Contact web site greatbedwyn.com The site for the Wiltshire village of Great Bedwyn


Parish News, March 2010 - There are 24 articles - do scroll down and have a look at everything



Our Doctor writes Great Bedwyn School news Free NHS Health MOTs Bedwyn Trains Passenger Group



Bedwyn Poetry Society Great Bedwyn Tennis Club Royal British Legion Great Bedwyn Parish Council
greatbedwyn.com




Village website www.greatbedwyn.com Great Bedwyn Scout Group Police Report Down at Bedwyn Wharf

Bringing Cicero to life Kennet and Avon Canal Movieola - Films coming up Letters to the Editor


Little Bedwyn Parish Council Bedwyn History Society Wilton Windmill Society Youth Worker wanted




Planning Appeal meeting Rural Arts Wiltshire Jumble Sale success The Dugout Supper is back!
Our Doctor writes

How to lose weight (and how not to!)

February saw the recall of the anti-obesity drug Reductil (sibutramine). This was a drug which was produced and marketed in response to the rising tide of obesity within western societies. Reductil was developed to try to decrease appetite and make those taking it feel full more quickly once they started taking it. Doctors, including me, came under great pressure to prescribe medication to help people to lose weight. There is an old maxim in medicine that you never get something for nothing. This turned out to be particularly true in the case of this drug. Whilst it did help some people lose weight this was often not sustained long term. More important than that though was the finding of the “SCOUT” study which showed that 14% more patients taking this drug had a stroke or a heart attack than those not taking it. It seems unfashionable these days to talk about personal responsibility but in this case it seems to prove the point that there is no easy fix and that the only way to decrease weight is to have the self discipline to take in fewer calories than are being used over a long period of time.

When someone is having a stroke, act FAST

The increased incidence of stroke got me thinking about the recently changed guidelines for the management of stroke. For many years there has been an appreciation that time is absolutely critical when it comes to starting active treatments for heart attacks. Drugs known collectively as thrombolytics or clot busters can make a big difference to survival and disability. The sooner they are given the better the response. More recently there has been work done that shows that the same can be said for certain types of stroke. There has been a nationwide push to try to get people into hospital as quickly as possible if they are having a stroke.

In turn local hospitals have been working to try to make CT scanning and the provision of these clot busting drugs available quickly and importantly around the clock. Strokes or CVAs can present in many ways depending on which part of the brain is being affected. Diagnosing stroke in the very elderly can be a particular challenge. There is a useful acronym that can help to identify an evolving stroke but the absence of one or more doesn’t exclude it. FAST refers to: Facial weakness – usually one sided, Arm or leg weakness or numbness, Speech disturbance (either slurring or an inability to be able to summon up the right words or speaking gobbledygook). The final T in FAST refers to what to do next Time to dial 999. You can find out more information about this at www.stroke.org.uk . Receptionists are between a rock and a hard place in surgeries as they are not expected to make clinical decisions. We have decided on this occasion though that there is a place for specific in house training for all of our staff to raise awareness about the presentation of stroke.


With Best Wishes,


Dr Tim Ballard

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Great Bedwyn School News

It has been another busy month for our school, with all the clubs well under way and a great range of activities for the children on offer. From football to cooking, maths games to art club and many more, there is something to interest and absorb all the children. There is always room for you to get involved and help run a club, so if you are interested please contact Louise Carlisle at school.

Reception class have been out and about in the school grounds in all types of weather learning about our wonderful local environment as part of their Percy the Park Keeper Project.

Year I attended a Chinese Work Shop to tie in with their term topic of “willow pattern” plates. They learnt about the Chinese New Year, their food and some of their traditions. The children were very excited to receive chop sticks and I am sure some messy experiments at meal times have ensued!

Year 3 are engrossed on their journey down the Nile into Africa.

Lili, Beth, Mollie, Susanna from Year 4 galvanised the school into a spectacular event on Friday 12th February. Busking took on a new dimension with all the children singing. The children raised £206 for the Haiti appeal.

Year 5 took part in the Tag Rugby tournament in Hungerford. There were three teams in total and they won the Sportsmanship Cup – well done class 5. The children had a fantastic but very muddy afternoon!

