Cricket Field at Drews Park
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The Newsletter of Drews Park Village Association Issue 44 spring extra 2020 Picture by Simon Folkard A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL? DEAR DREWS PARK RESIDENT Welcome to another issue of Drews News. We thought you’d like something local to look at during lockdown. The normal peace and quiet of Drews Park are even more apparent, with few cars, fewer planes and little background traffic noise. We also have the bonus of cleaner air. We’re glad to see many people taking exercise by walking or cycling round our estate, and also putting the cricket pitch to good use. Recent warm weather has encouraged everyone to come and enjoy all that our beautiful setting has to offer. Being at home all the time does cause problems. We have tried to make sure that no one is left alone, and that everyone can get essential supplies. If you know of anyone who is in difficulty, for any reason, please tell one of the DVA committee, or Aster. This issue has contact information that may be useful. Our local shops and suppliers have responded marvelously. Whether you want a book from the bookshop, meat from the butchers, or groceries, they are available with a phone call, unlike the supermarkets which are unable to do home deliveries for many of those who would like them. Although there is plenty of room here, we are all close neighbours. We each have a right to peace and quiet. There is no objection to using the space outside your property, but we’d ask you to consider the needs of others, to take things indoors when not in use, and to respect social distancing. Simon Evans Chair DPVA 2 LOCKDOWN LIFE… Mary Rennie reflects on the extraordinary situation we find ourselves in… As a naturally gregarious person with a full diary, the thought of self-isolation was a daunting, though necessary, prospect. However, I have been surprised how quickly I have adapted. Daily life is catered for by on-line shopping and deliveries from local shops. Cultural outings have morphed into Museum @Home, National Theatre screenings on YouTube and virtual Art Society lectures. Zoom and FaceTime keep me close to family and friends. The real solace, however, has been my location here at Drews Park. Every day I walk through Drews Pond Woods and watch the spring advance. Celandines, primroses, marsh marigolds, wood anemones and now the first bluebells and emerging Queen Anne’s lace delight the eye. Drifts of blackthorn blossom give way to the gracious froth of the wild cherry. Hawthorn and elderflower are a treat to come. Over 70 species of birds have been recorded in the woods. Some, such as goldfinch, tits and nuthatch are regular and welcome visitors to our feeders. On early morning walks I listen to the blackbird, song thrush, great tit, wren and chiffchaff. I hear the drumming of the great spotted woodpecker and the yaffling call of the green one. Above my head, the buzzards begin their aerobatic displays, and the occasional red Cont’d over page 3 kite wheels gracefully against the blue sky. At night, the eerie hoot of the tawny owl echoes thought the solitude. At this time of uncertainty and fear, we are fortunate to live in this community. I feel comfort if the poet Ted Hughes lines: “The globe’s still working, the Creation’s still waking refreshed, our summer’s still all to come.” https://www.wiltshiremuseum.org.uk/at-home/ http://www.wiltshirebirds.co.uk FOOD AND DRINK! We have heard from numerous people that supermarket delivery slots are hard to find, and some people have not been able to obtain any deliveries at all. Some of us are taking orders for several households which makes for some confusion on unpacking! We should not forget the small providers who have adapted very well to delivering to the public instead of their usual job selling to hotels, pubs and restaurant. Heritage Foods in Coate do a great job. They will either deliver or you can arrange a contactless collection from their store. Five a day box, meat and other goods from Roses, Planks, who have a good selection ranging from fruit, vegetables, meat, ready meals and many other delicacies and hardware stores like Manleys all do a great service during this difficult time. If you have to go out M&S and Sainsbury have an early morning time for older shoppers, currently 8am on Mondays and Thursday. There are also reserved times at most supermarkets for NHS workers and Carers with the exception of Lidl but early mornings and late evenings are quieter. 4 CRICKET FIELD AT DREWS PARK During the existence of Roundway Hospital the cricket field was in constant use… Originally called the Wiltshire County asylum patients were known to be playing cricket here from around 1880. In recent years, up to the sale of the hospital, Melksham Cricket Club used the pitch. When the hospital closed and the grounds were sold, the orchard, the field and the cricket pitch were designated in the Section 106 agreement as amenity land for the new development. The orchard and the cricket field are now owned by the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust who have agreed to keep the field available to the public. We are lucky in that we are surrounded by these green spaces and it is important to get some fresh air and to get the limbs working., This has been a mitigating factor in the lockdown and in comparison, with others not so fortunate, it makes the isolation a little more bearable. Sometime around 1995, when the hospital was sold there was still a sports pavilion to the rear of the field. It wasn’t large, but was a useful changing space. Unfortunately, around that time vandals burnt it to the ground. You can still see the concrete base to the right- hand rear of the field. The orchard, cricket field and Drews Pond woods are a local facility and much appreciated by Devizes people. 5 "YOUR FLIGHT HAS BEEN CANCELLED" Norma Humphreys tells us about their fight to get home… Each year my husband Malcolm and I spend a few weeks in Thailand enjoying the sunshine, mostly with our friends at the Royal Varuna Yacht Club in Jomtien. We first heard about a Virus in China in early February although eating places and bars were becoming very poorly patronised due to lack of tourist and by mid-March the papers were full of reports of the Corona 19 outbreak worldwide. Perhaps it is time to try for an earlier flight, we look on vain for a travel agent in town but they are all closed together with the tourist shops, Gogo bars and restaurants on the beach front. Trying to get an earlier flight proves to be impossible so our next problem will be to extend Nearly empty Clubhouse! our Visas which expire on the 29th March, the day we should have been flying home. This is never easy! We set off for the Immigration office arriving at 8.30in the morning and join a queue which Malcolm counts with 300 people in front of us, little or no space between us. Fortunately, we were wearing masks. Then we had to have our temperature taken. We are now in the grounds with a long way to go. Having queued for over three hours we were eventually refused an extension as we didn't have a letter from the British Embassy. The result of this was that when checking in at Suvarnabhumi Airport we were both fined 3000baht each the 6 equivalent of £160. (Recently we read that Thai visas are now being extended for three months free of charge). Fortunately for us one of our friends a "young" sailing member who is a wiz with the computer eventually found 2 seats on a direct flight with EVA Air on Sunday 5th April. However, just the day before the flight, another friend at the club told us that Bangkok Airport had been closed and to keep checking with him later as he had contacts in freight deliveries. Eventually later in the day he said don't worry the Airport is open again and your flight will take off as scheduled. * After a short panic as the early morning taxi to take us to the Airport was waiting at the wrong address, we arrived in Bangkok in good time. Strange flight, all blinds drawn and lights dimmed for the whole 12 hours. Two meals with no choice and two drinks and staff in full PPE. We arrived in the UK on time pick up our car from our daughter who had kindly shopped and placed food parcels in the boot. All waved at each other from a distance and drove home on very empty road. Good to be back safely at Drews Park with fantastic weather to welcome us. *We later learnt that the reason for the airport closure was because passengers on an incoming flight from Taipei ran away from passport control and disappeared resulting in Suvarnabhumi Airport being in temporary lockdown. BOOK GROUP MEETINGS Meetings have been postponed for the time being but we intend to reconvene on-line shortly. 7 ROUNDWAY HOSPITAL IN FORMER TIMES Simon writes - If you walk up Pans Lane there is a fine Victorian house at the intersection with Wick Lane. This was the lodge at the start of the Roundway Hospital estate. The term Roundway came into use after the grand New Park house became Roundway House, on the other side of Devizes.