The Public are very welcome to attend
To view the AGENDA for 21.3.19 click HERE
For Minutes of the February 2019 APC Meeting click HERE
ASHFORD PARISH STOP PRESS
Billy Vaughan the Ashford postman who retired after 37 years service is very appreciative of the generous retirement gift from villagers.
Thanks to everyone who donated to his leaving collection and who attended Billy's farewell. Thanks to Dr Alan Bosley for the video showing Geoff Holder's (Chairman of Ashford Parish Council) valedictory speech and for the photographs of the event.
MARCH 2019 EVENTS IN ASHFORD PARISH
Sunday 3rd March: St Peter's Church - Holy Communion at 9am
Monday 4th March: Knitting & Crochet Circle St Johns GC 2:30 - 4pm 
Tuesday 5th March: Pancake Party 6:30 - 8:30pm Derek and Irene Cowe (derekrcowe@gmail.com) invite everyone in the village to a pancake party at Allwynds. £5 entry on the door. Proceeds to Ashford Church
Friday 8th March: Big Breakfast at Saunton Golf Club in aid of North Devon Hospice 9am - 12 noon
Beetle Drive & Bingo in Marwood Church Hall at 7pm for 7.30pm Tickets £5 per adult and £3 per child. Light refreshments included but Bring Your Own Drinks.   In aid of Marwood Church Funds
Tickets from Angela on 01271 376744 or June on 01271 346435
Sunday 10th March: St Peter's Church - Morning Worship at 9am
Monday 11th March: Knitting & Crochet Circle St Johns GC 2:30 - 4pm 
Wednesday 13th March: Village Coffee Morning 10:30am - 12 noon
​Friday 15th  March: Ashford Arts Society  The Suffragettes in North Devon – a talk by Pamela Vass at 7:30pm in the Church Hall. 
Sunday 17th March: St Peter's Church - Holy Communion at 9am
Monday 18th March: Knitting & Crochet Circle St Johns GC 2:30 - 4pm 
​Thursday 21st March: Ashford Parish Council Meeting Church Hall 7:30pm
Sunday 24th March: St Peter's Church - Sunday Worship at 4pm
Monday 25th March: Knitting & Crochet Circle St Johns GC 2:30 - 4pm
Friday 29th March: SAVE OUR PUB: Shareholders Meeting at 7pm in Marwood Church Hall
Sunday 31st March: St Peter's Church - Holy Communion at 9am
​Mothering Sunday Service: 10:30am St Mary's Pilton Church
TO BOOK THE CHURCH HALL - Contact Serena Hughes 01271 345378
Interested in learning how to ring Church bells? Practices at St Mary's Church in Pilton: Tuesdays at 8pm
13.1.19 Invitations to join the Play Area Steering Group  READ MORE HERE
13.1.19 Braunton Rural Newsletter  HERE
30.12.18 RING O'BELLS - SAVE OUR PUB Click HERE for an update
30.12.18 Air Ambulance News HERE

​20.10.18 Telephone Kiosk Library Birthday:
 The Village library received it's annual re-vamp with re-stock of new books and donation of the old stock to charity. An afternoon tea part was held for villagers.
24.9.18 Red Box Project: DETAILS HERE
17.9.18 Gas Week: Make sure you know how to keep yourselves safe : READ HERE
25.7.18  Devon Remembers  Read HERE about how communities can research local stories from the First World War, and to commemorate the sacrifices made by the people of Devon between 1914 and 1918.
16.7.18  ASHFORD PARISH COUNCIL will be welcoming representatives from Telent at the meeting on Thursday next, 19 July at 7.30pm who will give a presentation on the Gigaclear work they will be carrying out between 15 August and 15 December 2018. Under the Connecting Devon and Somerset broadband programme, Telent have orders to connect homes and businesses who will benefit from access to a new ultrafast full fibre network built by Gigaclear direct to each property. Telent are planning to shortly start a community build programme of works within Ashford and they would like to provide the Parish with the opportunity to review this build and provide any further details required. The work will involve road closures and diversions but Telent aim to maintain access for all residents and will attempt to minimise disruption. All residents and businesses will be contacted directly by letter and visits to the property if the plans by Telent have a direct impact on access to the property or street.
15.7.18  Ashford Parish Council Meeting Minutes 21.6.18 HERE
 12.7.18  Ashford Parish Accounts Year End 31.3.18  HERE     Ashford Parish Declaration of Payments over £100 in 2017-18  HERE
Explanation of financial variances HERE   Letter to external Auditors re. Ashford Parish Accounts 2017-18 HERE   
​Ashford Parish Annual Governance Statement 2017-18  HERE          Registration of Councillors responsibilities 2018-19 HERE
CHIVENOR SHARED HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ASHFORD PARISHIONERS
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS
HAVING PROBLEMS WITH BROADBAND SPEEDS IN ASHFORD?
Please advise any Councillor so that they pass on to County Councillor Mrs C. Chugg

