Age Concern Bernwode

Jill Pugh jill860@btinternet.com
Purpose Organising lifts to medical appointments for people unable to arrange their own transport.
Successes Managing the above and donating to Brill Health Centre for the purchase of a fridge for vaccines
Challenges Our insurance company requiring all volunteer drivers to be DBS Checked so this will require more admin and finance and obtaining the permission of all our drivers. We're always looking for new drivers to add to our list.
Money received from BPC? No
BPC money used for? n/a
Help required from BPC? Publicising our activities like the fundraising coffee morning at the Sports and Social Club on Saturday September 3rd from 10 to 12 and being aware of our need for drivers

The brill society

Jan Molyneux brillsociety@btinternet.com
Purpose Charity protecting and enhancing amenities and environment of Brill. This includes maintenance and opening of the iconic Brill Windmill
Successes Reopening of the windmill following the pandemic. Fundraising for the repair of the storm damaged sails
Challenges Fundraising for the repair of the storm damaged sails
Money received from BPC? Yes
BPC money used for? Annual grant for support of the agreed maintenance plan for the windmill
Help required from BPC? Continued payment of the maintenance grant. Contribution towards the repair of the damaged sails.

Brill Sports & Social Club (BSSC)

Jo Snell (Club Steward) brillclub@yahoo.co.uk
Purpose To promote for the benefit of the inhabitants of Brill and the wider community, the provision of amateur sport, the provision of facilities for recreational facilities and other leisure time occupations for individuals who have need of such facilities by reason of their youth, age, infirmity or social and economic circumstances and in the interests of social welfare with the object of improving life for said inhabitants and the public at large
Successes (1) Maintaining financial solvency with much needed support from UKGov grants (2) Operating safely and appropriately as and when we were allowed to during the pandemic (coffee mornings, pool, cricket, football, Aunt Sally, dominos, quiz nights, etc) (3) Supporting the annual Bonfire Night Scouting event (4) In lieu of no Brill Festival in 2021 we were pleased to hold our inaugural Christmas Market - this seemed to be very positively received and we would hope this becomes an annual village calendar event together with the return of the Brill Festival August BH 26th-28th weekend this year (5) Supporting significant improvements to the cricket square, this undertaken has been led by our Cricket section and we are pleased that we have been able to support this with part-funding financial support (6) The enforced UKGov lock-down periods provided an ideal opportunity for some much needed club refurbishment work to be undertaken. This including; both bars, toilets and kitchen being fully decorated, new ovens hobs, fridge freezer and microwave being installed in our kitchen, new furniture for our top bar was totally replaced curtsey of a very generous donation by Pete Bosworth, a new 75” LED TV was installed in our bottom bar area together with new curtains and finally outside we refreshed the decking area and 5 second hand picnic tables were re-painted / installed
Challenges BSSC faces three main challenges in 2022 all relate to appropriate operating governance, these are: (1) To move to VAT registered status (2) To move our legal status to a CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation) (3) To move our bar activities to an incorporated trading company and operating this on a non-loss making basis.
Money received from BPC? Yes
BPC money used for? Bi-annual weed and feed support (£400), Covering the costs for playing field tree storm damage (you hold this cost information)
Help required from BPC? Maintain your existing support and continue to build on our working relationship, supporting our community purpose

Brill United Reformed Church

Sue Horton (Church Secretary) suegarrettyoga@gmail.com
The serving Elders at Brill are: Dorothy Marriott; Rose Cadle; Sue Horton (Secretary/Treasurer)

Due to the Covid pandemic, meetings over the last two years have been undertaken via zoom.  At Easter 2021 our Minister, Revd Barrie Cheetham retired.  Therefore the Bernwode Forest Group of Churches (of which Brill is a part) is now in vacancy.  It is unlikely that this vacancy will be filled in the short term due to the current protocol of the Wessex Synod.  The Revd Lynda Spokes from The Haven in Banbury is currently assisting the Group where possible.
Successes Both the monthly coffee mornings and the bookshop are running successfully with a team of volunteers.  Recently, the Thursday Coffee & Chat has re-started, monthly on the last Thursday of the month.
Challenges We only have five members at the moment and are just covering our costs.  However, this means that there are few of us to help with maintaining the church both physically with looking after the building and pastorally.  Although the members would love to see the chapel used more by the community, currently there is no-one to take this forward to realise the vision of making internal alterations to make the space more flexible and appealing.

