connecting local business with local people
Malmesbury
Athelstan 1100 brings many visitors to the town
Aardvark Installations do more than just aerials!
Town Council fight for Post Office to maintain service
Welcome to the February issue
Wind, rain, snow and floods have set the tone during winter 24/25 so far, with January bringing some cold snaps just to test everyones driving in the back to work/school rush! Hoping February brings some winter sunshine.
So much news and views in this issue! From Stop Lime Down Solar to updates on the success of the Athelstan 1100 project and community inclusion at Westonbirt Arboretum.
We learn from Gwylim that Aardvark Installations can help with far more than just TV aerials and also of the Town Councils response to the temporary Post Office Closure in Malmesbury, resulting in no service for miles.
Roll on the Spring!
Renee Tuck Editor
Book with the Canada Specialists
Meg the Manager in our Malmesbury branch has a vast range of first-hand experience of this stunning destination, having enjoyed an extensive trip to Canada in 2024. This included a journey on the iconic Rocky Mountaineer as well as Calgary, Banff & Lake Louise.
Interested in a trip to Canada? Why not pop in to see Meg, she would love to help you create a bespoke itinerary just for you.
Meg and the team look forward helping you find your next adventure
www.milesmorgantravel.co.uk
Phone lines open until 10pm 01666 824801
1 Market Cross, Malmesbury SN16 9AS
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Community and Woodland Benefit from donation to Westonbirt Arboretum
Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum awarded £190,000 grant by The Julia Rausing Trust The charity, Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum (The Friends), has been awarded a £190,000 grant from the Julia Rausing Trust to support Westonbirt Arboretum’s Silk Wood Community Planting Project (SWCPP) over the next two years.
Silk Wood, which comprises 150 hectares of ancient semi-natural woodland, is a critical part of the arboretum’s ecosystem. The funding partnership will not only allow SWCPP to restore five hectares of the habitat lost to Chalara ash die-back, safeguarding the natural heritage for generations to come, but will also help facilitate new audience engagement in nature and the work at Forestry England Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, encouraging diversity and inclusivity.
The two-year partnership will support planting of 9,000 trees incorporating a diverse range of species. It will also enable Silk Wood to contain new physical interpretation, delivering a series of both artist and educational workshops. Multiple groups will be involved in carrying out ongoing work onsite, from tree planting, mulching, ground clearance, and providing aftercare, to conducting flora and fauna surveys as well as tree monitoring.
It is anticipated that the project will lead to im-
provement of the woodland habitat, while enabling more people to actively connect with nature and heritage by identifying and removing barriers to engagement.
“Beyond vital reforestation, the innovative engagement plan, devised through a series of consultation, participation events, and interpretation activities will help more than 2,000 people make personal connections with nature, building skills and creating treasured memories. This restored woodland will provide an accessible space for people to enjoy the wellbeing benefits of connecting with nature and the natural heritage.
“We hope that through having participated in the project, people will get to fully understand Silk Wood’s heritage. As a result, we hope to see an increased interest in voluntary work at Westonbirt, which is pivotal to operations and creates a rewarding experience for all.”
This vital project has been made possible thanks to the generous support from the Julia Rausing Trust, alongside funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, The John Horseman Trust, Swire Charitable Trust, the Summerfield Charitable Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, Miller Knoll Foundation, and Gloucestershire County Council.
Who can help with your CCTV security system and WI-FI?
Aardvark can!
Did you know we don’t JUST fit TV aerials??
Here at Aardvark Installations Ltd we offer a range of services, not just TV aerial installation.
CCTV security and Wi-Fi distribution has never been more in demand and also as necessary as it is today, and with installations being far more discreet and cost friendly these days than it used to be, it has become almost 50% of our workload.
We can measure up what you need by establishing what areas you want to cover, what you want the cameras to do, what you want them to look like, how many cameras and all of the requirements you need from a CCTV system.
