Local charity Heals of Malmesbury, in partnership with Malmesbury Town Council, has launched an emergency ‘meals on wheels’ service. The service supports isolated and elderly people and vulnerable families during the Covid-19 crisis. The pre-prepared meals are thanks to an initiative led by Richard Davies, executive chef at Tetbury hotel Calcot & Spa, and privately funded by Calcot’s principle shareholders, the Stone Family  

“We were delighted when Richard got in touch to say Calcot’s kitchen would prepare a main course and pudding three times a week, free of charge, to deliver to Malmesbury residents in need during the emergency,” said Heals Chair of Trustees Cllr Gavin Grant.

The two course meals are freshly and professionally prepared and just need reheating. The food is being delivered by a team of volunteer drivers recruited by Malmesbury Town Council.  All the meals are collected from the hotel by Malmesbury’s Cartmell Community Minibus to minimise the number of vehicles on the road. 

“Working with Town Councillors, lunch clubs and Heals Service Users, we have contacted people who would benefit most from regular hot food. We already have 50 on our list and the numbers are still growing, Gavin said.

“It really is fantastic to see Richard and his team helping in this way, not only providing meals for Malmesbury, but also in Tetbury and Nailsworth, as well as Sherston and Luckington, co-ordinated by Sherston Parish Councillor Martin Smith,.

“We are so grateful everyone who has stepped forward to turn Richard and his team’s generosity into a temporary home delivery ‘meals on wheels’ service. We hope it will continue through the crisis.” he added. 

There are many local farm shops supplying pre-ordered collection boxes and some even offering a delivery service which may be useful for those self-isolating.   Their produce is mostly from on farm or locally sourced.

Michael’s Butchers, Bistro and Deli for fresh and cooked meats, pies and cheeses.  51 The Triangle, Malmesbury  01666 823981   hello@michaelsbbd.co.uk     www.michaelsbbd.co.uk

The Butts Farm Rare Breeds Farmshop supply meats, eggs, fruit and vegetables and local condiments for collection and delivery.  01285 862224 buttfarmrarebreeds.co.uk  South Cerney GL7 5QE

The Farm Shop at Hawkesbury, GL9 1AN can supply meats, eggs, dairy and firewood.  A full product list can be downloaded from the website:

www.ajmorganfarmproduce.com 

Orders (text or email preferred) have to be in by Wednesday lunchtime for delivery at the weekend or collection available.

Contact details, Karen 07929 947149.

Brinkworth Dairy can supply milk, cheese, cream, yoghurt and butter.   For collection or delivery see www.brinkworthdairy.co.uk/milkround   07977 580281

Luckington Farm Beef supply beef from locally bred native breeds, farmed in a way which aims to enhance the environment and ensures the highest welfare standards of the animal.  Pre-order for collection or delivery essential.  janie@luckingtonfarm.com  Instagram : Luckingtonfarm

Old Sodbury Lamb.   All home reared and butchered.   Collection or delivery available.  Andy Williams 07730580748   Sarah Williams  07860462253

Allington Farm Shop supplies, meats, fruit and vegetables, dairy, and condiments as well as pies and cakes.  Collection service available or delivery for the most vulnerable.  email: sales@allingtonfarmshop.co.uk

*check with each individual supplier for delivery criteria

Prior to mid-March this year, very few people in the UK had ever really heard of furlough.  That all changed on Friday 20 March when the government announced the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.  This is a temporary scheme open to all UK employers for at least three months starting from 1 March 2020 and was put in place to help avoid significant large-scale redundancies across the country from those businesses directly affected by Coronavirus.  Employees who are placed on temporary leave in order to benefit from this scheme are referred to as being “furloughed”. 

Through this scheme, UK employers can claim back 80% of furloughed employees usual monthly wage costs up to £2,500 a month, plus the associated Employer NI contributions and minimum automatic enrolment employer pension contributions on that wage.  This will be paid in the form of a grant and will be processed through an HMRC online portal (expected to be available by the end of April 2020) 

Some key points: 

It is available to all companies regardless of size or type.

It is only in respect of employees who were on a PAYE payroll on 28 February 2020.

They can be on any type of contract including full time or part time employees, employees on agency contracts and employees on flexible or zero-hour contracts.

It must be for a minimum of three weeks. 

The employee cannot undertake any work on behalf of their company that involves providing services or generating revenue.  Their eligibility is not compromised by completing any volunteer work or training.

Employers must discuss the fact that employees are being furloughed with any impacted employees and employees have to agree to it unless they have a layoff/short term working clause already in their contracts.

Companies may choose to top up their employee’s pay but do not have to.

The normal pay rate does not include fees, commissions or bonuses.