Year 6 School Council have organised a “walk to school” initiative to encourage exercise and use less petrol. This also ties in with our sustainability projects and as an added bonus relieves congestion around the school and the car park. The Eco-Council need materials to complete the wildlife area fence. They have been busy keeping our school litter free and encouraging every class to recycle waste paper. The Wildcats ice hockey trip to Swindon was very popular and great fun. Several children have now taken up this exciting sport.

Dates for your diaries
30th March – The Lion King at the Lyceum. There are a few tickets available for this wonderful show. This trip is not a school trip but open to the general public - all are welcome. The price of a ticket is £30 and includes the cost of return travel by Barnes Coaches. The coaches will leave Great Bedwyn School at 4:00pm and will return at approximately midnight. Please contact Tina Simonis on 01672 870482 or admin@greatbedwyn.wilts.sch.uk to obtain tickets.

22nd May Village Fete at school. If any clubs have not yet put their names forward to participate please contact Louise Carlisle.


Helen Sheehan

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FREE NHS Health MOTs

NHS Wiltshire, together with Pewsey Area Board, is running a Health Fair in Pewsey’s Bouverie Hall on Monday 22nd March from 4 to 6 pm.

Anyone can turn up for a free NHS health MOT which can include:

  • Blood pressure screening
  • Weight management - there will be scales that will not only weigh you but also tell you how much body fat you've got!
  • Waist measurement: sources of information on portion size/cholesterol/healthy diet, etc
  • Alcohol and drug information
  • Information on looking after your emotional wellbeing
  • Ageing software - we can take a photo of someone who smokes and then the software will show them how they will age and the effect of smoke on their skin, etc
  • Stop Smoking Advisor
  • Sexual health advice
  • Infection control - hand washing techniques
  • Home safety
  • Advice on a variety of health-related problems
After the Health Fair, from 6 to 7.30 pm, there will be a public seminar where the Community Areas' Joint Strategic Needs Assessments (JSNAs) will be presented.

You will have the chance at this meeting to voice concerns that you may have about local health issues. If you're not able to attend, but would like to put forward ideas through our local Patient Participation Group, Great Bedwyn Surgery Patient Connect, please feel free to speak to Keith at the surgery.

Fionna Filipiak

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Bedwyn Trains Passenger Group

To say the least February was an interesting month for the passenger group. It started with an innocuous looking email, from First Great Western’s timetable production department, letting us know the mid evening buses would need to be retimed to suit the 1928 weekday Newbury departure being retimed to 1955. On investigation the new timing would mean that we would gain a connection for the 1903 Paddington departure but we would lose the very important connection for the 1836 departure. First Great Western’s thinking behind this was to give Hungerford, who actually have a stop on the 1836 Paddington departure, an extra connection.

Since December 2006, when Hungerford and Bedwyn ceased to be on identical stopping patterns, we have complained that Bedwyn is losing passengers to Hungerford because of their better service. The danger for us is that the downgrading of our service would reduce our passenger numbers, making it a self fulfilling prophecy that Bedwyn does not warrant the service that it has.

On straw polling our London commuters it became even clearer how significant the loss of this service would be. Many arrive at Paddington between 1800 and 1830, making the 1806 direct service, and the 1836 connecting service, ideal. An additional half hour wait, to the 1903, is fine if said quickly, but having to face it everyday of one’s working life would be pitiful.

Having lost our main First Great Western contact, Richard Rowland, we wrote to the “Customer & Stakeholder Liaison Manager” stating the seriousness of the situation. To solve the situation we, very optimistically, asked for a stop on the 1836. Realistically the best we hoped for was a return to the status quo or a new connecting service such that both the 1836 and 1903 would be served to Bedwyn. In truth we felt we’d have a battle on our hands as we feared the new management would start to undo all that Richard had done for us over the last three years. What we did not expect was the following reply from Matthew Golton, Projects & Planning Director:

"Thanks very much for your email, representing the Bedwyn Trains Passenger Group. My colleagues and I have reflected on your suggestions over the last couple of days and I am pleased to tell you that we have been able to insert a stop into the Exeter train. The 1836 Paddington-Exeter will be retimed to leave London at 1833 from the May timetable change, leaving Reading two minutes earlier than at present. The Bedwyn call on the Exeter train will be at 1936. We will leave the retiming of the 1928 Newbury-Bedwyn as planned but we hope that the earlier, direct arrival into Bedwyn will be really welcomed."

