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Wiltshire Council launches community lottery

May 20, 2026
in Latest news
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Wiltshire Council launches community lottery
By Local Democracy Reporter Peter Davison

Wiltshire Council has launched its own community lottery with prizes up to £25,000.

Proceeds from the Wiltshire Community Lottery will go to good causes in the county.

Melksham recipients include Melksham Guide HQ Building, Avon Bowls Club, 4Youth (South West), Melksham Amateur Boxing Club and The Independent Living Centre in Semington.

Players can choose exactly which local cause they want their money to support.

For every £1 ticket, 50p goes directly to the player’s chosen good causes, with 10p going to the central fund, which the council will redirect into local good causes via Wiltshire Area Boards.

Cllr Mel Jacob, Wiltshire Council’s cabinet member for communities, said, “We have been delighted with the response from local good causes so far, with many we’ve spoken to about the lottery eager to get involved.

“Supporters of all these worthy causes will have another way to get behind them and help raise more vital funds.

“There are many groups, clubs, charities and organisations in Wiltshire that support our communities and make Wiltshire such a great place to live and work, but they need more financial support.

“We have listened to them, and this lottery will help them thrive and grow.”

Lottery tickets are now on sale, with the first weekly prize draw taking place on Saturday 6th June.

Tickets cost £1 each, and people can buy up to 20 tickets per week for a chance to win prizes of up to £25,000.

Tickets can be purchased via the Wiltshire Community Lottery website at www.wiltshirecommunitylottery.co.uk.

The lottery is managed by external lottery manager Gatherwell, which already delivers community lotteries across more than 150 council areas nationwide.

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  • Community toilet scheme launches in Melksham 

A community toilet scheme has been launched in Melksham, with local businesses offering non-customers access to their facilities.

The scheme has been launched by Melksham Town Council in partnership with local businesses to provide additional toilet facilities by welcoming anyone to use the toilets of participating organisations during normal opening hours, without being required to make a purchase.

Participating businesses include Asda Melksham Superstore on Beanacre Road; Doubles Coffee Pizza Records at Avonside Enterprise Park; Avonside Wilts at Avonside Enterprise Park; The Hiding Place on the High Street; Melksham Town Hall; Time to Stop at Verbena Court; and Melksham Community Campus.

Cllr Adrienne Westbrook, who proposed the scheme, said, “I passionately believe that as a community there must be other ways of dealing with the lack of toilets issue. Public toilets are misused and not treated with any respect by a small number of individuals. This often makes it a very unpleasant experience for the majority of residents. I was aware of this scheme and thought it must be a better alternative to the constant closure of toilets due to anti-social behaviour. I look forward to this scheme being implemented and our residents being able to use welcoming, clean toilets.” 

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

Pictured: Cllr Westbrook and Dep Mayor Cllr Elson
  • Community effort helps reunite swan family

A community rescue effort involving residents, young canoeists and wildlife volunteers has helped reunite a swan family after five cygnets were swept over a town weir.

Local residents spotted the cygnets alone on the River Avon after they were washed over the weir on the morning of 7th May and attempted to rescue them alongside young people, before specialist volunteers from Bath Swan Rescue were called to assist.

The five cygnets were described as cold and exhausted and were taken into care after being rescued, with an appeal launched to help locate the adult swans.

The following day, calls from local boys led to the discovery of the parent swans with their remaining two cygnets, allowing volunteers to carry out a reunion. 

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

Pictured: Swans reuinted with their cygnets. One of the Bath Swan Rescue volunteers with the cygnets. Credit: Bath Swan Rescue. The weir where the cygents were seperated. Credit: Bath Swan Rescue
  • Pupils wear pyjamas for Alzheimer’s charity

A Melksham primary school was filled with slippers, dressing gowns and a sense of community as pupils and staff took part in a special pyjamas day to raise money for an Alzheimer’s charity.

Norah, a pupil at Aloeric Primary School, asked the headteacher if they could host a pyjama day for Alzheimer’s Society after her grandmother died from the disease last year.

Determined to make a difference, Norah planned the fundraising day so children could come to school dressed in their pyjamas in exchange for a small donation. 

Read more on our website, the link is in our bio.
  • Discover what your valuables are worth at free valuation day

Local residents are being invited to discover the value of their belongings at a free valuation day this month.

Gardiner Houlgate, a well-established auction house with more than 20 years’ experience, will be offering expert advice at the Wiltshire Music Centre in Bradford-on-Avon on Thursday 28th May from 10am to 4pm.

