Fishburn Parish Council

This meeting will be held in Fishburn Community Centre, Butterwick Road, Fishburn, County Durham, commencing at 6:30 p.m. The agenda will be published below and posted on the main notice board in the parish at least 3 days prior to the meeting date.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AT MEETINGS

Meetings of the Parish Council are held on the second Thursday of each month, except August, at 6:30 p.m. at Fishburn Community Centre, Butterwick Road, Fishburn, County Durham. As part of the Parish Council’s commitment to improving the level of public participation in local government, members of the public are invited at the beginning of meetings to make representations or ask questions relating to the business on the agenda and should contact the Parish Clerk via email with any written statements/questions no later than 5:00 p.m. on the day before the meeting. Members of the public are welcome to stay and observe afterwards but will not be able to join in the discussions unless invited to do so by the Chair, and they should not heckle or disrupt and should respect the rulings of the Chair who has the right to exclude a disorderly person as a last resort

The website is now an established part of the Parish Council. If you have any suggestions or items you would like to see then send your comments to the Parish Clerk. Fishburn Parish Council does not take any responsibility for the accuracy of information on this site. All information is provided in good faith and is considered to be correct at the time. It is hoped that any groups or organisations in Fishburn will broadcast their news and/or forthcoming events on here. 

The Council owns or has responsibility for the village green, the cemetery, the former coke works area [referred to as the pit wheel fields], 117 allotments located off South View, 3 play areas and a recreation ground consisting of 2 football pitches, changing rooms, a bowling green and pavilion, a Multi Use Games Area (MUGA), and most bus shelters.

Fishburn Pit Wheel

The original Fishburn Pit Wheel has been installed on the site of the old Coke Works, with a paved area containing bricks dedicated to those who worked at either the Pit or the Coke Works. An official Opening Ceremony took place on Friday 10th July 2015 at Fishburn Community Centre and then transferred to the site of the wheel. Fishburn Band were in attendance. A gathering of about 400 watched the official opening by Keith Grubb and Phoebe Turner. Keith is the man who alerted Fishburn to the availability of the wheel and Phoebe is a young resident of Fishburn. They were both presented with a small memento of the occasion by the Parish Council. A presentation of a clock was also made to Billy Elliott, of Fishburn Band, in recognition of his dedication and fundraising for the Band over many years. A short film - FISHBURN COLLIERY WHEEL - A CELEBRATION OF COMMUNITY documenting the ceremony marking the return of Fishburn's colliery wheel - 10th July 2015 - in association with the North Regional Brass Band Trust (NRBBT), Fishburn Parish Council and Fishburn Band:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJkpgtqcQZo

Village Green

Many people in Fishburn do not realise that the Village Green extends all the way down one side of Butterwick Road past the Co-op to the entrance to Oakdene Road. In recent years cars have been parking on the Green near to the Co-op and a lot of damage was done to the area, with dangerous holes appearing. Recent remedial work has taken place to restore the Green to its proper state and protective fencing and posts have been erected to try and prevent the damage happening again. The Co-op have removed the bollards that were in the centre of their car park to allow vehicles to pull straight through when leaving, without having to reverse. Funding was also obtained by the Parish Council for planters/tubs which have been placed along both sides of the Village Green. They are self watering, having reservoirs in the bottom of each pot. The flower beds that were originally in place there were sloped and difficult to keep watered.

Ceremonial Beacon

The Parish Council  decided it wanted to be part of the national tradition of lighting a chain of beacons to mark royal occasions. Thursday 2nd June 2022 saw the completion of the parish council’s efforts to create a ceremonial gas-fuelled beacon to mark The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The beacon stands on the village green on Front Street in the centre of Fishburn and was officially unveiled and lit for the first time at a Twilight Jubilee Concert. Children from Fishburn Primary School planted two oak trees provided by the Parish Council to commemorate the jubilee. The total cost of the project was met with a financial contribution from the Neighbourhood Budget of Durham County Councillors Chris Lines and David Brown, and grant funding from E.ON Butterwick Moor Wind Farm Community Fund, with Fishburn Parish Council making up the shortfall.

