Sprotbrough & Cusworth Parish News

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1 Sprotbrough & Cusworth Parish News Pubished by Sprotbrough & Cusworth Parish Counci Printed on recyced paper Winter 2006/07 Top award for skate park SPROTBROUGH and Cusworth Parish Counci has beaten off tough competition from across South and West Yorkshire to win a top community award. Our skate park on Anchorage Lane coected first prize in the annua Yorkshire Rura Community Counci (YRCC) Viage Ventures competition, after judges voted it this year s best rura community project. The parish counci coected the 500 first prize for the project, which was the successfu outcome of working with oca young peope to provide a skate park. YRCC judges were impressed with how counciors consuted with young peope on the type of skate park they wanted and incuded them in each step of the project, from fund raising, to design and now its management foowing competion. Say Rawings, chief executive of YRCC, congratuated the parish counci saying: It is fantastic to see so many peope carrying Parish councior Brian Woodhouse is pictured here with the competition paque aongside skate park user Liam Shipey, parish cerk Anita Unsworth and Lord Crathorne from YRCC. out vountary work for the benefit of their oca communities. I am deighted that YRCC can pay a part in heping to ensure that this good work is given the recognition it deserves. Based at Sketon, near York, YRCC is an independent charitabe and vountary organisation working across rura areas of North, South and West Yorkshire and the City of York. It works to hep communities improve the quaity of ife for a peope iving and working in rura Yorkshire The Viage Ventures competition has been running for over 10 years and aims to highight and promote vountary projects in rura areas which benefit the oca community. Any group that carried out vountary projects for the benefit of the oca community in West and South Yorkshire was eigibe to enter, with this year s competition attracting many entries. Doreen Woodhouse, Chair of Sprotbrough and Cusworth Parish Counci, said: This is a marveous achievement for the parish counci. To win this award in the face of fierce competition from other entries shows that our skate park project is an exampe of best practice when it comes to invoving the community at every stage. The Viage Ventures competition paque, which is oaned to the winner for a year, currenty hangs in the Godsmith Centre committee room. Pictured above with the paque are the parish counci s Vice Chair Fred Thompson, Chair of Poicy and Genera Purposes Committee Kerry Wood, Chair Doreen Woodhouse and Vice-Chair of Poicy and Genera Purposes Committee, Brian Woodhouse. As Sprotbrough and Cusworth Parish News went to press, members of Sprotbrough Fracture Factory - the Skate Park User Group - were debating how they wanted to spend the 500 prize-money. SPROTBROUGH & CUSWORTH PARISH COUNCIL WISH YOU A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS 2007

2 PLANS FOR A NEW COMMUNITY OPEN SPACE THE parish counci is urging Doncaster Counci to quicky hand over a pot of wasteand off Meton Road so work can start on transforming it into a community open space. The and, pus a cash sum of around 40,000, was given to Doncaster Counci as part of a panning consent agreement with deveopers who buit new homes at the entrance to Sprotbrough from the High Meton side. The and and funds are sti hed by Doncaster Counci, though the parish counci has for some time being pressing for it to be transferred over so it can be turned into a community resource. The and can be accessed from Meton Road and New Lane and is adjacent to the parish counci s New Lane paying fied. The parish counci initiay ooked at the possibiity of turning the and into a footba pitch, with an on-site changing room to be added at a ater date. But speciaist consutants who were commissioned to carry out a feasibiity study concuded that the proposa was a non-starter because: In addition, there are enough footba pitches in the parish to meet the needs of oca teams. Teams from out of the area are now using them for their home games because of the surpus capacity. This prompted parish counciors to ask parishioners for their ideas on how the area coud be deveoped. Unfortunatey ony 21 residents responded to the survey and no consensus about its future use emerged. One suggestion, to turn into a bowing green, was discussed by the parish counci but turned down as it was not viabe because of the high preparation costs and equay high maintenance fees. Faced with expensive deveopment costs that woud have far exceeded the 40,000 aocated to the site, the parish counci commissioned Doncaster Counci to draw up pans to transform the area into a mix of new trees and grassand, with benches for peope to