community

  • Georgina Morgan-Denn

Successful Murder Mystery & Curry night helps to reduce loneliness and isolation in the parish
Successful Murder Mystery & Curry night helps to reduce loneliness and isolation in the parish 800 800 Georgina Morgan-Denn

“The room was buzzing with the sound happiness, laughter and people enjoying the lovely meal…”

On Friday 22nd September, the Council hosted a Murder Mystery & Curry night at the Haydon Wick Working Men’s Club. This follows on from a series of quiz nights and supper evenings that have taken place throughout the year in line with the Council’s commitment to reduce loneliness and isolation in the parish.

Tickets were a sell out and at 7pm the room filled with attendees, in groups and alone, joining together to enjoy an evening of murder so gruesome. Purton Amateur Dramatic Society performed their latest ‘Christina’ murder mystery act, which left people in the interval wondering who did the terrible deed.

Chennai Dosa arrived to serve their wonderful Indian street food to all attendees and actors and the room was buzzing with the sound happiness, laughter and people enjoying the lovely meal.

The raffle was drawn in the interval, and this saw lots of lovely prizes donated. Our lucky winners walked away with bottles of wine, sweetly scented candles, sweets and most importantly, chocolates! In total the raffle raised £103 for the Council’s chosen charities, BEST – Be A Better You and The Kelly Foundation.

As the rest of the evening unfolded, the audience were left with clues to try and decipher who they felt was the guilty party or parties. The actors and actresses distributed themselves amongst the audience, looking at the reasoning behind the team’s decisions.  The winning team ‘Too Much Prosecco’ won prizes for their creative detective skills. The Council received some positive feedback about the event:

“It was lovely to come out on a Friday evening and do something totally different”.

“Wow the curry was delicious, thanks for a great evening”.

“I can’t wait for what the next event might be”.

Help the Parish Council choose next year’s Community Choices

In 2020 the Council launched its Community Choices initiative. This is where Haydon Wick residents provide ideas and suggestions for what to spend the Community Choices budget on. The community then vote, and the most popular choice(s) are delivered by the Parish Council in that financial year. For the past two years the community has voted for a programme of events to help reduce loneliness and isolation.

Residents are now being asked to submit suggestions of projects, activities, or events for 2024/25. To find out more about Community Choices project contact the Council’s Community Development Officer or visit the Council’s website: cdofficer@haydonwick.gov.uk / https://haydonwick.gov.uk/community-choices/.

Never miss an update by keeping up to date with all the latest Haydon Wick Parish Council news and events by subscribing to our monthly email bulletin. To do this visit: https://haydonwick.gov.uk/latest-news/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Georgina Morgan-Denn

Haydon Wick Haven
Haydon Wick Haven 800 800 Georgina Morgan-Denn

“The café is part of the Council’s commitment to reduce loneliness and isolation in the parish.”

 

The Haydon Wick Haven was set up earlier this year continuing from the ‘Warm Spaces’ initiative as part of the Council’s commitment to reduce loneliness and isolation in the parish. The Haven accepts all residents to a warm and welcoming space for refreshments and to enjoy some quiet time or have a chat and meet new people.

Since the Haven began the numbers have increased from around six people to now when it attracts more than twenty regular attendees. The sessions are held fortnightly on Mondays from 11.00am – 1.00pm and they are really making a difference to all who attend with new friendships forming. This shows the project is working and helping the most isolated residents in the parish enjoy some company.

Over the past few sessions, attendees have enjoyed a trip to Hillers at Lechlade, visited the Council’s Sensory Garden at the Goodearl Leisure Garden site, or stayed inside to take part in some seated exercises, have an entertaining game bingo or take part in exciting quizzes.

On Monday 13th September, Madame Mayor of Swindon Councillor Barbara Parry visited the Haven and joined in with the fun. The Haven’s wonderful attendees appreciated asking Madame Mayor lots of questions about her role in Swindon and the process she went through to become Mayor.

Some of the feedback from attendees is:

“What a lovely lady our Mayor is, I felt really privileged to meet her and share our morning with her”.

“I had a wonderful time and loved meeting Madam Mayor”.

