Annual Parish Meetings

The Annual Parish Meeting was held on Wednesday 2nd April 2025 at 7pm in The Old Schoolroom.

Meeting chaired by Cllr Cook

Present: Parish Clerk, Cllr C Christie, Cllr S Christie, Cllr Capuano, Cllr Taylor, Cllr Holtby and 
8 members of the public.

Cllr Cook welcomed everybody to the Annual Parish Meeting 2024

1. Apologies
It was noted that Cllr Hawke was running late and would join the meeting as soon as possible. 
Apologies received from Cllr Hoyland along with Sturton & Stow Agricultural and Horticultural Association and Sturton and Stow History Society who had submitted written reports in their absence.
It was agreed and RESOLVED that all apologies were noted and accepted.

2. To agree the minutes of the previous Annual Parish Meeting held on 3rd April 2024
It was AGREED and RESOLVED that the Annual Parish Meeting 2024 minutes be accepted as a true record and approved.

3. Reports from Local Organisations
At 7.03pm Cllr Cook shared hard copies of the Chairmans report and read out the reports sent from local organisations of whom were absent. 

Sturton and Stow History Society 
We have again had another year of speakers who have delivered interesting talks on many varied subjects from Viking Age Lincolnshire to the work of the Lincoln Cathedral Stonemasons. In general, the talks are still well attended each month, but we would like to attract some younger people who have an interest in history if possible. We ended the year with a Christmas social evening comprising of a quiz and a short talk on the Bransby/ Broxholme Chimney. The work on sorting our archives which are stored upstairs in the village is still an ongoing project as is setting up a new website.

Sturton & Stow Agricultural & Horticultural Association
We once again had a wonderful show, and the weather was good to us which no doubt helped with plenty of people attending. Entries were down slightly on the previous year mainly due to challenging weather for the vegetable and flower growers. This year we had the first winner of the Alan Marshall Memorial Trophy for the best vintage exhibit. We had a good turnout of classic cars, motorbikes and tractors again. Also, we were joined by the Young Farmers and Sturton Plants with their stall. Our President Pam Rose did a wonderful job of judging despite not being well on the day. Since then, you will be aware Pam has passed away, but it was her wish to be President in her 80th year and we as a committee were pleased that we could fulfil her wishes. She was a long-standing member of the committee, and she will be greatly missed by us all. Thanks as always go to the show committee who work very hard not just on show day but all year to make this traditional village event a success. Also, thanks go to all our sponsors, the primary school, youth club and everyone else who contributes in some way to helping us.

At 7.06pm the meeting was opened to the attending local organisations and reports were given by the following organisations. 

The Sturton and District Shed Club

A representative from The Sturton and District Shed Club shared a report in absence of their Chairman. 
Sturton and district shed club have had another successful year at Bransby Horses. At present we have over 30 members, some who are just supportive, but the majority are active members. As you know the aim of the club is to help with health and wellbeing and prevent isolation and is open to all. The members come from not just Sturton, but from other villages around the area.
This past year we have been concentrating on getting a third cabin for the club which is now in place and have started rearranging thing within the three cabins to make it a more accessible and friendly space. We continue to take on various projects, such as tortoise shelters, Christmas and birthday boxes, bat boxes and table signage for Bransby Horses, the local community and other individuals to help raise funds and awareness of the club.
A few of the members have started up a gardening section within the club, this is in its early stages but should be of benefit to those involved
We have been donated some kitchen units which are now in place, made a small coffee table and are getting some better chairs to improve the social area.
The planned roof spanning the cabins is now in place and we will shortly be concentrating on getting a floor laid between the cabins, funding of which has partially come from the Parish council and for which we are very grateful.
Once all the planned improvements are in place we would like to invite members of the Parish Council to come and visit for a look around and a cup of tea.

At 7.08pm The Recreational Ground Committee shared their written report

This year we have raised £7,000 this has been achieved by hiring out the football pitch, bonfire night and a grant from the Parish Council. We have secured funding from Grassroots football fund for some new goal posts.
We also have funding for a new wooden climbing frame for the younger children in the village. 
On the other side of this report is the amount of vandalism we are experiencing at the moment, I realise it isn’t just us but the whole village, hopefully it will not get worse with the lighter nights. The fence around the carpark has been demolished which we have decided not to replace (one less thing to keep repairing) what we have done is to put two concrete posts in with rails across the area where vehicles could get onto the field. The bench that was kindly donated by the WI was pulled out of its concrete base and dragged across the field, fortunately the bench itself wasn’t damaged. At the moment it is being stored safely, and we are looking at the best way to secure it so it cant happen again.
Also the usual problem of dog fouling and I’ve lost count of the number of times I ‘ce been down to sweep up glass off the skate park. I would like to finish by thanking the Parish Council for their continued support.
The fireworks, although it rained all day and evening went ahead, there were fewer people, so income was down considerably, probably nearly by 50%. Thanks must go to all the volunteers who spend months organising things and to all those that spent all day in the rain building the bonfire and setting everything up, also those on the night and those that are last to go home at 9pm after being therefrom 8am. Also, thanks go to FOSSA for their help. 
On a different note, we have had problems with vandalism on several occasions. The fence has been pulled down three times and we are now looking into putting metal poles with chains. They have also smashed a window and snapped the outside tap off the wall, they have several times tried forcing the doors of the container. There is still problems with dog fouling on the recreational field, this is a big health and safety worry with children playing on the field. I would like to thank the PC for their continued support and as a committee we will continue to maintain a safe playing area.

