March 2010 Newsletter
Contents
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Editorial CommentJust when I thought I might have difficulty filling this edition, I was deluged with articles, so this is probably the longest edition yet. The Kingfisher Church had a successful Litter Pick, we have a new exercise class staring at the centre and our usergroups have been busy. My thanks to all our contributors If you have a news item or event you would like to share in the next newsletter, please let me have your contribution by Wednesday 28th April and send via email to To ensure we have the largest possible distribution, please would you forward this newsletter on to friends and neighbours and encourage them sign up to the emailing list via our website - |
Paxcroft Mead News
Rubbish Collections – Policy Change
Please make sure that the lid on your wheelie bin is closed
New safety guidance has been issued by FOCSA, who manage Wiltshire Council's waste collection, stating that wheeled bins with the lid open will not be collected. At a recent meeting between FOCSA representatives and council officers it was agreed that this will be reviewed by 1st May 2010, but the following interim procedures have been put in place:
- The crew will assess if the bin lid can be closed. If the lid will push closed without resistance by the placing of a hand on the lid, the bin will be collected.
- If the bin fails this test but the offending waste is contained in a bag and it can be safely removed, the bag will be removed and left beside the bin with an advice sticker attached. The contents of the bin will be emptied. The sticker on the bags will be notification to the householder that if in the future the bin lid is not closed, it will not be emptied.
- If the waste cannot be safely removed the bin will not be collected, but will have an advice sticker attached.
You have been warned !!! Ed.
Kingfisher Church cleans up for spring!
More than 15 bags were filled with litter collected from Paxcroft Mead on Sunday, March 20th.
Families from Kingfisher Church, which meets every Sunday at the Mead School, put on their rubber gloves and wellies to help clean the estate. Areas covered included the wasteland near the shopping parade, the paths around the school, bus stops and the playground.
Alison Bennett from Kingfisher Church said: ‘It was a great afternoon with good weather. All the families, including the children, were really keen and we collected around 15 bags of rubbish. We hope we did a little bit to help make this community a nicer place to live in.’
For more details on Kingfisher Church visit their website: www.kingfisherchurch.org.uk
Paxcroft has been a high priority for all Neighbourhood Police Teams and continues to be patrolled regularly throughout the 24hr period. There have not been any further reports of criminal damage in the area but there have been reports of car crime and burglaries. Preventative patrols are to continue.
We heard last week that two young men have been arrested for the spate of vehicle crime on Paxcroft Mead. Apparently they ae local (not Paxcroft Mead) and were caught red-handed.
Burglaries continue to be a problem locally. Most seem to be quite opportunistic with burglars generally gaining access through the rear of the property via open windows or unlocked doors. Police advise that residents should be scrupulous in keeping their property secure at all times.
New Exercise and Fitness Classes come to the Community Centre
On Tuesday 6th April, two new fitness classes will be starting at the Community Centre.
Debbie Bailey will be starting the classes with the first (19:15 - 20:15) featuring Zumba®. The Zumba® program fuses hypnotic Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves to create a one-of-a-kind fitness program that will blow you away. Our goal is simple: We want you to want to work out, to love working out, to get hooked. Zumba® Fanatics achieve long-term benefits while experiencing an absolute blast in one exciting hour of calorie-burning, body-energizing, awe-inspiring movements meant to engage and captivate for life!
The second class features Relaxation and Pilates, a specialised exercise designed to tone the abdominals and strengthen the back. This class runs from 20:15 - 21:15.
Each class costs £5 per session or £20 per month. For more details click here or contact Debbie on 07941 112893 or 01373 826878 or click here to email.
One of our older residents knits lots of gloves and hats for the children's Christmas box scheme each year. She is running out of raw materials and has sent out an appeal for DOUBLE KNITTING wool of any colour. If you are able to help, donations can be dropped in during the Coffee Morning at the Community Centre on Tuesdays between 10.15am and 11.30a.m. or failing that, if you can telephone Joan on 01225 752939 to get directions for dropping it off. Any donations would really be appreciated.
The Tuesday morning Coffee Club is one of the longest running user groups in the Community Centre. This friendly group has decided to expand to include activities such as Bingo and Beetle Drives twice a month and to organise Pub lunches every two months. Since the Mead Club has re-instated the dartboard, darts is now also available.
Do come and try us, or telephone me, Glen Dudley on 01225 761973.
If you are new to the area, I will be happy to meet you at the door and introduce you to some of the regulars.
Forum membership currently stands at 180 – a six-fold increase since we started six months ago. Membership of the Forum is by free registration: just hit the orange button on the Community Centre homepage to get to the forum website and follow the links to the membership page. Membership is open to all residents over the age of 16 years.
