Broadsheet Feb 2016 - Biddestone Village

Biddestone Broadsheet
February 2016
Page 1
No 427
WHITE HORSE DIARY.
SAT 6TH FEB
CELEBRATE CHINESE NEW YEAR, 2 COURSES £15.
SAT 13TH FEB VALENTINES SPECIAL, 3 COURSES £20.
SUN 6TH MAR MOTHERS DAY, FREE DESSERT FOR ALL MUMS.
THU 17TH MAR ST.PATRICKS DAY, IRISH SPECIALS.
FRI 25 - MON 28TH MAR EASTER WEEKEND, EASTER EGG TRAIL, FAMILY PRIZE TO BE WON
EVERY WEDNESDAY IS LATE SUPPER NIGHT, 2 MAINS FOR £20, SERVED UNTIL 9.30
EVERY THURSDAY IS STEAK NIGHT, 2 STEAKS & A BOTTLE OF WINE, RUMPS £35, FILLETS
£45.
SUNDAY LUNCH, 2 COURSES £14.95, 3 COURSES £16.95.
LAST FRI OF THE MONTH IS QUIZ NIGHT WITH A CASH PRIZE & MONEY GOING TO CHARITY.TEAMS OF 4@ £10 A TEAM.
BOOKING IS ADVISABLE.
CONTACT US ON 01249 713305 OR EMAIL [email protected]
Don’t forget we have the snug room for private dining & milk, eggs & butter for sale.
All our beers are recommended by Cask Marque, all our food is homemade and hearty and our service is friendly and efficient
Halloween at The Old Forge – our last visitor
We had a steady stream of “trick or treat” groups coming round the Green which was great fun, and I had bags of
popcorn ready. All were made welcome.
Our last visitor was a lad (maybe about 5-8 years) and his father – the time was 8 pm approx. I had made a bowl of
popcorn and so gave the entire bowl to the lad and his Dad and asked them please to return the bowl when they had
finished the popcorn. When asked, they told me they came from The Challows – so off they went very happy with
their “treat”.
Sadly, the bowl has not been returned. I printed some notes and Postie very kindly delivered them to every house in
The Challows. I do hope the popcorn was enjoyed, but I would dearly like my bowl back. I made it many years ago
at Chippenham College and it is the only remaining piece of pottery I have, that I made.
Christmas is a time of giving – so......could whoever has my pottery bowl (shades of blue in this conical shaped pot)
please return it to me. It is of great sentimental value.
Happy New Year – Daphne Juniper
BIDDESTONE BOOK CLUB
Thank you to Debbie for hosting our first meeting of 2016. We enjoyed a relaxed evening discussing The Vanishing Point by Val McDermid.
On Monday 22nd February– please note this is unusually on
the FOURTH Monday of the month- the meeting will be at 7:15p.m.
at Lorena’s house to discuss Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín. Our book for
March will be The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair by Joël Dicker.
If you have any questions please phone Diane on 712105.
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Feb 2016
COVER PICURE
Thanks to Chris Draper for the cover picture of the Advent Supper and the above of the cooks and
helpers that delivered such an enjoyable evening.
WELCOME
To Kevin & Victoria Tunsley who have moved into Brook House from Bath and to Yvonne & Stuart
Thomas who have moved into Orme Cottage from North Devon.
We hope that you will be very happy in Biddestone.
BIDDESTONE LENT GROUP 2016
A Lent course focusing on: Parables in St. Luke
This takes the form of bible study and informal discussion, with refreshments. It will take place as
follows:
Time: 2.15p.m to 3.30p.m. on Tuesdays: 23rd February and 1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd March at The
Barn, Cuttle Lane, Biddestone.
If you would like to join us, please ring Alison Flint (712687) or Diane Ross-Smith (712105)
BIDDESTONE CHRISTMAS TREE
A huge thank you to Glynn the gamekeeper for providing the beautiful Christmas tree
this year and to David Taylor, John Collet and John Penny for putting it up. Thanks
also to the Staffords for providing the electricity for the lights. It looked fabulous
as always.
