Welcome to Brightwalton News

​Brightwalton School is starting a breakfast club from the start of the Summer Term. It will start at 8am and finish when school starts at 8.45am.
They will provide breakfast (fruit, cereal, toast and a drink of water or milk) for £4 a session.
​Contact the school office for more details.
Please share the news.

​Due to West Berkshire Council's withdrawal of funding for their leased handybuses, the DVG have  decided to accept the existing gifted handybus from them and continue running it themselves.   This is a new venture for the DVG and it will rely a lot on funding to pay for all maintenance, insurance, safety checks etc., in the future.  In the first year possibly two, WBC will give us £2000 to help us in this transition period.   At present our annual costs has been estimated at £5000 a year and it is important economically to make full use of this service to make it viable in the future.
 
We only charge £3 per person for the complete trip and we collect door to door and carry shopping if required.  How does this compare with bus routes, and if you drive in, your petrol and car park charges!!! Passengers enjoy the chat on the routes with renewed acquaintances and meeting friends.  We cover all the villages of the old Downs School catchment area and can take up to 12 passengers of any age at a time. Please pass this on to anyone you think may be interested, either in your area or someone else you know on the routes mentioned below.
 
These are the various days and routes we take as a rough guideline but there is or can be some small diversions to out of the way places.
 
Mondays:
            B4009 and villages in the area to Newbury (weekly)
            First pick up at approximately 9.50am at Hermitage, Curridge, Hampstead Norreys,             Yattendon, Ashampstead, then on to Newbury shopping.
 
Tuesdays:
            Friendship Club at Hampstead Norreys village hall.  (fortnightly)
            Collect at 1200hrs at Chieveley, Beedon.  Return usually 2.45pm
 
            East and West Ilsley, Compton areas (4th Tuesday of the month)
            Starts at 10.15 then via B4009 to London Road Tesco's in Newbury.
 
Wednesdays:
            East and West Ilsley, Compton areas (fortnightly)
            Starts at 10.15 then on to Sainsbury's at Wantage
 
            Yattendon area (fortnightly)
            Starts at 9.30 at Hampstead Norreys, then on to Newbury and Sainsbury's shopping.
 
Thursdays:
            Beedon and Chieveley areas (weekly)
            Starts at 10am at Orchard Park, Beedon, then to Newbury and Sainsbury's shopping.
 
Fridays:
            Chaddleworth and villages on route from Chieveley (fortnightly)
            Starts at 2pm then on to shop at Sainsbury's, Wantage.
 
Kate Bailey has just retired after years of hard work doing this job and I am the new handybus coordinator.  There are three ways you can contact me if you want to enquire or arrange transport.  I have a mobile phone number 07437 543 098, my landline, 01635 578149, or an email: [email protected]. 
 
If in doubt please contact me for further information.
Dave Morris

West Berkshire Highways have issued the following reminder:
The that M4 east and westbound carriageways, between junctions 12 (Theale) and 13 (Chieveley) in West Berkshire will be fully closed from 9pm on Friday 31 March through to 6am on Monday 3 April 2017.
 
A clearly signed diversion will be in place via the A4 (through Newbury, Thatcham and Woolhampton), however as we are expecting this route to be extremely busy – the following alternative routes should be used:

• From west to east / east to west – consider using the A339 and A33, or the A404, M40, A34
• From the north – consider using the M40 and A404
• From the south – consider using the M3 and A33

 
Significant delays are expected during these weekend closure periods, and it is advised that you plan ahead of your journey to allow for extra time or avoid this route where possible.
 
If you have any questions or if you’d like you know about the work please log your enquiry through Highways England’s customer control centre:

• Phone: 0300 123 5000
• Email: [email protected]
• Post: Highways England, Bridge House, Walnut Tree Close, Guildford, GU1 4LZ

Join us for a fun musical evening with Cantemus
complete with a social Fish and Chip supper after
Music for all to enjoy with:
Traditional & lively folk
Plus Audience Participation for an Abba Medley
& Rousing Choral piece from “Mass for Armed Man” by Jenkins
Saturday 10th June 2017 at 7pm
Concert held in All Saints Church, Brightwalton
with Fish & Chips supper after in Brightwalton Village Hall
Tickets £15 includes Supper and 2 Drinks (Under 12’s £6)
Licensed Bar – Welcome Drink & Drink with Dinner included - 3 Supper Options - Please order in advance
PLEASE CONTACT FOR TICKETS:
Sarah Youldon – Brightwalton Holt - Phone: 01488 639487 – Email: [email protected]
Shaun Orpen – The Green / Mike Ananin – Ash Close / Gill Judge
TICKETS MUST BE BOUGHT IN ADVANCE

The Mothering Sunday service will be held at 10am on the 26th March.
​Children bring your Mum (and Dad) This is an ideal opportunity to say "thank you" for all the support they give you through the year and to give them a posy of flowers.

Please all join us for the Fete Organisation meeting on Tuesday 21st March at 7.30pm in the Village Hall. We need as many volunteers as possible to help with the Fete on the Sunday 30th April, this meeting is crucial to put together the plan and allocate volunteers as necessary. We look forward to seeing you on the 21st March 7.30pm. Thank you. 

To Members, Followers, Future Members and All Interested Parties
We would like to invite you to come to the club’s Annual General Meeting to be held at Brightwalton Village Hall, Sunday 12th March 2017 at 6pm.

 
Broadband Upgrade
West Berkshire Superfast Broadband Team have sent the PC the following notice, I think it may be of interest to those on the outskirts of the village:-
​"We have been informed by BT that they have recently upgraded Cabinet 1 on the Chaddleworth Exchange which is located within your parish. This increased the capacity by an additional 53 spaces. Some residents/businesses may be registered on the waiting list and presumably be contacted by their ISP. However, others may have been put off / frustrated and be in the dark about the recent upgrade.
 
If you have any communications channels that will help inform the residents/businesses in the Brightwalton Parish Council community area (such as social media, parish magazine, parish website, notice boards, community groups/meetings etc.) then this will help raise awareness to anyone who’s property is served by this cabinet and is currently unable to get a access to superfast broadband.
 
Residents/businesses can check which cabinet their property comes under by using BT’s wholesale checker website https://www.btwholesale.com/includes/adsl/main.htmland then selecting an Internet Service Provider (ISP) of their choice from the list on the BT Openreach’s website https://www.homeandwork.openreach.co.uk/when-can-i-get-fibre.aspx.."