A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN

Dear Cavaliers

It is twelve years since the creation of our White Horse and it is now a well established part of the landscape.  Some of you may have noticed our horse in a recent article on hill figures in the BBC publication “Countryfile Magazine”.  The horse is thriving and proving an asset to the area.

But the years take their toll in other ways, most obviously in wear and tear on your committee. All of us are feeling less energetic than we used to.  At the last AGM, it was decided that the time had come to invoke the clause in our constitution, which allows us to pass responsibility for the horse to Roundway Parish Council. 

The next AGM on Friday September 30th will be our last in charge of the horse. (see below for details). Before the AGM takes place, I should like to hear the views of Cavaliers regarding our future as a group. 

• Do you wish to maintain any form of contact with one another or
•  do we simply disband in the knowledge that we have done our bit and that the horse will continue in safe hands into the foreseeable future? 
• Subject to the opinion of the Parish Council, it might be possible for you to receive their Parish magazine at your cost for postage, for instance.

The horse will continue to need funds to maintain it and Roundway Parish Council will find the money in future.  However, our modest subscriptions were intended to help with the costs of maintenance.  Your committee decided to pass all remaining cash to Roundway Parish Council for the specific purpose of care of the horse.  Collection of subscriptions from you will cease forthwith.  Very little costs currently arise, as the horse is scoured, weeded and kept smart by the Unpaid Work groups of offenders doing community pay back.

This is organised by the Probation Service and works very well at present.  At some point in the future, it will be necessary to bring fresh chalk on site to make up for erosion and downhill drift of the surface.  Re-chalking is likely to be a significant cost.

One project we had hoped to complete was the erection of Brown Tourist signage to guide visitors from the main road up to our hill.  Correspondence with the appropriate department of Wiltshire Council was protracted but eventually we received a response quoting a cost to us of about £2000!  This seemed excessive and therefore the matter is to be passed to Roundway Parish Council to deal with as they see fit.

If you can come to our final AGM, you will be most welcome.  Refreshments will be provided to help celebrate a small ceremony of handing over responsibility to the Chairman of Roundway Parish Council, Chris Callow.  The evening will be rounded off by a talk from John Girvan, Cavalier, town historian, blacksmith and raconteur.  He will base it on his book “Deeper Under Devizes”.

Please note that the meeting must start much earlier than usual, as Sarsen Court must be vacated earlier on a Friday night.

The AGM will commence at 17.30 (5.30pm) on Friday, 30^th September at Sarsen Court, Horton Avenue, Devizes.

Alan Padwick

            The White Horses and Hill Figures Exhibition                              at Devizes Museum

The exhibition was such a success that it was extended until February 2011, with a third change of exhibits to keep people interested.  Our thanks go to Jenna Spellane who oversaw this great event, which brought our horse into the forefront of people’s minds.  The Museum has started a Wiltshire Hill Figures Network in order that the people who have the care of our hill figures can keep in touch with each other with any ideas or recommendations for their upkeep.

Below left: New Exhibits  and Below right: Defunct Horses: Snobs, Inkpen, Rockley, Tan Hill

Sarah and Jenna by DMWH

 CROP CIRCLE ABOVE DMWH this SUMMER: 

E-MAIL ADDRESSES:

It would be most appreciated if you all could provide us with your email addresses, as this is the most efficient and inexpensive way to keep in touch with you all and to send you the Newsletters.  Just send us a message at sanda.padwick@talktalk.net , which will give us your email address.

Salisbury International Arts Festival are hoping to light up DMWH and the Alton Barnes White Horse on a date in May (probably) to celebrate 2012.  They plan a procession from the bottom of Roundway Down with paper lanterns, a band and fireworks to go up to the horse and circle around it and in the shape of the eye, so that it can be seen for miles around.

Alan Carter. Chairman of Devizes Heritage and web master of the DMWH page would like to draw your attention to his website: www.devizesheritage.org.uk , which has a lot of useful and interesting information about the Devizes area and in particular, the Battle of Roundway Down and our horse.  He recently hosted a conference of eminent historians and archaeologists on the Battle at the Town Hall, Devizes.

OUR COMMITTEE

Chairman, Alan Padwick