BROAD TOWN NEWS – APRIL 2023
Keeping everyone in touch with what is going on in and around our parish.
BISHOP KAREN’S APRIL LETTER
I wonderwhether we can remember how we were feeling 3 years ago as we approached Easter? Lockdown feels a long time ago, however I was reminded through an article read recently that we have all experienced a major trauma in our lives which we have somehow lived through. Our thoughts remain with those suffering from loss and the effects of long Covid yet for the majority of us we have just got on with life, seldom perhaps thinking about the changes we were determined to make then, for the better now. Easter too can be dulled by familiarity, cream eggs and hot crossed buns are no longer seasonal, yet as with Covid, entering into the annual desolation of Holy Week, and emerging joyfully on Easter Day changes us. Each year, I try to take some time, usually on Maundy Thursday evening, to look back prayerfully at my life with gratitude and ahead with hope. The events of the first Easter changed the course of history, as death was defeated and life in all its fullness was made available for all of us, for all time. Christ promises to walk with us each day, as he did three years ago, into the darkness, into the unknown, and we are called to be transformed, to change as a result. We learn lessons too by looking back, perhaps we wouldn’t do things now as we did then? Traumatic events draw us to our senses, yet when life gathers pace again, the bird song we heard, or the neighbour we visited, or the still small voice, all get lost. Holy Week gives us the gift of drawing breath, of feeling God’s healing touch of love once again. Let’s allow ourselves to once more be turned upside down by Christ’s passion, and to live life differently as a result. +Karen
ROY DAVEY - AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN
It is with deep sadness that we recently had the loss of Roy Davey. He reached the respectable age of 88 and spent about 30 years in Broad Town. His childhood was in Southampton, where he was evacuated in the war, to avoid danger. Roy had an amazing life, doing what he loved - Flying. This wasn’t work for Roy but a hobby and pure enjoyment. He travelled extensively with the Royal Airforce, and was followed by his amazing wife Lynne and their four children. He retired as a Squadron Leader at RAF Lyneham, and was soon asked back to run the flight simulator. Roy loved Broad Town, and served for many years on the Parish Council, as Clerk. He was a kind and generous man, and a pleasure to be with. He was always happy to share his dry sense of humour, acting out the role of the grumpy old man! However, behind this vizard he truly was an Officer, and, a Gentleman.
EASTER FOODBANK COLLECTION AT VILLAGE HALL.
Sat. 1st & Sun. 2nd April from 9am to 4pm. Tins, Cereal, Cartons of juice and milk, Cleaning products, Pasta, Rice, **Easter Eggs** Please give as generously as you can. Thank You.
PARISH COUNCIL UPDATE – APRIL
The next Parish Council meeting will be at 6.30pm in the village hall on TUESDAY 11th April (due to the Easter holiday), and advance notice that the May meeting with be on Monday 15th May (due to the Coronation bank holiday). All are welcome to attend these meetings and the agenda will be posted on our website and on the notice boards in due course.
Annual Parish Meeting : Monday 22nd May 6.30pm in the Village Hall We look forward to seeing you at the Annual Parish Meeting. This is not a council meeting but is an opportunity for all village groups and associations to share with the village the activity they have undertaken in the past year and their plans for the future.
Fly Tipping There have been some reports of fly-tipping which seems to be on the increase. If fly-tipping is in progress, call 101. If possible, provide: ▪ the make, model and registration of any vehicle(s) involved ▪ a description of any person(s) involved If you’ve witnessed littering or people leaving a mess in public, please don’t attempt to remove the rubbish yourself in case there are hidden sharp or dangerous items. Contact Wiltshire Council using the My Wilts app or via the MyWilts online reporting - Wiltshire Council who will arrange for the rubbish to be removed. If you’ve witnessed fly-tipping or people discarding drug-related equipment, please photograph the discarded items if possible, and report to the police using their online portal: https://www.wiltshire.police.uk/ro/report/asb/asb-v3/report-antisocial-behaviour
BROAD TOWN VILLAGE HALL COMMITTEE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Annual General Meeting of the Broad Town Village Hall Committee will be held on Wednesday 26th April 2023, 7.30 - 8.15pm in the Village Hall. ALL WELCOME. Why not come along and see who we are, what we do, have your say and maybe consider joining us? For those not familiar with Annual General Meetings, there will be a report from the Chairman, a Treasurer’s report to review the finances over the last year, and elections of Committee members for the year ahead. This year we are looking for a new Treasurer. If you might be interested in this role and want to know more, please contact Paul Granger for an informal discussion via paulgranger4@btinternet.com or 07974 573815. We look forward to seeing you on 26th April.
