Kelsall Village, near Chester, Cheshire, UK

For the attention of Pilates enthusiasts! Due to unforseen circumstances, Monday Morning's Pilates classes, taught by Dave Jones, will commence on 20th September, not 6th September as planned.

More businesses in Kelsall: The Businesses Page now has details of 30 businesses in Kelsall. Latest additions are L & S Plumbing Limited, located in The Wynd, and three businesses, namely Kelsall Plant Centre, Shed City and The Gallery, on one site off Chester Road at the west end of the village. Kelsall Plant Centre and Shed City have been around for a while, but are now under new ownership.

Hosepipe ban lifted from 19th August: United Utilities hosepipe ban was lifted on 19th August, but customers are still being asked to use water wisely. More information can be found on the United Utilities website.

Another Habitats and Hillforts event for your diary: The Habitats and Hillforts Project is still going strong. At the next event, on 22nd September, you can explore the fascinating world of fungi with local enthusiast 'Fungal Punk Dave' at a Fungal Foray within the grounds of Nunsmere Hall. FREE to Cheshire Residents!

Have you signed up for CWaC's electronic newsletter? CWaC's monthly enewsletter features a summary of the latest news, activities and events from across Cheshire West and Chester. It is free and you can unsubscribe at any time. You can sign up here. The latest newsletter contains a few interesting items, including one on the high cost to CWaC (and us!) of FOI requests, some of which are manifestly 'vexacious and ridiculous', and a new campaign to tackle benefit fraud.

Kelsall's Income/Expenditure for 2010/11: As reported a couple of months ago Kelsall Parish Council's precept for 2010/11 was set at £25,040. Total income for 2010/11 is estimated to be £34,684.71. Click here for a full breakdown of estimated income and expenditure for 2010/11.

PC Rob Elliott, Kelsall's local policeman, retired on 26th July

We wish Rob Elliott, Kelsall's local policeman for the last 14 months, all the best in his retirement. Rob has been closely involved with many local issues, and there's no doubt that his pragmatic approach to policing in the village will be sorely missed. Rob will continue to live in Kelsall, so perhaps we'll get to know more about some of his non-policing skills. How many residents are aware, for example, that Rob is a skilled stone sculptor? Click here for a few examples of his work. PC Steve Trow, who presently covers Elton, will be taking over from Rob from late-August - we should be able to get more information about Steve once he's begun his new position.

Parish Council's Annual Report for 2009/2010 now available: The Minutes of Kelsall's Annual Parish Meeting on 12th April provides a good summary of how Kelsall developed during the financial year 2009/2010. Apart from the Chairman's and Financial reports, it includes reports on Kelsall Green, Kelsall Community Centre, Tarvin Educational Foundation and other local organisations.

Electoral arrangements reviewed by Boundary Commission: The Boundary Commission has now completed its review of electoral arrangements for Cheshire West & Chester Council, and has recommended that CWaC should be split into 46 wards with a total of 75 councillors, three more than the existing 72 councillors. At present Kelsall sits in the Gowy Ward and is represented by three councillors (Brian Bailey, Hugo Deynem and Stuart Parker). In the future, if the Boundary Commission's proposals are accepted by Parliament, Kelsall will sit in the Tarvin & Kelsall Ward and will be represented by two councillors. In addition to Tarvin and Kelsall, this ward will include Delamere, Oakmere, Willington, Duddon, Priors Hayes, Burton and Clotton. If accepted by Parliament, the new electoral arrangements will come into force at the next elections for Cheshire West & Chester Council in 2011.

End of an era for Kelsall's Pilates enthusiasts! Fiona Enticott has spent five years looking after the bodies of more than 100 Pilates enthusiasts in Kelsall and district, but has now taken her last class and is off to the Midlands to join husband Ian, former vicar of St Philips Church, who became Director of the African Pastors' Fellowship on 1st June. Fiona is a highly professional Pilates teacher, and will be sorely missed by her students, who wish her well in her new life. Fiona's eight Pilates classes in Kelsall and the surrounding area will carry on with new teachers from September.

Community Library closed for school holidays: The Community Library will close from 15th July for the school holidays. It will reopen on Thursday 2 September from 2:00 - 4:00pm.

Sable Cottage has new owners: Mr Sunil and Mr Ash Patel, the new owners of Sable Cottage, met with families and the public on 2nd July for a strawberries and strings afternoon, during which they were entertained by a harpist and cellist duo. Further high-quality events are planned, including a performance by ex-Freddie and the Dreamers guitarist and backing singer Nico in September - more details later.
Sable Cottage is celebrating the Gold Standard Framework award for providing the highest standard of end of life care. More information can be found on Sable Cottage's website and in its recent newsletter.