If an employee is shielding (i.e. self-isolating for a prolonged period due to being in a particularly at-risk category) should be furloughed rather than put on statutory sick pay

Employees who are self-isolating or who are on sick leave should be paid statutory sick pay for this and can be placed on furlough after this point.

Self-employed individuals cannot be furloughed. A separate Self-Employed Income Support Scheme was revealed on 26 March that will support the majority of self-employed individuals.

For further information on these schemes, please see www.gov.uk.  

If you have any queries about your employees and want some help, please contact Kellie at Dunwoody HR Consulting. 

200407 – Malmesbury Connections – Volunteer Page

Furlough – what is it? 

Prior to mid-March this year, very few people in the UK had ever really heard of furlough.  That all changed on Friday 20 March when the government announced the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.  This is a temporary scheme open to all UK employers for at least three months starting from 1 March 2020 and was put in place to help avoid significant large-scale redundancies across the country from those businesses directly affected by Coronavirus.  Employees who are placed on temporary leave in order to benefit from this scheme are referred to as being “furloughed”. 

Through this scheme, UK employers can claim back 80% of furloughed employees usual monthly wage costs up to £2,500 a month, plus the associated Employer NI contributions and minimum automatic enrolment employer pension contributions on that wage.  This will be paid in the form of a grant and will be processed through an HMRC online portal (expected to be available by the end of April 2020) 

Some key points: 

• It is available to all companies regardless of size or type.
• It is only in respect of employees who were on a PAYE payroll on 28 February 2020.
• They can be on any type of contract including full time or part time employees, employees on agency contracts and employees on flexible or zero-hour contracts.
• It must be for a minimum of three weeks. 
• The employee cannot undertake any work on behalf of their company that involves providing services or generating revenue.  Their eligibility is not compromised by completing any volunteer work or training.
• Employers must discuss the fact that employees are being furloughed with any impacted employees and employees have to agree to it unless they have a layoff/short term working clause already in their contracts.
• Companies may choose to top up their employee’s pay but do not have to.
• The normal pay rate does not include fees, commissions or bonuses.
• If an employee is shielding (i.e. self-isolating for a prolonged period due to being in a particularly at-risk category) should be furloughed rather than put on statutory sick pay
• Employees who are self-isolating or who are on sick leave should be paid statutory sick pay for this and can be placed on furlough after this point.
• Self-employed individuals cannot be furloughed. A separate Self-Employed Income Support Scheme was revealed on 26 March that will support the majority of self-employed individuals.

For further information on these schemes, please see www.gov.uk.  

If you have any queries about your employees and want some help, please contact Kellie at Dunwoody HR Consulting.

Local charity Heals of Malmesbury, in partnership with Malmesbury Town Council, has launched an emergency ‘meals on wheels’‎ service. The service supports isolated and elderly people and vulnerable families during the Covid-19 crisis. The pre-prepared meals are thanks to an initiative led by Richard Davies, executive chef at Tetbury hotel Calcot & Spa, and privately funded by Calcot’s principle shareholders, the Stone Family.

“We were delighted when Richard got in touch to say Calcot’s kitchen would prepare a main course and pudding three times a week, free of charge,‎ to deliver to Malmesbury residents in need during the emergency,” said Heals Chair of Trustees Cllr Gavin Grant.

The two course meals are freshly and professionally prepared and just need reheating. The food is being delivered by a team of volunteer drivers recruited by Malmesbury Town Council.  All the meals are collected from the hotel ‎by Malmesbury’s Cartmell Community Minibus to minimise the number of vehicles on the road. 

“Working with Town Councillors, lunch clubs and Heals Service Users, we have contacted people who would benefit most from regular hot food. We already have 50 on our list and the numbers are still growing, Gavin said.

“It really is fantastic to see Richard and his team helping in this way, not only providing meals for Malmesbury, but also in Tetbury and Nailsworth, as well as Sherston and Luckington, co-ordinated by Sherston Parish Councillor Martin Smith.

“We are so grateful everyone who has stepped forward to turn Richard and his team’s generosity into a temporary home delivery ‘meals on wheels’ service. We hope it will continue through the crisis.” he added.

Open Letter from Malmesbury Carnival Committee 2020

Re Covid19 outbreak 

Dear residents,

Since the beginning of the crisis , the Committee has discussed in depth what the Covid19 pandemic seems to mean for the world and especially our country and of course, for Malmesbury. We have based our discussions, as you will have, on the information available to all via the various news sites etc, all of which continue to reflect an ever-changing and difficult  picture.

At this present moment in time the regular updates provided by the government seem to indicate that the country could expect that many of the current (and proposed) measures to combat the infection could well be in place for the greater part of this year.

It will come as no surprise to you that we all felt that the full programme of events – as currently planned-cannot and will not take place.

This view is based upon all the considerations currently guiding the government’s and everyone else’s thinking. 

