BROAD TOWN NEWS – SEPTEMBER 2023
Keeping everyone in touch with what is going on in and around our parish.
BROAD TOWN CHURCH
Setember 3rd Communion 10.30am (Followed by coffee & biscuits)
September 10th Evening Service 6pm
September 24th Evening Service 6pm
Work Mornings Unfortunately, the August work morning was 'rained off’'.
Thank you to those who turned up and to Christine for providing the coffee
The next planned work morning will be 16th September 10am - midday.
Coffee Morning 2nd September – this coming Saturday.
You can be assured of a warm welcome at the Church Coffee Morning 10am – 12noon in the Village Hall Coffee/Tea/Cold Drinks Childrens Craft, Bottle Stall, Cake Stall, Philip Male’s Photos
Harvest Supper Saturday 14th October at 7pm Tickets £12.00 Family Ticket 2 adults, 2 children under12 £30Three Course Supper, The FOUR WAYS Community Bar, Entertainment. Raffle, Proceeds to Christ Church, Broad Town. Helping to keep your Church open
Further details, tickets and special dietary requirements Tel:- Margaret or Ray Manley 731564
September Letter from the Right Reverend Dr Andrew Rumsey, Bishop of Ramsbury God’s own field
Harvest, in the agricultural sense, is well past. All is safely (or soggily) gathered in and the appealing blocks of barley and hay baling our landscape into a pop-up sculpture park have all but disappeared. The Church’s Harvest celebrations – extended as a ‘Creationtide’ season into October – are in one sense, then, a delayed thanksgiving for the yield of former months. That needn’t trouble us, however, for they are just as much focused on a rather less specific future point: the anticipated end of the world believers know as the Last Judgement. For many, this is merely one of the vestiges of a Christian worldview with little bearing on present times, a sickle blade blunted by unbelief. Nevertheless, the idea of a harvest that separates the righteous from the unrighteous often crops up in Jesus’ teaching and has gained a new edge as we witness the ecological ends of our actions, more fearfully evident with each passing, and slightly warmer, year. The once-familiar Parable of the Wheat and the Tares tells us that good and evil inevitably grow together in this life: one is easy to mistake for the other and this fact should caution us away from prejudice or self-righteousness. But it is also a warning that the real myth is the one that imagines our actions have no lasting or eternal consequences. They do, they will - and to ignore this is simply to hasten the day. Bishop Andrew
FOODBANK
Another Bumper collection in August - Thanks to all who donated goods - Your generosity is, as always, much appreciated. Our next collection will be in October as part of the School and Church Harvest Festivals - further details in next month's B T News.
BROAD TOWN SOCIAL CLUB NEWS AND EVENTS
Notable dates for the rest of the year are: Games Night Friday 15th September, 8pm onwards, free to all The usual madness of skittles, darts, table football, table tennis and whatever else James Harvey Samuel can fit in. Can anyone beat Darren’s top score? Can Broad Town find some new winners?
Food for Thought: ❖ Friday 29th September ❖ Friday 27th October
Friday 24th November (Beetle Drive, Charity Fundraiser, courtesy Rosie and Andrew Law.) Great family night out. More details to follow.
Friday 22nd December (Community Carols and Mulled Wine, courtesy Social Club and Paul & Anne Granger)
Go to https://www.facebook.com/FoodForThoughtSwindon for details of the full menu and how to beat the queues through pre-order. As always, it’s 5pm – 8pm for takeaways; 5pm – 11pm for the bar. If you want to bring your takeaway into the Club, you are very welcome to do so. For the more discerning diners you are also welcome to bring your own plates, cutlery, and bread & butter (but please take your washing up home with you!).
New Years Eve Party Sunday 31st December Bring in the New Year with friends and neighbours (you can bring the family too!). Live music from the Dog House Band (remember them from the Coronation weekend?). Lots of dancing, singing and Big Ben. Details to follow in next issue.
Standard Friday Nights, Bar open 8pm – 11pm, Great range of reasonably priced drinks and snacks, Free darts and pool (snooker, not swimming!), Banter at the bar, Why not drop in? Everyone welcome: the more the merrier.
