April News

Spring has sprung, the snowdrops have been replaced by crocus and daffodils and the sound of birds getting busy making nests heralds a new season and with that, optimism that we are all moving slowly forward on the route out of lockdown.

Activities for our organisation at this time have mainly been focused on maintaining our public open spaces for the community and work will be starting soon on repair works to the stone walls at the allotments along Herd Lane. We have also maintained the availability of essential stalls, who are still attending under the Market House on a Wednesday and Saturday.

We have been approached by the Town Council regarding sponsoring jointly a 7ft Kingfisher Sculpture as part of the wider Cotswold Trail, which is due to take place from May – October, to be sited on the Millennium Green and we are pleased to be able to support this.  This will be in celebration of the partnership work which has taken place between the Feoffees, Tetbury Town Council and Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust regarding the regeneration of the watercourse and natural habitat, as part of the Wild Towns Project.

Finally, we have been pleased to provide the Bowls Club with a grant to purchase sets of small woods to help them to develop their youth section.

If you think we may be able to help you or your group with an education or training grant or would like to know more about the work we do in our town, please visit our website – www.thefeoffeesoftetbury.co.uk - or speak to one of our members.

Lance Vick – Chairman

March News

The Feoffees and Thirteen of Tetbury 

When I wrote this article in February 2020, I mentioned how the start of a new year and new decade was exciting, little did I know how our lives would change both here in our Market Town and around the World with the arrival of COVID-19 and the lockdowns which have endeavoured to keep us all safe and reduce transmission.

I would like to start this year by not only wishing you all a Happy New Year but to also thank the NHS staff, keyworkers, volunteers and local traders, who are providing essential services to us all during this difficult time.  News of the vaccination programme is welcomed and by the time that you read this, I hope that good progress is being made to help protect our residents and community.

One of the inspiring things which appears to have happened during this time is the support of local shops and businesses, with the shop local campaign.  The businesses have provided us with support over the last 12 months and in turn, by using their services we can support them.  Whist many shops may not be open, if you can, check them online, as many are offering click and collect services, this will support our local economy and jobs.

Many of you will have noticed that The Market Hall remains closed at this time, however, the outside Wednesday and Saturday markets continue, according to Government guidance – currently essential services only, although this is subject to change. I would like to once again thank those volunteers who, within Government guidance, managed to ensure that The Market Hall was decorated so beautifully for the Christmas period and it has been wonderful to see this beautiful building still adorned with lights throughout the winter evenings. I would also like to thank Thirteen member Darby Law and our Clerk Alison McKay for arranging to decorate the Feoffee Christmas Tree in the St Saviours Christmas Tree Festival and Thirteen member David Smith and his family for decorating the pair of Christmas Trees which flanked the Market Hall steps over the Christmas period.

Sadly, I have to report that someone has recently fly tipped wood chippings along Herd Lane, could I please ask residents to keep their eyes open when taking their daily exercise and should any fly tipping be witnessed to report accordingly – many thanks.

Finally, during this time we have supported the local Foodbank in their work to ensure that no one in our town goes hungry and if you think we may be able to help you or your group with an education or training grant or would like to know more about the work we do in our town, please visit our website – www.thefeoffeesoftetbury.co.uk - or speak to one of our members.

Lance Vick – Chairman

December News

The Feoffees and Thirteen of Tetbury

These unusual times have called for some unusual measures and I am pleased to confirm that Feoffees Richard Cooper, Dave Hicks and Dave Norris, with the assistance of Thirteen members David Smith, Mark Elliott and John Latter managed to stay Covid secure and install the Christmas Lights on The Market Hall, just before the second lockdown began. Thank you to them all for arranging this with less than 24 hours notice and to Feoffee John Hugginson and Tetbury Plumbing & Heating for their additional support.  I also attended the socially distanced wreath laying ceremony at the Town War Memorial on Remembrance Sunday, it is so very important that we continue to remember and to live our lives, looking after our community and neighbours as best we can in these difficult times.

