Past Projects

The Wimblington and Stonea Parish Plan was completed October 2002.

From this Parish Plan several projects have been started, some finished and some still being dealt with.

Twinning

It was suggested that the Parish twinned up with another country.

In July the Parish Council asked for suggestions of countries the villagers might like to Twin with. The idea being that once contact was agreed between the two countries, children and adults alike might strike up a correspondence with residents within the twinned community. This will in time give all parties the opportunity to exchange views on how their communities live, their social lives, their schools etc. The Thomas Eaton School is very interested in the project as it will promote letter writing as well as understanding and give them the opportunity to explore the many diverse ways the communities live.

The suggestions are as follows:

Romania
Kenya
AAchen in Germany
Holland
Czech Republic
Ghana
Other

The Parish Council would like the villagers to decide which of these countries we twin with. Please indicate your preference by placing a tick by the chosen country

December:

The response to the twinning has been tremendous and very encouraging. I thank all everyone who replied or telephoned. I would also like to thank the Premier shop owners for hosting the collection box in their shop.

The vast majority voted for Holland because of the connections to the Fenland drainage or in some cases men who had been there during the war and family/ friends who have visited the war graves.

I have been told how warm and friendly the Dutch people are, how the children speak perfect English and much about the bulb fields and general countryside.

Czech Republic came second with Spain, Romania and Aachen third all having the same number of votes.

The Parish Council will have to ratify this conclusion at the 13th December meeting, once that is done we can press on to make contact with a village of similar size etc as ours.

We shall need to set up a small group of people from the Parish to steer this project ahead so would anyone who is interested in helping please contact me on 741470. I envisage we should be able to get a small grant to help us with the cost of postage, stationary etc involved in this initial work. Once this is completed the scheme will be open to everyone to make contact with our twin.

Interactive Speed Lighting

One of the biggest problems in the village is speeding traffic and heavy lorries.

To this end the Neighbourhood Watch has been busy fundraising to pay for Interactive Lights placed on the main road running between Doddington and March. Two of these lights cost £7000 but the Fenland District Council will match fund half, hence the fundraising. Whatever the shortfall of money is after fundraising, the Parish Council will make up to the required £3500. April 5 2004 the lights were installed and working.

Ideally we could do with 4 sets of lights but for the time being two are installed and hopefully the other two will follow in due course.

Children's Activities

With nothing to do and nowhere to go the school holidays were long and boring. Hence the introduction of the Summer Activities during the six week long holiday.

Grant money was obtained to put on three days of activities for four weeks. This was such a success that further money was applied for and now activities such as Art, Dance, Drama, Puppets, Disco's take place every half term and school holidays held at the Thomas Eaton School. Professional tutors are brought in, refreshments are supplied and everyone has a good time.

Eaton Estate Play Area.

The old play equipment on the Eaton Estate was replaced in 2008

Youth Shelter

Wimblington & Stonea's completed Parish Plan highlighted the need for an appropriate place for young people to meet within the village. As there was nowhere specific often the meeting place of choice would be outside the local shop or near to the church, in fact anywhere with appropriate lighting.

The Parish Council considered the best place to site a meeting place, unable to come up with the answer, the Youth Club welcomed the Parish Council to discuss a design and site for a meeting place. The Youth Club came up with the perfect site, at the War Memorial Recreation Ground on Doddington Road, the spot is safe and close to amenities. The Youth Club first chose a traditional style of Youth Shelter, rather like a bandstand or pavilion. However it became very difficult to gain funding for such a shelter and so the Parish Council returned to the Youth Club explained the response from the funders and the Youth Club decided upon a different and rather more funky design.

The Parish Council approached the manufacturers and a site inspection was organised. The manufacturers approved the site and provided a quote for the Youth Shelter, delivery and installation. An estimate was also provided for the time to manufacture, deliver and install, which was three months. The quote was considered to be acceptable by the Parish Council
and then it was time to find a funder. This was quite a difficult task, in fact it took three attempts before funding was approved. This is a great example of not giving up if you are turned down initially for funding, if you keep trying and the project is of value to the community a funder will come along eventually.

The Parish Council are most grateful to the East of England Community Safety Fund who provided the funding for the Youth Shelter. The order was placed for the Youth Shelter but unfortunately the cost of the Youth Shelter had increased by over £100 due to the delay in placing the order, through not being able to find a funder. The Parish Council negotiated with the suppliers, Sutcliffe Play and they very kindly agreed to the original price, again the Parish Council are most grateful to Sutcliffe Play for their generosity. Surprisingly the Youth Shelter only took two months to manufacture, deliver and install, which is great news for the children of Wimblington & Stonea.

Now the young people have a safe and sheltered place to meet, close to all of the amenities. The Youth Shelter holds up to ten people at one time and is very comfortable. More importantly they have a place of their choice in a location of their choice!

Village Guide

As we now have 4 new developments within the village and new people are always joining our community, the Parish Council considered it time to put together a new Village Guide together for every household. The Village Guide provides people with essential information, useful numbers and interesting facts. A Parish Council sub-committee worked hard on the Village Guide, to ensure the content is appropriate and most importantly accurate.

The results of the Parish Plan also backed up the Parish Council's line of thought and it was used to apply for funding.

The Parish Council are thankful to Cover and the Community Chest who have provided the funding for the printing and essential purchases necessary to complete the guide.

The Village Guide has now been delivered to every door in the village.

Wimblington's War Memorial.

Wimblington's War Memorial is situated prominently in St. Peter's Churchyard in Church Street. It is an Italian Marble carving of an Angel whose wings protect the names of those who courageously gave their lives so that we can live in freedom today.

Sadly the War Memorial has fallen into a sad state of repair. The tips of the Angel's wings are chipped, her limbs are falling away and her clothes are deteriorating. It is a saddening site. We need to raise several thousand pounds for repairs. With this in mind a War Memorial Sub Committee has been formed with the aim of raising funds to repair the War Memorial and to have her reinstalled ready for this year's Remembrance Sunday service.

To date we have raised over £4,424.34 which is great result for the whole community in Wimblington, but we still need to do more. The Sub Committee have worked hard to raise funds with several events including The Acorn Singers & Friends, St Etheldreda, Gawain & The Green Knight a Spring Fayre and we still have further events booked including another Acorn Singers & Friends event and an Auction. We have also received several very kind donations from individuals and groups within the village, including The Luncheon Club, The Tea Dance and Keep Fit Class. Mrs. Moulton and Mrs. Sibley also put on a Dinner & Dance in order to raise funds for the War Memorial.

If you would like to make a donation towards the War Memorial restorations or would like some help to organise a fundraiser with your group or organisation, please contact Amanda Carlin - tel: 01354 740306 or Leslie Colebrook - 01354 740941 we will be more than happy to help you with ideas, organisations or publicity.