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December Update: Community Progress, Festive Events & News

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Dear Parishioners of Bubwith, Breighton and Willitoft

It’s been a busy month for me and my fellow Parish Councillors and as my granddaughters say there have been peaks and pits! The peaks include an opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the young parents of the parish and being blown away by how many speak very highly of being lucky to live in our parish, how actively friendly, warm and welcoming it is and how much they enjoy living here. That is of course an accolade for all who live and work here hence my sharing this feedback so
that we can all glow with pride.

The Remembrance Day service attended by Councillor, Liz Hayes, who reported it was a respectful and poignant event, well attended by people wishing to remember and show respect for those who gave their lives for our freedom.

Parish Council activities and updates:

Boat on the riverbank – it appears to have gone for the moment and the local authority have prepared an enforcement notice, but it has not currently been served.

Yorkshire Water sewage spills – Nigel Wilkinson and Victoria Aitken Ward Councillors together with three Parish Councillors and our Clerk met with an engineer from Yorkshire Water on the 13th November, she acknowledged there had been 29 complaints about sewage escapes in recent times and has undertaken a number of actions on our behalf but there doesn’t appear to be any progress towards a final solution since we last met with Yorkshire Water reps over a year ago. We will continue to pursue this issue but ask if anyone has a sewage problem they inform the Parish Clerk (Steve Young) in addition to formally raising the matter with Yorkshire Water.

The new speed watch camera on Breighton Road is now active; we urge drivers to stay within the national speed limit for the safety of local people. The safety of children crossing Main Street to get to school was discussed at our latest meeting andCouncillor Wilkinson is exploring if funds are available to reinstate the Lollipop Person role that existed some years ago, we’ll keep you posted on progress with this.

Parking issues for the bungalow residents on Breighton Road – Allen Shepherd, Resident Lynne, Steve Young and I met with Councillor Wilkinson and local authority officers at County Hall to discuss options for addressing the issues. Councillor Wilkinson is pursuing this on our behalf.

Finally, we still have a vacancy for a coopted Parish Councillor and would welcome expressions of interest being sent to Steve Young, Parish Clerk. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be retired to be a PC, it is a reasonable commitment of one meeting each month and we welcome wide and varied views to keep us grounded in the real world.

Looking to the lighter side of life, I do hope you are beginning to feel a lot like Christmas as it is nearly upon us once again. The Jug and Bottle is jam packed with Christmas goodies and Festivities have already kicked off with a highly successful Friends of Bubwith School (FoBS) Christmas Fayre. Well done and thanks to the fabulous FoBS team and all those who attended and helped raise over £1,000 which will be used to buy things for our local primary school.

Dates for your festive diaries include the erection of the Christmas Tree, Post Box and Winter Scene on the village green on the morning of Saturday the 29th November and the All Saints Church Christmas Fayre taking place in the church from 1pm to 3pm in the afternoon. The Advent calendar of Church events are described in full later in the Bugle.

Younger parishioners please note collections will commence from the Christmas Post Box immediately but the final collection will take place on the 19th December as the Elves will be required to work overtime in Santa’s workshop from then until the 24th December. Please be sure to include your name and address in all letters to Santa as the Elves need careful instructions if you are to receive a reply. I should add there is no age limit on writing to Santa!

The Elves are not the only ones to require careful instructions, if you want your festive food to include local meat and award winning pies (Delicious Yorkshire Taste Awards winner for the 7th year running) then Mounfield’s Team will need your order form by 6th December. Forms available from the shop.

Santa’s Fun Run or Walk will take place at the Leisure Centre Track on Saturday 20th December at 12.30pm, no medals but it’s free, the bar will be open, hot drinks and cakes will be available to purchase and there will be some gift stalls.

Carols around the Christmas Tree on the Village Green followed by Mulled Wine and Mince Pies hosted by Richard and Shirley Moore at Chain Bar House will be at 6pm on Sunday 21st December. All welcome.

On Christmas Eve, The White Swan is hosting Swing Vocalist Harry Collins and the Leisure Centre is hosting a Quiz night so you’ll be spoilt for choice or if you are fast on your feet you can do both!

Don’t forget Free Parking on weekends in the 4 weeks before Christmas in all Council run off -street car parks and on-street parking areas in towns like Beverley, Bridlington, Driffield, Goole, Hornsea and Howden on 29-30 November and December 6-7, 13-14 and 20-21 from 8am on Saturday to 8am on Monday.

