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Appeal for witness to traffic incident on Staples Hill: Hit and Run

I would like the lady who was following the van belonging to The Good Egg Company which collided with my Land Rover Discovery vehicle on Monday afternoon 30th November (at approximately 1:45pm) and then didn't stop, to contact me (via the website Contact page) or directly to Wiltshire Police at Trowbridge station.

Thank you   Geoff Edwards

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we had an ice rink near Bath or Trowbridge!   full story

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Freshford Parish Council's website does not provide opportunities for Internet based debate.  However, issues can be raised at the regular parish council meetings and email or letters submitted by residents can be sent to the PC.  This website does provide an opportunity to post articles on the forum and debate local, or even International issues. You will need to open an account though -to prevent spam. Contact website 


 

 Stop Press

Friday morning:  Car turns upside down on Staples Hill,

Police, Ambulance and fire engine were called. No one was injured as far as I know, I believe the driver was a police officer.  The road was gritted afterwards! (08/01/2010)

Well. I did write about this gritting issue last year link:Salt supply!  Even if one accepts the Global Warming scenario, will we still be likely to get this sort of weather? In fact, well according to the possibilities, yes we are more likely to get widely varying weather. Salt is like fossil fuel, a non-replenishable resource, unless we extract it from sea water which would waste precious energy.  Sand is also another non-replenishable resource as well, but then that is another story. Are we really going to buy salt from Africa. and will it need to be flown over here? 

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A small part of a magnificent stone wall Freshford Somerset

A Freshford wall -a masterpiece

 

NEW ITEMS

Westwood Post Office and Shop

I just thought that I should remind people that the Westwood shop is under new management. A planning application has been submitted, which the Parish Council and residents support, to extend the shop. The extension will mean that the shop will be able to offer more goods and this will also help to keep prices low. The shop belongs to a Cost Cutter network and the benefits are that goods may be priced at supermarket levels. Update: the planning application has been approved.

The shop is open from 7am till 9pm, Monday till Saturday, and 8am till 8pm Sunday. Freshford residents could easily find these times convenient, particularly at weekends when our local shop closes at midday. There are also many residents who can't use the Freshford shop in the week as they get home too late. Also remember that Sainsbury's supermarket closes at 8pm during the week and 4pm on Sundays. Photo of the existing shop.

Sat-nav preferred roads

lorry weight limit road sign

Why does NAVTEQ a multibillion dollar company want to direct traffic through Freshford to Bath via two roads, actually lanes (ie for illiterate lorry drivers (truckers, I don't mean that truckers are the illiterate subset of the group "lorry drivers" only that "truckers" and "lorry drivers" or for that matter HGV drivers (some) dont seem to realise that "lane" means - read on)) "lane" means a "narrow country lane".

Well they don't, NAVTEQ do not want to misdirect drivers, why would they? But that is what they are doing, at least on my MS AutoRoute system (brilliant! Congratulations Microsoft for a great program at a sensible price)

To get back to the instructions to the driver, the route directs the vehicle to drive up Rosemary lane and then use Ashes lane to get to the A36. read more

Weight control the facts (not an ad!)

I have added an article and also a tool to manage calorie consumption. After all, that is basically what weight control requires. read more

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School Report

St Laurence School -pupils not doing homework? forum article

♫ because. . . its not being set ?

 

Freshford Somerset: an Introduction

Freshford is in 2009 a village dating back a thousand years or more.  Some of the property in the village is located in Wiltshire and some in Bath and North-East Somerset (known as BANES). This affects the choice of secondary school for parents, and splits up children who have grown up together in their primary school.

