August 2019
Shipston Town Council hears plans for the Ellen Badger Hospital
Shipston Town Council welcomed Sophie Gilkes, Director of Development at South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT), to its August meeting to hear the latest plans for the Ellen Badger Hospital. Ms Gilkes explained that there has never been a better time to develop the EBH. The NHS Long Term Plan, which sets out the strategy for the NHS over the next ten years, focuses on providing more care for people within their communities and delivering services which help keep people well - preventing illness as well as treating it. This means strengthening the services at the EBH is in line with national policy.
In addition, a review of GP surgery buildings and capacity undertaken by NHS South Warwickshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), the local body responsible for planning and funding different health care services locally (including GP services), identified Shipston Medical Centre (SMC)as a priority site. SMC has confirmed that the EBH is its preferred site for a new medical centre.
SWFT and SMC are now working together on proposals for expanding the EBH, making use of the new land which was recently acquired next to the hospital. They are looking at what services are needed now, as well as the anticipated needs in the future so that best use is made of the site in the short and long term. This was the approach taken when developing Stratford Hospital three years ago, which focuses on preventative care.
The two organisations are developing a joint business case which will be considered by the CCG later in the year and will need to consider various issues, including what benefits the project will offer for patients and local people and whether it represents good value for NHS money.
Sallie Green, former Matron at the EBH is the clinical lead for the project and has been looking at different sites and models of care. The intention is to retain existing services and work with partners and voluntary groups to add new provision such as mental health services, although nothing has been decided yet.
Ms Gilkes also made clear that the minor injuries unit would not be returning. Under new NHS policy, urgent treatment centres are replacing minor injuries units and must see a certain number of patients to be viable. The plan is to create an Urgent Care Centre in Stratford.
The expanded EBH site does have its challenges, including flooding. However, a feasibility study has assessed the limitations and confirmed that the site can accommodate all the activities SWFT is likely to put forward. The next step is to appoint an architect to develop designs which will hopefully be ready to share with SWFT, partners and the Patient Participation Group in mid-October. The business cases, which will set out what is being proposed and how it would be funded, are due to be completed by the end of the year.
The SWFT presentation followed a recent update from the League of Friends of the EBH and precedes a public event later this month. The event, on 17th September, takes place at the Townsend Hall and will include speakers from SWFT, Shipston Medical Centre, Warwickshire County Council and the League of Friends.
Shipston Town Council pays tribute to former Mayor, Alan Noyce
Everyone at Shipston Town Council was saddened to learn of the death of Alan Noyce early in the morning of 19th August.
Alan had a charismatic personality and was an active member of the town council for more than a dozen years, serving as Mayor for three terms in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Alan worked tirelessly to improve the overall wellbeing of the town; he introduced the working party system, which has successfully spread the work-load between all councillors. Alan had a common sense approach and was a true ambassador for the town, raising the profile of Shipston all over Warwickshire and further afield.
Alan’s late wife Angela, who had been Mayor in 2004 and 2006, died of an illness very suddenly in 2009, two days before she was due to become Mayor. Alan stepped in to the breach to serve his third successive term.
Alan remarried in October 2012 to his wife Pat and resigned from the town council in 2014.
He was highly regarded throughout the town, and will be missed. Our thoughts are with his wife Pat, and all his family at this difficult time.Everyone at Shipston Town Council was saddened to learn of the death of Alan Noyce early in the morning of 19th August.
Council bids farewell to Jayne Potter
Council was the last meeting for Deputy Town Clerk, Jayne Potter, who left the council in August.
Jayne has been with Shipston Town Council for five years, joining initially as admin assistant. Having learnt the ropes from Town Clerk, Georgina Beaumont, Jayne went on to complete her CILCA Level 3 qualification in local government administration to enable her to take up the position of Deputy Town Clerk. Among her many responsibilities are managing the town’s allotments, bookkeeping and financial administration and she has made considerable improvements to the way the annual precept process is managed.
Jayne has been an enthusiastic member of the team from day one and will be sorely missed by everyone at the council.
Town Mayor, Dan Scobie, said: “We are extremely sorry to see Jayne go – she has been a wonderful support to the council and her contributions will be greatly missed. We wish her every happiness with her next challenge.”
Shipston Proms 2019 brings another fortnight of fabulous music
A member of the Britpop Boys - one of the bands playing at the Last Night of the Proms - said how lucky Shipston was to have such a festival and what a privilege it was to be part of it. Judging by the packed crowd in the square on the Last Night, the audience agreed.
In what some have said was the best Proms yet, an eclectic mix of music was very much on show across the fortnight.
