Minutes of Meeting 2024

NOTES FROM EAST KEAL ANNUAL PARISH MEETING
held on 29th May 2024 at The Keal Village Hall, West Keal at 6.30pm.

Present: Cllr Mahoney, Cllr Thornley, Cllr Cooper, Cllr Pearson, Mrs Martin (taking notes) and 11 residents.

Apologies: Cllr Wrisdale, Cllr Stickland, Cllr Goddard & Mrs White.

The Chair opened the meeting by welcoming all attending. Cllr Mahoney explained that the meeting was the opportunity for village groups to share what they have been doing recently and what they hope to achieve. Also to give residents time to talk to Councillors and to find out the Councils aims.

Chair’s Report.
Cllr Mahoney explained that she had only been Chair for a few weeks and is appreciative of all the support she has received. She continued: -
In regards to the last 12 months felt she is not in the best place to go into a lot of detail but made the following comments: The Council has had a very turbulent year. 3 elections and a change of clerk resulted in a lot of change in the council which caused some difficulties. It was not always pleasant but the council acted in a way that it felt appropriate at the time based on their interpretation of what was best. Our job now is to look at the past 12 months to ensure that we learn from it and look at how we can improve our performance. There are some things that can be reported on. 3 planning applications along the main road were all rejected by ELDC for various reasons. The village volunteers have done a great job to keep the village clean and tidy. They have taken on various tasks such as litter picking, maintenance of council assets.
The volume of elections and the associated costs needed to be paid for. This resulted in the very difficult decision taken by the council to repay all costs on one year to avoid further penalty charges. This meant a very high increase in council tax which, during the cost-of-living crisis, was far from ideal.

Focus for 2024-25.
Communication. To ensure residents are well informed on important information and also a reminder of events that have taken place.
Social Media. A face-book page. A one-way information page to reach residents who prefer social media. The posting of information will be selected and posted as required.
Council support of community events. Where possible councillors will try to attend as many community events to give us the opportunity to speak to residents and gain valuable feedback.
Using a more friendly and inclusive tone in communications. Formality has its place, but when we are simply communicating it doesn’t need it.
Expanding the village volunteers beyond litter picking and maintenance. There are lots of skills in the village and if people are willing to share, we are very appreciative. We are looking forward to hearing from as many of you as possible.
The aim for the next 12 months may seem quite boring. As chair I feel the council needs to consolidate and grow as a group. To find a new clerk who will complete the council and offer the stability and knowledge required to make sure we remain compliant to all the relevant legal, statutory and regulatory requirements. To focus on the four-year plan, deliver our deliverables and to do our job as expected whilst remaining financially buoyant.

Community Groups Reports.
Community Café. We have had another good year with a variety of different ‘menus’. The highlight being the Coronation Tea. Thanks were expressed to all who have helped at and supported these events. Residents are getting very excited regarding the proposed new servery and toilet in the Church. Books,jigsaws and magazines are always available, including many books featuring aircraft. The next event is on 5.6.24 between 3-5pm. The theme is ‘Home Front Tea’. We are not sticking to war rations but spam sandwiches have been requested.
If anyone has any ideas of what they would like including, in the future, do let Diane know.

Art Group. The art group is going really well. Over the last year the group has a regular attendance of approx. 9 people, all at various levels of artistic skills. Members are developing their own style and they have even been painting flower pots! They are a very friendly group and new members are always welcome to come for all or part of any session. They meet every other Tuesday from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. There is no need to bring anything as materials and brushes are available. The groups are considering holding an art exhibition in the future.

The Keals’ local history group. The group continues to be very popular meeting every month on a Wednesday at 2pm in the village hall. Several visits have been undertaken to view old properties in the village. In addition, we have built up several family trees of local families. This work could be enhanced when the group obtain access to the old parish council planning documents.

St Helen’s Church PCC. St Helen’s Church has had a very busy year. We have been very lucky to have had David Rossdale lead weekly services throughout the year. This has seen an
increase in regular attendance. The events group have, as always, supported the Church with organising events to help with the finances of the Church - the weekly running costs, insurance, heating repairs and all the things you never see. Events have ranged from Coronation celebrations, jumble sales, meals at the village hall, Christmas Fayre, with the highlight being a Scarecrow Weekend. Thanks are expressed to all who supported any of these events by donating time, cakes, items to sell, raffle prizes etc. It is always lovely to see residents working together. Before Christmas, Church members and residents joined together for Carol Singing by the shop, which made a lovely start to the festive season. This continued with our usual Carol Service. Money donated at these events was given to local charities.
Sadly, on Sunday we said farewell to Karen and David Rossdale. They will be greatly missed. This has repercussions for us. As you are aware there is a lack of clergy in this area. Rev. Fran Jefferies has over 30 churches to look after. She does have other help but they are unpaid volunteers. This means that our pattern of services will have to change. We plan to continue with a 9.30am service but on the first Sunday of each month it will be an 11.15am Holy Communion. We will try to post service times on the Church notice board regularly to keep residents informed. Do come and join us, you will be made to feel most welcome.
In addition, I am making a request that anyone living in this Parish or is a regular attender is entitled to be on the Church Electoral Role. This becomes important when the Church hierarchy look at figures and this indicates how vibrant a church is and is a useful tool when applying for grants. So do think about joining us – there is no cost!
Finally To exist the church is required to have ‘Proper Officers, such as Churchwardens, Treasurer, Secretary and Lay Chair. At present the role of Churchwarden is vacant so if anyone of you think you could help us, please get in touch.

