Open Day Play equipment
The new play equipment at Sparrows Green Recreation Ground was officially opened by Tom Doyle, Chairman of the Parish Council, at an event on 21st May. Children from the local primary school plus teachers, parents and other parish representatives were present to join in the celebration. The equipment was selected by children during a comprehensive consultation and funded by a grant from Play Pathfinder, a contribution from the housing development at Styles Lane and the Parish Council.



The council is now looking at how to fund phase two of the project!

Station Hill
The condition of the road surface on Station Hill has resulted in many complaints and has been featured in The Courier as one of the worst roads in the county. The severe weather conditions during the last winter only made the situation worse. The good news is that funding has been allocated to resurface the road. The county council had programmed this work for August in order to try and minimise the disruption for commuters and school related traffic. Parish councillors were very concerned about the safety of cyclists and other road users and have negotiated for the resurfacing to start 5th July - the road will be closed for four days whilst the work is undertaken.

Carpark Survey
If you came into the centre of the village on 16th or 25th March, you may have wondered why Wadhurst had been invaded by people in fluorescent jackets asking questions about parking. We all know how difficult it can be sometimes to park in the village so the Parish Council commissioned an extensive survey to try and establish the reason people were parking and how long they were staying. The initial results show that a large number of people using the main car park or parking in the Lower High Street are only there for a short time; whilst most spaces in the Washwell Lane car park are taken by people parking all day. The Parish Council is reviewing the data from the survey and considering how to manage the parking issue, possibly by the introduction of parking time restrictions in some areas. Negotiations are taking place with the Fire Services for the provision of an all-day parking facility at the Fire Station site.

Update on pedestrian crossing.
The county council has agreed to look for an alternative site for the pedestrian crossing after the parish council and residents rejected its proposal for a crossing at Wealden Wholefoods. County councillors Bob Tidy (Wadhurst) and Matthew Lock (lead member for transport and the environment) met with their officers and members of the Parish Council to look at the idea of a crossing lower down the High Street. The Parish feels very strongly that any new scheme should include improving disabled access to the High Street between Crittles and the Celia Hammond shop. The officers will work to see whether such a plan is feasible, and if so will present it to the village for consultation. If a new proposal is rejected then the funding will be given to another village.

Grants
The council allocates a small sum of money for providing funds to support the important work of local groups and organisations in providing services to the community. The Grants Policy was recently reviewed and in future there will be two submission dates for applications - 31st March and 30th September. An application form has also been introduced and this is available on line at www.wadhurstpc.info or by contacting the Clerk.
Last financial year, a grant of £750 was made to the Wadhurst Brass Band to help towards the cost of young band members travelling to Aubers to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the twining and the 95th anniversary of the Battle of Aubers Ridge. The event was very successful and the band was also honoured to play at the Last Post Ceremony in Ypres.

Bocking Collection
The historical collection of pictures and artefacts acquired over many years by Charles Bocking has a new home. The Parish Council agreed to act as Trustees of the collection when it was handed over by the Bocking family and a committee of representatives look after the material. For many years the collection was stored in The Institute but had to be moved when the room was rented out - a temporary storage area was allocated at the Commemoration Hall. The Parish Council is now pleased to house the Bocking Collection at the pavilion in Sparrows Green - the new home will provide a safe location with a constant temperature and easy access for the trustees.
Parish Councillors were delighted to have a display of some of the collection before the last council meeting. It is hoped that an extensive display of items can be arranged the community.