family fun success Vandalised...Vanessa Ricketts, Town Clerk for Ferndown Town Council, is...

Issue 23 Summer 2014

Visit our website www.ferndown.gov.uk

Fete onthe Fields

Pram Race hits top gear

Floodlights for Ferndown Tennis Club

Football Clubhouse Vandalisedfamily fun success

Ferndown Matters - The Magazine of Ferndown Town Council2

Ferndown Matters - The Magazine of Ferndown Town Council 3

On Tuesday 13th May 2014 Councillor Mike Parkes was elected the new Mayor of Ferndown, Councillor Tony Brown was elected as his deputy.

NEW MAYOROF FERNDOWN

I have always lived in and around the Ferndown area and joined Ferndown Town Council in 1998 at the tender age of 26; I have seen many changes over this time. Looking back to my first town

council meeting, I found it quite a daunting experience to join a council of well seasoned councillors... little did I think that one day I too would become one of those long serving councillors and have the huge honour of becoming the Town Mayor.

Outside of life as a town councillor, I have worked in the Civil Service since leaving school; firstly for the Atomic Energy Authority at Winfrith and for the past 17 years for the Ministiry of Defence at Bovington. I am currently Compliance Manager and manage a large department responsible for health and safety, quality, environmental management, business support, facilities and security.

I have a lifelong association with 1st Ferndown Scout Group having started there as a Cub Scout and continuing through the different sections. I attained the Queen’s Scout Award which is the highest award achievable by a young person. I have held various adult leadership roles and have recently stepped down as Dorset’s County Commissioner for Scouting.

Due to my long-standing interest in youth work, it will come as no surprise that my Mayor’s charity is based around this theme and is therefore, called ‘Active Youth of Ferndown’. I will be raising money to fund activity equipment for the recognised charitable youth organisations within the town

I find it interesting and quite amusing that I am being hailed as ‘Mike the youngest ever Mayor of Ferndown’. However I am determined to prove that someone who works can successfully undertake the role and my priorities as Mayor are primarily supporting events and organisations within Ferndown.

I am already out and about as part of my mayoral duties, meeting lots of fantastic people and I am determined to make the year ahead a successful one for both the town council as whole and also in my role as Mayor. Whilst there are serious and formal things to do, I am also very sure that I bring some of my own unique fun and flare to the role!

““You can follow me on twitter @ferndown_mayor


Meetings ofthe Town CouncilMeeting dates may be subject to change – IF YOU WISH TO ATTEND ANY MEETING, PLEASE CHECK THE DATE AND TIME on the agenda displayed on Council noticeboards or by telephoning the Council Office on 01202 892249

2014

Meetings, other than those of the Personnel Committee, are normally open to the public.

JULY Mon 21st 7:00pm TOWN COUNCIL KGV Pavilion

Tues 22nd 7.00pm KGV Sole Trustee KGV Pavilion

Thu 24th 7:00pm Planning Committee KGV Pavilion

AUG Thu 15th 7.00pm Planning Committee KGV Pavilion

Mon 18th 7.00pm Environment Committee KGV Pavilion

Tue 26th 7.00pm Finance & GP Committee KGV Pavilion

SEPT Tue 2nd 7:00pm Planning Committee KGV Pavilion

Thu 4th 7.00pm Planning Committee KGV Pavilion

Mon 8th 7.00pm Personnel Committee KGV Pavilion

Thu 25st 7.00pm Planning Committee KGV Pavilion

Mon 29th 7.00pm TOWN COUNCIL KGV Pavilion

Tue 30th 7:00pm KGV Sole Trustee KGV Pavilion

OCT Mon 6th 7:00pm Environment Committee KGV Pavilion

Tue 7th 7:00pm Grants Committee KGV Pavilion

Mon 13th 7:00pm Finance & General Purposes KGV Pavilion

Thur 16th 7:00pm Planning Committee KGV Pavilion

Grants CommitteeThe Grants Committee has a new Clerk, Maria Follan. She would like to remind local voluntary and charitable organisations that Ferndown Town Council has a small budget for grant donations to support our local community. Please complete an application form, which can be found on our website (Ferndown.gov.uk) and send back to Ferndown Town Council.

