North West Swindon Link February 2019

No 441 February 2019

GPS delivered door to door to 55,000 homes across Swindon with Est. overall readership of 137,500

Swindon

LINK Your Community Magazine

Is it the time of the tram? p4

North & West Edition

Sunset Over The Excalibur Car Park by Jamie Hill

It's time to get snap happy as Swindon Photographic Society launches major competition Pages 29 Date set for this year's Swindon Half Marathon

Community: P2-20

Swindon Wide: P21 - 29

Leisure: P30-39

Page 10 Creating a haven for Swindon's homeless

Page 17

REVIEW: Value and quality at The Woodlands Edge

Page 31

Getting in a jam with the town centre

By Group Editor Jamie Hill jamie@positive-media.co.uk

Our mailbag has been heaving this month.

We're in the second month of our The Heart of Swindon campaign where we celebrate the centre of this town whilst at the same time asking the difficult questions.

This month we put forward an idea to try and galvanise the powers that be to look seriously at all of the issues.

My quite ambitious suggestion is for a tram system coupled with park and rides to try and join up the town's central destinations as well as cut down on the congestion problems that plague us all.

But that would only be one piece of the pie as there are so many other issues that need to be addressed from economic, social and environmental problems to the stalling regeneration concerns.

There are no easy solutions but we hope that by starting the conversation we can get things moving in the right direction. We look forward to hearing from you.

Group Editor and Owner: Jamie Hill Deputy Editor: Ben Fitzgerald Reporter: Claire Dukes

Sales Admin Manager: Sue Roberts Sales: Dave Stewart, Rosy Presley, Kay Wainwright Office Manager: Karen Randall Photography: Richard Wintle & Rachel Davis - www.calyxpix.com

Primary schools sign up for mini-police scheme

By Ben Fitzgerald ben@swindonlink.com

Swindon’s first primary schools have signed up for the newly established Mini Police scheme.

Goddard Park Primary School, Tadpole Farm CE primary school and Swindon Academy, enrolled 49 yearfive students in ceremonies attended by their parents.

The youngsters made their pledge to join the scheme alongside Chief Constable Kier Pritchard, Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson and Wiltshire’s High Sheriff Nicky Alberry.

The pilot scheme will run for the rest of this academic year and will be delivered by schools with their community policing team. Mini Police offers children the chance to build positive relationships with their local police team, whilst helping out in their school and the wider community.

Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson said: “This is a national programme being tried out in a number of schools by police forces across the country.

“Children and young people will learn the importance of the community working with police to help protect them from crime. By engaging with children and young people from an early age, the Mini Police aims to reduce future demand, discussing how getting involved in criminality

Tadpole Farm CE Primary Pupils at the swearing in ceremony

can affect their lives. They will find out what it means to be a police officer and we also hope to plant the seed of good citizenship. In time they may take up opportunities to them either through volunteering as a Cadet, Special or a career path towards becoming a Regular.”

Chief Constable Kier Pritchard said: “I am pleased to see so many willing young people support the police in helping to keep their communities safe. These are the first schools to trial Mini Police in Swindon and I’m sure they will make it a great success. Going forward we would like to see the scheme grow across Wiltshire.”

Goddard Park Primary Deputy Headteacher, Carmen Franklin, said: “After the Mini Police ceremony today one of our Reception children, aged four, came back to the class, put on the police hat and high vis jacket and said 'Look I am in the Mini Police, I help people!' It is so important that the children see the police as a friendly face and a source

of support rather than just when things go wrong.

"PCSOs Rachel and Helen are passionate about the Mini Police scheme and the difference it can make to the lives of the children.”

Swindon Academy Primary Headteacher, Sally Hodgson, said: “This is a great opportunity for the children to interact and work the police in a positive way.

We are working to develop independent young people, who can add, in a positive way, to our community - the Mini Police programme will support this work.”

Tadpole CE Primary Headteacher, Jane Leo, said: “We, as a school, are very excited to be given this opportunity to join the Wiltshire Police in this Mini Police scheme. We are grateful to be one of the three schools in Swindon to be part of it and excited to get going.

It is a brilliant scheme, giving the year five students a chance to see some of the aspects of being an officer and what they tackle on a daily basis.”

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Got a community story or feature? Contact newsdesk at publisher@swindonlink.com or 01793 744677 swindonlink.com n February 2019

3

Is it time for Swindon to embrace the tram?

By Jamie Hill jamie@positive-media.co.uk

If there's one thing that we can all agree on in Swindon is that its transport system needs an overhaul.

Congestion is rife especially around the busier parts of the town. I've lost count of the amount of times I've been sat there in traffic trying to keep calm as cars inch forward at a snail's pace.

The area around The Outlet Village is especially bad at weekends - causing frustration for residents and drivers in equal amounts.

As part of our The Heart of Swindon we welcome any ideas that will make a positive difference to the town centre.

And I believe a tram system could be the answer that we're all looking for.

What I would propose is a tram system linking two park and rides each based at the motorway junctions - the busiest entrance ways to the town.

The regular hop-on hop-off trams would go East to West and West to East stopping at all of the town's central locations.

This is only an idea and obviously we're not town planners at Swindon Link 4

swindonlink.com n February 2019

so we have no idea of the implications of such a huge infrastructure project.

So here's why I believe this could be a good idea...

Congestion As already mentioned it's sometimes bumper to bumper in the centre of the town. You can't move for love nor money.

If visitors to the town parked in a strategically located park and ride this would go a long way to solving these issues.

One of the biggest complaints about the new Snowasis complex being built at North Star is that we simply don't have the road infrastructure to cope with any extra influx of traffic. This would be an elegant solution.

Pollution Too many cars and vehicles also leads to too much pollution. Trams are an environmentally friendly way to get from A to B improving the air quality for us all.

Car Parking Parking is a problem in the centre. There simply aren't enough spaces to cope. It is also very costly and one of the main reasons why people get turned off from the town centre. Why visit the town centre and spend ÂŁ8.50 for five hours when you can

spend just a ÂŁ1 for the same length of time at The Outlet Village or even for free at Greenbridge, Shaw Ridge, Mannington Retail Park or The Orbital? The parking at a park and ride coupled with a tram ticket would have to be cheap to entice drivers to abandon their vehicles. The council has already experimented with park and rides but they have been poorly located. They need to be at the motorway junctions for this to work.

Linking the town centre At the moment the town centre, the Outlet Village, Old Town and the new Snowasis development, although all quite geographically close, are disjointed with nothing linking up the sites. A hop-on hop-off

tram system would answer this making it easy for people to get around the town without having to jump back in their vehicles to make the journey.

Granted this idea is only an idea and there are lots of factors that would also need to be taken into consideration but with the right vision the council could really champion this getting the stakeholders to carry the lion's share of any cost (as well as a bid for Government funding). We just need someone at the council to take the bull by the horns.

But this is only one idea and the issues facing the town centre are very complicated so please keep sending your ideas in to publisher@ swindonlink.com

Your voices...

Swindon Link's The Heart of Swindon campaign has certainly struck a chord with our readers prompting many of you to write to us with your views.

Opening the floor to as wide a range of opinion and experience as possible and encouraging open, honest and constructive debate is vital and at the root of our campaign.

Here's what some of you have said this month:

Why is it getting worse?

Hi, I’ve been to a lot of towns and even villages around Swindon (Wiltshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire...) and To Be Honest Swindon’s town centre is THE WORST ONE. Even some villages have more charming shopping centres. I don’t know why it is getting even worse with loads of closed shops.

Kind Regards M Reza Fereidouni

Long term projects that could boost the town Just been reading Swindon Link & well done to your initiatives & articles.

Just to add some more cheer, before I retired I worked as an electrical engineer in the Rail Industry, two longer-term projects which will help the town: 1) Crossrail, when opened it will enable commuters to travel from Reading into the heart of the City of London in an hour which has already & will in the future dramatically increase house prices, they are bad now in Reading but the magic hour committing will raise this. In Swindon with Paddington now down to 53min with the new trains & Reading much less our house prices will rocket, could be

bad news for some but good for the town.

2) I have been badgering Robert Buckland for some time to support the proposed Reading to Heathrow Rail Link, Network Rail have just announced a resounding 73% support for the link from business & councils, government approval will follow & it should be complete by 2012/3, again a major boost for us as it will make access to the bigger Heathrow so much easier.

You may think these are too long term or outside the town but trust me it will make a difference.

Keep up the good work Ray

Route from the station could be improved I read your article in the current Link magazine with interest and agree with most of what you wrote.

The route from the Railway Station to the town centre should be easier and better signed. One current route via the bus station which is absolutely disgusting, involves going through an underpass which is not ideal especially in the dark.

As just mentioned the bus station is dreadful. If this was your first sight of Swindon you would get back on the bus/ coach you had arrived on and leave immediately. The place is filthy and if

waiting for a bus or coach out of hours there is no pleasant place to wait and often the toilets are locked so unavailable.

