That was the Week... | Chippenham Hub

🌟 Hub Newsletter 18th-29th August 2025

Monday

We kicked off the week with a busy and creative day! Crafting sessions were full of colour as beautiful cards were made at the Crafty Crafters session, alongside the Chatty Chainers creating their wonderful pieces.

We welcomed Darly, Community Development Officer at Chippenham Town Council, for a catch-up, and Sandie met with the new CEO of Doorway to discuss the great progress at the Citadel. It was encouraging to hear they will soon reopen—better than ever. Important conversations were also held about the need for stronger collaboration between Chippenham’s leading groups and organisations.

Community Corner Coaching with Sara supported IT skills development.

Later, the Town Council confirmed that the creation of Emergency Hubs for Chippenham will not be included in their upcoming Corporate Strategic Plan. Following the Hub’s pledge to take on work that is ‘good for Chippenham, legal, possible and not otherwise being done’, this means that efforts will now begin with Wiltshire Council to move this project forward.

Tuesday

Another lively morning with Coffee Connections in partnership with Dorothy House, bringing in plenty of visitors.

Sandie and Donna held a planning session to map out the week ahead, while Donna also made a new connection with Reconnect to Restore, who are keen to collaborate on a talk for their group about the services they offer.

Sandie also met with Stuart from Simply Mustard to discuss a new Chamber and Town Team website and branding—a big step forward, with launch expected within the month.

Community Corner Coaching with Ian Hibberd supporting maths learning.

Wednesday

The Crafty Crew Kids session was a hit! Seven children and four adults joined in, creating unicorns and lions out of card and wool, decorating with colouring pens, stickers, and shiny bits. It was a cheerful morning and those present expressed an interest in future activities with Halloween suggested and one person expressed an interest in joining the Monday group session.

Downtown Days saw a smaller turnout due to another community event, but exciting progress was made on a project inspired by members using sketches of “Old Chippenham” that had been produced by John. Wiltshire Council officers also stopped by for survey input.

Later, chairs and vice-chairs of the Chippenham town centre Quarters met to agree the future formatting of the meetings and share feedback and updates on Chamber development, links with the Health & Wellbeing group, and Partnership Board activities.

Community Corner Coaching with Ashleigh supporting maths learning.

On the admin side: 2024/25 accounts were received and approved, reports submitted to the Charity Commission, and a new funding lead emerged.

Thursday

We welcomed Families Out Loud to explore a promising partnership that would benefit their clients and ours.

The Senior Friendship Group had a great turnout, welcoming two new members and the return of John, much-missed for his wonderful quizzes.

A quieter day allowed the team to catch up on admin, including Sandie’s completion of the yearly report to Chippenham Borough Lands Charity.

Their support has made a huge difference to the Hub’s first year in its new home on Timber Street/Gladstone Road—something many towns would envy.

Friday

We wrapped up the week with a surprise visit from Chippenham Fire Brigade, who were sadly whisked away on a call-out before meeting the Cast-Off Knitters.

Donna ran Community Corner Job Coaching, while Sara’s new training with National Numeracy was confirmed—strengthening her skills for future coaching.

Wiltshire Wood Recycling confirmed the rainbow bench attachments are on their way, and we were pleased to secure a long-term booking with Wiltshire Council for a No Smoking course, running September 2025–March 2026.

✨ A truly inspiring week of creativity, collaboration, and community participation

Monday – A Quiet Bank Holiday

After many hours over the weekend redefining the website (thank you, Wix!), the Hub was closed for Bank Holiday Monday.
This gave us all a chance to catch up on much-needed family time.

However, with long weekends can also surface challenges at home and our busy drop-in session reminded us how important it is to provide support when simmering problems rise to the surface.

Tuesday – Connections & Community

Another fantastic Dorothy House Coffee Connections event set the tone for a productive day.

Great progress was made with our Community Corner students thanks to the support of our trustee Ian, alongside Donna, Ashley, and the wonderful Ian Spires.

After a long discussion with Donna about so many community subjects that effect our work, I’m uncertain whether we’ll take on the Community Resilience baton from Chippenham Town Council. This will be a key discussion point at the upcoming Trustees meeting.

Wednesday – Open Door, Open Hearts

Wednesdays are never quiet! with both Downtown Days and Chippenham Borough Lands in full flow and the Hub was buzzing.

Our “open door” policy was in high demand where Donna put her experience to work, guiding people through complex challenges, and signposting them to professional help was put into sharp focus.

With summer ending, schools reopening, and routines shifting, we noticed higher levels of anxiety—a reminder of why our Hub remains such a vital space.

Thursday – Warm Welcomes

The day began on a sombre note with a funeral, but walking into the Hub mid-morning felt like a warm hug and the atmosphere was calm, optimistic, and welcoming.

It was great to see the vibrant Seniors Group in full flow and find yet more Community Corner Coaching occupying our staff and volunteers - it certainly is something that is needed within the neighbourhood.

Our “hello” policy which has been inspired by the 'primacy and recency rule' I learned back in 1983 at Bristol Uni where I was reading Psychology ensures that first and last impressions of the Hub count. It’s part of our culture, carried over from our business roots, and now the cornerstone our work here.

Friday – Working from Home

With stairlift installation underway at home, I worked remotely and:

Drafted a PowerPoint presentation for the Chamber and Town Team meeting next Tuesday (always nerve-wracking, no matter how many we’ve done!).
Spoke with a potential new trustee who will be our first addition in three years! With over 10 years of experience as a Samaritan, she could bring huge value to our team.
And all the while the magnificent Cast-off Knitters turned up on-mass with their usual particular brand of entertaining chatter and skill sharing.

✨ Other tasks on the growing to-do list:

Write reports for grants ending soon
File applications for some new funding opportunities that seem to fit with our work
Draft content for the new Chamber website
Design some new poster campaigns
Tackle several Charity Commission requirements
Explore new initiatives to benefit Chippenham

💬 Final Thoughts

It’s been a week full of challenges, connections, and community spirit. There’s much to do, but the energy and warmth of the Hub, and all of you, make every step worthwhile.

Happy, busy, days....