Royal Mail has sealed up the Priority Post Box in the centre of Fairfield. Please help to get this reinstated or moved to another location in the heart of the village by signing this petition. Many thanks.

https://www.change.org/p/reinstate-fairfield-post-box

Royal Mail have provided the following update:

“I’d like to take this time to inform you that; as part of our regulatory requirements, we must ensure that there’s a post-box within half a mile of at least 98% of all ‘delivery points’ (usually a customer’s letter-box) nationally.

If the current posting facilities in the above-mentioned area [Fairfield] already meet these requirements, the post box may not be relocated or replaced.

If the Manager believes the area warrants the installation of a new post-box, we’ll be required to liaise with the Highway Authority to obtain clearance for the proposed site, as well as contacting the utility companies to ensure that the proposed site doesn’t interfere with existing pipes or cables, etc. This process can take up to twelve weeks should your request be approved.

With the above in mind, if a post box hasn’t been installed within 25 weeks from today, it’s likely that the current facilities in the area already meet our requirements and a new post box isn’t warranted.”

For details of the work being done to date, feedback from Saturday’s public meeting & to watch our presentation, visit http://fvca.org.uk/fairfield-community-shop/

Last Thursday night/Friday morning, the post box in front of the Salon/Cafe/former Post Office was sealed.

There are two ways to take part in our Community Spring Clean:

All hands-on-deck on Saturday 9^th April when we will be giving our community a Spring Clean.  Volunteers are needed to help clean our road signage, tidy the church yard, as well as litter pick those areas that are often forgotten.  Meet up at the Village Hall 10.30am.   To help with washing signage, please bring a bucket and sponge.  Litter picking equipment will be provided.  If we all donate an hour, our community will sparkle.

Alternatively, do your own Litter Pick and signage wash at time that suits you. It would be great if you could email admin@fvca.org.uk with details & locations of the areas you have litter picked and/or signs you have washed, plus any photos you have taken that we can share.

All hands-on-deck on Saturday 9th April when we will be giving our community a Spring Clean. Volunteers are needed to help clean our road signage, tidy the church yard, as well as litter pick those areas that are often forgotten. Meet up at the Village Hall 10.30am.

To help with washing signage, please bring a bucket and sponge. Litter picking equipment will be provided.

If we all donate an hour, our community will sparkle.

The responses to the recent Community Survey will be shared with residents at the Social Gathering on Saturday 7th May 10am.

We will explore comments received, address any points that have been raised and, where needed, start the process of delivery.

Please do join us.

Over the past few months a working group consisting of representatives from FVCA, Parish Council & our District Councillor have been gathering information with regard establishing a Community Shop and Post Office.

At the Social Gathering on Saturday 2nd April, the working group will share its findings at a public meeting that will be held at the Village Hall, starting at 10am.

The purpose of the meeting is for the community to agree whether we should take the next steps towards establishing a Community Shop and Post Office, and to ask for volunteers to join the working group. Please do join us.

At the Saturday Social on 5th March we will be discussing how we can mark this historic occasion and looking for your ideas as to what we should include in our Platinum Jubilee Lunch on Sunday 5th June.

Should we look for entertainment? Should we have a competition?

It’s over to you.

Do please pop along to the village hall, 10am.

Over the next 10 days, all dwellings in Fairfield, Wildmoor & Stoneybridge (that are in the Parish of Belbroughton & Fairfield) will receive a Community Survey, which we encourage residents to complete and return.

The results of the survey will help make informed decisions, provide evidence to challenge key stakeholders and develop a community that meets the needs of the people that live here.

It is your community, so have YOUR say, and help make a difference that enhances the environment, amenities, and quality of life where you live.

During the afternoon of storm Eunice (Friday 18th February), a tree fell down blocking Stourbridge Road, in the holloway between Stoneybridge Island and the Swan Inn.