Many of the pavements, especially in the area from the library down to the Pilgrim centre are uneven and badly maintained and most of the pavements are covered in chewing gum. With many shops empty and limited choice amongst those that are left it is no wonder that people would rather go to other places which offer a pleasant shopping experience.

Yours sincerely Sheila Mitchell

Work begins to improve gateway

Zurich in talks over new office base

Work to transform Wellington Street, opposite Swindon railway station, to make it more welcoming for residents and visitors began last month.

When complete, the revamped road will feature a segregated pedestrian and cycle path as well as a new pedestrian crossing.

In addition, new paving will be laid down and the area tidied up to create what promises to be a much more pedestrianfriendly area so people will be met with a much more pleasant environment when they step off the train into Swindon. Contractor Britannia

Zurich - which employs hundreds of people in Swindon - is in talks to create a new office development.

The project, if it gets the green light - will form the centrepiece of a redevelopment of the strategically important Kimmerfields site.

Zurich is currently in talks with Swindon Borough Council and Homes England over the proposed scheme.

Councillor Dale Heenan, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for the Town Centre, said: “The Council’s regeneration of the town centre has been in the pipeline for the

Construction Limited began the work by excavating two areas within the footpath and kerb line on the west side. The work is expected to last four months and the road is closed to all traffic with diversion routes clearly signposted.

last 10 years, but we are now finally close to a major deal with Zurich and the Government agency Homes England.

“This deal will see construction start on new larger, modern, fitfor-purpose offices in our town centre next year.

“Visible progress for local residents and businesses is our number one aim so 2019 will be a major year for Swindon.” swindonlink.com n February 2019

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Fighting inequality for 40 years Rosemary Macdonald is the chief executive of the Wiltshire Community Foundation, a charity funder and supporter which has been fighting disadvantage in Swindon and Wiltshire for more than 40 years.

She tells us about the foundation's work: At a time when there is a growing demand on the charity sector to fill the gap left by increasingly deeper public sector cuts it is vital that money is channelled to the people who use it most effectively. At the Wiltshire Community Foundation we see our role as being here to ensure that happens.

The community foundation began life in Swindon in 1975 when Lord Joel Joffe decided he wanted to give back something to the community that had given him a home. Initially the foundation worked with companies in Swindon, building up a reserve of money to fund causes in the town but gradually the foundation’s influence spread across Wiltshire and now we fund hundreds of groups across the whole county. Last year we funded causes in Wiltshire to the tune of

WCF chief executive Rosemary Macdonald, left, and development and marketing director Fiona Oliver £1.2 million, more than £300,000 of which went to Swindon groups and individuals.

We are able to do this because we have gradually built up an endowment of more than £22 million, which generates a yearly income. We also act as a conduit for other charity funders, such as the government’s Tampon Tax for women’s causes or its #iwill fund to empower young people through volunteering and social action to improve their communities.

Four times a year the community foundation

awards foundation grants, two of these grant rounds make larger awards of up to £5,000 for a maximum of three years, and two make smaller grants of £1,000, again for up to three years.

Each application is carefully assessed by our grants team to ensure that the applicant has made a thorough case for their bid.

Each grant will be considered by an independent panel that decides on which grants to approve using the recommendations of the grants team and its members’ own judgement and experience. Our panellists come from all walks of life and sections of the community, be it business, local government or the charity sector.

The majority of the groups we support are small but very focused on tackling a specific need or issue within their community and our support for them is vital.

To find out more about our grants and for details of how to apply, go to wiltshirecf.org. uk.

Individual grants

Funder Plus

Corporate Partners

Last year the community foundation made more than 300 grants to individuals through two major campaigns, Surviving Winter and One Degree More.

Since 2010 Surviving Winter has specifically tackled fuel poverty, which claims the lives of up to 500 elderly and vulnerable people in Swindon and Wiltshire every year.

WCF make grants of £300 to people referred to us. In 2017/18 265 households received a total of £77,000.

One Degree More, launched in 2008, awards university bursary grants to young people who need financial help to follow their career path. In 2017/18 WCF awarded £184,000 to 39 young people in Swindon and Wiltshire, In 2017/18 WCF awarded 13 grants totalling £10,391.

Because many of the groups WCF works with are so small, they don’t have the time or resources to do the things larger charities do to help them grow. The Funder Plus initiative helps to address that.

It uses WCF's experience and know-how to nurture and inspire groups across the county to reach further and higher.

The initiative also features free monthly funding advice sessions held around the county, Meet the Funder events which connect groups directly with funders, and low-cost workshops.

The workshops cover a variety of useful topics to help groups become stronger and more self-sufficient, including strategy, governance, the role of trustees and grant application. Groups can access a database that gives valuable details of funders. They also receive a monthly newsletter full of updates on grants available and charity sector news.

Wiltshire Community Foundation has forged strong relationships with businesses, particularly in Swindon.

Businesses trust the WCF to use their money effectively because of the foundation's knowledge of local charities.

TE Connectivity in Dorcan, which has built up a £270,000 endowment over an eighteen-year partnership, is one such firm.

The income generated by the fund helps a wide variety of groups, including Patches, a crafts club for lonely and isolated older people, Chiseldon Football Club and Scrappers community boxing gym.

Other corporate partners include Nationwide, Zurich, Intel and KPMG. Contact the Wiltshire Community Foundation on www.wiltshirecf.org.uk or call 01380 729284. swindonlink.com n February 2019

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Mad March Hare open for entries

Keep up your New Year’s resolution and sign up for the Mad March Hare.

Entry is open for this year's Mad March Hare in aid of Breast Cancer NOW. Participants can walk, jog or run the 5km or 10km circular route of West Swindon and Lydiard Park.

The Mad March Hare will take place on Sunday March 24 March 2019, starting and finishing at Lydiard Park Academy.

Esther Newman, part of the Mad March Team said ‘the event which is in its 12th year has raised over £100,000 so far and we hope to make 2019 another successful year. Without the support of the Swindon community we would not be in our 12th year and we want to thank each and every person who has ever taken part and we hope you will join us again this year to make it our best year yet!

To take part or volunteer at the event log on to www. madmarchhare.org.uk or call 0845 6808064.

Greener buses

Swindon's Bus Company has been recognised for cutting carbon emissions by 30 per cent in three years and reductions of nearly 70% over the past decade.

Parent company The GoAhead Group is the first transport group to secure an ISO 50001 certification for all its bus and rail UK operations.

Managing director, Andrew Wickham, said: “This is recognition of our drive to keep Swindon’s Bus Company at the forefront of emission reduction in our community, and represents a big step forward. We have demonstrated our commitment to reducing emissions with a number of initiatives including introducing a new fleet of greener buses."

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Riding school saddles up new partner and expands curriculum

By Claire Dukes claire@swindonlink.com

The Royal Agricultural University (RAU) has announced a partnership with equestrian centre, Rein and Shine, to broaden the range of horsebased courses for students.

BTEC Level 3 students at Swindon's Rein and Shine can now benefit from a day out at Cirencester's RAU. The course will enable them to receive training on

equine anatomy and physiology.

Rein and Shine will also be offering RAU students the opportunity to train for their British Horse Society (BHS) Stage 1 Certificate in Riding and Stable Management via Progressive Training.

Owner John McDonald, who runs the centre with wife Jo, said: “It’s so rewarding to be recognised by a University as wellknown as the RAU. We’re very much

looking forward to working with them."

Dr Andrew Hemmings, Head of the RAU’s School of Equine Management and Science added: “Working together will help our students learn the hands-on practical skills which are valued by many parts of the equine industry.

“It’s an exciting time to be part of the equine sector and together we can equip students with the skills required to succeed."

As well as a new

partnership, Rein and Shine also introduced a new course for 16 to 18-year-olds last month. From September 2019 students will be able to opt for a BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Sport (Performance and Excellence with additional Equine). It is worth 3 A Levels and is a new addition to the Virtual Learning UK (VLUK) range of BTEC options. www.reinandshine. co.uk

Local charity extends warm invite to tackle mental health problems

By Claire Dukes claire@swindonlink.com

A local charity spent a whole month dedicated to improving people's wellbeing in a bid to tackle mental health problems.

Phoenix Enterprises Ltd turned the Jaunary blues upside down last month by devising a programme to offer various activities for people struggling with their mental health and wellbeing. Such activities included a healthy diet plan, money management, alcohol awareness programmes, sporting activities, and talks on depression.

Hosting an open day the charity hoped to raise awareness of the various services they provide to support isolated residents, with particular focus on social and mental wellbeing.

The charity's long-standing mission aims to support people suffering with mental health problems back into employability.

Swindon M&S staff avoid 1,000 job cuts Staff at Swindon's four branches of Marks and Spencer learned that their jobs were safe after it was announced that 1,000 jobs would be axed nationally.

M&S announced the closure of 17 stores: Ashford, Barrow, Bedford, Boston, Buxton, Cwmbran, Deal, Felixtowe, Huddersfield, Hull, Junction One Antrim Outlet, Luton Arndale, Newark, Northwich, Rotherham and Sutton Coldfield.

