Calne
Connection The official newsletter from Calne Town Council
Calne Town Council, Bank House, The Strand, Calne, Wiltshire, SN11 0EN 01249 814000 calne@calne.gov.uk www.calne.gov.uk
Issue 76 Spring 2020
TOWN MAYOR’S UPDATE Happy New Year. It may feel in the dim past now, but what a wonderful time we have had. Calne had a fantastic Festival of Lights, with a great Dickensian theme and there was great entertainment and so many lanterns and floats in the parade. It was a pleasure to see the lights switched on by such a lovely local couple. I am sure you will agree it all showed the town off at its best. 2020 is here. Not only a new year, but a new decade. I do hope that it brings everything you wish for and more. I have met so many community groups throughout December helping people who may be less fortunate. This was so moving and was also seen in abundance from volunteers and contributors to my Mayor’s Christmas Lunch. Thank you all, we could not have done it without you. We also could not have done it without the generosity of residents and businesses in Calne and I would like to mention Tesco, Sainsbury’s, the Co-op, Odette, Maria’s, Bazaar and CM3 who all donated food, gifts for the children, table decorations and flowers to really make the day go well. I would also like to thank the sponsors who financially donated to purchase food, presents for the adults and non-perishables for our goodie bags. Thank you everyone. My Civic Service also took place recently in February where we welcomed people from all over Wiltshire to celebrate our town. So what’s on the horizon? March will see my Mayor’s Finale – an evening of disco, games and a 3-course meal at the Town Hall. It would be great to see as many of you come and join in the celebrations as my Mayoral year draws to a close and help raise money for charity. I will also be holding the Mayor’s ‘Proud of’ and Civic awards on 20th March. This will be a great event to celebrate the achievements of individuals and businesses from my year in office. Nomination forms for awards are available from Bank House. My Mayoral year will finally draw to a close in May with an event to commemorate 75 years since VE day. More information will follow soon. Have a great year.
Robert
Cllr Robert Merrick Calne Town Mayor
NEW FOR 2020 TOWN MAYOR’S PROUD OF CALNE AWARDS
TOWN MAYOR’S SPRING FINALE 14th March Calne Town Hall 8pm - 11:30pm 3 Course Meal Disco Silent Auction Heads and Tails Raffle
£25 a ticket Dress Code: Smart/Formal
March 20th Calne Town Hall 7pm following the Annual Parish Meeting
Tickets from Calne Information Centre Farmhouse Deli Bakery proceeds to Town Mayor’s charities
Further info: Cllr Robert Merrick 07932357733 cllmerrick@cllr.calne.gov.uk
2
3
Latest News
RIVER MARDEN DAY Saturday 16th May 2020 River Marden Day is being held on the same say as Duck Race Day. It is a festival to promote the history of the River Marden and to celebrate how important the river is to Calne, both in the past and in the present. The River Marden is not in good health and we need to keep our freshwater rivers safe and clean, as they provide a habitat for so many animals, insects, birds and fish. During the day, several different activities will be taking place in Castlefields Park. Including Millie’s Trail, which is a history and wildlife based trail of the River Marden for younger children, Tamzyn Long from River Warriors and Harriet Alvis from BART will lead activities for older children, children’s painting led by
by Millie Weller
Event Management Placement Student
Genevieve Sioka will take place on the Wharf, and a walk down to Black Dog from Castlefields Park will be led by Nick Adams who will tell you all about the wildlife in the Marden Valley. Later in the afternoon, there is also going to be a blessing of the river led by Rev Bob Kenway and a new River Marden Plaque unveiled next to Doctor’s Pond near the Co-Op. Also, why not visit the Heritage Centre, which will be putting on a display of historic pictures of the River Marden from May 6th to May 31st with free entry! More information will be shared through the Calne Town Council Facebook page closer to the event!
COMMUNITY FOCUS River Warriors Calne’s River Warriors is a voluntary group set up to engage local young people and families with nature, hoping they will aspire to better protect their local environment. The group meets monthly and advocates for everyone to take ownership of their town and keep the rivers clean. In 2019, the group achieved an outstanding number of awards, ranging from Britain in Bloom’s Thriving Status in the It’s Your Neighbourhood Awards, to Volunteer Group of the Year by Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. Also not forgetting an incredible award for their participation in the Calne Summer Carnival 2019!
