December News

 Following his recent resignation from the Thirteen, I would like to start my column by thanking Mike Francis for all his hard work for our organisation and the town over the past 19 years. He will be missed and we wish him well in the future.

As the Christmas season is upon us and shortly The Market House and trees will be lit up as the centre piece of our town centre, I would like to thank the Lowsley-Williams family for once again providing the beautiful trees, Tetbury Heating and Plumbing company for their time, initially removing the hanging baskets and then assisting the Thirteen erecting the lights.  I do hope that many of you will join the celebrations on Friday 6th December, starting with the Christmas Parade from 5.40pm, Community Carols followed by the Christmas Light Switch On at 6pm.  The Feoffees are pleased to advise that we will be allowing free parking in the Chipping Car Park on this evening from 4pm and we hope that this is the start of a prosperous Christmas Season for the traders in the town.

Finally, I am pleased to advise that the following annual grant round has been approved, with the following grants being awarded:

Millennium Green       - £1,500                       Monday Club                           - £  250

Advowson                   - £    70                        Tetbury Youth Club                - £3,000

Tetbury in Bloom        - £1,500                       Tetbury Flower Show              - £  500

Holiday at Home         - £1,500                       St Mary’s School                      - £3,000

Lecturers Grant           - £    30                       

This year we have also given an additional grant to St Mary’s School for the roof repairs £5,000, Tetbury Foodbank £1,200 (to be paid in two instalments), Tetbury Town Football Club £1,000 and St Mary’s Playgroup for ICT equipment £ 600

If you think we may be able to help you or your group with an education or training grant or would like to know more about the work we do in our town, please visit our website – www.thefeoffeesoftetbury.co.uk - or speak to one of our members.

It just remains for me to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Lance Vick – Chairman

November News

As the autumn is almost over, we were pleased to receive a report from a local resident that the Kingfisher, previously seen, has now returned to the Millennium Green.  This is wonderful news and we hope that it will continue to visit us on a regular basis. In addition, a Heron has also been spotted.

Keeping up the nature and animal theme, following the very successful ‘Community Bluebell Planting Day’ at the start the Wild Towns project, you will notice a few changes starting to take place in Preston Park. Firstly, the cows have gone, having spent the summer eating the grass, as they do every summer.  The steps which lead from the Railway line to Berkeley Wood have been repaired and the ‘Owl Hotel’ has been installed in Preston Park. 

There are also going to be 17 ‘Bat Boxes’ installed throughout the area, so please keep your eyes open when you are enjoying this area provided for the benefit to the entire community.

I am pleased to report that 241 visitors visited The Market House over the recent Heritage weekend and dates for your diary next year – Annual Beating of the Bounds – meeting under Bath Bridge 9.30am on Saturday 5th September and the Heritage Weekend will take place on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th September.

We continue to plan for the Christmas Light ‘switch on’ on Friday 6th December and I am pleased to confirm that the Chipping Car Park, which we own, with all profits being put back into our community, will be free from charge that evening from 4pm.  You will see the Thirteen team working hard in November, erecting the Christmas Trees and adorning The Market House with lights, this iconic building is the focal point of Christmas in Tetbury.

Finally, I am pleased to advise that the following grants have been recently awarded:

• £250 to a young person training in Plumbing & Heating

• £250 to a young person undertaking a Photography degree

If you think we may be able to help you or your group with an education or training grant or would like to know more about the work we do in our town, please visit our website – www.thefeoffeesoftetbury.co.uk - or speak to one of our members.

Lance Vick – Chairman

Help us create a Bluebell Trail

Community Planting Day – 10am to 12noon, Saturday 21st September 2019

Tetbury Town Council and the Tetbury Feoffees are partnering the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust in its ‘Wild Towns’ scheme across eight towns in Gloucestershire.  In Tetbury the scheme will be focussed on the Rail Lands, to improve the stream bed, waterflows, biodiversity and public access.  The scheme is valued at £40,000 – comprising £20K European money, £10K from the Town Council and £10K from the Feoffees.  The Wildlife Trust will provide a Project Manager because it has the economies of scale to do so across the county; meaning that the Tetbury Council Taxpayer will pay only a quarter of the project cost to benefit from £40,000 of improvement work, delivered by professionals.

