A Safari Supper in the village on Saturday 6th September. The proceeds of the evening will be shared between St. Swithins Church & The Benson Memorial Hall.
Come and join us for a delightful evening strolling about the village and stopping off to enjoy a three-course supper at different homes along the way. We will meet in the Village Hall at 6.30pm for a drink and then off to the first mystery Host for starters. Your Host will then tell you where you are to go for the main course. We will meet up back at the Village Hall at approximately 10pm for pudding and coffee.
A real opportunity to mix with lots of different people during the evening - The last Safari Supper was great fun!
Tickets are £25 per head and are available from Judy Izatt and Nicky Alberry please contact them to book your tickets. Nicky Alberry 760237 or Judy Izatt 817234
Hills Waste scales back recycling expansion project bid at Lower Compton site
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and significantly scaled down scheme” saying that if they are successful, previous applications for the site will be withdrawn having listened to and taken into account strong local opposition.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.
H S Wolford - 'Sid'
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.
Sid is seen here discussing his lunch arrangements when he and his wife Pat were to be introduced to the Duchess of Cornwall.
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.
Marlborough £30m railway line restoration plan
It has been reported by the BBC that a £30m plan to re-establish a railway station at Marlborough is soon to be presented to the government.The proposal, which has been backed by the town's Chamber of Commerce and Devizes MP Claire Perry, has been drafted by a local community group known as 'Transition Marlborough'.
The old Marlborough station, for more information on the old railway line visit swindonsotherrailway.co.uk
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.
The Compton Bassett Pothole Team
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!
Jenny Jackson
A grateful thank you from Compton Bassett PCC and church members to Jenny for her many years of hard work as deputy Church Warden. She has carried out this time consuming job with great dedication. Thank you Jenny.
A warm welcome to Jennie Brooks as a member of the PCC. We are very pleased that she is prepared to be prospective deputy Church Warden.
Minister to decide whether Hills can stay at Lower Compton site
A bid from Hills Waste Solutions to keep its materials recovery facility at Lower Compton has been referred to the secretary of state for communities and local government.
The materials recovery facility near Calne is used to sort household waste and collect recyclable materials which are then shipped off elsewhere.
Eric Pickles - Communities Secretary
An application to extend and enhance the facility, as well as to make it permanent, was originally submitted in 2012 but a decision on this has not been made.
The concert given by Mary Pilcher-Clayton and Rowan Patterson on March 1 at The Manor House, Compton Bassett was a great success and much enjoyed by all.
We owe Mary and Rowan a great debt of gratitude for their generosity with both their time and talents. All the tickets were sold, and several people, who could not come, took the opportunity to contribute to the collection towards the provision of much needed facilities in the Church. It was all most generous and much appreciated. We are also extremely grateful to the kind generosity of the hosts, John and Sally Reis and all the kind volunteers who helped with the making of canapes and in so many other ways to enable the smooth running of the evening.
The event will have raised something in the region of £2,000. And a further promise of a very generous donation from some new friends who have recently moved to Hilmarton. If there is anybody in the Benefice who would like to contribute to this worthy cause they can still send a cheque to our treasurer, Malcolm Seymour, at White’s House, Compton Bassett SN11 8RE. Please make your cheque payable to: PCC Compton Bassett. It would be most gratefully received.
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.
Those in need of help are old and young, rich and poor. In fact, need knows no boundaries. Often what is needed most is just to know that someone somewhere cares enough about them to notice. Wiltshire Good Neighbours is there to help with filling in a form, dealing with benefits or healthcare plus loads of other services and help or just to befriend someone when they need it. They have expanded their service to cover all the villages surrounding Calne. If you need their help, or know someone who does, please give them a call on 07557 922029.
An Appeal on Behalf of Wiltshire Age UK
The New Non Emergency Number is now live in our area!
101 is the number to call when you want to contact your local police - when it’s less urgent than a 999 call. 101 is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Older stories can still be found under the tab on the menu village/news
Jack Labrador
Follow the up to date exploits of Jack Labrador. Jack Labrador is now published on Kindle and in paperback and available from
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Your Villages Magazine contributor is now Caroline Ransom. If you have any items of interest for the magazine she will be pleased to recieve them.
Sid is seen here discussing his lunch arrangements when he and his wife Pat were to be introduced to the Duchess of Cornwall.
