Lea Life
Parish Council Meetings: 2021: September 20th, November 1st, December 13th.
Please note these are subject to change but all meetings will be advertised on the Parish Council notice boards on the side of the Butler’s Pantry and on The Green, and on the village website.
Questionnaire. Lea Parish Council (LPC) would like to thank everyone who took time to complete and returned the village questionnaire. The responses received will help the Parish Council prioritise future spending within the village 4 year plan. LPC is also grateful for the many additional ideas and suggestions that were made. LPC is currently analysing the responses and will work with an advisor from Lincolnshire County Council with regards to turning ideas into actions. More information in the next Lea Life.
Pop-Up Pantry. Lea Parish Council would like to thank everyone who has supported the Pop-Up Pantry at the Butler’s Pantry in Lea Park. From comments made directly and on our Facebook page this has been very well received, especially the homemade cakes! Money raised from this venture will go towards redecorating the outside of the Butler’s Pantry, which should protect it from any further deterioration and make it look better. This reduces the amount of money being spent from LPC funds, most of which is raised from your council tax– so buy a cake and save council tax! (it’s as good an excuse as any).
The Pop-Up Pantry will open again – watch this space, Facebook and village posters for dates and times.
Save the date: LPC are in the early stages of planning a Halloween event for children in Lea Park on 31st October.
Community celebration: Several responses on the questionnaire mentioned staging more village, community events. The 6 parish councillors currently on LPC do not have the capacity to undertake all the organisation that would be needed. If you would be willing to help with the organisation of any such events please contact the Parish Clerk. Without extra help these events can’t happen so thank you for any offers of help.
Over-hanging hedge. LPC have received several communications from village residents concerned about overhanging hedges causing problems for walkers, residents with prams and cyclists (on official cycle paths) as well as residents with visual difficulties. We ask that residents check their external boundaries and cut back overhanging hedges so helping to keep our village safe for everyone.
Lea Park. Lea Park has again been enjoyed by many visitors this summer. Whilst the Park is a real asset to the village, it also requires a great deal of maintenance to keep it looking nice and also safe. Many people came to the park to see the wildflower meadow, which was beautiful. This was created by the hard efforts of the Lea Park Working Group comprising volunteers and Parish Councillors. LPC thanks everyone involved for their effort. It will take up to 3 years for it to be fully established but we look forward to seeing it in full bloom again next year.
A recent tree survey revealed that several trees within the park required some remedial work to keep them safe. Firstly, a great deal of ivy needed removing from the base of trees so that the true condition of the trees could be assessed. This huge task was again undertaken by the Working Party and they saved the residents of Lea a large amount of money. A professional company has now been employed to undertake the tree surgery that was required. Chippings from the chopped branches will be used to cover the park pathways, but this again will be completed by the Lea Park Working Party.
PLEASE, PLEASE OFFER YOUR HELP IF YOU CAN. IF YOU ENJOY THE PARK, COULD YOU SPARE AN HOUR OR SO TO HELP KEEP IT LOOKING NICE AND SAFE? YOUR HELP WILL BE GRATEFULLY RECEIVED AND WILL HELP LPC SAVE MONEY FROM YOUR COUNCIL TAX. PLEASE CONTACT THE PARISH CLERK FOR DETAILS OF WORKING PARTIES.
The fruit orchard is now full of ripening fruit. The orchard, which contains many rare, British varieties was planted by the Friends of Lea Park many years ago. The fruit produced is for the residents of Lea. If you fancy an apple pie why not go to the park and pick a couple of apples! Labels name most of the trees, but remember they are organic so are not grub free!
Litter Pick. A village litter pick was held on 31st July. LPC thanks the few volunteers that came to help. Whilst many bags of litter were collected it was less than previously, suggesting that the additional bins purchased by LPC for the park are helping keep it clean. LPC has sets of litter picking equipment (litter picker, bags, bag rings, hi-vis tabards and safety guidelines) that can be borrowed by residents to help keep the paths looking clean. Some kits have already been loaned to helpful residents. If you would like a kit please contact the Parish Clerk and a kit will be delivered to you.
Tennis and cricket. Tennis has returned to Lea Park and the club have organised successful taster sessions, which have been well attended. The club is keen to sign up new members, especially from the village. If you are interested in becoming a member of Lea Park Tennis Club or you want more details, please contact them – details below.
Cricket has not been played in Lea Park so far this year as club games have been played elsewhere. Lea and Roses Cricket Club are also keen to sign up new members. They can be contacted via the details below.
Lincolnshire bus network survey. LPC has received this information from Lincolnshire County Council and has been asked to circulate it to Lea residents.
The Government launched the National Bus Strategy in March 2021, to secure a share of the £3BN funding announced, local transport authorities are asked to enter into an Enhanced Partnership with local operators and to produce a Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) by the end of October 2021. This will be considered by the Department for Transport (DfT) to determine how much funding we will receive. As part of the evidence base, we are sending out this engagement survey to establish a baseline of views, what local people and organisations consider important and what may encourage them to use buses more. Further consultation will be held in due course as potential schemes start to emerge for the BSIP. Who should complete the survey? The survey is designed to be completed by individuals and representatives of organisations. The survey asks different questions depending on how you answer. We are encouraging as many people as possible to complete the survey on-line but if you have any constituents that cannot they can ring 0345 456 4474 Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm and we will arrange a postal copy of the survey to be sent to them. The engagement survey has now gone live asking for the views of individuals and organisations on Lincolnshire's bus network. This link will take you to the survey https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/engagement Timescales: The survey closes on Monday 30th August. Ideally we would have liked it to be longer but because of the time constraints to submit a plan set by the DfT, this isn't possible on this occasion.
How Should Your Money Be Spent? West Lindsey District Council has launched its budget consultation and is urging residents and businesses to have their say on its budget. This consultation started on Monday, July 8 and will close at 9am on 2 September 2019. More details are available at www.west-Lindsey.gov.uk/budget2019
Lea Clubs and contact details
Please contact individual clubs for current situation
Lea Park Tennis Club - Phil Juhos 01427 613562
Art Group -, Douglas Austin 01427 612396
Brownies - Paula Woffinden 01427 811080
Bowls Club – arrangements for next season to be confirmed
Gainsborough Bowmen -. gainsboroughbowmen@gmail.com
Vitality Exercise Class - Liz Clews 01427 615608 or 07751 964832
Lea Youth Club- LeaYouthClub@hotmail.com or Emma on 07971861115
Lea & Roses Cricket Club -Stuart Menzies. Chair - stuart29menzies@btinternet.com Sue Roberts . Vice Chair – info@elstonandhopkin.co.uk
Rainbows - Gill Gray 01427 612125
Lea Women’s Institute -Jackie Summers 01427 615382 email: the.summers@btinternet.com
LatinFit - Elizabeth 01427 678269 or 07939 643058
Bible Fellowship - Pat Gray 01427 629250
Lea Women’s Fellowship -Barbara Graville 01427 615268 or Joy Linegar 01427 613135
Prayer Shawl Fellowship – Pat Gray 01427 629250 or Margaret Lilley 01427 615933
Gainsborough Cancer Support Group - Sue or Jean on 07707 707140
Lea’s Churches
Church of St Helen: Rev Phillip Wain 01427 839933. Church Warden – Mrs Joy Linegar 01427 613135
Lea Methodist Church: Minister: Rev Louise Carr.