From the Fete Committee
TERRY GREENWOOD
Maureen, Steve and Mark Greenwood and family would like to thank everyone for all their kindness,
love and their support after Terry’s untimely death. So many villagers attended Terry’s funeral and
thanks in particular to Alison Flint for all her support and for conducting the funeral, Ronnie Robinson for arranging the beautiful flowers, Caroline Dale and the Biddestone Singers for their musical
contribution. Also thanks to the Biddestone Arms for their warm reception after the service. We
really appreciate all the support received. – Thank you.
Astoria Chippenham
Are pleased to announce "LIVE" Cinema Screenings of Royal Opera, RSC, ENO,
NT and others
National Theatre: As You Like It
24th Feb 19.00
Bolshoi Ballet: Spartacus
13th Mar 15.00
The Royal Opera House: Boris Gudunov
21st Mar 19.15
The Royal Opera House: Don Quixote
10th Apr 16.00
PLEASE NOTE SOME SHOWS ARE RECORDINGS Performances subject to change without prior notice
Page 3
GEOFFREY ERNEST BESWICK 18th October 1923 – 29th December 2015 The following is extracted from the tribute paid to by Geoff’s family at the service to celebrate his life held at St. Nicholas Church on the 18th January. Geoff hailed from the North West, born Prestwich Manchester the youngest of three children. A bright young man who a ended Stand Grammar School, where he showed a real ap tude for chemistry, On leaving school the joined the ICI Dyestuffs Division in Blackley, Manchester. This was war me and he asked permission to volunteer for the RAF one Saturday in 1942. He trained as a navigator to fly in aircra such as the Lancaster as part of Bomber Command. He was considered the best navigator in his flight and was selected for 50 Squadron, Opera on Seaweed, a meteorological exercise over the North Sea. The Lancaster or Lincoln flew from home base RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire 50 to 100 feet above the waves up to the Shetland Islands, then did a box climb un l over Norway, and then flew back to base. Most of these sor es lasted 7 to 8 hours. He blamed the noise he experienced then for some of his deafness. He returned to the ICI, Dyestuffs Division in 1947. A short while later he saw across the room a pre y young girl talking to a group of people. She was visi ng from an ICI department a few miles away. He was smi en and knew straight away that he wanted to marry this lovely lady. He found out that she came from Middleton, and he took off on his cycle searching the streets of Middleton to see if he could see her. They got together and so Margaret and he were married on 30th June 1950 and celebrated 65 and a half years together. A very accomplished chemist with several patents to his name; his first jointly with a German chemist Karl O o Ganguin in 1954 on an improvement in the process for the development of a colour photograph, others followed including an an ‐malarial agent and an improvement in the method for copper extrac on. A er he re red in 1980, he retained his interest in organic chemistry but also loved classical music and cricket, he had played for an ICI team into middle age. Geoff was a quiet gentle man with the lovely sense of humour — he will be greatly missed by his family and many friends in Biddestone. Page 4
TERENCE RICHARD GREENWOOD 6th October 1942 – 11th December 2015 The following is extracted from the tribute Steve paid to his Dad at the service to celebrate the life of Terry held at St. Nicholas Church on the 29th of December. At 73 Terry was s ll young but he packed a lot into his me. He met Mum when she was 18 and he was 19. They were inseparable from that moment: truly soul mates. They married 2 years later and their enduring rela onship was to last 52 years. Throughout my life, Dad seemed so young – that’s because he was – he was a father at 23, tre‐
mendously fit and healthy as we grew up, and he evolved into one of his favourite roles; the grandad to our 2 children. He took great delight in tormen ng them, in a suppor ve way, at various musical and spor ng events. Mum and Dad started out in Coventry and moved house 10 mes, essen ally due to dad’s job as a Quan‐
