Public meeting with Co-owner of field off Moorhouse Lane – Monday 10th July 2023
Whiston Parish Council facilitated a public meeting with the co-owners of the field off Moorhouse Lane adjacent to Whiston Parish Church Cricket field as a consequence of concerns expressed by local residents of the actions taken in recent months to fence part of the site, their rationale for doing so and future plans for the site.
Youth Worker Vacancy
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Youth Worker to join Whiston Parish Council to assist in the delivery of a youth group at Whiston Parish Hall, Well Lane, Rotherham, S60 4HX.
Whiston Youth Club is an inclusive setting and operates two sessions, a Junior Club and Senior Club on a Thursday during school term time.
As Youth Worker your role will primarily be to assist the Senior Youth Worker in the smooth operation of the sessions with young people aged 7-11 & 11–18, you will have the opportunity to assist in the planning, preparation and delivery of the sessions.
Closing date for Applications is Thursday 7th September 2023 at noon
Whiston Summer Festival 2023
What’s going on in Whiston this summer ?
The Whiston Parish Council invite you to come along to our fantastic summer festival event where there will be fun for all ages. Entry as ever is free to all attending.
The event will take place on Sunday 2nd July 2023 from 2pm – 9pm. This year the event will take place across two adjacent sites the Whiston Parish Church Cricket club fields and the Old Rectory Garden, Rectory Drive.
There will be a stage at both sites offering a great range of entertainment. We hope we’ve got it covered – marquees will be at both sites !
Old Rectory Garden – enjoy a lazy Sunday afternoon with jazz and swing, the Wickersley Youth Choir, the Buckshots, the Triple Threat Theatre Academy, the Whiston Parish Church family fun service, and Rotherham’s own Lucy Millburn – amazing vocalist and finalist on the Voice UK. Refreshments and cream teas will be available in this beautiful location.
Cricket Club Paddock main stage – for the more energetic among you a time to rock and roll and dance to local groups Raw Honey, Landslide and the Motion and later on the highly acclaimed Oliver Harris Band and a finale with the East Street Band (Bruce Springsteen tribute) – we will almost be “dancing in the dark” ! There will be a chance to share some fun with our local belly dancers and our own Rotherham Tuneless Choir leading a singalong.
Why not drop into the Sportszone – for some cricket, five a side with the Rotherham United Community Sports Trust, Chris Draper world famous freestyle footballer, the Unity Boxing gym and our own Sitwell Cycling Club.
In the Youth Zone there will be plenty on offer for our younger people with bubble blowing, face painting, rides, and our favourite children’s entertainer Sparky Marky. Oh and beware – rumour has it that dinosaurs still inhabit the site !
There will be lots of stalls and food options and the site will be licensed to supply drinks and refreshments. Its still not too late to book a stall and this can be done by contacting the Event Foundry – helen@theeventfoundry.co.uk
So why not dig out a picnic blanket or a camping chair, stroll up to the site and relax enjoy the view and the great entertainment, food and drink on offer. If you’re not so fit or need help the Rotherham Community Transport free shuttle bus will be running all afternoon from near Sorrel Sykes and up Doles Lane from the village to the site.
Whiston Annual Assembly Meeting & Chairman’s Annual Report 2022-23
The Annual Assembly of the Whiston Parish will be held at 6pm on Monday 15th May in the Whiston Parish Hall. The Parish Council Chairman’s annual report will be received and local electors are welcome to attend and raise any matters of local interest or concern.
Chairs Annual Report 2022/23 – Whiston Parish Council
I was elected as Chair of The Parish Council on 16th May 2022 and have enjoyed the last 12 months leading the Parish Council which has a been a very busy period as we have returned to full activity after the previous 2 years of disruption from the Covid pandemic. Regular Hall users are now able to fully appreciate and recognize the renovations and improvements made to the Hall as well as having attracted a significant number of lettings for one-off parties/events. Word does seem to be spreading that Whiston Parish Hall is an excellent facility for special occasions.
We have welcomed new Co-opted Members during the year, Clive Davis, Deborah Davis and David Greenslade as well as the retirement of our Parish Clerk Elaine Kealing-Heane in December and I wish to thank her for her service over the last 3 years. In January, we welcomed Simon Oldham as our new Clerk, an excellent replacement who is ably and capably supporting us with our vision going forward and in respect of the challenges that we face.
Our Youth Club on a Thursday evening continues to go from strength to strength and is attracting increasing numbers. My thanks go to Jordan Arno and his colleagues for their continued hard work and enthusiasm.
The Summer Festival 2022 was a great success and proved to be the biggest yet and it was fantastic to see the level of local community attendance and participation returning after the interruptions caused by the previous couple of pandemic years. As an alternative this year, we have decided to trial taking the Festival off-street, to be held on Sunday 2nd July at the Whiston Parish Church Cricket Ground and Old Rectory.
The Parish Council were very sad to note the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, last September and as a mark of respect during the period of mourning a book of condolence was opened and available for local parishioners in the Parish Hall to express their personal condolences and the Union flag flown at half-mast.