Our Grants Committee

meets in October 2014 and February 2015 to consider applications from local voluntary and charitable organisations. Most grants are fairly small, up to £1000, as we believe that the limited resources which are available should benefit as many people as possible. The Committee may consider applications for specific projects or for a contribution towards ongoing expenses.

BE AWARE!!!Ferndown Town Council has received telephone calls stating that Ferndown Town Council would like to undertake a survey.

PLEASE BE AWARE THIS IS A SCAM!!! We are NOT undertaking a Survey by telephone.


The Town Council Office is a hive of activity and we see many residents each week and take numerous calls; so we thought it might be a nice idea for you to be able to put faces to the staff answering your queries and dealing with your requests. We are a small team of five, yes five! In the picture from right to left is Maria, Peter, Vanessa and Neil. Behind the camera is our shy Finance Officer, Karalyn.

Maria (first left) is the Assistant to the Town Clerk and Committee Clerk for Grants and Environment Committees and she has also been busy undertaking the administration for Fete on the Fields. Maria is bubbly and lively and enjoys dealing with customer queries. She is the only full-time member of staff other than the Town Clerk.

Peter (second left) is the Committee Clerk for Planning Committee which meets every 3 weeks. Peter ensures that our website is kept up to date. He is organised and meticulous and has particularly enjoyed overseeing the installation of the PV solar array on the Pavilion and the development of the Council’s allotment site at Longham. Peter works Tuesday to Friday.

Vanessa (standing) is the Town Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer. She is also the Administrator of the King George’s Field Charity and has overall responsibility for the day to day running of both the Charity and the Council,

ensuring that they both work lawfully and meet statutory requirements. Vanessa is very much hands-on and enjoys the variety of the position and the interaction with residents and Councillors in order to make a difference.

Neil (seated right) is the Mayor’s Secretary, Cashier and Administrative Officer. Neil’s varied job ensures a busy working day and he is quick off the mark to be first to the phone and office enquiry window. He ensures the Mayor’s diary and functions are run in an orderly fashion. Neil is also our joker and enjoys a bit of banter, making the office a fun place to work.

Karalyn (behind the camera) is our part-time Finance Officer and is responsible for the daily running of the accounting systems for both the Council and KGV. She ensures that our creditors are paid on time and that our Auditor is kept happy. Karalyn loves figures and seeing accounts balance.

An eclectic team who bring out the best in each other and are happiest ensuring that our Councillors are served, residents’ needs are satisfied and our Town and Charity are well looked after. To contact any of the team please phone 01202 892249 or email [email protected]. Our office is open to the public Monday to Thursday 9am-4pm and Friday 9am-3.30pm.

Ferndown Town CouncilMeet the Team!


Ferndown business community pulls together as football clubhouse is vandalised after £35k refurbishment

In 2010 Ferndown Sports FC First Team Manager Andy Tibbles and his committee worked tirelessly to gain sponsorship from the local business community for the refurbishment of the clubhouse/changing room facility at King George V Playing Fields, which is a registered charity administered by the Town Clerk.

Apart from external repainting, the internal overhaul of the clubhouse included new showers, benching, flooring, a kitchen totalling £35,000, all of which was generously donated by more than 10 local businesses within the Ferndown and Bournemouth area.

Residents using the King George V Playing Fields were shocked to see that the clubhouse had been vandalised recently by an extensive graffiti attack across the entire front and side fascias of the building, including foul language. The matter is still under investigation by the police who suspect a local group of youths.

Community Clean, an industrial surface cleansing and maintenance company on Ferndown Industrial Estate were quick to jump to the rescue, helping Ferndown Sports FC restore the clubhouse back to its former glory free of charge.

Managing Director Andy Izzard said:“The thought of this level of graffiti and foul

language being seen by families and young children during Sunday morning football is completely unacceptable. As a parent to young children myself, it was an instant decision to ensure this was rectified as soon as possible.”

The family-run company also seized the opportunity to trial one of their latest innovative graffiti protection solutions. Instead of simply

removing the graffiti, they ensured the clubhouse was also coated in an effective industrial anti-graffiti coating, the same as that used for clients such as London Underground subways and tube stations.

