2015 Compton Bassett
Curry & Quiz Night

Saturday 7th March 7:00 pm -Bar open 6:45 - in Compton Bassett Village Hall

Tickets £10 to include Quiz and food.

Ticket Line: 01249 811076

Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Starring Kevin Tomlinson and Guests

Saturday 18th April 7:00 pm Village Hall

A comic look at love in all its many forms (Improvisation, Sketches & Stand up) Details.....

Compton Bassett took part in “Operation Harness” in January where Wiltshire Police held a County wide Speedwatch event.  Our “bit” took place on 20th January between 1 and 3pm where Pete Szczesiak & Peter Alberry accompanied by 6 Police Officers monitored traffic in Compton Bassett. We could see the car bonnets dipping as soon as the motorists became aware of the significant police presence – so we only recorded a single speeding event during the 2 hours of checking. 

So Speedwatch is taking off again – we have the laser camera until the end of February – so we’d like to build a data base of speeding vehicles throughout the day over the course of February, particularly mornings and evenings, so that we can us the information to lobby for reduced speed limits as recorded in the Compton Bassett Neighbourhood Plan.  We have 8 trained volunteers so far with a number of others applying for training later this year. If you’d like to be involved please e-mail p.alberry@btinternet.com.

Together we can make a difference.

Overnight on 04/11/2014 between the hours of 2200 and 0630 hrs a Mitsubishi 4x4 vehicle was stolen from a house in Compton Bassett.

Please can we remind our residents that if they should see or hear anything suspicious – please call 999.

It is likely this vehicle was stolen around midnight.

Additionally – please consider placing extra security on any 4x4  - a heavy steering wheel clamp is a very good reasonably cheap option and well worth consideration.

Pop star and owner of Compton Bassett house, Robbie Williams and his wife Ayda are today celebrating the arrival of their second child, a boy, weighing in at a healthy 8lb 20z.

Robbie took the unusual step of posting several videos and pictures of the lead up to the birth on You Tube, Facebook and Twitter. Robbgie and Ayda announcerd the name of their second child via Twitter earlier on Thursday "Charlton Valentine Williams has left the building.... and Daddy is doing just fine. RW x" http://tinyurl.com/Robbie-Compton-B

We wish the family well in this new chapter in their lives and hope that Ayda has forgiven Robbie for the video by the time she is up and about again.

Hills Waste is scaling back plans to extend its materials recovery facility at Lower Compton following criticism from residents and councils.The site is used to sort household waste and collect recyclable materials which are then sent elsewhere.

As we have reported elsewhere in the site, an application to extend the site and make it permanent, was submitted in 2012 but there have been many delays and alterations to the application but at the moment a decision has still not been made.

Hills now propose to submit a new application, describing it as a “smaller and significantly scaled down scheme” saying that if they are successful, previous applications for the site will be withdrawn having listened to and taken into account strong local opposition. Hills say the site remains of strategic importance to them, but will significantly scale back their operational plans. The new proposed extension will provide capacity for up to 55,000 tonnes of recyclable waste per year. They also hope to build a new waste transfer station, which between them would process around 130,000 tonnes – a 45 per cent reduction compared to the 2011 application which was for 235,000 tonnes.

Hills are holding a five-week pre-planning consultation, a public exhibition was held on July 1 at the Village Hall from 10am to 8pm and was attended by 45 people during the day. Hills personnel, including group director Mike Webster, were on hand to address concerns over noise, traffic, and pollution. Mike Webster advised that the new application would mean an extra 49 vehicles in and out of the site per day and although he sympathised with residents concerns he had been surprised by some of the criticism of the original application. The MRF at Lower Compton handled over 27,000 tonnes last year and the new application is designed only to deal with the 55,000 tonnes as mentioned above. The extra tonnage will be largely paper and cardboard which is currently handled at the Calne Porte Marsh site which is due to cease operation in 2017. Pete Szczesiak, chairman of the parish council said that the parish councillors would issue a response on the proposal after the next council meeting.

Sid Wolford who received a long service award this year from the Royal Bath & West Show Society. A prestigious award that is only given to six candidates every year it marks over fifty years of unbroken service to agriculture. The award was
presented at the opening ceremony of the show by the President of the NFU and afterwards Sid was presented to the Duchess of Cornwall before sitting down with Pat to a special lunch in the marquee. Following army service Sid went to work for Mr Bernard Barnett at Compton Farm in September 1957 and has continued both there and at Manor Farm ever since. A quite remarkable countryman he has kept as fit and strong as a man half his age; an example to us all. He is a skilled ploughman and has won numerous ploughing championships including County Champion.

After completing his National Service he worked for a while with an agricultural contractor. He then worked at Compton Farm until his retirement aged 65 years.

He is a well known figure at the various ploughing matches in the county and has indeed won at many of them.

He is still today helping on Compton farm and on Manor Farm in the village.

Sid is pictured with his wife Pat.

Click here for update on plans

They argue that a rail link to the town should be restored, as the nearest station is 14 miles away.

Passenger rail services to and from Marlborough were withdrawn in 1961, some two years before Dr. Beeching famously axed many of Britains rural rail routes. Many people who have moved to the town in the last 30 years commute to London requiring a car journey to and from Swindon or the smaller staions along the Taunton to Paddington line running south of Marlborough. Graham Francis from Transition Marlborough said: "The opportunity to put that line back where it was in the sixties is something that should be seriously considered."

The proposed new branch line, coming off the main London to Westbury line at Savernake, would stretch for five miles and end with a new station opposite the Marlborough Business Park. MP Claire Perry has apparently indicated she supported the scheme and has agreed to contact Rail Minister Stephen Hammond to discuss the proposal.

A very big thank you to all who helped in the BriarLeaze Pothole day on 26th April '2014, particularly Andrew Slade whose estimate of the tarmac requirements were totally on the money.

The pothole team worked to a very high standard with hidden talents emerging from everywhere in the village.

Thanks also to the ladies for the cakes, scones, flapjacks – the Pothole gang certainly appreciated the support and sustenance.

One of the Mums at the children’s party in the Benson Village Hall asked how on earth we managed to get Wiltshire Council to do our potholes.

When she learnt that it was the Compton Bassett Village Pothole Team – she said “Wish we had such a wonderful village spirit”

Well done to everyone!

With the season of good will soon upon us our thoughts are turning to perhaps our families, or our friends, those with whom we enjoy our time.

Maybe we can cast the odd thought in a different direction, to those who may seem to many to have so much and yet have nothing. There are many, even within our own village, who may be facing a Christmas that is not how they would like it to be.