The work of our group has continued and many of you may have noticed that at the Millennium Green that the dam boards at the pond have been removed.  This is to allow for remedial repair works to take place and I would like to thank Feoffees Richard Cooper and Will Cook, Thirteen member John Latter and local resident Ben Scrivens, for their hard work and support with this.

Grant applications have continued to be received and I am pleased to report that support has been given to the following organisations/individuals as follows:

• Support for a Community Pantomime at The Goods Shed

• Education Grant for a local young lady about to start a University Course

• Cirencester/Tetbury Foodbank – continued financial commitment to this vital work

We were also pleased to received letters of thanks from Tetbury Hospital for our support of a blood pressure machine and St Mary’s Primary School for the provision of an interactive whiteboards.

If you think we may be able to help you or your group with an education or training grant or would like to know more about the work we do in our town, please visit our website – www.thefeoffeesoftetbury.co.uk - or speak to one of our members.

It just remains for me to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I hope that 2021 allows us to all return to some sort of normality.

Stay Safe!

Lance Vick – Chairman

November news

Sadly, as many of you know Thirteen Member John Price passed away last month.  John was a member of our group since 1986 and was instrumental in working with the Lowsley-Williams family each year to ensure that the Market Hall was flanked by 2 beautiful Christmas Trees.  A minute’s silence was held in his honour at our first ‘socially distanced/Covid 19 regulation’ Feoffee only meeting on 16th September.  In addition to this, the Feoffee Flag flew at half mast during the week of his death and on the day of his funeral. It was wonderful to see how our residents turned out to line Long Street and Church Street on John’s final journey past the Market Hall, behind which we all collected our mistletoe each Christmas, a true Tetbury man and character who will be missed by us all. 

The work of the Trustees continues and in Preston Park Gloucester Wildlife Trust has started to work on the lower part of the watercourse and John Latter and his team have been busy in the Community Orchard. General Maintenance has also been taking place throughout our Open Spaces and on the Market Hall.

In these unusual times we all need to find a way for occasions to be marked and Remembrance Day is no different.  There will be no Remembrance Day Service this year, however, I wanted to let you all know that a wreath will be laid by The Feoffee and Thirteen at the Town War Memorial and once again we will be having wreaths around the Market Hall on the pillars.  It is important for us all to remember those in our community and worldwide who gave their lives in the pursuance of peace.

Grant applications have continued to be received during this difficult time and I am pleased to report that support has been given to the following organisations/individuals as follows:

• St Mary’s School – 2 x interactive whiteboards

• Tetbury Hospital – Blood Pressure Monitor

• Tetbury Rail Lands Play Area – Path to the Play Area

• Tetbury Football Club

• Various Individuals for studies and tools

In addition, the following annual grants were made:

• Tetbury Area Youth and Community Trust - £3,000

• John Phillips Millennium Green - £1500

• Tetbury in Bloom - £1500

• Advowson - £70

• Reverend Hughes - £30

If you think we may be able to help you or your group with an education or training grant or would like to know more about the work we do in our town, please visit our website – www.thefeoffeesoftetbury.co.uk - or speak to one of our members.

Stay safe.

Lance Vick – Chairman

October News

Due to the new COVID  lockdown restrictions we will now have essential traders only on Wednesday and Saturday which will be Tim with the plants , Kerry vegetable supplies, and the fish man . Jo our bookings secretary will be monitoring  footfall before we decide if we need to make an allowance as we did in the last lockdown period.

I have now contacted John Hall on several occasions to carry out the repairs in the upstairs main hall and the meeting room.John keeps promising to ring me back with a date which has not  happened.I will contact him one more time if he does not respond with a date I will look for another contractor.

I have ordered two Union Jack flags and one St George flag as requested by Dave Smith.

At the last Feoffee meeting when checking the annual grants we were undecided with the grant for holiday at home, I have since spoken to Brian Cook the coordinator who said they did not require any donation for next year as they have £1400 pounds in the kitty but will contact if necessary in the future. 