Swindon has branches in the Brunel Shopping Centre, the Orbital Shopping Park and the Swindon Designer Outlet as well as a Simply Food store at the Mannington Retail Park.

Marks and Spencer plans to close the 17 stores as part of the retailer's plans to restructure its business in response to changing consumer habits.

SEN improvement 70 day deadline set

Inspectors have given 70 days for improvements to special educational needs and disabilities services in Swindon to be made.

The deadline was set following a week-long inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission.

When asked, parents and young people criticised delays in assessments and services available to them. They also said that communication with them could be better. The report highlighted the lack of a designated medical officer.

Inspectors said that authorities had correctly identified areas for improvement and that some were already being carried out. It was noted that many changes were at an early stage and some had not started to deliver the impact required. These include improvements to the Local Offer website and Education Health and Care Plans.

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Inspirational Phoebe takes the top prize

By Ben Fitzgerald ben@swindonlink.com

Inspirational teenager Phoebe Maddison, 15, from North Swindon has scooped first place in a prestigious singing competition.

After entering the Junior Star Singer Songwriter competition in September, Phoebe sang live on Swindon

105.5 community radio winning a place in the finals and travelled to London in December to be judged against 25 other finalists.

Phoebe has been invited on a national radio tour to sing.

Phoebe, who attends Abbey Park School, is a previous winner of the Pride of Swindon Awards, has showcased her

talent on The Voice Kids and has been recognised at the British Citizen Youth Awards.

The youngster was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was four years old and has since raised thousands for Diabetes UK and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation as well as winning a BAFTA for a film about the condition.

In fine voice - Phoebe Maddison pictured taking part in The Voice Kids

Official date set for 2019 Swindon Half Marathon

The official date has been announced for the start of the 2019 Swindon Half Marathon.

Organisers have set the event, using the updated route which takes participants on a circuit around the town, for September 22nd, starting at 9.30am.

The future of the event had been thrown into doubt after the start time of last year's event was moved to 8am from 11am to avoid the traffic problems that plagued the 2017 event.

The earlier start time prompted fears that competitors from outside Swindon would be less likely to sign up for the event.

Early Bird tickets cost £35.94 (including an admin fee of £2.44) and include an event t-shirt. Affiliated Entry costs £33.86 Entries for the Nationwide sponsored event will go live on February 1st at www. newswindonhalf.co.uk

Westlea pupils treated to spoon percussion workshop

By Ben Fitzgerald ben@swindonlink.com

Children at Westlea Primary school were encouraged to seek musical inspiration from the cutlery drawer - when they were treated to a spoon percussion workshop.

Professional percussionist Jo May, delighted youngsters with a showcase of her skills during morning assembly, accompanied by equally talented musician Linda Game who played jigs and reels on her fiddle.

Jo and Linda then spent the day working with individual classes to share their skills and encourage the children to have a go themselves.

Jo, who honed her skills as an orchestral percussionist at the Royal College of Music, said: "It's all about having a go with it.

"It gives the children the chance to try out something

new. And the nice thing is that it is with objects that they will all be familiar with."

Year 2 class teacher Holly Rew said: "It's a fantastic opportunity for the children to have a go at something that they might not have had a go at before - they really enjoyed the performance!"

The workshop and performance was arranged to coincide with the relaunch of Youth Music Swindon - which also funded the event.

Previously known as Friends of Swindon Young Musicians, it was originally set up to support the development of new musicians in Swindon, following a donation from the will of a local resident.

Trustees encourage applications from individuals under 19 years old or organisations. To find out more or to apply, contact chairman of the trust Bob Barrett at barrettsdmj@aol.com.

Professional percussionist Jo May delivered a series of workshops to youngters at Westlea Primary using spoons as an instrument!

Inset: Year 2 pupils give it a go.

Window Wanderland promises to light up the streets of Eastcott The streets of Eastcott will be transformed into a magical trail of illuminated windows next month - for the Window Wanderland event.

Preparations are already underway for the community initiative which will take place on the evenings of 2-4 March between 6-9pm.

Thanks to Big Lottery grant funding, Eastcott Community Organisation is offering a series of drop-in workshops run by artists for those who would like practical guidance and craft materials.

These will be held at Savernake Street Social Hall on Sunday 3 February 2-5pm, Wednesday 13 February 6-8pm and Sunday 24 February 2-5pm.

The event is organised

by Eastcott Community Organisation, the group of volunteers who manage Savernake Street Social Hall.

Eastcott Window Wanderland promises to be a fun and inclusive community

event, where residents, businesses, shops, schools and community organisations are invited to make an illuminated display in their window or front garden.

The idea is to create an engaging walking trail and a chance for those living in the Eastcott area to work together as a community.

Printed maps and an online map will outline the route.

Homes, schools and organisations have already signed up to the free event.

The concept of Window Wanderland, which started in Bristol, prompted local resident

Helen Ganberg to suggest replicating the scheme closer to home.

Helen has worked with the team at Eastcott Community Organisation to plan and deliver the event.

Helen said: "When I heard about the idea, I thought it would be magical, and a lovely way to bring the community together in a unique way. The great thing is that everyone can take part, by making a display, walking the trail or both, and the ideas can be as simple as you like, it’s all about having some fun and joining in."

Chair of the community organisation, Caroline DaviesKhan explained: "We loved this idea as soon as we heard about it, as it’s all about doing something special as a community and creating new connections."

To find out more about the event, how to register and the workshops please visit the website www. windowwanderland.com/ event/eastcott-swindon-2019 or email Eastcott Community Organisation’s events coordinator, Anish Harrison, eastcottwindowwanderland@ gmail.com swindonlink.com n February 2019

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Mechanics' Institution Trust's Daniel Rose to step down Executive officer for the Mechanics’ Institution Trust, Daniel Rose, is set to step down from the role - to relocate with his family to Greece.

Daniel, who has been part of the trust for 16 years, joined the organisation as a volunteer at the age of 18 when he was invited to become a trustee. He was chairman of the Swindon Youth Council at the time.

During his time at the Trust, Daniel has overseen the redevelopment of the Central Community Centre, the Railway Village Museum and the Baker’s Café. Most recently, he has negotiated an agreement for the Trust to undertake the redevelopment of the former Cricketers’ pub.

Daniel said: “I never expected to spend 16 years at this task, but the challenges were always balanced by the progress, however slow, and the cause of the Mechanics’ Institution was too important to let go of.

“My wife Jen and I have long considered moving to Greece and experiencing a different lifestyle and, with a young pre-school son, now is the right time for us.

"I will remain supportive of the Mechanics’ Institution

Trust and look forward to watching the organisation continue to grow and develop.

It is possible to work remotely anywhere in the world these days and I will maintain consultancy contracts in the UK, and I am grasping that

opportunity. I will check in with the Trust whenever my work with the Architectural Heritage Fund and other consultancy brings me to the UK and hope to see its long efforts come to a happy conclusion for all the friends I will keep in Swindon.”

Prospect Hospice celebrate fundraising boost and confirm live concert

By Claire Dukes claire@swindonlink.com

The Prospect Hospice gift wrap stall, in Swindon Town Centre’s Brunel Shopping Centre, raised more than £5000 this Christmas, bringing the total raised to more than £20,000 in the five years since it started.

The scheme was first launched back in 2014, and since last year alone has seen a £400 increase in donations and also saw an additional store added last Christmas.

Hollie Ricketts is Community Fundraiser for Prospect Hospice. She said: “We are absolutely delighted with the amount raised this year and thrilled that in just five years the stall has raised £21,759.88! We are very grateful to the team at The Brunel who welcome our volunteers and look after us all so well each year and, of 14

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course, to all of volunteers who worked so hard wrapping the presents this year. We love putting on this event for the local community.

“I’d also like to sincerely thank everyone who used the gift-wrap service and made a

donation. This is an important annual fundraising event for the hospice and every penny raised goes straight into helping to care for our patients and their families.”

Jane Stewart, Centre Manager of The Brunel added:

“We are delighted that the gift wrap stall idea has grown into something that is raising a significant amount of money for Prospect Hospice. The Prospect charity is close to the hearts of many of Swindon’s residents and we are very proud to continue to support this event and to give our shoppers an opportunity to show their support for their local charity.

Breaking through the £20,000 mark is just fabulous!”

Onwards and upwards Prospect Hospice are now looking to Spring for their next fundraiser. This month, 24 February, The Midwest Big Band will be hosting a live concert to raise money for the charity.

Taking place at Christ Church, Old Town from 8pm to 10pm, tickets will be £8 for adults, and free for accompanied children (16 years and under). To obtain tickets email lenvmorphew@hotmail.co.uk.

Swindon business boss takes a hike for Children in Need

By Claire Dukes claire@swindonlink.com

before Children in Need. Neil said: "Susan and I relished the challenge of walking the entire length of South West Coastal Path. Although walking the path is hard work a lot of the time, the spectacular coastal views and diversity more than makes up for the real effort we have to put in to complete some of the sections.� www.justgiving. com/fundraising/bushtonferris

Neil Ball, Director of Swindonbased Bushton Ferris Ltd, is preparing to go the distance for a charity walk in aid of Children in Need.