Andy added: “This fantastic new innovation in graffiti protection is a pigmented coating which is available in an array of colours, so we were able to actually repaint the clubhouse simultaneously when applying the industrial protection. It’s great as this new system is chip and weather resistance with significantly improved longevity of up to 25 or 30 years opposed to typically 8 to 10 years. So the clubhouse will be completely protected for years to come.”

The work that Community Clean has generously completed means that any future graffiti attacks can be easily wiped clean in a matter of moments without the need to call in the professionals. Similarly the coating protects against fly-posters, marker pen graffiti and is also effective against chewing gum.

Vanessa Ricketts, Town Clerk for Ferndown Town Council, is passionate about sport in the town. She was on site when Community Clean arrived. She commented: “It was so disheartening to see this awful attack after so much hard work, time and money had gone into the recent refurbishment of the clubhouse. I’m just so thankful to Community Clean for their kind generosity to rectify it so quickly and future proofing it from any further attacks.”

You can head to the Community Clean website to find out more about the work they do across the country as well as follow them on Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn


Vacancy for a Councillor – do you want to make a difference?

Currently the Town Council has a vacancy which will shortly be filled by co-option. Anyone who

wishes to be formally considered for the vacancy should write or email the Town Clerk by Monday 4th August 2014 with a brief curriculum vitae and an accompanying letter explaining why they wish to be considered for the vacancy. For more information please contact the Town Clerk or speak to an existing Councillor.

The following paragraph indicates some of the requirements for holding the office as a Councillor, although they should not be taken as covering every aspect of the legal requirements for office.

A person is qualified to be elected and to be a Councillor if he/she is a British Subject, a

Commonwealth citizen or a citizen of the European Union. He or she should be aged 18 years or over; have during the whole 12 months preceding the date of co-option occupied as owner or tenant of any land or other premises in the town / parish; or have their principal or only place of work during those 12 months in the town / parish; or during the whole of these 12 months resided in the town / parish or within 3 miles of it.

The person should not be disqualified from being elected by reason of any disqualification set out in Section 80 of the Local Government Act 1972, or any decision made under section 79 of the Local Government Act 2000.

Each nomination should be supported by a Proposer and Seconder who must also be on the Register of Electors for Ferndown.

Councillor Steven Lugg and his wife Councillor Cathy Lugg were delighted to be invited to attend Her Majesty’s Garden Party on 28th May 2014 accompanied by their family. The family met and talked to the Princess Royal at the special private event for the Household Cavalry. Councillor Lugg has also been appointed Vice Chairman of the District Council for the 2014/15 year.

Cllr Steve Lugg and Cllr Cathy Lugg with family before Her Majesty’s Garden Party

Many of our residents have been in contact with the Town Council regarding the grass verges. The cutting of the verges is the responsibility of East Dorset District Council. For your information, we have been advised that the 4th cut of the year will be completed week commencing 21st July. Following the completion of the 4th cut resources will be allocated to any necessary remedial works and hedge and shrub maintenance. The 5th cut will begin week commencing 28th July and be complete by week commencing 18th August. Following an additional period of shrub and hedge works, grass cutting will commence again and continue throughout the year until November.

The Town Council would like to extend its thanks to those residents who are looking after the verges in front of their own properties and helping to keep the town looking tidy, especially in the run-up to the Ferndown in Bloom competition.

Grass Cutting Complaints and a THANK YOU!

A Royal Invitation for Ferndown Town Councillor


The project, ‘KGV Charity and Community Partner Tennis For Everyone Floodlights’, will also benefit from a grant from the KGV Playing Fields Charity of £15,300 which includes the cost of repainting. This is a major project for the charity, currently administered by Ferndown Town Clerk, Vanessa Ricketts. Ferndown Tennis Club is contributing £5,000 towards this, including £4,000 from the now defunct West Moors Tennis Club.

A separate application to Synergy Housing was also successful, providing top-up funding of £2,000 to offset the increase in electricity supply costs since the initial application was made to Sport England 18 months ago.

The upgrade of Ferndown Tennis Club to a year round facility means that Chris Biddle, the

resident tennis coach, will have all the more time to produce a local champion!

The floodlighting will also benefit ‘pay and play’ members of the public.

