Blackheath Village Society AGM
30th May 2023

Blackheath Village Society AGM
30th May 2023
Blackheath Village Hall

Present:
Paul Brodie, Anne Jenkins, David Grisley, Shelley & Max Grisley, Charlie Bennett,
Patricia & David Allen, Paul & Jan Cope, Laura Terry, Max Gibbs, Richard Grey, Ralph
Broadbent , Amelia Taylor, Sarah Melhuish, Carmina Harlow, Felicity Christine, Nick
Morris, Linda Williams, Cheryl Braime, Christina Hartshorn, Peter Walshaw, Gay Harvey,
Ben Moore, Jane & Colin Hayward, Jackie Beadle, Dick & Jane Hume, Jane Hunter,
Carol Gibbons, Oscar & Helen Suarez, Graham Hayward, Gina & David Bushell

Apologies:
Penny Kirkwood, Simon & Alex Jones, Alistair Taylor, Henia & Hamish Whiteman, Helen
Brodie, Reverend David Peters, Paul & Elaine Vincent, Mia Dunkley, Patrick & Hilary
Venning.

1. The minutes of the last meeting dated 22nd March 2022:
These were agreed, proposed by Max Gibbs and seconded by Ralph Broadbent.

2. Matters Arising:
No matters were arising in connection with the minutes of the last meeting.

3. Chairman’s Report:
A full copy of the Chairman’s report is available on request and a summary of the
presentation by David Grisley is as follows:

David thanked the Committee members of the BVS individually for their work and efforts
over the last 12 month period. He commended Charlie Bennett for his work in connection
with the new website and also would like to thank Graham Webb for his help and the
pictures supplied by Jayne Barlow.
He pointed out that the “flickr" page is available for additional pictures, with the “shoot
out” page available for residents’ contributions. Further pages include a page for
residents' preferred charities and mail shots will continue to be sent out by Simon Jones,
as required. David stated that we have a facility to take payments for events, but our
objective is to charge as little as possible for any future activities.

Street Party (2022):
This attracted over 200 residents and guests and made a profit of about £600. Thanks
were offered to Brett Davis for the hog roast and Jayne Barlow for designing the mugs
which were hugely successful - we have bought some today for you to take free of
charge.

Summer BBQ (2022):
Thanks were offered to Jackie Beadle and Colin Hayward for arranging the children’s
games and party. This was a very successful event and will be part of our annual fixture.
We broke even with the contributions provided by the residents.

Bonfire Night (2022):
This again was a very successful event in combination with the cricket club, but in the
future we would like to consider having a Blackheath bonfire party solely for the residents
in the future.

Christmas Party (2022):
This was held in the Village Hall and thanks were offered to Laura Terry and her
daughters for her help and assistance, with all donations going to the Ukraine Appeal.

Village Fair (2023):
This was a huge undertaking and we are very grateful to Simon Jones for his hard work
restarting the fair after a four-year absence. In the future, we propose to hold the fair
every other year in the future. It was however a success as the fair was slightly smaller
this year with limited car parking and a number of the stalls were very well received.
This included the Morris dancers, dunk the vicar, plant stall, and other traditional games,
which really added to the community spirit. Thanks were offered to the sponsorship
offered by House Partnership at £1,500 and to Barnett Hill for providing all the meat for
the BBQ.
David confirmed that we netted a profit in excess of £8,000 and part of this will be
donated to local organisations for their help and for community projects in Blackheath
Village.
Furthermore, a BVS Finance Committee will be established to agree on the distribution
of any funds once they have received representations from residents and other local
organisations seeking funding.

Coronation Party (2023):
David would like to thank Vicky for all of her help in preparing the coronation chicken,
with additional special thanks to Ralph for the professional music played by him and his
family. The event broke even and was a huge success.

The Villagers Public House:
This is now in the hands of Waverley Borough Council and it will be up to the
enforcement officer to instigate any proceedings against the owner for non-compliance of
condition 2 of the planning consent.

Blackheath Common:
There is no doubt that we will have to be vigilant regarding the threat of fires this year, as
it is predicted to be a very hot summer. The BVS will be in discussion with the
countryside ranger and fire department to promote preventative measures throughout
the village.

Vans in Blackheath Lane:
The BVS has raised this issue with both Waverley Borough Council and James Herbert
as the landowner. Consultations are being carried out between residents at Blackheath
and Michael Goodridge as our Borough Councillor and we will continue to monitor the
situation.