“I enjoyed the Haven as I always do, and it was even more special because we got to meet our Mayor”.

“I look forward to every Haven.  It brightens my day and I go home feeling so much better”.

Councillor Rebecca Ross, Chair of Community Development attends all the Haven sessions and shared how she proud she was about the service:

“It is wonderful to see how the Haven Café has grown. It can be very difficult for people who are alone, but there is no better cure for loneliness than making new friends. Just chatting with other people can have a huge positive impact on a person’s mood. The Haven offers lots of fun and laughter, with a variety of games and activities on offer each week, plenty of tea and biscuits, and the chance to go on some great trips. We would especially like to thank the Madam Mayor of Swindon Councillor Barbara Parry for her visit, we greatly appreciate her taking the time to visit us.”

Never miss an update by keeping up to date with all the latest Haydon Wick Parish Council news and events by subscribing to our monthly email bulletin. To do this visit: https://haydonwick.gov.uk/latest-news/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Georgina Morgan-Denn

The Council’s newest venture, the ‘Haydon Wick Haven’ enjoyed a typically British Cream Tea, to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III.
The Council’s newest venture, the ‘Haydon Wick Haven’ enjoyed a typically British Cream Tea, to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III. 800 800 Georgina Morgan-Denn

Following on from the Council’s previous Warm Spaces initiative, which was introduced at the beginning of the winter months as a safe and warm place for residents to come amidst the cost of living rises, it transpired that those attending would benefit from an interactive, drop-in style, informative café and thus the Haydon Wick Haven was created.

The sessions are designed to offer a warm and welcoming environment which allows residents to enjoy some refreshments, have a friendly chat, meet new people and discuss any local issues with their local council. Since the beginning of the Haven, suggestions have seen the attendees take part in board games, puzzles and crafts.

With the upcoming celebrations beginning to take place to commemorate the momentous occasion of the Coronation of King Charles III, the Haven wanted to join in the fun. Attendees were welcomed to a royal themed room, vintage china and freshly prepared scones with jam, cream and strawberries.

All attendees thoroughly enjoyed their treat and reminiscing about the Royal Family over the years, as well as decorating their own Coronation mug and suncatcher. Some of the wonderful feedback that the Council received after this session included; “How lucky we are to have the opportunity to enjoy this in good company, rather than being sat within our own four walls”, “What a fabulous way to mark the Coronation” and “I am not attending any celebrations for the Coronation, so it has been lovely to come here and be amongst new friends”.

Listening to the conversations that occur during the sessions is a very heart-warming experience and shows just how beneficial and important small gatherings like these can be for individuals to improve feelings of loneliness and isolation.

The Parish Council is pleased to be able to offer its community bus to bring attendees living within the Parish to and from the Haven. If you or someone you know would like to attend, please contact the organiser, Darry, on admin@haydonwick.gov.uk or 01793 722446.

To see the upcoming dates of the Haydon Wick Haven and other events, visit the Council’s event calendar or social media (@HaydonWickCouncil).

Alternatively, you can now click here to subscribe to see the Council’s monthly news and upcoming events.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Georgina Morgan-Denn

BEST offer young people in our community the best start in life
BEST offer young people in our community the best start in life 800 800 Georgina Morgan-Denn

As part of the Council’s aim to reduce Loneliness & Isolation and to continue the fantastic Youth Development Programme, this year’s Easter holidays saw another fantastic set of free, enrichment sessions delivered by BEST- Be A Better You.

The sessions offer a fantastic opportunity for young people to try out a new sport that they may not have had the opportunity to trial before. Its heart-warming to see the sportsmanship, support and kindness that each individual shows to their peers throughout the sessions. As the age range varies from five years old through to sixteen, the older ones offer a great role model figure to the younger ones and all attendees seem to enjoy the mix of ages, abilities, and personalities.

Team games and mini football matches were played using a foam ball, which made it impossible to play with any skill whatsoever. These games caused fits of laughter and the scores were being exaggerated as everyone was finding it hard to score a real goal.

Attendees had a go at Tachiai and Kick Boxing which requires a lot of self-control. These demonstrations were followed with some fun ballet moves which again, had all attendees engaged and enjoying their time there.