In November, the traditional Armistice event with Senior Citizens was held in the Parish Hall, to pay respects to the fallen and as ever an excellent success and enjoyed by all. The Sitwell Arms generously donated pie and peas and their help and support. Entertainment was provided and a raffle prizes donated by the local public houses and businesses.
Our festive illuminations attracted a lot of positive interest and our switch-on event as ever was very well attended by the community.
Over the last four months, since the turn of the year, we have now received planning consent to locate 7 off-Street parking bays on Parish Council land around Brook Street. We are also in the process of seeking further planning consent to locate a new parish noticeboard outside the Co-op on Worrygoose Lane.
We are delighted to continue our association with Orchard Grove Ltd, our tenants of the Manorial Barn and agreement has recently been reached with a view to entering in to a new lease extension to continue their offer of wedding facilities and for other appropriate events. Please remember the Barn is available for private parties and events should you wish to hire the facility through Orchard Grove. We wish them every continued success as they and the hospitality sector continue to recover following the pandemic.
The Parish Council have a further co-optee vacancy for any interested local parishioner who may wish to volunteer their time as a Member of the Council to try to contribute to improving the local parish area to the benefit of all our inhabitants. The closing date for applications to the Parish Clerk is 31st May and all applicants will be invited to attend our June meeting on Monday 19th to speak in support of their application.
I wish to conclude by thanking my fellow Parish Councillors for their enthusiasm, support and giving their time (freely) in contributing to carrying out Parish Council business.
Tim Stevenson – Parish Council Chair
4th May 2023.
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Christmas Light Switch On
Whiston’s Christmas Light Switch on was a huge success with a bigger turn out than ever before!! Stilt walkers, an animal farm, and balloon modelling were amongst many of the activities enjoyed by all….not to mention the new grotto! Many thanks to Santa and his elf for their visit at such a busy time of year!
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Toilet Block
Whiston Parish Council have recently been granted planning permission for conversion of the toilet block in the centre of the village. This will represent a substantial investment and we would like to feel certain that the best is being made of the space, with the community benefitting as much as possible. Planning has been approved for use by non-profit organisations, charities and local/community groups, and not for commercial purposes. We would love to hear any constructive thoughts and ideas from residents to help us form a vision for the building that would most benefit it’s community. Please contact the Clerk to the Council with any thoughts or ideas: clerk@whistonparishcouncil.gov.uk
Flood Defence Grant
Whiston parish council are pleased to have secured a flood defence and resilience grant of £12,000. This will help local residents who have been flooded or are at high risk of flooding. The grant will be awarded to the council in instalments over a three year period. No decision has yet been made as to exactly how the money will be allocated, but it is hoped that public consultation will help to identify where it is most needed. Investment in flood defence equipment is one possible area that a portion of the grant may be used. Further information to follow….
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Whiston Parish Council – Chairman’s Annual Report 2021-2022
The Parish Council elections which took place in May 2021, after being postponed from the previous year. This saw a big change with many longstanding Councillors not standing for election. Three councillors were elected with a further 6 being co-opted. The Council has an array of knowledge and expertise in many different fields and are all keen to support their local community.
This year we lost two longstanding members of staff who had supported the running of the Parish Hall for a number of years. We would like to thank Steve and Denise for their commitment and hard work.
After two years of uncertainty, due to Covid19, Whiston Parish Council have been please to bring some normality back to the village. The renovations previously carried out on the Parish Hall have really been utilised, the outdoor seating has now been installed and provides a great addition to facilities on offer. The introduction of a virtual tour allows people to view the building remotely and bookings are certainly on the increase.
We listened to local resident’s concerns regarding the signage on the hall and made the decision to change this from Village Hall to Parish Hall, as it is known to most. We have also added additional signage to the front of the building.
As a Parish Council we made the decision to postpone the summer event, once again, due to the uncertainties around Covid19 restrictions. However, we are excited with the plans that are underway for Summer 2022 and look forward to welcoming local residents to the festival!
On the morning of the planned Christmas Lights event, we saw a covering of snow on the ground and forecast for extremely high winds. However, we were extremely pleased to go ahead and be able to deliver the festive event. It was a great opportunity, after so little community engagement, for local residents to come together.
The Youth Club continued to be active during the periods of restrictions with online meet-ups and community outreach work. Both the senior and junior club are now back open. The variety of activities along with the safe space for young people to gather is proving to be a huge success with more people attending now than ever.
To commemorate the fallen and show support for the poppy appeal, poppies were displayed on lampposts around the parish. The Parish Council host an event for our mature local residents on Armistice Day. Attendees were entertained with war time songs while volunteers served them tea/coffee and pie and peas, kindly donated by The Sitwell Arms. This event is always so well received and is a lovely way to bring the community together.
The Parish Council adopted an Environmental Policy at December’s meeting and are keen to be more environmentally friendly. One change we have already made is the way we recycle waste from the Parish Hall, now having all rubbish collected sorted for recycling.
I would like to thank all Councillors for the free time they give up to support the parish. They work to plan, organise and deliver such fabulous events throughout the year, along with making themselves available to parishioners daily.
I would also like to thank the Youth Club staff and volunteers for all their hard work and commitment. The Youth Club is stronger than I could have ever imagined and I hope this continues for years to come.
Kerry Ferris – Chairman to the Council
