News & Events

Turning my attention again to our monthly newsletter, I note that the year is slipping by yet various persistent agendas, whether international, national, or local, seem to have moved along little with no clear-cut solutions in sight! Whether it is fuel prices and the general cost of living at one level, immigrant boats, rough sleeping, local regeneration issues at another, or more specific to BPCCRA, the future of … Read More

After quite a remarkable summer, we seem to be approaching autumn but in a less than usual way. Rather than the appearance of russet in many of our trees, we are seeing some green in our garden lawns, thanks to some recent rain. Residents might even think about cutting this grass which has been a brownish yellow for the last few months. The fact that our Newsletter arrives … Read More

Summer seems to have been with us for quite a while, with glorious sunshine, swimmable seas and endless opportunities to enjoy a coffee, a drink or a meal in the open air. That said there is always another side to this ‘dream picture’: overflowing bins, discarded bottles and food wrappers, uncleaned streets and cars parked just about everywhere within ten minutes of the beach. This is contemporary England! … Read More

Summer is now upon us and our beaches, parks, gardens and chines are busy with both residents and visitors making the most of the sunshine which, thankfully, has been in excellent supply. One recent highlight was the unveiling of the new Pinecliff Gardens shelter mural. Thursday 2 July saw around 35 people including Councillor Tracey Newman Mayor of Poole, BCP officials and ward councillors John Challinor and Gavin … Read More

JUNE 2026 NEWSLETTER June is disappearing fast but personally I’m not sure that summer has finally arrived given the recent swings in the weather we’ve all experienced, although temperatures now begin to suggest a swim in the sea could well be on the cards! As the month draws to a close I wanted to share a brief update on a few upcoming events and association developments. A fuller … Read More

This month’s newsletter arrives slightly later than usual but reflects what has been a particularly busy and transitional few weeks for the association. As we move into the much anticipated summer months BPCCRA enters a new chapter. Following our recent AGM I formally took over as Chair of the association from Peter Schroeder, whose contributions over the last three years we gratefully acknowledge.  I also believe I may … Read More

Firstly, some key dates: The BPCCRA AGM will be on Saturday 11th April 2026, 10-30am, Canford Cliffs Village Hall,17 Ravine Rd, Poole BH13 7HT. Our Guests will include: Our MP, Neil Duncan Jordan; the Mayor of Poole; John Challinor, one of our ward councillors and Councillor Millie Earl, the leader of BCP Council. New Poole Town Council Elections will be on Thursday 7th May 2026 This year’s AGM … Read More

The daffodils are telling us that Spring is on its way and as I write this the sun is shining and it’s not raining!  So, what is in store for the coming weeks? Firstly, some key dates: #Planning the new mural for the rebuilt shelter at Pinecliff Gardens; We will be meeting with our chosen Artist, Stuart Roberts, on site at the shelter on this Saturday 7th March … Read More

As January 2026 signs out with storms, floods and general chaos, what will February and the following months offer? I’ll begin with an important membership subscription update. At our most recent Executive Committee meeting, after very careful consideration, we agreed that from 1st June 2026 the annual subscription will be £10 for individual members and £7 per flat for block memberships. This is the first increase in more … Read More

As January 2026 starts with a biting cold spell, I would  like to wish a happy and peaceful new year to all our members. What can we look forward to in 2026? A steady stream of planning applications, a significant number of which we will need to object to on legitimate planning grounds The establishment of the new Poole Town Council and the need to understand how to … Read More

Winter has arrived; the first frosts, heavy rain and storm force winds together with the odd bright and sunny day. The Council’s small work force fights a largely losing battle to clear pine needles and unblock drains. It does help when members highlight a particular problem area. There is a section on the BCP website to report problems and our ward councillors are always prepared to help if … Read More

By now most of our members should have received their winter edition of “Pines & Chines”. What a great issue our hard working and Creative editor has put together! If you haven’t got your copy yet, especially if you joined BPCCRA after November 2024, please email your name and address to our editor Annabel ed.pinesandchines@icloud.com  We will make sure we get a copy to you. Without totally repeating … Read More

URGENT NOTICE: The second Wednesday in October is this week; the 8th, so; next BPCCRA open meeting is this Wednesday 8th October Time: 7-30pm Place: Committee room, St Aldhelm’s Church Hall. Apologies for the short notice but I hope to see many of you there. Amongst the topics on the agenda are BCP Council’s recently published proposals for a Poole Town Council; the need to find a new … Read More

