Community First - Wiltshire & Swindon

16/06/2026

☀️ Summer Holiday Clubs at Oxenwood! ☀️

Oxenwood Outdoor Education Centre offers fun and exciting outdoor adventure activities during school holidays for children and young people aged 8 years and over.

Led by our experienced Outdoor Education Instructors, Oxenwood is the perfect place for children to get outside, explore and meet new friends during school holidays. Summer Holiday Clubs will run on Mondays and Tuesdays in the first 3 weeks of August, with a full day of activities between 09:30 – 4:00pm.

The activities on offer this summer are:

🚴 Mountain biking
🛶 Stand-up paddle boarding

Price: £35 per person, per day. Please bring a packed lunch, suncream, sun hat, a change of clothes and a water bottle 🎒👍

To book your action-packed Summer Holiday clubs email [email protected] or complete a booking enquiry form on our website.

More info:
https://www.oxenwood.org.uk/clubs/

15/06/2026

Our Community Development team is working alongside Age UK Wiltshire - Let’s change how we age to promote a new Daytime Disco as part of the Get Out Get Active programme in Wiltshire. The Daytime Disco will take place at Melksham Assembly Hall on Friday 3rd July (2-4pm). The event is open to people aged 55+ and the afternoon will feature music from the 1950s to the 1980s in a friendly, accessible setting. There is no need to book, just come along and enjoy music, refreshments and good company!

11/06/2026

Join us this morning at the Trowbridge Mental Health Carer Café.

Karl Deeprose and Caroline Bowen from Wiltshire Council will be visiting, along with Forward Carers. It's a chance to share your experiences as an unpaid Carer, ask questions, or simply have a cup of tea and chat with other Carers.

📍 St John's Parish Centre, 2 Wingfield Rd, Trowbridge, BA14 9EA
📅 Thursday 11th June - 10.30am until Midday
🥐 Free refreshments provided!

Come along and be part of the conversation. We'd love to see you there!

Our Wiltshire

10/06/2026

Here's a number that stopped us in our tracks: around 600 people a day give up work to care for someone.

And for those who do keep working, it's rarely straightforward. Research shows that 61% of working Carers feel caring has affected the type of work they've been able to take on. Many have gone part-time, turned down promotions, or taken on something less demanding just to make it all fit. (statistics gathered from Carers UK)

A carer-friendly community includes carer-friendly workplaces, which doesn't have to mean grand gestures. It can be as simple as a manager who says "tell me what you need" and means it. Or knowing that if you have to take a call from the care home in the middle of a meeting, that's okay.

There are some practical tools that can help - the Carer's Leave Act now gives employees the right to one week* of unpaid leave per year, and a Carer's Passport lets you document the flexibility you need so you don't have to start from scratch every time your manager changes.

*‘One week’ means the Carers normal working week:
5 days for full‑time staff
Pro‑rata for part‑time staff (e.g. 3 days if they work 3 days a week)

If you're trying to juggle work and caring and it feels unsustainable, you don't have to figure it out alone. Get in touch with us, and we can help you understand your options.

09/06/2026

Today we want to share something a little different - the story of one of our wonderful Carer Café volunteers, who has kindly agreed to share her experience.

“In the beginning I hadn't known I was a carer either. I was just a daughter - I did what daughters do, or for that matter sons, husbands and wives, even children.

My dad moved in with me and the first few years were fine, but slowly my caring role grew almost without my noticing. Then he had a fall while I was out shopping one day, and I knew things needed to change. I contacted Wiltshire Council, and that's when I became aware of charitable organisations whose mission is to help people like me. As soon as I called they were so helpful. They completed a Carer's Assessment; I received the help and advice I needed, and I could ask for financial help to pay a carer who would come in to give me some time to myself.

One thing that crept up on me was the feeling of isolation, even when I was in company. I also felt trapped: as a social person, I missed the company of others who understood.

Then I was told about a Carer's Café. I was nervous the first day, I nearly didn't go in. But I'm so glad I did. We didn't just talk about our problems, we talked about everything else, and made each other laugh. Friends tried to be sympathetic and make the right noises, but I knew they didn't get it. At the Carer Café, there was no need for explanation.

After my father passed away, I was still welcome at the Café for 18 months and in my case, they were looking for another volunteer, and I offered my help, that was three years ago now. I’m so glad I walked into the Trowbridge Carer Café that day.”

This is what a carer-friendly community looks like.

