Author: Annie McKeown
Somerford Keynes summer garden party
Thank you to everyone who contributed to a successful garden party at the Manor House in June; we are grateful to everyone who came, to all those who made delicious cakes and helped serve the teas and pimms, who donated raffle prizes, helped with setting up and clearing up afterwards and of course, huge thanks to Sussanne and Andrew Lock for allowing us to enjoy their beautiful garden
The event raised the sum of £1,300 for the church. A fantastic amount.
Somerford Keynes Coronation celebrations – May 2023
Villagers enjoyed a fabulous weekend, celebrating the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. All ages got involved with a variety of activities, including the Ring for the King, the street party in the sun and the volunteering event at the village lake. Thank you to all who helped with the organisation and set-up – and also to everyone who took part!
Parish Clerk Job Vacancy
A vacancy has arisen for the Parish Clerk role within Somerford Keynes Parish Council. The Parish Council aims to play an important role in preserving the traditional nature of the village whilst ensuring it is a vibrant community for residents.
The Clerk plays a critical role in enabling the success of the Parish Council. With significant new funding in place and a predominately new group of Councillors, this is a great time to get involved to help shape and drive new initiatives.
Role Overview
Key responsibilities include;
- Attending monthly Parish Council meetings (typically Monday evenings); assisting with agenda preparation, producing minutes and monitoring action follow-ups.
- Providing financial reports; monitoring accounts and expenditure and preparing records for audit purposes.
- Liaising with councillors, parishioners and third parties as required. Third parties could include other Local Authorities and public and charitable bodies as well as landowners and contractors.
Training can be provided on specific Parish Council procedures and regulations.
Required Skills and Attributes
This role will suit someone who is organised, enjoys working with others and is happy to deal with a range of people across different organisations. A working knowledge of Microsoft (Word, Excel and Outlook/email) is required. A laptop will be provided.
Pay and Hours
The role is for five hours a week at a rate of £12.73 per hour.
Application Process
To express your interest please send an email to [email protected] by June 30th. We are looking to make an appointment in July as the incumbent Clerk leaves on August 18th.
Parish Council Condolence Letter to The King and the Reply
The Parish Council sent a letter of condolence on behalf of themselves, and the village, when the Queen passed away. John Whitwell the Chairman was surprised and pleased to receive this letter in response from The King, and the Councillors wanted to share this with you all.
Solar panels – community bulk purchase
More than 60 Somerford Keynes and Lower Mill households have already signed up for our community scheme to bulk purchase solar panels for their homes. Installing solar panels should cut our energy bills as well as cutting Co2. By purchasing together we can make the process both cheaper and simpler. If you haven’t already signed up, and would be interested in joining us, then please visit the Thames Head Energy website for more information.
Defibrillator
The Village Hall outside wall, together with the Phone Box on the main street, hosts the village AED Defibrillators.
To use it call 999 for an ambulance and follow their instructions. Do keep the phone number of willing neighbours near to hand. The ambulance service can call them to fetch the AED while you do CPR.