From : Michael Bromley Gardner

Here is the feedback from the judges who visited recently :

We began our tour of the village online, looking at the village activities, and were impressed by the number of things happening in such a small village. The Parish magazine was very interesting and engaging.

Arriving at the village (and avoiding the activities of Wessex Water!), we felt that the centre of the village was the church and churchyard. The approach along Church Lane was very well tended and gave us a good introduction to the church. The area around the church was excellently kept, the grass well under control around the gravestones, and the fringes left for conservation. Most of the gravestones were clean, but those within palisades were covered in ivy and it would have been nice to see them more clearly. The fringing area planted with flowering betony in front of the war memorial plaque was absolutely lovely. It was interesting to see that the inside of the church was sometimes used as a village hall – a great idea.

At the other end of the village, the area of small businesses was very neat and litter-free, but inactive on our visit. In Follyfield, we found that while gardens were mostly neat, the pavements and verges could do with some tidying and weeding, and brambles made some of the pavements slightly hazardous. We explored some of the footpaths, and while they were all passable, some clearance would have been a good idea.

The use of the telephone box as a site for the defibrillator is very sensible and appropriate, and the whole area around it was very neat and tidy – no litter at all, and that applied to the whole village. So, well done on the litter-picking.

Many of the gardens were extremely well kept, so the village is to be congratulated on that. Some did have unsightly trimmings of conifers, and we noticed one area behind security fences that seemed overgrown. Overall, the village has shown great community spirit and is to be congratulated on achieving so much with so few inhabitants! We gave it a high mark but rated it second in the Laurence Kitching competition.

Dan’s update this week :

Another 100m of excavation has been completed and we continue to stay on track for our programme.

I drove past at lunchtime and can see that things have moved on while I was away although there seems to be a little standing water in the section just before Rookery that’s been concreted but not yet tarmacked. I’ve asked Dan about this and he thinks it’s probably just a natural part of the process but he’ll report back when the team is onsite on Monday if there’s a problem.

So it looks like they’re on the last leg now ! The end is in sight (literally – you can see the Eastcourt turning ahead) !
I’ve left the Dove House to Rookery section marked as not quite complete because of the water but it looks like a brief finishing off as far as I can see.

Looks like they’re on track or, dare I say it !…. slightly ahead….

From : Michael Bromley Gardner

🔥 Fire Safety Warning for Farmland 🔥

With the weather being hot, dry, and windy, the risk of accidental fires on farmland is extremely high. A single spark can destroy crops, harm wildlife, damage property, and put lives at risk.

Please take extra care when walking on the footpaths:

Avoid lighting bonfires, BBQs, or any open flames near fields.

Don’t discard cigarettes—embers can smoulder and ignite dry grass.

Keep vehicles off dry stubble; hot exhausts can start fires.

Report any smoke or fire immediately so it can be dealt with before it spreads.

This weather means fires spread fast. A moment of carelessness can cause devastation across the countryside. Let’s all do our part to protect farmland, livestock, and rural communities.

From : Elizabeth Threlfall (Wiltshire Councillor for Brinkworth Division)

Booking for visits to the local tips from 15th September:

I am sorry to have to announce that an online booking system is to be introduced for visits to our local tips (aka Household Recycling Centres) at Purton, Stanton St Quintin and Lower Compton.  Weirdly this is despite the data which shows that fly-tipping FELL by 20% after the Covid era booking system was removed.  

Booking will be via the page link below using a Wiltshire Council Citizen ID.  It will open on 8th and from the 14th you will need to have a time slot booked to visit. There will be a telephone number for people who are not online (although it is not available yet) – and it may be that people who do not book in advance are still allowed to use the facility – although no guarantee.

Household Recycling Centre Booking System Pilot – Wiltshire Council

The survey is <here>.

I’m away at the moment so no geeky graphs today but here’s this week’s update from Wessex Water :

Once again, carrying on from the previous work, we have completed another 100m of excavation. However, due to the weather conditions, reinstatement and tarmacking has slowed down slightly due to more urgent issues within the area such as bursts caused by the intense heat. 

To clarify, this won’t affect the finish date of the work but just wanted to keep you updated.

I’ve worked in IT for most of my working life but even I find it amazing that everything just works ! Although COVID was a bad time, some good can come out of the bad. I’m sat in the middle of a river and everything just works as normal !
…well until low tide springs…. then the river drops 5 metres and the phone mast goes behind the hill….

This weeks update from Wessex Water :

Continuing on from the previous work, another 100m section has been complete along with reinstatement, with the same to be completed next week.

In addition to this, we are aware of a leak which is currently occurring outside Dove House, so if any residents are concerned, please can you inform them that the work to fix the leak will be taking place on Monday 13th July at night. 

I think they’re slightly ahead of schedule ?
I assume that fixing the leak will mean that the single lane they normally keep open will be closed on Monday night.

From : Michael Bromley Gardner (Parish Council Clerk)

Did you hear the recent Gem Festival in Charlton Park 12-14 June at home and were you troubled by it?

Reason for asking:

• Charlton PC is considering asking Wilts Council for a licence review of Gem Festival’s licence, probably with the ultimate aim of the licence being withdrawn. 
• This is a very serious step and the difficulties shouldn’t be under-estimated.
• Charlton is asking all neighbouring PCs whether they want to join in on this licence review request.
• It is known that some residents in Murcott, Milbourne, Garsdon and Burton Hill were disturbed enough to submit formal complaints to Public Protection at Wilts Council.
• Charlton is asking Hankerton PC the same question.  It will be discussed at Hankerton PC on Mon 6 July.
• If you feel genuinely strongly enough about it, ie if you were genuinely disturbed by the noise of this year’s event, please either come along to the PC meeting (7.30 pm in the North Aisle) or at the least inform the Parish Clerk by email (clerk@hankerton-pc.gov.uk) before the meeting.

This week’s update from Wessex Water :

Once again, another 100m of work has been completed the same as previous weeks, and we will be moving on to complete the same next week as scheduled.

I think it’s fair to say that Dan is more Engineering than Customer Service 😂
But that does match with my plan as well :

As far as I can see they’ve completed half way to Rookery but already started cutting the second half ready for next week.