If you have any queries do not hesitate to ring Libby or Dennis who will try to
help you.

The Gardening Club. The EK Gardening Club meets, on average, twice a month to enjoy social events. You do not have to live in the village to join, nor to enjoy gardening, you just need to enjoy company. We try to cater for all needs with meals out, garden visits, party nights, quiz nights and speakers. Membership is £10 per person per year, and you certainly get your monies worth. If you are a keen gardener you also get discounts at several local garden centres on production of your membership card.
Last year we enjoyed talks on the Dynamic Dunes, Myth and Magic, Hannah’s Flowers, Bees and Pollinators. We enjoyed meals at the Nelson Butt and Woodthorpe. We visited Willoughby Road Allotments, Marigold Cottage, Baumber Walled Garden, The Lincolnshire Aviation Centre and Louth Woodland Garden. Our visits are a good excuse to get together to chat, drink and eat cake!
Philip Maddison gave as a demo on practical pruning and in the summer we had a plant sale with refreshments, raising funds for the club and the Church. We raised over £600. We have an annual hog roast, Quiz night, Party night, Games evening and Christmas arrangement demos etc. The club has just visited the Isaacs property in Boston and Adrian is coming to the club on 30.5.24 to give a talk on the Boston Woods project. All are welcome and the talk start at 7pm in the village hall.
Sat 2.6.24 we are having our Annual Plant sale and refreshment. This year we will be celebrating the 80th anniversary of the D Day landings with wartime music, live singing from Charlotte, and displays from the history group. This will take place at Ibex House from 2 to 4pm. All proceeds will be divided between the Church and the Gardening Club.
We have a wide range of events planned for the rest of the year. If anyone is interested in joining or you require more information contact Dawn Keal.

The Wildlife Group.
This group meets monthly on Fridays at 11am, in the village hall. Occasionally ‘field visits’ are undertaken to observe what is visiting members gardens. A record of what is living in the area has been kept over the last 4 years. This includes around 16 different mammals and over 90 variety of birds. In additional seasonal changes are being recorded and the date of arrival and departure of migratory birds. An increase in the number of birds of prey, especially Sparrowhawks, has been noted which indicates a healthy environment for wildlife.

The Friends of St Helens.
The purpose of the Friends of St Helens Church East Keal is to raise funds to support the maintenance of the church building for the community of East Keal. This is done in 2 ways, the occasional big event, and many of you attended the music night at the Franklin Hall, recently which raised £3,200, and 3 pop up pubs a year. There is also a monthly 100 club lottery. Since the last residents meeting over £6,200 has been given to the PCC ringfenced for building works. Our support also helps the PCC to provide evidence that there is community support for the church building when bidding for funds. Over the last year the structure of the Friends has changed. We are now a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, with a fundraising committee. Supporters of the Friends pay £5 each year and £10 for a household.
The 100 club lottery is open to anyone over 18. Currently we have 59 members. Tickets are £5 per number per month and there are 3 prizes each month and an annual roll-over draw. The majority of funds raised (60%) is earmarked for church maintenance. If you are interested in joining contact Dawn or Stuart Jessup.
The pop-up pubs are continuing and the next one is on 21st June. We have a licenced bar with locally brewed craft beers, cocktails, wine and non-alcoholic drinks. Hot food is also available! Further Pop-up Pub nights are planned for September and December.

The Keal’s Village Hall Committee The last year has been very productive for the village hall. Sadly 2 groups have left, the Keals’ Krafters and the Keals’ Event Community Group, but we have had many private bookings for birthdays and other events. A number of groups continue to meet regularly, bridge, yoga, history, gardening to name but a few.
The committee have welcomed 4 new trustees, Shirene Bailey, Geoff Boxer, Hilary Mellors and Andy Pegg.
The group are hoping to encourage native wildflowers around the outside seating area, but as yet not many seeds have germinated.
Numerous safety checks and assessments have been carried out. It is hoped that the next development will be a new boiler and improvements to thelighting in an attempt to make the hall more efficient, economical and ecologically friendly to run. The committee are aware that any changes must respect the building as a whole, balancing preservation with maintenance to ensure that the hall remains a valued and valuable asset for the local community for many years to come.
The Village Hall AGM is to be held on 3.6.24 at 1pm and everyone is welcome to attend.

Cllr Mahoney.
Cllr Mahoney thanked all the groups that organise events in the village. She expressed her personal views that she and her family had been made to feel very welcome in East Keal and she was very proud to live here.

Time Capsule.
Further details of this event will follow shortly. The event has been put back to August 2024.