Firstly, congratulations to one of our fellow associations, the Canford Cliffs Land Society, on reaching its 100th birthday. The role of  Residents’ Associations in their various forms remain vital; the pressures from developers on our area are relentless and the behaviour and performance of our local Council needs constant monitoring. Last month I highlighted the fact that we seemed to be unsuccessful in winning CILs  (Community Infrastructure Levy) … Read More

BRANKSOME PARK AND CANFORD CLIFFS RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION AUGUST 2025 NEWSLETTER Starting with some good news: BCP Council’s proposal to “solve” the problem of illegal  car parking  near the beach by, amongst other things, charging residents and their guests to park in their own roads, is at least for now, dead in the water. Instead, the Council has obtained permission from the Government to trial much higher fines and … Read More

Typically, summer was seen as the “silly season” for news; sightings of the Loch Ness monster and the affairs of celebs no one had ever heard of. Here we have the ill-considered proposals and activities of BCP Council. High on the list this month is a proposal to solve car parking problems near the beach by, amongst other things, charging residents and their guests to park in their … Read More

The year flies by, its summer; but the issues the Association faces don’t go away. Planning proposals that if passed, will further degrade our area continue to role in (just read John H’s May report!). We battle to get the modest amounts of BCP’s “Improvements Money” spent on key items that really will improve our area such as the road safety issues that Vicki is persistently pointing out … Read More

Following our well attended AGM, I am pleased to list the associations officers for 2025/ 2026. They are: Chairman: Peter Schroeder Vice-chairman and secretary: Andrea Charman Treasurer: Stanley Peters Planning Officer: John Harkness Membership Secretary: Pamela Carvell Pines & Chines editor: Annabel  Stemp Pines & Chines Advertising manager: John Gunton Special Projects: Vicky Moss In addition, we have again co-opted Roy Pointer to continue leading our various interactions … Read More

A very brief one this month; Just to remind everyone that this Saturday, 12th April is our AGM. Location: Canford Cliffs Village Hall Time: 10am As well as the usual business of the AGM we have three guest speakers; Our Poole MP, Neil Duncan Jordan Our Ward Councillor; John Challinor (supported by his fellow Ward Councillor Gavin Wright) The mayor of Christchurch; Councillor Paul Hilliard They will be … Read More

It’s Spring (officially!) and the diary continues to fill. Firstly, an invitation; Café Deuce is opening at the Branksome Park Tennis Club and new owner Lisa would be delighted to welcome Association members at the official opening on Sunday March 10th; they will be open all day. It is good to see our area getting another useful and positive facility. Diary date; the association’s AGM is confirmed as … Read More

Change of Date: Our BPCCRA February meeting will be on TUESDAY 11th February and NOT on Wednesday 12th February; usual time; 7-30pm, usual place; St Aldhelm’s Church committee room. Apologies for any confusion caused. Last month we mentioned the importance of our cohort of Street Wardens; they really are the unsung heroes of the Association. We are currently updating our list and filling some gaps. Volunteers for Canford … Read More

Good bye 2024 and “welcome” to 2025 with its cold and windy January start. It looks like being a busy year for our Association. Some of the items to keep as busy include, in no particular order: • Continuing to fight for the best possible outcome for the Beach Road carpark Sago • The debate on whether we need a Town or Parish Council (more below about some … Read More

December is here already with another bout of storm force winds; where has the year gone? I won’t bore everyone with a year-end review; suffice to say it has been very busy, with battles won and lost. We are still battling to ensure some positive outcome from the forthcoming sale of the Beach Road car park; we will keep you informed as things progress. On a brighter note, … Read More

I hope by now most members will have received their copy of the Winter 2024 “Pines & Chines” although we still have a few to be delivered. My thanks to John Gunton for another excellent edition, and to all our contributors and advertisers who make it possible. Our hard-working Treasurer, secretary and membership secretary are working to improve our rather complex admin systems. We will shortly close down … Read More

If anyone has recently walked up the pathway through Branksome Chine, they were almost certainly as saddened as I was at the numerous signs of neglect and decay. This delightful walk was gifted to the community many years ago and deserves to be properly looked after. However hard up our Council is, it must not neglect community assets like this. Members may like to pass comments to the Council … Read More