Based in Corsham, the firm specialises in watches, musical instruments and antiques and their valuers regularly assess a wide range of items, from everyday pieces to unusual finds and family heirlooms.

Director and auctioneer David Hare said, “We are really looking forward to visiting the Wiltshire Music Centre where all of our specialist valuers will be on hand to offer free no obligation valuations."

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

Pictured: Luke Hobbs - auctioneer; David Hare - director and Chris Baker- auctioneer.
  • Love Melksham Column

A resident’s love letters to her town 

This week, my regular love letter to Melksham is an expression of gratitude for our brilliant swimming pool.

There is something so wonderful about being in the pool, feeling the cool expanse of water all around you, as you find a gentle rhythm to glide through it. And every time I swim there, I’m so grateful that Wiltshire Council chose to invest in this fantastic facility for Melksham.

Surrounded by space for sport, study and socialising, the swimming pool is the sparkling sapphire jewel in the crown of the Melksham Community Campus. 

It is only four years old and is a warm, clean, modern 25-metre pool with six lanes on a gentle gradient from the shallow to deep end. Next to the main pool is the smaller, warmer learner pool, so there is space for everyone to feel welcome. 

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

Column by Miriam Zaccarelli

Picture from  Melksham Community Campus facebook page
  • Massive solar farm rejected as  area has ‘too many’ solar panels 

By Local Democracy Reporter Peter Davison

Controversial plans to build a solar farm the size of 24 football pitches near Melksham have been thrown out by planners.

Members of Wiltshire Council’s strategic planning committee rejected plans for a solar farm and battery storage facility at Whistle Mead in Little Chalfield near Melksham.

The proposal, put forward by Blue Stone Renewables I Ltd, involved the installation of more than 31,000 solar panels, each standing at 2.7 metres tall.

The scheme would cover 17 hectares on a site totalling 26 hectares. The site is located about 180 metres 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.

Stewart Lovesey of ABEI Energy told councillors, “As recent developments in Iran show, the need for domestic energy and fuel resilience is high. 

Read more on our website, the link is in our bio.
  • Melksham Times Past

A column about days gone by in Melksham by local historian Lisa Ellis

Weighing in on bread laws

In 2008, The Telegraph announced that bread rules were being abandoned after 750 years. “A slice of history was created when the first ever 600g loaf went on sale, ending centuries-old legislation that has governed the weight of bread.”

In 1266 the Assize of Bread and Ale dictated that no baker in England would be allowed to bake a loaf unless it conformed to a certain weight. Since then, similar strict laws followed and is why sliced bread was sold in the standard 800g, or the half-sized 400g loaves.

What changed? A European directive abolished more than 800 years of British history and allowed bakers to bake loaves of any size, which, in turn, allowed boulangeries to open in this country. And this is why you can buy croissants made in a Tesco bakery.

Before then, the former legislation was strictly upheld by Trading Standards, whose officers often made spot checks at bakeries. 

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

Pictured: Queues at Webbs on Bank Street due to industrial action. Picture credit: A P Seager, ARPS
  • Melksham friendship group enjoy bingo train trip

A group of adults with learning difficulties from a Melksham group enjoyed a bingo train trip through the local area recently.

A total of 15 adults from Melksham’s Shine Friendship Cafe, aided by support workers and volunteers, boarded the train at Melksham station for a fun tour of the Wiltshire countryside thanks to local community rail partnership, TransWilts.

Along the way they played games of bingo, led by Great Western Railway (GWR) conductor, Henry-Arthur Freeman. They travelled to Swindon before heading to Westbury and then back to Melksham.

Melksham’s Shine Friendship Café is a weekly social space for adults with learning difficulties and their support workers, offering a fun session full of bingo and karaoke, as well as a quiet session. 

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

Pictured: The Shine Friendship group at Melksham Railway Station
  • Cup success for young Lionesses in their first season

Melksham Town’s U9 Lionesses have marked their first season together by reaching a cup final. 

The young side lost to a strong Chippenham side in the North Wilts Youth final, played in Marlborough last month.

“The girls had a fantastic morning, walking onto the pitch to cheers from the crowd, taking part in the handshake line, seeing their names and photos in the matchday programme, and enjoying the presentation at the end,” said coach Karen Broadhead.

“While the result was disappointing, the scoreline didn’t reflect the fight, determination and heart they showed from start to finish and every single one of them is a winner in my eyes."

Read more on our website, the link is in our bio.
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Choose a monthly subscription or a one-off donation. All donations will be reinvested into producing local journalism for Melksham.

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