HARVEST time! We join celebrations in Wedmore for one of the first of the area’s harvest homes – with more to come in the next few weeks. Nick Green writes about how the tradition began.
We also have photos from the MidSomerset Show, flower shows and a host of other village festivals and events.
Two of our village halls are in the news – there’s now a splendid mural on the wall at Oakhill, while Compton Martin is celebrating the centenary of its hall and the family who supported building it.
We meet two youngsters who climbed Glastonbury Tor 33 times for charity and learn why the Mayor of Wells, Tanys Pullin, is collecting wedding dresses! In sport, Wells weightlifter and firefighter Alexia Grant has continued her winning ways.
We also preview the Double Hills ceremony for servicemen killed in a glider crash near Paulton, which will have an added poignancy this year.
With all of our regular features and contributors, let’s all celebrate the fruits of autumn.
October 2023 deadline: Friday 15th September
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ORGANISERS of Frome Carnival have warned that the annual event is at risk unless it receives more financial support.
Frome Carnival is unique in Somerset in that it is the only one which is a registered charity, raising thousands of pounds which is donated to the local community. It means organisers have to hold other events to cover the £10,000 cost of staging carnival each year.
This year’s event takes place on Saturday, September 23rd with the Children’s Procession in the afternoon followed by the evening spectacular.
The carnival committee is urging businesses and individuals to support them by becoming a sponsor, and taking part, either as a walking entry, a trade entry or a full cart. The committee is also urging people to help out by becoming a charity collector, marshal or steward.
A spokesperson said: “As a result of the procession collection being diverted into the charity account this means that the costs associated with putting the carnival on the road have to be met by other means wherever possible. This is raised by the committee holding events such as the Fun
BILL Carruthers, a former councillor and founder of the Chew Valley Gazette , has died aged 82, leaving his wife Veronica and two sons from his previous marriage, Rob and Jon.
He started the Chew Valley Digest, as it then was, from his home in East Harptree in April 1984. He was also one of the founders of the East Harptree Club, which is now closed. The Gazette then had an office in Chew Magna. When they
Day in June and the annual duck race and 100 club, by sponsorship, donations and grants.
“If the town wants their carnival to continue then we need the town’s help. It would be such a shame for this longstanding tradition and much-loved annual event to end.”
info@fromecarnival.org.uk
first met, Veronica helped with distribution around Pensford. Bill was at one time a Labour councillor representing Radstock on Bath and North East Council and after moving to Langford he was a Churchill parish councillor for many years. He was also a member of Wells Golf Club.
Born in Leeds, he was one of the first to win a Duke of Edinburgh award. A post-mortem revealed asbestosis, dating from his childhood, which has delayed plans for his funeral.
WELLS City Almshouses trust has received a £158,490 National Lottery Heritage Fund grant for a project to restore the Bubwith Chapel in the city.
The project will develop and transform the 15th Century chapel making it both a visitor destination in Wells and offering a vital community space in the city. The project has already received support from Mendip Communities Fund, The Blair Foundation, Wessex Water and community backing through a sponsored walk by trustee Chris Vigar, as well as investment from Wells City
Almshouses themselves.
It is a grade II* listed building. However, aside from a weekly service, it has been largely hidden from public view. The trust has been supporting those with housing needs in Wells since the 1400s.
l An open day will be held at the almshouses and chapel on Saturday, September 9th from 11am-4pm. Entry is free with teas and cakes and live music (2-3pm) in the chapel from Somerset Flutes and Simply Uke.
A "POLLINATORParty" held at Farrington Gurney Memorial Hall was well attended and was judged a great success by Chelwood Bridge Rotary Club, which helped sponsor the event, covering the cost of bug box kits and providing free refreshments.
Club member, Colin Robinson, said: “It was an exciting free event, aiming to spread the word to children and adults alike about the importance of pollinators in our environment.
“There were talks about the secret lives of pollinators. There were also free plants and seeds, as well as free bee and bug box kits.”
Margaret Heffernan, a professor at the University of Bath and a Farrington Gurney Parish councillor, gave the main talk.
PRICKLES Hedgehog Rescue in Cheddar have four new sponsorship hogs for the next year –Lady Shackleton, Millie, Charlie and Reggie. They all need care to restore them to health.
The sponsorship will help towards the cost of food, bedding and medication.
Details: 07806 744772
CARYMOOR Environmental Trust, based on a former landfill site near Castle Cary, has been awarded £109,000 by the National Lottery Reaching Communities fund to support their work with adults with learning disabilities.
Groups from Able2Achieve and The Hub in Yeovil both regularly visit Carymoor to learn new skills, to help with conservation tasks and wildlife surveys, as well as boosting the wellbeing and confidence of the learners that attend.
The funding will enable Carymoor to upgrade some facilities, such as an old outdoor toilet block and build a new workshop for the learners. These facilities along with new courses will provide rewarding and productive opportunities for adults with learning disabilities over the next five years.
Carymoor has also been successful in a bid to Open Mental Health for another £9,000 to specifically support the Able2Achieve learners.
The centre also offers courses, volunteering opportunities and corporate packages alongside their environmental school education programme. They said: “A big thank you to the Reaching Communities team and for the support of everyone who plays the National Lottery who have made this possible.”
For details, visit: www.carymoor.org.uk
FROME Community Bike Project has started work on its new base at Station Approach in Frome.
A team of volunteers cleared the site before the arrival of storage containers during August and a log cabin to be used as the workshop. Once fully operational –possibly by mid-September – FCBP will be offering bike servicing, a shared workshop where people can use their tools and share skills, refurbished bike sales, volunteering opportunities and much more including group rides and ebikes for hire. All profits from the project will support the Frome’s Missing Links charity creating traffic-free links around the town.
Details: www.fromebikeproject.org www.fromesmissinglinks.org.uk
SOMERSETWildlife Trust is asking for support as it launches its annual Nature Reserves Fund appeal. First launched in 2016, the fund enables the trust to care for and maintain its 68 nature reserves.
These special places – safe havens for a variety of special wildlife species –represent some of Somerset’s most precious habitats including areas of ancient woodland, flower-rich meadows, and precious peatlands.
These are now essential for our ability to store carbon in the face of climate change. They are also vital in helping to build a strong and resilient nature recovery network across the county to achieve the goal of 30% of land and sea managed positively for nature.
It says the cost of looking after these
nature reserves rises each year. The trust estimates that it costs over £2,600 a day to maintain them, which means that raising funds is more important than ever in a climate where funding has decreased by almost 25%.
This year’s appeal is focused particularly on raising funds to replace out-of-date, broken equipment, which makes the job of delivering basic maintenance work much more timeconsuming than it should.
David Northcote-Wright, Senior Nature Reserves Manager at the trust, said: “Since I started working at the trust almost 34 years ago, I have seen an enormous amount of change.
“Not just changes in species abundance, but the changes in our
climate and the habitats we manage and also huge changes in the practical way we manage and care for the reserves –from the conservation approaches we take, to the equipment and machinery that is needed to support our reserves teams.
“Doing things manually simply isn’t an option anymore, so giving our staff and volunteers the right modern equipment to manage our grasslands is absolutely critical in keeping on top of the basic maintenance from season to season.
“We really hope that the appeal will help us do that and appreciate any and all donations, large or small that the public can spare, at what we know is a difficult time economically for many.”
Details: https://www.somersetwildlife.org/reservesfund Zoë 01823 652429
VOLUNTEERS found 89% of water samples recorded high levels of nutrients in this year’s Bristol Avon RiverBlitz, which looked at the Wellow Brook, River Biss, River Chew and Land Yeo.
A record 193 “citizen scientists” collected and tested 292 samples, which found that when nitrate and phosphate results were combined, 89% recorded high levels of nutrients, with only one showing a low concentration.
Both nitrate and phosphate showed higher than average pollution levels, compared with previous years. Organisers say one reason may be that the survey began during a significant rainfall event following an extended period of extremely dry weather.
It says: “Nutrients accumulated on land prior to rainfall are washed into the watercourse during the first storm event. The impact of such events on aquatic wildlife can be substantial, as aquatic organisms can already be stressed due to low river flows and rising temperatures during dry weather.
“Heavy rainstorm events are likely to exacerbate this stress when toxins wash off roads and fields and enter the water channel, along with water company combined sewage overflows that discharge diluted raw sewage during periods of wet weather.”
Bristol Avon Rivers Trust (BART) CEO, Simon Hunter, said: “BART has again played a vital role in shining a light and raising awareness of the ongoing issues impacting the health of
our rivers at a time where statutory monitoring is in decline.
“As a developed nation, it is unacceptable that we continue to pollute our rivers in this manner and we hope that the RiverBlitz data gathered by local communities will help demonstrate that there is still a long way to go in providing healthy watercourses throughout the Bristol Avon catchment.”
Meanwhile, Nailseaenvironment group, The Land Yeo Friends, are concerned that some sections of the Land Yeo are now very overgrown with river weed, and vegetation on the river bank.
A native, invasive species called Branched Bur Reed appeared in the river a few years ago and is spreading rapidly, choking sections of the river.
This year growing conditions have also suited the tall, common reeds, and they are also spanning the river in places.
It hopes the Environment Agency (EA) will start this year's annual maintenance soon and that most of the river weed and growth on the bank that they use for access will be cut back.
It says last year the EA used contractors for all of their weed cutting and some sections of both the river and bank were missed. This included the banks beside Jacobs Walk and Churchill Avenue where there has been two years’ vigorous growth of brambles, buddleia, nettles etc.
It’s concerned that without a good flow of water the quality of the river will deteriorate and it won’t be able to carry away flood waters from the town.
Details: https://bristolavonriverstrust.org/riverblitz/
THEfuture risk of flooding on the River Chew will be the focus of a workshop in Pensford looking at the causes of flash floods.
South West England has a history of devastating flash floods, including the Lynmouth flood of August 15th, 1952, the July 10th 1968 flood in the Chew Valley and the August 16th 2004 flood in Boscastle.
A pioneering research project DocuFlood has commenced and is being run by academics from the University of Bath and the University of Greenwich, in collaboration with the Pensford Local History Group (PLHG).
This project focuses on understanding historical flash floods with an initial focus on the Chew Valley. By combining diverse data sources and modern hydraulic modelling, the project aims to shed light on past floods, enhance flood risk understanding and design effective mitigation strategies for the future.
On Saturday, September 30th, the University of Bath is hosting a unique workshop at the Pensford Memorial Hall that promises to be a riveting and insightful experience for all members of the local community.
Distinguished academics from the University of Bath and the
University of Greenwich will present intriguing talks, delving into the nature of the 1968 flood and why it continues to capture our attention to this day.
The workshop is also an opportunity for the community to come together and participate actively in the conversation. Round table discussions, expertly facilitated by the academics, with local residents will enable attendees to share their memories, knowledge and even photographs of past flooding events.
In addition to talks by academics, there will be an interactive exhibition on water and flooding aimed at a younger audience and an opportunity to ask questions of experts in water science.
They plan to have two identical sessions, 10am and 2pm, hoping that everyone interested can find a time that will be most suited.
Details: www.docuflood.uk
THISis the time of year when many villages stage a “harvest home”. They have been going since time immemorial in one form or another. However, the harvest home celebrations recognised now are “modern”. They were started by a Cornish vicar, Robert Hawker, in 1843 when he invited his parishioners to a special thanksgiving service for the harvest at his Morwenstow church.
This simple celebration spread quickly around the UK and Victorian hymns such as We Plough the Fields and Scatter, and All Things Bright and Beautiful helped bring the celebration to life.
The simple church celebration developed into an event with local farmers providing a thank you meal for those involved in the harvest. A barn would have been decorated and the last sheaf of corn to be harvested made into a harvest doll, drenched with water and kept as a rain charm until the start of sowing crops the following spring.
East Brent Harvest Home has been going since 1857 and Hewish, Puxton and Wick St Lawrence isn’t far behind. These big
celebrations alongside many smaller ones in and around Mendip mark the same thing; the safe gathering of the last year’s work of the farmer growing, harvesting and storing crops ready for use through the next year. (See Wedmore Harvest Home, page 40).
On many farms, fields are named after the celebration. For those travelling north on the A38 past Lye Cross Farm, the field on the right just up the road from the Farm Shop is named Harvest Home after being the site of many harvest celebrations in the past.
One crop which will miss the harvest home celebrations is maize. The area of maize grown in the UK has increased considerably over the last three decades. In the 1980s very little maize was grown north of the southern counties of Sussex, Hampshire and Devon.
With plant breeders developing different strains of seed combined with what appears to be a warming climate, maize is now grown extensively from the south coast up to Scotland and across into Northern Ireland.
You can look out for farmers harvesting this valuable crop for the next month or so. Once this job has been done, the harvest really will have been brought home.
Family-run, rural country store on A359 between Castle Cary and Sparkford
Fir Tree Business Park, High Road, Galhampton, Somerset, BA22 7BH sales@galhamptoncountrystore.co.uk
THEREare a lot of acronyms out there, especially in social media, so here’s just a few explanations of what they mean.
FB – Facebook IG – Instagram LI – Linked In YT – YouTube TW – Twitter.
DM – Direct message. Refers to a message sent between two users.
MT – Modified tweet. This is when you alter a tweet before resharing it.
PM – Private message. It’s a more generic term for one-on-one communications.
AFAIK – As far as I know.
AMA – Ask me anything. Often as an open invite for questions.
BRB – Be right back.
BTAIM – Be that as it may.
BTW – By the way.
DAE – Does anyone else . . ?
DYK – Did you know . . ?
ELI5 – Explain like I’m five. Often used in forums like Reddit for the simplest explanation to more complex topics.
FOMO – Fear of missing out. This often spurs people’s desire to keep up with social media in general.
FYI – For your information
HBD – Happy birthday.
HTH – Here to help or happy to help.
ICYMI – In case you missed it. Typically used when sharing content that’s not too current.
IDC – I don’t care.
IDK – I don’t know.
IKR – I know, right?
ILY – I love you.
IMHO – In my humble opinion.
IMO – In my opinion.
IRL – In real life.
JK – Just kidding. Used for conveying a light-hearted tone.
LOL – Laughing out loud.
MCM – Man crush Monday. Chipotle put its own twist to this.
MTFBWY – May the Force be with you. A “Star Wars” reference commonly used to give encouragement.
ROFL – Rolling on the floor laughing.
TBH – To be honest.
TBBH – To be brutally honest.
TMI – Too much information.
WBU – What about you?
WFH – Work from home.
YOLO – You only live once.
Submitted for I.T. for the Terrified by Lynne Duckett. Although we have stopped our one-to-one tuition, we will continue with this column to keep the name alive. This article is for guidance only, and the opinion of the writer. I.T. for the Terrified –it4ttcvh@gmail.com
ACROSS
1 Butlin’s Holiday Camp opened here in 1962 (8)
5 The way Albert Pierrepoint left his charges (4,2)
9 Inflammatory skin disease common in children (8)
10 Involving one dimension only (6)
12 Oviposits melodies (4)
13 The hill that King Alfred’s Tower is on (10)
15 Twelve Consecutive months ending 5th April (9,4)
19 Eliot’s holster interfered with a hard back (13)
23 Mild joke made in polite conversation (10)
25 Title of a Muslim Ruler (4)
28 See 27 down (6)
29 Eternal; God or Goddess (8)
30 Scottish address for a young man (6)
31 Mesmeric, bewitching (8)
DOWN
1 Usually as a rule (6)
2 Cold and fast (5)
3 Thea turns to abominate (4)
4 A person from Norfolk or Suffolk (7)
6 Animal liquid waste (5)
7 An emblem on documents showing endorsement of the King’s authority (5,4)
8 Division of garden beds in an ornamental pattern (8)
11 “Not very attractive,” cross between grapefruit and tangerine (4)
14 Disentangle (4)
15 Supply power food to an army! (5-4)
16 A wooden rod; sign or gesture (3)
17 Vegetable of the Allium class (4)
18 Uncommon, out of the ordinary (8)
20 Village near Wedmore holding annual Cider Festival 1st –2nd September (4)
21 Dialect term for rough cider made from unselected apples (7)
22 Prance, leap about or dance (6)
24 Japanese dish of small balls of vinegar flavoured cold rice with raw seafood (5)
26 A short piece of sacred choral music (5)
27 & 28 across Comedian born in Weston-super-Mare 1962 with a father called Reginald Cheese (4)
By greendandelionClues in italics are cryptic
This month’s solution can be found on page 88
IN 1968, at the age of 18, I applied and was accepted on VSO to spend 20 months teaching in Papua New Guinea. I was the first volunteer to be sent into the interior.
On returning to the UK, I trained as a teacher and taught in London until 1985, when I moved to Somerset to teach at Fairlands School in Cheddar.
In the past, I have written material for a professional theatre group, short stage plays and articles for Times Educational Supplement and other periodicals/magazines.
During lockdown, fed up with what I perceived as corrupt,
WHENDr David John, GP for 35 years in Winscombe and Banwell, was treating veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, he found there was very little help for them. The only help came from a charity called Combat Stress, who are expert in treating PTSD.
Now retired, David has written a novel called Harriet’s Eternal Tears and all profits from book sales are going to Combat Stress. The book is set during WWI. Harriet is the mother of two young men who volunteer to fight in France, despite the youngest only being aged 17.
The book is about how Harriet copes with the stress and grief of war and ultimately fights back. Almost all the characters in Harriet’s Eternal Tears were real people, including Sylvia Pankhurst and Ethel Snowden, the Suffragettes. It is an uplifting tale of a fight against adversity, both on the home front and in France.
Harriet is based on David’s great-grandmother and her younger son, Emrys, on his grandfather. Emrys was a private soldier in a Cyclist Battalion. Her elder son was called David John. Dr David John was named after him.
Harriet’s Eternal Tears will be available at Amazon, Kindle and all bookshops from September. There will be a book launch at Winscombe Library on Saturday morning, September 23rd. David says: “Come and have a chat.”
Details: www.harrietseternaltears.co.uk
uncaring and self-interested politicians, I wrote my first book, As It Should Be
It is a political fantasy and tells of what could happen if a Prime Minister and party came to power determined to put an end to poverty, work towards equality and put animal welfare and care of the environment at the heart of policy. I was very proud when it was published. I had the writing bug and set about writing The Sago Swamp, a memoir of my time in New Guinea. The book tells of abject misery, failure, fear, joy, love and laughter.
It is a coming-of-age story, an adventure book and a commentary on people whose way of life and culture has hardly changed in a thousand years. It was published a few weeks ago, is selling well and has had very good reviews.
Both books are available from Amazon.
HEADTEACHER Brian Walton has published an honest account of the highs and lows of school leadership.
Brian, who lives in Wells, has worked in education for more than 30 years, in Bristol, London and, most recently, as the head at Brookside Academy in Street.
“Lessons from the Head's Office” started life as a series of weekly blogs and shares his insight into what has worked and not worked when confronted with
challenging situations, teams and parents. It also looks at managing wellbeing and how headteachers, often a lonely role, can find their own support network.
Brian said: “I hope that fellow headteachers and aspiring school leaders find my honest and practical account and advice reassuring.
“Being a headteacher is a rewarding job that requires determination, flexibility and a careful understanding of the people you work with. I enjoy writing and as there are very few books about headship from someone who is still doing the job. I hope my readers enjoy, as well as learn from, my experiences.”
THIS year’s Double Hills ceremony – to remember 23 servicemen killed when their glider crashed near Paulton on its way to Arnhem in 1944 – promises to be even more poignant than usual.
One of the airborne soldiers killed that day – Sunday, September 17th – was carrying a photo which was recovered from the crash scene of his 15-month-old daughter – and now that photo is to be presented to her during the 44th annual ceremony, on Sunday, September 3rd.
Valerie Austin has attended the event for the past 35 years in memory of her father, Sapper John Fernyhough, and his colleagues but only now has the photo been confirmed as being of her.
The photo was recovered by members of the White family, of Midsomer Norton, who kept it safely in the hope of one day of returning it to the soldier’s family. A member of the family inherited it and took it with them when they emigrated to Canada. This member recently died and others in the family traced it by genealogical means to Valerie.
Valerie, of Stoke-on-Trent, said: “When I attend Double Hills, as I have done for 35 years, with husband Larry and my children, Matthew, Victoria and Rebecca, I always feel close to my father who died there.”
