Financial blow for Tetbury Hospital as house to house collection postponed

Last week, St Mary’s Church held a special prayer for children as they return to school.

This included asking god to bless the cards which they give to each child at St Mary’s Church of England Primary School in Tetbury.

They usually give them out at the school gates, as the children arrive on the first day of term.

However they are doing things differently this year, of course.

Each child will still be given a card to hang on their school bag, delivered to each of the classes as they return on Thursday morning.

(Victoria Boswell)

TETBURY Town Council are pleased to inform you all that Victoria Bolwell has joined the town council staffing team.

Victoria will be joining as the new VIC Supervisor and within the role will be carrying out clerking duties for the heritage and regeneration committee.

Victoria will be working Monday to Friday, 9am – 3pm, splitting her time between the VIC and TTC offices.

And she’s looking forward to meeting not only local residents but visitors to the town as well.

She will be bringing 23 years experience of customer service working for British Airways and her warm, friendly local knowledge of Tetbury.

THE full council meetings will now take place at the Goods Shed with the first meeting being held on Monday, September 28.

Please bring along your own soft drinks as no refreshments will be available on the evening.

Due to social distancing measures we are only allowed 30 people within the Goods Shed and everyone including members of the public who wish to attend the meetings will have to book a place as a track and trace booking form will need to be completed.

This information will be on the agenda for all to see.

The information gathered will be held at the council offices for 21 days following the meeting just in case any Covid-19 cases are detected.

All other committee and working group meetings will still be held online via Teams.

For further information please ring 01666 404560 or email Tara, ceo@tetbury.gov.uk.

GREAT news for The Trustees of the Dolphins Recreation Centre who have received the welcome news from Cotswold District Council (CDC) that planning permission has been granted to provide Tetbury with much-needed sports, youth, and community buildings.

Building work is scheduled to commence on the first project in the next few months following receipt of S106 grant funding, delegated to Tetbury Town Council by CDC.

For more details visit dolphinshall.org/newbuild.

I’m sure the whole town will welcome and support this much-needed project.

THIS weekend, Sherston is pleased to host an open gardens weekend on the 5th and 6th of September.

This is in aid of the Church of the Holy Cross in Sherston.

There will be approximately 12 large and small gardens open to the public, including five gardens this year which are new to the event.

Trail tickets and maps are available from 10am outside the post office and from 12noon at the church and 1pm on Sunday.

The cost is £6 per person for the garden trail ticket.

To minimise interaction, please bring exact change, or pay by card.

You can walk or drive around the trail. Most gardens are fairly accessible but some are not suitable for those who have mobility concerns or a wheelchair user.

For £3 you can get tea and cake in the church, with free fill-ups. There will also be a plant stall.

All proceeds from the weekend will go towards maintenance of the church, which has many fine features including the Norman arches.

LLOYDS Bank’s mobile branch will be making a welcome return and will be open for business in Tetbury from Tuesday, September 15.

The opening hours will be 9.45am to 12.15pm every fortnight.

As always the mobile branch will be parked next to the library in Close Gardens.

Please note this will now visit fortnightly, please check for times and dates.

THE friends of Tetbury Hospital have unfortunately had to postpone the September house to house collection.

However, rest assured they will be bringing it back next year.

Unfortunately, as Tetbury Hospital is an independent charity and not an NHS charity, they were not eligible for the NHS charities together fund so it is imperative to support our own local hospital that is now fully open again.

Lian Franklin said: “Covid-19 has now pitched us into uncertainty and it is increasingly clear that the protective measures we are taking to keep people safe are significant.

"It will not be possible to see as many patients during a clinic as before and the cost of PPE is rising.

"Additionally, in line with guidance, to maintain patient safety and social distancing, we have relocated our MIU to another area of the hospital that has its own entrance.

"We also need to increase our staffing levels to manage the new clinical processes and to ensure that additional cleaning is undertaken in all areas, and in each consulting room, after every patient.

"Funding that was available to us from the NHS before Covid-19 will be insufficient to cover our costs and the funding shortfall is bound to increase.

"It is vital that we navigate our way through these turbulent times to ensure that we can continue to care for you, your family and future generations.”

So please, for further information on how to support the hospital visit tetburyhospital.co.uk.