Firstly, some good news! Not only has our new Secretary Andrea Charman settled in brilliantly and is fast getting me sorted out, but also an excellent volunteer has come forward to take on the vital role of Membership Secretary: welcome to Pamela Cavell. We (myself, Andrea, Vicki Moss and Antony Vickery from the Sandbanks group) met with our new MP Neil Duncan-Jordan for a very productive meeting. He … Read More

BCP Council now has a new leader, Millie Earl who replaces Vicki Slade who is now the MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole. Millie already knows the Association, particularly through our work on road safety matters. We will be making contact with him to make sure he knows about the Association and what it does. We will invite her to our next meeting.  Her Council email address … Read More

Well, Poole has a new member of Parliament, Neil Duncan-Jordan. We will be making contact with him to make sure he knows about the Association and what it does. We will try to meet with him as soon as possible. His new email address is: neil.duncanjordan.mp@parliament.uk Also, very soon, we will have a new Leader of BCP Council as Vikki Slade is standing down from the role following … Read More

Flaming June is here, but the work of the Association continues despite the weather! We have now had the formal “Opinion” from the specialist Barrister we briefed regarding the Beach Road Carpark situation. It is clear and well argued; in summary it says that we have no grounds for opposing BCP’s plans for the Carpark unless it makes a procedural mistake. Individuals with covenanted properties may be due … Read More

Firstly, thanks to all those who attended and helped to make our 2024 AGM a success, and a special thankyou to those who helped to organise and set it up. The IT gremlins struck again and despite valiant efforts, one of our speakers, Martin Baker, wasn’t able to use his Power Point presentation. We are partially making up for this by attaching Martin’s presentation to this Newsletter. I … Read More

April has all the makings of a busy month! On Saturday April 27th we have our AGM, Canford Cliffs Village Hall, starting at 10-30am. The agenda will be circulated by a separate email shortly. Refreshments available at the end. I hope many of you will be able to attend. April 12th is the closing date for our submission to BCP Council’s consultation regarding their next steps in their … Read More

With Spring almost here, a lot is currently happening. First Dates; There is NO MEETING this month The next meeting is our AGM Date: Saturday 27th April Place; Canford Cliffs Village Hall Time: 10-30 pm The Exec Committee will meet in May The next Members Evening meeting will be: Wednesday 12 June St Aldheim’s church committee room; 7-30pm I hope we see many of you at the AGM; … Read More

There has been a lot happening in the last month, and a lot to come in the next few weeks! But firstly, a PLEA (well actually two!) We are still looking for a secretary and now through understandable pressure of work, our Treasurer, Jackie Heap will step down at our AGM in April; The Association can only continue its important work with sufficient volunteers to cover the key … Read More

Firstly, very best wishes for this New Year to all our members. May we all avoid being afflicted by unsuitable developments and dubious planning decisions. Now a plea! Carol, our very long serving secretary, has stood down and we owe her our thanks for all her years of service. However, the Association cannot function efficiently without a secretary, so a replacement is urgently needed! We can if necessary, … Read More

Tis the time for Mulled wine and Mince Pies, and they will be the main items on the agenda of our next meeting; Wednesday !3th December, usual time 7-30pm, usual place St Aldhelm’s Church Hall committee room. However we will still receive our planning officer’s update, the latest on BCP’s carpark proposals and a report back from Vicki on the road safety “walkabout” she undertook with a local … Read More

Winter settles in, the storms seem fiercer than ever and pine needles block our gutters and drains. However, the work of the association continues. Our November meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 8th November, the usual time; 7-30pm and the usual place St Aldhelm’s church hall committee room, Lindsay Road. As well as planning updates (including feedback from our ward councillors meeting with the BCP planning chief), we will … Read More

BPCCRA OCTOBER 2023 Newsletter Our October meeting will be on Wednesday 11th October; 7-30pm in the committee room at the rear of the Branksome St Alfheim’s Parish centre (accessed from Lindsay Road). We have a special guest, Inspector Nick Lee who is in charge of the Poole neighbourhood Police team; a chance to learn about how the force is tackling the various problems facing our communities and an … Read More

Dear Members Plans for Next Meeting We invite our members to the next meeting on Wednesday 13 September 2023. The meeting starts at 7:30 pm, in the Committee Room at the rear of the Branksome St. Aldhelms Parish Centre (accessed from Lindsay Road). Our Chairman Peter Schroeder has a prior engagement, so Dugald Eadie will once more chair this one. Message from our Chairman, Peter Schroeder As our … Read More