ty Surveyor. He qualified the hard way, but his devo on to that long distance study was typical of dad; once he stated something he always finished it. He loved how his professional life evolved from dealing with concrete office blocks to working with clients such as English Heritage, specializing in beau ful old buildings. He was treasurer of St Nicholas church and loved the building. The move to Biddestone about 4 years ago marked the beginning of another new chapter for mum and dad. I’ve been touched by the warmth and kind thoughts received from many of the Biddestone resi‐
dents. All of you have spoken so highly of dad and although mum is definitely the social whirlwind, dad was always able to entertain and in fact be the life and soul of any gathering. And then there was the prac cal, nature loving, crea ve, almost Renaissance man, which was always there and finding ways of expression. He was constantly building, fixing or making something. He always smelled of paint, or oil, or varnish, or diesel or wood. In his pockets you would always find screws or nails or screwdrivers, fishhooks or twine. He loved reading, fishing, bird watching, model making and gardening. Woodcarving was an early skill mastered. His hands were workers hand in spite of his desk job. To say he was something of a DIY guru is a bit of an understatement. He could turn his hand to literally anything around the house as well as car maintenance, boat restora on, etc., etc. His crea vity also extended to making a le handed violin to learn to play on and he loved the fact that he sounded absolutely terrible when he played it. My dad was kind and though ul; he was loving, always affec onate and a great hugger; he was dogma c, prac cal and understanding. He was straigh orward. He never took himself, or would let us take our‐
selves too seriously ‐ major lesson in life. In a complicated world he was uncomplicated. He knew who he was and he was content with that. He is now at peace. Mum, Mark, Jack and Hannah; we are all be er people because of the rela onship we had with dad Page 5
Thanks to Hilary Noyes for the poem selection.
The Ponies
During the strike, the ponies were brought up
From their snug stables, some three hundred feet
Below the surface- up the pit's main shaft
Shot one by one into the light of day;
And as each stepped, bewildered, from the cage,
He stood among his fellows, shivering
In the unaccustomed freshness of free air,
His dim eyes dazzled by the April light.
And then one suddenly left the huddled group,
Lifted his muzzle, sniffed the freshness in,
Pawed the soft turf and, whinnying, started trotting
Across the field; and one by one his fellows
With pricking ears each slowly followed him,
Timidly trotting: when the leader's trot
Broke into a canter, then into a gallop;
And now the whole herd galloped at his heels
Around the dewy meadow, hard hoofs, used
To stumbling over treacherous stony tramways
And plunging hock-deep through black steamy puddles
Of the dark narrow galleries, delighting
In the soft spring of the resilient turf,
Still round and round the field they raced, unchecked
By tugging traces, at their heels no longer
The trundling tubs, and round and round and round,
With a soft thunder of hoofs, the sunshine flashing
Page 6
On their sleek coats, through the bright April weather
They raced all day: and even when the night
Kindled clear stars above them in a sky
Strangely unsullied by the stack which now
No longer belched out blackness, still they raced,
Unwearied, as through their short sturdy limbs
The rebel blood like wildfire ran, their lungs
Filled with the breath of freedom. On they sped
Through the sweet dewy darkness; and all night
The watchman at the pithead heard the thudding
Of those careering and exultant hoofs
Still circling in a crazy chase; and dawn
Found them still steaming raggedly around,
Tailing into a lagging cantering,
And so to a stumbling trot: when gradually
Dropping out one by one, they started cropping
The dew dark tender grass, which no foul reek
From the long idle pit now smirched, and drinking
With quivering nostrils the rich living breath
Of sappy growing things, the cool rank green
Grateful to eyes, familiar from their colthood
Only with darkness and the dusty glimmer
Of lamplit galleries...
May hap one day
Our masters, too, will go on strike, and we
Escape the dark and drudgery of the pit,
And race unreined around the fields of heaven!
W W Gibson
Corsham Churches Foodbank
Dear Di
Please would you thank our supporters in Biddestone for all the food they donated to the food bank during the course
of last year. We are very grateful indeed for your continued support.