Rebecca will open the service by reading a poem “Johnny Head in Air” a short Battle of Britain poem.
Meanwhile, a new glider pilot regimental flag will be presented to Double Hills organisers by the Glider Pilot Regimental Society to replace one donated by them in 1980. It is hoped a veteran glider pilot will present the flag, to be hoisted above the memorial during the service.
NUNNEY Fayre Day once again took over the centre of the village with big crowds, market and craft stalls and live entertainment throughout the day.
Organised by a new-look committee, the fayre was back for the first time in four years, raising funds for community groups and village projects. In a statement, Nunney Community Association said: “Thank you for all the lovely support from all our amazing helpers and to all of you who turned up today to the Nunney Fayre!
“It’s been a successful first Fayre back since Covid forced us all to pause and we saw a lot of smiles among local residents and visitors from afar.
“We are a totally new team on the NCA who've never run the fayre before. In the spirit of continuous improvement, we are aware of some adjustments needed for next year and we welcome your additional feedback.”
The crowds returned in force after the fayre’s four-year absence
For details, find Nunney Community Association on Facebook
DIDyou know the Mendip Hills are the birthplace of geological mapping? In the early 1800s William Smith worked as a surveyor for the Somersetshire Coal Company and he realised that by studying fossils and the rock layers they were in he could predict other rock layers as they were laid down in a pattern.
His first map of the geological layers around Bath was published in 1799. Over the next few years he polished his new technique of showing the geological layers through different colours, then in 1815 he produced the first map of the entire country. The Mendip Rocks! celebration of geology across the area starts in October. Visit mendiphillsaonb.org.uk to find out more details.
There will be attention from
far-and-wide on the Mendip Hills in September as we co-host the national AONB Conference in Bath. There are
46 designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty across the UK, representatives from the teams and Partnerships that look after them will gather to learn from each other. Two field trips are organised on the Mendip Hills, one to look at community farming and nature recovery, the other to look at Cheddar Gorge and the impact visitors have on the area.
The Community Farm by Chew Valley Lake are helping with one of the visits. They were chosen because of their way of working that gets people closer to the land. They recently received a grant from the Farming in Protected Landscape programme that will help them to do more of this. To find out if you could apply for a grant use the contact details below.
I made this warming comfort food dish for my vegetarian friend in the height of summer as it felt more like winter this year! You could also serve it with some grilled chicken or fish or a lovely piece of rare steak!
METHOD
These make great canapés
I was served a dish similar to this in a lovely restaurant and thought it was very pretty, yet so simple, with just three elements to it. It makes a lovely, versatile starter.
METHOD
Dry fry the tortillas until golden patches appear, about two mins each side, and cut into triangles. Mix the meat with the horseradish and mustard and roll into little balls. Gently fry or bake until cooked through.
You could serve as a starter, as I’ve done, or put them on cocktail sticks and stand them in the sauce on a serving platter, arranging the tortilla triangles round the edge to serve as a warm canapé.
Cut the potatoes into bite-size pieces and boil until tender, then roast until golden. Sauté onions and mushrooms until cooked, add the soup and stir until bubbly. Add the grated cheese, lemon juice and heaped tablespoon of fresh thyme.
Stir in the potatoes and serve straightaway or, if you want to make it in advance, just bake it in the oven until warmed through, sprinkling on extra cheese just for good measure.
Amber with her cake
This cake is ridiculously easy to make, it requires no creaming of butter or cracking of eggs! To prove it, I borrowed two-year-old Amber, gave her the ingredients and she produced this lovely moist cake!
METHOD
Literally tip the tin of fruit, juice and all, and mix in all the other ingredients. Spoon into a lined and greased loaf tin and bake at 160°C for 40 mins. This cake is best served with lashings of butter!
(makes 20 little meatballs)
I tortilla wrap per person
230g minced beef
Tbs horseradish
Tbs mustard
Salt and pepper
Tsp garlic granules
Good quality shop bought tomato sauce (or roast tomatoes, peppers and garlic in oven and whiz up in a blender with a large dollop of cream cheese and a glug of sweet chilli sauce)
A great side dish or veggie main course
(Serves two as a main or four as a side)
600g of potatoes (I used tiny new potatoes)
1 chopped onion
150g sliced mushrooms
400g can cream of mushroom soup
200g grated cheddar cheese
Juice of one lemon
Fresh thyme
Tin of fruit cocktail in juice
(250g)
100g caster sugar
250g Self raising flour
Tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
After the grim wetness of July – and pretty much all of August –thoughts turn towards autumn. Could we get a late burst of warmth and sunshine – or will it stay dreary? Here are some tasty – and easy – recipes for whatever is in store for us.
THEGolden Lion in Wrington welcomed hundreds of people to its village community day, despite strong winds and rain.
Church leaders and choirs from All Saints' Church, Wrington Chapel and Christ Church, Redhill combined to lead singing on the day.
Entertainment was also provided by Mendip Morris, The Whiskey Hounds and the Port of Bristol Shanty Crew. There was ice cream and food from Bo Bom Gelato, Dough Dough Pizza Co and Murray & Co Roasting.
Children were kept entertained with a treasure hunt.
Landlord, Sam Glenn, said: “This followed a successful year last year. It was a lovely family day and great to have the
churches involved this time.”
Deputy manager, Anne-Marie Savory, thanked staff for their hard work – Saff, Casey and Liam. The day raised funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
The pub no longer offers bar snacks, though customers are welcome to provide their own food. But it has occasional food outlets on the weekend, including Pete and Terri's chippy van every Friday, Let’s Melt and Bo Bom Gelato.
THEorigin of this saying is believed to go back to the time of the Saxons and was used to describe someone in favour. At the end of the summer the season of the apple is upon us. However, it must be the wild crab apple that is the apple of the forager’s eye. They are native to the UK.
But recent studies indicate that domestic English apples can be directly traced back rather earlier than the Saxons, some 6000 years earlier, to wild apple trees found in the mountains of Central Asia.
It was thought that our cultivated varieties were a hybrid of crab apples and domesticated apples originating in the Middle East. The “crab” part of the name describes the tangled nature of the tree and its sour, tart fruits.
Crab apple (Malus sylvestris) tree is a small irregular tree, up to 10m in height. It has greyish brown bark, tangled branches and the twigs often develop spines. Leaves are oval, pointed with a fine, toothed edge, slightly hairy and deep green in colour.
The pale green fruits are small, round, firm, ripening September to October. They are found in hedgerows, woods and as individuals on rough open ground.
Processing reduces the malic acid which give the sourness to the fruits, but they still require large amounts of sugar to be made tolerable. Crab apples can be made into a variety of wonderful things such as wine, ketchup, jellies (giving a rich pink colour) and fruit leathers (the high level of pectin is useful for setting) tarts and pies.
If you are lucky you may find one that has hybridised with a domestic apple to produce an edible crab. So, this autum I hope you find favour with our wild apple – there in its tangled branches may be a tasty if tart crab apple for your eye.
Adrian Boots is a Landscape Ecologist and expert forager running wild food forays, events and activities. Please visit: www.hedgerowcottage.co.uk for more information or email him at: hello@hedgerowcottage.co.uk
EVERYTHING has grown so much! On the one hand, the rains of this summer have caused more weed seeds to germinate, sow thistles in particular (I never saw so many). On the other hand most vegetables are thriving, with little need to water. If weeds have taken over, you can use cardboard to regain control, with just a little compost on top to hold it in place. You could then, for example, plant garlic through it in October.
With CHARLES DOWDINGNow is a fantastic opportunity to make sowings for winter greens and salads. For cropping through winter, you mostly need to transplant under cover, in a greenhouse or polytunnel.
Exceptions include lamb’s lettuce, sown now. It's amazingly hardy and will give small harvests of nutty flavoured leaves, from November through winter.
Claytonia or winter purslane is another mild tasting, hardy plant. It’s sometimes called “miners’ lettuce” because they would pick a few leaves from the hedgerow on the way.
Mizuna and salad rocket are quick and easy when sown now. Growth is healthier than from spring sowings, because there are now fewer flea beetles. Plus the plants are not rushing to flower.
Under cover
For transplanting in a polytunnel or greenhouse, early September is superb for starting lettuce, endive, spinach, kale, parsley and coriander. From mid-month until the equinox sow salad rocket, mustards, land cress and Claytonia. Transplant them after three to four weeks, which allows time for tomatoes and cucumbers to finish growing.
Tomatoes
For tomato plants under cover and growing in soil, help them to ripen by giving no more water from about September 10th. For plants in containers just water less. Continue to remove side shoots so that plants are making no new growth of leaf or stem.
Outdoor tomatoes may have blight. If so, it’s fine to put all blight damaged leaves and fruits onto the compost heap. That’s because blight spores do not survive in soil and compost, a fact which is often overlooked!
Charles Dowding has made no dig popular with millions of readers and viewers. Currently he grows vegetables in Somerset. He has written 14 books and gives talks plus courses at home and abroad.
MEMORIES of the great comedian Frankie Howerd came flooding back when retired Axbridge GP Mike Lewis met Phil Davies, chairman of The Frankie Howerd OBE Trust, at The Frankie Howerd Cafe in Loxton.
Mike was not only a neighbour of Frankie’s but also his doctor. Phil first met Frankie in the mid 1970s through the late Alan Wells who, at that time, owned the Webbington Hotel and Country Club.
TELEPHONE: 01934 244362
On a number of occasions when Mike visited Frankie’s home in Cross for medical reasons,
Frankie would present him with an item of memorabilia, including a Frankie Howerd “Titter Ye Not” t-shirt which Frankie signed. Mike has now presented the t-shirt to the trust archive.
As a medical student in London, Mike first met Frankie when he took a Christmas holiday job as a postman. A cafe frequented by Frankie near his London home happened to be on his round. Little did he know then that years later he would be his GP!
On Phil’s first visit to Frankie’s house, he couldn’t believe his security system which comprised steering wheel crook locks fixed between the handles on all the windows! They seemed very basic and stark alongside Frankie’s collection of Roman and Greek artefacts and looked completely out of place.
WELLS Food Festival is back on Sunday, October 8th, offering another day of free foodie adventures for the whole family, whilst still remaining true to its roots: celebrating Somerset’s rich farming and culinary heritage.
The Artisan Market, at the heart of the festival, showcases some of the region’s finest food and drink producers with 200 stalls situated in the Market Place, on Palace Green, along the Palace Moat and into the Recreation Ground.
Take a trip around the world with food made from local ingredients and including the flavours of Guyana, Caribbean, Mediterranean, Middle East, South Africa, Tibet, Australia, Thailand, Mexico – as well as the very best of the South West.
A new area, Food for Thought, will highlight current, food related social issues. Charities and organisations are coming
together to demonstrate what communities can achieve to tackle some of the challenges that face us through food poverty, food waste, high energy bills and family issues.
Put your circus skills to the test with the new Charlie Bigham’s Plate Spinning Championship. Charlie said: “We recognise how busy life can be, there isn’t always time to make a delicious dinner. We want to seek out and celebrate all those people who know how to keep the plates spinning! This year, we will be introducing the first ever, world plate spinning championship competition. The winner will receive dinner for two for a whole year on Charlie Bigham’s.”
The Celebration of English Wine marquee returns, in its new home on the Palace Green. Come along and chat to local vineyards about their wines and perhaps taste a glass or two with cheese and
charcuterie nibbles.
For the younger visitors to the festival, The Children’s Zone is located next to the Bishop’s Barn and supported by PTAs from primary schools across Wells. There will be kiddie-sized street food available and the popular, interactive Children’s Trail will once again provide a fun way to see the festival. There will also be four, free cookery sessions for children at Fun Kitchen, an award-winning pop-up cookery school. This year the theme is Oodles of Noodles, creating a “posh pot noodle” packed with vegetables to take home.
For details, visit: www.wellsfoodfestival.co.uk
A DEDICATED minibus for clients of the Heads Up mental health and wellbeing charity and their carers is being put to good use since it was purchased for them by Wells Rotary Club.
The 12-seater bus complements the long-standing services offered by Mendip Community Transport which regularly carries clients from their homes around the area to the Heads Up centre at South Horrington. The Heads Up bus is unable to offer the same door-to-door service as that provided by MCT but has regular pick-up and drop-off points.
Heads Up operations manager Michelle Payne said: “We have nothing but praise for Mendip Community Transport, from the people who take the bookings to all the drivers; it’s an excellent service.
“MCT is such a valuable community resource that our clients sometimes find the service is full, so having our own transport
WELLS Floral Art Club has celebrated its 70th anniversary with a special exhibition in the Bishop’s Palace in the city. Members joined forces with several other clubs in the area who are members of the South West branch of the National Association of Flower Arranging Societies to decorate public rooms in the palace with displays marking each decade in a different way.
The club – which boasts almost 50 members – meets twice monthly on Tuesday afternoons at St Thomas’s Church Hall in Wells.
alleviates some of those pressures.”
The Heads Up bus has also been put to good use recently with several local trips out. The latest outing saw staff take a group of clients to the Bishop’s Palace, so that they could be one of the first to use a new dedicated accessible group entrance.
Heads Up, who are frequent users of the palace’s Community Garden facilities, were delighted to be invited to the official opening of this new gate to the palace gardens. The entrance is situated to the south of the Cathedral car park, just off St Andrew’s Street. There is space available for minibuses to park and level access into the gardens.
l Colin Nash, a local social worker and long-term supporter of Heads Up, is planning to cycle 100 miles around Somerset with sons Chris, 31, and Alex, 15, on Sunday, September 10th – World Suicide Prevention Day – to raise funds for the organisation.
For details, visit: www.wellsfloralartclub.com
ARTIST Fiona Campbell’s latest works will be on display in her historic old laundry outbuilding-comestudio and wildlife garden in Cranmore, near Shepton Mallet, as part of Somerset Open Studios.
Fiona’s sculptural works are made of reclaimed, discarded and found materials, mindful of sustainability, care and repair. Sculptures comprise gleaned objects.
Some work was developed in her residency and solo exhibition in Create@#8 in Shepton Mallet earlier this year.
Fiona’s sculptures have been sited in cathedrals, decommissioned prisons, abandoned quarries, train stations and empty buildings. Her work has been commissioned for a number of high profile public and private collections.
l Somerset Open Studios runs from September 16th –October 1st.
ARTIST Mark Noble has won the support of his local medical practice for his efforts to encourage more people to take up art for their wellbeing.
Mark, who lives in Street, is known as “The Painter of Light” for his atmospheric landscapes. Some of his works now hang on the walls of the reception area at The Glastonbury Surgery where the team are keen to help to spread Mark’s message that art – of any kind – can be therapeutic.
Mark, who deals with autism and severe dyslexia, works with several health groups in Somerset as an art therapist. He said: “I believe that, as the artist, I should melt away into the background and allow people to explore art in their own way; I’m just the guide.”
The latest pieces by Mark, an ambassador for Outside In, a national charity which aims to provide an online platform for artists facing significant barriers to showing their work, are painted onto reclaimed timber as part of his efforts to become more sustainable – they’re ideal for inside the home or in the garden where they will weather naturally over time.
Justine Harris, deputy manager at the surgery, which has around 14,000 patients, said: “Mark’s work impressed the team and we thought they would look good in the reception area. We’re very much behind Mark’s message and would encourage people to contact Health Connections Mendip if they’d like to find out more.”
CLEVEDON Salerooms is delighted to announce that its Autumn Specialist Fine Art sale will showcase highlights from an important single-owner collection of West Country friendly society brasses. Amassed over several decades, the collection is one of the largest to appear on the market in recent years and features an impressive variety of distinctive designs.
Friendly societies were clubs which were formed to provide a basic form of insurance for their members against sickness or death, though in addition they played an important part in the social life of the village.
Brasses were the emblems of local friendly societies. They were used as ceremonial staff heads – or pole finials –which members would parade on a society's annual “Feast Day” or “Walking Day”, usually in spring.
Although poles were carried in this procession in many districts, the use of brass heads was largely confined to Somerset and the adjoining counties. Approximately 20 lots will be offered in the sale, with the remainder of the collection which numbers over 100 brasses, being offered in future sales.
Other highlights in the sale include a large collection of 19th century Grand Tour and Asian bronzes, Victorian and
Edwardian gem set stick pins and a silverplated trophy presented to Damon Hill in the 1997 Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix and a fine offering of Burgandy and Barolo in the Wine section.
The sale will take place on Thursday, September 14th from 10.30am.
Chris Yeo is a valuer at Clevedon Salerooms and regular expert on BBC’s Antiques Roadshow Please visit the website www.clevedonsalerooms.com for more details
The project aims to celebrate and showcase local landscape and talent, with a new public online gallery.
A selection of the best photos will form part of an outdoor gallery in Cheddar Gorge on the evening of Sunday, October 22nd, with images projected onto the rock faces.
Details: www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk/exploring/ special-qualities
Three of the four: Carrie, Heather and Elswyth
SWAN Artworks Picture Framers in Paulton will be hosting a two-day pop-up art exhibition in September featuring three generations of female artists – all from the same family.
Heather O’Brien paints landscapes, gardens and still life in oils from her studio in Mells. Her daughter, Carrie Osborne, will be showing linocut prints and ink drawings and Carrie's daughters, Elora and Elswyth Osborne, are showing artwork ranging from linocut prints and acrylic illustrations to needle-felting and pyrography.
Swan Artworks first exhibited work by the four just over a decade ago with the theme of “passing the paintbrush on down the line”, when Elora and Elswyth were aged just six and eight.
Carrie, who runs Swan Artworks alongside husband, Tony, says: “Exhibiting together with my mum and daughters, and revisiting our exhibition from ten years ago, feels a real tribute to the connection we all have creatively.
“We thought it would be lovely to show how we have all progressed along our artistic journeys and how we all inspire each other and learn from each other.”
The exhibition will be open from 10am-3pm on Saturday, September 9th and Sunday, September 10th at Swan Artworks’ workshop and studio at Unit 18, Old Mills Trading Estate, Paulton, BS39 7SU.
Heather's work can be seen on her website www.heatherobrienart.co.uk Carrie's work at www.facebook.com/CarrieWordhoardsArt or Instagram @carrie.wordhoards
For details, contact Swan Artworks on: 01761 415224 or email: swanartworks@gmail.com
AT the Mendip Auction Rooms, over 400 lots of silver and jewellery went under the hammer on August 12th with exceptional demand seen from within the room and over the internet.
Top price was achieved for an impressive early 20th century sapphire and cultured pearl fringe necklace that sold for £7000. Many lots sold for in excess of £1000 including an Art Deco platinum and diamond bracelet £4900, an early 20th century Jadelite pendant £3400 and a Victorian gold, turquoise enamel and diamond scroll and trefoil mesh bracelet £2300.
There was a good entry of rings with many rings selling for between £500 and £1500. A delightful gold and diamond five stone ring realized £1900 with a gold and diamond five stone half hoop ring making £1600.
Within the jewellery section, other items selling to advantage included an amber bead necklace £1800, an Art Nouveau peridot and diamond brooch £1900, a late Victorian red enamelled gold, bouton pearl and diamond brooch £1100 and an Italian gold and diamond abstract bracelet £1100. There was an excellent entry of watches with prices achieved including a William IV 18ct gold cased open face pocket watch £1900, an early 20th century 18ct gold cased open face keyless pocket watch £1300, a Rolex, Oysterdate Precision gentleman's stainless steel bracelet watch £1300 and a Cartier, Panthere lady's stainless steel bracelet watch. £950. At Killens, their expert valuers are available to value silver, gold and jewellery every Monday on a drop-in basis – no appointment is needed. If you are looking to sell, they can explain the selling process.
The next specialist sale of Silver, Jewellery and Watches will be held on October 7th and entries are invited. Killens have a large following of potential buyers from across the world and ensure that your items are widely promoted.
Are you looking to sell antiques, collectables and more? Valuations can be undertaken on a drop-in basis at the auction rooms between 10am and 3pm each weekday. Alternatively, valuers are able to conduct free home visits. They can also arrange house clearances and undertake probate valuations.
AFTER21 years of the Chew Valley Arts Trail, I am still excited when applications come in and I see the wide range of expertise and creativity in the Chew Valley and it’s always a pleasure that new people are joining us which makes sure we are still current and have something of interest for all tastes.
This year I would highlight five brilliant photographers who will take visitors from the depths of the oceans and out to the planets with much wildlife in between, including images and book illustrations by our own Chew Valley “Bird-Girl”, together with photographs taken during the Black2Nature project.
