The Latest News & Snippets About The Village

(Contributions welcome - click on Contact Us)

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"Quote of the Week"
Quote of the Week is an innocent remark or part of a sentence, overheard
or taken out of context, which sounds intriguing, funny or just plain daft!

"I've given up on my cucumbers..."!

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Click on Village Newsletter to read the latest edition.

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Calling all Parish Councillors/Committee/Trust Members, past and present…

The Parish Council has a number of current projects that rely on historic documents, one of which is the registration of both village halls (old and new) with Land Registry.

In order to complete this task, the Parish Council is trying to locate the original 22nd June 1987 Deed of Gift for the Old School, made between Beatrice Constance Anne Roberts, The Public Trustee, The Parish Council of Kington St Michael and The Lord Bishop of Bristol and also the sealed Charity Commission Scheme Order, dated 8th October 1992, which details all land/property entrusted to the Parish Room Charity.

If you have retained either of these two documents, please help us by contacting Sandra on 07795 538366 or email her at sandraeatonksm@aol.com.

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Christmas Fayre
Many thanks to all those who supported this year's Christmas Fayre; the winner of the children's Christmas card competition was Tabitha Kallaway. The fayre raised £650.74 for hall funds.

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Chippenham Business Awards 2020
Entries are now open for the Chippenham Busuness Awards 2020, and any business within a five mile radius of SN15 3HU may nominate itself. To find out more please visit www.chippenhambusinessawards.co.uk. The closing date for entries is December 15th.

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Comrades' Commemoration

On December 16^th this year it will be 40 years since Gunner Simon Evans, who is buried at St Michael & All Angels Church in Kington St Michael, and three of his fellow soldiers were killed in a landmine explosion near Dungannon in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Some of those soldiers, who were with him in Northern Ireland or served with him, are visiting their graves over the next few days to pay their respects to him and the others who died all those years ago.

Simon was a member of 22 Locating Battery, Royal Artillery, and was based at Larkhill on Salisbury Plain. As an independent Battery, i.e. not part of a Regiment, 22 was never sent on its own on a tour of duty in Northern Ireland but would support other Army units who were being sent, by asking for volunteers. Simon was such a volunteer when 16 Regiment Royal Artillery needed extra manpower for an upcoming tour – a brave young man who didn’t have to go to Northern Ireland but volunteered to do so and sadly paid the price for his courage. There is little that is positive about that day except to say that all four died instantly and thankfully wouldn’t have known anything about what had happened. May he and the other young soldiers who perished with him that day, Rest in Peace.

Five former colleagues, including the Troop Sergeant and the section commander, attended Simon’s grave on Saturday 6th December and spoke to some of the villagers who remember Simon. At the same time a wreath was laid in Bromsgrove to remember the section 2IC, Lance Bombardier Keith Richards. Wreaths will also be laid in the next few days by former colleagues in Belfast for Gunner William Beck and in Accrington for Gunner Alan Ayrton.

Simon Evans' comrades 06.12.19

Any readers who may have known Simon, might like to know that a Memorial Service for him and his three colleagues will take place at the Garrison Church at Larkhill on Sunday, December 15^th at 11.30am, and would be welcome to attend.

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Secret Santa Running Through KSM
Hullavington Secret Santa 10-mile run is on Sunday 22^nd December, starting at 10am, an will passes through our village. There will be a drinks station located in Grove Lane where runners will be using decomposable cups and discarded items will be collected on the same day, as will any signage. More details including a course map can be found at www.stampedesports.co.uk

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Police & Crime Commissioner Message

Good Afternoon,

Ensuring that we have a policing model that meets the needs of the community it serves, is crucial. This is why, following recommendations from Chief Constable Kier Pritchard, and with my full support, Wiltshire Police are making some improvements to the Community Policing Team (CPT) model.

It is important to continually evaluate the model to ensure that it is effective and meets the demands of policing in the 21st Century. This is particularly important as we prepare the landscape for the additional wave of new officers coming into the Force, which includes the 41 officers currently in training, funded as a direct result of residents supporting me in raising the precept. These officers will join CPT in 2020 as student officers and complete their training in 2021.

