KennetHeath.co.uk

With just 3 weeks to go until the Summer Festival, things are really starting to come together.
Leaflets are being delivered this week to the residents on Kennet Heath, as well as the pupils of Spurcroft School. Leaflets will also be available from a number of shops/cafes in Thatcham town centre.

Already confirmed for attendance:
Licensed Bar
Giant Inflatable Slide, Bouncy Castle & Obstacle Course
“How fast is your Penalty Kick?”
Over 20 traders, selling many hand made goods
WIN A CAR (for the weekend) with Cloverleaf Honda
Hot Food
Ice Cream Van
Candy Floss Cart
Cake Stand
Krazy Klub, with goody bags and Childrens’ Characters
Live Bands from the Moorside Community Centre
Tombola
Raffle

In the raffle, you have the chance to win:
Tickets to Newbury Racecourse
Rounds of Golf at Sandford Springs Golf Club
Tickets to the Living Rain Forest
Tickets to Beale Park
Many Vouchers
Many prizes still being added!!

The 3rd Annual Kennet Heath Summer Festival takes place on 7th August.

Already confirmed for attendance:
Licensed Bar
Giant Inflatable Slide, Bouncy Castle & Obstacle Course
“How fast is your Penalty Kick?”
Over 20 traders, selling many hand made goods
WIN A CAR (for the weekend) with Cloverleaf Honda
Hot Food
Ice Cream Van
Candy Floss Cart
Cake Stand
Krazy Klub, with goody bags and Childrens’ Characters
Live Bands from the Moorside Community Centre
Tombola
Raffle

In the raffle, you have the chance to win:
Tickets to Newbury Racecourse
Rounds of Golf at Sandford Springs Golf Club
Tickets to the Living Rain Forest
Tickets to Beale Park
Many Vouchers
Many prizes still being added!!

Entrance is FREE, so do come along!!

So Join us at 12pm until 4pm on 7th August at the Moorside Community Centre, Urquhart Road, Thatcham, RG19 4RE.

Further details available at the Kennet Heath Forum http://Forum.KennetHeath.c​o.uk and http://www.KennetHeath.co.​uk

We’d love to see you there. If you want to get involved or have any ideas, please email the team SummerFestival@KennetHeath.co.uk

Planning is under way for the 3rd KHRA Annual Summer Festival, Sunday 7th August 2011.

With Traders, IceCream Vans, Hot & Cold Food, Cakes, Activities and plenty more, it should be a really great day out for you and your family.

We’ve got plenty of ideas that we hope will come to fruition, but if you’ve got something to offer the team, please contact them on SummerFestival@KennetHeath.co.uk

Stay tuned for more updates.

Kennet Heath Annual Christmas Fayre will take place on December 5th at the Moorside Community Centre.

So come along and enjoy the Christmas Fayre!

Dear Kennet Heath Resident,

This Saturday sees our 2nd Kennet Heath Residents’ Association AGM at 10:30am, Moorside Community Centre.
If you’ve got a spare half an hour do come along to see what we’re up to and what plans we have for the next 12 months.

Did you attend the Summer Fair in August? or the Free Easter Egg Hunt earlier this year?

These are the fun events that are put on by the Volunteers that make up the Residents’ Association.

Even if you can’t get along on Saturday morning but still want to get involved with YOUR community Residents’ Assocation and think you can help volunteer for future events, then contact us using any of the following methods:
email: ResidentsAssociation@KennetHeath.co.uk
Post: KHRA, C/O Moorside Community Centre, Urquhart Road, Kennet Heath, Thatcham, Berkshire
Forum: http://forum.kennetheath.co.uk

We really would love to see many new faces getting involved to help with the fun events that everyone on Kennet Heath can benefit from.
It really doesn’t take up much time and any time you can spare will be much appreciated by the current KHRA committee and the many residents that enjoy our events.

So, please pop down to Moorside on Saturday at 10:30, it would be good to see many people there.

Regards,

KHRA Committee

Fellow residents of Kennet Heath and members of Kennett Heath Management Limited (KHML), many thanks for your support to change the way in which our management company is run.

Since the informal general meeting a few months ago we have continued our investigations into the state of the company with a view to determining a way forward that is acceptable to KHML members.