Dear Members Plans for Next Meeting A gentle reminder that we will not be having a meeting in August. We invite our members to the next meeting on Wednesday 13 September 2023. The meeting starts at 7:30 pm, in the Committee Room at the rear of the Branksome St. Aldhelms Parish Centre (accessed from Lindsay Road). Message from our new Chairman, Peter Schroeder It is with some trepidation … Read More

Dear Members Plans for Next Meeting We invite our members to the next meeting on Wednesday 12 July 2023. The meeting starts at 7:30 pm, in the Committee Room at the rear of the Branksome St. Aldhelms Parish Centre (accessed from Lindsay Road). On this occasion, we will be having drinks and nibbles, hopefully in the garden area at the rear. We will try to keep the meeting … Read More

Dear Members Plans for Next Meeting This is a reminder that our June meeting (on 14 June) will not take place. We invite our members to the next meeting on Wednesday 12 July 2023. The meeting starts at 7:30 pm, in the Committee Room at the rear of the Branksome St. Aldhelms Parish Centre (accessed from Lindsay Road). On this occasion, we will be having drinks and nibbles, … Read More

Dear Members Plans for May 23 Meeting We invite our members to the usual meeting on Wednesday 10 May 2023. The meeting starts at 7:30 pm, and refreshments will be available from 7:00 pm. The meeting will be in the Committee Room at the rear of the Branksome St. Aldhelms Parish Centre (accessed from Lindsay Road). As we had the AGM quite recently, the main item for this … Read More

Dear Members Plans for Monthly Meetings The April meeting would have been on Wednesday 12 April, but we have cancelled it, as the AGM is taking place this month (see below). The next regular meeting will be on Wednesday 10 May, in the usual committee room at St Aldhelms Parish Centre. The Agenda and the Planning Report will be available separately on the Pines & Chines website. Our … Read More

Dear Members Plans for March 23 Monthly Meeting We invite our members to the monthly meeting on Wednesday 8 March 2023. The meeting starts at 7:30 pm, and refreshments will be available from 7:00 pm. The meeting will be in the Committee Room at the rear of the Branksome St. Aldhelms Parish Centre (accessed from Lindsay Road). The Beach Road Car Park has once more become an issue, … Read More

Dear Members Plans for February 23 Monthly Meeting We invite our members to the monthly meeting on Wednesday 8 February 2023. As we use the second Wednesday each month, this one is only 3 weeks after the January one. The meeting starts at 7:30 pm, and refreshments will be available from 7:00 pm. The meeting will be in the Committee Room at the rear of the Branksome St. … Read More

Dear Members Plans for January 23 Monthly Meeting We can confirm that this month’s meeting will take place as usual, on Wednesday 11th January 2023. The meeting starts at 7:30 pm, and refreshments will be available from 7:00 pm. The meeting will be in the Committee Room at the rear of the Branksome St. Aldhelms Parish Centre (accessed from Lindsay Road). As usual, we will be trying to … Read More

Dear Members Plans for December 22 Monthly Meeting We can confirm that this month’s meeting will take place as usual, on Wednesday 14th December 2022. The meeting starts at 7:30 pm, and will not take very long. We are pleased to return to the old tradition of having mulled wine and mince pies after the meeting. The meeting will be in the Committee Room at the rear of … Read More

Dear Members Plans for November 22 Monthly Meeting We are pleased to confirm that this month’s meeting will take place as usual, on Wednesday 9th November 2022.  The meeting starts at 7:30 pm, and will finish around 8:30 pm.  The usual refreshments will be available from 7 pm.  The meeting will be in the Committee Room at the rear of the Branksome St. Aldhelms Parish Centre (accessed from … Read More

Dear Members Plans for October 2022 Monthly Meeting We are pleased to confirm that this month’s meeting will take place as usual, on Wednesday 12th October 2022. The meeting starts at 7:30 pm, and will finish around 8:30 pm. The usual refreshments will be available from 7 pm. The meeting will be in the Committee Room at the rear of the Branksome St. Aldhelms Parish Centre (accessed from … Read More