Kelsall's WW1 veterans being researched by Kelsall's Family History Group: An old document has recently come to light in St Philip's Church listing those local men who took part in World War I. Sadly it was never completed and apart from the names of the enlisted there is very little detail. Kelsall Family History Group has taken on the task of researching into as many names as possible to find out what happened to these men on their return home. If you had a relative who fought during WW1 or know of anyone, friend or neighbour who may have information that would help this research, please get in touch with Linda Clarke on 01829-752899. Click here for more information.

Holiday Club has a few spaces left: Holiday Club, organised by St Philips Church and the Methodist Church, will take place from 10.00am onwards at Kelsall Methodist Church for five mornings from Monday 19th to Friday 23rd July, followed by a celebratory service at the Methodist Church on Sunday 25th July. The Holiday Club, which welcomes children of primary school age, has been running for the past eight years and each year has had a different theme based on Christian teachings. This year's theme is the Jungle Jamboree. The mornings are action packed and full of fun and are open to the children of Kelsall and the surrounding area. Please contact Suzanne Goodier (01829-752890) or Jacquie Macaulay (01829-752251) for more information, or download a poster here. Photos to follow.

Youth Club says goodbye to Fiona Enticott: The Kelsall St Philips Youth Club barbeque took place on Friday 2nd July at 7.30pm on Kelsall Green and was attended by about 70 youngsters and their families. Click here for a few photos. The event was particularly poignant because it was Fiona Enticott's last night as Youth Club organiser and leader, and, luckily, the sun shone. Amidst the youth games and food, Fiona was presented with cards and presents to say thank you for all her hard work in co-ordinating the Youth Club. She will be a tough act to follow but luckily the Youth Club has a very able replacement in Ann Barnett, who has been headmistress of Utkinton School, and will be taking the helm as youth club co-ordinator from September 2010. We wish Fiona well in her new life in Warwick and give heartfelt thanks for all her efforts over the last seven years running the Youth Club.

D of E Bronze Expedition Successes! Over the weekend of 26/27 June 10 Kelsall boys, along with 23 others from Knutsford High School and other groups, took part in a Duke of Edinburgh weekend, organised by Connexions Chester & Warrington, in the area round Knutsford and Lower Peover. The boys were assessed against the bronze standard and passed with flying colours - congratulations to all of you. The weekend provided a great opportunity to enjoy the weather and countryside and meet new people. Click here for a few photos of their efforts, and here for photos taken during a practice expedition near Ruthin on 15/16 May. At present there are over 20 boys and girls in Kelsall's D of E group - not bad for a village the size of Kelsall! To date four girls (shortly to be five) have been awarded their bronze badges and are now working towards their silver standard. We're expecting many more successes over the next year or two!

More buses for Kelsall residents: A local resident tells us that there's been an increase in the number of buses passing through Kelsall. Click here for full details of bus timetables.

REMINDER! Police bulletins posted here every week: Inspector Phil Hodgson's weekly News Bulletins provide a useful synopsis of police incidents in this part of Cheshire, including burglaries, pushy cold callers, speeding offences and suspicious vehicles. You can read these Bulletins on the Police Page of this website.

Another local business on our Businesses Page: Karen Elliott, a Kelsall based mural artist, can creat paintings and trompe d'oeil for any room or space, with designs that are painted directly onto walls or large canvases/boards as required. Click here for more information about the business and a couple of examples of Karen's work.

Inconsiderate dog owners still causing problems: Some time ago the Parish Council raised the issue of dog fouling on Kelsall Green, and reminded dog owners that they were liable to a penalty of up to £1,000 if they failed to clean up after their dogs. Residents have recently reported other dog fouling 'hot-spots', namely the pavements near Kelsall Primmary School on Flat Lane, and on the '39 Steps' footpath from Elizabeth Close to Waste Lane. Dog fouling in the vicinity of the school poses a clear risk to the children as they are dropped off and collected. You can read all about the risks associated with dog fouling on CWaC's website, and you can report specific fouling problems here. As far as we know no dog owners have been fined yet in Kelsall. Who knows, perhaps an occasional well publicised fine might be the best way to get inconsiderate dog owners to change their ways!

Kelsall Parish Council gains two new councillors

Following the recent retirements of Rev Ian Enticott and John Gray, the Parish Council has co-opted two new councillors, David Armstrong and Dorothy Berry.

