DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

 

30^th Aug                Erecting Big Gig tents

5^th Sep                  Big Gig

12^th Sep                Coffee morning

12^th Sep                Ride and Stride

26^th Sep                Gentlemen’s breakfast

3^rd Oct                   Harvest Supper

 

 

ON BANK HOLIDAYS

 

The August Bank Holiday is one of my favourites – probably because in August I’m often away taking the ‘holiday’ bit.  The May ones tend to find my husband teaching for the summer exam season.  The Christmas and Easter ones bring a different kind of delight but I am normally working.

However, this year I’ve been thinking more about the ‘Bank’ half of the phrase. 

If I say our holiday is booked for a Greek island you may not be surprised that I’ve been paying more than the usual interest in the financial news; watching queues at cash machines on TV and listening to arguments about economic policy, debt and Grexit.

Interest, money and debt are subjects of interest in the Bible too.  There are rules and guidance on what can be kept in pledge for a debt and frameworks for debt relief.  There are conversations on the uses of money that turn – heads and tails – on the image of an emperor on a coin and stories about what workers should be paid.

It’s tempting to leap to some of the more famous sayings about the challenge of serving God or money or about rich men and eyes of needles but my ponderings remind me of how closely stitched together we are and about how complicated it is to unpick our connections.  Sometimes I’m startled to remember that my childhood didn’t include plastic cards and holes in the wall but piggy banks and post office accounts.  I might try and buy fairtrade or shop ethically but my bank account means that I too am linked to financial scandals and through my pension provision I find I too ‘share’ in the arms trade, fossil fuels and, as the Archbishop of Canterbury discovered, in organisations like wonga.

When it comes to money, debt and interest it feels impossible to be clean of compromises between my ideals and the reality of modern life.  Maybe it’s a reminder of the deep interconnected and interdependence of human beings.

So as I ponder whether our pounds might now go further, but might have to be carried around as cash rather than securely banked.  I find myself saying the version of a prayer that Jesus taught his friends which goes: ‘Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors’.  Matthew 6:12

The Reverend Rachma Abbott Priest in Charge, Woodhill Benefice.

The Vicarage Clyffe Pypard, SWINDON SN4 7PY.  01793 731134

 

 

 

 

 

THE ROOF TAKES PRIORITY

 

Unfortunately the Church has had to put the extension on hold.  The PCC has arranged for a full examination of the roof as the inside of the ceiling is becoming discoloured and there are some broken tiles on the north side.  This is what started them on this investigation.  Inevitably this will mean that repairs will need doing but how much is the unknown.  The cost could be as much as £30,000 depending on whether some rafters need changing.  So the committee formed to look into grants for the extension are looking for grants for the roof instead.

So now they are trying to find a cheaper way to provide a toilet.

 

 

THE WANDERER HAS NOT RETURNED

 

Unfortunately our missing brass vase has not returned so an insurance claim will be made.

 

 

SEPTEMBER COFFEE MORNING

 

The next coffee morning will be on September 12^th in the Church.  As well as the usual lovely cakes and refreshments there will be books and plants for sale.  Tickets will also be available for the Harvest Supper.

For the Ride and Stride Janet Drury, Margaret Green and Clive Green will be trying to ride around the Deanery on an exercise bike! So we will be looking for sponsors.  Ride and Stride is an annual activity for anyone feeling energetic to ride a horse or bike or to run or walk from Church to Church to raise money for Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust and their own Church (50/50).

 

 

THE FOUR WAYS COMMUNITY PUB, BROAD TOWN VILLAGE HALL

 

FRIDAY NIGHTS  Everyone welcome from 8 p.m. till late, children from 12 yrs must be accompanied, younger children by arrangement. Social Club prices in the fully Licensed Bar. 

Tea, coffee (+ decaf) and chocolate beverages, snacks and soft drinks available.

SUNDAY BINGO  Fun for all ages….  Doors open 7.15 eyes down 8 p.m. Books and Stakes from £1.25 Plus Big Bonus Card game.  All monies taken are paid out in prizes.  Become a member and after 4 consecutive weeks you can go for the Snowball prize.  The more people that join us the bigger the prizes.

PLEASE NOTE  There will be NO Bingo on the  6^TH SEPTEMBER as the Club is organising the bar for the Big Gig.

