The newly formed Devizes and Marlborough fundraising branch of the RNLI was delighted to welcome Paul Boissier, the chief executive of the organisation, to its AGM at Brook House, Bromham, last Thursday.
The evening consisted of the annual meeting and a celebration of the merger of the Devizes and Marlborough branches, followed by a presentation by Mr Boissier about the RNLI to an audience of more than 45 people.
The next major fundraising event will be on March 23 at Brook House, courtesy of Mark and Cynthia Wilkinson, at 7.30pm, when Dave Whiddon of the RNLI will talk about his trip from Morocco to Barbados in a 23ft plywood ocean rowing boat, raising £12,000 for the RNLI. Also Guys No Dolls will perform sea shanties.
Entry is by ticket only, the cost is £20 per person to include a cheese platter and wine; tickets available from Rosie Berry on (01380) 722820 or rosieberry@btconnect.com
Gazette and Herald - Saturday 9th March 2013
Quinton Barham has finally returned to his Trowbridge home after a month’s stay at Bristol Children’s Hospital following his cardiac arrest.
Quinton, 13, of Hyde Road, collapsed while playing for Bradford Town Youth Football Club's under 14 team in a cup tie at Bromham on February 3.
But doctors passed the Clarendon Academy pupil fit yesterday and he returned home last night, only four days after having an operation to remove fluid from his heart.
His father, Paul Barham, 48, also returned home for the first time in a month, as he has been staying at Ronald McDonald House, a charity which provides accommodation for parents of sick children.
Mr Barham said: “There is no place like your own home. It’s a relief and we are glad to have him back.
“Doctors are very happy with him, but we will have to go back for check-ups, which will be an ongoing thing.”
Quinton’s favourite meal, roast lamb, was cooked for his arrival and the first thing he plans on doing is getting a haircut.
“He seems to be fine and managing to go up the stairs, but he the tiredness is the main thing. He’s been on his back for nearly a month.
“He’s back in his own bed and has had a couple of friends to visit but just has to take it slow.
Mr Barham said the family had been overwhelmed by the support and once things had settled down, they would be involved in fundraising and first aid training.
This is Wiltshire - Monday 4th March 2013
Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon Angus Macpherson wants your views on his draft Police and Crime Plan.
From now until Sunday 10 March people can visit the Commissioner's website - www.wiltshire-pcc.gov.uk - to read a draft version of the plan and give their feedback.
Mr Macpherson said: "It is very important to me to gain the views of as many people in Wiltshire and Swindon as possible on my draft Police and Crime Plan. The final version of this document will set the strategic direction of policing in Wiltshire and Swindon for the next four years. This includes the key initiatives I will implement during my term in office.
"It is an important document and I strongly encourage people to log on to www.wiltshire-pcc.gov.uk to read the draft plan and leave comments."
The Police and Crime Plan is a much wider reaching document than the previous Policing Plan produced jointly by Wiltshire Police Authority and Wiltshire Police. As well as working with the police, it will include working with partners, such as local authorities and voluntary community sector organisations.
As part of the consultation process, Mr Macpherson held three workshops with the voluntary and community sector about the plan in Swindon, Salisbury and Trowbridge in January and February. He has also met with chamber of commerce groups.
Mr Macpherson, and representatives from his office, have also attended Wiltshire Council Area Board and Swindon Locality meetings to talk to people about the forthcoming plan.
