News

News roundup - 25th February 2008

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SAVED! Goodnestone keeps its Post Office!
Letters from villagers win the day

25/2/2008
Goodnestone Post Office has been saved from threatened closure due to the convincing arguments put forward by villagers. That was the overriding comment from the Post Office Ltd who explained their decision after an extended consultation period that ran from early December until the end of January. Originally not part of the 56 post office earmarked for closure, Goodnestone ended up on the hit list after two other post office won reprieves. After a number of local public meetings concerned villagers were advised to put rational arguments into written responses - and that advice seems to have paid off!During the consultation period over 90 letters were received.

The official statement from Post Office Ltd reads:

"Having taken into account local feedback about Goodnestone, Post Office Ltd was concerned about the distance to the nearest alternative branch and the lack of public transport. The branch is used by customers from neighbouring communities, the associated shop is important and dependent on the Post Office and there is new housing planned. Taking these and other relevant factors into account, Post Office Ltd has decided to retain Goodnestone in the network."

Goodnestone Parish Council expressed satisfaction with the campaign, but a spokesperson warned "that we must recognise we scraped through! If people don't start using the shop and post office more, it wouldn't pass another review". So, use it or loose it! Support your local village shop and post office.

Read the full Post Office statement here.

[pictures to follow]

Choral Concert

22/9/2007
One of the first events in the newly restored All Saints Church in Chillenden was a choral concert organised by Natalie Helm, choir master of the small but dedicated congregational choir. The event was primarily a celebration of the new church and a recognition of the effort and enthusiasm of the village as a while towards the project (not to mention their deep pockets!). The evening's programme included spiritual music by Buckner (Locus Iste), Wesley (Lead me Lord), Elgar (Ave verum corpus) and Joubert (There is no rose). The were solos by some of the village's more talented singers including Carey Newton and Annabelle Church, with accompaniment by Roz Bullen on the keyboard and cello (when she wasn't singing alto with the choir!). The evening was MC'd by Richard Himsworth whose acerbic wit was employed in short but alas accurate pen pictures of each member of the choir. During the interval, drinks were served in the splendid gazebo outside! The second half of the evening comprised an acoustic set by the group Everwhile, of which Carey Newton is the lead singer. The evening concluded with a rousing rendition from the choir and audience of Somewhere over the Rainbow! A rolling slide show of all the events connected to the village fundraising over the last 3 years was a fitting visual backdrop to the music.

The event was enjoyed by some 70 members of the audience, and raised over £450 towards the continuing Rainbow Appeal, which is now turning its attention towards the Village Hall.

All Saints Church Re-opens!

25/07/2007
All Saints Church was officially re-opened on 25th July 2007 at a special re-dedication ceremony conducted by the Bishop Stephen of Dover, after some 10 months of restoration works. It was the culmination of over 4 years hard work, effort and enthusiasm by the villagers of Chillenden to raise over £100,000 to pay for the works. These involved the repair of the water damaged south wall, the installation of a completely new oil-fired heating system, a new wiring and lighting system, repairs to the roof, porch and windows, and the complete redecoration of all the walls. Over 80 people attended the special service.

EARTHQUAKE
4.3 OFFICIAL!

Chillenden got a rude awakening on the morning 28 April 2007 at 0817BST when a 4.3 (revised from and earlier USGS 4.7RS) earthquake struck. Houses shook for about 5 seconds but there are no reports of damage or injuries. All services (including voice & data links) are functioning normally. Church, windmill and pub still standing! This is the first earthquake in living memory in this area according to locals at the pub (OK it was late and they were not that old!)

New events website for CT3!

28/10/06
A new website and portal has been launched by Colin Wyatt from Goodnestone for events in the CT3 area. Linked to, but not exclusively for Goodnestone Village, the web site will act as a portal for all events in our area. ct3events.com will handle events big and small, and will be closely linked to this site for maximum coverage. If you would like more information click the link above or contact Colin directly