Gifts of food and money came in from organisations and individuals throughout the area and we made a special effort
at Christmas to ensure that local people benefited from this generosity.
On the first Saturday in December fourteen volunteer helpers were joined by eight students from The Corsham
School to pack bags of food for families having a tough time.
145 bags were packed in record time.
Now we are beginning to re-stock our shelves so that we can do
another distribution to families during the Easter school holidays. (We ask various local agencies to identify families on low
incomes who need this sort of help.)
At the moment we are running low on tinned spaghetti, instant
mash, long life fruit juice, squash and sponge puddings – and
we always need coffee, rice and tinned meat!
Again, many thanks,
Gill Drew
Secretary Corsham Churches Food Bank
The Advent Supper
The Advent Supper has become a warm and joyful tradition in Biddestone, as neighbours and friends
share a meal inside the beautiful church of St Nicholas.
This year’s event on Saturday 19th December raised £550 towards the restoration of the bell tower.
One friend sadly missed was Terry Greenwood, who passed away very recently. It was good to see
Maureen, still able to share the evening with so many friends.
The delicious dinner was cooked by Simon and Charlotte Bruce, with vegetarian dishes by Gertie
Draper. The invaluable team who helped serve, clear and wash up were Tilly and Toby, Melissa, Jane,
Nicky and Rosemary. Stewart added to the atmosphere by providing the music.
Many hands made light work of clearing up the church ready for the carol service the next day.
Page 7
BIDDESTONE & SLAUGHTERFORD PARISH COUNCIL
Clerk Mrs Mary Norton 155 Queens Crescent Chippenham Wilts SN14 0NW
Email [email protected]
DRAFT MINUTES OF THE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON TUESDAY 1st DECEMBER 2015, AT BIDDESTONE VILLAGE HALL, AT 7.00.PM
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Cllr Madley
PRESENT
Cllrs Stafford, Juniper, de Fossard, Williams, Mullens, Smith, Draper and Short; together
with Mr & Mrs Richard Wilson from the Cotswold Wardens and Mr Andrew Stafford representing the Tennis Club.
DECLARATION OF MEMBERS’ INTEREST
Cllr Stafford as a member of the Tennis Club (item 6 on the agenda)
PUBLIC QUESTION TIME
No written questions had been received and the only member of the public present was Mr Andrew Stafford who was attending specifically for item 6 on the agenda.
RICHARD WILSON (COTSWOLD WARDEN)
Richard Wilson, assisted by his Wife, gave a very interesting presentation on the activities of the Cotswold Wardens in
Parishes, using slides showing maps and other features to illustrate his talk on the Cotswold Way. This parish is situated in
the southern part of the Avon Valley. There have been voluntary wardens since 1968 and in the last year they have given
45000 hours service. Richard is this parish’s contact and walks the rights of way twice per annum. While doing this, he
carries out minor jobs where possible and gets to know the local people. Work parties undertake jobs such as dry stone
walling, repairing stile steps and bridges and clearing and coppicing hedges. Work is also done for Local Authorities and
other organisations within the ANOB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty); Biddestone & Slaughterford lie at the southern edge of the Cotswold AONB with most of the Parish included within its boundary. It also contains two sites of Special
Scientific Interest. He commented that during his walks he has discovered two footpaths that require attention. One was the
path from Germain’s Lane to the Quaker’s Meeting House. The other is from Biddestone Manor to Hartham. The Cotswold
Warden will assist on clearing these paths if relevant landowner’s permissions are obtained. More information on the organisation can be found at www.cotswoldwardenanob.org.uk. The Chair thanked Mr & Mrs Wilson for attending and for
their very interesting presentation.
MINUTES
The minutes of the meeting held on 3rd November were signed as a correct record of that meeting.
