“Last month I attended a rally in Wantage protesting the fact that after two years, Wantage Community Hospital remains “temporarily” closed, with no indication of when it will reopen. Originally, the hospital was closed because of concerns of legionella in the pipeworks. This resulted in the closure of the remaining in-patient beds. Maternity and physiotherapy were maintained. Physiotherapy has since been discontinued at the hospital. The closure of the hospital has deprived the residents of Wantage, Grove and the surrounding villages of accessible, quality healthcare, meaning that the injured and sick often must travel to Wallingford, Didcot or Abingdon for suitable treatment.
We have been promised a number of consultations to discuss reopening the hospital but so far nothing has happened. After months of frustration I arranged meetings of my own. I have arranged to speak with the chief executive of Oxfordshire CCG to discuss plans for the provision of healthcare in the constituency. I hope that they will have an update for us soon. I’ve also written to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to raise the issue of Wantage hospital and make clear the level of feeling the community have for it. I await his response.
Every year in September, Heritage Open Days sees places across the country throw open their doors for free to celebrate their heritage, community and history. It brings together over 2,100 organisations, 5,500 events and 46,000 volunteers, and is coordinated nationally by the National Trust, with support from players of the People’s Postcode Lottery. This year they are accepting nominations for a statue that recognises living women that have benefited the community around them. If you would like to nominate someone you can do so at putherforward.com.
The latest funding round for grants for local charities open in three of the Postcode Trusts funded by players of People’s Postcode Lottery. More information can be found at the three websites for the local trusts, each one has a different funding focus and I recommend charities ensure that they apply to the Trust most relevant to them. Postcodetrust.org.uk focuses on projects which focus on prevention of poverty, promotion of human rights and equal rights. Postcodelocaltrust.org.uk focuses on projects on health and wellbeing through grass roots sports, arts and well-being programmes and postcodecommunitytrust.org.uk focuses on projects supporting outdoor spaces, local environment and wildlife.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any pressing issues that you would like help with. You can contact me on any matter at the House of Commons, SW1A 0AA, dicksonce@parliament.uk or 01235 768 888. Email is the quickest and most reliable way to get in touch, as I keep a very close eye on my emails and can reply very quickly. Details of my activities in Parliament can be read on my website, https://www.vaizey.com. I also send out occasional general interest emails about developments in the Wantage and Didcot Constituency. You can sign up here: http://bit.ly/EdVaizeyMP.”