Things to look out for in this issue… Cropthorne Walkabout over the Spring Bank Holiday The Annual Parish Meeting on 16th May A Zoom meeting on 3rd May regarding Airband Fibre Broadband Christian Aid Week is 15th to 21st May Bookworms may want to wiggle along to the Book Club Give Fladbury Walkabout a helping hand We have an update on the revival of bell ringing Don’t miss the lovely article about the Community Orchard written by Jack Lloyd. The Classifieds section including jobs and Sunday lunches. Remember, ads are free! If you have something for KIT, please get in touch: John Powell KIT editor*     *     *     *     *Please send contributions for the May edition by the end of Wednesday 25th May to fladburykit@gmail.com. Previous editions and to subscribe: https://us20.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=26de73450a75eaead67edbcbb&id=4bdde08e02

In Cropthorne (part 1)… Kathy Rayers writes: Spring Bank Holiday 2022 The countdown has begun! Marquees going up, cakes being baked, lawns being mown, hedges being clipped and flowers being arranged. Full steam ahead for this fabulous first bank holiday weekend of May. Come along Sunday 1st and Monday 2nd May and enjoy a cocktail, a curry, a cream tea and lots of music. Ride the Cropthorne steam train.11am-5pm each day. click here for poster*     *     *     *     *Kathy Rayers, t: 07811190555, e: krayers@btinternet.com

Fladbury Parish Council  Annual Parish Meeting 7:15pm, Monday 16th May, Fladbury Village Hall Please come and join us for an update on a variety of topics including: Proposed housing development on Broadway Lane Airband – fibre broadband The Nait and the Field Community transport Path to the A44Walkabout and Platinum Jubilee For more information, email Ian on iandjsouthcott@aol.com or clerk@fladburyparishcouncil.co.uk. Airband – Fibre Broadband 7pm, Tuesday 3rd May, Zoom Meeting A meeting with Airband on Zoom has been scheduled. This is to discuss purely Fladbury issues and get a report on progress. If you would like to join this discussion, email me on iandjsouthcott@aol.com and I will send you the link.*     *     *     *     *Chair: Ian Southcott, e: iandjsouthcott@aol.com, t: 861061

Book Club  Thursday 5th May, Fladbury Social Club. Wendy Berry writes: Wyre Piddle WI has set up a book club. The book club meets on the first Thursday of the month at 10am at Fladbury Social Club. Members choose the books together and then meet to review, as well as enjoying a coffee/tea and cake at the club! Our next meeting is on Thursday 5th May at 10am. If you are interested in joining, please email Wendy Berry at wendy.berry@btinternet.com.

Church Services & News  News Cropthorne Walkabout (see above) returns after two years! This is excellent news. As well as flower displays in church, on Sunday at 4pm there will be “Come & Sing” — a selection of well-known songs and hymns in church. Everyone welcome. This year the Five Alive annual church meeting will take place immediately after the 11am service on Sunday 22nd May at Fladbury. On Sunday 5th June at 9.30am there will be a service of holy communion at Fladbury church in celebration of the Queen’s Jubilee. Sarah.  Services: Sunday 1st May – Cropthorne Walkabout Weekend 4pm CropthorneCome & Sing Sunday 8th May – 9:30am Wyre Piddle Holy Communion, 11am Fladbury, Holy Communion Sunday 15th May – 9:30am Charlton Holy Communion, 11am Fladbury Morning Worship Sunday 22nd May – 11am Fladbury Holy Communion.The Five Alive Annual Parish Meeting will follow service. Thursday 26th May – Ascension Day – 7:30pm Cropthorne Holy Communion Sunday 29th May 11am Charlton Morning Worship *     *     *     *     * Parish Priest: The Revd Sarah Dangerfield, t: 861669 Five Alive Parish Wardens: Meredith Debenham, t: 446276 Celia Willis, t: 861348 Bishampton & Throckmorton Church Warden: Peter Chatterton, t: 462349

Tower bell ringing in Fladbury & Cropthorne  Martin Ounsted writes: Successful Appeal. With much appreciated help from our friends in Pershore and Offenham, who have offered personalised tuition, renewed hope of ringing has been seen, with a good number of villagers expressing interest. We have already met, before Easter, and we hope to have another date shortly. We would welcome anyone else who wants to sample our art. A Peal AttemptOn Tuesday 31st May the Vale of Evesham Society (a group of travelling ringers) are visiting Fladbury to attempt to a peal. This is when at least 5000 changes of the pattern of ringing occurs, and will last about 3½ hours. I will close the louvre windows of the bell chamber to minimise disturbance to the village.*     *     *     *     *Martin Ounsted martin@ounsted.co.uk.[I blame myself for the headings, Ed.]

