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Travel agents and coach holiday company arrives in Melksham

July 22, 2020
in Business
Reading Time: 3 mins read
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A NEW travel agents and coach holiday company has opened in Melksham town centre.

Holidays & Cruises has relocated from Bradford-on-Avon, and was officially opened earlier this month by Mayor cllr Pat Aves at 16 High Street. 

Owner of the company, Steve Plummer said, “It is a pleasure to now be positioned in Melksham, to serve both our valuable pre-existing and new clients. 

“Our new location now ensures that we are in the centre of our pick- up route for our Coach Holidays and Days Away programme.  I would like to say a big ‘ thank you’ to the Melksham Town Council for making us feel so welcome as we set up the new store on the High Street and to all the lovely, friendly locals and traders that have kindly popped in to share their good wishes. 

“We were delighted that cllrs Vanessa Fiorelli, Pat Aves (Mayor) and  Geoff Mitcham (Deputy Mayor) took time out to open our store officially on Saturday 11th July.

“We were pleased to be able support local businesses for our refit and we would like to say a huge thank you to local tradesmen; JMS of Melksham and other local businesses – Kennet Signs & Display, CJW Electrical and Ted the Chippy and Paul the Plumber for bringing the refit project together on time for us. 

Family business

“Holidays & Cruises is a family business, successfully trading over 10 years with a nationwide customer base. 

“We’ve relocated from Bradford-On-Avon to Melksham, based on the wishes of our customers for a more parking-friendly and level access location. 

“We are well known for our Coach Holidays and Days Away programme and our Travel Agency, which offers all types of travel arrangements and river & ocean cruising – Sherina is looking forward to assisting local residents with their holiday plans. 

“Our expertise spans over 50 years across our team. We arrange every holiday like it was our own, you just need to do the ’fun bit’ by making your holiday decision in consultation and then we take care of all the processing. This includes adding ancillary requirements like insurance, parking, private transfers etc. if needed and submitting online data for the issuing boarding passes where feasible. In other words, you just look forward to your holiday… we look after of all the administration and documentation.

100% financial 

protection

“Holidays & Cruises are proud members of Worldchoice Plus, The Travel Network Group the only network in the UK to guarantee 100% financial protection to customers, regardless of what service they have booked or how much they have paid.

“For your peace of mind, every single penny is secured in the trust account and guaranteed by the TTA. 

“Our Coach Holidays and Days Away programme will be back up and running on the 7th August, with our first tour after the lockdown sold out. Whilst we are now having to operate  a reduced number of seats due to the distancing protocols, our implemented measures are designed to ensure client confidence and safety when travelling with us, both onboard the coach and also at hotels, carefully selected as being able to meet the exacting safety measures as set out by the government. 

Client safety

“Our policy for travel can be viewed on our website www.travelclub.coach under the ‘We’re good to go logo’ this outlines all measures we have in place for client safety.

“Whilst we would prefer to operate spontaneously with an open door policy in our new shop, in order to manage risk and observe distancing, we currently recommend calling Sherina 01225 860911 Travel Agency  (opt 1) Steve 01225 865725 Coach Trips (opt 2) for an appointment. 

“From the 24th July for mutual safety, our desk screens will be in place, face coverings (and hand gel provided on entry to the shop) will be mandatory, with address and contact information also conditionally supplied.

“We look forward to discussing your holiday needs whether closer to home on one of our Day Trips or further afield… we look forward to meeting you!” 

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  • Residents conquer London Landmarks run for cancer charity

Melksham residents took on the London Landmarks Half Marathon recently, raising more than £800 for a cancer charity.

Christina Street, Christopher Street and Sadie Bosworth completed the 13.1-mile challenge last month to raise funds for Young Lives vs Cancer, the only UK charity with specialist social workers who provide tailored support to children and young people with cancer and their families.

Christina, who has completed four half marathons, said, “We have always raised money for that charity. My friend’s son had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia when they were two years old. He is 13 now and is in remission but the support the charity has given the family is amazing. He was in Bristol Children’s Hospital for so long and they didn’t have to pay a thing for accommodation; all paid for by the charity.

“My husband and I raised over the £350 each that the charity wanted us to raise, and we got over and above that just through social media posts.” 

Read more on our website, the link is in our bio.
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Free bat walks will be held over two evenings this month, to help people learn about bats and support local wildlife.

The walks are being led by local resident Robert Dickenson, a volunteer at Conigre Mead Nature Reserve, on Saturday 9th May at 8.30pm and Friday 15th May at 8.45pm starting from the Market Place.

The 30-minute walks will take in the Campus, Conigre Mead Nature Reserve and the riverside, finishing at the town bridge. A digital bat detector will be used during the walks.

Robert said bats are “silent, agile and incredibly valuable” and play an important role in controlling insect populations.

