IT’Sthe variety of life across Mendip and surrounding areas that makes this place so interesting – small village fetes one weekend; Glastonbury or Priddy festival the next.
We’ve pictures from a duck race and many other events and preview more big shows coming up – including MidSomerset and Frome Cheese shows and Wells Literary Festival.
Sport this month includes tennis, cycling, motorcycle racing, croquet, billiards and weightlifting. But it’s the variety of garden pests that worries our gardening expert Mary Payne.
As well as our usual pages devoted to charities and community news, we hear about the progress of the Somersetshire Coal Canal restoration project and plans to conserve rare murals in a small village church.
Somerset Wildlife Trust has launched a campaign to save our hedgehogs, while the National Trust is using satellite technology to monitor cows on Crook Peak!
With all of our regular contributors and features, there’s so much to see and enjoy on Mendip.
September 2023 deadline: Friday 18th August
Published: Tuesday 29th August
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Driver Stuart Gane and passenger Meiji, originally from China and currently living in Bristol
A RARE engineering crew vehicle called a Wickham trolley has made its public debut at the Somerset and Dorset heritage railway line in Midsomer Norton after undergoing full restoration.
The two-person trolley took passengers on short trips along the line where it was joined by the SDJR’s resident Wickham – a larger, six-seater version which regularly takes visitors on journeys along the full length of the track.
The visiting Type 8S – built in 1946 – is owned by rail enthusiast and journalist Peter Nicholson, of Burnham-on-Sea, who was amongst the first passengers. Peter had owned the trolley for a number of years before volunteers at the Vale of Berkeley Heritage Railway at Sharpness got to work.
It was originally used by British Railways’ Western Region engineering department, probably to carry out inspections. Capable of around 15mph, the trolley has no reverse gear so relies on gravity for its return journey.
The SDJR’s own trolley was built in 1956 and arrived at Midsomer Norton in 2016 for restoration which lasted three years. It is powered by an engine from a Reliant Robin! Wickhams were built in Hertfordshire by D. Wickham & Co; the first trolley was produced in 1922.
THE 1st Burrington Village Beavers (1BVB) have had a very successful first year. The group along with Scouts, started in September last year by Axe Scout division. Cubs are to start next term.
1BVB have three leaders, Katie Oliver, Andy Bond and Kellie Hart-Binding. Together with four adult helpers, Donna Curtis, Claire Pannell, Remy Poland, Sue Kemp and a young leader, Ollie Hurst, they have built a diverse and adventurous programme.
Their 38th and final meeting of the term saw them working towards their camp craft badge.
THREEof Chewton Mendip WI’s long-serving committee members stood down at the recent AGM, deciding after a total of nearly 100 years
between them that it was time for a rest!
The three (pictured l to r) Carol Curtis, Jennie Goode and Pat Davey will remain as members. The WI said: “Big thanks to Carol, Jennie and Pat for all the hard work they have done over many years.”
SomerSeTWildlife
Trust has launched a Homes for Hedgehogs campaign to help halt the dramatic decline of one of the UK’s most charismatic and best-loved species.
Numbers of hedgehogs have been in decline since the 1950s. Then, there were an estimated 30 million of them in the UK. In 2020, this number was just under 900,000.
The trust hopes the campaign will see large numbers of people making small changes to their gardens and green spaces.
People who take part in the three-month campaign will receive a free Homes for Hedgehogs postal pack (digital download also available) which contains lots of information, advice, and a wall planner for their hedgehog activity.
After that, they will receive emails full of fun facts, interesting insights, hedgehog actions to take, and also details of a new autumn hedgehog-based citizen science project which aims to help build data on the real state of hedgehogs in Somerset.
seeing one of these wonderful creatures snuffling in their garden or green space.
“These once common animals could well become a fond memory of the past, their decline yet another ‘never mind’ moment in nature, and an animal our grandchildren will never see or experience.
“We’re on a mission to change that, but we need help. We know that people love them and care about them, so we’ve got to work collectively to turn their fortunes around.”
l In June, Somerset Wildlife Trust hosted its biggest citizen science event of the year, The Big Count, which was supported by 1,400 people, more than double the number last year.
The Big Count –goldfinch
rebecca Walford, head of fundraising at the trust, said: “Whose heart doesn’t melt when they see a hedgehog? But there are people in Somerset that will never experience the magic of
Kirby everett, head of communications at the trust, said: “The data participants have helped collect will allow us to better understand some of Somerset’s often underrated species, letting us know what is present, where, and how those populations might change over time.”
The event was sponsored by Southern Coop. The trust’s next citizen science event will be The Fantastic Fungi Focus, which is scheduled to take place in october half term.
Details: www.somersetwildlife.org/get-involved/citizen-science
FromeCommunity Bike Project’s next bike sale will be at the Saturday market on July 29th outside Frome Library, 9am-3pm, with a range of refurbished bikes that are ready to ride away. The project aims to make cycling more accessible to all and will also have a range of free events over the summer. emma Parker, from FCBP, said: “Come and say hello, meet some of the team and find out more about the project. We will also have our friendly Dr Bike mechanics on hand to give advice so bring along your existing bike for a free safety check.”
Their plans to open a workshop have been delayed so they are currently operating out of temporary locations but hope to be up and running with a shared community workshop very soon.
Details: www.fromebikeproject.org
(Photograph courtesy of Marjory Hatvany)VoLUNTeerSare making steady progress on restoring the Somersetshire Coal Canal, but are appealing for more volunteers.
The canal once stretched from Timsbury all the way to Dundas Aqueduct where it joined the Kennet and Avon. It carried coal from the pits (via tramways) up to Bath for further distribution. A southern branch from midford to radstock also existed but was short-lived and replaced with a railway line.
The canal was very profitable in its time. It opened for business in 1805 and eventually closed in 1898 when the mines were worked out.
The canal’s course is still very visible in the landscape today. The midford Aqueduct was restored in 2002 and the remains of the lock flight at Combe Hay are also still evident.
The Somersetshire Coal Canal Society carries out regular work parties at Paulton, Combe Hay and midford to control vegetation and prevent further deterioration, with the eventual aim of restoring the canal to use.
Both Paulton and Timsbury basins have water in, and the Dry Dock is believed to be the largest in the country on a narrow canal.
At the Paulton and Timsbury end of the canal, they are making good progress on the restoration of the abutment walls at Terminus Bridge. They currently have two retired stonemasons helping to rebuild the walls and the nearby sluice gate.
The upper sections of the abutment walls have suffered significantly from frost damage. The damaged stonework is being removed and rebuilt. The sluice gate seals a stone-built culvert that
leads from the canal to the Cam Brook.
Its purpose is to drain the canal for maintenance and so replacing it is an essential step before the canal can be returned to water. The sluice gate had completely eroded over the years and will be replaced by a new frame and sluice gate very soon.
once this work is completed the society intends to restore water to this length of canal and move on to the next section heading closer to radford.
The current restoration work at Paulton has been funded by a grant from Paulton Parish Council, using CIL funding, for which the society says it is extremely grateful.
It says: “We so need your help to achieve our mission of restoring the canal to water though. There are a few vacant volunteer roles on the committee that would help to achieve more.
“We need some help with fundraising, a vice chairman and some more work party leaders. We would also greatly appreciate more volunteers at both the Paulton and Combe Hay work parties.
“If you’d like to support us, but can’t help with the roles or work parties, please join as a society member for just £10 a year.”
moSTof us realise that nettles are edible and do you good, but we may be reluctant to eat them because they sting! The sting disappears once the nettle is cooked. In fact, nettles provide us with iron, vitamins (B, C) flavonoids, proteins and other essential minerals too.
For much the same nutritional reasons nettles make an ideal plant food especially for use in the greenhouse. They have more nitrogen and less potassium than comfrey, so they are best for feeding leafy greens such as salad leaves and brassicas.
Select younger leaves, as they contain more nitrogen and less tough cellulose and lignin, so they break down quickly in water.
Fill a container half to three quarters full with leaves, top up with water, then cover it and wait 3-4 weeks, then strain the solution. The resultant mixture may need to be diluted to the colour of weak tea.
However even more important is that most of our favourite butterflies depend on nettles as the oNLY food for their caterpillars. Here they are – the Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, red Admiral and Painted Lady. Sometimes Comma butterflies lay their eggs on nettles too as do several types of moth.
Thus they are vital for the lives of our most well-known butterflies. The adults are not nearly so fussy and will take nectar from a wide variety of flowers! The caterpillars are really not even fond of the small nettle or dead nettles so it would be good to boost the declining numbers of these beautiful insects by providing a patch of nettles in a sunny corner of the garden.
I have read that it is possible to provide nettles in pots but Butterfly Conservation says that this does not really work because they need a much larger and wilder area safer from predators
Being unaffected by their well-known sting, nettles are a good choice for caterpillars because they offer protection from predators including herbivores such as cattle, sheep and deer all of which are keen to avoid the sting.
Birds too love to find caterpillars especially when they are feeding youngsters. I have read that each chick can eat 100
caterpillars a day so five chicks would need 500 caterpillars. exhausting work and no wonder a butterfly needs to lay so many eggs.
The eggs and larvae of these butterfly species are present on nettles between April and June, with adults emerging between may and october. Insects employ various ways to survive. Female butterflies lay many, many eggs during their short life to ensure that even a small number of these eggs will survive.
Caterpillars (butterfly larvae) hatch from eggs. The eggs are usually laid in a protected location on the nettles that the soonto-be caterpillar will eat. often, as they grow, the masses of larvae surround themselves in silk webbing to provide protection, so that they don't become a feast for passing birds.
It's important to treat nettles like any other garden plant if you are growing for the benefit of butterflies. Cut them regularly to get good fresh growth from the nettles. march and october are good months but ensure that there are no eggs or larvae on the leaves. Watch out for any leaves that are curled or folded in any way. Something is going on inside!
Just one example. The Peacock butterfly lays her eggs in batches of 400 eggs, a process that may take up to two hours. She will choose the middle of a large nettle patch often next to a woodland edge or hedgerow. After two weeks or so the first larvae (or instars) hatch and start to build a communal web around themselves for protection whilst eating day and night.
As they grow they will move on to new leaves. They moult again into the second instar which is twice the size of the first. After as little as four days the larvae moult into the third stage still in their communal web.
They eat by day and night and when one leaf is eaten, they move on to a new one and make a new web. After a week the larvae moult into a fourth stage or instar and a new web is made.
Altogether there are five instars. The caterpillar is now about 42 millimetres long and fully grown and must individually start looking for a place to pupate. once a site has been found the larva will spin a silk pad from which it hangs head down in a J shape.
After about two weeks the pupa colours up when the wings of the adult are clearly seen through the pupal case before the actual butterfly emerges if it has been very fortunate.
With NICK GREEN
AS mentioned previously, I’ve had the privilege this summer of travelling around the UK and meeting many farmers, politicians, supermarket buyers and consumers. The major message that has come from these people is UK agriculture must survive. There has been a major decline in the pig sector and now many of our dairy farmers have gone or are considering going.
We have seen how the war in Ukraine has affected the price of energy, fertiliser, wheat and animal feed. We are dependent on stability in the Ukraine to make UK agriculture economically sustainable. One message coming from my trips is that the UK has to become more self-sufficient to feed our people. This was highlighted to me this past week when one of my daughters ordered British beef on her online shop from a major supermarket. When it arrived, it had been substituted with a non-British product. She emailed the supermarket to question why, to be told it was down to supply. Now, I don’t think we are short of beef in this country. Is this a prime example of decisions being made for
the consumer without any regard for the supply chain? I question how many consumers would have noticed the substitution and how many would take the trouble to raise the issue. I also wonder what we farmers and our industry representatives can do to help the consumer understand the impact of these sort of issues. If we rely on others to produce our food, there is no guarantee it will always be available to us. I am sure others will look after themselves before considering us. Without this understanding consumers won’t see why UK farmers are being squeezed out of the market.
In the current economic climate, I understand why people need to buy on price. It would be nice though, if Mendip shoppers considered the future of Mendip farmers, butchers, drink, fruit and vegetable producers when they can and buy local. As the saying goes, use it or lose it.
In the meantime, weather permitting, the combine harvesters will be rolling throughout August converting standing plants into piles of wholesome grains. Barley will be used for animal feed and brewing; wheat will be used for animal feed, bread and biscuits; and oats will be used for animal feed and porridge.
SOMERSET Council has received £310,000 from the Government and given the lead role in developing a plan to protect and enhance nature and wildlife in Somerset.
The council has been appointed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to lead the preparation of a new Local Nature Recovery Strategy for the county alongside the Somerset Local Nature Partnership to recover, protect and enhance nature and wildlife.
Over the next 12 to18 months, the council will establish what is needed to protect and restore Somerset’s nature to benefit the biodiversity of habitats and species. It will also look to identify further environmental benefits, such as flood regulation, water quality and access to green space for health and wellbeing.
Working with the Somerset Local Nature Partnership, the Council will:
• Engage with stakeholders across the farming, health, community, development and natural resource management sectors.
• Drive a coordinated action plan.
• Highlight where the most important areas for nature are.
• Identify opportunities to restore, grow and connect wildlife in urban and rural areas.
• Adopt a joined-up approach working with residents, groups, landowners, and organisations to build a mapped framework Opportunities for Somerset residents, businesses, farmers, landowners, and communities to have their say and contribute to
the strategy will be shared in the coming months.
Kirsty Larkins, Service Director for Climate and Sustainability at Somerset Council, said: “One of our key priorities is a green, more sustainable Somerset and it is vital that we act now to recover and protect wildlife and nature and halt the decline of biodiversity in Somerset, playing our part in the UK-wide effort.
“This protection and enhancement goes hand in hand with our commitment to tackle climate change. As with any strategy of this kind, the key to its success will be collaboration – developing common goals we can all get behind, by working together and building understanding.
“We look forward to working with Somerset residents and other partners to develop this strategy together.”
The Somerset Local Nature Partnership is a group of representatives with various economic, social, political, and environmental interests from across the county. Chair, Georgia Stokes, said: “Somerset Local Nature Partnership brings together a strategic mix of business, academics, statutory and voluntary organisations to champion nature and the benefits a healthy natural world brings.
“The Somerset State of Nature report shows the loss of precious habitats which are home to important species such as adder, greater horseshoe bats and the skylark and are iconic to Somerset. It is vital we work together across sector, and bring in investment, to protect, connect and restore these and other important habitats.”
THENational Trust team on the Mendip Hills have introduced an innovative new way of managing conservation grazing on Crook Peak, funded by the Mendip Landscape Project and National Grid.
The 60 cattle there wear a solar-powered GPS collar and if they approach a virtual boundary, they’re alerted by a musical tone and, if they persist, they’re deterred by a weak electrical pulse.
Lauren Holt, area ranger for the National Trust, said: “By using the collars, we can move cattle to mimic traditional patterns of behaviour, allowing areas that are overgrazed to rest and exclude parts of the hill that are busiest with visitors.
“The app can produce a heat map tracking their movements, so we can really begin to understand how the cattle behave in different weathers, and if there is something in particular they are foraging for.”
Rich Brinson, grazier on Crook Peak, said: “The collars have meant I can respond to welfare concerns so much quicker as the app alerts me when there is a problem and uses the GPS to locate the exact position of the animal.
“It enables us to move the cattle on knowing there will be
enough for them to graze which is important for their health.”
The Mendip Landscape Project is seeking to restore and protect calcareous grassland habitats across the Mendips and connect the community with its nature and heritage.
Cows with collars!
Details: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/somerset/mendip-hills
TIMBERSOURCE, who will once again have a stand at the MidSomerset Agricultural Show, are a timber merchant with a difference who have built their business with the customer in mind. Getting your timber hassle-free and cut to size ready for your project has never been simpler.
We’ve all had to buy wood from time to time, whether it’s for our business, house or garden. For decorative or functional purposes, when the time comes we have to venture into the unknown realms of buying wood from a wood yard.
At Timbersource, based at Waterlip, near Cranmore, you can order online by using their simple instant price tool or if you want to talk through your project you can have a good old fashioned chat with them over the phone or even a face-to-face meeting to show them sketches or look at samples.
They say: “Most of our customers love to use us for just simple planed all round or sawn boards cut to your sizes in quick turnarounds. You could order wood from us on a Monday and have it in time for your or your customer’s weekend project.
“We have customers from a broad range of commercial and domestic backgrounds who get in touch everyday looking for ways to get their timber challenges tackled. You might know exactly what you need, but don’t know what sizes are available, or you might have a project you’re working on and are not sure on
what timber type is best. Whatever the enquiry Timbersource can help you.”
Timbersource stock hardwoods of all types and various quality softwoods ready for shelving, cladding, decking, interior joinery, garden structures, outdoor and indoor furniture and the occasional DIY sauna! The important thing is not to feel worried that your project isn’t right for them.
They add: “You have to get the project done properly! So, we are set up to make sure you get the help you require. We don’t have a minimum order quantity, or value, so we welcome you to come and talk to us no matter what size or type of project.
“Why not get in touch with us today for some advice or a quote?”
WITH the Mid-Somerset Agricultural Show just weeks away, this year’s president, Tony Guidi, has spoken of his pride at being invited to take on the high-profile role.
Tony is the owner of the property management company 3 Solutions, based on the Three Winds Business Park, which he also owns, on the edge of Shepton Mallet.
A long-standing supporter of the show – which takes place on Sunday, August 20th at the now well-established showground on the edge of Shepton Mallet – Tony, who lives in Evercreech, admits this year’s experience for him will be very different.
He said: “It was such an honour when I was approached about becoming president; it wasn’t something I had expected but I said I wanted to take a very ‘hands-on’ role.
“We’ve run our trade stand at the show for the past 11 years and I’ve always enjoyed the social side of that because the show is such a fantastic day out for people in Shepton Mallet and the surrounding area and there are always so many familiar faces to talk to.
“I know show day this year will be a very busy one for me, but I am so looking forward to seeing it from a different angle. There’s a tremendous buzz around ahead of the day and the showground is a fantastic asset to the town.”
Tony is the son of Italian-born Guiseppe “Joe” Guidi, who came to England to work on a farm in Godney before eventually setting up his own building firm in the 1950s.
Tony – and brother Sandy – later launched Albino builders before deciding to split the company into two with Tony starting 3 Solutions in 2011 to concentrate on property maintenance and management. With a team of 27, they work across Somerset, Bath, Bristol and parts of Wiltshire, Dorset and Devon with clients including social housing providers and letting agents. The company has recently been approved as a solar panel installer.
On show day, livestock will take centre stage along with all the usual popular attractions including Shetland Pony racing.
Being introduced this year is an “Old & New” section which will include vintage vehicles and implements along with their modern-day counterparts, including tractors, buses, Land Rover Defenders and Discoveries as well as lorries and lawn mowers.
For details,visit: www.midsomersetshow.org.uk
FROM its humble beginnings in 1991 as a Parent Teacher Association fundraiser for the village school, this year’s Priddy Folk Festival – the 30th – remains very much part of the community.
Now a charity raising money for promoting music, the arts and improving the area, it is still an entirely volunteer-run organisation.
VOICErecognition in phones and tablets has come a long way and can be very useful when you don’t have a free hand. I’m going to use Siri for this article, but Google should have the same or very similar.
