SCOUTS, Cubs and Beavers from Melksham helped spread festive cheer by hand delivering over 2,000 Christmas cards.
Leading up to Christmas people in Melksham could post their Christmas cards in special Scout postboxes, which were set up in shops across the town. The service proved very popular and Scout members were overwhelmed with the response, delivering 2,037 Christmas cards and greetings in the Melksham area. This was an increase of around 500 on last year’s total.
Scouts, Cubs, Beavers, leaders, parents and some grandparents collected all the cards from the postboxes and turned the Scout hut, in Waitrose car park, into a postal sorting office on Saturday 21st of December. The cards were then distributed later that week.
Dawn Toop from Melksham Scouts said, “We decided to do the post again as we had such a fantastic response last year in what was our first time and a lot of people have been asking if we would be doing it again as it saves them a lot of money, plus they like seeing the children delivering the cards.
The Scouts asked for a minimum donation of 20p per card and managed to raise a total of £460. Dawn said, “We are over the moon and the money is going towards new windows and doors for the scout hall.
“We did have a few cards that we couldn’t deliver as they didn’t have addresses on them and if there is any problems with these, then we can be contacted at www.melksham-scouts.org.uk. Also we had a few problems with the weather whilst delivering the cards, but most were delivered before Christmas. However, a few were delivered after, which we apologize for, and hope people fully understand.
“We would like to say a big thank you to Queensway Hall, Scissors, The Cobblers Bench, Tourist Information Centre, Card and News centre, Tops, Town Hall, Art House Café, Costa Coffee, Flowers in Focus, Gaming Galore, Candy Jax and Cooper Tires for hosting a post box for us, and also the public for supporting us.”
Melksham Scouts are on the look out for more adult volunteers to come forward. If you are interested in joining up then email GSL@melksham-scouts.org.uk or visit www.melksham-scouts .org.uk and click on the ‘Contact Us’ tab.
Pictured: Scouts sort the post for delivery just before Christmas,
![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=aLBu4qWxSc8Q7kNvwHaVKlW&_nc_oc=AdlPbhxQewT_cSiTru31F-5KIjiDsVWMpCZRRI9rD6F5r9thoch559YVoStjbAgUtcg&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-lhr6-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=LXEyVdf4JnNeYoQ52WXzVA&oh=00_AfNKFktSzThG--xszpxiOTO4LXiH0FfuQLjmBatZSq5t_A&oe=68586A4A "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.")