In Melksham, species likely to be seen include common pipistrelles, Daubenton’s bats and brown long-eared bats. 

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The family of a Melksham teenager has thanked the community for their ‘overwhelming’ support at their annual football fundraiser in his memory.

The family of Ben Smith, who died after being assaulted on a night out in Bath in 2021, hosted their fourth annual football fundraiser at Melksham Town Football Club on Sunday 3rd May.

The day included a friendly football match between The Bee’s Knees, Ben’s former football team, and his brother’s team, The Fat Heads. Former Liverpool player Ray Houghton was also in attendance and signed autographs. There was also post-match entertainment from The Singing Herdsman, along with refreshments, a raffle and an auction.

Ben’s mum Rachel said, “It’s lovely for people to come from Melksham to support our son’s event and remember him and how he passed, and to see everybody together having fun. The weather’s good this year, which is another plus point. It’s just overwhelming to see so many people who come to spend time for us and our son.” 

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

Pictured: Ben’s parents, Rachel Smith (centre l) and Arthur Smith (centre r), with Ben’s granny Celia Williams (centre) and Josh Flynn, Chloe Koenig, Alex Smith, referee Graham and Craig Robbins.
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Melksham Town completed a remarkable Great Escape to secure their survival in the Southern League on a dramatic final day of the season.

Second-half goals from Elliot Haffenden (68 minutes) and Ralph Graham (89 minutes) earned a crucial 2-0 victory at Falmouth on Saturday 25th April, enough to keep Town two points clear of the relegation zone despite Willand Rovers’ 3-0 win over bottom side Tavistock.

It caps a stunning turnaround for Town under returning manager Kieran Baggs, who took charge last month with Town second from bottom, having won just once in ten games. 

Since then, Kieran has guided his side to five wins and two draws from nine matches, including three straight victories to end the season and complete their survival mission. 

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Melksham will celebrate Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday with a special tribute in the Market Place.

Two banners made by Melksham Flag Group, displaying an image of David Attenborough, have been draped from the town hall. Butterflies will also be projected onto the facade of the building to celebrate his birthday on 8th May.

The recently installed tree planters in the Market Place will be decorated with bunting made by local children at a recent bunting-making event. Each flag has also been signed by the children who made them.

Terri Welch from Melksham’s Flag Group said, “The Flag Team and the Town Council have worked on a special tribute to this most loved presenter, to mark this milestone and to remind people of his love of nature and as a tribute to the wonderful films that have been made.” 

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Pictured: the Melksham Flag team – Terry Welch, Chris McNair, Liz Galpin, Sharron Galloway, Karen Gregg
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Jen Ferris completed the 26.2-mile course in three hours, 24 minutes and 45 seconds on Sunday 26th April, while also raising nearly £10,000 for the charity Breast Cancer Now.

The previous record stood at four hours, 33 minutes and 11 seconds.

She said, “I just hope this highlights that other people, even in the depth of despair, when you can barely walk through treatment, if you do believe, then you can achieve. I just really hope it’s a message that comes out of this.

“I’ve already got the frame and the certificate and I just smile when I look at it and just say, ‘Oh, you never dreamt you’d be here.’”

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Pictured: Jen receiving her certificate for breaking the Guinness World Record. Jen crossing the finish line
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I Can & I Am visited the school with a special double-decker bus for two days. A total of 25 students cooked pizza and took part in a workshop focused on equipping them with practical tools that foster personal growth.

Melksham House School is an independent special needs school for students with internalised social, emotional or mental health needs, which opened in September last year.

Assistant headteacher Darren John said, “The buzz across the whole school was truly amazing during I Can & I Am’s visit. Both pupils and staff were energised, engaged and inspired. The team’s sessions were pitched perfectly to meet the individual needs of our students. This includes a range of special educational needs and those experiencing challenges related to emotionally based school avoidance. The activities were exceptionally well planned and delivered."

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Situated in the middle of some great bus routes, Melksham is something of a transport hub, with cheap and easy access to our surrounding towns and villages. You can get to Chippenham or Trowbridge/Frome every half hour on the X31 bus and to Bath or Devizes on the varied versions of the 271, 272 or 273.

With a very thorough loop around the Forest area and Bowerhill, this brilliant Bath-Devizes bus gathers up and drops off all its grateful passengers from every corner of Melksham before sailing off along leafy lanes from dawn till midnight. And thanks to an extension of the national bus ticket cap, every journey is still only £3. A smaller local service, the 14/15, winds its way around the whole of Melksham every hour, as far as Sherwood Avenue, Shurnhold, Eastern Way, Whitley and Berryfield, so pretty much every part of the town is served by bus.

Buses are clean and warm, drivers are friendly and professional, fellow passengers are polite and respectful, and most buses now have USB chargers in the seats so you can ensure you have enough charge for the journey and beyond. 

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