Kings Bromley village news
Quick links
- Village news from Helen Price - 21st Feb 2019
- High-Speed Rail (West Midlands - Crewe) Bill
- Village Hall Refurbishment to start in March
- Village news from Helen Price - 14th Feb 2019
- Bins to be out by 6.30am from 25 Feb
- Village news from Helen Price - 7th Feb 2019
- Press Release from Staffordshire County Council
- Village news from Helen Price - 24/1/19
- Wanted
- Village news from Helen Price - 10th January 2019
- Village news from Helen Price - 3rd Jan 19
- Village news from Helen Price - 20th December
- Bin Stickers
- Village Hall Refurbishment latest
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Archived news
Older news items are retained on our archive page and you can use the following link to read them. View news archive

Alrewas Road
Village news from Helen Price - 21st Feb 2019
As sent to The Mercury
Wednesday Club
Our speaker in February was Jacqueline Smith from Nova Chocolates, a small specialised company
based in Shropshire, who talked to us about what she described as “the best job in the world” – the making and
selling of luxury handmade chocolate.
Jacqueline began with a brief history of chocolate beginning with the Mayan
people who it is believed created the first chocolate beverage some 2,500 years ago. The Maya harvested the seeds -- or
beans -- from cacao trees, fermented, dried and roasted them, removed their shells and ground them into paste. They then
combined this paste with water, cornmeal, chili peppers and other spices to create a nutritious drink.
Chocolate
first arrived in Europe in the 1550’s when it was introduced to the Spanish Court. London’s first Chocolate House
opened in 1657. Chocolate remained in beverage form until the 1800’s when British confectioners added sugar and cocoa
butter to create a malleable paste that could then be packaged as "eating chocolate." In 1868, the Cadbury company
manufactured and sold the first mass produced boxed chocolates, in addition to selling individual bars and chocolate
pieces. The processes involved in the manufacture of chocolate have remained essentially unchanged since the Industrial
Revolution.
Jacqueline then went on to talk about the potential health benefits of chocolate and small samples of
dark, milk and white chocolate were passed around for us to try.
The talk concluded with a demonstration on how to
make and decorate a simple chocolate lollipop. Lin, our Chair, having volunteered to “have a go” was meticulous in
ensuring that no chocolate went to waste!
There was then an opportunity to purchase from a range of handmade
chocolates including boxes, bars and lollipops. Needless to say, many of us took the opportunity!
Our next
meeting will be on Wednesday March 6th at 2.30pm in the Village Hall when we will be “Behind Bars” with Stephen
Geale.
Kings Bromley W.I.
Well, 7th February was a great night, the ladies of the KBWI gathered for
their Christmas meal. Late, but we like to have the event after Christmas as there is so much going on before and just
after.
We enjoyed the Royal Oak’s hospitality. Popular with the WI ladies, the food was exceptional. We
enjoyed either two or three courses, accompanied by whatever drink took the ladies’ fancy, followed by tea and coffee.
The quality of service was excellent as was the entertainment value of ‘John’; he’s worth his weight in gold!
All the food was out on time and that takes some doing with 33 ladies all talking at the same time. We had a great
raffle; the winners appeared well pleased with their prizes. A great time was had by all.
Any of the ladies of
the village who would like to come and join us, we meet the first Thursday of each month. Or why not just come along
and visit, as a guest? On the third Thursday afternoon of each month those who wish to, meet informally for a ‘tea
and chat’ from 2pm until 4pm at the Royal Oak. Some ladies bring their handicrafts along, but no pressure if you just
want some company you can be sure of a warm welcome.
High-Speed Rail (West Midlands - Crewe) Bill
Letter from HS2 entitled 'High-Speed Rail (West Midlands - Crewe) Bill
Many residents in the village have had a letter today from HS2 concerning documents relating to the above. The Parish
Council have copies of the documents and over the next few days will be going through them to look at any impact on the
Village. Our major concern remains the closure of Common Lane during the
Construction Phase (lasting 5
years).