The FOUR WAYS community pub and Sunday Bingo are run by The Broad Town Social Club

Volunteers.  Any questions or want to get involved?  Contact Trevor on 01793731699

e.mail  fourwaysbroadtown@g.mail.com. * facebook.com/FourWaysBroadTown

 

 

BROAD TOWN WI

 

July has been a busy month.  We started with a Garden Party on the 8^th to celebrate the 100^th Anniversary of the WI and the 90^th Anniversary of the Broad Town WI.  Members past and present came together for strawberries, bubbly and a wonderful cake made by one of our members. It was a lovely evening, thanks to all who helped organise it.
Then on the 22^nd we had our summer walk.  This year we walked around the Avebury Stone Circle, and the village.  Afterwards we had a lovely meal in the Red Lion.  There was lots of noise and laughter so I think it was a successful evening!  We were happy to be joined by several new members, and a few possible members.
In August we have an outing to Kelmscott Manor near Lechlade with lunch in the cafe followed by a tour of William Morris's house.  We also hope to visit the rest of the village of Kelmscott and the Church.
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 or Michelle on 01793 731357.

We are also on the Broad Town village website and on Facebook.

 

 

BROAD TOWN COMMUNITY LED PLANNING (CLP) GROUP

 

The drafting of the Broad Town chapter of the Area Neighbourhood Plan is growing in importance as it looks at the future prospects for the village.  The Neighbourhood Plan will provide a blueprint for the future of the village and it is vital that you have your say.  Your input is highly valuable and can make a difference so we are really keen to get more active participation.

How can you take part?  At our next meeting we are going to be looking at the environment and landscape of Broad Town to see what it means to all of us and capture the essential character of Broad Town.  We need you to send us your photos of your favourite views of Broad Town or special areas that you value - whatever you think we care about.  We have a specially set-up e-mail BROADTOWNCLPG@GMAIL.COM and we’ll be using the photos at our next meeting to see what you think shows Broad Town at its best.  We will include as many of them as we can in a gallery on our Community Forum website! Don’t forget to say where the photo was taken and why it is special to you.

If you would like your opinion to be put forward – or would just like to hear other people’s opinions - why not come along to our next meeting to be held at 8 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. at the Village Hall on Monday 10^th August?  We are open to all points of view discussed in a friendly atmosphere with refreshments provided.

Please contact us if you would like to go on to our mailing list on lorraine@mrsbillis.co.uk.  More information is on our Community Forum on www.broad-town.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

BROAD TOWN NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH

 

The quarterly Royal Wootton Bassett Neighbourhood Police Team (NPT) Tasking meeting took place on 22 July at which the police described their activity over the previous quarter and explained their priorities for the next. For those who don’t know, the NPT consists of 3 beats under the control of the newly appointed Sergeant Donna West. The Rural Beat includes Broad Town along with seven neighbouring villages and is covered by PC Steve Porter and CPSO Andy Singfield. PC Steve Porter set his priorities as being high visibility policing in 2 locations elsewhere on the beat where problems have been identified and also tackling traffic offences. The police cannot be in all places all of the time and so if you see anything suspicious, phone 999 for emergencies and 101 for other occurrences.

The Neighbourhood Watch is an organization dedicated to deterring crime and is active within Broad Town. If anyone wishes to join or wants any information they should contact Andrew Law on 01793 731472 or andrewlaw456@gmail.com.

 

 

CLERK’S CLIPPINGS

 

1. Community Speedwatch still needs volunteers

2. Community Fund. Good Energy, who are responsible for the Solar Farm, will be paying the Village an annual sum depending on the amount of energy produced. This will be held in a Community Fund, which will be administered by the Parish Council. Once the fund is up and running it will be used for projects which will benefit the Village.

3. Play Area. Annette Moore has produced a plan for the improvement of the playing area at Redhills, which has the full support of the Council, and will now go ahead. Look out for chances to volunteer to help. The Council has placed on record their appreciation of the work done by Mrs Moore.

4. White Horse. The preservation group has had to call a halt to its activities as the site is now very unstable, access is difficult and insurance is now required for the volunteers. The Council is looking into ways to help resolve these problems.

5. Comment was made at the last meeting on how good the Village looks. Hedge trimming and grass cutting makes a world of difference.

 

 

BROAD TOWN VILLAGE HALL

 

Whilst clearing out his brother Ken’s house Ray Bourton found an 1890 copy of the parish map.  The Village Hall Management committee has had this map digitally copied and printed onto a large sign which is now mounted on the front wall of the Village Hall.  It is a fascinating map, showing all the old field names and the parish as it was in 1890.  Do come and have a look.  We would like to thank Ray Bourton for allowing us to copy the map, Phil Mackee of Devizes for photographing and processing the map, Martin Upton for making and donating the frame and Wiltshire Council for a grant to help pay for the work to be done. 