CHURCHYARD WORK MORNINGS
Thank you to everyone who came along on 18th March. If you have not been to the Churchyard recently, pop in to see what improvements have been made. The next planned work morning will be on 1st April.
BROAD TOWN SOCIAL CLUB NEWS AND DIARY DATES
Well, we have had some absolutely cracking nights recently, particularly the monthly fish and chip nights, so we are pleased to announce, in conjunction with the Village Hall Committee, that Food for Thought will continue to visit us once a month for takeaways (and eat ins for those wishing to have a drink or two with their supper). It’s good to see so many of you back enjoying yourselves. The Social Club is open as normal every Friday from 8pm – 11pm with the usual array of (very reasonably priced) drinks, snacks, and banter at the bar! The free pool table and darts have also gone down well so get yourselves down here to check it all out. We always have a warm welcome for new members so please come along any Friday evening and introduce yourself to Trevor who you will find behind the bar, and he will introduce you to everyone else. And at £2 per person, membership is hardly a King’s Ransom! FISH FRIDAY DATES Food for Thought Fish and Chip trailer will be in the Village Hall car park on the dates below. The Social Club opens at 5pm on these dates so please come on in with your takeaway, enjoy the warmth and have yourself a drink or two to wash it down with. ▪ Friday 24th March (Quiz Night) ▪ Friday 28th April Food for Thought is also supporting our Coronation weekend activities by being here on Saturday 6th May. They will be open for standard takeaways from 5pm – 9pm that day. For those attending the live music evening (see the notice elsewhere in this newsletter on Coronation events) the Social Club is open from 7pm and you are very welcome to buy your supper on your way in. Go to https://www.facebook.com/FoodForThoughtSwindon for details of the full menu and how to beat the queues through pre-order. We look forward to welcoming one and all.
WHAT BROAD TOWN’S SPEED INDICATOR DEVICE (SID) SAW LAST MONTH
The SID was located at Broad Acres measuring the speed of traffic travelling to Broad Hinton from mid-Feb to mid-Mar The SID counted 32,793 vehicles passing which equates to approx. 911 a day. 9,920 (30%) vehicles went through the SID doing more than 35mph 602 vehicles were logged by the SID travelling at speeds deemed dangerous by Wiltshire Police (i.e. greater than 45mph). There isn’t a single hour in the day when we don’t have a high end speeder commuting through our village. A greater proportion of the traffic exceeds 45mph in the 30mph part of the village between the hours of 6am to 9am and later in the day between the hours of 3pm to 7pm
COMMUNITY SHOP
At the last Parish Council meeting, a subject which hasn’t cropped up for a while raised itself. Therefore, The Parish Council are keen to take the temperature and appetite, from residents of Broad Town, on the prospect of having a community shop. It’s not as simple as that though. It would need volunteers to run it, and a premises to trade from. Please could you let the Parish Council know your feelings on this by emailing the Clerk, BTPCCLERK@OUTLOOK.COM Three things that would be useful to know, would be: ▪ Would you like a community shop? ▪ Would you be prepared to volunteer? ▪ Do you have, or have suggestions, on a facility the shop could trade from?
