I have been asked by a neighbour, who was caught in a traffic jam on Broad Road this morning, to remind people that in icy conditions the road above the quarry can become impassable. Temperatures seem set to fall below freezing again tonight so it might be wise to choose another route until the ice has melted.
Westbury Footlights are pleased to announce details of this years pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk – details on the poster here
Users of the new section of the Strawberry Line path from Station Road to Erlon Lane will notice some construction work being undertaken there in the very near future. Contractors will be building a stone and stone dust, level path so that the views along the line can be enjoyed by cyclists, wheelchair users and those with prams and buggies as well as able bodied walkers. A full ecological survey has established where the contractors need to work carefully to protect areas of wildlife interest.
Access to the public footpath that goes from Station Road down past the sewage works will not be affected though users need to be aware that heavy machinery might be crossing. It would be good, however, to avoid walking along the embankment and beyond while the construction work is in progress.
Priddy Singers, who include a number of Westbury residents, are holding a Christmas concert in St Cuthbert’s Church on December 10th. All welcome. See full details here
Members of the local U3A branch have drawn attention to a special Xmas offer for OAPs that might be of interest.
Somerset zoo farm to welcome OAPs for free to combat loneliness
People over 70 will be able to visit the attraction for free during December
A Somerset zoo-farm is offering free entry to OAPs during December – to help combat loneliness. Over 70s will be able to visit Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm in Wraxall from December 1-21 to help support older people who may feel lonely this time of year.
This will be the third year the zoo farm is offering the free entry offer. It is hoped the move will encourage visitors to reach out to older relatives, friends or neighbours and to bring them along to visit the zoo together.
The zoo’s initiative was inspired by the Age UK campaign to help make Christmas a little brighter for a lonely older person. According to the charity almost 1.5 million people feel lonelier at Christmas than at any other time of year.
Noah’s Ark managing director Larry Bush said: “We are committed to welcoming and including all members of our community here at Noah’s Ark and we are looking forward to seeing lots of guests at this special time of year. We are hoping that this offer encourages those who aren’t normally able to visit us to come and enjoy a warm festive welcome and spend time with friends and family.”
As a result of the huge increase in heating costs, the zoo has created a designated warm space for December in the Food Barn. This area will be kept warm for visitors with special winter warmer meals cooked by head chef Gary.
These winter warmers will include hot soups and classic favourites such as shepherd’s pie at discounted prices for pensioners.
The Parish Council has updated its website to help make information about the preparation of a Neighbourhood Plan more accessible to the village. On these pages you can find all the minutes and agendas of the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group and other working papers relevant to their work. There is also an archive of papers produced by previous working groups.
The Council has asked the same steering group to help co-ordinate a village response to any new proposals put forward by the church commissioners for development adjacent to Roughmoor Lane. There are sepate pages giving access to all the material produced in response to earlier proposals and to any new proposals which may be brought forward.
Litchfields, the agents for the Church Commissioners, have just written to the clerk to the parish council to say that they have still not managed to hold a meeting with the planning department at Mendip. They have therefore asked to defer any meeting with the parish council until the New Year. Further updates will be posted as soon as anything further is known.
Reports were received at the weekend that the defibrillator cabinet was open. Upon checking it this morning it would appear that someone opened the cabinet and removed the defibrillator from the bag but didn’t use it. Below is a photo of the defibrillator ready to use, if it looks any different or the green light in the top right hand corner changes, please let me know and I will arrange for it to be changed. The batteries are due to expire by the end of the month, these will be replaced hopefully soon, a request has been put into South Western Ambulance Service who maintain it for the Parish Council.
Kate Egan – Parish Clerk
Westbury Community Tree Nursery is holding an open day on Saturday 15th October from 11.00 to 3.00. All welcome. Do come and look at what the group has achieved in a few short months and learn about its plans for the future.
Refreshments are available. For further details see here