Update on Public Inquiry
The public Inquiry into whether the legal agreement reserving the land adjacent to Hackett Place for a medical centre should be lifted, allowing Marston's to build a pub, was held on Tuesday last in the Council Chamber at Bradley Road.
There were 118 votes cast in our on-line poll on the issue, with just under 70% voting for the legal agreement to be upheld. On this basis, the Forum committee decided to make a representation at the Inquiry.
This was the first time that any of us had been involved in a Public Inquiry and it proved to be an education, being arranged rather like a court case, with the Planning Inspector as the judge or magistrate and a barrister representing Marston's calling his own witnesses and cross-examining those fielded by the opposition. Since the council had decided not to defend the appeal and therefore had no barrister and no witnesses of its own, it was Councillor Ernie Clark and I who were in the hot seats. I presented our evidence of the need for a doctor's surgery at Paxcroft Mead, causing a brief flurry of anxiety with a well placed quotation from the recent Core Strategy Consultation document, which stated that “all four GP surgeries are at capacity”. The argument that the proposed new Poly Clinic at Trowbridge Hospital will include another surgery within its provision seemed to be carrying the day, however.
We had to leave at lunchtime and therefore didn't hear the Inspector's summing up. The report in the Wiltshire Times suggests that the result will take up to seven weeks.Forum Finances
Thanks are overdue to Hilperton Parish Council for their generous grant of £125 towards our start up costs, which was matched last week by a similar grant from Trowbridge Town Council. We are now at last able to arrange Public Liability Insurance and pay back the money for the original leafleting last October.
Community Centre Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of the Community Centre Management Committee will be held on Tuesday 18th May 2010 in the Community Centre.
This is the opportunity for Paxcroft Mead residents to find out about the Community Centre and to have a say in how it is run.
As the Community Centre is a registered charity, meetings have to be run using the Charity Commission's strict guidelines. This means that any nominations for Committee members have to be made prior to the meeting. If you would like to nominate someone to be a committee member you can download a nomination paper here. Nominations and items for the consideration under “Any Other Business” agenda item must be with the Secretary by Tuesday, May 4th.
The meeting agenda and the draft minutes from last year's AGM can be downloaded via the Management Page
Trowbridge Short Mat Bowls Club
Trowbridge Short Mat Bowls Club have won the North Wiltshire Division of the Wiltshire Winter League* for the second year in a row. It went down to the last match of the season with Crudwell needing to beat Seend and score 5 points (out of a possible 8) to overtake us and Kington Langley. Fortunately Seend won 6–2 ! We were tied with Kington Langley on 55 points, but ahead of them on shot difference.
Trowbridge SMBC and Kington Langley now go through to the playoffs for the Wiltshire County title on 18th April, against the top 2 from the Central and Southern Divisions; we were runners up last year so we are hoping we can win it again this year, but it will not be easy!
For full details about the Trowbridge Short Mat Bowls Club click here.
*Although there is also a summer league, it has fewer clubs and smaller teams, the Winter League is the main annual competition.
Jack Pope's Letter from America
Apologies to all for missing the February Newsletter. With February being a short month the deadline slipped right past without me noticing.
We had a great winter. There was lots of snow which is normal for this area but it was not that cold. I only remember two nights when the temperature was below freezing. You may recall that I received snowshoes for Christmas and thus went to the Beaver Lake Nature Center several times a week to snowshoe. The Center has two dedicated snowshoeing trails which, of course, are only open in the winter. One is 1.3 miles long and the other is 2.2 miles. They take us to parts of the Center that we don't get to see while on the regular walking trails the rest of the year. There were always lots of animal tracks to see - squirrels, fox, skunk, coyote, rabbit and, of course, deer. We often saw the deer as well. They are quite used to people so will just stand and observe us while we observe them. The snow is all gone now so we are back to walking the regular trails. It will soon be time for the fawns to be born so we are all eagerly awaiting our first viewing of the young deer. Many of the summer birds are starting to arrive so there are many new visitors to the bird feeders. The ice is out of the lake (it was 16 inches thick a few weeks ago) so the open water is attracting the thousands of geese that are migrating back north. The spring woodland flowers will soon be blooming, the frogs will soon be heard again, the snakes and turtles will be coming out and it will be another season at Beaver Lake.
One of the March activities at Beaver Lake is the annual Maple Syrup demonstration of the whole process of making maple syrup from the tapping of the trees to the evaporating the sap to remove most of the water and convert the sap to the syrup. I am one of the volunteers who work at this demonstration each weekend. It is a lot of fun meeting the hundreds who attend each weekend. I also volunteer as a trail guide for the visitations by school children on field trips. We take them for walks on the trails and interpret the local nature for them.