Walking the coastal path with his friend, Susie Ritchie, the duo are aiming to complete what Neil started. Having already walked 440 miles - from Poole Harbour in Dorset to Mawgan Porth in Cornwal - Neil and Susie are aiming to complete the remaining 190 miles

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15

What's the verdict? Council calls on public's help to end rough sleeping Members of the public have been encouraged to give their views on Swindon Borough Council’s ambitious plans to tackle rough sleeping.

The council is launching a new scheme, 'Rough Sleeper Reduction Strategy', to lay out sustainable plans to decrease the amount of rough sleepers in Swindon over the next three years.

The strategy focuses on three key areas: prevention, intervention and recovery, and seeks to ensure that nobody arrives on the street and that nobody returns to the street.

The priorities contained in the strategy include providing a rapid joined-up response to help people who are already sleeping rough, offering outreach services to people with complex health needs and developing a range of accommodation options tailored to meet individual needs.

Councillor Cathy Martyn, Swindon Borough Council’s

Cabinet Member for Housing and Public Safety, said: “We are committed to reducing the numbers of rough sleepers in Swindon and this strategy is an important tool for achieving that.

“From providing emergency accommodation to everyone who needs it to opening a new day care centre to provide services to homeless people, this Council already offers a lot of support to rough sleepers and this critical document acts as a public declaration that outlines our mission.

“I would urge people to submit comments before the deadline at the end of January and they will be taken into account before the strategy is finalised.”

To further help the Council achieve its aim of reducing the numbers of rough sleepers in Swindon, the authority will work closely with institutions such as prisons, young offender institutions, hospitals and the

armed forces to ensure people have sustainable plans in place before they leave, and thus do not end up homeless.

Every year, the Council spends £1.4m providing support and accommodation to people experiencing housing difficulties.

In late 2018, the Council launched the Temporary Winter Housing Provision scheme which proved so

successful last year. The programme sees an identified group of rough sleepers given accommodation and close personal support with the aim of getting them into permanent accommodation.

This year, the scheme comes with the opening of a new day centre, run by Swindon Night Shelter, which provides vital support services to rough sleepers in Swindon.

Bakers put icing on the cake to celebrate birthdays of Swindon's homeless Volunteer bakers from across Swindon have been baking birthday cakes for homeless young people.

It is part of a joint initiative between Swindon Borough Council’s Community Health and Wellbeing team and the Foyer, a 57-bed hostel for young people aged 16 to 25 years old managed by Stonewater housing association based in Swindon.

The ‘Forget Me Not’ bakers began making cakes for isolated residents who wouldn’t normally have their birthday marked, but in recent months the project has expanded to include baking for young people who are homeless.

Co-ordinated by the Council’s Community Health and Wellbeing Team, there are 66 volunteer bakers who collectively make almost 100 cakes per year. Since November, seven birthday cakes have been made and 16

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delivered to the Foyer.

Jenny Yallop, who has been a volunteer baker since last summer, recently made two cakes for the young people.

She said: “I used to bake and now that I live on my own, it’s a good way to keep baking. I think it’s a very good idea.”

Gareth Hacker, a coach at the Foyer, offered his thanks to Jenny and the rest of the Forget Me Not Bakers. He said: “I’d just like to say thank you very much to all of the bakers. All of the residents are genuinely over the moon when they receive them.”

A few weeks ago, lots of hand-knitted hats and scarves were also donated to the Foyer by the local ‘Stitch and Bitch’ knitting group in collaboration with the Council’s Big Swindon Knit initiative. They were warmly received and were placed under the Christmas tree as gifts. There are also plans to start a knitting and

crocheting group for the young people.

If you’d like to find out more about becoming a Forget Me

Not Baker or other volunteering opportunities with the Council, get in touch with the Live Well Hub at 01793 465513.

New day centre to transform the future of Swindon's homeless

By Claire Dukes claire@swindonlink.com

A brand new centre in Swindon aims to transform the lives of 12 homeless people, as well as offering long-term provision for the town's rough sleepers.

Swindon Borough Council has teamed up with Swindon Night Shelter to unveil 'The Haven' day centre in a bid to alleviate homelessness in the town.

Since launching the council’s temporary winter housing provision in December, 12 homeless people have been residing at The Haven formerly Riverside School which will now operate a new day centre open to all rough sleepers.

Run by Swindon Night Shelter, the charity is working alongside the council to offer rough sleepers access to various services, facilities and hot meals over the next three years.

Becky Davison, project leader for Swindon Night Shelter, said: "It’s a pretty exciting day here for us – it’s everything we’ve been hoping and praying for over the last couple of years.

It’s been 10 years today since we’ve been working with some of our guests, so we’ve built up that trust and relationship.

"We thought by being in one place people can come to us, and they can get the help and support they need if they want it, – we offer whatever we can, but people have got to want to choose that - so it’s offering that opportunity.

"For the first year we are hoping to be open three days a week for drop-ins, and the other two days for booked in groups. Obviously over this year we’d really like to be able to increase that – the goal is 24/7 provision here.

“We’re really grateful to the council for the opportunity to use this building for the next three years.”

The Haven's day centre will also see the Big Breakfast Plus move into the premises from St Luke's as a permanent

feature. The charitable breakfast service hopes this will encourage more homeless people to engage with the services The Haven will offer.

Rosemary Curtis, Trustee and Hon Secretary of Big Breakfast Plus, said: “We’ll be doing a breakfast for the people in the temporary winter housing provision, but we’ll also be open to any other rough sleeper who’s still out there.

“The brilliant thing too is that we’ll be getting other agencies and support coming here to engage with our guests. We find at breakfast that people are particularly amenable to engagement because they’re less likely to be ‘under the influence’.

“It’s really important that we do work collaboratively, - there’s a huge amount of support from the general public, but some of them are enabling dependence - and this is a really good opportunity to expand on that. Not everybody wants to engage with the services, and this is normally what the general public don’t necessarily understand.”

Since launching the council’s temporary winter housing provision at The Haven, voluntary guests have moved into the premises. Running until the end of March the 12 guests will have full access to services including The Building Bridges

Programme, - to open up voluntary opportunities for the guests - as well as Turning Point who provide drug and alcohol support.

Swindon Night Shelter hopes that the three-year lease of the building will enable them to continue these services after the council scheme ends. Becky Davidson said: “We’re very excited, – lots of different plans – but it’s just doing it step by step because the most important thing for us is to get that funding in place to make sure whatever we start is sustainable.

“The more we learn, understand and realise what our guests want we can cater to their needs – it’s not about ticking boxes, it’s about giving them different choices. We’re really hoping to get some days out – we’d love to have a minibus.

“We’re really looking for regular support, – at the moment we’re very blessed with one-off donations – to consistently run a project like this.”

Swindon Mayor, Junab Ali, unveiled The Haven’s

day centre. He added: “We have so many organisations who are trying to help the homeless people, and I think it just needs all of these organisations coming together as one because if everybody works in their own silos they haven’t got the resources or enough volunteers. But coming together you’re bringing all these volunteers, assets and management together under one roof, that means you’re better placed to give people more help and direct them in a positive way. In that respect it’s great that we’ve got organisations coming together in one place.

“For those people who are homeless, The Haven gives them a semi-permanent home where they know that this is a fixed place, rather than having people going around the town looking for homeless people where they are camped out or they’re sleeping rough - for all those people at least they know there’s a safe, warm and welcoming place for them. This is a very good idea.”

For further information visit www.swindonnightshelter.uk swindonlink.com n February 2019

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Pets and nature

Studley Grange is leaping into Spring ahead of new arrivals

By Claire Dukes claire@swindonlink.com

Fresh flowers and new life awaits visitors at Studley Grange Butterfly World, Farm Park & Craft Village.

Preparing for lambing season, Studley Grange is set for a spritely Spring with new arrivals due in February half term, as well as tropical temperatures in the butterfly greenhouses.

A spokesperson for Studley Grange said: "It is certainly a busy time for many farmers as lambing approaches, and here at Studley Grange Butterfly World Farm Park & Craft Village we are looking

forward to a successful lambing, with lambs due to be born during February half term.

"After the exceptional dry summer, we, like many farmers, found last summer quite challenging. Although we all enjoy lazy sunny days relaxing in the sunshine, the prolonged period of very hot weather experienced last summer was not enjoyed by our livestock, who generally speaking are not fans of the heat.

"The butterflies at Studley Grange Butterfly World, however are lucky enough to live all year round in a heated tropical greenhouse, providing them with the perfect conditions

to live and breed throughout the year, ensuring a colourful display of butterflies all year round.

"There is also a great display of Atlas moths, which can be seen close up in all four stages of the lifecycle, egg, caterpillar, cocoon, moth. They are fascinating to watch as

the caterpillars grow at such a rate, visitor marvel at how big they become before wrapping themselves in silk to produce their cocoons. Once the moths emerge from the cocoon they really are one of nature’s most beautiful sights with their large colourful wing spin." www.studleygrange.co.uk

"Does your pet have a healthy heart?" asks Drove Vets

By Drove Vets publisher@swindonlink.com

If we are perfectly tuned machines, then our heart is the engine, and the same is true for our pets! The heart is the organ in charge of keeping nutrients and oxygen moving to every little corner of our bodies, making sure all of our systems continue to work perfectly.

