Dear [Forename],

Sorry for the silence for the last four weeks but it's been very quiet. So, it's now time for an update.

Wantage Town Council are back in business - they held their first council meeting via Zoom last week and are likely to be holding all meetings via Zoom for the forseeable future. To join them, the link to the Zoom meeting will be on the Town Council website https://wantagetowncouncil.gov.uk/ with the agenda.

While I'm on the subject of their website - Sue Thwaite has put together a list of the food takeaway / delivery options and it's also available via the Town Council website at Food-Takeaway-Delivery-8.pdf. Thanks Sue.

Grove Parish Council (and many of the other Parish Councils) has been holding meetings via Zoom for a while. It's a good way of finding out what they do without leaving home!

Some of you might have seen that a patch of land near Edington place on Mary Green in the Grovelands Estate, Grove is for sale on rightmove. We have notified Grove Parish Council and they will be holding a special meeting at 19.30 on 2 June to discuss their options re the land. You should be able to view the meeting on Zoom with details via their website at https://www.grove-oxon.org.uk/. They have been maintaining the land for years.

The surgeries at Mably Way are still working hard but seem to be keeping everything under control. Both surgeries are now working from their own premises and suspected Covid-19 cases are treated in a separate area. Do not go to the surgery without being asked to. You will then be given instructions to wait in the car park, phone to let the surgery know you are there and someone will come to collect you. 

The preferred method for contacting Church Street Practice is to use the eConsult system which is on their website http://wantagechurchstreet.co.uk/ and answering a few questions. To contact Newbury Street either telephone 01235 763451 or click on the eConsult banner that says ‘Contact our doctors online’ on the website at www.newburystreetpractice.co.uk to use the econsult system and answer a few questions.

According to the latest government statistics on https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/ the Vale of the White Horse has the lowest infection rates in Oxfordshire. There have been 313 cases and a rate of 234.1 people infected for every 100,000 people. Both Swindon and Wiltshire have lower rates than us and the rates for West Berkshire are very similar to those of the Vale.

As you probably know, most of the builders are back at work again (some never stopped) and roadworks are in full swing.

• The A338 north of Hanney will be closed for the next three weeks from East Hanney to Garston while they repair the verge and ditch.
• Work should be taking place this week on Limborough Road to sort out the kerb and the parking bay.
• Works may also being taking place on Grove Road anytime until 3 June between Harcourt Road traffic lights and the Mably Way roundabout as well as further along the A338 near the entrance to the Elms Farm Business Park, near Bellengers garage, at the end of Grove Park Road and further up towards East Hanney.
• BT will be working on Grove Road between the Limborough Road Roundabout and Seesen Way between 3-5 June.
• The A417 at East Challow may have traffic lights while the developers construct new footpaths and resurface the road. This could take place anytime from 1 June to 3 August.
• The Gas Board are working again and could have traffic lights near the Lord Nelson anytime from 1 June to 4 September. They may also be working along Charlton Road anytime from now to October (these road work notifications get even less precise!).
• The Highways team will be refurbishing the crossing near Waitrose on Wallingford Street between 1-12 June - let's hope they redo the roads signs in the Market Place at the same time to stop traffic going the wrong way past Wildwood. Perhaps they should think about closing the road on one side of the Market Place to solve this problem (or just making all the roads one way).
• There is also work at the Rowstock Roundabout from 8-13 June.

Don't forget that you can access information about roadworks around here at https://one.network/.

By the way, if you don't get the Herald and would like to read our columns then we include them on our website at https://www.wantageandgrove.org/columns.php

That's all for now.

Stay safe and if there is anything we can do to help you then please get in touch.
Thanks for reading,

Best wishes
Julie

Julie Mabberley
Campaign Manager

Wantage and Grove Campaign Group
www.wantageandgrove.org