The Tractor Parade got underway as planned this morning at 9:45.

They should be arriving at Follyfield around 3 this afternoon – I was about to say “look out for them”…..but I doubt you’ll miss them !

All donations for the Air Ambulance. 

Over the last few weeks the Parish Council has been asked to make council information more available and in more detail.
The time has therefore come to give the Parish Council it’s own dedicated website ! 

You can find it here : https://hankertonpc.wordpress.com/

It contains meeting agendas, meeting minutes, accounts, planning details and lots of other useful information.

As new information appears the PC will create a “post” explaining what’s arrived.

If you want to receive those posts into you email Inbox then you’ll need to “subscribe” on the site. It couldn’t be easier !  Just go to the website, and enter your email address here :

You’ll then get all the information about planning, meeting minutes and so on.

The plan is also for the PC to make a regular summary “post” on this main village website as well but if you want to see more PC information “as it happens” then you should subscribe to the PC website as well.

1. Go to the Parish Council Website
2. Enter your email address in the “Subscribe” box
3. Press the “Subscribe” button

Thats it !

The tractor event organised by John Blizzard for the Air Ambulance charity is taking place tomorrow. 

The original news item had the timings wrong !  The correct timings are :-
09:00 – Tractors assemble at Charlton Village Hall
09:45 – Tractors leave on 45 mile route in Badminton area
15:00 – Tractors expected to arrive at Follyfield

A further collection is being made for the Air Ambulance, please give generously.

From Bunny Lees-Smith (bunnyleessmith@gmail.com)

Residents will remember that a year ago a similar event was organised by John Blizzard and a collection was made for the Air Ambulance charity which amounted to £675. 

A similar event is being run this year on Sunday 28^th afternoon and will circulate around Follyfield at approximately 3.00pm having run a 45 mile route in the Badminton area. The start of the run is at Charlton Village hall at 11.00am. If you would like to have a close look  at these wonderful old machines you are welcome to visit them at the start.

A further collection is being made for the Air Ambulance, please give generously.
Bunny

From Susan Mockler (susanmockler@aol.com)

We’re delighted to tell you that Wessex Week is now online.

Please visit : www.wessex-week.org for details of all events and for acquiring tickets.  

Speakers include, Tony McAleavy, Marc Morris and Ryan Lavalle; Richard Robbins and Trevor Hicks (Capital Burgesses from the Warden and Freemen); some ‘Wessex Words’ from Lesley Saunders, Tony Burke and John O’Brien.

Creative writing workshop with Lesley Saunders, Guided walk with Campbell Ritchie, the archives, maces and original Birds-Eye-View of the Warden and Freemen on view. 

We will be producing printed tickets and posters/fliers in the next couple of weeks.

Tickets will be on sale in the TIC from early September.

From : Craig McCallum (craigmccallum@btinternet.com)

Citi is one of the world’s biggest banks and has predicted inflation in the UK will hit 18% early next year as consumers count the cost of the deepening energy crisis caused by raw materials, labour shortages and food price increases.  Citi said it expects the consumer prices index to breach 18% in the first quarter of 2023, while the retail prices index inflation rate will soar to 21%. Citi’s prediction is significantly higher than previous modelling of the impact on rising costs. Earlier this month the Bank of England said there could be an increased interest rate rise of 1.75% in the biggest hike in 27 years by the end of the year. Benjamin Nabarro, the chief UK economist at Citi, said its interest rate forecasts had been updated after a 25% and 7% rise in UK gas and electricity prices respectively last week.

The price of gas for next-day delivery to the UK shot up 37% to 495p a therm at one point, the highest since March. The month-ahead gas price touched record highs, up 16% to 540p a therm. In Europe, the gas price according to the TTF benchmark rose more than 10% to a high of €290 (£245) a megawatt hour and in France the year-ahead electricity price surged to over €800 a megawatt hour, up from just over €100 at the start of the year. Citi predicts that typical dual-fuel tariff energy bills will hit £3,717 in October, higher than most forecasts of between £3,500 and £3,700. Ofgem, the energy regulator for Great Britain, will announce the level of the next price cap which Citi Bank predicts could rise to £4,567 in January – about £300 higher than some forecasts – before reaching £5,816 in April next year.

These grim inflation forecasts will impact upon the possible removal of the pensions triple lock by the Chancellor. However, the state pension could increase to nearly £10,900 a year if the next Tory Chancellor honours the triple lock pledge and increases payouts in line with such predicted sky-high inflation rates.

