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Accident and emergency visitor criticises RUH parking fine

September 26, 2018
in Latest news
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PARKING at Bath’s Royal United Hospital has been criticised yet again after a visitor to the accident and emergency department was issued with a fine, despite paying for a ticket.

Lorraine Goodwin, was issued with the £80 fine by ParkingEye – the company who run the parking scheme for RUH – after taking her partner’s 12-year old daughter for treatment at the hospital. Unable to physically prove that she bought the ticket as she threw it away the next day, Lorraine’s appeal against the charge has been dismissed by ParkingEye and by POPLA, the independent appeals service for Parking Charge Notices issued on private land.

However, Lorraine has blasted the decision, and remains adamant that she will not pay the fine.

The complaint echoes those shared with the Melksham News throughout last year when the paper was inundated with local people saying they had been unfairly sent £80 charges, despite paying for parking when they visited the hospital.

Other complaints made at the time included, people being fined despite paying the correct amount for parking; that they were being fined despite registering their blue badge; that the pay machine did not charge them the correct amount; that the signage is poor; that they typed their registration in wrong but didn’t know; and it wasn’t clear how to use the system. 

About her experience, Lorraine said, “After several attempts to input my registration number into a parking ticket machine at the entrance to A&E, and several attempts to get it to accept my four £1 coins, it eventually dispensed a ticket (enabling me to park for 4 hours). 3 hours 37 minutes later, the young patient and I returned to the car and left the car park. The following day I threw away the spent car park ticket. 

“One week later, ParkingEye sent me an £80 Parking Charge Notice. To cut a long story short: they would not believe that I had paid for the parking, because I could no longer provide the ticket.  How long is it reasonable to expect someone to retain a ‘spent’ pay and display ticket?

“My only witness is the 12-year old I took to A&E, who’d also tried pushing buttons on the machine to input my registration number that day, so knows the difficulty posed by the faulty machine. 

“I wrote to ParkingEye, explaining what had happened.  They responded, saying that they rejected my explanation, and offered (as a gesture of “good will”) to extend the period of a reduced charge of £40 for a further 14 days. I wrote again, assuring them that I HAD purchased a ticket, and asked them to provide details of when the machine had last been serviced.  

“They ignored this request, but sent me details of how to appeal via POPLA.  POPLA rejected my appeal and said I should pay the parking charge. 

“I am beyond furious at the injustice of it, and I will not, on principle, pay this unjustified charge. It appears that the only course of action open to me is to defend a court case, if ParkingEye brings a claim against me. How can we protect ourselves from outrageous parking charges, when you are in dispute with a private parking company  and you cannot prove that you are in the right?”

In response a ParkingEye spokesperson, said, “We always encourage motorists to appeal if there are mitigating circumstances, and instructions about how to do this are detailed on all communication and on our website. The motorist chose to take their appeal to POPLA, who found in ParkingEye’s favour.”

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  • Local primary school boosts Ofsted report to ‘Good’ in all areas

A local primary school has boosted its Ofsted rating and is now rated ‘Good’ in all areas.

The Manor CE Primary School on Ruskin Avenue has received ‘glowing’ praise in its recent Ofsted inspection for every category, including the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management and early years provision.

The rating follows the school’s Ofsted inspection in 2022, which rated the school as ‘requires improvement.’

Headteacher Michael Park said, “We are thrilled that this report reflects the caring and ambitious nature of our school. Thank you to all our pupils and their parents and all our staff; your hard work and dedication make all the difference. We look forward to continuing to work together to provide the best support for all pupils.”

Pictured: The Manor Primary School pupils with headteacher Michael Park

Read more on our website, the link is in our bio.
  • Melksham Times Past 

A column about days gone by in Melksham by local historian Lisa Ellis

The Independent Chapel and Women’s Rights in the 1840s 

A document I recently transcribed lists the baptisms performed at the Independent Chapel. This record is especially helpful in that, along with baptisms, a lot of them include birth dates - one of the ways I discover which day someone was born.

The following is taken from a Wiltshire Times article published on 9th November 1878 which reports a speech given during the 100-year services and to celebrate their renovations (what we now know to be the Rachel Fowler Centre).

One speaker, Rev. T. Mann, minister in Trowbridge, talked about the Chapel’s origins when he related how Rev. Honywill came to Melksham and how he’d gone on to remain as the minister for the Independent Chapel for almost 60 years. [Honywill and his family lived on King Street in what we now call “Legion House”.] 

Read more on our website, the link is in our bio.
  • Children learn why money matters at school workshop

Children at Bowerhill Primary School learnt why ‘Money Matters’ at a special finance workshop recently, held for the third year running.

