The Parish Council wishes a Merry Christmas to all residents of Mayfield and Five Ashes and a Peaceful New Year.

Community Book Swap

The trial for the Community Book Swap in St Dunstan’s Church is up and running and there is a nice selection of books so thank you for those who have donated them. The book swap is open to all residents so please come along and (if possible) exchange a book with something that you would like to take home and read.

 

Parking at the entrance to Royal Oak Mews

This is a request for vehicle owners not to park on the double yellow lines in Mayfield High Street either side of the entrance to Royal Oak Mews. This is the residential street that is diagonally opposite The Pink Cabbage. When vehicles are parked there, the refuse trucks are not able to reverse into the road from the High Street and resident’s waste and recycling collections have been missed on multiple occasions recently. Please pay attention to the road markings in the High Street as they are there for a reason and should not be disregarded.

 

Nominate your Community Volunteer Awards

Wealden District Council is looking for nominations for the Chairman’s Community Volunteer Awards. The successful nominees will be presented with their awards at the Chairman’s annual Civic Reception on Friday 1 March 2019 at Herstmonceux Castle. The three categories for the Community Volunteer Awards 2019 are:

• Community Volunteer Hero (someone who makes an outstanding contribution to running a voluntary group or groups or its beneficiaries).
• Young Volunteer of the Year (under 25 years old).
• Volunteer Group of the Year.

In the first two categories, the winning individual will receive a £100 donation to an organisation of their choice and £25 in gift vouchers. The winner of the group/organisation of the year award will receive a £125 donation to the organisation.  Fellow volunteers, employees and local community members are all encouraged to make nominations.  Nominations should say how those nominated have made a difference to the well-being of their community. All details can be found on the Chairman’s page of the Wealden website:

http://www.wealden.gov.uk/Wealden/Council/Councillors_and_Committees/Chairman_of_the_Council/Democratic_Services_Chairman_of_the_Council.aspxThe deadline for nominations is noon on Thursday 20 December 2018.For further information, please contact Wealden District Council on 01892 602435 or email Amy Evans, PA to the Chairman, at chairman@wealden.gov.uk.

 

Be Deer Aware – stay safe on the roads

The South East’s roads see the highest numbers of Deer Vehicle Collisions (DVCs) in the country and it is a well-known problem locally. To stay as safe as possible on the roads, please take note of the following advice:

• After dark use full-beams when there is no opposing traffic. The headlight beam will illuminate the eyes of deer on or near a roadway and provide greater driver reaction time
• BUT, when a deer or other animals is seen on the road, dim your headlights as animals startled by the beam may ‘freeze’ rather than leaving the road
• When approaching deer warning signs, drivers should slow down and be prepared to stop

If you encounter a deer:

• Watch out for more deer following the first one – deer will more often move around in groups rather than alone
• Use your hazard warning lights to alert other drivers
• Don’t over-swerve to avoid a deer. If a collision with the animal seems inevitable, then hit it while maintaining full control of your car. The alternative of swerving into oncoming traffic or a ditch or tree could be even worse. An exception here may be motorcyclists, who are at particular risk when in direct collisions with animals
• Only break sharply and stop if there is no danger of being hit by following traffic. Try to come to a stop as far in front of the animal(s) as possible to enable it to leave the roadside without panic
• Do not approach an injured deer yourself it may be dangerous

 

Helping you prepare for severe cold weather

coldAlert is a free service for Sussex residents, which alerts you to severe cold weather events before they happen. coldAlertsare sent directly to you 24 to 48 hours before a cold weather event either via a mobile App, text, automated voice message (to your home phone) or by email – it’s easy and free. Receiving a coldAlert can help you prepare by prompting you to heating your home, to stock up on supplies of hot food and drinks and medication, it can also act as a reminder to wear extra layers of clothing when going outside in the forecast cold conditions.

Who should register for coldAlerts?Carers of elderly relatives or friends, parents of young children and people with health conditions (e.g. arthritis, heart or lung conditions) that worsen in severe cold weather. To receive coldAlerts simply download the airAlert App (from the App Store or Google Play and subscribe to the coldAlert service), register at www.coldAlert.info or call on 01273 484337.

 

 

 

Sussex Police funding 2018-2022

Sussex Police have started the biggest intake of new police officers for over a decade. This has been made possible by the increase in police precept of an average £12 for a band D property, and the Police Crime Commissioner (PCC) releasing £17 million from reserves. It means that over the next four years, Sussex will have 200 more police officers on the front line than it does today. Although residents are pleased to hear that local policing will be strengthened by these 200 extra officers, there is an indication that they would like even more. The PCC has opened a survey to gauge potential support for raising more funding locally if the Government lifts the current cap on the police precept.

Make your views known on this link: https://www.snapsurveys.com/wh/s.asp?k=154038317338

You can find out more about funding for Sussex Police 2018-22 here:

https://www.sussex-pcc.gov.uk/about/transparency/sussex-police-funding-2018-22/

 

Home insulation scheme warning

East Sussex Trading Standards are warning residents to be vigilant about companies who are cold calling and claiming to offer a home insulation scheme that is supported by East Sussex County Council (ESCC). It is not in the remit for ESCC to support schemes that involve cold calling, and companies claiming that they do are misleading residents and may be breaking the law. This warning follows a spate of recent complaints about cold callers falsely offering an ESCC supported insulation scheme.

 

Grants may be available for home insulation for households that qualify. For further information on the current East Sussex schemes available please visit www.warmeastsussex.org.uk

 

Trading Standards advise residents to be very wary of all unsolicited telephone calls, text messages, emails and knocks on the door. For unsolicited visits to your property:

• Never agree to have work done or part with money on your doorstep.
• Research the trader and always get written quotes from at least three traders for any work.
• Remember that you have 14 days to cancel any purchase of goods or services over £42 that you make in your home.

For consumer advice, or to report a concern to Trading Standards contact Citizens Advice 03454 040506.

 

Christmas Opening times

Over the Christmas holiday the Parish Council office will closed from Monday 24^thDecember and will reopen on Wednesday 2^ndJanuary 2019.

 

Parish Council Grants:

Please not that the application deadline for Parish Council grants each year is 30 September for the following financial year. Information on how to apply and the application form can be found in the “Key Documents / Finance” section on the Parish Council website at https://mayfieldfiveashes.org.uk/