Yesterday evening in the Assembly Hall, over 100 representatives of local groups and the community came together in "Melksham Forward" - a meeting arranged by the area board and Community Area Partnership to consider local inputs and priorities for the community / area plan - the strategic blueprint for the future which will lay out how we want the town to go forward. It was really good to see so many people involved, and to take part in constructive discussions on various of the tables. Underlying statistics from
the Intelligence Network was presented as a starting point, and at the end of the evening the reporter from each table gave their top priorities.
Community Safety
Pub Watch
Dangerous Parking
Safe Cycling
Support Domersic Violence Victims
Economy, Jobs and Skills
Stength and Diversity in businesses
Work experience, preparing for work and internships
Celebrate the town for residents and tourism
Health and Well-being
Cancer and men's health
Teenage Pregnancy
Alcohol issues
Children and young people
Sexual health education and discreet advise
Pubic transport / cheap fares for young people
Train to get to and from college
Publicity for events for youth
Catching deprivation at a very young age to break the cycle
Transport
Buses - half hourly not 2 per hour
Sunday buses
Trains - currently bad -> every 2 hours
then integrate trains with buses
Tickets / cafe / car park at station
Cycle route 403 dangerous - reroute through campus
Environment
Reduce carbon and protect countryside
Wilts and Berks opportunities
Cycle improvements needed to Great Chalfield
Bus and train improvements
Housing
More social / private / shared ownership housing
Village Houses
Making downsizing attactive as people get older
2000 empty properties, but 16000 awaiting homes
Leisure, Arts and Culture
Reduce reliance on too few, too busy volunteers by increasing volunteer base
Inclusing yound
Improving communications
Focus on campus
Town guide - improve with less history
Melksham Forward
Melksham Museum
As a final summary to the evening, Councillor Seed commented than not only had we got on well, but we had got on with the task in hand. Neat words, and I echo his sentiment. And big congrats and thanks to Abbi, Miriam and all the others who helped organise it.
Click on images to enlarge (written 2011-11-04)
Associated topics are indexed as below, or enter http://melksh.am/nnnn for individual articles
M201 - Well House Manor - Around Melksham, Wiltshire [437] Outside of the box - (2005-09-06)
[676] Melksham, Wiltshire - (2006-04-08)
[805] Melksham Carnival Parade - (2006-07-16)
[811] Melksham in Bloom - (2006-07-22)
[830] Butterflies in a Wiltshire garden - (2006-08-12)
[847] Image maps for navigation - a straightforward example - (2006-08-28)
[866] A lazy programmer is a good programmer - (2006-09-15)
[879] Tuesday night is party night - (2006-09-26)
[929] Presenting Melksham - for a weekend away in Wiltshire - (2006-11-17)
[957] Improving the historic town of Melksham - (2006-11-30)
[977] Melksham and Norwich - (2006-12-10)
[1117] Newport Male Voice Choir - (2007-03-24)
[1137] Wiltshire Circles - (2007-04-07)
[1177] Sorting out for a site map - (2007-05-05)
[1206] Where and When - can you place the picture? - (2007-05-27)
[1266] Party in the Park - (2007-07-14)
[1271] Till the cows come home - (2007-07-19)
[1330] While waiting for Melksham Post Office - (2007-09-02)
[1341] Moving to Melksham? Househunting map. - (2007-09-09)
[1343] Melksham Laundrette - (2007-09-09)
[1360] Asda in Melksham - Welcome or not? - (2007-09-21)
[1368] Getting the local voice heard - (2007-09-26)
[1436] A little touring help during a business trip to England - (2007-11-18)
[1451] More PHP sample and demonstration programs - (2007-12-01)
[1928] Melksham Oak Community School, Melksham, Wiltshire - (2008-12-07)
[1977] Going round the block - (2009-01-04)
[1986] Walk to Bowerhill - (2009-01-10)
[2008] The Month Ahead - What is happening in Melksham - (2009-01-25)
[2043] Confidence, Customer Service and Tourism in Melksham - (2009-02-15)
[2064] East of Melksham Countryside - (2009-03-02)
[2066] Melksham Industrial - (2009-03-04)
[2142] Riverside Development - (2009-04-26)
[2168] In honour of the photograph, I present ... a walk from Reybridge to Lacock - (2009-05-10)
[2175] Melksham in pictures - (2009-05-11)
[2253] Walks in and around Melksham, Wiltshire - (2009-06-21)
[2262] History is not always pretty - (2009-06-30)
[2297] Standing on the corner, Melksham Carnival - (2009-07-19)
[2329] Great to be in Melksham - (2009-08-08)
[2349] Businesses effected by road works in Melksham - (2009-08-11)