As a result of the review undertaken by the Force, and listening to staff and officers the Chief Constable has advised me that a number of changes will be applied to CPT through a phased approach from Sunday 1 December 2019.

In the New Year, you will see the CPT model move from seven to eight teams with the amalgamation of Swindon into one policing team, the division of the current Wiltshire North CPT into two teams and the Wiltshire West CPT division into two teams.

As it stands, this will be the most significant change for the public, along with a change in the CPT names to reflect the towns from which the officers parade.

All CPTs will see the introduction of a dedicated neighbourhood team working alongside colleagues performing a response role. The neighbourhood team, led by a neighbourhood inspector will strengthen community policing, focusing directly on working within the community, offering greater contact with the public and a problem solving approach. The neighbourhood inspectors are now in post and will develop their teams over the coming months.

Improvements to the model include an uplift in the number of officers at PC, sergeant and inspector ranks working within CPT. Inspectors and Sergeants from the new CPTs will make contact with partners from across their community to introduce themselves as soon as they are able to do so.

Community Policing Team Neighbourhood Inspector
Chippenham Area Community Policing Team Inspector James Brain

Changes to Community Policing are at this time predominantly internal changes, but over the next few weeks and months, external systems and channels will be updated to reflect the changes as they are fully implemented. I will continue to keep you updated on any changes in the monthly reports provided to the Area Boards, town and parish councils and shared on the Wiltshire Police website.

The Chief Constable has assured me, that during this period of change, the Force will maintain the highest standards of policing across our county, and long-term I hope you, along with the public, will see a greater provision of day-to-day policing throughout our communities.

Regards,

Angus Macpherson
Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon

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National Safeguaring Adults Week 2019

In light of the National Safeguarding Adults Week 2019, the Police and Crime Commissioner would like to share with you the Herbert Protocol.

The Herbert Protocol is a national scheme that encourages carers, family and friends to provide and put together useful information, which can then be used in the event of vulnerable person going missing.

The forms are also available online at www.wiltshire.police.uk/herbertprotocol

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New guide to care and support in Wiltshire– a crucial time for information

A new, updated Wiltshire Adult Care and Support Guide has been published in association with Wiltshire Council. It gives readers crucial information on how to access, and pay for, care services throughout Wiltshire.

You may have seen there’s a huge amount in the media at the moment about the crisis in social care. If you’re growing concerned about your care options, or just want some more information on what your choices may be, this Guide can help. With information to help you understand your options, where to go for advice and how the paying for care system works, the Wiltshire Adult Care and Support Guide can support you to make informed decisions.

The new edition of Wiltshire Adult Care and Support Guide and accompanying website give information on all aspects of arranging care and support in Wiltshire. It includes how to stay independent for as long as possible, the different care and support options available and what to look for when choosing a care provider. It also offers guidance on important issues such as paying for care and what financial assistance may be available from the local authority. There are comprehensive listings of all registered care services throughout Wiltshire, plus checklists to help you ask the right questions when visiting services.

For a free copy of Wiltshire Adult Care and Support Guide contact Wiltshire Council’s Advice and Contact Team on 0300 456 0111. It is also available throughout the region from outlets including hospitals, GP surgeries, Age UK and the Alzheimer’s Society. It can be downloaded from www.carechoices.co.uk and is available in spoken word.

Robert Chamberlain, Managing Director of the Guide’s publisher, Care Choices, commented: “This is an invaluable source of information for anyone considering short- or long-term care in Wiltshire, and contains vital information to help people decide what type of care and support is best for them.

“With the current crisis in social care, finding a care service for yourself or a loved one that meets their needs and is affordable can be a daunting and unfamiliar task. This new Wiltshire Adult Care and Support Guide has been compiled to help people understand the process and offer them reassurance at every step of their journey.”

Care Choices is the UK’s largest independent publisher for social care and adults with additional needs. It is also the largest publisher of care directories for local authorities in England.

For more information, please contact Gemma Seaber-Shinn, Care Choices.
Tel: 01223 207770. Email: gemma@carechoices.co.uk

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Newsletter
Many thanks go to Andrew and Jenny Noblet,
for all their hard work editing the village newsletter throughout the year.

