We are all very proud this month that this is Swindon Link's 500th edition.
For the past 45 years the magazine has been at the centre of community life and long may it continue.
The town is definitely grabbing the bull by the horns as it comes into 2024.
Ask anyone and there's just a different feeling in the air. A feeling of positivity. It's palpable. There just seems to be more going on as if we've all collectively cast aside the twin burdens of our covid hangover and the cost of living crisis and decided that this year will be the year that something happens.
This is reflected in the amount of news stories that are filling our inboxes. People are doing things, which is great.
Talking about 'doing things', our sister publication The Ink will be holding its second community talk on Monday 18 March at 7.30pm upstairs at The Hop Inn on Devizes Road. This time we have community stalwart Shirley Ludford of Swindon 105.5 giving the talk.
The Ink, the paid-for news subscription service specialising in long-form journalism, is going from strength to strength. You can subscribe below.
Group
Deputy Editor:
Reporter: Amanda Wilkins
Sales
Accounts Manager: Karen Randall
Contributors:
The Blunsdon Community Shop and Café was honoured in February when it was presented The King's Award for Voluntary Service by Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire Sarah Rose Troughton.
The award was presented to the Chair of the community shop, Maggie Banda in front of a packed crowd of volunteers, paid staff, students, customers and community groups who use the space.
The King's Award is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and is equivalent to an MBE.
The shop and café, run by about 40 volunteers, is one of 262 local charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the award this year. Two volunteers will be attending a special Buckingham Palace Garden Party later this year.
Volunteer Sue Roberts said: "It's so lovely that all the good work of all the volunteers has been recognised. It means the world to all of us."
The community shop and café used to be based in a portakabin until last year's opening of the new venue, which was given to the community by housing developers Hayfield Homes last year.
The portakabin is now being used as another village shop in a pub car park in Whitley near Melksham.
Jan Milsom said: "We were gobsmacked when it was announced that we would be receiving The King's Award.
"It is testament to all the hard work everyone has put in to make this shop and café so special.
"We pride ourselves on being the hub of the community and we are proud of all the school pupils and different groups we get in here using the shop.
"We really are a mirror of our local community and it is lovely that we have been rewarded with this honour."
Residents are reminded they will need to show an approved form of photo ID if they wish to vote in the upcoming borough and Police and Crime Commissioner elections.
In Swindon, both elections are taking place on Thursday, 2 May. Nineteen borough council seats are up for election, while the Wiltshire and Swindon Police and Crime Commissioner election is being held for the whole Wiltshire Police area.
Following the Elections Act 2022, photographic identification is a mandatory requirement for electors voting in polling stations and saw electors use ID at last year’s borough and parish elections in Swindon.
This requirement will also apply to future General Elections, with one expected to be called this year.
Accepted forms of photo ID include passports,
photographic driving licences, biometric immigration documents and certain concessionary travel passes. A comprehensive list is available on the council’s website.
To cast their vote in the upcoming elections, electors must be registered by Tuesday, 16 April, 2024. If not already registered, individuals can complete the process on the Government’s website. Voters only need to register once,
Feedback from a boroughwide engagement exercise will help to inform a final version of Swindon Borough Council’s new corporate plan.
Over the last few weeks, hundreds of people have given their views on the draft Swindon Plan through a number of engagement events and via an online engagement hub.
Now all the comments and views on the plan will be taken forward to help deliver on the administration’s new
three priority missions for the borough.
The missions to Reduce Inequality, Build a Better Swindon and Achieve Net Zero underpin the work of the council and drive everything that it does. The draft Plan proposed initial activity over the next three years to progress each of the missions. Residents, businesses and partner organisations all gave feedback on which elements of the draft plan they value most and anything they felt was
missing.
The council’s cabinet will be presented with an updated version of the Swindon Plan in the summer.
Council Leader, Cllr Jim Robbins, said: “I’d like to thank everyone who gave up their time to give us their thoughts on the draft Swindon Plan, either at one of the community events or via our new online engagement platform.
“I’ve been bowled over by the response we have received so far and it just goes to show
unless they have changed their name, address or nationality.
For those without photo ID, a free Voter Authority Certificate can be obtained online. Applications must be submitted by Wednesday 24 April to be processed in time for the 2 May elections. The Voter Authority Certificate is valid for 10 years and is applicable to all elections. For more details visit www.swindon. gov.uk/voterid
that local residents care about Swindon’s future and want to play their part in making it the best place it can be.
“Over the next month, myself and colleagues will go through all of the comments and ideas we received online and in person, to reshape the new plan. As we received so many comments it will take us longer to bring the final plan back to cabinet, but it is important that residents’ views are represented in the reshaped document.”
There is still time for people to give their views on how they would like to be involved in the local planning process.
Swindon Borough Council is asking for feedback on its new draft Statement of Community Involvement (SCI), which will set out how people can get involved in the planning decision-making process, how the council will encourage the local community to participate,
and how it will consult residents on planning matters including plan making and applications. This includes how it will engage with members of the public, businesses, interest groups and organisations.
Ultimately, the SCI document is pivotal in helping to support the council’s missions, building a better Swindon and making the residents of the borough feel more engaged with where
they live.
The consultation closes at 5pm on Monday, 11 March, and anyone wishing to find out more or share their views should visit the Let’s Talk Swindon pagehttp://tinyurl.com/3erhvndr
Cllr Kevin Small, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member responsible for Planning, said: “The SCI is a crucial document for the council and it will help us engage
better with our residents on any future plans. If you have some spare time, please look through the draft document and tell us what you think.
“The views of our residents are incredibly important to us and we want everyone within the borough to feel they’re engaged with the council and, most importantly, that their views are taken seriously on any major planning issues.”
With cases of measles rising across England, especially among young children, Swindon Borough Council’s Director of Public Health has urged parents to make sure their children have been vaccinated. Measles spreads very easily among those who are unvaccinated and can cause very serious illness in
some children, leading to hospitalisation. Symptoms include a high fever, sore red watery eyes and a blotchy red-brown rash.
