Saturday 25th of June 2022 marks the return of the annual Soapbox Derby to our Avon Dassett! This free event has been held since 2007 and returned in 2018. Because of the pandemic the event had to be cancelled in 2020 and 2021. The Soapbox Derby continues to grow in popularity and attracts many visitors to our village. This year we have a record entry with drivers from as far away as London and Chester. The Soapbox Derby has raised thousands of pounds for charity over the years and our chosen charity for 2022 is The Children’s Christmas Wish list which organises treats and outings for terminally ill children and their families.

The event continues to be run in a professional and safe manner. Qualified medics will be in attendance and a professional events company will marshall the race and manage the road closure. There is also the necessary Public Liability insurance in place for such an event.

Please Note

There will be a road closure order in place on 25 June between 0900 and 1800 hours. The road through Avon Dassett will be closed to all traffic. The closures will be at the crossroads by the nurseries [Burton Dassett Hills & Farnborough] and Lower End by the play park (for more information see: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/roadworksmap). Diversion signs will be in place and marshalls and volunteers will be on hand to advise members of the public of alternative routes and direct visitors to the free parking at the fete field – many thanks to Dassett Charities for letting their field be used for the event.

The Soap Box team ask if you would be good enough to clear the main road of all cars, caravans and refuse bins etc. between 0900 and 1800 on race day for safety reasons. Parking is available in the fete field. We will do our utmost to minimize disruption throughout the day. If you do need to bring a vehicle into the village during the racing time, please contact Phil on 07805 061419 and he will organise the safety car to escort you and suspend racing.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Kind regards,

The Avon Dassett Soapbox Derby Team

In addition to the Soapbox Derby there will be a Classic Car, Van, Tractor, Lorry and Bike Meet on the fete field on Thursday 23 June from 5-9 pm. Bring your treasured classic to show others or just pop down for a chat. Kevlar’s Dining Shack will be serving food and The Yew Tree are supplying an outside bar. The Landrover Caravan and Camping Club will be camping on the fete field all weekend.

Soapbox Derby Day

Street market all day at the bottom end of the village near the play park with stalls and children’s entertainment

Children’s soapbox racing in the morning

Practice races from midday

Adults head-to-head racing from 1pm

Prize giving at 5 pm

The Yew Tree and shack will be open all day serving food and drink

There will be an evening band on at The Yew Tree

Extra toilets kindly supplied for the day by The Yew Tree and Avon Dassett Community Benefit Society

The appeal against the decision of Stratford District Council to refuse planning permission for two dwellings on the site of Carrow Barn in Avon Dassett has been refused.

Appeal Ref: APP/J3720/W/21/3289265
Land and Buildings at Carrow Barn, north-east of Avon Carrow, off Hill
View, Avon Dassett, Southam, Warwickshire 441094, 249955

For full details please see:

• APPEAL DECISION 3289265

Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership (WRSP) is offering free child car seat safety checks at Elliots Field in Rugby from 9am – 4pm on Friday 17 June.

Getting your child car seat checked is so important because checks conducted by Warwickshire Police in November 2021 found that 69% of child car seats were not correctly fitted.  The most common issues found related to headrests, seat belt twists, the front seat being too close to a rear facing child seat, the isofix not being installed correctly, and coats being worn in vehicles.

When we point these issues out, most families are shocked to discover they have inadvertently put their child at risk by not having them seated correctly.

That’s why we are encouraging as many parents, grandparents, and those responsible for safely transporting children and young people as possible to come along and get their child car seat checked on 17 June.  It is much easier to get these issues checked in person for your own peace of mind and to speak to someone who is trained to nationally accredited standards who can help you get it right.

The law states that a child must be in a child car seat until they are 12 years old or 135cm tall, whichever comes first and during the event, staff will also use car seat demonstrators, height charts and hand out educational leaflets to explain the fitting.

PCSO Joanne Jackson said “It is important that parents get the right independent advice to ensure that their children are well protected and in turn reduce the risk of children being injured or killed

“Elliots Field in Rugby is a really accessible location not far from the M6 and we hope that this will encourage people from other areas to make the most of the opportunity to get their child car seats checked.”

Cllr Wallace Redford, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Transport and Highways, said: “Our Road Safety Education Team work closely with children in schools across Warwickshire to help improve their safety on the roads.  We can also help protect children by providing targeted education, information and advice to parents and carers and ensuring child car seats are correctly fitted and appropriate for the height and weight of the child.”

Chair of WRSP and Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire Phillip Seccombe said “Children and young people are more vulnerable in a collision than adults and that’s why we are offering independent face to face advice to ensure that children are well protected and in turn this can reduce the risk of injury and death.  This is part of our Strategy to 2030 that sets out how we – with your help – plan to reach our target of a 50% reduction in those killed or seriously injured on our roads by 2030. ”

The event is taking place during the NPCC national seatbelts campaign that aims to encourage all drivers to ensure they and their passengers of all ages travel safely.

The Child Car Seat Checks initiative was funded by Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner’s Road Safety Fund in 2019 when fifteen Warwickshire Police staff were trained to nationally accredited standards to help improve child car seat safety.

