WILDFLOWERS
Bishopstoke Parish Council would like to help any local residents that wish to enhance their local area by planting wildflowers. Often, the areas best suited for planting are owned by either Eastleigh Borough Council or Hampshire County Council. The Parish Council can help you get in touch with the right people to gain permission for your planting.
The Council may be able to support in other ways too. Anyone interested should contact the Clerk by emailing the Clerk.
ONLINE APPLICATIONS FOR ALLOTMENTS AND TRAVEL TOKENS
As part of our efforts to improve the service we provide to the residents of Bishopstoke it is now possible to apply for either allotments or travel tokens online.
To apply for an allotment, please click here.
To apply for travel tokens, please click here.
BISHOPSTOKE CARNIVAL
Bishopstoke Carnival is back!
This year we are running two events again.
On Sunday May 7th we would like to invite families to join us on the open space at Blackberry Drive to take part in the Coronation Big Lunch to celebrate the crowning of King Charles III. We will be there from Noon until 3pm so bring your picnics, your chairs and your blankets and enjoy the sunshine (hopefully). We will also be running some old fashioned sports day events for children (and grown-ups if you fancy a go) so expect to see sack races, egg and spoon races, three-legged races and other similar things.
On Sunday September 17th we have Carnival Day. All the usual things will be happening on Glebe Meadow - stalls, games, rides, entertainment, food and drink - and we are expecting to be running both the River Floats and the Duck Races over on Bishy Beach. More details will be published as we get them but we hope to see you all there on the day.
We could always use extra help so whether you are free to join us in our regular planning meetings, or whether you can help on the day please get in touch by emailing carnival@bishopstokepc.org. We are particularly looking for people willing to be in the water for the River Floats and Duck Races to help stake the floats out and rescue the ducks after each race. You will need to provide your own waders if you want to stay dry!
PHOTO SEARCH
Bishopstoke Parish Council is looking for photographs of the scenery around Bishopstoke. This could include landscapes, parks, iconic buildings, river settings or anything else beautiful within Bishopstoke.
The photos would potentially be used on our Facebook or website, or in Council newsletters and leaflets, and would be credited to the person who took them.
If you are interested in letting us use your photos please contact the Clerk, David Wheal, by emailing clerk@bishopstokepc.org.
GREENING CAMPAIGN
The Greening Campaign is a community lead initiative that encourages people to make small visible changes that together help to reduce a community's carbon footprint.
Bishopstoke Parish Council has signed up to join the Greening Campaign but really needs some volunteers from the local community to help run it.
If you are interested in joining in and helping out, please contact our Clerk, David Wheal, by emailing clerk@bishopstokepc.org.
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH
The latest issue of the local Neighbourhood Watch newsletter is available now.
This issue includes, amongst other things, advice on QR Code Scams, Motor Home Thefts, WhatsApp six digit text scam, knife blade clarification and Abandoned Vehicle advice.
POTHOLE REPORTING
Hampshire County Council have provided a direct link to their website for reporting potholes in roads. We have been told that some potholes on Sandy Lane are about to be fixed as a direct result of being reported through this link. Please use this link to report any potholes you encounter in the road.
https://www.hants.gov.uk/transport/roadmaintenance/roadproblems
July 2023 News Release
Parish Council appeals to residents to report potholes
Bishopstoke Parish Council’s Clerk, David Wheal, informed the Council’s July meeting that he had recently written to Hampshire County Council to express the Council’s concern over the increasing number and size of potholes along roads in the village.
Hampshire’s reply was that whilst there is more money going into repairing potholes, they can only fix what they know about. “So we would encourage everyone who drives around Bishopstoke to report potholes where they see them,” said David, “and we suggest that they use the following pothole reporting link: https://www.hants.gov.uk/transport/roadmaintenance/roadproblems/potholes.”
Bishopstoke Carnival plans get underway
Planning for September’s Bishopstoke Carnival has begun. The day will start on the morning of Sunday 17th September with the traditional river float competition. If you are looking for something to do with your family over the summer why not build a river float? Full details and downloadable entry forms are available from the Parish Council website at www.bishopstokepc.org/carnival.