Most smartphones will have it built in, but if not, you can access it through the Google Home app (picture of a house) or for Apple, it’s Settings (picture of a cog) > Siri & Search, then if you want to activate Siri with your voice: Turn on Listen for “Hey Siri.”
Or if you want to activate Siri with a button: Turn on Press Side Button for Siri (on an iPhone with Face ID) or Press Home for Siri (on an iPhone with a Home button). Basically, Siri or Google will let you do a lot on your phone hands-free – dictate an email, make a phone call etc.
You can ask your phone (or any connected watch) to do various tasks for you. Saying “Hey Siri, dial 999” will connect you to the emergency services. Or “Hey Siri, add flour to my Reminders” will update your shopping list – very
useful if you are cooking and don’t have clean hands. You can ask the internet a question, such as: What causes a rainbow? or how do you say Thank You in Spanish? You can ask it to set up a meeting at 9pm to create an event in Calendar. Or map a route to Wells High Street car park.
You can ask Siri to tell you a joke. If you are looking at a photo, you can say “Hey Siri, send this photo to name or number”. And off it will go! Or if you want to find a temporarily misplaced phone, just say “Hey Siri, where are you?”
Assuming it is close enough, it will start to talk and you will know where it is. However, if your phone is on silent, that obviously won’t work very well, so just say “Hey Siri set a timer for ten seconds”.
Like clockwork, your phone will start buzzing in ten seconds. Or if you have an Apple Watch, just swipe up to get to the Control Center (Apple is American spelling!) and tap on the Ping my iPhone button. It will start buzzing your iPhone, even if you’ve got the silent mode turned on.
You can even help a friend find a device, by going to Find Devices on iCloud.com and signing in with their Apple ID and password.
ACROSS
1 Checks the latest accounts (6)
4 Magnificent, imposing or superb (8)
9 Blunders or oversights (6)
10 Off beam or misguided (8)
12 Medicines of psychological, rather than physiological benefits to patients (8)
13 Capital of the Bahamas (6)
15 Dreamland a person imagines themself to be in when unaware of the negative aspects (5,8)
18 Honorary position for one who was once called ‘The Standard Bearer’ currently Francis Dymoke (5,8)
20 Pop one’s clogs, kick the bucket (6)
22 Taking place in the private chambers or a judge (2,6)
24 Where to find 3 down (8)
25 A crustacean like a woodlouse (6)
26 Steals –according to an EastEnder (8)
27 In cricket, runs scored other than by running or hitting (6)
1 Syria’s largest city (6)
2 Unpaired appendage on the back of a whale (6,3)
3 On 1st July Telegraph Magazine review gave four stars to this Somerset restaurant (5,10)
5 & 14 down Mendip Times and Private Eye correspondent and BBC presenter of Trust me, I’m a doctor (4)
6 Adultery (12,3)
7 Noblemen, highest ranking below Princes (5)
8 Plates that hold artificial teeth (8)
11 Russian soup made with beetroot (7)
14 See 5 down (7)
16 Landlord of a pub (9)
17 Miss a word or two when reciting poetry (4-1-3)
19 “Dr. Who’s” main transport (6)
21 Quantitative relation between two amounts (5)
23 Grab it to go uphill by a ski lift (1-3)
By greendandelionClues in italics are cryptic
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
This month’s solution can be found on page 84
THE Mendip Hills AONB Service, thanks to funding from Seed Sedgemoor, will be running a photographic exhibition of the spectacular Mendip Hills landscape, with local people encouraged to get involved.
There will be a free community photography workshop over the summer holidays with drop-in activities for all the family. This will include a chance to make creative sun prints, have a go at light painting, and using technology with a green screen.
Archive film from the local area will also be shown and photo walks will take place to help people learn photography skills and get closer to nature.
Attendees can also find out how to submit their photos for inclusion in a digital gallery and outdoor projections in Cheddar Gorge,
planned for this October. The project “Moments on Mendip” will celebrate and capture on camera the 12 special qualities that make Mendip an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Professional photographer, Elizabeth Woodger, has been appointed to lead the work, alongside project partners Somerset Film, The Mendip Society, and Windrose Rural Media Trust. The community workshop will take place on Tuesday, August 29th, 1-4pm, at Cheddar Community Pavilion.
Last month we also hosted a workshop of a different kind. The AONB Partnership spent a morning learning about farming up here on the Mendip Hills. This was an opportunity to share knowledge and experience between farmers, councillors and others; to show them about the amazing work that farmers are doing to look after the AONB and how we are helping them achieve their goals through our Farming in Protected Landscapes programme.
If you are interested in working with us on developing a project on your land, get in touch.
For more details please visit: www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk/events
RESIDENTSwith BS26 postcodes are being invited to join the new “Rural Friends” group being set up by the Frankie Howerd OBE Trust.
A 1926 Sunbeam sports car owned by Mendip-based restorer Paul Collis has taken part in a grand parade at Silverstone ahead of this year’s Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Paul drove the three-litre Super Sport from his garage in Holcombe to take part in the parade around the circuit to celebrate the centenary of the 1923 French Grand Prix when British-built Sunbeams came 1st, 2nd and 4th ahead of continental marques such as Bugattis and Fiats.
In the passenger seat for the parade was American F1 driver Logan Sargeant, who drives for Williams Racing and who went on to finish the race in 11th place.
Paul and his family have owned the one-and-a-half-tonne Sunbeam for several years. The first owner, a Major Digby, paid £2,000 for the Sunbeam, built in Wolverhampton, which has a top speed of around 100mph. It was one of only six with that style of body and has been used for hill climbing races; there are approximately 47, 3lt super sports left out of the 315 made.
It has an ash frame and the twin cam engine was years ahead of its time in engineering terms, designed to compete in the Le Mans 24 hour race. The bodywork was originally steel, but was replaced with aluminium over the years, by Paul’s late father, Mike who, with Paul’s also late brother, Will, who drove a touring version of the car, carried out much of the original restoration work with Mike passing on many of his skills and knowledge to them.
Paul, a professional photographer who lives in Leigh-onMendip, said: “We had a fantastic weekend, the car went really well.”
Every Thursday the trust’s community bus will provide a free doorto-door service for residents who would like to visit its community hub and cafe in Loxton. Trust chairman, Phil Davies said: “The trust is aware that there are many isolated residents who find it difficult to get out due to a personal lack of transport or, they can only get out when relatives or friends are able to take them.
“This new, free of charge service, will enable them to be collected from home on a Thursday morning and be taken to our five-star cafe in Loxton where, for an hour or so, they can join other residents for a chat and refreshments before being taken home.”
He said the trust’s president, Dame Joanna Lumley, who is herself 77, strongly believes travelling and meeting up with people is vital for good mental health.
The service starts on Thursday, August 3rd.
Details: frankiehowerds@btinternet.com 07881 630629
SUPPORTERS of the Midsomer Norton and Radstock branch of the Royal British Legion have completed a fundraising walk linking all 16 cemeteries in the area which contain graves of exservice personnel.
Each year, the branch holds a “Dressing of the Graves” service ahead of Remembrance Sunday, in which they lay posies of poppies on Commonwealth and Churchyard War graves. Last year, keen walkers Pattie Nicol, her husband, Will, and friend George Upton decided to go on the three-day walk, covering 31 miles and raising £200 for branch funds. This year’s walk raised more than £550.
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ALLof the following recipes can be enjoyed outside. The last dish is so simple and refreshing and my favourite.
And, for anyone looking forward to the August Bank Holiday weekend and beyond, here’s hoping the saying about St
Bartholomew’s Day (August 24th) comes true: “If St Bartholomew’s be clear, a prosperous autumn comes that year.”
Sausage rolls with a twist
METHOD
Squeeze the meat from the sausage casings into a bowl and mix the pate well into the meat. Cut the pastry in half and smear the honey, chutney or mustard over both halves and divide the meat mixture into two and place in the middle of each piece of pastry.
Roll up and flip over onto a baking tray so it’s resting on the seam. Brush with beaten egg and snip some “V” shapes across the top and bake in the oven at 180° for 30-35 mins. Place on a platter and let everyone cut off a piece!
INGREDIENTS
(Serves four as a starter or six as a snack)
8 of your favourite sausages
175g tub Brussels pate
A smear of honey, chutney or mustard
1 sheet of readymade puff pastry
Jazz up chicken thighs with this marinade
METHOD
Put all the ingredients for the marinade into a ziplock bag and smoosh them around until fully combined.
Add the chicken and smoosh around again until all the chicken is covered. Put into the fridge until ready to cook.
These are lovely cooked on a bbq or in a 180°C oven for 25-30 mins.
A fruity fool
METHOD
Whisk both the creams together and then fold in the purée.
Divide into individual bowls and serve with a buttery shortbread.
INGREDIENTS
(Serves six)
6 chicken thighs
For the marinade
2tbs whole grain mustard
2tbs runny honey
Zest and juice of one lemon
Tsp garlic granules
Salt and pepper
INGREDIENTS
(Serves six)
100g stewed raspberries or, as I did, two tins of gooseberries in syrup
100ml double cream
100ml crème fraiche
A dry, if scorchingly hot, Glastonbury Festival gave way to a pretty damp start to July but fingers crossed that August will be fine, especially for those of us planning picnics and the like.
THE summer months are always an exciting and hugely busy time for the team Root Connections – based at Stratton-on-the-Fosse –and this year is no exception.
Now into its second season, Root Connections’ outdoor summer activities for children will be kicking off once again on five dates through August, with the theme of “Food, Feasting and Entertaining” – perfect for budding gardeners, foragers, chefs and hosts aged 6-11 years.
They have a few spaces available on August 2nd, 9th, 10th, 16th and 17th, from 8.45am-3.45pm, which can be booked as individual or multiple days at a cost of £25 per day (siblings £20 per day). A discount is available for five-day bookings.
Children will get creative, active and adventurous in the beautiful wood and farmland of Manor Farm. Led by fully qualified, safeguarding trained and highly experienced leaders, previous participants and parents have said: “[Our son] had an absolutely fabulous time with you both and the other children. He thoroughly enjoyed all the activities that you provided, and I feel he has really benefited from being outside in such a positive and warm space. He will definitely join you in the summer if the dates work around our family holiday.”
Meanwhile, Root Connections’ volunteer-manned pop-up farm shop is open every Tuesday and Friday from 10am-12.30pm, stocked with a fantastic selection of seasonal vegetables and flowers. Their veg box and flower subscriptions continue to grow in popularity with delivery to your door within a 12-mile radius of BA3 4QF. Veg boxes feature a minimum of eight fresh, seasonal items which vary according to the time of year.
Their flowers, foliage and herbs are lovingly grown on the farm, to create beautiful, scented bouquets which are hand-tied and wrapped in kraft paper, along with a hand-written message.
All proceeds go back into supporting and improving the health and wellbeing of adults with complex needs, building a safe, understanding learning environment with positive social impact.
For details about the outdoor activities visit: Events — Root Connections
For details about veg box and flower subscriptions visit: https://www.rootconnections.co.uk/shop
YES, finally it’s that time of year again: Blackberry season and the process of blackberrying – getting everyone out of the house, wearing the right clothing for the weather conditions, remembering to bring a suitable container for your finds (regret only follows the use of pockets), going for a walk and picking these delicious, dark, hanging fruits. Oh, and having fun too.
This unmistakable berry has to win the award for everyone’s best-loved summer fruit. It is super abundant in our hedgerows, very easy to identify and tastes wonderful. It certainly is a favourite.
Everything about the humble bramble is fascinating and challenging in equal measure but the rewards are worth it. It has the most pernicious spreading habit and painful thorns so please do be careful. Long sleeves and trousers are recommended.
Blackberry (Rubus fruticosa) flowers have five white or pink petals and are edible so make an attractive finishing decoration to any meal. The leaves are prickly and toothed, turning red and providing a dash of warm colour in the autumn.
The fruits consist of many individual segments, starting out green and finishing a deep purple/black colour, August to October. Found in hedges, waste places, scrub, heaths, woodland and the garden.
Top tip (excuse the pun), it is always the berry on the very tip of the stalk that is the first to ripen and is often the most juicy and full of flavour.
So, after all the fun of gathering these delicious berries there is further entertainment to be had from making something from all the abundance: blackberry and apple pie, blackberry jelly, blackberry vinegar, blackberry vodka, blackberry sauce for creamy vanilla ice cream . . . enjoy!
THEREis no manure like the gardener’s shadow. Be in your garden as much as possible at this time of year. It's a pleasure to see the wonderful new growth and a chance to notice all those new jobs! Plants grow so much when we're not looking. August’s harvests open the door to clearing and re-planting.
I recommend that you raise plants under cover if possible. Then you can repopulate beds very quickly with new vegetables. Fewer weeds, more companions. A beautiful aspect of no dig is that fewer weeds appear.
You need less time spent for maintenance and have more for re-planting. Another advantage is healthier soil resulting in less worry about four-year rotation. I do not practice that, just pop in new plants wherever space allows.
Don't worry either about so-called companion planting. In my experience all plants like all other plants, as long as they have sufficient light and moisture. The companionship aspect is from plants being close to others and not isolated when small.
Possible problems
In wet conditions, check for potato blight and harvest once you see first damage on the leaves or stems. It shows as brown, translucent rotting and spreads rapidly. If you can get the potatoes dry after harvest, they can go in paper sacks to store, but need checking every month to remove damaged ones.
• Summer slugs are prevalent in wet weather: it's worth going out in the early evening after rain to collect them up. You will probably be surprised by what you find emerging.
• Remove weeds when small if possible, it’s quicker.
• Have some mesh cover ready for placing over brassica plants, to keep insects and pigeons off them.
Summer sowings
In chronological order through the month they are Chinese cabbage, salad rocket,mustards, pak choi, coriander, chervil. Towards the end of August sow spring cabbage, cauliflower and spring onions for harvest next April and May. When you will be very grateful that you remembered to make these sowings.
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
Charles Dowding has made no dig popular with millions of readers and viewers. Currently he grows vegetables on 0.35 acres/1300 metres2 in Somerset. He has written 14 books and gives talks plus courses at home and abroad.
RAIN and strong winds meant a few changes, but families turned out in force to enjoy this year’s All the World's Our Playground circus and theatre festival in Shepton Mallet.
From Jungle Book wonders to time travel, from Eurovision dance displays to flamenco and from aerial circus to
walkabout wonders – it was a festival not to be missed.
The free event was organised by Make the Sunshine CIC and was aimed at allowing children’s creativity and imagination to take over the town. The festival acts were chosen by Shepton Mallet’s Arts Ambassadors – a programme run by Make the Sunshine in partnership with six Shepton Mallet Schools – and the day-long event was supported by Shepton Mallet Community Bookshop, Mendip Community Fund, Wells Festival of Literature and St Paul's CofE VC Junior School.
KEEN cyclist Rob Angell has set off on a solo 4,000km ride to retrace the journey taken by his mother, a survivor of Auschwitz and the Holocaust, to England.
Rob, 60, of Castle Cary, did not learn about his mother’s extraordinary past until he was 31 years old and that he was, in fact, Jewish, rather than Catholic.
Rob is carrying out his mother’s journey in reverse, cycling through France, Belgium and Germany to the factory in what was then Czechoslovakia where she was made to carry out forced labour.
He will then visit Auschwitz in Poland, where his mother, Judith Gersch, was held – she, her sister and Rob’s grandmother were the only survivors from their family – and then through Slovakia, Hungary and onto Targu Mures in Transylvania in Romania where she grew up. His journey is expected to last four weeks.
Judith arrived in England as a refugee in 1947 and lived until she was 96 years old.
Both she and Rob’s father – a Hungarian – were Jewish but he died when Rob was just 16 years old. His mother vowed never to talk about her past but broke her silence when her sister died and had to explain to Rob why it would be a Jewish funeral.
Rob said: “Her family in Romania had been astute and claimed they were Catholic as that way they would have had more chance of surviving longer.”
Rob, who runs a mobile bicycle repair business, is using the journey to raise awareness about the Holocaust and to raise money for the Association of Jewish Refugees and the Holocaust Education Trust; the AJR supported his mother emotionally and
financially during her last years.
Rob, a father of two daughters, will also use the journey to help him in his role as a member of the HET’s ambassador programme working in schools and said: “I knew I wanted to do something to mark my 60th birthday but didn’t want a party or a celebration, so decided I would retrace her steps, albeit in reverse.
“There are very few survivors of either Auschwitz or the Holocaust still with us and it’s down to my generation to keep their stories alive.”
l Rob set off from Castle Cary on Sunday, July 16th. You can follow his progress on Instagram at RobAngell1 or donate via JustGiving at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rob-angell1
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The event attracted big crowds
ATTENDINGa good pre-school and primary school is fundamental for a child’s development. Here they learn the foundational skills, such as numeracy and literacy that are not only used across all subject areas throughout their educational journey but prepare them for a positive future in the world where they can thrive in their life, work, and as active citizens.
At Wessex Learning Trust, we place huge importance on the primary education settings across our 12 primary and first schools in Somerset and North Somerset. We understand that quality education in these early years empowers children and young people, boosts their health and well-being, unlocks their potential and most importantly, maximises their life chances.
Choosing the right primary or first school is the most important first step in your child’s education, but choosing the right Multi-Academy Trust is what will set your child on the best path for the whole of their educational journey.
Our primary and first schools are part of a family of schools providing learning environments from six months to 19 years that support a rich, joined-up curriculum across all our schools.
Details: www.wessexlearningtrust.co.uk
A NORTHSomerset pre-school for children with additional needs and disabilities has been judged “Outstanding” in all areas by Ofsted.
The charity, Springboard, was formed in 1986 by a small group of parents living in North Somerset, who all had pre-school age children with special educational needs and could not find the support they required during the early years of their children’s lives.
Since they started, they have worked with thousands of children and their families and continue to provide their service for over 130 children every week at their four centres.
Ruth Glover, CEO of Springboard, said: “I am thrilled that our latest Outstanding Ofsted report highlights the exceptional teaching and exemplary support for all our children. This fantastic result was achieved through the dedication and hard work of all members of our team.”
The charity would welcome support from corporate partners or individuals.
Details: www.justgiving.comDetails:
PEASEDOWNSt John Parish Council has provided the village primary school with two swift nesting boxes, which were specified as part of the planning conditions for the school’s new ground source heat pump system.
Cllr Gill Auld, chair of the parish council’s Climate and Environment Advisory Panel, said:
“It is hoped that installing more nest boxes will help swift populations in the UK to recover, and the parish council were delighted to help the school with their conservation efforts in this regard.”
AT Happy Mojos, this is our mission. We strive to create environments where children thrive in both body and mind, whether they're at home, school, or at play.
Accessibility is at the core of our approach. We want to ensure that our social, emotional and mental wellbeing support reaches EVERY child. That’s why founder, Min Robertson, created Happy Mojos; to extend our reach to children, parents, and schools, offering a wrap-around, sustainable approach to wellbeing. Built from more than 20 years of teaching experience, Happy Mojos clubs and classes do just that.