David Armstrong has recently retired after working in education as a teacher, headteacher and secondary adviser. He has been an LEA Governor in both primary and secondary schools and was an elected Parent Governor at his children's high school in Knutsford. He was also Chair of his local Citizens Advice area for five years.

Dorothy Berry has lived in Kelsall since 1957 and brought up her children here. She was a secretary with Shell Research until 1962 and later worked at Utkinton School and Tarporley High School until her retirement. She is an active member of the W.I. committee and has served as Secretary and President in the past. Dorothy has taken part in many village activities, including KADRAS, the Day Centre, the Bridge Club and Kelsall Gardening Club.

Both David and Dorothy are looking forward to contributing to the work of the Parish Council.

Scarecrow success for Kelsall's Bool family!

This year's Scarecrow Trail winners were announced at Kelsall Primary School's Summer Fair on 12th June. Congratulations to the Bool family who won both awards! Winner of the 'Best Traditional Scarecrow' was the Bool family from Chester Road for their entry 'Little and Large', and the 'Best Themed Scarecrow' was won by the Bool family from Hollands Lane for their entry 'Monkeh's PG Tea Break'.

The 38 entries to this year's Scarecrow Trail can be seen here. The Trail raised about £400 for Kelsall Community Primary School. The School's PTA would like to thank all those residents who displayed a scarecrow and bought a Trail Guide.

Parking chaos in Kelsall not restricted to Flat Lane! As reported here recently, the pupils of Kelsall School have designed eye-catching posters that highlight the dangers caused by traffic congestion along Flat Lane during the morning and afternoon school runs. Equally dangerous parking is also a problem in the vicinity of the Co-op and along Forest Gate Lane. The inconsiderate parking of a minority of drivers on the hatched area for delivery vehicles outside the Co-op and on double yellow lines makes little sense as there are plenty of parking spaces alongside the Morris Dancer. Rising bollards have been installed to ensure that the hatched area in front of the shop is kept clear - a good idea, but isn't it sad that such a measure needs to be even considered.

Forest Gate Lane and the adjacent Morreys Lane lie within Delamere Parish, just outside Kelsall, and are both very narrow single track roads. They are used as a rat run to avoid the traffic lights on the A54, and also suffer from inconsiderate parking by dog walkers and ramblers, some of whom no doubt come from Kelsall (see adjacent photos). Delamere Parish Council has produced a leaflet asking drivers of these cars to use the Yeld car park - residents are no doubt hoping that drivers follow this request.

Another local business on our Businesses Page: Mackay's Plumbing has recently moved from Middlewich to Willington. Mackay's specialise in bathroom installations and refurbishment, tiling and all aspects of general plumbing. More information here.

New issue of 'News from the Green' now available: Click here for the Kelsall Recreation Committee's latest issue of 'News from the Green'. Read about future plans for Kelsall Green and the success of Kelsall Green's on-line shopping centre, and find out how you can contribute to the success of Kelsall Green's cake stall at the Folk Festival on 29/30 May by making, selling and eating the cakes!

Safety message from Kelsall School

Traffic congestion along Flat Lane by Kelsall School has become a major issue for local residents, particularly when parents are dropping off and collecting their children. In an effort to raise awareness PC Rob Elliott organised a road safety poster competition. Pupils were asked to design posters to highlight how dangerous it can be for pupils during the morning and afternoon school runs. PC Elliott selected winners from the infants and juniors at Kelsall Primary School, each winner receiving a £40 gift voucher. The eye-catching winning posters are shown alongside. Speaking during May's parish council meeting PC Elliott noted that the traffic down Flat Lane in Kelsall is hideous at times, and asked whether anyone had ever considered making it a one way street? He suggested that the ideal solution would be for fewer people to drive their children to school but agreed that such a solution couldn't be enforced. He hopes that the posters "will make parents think a bit more".

Litter problem on Kelsall Green: The remarkable transformation of Kelsall Green over the last three years has been largely due to the dedicated efforts of the members of the Kelsall Green Committee, to whom we should be truly grateful. The recreation areas are enjoyed by people of all ages, but their enjoyment is sometimes marred by the glass and litter that is left behind by some of the teenagers and younger users of the area. Natalie Read, Chairman of the Kelsall Green Committee, has written a short article to try to impress on parents and teenagers the need to treat Kelsall Green with pride and respect. Click here to read what Natalie has to say.

