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Message Newsletter Q1 & Q2Email us: contact@westswindon-pc.gov.uk Call us: 01793 299399Visit us: www.westswindon-pc.gov.ukPage 1
Brush with SuccessOur subway murals project is coming on. This is where we are aiming to paint a mural on each of WestSwindon’s 18 underpasses, improving any poorly lit, graffiti coveredones and generally making our environment even more pleasant foranyone walking, running, or cycling though these tunnels. So far, we have completed five subways. They are: · Rivermead Drive· The Chesters, Westlea· Roughmoor Way, Shaw· Beaumaris Road, Toothill· Bodiam Drive, ToothillPage 2
Our latest subway, The Chesters,was recently designed andpainted by a group of studentson work experience from StJohn’s School in Marlborough. Read more here: Brush withSuccessThe murals form part of the West Swindon Art Trail which will beexpanded as more subways are painted. Keeping West Swindon clean and tidy is one of the Parish Council’smain aims and recently we contracted a road sweeper to tackle theweeds growing along the public kerbsides.Although good the sweeper can’t deal with every weed, especially ifthey’re strong and living well on the detritus at the roadside. So, ournext step will be to spray the kerbs with weedkiller and return with theroad sweeper which should then be able to collect most of the deadweeds. Clean SweepStudents from St John’s West Swindon Art Trail Page 3
Grass likes to grow in all weathers and often over our pavements.As a result, our team goes out regularly to cut back and tidy up theedges of the pathways to keep the grass at bay. Please say hello if you see the guys out edging. The Green, Green GrassLikes to Roam Recently we have beencleaning our road signs soroad users can see moreclearly where they’re going. The signs, which are out inall weathers, get muckyfrom the hundreds ofthousands of vehicleswhich pass by each year soneed a wash and brush upfrom time to time. Bright Side of the Road Grass edging before and afterPage 4
Page 5A brand new, state-of-the-art play park is being built this summer onShaw Ridge to replace the aging one on the slope. It’ll benefit local children now and for generations to come with much ofthe equipment being accessible for all, unlike the previous play area. Read more here.New Shaw Ridge PlayPark Whitehill Way Play Park We’ve been revamping this park, taking the old kit away and addingbrand-new equipment including a trim trail and zip wire – just intime for the summer and school holidays. Watch here.
Page 6A few old hedgerows and trees whichwere either dead or dying have been cutaway to allow for new growth to comethrough. Plus, we planted three hundredHornbeam - native to our area. By cuttingdown the dead wood it’s given us moreroom enabling us to maintain the areaeasier. We have also renewed the fence here aswell as at Clayhill Copse (HorseshoeCrescent) and in a part of Shaw Forest. Hay Lane Did you see our Easter bunnies popping or hopping up aroundWest Swindon in April? The large friendly rabbits, along with theirbrightly coloured Easter eggs, made surprise appearances in ourvillage centres during the Easter holidays. Expect them to hop up again next year! Hoppy Days
Page 7VE Day CommemoratedOur much-loved life-sizedTommy figures returned to ourvillage centres in May to markthe 80th anniversary ofVictory in Europe Day. Payingtribute to those brave men andwomen who served andsacrificed so much so we canall continue to live in peace.Did you see the masses of creepy lookingcobwebs in the trees in The Chesters earlier thisyear? This wasn’t a visit by extraterrestrials but thework of something more down to earth –Cobweb Moths. At certain times of the year, the moths spindense silk webbing over tree branches and infesthedges and shrubs. The webs are filled with larvae which lookalarming but rarely cause long-term damage tohealthy, established trees. And, as part of thewonders of Mother Nature, the birds eat thelarvae. The circle of life! Aliens in West Swindon?
Our Litter Picking Stations have been welcomed by many in thecommunity. We place a board/station with litter pickers and bags in a part ofWest Swindon for people to come along and do some litterpicking. Even two minutes can make an immediate, visualdifference to our beautiful green parish. We move the stationaround to different parts of the parish weekly and would love tohear your suggestions as to where it could go next. Please let usknow. We also have organised litter picks in Toothill and Shaw Village. Toothill is the second Saturday of every month – meet by theCommunity Centre at 10am. Shaw Village is the third Saturday ofevery month – meet by the noticeboard (outside Tesco’s) at 9am. You are very welcome at either or both. All equipment is providedso all we need is you!Page 8A Load of Rubbish The Parish Council’s budgets are important and need to be easilyaccessible to you the taxpayer! To make all that number crunching easierto understand we have designed a new infogram on the Finance sectionof our website. See it here.Picture This!
West Swindon Parish Council has three new members in its team. Chris is the latest addition to our outdoor team – the guys who do the grasscutting, hedge and shrub trimming and play park maintenance to name justa few of their many daily tasks. Jacqui, our new Deputy Clerk & Responsible Finance Officer, looks after theadministration and finances of the Council, supporting the Parish Clerk. And, Mark, our new Community Engagement Officer, is here tocommunicate and liaise with everyone in the parish, including ourvolunteers, local businesses, partner agencies like the police and fireservice, schools, charities, churches, and Swindon Borough Council. Mark is on hand to feedback to the Parish Council and its electedcouncillors as well as communicating to the public which projects we areworking on to make West Swindon an even better place to live.It’s your parish council so please tell us what you like and what could beimproved in the area. Page 9New Recruits Mark Chris
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Address: West Swindon Council Parish Office Unit 25 Westmead Industrial EstateSwindon SN5 7YT