Mendip Times
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VOLUME 11 ISSUE 1
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FREE
Celebrating life on the Mendips and surrounding areas
10th
ANNIVERSARY ISSUE!
JUNE 2015
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MENDIP TIMES
CONTENTS
Welcome
THIS magazine celebrates our tenth anniversary – as you may have noticed from the cover. Once again this is one of the biggest magazines that we have ever produced. We are proud that people tell us that Mendip Times has become an institution. Ten years ago a lot of people thought we should be in one, for even attempting to launch such a publication. Despite the recession, we have gradually grown, printing more copies – now 22,500 a month – and widening our distribution base – now more than 900 places. We hope we have shown that a magazine that sets out to celebrate the community’s achievements can thrive and be successful. This month is no exception, with pictures from the North Somerset Show, North Somerset Arts Week and numerous other events across the area. We also devote several pages to highlighting the wonderful work done by local charities and voluntary organisations. We would like to thank our readers, whose feedback is so encouraging, our talented team of contributors, some of whom have been with us since our launch, and our advertisers, who make the magazine possible. Thanks to them we have been able to add the extra pages that illustrate what a wonderful area this is in which to live and work. July 2015 deadline: Friday, 12th June 2015. Published: Tuesday, 23rd June 2015. Editorial: Steve Egginton steve@mendiptimes.co.uk Mark Adler mark@mendiptimes.co.uk Advertising: Ann Quinn advertising@mendiptimes.co.uk Rachael Abbott rachael@mendiptimes.co.uk Publisher: Mendip Times Limited Coombe Lodge, Blagdon, Somerset BS40 7RG Contacts: For all enquiries, telephone:
01761 463888 or: email news@mendiptimes.co.uk or: letters@mendiptimes.co.uk www.mendiptimes.co.uk Design and origination by: Steve Henderson Printed by: Precision Colour Printing, Haldane, Halesfield 1, Telford, Shropshire TF7 4QQ Copyright of editorial content held by Mendip Times Ltd. and its contributors. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the express permission of the Publisher. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the publisher or its associates. Front cover design: Steve Henderson.
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Looking to the future – young farmers’ county rally
40
Keeping up tradition – Mendip dances for May Day
82
Celebration and remembrance – 70 years after VE Day
114
Conquering the Rec – Norton clinch the double
Plus all our regular features Environment...................................6 Farming Mary James MBE..........10 Business ........................................18 Food & Drink...............................30 Arts & Antiques ...........................42 Internet and Crossword..............52 Charities .......................................54 Wildlife Chris Sperring MBE .......61 Walking Sue Gearing....................62 Outdoors Les Davies MBE ..........64
Gardening Mary Payne MBE ......66 Health Dr Phil Hammond.............74 Community...................................80 Motoring .......................................86 Caving Phil Hendy........................89 Homes and Interiors....................93 Music...........................................104 Riding Celia Gadd ......................107 Sport............................................110 What’s On...................................116 MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 3
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MENDIP TIMES
NEWS
950 years of service
Percy Lambert
A coffee morning in the Memorial Hall with a raffle and bring and buy stall helped raise funds for repairs to the church roof
CELEBRATIONS are underway to mark the 950th anniversary of Holy Trinity Church in Binegar, near Shepton Mallet – but the challenge is on to ensure it reaches its millennium. A special service to be attended by the Bishop of Bath and Wells is being held on Sunday, May 31st, followed by the planting of a commemorative tree and a celebration lunch. But an appeal is underway to raise around £160,000 to repair the roof of the church; its origins date back to correspondence discovered in ancient records dated 1065, linking a “Bishop GISO” with the parish. This indicates the presence of a church there before the Norman Conquest. G Celebrations continue with a produce market stall in Wells on Saturday, June 20th and an Open Garden and Mini Flower Festival on Saturday, July 18th.
HOLY Trinity is “twinned” with Oakhill and Ashwick parish and residents turned out in force to celebrate the 90th birthday of local historian and former churchwarden Percy Lambert. Dozens gathered in the Church Rooms in Ashwick after a Sunday morning service for a lunch party in honour of Percy.
Holy Trinity Church
Happy birthday to you!
Gardening advice for WI members
CHEDDAR GORGEous WI welcomed members of the village’s horticultural society for hands-on demonstrations and to answer questions. The society donated some trays of planted seeds and runner beans to the raffle, which saw some very happy winners. G Cheddar GORGEous WI meets on the 2nd Monday of the month at 7.30pm at Cheddar Baptist Church. Guests can attend for £3.50 or become a member in June at their “Wimbledon” Summer Party for only £17.50! Visit their facebook page for more information.
Garden advice on offer MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 5
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MENDIP TIMES
Plenty of room on top! By Mark Adler
VETERANS of previous Glastonbury Festivals are well aware that getting to and from the site could be a nightmare: roads jammed for hours on end, little or no public transport and general confusion. In recent years, much has been done to try to ease congestion and improve services, not just for festival-goers but anyone trying to go about their daily business within a sizeable radius of Worthy Farm. Encouraging people to leave their cars at home and travel by train, coach and bus is part of the festival’s sustainability ethos but it’s often easier said than done. So step forward the team behind the festival’s increasingly complex bus services operation which has done a huge amount to reduce traffic on the roads around Pilton. With more than 250 vehicles operating for up to 24 hours a day, it’s little wonder that the team began planning for this year’s festival almost as soon as the last weary – and occasionally mud-soaked – festival-goers boarded the final bus: literally. Colin Stanaway, from Clapton near Midsomer Norton, who oversees the operation, usually brings the team together around 7.30pm on the Monday after the festival for a meal and debrief. With 35 years’ experience in the rail industry, logistics are second nature to Colin: for ballast, read passengers. Colin said: “I usually aim to commission all the services we need by Christmas.” They range from providing a 24-hour service for the Bath and West showground drop-off point to meeting trains arriving at Castle Cary station – and then getting everyone back again. This year, a new service will operate to and from Wells Bus Station, although some other services – such as one to and from Bristol International Airport – have been scaled back due to lack of demand. As well as connecting with trains at Castle Cary and Bristol Temple Meads, the local services are also popular with people staying off-site. Colin said: “We offer a service to those at the festival who wish to visit local towns for shopping for example. Some festival goers like to get away for a few hours, even visiting the swimming pool at Shepton!”
All the planned services are detailed in a 40-page manual, including Colin’s own London Underground-style flowchart. Local transport companies provide many of the vehicles, but drivers come from all over the country – including a team from Scotland who enjoy nothing more than getting behind the wheel of some of the older double deckers which are pressed into service – a true busman’s holiday! On-site Colin will divide his time between Event Control and his office at the festival bus station. Sunday afternoon is usually the only time he will manage to get out and about and sample the festival itself.
Festival fans at Castle Cary station
The festival bus station
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Colin at home planning the final details for this year’s festival
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Litter pickers tidy Paulton
SOME 31 sacks of rubbish were collected in the Paulton area, along the Bath Road, Paulton Hill, Upper and Lower Radford and along to the Britten’s Hill Crossroads, in a collection organised by Pam Leah. She said: “Several car drivers stopped to thank us for our efforts, which was very much appreciated.” She’s pictured with Caroline Smith, Hugh Warren and Liz Hardman, who were helped by Helen Collins, Hilary Smyth, Suzy Smyth and John Bull, who said: “It’s good to see so many people willing to help to improve Paulton’s environment.” Details: Liz Hardman at Lizhardman@talktalk.net 01761412758.
Conservation team says thanks
ENVIRONMENTAL conservation apprentices Suzie Robson and Shayl Renyard were given a big send-off by staff and volunteers at the Avalon Marshes Centre. After 18 months of hard work and practical training, the two are now well equipped to move onto the next stage of their careers. Their employment was a new initiative funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund through the Avalon Marshes Landscape Partnership. The pair have worked on a rotational basis with Somerset Wildlife Trust, the RSPB and Natural England on a variety of practical conservation projects, with Bridgwater College providing the formal qualifications. Over 50 staff and volunteers gathered to say thank you, goodbye and good luck to Suzie and Shayl with home-made
ENVIRONMENT
Community energy for Avalon
AVALON Community Energy, known as ACE, are a local energy co-operative for Glastonbury, Street, Shepton Mallet and Wells. Set up as a community benefit society, ACE aims to bring community-owned renewable energy to Avalon whilst generating money for the local area. ACE are currently looking at how best to use the funds generated by their activities for the community good. Energy co-operatives can set up a community benefit fund where all profits are directed, which are then available to those living and working in the local area. Profits are generated through the parallel revenues generated by the feed-In tariffs, a subsidy setup by the government to support the growth of renewable energy, and by sales of generated energy to the grid. ACE is holding its AGM on June 22nd where members will get an opportunity to vote on how funds generated will be distributed to the community. ACE launched its public membership scheme in the spring and signed up over 50 members in the first months. Membership costs a one-off fee of £10, which gives the new member one share. A shareholder can then vote at the AGM and other meetings and is able to stand as a director of the society. ACE Director, Maddy Milnes, said: “Becoming a member of ACE allows you to have a say in the running of the organisation and a stake in its future activities. We are confident that 2015 will see ACE launch its first portfolio of community-owned solar power. To help make this happen, we need the support of the people here. Membership is a great way of showing you care about the future energy status of Somerset.” Details: www.avaloncommunityenergycoop.co.uk
cakes, and locally made willow baskets full of gifts. Kevin Anderson from the Avalon
Marshes team made the presentation saying they had made a real difference during their time at the Avalon Marshes.
Details: www.avalonmarshes.org MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 7
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ENVIRONMENT
Road scheme recognition
M E N D I P
W E A T H E R
S C E N E
AN ambitious project to prevent a village on the Somerset Levels being cut off by floods again has received national recognition. Residents of Muchelney were surrounded by flood waters in 2014 for ten weeks after all four of the access roads were submerged, although the village itself escaped largely unscathed. Somerset County Council designed a scheme to raise a 500 metre stretch of one of the roads by up to 1.2 metres in places; the project has now been shortlisted for The Municipal Journal Achievement Awards 2015 and lauded as an “innovative engineering solution”. Delivered by the council’s highways contractor Skanska and funded by the Department of Transport, work started in September 2014 and in February the local community and partners helped the council re-open the road with a celebratory event. Somerset County Council is one of six local authorities shortlisted for the Effective Transport and Infrastructure Delivery Award, which will be presented during a ceremony in London on Thursday 18th June. Paula Hewitt, Somerset County
Celebrations when the road was re-opened after the work
Council’s Director and Lead Commissioner for Economic and Community Infrastructure, said: “Being shortlisted for this award is fantastic. Everyone involved in Somerset’s 20 Year Flood Action Plan continue to work incredibly hard to reduce the risk and impact of flooding in Somerset and should be proud that a major part of that work is gaining recognition on a
national level. “I’m delighted that we are being recognised for demonstrating effective partnerships with the contractor, other agencies and in particular the community because that is what this scheme is essentially all about; trying to make sure the community in Muchelney is not cut off by flooding again.”
The season of outdoor events
WE are well and truly into the season of outdoor events and we all know what an impact the weather can have on them. You only have to think of Glastonbury and Wimbledon later in June, not to mention all the local church with DAVID fetes, school sporting events etc., all of MAINE which are so weather-dependent. However, May started off well with the North Somerset Show, so many times in the past has this event proved to be a washout. A quick recap on April’s weather, which was warmer than normal despite a colder snap during the last week. It was also very dry with a total of only 20.2mm – less than one inch of rain – for the whole month. During this colder snap I even recorded an air frost with a minimum of minus 0.2˚Celcius on the 27th – one of the latest I have had and a nightmare for gardeners and growers. May has always been one of my favour months of the year – as I am sure I have mentioned in the past – and it also boasts two bank holidays on which some important local events take place. Then we have the Royal Bath and West show coming up
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A flooded lane in Stratton-onthe-Fosse during a dramatic downpour on Sunday, May 3rd
towards the end of May. This period of the year – from the last week in May up to around mid-June – is often one of the most settled periods in the year, when we still have the spring high pressure in evidence and before the continent warms up enough to change the weather pattern into more of a summer regime. Let’s hope the good fortune which was bestowed on North Somerset (until the evening anyway) continues as we go into the summer. Keep checking the forecasts (up to six days ahead anyway).
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Our Services Include: Commercial and Residential Property Wills and Probate Litigation and Personal Injury Criminal and Family Law Agricultural, Business and Commercial Employment Shepton Mallet: 57 High Street, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 5AQ. Tel: 01749 330330
Glastonbury: 11 Chilkwell Street, Glastonbury, Somerset, BA6 8DL. Tel: 01458 832510
Congratulations to Mendip Times on its 10th Anniversary and our best wishes for every future success. We thoroughly enjoy reading each issue and catching up on what’s been happening in the local community. We recently celebrated our colleague Hayley’s 25th year with us and are fortunate to have many staff members who have been working for the company for 10, 20 and even 30 years! Having such loyal staff make us feel like an extended family. We often find ourselves acting for several generations of the same family of clients – they are reassured knowing that over the years there will always a familiar face and, in turn, we appreciate being regarded as the “family solicitor” that can help with any problem. We pride ourselves on being professional and providing an excellent service whilst still being approachable and always willing to go the extra mile. Having so many long standing and repeat clients indicates we are delivering the level of service to which we aspire. If transport or access is an issue, we are happy to meet at your home or in any one of our offices, depending on which is more convenient. Please contact us for all your legal needs – we are ready and willing to assist. Castle Cary: Old Bank House, High Street, Castle Cary, Somerset, BA7 7AW. Tel: 01963 350888
Cheddar: Roley House, Church Street, Cheddar, Somerset, BS27 3RA. Tel: 01934 745400
Website: www.bgw-solicitors.co.uk
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Time to get down on the farm
JUNE 7th is Open Farm Sunday where some farms are open to the public. So, if you have never visited a farm before how about a trip to Fosse Farm in Stratton-on-the-Fosse, home of Jeremy Padfield and family? The annual event is now recognised as the farming industry’s national open day when With MARY around 400 farms across the country will be JAMES MBE opening their gates to the public where they can meet the farmers that grow their food. Last year over 200,000 visitors put on their wellies and spent an educational day out on a farm near them. The theme for this year is Celebrating Farming and Food and each farm will have a range of activities that will help you reconnect with food, farming and nature. Take a look at the website www.farmsunday.org Wookey Farm at Monks Ford near Wells will be open as well as Rushford Farm near Crewkerne. Have a great day. Now that the election is over we, in the farming world, hope that the Minister for Agriculture will follow up some of the promises that were made. The minister may be willing but DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) will be sure to put a spoke in her wheel and water down those promises. There are many issues that need attention, such as the power of the supermarkets. There is a groceries code adjudicator whose powers are virtually nil and none at all to investigate historic practices. Voluntary codes are useless, they have to be statutory to be really effective. Meanwhile the supermarkets continue to battle it out with continuous price cutting. Who bears the brunt of the price-cutting? Why, the farmers, of
One of last year’s events
course. It is a fact though that the increasing strength of sterling has made imports cheaper, so this gives the supermarkets the chance to bring in European fruit and veg at a much lower cost, leaving British growers to plough some crops back into the ground. Where is the sanity in that! Wake up DEFRA and get systems in place that will help British farmers, not hinder them. There is some good news. Local food producers across the country have risen to the challenge, producing a wide range of different foods – many have ventured into growing chillies or pak choi and producing air-dried ham and mozzarella as consumer tastes have changed. Come and see the wonderful range of local food at the Royal Bath and West Show May 27th – 30th. The message is Buy British Food and Support British Farmers.
A worthy winner – herd takes centre stage GLASTONBURY Festival organiser Michael Eavis hosted an estimated 1,500 farmers at an event to celebrate his team’s achievement at winning a prestigious dairy industry award. Worthy Farm’s 385-strong Holstein Friesian herd is the current holder of dairy farming’s highest accolade the RABDF NMR Gold Cup. As guests gathered on the iconic pyramid stage, Eavis
Farmers gather at the Pyramid stage for the event PAGE 10 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
began the day with an introduction to his 230-hectare farm and the world-famous festival. Afterwards there were opportunities to tour recent investments on the farm at Pilton including starling-proof cattle sheds, recycled drinking trough water, on-farm solar panels providing 60% of the farm’s electricity and sustainable social housing on Worthy Farm land in the village.
Michael Eavis with a sign made by Mendip Signs from Westcombe which was presented to him by Jonathan Davies from NMR
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FARMING
Duke visits retired farmers
THE Duke of Gloucester visited the Beaufort House residential care home in Burnham-on-Sea which is owned and run by the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (R.A.B.I). The majority of residents at Beaufort House come from farming The Duke of Gloucester with Beaufort backgrounds. House resident Delmene Daniell Over the past five years Beaufort House has undergone a complete refurbishment. It is a flagship for R.A.B.I which says it shows how a residential home should be run. The home has 33 en-suite rooms/apartments and 12 sheltered flats at the adjoining Beaufort Court. Also visiting Beaufort House as part of the visit were the Lord Lieutenant of Somerset, Mrs Annie Maw, the High Sheriff of Somerset, Mrs James Nelson and the chief executive of Sedgemoor District Council, Mr Kerry Rickards. R.A.B.I chairman Mr Chris Riddle: “It was a real pleasure to have His Royal Highness – who is the president of our charity – wiith us at Beaufort House. This was his first visit here and his interest in R.A.B.I is very much appreciated.”
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Young farmers rally MEMBERS of 24 Young Farmers Clubs from across Somerset gathered at Manor Farm at Stratton-on-the-Fosse for the
annual county rally. Hosted by the Fosse Group, the weekend saw a wide range of
Jamie Cox, a member of Worle and Banwell YFC, takes part in the log splitting competition
Baker Robert Burns, from Glastonbury, was one of the handicraft judges
EasyWire ALL PURPOSE GALVANISED TYING WIRE
Reelfix Construction Products Ltd 4 Quadeast Warne Road Weston-super-Mare Somerset BS23 3TR T: 0845 680 7371 M: 07736 229724 E: info@reelfix.com PAGE 12 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
competitions – some not always so serious, ranging from calf and sheep show to tug-of-war.
Jake Sayer, from Cannington, with Denman Burdett Crunch, one of the winners in the dairy classes
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Farming show is top of the grass
FARMING Tractor boy! Archie Deeks, who lives in Wells, studies the show programme
FARMERS and their families took to the fields around the Royal Bath and West Showground at Shepton Mallet for the triennial Grassland UK agricultural show. Bridge Farm and Bagborough Farm hosted displays and demonstrations of the latest machinery on the market at the show, organised by the Royal Bath and West of England Society.