Sad news for Kelsall from the Farmers Arms : Regretfully, we have to report that Mike Ford, the landlord of the Farmers Arms, passed away on Saturday 8th May. Mike really appreciated his time in the village and was highly regarded by his loyal locals - he will be truly missed. Our thoughts are with Mike's family at this difficult time. Click here for an article on Mike by the Chester Chronicle.

Stephen O'Brien, Kelsall's MP: Congratulations to Stephen O'Brien on increasing his majority in last week's General Election. For the record, the number of votes cast for Stephen increased from 20,272 (46.92% of the vote) to 23,472 (51.68% of the vote). Other votes cast were: Bob Thompson (Lib Dems) - 10,217 votes, Pat Merrick (Labour) - 9794 votes, Charles Dodman (UKIP) - 1931 votes. Stephen has been Shadow Health Minister for several years, so it would be a logical step for David Cameron to appoint him to a leading role in the Department of Health in the new government. A difficult job, no doubt, given the inevitable pressures on the public sector, but one which Stephen's background and professionalism should be ideally suited.

Community Pride Competition 2010: The Community Pride Competition aims to develop and highlight a sense of pride amongst local people throughout Cheshire. Last year Kelsall won two awards and is hoping to do even better this year. Judging for this year's competition will take place throughout the summer months - please help us gain points by keeping the village clean, tidy, and free from litter.

'Happy Little Monkeys' - childminding business in Kelsall: Yet another business in Kelsall, this time a childminding business within the village where your child can develop and learn through play. More information here.

Wildflowers planted on Kelsall Green by Kelsall School children: On 22nd April Kelsall Primary School's 'Oak Class', accompanied by class teacher Mrs Little and several enthusistic parents and helpers, spent an exciting morning planting wildflowers on Kelsall Green, including Cowslips, Red Clover, Cat's Ear and Wild Marjoram. Click here for a few photos. The children are being encouraged to look after the wildflowers as they develop into a colourful wildflower meadow. Kelsall Green is already contributing to the local community in many ways - it is hoped that a wildflower meadow will add a further dimension by providing a biodiverse haven that should attract a variety of small birds and mammals, insects and butterflies.

Thefts from Cars in Delamere Forest: PC Rob Elliott, Kelsall's Community Police Officer, advises walkers in Delamere Forest not to leave valuables in their cars. There have been several recent thefts from the boots of cars while the owners have been walking. Rob's advice applies equally to those who park in other local car parks, including those at The Yeld, Grestys Waste and Kings Gate.

Kelsall Parish Council loses two councillors
The Annual Meeting of Kelsall Parish Council on 12th April was the last Parish meeting of councillors John Gray and Ian Enticott. Thanks are due to John and Ian for their unstinting efforts for our community over many years. John will continue as chairman of the Kelsall Community Centre Committee, and we'll no doubt continue to benefit from his words of wisdom on waste, food, beer and the English language! Ian will be leaving Kelsall after eight years as vicar of St Philips Church at the end of May. We wish him all the best in his new role as Director of the African Pastors' Fellowship.

Get Kelsall Green's latest news on Twitter! Are you a Twitterer or Tweeter? You may like to know that you can follow Kelsall Green's latest news on Twitter. Remember to protect your Twitter account if you want to keep your tweets and email address private!

Thieves target BT cable in Kelsall again: The high price of copper tempted cable thieves to strike again at about 11:10pm on the evening of Tuesday 23rd March. They cut the cable that runs from the junction of Chester Road and Hollands Lane to the junction of Old Coach Road and Church Street North. This is the same length of BT cable that was stolen on 17th January, although it would appear that the thieves, thought to be driving a red Ford Transit vehicle, were disturbed this time before removing the cable. A large part of Kelsall was without telephone services while BT replaced the cable and made good all the individual connections. Services were back to normal by the morning of the 25th. Apart from the disruption and inconvenience to local businesses and residents, the inability of the affected customers to make emergency calls could have had serious consequences. Please keep your eyes open for similar incidents in the future, particularly unusual activity outside normal working hours in the vicinity of manholes, and contact the Western Neighbourhood Policing Team (0845-458-0000) if you see anything suspicious.

Kelsall Brownies visited by Community Safety Wardens: CWaC's Community Safety Wardens recently held a cycle/road safety workshop for Kelsall Brownies. The girls designed cycle helmets and learnt about the importance of wearing bright clothing while out on their bikes. Judging by the smiling faces on these photos they all seem to have enjoyed themselves. There are currently 28 girls in the Kelsall Brownies pack (24 being the optimum number) and the waiting lists for the next few years are filling up rapidly! Please contact Margaret Corlett (Brown Owl, 01829-752931) to add your daughter's name to the waiting list.