As always, the boxing is something that is really enjoyed by all. The drills that the attendees learn during these sessions are becoming quicker and more controlled with each meeting.

Haydon Wick Parish Council has worked alongside BEST for a couple of years now and the sessions have seen lots of returning faces. The growth in confidence over this time from some of the attendees is amazing and really goes to show the amazing job BEST do to help guide young people in our community to have the best start in life and guide them away from some of the worrying issues we are facing in today’s society.

Operations Manager at BEST- Be A Better You, Craig Hiscock had this to say about the Easter enrichment sessions:

“It was great to get back into Haydon Wick parish to provide holiday activities again. BEST has seen record numbers of children attending the sessions. Everyone that attended had a great time and it is lovely to see the children laughing and enjoying their time with us. BEST is grateful for Haydon Wick Parish Council’s continued support”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Georgina Morgan-Denn

Fantastic turn out for the Haydon Wick Easter Eggs-travaganza!
Fantastic turn out for the Haydon Wick Easter Eggs-travaganza! 800 800 Georgina Morgan-Denn

The children of Haydon Wick Parish were invited along to meet the Easter Bunny on Saturday 8th April 2023. There was an air of excitement as families queued outside the gates of King George V Field. On the dot of 9.30 am, the gates were opened, and children flooded in to be greeted by the Easter Bunny, who was enjoying a swing in the sunshine.

 

The King George V Field event was the first of the egg hunts, and the second was at Voyager Drive play area at 11.30 am.

 

Over 150 children came along with their parents and carers. They hunted for a small, coloured egg, which had been expertly hidden within the play area and surrounding space, and then exchanged it for a chocolate egg and an Easter sticker. There were also 20 highly sought-after golden eggs, which earned an extra gift for the lucky finders.

 

And it wasn’t just the children who wanted their photos taken with the Easter bunny, some of the adults in the Parish joined in the fun and took selfies alongside the star of the show.

 

One family who came along had this to say:

“I just wanted to say thank you for hosting such a lovely event earlier today!
My daughter and her friend attended the 9.30 am egg hunt at King George V Field and had a thoroughly wonderful time searching for eggs and collecting their chocolate ones – the icing on the

Cake was meeting the Easter Bunny himself! So nice to have things like this happening in the local community and it’s much appreciated – well done to all involved!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Georgina Morgan-Denn

Haydon Wick Parish Council holds its Annual Parish Meeting & Community Networking Event
Haydon Wick Parish Council holds its Annual Parish Meeting & Community Networking Event 800 800 Georgina Morgan-Denn

Haydon Wick Parish Council held the Annual Parish Meeting on the evening of Tuesday 28th March 2023 at the Haydon Centre. The two function rooms, which had been decked out with the Council colours of purple and gold, were provided free of charge by GLL.

It was an interactive evening of lots of prizes, and a lovely surprise for two Parish Councillors, who received awards in recognition of their long service to the Parish – a grand total of over 60 years combined. They were presented with a scroll, a bottle of wine and an engraved Parker pen.

The Council were presented with their Local Council Quality Gold Award at the meeting, which was attended by over 50 people. Guest speakers included Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, the Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner, and BEST – Be A Better You, who also jumped onstage to give an impromptu boxing demonstration.

Councillors, staff and members of the public were joined by volunteers from Haydon Wick community groups, including the Seven Fields Conservation Group and Seven Fields Park Run.

The three winners of the ‘Haydon Wick Heroes’ award, as voted on by the community, were presented with their framed certificates for their voluntary service, along with a box of Heroes chocolates. Project updates were received from The Tuesday Art Group, The Kelly Foundation, and the 1st Greenmeadow Guides and Haydon Wick Rangers.

Continuing with the golden them, there was a free raffle with a top prize of a huge golden Easter egg.

The formal meeting closed with the Redeemed Christian Church Gospel Choir singing ‘Amazing Grace.’

The evening finished with a community networking event, with people enjoying refreshments with a gold and purple theme, including some fabulous cupcakes embellished with the Council logo.