Brill environment group (BEG)

David Chetham davidchetham200@gmail.com
Purpose To conserve and improve the Brill landscape for the benefit of wildlife, and to share knowledge about the natural world with visitors and the residents of the Bernwode parishes
Successes Raising awareness of our environmental value with local residents and making some environmental improvements around the village.
Challenges Keeping a watch on development schemes that could possibly harm our environment
Money received from BPC? No
BPC money used for? N/A
Help required from BPC? By being sympathetic to our cause.

Brill playground committee

Graeme Hope brillplayground@gmail.com
Purpose To build two new playgrounds in Brill
Successes We have started phase 1 of the project and hope to move onto the next phase by the summer
Challenges We have been waiting on the solicitors of the PC to get the land registered
Money received from BPC? Yes
BPC money used for? We have not spent the PC money as yet, as we are waiting for the National Lottery to award us the final grant.
Help required from BPC? The PC have been a great support over the last 28 months, especially Lesley and Gareth and now Jennifer. Let’s hope we can get the playgrounds finished this year with the PC backing the project until it is complete.

FRIENDS OF BRILL COMMON (FOBC) 

Roger Stone (Secretary) fobc07@outlook.com
Purpose The FOBC‘s mission statement is to assist maintaining Brill Common in its traditional role as an open grassland area for the use and enjoyment of the people of Brill and the wider community. To maintain and improve the Common’s biodiversity. To foster an appreciation of the Common and its history. 
The FOBC was founded in 2007 by group of concerned villagers who became aware that the traditional open grassland aspect of the common was being lost- particularly so on North Hills where access had become virtually impenetrable. So concerned were the village at this state of affairs they organised a number of mass scrub clearances on North Hills. These events led to the formation of “The Friends of Brill Common”. The group now consists mainly of retired villages who meet on an informal basis working strictly to the Common’s management scheme. 
Our working sessions, normally on weekdays, are usually focused on the perpetual challenge of removing invading scrub, ragwort, thistles and Himalayan balsam. These tough working sessions are broken up with tea and biscuits and where many local tales are recalled thus maintaining a link with the past and keeping our local history alive. 
Successes The success is there for all to see. Open vistas and ready access across the Common!. Successful management of natural areas cannot be measured in the short term. Fifteen years ago when FOBC was formed the Common was virtually lost as a public amenity. The Friends of Brill Common commissioned a report to highlight the poor condition of the Common and presented it to the Parish Council to register its concern. Simultaneously the NERC Act came into force making the Council legally responsible for maintaining its biodiversity. Slowly over the intervening 15 years work has continued and today the Common is returning to a traditional open area of unimproved grassland that can be appreciated and enjoyed by all. Much of the traditional flora and fauna associated with this nationally rare habitat has recovered. Today the majority of Common is now accessible to all. 
Challenges Brill Common is a part of the nationally rare reserve of “unimproved grassland.” To retain this asset is a perpetual challenge that requires rigorous control of the never-ending scrub encroachment (brambles, tree saplings etc.) and the succession of rank and coarse grasses. Removal of poisonous ragwort from the grazing areas, Himalayan balsam a non-native and invasive plant and creeping thistle a notifiable weed are high on our agenda. Finding new volunteers is always a challenge.
Money received from BPC? FOBC have never received any financial assistance from the Brill Parish Council. We are an entirely self-supporting group, using all our own machinery and who cover all costs of servicing and consumables. 
BPC money used for? N/A
Help required from BPC? As it is the Parish Council’s legal obligation to manage the Common it should not rely solely on volunteers to maintain this large public area. The Common should be allocated proportionate funding to enable some work to be carried out by contractors. (as is afforded to all other village assets viz. The Walks, Windmill, sports club, etc.)
Allow use of herbicides (as permitted by Natural England) to control regrowth of unwanted vegetation. 
Recognition of our efforts would not go unappreciated.

windmill pre-school, brill

Claire Baker wps@windmillpre.plus.com
Purpose Early Years Learning for children from the age 2 - 4 years
Successes By adapting the way we have worked to meet the needs of the children affected by the impact of covid. We remained open during the whole pandemic!
Challenges Staffing issues - there is a national shortage of staff in the Early Years Sector and we struggle to recruit due to our location and the national poor pay scales
Money received from BPC? No
BPC money used for? n/a
Help required from BPC? Not sure - open to offers!

