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Best Kept Village 2009 - Judges Comments
We have recently received the Judges comments regarding the our attempt at this years Best Kept Village Competition. They are as follows.
"BKV publicity was excellent and well displayed around the village; villagers were kept aware of BKV through tthe parish magazine and website. There was an excellent display of children's posters at the village hall, but there could perhaps have been a few more around the village. Notice boards were all in very good condition and local information was quite good.
Dog-fouling awareness was excellent, but there could have been more information about re-cycling.
The churchyard was disappointing and looked rather neglected with some weedy areas. The village hall surrounds were excellent, the new trees at the back being particularly noteworthy.
The Wheatsheaf public house surrounds were very clean and tidy; but the Brushmakers Arms was not so good.
The telephone box and bus shelters were good in May, but were not so good in June. Seats and benches were generally good, but those in the children's play area needed some attention. Village signs were good, especially the sign in the verge by the village entrance.
The war memorial surrounds were rather weedy and requires attention.
Public open spaces were very good in May, the path from Vanity Lane, beside the new diagonal walkway, needed trimming.
Private gardens were generally good, but there were some poor ones. General cleanliness was very good in May, but it could have been better in June as there was some litter about. Childrens play equipment and safety surfaces were very good, although the safety gate had a weak spring.
The map could perhaps have been better. There was a good key, there could have been better use of colour and/or symbols to pick out the BKV features to be judges (sic). Slightly clearer lettering would have helped the judges and there was no scale or indication of distances (These criticisms could be easily rectified)
This was a good effort for a "new entrant" and there was clear evidence of some community spirit. Oulton well deserved to be Highly Commended. Competition in the Stafford District was very strong this year an Oulton Did well in its acheivement.
A good base has been acheived, particularly in respect of BKV and children's posters, public open spaces and play equipment. There is some room for improvement in the churchyard and at the Brushmakers Arms and the map. With just a bit more community effort, sustained throughout the competition, and attention to detail, Oulton can compete with the best. Well done"
John Perry,MBE
Chairman, BKV Working Group
October 2009
Oulton Village- Highly Commended
Members of Oulton Best Kept Village Committee attended a presentation at the Council Chamber of Stafford County Council on Monday 3rd August. There were approximately 150 people there (full house) representing the 63 villages that had entered this years BKV compettion, including 8 new entrants of which Oulton was one. Unfortunately we did not win the special new entrants category; that was won by Hopton, However we were "Highly Commended" in the Stafford region small village category. Bearing in mind that this was our first attempt we are very pleased to have our efforts recognised. We should receive a detailed report from the judges in October so we will know where to concentrate our efforts for next years competition. We would like to thank all those individuals and groups who helped in the competition, and those who continue to help improve the environment of the village.
Best Kept Village Presentation
The judging period for this year's Best Kept Village Competition ended on 24th July. The Oulton BKV committee would like to thank all those individuals who have taken time to help in our attempt to win this prestigious title and to all villagers who have maintained the village environment to the best possible standard. There will be an announcement of the winners at a meeting in Stafford County Council Chambers o Monday 3rd August. We wait with bated breath to hear if we have done enough to secure the prize in the category "Villages who have not entered the competition before" Fingers crossed for a positive result.
Oulton Village Fete 11th July 2009
The weather didn't look too good on the morning of Saturday 11th July and the forecast wasn't very promising. As the morning wore on though, the drizzle stopped and by opening time it turned out to be a perfect day for the 2009 Oulton Village Fete. Crowds of people turned out to see the grand opening by Pottermus, the Stoke City mascot. Unfortunately he was delayed and and it fell to Barbara Palmer,Village Hall Chairman, to act as a very able substitute. Parish Councillor Dave Scrivens acted as MC and introduced the various attractions. Local engineer Davis Hulse circled the arena giving rides on his hand built steam traction engine. There were stalls selling plants and cakes and home made preserves. Oulton Watercoulour Society gave an exhibition and a fascinating demonstration of the watercolourists art. Steve Thomas's vintage Armstrong Siddeley motors were on display and were joined later in the day by a fire engine and crew from Stone Fire Station, much to the delight of the children who got to sit in the engine and don firefighters helmets. Pottermus eventually arrived and posed for photgraphs before having a kickabout. Throughout the afternoon visitors were treated to music from Stone Scout and Guide Band and a breathtaking Tae Kwon Do display. There was also archery and pony rides. All in all great fun was had by all those who helped organise the event and those attending. The fete was organised by Oulton Village Hall Committee to raise funds for village hall improvements and thanks to Dame Benedicta for the use of the Abbey Grounds.