sit and rest. This drawing sets the scene. The and wi need cearing before it can be restored, incuding removing many sef-set trees. As Sprotbrough and Cusworth Parish News went to press, Doncaster Counci s Neighbourhood Manager for Sprotbrough confirmed that the oca authority was prepared to et the parish counci acquire the and on a 99 year ease. With the ease woud come funding from the 40,000 aocation to pay for the deveopment and on-going maintenance costs. As we went to print, no date had been agreed for the transfer but parish counciors remain hopefu that it is imminent as they want to see the wasteand transformed into a vauabe new community resource. Grassed Area The and as it is now, viewed from New Lane paying fied. Entrance Tree Patches Bench an existing overhead power cabe woud have to be buried underground at considerabe cost; the and retains water and woud need a new drainage system; and the subsoi is very rocky and woud not support a we drained pitch without thousands of tonnes of topsoi being removed and screened. Bench Wayeave / Over head cabes 5 metres either side Pump House Setting The Record Straight By Coun doreen Woodhouse, Chairperson of the Parish Counci THE parish counci has considered an artice pubished on the front page of the October edition of Sprotbrough Community Newsetter which conveyed a totay inaccurate and miseading image of both the way the parish counci works and the professiona manner in which the Cerk to the Counci - the senior member of the staff team - carries out her duties. The parish counci wish to be totay disassociated from the remarks made. Sprotbrough Community News is an independent pubication not inked to the parish counci. Loca councis (parish and town councis) are open to pubic scrutiny and accountabe to the eectorate in numerous ways. The minutes, the officia record of debate at parish counci meetings, can be viewed on our website ( and paper copies can be read at Sprotbrough ibrary and on the parish notice board outside Sprotbrough Post Office. In addition, the pubic have an open invitation to attend parish counci meetings. Any eector who is dissatisfied with either the eve of service provided by the parish counci or its empoyees shoud write to the Chair of the Counci at the address on the back page of this newsetter, giving reasons for their dissatisfaction. The parish counci wi then consider the matter. A parish counci decisions, particuary those with financia impications, are scrutinised in detai as part of the externa audit process. The auditor has raised no issues. The parish counci wi continue to work for the benefit of the oca community within the appropriate ega context and framework and have every confidence in the abiity and professionaism of the Cerk to the Counci, Miss A. Unsworth J.P., in heping to achieve these aims.

3 Cass of 2006 is the best RIDGEWOOD headteacher, Chris Hoye, praised the achievements of ast year s Year 11 - dubbed the Cass of after they notched up the schoo s best ever academic performance. He was speaking at the schoo s annua presentation of certificates at Doncaster Minster, where the former pupis examination successes were ceebrated in front of their parents and teachers. Referring to his on-going campaign for a sixth-form centre to be created at the schoo, Mr Hoye said: We woud have preferred to work with, and benefit from, this year group for at east Wait and see PARISH counciors have decided to take a wait and see approach before making a decision on whether or not to fund a painting programme at the Anchorage Lane skate park. Foowing the advice of Doncaster Counci s Paygrounds Officer, counciors are monitoring a painting project at Hexthorpe skate park, which was ed by staff from DARTS (Doncaster Arts), who aso invoved oca young peope in the design. They want to see how durabe the Hexthorpe artwork is before committing funds to a simiar venture at Sprotbrough. Sounding Off in the Library PARISH councior Norman Dent caused a stir when he made a musica donation to Sprotbrough ibrary Norman, pictured here with ibrarian Katherine Marriott, gifted a 100-year-od buge which used to beong to the 67th Doncaster Sprotbrough Scouts to the ibrary, where it is now on dispay in an upstairs cabinet. But not before he had a fina, unsuccessfu, go at trying to pay a tune. Norman first came across the buge as a youngster when it was kept in an upstairs room at the home of his grandmother, Minnie Dent, in Main Street, Sprotbrough. He s not sure how or why she came to have it, though he recas that many years ago she used to provide uniforms for the scout group. Norman said: I first saw it when I was about six and it was many years ater, when granny died, that it was passed on to me. I thought it was now appropriate to give it to Sprotbrough ibrary so oca peope can see a itte bit of oca history. I never coud pay it, he aughed. another two years. If that choice is ever eventuay extended to a future Ridgewood Year 11 group, it wi have been achieved through the repeated contributions of young peope ike those we are here to ceebrate tonight. Of the 251 Ridgewood pupis in Year 11 ast year, 214 eft the schoo with 10 or more GCSE and GNVQ passes, incuding Rache Froggatt who passed 15. These figures sum up Ridgewood s Year examination performance: 79 per cent of pupis passed five or more subjects at A* - C grades. 