So within a week we went from a position of facing a reduced service to a much improved one. From May 24th we will have direct trains at 1618, 1706, 1806 and 1833 with connections off the 1636, 1733, 1903 and 1945. This gives us a half hourly peak evening service from Paddington to Bedwyn; something we've wanted since we formed as a group.

Additionally the 1833 journey time will be very quick, just one hour and three minutes. This is likely the shortest ever between Paddington and Bedwyn. It also gives an extra westbound train, direct to Taunton and Exeter.

We’ve arranged a meeting with Matthew Golton for early March. While they are being kind to us we want to ask again for a stop on the train that departs Pewsey at 0722. This would solve our last big loss from the December 2006 timetable changes – being a Paddington service between 0700 and 0800 and a means of getting to Thatcham, Theale and Reading for the typical working day.


Happy Travelling!

Steve Smith

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The Bedwyn Poetry Society

I am delighted to say that 12 people have expressed interest in a joining the proposed poetry society and we are therefore holding our first meeting on Wednesday evening. 24th March. Anyone else who is interested is welcome to come along and see what we have to offer.

We will meet at The Corner House, 96 Church Street, at 7.30 pm. It would be appreciated if you would telephone 01672 870392 beforehand if you have not already advised me. I apologise for the error in last month’s magazine when through a senior moment I gave the wrong telephone number.

Yvonne Slade

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Great Bedwyn Tennis Club

Tennis Club News
The new season is nearly upon us and the Committee are working hard to ensure we keep you up to date on everything that is going on at Great Bedwyn Tennis Club.

AGM
The Club is holding its Annual General Meeting on Thursday 11th March at 7.30pm in the Clubhouse. All are welcome to attend. We will be electing new officers for the 2010/11 tennis year (which runs from 1st April 2010) and discussing: subscriptions for the year, fundraising, and our Wimbledon ticket ballot. The Club is run by a small band of volunteers, which is getting smaller; we would really appreciate some help! So if you feel you would like to get involved or could just come along to support the AGM then please do so.

Open Day
We are planning an Open Day at the club on Sunday 23rd May – which is the day after the School Fete. It will be an opportunity for anyone interested in tennis (from complete beginners to rusty players to current members!) to come to the club, meet the committee and our coaches, Lewis Fletcher and Catherine Graham of Tennis Xperience – to play some tennis, watch a professional exhibition match and enjoy a social afternoon. The children will be given some coaching from Lewis and Catherine and there will be other games on the playing field and we will be producing some food and drinks too.

Correction to last month’s article
The current Secretary of the Club is Vanessa Mallinson, and she can be contacted at vanessa.mallinson@btinternet.com. If you would like to discuss membership then please contact the Membership Secretary, Charlotte Maclean at charlottemaclean@gmail.com

Vanessa Mallinson


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Royal British Legion Bedwyn and District Branch

Friday 12th February saw me hold the Club AGM Part 2 as promised on 2nd October last. I am sorry that it was later than we expected but this was due to unforeseen circumstances. It would have been good to see more Members there but never mind the Accounts were accepted and passed after discussion on some points. This now means that your NEW COMMITTEE can run smoothly. Please support the events that they are arranging; remember this is a Club for Royal British Legion Members.

At the Branch Committee meeting held on Tuesday 16th February David Williams was welcomed onto the committee. There are still openings for anybody that is interested in serving on the Branch Committee. Anyone interested please contact me on 01672870302 or e-mail tony_nolson@talktalk.net.

The last two months have seen Gary and June Crook, David Williams, Sylvia Bird and myself attending repatriations at Wootton Bassett. Events are planned for the coming months, details of which will be published in the usual manner.


