After a promising start in June, July and August ended up a bit wet!! However, in between the showers it has been lovely seeing lots of residents out and about. We hope all our residents have managed to enjoy the summer despite the weather. There is lots going on as we head into Autumn and Winter.
Skate Park
The skate park was opened to much excitement and queuing to get in just two days before the schools closed for the holidays. It has been packed for most of the summer. We have received such positive feedback from the users and we have heard that all the users, whatever their age, have been helpful and courteous to each other, which is lovely to hear. Please can we ask that you keep off the soil areas, wherever possible, to give the grass seed a chance to grow.
At the time of writing, we are planning on holding the official opening event on Sunday 3rd September 11am – 2pm.
On the day we will have:
- Competitions
- FREE lessons
- Rossi’s Ice Cream van
- Simply Hog offering hot food
It is set to be a fun event and we are hoping the weather will be kind so even those not participating can bring a picnic blanket down and stay to watch all the fun. Please be aware that there will be limited parking on site for the event. Therefore, please walk or use Crossway Manor car park (next to the Doctors). More information can be found at https://fb.me/e/2RZPbYzZ8
Safe Path to School
As park of the new Skate Park design, a new path has been constructed at the top of the car park to provide a safe walking route for children to access the Junior School main entrance to avoid them having to cross the car park. We have worked with the school on this and they are arranging for a zebra crossing to be painted on the road and the spaces opposite the school sign by the pedestrian entrance to have collapsible bollards installed that can be raised during the school drop off and pick up to prevent cars parking where children are crossing.
We would like to remind residents that whilst we have provided this new footpath for the school children, the car park is for the users of the Community Centre and Hartletts Park, it is NOT the school car park. We therefore encourage parents/carers to walk to school or use the Crossway Manor car park (next to the Doctors). It is free to use before 9am and you can get a free one-hour ticket in the afternoons.
Sports Pavilion – Public Consultation
You should have received a leaflet through your door telling you all about the proposed Sports Pavilion that we plan to build to service the sports pitches on North East Hook (near Whitewater Meadows/Green Hart Park development). The facilities planned to be built will enable users to not only have changing facilities for themselves but also for visiting sports clubs and a function area. We hope this new facility will help put Hook on the map as the place to come and play matches and encourage residents to take up a sport that they might otherwise have had to travel to get to. Public consultation events are taking place on 30th August, 5th and 14th September at the Community Centre. All the information and a feedback/comment form is online at https://bit.ly/44W2SmO if you are unable to make the consultation events.
Basket Swing – Hartletts Park Play Area
We have replaced the basket swing in the Hartletts Park playground as the edges were badly worn. The new swing is looking very smart and has certainly been in use a lot over the summer.
Parish Council Vacancy
- Are you passionate about Hook?
- Do you want to have more of a say in how your precept is spent?
- Do you want to help continue to make Hook a great place to live and work?
We have a post-election vacancy on the Parish Council to be filled via the co-option process. Parish Councillors serve a 4-year term. The roles are unpaid (although allowances are available) and you will be required to attend a minimum of 1 Council meeting per month. Additional meetings will need to be attended and the frequency is dependent on which Committees you decide to sit on.
If you are interested, we recommend coming to talk to our Clerk or an existing Councillor and attending some of our meetings, to get a clear idea of what is involved in this valuable and important role. All meetings are open to the public to attend. The meeting calendar and all contact details can be found on our website https://bit.ly/3RZpltp
Echo Hotel Music Club (EHMC)
EHMC have added another date to their calendar of gigs. In the coming months you have two to choose from. Coming up first is Jack J Hutchinson Band with Support: No Good Sons on 30th September, followed by Gorilla Riot who are making a return visit to EHMC on 18th November. For more information and details on where to buy tickets please see page XXX or go to https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/hooklive