When we have looked at the implications we will up-date the Parish Council web-site and let you know
what further actions the Parish Council need to take.
If any resident has specific concerns, then please
contact Charles Cole on charleswcole13@aol.com or phone 07768 465044.
As always, we will try to keep all
residents up to date with any developments.
Village Hall Refurbishment to start in March
The Parish Council is pleased to announce
The Parish Council is pleased to announce that the contract to carry out the refurbishment work has been awarded to
local firm RJK Construction.
Work will commence on 25th March and will take about 8 weeks.
Every
effort will be made to keep access to the main hall and upstairs rooms open, ask Julie Bamber for details concerning
your particular meetings. However, assume that the kitchen and toilets will be unavailable during this period: Portaloos
will be open outside.
The plans have changed slightly from those that have been displayed in the lobby for the
last few months. The revised plans will be displayed in the Village Hall during the 'Motherhood and Loss' playground
equipment launch event which will run from 2pm to 5pm on Saturday 2nd March. Representatives from the Parish Council
Working Group and from RJK will be there to answer questions and canvass opinions.
For those who have not yet
done so please 'Buy a Brick' as this work is only part of a continuing programme of refurbishment. We wish to thank
those village organisations and individuals who have already donated to the Refurbishment Fund, which now stands at over
£25,000. We would also like to thank 'Groundworks', the HS2 Community & Environment Fund, for their grant which has
made this work possible.
The Parish Council leases the Village Hall from the Lichfield Diocesan Trust. We have
received from the Trust the permissions to carry out this work and to obtain an extension to the current lease which
expires in 2035. The secretary to the Trust writes "... we pass on our grateful thanks to the Parish Council for making
this facility of enormous benefit to the local community".
Kings Bromley Parish Council.
Village news from Helen Price - 14th Feb 2019
As sent to The Mercury
Kings Bromley Gardening Guild
For the January meeting, Gardening Guild members and guests welcomed Zdenek
Valkoun-Walker from the Dorothy Clive Garden who came to talk on the subject 'Orchids Unravelled'. Zdenek gave a
fascinating and comprehensive talk, wanting to dispel the myth that the cultivation of orchids is difficult. He
mentioned the great variety of orchids, which make up the biggest plant family and most widespread plant on earth. They
are highly evolved, and range from big plants (the size and weight of a mini car!) to tiny (fitting into a thimble),
growing in the wild in India, Indonesia and Central and South America in cloud forests. Zdenek gave a lot of really
useful information on the orchid's growing requirements and finished by suggesting some easy orchids to grow.
Our
next meeting is on 18th February, when Helen Harrison will be coming to talk on a very topical subject: 'Snowdrops'.
Dedication Event at Kings Bromley Village Hall
On Saturday 2 March at 2pm, there will be an event in
Kings Bromley Village Hall to dedicate a new piece of playground equipment donated by a charity concerned with
Motherhood, Loss and the First World War. Everyone is welcome to come along to join in the celebration which will
include singing by the Village Harmony Choir, poetry readings, a display about World War One by Kings Bromley Historians
and refreshments provided by the WI. Entrance is free.
Coffee morning and Produce Sale, Saturday 16th
February
A coffee morning will be held on Saturday 16th February in the Village Hall from 10.30 am until noon
to raise Church funds. Entry is 50p which includes a cup of coffee. There will be a raffle, tombola and cake and
produce stalls. We would welcome donations for the raffle of good quality items, including bottles of wine etc. and
also cakes and produce. Please deliver raffle prizes and produce to Gill and Glen Wright at ‘Chaparral’, Yoxall
Road. If possible please bring cakes to the Village Hall on the Saturday morning. The usual delicious Bacon Butties
will also be available during the morning!