Lynn Chong, Chair of Ferndown Tennis Club, expressed the delight of club members:

“All of us at Ferndown Tennis Club are extremely pleased the Sport England ‘Inspired Facilities’ Grant Application was successful. We’re especially grateful to former Town Clerk Ian Jones who made the application as the KGV Charity owns the courts.

“The application highlighted our ‘Tennis for Everyone’ campaign and demonstrated how we plan to expand our existing programme to offer year round, low-cost, accessible tennis-based

activities to the whole local community.“Sports participation in general has

decreased recently but we have bucked this trend and have more than doubled our membership since our coach, Chris Biddle joined us.

“Floodlights will enable us to keep up the momentum we gain over the summer and extend our evening programme to run throughout the year. We are fortunate to be located so close to three schools and to youth groups in Ferndown.

“We can’t wait to see what the future holds for the club now and welcome everyone to come and join us and play the great game of tennis!”

Members of Ferndown Tennis Club © Kay Browning

Schools Tennis at Ferndown Tennis Club © Kay Browning

Sport England Grant for Ferndown Tennis Club Floodlights

Sport England has approved a grant of £39,765 towards a total project cost of £54,764 to provide floodlighting for Ferndown Tennis Club, enabling them to offer year round play


The summer solstice is a time for celebration and Ferndown certainly rose to the occasion with the running of the Pram Race – what a fabulous day we all had. The Town Council was delighted to work with the Chamber of Commerce to ensure that the day’s events went without a hitch.

Councillor Tony Brown was the Race Director and, as Treasurer

of the Chamber of Commerce, was certainly kept busy in both the run-up

to the event and on the day. After sampling the hog roast, Tony waved off the 20 prams and 100 competitors from the Old Thatch. With Town Council staff and Councillors joining the marshalling team, the “Babies” were cheered through a number of challenges and pit stops to the finish line at the White Heather. The town was packed with people enjoying the party atmosphere and opportunity to donate generously to the various charities benefiting from the event.


Parc Ferme at the Barrington Centre was awash with tired but elated competitors and spectators. Green Machine won the day in an amazing time of 20 minutes. The Town Clerk was delighted to present the Town Council’s second place trophy to Andy Tibbles and the team from Ferndown Sports FC. After the award ceremony the attention turned to the bar of the Barrington where Andy Bryant, the Centre Manager had kindly arranged for a mini beer festival of Ringwood Ales. A fitting refreshment to finish a fun-filled day.

Pram Race photos courtesy of mags4dorset


Red Arrows ‘salute’ Ferndown’sFete on the Fields


Up to 2,000 people raised in excess of £2,000 for Ferndown’s KGV charity at the Fete on the Fields on the final day of this year’s Ferndown Festival on 28 June.

The crowd at the opening were surprised and delighted to see the Red Arrows fly over on their way from Bournemouth Airport with one pilot acknowledging the response with a series of barrel rolls.

Cllr Mike Parkes, Ferndown’s youngest ever Mayor, formally opened the event and praised all those involved: “It really is fantastic to see so many local organisations represented here today – charities, businesses, council representatives, St Mary’s church, the leisure centre, upper school, Bournemouth Sea Cadets, Turndown SkateFest and the RBL – not to mention all the effort required by Ferndown’s King George V Charity to make this special event happen today. Fortunately for everyone here, the weather has been kind despite the forecast!”

There were 64 stallholders who paid a donation to Ferndown’s KGV Charity in return for the opportunity to sell their goods and/or raise money for their chosen charities. This means the total amount raised for local charity on the day was well in excess of the total raised for KGV, which provides all the many recreational facilities for all ages in Ferndown in and around the fields. A land train took people for rides round the fields, raising money for KGV and Children in Need.

Visitors were also treated to a varied programme of quality entertainment on stage led by Matt Black and his son Chris which embraced both rock music and wartime song and dance. Other entertainment included a popular bird of prey display by the Liberty Raptor & Reptile Centre, maritime dance performances from Bournemouth Sea Cadets, a classic car show, pony rides for children, the Skatefest, family fun run and tug of war contests.