 

 

  • Georgina Morgan-Denn

Volunteer Thank You Afternoon Tea
Volunteer Thank You Afternoon Tea 800 800 Georgina Morgan-Denn

Haydon Wick Parish Council is extremely grateful to its army of volunteers so on Saturday 18th February it held an afternoon tea to say a huge thank you to those that dedicate their time to making Haydon Wick a lovely place to live and work.

The Council has six wonderful volunteer drivers who keep the Community Minibus running smoothly. The Community Minibus enables our elderly and vulnerable residents to attend the local shops, local clubs and provides them with lovely trips to garden centres and places of interest. By dedicating their time to this service, they are ensuring many of our residents don’t become isolated or lonely.

Our award-winning Memory Café has three lovely volunteers who turn up to each session full of positivity and enthusiasm. All of the cafes attendees have developed a fantastic rapport with the volunteers and it has been stated that they “really do change lives. Being able to attend this service, offers activities, fun and support to our families in ways that you cannot imagine.”

Perhaps one of the biggest voluntary areas of Haydon Wick Parish Council is the team of litter pickers, who go out in all weathers to keep the Parish a clean, tidy and safe place to be. Not only do they go on their own, they quite often have little helpers, in the form of their children and grandchildren. At the afternoon tea, it was a great pleasure to be able to award the young people who also give their time, a certificate, fun trophy and chocolaty treat to say thank you.

The Councillors, Staff and community in Haydon wick are very grateful to each and every one of its volunteers for the incredible job that they do.

  • Georgina Morgan-Denn

Haydon Wick Parish Council teams up with BEST- Be A Better You, to deliver half-term enrichment sessions
Haydon Wick Parish Council teams up with BEST- Be A Better You, to deliver half-term enrichment sessions 800 800 Georgina Morgan-Denn

BEST’s programmes also help to increase confidence and emotional resilience which support young people to progress to a positive future.

 

Haydon Wick Council and BEST – ‘Be A Better You’ hosted two sessions this February half term. This time, they got even more exciting!

The Council saw record number of attendees, with over 40 children benefitting from the event.  Activities included non-contact boxing, team games and football skills taster sessions for young people aged between five and twelve years. The boxing is always very popular and all attendees absolutely love giving it a go. The football skills workshop is a new addition to the BEST portfolio and is becoming a firm favourite with young people.

‘Best – Be A Better You’ is a charity who aim to provide children and young people with one-to- one mentoring programmes and positive enrichment activities. Haydon Wick Council has partnered with BEST for over two years, and each session always very popular during the school holidays.

One parent had this to say “My children really enjoy these sessions, and they really help me out as a single parent”

One of the young people who attended said “I really hope we get to come to this in the summer like last year, we love it!”

The second session was new to both Haydon Wick Council and BEST, as it was aimed exclusively at 13-16 year olds.  The young people were given the opportunity to try a new discipline, such as boxing and circuit training. It can be very difficult for young people, especially teenagers, to express themselves in a positive way. The activities proved to be great for stress management and self-control. BEST’s programmes also help to increase confidence and emotional resilience which support young people to progress to a positive future.

Those who attended thoroughly enjoyed the activities at this session, which included tyre flipping, boxing and a Parish Council & Police Team versus Young People Team Tug of War. For teenagers in the Parish to be able to recognise supportive and friendly adults in the community is really important as it helps to break down the communication barriers.

Craig Hiscock, Operations Manager at BEST said; “We really enjoy working with Haydon Wick Parish Council. There are great facilities and we always manage to reach lots of young people from this parish This half term we wanted to do some targeted work with 13-16 year olds in the form of a boxing boot camp style session. We talked about the recent tragic event in the parish and asked the young people what type of help and services they feel would benefit the young people of Haydon Wick in the future.”

Councillor R Ross, Chair of Community Development Committee said “We are delighted to have been able to work alongside BEST in delivering these two programmes, both of which have provided a wonderful opportunity for local children of all ages to have some fun, socialise and experience a new activity. What has really stood out for me is the fantastic efforts and team spirit showed by the children taking part, and more importantly they looked like they were having great fun!”