The best protection against measles for children and adults is to get both doses of the MMR vaccine. Children are offered a free vaccine on the NHS at 12 months
old and then a pre-school booster dose at aged three. It’s never too late for children or adults to catch up on any missed MMR vaccinations. Parents whose children have yet to be vaccinated should contact their GP to book a free appointment.
Professor Steve Maddern, the Director of Public Health, said:
“I would encourage Swindon residents to make sure they’re up to date with their routine MMR vaccine. In particular, I would urge all parents to check if their children are vaccinated, to protect them against measles, mumps and rubella.
"If you or your child has not had the MMR jab, it’s vital you get vaccinated.”
Crowds gathered in Swindon to greet Queen Camilla during a official visit.
Her Majesty performed two duties during her time in the town.
She was welcomed by Swindon Domestic Abuse Support Service (SDASS), where she met service users and officially unveiled the new name of the refuge building, Jenni’s House, chosen by current residents in honour of the charity’s founder, Jenni Manners.
The visit marked the start of the charity's 50th anniversary year.
Her Majesty also visited one of Swindon's best-known businesses, Deacons. The jewellery shop is celebrating its
175th anniversary year.
The Queen met staff including managing director Richard Deacon and his sister Sara, the sixth generation to manage the family-run business, before unveiling a plaque.
The shop and workshop are in the original premises of the founder, George Deacon, and sit prominently on Wood Street, selling a variety of luxury brand watches, clocks and jewellery.
Richard Deacon said: "The Queen’s visit marks a proud day for the business.
“I’m sure my great-greatgreat-uncle, George Deacon, would be absolutely delighted that the business he founded back in 1848 would one day receive a visit from a member of Royalty.
“We’re absolutely thrilled that Her Majesty The
Queen agreed to join in our celebrations and help us to mark such a significant moment in the history of Deacons.”
As part of her visit, Her Majesty was shown an original apprentice clock belonging to George Deacon, and the Regulator Clock, from which Great Western Railway’s timepieces were calibrated,
ensuring Deacons became esteemed timekeepers along the important rail route between Paddington and Swansea.
The Queen also met staff who combine traditional skills and craftmanship with the latest technology, making and repairing clocks, watches and jewellery.
Five years ago, 18-yearold Jamie Smart drove from Swindon to a Welsh seaside town and ended his life.
His suicide came as a complete shock to his family, who thought he was driving back to Colchester where he was a member of the Paras and didn't know he had gone to Wales at all.
For the past few years his
mother, Wendy Braidford, of Oakhurst, has been fundraising and campaigning for a memorial bench to be installed in Voyager Drive Park near the family home.
Wendy's campaign, which included a special Facebook page called ‘Jamie’s Bench’, was a success and the bench will finally be installed by Haydon Wick Parish Council in April
She said: “He spent so much time in that park growing up. He was always climbing on everything as a child. It’s fitting that there will be a memorial bench there.
“It’ll be somewhere we can remember him.
“He was a very intelligent and headstrong young man who knew what he wanted. He was also very loving and very generous. He would have been 23 this year.”
New data from the Office for National Statistics shows 16 deaths from suicide were registered in Swindon in 2022,
the most recent year for which full figures were available.
Alex Hills, the area manager for England South for young people's suicide prevention charity Papyrus, said: “Suicide is the biggest killer of people aged 35 and under in the UK.
“At Papyrus, we offer a 24/7 helpline service for anyone up to the age of 35 to talk to us as well as any friends or family who might have concerns about a loved one."
The confidential ‘hopeline’ number is 0800 068 4141. And the charity’s website is www.papyrus-uk.org
Swindon Borough Council's Cabinet Member for the Environment and Transport has outlned the causes of the waste and recycling collection problems which affected Swindon over the Christmas period and into the New Year.
In one instance, it seems several thousand homes were missing from the data which was put into the new system.
Cllr Chris Watts, who has been in his role since the council changed hands following last May's local elections, highlighted problems dating back earlier.
He said: "Unfortunately the problems weren't just teething problems; there have been some quite serious systemic issues that we have had to deal with. It all seems to stem from the second phase of the
project, between January 2022 and April 2023. Essentially, the project wasn't resourced enough as far as project management was concerned, in expecting staff who were running the [existing] service to also roll out this new service, and it just wasn't feasible.
"But it was even worse than that. If you look at the IT side and the back office side, somebody was engaged in early 2022 to run with that project, never took up the position and was never replaced, so essentially what we're seeing now is the people, the supervisors, managers at [waste collection and recycling base] Waterside are finding that the systems aren't reflecting what's happening out in the real world, and that makes it difficult to troubleshoot moving forward.
"There has been a serious problem as far as the data
is concerned as well. It now appears - it's taken a couple of weeks to track this down - but it looks like several thousand houses were missing out of the data that went into the new system, and that's also caused us severe issues."
Cllr Watts praised front line workers for their hard work in spite of the challenges of the system, and the public for
being largely understanding and backing recycling.
In spite of the challenges, Cllr Watts expected all backlogs to have been cleared by mid-February. Measures were being put in place, he said, to address the problems, including acquiring three new recycling vehicles which will be in place in May, and diverting other collection vehicles in the interim.
GWH Carers Cafe gives carers a break from the wards
Great Western Hospital has announced it is working hard to continue to welcome and support carers.
Its Carers Café runs every Wednesday from 2-3.30pm in the main hospital Refresh restaurant and welcomes carers to take a break from the ward, to have a free cuppa, a chat and to receive support and information.
Carer information packs and information boards are available on all wards, along with the Carer Passports. These passports support carers to continue their caring role while the cared-for person is an inpatient, although there is no commitment to do so.
The cafe welcomes volunteers.
Enterprise Mobility and the National Literacy Trust have launched launch their third year of partnership by donating 925 books to children at 13 schools in Swindon.
Tolá Okogwu’s Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun was chosen for this book drive. This captivating tale featuring a Black protagonist aims to promote diverse representation in children's literature.
North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson and South Swindon counterpart Sir Robert Buckland visited the site of the new £31m Emergency Department at the town's Great Western Hospital.
The new department is currently under construction, and the project represents the biggest single investment into the hospital, with £26m from the Government and £5.4m from the hospital trust.