Important things to remember when choosing your child’s car seat

Know the law

• All children must use a suitable restraint for their age, weight or height
• It is safer to transport children in the rear of the car with the correct seat.  If you have to use the front passenger seat, the airbag MUST be deactivated if using a rear facing seat.
• Children must use the correct car seat for their height or weight until they reach 135cm tall or their 12^thbirthday
• Ensure that the seat has an official standard mark (ECE) R44.04 or R129
• Brake (the road safety charity) and other experts strongly advise parents to go one step beyond this and ensure all children under 150cm tall are always in a proper child restraint, because adult belts are not sufficient in protecting children under this height.

Further advice prior to purchasing a car seat can be found at:

www.childseatsafety.co.uk

www.childcarseats.org.uk/choosing-using

You can get more information regarding the law and child car seats at https://www.gov.uk/child-car-seats-the-rules

A 1953 flag from the Coronation celebrations in Avon Dassett, proudly displayed for the Platinum Jubilee

A huge thank you to Avon Dassett for the amazing Jubilee celebrations.

Our best decorated winners, Marveen, Alex & James, Jilly &John, Carolyn & Doug were fantastic but our guest judge, Jude Farr had a hard job!

Sally led a brilliant singalong and the Robertson family triumphed in the film quiz.

On Friday, Deb created a vision in Vintage China for the free teas which raised over £140 for the queen’s canopy charity.

The treasure hunt, set by Sarah, had lots of enthusiastic entries with Dan, Claire, Freya and Finlay triumphing.

Bitham Hall hosted an amazing jubilee party.

And Avon Carrow aced the celebrations with an awesome sports and pudding afternoon.

Many thanks to all involved.

We are entering Avon Dassett’s four days of celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. As usual, the village has pulled out all the stops and thanks are due to the many people who have made the events possible.

Thursday

Many houses on the main streets of the village will be decorating their houses, gates and gardens to celebrate the jubilee. Judging will take place over the weekend by our guest judge, Jude Farr, from Fenny Compton to select the best three! The prize money has been given by Avon Dassett Community Benefits Society.

The celebrations start with a singalong at the Yew Tree led by Sally Crompton. There will be songs from every decade of the Queen’s reign as well as a fun film quiz (with prizes!). You can download the lyrics for the singalong here: https://www.avondassett.com/2022/05/30/sing-along-through-the-decades-for-the-jubilee/ The singing starts at 5.30 pm and will be outside weather permits.

Friday

Deb Watts will be organising her famous vintage teas from 2-4 pm in the Reading Room along with donations of scrumptious cakes from villagers. The teas are free but donations are welcome for the Queen’s Canopy. You can also enter the Avon Dassett Jubilee Treasure Hunt at the Reading Room. How much do you know about the village? Test your knowledge with this fun quiz (written by Sarah Richardson) collecting ‘treasure’ via a lesiurely walk around the village. The treasure hunt is suitable for all the family and is a fun way to find out more about Avon Dassett. There will be a free Frellie’s ice cream made by our own Alex Jackson for all participants and a prize for the entry that scores the most points.

In the evening there is an outdoor jubilee event at The Yew Tree with canapes, free fizz and a live band! Booking is recommended for this event.

Saturday

On Saturday, Bitham Hall will be hosting a jubilee party and disco from 6.30 pm. This is a ticketed event. The Country Show team have kindly provided the marquees for the party, food is provided by the jubilee committee, the DJ courtesy of Liz Hirst and the parish council have paid for the portable toilets.

Sunday

Events end on Sunday at Avon Carrow with a sports afternoon from 4-6 pm. Residents at the Carrow are providing bowls, croquet and tennis and Liz Hirst a dress the queen and the balloon game. Avon Carrow are hosting a ‘pudding party’ with puddings laid out on tables for everyone to share. Villagers are welcome to bring their own picnics and also to add a pudding to the sharing table.

The jubilee organising committee (Liz Hirst, Alex Jackson, Michele Gill, Sandra Sandiford and Sarah Richardson) have co-ordinated events but the Jubilee celebrations are truly a whole village effort for all to enjoy. Please support as many as you can and commemorate the 70 years of the Queen’s reign.

The first event to celebrate the jubilee in Avon Dassett will be a sing-along through the decades of the queen’s reign at The Yew Tree at 5.30 pm on Thursday 2 June. There will also be a fun film quiz with prizes!

The lyrics for the sing-along are here (and will also be distributed on the night):

• Jubilee_lyrics

Stratford on Avon District Council adopted the Avon Dassett Parish Plan at its cabinet meeting on 23 May 2022. Councillor Pemberton introducing the plan stated that it should be adopted as a material consideration in determining planning applications in accordance with the current core strategy and as such it is considered to be an important source of local information.

District councillors commended the parish plan steering group on the speed of completing the parish plan and the amount of work involved. 84% of residents completed the survey which has informed the plan and action plan.

Find out the results and action plan resulting from the Parish Plan at the Reading Room at 7 pm on 23 May.