 The children should be able to continue their education together when they leave the primary school where they have grown up together.  Unfortunately, this division of Freshford between Wiltshire and Somerset (B&NES) is not the result of some recent skulduggery, yet its affects extend into the 21st Century. The ghosts continue to extend their influence into the time when people are free to use their intelligence, rather than witchcraft or be bound by land divisions created by the church, or the Normans. And guess what; it is the ghosts that rule. Why can't parents choose the nearest school to where they live? Parental Choice of School  Apart from the educational issues which are important to Freshford, the village is arguably the finest village in this part of the west country. This website includes many photographs that record the attractive nature not only of the village but also its beautiful setting. The parish website is: Freshford Village

Although, photos maybe copied I believe that it is worthwhile to  publish photos that are of a much greater resolution than would be normally seen on a website. 

Support independent used book stores  As well! Amazon can't supply everything, especially in the out of print category. And as mentioned before Amazon sell everything. I bought my bread maker from them, for example. But for out of print books then you will probably find your best option is to use the link to Biblio above. (there is no commission earned for using that link, but I believe that this web service is well worth supporting)

Freshford in the 21st Century

WHAT CAN WE DO?

Road safety: the countryside

Whilst Westwood Parish Council were debating road safety in the village a young police officer was tragically dying. He had apparently left the road at the "S" bend (double bend or Z bend)along Westwood road. Whilst there was some frost and ice that evening the road in the village itself was free of ice. The S bend  is in a hollow and may have had black ice. Westwood Road should not be mistaken for Lower Westwood Road which goes through the village. Westwood road is some distance from the village.

The road safety issue that the parish council was discussing arose out of the formation of Westwood Community Road Safety Committee (WCRSC) which was formed last year to investigate residents concerns with the speed of vehicles through the village. The WCRSC have suggested 20 mph limits for both Lower and Upper Westwood Roads and soft cushion type speed control humps. The WCRSC petitioned residents and gained a lot of support for the proposals. 

As a result of the meeting Councillors decided to ask Wiltshire Council to undertake a traffic study of the village. Until minutes are approved and Westwood residents are informed via the Westwood Update I have nothing more to say about the meeting  (I am now a Westwood PC Councillor) However, I have decided to add my opinion, based on research where possible, on traffic management locally and in the UK.  I intend to do this through a series of articles on the Freshford Somerset forum. Readers are free to add their comment to what I have written, subject to registering on the forum. Speed Limits

One million pounds for a footbridge!

I understand from an article published on www.bradfordonavon.com that the town council is prepared to spend the best part of a million pounds on a new cycle/footbridge. The bridge will cross the Avon from the Kingston Mills development to the town library. Whilst I cannot claim to represent the residents of Bradford and surrounding districts I can contribute my views and suggestions. Let's start with a numbered list.

1. I agree that the present bridge is most unfriendly to pedestrians

2. If cyclists don't like to use the bridge  it is because they don't have enough confidence to use our roads. Cyclists are entitled to their own space on our roads and drivers should respect the right of cyclists to use the roads. I do not think that we should be making planning decisions based on the fears of cyclists to use our roads. 

3. Why should the character of this wonderful town be further diminished by pressure from motor vehicles, particularly heavy good vehicles? The existing bridge's character must not be damaged by the addition of a modern bridge erected nearby. I doubt whether people will use the new bridge anyway if it means going out of their way. There are other places in Bradford on Avon that are worse, for example, there are no pavements at all when pedestrians cross over the bridge to enter the town centre. 

4. Pedestrians could be protected by two measures: adding railings to separate the road from the pavement and increasing the width (an the height) of the pavement which is little more than a footpath (about 1 metre wide). To increase the width of the pavements must mean  traffic lights as the road width will be reduced to a single track.

My view is that since we can't easily change vehicle driver's behaviour railings could be installed and the pavements raised. These measures would cost a few or possibly several thousand pounds but certainly not a million pounds! The alterations would hardly detract from the character of the bridge and would provide protection from vehicles. Possibly only the pavement needs raising -drivers are very wary of damage to their tyres.

6. However, if the existing bridge cannot be changed as suggested above then at least the pavements could be made wider and traffic lights used to control the narrowing of the road.