Bins to be out by 6.30am from 25 Feb
Residents who live in Lichfield District
Residents who live in Lichfield District and Tamworth Borough will need to put their bins out by 6.30am on their
collection day, starting from Monday 25 February.
Through the Lichfield and Tamworth Joint Waste Service,
Lichfield District Council and Tamworth Borough Council are asking that residents from across both areas put their bins
out 30 minutes earlier - by 6.30am rather than by 7am - on their collection day.
This is so bin collections can
start earlier, to avoid peak traffic and finish rounds in the light by 3.30pm, which is safer.
Cllr David
Leytham, Lichfield District Council’s Cabinet Member for Operational Services, Leisure & Waste,
said:
“We’ve moved the start of our bin rounds forward by 30 minutes as our crews are getting stuck in
traffic and have more homes to collect from as housing developments are built.
“Even if your bins are emptied
later in the day, please make sure they are out by 6.30am as we may change our rounds when we’ve worked out the best
routes.
“I’d like to thank everyone in advance for their help with this, however, as many bins go out the
night before, most households shouldn’t notice the change.”
From 25 February, if your bin has not been
emptied by 3.30pm, please report it as a missed bin online at www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/missedbins or call the team on 0345
002 0022.
To find out more about your bin collections, and what should go in each colour bin, visit
www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/bins.
Village news from Helen Price - 7th Feb 2019
As sent to The Mercury
Kings Bromley Whist Drives
Tuesday afternoon whist drives in the Village Hall begin at 1.30 for a prompt 2.00
pm start. They continue weekly due to popular demand. If you have not been before how about giving it a try, we play
friendly whist with a break for tea and coffee. Entrance £1.50 to cover the cost of hiring the Village
Hall.
Coffee morning and Produce Sale, Saturday 16th February
A coffee morning will be held on
Saturday 16th February in the Village Hall from 10.30 am until noon to raise Church funds. Entry is 50p which
includes a cup of coffee. There will be a raffle, tombola and cake and produce stalls. We would welcome donations for
the raffle of good quality items, including bottles of wine etc. and also cakes and produce. Please deliver raffle
prizes and produce to Gill and Glen Wright at ‘Chaparral’, Yoxall Road. If possible please bring cakes to the
Village Hall on the Saturday morning. The usual delicious Bacon Butties will also be available during the
morning!
Jumble Sale, Saturday 6th April 2019
The annual church jumble sale will take place at 2.00 pm
on Saturday 6th April at the Village Hall. We would be grateful for any items in good condition that we could sell –
clothes, small bric-a-brac, books etc. are all welcome but we cannot accept any electrical items or large furniture.
Please bring any items to the Hall on Saturday morning between 10.00 and 11.30. Should you have a problem transporting
items, give Peter Gee on 472157 and he will arrange transport.
Offers to help sort and sell the goods would be most
welcome – please contact Peter to confirm your availability.
Gardening Guild
Gardener’s thoughts
are now turning to spring with the hellebores flowering and bulbs starting to appear. The very topical theme for the
talk on 18th February in the Village Hall is “Snowdrops”; this talk was due to take place last February but had to
be cancelled, so members are looking forward to hearing Helen Harrison talk on this subject. New members and visitors
welcome.
Kings Bromley Bowling Club
Kings Bromley bowling club will be holding its AGM on Friday 15th
February at 7.30 pm in the Village Hall. We welcome existing members and prospective new members to the meeting which
will be followed by light refreshments.
Press Release from Staffordshire County Council
Measures aimed at reducing impact of HGV traffic come into force
Experimental traffic orders which could reduce HGV traffic movement along sections of a main rural road in Staffordshire
are set to come into force next month.
Communities living along the A515 have expressed concerns about
increased use of the road by HGVs, rather than using the A38 and A50 trunk roads.
Local parish councils and
residents took these concerns to the Staffordshire Freight and Communities Forum – which is made of a range or
organisations aiming to address issues related to HGV impact on communities. The forum investigated how their concerns
could be addressed in a practical and achievable way.
