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The Parish Council has organised a qualified instructor to provide Emergency First Aid at Work training on Saturday 4th March 2023 in the Village Hall from 9.30 till 4.30. Successful completion of the course will result in a certificate valid for 3 years, useful for your own knowledge, volunteering and work.
Cost will be £55 each - we have a few places still available, please get in touch if you are interested in attending. Email - brightwaltonpc@btinternet.com
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GP Leaving the Downland Practice | The Downland Practice
Dr Victoria Ashall will be leaving the Downland Practice on the 10 March 2023. The Downland Practice are saddened by this news. Since joining the Downland Practice in November 2022 other personal reasons have arisen for Dr Ashall and it has become necessary for her to relocate employment closer to home. This will cause some movement of patients who are on Dr Ashall’s patient list. This will likely be a temporary allocation of patients to another GP in the surgery until we have resolved the workforce gap. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause to patients who are currently registered with Dr Ashall. We will keep you updated on any recruitment developments in the coming weeks. GP Locum – Dr Curtis Dr Curtis will be working at the Downland Practice from the 12 January 2023, this role will be as a Locum GP and he will be seeing patients from all of the Surgery GP lists in an aim to reduce patients waiting times. This is a NHS funded post and is short term only, Dr Curtis will not be having his own list of patients whilst he is working as a Locum GP. Request to change GP The Downland Practice receives a number of requests to move their registered GP’s. These requests are normally dealt with on a monthly basis but can be longer depending on other issues in the practice. Patients can expect to receive confirmation of their registered GP by text message in response to their request. Patients are moved from time to time when GP list sizes need to be reduced. GP list sizes are reduced due to over subscription, (this results in longer waits to see the GP) list sizes are reduced to improve wait times for patients. Patients who have not yet seen their registered GP but request to move to another GP list can expect to stay with their current registered GP. The Downland Practice has a boundary area of 120 square miles. In order to ensure that patients can be give appropriate medical care in a timely manner, the GP’s cover a specific area across the Downland Practice Boundary. Patients who join the practice are allocated their GP according to location. When there is a GP leaving the practice then a letter is sent to the household advising what actions are taking place to provide them with a registered GP. Downland Practice – At Capacity Today the 4 January 2023 the Downland Practice has no capacity to deal with the on the day demand. Patients will be requested to ring 111 so that their condition can be assessed and 111 will advise of action for these patients. The Buckinghamshire / Oxfordshire and Berkshire (BOB) Integrated Care Board (ICB) have been informed that the Downland Practice is unable to manage the on the day demand. The may be the need to cancel routine pre-booked GP appointments to free up GP’s time to see patients with on the day demands. This may cause some concern for patients who have to have their routine appointments cancelled. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause our patients who are affected. Private Fees 2023 The Downland Practice private fees for 2023 will be posted this month on the website. This is for Non-NHS Work that is paid for by the individual. Any requests for private work that are received after the 18 December 2022 will be processed in January 2023 and will be subject to the new fees. /practice-information/private-fees-and-charges  Carols around the Christmas tree this Wednesday (21st December) at 6.30pm
Join us for a glass of Mulled Wine, nibbles and carols around the Christmas Tree, for all the family. The November update from the Downlands Ward Councillor, Clive Hooker is available to download here: It includes lots of information on warm hubs and cost of living help from WBC 
The quarterly magazine produced by the West Berkshire Countryside Society is available to download here:
Winter 2022 Upstream Come and join in with this special festive event in Brightwalton Churchyard on Wednesday 21st December at 6.30pm. The Christmas tree will arrive in early December and will be lit up as a central point for the Carol Service, which has now become a village traditon. We will be warming the festivities up with mulled wine and soft drinks. Put the date in the diary, bring the family, invite friends and neighbours, we look forward to seeing a great turnout!
Soon to arrive through your post box the September Brickleton News (please note this was delayed to accommodate the Parish Council meeting, which was postponed from the 12th September for the period of mourning).
West Berkshire Council Press Release 29/09/22 New Cost of Living Support Hub to support residents this winter A new Cost of Living Support Hub is being created to support residents facing financial hardship this winter. The hub will provide a single point of contact for residents struggling with the rising cost of living. It will provide advice as well as matching residents’ needs with support provided by local charities and voluntary organisations. It’s expected to open in the coming weeks, with more details about how to access it announced soon. The new hub is being created by West Berkshire Council in partnership with Greenham Trust and the Volunteer Centre West Berkshire – and will see it work closely with the local community and voluntary sector. Ahead of the launch in October, initial activity will include working with partners to map food providers and other voluntary sector support for residents affected by the cost of living to ensure a comprehensive range of support is available to refer residents to as required. Speaking about the new Cost of Living Support Hub, Leader of West Berkshire Council, Councillor Lynne Doherty, said: “This new hub will provide a one stop shop for residents struggling with bills and wanting to find out what help is available locally. It will bring together different agencies, skills, knowledge and service provision to ensure residents are supported through a tough winter. “Through the pandemic and the support provided to Ukrainian families we’ve seen what can be achieved when the community comes together and I’ve no doubt this hub will also make a difference for vulnerable residents.” Chris Boulton, CEO of Greenham Trust: “This winter is going to be particularly hard for many people. Working closely and collaboratively with the council and voluntary sector, the hub will mean we can support local people across the whole community who need it the most as quickly as possible. In times of crisis, we need to act fast. This hub will do that.” Volunteer Centre West Berkshire Director Garry Poulson says “We know that the voluntary and community sector will be pulling their considerable weight and assisting people and their families at a time of great stress and strain. This hub will seek to ensure that no one falls through the cracks and gets the help they need, be it emotional, practical or financial help via the dozens of organisations in West Berkshire that have an empathy with the plight of people in these tough times” The Cost of Living Support Hub will be the latest in a range of support for residents impacted by the rising cost of living. This includes:
Licensed bar from 7.30pm to 10.30pm in Brightwalton Village Hall,
Friday 30th September Please find attached a copy of the August west Berkshire Council update from Ward Councillors, Clive Hooker
We are arranging a village working party for Sunday 9th October, there are jobs for all ages, great social effect with the benefit of refreshments, cake and sausage baps!