Traffic Calming:
It was confirmed that the posts/pinch points need to be repaired & replaced - this has
been reported to Surrey County Council Highways.
The road signs also need to be renovated and thanks was offered to Peter Walshaw and
Sam Purvis for mending and repairing one of the signs in Littleford Lane. This process
needs to be carried out on all of the remaining signs.

Verges:
David expressed his concern about the continued erosion of the verges and is proposing
to set up a BVS working party to consult widely with the village as soon as possible. Any
remedial work that can be done to stop the road from being widened will be considered.
This point was raised again under “any other business,” as detailed below.

Coffee Van:
Sophie runs a very successful facility in the old pub car park and we would like to thank
her for her contributions to this year’s fair by operating her stall during the afternoon.

Cricket Club:
It was confirmed that a sub-committee of the BVS had consultations with the cricket club
over the last twelve months and would like to thank Nick Harrison for taking on-board all
of our concerns and suggestions regarding traffic congestion, parking issues on busy
Friday nights.

Village Hall:
David thanked the Village Hall Committee for allowing us to use this facility for tonight’s
meeting. He proposed that a member of the Village Hall Committee would attend any
future BVS meetings. Graham Hayward will discuss this at their next meeting and advise
us who will represent the Village Hall at the BVS meetings.

Future Events:
In recognising the fantastic facilities our Village has in the Village Hall and the Cricket
Club, David committed to work with both venues to explore the potential for staging more
events in the Village.

4. Treasurer’s Report:
Anne was thanked for taking on the role of treasurer and she reported a deficit of £1,602
for the year ending December 2022. It was pointed out during the course of the meeting
that were some anomalies with the figures. The reports & accounts will be amended and
re-distributed when they have been corrected and signed off as accurate.

5. Committee Members:
Paul thanked everyone for their contribution as Committee members and there were no
other volunteers to join the BVS Committee. Therefore, it was agreed that the present
Committee would remain in place.

6. Any Other Business:
The Villagers Pub - Jan Cope requested confirmation that no further funds would be
spent in connection to the Villagers Pub by the BVS. David stated that the BVS could not
commit to this as it is unknown what may unfold in the future, but confirmed that currently
there is no cause or intention to spend BVS funds on the Pub. Colin Hayward seconded
this statement.

Verges - It was suggested that we locate large posts in certain sections of the village to
protect the verges and it was generally agreed that we should set up a new BVS sub-
committee which would also include Colin Hayward and David Bushill to discuss the
various options available to us. There was a general discussion which included
contributions by Max Gibbs, Jane Hunter, Charlie Bennett and Graham Hayward. They
expressed different options why the verges were being eroded and it was agreed that
this matter should be dealt with by the BVS sub-committee and recommendations will be
proposed for the residents of Blackheath village to consider.

This Way That Way Sign - Paul Cope has requested that the BVS undertake to repair
and reinstall the sign correctly. Later discussions confirmed that Peter Walshaw would
take on this task and ensure that the sign is repaired and re-fitted over the summer
period.

Village Fair - It was agreed that the card readers were a very successful innovation. Due
to the cashless society that we now have experienced, this facility must be promoted for
any future fairs and other village events as required.

Fire Risk - The BVS agreed that fire breaks should be encouraged around the village
and we will speak to Steve Brockwell and Waverley Borough Council Countryside
Ranger to establish these as appropriate.

Web Site - Charlie emphasised that the website could be very useful for residents to
express their views and be provided with answers to any questions.

Planning Applications - It was confirmed by Max that the Barn planning application on
Crittell Land had been withdrawn and it would appear that the cricket pavilion application
was rejected. Further discussions were directed towards the land in Blackheath Lane
and it is understood that the three plots have been sold to the Parish Council and private
buyers.

Presentations - David confirmed that we did have flowers to present to Billie on her 98th
birthday today, but this would be done tomorrow. A further presentation to Sam and Liz
Purvis will be presented to them before they leave the village in the next couple of
months for their contribution to Blackheath.

Finally, Linda Williams offered her thanks to the members of the Blackheath Village
Society for all the hard work that they have carried out over the last twelve months. The
meeting closed at 09:10 for residents to enjoy wine/soft drinks and snacks at the back of
the Village Hall.

____________________________________________________________
Blackheath Village Society
http://www.blackheathsurrey.co.uk
Tel: 01483 790000 Mob: 07768850003 Email: paul@bil.uk.com