SECTION 106 MONEY – TENNIS CLUB PROPOSALS
The Chair, Cllr Gill Stafford, handed over the Chair for this agenda item to Cllr Juniper as she had declared an interest as a
member of the tennis Club. Andrew Stafford explained he was attending to provide background information to support the
possibility of using some of the Section 106 money for a form of shelter in the vicinity of the tennis courts. The matter had
been discussed on previous occasions and the PC had asked for further information. He had provided a paper, which had
been circulated to councillors, and wished to explain the club’s position and answer any further questions to help a decision
to be reached. The club had incurred considerable capital expenditure including increasing the number of courts and installing floodlighting. Maintenance costs would shortly include work on the surface of the courts. During the subsequent
discussion it was commented that the position of the use of a court by non-members was not clear. Mr Stafford said that as
noted in the circulated paper, non-members, villagers and guests could have the use of a court upon payment of a fee of £2
per head on application to himself, as Chairman of the club. The club is willing to clarify the position by amending the
website entry and publishing it in the Broadsheet and on village notice boards. Clearly they would like more members paying the annual membership fee; some councillors commented that perhaps using a court might encourage increased membership. The provision of a form of shelter, rather than a summerhouse, would enable both tennis club members and others
to shelter from inclement weather. The club pays £1000 per annum to the Village Hall but does not use its facilities. Mr
Stafford was thanked for attending and advised that councillors would discuss his comments. After some further discussion
it was agreed by a vote of 5 in favour and 2 against, the PC would support a summerhouse, provided the Tennis Club widely published the procedures for non-members to use the courts, including in the Broadsheet and website. (AS)
MATTERS ARISING
Agatha Raisin – There was no further information on the post filming survey (CM) The Clerk will write to Midge Ferguson, regarding the donation ‘Mammoth’ is making for charitable purposes, to request that a letter of explanation makes it
clear that the cheque is from the film company for the PC to distribute to agreed charitable organisations. The final amount
was £1400 (MN)
The options and nominations were discussed and it was agreed to distribute the funds to: Broadsheet £500, Village Link
£250, WI £250, Air Ambulance £250, Luncheon Club £50, Bobby Van £100.
Broadband in Slaughterford – The Chair has written to Baroness Scott and is awaiting her response. Discussions are also
ongoing with BT Openreach.
Biddestone Crossroads, Accidents on the A420 - a response is awaited to a letter sent to WC and the Chair will chase this
up (GS)
Car parked on Cuttle Lane pavement - the position has improved. It will be reviewed again in February.
Holes on The Green The filming and recent bad weather has delayed repairs but they will be carried out as soon as possible.
Yatton Road/Cuttle Lane Junction redevelopment – this is proceeding.
Community Resilience Plan - Cllr Draper has information and will arrange a meeting with the Chair to discuss. (CD & GS)
Section 137 Money - The Clerk will investigate (MN)
Assets of Community Value – The Clerk has listed the Village Hall, two public houses, the Greens, War Memorial, benches and the Church; councillors suggested the cemetery and the pump be added to the list, which will be circulated list for
comment (MN)
Page 8
CHAIRMAN’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
The response to the Section 106 vote is noted above.
PLANNING
Pear Tree Cottage – this was a resubmission of an earlier application for a two-storey extension and erection of a garden
room. Due to the time deadline it was circulated to councillors before the meeting. There was no objection and this decision
has already been reported.
Pool Farm – to convert a derelict barn to a holiday let. There was no objection but a request was made for the resulting
property to be tied to the main property, preventing the possibility of a separate sale in the future. It is assumed that a Section 106 levy will be charged.
The Old Post Office – alterations to an extension and the conversion of outbuildings to form an annexe are proposed. There
was no objection but a request to tie to the main building was agreed.
REPORTS
Chippenham Area Board
Paramedics demonstrated resuscitation also the use of a defibrillator. In Chippenham only Sheldon School has a defibrillator with public access.
The Police are setting up a Police Cadet Scheme for children aged 13-18 years and hope for 20 suitable applicants. Uniforms will be issued and they will learn the basics of law, first aid and team building. They will be involved in street surveys and community events. Much of the training will count towards the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme.