common volunteers

Dave Munson daveinbrill@gmail.com
Purpose Managing the vegetation of Brill Common
Successes This is a long term project. We have been active as a group for 20 years now, still meeting twice every month year-round. 'Success' does not happen overnight, or even over a year, but the state of areas of the common which are ungrazed tells you that our labour has not been in vain. For instance, the tops and sides of the banks beside Windmill road, just above the Clamp bend, show a succession of flora which was just not evident 20 years ago, with hundreds of cowslips followed by hundreds of common spotted orchids on the western bank. The eastern bank has a multitude of species, a true flowery meadow, containing dozens of bee orchids. Elsewhere, the relative lack of scrub in many areas of the common is testimony, in part, to our efforts. A real success for us recently has been with the large group of 14 years-old, Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award students. Half a dozen of them have recently volunteered for 3 months with us, sharing the hard work and the sense of achievement. We certainly enjoy their company and thank them for their efforts.
Challenges Battling scrub, which still persists in so many areas.
Money received from BPC? Yes
BPC money used for? Repairs to machinery, much of which is now elderly. It has been well-spent though, as the job is impossible without the correct tools.
Help required from BPC? It would be good to continue to be a part of the group, with BBOWT's expertise, now planning the future management strategy for the common.

the walks group

Mollie Buggey mollie.buggey@gmail.com
Purpose & Successes The Walks group has spent about 10 years trying to improve the Walks for all to enjoy, starting with an area that was principally nettles, thistles, brambles and a lot of very old, sometimes dangerous, trees. With the help of kind volunteers and a sheep grazier we now have an area that is lovely to walk through, play in and simply relax in. There is a range of habitats, from wooded areas, a pond, open grassy zones, and different topographies. Thirty new trees have been planted over the past 3 years and there will be more to come with the jubilee planting. It should be noted that The Walks is owned by the PC and has Village Green status.
Challenges The future now needs to be considered. There are many hearsay comments, one which includes ‘let’ it go wild again. Re-wilding is not an easy task; it requires careful management and the volunteers do not have the necessary time or expertise to do this. Indeed, many other hearsay comments include ‘what a great improvement has been made in recent years’ ‘we love this spot’.
The group always plans to leave areas of nettles and brambles for wildlife and to only reduce trees that are either dangerous, diseased or unmanageable. We really hope that there will not be a need for so much tree surgery over the coming years, although there are one or two trees known to have disease. The willows around the pond will be pollarded on a rotational basis.
The costs of maintaining the Walks could be huge if it was not for the volunteers so it is important that there is an agreement on how things are tackled and this is done at meetings three or four times a year. Anyone is welcome to join our maintenance sessions. Here’s to the future!
Money received from BPC? The Parish Council owns and is ultimately financially responsible for The Walks.
BPC money used for? Money this year has been spent on tree work, water supplies for the sheep, fuel for the mower and log cutting equipment.
Help required from BPC? Whatever the future holds, we would like to think that the PC and the Walks Group considers the majority views of the whole village and does not choose a route that is the view of a few.

brill memorial hall

Jon Vaile, Chairman brillmemorialhall@outlook.com
Purpose Running and Maintaining the Memorial Hall (on behalf of the PC) for the benefit of the whole community.
Successes Installation of a Fire Alarm system throughout the public spaces and offices. Registration with Bucks Council to be considered for grant aid support as a site for the provision of electric car charging,
Challenges Returning to BAU as we came out of lockdown. The majority of activities had to be shut down which in turn had a significant impact on our income raising capabilities. Thankfully, we continued to provide office space for 3 renting tenants and the Government offered generous grant aid to community assets like ourselves which we received.
Money received from BPC? Yes
BPC money used for? Maintaining the Memorial Hall
Help required from BPC? We receive an annual grant from the PC and welcome that ongoing support as we plan a series of additional improvements to make the Hall a more modern and greener space for the benefit of the whole community.