That is because future State Pension increases will be applied from a lower base. Whereas,  as inflation hits double digits, the full New State Pension could increase from today’s £9,627.80 to more than £10,800 per year. Yet those who retired on the Old State Pension which currently pays just £7,376.20 a year will only get a fraction of that sum. Under the triple lock, the State Pension rises each year by earnings, inflation or 2.5 percent, whichever is highest. With consumer price growth hitting 10.1% in July and set to top 13%in in the autumn, September’s inflation figure will determine what pensioners get in April 2023. This would grant pensioners their biggest ever increase, but many who retired before April 6, 2016, on the old basic State Pension, will feel badly treated.

Last April, state pensioners received an increase of only 3.1 per cent, significantly below the current rate of inflation, so pensioners will justifiably expect to receive the full benefit of the triple lock. If the triple lock is applied, pensioners would receive a pension increase of around 8.3%in line with increased earnings. Older pensioners on the basic State Pension are particularly angry, because they feel cheated by the current two-tier system whereby they are excluded from the new Higher state pension to which they have contributed more over the years. As inflation hits double digits, the full New State Pension could increase from today’s £9,627.80 to more than £10,800 per year. Yet those who retired on the old State Pension will receive an incredible £2,251.60 less than the new State Pension.

With consumer price growth hitting 10.1 percent in July and set to top 13 percent in the autumn, September’s inflation figure will determine what pensioners get in April 2023. This could potentially grant pensioners their biggest ever increase, but many who retired before April 6th 2016 on the old basic State Pension will feel let down.

Both new and old State Pensions will rise by the same relative amount, but because the value of the old State Pension is lower, so is its potential decrease in value. Therefore, can I suggest to our villagers that we all send an email to our MP James Gray at jamesgraymp@parliament.uk requesting him to please raise these important issues at one of the PMQ sessions in parliament as soon as possible, as many millions of pensioners are affected by this. A simple solution would be to abolish the two tier system and thus provide ALL pensioners with the same new pension rate.

Craig McCallum

From Linda Hendy (lmhendy@gmail.com)

Help needed for Saturday 13th.

Please could someone host Saturday morning coffee at the church as I’m unable to !

Thanks
Lindy

From Susan Mockler

LOCAL ARTIST INVITES OTHERS TO WALK & SKETCH IN TURNER’S FOOTSTEPS AROUND MALMESBURY

 Latest news from the Athelstan Museum

Local artist Anne Hayhoe will lead a free walk and workshop for budding artists focussing on the time spent in Malmesbury by the famous landscape artist JMW Turner on Saturday August 13.

The interactive workshop ‘In The Footsteps of JMW Turner’ will begin with a short talk at the Athelstan Museum in front of the Turner painting of Malmesbury Abbey. Anne will then lead the participants on a walk around the Abbey, stopping in some of the places where Turner was known to have made his exploratory sketches.

Whilst visiting the Abbey, participants will have time to make their own sketches at these iconic viewpoints using their own materials.

Anne said: “It’s a fantastic opportunity to imagine the landscape and the Abbey in the way that Turner did and to ‘have a go’ at capturing it with our own eyes, or in this case pencils!”

To finish, the group will study their sketches and discuss the contemporary artworks that can be created following this inspirational sketching tour.

Developed from Turner’s early sketches and painted in about 1827, the watercolour is one of the 96 which make up Turner’s set of ‘Picturesque Views in England and Wales‘ (1825-38). These views have long been celebrated as the finest of Turner’s topographical projects and noted examples of the picturesque movement.

It is believed to be the only finished watercolour of that particular aspect of Malmesbury Abbey and shows it from the north, early on a glorious summer morning with the foreground flooded with light and cattle warming themselves in the early sun.

Contact: 01666 577526 or call in at the museum to book a place.

From Susan Mockler

Thursday 11th August at 7:00pm. Join volunteer local historian Susan Mockler for a special Guided Walk – ‘A Malmesbury Pub Crawl… the history of (some of) Malmesbury’s pubs and breweries.’

Meet Susan with your glass in hand and ready at 7:00pm at The Three Cups in The Triangle. Get acquainted, hear a little about the amazing Three Cups and then depart for more stories, tall tales and entertaining history on a short walk across the town centre, with a mid way stop at the Rose and Crown and a final toast at The Kings Arms.

Tickets just £6:00 at Malmesbury Town Hall (Tel: 01666822143) or Eventbrite. (Drinks not included!).

Numbers strictly limited. Part of ‘Malmesbury Guided Walks’. All funds raised support local good causes.