Based on the Mendips, we use our expert knowledge, experience and proven scientific-based approaches to create individualised, child-centered, fun sessions to nurture happy, confident and resilient
beings. We deliver wellbeing programmes and training for schools and families and we offer after-school and holiday clubs also.
We provide opportunities to empower and environments that enable them to develop their social and emotional literacy. Our sessions include play, reflective learning, discovery and mindfulness to build positive relationships with themselves, with others and with the spaces in which they live, equipping children with the tools to thrive in their daily lives and preventing ill mental health.
The 2,800+ children who have worked with us:
• Can create positive relationships
• Are emotionally literate
• Have improved communication skills
•Can build a sense of agency & autonomy
• Can access higher order thinking skills
• Are more resilient
• Have decreased behavioural needs
• Are happier and more confident!
• Believe in themselves!
Happy Mojos isn’t just a class or a programme; it's a way of life. As a children's multi-activity provider in Somerset, we support children’s social, emotional and mental well-being through active and creative programmes. They feel empowered, nurtured, supported, encouraged, and respected.
Ready to join our community? Visit www.happymojos.co.uk to book our clubs and classes.
By Min Robertson, founder Happy Mojos“Imagine a world where every child believes in themselves, feels happy and healthy from the inside out.”
COMPTONDando Art Group celebrated its 18th anniversary with a ploughman’s lunch at the Compton Inn. The group meets each week in the village hall and many of its original members still attend each week.
These include organiser Sonia Priest, Trish Baker, Molly Griffiths, Trina Pope, Jean Harnaman and Maureen Baker.
Sonia Priest said: “The social aspect of our club is just as important as the painting and members of the group support each other on a regular basis, as they have over the past 18 years, and they have formed many friendships.”
Four new members have recently joined.
100,000 potential customers within a short distance of your business
In the mind’s eye: Frank with the completed mural next to St John’s Church
ARTIST Frank Harwood has completed his third piece of work for the hugely-popular Glastonbury Mural Trail – a brightly-coloured version of Durer’s Rhinoceros.
Frank spent nine days working on the mural in Church Lane, which sits on the side of the Crystals shop on the High Street next to St John’s Church.
It’s adapted from a 1515 woodcut by German artist Albrecht Durer, who never actually saw a rhinoceros but based his work on a written description and rough sketch of an Indian rhino brought to Lisbon that year.
Frank had originally planned to paint the mural at another location. His other works are Waving Woman, on the side of a house on Chilkwell Street close by the Chalice Well, and Adam and Eve, off Benedict Street. In total, there are now around 50 murals on the trail.
Frank said: “This was one of the most challenging things I have done. The lane is very narrow and busy and I had to choose my times to work carefully. And, of course, lots of people stopped to chat!”
For details, visit: www.glastonburymuraltrail.co.uk
IT was a day of repeated success for Clevedon Salerooms recent Summer Specialist Sale. In addition to the unprecedented success of the Barrow Court Sale reported in the previous issue, the Summer Fine Art sale held on the same day also hit many high notes. Over 90% of items offered on the day found new homes, with superb prices across all categories.
The sale opened in fine style with a fine George III neoclassical style statuary marble chimneypiece of probably George III period, in cararra and sienna marble fireplace.
Purchased in the 1980s from a Cotswolds dealer, it had been intended to adorn a townhouse in The Circus in Bath, the former home of Sir Thomas Gainsborough, no less, but its former owner never got round to it and it spent the next 35 years in pieces on the floor of his cellar where it was discovered by Clevedon Salerooms’ Senior Valuer Mark Huddleston.
Provenance, decorative appeal and rarity combined to send sparks flying and it sold well above expectations, online against strong commission bidding, at £7,200.
That impressive result fell just short of the sale’s highest price, which was taken by a very arresting oil on canvas still life with flowers by Dorothea Sharpe. This was a classic work by a figure widely recognised as one of England's finest female and Impressionist artists and fevered bidding saw it quickly eclipse its estimate to sell for £7,500.
The sale was a resounding success, but there was no time for auctioneers to rest on their laurels, as there immediately followed the Specialist Wine Sale. Chiefly drawn from two significant private collections, almost 200 lots of fine wine were offered.
Highlights included six bottles of 2005 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru Burgundy which sold for £5,200 and a single bottle of 1998 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Ermitage “Cuvée Cathelin”, Hermitage, Rhône, which also smashed its estimate, selling for £3,000.
Auctioneers then raised a glass and toasted a landmark day and already vintage year for Clevedon Salerooms. With autumn just around the corner, attention now turns to the next Quarterly Specialist sale on September 14th, for which entries are now invited.
THATCHERS Cider has released a behind-the-scenes look at the making of its new TV ad, Pint-Sized Perfection.
The short film takes an exclusive look into the studios of multiAcademy Award-winning Aardman, creators of the Thatchers’ stop motion animation TV ad with interviews with Aardman creatives, as well as the real people behind some of the Thatchers characters as seen on TV and it shows why hundreds of tiny apples needed to be made, how animators used the puppets to create a sense of organic chaos, and how the director forged a career in animation.
Martin Thatcher said: “Take a look at the total dedication to perfection that Aardman put into creating the miniature models of the rosy-red apples, and you understand why they are masters of their craft.
“Until you actually work with Aardman you cannot possibly appreciate the amount of detail they go into to make everything in minute detail absolutely perfect. It’s that absolute attention to detail that makes the pairing between Thatchers and Aardman perfect.”
Director Will Studd from Aardman said: “We wanted to create the perfect representation of Thatchers’ Myrtle Farm. Knowing Thatchers and being from South Bristol, I was really excited to be part of this project.”
Details: https://youtu.be/U84COCvaQuQ
INApril, Wells and Mendip Museum, invited local people to “get to know your museum”, asking the question: “Have you ever walked past the museum on Cathedral Green and wondered what’s inside?”
With the opportunity to develop creative work and produce an artistic response to fresh inspiration, local jeweller, Erica Sharpe took up the challenge. With three other local artists, she partnered with museum volunteers to explore the collections.
Allowing her imagination to be fired by the exhibits, she experimented and explored the use of local earth materials such as Mendip ochre and ancient metal casting techniques.
She then created a conceptual body of work plus a pendant, on the theme of faces and identity - their transience, erasure and how we view them. The pieces grew from studying a stunning medieval “face” jug found in Wedmore as well as the ancient remains of man and animals from the Mendip caves.
The pewter and fresh-flower mini sculptures can be viewed in two ways; as themselves and also as shadow projections. The creative work is on display at the museum until August 3rd.
This project has been delivered in partnership with Somerset Art Works as part of the “Search & Learn” project, made possible thanks to a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
THIS autumn sees the long-awaited return of Somerset Open Studios with around 300 artists opening their studio doors in the first full event of its kind since 2018.
Although a cause for celebration – even triumph – after the trials of the past few years, it is also a time of positive reappraisal as many artists reconfigure their working practice in a changing environment.
Organised by Somerset Art Works, this year’s event – from September 16thOctober 1st – sees many new faces as well as different ways of making work as recent challenges have created fresh and innovative approaches. One thing is certain – the county’s incredible community of creatives is as keen as ever to welcome
eager visitors, curious to find out more about the alchemy behind the creative process.
Somerset has a proud history of rural craft making and creative endeavour as showcased in previous SAW projects such as Abundance, Making the Most and A Landscape of Objects. This year, the focus is on the unique creatives industriously working in private and rarely seen spaces, inspired by Somerset’s landscape, character and the ancient stories which have shaped this corner of the South West.
One of the great attractions of the event is the way in which established or professional artists show alongside those who are establishing their practice. It’s also about discovery; whether it is seeing how the work of a favourite artist has changed or finding something new, unknown. There is a huge variety in art forms and mediums
too, as well as traditional and more contemporary work.
As well as individual artists, collectives will also be taking part in the event as well as family-friendly events across the county.
SAW actively encourages visitors to travel by foot, bike, car share or use public transport. The event will feature on the SAW website with full venue and event details, an event calendar plus a digital flipbook of the Open Studios guidebook. The printed guidebook will be available at cultural and information centres across the county and beyond from August.
The Art Weeks App, developed over the last three years, allows visitors to access information on the move as well as providing a more accessible resource. SAW Members’ work can also be viewed online in the member directory on the SAW website.
For details, visit: www.somersetartworks.org.uk
THE variety of the first half of this year continues in the months ahead as Dore & Rees builds on its growth of specialist auctions.
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 on November 29th.
The Curated Interiors auction of early June saw a quality selection of items for the home including fine caddies, works of art and furniture reach strong prices for their categories, showing the high levels of popularity for choice private collections when they come to auction.
A market leading price of £9,630 (incl fees) was achieved for a Bow porcelain hen and cockerel, circa 1760s. Guy Tayler, Head of Interiors, is looking forward to the next Select Interiors auction on August 23 and is working on an autumn edition of this auction category.
The Classic Car auctions continued to thrive with well received marquee viewings next to the Cheese & Grain in March and June. Head of Motoring, Nick Wells, is actively sourcing classics to entice buyers for his September 23rd auction. All the major marques will be represented such as Ferrari, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, Jaguar and more. Contact Nick to find out more about selling classic cars and automobilia at auction on 07920 500091.
A pinnacle in this year’s auctions will be marked with The Anthony Lovett Collection of famille verte Chinese porcelain pieces, to be offered on November 6th. This private collection has been very well received by collectors on exhibition in London and Hong Kong in the last six months.
The appetite to secure a unique piece from the collection is strong and we are anticipating passionate bidding from international collectors. Head of Asian Art, Lee Young, is selecting fine examples of Chinese and Japanese works of art for the Fine Asian Art auction that will accompany this collection. 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.
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 AUGUST 2023
10:30AM
VIEWING
Saturday 19 August 11am to 3pm
Monday 21 August 10am to 4pm
Tuesday 22 August 10am to 4pm
www.doreandrees.com
enquiries@doreandrees.com
01373 462 257
Vicarage Street
Frome BA11 1PU
THECharltons Community Centre, between Charlton Mackrell and Charlton Adam, hosted the Charltons Village Day which raised more than £3,300 towards a new roof and refurbishment of the building.
Members of CHADS – the Charltons Amateur Dramatic Society –performed sketches throughout the afternoon
The fun dog show was supported by the Somerset-based charity Search and Scan and PUP –Positively Understanding Pooches
www.mendipmolecatcher.co.uk
DORSETand Somerset Air Ambulance has appointed Georgia Beard in a new role as their corporate and relationships officer.
She aims to enhance existing relationships with local businesses, whilst building new partnerships to drive
engagement and support.
She said: “Having attended my first networking event this week, I can honestly say that I have never been so proud to work somewhere as I am now.”
The charity have launched online registration for their “5K Twilight Shift” to be held at Henstridge Airfield on Saturday, September 23rd.
It involves people running, jogging, or walking 5K around the airfield.
INthese increasingly austere economic times, particularly for the young, it is increasingly common for parents to provide financial assistance in getting their offspring onto the housing market. Often considerable sums of money are involved and yet, because of the nature of family relationships, it is not uncommon for there to be a lack of formality surrounding the deal which can then make it difficult to ascertain the extent to which the parents’ investment forms part of the assets to be divided between the couple or whether they are entitled to repayment.
In divorce proceedings the family court is able to decide what amounts to a matrimonial asset and then has wide and flexible powers in dealing with the division of those assets. Consequently, a financial contribution by parents towards the purchase of a matrimonial home in the joint names of a couple needs to be carefully thought out and properly recorded.
Parents who wish to protect their investment might wish to consider adopting one or more of the following options:
• A pre-nuptial agreement/cohabitation agreement made by the spouses/cohabitees setting out the parties intentions in relation to any
third-party funding;
• Securing the money lent by way of a mortgage on the property;
• Becoming one of the joint registered proprietors of the property;
• Entering into a trust deed confirming the parental contribution and the amount of the beneficial interest they should have in the property.
• A letter signed by all parties concerned acknowledging the amount of the contribution and the basis upon which they have been advanced. Which option is chosen will depend on the dynamics of the family concerned, the asset being acquired and the level of funds involved.
The message to get over is that much expense and anguish can be avoided by entering into a firm and clear arrangement which is fully documented before any funds are released.
In the absence of such arrangements there will be an increased risk of the unpredictability and expense of court proceedings in which the court will have to consider all the evidence and then decide in the first instance whether the parent contribution remains as their asset or has ended up as a matrimonial asset to be divided between the couple concerned.
In cases where the parties are not
married it is even more important to take steps to establish the intentions of the parties at the outset as in that instance the flexibility of the family law court is not available at the dispute over those funds would have to be determined by another court using normal (less flexible) property principles.
It is always sensible to take independent legal advice on these issues.
EDWARD LYONS
SOUTHWest legal and financial planning firm Mogers Drewett has announced several new appointments and created a new people development role following a year of record growth.
The firm, which has offices in Bath, Wells, Sherborne and Frome, has seen turnover increase by ten percent across its teams during the last year.
This has allowed it to invest further in its people with the appointment of experienced employee development and coaching specialist Ben Morris as head of people and performance. Ben joins Mogers Drewett from international law firm DAC Beachcroft.
Also joining Mogers Drewett as a partner is experienced residential property lawyer Robin Phillips who also sits as a parttime judge for the Mental Health Review Tribunal and the Residential Property Tribunal.
Mogers Drewett has also recruited four trainee solicitors across the firm: Scarlet Clemens, Harry Durston, Charlotte Padfield and Daniel Cockhead. Mogers Drewett is part-funding their law school studies as part of an initiative to attract and develop young talent.
Sean McDonough, managing partner, said: “We’ve got a brilliant team here and it’s really important that our fee earners are free to focus on delivering great outcomes for our clients.
“The addition of Ben in this brand-new role will help us enhance this approach and ensure our talented people, whatever
their age and background, can develop and flourish.
“We’re also really pleased to welcome Robin who has a wealth of conveyancing experience and an unrivalled knowledge of the Bath property market.”
l Mogers Drewett has launched a campaign to help struggling families during the school holidays by supporting local foodbanks.
The firm is currently accepting donations of long-life food items, cleaning products and toiletries at its offices in Bath, Sherborne and Wells.
The much-needed donations will go to foodbanks local to the firm’s offices which have seen increased demand for help.
ASthe cost of living crisis continues and shows no sign of easing this year, we have seen a rise in the popularity of equity release as an option to provide financial relief.
What is Equity Release?
The equity you hold in your property is the difference between the property value and the amount of debt you have secured against the property. An equity release plan will allow you to access some of this equity.
How does it work?
An equity release provider will provide you with either a lump sum or an income in exchange for part of the value of your home. This is achieved either using a type of mortgage, or by selling that portion of your home on the condition that you can continue to live there as long as you wish. The minimum age for applying for an
equity release plan is 55 and the debt only needs to be repaid from the sale of the property either on death of the last applicant, or the last applicant entering a care home.
Why release equity?
You can use the funds released from an equity release arrangement for a variety of different reasons and could include:
• Topping up your income
• Helping children and grandchildren
• Renovating or refurbishing your property
• Buying a second property
• Paying for holidays
• Adapting the home
• Paying for private treatment
• Funding hobbies and interests
Equity release is not for everyone
Make sure you speak to an independent financial adviser or mortgage broker specialising in equity release to receive
unbiased advice on whether it really is the best option for you and to ensure you are protected from pitfalls like negative equity. What to do next . . ?
Photography by Mark Adler
arrives on stage for his Sunday afternoon “Legends” slot
An emotional tribute on the Pyramid Stage to mark the 75th anniversary of the NHS. A number of local health workers took to the stage in front of 140,000 people, including Glastonbury GP Rebecca Hall (pictured with former Bristol Poet Laureate Miles Chambers) who read a poem specially written by him
Lewis Capaldi won over the hearts of thousands with his emotional performance affected by his Tourette’s
DOROTHY House will hold its third Big Avon Paddle on Saturday, September 16th, inviting paddle boarders, kayakers and canoeists to have some fun whilst raising funds for the hospice.
Rosemary’s fundraising lunch is a popular event in the area
A LUNCH party organised by Rosemary Blatchford in a marquee in the garden of her home in Midsomer Norton has raised more than £4,100 for the Breast Care Unit at Bath Royal United Hospital.
The lunch – Rosemary prepared all the food herself – was enjoyed by 120 guests. A hot air balloon ride for two was the top prize in the raffle. This was the eighth lunch to be organised and hosted by Rosemary, who has now raised more than £35,000 for the unit.
MOREthan 300 local women came together to raise funds for Dorothy House Hospice, in this year’s carnival themed Midnight Walk, which raised more than £40,000.
An army of over 65 Dorothy House volunteers lined the streets to cheer on the walkers and provide support along the way.
Clare Way, Community and Events Fundraiser at Dorothy House said: “We are really pleased and grateful to everyone who took part in this event. Thank you to everyone who walked, volunteered or contributed towards making it such a huge success.”
Participants take to the water from 10am at The Boathouse, Newbridge, Bath and can choose to complete as many 4.5-mile loops as they like.
Entry is £20 and all participants will receive refreshments along the route on the day as well as an oven baked flatbread at the end! Event T-shirts can also be purchased for £10.
Last year’s event raised £12,000 whilst participants paddled a collective 763 miles. They hope to raise more this year.
Details: www.dorothyhouse.org.uk/get-involved/events/thebig-avon-paddle-2023/
THECider Barn in Draycott held its annual tractor rally, raising funds for The Space, The Cheddar-based charity supporting children and young people who are struggling with mental health issues.
Over 60 tractors drew large crowds to support the run which started from Redhill and went through Blagdon, Priddy and Cheddar before arriving at the Cider Barn.
Organiser, Honor Sawtell, is an avid supporter of the Space and has dedicated the run to the charity for the past two years.
Details: https://www.thespacesomerset.org.uk/
LIZ Blyth, of Uphill, has been awarded a long-service award by Weston Hospicecare’s chief executive, Paul Winspear, to mark 30 years of voluntary service.
From encourager, receptionist, cake baker and bereavement counsellor, the hospice says she is an inspiration to the community.
Liz said: “The greatest gift given is the gift of giving. As a volunteer, I would say that every volunteer, in whatever walk of life, has received that gift of giving.
“With that in mind, I would say to all volunteers, in whatever they do, enjoy your gift and keep on giving. You know, it’s just so humbling, satisfying and rewarding.
“I look back 30 years and the facilities we had at Branton House were, in comparison very, very, basic. You look at what we’ve got now, what we can give, it’s truly amazing.”
The hospice says volunteers are crucial, with their time alone worth £1.1million a year to the charity.
Meanwhile the hospice has announced that its Moonlight Beach Walk will take place on Saturday, October 14th. The event sees hundreds of ladies gather on Weston seafront under the moonlit sky to walk either 5km or 10km along the beach for the hospice.
Registrations are now open via Weston Hospicecare’s website and will close a week before the event. Tickets cost £20 for adults and £12.50 for children.
Details: https://www.westonhospicecare.org.uk/ event/moonlight-beach-walk/
for his
Darron, 44, of Midsomer Norton, must complete a 1.2-mile open water swim, a 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile run within 12 hours when he takes part in the race on the South Coast in September.
The father-of-two has taken part in triathlons in the past but the event on Sunday, September 17th, promises to stretch his endurance to the limit. Darron said: “Having had family experience of the work done by Macmillan, I decided I wanted to do something for them in return.”