WILTSHIRE PCC NEWS
Read Philip Wilkinson’s reflections on his first two years as Wiltshire’s Police & Crime Commissioner by following the link below: https://www.wiltshire-pcc.gov.uk/my-office/opccnews/2023/august-2023/wiltshire-pcc-marks-two-years-in-post-byreflecting-on-his-time-in-office/
COMMUNITY COFFEE MORNINGS
The Community Coffee Mornings will be restarting in September after the summer break and we are looking forward to seeing you all again whether you are a coffee morning regular, new to the event, or indeed the village! The coffee mornings will be on the usual 2nd and 4th Wednesday mornings of the month – the 13th and the 27th, from 10 - 12 noon in the village hall. At our coffee morning on the 27th we will be fundraising for Macmillan as it’s in the same week as the annual Macmillan Coffee Morning, so please support this very worthwhile cause by donating as generously as you can. Thank you! We look forward to seeing you for our usual tasty offerings of delicious homemade cakes, sausage rolls, tea, coffee and hot chocolate, we are a very welcoming bunch!
CRAFTS & HOBBIES GROUP
Our new group continues to go from strength to strength and having enjoyed two very productive sessions in August, we are looking forward to meeting again in September but only on the 1st Wednesday – the 6th of September so please come along and join us. The hall is being redecorated w/c September 18th so unfortunately, we won’t be able to meet on the 3rd Wednesday this month. Sessions run from 10 – 12 noon in the village hall, and we ask for a £2 contribution please, which goes towards hall hire, coffee, tea and biscuits. If you don't have a craft or hobby to bring along, you are welcome just to come and chat, you could help with the Christmas decorations that we are starting to make, or we have colouring sheets and pens and pencils available for you to use. Children are also very welcome! We are already starting to create items to sell at the Church Christmas Coffee Morning on December 2nd and any donations of craft materials such as wool, ribbon, felt, lace, buttons, card, fabric remnants and other haberdashery items would be greatly received. We would also love to have your unwanted craft kits and if there is anyone out there who has any plywood or similar (not MDF please), that we could use to make nest boxes, or bug hotels, please bring it along, or if you email us, we can come and collect it from you. If you are keen to make items at home that you would like to donate for sale at the Christmas Coffee Morning but can’t come along on a Wednesday morning, please also let us know. We look forward to seeing you at our next session on Wednesday September 6th at 10 am, new faces always welcome! Please contact us if you have any questions. Helen & Linda Email: hjgreer1@gmail.com; lindaboyden12@gmail.com
BROAD TOWN PRE-SCHOOL NEEDS YOUR HELP!
We are on the look-out for a new chairperson, as our current chair was only supposed to step in to bridge the gap until September. Ideally, we are looking for someone who would like to see Broad Town preschool continue to thrive like it has for the last 41 years and can commit a few hours a month, be available for dealing with any issues identified by the committee or preschool management and able to organise and lead meetings. There will be a hand-over period with the current chair who is very experienced in the running of the preschool and happy to pass on any knowledge to make any transition easier. For a more detailed description of chair duties/ the position please contact Zoe on zoedyer84[at]gmail.com And last (but not least!!) – we are currently fundraising for a new building to replace the old Pratten style building as it has reached the end of its lifespan. We are looking for help with various things: - Fundraising – do you know of any individuals or organisations who might be able to donate towards this big project? - Help with removal of old building (once funding for a new one has been secured) - Knowledge or contacts with anyone that could supply a similar type building/help with the planning/etc - Any other knowledge of organisations or individuals that might be able to help in any way! Please feel free to call on the above phone number or email for more information, either Judith on treasurer[at]broadtownpreschool.co.uk or zoedyer84[at]gmail.com (current chair).
PARISH COUNCIL UPDATE – SEPTEMBER
The Parish Council have agreed to take on responsibility and funding for the Broad Town History website which up to now has been looked after by residents involved in the history group. This website provides a priceless insight into the history of Broad Town and will continue to do so into the future. Check it out at www.BroadTownHistory.com or follow the link from the Parish Council website. The Parish Council have received reports of the smell of oil coming out of some of the drains by the Church and southwards up the hill. Can you all check your oil tanks for any leaks.
Next PC Meeting - Monday 11th September The next Parish Council meeting will be at 6.30pm in the village hall on Monday 11th September. All are welcome to attend these meetings and the agenda will be posted on our website and on the notice boards in due course.