Two members of Thomas Porter Wealth Management ran the session, where the children learnt the difference between credit and debit, how to keep a balance sheet, how to spot a scam, and how to manage financial risk.

Headteacher Chris Light said, “Tom and Becky from Thomas Porter Wealth Management delivered the session, and the children’s new-found skills will be put to use through the ever-popular Legacy Enterprise Project. 

Read more on our website, the link is in our bio.
  • Developer submits new homes designs after last attempt branded ‘ugly’

By Local Democracy Reporter Peter Davison with further reporting by Melksham News

Property developer Bewley Homes has submitted updated designs for an 88-house development at Holt, after a previous attempt was branded ‘ugly’ by planners.

In February, Wiltshire Council’s western area planning committee rejected the reserved matters application for the land off Melksham Road, with local member Cllr Trevor Carbin branding the design as “basically ugly.”

Residents, joined by MP Brian Mathew and members of Holt Parish Council, also gathered at the site to voice their concerns over the designs.

New plans were submitted this week for the development on the eastern edge of the village, which will be known as Elmridge Meadows. 

Pictured: Residents and Holt parish councillors with Brian Mathew MP at the proposed development

Read more on our website, the link is in our bio.
  • New social club brings Melksham together

A new grassroots initiative in the heart of Melksham is offering something simple yet much-needed: a welcoming space for local people to come together. 

The Social and Skills Club, based at That Meeting Space, hosts monthly sessions full of fun, creativity, and companionship from bingo and crafts to quizzes and informal chats.

“In a time when libraries and other community venues are dwindling, many people find themselves missing a place that isn’t work or home – somewhere they can just be,” said Paula Eaves, Community Support Manager at Abney & Baker, one of the club’s organisers.

“That’s exactly what the Social and Skills Club aims to provide: a true “third space”, open to everyone, where friendly faces and shared interests bring people together without pressure or expectation. 

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  • Eco fashion duo exchange ideas at top sustainable event

Two founders of a new sustainable fashion initiative have shared their concept at one of London’s leading eco fashion events. 

Meagan Powell, from Melksham, and Gracie May, from Westbury, founded Swap Society earlier this year to work with independent venues to hold sustainable fashion events.

After a successful launch event at Doubles in Melksham, Meagan and Gracie were sent tickets to The Good Clothes Show in London. The event saw the biggest names in sustainable and vintage clothing come together at the Old Town Hall in Chelsea.

Gracie, who is manager of the Dorothy House charity shop in Westbury, said, “Everyone sang from the same hymn sheet as us and had the same morals and ethics as we do as a brand.

“We spoke with vendors who sold pre-loved items, while others had created their own garments from end-of-line fabrics or reused materials. We tried on sustainable wedding dresses, there was a room full of sustainably made hats – the whole experience was amazing.” 

Pictured: Meagan and Gracie on their way to the event, Meagan, Gracie

Read more on our website, the link is in our bio.
  • Young runners celebrate junior parkrun milestone

Three young runners have reached a significant milestone at Melksham’s junior parkrun, earning silver wristbands for completing 100 events.

Anna, aged 6, and Esme and Maggie, both aged 7, were recently awarded their silver wristbands in recognition of their dedication to the weekly 2km runs at King George V playing fields.

The Melksham junior parkrun takes place every Sunday morning at 9am and is open to children aged between four and 14. The free event involves running four laps of the park.

Participants are awarded coloured wristbands to celebrate their achievements: blue for 11 runs (half marathon), green for 21 runs (marathon), orange for 50 (ultra marathon), and silver for the 100-run milestone. 

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A morris dancing group from Holt helped launch the Bank Holiday Monday celebrations at this year’s Chippenham Folk Festival, one of the country’s major folk events.

Bell’s Angels joined forces with Chippenham Morris Men to open the day’s programme of dance, performing in the middle of the High Street.

“Each side danced several alternate dances and ended with a joint session of Shepherds Hey,” said Bell’s Angels member Sue Mortimer. “Great fun was had by all and it was lovely to dance in front of such an appreciative crowd, which in Morris tradition brought out the sunshine!”

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  • Residents move forward with plans to revive village pub
 
Residents in Semington are taking the next step in their plans to reopen the village’s pub for the community.

Seven residents have formed a team with the aim to potentially take on the Somerset Arms, which closed in 2023, and has been on sale since last November.

The idea would be for the residents to form a Community Benefit Society, a type of social enterprise that serves the needs of a community, and reinvent the pub.

“If we attempt this CBS approach, it is a big task and will need many more than the seven of us to make this happen. All sorts of skills are needed as well as financial support,” said one of the residents. 

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