[2480] Pantomimes around Melksham - 2009/2010 season - (2009-10-28)
[2497] Brown horses in Melksham - (2009-11-08)
[2528] Melksham Christmas Lights - (2009-12-05)
[2585] Consultation in Melksham, on Melkshams future - (2010-01-17)
[2588] Freddies Wood and the K and A Canal - (2010-01-17)
[2665] Early Spring walk in Melksham - (2010-03-07)
[2691] New brochures for the Melksham area - (2010-03-24)
[2708] The bull on the footpath - (2010-04-04)
[2716] Melksham in Pictures - (2010-04-10)
[2739] Melksham Scouts - (2010-04-25)
[2829] Dauncey Gardens, Melksham - (2010-06-27)
[2854] Melksham Food and Drink Fair and Town Crier Competition - (2010-07-04)
[2950] Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, turns first sod in Melksham Link Canal - (2010-09-09)
[3023] Autumn walk from Bowerhill - (2010-10-31)
[3050] Views of Melksham - November 2010 - (2010-11-13)
[3209] Seeing Electricity Pylons near Melksham - (2011-03-21)
[3227] Her favourite store - (2011-04-02)
[3232] Around and about Melksham in more pictures - (2011-04-05)
[3248] What have these pictures in common? - (2011-04-16)
[3258] Morning in Melksham - (2011-04-23)
[3266] Easter on the Canal - near Melksham, Wiltshire - (2011-04-26)
[3305] Getting away from the madding crowd - an intercontinental journey - (2011-05-27)
[3337] Home Grown Pigs, near Melksham Station - (2011-06-26)
[3389] Plenty to do in Melksham - (2011-08-13)
[3470] Currently pictured in Melksham - (2011-10-09)
[3499] Images of Melksham - (2011-10-29)
[3502] Sunday Evening ... newest and oldest Melksham pictures - (2011-10-30)
[3520] Quintessentially English - scenes from our Wiltshire town - (2011-11-14)
[3525] Melksham has a heart - come and see the pictures. Sunday, 11 to 3, Assembly Hall - (2011-11-18)
[3526] Melksham has a Heart - Montage picture for sale - (2011-11-20)
[3543] Some different pictures from Melksham - (2011-12-07)
[3569] Images of the new year in Melksham - (2012-01-05)
[3605] Snow comes to Melksham, Wiltshire - pictures - (2012-02-10)
[3644] The way of the Prioress - Melksham history pictured today - (2012-03-09)
[3646] Exploring Melksham with a film maker - (2012-03-09)
[3647] Along the brook - East Melksham to Melksham - (2012-03-10)
[3656] TrainWest 2012 - 14th and 15th April, Melksham, Wiltshire - (2012-03-16)
[3657] Basham Festival, Melksham, early August 2012 - a welcome - (2012-03-16)
[3659] Welcome to Melksham - our new communities - (2012-03-18)
[3692] Deeper than Art - An exhibition of the tattoo Canvas - Melksham - (2012-04-10)
[3697] Events in Melksham - read all about them, and tell us about yours - (2012-04-15)
[3703] A Museum for Melksham History. Open from 12th May 2012. - (2012-04-21)
[3704] The Bowerhill Villager - a newsletter for Bowerhill, Melksham - (2012-04-22)
[3712] Some unpublished and historic pictures - Museum of Melksham - (2012-04-28)
[3720] Melksham ATC - freedom of the town - (2012-05-05)
[3735] A walk around Melksham this morning. Can you place all of these? - (2012-05-17)
[3744] Short Web Addresses for Melksham - (2012-05-30)
[3771] Fine evening, country walk from Melksham - pictures - (2012-06-21)
[3822] Town Clean - Melksham - (2012-07-29)
[3837] Evening behind Melksham Spa - (2012-08-12)
[3864] Guest Guide for Well House Manor and Melksham - (2012-09-18)
[3869] How have Melksham shops changed in 60 years? - (2012-09-24)
[3897] Autumn scenes from Melksham - (2012-10-16)
[3944] Melksham Christmas Lights, 2012 - (2012-12-05)
[3949] Melksham Spa from Woolmore Farm - (2012-12-09)
[3960] Picture - between Lacock and Melksham - (2012-12-21)
[3962] Melksham welcomes visitors - new blue plaque trail and more - (2012-12-27)
[4084] New Pictures - Melksham Pack Horse Bridge - (2013-05-12)
[4119] Melksham - Flower Town - (2013-06-20)
[4141] My pictures of Melksham Carnival, 13th July 2013 - (2013-07-14)
[4145] After the storm - (2013-07-29)
[4151] Tell me a bit about Melksham - (2013-08-10)
[4169] Around and about - Melksham - (2013-09-08)
[4357] Seeing Christmas Coming to Melksham - (2014-12-20)
[4701] Pretty at the station too - (2016-07-06)
Some other Articles
Melksham has a heart - have your picture taken and support the defibrillator appealThe skull above the door in Melksham Town HallOperator Overloading, Exceptions, Pointers, References and Templates in C++ - new examples from our coursesDestructor methods in C++ - a primerMelksham Forward - meeting summary and picturesCold call contacts - preference services and turning off spam sales approachesWell House Manor - Winter Warmers - Open 7 days a week, 11 to 5 ++Coaches from Trowbridge and Melksham to LondonMelksham House - a community facility