A reminder that the excellent Friday coffee mornings organised by the Social Club continue in the Village Hall.

The mobile library will be in the Village Hall car park every Friday between 10:15 and 11:15a.m. The mobile library carries books for all: fiction, reference, cooking and hobbies and help with homework. There are also DVDs and talking books. You can order anything not on board, and if you aren't a member joining is easy and FREE! You can even pre-order items on the internet.

The mobile library is accessible to people with mobility problems (the stairs convert into a lift) and the staff are friendly and helpful. Please give it a try, and if you know someone without internet access - especially a senior citizen - please pass on the good news.

Almost everyone in the parish took part in its creation, and the lessons learned will guide the Council through the ongoing Action Plan.

For more details and to access the adopted plan, see the Parish Plan Pages.

We all love the information super-highway. But too many of us know what it's like when the super-highway turns out to be a country lane and we're stuck behind a slow moving tractor.

Slow broadband is a bane of many country districts like ours and it's more than just an inconvenience. It damages our ability to take part properly in modern life, and it puts a brake on economic development and general well-being.

Some Canwick residents have complained of some very poor broadband speeds indeed. Others seem to have a good service. It's time to establish the facts and do something to make improvements where they are needed.

The District Council is running a survey to accurately map the service people get in real life (as opposed to all those 'up to 10 megabits per second' advertising claims). NK is using the results to put pressure on broadband suppliers, telecom companies and the Government to improve the situation. Canwick Parish  Council is working to support that effort.

The more people who respond, the stronger the District Council's hand in pushing for a better service. The survey only takes a few minutes to complete, and you can do it on-line by clicking this link. Alternatively if you want a printed copy, or need an accessible format like brail or audio, contact the District Council on 01522 699699 or e-mail research_team@n-kesteven.gov.uk.

Please take the survey whether your connection is slow OR fast - we need to get an accurate picture of the good as well as the bad!

Not sure exactly how fast your broadband is? No problem! You can find a speed tester in the Safe Surfing section of this website's Links Page, or go directly to www.speedtest.net. Using the 'recommended server' button will help make all our entries most compatible.

We hope the information gained will help make a real difference in improving what's become one of life's absolute necessities. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey, and if possible e-mail your download and upload speeds (with a note of your supplier) to the webmaster@canwick.org so we can keep track!

UPDATE – 16 AUGUST 2011

The Government has just announced a multi-million pound national fund to boost rural broadband. The money will go straight to affected areas and Lincolnshire will get £14,310,000 – one of the biggest grants to any shire county.

The County Council will be responsible for administering the fund. The Government’s Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt said “I urge all those suffering the frustration of slow internet connections to make it clear to your local elected representatives that you expect them to do what is needed to access this investment and to deliver broadband to your community”.

That’s exactly what we’ve been doing with our North Kesteven Broadband Survey and it’s good to get government level endorsement. If you haven’t responded already, please make sure you do now!

Good news on a controversial planning application in Pelham Lane. The Parish Council strongly opposed a hugely over-sized extension behind a charming old cottage. Not only did the proposal make a mockery of the local character of our village, but would have caused serious harm to the quality of life of a next door neighbour. Unfortunately the NK planning officers supported the scheme and seemed to side with the developer at every possible step of the way.

District and Parish Councillor Ian Carrington called the application into the NKDC Planning Committee where it was quite rightly thrown out by the councillors. The applicant then appealed to the independent Planning Inspectorate.

The Inspector has now given her final ruling, and it backs every single point of objection made by Councillor Carrington and the Parish Council. The appeal is dismissed, and the extension applied for will not be built.

The way in...

Stalls outside the Village Hall...

Owl lot of fun...

Most visitors were human, but the centre of attention were three owls (including this Eagle Owl) brought along by the Raptor Foundation (www.raptorfoundation.org.uk).

You can inspect all planning applications on line and track their progress at the North Kesteven website. The sophisticated service allows you to search for applications, view plans and documents and make comments on-line. You can even arrange automatic notifications of the decision and of new applications in a particular area.

The best place for garden waste is in your brown bin or on the compost heap. Failing that, take it to the free recycling centre at Great Northern Terrace. A bonfire should be the last resort - if you must have one, please follow these rules:

If you're suffering from nuisance bonfires, you can report them to North Kesteven District Council. Call Lincoln 699699 during office hours, or use the evenings & weekends emergency number, Lincoln 699650.

Gas and electricity prices are sky high these days, many people are looking at adding a renewable supply to their homes.

A new one-stop website offers comprehensive advice on saving energy, the pros and cons of domestic renewables and the details of the new certificate scheme :

COUNCIL TAX REBATE FOR PENSIONERS

If you are a pensioner with less than £16,000 in savings you might be eligible to pay less Council Tax. Too many pensioners aren't taking the opportunity to pay lower bills - could this be you, or someone you know?

Some of Canwick's finest old trees are in the group opposite Canwick Hall, including the ancient "master beech" with a trunk almost seven meters round. After finding damage to this specimen the land owners, Jesus College Oxford, fenced off the tree.

Fencing remains in place, and residents are urged to pass well clear of the tree in question until it is declared safe.

The next Parish Council meeting will be held on Monday 20th February 2012 at 7:30p.m. in the Village Hall. If there is anything you would like to be raised, please contact the Clerk (canwickpc@gmail.com). All members of the community are very welcome to attend, and councillors are available to answer questions before the meeting gets under way.

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