  • Georgina Morgan-Denn

People grab themselves a bargain at Haydon Wick’s first Children’s Clothes and Toy Sale
People grab themselves a bargain at Haydon Wick’s first Children’s Clothes and Toy Sale 800 800 Georgina Morgan-Denn

On Saturday 4th February, the Council saw over fifteen stall holders attend the GLL Haydon Centre sports hall to sell any of their children’s belonging that they no longer play with or fit in to. After all, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

 

With the rising cost of living causing many families to struggle with buying essentials, Haydon Wick Parish Council hosted a Children’s Clothes and Toys Sale to enable people to make some money by selling their unused belongings, which enabled those who were unable to buy things brand new, the opportunity to grab a bargain. The Council was pleased to be able to cover the cost of the venue hire and the stall holders each paid five pounds which was donated to Swindon Food Collective. The total amount raised for the charity was over £75.00.

 

Doors opened at 10.00am and there was a steady flow of people coming in and out of the sale and stall holders all went away happy that they had sold some items. There was lots of positive feedback from both parties.

 

One stall holder stated “it was wonderful that we were able to pay a small fee which is being donated to a very worthy cause, and make some money for our own families. We would love to have this opportunity again during the year”.

 

Other attendees of the event said, “a purchase for just ten pence has given my daughter a huge smile” and “what a wonderful opportunity to help those who are struggling financially at the moment, I would love to see more events like this one”.

 

It is very rewarding to see items not go to waste but to also see them going to new homes and be loved like they were new again.

  • Georgina Morgan-Denn

Message on behalf of contractors conducting Footways Slurry Seal Scheme
Message on behalf of contractors conducting Footways Slurry Seal Scheme 800 800 Georgina Morgan-Denn

 

 

Contractors will return to complete the Footways Slurry Seal works at the following sites:

 

Site Proposed Start Date Estimated Duration
Chicory Close Area Monday 6th February 2023 5 working days
Rosemary Close area Monday 20th February 2023 3 working days

 

These works were previously postponed due to the unexpected drastic decline in weather conditions towards the end of 2022.

 

The purpose of the Footways Slurry Seal scheme is to replace the deteriorating surface of the footway in order to increase its life span and to provide a safer and better running surface for pedestrians. The Slurry Seal process is fast, efficient, cost effective and one of the most environmentally friendly ways to achieve this with minimum disruption to all affected parties. The existing footway will be sealed to prevent water ingress, thereby prolonging the structural integrity of the footway. As a result of this process the footway surface is renewed, regaining any loss of texture since its original state.

 

The one big disadvantage of Slurry Seal is that it often looks scruffy until it beds in via foot traffic wear, which may take a number of months in residential areas.  There may also be isolated areas of the slurry material that become loose or wear out soon after application where it has not adhered to the existing surface well enough.  The material does come with a two-year performance guarantee from the installer who will address any such defects with future site visits.

 

On occasions the works may overrun slightly due to circumstances outside of their control such as plant breakdowns, if weather conditions are unfavourable, or occasionally we discover the need for additional repairs once the work has started.

 

Letter drops have been carried out and notification signs will be erected in advance by the Contractor to let residents know when works will take place in each area. Since the Slurry Seal process is both weather and temperature sensitive, the signs will be updated should dates be revised according to current weather forecasts.

 

The workforce will maintain pedestrian access for the duration; however due to the nature of the works, some disruption is possible and vehicular access may need to be restricted at times. It is essential that areas remain un-trafficked until the new material has set, as early use could lead to premature failure. As such, these works will be undertaken in multiple phases.

 

Site Operatives will be available on site at all times during the works, and will assist in dealing with any access problems or queries that may arise.

 

The Contractors would like to apologise for any inconvenience that these works may cause, but trust you will appreciate the necessity for these essential works to maintain Swindon’s highway network.

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About Us

We are the Parish Council that wants to lead and develop our local community. We are self-aware and are committed to focussing on the urban issues that are important to the entire community.

 

Our Address
Haydon Wick Parish Council
Thames Avenue
Haydon Wick
Swindon
SN25 1QQ

 

 

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Our thanks to Mark Weaving, Phil Jefferies, Rimpy and Shohini Dutta Kanungo for many of the photographs used across the website

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