More than 40 exhibitors will be showing their skills in almost 20 venues this year with a master stonemason and handmade furniture maker joining our highly talented painters and printmakers, illustrators, sculptors, potters, jewellers, quilt maker, lino printer and someone working in stained glass.
Visitors have told us they enjoy the variety and high quality of work on show, talking to and getting to know the exhibitors, browsing or making purchases and chatting about techniques and materials used. Many have been encouraged to take up a craft themselves.
Whether, driving, cycling or walking, it is a good opportunity for people to get to know the area, have a great day out, perhaps stopping off for lunch or tea and cake on the way.
Sandy Bell, organiserDetails: www.chewvalleyartstrail.co.uk
tintinna@aol.com 01275 333128
HOMEcontents valuation reports by Toby Pinn are most often used for the purposes of calculating inheritance tax (IHT) but can also be tailored for other valuation purposes including insurance, matrimonial and family division and capital gains tax.
Their valuations for IHT purposes are prepared in accordance with S.160 of the Inheritance Tax Act 1984. HMRC recommend using a qualified valuer for this purpose.
Their starting point is the HMRC IHT 407 form used to file the return of household and personal goods, including jewellery, antiques, collections and motor vehicles.
With more than 20 years’ experience as an RICS chartered arts and antiques surveyor, Toby has refined the format of the valuation report, designed with the input of experienced probate practitioners.
This creates a report that tags each item with a corresponding image, description and value, eliminating any confusion and ultimately saving the estate expense, particularly at the postvaluation stage, when he can offer a range of services to assist with the next steps.
Details: www.tobypinn.co.uk 0117 2517251
DORE & Rees has a bumper selection of auctions in the coming months, with lots of opportunities for collectors and connoisseurs to find pieces of interest.
September zooms off to a roaring start with the Classic Car auction on Saturday, September 23rd at 2pm. Many well-known marques will be presented at the marquee viewing by the Cheese and Grain in the Market Yard car park in Frome, starting at 10am on Friday, September 22nd. A 1972 Porsche 9 2.4S in resplendent blue leads the way at an estimate of £100,000-£110,000 alongside a 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SL with an estimate of £72,000£78,000.
Following on from August’s wide-ranging selection of lots, the next Select Interiors auction on October 18th provides an ideal moment to offer furniture, pictures, ceramics, works of art and more. These auctions have a strong following of regular buyers looking for quality items to adorn the home; contact Guy Tayler to discuss selling your items.
The November specialist auctions are filling up fast.
Fine Asian Art on November 6th will be sold alongside The Anothony Lovett Collection of famille vert Chinese porcelains, which is creating quite a stir amongst collectors noting its quality and rarity. A very fine pair of Chinese cloisonne octagonal jardinieres (Qianlong Period, 1736-1795) will be offered at an estimate of £3,000-£5,000 and a remarkable massive pair of Chinese sancai pottery standing figures of a dignitary (Ming Dynasty, 16th Century) at an estimate of £4,000£6,000. Head of Asian Art, Lee Young, is selecting fine examples of Chinese and Japanese works of art for the Fine Asian Art auction until the end of September.
The Jewellery and Watches auctions of March and June have continued to show the popularity of antique jewels and quality watches to buyers and collectors alike. Susan Rumfitt’s November 29th auction will be led by an intaglio necklace, a rare collection of graduated intaglios collected to form a unique piece of adornment, and should reach a price in excess of £30,000.
The newly introduced Fine Silver auction got off to a successful start at the end of June, with strong sell-through rates and prices realised considerably beyond the weight price of silver. Curated by Duncan Campbell, he is now focusing on gathering prized examples of silver craftsmanship across the centuries for his second auction, also on November 29th.
If you would like to consider selling items at auction, a good starting point is to give us a call to arrange a convenient and free appointment time to have your items appraised on 01373 462 257. Auctions close for entries four to six weeks ahead of the auction date.
23 SEPTEMBER 2023
2.00pm
MARQUEE VIEWING AT MARKET YARD CAR PARK, NEXT TO THE CHEESE & GRAIN, FROME
Friday 22 September 10:00am to 6:00pm
Saturday 23 September 9:00am to 1:00pm
www.doreandrees.com
enquiries@doreandrees.com
01373 462 257
Dore & Rees
Auction Salerooms
Vicarage Street
Frome BA11 1PU
It was a busy show
Admiring the produce . . .
and beautiful blooms
Flowers and produce looked fantastic
strong woman competition
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THINKINGand talking about what would happen if our faculties deserted us is uncomfortable. Yet it is important to consider how much worse the situation would be if you had a stroke, serious accident or dementia without sorting it first.
If someone has difficulties that mean they can’t make decisions anymore, they will need help managing their finances. A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document where someone (while they still have mental capacity) nominates a trusted friend or relative to look after their affairs if they later lost capacity.
Do not think you suddenly give up control. You can choose whether it can be used either before, or only when, you lose your mental capacity. Your representative (known as the “attorney”) should only ever make a choice for you if you are unable to make that specific decision at the time it needs to be made.
For example, if you were in a car accident and rendered unconscious, your attorney would start looking after your affairs. But if you recovered consciousness, you should be able to make your own decisions again.
It is worth noting LPAs replaced the previous Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) system. EPAs set up before October 1st, 2007 will still be valid, whether or not they have been registered,
though they must be registered when the person loses capacity.
If you lose mental capacity, unless you have already filled in the Power of Attorney forms, your loved ones will need to apply through the court to become “deputy”, a long and expensive process. Instead you can nominate a trusted friend or relative before you lose capacity by setting up a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA).
You can appoint one or more representatives to act for you and can determine how they work together to make decisions on your behalf. You can only set up a Lasting Power of Attorney when you have mental capacity. Once you have lost capacity, it is too late.
There is a compulsory cost of £82 to register a Power of Attorney. If you decide to use a solicitor you will also have to pay legal fees. Mention a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) and many will automatically think of a person’s finances.
In England and Wales there are actually two types to consider: one for property and finance, and another for health and welfare. The health and welfare document sees a nominated individual make decisions over day-to-day healthcare and medical treatments, as well as deal with any health and social care staff.
It is also worth noting that these are two separate legal procedures that are independent of one another. Just because
you give the trusted person the Power of Attorney over your health, that does not mean they will automatically gain control over your financial affairs and vice versa.
If you require the same individual to have Power of Attorney over both aspects of your care, then you will have to fill in the two forms separately. Another key difference is that the health and welfare LPA can only be used after the person loses capacity, not before.
For those who want to decide any “advance decisions” – for example, if you don’t want certain types of medical treatment in certain situations, if you lose capacity in future – you can make a living will. While you can prepare a Lasting Power of Attorney yourself it would be prudent to take legal advice.
EDWARD LYONS
Nesting (also known as ‘bird-nesting’) has become an increasingly popular way to coparent following separation.
A nesting arrangement involves the children remaining in one home (usually the marital family home) and the separated parents taking it in turns living with the children in that home, rather than the children moving between two separate homes.
The concept gets its name from birds nesting, whereby they keep their chicks safe in a nest and take turns to fly in and out to care for them.
Generally, this is a short-term option at the early stages of a separation and reserved for parents where there is a great deal of trust and co-operation.
It can create a smoother transition period for the children and reduces the disruption to their lives, retaining routine and familiarity in the initial stages whilst
coming to terms with and adapting to their parents’ separation.
Is nesting right for our family?
No ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to families. For this to be a viable option, parents must be amicable as parental conflict is likely to unhinge any prospect of the arrangement working. Both parents must fully buy in to pursuing this as an option.
Nesting is a very child-focussed concept and parents will need to consider all the implications of what this entails. For example – are there any concerns about privacy and personal belongings remaining at the family home.
There also needs to be consideration of financial implications of nesting. For example, renting or buying an albeit smaller second property as well as retaining the family home may not be an option. Equally being able to stay with friends/relatives when not caring for the children at the family home may not be feasible.
We would always recommend speaking with a legal professional to help you decide if nesting is the right option for you and your family.
Assuming you do wish to pursue this option, it is advisable for an agreement to be drawn up to set out clear ground rules and responsibilities from the beginning –from new partners staying over to who stocks the fridge.
If you have any questions please get in touch with Family Solicitor Simon Walker on 01749 342323 or email simon.walker@mogersdrewett.com. We are here to help
ASspeaker Kate Isgar said before a toast to guests and friends, Wedmore Harvest Home is the Wonderbra of harvest homes: it enjoys fantastic support.
Just under 400 people sat down to lunch in a marquee on the village field after a carnival procession through the village, starting at the church. Children’s sports and evening entertainment followed the traditional lunch.
TEAMS who took part in Weston Rotary’s 27th annual charity golf day have helped raise more than £6,000 for Children’s Hospice South West, Alzheimer’s Society North Somerset, Cancer Research UK and other good causes.
The competition, held at Weston Golf Club, attracted 25 teams with All Sports Bar taking the top spot with 91 points, one point ahead of runners-up County Contractors. Since it began, the event has raised more than £200,000 for local charities.
Club president Roy Schubert presents cheques for £1,000 each to CHSW, Alzheimer’s Society North Somerset and Cancer Research UK
TWO friends from Crispin School in Street scaled the equivalent of Mount Kenya by walking up and down Glastonbury Tor 33 times in the space of three days for charity.
William Aitken, 12, and Dylan Medwell, 11, raised £1,800 for a local charity, St Peter’s Life-Line, which supports an impoverished community in Kajuki, at the foot of Mount Kenya, with their many projects.
The charity, founded by Kenyan-born David Baldwin, of Butleigh, runs a feeding programme for several primary schools, runs a disability clinic, fights to end FGM, provides sanitary towels for schoolgirls and runs a child sponsorship programme to enable children to go to school.
William and Dylan have supported the charity for many years through the charity's twinning with their primary school. William said: “I’ve been out to Kenya with my family and, as
supporters of the charity, we visited this community.
“We saw the very hard conditions that exist and were inspired by the children at the schools who seemed so happy and joyful”.
When asked how much of a challenge they faced going up and down the tor so often, Dylan said: “We took it bit by bit, day by day, and as a pair we were able to help each other along.”
David said: “When I suggested this to the two families, and although the prospect seemed very tough, they jumped at the idea. We devised a training programme over the weeks before of progressive climbs up the Tor to instill confidence in the boys (and us!).”
For details of the charity, visit: www.stpeterslifeline.org.uk or to donate: https://www.justgiving.com/page/glastonburytor
AN open afternoon is to take place in September for visitors to learn more about the work of Windsor Hill Wood, a family-based community charity near Shepton Mallet.
Windsor Hill Wood aims to create a supportive environment for people going through tough or uncertain times, offering them the chance to rediscover peace, silence and acceptance amidst the beauty and simplicity of the woods. It offers accommodation, three meals a day and a rhythm of life which includes times of work, rest, optional prayer and play. Between three and five guests are usually in residence, staying anything from a few days to a year.
Guests come for a variety of reasons – some because of an explicit personal crisis or as part of an addiction recovery and others because they are finding life difficult in their home environment. Some have been homeless, or in prison, whilst others are home or business owners.
The community also welcomes many visitors and volunteers who help with the day-to-day tasks. The charity says that, for them, it is a place of quiet connection with nature and an opportunity to recharge their batteries away from any daily challenges they may be facing.
The open afternoon takes place on Sunday, September 17th from 2.30-4.30pm, with two tours of the site. There will also be refreshments available. Parking is at Rock Farm, Windsor Hill Lane, Shepton Mallet. BA4 4JE.
For details or to donate to the charity, visit: https://www.windsorhillwood.co.uk or call 07504 758263
THEStrength in Style Fashion Show will be held on September 28th at the Assembly Rooms in Bath, supporting Children’s Hospice South West, Dorothy House and cancer charity We Get It.
Organisers promise a fusion of fashion and compassion, with the latest designs from independent Bath-based retailers, as well as a set styled from local charity shops. Tickets are £25.
AXBRIDGERotary is happy to hand over the money it raises to good causes. It recently presented a cheque for £1,548 to Freewheelers, the blood bikes charity. It also gave £70 to Chris Ashton, James Lynch and Ashley Edwards, from Burnham-on-Sea who took part in the Bangers to Benidorm rally raising money for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. Axbridge Rotary meets at 7.30pm on the first and third Thursday of the month at the Lamb at Weare.
Details: Lesley Watts 07828 153390 Paul Bateman 07973 784635 axbridge.rotary@outlook.com
ANevening of live music, food and drinks will be held in Hutton on September 2nd to support a village in Kenya.
Set in a marquee on St Mary’s Field, there will be two live bands, food stalls and a bar throughout the night from 7pm.
It’s being held in aid of the Hutton-Dabaso Twinning Association, which was set up 24 years ago by a local Hutton resident and builder, Mark Orchard, after a tourist visit to Kenya.
After seeing the levels of deprivation, he returned with a team to build a new classroom for the school. This then grew year on year and Hutton became formally twinned with Dabaso. Mark has remained active in the community and there is now a full committee to organise fundraising events, maintain communication with the village and visit the village most years.
In the past 24 years the committee has built classrooms, funded health care (a nurse and healthcare assistant for the village) and provided education bursaries for young people.
Details: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/hutton-dabasotwinning-association or www.sosafrica.com
THE Mendip Friends of Children’s Hospice South West are holding a Cherished Car and Bike Run on Sunday, September 10th, starting from the paddock at St Andrew’s Church in Congresbury.
They will be doing hot drinks and bacon rolls from 9.30am and then music and food afterwards, with a raffle and a BBQ. It’s the second running of the event –last year it raised £1,747.
Details: www.chsw.org.uk
CHARITIES in Bath and North East Somerset will come together on Friday, September 1st to help celebrate, promote and inform local volunteers –past, present and future.
Bath and North East Somerset Third Sector Group supports charities, community groups and social enterprises across the area with more than 220 members in its network.
Alongside HCRG, St Mungo’s and Apex Hotels, it will be hosting its first volunteer fair at the Apex Hotel conference centre in Bath. If successful, 3SG hopes the initiative could become an annual event, helping to support organisations in need of volunteers and to encourage residents to come along, find out more and potentially offer their skills for charities that need them. More than 40 charities have signed up for the event, which will include fun, interactive stalls, insightful talks, discussions and workshops throughout the day.
All are welcome and entry is free. For details, visit: www.3sg.org.uk
CANCER counselling charity We Hear You (WHY) is celebrating being chosen as Clarks HQ's charity of the year. The Frome-based charity offers free counselling and emotional support for children and adults affected or bereaved by cancer and life-threatening conditions.
The year-long charity partnership was chosen by Clarks’ employees based at their Street HQ from a shortlist of nominated charities.
The charity’s fundraising and communications manager, Gemma Wilkes, said "The partnership got off to a flying start and the team have already raised just under £6,000.”
Jennifer Leaman, Head of Environmental & Product Sustainability at Clarks, said: “They provide such an amazing service across Somerset and beyond. We’re supporting WHY through fundraising activities and supporting Clarks employees to undertake volunteering opportunities with WHY.”
Details: 01373 455255 email info@wehearyou.org.uk www.wehearyou.org.uk
FROME-based charity, Active and in Touch, will host an evening with Great British Bake Off finalist, Brendan Lynch, who lives in the town.
The charity helps people who are isolated and lonely with befriending and social groups and also runs the community cars and cafe at the medical centre. He will be demonstrating how to make various breads on September 13th at the Trinity Hall which is part of Holy Trinity Church in Trinity Street, Frome, 6.30-9.30pm. Tea and cake will be available which is included in the price of the ticket, £10.
Brendan is a regular visitor to the charity’s Tuesday social group and makes the group’s delicious cakes!
Details: Eventbrite: Get Baking with Great British Bake off Finalist –Brendan Lynch https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/656671220297?aff=oddtdtcr eator
BATH Cats
Home invites entries for its 13th annual Wag Walk, on Sunday, September 3rd. About 90 dogs took part last year and the charity hopes to raise £8,000 for the care of unwanted cats and dogs at the animal rescue centre.
The event is supported by TV vet, Dr James Greenwood, who will be attending with his Labrador Dolly.
Richard Corp, from Cheddar, who adopted, Odey, a Jack Russell cross from the home two years ago said: “I am a big supporter of the rescue centre, they do wonderful work looking after animals in need and I was impressed with their knowledge and professionalism.”
Details: www.bathcatsanddogshome.org.uk/ events/wag-walk
ORGANISERS of a charity abseil in September say a number of places are still available for people to enjoy a unique opportunity to scale King Alfed’s Tower, near Bruton.
The abseil is in aid of the Shepton Mallet-based charity SOS Africa and will raise funds towards the cost of a school building project in Western Cape Town.
The 160-foot abseil takes place over the weekends of September 9th and 10th and September 16th and 17th. There are currently 250 people signed up for the first weekend, which is full but there are a further 70 slots available for the second weekend.
Funds raised will go towards new school buildings like these
SOS Africa launched its primary school classroom appeal in July with the aim of purchasing two new classrooms at its partner school, Grabouw Primary and
High to offer pre-primary phase education to an additional 60 children each year, taught in either Afrikaans or English.
For details, visit www.JustGiving.com/team/alfreds-tower-charity-abseil or www.sosafrica.com
AFTER 14 years of opening the garden at Rose Cottage in East Harptree for the NGS on a Sunday in April, most of those accompanied by the music of Congresbury Brass, Jenny and Bev Cruse decided this year to open their garden for groups by arrangement.
Jenny said: “We loved the buzz of the Sunday opening, which involved a brilliant team helping with baking and serving teas and plant sales and raised thousands of pounds for NGS and St Laurence Church.
“But joint surgery has necessitated the move to group openings with £135 being raised for NGS charities this year and £103 for St Laurence Church from teas and plant sales.”
Jenny is pictured (left) with Penny Cross and her dog Ghost, Carrie Urry and Janet Parsons with her dog, Shadow. They hope to continue to open for groups next year.
FRONT row forward Thomas Palacio has raised almost £3,000 for brain tumour research by completing three full marathons over three consecutive days.
Thomas, 34, a Wells RFC stalwart, set himself the challenge in memory of his close friend and former teammate James Pullen, who died of a tumour in 2015 aged 28.
He was joined on all three days by fellow Wells player Tom Corns, with other players and friends running alongside.
TWO Glastonbury-based charities combined forces to stage a daylong family festival featuring circus performers, theatre, games and activities.
Organised by Children’s World, the event took place at Paddington Farm, a charitable trust and social enterprise running an organic farm below Glastonbury Tor.
Children’s World, born out of the Glastonbury Festival, offers fun learning and creative events for all children, especially those with special needs. It also organises the Glastonbury Zombie Walk, due to take place at the end of October.
For details, visit: www.childrensworldcharity.org and www.paddingtonfarm.co.uk
TANYS Pullin has come up with a unique way to fundraise during her year in office as the 649th Mayor of Wells. Having amassed a collection of some 40 wedding dresses from charity shops, jumble sales and donations, Tanys is calling on people to help her give them a colourful new lease of life as The Mayor’s New Clothes.
Re-designed as ball gowns, they will be modelled on a catwalk at a charity fashion show on January 13th next year before being
auctioned in aid of Heads Up and Whizz Kids. Businesses and individuals can also sponsor a dress or simply make a donation.
All the dresses will be in different colours and will also highlight other charities and causes close to Tanys’s heart.
Tanys was inspired both by the international success of the Somerset-based Red Dress Project – where hundreds of women women from around the world helped textile artist Kirstie Macleod decorate a floor-length gown – and a heavy wooden Queen Anne of Denmark chair which sits in the Mayor’s Parlour in Wells Town Hall.
It took 400 women to make the wedding dress for Queen Anne – the wife of King James VI and I – and Tanys would like to see that number help her decorate the dresses in the coming months.
It was whilst sitting with an elderly friend, Joy Peck, aged 102, who was recovering from illness, that Tanys began colouring in a 1980s dress Joy had bought from a charity shop in Shepton Mallet and The Mayor’s New Clothes idea began to take shape.
Two of the dresses have already been earmarked to take pride of place either side of the altar at the Remembrance Day service in Wells Cathedral and will be decorated with poppies.
Tanys is due to hold a decorating session from 10am at Wells Town Hall on Saturday, September 9th when all are welcome to join in. She would also like to trace the original owner of the 1980s wedding dress.