Health chiefs say the expansion of the Emergency Department comes in addition to the new Urgent Treatment Centre and the new Radiotherapy Centre.
A five-year-old Swindon tennis talent beat competition from older children for a place in the county under-eights squad.
Alayna Robbani only took up the sport last summer, but her progress has delighted coach Craig Loxton and her proud parents.
The prodigy regularly trains at Swindon Tennis in St Marks Recreation Ground.
Mum Sofia is a teacher while dad Hanif is a recruitment consultant who is also involved with the Bengal Square restaurant.
Hanif recalled his daughter taking up a racquet: 'It must have been last Summer in July. I've always been a lover of the sport, and when she was born I said I'd love for my daughter to take up tennis and enjoy the sport.
"Over the summer we found out that Swindon Tennis here
at St Mark's were running a Summer camp for when kids were on holiday. We enrolled Alayna into one of the Summer camps and she thoroughly enjoyed it.
"She showed some potential back then, and that was when I approached Craig Loxton, who is training with her at the moment, and inquired about one-on-one lessons. She's been doing those since the end of August and she's progressed beyond everybody's expectations."
Such was her progress, in
fact, that when she attended a Wiltshire Tennis talent-spotting event she was selected to train with the under-eights.
Swindon Humanitarian Aid Partnership (SHAP) recently unveiled its children's story bus.
Donated to the charity by Go-East Anglia, the bus has spent the bulk of its life so far ferrying commuters and other passengers in Essex.
Although it reached the end of its time as a conventional passenger vehicle, it was ideal for conversion into a children's story bus which will now tour Ukraine, bringing a little happiness and comfort to the lives of young people whose lives have been affected by the Russian invasion.
South Swindon Labour Parliamentary Candidate Heidi Alexander was among the VIPs at the launch of the bus, and who were greeted by SHAP chair Mike Bowden and members of the team.
The conversion project included removing the seats to create a play space, which was
then decorated by Swindon artist Billy Beaumont in his characteristic style.
In addition to an enchanted forest and a beautiful blue sky overhead, the decoration - some of it created by Ukrainian children at the invitation of the artist - includes traditional bunting and the Ukrainian alphabet.
SHAP, formed in the wake of the invasion, has so far sent almost 2,000 tonnes of aid to Ukraine, as well as supporting Ukrainian people forced from their homeland and now living in the Swindon area.
It welcomes support and volunteers, and can be reached via www.shapuk.org
Sinkhole disaster averted at Swindon canal
A sinkhole has appeared on the bank above an aqueduct carrying the Wilts & Berks Canal over the River Ray in Wichelstowe.
It was discovered by a canal trust work party. A trust spokesperson said: "It appears there may be some damage to the aqueduct structure which could eventually affect the canal with a risk of completely emptying it.
"We notified the council, and thankfully, they investigated amazingly quickly and are putting up a coffer dam, which is a scaffolding framework.
"It will be sealed with plastic, which, put against the sloping poles and along the bank on either side, will seal off the water enabling proper investigation.
"Emergency ecological permission was obtained - and a couple of water voles were moved to safety.
"Fortunately the council has a budget, and procedures, for emergencies such as these."
Labour candidate Heidi Alexander launches new round of 'Big Conversation' and 'Pint and Politics' events
Labour’s Candidate to be the next South Swindon MP has begun a series of events giving the public the chance to voice their thoughts.
The 'Big Conversation' and 'Pint and Politics' gatherings follow on from her successful Big Conversation in October of last year about the future of the town centre and a further Big Conversation event at St Paul’s Church in Covingham in December.
The events were held at various venues throughout February and she will also be holding a series of events in March. These are informal events, open to everyone who lives in the constituency. Attendees are able to hear from Heidi, meet local councillors and ask questions. www.heidialexander.org.uk
A planting event hosted by Wiltshire Wildlife Trust kickstarted a major tree planting programme at Great Wood.
The ancient woodland covers 175 acres near Grittenham, close to Brinkworth, in North Wiltshire.
Ancient woodland now covers just 2.5% of the country, while only 8% of Wiltshire is wooded.
Great Wood is one of the 20 largest ancient woodlands in the county, so protecting it for nature was a priority for Wiltshire Wildlife Trust when the conservation charity purchased the woodland in early 2023, saving it from more harmful commercial management or piecemeal ownership.
The wood includes probably the largest remaining stand of wild service trees in the country as well as impressive stands of oak, with some trees more than 200 years old.
At the event, staff and trustees of Wiltshire Wildlife Trust were joined by board members of primary funder Biffa Award including Chair
The group planted rowan and cherry trees and learned about the progress that has been made to aid nature’s recovery at Great Wood to date as well as future plans.
The tree planting programme is part of a much wider project to restore Great Wood to its former glory, which commenced in Autumn 2023 and will create substantial benefits for wildlife and people.
The trust is replacing large swathes of conifers, which do not support much wildlife or floral diversity, with a mix of
native broadleaf trees such as rowan and witch elm, creating new glades and providing more space for the rare wild service trees to flourish.
Full ecological surveys have been carried out for the first time in decades, resulting in a number of exciting discoveries, such as brown hairstreak butterfly eggs, which could be the first time the brown hairstreak has been found in North Wiltshire.
The wood holds huge potential for nature’s recovery, with the chance to bring back nightingales, nightjars, purple emperor butterflies – and even a possible reintroduction of wood white butterflies.
Haydon Wick celebrates inclusive new play area designed by and for local children
Haydon Wick Parish Council has proudly opened the newly renovated Trent Road Play Area.
The expanded play space features new accessible and interactive equipment chosen by the children themselves.
Working closely with play area specialists Wicksteed, the council invited current Year 3 and Year 4 pupils from Greenmeadow Primary School and former pupils in Year 7 at Nova Hreod Academy to envision their dream play area. The final design brought their ideas to life with imaginative elements like interactive panels, a double width slide, a basket swing, mushroom stepping stools and more, to ensure children of all abilities can enjoy the new space.
