The plans for the Wichelstowe Games have been finalised and we would like to invite everyone to come along and enjoy the day!
There will be events running throughout the day from 10am to 3pm on Saturday 24th August including circus skills in the square and trips on the Wilts and Berks Canal Trust trip boats. You can cheer on the teams competing in the sports events and then have a go yourself as the events are opened to the public.
From 11am those who are good with heights can try and scale the climbing wall in the Hall and Woodhouse car park. The Swindon and District Canoe Club will be running public taster sessions along the canal from midday and you can also take part in our cycling challenge with a prize for the person topping the leader board at the end of the day.
Visitors are invited to contribute £2 for each activity in order to raise funds for the chosen community project. The project chosen in 2019 is the construction of a new slipway providing safe access into the Wilts and Berks Canal. Located just north of Beavans Bridge this facility will enable local canoe and paddle clubs to enter the water safely and make it possible for a wider range of people to become involved with the water.
Tessa Lanstein is the head of projects and a member of the executive committee for the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust.
She said: “We are sincerely grateful to Hall & Woodhouse for choosing our charity as the first beneficiary of the inaugural Wichelstowe Games and we hope it will be a huge success.
“The canal is already proving to be a major asset for the local community and this event will provide much-needed funds to continue its restoration, ultimately providing a vital new source of employment, leisure and tourism, as well as a new wildlife corridor.”
You can also win a prize without breaking a sweat with some great raffle prizes from Hall and Woodhouse, Waitrose, the Wilts and Berks Canal Trust and the Swindon and District Canoe Club on offer.
Waitrose and Hall and Woodhouse will be open as usual but with so much activity going on Wichelstowe Games visitors are invited to park in the Deanery school car park.
Karl Drew, General Manager Hall and Woodhouse Wichelstowe said:
‘The Wichelstowe Games idea came from listening to locals that started to come in for a drink or a meal. We see H&W Wichelstowe as an integral part of this growing community so I thought an annual event that gave something back to the community would be a fantastic idea. I’ve had some great support from our partners including Waitrose, the Wilts and Berks Canal Trust and the Wichelstowe Development Team as well as our fantastic sports providers including Wiltshire Outdoor Learning Team (WOLT), Swindon and District Canoe Club and the Wichelstowe Runners amongst many others. It has been a huge team effort and I can’t wait to see all our competitors and spectators enjoying the day on Saturday 24th.’
