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Intrepid Holt brewer installs pop-up bar on Britain’s highest peak

September 9, 2015
in Business
Reading Time: 1 min read
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Three student bartenders and a bar manager from Holt’s Box Steam Brewery have climbed 1,344m (4,406ft) to the summit of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK – complete with barrel, bottles, bar mats and pint glasses!

The students served hand-pumped Tunnel Vision ale to thirsty climbers as they arrived at the snowy peak.

Dave Cooke (21), Harriet Allbrook (21) and Oscar Price (19) were amongst 120 students who answered an ad for the Best Bar Job of the Summer placed by Box Steam Brewery, based in Holt. The lucky threesome spent nearly four hours hauling a nine gallon cask of the real ale and essential pub kit up the mountain in the Highlands.

When asked why they did it, Andy Roberts, MD of Box Steam Brewery said, “Because it’s there!

“Tunnel Vision is one of our most popular beers and we’re proud to see it served all over the country. We don’t want anyone to miss out, so here we are – the highest bar in the UK. Cheers!”

David is currently studying educational psychology at Edgehill University and comes from Malmesbury. Harriet is also from Malmesbury and has just completed her final year at Manchester. Oscar, from Semington, has just completed his A-levels and is planning a gap year.

Founded by Mark Hempelman-Adams, brother of the famous explorer, and now owned by the Roberts family, Box Steam Brewery has been producing beer in Wiltshire for over 10 years.

Andy Roberts added, “This expedition is slightly more exploratory than our usual field marketing, but we are hoping that good beer and a spirit of adventure will appeal to thirsty students in NUS bars this term.”

 

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  • Community audiology appointments launch at Melksham Hospital

Weekly audiology appointments will be available at Melksham Hospital following campaigning by local MP Brian Mathew.

The appointments are being introduced by the Integrated Care Board (ICB), which manages NHS services at the hospital, providing both diagnostic hearing tests and hearing aid fittings.

Patients referred by their GP will be able to request appointments locally, reducing the need to travel to larger hospitals such as the Royal United Hospital (RUH) in Bath and Great Western Hospital in Swindon.

The community ser-vice will run alongside an audiology clinic already provided at Melksham Hospital, which is currently paused due to building works. The clinic is expected to resume alongside the community service once the works are completed in late spring or summer.

The introduction of community audiology appointments comes after discussions between Brian Mathew, the local ICB and the Friends of Melksham Hospital.

Read more on our website, the link is in our bio.

Pictured: Brian Mathew
  • Neighbours win £1 million in Postcode Lottery

Residents in Savernake Avenue have won a share of £1 million in the Postcode Lottery, with the prize divided between seven households on the street.

Pam Hiscocks, 79, and her husband Anthony, 82, were among the winners, with each household receiving £142,857 in the lottery’s Millionaire Street prize on Saturday 18th April.

The couple said they were ‘gobsmacked’ to win the funds at the house they have owned for more than 60 years, having first won it in a competition over six decades ago. They said they now plan to share the money with family, including their granddaughter Amy, who is due to get married.

“We’ve been lucky in the past, but this is just amazing. I can’t take it in. That’s big money. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d win that money. It’s so exciting,” said Pam.

Neighbours Lesley Rose and her husband Philip also shared in the win. 

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Controversial plans to build a solar farm on land near Atworth, the size of 24 football pitches, could be decided next week. 

Wiltshire Council’s strategic planning committee will be meeting on Tuesday to discuss the construction of a solar farm and battery storage facility at Whistle Mead in Little Chalfield near Melksham. 

The proposal, put forward by Blue Stone Renewable I Ltd, involves the installation of a solar farm of up to 24.14 megawatts – enough to power up to 8,000 homes – with battery storage units, two metre high fencing, and security cameras on 2.5 metre poles. 

The 31,000 solar panels would each stand at 2.7 metres tall. 

The scheme would cover 17 hectares on a site totalling 26 hectares. The site is located about 180m from the nearest house and under a mile from the Grade I listed Great Chalfield Manor. 

A previous proposal for a solar farm on the site was refused at appeal in 2014. 

The planning inspector said: “The proposal, by reason of its size and scale, would result in a dominant and uncharacteristic form of development which introduces a series of uncharacteristic utilitarian structures across the open field together with security fencing and cameras causing unacceptable visual harm to the landscape character and appearance of the site and the wider landscape setting.” 

But council officers are now keen on the scheme. “The proposed development is sustainable development that will make a significant contribution to the supply of renewable energy helping to reduce carbon emissions required to meet the Climate Change Act 2050 net zero target,” they say. 

“The limited level of landscape harm identified is considered to be clearly outweighed by the benefits arising from the proposal, including the generation of renewable energy, contribution to climate change mitigation, alignment with national net-zero objectives, and the delivery of long-term landscape and biodiversity enhancements secured through planning conditions.” 

However, the matter has been ‘called in’ by the Wiltshire Councillor for the area, Trevor Carbin, meaning elected councillors – rather than officers – will ma…
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He spent three years fighting for his life on dialysis until close friend Janie Kenward found out she was a biological match and could donate one of her kidneys.

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The event takes place over the weekend of Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th April at the top field off Westbury Road, near the junction with The Hollow, BA13 4TT.

Event organiser Keith Miller described it as “a great day out for all the family.”

He said, “A short time ago we were able to enjoy the magnificent ploughing match on the opposite side of the road, and we are similarly looking forward to our event."

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Pictured: Keith and Will Miller
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The event was held in support of 15-year-old Jake Reece-Shepard, a student at Melksham Oak Community School, who was diagnosed with leukaemia in October last year.

The event drew strong local support and was organised by couple Shelly and Justin, alongside pub landlords Bev and Nick. 

Read more on our website, the link is in our bio.
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Melksham is preparing to welcome a line-up of big acts to the Assembly Hall in 2026 and 2027, including former world snooker champion Dennis Taylor, former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon (formerly known as Johnny Rotten), and comedy writer and performer Dom Joly.

Dennis Taylor will bring ‘An Evening with’ to the Assembly Hall on Thursday 10th December 2026. Best known for the 1985 Black Ball Final, when he won the World Championship in a dramatic contest against Steve Davis, he is now a familiar face on BBC snooker coverage. The evening promises personal stories from his career and insight into life in the snooker world.

John Lydon, formerly known as Johnny Rotten, will appear on Wednesday 2nd June 2027 with his I Could Be Wrong, I Could Be Right Q&A tour. The former Sex Pistols lead singer, who later fronted Public Image Ltd and appeared on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, will share stories from his life and invite questions from the audience. 

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Pictured: Dom Joly, John Lydon, Dennis Taylor holding the World Snooker Championship Trophy. Credit BennyOnTheLoose. Wikimedia
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The Local Plan aimed to guide development in Wiltshire, including nearly 37,000 homes. However, government inspectors have rejected the plan, finding it does not allocate enough land to meet housing needs, relies on uncertain new settlements, and fails to match the location of new homes to where demand exists. Because the council does not currently have enough land allocated to meet these targets, developers can bring forward proposals on unplanned sites, and appeals against rejected applications are more likely to succeed, creating a risk of speculative development. 

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Semington Road Commotions
I moved to Melksham before Semington Road was closed to through automobile traffic.

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Shouting, screaming, hair-pulling — whatever the arguments were — the women of Semington Road were quite vocal and physical with each other.

Much of the fighting seemed to revolve around Elizabeth Gum, who was in her late 30s. In 1862 she charged that Ann Taylor and Elizabeth Spires assaulted her in her home.

Read more on our website, the link is in our bio.
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