September News from the Parish Council

Those of you who remember the old village sign which stood at the corner of The Street and West Street will no doubt be wondering what has happened to it. It is still in a secure place waiting to be returned to the village. People who were present at the Annual Parish meeting agreed that it should be placed on the triangle of land at the corner of Coach Drive and School Road. That particular piece of land belongs to Ashford Borough Council so your Parish Council needs to consult the neighbours and the Borough Council so that the heritage sign may be returned to us.

The Parish Council was really pleased to discover from the July edition of the Newsletter that there is so little crime in our village. Unfortunately there are still examples of anti-social behaviour which need to be addressed. You will be glad to learn that Hothfield has, at last, been allocated a PCSO (Police Community Support Officer) His name is Martin Sabin (pictured, left) and, although he is responsible for both Charing and Wye as well as us, we expect to see him out and about in the village. Hopefully he will work with Dave Beckley our Community Warden, who we have come to appreciate so much, to help us solve the problems which a minority still cause the rest of us.

When this item appears the Parish Council will be asking the Kent County Council Youth Service to organise a whole variety of activities for the young people in our village. These activities are planned according to their needs and in response to their re-quests for specific sports and interests. Because of the grant made to our Parish Council by the Big Lottery Fund from September 1st we should have in place two part time youth workers who will work with their team leader Bridget King. Bridget already knows many of the young people in Hothfield as she has been in charge of a pilot project with them for quite some time. As these activities get under way the Parish Council will be asking for feed-back to be published in the Newsletter. The cheque for financing the project will be presented officially at the Hothfield Village Fête on September 19th. Not only has the Parish Council received a generous grant from the Big Lottery Fund but this project has also been supported by the Hothfield Education Foundation which continues to do so much for our village. The Parish Council would like to thank the Foundation most sincerely.

Shirley Whittington

THANK YOU, PETER! – A Valedictory from Hothfield Parish Council

Peter Patten, past long serving Chairman of our Parish Council, has resigned after 25 years of unstinting service. We are all very sad to see him go as he has been the brains and inspiration behind so many initiatives within the village over the years. We will miss his enthusiasm for all things and all people in Hothfield, but especially his commitment to our younger residents. Peter’s vision, hard work and commitment are the reasons we have the Children’s Play Area and the Multi Use Games Area (MUGA). He has served on the Hothfield Youth Sub Committee and is often seen at Breakfast Club at the Children’s Centre.

More recently Peter has been actively engaged in the Village Appraisal process and has been instrumental in drawing up the Village Plan.

These are but a few obvious successes that he has helped the village achieve and for which he will be long remembered. Less obviously, Peter has acted behind the scenes with borough and county council ward members to ensure that Hothfield and its needs remain on the public agenda. Known throughout the village as a careful listener, he maintains an even handed approach in his assessment of situations and ideas. Peter is always present at village functions, slicing bread and cheese for ploughman’s suppers, donating prizes for raffles, pouring out wine and even feeding the meter in the village hall to keep us warm and happy at our social events!

What will we do on the Parish Council without you, Peter? We shall all miss your counsel, your sense of humour, your dedication and your long memory of things past. Enjoy your free time doing things you want to do but please don’t disappear because Hothfield needs you still!

[October 2009]