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Shop News
The winner of November’s raffle for a turkey was Karen Hughes. December’s raffle is for a Christmas hamper; tickets are £1 each from the shop.

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Poppy Appeal
This year’s Poppy Day collection raised £102.46 for Royal British Legion funds. Thanks go to all those who donated, and to the collectors - without their help the Legion would be unable to continue its vital welfare and benevolent work.

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We love our volunteers
The village shop loves its volunteers - without them the shop wouldn't run, as every single person serving in the shop or on the committee is a volunteer.
Would you like to join them? Why not make it your New Year's resolution?
The shop could really could do with some extra help, either in a regular slot or to cover holiday - to find out more, please give Avril a call on (01249) 750671. Thank you!

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Polling day
Our polling station is the village hall (there will be no other activities in the village hall today). The local candidates for December 12th's election are:

Jon Fisher	Labour Party	North Wiltshire
James Whiteside Gray	Conservative Party	North Wiltshire
Bonnie Jackson	Green Party	North Wiltshire
Brian Mathew	Liberal Democrats	North Wiltshire

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Bonfire Thanks

The KSM QE2 Field Group would like to express their sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to our Bonfire & Fireworks Night on Sunday 3rd November. From organising and planning, setting-up, sourcing pallets, building the bonfire, lighting, managing the fireworks, and helping on the night with food and drink, to all those who sold, attended and bought tickets and, of course, those who also cleared up afterwards and many, many more helpers. This annual community event is a huge effort to organise and we simply could not hold it year after year without the help of (many) willing volunteers. Considering the challenging circumstances this year with a last minute postponement due to adverse weather, it was a fantastic village effort with a really spectacular fireworks display, and we managed to more than break-even, returning a small profit of just under £200 – thank you all.

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New Football Goalposts

Some of you may have seen the brand-new football goalposts, which have replaced the old broken ones, up at the QE2 Field recently. Thanks to the Football Foundation, KSM QE2 Field Group received a grant of £528 towards this equipment, to increase recreational use of the field and encourage more children and families to play football. This grant was successful thanks to the support of Castle Combe Colts, who used our pitch for their U11s team on a Tuesday night from Easter until October this year, and plan to use again next season. This means that children and families from our village community, and the local Castle Combe Colts, can all benefit from the new equipment, which comes with the added benefit of being portable (on wheels) for re-positioning around the pitch area as required.

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Kington St Michael Christmas Waste & Recycling Dates

Monday 23rd December to Monday 13th January - no Garden Waste

Household: Monday 30th December

Black Box: Tuesday 31st December

Plastic and Cardboard: Monday 6th January

Back to normal from Monday 13th January 2020

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Local Health Services This Winter

As the dark nights draw in across Wiltshire and winter really starts to bite, it’s worth thinking about how we can all make sure we’re looking after ourselves and staying well over the cold winter months.

The NHS recently launched its annual winter campaign – Help Us Help You– which is here to help make it easier to understand the things you can do.

We all know hospitals and surgeries can be especially busy during the winter months and it can often be tricky to know the best place to go for help, so here’s some handy tips to see you though until spring:

1. It’s not too late to get your flu jab

The free flu vaccination is offered to those who are at increased risk from the effects of flu, including people aged 65 and over, pregnant women, those with underlying health conditions and children aged 2-10. If you’ve not had one yet, it’s not too late.

2. Call 111 or visit 111.nhs.uk online

If you’re unsure where to go and think you need urgent medical attention, but it’s not life-threatening, contacting NHS 111 can help you make sure you reach the most suitable NHS service for your needs.

3. Ask a pharmacist for advice before minor ailments or winter illnesses get worse

Community pharmacists are qualified healthcare professional who can offer clinical advice and over the counter medicines to safely manage things like coughs, colds and sore throats.

It’s quick and convenient to see a pharmacist– you don’t need to book an appointment and can often be seen in a private consultation room.

4. See your GP in the evening or weekend if you can’t see them during the day

If you need to see a GP but find it hard to find the time during routine hours, appointments with a GP, nurse or other healthcare professionals are often available in the evenings and at weekends through many local practices or other local NHS services.