The issues mainly affect the villages of Draycott in the
Clay, Yoxall and Kings Bromley and the experimental order scheme will be community-driven.
Phase one of the
experimental orders scheme will see left and right turn bans for HGVs will introduced at three junctions on the A515 on
roads which lead to the A38.
These are the junctions with the B5016 in Yoxall, the A513 in Kings Bromley and
the C0183 Wood End Lane north of Lichfield. Signs have been installed to inform drivers of the new orders and businesses
from across the area have been informed. Regular traffic flow reviews will be carried out to assess the impact of the
orders.
These will be experimental orders lasting for a temporary period of 18 months. They will come into
force in late February.
Phase two will see local roads reclassified. The county council is making the case for
Wood End Lane to be improved through the HS2 construction programme, after which it can be reclassified as an A or B
road. The A513 and B5016 can then be reclassified to lower status roads so that weight restrictions could be
applied.
On the A515 speed limit buffer zones and gateways are being introduced in Yoxall and
Draycott-in-the-Clay.
Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for highways and transport
Helen Fisher said: “We are pleased that the experimental traffic orders will finally come into force in
February.
“We have worked closely with parish councils and other organisations through the freight forum to
find practical and achievable ways to address some of the concerns raised by HGV traffic on the A515.
“It was
important to everyone that we were able put forward measures that could be delivered promptly and with a relative ease.
Experimental traffic orders do just that and mean that we can monitor their effectiveness during the temporary period.
We can then make decisions on longer term measures or possible alternatives. If successful we can then look to
reclassify some local roads to make the measures even more effective.
“It is also important to note that this
is a community-led scheme and has been implemented in response to community concerns.
“We are confident these
measures can make a difference and that we have managed to get to this stage as a result of our work with the parish
councils and communities.”
The scheme is supported by the police who will carry out enforcement of
the orders.
Village news from Helen Price - 24/1/19
As sent to The Mercury
Kings Bromley Wednesday Club
Our final meeting of 2018 was a very enjoyable Christmas lunch at the Royal Oak.
Our thanks to Gillian and the team for all their hard work.
Continuing on a similar theme (food!) - our first
meeting of the New Year was a “Bring and Share” Tea and Quiz. Welcoming everyone our Chair, Lin, briefly outlined
the programme for 2019 which will include days out to Stratford upon Avon in May and the Anderton Boat Lift - one of the
'Seven Wonders of the Waterways' - in September.
The “Bring and Share” tea and quiz then got underway. Papers
were distributed and four teams competed against each other attempting to recall facts such as the number of Oliver
Cromwell’s children – the only US President to resign from office and the identity of the historical figure known as
Braveheart! Congratulations to the winning team who answered all but one question correctly and our thanks to Pauline
for, once again, organizing the quiz. The afternoon was a great success.
Our next meeting will be on Wednesday 6th
February at 2.30pm in the Village Hall when chocolatier Jacqueline Smith will talk about Luxury Handmade Chocolates.
Samples unfortunately not guaranteed! If you would like to join us please come along - you will be very welcome.
Wanted
Electric Piano for Kings Bromley Harmony Choir/ Next Event - Motherhood and Loss in WW1
The Kings Bromley Harmony Choir is looking for an electric piano
Is anyone is thinking of getting rid of
theirs/putting it up for sale in the spring clear-out?
Ideally it would be a full size keyboard, with 88 keys,
light weight and portable, touch sensitive, with an attachment to put a pedal on, with no extra effects or
buttons.
If you can help please contact our Choir Leader Kathryn Hopson on villageharmonychoir@gmail.com.
The choir goes from strength to strength. Our next event will be at the Village Hall on Sat. 2nd March at 2pm to
celebrate the Parish Council's obtaining a grant from the Motherhood and Loss in WW1 organisation which commemorates the
plight of families, especially mothers, who lost sons in the First World War. The grant is going towards play equipment
for younger children on the Village Hall playarea.