At a lively opening event, local councillors and staff gathered as
the children were excited to first try out the equipment. Greenmeadow Primary School’s Head Teacher, Kate McKinnon, said: “Last year, the Year 6 children at Greenmeadow Primary School were lucky enough to work with Haydon Wick Parish Council on the new design for
the Trent Road Play Area.
"The children were able to review designs and give their opinions on which pieces of apparatus they felt would be popular and shared a viewpoint of how this could be inclusive and accessible for all children enjoying the facility."
From £8
The UK housing sector continues with its usual volatility, with more ups and downs than the Nemesis rollercoaster at Alton Towers.
For modern house-buyers one of the most important factors they will be considering before buying a property in the wake of the cost of living crisis and the climate crisis, is how sustainable a home is.
A sustainable home is one that is built or retrofitted in a way that conserves resources, optimises energy and water use and that will last longer with quality systems. A sustainable house is built with low-impact, high-performance materials.
They are efficient in terms of manufacturing, shipping and installing.
But how is the housing market doing as a whole?
According to Swindon-based Nationwide, 2024 has started well with house prices actually rising in January by 0.7% and a further recovery in annual rate of change, with prices down just 0.2% compared with a year ago.
Robert Gardner, Nationwide's Chief Economist, said: “UK house prices rose by 0.7% in January, after taking account of seasonal effects. This resulted in an improvement in the annual rate of house
price growth from -1.8% in December to -0.2% in January, the strongest outturn since January 2023.
“There have been some encouraging signs for potential buyers recently with mortgage rates continuing to trend down. This follows a shift in view amongst investors around the future path of Bank Rate, with investors becoming more optimistic that the Bank of England will lower rates in the years ahead.
“While a rapid rebound in activity or house prices in 2024 appears unlikely, the outlook is looking a little more positive. The most recent RICS
survey suggests the decline in new buyer enquiries has halted, while there are tentative signs of a pickup in the number of properties coming onto the market."
Discover the perfect blend of convenience and serenity at Lagan Homes' Western Gate development.
Nestled adjacent to the enchanting Coate Water Park, this vibrant community offers a selection of spacious three and four-bedroom homes, thoughtfully designed for modern living.
All homes are delivered to Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3
With move-in dates as early as spring 2024, seize the opportunity to make this picturesque locale your new home.
Positioned just moments from the M4, Western Gate provides effortless access to urban amenities while
preserving the tranquillity of its natural surroundings.
Whether you seek a peaceful retreat or seamless connectivity, this idyllic setting caters to your lifestyle needs.
Starting from £330,000, these homes present an exceptional value proposition for discerning buyers. Embrace the pleasure and peace of mind of belonging to a close-knit neighbourhood, where quality craftsmanship meets affordability.
Moreover, Western Gate boasts ample public open spaces, fostering a sense of community and leisure for residents. Enjoy leisurely strolls, picnics, or simply bask in the beauty of nature right on your doorstep.
Experience the epitome of contemporary living at Western Gate – where every moment is infused with the charm of countryside living and the convenience of urban accessibility. Your dream home awaits in this flourishing neighbourhood.
The show home is open
Thursday to Monday from 10am to 5pm.
Marlborough Road, Swindon, SN3 6AA
To book an appointment, please call 01793 683132 or Email Swindon. sales@laganhomes.com. Alternatively visit www.laganhomes.com
According to the Energy Saving Trust, as much as 25% of the heat in your home is lost through your loft or roof space. It could even be as high as on third or more in some properties – that’s heating and energy you’re paying for, literally flying straight out of the space in your loft.
Not only does that mean you’re getting bigger bills than you should be, you’re also contributing much more than you need to towards greenhouse gases and your carbon footprint.
While Access4Lofts specialises in supplying and installing loft ladders, hatches and boarding, we also offer loft insulation that could reduce this heat loss by as much as 20%.
That’s going to mean not just a significant saving on your energy bills, but also a big step in the right direction when it comes to your household’s impact on climate change.
Access4Lofts is fully committed to providing you with loft insulation that is not only practical and affordable, but
also meets the very highest environmental standards.
All insulation installs comply with the National Insulation Association (NIA) recommended standard depths of insulation.
Interested in finding out more about how loft insulation could work in your home? Call Pete now for a FREE quotation on 01793 278 238 or find Access4Lofts online at www.access4lofts.co.uk/swindon.
Many UK homes leak too much energy through the building fabric – the walls, roof, windows, doors, and floors. Making your home more energy efficient, so it stays warmer, reduces carbon emissions and cuts your energy bills, can be complicated.
A home retrofit survey will help you understand the best improvements you can make, considering your aims, budget, and unique features of your home.
Swindon Borough Council is working with Futureproof – a project run by sustainability charity the Centre for Sustainable Energy – to make local homes more energy efficient.
As part of this partnership, you can receive a heavily discounted home survey. Our home survey provides bespoke energy advice, including:
• A visit to your home by one of our expert and independent surveyors. They consider how you use your home, your circumstances and what you hope to achieve. They then conduct a thorough survey.
• A detailed report outlining the best energy saving improvements for your home, and the best order to do them. From small changes like draughtproofing to bigger measures like a heat pump and insulation.
• Help on next steps such as finding reliable contractors.
If you’re keen to save energy and reduce carbon emissions, a home survey is the best
first step.
Futureproof guides you through your journey, eliminating guesswork and providing you with a comprehensive plan you can progress at your own pace.
Home surveys start at £150+VAT for a one or two-bedroom house, which is a huge £500 saving (normal price £650+VAT).
For more information, visit www. futureproof.uk.net/WSoffer
Friday 17 & Saturday 18
May at the National Self Build & Renovation Centre (NSBRC) in Swindon.
Friday & Saturday: 9am - 5pm
Sponsored by Good Energy
The ‘Festival of Sustainable Homes’ is a brand new event produced by the team at the National Self Build & Renovation Centre.
This exciting, family-friendly show, will highlight how we can all live more sustainably in our homes and communities.
Offering the latest advice on improving both the energy efficiency and comfort levels of properties – for both new builds & existing homes.