Mr Macpherson's draft Police and Crime Plan focuses on working with communities and partners and is divided into six main sections:
* Reduce crime and anti-social behaviour
* Protect the most vulnerable in society
* Put victims and witnesses first
* Reduce offending and re-offending
* Drive up standards of customer service
* Ensure unfailing and timely response to calls for assistance
Key initiatives within the plan include:
* Strengthening neighbourhood policing by creating Safer Neighbourhood Teams, involving not just the police but other agencies, such as local authorities, and communities themselves
* Greater police officer visibility, including more foot patrols, within our communities
* Launching a £1 million innovation fund - organisations that help reduce crime, anti-social behaviour and re-offending in Wiltshire and Swindon will be able to apply for funds
* Setting up quarterly victim forums and victims panels to 'test check' services
* Enhancing the quality of service people receive when they contact Wiltshire Police
* Reducing the current re-offending rate by commissioning services which support those leaving prison
There is also an underlying theme throughout the draft plan - partnership, pro-activity, prevention. This is key to Mr Macpherson's plan in helping to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour in Wiltshire and Swindon.
You can read the draft plan and give your feedback from now until Sunday 10 March on the Commissioner's website www.wiltshire-pcc.gov.uk. All feedback will then be considered before the final plan is published at the end of March.
As well as the draft plan itself being published on the website, members of the public can read an executive summary of the draft plan and download each section of the plan separately. Printed copies of the draft Police and Crime Plan are available on request by contacting the Office of the PCC on 01380 734022.
Wiltshire Council has refused planning permission for five large houses to be built in the countryside at Bromham.
NGA Limited wanted permission to demolish two large warehouses at the former Bromham Growers site in New Road and replace them with five detached houses.
Bromham Growers ceased operating in April 2011 after suffering trading problems.
Bromham Parish Council objected to the housing plans, as did 20 individuals who believed the site should be retained for employment purposes and would be out of keeping with the area.
Wiltshire Council received one letter of support which said it was a sensible, practical use of a former agricultural brownfield site and would improve the area.
Council planning officer Karen Guest said the principle of housing on the site was unacceptable as it is outside the limits of development.
In her report, she said: “It is considered the proposed development would detract from rather than enhance the immediate setting.
“The site is flat and open in character and can be clearly seen from Hawkstreet.
“The proposed dwellings are tall and would therefore be unduly prominent. The proposed development would therefore be an incongruous feature in this open setting, which would detract from its character and appearance.”
Gazette and Herald - Wednesday 13 February 2013
An air ambulance was called to Bromham Sports Club this afternoon after a 14-year-old football player suffered a cardiac and respiratory arrest.
The football player, thought to be playing for Bradford, was cared for by paramedics from the Wiltshire Air Ambulance and a doctor from the Great Western Ambulance.
The crew arrived on the scene within two to three minutes. Due to weather conditions they took the boy to Bristol Children’s Hospital in a road ambulance instead of a helicopter.
A spokesman for the Great Western Ambulance said the boy’s condition was unstable and the next few hours would be critical.
He said: “We don’t know what caused him to go into a cardiac arrest it could have been a heart attack but it could have been something else that stops the heart beating like a stroke.
“Our crew was on the scene within two to three minutes and in the meantime on the scene people were performing CPR on the patient. “It was clear from the outset if he was in a cardiac arrest it was live saving treatment he needed. He has obviously been given the best chance by people performing CPR en route to the hospital.”
Gazette and Herald - Sunday 3 February 2013
This article has been submitted by the Great Bustard Group responsible for reintroducing the Great Bustard into the UK using Salisbury Plain as the release ground:
Great Bustards were reintroduced back to the UK in 2004 when the present Great Bustard Group released birds from Russia onto Salisbury Plain. Since then, Great Bustards have been released every year.
As with all reintroductions, there have been highs and lows with the best ‘high’ being in 2009 when we had the first chicks in 177 years to hatch wild in the UK. Each year since, there have been wild hatched chicks with varying success of survival.
2012 saw another first for the Group having been granted permission to bring eggs as well as chicks from Russia.
Six eggs were brought across by David Waters, Director of GBG, and incubated here. All six eggs hatched, but one chick died through complications of hatching. The other five birds are doing well and are at our release site along with older birds from three different years of release.
During the first year of releases, two birds flew to France. One we know collided with a power line, the other just went missing. As far as we know, no other birds have attempted the crossing to Europe, until December 2011 when a young female made the journey and came back to the UK in June 2012. Autumn and winter last year saw another three birds head to France. One is back, one died after hitting a power line and the other is strutting around the oil seed rape fields of France.