For details, email Tanys at t.pullin@wells.gov.uk or call 07976 756108
SISTERSLucy Edmunds and Sandra Bull have walked the 30-mile West Mendip Way from Uphill to Wells to raise money for charity.
Lucy from Pedwell, was diagnosed with LAM (lymphangioleiomyomatosis) in 2019 after a time in hospital with sepsis.
In fact, the sepsis probably saved her life as now her condition is being treated and it’s hoped she will have longer than the ten years the hospital gave her on diagnosis.
The LAM charity supports Lucy and others across the country with the latest information and a support chat that she can access.
Sandra, from Burtle, was diagnosed with AS (Ankylosing spondylitis) when she was 21. It’s a type of arthritis in the spine, causing inflammation and gradual fusing of the vertebrae.
She said: “Again, this charity has supported me with hydrotherapy, ongoing
social support and exercises to keep everything moving for longer!”
Their walk has currently raised £1,500.
I LOVE September. It’s a great month and not just because of the rush and movement of wildlife either searching out food stores or leaving for countries warmer than ours or even arriving here from countries colder than ours.
By CHRIS SPERRING MBE
There's a lot to look out for and listen for and even smell for, a great time to tune in your senses.
I’ve got to say also that September is a super month for taking pictures as the sun at midday is now lower in the sky creating some good contrasts and really bringing out those early autumn colour changes.
Nuts and berries should abound and certainly, writing this in mid-August, it does look like it’s going to be a good year for beech tree seeds (beech mast) and acorns; that’s just two tree species, others look good as well. The importance of this crop can never be underestimated. If, for example, where you walk has beech trees you will notice that the seeds from the tree are littered across your pathway, with sometimes quite a layer.
As you walk you will crunch the nuts breaking some and squashing others. Keep walking for a little while longer then, stop, look back and wait. Your steps have been heavily anticipated, particularly by feeding birds. Watch for chaffinches, following at a safe distance, now descending from the trees onto the ground to feast amongst the broken nuts.
At night, of course, the chaffinches will be roosting and now badgers, deer and wood mice take over the feeding frenzy and, in the case of wood mice, they will run out from cover, grab a nut and then most likely store it by burying it somewhere away from the parent tree. Good news for the tree as, of course, dropping seed below itself will mean the new young trees will be unable to grow due to lack of light; however, with the assistance of the mouse the potential young tree has been effectively planted in a better growing location, but that’s if the mouse forgets where it placed its winter store.
A good nut production season will also mean many
more small mammals will be able to survive whatever the winter brings; this then leads to many more rodents being available to begin breeding again come late February or early March. When this happens not only are our small furry friends in abundance but also their predators. Good tawny owl breeding seasons will follow from good nuts and berries from the previous autumn.
September also sees ivy begin to flower and if you are a honeybee or even hornet or wasp this is your last possible good feed before this chapter of your life closes. One bee has evolved to exploit this plant and, according to science, probably only evolved during the early 1990s. It has a short window of activity beginning in September and is mostly all done by the end of October. This bee is aptly named the ivy bee and takes its name from the ivy flower that emerges during September.
Ivy bees are said to be solitary, but they live in burrows in soft soil and if this might be your lawn or bank around your garden it could be you find them in soft soil where you walk. Your wildlife task this month, should you wish to take the challenge, is to find the ivy bee. It will always find flowering ivy, so do look out on ground-level ivy clumps for it, or you might find its burrows. No worries about them stinging you, they are very placid. If you do accept the challenge, please send me any photos of ivy bees via Mendip Times
Due to demand, I’m going to be organising some group owl walks and evening wildlife walks throughout autumn and winter so, if you’d like to participate, just ask a few friends if they would like to go and we can book you in as a group. Also. if you are already an established group then again let me know. And yes, I do offer birthday and Christmas walks as a gift.
THISis an undulating exploration through the amazing combes of Somerset from beautiful Batcombe village. This circle passes many glorious country houses and picturesque cottages, takes in a rather primeval nature reserve, follows a river, passes a fascinating old mill and enjoys good views. Much of the walking is on field footpaths and there are several hills, but none of them too long or steep. In Batcombe, the footpath goes under a cottage. At Westcombe it’s worth stopping at the cheese dairy shop, before finishing with a mile along the lane (up and down again) back to Batcombe, where the village pub awaits.
PARK: In Batcombe village, north east of Bruton and five miles south east of Shepton Mallet; near the church easily visible in the centre of Batcombe.
START: Turn along the lane with the church on your left, and recreation ground on the right.
Batcombe has a long history that dates back to Saxon times. It became rich in the 14th century due to the woollen trade and it was during this time that the impressive parish church was built full of excellent Perpendicular architectural detail. The availability of flowing water and the proximity of deposits of Fuller’s Earth (a fine and strongly absorbent clay used to absorb lanolin and impurities from wool) – meant that Batcombe almost certainly had a small cottage industry of spinning and weaving cloth, with the process of fulling taking place at nearby mills in the valley – we visit one on this walk. As the cloth industry became more profitable, owners were able to substantially rebuild and modify their buildings to meet the “fashions” of the time.
At the first junction, along to the left is the 17th century village pub, the Three Horseshoes and on the corner is Batcombe’s war memorial in a small garden. Keep straight ahead down the lane, using the pitched stone path at the side. Continue down to another part of the village and take the No Through lane right. This leads down and then goes through gates and past a large house. Carry on to a stone stile into a field. The
main footpath is the lower one, ahead on the right.
1. STILE
But first of all, it is worth taking about three minutes to follow the other path up the hill to a seat just beyond the sweet chestnut tree. Here you have a splendid view and appreciation of the nature of this glorious countryside and look across to Batcombe church. Return to the stile and take the other path in the field along the side of the hill with a steep wooded combe below right. This is part of Coney Wood Nature Reserve. Cross a stile at the end onto the road. Immediately on your right are steps up to the nature reserve cared for by the Woodland Trust which have been working here to restore the ponds established by the former owner.
2. NATURE RESERVE
Here you can follow a short circular path for a few minutes through this very different landscape – a marshy and rather primeval area in the woods. Come alongside a pond over a footbridge and then bend left round the end of the pond (or explore further if you wish) and circle back with a stream on your left. It may be rather muddy. Come out a little further up the lane. On the lane, turn left and almost immediately take a footpath
on the right into a field*.
(If you omit the reserve, go on past the steps, turn right and shortly find the footpath on the left into a field*.)
Up ahead at the top of the field towers Batcombe Church. But don’t take that path. Instead take the less well-used path which bears uphill to the left towards a garden wall. Follow the line of the wall and bend round, climbing up to a large gate at the top. This may be rather hard to untie (or bend down underneath). Turn left on the lane still in Batcombe.
After a few minutes, just before the right bend, go left by Home Cottage through the arch under the cottage and on. Arrive at a field and head downhill aiming for the bottom right corner, passing over left a house with tennis courts. Go through a kissing gate (KG) into a field where you are likely to see several Shetland ponies. On the far side go through a Bristol Gate (BG) and cross the lane to another BG and our route is left through the field.
You can start to hear the busy River Alham on the right. After yet another BG, a mown path takes you along by the river with Mill Farm over left. There is a KG at the end, cross a footbridge by a weir and go through a gate into a field. At the end cross two footbridges and keep on through Batcombe Bottom, still following the river. Go over a footbridge and continue on the other side. Maintain
direction through fields over two footbridges all the way to a mill at the end in Spargrove once a thriving manor.
The footpath goes alongside the mill, probably used for fulling. On the right is what could be the old stone toilet discharging into the stream and on the left, the mill building, and you can see where the waterwheel used to be inside. The water is still rushing through. Go through a gate onto the lane and turn right with the leat parallel on the right.
Just after the bridge take the footpath bearing right across the grass to a KG. Cross the next field to a stile and footbridge. Start to climb, going up the field, slightly left, past a hedge corner and then go on up through a KG and now parallel the right hedge going on up through KG. As you go, do take time to look behind at the views across country. Carry on parallel with the left hedge, another KG and straight across on the flat to the far left corner.
As you look across behind the farm and houses in part of Westcombe you can clearly see the centuries-old strip lynchets where villagers
worked hard to raise crops. This would have been before the Black Death and before sheep farming took over.
Cross a stile and head across the field to a KG and onto a lane. Immediately turn left on a footpath passing a house under construction, continue along a larger track to come shortly into Westcombe.
Turn right and soon pass Westcombe Dairy shop.
This sells a range of home-made cheeses and charcuterie, as well as beers and ice creams. It is a pleasant place to stop and continues the cottage industry of cheese-making locally. Behind the shop you can see the “concrete caves” which have been built into the hill and where the cheeses are matured.
Carry on to the war memorial where it is worth looking at the interesting inscriptions. Then follow the lane ahead to Batcombe, a mile away. It descends and ascends. Ignore Holly Lane right and at a T-junction go right and downhill again into Batcombe and back to the church.
Westcombe Dairy Shop: open weekdays 9-5.30pm, Saturday 10.303pm, closed Sundays. Tel: 01749 838033.
The Three Horseshoes, Batcombe Tel: 01749 326147. Open daily from noon, but check beforehand.
3. 4. RIVERI LIVEin a “telephone box”, not literally but metaphorically. My surroundings are familiar, my parameters are defined, but I can look out of the small glass windows at a world outside. It’s not a case of being afraid to step outside, it’s more a case of choosing not to do so. Someone once said to me: “There are those who don’t understand the meaning of tranquillity or have an understanding of contentment.”
For me this “telephone box” is not a prison or a restriction. It’s a place that I have to reunite with occasionally to truly appreciate just how special it is. Lots of people don’t appreciate where they live until they go away from it, nor do they realise that others are facing the same kind of problems in life they themselves do.
As promised in the last month’s copy of Mendip Times, here is my big adventure of the year with the University of Georgia (UGA) from the United States. I started doing these trips throughout the UK in 2015.
A lot has changed since then. Back then Mendip was on the visit list to look at landscape quality, Bath was a literary stop-off for Jane Austen and the Pennines to discover the Brontes. The Lakes provided classics from both Beatrix Potter and William Wordsworth.
This year the focus was on tourism and with it comes the good, the bad and the ugly of this subject. As I said earlier others are facing the same sort of issues as we do here on Mendip.
Cambridge, that great university centre, is where I meet the 26 students from UGA who will have arrived a week or so before me. Aged anywhere between 18 and 22 they have a series of essays, examinations and work to be done that will go toward their degree back home. This is no holiday for anyone, but it has its lighter moments!
The first move was to the Lake District and a presentation from the National Park Authority on the issues they face with “over tourism”. Well, here we go . . . nothing changes and the Mendip Hills AONB are no doubt facing some of the same issues of vehicle and access pressure felt throughout the rest of this island.
“I wandered lonely as a cloud,” the opening lines from Wordsworth’s poem “Daffodils” only these days the cloud does not wander alone. The clouds did make themselves known in other ways as the rain poured from the sky and I led the first walks.
The one thing I have come to recognise about the young is that I am no longer one of them. Some decided they would take a swim in Rydal Water which was somewhat cool but never deterred them. They have strength and resilience, qualities that we tend not to credit them with.
My last visit to Fort William in Scotland ended in Covid, which as I’m sure you will understand shaped my view of the area. This time was different. Having apologised to my cabin for being so grumpy the last time I left it, I looked at the area with different eyes.
A trip to the Isle of Skye was to open them even more. To fit everything in meant a 5am start on the coach. Once on the island travel was somewhat restricted by the width of the roads. Tourism is
the main income, with crofting, the old subsistence system of farming, all but gone.
Housing is the biggest issue with second homes and tourism lets that prevent any locals getting a foot on the housing ladder.
The two sites visited were the Old Man of Storr, a massive column of rock left over from a landslip, and Fairy Pools a series of waterfalls and pools. Both were so heavily used that there was no need to mark the stone surfaced paths that led to either of them.
We took the ferry back to the mainland and it was the first time I had ever seen dolphins, as they swam alongside.
Glencoe was quieter with the ever-present visitor centre that fulfils the three needs of visitors – the loo, the view and the brew. Hard to realise this place had such a bloody past with the massacre of around 30 men women and children of the clan MacDonald by the Campbells on February 13th, 1692.
Only recently the Glen has claimed more lives of adventurous hill walkers. The dramatic landscape of this area has featured in many films including the James Bond blockbuster Skyfall. For me this was true Scotland!
Loch Ness with its iconic Castle Urquhart and never-ending story of Nessie is an excellent example of making a story from something that so far scientific evidence has indicated cannot exist. That said, however, I am the last person to suggest that such evidence should ever get in the way of a good story! History, mystery, myth and legend are an essential part of our wellbeing.
The Cairngorms National Park is the country’s biggest and Aviemore, although famous for winter sports, provides all-year-round tourism. Private estates also make their mark by providing for the tourism trade.
Fishing, camping, expeditions and much more have become a part of their income. We were treated to a visit to see the “Hairy Coos” (Highland cattle) by Ollie McKay, head ranger on the Rothiemurchus Highland Estate. It lifted everyone’s spirits having been lecture room bound for most of the previous day . . . thank you Ollie!
Onto Edinburgh which is a delightful city so full of character and architectural spender. The last stop in London did surprise me with its green spaces and architectural triumphs dealing with climate change.
Capturing rainwater, providing more green growth on buildings, such as Covent Garden, are all making a difference and truly inspired me, unlike the traffic and noise.
Finally, here they all are, some fresh from a dip in Rydal Water in the Lake District. They very kindly helped me up after this photo was taken!
BETWEENrain showers, and there were plenty of them in July, my garden has been alive with a wide range of butterflies, flitting hither and thither in their characteristic flight paths, pausing to drink some nectar to fuel their bodies for their next, random flight. The abundance of these delightful creatures is due primarily to the presence of one plant in my garden – Buddleja davidii or Butterfly Bush.
This plant was named after the Rev Adam Buddle, an English botanist, but it is the French missionary Père Armand David, who first noted the shrub in China and it is has been in commercial demand since the 1890s.
For many years, this plant has been synonymous with derelict building sites, post-war bomb sites and neglected gardens. Sadly, in the UK, it has been designated as “potentially harmful” by the RHS, due to its potential to seed.
However, modern plant breeding, particularly work by Peter Moore at Longstock Nursery in Hampshire and in the USA has given us many new varieties more suited to today’s gardens and there are now over 200 available!
We cannot expect to have the beautiful adult butterflies without their larval stages (caterpillars) having suitable host plants on which to feed. Stinging nettles are a favourite for peacocks, red admirals, commas and small tortoiseshells and in rural areas there is certainly no shortage of these food plants in our hedgerows.
The meadow brown and ringlet butterflies prefer grasses, so again, there is usually no problem. However, those who support the No Mow May campaign may well be killing off the caterpillars of these grass feeding species, and other insects, when mowing at the end of May.
No Mow May should become No Mow May, June, July and preferably August as well, allowing wildflowers to bloom and set seed and insects to mature. Those in more urban setting may like to leave some long grass and a patch of nettles to encourage these beauties.
Once the caterpillars have turned into adult butterflies it is important to have a selection of their favourite “takeaways” to encourage them to stay, and the butterfly bush, with its narrow tubular flowers seems to be their favourite.
Tall buddlejas are OK in large gardens but it is impossible to see the butterflies that high up and smaller gardens cannot cope with these monsters, such as Black Knight or Pink Delight. There is now an abundance of shorter varieties such as the Buzz Series, which can be kept to under two metres if hard pruned in late spring.
Even smaller is the Humdinger Lavender Cupcake (what a silly name!) coming in at about 1.2 metres (4 feet). Shorter still are the male sterile Flutterby Series with Flow Lavender hugging the ground, with a spread 1.5 metres. Ideal for a sunny bank on well-drained soil.
This type of buddleja needs a well-drained sunny site and is
best hard pruned in late spring. If pruned too early the new growth is very susceptible to frost damage, and the whole plant may be killed.
Tall varieties should have the top one third pruned off in the autumn to help prevent winter gales rocking the roots. The butterflies only appear when the sun shines on the flowers and releases the heady spicy fragrance.
We may not love the cabbage white butterflies as much as our more colourful species, because they munch away at our brassicas and nasturtiums, but they are all part of nature’s rich pattern. Protect brassicas with a fine net well anchored all round.
Moths are very much the unsung heroes of the Lepidoptera family compared to our butterflies, but we have some equally attractive moths. The striking red and black cinnabar moths have yellow/orange striped caterpillars that feed on ragwort and groundsel, so have got to be good news.
Equally spectacular is the scarlet tiger moth, dressed in white, red, and black with the larvae feeding on comfrey and other herbaceous plants. The fearsome looking grey caterpillar of the elephant hawkmoth can be found feeding on your fuchsias, before reappearing in pink and green livery on your flowers perhaps with the hummingbird hawkmoth.
The orange lower wings of the yellow underwing moth are attractive, but less welcome, as its larval stage is a cutworm, notorious for feeding on the roots of many vegetables and flowers.
To encourage these beauties to visit your garden, a range of late spring, summer and late summer flowers are required. Honesty (Lunaria annua) flowers in April/May and is also the host plant for the larvae of the orange tip butterfly.
For summer, viburnums, candytuft, lavender, hebes, mint, viper’s bugloss (Echium vulgare) and marigolds. For later in the season, sedums, Verbena bonariensis, single dahlias and buddlejas, of course.
I can virtually guarantee small tortoiseshell butterflies will flock to a patch of the tiny purple flowers Origanum laevigatum Herrenhausen. Tubular flowers seem to be favourites for all these insects.
All our insects, not just honeybees, are acting as invaluable pollinators and our gardens, with a wide range of seasonal flowering plants, are so important. Even ants and earwigs play their part. I can assure you that one clump of globe thistle (Echinops) will host a vast array of insects with an array of different bumble bees.
To ensure we have nectar and pollen for all our insects it is important to furnish our gardens with a selection of plants flowering in all seasons. It is amazing that just one plant can attract so many butterflies and moths – so far this summer our garden has hosted brimstones, red admirals, holly blues, peacocks, commas, gate keepers, meadow browns, ringlets, tortoiseshells, orange tips and many moths, including hummingbird hawkmoths, tiger moths, cinnabars, underwings and a lot of tiny, too hard to identify ones.
TEL: 01 749 841014 FAX: 01749 8410 55 www.rockymountainnurseries.co.uk
MEMBERS of Frome Selwood Horticultural Society enjoyed talks in June and July by, firstly, Adam Wallis, followed by Dr Francis Burroughes.
Adam spoke about climbers, twisters and winders for foliage, flowers or forage for wildlife, whilst Dr Burroughes’ talk was on “Plants: the impact of imported varieties”.
The society meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 7.15pm at Critchill School, in Frome. New members and visitors welcome.
For more details, contact Jane on jane.norris9@gmail.com or 0777 6208531
IF this summer was just too challenging for your garden, now is the time to plan for improvements in the coming year.
Gardening tutor Christine Pritchard is running a number of short courses to suit enthusiastic gardeners.
The first completely new course for 2023 begins in September. To help you learn more season-by-season Christine will teach one day courses on “spring”, “summer” and “autumn”.
Also new this year is a short course on garden history where Christine introduces the forgotten heroines (and heroes) who have made our gardens so inspirational.
Other courses include redesigning your whole garden or learning more about putting plants together in your borders. Christine offers one day courses for “cottage gardens”, “naturalistic planting” and many other distinctive garden types.
The courses take place at lovely Stoke Lodge Adult Learning Centre, just off The Downs in Bristol. They are available on Tuesdays, Fridays or Saturdays during the daytime.
You don’t need to be a knowledgeable gardener or fluent in Latin to enjoy these informal courses.
Details: Christine Pritchard 01761 221166 visit www.christinepritchard.co.uk
• September is the beginning of the traditional autumn planting season and is in fact the best time to plant hardy plants. The soil is moist and warm and plants soon get established now, so get out your spades and get planting!
• Create a cottage garden effect by sowing easy to grow hardy annuals. Calendula and love-in-a-mist (nigella) look good together. Cornflower, larkspur and clarkia will give some height to the middle and back of a border and are good cut flowers too!
• Replant pots and hanging baskets with autumn, winter and spring flowering and foliage plants.
• Make sure that any lavender plants not pruned earlier are done now. Cut off faded flowers with about 2-3 cm of leaf shoot.
