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Diary

What is your early history?

I was born in Beverley, East Yorkshire, and went to the local school, and after the 11-plus, to Beverley High School. Originally, I wanted to go into the Police Force, but because I was too young at the time, I got a job at Bishop Burton Agricultural College, in Reception. It was there that I met John, who was a student there. John eventually came south to work at Allenford Farms, and a year later we got married. Long-distance courtship had been hard, especially as John frequently had to work most weekends. We lived at Boulsbury Farm Cottages for 9 years and our two sons, James (30) and Andrew (29) were born from there. Then, we moved into Rose Cottage, where we have lived for 27 years. It is hard now to be moving back to Boulsbury Farm cottages.

And the day job?

Over the years I have worked part-time in many jobs in the village – at Parkfield Stores, and then at Damerham Post Office. For a short time I worked at the Coote Inn in Martin, and at Martin Club, behind the bar. I also helped to run the Damerham Playgroup for many years. These days I am Martin Club’s secretary. During the summer I work as Manager of the Visitor Information Centre in Fordingbridge.

How about hobbies?

I like to dabble in lots of things – I love cooking, walking, and gardening when there’s time. I must be a committee-aholic – I really enjoy committee work. I serve on the Parochial Church Council, and I am the W.I. representative on the Village Hall committee.  I am the W.I. secretary and former President, and I am the Chairman of the Care Group . I am Chair of the Fordingbridge Country Market, and Secretary to the Fordingbridge Tourism Group. I am also one of the Organisers of the Tea and Chat Club… and I am Summer Show Secretary for the Horticultural Society. I just like committees!!  Selling the eggs from our flock of chickens has been a very enjoyable part of my life, and I have made lots of friends through this.

How do you see the role of the Parish Council, and how long have you been a member?

Oh dear – I have been a member for nearly 20 years! And I was Chairman for six years up until last Spring. Recently, council work has become more intense. It used to be a very general “looking after the Village”, but now it has become more complicated as a result of central policies to localise government, and the implementation of the Parish Plan.

I still see the Council’s role as a caring one, overseeing things like planning, affordable housing, roads, and general affairs affecting the Village. The Council cannot dictate things, but must act in an advisory capacity to protect Village interests. The Council doesn’t have a lot of power, because we need money from outside to do the things we wish to do. We need permission, money, and manpower for the things we would really like to do.

What is your main concern for the Village?

I would not like the village to become “split” It has always been a happy, friendly place. So many people now coming in put up big gates and fences which seem to exclude other people, but I would like the Village to continue with a happy, supportive atmosphere, as it has done for centuries, with people joining in with all the local activities. I have used this Village as my family, because my own family live so far away. If I had not joined the W.I. and other groups, I would not have got to know everyone so quickly and so well.

What is your dearest wish for the Village?

As I said, that it should continue as it is, so that the pub goes on, and the garage, churches and school, and that we continue to thrive. I do not want us to stay stagnant and just slip away. We have to go forward but the place must stay as Damerham – a very special place.

How do you feel about the Parish Plan?

I was Treasurer for the Plan, which I much enjoyed. When the idea first came up about 5 years ago, the Council turned it down, but two years ago, a Village Meeting showed that a majority wanted a Plan. It has turned out to be a good thing, because we now have the views of the people on what they would like to happen in the next ten years. Some things would be too expensive or too ambitious, but others, like the Information Group and the children’s activities are already active.

Your hopes and aspirations.

Firstly, a negative one. We had always hoped that when we retired, we could stay in Damerham until we died, but property prices here have made that impossible. 

I hope the Care Group will keep running with lots of volunteers, but we all need to use the public transport facilities that we have. This is because we will lose them if they are not used, and it is the people who do not drive who will suffer. Although these people do use the taxi service, there are too few of them to make it viable. So all of us must “use it or lose it” for other people’s sakes.

I am not, unlike some of my colleagues, overly concerned about traffic. I don’t think we have a real problem compared with other villages, and if we restrict traffic here, we are only pushing it on to somebody else. There are a lot of “big cars” which do almost as much damage as the lorries, and our verges do get damaged. Local people too need to be careful about how they drive and park, and to think about their speed. Some of the lorries which come through the Village are going to farms and business in Damerham and Martin. I would not like to see more bollards, pinch-points and the like. The road is narrow as it is, and it wouldn’t look good.

The Village Hall

We are very lucky to have the Village Hall. It was hard work to raise the money for it, and it is a real asset to the Village. It is necessary for outside people to use it, because without them we would not be able to cover the high running costs. People just do not realise how much it costs to run the Hall.