I hope you are staying well.
Book Exchange in Ickleford
A project is under way, proposed and led by an Ickleford resident, to introduce a Book Exchange for residents to be able to use, free-of-charge, in the village. The Parish Council is supporting this project and has offered to fund the purchase of a red BT telephone box, to be sited on Upper Green where there used to be a working telephone box.
Dogs around Ickleford
The Parish Council has received a number of reports this week of people walking dogs that are not under control when off-lead. Some of the reports have been made by people who have felt that they have been personally under threat, or who have seen other people, as well as wildlife and/or farm animals, being worried by loose dogs.
There are signs on footpaths requesting dog walkers/owners to keep their dogs on leads around sheep/lambs, cattle, and where there may be ducks or geese nesting along the river, even if your dog is well-behaved.
Dog owners should be aware of the following (this is taken from the website of Blue Cross):
- Keep dogs on a lead when walking them where livestock are, or may be, present
- It’s a criminal offence to allow your dog to chase or attack livestock
- Farmers can shoot dogs they believe are worrying livestock on their land
From the recent reports, it seems to be only a matter of time until someone, or an animal, is injured by a dog – or that a loose dog may be injured by a frightened cow, sheep or horse. Please keep your dogs on a lead in public places.
Play Area
Contractors began work inside the Play Area on Monday 19th April, to remove and replace two old pieces of equipment with brand new ones, as well as replacing the bark in those areas with a child-safe rubber flooring.
The affected areas have been fenced off, but the Parish Council request that every child using the Play Area is supervised by an adult at all times whilst the work is being carried out over the next few weeks.
There is also a sign to this effect on the gate of the Play Area.
Disused narrow gauge tracks in Ickleford
A resident recently enquired about some narrow gauge tracks she spotted by Bedford Road – other residents were pleased to provide an explanation, which has been added to the IPC website. Please click here for photographs and a brief history. If any resident has photographs of the working engine, and would be happy for the photo to be published on the website, please feel free to forward a copy to clerk@ickleford-pc.gov.uk.
Annual Parish Meeting
This year’s Annual Parish Meeting will be held on Thursday 6th May at 6pm. It will take place online via video conferencing, as current Covid-19 regulations restrict the number of people who can meet in a public place such as the village hall.
The agenda will be published tomorrow (Monday 26th April) and will contain the Zoom joining details. The meeting will last for a maximum of an hour, and will be followed by the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council, also to be held via Zoom, to start at 7pm. The agenda for the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council will be published on Wednesday 28th April. Residents are welcome to join and to speak during the public session as usual.
Residents are welcome to ask questions at the Annual Parish Meeting regarding local matters; please feel free to ask questions after each report, or email clerk@ickleford-pc.gov.uk in advance to register your question which will be answered by a Parish Councillor or one of the guests. As it is local election day, our County Councillor and District Councillor cannot commit to the meeting but hope to join briefly if opportunity allows.
Best wishes,
Judith Crosier
Clerk & Responsible Financial Officer to Ickleford Parish Council
Tel: 07913 839933
Email: clerk@ickleford-pc.gov.uk