For more information about services in your area visit: www.wiltshireccg.nhs.uk/local-services

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Wiltshire Community Foundation Surviving Winter Grant and the Wiltshire Council Warm and Safe energy advice service.
To find out more about this grant please read this information.

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Conserving Endangered Species –
A Local Wildlife Project That Needs Your Help!

The Butterfly Conservation charity is working on a project in our local area, to help an extremely rare moth – the Barberry Carpet or Pareulype berberata. This is one of Britain’s most threatened species with only ten known colonies left in the UK, mostly around North Wiltshire but with colonies in Gloucestershire, Dorset and Oxfordshire too. It is a Red Data Book species and is so rare that you need a licence to survey for it. Therefore, you may have never heard of it or seen it, but it really is a very special resident in your local area. To find out more on how to help, please read this article.

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Shop News
:ate Night Opening poster 2019
If you fancy a spot of late-night shopping, the shop is staying open until 6pm on December 12th, 13th, 19th and 20th.

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Christmas Stamps

Get your 1st & 2nd class Christmas stamps from the village shop -
here's this year's selection from the Royal Mail.

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Wiltshire Council's "We're Targeting Fly-tippers Campaign"

Wiltshire Council has today launched a reward campaign to reduce fly-tipping throughout the county.

The We’re Targeting Fly-tippers (WTF) campaign aims combat the scourge of fly-tipping by offering residents a reward of up to £200 in high street vouchers if they report information that leads to the successful prosecution of an offender or the payment of a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN). The campaign will feature in the local media, and on social media, posters and digital screens throughout the county.

Fly-tipping costs Wiltshire Council more than £180,000 each year, and it is unsightly and a danger to wildlife and the environment.

In Wiltshire, most fly-tip reports are of a commercial nature, where waste is cleared for a fee and then dumped to avoid lawful disposal costs. Penalties for offenders include an unlimited fine and/or five years’ imprisonment; a £50,000 fine and/or 12 months’ imprisonment; a Fixed Penalty Notice of £400 if they are caught fly-tipping small scale waste.

Cllr Bridget Wayman, Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Waste, said:

“We’re delighted to launch this campaign to reduce fly-tipping throughout Wiltshire and reward our residents for helping us to fight this blight on our beautiful county. Fly-tipping is unsightly and it is a danger to people, wildlife and the environment. So we need the help of our communities to prosecute fly-tippers and keep our county cleaner, greener and safer.
I would urge anyone with any information about fly-tipping in Wiltshire to report it to us with as much information as possible, and any successful prosecution or payment of a Fixed Penalty Notice will earn a voucher of up to £200 for the person who reported it. However, while we want residents to provide evidence as possible, it’s hugely important that people do not try to rummage through or disturb the waste, as this could affect the scene and put people in danger. It is also essential that people do not attempt to confront anyone who is fly-tipping or put themselves in danger in any way. We want to reduce fly-tipping, but public safety is our main concern."

To report fly-tipping in Wiltshire, or to find out more about the campaign, including terms and conditions, go to www.wiltshire.gov.uk/community-environment-wtf.

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Village Shop Winter Opening Hours
Please note that, as from Monday 30th September, the shop
will be operating under its Winter Opening Hours, as follows:

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Public Urged To Report Suspicious Activity Following
Spate Of Lead Thefts At Churches Across The County

"Following a spate of lead thefts from church roofs across Wiltshire, we would like to urge members of the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to us immediately.

In recent weeks, churches of all sizes across the county have been targeted including Malmesbury Abbey and Salisbury Cathedral.

Approximately £40,000 worth of lead was stolen from The Rectory, Zeals sometime between August 14 and 16.

At Christ Church in Warminster, over half the lead was removed from the church roof, while approximately six tonnes of lead was stolen from St James Church in Bratton.

At Malmesbury Abbey, two sections of lead piping were stolen between August 15 and 16, while at Salisbury Cathedral, four 10 ft lead down pipes were stolen from walls.

Det Sgt Sam Hopkinson is urging residents to be mindful of these incidents and to report any suspicious activity immediately.