Primary School children will receive instruction on cyber bullying and stranger danger in their final two years. The police
are also to target places where elderly people live in an effort to reduce their perception of crime and make them feel safer.
The Safe Places scheme now has 30 participating locations in Chippenham, identified by window stickers, but the only
village location is at Kington St Michael. All villages are encouraged to provide safe places.
Chippenham GP, Dr Nick Brown, explained the plans being put in place to meet the growth in Chippenham’s increasing
elderly population and the seven days per week GP service. The three town practices will work closely together providing
longer appointments and team meetings for elderly patients, the aim being to keep them healthy and reduce hospital admissions. There has been a 27% reduction in hospital admissions from care homes. There is a plan to provide some services
from the re-developed Chippenham Hospital site.
Chippenham Campus After four years of discussion and public consultation the plan and vision for a Chippenham Campus
has stalled. For various reasons, the Monkton park site cannot go ahead and split sites are now being considered with the
recruitment of five councillors to move it forward.
Area board Corsham- There was nothing to report
Parish Steward Richard Dobson is back in his original post. He has stated that the drains in Slaughterford have been cleared
but will arrange for an additional clean of the system by the ad hoc tanker, which is available once every four weeks, it
should be done in the week commencing December 21st. He will try and arrange additional resources for leaf clearing. He
has been told about the drain at Rock Cottage, which will need clearing pre-winter. He also needs to clarify progress regarding re-instatement of the white lines at the end of The Tynings and Hartham Lane at the junction with Weavern Lane,
to date there has been no response. Phil Carter, his predecessor, was also asked about this. (CM)
Police and Neighbourhood Watch There was nothing to report.
CATG/Roads There was nothing to report.
Village Hall If the PC does not endorse the expenditure of the Section 106 monies for the tennis club hut, which is considered to be an appropriate use of the funds, it was agreed that the BVH&RT would look into the permissions required to
erect a children’s play area shelter. It was also decided to press on with the outside table tennis table and the mower as soon
as possible.
Because of the popularity of the Fireworks, it was agreed that there is a need for a static manned and highly visible first aid
post in future. The numbers permitted by Health and Safety and insurance will be checked. Car parking was difficult
throughout the village and the official car park was full. The two bars worked well but arrangements for hotdogs etc. need
some thought. Overall the event was judged a success and thanks were expressed to the film company for their contribution.
Bookings for October were low. The carpets seats and hall floor are to be deep cleaned with industrial cleaners as a one off.
Exercise. A surveyor has been appointed to look at the Zipfel loan. There has been no progress on the brewery loan
School Governor –There was nothing new to report other than the new arrangement for the Head Teacher also covering
Sherston Primary School appears to be working well.
Traffic Calming – Cllr Draper report on the Hamilton-Baillie presentation was discussed and the following actions were
agreed to progress the ideas and issues, which were touched on at this meeting. A Community drop in day will be held at
the Village Hall in late March/early April to get villagers to make suggestions, get involved and think about solutions. Cllr
Draper will contact Sherston PC to find out details of the Community Day they held and agree a date to book the Hall (CD)
CORRESPONDENCE
Open letter in the Broadsheet - The PC will respond to this in the Broadsheet (GS)
Tracing William Mountjoy’s family - a letter has been received asking for help. It was suggested that the Clerk reply suggesting the writer refers the matter to the Chippenham Heritage centre. (MN)
ACCOUNTS & GENERAL FINANCE
Bank signatories – all the required forms have been signed. The Clerk visited the bank who have agreed to keep the forms
until the two new signatories who are not customers of the bank, have called to present their credentials. Cllrs Draper and
de Fossard agreed to do so. (CD & R de F)
Invoices for payment – Wessex Water
£89.05
- P Maidment £60 for Village Pump Roof repairs
-D Taylor £90 green cutting, £100 for moving and fitting the new bench
-WC £453.63 contribution for signage for Slaughterford
Internal Audit - this has been completed by Cllr Mullens and was satisfactory
Precept for 2016/17 - this was agreed at the November meeting, to be set at the same rate as 2015/16 (£8000) and will be
sent to WC by the Clerk (MN)
Risk Assessment – This is carried forward to the February meeting.