GRANT AWARDS Calne Town Council has awarded over £34,000 in grants this year. The latest grant award on 13th January 2020 was £8,000 to Calne In Tune, for a new project to provide a Community Resource for Calne and its surrounding area: Music, Arts, Craft, Media, Youth etc YOUTH CLUB Following engagement with young people during the Autumn of 2019 a new youth club is to start 11th February 2020 based at Calne Town Hall. Check out social media for more details. The new club will run for 2 hours and hosted by experienced youth workers from CMAS. POLICE TOUCHDOWN POINTS Following the announcement of the formal closure of Calne Police station, the Town Council has offered additional touch down space within its Bank House office to the Police & Crime Commissioner. This offer was originally made in 2017, to the PCC.
E RiverWarriorsCalne k riverwarriors.calne@gmail.com
2020 will be no different for River Warriors, who hope to achieve more success and growth from last year and increase the number of environmental projects and positive impacts they can make for local wildlife. Over the coming months, River Warriors will be taking action on BART’s Riverfly Monitoring scheme, with the Riverfly data held by each river group to allow for long-term changes to be identified, and will therefore, help BART to get a better understanding of invertebrate populations. To find out more of the amazing work River Warriors does in Calne, visit their Facebook page for upcoming sessions and project updates!
The group welcomes everyone to join in and get involved with some great activities and events, for example hosting Bat Walks and meeting with the local MP to talk about the issues surrounding river health and what can be done. River Warriors work alongside other local organisations including BART and Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and are awarded grants by Calne Town Council to help aid its continued work in the town.
Picture and Graphics Credit: Tamzyn Long / River Warriors
4
5
CALNE TOWN COUNCIL
AWARDS Nominations for this year’s Civic Awards are open until Friday 28th February. Awards will be presented during an evening ceremony on Friday 20th March at Calne Town Hall. TOWN MAYOR’S CIVIC AWARD
YOUNG CITIZENS AWARD
TOWN MAYOR’S GIFT FUND AWARD
Recognising the actions of an individual or couple for their hard work and endeavours for the Calne community.
Recognising the actions of a young person or group of young people that have had a positive impact on the town or its community. The award is open to all young people living in Calne.
A grant of £250 to enable a young person who has demonstrated outstanding ability in sports or the arts to develop their skills. The award is open to all young people living in Calne.
To nominate a local hero for an award please complete the nomination form available on our website www.calne.gov.uk. You can also email calne@calne.gov.uk, or visit the Calne Visitor & Information Centre.
LATEST NEWS AND PROJECT UPDATES TOWN COUNCIL ELEMENT OF COUNCIL TAX BILL The Town Council element of the Council Tax bill issued by Wiltshire Council will increase by 2.5% taking a Band D property to £215.57 per year.
DEPUTY MAYOR Nominations for Deputy Town Mayor will be sought for 2020/2021 year at the April 6th meeting of the Full Council. The Deputy Mayor will be the Mayor elect for the 2021/2022 year.
HEALTH AND WELLBEING EVENT FOR THE COMMUNITY Saturday 23rd May 2020 at Calne Town Hall. Further information: Calne Health & Wellbeing Group alison.ingham@nhs.net.
Town Councillors voted through the annual budget at the Full Council meeting held on 18th November 2019.
TOWN COUNCIL URGE NEW DEVELOPMENTS TO BE SUSTAINABLE At the Town Development & Planning Committee held on 15th January 2020 it was agreed to include a request on all planning applications considered by the Town Council, that sustainability and energy efficiency is included in all future construction projects.
VISITCALNE.CO.UK The website is a great resource for residents and visitors to the area. With LEADER funding and support from Calne Town Council.
