Best Kept Village -
Haughton -
Red and blue January flowers are peeping through to cheers us in the wet winter
Evergreens sparkle in the sunshine and wallflowers are on their way
Dog-
It’s early, but our campaign is already under way. We need some new posters to remind
dog walkers to clean up after their pet, because dog-
Our BKV campaign of 2014 is running alongside our entry into Heart of England in Bloom as Haughton in Bloom and information on both campaigns will be issued in a joint newsletter.
The Launch Meeting for Haughton’s entries into the Best Kept Village Competition and Heart of England in Bloom will be held at
Haughton Village Hall on Friday 7th March at 7.30pm
All welcome
Grassy Lane/Brook Clearance
Volunteers are invited to join a working party to improve the recently-
Meet at the Brazenhill Lane/Playing Field car park end of the lane at
1.30pm on Tuesday 4th March
Bring your own wellies, loppers and clippers
Wheelbarrows welcome
Grassy Lane and Brook Clearance Event
Our small, but willing and able volunteers waded, tugged, cut, sawed, clipped and
lopped on the afternoon of Tuesday 4th March to remove dead wood and blockages from
the brook and banks of the newly-
The Launch Meeting for Haughton 2014 (Best Kept Village Competition) and Haughton
in Bloom (Heart of England in Bloom) was held in the Village Hall on Friday 7th March.
Information-
Our campaigns are now officially underway!
Grassy Lane and Brook Clearance Event
Thursday 13th March -
Bring your own wellies, loppers and clippers
Wheelbarrows welcome
Grassy Lane Update
After several sessions of tidying and maintenance work the Grassy Lane will be left to nature for the spring and summer. Because the area has been wild for several years there is the need for further work, especially on the south side of the brook and to the brook itself. Dead wood has been removed from the banks where possible and some of the tangles of ivy and branches that were in the water have been cut back. The collected wood has been used to create log piles, one at each end of the path. Over the spring and summer, grass and wild flowers should return to the disturbed banks. During the coming seasons, records will be kept of the plants and creatures that live in the area. Further maintenance work will take place in the late summer and autumn, including dredging the brook. Many people have already made good use of the path, adding it to their walking route. Although the new surface resembles that of the Greenway, Grassy Lane is a public footpath, not a bridleway and is for the use of pedestrians and not cyclists or those on horseback. Dogs are welcome. Please help in the regeneration of this right of way by clearing up after your dog and by keeping the area litter free.
This project was made possible by the use of the village’s prize money for winning Best Kept Village in Stafford District in 2013.
These log piles have been placed at the ends of the Grassy Lane, using the timber collected during initial clearance work.
For news on early-
We have received a massive 150 entries in the young people’s dog-
The Civic Amenity Van will be making 3 visits to the Village Hall car park during the next 10 months for the disposal of bulk refuse.
For all the details of the 2014 Best Kept Garden and Hanging Baskets Competition and to view the poster
Tidy-
This year we are aiming to separate the collected results of our Tidy-
Our first Tidy-
Litter-
Amongst many important jobs, such as cleaning under hedges, dead-
Disinfecting, brushing and litter-
It’s a big job to fasten 147 children’s posters to the fence at the Village Hall.
The Grassy Lane was further improved in early April when 20 young hawthorn trees were planted in the gaps in the hedge. The plants were donated by Stafford Borough Council’s Street Scene and put in place by volunteers.
Sections of the bank are cleared and prepared prior to planting.
Water collected from the brook is used to help the young plants off to a good start.
This young hawthorn has been planted near the pedestrian gate into the playing field.
Dog-
The children’s posters have been judged and a selection of winning and Highly Commended
posters have been put on display around the village. 150 posters were entered, with
the young people of Haughton St Giles School excelling themselves in support of this
initiative. Shown below are the top three entries in the 9-
Winner -
Second -
Third -
The maple tree won by Haughton as Best Kept Village in Staffordshire in 2013 can
now be seen on the corner of Newport Road and Meadow Drive. The words on the plaque
thank the volunteers and sponsors who made the three-
The third Tidy-
The weather for the fourth Tidy-
On a warm day in May the tractor tyres and the mountain ash tree bed were planted with summer bedding.
The Village Hall has donated two water butts to help in the Best Kept Village and Haughton in Bloom campaigns. The water collected will be used to water the Hall’s hanging baskets, the poppy trough and nearby flowerbeds.
More summer bedding has been planted in the Newport Road beds and a fourth tractor tyre has made an appearance on Newport Road Green.
In our open competition for under 18s, asking for the designing of a dog-
The pupils have decided that the prize money of £75 for the Best Kept Village Poster Competition this year will be given to the School Council. The two representatives from each class, who make up the council, have decided to spend the money on improving the Millennium Garden. They will add hanging baskets, and will improve the biodiversity of the area by putting in bird feeders to encourage a wide variety of birds to visit the area.
The weather for the Tidy-
The Civic Amenity Van came to the Village Hall on Saturday 31st May for the collection of bulk refuse.
The Newport Road summer planting has been completed.
This new bench is a tribute to Horace Wilshaw, fundraiser for the traditional annual trip to the seaside for senior citizens. Horace was often to be seen riding his bicycle around the parish, wearing his flat cap. The trip has continued in his name. Pictured here, left to right, are the three trustees of ‘Horace’s Outing’, Derek Warbrick, Roger Williamson and Peter Rowley.
A new bird box has appeared above the fence where the children’s posters are displayed at the Village Hall.
The traffic on Newport Road makes a lot of dust, so sweeping is a regular part of
Tidy-
Collecting windfall twigs was one of the tasks of the 18th June Tidy-
A new bin has been placed at the Prince Avenue/Back Lane end of the Grassy Lane.
The Best Kept Garden Awards Evening
will be held on Friday 8th August at 7.30pm at the Village Hall
Best Kept Village 2014 Result
At the Best Kept Village Announcement of Results evening held at Tenterbanks Hall,
Stafford College on Monday 4th August, Haughton was awarded Best Kept Large Village
in Stafford District and Best Kept Large Village in Staffordshire for the fourth
year in succession. Representatives from the village received the County Shield,
to keep for one year, a small replica, an oak tree donated by Staffordshire Wildlife
Trust, and a copper beech tree presented by Mr Amyas Stafford-
Best Kept Garden Awards Evening 2014
An evening of celebration was held on Friday 8th August at the Village Hall, when the winners of the annual Best Kept Garden and Hanging Baskets Competition were presented with their prizes. The competition was organised and sponsored by Haughton Garden Guild, and the awards were presented by Roger Barker, Chairman of the Garden Guild. The County Shield and the two certificates won this year were on display and refreshments were available. The evening also provided the opportunity for the many people who had helped make the campaign such a success to be thanked.
BKV Leader Derek Warbrick pictured with the County Shield
The oak and copper beech trees won as prizes have been planted in the Jim Jarvis Memorial Playing Field
Goodbye
from the Best Kept Village Campaign
Haughton 2014