Coffee Rota – Feb 19th - Margaret & Clive Green; Feb 26th - Fiona & Richard Holness
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Broad Town Newsletter (BTN) takes all reasonable care to ensure that pages published are accurate. Articles and letters submitted may be the personal opinion of the author and, as such, are not endorsed by BTN. BTN takes no responsibility for the consequences of error or for any loss or damage suffered by users of any of the information published on any of these pages, and such information does not form any basis of a contract with readers or users of it.
MARCH 2017 EDITION
Will organisations or anyone wishing to have news, etc. included in the march edition please note that items must be submitted to
Margaret Green, 5 Eastwood Avenue, Royal Wootton Bassett, Wilts. SN4 8BX. cliveggreen@waitrose.com
BY 6pm on FRIDAY FEBRUARY.17th IT IS REGRETTED THAT SUBMISSIONS AFTER THAT TIME WILL NOT BE INCLUDED
ON ROMANCE AND PRAYER
February brings Valentine’s day and in Spring (or even in the hope of spring) a middle-aged woman’s heart turns to love. Love connects with prayer for me, because at its heart prayer, should I think, be a form of expressing and receiving love. Love, of course, takes many different forms and expressions and sometimes in church I’m aware that the expression of our prayer can seem as if it is the kind of love expressed by a list of wants: a happy church, a friendly community, the sick made well and world peace. This isn’t very different from the way how some small children talk chatting in longs lists of what they want – and can indeed be an expression of love, a love that knows you can ask for what you want because the parent or carer you are asking wants you to have what you need.
Hopefully as we grow we learn to understand that not getting everything we want is not a sign that we are not loved but may be a sign that not everything we want is good for us. Even the kind of prayer that is asking for what we want, which in church is commonly called the intercessions is very different if we really love and desire what we are praying for. Anyone who has sat with a seriously ill beloved person knows how different it is to desire the healing of this person than to want the general healing of others. Anyone who has sat and said farewell to someone ill because they have not been healed into life with us, knows how painful it is to have a deep desire for someone’s wellbeing go unanswered. I want all my prayers to be made with the fervent passion of those who love.
If prayer is an expression of love to a beloved God here too our human experiences of love influence us – we may be people who express our love in silence or in touch or action more readily than in words. The expression of Romance in February can be frivolous and fun or deeply felt – I can laugh at the passions I felt as a child and teenager, but the truth is I also remember how powerful those loves were and how hard it could be to face rejection. Maturity in love is not always about age or wisdom, I have known enduring loves begun in childhood that have lasted until death and beyond and seen folly and a lack of commitment in the love of older people. Maturity in prayer is not always different – I have watched small children focus deeply on a leaf or a puddle and wished for that focus and attentiveness to be mine in prayer and struggled as a so-called grown up to pray with this amount of love and joy. My loves have taught me that it is always worth having another go at loving better and that prayer can grant me the gift of doing that. My prayers have taught me how to love better those I already love, those I like and those I find hard to have near. Woven together love and prayer seem to make for a lasting romance.
The Reverend Rachma Abbott Priest in Charge, Woodhill Benefice.
The Vicarage Clyffe Pypard, SWINDON SN4 7PY. 01793 731134
SPONSORS
Sponsors are now needed for the Newsletter. If anyone would like to donate £30 to keep the newsletter going for a month it would be greatly appreciated. This goes towards the cost of printing and the paper.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
6th Feb Deadline for two more volunteers for BT Speed Watch duties
8th Feb Community Coffee Morning
9th Feb End of school term
15th Feb WI
18th Feb Hilmarton Moviola
19th Feb Sunday lunch at the Wiltshire for lonely or alone folks
20th Feb Back to School
21st Feb BT CLPG meeting
22nd Feb Community Coffee Morning
25th Feb Christ Church Coffee Morning and Pancakes
25th Feb Gentleman’s Full English at the Duke, Hilmarton
3rd March Women’s World Day of Prayer Service at Christ Church
7th April School Easter service and end of term
FAREWELL FRIENDS
Mavis Hatherall
It was with deep regret and sadness that we learnt of the death of Mavis.
She was a staunch supporter of the church, as are the rest of her family.
She was a life-long member of the community and moved into Redhills when it was built.
Our condolences to Joan, Margaret and all members of the family.
Anthony Richardson
It was a shock to hear of the death of Anthony during the Christmas period. He had only been ill a short while.
When they lived in Pye Lane he collected and renovated unwanted tools, which were then sent abroad via the Rotary Club.
He was an avid cricket fan and clever quiz master.
We send our condolences to Sara and their family.
THEFT AT BROAD TOWN SCHOOL
Over the Christmas holiday the gas bottle cabinet was opened and the Four full bottles of gas were taken and replaced with empties. At least they were all empty when school restarted and there are no leaks so this is the only explanation.
If anyone locally saw anything suspicious over the holiday whilst school was closed please would they contact school and/or the Police.
