3 Jun 20
From Monday 8 June, you must book a slot before visiting a household recycling centre. Slots will be available to book from Thursday 4 June.
From Monday 8 June, all visitors to a Wiltshire household recycling centre (HRC) must pre-book a slot to visit beforehand. You can book a slot three days in advance, and slots will go live on Thursday 4 June. This is an advance-booking system, so you will be unable to book a same day visit to a HRC.
Up until the sites close on Sunday 7 June, we will still be operating a postcode entry system to visit HRCs.
The link is http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/household-recycling-centres-booking-faqs

16 May 20
People are being asked to share their stories and experiences of living in lockdown to help Wiltshire Council create a new archive.

The council’s Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre wants to make a collection that reflects people’s individual and collective experiences during lockdown for future generations to study. Click <here> for more details.

14 May 20
Wiltshire Household Recycling Centres – Update
Household recycling centres are reopening on Monday 18 May All of Wiltshire’s household recycling centres (HRCs), bar Stanton St Quintin, will reopen on Monday 18 May with a postcode entry system to help limit the number of people on site at any time and ensure social distancing. See the table of dates at http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/household-recycling-centres

13 May 20
Wiltshire Household recycling centres reopen from 18 May
Most of our 10 household recycling centres (HRCs) will reopen for essential waste only from Monday 18 May.
Due to the limits on the number of vehicles on site, Stanton St Quintin HRC will remain closed until further notice.
All other HRCs will have different opening hours from usual, so please check before you travel. Full details on opening times will be available later this week.
Residents should only travel to HRCs to dispose of waste that cannot be stored safely at home without causing risk of injury, health or harm.
Social distancing measures will be in place at all sites.
Full details at http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/news/articles/hrcs-reopen

8 May 20
There is a Parish Council meeting on Monday 18th May. This meeting will be held using “Zoom” and the public and press are invited to attend. Details : Parish Council Meeting 18 May 20

3 May 20
Household Recycling Centres Update

The council has received a lot of enquiries about when our household recycling centres (HRCs) will be reopened. We’re continuing to monitor the government advice closely, and we’re looking at ways to safely reopen HRCs at some stage in the future.
When we do reopen our HRCs, your communities can expect some significant changes at the sites to keep our staff and residents safe, including social distancing measures. We’re also likely to include a limit to the number of people and vehicles that can enter a site and we may reduce the amount of material types that people can dispose of.
We have 10 HRCs in Wiltshire, and each one presents its own challenges – particularly in terms of traffic management both inside and outside the gates – so what’s right for one site may not be right for another.
When the sites do reopen, we expect very long queues, so if your residents can store waste safely, or they can put recycling in the usual kerbside collections, we’d strongly recommend they do so. If they have large or bulky items, we’re still collecting these from homes for a small charge; find out more: http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/large-item-collection.
There will be an update on the plans soon, including details of any restrictions that will be in place.

3 May 20
It is the 75th Anniversary of VE Day this week on Friday 8th May. There are various things organised and a special page has been set up <here>  to cover this event.

2 May 20
Message from Bath and North East Somerset CCG about the importance of seeking medical help. Dont delay visit Wiltshire.

2 May 20
Helpful video covering home resuscitation after a suspected cardiac arrest.

27 Apr 20
Tune in and listen to Malmesbury Community Radio
If you’re stuck at home – you’re not alone
Internet radio live from 7pm every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Listen on https://flyingmonkcommunityprojects.weebly.com

We’ll have cheerful tunes, spectacular spoken word readings, a variety of intriguing interviews (all remotely recorded), fascinating features and lots of (hopefully) charming chatter! We’ll hear from individual members of the community, locals groups and organisations.All coming from a shed (and living room) near you… Your local community radio station beating isolation.
We’d love to hear from you…we are looking for remote DJs, spoken word readers, nature watchers, garden reporters and all regular or irregular feature contributors. And anyone who might be happy to chat.
Let us know what you are up to, how you are keeping busy and what your neighbourhood is doing in these difficult times…..
Email us on flyingmonkcommunityprojects@gmail.com
Message us on: @malmesburycommunityradio (FB/Instagram) / @malmesburyradio (Twitter)
Shows are repeated from 3pm til 7pm the day after broadcast
More info on: https://flyingmonkcommunityprojects.weebly.com

