Latest news with #Devizes
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Man's body found in canal
The body of a man has been found. Emergency services were called to the scene at the canal near Horton Avenue in Devizes shortly before 7pm on Thursday, May 30. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. Wiltshire Police said the man's family have been informed. A spokesperson for the force said: 'While formal identification has not yet taken place, our thoughts are with his family at this incredibly difficult time.' Officers said there are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding the death. READ MORE: Concern grows for man who has been missing for a week READ MORE: Wales breaking news plus weather and traffic updates (Saturday, May 31) Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here. We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice
The Guardian
5 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Second Lib Dem MP withdraws support for England and Wales assisted dying bill
A second Liberal Democrat MP has said they have changed their mind over the assisted dying bill and will vote against it at the next Commons stage, in another sign of a wider, if so far slight, ebbing away of support for the measure. In an email to constituents, Brian Mathew, the Melksham and Devizes MP, said that while he had backed the bill at its second reading vote, in April, scrutiny of the plans had left 'several concerns I feel have been inadequately answered'. His announcement follows comments last week by Steve Darling, the Torbay MP who is also the Lib Democrat work and pensions spokesperson. Darling said that while he had backed the bill in April he was now 'marginally against' it, but had not yet decided whether he would vote against it or abstain. About eight other MPs who either supported the private member's bill, led by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, at its second reading or did not vote have said they will now oppose it. However, at least two who abstained in April are now supporters, while the Runcorn and Helsby byelection earlier in May resulted in a Labour MP who opposed the plan replaced by a Reform UK one who backs it. Given the second reading of the bill was passed with a majority of 55, the numbers thus far indicate it should also get through the third reading, scheduled for 20 June. A week before, on 13 June, MPs will debate amendments to the bill for a second day. The first day of debates on amendments drawn up during a lengthy committee stage resulted in some changes being agreed, including an opt-out for all healthcare workers from being involved in assisted dying, extending the exemption from just doctors. That debate also featured angry complaints from some MPs opposed to assisted dying after the prominent campaigner Esther Rantzen argued many in their camp were fighting against the changes to the law because of secret religious views. In his message to constituents, Mathew said he had heard 'eloquent and challenging viewpoints' from all sides, and he changed his stance over the bill following the recent weeks of debates. 'I share the concerns of many constituents that individuals facing terminal illness will take the decision based on concerns that they have become a burden upon their family,' he wrote. 'This is a serious concern for me; I worry that in someone's final days, this question will loom heavy when it does not need to.' This was all the more the case, Mathew said, when the palliative care system as it stood was so bad. Speaking ahead of the first day of debates about amendments, Leadbeater warned that if MPs voted down her bill at third reading then 'the conversation ends' on the subject, with dreadful consequences for many terminally ill people. She dismissed the idea that if the bill was defeated, the subject could return as government legislation or a royal commission, noting the long gap between the last time assisted dying was debated in the Commons, in 2015, and her efforts. 'What worries me is, if the bill doesn't pass, the conversation ends, and that would be really dreadful for so many people, for so many reasons,' she said.
BBC News
24-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Devizes community rallies against pub being turned into homes
The only pub in a village could be converted into houses, despite plans by the community to rescue owner of 17th Century Grade II listed pub, the George and Dragon in Erlestoke, near Devizes, has submitted plans to turn it into five inn, which previously closed in 2015, was bought by Chaffinch Pub Company in 2020 but attempts to turn the business around have been unsuccessful. It was listed by Wiltshire Council as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) in Lewcock, chairman of community group Erlestoke Hub Ltd, said there was a lot of support throughout the village of Erlestoke "to see the pub retained as a pub". Wiltshire Parish Council said plans by Chaffinch Pub Company to build a pub garden were turned down over fears visitors would cause congestion by parking on the road by the inn and they said the listed status of the building, challenging market conditions and construction costs were also a its ACV status, the pub was put back on the market in 2023 and offered to community group Erlestoke Hub the group told planners the price was "too high", as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).They also said the failure of the business was due to "poor management, high rental costs and a failure to use the four roomed stable block as tourist accommodation".Hub chairman Keith Lewcock said: "The Erlestoke Hub, a community benefit society, objects, very strongly, to the change of use of the George and Dragon public house to dwelling houses."However, the applicants said the conversion would not affect the outside appearance of the property and would protect the listed building from falling into disrepair, while addressing the housing needs want to create two one-bed and one two-bed homes from the main building, and create two one-bedroom units in the pub's stable block.A previous planning application was turned down in 2015 when Wiltshire Council planners said the closure of the village's only pub would be a loss to the community.
