THE creation of an important new wildlife habitat will be the subject of a free talk later this month at the Rachel Fowler Centre.
The Melksham, Chippenham & Calne branch of the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust regularly organises presentations by its volunteers and this next session is due to be hosted by wildlife officer Howard Yardy and will focus on the creation of a new woodland and wildflower meadow at Naish Hill near Lacock.
The illustrated talk is due to take place on Tuesday 21st May from 7.45pm, followed by a break for refreshments and then the regular branch meeting from 8.30pm.
The public is welcome to listen to the presentation, leave during the break, or stay for the whole evening.
Howard joined the charity after learning the Wilts & Berks Canal once passed near the bottom of his garden on Semington Road. He said, “I’ve always been fascinated by the history of canals and love working outside and keeping fit, so I was keen to get involved with the local restoration campaign.
“I started off with hedge laying and then the development of a pollinator-friendly ‘bee route’, before taking on the role of branch wildlife officer.
“I’ve made lots of new friends who share my passion for nature, and I hope my talk will encourage even more people to join us.”
Much of Howard’s time is spent on the stretch of canal in the open countryside north of Lacock, which includes a towpath, wharf and bridge.
Volunteers have been planting trees and hedgerows, sowing wildflower seeds, installing birdboxes and carrying out coppicing, supported by corporate work parties from local companies including Good Energy and SLR Consulting.
Howard added, “Our ultimate aim is to create a woodland pasture providing a wide range of habitats for all sorts of creatures, which will eventually form part of a thriving wildlife corridor alongside a fully restored canal.”
For further information on the talk or how to join the work parties, email howard.yardy@wbct.org.uk
The aim of the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust is to restore the waterway from the Kennet & Avon Canal near Melksham to the Thames & Severn Canal near Cricklade and the River Thames near Abingdon, connecting Chippenham, Calne, Royal Wootton Bassett and Swindon.
Several sections have already been restored.
Visit www.wbct.org.uk
![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.")
