Points of interest from the meetings held in January 2021.
We have a Food Waste Hero in Chiseldon!
I’ve been made aware of a scheme where shops provide their food that is shortly going out of date but fine to eat to local “Food Waste Hero’s” who can then distribute in their local community.
We have a lady called Nicki who lives in Chiseldon who is one such hero and is happy for people to contact her on WhatsApp if they need any food supplies during these tough times.
Nicki will be holding weekly free food collections from her house, and you can access this service in complete confidence.
You would need to contact Nicki on 07487 305675 via text (she gave me permission to add her number on here) and she can help. She will add you to a WhatsApp group listing what is available and you can contact her to make a request. I’d suggest texting Nicki anyway even if you don’t have WhatsApp.
(Please note this isn’t a Parish Council backed scheme and we take no responsibility for you using this scheme. We are the mechanism for proving the information). Please ensure you are happy to share your number before joining up to this scheme.
Happy New Year in Lockdown
Everyone at the council would like to wish you a happy new year. Lockdown has obviously curbed almost all activities and events we all used to enjoy but we hope you are keeping safe and well at home.
New Councillors Co-opted
We are pleased to announce that 2 new Councillors were co-opted on Monday 11th Jan at our Full Council meeting.
Pauline Barnes has lived in Chiseldon for 35 years with her family. Prior to retirement Pauline worked in many roles caring for others. She has an interest in youth provision for the Parish and joins the Environment, General Purpose and Amenities Committee.
Justine Randall has also lived in Chiseldon for many years and was born in Swindon and grew up in Chiseldon. She is an active person running marathons for charity and hopes to help with provisions to allow everyone else to be active. Justine also joins the Environment, General Purpose and Amenities Committee.
Contact Details for lockdown assistance required, or offers of volunteering.
If anyone is isolating at the moment and needs assistance with shopping, prescriptions, dog walking etc then please either call 07570 167 455 and leave a message or email nina.hempstock@chiseldon-pc.gov.uk or Clerk@chiseldon-pc.gov.uk and we will get someone to help you. Likewise if you would like to volunteer to help please email Nina and she will add you to our list. Thanks
Castle View Play Area and outside Gym closed
The outside gym on the Rec field has been closed according to lockdown legislation. Please do not try to use this equipment. The Parish Council also took the decision to close the Castle View play area. With the NHS and Great Western Hospital reaching crisis point, if we can reduce possible cases by closing down an area with a lot of touch points, we felt it had to be done for the long term good. We will review this when the lockdown is over and new rules are in place.
Badbury post box returning
Swindon Borough Council has advised us that the post box at Badbury is on the works list for the Royal Mail engineering team to schedule in. No date has been given for this work but we hope it won’t take too long.
New Bench at Millennium Copse
A new iron bench has been installed on a concrete base at the Millennium Copse for walkers to enjoy. We hope that when the spring bulbs appear it will be a peaceful area to rest a while.
Fibre Broadband Update.
Pledges are still required to get this scheme to target. The pledges are around 60% currently.
Openreach are proposing a scheme to lay high speed fibre for broadband within certain areas of the parish. Currently residents who wish to benefit and subscribe to any such new service are being asked to pledge their vouchers towards this scheme. A pledge means you commit to purchase this new service from one of the suppliers once it is installed. There are no other costs involved but you must be prepared to take up a new service once installation is complete for a minimum of 12 months. At the time of going to press the scheme has had around 42% of the required pledges so is on track.
You can visit http://www.openreach.com/connectmycommunity to find out more or read the threads on the Chiseldon Community Facebook page.
BMX track update – new members still needed
We are looking for adults and teenagers who can join the Working Party to investigate the installation of a BMX/pump track within the parish for everyone to enjoy. This group will be working independently of the council but will report back to the council as they will be the owner of the site and manage repairs, insurance and land use etc. This is a long term project and relies on public support to be successful. Anyone with Project Management, Fund raising, budgeting, design etc would be welcome. Please contact the Clerk on the details at the top of this article if you’d like to know more or help us.
Memory Café – will begin when social distancing is lifted – dates to be confirmed.
Everyone who has Dementia, and those caring for someone with Dementia is welcome to attend. There is a relaxed atmosphere with singing, and music from local musicians. There is complimentary tea, coffee, cake and biscuits. You can contact 07920 798824 for more details.
Neighbourhood Watch meeting – will begin when social distancing is lifted – dates to be confirmed.
Meetings are held on Monday’s 6.45pm at the Recreation Hall off Norris Close approximately every 2 months.
Recreation Hall on Norris Close & Chapel on Butts Road – temporarily closed
The Hall is available to hire on an hourly/morning/afternoon/evening basis. We can also arrange pitch hire for Football or Softball games– please ask us for details.
The hall has undergone a tidy up and now has new carpet and cleaned/painted walls. It makes an excellent space for a gathering/party/occasion. We can now offer free 4G wifi in the hall for all users.
The Chapel on Butts Road is a fully functioning meeting space, as well as being the Clerk’s office.