We tend to associate heart issues with our golden oldies, and while age might increase the risk of some conditions, heart disease has a lot of causes! Some of these are more frequent in young animals, and others might even appear at any age.

How do I know if my pet has heart problems?

There are several signs you can be on the lookout for that might tell you when it’s time to take your pet to the vet.

Slowing down during exercise, fainting, coughing, distended abdomen, difficulty breathing and pale gums are all signs

that can indicate heart conditions. Cats, in particular, can suffer from hind leg paralysis due to blood clots that form as a result of poor circulation associated with heart disease. However, many other issues that are not heartrelated can have these same signs.

To make sure we’re on the right track, your vet will do a thorough physical exam and possibly examine the heart directly with tests like chest x-rays, ultrasounds, electrocardiography or blood tests.

The most common heart condition of dogs is disease of the heart valves while in cats it’s a thickening of the heart chambers – a condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

The circulatory system has a fantastic capacity to adapt, but as damages progress, it becomes too much for the heart to compensate. Even though early heart disease usually has no symptoms, once heart

failure sets in, most of the time it is irreversible. This is why it’s important to do regular heart health check-ups and catch any treatable conditions in time.

My pet has a heart condition - what can I do?

Cardiac insufficiency is also known as congestive heart failure, and we agree that this sounds quite scary! Even though this condition is most likely irreversible, there are plenty of treatment options to improve heart function and help with other signs like distended abdomen, fluid in lungs and intolerance to exercise.

It’s essential that you: • Follow your vet’s recommendations and for therapy; • Talk to your vet or nurse about all the questions and doubts you might have; • Bring your pet in periodically for check-ups and to make sure the treatment is still working; • Keep in mind that most heart conditions will need lifelong treatment and just because

your pet is feeling better you shouldn’t discontinue their medication.

Don’t forget, your vets are there for you and your pet!

If you notice something might be wrong (for example: bouts of coughing, collapse, heavy breathing, distended abdomen) or you’re not sure of how to proceed, contact your practice immediately. www.drovevets.co.uk swindonlink.com n February 2019 19

The Business Brief

Startup aims to connect van users with customers

Swindon-based tech startup, Tote is set to launch a new app and website delivery service in the early part of this year.

The company aims to provide a platform that connects local van owners with the public to open up the market for ondemand delivery and moving services.

The company's mobile app allows users to have a job quoted and booked in minutes.

The firm aims to connect workers who own vans, with those who require a van for things such as Gumtree, eBay or Facebook purchase pickups, store item pickup, or even licensed waste disposal.

Tote, which is based in the Workshed co-working space in Swindon, has already seen good interest in the service pre-launch, with lots of users signing up for their early adopter offers. And van drivers are being offered their first five jobs fee free.

The company is also offering

15% discount codes for people who need one of the app's services of either licensed waste disposal, or a mini move of 1-2 bigger items such as a sofa or mattress.

Shane Moore, CEO & Founder at Tote, said: “This is one of the few services that is still stuck in the dark ages for both parties. When we launch, consumers and service providers will easily be able to connect to each other, making Tote the quicker, more convenient and safer way to book a service with a van.

"All our drivers are checked before being allowed access to jobs, which means that you know you are in safe hands and will be supported by us.

Van drivers are the backbone of our service, and we are keen to work with the local van owners to offer them additional work.”

For more information see https://www.totehero.co.uk/ join-us

Entrepreneur joins digital marketing firm Smarter Media Swindon entrepreneur James Phipps has joined digital marketing and SEO specialist Smarter Media by becoming the company’s non-executive chairman.

Run by business owner Karl Paul, Smarter Media has gone from strength to strength over the last few years and now employs nine people in the town. Karl, 37, started out in his own business seven years ago and the business rebranded as Smarter Media in 2015.

“I’m thrilled with the growth we’ve had with Smarter Media,” Karl said. “However I recognise that in order to grow even further we need to learn from those who have been there, seen it and done it! I’ve known James for some time and was delighted when 20

swindonlink.com n February 2019

he agreed to support us to develop even further.”

The team at Smarter Media, based in Crowood House, Swindon offer companies digital marketing services including bespoke search engine optimisation (SEO) campaigns, social media marketing, digital sales funnels and strategic digital content.

James, who is the chairman and former chief executive of Excalibur Communications, said: “I have known the MD Karl for many years through his support of various charities and community projects I am involved in. I’ve also been a customer of his previously.

“As a businessman myself I know companies need help

digitally but it’s very hard to find people to trust. Helping Smarter Media to grow and build on their strong reputation is highly satisfying for me.”

During 2019, Karl hopes to recruit more talent to the Smarter Media team, expand their office premises, grow by acquision and continue to support local charities.

“This is going to be a year of growth for us and one where we will set goals in business and in supporting the Swindon community we love and also fundraise for our chosen charitable projects which include Threshold in Swindon, the Younite Foundation and Ronald McDonald House in Bristol.”

For further information about Smarter Media visit www. smarter-media.co.uk

The Politics Page

U-turn over council's waste strategy on plastics enforcement action on fly tipping that occurs throughout the town centre.

Currently councils pay 90% of the bill for recycling but under the new strategy this will be passed on to the product manufacturers forcing them to think about sustainable packaging. This could raise between £500 million and £1 billion per year to aid recycling and the disposal of rubbish. The plans also include a commitment to weekly foodwaste collections in every home and the use of a deposit-return scheme.

l How important Swindon and local residents feel about preserving our heritage can be gauged by a petition against demolishing the old Clifton street school in Radnor street to make way for homes.

As I write the petition is set to reach 1,000 signatures which matched by all the local councillors being opposed to the scheme should mean at the very least it will go to the planning committee if not turned down by planning officers. As one of the local councillors I have asked for exactly this.

Lib Dem councillor Stan Pajak The most controversial element of Swindon Council’s proposed waste strategy has been dropped following a consultation with residents and opposition by your Lib Dem Focus Team. Despite Swindon’s recycling rate having fallen from 48% to 38% in 2016/17 the council was proposing to stop the separate plastics collection and ask residents to simply put all their plastics in their normal refuse bin or bag.

We argued such a change was not only against the town’s

recycling target but with plastic bottles taking the space of normal refuse there would inevitably be a dramatic rise in fly tipping. Clearly this must be matched by an increased use of the council’s waste wardens to encourage recycling and

Swindon Borough Council Leader Cllr David Renard (Con) When I look at everything that’s in store for Swindon over the coming year, there is one thing in particular that stands out: Wichelstowe.

The huge development nestled among the bucolic scenery of South Swindon is one of the most exciting building projects currently underway.

The development is progressing through a number of different stages and currently under construction is the Canalside phase around

Waitrose, which will eventually include some stylish new homes, two new schools and a Hall & Woodhouse pub, all resting peacefully on the bank of the Wilts & Berks Canal.

We are leading the delivery of this section of the development and, at the time of writing, the pub is well on track to open in late January and one of the schools, the Deanery CE Academy, will welcome its first pupils in September.

The houses at Canalside will be a mix of one, two, three and four bedroom homes and

there will be 185 retirement apartments. The first residents are expected to move in later this year.

Canalside will form the vibrant heart of Wichelstowe and the public facilities will be

the perfect place for relaxing and celebrating, eating and drinking.

When the whole project is eventually complete, a community consisting of more than 3,000 new homes, new schools, shops and restaurants will have emerged in a particularly beautiful part of the town.

Delivering at Wichelstowe is one of the council’s key pledges and I know I speak for the whole administration when I say we are hugely excited about the future of the development.

and who needed life-saving medication.

The firm that now run these surgeries is called Integrated Medical Holdings, based in Manchester. Labour's Parliamentary Candidates Kate Linnegar and Sarah

Church, have been meeting patients across Swindon affected since the firm took over the surgeries and introduced the phone system that has led to such significant wait times to book an appointment. Sadly this is another example of the Conservatives' creeping privatisation of our NHS having life changing consequences to residents in need of health care.

The Conservatives on Swindon Council have proposed major cuts to Coate Water Country Park which would effectively

see it downgraded to an area of open space rather than a proper country park.

They have proposed the closure of the Splash Park and are considering closing the Pitch and Putt.

A few years ago, we called on the council to use developer money from the Badbury Park estate to upgrade the country park.

Despite the leader of the council promising to do this, as yet no investment has been made in the park, just cuts.

Coate Water needs investment, not downgrading.

Exciting times ahead for Wichelstowe development

Call time on company after delays in appointments Swindon Labour Group Leader Cllr Jim Grant Labour has requested the government and NHS bosses call time on the organisation responsible for running the Eldene, Toothill, Abbey Meads, Taw Hill and Moredon GP surgeries.