The two-day festival will avoid ‘greenwash’ and offer genuine information and inspiration for anyone interested in creating welldesigned, healthy homes,
through exhibits, seminars, live demonstrations and an unrivalled line up of experts on hand to share their knowledge. Our talks will provide relevant, up-to-date, guidance for both newcomers to house-building and skilled housing professionals.
The nature zone will shine a light on charities and nonprofit organisations who aim to improve our natural environment through targeted campaigns, free advice and educational outreach.
The event sponsor is Good Energy. Good Energy is Britain’s greenest energy supplier. Based here in the South West, they started out by supplying 100% renewable electricity sourced from independent British generators. Today, they not only provide green tariffs, but install bespoke heat pump,
solar and battery systems designed around your home.
Show highlights include:
• Free entry, free parking
• Get the latest energy efficiency advice
• Guided educational tours of the NSBRC’s fantastic lifesize exhibits
• Inspiring talks each day
• Over 200 Exhibitors showcasing the latest products,
technologies and services
• 1:2:1 Expert Advice
• Coffee Shop and sustainable food options
• Discover our Nature Zone
FREE advance tickets at: www.nsbrc.co.uk
The event is easy to get to with the NSBRC located on Junction 16 of the M4 and parking is plentiful and FREE!
Veteran Swindon broadcaster Shirley Ludford has agreed to deliver The Ink's next free public talk.
Shirley, who is station manager at Swindon 105.5, will speak about the role and value of community radio - a sector which has burgeoned over the years and has never been more prominent.
The talk on Monday 18 March at 7.30pm is free and open to all. Held upstairs at The Hop Inn in Devizes Road, it is the second such community event organised by The Ink, which is Swindon Link's paid-for news subscription service specialising in long-form journalism which gets to the heart of the most important issues facing people in the Swindon area.
The first community talk was given by author, local historian and founder Swindon Link
editor Roger Ogle, who took his audience on a journey through the early history of the Link as the magazine marked its 45th anniversary.
Shirley, who is best known in Swindon not just as a broadcaster but as a staunch supporter of many local good causes, also serves as a Deputy Lieutenant of Wiltshire.
She said she was looking forward to talking about the role of community radio and how it had developed, and the opportunities it offered to the public, to businesses and to other organisations.
Nova Hreod Academy’s rich and ambitious curriculum is supplemented by a wide range of opportunities for scholars to learn outside the classroom; with trips and experiences ranging from a Year 8 residential camping trip, a visit to the space centre in Belgium, a biannual ski trip to the French Alps as well as over 40 other trips to various places of interest both nationally and internationally.
As well as the rich experiences available to our scholars, we also have numerous clubs and extra-curricular opportunities in school to cater for all needs and tastes; from our performers who can attend choir, band club, and guitar club, to our sports clubs covering over 30 sports throughout the year. We even have clubs to support home study and enhanced learning in specific subjects, some for those who enjoy arts and crafts, as well as some ‘quirkier’ clubs such as Lego Robotics and Warhammer Club, that always prove extremely popular.
Get to know the schools in your area
This issue: Nova Hreod Academy
Address: Akers Way, Swindon SN2 2NQ
Contact: 01793 528800
Website: www.novahreodacademy.org.uk
We are hosting a series of Open Mornings this year, in March and June, to which Year 5 and 6 pupils and their families can come along, meet some of our teachers and scholars, and be shown around a typical
day here. We are confident that you, like Ofsted did when they last visited, will be pleased to see our “friendly and welcoming school” and our “calm and purposeful learning environment.”
The remainder of this academic year will be busy as our Year 11s plan for their exams, our house championship reaches its climax with our weekly Friday challenges and our much-loved sports day, and we’ll be supporting our next batch of 2024-25 Year 7s with a thorough transition package. That said, we will always try to make time to meet with you and show you our calm, inclusive, and purposeful academy.
Feel free to get in touch!
Harry Martin was 25 when he died of a rare cancer, and his wife, Sinéad, was 24.
Throughout his illness, members of the Prospect Hospice team were on hand with help, support, advice, comfort and kindness, and Sinéad is determined to do all she can to help the beloved charity, whose work has touched the lives of many thousands of people throughout the Swindon area and beyond.
Having already raised thousands of pounds for the hospice last year with a trek across the Sahara and Atlas Mountains, on 17 March she and fellow members of Team Prospect will begin a three-day sponsored expedition across rugged mixed terrain in Iceland alongside Harry's dad, Tony, her mum Frances and university friend, Kat.
She is full of admiration for the hospice, for the strength and support of family - Harry's parents, Eileen and Tony, her own mum and dad Frances and Dermot and stepfather Graham and all the siblings - and especially for Harry himself.
"He really was somebody who thought about other people a lot. He wanted to provide and protect and support people.
"He took that role seriously and he hated what this had done to us. He saw how it broke our hearts. He was faced with his mortality and he knew the reality that he might not be around in the future and we would have to deal with that and live with that, and I think he tried his best in everything that he did to make us strong and to set us up as best he could for that eventuality.
"He succeeded. I think I wouldn't be dealing with things now, how I am, without that
inner strength coming from him and how he prepared us for this life without him."
In the midst of his illness, Harry, although in pain, raised £8,500 for the Teenage Cancer Trust, wheeling himself 5.7 miles around Old Town.
Harry and Sinéad had friends at 13, began dating at 15 and were together for a decade.
"We went through school and college and university together, and he was always a very determined and disciplined guy who was really focussed on fitness.
"He had just been accepted into the Army and was about to start training when he experienced some back pain - which was not unusual for him because of the weights he lifted, but this wasn't shifting. This was the start of lockdown - April 2020 - and because of the restrictions at the time he couldn't see a doctor so he was diagnosed over the phone with a herniated disc.
"But the anti-inflammatories he was prescribed weren't helping and quite quickly he began to lose feeling in one of his legs.
"He was struggling to walk and this pain was getting worse. He was sent to Great Western Hospital for a scan,
which revealed something, and he was then immediately referred to John Radcliffe in Oxford to do further tests.
"They found a tumour in his spine and metastases throughout his spine as well. He had undergo a really invasive surgery to reveal what it was.