A grass act: Grassland UK featured dozens of demonstrations A chance to examine the latest farming machinery close-up
Hundreds of visitors wandered round the trade stands
Getting red-dy to meet the farmers MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 13
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A grand day out
A magnificent heavy horse
Ice cream time: Rupert Knowles, aged three, Enid Knowles, aged two, Teddy Toogood, aged one and a half, and Miles Toogood, aged three
Patrick, an Exmoor Horn lamb, was being shown by owner William Awan, of Bath
A steward clears the way as heavy horses are led into the arena PAGE 14 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
Kim Sales (second right) with Pickfield Mary 34, who was reserve supreme champion in the diary class. It was the first time that cattle from the herd from Compton Martin had been shown in six months because of TB restrictions. The supreme champion (pictured with handler Katy House) was Otterwyn Allen Tiny, from Devon. Also pictured are judges Maurice Durbin and Colin Gleed
The show attracted big crowds
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THE NORTH SOMERSET SHOW Showjumping classes were held throughout the day
Our turn next: an obedience demonstration underway
Crowds amongst the trade stands
Competition heats up in the forgecraft competition
Susan Tanner (second right) with some of her Mendip Red Poll herd, including calves Finley and Fifi
Somerset YFC stock judges with their prizes MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 15
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Dear Mendip Times, Last year the excellent Sue Gearing described a walk in Mendip Times which included the Colliers Way, a part of the National Cycle Route that goes from Radstock to Great Elm. She pointed out that many apple trees had been planted alongside the track but that a lot of them had died. As I am a volunteer for Sustrans who helps to maintain this part of the network and knows the route well I thought this was incorrect. So now that the trees are blooming I decided to ride the path and check on their health. I found that there are 87 trees, of which one has recently died and two have been broken off by vandals but are still alive. People used to throw their apple cores from the windows of the train and as a result Apple trees are thriving at there are four or five Kilmersdon, says Sustrans mature trees along the volunteer Bob Ladd path. Sustrans decided to create a linear orchard along the track about twelve years ago and the majority are doing well. The Tower of Glamis and Chivers Delight are among the varieties that can be found on the route and walkers, cyclists, runners and horse riders are welcome to help themselves to the fruit as they pass by. Rob Ladd
Dear Mendip Times, There are up to 75,000 deer vehicle collisions (DVCs) each year in the UK resulting in 400 to 700 human injuries and several human fatalities each year. The Deer Initiative estimate that over 14,000 vehicles in the UK will incur significant damage (i.e. above the common insurance claim excess of £250) as a result of DVCs, imposing further costs up to £50 million incurred through human injury DVC accidents alone. Further substantial economic losses not included in the above estimate arise through traffic delays, dealing with injured and removal of dead deer from the roadside as well as the extensive impact of DVCs in terms of animal welfare. The Deer Initiative is a broad partnership of statutory, voluntary and private sector interests dedicated to “ensuring the PAGE 16 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
LETTERS
delivery of a sustainable wild deer population in England and Wales” and together with our partner organisations, including Highways England, we are promoting the Deer Aware message to drivers across the regions by sharing safety advice and highlighting the peak times that DVCs occur. The Deer Initiative’s research of reported deer vehicle collisions for England and Wales 2008 – 2013 has been released listing the top areas. These include: Clevedon – Gordano: M5 Clevedon to Gordano and nearby Aroads The Mendips – Cheddar and especially Burrington Combe Taunton: M5 south west and north of Taunton and side roads Bath – Claverton: A36 Bathampton – Limpley Stoke and surrounding roads. Katie Barlow, The Deer initiative Ltd, Chirk, Wrexham Dear Mendip Times, Does your dog enjoy training? Researchers at the University of Bristol are looking for keen dogs and their owners to take part in a study on dog behaviour. The two-year study aims to understand why spinning or tail chasing behaviour develops and the effect this has on dog welfare. Many tail chasing and spinning dogs have already taken part in the research study and now the researchers are recruiting dogs that do not chase their tails or spin in circles. These dogs will be a comparison population for the spinning dogs that have already taken part. Repeated spinning in circles and tail chasing are types of abnormal repetitive behaviour displayed by dogs. This behaviour can develop due to a range of reasons including the dog anticipating an exciting event, such as being fed or going for a walk. Participation in the project will involve researchers visiting dogs and their owners to collect information about the dog and to carry out two training tasks, which will measure the dog’s ability to learn a simple task and investigate a personality characteristic. Members of the public, who own a fit and healthy dog of any breed, age and sex, and who live in Bristol and the surrounding area are invited to take part in the project by emailing: spinningdog-study@bristol.ac.uk or visiting the Bristol Spinning Dog Project Facebook page. Dr Rachel Casey University of Bristol, Langford
Dear Mendip Times, The Somerset Wildlife Trust is extremely grateful for the support that was given towards the Plant Sale and Open Garden held at Rookery House, the Causeway, Mark, on May 2nd. Once again the magnificent amount of over £3,000 was raised and all will be used in Somerset “Protecting Wildlife for the Future” - the logo line of the Trust. Thanks go to Lanes, Budgens and Maunders of Cheddar and Somerlap, Mark, and many individuals who provided raffle prizes and to everyone who was able to help either by providing plants and cakes or by assisting in the organisation for the event and on the day, and by coming to buy. Over 300 people attended and enjoyed the garden and refreshments. Sincerely, Norman Lees
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Home-grown design success
SOMERSET Lavender have launched two new lavender fabric designs celebrating all that is great about Somerset Lavender and the fields it grows in. It is the result of collaboration with a talented young textile designer, Danielle Folland. Danielle went to Somerset Lavender for her professional experience module, as part of a BA Hons degree in textile design at Birmingham City University. A local girl, Danielle lives in Faulkland and has grown up in the countryside around the village and used this for her inspiration to design the beautiful lavender fabric. Over six weeks the project developed with Danielle producing drawings and developing ideas. Eventually the fabric was printed on British linen union fabric and made up into pretty lavender bags. Danielle said: “It was great to be able to work with people and places I know so well and especially to see the project though to making up the lavender bags.” Judith Green from Somerset Lavender said: “We are thrilled with the work that Danielle has produced.”
High tech expertise
BATH & West Technical Services was founded in 2009 by Jordan Liddle to provide a broad range of technology systems advice, technical installations and
servicing to domestic and commercial users. This range of services embraces fire and security systems, utilities supply, sound and vision, data networks and WiFi, telephony and IT support. From an initial survey of the customer’s requirements, through delivery, installation and testing to a full after-sales care service, BW-Tech provides a turn-key, bespoke solution. Jordan said: “Having been in the industry for a number of years before starting BW-Tech, I was aware that that there was significant, unsatisfied demand for an intelligent and highly personalised service. “All too many tech system suppliers offer their customer’s off-the-shelf or stock solutions and then hive off the servicing and trouble-shooting obligations to repair companies. “It seemed to me that the market was demanding something altogether different: a tailored solution for which the supplier remained directly responsible. That is what BW-Tech is in business to provide.” And it works, with BW-Tech customers now ranging from small domestic users to some of the West Country’s leading businesses. A recent customer who runs a national event business from home said: “When I moved my business to Bath last year I inherited a technology infrastructure that was wholly inadequate to my requirements. I briefed BW-Tech on what I needed, they responded quickly with a fully-costed proposal which I accepted and was swiftly installed. “Almost inevitably, there were initial glitches. Irrespective of the time of day or day of the week, BW-Tech stayed ‘on the case’ until the system was fully functioning. That’s what I call service.”
Wednesday to Sunday 10am – 5pm May – September plus Bank Holiday Mondays Admission is FREE
Enjoy a visit to the aromatic and peaceful setting of the Somerset Lavender farm in Faulkland. Our café serves teas, homemade cakes and light lunches, all made with local produce. Choose from a range of lavender products in the shop and buy lavender plants. Children will love our willow run and duck pond, while you explore our wonderfully fragrant lavender fields, rose arbour and healing herb garden.
Somerset Lavender, Horsepond Farm, Faulkland, Somerset BA3 5WA 01373 834893 www.somersetlavender.com
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BUSINESS
Photo by Ignyte Limited Radstock
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MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 19
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MENDIP TIMES
National award
THE Country House Gift Company, in Winscombe, has been named best newcomer in the highly acclaimed The Greats Gift Retail Awards 2015 during a ceremony at the Savoy Hotel, beating off considerable competition from across the South and Wales. Owner, Elaine Coles (right), said she is delighted with the news: “We have worked really hard in our first year to offer our customers lovely gifts together with exceptional customer service. To be a winner in the Greats Retail Gift Awards gives all of the team a real acknowledgment for their dedication and effort.” The Country House Gift Company favours British-made gifts, seeking out local designers and craftspeople, making gifts that are a little different and all the more special. They also have an online shop www.countryhousegiftcompany.co.uk
Perfect Pave are winners
SIMON Bethell of Perfect Pave, a company specialising in driveways, patios, and block paving, has been voted the Cheddar Valley Young Business Person of the Year by the Rotary Club of Mendip. The award was Pictured (l to r) Mike Hiles president of made at a recent the Rotary Club of Mendip, with final- club meeting during ists Sharon Lewis, Simon Bethell (winwhich three finalists ner), Daniel Eade and Richard made presentations Acreman to members describing how they have built up their businesses to ensure sustainability, how they train their staff, and their relationships with the local community. The contest was organised by Patrick Simpson and the award was presented by the event sponsor Richard Acreman of Four Fifty Accountants in Cheddar. Simon Bethell, aged 31, grew up on a farm, and had originally expected to follow in the family tradition, but after the farm was sold in 2000, chose to work in the building industry. At the age of 19 he started his own company and received his first contract. Since then he has built up his business which now employs 12 staff. In 2013 he opened a showroom in Cheddar and acquired an agency with Marshalls Register, a national network of driveway and patio installers. After receiving the award he said: “I would like to thank members of the Rotary Club of Mendip for voting for me, particularly when the other two finalists were of such a high standard.” They were Sharon Lewis of Essence Hairdressing in Wedmore and Daniel Eade, managing director of The Isle of Wedmore Golf Club. Rotary President Mike Hiles said: “This is the fifth time we have run this event, and all three of this year’s finalists demonstrated passion for their work. It has been very difficult for us to choose a winner.”
SHOWROOM NOW OPEN
Opening 8.00am – 5.00pm Mon – Fri. 8.00am – 12.00pm Sat
PAGE 20 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
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Cadbury House invests for the future DOUBLE Tree by Hilton Cadbury House Hotel has had a £500,000 upgrade, further extending its private party and conference facilities. Part of the work included the venue’s Great Room being completely revamped, increasing its capacity to 350, while a new conference café area has been added allowing delegates to break out from meetings to catch up with work while using free WiFi. Including the overhaul of the Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar and Grill, managers at the popular four-star venue believe the work will strengthen its position as the best in the business for those needing a venue for events, meetings, conferences, weddings and celebrations. The hotel’s kitchens are next to receive an upgrade, enabling the kitchen team to cater for the rise in bookings. General manager, Colin Badcock, said the popular Great Room had been hosting everyone from brides to businessmen since it was re-opened eight years ago as part of a £26 million development programme, but was in need of refurbishment on the back of an increase in demand for high-end facilities and accommodation. He said: “Cadbury House has gained an enviable reputation for being the best venue in the region for weddings, conferences and meetings. For that very reason the Great Room and other areas of the house needed an upgrade. “The work will now ensure the venue continues to offer the best combination of style and space to reflect the trends in what is a fast-paced hospitality sector. During the downturn people
BUSINESS
organising wedding parties or business meetings were understandably keeping a tight rein on costs and were booking smaller and more intimate venues. “Our success has also gone hand in hand with the much improved economy, with Bristol and the surrounding area becoming a top destination attracting people from across the UK and abroad. This has driven intense competition in the hospitality sector and means we’ve had to raise our game in order to attract custom.” The Congresbury-based hotel has seen conference, events and wedding bookings rise and expects the trend to improve throughout the rest of 2015. This will result in further upgrades at the venue across all elements of the business, including restaurant, bedrooms and wedding facilities. Colin added: “Development work at Bristol Airport has also acted as catalyst to provide quality business and conference facilities. We’re once again at the forefront of providing what the market demands and look forward to showcasing this fantastic venue.”
MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 21
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Tincknell’s Nick is a winner
STORE manager, Nick Burdge, of Tincknell Country Store in Congresbury, has been named Young Employee of the Year in a unanimous decision by judges of the British Independent Retailers Association. They said he was “a clear winner who has achieved a great deal for his age”. The award was presented at their High Street Conference on May 13th. Nick was credited with transforming an agricultural supplies store into a thriving independent country store, welcoming the general public and selling DIY and hardware, garden machinery, pet, equestrian, clothing, footwear and more. Company director, Diana Tincknell, said: “We are thrilled that Nick has been awarded this accolade, in recognition for his efforts and accomplishments. The judges praised him for being an ambassador for customer service with genuine passion and we couldn’t agree more. “Nick and his team, Steve and Phil, have made the store a popular and trusted place to shop with outstanding customer service, help and advice.”
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BUSINESS
New health care services benefit all creatures great and small LOCAL pet owners and farmers can look forward to some exciting new veterinary health care services this summer as Shepton Vets launch a range of new initiatives. The practice is well established in the local area, caring for animals in the Mendip community since 1922, and these new services are a perfect addition to their comprehensive veterinary offering. The Pets Team are dedicated to caring for small animals and advise all pet owners to keep up to date with regular preventative healthcare to safeguard their pet’s health and wellbeing. But there’s a lot to think about – keeping up to date with vaccinations, parasitic treatment and budgeting for these costs can be difficult with a busy lifestyle. Shepton Vets have created their Healthy Pets Club to combine all essential, routine veterinary care in one package, covered by one easy monthly payment. With vaccinations, flea and worming treatment taken care of, you can relax knowing your pet’s healthcare is planned for. The Healthy Pets Club also includes a free microchip and extra discounts off pet food and other items. The plans can also include neutering costs, making it easier than ever to look after your furry family. The Farm Animal Team cover a wide area from Bath to Sherborne, with 12 friendly, knowledgeable and experienced vets, your farm and livestock are in safe hands. Shepton Vets
are the honorary veterinary surgeons for the Mid-Somerset Show and Paddy Gordon has been invited to join the veterinary team at the Royal Bath and West Show. Farming has gone through many changes over the last 90 years and Shepton Vets have consistently adapted their services to match the needs of their clients. This has resulted in a successful training division, providing courses for farmers to increase skills and knowledge on farm and save money. The latest development is a new vet technician service to assist farmers with routines, including mobility scoring, body condition scoring, de-budding and milk sample collection.
If you would like further information on any veterinary services, please contact the Farm or Pets team directly or visit their website at www.sheptonvet.com.
MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 23
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MENDIP TIMES
Now you C it!
CAMELEY LODGE LAUNDRY
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PAGE 24 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
GLASTONBURY Festival founder Michael Eavis is one of the latest people to become the proud owner of a unique brand of signage made by a Mendip company. Mendip Signs specialise in C-Signs which are bespokemade at their workshop at Westcombe near Shepton Mallet. Annette with Michael Eavis and the They are the only Worthy Farm sign presented to him company in Europe by the Royal Association of British to make the vacuumDairy Farmers and the NMR group at an event on the Glastonbury formed plastic signs Festival site to celebrate the Worthy which are mounted herd winning the industry’s 2014 onto wood and will Gold Cup award last for many years. Farmers and livery yards from across the UK and further afield are amongst the company’s biggest customers as the signs can be created to feature anything from images of champion cattle and award-winning horses to a favourite tractor. But homeowners, shops and other organisations who want to own a unique sign have helped Annette Stephens and Ray Pitman build up a successful business since 2011. Annette was working at Longleat when she was introduced to the C-sign idea by a friend and eventually took over the company. Mendip Signs also produce a range of other signage ranging from showboards to banners and wheel covers. Mendip Signs are regular stallholders at agricultural events across the country, ranging from the North Somerset Show to the Royal Highland Show and Annette has now introduced a range of gifts and homeware called Mendip Country Living to complement the signs. Annette said: “People like the fact that the signs are bespoke and can be made to reflect their particular interests This fireside companion set – made and tastes and most from the antler of an Exmoor stag of our Mendip and featuring hand-made tools – is Country Living one of the items in the Mendip products are unique Country Living range. Also pictured is a striking memo board to us.”
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Putting something back into the community
I HAVE never made a secret of the fact that I believe that local businesses should, when the money tree allows of course, put back something into the community that sustains them. As I also believe one should put the money where the mouth is, so to speak, this year we are once again sponsoring Wells Festival of Literature which takes place in October. It is exciting that we shall be putting our names to a talk by A.N. Wilson, an excellent and thoughtful writer. The reason we have chosen him is that his book Dante in Love is one of the works that has helped me to scrabble along in the wake of the knowledge accrued by sonnumber-one while he researched his doctoral thesis. All this is very exciting, but actually not the main reason for our involvement. Our son is working towards a career as a university lecturer and in this he is following in the teaching tradition of the grandfather he never met; David Mogford was a passionate educator and would be over the moon with excitement had he lived to see his grandson's work. Sadly, he died aged 59, four months before his grandson, who is named after him, was born.
BUSINESS
It is this which has inspired us to support the work of the Wells Festival of Literature in the enrichment of the education of local children. The festival is not merely about a series of exciting events which bring people into our lovely area, but it also supports local schools and colleges in funding projects which they may not otherwise be able to achieve. Add this to the PR which all local sponsors receive from the festival organisers and one has what is known as a 'no brainer'. At this point, I feel I should come clean and admit that it isn't the PR which attracts me, shallow creature that I am, but the chance to say to A. N. "Ha, I believe you've met my son ...!" before being firmly removed by one of the family. What are the chances do you reckon? Jane Bowe Probusiness
Details: www.wellsfestivalofliterature.org.uk
MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 25
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Lighthouse rooms get brighter
GUESTS at the busy Lighthouse Guest House at Tytherington, near Frome, will find their stay a lot brighter in the future. Following feedback from residents, owners Janet and Simon Williams have commissioned builders to install much larger windows in the ‘Stables’ bedrooms. Summer is a particularly busy time at The Lighthouse, with families from all over the country and Europe seeking four star bed and breakfast accommodation in the area. The Lighthouse has recently moved to a new online booking system called ‘freetobook’ which has led to a dramatic increase in enquiries, said Janet. But the Guest House is also constantly busy with bookings for its top quality conference facilities.
Be alarmed!
BURGLARY is a serious issue, as anyone who has been burgled can tell you, and that’s why we need to protect our property. Alarms are undoubtedly the most effective deterrent. Burglars don’t want to be seen or heard so setting off an alarm and attracting attention is their enemy. For your peace of mind Chew Valley Alarms can install and maintain a whole range of intruder alarms including CCTV, intercom systems, fire alarms, door and window locks. They can also carry out repairs and replacement of UPVC door locks plus swing gates, security barriers and garage doors and much more.
ECATCHER MOL The Lighthouse: a great venue for business meetings, training courses and community events. Contact our Reception team to arrange a tour of the facilities or to receive our Events Courtesy Pack. First time event booking discount: for local businesses only, we are offering a 25% discount on first time venue hire bookings. Offer valid through to the end of July 2015. Please quote ref: SCD2015 when making an enquiry. For further details please visit our website: www.lighthouse-uk.com or contact Reception on 01373 453585, reception@lighthouse-uk.com.
PAGE 26 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
NO MOLE NO FEE Telephone 01275 332966 mendipmolecatcher.co.uk
PART TIME BAR STAFF TO WORK IN BUSY COUNTRY PUB We are looking for part-time bar staff to join our team in a busy Country pub for evenings and weekends, if you have the versatility to do both – fantastic! The right candidate will have good communication skills, be focused on customer service and be able to think on their feet. (Experience is not essential as training will be provided). The Poachers Pocket, Chelynch, Shepton Mallet, Somerset BA4 4PY. Tel: 01749 880220 Email: poachers-pocket@live.co.uk
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NEWS
Bless this fair
CIVIC dignitaries in Wells took part in the opening ceremony for the 814th May Charter Fair in the city. After a traditional blessing some of the guests – including mayor of Wells Chris Briton – braved the feature Star Gate ride in the Market Place.
Dignitaries gather for the start of the opening ceremony
Mayor Chris Briton and mace bearer Melanie Goody
Irish eyes are smiling
Fair operator James Rogers with carnival queen Martha Grist and town crier Len Sweales
Racing gets results
MEMBERS of the 41 Club of Shepton Mallet and their partners (pictured) spent an entertaining weekend on a tour of Northern Ireland which included a dinner hosted by similar clubs from Ireland at the Royal Belfast Yacht Club. The trip was the brainchild of club chairman Robin Hunter and his wife Karen, also chairman of Tangent. G Shepton Mallet 41 Club is open to all past members of Round Table and meets on the first Tuesday of each month. PAGE 28 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
THROUGHOUT the year Wells and Glastonbury young farmers have been raising money for the club and their chosen charity of the year, Macmillan. Their wacky horse race night was the main fundraiser of this year and was great fun and a massive success raising £2,250. It’s a very active club, socialising at many parties and balls, taking part in competitions and sports, going on trips and visits to local businesses and taking part in carnival. If anyone is interested in joining the club, their meetings are held every first and third Monday of each month at the Cross Keys in Lydford. Details: wellsandgyfc@btinternet.com or find the club on Facebook
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Good for business – that’s the Bath and West Showground MILLIONS of people have visited the Bath & West Showground at Shepton Mallet since it first opened its gates in 1965 as the home of the Royal Bath and West Show. However, did you know The Showground is also home to a myriad of events hosted throughout the year that include antique & collectors fairs, game fairs, religious rallies, motor shows and even adventure sports activities as well as the Society’s other Shows – The Dairy Show and Grassland UK? The Showground now hosts nearly a million visitors a year making it one of Somerset’s largest visitor destinations. Few will know that The Showground hosted the Bath Festival of the Blues in 1970 which then inspired Michael Eavis to launch the now world-famous Glastonbury Festival the following year and today nine small businesses are based on The Showground including a nursery, electrician, a small gauge railway, extreme 4x4 experience and caterer. For 50 years The Showground has created jobs, supported the economy and been at the forefront of tourism, bringing visitors from far and wide to its events. WHILE the Royal Bath and West Show will remain the Society’s flagship event, its new Chief Executive, Rupert Cox, says there’s plenty on the agenda to ensure The Showground becomes the “go-to” venue in the area and says: “We are very lucky to have a theatre which will seat 130 people; very few people know that. It creates opportunities for conferences, lectures and demonstrations. Our restaurant can cater for circa 300 and people can come here and hire a quality room for 15-20 which is fully catered and in such wonderful surroundings or hire the Showering Pavilion that will hold several thousand people or you can hire the entire 240 acres.”