This follows patients reporting that they have had to wait hours to talk to someone on the phone to book a GP appointment. Patients struggling to even book an appointment included people who have had strokes, whose children have ended up in A&E,

swindonlink.com n February 2019

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GP resigns from commissioning role following surgery inspection The clinical chair of Swindon Commissioning Group has stepped down from his role in the wake of an excoriating report into Moredon Medical Centre, where he is a GP and partner.

Dr Peter Mack has resigned ‘with immediate effect’ from the two day a week role working with the organisation responsible for planning and purchasing healthcare for Swindon and nearby Shrivenham - with an annual budget of around £300 million. He will be replaced by Dr Sarah Bruen who will take on the role of interim Clinical Chair.

Dr Mack will use the extra time to attempt to bring Moredon Medical Centre which has been placed into special measures - up to standard within six months.

Dr Peter Mack said: “The decision to step down from my role of Clinical Chair

Dr Peter Mack has stepped down as clinical chair of SCG

has not been taken lightly, however I feel it is only right to concentrate my efforts on doing what is right for the patients at my practice.

“They deserve the best possible service from their local GP practice and, by releasing myself from the CCG, I am able to work with my colleagues on producing a thorough and robust action plan that will enable us to move forward.”

Swindon CCG will now begin

the process of appointing a new Clinical Chair, with further details being released as and when decisions are made.

Following a routine inspection by health watchdog the Care Quality Commission, from 9-12 November, Moredon Medical Centre was found to be inadequate (the lowest possible rating) in three of five inspection criteria - Safe, Responsive and Well-led.

The two remaining inspection criteria - Effective and Caring

were judged to be ‘requiring improvement'.

Inspectors also gave the lowest rating for specific services for Older people; People with long term conditions; Families, children and young people; Working age people (including those recently retired and students); People whose circumstances may make them vulnerable; and People experiencing poor mental health.

In their summary, inspectors highlighted concerns about a partnership the medical centre had entered into with Integral Medical Holdings - which provides services for Moredon medical practice as well as Eldene, Toothill, Abbey Meads and Taw Hill.

Chief Inspector of General Practice Professor Steve Field placed the service in special measures - with improvements to be carried out within six months.

NHS staff embrace extra GWH opens £400k unit for training to support patients with intravenous treatments learning difficulties and autism Patients with additional or complex needs are the subject of a newly created training resource aimed at helping Swindon NHS staff improve care and treatment.

The 'learning and development toolkit' has been prepared by Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is being shared nationally to help all NHS staff better understand how to care for patients on the autistic spectrum or with learning difficulties.

Anyone can access and deliver the training, even those who do not have prior additional and complex needs training.

Behind the initiative are Wendy Johnson, head of safeguarding adults and mental health and lead nurse for learning disabilities, and Daniel Boden, clinical risk and patient safety manager 22

swindonlink.com n February 2019

and deputy lead for LD, who noticed a lack of feedback from patients with additional and complex needs.

Wendy said: "For us, the project was a perfect example of how to put the patient and their voice back at the centre of care quality improvement.

“We understood changes needed to be made to the care we provide to patients with additional and complex needs.

We hope that our learning and development toolkit can be shared across other Trusts to further improve on training for staff."

Patients who need intravenous treatments can benefit from a new £400k unit.

Patients with long-term health conditions, such as Crohn's and asthma who need intravenous medical treatments are set to benefit from a £400k new medical day unit at the Great Western Hospital.

Project lead and lead cancer nurse, Helen Winter said: "The new equipment, dedicated treatment area and increased

capacity will enable us to provide the best standard of care possible to our patients and help us treat them sooner, which is fantastic.

Everything is running smoothly and most importantly, our patients feel supported and cared for.

"The opening of the new unit was down to the fabulous teamwork within GWH and it was so exciting to have been a part of it."

Swindon Life

Celebrating town living

From main picture clockwise - If all I did was tell jokes by Louise Bradley, Cig Ah Zig Ah by Sean Heather, Legs by Niamh Collins, Strawberry Thief by Faye Hadfield and Fertility II by Kate Parson.

Artists invited to exhibit for A New Sentimentalism

Gallery Number Nine in Theatre Square is inviting creatives to submit work for an exhibition featuring both UK and International artists.

Artsite curator and artist Beatrice Mar, who is organising the event in partnership with fellow artist Elena Stavaki, explained: “The theme for the exhibition is based on a concept created by a group of artists called A New Sentimentalism.

This concept aims to outline the nostalgia of old techniques from Dirty Realism and New Sincerity from the 80s and 90s, a feeling that can only be described as saccharine, something that is really sweet and bitter at the same time. This concept was initiated by the writings of David Foster Earthworm Recording Studio's Jon Buckett - photograph by

Wallace on literature and the effect of irony on contemporary culture.

“As a response, “New Sentimentalism” brings forward vulnerability as means for strict expression that challenges artists to showcase their courage in ways that are ordinarily saccharine, thereby noting that in order to escape irony, the subject should be a human and emotional one.”

For more information or to enquire about exhibiting, contact bea.v.mar@gmail.com The New Sentimentalism show will run at Gallery Number Nine from 21 February - 3 March.

Jennifer Berry

swindonlink.com n February 2019

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Swindon Spotlight

YOUR GUIDE TO THE MONTHS AHEAD In the community

Book now...

COMEDIAN LUCY PORTER RETURNS TO SWINDON ARTS CENTRE

A brand new stand-up show, 'Pass It On', from the TV favourite Lucy Porter is coming to Swindon Arts Centre Saturday 9 February.

As seen on QI, Room 101, Live at the Apollo. As heard on Radio 4s News Quiz and The Now Show. Always warm, witty and thought-provoking, this is Lucy’s best show yet.

She muses on what we receive from our ancestors and what we pass on to future generations.

Lucy’s inherited dodgy knees and global warming from her parents, but can she leave a better legacy for her children?

Of the show the Telegraph said: "Impeccably punch-lined anecdotes… Genuinely delightful". www.swindontheatres.co.uk

JASON MANFORD AT THE OASIS

Comedian Jason Manford will be returning to Swindon, 9 February, with his latest show 'Muddle Class' at the Oasis Leisure Centre. Delivered with Jason’s amiable charm and captivating wit, this is a show not to be missed.

Not suitable for under 16's.

Tickets £31 www.swindontheatres.co.uk

LET'S SWIM, GET SWIMMING

Swindon-based 'Math Rock' trio Let's Swim, Get Swimming are hosting their album release show 'Nothing Nautical' at Darkroom Espresso, 1 March. Support comes from 'nightmare pop' act The Flour Babies.

Tickets FREE www.darkroomespresso. co.uk

THE HARLERS AT LEVEL III

The Harlers will return to Level III's stage this month, 23 Febraury, alongside GETRZ and The Estevans. The duo integrate a mix of blues and garage rock which resonates with the early Black Keys, combined with a gentler Royal Blood vibe. Not to be missed.

Tickets from £6.50 www.level3swindon.com

Venues Arts Centre, Devizes Road SN1 4BJ. Tel: 01793 524481 www.swindontheatres.co.uk Central Community Centre, Emlyn Square SN1 5BP. Tel: 01793 420649 The Platform, Faringdon Road, Swindon SN1 5BJ Phoenix Theatre, New College Drive, Swindon, SN3 1AH. Tel: 01793 732889 The Rolleston, 73 Commercial Road, Swindon SN1 5NX. Tel: 01793 534238 Shoebox Theatre, Theatre Square, Swindon SN1 1QN. Tel: 07340 758497 St Michael’s Hall Lechlade Road, Highworth, SN6 7HQ. Tel: 01793 763907

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Roves Farm, Sevenhampton, Nr Highworth SN6 7QG. Tel: 01793 763939 Shoebox Theatre, Theatre Square, Swindon SN1 1QN. Email: shoebox@wrongshoes.co.uk Swindon Information Centre, Central Library SN1 1QG. Tel: 01793 530328 Swindon Museum and Art Gallery, Bath Road SN1 4BA. Tel: 01793 466556 The Victoria, 88 Victoria Road, SN1 3BD. Tel: 01793 535713 Wyvern Theatre, Theatre Square SN1 1QN. Tel: 01793 524481 - www.swindontheatres.co.uk Confirm date, time & price with venue

l The most colourful, inclusive party in town is set to return to Swindon once again after taking a break last year. The LGBTQ+ festival will be staged in Old Town on Saturday 10 August for its 11th year.

Swindon & Wiltshire Pride have been awarded a grant from the National Lottery, which will help towards the main event in 2019. l The launch of Swindon's first Wellbeing & Arts Festival takes place this month, 9 February, at Artsite. Poetry will be performed by The Rusty Goat and live music comes from Swindon's The Flour Babies. l Swindon Schools Dance Festival takes place 5 Febraury. Primary and Secondary schools across Swindon will perform routines based on the theme 'All Around The World' at the Wyvern Theatre. l Wyvern Theatre - Brutal eyesore or Modernist marvel?

