Week beginning January27th 2003

Afternoon Tea in the Town Hall : The Mayor and Mayoress of Hedon, Cllr. Allen and Mrs Julie Marshall, wish to thank everyone for their support at the afternoon tea held in the Town Hall last Friday. The Mayoress is particularly grateful to Mrs Pat Thurston, the Deputy Mayoress, and Mrs Brenda Goldspink for their help afterwards - and also to the Mayor, who gave the talk, which was about "Weather - or not!" The event raised the excellent amount of £135, which included some generous donations, for the Mayor's Charity. The next "Afternoon Tea with the Mayoress" is planned for St. Valentine's Day.

Paull Public Toilets : The saga continues. To recap in case you haven't been paying attention: Paull's public toilets have been closed for well over a year now, not, I hasten to add, by the choice of the people of Paull, but as part of the East Riding of Yorkshire Council's cutbacks. For much of the time since the closure, Paull Parish Councillors have been trying their hardest to reopen the toilets again. They are, after all "public conveniences" - there for the convenience of the general public, not for the residents of the village itself. Even so the local ratepayers voted to have them reopened at their own expense. Unfortunately for everyone, that expense seems to be going up and up and obstacles keep being placed in the Parish Council's way, as if They are determined not to have the toilets open under any circumstances! Since the original cost of the Parish Council opening the toilets was calculated expenses have snowballed : a new Act of Parliament coming into force in 2004 means that the small toilet block will need extensive refurbishment and the construction of a dedicated toilet for disabled users, but this additional expense has now been budgeted for. Then came the question of insurance, a complicated legal wrangle over whose responsibility it will be. Finally, the latest hurdle placed in the Parish Council's way is council tax. Now remember, we are talking about a small rural toilet block, a single-storey building of maybe 30 or 40 square metres of floor space in all. Paull PC is understandably reeling after being informed that they will have to pay business rates on the premises - of approximately £1,600 per annum! According to my dictionary, a business is "a trade, profession or occupation; a commercial or industrial concern," none of which applies to a village public loo! The toilets have no income, nor any prospect of one - it will be free to "spend a penny" in Paull - if the toilets ever reopen, that is! - so how on earth do they qualify as a business? Some day soon we sincerely do hope to see Paull's toilets reopened, but until then, in the words of the Country and Western song so beloved of line-dancers everywhere, it really is a case of "one step forward and two steps back!"

New Vicar Appointed : I am very pleased to be able to tell you that a new Vicar has been appointed for the vacant parishes of St Augustine's in Hedon and St Andrew's in Paull : Rev. Ivan Howitt will be joining his new congregations in April from his present post as Chaplain to the Missions To Seamen in Hull, and we wish him well and hope his stay in the area will be a long and happy one.

Church Services for Sunday February 2nd 2003 :
Hedon : St. Augustine's Parish Church : Sung Eucharist at 9.30 a.m
Hedon Methodist Church, Church Lane : services at 10.30a.m. and 6.30 p.m.
St. Joseph and St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Baxtergate, Hedon : Daily Mass times : Sunday 10.30 a.m; Monday 9.15 a.m; Tuesday 9.15 a.m; Wednesday 7.30 p.m; Thursday 9.15 a.m; Friday 7.30 p.m; Saturday 6 p.m.
Hedon Pentecostal Church meets every Sunday at 10.30 a.m. in the Jubilee Room of the Alexandra Hall, St. Augustine's Gate; a Sunday School is also held at 10.30 a.m. every Sunday.
Paull : St Andrew's Parish Church : Morning service at 11.00 a.m
Paull Methodist Church, Main Street : Afternoon service at 3.00 p.m.
Preston: All Saint's Parish Church : morning worship at 11.00 a.m;
Preston Methodist Church : morning worship at 10.30 a.m.

(Please note that even though a new Vicar has been appointed, he will not be in post until April and meanwhile , services at Hedon and Paull parish churches are still liable to change - any alterations will be announced in the Church Notices.)