Susan continues to be very busy with the American Red Cross as winter is a time for house fires and also many folks have trouble paying their heat and light bills. It is part of her work to try to help. She is preparing to be a “ghost” for the Historical Society this September. More about that in a later newsletter. The Library Board keeps me busy and we both work with the Dollars for Scholars chapter to raise money to provide scholarships for local students continuing on to College.
I hope a number of residents have stepped forward to serve on the Management Committee for the Community Center. It is a fantastic asset for Paxcroft Mead and it would be a shame to lose it. Some of you may recall that I served on the committee for several years until I left Trowbridge. It is a very rewarding experience and I highly recommend it.
Until April - Best wishes to you all.
Forthcoming Events
Mead Club Events
Live Band, Gypsy
On Saturday, 3rd April 2010 (Easter Saturday). Ticket prices:- Members £2.50, Guests £3.50, Children 50p.
This six-piece band, comprising male and female vocals, keyboards, guitar, bass and drums, perform a wide repertoire of classic songs from the 1960s to the present day, making them the ideal choice for live music whatever the occasion.
Gypsy combine their wealth of musical talent and experience with a top quality light show and sound system to provide you with an evening of truly top quality live entertainment and an unforgettable experience.
Gypsy Website
Weekly Quiz Night
The Thursday Quiz Night continues to be a popular night with members. The evening is a lot of fun with ‘special’ nights featuring variations such as Snakes and Ladders and Joker Nights. Other special nights have included Trafalgar Night (for the Jack Tars - one of whom is reported to have taken part), Burns Night etc. The entry fee is 50 pence per person.
Join the Mead Club on Facebook
Rachel Allen has recently set up a Facebook Group for the Mead Club - have a look by clicking here once you are signed in to Facebook.
Children's Activities at Trowbridge Museum
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For more details of STUMPY'S CLUB call the Museum on 01225 751339 or email David Birks at the museum.
Easter at the Kingfisher Church
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Come and join us as we celebrate Easter
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| For more details, please contact Alison or Mark Bennett on 01225 754826 or visit website www.kingfisherchurch.org.uk |
Thrive Dance Festival – Saturday 1st May
Trowbridge Walking Forum - April 2010
The Trowbridge Walking Forum walks are designed to provide gentle and sociable exercise and are suitable for all ages and abilities.
Wednesday walks are approximately 2 to 3 miles and there is usually a choice of an easy, level walk and one that may include fields and stiles. On Mondays, walks alternate between a longer route of 4 to 5 miles with stiles and some hills, and shorter walks of less that 1½ miles that are mostly on paved paths.
The programme for April 2010 is shown below:
| Day | Date | Type | Route Options | Starting Point | Grade |
| Mon | 5-Apr | Longer walk | Bradford on Avon to Ashley long walk | Ashley Rd, BoA, near St Laurence School gates | S M 4m |
| Wed | 7-Apr | Moderate walk | Southwick to Wingfield | Southwick Country Park CP | S M 3½m |
| Mon | 12-Apr | Short walk | Broadmead | Studley Green Community Hall | E S 1½m |
| Wed | 14-Apr | Moderate walk | Bradford on Avon, Rowden Lane and Canal | Canal Car Park (down Baileys Barn, off Moulton Drive, next to canal bridge near Sainsburys) | S M s/c 3m |
| Mon | 19-Apr | Longer Walk | Bishops Cannings | Park in the layby outside the school, or nearby | S M 5½m |
| Wed | 21-Apr | Moderate walk | Keevil to Steeple Ashton | Keevil, by the church | E 3m |
| Mon | 26-Apr | Short walk | White Horse Business Park | B & Q car park, Bradley Road, Trowbridge | E 1½m |
| Wed | 28-Apr | Moderate walk | Norton St. Phillip | Outside the disused factory on the main road | S M P 3m |
| Mon | 3-May | Longer walk | Semington, Whaddon Lane and Canal | By tennis courts in St Georges Road, Semington | E 4m |
| Wed | 5-May | Moderate walk | Holt and Chalfield | Village Hall CP, Holt | S M 3.1 m |
| Walks start at 10:30AM Bus timetables are at www.traveline.org.uk | |||||
| Short Walks: approx 45 mins, no stiles, mostly paved paths. Moderate Walks: approx 60 to 75 mins, mostly field paths, usually stiles. Longer Walks: up to 2 hours, stiles, some hills. | |||||
| Key: E: Easy walking. H: Moderate hills. S: Stiles. M: Can be muddy. P: Pub lunch possible. s/c: shorter route possible. | |||||
For more information visit www.whi.org.uk/trowbridge or contact Alan & Anne on 01225 760492, David on 01225 755639, Mike on 01225 766668 or Pat & Charles on 01225 753735.