Swindon's iconic Wyvern Theatre will be put in the spotlight as the subject of a talk hosted by Swindon Museum and Art Gallery, 28 February, in conservation with architect Michael Gray who will present a talk. Tickets available online and via SM&AG on 01793 466556 l This month, 24 February, The Midwest Big Band will be hosting a live concert to raise money for Prospect Hospice. Taking place at Christ Church, Old Town from 8pm to 10pm. To obtain tickets email lenvmorphew@hotmail.co.uk

New pop-up highlights Swindon's thriving vegan community

By Claire Dukes claire@swindonlink.com

It turns out you can have your cake and eat it too - a cake with no eggs, or milk, and still tastes delicious.

Swindon's latest pop-up, V-Cuisine, is on a mission to educate the town on veganism, demonstrating that food can still taste good and have a positive impact on people's health and the environment.

After meeting via a vegan community Facebook page vegan co-founders, Julie Waldron and Sarah Relph, decided to branch out with their love of homemade vegan cakes and savoury bakes.

Last month saw the duo host V-Cuisine's first pop-up stall at The Rolleston Arms, Commercial Road.

Sarah Relph said: "I’ve always wanted to run a coffee shop, and we thought ‘vegan coffee shop’ – there isn’t anything like that in Swindon.

"There are a few coffee

shops you can go to and there may be one option for a vegan cake, but there’s no choice – there’s no specific vegan coffee shops. This is really homemade, whereas things you get in a coffee shop tend to be brought in from elsewhere."

To appeal to the masses Julie and Sarah have tailored their products to align with the "usual suspects" often found in regular cafés including Victoria sponge, carrot cake, ginger cake and sausage rolls.

Julie said: "We’re trying to go for very familiar and very traditional cakes – nothing

really fancy, just what you would see in any cake shop."

Despite its popularity veganism still sparks much debate, but Sarah and Julie hope their trial stall will help break down misconceptions, often associated with 'aggressive' marketing tactics, about the lifestyle choice.

Sarah said: "I do find aggressive campaigns quite disappointing, because I think it gives us a bad name – that’s why people get so aggressive with us because of that minority out there. This is the same thing we saw with Gregg’s vegan

sausage roll, – there were riots, and people hating the vegans – and you just think ‘why?’ But some vegans are so up on their high horse with the morals of it all that they’re missing the bigger picture.

"All the vegans in Swindon are very supportive of each other and if somebody’s trying to do something, we do go all out to support them.

"I think this is an education actually – there’s quite a few people here already, but half of them aren’t even vegans they just enjoy our cakes."

Julie added: "Most vegans promote compassion, health, and looking after the future of the planet. This is a gateway into hopefully showing a few people what veganism is all about – you’ve got to start with food with a lot of people, and then they’ll learn more about the compassionate side of it."

The next V-Cuisine pop-up will take place Saturday 2 February at The Rolleston Arms.

Visit Facebook: @vcuisine18

Poetry corner - "Hello, Young Lovers..."

By Maurice Spillane publisher@swindonlink.com

It’s St. Valentine’s Day on 14 February, the one day that poetry should have a place in our lives. Give a poem to your loved one. I’ve never known anyone to refuse a poem. It’s a keepsake for life.

It’s also a good moment for the poet in all of us to connect with our feelings.

Even if you just make a list of things about your lover that are wonderful, that list will reinforce why you are so lucky to have that person in your life.

Steal some imagery from love poems on the web and change them to being personal, get the odd line to rhyme if it works and don’t bother if not. Just make it an 26

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honest heartfelt list.

My wife had a big zero on her birthday a few weeks ago and I wrote a poem that scoffed at headstones and remembrance days should she go first. It sounds macabre but it wasn’t. The core was a list of what she means to me and what I say about her.

Get writing. None of us know how many Valentine Days we’ve left...

We started a group to discuss poems by published poets. Join us.

• Reading Group – Monday 18 February, 7.30pm Richard Jefferies Museum • Open Mic – Monday 25 February, 7.30pm The Castle Inn, Old Town SN1 3LQ • Beehive Pub – Tuesday 12 February, 7.30pm www.beehive.co.uk

Here are the last few lines from a poem by Maurice Spillane ...by the way you lifted a flower as if perfection had visited again.

And I’ll say you got your own way, rightly so, though I didn’t know it then.

And I’ll recall the enormous fun we had, the whimsical of it all,

gathering raindrops for succulents while listening for the vixen’s call.

Funding secured for new magazine to shine a light on issues faced by young people

By Claire Dukes claire@swindonlink.com

The sky is the limit for young people in Swindon as a local youth project receives funding to kick start a new youth magazine.

A youth project has been given a financial boost to secure year-long funding for a new youth development scheme.

Since its inception in 2017 The Platform project has been supporting young people, who often struggle within mainstream education, to boost their creative careers. The free courses, or 'challenges', on offer have been tailored to open more career paths for young people interested in areas including art, music events, print design and film.

This month the project is launching a year-long youth development scheme for young people aged between 13 and 20. The new project will focus

on a group publication, Youth Issues, offering participants the opportunity to practice their craft in blogging, video editing, journalism and interviewing skills.

Sadie Sharp, The Platform Project's founder and managing director, said: “The youth magazine was the idea of our participants – they have an interest in so many areas of life, and regularly consume content online, but often have no idea about how to use those online mediums to have a voice and influence the world.

I figured it was my job to try and find an innovative way for them to do that, in a real environment, whilst learning how to be self-employed, and this project does just that!

“All of our challenges are differently themed so that our participants can try different business models and freelance skills to see what potential businesses and career options might suit them.

"All of the activities we do are focused on helping our participants try different self-employed skill-sets, so the youth magazine suits this theme perfectly."

Youth Issues will incorporate features which shed a light on social issues from bullying, eating disorders and mental health from the perspective of the young participants.

The Platform Project will be working alongside industry experts and various media outlets to help develop the

participants' skills.

The Youth Issues publication will be eligible for applications from this month, with the first issue launching in March.

For further information visit www.platformproject.co.uk

swindonlink.com n February 2019

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Swindon Lives IN CONVERSATION WITH: Daisy Lawrence

By Claire Dukes claire@swindonlink.com

“He would have been thrilled to know that it was his money that brought it to the target," says Daisy Lawrence, 85 - the mother of Geoff Lawrence, who in his will donated £150k to Brighter Future's Radiotherapy Appeal.

Geoff Lawrence was just 47 when he passed away in 2016 after his battle with brain cancer. He worked as a nurse at Swindon's Great Western Hospital, and thanks to his last compassionate effort, Brighter Future's surpassed their £2.9m target for a radiotherapy unit at GWH. After being diagnosed with a tumour in 2014 Geoff, like many other patients, had to make the journey to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford for treatment. "I was driving him to Oxford for about six months, because it wasn’t until March 2015 that they operated to take the tumour out," Daisy tells me.

"But they cancelled the operation three times before they eventually operated. I’ve got a little something against the NHS – why did they keep him waiting six months?

"I think if they had operated two, or three, months earlier he might have had more time.

I think he was always going to die, but we might have had longer.

"Anyway, we still had two years with him, so I’m pleased about that. I look on it as lucky - we were lucky to have those two years, whereas some people lose someone all of a sudden and you haven’t got the time."

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with fond and proud memories.

She says, "The six months after he died he left us laughing, because everybody had a funny story to tell.

"He was very naughty - he used to say to me, ‘There’s all kinds of childhood trauma and mine is you making me listen to your old music!’"

Geoff himself was known locally as multi-talented singer-songwriter and musician performing often in his band S'Go in which he played the piano, mandolin, and musical saw. Daisy remains an avid fan of her son's music, particularly Geoff's cover of Don McLean's 'Vincent' which he performed for her on her 80th birthday.

But she admits she was not a fan of all his musical ventures and recalls when Geoff started learning to play the saw.

"You know when someone first starts practicing the violin, and it’s all squeaky and horrible?

That’s what it was first sounding like – horrible!

"But by the third week he was actually getting a nicer sound out of it. Eventually it

made a beautiful sound. Most of us in life want to learn an instrument, and he learned to play different instruments. He seemed to try different things."

Another string to his bow was that Geoff also learned sign language. "He wasn’t deaf, but he went to a club to have a drink with members of the deaf community.

"While he was ill in hospital three deaf ladies from the group came to visit him – he was really ill by then and couldn’t sign back, but somehow they were seeming to communicate with him as one lady was signing to the other two what was going on between them."

Describing his character Daisy says, "He greeted everyone with a hug, and he had a big smile, – like an advert for toothpaste. He seemed to be one of those people who was there when people needed someone." Before becoming a nurse Geoff previously worked as a Samaritan in his early 20s, and prior to that cared for people through agency work,

- cancer patients and people living with dementia – and also had a job in a respite home for children with disabilities.

This came as second nature according to Daisy as his older sister, Lynda, was "profoundly handicapped" and suffered from severe epilepsy.

Due to complications with her medication, Lynda’s organs shut down and she passed away in 2007, aged 39. Daisy says, "He was always so good with her. It was only years later that I realised that he did miss out on certain things because all my time was given to Lynda, – she needed it, she was just like a baby – but when he was older, he said to me ‘I understand’.