Tony Nolson (Branch Chairman)

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Great Bedwyn Parish Council

Extract from the draft Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held in the Village Hall on Wednesday 10th February 2010

Present: Cllrs. Ruth Francis (acting chairperson), Julie van Haperen, Karina Nicholson, Jim Raff, Sally Rhodes and one member of the public.

Apologies: Cllrs. Roger Durie, Jenny Clack, Charles Howell, Paul Knowler, Gordon Stone, Steve Hobson, WC Cllr. Stuart Wheeler and Pc Derrick Foord.

Incoming Clerk was welcomed. (Colin Brinsden)
Outgoing Clerk was thanked for his 10 years of service (Mick Goss)

Matters Arising:
2. Allotments. One small allotment has become available, and has been offered to a local resident. There are 6 names on the waiting list for allotments, priority being given to Great Bedwyn residents.

3. Youth Club. Parish grant of £1000 has been paid. Grant from PAB for £2000 has been secured. It is hoped to appoint a youth leader in April.

4. Traffic items. 30mph bin stickers to be purchased for re-sale to residents. (125 square stickers for £146 Ex.vat) Cllr. Rhodes to order. - Portable speed camera. Excerpt from police report:- “The speeding problem in Forest Hill is moving forward with a recent site meeting with Council members, to determine a safe site for possible Community Speed Watch. This site is now in the hands of the specialist traffic department who have to view the site for Health and Safety, before we can move forward”. Once approved, members of the public will have to been trained to use the camera. There is also a possibility that the use of the camera could be shared with Burbage and Grafton. - Salt/Grit Bins A letter has been received from Wiltshire Council regarding the need for bins(existing and new). A reply is being put together, confirming the need and condition of existing bins, and any requirement for additional bins. There have been requests for additional bins, from residents and the school. Final requirements and positions to be discussed by the Councillors with WC Highways. - School address An email from Councillor Wheeler has outlined how the school address could be changed from ‘Farm Lane’ to ‘Wansdyke Road’. Provided the Post Office do not object this appears a straightforward procedure. The change was unanimously supported by councillors as a means of enabling SATNAV guided vehicles to the school to avoid Farm Lane, thus improving safety for children walking to and from school. It was felt a proposed change to the postcode alone would lead to confusion, and be unacceptable to the PO. A letter is to be sent to Mrs Davidson and the board of governors.

5. Playground. Additional bark has been delivered and is being used.

6. Additional waste bin. An additional large waste bin has now been delivered and is ready to replace the bin on the corner of Station Road. The lid from the existing bin can be used for the Church Street bin. The existing bin is to be re-used at a site to be determined later.

7. Village defibrillator. The defibrillator has now been ordered. Training sessions to be organised, and volunteers required. Installation will be arranged by the surgery.

9. PC Website. Discussed, but no progress made. Review at March meeting with a view to taking final decision.

Correspondence received:
Request from Air Ambulance, for permission to place a clothing and shoe re-cycling bank. It was deemed necessary to find out the size of the bin, before any decision could be made.

Planning:
Parish Council, no objection: (omitted where approval is listed below):
29, 30, 41 & 42 Shawgrove - Replacement doors and windows.
6, Brook Street - Internal work (listed cottage)

Wiltshire Council, full planning:
42, Church Street - Single storey extension

AOB:
1. Highlighted problems of illegal parking at junction of Castle Road, Church Street & Farm Lane. (Buses having trouble turning). Local police have been made aware, awaiting feedback.

Colin Brinsden

*****

Our new Parish Clerk

On behalf of the Parish Council, may I welcome our new Parish Clerk, Colin Brinsden.

Colin lives in Hungerford, having recently retired from Foster Wheeler in Reading. He has close family ties with Great Bedwyn and is in the village a couple of times a week. You can contact him at gbc_colinbrinsden@yahoo.co.uk.

Mick Goss

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Village Website www.greatbedwyn.com

This website has been around for a few years, carrying Parish News articles, Parish Council minutes, information about the Link Scheme plus a few other bits and pieces.

I have recently given it a fairly extensive facelift and have introduced a few new pages in an effort to make it of more use.