"They couldn't remove any of it because of where it wasthey just had to take a sample to prescribe the best course of treatment - and he was diagnosed with glioblastoma.
"But his case was extremely rare. They were quite surprised to find out where it was, and it meant that they didn't have a lot of data on that specific case."
Within a couple of weeks of entering hospital, Harry's illness left him paralysed from the waist down.
"We were quite quickly put in touch with Prospect Hospice. At the time I remember feeling really resistant to that idea, that referral, because it felt like kind of giving up hope before we'd even really started the journey.
"That was because my perspective of the hospice was really quite dark. I just associated it with end-of-life, dying, and the last resort, really. So it was quite a
shock for us all to be linked up with them so soon, before Harry started treatment. But very quickly they became this incredible support to lean on and my perspective totally changed.
"They tailor their support to the individual, and obviously Harry was unique in the sense that he was very young; his condition was presenting in unique ways.
"They did an incredible job of making us feel we had a network of people out there who would advocate for us and find the best support service available, any equipment we needed, any grant we might need to fund things like that. They took over in ways that I didn't know they could and provided so much more than that deathbed service I had pictured in my head."
Sinéad is grateful to everybody sent by Prospect, but especially singled out the work of Pip from the physiotherapy team and Debbie Robson, one of the people who helped Harry and his loved ones toward the end of his life.
"What we went through was awful, but I can't imagine how much worse the nightmare could have been if they hadn't been there to hold our hands through it. I don't think I'd be able to cope with the things I'm coping with now if it weren't for them.
"I will maintain those bonds and relationships and they know they can call on me at any time if they're looking for someone to talk about their experience or be involved in a campaign or something. They're like family to me now and I want other people to have that support too."
People can sponsor Sinéad's Iceland Trek via justgiving.com/ page/sinead-iceland-harry To find out more about Propsect Hospice visit www. prospect-hospice.net
Business Profile - Thameswood Veterinary Clinics
Business Type - Veterinary practice
Established - 1986
Location - 62-64 Purton Road, Swindon SN2 2LZ
Telephone number - 01793 526780
Website - thameswoodvets.co.uk
By Barrie Hudson barrie@positive-media.co.ukThe way Thameswood Veterinary Clinics goes about its vital work is readily and succinctly summed up by Practice Manager Giovanna Hartley:
"The company tag line is 'making life better' and this applies not only to the pets but the families they live with, our staff, our business, our community and our profession.
"The ethos of our organisation is really important. Our clinics have an open culture, enabling all of the 38 staff to have an active role in the business.
"Having practiced 'no fear' principles from the start ensures that all pets and wildlife are treated gently and with minimum restraint throughout their stay with us.
"Our clinics have calming diffusers in all the rooms and calming fermones sprayed on all blankets and fleeces. Optimised heating and lighting in their beds with gentle music and nurses who are constantly caring for them .
"As a first opinion family practice we understand the importance and sometimes the difficulties that come
with owning pets whether its chronic illness , accidents, finances or behaviour and have appropriate members of staff who can help."
Work is firmly centred around providing as much care in-house as possible - Thameswood is adept in a wealth of disciplines as diverse as dermatology, dentistry, cardiology, orthopaedics and stem cell therapy.
This approach helps the organisation to achieve another of its major aims - to know and care for pets and their owners throughout the animals' lives.
"We started off as just myself, my husband and, I think, a receptionist, and now there are 38 of us.
"We have a great team. Our main clinical team have been with us for between 10 and 24 years. We have been a teaching practice for nurses and student vets for the last 28 years. Nurses come to us on a two-year apprenticeship scheme in conjunction with Abbeydale college in order to gain their diploma in Veterinary Nursing and be registered with the RCVS.
"We enjoy the ability to support people throughout their pet's life. The first client,
Mrs Stone, still comes to us, and many of our clients have been with us through generations, and we are now caring for their grandchilden's pets!"
In spite of having been founded the best part of four decades ago, the business constantly looks towards innovation and encourages CPD at all levels with internal and external lectures and courses.
One of the best examples is the ISFM awarded gold cat clinic, minimising stress and advancing medicine and surgery for cats..
When a pet comes to the end of its life, compassion for animal and owner alike is key at Thameswood, and clients can choose to have their pet euthanised in the familiar surroundings of home or a tranquil garden room created by the practice for this sole purpose.
Thameswood Veterinary Clinics was founded in 1986 by the husband and wife team who remain at its heart to this day.
Principal Vet Nicholas Hartley studied for his profession at Cambridge, and Practice Manager Giovanna's background is in biology and management. They both have connections to the region, and chose Swindon as the location of their business in the knowledge that it was the fastest-growing town in Europe.
Giovanna said: "We changed the way small animal practice was carried out in Swindon. We were the first entirely small animal practice in Swindon when we started and were able to introduce new management principles that had not really been applied in veterinary practices at the time."
All are welcome to visit the website and find out more about the clinics' work.
I want to start with a huge thank you to all of the residents who attended the Let’s Talk Swindon events.
They were some of the best and most positive conversations I’ve had with residents in all of my time at the council. It was amazing to see the sessions get fully booked and listen to lots of great conversations about how people want to see Swindon develop.
The hard work starts now for the council as we bring together all of the ideas in those conversations into a coherent plan for the council that sets out how we can deliver them. We won’t be able to do all of the actions that we want to do straight away, because of the massive financial challenges facing the council, but we will keep
records of those good ideas not in the first draft and get to them when we can. We’ll be releasing an update on the feedback and keeping residents informed at the March Cabinet meeting.
Setting the budget this year has been a long and pretty demoralising process, as we sought to deal with the massive £10m in-year overspend that we inherited when we took over control of the council as well as the gap of £27m in next year’s budget. I’m delighted that we have got the in-year overspend down to around £600k which has taken the huge hard work of officers to really limit spending
and find ways to work more efficiently. We have also managed to reduce the gap in next year’s budget down to around £5m.
This work means that the council is able to continue operating, not a given when so many other councils are declaring themselves effectively bankrupt, and we will be able to start to deliver the plan.