Our ‘Thank You to Volunteers’ event will be held at the Leisure Centre at 2pm on Sunday 11th January 2026. I’d like to invite as many volunteers as possible so let me know by phone (Mob 07748965779) or email if there is someone you believe I should include.. If you are interested in being a volunteer yourself and want to explore opportunities please get in touch or come along to the event, you’ll be most welcome.

Finally, ending where I began, the Parish Council would like to offer a warm welcome to all newcomers to the village. We hope you settle in easily and find the village a friendly and inviting place to live. If we can help in any way or you want to get more involved in village life, please get in touch.

Best wishes. Sandra Hills
Chair of Bubwith Parish Council (mob: 07748965779)
. Or https://www.facebook.com/BubwithParishCouncil)

 

November Chair Letter – Cold Calling, Walking for Health & Christmas

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Dear Parishioners of Bubwith, Breighton and Willitoft

I do hope you are all in fine fettle and getting ready for the autumn and winter and all it has to offer.

In case you are wondering what I’ve been up to during my absence from the past two publications of the Bugle, I’ve been doing a quick tour of Scotland and parts of the South of England in a Camper van (the small kind) with 4 members of my Kiwi family. Suffice to say I am delighted to be home in Bubwith. I won’t bore you with the details unless you are suffering from insomnia, in which case feel free to give me a call; I’ll have you asleep in no time!

From our recent Parish Council meeting the key issues continue to be;

The boat moored on the river Derwent between the water treatment works and the bottom of Dingle Dell we are in regular communication with Local Authority Officers and although it feels like little progress is being made we are aware that some formal action is being planned behind the scenes.

As soon as we are able we will supply more detail. In the meantime, if you are concerned I would urge you to make a formal complaint to the local authority:

https://east-riding-self.achieveservice.com/en/service/Suspected_unauthorised_development

Whilst the Parish Council is always keen to hear of concerns and act upon them the strength of feelings can be diluted when consolidated through one channel, there is strength in numbers when it comes to complaints.

We continue to raise concerns regarding sewage with Yorkshire Water and are pressing for a further meeting. We have also raised the concerns received regarding heavy vehicles passing through Bubwith with the appropriate body, a formal response to this is to be found later in the Bugle.

We discussed the recent spate of cold calling in the village by what appeared to be a bogus charity fund raiser and discussed potential action we can take. Sadly, although we are identified as a ‘No Cold Callers’ village this is difficult to enforce. We ask local residents to be assertive with uninvited cold callers requesting they go away and if necessary close the door on them. We will also be sourcing some notices for households to display to indicate cold callers are not welcome.

On a brighter note, we have received some grant funding towards replacing the notice boards on the green in Bubwith and Breighton (thank you Steve for your successful application), unfortunately, it only covers 50% of the cost so we’d be pleased to hear from anyone who would like to sponsor the other 50%, contact Steve Young or me. Just think how pleasant it will be to once again see clearly the notices through the glass!

We have also received some grant funding for a speed watch camera on Breighton Road, this will be arriving shortly.

Other good news includes the continuance of the Walking for Health group that meets on Friday each week at the Leisure Centre at 9.45am for a 10am start. If you need more information please contact or . It is complemented by the new Community Café that is open at the centre from 10am to 1pm on Fridays, if someone would like to go to the café but struggles to walk any distance or hasn’t got transport please get in
touch.

You’ll be pleased to know we have got ourselves sorted for Christmas and the festive season. We have kindly been sponsored by The Real Aeroplane Company Limited and The Real Aeroplane Club for the tree on the green, a big thank you to them.

The Elves despite their very busy preparations in Santa’s workshop have confirmed they will be responding to letters to Santa posted in the Christmas Post box on the green and request that all letters are clearly marked with the name and address of the child to ensure a reply. There are a variety of fundraising and social events that will be appearing in this Bugle elsewhere so be sure to keep a copy close by and get them in your diary. If you’d like to get actively involved in volunteering to help with some of the events let me know and I’ll put you in touch with groups.

Finally, I want to give an early mention to our ‘Thank You to Volunteers’ event which will be held at the Leisure Centre at 2pm on Sunday 11th January 2026. This is our opportunity to celebrate and give thanks to all those people we know who volunteer in so many different ways in our community.

