Tag Archives: volunteers

Licencing Pre-Application Meeting – 30th January 2020

Posted on by

Please be advised that the PIP committee will be applying for its new premises license in early February.

We had a license granted previously but was limited to 3 years so that the local authority could monitor the events to make sure that we did uphold to all the conditions and safety requirements.  We have had nothing but praise from them and they are happy for us to apply again for a permanent license to enable us to run the annual event plus any small events like the community clean and possibly an open air cinema free for residents.

The licensing team at Taunton Deane now make having a pre application mediation meeting a condition which is a sensible thing. When we made the application last time there were a few concerns from some residents which were alleviated at a face to face meeting. Unfortunately there were also quite a few rumours about large scale commercial events and things like firework displays which were not true and only stirred up more concerns and delayed our application.

There will be an open meeting at the village hall on 30th January 2020,18:00 – 19:00 in the upstairs meeting room and two committee members will be available to answer any questions or concerns you might have. If you would prefer you can email us on pip@creechstmichael.net or leave us a message on 01823 445056.

Please note that this event is organised and run completely by volunteers to encourage community spirit and raise funds for other community events and groups in our parish. Some of the events and donations made so far that have benefited the local community are:

Fish & Chip Lunch

In January 2017, 2018 & 2019 with the help of a large team of volunteers we laid on a free fish and chip lunch with bingo (starring our own David Fothergill as bingo caller) for the over 60’s at the village hall. Due to the popularity of this event we be running it again in 2020.  This event is attended by over 100 residents and it is a good place for people to meet and socialise.

Creech Clean Up Days

PIP organised and funded a second clean up day this year which was very well attended and again managed to clean up a whole trailer of rubbish and
litter. There was then a BBQ with chips from LayzRicks paid for from the funds and lots of fun and games laid on for the children. We would like to hold
this event twice a year so if you would like to be involved or even help organise, please get in touch.

For the Youths of the Parish

PIP has been able to make donations to Pre School, Primary School and the Baptist Church to be used for various projects over the past couple of years.

Remembering The Fallen in WW1

A donation to sponsor a tree for each of the fallen soldiers from WW1 was made to the Somerset Wood project this year.

Other Donations

Thanks to our volunteer group of “Phone Box Ninjas” we have donated the funds to replace all the glass in the tatty phone box in St Michaels road which has had a lovely coat of paint. This phone box houses the new defibrillator cabinet which we also contributed to, along with the defibrillators in other locations around the parish.

A bench was also purchased and installed at the end of Hyde Lane this year.

Another donation was made towards making the pathway safe to the canal which was recently completed.

We have also be able to purchase a lot of equipment for the recreation ground, some of which was stolen late late year but was insured thankfully.

If you have any ideas for worthwhile projects in the parish let us know.

post

Notes from Planning Meeting – 6th June 2019

Posted on by

With less than a month to go til this year’s Party in the Park, the committee had lots to discuss at their recent meeting.

Present:  Adrian, Steve, Simon, Jo, Colin, Charlie, Dee, Nigel, Clare

Site preparation: we are arranging for the grass to be cut prior to the event and improved fencing to make the site more secure. Charlie is building us steps to access the stage.

Site layout:  much discussion took place on where to put the toilets! We have more loos this year for both men and women and as such may have to re-think where they are located.  We also have bigger inflatables which need careful consideration due to the logistics of power cables.  The team decided to meet up at the field later in the month to discuss further. We discussed lighting and confirmed it will be improved for the end of the evening to help people navigate the field when they leave.

Site security:  sadly, we had some trouble last year with teens.  Our professional security team will be patrolling the gate and site to ensure no under-age drinking takes place.  Under age drinkers will be escorted off site along with their appropriate adult. Alcohol not purchased on site will be confiscated. The team are volunteers organising an event for the whole community and should not have to put up with abuse from anyone of any age.  We will have a zero-tolerance policy on drunken or abusive behaviour towards both our volunteers and security team and offenders will be removed from site.

