ON EDUCATION AND EXAMS

May will begin with the wonderful Plant Fair at Bushton Manor, in between sitting in the plant creche, I will be wondering around enjoying the beauty of the garden; and examining it for ideas that I might try at home.  I’ll be asking questions of the people at the plant stalls about which plants will do well and where they will flourish, and trying to learn even more about the plants and people there.

I enjoy learning more about gardening and about this garden that I am caretaking and, although I get nervous, I’m even happy to show it to other people and have them examine it and test me about what we’ve done here and why it’s working (or not).

But it is also a season when I’m very aware that for every moment I will snatch with delight in the garden, there is someone for whom the idea of preparing for any kind of test or examination has a completely different feel.

Inside our schools and homes there are people setting, revising, sitting, marking and stressing out about tests, exams and results.  May for some will be a time of anxiety about how outcomes will impact on their future.  Every new venture in a garden, and often in life, is about learning something, testing it out, and then exploring if it went well or not, how it could be done better and if something has been a complete mistake or hasn’t worked out at all from that too whether at home, at work or in the garden there is much to learn.  I’ve discovered that it is my failures that help me learn the most and that from them I often learn best.

I wish I had understood that at school, when although I mostly did ok I experienced my failures in exams and tests as very distressing.  In fact, I sometimes forgot to notice that somethings had gone ok or even well in the focus and upset at my mistakes.

So now, as I examine pots for vine weevil trying to see why some indoor plants have suffered and others have flourished, when I see that some seeds grew and some didn’t germinate at all, I think of and pray for all those who teach or examine or study, but especially for those who will feel that they have failed and who have not yet discovered how much we can learn from what has not gone as we hoped and that the sum of who we are in life, is so much more than how well we perform.

The Reverend Rachma Abbott Priest in Charge, Woodhill Benefice.

The Vicarage Clyffe Pypard, SWINDON SN4 7PY 01793 731134

 

CHURCH COFFEE MORNING

On the 20^th May the Church café will be open again. The new attraction this time will be Games for the Children. We are hoping to borrow a marquee for the morning where there will be some large version games for the children to play.

There will also be the usual refreshments, cake stall, sales table and raffle as well as a plant stall.  We look forward to seeing you all there.

 

 

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

1^st May             Bushton Plant Fair

4^th May             Parish and County Council Elections

5^th May             Hilmarton Bingo

6^th May             Graveyard Maintenance

10^th May            Community Coffee Morning

12^th May            Big Gig Planning Meeting

17^th May            WI

20^th May            Church Coffee Morning

20^th May            Hilmarton Moviola

24^th May            Community Coffee Morning

27^th May            Gentlemen’s Breakfast

7^th June             Stall in RWB

8^th June             General Election

17^th June           BT School Summer Fete

24^th June           SupaNova Concert

20^th July            Leaver’s Service and Last Day of Term

2^nd Sept            Back to School

 

COMMUNITY COFFEE MORNINGS

It doesn’t seem possible that the Community Coffee Mornings have been running for over a year.  The Easter coffee morning was really busy and it was great to see so many children busy creating various Easter goodies!

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported and contributed in any way to the success of this first year. We really appreciate your support.

Dates for May

Wednesday 10^th – usual tea/coffee and homemade cakes

Wednesday 24^th - ‘buy a goat’ morning!!  Dee Freeston from RWB who spent 6 weeks living and helping in a village in Nepal is bringing some great photos to display. She is raising money to buy a goat for the village to help them get back on their feet following the earthquakes that have hit the area. Any profits from the coffee morning will be donated to help ‘buy a goat’.

Thank you all for coming.  As always, for a lift contact Ray on 731564 or Carolyn 852754 Look forward to seeing you.

 

CHURCHYARD MAINTENANCE

The next work morning will be on 6 May from 9.30am - 12.30pm. If you are able to help for all or part of the morning we look forward to seeing you.  Refreshments will be provided and it would be helpful if you could bring suitable tools for strimming, hedge cutting and raking.  For further details, please call Ray Manley, Tel. 731564.

