IT was an afternoon of celebration at Melksham Shed last week as the group officially opened their new workshop.
Melksham Shed has been running since October 2014 and was the first shed group in Wiltshire. Three years on, the group needed a bigger workshop as numbers had grown.
Chris Pickett who started the club said, “It was fantastic to see so many people come along to the opening. The weather was very kind to us and we had a great afternoon celebrating.
“A lot of hard work has gone into getting the new workshop ready, but it’s been fun. Everyone has helped and done their bit – at times it’s like working with older kindergarten, but we’ve had fun!
“The Shed provides a service which doesn’t normally exist. It gives men an environment in which to socialise, make things, be creative, help the local community or just somewhere to have a chat and cup of coffee and tea and a biscuit!
“The Shed shows that we value older people and their skills are valuable and that they still have something to offer. It ties in with the Age-Friendly town initiative that Melksham Seniors are working towards.
“We have just over 20 members but now we have a bigger space, we welcome more members.”
Mayor of Melksham, cllr Adrienne Westbrook said, “This is a fantastic facility and everyone involved should be very proud. I was delighted to officially open the new workshop – it looks brilliant.”
To find out more about Melksham Shed, visit www.melkshamshed.com
![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.](https://scontent-lhr6-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.75761-15/505444438_18038424887647822_3264519508333556874_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=18de74&_nc_ohc=gXZQJoHTNiEQ7kNvwHezuPI&_nc_oc=AdlrJvMDapuork_EjycPOcegNeMnCA37GEIudkxkTeCfTgvB5iijE05ojpwlYCd5gN8&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-lhr6-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=0ZY31jxOGx2M8z1ZqYNvEg&oh=00_AfPY_C0B8EndpVcx78sVp9qVJgtm368WREf36ZX1_jO3mg&oe=6855C74A "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.")