September News

The Feoffees and Thirteen of Tetbury

As the lockdown has eased, it has been lovely to see our Town burst back into life and I have to say that the floral displays and gardens have once again been beautiful. Thanks to our amazing volunteers from Tetbury in Bloom and to Tetbury Plumbing and Heating for their assistance with maintenance and watering.

The Wednesday and Saturday Markets have returned to The Market Hall, with all COVID-19 guidelines being implemented and preparations are being made for when upstairs can be re-opened.

Sadly, as with many other local events, we have had to cancel both the annual Beating of the Bounds and the opening of The Market House for Heritage Weekend this year.

Grant applications have continued to be received during this time and I am pleased to report the following support has been given:

• £500 – Tetbury Hospital Covid-19 appeal

If you think we may be able to help you or your group with an education or training grant or would like to know more about the work we do in our town, please visit our website – www.thefeoffeesoftetbury.co.uk - or speak to one of our members.

Stay safe.

Lance Vick – Chairman

July August News

The Feoffees and Thirteen of Tetbury

When I wrote the last article for the April edition, I never imagined that that it would end up in an online version of the magazine and that our lives would have changed so much.

I hope that you and your families have stayed well during the lockdown and as we move to the next phase during the pandemic of re-opening our town and businesses, we are going to notice changes which will be with us for a while – not least Social Distancing and queuing outside premises at 2m distance from each other. The Market House will remain closed during this time, however, the market underneath will remain open on Wednesday and Saturday – it has been so good to see our stall holders returning during lockdown and providing valuable services to our town and residents.

During the lockdown period The Chipping Car Park had the car parking charges suspended, but as we start to get back to the ‘new normal’ these charges, along with the District Council Car Parks have restarted. Many of you may not be aware that, whilst this car park is managed by Cotswold District Council, this Car Park is owned by the Feoffee and all profits are put back into our community in the form of grants. We have been asked by many people about the CDC ‘Free after 3pm’ scheme and why we do not take part in this – the reason is that the loss of income would mean approx. £6k not being received by the Charity and therefore unable to be given out as grants

Sadly, prior to the Coronavirus crisis we were experiencing episodes of fly tipping along Herd Lane, can I respectfully request that you arrange to dispose of your rubbish responsibly and remove to the tip or arrange appropriate collection. Many of you will have also seen the reports that toddler den seats in Berkeley Wood were taken, however, following appeals these have been returned. On the Millennium Green the Bird Cherry Tree was damaged during heavy wind and rain, thanks to Richard Cooper, John Latter, John Hugginson, Danny Bristow and Mark Elliott who ensured that this area was made safe. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Tetbury Heating and Plumbing for their assistance in putting the hanging baskets on The Market House and for ensuring that they will be watered over the summer months.

Whilst we have been unable to hold our Free Community BBQ on the Millennium Green this year, due to the restrictions of public gatherings, we have not yet cancelled the following planned events – we await further changes to restrictions and advice, but please note that these could be cancelled at short notice:

• 5th September – Beating of the Bounds – 9.30am under Bath Bridge

• 12th/13th September – Heritage Weekend – The Market House will be open to the public

Grants applications have continued to be received during this time and I am pleased to report the following support has been given:

• Support for a young father terminally ill and his family - £500

• Tetbury Foodbank - £2,000

If you think we may be able to help you or your group with an education or training grant or would like to know more about the work we do in our town, please visit our website – www.thefeoffeesoftetbury.co.uk - or speak to one of our members.

Lance Vick – Chairman

June News

The Feoffees and Thirteen of Tetbury

When I wrote the last article for the April edition, I never imagined that that it would end up in an online version of the magazine and that our lives would have changed so much.

I hope that you and your families have stayed well during the lockdown and as we move to the next phase during the pandemic of re-opening our town and businesses, we are going to notice changes which will be with us for a while – not least Social Distancing and queuing outside premises at 2m distance from each other. The Market House will remain closed during this time, however, the market underneath will remain open on Wednesday and Saturday – it has been so good to see our stall holders returning during lockdown and providing valuable services to our town and residents.

