RESIDENTS MEETING - Monday December 1st at the New Lamp, Bankbotton, Hadfield, 8.00pm

Hi Everyone,

November was a busy month for us. It began with a rare but welcome self-invite from a councillor and saw the launch of Dig Hadfield, which had its seeds in this very blog.

Next up was an invite for the association from Tom Levitt M.P. to 'Communities In Control' - a discussion on a government White Paper, held in New Mills.

Finally, we had an interesting meeting with Head of Planning and Regeneration, Dai Larner (with a further one to follow in January) and finished the month with a walk around Hadfield with the Beat Sweep team, who have spent the past 10 days beating and sweeping around the village, in a bid to reduce crime and perceived nuisance behaviour.

I'm rather hoping December won't be quite so hectic. So far our biggest commitment of the month is the annual fundraiser at Bradbury House, Glossop, on the last Saturday before Christmas (yes, it's that time of year again). That's 10.00 - midday on 20th December, where we have a bring and buy, raffle etc.

So, without further ado, here is Monday's proposed Agenda, though if you have anything to add please feel free to contact us or come along on the night and we'll find time to discuss it.

T.A.H.RA. AGENDA - MONDAY 1ST DECEMBER at the NEW LAMP, BANKBOTTOM,HADFIELD, at 8.00pm.

1. Apologies.

2. Correspondence.

3. Outstanding issues - proposed closure of Hadfield Sorting Office, Tinsle Bridge.

4. Feedback from 'Communities in Control' discussion on govt. White Paper.

5. Report back from Dai Larner meeting. Delegates for next meeting 20th January.

6. Beat Sweep walkabout.

7. Xmas fundraiser at Bradbury House.

8. Tinsle planters.

9. Xmas card list.

10. Announcements

11. A.O.B. (fix next meeting date re: hols)

We try our best to finish by 9.30 but please feel free to stay for a chat and a beer afterwards. It's good to socialise and it keeps the landlord happy!

DIG HADFIELD - Meet At The New Lamp, Bankbottom, Hadfield - Tonight at 7.30pm - (Tuesday 25th November)

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick line to let you know that the next meeting (only the second) of Dig Hadfield will be held at the New Lamp, Bankbottom, Hadfield at 7.30pm on Tuesday 25th November. Anyone who lives in the area that is interested in the subject of allotments and who wants to help the group campaign for more of them is welcome to come along.

If you are unaware of what this new group are about, here is a potted history of Dig Hadfield to date. The newly formed group originated from a blogpost on this very blog entitled Not A Lotta Allotments which attracted a lot of comment and interest.

Consequently it was raised as an Agenda item at the September meeting, which resulted in everyone who had expressed an interest being contacted for an inaugural meeting which happened in October. At the meeting the name Dig Hadfield was decided upon and the newly formed group decided to become an autonomous organisation with the aim of procuring allotments specifically in Hadfield, since all who attended lived in the village, whilst Tintwistle itself actually has an oversupply of allotments.

At the meeting, it was decided to promote the group via a poster campaign and a press release. Ralph Bennett agreed to do the poster, that is reproduced below and which was distributed around local shops with a view to broadening the campaign and building the meeting.

Since then, Dig Hadfield have created their own blog, which can be found by clicking here. Thus, our own e-mail address shown on the poster is no longer required as the group now have their own e-mail contact address which is dighadfield@gmail.com which can always be found in the top right hand corner of their blog.

That, in a nutshell is the history, brief as it is of Dig Hadfield. So if you're interested in what they have been set up to achieve then please feel free to come along to their next meeting, which once again is at: The New Lamp, Bankbottom, Hadfield, on Tuesday 25th November at 7.30pm.

The editor of the Dig Hadfield blog informs me that Cllr. Graham Oakley who is a member of Glossop and District Allotment Association will be in attendance.

CLICK ON IMAGE TO SEE FULL SIZE IMAGE OF POSTER

Finally, a quick tip for those of you who are unfamiliar with blogs. If you want the latest information from this blog as it happens, then simply type your e-mail address into the blue panel on the right, above where it says "Subscribe" . This will send news items straight into your inbox, as they are published. Don't worry, subscriptions to blogs are free!

HADFIELD COUPLE WIN TENANT GARDEN COMP.

Delia Bennett being presented with her Best Garden 2008 Award
Congratulations to Delia and Albert Bennett who beat off competition the length and breadth of the High Peak to scoop the 2008 Tenant Garden Competition and a barrow full of gardening vouchers into the bargain. The event was organised by the Tenants Garden Group who spent two wet but enjoyable days in August judging the entries.

Keith Wood, Chair of the group said "we thought that the standard of entries was high last year but this year we were surprised at how the bar had been raised, every year the standard gets higher and the judges job becomes more difficult".

Delia and Albert of Bankbottom, Hadfield, were surprised but delighted to have won and indeed had no inkling they were in the running until they were invited along to the awards ceremony where the above photo was taken. Below is a photo of the winning garden, taken from the current edition of 'Peak Performance' (the High Peak Community Housing newsletter for Tenants and Leaseholders).