Another local business on our Businesses Page: The Mid-Cheshire IDL Dyslexia Centre has been in existence for more than ten years, and has helped hundreds of young people to catch up to the reading and spelling abilities of their peers. More information here.

£1223 raised for Clatterbridge Cancer Research! The Kelsall Branch of Clatterbridge Cancer Research raised the wonderful sum of £1223 at their Auction and Jumble Sale at Kelsall Community Centre on Saturday 13th March. Thanks to all those who supported this event. The organisation's next fundraising event is the Kelsall Gala at Kelsall Primary School on Saturday 8th May. More information shortly.

The easiest way to report potholes: Potholes and other road defects are a danger to all road users. Cheshire West & Chester (CWaC) is working hard to fill the huge number of potholes that has resulted from the severe weather we've had, but they can't fill them if they don't know where they are. If you want to get them repaired, you have to report them. You could always try ringing Streetscene (0300-123-7026), but by far the easiest way is to use CWaC's brilliant Interactive Mapping website. Click on 'Highway Faults', then select the 'Road Surface (Carriageway)' option from the Category dropdown, then select the 'Pothole' option from the Fault dropdown, then drag and zoom the map to show the location of the pothole, then drag the red flag to the correct location on the map. This facility can be used to advise Highways of other road faults, including failed streetlights, overhanging hedges, blocked drains etc.

Proposal to build 80 houses in Kelsall! A preliminary proposal by Taylor Wimpey to build 80 houses adjacent to Kelsall Primary School was briefly discussed at the Kelsall Parish Council Meeting on 8th March. A straw poll of parish councillors' opinions indicated a resounding 'nyet'! Numerous issues were raised, including the likely inability of Kelsall Primary School to accommodate the increased number of children, the increased congestion in Flat Lane, the incompatibilty of the proposed development with Kelsall's Village Design Statement (now a Supplementary Planning Document), and the general issue of utility provision. Taylor Wimpey wants to give a short presentation of their proposals at a future Parish Council meeting. We'll let you know when this will be once we have a date. It should be stressed that no planning application has been submitted yet, but, given the size of this proposed development, it is clearly important that the whole village is kept informed.

Burglary Prevention Video: Cheshire Police has produced a burglary prevention video giving some basic tips on how to avoid becoming a victim of burglary. You can find the video clip on our new 'Cheshire Police Videos' page. There's only one video clip on this page at present, but we'll add more as they become available.

Have you thought of using a different browser? You may have read recently of the German and French governments' advice to their citizens not to use Internet Explorer for browsing the web because of security flaws. Since then Google has announced that it will stop supporting Internet Explorer 6 (IE6), notwithstanding Microsoft's stated intention to continue to support IE6 until 2014. The 200 visitors who use IE6 each month to visit this site should consider using another browser. Microsoft tells us that the security flaws in IE7 and IE8 have been fixed, so these browsers could be used, but they don't support all the coding elements on this website. If you want to see this site in all its glory you might like to try Mozilla Firefox, Safari, or Chrome as your browser.

Kelsall Green now has its very own shopping centre! Next time you need to buy something online visit buy.at/kelsallgreen to start your shopping. Shop as you normally would at Amazon, M&S, Next, Expedia, Play.com and many other web retailers, and a donation will be made to Kelsall Green. All you need to do is start at buy.at/kelsallgreen and the donation will be made automatically! Sites like Littlewoods and Asda donate as much as 10% of the cost of your purchase, while mobile phone providers will give us as much as £100 if you sign up for their services after clicking though from the site.

When was the last time you shopped for a better energy deal? If every household in Kelsall compared fuel prices and switched to a better deal by visiting the Money and Bills category at buy.at/kelsallgreen, we could raise more than £21,000 pounds for The Green!

New dates for Community Safety Warden's surgeries: Community Safety Wardens will be visiting Kelsall on the second Monday of each month from 6:30pm at Kelsall Community Centre. Please come and have a chat to them if you have concerns about any aspect of safety in the neighbourhood. CWaC's draft budget for 2010/11 includes £110,000 for Community Safety Wardens, so we're paying for them whether or not we use them! More information here.

Habitats and Hillforts now in its second year: The 3 year Habitats and Hillforts Project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, started in October 2008 and is now well into its second year. This newsletter (1.8MB download!) provides a good impression of the Project's highly successful first year. At the next event, on 17th February at Tattenhall Outdoor Education Centre, parents and children are invited to come along to learn the importance of recognising and recording Cheshire's wildlife - and it's free to Cheshire residents! Another project, Captured Memories, is trying to bring together local finds, photographs, maps, farm records, antiques etc that increase our knowledge of the heritage of the area. Please contact Ellie Soper, the Habitats and Hillforts Project Manager, if you would like more information.