97 per cent of pupis passed five or more subjects at A* - G grades. 99 per cent of pupis passed one or more subjects at A* - G grades. Cick on us YOU can foow the work of Sprotbrough and Cusworth Parish Counci by visiting our website at The agenda and minutes for the various parish counci committees are paced on the meetings section of the website and there are various inks to other sites, incuding the oca weather forecast from the BBC. You can aso emai your comments about the site - incuding any ideas for new pages or suggested improvements - to the parish cerk using the interactive emai faciity on the contact us page. Simiary, if you woud ike to pubicise a oca event or community group you are invoved with, et us know. Visit the website and use the emai ink to send your information to us. MORE success - Ridgewood s Director of Engineering, Dr Brian Stones, has coected a top teaching award. Dr Stones, who has taught at the schoo for over 30 years and was previousy Head of Science, was presented with the Ted Wragg Teaching Award for Lifetime Achievement. The award is sponsored by the government s Department for Education and Science Innovation Unit in the north of Engand. Dr Stones current roe incudes responsibiity for community inks and thanks to his infuence more than 70 companies are now in partnership with Ridgewood, supporting its speciaist schoo status. We done, Jordan BIG-HEARTED former Sprotbrough man Jordan Womack has boosted a charity s coffers by cimbing one of the word s best known mountains. Jordan, 25, whose parish councior dad, Pau, ives at Cifton Drive, competed a sponsored cimb of Tanzania s Mt Kiimanjaro, raising 3,000 - incuding a donation from the parish counci - for the Whizz Kids good cause, which provides specia eectric wheechairs for disabed chidren. The former Richmond Hi and Ridgewood schooboy, who is now a marketing manager at the London headquarters of supermarket giant Tesco, competed the grueing 5, 895 metres hike to the summit and back in six days. The temperature at the top was a chiing minus 27 degrees, but it was a worthwhie as Jordan expained. Tesco chose Whizz Kids to be their charity of the year for 2006 and so I decided to see what I coud do to hep with fundraising. Cimbing Kiimanjaro was the hardest thing I ve ever done in my ife but it s very satisfying to know that as a resut of Tesco s invovement, enough money has been raised across the company to pay for speciaist eectric wheechairs for neary 400 disabed youngsters. A big thanks to the parish counci for their 100 donation to this good cause as we. More Space COUNCILLORS have agreed a 15,000 project to create more parking spaces on the popuar Anchorage Lane car park. Doncaster Counci has promised money to hep pay for the work. The extra spaces wi be created where the paying fied s former changing rooms once stood and wi aso incude secure new motorcyce and bicyce stands. In addition, parish counciors agreed to fence off the Anchorage Lane paying fied to stop vehices being driven on to the footba pitches and causing on-going damage to the paying surface. As Sprotbrough and Cusworth Parish News went to press work had started on erecting the fencing. Doncaster Counci has aso agreed to provide funding towards this work as we. Jordan at the summit of Mt Kiimanjaro, wearing a Doncaster Rovers shirt Ca for emissions cut SPROTBROUGH and Cusworth Parish Counci has caed on Mayor Winter to consut widey with Doncaster residents to draw up a poicy for the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions in the borough. In addition, the parish counci has written to our constituency MPs asking them to support amendments to the Cimate Change Bi which have been proposed by Friends of the Earth. This is to ensure the thrust of the Cimate Change Bi, as contained in the Queen s Speech, incudes powers to reduce emissions and provide accountabiity to the peope. Paygrounds review COUNCILLORS Kerry Wood and Brian Woodhouse are currenty carrying out a review of the parish counci s four paygrounds. The aim is to see if the paygrounds need a major makeover, though the ikey cost of such a move woud be between 100,000 and 120,000 per site. The parish counci woud investigate a ways of securing grant money to hep fund any agreed modernisation programme.