Potholes - Blocked public drains - Overgrown undergrowth - General hazards in our locality
​act now!
Do you need to report an infrastructure problem to your local authority service provider?
Click HERE to report a local problem.
NORTH DEVON COUNCIL COMMUNITY MESSAGE:
As 2018 draws to a close, North Devon Council is thanking residents for their efforts in recycling this year, and reflecting on the improvements made to its waste and recycling service over the last 18 months.
In June 2017 the council introduced a weekly food waste collection service across the district, and started a recycling trial in a small part of the district.
Recycling trial
3,400 properties were included in the trial of three-weekly black bin collections and unlimited recycling and the results have been very successful, with recycling rates in these properties doubling! The council measured the volume of waste going to landfill and the amount being recycled in the trial area:
  • before the trial 23% of household waste was recycled whilst 77% of waste went to landfill
  • since the trial started 51% of waste is now recycled whilst 49% of waste goes to landfill
The increase in recycling includes the impact of introducing weekly food waste collections. Decisions will soon be made by the council about the future of the trial.
Weekly food waste collections
North Devon Council is currently collecting up to 60 tons of food waste a week; waste which would otherwise have gone to landfill. Food waste is taken from your kerbside to the council’s recycling centre at Brynsworthy, and later transported to an anaerobic digestion plant in Holsworthy, where it is converted into energy. Next year efforts will be made to encourage households to cut down on the amount of food being wasted through education and awareness campaigns, helping North Devon get even greener and hopefully cut down those food bills!
New waste transfer station
Deep Moor landfill site is full, so Devon County Council is constructing a waste transfer station in Brynsworthy. From 11 February the district’s black waste will be taken to the transfer station, then compacted and directed to another plant, where it will be converted into energy rather than buried in the ground.
Northern Devon plastic consortium
Together with Torridge Council and a range of local organisations, charities and businesses, North Devon Council has formed the Plastic Free Northern Devon consortium. The group aims to collectively and individually eradicate single-use plastics in northern Devon. Lots of progress has been already been made and efforts will continue next year and beyond.
The council is reminding residents to keep up the good work and ensure they continue recycling throughout the festive period. Waste and recycling collections are different over Christmas and New Year, so make sure you know when to put your bins out over the festive period. Check the council’s website northdevon.gov.uk/collectiondates, where you can also download a collection calendar specifically for your property.
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Bonfires in Ashford - read Devon Police response HERE
GO NORTH DEVON runs a Ring & Ride service for people with mobility problems, disabilities or those who are isolated in the community without transport.  The minibus has a tail lift and is wheelchair accessible.  It offers a weekly door to door service from your home to Barnstaple Town Centre or one of the Barnstaple supermarkets every Monday for £6.20 return.  They also run Out & About Trips, a Shopmobility service and a Cancer Care Car to get you to your Cancer related hospital appointments.  Call 01271 328866 or go to www.gonorthdevon.co.uk for more details and book your seat. 
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Advice on your rights if installing CCTV on your private residential property can be read HERE
Upcoming Diary Dates: 
Saturday 27th April: St George's Day Celebration Dinner 7:30pm Ashford Church Hall
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​ASHFORD WEATHER!
1.3.19 - Mike Moss continues to update the breakdown of our weather statistics over the past 7 years HERE. 
Rainfall this winter
A dry second half to February completed a dryer than average winter. The 5 year average for Dec/Jan/Feb is 331mm, compared to this winter’s 221mm, so almost exactly two-thirds.
Click HERE for BBC daily forecast
Welcome to Braunton Rural Police’s monthly news letter
Click HERE to read the February 2019 issue
Peter Heaton-Jones MP
North Devon Member of Parliament
​LINK HERE for latest Newsletter​www.facebook.com/PeterNorthDevon
Marwood Garden is looking for volunteers to help staff the visitor reception hut. Are you, or any friends that you know, able to help?
Volunteers normally attend for a day or a half day, to welcome visitors, to provide information about the garden and to collect entry fees. If you would like to have an informal chat to find out more, please phone Patricia Stout who is the Property Manager, or Jane Moss who lives in Ashford and is herself a volunteer.
Patricia Stout, phone 01271 342528
email info@marwoodhillgarden.co.uk
Jane Moss, phone 01271 379436.
In addition to this Ashford Parish Website there is also a regular monthly 'Pilton with Ashford' Parish Magazine. Derek Cull dkc.vhc@hotmail.co.uk is the Editor and is always looking for contributions and/or new subscribers. The publication also includes adver6s for many Parish based reliable tradesmen who by their regularly advertising finance each publication.
ASHFORD PARISH COUNCIL ​
​COMMUNITY DEFIBRILLATOR
​IS SITUATED ON THE WALL OF
THE CHURCH HALL,  ADDER LANE. EX31 4BY
SAFE DRIVING IN ASHFORD: Modern life seems to mean we are always rushing around in order  to complete our daily pursuits but please do remember that our roads are narrow and that almost all the junctions to side roads and many house drives have poor visibility. FOR THE SAFETY OF ALL USERS OF OUR VILLAGE ROADS ALWAYS KEEP YOUR SPEED APPROPRIATE TO THE TYPE OF ROAD YOU ARE DRIVING ALONG AND OBEY SPEED LIMIT WARNINGS AT ALL TIMES.
Check the latest planning applications affecting the Parish by visiting the website's dedicated planning application section which can be found by clicking on the Parish Council header on this home page.