“In recent weeks, we have had a number of incidents where a large amount of lead has been stolen from churches which will be both extremely costly and inconvenient to repair.

“I’d like to ask members of the public to help us with our enquiries by reporting any suspicious activity they may see around our churches – this could include anyone seen on church roofs, vehicles parked nearby which aren’t familiar, or any torch lights spotted around churches late at night or in the early hours of the morning. We need to know about this activity as it is happening, so please help by being our eyes and ears and letting us know this information when you see it.

“Those involved in committing these crimes are causing thousands of pounds worth of damage and we are determined to identify those involved.”

Anyone with information should 101 or 999 if a crime is in progress."

Message Sent By
Katie Bond (Police, Media Officer, Wiltshire)

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📚 Book Recycling Scheme 📚
The 66th recipient of a £50 donation from this scheme is the village defibrillator fund, to go towards the maintenance of the two defibrillators. Why not treat yourself to a book from the scheme – only 50p each from the shop’s foyer? if you are a village organisation that would like to be considered for a donation, please contact Linda Durno via kingtonstmichael@btinternet.com.

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Flower, Produce & Craft Show

Kington St Michael Flower, Produce and Craft Show was held on August 3rd. Classes covered a wide variety of skills, from "Explosion of Red" in the floral art section, longest runner bean, savoury scones, peppermint creams, an original piece of woodwork, draught excluder dogs, to a dinosaur, decorated cakes, and a model made from Lego in the children's section.
It was a very successful show on a beautiful summer’s day. Many visitors enjoyed the entries on display, refreshments, raffle and fun auction. Thanks go to those who contributed in anyway.

The winners were:
Overall winner - Pat Woodward
WI Trophy for men - Bruce Low
Vaughan Cup (top lady apart from overall winner) - Dot Ings
IK Alderman Shield (homemaking & preserves) - Dot Ings
WI Vase (floral art) - Claire Broomsgrove
Hughes Cup (top WI lady) - Jenny Hayne
Woodward Cup (photography) - Andrew Fussell
Novice Cup (first time cup winner) - Anita Morrin
Singer Cup (5 to 10 year old) - Harry Fussell

The show has been held since 1974, so long may it last!

Flower & Produce Show 2019

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FOSMAA
FOSMAA would like to thank eveyone who supported the picnic at The Old Rectory, which raised £340 for funds, bringing the fundraising total to around £75,200 of the £111,000 needed.

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Best Allotment
On July 28th the first Best Allotment competition was held. The plots were looking their best for the three judges, Luanne Cullinane, Gary Seward and Rick Squires, and first prize was awarded to Barry and Jenny Hayne, with Bruce Low as runner-up. In the evening a barbecue was held for all the allotment holders.

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Shop News
The shop tries to recycle and be eco-friendly wherever possible, and is grateful for donations of plastic carrier bags to re-use, but would now also like donations of paper carrier bags (with handles) please. Nothing is better than taking along your own shopping bag where possible, of course!

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School Fete
The school fete in July raised £3,480 - many thanks to all those who supported this event.

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Reporting Crime

Wiltshire Police seeks to enhance online services to the public and is pleased to introduce a new way of reporting crime through the Force website.

If you or somebody you know has been a victim of crime, or you witnessed a crime, in Wiltshire or Swindon you can now report it to Wiltshire Police online.

Go to the force website and click on the Report button and select Crime from the menu: www.wiltshire.police.uk/

In an emergency always call 999.~*~*~*~

Shop News

The shop committee would like to thank Kington St Michael Parish Council
for a £450 grant towards the cost of the postal collection.

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Shop's Plant Sale
Thanks go to shop committee member, Louise Williams, for all her hard work in organising the plant sale on June 1st. Assisted by shop volunteers Jenny Hayne, Jehanne Le Quesne, and Anneliese Hillier-Thake, £209.60 was raised.

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Autumn Club

Autumn Club Easter Bonnets 2019
Members of Kington St Michael Autumn Club entered an Easter bonnet competition at their last meeting before Easter. The judges, the only two male members, decided between them that Betty Brotherwood, a lady over 90, with the bright yellow hat on the left of the picture, was the person to win the lovely big Easter egg.