Stolen underground cable results in failure of 200 phone lines: A section of underground cable was stolen between Old Coach Road and Chester Road at around 11:30pm on Sunday 17th, resulting in about 200 BT customers losing their telephone service for about a day. The stolen cable was found in an abandoned dark blue Land Rover in a field near Yeld Lane. This Chester Chronicle article provides more information. Please contact the Western Neighbourhood Policing Team (0845-458-0000) if you saw anything suspicious that might have been linked to this incident. The inability of the affected customers to make emergency calls could have had serious consequences. Please keep your eyes open for possible copycat thefts in the future.

Three Kelsall girls awarded D of E bronze badges! Leah Jones, Mairi Enticott and Freya Lowden were presented with Duke of Edinburgh bronze badges at a ceremony on 8th January. Congratulations to all of you. Their achievement involved commitment over a long period of time, culminating in a series of practice expeditions before embarking on the final 2-day expedition in the Clwyd Hills last July. You can find out more about their successes and Kelsall's Duke of Edinburgh initiative in this brief summary and these photos. Their successes wouldn't have been possible without a lot of hard work by Fiona Enticott (St Philips Youth Club Manager), Pete Moore (D of E Expedition Supervisor and Trainer), Daniel Gaskarth (D of E Expedition Assessor & Backup Co-ordinator), and Elaine Shakspeare (D of E Expedition Assistant & Assessor). Thanks to all of you for your efforts.

A good way to learn more about Kelsall: Cheshire's excellent Interactive Mapping website provides a lot of information about Kelsall, including the Parish Boundary, location of school, footpaths, care homes, GP surgeries, bus stops, street lights etc. Just type 'Kelsall' into the search field, then select the item(s) you're interested in from the left hand menu.

Revd Ian Enticott leaving Kelsall Parish: The Revd Ian Enticott announced on 3rd January 2010 that he is leaving the parish at the end of May this year. His new role, beginning on 1st June, is to be Director of the African Pastors' Fellowship. This charity, based in the Midlands, works in support of churches in East Africa. There are training seminars for existing ministers, many of whom have little training before they begin. It also gives assistance with buying bicycles for transport in rural areas, advice on income-generating projects for pastors' families and is overseeing the writing and translation of Bible commentaries and Sunday School materials in local languages.
There are mixed feelings in Kelsall about his departure - people are pleased for Ian, Fiona and the family as they return to working with churches in Africa and across the UK, but there is also a great feeling of loss for St Philip's church and the village. Ian's last service in Kelsall will be on Sunday 25th April 2010.

Successful gift fair in aid of Kelsall Green: Lyn Howe's original idea was to hold a garage sale in aid of Kelsall Green. She discussed the idea with Tara Edelman, Kelsall Green's fundraising queen, and, between them, they decided to switch the location from Lyn's garage to Kelsall's Community Centre. The resulting 'Gift Fair and Nearly New Sale' was held on 29th November and was highly successful. The proceeds, which have still to be computed, will go towards play equipment on Kelsall Green for older children and teens. Click here for a few photos that were taken at the gift fair.

Lively discussion on planning at parish council meetings! Parish Council meetings are usually relatively low key and attract very few, if any, members of the public. This all changed, however, when debating a planning application for 2 detached dwellings at 82 Quarry Lane. The Parish Council opposed the application at the meeting on 14th September, primarily on the grounds that the proposed development contravened the Kelsall Parish Landscape and Design Statement. This Village Design Statement is a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) and is supposed to provide policy guidance for planning officials. The Parish Council requested that the application should be 'called-in' for determination by the Cheshire West & Chester (CWaC) Planning Board, but, as noted in the Parish Council Minutes dated 12th October, Ward Councillor Deynem decided not to 'call-in' the application without, it appears, consulting with the Parish Council to fully understand the reasons for its opposition to the application. The planning application was eventually considered and approved by a Planning Officer, leading to a lively discussion at the Parish Council meetings on 12th October and 9th November about the acceptability of Councillor Deynem's decision. The 'Notice of Planning Approval' makes no specific reference to Kelsall's Parish Landscape and Design Statement, leading to the inevitable conclusion that this important document may not have been considered. CWaC's website provides some information on the Role of Parish Councils and the Role of Councillors in the planning process. Ward Councillors are not duty bound to request an application to be called in when asked to do so by the Parish Council, but, crucially, they are not even required to consult with the Parish Council if they decide to take an opposing view. During lengthy debates at the last two Parish Council meetings some members of the Parish Council were clearly very unhappy with this aspect of the planning process.

