April 2007
| Published: 16th March 2007 22:16 |
Allotment sheds' cost doubles
DEVIZES Town Council has agreed to provide a shed for every allotment holder at the new allotments at Windsor Drive. Developer Crest Nicholson provided 99 sheds for the 99 new allotments. The town council however, thought 130 allotments could be created. Crest Nicholson had no objection to the increase but said it was not prepared to supply another 31 sheds. Although manufacturer Greenfields provided the sheds to Crest Nicholson at a special price of £105 each, it was not prepared to supply them to the council for less than £205. In addition, there would be an installation fee of £84, bringing the total cost to £8,700. Councillors agreed to pay the bill rather than allow allotment holders to make their own sheds out of scrap timber. But the exposed hilltop site on Windsor Drive is already having its effect, as forecast by members of Devizes Allotment Association. During the recent gales, five of the new sheds were completely destroyed and roofs torn off others. Allotment holders have been told by the council that all sheds must be painted in muted tones of brown and green only.
Angry Parents' over swimming charge
PARENTS in Devizes are upset because they say Kennet District Council has sneaked in a 20 per cent price rise for children's swimming lessons. The parents only found out about the hike in charges when they were handed slips of paper last week about the arrangements for swimming classes in the summer term. When the new term begins on April 16, they will have to pay £4.20 a lesson, up from the present £3.50 charge. Although this will mean an extra financial burden, parents were more upset about the way it had been carried out. Parents speak out: Chris Tamlyn said: "Twenty per cent does seem a steep rise, especially all in one go." Alison Dutton said "There was absolutely no information about this rise before we had our slips of paper last week. I object to this lack of information. "I know Kennet has got a huge overspend on the refurbishment of the leisure centre, but I don't see why we should have to shoulder it." Lucy Wain said the rise will make a dent in her family budget. She said: "This means that next term it will cost me £165 for my children's lessons. On top of that, I understand Kennet is going to charge £10 each for a leisure card, without which you can't book swimming lessons. "I have four children and there are two of us, which means it will cost £60 before we even book anything at the leisure centre. It seems exorbitant to me." A Kennet spokesman said: "To maintain a competitive pricing position, charges are benchmarked against other authorities. This has revealed that a number of comparative leisure facilities within the area charge more for swimming lessons." The cost of adult swimming lessons is also to rise from £4.15 to £5 for 30 minutes
Children's centre at school
SOUTHBROOM Infants' School in Devizes is looking forward to getting a new extension as well as housing a children's centre. Wiltshire County Council is submitting a planning application for the extension, which would cater for a future rise in pupils from the hundreds of new homes being built in the town. The extension will replace the two mobile classrooms which have been there since 1998, and a third mobile will be remodelled as a children's centre. The £740,000 project is being funded by housing developers and with money from the Government's New Deal for Schools scheme. Jan Wilson, who has been headteacher at Southbroom Infants' School for the past nine years, said: "It will be really good to have a permanent wing of the school with a high quality learning environment for the children. "When it's raining and the children come across from the mobiles to do PE they either have to run for it or put their coats on." The school has 172 pupils in six classes but the county council has predicted pupil numbers will rise to 250 in the next five years. The extension will have four classrooms, a new reception area and offices. The children's centre is one of many being built all over Wiltshire. It will serve the Devizes area and caters for children up to the age of five. Mrs Wilson said: "We have always seen ourselves as a hub for young children aged four to seven and the children's centre adds to that. "A lot of the work done by the centre will be information sharing and signposting parents of children aged under five to other groups. "There will be drop-in sessions and the centre will be used by health visitors and speech therapists. "It will not be duplicating what is going on elsewhere in Devizes." The governors have appointed Trixie Avery as the manager of the children's centre and will be appointing more people to do outreach work. The centre is set to open in September and the extension opening in December.