Every CCTV system we fit has the ability to be viewed on smartphones or tablets WITHOUT any subscription fees
We can even fit cameras on buildings not attached to your home or office like sheds, barns, stables, garden offices & car parks and wirelessly send those images back to the main building where your CCTV recorder is! Cameras with built in security lights, human or vehicle detection, notifications to your phone is all standard stuff to Aardvark Installations.
With this in mind, we can improve Wi-Fi coverage in any size house if you’re having dreaded “black spots” with no Wi-Fi or even send Wi-Fi coverage to outbuildings or open spaces like yards, offices, garages and even buildings up to 5 KM away!
So, feel free to get in touch for a no obligation quote and see what Aardvark Installations Ltd can do for you.
Check out the website at www.aardvarkinstallations.co.uk for more info.
TOWN COUNCIL PROTEST AT TEMPORARY POST OFFICE CLOSURE
Malmesbury Town Council’s Mayor has called on the Post Office to support its residents by providing a temporary service when it shuts for two months during early 2025.
The Post Office in Malmesbury is well used by residents and is situated in the Co-op in the town’s High Street. However the Co-op will soon be undergoing extensive refurbishment, likely to start in late January, and will be closed for about seven weeks. This means the Post Office will close too.
Cllr Exton said: “We’ve known about this for some time and asked the Post Office what provision it would make to support local residents who use this service regularly. It’s taken several weeks to get a response and that response is, for us, totally unacceptable.”
The Post Office has said that it will not be providing any temporary Post Office Service and that residents can use alternative premises in Crudwell, Tetbury or Sherston – all several miles away.
Bizarrely, they claim their assessment is that any mobile Post Office in the town would be ‘too busy’ as the demand would be ‘too great’.
Cllr Exton responded:
“This makes no logical sense. The fact that the Post Office has assessed our town’s need and decided we are ‘too busy’ surely means we need to be provided with a temporary Post Office? Does this really mean that a rural area with just a few customers would be supported but a whole town would not?”
Cllr Exton, as leader of Malmesbury Council, has written to the Post Office demanding a temporary ‘fix’ for residents. He said:
“The Post Office is an essential facility for many vulnerable residents…your suggestion to use alternative Post Office branches in Tetbury, Crudwell or Sherston is not achievable as many of these residents have no access to personal transport and public transport is extremely infrequent. Without access to their local post office,
many vulnerable residents will be unable to process the benefits and vouchers they need to survive especially during a mid winter period.”
The Post Office has provided temporary services to Malmesbury residents in the past – though it’s refused this time. Free transport for residents was provided to alternative branches when the town’s branch was closed under similar circumstances in 2013. Also more recently a temporary Post Office was set up when the normal branch was closed in Broadstone, Dorset when the nearest alternative was just over a mile away. For Malmesbury residents they now face travelling at least four miles from the town to be able to use a Post Office when the refurbishment takes place.
The town council is also consulting with the Coop around this matter.
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RECORD VISITORS IN THE SUMMER OF 2024 THANKS TO THE ATHELSTAN 1100 PROJECT
The success of the Athelstan 1100 project to mark the anniversary of Athelstan becoming the First King of All England is now being measured in Malmesbury.
Statistics gathered around the 36 events which took place in the town in June, July and August last year have shown that Malmesbury attracted over 8,000 attendees. Hundreds of volunteers came together in a huge community effort.
Cllr Campbell Ritchie, who led the steering group on behalf of Malmesbury Town Team said: “This campaign to generate a long-lasting legacy of interest in Athelstan’s place in Malmesbury’s history has, we all hope, been achieved.
Across the summer The Athelstan Museum, also run by volunteers, staged an Athelstan exhibition bringing together relevant artifacts which had never been displayed in one place. These included the ‘Abingdon Sword’ loaned by the Ashmolean Museum which is an iron sword hilt found in 1874 yet dating from the time of Athelstan; a charter signed by Athelstan dating to 939 AD loaned by the British Library; and rare coins some dating back to the time of Athelstan and his grandfather Alfred The Great (loaned from Noonans). This exhibition ran until September 30.