Business Directory
A Business Directory page now exists. Any business in Bedwyn and the surrounds is welcome to a listing on this page at no cost. A listing can be a brief description plus contact details (email, phone) and a link to a website. Other options which are available include a page hosted as part of this website or a fully independent website to your specifications. Please contact me for more details.

Local Clubs and Contacts
I do get a regular flow of emails asking me how to get in touch with the Village Hall committee or the History Society and other things. Whilst I am always happy to point people in the right direction, it would be useful to have an up to date list of contacts available. I have already put some contacts up as a result of responses to my original email – please send me more! There is no cost associated with this.

Useful Links Again
Some local links already mentioned on this page – can you think of any more which would be useful? Please forward any suggestions to me.

School closure due to snow
If Great Bedwyn Primary School closes due to adverse weather conditions, I will put a clear statement to this effect on the home page within ten minutes of hearing about it – typically before 7am on the morning in question.

Home page
The photographs on the home page have been there for quite a while. Although they are still nice to look at, it may be time to put some new ones up. If you have some nice snaps of the village and surrounds and you’d like them featured on the home page, please send them to me for consideration.

If you didn’t receive my recent email about the website and you would like to be on the mailing list to receive the occasional contact, please forward your email address to me.

If you have any suggestions about other things which could be featured, or you spot any mistakes, please do get in touch.

Philip Blunt    tel: 07900 688116    email: pint6x@hotmail.com

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Great Bedwyn Scout Group

Car Wash Weekend!
Saturday/Sunday March 27th/28th 2010 at Great Bedwyn Village Hall

Please mark the date in your calendar If you are interested in helping or getting involved, please contact any of the pack leaders or Philip Blunt on 870006 for further information.

Philip Blunt
Chairman - Great Bedwyn Scout Group

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Police Report

This is different to our normal Police Bulletin information sheet but there has recently been an increase in high value acquisitive rural Crime including: Theft of Building Materials -Theft of Fuel/Oil - Theft of Metal/Machinery/Power Tools - Theft of rural vehicles/quad bikes/4x4s/Trailers/Tractors

Offenders are targeting open area compound/units and can attack the padlocks of diesel/fuel tanks. Due to the variety of equipment stolen, it is likely that there is more than one offender involved. Lorries and trailers are being stolen possibly in preparation of further thefts.

Police Intelligence Analysts have studied the reported crime over the past few months and the vast majority is occurring at night-time (between the hours of 20:00 to 07:00 hours). Offenders are thought to be using unclassified roads and may utilise vehicles with a commercial livery. To combat this problem High Visibility night time patrols have been taking place on our area utilising as many uniformed staff as possible.

This problem is a County wide one. We within the Pewsey catchment area have suffered several thefts - burglaries within our area and therefore we are responding accordingly.

Your help is required!
Please be vigilant particularly at night, and report anything suspicious no matter how small it may seem. If at all possible vehicle registration numbers should be recorded.

If you think a crime is being or about to be committed then ring 999
For any other information ring the Wiltshire Police Non-Emergency line on 0845 408 7000


Alternatively you can, as always, email either me or Coralie
derrick.foord@wiltshire.pnn.police.uk
coralie.nash@wiltshire.pnn.police.uk

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Down at Bedwyn Wharf

Many local folk walk and cycle the canal towpaths all year round and some are also involved in the boating but, as spring approaches, more activities take place "down on the water".

Sunday 7th February saw the first of the four canoe practice stages working towards the Devizes to Westminster event at Easter. Around 250 competitors will take part and this is a total of 400 when you include the support teams. The March stages are on 7th from Pewsey Wharf to Newbury and on 21st from Devizes to Newbury.

The Bruce Trust's preparation for the season is well advanced, in spite of the cold weather. The Trust's dark green widebeam boats are specially adapted for disabled passengers so that they can holiday with their families and carers. The day and week long trips start from Easter.

Marlborough Fishing Club run regular competitions for members and you can now get day tickets in the village. I will be able to give more specific details in the next magazine.

Signing off from the canalside

Jane Pollard

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Robert Harris brings Cicero to life

Local author, Robert Harris, delivered a fascinating talk at St. Mary's Church, Great Bedwyn on Saturday 30th January 2010 in aid of the Friends of Great Bedwyn Church Trust. The evening was a great success, raising nearly £1500 for the Trust, more than any other previous Friends event.