• Plant spring cabbages in well-prepared soil. Space them 30cm (1ft) apart. Apply a fertiliser that has low nitrogen content, the nitrogen can be added in the New Year.
• Lift root crops such as carrots and beetroot this month and store them in a frost-free place.
• Scarify your lawn to remove old dead grass. Use a spring tine rake and put the old dead grass and moss that you rake out onto the compost heap.
• This is the best month for establishing new lawns. Sow new seed or turf, both after careful soil preparation.
GARDEN CENTRE
JUST ARRIVED! SPRING FLOWERING BULBS LOTS TO CHOOSE FROM AND LOTS MORE STILL TO COME!
FANTASTIC SELECTION OF HERBACEOUS PERENNIAL PLANTS AVAILABLE NOW! WILL BRIGHTEN UP THE GARDEN BORDER & ATTRACT WILDLIFE TO THE GARDEN ALL SEASON LONG!
SHRUBS, ROSES, ALPINES, HERBS, FERNS, ORNAMENTAL GRASSES,CLEMATIS & CLIMBING PLANTS
GREAT CHOICE OF GLAZED, TERRACOTTA & FIBRE-CLAY POTS, TROUGHS & PLANTERS
COMPOST, BULB FIBRE, TOPSOIL, MULCH, SOIL IMPROVER, FARMYARD MANURE, DECORATIVE BARK, GRAVELS, GRITS, SANDS & SLATE CHIPPINGS
WELLS ROAD, CHILCOMPTON, RADSTOCK BA3 4RR
Telephone: 01761 232137
Open Mon–Sat 10am to 4pm • Closed Sundays
CHARLIE Blanning, the grandson of celebrated Victorian local businessman, entrepreneur and photographer, WM Jones, was the guest of honour and celebrity judge at the Coleford Flower and Craft Show in the village’s Royal British Legion Hall.
WITH stunning views of Ham Hill in the distance, this south facing garden is working in harmony with nature using no pesticides or poisons. Rabbits dig holes but they also seem to eat the weeds! A hedgehog was also spotted one morning.
The garden, using the no dig methodology, has
been created by Lara Honnor, who previously worked for acclaimed Somerset No Dig market gardener Charles Dowding.
Inspired by the traditional Victorian kitchen garden designs Lara has transformed a 500sq metre area of dirt into an abundant and thriving vegetable and cut flower garden in just six months.
Martock Workspace is a creative rural workspace situated on an old dairy farm. Lara has also landscaped the car park inspired by Piet Oudolf with beautiful grasses, perennials and trees.
Address: Thorne, Yeovil BA21 3PZ.
Contact: Lara Honnor.
Opening date and time: Saturday, September 16th, 11am5pm.
Admission: £5, children free. Cashless payment available.
Address: 29 Sion Hill, Bath, BA1 2UW.
Open: on Tuesday, September 19th, 10am3pm.
Adult admission: £5, children free. Prebooking essential on www.ngs.org.uk
To see more gardens open for the NGS, see The Yellow Book, or Local County Leaflet, available from local Garden Centres, or go to: https://www.ngs.org.uk
THE 134th show took place inside a marquee at the back of the village hall with plenty more on offer for all the family on the playing field.
Celebration time at the awards ceremony
AT10am on Wednesday, August 12th, 1918, three months before the end of WWI, five Sopwith Camel biplanes left a tiny airfield near Dunkirk on a patrol along the French/Belgium coast.
The lead pilot, 21-year-old Lieutenant Richard Alexander Gathorne Hill, from Hazel Manor, Compton Martin was never seen again.
Compton Martin Village Hall was built in his memory and will be 100 years old on September 7th. His mother, Gertrude, gave £17 (worth £1,000 today) to build the hall.
Richard’s father Charles, born in 1857, ran the Bristol shipbuilding company Charles Hill and Sons based in Bristol’s docks.
Richard had trained at Cranwell on the new Sopwith Camel planes just a few months after the first one was built. Camels were flown in fiction by “Biggles” the popular boys’ books by Captain W.E. Johns.
On August 12th, Richard left the airfield leading a patrol of five Camels along the coast near Ostend. His plane was seen to fall into the sea in flames by a civilian witness. In a fictional biography, Biggles also went missing over the sea but during WW2.
Five years after Richard was killed, Compton Martin Village Hall was officially opened on Friday, September 7th, 1923 by his mother assisted by the Rev Maxwell Fisher, the Compton Martin rector.
Richard’s brother, Maurice’s story reads like a film script. He first saw action on August 23rd in the first battle of the war, the retreat from Mons.
One report said he was hit by a bullet in the head when retiring but he may have received more wounds than that. He was rescued
after being left for dead on the battlefield.
After 17 days, Maurice regained consciousness but had lost his memory. Back home Maurice had been reported missing in action and the distraught Hill family held two memorial services.
In France, someone, probably a British officer, had looked at Maurice’s boots and recognised that they were made by Peals, a long-established bespoke boot and shoemakers in Grosvenor Square, London.
Peals were contacted and Maurice was identified by his personal number on his boots. Aged 41, Maurice died of pneumonia on February 2nd, 1934.
Compton Martin village hall is planning a day of celebrations to mark the hall’s centenary on September 2nd. There will be music, songs and photographs commemorating the brothers in the evening.
John Mayers Portrait of Richard which hangs in the hall His mother Gertrude
PENSFORDviaduct is a striking viaduct spanning the River Chew as it flows towards and through Pensford. Although there is no access to the viaduct, it dominates Pensford and its magnificence can be enjoyed from many focal points throughout the village.
The viaduct’s structure number of FNS3/17m 4ch can be seen from Stanton Lane below the viaduct.
The viaduct is believed to have taken around ten years to build and was completed to coincide with the opening of Pensford Station (which was located in what is now Station Approach) on September 3rd, 1873.
It was built to carry the Bristol & North Somerset Railway and transport passengers and goods (mainly coal) between Bristol (and its floating harbour) and Radstock (and the north Somerset coalfields) with services later being extended to Frome.
Although not impacted by the “Beeching cuts” announced in 1963, the last scheduled passenger train was on October 31st, 1959. After this, there were only goods trains (again, mainly coal) which ceased in June 1964 and, thereafter, very occasional excursion trains.
It officially closed after the 1968 flood due to the structure having been weakened.
The viaduct comprises six discrete sections: four arches extend from the abutment, followed by a smaller arch, then a series of three arches and a king pier.
This arrangement is mirrored to reach the other abutment, forming the complete 16-arch structure, which is 303m long and 29m high and was built with local stone but with brick soffits to
the arches. It features tall, tapering piers, with those flanking the smaller arches being thicker and panelled.
In September 1975, there was a village fair in Pensford and, unbelievably, one of the highlights was an escapologist in a straightjacket escaping from a flying bomb hanging upside down from the viaduct!
Although thankfully not a tragic ending, it seems the rope that suspended the bomb from the plane burned through at some point during the day!
In September 1984, the viaduct was Grade II listed and that same year, it was offered for sale for £1 together with a maintenance grant of £70,000. The associated liabilities meant there were no takers.
Ownership and responsibility of the viaduct has varied over the years. Currently the Highways Agency’s Historical Railways Estate (HRE) are responsible for Pensford viaduct.
During 2002 and 2003, maintenance work was carried out to improve the deck and its associated drainage with work undertaken on piers, drains and arches. The downpipe hoppers bear the date of 2002.
In August 2015, emergency repairs were carried out where the poor condition of the viaduct had resulted in masonry falling from the eastern parapet onto a public footpath below.
During 2022, an inspection was carried out and ecology surveys followed. In the time since the 2003 maintenance, water had been getting into open joints within the parapets and this water had subsequently frozen and then expanded resulting in the mortar popping off.
So, from April through to September 2023, HRE has implemented a long-term fix, using traditional lime-based mortar and a specially designed scaffolding rig which moves on tracks along the full length of the viaduct.
It has produced a video tour which includes some great footage and background on these recent works as well as some work undertaken earlier in 2023 on the former railway bridge on Parsonage Lane.
By DrPHIL HAMMOND
THEREare eight billion of us hairy-arsed human primates on this planet, with our appetites and egos to feed and our effluents to dispose of. Can we all live long and healthy lives? The World Health Organisation thought so in 1978, promising “health for all by the year 2000.” Some 23 years past the deadline and life expectancy in the United States – the country that spends most per capita on healthcare – is at its lowest point since 1996.
Millions of Americans are dying young and living for decades in poor health and Britain isn’t far behind. So, what’s gone wrong?
In Outlive, The Science and Art of Longevity, former cancer surgeon and ageing expert Dr Peter Attia reaches the same conclusion as Bishop Desmond Tutu and most people who work in healthcare:
“There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.”
If we want to live healthier lives and have health services that aren’t overburdened by avoidable illness, our focus must shift to prevention.
Attia describes the chronic diseases of ageing that will kill most of us as the Four Horsemen: “Heart disease, cancer, neurodegenerative disease and type 2 diabetes and related metabolic dysfunction . . . to achieve longevity—to live longer and live better for longer—we must understand and confront these causes of slow death.”
So, what does the good doctor suggest?
• Forget about diets. Avoid sugary drinks and eat more protein as you age to avoid muscular weakening.
• Exercise is by far the most potent longevity “drug.” No other intervention does nearly as much to prolong our lifespan and preserve our cognitive and physical function. But most people don’t do nearly enough. If we want to be healthy as we age, we need to be in really good shape now.
• There’s also some good advice on sleep that you probably already know; alcohol is an even bigger disrupter than caffeine; have a hot bath before diving into cool sheets in a dark room, don’t take your phone to bed with you and wear a black-out mask.
The message is clear. We need to get a grip. Health is as much about personal responsibility as doctors’ orders and state support. And yet humans can resist everything apart from temptation and most of us are stuck on the chronic disease roller-coaster.
The book is most interesting when Dr Attia expands on his final mantra: “Striving for physical health and longevity is meaningless if we ignore our emotional health. Emotional suffering can decimate our health on all fronts, and it must be addressed.”
We know that too, but in a world where we look at our screens more than our partners and are in a constant state of anxiety either doom-scrolling or comparing ourselves to photo-shopped beauties, it’s hard to find the motivation to eat more protein, monitor our lipoproteins or do our burpees.
To live well, we need a purpose in life and an understanding of how our mind works to cope with failure, harm and hardship. Humans are social animals and we exist to connect and belong.
Stay curious. Look after those you love, including yourself, and your metabolism will look after itself. Probably.
IT’S not often I get to visit a desert – it’s not a place you would normally expect to find a rain drop like me.
I’ve hung around in the occasional oasis from time to time and I still shudder at the thought of being stuck in camel spit. One of the smelliest things on earth.
Normally deserts are so arid and hot that even water can’t survive there for long. And without very much water, nothing much can live there either.
But you may have heard there have been floods in the deserts of California in the United States. It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen anything like it. Possibly thousands of years, well before human beans appeared.
It’s hard to imagine how billions of tiny water droplets like me can combine to become a roaring, raging monster capable of moving mountains of sand. Or how we can be lifted from the sea by a gigantic storm, to be dropped in a tidal wave which can destroy almost anything in its path.
More gentle cascades of rain can make deserts bloom briefly, with an amazing display of flowers. But these floods were brutal, only intent on destruction.
I don’t know what’s capable of doing more damage – floods, fires, hurricanes or volcanoes. I’ve watched them all over time, seeing how they have shaped the earth.
Deserts can eventually become lush and green; whole continents can move; oceans can disappear and new ones form. Places like Mendip can emerge from a deep ocean, full of the fossils of former creatures.
All the while, life forms adapt and change or disappear. Dinosaurs were just one of many animals who walked the earth and then vanished.
I know Earth will survive. And me, I’m indestructible. You can too.
RON and Pat Binding, who live at The Laurels Care Home in Draycott, recently renewed their wedding vows in style with a wonderful celebration organised by staff, family and the local community.
Ron made a wish to re-marry his wife of 67 years as they never got to have a church wedding, as part of the Country Court “Make a Wish” initiative for residents.
Staff at the Laurels alongside Pat and Ron’s family organised a traditional church wedding at St Peter’s Church in Draycott.
Manager, Becky Green, said: “Each member of staff at our home contributed to the preparations for the wedding, Melissa made a three-tiered wedding cake, and everyone chipped in to do hair and makeup or the making of button-hole flowers and bouquets.
“Everyone went above and beyond to
grant this wish and make it a truly memorable day. Pat insisted that she would walk down the aisle without a wheelchair. She was nothing but a picture of beauty and smiles as she walked down the aisle to her Ron.”
Pat and Ron had known each other since school. Pat and Ron’s family all commented on the day saying “their love is
timeless” and “you can truly see how much love they have for each other and it’s always been that way”.
In his speech, their son John thanked his parents for their continuous love and for his wonderful upbringing. He also thanked everyone for attending and especially thanked The Laurels Care Home for looking after his parents.
Details: Becky Green 01934 742649 • becky.green@countrycourtcare.com
FROME Town Hall is to host the Citizens Advice Somerset Community Access Point from Monday, September 4th. Citizens Advice Somerset says the preferred contact methods are via their helpline or website, but Angela Kerr, CEO for Citizen Advice Somerset, said: “We are delighted to announce the launch of the Citizens Advice Somerset Community Access Point in partnership with Frome Town Council.
“Situated at Frome Town Hall our Frome Community Access Point will be open every Monday to offer a service for anyone that can’t use our free Adviceline or our email advice service.
“Call in to find out how best we can help you, which may include a telephone call back, face to face appointment or follow up email. It won’t offer immediate access to advice, but, based on your needs, it will agree with you the best way for you to access our help.”
There is a Citizen Advice Kiosk at the Town Hall already and provides free access to an adviser by email or phone or tells you how to access information on the Citizens Advice national website. This is available all week and the opening hours are Monday to Thursday 9am – 5pm and Friday 9am – 4:30pm. There’s also a kiosk available in Frome Library.
For details, visit: https://www.citizensadvicemendip.org.uk or call 0808 278 7842
SUZY Furber, who owns the popular Suzanne Elizabeth Hairdressing in Faulkland, has welcomed the return of experienced stylist Dannii to the team.
Dannii last worked at the salon in November 2019, leaving to have her baby, Barney. A hairdresser for 14 years, Dannii has worked in Trowbridge and Toni & Guy in Bath.
Suzy is once again organising a Macmillan Cancer fundraising coffee morning at the Tucker’s Grave Inn and Campsite on the edge of the village, taking place from 11am on Sunday, September 24th.
WELLS Funeral Services has welcomed some new faces to its expanding team as well as seeing others take on new roles.
The changes reflect that, as an independent business, Wells Funeral Services’ priority is to offer a personal, sympathetic and friendly service to all its clients. Its aim is to ensure clients feel cared for and listened to and helped to achieve the funeral they want and need.
Nicky Sutton is now involved in the business, outside of the role of celebrant, and joins owner Rod Major as an undertaker, to help him with the additional requirements of the business. Nicky is involved in all aspects of the business, from the initial visit to the day of the service itself. She is professional, focused, yet empathetic and patient and has been working alongside Rod since 2016.
Rod’s son Blake is also becoming more involved after spending the last couple of years learning all aspects of the industry. He can be found at Wells market every Wednesday chatting with former clients and those who may approach him thinking about their future or that of a family member or friend. He is also taking on the role of undertaker and, still only in his early 20s, probably one of the
youngest in the area.
Rod of course is still very much involved but recognises the fact he isn’t getting any younger! He will remain the first port of call when contacting the business and will be there every step of the way, whether up front or busy in the background ensuring every client receives the professional, caring and individual service that is required.
l Ear wax removal
l Clinic and home visits (book online)
l Microsuction and irrigation services
l Aftercare
l Led by Sherri, a Registered Nurse with more than 10 years’ experience
HIGHLY experienced registered nurse Sherri Gardener has opened a new diagnostic and treatment clinic in the centre of Wells for people with ear problems.
Sherri has set up Clear 2 Hear in Heritage Courtyard, off Sadler Street – it complements her existing Clear 2 Hear clinic in The Holly Court Arcade in Midsomer Norton which opened last year.
Her decision to open in Wells came about because of an increasing number of people from the Wells, Glastonbury and Cheddar areas seeking appointments, some with urgent needs.
Sherri, a fully trained and qualified specialist with more than ten years’ experience in treating ear conditions, will divide her time between both clinics with a similarly experienced colleague about to join her. She will continue to offer home visits as well.
She recommends that clients book online if at all possible –unless it’s an urgent matter – and those with mobility issues may still prefer to attend the Midsomer Norton clinic as it offers easy, level access from the South Road car park.
Sherri said: “I quickly became aware that people in the Wells area were having difficulty finding someone with my experience in diagnostics as well as actual treatment techniques. It’s the initial diagnosis of an issue that is so important, especially at the early stages.”
She added: “Heritage Courtyard is a lovely place in which to be based and I’m delighted to have opened in the city.”
A PAULTONfuneral director is supporting a nationwide campaign to help bereaved families better understand funeral options amid fears that many people are not getting the send-off they expected.
The Let’s Talk About Direct Cremation campaign has been launched in response to growing concerns about “no-fuss” funerals which often prevent mourners from gathering to say goodbye to a loved one.
Bryan G. Bishop is participating in the initiative led by SAIF, the UK’s largest trade association representing independent funeral directors.
The hope is that by raising awareness of the differences between unattended and attended funerals, families will be able to make a more informed choice when the time comes. For example, some national direct cremation companies do not facilitate chapel of rest viewings, meaning friends and relatives are unable to spend time with a loved one before the cremation.
Commenting on the campaign, Jane Bishop, Funeral Director, said they had noticed an increase in people who regret opting for a direct cremation.
“Bereavement counsellors we work with tell us that a lot of the people they support now are those whose loved one opted for a
direct cremation that prevented them from gathering with family and friends to say goodbye.
“We don’t want to deter anyone from arranging direct cremations, but we just want to ensure people are able to make an informed decision at life’s most difficult time.”
As part of the Let’s Talk About Direct Cremation campaign, Bryan G. Bishop is displaying posters in its shop windows and online encouraging people to take the time to find out what a direct cremation entails. It is also participating in community talks to raise awareness.
In 2019, direct cremations accounted for just 4% of funerals annually. However, Covid restrictions caused a surge and at the height of the pandemic 18% of funerals were unattended. This has fallen to around 14% now.
Additionally, it is estimated that between 37% and 40% of all funeral plans sold now are for direct cremation funerals.
Terry Tennens, Chief Executive of SAIF, welcomed Bryan G, Bishop involvement in the campaign: “It’s fantastic to see local independent businesses working to help vulnerable people in their communities make informed decisions about funerals, which are often the ultimate distressed purchase.
“I defend anyone’s right to have a direct cremation but it’s important that people know exactly what they are buying and look beyond the ‘no-fuss’ headlines and ensure that this kind of service is going to work for them and their families.”
Details: Georgia Bishop georgia@bryangbishop.co.uk 01761412046 saif.org.uk
RUHX, the official NHS charity for the Royal United Hospitals Bath, is offering families the chance to make or update their Will for a reduced fee so that the charity can continue to provide extra extraordinary care for everyone in Bath and beyond.
Today, more than 70% of the UK population don’t have an upto-date Will. In collaboration with RUH Will Month, solicitor firms across Bath and Somerset are donating their fees to our hospital in a bid to raise the importance in planning for the future. It is recommended that everyone over the age of 18 write a Will to protect them from the uncertainties of the future. From getting married, having children to becoming unwell, a Will can prove invaluable.
It can also help minimise any inheritance tax potentially payable on your estate, as well as ensure your assets pass to your loved ones. The costs for a professional Will writing service are £195 for a standard single Will, or £295 for a standard Joint Will.
RUH Will Month runs until the end of September and 100% of all the solicitor fees are donated to RUHX.
Details: www.ruhx.org.uk or email Jan Witt, Relationship and Legacy Manager at giftsinwills@ruhx.org.uk
01225 825819
PROFESSIONAL artist Dawn Reader has been working with residents of Ashwick and Oakhill to paint a dramatic and colourful mural on a side wall of their village hall.
The village hall committee commissioned Dawn, who lives in Oakhill, to come up with a design for the wall as work continues to refurbish and improve the building. It now houses the Oakleaf community café, whilst new play equipment has been installed outside.
