The Friends of the Railway Path held their first Open Meeting on 25th January. Twenty six people turned out to the Calley Memorial Hall in Chiseldon, to discuss how the path could be made better and more enjoyable for users. Some were cyclists, some walkers and some were horse riders: and all of them knew about and used the path. Among the many suggestions made were:

• Provide better signing (particularly through Chiseldon, and in Marlborough)
• Develop better access for a variety of users (especially at the Marlborough end)
• Identify parking areas for horse boxes
• Give better views of the surrounding countryside (while preserving the habitat value of hedges and trees)
• Make much more information available on the history of the path and the landscape which it traverses
• Create more things to look at and do on the way

The committee of the Friends of the Railway Path will now start to develop a plan for what to do, and start to find suitable sources of funding.

If you would like to suggest something, please contact the Friends of the Railway Path, either via their website at http://www.friendsofthepath.org.uk/index.htm, or by email to dick.millard@friendsofthepath.org.uk

Dick Millard
Chair

Local items:

The speed limit in Ogbourne St Andrew is due to be reduced from 40 to 30mph (date unknown)

The next Marlborough CATG meeting will take place on Tuesday 17th April 2012 at 2.00 in Marlborough Town Hall.

Vehicle activated signs
Wiltshire Council has no policy on vehicle activated signs and that the council is keen to develop one in the new financial year. These signs are currently only possible where there is both recorded personal injury collisions and excessive vehicle speed.

Reclaim Our Villages project
The Parish Forum took all the local problems and looked at them. They recognised the need for a proper strategy for the whole area. They chose an outside consultant, Ben Hamilton-Baillie, who is a nationally recognised transport / urban designer. Under the proposal, each village will get to understand its own local problems and be able to come up with low cost ways of dealing with these.

The Parish Forum envisage this work as a partnership with Hamilton-Baillie and Wiltshire Council Highways working together.

JK and MSp described the three stages of the involvement with Hamilton-Baillie: Stage 1 will involve Hamilton-Baillie looking at a number of villages and consider their issues and hold a community seminar. Stage 2 will involve 7 to 8 villages that will develop a strategy for their local area and a list of recommendations. Stage 3 will be the implementation of low cost solutions and applications for the funding of these to Wiltshire Council.

Just to let you know and a warning to take care. There were two burglaries in the village over the weekend (28/29 Jan 2012). In both cases the occupants were away. Apparently the door handles were removed on French windows allowing access. The Police Officer who called in to see if we saw or heard anything asked me to put the word round so please warn neighbours and anyone else you know particularly if they are likely to be away.

Here’s news from Wiltshire Wildlife Trust about their Sarsen Trail & Neolithic Marathon event on 6th May…

Registration is now open for the Sarsen Trail and Neolithic Marathon and you can register through the website here: Register now . The Sarsen Trail is a great event for walkers, cyclists and runners that takes place between two impressive world heritage sites: Avebury and Stonehenge.

For the runners they organise both a full marathon and a half marathon that are exciting multi-terrain cross country courses. If you would rather walk, they offer routes through the historic landscape of 7, 11, 15 and 26 miles. They also offer an all-terrain circular route of approximately 45km or an alternative shorter route of approximately 25km for the cyclists.

If this event seems like something that would interest you, more information is available now on our website. If you have any queries or would like any promotional materials please feel free to email me.

We hope to see you in May!

Izzy Howard-Evans

Sarsen Trail Volunteer

Residents in ERMIN CLOSE,BAYDON,MARLBOROUGH reported to police that on Monday 16th Jan 2012 at around 16:00hrs a company was touting for business and distributing leaflets.
The company is called ‘Beat a Quote’and leaflets show the company address as PRAMA HOUSE, 267 BANBURY ROAD, OXFORD OX27HT telephone numbers 01865 339544 or mob 07748872864

The people who run this company are from Swindon and have both recently been convicted of Rogue Trading Fraud offences and imprisoned following a case led by Oxfordshire Trading Standards. The company targeted elderly and vulnerable residents charging extortionate prices work with initial low quotes.

Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators for the area are aware and local and Oxfordshire Trading Standards have been alerted.
Please forward this information on as you see fit.
Kind Regards
Jonathan Mills PCSO 6093
Marlborough Police Community Support Officer
Phone: 101 ext. 739-817
Mobile: 07969 501963

Here is a list of planned workdays on the Railway Path for 2012. Please put the dates in your diaries, if you are able to come along and help. The dates (and, when available, the details) are also on the Events section of the Friends website.

19-Feb Chiseldon to Gypsy lane: Bridleway clearance and hedgerow planting
20-May Marlborough - Poulton Farm: Ivy cutting, general tidy
14-Oct Og.St George - Og. St Andrew: Bridleway clearance, grassland creation and tree planting
18-Nov Coate Water to Chiseldon: Hedge laying, general tidy

Contact Dick Millard
Email:dick.millard@friendsofthepath.org.uk
Tel: 01793 617 972
www.friendsofthepath.org.uk

Following the introduction of plastic bottles and cardboard collections in north, west and east Wiltshire, there will be a change to fortnightly collections of household waste during February and March 2012 in the north and south of the county. This will bring collections in line with those in the east and west of the county where fortnightly collections are already in place. It is hoped that this, along with the extension of the recycling and composting services, will enable the council to reach 50% recycling.

If you would like someone from the council’s waste team to come to your parish council meeting or community event to discuss the new waste and recycling collection service please contact Vicki White 01225 718523 or Laura Snoulton 01225 776655 or email wasteandrecycling@wiltshire.gov.uk

The Friends of the Railway Path are holding an Open Meeting to help firm up on plans for developing the Railway Path between Coate Water and Marlborough. During the meeting, they will:

· Have contributions from walkers, cyclists, horse riders and others on the potential of the Path, and what it could contribute to the area
· Identify priorities for what we should aim to do (and raise funds for)
· Work out how best to involve the community in helping to make it happen.

The meeting is open to all; everyone is welcome to come along and help us develop our vision for the future of the Path. Details of venue and timing are below.

Time: 7 – 9 pm on Wednesday 25th January 2012
Venue: Calley Memorial Hall, Draycott Road, Chiseldon, SN4 0LS

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/place?cid=9509478471617569013&q=Calley+Memorial+Hall,+Swindon&hl=en&cd=1&cad=src:ppiwlink&ei=t9YCT8XkMseejweI6PXBCg&dtab=2

Dick Millard
Chair

Email:dick.millard@friendsofthepath.org.uk
Tel: 01793 617 972
www.friendsofthepath.org.uk

From 23 October 2011 - Route 5 on Sundays is now a Stagecoach route.
It now goes via Liddiards Green and Chiseldon, Chaplins Stores
Timetable.

Additionally, the Weekdays 0725 Swindon to Marlborough Service 70 journey is retimed to depart 10 minutes earlier at 0715.

Sunday journeys on Service 71 will be withdrawn.

Wilts & Dorset X5 route - now only Mon-Sat
Timetable.

See the Transport page for more details.

You can contact your West Selkley Councillor (Jemima Milton), your local MP (Claire Perry), and your European MPs through Write To Them.