The Last Night party was opened by the Young Musicians Choir, followed by the winners of the Fame Contest, Kathryn Packer (solo) and the Shipston High Jazz Band. Mr. Blonde brought a mix of popular soulful and funky covers and Oliver Darling and the Living Legends had everyone dancing with their jumping rhythm and blues and rock ‘n roll. When 90’s tribute sensation, The Britpop Boys, came on everyone was ready for a sing a long to the likes of ‘Wonderwall’ and the finale ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’.
This fabulous finale was preceded by about thirty acts designed to entertain everyone from young to old. Events included two dance parties, a sing- a-long Sound of Music night, the popular Helen Porter Chamberpot Pourri and organ recital, a Michael Jackson tribute night, jazz on a Sunday afternoon, an American blues troubadour, choirs, coffee morning concerts, an open mic night and more. This year, events were held in many venues across more local villages than before.
Some of the highlights included the Pub and Cafe Trail which saw venues packed as people followed the music round on Saturday night.
At St. Edmund’s Church, international guitarist Craig Ogden and Claire Bradshaw played to over a hundred people in an event organised by The Music Society.
The three DJ Dance Night at the Townsend Hall saw Tim Samsara, Mike Smythy and Benji bring their mix of club tracks and dance anthems to Shipston and impressing the audience with an amazing light show by Clearsound. The young crowd who went have asked for more of the same next year.
Giving young musicians a platform
Shipston Proms was set up in part to showcase local young talent and this year was a great example of this. Fifteen year old Kathryn Packer showed herself to be an accomplished musician as she sang and played the keyboard on the main stage, having won the double at the Fame Contest, both in the soloist and band category. Another local win in the Fame Contest was the Shipston High Jazz Band made up of talented students from Years 10 and 11.
Thanks to a number of talented music teachers, many of whom actively support the Proms, including David Hunt, Helen Porter and Emma Jane Roberts, local students have been encouraged to learn and perform music. This is showcased at the Young Musicians Concert at Barcheston, held every year on the second Wednesday of the Proms. Both the High School and Primary School also hold their own concerts during the Proms giving children of all ages the chance to perform.
Proms Chair, Charlotte Haines, said: “We are very fortunate to have access to some fine musicians in and around Warwickshire and that outstanding performers are willing to come and take part in this exciting annual tradition. The Proms Committee works hard to put on a successful fortnight of music every year and it is so rewarding to see residents and visitors of all ages enjoying themselves at our events.
“I would like to thank everyone who helped make this year’s Proms such a success - can’t wait for 2020!”
League of Friends share vision for Ellen Badger Hospital
League of Friends (LoF) Chair, Bryan Stoten, and Fundraising Manager, Hannah French, shared their vision for the redevelopment of the Ellen Badger Hospital with Shipston Town Councillors in July.
Thanks to fundraising from the League of Friends and investment from South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust, there is potential to make the EBH a community hub to promote wellbeing rather than just a rehabilitation centre.
Bryan Stoten gave the example of the North Cotswold Hospital in Moreton which offers antenatal care, speech therapy and psychology services for adolescents. “We would like to see the Ellen Badger serving our community as a whole,” he said.
With the right support and funding, the LoF believes the EBH could play a role as part of a ‘healthy town’ initiative that promotes short walks, smoke cessation, food preparation classes and a cafe where people can catch up to help tackle social isolation.
To find out more, come along to the LoF public meeting on 17th September at the Townsend Hall. Full details to be published next month.
SAFAG sees a silver lining in June’s downpour
The heavy and persistent rainfall throughout June played havoc with the plans the Shipston Area Flood Action Group (SAFAG) had to introduce flood alleviation measures into the southern and eastern parts of the catchment area. But on the plus side, the downpours provided the severest test yet of the effectiveness of existing installations.
As a condition of the funding SAFAG receives, the interventions have to be monitored to ensure they are performing efficiently. Some monitoring is handled automatically with solar powered cameras feeding pictures directly to the Environment Agency. Group members are also allocated sites to visit and photograph at times of excessive rainfall. So important is this data that Kings College London have installed their own recording devices in the catchment as part of a worldwide study into rainfall and the impact upon flooding.
During the June downpour, it was extremely rewarding for the team to receive feedback from some of the Pigbrook landowners and farmers that interventions on their land were working and that Shoulderway Lane, which historically floods under a deluge of similar scale, remained unaffected.
So just maybe in these reported cases, the clouds did have a silver lining!
Well done and thank you to everyone involved for their hard work (see page 14 for more news about SAFAG).