THE big red doors in the Market Place may seem hidden by the town’s Christmas tree but don’t think for a minute that the team behind the new community space are hibernating for winter.

Far from it, lots of new initiatives are being planned at ‘that meeting space’, formerly the ArtHouse Café.
John Firth, from ‘that meeting space’, told the Melksham Independent News, “The Tuesday Drop-In has been growing week by week since it began in October. It’s already become a place where friends meet together, and new friendships are formed. We’re open from 10.30am to noon on Tuesday mornings, so it’s perfect timing to drop in before or after you’ve visited the stalls in the Market Place.”
One of the goals of the team at ‘that meeting space’ has been to help those in the community with some of the new technologies that have become part of everyday life.
During December and January, Laura Martin and Myles Pilling will be on hand between 11am and noon to help untangle the internet and stop the wires being crossed, with FREE one-to-one help with smart phones and tablets. This is part of Tech Savvy at that meeting space (follow them on Facebook).
New for the New Year:
The Tech Savvy team will be leading a five-session introductory workshop to help you to get the best out of your smartphone or tablet. The sessions begin on Thursday February 3rd from 3pm-4pm. There will be a charge of £5 for this course.
Celebrating Age Wiltshire are sponsoring a FREE art workshop, Noticing Nature, with local artist James Aldridge. The workshop is designed for older people (65+) of all abilities. Take time to sit and chat about your local environment in a small group; use art to create journals, collections or a post card to send to family and friends. The series of sessions will take place at 2.30pm to 4pm on the 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th of January.
Bereavement course
Also new for the new year is The Bereavement Journey. “So many of us have suffered loss over these last few years and this course is for anyone who has been bereaved,” explained Sharon Firth who leads the sessions. “Using a series of films and discussion groups the course gently guides bereaved people through their own grief journey.”
This five-session course (with a sixth optional session offering a Christian perspective on faith questions in bereavement) will be held on Fridays 14th, 21st, 28th January; and 4th, 11th, (18th) February. There will be a charge of £10 to cover the costs of the course materials.
For more information about, or to register for, any of these workshops, contact John Firth at that meeting space by GoodNews on thatmeetingspace@gmail.com or call 07389 866714.
GoodNews Church took over the old ArtHouse Café in the summer and have been busy repurposing it into ‘that meeting space’ to serve the church and the community. John Firth, who co-pastors GoodNews Church said, “We use ‘that meeting space’ for many of our own church meetings but we are pleased to facilitate the space for other community groups and activities.”
If you want to know more about GoodNews Church visit: www.goodnewschurch.org.uk