300 people seated in the restaurant 90 x bunked-bed accommodation 9 x toilet & shower blocks 5 x fully serviced meeting rooms
130,000 visitors to the Royal Bath & West Show
4 x exhibition halls, 1 x Theatre
5 x miles of roads and tracks
1 million visitors to The Showground per year
If you are looking for an impressive venue to hold your event contact Amie Hills on 01749 822232 or visit our website for more information.
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MENDIP TIMES
Putting the Med into Mendip
With JUNE MACFARLANE
WHETHER it’s your own garden, a picnic or a festival, eating in the open air is a treat. Go for food that is good at room temperature and make the most of fresh seasonal ingredients and local produce. Strong colours look best in the sun, so keep it vivid and have a couple of things in the fridge for a spur-of-the-moment outdoor meal.
CHARCUTERIE AND ARANCINI PLATTER
What could be nicer than a colourful plate of food just INGREDIENTS assembled at the last minute? about 500g leftover Try, for example, a selection risotto, refrigerated of salamis and chorizo from overnight award-winning local 2 eggs, beaten producer Somerset 100g grated Parmesan Charcuterie and pair it with cheese homemade arancini from 1 large ball mozzarella Sicily. Arancini means “little cheese oranges”, although the breadcrumbs or panko Sicilian version of these rice crumbs balls is pear-shaped. Fans of vegetable oil for deep BBC 4’s crime series frying Inspector Montalbano will know how delicious they look!
METHOD
Let the risotto come to room temperature. Add the beaten eggs and the Parmesan. Season and mix to combine. Take a handful of the sticky rice and form into a pear shape. Make a hole in the middle and fill with a lump of the mozzarella. Roll in the breadcrumbs and set aside while you do the rest. Heat the oil to 350˚F/175˚C. Carefully lower the rice balls into the oil and cook until golden. You may need to do this in batches. Drain on kitchen towel and serve hot, warm or cool with homemade tomato sauce.
Charcuterie and Arancini platter
POTTED DUCK, MI-CUIT TOMATOES
INGREDIENTS
2 duck legs 1 bottle sweet cider 2 bay leaves 2 cloves garlic 3 rashers streaky bacon duck fat, seasoning 1 dozen cherry tomatoes, halved olive oil
Make this in advance and keep in the fridge until needed. Cooking the tomatoes concentrates the flavours and they keep well in oil in a jar for a week.
METHOD
Preheat oven to 220˚F/100˚C Potted Duck Put the duck legs into a casserole dish, add cider, bay leaves and garlic. Season well. Cover and cook two-three hours until meat is tender and falling apart. When cool enough to handle take meat off the bones. Fry the bacon until the fat runs well. Put duck, bacon and bacon fat into a food processor with 1tbsp casserole juices and pulse until shredded but not pulverised. Pack into a sterilised jar, seal with warmed duck fat and a lid. Store in fridge. Mi-cuit tomatoes Lay the tomatoes on baking paper on a baking tray, season well and drizzle with olive oil. Cook at the same time as the duck until the tomatoes have reduced in size and begun to shrivel. Put into a sterilised jar, cover with olive oil and a lid and keep in the fridge. Serve the potted duck with the mi-cuit tomatoes, gherkins and toast and drizzle over some of the oil from the tomato jar.
PERFECT STRAWBERRIES DIPPED IN CHOCOLATE WITH MARSHMALLOWS INGREDIENTS
1 punnet fresh local strawberries, washed at the last minute, hulled 100g good chocolate 1 bag marshmallows wooden skewers, soaked in cold water
The new early season strawberry variety, “Vibrant”, which was awarded the accolade of the “Best New Variety – Edible” at the Grower of the Year Awards in 2012, is being grown in Cheddar and is well worth seeking out (find them at Somerset Farmers’ Markets). Adults will be happy with them as they are or with cream. Children will love them dipped in chocolate with marshmallows on a stick (so will grown-ups)!
METHOD
Melt the chocolate slowly in a bowl over simmering water. Thread the skewers with marshmallows and strawberries. Dip the strawberries into the chocolate. Allow to set on baking paper. PAGE 30 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
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Cheers to Cheddar cheese
CHEDDAR cheese expert Richard Green believes history may be on the verge of repeating itself as more and more people discover “artisan” makers. Richard, who has almost 40 years in the cheese trade, has written a book about the humble cheddar, from its Somerset origins to a product made and available around the world. Working mainly as a cheese grader, A passion for cheddar: Richard is also well-known Richard Green with his new as a judge at local, national book and international shows. The book highlights the fact that, from a total of around 1,000 cheese makers, there are only around 10 farmhouse cheddar cheese makers left in the West Country. Richard began his career at what was Europe’s largest farmhouse cheddar cheese storage facility in Wells, grading and selecting cheese, while over the years also experienced all aspects from actually making cheese to working in the pre-packing rooms. Richard, from Wells, said: “To work for one of the wellknown traditional farmhouse cheddar cheese makers, seeing how regulations, and to a degree politics had an effect on this and many other family businesses, not to mention the might of the massive national and international cheese companies, is told in this book, and often, not always for the best to the family concerns.” But he is also optimistic about the future: “Against a background of turmoil and change, glimmers of hope are given by those who are left, whom continue to diversify in the industry, along with a new era of artisan cheese makers, whom the author has got to know over the years, and in turn is seeing history start to repeat itself.” G The Last West Country Cheesemakers by Richard Green is available in both e book and print from Tamar Books available from Indigo Dreams Online. Richard will also be signing copies at the Royal Bath and West Show, MidSomerset Show and other events.
FOOD & DRINK Country shopping at its best
North Widcombe, West Harptree, Bristol BS40 6HW
MEAT SUPPLIED FROM OUR OWN FARM
CELEBRATE SUMMER WITH US! BEAUTIFUL SOMERSET WILLOW AND WONDERFUL PLANTS
Tasty Cheddar strawberries and our own cream!
Enjoy a good Sunday roast
Emma Bridgewater China & other gifts Geoff’s fresh fish every Friday
Centred around a traditional farm courtyard near Chew Valley Lake – the very best in local produce and gift ideas
TEA ROOMS Hot & cold meals Delicious cream teas Full English breakfasts Come and enjoy our lovely Sunday roast lunches
Opening times: Farm shop: Monday to Friday 9am - 5.30pm Saturday 8.30am - 5.30pm • Sunday 10am - 5pm Tea Room: Monday to Sunday 9.30am - 5.30pm
Wheelchair access, children welcome, free parking, coaches by appointment
Farm Shop: 01761 220067 Tea Rooms: 01761 220172
MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 31
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MENDIP TIMES
End of an era at club
Visit our award-winning Farm Shop, Café, Deli and NEW Fish & Chip Shop!
FOOD & DRINK
Fis h & Chips afternoon s pecial. Enjoy 20% off at Farrington’s Fish & Chip Shop when yo u pres ent this voucher. Open all day Tuesday – Saturday 12 noon–7pm Late opening on Friday 12 noon–8pm. Phone 01761 452809 to order. Offer applies 12pm – 4pm, Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday. The offer is as stated and has no cash value. Copied, damaged or defaced vouchers will not be accepted. Only 1 voucher per transaction. Expiry date 30th June 2015.
Find us just off the A362, Farrington Gurney, BS39 6UB
The Poachers Pocket Chelynch Shepton Mallet Somerset BA4 4PY Tel: 01749 880220
MALCOLM and Sheila Brown are retiring after 35 years as stewards of Blagdon Village Club. They met at primary school, when Malcolm was ten and Sheila was five, and married 13 years later. Various jobs brought a lot of experience in catering and pub work and in 1980 they arrived at Blagdon Club with four-year-old Vicky to be greeted by the then chairman of the committee Bill Murdoch. Sheila said: “This isn’t just work, the customers who come in here are our friends and some have been for 35 years.” From June 1st, former village policeman Nick Crocker and his wife, Lauren, take over as stewards. Nick said: “Malcolm and Sheila can take credit for the fact that people come to the club because of them. “They have created that friendly, family atmosphere, they know the names of children and dogs that come in and what news there is in the village is discovered first off in the club.” The village is planning a party for Malcolm and Sheila at the club on Saturday May 30th at 7pm.
Keith & Poppy welcome you to Having a party? e pub has a large e Poachers Pocket, a traditional and well-appointed function room for pub set amidst beautiful rolling hire, available for any occasion. Somerset countryside. If you’re a keen walker there are a It serves good, home cooked food in a multitude of glorious countryside friendly and welcoming atmosphere, walks to choose from, and with with a great selection of wines and nearby local attractions including real ales to accompany your meal. Wells, Cheddar Gorge and Wookey Hole, the Poachers Pocket is the e garden offers stunning views of ideal place to stop for a spot of the open countryside beyond, and lunch or an evening meal as part of in Winter you can cosy up next to your day out. the roaring log fires.
Email: poachers-pocket@live.co.uk PAGE 32 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
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Whatʼs new from Myrtle Farm
THATCHERS
The Railway Inn’s new chef
A round-up of events from Thatchers Cider in Sandford
Through the camera lens
OUR photographer Neil Phillips has been out and about in the orchards over recent weeks capturing some stunning images of our orchards in full bloom. These are our Katy trees – come August and September these trees will be laden with luscious red apples, ready to be pressed into delicious crisp Somerset cider.
It’s in the can
WE’VE put two of our favourite ciders into cans for the first time. Both Somerset Haze and Old Rascal are now available in 440ml cans, alongside our 500ml bottles. You can find both ciders on draught too. Somerset Haze is a premium cloudy cider, just right for long hot summer days. It’s crafted from apples varieties including Discovery, Falstaff, Gala and Jonagold. Old Rascal is crafted from 100% bittersweet apples – including Redstreak, a favourite Somerset apple to add peppery and spicy notes; Dabinett for a rich, full body, and Tremlett’s for its flavour and tannins, giving a full bodied character and a distinctive medium dry flavour. Cheers, and congratulations to Mendip Times on its tenth anniversary.
MEET Matthew Hampshire, who is the new Head Chef for The Railway Inn in Sandford. Trained under renowned West Country chef Michael Caines, Matt is joining us at Thatchers after positions at two well-known Bristol restaurants, Riverstation and Rosemarino. He’s now relishing the Head Chef role creating a food offering for the pub that features locally and ethically sourced seasonal products. He’s already in conversation with many of the best local suppliers. “Somerset and the South West is brimming with great food producers; this is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the quality produce that the region has to offer,” he says. Matt’s menu for The Railway Inn will include bar snacks, pub classics as well as a chef’s menu for the restaurant, and tailored menus for weddings and functions. We’re currently recruiting for staff at The Railway Inn – our new Cider House and Kitchen needs team members with a passion for great customer service, front and back of house. If you’re interested please visit www.thatcherscider.co.uk/careers for more details.
www.thatcherscider.co.uk • Don’t forget you can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook Thatchers Cider, Myrtle Farm, Sandford, Somerset, BS25 5RA • Tel: 01934 822862 MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 33
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MENDIP TIMES For all your BBQ and summer needs
F Award-winning burgers F Kebabs F Ribs F Hog roast for parties/functions
F Locally sourced meats F Home made pies, sausages etc. F Home-cured bacon
F Free delivery service to local area
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GOODFELLOWS Restaurant & Café
Celebra ng 10 years of GOODFELLOWS Wells
Adam & Mar ne Fellows would like to thank their customers for their support over the last 10 years NEW
Seafood Tas ng Menu 5 courses for £48
NEW
Mid-Week Menu 3 Courses for £29
5 Sadler Street, Wells, Somerset, BA5 2RR t: 01749 673 866 www.goodfellowwells.co.uk e: goodfellowseat@gmail.com PAGE 34 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
When only the best will do
Chris Mitchard with the awardwinning burgers. The shop at Westfield boasts a smart new canopy
MITCHARDS Butchers in Westfield, near Radstock, is the place to visit this summer for all your barbecue requirements. No strangers to winning awards for the quality of their produce, the family-run business has once again received a prestigious prize for their beef burgers with their beef and onion patties taking top honours in a competition run by the South West Area Council of Meat Traders. The business was founded in 1913 by Gilbert Mitchard and grandson Brian and his son Chris continue the tradition of selling quality meats to this day. Chris said: “Our beef burgers are all made from the best prime steak mince from cattle from the local area, fed on the best Mendip grass.” As well as beef burgers, Mitchards produce pork and apple, lamb and mint and even turkey burgers. Or try their ribs and home produced kebabs – perfect for a summer barbecue.
Goodfellows anniversary
GOODFELLOWS Restaurant, in the heart of the historic city of Wells, is celebrating ten successful years. Owners Adam and Martine Fellows had a vision to create a restaurant using all the wonderful ingredients the South West of England has to offer, specialising in fish from Brixham and French patisserie, but also utilising wonderful local produce such as duck from the Mendips and Somerset pork. Opened at the end of 2004, Goodfellows has become one of the most respected and popular restaurants in the region. Adam spent 17 years learning his trade in some of the best restaurants across, England, France and Belgium, cementing his passion and flair for creating dishes that are light but intense with flavour. In celebration of their first ten years, Goodfellows has created a new five-course seafood tasting menu, showcasing some of Adam’s favourite dishes. To book a table call 01749 673866.
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GARDEN FOOD
More than just deliciosa!
UNTIL a couple of years ago, I had no idea that kiwis could be cultivated in the UK. Then, one autumn day in a friend's forest garden, I was given a small handful of fruit to try, each about twice the size of a very large grape. They were not furry but had a delicious With JAKE smooth, slightly chewy skin and upon WHITSON biting each fruit in half a classic kiwi fruit structure of green flesh, white core and black seeds was revealed. They had the same subtle, delicious kiwi flavour of the furry kiwis found in shops, but were much sweeter, presumably by virtue of being grown to full ripeness in soft Pembrokeshire sunshine, as opposed to being picked hard and unripe in Chile and shipped halfway around the world to our supermarket shelves. I was instantly hooked. The classic kiwi found in supermarkets is Actinidia deliciosa and in our climate you really need a favourable spot or a greenhouse to ripen the fruit. However most plants in the genus Actinidia produce delicious fruit and there are several species that do well outside here – most notably the hardy kiwi, Actinidia arguta (the first home-grown kiwis I tried) and the Arctic kiwi Actinidia kolomikta. Contrary to what you might presume kiwis are not native to New Zealand at all, but instead range throughout temperate eastern Asia, from Siberia all the way south to Vietnam. They grow as vines, much like grapes, and need something to climb – a trellis, pergola or even a hedge or pollarded tree. However, as Martin Crawford notes, you need to stop kiwis climbing too high or you will need a helicopter to harvest the fruits! You generally need to have both male and female plants to get fruit, however there are some self-fertile selections, such as 'Issai' (pictured). I've yet to harvest my own kiwi fruits, though I've high hope to get a few off this vine this autumn. Watch this space!
Jacob is a former chef turned food writer, smallholder and mycologist. He divides his time between the Mendips and his nine-acre forest garden project in Pembrokeshire, and runs the business jakeswildfungi.co.uk, making specialist mycorrhiza products for tree planting.
FOOD & DRINK
WILD FOOD
The best spring soup ever!
I MIGHT have set the bar a little high with the above title but this really has to be tried to be believed, a real tasty treat. I’ve talked about the two major ingredients separately in previous articles but now I have brought them together. I would even go so far as to say it’s a marriage made in heaven. With ADRIAN What am I talking about? Well it’s none BOOTS other than wild garlic and stinging nettles. Of course this is not the first time this combination has been brought together but we need to give this soup the rightful place it deserves in our seasonal culinary toolkit. I think I might name it ‘Gar-nett’ soup or possibly ‘Sting-lic’ soup, what do you think? I like ‘Sting-lic’. Additionally, there are real health benefits from using these spring greens. Wild garlic is fantastic for the blood and also contains vitamins and minerals. Nettles are the ultimate wild ‘super’ food. They contain more iron than spinach, more protein by dry weight than virtually any other plant in the UK and are also full of vitamins and minerals. Stinging nettles and wild garlic (aka Ramsons) are superabundant at this time of year and whilst nettles pretty much grow anywhere, wild garlic seems to prefer a bit of shade. Look for them along hedgerows and in woodland. I recommend using gloves and scissors to collect your nettles though. Collect half a carrier bag full of nettle tops and the same amount of wild garlic. The basic recipe is a vegetable stock. Sweat a chopped onion, celery stick and a carrot in olive oil for 2-3 minutes. Then add at least half litre of water to cover the veg and a good pinch of salt and boil for 10-15mins. Some people like to pour the stock through a sieve but I like to keep the chunks as this is going to be a thick soup. Reduce the heat then add your leaves remembering to first remove any stalks and wash in clean fresh water. Simmer down until the leaves are a dark green. Then blitz in a liquidiser, return to the pan and simmer for five minutes. I like mine served with a poached egg or a dollop of sour cream/crème frâiche on top and seasoned to taste. Serve with crusty bread and butter. The reason this combination works so well is due to the green/runner bean flavour of the nettles balancing the intense onion/garlic flavour of the wild garlic. Go on, give it a try, you might well surprise yourself and your friends with what could be the best spring soup, ever! Adrian Boots is a Landscape Ecologist, Wild Food Forager and Adventure Activity provider. You can visit his web site www.gowildactivities.co.uk to learn more about wild food foraging and activities you can do with him on the Mendip Hills.
MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 35
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Cider fayre’s success
DESPITE a rather damp Bank Holiday, the Ring O’ Bells, Compton Martin hosted their third annual Cheese and Cider Fayre with crowds of over 1,500 throughout the day. The event raised £2,200 for the Bristol Children’s Help Society, which operates Barton Camp, and £528 for the village hall. Later a soggy cider marquee was transformed as a 450-strong crowd danced to Port Isla, followed by surfy rockers Sunset Sons. Beekeeper John Smythe from Blagdon
Behind the bar (l to r) Paige Farnham, Gizelle Lett and Sophie Burrows Organisers Luca and Miles Leonard with the tug o' war trophy
The winning Compton Martin team Local band Squeeze Fiddle Pluck performed
PAGE 36 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
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FOOD & DRINK
MARZEMINO, Montepulciano, Nerello Mascalese, Primitivo, Carricante, Nerello Cappuccio? What have all these got in common? These are some of the grapes found at The Wine Shop, and yes you've guessed they are all from Italy. Italy is full of indigenous With KELLI grapes varieties from top to toe. From the COXHEAD hills of Trentino we have a beautiful Finado Pinot Blanc £12.99, crisp elegant white with fruity apples and pears, aged on its lees to add richness and body, ideal with food. A cheeky little red Marzemino £7.99 from Trentino, fresh red berry fruits with a touch of violets. Further down we reach Abuzzo, where the red grape montepulciano grows. You may have tried our lighter fruity style of wine Taverna Nova £9.49 superb for easy pasta dishes. If you like big rich reds then this Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Yume £15.99 may just be up your street. This is a fabulous rich wine aged in barrel for six months. Intense aromas of dark fruit, spice and chocolate make this a complex wine with great structure, tannins and freshness. Down at the bottom of the boot, you really can get incredible value for money. Handpicked Primitivo from the little town of Manduria the Magnifico Rosso Fuoco £12.99, aged in oak barrels gives this a full-bodied, rich blackcurrant moreish style. Floral notes, great acidity with a pleasing long finish. Great with grilled meats. Hop across to the island of Sicily to taste the beautiful wines of Etna, you can almost taste the volcanic soil. Taste the freshness of the red Etna Rosso Biancodicaselle £16.99. The Nerello Cappuccio grape is aged in barrel for 8-10 months and has a rich helping of ripe red fruit with a soft touch of vanilla. The white indigenous grape Grillo from Cellaro Luma £9.99 shows floral notes as well as mouth-watering grapefruit apples and pears, ideal with risotto and fish dishes. Known as the Barolo of the south, from 60-year-old vines the Benanti Nerello Mascalese £23.99 is an expressive wine that has fragrance elegance, black cherries, liquorice and is high in tannin and acidity. It shows beautifully with red meats and game.