Litter Pick -27th June 2009
After the success of the our first litter pick on Saturday 27th April the BKV Committee have organised another. We start from the Parish Notice Board on the corner of Church Lane and Vanity Lane at 10.00 a.m. Come and join us for a stroll round the village in the sunshine (?) and help win the trophy and the prestigious title of Best Kept Village 2009. Litter garbbers and refuse sacks will be provided.
Update- the litter pick resulted in less than half a bag of litter from around the village so a great improvement on the April litter pick when nearly three bags were collected. We would like to thank residents for their efforts in keeping Oulton tidy. Whilst some members of the BKV Committee were collecting litter Elaine and Martin Robinson did a great job of clearing weeds from pavements in Kibblestone Road and around the bus shelter and telephone box.
We are in the final few weeks of the judging period and we would like to thank everyone for their continuing support in our efforts to win the title.
Oulton Festival and Fete from 4th July 2009
Barbecue and strawberries and cream
followed by Talent Show
Details of this years Village Festival and Fete are being finalised. The week starts with a barbecue and talent show at the village hall. Village Hall Chairman Barbara Palmer says "solo performers and groups are welcome so whether you can sing,tap dance, play a trombone, do a sketch, recite, or whatever, please get in touch. If you know someone who is too shy to offer to perform, let me know- don't worry yor identity will be protected. Let's make it a super community get together" photo gallery
Please contact Barbara on 01785 816121 for more details.
Village Fete
Oulton Village Fete will be in the Abbey grounds on Saturday 11th July. This year the fete will be opened by Stoke City mascot Pottamus at 2.00 p.m. Stone Scout and Gude band will be playing and there will be a display by the Army Training Corp. There will also be an art exhibition, pony rides, archery and a variety of games, activities and stalls. New for this year will be a children's poetry competition with the theme "Where I Live". The Village Hall Committee are collecting items for the tombola and raffle, particularly new and nearly new items but please no clothes, books, china or electrical items. Please contact Barbara on the above number.
Songs of Praise
On Sunday 12th July St Johns Church will be holding a Songs of Praise Service with Hymns chosen by parishioners.
Mon. 15 June, 13 July & every third Monday in month 9.30–11.30am sees the regular Monday market at the Village Hall. Plenty of fresh, local, hand made food available – pies, cakes, bread, cheese, eggs, preserves, plants and veg. as available, plus Ruth’s Fair Trade goods. Coffee/tea and biscuits served.
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Publicity
A great deal of publicity has been generated over the past few weeks for Oulton's entry into this years Best Kept Village competition. We have seen reports in the Satffordshire Newsletter and the Stone and Eccleshall Gazette complete with photos of the various events. We are told that the Chairman of the BKV Working Group is very impressed with the effort so thanks to all those who have made a contribution.
There are still things we can do to increase our chances of winning, like making sure we keep the village tidy and clean up after our pets. Also please pull up any weeds which are growing where they are not supposed to i.e. pavements, the telephone box etc. We have another few weeks until the end of July to make the final push. With everyone doing a small amount we can win this prestigious award for our village.
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Best Kept Village Posters
Oulton Best Kept Village Committee has voted in favour of making a donation of a book token to the value of £25.00 to Oulton First School. This is by way of a thank you for the childrens' fantastic contribution of posters with a Best Kept Village theme. A presentation will be made at a date to be arranged.
