Parish grants reach three local community groups
Published Thursday 5 November 2026
We trace the £5,000 awards, check Studley’s revised road-safety timetable and find five things to do this week.
Top Updates
£5,000 grants: three payments made, hall awarded £3,029
Three of the parish’s four community grants are now recorded as paid: £950 to Derry Hill Youth Club, £371 to St John Ambulance and £650 to the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust. We compared the October decisions with the new payments report.
The remaining £3,029 award, towards Lansdowne Hall’s doors, is not recorded as paid in that report. Together the awards use the full £5,000 budget, following the recommendations we covered in October. The hall receives just over 60% of the total.
Studley traffic-calming bid now expected next year
Studley’s traffic-calming scheme is unlikely to make November’s funding round. A new parish report says highways officers will first remove four proposed strips from the design and revise its cost; the first of next year’s two bidding rounds is now expected.
We checked the latest commitments schedule: the parish’s £7,500 contribution is still recorded. That is a local commitment, not a confirmed award for the whole scheme. Councillors will discuss the update at Lansdowne Hall on Monday 9 November at 7.30pm.
Dates For Your Diary
10 and 24 November; 8 December · 7pm
History discussions at Wine Monkey, Chippenham
Explore local history through informal discussion with historian Lucy Whitfield at Wine Monkey, Borough Parade. The History Portal Club will explore Chippenham’s non-conformist past on Tuesday 10 November, the Wilts & Berks Canal on Tuesday 24 November and how the railway changed Chippenham on Tuesday 8 December 2026.
A first-time taster costs £10; returning non-members pay £14 per meeting. Booking is essential: email lucywhitfieldhistorian@gmail.com.
Saturday 28 November · 1–6pm · Calne town centre
Correction: Calne Christmas Festival of Lights
Calne’s Christmas Festival of Lights will take place in the town centre on Saturday 28 November, from 1pm to 6pm, with food and drink stalls, entertainment, a lights switch-on, a lantern parade and fireworks.
We gave the wrong date and start time in our 29 October issue: 21 November, noon–6pm. Our 22 October listing also gave the wrong start time of 2pm. We’re sorry for the mistakes.
What's On
Friday 6 November
Wiltshire Ramble ’n Rant at The Pewsham, 10am–1pm · free walk. The Agency Adventure’s networking walk follows a roughly four-mile route towards Lacock and back along the canal. Dogs are welcome. Start and finish at The Pewsham, SN15 3RU; book through the organiser. There is an optional pub lunch afterwards.
Biddestone Bonfire and Firework Display, 6–8.30pm · adults £6 · under-16s £4 · under-5s free. The bonfire will be lit at 6.30pm, followed by professional fireworks at 7pm on Yatton Road, SN14 7BZ. The family evening includes a barbecue and bar, with free field parking. Payments are cash only; do not bring fireworks or sparklers.
Saturday 7 November
Corsham Creative Market at Springfield Community Campus, 11am–3pm · free entry. Browse more than 30 stalls of locally made jewellery, ceramics, candles, woodwork and other crafts at the market. Free parking and wheelchair access are available. Markets will run on Saturday 7 November and Saturday 5 December, both 11am–3pm.
Sunday 8 November
Remembrance Sunday at Chippenham’s War Memorial, Gather from 10.45am · silence at 11am. You’re invited to gather opposite the War Memorial for the public Act of Remembrance before the two-minute silence at 11am. A parade down the High Street will follow. Veterans and serving personnel can ask event staff about a reserved viewing area.
Tuesday 10 November
Try handbells at Christ Church, Derry Hill, 2.30–4.30pm · £2. No experience is needed for the Tuesday handbell practice at Christ Church on Church Road. Beginners are welcome to come along and try ringing with the group; the charge is per person, per week.
Roadworks and Transport
Use Gladstone Road for Chippenham buses from Monday
Faresaver advises passengers to use Gladstone Road, by Waitrose, instead of Chippenham Bus Station from Monday 9 to Friday 20 November while shelters are replaced. This affects the 33/X33 connection serving Derry Hill. The operator’s notice gives dates but no changeover times; check with Faresaver on 01249 444444 for journeys at either end of the works.
Planning Watch
Public toilet proposed for Calne Recreation Ground
A modular public toilet and hardstanding for a catering trailer are proposed at Calne Recreation Ground, off Anchor Road. Wiltshire’s application PL/2026/06815 is under consultation, with comments due by Friday 27 November. This is an application, not permission to build; the proposal is for the toilet and associated works, not approval of a catering business.