25 Apr 20
Tea at three🍰☕️
You are invited to come out for Tea at Three this Sunday, April 26th. Weather permitting, of course!
Either stay at home in your garden or walk around to say hello, keeping the requisite social distance .
Looking forward to seeing you,
Susan

25 Apr 20
Important news about additional local NHS support for mental health :
1. Launch of mental health hotline for children and young people in Wiltshire by the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
A children and young people’s mental health helpline has been launched in Wiltshire (and Bath and North East Somerset and Swindon by the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust which runs children’s mental health services in the region.
Anyone concerned about a child or young person’s mental health (or the child or young person themselves) can phone the helpline and speak to mental health experts who will provide advice, guidance and support over the telephone.
The helpline will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week and can be contacted as follows:
9am-5pm – weekdays 01865 903777
5pm-9am – weekdays and weekends 01865 901000
Helpful resources to support children and young people experiencing worries about coronavirus are also available on the following websites
https://www.oxfordhealth.nhs.uk/camhs/
https://www.onyourmind.org.uk/
This helpline should not be used for situations which are life threatening (when emergency services should be notified by phoning 999). The helplines will also help to reduce pressure on NHS 111, who are having to manage an increasing number of Covid-related calls.
2. Launch of mental health hotline for adults in Wiltshire by the Avon and Wiltshire NHS Partnership
The Avon and Wiltshire NHS Partnership has set up a mental health helpline for adults in Wiltshire (and Bath and North East Somerset and Swindon. The number is 0300 3031320 and more information can be found here: http://www.awp.nhs.uk/advice-support/24-hour-support/.
This helpline should not be used for situations which are life threatening (when emergency services should be notified by phoning 999). The helplines will also help to reduce pressure on NHS 111, who are having to manage an increasing number of Covid-related calls.

18 Apr 20
Wiltshire Council have a news service that can be found <here>.  If you sign up to the service they will deliver updates directly to your inbox.  I’ve created a PDF from the latest version to give an example : Wiltshire News

14 Apr 20
Message from The Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust

14 Apr 20
Alex Tjolle usually delivers “What’s On in Crudwell” to the church porch but that is changing : “…with the current COVID 19 restrictions in place, What’s on in Crudwell is not going to be printed for the time being. It is however available to download online: http://www.my-crudwell.org/2020/04/woic-april-2020/ and will be published online for the foreseeable future I believe.”

11 Apr 20
An update from HEALS and their latest appeal poster.
HEALS and Malmesbury Town Council COVID Update
HEALS Poster

10 Apr 20
Wiltshire Life, a subscription based magazine, has been the county magazine for Wiltshire for more than 70 years ‘one magazine, one county’ and so during this Easter period we would like to offer everyone in the county access to a digital version of our latest issue of the magazine without having to pay. This is a small gesture, which we hope will provide some connection to the outside world during these troubling times.

To access, you will need to complete a short form and we will email you the digital issue. https://bit.ly/wli-easter

I hope that you enjoy our free digital edition and have a wonderful Easter weekend!

9 Apr 20
Easter Church Services. Sadly, there will be nothing in our church building. I have put copies of short services for Good Friday and Easter Day in the church porch. Help yourself. At 10am on Easter Day you can join Rev’d Tonya who will be reading a short service. This is being streamed. There will also be a local zoom church service on Maundy Thursday, 9/4 at 6pm. Details on the church website…Braydon Brook
Philip Carter, churchwarden

9 Apr 20
Community Police Message

9 Apr 20
Annual Village Meeting – legislation published this week rescinds the requirement to hold an Annual Meeting in this current year, and therefore the Parish Council has decided to cancel the AVM which was scheduled for Monday 4 May.
Michael Bromley-Gardner – Parish Clerk

8 Apr 20
Government WhatsApp service
The government has launched a GOV.UK Coronavirus Information service on WhatsApp. The new, free to use, service aims to provide official, trustworthy and timely information and advice about coronavirus (COVID-19), and will further reduce the burden on NHS services.