All ages were welcome to join Dawn to paint plants, leaves and insects as she created The Garden and Dawn added their names and ages to each section they worked on – ages ranged from seven to 85! The design takes into consideration the playground and complements the surrounding environment of the recreation ground, whilst keeping the main part of the hall neutral for other events.
The mural was completed in time for the rescheduled Oakhill Village Festival taking place on the Recreation Ground on Saturday, September 2nd.
FAMILIES have been making their mark on the site of a new museum being developed by the Alfred Gillett Trust, a leading Somerset heritage charity, next to Clarks Village in Street.
Led by renowned local artist Jonathan Minshull, they have been spending the summer holiday adding their own ideas to a series of murals which will decorate the Grange site during the transformational development of the Shoemakers Museum.
The art has been inspired by the trust's vast collection of more than 150,000 objects, ranging from ancient 200-million-year-old fossils to 200 years of shoemaking and Clarks shoes. The trust secured ownership of the historic collection about the history of Clarks shoes in 2019 and is now planning a new museum to open at the Grange by 2025.
ORGANISERS of the free Frome Children’s Festival are appealing for more businesses and individuals to support them ahead of the event’s tenth anniversary next year.
Hundreds of families enjoyed the one-day community event in July which offered around 40 different activities in the Cheese & Grain, the car park and through to the adventure playground at Welshmill. Activities ranged from forest school, storytelling, arts and crafts to music, sports, magic, fun science, circus skills, theatre and sensory tent.
The festival is led by the town’s Purple Elephant charity, which offers a range of services to support local families with children of all ages, from babies to teenagers. All its services are available to families living in Frome or surrounding villages.
Purple Elephant founder, Sue Willis, said: “Money is becoming increasingly hard to access during difficult times and Purple Elephant is a charity providing year-round family and child support services for often very vulnerable people, not just a yearly festival for all.”
CHILDRENin Peasedown St John were treated to a Summer Playday provided by the Bath Area Play project with the help of a £1,000 grant from the parish council.
Cllr John Ogilvie-Davidson (pictured with project staff) said: “It was fabulous to see such a well-attended event, with so many local families having fun.
CRANDONSprings Care Home in Wells has announced it will be supporting Wells Vineyard foodbank by collecting donations.
Referrals to the foodbank have increased by around 165% since 2019 and it currently supports about 150 local people per month.
Food bank volunteers are pictured at the home.
“We have a grant scheme which is open every year with a budget of approximately £4,000. If you run an organisation that benefits our community and would like to know more, please contact the parish office.”
NOMINATIONSare now open for Bath & North East Somerset Council’s community awards. This year there are ten categories and the winners will be invited to a special event hosted by the chair of the council, Councillor Sarah Moore.
A special plaque acknowledging the award winners will also be erected in a community setting dedicated to their work.
Councillor Moore said: “The awards are our way of thanking exceptional people and groups who carry out tremendous work within our communities. It’s an opportunity for us to officially recognise unsung heroes who do extraordinary things to make a real difference to people’s lives.”
The closing date for nominations is Friday, September 8th.
Details: connecting_communities@bathnes.gov.uk
STRAWBERRY Line WI, based in Cranmore, didn’t have to travel far for their July garden visit – just the nearby home of one of their members.
Cobi Snelson and husband, Mark, opened up Batch Cottage, home to their cottage garden flower business.
Club spokesperson, Diana Faint, said: “The weather wasn’t very kind to us, but we still had a brilliant evening enjoying Cobi’s hospitality, a glass of bubbles on her lawn and a tour of her wonderful gardens. The grounds support a wide variety of local birds, butterflies, bees and other wildlife.”
The branch’s next meeting is on September 12th with a talk from the Yeovil Breast Cancer Unit. New members and visitors welcome.
For details, find Strawberry Line WI on Facebook
WRINGTONVale Rotary has welcomed Angie Biggs, a retired school teacher, as their new president. She spent 13 years with the Kendal Club in Cumbria before joining Wrington Vale in 2020.
During that time she led a Rotary team to India for a month and even vaccinated a few children as part of Rotary’s most successful Polio eradication initiative.
Retiring president Bob Preedy is pictured handing over the chain of office. The club meets at Mendip Spring golf club.
Details: Paul Jenkins 07722 122672
A previous sale
CHEDDAR Vale Lions’ next jumble sale will be on Saturday, October 7th in Cheddar village hall. Hundreds of donated items were handed in at their last event.
Items can be delivered to the hall on the day (no electrical items) after 12 noon, so that they can be sorted ready for the opening at 2pm. There is an entrance fee of 50p. Refreshments will be available.
Funds raised support their charitable work in the local community.
Details: 0345 8337402
email information@cheddarvalelions.org.uk
CHEDDARValley u3a closed the summer season with a garden party enjoyed by almost 150 members. An unexpected part of the afternoon was the impromptu auction of a lovely prizewinning cake, baked by Barbara Wilkins, which raised £20 for the Parkinsons UK charity.
The autumn programme begins with the regular speaker meeting on September 7th, 2pm. Andrew Powell-Thomas will talk about The Taunton Line. There will be a coffee morning on September 21st and walking groups will start again from September 12th.
Details: u3asites.org.uk/cheddar-valley/home
Chris Barker 01934 740407
CUROhas opened a foodbank, The Pantry, at its community room in Welton Vale, Midsomer Norton, which will operate every Tuesday 10am-2pm.
Samantha Farnen, a Curo resident and mother of four young boys, said: “The school holidays can put a real strain on families’ finances. You need money for childcare, food and entertaining the kids. It’s a big issue. The Pantry is a backstop if people don’t have food in their cupboards.”
Supported by UK food poverty charity Fareshare, Curo supplier Travis Perkins and local supermarkets, The Pantry will offer a few bags of food shopping for £3.
Curo resident Caroline Laver said: “The Pantry is bringing the local community together after Covid. Lots of older people in this area feel isolated in their homes.
“We’ve lost two bus routes and elderly people can struggle to do their shopping. This is a way to help them access food, as well as getting them back together socially.”
Curo staff will be offering money and benefits advice, helping people struggling with rising costs to access onthe-spot help.
MEMBERSof Clutton Trefoil Guild gathered for afternoon tea at The Swan Hotel, Wells to celebrate their 25th birthday.
AT the end of the school year, Year 3 pupils at Blagdon Primary School received Usborne Illustrated Dictionaries from the Rotary Club of Chelwood Bridge. Club member, Colin Robinson, said: “It was very gratifying to see the genuine pleasure that the children had in receiving and using the books and to know that there was still a place for the printed page in this digital age.”
One pupil, Isabelle, said: “Thank you for our dictionaries it is very helpful and kind of you. I am very grateful that the Rotary service helps education and health. I have already used my dictionary four times in this letter and will use it loads.”
The guild was started in 1998 by Hazel Bowell, who was the group’s first chair. Hazel is still an active member of the group. In its 25-year history the guild has only had five chairs and four of them were present at the celebration.
Trefoil Guild is part of the Girl Guiding family and aims to support both Guiding and Scouting, welcoming anyone over the age of 18.
In Somerset North (an area from Bath to Weston-super-Mare) there are 12 groups. Trefoil Guild was started in 1943 and is celebrating its 80th birthday this year. The guilds in Somerset North will celebrate this anniversary with a big event in September.
The Clutton guild meets on the first Monday of the month, 2–4pm at St. Peter’s Church Hall, Westfield, Radstock.
Details: www.trefoilguild.co.uk cluttontrefoil@gmail.com
BISHOPSutton and Stowey WI held a Bring and Share lunch to celebrate Pat Smith's 90th birthday.
WI president, Jenny Harris, said: “Pat is a long-standing member of our WI, was on our WI committee for years, and is a very valued friend and WI supporter.”
Pat is moving shortly to live close to Shepton Mallet, nearer one of her two sons.
THE new president of the Inner Wheel Club of Shepton Mallet has launched a fundraising campaign to provide bleed control kits in the town.
Judi Rice, who succeeded Harriet Farquhar, organised a sponsored walk around Cheddar Reservoir to kick start the efforts.
MODEL railway enthusiasts based in Wells have donated almost £5,000 to a charity dedicated to helping street children in the UK, East Africa and India.
David Maidment, who founded Railway Children more than 25 years ago, was at Railwells – the 45th exhibition organised by the Wells Railway Fraterity – to receive a cheque for £4,750 from the mayor of Wells, Tanys Pullin.
The two-day event, in Wells Town Hall, featured 15 layouts –including some local – alongside stalls and trade stands.
Publicly accessible bleed control kits can provide life-saving treatment in an emergency and are being promoted by the Daniel Baird Foundation, set up by the family of Daniel Baird who died from blood loss after being stabbed on a night out in Birmingham.
For details, visit: www.railwells.com
MEMBERS of RotaKids – a children’s spin-off of Midsomer Norton and Radstock Rotary Club – held an end-of-year party to look back at what they had accomplished.
Events ranged from a cake sale and fundraising film night to collecting food donations for the Salvation Army and forming a penpal link with a RotaKids club in Zimbabwe.
RotaKids is a fun way for children aged 7-12 to make friends and get involved with important activities in their communities.
For details, visit: www.rotarynr.org.uk
Sixth in Cheddar are celebrating excellent A Level and Level 3 results. Nearly a quarter of all grades were A* or A with almost half being A*, A or B (or equivalent).
The school says students have made exceptional progress despite the disruption they have had to their education in lower years. For most students these were the first external examinations they have ever taken.
Headteacher, David Wiltshire, said: “Our sixth form have achieved a superb set of results which are testament to their effort and commitment. Students have developed independence whilst continually supporting each other.
“The vast majority of this year group have never taken an external examination, making their incredible achievements even more impressive. They have been amazing ambassadors for the academy as well as the wider community.
“I am certain each of them will build upon their successes and be highly successful as they pursue their chosen pathway. We wish everyone the best of luck. Congratulations!”
PERSISTENT rain on the Saturday and showers on the Sunday failed to deter visitors to the Somerset Steam and Country Fair weekend at Low Ham, near Somerton.
Keith Reynolds, one of the organisers, said: “When the committee sat down planning the 2023 show we decided we wanted to look at all the great things that have been done at the show in the last 60 years but try and do them all at once.
“The committee would like to thank all the exhibitors that helped us put on an excellent show.”
More volunteers are welcome. For details, visit: www.somersettractionengineclub.com
MANY people are aware of the plague, the Black Death, which arrived in Britain in 1348 and subsequently devastated the population. It was brought in by black rats and their fleas, which went on to bite and infect people of all ages and social class, leading to a painful death. The cause is a bacterium, Yersinia pestis, and although cases still occur sporadically throughout the world, the organism is susceptible to antibiotics.
Recent examination of ancient bones, however, has shown that the disease occurred in Britain as early as the Bronze Age. The skeleton of a woman found in Cumbria and the teeth of children from Charterhouse Warren Farm Swallet, contained traces of Yersinia DNA.
The disease was probably brought in by migrants from northern Europe at the beginning of the period around 4,000 years ago.
Warren Farm Swallet was started as a dig by the East Somerset Caving Group in 1972. They dug a five-metre shaft in a depression, finding many bones of various animals, including aurochs, a giant species of cattle, and a shale bracelet.
In a side rift, the remains of around 30 skeletons were discovered, dating from the Bronze Age to an almost complete Romano-British example. Many of the bones showed evidence that the individuals died a violent death, so it cannot be ascertained if the children died of the plague, or from another cause.
Interestingly, this form of the disease seems to need human-to-human transmission, rather than having rat or flea vectors. Later digging and exploration, which went through a very tight squeeze to a descending mud-floored cave, led to the discovery of beautiful formations and a wealth of prehistoric animal bones.
In the same area is Dave Mitchell’s Dig,
started by members of the Mendip Caving Group. Other cavers at the end of the 20th century enlarged the pit with a JCB and the dig continues, down through loose and a seemingly endless boulder ruckle, but following a strong draught.
At Priddy, diggers at White Rabbit Hole are having a rethink about the direction they need to go, having dug down an incline. The Cowshed Dig at Higher Pitts Farm is now more than 60 metres deep, and rather surprisingly still going down through loose conglomerate boulders. Again, there is a strong draught.
This year, the Templeton dig has been fraught with mechanical problems, but progress is being made in the muddy Weston Beach, a high aven near the bottom. Under the mud there lies a mass of rocks which have at some time fallen from above. These are slowly being cleared, although recently bad air (carbon dioxide) has been a problem.
I wrote recently about the lack of Mendip diggers; this, however, has not prevented the start of another enterprise. Some years ago Geoff Baynes, erstwhile owner of the Queen Victoria Inn, dug a shaft in the field behind the car park, hoping to connect with Victoria Aven, above the furthest part of Swildon’s Hole, Sump Twelve.
It came to nothing, but Geoff’s son, Jake, has now taken up the challenge. With the aid of a Hymac, a ten-metre shaft has been dug through soft windblown deposits containing some large boulders to reveal a choked bedding plane. Once the shaft is capped and gated, for safety reasons, digging can commence in earnest.
No new discoveries have occurred in Swildon’s Hole for some years, but that may change if a dig near Tratman’s Temple is successful. The Temple is the start of a high-level route, the Short Round Trip, which rejoins the main streamway beyond Sump One, as well as leading to Swildon’s Four and various other series.
It is hoped that this dig will eventually
connect with the muddy and constricted Renascence Series, where one passage tantalisingly seems to be heading towards Tratman’s Temple, only 50 metres away.
Thankfully, the services of Mendip Cave Rescue have not been required of late, although members provided basic medical cover at Priddy Folk Festival in early July. For them, it was quite a quiet weekend.
The summer holiday period is when many caving clubs arrange their annual expedition. Members of the Bristol Exploration Club are working with the Grampian Speleological Group in north Scotland, digging, exploring and hopefully surveying, while the Wessex Cave Club and Shepton Mallet Caving Club are independently exploring the Gouffre Berger, a classic cave in the French Vercors.
At 1,271 metres deep, it was once the deepest cave in France and basically consists of a series of deep, wet and draughty pitches. The highlight is the array of huge and magnificent stalagmites in the Hall of the Thirteen. No doubt many yarns will be told and retold over pints of beer on the explorers return.
Often, the only signs of caving activity will be an entrance, sometimes with a sheerlegs and an adjacent spoil heap, or a group of helmeted cavers walking across a field. Our activities may be hidden from general view, but all the same, there is plenty of activity underground.
With PHILIP HENDY
INFLATIONand rising interest rates have had a big impact on the property market nationally and it is true that it has affected us in the Chew Valley, despite living in our own housing eco-system where the quality of properties and wonderful environment continue to attract buyers in the most challenging of conditions.
In fact, we are continuing to regularly sell realistically priced houses, though it is taking a little longer than it did a few months back.
But I have a sneaky feeling that things might start to change before very long and I am advising my clients to sit tight and review things in September. The reason I say that is inflation is continuing to fall, we may be getting close to the point where the Bank of England stop raising interest rates and some mortgage lenders are already cutting theirs.
All that seems to me to be suggesting some small and delicate shoots of
recovery are starting to appear and when they do you can rest assured that demand for properties in our area will see a resurgence before other areas.
The reason I say that is we are still seeing a steady number of new people registering their interest in properties with us and it’s interesting that quite a number of those are cash buyers who are less concerned with interest rate changes.
It’s pleasing to see them coming to us because they have confidence in our service – the Dedication, Imagination and Delivery which sets us apart from the rest. They also want to deal with an agent who is based in the heart of the Chew Valley with a team with an unrivalled knowledge of all the details that a purchaser wants to know. You couldn’t expect an agent who was not based locally to deliver that.
Speaking of my team, I’m delighted to say we are continuing to invest in growing the business, thanks to the
support from our many clients, and we have been able to bring in someone from a prestigious agency in Bath, who I know will be a great addition.
We have used all our knowledge and experience to help buyers and sellers over the last few difficult months and we will be ready to apply those skills when conditions start to improve, so if you are even thinking about possibly selling your house, give us a call and we can have you ready to enter the market when we reach the light at the end of the tunnel and you will be on the move before you know it.
Mendip Times is available from over 900 outlets across the Mendips from superstores to village stores and post offices, farm shops, supermarkets, garden centres, pubs, inns, hotels and restaurants, doctors’ surgeries, libraries and tourist information centres.
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WHENit comes to confirming new tenancies and handing over keys, it couldn’t be a busier time for Lodestone’s Lettings Manager, Alison Cuff.
In the last three months, Ali has matched 22 new tenants to properties in Somerset and Dorset in a matter of days – and mostly off market.
Ali’s ongoing success and ability to match homes quickly comes from forging relationships with landlords and prospective tenants. Making sure to take time to understand tenants’ requirements and ensuring what the landlord wants from letting, ultimately results in the ability to match houses with new occupants from her “hot list” almost straight away – which often results in properties never actually reaching open-market portals such as Rightmove.
According to Rightmove, buyer demand remains resilient, being 3% higher than pre-pandemic 2019, with agents reporting that right-priced homes are still attracting motivated buyers due to a shortage of property for sale compared to historic norms. The number of available properties for sale is 12% lower than at this time in 2019.
Ali said: “This shortage of property is also prompting people who have sold to move into rented accommodation to give them time to find their next home without holding up their sale.
“As a full-service estate agency, Lodestone’s joined-upapproach to sales and lettings always gives our clients that option.”
Struggling to find a rental property? Contact Ali to make sure you’re on her ‘first to hear’ list. Thinking of letting your home? The chances are Ali has someone waiting to move in!
Alison Cuff, Lodestone Lettings ManagerWELLSClassic Motorcycle Club’s 12th annual “Tortoise and Hare” event attracted more than 125 motorcycles of all ages from far and wide.
The Mayor of Wells, Tanys Pullin, arrived in style on a Harley Davidson Trike and was ably assisted by the Town Crier as they flagged off the various groups onto their run routes.
The bikes entered ranged from Vintage to an NSU Quickly plus many immaculate classics and some desirable modern machines.
The event raises funds for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance and EVS Freewheelers, the Blood Bike couriers.
THE Pip & Jay Classic Car Run saw 23 cars leaving Catcott Burtle Farm heading towards South Somerset.
The oldest vehicle was a 1949 Landrover Utility, driven by the Rev Andrew Stevens from Edington, closely followed by a 1953 MG Sports Tourer driven by Steve Allen from Burtle.
Chris Mockridge had planned the route, with a comfort stop at Kingston Episcopi Community Centre. Back in Burtle they were treated to a cream tea and music from Somerset folk group, Rough Around the Edges.
The best car award went to Dave and Dianne Whittock from Radstock in their blue Mini Clubman. The event raised £1,200 towards the repair of the church bell tower.
Details: www.wellsclassicmotorcycleclub.weebly.com
A family-run business that repair all makes and models of caravan and motorhome in our NCC approved workshop.
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l SPEEDCOAT SPECIALISTS and many more . . . give us a call to discuss any of your caravan/motorhome needs!
Come and visit our spares shop open 6 days a week!
SALES@CARAVANREPAIRS-SW.CO.UK
UPS and downs, laughter and tears . . . that’s life with horses. Having qualified for the show jumping championships of the SEIB Trailblazers
2023 competition, Isabella Penfold and William Falango, both members of the Mendip Farmers PC, travelled to Addington in Buckinghamshire for the finals at the beginning of August. Izzy had an amazing result and rode faultless rounds to win the top championship prize in the U-12s 60cm class on her pony Eclipse, who was fast and accurate every step of the way.
William came fifth in the 90cm class on the Fairlight Stud’s Fairlight Fairytale. They also entered the Fancy Dress Pairs relay together, as Dangermouse and Penfold (Izzy was born for the part!)) and both jumped clear against the clock to come ninth out of 35 pairs.
A great weekend even if it did rain the first night and they were camping…. If there’s one thing this summer might have taught us all is that you have to be careful what you wish for! Wish for sun and the ground gets too hard; wish for rain and there is a mud bath.
The festival of eventing at Gatcombe was abandoned on the Saturday evening, with vehicles being towed out by tractors across what had become a lake of mud. So sad after all the months of preparation for what would have been its 40th anniversary.
There don’t seem to have been so many little fun shows this year. Mel Allen who used to run Mark Show moved to a different area last winter and no one took up the reins on that one which was a shame.
There’s nothing like good gymkhana games to get children out there to have a go and build confidence, but the likes
of the old Brent Knoll show, Congresbury Show and the Bleadon Sports have long since gone. It seems that health and safety requirements as well as insurance costs may have made it very difficult for organisers.
