At the Annual General Meeting of the Parish Council, held on 21st May 2001, Councillors attending were Skinner (Chairman), Eyre, Pearce, Tranmer and Woffenden. Apologies were received from Cllrs Thompson and Wilson.

There was no Police Officer present to give the police report.

Cllr Skinner was re-elected as Chairman for the year 2001/02 and Cllr Woffenden was re-elected as Vice Chairman.

Residents living in the Worrygoose Lane area are concerned about the new Mainline bus route changes, which mean that they cannot catch a bus into the village without travelling into town first. The Parish Council is currently looking into this to see if any changes can be made to the route.

The Parish Council is to object to the Seed Derestriction Order 2001, which the Borough Council proposes to make in the Worrygoose Lane area.

The Parish Council welcomes the new Dog Fouling Law which has been introduced and means that from now on, dog owners who allow their dogs to foul areas such as pavements, grass verges, parks, play areas, playing fields, grassed areas etc will face a fine of up to £1000 if they do not clear up the mess immediately. Notices have been displayed in the village notice boards.

A request from the 39th Rotherham (Whiston) Scout group for a donation to send two of their troop members to the world Scout Jamboree which is to be held in Thailand in 2002 was received. The Parish Council has agreed to an initial donation to the Scout Group.

The results of the Spring Judging by Yorkshire in Bloom judges have been received. Summer judging is to take place during July and the judges will be escorted around the housing estates so everyone's help is really needed to create a good impression. The Whiston in Bloom Committee is organising a village clean up day on Saturday 30th June in preparation of the summer judging. If you have a spare hour to pass on, your help would be greatly appreciated. The response to the last request for help with the village clean up day was extremely low but those who did help out did an excellent job.

Entry forms for the Whiston Village Gardens competition will be available from the Post Office at the beginning of July. Closing date for entries is Friday, 20th July 2001.

The Parish Council web site is now up and running although further information and music to be provided by Whiston Brass is still to be added. Anyone whishing to access the site should be able to find it at www.northern.ac.uk/whiston.

The Borough Council is very concerned about the number of trees that are being inexpertly pruned in the conservation area and without the permission of the local authority. It is an offence to prune these trees without planning consent and parishioners could find themselves facing a hefty fine if permission has not been granted.

The Annual Parish Assembly was held on Tuesday, 22nd May and only a handful of parishioners attended. Concerns were raised about the derestriction order on Worrygoose Lane, the dual carriageway proposals from Whiston Crossroads to Rotherway and the slow progress being made by the Borough Council at Whiston Meadows. These items are to be addressed by the Parish Council.

Afternoon W.I.

May 10th was the Resolutions Meeting, a lovely sunny day.

Sixty-one members attended, Joan Senior opened the meeting and members sang Jerusalem.

Marjorie Weatherhogg read the minutes of the last meeting.

There were two resolutions, 1. That carers for the elderly to take more qualifications. 2. All school children should have access to a local nursing service. Both were passed.

There are to be a few outings to Wentworth Castle. Herriot centre in Thirsk and to Rufford Park for lunch.

On May 19th there is to be a Craft Show in the Manorial Barn and the village hall. There will be crafts on show, refreshments and short walks around the village.

Joan Senior gave a short talk on Denham College, which is our college in Oxfordshire. She explained bursaries are on offer for any member who would like to take any of the many courses.

Margaret Butcher

Evening W.I.

At the May meeting the resolutions to be put to the IGM in June, in Cardiff, were discussed.

There was a lively debate and both the resolutions regarding care of the elderly and the school nursing service were passed with full agreement.

Sheena Gibannell gave a report on a recent visit, which members enjoyed, to Sandringham. This was arranged by Mrs Joan Pickering.

The competition, a paperweight, was won by Janet Morgan, 2nd Elaine Jackson, and 3rd Jean Overend. Jean Overend was also presented with a WI teaspoon for attaining 100 points in the competitions. Ann Hatfield won the raffle.

The next meeting on 14th June is to be a Bring and Buy Evening at 174 Broom Lane.

H White