This is the Memory Cafe schedule (July 2023 to October 2023):
Category: News
PCAP news
PCAP arranges family funday’s to drive away the pandemic blues!
PCAP arranges family funday’s to drive away the pandemic blues!
In April of 2019 an idea to arrange for some activities to take place at The Vale leisure centre for the 13 to 18 year olds was planned. Well the pandemic put paid to that. Wind forward to later that year and the Mental health impact of the Pandemic was being seen and felt at Pewsey Vale School. Following talks with the head teacher, PCAP supported the school to apply for £5,000 for a mental health triage team to help support those young people in the school. The funding came through the Pewsey Area Board and specifically the Local Youth Network funding for 13 to 18 years in January 2020.
PCAP also helped Pewsey Primary School to secure more computers and tablets for children learning at home before Christmas 2020 thanks to donations by a local recycling company called Green Machine, Pewsey Parish Council and PCAP.
Fast forward to 2021 and those Local Youth Network funds had been secured and PCAP began to arrange some funday’s for local families and young people for the summer holidays.
Sunday July 25th saw the Bouverie Hall Car park taken over by King Ramps mobile Half Pipe and demo crew and The Pewsey Craft Studio offering free sessions making bath bombs in the Main Hall.
Sunday August 22nd saw the mobile Climbing Wall owned and run by Wiltshire Outdoor Learning Team take over the Bouverie Car Park and again more crafting with the Craft Studio in the Hall.
Both events were well attended by an estimated 120 young people in total and much fun was had by all. We believe it lifted a few spirits and offered a chance to do something not usually available in Pewsey.
PCAP Community Memory Cafe Poetry Day
Memory Day Literature Works
Heather Holcroft-Pinn, Projects Officer www.literatureworks.org.uk and Claire Coleman joined us for the September PCAP Community Memory Café in Pewsey at the Bouverie Hall. We listened as Heather recited some well known and not so well known poems. Following a reviving cup of tea, the group then talked about being Lost then Found. Then the magic happened. We would like to thank Heather and Claire for their time. We hope to see them again next year.
Lost and found – a poem by the Community Memory Café Group Pewsey.
Sasha got lost on the way to this social.
Worse if it was for an interview!
We’d all feel anxious, pressured, stressed.
Some of can’t remember our left from right,
but Phyl says “I’m so old I’m very used to my left and right,
we’ve been together a long time.
We’ve all got memories of getting lost.
When Natalie was eleven, she had to find her way
to big school by the 3A bus, and back again
at the end of the day. She was all on her own,
“who do I ask? I can’t find the bus.”
At long last she found a man with books under his arm.
He knew it was the second bus stop.
When I got home they said
“where have you been?
Sasha once, when she was young, fell asleep
on a bag of royal mail on the train.
She went up and down the track all night
from London to Bristol!
Sue got lost in a forest, in Belgium.
It was in bright sunlight,
but she didn’t find her way back
until it was dark, lit only
by starlight.
Once Violet came out from the shops
and got in her husband’s white van.
A stranger looked at her.
She had got into the wrong van!
“It wouldn’t have been so bad
if he had been good looking.”
The old-fashioned way is to ask someone.
So when Fanny was lost she asked a lady walking her dog
if she knew the house she was looking for.
The lady replied “I’ve only lived here 37 years
and I don’t know where it is. Who lives there?”
“When I told her, she knew exactly where it was.”
Jo picked the wrong way at a crossroads
when she and Mum were on their way
to Singing for the Brain.
Mum says “stop panicking, I’m O.K.
I’m fine. You’d never make me
feel uncomfortable.”
Dawn says getting lost on purpose,
picking a direction with no destination in mind,
is the most fun you can have on your own,
because she has a smart phone.
In the end we can all find our way,
by asking a friendly person,
by the art of map-reading,
or by asking the App
“What Three Words.”
This tells us that where we sit
in Bouverie Hall
is “perfumed testy spiders.”
That’s us!
Created by the Pewsey group on 20th September 2021
North Wessex Downs AONB Newsletter & Website Resources
The North Wessex Downs AONB has provided a ‘core’ article on the AONB for use by parishes and others for their newsletters or websites.
This is the article which you can edit and adapt as you wish, as well as adding images:
Download the core NWD AONB article
This is an example of how the Whitton Way adapted the article for their local newsletter:
Download Whitton Way's NWD AONB article (part 1) Download Whitton Way's NWD AONB article (part 2)WhatsApp Group for the Farming Community
Farmer Support Group COVID 19
This is a farm support group to provide mutual support to one another during the coronavirus pandemic as and when needed. With one message you can ask the group for help with a specialist task or cover for someone who is ill. As many Farm Workers’ jobs are specialist, the chances of finding someone who can do a particular role if workers are self-isolating/off sick is very unlikely, unless they already work on a farm elsewhere.