CHURCHILL RETIREMENT LIVING The first application (18/09556/FUL) for 39 Apartments which was refused by Wiltshire Council will be the subject of an Appeal Hearing on Wednesday 12th February 2020 at 10am in the Large Hall, Calne Town Hall. CCTV VOLUNTEERS 26 volunteers provided 3240 hours of The second application is due to be cover for the Town Council funded CCTV determined at the end of January 2020 suite. Incidents reported ranged from by Wiltshire Council. To find out the wanted criminals being apprehended outcome of these applications please and drink/drug driver being arrested. check our website or visit our offices at On 21 occasions, evidence was shared Bank House. with the Police which led to 14 successful convictions or warnings being issued.
Are you a keen blogger or vlogger. Could you contribute regular items to be published on the website sharing your love of the area, great walks, cycle or running routes or just hidden places. Please contact calne@calne.gov.uk for more information
6
Calne Connection is a quarterly newsletter for Calne residents from Calne Town Council. If you are involved in a local community group, or are hosting an event nearby, please contact us for more information on how to submit articles.
Designed by:
Printed by:
CALNE TOWN COUNCIL UPCOMING MEETINGS (FEB-MAY) Calendar of Meetings Policy & Resources Amenities Town Development & Planning Annual Parish Meeting of Calne Town Council Full Town Council Annual Meeting of Calne Town Council and Mayor Making
FEB (Mon) 24 (Wed) 5, 26
MAR (Mon) 2
(Wed) 18
Public Holidays 10, 13 APR
(Wed) 8, 29
Public Holidays 8, 25 MAY
(Wed) 20
(Fri) 20 (Mon) 3
Calne Town Council, Bank House, The Strand, Calne, Wiltshire, SN11 0EN
We invite public participation at council meetings, and we are always keen to hear your opinions and suggestions for Calne. You can contact your councillors directly on the information listed on the page overleaf. If you do not know who your local councillor is, please contact us on 01249 814000 or email calne@calne.gov.uk
(Mon) 6 (Mon) 11
Opening Times: Monday to Thursday 9am-5pm Friday 9am-4:30pm
k m E D Q
calne@calne.gov.uk 01249 814000 Calne Town Council @CalneTC @calnetowncouncil
7
NORTH WARD
Councillors marked with * also serve on Wiltshire Council
Cllr Glenis Ansell 01249 816164 or 07801 270299 cllransell@cllr.calne.gov.uk Cllr Tom Rounds* 01249 812464 or 07771 760300 cllrrounds@cllr.calne.gov.uk Cllr Jon Fisher 07557 374550 cllrrsher@cllr.calne.gov.uk Cllr Declan Boore 07908 606618 cllrboore@cllr.calne.gov.uk Cllr Mark Mewett 01249 818835 cllrmewett@cllr.calne.gov.uk
CHILVESTER & ABBERD WARD Town Mayor Cllr Robert Merrick 07932 357733 cllrmerrick@cllr.calne.gov.uk Deputy Town Mayor Cllr Rich Jones cllrjones@cll cllrjones@cllr.calne.gov.uk Cllr Tony Trotman* 01249 816062 or 07816 830873 cllrtrotman@cllr.calne.gov.uk Cllr Heather Canfer 01249 822249 cllrcanfer@cllr.calne.gov.uk
CENTRAL WARD Cllr Howard Marshall 07464 699113 cllrmarshall@cllr.calne.gov.uk Cllr Ian Thorn* 01249 816351 cllrthorn@cllr.calne.gov.uk Cllr John Boaler 01249 819133 cllrboaler@cllr.calne.gov.uk Cllr Rob MacNaughton 01249 815777 cllrmacnaughton@cllr.calne.gov.uk Cllr Terry Couchman 07910 173336 cllrcouchman@cllr.calne.gov.uk
SOUTH WARD Cllr John Bennett 07737 123181 cllrbennett@cllr.calne.gov.uk Cllr Alan Hill* 01249 821855 cllrhill@cllr.calne.gov.uk Cllr David Conway 07973 182646 cllrconway@cllr.calne.gov.uk Cllr Greg Widger 07901 933755 cllrwidger@cllr.calne.gov.uk Cllr Samuel Pearce-Kearney
01249 549500
cllrpearce-kearney@cllr.calne.gov.uk