BROAD TOWN FOOTPATHS
The Broad Town Footpath Group was back at work on Sunday 13th August clearing the footpath northwards from Snow Hill Cottage (BTOW 32/ 30) and the path from the White Horse Noticeboard (BTOW 35) to its intersection with BTOW 30. A challenging task was to clear a tree which had fallen on BTOW35 preventing passage along the route. Work days take place from 10-12am approximately monthly and are open to everyone; no particular skills or tools are required. Future dates are: Sunday 27th August, Saturday 30th September, Saturday 14th October. If anyone is interested in joining in with this worthwhile activity would they please contact: malcolmholland567@gmail.com
WHAT OUR S.I.D. SAW LAST MONTH
The SID has been located at the School monitoring Southbound traffic (heading to Broad Hinton) The SID counted 27,784 vehicles passing which equates to approx. 794 a day.14% of vehicles were speeding in the following. Number of vehicles speeding 35 – 40mph 2,849, 40 – 45mph 912, 45 – 50mph 203, 50 – 55mph 51, 55 – 60mph 4,
60 – 65mph 3, 65 – 70mph 1. Note the SID captures traffic travelling in one direction. Metrocount results indicate average daily totals of 1,989 using the C415. Actions arising from our SID are :
1. A Police enforcement check took place 10th August. The Parish Council are also in discussion with the Police and Crime Commissioner initiative to use SID intel to resource enforcement checks.
2. If you want to improve the safety and quality of life for everyone in Broad Town please give Chris Woodhouse a call on 07790 815616. If we get enough volunteers we’ll set up Community Speedwatch to work alongside the various enforcement initiatives.
THOMAS SPACKMAN EDUCATIONAL TRUST GRANT
Are you, or do you know, a young person living in the Clyffe Pypard or Broad Town area who would benefit from a grant from The Thomas Spackman Educational Trust? The Charity’s main focus is education or work-related training and apprenticeships, but The Charity may also be able to help a promising individual develop a particular talent; perhaps help fund tuition in a musical instrument or develop a sporting skill. Applying is very easy. If you wish to find out more about the application process, please email spackmancharity@gmail.com or contact Karen Hawkins 07788 210960. All formal applications need to be in by 30th September 2023.
The next opportunity to apply will be March 2024.
PLEA FOR LINK SCHEME VOLUNTEERS
I work for Community First; we are the supporting body for the 42 Link schemes that run throughout Wiltshire. You probably know that Link Schemes are voluntary groups which offer a transport and good neighbour service to local people who are in need, perhaps because they are elderly, disabled, isolated and lonely, single parents, or perhaps temporarily in need because of illness. Link Schemes operate as small, independent charitable organisations and all volunteers use their own private vehicles. (Insurance and DBS checks are carried out). To give you an idea of the level of support The Link Schemes offer, last year they made 26,249 health related journeys and completed 34,125 good neighbour tasks which include collecting prescriptions and shopping. We desperately need your support in promoting our recruitment drive to find new volunteers across Wiltshire to keep this vital service going. Thank you for your time, Kind regards, Samantha Lloyd Community Development Officer Telephone: 01380 732800 Mobile: 07721 129639; Email: slloyd@communityfirst.org.uk
SEPTEMBER AT A GLANCE
Saturday 2nd – Church Coffee Morning
Sunday 3rd – Communion Service - 10.30am
Wednesday 6th – Crafts & Hobbies Morning 10am-12 noon
Sunday 10th – Evening Service - 6pm
Monday 11th – Parish Council Meeting – 6.30pm
Wednesday 13th – Community Coffee Morning 10am-12 noon
Wednesday 13th – Beginners Pilates Class – 7.10pm
Friday 15th – Social Club Games Night – 8pm
Saturday 16th – Churchyard Work Morning – 10am-12 noon
Sunday 24th – Evening Service - 6pm
Wednesday 27th - Community Coffee Morning 10am-12 noon
Friday 29th – Food for Thought Fish & Chip van
Saturday 30th – Footpaths Group 10-12 noon
THE DEADLINE FOR ITEMS FOR THE NEWSLETTER IS THE 22ND OF EVERY MONTH.
Send items to: Email- BroadTownNews@gmail.com
or for any queries contact:- Ray Manley- 01793 73156