There is table space for 10 people with extra seating available. There is access to a projector and screen, large flat screen monitor, microwave and free wi-fi. Tea and coffee making facilities are provided; you just need to bring your own milk.
This useful local space is available for hire for only £35 per morning/afternoon or evening session subject to availability. Discounts are available for registered charities.
Please contact the Clerk for more information.
Community Speed Watch – not doing sessions during Lockdown. (The police are still doing speed checks in the Parish)
The group are looking for more volunteers to be trained to do speed watch activities on roads in the parish. Full training is provided and results are given to the police, letters and a police visit can then be triggered when a threshold is met. This is not a Parish Council led initiative but one of our Cllrs heads-up the local group. Please contact the Clerk if you wish to discuss this further and I can put you in touch.
We are currently Co-opting for 3 New Parish Councillors – Community Heroes wanted.
Chiseldon Parish Council needs you! We are calling for community heroes to put themselves forward for one of FIVE vacancies on our local Parish Council. We want people of all backgrounds and experience to represent the community and help #MakeAChange.
There are five simple steps to becoming a Chiseldon Parish Councillor:
- Contact the clerk to find out more information, whether there are any vacancies and register your interest
- Submit your nomination to the clerk — a brief summary of who you are and why you want to be a councillor
- Join a council meeting via MS Teams to meet the team and share your nomination with current members – don’t be daunted by this, we are a small very friendly bunch!
- Current members will vote on approval of your membership (called co-option)
- If accepted, you will sign the declaration of office of acceptance and become a Chiseldon Parish Councillor
Please email clerk@chiseldon-pc.gov.uk for more information or call (01793) 740744, leave a message with your name and number and we will call you back. Many thanks.
What is Co-option?
Co-option is a method whereby a Parish Council elect new Councillors by majority vote. This can happen after an election if not all seats are filled (an un-contested election), or upon the resignation or death of a Cllr between election periods.
Candidates would present themselves to the existing council members at an applicable council meeting who would then vote on the successful applicant.
Local grants and funds available
The Parish Council have set up a short term sub-committee to look into grants and funds that are available to benefit the parish. The committee will look to set up a “wish list” of what the parish needs and can then look at what funds are out there. There is the scope to add residents to this committee so please contact the Clerk in the first instance if you think you can spend some time to help investigate this.
Defibrillators – a reminder
A reminder that the Parish has 3 defibrillators – one outside Cameo Hairdressers on High Street, one outside the Pavilion on the Recreation Field and one outside the Calley Memorial Hall on Draycott Road. All units are accessed by calling 999 to gain the code for the box. You cannot use these defibrillators on someone who doesn’t need it as the machine will not work. It also provides audible instructions on how to use them
Parish Council Grants and Donations fund & Calley Memorial Hall fund
The Parish Council have an annual fund that we can donate to worthy causes within the Parish. If you are a group, charity or society that believe you could benefit from this fund then please contact the Parish Clerk for further details.
The trustees of the Calley Memorial Hall fund are also able to approve grants and donations to worthy causes within the Parish. (This doesn’t have to be connected to users of the Memorial Hall). Please contact the Parish Clerk in the first instance who can provide you with an application form.
(It should be noted that this fund is not connected to the Parish Council)
Home Library Service – check service as may currently be suspended.
There is a Home Library service for Chiseldon Parish. It is run by volunteers and covers all areas of the parish and can deliver books based on your preferences. Call 01793 465 495 for more details.
Next meetings
All Parish council meetings are currently on MS Teams. Please contact the Clerk for login details.
The next Full Council meeting of the Parish Council will be on Monday 8th February 2021. This will start at 7.30pm and will be held remotely.
Residents are welcome to login and there is a public recess at the start of proceedings, after which residents can choose to leave the session.
PARISH COUNCIL OF CHISELDON (Chiseldon and Lawn WARD)
VACANCY FOR COUNCILLORS
Notice is hereby given that by reason of an uncontested election on 2nd May 2019, a number of vacancies has occurred among the members of the Parish Council.
Any person willing to fill this vacancy should apply to the Clerk in writing (email is acceptable) on or before Wed 3rd February 2021.
Applicants should be free the evening of Monday 8th February 2021 to attend the Parish Council meeting at 7.30pm for the co-option voting procedure via MS Teams.
Being a Parish Councillor is an opportunity to provide time and knowledge to the area where you live in order to help make it a better place.
You will be working with like-minded people who come together as volunteers for the good of the parish.
The applicants name must appear on the current register of the Voters List or the applicant should during the whole of the 12 months preceding the relevant date have resided in or within 3 miles of the parish or the applicants only place of work during the whole of the 12 months preceding the relevant date is in the parish.
The applicant must not be disbarred from standing as a councillor. Applicants living in Badbury Ward meeting the above criteria are also welcome.
Candidates (if successful) should be able to attend Parish Council meetings which can be seen here: https://www.chiseldon-pc.gov.uk/committees/parish-council/
Dated 15th January 2020
Signed: Clair Wilkinson, Parish Clerk
The Old Chapel
Butts Road
Chiseldon Wilts SN4 0NW