Parish Clerk's reflections on 2009: Natalie Read, Kelsall's Parish Clerk, has highlighted a few issues, both good and bad, that have arisen in the village during 2009. Click here to read Natalie's thoughts on Kelsall Green, litter, parking and safety.

Cheshire Resilience - new website: Cheshire Resilience was established to prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies, and brings together local emergency services, the National Health Service, local authorities and other agencies that can help to prepare and respond to any event. Cheshire Resilience's new website is worth a visit.

Crime rate in 'Kelsall' is average: Did you know that you can find information about crime rates in CWaC on Cheshire Constabulary's website? The 'Kelsall' area, encompassing Kelsall, Ashton and part of Oscroft, had 7 crimes in September, comprising one vehicle crime and 7 anti-social behaviour crimes. The Constabulary's arithmetic seems to be less than perfect, but the broad conclusion is that crime in this area is 'average'. What do you think of this part of the Constabulary's website and their website in general? Cheshire Constabulary is presently designing a new website, which should be launched early-2010, and would like you to complete their website survey so they can plan their site around your needs.

New climbing frame and seesaw on Kelsall Green: An impressive climbing frame has been installed on Kelsall Green and is already being well used. It was purchased with a grant from 'Lottery Awards for All', and, following the Toddlers Playground and the MUGA, is the latest addition to Kelsall Green's recreational facilities. A wooden seesaw, funded through local fundraising, has also been installed. A zip wire is planned for the future, but its timing is uncertain as funding is not yet in place.

Ince Incinerator approved: Many of you will have read the highly critical local reaction to the news that Peel Holdings' application to construct and operate a waste incinerator at Ince has been approved by the Dept of Energy and Climate Change - see the Chester Chronicle article and the response from Stephen O'Brien, Kelsall's MP. Kelsall's main interest at the Inquiry into the planning application in May 2008 centred on emissions to atmosphere from the 100m chimney, particularly during maloperation of the incinerator. At the Inquiry Cheshire County Council, Ellesmere Port District Council and Vale Royal District Council showed remarkable complacency when agreeing that "no breaches of air quality objectives for the protection of human health are predicted". In practice, breaches of air quality are inevitable and can only be minimised by rigorous protocols for the control and operation of the plant. The plant will be designed according to the requirements of the Waste Incineration Directive, which is surprisingly weak when addressing the key issues of maloperation and breakdowns. Peel's planning application failed to provide much information on how the plant would be monitored and operated in the event of breakdowns, but Peel agreed that a liaison committee, including local independent specialists, would be set up to audit the performance of the plant. Clause 42 of the Consent Document requires Peel to set up such a committee "in accordance with details, including potential membership, submitted to and agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority". It's imperative that genuinely independent specialists sit on this committee - we hope that Cheshire West & Chester ensures that this happens in practice.

Kelsall schoolboy is a wildlife enthusiast! Alex Staniforth, a 14 year old schoolboy from Kelsall, has been interested in wildlife, animal welfare and conservation for several years. Click here for a brief description of how his enthusiasm for wildlife has developed. He decided recently to develop a website to tell us what he has been doing and to encourage others to take an interest in local wildlife. The site includes many excellent photos and a DIY section on how to build a wildlife pond and bird table. At the moment the site is displayed best by Internet Explorer (IE6/7/8) and Opera, but should be displayed OK by other browsers shortly. Well done, Alex!

PC Rob Elliott, Kelsall's new Community Police Officer: PC Rob Elliott has recently joined Kelsall's Neighbourhood Policing Team. Rob is returning to the beat after a varied career encompassing 13 years in the Forces, deployment with the UN Police in Kosova in 2000, a secondment to the UK Borders Agency Liverpool as a Police Liaison officer, and a further secondment to a police unit at Heathrow. Rob is intending to set up a 'surgery', meeting every 5 or 6 weeks, where you can raise local policing issues with him. The dates of these surgeries will be posted here in due course. We look forward to seeing Rob about the village, and wish him all the best in his new position. More information and contact details can be found here.

A telephone scam you should know about! The caller claims to be from BT. Caller rings and informs victim that the bill has not been paid and they will cut them off if they don't pay it by card. Victim at first resists and puts the phone down and when they pick it up again the line is dead. The caller has not hung up so it blocks the line giving the impression it has been cut off adding credibility to the story. Then, caller comes back on line and the victim pays the bill by card. New twist, caller states card declined and asks if victim has another card, so they give out details of a second card as well.

