F I N C H - Friends in Nutbourne, Chidham & Hambrook

DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO NEEDS FRIENDLY HELP?

FINCH is a community group that aims to befriend members of the local community who feel they are in need of support because of restricted mobility. Volunteers offer their time to help people in the following ways:

If you think FINCH might be able to help, please ring us on 07775 942399

A friendly person from FINCH will then visit to have a chat about how we can assist. All of our volunteers live in the community and have been CRB checked. Please put the above number in your phone directory/mobile contact list now!

Perhaps you could help?
If you would be interested in learning more about what is involved in volunteering to help through FINCH , then please ring on the number above. You would not be committing yourself to anything by enquiring.

FINCH, set up in March this year, is a direct outcome of the Parish Plan Action Point 24

FINCH
F riends i n N utbourne, C hidham & H ambrook

COFFEE MORNING
10.30 – 12.30 Saturday 22 September, St Wilfrid's, Broad Road

A pleasant social occasion for everybody. Please put a note in your diary now!

The Parish Directory – should you be in it?

Edition 3 of the Parish Directory will be distributed free with the September edition of this Newsletter. The Parish Directory is your guide to local clubs, societies, facilities, organisations, producers, suppliers, businesses, tradesmen, current projects, current initiatives, etc. The Directory is delivered free to all residents and is also on the Parish Website, in the Parish Plan section: www.chidhamandhambrook.info

The online version of the Parish Directory is updated as required.

To be included without charge in the Directory, contact any Parish Councillor (see Parish Council Noticeboards for contact details) or the Parish Clerk on 01243 375865. An alternative method is to use the Application Form available online on the Parish Website.

The Parish Directory is a direct result of the Parish Plan, Action Point 29.

Cliff Archer

THE NEW VILLAGE CENTRE PROJECT

The Village Centre Questionnaire was delivered to every household in March this year. The responses to the outline Village Centre proposal (see below) justified applying for a Big Lottery Fund grant and we just met the application deadline of 30 April 2007. Big Lottery tells us that we can expect a decision on our Stage One application in August; if we are successful, then we will have nine months to complete a Stage Two application. Big Lottery could allocate us a Development Grant to help with the extensive additional work that will be required for this.

It should be remembered that the village will be in direct competition with all other villages in the country making similar applications – then, of course there is the major demand on Big Lottery funds to support the Olympic Games! If we are unsuccessful in our bid, then we shall investigate other sources of funding. The Village Centre Project is a direct outcome of the Parish Plan, Action Point 14.

Question 1 in the Village Centre Questionnaire stated:

In outline, the Proposal for a New Village Centre is as follows:

• Sell the existing Village Hall for residential use to raise funds for a new Village Centre
• Build a new Village Centre on the site, slightly enlarged, of the existing St Wilfrid's Church and Hall in Broad Road.

On the whole do the members of your household support this plan for a new hall?

723 households received a Questionnaire and a Freepost Return Envelope. The number of questionnaires returned was 221 – a return rate of 31%. This is a very good return rate for questionnaires that are not collected. The proposal summarised in Question 1 was supported by 93% of the individual respondents. For an analysis of the complete set of results of the Questionnaire follow the link.

Cliff Archer
On behalf of the Village Centre Feasibility Study Working Group

In January this year we were selected as one of 3 villages in West Sussex to have free environmental consultancy to help the village “reduce its carbon footprint” (Low Impact Village Communities).
In the early Spring some 70 residents turned up at our village consultation event at St Wilfrid’s hall to explore what positive steps we as a community can take.
So, what has been happening since then? The “core group” meets regularly – its members at present are Stephen Johnson, Maggie Haynes, Diana Beale, Peter Aitchison, Sue Bramwell-Smith and Philip MacDougall. There is an email network of some 50 locals, with small groups and project leaders as and when required ….

News and Update

1.Guided tours/special events
So far we have had 3 of these friendly, sociable and informative outings, with groups visiting Tuppenny Barn, Cobnor Estate and the Rolls Royce factory … a great chance to see what others in our community are up to, and how they are trying to put environmental principles into action.
We’ve had excellent feedback from the events and plan to keep the programme rolling … the next will be a “Chidham bat walk” using bat detectors, led by the Conservation Officer from the Harbour Conservancy, on the evening of Weds Sept 12th (details to follow..)
We hope to plan future trips to
- other Chidham farmers/growers/businesses
- Chidham school
- Local energy-efficient homes and “eco-buildings”
- The harbour edge and sea-defences
Also, thanks to the Marshall family from Drift Lane, the circus came to Cobnor, with an Eco theme! We had a wonderful sunny festive evening full of local families, many arriving by bike. There were competitions and prizes galore (Cliff Archer won a snazzy bike!) and the circus itself was fab.
£500 of the money raised will go to fund Eco-projects at Chidham School – a great result all round!

