The farmer has let us know that there will be 5/9 lorries a week collecting maize from now on until the maize is cleared, probably between now and August. This will be an average of two a day, mostly in the early morning or late evening and avoiding bank holidays and weekends for the benefit of the village.

The Parish Council is grateful to them for keeping everyone informed.

Visitors to Elford are asked to park with consideration of others when in Elford. There are many narrow streets in the village.

When visiting the Walled Garden please drive along Church Road and turn left at the junction with Brickhouse Lane then drive to the ample car parking area close to the gardens.

Please use the area along The Avenue only for church parking as it may be required for funerals and other services.

Do not let dogs roam off the lead on the grassed areas at The Avenue or at the Sportsfield, and please clean up after them.

When visiting the Sportsfield for matches and training there is a car park just after the Cricket Pavilion

There is a small parking and picnic area off The Shrubbery close to the entrance to the village.

This month the Parish Council heard from the developer of the Social Club, who was very disappointed about the lack of progress with the application. It was agreed that Cllr Turley would contact the Planning Department to ask that progress  be made.

The post box is to be replaced, but Royal Mail were unable to clarify details of where and when this would be done.

The taxi service has now resumed on Fridays, please contact Barbara Harcombe for information.

The playground surface is still slippery in places and needs jet-washing, this will be done when problems with the electricity supply are sorted out.

Meetings will now resume at Elford Village Hall, with the Annual Parish Meeting on the 17th May and the next Parish Council meeting on 14th June.

For details of other matters discussed please look under the Parish Council tab, then Meetings and Minutes and click on the minutes for 2021-5-6.

There will be cricket sessions for children at Elford Cricket Club on Wednesdays from 12th May to 30th June, 6-7 pm. For details contact stavinor@hotmail.com

Junior sessions for under 13s will take place on Thursdays from 15th April.

Click for Information

If you have unwanted IT equipment including laptops and tablets with chargers please donate these for others to use.

Contact the local library for information or visit www.staffordshire.gov.uk/donateIT

Many residents are concerned about the removal of the post box from The Square

The Parish Council has been informed that it will be replaced, but Royal Mail has not yet confirmed the location or type.

Have you felt like you can't lose weight and may need some guidance?

If you are over 50 and have a BMI over 30, we have a 12 week Weight Management course delivered by our Nutritionists, who will go through different topics to explain how we can lose weight and keep it off!

You will get a weekly email with an information video, recipes and physical activity to take part in. As well, you'll get a call from your practitioner to see how you are doing and to answer any of your questions.

We have a new course starting soon, so please give us a ring on 0333 005 0095

(*restrictions apply)

Lichfield District Council is offering business start-up grants of £3,000 to local residents who have been made redundant or are out of work, and planning to start a business over the next year.

In total the council has set aside £200,000 from the Additional Restrictions Grant funding it received from the Government, to invest in new local businesses. 

The grants, which will not need to be match-funded, can be spent on: 

·         Business equipment, excluding laptops, mobile phones and tablets

·         Marketing

·         Professional qualifications or training

To be considered for support, prospective applicants must first go on a start-up masterclass workshop provided by Enterprise for Success before applying for a grant. This two-day interactive session will be a useful way to get expert advice to help create a sound business plan.

The four applications rounds are:

·         28 May 2021

·         27 August 2021

·         26 November 2021

·         28 January 2022

The scheme will run until January 2022, or when all the funding has been allocated.

For the criteria and to find out how to apply, visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/startupgrants.

Lichfield District Start Up Grant Scheme: Offering a one-off grant of £3,000 for residents who have been made redundant or currently economically inactive and seeking to start up a business within the financial year 21/22. - https://www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/business-advice/lichfield-district-start-grant-scheme/1

Staffordshire Means Back to Business Support Scheme

Staffordshire County Council and Staffordshire local authorities have partnered up and pooled resources to offer new sources of support to help new businesses to get off the ground, support young people into employment and the costs of upskilling and training new employees.

The separate initiatives and how businesses can apply

Small Business to Thrive Financial Support: Grants of between £2,000 to £5,000 will be available to cover additional expenditure for essential businesses staying open during the pandemic and those with a plan to recover and get back to growth. - To Thrive Business Grant Scheme - Staffordshire County Council

Start Up Scheme and Loan: Loans of between £3k to £5k being offered to people who have first completed the acclaimed Staffordshire Start-up online course to support resilient business start-ups. - Support for start-up businesses - Staffordshire County Council

Apprenticeship 500: Provide £5,000 incentive to SMEs in Staffordshire to employ a local 16-24 year old unemployed young person in an apprenticeship. - https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Business/Coronavirus-COVID-19-support-for-businesses/Staffordshire-Apprenticeship-500-Grant-Scheme/Staffordshire-Apprenticeship-500-Business-Grant-Scheme.aspx

Free Training Top Up: Grants of up to £5,000 to top-up training or up-skilling costs for employees. - Free Training Top Up for Employers - Staffordshire County Council

Ignite Top Up Scheme: Additional support to students to take their first steps in their own business. - Students Ignite their entrepreneurship with county start-up programme - Staffordshire County Council Newsroom

Free 12 month FSB membership: Businesses with one to four employees can benefit from 12 months’ free business support to guide them through the pandemic recovery. Essential advice and guidance on areas such legal and tax issues, employment legislation, health and safety advice, cyber protection and insurance is available through a free 12-month membership package with the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).- https://www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/news/article/430/micro-businesses-can-benefit-from-free-expert-advice-thanks-to-unique-partnership-with-leading-national-support-body