4 COMMUNITY CONTACTS For advice on Doncaster Counci services that affect Sprotbrough and Cusworth, from community safety, rubbish coection and street ighting to ceaning up graffiti, contact: West Area Support Team A four-page feature in the Yorkshire Post magazine in October highighted the reviva of the River Don. It contained coour photographs taken near Sprotbrough weir, incuding one of an 11- pound samon caught by fisheries officers from the Environment Agency as they conducted a routine survey. Previousy there had been sightings of samon trying to swim upstream and just four years ago an anger became the first person for two centuries to catch a samon on the Don using a rod and ine. A SELECTION of new noves have recenty been added to the stock of Doncaster Libraries, a of which can be borrowed through the Sprotbrough branch. They incude: Redcap, a war story by Brian Caison, set in Cyprus in Bi Waker, a veteran Roya Miitary Poice staff sergeant is trying to maintain his hard-as-nais Redcap image when reay he s a reuctant hero desperate to stay aive. And this aim is endangered when ony he knows his commanding officer is a murderous psychopath who has sworn to ki him. The Lords of the North, a powerfu historica nove by Bernard Cornwe featuring betraya, romance and strugge, set in an Engand of turmoi, upheava and gory. Uhtred, a Northumbrian raised as a Viking, a man without ands, a warrior without a country, has become a spendid heroic figure. On the Cusworth and Sprotbrough beat COMMUNITY poicewoman Lynne Waker said there has been a significant reduction in oca crime since Apri his year. Speaking at the October meeting of the parish counci, PC Waker said there was an on-going oca operation to target off-road motorcycing and youth nuisance. She said that during September and October, the poice had seized 14 motorcyces and handed out 23 warning notices to riders. Fishy tae in the Don Samon and sea trout are now gathering near Sprotbrough weir every year but can t get any further. The magazine report said that an examination of the fish captured in August found that it was in good heath but its scaes and fins were eroded, indicating that it had been trying hard to cimb the weir to swim upstream to spawn. Unfortunatey it coud cost as much as 400,000 to construct a fish pass - a series of steps that aow samon, barbe and other fish to cimb over the weir. Government funds are not avaiabe but it s hoped that Nationa Lottery and other grant aid coud be. Use Your Loca Library Piece of My Heart, a detective and mystery story by Peter Robinson. Inspector Aan Banks is investigating the murder of a freeance music journaist who was working on a feature about the Mad Hatters for MOJO magazine. This is not the first time that the Mad Hatters, now aging rock stars, have been brushed by tragedy - as Banks soon finds out. Sprotbrough Library and Customer Service Centre is open at the foowing times: Monday 9am - 7pm Tuesday 9am - 6pm Wednesday 9am - 6pm Thursday 9am - 1pm Friday 9am - 6pm Saturday 9am - 4pm For more information ring Doncaster Sprotbrough Ha brought to Life A NEW fim depicting ife at a ong-gone oca statey home had its premier in Sprotbrough viage. Around 100 peope packed into St Mary s church ha to see the aunch of Memories of Sprotbrough Ha, a one hour ong DVD made by a group of oca history enthusiasts from Swinton. The fim features the recoections of former Ha worker Sabina Stirand, who died recenty aged 101. Sabina gives a candid account of working ife in the 1920s, when as a 15-year-od under parour maid she started her chores at 6.00 am and rarey finished before 10.30pm. Loca hot-spots, incuding Anchorage Lane and the bottom of Newton Lane, continue to be patroed and this had reduced nuisance compaints, though she did report that youth probems were increasing in and around Sprotbrough Main Street. PC Waker said the area was being targeted and the poice want to make it an acoho free zone, preventing peope from drinking