 

MARKET STALL

On the 7^th June in Wootton Bassett we are having a stall at the Wednesday Market.  Any funds raised will go towards the roof project.  If you have any items to dispose of such as good order bric-a-brac, good quality clothes etc or have any plants or can make a cake please contact Judy Rendell on 01793 731341

 

LAUNCH OF BRAND NEW 100 CLUB LOTTERY

Christ Church, Broad Town are delighted to announce the launch a Brand New 100 Club Lottery to raise money for your church.

For just £1 a week, you can purchase a number between 1 and 100 in the Monthly Prize Draw.

Or you can purchase more than one number to increase your chances of winning.

Money is payable by Standing Order or in Cash and can be paid Weekly, Monthly or Annually.

Prizes will total 50% of all numbers purchased in a month up to a maximum of £100 first prize, £60 second prize and £40 third prize when all numbers have been sold.

The money raised will be used for the much-needed repairs to your church roof and floor and could in time be put towards installing a toilet.

Just think you could spend a £1 to spend a penny!

For further information please contact Fiona Holness on fholness@btinternet.com or telephone numbers 07833 683444 or 01793 850562.

 

FOUR WAYS: YOUR COMMUNITY PUB in Broad Town Village Hall

EVERY FRIDAY BAR 8.15pm-late – EVERYONE WELCOME

Official-size table tennis table, pool table, dartboard and table football – all FREE TO PLAY. Classic 60s-90s music videos or sports including rugby, racing, tennis & cricket on our two-metre cinema screen. We’re cheaper than most pubs: draught pints from £2.30; wines, branded spirits & mixer from £2; fruit juice, squash, fizzy drinks, Aero hot chocolate, Tetley tea, Nescafe cappuccino, coffee & decaf; savoury snacks & sweeties always on sale. Meet new friends and gossip with neighbours from all walks of life! Broad Town Social Club has over sixty members but we always need new customers, extra helpers etc. Our fully licensed bar is also available for your village hall event (at least two weeks notice required, cost negotiable depending on event’s scope/scale). Contact: Trevor on 01793 731699 email fourwaysbroadtown@gmail.com • ‘Like’ us on facebook.com/FourWaysBroadTown

BINGO EVERY SUNDAY – open 7.15pm; eyes down 8pm; last ball 9.45pm

We need you to support your local non-profit Bingo game: new faces especially welcome from outside Broad Town: we already have regulars from Purton, Wroughton, RWB, Devizes…  Unlike commercial games, every pound you flutter is returned to our players in worthwhile cash winnings: stakes from £1.25, prizes can be as much as £60. More players = bigger prizes! Never played Bingo? Doesn’t matter: it’s easy for beginners – we’ll show you how!

BROAD TOWN VILLAGE FACEBOOK PAGE www.facebook.com/Broadtown/

We now have over 100 followers: join up to share village photos, community notices, event reminders and as-it-happens neighbourhood info such as road closures, lost pets, police bulletins etc.

 

PARISH COUNCIL NEWS

There are seven seats on Broad Town Parish Council and ten candidates have been nominated for the seven seats, so there will now be an election.  The election will be held at the same time as the Wiltshire Council elections which is 4^th May 2017.  The results will be announced the following day.

Full details of the election including the names of the candidates can be found on the Wiltshire Council web site www.wiltshire.gov.uk/elections-2017

Good luck to all the election candidates.

As the existing Parish Council was not quorate and therefore could not carry out any of its functions, Wiltshire Council has decided to appoint temporary Parish Councillors to enable the council to continue to operate. The appointed councillors are Allison Bucknell, Mollie Groom, Mary Champion, Chris Hurst and Jacqui Lay.  The temporary council will hold office until the newly elected Parish Council has its first meeting which is due on Monday 15^th May 2017 at 6.30pm. A temporary clerk, Linda Roberts, has also been appointed until such time as a new clerk is appointed by the new Parish Council. The temporary Parish Council will focus primarily on statutory and financial matters.