Ston Easton Tasting – Friday, 19th June
JOIN us The Wine Shop at Ston Easton for a wine tasting exploring New World vs Old World Wines. You will learn a brief outline of tasting techniques and the historical background of each wine. Learn about grape varieties and why they can be so enjoyable to drink. Friday 19th June • Arrival time 6.30 • £25 per person To book please contact Ston Easton directly on 01761 241631 or email reception@stoneaston.co.uk
ME OF FEATHERS U L P
DUCK RACE SATURDAY 11th JULY
5pm start, pig roast, bbq, ice cream stall, face painting, local band playing and 3 bars open. raising money for Blagdon and Burrington pre schools and Blagdon guide and scouts Best dressed Plastic Duck competition – see website for entry details With Burrington fete on the same day – make a day of it with an afternoon at Burrington and an evening at The Plume! Visit www.theplumeoffeathers.com
For more information, wines, case offers and events please pop in or visit the website www.thewinetastingco.com MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 37
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15th Beer Festival Friday 24th July GREAT BEERS & CIDERS
LIVE MUSIC Friday 24th: Total Madness (Tribute band) 9pm Saturday: The Stopcocks (Local band) from 9pm Sunday: Steve James (The Piano Man) from 3pm + FAMILY FUN DAY with bouncy castle, face painting, BBQ and grand weekend raffle raising money for local cause ‘Bella's Trust’
The
NEW INN BATH ROAD • FARMBOROUGH • BATH • SOMERSET BA2 0EG
A large family friendly pub set in a very large garden, with external seating and two childrens’ play areas. Serving a traditional Sunday Lunch 12-9pm.
CLOSED FOR REFURBISHMENT 1-25 JUNE 2015 Fantastic Career Opportunities Available Telephone: 01761 470350 Email: 6669@greeneking.co.uk
PAGE 38 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
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Village beer festival
RESIDENTS of Upton Noble, near Frome, are hoping to put their village on the beer festival map with the launch of their first communitybased event. The two-day festival will be held in a marquee in the village, which has lost its pub and post office but still retains a thriving school. The festival – born out of monthly “pub evenings” in the village hall – will take place on Friday, September 3rd and Saturday, September 4th. All profits will be donated to charity, split between local good causes and a fund for young people.
FOOD & DRINK
Festival chairman Dan Hurring
For details, visit: www.unfestival.co.ul
WE ARE NOW 4* RATED ####
G Bed & Breakfast en suite bedrooms in the attached refurbished Cider House always available to book on any night. Ideal location close to the Bath & West Showground and other local attractions. There are also some lovely walks in the vicinity. G Cask Marque Ales G Somerset Ciders G Check the website for details of all our upcoming events EVER-CHANGING SPECIALS BOARD with extensive menu and seasonal daily specials
natterjack
MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 39
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Chew Magna Duck Race
Claverham May Fair
May queen Harriet Walton being crowned by Jean Watson with her attendants Louise Drake and Emily Jordan. The maypole dancers
Pictured (l to r) Naomi Cooper, Kate Kew and Jacqui Cozens of the Chew Magna Society which organised the event
The dog show PAGE 40 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
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EVENTS
Blagdon Fete
Pictured (l to r) Tina Smith, Natasha Wilcock, Caroline Way and Margaret Anstee Catching ducks
Pictured (l to r) Andrew Barnes, Neil Hatherall and Jeremy Bennett
Country dancing
MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 41
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Evocative art
Evocative – one of the framed poppies from the Tower of London display
SWAN Artworks, based on the Old Mills Trading Estate at Paulton, has been meeting the challenge of framing some examples from one of the most extraordinary works of art to commemorate people who fell in the First World War. Tony and Carrie Osborne have received a number of enquiries about poppies from the “Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red” art installation by Paul Cummins at the Tower of London which received thousands of visitors. Carrie said: “It’s a lovely chance for us to work on such an evocative piece of art and history. “If you have a poppy you would like to have framed, please do pop by at our new premises or call for a quote and we’ll be happy to suggest some ideas for arrangements and presentation.”
New venture for Church House Designs
CHURCH House Designs is one of four venues in Congresbury opening their gardens as part of an NGS Open Gardens event on Sunday June 7th, 10.30am – 4.30pm. The gallery will be open during this event and will stage an exhibition of Art in the Garden featuring works by
ceramic artist, Nicola Richards. Her pots are individually hand-built using coiling and slabbing to create pots, bowls or pebble-shaped forms. Decorations and patterns are produced by a variety of smokefiring techniques. Also in the garden will be sculptures in forged steel by Claudia Petley and Paul Shepherd from Herefordshire. Their work ranges from small interior items to large architectural commissions. They aim for elegance and precision, using their instinct and feel for the materials to turn a coarse, lifeless piece of steel into something animated and tactile. The exhibition continues until June 27th, Wednesday to Friday 10am to 5pm, Saturday 10am to 2pm.
MENDIP VALLEY ANTIQUES & COLLECTABLES Mark Sparkes has new premises dealing in antiques, paintings and curios Mon - Fri: 9.30am - 4.30pm • Closed Wednesday Sat : 9.30am - 4pm • Sun: 10am - 4pm
New Manor Farm Shop Widcombe BS40 6HW Contact: sparkes.contracting@yahoo.co.uk 07966 387252
Church House Designs NGS Open Garden @ Church House Designs Sunday 7th June 10.30am – 4.30pm – Refreshments Also, an Exhibition of ‘Art in the Garden’ until 27th June Gallery selected for quality by the Crafts Council of Great Britain
Open Wednesday – Friday 10am – 5pm, Saturday 10am – 2pm (or by appointment) Broad Street, Congresbury, Bristol, North Somerset BS49 5DG • Telephone 01934 833660 • www.churchhousedesigns.co.uk PAGE 42 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
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ARTS AND ANTIQUES
Clevedon Salerooms, here, there, everywhere! IT has been a very busy month at Clevedon. The BBC descended for two whole days filming several episodes of Flog It! to be aired later this year. The star lot of the day sold for £3,100 but you will have to wait for the programme to see what it was! The North Somerset Show managed to escape the rain and Clevedon Salerooms took their regular marquee decked out this year with a contrasting selection of fine antiques and mid-20th century
Beryl Cook oil Tenerife Nights, estimate £12,000 – £18,000
Danish design, all due to be sold on June 4th. The display was deemed worthy of a second place in Paul Martin and Marc Burridge after a successful days filming BBC’s Flog the trade It! at Clevedon Salerooms stands competition. jet lag, will be offered at the June 4th Earlier in the month, a special Specialist Sale at £12,000 – £18,000 consignment of two original Beryl Cook each. To see the entire fully illustrated oil paintings flew in to Heathrow airport, catalogue online visit www.clevedondirect from the Cayman Islands, where salerooms.com their owner had researched the internet to find the best place to sell his pictures. Noting that Clevedon Salerooms have had more success with Beryl Cook originals than any other saleroom around the globe, the pictures arrived with their owner to be greeted at the arrivals gate by Toby Pinn from the salerooms. The two pictures, now recovered from
Fine Art Auctioneers & Valuers
FREE ANTIQUE VALUATION DAYS 8 9 10 & 22 23 24 June 9.30am–1pm and 2pm–5pm Held at the salerooms – no appointment necessary
Beryl Cook – Oil – ‘On the sun Deck’
Theo Faberge – enamel & silver gilt egg
£12,000 - £18,000
£1,000 - £1,500
(One of two Beryl Cook oils in the sale)
(One of fifteen in the sale)
Section from a 16 metre long, oil on canvas hunting frieze by John Atkinson, originally commissioned for Slayley Hall, Northumberland
£4,000 - £6,000
Tel: 01934 830111 or 0117 325 6789
Quarterly Specialist Sale
The Auction Centre, Kenn Road, Kenn, Clevedon, Bristol BS21 6TT
VIEWING: Tues 2nd June 2pm – 5.30pm & Wed 3rd June 10am – 7.30pm
www.clevedon-salerooms.com
Fully Illustrated catalogue online now
Thursday 4th June At 10.30am
MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 43
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North Somerset Arts Week 2015
Gail Mason Claverham
Bridget Morrison, from Winscombe
Paul and Renate O'Donnell from Cleeve PAGE 44 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
Liz Johnson (left), Ian Beckton and Anne Carpenter showed their work in Churchill
Chris Harvey, from Congresbury
John Roberts Wrington
Willow sculpture by Clive HammondLovatt Burnham-on-Sea
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Tamlyns welcome a new expert to the team TAMLYNS in Bridgwater have recently welcomed another experienced valuer to their antique auction room department. Chris Marks has over 20 years’ experience and has joined auctioneer Claire Rawle and the team as a general valuer and 20th century design specialist. His interest in antiques and design started early, rummaging around car boot sales as a child and then going on to study textiles and clothing at university. He spent a number of years working as a fabrics and interior consultant. As time went on Chris started to develop an impassioned enthusiasm and expertise in 20th century design. He started specialising in ceramics, glass and stainless steel, as well as furniture, lighting and other timeless and iconic design pieces. Over time Chris established himself as a dealer in both antiques and 20th century design. As well as sourcing and trading ceramics, furniture, glassware, lighting and textiles from the 1930s to the present day,
he also established a successful vintage fair and undertook freelance writing for the leading antiques magazine Antiquexplorer. Additionally, Chris authored and published a book J & G Meakin Pottery: History in the Making. Chris researched, authored and designed the volume, detailing the history, designs and patterns from one of Stoke-on-Trent’s largest pottery manufacturers for over 150 years. Again, building upon his expertise in 20th century pottery, he has a further book due to be published later this year: Toni Raymond Pottery: From Humble Beginnings. Chris is also a very experienced valuer, having recently worked for another top auction house. This included putting together a specialist 20th century design sale, whereby Chris successfully sourced, valued, advertised and catalogued the specialist sale which included a host of iconic pieces of 20th century ceramics and glass, homewares, works of art, lighting and furniture.
Details: chris@tamlyns.co.uk 01278 445251.
ARTS AND ANTIQUES
Chris said: “I am very excited to be joining the experienced, successful and progressive team at Tamlyns. I hope that my passion and enthusiasm for the field will be a great asset to the organisation and aid the future successes of the auction house. I am looking forward to be holding (another) 20th century design sale later this year at Tamlyns – if you would like to find out more about the sale or have any items that you would like to enter, please do get in touch to discuss further.”
MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 45
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Top prices at Country House Sale
A NORTH West Persian rug was spotted by many potential buyers at the Killens’ Country House Sale on May 16th leading to strong bidding. With keen internet interest and telephone bidders, the rug was eventually sold for £6,400 to a buyer in the room, well above estimate. The first staging of the Country House Sale was a great success with many new faces at the Mendip Auction Rooms with many having travelled long distances. Many items in all sections sold above estimate with a Scottish Silver inkwell selling to a local buyer for £3,100 and a Rolex Oyster watch achieving £2,500. A big surprise was a rare Bourneville cocoa advertising sign which sold for £1,300. In the pictures section, two signed Lowry prints made £1,000 each. About 650 lots went under the hammer at the general sale on April 21st with a diverse entry of items including furniture, pictures, silver, jewellery, ceramics and collectables.
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Injecting STEAM into STEM subjects
EDUCATION
THE teaching profession often talks about ‘STEM’ subjects which is a term describing Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. Much has already been written about the importance of encouraging young people, and especially girls, to continue these subjects beyond GCSE. With 65% of our current BSG sixth form studying STEM subjects, I know that girls are seriously capable of excelling in this traditionally male-dominated field. However, I firmly believe in injecting ‘STEAM’ into STEM. By this I mean including the Arts with a capital A! Creativity and an appreciation of artistic skills and techniques are broader skills that absolutely enhance a scientist or a mathematician’s skillset. After all, when you design an App, it needs to look good to appeal to the target audience; a computer programmer must have a concept of design when creating a new website or online functionality and certainly part of the Dyson’s success is down to the way it looks and not just its suction power! The belief that sciences and the arts cannot be mixed – ‘ne’er the twain shall meet’ – is not only short-sighted but is holding back benefits to our future economy and the work force and business leaders of the future. This is why I am absolutely committed to providing that exposure to the creative and liberal arts for every single one of our students. No matter what their career choice beyond sixth form, college or university, there is so much to be gained, and horizons to be broadened, by exploring creativity in all its forms. And this is why at Bruton School for Girls, you will always find plenty of STEAM in our STEM subjects!
Nicola Botterill, Headmistress at Bruton School for Girls. MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 47
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Outstanding education
STRODE College in Street can confidently say that it provides outstanding education for everyone following two recent Outstanding ratings from Ofsted. In October 2014 the college’s sixth form provision - A Levels, vocational courses and apprenticeships - was judged to be Outstanding by Ofsted and the college is currently the only Ofsted Outstanding sixth form in Mendip and South Somerset. Then, in April 2015, Ofsted also rated the college’s nursery as Outstanding. The College’s university level courses were also awarded the highest rating by the Quality Assurance Agency in 2012. These official reports, combined with the college’s track record for quality teaching and support and excellent student achievements, show that Strode’s approach to education works for all students. If you’re moving on from school after GCSEs or A Levels, or if you’re interested in courses for adults or you want the best nursery education for your child, find out more about Strode College: www.strodecollege.ac.uk or call 01458 844400
PAGE 48 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
A home from home
WELCOMING an overseas student into your home can be a very rewarding experience and there are a number of ways you can become a host family. Every year, thousands of overseas students are educated at independent schools across the UK. When their school closes for half-term holidays and exeat weekends throughout the year, they need a great host family who will provide a home away from home. Pippa’s Guardians has been providing high quality guardianship services to international students for over 17 years. A family-run company, they understand the value of a good home and how a host family can positively impact on a student’s wellbeing. Pippa’s Guardians know their students well and match them with well-suited families. Thousands more overseas students come to the UK on educational visits. They usually spend between one and three weeks here and follow a programme which combines English lessons with day trips and social activities. The students live with a host family during the whole of their stay. Being part of a family and experiencing day-to-day family life enhances their study programme and undoubtedly plays a part in improving their English language skills. As well as receiving a generous payment, there are many other advantages in being a host family. It is a great opportunity to introduce your family to other cultures and languages. Sharing your traditions and family life with an overseas student and knowing that you are helping them during their time in the UK is very gratifying. Long-term friendships often develop and many host families keep in touch with the students and their families.
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More success for Weston WESTON College has achieved Overall Best Performing College at SkillBuild South West 2015, after students from the construction department won a total of eight medals. It was a record number of medals at the event for a single establishment, beating the previous record of seven medals set by Weston College students in 2014 and 2013. Shaun Canniford, construction curriculum manager, said: “Weston College has enjoyed a lot of success at SkillBuild South West over the past three years and we are delighted that this year we have beaten our own record for medals awarded. “It is a great achievement on the part of our students, and is also very much a reflection of the support the students have received from individuals ranging from the committed and dedicated staff in this department to the people at the British Ceramic Tile company who have sponsored our tiling team over the year.” The success at SkillBuild South West
SkillBuild South West
is the latest in a series of achievements by Weston College, which was named College of the Year and Overall FE Provider of the Year at the 2015 TES Awards, and was named Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection. Skillbuild is an inter-college championship that takes place across the country with the support of the Construction Industry Training Board,
EDUCATION
with this year’s South West regional heat being held at South Down College at Paignton in Devon. Winners with the highest number of points are invited in August to a national final at The Skills Show, and the top performers there are selected to compete in World Skills, a national skills competition for youth that is held in a different country every two years.
MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 49
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All Hallows has a new head ANNIE Lee became the first female head of renowned and successful All Hallows Preparatory School at the beginning of April. Since joining the school she has spent time getting to know the 300 pupils by spending time in the classrooms, meeting their parents, chatting to the boarders in the evenings and working with the staff team to get to know each and every one of them. She takes over the role from interim headmaster, Dr Trevor Richards, who has returned to his post of deputy head and school psychologist. Annie has waited two terms since being appointed last June and is very excited to finally be in post. She said: “I am thrilled to have given been the opportunity to lead this fabulous school. From the moment I first visited All Hallows I have been struck by the warmth of the whole community, the passion for learning and the excitement about offering a really innovative approach to education, where children really do matter.” Annie joins All Hallows from Highfield Preparatory School in Maidenhead,
Balloon goes up as college celebrates expansion
STUDENTS, teachers, pupils from local schools and celebrity guests came together in the spring sunshine at St Brendan’s Sixth Form College, to celebrate the highly anticipated opening of their new £1.3 million building. As the only sixth form college in the region, St Brendan’s has seen consistent growth in numbers in recent years, leading to its expansion this term. With an additional ten new classrooms and a second modern café, the new building is designed to improve the facilities for the 16-19 year old students and make room for more this September. The light and airy new build is a welcome extension of the former building, which was almost entirely rebuilt itself in 2009 to provide stateof-the-art facilities for post-16 students. The Brislington campus has developed into a university-like institution over the years; providing the next step after school for nearly 2,000 A-Level and BTEC students from across the region. PAGE 50 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
where, as head, she led substantial improvements combining high academic standards with a creative curriculum. She has a wide range of teaching experience in both junior and senior schools, including King’s College School, and Wimbledon High School in London. Annie was educated at the Ursuline Convent School and Exeter University, where her first degree was in Music. More recently, she completed an MA (with distinction) in leading innovation and change in education at St Mary's College, University of Surrey: She said: “I am very interested in the way people learn and in helping children to discover how to learn. I know happy children learn best and that children are happy when they feel safe, secure and able to succeed. Teaching to each individual child’s needs is a tall order, but it is the most efficacious way to achieve this goal of happy and therefore successful pupils. “I can see the enormous value we add to the classroom when the children are given lots of opportunity to extend
themselves in the arts, physical education, forest schools and through a strong personal development programme. All these things are apparent at All Hallows and are really valued by the whole community.” Annie said she is determined to treasure the Catholic ethos of All Hallows and to maintain the excellent standards of the recent inspection. The school’s 75-year history of being at the forefront of prep school day and boarding education will be something she will continue to build upon, steering the school through its next chapter of development, with strong leadership and innovation.
Lord Mayor opens new building at St Brendan's Sixth Form College
The grand opening involved a day of celebrations for the many guests and included the official cutting of a red ribbon by the Lord Mayor of Bristol, Cllr. Alastair Watson. College principal, Michael Jaffrain, said, “We are absolutely delighted with
the new building and all its new facilities, it will enable even more innovative and inspirational teaching and learning at the College and in turn further raise aspirations and achievement.”
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Mathematics makes a splash at Clifton High School AT the beginning of May, pupils from Clifton High School undertook a live Skype call with the Song of the Whale research boat, currently based in Ipswich, which is home to a team of marine biologists. The pupils have been studying data from the boat in their mathematics lessons, looking at how its position is charted using mathematics, exploring co-ordinates and how the locations of whales and porpoises are tracked. The boys and girls had their questions answered by a research scientist
and also had a video tour of the boat.
Clifton High School is innovative in its mathematics teaching and throughout the school from the nursery to sixth form this core subject is central in the daily curriculum of their young people. From 2014 junior school pupils in Years 5 and 6 have been taught mathematics by senior school mathematics teachers. Dr Alison Neill, head of school, said: “Mathematics and problem solving are essential tools for our young people and with the new GCSE curriculum being introduced standards and expectations inevitably will increase. We want all our boys and girls to be fully prepared for these changes and the children have benefited enormously from specialists who have current and relevant expertise. “As with all our teaching the aim is to make learning easily accessible and relevant, to further enhance the curiosity, creative mind and confidence of our pupils in a fun way. Our work with the Song of the Whale has been a brilliant
EDUCATION
Boat Skype session
example of this.” Clifton High Senior School is known for providing its pupils with the highest standards of mathematics teaching and in 2014 Katie Gardener gained A* grades in mathematics, further mathematics, physics and chemistry and is now reading mathematics at the University of Oxford. At GCSE level, too, the school’s results are impressive and over the last five years 92% of GCSE students received A* to C grades.
