When I post The Grapevine to the website I always have a read. The first page made me think….. so, being a bit of a data geek, I got on the Met Office website and downloaded some of their annual rainfall data. Here it is in 25 year blocks from 1873 to last year.

So the problem doesn’t seem to be rainfall….. the average amount of water that lands on us during the year has actually gone up !

Quote from David Black, CEO of Ofwat about Thames Water (thankfully not our water supplier !) following a £122m fine.
“Our investigation has uncovered a series of failures by the company to build, maintain and operate adequate infrastructure to meet its obligations.”
£18m of the fine was to do with paying “undeserved” dividends of nearly £170m to shareholders.

Made me think. Just thought others might be interested.

From : Elizabeth Threlfall (elizabeth.threlfall@wiltshire.gov.uk)

Online event – find out about all the gizmos and guidance to get flood ready

An online event is taking place later this month (July) with the aim of equipping communities with everything they need to know to be flood ready

The ‘Get Flood Ready – Gizmos and Guidance’ online event takes place on Wednesday 23 July at 4:30pm.

Last year, Salisbury Area Board, in partnership with Salisbury City Council, hosted a ‘get flood ready’ event which more than 100 residents attended. This event is open to anyone who wants to be more prepared for when extreme weather hits the county again.

As well as Wiltshire Council, there will be a number of agencies represented, including Flood Tec, Flood Kit and the Environment Agency.

The event is open to all residents, but those who have flooding responsibilities within their local communities, such as flood wardens, town and parish councils, business and local councillors are all welcome to attend.

To sign up to attend the online event, people should book them online: Get Flood Ready Tickets, Wed, Jul 23, 2025 at 4:30 PM | Eventbrite  For a smoother experience, people are encouraged to download the Microsoft Teams app.

Here is the Parish Council Chair’s Report from the May meeting.

Jacqui thought it would be a good idea to get this out while it was still relevant.

From : Michael Bromley Gardner (Clerk to Parish Council)

BEST KEPT VILLAGE COMPETITION

• This year Hankerton isn’t in the ‘Best Kept Village’ competition – having won the Small Villages trophy last year, we now spend 2 years in the ‘Laurence Kitching Winner of Winners’ competition, competing against the winners of all 3 size categories from the past 2 years.
• Our judging period is 1-31 July – the judges will visit on one day in the month.
• As always, the key is – don’t drop litter, and pick up any you see.

From : Jilly Hawkesworth

Not long to go now until your opportunity to discover the hidden gems of Tetbury at our Secret Gardens event! Tickets are still available to purchase from Tetbury Hardware Store and Tetbury Secret Gardens – Sunday 22 June 2025 – Friends of Tetbury Hospital. The weather forecast is looking splendid so please come and join us on this exclusive occasion in the glorious sunshine.

We are delighted to announce that we have added an extra garden giving you the advantage to explore 12 exquisite private gardens, each offering a unique blend of beauty and tranquillity. Many of these gardens are dog-friendly and provide refreshments, ensuring a delightful day for all those who purchase tickets.

Money raised by the event will be used to fund a new X-ray machine at Tetbury Hospital Trust.

From : Susan Mockler

From : Abby Lees-Smith

We now have the arrangements in place for Dad’s funeral. The crematorium will just be family and very close friends. 

But for anyone else who would like to join us we are having a celebration of Dad’s motoring life at Winkworth Farm in Lea, at 2pm on Tuesday 17th June. 

I would love to see everyone there and if people are able to come I’d like to know so that I can get an idea on numbers for the caterers.  Apparently they need to know by the middle of next week (11th).

Also to note:
No flowers
Bright clothes
Interesting car if possible

If you plan to come please let me know :