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A big thank you to all who have decorated their homes and business premises, making the village look so festive again this year.

A special commendation to the residents of The Witheys who have collectively put on a fantastic display of lights.  

There were so many excellent displays to choose from, the judges have picked four joint winners this year, together with one business: –

Best Business Category – Martin Squires, Bristol Cherished Cars, Blackacre

Best Home Category – 42 Maes Knoll Drive

Best Home Category 5 Farrier Way

Best Home Category 21 The Witheys

Best Home Category 28 Church Road

Friday 3^rd December 2021 saw the return of the Village Christmas Lights ‘switch on’, a fantastic crowd of about 200 gathered around the centre of the Village.

Father Christmas along with Mrs Christmas and their Elf arrived on his sleigh, followed by a festively decorated vehicle blasting out Christmas music.

They were greeted by the residents of Westin Care Home, who joined in the festive celebrations.

After several practice countdowns, Santa and helpers switched on the lights in the Millennium Garden. Santa then led a procession of children, parents and onlookers towards St Nicholas Church, where the children of Whitchurch Primary School sang some lovely ‘Christmassy’ songs which sounded fantastic.

The crowd then joined the Salvation Army band in singing along to several carols and this was followed by refreshments.

Our appreciation and acknowledgement of the support we received goes to:-

The wonderful choir and staff from Whitchurch Primary School

The Salvation Army band.

Tesco Brislington (donation of mince pies and chocolates)

The volunteers who helped with the refreshments, marshalling, setting up the event, sound and music.

St Nicholas Church, for the use of their facilities.  

The local PCSO’s.

And of course, Father & Mrs Christmas, Elf and the escort driver, who made a special effort to visit us at a very busy time of the year!!

Thanks to your generosity, a collection in excess of £250.00 was donated to the Salvation Army.

The Society has decided to make a start on a new series of live talks in the coming months. All will of course be accompanied by whatever ‘Covid-secure’ arrangements will be required on any particular date at our venue in the United Reformed Church in the Village.

At time of writing this piece it seems that we will be easily able to accommodate our normal level of attendance.

Our first talk will be given on Friday September 24^th, at 7.30 p.m., by our very own Mike Hooper on the topic of Bristol in the 1930s and 1940s and speakers have been booked for October 29^th and November 26^th – more details later.

The reprints of the earlier volumes of ‘Memories’ are still on sale at £5.00 each, locally in Whitchurch at The Music Box Shop / Village Shop on the main road through the village (cash please), or by contacting the Secretary (details below). We will be happy to receive further contributions for the planned next volume as soon as ‘those of you out there’ have written them, with old photos particularly welcome to augment the text.

For more information about the Society and its activities, please contact the Secretary, Geoff Gardiner, on 01275 830869 or at geoff@thegardiners.org.uk

Peer Support Group ‘STAR’ provides free support for people grieving from a bereavement or difficult transition in their life.  The aim of the support group is to create a safe space for people to receive support, listen to and share stories & experiences with others who have experienced loss in their life.

For more details please click here

Children, young people and their families across Bath and North East Somerset who are struggling with the ongoing pressures of lockdown are being reassured support is available.

Information on services for CSC 2021

With many families cut off from their usual support systems such as family, friends and teachers, Bath & North East Somerset Council is urging those who are struggling to reach out and ask for help.

The BANES council is also reminding residents that it is everyone’s responsibility to keep children safe, spot the signs of abuse and report concerns.

You can contact Children’s Social Care on 01225 396111 or 01225 477929 or via email: Childcare_duty@bathnes.gov.uk.

A member of the council’s Children’s Social Care team will discuss your concerns and the range of help that may be available. The service is available between 08:30 and 17:00 (Mon-Thur) and 08:30 and 16:30 (Fri).

If you have concerns outside of working hours you can contact the Emergency Duty Team on 01454 615165, on evenings, weekends and Bank Holidays.

If you are feeling vulnerable, isolated, or concerned about your physical or mental wellbeing the Community Wellbeing Hub can help.

You can call the Community Wellbeing Hub on 0300 247 0050 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday email: BATHNES.thehub@virgincare.co.uk or go to the website: http://communitywellbeinghub.co.uk ​ or text 07870 868368.

If you are struggling with your mental health talking to someone is vital. Bath Mind’s Breathing Space, is a phone support service, open every evening of the week from 5.30pm to 11.30pm.  You can call in confidence on 01225 983130 if you are feeling worried or anxious and want to talk.

The Bath and North East Somerset Talking Therapies Service, run by Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership (AWP) NHS Trust also offers online courses and telephone and video based Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) to support adults who maybe struggling with their mental health

The Bright Start Children Centre Services and the Connecting Families Team are also operational, supporting work with children and families. However, I wanted to mention our mediation service is currently open for referrals and is operating at full capacity – sessions take place either via zoom, phone, emails or doorstep/garden visits. For more information you can contact Christopher_Martin@bathnes.gov.uk or
Tel. 07980 998982.

You can access the service by self-referring and don’t need to speak to your GP to do this.  To find out more visit: https://iapt-banes.awp.nhs.uk

If you are worried about child’s mental health, you can find helpful information about how to spot the signs that someone is struggling and how to access help at: https://bit.ly/2L3Dece

Households across Whitchurch Village will soon be asked to take part in Census 2021.

The census is a once-in-a-decade survey that gives us the most accurate estimate of all the people and households in England and Wales. It has been carried out every decade since 1801, with the exception of 1941.

It will be the first run predominantly online, with households receiving a letter with a unique access code, allowing them to complete the questionnaire on their computers, phones or tablets.

“A successful census will ensure everyone from local government to charities can put services and funding in the places where they are most needed,” Iain Bell, deputy national statistician at the Office for National Statistics, said.

“This could mean things like doctors’ surgeries, schools and new transport routes. That’s why it is so important everyone takes part and we have made it easier for people to do so online on any device, with help and paper questionnaires for those that need them.”

Census day will be on March 21, but households across the country will receive letters with online codes allowing them to take part from early March.

The census will include questions about your sex, age, work, health, education, household size and ethnicity. And, for the first time, there will be a question asking people whether they have served in the armed forces, as well as voluntary questions for those aged 16 and over on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Results will be available within 12 months, although personal records will be locked away for 100 years, kept safe for future generations.

For more information, visit census.gov.uk.