7. There is of course an existing footbridge over the river by St. Margarets hall that many people do use.

(this article will be added to the forum and comments will be welcome)

Geoff Edwards (Editor)

Hungerford Arms

I have heard that the Hungerford Arms has re-opened. I have not been there yet but here is a review taken from the Beer in the Evening website, I don't think they'll mind:

 "Good news - it has reopened as of July 2009. dropped by at the weekend and they were doing really well with overspill from the Pump festival. New owners seem really enthusiastic and the menu looked really good. We tried the homemade pork pie ploughmans and fair play it was all home made, even down to the chutney and it was fantastic tasting too plus great value. Its great to see pubs opening rather than closing, something all too common these days and I will be back over the next week or so to see how they have settled in. The pub has loads of parking; two lovely terraces with views over Iford valley to the manor house plus a good selection of drinks and proper homemade food."

It is nice to know that after a lovely walk along the Frome valley to Farley Castle one may now be able to buy a drink and have a nice meal again.

Geoff Edwards

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we had an ice rink near Bath or Trowbridge!

Well, we will NOT have that opportunity unless we can challenge a report by a Scottish consultant who carried out a secret survey for Wiltshire – sorry, West Wiltshire – that rejects a need for an ice rink in West Wiltshire. Did you know about this report? No? I am not surprised. I'm involved in ice skating, (National Adult skater Bronze medal 2002) and even I didn't know! Full story

Back Phil Packer and help to raise £1 million for Help for Heroes

MAJOR Phil Packer was injured in an incident following a rocket attack in Basra in February 2008. Sadly, as a result of the accident he lost the use of his legs and is now a paraplegic with what are classed as catastrophic injuries.
At first, he was told he would never walk again. However, there were positive improvements and it was his dream to walk the Flora London Marathon in April this year over a two-week period on crutches. He successfully did just that – and every other month he attends Headley Court where the Medical Team assists him in physical rehabilitation. Read more


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Notices
 
 

Please note that all of these photographs are copyright. You may print photos only for your own personal use.

B&NES have published an excellent appraisal of Freshford and the neighbouring hamlet of Sharpstone. Appraisal An Adobe PDF reader is required to view the document - obtain one here Download  Warning: 33mb+ download, only use broadband.

Delivery Route Map to Freshford

The best website for security products?

News: 

Demise of Jazz at The Inn at Freshford

It is with great regret that I have to report that the long standing Jazz at The Inn as now been discontinued.  The present manager, without consultation with any locals that I know of, decided to switch the Jazz night to Wednesdays and further complicated the matter by only having jazz every other week. The Derek Oldroyd band consists of a double bass, drums and piano, and each week a quartet was formed by the addition of a front line musician. The fourth musician would be a different musician each week.

Apart from the loss of revenue to the band by being reduced to playing once a fortnight, the disruption to the lives of the musicians, and the failure to take into account that nearly all of the regulars had built their week around there being Jazz on Thursday, the ignorant manner in which these changes were implemented by the present manager has driven nearly all regulars away. This is a great pity as surely a local pub should welcome locals. The Box Steam Brewery beer is excellent and the range of beers, lagers and ciders that The Inn serves is also excellent.

The only good news is that The Derek Oldroyd band is now playing every Thursday at The Swan Hotel in Bradford on Avon and anyone who feels that they will be among strangers need not fear, as all the old Freshford regulars are now going to The Swan. (Geoff Edwards)

Factory's 'gourmet' grub back on menu

DINERS as far away as Freshford are flocking to a unique restaurant in the Airsprung factory at Trowbridge where you can a big eat breakfast for just £2.39 and a beef lunch for as little as £3.49. Nick and Brónagh Day have taken over the former subsidised canteen which shut earlier this year amid a storm of protest. It had gained a wide reputation for food of almost gourmet quality at a time when the recession was beginning to bite. The five-strong staff of the new look Food Factory were determined to uphold that fine tradition – and they are!

