Thakeham Parish Council - December Update

As we start to head towards the end of the year we’d like to share whats been happening in Thakeham and what is planned in the coming months. It’s been a busy time but some of the highlights are below:

Strawberry Lane Bridleway

As part of the Parish Councils ongoing works on footpaths and bridleways we completed upgrading the Strawberry Lane bridleway. This was a long term project by our Assets & Amenities committee and it has been very pleasing to finally get it completed after bad weather, badgers and other minor items kept delaying the completion.

We’ve included a map of the section updated in blue along with a couple of before and after pictures from earlier this year. As you can see it’s a dramatic improvement and will hopefully be a benefit to everyone for years to come.

We also made some some additional smaller improvements to the footpath section that heads around the back of the cricket field. This section was finally completed around the end of October.

Road Safety Review

We have commissioned Motion to carry out a road safety review focusing on the stretch of B2139 covering the existing road calming measures in the heart of Thakeham. This comes after we commissioned them to make a wider review of the parish traffic in 2023, and parts of that report proved useful in raising concerns with larger scale planning applications in the parish.  

We’ll be consulting with residents when we have some options aimed at improving the road safety on the B2139 based on the findings in this report. This is specifically to improve safety and reduce vehicle speeds which in many cases is still too high for our countryside setting where we have multiple road users apart from cars, vans and HGVs, eg, school bus pick up and set down, horses, pedestrians and cyclists to name but a few!

Although the Parish Council don’t have any direct power to make any changes,  getting a comprehensive study is the next step we can take to provide the evidence and data needed in our aim to get some improvements for everyone in the parish.

This has been a slow process but one that we have been working on consistently for a number of years and plan to keep on with whenever there are issues that need addressing.

Allotments

Horsham District Council and the developers have been making progress on the allotments which are scheduled to be handed over to the Parish Council for use by the community in the coming months. The Parish Council are awaiting the final items with the levels and access to be resolved prior to taking on ownership and responsibility.

The allotments are a long term asset for the community so the Parish Council wants to make sure when we take over the the site everything meets the communities requirements without the need for any remedial work or unexpected liabilities.

If you are interested in putting your name down for an allotment or would like to keep updated we have created an allotment focused newsletter that we will send out to interested parties. You can contact the parish clerk to apply.

New Website & Address

We’ve updated the Parish Council Website (https://www.thakehamparish.gov.uk/) to a new simple streamlined design. The main features of the new website are:

1. It’s easy to use on mobile phones, with phones now being the most popular way to access the site we wanted to make is quick and easy access and check information no matter your device.

2. The Public meeting calendar can be directly subscribed to and automatically updates with changes as they happen. You can see it on this page.

3. We’ve streamlined the website so the agenda for upcoming meetings along with the ratified minutes for previous meetings can be easily found on a single summary page.

4. We’ve updated and simplified the “Report It!” page. If you have found an issue in the parish this page can tell you where to report the problem. From Football fields to potholes you’ll find a link to the right people to contact.

5. We have a Frequently Asked Questions area that answers questions that commonly have come up in recent times or might not be obvious at first glance.

6. If you would like to get more minor updates you can check our News page. We have also embedded our Facebook feed into the site so you can view our Facebook posts without needing to have a Facebook account.

We have also taken the necessary steps to get a verified .gov.uk domain name. Unlike .co.uk addresses you can only be granted the domain after being authenticated by the government. It is only a small change but it makes it easier for people and other bodies to confirm that any communication from the parish is legitimate.

Solar Panels & Battery Storage

The Parish Council worked with the Village Hall Trust to install solar panels and batteries to reduce the hall's power bills and help reduce its carbon footprint.

The Council alongside the village hall trust funded this improvement 50/50 with the Councils investment coming from contributions made by developers that the Council administers on the Parish's behalf. We hope this investment will greatly improve the Village Hall for decades to come for everyone in the parish.

Glebe Field

The Parish Council look on a long term lease of the Glebe field in 2019 and with the help of the “Friends of the Glebe field” been maintaining the site as wildflower meadow while also planting of trees/shrubs to benefit pollinators, to the benefit of the ecology of Thakeham. The friends have been successful in gaining a number of grants and the field now has a number of saplings and a large number of native flora and fauna.

This year the Parish Council helped fund some signs that have been placed all over the field providing visitors with information on all the visible and invisible things that are happening in the field.

You can find out more about the glebe field here, if you want to join the Friends of the Glebe field get in contact with the Parish Council and they can put you in touch with one of our councillors who helps run the Friends of the Glebe field.

Join the Parish Council: Make a Difference in Thakeham!

Are you passionate about making a positive impact in Thakeham? Have you found some of the projects above motivating? Joining the Parish Council is the perfect opportunity to turn the communities projects like these into action, and we’d love for you to be part of it!

1. Help be the Voice of our Community:
   Your insights and ideas can help guide decisions that matter—whether it’s improving local amenities, enhancing green spaces, or organising community events. You’ll have a direct hand in making the changes your fellow parishioners want to see.

2. Flexible Commitment, Big Impact:
   We understand that time is precious. Most council members dedicate just a few hours a month to meetings and projects. Of course, if you have more time to give, your efforts will be warmly welcomed—but even a small commitment can create a lasting legacy.

3. Experience the Joy of Achievement:
   There’s nothing quite like seeing a project—big or small—come to life. Whether it’s seeing an entire bridleway get upgraded, organising a community clean-up, or the planting of trees/shrubs to benefit pollinators, you’ll take pride in knowing you’ve helped make it happen.

What You’ll Gain:

• A deeper connection to your community.

• A chance to develop new skills and build valuable networks.

• The satisfaction of seeing tangible improvements that benefit everyone.

No prior experience is needed—just a willingness to listen, share, and get involved. Your voice matters, and together, we can make our community an even better place to live.

If you’re interested in knowing more about the role you can contact our clerk clerk@thakehamparish.gov.uk or come to one of our committee meetings to say hello and see how things work.

There have been numerous other items that didn’t get their own section from adding new bins & signs to working with local residents & land owners to improve drainage that are ongoing and may get mentioned in more detail in future updates.

If you got this far in the newsletter we’d like to thank you for your time and hope to hear from you in the future.

Everyone at Thakeham Parish Council