Warminster U3A – History Discussion

The Warminster U3A Newsletter, May 2019, includes the following report:

History Discussion
This group meets from September to March, but from September this will change to the first Wednesday afternoon of the month at 2.30pm in the Church Foyer in George Street.

The subject for discussion is decided by the group and members are expected to research and contribute.

After some time discussing Military History, we are now looking at Greek Myths and Legends and seeing whether they can be related to actual events. For September we are going to look at Jason and the Argonauts which leads to trade routes and also the role of women in society.

Our trip this year was to Avebury, where we looked at Silbury Hill, Avebury Henge, West Kennet Long Barrow and Avebury Manor, with lunch in between.

If you are interested in joining this group please contact either Isabel Buckingham or Michael Wooldridge.

Warminster U3A – Geology

The Warminster U3A Newsletter, May 2019, includes the following report by Frank Lowe:

Geology Group
It was a beautiful winter’s afternoon on our first field trip of the year in January. We went near the confluence of the Rivers Frome and Mells, just north of Frome, to see the marked difference between the characters of the two streams; the Frome being slow, sluggish and muddy, whilst the Mells was fast flowing and clear. We pondered why this should be and how they came to be flowing in the directions they do.

The weather for our February meeting was glorious and we looked at the many sources of the river Frome, starting at Maiden Bradley and then in and around Witham Friary.

In March we had a full day trip on another lovely day on the Mendip Hills, starting with a general overview of the geology at Beacon Hill. Then we went to the old silver and lead workings at Charterhouse, first mined by the Romans. This was followed by our returning to the recent theme of rivers, considering the various ways in which water flows off the hills, by looking at cave entrances, sinks and rises.

The group is not full, but if you wish to join us you need to be reasonably mobile because all our meetings are in the field, and whilst we do not usually walk any great distances we often find ourselves walking over rough ground or scrambling up and down steep slopes or over large rocks, sometimes inelegantly on our backsides!

Warminster U3A – Birdwatching

The Warminster U3A Newsletter, May 2019, includes the following report by Steve Dettmar:

Birdwatching
The group were treated to a trip around Perwood Organic Farm with our guide, Nick Adams, the conservation adviser for the farm. The highlight was the large number of Corn Buntings that over-winter there. March found us at Blashford Lakes where we had excellent views of Brambling in differing plumages and some Redpoll. Goosanders and Goldeneye on the lakes were lovely to see. April found us at Portland where we were treated to more Wheatears than I had seen in one place before. At one point there was a Wheatear on every mound. We also had views of a pristine male Redstart, always a favourite. On visiting the Observatory we were treated to a Willow Warbler which had been rung, in the hand of the Warden (see photo). We finished the day at Lodmoor with close views of Black-tailed Godwits.

Warminster U3A – Local History

The Warminster U3A Newsletter, May 2019, includes the following report by Barry Furse:

Local History
Since taking over the running of this group, both Kate Skillman and I have been really busy catching up to provide an interesting and varied programme for the coming year. We started off with a diverse range of speakers covering subjects from ‘Local Road Development’ to ‘King Alfred The Great’ which were well received. We are now looking forward to our summer visits to “Dents” in May, “Breamore House” in June and “Warminster Maltings” in July, leading up to our summer break in August, before re-starting our Autumn talks in September. Thanks also go to Rita Furse and Anne Thomas for their valued assistance during the meetings.

Bore Hill Farm Biodigester Celebrates Its 7th Birthday ~ Press Release

Monday 15 April 2019

MEMBER PRESS RELEASE: Bore Hill Farm Biodigester Celebrates Its 7th Birthday

Bore Hill Farm Biodigester, Warminster

May 2019 will see Malaby Biogas celebrating the 7th anniversary of operations. The pioneering facility has been a centre of innovation and growth; leading the way in the development of a new and environmentally friendly industry which efficiently converts food and organic food production wastes into renewable energy and low carbon fertiliser for farms. Last year it became the first English anaerobic digestion (AD) plant to be approved under the new AD Certification Scheme (ADCS) which recognises excellent operational, environmental, and health and safety performance. Malaby Biogas prides itself on being flexible and responsive to the changing economic and environmental landscape by providing end of waste treatment services across the food production chain. As a result Director Thomas Minter was recognised by the industry’s trade association (ADBA) as AD Hero of the Year at their prestigious annual awards in July last year.

