The Parish Council now normally meets at 7pm in the Village Hall

on the second Thursday  in each month.

 Everyone is invited to attend.

Defibrillators in the Parish

Automatic External Defibrillators are portable units that can be used to stabilise a heart rhythm in certain medical situations.  We currently have two defibrillators (installed at Westend Suites and at Eastington Community Centre).  These are available 24 hours a day.

 In the event of a medical emergency please call 999 as normal and the operator will direct you to the closest defibrillator and talk you through how to use it.  

No special training is needed; however we are running an awareness session on  SATURDAY 16 SEPTEMBER 1-3 pm at Eastington Community Centre.  

Please do come along - the last course was very entertaining as well as being informative!

For more details contact the Parish Clerk on 01453 799616 or clerk@eastington-pc.gov.uk

Grants available via Eastington Parish Council

The Parish Council will be considering grant applications at its September meeting.  Did you know there are several grants within the parish that local organisations can apply?

The Solar Grant Fund: this is a fund given annually to the Parish Council to administer from the solar farm at Cambridge.  The fund is to be used for goods or services which are for the promotion or improvement of the environmental, social, or benefit of the local community.

The Charlie Bullock Trust: this fund is from the sale of land given to the Parish Council in the last Will and Testament of Charlie Bullock.  This fund is to be used for the benefit of Eastington community.  The fund was most recently used to help with the purchase of a communal shed at the Allotments.

Eastington Parish Council: the Council operates a small grants budget and beneficiaries must live or work in Eastington and/or must provide services that will benefit a significant sector of the local community.  This grants budget is used for things like the Poppy Appeal, or Citizens Advice Bureau donations.

Please see the Parish Council website for grant application forms and guidance, or contact the Parish Clerk who can help you complete the relevant form.

01453 799616 (Parish Clerk)  www.eastington-pc.gov.uk 

Eastington Burial Ground

The Parish Council has reviewed the implementation of the burial ground rules and regulations following recent concerns about how removal of glass/china objects has been handled.

In order to protect visitors and contractors from injury from broken glass/china, we have the rule that Council will remove items at any time but will inform the family wherever possible.  For the older graves, the Council does not have up-to-date contact details so it hasn’t always been possible to contact families.  However, the Council recognises it can improve upon its actions and act in a more sympathetic manner and has agreed the following process:

• Safety inspections will be carried out monthly by the Parish Clerk / group of councillors so that actions about individual items can be agreed upon.
• Where broken glass/china items are found anywhere on graves, the broken pieces would be removed immediately and the family contacted if contact details are available.  
• Where unbroken glass/china items were found on grassed over graves these would be moved to a safer location (eg on the plinth of the headstone) and the family contacted if contact details are available.
• Where unbroken glass/china items were found on tended graves that are either gravelled or gardened and at a lower risk of becoming broken, these would be left and depending on the risk of breakage Council will contact the family and advise them that removal of the item would be preferred but Council will not remove unless it becomes broken.
• In all cases, the Council will photograph the grave with the item in place before action taken.

It would greatly help if families avoided taking glass items into the burial ground.  Glass particularly is a worry because it is difficult to see once it becomes broken.

The annual safety check is carried out in May; this is where Council checks that headstones are safe and not at risk of toppling.  The annual check will be publicised well in advance via Eastington Community News, social media and with signs at the burial ground entrance.

The Parish Council did not mean to cause any distress in the recent removal of glass/china items and the Council apologises for distress caused.  Any families that have been affected by the recent tidy up are asked to contact the Parish Clerk to discuss any remaining issues.  

The Clerk can be contacted by phone on 01453 799616  or  email  clerk@eastington-pc.gov.uk.

Would you like  to join the Parish Council ?

Due to the resignation of Councillor Pauline Allen, there is a vacancy on the Parish Council.  Anyone can apply.

The Parish Council administers considerable funds (e.g. see above) and is responsible for organising  many of the  things that help to keep life here as pleasant as it is - have a look at the Parish Council website www.eastington-pc.gov.uk

Julie Shirley, the Parish Clerk,  is the only ‘professional’ member of the team,  everyone else volunteers their time.  Eastington Parish Council has recently won the prestigious ‘Quality Gold’ from the Local Council Award Scheme, recognising good practice and the will to go above and beyond legal obligations in serving the community.

The council normally meet on the second Thursday  in each month in the Village Hall

If you think you would like to play a part,

 please  let Julie know by 14th August