pleased to announce that the public toilets on Windmill Bank will be re-opening on Thursday 20th August 2020.

We would ask you to follow the recommendations below to ensure that our public toilets remain a safe place for all –

• Please only use the toilets in an emergency, if you can use the toilet at home before you leave to visit the village centre and once you get home
• Carry hand gel with you and use it before you enter the toilets and after you leave
• Ensure that you wash your hands thoroughly after using the toilet, this should be for at least 20 seconds
• Ensure that social distancing is maintained if you are queuing to use the toilet

These facilities are cleaned once per day, and therefore we would ask you to be respectful of how you leave the toilets to ensure they are as clean as possible for the next person using them.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact the Parish Council office on 01902 896300.

Re-opening our play facilities

We would like to thank residents for their patience whilst they have been working towards re-opening our parks and play areas.

We’re pleased to announce that Bratch Park, Brickbridge Playing Fields MUGA and Poolhouse Play Area will re-open from Monday 20th July 2020.

It is imperative that residents follow some simple guidelines which are published below and will also be displayed at our parks and play areas to ensure that they remain a safe place for all.

Important Guidance

1. Do not use the equipment if you or any member of your household has Covid-19 coronavirus symptoms or are self-isolating.
2. The equipment in this park is checked regularly for damage and wear and tear but is not cleaned, sanitised or disinfected.
3. This is shared equipment, used at your own risk.
4. Make sure you have hand sanitiser with you before entering this play area.
5. Encourage everyone in your family to use hand sanitiser regularly and as a minimum before and after using the equipment.
6. Where there are clear touch points on equipment, for example, handles, it is advisable that users clean the equipment before use.
7. You MUST maintain social distancing from others unless they are from the same household – current advice is to maintain at least 1 metre (with risk mitigations) if 2 metres is not viable.
8. Each piece of equipment should be used by only one family/ bubble at a time while social distancing. Please ensure your family waits at a safe distance if the equipment is in use or return later to use the equipment.
9. Please do not touch your face, especially after using the equipment. Should you cough or sneeze, please do so into a tissue or your arm if you do not have a tissue with you. Put used tissues in the bin immediately.
10. The Government guidance states under 3’s should not wear face coverings. Parents should follow caution if older children are wearing face coverings, especially on play equipment, as this could pose an additional safety risk. If your family do wear disposable PPE, please use the bins provided or take it home with you if the bin is full. PLEASE DO NOT LITTER.
11. To mitigate the risk of transmission of Covid-19 coronavirus, the consumption of food or drink in this area is currently banned.
12. Ensure you wash your hands thoroughly when you get home.

Wombourne Parish Council will not accept any responsibility for individuals using the equipment, as users do so at their own risk.

We hope you enjoy using this play area and thank you for helping to keep everyone safe. Should you have any queries, please call the Parish Council Office on 01902 896300.

In order to observe social distancing, some pieces of equipment may be marked as out of use. Please observe this and do not try to use this equipment.

We do reserve the right to close the play areas if we feel that the guidance is not being adhered to or the parks and play areas are being misused. Your safety is paramount and we want to ensure that our recreational areas are a safe space for everyone.

As always, if you have any queries, please feel free to contact us on 01902 896300.

If anyone is made aware of someone vulnerable and/or alone who needs help, please ask them to call the Parish Council (or call us yourself) on 01902 896300, and we can arrange to get them some to them.

In the event of the Parish Council office being closed, a recorded message will give details of who they should contact.

Please, we would encourage you all to look out for your neighbours at this difficult time, especially those who are self isolating, whether it is collecting shopping for them, or just giving them a call so that they can hear a friendly voice.

Thank you.

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 CIVIC CENTRE

The Parish Council are closely following the advice of the Government in relation to COVID-19 (the coronavirus). At present, there is no advice from the Government to cancel non essential gatherings, and therefore our normal cancellation policy in relation to bookings at the Civic Centre will apply.

Just to confirm, this means 100% of your deposit is refundable in the event of receiving notification of cancellation 8 weeks prior to your function. In the event you cancelling 6 weeks prior to your function, 50% of your deposit will be refundable. Your deposit is non refundable for any other cancellations.

10 years of Sytch Lane Cemetery, Wombourne

This article has been extracted from the South Staffordshire Review Magazine issue 74.

December marked the tenth anniversary of the opening of Sytch Lane Cemetery. Located on the outskirts of Wombourne, this seven-acre cemetery opened in 2009 and includes an area for lawn burials, a babies and children’s
section, a natural burial meadow area, a bird bath memorial and a Four Seasons woodland scattering area.

Sytch Lane originated from the area between Ounsdale Road and Blakeley open field called ‘The Sitch’, which is taken from the old English word for ‘boundary’. The site was a disused playing field prior to being developed into a cemetery by the Council.

Iron making was a thriving industry with local smithies and the nail-making industry of the village is depicted with the use of the nail head details on the cemetery gateway created by local artist and blacksmith, Ian Moran. Keeping respectfulness, calmness and peacefulness at the heart of his design, Ian used the universal mark of respect, a bowed head and clasped hands for the figurines and the wavy line on the gates is taken from an ordnance survey map of the waterways in Wombourne.

For more information and for help and advice on all
aspects of burial and memorial options, please contact the
Bereavement Services team.
Tel: 01902 696111
Email: bereavementservices@sstaffs.gov.uk
www.sstaffs.gov.uk/bereavement-services

Did you know?