2. Saving Energy and Promoting Renewable Energy
A small group has met to work on an “energy strategy” for the village, coordinated now by John Wyatt. Some first steps are:
- we’ve managed to get the “Energy Bus”, packed full of information, energy-saving bulbs, advice on insulation and grants, demos on wind and solar power etc etc …coming to Chidham on the afternoon of 28th July.
- circulating energy-saving tips – see below!
- session planned for Weds September 26th at 7.30pm (tbc) to look at renewable technologies for the home such as solar heating, air pumps and thermal stores. Greenheart Installations from Itchenor, and Dave Ball Plumbing and Heating from Hambrook, are both knowledgeable and enthusiastic local installers who have much to show us (demos, models, slide-show etc) and to tell us, about how effectively these can work for us … and not just on sunny days!

3. Transport
The group is keen to promote the use of bicycles, car sharing, public transport and walking. The County Council have plans for a cycle lane from Chichester to Emsworth passing along the Main Road, and the group has made representations to the County Council transport planner. The group is also keen to support Chidham School’s ‘Walking Bus’ initiative, and efforts to reduce traffic speeds in and through the village. For further information, or to get involved, please contact Clare Smith at claresmith@homecall.co.uk

4. School
The future is with our young people! Already, the school has been doing projects on climate change, taking kids to the Farmers’ market, starting to “grow-your-own” fruit and veg, doing “wildlife gardening”, getting children involved in recycling and energy-saving, and starting up a “Walk to School Bus” to cut car travel and bolster fitness. Maggie and Roger Hayles from our network are linking in with the school to help with their Eco-plans

5. Church
The Church generally is seeking to be at the forefront in promoting sustainability. Chidham is already linked in to the Eco-Faith programme operating in West Sussex.
The Chichester diocese has been getting parishes to do “energy audits” on their buildings, and Harry Bates, church warden responsible, has already undertaken this on St Mary’s and St Wilfrid’s.
Father David, Harry, Stephen J and Diana B have been looking at the next steps: everything from encouraging wildlife in the churchyard to helping the congregation to become avid recyclers!

6. Food
Buy as local as you can, to support our growers, get the freshest produce and reduce food miles….
Plans are afoot for a local produce and craft market to be held in the new school sports hall in the Autumn, coordinated by Maggie Haynes.

7. Getting the message across…
There have been articles in the Chichester Observer about our village network, with a special feature in the Magazine section on May 24th. And on our wonderful village website www.chidhamandhambrook.info you’ll find news, reports and info, so click “other organisations” and then “Chidham and Hambrook Sustainability Network”. And check out the “Country Diary” section for seasonal photos and stories of fauna, flora, farming etc from your lovely village…

What you can do!

These simple tips for saving energy will help to reduce our impact on the environment but more than that, they will save you money!

1 Only boil as much water in the kettle as you need – hard to break the habit of filling it right up, but you can do it with practice!

2 Turn down your thermostat by 1º C – put a jumper on before you turn the heating up.

3 Don't leave appliances, such as TVs and PCs, on standby, and turn your mobile charger off as soon it's finished charging .

4 Wash clothes at 30º C and dry them outside on good days – use our ample free wind and (usually ample!) sun.

5 Turn off lights when you leave a room.

These next steps forward may have an initial outlay but will save you money in the long term and will have a considerable effect on our carbon footprint:

1 Make sure your home is well insulated . This can be as simple as fitting draught excluders, and tin foil reflectors behind your radiator, and then move on to cavity wall and loft insulation. There are a huge number of grants available for these kinds of measures. See www.energysavingtrust.org.uk for more information or check out the CDC website” www.chichester.gov.uk under “housing” and “energy efficiency”

2 If you are replacing appliances, look for energy efficient models . Ask your retailer if the appliance carries the ‘Energy Saving Recommended' logo, and check the efficiency rating ( A is best, E is terrible!)

3 Each time a light bulb goes, replace it with a low energy one. Low energy light bulbs have improved significantly over the last few years and are available in candle bulb shapes and all different sizes, as well as those suitable for dimmers and even halogen light fittings. Many are available at low prices now at places like Homebase and Tescos, and if you replace them one-by-one the cost is minimal .

If you want to get more involved:

Join our email group – email postmaster@chidhamandhambrook.info and ask Stephen to add you to our email network

Join a Project Group – contact one of us in the Core Group and we'll point you in the right direction…

Also, we are currently looking for someone to take on a Media and Communications role for the network.