Minutes of the Meeting of Grafton Parish Council held on 15th January 2008 at 7.15p.m. in the Coronation Hall, East Grafton

Present: Mr Lemon, Mrs Dudney Mr Beese, Mr Hatfield, Mr Symons, Mrs Comyn, Mr Cannadine,. Mrs Zweck (Bedwyn Ward), Mr Veasey (Shalbourne Ward) Brigadier Hall (WCC) and three members of the public

1. Apologies: Mr Parkin, Mrs Mc Bride, Mrs Heard

2. The Minutes: The Minutes of the meeting of 6th November 2007 were approved (unanimous).

3. Matters Arising: a) Mr Lemon reported that the Wilton pond had flooded over the road on 15th January because British Waterways would not open the hatches. They said that the Wilton Water level was as high as they had ever seen but decided the hatches should remain closed. Mr Lemon will seek clarification.

4. Defibrillation in the Community – Those present thanked Mr Dickens (of the ambulance service) for a very enlightening explanation of the NHS procedures for dealing with emergencies in rural areas such as ours.
999 calls, or referrals by NHS Direct, which indicate the need for ambulance attendance will, wherever possible, instigate both a local trained volunteer and an ambulance to be despatched simultaneously. Provision of immediate palliative care by volunteers before the ambulance arrives is now an essential part of NHS procedure. Mr Dickens showed us the details of the training provided and gave examples of people whose lives had been saved by the immediate action taken by the trained local responders.
A very important side issue was raised by Mr Dickens namely that ambulance drivers (even when using SATNAV) frequently have difficulty in locating dwellings at night. Mr Dickens stressed that clear road names and house names/numbers made a significant difference to the speed of attending an emergency. Perhaps it is worth taking a look at the identification of your house just as a precaution?
Contact the Parish Council for further information if you wish to help.

5. Hall Report: Fundraising activities: Mrs Dudney reported on the success of the Christmas party with Father Christmas arriving on his sleigh. The Money Box campaign is being well supported and further money boxes can be given to a Parish Councillor or brought to the Book sale in the Coronation Hall on Saturday January 26th

6 Planning Update: There were no matters to report since all applications were progressing normally.

7. East Grafton Village Green - Management: The future plans are under discussion with the owners of the Green.

8. Parish Magazines. The Parish Council approved the reports to be published in the next issues of the Parish Magazines.

9. AOB:
a. Brigadier Hall updated the meeting on unitary council. Mr Veasey told the meeting that he had written a report supporting our application to Kennet for a re-building grant. Mrs Zweck reported that our grant application to Kennet would not be influenced because we had been taken forward to Stage 2 by the Big Lottery Fund.

b. Website Board. It was agreed that the Parish Council to erect a board promoting the parish website www.graftonparish.com

c. There are two vacancies on the Parish Council and notices will go up inviting people to put their names forward shortly.

d. Mr Dobson reminded the Parish Council of his request that the rubbish behind the hall should be removed. Peter Lemon said he would ask the person responsible to deal with the problem..

Dates for future meetings:
4th March 2008, 25th March 2008 (AGM)