AOBNone
Date of next meeting Tuesday 2nd February 2016, at the Village Hall, at 7.00 pm. (There will not be a meeting in January.)
Page 9
Record of Biddestone & Hartham Women’s Institute Meeting
Wednesday 20th January 2016
Vice-President Val Ringham, standing in for Jo Hancock who was unwell, welcomed thirteen members (including
two new ones – Linda Fidele and Carolyn Vaughan) and one visitor.
Betty Evans read the record of the meeting on 9th December (which was also the Christmas Party), which was approved.
There were no Matters Arising
Val Spencer-Jones reported that she had posted off the bulk of the completed Resolution selection forms. Members
were asked to suggest destinations for the August outing; this would be raised again in February.
The programme for 2016 had now been completed; details would be distributed at the next
meeting. Val S-J and would represent the Institute at the AGM in Brighton, with Carol going
as an Observer. The May meeting would discuss the chosen Resolution, and the W.I. Adviser
would attend to offer advice.
Correspondence
Details of a visit to the Hawk Conservation Trust near Andover in May.
A talk by Alison Chapman of “Real Deal” at Seend also in May.
Information that the Baking and Preserving sessions were to be repeated.
There would be an on-line survey about the 2014 Resolution about organ donation.
Finance
Carol Millard (Treasurer) reported that all members present had paid their annual subscriptions.
Val R introduced Chris Penny, the speaker, who gave an interesting talk, illustrated with slides, about the
(unsupported) cycle ride he did with his brother in 2010 across the United States. They left Astoria, Oregon, on
31st May and arrived in Yorktown on the East Coast on 5th August. They had intended to camp most of the way,
but torrential rain for 18 days at the start and extreme heat towards the end meant they quite often had to use motels.
The route, which had been created by cyclists in 1976, covered 4,300 miles, and they averaged 85 miles a day. It
was extremely mountainous for much of the route, reaching heights of over 11,000’ in the Rockies and over 12,000’
in the Appalachians. Chris said that in all that time they only had one puncture, but he emphasised the physical,
mental and emotional challenges they had to overcome.
Val S-J gave the vote of thanks.
Refreshments were served by Beryl Foster, and she also provided the raffle prize, which was won by Betty.
Val closed the meeting by reminding members that the next meeting on 16th February would be the AGM. She
added that the current committee were willing to stand again, but anyone would be welcome to join them.
An Open Reply from The Parish Council- Safety Concerns
Dear Editor,
A letter In the November Broadsheet raised some interesting points, to which the PC feels it should respond.
Ours is not the only community confronted by these issues. Over time, traffic has increased and become more
powerful, whereas our roads and footpaths are mostly fixed.
To most of us on the PC, reducing speed through the village goes hand in hand with improving safety (speed
and the severity of injury are closely related).
Biddestone & Slaughterford are rural communities and, therefore, by necessity, large tractors do need to pass
through the villages. Some time ago the PC, wrote to all farmers and contractors asking them to slow
down as they drive through the villages.
The PC have been instrumental in: restricting the size of lorries going through the village; introduced traffic
calming; introducing a 20mph speed limit supported at key points by roundels in the road; and most recently, contributed to signage in Slaughterford, with the aim of preventing large lorries from getting stuck
in the narrow lanes down to the village.
The current junction realignment in Cuttle Lane and Yatton Road is designed to both reduce speed and increase visibility.
Finally, the recent Hamilton Baillie presentation (funded by Agatha Raisin Money) presented the village with
an opportunity to improve the way road users drive through the village, improve awareness and reduce
speed. This work is on- going and needs contributions from residents, plus money to fund any workable
suggestions.