Those of you who know the couple, formerly of Speedwell, Tintwistle, will easily recognise Delia being presented with her award but will ask "where is Albert?" on the photo. Well he could be the one stood behind Delia but in fact that's not him at all and even if it was it's clearly not a good enough photo to pick him out easily.

No problem, I can help here as I just happen to have a photo of the man himself for your perusal, though it's not exactly a recent one.

Here he is, top row, third left - don't laugh out too loud though.

CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE

So now you know why he tries to avoid the camera! Congratulations once more to them both though. A huge triumph for a Hadfield couple, who despite living in the shadow of Rossington Park, are trying to keep a small corner of High Peak green.

- DARTS KNOCKOUT COMPETITION -

DARTS COMPETITION - DARTS COMPETITION - DARTS COMPETITION

There will be a darts knockout event at Tintwistle Conservative Club on the afternoon of Saturday 22nd of November. Prize money for the last four. For further details or to enter please contact Stuart Dodd on 07977 906274, call the club itself on 852966 or e-mail this blog with your name and number and we will forward your details to the organiser.

May the best man (or woman) win.

NOVEMBER RESIDENTS MEETING (Part 2) - Monday 10th November at the New Lamp, Bankbottom, Hadfield, 8.00pm prompt.

TINTWISTLE AND HADFIELD RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION

Meeting at the New Lamp, Bankbottom, Hadfield, Monday 10th November at 8.00pm.

Following last week's highly entertaining but time consuming meeting at which Cllr. Chris Webster responded to Ralph Bennett's letter to the press, we decided to suspend the business part of the meeting until the following week. So we will do it all again, same time, same place (the New Lamp, Bankbottom, Hadfield, Monday November 10th at 8.00pm prompt).

An action packed Agenda with lots having happened during the last month and lots of topics to discuss. If you haven't been to one of our meetings before, please feel free to attend, we don't bite and our meetings are open to all.

AGENDA ITEMS

1. Apologies

2. (a) Post meeting feedback response from Cllr. Chris Webster.

(b) Invitation from Tom Levitt M.P. to attend “Communities In Control” – a discussion on the Govt. White Paper.
(c) Invitation from Dai Larner (Strategic Director – Planning and regeneration) to set up a meeting to address issues regarding the councils planning service and anything else we would like to cover. Progress! See also Item (4) below.
(d) A response to Ralph Bennett from Tintwistle Parish Council.

3. Matters Arising/Outstanding Business
(a) Postal dispute.
(b) Litter under Tintwistle Bridge.

4. Meeting with Dai Larner – Finally Mr Larner has agreed to meet us over the various planning issues we have raised over the past couple of years. The recent discovery of a cannabis plant on Rossington Park seems to have confirmed our fears about lax planning procedures. Hopefully this is an opportunity to set matters right. We need to suggest dates, times and delegates for proposed meeting.

5. Dig Hadfield – with our help a new group has been founded whose point of focus will be to campaign for allotments in Hadfield. News and update.

6. Sustainable Communities Act. Potentially useful tool for grass roots involvement in community issues. We are campaigning for the council to opt-in or we cannot use it. Progress report and correspondence to date.

7. Safer Neighbourhood Meeting – report back from Pat Bennett.

8. Fundraising re: Bradbury House Xmas stall.
9. Announcements.
10. Any other business.
END

We always aim to close business by 9.30pm but as always feel free to stay for a chat and a drink afterwards.

Remembrance Sunday at Hadfield Cenotaph November 9th - Order of Service

About 150 people turned up to the Cenotaph at the top of Station Rd, Hadfield to pay their tributes and to mark the occasion of Remembrance Sunday.

A windswept but rain free ceremony was conducted by the Rev G Griffiths of St. Andrews Church with Glossop Old Band providing music to the hymn 'Thine Be The Glory' and the sound of the Last Post and Reveille.

I must admit that I had personally given up attending this particular gathering for a few years now, as I had previously been disappointed with the policing arrangements. Year after year they turned up, only to stand by and allow cars to come from every direction, making the whole service inaudible. Letters to the press suggested I was not the only person wondering why vehicles couldn't be asked to wait or take an alternative route for just 15 minutes a year.

Fortunately the situation has improved somewhat. Whilst traffic was still allowed to meander up and down Station Rd, the police now close off Railway Street for the duration of the service so that whilst there is still some noise pollution, disruption is now at a minimum. For those unable to attend, The Order of Service is provided below.

It was of course the first Remembrance Day service at the newly refurbished Tintwistle War Memorial on Stocks Brow. Being unable to be in two places at once, I have no knowledge of the details of the Tintwistle service but will be happy to post any details and/or photos if anyone can supply me with them.

DIG HADFIELD - A New Grass Roots Organisation Has Germinated Which Plots To Sow The Seeds Of Change

Following a post on this blog by AR which you can read here there has been a steady trickle of e-mails to the site from local residents expressing interest in the subject. Consequently, the issue of lack of allotments in the area and in Hadfield specifically was discussed at the October meeting of TAHRA.