Our carnival must take into account

 the high levels of risk involved in groups of people coming together; 

the stress that so many, if not all, of our committee members  may well be under as well as the needs all the providers of the programme’s events; 

the state of the numerous organisations and businesses to whom carnival normally turns to for help and sponsorship;

the need to maintain the carnival’s finances for the future  and, above all else, 

the huge uncertainty as to the overall state of our country and the local populace when the carnival month arrives.

However, the Committee is naturally reluctant to break the continuity of Carnival and so, to ensure that we have some events to brighten the month of August, we are looking at ways of presenting a smaller number of virtual carnival events  and we hope to be able to advertise this programme to you in the next few weeks.

We are also planning for the possibility, however slight, when the country is bathed in sunshine and has been given a clean bill of health by the government so that we can still celebrate carnival with a Procession, and possibly music, of some kind. After all, Carnival is by the Community for the Community.

We will keep you informed of all our plans via the carnival website  and Facebook 

With very best wishes, on behalf of all of the committee,

Mike Harding/Paul Overton (Co-Chairs) Linzi Renshaw (Secretary)Will Taylor (Treasurer)

Donate Your Medlars For A Bee-rilliant Cause! 

This autumn, Malmesbury-based Tracklements, the award-winning condiment-maker, is appealing for locals to donate their unwanted medlar fruit which may otherwise go to waste – give yourself a buzzy boost and give British bees a helping hand in the process! 

Tracklements will transform all medlar fruit donated into scrumptious Aromatic Medlar Jelly (sensational with roast meats or a good, strong Cheddar!). Available nationwide, 50p from the sale of every jar is dedicated to purchasing bee-friendly medlar trees which are not only noted for their beautiful blossom but their ability to attract the nation’s much-loved buzzing insects. 

TV presenter and local farmer, Adam Henson, says: “The Tracklements ‘Plant a Tree, Save a Bee’ project is a great way to help the conservation of bees. A brilliant scheme to be involved in; donate your medlars to help.” 

The Bumblebee Conservation Trust, adds: “We are delighted that Tracklements is taking on such an exciting and worthwhile project. Collaboration is so important in the world of bumblebee conservation, and we wish them (and the bees!) every success.” 

If you have any medlars you won’t be using and you would like to donate them to help save the bees, all you need to do is drop them off at Tracklements (SN16 0RD) from now – 3rd December. For full details on the project and on how to win a tree, visit www.tracklements.co.uk. 

In 1991, the Council of Europe and the European Commission set up European Heritage Days to encourage the appreciation and protection of Europe’s diverse cultural assets. They wanted to throw open the doors to historic monuments and buildings, particularly those normally closed to the public. Today, Heritage Open Days are held in September in 50 countries. England’s Heritage Open Days have grown into England’s largest heritage festival, with over 5,000 events held annually, including exclusive openings and family-friendly activities. This year, for the first time, the festival will take place on two consecutive weekends. It will also mark the centenary of the Universal Suffrage Act with ‘Extraordinary Women’ events, celebrating well-known and lesser-known remarkable women. To find a suitable event or open day near you, hvisit www.heritageopendays.org.uk.

Malmesbury’s First World Memorials Malmesbury Town Council, Town Hall, Cross Hayes, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, SN16 9BZ A guided walk to visit all but one of the town’s memorials and some graves. A walk starting at Malmesbury Town Hall via Moravian Churchyard, Abbey, Triangle, United Reformed Church and finishing at the Cemetery, Tetbury Hill. More than 7 Memorials will be examined, their history explained and a number of war graves visited. Opening Times Friday 7 September: Tour 1400 Saturday 8 September: Tour 1015 Booking Details No booking required Access Although those with restricted mobility will be welcomed the walk uses narrow pavements (Abbey Row & Gloucester Road) and busy roads have to be crossed. The first part of the tour as far as the Abbey is more accessible. Additional Information Max 25 people per tour/session. Walk takes at least one and a half hours Contact for the day: Charles Vernon 01666 824376 Organised by Malmesbury Civic Trust

Athelstan Museum opens the Moravian Church Malmesbury Moravian Church, Oxford Street, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, SN16 9AX Athelstan Museum has been working on restoring and converting the Moravian Church in Oxford Street Malmesbury. Now for the first time the finished building is open to the public. Last year we opened the derelict Moravian church in Malmesbury as part of the Heritage Weekend. This year we have finished restoring and converting it to further the work of the museum and for use by the community. Although we have made changes we feel the building still reflects its heritage. Do you? Come and see! Members of the Friends of Athelstan Museum will be on hand to chat and answer any questions. Opening Times Saturday 15 September: 1030-1630 Sunday 16 September: 1030-1630 Booking Details No booking required Athelstan Museum 01666829258 http//www.athelstanmuseum.org