ENIGMA twirl team is looking for new members to join the troupe and will be holding an open day taster session on Thursday 1st June from 5-9pm at the Manor Primary School.
Tanya Denning-Kuijper, troupe leader said, “The troupe is currently in the middle of competition season with the Rhythmic Dance Twirl Association, as well as supporting as many local schools, charities and fundraising fetes as we can. Behind the scenes we are currently preparing for the upcoming summer carnivals and illuminated carnival season. To say we are busy is an understatement.
“However, Enigma face a dilemma, although we have 30 members in the troupe, we only have nine who are from Melksham. This makes things very difficult when requesting grants, as the majority of places will not accept the troupe as a whole, only to benefit those who live in Melksham. Everyone in the troupe supports Melksham and represents the town when performing and we are now very well known on the circuit, putting Melksham well and truly on the map in the Twirling and Carnival world.
“We have asked for help for many years for a sponsor which we have had support in the line of storage and vehicle maintenance, but no-one has come forward to help in regards to purchasing costumes or kit. This is something we are now desperately in need of.
The team has continually battled and worked incredibly hard to raise the money to purchase all it needs and to be able to carry on giving its members the opportunities that it has, as well as entertainment for the Melksham community. Run as a non- profit organisation with everyone being volunteers, everything that gets put into the troupe stays in the troupe to cover overheads, purchasing the costumes, hall hire and for the team to continue performing (it costs us between £40 and £100 to take part in carnivals and some do not offer assistance in attending (Melksham being one of them).
“Enigma has put on various events over the years to help raise funds for the troupe, including quiz nights, Easter and Christmas bingos, entertainment nights and a fete, which we have planned again for this year on Saturday 12th August at the Riverside Club starting at 12.30pm.
“It has now come to the point where the team are recruiting for new members and on Thursday 1st June we are holding a free open taster session at the Manor School, Melksham from 5pm to 9pm.
If we do not get at least 15 new recruits from Melksham, the team will be forced to move and re-locate to a different town/city. We have members in the team who travel from Radstock, Rode, Upavon, Devizes, Frome and Trowbridge – all who would still like to see the troupe stay in Melksham, though who fully understand the reasons that we may have to move and Melksham lose its Baton Twirling Team if we cannot get the support from the local community.
“Baton twirling itself is not just what you see at carnivals, the sport is so diverse, mixing rhythmic gymnastics, dance and baton twirling altogether, plus other disciplines such as military and poms. We encourage children, boys and girls from 4 years-old and up to join. The sport helps with flexibility, cross over ability, confidence, fine-motor skills, balance, discipline and team work.”
If you would like to find out more about Enigma, visit www.enigmatwirlteam.co.uk or find them on Facebook by searching Enigma Twirl Team.
![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.")