Speed Limit Review: Cheshire, Halton and Warrington Councils, responding to a Government request, appointed Hyder Consulting (UK) Ltd to carry out a review of speed limits on all the County's A and B roads. Comprehensive assessments are now available for all these roads. A few changes are recommended for the A54 as it passes Kelsall, namely speed cameras at both ends of the Kelsall bypass, and a 40mph limit on both sides of the junction of the A54 with the A556. Responsibility for deciding whether to implement the recommendations will reside with Cheshire West & Chester.

Home Watch schemes in Kelsall: Not so long ago Kelsall had several Home Watch schemes. Now we believe there is only one, although signs for the others are still visible. The Parish Council has had a number of enquiries recently about re-instating Home Watch in the village. Click here for more information about Home Watch and how to set up a Home Watch scheme in your road.

Weather mast above Longley Lane - update: Planning permission was given on 29 October 2008 for the erection of a 10m weather mast for a period of 12 months in Kelsall Parish on the ridge about 100m to the east of Longley Lane (GR527693). Measurements from the mast will be used to assess the feasibility of microgrids in rural communities. Click here for full details and here for a summary of the Microgrid Feasibility Project. There are numerous additional useful links here. Neither Ashton Hayes Parish Council nor Kelsall Parish Council were notified about the planning application, so had no opportunity to express their views. An article in the Chester Chronicle, however, reported that a spokesman for Chester City Council had insisted that the planning officers were satisfied that all procedures had been adhered to, and that a letter of notification was sent out, dated August 26, to Kelsall Parish Council informing them of what was being proposed and inviting them to make their views known. Following a written complaint by Kelsall Parish Council, Chester City Council has now admitted that it failed to send out planning information due to an administrative oversight, and has sent a letter of apology to this effect to Kelsall Parish Council. The minutes of the Parish Council meeting on 8 December 2008 note that the Parish Council supports Ashton Hayes Carbon Neutral Project, and does not intend to make a formal complaint which might delay the Microgrid Feasibility Project. These minutes also contain a brief synopsis of the project, as presented by Dr Roy Alexander (Chester University).

Royal British Legion is looking for members! The Kelsall and District Branch of The Royal British Legion is a small branch and, because of its ageing membership, is slowly becoming smaller. Its 34 dedicated members plus the Poppy appeal collectors are concerned that over the next few years the Branch may have to close down. We all owe a great debt of gratitude to those who fought and died to keep us free. If you believe in these values and the work of The Legion, and if you have just a little time to spare, please join your local Kelsall and District Branch and help make a difference. You can find out more here and on The Royal British Legion web site, or, better still, by calling Branch Secretary Don Barden on 01829-751055.

Unknown Cottage! Harold Hockenhull, the author of an excellent photographic record of Kelsall and Willington (ISBN 0 949001 33 3), would like to identify this cottage. He was given the photo by an elderly local resident and believes it is (or was) in Kelsall. Can anyone identify the cottage? Suggestions to our please. Click here for a bigger image.

Don't forget the village notice boards! We can only post details of village events on this website if we're told about them, so please bear in mind that the village notice boards may display details of events that are not featured on this website. The best board to look at is the one on the wall of the Co-op. It is managed by Natalie Read, our dedicated Parish Clerk, who ensures it is kept up to date.

New service from Western Cheshire Primary Care Trust: Western Cheshire Primary Care Trust has launched a new service to provide extended access to GP services. Do you currently have trouble fitting appointments to see your GP/Practice Nurse into your busy life? Do you struggle to get to your GP practice during the day? GP Care Plus may be the answer! All patients registered with a GP practice locally are now able to ring a central phone number (01244-364700) to book an appointment with a GP or a Practice Nurse between 6:30pm and 8:00 pm Monday-Friday and 10:00am - 12noon Saturdays. The clinics are held at St Martin's Clinic (Chester), Ellesmere Port Hospital and at two different bases in the rural area Helsby Health Centre (Mon-Tue) and Tattenhall (Wed-Sat). The GP and Practice Nurse you see will have access to a summary of your clinical record and will return the detail of your consultation to your surgery.

Cheshire Community Action: Cheshire Community Action is the new working title for the Cheshire Community Council. The new name reflects the Group's pro-active approach to supporting the regeneration of rural communities and the work it undertakes with voluntary and community organisations. The Group's website has changed to www.cheshireaction.org.uk.