The Guardian
18-05-2025
- The Guardian
A slow boat to happiness: our family holiday on Wiltshire's Kennet and Avon canal
I'm on the towpath of the Kennet and Avon canal, a loaf of freshly baked sourdough bread in one hand and a bag of pungently oozing local cheese in the other. As I turn the corner near Trowbridge in Wiltshire, I brace myself. Ahead is our hired-for-the-week narrowboat, and I'm fully expecting to find my four gen Z children (aged 18 to 24) and my doomscrolling husband either bickering or welded to their screens. To my surprise, they are all reading books. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. We've stopped taking family holidays in exotic, or even Mediterranean, locations. Too hot. Too busy. Too flight-shaming. But when I announced this year's jaunt – a week on the mid-section of the Reading-to-Bristol canal – eyes rolled in horror. As the departure date loomed, I panicked. How would we survive in such a minuscule space? What if the lack of activities drove us to spend even longer on our phones? After a two-hour drive from London, having stopped to view the Avebury stone circles, and then the world-famous flight of locks at Caen Hill, we arrived at Devizes in Wiltshire – and our extremely narrow boat from Foxhangers. Eyes rolled (again) as we realised that two of us would have to sleep in the kitchen: our frighteningly long, skinny boat had two bedrooms with foldaway double beds, and a galley kitchen where two single beds could be cleverly folded into a rudimentary dining table. Thankfully, there were two (very bijou) bathrooms. 'You can go home if you want,' I sighed, fully expecting a hurried exit to the train station. Three hours later (after a quick 'driving' lesson from the man at Foxhangers), having grappled with locks, swing bridges and steering 21 metres (70ft) of boat, all six of us squeezed on deck with a bottle of local rosé. The sun dropped over the horizon in a blaze of pink and tangerine, the green-gold hills rolled into the distance, swans drifted past, tiny fish jumped, a heron landed on the roof of our boat – and the world fell away. That night we slept like the dead. Over the next few days, the world fell further and further away. We puttered along at three miles an hour, stopping to take walks beside the River Avon, or to explore the astonishing Dundas and Avoncliff aqueducts. At nightfall, we ambled the towpath, crossing ancient bridges and venturing up overgrown footpaths into the Bath valley, or chatting to other moored boaters. Narrowboat residents are famously friendly. We regularly fell into conversation with our neighbours, many of whom lived permanently on the canal and would spend their evenings cooking over a campfire, tending their rooftop gardens, or lovingly repairing their boats. This, we decided, made for more interesting 'viewing' than any TV show. Our first mooring was at Hilperton, where we discovered Wiltshire's answer to London's legendary Petersham Nurseries restaurant in Richmond, but at a fraction of the price. Avonfield Kitchen, situated in a garden centre, makes delicious and extravagant brunches and cakes, including the best chilli eggs we've tasted. At Bradford-on-Avon, we explored the 11th-century Saxon Church of St Laurence (apparently one of the UK's most important Saxon buildings), the beguiling 15th-century Chapel of St Mary Tory (a one-time hermitage for weary pilgrims), the Tithe barn (one of the UK's largest medieval barns) and the local museum, which features the original interior of a Victorian pharmacy. All were free to enter. We also stocked up with books at Ex Libris (whose barn boasts 6,000 second-hand books) and browsed the boutiques and craft shops along The Shambles, a series of old pedestrian shopping streets in the heart of Bradford-on-Avon. Best of all, we discovered our all-time favourite bakery, Pipit, where we returned repeatedly to buy almond croissants and the house sourdough loaf – which we paired with goodies from the tiny but perfect Cheese Shop. We then chugged to Avoncliff, where we encountered kingfishers, an ancient water wheel pumping station, and an unbeatable menu at the No 10 Tea Garden, which we left with copious boxes of assorted cakes. By this point, each of us had had a go at steering. It wasn't as easy as it looked: one daughter managed to clip another boat, while I inadvertently stranded the barge across the entire width of the canal, where it wedged itself into the bank and had to be rescued by a team of Duke of Edinburgh's-award rowers (average age: 14). Happily, The Husband loved steering and did it effortlessly. Our final mooring before turning back was Sydney Gardens on the outskirts of Bath. Here, we hired bikes and cycled the disused railway track that runs from Bath to Bristol. Later, we visited exhibitions at The Holburne Museum and the Victoria Art Gallery, ate the juiciest imaginable sandwiches at Green Street butchers and munched on flavoursome cinnamon and cardamom buns at Landrace bakery. For our night in Bath, we escaped the crowds by heading uphill to the Saint James Wine Vaults for a pub quiz. Sign up to The Traveller Get travel inspiration, featured trips and local tips for your next break, as well as the latest deals from Guardian Holidays after newsletter