Dear Members Cancellation of September Monthly Meeting Given the sad news about the Queen, we have decided that we should delay our monthly meeting. Hopefully, we will be able to meet as usual on Wednesday 12 October 2022. Good Luck to all our Members in these troubled times.  Will we recognise “normality” if it ever comes back? The Executive Committee BPCCRA

Dear Members Plans for July 22 Monthly Meeting This month’s meeting will be on Wednesday 13 July 2022.  The meeting starts at 7:30 pm, and will finish around 8:30 pm.  The usual refreshments will be available from 7 pm.  The meeting will be in the Committee Room at the rear of the Branksome St. Aldhelms Parish Centre (accessed from Lindsay Road). After the meeting, we will be having … Read More

Dear Members Plans for June 2022 Monthly Meeting After the excitement of the Platinum Jubilee weekend, we can now look forward to our usual mundane monthly meeting. Due to the calendar, it seems to be rather early this month, on Wednesday 8 June 2022. The meeting starts at 7:30 pm, and will finish before 9 pm. The usual refreshments will be available from 7 pm. The meeting will … Read More

Dear Members Plans for AGM As you may already have seen on the front cover of our Magazine, the AGM is now booked at the Canford Cliffs Village Hall on Saturday 14 May 2022.   The meeting starts at 10:30 am, and we will try to deal with the normal business as quickly as possible.  Our Guest Speakers are Sir Robert Syms MP, and Drew Mellor, leader of the … Read More

Dear Members Plans for April 2022 Meeting This is an update to the previous newsletter.  Unfortunately, it was headed “April 22”, and several of our members were confused about whether this meant that the meeting was on the 13th or 22nd April. It is indeed on the 13th, which is the second Wednesday of the month. Another problem is that the timing of the meeting was not mentioned. … Read More

Dear Members Plans for April 22 Meeting We are pleased to announce that our normal monthly meeting will take place on Wednesday 13 April, in the usual committee room at St Aldhelms Parish Centre.  The Agenda and the Planning Report will be available separately on the Pines & Chines website. Beach Issues As before, the key issues that are troubling our residents at the moment all seem to … Read More

Dear Members Cancellation of March 22 Meeting We are sorry to report that the monthly meeting on Wednesday 9 March 2022 has been cancelled.  We are still not convinced that enough of our members would like to attend at this time.  As before, we remain hopeful that the next meeting on Wednesday 13 April 2022 will take place as usual. We are still uncertain about the next AGM, … Read More

Dear Members Cancellation of February 22 Meeting This week we reviewed the situation, and once more decided to cancel the monthly meeting on Wednesday 9 February 2022.  We are aware that many of our members are still affected by Covid, with family members and friends being infected and having positive tests.  At the moment, the trends seem to be improving, but we can never be sure.  We have … Read More

Dear Members, Cancellation of the January meeting You will not be surprised to hear that we have decided to cancel the monthly meeting on Wednesday 12 January 2022. It does not seem appropriate given the present concerns about Covid and the Omicron variant. However, we will continue to review the situation before deciding about future meetings. Roger is retiring Unfortunately, we have to report that Roger Allen has … Read More

Dear Members, May I apologise for the mix up of dates and days in our October newsletter. A level of incompetence that I don’t have a suitable excuse to insult your intelligence with. Also, because of restrictions on numbers at the Canford Cliffs Village and the proximity of Christmas, the AGM is deferred until April 2022. The next regular monthly meeting will be on the 2nd Wednesday 10th … Read More

Thoughts and ideas ahead of the BPCCRA monthly. 14th October 7.30pm. St Aldhelms Dear Members, October Meeting We’re happy to confirm that the October meeting will be going ahead as per schedule, that’s the second Wednesday of the month, 14th October. The meeting will start at 7.30 pm, and coffee and tea will be served from 7.15 onwards. The minutes of the last meeting are available through the … Read More

Dear Members, We perhaps haven’t been quite to hell and back, but we’ve all been somewhere that none of us would have thought possible not that long ago. But enough of reminiscing over the last 20 odd months. On Wednesday 8th September your Residents Association monthly meetings are back and long may they continue. As the Association is very mindful of the hazards and implications of Covid that … Read More

An ECO Magazine, Working Parents, Home Schooling, Young Artists and much more Dear Members, When writing the monthly newsletter we try to look for good news as well as factual reporting on any current issues, because every day we are bombarded by mind numbing negativity that is forcing many of us to not even switch on the news never mind switching it off. Thank goodness for Netflix. The … Read More