An exciting and successful week

Just  in case this is the only news you see about the Wilts & Berks, last  week  saw  the conclusion of two very successful funding applications.  The Studley Wildlife Trail was awarded £50k from the Big Lottery People’s Millions, and £10k was confirmed  from The Yorkshire Building Society Lasting Legacy Fund for repairs to the Cocklemore Brook Culvert at Pewsham.

Both these grants, having made a final shortlist, were totally  dependent on a public vote, so a further sincere thank you to all who voted and persuaded others to vote -  this really was a superb Team Wilts & Berks effort, reflected by the results.  The publicity from the People’s Millions certainly created much interest nationally in the Wilts & Berks and we are working on ways to  capitalise on this for the future.  It would be remiss of me not to mention Kath’s work in all this as Fundraising Director for the Trust.  Just simply finding appropriate funding programmes is difficult enough, but then add the hours of form filling and finding the right way to present the project in the application is somewhere between a skill and an art form, so I take this opportunity of recording my thanks and ‘a well done’!

The frenzy of publicity on Wednesday somewhat overshadowed the meeting  of the Trust’s Council of Management on the previous night where the Directors heard a presentation from Max Crofts on behalf of the Land Team who have been working hard to progress acquisition of the canal.  A number of members of the Foxham & Lyneham Branch attended the meeting to hear the resolution of a number of issues regarding the purchase of land at Seven Locks.  Part of further discussion at CoM was the necessary changes that will happen next year to the structure of the Trust to reflect  the start of major projects like the Melksham Link.  This was the last meeting to be held at the Civic Centre at Royal Wootton Bassett, where CoM have met for many years, as its doors are closing at the end of the year as part of the Town Council’s plans for redevelopment.  We all look forward to a new home at the Peterborough Arms in 2015.

So as the dust settles after last week’s excitement, time to refocus.  We will be meeting soon with project partners Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and Friends of the Earth to discuss the implementation of the Wildlife Trail, and of course there is still so much work to do at Studley Grange to restore the canal - a revised tender has just been issued to contractors and we will be seeking further third party funding for the projec  to commence next spring.

Ken Oliver