Details: To find out more about Clifton High School contact Mrs Melanie Johnson, admissions registrar on 0117 933 9087 or email admissions@cliftonhigh.bristol.sch.uk. Alternatively visit their website www.cliftonhigh.bristol.sch.uk
MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 51
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INTERNET
Internet tips
HERE are a few suggestions which might help your computer use go a little easier – some are basic, so forgive me if you already know them, but often worth repeating these things. You don't need the http:// portion of a web page, and often don’t need the www. bit either, but if you get an error message it may be because you do need the www. bit after all. E.g. just type itfortheterrified.co.uk in your address bar (not in a search box) and press Enter on the keyboard, and it will skip the results page and take you straight to the site. And if it’s a site you’ve used before, your computer will probably remember it for you, so just “itf” maybe all you need – check if the rest of the line has been filled in and just press Enter (only applies if you’ve used the address bar). If you are filling out an online form, e-mail, or other text field you can quickly move between each of the fields by pressing the Tab key (or Shift + Tab to move back to a previous field if you’ve gone too far). For example, in the example form below you can click in the "First Name" field type, and then press tab to move to the next field. With a drop-down box that lists dozens of options you can press the first letter to scroll down to that letter. E.g. in this example, if you want to type Google search, in response to “How did you find us?” just type a G (assuming you’ve tabbed to that box and it’s highlighted) and it will take you to the right place for you to click, and complete the field. Anything with a * next to it is a required field, so you don’t have to enter your phone number in this example. There are all sorts of shortcuts you can use – here are a few for PC (Safari tips for Mac users next issue): Press Alt + D to move the cursor into the address bar. Hold down the Ctrl key and press the + or – to increase and decrease the size of text. Ctrl + 0 will reset the text. Press the backspace key or press Alt key + left arrow to go back a page. Press F5 to refresh or reload a web page. Press F11 to make the Internet browser screen full screen. Press F11 again to return to the normal view. Press Ctrl + B to open your Internet bookmarks. Press Ctrl + F to open the find box to search for text within the web page you are reading. Submitted by IT for the Terrified: The Old Cowshed, Station Road, Cheddar BS27 3AG 01934 741751 • www.itfortheterrified.co.uk itfortheterrified@btconnect.com This article is for guidance only, and the opinion of the writer. For more in depth information, please contact us. We offer individual training, at a pace to suit you; a session lasts 2 hours and costs £10. We can cover a range of subjects – including absolute basics; photo management; shopping online; emailing; Word processing, spreadsheets; basic web design; etc. on a range of devices, including Windows W7/W8: Macs: Tablets: iPads: smartphones. We also run a Computer Drop in session 1.30-3.30 Thursday afternoons. Call in for a quick word of advice/help/info. Or if you can spare two hours and week have skills on any level – especially iPad – that you would like to share with others, please get in touch.
PAGE 52 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
CROSSWORD
The Mendip Mindbender
ACROSS 1. Eventually harassed tenants cursed deliberately placed obstacles (14) 9. Study fair change again (8) 10. Lead copper changes it back to desert life (5) 12. Unfeeling miners balloted (4) 13. Towel trade centre in introduction to liquid asset (3,7) 15. Go straight when let in ahead of time (8) 16. Could rebuilt levee establish village? (6) 18. Turn back a French snake (6) 20. Man and boy in mix up getting to continent (8) 23. State name, correspond to lenders and reschedule (10) 24. Imagined paradise gets Labour back in (4) 26. Home soon, back in the loop! (5) 27. Actor on the side? (8) 28. Ponds see normal conditions strangely producing individual problems (8,6) DOWN 2. Hope, with little reason, for reinvention and more... (5,2)
3. Capitalised on borderline village (4) 4. Trait in Lauren’s misbehaviour results in people being even-handed (8) 5. Furore of Ben and Jerry’s nemesis creates close-up(6) 6. All encompassing grasp follows nicer alternative (10) 7. Old priest returns before reserve gets in touch (7) 8. Hi jinx! Mired murkily but took lead through purple haze (4, 7) 11. Happy returns! Two between nine and 150 follow on (2,5,4) 14. Fashion diminished and becomes common (10) 17. Violently raid clan to flush out religious leader (8) 19. Local response to divorce rate? (7) 21. A poem and a little piece of comedy produce an American original (7) 22. Sea rescuers reorganise and follow mother fish (6) 25. It is less likely that it contains any of man, youth or dogs (4)
Answers on Page 121
Compiled by Felkov
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MENDIP TIMES
Trip of a lifetime
Ellie Shearn, Ed Hague and Jake Parsons at the front with Adam Gover-Clark behind.
THE Rotary Club of Nailsea and Backwell sponsors local schoolchildren, giving them the chance to sample life on the ocean waves. The youngsters are sent as crew members on tall ships, an experience offering a
considerable challenge. Four local students, Ellie Shearn and Ed Hague, both from Nailsea School, and two air cadets, Jake Parsons and Adam Gover-Clark, sailed on the Stavros Niarchos from Liverpool to Cardiff. Ellie said: “I had the time of my life and will 100% be returning for more. The crew on the Stavros recommended me to return as a volunteer crew member which makes it even better! So now I can really help return the favour and give other people a chance to have a great time too!” The club intends to continue this popular initiative but places and funds are limited. Recruitment of candidates usually starts in October but applications by interested youngsters or further information can be obtained now. Details: From Rotarian Bill Dewerson at dewerson1@googlemail.com
Farewell to Carole
Cooking up aid for Africa
AFTER taking a holiday in The Gambia in 2005, Mary Annegarn hit on a novel way of raising money to relieve poverty there. She started writing to celebrities and politicians asking them to help by providing a recipe for a cookery book to be sold to raise money. The book has now been published containing 65 recipes from simple snacks and soups to exotic main courses, desserts and baking. Find out what Charles Kennedy enjoys for breakfast, the traditional regional dishes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Tommy Walsh, Sir Cliff Richard’s vegetarian meal for one, Julie Walter’s favourite sandwich and Gordon Ramsay’s favourite dessert. Learn what Dame Judi Dench does with the Italian Pannetone cakes she is given for Christmas, why Carol Smillie boils condensed milk in the can and what William Hague does with stinging nettles. This is just a small sample of what you will find inside this unique book. Mary was brought up near Stratton-on-the-Fosse and now lives in Weston-super-Mare. All profits from the sale of the book will go to Friends of The Gambia Association (FoTGA), which was formed in 1990 and was registered as a charity in the UK in 1995. It’s currently raising funds for their biggest ever project, a new health centre to be built in Bakindik, to serve a large number of villages on the north bank of the River Gambia. The book costs £6 plus postage: £1.60 for one book; £3 for two or three books; £4 for four to seven books. Details: Please make all cheques payable to: Mrs M. R. Annegarn, 3, Sandringham Road, Weston-super-Mare, BS23 3QN. www.fotga.org.uk
Art from the heart
Carole Dacombe (front cream top) with St Peter's Hospice staff past and present
A SPECIAL tea party was held at St Peter’s Hospice in Bristol to mark the retirement of its medical director, Dr Carole Dacombe, after 25 years of service. Dr Dacombe, aged 61, paid tribute to the hospice, her colleagues and the people the hospice serves. Simon Caraffi, the hospice’s chief executive, said: “During her time at St Peter’s she has been involved in caring for tens of thousands of patients with life-limiting illness, and it is no exaggeration therefore to say that she has made a huge personal contribution to the well-being of the people of Greater Bristol.” PAGE 54 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
ST MARGARET’S Hospice, in Yeovil, plans to celebrate its 35th year with The Great Somerset Colour Run on Sunday June 14th at Hazlegrove School, in Sparkford, near Yeovil. Set over a simple 5k course, many hues of powdered paint will be thrown at participants, with a big colour bomb frenzy at the end! The resulting rainbow of colours has inspired a local artist to get involved to create some very special artwork. Bruton based Richard Pomeroy is renowned for his large colourful pieces, created using all or parts of the body, fabric and bundles of leaves straight onto canvass. He will invite runners at the end of the race to create a 20m long work of art by inviting them to apply their hands, feet or even whole bodies to the huge canvass. The final unique piece of art will be displayed in the hospice and the school, adding colour to the lives of patients, staff and pupils for years to come. Details: www.greatsomersetcolourrun.co.uk
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Aid for Nepal
BLAGDON rainbows, brownies and guides raised more than £600 with a spontaneous cake sale to aid victims of the Nepalese earthquake. Within 90 minutes of the girls setting up their tables of goodies on the corner of Station Road in the village, the entire stock had been sold. District Commissioner, Tracy Higgins, said: “The amount of support has been phenomenal. We have received over 50 donations of handmade cakes." Blagdon guides recently gave their time to help Chelwood Rotary Club who have been busy packing their water survival boxes to send to Nepal.
Volunteer training
Marathon runners aid hospice
CHARITIES
NINE runners supporting Weston Hospicecare raised £19,000 between them by taking part in the London Marathon. Caroline Harding, aged 38, of Wrington secured £8,000 in sponsorship for undertaking the challenge. This was her first marathon and Caroline completed it in 5 hours 37 minutes. She said: “I chose to run the London Marathon for Weston Hospicecare because they are an amazing charity and help so many families in the local area, some of the families being my close friends.” Another runner, Jeremy Newsome, aged 44, of Cheddar, said: “I’d recommend completing the London Marathon to anyone – you have to be committed and do the training but if you do, I don’t think there’s anyone out there who wouldn’t enjoy it. “I decided to take on this challenge for the hospice as I know various people that have been affected by a life-limiting illness and I wanted to do something to help. I thought, I am healthy and capable, why not run for the people who can’t?” Jeremy achieved a personal best of 3 hours and 37 minutes. Details: If you are interested in applying for a Weston Hospicecare charity place in the 2016 Virgin London Marathon, contact Claire Dibben on 01934 423967 or email Claire.dibben@westonhospicecare.org.uk
Winning against the odds SOMERSET Sight, the independent charity which has been providing support and advice to sight impaired people across Somerset since 1919, is busy training its 160 volunteers on safeguarding procedures, in line with the new Care Act. The training for the Mendip area took place at Coxley Memorial Hall and was run by Saskia Pearlstone, Somerset Sight’s training officer. She’s pictured with Tom Winsborough, the charity’s chief executive, and Mary Spencer of Wedmore who received a certificate for 15 years outstanding service as a volunteer with the charity. Details: Gloria Williams at Somerset Sight’s main office on 01823 366146 or email Gloria@somersetsight.org.uk
CHARITY Heads Up, based near Wells, has been named runner-up in a national Gardening Against the Odds competition organised by the Conservation Foundation. It describes its healing garden at South Horrington as a “little piece of heaven”. The awards ceremony was held in the stunning Great Conservatory at Syon Park, Brentford. Garden co-ordinator Lee-Anne is pictured with volunteers Mike and Elvis.
Details: www.headsupsomerset.org
MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 55
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MENDIP TIMES
It was all about the bass
Reindeer Parade aids air ambulance
At the double: some of the Basshunter survivors
Wells Rotarians Jeff Haskins, Peter Lean, Stuart Cursley and Eric Holmes with the air ambulance crew
STUDENTS from Norton Hill School in Midsomer Norton took part in a unique musical fundraising event which raised nearly £2,000 for their two chosen charities for 2015: Prostate Cancer UK and Coleford-based Time is Precious. Forty students and staff from the school’s Quantock House gave up their Friday night to take part in a music endurance charity sleepover, where they raised sponsorship from family and friends by “enduring” the Basshunter song “Now You’re Gone” on repeat play for 20 hours. Members of the public are still encouraged to support the event. Donations can be made at: www.justgiving.com/quantockhouse and: www.justgiving.com/quantockcharity
LAST year’s reindeer parade in Wells has raised £1,500 for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. Members of the Rotary Club of Wells, which organises the annual event, presented a cheque to the charity; the money came from collections, programme sales and donations from local businesses. The club members at the presentation included Eric Holmes who believes he owes his life to the air ambulance after he suffered an aortic aneurysm seven years ago. The helicopter flew him from Wells to the Royal United Hospital in Bath in just seven minutes. Eric has made a full recovery and is very sure that he would not have survived the 25-mile journey by road. For information about the charity or the rotary club, visit: www.dsairambulance.org.uk and www.rotaryclubofwells.org
Marathon challenge
The end is nigh: Norton Hill students celebrate the end of their sleepover
Charity craft weekend
FOR the past 11 years Paul and Renate O’Donnell have put on a Craft Extravaganza, with cream teas, at their home in Bishops Mead, Cleeve and have raised more than £10,000 for the Children’s Hospice South West. This year’s event will be from June 18th – 21st and will include hand-made crafts, designs in wood and floral art, jewellery, ceramics and much more, made by the couple and their friends. The house will be open 2pm – 8pm on the Thursday and 10am – 6pm on other days. Details: 01934 835141
PAGE 56 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
MARATHON record holders, Dave and Linda Major, who live near Northampton, will be taking part in Weston Hospicecare’s Mendip Challenge on May 31st. They hold the Guinness World Record of “most marathons completed by a married couple”, having completed 1,063 marathons together. The couple, who are both in their early 50s, spotted the hospice event on a database of marathons and have chosen to tackle the longest available route 30 miles – ten-mile and 20-mile routes are also available. Dave said: “We’ve chosen to run the challenge, but as it’s our first time in the Mendips we intend to take our time and enjoy the view!” Details: www.mendipchallenge.org.uk
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CHARITIES
Rotarians aid for Nepal Weston Rotary
THE Rotary Club of Somer Valley has donated £3,000 to World Water Works to send its survival boxes to Nepal. Lawrence Kettle (top right) chairman of the international committee of Somer Valley is pictured with Ray Lithgo, a member of Chelwood Bridge Rotary and director of World Water Works which is desperate for donations to send more of it boxes to the region. Weston Rotarians and the Inner Wheel Club of West Woodspring have also been doing their bit, collecting £964 to help the earthquake victims in Nepal. On the May Bank Holiday weekend, the Rotary Club of Nailsea and Backwell organised two collections for the victims of the Nepal earthquake. A bucket collection outside Waitrose raised the remarkable sum of £2,407 and a further collection at the exit gates
of the North Somerset Show brought in a further £2,100. Members of the Rotary Club of
Mendip Rotarians Dennis Malpass and George Greenow collecting in Cheddar
If you go up to the summit . . .
... OF Mount Snowdon on Saturday, May 30th, you’ll be in for a big surprise – a teddy bears’ picnic in aid of charity. Emma Welch, the 14-year-old fundraiser from Chilcompton who is facing serious back surgery for scoliosis just days later, is hoping to host the world’s biggest teddy bears’ picnic on a mountain summit. Emma is not new to taking on big challenges in order to raise funds for Brain Tumour Research, having in 2013 climbed the height of Everest on an indoor climbing wall (having already been diagnosed with scoliosis) and also having last year cycled 1,000 miles. Emma said: “I am doing this to raise awareness of brain tumours – the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under the age of 40, yet they receive just 1% of national cancer research spending ... this is unacceptable! My church minister, Andrew Stammers, 39, was diagnosed with a brain tumour. He has three daughters.” Emma is appealing to people to donate teddy bears and also for
Somer Valley Rotary
Mendip were out in force collecting money for disaster relief following the earthquake in Nepal, raising over £2,300, including donations from members. The money has been sent to World Waterworks, a Rotary-led charity based in Midsomer Norton, which sends out boxes containing water purification kits, basic cooking implements, tools and household goods in the wake of natural disasters. Over 500 boxes, each costing £150 including air freight, have already been sent to Nepal. Mendip Rotary president Mike Hiles said: “Rotary is an international organisation which supports communities at home and abroad. We are delighted to have been able to help, in a small way, the relief effort in Nepal, and we thank the people of Cheddar, Axbridge and Wedmore for their generosity.” Emma at home in Chilcompton
volunteers to carry the teddies up the mountain in rucksacks (or take them up on the train), as well as for sponsors to help raise as much as possible for Brain Tumour Research by donating to: https://www.justgiving.com/Emma-Welch5/ MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 57
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MENDIP TIMES
Ho sp ic e h a s n e w b o s s
DOROTHY House Hospice Care, in Bradford-on-Avon, has announced that John Davies has been confirmed in post as the new chief executive, having served as interim CEO since last October. John lives in Frome and after a career in the army, entered the business sector taking on a variety of senior roles in companies including Butler and Tanner, of Frome and London, becoming their personnel director in 1996. Since his move to Frome in 1989, he has been very involved with the community with Frome Community College, Mendip Enterprise Council, Frome Rugby Club, Julian House Bath and Reading Refugee Group.
Entries coming in for the festival run
Festival founder Michael Eavis with some of the team behind this year’s Festival Run
MORE than 100 people signed up to compete in the third Festival Run around the Glastonbury Festival site within hours of entries opening. A maximum limit of 550 people has been set for the 5km and 10km events on Sunday, October 11th. A 2km fun run for youngsters will take place on the same day. Proceeds from entry fees will go to Children’s Hospice South West and the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance but runners are welcome to raise funds for charities of their choice. For details, visit: http://www.piltonvillage.co.uk/festival-run.html
PAGE 58 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
Tractor patrol
WESTON-super-Mare Lodge of Moose organised the first of this year’s tractor runs, attracting 29 tractors and several 4x4s in a procession from West Hay Farm in Banwell, down to Bleadon, back to Uphill, along the sea front at Weston to Kewstoke and then across country and then along the sea wall before heading off for Wick St. Lawrence and returning to West Hay Farm via Puxton and Rolston. The lodge raises money for chosen charities and at their handover in April donations were made to organisations including the local RNLI New Station Appeal, FarmLink, Notable Club, Make-a-Wish and Western Active Stroke Club. The tractor run raised in excess of £300 and there will be a further run in September.
Details: www.moose55wsm.co.uk
Wells hosts One World Fair
THE One World Fair, to be held in Wells Town Hall on October 10th, looks like being bigger than ever this year. Last year’s fair attracted 26 charities to join the organisers, Mid Somerset Oxfam Group. More than 40 are likely this time. They include national charities like Fair Trade, CAFOD, Amnesty International and Christian Aid, and local ones like SOS Africa, Transition Wells and St Margaret’s Hospice. They’ll come with their own particular messages, but more than that – to show solidarity in the face of injustice, poverty, poor health and unconcern for the environment. All are trying, in their different ways, to make the world a better place. Some of them will have things to buy, Christmas cards, books, cakes etc. Others will be running information stalls. All of them will be happy to talk about their aims. So it’s a chance to start (or finish) your Christmas shopping, but also an opportunity to meet old friends and to find out about lesser-known charities. Throughout the day Oxfam will introduce musical interludes, including dulcimer player Noelle Burville and African drums with dancer Aisha. Refreshments and lunches will be available. Details: David Green on 01749 673356 or Pat Cousins on 01749 670517.
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Memorial flowers
THE Forever Friends Appeal charity for the Royal United Hospital in Bath is launching a brand new initiative, A Flower to Remember appeal. People will be asked to make a donation and have the name of a relative or friend acknowledged on a pretty crafted flower, which will be part of a display at the RUH from September 7th – 21st. All those who have donated flowers will be invited to a special Time of Reflection event on September 26th, where families and friends can celebrate the lives of those for whom the flowers have been dedicated and take home as a personal memento, if they so wish.
