Little Birch Parish Council

14/10/2025

🌨️ New Grit Bin in Place – and We’d Like Your Views! 🌨️

We’ve just replaced a broken grit bin with a brand new one, fully stocked and ready for winter! 🧂💪
(See photos below 👇)

As we get ready for the colder months, the Parish Council is reviewing all grit bin locations across the parish — and we’d love your feedback.

✅ Are the current bins in the right places?
✅ Do you (or your neighbours) use them regularly?
✅ Is there an area that could use another one?

Your input helps us make sure grit is available where it’s most needed to keep everyone safe when it’s icy.

💬 Share your thoughts in the comments or send us a quick message — we really value your local insight!

14/07/2025

📣 Little Birch Parish Council invites you to the Garden Fete & Dog Show! 🌻🐶

We’re thrilled to support this brilliant community event taking place on Saturday 19th July at 2pm at Castle Nibole Farm (just off Barrack Hill, near the Castle Inn).

Join friends, family, and neighbours for a fun-filled afternoon featuring:

🐕 Dog Show – with 12 light-hearted classes including Best Puppy, Waggiest Tail, Best Rescue, and Dog the Judge Would Most Like to Take Home!
💨 Scurry Run – a crowd favourite where dogs race over small jumps and back. Fastest wins! Great fun and even better photos.
🎟️ Just £1 for 2 scurry runs – with prizes for small/medium and medium/large dogs
🎠 Tombola, Plant Stall, Cake Stall, Games for Children, Prize Draw & more
☕ Refreshments available all afternoon

🎫 Entry to the dog show is only £1.50 per class – entries open from 1:30pm

We kindly remind visitors to bring cash, as mobile signal on the farm may affect the card reader.

All proceeds go to support Little Birch Church, a valued part of our village life.

👒 Bring a chair, bring your four-legged friends, and enjoy a joyful summer afternoon with the community. We look forward to seeing you there!

— Little Birch Parish Council

05/07/2025

📢 Community Update – The Castle Inn Nomination 🏡

Little Birch Parish Council wishes to inform residents that Herefordshire Council has completed its evaluation of our application to reregister The Castle Inn as an Asset of Community Value.

Unfortunately, the nomination has not been successful. The property was found not to meet the criteria under the Localism Act 2011, primarily due to the fact that it has been closed since 2020 and does not currently further the social wellbeing or interests of the community. Additionally, Herefordshire Council concluded there was insufficient evidence to show that this could realistically change in the next five years.

While this outcome is disappointing, the Parish Council remains committed to exploring ways to support and strengthen our community assets. Thank you to everyone who supported the nomination and expressed their views.

29/04/2025

LBPC are currently renewing the 'Asset of Community Value' on the Castle Inn. We would like to include photos and flyers of any community events held there in the past. Birthdays, quiz nights, harvest festivals etc. If you have any can you please forward them to:
[email protected]
or we can arrange collection from you.
Thank you.

23/03/2025

We would like to invite you to join us for our annual Dawn Chorus Walk which will this year start and finish at Merrivale Farm. We are very grateful to Bob, Sue and family for hosting this event and providing breakfast on our return, for a donation towards a local charity.
I know it’s an early start but if you make the effort to get out of bed you will be rewarded with the sound of a magnificent dawn chorus, at this lovely time of year.
I hope you can join us.

03/03/2025

REMINDER - MEETING IS WEDS THIS WEEK.

Castle Inn, Little Birch - Community Views Sought
The Castle Inn is on the Herefordshire Council’s List of Assets of Community Value. It is on the market at the moment with use as a dwelling and a public house. Little Birch Parish Council (LBPC) have received correspondence from an interested party looking for the communities view on a change of use if they were to go ahead with a purchase. They will be attending the next Parish Council Meeting on 5th March 2025 at 7pm to outline their ideas. They have initially described them as:
“We would like to use the space to provide a range of seasonal community events to reflect our experience in hospitality, food and crafts. We would want to start fairly low key - offering an event once a month initially (after renovations and decorations have been completed) while we build community support and see where that takes us.”.
If you have any thoughts or views you are welcome to attend the meeting or submit them to LBPC clerk at [email protected]

21/02/2025

Castle Inn, Little Birch - Community Views Sought

The Castle Inn is on the Herefordshire Council’s List of Assets of Community Value. It is on the market at the moment with use as a dwelling and a public house. Little Birch Parish Council (LBPC) have received correspondence from an interested party looking for the communities view on a change of use if they were to go ahead with a purchase. They will be attending the next Parish Council Meeting on 5th March 2025 at 7pm to outline their ideas. They have initially described them as:

“We would like to use the space to provide a range of seasonal community events to reflect our experience in hospitality, food and crafts. We would want to start fairly low key - offering an event once a month initially (after renovations and decorations have been completed) while we build community support and see where that takes us.”.

If you have any thoughts or views you are welcome to attend the meeting or submit them to LBPC clerk at [email protected]

15/01/2025

Changes to cashless parking in the county

JustPark is the new official cashless parking provider for council-owned parking spaces across Herefordshire.

Parking sessions can be booked via the JustPark app. This is available on iOS and Android which is free to download.

Payment through the JustPark website and via calling a local rate number - 01432 805339, is also available, ensuring residents can pay using their preferred method.

Those who frequently choose to pay for parking via app should download the JustPark app as soon as they can, and only from their official app store.

There will be no change in pricing for cashless parking, and motorists should be assured that their parking may also still be paid for by cash and with cards.

“Cllr Barry Durkin, Cabinet Member for Roads and Regulatory Services at Herefordshire Council, said: "We are pleased to partner with JustPark. Their seamless offering, exceptional customer service, and innovative approach will deliver immediate benefits for Herefordshire residents and our many visitors. This partnership reflects our commitment to improving parking services across the county.”

Jonathan Hampson, Chief Commercial Officer at JustPark, added: “We look forward to working with Herefordshire Council to deliver a reliable, secure, and user-focused parking solution. Our priority is a smooth switchover, followed by delivering high satisfaction rates. JustPark is on a mission to make parking easier, more accessible, and more affordable for everyone across Herefordshire.”

In addition to using JustPark in Herefordshire, those using the JustPark app and website also gain access to JustPark’s nationwide marketplace of pre-bookable spaces, ideal if traveling further afield.

For more information on JustPark, visit www.justpark.com

To find out more about parking in Herefordshire, please visit the parking pages of our website.

Find parking, wherever and whenever you need it, online or via the JustPark app. Reserve a space at over 45,000 locations. Trusted by 10 million drivers.

07/12/2024

For info Little Birch is currently not accessible to vehicles in or out due to fallen trees. One just passed Sunnybank Farm, one between Pendant Pitch and Castle Nibole.