Sutton Bonington
VIRTUAL PARISH COUNCIL MEETING. Sutton Bonington parish council broke new ground for their monthly meeting for May, by holding a virtual meeting on line instead of in the village hall.
The drastic change came about because of the current coronavirus pandemic regulations that prohibits use of pubic buildings such as the village hall, the normal venue for the meeting.
Thanks to the confident and steady handling of the new style meeting by chairman Coun. Julie McMullen-Kerr – she had only been elected into office moment s after the meeting had started - the whole event ran smoothly and with only very minor difficulties rans its normal course
The ZOOM system used for the meeting had been booked for 50 minutes and so when that time had expired it had to close, just as the last item on the agenda had been completed.
The council agreed that for the next meeting on June 8 the booking for the session should be open ended, members accepting the charge that would be made on the council.
HISTORY OF CHURCHES.
Services cannot be held at the parish churches of St Michael’s and St Anne’s parish churches at Sutton Bonington – as they can’t anywhere in the UK - because of the coronavirus situation, and now the actual buildings are not open for visitors for private prayer.
A detailed history of both churches can be found on the Diocesan Church History Project at http:// southwellchurches.history. nottingham.ac.uk/main/index. php. Information is given for both churches under the headings: history, archaeology, fittings, glass, organ, bells etc. All entries have been edited by a team of experts from Nottingham University.
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.
Sutton Bonington Horticultural Society have been hit by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and as well as losing meetings their annual Spring Show which would have been held in the village hall, currently closed because of the virus, Bbecame another victim of the disease and had to be called off.
The show has been on the society diary programme for many years and has always attracted a good number of entries. It became well known for the fact that visitors to it were also the judges, and they were all asked to complete a judging form to give their opinion of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd placings in each class.
A talk under the title Scents and Desirability by Andrew Ward of Norwell Nurseries is one of those cancelled because of the virus problems. He was down to give a talk which would have will unravelled the mysteries of why plants produce naromatic foliage produce scents.
Another victim of the virus was the planned visit of Hilary Hutson who was to give a talk ‘Containers and Sinks’ in which she would have been suggesting ideas for planting up sinks and troughs.
MP RUTH EDWARDS. Rushcliffe Conservative MP Ruth Edwards, who took over from Ken Clarke who stood down for the last election, had admitted some of the measures the Government have introduced to tackle the coronavirus situation are a difficult ask and encroach on freedoms, but they are a necessary response to the biggest threat this country has faced in many decades.
She said: “They will save lives, provided everyone listens to them.”
The MP, whose constituency includes Sutton Bonington, reminds residents of the ban on gatherings of more than two people, excluding those who live in the same house, and the fact all social events, including weddings, baptisms and other ceremonies have also been stopped, but funerals can still take place.
The MP says taking these measures seriously will enable them to protect people in our community who are especially vulnerable to the effects of this virus.
“I cannot stress enough that our collective efforts will enable the NHS to cope with the pressures of coronavirus and save more lives. Following these measures will protect you and your loved ones.”
She added: “I, therefore, ask everyone in Rushcliffe to take these restrictions seriously. We can beat coronavirus, but only if we work together and look out for each other.”
On a positive note, the MP acknowledges that many community groups are springing up all over Rushcliffe to support vulnerable friends and neighbours. “I want to say a huge thank you to everyone that is working together to help others and making sacrifices to limit the spread of coronavirus in our communities.
“Most of all, I want to thank the doctors, nurses, paramedics, pharmacists, care workers and all those working in the NHS, who are on the frontline of this battle.”
The MP has said when this is over the country must find a way to honour the bravery of all those who have worked tirelessly to help others, at great personal risk to themselves.
“This is a dark and difficult time for our county. But we will come through it. It is the compassion, selflessness and courage shown by so many people across our community and our country that gives me hope.”
The MP can be contacted through her website www. ruthedwards.org.uk , Twitter: @RuthEdwardsMP and Facebook: fb.com/ RuthEdwardsForRushcliffe. She says: “Please contact me if you need my help.”
COUN ANDY BROWN. Notts County Council member for Sutton Bonington, Coun. Andy Brown, has told the parish council that at County Hall they are like elsewhere across the UK and in lock down and closed, with staff working remotely.
He says meetings between staff are held via Zoom and some scheduled Council meetings are planned using Zoom. “I myself have already had several zoom meetings in my role on the Fire Authority,” he says.
I have though attended a Strategic Collaboration Board meeting at Fire HQ which included the PCC, Chief Fire officer and Chief Constable,with of course social distancing was observed by all.
In a message to residents, he says for those people who have yet to download mynotts app, it is full of information from grass cutting, potholes education and much more and is very user friendly.
Coun. Brown says that his fellow ward councillor Reg Adair and himself are very pleased that £20,000 from the emergency Covid fund has been paid out to villages in their Division: “Funds though are still available and you can ask again if you need extra funding,” says Coun Brown.
NCC Country Parks are now open again but are only accessible on foot as the car parks remain closed due to government ruling.