Dear Widcombe Association Member
Widcombe in lockdown: We have started collecting lockdown images of Widcombe. There is a new gallery on the website of some of the rainbows in Widcombe and lockdown scenes. Any additions would be gratefully received. The link is http ://www . widcombeassociation . org . uk/community-matters/covid-19/ If you have pictures or short videos of the weekly clapping, rainbows or lockdown street scenes etc please do send them to Jeremy at chairman@widcombeassociation.org.uk .
Supporting local businesses: Some retail business are now restarting and others have been actively supporting our community throughout either on the high street or online. We need to support our local businesses through what will be a very difficult period of recovery. We are also grateful to the local schools that have stayed open to support children of key workers or those needing support. I am aware of the following businesses physically open (let us know of any others) or online:
Widcombe Surgery
Widcombe Pharmacy
COOP – fully open
Bath Spa Florist – Veg boxes at the store – flowers online
Ring o Bells – Takeaway Friday – fish and chips, Tuesday – pies
Ruposhi – Takeaway
Bikanos – Takeaway and local deliveries
Bath Botanicals – for hand gel
Flamingo – online with free local deliveries
Curtain Exchange – online
White Hart Saturday Night Takeaway (from 2 May)
Prior Park Farm Shop and Pet Shop (will deliver garden materials and plants if you know what that want. Enquire at sales@priorparkgardencentre.co.uk)
A new business will be taking over the McColls premises – Widcombe High Street Store(one of three stores locally owned in Bath)
In the circumstances we believe it is appropriate to suspend all WA discounts at our local stores. I am sure you will appreciate the need to support our local businesses.
Bath Comedy Festival needs your help: The pandemic could not have come at a worse time for the Comedy Festival with many of the costs incurred but all events postponed. The festival is run by Widcombe-resident Nick Steel and has brought huge vibrancy to Widcombe (one of the festivals main bases) over the years. Nick is crowd funding to help raise enough money so that the festival’s future can be assured. For more detail see the following http ://www . GoFundMe . com/Bath-Comedy-Festival . Please help if you can.
Supporting Dorothy House: Between now and Sunday 21 June get positive, get some exercise and help raise vital funds for Dorothy House and patient care in your community! You can do a virtual 5k anywhere and at any time that suits you. You can fundraise by logging in your steps, walks or runs online each day until you hit the magic 5k target. Just make sure you complete the full 5k by 21 June! COVID-19 is having a huge impact on our community. The pandemic means we’ve shut all our shops and had to stop many fundraising activities. Funds from the local community that support over 70% of our care are fast drying up and the impact could be devastating. We are doing everything we can to offer different ways to get involved and continue to raise vital funds for patients but we cannot do this without you. You can sign up now through this link to join us in supporting our local community. Check out www . dorothyhouse . org . uk/events/big-breakfast-5k-2020/ or follow the link https://bit . ly/VirtualBB5K
Lyncombe Fields
The Council owned fields behind Greenway Lane and Lyncombe Hill (formerly used to graze horses) should shortly be under community management. This has been delayed first by the change in Council control, more recently by the lockdown and also by the need to sort out respective responsibilities. But we are nearly there. To this end WA together with other local community groups on Greenway Lane and Bear Flat are setting up a Community Interest Company. In brief, the aim of the Company will be to maintain the land for its landscape, ecological and community value.
Full details will be published as soon as we are able.
During your authorised daily exercise, some of you may have seen the rather legalistic notices attached recently by the Council to the field gate. These should not be of concern. They do not undermine the existing public footpaths, nor will they inhibit the intended future permitted informal use of the land for quiet enjoyment. Their aim is to inhibit the unintended creation of any additional formal rights of way or the land acquiring a status where it could, as of right, be used for events such as music concerts or other formal recreation.
Conservation Area Draft Character Appraisals
Most of Bath is a long designated Conservation Area. Over the recent couple of years a great deal of work has been undertaken preparing character appraisals of each of the various localities that together comprise the whole area. The primary purpose of these documents is to aid better understanding of the localities’ importance within the Conservation Area and to ensure that development proposals preserve or enhance their special architectural or historic interest. They also provide an interesting read with fascinating information about the locality and insightful analysis. As they are completed the draft appraisals are being published on the Council’s website: beta . bathnes . gov . uk/view-conservation-character-appraisals
Four are of particular local interest: Widcombe and Kennet and Avon Canal; Beechen Cliff and Alexandra Park; Entry Hill, Perrymead and Prior Park; Bear Flat and Oldfield Park. The first two of these were created by the WA with support from many in the local community, while Bear Flat and Oldfield Park was created by Bear Flat Residents’ Association members. In due course the Council intends to seek public views on the documents before final publication.
Alan Langton
Widcombe Association Secretary