Robert spoke about, and read from, the second novel in his Cicero trilogy, Lustrum, which chronicles Cicero's rise to power in Ancient Rome. Robert's incredibly accurate research and compelling narrative style have made him a bestselling international author, with many of his books made into feature films including Enigma and Archangel. His talk was as riveting as his books and all those that attended, including a contingent of Classics students and Masters from Marlborough College, felt very privileged to hear him speak.

The Friends would like to thank all those who supported the event, including Claire and Simon Lewis who donated the wine, and The Hungerford Bookshop which sold copies of Robert's books and gave a percentage of their profits to the Trust. Thanks also to caterer, Anne Taylor, who added to the atmosphere by providing authentic Roman Canapés.

The talk brought brief fame to St. Mary’s Church as it was listed in The Independent’s Top Ten Book Talks in the country!

Jane Pendry

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The Kennet and Avon Canal

Construction and completion of a majestic waterway

Continuing his series celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the Kennet & Avon Canal, David Harris discusses the construction of the waterway which took 16 years to complete


John Rennie, the canal’s engineer and architect, appointed different surveyors at various times to survey the possible and chosen routes, which the surveyors did on foot or horse back over every mile, making measurements and calculations for a wide waterway. For instance, at the western end, the canal passes through hilly country and the only way through was to use the same contour either side of the Avon valley, which meant crossing the river by means of two aqueducts – at Limpley Stoke and Avoncliff. The result is two very fine pieces of architecture.

Feeding the summit.
As mentioned last time, the canal committee opted for the cheaper of the two schemes – a short tunnel in place of a cutting and long tunnel- and which involved a pumped supply utilising steam engines at Crofton, taking water from the adjacent canal pound via a 40ft well. The main water supply would come from a nearby natural spring-fed lake at Wilton Water. The pumped water would be discharged into a mile-long leat and enter the summit above Crofton top lock. The first engine, an 1801 Boulton & Watt beam engine, was joined by a second, larger version in 1812, both being supplied by steam at 41/2 p.s.i. from three wagon-top boilers in an adjoining boiler house.

Why a pumping station at Crofton?
To understand the need for a pumping station close to the summit level of a canal, it is necessary to understand the problems of water supply which faced canal engineers in the early days. Canals can be broadly divided into two types – lateral and arterial or summit. Lateral canals run parallel to rivers and generally follow their course. This made the canal engineer’s task relatively simple since lateral canals derive their supply from points below the source of the river. With arterial canals, the problem is more difficult because by definition they traverse two water basins on a high watershed, the top or summit level being above any natural source of supply. As a result, the main water supply must be fed into the summit level, a situation which calls for a number of alternatives including the construction of catchment reservoirs, tunnels or in some cases a pumped supply from the nearest river or springs as at Crofton. Added to this, the supply must be sufficient to cope with the passage of boats, for every time a boat crosses a summit level, it draws two locks full of water away from it, one as it ascends and another as it descends.

The contractors.
Excavation of the canal, the provision of bricks, stone and iron work and the building of bridges and locks were put out to contract. Such was the need for stone that the canal company bought its own quarries near Bath, from where stone masons were also recruited in 1795. John Rennie records in his note book a contract with a Mr Hawkins of Great Bedwyn for 100,000 bricks. Another local contractor was Lloyds of Bedwyn , a company that assisted in building Bruce Tunnel and providing the carved slate plaque which adorns the eastern portal recording the gratitude of the canal company to The Right Honourable Thomas Bruce, Earl of Ailesbury and Charles, Lord Bruce, his son naming the tunnel BRUCE ...“in testimony of their gratitude for the uniform and effectual support....”. John Lloyd’s forebears also looked after the canal’s masonry work. At Devizes, William Bassett was contracted to dig a section of canal near the town , and employed “navvies” to do the work.

Bridges.
Wherever the canal crossed an existing road or passed through an estate or farm, the canal company had to provide a bridge – 111 of them in total. At the western end, bridges were built of stone while east of Devizes, most were built of brick. There are also a number of wooden swing bridges, which Rennie copied from the Kennet Navigation, adding ball bearings to ease their use.