Thanks to a group of residents, plus assistance from a passing motorist, the fallen tree was cut up, removed, road swept and the highways became passable. There is some debris on the footpath, which we will request is cleared away.

Thanks also to West Mercia Police for managing traffic.

On Friday 18th February, The Woodland Trust completed the purchase of land that will enable an extension of over 125 acres to Pepper Wood.

In an email to FVCA, Paul Jarczewski, The Woodland Trust Site Manager for Central England, wrote “I would like to thank you [FVCA] for the help you’ve given us to reach this point, as I know you have championed this locally.”

“I would be very grateful if you were able to pass on thanks to other local residents who have supported us, through any of your communications. Thank you.”

The Community Association would also like to thank the many residents who have helped promote the Pepper Wood extension and have donated to the fund, it is very much appreciated. In the coming months/years, there will be opportunities for residents, local organisations & school to get involved in the extension delivery.

Volunteer needed to get the community partying to help mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

In early January, Wildmoor Quarry requested a Scoping Opinion with regard their intention to extend existing mineral extraction, to quarry adjacent land and to import inert material. For the scoping notice CLICK HERE

Responses to the Scoping request have been given by FVCA, the Parish Council, District Councillor May and others.

Below, presentation given at the Social Saturday community gathering on 5th February 2022, outlining the proposal as detailed in the Wildmoor Quarry’s Scoping Request, plus images taken by FVCA to help residents understand what could be happening.

At present, there is not a full planning application and so there is currently no consultation. The purpose of this presentation is to make residents aware of what could be happening, and should a full planning application be submitted that they have the information to make an informed decision as to whether they wish to support or oppose the planning application.

It is the intention of FVCA to hold a meeting once the full planning application has been published, and FVCA will request an extension to the consultation deadline.

Presentation: slides will move to next slide after 6 seconds

Photos of Wildmoor Quarry – 2nd February 2022

• Good turnout for the Chief Constable’s visit last month, thanks to all that came to the hall

• Fairfield Dining Group – next lunch 21^st Feb. at the Swan, Fairfield, then at The Fox, Chaddesley, on 21^st March – different venues to previously published.  Arrive 12.15pm onwards for a 12.30pm lunch.  If you are coming, contact Pat.

• Next litter pick – 12^th Feb, 10.30am, meet outside hall.

• Swan Lane – work will soon commence to clear ditches and repair gullies.

• Volunteer needed for southern planter.

• Volunteer needed to coordinate Platinum Jubilee party on Sunday 5^th June.

• England V Ireland Six Nations Rugby Match at the village hall on 12th March 3pm onwards.

• Fairfield Flicks doing well, now doing Event Cinema & live music.  Next film: The Courier, 13^th March 7.30pm.

• Overview presentation proposed Wildmoor Quarry extension

On Thursday 2nd June, a chain of beacons cross the United Kingdom and Commonwealth will be lit to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and her 70 years of service as our monarch.

It has been suggested that a beacon is lit in our community is part of this historic occassion.

Are there any craftsmen/women who can build a Jubilee Beacon Brazier for the village?

At this stage we are after a volunteer and costings.

A location for the brazier has to be greed, and there will be fundraising to cover the cost.

If you can help, get in touch admin@fvca.org.uk

A huge thanks to all our Wombles, fighting Grot & keeping our community tidy, whether volunteering at our monthly litter picks or at other times of the month. Unfortunately littering in our community is an issue, with some grot hotspots where litter is always found, and the same stretches of footpath & verge where dog mess can also be found. Please:

· If you are unable to take part in the monthly litter pick, help fight Grot by litter picking outside your driveway and along the road & hedgerow near where you live.

· If you are a dog walker, please pick up, bag and put in the bin dog waste. There are plenty of dog waste bins in the village, so there is no excuse. And don’t leave the dog pooh bag for someone else to clear up.

And if you are free, the next Community Litter will be on Saturday 12th March. The more people that volunteer, the more we can do to tackle the litter along our village lanes. Meet outside the Village Hall 10.30am, wear suitable clothing & footwear, litter picking equipment will be provided.

To mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, events are being planned to mark this historic occasion including:

Asking residents to help turn our community Red, White & Blue and waving the flag over the four day bank holiday weekend, 2nd-5th June.

Saturday 4th June – Live stream of the Jubilee Concert at the Village Hall. Free admittance & there will be a licenced bar.

Sunday 5th June – The Jubilee Lunch at the Village Hall. A volunteer is needed to help organise this event. Email admin@fvca.org.uk

Do you have an idea to help mark this occasion? Email admin@fvca.org.uk or pop along to our Social Saturday Community Gatherings.

Wildmoor Quarry seeks to expand its operations by quarrying adjacent land. FVCA will give a presentation at the community gathering on Saturday 5th February, 10am, Village Hall.

St. Mark’s have agreed, in principle, for the use of the church’s porch, with shelving on the one side. This location will mean the books, and people visiting the Book Bank, are in the dry.

We need someone to kindly design, for agreement, the shelves and then build them.

There is no budget, so we will be asking for donations.

If you can help, please email admin@fvca.org.uk

Fireworks near the countryside can be a concern for farmers and pet owners.

Loud noises can scare animals and the waste from fireworks can harm wildlife. Last months fireworks killed one cow in Fairfield and traumatised others.

When bringing in the New Year, remember to Respect, Protect & Enjoy nature.

Fairfield Cafe will at 12 noon on Christmas Eve, reopening Monday 3rd January.

Due to the increased Covid transmission rates and as a precautionary measure, January’s Dining Group lunch has been cancelled. All being well, the next lunch will be on 21st February at The Gate at Bournheath

Mr. Kevin Nind, proprietor of Kev’s Coaches, has contacted the Community Association say that one of his drivers, Justin, has told been told by some passengers that they have been informed that the 318 bus service is ceasing after Christmas. Mr. Nind says that there is no truth in this rumour.

Earlier this year, Openreach announced that (almost) all of Bromsgrove will be cabled with Fibre To The Premises (FTTP), as part of the national plan to phase out copper wiring for landline telephones and internet connectivity. 

Fibre brings substantially higher speeds, better reliability, and future-proofs the properties.  (Apparently, the second most popular question that house buyers ask is – how fast is the internet).

As part of the roll-out, most of Fairfield village has been cabled.  Catshill is also being connected, including the properties immediately past the motorway bridge on Wildmoor Lane. 

Sadly, most of Wildmoor was NOT included in the Openreach plan for Bromsgrove.   

At the Sandy Lane end of Wildmoor, a Community Fibre Project (CFP) proposal was put forward last year, in conjunction with Superfast Worcestershire (part of the county council).   This proposal, which was successful, means that grants are being made available from central government and the county council, to fund the costs for Openreach to install FTTP to the properties connected to the Rubery telephone exchange. 

This leaves approximately 70 premises – a mix of commercial and residential – in Third Road, Mill Lane, Swan Lane and Wildmoor Lane, excluded from any scheme.  A CFP proposal for these ‘forgotten’ premises was submitted to Openreach in March, supported by Superfast Worcestershire and by Councillor Shirley Webb. 

The outline costing has now been received from Openreach, and it is now down to the occupiers of the premises to decide if they want FTTP.  This requires a simple commitment to take an FTTP Internet package from ANY Internet Service Provider which offers FTTP, for a 12 month period.  The additional costs (i.e. for FTTP rather than copper-based internet) could be as little as £10 per month.

To obtain the grants, and therefore incur no individual installation costs, requires a certain level of uptake to succeed.  This is the best opportunity for Wildmoor to avoid being left behind as technology evolves!

If you are one of the residents in this group, or have a commercial unit in Wildmoor Farm business park, or on Wildmoor Lane, please contact Peter Hunt (peterhunt988@outlook.com, or 07970745487) for more information.