Each bottle cost £57.00 to replace. That is £228.00 not available for the children.
CHURCH ROOF PROJECT
The total raised locally up to the end of December has now exceeded £12,000. - a really excellent achievement. In addition, we have been allocated a grant from Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust for £3,000 and with further money we have allocated from Church Funds we are getting nearer to our revised target of £30,000. We are still waiting for a decision on our application for a grant from Community First and hope to hear fairly soon. In the meantime, a programme of fund-raising events is being planned for 2017 and we hope to publish full details of this in the March edition of BT News. Thank you to everyone who has supported our project so far.
CHRIST CHURCH CAFÉ OPEN
The next opening of the Church café will be on Feb 25th from 10.00am till 12noon.
There will be the usual lovely eatables, the sales table and raffle. As it is just before Shrove Tuesday, there will also be fresh pancakes.
Your company is requested for the duration of the delectable, the stimulating conversation and especially for your company.
COMMUNITY COFFEE MORNING
Thank you to everyone who joined us in January despite the incorrect dates in the last newsletter - apologies for that!
The dates for February are: Wednesdays 8th February & 22nd February
Usual times, 10am to 12 noon. Look forward to seeing everyone.
If you haven’t yet tried our coffee/tea and cake, do come along. You would be very welcome.
If anyone has difficulty getting up to The Village Hall, do contact us for a lift at a time to suit you Carolyn 852754; Margaret 731564
PARISH COUNCIL NEWS
The Parish Steward has been busy in the village (the restored road sign at the Northern end of the parish was his work) but please communicate to Councillor Ray Bourton any small maintenance jobs in the parish which could benefit from similar attention. Use it or lose it!
The CATG (Community Area Transport group) meeting attended by Councillor Stubbings recently was made aware of the Parish Council’s interest in build-outs (a chicane-lite, if you will) as part of an anti-speeding suite which might also include a permanent speed indication device (SID). (Councillor Bayliffe is investigating the cost of these SIDs). Build-outs are a provably effective form of traffic calming, hence the Parish Council’s interest in them. Location, size, etc has yet to be determined as the Parish Council needs to prove it can contribute 25% of the cost before any progress is possible, but the other 75% from Wiltshire Council is dependent on registering our interest with the CATG. The PC was told by CATG that it should budget for a PC contribution of £5000, and the Clerk has been tasked with investigating the possibility of this. The viability of a contribution from the Good Energy fund is also to be checked.
An extraordinary meeting was called for January 16th to set the Parish Council’s precept for 2017-2018. The PC has been operating for several years with one resident effectively doing the Clerk’s job on a voluntary basis. Wiltshire Council is passing tasks down to the parishes to save money, meaning that the days of an amateur Clerk are over and we must pay the going rate for a professional Clerk as many surrounding parishes do. In addition to this, comparison of Broad Town’s precept with other similar-sized parishes in this area highlights the fact that our precept has been falling behind where we should have been for many years, and so a painfully-large step is required to catch up and avoid running the Parish Council at a loss and into bankruptcy. A quorum of Councillors voted to double our Band D precept from £14.28 p.a. to £28.56 p.a. This is still cheaper than almost every local Parish precept in this area.
Report by Stuart Hinson, Chairman.
FOUR WAYS: YOUR COMMUNITY PUB in Broad Town Village Hall
EVERY FRIDAY: BAR 8.15pm-late: open to everyone • BINGO EVERY SUNDAY – open 7.15pm; eyes down 8pm; last ball 9.45pm
Draught beers, real ales, hot drinks, snacks and sweeties all at sub-Wetherspoons prices! Free darts, pool, table football, ping-pong! More volunteers to serve behind the bar always welcome: nationally recognised BIIAB training available to committed bar staff – looks great on your CV! Contact: Trevor on 01793 731699 or email fourwaysbroadtown@gmail.com • ‘Like’ us on facebook.com/FourWaysBroadTown
BROAD TOWN COMMUNITY SPEED WATCH – light at the end of the tunnel?
With the huge increase in traffic due to the Skew Bridges closure, our thanks to the three villagers that have so far offered to participate in our Spring campaign. At least TWO more new volunteers needed by midday Monday 6th February 2017 or Wiltshire Police can’t offer Broad Town the opportunity to run any roadside sessions until 2018. Commitment required: half-day training at Police HQ Devizes (choice of dates available, lifts offered both ways), then 2+ non-consecutive daylight hours per month at your convenience. More info: Matt on 07704 317311 or email oscar.littlelad@gmail.com
BROAD TOWN SHOW/BIG GIG 2017
The AGM was taking place on the very evening this BT newsletter went to press: thanks to all those who came and put their hands up to help! Watch this space in March for full details of 2017’s event! Volunteers still needed. Commitment level: very flexible depending on role. Village events depend on YOUR support, or they won’t be a success. Contact: Matt on 07704 317311 or email oscar.littlelad@gmail.com ‘Like’ us on facebook.com/TheBroadTownBigGig for the latest info.