Liz Norman, Chair of the organising committee summed up why the day was so successful: “Fete on the Fields was planned by a small committee of 8 Ferndown residents and made possible by very generous sponsorship from Hearnes Estate Agents. Each committee member took on one particular aspect of the event: raffle, stalls, stage, car show, skatefest etc. Their 100% dedication ensured the day went off as well as it did.

“Thanks are also due to all the local volunteers who helped on the day, especially the Rotary Club marshals, raffle stand staff and all those responsible for the lovely homemade teas and cakes in the KGV Pavilion. Bournemouth Sea Cadets who impressed the crowds with their well-rehearsed Hornpipe Dance also assisted with stalls.

The Big Bounce Production kept the Under 5’s entertained for much of the day and our new Mayor proved to be a really good sport when he allowed the public to ‘splat’ him with wet sponges - the kids loved it! All in all it resulted in a really good family day out, enjoyed by many locals.”

Fete on the Fields rounded off with the Raffle Prize Draw and Barry Cook was envied as winner of the fabulous wheelbarrow of wine so generously donated by the local Sainsburys.


This is your last chance to enter!PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION: Extended to 31 August

TALLEST SUNFLOWER: Closing date 31 August

This is a final reminder to get your entries into the Ferndown in Bloom competitions still open: photography competition, with a theme of ‘Wildlife in a Ferndown Garden’ and the tallest sunflower competition.

The photography competition is open to all, even those without a garden! You could win a prize of Haskins gift cards; £75 for the best photograph. £50 for the second and £25 for third place. The photo can be printed on any kind of paper, the size should be between A6 and A4, and attached to an entry form (see http://www.haskins.co.uk/ferndowninbloom/) with your name, address and post code together with the address or post code of where the photo was taken, and

hand in to:1. the Town Council offices on the KGV Playing Fields or2.Ferndown Photographics, 26 Victoria Road, FerndownOr you can send digital images direct to [email protected] with details as above. We will show some of the best photos at the Ferndown in Bloom prize presentation evening in September.

Entry forms for the tallest sunflower competition to Haskins Garden Centre please. Download forms here http://www.haskins.co.uk/ferndowninbloom/Prize is £50 Haskins gift card

2014 marks the 20th Anniversary of the opening of the Haskins Garden Centre at Longham; the overall competition’s prize fund included £800 in Haskins gift cards; most categories closed on 6 July

South and South East in BloomThis year Ferndown has entered South and South East in Bloom in the Large Town Category as part of the annual Britain in Bloom competition. The judges will be coming to Ferndown on 15 July and will be starting their route at King Georges Field, walking to the Royal British Legion then on to Ringwood Road and Victoria Road where they will assess the town and Penny’s Walk. From there we will be taking them on to Ford Lane to see the community orchard then on to Slob Bog to see the conservation work undertaken by the volunteers. The tour will then carry on to Harmont Wood and finally to Longham Allotments. Last year we received a Silver Gilt Award and we hope to achieve at least the same this year.

Residents have been busy tending their gardens as part of the Ferndown in Bloom competition and we would like to thank residents for their help in making our town look lovely.

Local Singing Stars will be performing free for the Ferndown public at the Night Jar Pub on Sunday 13th July from 4-10pm. Five or six Acts will be supporting the fundraising for a Ferndown Concrete Wheelbowl, and so you can have a lovely evening with friends and family for the price of a donation and a raffle ticket.

Already confirmed are Gareth Woodford, Mumma (duo), Heidi Redsell, Chris Payn and Katherine Levi with a range of genre and songs lined up, but with one thing in common, a huge bucket of local signing talent!

Organiser of the line-up and Treasurer of the Ferndown Skatepark Action Group Steve Lugg said, “This is an exciting opportunity for Ferndown’s public to hear just how much local singing talent we have. I’m grateful to all of them and Selina Parker, Manager of the Night Jar for enabling this event to go ahead. I’m hopeful a hundred people will turn up through the evening, throw a few quid in the buckets, and perhaps buy a raffle ticket too – in return for hearing some great covers and original tracks from some of the best musical talent around. ”

Music 4 Skate-Action!