acoho outside. Letters have been sent to the parents of youngsters caught causing a disturbance in the area. PC Waker aso said that the instaation of dropdown boards was being considered to prevent vehices from parking aongside the teephone kiosk. Parish counciors expressed their concern at the number of vehices that race Aong Anchorage Lane and Cusworth Lane, though PC Waker said the road poicing group had carried out surveys in the two areas and not found any speeding probems. She advised residents to write to the poice setting out their concerns. The fim is introduced by the 7th Baron Cromwe, great grandson of the Bewicke-Copey famiy - Sprotbrough Ha s ast residents - who now ives in Rugby. It features detais of the sae of the Ha estate in 1926, when more than 3,600 acres of and raised neary 60,000, as we as reenactments, oca scenes, interna and externa views of the Ha, and many photographs never pubicy seen before. Copies of the DVD cost 10 each (pus 1 for postage and packing) from Bridge Street Productions Limited. Te: Or from the Spar supermarket on Main Street, Sprotbrough. Remembering the faen PARISH counciors aid a wreath from the parish counci at Sprotbrough s annua remembrance service, paying their respect to the more than 20 oca men who died in the two word wars. Pictured are counciors Brian Woodhouse, Norman Dent and Doreen Woodhouse aongside Sprotbrough s war memoria, in the grounds of St Mary s Church.

5 Setting out a 10 year vision for the Don Gorge A NEW partnership has come together to preserve and enhance an area of outstanding natura beauty which runs through our parish. The Don Gorge Strategic Partnership, which was aunched in October by Doncaster Counci s Deputy Mayor Coun Margaret Ward, intends to manage the Gorge by using their combined expertise to achieve a number of key aims over the next 10 years. Their objectives are set out in a new bueprint for the area caed the Don Gorge Strategic Management Pan, which was deveoped by Don Gorge Project Officer Rachae Cranch in consutation with key oca organisations. The pan focuses on four important areas: Visitor management, access and recreation; Areas of geoogica, archaeoogica and heritage interest; Management of the river and banks; and Species and habitat management. Representatives from British Waterways, Environment Agency, Yorkshire Widife Trust, Natura Engand, Lafarge Aggregates, Don Gorge Community Group, and Doncaster Counci were the first to sign the pan, underining their commitment to making it happen. The pan sets the way forward unti 2016, though it is hoped that the framework wi be used indefinitey now it has been adopted by the partnership. Rachae said: This is a positive step forward for a the partners invoved and for the future of the Don Gorge. Locay, the roe of the community-backed Don Gorge Community Liaison Group is to: disseminate information from the strategic partnership meetings to the community via oca press, parish councis, events and other appropriate means; and carry out consutation with the community, obtain feedback and through their representative, report back to the strategic partnership at the quartery meetings. You can contact the iaison group via the secretary, Kevin Lennox ( ), chairman, Bernard Pearson ( ) or Sprotbrough and Cusworth Parish Counci ( ). If you woud ike more information about getting invoved with practica conservation vounteering in the Don Gorge, contact Doncaster Counci s West Area Ranger on