For details find Darron on Instagram at: 18st_2_iron or on www.justgiving.com
Thrubwell is planning another charity walk after walking to raise money for the five churches in the benefice of Chew Valley West last year.
He will be fundraising for the Motor Neurone Disease Association by walking from Nempnett Thrubwell Church to Wells Cathedral on Sunday, October 8th and is inviting others to join him.
He said: “Like a lot of people I've been inspired by the Rob Burrows/Kevin Sinfield story and have wanted to help.”
Details: www.justgiving.com/page/james-everett1689079803845
FROME-based charity We Hear You (WHY) is saying farewell to Clinical Service Manager, Cath Wilkins, who has led the charity's counselling service for children and adults affected or bereaved by cancer since February 2017.
Cath is leaving to take up a new role as Counselling Service Manager at Bath Mind in September and will move on from WHY at the end of the summer.
Chief executive, Lucy Kitchener, said: “Cath has overseen a period of enormous growth and change at We Hear You, both in terms of our service offering and the size of our team, and she has done it with unfailing kindness, generosity and wisdom.”
Cath said: “I have had a very happy and rewarding six and a half years at We Hear You and I am extremely sad to say goodbye to such a wonderful team of people.”
Details: www.wehearyou.org.uk
01373 455255
PUPILSat Stanton Drew Primary School supported Wrong Trousers Day and raised £136.41 for Bristol Children’s Hospital’s Wallace and Gromit Grand Appeal.
TWO groups who meet in Wedmore and Axbridge to help people living with dementia/Alzheimers, those with feelings of isolation and carers, are staging a free concert on Saturday, October 28th at St. Mary’s Church, Wedmore (2.30pm).
Music in Mind meets fortnightly on Mondays in the Masonic Hall, Wedmore. Music Matters meets alternate Tuesdays in Axbridge Town Hall. Both are sponsored by Wedmore and Axbridge Community Health Fund.
Details: Stella 01934 732282, Maureen 01934 852869
THE High Sheriff of Somerset, Robert Drewett, has presented Lady Paula Wills with a High Sheriff’s Award for her charitable efforts.
The presentation took place at an event at Eastwood Manor at East Harptree in aid of Canine Partners, which provides trained
assistance dogs to people with disabilities. The High Sheriff has also visited the Latte Lounge in Midsomer Norton High Street, an offshoot of the charity shop run by P.E.O.P.L.E. which works to reintegrate offenders into society. Robert said: “The work that they are doing to help reintegrate
offenders into society is very impressive, as is the Latte Lounge at the rear of the shop, along with an eclectic mix of books for sale. This is a really valuable asset within the town, offering a warm welcome to any in need of some company and a good cup of coffee!”
AUGUST is often deemed a slow news month by journalists but, in nature, it takes on a completely different perspective.
has been.
By CHRIS SPERRING MBEIt is during this time that recently fledged birds and distributing mammals find themselves amidst a period of increasing food resources as the autumn harvest of nuts and berries begins to ripen. It is also when survival becomes a pressing priority in preparation for the forthcoming – and unknown severity –of winter, which looms merely months away.
For these creatures, the pace of life quickens and an unwavering determination to thrive takes hold. Whether it be the birds returning to feed in the gardens on human-provided food or the soaring-through-the-sky of inexperienced juvenile raptors desperate to make the grade as prime hunters in search of more abundant food sources. Of course, many will not make it; for predators, mortality is very high in the first few months for first-year birds. This is quite natural and one of the harsh ways in which nature regulates that fine balance within the predator/prey relationship.
With small and larger mammals, scurrying across the woodland floor and grassland areas to secure their sustenance, the urgency becomes palpable.
From wood mice still breeding and still producing offspring to the field voles of grassland, also still breeding in what long grass is left, the rush is on to have enough stores to survive winter with healthy population levels and, as we saw after the drought of 2022 with trees going into over production of seeds due to stress, the effect on small mammals was positive and impressive.
I’m reminded that fox cubs who endure a wet July (and that’s what it has been so far) will be much weaker and indeed smaller, therefore in August they not only have to distribute away from their parental territory but also have to learn to hunt for themselves. As with predatory birds, mortality again is high and this will be especially so if August continues as wet as July
This annual race against time is not merely a matter of survival, but also nature’s test of strength and resilience. Their instinctive drive to feed or forage ensures their survival during the long, unforgiving months ahead.
As we observe this natural rhythm unfold, it serves as a reminder of the delicate balance that exists within the natural world. August, often overlooked as a lacklustre month, reveals itself as a pivotal time for these creatures, where the pursuit of strength and fortitude becomes an innate priority.
In the grand tapestry of nature, August's significance lies not in its perceived slowness, but in the symphony of life it orchestrates. It is a testament to the resilience of these animals and the intricate web of interconnectedness that shapes our world.
As August is now with us, it’s time for me to start thinking about delivering walks and talks. If you are part of a group that would like to book a wildlife walk or talk then please contact me at Chris.Sperring@btinternet.com or 07799 413918.
The Annual Evening Owl and Star walk on Mendip will begin in September and continue throughout the autumn and winter; please let me know if you are interested in any of these.
Have fun with nature, every excursion is like a new learning.
WEST Mendip at Loxton is the starting point for this beautiful circle of fine vistas and contrasts which takes in an ancient church, crosses the Lox Valley, and the flat lands close to the River Axe before heading up the ridge to Crook Peak. The peak itself is optional. The views are stupendous and another bonus is the start, and, of course, the finish, too, at the new Frankie Howerd Community Café in the quiet village of Loxton. There are steepish climbs and ascents. Some walking is on quiet roads, and for some of the route you will hear the traffic noise from the nearby M5 motorway.
PARK: At the community café in Sevier Road, Loxton. Park in the adjacent café car park or if necessary on the road. The car park closes at the same time as the café, so note opening hours. It is well signed in Loxton. The café, featured in Mendip Times last issue, has been set up by the Frankie Howerd OBE Community Trust to honour the memory of this much-loved comedian who lived nearby and cherished the area. This community hub and café is to serve local people, the elderly and visitors including walkers.
START: Turn away from the café, past the car park and go uphill through the village to the first turning right, Church Road.
At the end it is well worth visiting the small 13th century church on the left under the lychgate and up the path. It has fine views across to Crook Peak.
To continue the walk, take the marked footpath straight ahead through fields for a few minutes and come out onto a track. Turn right and reach the road. Follow this left.
Soon cross the M5 and then go over the route of the massive Hinkley Point scheme conducting electricity across country.
At a junction with the road to Winscombe, by the Compton Bishop parish noticeboard turn right down Kennel Lane, a short No Through Lane. Go past cottages and then continue on the footpath ahead. You are following the line of the old route to and from what was busy Rackley port.
The footpath leads to a kissing gate into a field and then continue on along the right edge and maintain this through several fields and gates and across a track.
Further on start to look over right to the original Axe that was navigable up to Rackley but has since been straightened and diverted and here you are looking at the old Axe, much diminished. The new Axe is a field further away.
Eventually at the end of the large field, cross a stile and come onto the end of the lane in Rackley (originally known as Radeclive).
2. MOTORWAY 3. KENNEL LANE 4. FIELDSThis lane and the footpath you have been on were part of the ancient highway to Rackley, down which men and later packhorses toiled with cargoes for the port. You will look in vain for signs of the old wharf from which the Romans shipped leaden ingots from Charterhouse and Priddy to Uphill and overseas. The remains of port warehouses have been incorporated into farm outbuildings. Many years past, this was the busy inland port of the River Axe. Here the Roman masters stood as the enslaved Britons loaded the mineral wealth of Mendip on to their ships. Rackley was clearly a place of some size and significance in the Mendip area. Navigation to this point was possible because the river was tidal. Iron, fish and salt were brought in; the outgoing cargoes being chiefly of lead. There is evidence that in the 15th century stones were landed at Rackley and hauled to Wells for the cathedral building. Just after starting on the lane pass a small orchard on the right.
It is possible that this was the site of the old Rackley quay.
Continue along the lane to the very end. Cross the main road to the footpath opposite. Note the interesting notice on
the gate about cattle and why they are wearing collars. After the gate, immediately turn up left, climbing, on a rocky path and carry on quite steeply arriving at a wooden barrier.
Ignore the side path and continue through the gate and straight on up joining the ridge which takes you up towards Crook Peak with great views across the Levels, to the Quantocks, down to Compton Bishop and across to Wavering Down. Take your time and enjoy the views. Don’t forget to look behind you too.
At Crook Peak you can go straight on climbing again up to the peak itself and then turn right going over the rocks and down a track to join the other route. Or stay to the right going below the main peak. Reach a junction of tracks and go left to a finger post and here the track coming down from Crook Peak joins.
Continue on joining the West Mendip Way, heading towards the Severn Estuary and the M5. Stay on the main path (not along the wall). On the other side of the motorway you can see some of Thatchers cider orchards and the village of Christon and in the distance the Severn. Drop down. The path narrows and becomes uneven and stony and leads downhill to a T-junction. Turn right and continue down to a gate onto the road.
Turn left. It is easy walking now as you look across the Lox Valley and the M5. Come to a junction where you were earlier. Turn right along the road, over the motorway and on. Turn right on Sevier Road and find the café and start.
Community café, 01934 244366. Open Monday-Sunday. Drinks and snacks Mondays and Tuesdays. Hot meals available Wednesday to Sunday. Check these times
5. RACKLEY
6. MAIN ROAD
7. RIDGE
8.
I DON’Tthink I’ve ever been so up to date with everything as I am this July! I’m sure it won’t last long before the metaphorical wheel comes off the cart. My reason for getting everything sorted out is my trip with the University of Georgia from the USA. Yes . . . last year I said I wouldn’t do it again, but here I am getting ready for another trip.
Every year I get older, but the students stay the same age. I’ve gone from being greeted as “Mr Les” to “Grandpa Les”. Anyway, I have been assured that Covid is not on the itinerary for this year and as such I hope to see more of the tour than I did last time. More of that in next month’s issue.
Recent rain has been a blessing after the long dry period. In no way am I hoping the dry spell will have ended, but it’s given the land a much-needed damping down. My apple trees have lifted their leafy boughs to the sky in thanks for the muchneeded moisture that will keep apples on the tree.
Almost seamlessly that leads me onto the news that my apple juice, “Emily Elizabeth’s Apple Juice” has won a Gold in this year’s Taste of the West Awards. This keeps alive the memory of my late mother from whose apple tree the first bottles were made and the late Nigel Taylor whose orchard provided me with apples for several years. Both gone but never forgotten.
Days out on the hill, moor and field are what summer is all about. Never before has there been so much access to our countryside. However, with this extra access comes extra responsibility and I am delighted to echo the advice given by the Mendip Hills AONB on P9 of last month’s Mendip Times entitled “Loving summer on the Mendip Hills”.
Here there are some suggested additions to the Countryside Code; I was delighted with the advice that you can’t start a fire with a sandwich, so please leave the BBQ behind on your day out. Why didn’t I think of that? It’s a great strapline!
July is also the time when farmers traditionally tackle those tenacious perennial plants that we often refer to as weeds. These days our perception of the plant world has changed and some that were once vilified have become a conservation tool, such as yellow rattle.
This is a parasitic plant that literally lives at grass roots level. Farmers spent years trying to eradicate it and now it’s in great demand for controlling the course grasses. By attaching itself to grass roots it lives off the more vigorous grass species, allowing less vigorous plants to get a hold in the grassland.
There are a couple of species that I’m not so sure have such a benefit and one of them is creeping thistle. Traditional control of this was always carried out in July. When the plant’s growth was at full stretch and the nutrients had not yet begun to return to the mass of underground rhizome systems that supported it, the plant was cut down.
Topping the thistle is often referred to as “skimming” or “dodging”. Once the flowering top has been removed the nutrient
cannot return to overwinter and start growth again next year. The same goes for bracken and anyone who has walked through Foxwood recently will have noticed I’ve rolled the grassland. This splits the bracken stem so that nutrient continues bleeding out. It can’t heal the wound and again it can’t get nutrients back into the underground root system. It’s a slow process, but chemical free.
“We all stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us,” is a phase I have learnt from AONB manager Jim Hardcastle. So, it is with this in mind that I have now handed my picture presentation of “Mendip Hills Through the Time Tunnel” onto him.
I took the idea of this presentation from the late Tom Elkin. When Tom was Senior Warden Mendip Hills AONB he had a slide show, as it was in those days, that he called “One Man’s Mendip”. My own adaptation of this was intended to portray a changing landscape and that is what it did.
The Mendip my grandfather Charlie Tavener lived in is a world apart from the one we know today. Even in my short time on the Hill I’ve seen changes. So, it was with that in mind I gave it a last showing to Blagdon Local History Society in the Village Club on June 14th.
So good to see all those there that night including Mendip Times’ contributor Dr Phil Hammond. They were all very kind, laughed at my jokes and didn’t heckle from the back!
So here comes August and the approach of autumn. Indeed, in the days of Priddy Fair it was considered as such. With its climate and altitude, autumn comes early to Mendip and the fair was always seen as the dying days of summer. These days I tend to think the Mendip Ploughing Society match at the end of September as the natural successor.
There will be much more of that at a later date, but anyone who managed to get down and see artist Martin Bentham’s exhibition in Wells & Mendip Museum will have been treated to a Mendip locked in time forever!
So, until the next time I leave you with one of my favourite pictures locked in time. It’s my grandfather Charlie Tavener, resplendent in breeches, leggings and boots. Also notice the belt and braces with belt buckle to one side as it was always worn. A serious stance if there ever was one!
Stay safe, stay happy.
God Save the King.
GARDENERSare still recovering from the damage and losses incurred following last summer’s drought and low winter temperatures, when along comes another period of hot and dry weather. But that is not all. As a result of the warmer weather there has been an explosion of pests, hell bent on devouring our plants.
Why is it that pests appear to be able to reproduce at an alarming rate compared to mammals, apart from rabbits and mice perhaps, but greenfly can beat them all?
Greenfly and blackfly (aphids) have been in great abundance, aided in their reproduction by the warm humid weather. Under perfect conditions one single female greenfly in 100 days can produce more than 10 million offspring.
They can produce eggs or live young without a mate! I think most of that 10 million have been on my beans! In such vast quantities on one plant, they seriously weakened it as they sucked the sap.
They also transmit plant viruses in their saliva. The trick to spotting aphids is to look for ants climbing up as they “milk” the aphids for the honeydew they secrete.
Certainly, the trendy pest to have is the box caterpillar and if it has not found you yet, worry not, it soon will. I have been to several gardens recently who claimed to be free of it until I pointed out the early signs of the problem, leaves eaten, leaves joined with webbing and copious amounts of green frass (caterpillar pooh) on the ground.
With up to three generations a year and each female laying many eggs, the results can be catastrophic. Most commercial gardens are taking out box hedges and topiary and replacing with Euonymus japonicus “Jean Hugues” an upright dark green shiny evergreen with small leaves.
The small-leaved holly, Ilex crenata is often quoted as an alternative but in my opinion it has no will to live let alone
thrive. At The Bishop’s Palace in Wells there are excellent hedges of the Euonymus and of Christmas Box (Sarcococca confusa) following the removal of traditional box hedges.
If it is not the aphids having a go at our plants, it is now the turn of the midges; these are miniscule flies that lay their eggs on plants. Two relative newcomers to our gardens are the Hemerocallis (daylily) midge and the Agapanthus midge.
Both cause distortions of the flower buds, which if examined closely, are full of white larvae, only just visible to the naked eye. Pick off and “green bin” the affected buds. Do not put them in your compost heap. In severe infestations I suggest cutting off all the flower stems.
The warm, humid thundery weather has prompted yet another pest to get its act together, and the various news feeds have been warning us of a plague of thunder flies. In garden terms these are better known as thrips.
They are hard to spot, as they are tiny 2mm long slender creatures, but with about 150 different species in the UK there is bound to be one for a plant in your garden. Like aphids, they suck the sap causing silvery mottling on the foliage or petals.
Gladiolus have a species of thrips all to themselves and it is a very common pest on them. They can also spread viruses and caused many problems in the industry when the Western flower thrip spread through commercial glasshouses after its arrival in the UK in 1986.
My final pest problem is likely to affect all lovers of fuchsias. This is the fuchsia gall mite, a microscopic spiderlike creature that once again feeds on the sap of the plant causing the cells to grow abnormally creating a gall-like structure on the shoots thus restricting the flowering and growth.
This pest arrived in 2007 and has spread across the UK, especially in the warmer southern counties, but is now heading north. Biological controls for all these pests are available online but are most effective in enclosed environments
like a greenhouse.
After the hot spell we had, those growing tomatoes, especially in greenhouses, may find the shoulders of the fruits remain green and do not colour and remain unpalatable. This is a physiological disorder known as “greenback”, caused by high light levels, high temperatures and insufficient feeding.
Shading the greenhouse reduces the first two of those problems. I use fleece draped from the ridge of the greenhouse down the roof and side on the south aspect. The varieties “Alicante”, “Shirley” and “Craigella” show good resistance to this problem.
The next problem is known as “blossom end rot”. The base of the fruit goes sunken and black. The cause is erratic watering, so the plant cannot move calcium to the parts where it is required.
Users of grow bags often encounter this problem, as they are not easy to water adequately. Next year, try cutting the grow bag in half and stand each half up as a pot, making some drainage holes at the bottom on the side.
If all of these have left your plants alone then one problem is yet to appear. As a result of the dry spell this summer those growing apples may well experience sunken spots on the fruit, especially on “Bramley Seedling”.
The lack of water inhibits the movement of calcium to the fruits as they are developing. The fruits are still edible but will not store well. Indeed, the problem may not show until the fruits are removed from storage.
Repeated sprays of calcium nitrate between mid-June and mid-September will alleviate the problem, but who is realistically going to do that in a garden?
Perhaps next year will be drought, frost, and pest free – I doubt it!
TEL: 01 749 841014 FAX: 01749 8410 55 www.rockymountainnurseries.co.uk
SHEPTON
Mallet Town
Council is celebrating after receiving a prestigious Green Flag Award for Collett Park, saying it is testament to the hard work and dedication of the team that care for it.
It says the park is a vital green space for the community in Shepton Mallet, bringing people together and providing opportunities to lead healthy lifestyles.
The awards set the benchmark standard for the management of green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.
Other winners include Apex Park and Marine Cove, in Burnham-on-Sea, Trendlewood Community Park in Nailsea and Prince Consort Gardens in Weston-super-Mare.
• Cabbage, cauliflower, sprouts and other Brassicas get a multitude of pests at this time of year. Use mesh to protect vegetable crops against flying pests, including carrot and cabbage root fly and caterpillars.
• Fill spaces in the veg patch by sowing quick maturing items such as turnips or, better still, varieties that will provide tasty winter salads.
• Prune fruit trees that have fruits containing stones rather than pips now. Plums, cherries, apricots, peaches and nectarines are best pruned during the summer.
• Sow seed of autumn onion (sometimes called Japanese onion) now for the earliest crop of next year.