 

 

HILMARTON MOVIOLA

 

CINDERELLA Saturday 19^th September (U) 109 mins

Kenneth Branagh directs big-money Disney re-telling with some super ‘turns’ such as Cate Blanchett’s wicked stepmother (as one reviewer summed it: “Bette David does Cruella De Vil) and Helena Bonham Carter’s fizzy fairy Godmother. Lily James is excellent as Cinderella.

However it is the visuals - fabulous costumes and colour palette - which really stand out.  A really super film that appeals to all ages.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1661199/?ref_=nv_sr_1

 

 

BROAD TOWN BIG GIG – SATURDAY 5 SEPTEMBER 2015

 

If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the brand new Big Gig website at http://www.broadtownbiggig.com/. Everything you need to know is there in vibrant colour including the running order for the day’s entertainment. There are too many bands to mention here but in addition to Hells Bells (probably the country’s leading AC/DC tribute band) there is a wealth of local talent. Some are returning acts having earned their place after excellent performances last year (SN Dubstation, Talk in Code and Charlie Ann) whilst some are brand new to the Big Gig stage. Have a listen to KIN, Elles Bailey and Firestate and make your own minds up.

Tickets are now on sale via the Big Gig website and are selling well; also, look out for outlets opening up locally in early August. A number of traders such as Cloth of Gold and Primrose Hill in Royal Wootton Bassett, Broad Hinton Post Office, Sound Knowledge in Marlborough and Holmes Music in Swindon will be selling tickets over the counter - first come, first served.

Our sponsors have supported us well and it is probably worth mentioning the lead sponsor Mercer Hair in Royal Wootton Bassett along with our own Broad Town Cars and Plantronics in the Interface Business Park, suppliers of high quality headsets. A full list of sponsors is on the website and we thank every one of them.

As ever we will be looking for help to prepare the site on the bank holiday weekend 29-31 August and to take the tents down on Sunday 6 September. The key time is 2pm Sunday 30^th of August when the marquees will be erected and all assistance will be gratefully accepted. It’s good fun and many hands make light work.

Everything is pointing towards an outstanding event and we really look forward to having you join us for the very best of days.

 

 

HARVEST SUPPER

An event for the whole community. 3 Course Meal, Entertainment, Bar provided by The Four Ways Community Pub

Venue - Village Hall -.Date & Time -3 October at 7.30pm
Tickets - £10.00. Family tickets (2 adults & 2 children) £25.00
Available from:-  Margaret Manley, Tel: 731564, Margaret Green, Tel: 854200
Rosie McLaren,  Tel: 731526, Judy Rendell,   Tel: 731341

Proceeds will go towards keeping your church open

GENTLEMAN’S BREAKFAST CLUB End of season Report.

 

A shame that a few gremlins affected Dennis’ talk on electronic music at our last breakfast. It was obvious a lot of preparation had gone into his presentation and it is amazing what can be done to make anything sound great.

I have started putting together speakers for the build up to Christmas and can advise you that the dates are as follows:  26^th September, 24^th October & 28^th November

Please do not book in yet, I will send separate notices prior to each meeting. It would also be helpful if you could confirm your attendance by e-mail as I am getting forgetful and if you verbally tell me I sometimes forget to add you to my list (its old age you know!).

The Club is non-profit making, however, financially this has been a profitable season and there is currently, a residue of £161.40 in the ‘coffers’. This sum has been made possible because we have had many home grown speakers (not requiring expenses) and several raffle prizes have been donated, so thanks to all. Our next speaker is from the Wiltshire Air Ambulance and we agreed that a donation will be made to this worthwhile cause and I am hoping that we can give them a sum in excess of £100 at the meeting, whilst keeping sufficient funds for future speaker expenses.

I have been asked why we always have a bottle of scotch as the prize for the raffle – well I like scotch, but have never won, so if there is a demand for change, I will introduce another spirit as a prize if that is OK?

It is your club, and any changes or suggested speakers that you would like to include please jot me an e-mail with as much info as possible then I will look to incorporate them at a mutually convenient time.

 

 

HATHA YOGA

 

Weekly Hatha Yoga at Broad Town Village Hall.  For more details please contact Polly Fouracres by email - polly@4fouracres.com.

 

 

PARLEZ-VOUS FRANÇAIS?

Do you wish to speak French? Are you planning a holiday in France?  Do you need to improve your French for a business meeting or next career move?  Do you need support in preparing for your exams?  Would you like your son or daughter to learn French from a young age?  Whatever your need, I can give you the tools to help you reach your goal. I am French and have taught children and adults at different levels.

I live in Broad Town (Church Farm House). Lesson £30 for 1hr (adult/teenager) or £15 for 30mins (under 13). Call Peggy on 07766734400 if you would like to discuss your requirements. A bientôt