The Queen Elizabeth II Beacon of Hope represents the British way of life that we all hold dearly. The design of the basket on the beacon is a crown. The eleven poppies signify the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month (to mark the day armistice signed after World War I. The wording around the base of the crown is HOPE - PEACE - BATTLE - FREEDOM - Hope: a strong and confident expectation for Peace and Freedom within ourselves and around the world. Peace: within ourselves and around the world is something we all strive for and battle to keep. Battle: the constant fight between good and evil within ourselves and around the world. Freedom: The power or right to act, speak or think as one wants, because without Hope, Peace, and Battle there is no Freedom. The word MEMENTO on the crown is Latin for 'to remember'. The seven-pointed crown signifies Queen Elizabeth II; the seven days of creation; the seven seas and seven continents of the world; England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that are protected by The Army, The Royal Air Force and The Royal Navy.

Fishburn Sports & Leisure Complex, Butterwick Road, Fishburn, TS21 4DU

The Parish Council has created a sparkling new community facility at the popular recreation ground in Butterwick Road as part of an on-going programme of improvements to replace a tired old pavilion with brand-new changing rooms for players and officials. The total cost of the project is just over £83,000 with Fishburn Parish Council investing £70,500 along with a £7,500 contribution from the Neighbourhood Budget of Durham County Councillors David Brown and John Robinson and £5,000 from Butterwick Moor Wind Farm Fund. The Parish Council commissioned work to de-compact and aerate both football pitches. The cost of much-needed drainage to the pitches by a specialist contractor may be incorporated in future plans. Fishburn is also home to a state-of-the art sports facility. The village’s multi use games area (MUGA) was unveiled on the site of the overgrown, redundant tennis courts. 

Fishburn Community Football Club

Fishburn Community FC (formerly Fishburn Boys) is a FA chartered standard club that was founded in 1987. They currently have 6 teams playing in the Rusell Foster, TJFA and Durham FA leagues. Matches are usually played on Saturdays or Sundays. They offer competitive football and coaching for all players, regardless of their ability. All coaches and volunteers involved in the club are fully DBS checked. The club colours are red and yellow.

Bowling Green

Parish councillors have reiterated their commitment to working in partnership with the Bowls Club and have lifted and re-laid the paving stones surrounding the bowling green. Members welcomed the Club's plans for fresh activities and events to help the Club become more sustainable. The Parish Council also planted some new rose bushes to replace the old ones in the flower beds at the Bowling Green. Beds of 'Peace' roses commemorate the centenary of the First World War to show respect for residents of Fishburn past and present who have gone to war, and 'Queen Elizabeth' roses mark the Queen's 90th birthday, as well as 'Nostalgia' (eye-catching creamy-white to bright cherry-red colour) and 'Remembrance' (red) and 'Beautiful Britain' (orange).

Allotments

Fishburn Allotment Association has taken over the management of the allotment site located at South View (behind Front Street), on behalf of the Parish Council. The Parish Council has carried out modification of the water supply system at the allotment site to bring stand pipes and taps to a legal standard and agreed a new Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the Allotment Association. Allotment rents are collected in January each year instead of April, which helps in identifying which allotments are likely to be vacant for the coming year. They can then be re-allocated in time for the majority of the growing season, instead of becoming overgrown and therefore difficult to pull round. Anyone wishing to be placed on the waiting list should e-mail the Secretary of the Allotment Association, Terry Phillips: e-mail terence.phillips@hotmail.co.uk giving their name, home address and contact number. Allotments will be allocated strictly according to the waiting list. The yearly rental is payable in January each year.

Culture

Fishburn is home to the Fishburn Brass Band, started by local miners as the Fishburn Colliery Welfare band in the 1950s. The band have won several high profile contests including the Scottish Open Champions in 2005 and the Durham County Brass Band League. The band also plays on the streets of Fishburn on the day of the Durham Miners' Gala and at Christmas playing traditional Christmas carols.

Fishburn News - Newsletter

Fishburn Parish Council does not have a regular newsletter. Until recently, the Fishburn Community Partnership produced a 'Fishburn News' newsletter every three months, the first edition was distributed in June 2011, and every household in Fishburn  received a copy of this newsletter. 

The Parish Council's Logo

REBEKAH WATRET of Fishburn won the competition to design a new logo for Fishburn Parish Council. Parish councillors judged that her winning design reflects the heritage, history, culture of Fishburn, its community and its future. The design is clear and simple - a distinctive and recognisable logo to represent the character of the parish, community and its inhabitants, and reflects local, geographic or historic significance in the area. The logo represents:

- the mining wheel (outer circle)
- the brass band (inner circle)
- the mining community
- the farming history
- the river/Fishburn school/and a little of the old logo.