6 At Your Service... YOU can keep in touch with the work of Sprotbrough and Cusworth Parish Counci by going aong to one or more of our committee meetings: Parish Counci The fu Counci meets on the third Thursday of the month at 7.30pm at the Godsmith Centre, with the exception of March and September when it meets at Scawsby Community Centre. No meeting is hed in August Panning & LA 21 Projects Committee Meets on the third Thursday of the month, usuay at 7pm, though times sometimes vary. Finance Committee Meets on the fourth Wednesday of the month in January, March, May, Juy, September and November at the Godsmith Centre. Starting time usuay 7pm but this can vary depending on the agenda. Poicy & Genera Purposes Committee Meets on the fourth Wednesday of the month, excuding August and December, at the Godsmith Centre. Starting time between 7 and 7:30pm. The minutes and agendas of a meetings can be viewed on our website - uk. In addition, posters advertising detais of the meetings, pus agendas and minutes, are on dispay at Sprotbrough ibrary, on parish counci notice boards, pus Thorpe Lane post office and retai outets. If you woud ike to attend a parish counci meeting and have difficuty using pubic transport, the Dia-a-bus service may be abe to hep. Ring them on Doncaster for more information. New parish counciors THREE oca residents have joined the parish counci to repace three of the four counciors who recenty resigned. Caroyn Tayor, Mary Wimbury and Pau Womack have been co-opted to serve unti the next fu eection of a 17 parish counciors in May 2007, eaving one vacancy. The vacancies arose foowing the resignations of Pau Dent, Pat Dent and Peter Watkiss in East Ward and Liz Jones in Centra Ward. Sprotbrough & Cusworth Parish Counci A vacancy exists for a RELIEF PART TIME CARETAKER/CLEANER for the GOLDSMITH CENTRE, 259 Sprotbrough Road, Sprotbrough. The above position is to cover for the Caretaker & Assistant Caretaker during hoidays and wi be for a minimum of eight weeks a year. In addition, cover for any staff sickness may be required. The work invoves some ate night and weekend working. The rates of pay and conditions are in accordance with nationay agreed. Loca Counci scaes. Appications are wecomed from a sections of the community who shoud be aged over 18. Pease appy by etter stating suitabiity for the post and giving the names and detais of two referees. Further information on this post may be obtained from: A.Unsworth, Cerk to the Counci or T.Hinds Deputy Cerk to the Counci at the above address or by teephone on (01302) Sprotbrough and Cusworth Parish News IF you have a friend, neighbour or reative who ives in the Sprotbrough and Cusworth area but does not receive a copy Sprotbrough and Cusworth Parish News pease et them know they can pick up a copy from Sprotbrough Library, Sprotbrough Post Office, The Godsmith Centre, Scawsby Community Centre or from your oca parish councior. Past copies can be viewed on our website: askew design print, doncaster - t: WHO S WHO On Your Parish Counci Centra Ward PAT BARTLETT 72a Spring Lane, Sprotbrough, DN5 7QL Te: PAUL WOMACK 51 Cifton Drive, Sprotbrough, DN5 7NL Te: Cusworth Ward PAT HAITH 43 St Pau s Parade, Cusworth, DN5 8LJ Te: STEPHEN PLATT 39 Cusworth Lane, Cusworth, DN5 8JJ Te: JACKIE MARSDEN 41 Cusworth Lane, Cusworth, DN5 8JJ Te: BRIAN WOODHOUSE 159 Cusworth Lane, Cusworth, DN5 8JN Te: Stadium Ward TREVOR ASHMAN 53 Wroxham Way, Cusworth, DN5 8JY Te: DOREEN WOODHOUSE (Chairperson) 159 Cusworth Lane, Cusworth, DN5 8JN Te: East Ward CAROLYN TAYLOR 6 Nottingham Cose, Scawsby, DN5 8PH Te: MARY WIMBURY 199 Meton Road, Sprotbrough, DN5 7NU Te: KERRY WOOD 23a Marborough Ave., Sprotbrough, DN5 8HA Te: MALCOLM WOOD 119 Tennyson Ave., Sprotbrough, DN5 8EU Te: One Vacancy Park Ward NORMAN DENT 1 Meing Ave., Sprotbrough, DN5 8EQ Te: FRED THOMPSON (Vice Chairperson) 3 Farciff, Sprotbrough, DN5 7RG Te: Stonecross Ward ALLAN JONES 38 Spring Lane, Sprotbrough, DN5 7QG Te: STEPHEN SWIFT 58 Westmorand Way, Sprotbrough, DN5 7PW Te: Cerk to the Parish Counci ANITA UNSWORTH Godsmith Centre, 259 Sprotbrough Road, Sprotbrough, DN5 8BP Te: (answerphone/fax outside office hours) Deputy Cerk TOM HINDS (Godsmith Centre address) Editor IAN CARPENTER Te: Meetings of the parish counci are hed on the third Thursday of each month at the Godsmith Centre, starting at 7.30pm, with the exception of March and September when they are hed at Scawsby Community Centre at the same start time. No meeting is hed in August.