It can’t be overstated how damaging the Conservatives' years of austerity have been to council services and how hard it is to balance the budget when inflation has been out of control since Liz Truss’s time in office and the country is in recession. It has been really hard to cut services without them having a huge impact on residents and organisations in the town.
Despite the tricky financial challenges, I’m desperate to keep the positivity flowing in the town. I was
delighted to open iCAST last week. iCAST is the Innovation Centre for Applied Sustainable Technology, and is a partnership between the University of Oxford and the University of Bath, funded by Research England.
Setting up an innovation centre in Brunel’s Carriage Works in Swindon felt like exactly the sort of message we want to put out: Swindon is a place that celebrates and cherishes its heritage, whilst being firmly focused on the future and using research to support business to thrive and meet the challenges of the day!
I’m determined to find more opportunities for excellent collaborative projects like this. We need to capture the spirit of events in the town such as the Festival of Tomorrow, and use it to really put Swindon on the map as somewhere that is starting to change and develop.
February is budget time with council tax agreed for the coming year.
The Conservatives proposed a credible, fully funded budget which highlights our priorities. A council tax freeze with £4m of new investment in roads, footpaths, country parks and more staff and resources for the waste service and tree maintenance.
Labour unanimously voted against. Their budget mandates a 4.99% increase with a cut to Libraries, scrapping all community transport and loading up the council with more debt – a tad hypocritical considering their vocal objections over the years to debt already accrued!
A December monitoring report highlighted Labour need
£65m more borrowing and the budget means it is more than £80m. A 1% increase in council tax raises £1.3m from residents. Labour's budget included £15m of borrowing at a cost of £1.285m. Yes, your council tax is paying for Labour's additional debt.
A good example of Labour's naïve approach to financial management is the new Moredon Sports hub. The Conservatives were funding it by selling land for £2m. Instead, Labour are now borrowing the £2m for 50 years.
The Labour administration have made much since they were elected of ‘finding a black hole’ in terms of budget over-spends. This wasn’t true –projected over-spends happen every year in local government. Every year the Conservatives pulled them back and despite the scaremongering, the council has once again ended up with a balanced budget. The Conservatives made savings of over £200m these past five years.
Bin-gate:
Despite claims that we are getting close to normal again, most residents would agree this is far from the truth and Swindon has now reached a milestone of 1 million missed bin collections. The worst performance of any council and a visible sign of unforgiveable mismanagement.
“Line up every missed collection and it would stretch
from the magic roundabout to the Eiffel Tower."
At the Scrutiny meeting there was the characteristic Labour ‘flip-flopping’ about whether a specific Project Manager was in place for the roll-out or not and it’s evident that at the time of the implementation there wasn’t one person tasked with this oversight.
Six months after taking control of the council, Labour councillors gave the green light. This crisis is entirely Labour's making and they have refused all help to fix the problems.
Swindon Museum & Art Gallery:
I am looking forward to attending the opening of this fantastic new home for the collections, a move fiercely opposed by Labour and their supporters. Finally, they now agree it’s a wonderful, accessible and much more appropriate location!
Swindon Bats Sports and Social Club for the Visually Impaired is celebrated in a new film available on YouTube.
The club, a charity, was formed in 2006.
It has won a number of trophies over the years and is a member of the British Blind Sport Tenpin organisation.
The BATS' aim is to provide regular activities for visually impaired people aged 18 and over.
Its tenpin bowling sessions regularly take place at Tenpin Swindon on the Shaw Ridge Leisure Park.
However, tenpin bowling is far from being the only activity enjoyed by members.
Other activities over the years have included acoustic rifle shooting, skittles, and indoor curling.
The new film, called Blind Ambition, Bowling for the Visually Impaired, is the work of Kaitlyn Cooper, who made it as part of her university course in Film and Media.
It can be viewed at
https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=MS2Ad9Wz48E
The Swindon BATS website is www.swindonbats.org
We decided we’d too many books and made a mountain. But what to lose?
I’ve a decent collection of poetry books that I visit regularly and use pieces of paper to bookmark poems. The shelves are a rainbow of prayer flags. Those books were going nowhere.
It was the same with collections – Steinbeck, Hemingway, Joyce, Becket,
Books we can't bear to part with - and those we can Maurice Spillane: Of Poetry Swindon
biographies with personal history. For example, I’m passionate about Hemingway. My youngest daughter and I spent three weeks visiting places in Cuba associated with him. The guide had a Cuban propaganda spin and we argued. He gave up and I became the guide. Can’t lose those books.
I took my daughters, when young, to California where Steinbeck based his novels:
Salinas Valley, Gabilan Hills, the Big Sur. We visited Steinbeck’s Museum and got special treatment from the delightful curator, laughed heartily when we differed on aspects of Steinbeck’s work. My daughters cringed, still do in the telling to be honest. Those books were staying.
Getting rid of technical books was a joy and cathartic. I'm done with professional work. Out they went.
Which left novels. I usually pass them to family and friends. Yet, I still had double rows on the shelves. That was the big cleanout - several hundred books for Oxfam representing decades of reading. I felt as if I was in
Timeless, the delightful poem by Instagram poet, Rupi Kaur. wait till you see me in my thirties now that will be a proper introduction to the nasty, wild, woman in me, how can i leave before the party's started rehearsals begin at forty i ripen with age i do not come with an expiration date and now for the main event curtains up at fifty let's begin the show
She needs to catch up on me, two more decades.
www.mauricespillane.co.uk
Monthly column with Becky Cox of Swindon Cycle Campaign.
Swindon has a great selection of cycle shops and bike mechanics to help keep you pedaling throughout the year.
It’s important to support the independent shops and mechanics wherever possible - they can provide great advice and support on bike maintenance.
There are also opportunities to get your bike checked and learn maintenance skills through some free community events; one of these is the Swindon Repair Café, held every two months at Eastcott Community Centre in Old Town.
The Repair Café movement is a reaction to today's throwaway mentality. Bring a broken item to the café and volunteers will help you mend it, advise on repair or explain why it can't be fixed. It's a social way of keeping good stuff out of
Alfie Howlett: Swindon Town FC writer
As we enter the longer days of spring, Swindon find their season getting shorter.
While flowers bloom, Swindon will see little blossom.