The easiest way to set up a communication group is via Whatsapp – most people use it nowadays but it is easy to set up a group and share it via email in order to get people to join – we would also encourage you to share with your colleagues, friends and neighbours to spread the word through the community (this is not restricted to farms within the North Wessex Downs – those outside the boundaries can join if within a sensible distance).
If anyone isn’t familiar with Whatsapp, then Susie Brew at PCAP or Claire McCorquodale of the NWD AONB will be happy to talk you through it.
Susie Brew – 07802 444022 – pcap@hotmail.co.uk
Claire McCorquodale – 07717 644991 –ClaireMcCorquodale@northwessexdowns.org.uk
How to Join
Instructions on how to join the Whatsapp group – NWD Farming Community:
Via the app:
- On your mobile device, add the Whatsapp app either from Apple or Google Play Store if you don’t already have it installed.
- Click on this link https://chat.whatsapp.com/HD9TiJKClBQLauYd8y8Gu2 – the joining process is very straightforward.
Via the web:
- Use Chrome as the browser and click on this link chat.whatsapp.com/HD9TiJKClBQLauYd8y8Gu2
- Click Join the Chat
- You have an option to download the app – you don’t have to do this and can go straight to the web version (known as Whatsapp Web)
Once you are in Whatsapp, it would be useful if the farmers could make sure their names/farm name are on their Whatsapp details otherwise it just shows up as a mobile number, so it isn’t clear who it is. (To edit your existing Whatsapp details on a phone click on the 3 dots in the top right hand corner, click on settings and then tap your name/ phone number at the top of the screen and edit your name to include the farm name).
Key Volunteer Role at Crofton Beam Engines
Crofton Beam Engines are looking for a volunteer for a key role in the organisation. Download the document for more information.
The Rotary Club for Marlborough & District
The Rotary Club is a charity that raises money for good causes, runs projects for local charities, works with young people and helps with emergency aid.
They are always looking for more members. If you would like to find out more, you can download the leaflet here or contact them via their website.
Heritage Action Zone Workshop Report
This is the report following the Heritage Action Zone Workshop at the Pewsey Heritage Centre on 24th October 2017.
Thank you to everyone who took part in the discussions.
Train Updates from Bedwyn Passenger Group
Christmas Disruption
During December please check your weekend and Christmas journeys as, due to engineering works, there are significant changes from the printed timetables. Please see https://www.gwr.com/travel-updates/planned-engineering/christmas2017 or use the journey planner on www.gwr.com
January Timetables
Please find attached the new January timetables. Paper copies will be available from The Stores and The Post Office, both in Great Bedwyn.
Download the eastbound rail service timetable
Download the westbound rail service timetable
Of particular note is:
- The new 0629 weekday service direct to Paddington (this is a service from Bristol).
- The 0756 weekday service is now direct to Reading (all stops).
- The new 1906 return from Paddington (which is off-peak).
- The new 2007 weekday Reading to Bedwyn service.
- Trains that used to depart Paddington at XX18 now depart XX06.
There are other minor changes so please check.
Season Ticket Renewal
With fares set to rise in January do consider whether it’s worth you renewing your season ticket early, or even for a longer period.
The Future
From December 2018 we should be on the new hybrid trains. These will run on electric between Paddington and Newbury and seamlessly switch to diesel for the Newbury to Bedwyn stretch. The last obstacle to be overcome is the extension of our turn back siding. However, we remain in close discussion with GWR and NR on this and it does all look positive at the moment. After eight years of uncertainty, and much campaigning, it does feel as if we are almost there with this one.
Undoubtedly there will be some timetable changes. It would help us if you could let us know what your ideal commuter arrival time into and out of Paddington would be. This will allow us to press the case for timetable tweaks. Please also comment if you use other stations – Paddington is the most significant simply because that covers the majority of use from Bedwyn Station. Please also pass this request onto other rail users that we might not have on our email list.
Contact – Steve Smith – steve@meip.co.uk
The Bee Road
This is a community project to build a ‘Bee’ Road between Marlborough and Pewsey – 7 miles of pollinator friendly forage and habitat, joining communities and supporting the bees to re-establish their populations.
Find out more at www.facebook.com/TheBeeRoad