Since May 2012 the Biodigester has converted over 145,000 tonnes of food waste into 137,000 tonnes of low carbon, organic fertiliser and 45,000 MW of renewable electricity. It injects the electricity into the local town grid and provides enough power for around 2,500 houses – roughly 25% of Warminster, helping make the town extremely green.    

Thomas Minter says:
“The work our team has done to improve the carbon foot print of Warminster is huge and I am incredibly proud of their efforts to tackle climate change. We put into action the expression “Think Globally Act Locally’. The methane gas we capture and convert into green electricity is 22 times more damaging than carbon dioxide. Using it to help power the town by avoiding landfill methane emissions is something each team member should be very proud of. And it all comes from waste!”

Malaby’s roots are in the local community and it has provided employment and learning opportunities to a large number of local organisations, schools, businesses and individuals. With its integrated visitors centre and open-door policy, it hosts international groups on fact finding missions and helps school and university students with their studies covering biology, chemistry, engineering and environmental and social sciences.  It treats wastes from far and wide from Warminster businesses to as far as the Channel Islands. Working with waste producers, collectors and hauliers, the Bore Hill Farm Biodigester helps minimise the need for environmentally damaging waste processes such as land filling or incineration. Government plans for weekly national household food waste collections will go a long way to reducing the need for waste disposal and will increase the opportunities for recycling.  

Thomas Minter says:
The circular benefits that come from converting organic wastes into low carbon fertiliser for farmers and green energy for homes and businesses are massive. Creating local green power 24 hours a day, every day of the year, offsets polluting electricity generated from fossil fuels and nuclear. When food waste policies roll out to households, we will be here to support the council in dealing with it as locally as possible. Our process is a win for everyone. However, we are not resting on our laurels but are looking to the future. New initiatives, such as building direct links with the people that use our power and improving the efficiency of the processes, will build a new bio-based economy across the country. We have global expertise, but doing this locally is very important as we look down the road to a difficult and uncertain world for our children.  

ADBA Chief Executive Charlotte Morton said:
“Malaby Biogas has been a pioneer in both using innovative AD technology to recycle food waste into valuable green energy and natural fertiliser, and in reaching out to the local community to raise understanding of the many benefits of AD.”

“We were delighted to see Bore Hill Farm become the first English AD plant to be certified under the ADCS last year and we look forward to continuing to work with Thomas and the team to push the boundaries of AD and ensure this exciting industry meets its full potential.”

chris.noyceadbioresources.org

Armed Robbery At The One Stop Shop, Imber Road, Warminster

Wednesday 6th February 2019

From the Warminster Police Facebook page:

An armed robbery occurred at a shop in Warminster last night and we are appealing for any witnesses to come forward.

At approximately 10.50pm on February 5, a man entered the One Stop shop in Imber Road carrying a knife. He had the lower part of his face covered.

He demanded the two female staff members hand over money from the till and cigarettes before leaving the shop.

It is believed he made off with approximately £60 cash and three packs of cigarettes.

He ran off along Fairfield Road, where it is believed he may have got into a silver coloured vehicle which then left the area.

Officers attended the scene to carry out area searches, assisted by the dog unit, but the offender was not located.

Det Sgt Neil Le’Maire, of central CID, said: “Any incident of this nature will understandably be concerning for the local community, however, I would like to reassure the public that they are rare and we will be carrying out increased patrols in the town as a precautionary measure.”

“We are taking this incident very seriously and we have already commenced with some swift enquiries in an attempt to find the person responsible.”

“Although the incident happened fairly late in the evening and the area would no doubt have been relatively quiet, there may have been some people out and about who may have seen something, or captured something on their car dash-cam, which they did not realise was significant at the time.”