Felicity and friends face muddy challenge
Felicity Gibson and Baldy Buddies
“HELL Hath No Fury Like A Woman in Pink” – is Somerset mum Felicity Gibson’s take on her cancer diagnosis – and the slogan she proudly wears on her Race for Life tee-shirt. The mother-of-two from High Littleton is currently going through chemotherapy having been diagnosed with breast cancer just before
Christmas. She has been pounding the lanes of her village training for the 5K Race for Life Pretty Muddy event in Bristol this summer and is also taking on the Bath Race for Life 10k. The 43-year-old mum is no stranger to a challenge or two and has recently signed up to join her husband Dave for October’s Bath to Bristol Marathon – all in aid of Cancer Research UK. She said: “I have lost several family members and friends to cancer. In November 2014 I was diagnosed with cancer myself. I had a single mastectomy in December and I am currently two thirds of the way through my chemotherapy.” Pretty Muddy is a women-only, non-competitive 5k obstacle course, with added mud, and it’s the perfect challenge for Felicity. It takes place on the Downs in Birstol on Saturday July 4th. Felicity, who works as a teaching assistant at her local school in the village, is taking on the Pretty Muddy challenge with 20 of her friends under the name Baldy’s Buddies. Their aim is to raise over £3,000 and to get down and dirty in the fight against cancer. Felicity added: “I realised that there are thousands of women like me. I’m young to have breast cancer, my boys are only eight and ten and the diagnosis came as an enormous shock to me, my family, my friends and indeed my work. “My concerns were raised when I noticed a dimple in my breast. It wasn’t a lump and I made sure I went to the GP about it. My auntie died recently from breast cancer and when I was diagnosed with breast cancer it came as a shock. “Christmas and New Year wasn’t quite cancelled but it wasn’t as it should have been. But I have a life to lead and I am a positive person and have some amazing friends and family.” Details: https://www.justgiving.com/baldys-buddies
Lindsay’s challenge
CHARITIES
ON her 42nd birthday last August Rachael Lindsay of Chew Magna pledged to run three miles every day for one year and raise money for charity while doing it. She said: “I have risen to physical challenges before but doing this every day is a real challenge for me.” She said she decided to do it after reading an article in Mendip Times about Jim Plunkett-Cole, from Frome, who pledged to run 10k every day for a year for charity, as well as running marathons. Lindsay said: “I thought that was a huge challenge and thought I couldn't do that far but maybe I could do three miles. The huge challenge is to do it every day regardless of how you feel, or what you've got on and also around a full-time job.” The charities she is raising money for are the Alzheimer's charity, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Stroke Association and Diabetes UK. She also included Bishop Sutton Pre-School and Forest Club, where she worked for nine years. She said: “My running is still going well, and I haven't missed a day. So far I have raised approximately £600 but I am hoping to receive more sponsorship as the end of my challenge draws nearer. I would really hope to make it to at least £1,000 if not more. But I really appreciate everybody who has supported me as do the charities I am collecting for.” Now with less than 100 days to go she’s managed to run with a pulled muscle, a ripped big-toe nail, a chest infection, as well as grazing various parts of her body after falling over, in addition to walking 15 miles on the South West Coastal Path. She said: “The challenge has really helped me to lose some weight, tone up and get much fitter resulting in me feeling great. I intend to carry on running when I finish my challenge but do intend to take the occasional day off and also pick up different sorts of exercise again.” She ran the Pensford 10K in 54.40 and is also taking part in the Chew Valley 10k on June 21st. Details: rachaelllindsay@gmail.com or https://www.justgiving.com/Rachael-Lindsay1
MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 59
MENDIP TIMES
Dick Alvis celebrates 100
Mendip rallies to Christian Aid Week
NEWS
Ubley fundraising tea
RICHARD William Alvis, known as Dick, has reached the grand age of 100. He is a first cousin to the late John and Sam Alvis from Lye Cross Farm, whose son John runs dairy producers Alvis Bros. He was born on May 3rd 1915 at Midgell Farm, Chelvey and was one of eight children. He started school at six and left at 14, having to walk to school in Nailsea, and later to Bristol Grammar School from Temple Meads. Leaving school at 14 he worked on the farm until at 17 he met his future wife, Ella Winstone, at a young farmers’ dance. They were married at All Saints Church, Wraxall and then took on her father's Belmont Farm, which was on the Tyntesfield estate. They had three children, John, Rachael and Jane and stayed on the farm until Dick retired at 66, when they bought a flat in Clevedon. In 2003, a flat was built for them at Compton Cottage, Compton Dando, and they moved in with Rachael and her husband Chris. Ella passed away in 2008, and sadly died on their 70th wedding anniversary. Dick celebrated his 100th birthday with a special celebration communion service at St Mary's Church in Compton Dando, joined by members of his family Dick Alvis in his 20s and many friends. PAGE 60 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
OVER 1,500 volunteers – young and old – stepped out in Somerset against poverty when they took part in Christian Aid Week, Britain’s longest running door-to-door fundraising collection. Residents were asked to support men and women living in the world’s poorest communities and supporters who are hoping to transform more lives by beating last year’s total of £217, 513. With special church services and events as well as the house to house collections, this year’s Christian Aid Week in the Mendips helped raise the profile of Christian Aid’s work in Ethiopia helping poor communities to work their way out of poverty. Local volunteer Sue Owst from the Compton Martin and Ubley Christian Aid group said: “The public across the Chew Valley has been incredibly supportive and it was wonderful to see the level of support from people of all ages for those who live under the shadow of poverty.” Christian Aid’s North Somerset’s coordinator Gill Alexander said: “The week began with a busy plant sale in East Harptree followed by a fundraising tea at St Bartholomew’s Church, Ubley. “Children from Ubley Church of England Primary school joined members of St Bartholomew’s church to serve cakes. It was wonderful to see the whole community working together to raise funds. Thank you to everyone who volunteered, made a donation or bought a plant or cake.” In Ethiopia Christian Aid partner HUNDEE works with both women and men in poor rural communities providing agricultural training, literacy skills, livestock such as cows and advice in The Bishop of Bath and Wells, the Rt. Rev. how to start petty Peter Hancock, carried sticks around the trading and market diocese as part of the #sharetheload campaign for Christian Aid Week stalls. Details: galexander@christian-aid.org or call 01454 415 923; donate online at www.caweek.org call 08080 006 006 or text ‘WEEK’ to 70040 to give £5.
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WILDLIFE
Flutter by butterfly
adults are attracted to the spring flowers which are vital for their continuation to the next stage. Plants such as dandelion, primrose and bluebell are some of the prime sources of nectar at this time. Males normally emerge from hibernation first and, upon finding a female, the pair will carrying out an elaborate flight display whereby both fly almost intertwined, circling close to each other and rising high into the air, sometimes even out of sight, before descending into the foliage below. The female lays her green, bottle-shaped eggs singly on the underside of buckthorn leaves. The eggs turn grey just before hatching, after about two weeks, and the caterpillars feed on the leaves of the buckthorn. They remain at this stage for about a month, going through four separate moults, before they pupate.
Photography courtesy of Chris Sperring
JUNE is a great time for lots of different butterfly species, but there is one with which I have a particular affinity. The brimstone is By CHRIS usually the first SPERRING butterfly I see each MBE year and is a delightful signal that spring has arrived. Having been on the wing since April, there aren’t many brimstones left by June, but you may be lucky. One look at the upper-side of the male and it’s easy to see why people of the past called this the “Butter-coloured Fly”, with its delicate butter-yellow coloration. Both sexes also have four orange spots, one on each wing segment, but the female is paler in appearance. On warm days these largeish butterflies move at speed and are surprisingly agile, so inspecting them closely can be difficult, but if you do get the chance you may also notice a green border to the forewings of the lightercoloured female. The life cycle of the brimstone is most interesting as flying adults can be spotted in almost every month of the year, but there are two peaks. Some adults hibernate amongst leaf litter, with bramble being one of their preferred sites. As soon as the temperature begins to rise in the spring they take to the wing, hence the early individuals we see in April and May. This is a great time to get some really close-up views, as they are subdued in the cooler weather and regularly come to rest to sun themselves. As nectar feeders the
Dandelions are a popular food source for the brimstone
The adult develops inside the pupa case for around two weeks before finally emerging in August or September, or even as late as October, as the next generation. The freshly emerged brimstones take to the wing and desperately seek out nectarrich plants like teasel, as they must consume enough nectar to see themselves through the oncoming winter and begin the life cycle once again. G I will be supporting the LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) Open Farm Sunday on June 7th at Fosse Farm, Stratton-on-the-Fosse, from 11am to 4pm. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about where our food comes from just have a great day out. Farms are opening up all over the country with animal demonstrations, local produce, tractor rides, etc. Visit the website for more details: http://www.farmsunday.org Leaf litter offers an ideal place in which to hibernate
Chris Sperring is Conservation Officer for the Hawk and Owl Trust Contact him on 07799 413 918 or via chris.sperring@btinternet.com MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 61
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Along the lake and round the hills
DELIGHTFUL views over Chew Valley Lake from various vantage points are offered on this four-hour circular ramble. Park on the lake edge where water birds gather and then it’s easy flat walking near the lake through fields and along old tracks. Go into attractive West Harptree with a pub. Take the Limestone Link across to Compton Martin with another popular pub before following an old track to head back across the valley. There will be a variety of flowers depending when you walk. There is a final, very gentle ascent from where you see the lake from yet a different side. There are only two stiles so it is a great dog walk. PARK: On the causeway at Herons Green Bay on the west side of Chew Valley Lake on the B3114 Chew Stoke – West Harptree road. This is a popular beauty spot to see and feed the water birds.
With Sue Gearing PAGE 62 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
START: The lake is owned and operated by Bristol Water, which created it in 1956 when the demand for water became too large for nearby Blagdon Lake. Working with both the Avon and Somerset Wildlife Trust and other environmental groups, Bristol Water has encouraged various species of birds and plants and created a recreational venue for visitors as well as providing water. Walk along the cycle walkway south towards West Harptree with the main lake on your left. Further on, cross over to the walkway on the other side.
1. TRACK After about half a mile from the start, at Bickfield Lane which is on your right, cross the main road onto the track opposite. At the end go through into a field and follow the footpath arrow along the left side. Ahead you can see Burledge Hill with an Iron Age fort on the top. You are near the reeded edge of the lake. Go into another field and continue ahead towards a trio of oaks. A gate on the far side takes you onto a path under trees and the reeds of the lake on your left. It may be rather wet along here.
2. MORETON LANE TRACK A kissing gate leads onto a track, marked on the map as Moreton Lane. Go ahead and follow this on and bend right (a footpath route through fields is no longer marked or maintained). Reach the end of Stratford Lane, which came to an abrupt halt here when the lake was created in the 1950s. At that time 1,200 acres were flooded with 4,500 million imperial gallons of water from the Mendip hills. It is fed by small rivers and it flows into the River Chew for 17 miles (27 km) before it joins the Avon to head out
to sea. It is the UK’s fifth largest artificial lake. Take the marked footpath opposite up steps and through a kissing gate and ahead in the field, passing a small Bristol Water wooden cabin on the left. Keep on, going through a Bristol Gate and joining a farm track.
3. FARM Just before a farm go right into a field and follow the arrow left, around the side of the farm and on to a kissing gate in the corner. Be aware there may be cattle with calves here. Cross the road and take the marked footpath more or less opposite. Go down the field to the far left corner. Go through the gate and immediately right through a kissing gate and follow the right hedge. 4. PYLON Just before the corner and by a pylon, go through a kissing gate following the same direction as before. This soon rises gently. When it bends left, go ahead through into a field. Maintain direction, passing farm barns on your right. Start to see West Harptree and its distinctive green church spire. Cross a footbridge and continue on. Go through a kissing gate and right onto a track and to a junction in West Harptree. 5. WEST HARPTREE Go ahead along the main road passing the village stores where you can pick up a tasty snack. Opposite is the Crown noted for its real ales and with a good garden behind. Our circle continues left up Ridge Lane at the side of the stores but for a glimpse of two beautiful historic houses in the village
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you can go ahead on the main road for a few yards. On the left is sizeable 17th century Gournay Court and opposite Tilley Manor House dating back to 1659. There is an interesting video Bath in Time about the use of the house as a Red Cross hospital in the First World War www.bbc.co.uk › Factual › Arts, Culture & the Media. Climb gently up Ridge Lane when you have left cottages and houses behind, go right into a field on the Limestone Link which you joined down in the village.
6. LIMESTONE LINK Go ahead with the wall on the left, through a kissing gate and along the end of the field to another gate ahead. Cross a stream and join a pleasant path with a beech hedge. Maintain direction in the next field along the bottom hedge-line and through another gate. Drop down. Go left a yard or two and then right in the field in the same direction as before. Gradually bear across away from the right edge to go to a gate on the left of a house. Keep ahead on the Limestone Link (not the first track left) along Cowleaze Lane. 7. COWLEAZE LANE Tarmac gives way to grass and follow this old thoroughfare all the way to Harptree Hill lane. Turn left and shortly, go right still on the Limestone Link into a field. Stay over to the right going ahead until you come alongside the hedge on your right walking along the side of the hill, with the Mendip Hills rising on your left and wonderful views right over Chew Valley. In the far right corner, cross right over a stile. Go ahead a short way and then bear down left through a gate and drop down onto sunken Highfield Lane. 8. HIGHFIELD LANE Go right down the lane. Take the first footpath on the left into the bottom of a garden. Go along and then leave through another gate, cross a small stream and go round the back of a building. Go down the drive leading to a lane. Turn right.
9. COMPTON MARTIN Reach the main A368, cross and turn left into Compton Martin soon coming to a picturesque village pond complete with ducks and a seat. Our route continues by going right down the side of the post office. It is worth visiting the church of St Michael’s opposite, described as perhaps ‘the best Norman parish church in Somerset’ (Nikolaus Pevsner, architectural historian). Also, if you want to enjoy the hospitality of the renowned Ring O’ Bells, continue along
OS Explorer map 141 Cheddar Gorge & Mendip Hills West, grid ref: 554 594 6.75 miles, about 3-4 hours walking.
the main road. (There is a grassed area on the way with seating, ideal for a picnic). Then, continue on past the pub and turn right down to Villice Lane and follow directions from there. Or go down Mill Lane by the Post office to an area of the village known as Under Town. Turn left at the T-junction at a pretty area of waterfalls where the River Yeo flows under the road on its way to Chew Lake. Carry on along the lane and at the bend and the entrance to Court Farm go right on Villice Lane, joining the Monarch’s Way. 10. VILLICE LANE This is a well maintained old route, mainly very dry, nearly a mile long. On the way cross a bridge where Bristol Water some years ago did considerable work on controlling the flow of the Yeo through a pipe.
11. FIELD At the end of Villice Lane, cross to the marked footpath ahead. Go along the right hedge, over the first stile of the walk. Bear diagonally left across the field and go through a kissing gate on the far side. Turn right, leaving the Monarch’s Way, along the
hedge on the bottom of the field. Go through a marked kissing gate on the right, then another and into an open field. The footpath arrow direction may be a little confusing. Cross the field at this level and then at the end bear up to a Bristol Gate. Continue across fields with more views across the lake, going under power lines, and eventually come down to Heron’s Green Farm (sheep were grazing in the fields on the way so you may have to negotiate electric fencing). 12. HERON’S GREEN FARM Go through this self-sufficient, organic farm providing meat for the local family business, the Story. The meat can be purchased at Blagdon Butchers. You may well encounter a charming little terrier at the farm called Minty. Don’t be tempted to let her join you on the walk as you will find yourself having to drive her back home, like I did! Continue along the lane to the B3114. Turn right back to where you parked. The Crown, West Harptree, 01761 221432 (no food on Mon and Tues). The Ring O’ Bells, Compton Martin, 01761 221284.
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West Countryman’s Diary
IT’S getting busy in the countryside and as the weather improves farmers are going to be flat out trying to get the first silage cut into the clamps. It’s With LES probably one of the DAVIES MBE earliest cuts I have seen, but no doubt someone will be able to put me right on that subject. The sheer size and speed of this agricultural logistical operation is staggering. Bigger, faster machinery now means greater output and the days of the single cut forage harvester have long gone. What are the chances of some June hay I wonder? This was always the prize before the large-scale switch to silage replaced the high feed value of early hay with yearround conserved grass. This is the very best time to be out and about if you are able to do so. The hedgerows are full of growth and greenery is spilling out everywhere. Lighter evenings will mean that you can get out after work and re-charge your batteries with a short walk. Perhaps a visit to the pub afterwards will mean no-one has to worry about cooking an evening meal and the cares of the day can be filed away for now. If you are planning something a little bit longer, perhaps one of Sue Gearing’s days out, you will need a little more preparation. Footwear is vitally important, it is the only traction and braking system that you have when walking and after all it’s never the fall that hurts, it’s the sudden stop when you hit the ground that causes a problem. Comfortable boots with ankle support are the ideal and with a good grip. If all goes well, we can forget the wellington boots until autumn, but I have found the modern Neoprene-lined boot quite comfortable to walk in. “Never trust a sunny day on Mendip,” was amongst the first advice I received from the late Tom Elkin when I went to work with him as assistant warden. I still pass this advice on and a lightweight waterproof coat doesn’t weigh that much, but it can make all the difference in a heavy shower. As for food the choice is yours, ‘packed or pub’, but a bottle of water is a good idea. Dehydration causes fatigue and you go for a walk to enjoy the experience and get some exercise, not to
subject yourself to stress. If you are out all day I would suggest taking a litre of water. Add to this any personal medication you might need, together with some sun cream for protection, and you have a “survivors’ kit” for the Mendip Hills. Don’t forget to put a few plasters in your pocket to deal with the odd scrape and scratch, something that I am forever getting problems with. Last month I spoke about dogs around livestock and the problems that can be caused by them if not kept under effective control. This time I would like to spend a little time looking at the concerns over livestock and walkers. This subject came home to me recently when I met a small family group out for the day with their dog. Their concern was to do with grazing cattle and their safety in passing through the field, especially with the dog. With me at the time was public rights of way contractor Mike Jennings, the man responsible for putting in many of the gates and stiles we use on Mendip. Between us we were able to reassure them that all would be fine and they set off to cross the field without any problems, but it took courage on their part to do that. It is all too easy for those of us who have been brought up around livestock to dismiss such concerns and worries. The truth is there have been incidents, and some quite nasty, involving walkers and cattle; fear after all is the unknown. In my experience young cattle are the most exuberant and will come rushing over to see you. This quite naturally causes concern with anyone, but running away only leads to the cattle thinking that this is indeed great fun and the jumping and ‘skitting’ about will begin.
OUTDOORS With animals it’s not just what you do but how you do it that’s important. Being quiet and moving away slowly can calm the situation down. Not easy, I know, but as I tell people they have never seen you before and will want to come over and say hello! There is some useful information on the web. Try Google with “How to behave around cows” and you will find plenty of advice. Above all remember that they will be more afraid of you, but treat them with respect. Getting up close to cattle can help build understanding and confidence. Shows such as the Royal Bath and West are ideal places to get close to animals and understand them a little better. This year’s Bath and West Show starts on Wednesday May 27th and runs through until Saturday the 30th. It’s a great countryside day out with lots to do and see. I will be there for all four days of the show on the Environmental Youth Awards stand underneath the commentator’s box beside the main ring. Please come and have a look around and if you are involved with a school or youth organisation of any sort, it’s worth bearing this scheme in mind. We will be looking for entries in 2016 and there is prize money to be won! Congratulations to all at the North Somerset Agricultural Society’s annual show at Wraxall this year. Splendid weather, and I believe a good turnout on the day. I certainly enjoyed it. Finally I leave you with a picture that epitomises the English summer evening and a good meal in a splendid landscape. Not taken by me, but by a student from the University of Georgia in the USA when they visited last year. It just says it all!