Ferndown Common saw the very first event in an exciting project launched this May for wildlife and people across south-east Dorset. A walk for local people to discover its rare reptiles proved a fitting start to a unique partnership of conservation organisations, local authorities and the community, which has joined forces to put the ‘great’ back into what was once The Great Heath stretching between The New Forest and The Purbecks.

The Great Heath Living Landscape includes 1500 acres of land newly acquired from The Canford Estate. Inspired by this, the partners set their sights on expanding the project to restore and revitalise the entire Great Heath area from Christchurch to Poole Harbour and northwards to Wimborne and Verwood. The aim is to create a Living Landscape, where people benefit from nature and nature thrives because people care about it. The total cost of the purchases and the 3-year project will be £4.7 million, with £2.7 million coming from the Heritage Lottery and the remainder from the partners and public appeal.

The sites that have just been bought include land at Hampreston and High Mead Lane, Award Road, Ferndown Common, Delph Wood, Arrowsmith Copse, Dunyeats Hill, Corfe Lodge Road, Upton Heath, Beacon Hill, Cottage Farm (Happy Bottom), Ashington Paddock, Barrow Hill, Wimborne Road, Rushcombe

Bottom, Parley Common, Tricketts Cross, Lytchett Bay and Holes Bay. The partners are Dorset Wildlife Trust, the Erica Trust, Poole Harbour Commissioners, Borough of Poole, Dorset County Council Countryside Service and Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust. The project is also supported by Bournemouth Borough Council. Christchurch Borough Council, East Dorset District Council and Natural England.

We have a range of events to help people get involved, including The Great Heath Discovery Day on 18th August at The Heatherlands Centre beside Parley Common, with activities, wildlife, guided walks and more from 10am to 1pm. Suggested donation £3 per family. For more information and a full list of events visit www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk or ring 01202 692033.

Ferndown and The Great Heath


Lesley HaskinsThe Erica Trust

Ferndown Common – Town Green NewsOver the years that I undertook planning liaison as a volunteer with the Dorset Wildlife Trust, I appeared at 33 individual or local plan enquiries scattered over the whole of Dorset - and no less than three of those involved putting the case to protect Ferndown Common. I had to resist more housing in the south east, more housing in the south west, and a road right through the middle! So I came to know it well and love it dearly. One fact that always sticks in my mind from the evidence I presented is that there are more Dartford warblers per acre on Ferndown Common than on Holt Heath National Nature Reserve.

It is therefore with huge pleasure that I can confirm that Ferndown Common including that portion which extends over to St. James Road, is now owned in its entirety by The Erica Trust, a charity of which I am a trustee. Most of the purchase was from the Canford Estate whose unexpected and sudden sale prompted a brave and highly successful multi partnership bid to The Heritage Lottery Fund and gave rise to The Great Heath Project with the remit of protecting heathland and its natural landscape for people and wildlife, for ever.

Apart from contributing to the land purchase, the Heritage Lottery Fund has also provided a pot

from which all the partners of The Great Heath Project can draw to provide new signage and interpretation to help us ensure that visiting the Common becomes a better experience for all its valid users.

With this aim in mind we are going to be holding annual liaison meetings for a representative of the various users of the Common to come together to ‘promote communication, understanding and positive outcomes between all relevant authorities and rightful users of Ferndown Common.’ We would particularly like to hear from anyone who has a keen interest in horse riding or cycling on the Common or a who has knowledge of its history and archaeology. That person needs to enjoy networking with fellow enthusiasts.

The lease which our colleagues in the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust (ARC) had with the Canford Estate will continue so they will remain as the active day to day land managers of most of the site caring for the various needs of wildlife and people. So anyone interested in joining the liason group can contact ARC on [email protected] or The Erica Trust on [email protected].

In March the Mayor of Ferndown for 2013/14, Councillor Mrs Pauline Reynolds, had great pleasure in presenting flowers to Peter and Lilian Webster as they celebrated 60 years of marriage. Peter and Lilian were married in St Giles Church, Reading on 27th March 1954.

The happy couple live on the Heatherlands estate, Ferndown and are very well known in the area as Peter used to manage the community centre. Peter and Lilian have three children, Paul, David and Peggy, six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Celebrating 60 Years of Marriage


The Rangers at Moors Valley Country Park and Forest are looking for volunteers to help record the vast array of plants and animals in the 800-acre Park.