BANKING
“This is for community information; whilst it was a big loss to Royal Wootton Bassett and the surrounding villages when Lloyds Bank closed its doors in December, leaving the town without a bank. We wanted to let you know that Lloyds Bank are running a Community Bank every Thursday 9am-3:30pm at Lime Kiln Leisure Centre in Royal Wootton Bassett (SN4 7HG). There isn’t any cash facility, but you’ll be able to pay bills, transfer money between accounts and ask for financial advice.”
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH
We are thrilled to launch our biggest recruitment campaign in recent years, termed a BETTER PLACE TO LIVE. We would all like to achieve a better place to live no matter our starting point – whether it be working together to reduce fear of and opportunities for crime, supporting our neighbours, reducing isolation and loneliness, or making new friendships. With 2.3 million members already, the campaign aims to: · attract even more members · encourage groups to be more active · encourage all local group members to register their membership nationally Why are we running this campaign? We want more members We know the top four barriers to people joining are: there isn’t a group in their area, they don’t know who else is involved, no one has asked them, or they are unsure about what is expected of them. These barriers are all easily overcome by members chatting with neighbours. And there is no better time to invite people to join your group than now. We have a range of printed material to help you to grow your group, such as membership flyers, join postcards, volunteer flyers and a Coordinator pack that brings all that material together. We want to be more active in your community We are proud to say that we have a tested brand recognition of 93%. Despite this, it is clear that not everyone knows what we do. Our charity becomes more visible by being more active and vocal within our communities. More importantly, active groups are more effective at preventing crime, reducing loneliness and isolation, and building a more resilient community. So our campaign also encourages and enables Coordinators to be more active within their community. We have a range of resources such as ‘how to’ guides to help groups to be more active. We want local group members to register their details The strength of our charity is in being volunteer-led and by being embedded within communities for over 40 years. But times have changed, and how we process data has changed. Like any membership organisation, we ask volunteers and members to register on our robust and free membership database. Registered members will receive a digital New Member Welcome Pack and regular crime prevention advice. They can opt-in to receive further information from local organisations, such as the police. Members can sign up in three easy steps, and as they move area, their account moves with them. With all members registered, Coordinators can manage their scheme from one central place and easily hand over the reins to a new person when they move on. How you can get involved · Visit ourwatch.org.uk/betterplacetolive to learn more about the campaign · Look at ways to support the campaign in our BETTER PLACE TO LIVE Campaign Pack · Order printed material such as membership flyers, join postcards, crime prevention booklets or Coordinator Packs that brings all that material together NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH NETWORK, Central Support Team ourwatch.org.uk / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / LinkedIn / Online shop Neighbourhood Watch Network is a charity registered in England & Wales, CIO no: 1173349
UNIVERSITY BURSARY GRANT - WILTSHIRE & SWINDON YOUNG PEOPLE
Open for Applications Are you starting university this year?
Wiltshire Community Foundation offers grants to young people in Wiltshire and Swindon who need support with the costs of studying an undergraduate degree at university. The One Degree More bursary is £1,600 for each year of the course to help with general living expenses, course costs, books and equipment. We are now open for applications for those stating university this year.
Who is eligible to apply – young people can apply for a university bursary if they: • are under 24 years old • have lived in Wiltshire or Swindon for at least 2 years • parents or guardians receive 2 means-tested benefits (2 elements of Universal Credit) • eligible for funding through Student Finance England • studying for first undergraduate degree at a UK university or college Applications close on 15 May 2023. Apply today by visiting: www.wiltshirecf.org.uk/grants-andsupport/individuals/university-bursary-one-degree-more
Nicola Hillier, Grants Officer
Wiltshire Communnity Foundation, Sandcliff House, 21 Northgate Street. Devizes SN10 1JT
The online version of the Newsletter has a lot of information that it has not proved practical to transfer into this format
Mainly about the Coronation celebrations - if you require details please contact Ray Manley.
The deadline for items for the newsletter should be in by the 22nd of EVERY month.
Contact: Ray Manley- 01793 731564 or Email- BroadTownNews@gmail.com