The birds are seen out and about in Wiltshire, Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire and Oxfordshire to name but a few places. None of our birds have transmitters on so we rely on the general public to contact us if they think they have seen a Great Bustard. Just a note that they will never be seen in trees or on fence posts as they only have three forward facing toes, they haven’t a fourth toe at the back with which to perch.
If you would like more information, come and visit the site, or purchase a gift visit voucher, contact Lynne, Visits Manager, 07817971327 or email visit@greatbustard.org
To report a sighting, either phone 01980 671466 or fill out the ‘Report a Sighting’ form on our website www.greatbustard.org
A DRUGS ‘factory’ in Bromham was nipped in the bud after the sharp-eyed crew of the Wiltshire police helicopter noticed a suspicious heat source emanating from a house in The Pound last week.
The helicopter was returning to base from a mission when its thermal imaging camera picked up the ‘hot spot’.
The information was passed to the Devizes nieghbourhood policing team.
A drugs warrant was executed at the address on Thursday morning and paraphernalia for cultivating herbal cannabis was found.
PC Emma Reed from Devizes police said: “Only a small quantity of the drug was found but it was clear from the amount of equipment that it could have produced a great deal more.
“It was thanks to the information provided to us by the helicopter crew that we were able to find and confiscate this equipment.”
Graham Saunders of the air support unit at police headquarters in Devizes said that he and his colleagues routinely look out for indications like this.
He said: “The thermal imaging camera, which provides black-and-white images of scenes based on the heat being radiated by objects, is on all the time we are airborne.
“We pick up quite a few of these indications. We are often asked by our colleagues on the ground to look out for heat sources at suspect premises but we don’t go out especially to look for them. We will monitor them while we are out on other jobs.
“In this case the observer just happened to notice the heat source and we passed it on to our colleagues in the Devizes policing team.”
A local man has been given a police caution for possession and cultivation of an illegal Class B drug.
It is the latest in a string of successes that Devizes police have had in executing drugs warrants in the area. Most of their information has come from members of the public but this is the first time that aerial evidence has been used.
This is Wiltshire - Monday 7 January 2013
A community is split over a proposal to demolish the derelict warehouses of the former Bromham Growers at Barley Close Farm and build five detached houses. Bromham Growers ceased trading in April 2011 after experiencing trading problems and the land has mainly lain derelict ever since. Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service has been using an office block on the site for its occupational health unit and has now bought that building. The buildings were once the premises of local growers Mortimers, which went into liquidation in 1996.
As Anthony Cargill, managing director of Bromham Growers, wrote in his letter with the planning application: “The new company bought the land and buildings previously belonging to Mortimers Fruit Shops Limited, consisting of a 2.5 acre site, a brick-built two-storey office building and two large industrial warehouses, constructed of breeze blocks and steel cladding.
“The majority of the company’s produce came from four Bromham-based market gardening firms and enabled the company to build up a viable business supplying a number of wholesale fruit and vegetable markets around the UK and several national supermarket chains with fresh, washed vegetables on a daily basis.
“For a number of years the company flourished but suffered a major setback when the largest of its four market gardening suppliers ceased trading due to the retirement of its owners.
“To compound matters, a second of the original four suppliers closed a year later.”
Mr Cargill said that there had been no interest from any third parties in buying or renting the land or the buildings.
But a representative of Calne-based Nutramin Animal Feeds told Wiltshire Council the firm had approached Mr Cargill on a number of occasions asking to rent or buy the site and been told it was not available.
Bromham Parish Council opposed the application because it feels that the village has a greater need for business and employment, although some residents have welcomed the scheme as a improvement of the derelict site.
While the planning application does not specify how many bedrooms the proposed houses would have, they are all two-storey buildings in a low-density, courtyard style development which could not be characterised as social housing.
