Madeley Matters

July 2004

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Page 7

Wildlife Walks

• Reptile and Amphibian Day.
• 3 – 6pm Monday 19th July
• Ironbridge Power Station.
• Bring a picnic.

Batwalk

• 8pm Friday 27th August
• Buildwas Abbey
• Please ring The Madeley Green Spaces Officer, Nicola Randall on 583322 to book a place on either of these walks.
• There may be limited transport available from Madeley.
  

Madeley Community Orchard

Some of you may know that I am the parish volunteer tree warden and may even have seen the Madeley Tree Trail leaflet which I researched, or met me on some of the walks that I have led. I am now involved in a project to develop a Community Orchard for Madeley at the old allotment site in Bartlett Gardens and thought you may like to know how plans are progressing.

We had a display in the library just after Easter and have held meetings on site and at Jubilee House in the High Street to which we have had a favourable response. Madeley Guides and Brownies together with the Eco-group from Sir Alexander Fleming school are supporting the project, with a view to using the orchard as an outdoor study area and cultivating part of it as their own garden plot.

Madeley has a very long history and in the past the houses and cottages would all have had their own fruit trees. Damson trees can still be seen in the hedge near the Cuckoo Oak roundabout and large veteran apple trees are still growing near some of the mounds. I am hoping that some of our lost heritage can be restored and an area of land can be improved for the benefit of the community and for wildlife.

The orchard will be the venue for our annual Madeley Green Day in the autumn. This event has previously been held in Madeley Park off Legges Way on a Saturday in October and provides a day of free activities for all ages. Look out for this year’s date in the next edition of Madeley Matters.

Glenys Evans - Madeley Tree Warden

PRIDE IN OUR PARISH

Pensioners may still be missing out on state benefits. Nationally, just under half of all pensioners are still not claiming PENSION CREDIT and if Madeley Parish reflects this trend there may be several hundred residents missing out. People are understandably very proud and their generation are inclined to live within their means. They are also reluctant to make a new claim if they have been turned down for benefits before.
However, the annual April increases and a more generous regime mean they should review their entitlements, as they may now be eligible. I know that within the parish of Madeley there is still a great sense of community with people keeping an eye on elderly neighbours, relatives and friends. Perhaps we can all encourage and support those with whom we come into contact to ensure as far as humanly possible that we help those in our community. A lift to the appropriate offices, assistance with form filling or patience with telephone calls may be all that is required.

HOUSING BENEFIT, administered by the Borough of Telford & Wrekin, is for anyone who pays rent. When you make a claim for Housing Benefit, any entitlement to Council Tax Benefit will automatically be calculated and awarded to you.
However, not so many homeowners realise that they too can, and should, claim pension credit and may also qualify for COUNCIL TAX BENEFIT which is administered by the Borough of Telford & Wrekin. I am aware as your Councillor that 4 out of 10 people who are eligible may not be claiming these benefits. Anyone with less than £16,000 in savings can apply for Council Tax Benefit. For pensioners, savings below £6,000 are not taken into account in the calculations.

Telford & Wrekin’s Revenue and Benefits Customer Contact Centre can be contacted on 01952 202020 for more advice and assistance about claiming Housing and Council Tax Benefit. Their lines open from 8am – 6pm Monday to Wednesday, 9.30am – 6pm Thursday and 8am – 5pm on a Friday. Lines are often less busy in the afternoon after 3pm.

Visitors are also welcome, and assistance can be given with the completion of benefit claim forms. Sometimes the office does get busy, and is usually quieter in the afternoons. You can also make an appointment to see an officer by calling the Contact Centre on 01952 202020.

Whether you choose to phone or visit, the Contact Centre staff will be happy to discuss your own circumstances with you, and will be able to give you an estimate of whether you would qualify for Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit. If in any doubt or you need advice, please contact the Council for advice, they will be delighted to help you.

Councillors are currently in discussions with Benefit Officers to see if a local take-up campaign can be organised, but in the meantime please do not hesitate to get those entitlements checked out.

Cllr Gillian Green - Madeley Ward