Part of the overall project in Tetbury is the creation of a Bluebell Trail along the old rail track. 

What can you do to be part of this?

• ·         On Saturday 21st September we want volunteers (local families and their children, and local groups) to plant thousands of bluebell bulbs along the Rail Lands.

• ·         Volunteers should come dressed for gardening and equipped with their own garden trowels

• ·         In advance of the day, we will put in some numbered stakes and map them.

• ·         Arriving at any time from 10am to 12noon, each group will be given: (a) a map or plan showing all the stakes/planting locations; (b) their own stake number; and (c) a bag or boxful of bluebell bulbs.

Our volunteers then go off to find their allocated stake and plant their bulbs in the immediate area.

·We then wait for April-May 2020 to enjoy the spectacle of our new Bluebell Trail.

There’s no need to formally register, but it would like you to tell us that you intend to join in, so please call the Town Council on 01666-504670 or email townclerk@tetbury.gov.uk

September News

The Feoffees and Thirteen of Tetbury

We had a wonderful turn out for the annual Feoffee and Thirteen Community BBQ on the Millennium Green at the end of June.  We were blessed with a lovey warm evening, where new and old friends had the opportunity to catch up and the children played in the sun. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Thirteen team who organised this event, in particular, Danny Bristow, who co-ordinated the evening, it really was a great success.

At the beginning of September, the Plastic Free Picnic will be taking place on the Millennium Green.  This has been arranged by the Tetbury Area Churches Together, following the very successful ‘Plastic Free Tetbury’ month, which was held in June. As we move into the autumn and the fruit ripens, we do hope that you will take the opportunity to visit the Community Orchard on Herd Lane, where you can help yourself to a few apples for your families and enjoy produce with zero food miles.  However, could I ask you all to please only pick this fruit for your own personal consumption, so that all members of our community can benefit – this fruit is not for commercial ventures.

Dates for your Diary

Beating of the Bounds 7th September – The annual walking of the boundaries of the town, followed by the presentation of our annual accounts

Heritage Weekend – 14th & 15th September – as part of this national event, The Market Hall and The Feoffee Meeting Room are open for the public with historic displays.  In addition, at 2pm on 15th September Thirteen member Tony Walsh will give a talk at The Goods Shed on the History of The Feoffee and Thirteen -more information is available at - www.shed-arts.co.uk   

If you think we may be able to help you or your group with an education or training grant or would like to know more about the work we do in our town, please visit our website – www.thefeoffeesoftetbury.co.uk - or speak to one of our members.

Lance Vick – Chairman

Community BBQ

Thank you to everyone who attended the Community BBQ in June. It was wonderful to see the community together.

Feoffee Community Summer BBQ June 28th - Millennium Green

May News

The Feoffees and Thirteen of Tetbury

May is a busy month here in Tetbury and I would like to start by wishing the organisers of Wacky Races and Woolsack Day all the best for successful events.

By now the redecoration of The Market Hall has begun and we are doing our very best to keep any inconvenience caused to a minimum, however, if you are experiencing problems, please let us know.

Recently Thirteen member Nikki Ind and our Clerk Alison Mackay were pleased to attend the opening of the Children’s Zone at Tetbury Library, after the recent refurbishment and as you can see, the new sofa is already being put to good use by the younger members of our community.  The Feoffee were pleased to be able to give a grant to the library for this refurbishment, which is a valuable community asset and used by residents of all ages.

Grass Keep – does anyone wish to apply for the grass keep in Preston Park? Due to the nature of users – Dog Walkers, Runners, Families – this probably suits cattle best.  If you are interested, please contact Feoffee Will Cook.

Dates for your Diary

Community BBQ at the Millennium Green – Friday 28th June - For those of you who are new to the town or have never attended before, this is a ‘free of charge’ community event, an opportunity to meet your friends old and new and enjoy a burger or hotdog – just bring a blanket, chair, drinks and yourselves – everyone is welcome and we look forward to meeting you all there!

