Chair Persons Report

AGM on Saturday 11th February 2024

The Nettlestone & Seaview community partnership continues to grow in strength and it's activities.

Last year we arranged six major events in the parish. Kicking off with 'Easter Antics' and moving on to the May Fayre which has long been one of the most popular attraction in the parish.

We arranged another street party, this time in honour of the coronation of King Charles, which was a sell out!

The 'Party on the Prom' was again one of the highlights of the summer, even the downpour didn't dampen the spirits of the audience.

The Summer Fete proved to be one of the most successful for years with fabulous attendance and great fun.

Christmas saw the second night of carols on Nettlestone Green, where the 'Fun Choir' sang out loud and clear. This event is sure to become a regular date. The village was decorated along Pier Road by the 'Men in Sheds' and Xmas trees kindly supplied by the parish council.  The Late night shopping event took place, although the bitter cold evening kept many indoors!

We celebrated a busy season with our annual 'Cheese and Wine' here at the Northbank, again lots of you were able to come along and our thanks go to Mary for letting us sue the hotel, as we thank her again today for her hospitality.

Men in Sheds – continue to forge ahead with new projects and activities. They are just about now at maximum membership and their team of regulars produce some fabulous items.  They have completed building the Community store and are now planning new ventures.

Seagrove Seniors – Continue their gatherings twice monthly and are as popular as ever. Our thanks go to Graham for his hard work in this area and Sylvia for her tasty cakes.

Silver Surfers – hosted by Rosie, Rob and others, continues to assist those with their IT issues and is much appreciated.

Vilma Barraclough

Chair Person

Note: The partnership would like to thank Vilma for her sterling work in chairing the partnership for the last three years, who has now stood down.  The chair of the partnership is now Bill Brown

NETTLESTONE AND SEAVIEW PARISH PLAN (2017) -

OPEN SPACES YEAR END REPORT FEBRUARY 2024

PUCKPOOL PARK

During 2023, the beds in front of Barracks Café replanted in 2022 continued to mature and  maintenance was carried out by Care in the Garden.

HERSEY NATURE RESERVE

Regular checks have been undertaken throughout the year ever since the tree planting project in 2021.. Some have been lost for various reasons, but 30 have survived.

Although habitat maintenance of the Reserve is the responsibility of IOW Council, little work has been done by them in the public access area. During 2023, it was volunteers who kept the paths open, picked up litter and checked the Hide, which remains without a lock, daily until mid-December when,  following continual anti social behaviour and vandalism at the hide, the rota was suspended. Police acted and the problem has diminished considerably. The Parish Council are still investigating how they could take on responsibility for the hide but have had no response whatsoever from IW Council. 

The repair of the roof was funded by the Duffy family.

In July, the Community Partnership agreed they would fund a metal gate to secure the hide; a design has been produced and we are currently getting quotes. Once the hide can be locked, the volunteer rota will be reinstated. Meanwhile, I have been going down every morning to ensure that the hide is clean and welcoming for visitors.

SOPHIE WATSON’S GARDEN

Following consultation with neighbouring residents, the Parish Council adjusted the mowing regime. Paths and wider firebreaks were cut regularly, with the rest of the garden left uncut May – September. The last cut was done mid-October and the cuttings removed to help reduce soil fertility and encourage wild flower growth. A small meadow planting area is being investigated and a species count is being organised.

The Queen’s tree was watered throughout the summer, mulched in the autumn, and is growing well.

A new interpretation board explaining the planting of the soldier’s trees was installed and volunteers continued to tend the trees. The roots of the whips should be well established by the third year so watering is no longer a priority.

The Robinson family replaced the tree that had been damaged during grass cutting.

ANSELL’S COPSE

The Ash trees planted are growing well.   The final cut in October was to ensure the definition of the paths, with the rest of the area cut to 4 inches in height. We are assessing if the brambles should be further controlled.

RECREATION GROUND

A ten year old Oak tree which had been grown in a pot was donated. It was planted and surrounded by a protective fence. It is notoriously difficult to transplant a pot bound mature tree but it was watered regularly and hopefully its roots will start to grow into deeper soil.

SIRIUS CLOSE

The five Hazel trees continue to grow well.

NETTLESTONE PRIMARY SCHOOL

With the school being closed during the summer months, watering was difficult during the first three years, but 4 of the Silver Birch have survived and are growing well.

Jo King