In his final act to put others before himself, Geoff donated the money he received from selling his house in Rodbourne to Brighter Future's Radiotherapy Appeal.

GWH are aiming to be able to provide patients with radiotherapy treatment by 2020. www.brighterfuturesgwh.nhs.uk

Swindon Photographic Society hosts photography competition to celebrate 120 years

By Claire Dukes claire@swindonlink.com

Photography credit Top left: Mike Buy Middle left: Gill Marsh Bottom left: 'What Swindon

Means To Me' competition boundaries Top right: Anna Stowe Bottom right: Terry Walters

Earthworm Recording Studio's Jon Buckett - photograph by Jennifer Berry

One of Swindon's longrunning creative groups has hit a milestone anniversary.

This year Swindon Photographic Society is looking back on 120 years of photography.

To celebrate the group are hosting a competition, 'What Swindon Means to Me'.

From February 1 to February 28, the group are inviting photographers of all abilities to submit their images. Snapped within the boundaries of Swindon (indicated on the map, left), the subject matter is left to the eye of the photographer.

A panel of judges from Swindon Link, The Evening Advertiser and Swindon's John Lewis & Partners will create a shortlist from which the final winning image will be chosen by Robert

Albright FRPS, President of the Royal Photographic Society, at a presentation evening on Thursday 11 April 2019.

Rebecca Clifforde, of Swindon Photographic Society, said: "On 8 April 1898, eight men gathered at the Technical School in Swindon to form The North Wilts Field and Camera Club. Fourteen years later, from 1912 to 1934, the illustrious Canon E H Goddard took over as their Club President. Today we are known as Swindon Photographic Society and although our name may have changed the enjoyment of photography still is, and always has been, at the heart of the club.

"We can’t wait to see what you come up with - so get snapping."

Full details and entry requirements can be found via www.swindonphotosoc. org.uk/120years swindonlink.com n February 2019

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Jeep Compass: 'soft-roading' in style

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ot a true off-roader perhaps, but this Europeanised version of a legendary name can still do a very decent job off the tarmac if required. At least the Jeep Compass looks a little different to the herds of SUV lookalikes roaming the land. That’s to its credit, although to compete against the likes of Ford’s latest Kuga or the venerable Nissan Qashqai, it has its work cut out.

The Plus Points There’s no point in a physical description; that’s what the image is for, but I do like the chunky front end and the overall styling. It’s quite easy to distinguish a Jeep from a distance.

Looking at the specifications of the various models in the range, it is recommended to definitely go for active four-wheel drive with the useful Selec-terrain traction management system that

comes with Auto, Snow, Sport and Sand/Mud driving modes to make the most of the allround potential of this car.

2WD versions can’t compete with the best of the established crowd of soft-roaders. This is a Jeep, buy it for what’s it’s good for. The only caveat on that is, in the UK at least, the range-topping, butch Trailhawk version might be considered a tad OTT. I’d take the same view with the trim levels. The Jeep Compass featured here is in ‘Limited’ trim which means, basically, it has got the lot.

There’s an 8.4” Uconnect infotainment screen with DAB,

Bluetooth, navigation and the like, plus a 7” TFT instrument cluster. Even with this trim level, the Compass featured here only costs £31,495. The tested car also came with a great selection of options that bumped the price up a bit but it’s hard to think of anything else this car needs. Personally, I would stick with the petrol engine options over the rather unrefined diesels.

Otherwise, the boot is a very good size (with a handy false floor) that does not impinge on rear-seat legroom.

The Negative Point Just the one, fortunately. The

test car had a six-speed manual but for most users the automatic option is probably the way to go. Either way, this is an SUV that is comfortable and easy to drive. Other driver aids such as ‘cross-path detection’ and ‘park assist’ also feature.

If I have a complaint it is with the steering which I found to be over-light and a tad vague.

The ride is maybe not up there with the best of the rest but I’ll put that down to the compromise that has to made for the off-road capability.

It’s still a Jeep after all and as such it succeeds as a Sport Utility Vehicle and not some masquerading town car in frontier cladding.

Despite the slight reservations about the on-the-road driving qualities, I would still put the stylish Jeep Compass well to the fore. It’s a capable familysized soft-roader.

Geoff Maxted DriveWrite.co.uk

Cycling News: by Rob Derry of Swindon Cycle Campaign Happy New Year to you all.

2019 looks like it could be a busy year for Swindon Cycle Campaign.

It feels that we’re at a junction which could be the start of significant change in the way that cycle facilities are provided.

Recently, NICE have suggested that any developments and infrastructure changes should consider pedestrians and cyclists first in a bid to encourage people to get their exercise while travelling rather than just sitting in a car.

Swindon Borough Council welcomed this initiative.

Obviously, Swindon Cycle Campaign are delighted about this. We need to understand that towns exist to provide the people with homes, jobs, leisure, shopping and services.

We also need to realise that people need to move around towns and give consideration 30

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for how this can be best done.

We recognise that motor vehicles play a part in that solution, but we do have to get away from this notion that the motor car is the only, or even the best, way to get around urban areas.

There are significant plans for the town centre in the pipeline and the first one (Wellington Street) does include segregated cycle lanes which is great news.

There is also a concern

around Kings Hill. Due to its design, the gradient, the level of traffic and the queues, the local pollution is considerably above government guidelines.

There is a consultation out to encourage people’s views on what should be done. One of the solutions could be to improve the Old Town railway path so that more people could cycle into Old Town along a flat and pleasant route thereby avoiding having to cycle up Kings Hill (which is no fun unless

you’re a serious climber!)

For the future, Swindon Cycle Campaign is having a meeting on Monday 28 January at 7pm in Old Town where we will be looking back on 2018 and discussing ways forward on various subjects such as infrastructure, sport cycling and communications. If you would like to attend and influence not only the future direction of the group, but of the local authority as well, please get in touch via our Facebook page.

Woodlands Edge - "a quick, cheap meal with friendly service"

By Claire Dukes claire@swindonlink.com

West Swindon is great for walks, as it still boasts some remarkable green and woodland spaces including Lydiard Park and Peatmoor lake.

Situated around Peatmoor lake you'll find the Woodlands Edge - one of Swindon's Hungry Horse establishments.

Both a boozer and pub grub hot spot, it's not a bad little spot to grab some cheap lunch.

Looking at the menu it can be both overwhelming and mouth-watering, as there is an abundance of varied meals to choose from. To help narrow it down the pub offers daily deals that could land you a bill of £50 for seven diners – bargain. On this particular lunch break the Big Plate Special was on offer and for a fiver, this seemed like a no

brainer.

As it was January, I tried to steer away from the meals containing the most "fried" or "breaded" options so went in for the Mexican Halloumi - rice, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, crushed nachos, two tortilla wraps, corn on the cob and a dressed side salad. It left me defeated but costing £2 more than your average meal deal I was happy by default.

Perhaps pernickety, but the pub’s downfall is plate presentation - my Mexican dish seemed somewhat slapped upon my plate and I wasn’t initially excited to tuck in. Granted it’s pub grub, and I wasn't expecting each piece of crushed nacho to be delicately placed upon my mixed bean rice, but on looks the food doesn’t match the menu which could warrant criticism. But if quantity’s the game, then the Woodlands Edge have won

it – I was stuffed and not out of pocket. Furthermore, I could not fault the staff – incredibly friendly and welcoming. Their service was a perfect balance of hospitable and casual, which is something I like in a pub.

Would I come here to take my family out for dinner?

Probably not. However, I’d venture in for a quick, cheap meal with friendly service most days of the week.

All in all, the Woodlands Edge is excellent value for money, has lovely customer service and, for a Swindon pub, cannot be beaten for its lake views.

Wildcats saw off the year in style - thanks to strong performance Whilst December may not have proved to be the most fruitful of months for the Swindon Wildcats in terms of league results, the beginning of the year saw them sit in first place in the National Ice Hockey League Division 1 South.

After memorable wins on the road in Basingstoke and at home against the Phantoms, where a Chris Jones goal in the final minute was enough to secure the win, the Wildcats ensured that after a month where they had more losses than they would have liked, they finished 2018 off in style.

Christmas Day saw Santa Claus leave a big present for all the Wildcats fans with the return of Swedish sensation Jonas Hoog who was returning to the team after spending last season in Poland. Immediately he came back into the line-up and contributed 7 points in his first 4 games.

Elsewhere, the New Year games saw the Cats team up with the Bracknell Bees in two charity matches all in aid of Young Epilepsy, the home game on New Year’s Day saw just

short of £1,000 being raised for such a brilliant cause. As we look into 2019 plenty awaits Aaron Nell and his men as the race for the league title well and truly hots up and the

end of season playoffs eek ever closer. On top of this 2nd February sees the Wildcats take on the Bisons in the South Cup Semi-Final. Grab your tickets online now! swindonlink.com n February 2019

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Earthworm Recording Studio's Jon Buckett - photograph by Jennifer Berry