Saturday & Sunday 2nd & 3rd July We’re back and you can expect a fun-filled weekend on Saturday & Sunday, 2nd & 3rd July. Open gardens, market stalls, live music & events, our fabulous flower festival, lots of food & drink, classic cars, the fun run, boat trips, Party on the Green, and much, much more!*     *     *     *     *Come & lend a hand Can you spare an hour or two over that weekend to lend a hand? We’ll need people to help on the car parks and on stalls – if you would like to get involved, drop us a line or call on the contact details below. Fun RunDon’t forget the FUN RUN – get yourself in shape for this contest for adults and children alike – details on how to register to follow. Cake Stall – Could you organise a CAKE STALL – let us know! White Elephant – Our WHITE ELEPHANT needs feeding – when you’re having your Spring clean, recycle items to us! Tombola / Bottle Stall – We’re starting to collect now – wine, beer, spirits, toiletries, cans – anything you like! Open GardensWould you like to add to our list of Open Gardens? We have a great variety – large, small, all shapes and sizes.*     *     *     *     * We’ve been away for two years and now we’re back – JOIN US! For more information email or call Ian Southcott (iandjsouthcott@aol.comtel: 861061) or Steve Curtis (steve.curtis@avonreflections.co.uk tel: 860432).

Christian Aid Week, 15th – 21st May Jane Bugg writes: With the ongoing challenges of the coronavirus infection, economic hardship and now the horror of warfare in Ukraine, it is easy to forget the natural challenges for those living in areas of drought and famine. As well as helping the people of Ukraine, Christian Aid continues to reach out to communities across Africa and elsewhere, helping to provide water and sustainable farming methods so families can help themselves to survive. Last year during Christians Aid Week, the Five Alive parish, with Bishampton and Throckmorton, raised over £3,500. This year we can again help Christian Aid continue their vital work by…Donating on-line in the Five Alive e-envelope – please use the link https://envelope.christianaid.org.uk/envelope/fivealive which will help us know the total amount raised in the Five Alive parish (without knowing names or individual donations!). If you are a tax payer, there is an option to increase your donation by 25% by gift aid. Putting a cash or cheque donation in a traditional RED Christian Aid envelope – there will be a supply at the back of each church. Please make cheques payable to FMWCC and write “Christian Aid” on the reverse. The Church treasurer will then make a cumulative donation. You can return your filled envelope to the name mentioned at the back of each Church or you can bring it to…Coffee & Cake on Friday 20th May from 9.30am and Saturday 21st May from 10am in Fladbury Social Club. There will be a bring & buy RED stall, hopefully with red geranium plants, and a small raffle or…Go to the Coffee Morning in Bishampton on Tuesday 17th May at 10.30am hosted by Vennae & Bill Dobie (tel: 462599) at The Old Post Office, Broad Lane. Sally Hutchinson (tel: 861206) is helping with admin and on-line giving. Church Treasurer Gus Orchard (tel: 244416) is helping with finance. If you have any queries or want more information, please contact me, Jane Bugg (email: pjbugg@btinternet.com tel: 860531).

Jubilee Celebrations in Fladbury Further to the plans outlined in April’s KIT we will be sending out a Kitty shortly with more details of events in Fladbury. Contact: FriendsOfFladbury@gmail.com.

The Old Chestnut Tree Inn  Julbilee Celebrations, Friday 3rd June Adrian McArthur writes: On the Friday 3rd June we will be holding a family fun afternoon from 12noon to 5pm.pig roast, bouncy castle, face painting, giant Jenga, giant Connect 4, snakes and ladders as well as an outside Bar at The Old Chestnut Tree Inn, Lower Moor, WR10 2NZ, tel: 860380.

