Chairman's Reports

The past year has seen a gradual transition to the life we knew before Covid though there are still many people working from home, myself included. The return of face to face Parish Council meetings has been welcomed and I hope that Zoom meetings will soon become a distant memory.
Further progress has been made in the park with a group of volunteers fitting the remaining boards to the ball fence and the wooden equipment being given a fresh coat of preservation. It’s hard to believe that it was nearly 6 years ago that the first equipment was installed.  The council also sponsored flower bulbs which have helped to brighten the front of the play area along with hundreds of daffodils that are now planted around the internal perimeter.  A big thank-you to those who have spared their time to keep the park looking the best in the area, especially those that regularly mow the grass through the year.
Preparations are underway in the village to celebrate the Queen’s 70th Jubilee with the main events being a party in the park & lighting of a beacon for which the Parish Council has contributed £500 to assist the community with these events.  Other more permanent features to mark the event are six barrel-style planters which will be placed around the village.

In the past, Swaton has flooded down West End on a number of occasions and ever since I joined the council in 2015, various flood alleviation schemes have been discussed, but last year we saw the first earth being moved for the chosen scheme.
This year also sees the retirement of our longest standing councillor after 20 years of service. Cllr. Andrew Deptford started as financial officer in 2002 and spent many years as chairman with these past few years back to being our finance officer.  On behalf of Swaton Parish Council, I want to thank Andrew for his two decades of guidance, support and commitment to the village.  Councillor Judy Patrick has kindly offered to step into Andrew’s shoes as FSO.
Cllr. Gina  Parsons has also had to step down from the council and I would like to thank her for her support since 2019.
And finally, I wanted to thank Robert Brown for accepting the litter picking duties for the village.