If you'd like to find out about our Carer Cafés across Wiltshire, or talk to someone about a Carer's Assessment, send us a message or visit our website.

https://carerstogetherwiltshire.org.uk/

08/06/2026

Wonderful to attend the launch of the Tall Ships Youth Trust Challenger 5 with Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal. Thanks to Rachel and Sharon who attended with a group of young people supported by Youth Action Wiltshire ❤️

05/06/2026

It's next week (8-14 June) and Carers Together Wiltshire is hosting a range of events across Wiltshire, giving unpaid Carers the chance to meet others, share their experiences, get creative, or simply enjoy some time in good company 💚

There will be opportunities to speak directly with Our Wiltshire (Wiltshire Council) leaders at Your Voice, Your Experience sessions, take part in relaxed creative workshops with Bosky Creative, and finish the week with tea, treats and live music in Chippenham.

Events during Carers Week 2026:

Tuesday 9th June | 10:30am–12:00pm
Your Voice, Your Experience
Speak directly with key leaders from Wiltshire Council.
📍 Calne Carer Café, Lansdowne Strand Hotel

Tuesday 9th June | 2:00pm–4:00pm
Creative Workshop
Join Bosky Creative to create your own paper roses.
📍 Devizes Quakers Meeting House

Thursday 11th June | 10:30am–12:00pm
Your Voice, Your Experience
Speak directly with key leaders from Wiltshire Council.
📍 Trowbridge Mental Health Café, St John's Parish Centre

Friday 12th June | 2:00pm–4:00pm
Creative Workshop
Join Bosky Creative to create your own paper roses.
📍 The Art Space, Salisbury Arts Centre

Sunday 14th June | 2:30pm–4:00pm
Tea, Treats and Tunes
Refreshments and songs from Steeple Belles.
📍 King Alfred Hall, St Andrew's Church, Chippenham

For more information, call 01380 710 300 (option 2). You can also visit the Carers Together Wiltshire events calendar for information about all of the events on offer during Carers Week: https://carerstogetherwiltshire.org.uk/events/ or see the Facebook events calendar: https://www.facebook.com/carerstogetherwiltshire/events

Carers Week is just around the corner, and we'd love to see as many unpaid Carers as possible join us during the week!

From 9th–14th June, we'll be hosting a range of events across Wiltshire, giving unpaid Carers the chance to meet others, share their experiences, get creative, or simply enjoy some time in good company.

There will be opportunities to speak directly with Wiltshire Council leaders at our Your Voice, Your Experience sessions, take part in relaxed creative workshops with Bosky Creative, and finish the week with tea, treats and live music in Chippenham.

Caring for someone can leave little time for yourself, so we hope these events offer a chance to socialise with others who 'get it', feel that your voice is being heard and also to have fun!

Events during Carers Week 2026:

Tuesday 9th June | 10:30am–12:00pm
Your Voice, Your Experience
Speak directly with key leaders from Wiltshire Council.
📍 Calne Carer Café, Lansdowne Strand Hotel

Tuesday 9th June | 2:00pm–4:00pm
Creative Workshop
Join Bosky Creative to create your own paper roses.
📍 Devizes Quakers Meeting House

Thursday 11th June | 10:30am–12:00pm
Your Voice, Your Experience
Speak directly with key leaders from Wiltshire Council.
📍 Trowbridge Mental Health Café, St John's Parish Centre

Friday 12th June | 2:00pm–4:00pm
Creative Workshop
Join Bosky Creative to create your own paper roses.
📍 The Art Space, Salisbury Arts Centre

Sunday 14th June | 2:30pm–4:00pm
Tea, Treats and Tunes
Refreshments and songs from Steeple Belles.
📍 King Alfred Hall, St Andrew's Church, Chippenham

For more information, call 01380 710 300 (option 2).

Our Wiltshire

03/06/2026

A huge thank you to Community First, for organising blood pressure checks at our SLCC Wiltshire & Swindon Branch Health & Wellbeing Day on Friday.

This is an important project, helping to identify undiagnosed high blood pressure, which can increase the risk of serious health conditions such as heart attacks and strokes if left unchecked.

It was a really valuable practical element of the day. All the clerks had their blood pressure checked and the Wiltshire Council public health team were on hand to offer advice, information and signposting.


Community First - Wiltshire & Swindon

03/06/2026

Did you know, there are over 1,400 volunteers involved in supporting Link Schemes in Wiltshire and Swindon? Community First is proud to support a network of 43 local Link (volunteer car) Schemes across the county. In 2025, Link volunteers travelled over a million miles for the first time, a landmark achievement for this amazing group of dedicated volunteers.

You can find out more about the remarkable achievements of Link volunteers between 2015-2025 in our recently produced report One Million Miles:

https://tinyurl.com/OneMillionMiles

Thank you to all of the volunteers who made this possible and for their service to people and communities in Wiltshire and Swindon.

02/06/2026

As part of we would like to recognise and say thank you to the hundreds of volunteers who support over 180 village halls and community buildings in Wiltshire and Swindon. Village halls are an important local meeting space for communities and host a range of activities and events. None of this would be possible without volunteers who manage the hall, fundraise and keep the doors open and the lights on!