 Beating of the Bounds – The annual walking of the boundaries of the town, followed by the presentation of

 our annual accounts

 Heritage Weekend – as part of this national event, The Market Hall and The Feoffee Meeting Room are open for the public with historic displays

Grants approved recently have included:

• Parkrun

• Sir William Romney School – Duke of Edinburgh Scheme

• Goods Shed Piano Fund

• St Mary’s Day Centre Monday Club

If you think we may be able to help you or your group with an education or training grant, please visit our website – www.thefeoffeesoftetbury.co.uk - or speak to one of our members.

Lance Vick – Chairman

March News

As many of you know, we are responsible for not only The Market House, but also areas of Open Space within our town for the benefit of the residents and the snow at the end of January, was not only beautiful, but allowed many of you to enjoy our largest area, Preston Park, with snowy walks and sledging.

2019 will be another busy year for us and the largest project will be starting on 15th April, when, as I mentioned last month, we begin the repair and decoration of The Market House.  This historic building is the centre piece of our Town and this essential maintenance will mean it will remain so for many years to come.  I would ask you to all please bear with us during the 5 weeks of work and I am pleased to confirm that during this work, 9am – 5pm, there will be manually operated traffic lights, in order to ensure that any inconvenience is kept to a minimum.

As a group, we are also very lucky that Thirteen member, Dr Tony Walsh, gives talks on the history of the Feoffee and I am pleased to confirm that he will be speaking over the next couple of months, not only in Tetbury and the surrounding villages, but as far a field as Cirencester and Cheltenham.  If you are a member of a group who would like Tony to visit, please let Tony know, either personally or via our website.

Finally, I am pleased to confirm that the Feoffee have made the following grants:

·         Tetbury Hospital - funds to assist with the purchase of an Ophthalmology Microscope

·         Wednesday and Friday Day Centre – grant to allow this invaluable service to continue to operate

·         Tetbury RFC Minis – grants towards tours for under 10’s, under 11’s and under 12’s

You can find out much more about our grants, history and the current work we do in the town, by visiting our website www.thefeoffeesoftetbury.co.uk or speaking to any member of the Feoffee or Thirteen, we would be pleased to hear from you.

Lance Vick – Chairman



February News

Happy New Year! Firstly, whilst Christmas seems a long time ago, I wanted to send a big thank you to Amanda and the team at Hobbs House Bakery and Peter Powell and the Creative team, who kindly supplied bacon sandwiches and coffee, for all our volunteers who decorated The Market Hall and the Christmas trees and Tetbury Heating and Plumbing who assisted with the installation of the lights. We would also like to thank the Dormers Close residents who decorated the Christmas Tree in Berkeley Wood.

The Market House - we start this year with a large project planned, the repair and decoration of our beautiful Market House in the centre of town.  This work is due to commence on 15th April and will take 5 weeks. During the day 9am – 5pm, there will be manually operated traffic lights in operation

Parking – we wanted to remind you that whilst The Chipping Car Park is operated by Cotswold District Council on our behalf, this Pay & Display Car Park is owned by the Feoffee and that any profits made are then used by the charity for the benefit of the town.  Also, we still have a car parking space available at the bottom of Gumstool Hill, if you would like to take the opportunity to rent, please contact Feoffee Richard Cooper, either in person or via our website.

Herd Lane – we have received complaints from residents regarding the tipping of rubbish and food waste along the bank and should you see anyone doing this, please report to us and we will take the appropriate action.  This is a public area for the benefit of our local community and we work hard to keep this tidy and would welcome your support in this matter.

History Talks – Thirteen member Dr Tony Walsh continues to provide talks to groups and organisations regarding The Feoffees and Thirteen and whilst he already has a couple planned for this year, if you are a member of a group who would like to know more about us, please either contact Tony, either in person or via our website.