For those who don't know about the club's meetings, they are once a fortnight, bank holidays excluded, on a Monday from 2 - 4pm in the village hall. There is a speaker at alternate meetings and membrers play cards, bingo and occasionally a type of skittles. The afternoon ends with the tea and biscuits. There are outings at least twice a year, generally by coach and tailored to those who cannot walk very far; the next outing is on June 3. Do join the club to benefit from socialising and trips.

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Inkjet cartridge recycling
FOSMAA is recycling empty inkjet cartridges to raise funds for the organisation; these can be left at Arch House in Manor Close. Please check on www.recycle4charity.co.uk to see if yours are recyclable, as not all are.

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Neighbourhood Watch Scheme
Volunteers are needed to regenerate the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme; if you are interested, please contact Viv Vines, Clerk to Kington St Michael Parish Council, via ksmparishclerk@gmail.com.

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Neighbourhood Plan
There was an incredible 51% response rate to the survey
- many thanks to all those who took part.

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Great British Spring Clean

On March 30th, members of Kington St Michael WI, husbands and villagers set out on their annual litter pick. It was, as expected, a very successful two hours work and one member of the team returned again to collect more the following day; approximately 64 bags of rubbish were collected in all. Much needed refreshment was kindly provided by Barbara Fenner, and thanks go to all who helped.

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Coffee Morning
The coffee morning held by Sheila Jobbins raised £112 for RNLI funds.
Thanks go to all who supported this event.

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Daffodils
Many thanks to the Women’s Institute for planting the daffodil bulbs,
which have given such a great display through the village.

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Dogs on leads poster

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Village Posters
If you pop up a poster in the village to advertise an event or similar, please
would you be kind enough to remove the poster once the event has happened?
"Keep Kington Tidy"!

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FOSMAA

The Village Singers, based in Sutton Benger and lead by Rachel McCorry, joined around 200 other choristers from around the world to sing in the Carnegie Hall in New York on January 21st. About 60 members of our local choir and the choir from Frome came to Kington St Michael for their final rehearsal before travelling to New York. Every pew, chair and bench in the church was filled by over 250 visitors. Their generosity provided a further £900 towards the facilities planned for our church.

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Bonfire in the Churchyard
Colin Labouchere has pollarded seven of the 23 lime trees in the Churchyard. It is planned to pollard every alternate tree this year and the others next year. On New Year’s Day about 35 members of the village joined forces to feed a massive bonfire and they cleared the entire area. Their work was lubricated with mulled wine and pies. A wonderful job and a great thank you to all the gang.”

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Book Club
Folly Row Café is holding a book club, monthly on Mondays at 11am - all welcome.
For meeting dates please contact the café on (01249) 750887.

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Making A Planning Application
If you are considering or are about to make an on-line planning application via
Wiltshire Council's website, you will be redirected to the Panning Portal.
Unfortunately, if you choose to use autofill for your address, and if you happen
to live along the main street (i.e. no** KSM) then you will find that it submits
your address as being in Honeyknob Hill or C154 Road.
This causes confusion to those wishing to or needing to look at
planning applications, and, in fact, there are only 8 properties which have the
Honeyknob Hill address (unsurprisingly 1 - 8 Honeyknob Hill).
The Parish Counil is asking affected residents who make a planning application
to please check that "Honeyknob Hill" or C154 road" isn't included in the address (unless you are one of the eight!) and to enter the address manually.
If you spot this issue elsewhere, please let the Clerk to the Council know: ksmparishclerk@gmail.com.

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Village Hall Car Park

The Village Hall Management Committee would like to remind villagers that the village hall car park is only for village hall users and shop customers. Recently, a number of paying village hall users have not been able to park. Thank you!

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Dog Theft Advice
For useful information on how to prevent dog theft, especially that of gun dogs, please click here.

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Pavements are for People!