You can book a registrar’s appointment at the Council Offices in Codsall to register a death, a birth or give notice to marry. The registrar is here on Tuesdays from 9am until 1pm and appointments need to be booked through the County Registrar’s office by calling 0300 111 8001 or using the online appointment booker at  https://staffordshire.zipporah.co.uk/Registrars.Staffordshire/DeathBookingProcess

Bereavement Services video

A new information video providing an introduction to the Council’s two cemeteries at Sytch Lane in Wombourne and Strawberry Lane in Great Wyrley and showing all the different memorial options is now available to view on the
Council’s YouTube channel southstaffordshire.

Bereavement Information Hubs

The death of a loved one can turn your life upside down. Many find that talking can help and in South Staffordshire
there are two Compton Care Bereavement Information Hubs hosted at Perton and Wombourne Libraries.

Wombourne Library
Every first Monday of the month, 1.30pm
to 3.30pm.

Perton Library
Every second Friday of the month, 2pm
to 4pm, and every third Thursday of the
month, 6pm to 8pm.

For more information, please contact Perton or Wombourne Library via the Contact Centre on 0300 111 8000 or
Compton Care on 0300 323 0250.

Cold weather warning

Now that we’re starting to experience cold, frosty mornings, remember not to leave your car unattended when defrosting it.

Opportunist car thieves can take advantage and steal it so don’t leave keys in your vehicle and the engine running and make sure you stay with your car at all times.

Police advice is to clear windscreens with de-icer and a scraper and sit in the vehicle while the heater de-mists the windscreen.

Make sure your car is fully defrosted before setting off and allow extra time for your journey. Please take care on the icy roads and keep a safe distance of other cars.

For more winter driving advice, click here.

We are now rushing headlong into autumn in Wombourne, and the vibrant blooms of summer are fast transforming into the familiar sights of the new season. Dare I say, we will soon be looking forward to the Christmas Lights switch-on!

I hope all villagers had enjoyable and, no doubt, well-earned summer breaks between the sometimes unseasonal and turbulent weather we seem to be becoming accustomed to in a British summer time.

Despite some cold, rainy weather at times, I think we can all agree the village looked better than ever in its summertime finery. The Best Kept Village committee again did us proud, ensuring a beautiful and tidy village. It is with great pride that I would like to congratulate them and all their volunteers in achieving third place in the large village category of the Best Kept Village competition, as well as extending thanks for their selfless hard work.

Whilst on the subject, it is also an opportune moment to congratulate the winners of the Wombourne in Bloom competition this year. Like the efforts of the BKV, Wombourne’s businesses also get in on the act to ensure the village looks its best. It was fantastic to see so many businesses participating, and I hope even more choose to do so next year. This year’s winners were Walker’s Way, where the level of work was frankly staggering, and The Mount Pleasant, where the hanging display was simply stunning. A huge well done to all those that took part.

However, there is naturally much more going on in Wombourne than marvelling at its summer splendour. The Parish Council is now passing the 125 years milestone, which is another important event in the life of the village that I hope will be built upon for many years to come.

Equally, we have renewal within the village. In early September I attended the closing meeting of 2^nd Wombourne Scout Group. Despite being the end of an era in some ways, it was not a sad affair. Rather, the meeting witnessed the birth of The Bratch Scouts – it was a renewal, and a rebranding that is intended to bring greater recognition and support to an essential community and youth organisation. The positivity of the event was fantastic, and perhaps they will be celebrating that day in 125 years’ time too.

On a final note, I also attended Perton Parish Council’s Civic Service in September. A long-time volunteer myself, I know the impact they can have. Many local community groups owe their existence to their tireless efforts, and it must be no surprise that the central theme of this article is congratulating volunteer successes, urging more to get involved and thanking volunteers for their dedication. As with the Best Kept Village committee, Wombourne’s very own Volunteer Bureau is also a key organisation at the heart of Parish life. All the groups mentioned, and many others besides, will always welcome new volunteers, and if you can spare even an hour here or there, I am certain it would be most welcome. This is where the Parish becomes a community, and I want to thank you all for the work you do.

Daniel Kinsey,

Chairman

Giving your child the best start with Rhythm Time!

My name’s Jenny and I run Rhythm Time classes in the Wolverhampton, South Staffs, Stourbridge and surrounding areas. Our award-winning, multi-sensory music classes for babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers are great fun and extremely developmental. We are passionate about music and its ability to stimulate every part of a child’s brain.

Classes are split over four age groups, young baby (from 0-4mths) older babies (from around 3 to 14 months), toddlers (up to three) and pre-school from 3 to 5. Each course has been created by Rhythm Time founder and MD, Kathy Doolan, to enhance the senses of each child and develop their creativity, confidence and co-ordination.

Babies aren’t born with a sense of beat, so in the baby class we focus on instilling this beat – this is important as it helps with walking, writing, riding a bike… and countless other things! In the toddler class the focus is on building your little one’s confidence – they will collect their own instruments and even sing a solo into a microphone! The pre-school classes teach the fundamentals of music, whether it is sad or happy, fast or slow, and introduces musical terminology. This continuous development is delivered in a fun, energetic and engaging way, with the help of our mascot Ratatat, a rabbit with very long ears, who is used to hone the children’s listening skills!  You’ll also meet lots of other lovely parents of course!

Each class is different yet has just the right amount of repetition for the little ones to feel secure and comfortable. I have a team of wonderful teachers who are passionate about music and the development of children – and they all absolutely LOVE what they do, and that shines through too!

Rhythm Time has been established for 23 years, so we’re very well known throughout the country and highly regarded. Our passion is to inspire and teach parents and their little ones, helping them to enjoy the wonders of music and giving them a firm musical foundation.  We’re also founding members of the CAA (Children’s Activities Association) which is an industry benchmarking organisation created to raise the standard of children’s activities provided to parents.

We run classes throughout the week in various venues, so just call us on 07948 625 006 or visit www.rhythmtime.net/pr to find your nearest class.

I’m really looking forward to meeting you!