BROAD TOWN WI
In January, our speaker was Janet Bultitude a Graphologist. She gave an interesting talk about what our handwriting shows about our characters. The slant, the shape, the width of stokes, and even the pressure used shows what we are like.
We also voted on this year's National WI suggestions for a resolution to be campaigned for in 2017. The favourite from Broad Town was to support women's refuges.
Our speaker, this month (15th) will be Geroge Tarte from the St John's Ambulance who will give us a First Aid update including use of a defibrillator.
We are a friendly group and welcome new members. Our meetings are generally held on the third Wednesday of the month in the Village Hall. If you are interested in visiting us, please contact Kate on 01793 731536. We are also on the Broad Town Village website and on Facebook.
BROAD TOWN COMMUNITY LED PLANNING (CLP) GROUP
The date for our next meeting is Tuesday 21st February 7.30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Village Hall. All residents are invited to join us for refreshments and interesting discussion about the future of our village.
At our last meeting we noted that the Parish Council has not been able to make progress on the analysis of the Parish Council Housing Survey or drafting the housing development policies to be included in the Broad Town Chapter of the Area Neighbourhood Plan. The NEW-V Area Steering Group has now requested that all Parish Councils included in the Area Plan should complete their draft housing development plans by the end of February, otherwise other Parish Councils may consider withdrawing from the NEW-V Plan, similarly to Purton, Lyneham, Lydiard Millicent and Lydiard Tregoze who have already withdrawn.
We have continually requested that everyone involved in the Parish Council Housing Survey, the preparation of the Broad Town Chapter and on the NEW-V Area Steering Group, carries out the process in an open, honest, transparent and fair manner in accordance with regulations. We are working hard to establish a working relationship with the Parish Council in the hope that this will happen.
If you would like to find out more please come along to the meeting; contact us if you would like to go on to our mailing list on broadtownclpg@gmail.com ; see our webpage on www.broad-town.co.uk or telephone 01793 731188 if you would like paper copies of information
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HELLO!
Whilst on holiday last year, I saw an advert for a “Sunday lunch get together”. It was very informal, no fund raising, collections, membership etc. It’s simply a group of people who are alone on Sundays for whatever reason, getting together to have a good meal in good company. In my travels, I know of a lot of folk, young and old, who feel the same, so……if this is you, get in touch! We had the first “pilot” lunch at The Wiltshire which was enjoyed by all who were there, come and join us or let’s think about getting this going around all of our Community Area? Give me a call to chat it through.
Note – this could be for YOU! No age limits, just a desire to have some company on a Sunday. The next occasion will be Sunday 19th February at The Wiltshire Golf Club and Hotel, 12.30 for 1pm. If you feel you would like to come along and have some good company along with a fine traditional Sunday roast call me to book a place. Lunch cost is £10.95 and there are no membership fees or fundraising, just good food and good company. Transport can be arranged if necessary.
Meanwhile, as ever, I am around for general help and support on a wide variety of issues including transport, mobility and safety around the home and reducing the feeling of loneliness. Give me a call on 07557 922020 and leave a message. I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Ellen Blacker
Health and Wellbeing Champion
WILTSHIRE MOVIOLA
The next film on Saturday 18th February is Bridget Jones’s Baby (15) at 7.30pm in Hilmarton Parish Church Hall. Doors open at 7pm. Tickets £6 from 27 Poynder Place 01249 760215 email MarkRickaby2@gmail.com Or 34 Church Road Hilmarton.
For more information call 01249 760312, hilmartonmoviola@hotmail.co.uk
Book a pre-cinema meal at The Duke 01249 760634
GENTLEMAN’S BREAKFAST CLUB renamed GENTLEMAN’S FULL ENGLISH
25th February 2017 Another change of Venue, now at the Duke public house in Hilmarton. Doors open at 9:00am for 9:30am start. £7pp. + a raffle.
the speaker for the February meeting has not yet been confirmed but it is hoped that Kirsty Gray of Family Wise Ltd will talk to us.
Contact David May, davemay104@yahoo.co.uk if you would like to attend.
WOMEN’S WORLD DAY OF PRAYER
This year the WWDP is on March 3rd 2017, at 2.30pm in Christ Church, Broad Town.
The theme this year is “Am I unfair to you?”
The service has been written by the ladies of the Philippines. The service is open to all and will be followed by refreshments.
THE GUILD OF WILTSHIRE ARTISTS
Run workshops at the Village Hall on every first Friday and third Saturday of the month from 10am to 3pm. All are welcome including painters who are beginners. The cost is still £5 per person per session which includes tea/coffee and biscuits but do bring a packed lunch. Help will be given to those who request it.
Contact Jim Dowton 850029 or Roy Davey 731154