Their season is ultimately over with nothing to play for, no promotion, no relegation.
Swindon’s splurge in the January transfer window offered revived encouragement that they could turn their fortunes around.
However, now it appears a desperate bid to do your shopping on Christmas Eve. In truth, Swindon made some impressive acquisitions in January, however I fear it’s simply a case of coming too late for it to make an impact.
This feeling is further consolidated with the decision to install Gavin Gunning as interim head coach -until the end of the season.
We might well experience
landfill.
The café bit is also important. Have a coffee and some cake whilst waiting and there’s usually some live music being played as well. There’s even a Free Shop where you can donate/pick up household items and clothes for free.
Swindon Cycle Campaign has been supporting the Swindon Repair Café for the past few years, arranging for a bike mechanic to be on hand to help repair your bike for free (wherever possible).
Repair Cafés are held at the Eastcott Community Centre, Savernake Street, Swindon SN1 3LZ on the first Sunday every other month. The next event is on Sunday 3 March between 2-5pm, then again on 5 May, 7 July, 1 September and 3 November. Just turn up, no booking is required but be
prepared to wait if it’s busy. For more information follow Eastcott Community Centre and Swindon Repair Café on Facebook, or see www. repaircafe.org. The start-up of the Swindon Repair Café was supported by a Swindon
Borough Council New Shoots
Grant and donations of Sugru. Swindon Cycle Campaign are able to provide a bike mechanic for the events thanks to a Co-Op Local Community grant.
Can’t make these events?
Booking your bike in with a local bike shop or mobile cycle mechanic is the best thing to do. Otherwise there are a few opportunities during the year to get your bike checked and basic repairs done for free at other local events. Roger Cole, a local church minister, can be found most Monday afternoons (2.30 -4.30pm) outside the shops in Tadpole Garden Village, giving up his time to help the community by repairing people’s bikes for free. You can also keep an eye on the Swindon Travel Choices website.
a slight upturn in results, yet not the drastic improvement required to close in on the play-offs. In my opinion, Gunning’s appointment is yet another underwhelming one for Town. Once again it signals a lack of ambition.
Despite the former centre half being a reliable caretaker last season, picking up seven points from nine, the decision to appoint him with such a sizeable chunk of the season remaining was surprising. Especially when there were, as always, higher profile names in the job centre.
Should Swindon have made a more experienced appointment, hopes would’ve grown around SN1.
Instead, I feel as if the task of blending in such an influx of players will be difficult and timely for an inexperienced rookie.
Therefore, this leads me to believe that there will be little improvement and consequently little to write home about this campaign.
One of the new faces brought back to Town in January was a rather familiar one.
It was of course that of Harry McKirdy. The fan favourite returned to the County Ground on deadline day as he put pen to paper on a deal which saw him join on loan from Hibernian until the end of the season.
From a fan’s perspective, I was delighted to see the forward return.
And I really do hope that McKirdy can rediscover his mojo which made him the loveable character which he is.
Another signing who has impressed me is Conor McCarthy.
The 6ft4in centre half is exactly what The Robins have
been crying out for. Joining on loan from Barnsley, the Irishman offers a tall and commanding presence in the middle of the back thee.
However, once again it’s a sorry story of what could have been for Town.
Should they have signed a player of McCarthy’s quality in the Summer, then their season most likely wouldn’t have drifted away by now.
There’s no doubt that the remaining games will be tediously frustrating for the Town faithful.
Yet, it could provide a good opportunity for those signed permanently in January to get their feet under the table and kick on ahead of next season.
And perhaps it could even be a good opportunity for Gavin Gunning to prove himself as he potentially auditions for the managerial role next season.
• Extensions • Driveways
• Conservatories • Patios
• Garden Walls • Fencing
All general building and landscaping projects undertaken
NO JOB TOO SMALL
Call Stewart on 07841 826390 for a Free Estimate
Est. 1990 35 Spencer Close, West Swindon
❖ Fences, gates & sheds supplied and erected
❖ Landscaping
❖ Trees pruned and felled
❖ Rubbish removed
❖ Patios and shingle laid
❖ Wood chip & compost supplied
❖ Turfing and grass cutting
❖ And all aspects of garden maintenance
Tel: 01793 875451 or 07940 247152
www.freethfencingandgardenservicesltd.com
From the pages of Swindon Link's sister publication The Ocelot comes Agony Girl in the form of 11-year-old Amy. We read her the questions and she tells us the answers. To ask Agony Girl a question yourself email us at publisher@swindonlink.com with 'Agony Girl' in the subject line.
Dear Agony Girl,
My next door neighbours moved in a few months ago and seem to be a nice middle aged couple. However, for some reason they seem to have a complete aversion to cleaning their home in any way, shape or form. Or indeed, taking out their rubbish. Otherwise the couple seem perfectly healthy and friendly. Every time anybody walks past the house the smell coming out through the windows is enough to crack your eyeballs.
With Spring and Summer coming, we are a bit worried about the stench. How do we raise this issue with them?
Yours sincerely, Swindonian thinking of buying a gas mask
Invite them over for dinner. Write down all of your problems with them into a
notebook and kindly discuss the matters with your neighbours in a nice way and then give them some tea to reassure them that they’re not that smelly.
Dear Agony Girl, I heard it was recently your birthday, did you have a nice day? How did you celebrate?
Karen, Middle Wallop
I celebrated by opening presents and going to my mum’s house. Opening more presents. Going to the cinema to watch Mean Girls. Opening more presents and then having a jacket potato. Then on Tuesday I had a birthday party at ASK which I very enjoyed. On the weekend we went to London and went to an illusion museum and had Korean. It was really fun.
Dear Agony Girl, I hear you like going to sleepovers with your friends. What is the best activity to do on a sleepover?
Cheers Tyler, North Swindon
I like to stay up all night and play outnumbered. A really fun game. You need a phone and you need to ask questions on the phone. We do each other’s make-up too.
Dear Agony Girl, Now that you’re 11, isn’t it about time you retired?
Dad
I’m not going to retire because I’m still wise and I like to be asked all these questions and solve your problems.