The Park already benefits from regular surveys of its butterfly, dragonfly and damselfly populations, and keeps an on-going record of bird sightings. Now, with the help of additional experts, the Rangers are hoping to broaden their knowledge of the Park’s many other inhabitants.

“We are organising a 24-hour Bioblitz at Moors Valley on 24 July and would love to bring some new volunteers on board to help discover and record particular species”, said Countryside Education Ranger, Katie Davies. “We are hoping lots of members of the public will also want to join in, but obviously they will need guidance, so knowledgeable experts will be welcome.

“We are also keen to increase the scope of our regular surveys, so we would also welcome support from volunteers who can’t make the Bioblitz but would be keen to get involved with regular survey work.”

Thanks to this regular survey work Moors Valley is recognised as one of the best places in the UK to see dragonflies. The Park has also recently instigated a highly-successful water vole reintroduction programme. “As the third most visited country park in England we have to work extra hard to ensure we balance the needs of our visitors with those of the many plants and animals spread across the Park,” added Katie. “It would be immensely helpful to be able find out more about them. In particular we’d be interested in working with anyone with knowledge of amphibians, mammals and invertebrates – including my personal favourite – beetles. We are also keen to record more of our flora, an area which has never been fully explored.”

For details of how to take part in the Bioblitz or to find out more about becoming a wildlife volunteer at Moors Valley contact Katie Davies on 01425 470721 or email [email protected]

WANTED wildlife volunteers

After a most successful visit to Ferndown by the residents of the town of Segre, France in early May when 20 Years of Twinning were celebrated; it will be our 20th Year to visit our friends in Segre in 2015.

If you like to travel and enjoy hosting and being hosted by French families then look no further than Ferndown and come and join us. You do not need to speak French (but a little helps) as they are so keen to practise their English.

If you would like to become part of our friendship with the towns people of Segre then please contact either Pauline Reynolds on 01202 892033 or Marion Lock 01202 896984.

Ferndown Twinners May 2014


Ferndown businesses get superfast boostBusinesses on the Ferndown and Woolsbridge Industrial Estates are among the 10,000 premises in Dorset that can take up faster, more reliable broadband services for the first time this summer, thanks to the Superfast Dorset programme.

Superfast Dorset is rolling out connections to the high speed fibre network in areas not served by the private sector rollout, which has already connected the majority of Ferndown. The project will return again in 2015 to connect even more premises to the fibre network. Check coverage in your area at www.dorsetforyou.com/superfast.

Internet speeds won’t increase automatically. You will need to contact your internet provider to upgrade your existing service or take up a new superfast broadband service.

The project brings a positive change to the local economy. Faster upload and download speeds allow businesses to grow and thrive. From cost savings to becoming competitive on a global level, to more flexibility or working from home, superfast broadband speeds can transform the way we work in Dorset.

And for residents, faster, more reliable broadband makes staying connected with family and friends even easier.

Superfast Dorset is enlisting the help of volunteers to be Local Links, Digital Champions and Business Ambassadors in their communities to ensure everyone knows how they can benefit from fibre broadband. You can register to volunteer on the project’s website.

Since the £31.75 million partnership was announced last year, engineers have been busy surveying the network in order to ensure that the roll-out of the new technology is carried out in the most cost effective and efficient manner.

By the end of 2016, 95% of Dorset premises will have access to superfast speeds, and all premises will have access to at least 2Mbps. With technologies improving and genuine prospects for improvements for more resource, Dorset councils are working with partners and other infrastructure providers to develop plans to extend the superfast network even further.

To check availability at your business or residence, contact your service provider. Further information and guidance is available online. Or subscribe to the Superfast Dorset e-newsletter at www.dorsetforyou.com/e-news.

Ferndown resident, Mark Wering has won the title of Dutch Gliding Champion 2014. Mark is an airline Captain (and instructor) flying the MD-11, and has been a keen glider pilot since his teens growing up in Enschede, Holland.

Mark was supported at the competition by his family - wife Sarah, and sons Matthew and Daniel, as well as his parents who live in Holland, and had a well-deserved win even beating former Dutch and European Gliding champions to the top spot.