Boat Builders.
There was only one – Robbins & Co, traders and barge builders of Honey Street (later to become Robbins, Lane & Pinniger). They built barges of wide dimensions, which they launched sideways from their canalside yard. Of wood construction and known as Kennet barges, they were steered from a platform in front of the stern cabin, with the tiller passing over the cabin roof. The company were very successful, building barges for use on other waterways, including the river Wey and the Basingstoke canal.

Open for business.
The last section of canal to be completed was the Devizes flight of 29 locks which opened to traffic on 28 December 1810. No celebration was forthcoming as the canal company considered that it had spent enough already - £979,314 to be precise!

David Harris

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Moviola - Forthcoming Attractions

We will be showing "An Education"

This film will now be shown at Great Bedwyn Village Hall on Thursday 11th March.

Tickets £5 available from the Stores, the Post Office and the Bakery.

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Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor

Having recently gone through the very unpleasant experience of being burgled we would like to extend our thanks to all the police involved, especially to Derrick Foord, our neighbourhood policeman, for their professionalism and support. We are very grateful to live in a community who have shown so much kindness – thank you! A word of advise – please photograph everything that’s precious to you, jewellery, furniture etc, and make notes of any identifying features e.g. dents, marks etc that will help the police. It will also help with any insurance claim, where you will have to prove you owned it as well as providing a huge amount of detail!

Susannah and Nigel Hudson
*****
Dear Andrew,

Yesterday, I removed about 30 or so bags filled with dog poo from bushes and trees from the Castle Road, Copyhold and railway areas. Obviously the same dog walker. Why do this? The rest of us dog owners take our bags home to the bin. To litter the countryside is an offence.

Dawn Bacon
*****
Dear Editor,

Last Autumn I put up a poster on each of the notice boards by the Chains (the posters went missing by the next day) asking if anyone had any unwanted beads/broken juewllery that they had no use for, and that I could recycle into new necklaces and bracelets to sell for the Spinal Injuries Association. Luckily, Michaela Cheese saw my poster and turned up with a bag overflowing with lovely beads and bobs to use. I just want to say thank you to Michaela, friends and family – with their help I managed to raise £140 to give to SIA, who support the Duke of Cornwall Spinal Injuries Centre at Salisbury Hospital.

Lucy Hawkins

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Little Bedwyn Parish Council

Extract from Minutes of the meeting held in St. Michael’s Church on Tues. 19th January 2010

Matters Arising
1. Fairfield Crossing: Work to improve safety has been completed and the crossing reopened.

2. Kelston Road: Highways have been out to assess the problem of access to Kelston Road. Agreed to paint markings on the road to prevent parking too close to the junction of High Street and Kelston Road.

3. Budget for 2010/11: Same as last year but with an additional donation to Great Bedwyn School for its new classroom.

4. Ice & Snow – Gritting Boxes: Boxes had run out over the extreme weather conditions. A request should be made for a new box by the bridges near Oakhill Farm. The box at Chisbury road – at the top of the hill down onto the A4 – has been stolen and should be replaced. Clerk to contact Highways.

5. Railings by Road bridge: There had been an accident over the Christmas period and the railings adjoining the bridge over the railway at Little Bedwyn had been damaged. Very lucky for the people involved in the accident that the railings were there. Clerk has informed Network Rail regarding this matter.

6. Road Obstruction: There had been a request from a parishioner for shrubbery leaning over the wall opposite the barn in Manor Farm to be cut back. Clerk to write.

7. Deans Garage: Questions were asked if anything more could be done about the derelict garage on the A4. Clerk to refer to our Wiltshire Councillor.

Amanda Elliott (Clerk - Little Bedwyn Parish Council)

Little Bedwyn Parish Council is on the hunt for a laminating machine and wondered if anyone may have an old one that they wanted to get rid of, or were upgrading. If you can help please contact Amanda Elliott (Clerk) on 01672 871849. Many thanks.

