FIRST SCHOOL: Harvington First School was visited by a number of residents last Wednesday evening when staff and governors held an open evening to show off the now completed range of facilities which their new school hall offers and to give information about its availability for hiring. Mrs Marcia Palmer, the headmistress, said that comments had been favourable, with great approval and admiration expressed, and she felt that the hall has the potential to become a well-used village asset. News from the school included the raising of £138 for Comic Relief and a new project promoted by staff and governors (with the promise of enthusiastic support from parents and friends) to raise money in order to send away for a holiday one of the pupils who suffers from cystic fibrosis and severe arthritis. The sale of home made cakes and biscuits for children to eat during breaks was augmented by a giant raffle (60-plus prizes) and the latest news is that there has been a generous addition to the fund from pupils of Alcester Grammar School, donating money raised on their Come-As-You-Please day. This may not be the end of the effort. Rumour has it there is more to come.

MOTHERING SUNDAY: There will be a special service at St James' church to mark this very special day at 9.30am on Sunday morning and a warm welcome is extended to all, especially to people with young families. Posies of spring flowers will be distributed at the end of the service - a traditional touch which is always greatly appreciated by the children, who take great pleasure in presenting them to their mothers and to other female members of the congregation. At the service held last Sunday, the rector thanked all those who had helped the previous day at the churchyard working party. A start has been made on a project to level and neaten the new churchyard where many of the graves have collapsed and created an uneven, untidy surface which, despite all individual efforts, looks increasingly neglected. More help is needed and the hope was expressed that other workers from outside the church congregation will come forward and share the workload on the next clear-up day, which will be on the last Saturday in April.

PARISH COUNCIL: At the meeting last Wednesday, at which all members were present with the exception of Paul Fletcher, no questions were asked during public forum so the meeting proceeded with planning applications.

There were still strong objections to the plan for developing the Harvington Garage site because of overcrowding and the impossibility of parking. One of the first items of particular interest were the arrangements for an election on May 1 (if there is be an election and there appeared to be doubts about this, there being the difficulty of a pre-booking of the hall. (Since the meeting, it has been decided to have the voting in the committee rooms at the rear of the hall).

The newly appointed parish clerk, Mrs Linda Oliver, was introduced and it was arranged that she would take over from the retiring clerk at the meeting in May. The Regional Assembly, the subject of a letter from MP Peter Luff, was again under animated discussion, with council members expressing anger and disgust at what appears to be a complete disregard of the views of parish councils throughout the area, it now being known that the Regional Assembly is already (partly, at least) in existence.

There was ironic laughter when chairman coun McKenzie quoted from last month's annual report of the Audit Commission's examination of the highway maintenance service in the county, which says that public satisfaction with works undertaken last year had increased from 84 percent to 88 percent and parish satisfaction from 64 percent to 68 percent. Members of the public were heard to grumble, audibly, that the inspectors obviously hadn't been to the parish of Harvington where it is felt that the roads and, particularly, the lanes, resemble a moon surface.