News

Wiltshire Police will be holding a Community Consultation at Bouverie Hall, Pewsey from 9am to 10am.

Wiltshire Police will be holding a Community Consultation at Holy Cross Church, Great Bedwyn from 12.00 noon to 1pm.

If you are considering putting yourself forward to stand as a Parish, Town or County Councillor you will find some useful information in the recording of the Elections Webinar held earlier this week by Wiltshire Council.

Early signs of spring from snowdrops to birds nesting are slowly appearing at Savernake Forest.

Exciting findings suggest that we could see the best year for Purple Emperor butterfly numbers since 1975. Of course, it is still too soon to confirm if this will be the case. Last year was a very poor year for butterflies, particularly the Purple Emperor, due to frequent bad weather during the spring and summer months.

But early signs show that the hibernating Purple Emperor larvae appear to be wintering remarkably well, due to unusually low numbers of predatory titmice (a type of bird). If this continues, and the weather is fine at the end of May into June, we could see an all-time great Emperor season in the summer - fifty years on from the great Emperor season! So watch this space...

Our timber harvesting works at Savernake Forest have been very start-stop over the last year due to the wet weather. As we try to reschedule the works from winter 2023 – and protect the ground – we hope to resume them during the summer months.

Different bird species have overlapping breeding seasons and some can nest all year-round! This makes it tricky, as a working forest, to delicately balance felling trees whilst protecting some of the wildlife that inhabits them. Harvesting trees is an important part of sustainable forestry because well-managed forests support more wildlife. Before starting work we carry out surveys for birds, mammals, rodents, invertebrates, fungi, and native plants, such as bluebells. We consider these against complex factors including tree health, how the ground slopes, soil condition, and likely rainfall when planning work that will support our long-term management plan.

We do what we reasonably can to avoid disturbing or damaging birds’ nests. We also take extra care to look for wildlife that has special protection, including badgers, bats and rare or threatened birds. We either suspend or alter work to make sure this special wildlife is protected. Unfortunately, there is no completely risk-free time to work. Working in the wetter, winter months risks causing long term damage to soils.

Protecting soil is important for the whole forest ecosystem and means we often need to work in drier conditions, which are more likely to fall within the bird breeding season. Whilst we would prefer to work in the summer, we are restricted again due to European Protected Species and have a limited window during the year in which to carry out operations.

Each site is different and operations can start, and then appear to stop midway through, and may look unfinished for a time, before we return to complete and reinstate paths and tracks.

As ever, if you have any questions about Forestry England’s work in Savernake Forest, please drop us a line to westengland@forestryengland.uk

by Nikki Morgans, Area Forester

Please report any issues in your communities using MyWilts as usual.

Wiltshire Council is posting and sharing regular travel and flooding updates on their social media

To be alerted when water levels rise, people should also sign up for flood warnings and know what to do in case of flooding.

Useful links:

• Flooding information
• Sign up for flood warnings
• Flooding emergencies - Who to contact
• What to do during and after a flood
• Flooding advice for homeowners
• Flooding advice for businesses
• Sandbags information

Every home and business in the UK has the legal right to request a decent, affordable broadband connection.

From 20 March 2020, if you can’t get a download speed of 10 Mbit/s and an upload speed of 1 Mbit/s, you can request an upgraded connection. You can make this request to BT on 0800 783 0223.

Am I eligible?

When you contact BT or KCOM they will have 30 days to confirm if you’re eligible, and how much it will cost to build your connection.

• Your home or business will be eligible if it:
• has no access to existing decent broadband;and

will not be covered by a public broadbandscheme offered by the UK and devolvedgovernments in the next 12 months;If you currently only have access to a decent service that is priced over £56.20 per month, you’ll also have the right to request a universal service connection.

What will it cost? 

If the cost of building or upgrading your share of the network connection is £3,400 or less, you won’t have to pay for this work to be done. If it will cost more than £3,400 to connect your home, and you still want a connection, you will have to pay the excess costs. If you want to do this, BT/ KCOM will conduct a survey and give you a quote within 60 days. You will pay the same price for your new broadband service as anyone else on the same package, and no more than £56.20 a month. How long does it take to set up? Most people will get a connection within 12 months, but it may take up to 24 months for some.

If you love getting out and about but also want to support a cause in achieving its aim, then becoming a Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust (WBVT) Collection Box Volunteer. This could be the right step for you. You will be involved in displaying our collection boxes in your local community to help raise funds for WBVT.

In this community-spirited volunteer role, your support will include getting involved in the following:

• Getting out and about to display our iconic collection boxes in your local community
• Networking with organisations to share our cause and encourage them to display our collection boxes
• Maintain an accurate list of the location of the collection boxes and the dates on which they have been replaced or emptied
• At suitable intervals be responsible for the collection and replacement of these collection boxes
• Being an ambassador for WBVT

You'll ideally:

• Have good organisational skills to organise distribution of collection boxes
• Have good communication skills to spread the word about WBVT
• Be looking to commit to 8hrs a week which is flexible to allow you to enjoy a work-life balance

· The minimum age of this volunteer role is Over 18 and you will require your own vehicle, insurance, and Driving Licence

If you don’t feel you tick every box but are sure this role is the one for you, we’d love to hear from you! We’re always open to suggestions and are very happy to chat with you to find out what’s possible, so please just get in touchtoni@wbvt.org

The following is a quick guide to what is and isn’t the responsibility of the Fire and Rescue Service when storm damage occurs:

Local authority information is as follows:

• Swindon Borough Council – call 01793 445500 or report online.
• Wiltshire Council – call 0300 456 0105 or report online.