Parents and carers with pushchairs are having difficulty walking down the village, due to cars parking on the pavement. Some of our residents are also wheelchair users and are finding a trip to the shop becoming an obstacle course, especially when wheelie bins are out as well. Trying to cross between parked cars, which are blocking the pavement, is dangerous, and especially difficult if the kerb isn't dropped and, actually, the pavements are there for people not vehicles.
Please park responsibly and ask your visitors to do the same (and please give some thought as to where you place your wheelie bins!).

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Smoke Alarms

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is asking local people to make monthly testing of their smoke alarms one of their New Year’s resolutions.

If you live in a larger property, a single smoke alarm is simply not enough, with the recommendation being at least one at every level.

To keep your alarms in working order:

Make sure there is at least one smoke alarm on every level of your home.
Test your smoke alarms by pushing the button every month.
Check that your smoke alarms are less than 10 years old.
Fit smoke alarms on landings and hallways and near bedrooms as a minimum; if you have rooms with a specific fire risk, such as open fires, heaters or lots of electrical chargers, install here as well.
Take a moment to check on your loved ones who may need help, to ensure they’re fully protected.

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Do You Leave Enough Room?

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Book Donations
The Book & DVD Recycling Scheme is very grateful to those who are kind enough to donate adult fiction and children's (Cert. U) DVDs. This works perfectly for most of the time, but on odd occasions there is the feeling that books have just been abandoned in the shop foyer, regardless of what they are. This means that someone then has to sort them out and take them to a charity shop in Chippenham.

So, just to clarify, religious texts, dictionaries, a 1980s guide to public schools, a Thompson & Morgan catalogue, and a children's guide to astonomy aren't adult fiction!

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Dog Fouling
Once again there are, to the dismay of responsible dog owners, other dog owners are failing to clear up after their pet, especially in The Ridings area of the village.

If anyone sees an owner letting their dog foul in a public place please report it to Wiltshire Council, either by 'phoning 01249 706111 and asking for the Dog Warden, or email publicprotectionnorth@wiltshire.gov.uk or via an on-line form. Photographic evidence is always a help. Your personal details will be treated in strict confidence and you will be informed of the outcome of the complaint. Please note that complaints regarding aggressive dogs should be made to the police.

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Please click here for information on how those who are vulnerable can receive help during a power cut.

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Remember The Number – 105

A new national phone number, 105, has been launched by electricity network operators for customers to call should they need to report a power cut or problem. This new number can be used anywhere in the UK and will put callers through the local electricity network operator.

105 is a free service for people in England, Scotland and Wales and customers can call 105 no matter which company they choose to buy electricity from. Customers can also call 105 if they spot damage to electricity power lines and substations that could put anyone in danger. If there’s a serious immediate risk please call the emergency services too.

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Parish Maps

KSM Parish Map

Do you like to roam and ramble around and about the parish? Well, the shop has the ideal thing for you - the new Kington St Michael laminated walking map. It's double sided and measures 47 x 32cms.

• Easy to read mapping at a scale of 1:16 000 (approx 4 inches to
a mile)
• Laminated for weatherproofing
• Useful scale ruler for distance and walk time
• Slips easily into your pocket

Only £3.99

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Emergency planning

If you are new or fairly new to the village and have some skills that would be useful to know in an emergency, such as medical qualifications, plumbing/electrical/building/catering skills or are fluent in a foreign language, please contact Linda Durno on (01249) 750514 or email kingtonstmichael@btinternet.com in order that you may be added to the parish council’s emergency planning information.

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Rural Crime Prevention

Wiltshire Police has launched its rural crime prevention booklet; 94% of Wiltshire is classed as rural areas so there is some great information inside that could be relevant to you.

The booklet gives advice on the following topics:
•Farmhouse and outbuilding security
•Vehicles, machinery and boundaries
•Fuel tank and heating oil security
•Livestock and horse identification and protection
•Protection of wild animals, poaching and hare coursing

The majority of the photos from the booklet were supplied by members of the public through a photo competition Wiltshire Police held earlier in the year. Please have a read and remember if you see any suspicious activity to ring it in on 101.

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Defibrillators
Just a reminder of where our defibrillators are kept in the village: map of defibrillators
and the instructions of what to do when someone collapses.
Please visit the Community Defibrillator page for further information

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