• Keep picking runner beans and courgettes regularly. If you don’t they will stop producing more. Both can be used to make excellent chutney or can be given to neighbours and friends.
• Dig up your potatoes; dry and store undamaged tubers in a dark frost-free place for winter. Late maincrop and winter salad potatoes will need a little longer in the ground.
• Reliable hardy annuals and biennials can still be sown. Californian poppies are so easy and should be sown directly into a well-prepared seed bed in full sun where they are to flower.
DIY or Trade customers welcome, to our new purpose designed showroom and stock yard.
Specialists in hard landscape supplies, providing:
Porcelain tiles
Natural stone paving
Granite paving
Landscape accessories and bespoke products
Jointing compounds and sealants
All our sales team are ex-installers, allowing us to provide you with experience and knowledge to help you create your perfect paved area.
Local service at online prices, next day nationwide delivery also available.
“Passionate and professional about paving”
GLORIOUSJune sunshine encouraged Congresbury villagers, who flocked to the village show in the church paddock. Despite scaling down this year, skilled gardener Jane Hares still took home trophies for her fruit, vegetables and pot plants and Jacqui Coulson was the rose queen for the day, winning two trophies.
Veteran Bill Maggs remains the best grower of sweet peas and Nicola Tierney beat all the competition for flower arranging. Gordon Bunney had the best entry in the photo competition and Fran Low displayed her cooking skills.
ANopen gardens event in Chew Stoke raised more than £1,200 for St. Andrew’s Church and hall funds. Garden owner Alison Kilgallon is pictured ready to welcome visitors.
SCHOOLS in the Wells area have been rewarded for their efforts in this year’s Wells in Bloom Schools competition –the challenges presented by a wet spring followed by a dry May and June meant there were fewer entries than in previous years.
The Parkes Shield went to Wookey Primary for the best overall garden and trophies went to Croscombe Primary for the most innovative wheelbarrow, and Horrington Pre-School for the best wildlife friendly garden.
The wheelbarrows will be on display in the Bishop’s Palace stableyard for the next few weeks.
MODEL Farm Country House, situated a couple of miles west of Bridgwater, sits on the rich flood plain of the river Parrett. The garden comprises four acres of flat gardens to the south of the Victorian country house.
It has been created from a field during the last 13 years and is still being developed.
It has a dozen large mixed flower beds planted in cottage garden style with wildlife in mind, wooded areas, mixed orchard, lawns, wildflower meadows and wildlife pond.
There is plenty of seating throughout the gardens with various garden sculptures by Somerset artists.
Address: Perry Green, Wembdon, Bridgwater TA5 2BA.
Contact: Dave & Roz Young 01278 429953 daveandrozontour@hotmail.com www.modelfarm.com.
Opening dates and time: Every Thursday from April 6th until November 30th, 10am-4pm.
Admission: £5, children free. Cashless payment available.
Address: 29, Sion Hill, Bath, BA1 2UW.
Opening dates and time: Tuesday, August 15th, 10am–3pm.
Admission: £5, children free. Pre-booking essential at 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
BEFOREthe advent of active cave hunting, in the latter part of the 19th century, very few open caves were known to exist. Probably the most famous is Wookey Hole, inhabited as far back as the Iron Age. At Cheddar, Long Hole and Great Oones Hole were similarly used, as were other smaller caves in the gorge.
At Burrington, Goatchurch Cavern was also open, as were numerous small caves and rock shelters, which may have been lost in time, but were subsequently found to have been used by primitive people.
Miners searching for lead, ochre and other minerals sometimes broke into caves. The most famous of these was Lamb Leer Cavern above West Harptree. Discovered around 1674, it was explored by John Beaumont, but was soon lost.
Loxton Cavern was entered by miners in 1757, lost, and rediscovered in 2003. Nearby, Hutton Cavern was found by ochre miners at around the same time and was found to contain large deposits of Ice Age bones, which were examined when the cave was reopened in 1875 by the Rev David Williams and William Beard.
Originally, the bones were cited as evidence of Noah’s Flood. Miners also found Banwell Stalactite Cave and, while searching for another entrance, dug into a cave almost filled with Ice Age animal bones. This Banwell Bone Cave was also examined by Beard.
Archaeologists and antiquaries were the first to seriously search for caves, in the hope of finding evidence of primitive man, and animal bones, which by the late 19th century were properly recognised as being from the last Ice Age, which ended around 10,000 years ago.
One of the early diggers was Professor William Boyd Dawkins, who excavated caves all over the country. Of course,
a Victorian intellectual would rarely dirty his own hands. He employed workmen, who used picks, shovels and even explosives.
By today’s standards, the quality of excavation and record keeping was abysmal and digging stopped when all the material of interest had been dug out. Wookey Hole and the caves in its ravine were examined, as were caves at Banwell, Goatchurch, and Uphill Cave.
At Cheddar, the cave now known as Gough’s Old Cave had always been open, and in the late 19th century was a show cave. It was fully opened by Richard Gough, who used explosives to open the far grottoes. There was already a show cave in the Gorge, Cox’s, discovered in 1837.
Gough thought that there could be another cave worth opening to the public in the gorge and in 1890 began excavating a shelter known as the Sand Cave. It had previously been used as a cart shed. With his sons, Gough dug and blasted for eight years, eventually reaching the spectacular Diamond Chamber and Saint Paul’s.
This popular tourist attraction is now eponymously known as Gough’s Cave. Not to be outdone, local eccentric Roland Pavey excavated a small cave below Cox’s Cave, which he opened to the public as a show cave and bazaar. It was connected to Cox’s Cave in 1987. Pavey also dug in a few places above his cave in the fruitless hope of finding something bigger and more spectacular.
Efforts to find and explore caves as a sport rather than searching for archaeological relics began in the late 20th century. Interest was probably spurred by the exploits of famous French cave explorer Edouard Martel, who made the first descent of the 365-foot shaft into Gaping Gill in Yorkshire.
The first Mendip cave to be dug open was Swildon’s Hole at Priddy, by Herbert Balch and colleagues. Access was soon denied by the landowner, but the cavers turned their attention to nearby Eastwater, where there is another swallet.
They thought that they would find another way into the Swildon’s system, but although both caves discharge their water at Wookey Hole, any confluence must be far beyond the present limits of exploration.
The most obvious places to look for caves is at a swallet, where a surface stream vanishes underground, or at the resurgence, where it reappears. All of these features have been looked at over the years, and many have been dug into, or examined by divers.
Some of Mendip’s best swallet caves are Swildon’s Hole and Eastwater Cavern at Priddy, and G.B. Cave, Longwood Swallet and Manor Farm Swallet, in the Charterhouse area. There are several others. Not all swallets are active, but swallet depressions are quite distinctive, and have led to
With PHILIP HENDYdiscoveries such as Rod’s Pot.
Of the resurgences, Wookey Hole has always been open, and in Gough’s Cave the underground River Yeo has been found and dived upstream to an impassable boulder choke. No other resurgence has yielded much cave, although divers occasionally try to push into Rickford Rising, one of the two springs draining the Burrington area.
Occasionally a cave is discovered for us, by quarrying or a sudden collapse of the ground. But having exhausted the obvious sites, the search for new caves has been concentrated on Mendip’s many depressions. Some of these are ancient swallets, others are the remains of pits dug in the search for ore.
Others, it is believed, are due to the ground settling into a void, and digging may lead into cave passages. Lodmore Hole, on the Yoxter ranges started as a depression, as was Templeton at Priddy, although this is probably an abandoned swallet.
Several other potential dig sites have been located, and although the swallets and resurgences are unlikely to “go”, at least in the foreseeable future, Mendip’s cave diggers have plenty to occupy themselves.
WELL, of course, our members all know this perfectly well, we have been in existence for nigh on 60 years! This is great – but also part of the problem. Like many organisations of a certain age, we suffer from a diminishing and aging membership and coupled with the last two years of Covid uncertainty, we now feel we have to do something to reinvigorate ourselves.
As we mentioned in our last page, we are now in need of an enthusiastic “someone” to be our administrator and coordinator. So we are looking for someone to work on a part-time basis as organiser and coordinator of all our “events”.
The job will include being the first point of contact for general enquires/secretarial duties and then:
• Communicating with event leaders in preparing a schedule of events
• Working with the Management Committee to expand the annual calendar of events
• Coordinating walks, and talks in readiness to be passed to the programme and website masters
• Preparing and editing the society’s quarterly newsletter
• Informing members of the society and the general public of events together with pertinent details thereof.
• Preparing and issuing regular reports to the Management Committee showing all organised events
The applicant will be expected to be flexible in the number of hours worked each month; the work anticipated is approximately 16 hours a month. Remuneration will be fair and reasonable according to experience and expenses will be reimbursed.
For further information please log on to our website. You will find an expanded description of the role.
Please submit your application in writing by post or email to our secretary, Judith Tranter. The contact details can be found on the contacts page.
THE Mendip Society is holding one of its popular beginners’ dry stone walling courses at Chancellor’s Farm, near Priddy on August 19th and 20th.
The tutors are Tina Bath and Phil Smith. There will be a maximum eight places each day, which must be booked. It’s free for society members, £10 per day for non-members.
It costs about the same to join the society as it does to pay for two days walling tuition and after that future events will be free.
and until his retirement was a caving instructor at
Details: www.themendipsociety.org.uk
MEMBERS of Stanton Drew Primary School Friends are over the moon after raising more than £1,000 for their funds.
They're off . . .
Decorating the ducks
Helping the stragglers
A VICTORIAN railway coach which was a family’s home in Wales for more than 70 years has arrived in Cranmore for eventual restoration as part of a fully working train.
The six-compartment coach – for 3rd class passengers –was one of more than 60 built for the Barry Railway Company of South Wales between 1895 and 1900.
Its arrival on a low loader is part of an ambitious, longterm project to create a Victorian and Edwardian train of about five or six coaches, as an educational tool and as an added attraction for visitors to the East Somerset Railway. A group of volunteers who have been restoring a similar coach on site for the past 15 years are now appealing for more people to join them, including anyone who might want to learn a new skill.
Steve Ehrlicher, one of the volunteers behind the Vintage Carriage Group, a trust currently restoring the Midland Railway No. 255 coach, built in 1890, said: “It is a long-term project, as restoration of such a vintage coach can take years. Indeed, the first has taken over 15 years so far, with at least another two years to go before it is finished.”
The new arrival has been generously donated to the East Somerset Railway by Richard Davies, of Saron, Ammanford, Carmarthenshire. After serving the railway company for about 30 years, the body was sold off and became a holiday home in Gwbert, overlooking Cardigan Bay. This became Richard’s family home for more than 70 years, before being retired and offered to the railway.
Steve said: “There are other coaches waiting in the wings, to arrive over the next couple of years or so. To create the train, it will all depend on how many volunteers we can muster. There are vacancies for at least four ‘unpaid apprentices’ of any or no skill. We can advise, train and encourage you to learn new skills and to improve your existing competences. We can also provide a very friendly and welcoming atmosphere, including tea and coffee.”
The trust – which works alongside the railway but is a separate organisation – is also appealing for financial help towards the project as well as anyone who has, or knows of, a large shed in which to keep the coaches under restoration.
GOODnews and bad news this month. On the plus side, a large US study has found that being overweight but not obese carries a slightly lower risk of dying within the study period than being a supposedly healthy weight.
Being very overweight is still bad for your health but when 500,000 ethnically diverse Americans were followed up for 20 years, it was found that having a BMI between 25 and 27.4 carried a 5 per cent lower risk of death in this time period than a BMI within the healthy weight category of 22.5 to 24.9.
By DrPHIL HAMMOND
A slightly higher BMI, of 27.5 to 29.9, seemed even better, linked with a 7 per cent lower risk of death. This isn’t as simple as it sounds as people who get seriously ill with, say, cancer, often lose weight so there may be an element of bias.
On the other hand, your BMI isn’t a great measure of risk because some people with a higher BMI are more muscly and fit. But if you’re like me and have a bit of a jelly roll poking over your belt, don’t beat yourself up. You can also have the odd guilt-free can of diet drink. Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, saccharin and sucralose are unlikely to bring you much in the way of benefits and may even raise blood sugar levels by tricking the body into thinking you’ve taken in sugar, only to discover you haven’t and leading to a compensatory sugar release from glycogen stores in the liver. However, a 70kg adult would have to drink 14 cans a day to possibly increase the risk of liver cancer. As with most things you put in your mouth, moderation in all things and variety is the spice of life. Finally, the bad news. Japanese researchers examined 8,896 people with an average age of 73 who did not have dementia and compared their brain volume on MRI scans with their number of social contacts. The fewer you had, the less your brain volume. The differences weren’t huge.
Among those who saw friends and family daily, the white and grey matter in their brains took up 67.8 per cent of the total volume within the cranium. Among those who rarely did so, that figure was 67.3 per cent — half a percentage point lower.
However, researchers thought it significant because the reduced volume was most noted in the hippocampus and amygdala areas of the brain that play a role in memory and are most likely to be affected in dementia patients.
Isolation is a huge problem in the UK post pandemic, so check in on your neighbours, make connections and enjoy some guilt-free meals together. If you want to go further, check out the excellent Adopt a Grandparent charity.
I’M quite partial to ice cream. In fact, I love it! I expect you do too, especially at this time of year. I can’t actually eat it. But for us water droplets, it’s a really cool place to be. Cool because of its temperature and cool as in how we can dress up in so many different vibrant colours! I expect you knew that ice cream is nearly all water – as are most living things on Earth. That includes you as well as me.
Generally, I’m transparent, just look at a raindrop on your window pane, you can see right through me. Sometimes, with the sun in the right direction, a rainbow shines right across my fat tummy.
Sometimes, I have to rely on other things to give me any sort of colour. I think I look particularly smart in tomato soup, but a bit brown and dull in beer… I like the way we water droplets can dance in bubbles in fizzy drinks, but the colour of them is also usually boring. We can sparkle like diamonds in a mountain stream, but often lie green and smelly in a stagnant pond.
That’s why I like ice cream, apart from vanilla, which reminds me of ice bergs and glaciers, literally two of the most mindnumbing places on Earth.
Mint green ice cream is OK if I don’t think of ditches and stagnant ponds. Chocolate, raspberry and any of the others make me look quite regal, I think. What’s your favourite?
The downside of course is that I will end up licked inside one of you, unless your ice cream is stolen by a seagull or you give some to the cat.
That’s happened to me a couple of times. I have ended up in seagull pooh in the sea or cat pooh in a vegetable patch.
Summer’s the time for ice cream. So enjoy – and watch out for me.
MENDIP GRANDAD
A NEW Life and Mobility Solutions showroom has opened in Coxley, between Wells and Glastonbury – the company’s fifth since it launched ten years ago.
The spacious building on the A39 offers a massive range of products from mobility scooters, rise and recline seating and adjustable beds to daily living aids.
Just as importantly, it boasts plenty of free parking and easy, level access to the showroom itself.
It is also proof of the Life and Mobility Solutions mantra that, although a necessity, there is no need for items to be drab, but should be modern, stylish – and even fun. Vistors to the centre –open six days a week – are met by a friendly, knowledgeable team
of three; and there is no pressure to buy.
Mark Cawthra, from Life and Mobility Solutions, says: “The Coxley showroom is in a very prominent and accessible position and appeals to people from a wide catchment area.
“It’s also an ideal outlet in which to showcase innovative products which employ some of the latest technology and are modern and easy to use.”
Life and Mobility Solutions opened its first showroom in 2013 in Trudoxhill, close to Frome, before expanding to Warminster, Shepton Mallet – inside the Haskins Retail Centre – and Melksham and now Coxley. All their furniture is British made.
Mark adds: “Another advantage of being on this site is that the extensive car parking allows people to check that products such as mobility scooters and powerchairs will actually fit comfortably inside customers’ vehicles.”
PENSFORD,Publow and the Stantons Community Trust has had a busy year supporting community projects.
Their latest was to install two triangular breathable UV protection sail shades at the village school.
This was a collaboration between Pensford School Eco Team, School Council, Friends of Pensford PTA, with Chelwood Community Fund providing a grant of £3,437 and the PPSCT trust, £2,000.
Andrew Hillman, chair of the PPSCT, said: “We are delighted to be part of this Pensford School collaborative group to improve play facilities at this successful school.
“Schools are at the heart of our communities and we are extremely lucky villages to have well supported and thriving facilities for our young people across the PPSCT area.
“This includes Stanton Drew Primary School, which we will also be investing in their playground over the next month or so.”
Much of their income comes from the Community Trust 100 Club, with members each paying £20 per month. It raises nearly £12,000 a year, after prize draws, to distribute as grants. New members are welcome.
Details: Text message to 07989 977992
CHEDDAR Vale Lions Club’s annual duck race will be held in the Gorge on August Bank Holiday Monday, August 28th. Lions will be out selling tickets from early in August and they hope to set up an early selling point on their website. They also hope to “live stream” the event on Facebook.
As in previous years, they have decided that a major part of the funds raised will be donated to Children’s Hospice South West and the remainder towards their work in the community.
ARWENRoss, from Camerton, has won Chelwood Bridge Rotary Club’s annual community award for 2023. It’s given to individuals who have demonstrated a significant voluntary contribution to their local community.
Arwen was nominated by Camerton Parish Council for her work as the editor of the Camerton Parish Community Newsletter over the last seven years.
A parish council spokesman said: “This is a much-appreciated community resource letting all our parishioners know what is going on in the community. Without her tireless volunteer help the production of this valued community resource would not be possible.”
This year she has also worked to update the Welcome to Camerton booklet, an essential source of information which is given to all new residents.
Colin Robinson of the Rotary Club, said: “Over the years the contribution that the winner makes to their community is very different, one year to the next.”
ROTARY’Smid-Wessex area has a new district governor. After two years, Ric Canham from Axbridge has handed over to Stuart Gilbert, from Chippenham.
Rotary’s D1200 district covers Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire.
WELLSu3a members celebrated their 30th anniversary with a celebratory lunch in Wells Town Hall. Founder, Rosie Lean and her husband Peter, were among the 70 guests. Others included the deputy mayor, Jasmine Browne accompanied by Diana Browne, Virginia Nasmyth, a life member, current chair, Sue Revell, and previous chairs, Anne Walsh Waring and Fran Elkin. Wells mayor, Tanys Pullin called in to give her best wishes.
At the start, after taking advice from the Third Age Trust, Rosie set up several interest groups, with a small number of members. This has now expanded into 55 groups with around 700 members.
Jasmine Browne remarked in her speech how many people in Wells had benefited over the years from u3a. During the meal The Great Baldini mingled amongst the tables amazing the guests with his tricks.
THERotary Club of Chelwood Bridge has appointed Andrew Martin as its new president, taking over from Martin Palmer.
For the last 25 years he has been a consultant to the Young Enterprise charity which helps young people understand the world of work. He was also Saltford golf club’s club captain for two years, as well as being a member of the club committee and the senior’s club captain.
CITY of Wells Lions have issued an appeal for volunteer stewards to help them during the Moat Boat Races on Bank Holiday Monday, August 28th.
Races run from midday to around 4pm and attract large crowds to the city to enjoy the fun event which raises money for local good causes.