As the autumn approaches and the crops are in, the ever popular fun rides are being advertised (mainly on Facebook), providing a perfect opportunity for anyone who wants to, to ride over some of the most beautiful countryside at a pace which suits them. There is still time to apply to take part in the iconic Badminton ride if you are quick. Google it for details. Riding out with hounds before autumn hunting starts is another way to get out with company and get your horse used to different environments before the season starts later on.
The ups and downs of competition make for a rocky road at times. At the end of August our British team in the European Championships came home from France with Team Gold and individual Gold and Silver medals in
Ros Canter and her 11-year-old Lordships Graffalo, who also won Badminton earlier this year, took the Gold to become European Champions, with Kitty King on Vendredi Biats coming second to take the Silver.
To ride for your country and come home the winners must be a phenomenal feeling, and the ripples of pride touch all of us who are involved with horses. Dare I mention that the Olympic Games 2024 are only months away?
Mendip Farmers also sent a team to the Pony Club National Championships at Offchurch Bury near Warwick in August to compete in the Showjumping which they qualified for, but this time the chips were down and it was not their day for prizes.
However, it was a fantastic experience for them to ride as a team for the first time at a venue which oozed such a sense of occasion.
So Well Done Mendip. Keep on Carrying On.
Divoky Riding School at Downhead, near Shepton Mallet, has been accredited to offer Alternative Education in Somerset and Wiltshire. Owner Pat Bishop explains more.
WHAT happens when your child is not thriving at school? If the school are unable to meet their needs and particularly if a child has an Educational Health Care Plan then the parent/carer and school will look at other ways of educating the young person outside of the school environment.
At Divoky Riding School, for many years we have taken these students on and provided them with the opportunity to learn their literacy, numeracy, sciences and life skills through working with horses.
The British Horse Society’s Changing Lives Through Horses programme has a great track record of success throughout the UK. This programme can only be delivered in approved centres by specially-trained staff who are dedicated to improving the self-esteem, physical and mental health and engagement of young people with education. The course promotes responsibility, teamwork, perseverance, friendships and so much more whilst enjoying the calming and rewarding interaction with horses.
The coaches, over the years. have taken many additional training courses including Mental Health First Aid, Attachment Disorders, understanding LGBTQ, ASD and ADHD and we welcome students with all types of challenges as long as they have a liking for animals and being outside.
Students attend between one and five days a week and this year we are approved to take students from Wiltshire as well as Somerset. Placed as we are between Frome and Shepton Mallet we are easily accessible to both counties.
For details, contact Pat at: pat.divoky@gmail.com
RIDERSin
Chilcompton will take to the road in the village on September 16th as part of a national campaign raising awareness about protections in the Highway Code for vulnerable users –walkers, cyclists and horse riders.
Riders are pictured from last year’s Pass Wide and Slow event, which was supported by Massey Wilcox and A.J. Champion.
Details: https://passwideandslow1.wixsite.com/website/ awareness-rides
H
H
IN all the years I’ve cycled across the area south of Bristol I’ve seen plenty of marker posts and signs for the Avon Cycleway. I have occasionally been along sections of it as part of a longer bike ride, or in a sportive, but had never thought about cycling it in its entirety. That is until I came across a copy of the Avon Cycleway map, which I had picked up many years ago and had been gathering dust on a bookshelf. As almost everything is digital nowadays it was quite nice to unfold it and have a closer look at the detail.
The 85-mile route circles the city of Bristol, stretching from Chew Valley Lake in the south, to Thornbury in the north and from Saltford in the east to Clevedon in the west. It was launched in 1989 by what was then known as Avon County Council.
The well-marked route runs mostly along quiet country lanes with some traffic-free sections visiting lakes, hills, woodland and several historic landmarks.
It had been a while since I’d been out for a long bike ride and the Avon Cycleway was the perfect opportunity to put that right.
The day I chose to ride it was one of those infrequent dry and warm days that we haven’t seen many of this summer. After loading the route onto my Garmin and phone, I probably set off a bit late but was feeling confident about clocking up the miles relatively quickly.
I started my journey from Chew Valley Lake heading clockwise into one of the hilliest sections of the route. Fortunately, this was familiar territory for me and I’d rather have faced some of the hardest hills at the start than near the end.
After passing Bristol Airport it all became worthwhile for the long sweeping descent down Brockley Combe – a good reason to go clockwise!
After the hardest, came the easiest as the Cycleway made its way across the flat Somerset Levels passing the many drainage rhynes towards Clevedon. The route tracked the eastern outskirts of the seaside town known for its iconic pier, said to be the most beautiful in England.
Following the route markers in urban areas
required a bit more concentration and observation, but this was where my Garmin device helped me.
Heading north, the route followed a remarkable single-track road in the shadow of the M5 to reach the industrial area around Avonmouth. Crossing the Avonmouth Bridge with the motorway traffic passing close by was an unusual experience and in sharp contrast to the quiet lanes at the start of the journey.
After the bridge, the route became slightly complicated as it weaved its way through housing estates and over the M4, M5 & M48 motorways before heading along the lovely open space of the Severn Valley.
The northern section of the Cycleway then passed through the pretty town of Thornbury before reaching the cattle grids marking the gateway onto Ingleston and then Hawkesbury Commons. Largely unchanged for millennia, these wide-open spaces with no fencing are traditional grazing areas for livestock, akin to what you might expect to see on Exmoor.
From Iron Acton, near Yate, the pace picked up along the paved paths heading towards East Bristol, but I increasingly became aware that my finishing time was going to be much later than I first thought.
The Bristol and Bath Railway Path helped to keep the momentum going. This is the flagship cycle path that started the National Cycle Network and now has more than a million cycle journeys every year.
Leaving the path at Saltford I felt in familiar territory again, but as the daylight faded I realised that I only had my rear light with me. Fortunately, the lanes leading to the old mining village of Pensford and its towering viaduct were quiet.
As the sun disappeared, I turned my rear light on and weaved my way back along the lanes to Stanton Drew and its famous stone circle. In something resembling darkness, I safely reached Chew Valley Lake and happily the end of the Avon Cycleway.
It was an amazing ride – full of contrast, content and change –the only thing missing was a front light!
ACROSS: 1. Minehead 5. Hung up 9. Impetigo 10. Linear 12. Lays 13. Kingsettle 15. Financial year 19. Tortoiseshell 23. Pleasantry 25. Emir 28. Cleese 29. Immortal 30. Laddie 31. Hypnotic. DOWN:1. Mainly 2. Nippy 3. Hate 4. Anglian 6. Urine 7. Great Seal 8. Parterre 11. Ugli 14. Undo 15. Force-feed 16. Cue 17. Leek 18. Atypical 20. Sand 21. Scrumpy 22. Frolic 24. Sushi 26. Motet 27. JohnAlexia Grant has continued her winning ways since we featured her last month. She competed at the British championships in Manchester and won her class, broke a new record and got a new personal best.
She was presented with a dagger for the best overall raw female lifter meaning her body weight to lifting weight ratio was far greater than anyone else in the whole of the competition.
She came first for the overall of all three of the lifts (deadlift 145kg, bench 70kg and squat 100kg –total: 315kg) for her age and weight category (junior). She weighs around 55kg.
After that it was back to work as a firefighter at Bristol Airport as well as being a retained firefighter in Wells.
STUART Gillett, a head and neck surgeon at the RUH in Bath, has been taking part in the Deca-Ironman in Mexico, a continuous race which is ten times the standard Ironman distance.
It involves a 24-mile swim, 1120-mile cycle and 262-mile run. Stuart is already the current UK record holder for 3x and 5x Ironman distance triathlons. He is raising money, in conjunction with the hospital charity RUHX, to buy computer radiotherapy AI software for the new RUH Dyson cancer centre.
Details: https://www.justgiving.com/page/stuart-gillettthedecadoctor
A NEW season of Boot Swap – where families can exchange outgrown children’s sports footwear for free – is underway in Midsomer Norton.
Run by Midsomer Norton and Radstock Rotary Club, the swap takes place every Saturday from 11am-1pm until the end of September, either on the Hollies lawn or under cover next to Sainsbury’s.
The aim of the scheme is to offer football and rugby boots to youngsters in exchange for another pair in good, clean condition, without charge.
Anyone without a pair to swap can pick up a pair in return for a donation to the club’s fundraising efforts.
For details, visit the club’s Facebook page
YEAR 6 pupil, Charlie, is the first recipient of Chew Stoke Church School’s Crossman Cup, awarded for demonstrating good sportsmanship in PE lessons, festivals, competitions and tournaments.
Head teacher, Ben Hewett, said: “The winner was selected by adults in the school, our sports coaches and nominated by the children themselves. What a worthy winner.”
WEDMORE Opera will present Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro in the village hall from October 11th-14th. As usual it will feature professional soloists and players and a community chorus, all supported by a small army of volunteers.
It’s also appealing for financial support, saying: “Wedmore Opera is a charity and our overheads are minimal, but opera is expensive to produce and ticket sales alone aren’t enough to cover our costs.”
WELLSresident and filmmaker Tom Kiziewicz will premiere his new short film inspired by England’s smallest city at a special outdoor screening on Saturday, September 23rd, from 8pm.
TABOR Ringers in Timsbury celebrated 30 years of ringing with a celebration concert held in the Tabor Independent Methodist Church.
The group was formed in January 1993 by Joan Chivers, the wife of the Pastor of Tabor Church at that time, John Chivers.
Twelve hand bells had been given to the village of Timsbury more than 70 years ago but had not been used for some time. The then Rector of St Mary's Church, Timsbury, the Rev John Reed, was happy for Joan to have them to form a hand bell group.
Ten people came forward and since then the group has gone from strength to strength entertaining at local venues.
Joan Chivers travelled from Poole to celebrate this milestone and several past playing members were also there.
Photographed cutting the anniversary cake are Angie Poole, (current leader), Joan Chivers, Dianne Carter and Freda Brimble – founder members.
The group will resume rehearsals in September.
Details: Barb Spalding 01761 752177
CHEDDARMale Choir raised £910 for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance at a recent concert – and is busy recruiting new members.
It’s inviting men to test the water sessions for free, saying: “If you have ever thought you’d like to sing in a choir (not just in the shower) then here is your chance to try it out and find the many benefits of singing.”
They sing most Tuesdays, 7.30-9.30pm at Draycott Memorial Hall. In 28 years. it has raised £145,000 for charities and good causes.
Details: John Morgan 07888 717536
www.cheddarmvchoir.co.uk email contactcheddarmalechoir@gmail.com
The film is one of two new works commissioned through the Kinokotch Street Cinema Project, which began in September last year with a series of filmmaking workshops for Mendip residents.
Tom’s resulting short documentary “Well, well, Wells” will be screened for free in the Tor Furlong Play area, Markham Close, Wells along with two other environmental films.
Tom said: “The natural beauty and space of the area still offers me a place where I have always been able to ‘chill', a place to call home.”
Tom’s starting point for the film was the impact of lockdowns in response to Covid and the difference having access to nature can make to our wellbeing.
Details: www.somersetfilm.com/get-involved
CHRIS Cox from Somerton has been busy adding more dates for trips to the Bristol Hippodrome, which raise money for the British Red Cross.
The May trip to see the hit musical “Hamilton” is full so he might add another in June. The next shows are in November, with dates fixed for the rest of this year and most of next.
Details: www.charitytheatretrips.com
charitytheatretrips@btinternet.com Chris 01458 273085
THECrook Peak Music Festival makes a return this year, with concerts every evening in September, with a retiring collection and complementary glass of wine or beer.
They will be held at St Congar’s, Badgworth, St Gregory’s, Weare and St Andrew’s, Compton Bishop.
Details: debratanderson16@gmail.com
CONGRESBURY
Singers has welcomed a new musical director, Dr Jonathan Palmer, in time to start their new autumn term. He replaces Graham Coatman, who sadly needed to resign for personal reasons.
Jonathan is a very accomplished musician; not only is he a composer and conductor, he also plays cello, double bass and piano. Over the years he has conducted numerous choirs and choral societies in Hythe, Southampton, Wincanton, Bruton, Clifton, and more recently in Portishead.
Congresbury Singers begin their new term on Tuesday, September 5th, 7.30pm, at the War Memorial Hall, Congresbury. No auditions are required and all are welcome. They will be working towards a concert on November 18th and then their Christmas concert in St. Andrew’s Church on December 19th.
SHIPHAM Players’ next production will be Calendar Girls by Tim Frith, which is based on a true story of 11 WI members who posed nude for a calendar to raise money for the Leukaemia Research Fund.
Performances will be from October 12th-14th, at 7.30pm in Shipham Village Hall, tickets £10.
WELLS City Band – who opened this year’s Glastonbury Extravaganza as support for The Lightning Seeds and Texas – will be playing a special concert in the city in September in memory of former member and professional trumpeter John Wilbraham.
John, considered one of the finest English trumpet players of the last 60 years, had an illustrious career at the very top of the music profession as a soloist, recording artist and principal trumpet of several of the country's symphony orchestras. Despite this glittering career, John had a very close association with Wells, and in particular Wells City Band, which came about when he was appointed Trumpet Consultant at Wells Cathedral School and later moved to the city. He died in 1998.
John was both a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music and Professor or
Trumpet. He also taught at the Birmingham School of Music, the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall and the National Youth Orchestra. He was a member of the board of examiners of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Royal Scottish Academy of
Music and Drama, and the Paris Conservatoire.
Details: www.shiphamplayers.org.uk For tickets contact Jane Hill, janehill546@aol.com or phone 01749 675668, visit www.wellscityband.org or find them on Facebook
The concert takes place at St Cuthbert’s Church on Sunday, September 24th. Early Bird tickets are £10 (£8 concessions) before September 14th then regular tickets are £12 (£10 concessions).
THE Bath & West Showground has been named “Event Venue of the Year” in the annual UK Enterprise Awards.
A showcase of the country’s best Small and Medium Enterprises, the awards are now in their seventh year. SME News, which runs the awards, says businesses are judged solely on their merit.
Charly Andrews, Head of Commercial Sales at the showground, said: “Receiving this award is a real testament to our Sales and Events Team, who go above and beyond to support our existing event clients, as well as taking the time to build relationships with potential new clients.
“We are really proud of everything we have achieved over the last 12 months and are really excited for the future of the Bath & West Showground.”
The showground has announced the return next July of the New Wine England Christian festival. It hosted the organisation’s summer festivals for 29 years from 1989 until 2018. Charly added: “Here at the Bath & West Showground, we pride ourselves on being a versatile venue and are pleased that we have been able to accommodate for the return of such a popular event. We look forward to what we hope will be a long-lasting and positive future with the New Wine team.”
AN apple-themed cookery booklet, with recipes contributed by everyone from children to well-known chefs, will be launched at an apple fair at Stoke St Michael Primary School on Saturday, September 23.
Organised by the school’s PTA, there will be plenty of apple-themed stalls and attractions. Mark McCabe, chef owner of the Ethicurean who represented Scotland on the BBC's Great British Menu, is also joining the fun as a guest judge and chief taster in the apple dish judging tent. All apple-based dishes, whether sweet or savoury, are welcome and entries for the 11yrs and under category will also be judged by Mark.
l Money raised from the event will go towards supporting the children at the village school. Gates open at 1pm and entry is free.
NEWLY-refurbished St Laurence Church in East Harptree will be holding a special service on Sunday September 24th at 10.30am, attended by the High Sheriff of Somerset, Robert Drewett, who lives nearby.
The local Guides will provide a guard of honour and there will be music, poetry and song followed by folk dancing afterwards outside the church with the Beetlecrushers and Somerset Morris.
THE Bishop’s Palace and Gardens in Wells is throwing open its doors to show off itself as a stunning medieval wedding reception venue with 14 acres of RHS partner gardens to couples at a new wedding fair on Sunday, October 15th. A selection of wedding suppliers will be on hand with a range of fantastic ideas and inspiration for the big day. Tours of the event spaces and the grounds will also be on offer giving couples the perfect opportunity to see just how beautiful the venue will be.
Staff will be present to assist with any questions and wedding inspiration. Free admission and free glass of prosecco on arrival will also be on offer.
And if that’s not looking too far ahead, then now is the time to think about celebrating the festive season in the medieval building, decked out in all its Christmas finery. Diners are invited to book a space at one of the palace’s festive banqueting tables which will be located within the atmospheric vaulted Undercroft, transformed for Christmas. Once seated, a stunning Christmas medieval-inspired three course feasting menu will be served, provided by the palace’s caterer The French Kitchen, followed by a disco featuring all of the fun party classics.
The package also includes exclusive access to the Palace’s stunning Christmas gardens Illuminations prior to the meal. And a selection of medieval costumes will be available to try on: great fun for selfies!
Four dates are available in December including Thursday 7th, Friday 8th, Thursday 14th and Friday 15th. January dates are also available if demand is high enough.
For all details and to book, visit: www.bishopspalace.org.uk
A LITERARY quiz – a first in the 31 years of the Wells Festival of Literature – is already proving a popular attraction at this year's festival which takes place from October 27th to November 4th.
Specially created by seasoned quizmaster Gary Wigglesworth, author of the Book Lover’s Quiz Book, it’s a test for bookworms of what they know – and don’t know! – about the books they read.
The quiz is open to teams of up six booked in advance and takes place in The White Hart in Wells on Sunday, October 29th.
Elsewhere in the festival line-up sales are brisk and some of the big names – Labour shadow minister Wes Streeting, journalist Polly Toynbee and the former governor of Hong Kong Chris Patten – already look likely to sell out.
But sometimes it’s the names of writers less familiar to readers who can bring new and surprising insights into topical issues. On health, for instance, Emily Kenway will talk about her personal experience of the hidden crisis of caregiving in Who Cares, while Dr Jim Down offers an inside and sometimes darkly humorous glimpse into intensive care in his book Life in the Balance.
If you like your authors’ ideas served up on a plate there’s a trio of literary lunches at which guests can meet and eat with a writer. The first of these is with Bath Spa University lecturer and travel writer Gail Simmons, author of Between the Chalk and the Sea.
Details: www.wellsfestivalofliterature.org.uk
SOMERSET’S Festival of Transport organisers are promising a thrilling weekend at the West Woodlands Showground, on the edge of Frome, in September.
The famous Ken Fox Wall of Death team will be making guests appearances on both Saturday, September 23rd and Sunday, September 24th alongside all the usual favourites at the family-friendly celebration of all things transport.
Steam engines, commercial vehicle, tractors and motorcycles from down the years all feature, alongside an auction on the Saturday, trade stands, a 1940s-style tearoom and live entertainment.
We’re happy to list entries for non-profit community groups and charity fundraisers free of charge. Please send them written as a succinct single paragraph, in the format below, to annie@mendiptimes.co.uk
Entries sent in as posters or which take time to re-write may be charged for at the commercial rate, £25.
Thursday August 31st
West Mendip Walkers 6m circular walk starting 10am from Croscombe Village Hall BA5 3RE. Details www.mendipramblers.co.uk
Friday September 1st
Wedmore Dementia Carers Group 10am-12 Bagley Church BS28 4TG. First Friday every month, supported by Heads Up: 01749 670667.
Friday September 1st to Sunday Sept 3rd
St Bridget’s Chelvey Harvest flower festival with Clevedon & District Flower Club. Wine reception 68pm Friday. Sat/Sun 10.30-4pm with refreshments. Donations to church funds.
Saturday September 2nd
Stanton Drew Flower Show, 1.30, with barn dance, 7.30pm. Details: www.stantondrew.org
East Harptree Flower & Craft Show 2.30pm playing field. Details: d.bowie-sell@hotmail.co.uk
Theale Show 2.30-6pm village Hall BA5 1PN. Live music from 6pm-9 with Split Level and friends. Details: www.Theale.WS
Oakhill Village Festival 2-10pm village hall and field. Back Room Boogie Band at 7pm.
Kingston Seymour Market 10am-12pm Village Hall. Butcher, veg. cakes etc. 07525 040472.
Long Ashton Flower Show 2.30-5pm village hall. Admission £1. Details: www.lahortsoc.co.uk
Hutton-Dabaso Twinning Association fundraiser, St. Mary’s Field, Hutton, 7pm. Details: www.ticketsource.co.uk/hutton-dabaso-twinningassociation
Merriman Park Fun Day, Street, 1pm-10pm. Stalls, food, live music. Details: Facebook: Merriman Park Community Group
Pilton Fete & Flower Show 2-5pm. Bar, children’s area, stalls, teas. Barn dance with Rapscallion, 7pm. Details: Facebook: Pilton Show.