Village War Memorial to move to Old St Mary's Churchyard
The Bishopstoke Memorial Hall has been condemned and is scheduled for demolition prior to the erection of a new Village Hall. Accordingly, the Bishopstoke War Memorial, which is currently adjacent to the Memorial Hall, needs a new home.
Bishopstoke Parish Council is planning to re-install the War Memorial on Old St Mary’s Churchyard, Church Road.
Plans have been sent to the Church and Winchester Diocese for their approval, and they are also being displayed on Parish noticeboards and website. Residents who have comments and suggestions should get in touch with the Clerk by emailing him at clerk@bishopstokepc.org.
Play Area Trail
Bishopstoke Parish Council is encouraging families to explore all the play areas in Bishopstoke by running the Play Area Trail for a second year. Families can collect pencil rubbings of different animal plaques in play areas around Bishopstoke and, once they have them all, enter a prize draw. The winning entry will receive tickets for a family of up to 6 to visit Winchester Science Centre, with the winner being announced at Bishopstoke Carnival on Sunday 17th September.
To download the booklet, including an entry form for the competition, please click here.
Other Council News
Litter Picking…The Parish Council has a small stock of litter picking equipment which is available for any group that wishes to help keep Bishopstoke tidy. If you would like to borrow the equipment please contact the Clerk by emailing clerk@bishopstokepc.org.
Audit… The Council has now submitted its final audited accounts for 2022-23 to the external auditor – BDO LLP. The internal audit and regular checks by Councillors found the accounts to be sound and the Council hopes to continue its record of passing the audit with no issues being raised.
Bishopstoke Parish Council’s Mission… At their meeting on July 11th, Bishopstoke Parish Council re-affirmed its main mission – “To be the voice of the people of Bishopstoke and to enhance our village as a great place to live, work and visit”.
The four aims of the Council are:
To improve and protect our environment for residents and wildlife
To promote better health and wellbeing outcomes for all
To strengthen a sense of place
To encourage residents to become more involved in the life of the village.
And finally . . .
This month the Parish Council said goodbye to longtime officer Mrs Cheryl Taylor. First appointed in April 2010 to manage the Council finances, over the years Cheryl has also run the allotments and the cemeteries as well as setting up our travel tokens and providing support to the Carnival. Her most recent role involved overseeing the transfer of all Bishopstoke Cemetery records to a brand-new database. At the meeting on July 11th the Council presented Cheryl with a pair of engraved glasses to thank her for all her hard work over the years. Her knowledge and experience will be missed.
The next meeting of the Parish Council will be on Tuesday 12th September at 7.30pm and will take place in Bishopstoke Methodist Church. For further details or information about anything the Parish Council does please visit the Parish website.
For further information, please contact the Parish Clerk: David Wheal by email: clerk@bishopstokepc.org or visit the Parish website at: www.bishopstokepc.org
CARNIVAL NEWS
CARNIVAL 2023 CANCELLED
We are sorry to announce that this year's Bishopstoke Carnival has had to be cancelled.
We understand that this will be a great disappointment to everyone who was planning on coming but unfortunately there have not been enough volunteers this year to ensure that everything could happen smoothly and safely.
We hope that anyone reading this and feeling disappointed will consider joining the Carnival team for the coming year - your help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
For more information on how you can help, or if you just have some questions, please email us at carnival@bishopstokepc.org.
AUDIT
The Council is pleased to announce the external auditor, BDO LLP, has finished their audit of the 2022-23 financial accounts.
For details of how to view the full audited accounts in person, please view the following document.
Full documents for 2022-23 accounts
The external auditor's opinion will be taken to the next meeting of the Full Council on 14th November 2023.
For further details of the audit process, please view the audit page: https://www.bishopstokepc.org/audit
COUNCIL MEETINGS
BISHOPSTOKE NEWS
COUNCIL STAFF
OTHER CONTACTS
MISSION STATEMENT & AIMS
Bishopstoke Parish Council Mission Statement
To be the voice of the people of Bishopstoke to enhance our village as a great place to live, work and visit.
Aims
Aim 1 - To improve, and protect, our environment for residents and wildlife.
Aim 2 - To promote better health & well-being outcomes for all.
Aim 3 - To strengthen a sense of place.
Aim 4 - To encourage residents to become more involved in the life of the village.