At 7.12pm representatives of the Knit and Natter Social Group shared that there are between 19-24 people in the group and together have created some fabulous post box toppers throughout the year as well as a poppy display for Remembrance Day and knitted air ambulances. It was highlighted that it is as much a natter as it is a knitting group. The group has been approached by the local pre-school to create some nursery rhyme bags for the children. A couple of representatives attend Tennyson Wharf and work with dementia patients. The group meet every Thursday at 11am in the Tillbridge Tastery and knit and natter for as long as needed and a small few attend Tennyson Wharf on a Wednesday every two weeks. 

At 7.14pm a member of the public joined the meeting

At 7.14pm the president of the WI shared their written report. The WI currently has 27 members, we are mostly known for making the bacon buttys at the monthly market. 
2025 saw us taking part in various activities. We have learnt how to design our own fascinators, listened to the goings on in Four in a bed, decided that we will never take a driving test again although Dilys did very well. We were intrigued to hear about the history of The Lawn hospital and what a pivotal part this hospital has played in pioneering mental health treatment, Martin Fish gave us a clear insight of the role of RHS judge and how competitors prepare to show their flowers. We went crackers in November with Gill and enjoyed our Christmas with a retro themed music competition from Jan and a few laughs with Monica. The earth came down with a bump in January as Jenny checked we had all tightened our core. We are now up to date with the history of the WI and their many campaigns.
Members have been involved in Federation activities attending Wilder Doddington, Tolethorpe theatre, a science day. Jigsaw challenge, fused glass workshop, show the love workshop, Ladies who lunch and coffee mornings.
We were hostesses at the Trentside Carol Concert, where donations were raised £139.50 which we donated to the Salvation Army,
We donated £300 to St Barnabas Hospice from our fashion show.
Some members attended the performances of the LAODS theatre group.
Looking into some history of St Hugh Bishop of Lincoln a few years ago encouraged us to change our name to become Sturton by Stow Swans WI. The Shed Club made us a permanent notice board for the Village Hall. 

At 7.15pm Cllr Hawke joined the meeting
At 7.17pm the Community Speed watch Co-ordinator shared his report 

The Sturton by Stow Community Speed Watch group currently has twelve members that aim to put on five or six one-hour speed watch sessions each month in Sturton by Stow and Bransby,
This is an important initiative that aims to reduce speeding and to improve driver behaviour in the village and has the support of the Parish Council and the Lincolnshire Police.
In total thirty-nine sessions went ahead in 2024 with a further three being cancelled by bad weather or lack of volunteers.  So far thirteen sessions have taken place in 2025 with a further twelve planned running through to the end of June.
All four main roads into the village are monitored and we are currently looking at two new locations: one on Saxilby Road and one on Stow Road (where the speed limit has recently been changed to 30 mph).
The speed limit change on Tillbridge Road (from 40 mph to 30 mph) continues to be a problem with drivers exceeding 30 mph.  At the last session held on Tillbridge Road twenty-five vehicles (nearly 8%) were recorded travelling at 35 mph or above.
The Community Speed Watch team is always looking for more volunteers so if people are concerned about the speed of vehicles travelling through the village and have an hour or two to spare each month, they would be made most welcome (full training and equipment is provided).

At 7.19pm County Councillor Butroid joined the meeting

At 7.22pm the Chairman of FOSSA shared her report. 
The new trim trail partially funding by the PC from the grant received last year is in full use and very much enjoyed by all of the children throughout the school. The children are super excited when it is their turn to use the trim trail. 
FOSSA organise various fundraisers such as discos, non- uniform days, wacky hair days and Easter bingo to help raise money for the school. This year, money from each fundraiser has been raised to fund a trip from school for each year group heavily subsidised by FOSSA. We tend to organise a fundraiser once a month or sometimes once a term. We are here to raise money and put it back into the school to help provide for resources that the children need. We are always grateful for the support from the Parish Council, it makes a big difference and benefits the children greatly.