“I’d urge anyone who has any information which could assist our investigation to come forward and speak to police – understandably, the staff involved have been left very shaken up by this incident. Thankfully, they weren’t injured.”

The suspect is described as white, approximately 6ft tall and wearing a black hooded top and black jogging bottoms, with a black scarf or material over his face.

Call 101 and quote crime reference number 54190012238.

Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

The Friends Of Warminster Park Have Disbanded

Wednesday 23rd January 2019

The Friends Of Warminster Park Have Disbanded

The Friends of Warminster Park have agreed to disband after 12 years of formation, following the soon-to-be completed conclusion of its largest project that it originally started, which was to provide a new skatepark for the Lake Pleasure Grounds (the town park) in Warminster. The group felt that they had carried out a substantial amount of work to upgrade facilities in the Lake Pleasure Grounds prior to the transfer of ownership to Warminster Town Council in 2016.

The objective of this locally formed community group, set up in 2007, was to work in partnership with the then West Wiltshire District Council, owners of the Lake Pleasure Grounds (the town park) and Warminster Town Council to raise funding for any project which needed support whilst observing the traditional layout, features and equipment in the park. The group carried out consultations to garner the views of all users of the facilities whilst finding out what the priorities were, in the public’s view.

Back in 2007 four key priorities were highlighted by the public: return boats to the lake, provide a suitable café, and update the skatepark and tennis courts. The town park had suffered from a serious lack of investment and financial support was provided by the Friends Of Warminster Park and Warminster Town Council to assist with the provision of a café with the conversion of the old tennis pavilion and a youth shelter for the skatepark. The Friends of Warminster Park, at this time, was able to apply for grant funding where Warminster Town Council could not.

Through the local youth network, young people were encouraged to get involved in matters important to them in their own communities. The Skatepark Group was set up from the Warminster Youth Centre and they approached the authorities with a request to provide a new skatepark for the town to replace the existing outdated and irreparable facility. Young people were encouraged to research what kind of facility could be provided and establish the likely costs. This they did, by visiting skateparks in other towns, and inviting providers to their group meetings to work out a suitable site plan for the Lake Pleasure Grounds. The cost of a new facility was established initially at £200K. The Friends Of Warminster Park prepared and submitted a planning application to Wiltshire Council in February 2018 and permission was granted for the new skatepark.

What has now transpired is that submitting funding applications from a community group will not be enough and Warminster Town Council have agreed to take up this work to fulfil all necessary criteria, such as due diligence. A sum of
£31.3K has been handed to Warminster Town Council as a donation to the skatepark costs.

The outgoing Chairman of the Friends of Warminster Park, Bill Parks, said that “he was delighted to hear that Warminster Town Council have agreed the finance and supported the original plans to provide a skatepark which is
planned to be completed later this year.” He continued “This small community group had contributed and supported the main priorities originally identified by the public and were pleased to see a thriving café, boats back on the lake
and the tennis courts available for use, and I thank all of the volunteers who have been involved in this wonderful park.”

Warminster Town Councillors Choose Three Schemes To Fund

Thursday 29th November 2018

Warminster Town Councillors Choose Three Schemes To Fund.

Warminster Town Councillors have selected their top three projects for funding by the Town Council’s share of the Community Infrastructure Levy.

The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a sum paid by developers on new housing developments in Warminster. 75% of the money goes to Wiltshire Council and 25% goes to Warminster Town Council.

The three projects chosen by Town Councillors are:
• Enhancement of skatepark facilities in the Lake Pleasure Grounds (Town Park).
• Upgrading of the paddling pool in the Lake Pleasure Grounds (Town Park).
• Additional minor highways improvements in Warminster.

Councillor Chris Robbins, Chairman of Warminster Town Council’s Finance and Assets Committee said: “The purpose of the Community Infrastructure Levy is to help address the demands that development places on Warminster. These three projects will be visible and tangible and wouldn’t realistically be funded from other resources without a contribution from the Community Infrastructure Levy. I am pleased that local people will be able to see positive benefits from new housing being built locally. Once these projects get underway and we receive more CIL funding, we will consider what next to add to the short list.”

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