Posters:  posters have been printed and distributed throughout the team to put up around the village and local areas. (see below if you can help with posters)

Rubbish and recycling: we are improving the ability to sort out rubbish on the day. Our clean up volunteers had quite the job last year on the Sunday attempting to separate the landfill waste form the recycling.  It was a hard messy job that required strong marigolds! We’re hoping to improve the sorting this year with better signage on the bins and lids on some which will only be for certain recycling eg cans/bottles.

Weather:  we spent far too much time discussing the weather!  The event WILL take place whatever the weather, but obviously contingency plans need to be in place if the worst happens.  We will be monitoring the weather forecast closely and if heavy rain looks likely then we will put plans in place to protect the stage and other electrics fully.

Raffle:  we have some absolutely amazing prizes for the raffle this year which we will be advertising soon.  We will be selling tickets throughout the day and nighttime event and the raffle will be drawn the following day.  All proceeds from the raffle will be split between the stroke ward at Musgrove Hospital and another charity of Mandy Knight’s choosing to honour her late husband David Knight, who was a key member of the PIP team.

Tickets:  Teen tickets are very nearly sold out, and child tickets are running low.  Plenty of adult tickets are still available.  Tickets can be purchased at Creech School Fair of Friday 14th June 3.45-5.30pm or see the tickets page.

How can YOU help?

We always need volunteers for jobs big and small in the run up to the event, on the day, and following the event.  If you can help – for as much or as little as you are able – we would love to hear from you.  Email us, message us on Facebook or speak to one of the team about how you can get involved.  We currently need help with:

  1. Poster distribution – are you able to put up a poster at your work or a notice board near you?  Posters available to download and print or you can contact us to request a paper copy.
  2. Friday  – we need strong bodies on the day before the event for lots of manual jobs at the field.  Please let us know if you can help.
  3. Saturday clean-up – bins need to be emptied, toilets need to checked/cleaned, field needs to be setup for evening, rubbish cleared from field.
  4. Sunday clean-up – many hands make light work!  If you can help clear the site the next morning please just turn up and dig in.
post

Creech Community Clean Up Day – Saturday 11th May 2019

Posted on by

To celebrate Somerset Day on 11th May, we hosted our 2nd community spring clean of the village and were absolutely blown away by the fantastic turn out of people.

Over 100 adults and children of all ages came together to litter pick around the village and deal with overgrown bushes and weeds. One of our volunteers even bravely tethered himself to a rope enabling him to get up close to the canal and retrieve the large quantities of rubbish on its bank (thank you Charlie!) . The two hours of sprucing up the village yielded random finds such as tyres, huge picture frames and even a house phone!

Joining in the volunteering were several Creech Parish Councillors, Somerset County Councillor David Fothergill and local Rev Rebecca Harris.

Following the clean up, the volunteers were treated to a free BBQ cooked by Adrian and Steve and chips from Layz Ricks.   Family games including giant connect 4, rounders and limbo were available for all to use and the kids had a fab time playing in the park in the sunshine.

The organising committee said:

“We are really pleased that Creech Party in the Park continues to be a successful event which allows us to put proceeds back into the village. We were delighted that so many children helped with the clean up day as it’s fantastic to see the different generations coming together”

In addition to organising the clean-up, Creech Party in the Park has also donated funds to the local primary school, pre-school and Baptist church for children’s clubs. It has provided park benches, phone box refurbishment, defib and funded OAP lunches. It has also funded 20 trees to be planted as part of the Somerset Wood Memorial Project.

Huge thanks to Dee for organising this great community event.

Free Fish & Chip Lunch

Posted on by

On Friday 18th January 2019 Creech Party in the Park (PIP) provided a free fish and chip lunch for a group of over 60s.

pip-lunch

Around 120 locals were treated to a lunch of fish, sausage or veggie burger courtesy of PIP.

The event was held in the village hall, and Layz Ricks provided the delicious main course. Pudding was a selection of shop bought delights in addition to a lovely home made gluten free cheesecake (thank you Tina!).

layz-ricks

Creech St Michael Primary School sent along six school ambassadors to help serve up the food, accompanied by Mrs Perham and the Headteacher Mrs McCarthy. The children did a fantastic job of shuttling the food between the mobile van and the hall and serving up mushy peas, but their favourite job was wheeling round the dessert trolly full of tasty treats! They were treated to lunch and cake afterwards for all their hard work.