You can always contact me through my website: Westcountryman.co.uk
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Jobs for June
AFTER a busy spring one might think that June should be a time to relax and enjoy the garden, but somehow life is not quite as rosy as that. There is still plenty to do to keep your garden from turning into a jungle, seemingly overnight. Staking plants before they fall over is With MARY always a chore and we ought to do the job PAYNE MBE whilst we can still get amongst the clumps rather than putting off the job until it is a battle to find spaces to put one’s feet. Try to avoid using bamboo canes, as there are far too many tragic accidents involving eyes when they are used. The metal half-circle hoops are easy and effective, and now come in a trendy rusty hue, rather than the green coated ones. The L-shaped link stakes need a mathematical genius, which I definitely am not. Climbers also need tying in regularly. Clematis stems are very brittle and unless grown through a shrub need plenty of support to prevent wind damage. Sweet peas, grown for cut flowers, should have all their tendrils removed. This prevents the tendrils grabbing anything and everything in their path, including flower buds, and crushing them, but it does mean tying them in regularly. Self-clinging climbers, such as Boston Ivy and the climbing hydrangea may need a helping hand to get started before they hang on with their own aerial roots or suckers. Lawns are now in full swing and should be mown regularly. The height setting on the mower can be reduced now, but avoid very close mowing as this will encourage weeds and moss to establish. In periods of drought lift the height of cut again. Slightly longer grass will stay green for much longer than very short grass. A high nitrogen feed will keep the lawn in good shape, especially if you remove the clippings when you mow. It will also improve the colour and encourage strong growth to resist weed invasion. All summer bedding can be safely planted out in early June, but remember to scatter a few slug pellets around (the ones based on ferric phosphate are safe and very effective, and you do not see all the dead bodies). If you opt for the biological control nematodes to deal with slugs, do remember that they are not effective against snails. The slugs and snails seem to smell the slight damage that occurs when plants are planted out and come rushing in. French and African Marigolds are particularly attractive to them. The vegetable garden should be looking good at this time of year. Quick growing crops, such as lettuce and radish, should be sown regularly to get a good continuity of supply. It is far too easy to sow too many in one go and flood the family with an abundance all at once. It has been a wonderful year for apple blossom, which should bode well for a good crop if the pollinating insects have done their job. Young fruit trees should not be allowed to carry a heavy crop in their early years, as this may encourage them into “biennial bearing”. The tree carries a heavy crop one year and very little the next. To avoid this, thin the fruits to one every six inches or so but wait until the natural “June drop” of small fruits has taken place. June drop occurs, often as late as early July, when the fruits that were imperfectly fertilised are aborted. Apart from slugs and snails every other pest is out there trying its hardest to damage your plants and it is sometimes a fine balance between leaving the pest for natural biological controls, such as lacewings, ladybirds and hoverflies, to do their job, or PAGE 66 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
Staking
taking steps to limit the damage. Some pests turn up on a regular basis every year. The solomon’s seal sawfly is one of many. The grey, slug-like larvae hide under the foliage eating voraciously until the foliage is skeletonised. They then drop to the ground, and overwinter as a chrysalis, ready to emerge the following season. They are not very good climbers, so washing them off and letting the birds gobble them up is ideal. Frog hoppers lay their eggs and the young create the characteristic white frothy “cuckoo spit” so common on many plants, especially lavender. If you find this offensive then, once again, wash it off with a squirt from a hose pipe. Roses will need another fungicide spray against black spot, but do this in the evening after the bees have gone to bed. Watch out for the adult vine weevil beetle that will be feeding on foliage leaving notched edges. They will be laying their eggs at the soil level of their favourite plants, especially heucheras, primulas and strawberries, but they can attack almost anything. If their small “C” shaped creamy larvae are found under damaged plants, then you can resort to treatment with biological control nematodes available from your local garden centre or online but read the instructions very carefully. Chemical controls are no longer available for this pest. Greenhouses should be bursting with growth so keeping up with the watering is a top job. Tomatoes are vulnerable to a problem called “blossom end rot”. The base of the tomato goes black and this is caused by the inability of the plant to move calcium around to where it is needed. This is due to insufficient water. When the weather is very hot it is advisable to shade the greenhouse, as some varieties of tomatoes are prone to “greenback”, a condition in which the shoulders of the fruit remain green and hard. Enjoy your garden in high summer, but do try to keep up with the essential jobs.
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JUNE GARDEN TIPS
GARDENING
G Put up hanging baskets for colour and scent all summer. G Winter flowering pansies and spring flowering wallflowers should be replaced with summer flowering bedding plants now G Lift and divide clumps of primroses and polyanthus. Heel them in a shady place for summer and they can be replanted in your borders again in autumn. G Continue planting out summer flowering bedding plants. Long flowering traditionals like Pelargoniums, Busy Lizzies, Petunias and Begonias are hard to beat! G New shoots on any climbers, but Clematis in particular, should be tied to supports to prevent them breaking. Old early flowering Clematis can be cut back hard if necessary. G Check your roses regularly for greenfly, black spot and mildew. Multirose is very effective if applied early and regularly enough. G Make certain that newly planted trees and shrubs are getting enough water and that it is actually reaching the roots! Trees need a minimum of two gallons a week. G Many indoor plants will benefit from the summer outside! Make sure that they are put in a shady spot and watered well. G Make sure that your potatoes don’t run short of moisture at this time. The new tubers should be forming now and will respond well to a thorough watering. G Plant out those annual herbs that often resent being planted too early. Basil will prefer a very sheltered spot. Courtesy Cleeve Nursery
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GARDENING NGS GARDEN OF THE MONTH
Lympsham Gardens
Norton Green Farm Garden Centre and Nursery WELCOMES YOU THIS SUMMER • Summer bedding and basket plants • Vegetable plants • Summer bulbs • Unwins, Fothergills, Johnsons & Country Value seed collections together with specialist range by Sarah Raven & sweet peas • Good selection of terracotta, glazed, fibreclay & plastic pots, troughs & containers • Compost, mulches & barks, including multibuy and offers • Wild bird food & feeders • National Garden Gift Vouchers • Cut flowers & house plants • Wide range of gifts and cards Also available: • Gravel & grits, paving & walling • Fencing, posts & trellis etc. • Turf available weekly to order LOCAL DELIVERY SERVICE Open: Mon-Sat 9am-5pm; Sun 10.30am-4.30pm
Wells Road, Chilcompton, Nr. Bath Tel: 01761 232137 E. nortongreenfarm@tiscali.co.uk PAGE 68 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
AT the heart of the stunning village of Lympsham is the 15th century church of St Christopher's. Lympsham Open gardens, on Saturday and Sunday June 20th/21st, includes visits to the gardens of two of the village's most historic homes. The Manor, built as the rectory exactly 200 years ago, and 17th century Church Farm are both next to the church and connected to each other by a side gate. The Manor is a gothic pinnacled, castellated rectory manor house with two octagonal towers, built by the Stephenson family who were rectors in Lympsham for three generations, spanning over 100 years and set in 10 acres of formal and semi-formal garden, surrounded by paddocks and farmland. Its main features are its carefully preserved, fully working Victorian kitchen garden and greenhouse, an arboretum of trees from all parts of the world, a large stocked fish pond and a beautiful old rose garden. Church Farm boasts a 3/4 acre informal English country garden surrounding the old farmhouse, a well-stocked herbaceous border, shrub-lined paths, raised vegetable beds and a small courtyard herb garden. Tea, cakes and a plant stall will be on offer and visitors can top off their afternoon by a visit to the church and a stroll through one of the county's prettiest villages, perhaps taking in a cricket match on the cricket field, next to the school. NGS opening details: Saturday June 20th and Sunday June 21st June from 2pm – 50pm. Admission: Combined entry £5, children free. Contact information: James & Lisa Counsell. Address and postcode: Church Road, Lympsham, Weston-super-Mare, BS24 0DT. OTHER GARDENS OPEN FOR THE NGS To see more gardens open for the NGS, see The Yellow Book, or Local County Leaflet, available from local Garden Centres, or go to: http://www.ngs.org.uk
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Caring for your lawn JUST as Wimbledon fever is about to take hold, it’s vital to keep up the maintenance of your lawn once it is in good condition to keep it healthy throughout the warmer months. Mark Watkins, who heads up the team at Fine Lawn Care, said: “Weeding and feeding is our mission this summertime. Applying our summer feed to gardens across Somerset and the South West keeps them in tip top condition. “Just as you’d water your flowerbeds and pot plants, I recommend putting the sprinkler on for at least 20 minutes once a week to water the whole lawn.” With significantly more wear and tear in the summer, lawns need more professional care. If the weather gets really hot, Mark uses a liquid feed which is better absorbed into the dry ground. He said: “Grass is at risk of drying out, just like any other plant, so water it
little and often to keep it looking fresh and bright green. Once the ground cracks, it’s difficult to repair.” Cutting the lawn too short is a common mistake, turning grass dry and
woody. He said: “Mow once a fortnight to a height of 2-2½”. Never cut more than a third off the height of the grass blades – length creates shade over the soil, helping grass to retain moisture.”
For advice tailored to your lawn and to get started with a free professional lawn assessment and your first treatment free (subject to t&cs) contact the Fine Lawn Care office on 0800 023 2714 email info@finelawncare.co.uk or visit www.finegardening.co.uk
PAGE 70 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
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Timberwork Buildings
GARDENING
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Tel: 01934 626093/813261 www.westongarden.co.uk MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 71
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We offer a range of services to include garden design, construction and planting of private and commercial spaces. We are committed to delivering high quality with a professional service and we love nothing more than creating space for you to enjoy, whatever your requirements.
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See our website at www.groundlevelcontractors.co.uk or e-mail us at info@groundlevelcontractors.co.uk Prefer to talk to us? Tel: 01934 710135 • Mob: 07941 908832
“We believe the world would be a better place if everyone spent 10 minutes a day beside a pond”.
PAGE 72 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
Chelsea winners
GARDENING
THE talented team of Lynn Riches and Mark Lippiatt, of Horticolous Landscape & Garden Design and Jeanette Read, all locally based in Wrington, featured at Chelsea Flower Show again this year. This time they were part of a larger team creating a show garden on the very prestigious Main Avenue. They were also contracted to build a second Anglo-Moroccan garden inside the floral marquee for the charity REEP. The show garden 'The Living Legacy' sponsored by Darwin Property Investment Management commemorates the 200th anniversary of the Duke of Wellington’s crucial victory at the Battle of Waterloo. The garden will be replanted in the grounds of Wellington College after the show. The designers Wilson McWilliam Studio are one of the country’s leading garden design practices. Horticolous built the garden along with Brian Herbert of Outdoor Options, based In Surrey and the Home Counties. Lynn Riches said: "We are all delighted to be part of the team that has been awarded a silver gilt medal for our show garden at Chelsea Flower Show, the most prestigious flower show in the world." "We have been working with Darwin PIM, the sponsors, for over a year to bring this to Chelsea and finally we have made it to the show, created a beautiful garden with an important story to tell and a fantastic result.”
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Truth and lies
By Dr PHIL HAMMOND
HUMANS are very good at lying. Just as politicians lie to us, we lie to pollsters to deceive politicians about where we plan to plant our pencil. And we lie to others all the better to lie to ourselves. Our own stories are all masterclasses in spin as we edit out memories like a Wikipedia page, eliminating or exaggerating our deeds to fit our life circumstances, ego and world view. Others can even edit our memories for us, but no-one knows the whole truth about anyone. We only reveal what we choose to reveal. We all have surprising thoughts, secrets and fantasies
hidden away. You can tell the electorate deceived the Conservatives into believing they wouldn’t win a majority by their rather lavish, perhaps even desperate pre-poll pledges. If you’re anticipating a coalition, you know your more outlandish promises can be ditched on the altar of compromise, but if you win outright, you’re expected to deliver on everything. The Liberal Democrats may have been lambs to the slaughter in this election, but the last laugh may go to us in holding this supposedly numerate government to account. Its promise of £8 billion for the NHS by 2020 will just about keep the lights on, but where will the extra money come from for a seven-day service, with GP appointments available across England every day from 8am to 8pm, and everyone over 75 guaranteed a same-day appointment? Even if the money were available, it’s hard to see where we’re going to get the GPs, given that 30% of vocational training places lie empty. Our heir apparent George Osborne has landed himself with a big financial hangover across the board. As well the uncosted health spending, he has to fund a £1 million inheritance tax threshold for couples and new right-to-buy rules that allow 800,000 housing association tenants to buy their properties at a discount. The personal income tax allowance is going up to £12,500 and the 40% tax threshold is going up to £50,000. And there will be a new law to prevent rises in VAT, income tax and national insurance in the next five years. Remember too that rail fares must not rise by more than inflation and all three and four-year-olds will get 30 hours of free childcare. Given our massive budget deficit (at 4.8% of GDP, it’s much higher than Greece’s), there are going to have to be some massive U-turns in pre-election promises or massive cuts elsewhere. For the NHS to thrive, as well as survive, it needs to be built on collaboration, compassion and honesty at every level, informed by rigorous evidence. Scotland prides itself on the most collaborative NHS in the UK, but its citizens have the lowest life expectancy. It has huge inequalities in wealth and health. Whether the health and wealth of Scotland would improve by a divorce from the rest of the UK but a continued marriage with the EU only the Scottish people can decide. In time, the evidence will tell us. Whatever the answer, Scotland has some of the most stunning scenery and walks in the Western world, but I’m more than happy with my view from the top of Burledge Hill. Walking to and from the polling booth may have done more for your health than where you put your cross. The truth is, whoever won this election, we will struggle to provide a universal, high quality health service for all when not only life expectancy is increasing, but more people are living for decades with multiple illnesses and poor health. Some 70% of what we can do to prevent or delay illness is down to lifestyle and life circumstances, not medical intervention. Political choices can help or harm your circumstances but even in the poorest, indigenous populations in the world, selfresponsibility is the key. Humans should be the carers of everything on this planet, but to succeed we first need to care for and love ourselves – whoever happens to be in power. Dr Phil’s new bestseller ‘Staying Alive – How to get the Best from the NHS’ is out now. He is discussing it at Foyles, Cabot Circus on June 4 and appearing at The Swan, Wedmore on June 6 and Stand Up for Slapstick at the Colston Hall on June 11.
PAGE 74 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
Double figures
Ten years old! Celebrating Mendip Times’ birthday has brought to mind what life is like aged ten. I remember my own tenth birthday celebrations; a disco in the local church hall, dressed to kill in pink jeans and a flowery blouse. I spent weekends and holidays off exploring with my friends. We scrambled about woodlands and raced around on bikes. We tested our imaginations and those of other random children we came across pretending we were American, with fake and unconvincing Californian accents. We were enjoying our first taste of independence before we headed off to secondary school. Likewise youngest son, who will celebrate his tenth birthday this year, has been heading off into the woods to explore and build dens with friends. This was one of eldest child’s favourite pastimes at the same age; however not all her friends were used to freedom and exercising their treeclimbing skills. This fact enabled me to test out my own agility as I recused them from upper branches. I was watching youngest son playing with his friend as they headed home from the woods the other afternoon. He was spinning around, looking like he was being attacked from all sides. When I asked him what he was doing he explained nonchalantly he was caught in a giant spider’s web. Middle child’s imagination also ran wild at that age. She remembers being hauled out of class, accused of a misdemeanour (wrongly of course): “I couldn’t stop laughing because all I could see in the centre of my teacher’s eyes were evil bunnies.” While the girls are now semiindependent teenagers, youngest son is just beginning to taste freedom. He is learning, aged ten, that he is entitled to his own opinion which sometimes means he disagrees with his mum. After we made the effort to decorate his room, I thought it might inspire him to keep it tidy. Alas not, pyjamas and Lego still litter the floor creating an obstacle course which leads to his un-made bed. “I thought you might look after your new room,” I sigh. “It’s not new,” he retorts. “In fact, it’s old enough to look after itself!” Happy tenth birthday Mendip Times and I hope everyone involved continues to enjoy all you have to offer into your next decade and beyond! MENDIP MUM
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High-tech treatment
Page 75
HEALTH & FAMILY
LAUNCHED by Bath-based osteopath Samuel Maddock and business partner and fellow osteopath Steven Harper, EMPpad Omnium1 combines the world’s most advanced PEMF technology (pulsed electro-magnetic field) with an Android tablet. The Swiss-made and engineered device is the result of over 15 years’ research and development and is backed by scientists and a rapidly growing number of medical practitioners worldwide. They says its users describe a “life-changing experience” that puts them in control of their health and well-being. They claim boosted energy, reduced stress and depression, better sleep, relief from pain, enhanced sports performance and more youthful appearance are just some of the benefits experienced after just a few weeks using EMPpad Omnium1. Fully approved by health regulators in the USA, as well as doing everything that a normal tablet does – emailing, Wi-Fi, surfing the Internet, for example – it’s been specially designed and manufactured with a powerful battery that allows it to send pulsed electro-magnetic fields through an attached pad containing six copper coils. They say the electromagnetic pulse that the EMPpad delivers is at an intensity and frequency that mimics the earth's magnetic field. When these magnetic pulses penetrate the cells in the body this kick-starts a process called “cellular resonance”, which in turn energises the cells of the body. In effect this acts to “jump start” the healing process in the body at the cellular level.
MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 75
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MENDIP TIMES
Diane’s ‘bowled over’ by short mat success A VISUALLY impaired former Olympian has taken on a new challenge and recently won her first trophy against sighted opponents. Diane Seaman, a resident at Sandford Station retirement village, took up bowling after developing Macular Degeneration in both eyes. But following the closure of her local blind bowls club, the 82-yearold faced the choice of either quitting bowling or playing against sighted opponents. Having competed in the javelin event at the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games, Diane has never been afraid of a challenge and, in her first full season as a member of Winscombe Bowls Club, she is part of a mixed team of
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Accommodation available now with full en-suite Court House is a very special place to live, the very fact that it is made up of different areas of accommodation adds to its attraction. e Main House with gracious large rooms with full en-suite looking out onto different aspects and personalized with Resident’s own furniture and pictures etc. A spacious Drawing Room with doors to a covered veranda and patio area leading onto lawns and flower beds. e Courtyard which has lovely vaulted accommodation with full en-suite and cleverly concealed kitchenettes where Residents can make a cup of tea or a snack for themselves or their guests and small raised gardens so that the people living there may, if they so wish plant and tend their own flowers. e lovely cottage accommodation full of character with a large Victorian style conservatory looking towards St. Andrews Church and doors opening out from a lovely sitting room to a tranquil garden. Putting all of this together with the very special care given by dedicated staff that respect and give privacy and dignity to all who live here, you can see why people who come to live at Court House are so happy to have found this very special place.
Respite Care also available
“One of the most beautiful and well kept retirement homes I’ve ever seen”. – e Photographer
Please contact Chris Dando 01934 742131 Website: www.courthouseretirementhome.co.uk PAGE 76 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
four which won the indoor Winter Short Mat League. She said: “I don’t like to give in with anything and it will be very rewarding to have my name on the honours board in the pavilion. I also entered the Flower League which is a series of regular weekly matches between teams of three and also played in four club matches against other bowls clubs as a reserve, which I thoroughly enjoyed.” Diane first started bowling when she moved into St Monica Trust’s Sandford Station retirement village. She said: “Losing my sight meant that I could no longer do the things that I used to enjoy like playing golf or bridge. One day when I was walking around the retirement village, I was coerced into joining in a game of bowls and soon became a regular player.” One of the residents Diane played with was a ‘caller’ at a visually impaired bowling tournament in Weston-super-Mare and he introduced her to the Ashcombe Park blind bowlers club. Diane said: “With visually impaired bowling, you have to mentally visualise a clock face around the jack. Callers on the green then call out where the wood has finished according to the numbers on the clock face and the skip tells you the length of the jack from the mat.” Diane was a regular member of the blind bowlers club, competing at the Scarborough National Indoor Pairs Tournament for four years running. When the club folded in 2013, Diane became a full lady member of Winscombe Bowls Club. She said: “Bowls meant a lot to me and I was gradually winning more matches every year. When the blind group closed, I realised that joining Winscombe and competing against sighted players was the only way to continue playing.” During her successful ten year athletics career, Diane competed at the European Championships in Brussels and represented Great Britain many times at international level, taking part in competitions against the Soviet Union, Hungary and Czechoslovakia, among others. She later became a WAAA senior coach and was able to pass her knowledge on to others, as well as encouraging children of all ages to take up athletics. This summer Diane is hoping to become a regular member of one of the ladies’ teams: “Whatever I’ve done in sport, I’ve always tried to do my best. My next challenge is to be properly selected for one of the league teams, rather than being a reserve. I don’t mind, though – as long as I get a game.”
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HEALTH & FAMILY CAN’T SLEEP? AWAKE AT 4am? ANXIOUS? DEPRESSED? NOT COPING?