A decision followed to contact everyone who had expressed an interest, to discuss the subject, with a view setting up a local group that would campaign for allotment allocation in Hadfield. An inaugural meeting was held at the New Lamp, Bankbottom, Hadfield on Tuesday 28th October.

It was attended by around a dozen people, half of whom wanted an allotment and three of whom had already applied or given up trying. The meeting decided that they did indeed wish to set up an autonomous group that would press the council to discharge its duty to provide much needed
allotment land.

The first action of the group was to produce posters that have now been distributed to shops throughout Hadfield, asking anyone who wants a plot or who already has their name down for one, to contact them either through this site at tinhadra@aol.com or by phoning 866240. The idea is to try and establish just how many people there are wanting plots and to inform them about future meetings and/or activities that the group initiates.

The next planned meeting of Dig Hadfield is scheduled for Tuesday 25th November at the New Lamp, Bankbottom, Hadfield at 7.30pm although this is subject to confirmation nearer the time.
By way of an update, I can confirm that Dig Hadfield are now truly autonomous, as their very own blog has now been set up only today and can be found by clicking here. For reference, you can now contact them directly at dighadfield@gmail.com although we will still be happy to forward mail to them. We also have a permanent link to the site that you can find on the blue panel to the right hand side of this blog.

Co-incidentally and unbeknown to Dig Hadfield at the time of their inaugural meeting, another group led by Mark Alix has been created, entitled Glossop Action For Allotments (GAFA) who share the same aims. They will be presenting a petition to the Council in the morning (Friday 7th November), outside the Chinley offices of High Peak Borough Council, at 10am .
We wish the group maximum success tomorrow and Mark has said he intends to attend the next Dig Hadfield meeting, so the movement to move earth seems to have well and truly taken root.

Residents Meeting - The New Lamp, Bankbottom, Hadfield, 8.00pm - All Welcome

Monday 3rd November will be the first Monday in the month so it's time for our monthly jaunt down at the New Lamp. This month Cllr Webster (his choice of photo, from the HPBC website, not mine!)

wishes to address the meeting and is afforded the right to reply to Ralph Bennett's letter to the press on the subject of 'H.P.B.C. Investments in Icelandic banks'.

I'm sure we all look forward to hearing some words of wisdom from Glossop's answer to Ian Paisley but if we were to follow H.P.B.C.'s own protocol we might have to limit him to just 3 minutes timed out to the second! Would we do that?

A busy and exciting Agenda this month with campaigns on several fronts. This week sees the launch of Dig Hadfield, aided and abetted by TAHRA, but soon to be an autonomous group, whose aim will be to push for allotment allocations in ...well Hadfield, obviously.

Also we continue the campaign to persuade the council to opt-in to the Sustainable Communities Act, which we feel may be beneficial in terms of giving grass roots organisations more of a voice and have an invitation from Tom Levitt M.P. to attend a meeting on the subject later this month. Hurrah.

So without any further ado here is the full Agenda. Quite a full one so get along early and we can make a punctual start.

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TINTWISTLE AND HADFIELD RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION
Meeting at the New Lamp, Bankbottom, Hadfield, Monday 3rd November at 8.00pm.

AGENDA ITEMS
PART ONE

1. Apologies for absence.

2 (a) Correspondence – H.P.B.C. Investment in Icelandic banks.
Cllr. Chris Webster (Old Glossop ward) has asked to come along to address the subject on a personal basis. He is of course cordially invited and afforded the right to reply to Ralph Bennett’s letter on the subject, recently published in the local press, which Ralph will read in person.

PART TWO

(b) Invitation from Tom Levitt M.P. to attend “Communities In Control” – a discussion on the Govt. White Paper.
(c) Invitation from Dai Larner (Strategic Director – Planning and regeneration) to set up a meeting to address issues regarding the councils planning service and anything else we would like to cover. Progress! See also Item (4) below.
(d) A response to Ralph Bennett from Tintwistle Parish Council.

3. Matters Arising/Outstanding Business
(a) Postal dispute.
(b) Litter under Tintwistle Bridge.

4. Meeting with Dai Larner – Finally Mr Larner has agreed to meet us over the various planning issues we have raised over the past couple of years. The recent discovery of a cannabis plant on Rossington Park seems to have confirmed our fears about lax planning procedures. Hopefully this is an opportunity to set matters right. We need to suggest dates, times and delegates for proposed meeting.

4. Dig Hadfield – with our help a new group has been founded whose point of focus will be to campaign for allotments in Hadfield. News and update.

5. Sustainable Communities Act. Potentially useful tool for grass roots involvement in community issues. We are campaigning for the council to opt-in or we cannot use it. Progress report and correspondence to date.

6. Safer Neighbourhood Meeting – report back from Pat Bennett.

7. Fundraising re: Bradbury House Xmas stall.
8. Announcements.
9. Any other business.
END
We always aim to close business by 9.30pm but as always feel free to stay for a chat and a drink afterwards.

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