Other notable moments were the opening of Athelstan Pilgrim Way in collaboration with the Diocese of Bristol; the unveiling of King Athelstan banners in the High Street with many designs by local school children; the specially created ‘Athelstan - A United Kingdom’ play held in the Abbey, and written and produced by Alan Nixon and Paul Overton as well as the staging of a performance of the musical Oh Athelstan! by the pupils of St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, also held in the Abbey.
Campbell said: “Our statistics have now started to filter through. For example our tourist information centre saw an 70 per cent increase in traffic in June 2024, a 76 per cent increase in July and a 14 per cent increase in August. “As for the Athelstan Museum, visitors almost doubled in July alone and sales in the museum’s shop tripled during this period.
The project generated an income of £61,000 in ticket sales, sponsorship and grants with services in kind estimated at more than £28,000. Taking all this into account it achieved its target of breaking even and there is expected to be a small surplus which will be invested back into the community for future events.
“This is not the end,” Campbell said. visit https:// www.athelstan1100.co.uk/
Have Your Say on the Lime Down Solar proposal
As many of you will know Island Green Power (IGP) are proposing an enormous industrial scale solar development covering 2,200 acres of agricultural land and biodiverse countryside. Spanning nine villages and 50 square kilometres, the proposal could include over 1 million solar panels, each 4.5 meters tall and a massive lithium battery storage facility with the entire area encircled by 3-meter-high fencing and CCTV. If a Development Consent Order is granted, this project would permanently alter our local landscape, potentially disrupt our roads during a lengthy construction phase and risk irreparable damage to our environment, heritage, and local economy.
As Lime Down has been designated a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project, the decision process involves a Development Consent Order (DCO). This is not a done deal with the final decision unlikely before late 2026. This rigorous process provides opportunities for local residents to voice their concerns and participate in shaping the outcome.
IGP are about to hold a series of local statutory consultation meetings to share updates on their proposals. These sessions follow initial consultations in 2024, where IGP acknowledged that 88% of respondents opposed the project. Despite this opposition, IGP are pressing ahead, and it is critical that we remain vigilant and strategic in our responses.
This period of statutory consultation is a crucial opportunity for our community to ask questions, share concerns, and show that we are fully engaged with this significant development proposal. A strong turnout will demonstrate the importance we place on safeguarding our countryside and heritage while holding IGP accountable for addressing community concerns.
The team of volunteers at Stop Lime Down will be giving guidance about how and when individuals can best express their personal concerns and on completing IGP’s Feedback Questionnaire.
For further information about the dates and locations of the consultation meetings and to register your support for Stop Lime Down, please visit www.stoplimedown.com
Lime Down is the wrong size, wrong location and in the wrong ownership.
Moss Removal & Roof Cleaning
Roof Maintenance & Minor Repairs Render & Brickwork Cleaning
Domestic & Commercial Exterior Cleaning
Installation of Bird Protection
Fitting of Chimney Cowls
Malmesbury and Tetbury Trefoil Guild
The Trefoil Guild is a branch of Girlguiding for adults aged 18 and over.But you do not have to have been a member in the past to join us. Trefoil Guild members make new friends, travel, explore, serve their communities and help Guiding (and Scouting) thrive across the UK and Internationally
Meetings are held on the 3rd Monday of the month starting at 7.30 p.m. at Christ Church Hall, Tetbury, and our subscription is £30. This covers our monthly meetings for 12 months.
Our next meeting which is on Monday 17th February at 7.30pm is a talk by Gill Shaw about her Guide Unit that has links to Guiding in Ghana.
Visitors are very welcome to come along to this. If you are interested and would like to find out more about us contact Liz Fleming - ingleburn@ wntrefoil.org.uk
U3a Please note Februarys meeting will be on Friday 28th February, a change from the usual 4th Thursday of the month when our new Liberal Democrat MP Roz Savage will talk to us about her amazing rowing achievements before she became an MP and her long held interest in environmental matters.
North Wiltshire Village Flower Club, Crudwell Village hall each third Wednesday of month SN16 9HB nwvflowerclub@gmail.com
