Sport

Festival’s feast of racing is on the horizon

hORSERaCING fans are turning their attention to this year’s Cheltenham Festival in March and many eyes will be on decisions about potential runners being taken by champion trainer Paul Nicholls OBE at his Manor Farm Stables yard in Ditcheat.

Some horses are pencilled in for the four-day National hunt celebrations; the ink is already dry on others such as Politologue, who will defend his Queen Mother Champion Chase title.

February’s first wet, then cold weather has added to the debate at team Ditcheat but Paul said: “I'm happy with how things are going, it's business as usual with the horses. the weather has been a bit tricky of late causing abandonment of some race meetings but it hasn't affected the horses’ exercise and preparations at home.”

Like every yard, team Ditcheat has also faced the challenges of the pandemic. Paul added: “Everyone is working hard as usual, we're following the guidelines and taking all the necessary precautions to keep everyone safe.”

Covid restrictions have meant that amateur jockeys have been unable to compete as they are not classed as elite athletes. Unless circumstances change, a horse such as Sametegal will be ridden in the Foxhunters by a professional jockey rather than Ditcheat pupil assistant Natalie Parker. Paul added: “I don't think it will have a long-term impact but the sooner they can get back the better. If things continue the right way perhaps we could see them back riding in april/May.” the pandemic has also caused the cancellation of point-to-point meetings such as Blackmore and Sparkford Vale and Mendip Farmers. a long-standing supporter of the two fixtures, Paul said he remained optimistic for their future: “Ultimately some meetings around the country will suffer but our local area is a strong one so I think these will continue, but they certainly wouldn't want a second year like this.” l Cheltenham Festival takes place from tuesday, March 16th to Friday, March 19th; a question mark remains over whether any viewing public will be allowed in.

on the gallops on Ditcheat hill heading back to the yard

Bryony Frost on Jeremy pass. Bryony rode Frodon to victory in the 2020 King George VI chase, becoming the first woman jockey to win the race

Why not become an abbey supporter?

IT costs more than £3,000 a day to maintain Glastonbury Abbey and its grounds, so becoming a member is a great way to support the work – and enjoy some great benefits.

While the abbey awaits further guidance about future restrictions, the staff are working tirelessly to provide a safe, secure space for local visitors and members to enjoy in the meantime.

At this time, the inside spaces such as St. Patrick's Chapel, the 14th century Abbot's Kitchen and museum remain closed to visitors, but the 36 acres of grounds are open and offer a spectacular space right in the centre of Glastonbury to exercise, relax, walk the dog or explore.

Membership benefits include free entry on the days the abbey is open, shop and cafe discounts, monthly digital magazine, discounted events for "plus" members and more. At less than £1 per week for an adult member, membership is great value.

Whilst visitor numbers have significantly dropped due to the spread of the virus, the Glastonbury Abbey team are doing all they can to continue to offer a safe outdoor space for the general public to enjoy and look forward to the opportunity to host an array of events again as restrictions ease.

As an independent charity, Glastonbury Abbey relies almost entirely on visitor income to maintain and conserve the grounds and ruins for public benefit. In order to raise much needed funds, the Glastonbury Abbey Recovery Appeal was launched where members of the public can adopt an artefact from the abbey collection or make a one-time donation to the abbey.

For details of how you can support the abbey, visit: https://appeal.glastonburyabbey.com or to become a member, visit:www.glastonburyabbey.com.

Mendip folk tales –find them online

TheMendip Storytelling Circle held its first Zoom meeting on January 26th, with the telling of stories in much the same format as when they meet in person in village halls around our area.

It was very successful, so they plan to do it again and again until they can meet for real, indoors or out.

The next Zoom telling will be on Tuesday, March 9th and on second Tuesdays after that. Watch out for details in Mendip Times.

If you're interested in joining just to listen to or tell folk tales etc then email Colin emmett mendipstorycircle@gmail.com to be sent joining links.

Promoting art during the pandemic

FRoMeCollege’s art department is promoting the national arts project, the Great Big Arts exhibition, encouraging the country to turn their front windows into a gallery as part of a nationwide initiative to create a “magical patchwork of creativity”.

The college has invited the middle and first schools in Frome to join in hoping that students across Frome of all ages will take part and enjoy a bit of creativity at home during this challenging time.

The theme is Animals and participants can use the hashtag #thegreatbigartexhibition2021 when sharing on social media so that creations become part of the wider national project.

The college plans to feature as many images as possible in an online exhibition later in the spring.

Praise for Bishop’s Palace

The Bishop’s Palace in Wells has scored an outstanding 93% in a recent assessment by Visit england as part of the national Visitor Attractions Quality Scheme.

The Visit england assessor said: “In summary, the Bishop's Palace has made best use of the opportunities of this year by seeking to understand its audience and its role for visitors over and above making money.

“It has redeployed resources and staff imaginatively and discovered new ways of doing things.”

Rosie Martin, chief executive of The Palace Trust, said: “It is an absolute delight for us to receive this rating as it reflects all the extremely hard work that the whole team has carried out in exceptionally challenging circumstances.”