TLC – Tuesday Lunch in the Club  Tuesday 24th May. Jane Bugg writes: The next TLC is on Tuesday 24th May from 12 noon in Fladbury Social Club. This is a £5 main course lunch + a little extra for coffee and cake and a tip + buy your own drinks at the bar! It is an opportunity to meet people and chat. If you haven’t yet been and would like to give it a go, please contact me and we could go together [Sounds like a date!  Ed.]. You don’t have to be a member of the Club, unless you want to buy an alcoholic drink. If you do want to join the Club, membership is £10 a year (or £7 a year if you are my age). And whilst mentioning the Club, Coffee & Cake every Friday and Saturday morning is another opportunity for chat and meeting people – with a RED stall on 20th & 21st May – please see the Christian Aid notice. Contact: Jane Bugg, e: pjbugg@btinternet.com, t: 860531

In Charlton… Diane Barlow writes: Morning Get Together 11am, Monday 9th May — coffee in the church. Charlton Chattery 2:30pm, Friday May 27th — Chattery in the Old Schoolroom. Mobile Library 1:55-2:10pm, Tuesday 24th May — library van in Ryden Lane, Charlton. (4th Tuesday of each month.) Charlton Summer Fayre – Charlton Fayre plans are underway for the event on Saturday 18th June. Donations required for bottle tombola, unwanted gifts, bric-a-brac, raffle prizes, cakes, cakes and, of course, CAKES. Volunteers to help on stalls, run a stall or erect/take down marquees. Waitresses [and waiters? Ed.] please for refreshments. No washing up this year!*     *     *     *     * Diane Barlow, e: deebee65@live.co.uk, t: 860521

In Cropthorne (part 2)… Kathy Rayers writes: Village People, Tuesday May 10th. We have an invited speaker from the Wellbeing Hub in Pershore. Hear about the work and support given by these volunteers in our community. 7pm Cropthorne & Charlton Village Hall. £3 to cover hire of the hall. Looking forward to seeing you.*     *     *     *     * Kathy Rayers, t: 07811190555, e: krayers@btinternet.com.

Thank you –  Plant Sale Success! Pam Foley writes: Many, many thanks to everyone who contributed to the success of our plant sale event. A special thank you to Anne Rixom for the use of her beautiful garden and coach house. Despite the cool wind we had lots of very generous visitors and we raised just over £1000 for Alzheimer’s Research UK. The remaining plants are still available at Anne Rixom’s garden with all proceeds now going to the Ukraine Appeal.  Golden Wedding Moyagh writes: Thank you to all our lovely villager friends for coming to join us this last Saturday to help celebrate our Golden Wedding. What a wonderful, happy garden party we had. So many relatives, friends, wonderful food by Carol-Anne — an excellent day had by all. As soon as I’m told I’ll let you all know how much we raised for St. Richard’s Hospice. Many thanks for yet another fantastic village party. Love Moyagh & Roger.

The latest edition of Wychavon District Council’s business e-newsletter is available for download below. In this edition you can read about the availability of funds from the UK Community Renewal Fund to support a range of activities to boost skills, help businesses grow and support people into work as part of the Upskilling in Malvern Hills and Wychavon project, including provision of support for local employers to develop age friendly working practices. Other topics covered include details of how to apply for Covid-19 Additional Relief Scheme (CARF), an appeal for judges for the Worcestershire Primary School STEM Challenge, details of a new a new programme from Worcestershire County Council aimed at supporting organisations across the county to decarbonise to improve efficiency and reduce carbon emissions and much more.

Download the full newsletter here:

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKWYCHAVON/bulletins/3140b3c

This minibus trip to Pershore needs our support if we are to establish a regular service for the village. Hence we’re sending this notice out again. You could maybe pop into Number 8 to see Mark Zytynski’s free exhibition of photographic artworks and prints featuring trees and woodlands. Thank you. John, KIT editor, email:fladburykit@gmail.com