Finally, at the end of last year we made the following fixed grants to community organisations:

• Advowson (Town Council) - £70

• Tetbury in Bloom - £1500

• Holiday at Home - £1500

• Reverend Hughes (Lecturers grant) - £30

• St Mary’s Primary School annual grant - £3,000

• Tetbury Area Youth & Community Trust - £3,000

• Tetbury Flower Show - £500

• Tetbury Library £750

You can find out much more about our history and the current work we do in the town, by visiting our website www.thefeoffeesoftetbury.co.uk or speaking to any member of the Feoffee or Thirteen, we would be pleased to hear from you.

Lance Vick – Chairman

Rememberance Sunday

The Market House being used as the centre for Remembrance Day activities at 11.00 am 11th November

November News

The Feoffees and Thirteen of Tetbury

We have recently been asked by a local resident for more information regarding our work and role in our town both today and the part we have played historically and I hope to answer a few of these questions:

The Feoffee and Thirteen were formed in 1633, as Lords of the Manor of Tetbury in trust for the town, when the town was purchased by four locals from George, Lord Berkeley and his mother, of Berkeley Castle. The Feoffee are the Trustees and are financially responsible for The Romney Charity and The John Phillips Millennium Green Trust and are supported in their work by the members of the Thirteen.

Members of the Feoffee, there are 7, come from the Thirteen when a vacancy becomes available.  The Thirteen were historically made up of the Jury of the Town and the Town Bayliff. Today the Thirteen look to elect members from the community who are involved in and work for the benefit of the town and its residents.  This is a feudal and archaic democratic institution.

The Romney Charity – The Trustees (Feoffees) are empowered to use the assets under their control for the general benefit of the people of Tetbury, in particular, the advancement of education, relief of poverty and the provision and maintenance of the open areas, recreational spaces and other properties owned by the charity.

The John Phillips Millennium Green Trust – the main aim of this trust is to provide informal leisure amenities for the people of Tetbury

PRESENT MEMBERS

FEOFFEE

Lance Vick – Chairman

Dave Hicks – Vice Chairman – responsibility for The Market Hall

John Hugginson – responsibility for The Chipping and Chipping Car Park

Mike Houghton – responsibility for the Herd Lane Allotments

Will Cook – responsibility for Preston Park and the Railway Line

Richard Cooper - responsibility for Lower Gumstool Hill and the Millennium Green

Dave Norris – responsibility for Open Spaces

THIRTEEN

Jim Pearce – Chairman                                   Danny Bristow

Tony Walsh – Vice- Chairman                       David Smith

Nikki Ind – Secretary                                        Rachel Lee

John Price                                                            Richard Witchell

Peter Witchell                                                     Mike Avis

Mike Francis                                                       Darby Law

John Latter

You can find out much more about our history and the current work we do in the town, by visiting our website www.thefeoffeesoftetbury.co.uk or speaking to any member of the Feoffee or Thirteen, we would be pleased to hear from you.

We have recently had a parking space become vacant at the bottom of Gumstool Hill at the Millennium Green, if you would like to rent, please contact Feoffee Richard Cooper via our website.

Finally, I am pleased to confirm that in the last month we were able to make grants to local residents towards the following –

• Equipment for a local apprentice plumber

• Books and equipment for a number of local students going to University and College

Lance Vick – Chairman

October News

The Feoffees and Thirteen of Tetbury

The autumn has been busy with the Beating of the Bounds, led by Feoffee Richard Cooper and which was finished off with coffee and biscuits in The Market Hall, along with the presentation of The Feoffee accounts and the Heritage Weekend, co-ordinated by Feoffee David Hicks.  Both events were held at the beginning of September and were well attended and thoroughly enjoyed. 

The Community Orchard at Herd Lane is now full of apples and we invite you all to help yourself and enjoy this fruit – if you are not sure where exactly the orchard is, please just ask one of us and we will send you in the right direction.

Finally, I am pleased to confirm that the following grants have been made over the summer:

• St Mary’s Church Bell Ringers – grant towards the purchase of new ropes and muffle

• Summer Youth Drama Workshop

If you want to know more about us and the work that we do within the town and grants available, please speak to any member of The Feoffee or Thirteen, or check out our website  www.thefeoffeesoftetbury.co.uk and we would be pleased to hear from you if you have any projects which you feel may be of interest to us.

 Lance Vick – Chairman