The longest flight of the competition (set over 10 days near Arnhem in Holland) was a massive 701 km, and Mark was in the lead consistently from day two onwards.

The 701km task was the biggest task ever set and actually completed in any of the Dutch National competitions, and even then was only completed by 3 of the competitors, Mark being one of them. The other pilots unfortunately had to land in farmers’ fields in various locations in Holland and Germany !

Mark was accompanied onto the podium to receive his first place award by his sons, Matthew 11, and Daniel 9.

Local Man Glides to Victory


Links Ward:Cllr. B Barnett 82 Carroll Avenue, FERNDOWN, Dorset BH22 8BP Tel: 01202 855175Cllr. Ms P M Cooper 12 Corbin Avenue, FERNDOWN, Dorset BH22 8AZ Tel: 01202 896676Cllr. J A Muggleton 292 Ringwood Road FERNDOWN, Dorset BH22 9AS Tel: 01202 872975Cllr. Mrs J Read 288 Ringwood Road FERNDOWN, Dorset BH22 9AS Tel: 01202 875926Cllr. Mrs J Robinson 18 Medway Road, FERNDOWN, Dorset BH22 8UX Tel: 07874 0824351 Vacancy

Central Ward:Cllr. Mrs Q Comfort 6 Pringles Drive FERNDOWN, Dorset BH22 8BN Tel: 01202 873221Cllr. Mrs J Little 17 Cherrett Court, 557 Ringwood Road, FERNDOWN BH22 9FE Tel: 01202 980839Cllr. S Lugg 34 Kingsway FERNDOWN Dorset BH22 9QW Tel: 07531 352091Cllr. M R Parkes 330 Ringwood Road, FERNDOWN, Dorset BH22 9AT Tel: 01202 861858Cllr Ms D L Marlow 25 Derwent Close, FERNDOWN, Dorset BH22 8UY Tel: 01202 948265Cllr J P Lawford 25 Heath Farm Road, FERNDOWN, Dorset BH22 8JN Tel: 01202 862821

Longham Ward:Cllr. L Ovens 357 Ringwood Road, FERNDOWN, Dorset BH22 9AE Tel: 01202 896701Cllr. P Lucas 14 Landford Gardens, Throop, BOURNEMOUTH, Dorset BH8 0PH Tel: 01202 533765Cllr. T M Brown 53 Casterbridge Road, FERNDOWN, Dorset BH22 8LJ Tel: 01202 871618

Longham East Ward:Cllr D B F Burt 91 Wimborne Road, CORFE MULLEN, Dorset BH21 3DS Tel: 01202 883870

Stapehill Ward:Cllr. N J Wellstead 36 Wimborne Road West, WIMBORNE, Dorset BH21 2DP Tel: 01202 892249 (FTC Office)Cllr. Mrs S Bird 292 Ringwood Road, FERNDOWN, Dorset BH22 9AS Tel: 01202 872975Cllr. P R Timberlake 8 Brierley Avenue, West Parley, FERNDOWN Dorset BH22 8PE Tel: 01202 573213

Ameysford Ward:Cllr. J L Baxter Greenacres, Angel Lane, Longham, FERNDOWN, Dorset BH22 9DZ Tel: 01202 897884Cllr. Mrs C A Lugg 34 Kingsway FERNDOWN, Dorset BH22 9QW Tel: 01202 872066Cllr. Mrs P Reynolds 3 Clayford Avenue FERNDOWN, Dorset BH22 9PQ Tel: 01202 892033

Links South Ward:Cllr. T Cordery 79 Dorset Avenue FERNDOWN, Dorset BH22 8HL Tel: 01202 876293

Your Ferndown Town Councillors

Your Town CouncilTown Clerk - Mrs Vanessa Ricketts

King George V Pavilion, Peter Grant Way, Ferndown, BH22 9EN

Tel: 01202 892249 Fax: 01202 877442 Email: [email protected]

Visit our website www.ferndown.gov.ukFerndown Town Council does not accept responsibilty for the content of advertisements, promises made, or the quality or reliability of the services offered in the advetisements in this publication. All purchases made through this publication are done so entirely at your own risk. Information about a service does not imply recommendation.

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