Rolleston Civic Trust

Rolleston Civic Trust
Chair: Roger Gawthorpe
214 Station Road (Tel. 812621)

A village society established to stimulate interest, promote high standards of planning and secure the preservation and conservation of Rolleston on Dove. The Civic Trust has provided the village sign in Brookside and St. Mary's Church floodlighting. Joint management of Brookhollows with ESBC.

A programme of events held throughout the year (talks, walks, pancake race, etc). Usually meet 3rd Wednesday of the month 8.00pm at Rolleston Cricket Club.

Wednesday 12 March	Extra meeting for the AGM to include discussion of the annual subscription fees. Mike Jobson will then give a talk. 8pm at the Cricket Club.
Wednesday 19 March	Guided Tour of Burton Constitutional Club with buffet supper to follow. Civic Trust ticket event, available from Committee Members (limited numbers).
Wednesday 16 April	Civic Trust talk by Wayne Ball on ‘Foremark Reservoir: a conservation challenge’. 8pm at the Cricket Club.
Sunday 27 April	Plant Swap, The School Room, St Mary’s Church. 2–4 pm. Please bring along your cuttings and surplus plants to be swapped - with a small donation towards St Mary’s Church Funds. Light refreshments will be available.
Wednesday 14 May	Civic Trust talk by Rodney Paul and Mark Jordan on their fund-raising cycle ride: ‘Lands End to John O’Groats’. 8pm at the Cricket Club.
Further details to be announced

Village newcomers may well ask this question; sometimes existing residents do also. So the organisation that provides your quarterly village magazine feels it would be of interest to describe the other things it does.

The Rolleston Civic Trust constitution refers to providing a stimulation of public interest in the village, promoting high standards of planning and architecture, and looking after the interests of the historic and other features of public value within and around the village. It is a trust of charitable status, with a membership open to all having these interests, and is organised by an Executive Committee, all of whom are volunteers. It is intended to be non-political and of generally independent view.

So in what form are these objectives met? The stimulation of public interest often comes from the various features in Rollestonian itself, as seen on the accompanying pages. Also, the Civic Trust arranges a yearly programme of talks and visits of topical or historical interest. Talks over recent years have covered a range of subjects: e.g. the Mosley family, the silk mills of Derby, the salt industry of the Trent Valley and conserving the best of Burton’s old buildings.

The Heritage Event arranged last September (2007) by RODSEC, of which we are an active member caused us to compile three Heritage Trails within and around Rolleston. These included in the text some social history, and details of the function, as well as architectural features of some of our old buildings and aspects of the surrounding countryside. A decision has been made to make these publications available again for visitors and residents, and for school project work. Coordinated events by village groups for the people of Rolleston are quite common and RCT provides a good Skittle Alley at Community Day and as it has in the past at Millennium and Jubilee events.

The Civic Trust has for many years provided the function of independent Planning Watch-dog. ESBC include us on their list of local groups (together with of course the Parish Council and Village Design Statement Group) providing details of new planning applications in the area. Plans are discussed at both Committee and Public Meetings and written comments made to the Planning Department.

In addition, recent enquiries and studies have included contact with the Environment Agency regarding flood risk, and a members’ Survey of Street Furniture and Markings. Signs can sometimes be unsightly or become redundant. They can be an enhancement also. RCT recently made a £1000 contribution towards the repair and reinstatement of the historic cast iron fingerpost in School Lane at the junction with Beacon Road and Chapel Lane.

At times when funds are a little easier, donations are made to local worthy causes, such as to the Methodist Church for a new Noticeboard, and a contribution to the cost of the Village Noticeboard outside Starbucks. We paid for the installation of St Mary’s Church floodlighting and continue to meet the maintenance costs. Sponsorship for their use covers the ever increasing cost of electricity.

We are keen to encourage improvements to the village appearance. The Civic Trust Award is made annually for significant enhancements or for other contributions to the village. Garden Awards are made for Best Front Garden (Shelley Cup) and occasionally a competition is organised for Best Back Garden (Forest Shield). A Plant Swap event has been arranged for the last three years allowing Rolleston Gardeners to do a deal on their excess garden content – and enjoy a cup of tea and a piece of sticky cake whilst there. Daffodil and Snowdrop Planting Groups will have been seen at the Village Entrances, and outside St Mary’s Church and the Jinny Nature Trail. Members get ‘stuck in’ on the Village Clean Up Days and Brook Hollows Working Parties. Brook Hollows in Burnside, for a longtime the responsibility of RCT to mow and control weeds around the Brook and woodland, is being taken back by the Borough Council to maintain and they are intending to form a ‘Friends of Brook Hollows’ to assist in its upkeep.

In 2006, RCT and RODSEC entered Rolleston into a County Competition organised by the Community Council for Staffordshire and sponsored by Calor within the ‘Building Community Life’ Category. It won the Calor Award for Best Village in Staffordshire and the prize money was donated to the village’s educational charity, Rolleston United Foundation.

Apart from the Talks and Visits, a modest social programme for villagers includes a winter Sunday lunchtime Wine Mulling, a summer Cheese and Wine Evening and a Christmas Dinner at a good pub. An important annual village event is the Shrove Pancake Race Day, where teams of ever-keen children and over-keen grown ups can be seen controlling a frying pan and pancake on The Croft. A collection is made amongst the onlookers (many of whom are also competitors) and split between the pre-school playgroup and St Mary’s Church funds.

One of the most important undertakings of the Civic Trust is undoubtedly the publication of the Village Magazine. Rollestonian including the Parish Council Newsletter is free and delivered to all households (barring accidents) within Rolleston. It is the basis of people knowing what is going on in Rolleston and of what is available. The Editor, Advertisement Secretary and Parish Council/Civic Trust delivery team are all volunteers. The cost of Rollestonian is met by the generous advertising support of local businesses and the Parish Council subsidy for their Newsletter.

Other RCT income comes from the proceeds of social and other events, village tea towels, writing paper, gift tags, etc. Our membership is currently about 160 households (only one in eight in the village!) each of which pays a subscription of £3 (or £2 to single members). This has been the same for over 15 years. However, the inevitable is nigh and it may well rise in the next year. Expenditure is for insurances, Church floodlight hardware, fees, awards and donations. A Borough Council grant for the maintenance of mowers, etc for Brook Hollows will no longer be payable when this task is relinquished. Capital is presently paying for the excess of outgoings over income.

We would like all readers of Rollestonian to consider membership. We hope you are convinced we are a worthwhile organisation and are fulfilling a need within the life of the village. We need also to encourage new Committee members to join - in order to keep all this going. If interested, simply contact any Committee member (see the list below or the Village Noticeboard).

Peter Barnett (Vice-Chairman) 814791
John Carlton 813447
Peter Galloway 814060
Roger Gawthorpe (Chairman) 812621
Sheila Lord 813877
Clare Norman 520796
Helen Richardson (Treasurer) 813232
Janet Sanderson 815480
Vanessa Winstone (Secretary) 812830

The Civic Trust produces Rollestonian (delivered free to 1,400 houses in the village). For general contributions, society news, announcements, event dates etc - please contact Tom & Sylvia Martin, 43 The Lawns (Tel 813320). For all advertising please contact Mrs Clare Norman, Southview, Cross Lane (Tel. 520796).