Sunday September 3rd
Classic Car & Bike meet 10-2pm Petruth Paddocks Cheddar, BS27 3FS. Free. No min/max stay. Food available. Details 07831 336444 or Facebook. North Somerset Agricultural Society crafts, produce and ploughing match Lampley Rd, Kingston Seymour BS21 6XS.
Oxfam Quiz Night at the Tramways, Wells, 7.30pm. Teams of up to six, £4pp. To book: 01749 672342 or email terryricketts1948@gmail.com. Raffle prizes welcomed.
Pilton Show: cricket match 2-5pm. Parish church thanksgiving, 6.30pm. Details: Facebook.
Monday September 4th
Congresbury Memorial Hall Club Friendship evening with bingo, 8pm War Memorial Hall. Visitors welcome.
Tuesday September 5th
Crook Peak Music Festival: Organ Recital: Robert Anderson with show pieces, 6pm-7pm St. Congar’s, Badgworth BS26 2QP. Complementary glass of wine or beer on arrival. Collection. Details: debratanderson16@gmail.com
Backwell Sequence Dance Club: 7.15- 9pm every Tuesday, Backwell WI Hall, BS48 3QW. Dancing couples always welcome. Details: email backwellsequencedance@gmail.com or 07710 460550.
Congresbury Singers new term starts, 7.30pm War Memorial Hall. New singers welcome, no audition. Details: 01934 838699 or congresburysingers@gmail.com
Bath Natural History Society: ‘Short talks by the
members’ 7.30 pm BRSLI 16-18 Queen Square. Details: www.bathnats.org.uk
The Arts Society Mendip: The making of landscape photographs, 11am Croscombe village hall & Zoom. Guests welcome £10. Details: www.theartssocietymendip.org.uk.
Wednesday September 6th
Bereavement Support Keynsham drop-in first Wed every month, 5.30pm-7pm, Baptist Church Hall, High St. A safe place to meet others who are bereaved. Free, with refreshments. Details: 07776 493221 or bereavementkeynsham@gmail.com
Backwell & Nailsea Support Group for Carers: Celebrating the Great British Summer! Eat, drink and dress for the occasion. 2-3.30pm WI Hall, Backwell. RAFA meeting: Alan Whitfield “An engineers’ journey from metal file to software file” 11am Wells Golf Club, BA5 3DS. Optional lunch. Details: 01458 224057 or rafa.midsomerset@gmail.com
Frome Carers Support Group 10:30am-12:30, Cricket Pavilion. Details: Tricia 01373 301369, christiner.smith@blueyonder.co.uk or www.somersetcarers.org/carers-groups
Thursday September 7th
Cheddar Valley u3a Andrew Powell-Tomas on the Taunton Line, 2pm village hall. Details: 01934 740407 or www.u3asites.org.uk/cheddar-valley/home
Mendip Morris dancing in Congresbury at The Plough.
Irish Set Dancing, 8pm-10 every Thursday, Dinder Village Hall BA5 3PF. £3 incl refreshments (sometimes cake). Fun, friendly, no need to book. Details: 01458 210051 or paulrharper@btopenworld.com
West Mendip Walkers 8m circular walk, 10am from Uphill BS23 4SD. Details www.mendipramblers.co.uk
Congresbury Gardening Club “Tales from the potting shed” by Dr F E Burroughs, 7.30pm Methodist Hall. Visitors welcome. Details: www.congresburygardeningclub.com
Friday September 8th
Frome Third Age talk by Laura and John Ball on Hedgehog Awareness, 2pm The Assembly Rooms, BA11 1EB. Details: www.fromethirdage.com
Saturday September 9th
Frome Cheese Show. Details: www.fromecheeseshow.co.uk
Kenn Village Market 10am-12 village hall.
Brent Knoll Bazaar, farmer’s market & café 10am12 Parish Hall.
Chew Stoke Harvest Home. Details: www.chewstokeharvesthome.org.uk
Charltons Memorial Hall, Phil JINDER Dewhurst stories and song, raising funds for hall repairs. Bar from 7pm.
Congresbury Book Sale 9am-1pm War Memorial Hall. Good quality books etc.
Parkinson’s NW Somerset Support Group meeting, 10.30am-12.15, St Francis Church, Nailsea. Coffee, friendly chat and a talk by Peter Lander about Birnbeck Pier.
Tango! with Trio Paradis, 7pm Leigh-on-Mendip Memorial Hall, BA3 5QH. Adults £20, U18s £10 incl. two-course supper and a drink, from folcleigh@gmail.com
Street Chrysanthemum, Dahlia & Vegetable Society 73rd annual show 1pm- 4.30pm, Victoria Club, Street, BA16 0HB. Entry free. Refreshments available.
Walton Fun Day, 1pm-9pm, Walton Playing Fields, BA16 9LA. Car boot, stalls, food, two live bands. Fireworks.
Saturday Sept 9th – Sunday Sept 10th
Vintage Vehicle show 10am-4pm Railway Inn, Meare BA6 9SX. Charity Auction on Sat. For the Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance. Free.
Sunday September 10th
Wedmore charity bike ride from The Post & Wicket Wedmore. Details:
www.westonhospicecare.org.uk/event/wedmore-40-30
RSPCA Family Fun Day 11am-4pm Brent Knoll Animal Centre, TA9 4BL. Craft stalls, bouncy castle and a chance to meet some of the animals in our care!
Details: dawn.pawlett@rspcanorthsomerset.org.uk
Midsomer Norton & Radstock Silver Band 2-4pm Wells Recreation Ground Bandstand, BA5 1SG.
Details: msnrsb.org.uk/events
Stratton-on-the-Fosse Village Day and fun Dog Show, 12-4pm. Free.
Duck Race starts 2pm, organised by Pensford Tennis Club at the Rising Sun. Details: pensfordtc@gmail.com
Monday September 11th
Nailsea & District Local History Society talk: “Surgery as it was practised in the 18th century” 7.45pm Nailsea School. Details: www.ndlhs.org.uk
Street Carers Support Group 10.30am The Crispin Centre. Details: Mac 07490 060355, cath.holloway@sparksomerset.org.uk or www.somersetcarers.org/carers-groups
Tuesday September 12th
Fosseway Gardening Club “Roses: My journey to and from work” by Micky Little. 7.30pm Pylle Village Hall. Visitors welcome £2. Details: 07772 008594.
Cheddar Valley u3a walk: 2pm Black Rock Gate (Grid ref 482545 top of Cheddar Gorge) walk round NT side of Gorge. Details: 07985 034181.
Crook Peak Music Festival: The Elizabethan Recorder Consort, hear a Great Bass, Contra bass and Crumhorn, 6pm-7pm St. Gregory’s, Weare BS26 2LE. Collection. Details: debratanderson16@gmail.com
Shipham Rowberrow & Star History Society AGM then talk by Peter Tinney about Life in Rural Somerset 7.30pm Shipham Village Hall, BS25 1SG. Members £2. Guests welcome £4. Details: 01934 260784.
Wednesday September 13th
Weston-s-Mare Family History Group talk by Chris Bigg: “Guilty pleasures: chocolate, beer, tobacco” 2.30pm Lady of Lourdes Church Hall, Baytree Rd, BS22 8HQ.
Kilmersdon Gardeners talk by Carl Sadler ‘Talk by a miserable old trugger’ 7.30pm village hall BA3 5TD. Visitors welcome £3 inc tea/coffee. www.kilmersdongardeners.org
Mendip Storytelling Circle – folk tales and more… £5. 7.30pm Ston Easton Village Hall, BA3 4DA. Details: mendipstorycircle@gmail.com and Facebook. Frome: Active and in Touch charity evening with Great British Bake Off finalist, Brendan Lynch, 6.30pmTrinity Hall.
Shepton Mallet Carers group with activity for the person you care for, 2pm at the rear of Shepton Brasserie. Details: Cath 07951 944420, cath.holloway@sparksomerset.org.uk or www.somersetcarers.org/carers-groups
Thursday September 14th
Chew Valley Gardening Society: Dr Francis
Burroughes: ‘Tales from the Potting Shed’ 8pm Stanton Drew Village Hall. Details: 01275 333456. Visitors welcome.
West Mendip Walkers 10m circular starting 10am from Moorlinch Village Hall TA7 9BU. Details www.mendipramblers.co.uk
Wells Scottish Dancers 6.30-8.30pm The Blue School Dance Studio BA5 2NR. Beginners welcome. £3/session. Details: 01934 740065 or ann.wellsdancers@gmail.com
“How to garden the low-carbon way” with Sally Nex, 7:30pm Wells Town Hall. Details: www.wellsgarden.club
Saturday September 16th
Bleadon Village Market 9.30-12, Coronation Halls
BS24 0PG. 30+ stalls, details: 01934 812370. Claverham Market 10am-12pm Village Hall. Butcher, veg. crafts etc. 01934 830553. Backwell Village Show 2-5pm WI Hall. Details: www.backwellvillageshow.co.uk
Barry Dell sings Elvis and others at Radstock Methodist church. £6 incl supper. Tickets: 01761414032.
Wedmore Guides Jumble Sale 9am-12 Village Hall BS28 4EQ. Entrance £1 incl tea/coffee.
Frome Museum Heritage Open Day. Free tours of the building and a talk on 150 Years of Pharmacy. Please book: www.frome-heritage-museum.org
Sunday September 17th
Coffee morning 10-12 Tunley Recreation Centre, BA2 0DZ.
Garden Party: live music, teas, crafts, stalls. Entry by donation for Safe Haven for Donkeys. 2-5pm Hollowtree House, Folly Lane, Stowey BS39 4DW.
All welcome!
Monday September 18th
Congresbury Memorial Hall Club Friendship evening with bingo, 8pm War Memorial Hall. Visitors welcome.
Chew Valley u3a talk by Cat Hodge about archaeological discoveries at Hinkley Point and on the Mendip Hills, Ubley parish hall 10.30am.
Timsbury NATS talk by Andy Daw ‘Butterflies in the Dolomites, Alps and Bulgaria’ 7.30pm Conygre Hall BA2 0JQ. Visitors welcome £3 U16 free if accompanied by adult.
Glastonbury Carers Support Group 10.30am St John the Baptist Church. Bring the person you care for. Details: Cath 07951 944420, cath.holloway@sparksomerset.org.uk or www.somersetcarers.org/carers-groups
Tuesday September 19th
Crook Peak Music Festival: Somerset Flutes with classical, jazz and show music, 6pm-7pm St. Andrew’s, Compton Bishop BS26 2HF. Collection. Details: debratanderson16@gmail.com
“The European eel” talk by Mia Bryant from the Westcountry Rivers Trust. 7pm Cheddar Community Pavilion. Details: www.somersetwildlife.org/events
Wednesday September 20th
“Metal Detecting” a talk about the joys, with some finds, by Lorraine Stanley, 2.45pm Weston Museum, BS23 1PR. Members £2, visitors £4 Details: www.facebook.com/groups/friendsofthemuseumwsm
West Mendip Walkers 12m circular starting 10am from Newton Poppleford EX10 0EY. Details www.mendipramblers.co.uk
Henton & District Gardening Club “Smoke that Thunders –a peripatetic journey” talk by Micky Little linking his own interesting career with plant hunter Ernest Wilson. 7.30pm Henton Village Hall BA51PD. Visitors welcome £5. Details: www.hentongardenclub.weebly.com
Wells Folk & Barn Dance Club 7.30-9.30pm St Thomas's Church Hall, BA5 2UZ. All welcome,
alone or with partner. Details: 01749 674920 or www.wellsfolkdanceclub.co.uk.
Thursday September 21st
Shepton Mallet Local History Group. “WW11 Home Guard” talk by Geoffrey Dickson with emphasis on Wells, 7.30pm at Salvation Army, Commercial Road, Shepton. £4. Rotary Nailsea & Backwell whist drive, Tithe Barn, 2pm, £3.
Yatton & District Horticultural Society. Making the most of your greenhouse, a talk by Nick Morgan. 8pm Hangstones Pavilion BS49 4HS www.yattonhorticulturalsociety.co.uk
Cheddar Valley u3a Coffee Morning 10am-11.30 Village Hall, BS27 3RB.
West Mendip Walkers 10.3m circular walk starting 10am from Steps Bridge EX6 7EQ. Details www.mendipramblers.co.uk
Wells Scottish Dancers 6.30-8.30pm The Blue School Dance Studio BA5 2NR. Beginners welcome. £3/session. Details: 01934 740065 or ann.wellsdancers@gmail.com
Friday September 22nd
Save the Children Lunches are back at 12.30pm, Shipham Village Hall, every fortnight until December 15th. £5pp. Do come and join us!
Saturday September 23rd
“5K Twilight Shift” Henstridge Airfield, for Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance. Congresbury Book Sale 9am-1pm War Memorial Hall. Good quality books etc.
Stoke St Michael Apple Fair, village school, 1pm. Axbridge Blackberry Carnival starts 2pm. Details on Facebook.
Mendip Society visit to Regil Stone Circles. Guided walk leaves 10am from Crown Hill BS40 8AY. Please book: 01275 874284. Details: www.themendipsociety.org.uk
Family & Local History Fair hosted by Bristol & Avon Family History Society at BAWA, Filton. Free event 12-4. Displays and advice. Details: www.bafhs.org.uk
Frome Carnival: Children’s procession 2pm. Evening procession 7pm. Details: www.fromecarnival.org.uk
Temple Cloud Fete and official opening of the Pump Track 12-5pm, playing fields. Chew Valley Community Farm harvest fundraiser, 12noon, £4-£10. Details: www.thecommunityfarm.co.uk
Sunday September 24th
Shepton Mallet Happy Harvest Market 10am-3pm Market Place, Shepton Mallet, BA4 5AZ. Live music, street food, parking free! Wedmore Freecycle don’t throw it away – give it away, 10am-12 Cheddar Rd car park. Wells City Band concert, St Cuthbert’s Church. Details: www.wellscityband.org
Macmillan Cancer coffee morning 12-5pm Tucker’s Grave Inn, Faulkland. Cakes, savouries, face painting, hair extensions. Details: Facebook: Suzanne Elizabeth Hairdressing St Laurence Church East Harptree special service, 10.30am, with the High Sheriff of Somerset, Robert Drewett, with music, poetry and song followed by folk dancing outside the church.
Monday September 25th
Wessex Stationary Engine Club meeting 8pm Old Down Inn, Emborough. Axbridge Carers Support Group 2pm at the Town Hall. Details: 07951 944420, cath.holloway@sparksomerset.org.uk or www.somersetcarers.org/carers-groups
Tuesday September 26th
Crook Peak Special Choir 6pm-7pm St. Congar’s, Badgworth BS26 2QP. Complementary glass of wine or beer on arrival. Collection. Details: debratanderson16@gmail.com
Chilcompton Gardening Club talk on Stumperies, Ferns and Shady Friends by Andrew Tolman. 7.30pm village hall BA3 4EX.
Winscombe Folk Club 7.30pm-10.30pm Winscombe Club BS25 1HD. All acoustic, performers & audience welcome, £2. Details: 07551 197685, winscombefolkclub@gmail.com
Midsomer Norton & Radstock Silver Band Open Evening 7.30-9.30pm, Radstock Methodist Church BA3 3PL. All brass musicians welcome to come and meet us! Details: hello@msnrsb.org.uk or DM from Facebook.
Wells & District Wildlife Group: talk by Stephen Powles, “The countryside detective” learn how to use a trail camera and identify animals from their tracks and spoor. 7.30pm Wells Museum. Details: www.wdwg.org.uk or 01749 677600.
Wednesday September 27th
Backwell & Nailsea Macular Support meeting 1.30 pm Backwell WI Hall. Details: Sheila, 01275 462107. Mendip Ploughing Match, Franklyn’s Farm, Chewton Mendip BA3 4SQ.
Cheddar Valley u3a walk through Goblin Coombe. Meet 2pm bottom of Cleeve Hill Rd. Grid ref 459654. Details: Mary 01934 832835.
Harptrees History Society: “Five hundred years of roads and bridges across the Chew Valley” by Colin Budge. 7.30pm West Harptree Memorial Hall BS40 6EG. Visitors welcome £3. Please book: info@harptreeshistorysociety.org
Thursday September 28th
Wells Scottish Dancers 6.30-8.30pm The Blue School Dance Studio BA5 2NR. Beginners welcome. £3/session. Details: 01934 740065 or ann.wellsdancers@gmail.com
Irish Set Dancing 8pm-10 every Thursday Dinder Village Hall BA5 3PF. £3 incl refreshments. Fun, friendly, no need to book. Details 01458 210051 paulrharper@btopenworld.com
Friday September 29th
“Hannah More” a new feature length costume drama filmed in Bristol, 7.30pm Shipham Village Hall. Tickets £10 on door, incl. refreshments. Details: www.themendipsociety.co.uk
Saturday September 30th
Past, Present & Future Flood Risk on the River Chew, free workshop sessions at 10am and 2pm Pensford Memorial Hall.
Timsbury Village Market 9.30-11.30am Conygre field BA2 0JQ. Local vegetables, meat, plants, cakes, flowers. Refreshments. Details: info@growtimsbury.org.uk
RNLI Winscombe Folk Night: Reg Meuross & Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne, 8pm Winscombe Church Centre, BS25 1BA Tickets £15 from winscombe.folk@gmail.com
Yatton Music Society: pianist Louis-Victor Bak 7.30pm, St Mary’s Church. Tickets £10, details: www.yms.org.uk
Wedmore “Big Drop” please bring items for donation to Weston Hospicecare, 9.30am-12.30 Wedmore Village Hall.
Active Street Day – a focus on sports and activity groups in the Street area. 10.30am-2.30pm Crispin Hall. Free.
Saturday Sept 30th-Sunday Oct 1st
Avalon Quilters Quilt Show 10am-4pm Compton Dundon Village Hall, TA11 6PQ. Admission £3. All Proceeds to local charities. Details: quiltersaq@gmail.co.uk.
TICKETS are now on sale for a “Roaring 20s” dance event in aid of East Harptree Primary School in November with the Bristol 1920’s Gatsby Band and the Bristol Gatsby Dancers performing on the night.
The event is being organised by the school’s Parent Teacher Association who hope guests will join in the fun and dress up in 1920s style. It takes place at East Harptree Village Hall on Saturday, November 11th at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £30 per person and include a glass of bubbly and canapes.
To buy tickets, visit: https://buytickets.at/friendsofeastharptreeschool/968063 or email eastharptreepta@outlook.com
THE Mendip Rocks! festival of geology will return in October with a series of events across the Mendip Hills.
Organised by the Somerset Earth Science Centre in partnership with the Mendip Hills AONB Service and The Mendip Society, events will run between October 1st and October 22nd and will include geo walks, family museum days and escorted tours of operational quarries including Batts Combe in Cheddar and Whatley near Frome.
To celebrate the Geological Society’s Earth Science Week the SESC, based next to Wainwright’s Quarry at Stoke St Michael, will be hosting an afternoon of specialist geo lectures on Saturday, October 14th. On October 21st, the public are invited to explore the centre’s extensive collection of fossils, rocks and minerals during their family museum open day, with a chance to bring in your fossils for local experts to see.
The finale of the festival will see Cheddar Gorge transformed into a free outdoor gallery for the evening. As darkness falls, photographs taken by the public and by photographic artist, Elizabeth Woodger, will be projected onto the rockfaces to highlight the special qualities of the Mendip Hills.
The project has been commissioned by Seed Sedgemoor Arts Council England’s Creative People and Places programme in partnership with the Mendip Hills AONB. The full programme of events will be released shortly.
Lou Sumbler, festival co-ordinator at the Somerset Earth Science Centre, said: “The Mendip Hills are a unique and very special landscape. The festival provides great opportunities to get out and see some of the area’s best kept geological secrets, with many events being held at sites that are not usually open to the public.”
Jim Hardcastle, manager of the Mendip Hills AONB Service, said: “We are delighted to be able to deliver Mendip Rocks! again this year. It is an opportunity to share the special qualities of the Mendip Hills with local people and to reach new audiences.”
For details, visit: www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk/news/mendiprocks