At 7.25pm two members of the public joined the meeting

At 7.25pm the Chairman of the Bowls Club shared a written report. 
It has been a quiet year for the Bowls Club. We have had around 9/10 people a week over the winter however the last couple of weeks numbers have risen to 12/14 people. Two new members have joined. We have purchased a new set of blue bowls with the money awarded from our Co-op Champion nomination last year. We enjoyed a Christmas Lunch which was partially funded by The Bowls Club. The Club meet on a Monday evening 7-9pm in the village hall with a break at half time for tea and biscuits. We charge £2 a night.

At 7.27pm the Chairman of the Village Hall committee shared his written report. Our regular users continue to use the Village Hall, though Karate has ceased, Judo has increased to three sessions a week. Outside hirers have given good reviews. We have had a new boiler fitted and a new vacuum cleaner. Electricity costs are expected to hit £4500 this year due to our previous contract ending and £5000 on repairs and maintenance plus insurance is increasing in costs. We have welcomed three new committee members. 
The monthly markets/tabletop sale contributes to the village hall generating approximately £1000 a year. We are very grateful to the WI for there assistance in supporting the monthly markets making the famous bacon buttys in the kitchen. The upstairs committee room attracts hire. Wood has been installed near the heaters to keep they chairs off as they do get hot and maintenance to the front door has taken place to stop water from setline and eliminate damp. A new first aid kit funded by Cllr Mullally has been installed and an additional kit will be installed upstairs. Following a recent incident requiring the need for emergency services, a notice has been displayed in case of an emergency which provides an address, postcode and what3words reference point to enable this information to be easily accessible a notice has been displayed inside and outside the Village Hall.  

At 7.34pm a representative of Sturton Line Dancers shared a report.
Line Dancing currently have between 35-40 dancers that attend on a normal Tuesday night. Every Tuesday we swap to a Wednesday. The coating on the new floor in the Village Hall is fantastic for the dancers and repairs on the side door has stopped the draft. Every other month we have a party social night and live music whilst dancing.
The party social nights can attract 60-80 dancers, an 84-year-old danced all night from 7.30pm-9pm at one of our recent events. Some people attend just to come and listen to the live country music.
For American Independence Day there is a big event planned. On the first Saturday in July two live acts will be performing.

The Chairman thanked the local organisations that attended and for their contributions to the Annual Parish Meeting.

4. To receive a report from the Chairman of the Parish Council
The Chairman shared the Chairmans report via hard copy
It has been an extremely busy year for your Council, keeping on top of the many things that need doing behind the scenes. The village Christmas trees did not appear by magic! We are especially grateful for the engagement and assistance given to us by local businesses with their plant machinery, lifting and moving things too heavy by hand over the year. 
Our updated Neighbourhood Plan, drawn up in collaboration with Stow Council, has been formally adopted. I give my heartfelt thanks to all of those who worked so hard to get the revisions made to bring it into line with the new Central Lincolnshire Local Plan. We have a new planning landscape to negotiate after last years’ general election, not least concerning matters involved with the solar power applications around us. We shall keep working so that your Council has as much influence as possible on your behalf on all planning matters, seeking to keep “the look”.
After a prolonged process, the village at last has a pedestrian-controlled crossing, to give more safety and confidence to those getting from one side or the other of the busy Tillbridge Lane. Time will tell, but it is hoped that it may also have an impact on the persistent problem of speeding traffic coming through the middle of our village. Your Parish Council is still pushing for speed limits at the fringes of the village, as well as better street lighting, but this is obviously difficult in a time of restricted budgets. Some of the extended speed limits requested have now been put in place by Highways, but we continue to press for more. There are continuing problems with allocating responsibility for enforcing the parking restrictions around the crossing, but we continue to press for a resolution. Changing the attitudes of some inconsiderate motorists remains a challenge.
I must make special mention of not only our very active and dedicated Councillors, but also our part-time employees who carry out a rolling programme of maintenance and litter picks around the village, These often unseen tasks, alongside things like cleaning the war memorial and maintaining the children’s play parks, really do make a difference. Your Parish Council has carried out an extensive review of our policies and protocols, as well as the tendering process for grass-cutting and hedge-trimming services, securing good value for money and effective management.  We continue to offer support where we can to various village groups, who drive the activities that make Sturton by Stow life what it is, and are also looking towards a few little projects in 2025 to make our village even better to live in. An ongoing worry for the Parish Council is the escalating cost of repair and replacement associated with our infrastructure around the village, and we spend a lot of our time balancing necessity with value for money.
A generational issue within the village continues to occupy a lot of our time and effort: flooding. The management of surface and foul water is repeatedly found in our comments on planning applications for extensions and new builds. At a yet unset time, we are pressing to get villagers, local authorities and utility companies together in the same room at the same time, in order to agree what the problems are and the possible solutions. An unexpected delay to setting up that meeting has arisen, while Anglian Water have at last engaged in an unprecedented level of engagement with the issues, investigating and resolving some of the practical problems. Once they are in a position to report back on the completion of works still currently in progress, we have renewed optimism that solutions can be found for the problems that remain. In the meantime, all residents and local businesses are asked to do their bit, by reducing pipe blockages by controlling what they put into our overstretched infrastructure, and please checking whether they themselves have any responsibility for ditches and culverts. We as a Parish Council continue to press for the housing developments within our boundaries to reflect the needs of our community, especially affordable homes for our young people.
We are regrettably still short on our permitted number of Parish Councillors- if you feel that you could donate a few hours a month and join our friendly team of volunteer representatives, do please contact our very efficient Clerk, Stacey, on: sturtonpc1@gmail.com   