Gazette and Herald - Thursday 3 January 2013
BROMHAM PARISH COUNCIL
BROMHAM PARISH MEETING FRIDAY NOVEMBER 9TH 2012 BROMHAM SOCIAL CENTRE
PRESENT: Chairman Mr P Paget Vice Chairman R Amor, 73 Parishioners including Councillors (17 under 18)
| 1. | Chairman’s Welcome: The Chairman welcomed all present and reported that this meeting was called following a presentation of a petition in May at the Annual Parish Meeting for Skate and BMX facilities. This has been discussed at PC meetings with Mrs C Read who has presented a proposed scheme to be considered if some land was available | Action |
| 2. | Bryn and Catherine Read: Everyone was thanked for attending and showing an interest. Proposed plans and approx. sizes with photos of existing areas and a sound graph were on display. Bryn outlined research carried out by visiting other local tracks and skate parks. Class 3 at St Nicholas School have also been involved with ideas for designs which have been incorporated in the presented designs. The materials suggested for minimum impact and low maintenance are earth and gravel with concrete for the skate/scooter bowl. A Committee of children, adults and other associations from the village including three members of the Parish Council have been formed. Official plans will be completed and grants will be applied for from Awards for All, Landfill and the Wednesday Club when land has been identified. A fundraising concert Youth Concert with John Bentley School at the Church is being arranged. Articles have been in the Parish Magazine. A Facebook Page and Twitter comments have also been started. Approximate cost £15,000. Mrs Read and Bryn also answered questions during the above presentation. | |
| 3. | Issues to be considered: · Size: The Bowl approx. 12x20 metres, BMX 20x40mtres. Building Regulations may apply. · Concrete: Low maintenance challenged as this material can crack and weather then causes defects, future maintenance costs would need to be considered. · Maintenance: Once completed it would be the responsibility of the PC on PC Land. Costs would be included in the PRECEPT which is partly paid by Parishioners. · Insurance: the PC with Public Liability for Parish Property, use at own risk with cover for equipment failure. £212 extra premium quoted. Conditions apply i.e. weekly inspections, manufactured and installed to appropriate standards, suitable signage, · WC: Could be a concern – health hazard? · Screening: would the area be screened/landscaped? · Youth Council/Committee – established at Rowde and Calne giving the Youth an incentive/interest in their area. · Hours of use: no lighting to be installed, so day light hours. Would not be suitable for use at night. · Age Limit: aimed at 5-17yrs, number of users would be difficult to estimate until in use. even when compared with the facility at Rowde numbers will always vary. · Anti-social Behaviour: Vandalism/Graffiti PC Peter Lawson does not have any problems with other such facilities in this area. · The Future: Concern that this will be a liability for the PC or maintenance etc. can this projected be justified as an open ended resource on funding? | |
| 4. | Suggested Location: Although originally land at the Pound was identified, after much discussion the Millennium Field seems to be the best option. This field was purchased for the Millennium in 2009 ‘a blank canvas for future generations to paint a picture’. | |
| 5 | Open Discussion: This project has been taken on by the Youth, and have spent time and effort; therefore it was felt that they deserve this area. Concerns: · Previous problems at The Chantry car park with undesirables in cars/drugs etc. Any suspicious happenings should be reported to the police. · Parking facilities: limited spaces at the Chantry. It was felt that the majority of users would be under driving age. · Consider fencing so that the facility could be closed at night. Caretaker/cost implications. · Attracting undesirables from outside the Parish. · Management of the area if problems do occur? · Community Support Team/Local Beat /Officers? · Power of the Parent! · Noise/ language/summer night in an open space. It was reported by Breach Close residents that the temporary BMX area has not caused any such problems. · Resident’s concerns to be considered VOTE: For a BMX and State Park to be located at the Millennium Field: (17 under 18yrs. not voting) 46 In favour 8 Not in favour 2 Abstained; | |
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