At this event the Historians will also put on a display
commemorating the 14 men from Kings Bromley who died in WW1, with an emphasis on those families who lost only sons or
multiple sons. There will be poetry readings from pupils from Richard Crosse school and the WI will be providing teas.
Village news from Helen Price - 10th January 2019
As sent to The Mercury
Kings Bromley WI
The Kings Bromley WI will be celebrating their 90th Birthday this year so we have lots to look
forward to, including a village bake off and a big Birthday bash. We had some new members to greet from the
neighbouring Alrewas WI who sadly closed after 100 years.
We started our meeting with the usual business and
then had a visual presentation from Norman Rubines, a photographer with over 40 years experience. He owns and runs the
Ruby Studios in Tamworth. He told us about how he started out as a newspaper photographer and now has his own studio.
He had a fabulous display of photos to exhibit and showed us lots of images from photo shoots, alongside a little
history and some funny stories. It was very engaging and easy to see how he was a prize-winning photographer. We saw a
recent series of photos raising money for Prostate Cancer UK, called Men in Black (and white).
We held a
raffle and then enjoyed some social time. The next meeting will be held at the Royal Oak with a meal on 7th February
from 7pm.
Village news from Helen Price - 3rd Jan 19
As sent to The Mercury
Kings Bromley Whist Drives
Tuesday afternoon whist drives in the Village Hall will restart after Christmas on
8th January at the usual time, 1.30 for a prompt 2.00 pm start. They will continue weekly due to popular demand. If
you have not been before how about giving it a try, we play friendly whist with a break for tea and coffee.
Entrance
is £1.50 to cover the cost of hiring the Village Hall.
HS2 Community and Environment Fund Award
The
Kings Bromley Parish Council and Village Hall Committee are delighted to announce that we have been awarded a
contribution of £50,000 towards the Kings Bromley Village Hall Refurbishment project from the Phase One HS2 Community
and Environment Fund.
The Fund supports local communities that are demonstrably disrupted by the construction
of Phase One of the brand new high-speed railway which is being built between London and the West
Midlands.
This means that, with the generous donations already received from village organisations and
residents, we are now able to go ahead with the tendering process.
Following earlier consultation with members
of the local community, the plans have been amended to incorporate suggested improvements. The project will include a
major upgrade of the kitchen and toilet facilities together with improvements to the lobby area.
We hope you
will all be as pleased as we are that we can finally give the Village Hall the ‘facelift’ badly needed and we shall
continue with our fund-raising activities through the sale of bricks and approaches to other funding sources, so that we
can hopefully also make some improvements to the main hall area.
Village news from Helen Price - 20th December
As sent to The Mercury
Kings Bromley Harmony Choir
The village choir gave a splendid concert in church on Saturday 8th December
consisting of carols and a variety of songs, both Christmassy and non-seasonal. It was almost a year to the day since
the choir gave their first public performance, also in church, and the number of choir members has grown substantially
since then.
Despite very wet weather, there was a very good attendance to enjoy the afternoon. Kathryn, choir
leader, had also brought two of her pupils along and they gave excellent solo performances. Tea and mince pies were
served during the interval.
Thanks to Kathryn and the choir for an excellent concert and also to everyone who
came to support them.
Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal
Kings Bromley’s local appeal, including
collection boxes from businesses in the district and donations from village organisations, is so far £3,573.54, an
amazing achievement, believed to be a record for the village. The house-to-house collections raised £776.09 of the
above total so thanks to all the collectors.
Kings Bromley Historians
Our first taste of
‘Christmas Past and Present’ was a view of Stonehenge. Mary Bodfish, our speaker, explained that not only was it a
sacred site for the summer but also the winter solstice. The sun was fading in the sky and to ensure its return,
evergreens and berries were used to represent returning life.
