May APM Draft Minutes
Great Hale Parish Council
Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting
Held on Monday 11th May 2026 at Hale Magna Village Hall, Great Hale
________________________________________Present: Cllr N. Turner (Chairman)
Cllr G Cooke MBE (Vice-Chair)
Cllr M. Barnatt
Cllr A Broom
Cllr L Mountain
Cllr M Spittles
District Councillor C Collard
District Councillor S Tarry
In attendance: Mrs Tracy Cooke (Clerk & RFO) and members of the public.
________________________________________
1. Apologies: Cllr N Dady
2. Welcome Address by the Chairman of Great Hale Parish Council and report on Parish Council Activities during the past year.
A year of Great Hale Parish Council 2025-26
Councillor Turner welcomed all to the Annual Parish Meeting 2026 and thanked them for attending.
He then continued to report the following:
Changes in Great Hale Parish Council
We remember the sad Death and loss of Councillor John Cope who had served Great Hale Parish Council diligently over many years and was always a willing volunteer with any jobs that needed to be done. He was an active member of the community and he will be missed by many.
We welcomed New Councillor Matt Spittels who will bring new and complimentary skills to the Parish Council, and we look forward to working with him in the coming year and hopefully many years to come.
Changes to Burial Board constitution, which is now a sub committee of Little Hale and Great Hale Parish Councils. I would like to thank the Chair of the former Burial Board Councillor Broom and the members for his and their hard work in helping this to happen in a smooth and seamless way.
New equipment
Trim trail installed – which was fully funded Lottery funding so there was no cost to the Parish.
New bench installed in the park
New litter bins – Church Street / Bedlam Lane
Maintenance
Grass cutting – verges, playpark, churchyard
Work in the Churchyard – hedges and ivy cleared. Major tree works – May 2025
Dog fouling signs put up around the village
Policies discussed over the year, updated and uploaded onto website
Poppy wreath for Remembrance – contribution to RBL
Work booked in for major repairs of the Church Clock
Ongoing Concern.
Lack of footpath on Leas Road Towards Grove Street Junction continues to be a safety concern for many residents for which we will continue to advocate for a new path for this stretch of road.
Thank you, to everyone who volunteers or helps in anyway within the Parish.
Nicholas Turner
Great Hale Parish Council Chairman.
3. Minutes of the last meeting held on 12th May 2025
Following a vote it was unanimously resolved that the notes of the meeting held on 12th May 2025 be approved and signed as minutes.
4. Presentations and Reports from Community Groups:
i. To receive Great Hale Charities Report – Mr T Doyle – report sent prior to meeting
See Appendix A
ii. To receive Great Hale & Little Hale Burial Committee Report – Cllr A Broom
See Appendix B
iii. To receive Churchwarden’s report – St John the Baptist, Great Hale – Mrs E Huckle report sent prior to meeting
See Appendix C
5. Invitation to public for suggestions on potential projects within Great Hale
The Member of the Public asked for our help in requesting improvements to the Great Hale bus timetable.
6. Open discussion / new ideas
Nothing was forthcoming.
Chairman thanked all for attending and closed the meeting at 7.20pm
Appendix A
Great Hale Charities Secretary’s report May 2026
Seven Relief in Need grants in 2025 compared to three the previous year and at a
higher quantum (£1,400 compared to £999). One education grant paid at £ 250
compared to three in 2024 at a total of £550.
Income exceeded payments by £327.82 compared to payments exceeded income in
2024 by £ 847.44 .
The total of all the Charity funds stands at £17,144.43 compared to £17,190.11 last
year. The Charity has now moved £10,000 into a 12-month fixed savings account to
accrue a little interest.
The Heff Crofts/Town Grounds and Educational Foundation Accounts have been
reviewed and approved by the auditor.
There were no dealings with the Charity Commissioners apart from the submission of
the annual returns.
In 2024 the charity paid out
3 of Student Grant at £550
2 of book tokens at £60 Total (£30 each plus £3.5 cost)
3 of Relief in Need at a total of £999
22 of Christmas payments at a total of £4,400.00 (About 15 thanks from recipients)
In 2025 the charity paid out
1 of Student Grant at £250
4 of book tokens at £123.50 Total (£30 each plus £3.5 cost)
7 of Relief in Need at a total of £1,400
22 of Christmas payments at a total of £4,400 (About 10 thanks from recipients)
2022 2023 2024 2025
Relief in Need 1344 (5) 1045 (4) 999 (3) 1400 (7)
Christmas Grants 5625 (25) 6300 (28) 4400 (22) 4400 (22)
Educational Grants 250 (1) 0 550 (3) 250 (1)
Book Tokens 50 (2) 90 (3) 60 (2) 120 (4)
Totals 7269 (33) 7435 (35) 6009 (30) 6170 (34)
2
January to May 2026
No applications so far this year.