For details, contact cityofwellslions@gmail.com or call 0345 833 6736
HEATHERPool, from Bishop Sutton, raised £1,500 for charity by asking for donations rather than presents for her 80th birthday.
Together with her family, she hired the village hall and invited everyone she knew to a huge party there, with musical entertainment by The Ukelele Band.
The money will go to research for cancer, mental health and MS.
THE medieval Church of St Nicholas and the Blessed Virgin Mary, Stowey is the subject of a major project of repairs and restoration including the tower, building a toilet and small kitchen and rescuing its early 20th century murals painted by Henry Strachey and a rare James 1 Royal Coat of Arms.
In 1900 a local newspaper report described Stowey Church as “a picture in itself”, with its “babbling stream . . . mighty beeches and wide spreading yews” adding “stateliness and beauty year by year”, a description still so apt for this tiny gem of a church 123 years later.
Without essential work, this much loved and well attended church will not survive as a place of Christian worship for future generations.
Inside Stowey Church there are some extraordinary and beautiful murals. The artist, Henry Strachey (1863-1940), was a recognised portrait and landscape painter, art critic, writer and musician.
Also a muralist, Strachey’s contribution to the modern mural tradition in early 20th century Britain is important, reflecting new trends. Only two major murals are known to have survived, one of which is in the church.
Strachey’s family and artistic connections with the Bloomsbury Group of artists and intellectuals lend his murals local and national significance.
The church also has an extremely rare and quite exceptional Royal Coat of Arms, ostensibly from the Restoration period, with a clearly visible date of 1660. However, an earlier date of 1624, hidden within the painting, establishes the Arms as those of James 1, updated in 1660.
It’s a mystery how the Arms survived Cromwell’s regime. By whom and where were they hidden for 36 years? The Stracheys at nearby Sutton Court were ardent Royalists. The high artistic quality and use of a rich range of pigments with sophisticated
techniques indicate this may be a product of lavish patronage and by a London artist.
Stowey Revived has three objectives: the building must be made sound; artefacts must be conserved; and essential facilities, currently entirely non-existent, must be provided in a new building in the churchyard.
With 21st century standards, the church can offer more to individuals and groups both locally and nationally. The total estimated cost of the project is £450,000, an enormous burden for a tiny village of 100 inhabitants.
Applications to grant making bodies are ongoing with some initial success.
Jill Nicol and Michèle Day
Details: www.stoweychurch.com
THE headstone of local farmer, William Fowler, in St Andrew’s Churchyard, Chew Magna, has been restored.
He was killed by a highwayman on Dundry Hill in 1814 on his way back from Bristol and is thought to be the last victim of a highwayman in England.
His headstone was badly weathered and hard to read. Annie and John Sewart of Chew Magna organised fundraising to engage master stonemason Andrew James of Carved Stone Letters in Wells to restore it.
MIKESartain (left) was recently inducted as president of the Rotary Club of Mendip by the outgoing president John Mander. Mike, a resident of Cheddar, is a director of local company Hale Events Ltd.
On the same evening, Tom Elson from Wedmore was made presidentelect and Gerry McCann from Wookey became the club’s vice president.
Andrew said "Restoring and keeping history alive is such a big thing to me. Once it's gone it's gone, so we really need to keep this in good condition."
You can see more about William Fowler's murder and the restoration work in “'Death On Dundry Pt2 – The Headstone Restored” on Chew Valley Films on YouTube.
In his valedictory speech, John Mander reminded members of the good work they had done in the community during the past year, including raising £2000 for Children’s Hospice South West.
Mendip Rotary Club has recently started meeting at The George in Wedmore on Thursday evenings and welcomes new members.
Details: mendiprotaryenquiries@gmail.com
WORK by three community groups who use art to help to promote wellbeing are to go on show as part of a major contemporary art exhibition at Wells Cathedral opening in August.
Heads Up, based at South Horrington, provides activity-based learning and development for adults who are affected by mental health issues. They will be joined by The Lawrence Centre, a daycare centre for the elderly in Wells, and Creativity Works, in Radstock, whose informal community social group, Thursday Threads, focuses on mental wellbeing through textiles.
All three groups have been holding regular sessions to create artwork for the Installation Show, part of this year’s Wells Art Contemporary. The Heads Up project is a collaboration between WAC, Somerset Arts Week and the Wells & Mendip Museum. The
piece takes its inspiration from elements of the museum’s handling collection, including late 1700s porcelain discovered in its garden, Bronze Age beakers and a collection of handstitched samplers.
The Lawrence Centre installation comprises individually made and decorated papier-mâché Greek vases, along with an additional large urn for the public to decorate during the exhibition.
The Thursday Threads group is creating a rainbow Archway of Hope. The freestanding arch will display a group cloth, with contributions hand stitched by everyone to symbolise the ways members are supportive of each other. Visitors to the exhibition will then be invited to tie coloured rags to the frame to create a rainbow.
The exhibition runs from Saturday, August 5th until Saturday, September 2nd. For details, visit: www.wellsartcontemporary.co.uk
THE Romulus and Remus Italian Festival returned to Wells for the first time in four years with an afternoon of music, dancing, fun and friendship.
Tanys Pullin, the Mayor of Wells, was the guest of honour at the fundraiser at Palace Farm in aid of the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance and other good causes.
The “Festa Italiana Romulus & Remus” began more than 20 years ago, originally held next to the famous monument at Pen Hill built by Italian prisoners of war who worked on nearby farms in appreciation of the kindness shown to them.
The festival celebrates the lifelong friendships forged between the Italians and local families as well as local Italian life and culture.
Cocktail hour: mother and daughter Debbie and Claire
Donations were made to:
Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance: £3,000
Friends of Wells Community First Responders: £500
St John’s Ambulance: £200
Heads Up Somerset: £300
British Heart Foundation: £300
Somerset Hospice: £300
Wells Football Club: £250
Wells Rugby Club: £100
BISHOPSutton and Stowey WI’s summer fair and lunch was well supported, attracting new members and raising £439 for the group’s funds.
BELLS, waving handkerchiefs and clapping sticks from Weston Rotary’s own Morris dancers welcomed Roy Schubert to the start of his year as club president.
The dancers – Peter, George, Stewart and Julian – had previously shown off their skills during an exchange visit to the Rotary Club of Delft Konigsberg in Holland to illustrate something typically English.
Roy has chosen Children’s Hospice South West, Alzheimer’s Society and Cancer Research as the three main charities the club will support, kicking off the fundraising on July 27th when it hosts its annual Charity Golf Day at Weston Golf Club.
For details about the club contact Stewart on 07776 216304 or email: secretary@wsmRotary.uk
TWOBlagdon Scouts, Luke (left) and Reuben, have been awarded their Chief Scout Gold Awards. Both have been in the group since Beaver age.
Luke is one of 36 Scouts and Explorers from the Bristol area chosen to fly out to South.Korea for the World Scout Jamboree. Reuben has been working on his Duke of Edinburgh in parallel with this Gold award.
PENSFORDPrimary school pupil, Natalya Southgate, aged seven, and some of her fellow pupils and friends held a litter pick in Keynsham where she lives.
School head, Warrick Barton, said: “I'm very proud of Natalya for the determination she has shown to be proactive and do something about the litter in her area.
“In our busy lives, many of us can be quick to spot a problem but not so fast at creating a solution.”
Grabbers, bags, gloves and other kit were supplied by the Keynsham Wombles, set up by Erica Davies in Keynsham, to reduce the amount of litter.
Ice-lollies were supplied by the local Co-op in Queens Road. Ten bags of rubbish were collected.
Natalya’s mum, Katerina, said: “The kids did so well and it was so hot, but they had a real sense of fulfilment in what they did. They also couldn’t believe some of the things they found!”
Natalya is pictured third from the left.
LOCALclubs and organisations were among those invited to an open house at the Old School Room in Pensford to see the improvements made during refurbishment.
One of the organisers, Hilary Cox, said: “Although small, it’s a perfect place to hold a regular club event or meeting, or to have a special family event or party.”
Details: mendiprotaryenquiries@gmail.com
THE Classic and Historic Car Club which organised May’s Mendip Tour, which ended on the Cathedral Green in Wells, have presented a cheque for £1,000 to the British Heart Foundation.
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THIS year’s event raised more than £4,000, bringing the total raised since they started fundraising for the Wallace and Gromit Grand Appeal to over £20,000.
Kay Bolton and family and friends have been holding the fun day since 2011 when Bristol Children’s Hospital treated her son Morgan for meningococcal meningitis.
Kay said: “If it wasn’t for the Children’s Hospital my son wouldn’t be here now. We can’t thank the hospital enough, so raising money to help other families in the same situation is our aim and as well as raising money for the hospital.”
DESPITEthe fact the Chew Valley is a micro-climate of a housing market, there is no denying that national economic factors have slowed things down, even here. It’s no longer a case of putting up a “For Sale” sign and waiting for keen buyers to queue up.
In fact, I relish the additional challenge when things are not so easy for agents and we can demonstrate what sets us apart from the rest. For example, you will be able to call on my years of experience, working in every kind of market and knowing how to adapt to changing circumstances.
I am supported by the best team in the area – well trained, motivated and loaded with local knowledge which is so crucial when selling the lifestyle that comes with a property purchase.
That combination of know-how and experience is still attracting some fantastic houses which we are delighted to bring to market at realistic prices,
which represent excellent value for money and also delivers the opportunity to join our many thriving village communities.
They are always shown at their best with the arrival of the summer season of fetes and shows. I love all those events and we do all we can to support them. Compton Martin was first this year and we had a great time at a proper old fashioned country fair where there was something to interest and entertain the whole family and I had the chance to indulge my favourite hobby of chatting to everyone I met!
We’ll also be attending the Clutton Show, Stanton Drew, Chew Stoke Harvest Home and don’t forget the Ubley Beer Festival. All these events take a lot of organising, so why not volunteer to get involved in helping in some way?
It needn’t be very time consuming, but I guarantee you’ll enjoy the experience, get to know your neighbours and have the
sense of satisfaction that you’ve done something positive to help your community.
If we all do our bit, we will help ensure the community spirit that has made our villages so special over the years will continue into the future and our marvellous lifestyle will carry on attracting new people who want to share in what we’ve created.
That’s one of the reasons your property will be sought after, so if you decide you’d like to sell it please give us a call and we will use all our skills to get you moving.
There is no question that we are facing a more uncertain marketplace than we have endured for some time, with the squeeze of ever-increasing mortgage rates, lack of supply and an uncertain economic outlook.
However . . . Here is the proof that you shouldn’t believe all the negative news stories that seem to be rolled out by the media on a nearly twice-weekly basis. Whilst the national picture may be doom and gloom it is fair to say that this is not necessarily a true reflection of the current housing market that we are experiencing in North Somerset, Wrington Vale and the Chew Valley.
I am delighted to report that since the beginning of May 2023 Debbie Fortune Estate Agents have surpassed an incredible 50 property sales across North Somerset and the Chew Valley, with many of the properties being sold under competition, having received multiple offers from eager buyers.
So what is the reason for our continued success?
At Debbie Fortune Estate Agents, we pride ourselves on using our extensive local knowledge and experience to provide our vendors with sensible and realistic asking prices, coupled with a clear marketing plan, professional photographs and a result-driven team of estate agents, who work hard on your behalf to help achieve the sale you desire.
As long-established estate agents with a name that has been prevalent in the area for over 40 years, it is true to say we have been through the ups and downs of the housing market more than once, and when the going gets tough, we work harder. . . with nearly 20 team members across our two country offices we have the ability to work proactively to seek out buyers for you. In fact, our local Rightmove representative recently informed us that we answer 99% of our calls from Rightmove before they reach the dreaded answerphone, a statistic unheard of in our industry. We truly want to take full advantage of every opportunity that comes our way.
We are accessible, honest and love what we do, which is why we have buyers and sellers return to us time after time. If you are considering selling your home, please get in touch with us to discuss how we can assist you with your next move –we’d be delighted to help!
AS William Shakespeare (almost) said: “What’s in a name (sign)?” Well, not only is a house name or number the perfect finishing touch to your home, it can also have real practical benefits too, directing both delivery drivers and –more essentially –the emergency services to your door.
Andrew James, from Carved Stone Letters, based near Wells, has put together a handy guide to choosing the best house sign for your home, to suit both you and your property.
He said: “Firstly consider where you’re going to put it. You’d think the obvious answer would be ‘on your house’ but if its’s not going to be clear from the road, you may want to consider putting a second one a bit closer.
“You also need to decide what size and shape you want it to be. It needs to be big enough to be seen clearly but should also be proportionate to suit the space and the house name. We have a range of standard(ish) shapes and sizes that we think work well but can also create signs to your own specifications.”
House signs can be made in wood, acrylic, ceramic and metal but –although obviously biased –Andrew doesn’t think you can beat the simple, timeless elegance of a stone sign. You certainly can’t beat it for durability and you can still achieve very different looks with local stones,
limestones, sandstones, slate and exterior porcelains offering lots of colours and finishes.
He added: "When it comes to the design, you can take inspiration from the features of the house itself as well as the name, adding personal touches to reflect your taste. We can carve/engrave almost any lettering style although we always recommended some of our favourite traditional, contemporary and decorative fonts that carve particularly well for maximum visibility. We can also add borders, icons and other design details, and define it all in the colour of your house.
"House signs can be fixed to, built into or even carved directly onto house or garden walls, mounted on gate posts or hung from freestanding brackets. When we fix signs, we tend to use ‘secret fixings’ so you don’t see any screws, which looks really tidy.
“There’s quite a lot to think about but –whether you know exactly what you want or would prefer us to show you different options –we can help you give your home the welcome sign it deserves.”
NORTH Somerset Council has welcomed the news that Tata –owners of Jaguar Land Rover –are to build a new electric car battery plant near Bridgwater, creating 9.000 jobs.
The council says the development at Gravity Park will present “significant opportunities” for businesses and residents in North Somerset and supports its inward investment and carbon net zero targets.
It will also provide the potential to accelerate green inward investment through building a supply chain cluster.
Councillor Mark Canniford said: “This is great news for our economy and the people and businesses of North Somerset.
“This includes working with Weston College to understand future skill needs so that the right training can be developed for our residents.”
School children have been enjoying workshops with the Churches Conservation Trust, learning about St Thomas a Becket Church in the middle of the village.
Head teacher Warrick Barton said: “Working with the Churches Conservation Trust is something that we always look forward to at Pensford. The children always enjoy learning about their local area, its geography and its history.”
The trust is the national charity caring for historic churches and their heritage, including the handsome 14th century tower of the village church.
Marie Sellars, Heritage Learning Officer, West Region at the CCT, said: “Our Heritage Learning Team have a long and thriving relationship with Pensford Primary School, regularly running curriculum-led workshops at the church, in school and around the village throughout the school year.
“Spaces like St Thomas’s Church offer unique opportunities for young people to develop skills, inspire creativity and strengthen their learning.”
WORKERS with Somerset Youth Theatre attended the Midsomer Norton Town Fayre and Town Show to promote its work in the town and elsewhere.
The Community Interest Company offers a chance to act and be creative to young people aged six to 18-years-old.
IT was an exciting morning for children at Chew Stoke Church school when a fire crew from Chew Magna Fire Station visited the youngest children in Hedgehog Class to talk about their work.
The icing on the cake for the pupils was when they all had a turn at using the hoses.
mayor Gordon Mackay
It runs sessions in places including Midsomer Norton, Shepton Mallet, Cheddar and Highbridge and runs a “pay what you choose” scheme.
For details, visit: www.somersetyt.com
BATH-based international concert pianist, Nurry Lee, will perform in the city in August to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. Her father was diagnosed with the disease a few years ago and he is still living under the struggles of the illness. She said: “This is the first ever concert I have put on myself and it was important for me to do it for such an important charity that is close to my heart.
“While my dad, who was diagnosed with MND a few years ago, is still living, I wanted to put on a concert in honour of him and to raise money for MND.”
The concert is being staged on Sunday, August 20th at The Banqueting Hall, The Guildhall, Bath, starting at 7.30pm.
Details: https://bathboxoffice.org.uk/whats-on/classicalpiano-concert-nurry-lee/
THE sixth Hannah Francis one day event was held at the end of June, at Southfield House near Frome, very near Hannah’s home.
A much-valued member of the Wylye Valley branch of the Pony Club, Hannah’s event is held in recognition of her courage, determination and inspiration in her battle with bone cancer and to celebrate her love of horses and eventing in particular.
The ground was as near perfect as we have seen so far this season, and there was a great turnout in all the classes. It was a perfect day. Riders were treated to lovely courses in beautiful surroundings, with prize winners down to tenth place receiving goodies and rosettes as well as the lucky ones who took home a Willberry Wonder Horse of their own.
Many riders on the cross country had a Willberry strapped to their back. He is a fantastic mascot who helps to keep
Hannah’s memory alive, as well as giving encouragement and hope to so many people who are going through difficult times.
If you haven’t already got your own Willberry, then treat yourself . . . he always brings a smile, doesn’t answer back, and costs nothing to keep. All proceeds go to Hannah’s charity. What’s not to like?
Just two weekends before Hannah’s event, the same ground was host to Nunney International Horse Trials, once again by kind permission of Angela Yeoman. As well as some of our local Mendip riders, we saw competitors from far and wide, including Andrew Nicholson who has won every CCI 5* in the Northern Hemisphere.
The dry weather, however, meant that despite good preparation, the ground proved to be too firm for some to risk going cross
country. It’s always a tough decision especially if you have just one horse to compete on, but there’s always another day and better to be safe than sorry.
The fence judges there had a super few days. I chatted with one couple who have been judging for well over 30 years. Without these volunteers there would be no eventing at all.
Competition organisers are always looking for willing helpers, so if you want to get involved without ever getting on a horse, there are lots of roles to undertake which are rewarding, helpful and fun.
Pony Club area eventing trials were held at Larkhill over the second weekend of July. Two Mendip Farmers Teams qualified for the regional championships which will be held at Bicton at the end of August, so very well done to everyone and good luck. We will all be rooting for you!
Many ponies change hands over the summer. Children grow, interests change, and ponies and horses have to be found new homes for one reason or another. For those looking to buy a new mount, it can be a stressful time.
The adverts all sound amazing. Hopes are raised as you journey up and down the country (yes, not just the county) looking for the perfect pony which of course doesn’t exist.
We’ve all been there! It’s an enormous leap of faith which has to be
eventually taken at point of purchase, as child who will accept anything with a leg on each corner persuades you that they love this one unreservedly and will be good forever, do their homework, muck out etc etc and you cave in.
Be sure before you take it home that you can catch it, tack it up, load it, as well as ride it. The dear little pony you saw and which was all ready for you when you arrived may well have been the devil incarnate before you got there!
Despite the summer solstice having been and gone there is still a lot to look forward to before the autumn.
Gatcombe Festival of Eventing tickets are on sale (online only) and as usual there will be a full programme of entertainment and a chance to see some wonderful eventing competition with our top riders showing us how it’s done.
The Shetland Pony Grand National teams will also be out in full force, putting on a display which has everyone on the edge of their seats and which never fails to entertain the crowd. It runs from August 4th- 6th at Gatcombe Park by kind permission of the Princess Royal.