We will be meeting at the village hall at 10am, please bring hedge cutter and strimmers if you have them are happy using them, rakes, gloves and general tools. One of the task will be wild flower sowing, perfect for all ages! More details to follow, please save the date Thank you We are now taking the next exciting step in its creation of a Community Coordinator Role. Having successful raised the funds to support the role for the first 2 years we are now ready to recruit! The role is designed to bring the village together, encourage mutual support and friendship, like we saw during the pandemic and also times where the village has been snowed in. The coordinator will interact with people on a one to one and group basis, hosting gatherings such as coffee mornings, lunch clubs, drop in mornings and provide opportunities for people from all backgrounds to come together to learn new skills and meet new people. This paid role will be ideal for someone motivated and enthusiastic - warm and welcoming - organised and proactive. If you are interested and would like to apply full details can be found on the website home page.  The July update from Councillor Clive Hooker can be found here:
July 2022 WEST DOWNLAND BENEFICE SERVICES
Brightwalton with Catmore, Chaddleworth, Fawley, Great Shefford, Leckhampstead and Welford with Wickham Online Services Zoom from Church is available for most Sunday 10.30 Services. We also hold evening prayer on a Wednesday’s at 5pm and Coffee Morning at 11am on Thursday’s via Zoom Please contact Miri or email sarah.westdownland@gmail.com if you would like joining details. July & August 2022 3rd July 10.00am United Benefice Service, Wickham 10th July 9.00am BCP Holy Communion, Shefford Woodlands 10.30am Morning Praise + Holy Communion, Fawley 17th July 9.00am BCP Holy Communion, Leckhampstead 10.30am Morning Praise + Holy Communion, Chaddleworth 24th July 9.00am BCP Holy Communion, Welford 10.30am Morning Praise + Holy Communion, Brightwalton United Benefice Open Air Summer Services From 31st July until 21st August we shall be returning to Open Air Worship with Holy Communion in the church after the service. The outdoor element will be available on Zoom, and of course, if the weather is wet, we shall be able to migrate indoors! The final service of the season, 21st August, will be at the later time of 11am as it will be followed by a BBQ to which all are welcome. 31st July 10.00am Summer Open Air Worship with Holy Communion in the church, Leckhampstead 7th August 10.00am Summer Open Air Worship with Holy Communion in the church, Brightwalton 14th August 10.00am Summer Open Air Worship with Holy Communion in the church, Wickham 21st August 11.00am Summer Open Air Worship with Holy Communion in the church, Great Shefford, with BBQ after 28th August Time TBC United Benefice Service, Fawley – (please check Pew Sheet or A Church Near You for timings) Details can also been found online at A Church Near You www.achurchnearyou.com The July Brickleton News will be delivered to your door shortly, for the online version you can download it here:
The June update from Councillor Clive Hooker is available to download here: 
Raising funds for Ukraine
Donating via the Disasters Emergency Committee A CONCERT IN BRIGHTWALTON CHURCH A mix of light classical and Eastern European music Featuring: - Piotr Jordan, a professional freelance violinist originally from Lodz, Poland. Piotr performs Eastern European music in addition to his classical repertoire and Chris Terepin, a professional freelance cellist, whose family home is in Brightwalton Both are donating their time to come and play in support of the people of Ukraine Sunday, 31st July 2022 7pm There will be a request for donations on the night for the DEC Ukraine Appeal Refreshments will be available to purchase The West Berkshire Countryside Society produce a magazine every quarter with an update on local projects and chances to get involved with volunteering.
The West Berkshire Council May update from Downland Ward Councillor Clive Hooker can be downloaded here. This includes details of all the current WBC consultations
We are pleased to confirm that the village prescription service will be re-starting from Wednesday 11th May. Rik of 14 Ash Close will be receiving the prescriptions on a Tuesday morning and they will be available to collect Wednesday - Friday between 9-5.
Please speak to the Downland Practice Pharmacy to set this up. From 12.30pm on Sunday 5th June, bring your picnic. Bar available, games and activities for all the family  |
AuthorThis is written by the Parish Clerk with input from the village. Planning ApplicationsClick here to find out more about the planning process and to view all the current planning applications in Brightwalton. Archives
September 2023
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