Brill Parish Council Newsletter

December 2022 (issue 15)

Bucks Children’s Gift Appeal

We put this item at the top because the deadline for donating is this weekend - so don’t delay!

Coordinated by the charity Inspire Bucks, this appeal is raising money to buy presents and gift cards for Buckinghamshire children whose families are facing difficulties and for young people leaving the Council’s care. Inspire Bucks hopes this will bring a bit of brightness to what continues to be a really tough and difficult time for many families in Buckinghamshire.

Click the button to donate.

Keeping warm and well this winter

There’s a new page on the Brill Parish Council website pulling together information on regular community events and venues, including coffee mornings, lunches, and pub and Club opening times. The following information may also be helpful:

For door-to-door transport for GP, clinic and hospital appointments, call Judy Basford ‭01844 237279‬. Judy coordinates a team of volunteer drivers for Age Concern Bernwode. (New volunteers always needed!)

If you need medicines collected from Brill Surgery and delivered to your home, please call Jenny ‭Edmans 01844 237855‬. Jenny likewise has a number of volunteers to help her with this service.

If you’re concerned about heating bills, there’s some excellent information on the Met Office website around keeping costs as low as possible and using your heating cost-effectively.

If you are struggling to pay your bills, the official advice is to first contact your energy supplier (you’ll find contact details on your most recent bill). There’s lots of further advice and information on the government’s website and on the Bucks Council Cost of Living pages.

If you would like to make your home more energy efficient, you may be eligible for a government grant to fund home improvements - but hurry! The deadline to apply is December 31st 2022. Find out more on the Bucks Council website. The grants are available to both home owners and private renters.

If you don’t have the internet and want to know more about any of the things listed above, please phone (01844 238662) or call into the parish council office to speak with Bobs Daverell, the clerk. He will happily help you access the Bucks Council website, in confidence.

Parking on Sun Corner

“Sun Corner” is the junction of Windmill, Temple and High Streets; so-called because the building opposite Brill Stores used to be the Sun Hotel and pub.

Our poll at the beginning of this year identified parking on this junction as one of your two major traffic-related concerns. In order to get expert advice and an idea of our options from the Bucks Parking Team, we need to demonstrate support of residents. To this end, we are gathering names and addresses in a simple petition on Facebook. If you’re on Facebook, click the orange button to sign the petition. If you’re not on Facebook, and would like to support this initiative, please email the Parish Council or call in to the office (see contact details at the end of this newsletter).

Your joint-first concern was speeding so we’re pleased to announce (at last!) that the order for two Speed Indicator Devices (SIDs) has now been finalised through the Haddenham & Waddesdon Community Board. We don’t know when the SIDs will be installed but we’ll keep you posted! Steven Judge, the parish councillor responsible for Roads and Traffic, is pulling together a small team of residents to help with the management of the SIDs (checking and moving them, looking at the data produced) so, if you’d like to be involved, please email Steven.

Another year over…

Eagle-eyed readers will have noticed that the parish council website is now called the Brill Parish Council & Community Website. We made this small change because without the community of Brill - in the village and beyond - there wouldn’t be a parish council. Our sole purpose is to serve the community; to listen to your views, understand your needs, and take a lead on making Brill a safe, sustainable, harmonious, and productive place to live, work and visit.

Community turned out to be our watchword for 2022. First, the enthusiasm and joyfulness of the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, when members of the PC worked with a wonderful team of volunteers to bring about the beacon, which attracted people from far and near, the (rather chilly) village picnic and, above all, the brilliant display of homemade flags.

Second, well before the Jubilee, the Brill With Ukraine group was launched, initiated by two councillors working alongside other members of the community. The group has gone from strength to strength, enabling us to proudly welcome six Ukrainian families to Brill.

If the windmill is the jewel in Brill’s crown, then Brill Common is the crown itself - and 2022 heralded an exciting new phase in the life and management of this unique and beautiful area of open countryside. Guided by the Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) Land Advice Service, we formed the Brill Common & Village Greens Advisory Group to harness the energy and expertise of community groups into one coherent management plan.

Continuing the community theme, we hope you’re as pleased with the Community Bulletin Boards as we are! It’s great seeing them covered with lively notices for village events and services - but please remember there are THREE boards; the one between The Green and The Firs sometimes feels a bit unloved…

And talking about getting together, we’re delighted that the Brill Community Market is gradually building up strength. We will continue to fly the parish council banner there every third Saturday next year - so please do come along, have a coffee, do some gentle local shopping - and talk to us.

And a new one just begun …

And, finally…

Please tell others about this e-newsletter. Lots of people aren’t on Facebook or comfortable with social media, and we want to reach all parishioners equally. We also value the opportunity to give something extra to subscribers - longer explanations or different perspectives - than is possible on the website.

Tell friends, family or neighbours to email hello@brillparishcouncil.co.uk or fill in the newsletter form on the Brill Parish Council website. Alternatively, if they’d like a regular paper copy, suggest they drop us a note or call in to the office. We’ll even deliver if need be! There will also be copies of the newsletter in the pouch on the office door, and on the welcome table in All Saints Church.

All good wishes
Brill Parish Council