Many thanks, if you have come this far you are interested in what we do at the Hub..so here it is with a little help from ChatGBT to make it a quick readable experience.
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Mahatma Gandhi
This is the Life - This is.....
🌟 How the Hub Works....A couple of Weeks at the Hub 2025​​​​​​​​​​​​​
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Monday 1
What a video can say better than words -
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Our Monday morning hub buzz is shown as the rooms begin to fill up...
Such a happy place from the minute you walk off the street.
Ashley is busy going through IT training with someone who wants to know how to improve his IPad skills....
Ian is entertaining the crafty crew after a great deal of great prep work.....
The early bird Chatty Chainers are busy already while awaiting the rest to see what they will be crafting for our lovely emergency services to gift or items for us to raise some cash to pay the bill with...​​
Monday 2
Today we had a good show of people for all our groups, Crafty Crew and Chatty Chainers and everyone enjoyed their visit. Lots of chatter and the Chatty Chainers have agreed to make more things for the Castle Combe Christmas Craft Fayre. We had two Community Corner Coaching sessions in the afternoon, and one was Ade with I.T.
There was also a visit from Terry who still needs more understanding regarding his Facebook page and have told him to delete me from the group, and he has removed Chippenham Hub too as he wants this as a closed group. Family Community Learning came in with full attendance and all good with them working out their craft sale and projects. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
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Tuesday 1
A very, very busy day with Dorothy House Coffee morning well attended as usual and the hum of our lovely Beth's Northern Ireland accent never far away... a load of open door visitors … Community Corner Coaching sessions, and a well attended and fully engaged compliment of Chamber and Town Team members from all walks of Chippenham life.
It is wonderful just how very willing people are to devote time for the good of our community- it just shows so much to build on in the coming years as the town expands with new multi-cultural residents and it emphasises the importance of the work we are doing putting the building blocks ready for that future.
The day ended with a funeral of a lovely community minded, Chippenham born, 'quite man' and the 120+ who turned up were a real tribute to him.
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Today there was a good show of people for the Dorothy House Coffee Connections an drop in by the community police team. There was also a new member of Community Corner Coaching for trustee, Ian Hibberd, plus his existing member for Maths so he was busy! Signed up another member up for Ade with an I.T issue.
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Wednesday 1
The wonders of AI were in the email box this morning when the new programme running throughout the 198 minutes of the Chamber and Town Team meeting then coming up with a superb set of notes that has saved at least a day of admin work to record on paper all the areas being considered by the crew. Sending out the summary with the date of the next meeting to put into diaries so soon after the actual meeting was something that could never have been imagined possible when the Town Team first got together after the covid lock down days. Positive progress utilising the best of technology to leave us free to concentrate on the important area of our work...people.
Wednesday 2
The Health & Wellbeing Meeting was chaired by Ian Bridges in Sandies absence as Sandie attended the County Hall Business Conference to represent the Chamber and Town Team. The H&W meeting went well and lots of information was exchanged between the attendees with their networking giving a roundup of their organisations and giving dates of events they will be holding and new groups set-up or services provided. Downtown Days went on a trip which Ian Spyer and new trustee Beth Nash supported them on to the Scrap Store for a guided tour and the Chippenham Transport for the Disabled minibus was on time and provided a good service.
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Thursday 1
Clause 58 of the new government Local Governance Bill being read today in parliament. Not something you would normally associate with a community hub, but these are not normal days and the more that the local authorities and government can realise the huge capacity that localism has to form good and happy places to live, the better.
Work has been going on contributing in a small way from the Hub - helping to build up a true picture of the importance there is in ensuring our neighbourhoods are based on a common community ethos.
Busy days ahead with end of grant reports due back and new applications on the desk awaiting a great deal of work to ensure that we remain in a good position in the year ahead and beyond,
Seniors group busy and vibrant as usual - with trustee Ian working the room like a real pro!
Thursday 2
We had lots of fun with the Senior Friendship Group and lots of people attended today. Marina was in to help Ian and Ashleigh did a Community Corner Coaching for Maths with a new member. This lady has health issues and Ashleigh was savvy and got emergency contact details due to her epilepsy. Someone came in who we have been working with and appeared not in a great way - she is on the radar with her health so we spent some time with her PM.
Lacemaking Group were quiet but seemed to enjoy their meeting together.
Had an Afghanistan lady come in and wanted to bring her friend in to help her with a CV so has an appointment tomorrow and a lovely lady came in who wanted help with her PIP form for her son - did a referral which has been acknowledged by Wiltshire Carer Support.
We had a drop in from Wiltshire Council ESOL for a booking regarding a job-coaching for volunteers within the non-speaking English community. This has now primarily been booked for early October.
Wiltshire Wood Recycling has come up with the bench and delivered this and it is amazing. We have a donation regarding bulbs, soil and now plants for this by one of my Cancer Group members that I have helped, and she is only too grateful so wanted to pay us back with doing this in her own sweet way. Volunteer Andy has been asked to paint this.
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Friday 1
Donna looking forward to a deserved few days away from the Hub and a general feeling that with the season moving into autumn we should mention the C word....yes Christmas!
Ian S is a Christmas Day baby and spends the year reminding us how many sleeps until the bid day - but we have a lovely plan that will dovetail into the Children in Need appeal in November or, possibly, directly contribute to the local appeal for new toys for those who are not able to make the day special for their kids....more of that to come xx​​
Friday 2
Community Corner Coaching with the lady from Afghanistan and a great meet up with her mother and friend, they are going to join the group for knitting and she is going to volunteer with making teas and coffee. this will assist their learning of the English language.
Chippenham Borough Lands were in today for the first Friday session..
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💬 Final Thought
Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat xx
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Happy, busy, days....
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