The charity will be posting some Facebook messages soon to remind residents of the
charity grants available
Land rents
All paid up to date at present
Thomas Doyle
Secretary/Treasurer
1st May 2026
Appendix B
GREAT HALE AND LITTLE HALE JOINT BURIAL COMMITTEE
ANNUAL REPORT FOR PARISH COUNCILS
2025/26
As mentioned in the report for 2024/25, the then Burial Board were investigating setting up a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, as the current Board was not operating under a recognised constitution. During this investigation it was discovered that the land was owned by respective parish councils of Great Hale and Little Hale.
Following guidance from the legal team of the Lincolnshire Administration of Local Councils (LALC) it was decided to form a Joint Committee under the 2 parish councils. Detailed Terms of Reference (TORs) for this Committee were approved by Great Hale and Little Hale in March 2026 and the Great Hale and Little Hale Joint Burial Committee was formed with effect 1 April 2026.
The basic modus operandi of the Committee of 8 volunteers and one clerk will function as before under the TORs issued by both parish councils.
Appendix C
Report for Great Hale Parish Council 2026
It has been again a busy year for us all at Great Hale Church and we also recognise the fact that Revd Chris Harrington is retiring in July. This will mean that we will be that we will be taken care of by the Rural Dean.
Revd Stephen Huckle will now be taking on 2 Eucharists a month at Great Hale Church and that will mean he will cut down on other services he has been asked to lead elsewhere. Our Authorised Lay Minister Christine Newitt will continue with her monthly Wild Church experience for young people and also a regular monthly Celtic Prayer. We are extremely grateful to them both for their constant dedication not only with services but the support which they give the whole year round to many at Great Hale Church.
The Church Membership has been sustained and generally it has been a productive year with new initiatives. The Tuesday Cafe has proven to support many people in different ways and is run by lovely group of people who work well together and see the importance of serving all people. We have recently had a Food Hygiene Inspection (North Kesteven Council) examining the cleanliness and use of the Servery at Tuesday Cafe We were very pleased.to receive the Environmental Health mark of 5/5.
Generally, we have more people entering the Church and valuing the peace and welcoming atmosphere of the Church in general.
There have been various repairs going on in the Church, not always being noticed, but they have happened. One important mention is the Bells which were serviced last June by Taylors of Loughborough. They have been rung recently by a team of Bell Ringers who gave a donation to the Church. The bells are old and heavy but the ringers were thrilled to have been given the opportunity. They will be played for Stephen's 50th Anniversary of his Ordination which is on June 21st. The retired Bishop of Grantham and Derby (a friend from College days) will be preaching at the Service at Great Hale Church at 12.00noon, for which you are all invited to join us. Stephen was Ordained at Lichfield Cathedral. Bells will be ringing for quite a while in the Village and people from various parts of the Country will be joining us. The Church is preparing a Buffet Lunch, which is so very kind of them.
There is some progress as far as our leaking South Roof is concerned. It has taken a long time to get to this stage. Planners have now approved the repair of the basic roof which is good. It will be a Terne Coated steel roof which the Architect thinks will work well and at a price we will be able to afford. Stephen Huckle is in discussions with Mathew Godfrey from the Diocese who will support us with finding the necessary funds. The Solar Panels really have been accepted by most people but Historic England and the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Buildings have questioned it. The Architect has asked us to appeal which he thinks will work out well for us and also Matthew Godfrey from the Diocese has asked us to go ahead with the appeal which we will do if we can afford to. I will inform the Clerk of any news I have. Whatever, the South roof has been letting in rain over many years now long before I knew the Church. It needs to be repaired as soon as possible. Profits from the Cafe has helped to pay for the Architectural Plans.
I must say the Consultation over the Land Ownership in the Churchyard worked well and the resulting pruning is a great improvement. We were contacted recently to explain that we had a grave in our Churchyard that was of a Curate who was a great friend of the hymn writer John Newton ( Amazing Grace hymn), whose name was Revd William Mozeem but we were unable to locate the grave.
I do apologise that I have not been able to attend personally as I will be on Norfolk on holiday.
Kindest regards,
Elaine Huckle,
Churchwarden