The Roman sun god was Saturn, hence their
winter festival Saturnalia. For the Persians it was Mithras who was celebrated on December 25th, the shortest day
according to the Julian calendar. When finally Christianity reached Rome, the Emperor Constantine decreed that
Christians could worship openly and that the date of Christ’s birth be fixed as December 25th. In the orthodox church
it is 6th January.
The tradition of the Christmas tree began with Queen Charlotte. It was also mentioned in
the diary of the 13 year old future Queen Victoria “after dinner two trees hung with lights and ornaments”. Martin
Luther decorated a fir tree with candles, a tradition carried on until 1903, when EverReady produced a string of
electric tree lights. Much safer!
Father Christmas began life as Captain Christmas in a play by Ben Johnson.
Also he appeared in early mummers plays together with the characters Mince Pie, Carol and Wassail. December 6th is the
feast day of St Nicholas , whose name became Santa Claus.
Mary was a great theatrical orator and we all
enjoyed her presentation.
The following day was Christmas lunch at the Royal Oak, where we all enjoyed an
excellent meal. Allan Howard spoke of the highlights of last year and Lynne outlined considerable progress made in the
Archive.
Following our Christmas walk on 30th December, our next meeting will be in the Village Hall on
January 25th at 8.00 pm when Allan will talk about Major General Sir Ronald Bertram Lane. All are welcome.
Bin Stickers
Bin stickers to promote better recycling habits
Stickers to remind local households that black bin liners should not be used in blue bins.
Through the Lichfield and
Tamworth Joint Waste Service, Lichfield District Council and Tamworth Borough Council are busy putting stickers on all
blue bins across Lichfield, Burntwood, Tamworth and the surrounding areas.
The stickers warn local households that
black bin bags should not be used in blue bins, and that bins will not be emptied if they are.
This comes after five
truck-loads of recycling were recently turned away from the recycling sorting plant due to recycling being contaminated
with black bin liners.
If a load of recycling is rejected, unfortunately it ends up being sent to landfill, which
costs more, wastes other people’s recycling efforts, and is bad for the environment.
Councillor David Leytham,
Lichfield District Council’s Cabinet Member for Operational Services, Leisure & Waste, said: “To reduce the chance
of recycling being rejected by our sorting plant, we need to make sure our residents know what can and can’t go in
blue bins.
“This is why we’re putting stickers on blue bin lids, so everyone is aware that we won’t empty the
bin if it contains recycling in black bin bags.
“Our preference is for recycling to be loose in your blue bin.
However, if you want to bag it, please use a clear bag or simply empty the bag of recycling into your blue bin and then
reuse the plastic bag.”
For more advice about how to recycle and what to recycle, go to
www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/wasteless where you can download the Waste Less guide.
Village Hall Refurbishment latest
HS2 COMMUNITY AND ENVIRONMENT FUND AWARD
The Kings Bromley Parish Council and Village Hall Committee are delighted to announce that we have been awarded a
contribution of £50,000 towards the Kings Bromley Village Hall Refurbishment project, from the Phase One HS2 Community
and Environment Fund.
The Fund supports local communities and that are demonstrably disrupted by the construction of
Phase One of the brand new high speed railway which is being built between London and the West Midlands.
This means
that, with the generous donations already received from village organisations and residents, we are now able to go ahead
with the tendering process.
Following earlier consultation with members of the local community, the plans have been
amended to incorporate suggested improvements.
The project will include a major upgrade of the kitchen and toilet
facilities together with improvements to the lobby area.
We hope that you will all be as pleased as we are that we
can finally give the Village Hall the “face lift” it badly needs and we shall continue with our fund-raising
activities through the sale of bricks and approaches to other funding sources, so that we can hopefully also make some
improvements to the main hall area.
We hope that we will be able to create a really fine Village Hall of which we
can all be proud and which will attract more members of the community and surrounding area to use its facilities in the
future.