 

BROAD TOWN WI

Our speaker in April was Fred the Forager, aka Fred Gillan, who teaches people how to forage for wild plants, he also runs a herbal dispensary.  Fred told us how his interest in wild flora was escalated following an unpleasant experience as a boy with a poisonous mushroom and how there are over 12,300 species of mushroom of which Fred still eats a number of safe ones regularly.  He told us how to make a delicious wild garlic and nettle soup and explained how to forage by the seashore - giving members the opportunity to try pickled ‘Chicken of the woods’ a type of fungus and Rosehip Brandy. Fred’s website is www.thewildsideoflife.co.uk.

This month (May 17th) our speaker will be Alastair Garrard who will be presenting his dog Dexter and discussing Dog Behaviour and Training.

We are a friendly group and are always happy to welcome new members.  If you are unsure if the WI is right for you why not give it a go.  Our meetings are generally held in the Village Hall on the third Wednesday of each month at 7.30pm.  If you would like to come along please call Annette on 01793 739021.  We are also on the Broad Town Village website and on Facebook.

 

BROAD TOWN BIG GIG 2017 – SATURDAY 9 SEPTEMBER

Now that all the bands have been confirmed, we are moving on with other plans ahead of the Big Gig.

This year’s event will feature a wider range of food stalls to cater for all tastes.

We are also planning some fundraising events in the Village Hall, so please look out for announcements about these.

If you would like to get in touch with us you can do so via our Facebook page www.facebook.com/TheBroadTownBigGig.

Please also visit our website www.thebroadtownbiggig.co.uk.  This will be kept updated with all the latest news on the Big Gig.

Our next meeting will take place on Friday 12 May at 8.30 pm in the Village Hall and we welcome anybody at all who would like to come along. Hope to see you there.

 

GENTLEMAN’S FULL ENGLISH BREAKFAST CLUB

27^th May 2017 at the Duke public house in Hilmarton. Doors open at 9:00am for 9:30am start. £7pp. + a raffle.

The speaker for the May meeting is Steve Carroll (mine host from the Duke) and the title of his talk will be “Life on the Ocean Waves”

Contact David May, davemay104@yahoo.co.uk if you would like to attend.

 

LET’S RAISE THE ROOF

On Saturday the 24^th June They Are Back.  You enjoyed SupaNova when they sang at the Harvest Supper 2015 so now they are back to help us raise the roof.  The concert will start at 7.30pm in the Church.  The cost is £5.00 including a free glass of wine.

There will be refreshments (and a loo).

Jackie will read another of her monologues and Juss4 will be singing some of their numbers.  Altogether it will be a fun evening with an eclectic mix of music.

 

WILTSHIRE MOVIOLA

The next film on Saturday 20^th May is “A United Kingdom” (12A) 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

 

 

 

HELLO

Just a quick word to remind you all that 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

 

BROAD TOWN PAINTER AND DECORATOR

Dear Broad Town Residents.  I have recently responded to some painting and decorating enquiries, from Broad Town residents.  Until they responded to a local advert, they didn’t know that Broad Town had a resident Painter and Decorator. Therefore, this short insert is to allow the Village to be aware of my services.  I only take on local work, and have very happy clients in Broad Town, who are more than happy to recommend the quality of my work.  I would be very happy, at any time, to look at any work you would like doing and provide you with an estimate.  

Best Wishes - Glen Morley, The Old Shop, 94a Broad Town.  Tel: 01793 739227 Mobile: 07545 573002

 

AMHERST CONTRACTORS

Amherst Contractors are a professional Local Authority Approved Contractor with a wealth of experience for over 20 years.

Local to the Broad Town area we offer all key services including: -

Digger Services from 1-20 ton, Excavation, Ground Works,

Ditches, Soak Away, Drainage & Septic Tank Installation,

Complete Pumping Systems,

Pond Construction & Landscaping,

All Ground Maintenance & Fencing Services,

Gravel & Compost Supplies,

Driveways and much more.

To enquire and get a free friendly no obligation quote call Francis on

Mobile: 07921 856089 Office: 01793 772268 Email:mailto:amherstcontractors@hotmail.co.uk

 

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