Surprisingly, I don’t know every volunteer and unsung hero and would welcome some help in making sure invitations go to as many volunteers as possible. If you know of someone, or indeed you volunteer yourself please get in touch and let me know by phone (Mob 07748965779) or email or even flag me down and tell me directly. I’d like to get invitations out early to ensure as many people as possible can come along. It’s a great opportunity to chat and I promise not to embarrass anyone.

On that note, Happy Halloween and Bonfire Night.

Best wishes.

Sandra Hills

Chair of Bubwith Parish Council   (mob: 07748965779)

. Or https://www.facebook.com/BubwithParishCouncil) 

August Chair Letter – Safety, Events and Community News

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Dear Parishioners of Bubwith, Breighton and Willitoft

 

I wish you all well as we enter the school summer holidays season.  It’s all hands-on deck to entertain and safeguard our younger parishioners and grandchildren imported into the parish for some intensive grandparenting during this 6 week period.  

 

Regarding safeguarding, you may have noticed the recent influx of electric scooters and quad bikes locally.  Of course they are great fun and magnets for children and young people who can’t wait to get motorised. But did you know that whilst being fine on private land with the landowner’s permission e-scooters are illegal on public roads, pavements, cycle lanes and other public areas. Quad bikes have age and usage restrictions even on private land and on public roads, riders must be over seventeen and hold a full car or motorcycle license (apparently not a well-known facts). 

 

As a reward for getting to the end of the summer holiday the  Bubwith Big Bash III will be held at the Leisure Centre on Sunday 31st August 11am to 3pm this will include an array of entertainment including some fairground attractions, bungee trampolines, circus performer a variety of stalls from local groups and the Church Café will be selling food and beverages in addition to the bar being open.  To cap the day off the Tennis Club will be holding a BBQ from 4pm onwards.  There will be something for everyone to enjoy so please put the date in your diary and come along.

 

Just a reminder that together with East Riding Council we are about to pilot a Walking for Health group on Friday each week commencing on the 1st August. Registration will be at 9.45am for a 10am start.  If you need more information please contact of   Just take your first step to becoming a social walker by joining us on the 1st.

I have been approached again about nuisance dogs in the parish.  As a Parish Council we have little power to act so I thought it might be helpful to remind you of the Dog Warden service again.  This East Riding Council Officer has numbers of powers to deal with stray dogs and dog fouling amongst other things. The contact number for the dog warden is (01482) 393939 or email: to be effective it relies on individuals reporting concerns.

There are two Parish Council matters that I need to update you on; 

The boat moored on the river Derwent between the water treatment works and the bottom of Dingle Dell continues to be high on the agenda as a concern to local people.  We will not let the matter drop and are in regular communication with relevant officers at ERYC and other agencies.

The environmental concerns regarding tyres historically dumped adjacent to the Public Right of Way near Breighton Industrial Estate – with the assistance of Sir David Davis we now have a reassuring reply from the Environment Agency:

“With regard to the environmental risk, I can confirm that tyres are very slow to degrade under natural conditions. The vulcanisation process to which the rubber is subjected during manufacture of the tyres provides for a very stable product – which hinders the processing of end-of life tyres. Scrap tyres have historically been used to create basal drainage layers in landfill sites and baled tyres have been trialled in flood-defence works and in establishing marine environments. Whilst not pursued at scale, those trials were undertaken supported by evidence of the long-term stability of the tyres. I hope that this would give some reassurance to Bubwith Parish Council of the low pollution risk associated with scrap tyres
I appreciate that the tyres are unsightly and a potential blight on that location but in summary the risk to the environment is very low.”​​​​​

We have now put this matter to bed as we believe we have exhausted all avenues of our enquiry. 

Finally, if you have observed volunteers out along the riverbank beating down or pulling up Himalayan Balsam you may be interested to hear that this is Natural England initiative to prevent our riverbanks being overtaken by this invasive species.  Sadly if left to its own devices it will choke out our natural vegetation.  If you are interested in getting involved please contact Louise Smith at the Jug & Bottle who will be happy to have more volunteers.  

I hope you have a lovely summer and thank you for your kind attention.  

Best wishes.

Sandra Hills

Chair of Bubwith Parish Council   (mob: 07748965779)

. Or https://www.facebook.com/BubwithParishCouncil)