Shaw way to get funds
DEVIZES mum Yvonne King is to run the London Marathon to raise funds for the Shaw Trust. Mrs King, has run the marathon a number of times before in aid of different charities. She said: "This year the Shaw Trust is celebrating its 25th anniversary. "It now supports more than 50,000 disabled people in realising their potential, and will be promoting inclusion through independence, training and employment." Mrs King will be running the marathon with her police officer husband Simon. Both are members of the Devizes-based Hickey's Harriers. The couple have four children and their eldest daughter, Kate, has learning disabilities. Anyone who would like to support Mrs King and the Shaw Trust can do so online at www.justgiving. com/yvonne-king
Tough trials for paddlers' Everest
CANOEISTS have been making the best of the relatively mild weather to maximise their training for the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race. Dauntsey's School, West Lavington, which has entered the race virtually every year since it began more than 50 years ago, has entered nine crews. Chippenham solicitor Kevin Dobson, a partner with Goughs, is also gearing up to paddle 125 miles in four days. Mr Dobson has only been canoeing for two years, and narrowly missed out on taking part in the race last year through illness. He had been training this year with his daughter Emily, 18, to take part in the veteran/junior K2 class, but Emily broke her collar bone in a sailing accident three weeks ago and Mr Dobson is now taking part on his own in the K1 class. Mr Dobson has an added incentive to finish the race as he will be raising cash for the Children's Society charity. Mr Dobson said: "As this year is Goughs' 125th anniversary so we thought it fitting to fundraise by entering the race as the distance is coincidentally 125 miles. I hope to raise significantly more than £125, hopefully it will be nearer £1,250." Goughs' senior partner Nick Davis, based at Devizes, entered the race last year and raised more than £1,000 for research into multiple sclerosis. The Dauntsey's teams are James Papworth-Smith and Nick Ratcliffe, Simon Lai and Craig Kent, Simon Pearson and Nick Smith, John Wilmott and Lawrence Gurney, Ella and Phoebe Dickinson, Anna Wilton and Charlotte Hargreaves, Ellie Hewlett and Will Newell, Lucy Collins and Angus Collins, and Millie Guy and James Edmonson. Pete Thomas, the teacher in charge of training for the race, said: "This year has been relatively mild, so the numerous capsizes were slightly more bearable." The squad is raising sponsorship for this year's school charity, the Meningitis Trust. Thousands of competitors from all over Britain and worldwide will converge on Devizes Wharf on Good Friday and Easter Saturday for the 125-mile course along the Kennet and Avon Canal and River Thames. The first boats on Good Friday will move off at 7am. The canoes leaving on Friday are those in the single, junior and endeavour doubles categories that will be taking four days. The juniors will be waved off by mayor Don Jones from 9.30am onwards. On Saturday morning, the senior doubles crews will set off.
Traffic nightmare
PEOPLE in Devizes are the most concerned in the county about traffic congestion. A survey of households in towns across Wiltshire found that concerns about the level of traffic congestion was the highest in Devizes. A total of 55.7 per cent of those questioned in Devizes said it was their biggest concern followed by 53.7 per cent of people in Salisbury. Devizes county councillor Margaret Taylor said the results showed how big an issue traffic congestion was in Devizes. She raised the survey findings at a full meeting of Wiltshire County Council on Tuesday and said she would continue to lobby for improvements. "This survey gives us irrefutable evidence of the problem of traffic congestion in Devizes. "The survey was filled in before the roadworks were started in Bath Road so it is not a reaction to that." But Cabinet member for transport, Coun Fleur de Rhe-Philipe, said a bypass for Devizes, long called for by some residents, was not an option. Coun Taylor said the level of concern about congestion in Westbury, which is set to get a long awaited bypass at a cost of £30 million, was 39.3 per cent. "I still think we need to look at a bypass for Devizes or to do something more to get the heavy lorries using roads they are supposed to use. "Westbury is going to get a bypass and there the level of concern is not as strong as Devizes. "I just don't think Devizes is getting a good deal from the county council. "We are looking at the traffic problem in Devizes very closely and will look to see what effects developments have on it. "Any positive step that needs to be taken we will take it." The survey was carried out last autumn by Wiltshire County Council and the Department for Communities and Local Government. It asked people what things they thought most needed improving in their area.Survey forms were sent to a random sample of 3,500 people across the county.A total of 1,838 people responded. Traffic congestion scored the second highest concern when taken across all the areas in Wiltshire. Improvements to activities for teenagers was the issue that rated the highest
Under age drinking
FOUR Seasons pub landlord Gary MacMartin has defended his staff after undercover police officers found two 17-year-olds drinking alcohol in the pub. Devizes police carried out an operation on Friday night to crack down on under age drinking. Inspector Caroline Evely said plain clothes officers became suspicious of two customers in the pub and when asked for identification found that they were 17. The pair were taken to the police station and given on the spot fines. Inspector Evely did not name the pub involved and said the barman and licensee would be invited in for interview in due course. Mr MacMartin, who also runs The Churchill Arms pub in West Lavington, told the Gazette that the incident happened at the Four Seasons in High Street, where he has been licensee for the past five years. He said: "My staff at the Four Seasons turned away 17 people who were under age on Friday night. Unfortunately the two people that the police caught had slipped through unnoticed. They never came to the bar and got mates to buy them a drink. "I have never had an under age drinking problem in my time as licensee. If customers look under 18 and they don't have ID they will not be served." Elsewhere in the town police confiscated four bottles of wine and ten bottles of lager from six people, aged between 13 and 16 who were caught drinking in the designated no alcohol zone. All six were taken to the police station and given a verbal warning, and then their parents were asked to collect them. The incoming Devizes police inspector Dean Knight pledged to continue to tackle the under age drinking problem. He said: "This operation shows that this type of offence will not be tolerated by us."
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