Those of you that have attended Urchfont Manor will know about the possible closure, and others will have read about it here. Wiltshire have apparently recently launched a questionnaire into their provision. This is somewhat late in the day, but if you are interested in reading or completing the form you can do so here.
Anyone recognise this picture?
This is just one of the views that may soon be unavailable to the public. It’s the start of a small series. You can read about that here.
Let’s get the ‘this’ out of the way as quickly as possible, then we can concentrate on the ‘that’!
On 11th of April I’ll be going into hospital for a short stay. It’s been confirmed, although I think I hinted at it somewhere. After that I’ll have to take it easy for a while, but you will still see me around, often in a supporting role as Jock takes the reins and ploughs on regardless. No need for sympathy, I’m just telling you so that you don’t get too confused by anything that you might see. That’s all about ‘this’ now we’ll move on to ‘that’.
On 24th March we will be driving west. Travelling, early, along the M4 to Tredegar House. It’s a beautiful spot, just on the outskirts of Newport in South Wales. One of us will be experiencing the delights of the grounds etc, while I’ll be having lots of fun with a group of ladies. We’ll be making cushions. The class is all but full, only two spaces remain, so if you would like to join us make sure you get in touch with Busy Bees as soon as possible. We will be working in a lovely airy room, with lots of space (you can see some of the ladies at work on the last workshop here). I’d love to see you there too. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve done a workshop at this venue, and it’s always fun. This picture is a clue, but we won’t be making flowers! (Or will we?)
What are you doing on 21st March? I hope you aren’t planning on having an early night! I’m on the night shift on TV again, this time with the embellisher. At 10pm and midnight I’ll be supporting the team at Create and Craft/ Ideal World again. I’m looking forward to seeing which presenter I have this time, the last late show with Howard was fun, but it’s fun with Ellis and Debbie too, so I’ll wait until I get there to find out. Details of how to find the programme on your TV are here, where you can also watch online, wherever you are. I’ll post a remind a couple of days before too. Don’t forget that you can email in with questions and comments, but please don’t make them hard. The programmes are LIVE and I’ll have to think on my feet, possibly without the materials to demonstrate. If you have a difficult question you can always ask it here and I’ll do my best to answer. By the way, if you are looking for a cheaper supply of embellisher needles, for any machine, don’t forget that we can supply them.
Are you at Missenden Abbey this weekend? We’ll be in the foyer on Saturday, and on Sunday we’ll be in the sitting room at Urchfont Manor. Come and say ‘hello’ if you are at either of these places, it will be good to see you, and don’t forget to book quickly if you want to come to Busy Bees.
Some of you may already know that Wiltshire Council have decided to close Urchfont Manor and sell it in the very near future. This will mean no more wonderful courses, no more use of the wonderful grounds, and no more of that wonderful and delicious food. They have decided this with no public consultation, and if someone hadn’t got ‘wind’ of it and begun a fight, probably without anyone knowing. There is more information here, which just happens to be the Liberal Democrats Wiltshire Council website. From what I have been told there has been the inevitable manipulation of figures, and, as in most cases like this, everything is being kept secret. It is possible that it is already a ‘done deal’, but in the hope that something can be salvaged an online petition has been set up.
Anyone can sign the petition. Urchfont was the very first Residential College for Adult Education in the country. It has been attended by students from all over the country, and also from all over the world. This year alone I know that students have come from as far away as New Zealand and the USA. The petition states:
‘We the undersigned petition the council to Retain Urchfont Manor as an adult education facility, or support any bid by a purchaser for the property that intends to maintain it as a residential adult education centre.
There has been very little public consultation on the proposal to sell Urchfont Manor, please lend your support.’
You can help by registering your interest and signing here. This might be more important than you think because local business men have already expressed an interest in buying the property and continuing Adult Learning at the site. This would be very good news, and your signature could help persuade the council that this is a good idea.
# myfanwyhart.com 