BKV Chairman Sue Haine presented the book token to Head Sue O'Neil and children of Oulton First School on Friday 12th June.
photo courtesy of Martin Robinson
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Come and join us in a Litter Pick on Saturday 25th April. We will start from the village notice board on the corner of Church Lane and Vanity Lane at 10.00 am.
Enjoy a stroll around the village and help to win the Best Kept Village title and trophy at the same time.
Litter Grabbers,refuse sacks and high visibility vests will be provided.
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Members of Oulton Community Group, Village Hall Committee, Womens Institute and Oulton Good Companions turned out on a wet Saturday morning to scour the village for litter. Refuse sacks and hi-vis vests were supplied by Sue Haine via the WI Big Tidy Up Campaign. Sue Haine and Martin Robinson did a grand job of clearing the old Wheatsheaf/Brushmakers car park. Other members of the party including Betty Benbow, Pam Sinclair, Sylvia Burdon, Andy Burdon and Maureen and Eileen Manley tidied up other parts of the village. Altogether three bags of rubbish were collected in less than an hour.Thanks to all those who helped. We would also like to thank SBC Streetscene for the loan if litter grabbers and sacks.
The BKV Committee would urge all residents to be vigilant during the judging period between May and the end if July and into the future.
We will be organising another litter pick later in the year and invite all residents to help to keep Oulton tidy.
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Martin Robinson and villagers have continued the tree management programme in the Village Hall grounds. This has involved cutting back undergrowth and the thinning out of self seeded Sycamore maples to allow native species to thrive. Martin has also planted more trees to replace those that have been felled. This is part of an ongoing project to turn the rocks area at the rear of the hall into an amenity for villagers.When funds allow, a rustic bench will be sited in this area to provide a peaceful retreat in what has got to be one of the best settings of any Village Hall in the area.
photos-Martin Robinson
click on image to enlarge
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Members of the Best Kept Village and Village Hall Committees along with local children descended on the Village Hall grounds to plant native woodland primroses and daffodils.
photos-Martin Robinson
click on image to enlarge
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The bus shelter in Church Lane is due to be repaired/refurbished with funds released by Oulton and Moddershall Parish Council. There appers to be some delay in starting these works which may not be completed by the start of the judging period. We hope that the work will be completed by the judges second visit in July 2009.
The bus shelter has now been refurbished. The roof has been re-felted, boards repaired and both inside and out has been re-stained
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click on image to enlarge
Thank you to all the children of Oulton First School who provided posters for the BKV competition bid. We have had over sixty posters, a small selection of which is shown above. These will be displayed in the school notice board, village hall windows, poster boards by the village signs and various other locations in the village. Any children who do not attend Oulton school are invited to design their own A4 poster to display in their own windows which will help the overall impression, and help towards meeting the judging criteria. Posters should be display where the judges can see from the roadside and should be in place by 1st May 2009.
click on image to enlarge
Local tradesman and OCG Committee member Peter Roberts has made the poster boards which have been placed at each entrance to the village and the playpark. These are used to display the BKV themed posters designed by the children od Oulton First School. Themes include Keep Oulton Tidy, Clean Up After Your Pet, Protect the Environment and Drive Carefully Through the Village.
Unfortunately, one of the posterboard has been stolen from its position by the village sign in Kibblestone Road. If anyone knows of its whereabouts, please contact the OCG via this website or 01785 817895 or 07851 302860
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One of the themes illustrated by the chidren's posters is the issue of dog fouling. In an effort to raise awareness, members of the BKV Committee have been out to replace old and faded stickers at various locations around the village, including the dog waste bins in Church Lane and Kibblestone Road. Apart from the unpleasantness, dog waste can cause serious infections if accidentally ingested by children. The BKV committee would urge all dog walkers to clean up after their pets
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