During the lockdown period The Chipping Car Park had the car parking charges suspended, but as we start to get back to the ‘new normal’ these charges, along with the District Council Car Parks have restarted. Many of you may not be aware that, whilst this car park is managed by Cotswold District Council, this Car Park is owned by the Feoffee and all profits are put back into our community in the form of grants. We have been asked by many people about the CDC ‘Free after 3pm’ scheme and why we do not take part in this – the reason is that the loss of income would mean approx. £6k not being received by the Charity and therefore unable to be given out as grants.

Sadly, prior to the Coronavirus crisis we were experiencing episodes of fly tipping along Herd Lane, can I respectfully request that you arrange to dispose of your rubbish responsibly and remove to the tip or arrange appropriate collection. Many of you will have also seen the reports that toddler den seats in Berkeley Wood were taken, however, following appeals these have been returned. On the Millennium Green the Bird Cherry Tree was damaged during heavy wind and rain, thanks to Richard Cooper, John Latter, John Hugginson, Danny Bristow and Mark Elliott who ensured that this area was made safe. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Tetbury Heating and Plumbing for their assistance in putting the hanging baskets on The Market House and for ensuring that they will be watered over the summer months.

Whilst we have been unable to hold our Free Community BBQ on the Millennium Green this year, due to the restrictions of public gatherings, we have not yet cancelled the following planned events – we await further changes to restrictions and advice, but please note that these could be cancelled at short notice:

• 5th September – Beating of the Bounds – 9.30am under Bath Bridge

• 12th/13th September – Heritage Weekend – The Market House will be open to the public

Grants applications have continued to be received during this time and I am pleased to report the following support has been given:

• Support for a young father terminally ill and his family - £500

• Tetbury Foodbank - £2,000

If you think we may be able to help you or your group with an education or training grant or would like to know more about the work we do in our town, please visit our website – www.thefeoffeesoftetbury.co.uk - or speak to one of our members.

Lance Vick – Chairman

February News

The Feoffees and Thirteen of Tetbury

I would like to start by wishing you all a Happy New Year, I do hope that Christmas was a time for you to catch up with your families and friends and I would once again like to thank the Lowsley-Williams family, Feoffees, Thirteen, Tetbury Heating and Plumbing and Avis Electrical for helping to decorate our Market House so beautifully and for Creative Hairdressing for the provision of coffees to keep them all going.  In addition, to Thirteen member Darby Law, who represented our organisation on the planning group for the Christmas Light Switch On, where the Market House once again was the centre piece of the town.

The start of a new year and new decade is indeed exciting and I am pleased to confirm that a new member of the Thirteen has been elected, Mark Elliott, who many of you will know and we all look forward to working with him on our projects in the future.

Finally, following 40 years as a member of the Thirteen, Peter Witchell recently stood down and I would like to thank him for all his hard work for the town and our organisation over the years.

If you think we may be able to help you or your group with an education or training grant or would like to know more about the work we do in our town, please visit our website – www.thefeoffeesoftetbury.co.uk - or speak to one of our members.

Lance Vick – Chairman

December News

 Following his recent resignation from the Thirteen, I would like to start my column by thanking Mike Francis for all his hard work for our organisation and the town over the past 19 years. He will be missed and we wish him well in the future.

As the Christmas season is upon us and shortly The Market House and trees will be lit up as the centre piece of our town centre, I would like to thank the Lowsley-Williams family for once again providing the beautiful trees, Tetbury Heating and Plumbing company for their time, initially removing the hanging baskets and then assisting the Thirteen erecting the lights.  I do hope that many of you will join the celebrations on Friday 6th December, starting with the Christmas Parade from 5.40pm, Community Carols followed by the Christmas Light Switch On at 6pm.  The Feoffees are pleased to advise that we will be allowing free parking in the Chipping Car Park on this evening from 4pm and we hope that this is the start of a prosperous Christmas Season for the traders in the town.