The Cotswold Cup Competition Qualifiers are proving very popular. As I write this, I am just back from Barbury Castle near Marlborough where there was horizontal rain and wind for most of the day; in fact we only just made it out without getting stuck.
More classes were being held there, with three more qualifiers to go before the series ends with championships later in the year. Pontispool, near Norton Fitzwarren, will be the next one most local to our area on September 9th and 10th.
Meanwhile, the summer holidays are about to start, so have a good break and enjoy the fun. Let’s hope the summer weather returns soon, with maybe some gentle rain at night on occasions. Is that too much to ask? We’ll see!
BRIDGESare important, connecting communities and forming an integral part of our transport system. None more so than in Bristol where they are necessary to cross the many waterways within the city. They are also part of its rich heritage and tell the story of the city’s development over hundreds of years.
There are a surprisingly high number of bridges which span the major waterways within the city that can be crossed by foot or bike – 45 in fact.
Now, if you were challenged to plot a route that travelled across all the bridges, but to cross each one only once, you may think it an easy problem to solve. Using trial and error you would hope to eventually find a solution, but you won’t find one. Most attempts will come very close to a solution; you will have crossed all but one bridge when you trap yourself on an “island” that you cannot leave without crossing a bridge twice.
Does finding a solution matter? Well, 300 years ago an intriguing similar mathematical puzzle called the Königsberg Bridge Problem was solved not by numbers, but by structured thinking.
That solution became the early forerunner of network science – now used in the modern technology that we all use.
The theory was, more recently, used by a young mathematics lecturer at Bristol University to work out a route over all 45 bridges in Bristol, crossing each one only once. The circular 45km route is known as “The Bristol Bridges Walk” and passes items of significant historical importance around the city.
The route is really intended to be walked but I quite liked the idea of cycling around it in one go. Because there are places where steps are involved and shared pedestrian/cycle paths are used I opted to use my small-wheeled foldaway bike – designed for city centre commuting.
With the route loaded onto my phone app, I set off from Bristol Bridge, regarded as the oldest bridge in the city.
Fairly quickly there is a contrast in the bridges from large to small and old to new.
The new
developments around Temple Quay are a good example of how shared access routes can be incorporated, for both pedestrians and cyclists alike, in a city centre.
But after a while something changed. Having to concentrate on the voice instructions from my phone and keep looking at the display on my handlebars was taking away the pleasure of riding the route. I was reaching and crossing bridges fairly quickly without the proper time to appreciate each one.
I was also aware about safety. Instructions to turn were arriving thick and fast and were becoming a distraction from focusing on the way ahead and any traffic or pedestrians.
In my quest to follow the solution to a mathematical problem and view all of Bristol’s bridges I was now feeling like a delivery rider, on my way to deliver a takeaway meal!
One of the consequences of a nation that wants everything “now” is a surge in home delivery, including bicycles. Riders get paid per delivery so for them it makes sense to try and do as many deliveries per hour as possible.
The downside with this reward system is that it can encourage bad practice and increase the risk to riders and other road users/pedestrians.
After 10km or so I decided that this was not the best way of getting the most out of Bristol’s bridges and stopped for the day.
Since then, I have started Bristol’s Bridges by foot, and it has been much more rewarding. There is an associated book (see footnote) which follows the route (see QR code) and gives useful information about the history and design of each bridge.
The slower approach helps set the scene ahead and when you arrive there is ample time to stop, appreciate and learn about each bridge and its impact on the history of Bristol.
Bridges allow you to see things from both sides. I learnt that sometimes walking is better than cycling – and that I would not make a good delivery rider!
Footnote: From Brycgstow to Bristol in 45 Bridges by Jeff Lucas & Thilo Gross
SOMERValley Tennis has been named the winner of the Connecting Communities Award by Avon Tennis & LTA for the South & South West for 2022.
The LTA-backed award is based on criteria such as community engagement, positive social impact and making tennis safe, welcoming, accessible and inclusive.
Somer Valley Tennis are the resident club based at Writhlington Tennis Centre and are also the court operators for Farrington Gurney, Farmborough and Timsbury, plus access the courts at Chilcompton.
Chair, Mandy Stonier, said: “This is an amazing award for a small club such as ours, to be recognised nationally is acknowledgement for all the hard work that the SVT committee and trustees plus the village trustees and volunteers put in, maintaining and managing the courts for the residents and local community to use.”
Somer Valley Tennis achieved charitable status in 2022 and are looking to move forwards by increasing their membership plus looking at other opportunities for tennis around the Somer
Valley area.
Rachael Perryman and Mandy Stonier attended Queens Club to collect the award. Rachael is the safeguarding officer for the club and the venues that the club operate.
If you interested in playing for fun, the club has recently launched their annual tennis pass for the village venues costing £40 for a year.
Details: https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/TennisInSomerValley
STREET-based rider, Damon Smith, achieved his most successful weekend ever at Pembrey in South Wales claiming 60 championship points with three 2nd places on his DS Racing Kawasaki ZX10R V.
It meant he regained 2nd place overall in the 2023 Streetstock 1300cc Championship. The next rounds move back to Castle Combe near Chippenham.
He said: “Normally Pembrey has a habit of not being kind to me once leaving me in the local hospital, but everything fell into place this weekend.”
CAMERTON and Peasedown Croquet Club have had a great start to the new season, with their new clubhouse now open and some fine wins.
This year the club has welcomed many new members, a fantastic way to celebrate their tenth anniversary.
Details: 07929 733640 email moboys@talktalk.net
WELLS firefighter Alexia Grant is a European champion weightlifter and British record holder within the Amateur British Powerlifting Union – just a year after taking up the sport.
She decided to enter her first powerlifting competition in February 2022, a week after coming second in a bodybuilding competition. She won her category, which qualified her for the British championships.
There she came third, meaning she had qualified for the world championships in Manchester, a couple of months later. She was placed second with a British record bench press for her category. She weighed in at 55kg and her bench press was 67.5kg.
In November she did a qualifier for this year’s British championships, winning her category, with four British records for squat, bench, deadlift and the overall total of all three lifts.
Now she has won her category at the European championships in Limerick, further adding to her British record for squat, bench and deadlift, as well as overall total of the four lifts. She weighed in at 54kg and her squat was 102.5kg, bench press was 72.5kg and deadlift was 137.5kg, totalling 312.5kg.
Training for this, she was given membership at Wells Sport and Fitness, as part of their ambassador scheme.
She said: “Being a retained firefighter for Wells, having a gym in the city is ideal as I can be on call and ready to respond, whilst training for my competitions.”
Her next competition will be the British championship in Manchester later this year, where she will compete in U-56kg female junior raw one last time, before she moves to the open female raw U-56kg. Once you hit 24, you are no longer a “junior”.
Alexia, who is 5’3” tall, has been a retained firefighter in Wells since she was 19 and now maintains that role, while working full time as a firefighter at Bristol Airport, the first female firefighter there in more than 20 years.
She said: “After I joined Wells fire station, I realised quite quickly that I wanted to be a firefighter and decided to turn it into a full-time career.
“To get the job within the fire section at Bristol Airport I had to undergo a rigorous fitness test as well as various written assessments. I recommend the profession to anyone. Being a firefighter for me means that I can maintain my fitness and enables me to pursue my interest in lifting weights and competing.”
She went to St Cuthbert’s Junior School and then The Blue School in Wells but only really enjoyed those years when she was doing sport of some sort. Her dad helped to coach the Wells City U-11s to U-16s girls football team when she played during time at
secondary school and they did well.
At college she studied health and social studies and came away with three distinction stars and thought about nursing at one point, like her mum, but it was only after she had joined Wells fire station that she realised that was what she wanted to do.
She passed all her training – including getting her LGV licence on 40-foot lorries, which means she can drive the fire engine on call-outs!
Mum Helen, said she is always doing something, from parachuting to tough mudders. Recently she was part of a young farmers’ charity tractor rally and shared the task of driving a huge JCB tractor from Cheddar to Bristol and back again.
Helen said: “We never know what she’s up to next, she just loves the buzz of being active. Our little legend. Small but mighty!
“She really is an inspiration to many young folk out there and an ambassador for what fitness and dedication can bring.”
PAULHunt, secretary and treasurer of Marksbury Billiards and Snooker Club, showed off the club’s haul of trophies in the Radstock and District and Bath leagues during the 2022/2023 season at Marksbury village fair.
AFTERfour years of planning, Pensford Tennis Club opened its new pavilion at an open day attended by more than 60 people.
Coaches Dan Bellamy and Dan Church, Avon Development Coach of the Year, were in charge of a great day’s menu of tennis activities, which included toddler tennis, walking tennis, rusty rackets and a new ball machine.
The pavilion was opened by Beryl Coombs, former queen of the courts at Knowle, Pensford and Wimbledon.
After a thank you speech by committee member Elaine Davidson, Beryl remembered her much-loved brother Bernard who was president of Pensford tennis club for over 20 years.
ENTRIES are now open for Brue Valley Rotary Club’s annual charity golf day, taking place in September.
The competition, taking place on Thursday, September 14th, will raise money for Children’s Hospice South West.
It will be held at Wheathill Golf Club, near Castle Cary, and comprises a four-ball format with the best two scores on each hole counting towards the final total. The day – including lunch and refreshments – costs £45 per player (£35 for Wheathill GC members).
For details, visit: www.bruevalleyrotary.org/golf-day secretary@pensfordtennisclub.co.uk
PUNJABI folk dancing – with a chance to join in the fun – promises to be one of the highlights of this year’s Meet the Sikhs charity event in Wells on Sunday, August 5th.
THESteepholmers shanty band will be holding Westonsuper-Mare’s third sea shanty and folk music festival from Friday, August 4th until Sunday August 6th.
About 50 bands from all parts of the UK and beyond are set to appear at various venues across the town, raising funds for Weston RNLI and Weston Lions Club.
All bands are performing for free in support of the charities. There is free entry to venues with collection points for those who would like to donate.
Last year’s event raised £5,000.
Details: www.wsmshantyfest.com/ www.thesteepholmers.com
Organised by the humanitarian charity Khalsa Aid in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Wells, the afternoon offers an informal way to get immersed in the Sikh way of life and enjoy much of their culture from free food to turban tying.
The event takes place from 12-4pm on Wells Cathedral Green and will also feature many of the worldwide causes supported by Rotary.
For details, visit: www.khalsaaid.org or www.facebook.com/wellsrotaryclub
WOOKEYTheatre Group’s performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in the village hall saw six sold-out performances raise £3,500 to help fund village hall refurbishment as well as supporting the theatre group itself.
One reviewer said: “What an outstanding team of creative excellence this small village theatre group has put together – from costumes and set design, to sound and lighting. Well done to all involved – you truly deserve a standing ovation every performance!”
THEREwas standing room only for those who arrived late for a concert dedicated to Ukraine at St James’ Church in Winscombe. The evening, hosted by Winscombe Folk Club, featured musical treats by a quartet from Cardiff and Kozachky (pictured) from Bristol.
The evening was hosted by Olya Rnic who described the display of traditional clothing, music, and art. There were many heart-rending stories about the destruction of her native land and the peril of husbands and family left behind. Over £1,700 was donated and will be sent direct to Ukrainian charities.
Details: Nigel Carson 07551 19785 winscombefolkclub@gmail.com
WELLS City Band members have an exciting few months ahead of them.
On August 5th they will be playing at the Glastonbury Extravaganza, wearing their new maroon ties, taking their uniform back to the original colours after many years of wearing green.
FORits Christmas season starting in September, the Mendip Male Voice Choir have teamed up with Prostate Cancer UK in a unique charity challenge.
Any man prepared to raise up to £50 for the charity can attend choir rehearsals and take part in around half a dozen concerts, including the choir’s Christmas concert, with all training, music and materials free.
Chairman, Richard Luscombe, said: “It is well known that singing in a choir increases wellbeing as it provides physical and mental stimulation plus great camaraderie, and we have a good time.
“As a choir we have supported numerous charities in our 104 years history so we have come up with this challenge as it raises money for a great cause, improves wellbeing and will hopefully increase our membership.”
Rehearsals are held at St Mary’s School, Timsbury each Monday, 7.30pm-9.30pm.
Details: www.justgiving.com/team/mendipmen www.mendipmen/co.uk
THECalled to be Saints choir, based in Nailsea, performed at churches in the Chew Valley at Norton Malreward, Stowey and Chewton Mendip.
Conducted by Anne Koerber, they perform in the West Gallery style, a type of music that was sung from the west galleries in village churches in Georgian times.
The pieces were composed by local trades people; village music performed by villagers, as described by Thomas Hardy in "Under the Greenwood Tree".
Details: Pete petecr13@gmail.com
In July the Brass Academy held their annual showcase concert. Thanks to generous grants they have been able to purchase new instruments for some of the academy band, whose rehearsals will begin again in September.
On Sunday, September 24th, 7.30pm, they will be holding a memorial concert in St Cuthbert’s Church, Wells in honour of the legendary trumpeter John Wilbraham, who died 25 years ago.
He was an inspirational teacher and phenomenal performer, who retired to Wells at the end of his professional career. He played principal cornet with Wells City Band.
Tickets are £10 (£8 concessions) in advance or £12 (£10 concessions) on the door.
Details: janehill546@aol.com
01749 675668 Facebook www.wcbbrassacademy@gmail.com
RENOWNEDclassical guitarist, Berta Rojas, will give a concert at St Mary’s, Yatton on Sunday, August 20th. The concert is hosted by the Hewish based Wyvern Afinado Guitar Orchestra and supported by Yatton Music Society. Berta is a Grammy award winning guitarist, born in Paraguay, now living in the US, described by the Washington Post as “. . . guitarist extraordinaire”.
The concert starts at 7.30pm, tickets £10, half price for students over 16, children free.
Details: www.yms.org.uk
THERE are plenty of opportunities for families on a budget to keep the kids entertained and to learn more about local history this summer, thanks to the South West Heritage Trust.
During the summer holidays a host of great value-formoney events and activities are taking place at trust venues across Somerset: The Museum of Somerset in Taunton, Somerset Rural Life Museum in Glastonbury, Somerset Brick and Tile Museum in Bridgwater and recently opened Avalon Archaeology on the Somerset Levels.
At Somerset Rural Life Museum families, with the great value Museum Unlimited Annual Pass, pay once and can come back as many times as they like! All the daily summer holiday activities are included, alongside a new exhibition by local artists, titled “FLOW”. There’s plenty to keep the family occupied all summer long,
At Avalon Archaeology, at the Avalon Marshes Centre at Westhay, visitors can explore replica historic buildings including a Saxon longhall and a Roman villa. Filled with hand crafted furniture and art, visitors can immerse themselves in thousands of years of local history. A Viking trading vessel and the world’s oldest archaeological
excavation hut can also be seen.
The site has been built by a dedicated group of volunteers and visitors can see the next reconstruction take shape as they build an Iron Age roundhouse. There are some special family days planned for the summer holiday. On “Roman Day” children can meet Marcus the Medicus and learn more about Roman health care. At “Blast from the Past” visitors can hear the sounds of the past recreated with replica instruments, with performances of the carnyx, cornice and lyre.
A new family-friendly exhibition has opened at the Museum of Somerset, displaying artworks by Axel Scheffler – the creative force behind some of the most instantly recognisable characters in children’s books, from The Gruffalo to Stick Man and beyond.
At Somerset Brick and Tile Museum there are lots of chances for young creatives to “play with clay”. On select days, Mendip-based potter Ella Phillips will be at the museum to give expert tuition to those wanting to try their hand at throwing a pot. There’s also a special Lego® brick day.
For full details and opening times, visit swheritage.org.uk
A FREE activity zone for children, a revised showground layout, more livestock and some exciting guest appearances are just some of the new attractions on offer at this year’s Frome Agricultural & Cheese Show in September.
They mark some of the biggest changes to the one-day show since it moved to the showground at West Woodlands in 2000. This year’s show takes place on Saturday, September 9th with the Global Cheese Awards being held two days before.
The decision to create The Little Show Goers Play Zone came about in response to the cost-of-living crisis. Show Manager, Charlotte O’Neill, said: “We’re very aware that families are looking for value-for-money on their day out and this is one way we can help.
“There’ll be everything from pottery
and face painting to storytelling and sand art – all completely free.”
Bristol-based band The Enrichments –who enjoy a huge following – will be performing as will local favourites The Frukes, whilst already announced acts from Extreme Bike Battle and Gem from CBeebies’ Swashbuckle.
The show society has also made history of its own with the election of Kirsten
Penny as its first female vice-chairman. Kirsten has been involved with the society for 18 years and head of the equine section for 10 years.
The Global Cheese Awards are also breaking new ground with a specific class for plant-based alternative products, with a judge travelling from The Netherlands to rule over the entries. In the livestock area, there’ll be a new breed class for Shropshire Sheep, more cattle lines and goats classes will return.
The revised layout will also create space for an agricultural machinery demonstration area as well as vintage machinery.
Charlotte added: “It’s a really exciting time for the show society. We really believe that the new attractions will offer a fabulous day out for families, farmers and exhibitors.”
For details, visit: www.fromecheeseshow.co.uk
WELLS Film Centre has announced a special August ticket deal of £5 per screening in a bid to persuade more film fans to visit them.
With the July weather unseasonably wet – and concerns over what August might have in store – a visit to the family-owned independent complex is a guaranteed way to keep families happy over the summer holidays.
The cinema industry has been immensely affected since the Covid pandemic and, although cinemas across the country saw an increase of admissions in 2022, this has not been the case so far for the first six months of 2023.
With the national average down by 7%, Wells Film Centre has seen a staggering drop of 17% so far this year. For the Wells Film Centre 2022 was still 40% down from pre-Covid levels and, with the latest news of a second cinema chain, Empire Cinemas, going into administration, this additional drop is cause for concern.
Sally Cooper, Wells Film Centre proprietor, in a bid to stabilise the decline of admissions will be offering the special ticket price which will see all tickets, all shows, every day from July 28th July to August 31st August only £5 each.
Sally said she was aware that not only has the current economic situation caused a decline in cinema going but ongoing road works in the city has had a major impact on business at the cinema.
Sally said: “The first six months of 2023 have been very disappointing, with many films showing to only one or two customers. However, I hope that by reducing the ticket price this will encourage people to support us going forward.”
The summer line up of films include Barbie, Oppenheimer, Joy Ride, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mutant Mayhem, Disney’s Haunted Mansion, DC’s Blue Dracula and more.
As well as tickets sales, in-cinema purchases, such as from the sweet shop, have an important role to play in the cinema’s survival. She added: “With many films, 80% of the box office takings can go to film rental and VAT, so the sweet shop is more important than ever.”
l The £5 offer does not include Event cinema and films are subject to change. For full details, visit:www.wellsfilmcentre.co.uk call into the cinema box office daily 1pm to 9pm or call 01749 673195.
FROMpolitics to the priesthood to just having a laugh, there's an entertaining line-up in store for book lovers at the Wells Festival of Literature this autumn.
Wes Streeting, Labour MP and Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will relive his extraordinary journey from poverty to politics in his memoir One Boy, Two Bills and a Fry Up.
The son of teenage parents and with a gangster grandfather, his is a tribute to the love and support of a caring family which set him on his way to a life in politics today.