This will help combat the spread of coronavirus misinformation in the UK, as well as helping ensure people stay home, protect the NHS and save lives.

The GOV.UK Coronavirus Information Service is an automated ‘chatbot’ service which will allow members of the public to get answers to the most common questions about coronavirus direct from government. The service will provide information on topics such as coronavirus prevention and symptoms, the latest number of cases in the UK, advice on staying at home, travel advice and myth busting.

The service will also allow the government to send messages to all opted-in users if required.

To use the free GOV.UK Coronavirus Information Service on WhatsApp, simply add 07860 064422 in your phone contacts and then message the word ‘hi’ in a WhatsApp message to get started.  Please share this information with your communities.

28 Mar 20
Two extracts from latest Wiltshire Council COVID-19 Update:
Wiltshire Wellbeing Hub
We have set up a designated Wiltshire Wellbeing Hub specifically for our most vulnerable residents to receive support and guidance during COVID-19. The phoneline number is 0300 003 4576 and will be open from tomorrow (Saturday 27 March) for the duration of the pandemic.
We continue to keep our hubs open in Trowbridge, Chippenham and Salisbury for the following essential face-to-face services:
– Support for the homeless
– Adult social care
– Children’s social care
– Support for vulnerable people
Our Customer Service Team continues to support our communities on all other matters through our customer services number 0300 456 0100 (lines open 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday) and via social media channels.

Council Tax and Business Rate Payments
To support people as much as possible during the ongoing COVID-19 situation, the council has confirmed that no resident or business in Wiltshire will have to pay council tax or business rates until June 2020 if they are struggling.
Any resident wishing to defer paying their council tax in April and May 2020 can contact the council and this will be arranged. Those payments will then be taken in February and March 2021 instead, as council tax is normally only collected over the first ten months of the financial year.
Similarly, businesses who also wish to defer business rates payments for two months, and not pay in April and May, can also arrange that by contacting the council. For anyone wishing to do this, the council will freeze direct debit payments, so people do not need to contact their bank to arrange.
People should call 0300 456 0109 or email counciltax@wiltshire.gov.uk to request the deferral – these will be taken at face value and there will be no vetting of anyone wishing to defer payments for April and May 2020.
For those who choose to defer, payments will resume in June 2020 and will be taken over the 10 months from June 2020 to March 2021. For those that pay annually, they can still do so at http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/benefits-council-tax. Those that make manual payments can also continue to do this if they wish, but they will need to contact the council if they want the April and May payment break.
Working age residents who benefit from the current Council Tax Support Scheme will receive an additional reduction to their bill in line with the government’s hardship fund criteria. Those households eligible for this reduction will automatically be re-billed.

25 Mar 20
Update from Wiltshire County Council :
HRCs and waste
All household recycling centres are now closed until further notice.

This temporary suspension will remain under review and we will work to re-open these facilities as soon as is it reasonable to do so. Residents are reminded not to dump waste – fly-tipping is illegal. Neither should householders use an unlicensed waste carrier to collect and dispose of their waste during this period of service suspension. We are encouraging residents, where possible, to store the waste they wish to take to the household recycling centre until such time as the sites reopen.

For more information about licensed waste carriers, see: https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers

Our waste and recycling collections services are currently operating as normal.’