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Bedwyn History Society

The next meeting of the Bedwyn History Society will be on Tuesday 9th March 2010 at the Royal British Legion, Great Bedwyn, at 7.30 pm.

Nick Griffiths will present a talk on 'Roman Family Life'. Visitors are very welcome to attend (£3); entrance is free for Society members.

Steve Hobson

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Wilton Windmill Society

The 2010 Wilton Windmill open season will be starting on Sunday 4th April – not long to go!

However, before the season starts and hot off the press is news of our Volunteer Training Saturday 13th March at 10.30am starting at The Swan Inn, Wilton.

So, if you fancy yourself as a miller or guide, or in the shop or running events, then please book a place with Susie Brew (susie.brew@hotmail.co.uk) – places are limited, so it’s first come, first served!

This is also a milling day (subject to weather) – other dates and more information can be found on the website. (www.wiltonwindmill.co.uk)

We have also finalised the dates for our major events this year and thought you may like to get them in your diary:

Victorian Food Fayre – Saturday 15th May 2010 from 12 noon to 4.30pm
Heritage Open Day – Saturday 11th September 2010 from 1.30pm to 4.30pm

Look out for more information on the website (www.wiltonwindmill.co.uk).

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Youth Worker wanted

A brand new Youth Group for 11 to 19 year olds in Great Bedwyn is looking for an experienced Youth Worker for three hours on Wednesday evenings (6.30pm to 9.30pm). This post is due to start in late March/early April.

We are looking for relevant experience in behaviour management and child protection. First aid qualifications are an advantage but not essential as training can be given. The successful applicant would be subject to enhanced criminal record clearance.

Deadline 10th March!

For further details, including rates of pay, please contact Jenny Baxter on 01672 871619 or email jenny.baxter1@googlemail.com. CVs are welcome.

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Notice of Planning Appeal meeting

Planning Appeal Details:

Site Address: Fortlands, Forest Hill

Proposal: Demolition of existing dwelling and erection of 5 general market and 3 affordable homes (amended layout and design) Appeal Procedure: This appeal will be heard at a hearing on Tuesday 30th March 2010 in the British Legion Hall, Great Bedwyn at 10.00am.

This appeal has been linked to K59723//F and they will be heard together.

For more details, including information on whether there is any opportunity for members of the public to speak, contact: The Planning Inspectorate, Temple Quay House, 2, The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol BS1 6PN

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Rural Arts Wiltshire

Rural Arts Wiltshire presents ‘Chime Child’
on Friday 5th March, 7.30pm in The Village Hall, Great Bedwyn.

Chime Child weaves together the story of a moonlight wish for a lover, songs from long ago and curious fragments of Somerset folklore to create a shared journey. Nationally renowned storyteller Jane Flood collaborates with Fiona Barrow (fiddle) and Martin Solomon (harp) to awaken the wealth of old songs, stories and music hidden in the Somerset landscape. A Chime Child was born between midnight and cock crow on a Saturday and was thought to be a guardian of the old lore of the land.

Suitable for all ages. Ticket prices: £6.50 adults, £5.50 senior citizens, £3.50 concessions and £16.00 family ticket (2 adults & 2 children under 16). For tickets call Jane Heather on 01672 870125.

For general enquiries please call Sandie Gapper on 01672 871708.


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Jumble Sale Success

Vanessa Kenneth and Emma Glenister would like to thank everyone who helped us to raise an amazing £986 at our recent jumble sale.

Every penny will go to our chosen London Marathon charities: Starlight Children's Foundation and Action Medical Research.

Special thanks to Karen, Shirley, Jane, Paul, Mike, Valerie, Mick, Murray, Jessie, Alice, Finlay, Tegan and Rosie.

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The Dugout supper is back!

THE DUG OUT SUPPER IS BACK!

Friday 5th March 2010 7:30pm for 8:00pm
Royal British Legion Club, Great Bedwyn

Supper followed by entertainment including Tom Regan, Saxophonist
 £3:00 Members; £3:50pm non-Members. Children free.
 
Tickets are available from the British Legion Club, Post Office and Bakery or call June Crook on 01672 871 262
Proceeds to Refurbishment Fund


Dress code: Wartime!

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