Other political speakers include campaigner Jolyon Maugham, founder of the Good Law Project which has brought a series of landmark cases against the government, and journalist Polly Toynbee, whose own memoir explores her leftwing rabble-rousing family.
There's also Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong from 1992 until it was handed back to the Chinese in 1997. He kept a diary of the five years he spent preparing for the handover and has now compiled a fascinating memoir. The politics, he said, were “a snake pit”.
Turning to the priesthood, the Rev Fergus Butler-Gallie will deliver, not a sermon, but a love letter to the Prayer Book, to funerals, cake tins, lager and to what the Church of England can be at its best.
His hilarious book
Touching the Cloth is a response, he says, to all those who wanted to know why a young man would become a priest in this day and age.
Yet another unlikely source of humour is the world of immunology as seen by Luke O'Neill, a top scientist with both the wit and talent for cutting through the noise.
Brochures are out now and are available to pick up in numerous venues in the area.
Bridge lessons with English Bridge
Union qualified teacher
Weekly lessons on Mondays starting 25th September 2023
Improvers – 10am to 12.30pm
Beginners – 1.00pm to 3.30pm
£70 for 10 lessons to include weekly notes
Our Club welcomes Bridge players of all levels; on Tuesday afternoons we have Bridge for less experienced players which includes supported play and on Friday evenings we hold duplicate sessions. We also have occasional social bridge.
All our bridge is at Winscombe Community Centre
Contact Janet 01934 253889
Email: obrien-jm@outlook.com
for a friendly chat and more details
THE Somerset Miners’ Welfare Trust has announced that this year’s reunion will be held at a new venue.
It will take place on Monday, September 4th at the Old Down Inn at Emborough; in previous years, it has been held at Somerset Coalfield Life at Radstock Museum.
Trustees say the decision to switch is two-fold: parking near the museum is very limited and the museum itself is unable to put on the traditional ploughman’s lunch for the function.
The trustees have thanked the museum for hosting the previous reunions. They say: “These reunions are becoming more and more important as the years goes by with the number of ex-miners going down.”
This year’s reunion is for ex-NCB employees only – no friends or family – and the trust expects one of the main topics of conversation will be the “Metal Miners” appearing around the Somerset Coalfield area. The trust added: “After years and years of supporting the Royal United Hospital and lots of local charities, the trustees decided it was fitting the coal miners should be recognised and remembered.
“Many lost their lives and many had really bad injuries; it’s hoped people will now realise what an important mining area it was.
At
Monday, September 4th, 12pm for 12.30pm
H Restricted to ex-NCB employees
H Two-course meal (with a beer or two)
This year is different as we have to provide numbers in advance.
All ex-NCB employees must book their place by ringing 01761 471350 by Monday, August 28th.
“There will be noticeboards put near the metal miners giving brief details of the nearest pits; also the trust’s ambition is to have a QR code on each board so that anyone can discover the history of the Somerset Coalfield using their mobile phone.”
l The reunion will take place from midday at the Old Down Inn. Places must be booked in advance by calling 01761 471350.
A WALKINGtrail around Cheddar and the Gorge has 1,000 small figures on display. They were made for the Cheddar Individuality Project.
These are in the caves. The figures should be in place for the next three months.
THE Bishop’s Palace in Wells will be bringing the summer holidays to a dramatic close over the August Bank Holiday weekend by joining forces with medieval re-enactors and combat specialists Bowlore Medieval.
Encamped in the stunning ruins of the Great Hall on August 26th, 27th and 28th, visitors will discover the historical reenactment group and medieval weapons experts who will be hosting lively displays throughout the day, with powerful demonstrations and choreographed combat.
Longbows will be used as well as pallaxes, dane hammers, alchion and langmesser to name but a few!
The Black Dog, Bowlore’s weapons and armour tent, will also give visitors to the palace the chance to get a glimpse of medieval life and members of the Bowlore troupe will be on hand throughout the day to share their expertise and answer questions.
For visitors who prefer a more gentle experience of the Bishop’s Palace, there will also be a chance to see a breathtaking display of floral art with Wells Floral Arts Club’s “Flower Festival”; a celebration of their remarkable 60th anniversary which will be held at the palace from August 10th-
13th. Drawing inspiration from six decades of fashion and national events, the flower festival at the palace promises to be a real feast for the senses.
Entrance to the Medieval Weekend and Flower Festival is included with general admission to The Bishop’s Palace and Gardens, including 12 months of re-entry (some event days excluded).
For details, visit: www.bishopspalace.org.uk
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.
Wednesday July 26th
Folk Session 8pm City Arms, Wells. Sing, play a tune or just listen. Free. All welcome. Details: richardlm397@gmail.com
Backwell & Nailsea Macular Support meeting 1.30pm Backwell WI Hall. Details: Sheila 01275 462107.
Thursday July 27th
Mendip Morris dancing at the Rising Sun, Pensford, with Mr Wilkin's Shilling.
Valley Arts: Pandora’s Box, comedy by Last Baguette Theatre Co. £10 + booking, 6.30pm Yeo Valley Garden, Holt Farm BS40 7SQ www.valleyartscentre.co.uk
West Mendip Walkers 8.6m circular walk starting 10am from Stockhill Woods BA5 3AS. Details www.mendipramblers.co.uk
Friday July 28th to Saturday 29th
Uphill Village Show, Victory Hall, Friday 2.306.30pm, Sat 10.30am to 5pm. Details: 01934 415581 or www.uphillvillage.org.uk
Friday July 28th to Sunday July 30th
Weston Lions Real Ale & Cider Festival, Beach Lawns. Details: www.westonlionsrealalefestival.co.uk
Saturday July 29th
Timsbury mini-market 9.30-11.30am, Conygre Hall. Details: www.growtimsbury.org.uk
Somerset Chamber Choir Concert featuring Fauré Requiem, Poulenc Organ Concerto, 7pm Wells Cathedral. Details: www.somersetchamberchoir.org
Sunday July 30th
Rock of Ages Service, Burrington Combe, 11am with the Mendip Brass Band. Shepton Mallet Sunday Market 10am-3pm Market Place, BA4 5AZ. Music, street food, parking free!
Classic Car & Bike meet, 10am-2pm Petruth Paddocks Cheddar, BS27 3FS. Free. No min/max stay. Food available. Details 07831 336444 or Facebook.
Compton Dando Church Tea, 2.30-5pm and every Sunday in August. Details: richardjamesdavis@hotmail.com
Charterhouse: St Hugh’s Church open 2-5pm, then every Sunday during the summer. Details: chris.ball66@gmail.com
Monday July 31st
Roundhouse Community Choir, a new choir meeting every Monday 7.30- 9pm at the Roundhouse at Chew Valley Community Farm BS40 8SZ. Songs learned by ear. £5 on door. Details: 01275 332735 or www.thecommunityfarm.co.uk
Wessex Stationary Engine Club meeting 8pm Old Down Inn, Emborough.
Tuesday August 1st
Backwell Sequence Dance Club: 7.15-9pm every Tuesday, Backwell WI Hall, BS48 3QW. Dancing couples always welcome. Details: 07710 460550 or email: backwellsequencedance@gmail.com
Wednesday August 2nd
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 visit to Cadbury Garden Centre, to include cream tea/sandwiches, so booking essential: Details: Beverley 01275 463215 after 6pm.
Thursday August 3rd
Wells & District Wildlife Group: Glow Worm Walk through Westbury-sub-Mendip after dark, with Peter Bright. Details: 01749 677600 or www.wdwg.org.uk
Mendip Morris dancing in Nailsea at the Micro pub at 8pm and the Ring O' Bells at 9pm. West Mendip Walkers 8m circular walk starting 10am from North Curry TA3 6LH. Details: www.mendipramblers.co.uk
Friday August 4th
Wedmore Dementia Carers Group 10am-12 Bagley Church BS28 4TG. Supported by Heads Up: 01749 670667. First Friday monthly.
Friday August 4th to Sunday August 6th
Sea Shanty & Folk Festival Weston-s-Mare, 50 bands! Details: www.wsmshantyfest.com
Saturday August 5th
North Barrow Community Hall 25th Anniversary – an afternoon of celebration with stalls, games, BBQ, licensed bar and more! Details: www.northbarrow.org.uk
Glastonbury Abbey Extravaganza. Details: www.glastonburyabbey.com/extravaganza
The Producers blues band, 7.30pm Charlton Adam. Bar. Advance tickets £10, £12 on door. Details: www.charltonscommunity.org
Boot Swap: outgrown? Swap sports boots for ages 6-17. Outside Sainsbury’s, Midsomer Norton 11am to 1pm. Rotary Club of Midsomer Norton & Radstock.
Kingston Seymour Market 10am-12pm Village Hall. Butcher, veg. cakes etc. 07525 040472
Saturday August 5th to Saturday September 2nd
Wells Art Contemporary exhibition: www.wellsartcontemporary.co.uk
Saturday August 5th to 29th
Cheddar Scarecrow Trail, maps available in some village shops. Details: cheddar.flowershow@yahoo.com
Sunday August 6th
Afternoon Tea 2.30-4.30pm every Sunday in August with Marston Music. Free entry, homemade cake. Details www.marstonmusic.co.uk
Monday August 7th
Congresbury Memorial Hall Club
Friendship evening with bingo, 8pm War Memorial Hall. Visitors welcome.
Wednesday August 9th
Mendip Storytelling Circle folk tales and more, £5, 7.30pm Ston Easton Village Hall, BA3 4DA. Details: mendipstorycircle@gmail.com or Facebook.
Thursday August 10th
Mendip Morris dancing in Wrington, at the Plough at 8pm and the Golden Lion at 9pm. West Mendip Walkers 7m circular walk starting 10am from Tyning’s Farm BS40 7XU. Details www.mendipramblers.co.uk
Chew Valley Gardening Society Zoom
Meeting, George Lockwood, Ornamental Grasses. Details: 01275 333456.
Street & Glastonbury u3a Open Day
10.30am-12 Glastonbury Town Hall. Retired, looking for activities? Come and see what’s on offer! Details: 01458 834221 or www.streetu3a.org
Thursday August 10th to Sunday August 13th
Wells Floral Art Club Flower Festival to celebrate 70 years of flowers 9.30am-5.30pm Bishop’s Palace. Normal entry fee to palace.
Saturday August 12th
Brent Knoll Bazaar, farmer’s market & café 10-12 Brent Knoll Parish Hall.
Clutton Flower Show & Family Fun Day, 12noon, adults £2.50, U-14s free. Details: www.cluttongardening.org
Congresbury Book Sale 9am-1pm War Memorial Hall. Good quality books etc.
Saturday August 12th and Sun August 13th
Railwells Model Railway Exhibition, Wells Town Hall. Sat: 10.30am-5pm, Sun 10am4.30pm. Adults £8, unaccompanied U17s £5, accompanied U14s free. Details: 01308 897539 or e-mail cgchallis@yahoo.co.uk
Sunday August 13th
The Twerzels, Wurzels tribute band, 2pm Clutton Flower Show site. Adults £10, children £5.
Classic Car & Bike meet, 10-2pm Petruth Paddocks Cheddar, BS27 3FS. Free. No min/max stay. Food available. Details 07831 336444 or Facebook.
123rd Coleford Flower and Craft Show. Royal British Legion, 2pm. Free entry. Refreshments (inc. ice cream), face painting.
Thursday August 17th
Mendip Morris dancing in Axbridge, at the Lamb at 8pm.
West Mendip Walkers 10m circular walk starting 10am from Moorlinch Village Hall. Details www.mendipramblers.co.uk
Saturday August 19th
Bleadon Village Market 9.30-12, Coronation Halls BS24 0PG, 30+ stalls, details: 01934 812370.
“Musical Extravaganza” 3pm All Saints’ church, WSM, BS23 2NL. Free entry with collection.
Wedmore Harvest Home: 11am parade, lunch, children’s games, party. Details: 07807 156069 or Facebook.
Cheddar Flower Show, 2pm Cheddar Village Hall. Details: cheddar.flowershow@yahoo.com
Claverham Market 10am-12pm Village Hall. Butcher, veg. crafts etc. 01934 830553.
Timsbury Gardening Club Show 2pm-4.30
Conygre Hall BA2 0JQ. Admission £1.
Saturday August 19th and Sunday 20th
Mendip Society beginners dry stone walling course at Chancellors Farm, eight places available @ £10 a day, Details: chairman@themendipsociety.org.uk 07800 664207.
Sunday August 20th
Mid-Somerset Show, Shepton Mallet. Details: www.midsomersetshow.org.uk
Classical guitarist Berta Rojas 7.30pm, St Mary’s Church, Yatton, Tickets £10, details: www.yms.org.uk
Classical Piano Concert with Nurry Lee, The Banqueting Hall, The Guildhall, Bath BA1 5AW, 7.30pm in aid of the MND Association. Tickets £12/£18/£26/£35 and £8 for U-16s and students.
Monday August 21st
Congresbury Memorial Hall Club
Friendship evening with bingo, 8pm War Memorial Hall. Visitors welcome.
Chew Valley U3A: Sandy Bateman on “The Magic of Minack”, the open-air theatre nr
Penzance. 10am, Ubley Parish Hall.
Tuesday August 22nd
Winscombe Folk Club 7.30pm-10.30pm
Winscombe Club BS25 1HD. All acoustic, performers & audience welcome, £2. Details: 07551 197685, winscombefolkclub@gmail.com
Thursday August 24th
Mendip Morris dancing in Clapton in Gordano, the Black Horse 7.30pm
West Mendip Walkers 8m circular walk starting 10am from Ashcott Corner BA6 9SX. Details www.mendipramblers.co.uk
Saturday August 26th
Congresbury Book Sale 9am-1pm War Memorial Hall. Good quality books etc.
Timsbury mini-market 9.30-11.30am Conygre Hall. Local produce stalls. Details: www.growtimsbury.org.uk
East Huntspill Summer Fayre & Fun Dog Show, from 11am around the church with many stalls, BBQ, games etc. Dog show £1/class.
Details: 01278 788665 or email
allsaintscommunitygroup@outlook.com
Saturday August 26th and Sun August 27th
Pawlett Art Club Summer exhibition
10.30am-4.30pm, Pawlett village hall,TA6 4RY. Tea & homemade cake for donations to Pawlett Pre-school. Admission free, just enjoy a browse.
Saturday August 26th to Mon August 28th
Medieval Weekend, Bishop’s Palace Wells. Details: www.bishopspalace.org.uk
Sunday August 27th
Shepton Mallet Sunday Market 10am-3pm Market Place, BA4 5AZ. Fancy-dress competition, music, street food, parking free! Croscombe Open-Air theatre: Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, by local students. Meet by the village hall for 1.30pm or 4.30pm. Free, donations welcome. Indoors if rain. Details: 07771 814270 or www.croscombevillagehall.org.uk
Fun on the Field. Fair Field, Castle Cary. Midday-10-pm. Entertainment including live music, family dog show, craft tents etc. Free. Vintage Transport Rally from Yatton station, in aid of the Strawberry Line Café, 10am-4pm. Complimentary bus rides if you buy a £5 programme! Details: warwick.hulme@btinternet.com
Bank Holiday Monday August 28th Wells Moat Race 12 to 4pm. Details: www.cityofwellslions@gmail.com Cheddar Gorge Duck Race. Details: www.cheddarvalelions.org.uk
Churchill Coffee Morning & Sale 10am-12, Churchill Methodist Church Hall, Front Street, BS25 5NG. For Prickles Hedgehog Rescue.
Details: Laura Batt - 01934 863679
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 10am12noon, Bagley Church BS28 4TG. Supported by Heads Up: 01749 670667. First Friday monthly.
Friday September 1st to Sun September 3rd
St Bridget’s Chelvey Harvest flower festival with Clevedon & District Flower Club, Friday 6-8pm wine reception; Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 10.30-4pm, with refreshments, donations to church funds.
Saturday September 2nd
Stanton Drew Flower Show. Details: www.stantondrew.org
East Harptree Flower & Craft Show 2.30pm playing field. Free workshops in the weeks beforehand. Details: d.bowiesell@hotmail.co.uk
Theale Show 2.30-6pm Theale village Hall BA5 1PN. Live music from 6pm-9 with Split Level and friends. Details: www.Theale.WS Oakhill Village Festival. 2-10.30pm. Ashwick & Oakhill Village Hall and Recreation Field. Entertainment, stalls, activities. Live music.
Proceeds to church, hall and school. Free. 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.
Tuesday September 5th
Backwell Sequence Dance Club: 7.15-9pm every Tuesday, Backwell WI Hall, BS48 3QW. Dancing couples always welcome. Details: Paul 07710 460550 email backwellsequencedance@gmail.com
Congresbury Singers new term starts, 7.30pm, War Memorial Hall, Congresbury –new singers very welcome (no audition). Details: congresburysingers@gmail.co or 01934 838699.
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
Wells Folk & Barn Dance Club 7.30-9.30pm every Wed at Dinder village hall. £4.50 inc refreshments. Come alone or with partner. Details: www.wellsfdc.co.uk
Backwell & Nailsea Support Group for Carers: Celebrating the Great British Summer! Eat, drink and dress for the occasion. 2-3.30pm WI Hall, Backwell.
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
Kenn Village Market 10-12 village hall. Brent Knoll Bazaar, farmer's market & café 10-12 Brent Knoll 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.
Sunday September 10th
Wedmore 40/30 charity bike ride from The Post & Wicket Wedmore. Details: advance www.westonhospicecare.org.uk/event/wedmore40-30
RSPCA Family Fun Day 11am-4pm Brent Knoll Animal Centre, TA9 4BL. Craft stalls, bouncy castle, food, drink and a chance to meet some of the animals in our care! Details: dawn.pawlett@rspcanorthsomerset.org.uk
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
THERE’Sa new attraction in Cheddar Gorge, a dazzling Unicorn, part of Bristol’s UnicornFest 2023 art trail, which will see 60 unicorns and 40 foals popping up all over Bristol and the surrounding areas in aid of Leukaemia Care.
As a sponsor, Cheddar Gorge and Caves say they are excited to support this wonderful event, celebrating Bristol’s 650th anniversary, bringing the community together to celebrate art, creativity, and imagination.
Their two-metre tall unicorn, Blooming Gorgeous, is specially designed and lovingly painted by talented Bristol artist, Mary Price. Can you spot the Cheddar pink in the design?
Set against the backdrop of the spectacular Cheddar Gorge, their life-size unicorn is in an ideal spot to take magical photos.
As part of the sponsorship, they have partnered with Fairlands Middle School in Cheddar to
get the pupils involved.
The children have been gifted a Unicorn foal which they have designed and decorated utilising learning resources from the event’s education partner, Bridging Histories. The foal will be on display as part of the trail at Ikea in Bristol until September 3rd.
All the unicorns will be auctioned off on October 5th, with the money raised being donated to Leukaemia Care.
Details: https://theunicornfest.co.uk
THEMendip Hills
AONB Service is issuing a Mendip Hills Explorer's Passport to encourage youngsters to explore the area. It will take them to eight locations across the Mendip Hills where they will complete a mission, which will earn them a certificate.
Details: www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk/exploring/passport