The Royal British Legion

Jon Vaile (chairman) brillinsing@yahoo.co.uk
Purpose To Support fundraising for
Successes Remembrance Service in 2021 was conducted in Church and on The Square free from Covid restrictions.
Challenges Maintaining the importance of the annual Remembrance Service within our community to recognise the service of those who came before us as our group gets smaller and older!
Money received from BPC? No
BPC money used for? (In previous years) the PC has contributed as part of its obligation to maintain the War Memorial as a fitting tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.
Help required from BPC? Ongoing maintenance / gardening around the War Memorial.

brill community fund

Micheal Swan michael@swan.co.uk
Purpose To financially support, in a modest way, exclusively local projects that, in as much as is possible, can be seen to enhance the wellbeing of the whole community and its facilities.
Successes Funding has been provided to a number of local projects and events including Brill & Bernwode community bus, The 'Kings at Brill' book (soon to be published), Brill playground, Brill windmill repairs and the Jubilee celebration events
Challenges Awareness of the existence of the fund is probably not that high and we would welcome more applications. We would also like to recruit one or two more committee members, ideally younger people to provide balance to the committee. Almost all our funding comes from the Brill & Bernwode Oil Buying Club (through commission paid to it by the oil suppliers) and we would be keen to diversify our sources of income if possible, especially given that oil buying will (and should) decline in the coming years
Money received from BPC? No
BPC money used for? N/A
Help required from BPC? By raising awareness of the existence of the fund and working with us to identify and support deserving causes

Brill Village Community Herd (BVCH)

Secretary brillherd@yahoo.co.uk
Purpose BVCH was formally set up as a ‘Society for the Benefit of the Community’ whose purpose is to assist the Parish Council in its duty to maintain Brill Common. Our small herd of Dexter cattle conservation graze the Common managed by community volunteers on a daily basis. This further assists the Parish Council by enabling it to qualify for lucrative environmental grants.
Successes We maintain a community membership of approximately 300. Our healthy cattle achieved 100% TB free status for the 11th consecutive year The biodiversity on the Common continues to increase with the appearance of new varieties of orchid in the grazing areas. Also the abundance and variety of wild flowers has improved together with the increase in pollinating insects that they attract.
Challenges 2021 was an exceptional ragwort year and BVCH volunteers spent many sessions removing 18 builders bags of the plant which are poisonous to cattle. Although we are fortunate in the number of our community volunteers, those with cattle handling experience are harder to find. Householders sharing a boundary with the Common do not always maintain a stock proof fence or hedge as they should, allowing animals to wander.
Money received from BPC? Yes
BPC money used for? The money received annually from the Parish Council was fundamental to the establishment of BVCH. This year the Parish Council received £1980 for conservation grazing from Natural England that was passed passed on to BVCH plus £420 from PC funds. The money received from the Parish Council is specifically for the maintenance of the herd; the warden, insurance, veterinary costs and supplementary feed if needed. All other operational expenses are covered from BVCH funds. A detailed account of how the PC contribution is spent is provided annually to the Parish Council, and can be viewed in our public file at the Parish Council office.
Help required from BPC? Afford positive publicity to the herd by acknowledging and promoting their contribution to the natural environment, the community and the public purse.

BRILL WOMEN’S INSTITUTE (BRILL WI)

Jenny Edmans (President) Jennyedmans@aol.com
Purpose Brill WI is a member of the National Federation of Women's Institutes, whose aims are to bring women together, provide them with education opportunities and the chance to make a difference in their communities.
Successes The main success in the last 12 months has been maintaining connections with the members of Brill WI during the Covid 19 Pandemic - by meeting `virtually` via Zoom for both the monthly meeting (inviting outside speakers to attend where possible) and also for a monthly virtual `knit and natter session`, where members could chat about a variety of subjects and display crafts they had been working on. The gradual `opening up` in the last few months has been facilitated, including a variety of speakers / activities, while maintaining appropriate precautions to ensure all our members feel happy to attend meetings.
Challenges Challenges have centred around maintaining close contact with all our members, many of whom have been isolated due to the Covid 19 Pandemic. The WI is based around friendship and companionship and this is difficult to maintain adequately via a phone or zoom call, especially when embracing new technology.
Money received money from BPC? No
BPC money used for? N/A
Help required from BPC? Keep the WI contact aware of ongoing Parish Council business, so that we can be fully involved, as and when appropriate.