Freshford's new shop – in pictures

I have completed my portfolio of photos of our new Galleries community shop and post office. There are about 170 pictures spread over six pages. But these are only a selection from the film of the development of the shop. It will be some time before the video is completed, however, because the footage still has to be edited!

Any trademan who worked on the site which is a project managed by John Biggs is welcome to copies of the photos - at their full resolution - 10MB. I used a Canon SX10IS. This camera has a 28-560mm lens (35mm equivalent) with its image stabilisation and video capability and cost of less than £300, it represents remarkable value. For another £100 the Canon SX1IS has High Definition video, too!

Geoff Edwards

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Web Window

ClickOrlando.com Spam website?

What is the worst spam website? In my opinion ClickOrlando. This website sends me email several times a day, day after *****day. There is a link to unsubscribe but I never subscribed to this new site anyway. To unsubscribe they want all sorts of information that I have no intention of supplying, especially since I have not subscribed to this service.  I have no interest in Florida or in its news service. Why should I? I live in England. Fortunately, Outlook traps the email and puts it in my Junk Email folder. The reason that this "service" exists is to bring in revenue from advertisers. As a matter of policy, I do not buy goods or services from any unsolicited email I receive. Apparently, others do, that's why we have spam.

"Designed for people who want it all
Windows 7 Ultimate gives you everything Home Premium and Professional offers – plus added security features and the flexibility to work in multiple languages. Create a home network and share all of your favourite photos, videos and music. You can even watch TV programs for free, whenever and wherever you want."

 I think that Microsoft has slipped up here. Surely one can't view TV without a license in the UK?

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 Freshford Roads: Photos & Videos

Photographs and video films of the roads and road junctions in and linking Freshford village to the A36 trunk road to Bristol and Bath and east to Warminster for the A350 linking the M4 to Poole and the channel ferries have been created by Geoff Edwards a local resident.. The A36 also provides a route to Southampton via Salisbury and the  A303 London to the West country. The road junctions which can be accessed via an interactive map of the village can be viewed here: Photographic Survey of Every Road Junction in Freshford to the A36

The video films of the roads can also be viewed here: Video Survey of Road Systems in Freshford

Horse Traffic in Rosemary Lane Freshford Somerset

Links:

www.freshfordvillage.co.uk  The official website containing Parish Council Minutes and regularly updated news
www.freshford.com A website that provides historical information about Freshford and surrounding villages and towns
www.freshfordmill.co.uk A campaign website to deter building dwellings on the Freshford Mill land
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freshford

Freshford Co Kilkenny Why not visit the other Freshford?

Freshford Aerial Map (courtesy of Google)

Contact 

Freshford Village Forum

Traditionally, democratic decisions are made after consultation with residents by means of meetings and questionnaires. The Internet now provides a means for residents and others to discuss ideas and comment on proposals in the comfort of their own homes and at a time that suites them. Freshfordvillage website provides a forum for residents to contribute news and comments.

Introduction to Internet Forums

An Internet forum is a web application for holding discussions and posting user generated content. Internet forums are also commonly referred to as web forums, message boards, discussion boards, (electronic) discussion groups, discussion forums, bulletin boards, fora (the Latin plural) or simply forums. The terms "forum" and "board" may refer to the entire community or to a specific sub-forum dealing with a distinct topic. Messages within these sub-forums are then displayed either in chronological order or as threaded discussions.

Such forums perform a function similar to that of Usenet newsgroups and the dial-up bulletin board systems that were numerous in the 1980s and 1990s. [1] Early web-based forums such as UBB.classic date back as far as 1996. A sense of virtual community often develops around forums that have regular users. Technology, computer games and/or video games, fashion, religion, and politics are popular areas for forum themes, but there are forums for a huge number of different topics. Internet slang and image macros popular across the internet are abundant and most widely used in internet forums.

Note. The first two paragraphs above are copied from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_forum

The Freshford Forum allows residents to contribute news and ideas as well as comment on that news, ideas, and comments.

Go to the Freshford Village Forum


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