24 Mar 20
Clap for our carers initiative.

24 Mar 20
The Government has introduced strict new measures to limit the spread of the virus.
Read the BBC News item.

24 Mar 20
The situation with the church has changed : Following an announcement by the Archbishops, there will be no church services until further notice. The church is now closed.
Churchwardens:Philip Carter, 01666 575465, next to church, and Valerie Durnford, 01666 577723.
In an emergency, Robin Tjolle at Summerhouse, at the end of Church Lane, also has a church key, 01666 577789 or 07801 891429.

22 Mar 20
Important information about pharmacies, prescriptions etc.  Repeat Prescriptions

21 Mar 20
Wiltshire Council – Correction :
Libraries and Leisure Centre Closures
Following the Government announcement today (Friday 20 March) all leisure centres, libraries, mobile library service and leisure centres will be closed until further notice.
Where possible, staff affected by these closures will be redeployed to help protect essential services and as soon as we are able to re-open these facilities we will do so.
Schools
Our education team is working with our schools over the weekend to ensure that education provision is available across the county for school age dependents of critical workers and vulnerable children from week commencing 23 March until further notice.

The following guidance on critical workers was provided by Government yesterday https://bit.ly/2U6IGwL The guidance sets out those whose work is critical to the coronavirus response and keeping crucial public services going.

For children not attending schools we have put home learning support and resources on our website for families to access.

20 Mar 20
Latest news from Wiltshire Council :
Service updates
Libraries and leisure services continued to be challenged by staff absences but we are trying to maintain as much of a service as possible at this time.

From Friday 20 March 2020, we will be relaxing the terms of our concessionary bus passes, which means those who have a pass can use it before 9:30am until further notice. With many major supermarkets opening early specifically for elderly and vulnerable people, this will provide them with the best opportunity to ensure they can get everything they need. People are advised to keep checking timetables in case there are any changes made as a result of the ongoing situation.

Schools update
Further to Wednesday’s announcement by the Secretary of State for Education regarding school closures for the majority of pupils on Friday 20 March, we are working closely with schools and their communities to ensure they are supported and have the latest advice.

Schools will remain open for key workers and most vulnerable children. We have now received guidance as to what constitutes a key worker and details on who is able to attend school from Monday. This can be found online: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision

Once we are clear on how many children will be requiring a school place we will coordinate the provision required across the county.

We are also working closely with Wiltshire Council staff who are impacted to understand and support how they can manage childcare arrangements whilst ensuring the council can deliver for our communities and on our priorities.

19 Mar 20
Message from the Churchwardens :
“Following an announcement by the Archbishops, there will be no church services until further notice. The church is now closed.
If you wish to access the church for a quiet time, please ring one of the churchwardens and arrangements will be made to open the church.
Churchwardens:Philip Carter, 01666 575465, next to church, and Valerie Durnford, 01666 577723.
Robin Tjolle at Summerhouse, at the end of Church Lane, also has a church key, 01666 577789 or 07801 891429.”

19 Mar 20
Latest news and advice from Wiltshire County. Wiltshire News.

19 Mar 20
Schools to close from Friday 20th March with exception of children from “key worker” families.

17 Mar 20
Message from The Archbishop of Canterbury : “All church services are cancelled with immediate effect”. This applies to Hankerton, Ashley, Charlton, Crudwell, Minety and Oaksey.
Thanks. Philip Carter – Churchwarden

17 Mar 20
Government advice is :-
Everyone should avoid gatherings and crowded places, such as pubs, clubs and theatres
Everyone should work from home if they can
All “unnecessary” visits to friends and relatives in care homes should cease
People should only use the NHS “where we really need to” – and can reduce the burden on workers by getting advice on the NHS website where possible
By next weekend, those with the most serious health conditions must be “largely shielded from social contact for around 12 weeks”
If one person in any household has a persistent cough or fever, everyone living there must stay at home for 14 days
Those people should, if possible, avoid leaving the house “even to buy food or essentials” – but they may leave the house “for exercise and, in that case, at a safe distance from others”

There are possible cases (symptoms exist) on Follyfield.