promotion My worries about excessive screen time proved unfounded. Canals, I learned, often have poor reception, so our phones rarely worked. A word of advice: if you're after a digital detox, choose a signal-poor waterway (according to the Canal & River Trust, more rural and hilly areas are less likely to have good coverage, with the Llangollen, Trent and Mersey, and the Middlewich branch of the Shropshire union canal being markedly patchy). When we did get a signal, our phones felt too bright, too fast, too demanding, too modern. Instead, we read, tried to steer, fed the ducks, watched the beady-eyed antics of our resident heron, chatted to passersby, and played games – all from our tiny deck. A narrowboat holiday usually means returning along the same stretch of water. Normally, this would have elicited groans of horror and boredom. It didn't. Instead, books were swapped and plans made to revisit our favourite spots. 'You're not missing your phones?' I asked, baffled. 'No,' said my daughter Bryony, who is usually welded to her iPhone. 'Weirdly, being on a narrowboat seems to have given me permission to switch off in every way.' 'Scrolling is for when you're on your own,' added my daughter, Imogen. 'But this boat's so small, we're never, ever alone.' And then my son Hugo (who had just read an unprecedented two novels), chipped in: 'Anyway, you can't use your phone if there's no signal.' Here's what I think: the gentle, soothing monotony of a canal had taken away all desire to show and share on social media. Its calm tranquillity had slowed our minds to such an extent we no longer wanted the digital glare of modern life, and we certainly didn't want our gloriously languid days broken by a litany of horrible headlines. All of which is to say, a canal holiday may well be the perfect and most painless of digital detoxes. When we compared statistics at the end of the week, our phones showed an average 70% drop in usage. Embarrassingly, mine was the highest. Foxhangers has a range of boats sleeping 2-9, available for short and weekly breaks. Prices range from £610 for a four-night break on a boat that sleeps 2-4 people, to £2,458 for a week on a boat that sleeps 6-9 people in August
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Calls for upgrades to community hospital as town grows
Melksham and Devizes MP Brian Mathew has taken to the House of Commons to call for increased access to local community health access in his constituency. Speaking in Parliament on April 23, Brian Mathew stood up to highlight his support for 'reversing the delays to the new hospital programme and want to emphasise the importance of investment in community health provision.' Mr Mathew investment into the crumbling state of NHS facilities across the UK, adding that he was urging for improved healthcare in his Melksham and Devizes constituency, especially at Melksham hospital. Brian Mathew speaking in Parliament on April 23. (Image: UK Parliament)Recommended reading: Town council to elect new leader and mayor 'Possible sinkhole' in town being investigated following path closure Long-derelict showroom now on the market after 15 years MP Brian Mathew said, 'There is currently no out-of-hours healthcare provision anywhere in the Melksham and Devizes constituency. Patients typically have to travel to Swindon, Bath or Salisbury for urgent medical treatment or, at best, to minor injury units in Chippenham or Trowbridge. 'Most of the constituency, including Melksham and Devizes towns, has limited public transport options to get to major hospitals; patients unable to travel by car face a lengthy bus journey in most cases. "In Melksham, we already have a working community hospital that offers a range of healthcare services, from physio to consultant out-patient appointments, but it has been without a minor injuries unit since 2008. "On occasion, people in need of urgent treatment for cuts and broken bones turn up at the hospital only to be turned away without so much as a sticking plaster. That simply is not good enough. 'Melksham is seeing ongoing development in and around the town driving population growth, yet we have not seen the investment in services and infrastructure to match. 'I hope very much the department will consider the compelling case for upgrading community hospitals, and I would welcome the chance to meet with the minister to discuss the specific case for Melksham.' The MP concluded by stating that he would be seeking a meeting with ministers, and would bring along representatives of Friends of Melksham Hospital, a group and registered charity seeking to maintain resources and improve healthcare at Melksham Hospital and in the local community. The MP's call comes as nearby Trowbridge sees progress on its £16 million health care centre, which would provide expanded health care resources to those living in south west Wiltshire. The new care centre, which will replace the nearby and reportedly 'outdated' Trowbridge Community Hospital, is expected to open to patients in early 2026. All patient-facing services currently based in the hospital, including the minor injury unit and X-ray department, will be relocated at the new centre, meaning there will be minimal disruption to how patients access care and treatment.
