Tree Charter
In August 2019, the Parish Council signed up to the Tree Charter demonstrating our commitment to the principles by which trees and people in the UK can stand stronger together. We want to make a difference to our environment and community by planting more trees so in February 2020 the Parish Council ordered 5 large trees (Oaks, Hawthorne and Field Maple) for delivery in September 2020. We also have ordered small trees which come in community packs for delivery in November 2020.
We are seeking your help in identifying areas where we can plant the trees we have ordered. Perhaps a roadside verge outside your house or common or other open areas in Salfords and Sidlow.
We still have more work to do on this but are thinking about enabling residents to dedicate and record their tree dedication and location in a ‘Parish Tree Register’, perhaps for a new born relative or to commemorate someone who has passed away. Future generations may then be able to see our legacy.
An ideal would be a dedicated area where we could plant multiple trees that could be looked after for two years. Perhaps you would or know someone who would be willing to allocate some land?
We live in a beautiful parish with much greenery and trees to enjoy, however as we know, trees are increasingly vital to our environment and planting more can only be a good thing!
If you are interested in any of the above, please contact the Clerk.
Spring Litter Pick Event
The National Association of Local Councils (NALC), has accredited Salfords and Sidlow Parish Council with the Quality Gold Award. for the Local Council Awards Scheme. We submitted our application in May. Receiving the Quality Gold Award is an excellent achievement showing that our local parish council achieves good practices in governance, community engagement and council improvement. Furthermore, this award shows that our council has gone above and beyond the legal obligations; we lead our community and continuously seek opportunities to improve and develop even further. We are very proud of this achievement and plan to continue to develop and work with our community to obtain the best outcomes for what is wanted in our villages.
YMCA East Surrey Salfords Stroll - Friday 1 November. Meet at Salfords Village Hall at 9.45 for 10am start.
Community Garden
The defibrillator was installed in Sidlow in early September 2023 and is located next to the Parish Council noticeboard near the Three Horseshoes Pub in Ironsbottom. The defibrillator needs to be kept at an ambient temperature all year round so we have purchased a locked solar cabinet to house the defibrillator. If you would like to know the code for access please contact the Clerk. Alternatively, if in an emergency you needed access, when you call the ambulance on 999 they would give you the code. The unit might appear to be a strange angle but this is so the solar panels reach maximum benefit from the sun! The procurement and installation costs were just under £4,000. We hope it will never have to be used but now have comfort that there is a unit near our residents in Sidlow. In July 2023 we held a well attended defibrillator/ CPR training session for our residents with some really good questions being asked. We thank Brendan, who runs First Aid training, and joined us to offer free CPR training to compliment the defib training.
The Parish Council has used Strategic CIL Infrastructure Funding Programme (SIP) 2023-2027, from Reigate and Banstead Borough Council (R&BBC) to completely refurbish the rear hall at Salfords village hall. The works were completed during Summer 2023, when less busy, and the rear hall was re-opened in late August 2023. The original proposed costs were set at £24,173. However, once the project started there were necessary additional works that had to be undertaken to move walls and pipework which was discovered at ground floor level. The Parish Council also agreed to have various improvement works such as making the WC area larger for access, lowering ceilings for thermal efficiency improvements, re-plastering various walls, completely re-decorating the whole of the rear area and replacing the flooring throughout. The final project costs came to £33,000. This was the first stage of a two part project for rear hall improvements. We will be using the remaining grant Strategic CIL funding to replace the patio at the rear area. These works will be completed in the October half term at a cost of £10,000. We hope these improvements will provide easy access for our local community groups and residents. The Parish Council has plans for 2024 to procure some high and low level planters so we can look to start a community garden which residents can get involved with in the summer months. More to follow on this later this year or early next as we have developed our plans. If this is something you would be interested in getting involved with please let us know.