Monthly Archives: August 2020

Whitchurch Coop helps charity walker…

This morning in Whitchurch (Tuesday 4th) charity walker Neil Thomas passed through Whitchurch on day 3 his walk from London to Torquay in aid of Rowcroft Hospice in his hometown of Torquay who treated after his father in 1997.

As Neil says quite simply: “this Hospice survives mainly on fundraising … I thought it’s about time I do something about it, to do MY bit, to give back to those that truly deserve it and so I’ve come up with a walk, a long walk of almost 200 miles.”

He is looking for generous people for support for accommodation and food along the way so that no money will be spent. Last night the White Hart in Overton gave him a bed for the night, and Whitchurch Co-op provided Breakfast as he passed through.He hopes to reach Salisbury tonight.A lovely gesture from the wonderful team at the Whitchurch Co-op.

The Whitchurch group of Church of England Churches, comprising All Hallows’ Whitchurch, St Mary Tufton and St James the Less Litchfield has a new website.

Designed to be user friendly with a useful search facility it reflects the activities of the Churches, worship and prayer, community and a brief history of each Church.

Please take a look.

www.hantswhit.church

Whitchurch Town Council is keen to support the Whitchurch Silk Mill, perhaps the town’s most valuable asset. It has produced an article to promote the Mill and its inclusion in “Eat to Help Out” – an ideal opportunity for us all to make that visit…

Whitchurch’s gem of industrial heritage is one of the many venues in the town ready to make use of the Government’s new “Eat Out to Help Out” scheme. The Riverside Cafe at the Mill is one of a number of cafes, pubs and restaurants in Whitchurch that has signed up to the new Government scheme, which starts runs throughout.

The scheme is designed to encourage the use of local venues as lockdown eases. Sue Tapliss, director of Whitchurch Silk Mill, said:

“This is a fantastic scheme from the Chancellor to give our customers a 50 per cent discount, and through our commitment to our local team it will give a boost to our community and team.”

Since it first reopened, following the relaxation of the coronavirus lockdown, The Café at the Mill has seen a steady stream of visitors particularly drawn to sit on the banks of the River Test in the glorious sunshine. The lovely lawns of the Mill thankfully lend themselves to effective social distancing. Discounts do not apply to takeaway refreshments but will be applied for customers using seating in the garden.

Mill lawns by the Test

Alongside a number of other museums, Whitchurch Silk Mill has recently joined the “we’re good to go” accreditation scheme, certifying that the Mill team have taken the necessary steps to support social distancing and good hygiene practices.

Visitors to Whitchurch Silk Mill’s riverside café who eat-in will benefit from a 50% discount, up to a maximum of £10 per person, on food and drinks, any Tuesday to Wednesday in August and Bank Holiday Monday.

The Silk Mill – a wonderful setting on the river

The deal can be used as many times as you like throughout the month and you don’t need a voucher to use the scheme, it can be used at the same time as other offers and discounts too plus there is no minimum spend. So you could just nip in for a cup of tea for £1 or hot chocolate for £1.20, or have an afternoon cream tea for just £3.25! Every penny spent at the Mill supports living weaving heritage at the Mill and helps keep this gem of industrial heritage weaving more than happy memories.

The Mill is taking part in the Eat Out to Help Out scheme to make up for the 105 day closure the Mill faced during the coronavirus lockdown. 70% of the Mill’s income comes from visitors and this loss has put this Grade Two* Listed building and working museum at great risk. Even while closed, the building, grounds and river still needed continual care.

The website below lists all the cafes, pubs and restaurants taking part within five miles of Whitchurch https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/eat-out-to-help-out/find-a-restaurant/results?postcode=RG28+7AL

This article appeared originally on the Town Council website at:https://whitchurch-hampshire-tc.gov.uk/2020/08/03/whitchurch-silk-mill/

Visit the Mill and support this wonderful amenity in our town.

The meadow alongside the Fulling Mill footpath has seen a flurry of activity in recent weeks. You may have read Lucie Maitland’s report of the finds made by a group of local metal detectorists just a couple of weeks ago, together with photos of the artefacts unearthed that revealed activity from the Romano/Saxon period, the visitation of troops during the English Civil War and a Napoleonic coin.

This week saw activity of a different kind as a small group of Walkers are Welcome volunteers joined forces with Lucie to improve the biodiversity and pollination of the meadow.

A couple of hours was spent digging over the last remaining strip of nettles to prepare the meadow seedbed for sowing sainfoin and red clover later this week.

Lucie said, “Hopefully, this “pollinator patch” that lies opposite to the footpath will provide a pleasing swathe of colour for passing walkers as well as helping pollinators. It was hard work, but very productive and gratefully received, not least as the volunteers all chose to donate their payment to local charities”.