Key factors that we have identified since the meeting are;

• David Wilson Homes are claiming that the last house remains unsold as they have a house left to sell on Urquhart Rd, this is not as yet being marketed. When asked about the timeframe for marketing we have receive no information in response, as a result we have no idea of how long the situation will continue.
• The members list remains incorrect despite David Wilson Homes assurance that they would take appropriate action to ensure its accuracy. Based on our investigations:
  • There are 792 homes on the estate
  • 50 homes are excluded due to legal discrepancies leaving 742 linked to KHML
  • 605 are on the actual register sent to us by RMG
  • 137 are not on the members list
• We have received the 2010 invoice from RMG and have taken the following steps;
  • Written to RMG thanking them for the additional clarification regarding the charges and have challenged the disproportionate management charges, including questioning what’s happened to the additional payment from 2009.
  • Challenged RMG on the work that they claim to be conducting as our investigations have seen no evidence of routine maintenance work being completed for more than a year.
  • Obtained recognition that some residents on the estate are contractually able to pay the management charges via two payments, RMG were originally threatening to pass on the details of anyone who failed to pay the full amount to a debt recovery agency.
• We have held further meetings with representatives from West Berkshire trading standards, this has resulted in a letter has being sent to KHML’s Company Secretary, based on Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999, in regards to Kennet Heath Management Company, Thatcham, Berkshire.  A response has been received by trading standards who wish to keep our case open in the event that we receive further significant price rises.
• The Service Charge Accounts for period ending 31 December 2009, sent on 22 June 2010 contains no details of the compensation payment to KHML for the omission of the 50 homes, we therefore assume that this issue remain unresolved.

• Despite being responsible for the set-up of KHML Redrow homes are taking no positive action to assist us in resolving this situation.

A number of residents have been asking what we propose to do with KHML which will make the situation better, in response our aim is to;

1. Work with the developers to untangle the issues surrounding the establishment of KHML prior to taking on responsibility for it
2. Attempt to establish separate management companies for the flats, as this will ensure that their interests are met as well as simplifying the accounts and invoices, it is acknowledged that this will not be an easy process.
3. Reduce the outlay associated with the bund and acoustic barrier to the absolute minimum required to meet our obligations, currently far more work is claimed to be done than is actually required.
4. Significantly reduce the cost of the legal paperwork required from KHML when selling your home, currently over £335.
5. Put to vote whether or not to replace the fence when replacement is required, this will be costly to replace.
6. Investigate avenues to meet our long terms goal of removing KHML’s responsibility for the bund.

Of course all of these measures which impact on members would need to be subject to vote from the members of KHML to determine what the members want.

We cannot currently change any aspect of KHML as the last house remains unsold, we have asked KHML and David Wilson Homes to meet with us to give us an update of the situation, including the plans for selling the last house, however we have not as yet received a reply.

We appreciate your patience and can assure you that we will continue to work on resolving this matter.

If you have any questions regarding the situation with KHML please email khml@kennetheath.co.uk.

This May the Corn Exchange is bringing theatre to a village near you. Moorside Community Centre is one of four venues taking part in the Corn Exchange’s first rural tour, with the hope that this may be the first of more to come.

On tour is a show called Odyssey, based on Homer’s epic. However this incredible and complicated story is performed by one man in one hour. With no set and no fancy lighting we are transported back in time to Ancient Greece in the aftermath of the Trojan War. We follow Odysseus on his tortuous journey home to see his wife and son. But after twenty years away, will everything still be as he left it?

On his journey Odysseus encounters monsters and Gods, all trying to stop him getting home. Being the sole actor on stage, George Mann becomes all the characters; one-eyed Cyclopes, various different Gods and nymphs that enslave him, using only his voice and his body. Each character comes alive as George gives them a voice and a gesture or stance so you can recognise them all and not get lost.

George is a great storyteller. His show is funny, easy to watch and very fast paced. He can only perform one show a day because he gets so exhausted after performing it. He didn’t win Best Solo Performer at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for nothing.

Tickets for Odyssey are free to encourage you to come along and try it out. This doesn’t mean it’s lacking in quality, instead it’s a chance for you to experience what the Corn Exchange does, in the comfort of your own village. So come enjoy a night out on us.

Free tickets can be booked through the Corn Exchange Box Office, call 01635 522733. You can also watch a short trailer for the show on our website, log onto www.cornexchange.com and go to the Odyssey page to see George Mann in action.

The Tour
Tuesday 4 May -         JOG Youth Centre
Wednesday 5 May -    Basildon Village Hall
Thursday 6 May -        Brightwalton Village Hall
Friday 7 May -             Corn Exchange, Newbury
Saturday 8 May -         Moorside Community Centre