5. Questions raised by the Parish Residents. An opportunity to discuss matters of interest to the community. 
At 7.39pm the meeting was opened to the public to raise any questions
Two members of the public wished to speak.

The first resident asked if anything was lined up for Jubilee Wood. Cllr Hawke replied that multiple work parties over winter successfully cut and raked off a pathway and that wildflowers were seeded but the area was too wet for them to take. The resident highlighted that she had read an article in The Lincolnshire Life Magazine and has seen a photo of a wildflower meadow in this area. Those who produced this area were called the ‘my square meter’. They supply seed of the right blend and if required improve the condition of the soil and take responsibility for the area for 30 years. They encourage people to give a square meter of land to sow seeds and it is good for carbon. 

The Chairman thanked the resident for sharing the information with the PC and Cllr Hawke will look up the initiative. The Chairman added that the PC are going to be creating a leaflet to show the footpaths in and around the area to raise awareness of the lovely walks the village has to offer and encourage more people to visit Jubilee Wood.

At 7.44pm a resident asked for the latest information regarding the approach to tackle flooding in the village. 
The Chairman informed the resident that the latest information has been that AW have been actively trying to find the causes and rectifying them. The PC were informed that this would take a month to conduct the investigation and would inform us of the outcome when investigation works are complete. 

The Clerk added that AW highlighted a watercourse / drainage ditch that sits within the footpath between Ashfield and Fleets Road. This watercourse was found to be very overgrown, running at high levels and in need of attention. AW are currently trying to ascertain who is responsible for the maintenance of this watercourse as this could be riparian ownership or the Environmental Agency, or the Council. The condition of the watercourse will contribute to floodings within the village in its current state.
The team have also identified a possible surface water reduction in the area of Old Rectory Gardens, which would help alleviate surface water overload on the foul system. Investigations are ongoing to look at available options and to have ideas modelled to see if they are possible. Unfortunately, they don’t have a timeframe available at this time due to extensive checks that are needed to make sure any plans don’t impact elsewhere so there is lots more to be investigated. Across the next two months, survey work will also be completed for the team to pinpoint exact areas for CCTV, where the infiltration appears to be at its highest.
The Parish Council have also approached Stow PC in regard to collaborating to address the flooding concerns, we have not received a reply yet. If accepted, we hope that by working together, we may have a greater impact when approaching other agencies.

At 7.46pm another member of the public asked if it was possible to set a date for the multi-agency public meeting. Correspondence from the residents own investigations has stated that AW will respond to the resident by 15th June. The stated that she has contact information for the CEO of Anglian Water and it could be beneficial to book a date for meeting around this time to issue a deadline from AW. The resident also asked about Riparian Rights and how do you find out if there is a watercourse that you are responsible for.
The Clerk responded that from a previous meeting held by the PC regarding Riparian Rights information stated that if your deeds do not state that you are not responsible for a watercourse then you probably are. The clerk informed the public that there is a link on the PC website via the environmental agency to riparian rights of watercourses. This was also shared on social media.
The Chairman added that the PC are very willing to hold a meeting and perhaps a deadline to formulate research to may work but are cautious to hear at similar events AW have simply not shown up. He added that when we have heard back from Stow PC as to their involvement then the PC will consider moving forward with the arrangements of a multi-agency flood meeting. 

At 7.50pm it was noted that the Parish drain is connected to the ditch in question on the footpath between Fleets Road and Ashfield and its connection to the concerns to riparian rights.
The Chairman added that another riparian rights meeting could be beneficial before a multi-agency meeting to raise awareness of riparian rights.

At 7.53pm Cllr Mullally joined the meeting.

The Chairman thanked all those who have attended and contributed to the meeting and also for the continuous support from County Councillor Butroid and District Councillor Mullally. 
The Chairman informed the public that the Parish Council are very concerned about the flooding and also speeding within the village. The Parish Council will to continue to address flooding and speeding concerns to make our village roads safer. 

The Annual Parish Meeting was closed at 7.54pm. 

Signed……………………………………………………………..

Date…………………………………………………………………