Finally, I am pleased to advise that the following annual grant round has been approved, with the following grants being awarded:

Millennium Green       - £1,500                       Monday Club                           - £  250

Advowson                   - £    70                        Tetbury Youth Club                - £3,000

Tetbury in Bloom        - £1,500                       Tetbury Flower Show              - £  500

Holiday at Home         - £1,500                       St Mary’s School                      - £3,000

Lecturers Grant           - £    30                       

This year we have also given an additional grant to St Mary’s School for the roof repairs £5,000, Tetbury Foodbank £1,200 (to be paid in two instalments), Tetbury Town Football Club £1,000 and St Mary’s Playgroup for ICT equipment £ 600

If you think we may be able to help you or your group with an education or training grant or would like to know more about the work we do in our town, please visit our website – www.thefeoffeesoftetbury.co.uk - or speak to one of our members.

It just remains for me to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Lance Vick – Chairman

November News

As the autumn is almost over, we were pleased to receive a report from a local resident that the Kingfisher, previously seen, has now returned to the Millennium Green.  This is wonderful news and we hope that it will continue to visit us on a regular basis. In addition, a Heron has also been spotted.

Keeping up the nature and animal theme, following the very successful ‘Community Bluebell Planting Day’ at the start the Wild Towns project, you will notice a few changes starting to take place in Preston Park. Firstly, the cows have gone, having spent the summer eating the grass, as they do every summer.  The steps which lead from the Railway line to Berkeley Wood have been repaired and the ‘Owl Hotel’ has been installed in Preston Park. 

There are also going to be 17 ‘Bat Boxes’ installed throughout the area, so please keep your eyes open when you are enjoying this area provided for the benefit to the entire community.

I am pleased to report that 241 visitors visited The Market House over the recent Heritage weekend and dates for your diary next year – Annual Beating of the Bounds – meeting under Bath Bridge 9.30am on Saturday 5th September and the Heritage Weekend will take place on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th September.

We continue to plan for the Christmas Light ‘switch on’ on Friday 6th December and I am pleased to confirm that the Chipping Car Park, which we own, with all profits being put back into our community, will be free from charge that evening from 4pm.  You will see the Thirteen team working hard in November, erecting the Christmas Trees and adorning The Market House with lights, this iconic building is the focal point of Christmas in Tetbury.

Finally, I am pleased to advise that the following grants have been recently awarded:

• £250 to a young person training in Plumbing & Heating

• £250 to a young person undertaking a Photography degree

If you think we may be able to help you or your group with an education or training grant or would like to know more about the work we do in our town, please visit our website – www.thefeoffeesoftetbury.co.uk - or speak to one of our members.

Lance Vick – Chairman

Help us create a Bluebell Trail

Community Planting Day – 10am to 12noon, Saturday 21st September 2019

Tetbury Town Council and the Tetbury Feoffees are partnering the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust in its ‘Wild Towns’ scheme across eight towns in Gloucestershire.  In Tetbury the scheme will be focussed on the Rail Lands, to improve the stream bed, waterflows, biodiversity and public access.  The scheme is valued at £40,000 – comprising £20K European money, £10K from the Town Council and £10K from the Feoffees.  The Wildlife Trust will provide a Project Manager because it has the economies of scale to do so across the county; meaning that the Tetbury Council Taxpayer will pay only a quarter of the project cost to benefit from £40,000 of improvement work, delivered by professionals.

Part of the overall project in Tetbury is the creation of a Bluebell Trail along the old rail track. 

What can you do to be part of this?

• ·         On Saturday 21st September we want volunteers (local families and their children, and local groups) to plant thousands of bluebell bulbs along the Rail Lands.

• ·         Volunteers should come dressed for gardening and equipped with their own garden trowels

• ·         In advance of the day, we will put in some numbered stakes and map them.

• ·         Arriving at any time from 10am to 12noon, each group will be given: (a) a map or plan showing all the stakes/planting locations; (b) their own stake number; and (c) a bag or boxful of bluebell bulbs.

Our volunteers then go off to find their allocated stake and plant their bulbs in the immediate area.

·We then wait for April-May 2020 to enjoy the spectacle of our new Bluebell Trail.

There’s no need to formally register, but it would like you to tell us that you intend to join in, so please call the Town Council on 01666-504670 or email townclerk@tetbury.gov.uk