Minibus Trip to Pershore ? 10.30am Wednesday 27th April. With the help of the Pershore Volunteer Centre and Fladbury Parish Council, a trip has been arranged to visit Pershore for a couple of hours. You might want to visit the central market, get groceries from Asda/Tesco Express, do general shopping, visit the library, grab a cup of coffee with friends, stroll in the Abbey park, or just wander by the river. Pick ups, drop off & return trip: The minibus will pick up from The Chantry at 10:30, then at the junction of Farm Street and Paynes Lane, then finally at the centre of Butt Furlong. The drop off will be in the main (Asda) car park in Pershore adjacent to the central market. The return trip will depart from the same drop off point 2 hours later and will drop passengers at the three pick up points in Fladbury. Cost, limits & access: The cost is £3 per person, payable to the driver in an envelope with your name & address written on the outside. We are limiting the number to 10 passengers. This is to allow room for full shopping bags and any walking aids you need. The minibus has steps for access. It also has a Horizontal Lifting Platform — those with mobility limitations can use this under the control of the driver. Booking your seat The trip is on a first-come-first-served basis. John Bolt, tel: 860768 or mob: 07772495126, is coordinating this trip. Please give him a call to book your place and pick-up preference. This trip is a trial run. If successful, we hope to introduce a more permanent arrangement.

Evesham Operatic and Dramatic Society (EODS) presents “The Musical Alphabet” – a showcase of song & dance from musicals starting with A and ending with Z (ish) – some well known, some lesser known.  Either way, you’re in for a treat as EODS members tread the boards once again showing their talents through solos, group numbers, beautiful harmonies and of course excellent dance.

Please check out the Henrician website for full details and to order tickets.

This is an e-newsletter usually sent specifically to Parish Councils in Wychavon. However, this month’s edition contains a number of topics of interest to the wider community, including details of the resumption of bulky waste collections and also garden wast collections, information on the  £150 energy rebate payment that is to be made to all households in council tax bands A to D, how to apply for business apprenticeship funding and how to apply for the Prince’s Trust Team Programme for 16 ~ 25 year olds.

You can download and read the full newsletter here:

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKWYCHAVON/bulletins/310edaf

Wychavon District Council has an exceptional hardship fund financed by UK central government. Anyone who is a working age Wychavon district resident and who is currently receiving Council Tax Support can apply for help.

The Exceptional Hardship Fund can provide help if:

• you need to adjust to short-term, one-off financial circumstances 
• you are going through difficult one-off events that affect your finances
• you need help to prevent you from going through exceptional hardship

It should be understood that payments are discretionary and residents do not have a statutory right to a payment.

If you think that you may be eligible for help, you can apply online at:

https://www.wychavon.gov.uk/benefits-and-council-tax/benefits-advice/exceptional-hardship-fund

where full eligibility criteria are explained.

If you are planning to apply for financial help under this scheme, please let a member of Charlton Parish Council know in order that we can help support your application

The latest edition of Wychavon District Council’s Business e-newsletter is asking for help with translation for Ukrainian refugees arriving in the district. Business owners or employees who speak Ukrainian or Russian are asked to please get in touch with Wychavon District Council as soon as possible.

You can read the full e-newsletter including contact details here:

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKWYCHAVON/bulletins/310bd8a

Which? has advised of a convincing new scam email, purporting to come from Royal Mail, which invites victims to start a chatbot conversation about a parcel delivery which cannot be made due to a damaged label. Once it has your details, the chatbot then sneakily signs you up for expensive monthly subscriptions.

Clicking the link takes you to a different website, asking for your name, address, and payment details.

You can download the article from Which? here:

https://charlton-worcestershire.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Watch-out-for-this-Royal-Mail-chatbot-scam-–-Which-News.pdf

Please note that you cannot watch the embedded video, as this is a .pdf file, but you can read the full article.

The latest edition of Wychavon District Council’s business newsletter contains details of a new Upskilling Grant whereby local businesses could receive up to £2,000 towards the cost of taking on a new apprentice or trainee, an age-friendly workshop where attendees will learn about recruiting and retaining older staff, details of the Worcestershire Apprenticeships Awards which are returning in 2022 and much more.

You can download and view the full e-newsletter here:

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKWYCHAVON/bulletins/30f14de

Fladbury Social Club wishes to provide a means for Fladbury residents to help and support the people of Ukraine. You can download and read details of the events and actions they will be taking between 24th ~ 27th March here:

https://mailchi.mp/8d9b4e226a5c/fladbury-kitty-1-15944686?e=3501a6f3e4