The Bustard Ride is nearly upon us

Hello,

Well the day has almost arrived, as tomorrow – the longest day – we will be setting off bright and early for the 130 mile Bustard Ride around Wiltshire.

We’re as prepared as we can be for what promises to be a challenging but great day – if a somewhat exhausting one!

Thanks to everyone who has sponsored us in raising money for the mental health charity Wiltshire MIND. If you haven’t sponsored us yet, please do so by visiting our Just Giving Page

We’re really grateful for the support we’ve been shown by so many of you – so far around £1,800 has been pledged – and not just with sponsorship, but also by those taking part either in the ride itself or  providing support along the route. In addition the #EPIC team have set you all a challenge to beat our 130 miles by riding exercise bikes that will be set up in County Hall, Monkton Park and Churchfields so please take an opportunity to support this…and if you fancy it, you can hop on one of the bikes too. We wish them and you the best of luck.

We’ll let you know how we get on and we have chosen the longest day to allow time and light if we need it! You can follow our progress on twitter – follow @wiltscouncil – or on our website.

Tomorrow is also the summer Solstice and many staff are involved in supporting this major event which attracts thousands of visitors.

Talking of major events this week ends with what promises to be amazing memorable day in Salisbury with the visit of The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall to the city to supports its recovery.

They’ll be meeting members of the public and local businesses before a special reception at the Guildhall to meet first responders and all those who have been involved in the city’s recovery programme.

The recovery took another step forward this week with the handing back of Amesbury ambulance station, the third site to be handed back, following The Maltings shopping centre and Salisbury ambulance station. Salisbury is returning to normal and visitor numbers are slowly picking up.

Later on Friday, the Families and Children’s Transformation Programme Board meets in Devizes - FACT is a real multi-agency programme, which is now into its second phase with a focus on:

• No Wrong Door – an integrated multi-disciplinary service for young people aged 12 – 25 who are either in care or on the edge of care
• The development of a joint systems leadership approach
• Bringing multiple case management systems into one system to ensure all information is shared in one place.There will be more on the outcomes from this meeting in next week’s column, and we’ll continue to keep you updated on this important programme as it grows and develops.

Carlton spent the day with senior managers from adult social care and public health on Tuesday. The away day was a great opportunity for the team to discuss their priorities, values, what great management and leadership look like, and the exciting transformation journey that lies ahead. Thanks to everyone who took part, and for the superb support from the HR&OD team.

Finally, you may be aware that all our special schools for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are now at full capacity and at least 220 new special school places will be required by 2026. In the north of Wiltshire 70 additional places for children with complex needs will be required. Several options will be explored to assess how this provision for pupils with special needs in the future can be met. We are consulting on the options to help decide the future investment in special educational needs schools.

Please do respond yourself, if you would like to, and please do share with friends and family before 31 July. You can find the consultation here.

Alistair, Carlton and Terence