The PC will be progressing it, by holding a Community Drop- In Day at the Village Hall on Saturday 9th April
between 11am and 3pm.We hope that many residents will come, to give us feedback, thoughts and ideas about
traffic in the villages. This will help us to look forward and plan. The PC would also like to invite residents
who would like to form a working group to help develop these ideas further.
Page 10
Ben Hamilton Baillie Talk
10th September 2015
Just over 60 villagers came to hear Ben Hamilton Baillie talk about his approach to traffic management in villages
and cities. Ben is a world renowned expert on shared spaces examples of which can be seen on exhibition row and
around Europe.
The hour talk focussed on several key issues that can change the way traffic behaves. These include identifying key
spaces, emphasising unique qualities of a place, signs that define those key areas, removal of generic “urban” road
markings. Creating a clear public realm, and encouraging people to populate the space. He showed several examples
how these principles have been applied successfully in the last 10-15 years. These can be explored in detail on his
website.
www.hamilton-baillie.co.uk
Also in great value is the “Traffic in Villages - A Toolkit for Communities “ that can be downloaded for free.
Along with case studies of solutions to villages similar to biddestone these are a fantastic resource.
After the initial talk about the principles used elsewhere Ben went on to talk more specifically about Biddestone. He
had spent a couple of hours in the afternoon walking and driving through the village and identified several areas that
he would focus attention. Obviously the Green is one of primary spaces in the village, but equally important are the
various points of entrance. To emphasis the unique beauty of Biddestone he thought bespoke made village signs.
Much of what he advised would be to break the linearity of the road running through the village. This could be done
in many ways including changes in road surface. Key areas that he thought were crying out for more considered design are:
Define the area outside the cemetery, incorporating the bend from Hartham Lane.
Create a proper drop off space outside the church.
He thought the space outside Biddestone Manor where the steps drop down from the garden and the semi circular
dry stone wall opposite has all kinds of potential.
The bend outside the Biddestone Arms is very dangerous at the moment and needs to be carefully considered.
The space outside the White horse.
The corner of the Village Green where Church lane joins, is very wide undefined.
Close proximity of traffic to the houses in Church lane.
Narrowing the perceived width of the road through the village with either colour of road surface.
There were several questions. Some where very specific that Ben could not really give a considered answer to, and
others that clarified some parts of the talk, or practical issues such as funding etc
In general Ben encouraged us to formulate a “Vision” of how we would like the village to be. Do not limit to a
budget at this stage rather focus on the quality of space. If you do not have a clear idea of how you want the spaces
to be, the council will always opt for the default.
Biddestone School
Class of 1918
Recognise anybody?
Page 11
Dates for your Diary
2 Feb
16 Feb
Parish Council Meeting
Biddestone WI
Village Hall
Annual General Meeting Village Hall
22 Feb
23 Feb
26 Feb
Biddestone Book Club
Lent Course
The Barn
White Horse Quiz Night
(Lorena’s House)
Church Services for February 2016
ST. NICHOLAS, BIDDESTONE
7
Holy Communion
10
Team Ash Wednesday Holy Communion
14
Worship for Everyone Together
Evensong
21
Morning Praise
28
Team Service
Grittleton
6 Mar
Holy Communion
11.00 a.m.
9.15 a.m.
9.30 a.m.
4.00 p.m.
9.30 a.m.
10.00 a.m.
11.00 a.m.
Every Wednesday morning there is a service at 9.15 a.m.
This is either Holy Communion or Morning Prayer and includes
prayers for the suffering.
ST. NICHOLAS, SLAUGHTERFORD
10
BCP Holy Communion
9.30 a.m.
Copy date 2nd Sun in month delivered to any
committee member or by
email to [email protected]
Editorial Committee
[email protected]
Stewart Entwistle (Editor) Challows House
715887
Mary Mullens (Treasurer) Parker Farm Bungalow
714399
Carolyn Madley
Judy Priest
Stonehaven The Green
712831
2 Little Challows
713469
Vacancy
Page 12
19.00
14.00
19.15
14.15