AT the September meeting Gordon Griffin JP was elected Chairman and Brian Fyfe as Vice-Chairman.

A vote of thanks was proposed to Jim Stephens for his “hands on approach” as Chairman for steering the Parish Council through difficult times during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Sandford Pulls Together - Cllr Stephens reported that due to Covid the Parish Celebration Walk and Cream Tea on August 1 had regrettably been cancelled. He advised that it was hoped to re-organise the event in June 18 or 19, 2022. Thanks were conveyed to Cllr Georgina Ford for making signs for the event.

Anyone who has bought tickets for 2021 can claim a refund from Sandford Stores or use their ticket in 2022.

A commemorative plaque has been presented to the Sandford Stores staff, also to their volunteers and the parish volunteers who had helped Sandford Pull Together.

The Clerk advised that volume one of the 2020 Scrapbook had now been completed and the 2021 one had already been started.

Open Forum - Although no-one was present a note was read out, that had been handed in prior to the meeting, by two residents from Meadowside Road.

This was headed “Football Complaints” regarding balls hitting cars, litter, and dogs on the field. The Clerk was asked to pass these details on to Sandford AFC for attention.

Trailer parked in Creedy View car park - A letter had been sent to the resident concerned pointing out that this was a commercial vehicle and that it needed to be removed. A response had been received stating: “The trailer will be removed soon”.

A suggestion was made that it might be a good idea to invest in a wheel clamp for future use in the car park?

Roads and footpaths - The grass verge at Meadowside had been cut. It was agreed to request that as the Rumble Strips at the entrance to the village from Crediton were now becoming a road safety issue that they be removed. Potholes previously reported are still awaiting attention.

Sandford Parish Hall - The hall committee reported significant improvements planned for the hall kitchen. This would enable outside caterers to have access to a “full kitchen”. The council agreed to make a donation of £500 towards the replacement of “pots and pans” for the new kitchen.

Future of the Sandford Parish Council Facebook page - The Sandford Parish Council Facebook page had been set up to assist communication during Coronavirus and had truly served this need covering matters other than Parish Council business.

The question was asked as to whether in future the Facebook page should be confined to Parish Council business e.g. potholes, road closures etc? At the next meeting it was agreed to discuss a suggestion that the the Facebook name be changed to Sandford Parish Community News to cover all parish matters.

Future of Sandford Congregational Church - A formal letter had been received to say that “Sandford Congregational Church members have made the sad decision to close the church permanently from August 31, 2021” and: “The buildings and land are now in the hands of the executive trustees The Congregational Federation Ltd in Nottingham”. The Parish Council was thanked for its support over the years.

A decision would need to be taken as to a new home for the Roll of Honour for those who lost their lives in both World Wars.

The closure had given rise to a lot of nostalgic memories such as weddings, Sunday School and other events like the Christmas Tree Festival that had taken place over the years.

The Clerk reported that in the village there was disappointment that there had been no public meeting to discuss the closure and also that it had been decided not to hold one final service.

It was understood that the legal works to close the church would now proceed, taking maybe as long as two years, before the Hall and Church would ultimately be placed on the market.

The closure had given rise to a number of suggestions, from both inside and outside of the parish, that the buildings should be acquired by the Parish:

a) The Hall, which had a disabled toilet and kitchen, as a useful smaller alternative venue to the Parish Hall.

b) The Church to be turned into a Community Arts and Community Hub.

The Parish Council agreed to pursue the suggestion to nominate the Hall, and Church, as Assets of Community Value to start the ball rolling.

The date of the next Parish Council meeting was announced as Thursday, October 7, at 7.30pm at Sandford Congregational Church Hall.

MV