Update on the Bridge Works at Tufton Whitchurch Walkers are Welcome have received an update from Hampshire County Council on the planned work to replace the condemned bridge over the river at Tufton….. “The bridge work is being delivered by our project team.  The contractor has been awaiting confirmation from the Environment Agency about obtaining a FRAP (environmental permit) and how long that will take; presently this is 8 weeks. It is a legal requirement to have a permit for working on this stretch of river, so we can’t do anything about this delay unfortunately. However the contractors are going to mobilise, have materials on site and start works immediately, once the permit is granted”. Walkers are Welcome will post updates when known. Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Walkers-are-Welcome-Whitchurch-Hampshire-948218685267917

Following the successful Easter camps, we are delighted to have tennis camps running at half term at Whitchurch Tennis Club.  The weather is looking good and camps are a great for having fun outside as well as playing some tennis.

The camps run Tuesday 1st June – Friday 4th June, 9am until 12noon and you can book for individual days or for the whole week with a discount.

Please follow the links to book.  All camps have minimum and maximum numbers to run, so please book up to avoid disappointment. For children aged 4-8 years please follow the link below https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/WhitchurchTennisCoaching/Coaching/Camp/bb49aaf6-e955-48bc-983a-49abca32e3b5

For children aged 9-15 years please follow the link below https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/WhitchurchTennisCoaching/Coaching/Camp/1e764686-c6ca-4638-b867-1894564518d2

For any questions, please contact Josh, the Head Coach at info@jgtennis.co.uk

WHITCHURCH NEIGHBOURCARE In light of the Community Group winding down their activity and ceasing to offer their service as from this week, Whitchurch Neighbourcare would like to thank everyone in their team for the wonderful work they have done for the community throughout the pandemic.

We would like to remind everyone that Neighbourcare is still offering the service, which we have done for many years.

We provide transport to Covid vaccination centres, hospitals, GP surgeries, clinics, dentists and opticians. We pick up prescriptions from the pharmacy, collect library books, or can drive you to local shops and hairdressers. All our drivers are DBS checked for the work that we do.

We look forward to hearing from you.

The Coop Local Community Fund is now open for applications from local Whitchurch groups. From the 4th – 30th May 2021, Whitchurch charitable groups, causes and projects can apply for funding from the Coop Local Community Fund, for funding beginning from November 2021 for a year.

This year, the Coop community plan focuses on fairer access to food, mental wellbeing and opportunities for young people. The Local Community Fund is for community projects that meet one or more of the following criteria:

enable people to access food and co-operate together to feed everyone. help improve people’s mental wellbeing. offer young people opportunities to develop new skills and make a difference in their community.

Find out more by visiting the website causes.coop.co.ukwww.causes.coop.co.uk Or contact your local Whitchurch Coop Member Pioneer anna.thame@coop.co.uk Applications close 30 May 2021.

Walking for Whitchurch Silk Mill

One of the Mill’s supporters, Simon Coates, has undertaken to walk 10 miles a day for 8 months (a total of 2000 miles) in aid of 16 charities in the region, of which the Silk Mill is proud to be one.

Simon was inspired to add the Mill to his list of charities by Lisa Gale, who manages the exhibitions and events programme that delight visitors at the Mill. He said, “Whitchurch Silk Mill brings to life for new generations the history of Britain’s oldest working silk mill still in existence. It provides an opportunity for them to gain first-hand experience of the skills, techniques, and methods used to create beautiful silk fabric. It is a cause close to my heart”.

Like most heritage attractions in Hampshire, Whitchurch Silk Mill was closed for 7 out of the last 12 months. Despite receiving grants from the Emergency and Recovery Funds, the Mill’s reserves have shrunk since the pandemic started. Essential maintenance and repairs to the 200-year-old building and gardens risk being delayed if additional funds are not found.

To read more about this challenge and find details of how you can contribute, go to http://www.charityhikes.org.uk.

Whitchurch Conservation Group – Website Launch Whitchurch Conservation Group (WCG) are very excited to announce that our website is finally live!   We are a constituted community group set up last October, initially to garner public engagement for the Basingstoke & Deane (BDBC) Issues and Options Consultation. Thanks to your support, we submitted several hundred individual responses to BDBC, and are now seeing that being fed through into the Local Plan.  

We seek to preserve Whitchurch’s green spaces, whilst also recognising the need for proportionate development and improvement of infrastructure, enhancing Whitchurch’s status as an economically and socially vibrant town with a strong rural and heritage identity.

  We would like to draw your attention to the FAQ page on the website, which we hope will be a big help in explaining the special designations that may apply to a piece of land and the planning policy jargon that residents often find difficult to understand.   If you haven’t already done so, then please do sign up to join us (link below) – we currently have 650 members, all local Whitchurch residents, and work alongside Whitchurch Town Council. We have some really important issues relating to planning and development looming on the horizon – we need your support, more than ever.  

Thank you, 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩   https://whitchurchconservationgroup.org/join/