Ashford has a regular email newsletter which circulates some village and local information and alerts residents to Parish Council Meeting agendas and minutes, and to planning applications for new dwellings in the village. If you would like to receive this email please contact ashforddevon.comms@gmail.com 
​or phone Sarah Bleach on 01271 267716. ​

South West Water Helpline 0344 346 2020 - for general enquires and emergencies.  You may also phone this number to report any strong sewage smells from the Ashford Sewage Treatment Works, and when this is a problem the more calls they get the more they are likely to quickly rectify the problem.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC RIGHTS AND PUBLICATION OF UNAUDITED ANNUAL GOVERNANCE & ACCOUNTABILITY RETURN
Details HERE and recorded in the Parish Council documents page.
The Herbert Protocol 
The Herbert Protocol is a simple risk reduction tool to be used in the event of an adult with care and support needs going missing.
​Read more HERE
School Bus Pick Up Point.  Representations were received by the Parish Council over concerns of the safety of children waiting for the bus at Church corner.  These concerns were sent to Devon County Council where the issue was looked at on 5 January 2018
​Their response may be read HERE
UPDATE - HORSEY ISLAND BREACH
​In her capacity as Clerk to Braunton Marsh Drainage Board our Parish Clerk updates us HERE
DEVON AND CORNWALL ALERT.
Devon and Cornwall Alert is a two-way community messaging system operated by Devon and Cornwall Police. Devon and Cornwall Alert helps us to connect with our communities.  it tells you what is happening in your area and allows you to respond directly with information for the police.
Chose what information you receive...                   Crime: Specify what time of day messages will arrive  
Anti-social behaviour: Email, text or telephone
Witness appeals: Police, Action Fraud, Crimestoppers, Neighbourhood Watch
Missing person appeals: Free:  no contract, cost or obligation
Community events: Devon, Cornwall and Scillies
Local good news                                   
Register online at alerts.dc.police.uk
AIR AMBULANCE VOLUNTEERS REQUIRED ....
Could this be you?
Click HERE for more details
ST PETER'S CHURCH YARD MAINTENANCE
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!
Mark Watson has kindly agreed to co-ordinate a group of volunteers to maintain the grounds of St Peters Church - maInly grass cutting, strimming and general tidying up verges and paths. This will be a monthly task May - September, on Thursdays starting 25th May at 10am. If you can offer your services, even on an occasional basis your help would be greatly appreciated.
​Mark can be contacted as follows: Mobile 07917290299, Landline 01271 343833, and email ms.watson@hotmail.co.uk.
Concerned about School Funding in Devon?
Click HERE to support the campaign for fairer funding
ASHFORD is a small settlement 1.5 miles from the main north Devon town of Barnstaple and when the last Register of Electors was prepared, had an adult population showing 241.

The village faces South and has very pleasant views of the River Taw as it flows along the estuary to it's confluence with the Torridge river and the Atlantic Ocean
Ashford has a different origin to other place-names called Ashford, the origin being "ash-tree enclosure" Old English æsc "ash tree" and worō / worth "enclosure".
The name was recorded as Aiscawurde in 1182.
 
The OS grid reference is SS5335.
It is served by North Devon Council as the Local Authority and Devon County Council.

Police:                    Devon and Cornwall
Fire:                        Devon and Somerset
Ambulance:           South Western

The Parish Church is dedicated to St Peter. Church and village events, including monthly Parish Council Meetings, are held in the Church Hall.