Following lunch and pudding there was time for a quick cuppa and a biscuit before the bingo started. Several games were played, with boxes of chocolates given out as prizes. We were once again joined by Somerset County Council leader Cllr David Fothergill who performed outstandingly as the bingo caller, assisted by PIP organiser Clare.

A BBC film crew were also in attendance at the event, filming Cllr Fothergill for an upcoming episode of Panorama about Social Care. They interviewed some of the locals too so you may see some familiar faces on TV soon!

Although not quite up to the BBC standards, we also had our own roving reporters on hand in the form Andrew and Jo who did a fab job of capturing the day in pictures and video.

Behind the scenes Gill, Karen, Tina and Renee were hard at work in the kitchen washing up. Although we didn’t see them much – we very much appreciate them keeping the mountain of plates under control!

The whole event was funded by the proceeds of PIP. As a non-profit event we aim to support good causes in the local area every year. Please let us know if you have any suggestions for groups that could benefit from PIP funds.

This lunch, and indeed Creech Party in the Park would not be possible without the invaluable help of volunteers, who give up so much of their time. A huge thank you goes to: Adrian, Andrew, Charlie, Clare, Colin, Corinne, David Fothergill, Gemma, Gill, Jo, Karen, Mina, Nigel, Renee, schoolchildren, Simon, Steve and Tina.

January Planning Meeting

Posted on by

The organising committee met on 15th January with Adrian, Charlie, Colin, Steve, Dee, Nigel and Jo in attendance. Lots of items were discussed, including:

Site Safety. The fencing and lighting is all in hand, and will be improved this year to ensure continued safety. We have once again booked a professional security firm for the After Dark event, and First Aid cover has been arranged for both day and night.

Equipment purchases. We agreed to buy a selection of gazebos, tables and chairs to use for this and future events.

Food Vendors. We will once again have a wide variety of hot food both day and night. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for full details being announced in due course. We can confirm the following types of stall will be in attendance: Fish & Chips, Ice Cream, Pancakes, Burgers, Sausages, Sweets, Mexican, Pizza and Noodles.

Stalls. Applications from a range of stallholders are coming in thick and fast and we will have a selection of community, commercial and charity stalls. If you would like an application form for your group please email: info@creechpartyinthepark.com

After Dark Tickets. Adult and teen tickets will go up slightly this year, but child tickets will remain the same price. Tickets will go on sale in the Spring and will be advertised around the village first, and then on Facebook and the website. Prices as follows and no child/teen tickets will be issued without appropriate number of accompanying adult tickets.

  • Adult (18+) – £6
  • Teen (13-17) – £4
  • Child (5-12) – £1
  • Under 5’s – FREE

Bar and Gin Bar. Licence is secured for the event thanks to committee members Steve and Claire holding personal licences for the event. Exciting news is that we plan to have a special Gin Bar at the event this year. Look out for posts on Facebook soon asking for your favourite gin recommendations.

Recycling & Rubbish. Viridor is booked to take away our waste on the Sunday. We will once again use fully compostable cups at the bar. We are looking at how we can improve recycling on site as despite signage recycling/rubbish always seem to end up in the same bins – meaning a lot of manual sorting out by volunteers the next day – not a pleasant job! If anyone has any ideas please let us know.

Bands. Thank you for the suggestions on Facebook for bands. We have our headline band booked and are currently checking availability of others and will announce full lineup ASAP.

Fish and Chip lunch. Some of the proceeds from PIP will be used on Friday 18 January to give local over 60s a free lunch at the village hall. This is the 3rd year PIP has funded this. Full write up of this years event will be published after Friday.

Somerset Day. After the success of the clean up day last year we are hoping to do a similar event to coincide with Somerset Day on 11th May. Save the date and we will announce more details in due course.

Somerset Wood Project. We discussed donating funds for this project which plants trees in honor of fallen soldiers from the Parish. Agreed we will help. Full details will be posted in a later article.

Volunteers. As usual we need volunteers for before, during and after the event. We are currently putting together a list of specific jobs that need doing and will publish this ASAP.

If you would like to get involved in this event please let us know on info@creechpartyinthepark.com