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Come and have a talk to see how I can help you get back on track, call 07717 170 865 to book an initial consultation or visit www.mirandahypnotherapy.co.uk Clinics held at: Wells Chiropractic & Osteopathy Centre BA5 1XJ Chew Medical Centre BS40 8UE
MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 77
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MENDIP TIMES Steve Joly, D.O.DAc Mobile Physio/Osteopathy Clinic Service
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Evening and weekend appointments available Introductory rate available – Complimentary initial half hour session Visit janeross-wheatley.com or call 07731 937293 e Remedy Centre, 23 Cuthbert Street, Wells PAGE 78 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
Podiatry – Mr A Thomson Tel: 01761 348018 • www.paultonpodiatry.co.uk Osteopathy – Cranial & Structural – Miranda Redfern Tel: 07969 910845 • Email: info@mirandaredfern.co.uk www.mirandaredfern.co.uk Clinical Hypnotherapist – Melanie Cook Tel: 01761 453112 or 07746 438276 www.melaniecookhypnotherapy.co.uk The Beauty Room – Anne-Marie Marchment Complete range of male & female beauty treatments Tel: 01761 453970 • Mobile: 07762 137214 Emmett Practitioner (Treatments for Pain and Discomfort) – Sally Pole – Tel: 07792 250334 Chiropractor Tony Honeker MChiro DC Tel: 07871 649 462 – Website: www.yourchiro.co.uk Holistic Therapies Amy Harrison – Tel: 07855 539409 Jane Stephens MICHT – Tel: 01761 233947 or 0796 10 375 81
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Proud to be providing care
HEALTH & FAMILY
BRUNELCARE is a Registered Charity and Housing Association, committed to the care and wellbeing of those they support. They are one of the largest providers of high quality housing, care and support for people in the South West. In Somerset, North Somerset and the Mendips region, Brunelcare offers a variety of different care services with the flexibility to meet someone’s individual needs. If you would benefit from some support at home or even just a helping hand, then their care and support services might be exactly what you are looking for to help you to stay living independently in your home. If you are caring for someone else, they also have services that can support you, as they understand that this can be a demanding role. Their care homes are designed to provide the best possible environment for people with care needs; providing nursing care and dementia care for between 50 and 66 residents. They also welcome enquiries from anyone seeking a career in the care sector. They offer a variety of full-time and part-time roles along with apprenticeships and volunteering opportunities. Details: www.brunelcare.org.uk or email info@brunelcare.org.uk
MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 79
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Villagers say thank you
Scouts’ honour
MORE than 150 well-wishers packed the village hall in Baltonsborough for a Sunday afternoon tea party to say farewell to a couple who had run their shop and post office for more than 30 years before it closed in the spring. Joan and Graham Birch and their dedicated staff were presented with bouquets and gifts during the party organised by the Baltonsborough Community Association. Tributes were led by BCA chairman John Westcott. G Many of the services offered by the shop and post office are now available at Baltonsborough Farm Shop.
EIGHT members of the South Wansdyke scout network who recently gained their Queen’s Scout award were invited to attend the St George’s Day annual review at Windsor Castle. They paraded with other awardees from across the UK and were inspected by the Duchess of Gloucester, representing the Queen, and chief scout Bear Grylls. Pictured: (l to r back row) Lewis Trethewey, Alex Harrington, Adam Sage and Chevy Bidwell; (front row) Beth Harrington, Rachael Edge, Becci Horler and Ellie Johns-Turner.
Joan and Graham say thank you
Pulling for PAC
A POLICE sergeant from Frome will join a seven-strong team attempting to haul a 14tonne coach around the town in aid of local charity Positive Action on Cancer. Sergeant Rachel Clark along with her two brothers will join the team on a two-mile circular route starting at Frome Town football club at noon on Sunday, May 31st. Rachel has a history of getting involved in extreme fundraising challenges, having cycled 220 miles from Frome to Land’s End in one day as a tribute to her mum Shirely Wiggins, who died from leukaemia in 2011. The team is called “Team Wiggins” in her honour. Rachel said: “We are training regularly at the moment. We have had some advice and support from a local gym, as well as pulling two-tonne vehicles in pairs, which hasn’t been easy! "We can’t train on the coach but as a team we’ve been over to the depot and had a test pull for a few yards which went well, two miles may be another matter." PAC is a charity that offers counselling to those affected by cancer, including local schools where they offer counselling to children who have been affected by loss of a parent or sibling to cancer. G If you would like to sponsor the team, visit www.virginmoneygiving.com/charitycoachpull – the largest individual donation will get to ride on the coach during the day! Rachel’s in for the long haul
The team behind the village stores
Moose make donations
Laurie Lillycrop and Dot Anderson present a cheque to Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance fundraisers Colin Thomas and Anita Townsend
BURNHAM-on-Sea Moose International Lodge 123 recently donated more than £6,200 to the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance plus hundreds more to other charities and community groups. PAGE 80 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
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COMMUNITY
Quarry memories celebrated A LAVISHLY-illustrated book and CD have been released to celebrate the end of a unique community project on Mendip to record people’s memories about the quarrying industry. Quarry Faces, a Heritage Lotteryfunded project backed by all the major quarry producers and the Mendip Hills AONB, attracted huge interest from former quarry workers and their families. The team behind the project were loaned or given hundreds of photographs as well as some film footage, along with memorabilia after hosting a series of “tea and chat” sessions across the area. They also worked with local schoolchildren to record interviews with former workers about their memories. The book and CD launched was held at the Somerset Earth Science Centre next to Wainwright’s Quarry at Stoke St
Michael. Wainwright managing director Peter Barkwill – the company is about to celebrate its 125th anniversary – said: “This has been a unique project;
everyone has been very excited about it. “The Heritage Lottery Fund wanted this to be embedded in the community and it has certainly achieved that aim.”
Book author Robin Thornes with a quarry steam horn
A quarry steam horn (nicknamed the “horn of doom”) was presented to Margaret and John Chapman from Axbridge and District Museum
Peter Barkwill at the launch
Some of the team behind the project
QUARRYMAN’S WEEK (a poem by
PennyAnne Windsor)
Guests and contributors at the launch
on my very first day I made the tea and cleaned up on the second day I drove a dumper truck on the third I loaded lorries in the tar park on the fourth I cut the stones from dawn to dark the fifth I worked a ledge at the quarry face the sixth I measured gunpowder – at a leisurely pace and on the seventh day I lit and fuse – and vanished with no trace! * Poet PennyAnne Windsor worked with local schoolchildren on arts activities connected to the Quarry Faces project
Outlets for the book include: Hunting Raven Bookshop, East Somerset Railway, Wells & Mendip Museum and Shepton TIC MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 81
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MENDIP TIMES
Legions relive VE Day celebrations
ROYAL British Legion branches in Wells and Coleford marked the 70th anniversary of VE Day with their own celebrations. In Wells, the legion hosted an afternoon of live music on the bandstand in the city’s Recreation Ground, featuring performances by the North Somerset Community Brass Band and the Old Grey Dogs Traditional Jazz Band, sponsored by Custom Cameras and Wells Film Centre. In Coleford, re-enactment enthusiast Kevin Price enlisted the help of the village’s branch of the legion and the Coleford Revival Group to host a weekend of events attracting living history groups from far afield. The weekend also featured a special church service.
Maureen Wilson, Patricia Fabriano and Rose Docherty keep warm with the help of a patriotic blanket at Wells Recreation Ground
Living history members march to Coleford church
Ricky Hunter provided much of the entertainment during the weekend at Coleford and played at the church service PAGE 82 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
Robin White, chairman of the Wells RBL branch leads a parade through the Recreation Ground
Howard and Sue Harding are a familiar sight at military events
North Somerset Community Brass featured musicians of all ages
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HISTORY
Shall we dance? The weekend event in Coleford stepped back in time
Dom gets to grip with an original WWII machine gun with the help of Kevin Drake, from Burnham-on-Sea, from the Light Infantry Re-enactment group Members of the 3rd Battalion 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment at Coleford
Tea and history
ST. MARY’S Church, Compton Dando, will have a pop-up museum on Sunday afternoons, starting on Sunday May 31st, as well as the chance to enjoy a cup of tea and slice of cake. One of the organisers, Mrs Alison ter Haar, said: “We shall be exhibiting interesting artefacts belonging to villagers, from times past and present, and from all ages. There will be an explanation of what the item is, and a little about its history, together with its significance to the owner. “You may even like to make a return visit with an item of your own to put on display one afternoon. We look forward to seeing you over the summer.” After the success of the last two years teas will again be served in the church every Sunday between 2pm and 5pm until Sunday August 30th. Another of the organisers, Mrs Jenny Davis, said: “Everyone is welcome to come along and
enjoy teas, with home-made cakes, in our lovely country church.” Profits will go to church funds.
MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 83
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Shooters aim to help church funds
Desmond Drake is no more
(l:r): Charlotte Duchezeau, Ben Underwood, Steve Rice and Graham Duchezau at the shoot
THE village of Compton Martin is in mourning for Desmond Drake, who had been a fixture on the village duck pond for 25 years. He vanished on March 26th, presumably taken by a fox. Villager, Andrew Griffiths, who owns Desmond, said: “For those who knew him, fed him, and enjoyed his drunken and somewhat unstable aerial manoeuvres, he will be sadly missed, for his propensity to consume stale bread and cake, along with his ability to toss upstart young moorhens all over the place, whilst competing for and devouring the best layers’ pellets money can buy. “He has been a permanent fixture of the pond, for in excess of 25 years, outliving all his contemporaries. He has brought much joy and happiness to people of all ages, from all around the world, who just happened to stop off at the pond, to visit the church, or for a rest or break while enjoying the view. He will be sadly missed and so can never be replaced.” A fitting commemoration is now being planned, almost certainly centred on the village pub the Ring O’ Bells.
DOZENS of clay pigeon shooting enthusiasts gathered for a competition to raise funds for a tiny village church. For the second year running, Westcombe Hill Farm, at Westcombe near Shepton Mallet, hosted the competition – with open, ladies and novice classes – in aid of Milton Clevedon church.
The event took place against a spectacular backdrop
Sale is a hoot
UBLEY Primary School PTA were delighted with the £475 raised at their plant sale, which was held at the school. Afternoon teas were enjoyed in the school's gardens, while the children enjoyed making snowy owls. PAGE 84 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
VE Day beacon
THE 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe or VE day was marked in Hinton Blewett with a beacon on St. Margaret’s Church tower with a crowd of onlookers viewing from the village green.
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Local school’s link with Kenya
Mandy Robertson (left) with pupil members of the Kenya Crew with colleague Linda Robertson far right
AS our world develops and evolves, so does our education. Over the past decade, global learning has quietly moved to the forefront of most schools’ minds. Brookside Academy School, Street has built curricular links with other international schools, one of these in Western Kenya. A colleague, Linda Robertson, and I visited Kenya through our school link; we lived with a teacher and his family from Ikumba School and slotted into their daily lives. We experienced real Kenyan village life. As a teacher, visiting the school was a life experience like no other. We were able to meet the children and learn about their backgrounds as well as spend time teaching. Enrichment of the curriculum was the main focus so we taught the Kenyan children about life in the UK with regard to home and school life and play. We covered many aspects of these three common strands and shared and celebrated similarities as well as recognizing our differences. One of the successful activities whilst we were there was teaching the children and teachers to make loom bands; Brookside children donated them. The Kenyan pupils were so excited to be given one of these vibrant bracelets and the wonderful part was that they also learnt to make them. This theme will continue within the link because all children from both schools are enthusiastic and motivated by this common thread. On return, our year three classes were enthralled by the fact that their teacher had been with the Kenyan children in our link school. The motivation for learning was incredibly high throughout as the children had a ‘real’ context and connection for learning. In April our Kenyan teachers visited the UK; it was their turn to experience our life and education. Due to our strong, well established link, we have learnt a lot about each other’s cultures, beliefs and way of life. This has had a real, positive and rewarding result in our schools with regards to global citizenship.
NEWS
In the future, the generation of children at school will be in a very different world to what we are now. We have already made the world much smaller by our worldwide web. Can you imagine the kind of world these children will work in? Preparation for their future is paramount to their success as adults and global educational links is one of the key areas that we as educators can address at an early age. I was incredibly humbled by the whole experience and now a great team of people are organizing a free fundraising event on Sunday June 14th 12-6pm. See www.pizzazzpresents.co.uk for details. The money raised will help Kenyan children access their education by buying books and stationary which is as little as 10p each. If our fundraiser exceeds our expectations, we can consider bigger projects like access of electricity in the school buildings. The more we can raise the more we can help. Mandy Robertson
MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 85
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Cars are the stars
VINTAGE and classic car owners gathered in the grounds of Downside Abbey and School at Stratton-on-the-Fosse for their second Concours d’Elegance. Although open mainly to vehicles up to 1984, organisers made a few exceptions – including an Arial Atom sports car, built in Somerset.
Proud owners: Nick Sheppard, from Salisbury with his Arial Atom and Robert Willam, who leaves near Downside with his Citroen 2CV. Robert’s son Tom is in the driving seat of the sports car
Where’s the steering wheel ask these youngsters?
Carl Tantum is the proud owner of a 1927 Trojan. Economy and simplicity were the car’s key selling points. Sales were promoted with the slogan: “Can you afford to walk?”
Dozens of priceless vehicles attracted admirers to Downside’s sports fields
Rob Coombes, of Catcott, with a 1939 Packard V12 owned by collector and friend Gerry Wheeler. The car is thought to be one of just five in the world PAGE 86 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
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MOTORING
Let us drive
DOZENS of car enthusiasts took part in the annual Vintage and Classic Tour around Mendip.
Street legal: an enforcement officer checks this car parked in the Market Place during the event has a valid ticket
Richard Lintern and John Courtenay in an XK120 owned by David Vagg of Shepton Mallet
Mike and Sandy McLennan, of Rickford, arrive on Cathedral Green in their 1954 Austin Somerset A40 coupe PAGE 88 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
Colin and Helen Gale with Bethany and their Morris Minor convertible. The trio, from Midsomer Norton, won the prize for the best dressed ensemble
Memories of Z-cars: Derek Ezekiel and Gerald Tidcombe and a 1968 Mini Cooper S which was originally used by police on Merseyside
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More Mendip secrets revealed
DIGGING for new caves is an arduous pastime and work at some sites can take years. Discoveries are few and far between and many digs have reluctantly been abandoned, as enthusiasm wanes and the cavers move on to a more promising site. Yet new cave discoveries continue to be With PHILIP made and it is surprising how many times HENDY several dig sites ‘go’ at more or less the same time. This has been the case over the last couple of months, with four digs revealing new cave, and two more digs being started in interesting depressions. None of the recent advances has yet led to a significant discovery, but any breakthrough spurs the diggers on and may well lead to further finds. The dig at Home Close Hole, near Red Quar, was started in 2008, following a radiolocation survey placing the depression almost above the ascending passage called Young Blood’s Inlet, beyond the seventh sump in Wigmore Swallet. A connection would take cavers close to the eighth sump, with only a ten metre dive to reach the terminal sump, where digging might extend the stream cave. A depth of more than 33 metres was achieved, then digging ceased for a while. When it resumed last year, cavers pushed on down to the head of a 25 metre pitch. It was narrow at the top, but after enlargement, the shaft was found to lead to a large welldeveloped phreatic passage, which formed under water but is now dry. There are a few extensions, but the hoped-for connection to Young Blood’s Inlet is still elusive. Over at Cheddar Gorge, the Mendip Caving Group is excavating two areas in Bone Hole. One, in the old cave, which is fairly near the surface, has been steadily going down, but more recently a team has dug at the bottom of the new cave, discovered in 1975. Digging through dry mud, stalagmites and rock, the cavers were encouraged by a draught. Eventually a large passage was entered, with old, dry cave formations. The rift is around 30 metres long, with a solid wall on the left, and a loose rubble slope to the right. Dead flies, roots and rabbit bones found near the end suggest that the passage is heading back towards the surface, so it is not leading towards the
The dig site at Home Close Hole
CAVING Barry Wilkinson at the breakthrough point, Burrington dig
subterranean Cheddar Yeo as hoped. A small group of Wessex Cave Club diggers has been intermittently digging in a small cave in Burrington Combe for several years. The dig was upwards, through a dry and compact fill of mud and sandstone gravel. Their reward came recently, when a void appeared. This is a passage going off, almost horizontally, at right angles to the first part of the cave. It is very low, and progress necessitates crawling, sometimes on hands and knees, sometimes flat out, before the passage becomes too tight for further progress after around 25 metres, although it continues. There are some small but beautiful curtains and stalagmites, some of which are dark red. Lowering the floor will take some time, but it is hoped that more discoveries will be made. I last dug there in 2005, and if only we knew it, we were only about a metre from the breakthrough point. It can sometimes take ten years to advance a metre! At the time of writing, in May, the Templeton diggers at Priddy are enlarging a narrow passage with flowstone on the walls, towards an enticing black hole with a strong inward draught and a loud echo. We hope to locate the master cave which drains water from the Priddy swallets to Wookey Hole, but so far the sound of running water eludes us. Also at Priddy, a digger was used in late April to excavate a damp hollow in the middle of a field. A loose rock face was exposed, with deeply incised bedding planes and some old calcite formations. Large rocks in the floor of the pit prevent digging at present, but once they are removed, work will continue. Another has recently been started in a hollow on the south flank of Mendip above Bradley Cross. When the mud fill was removed to expose bedrock, a small hole appeared, which is currently being deepened. Work is well under way at Wookey Hole to connect the Ninth and Twentieth Chambers. Currently, Wookey Twenty has only been seen by cave divers, so no doubt the addition of this large chamber, some 60 metres long, 15 metres wide and 20 metres high, will be a major draw for visitors. It cannot, of course, be classed as a new discovery, but if cavers are permitted to access this chamber, without the problem of taking tackle in by diving, further extensions may be found. Mendip has plenty more to offer in the way of new cave; the problem is knowing where to look and dig. The many dig teams continue their work, usually more in hope than expectation, but these recent breakthroughs, though small, serve to encourage the teams to carry on, if only to work up a thirst for a well-earned pint in the pub afterwards.
Phil has been caving for more than 47 years and is a member of the Wessex Cave Club. He has been involved in producing several caving publications and is a caving instructor in Cheddar. His main interest is digging for new caves.
MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 89
(Photography by Phil Hendy)
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NEWS
Black Down on film
Canal walk
OVER 60 people attended the world premiere of Starfish, a film about the decoy town that was built on Black Down during the 2nd world war. The children of Blagdon primary school worked with the film’s producer, Ruth Coleman, and Biggerhouse Film to research the story and produce the short film. A mixture of live drama and animated sequences tell the fascinating story behind the decoy town. The film is now available to view on the Discovering Black Down website along with lots of information on Black Down during the war and the Starfish project.
MORE than 300 walkers lined the Kennet and Avon Canal towpath as part of The Forever Friends Appeal’s annual Walk of Life, raising funds for Bath’s Royal United Hospital. The Walk of Life, now in its eighth year, was created with and in memory of Vanessa Kyte from Rudge, near Frome who lost her life in November 2007 having lived with cancer for seven years. Vanessa’s sister, Nicola Noble from Warminster, led this year’s walk before walking the entire 21 miles to Bath. Both Nicola and their mother Dianne Young, say they are determined to help turn Vanessa’s dream of a new cancer centre for the hospital into reality.
Details: www.discoveringblackdown.org.uk or contact Stuart Bardsley, Discovering Black Down Project Officer on 01761 462338, or email sbardsley@somerset.gov.uk
Warning to dog owners
THE Mendip AONB service says it’s concerned about an increase in dog attacks on livestock and dog fouling on sites of special scientific interest across the hills. It’s urging walkers to keep their dogs under control and to take the waste home. It says a number of landowners have also reported an increase in the number and frequency of commercial dog walking businesses using their sites. It says these businesses require the specific permission of the landowner and that sensitive sites are protected under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 which formally excludes any person from being on the land who is engaged in any commercial activity. Sarah Jackson, Mendip Hills AONB manager, said: “We encourage people to enjoy the AONB responsibly and to be aware of the importance of keeping dogs under control and clearing up after them. The majority of land in the AONB is farmed and surrounds land managed for conservation. “The National Trust, Somerset Wildlife Trust, Natural England, South West Heritage Trust, Somerset County Council and NFU amongst other landowning bodies have experienced dog related issues on their sites or received visitor complaints about dogs. We hope that reminding people of the issues will encourage everyone to play their part in caring for this wonderful area that so many enjoy.” PAGE 90 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
Making an impression: Frome’s printing past
A 1950s Dreadnought press
AN exhibition highlighting Frome’s printing heritage will open at the town’s museum at the end of June. Making an Impression will focus on the firm of Butler and Tanner. A range of artefacts, photographs and beautifullycrafted examples of printed matter will be on display. The exhibition opens on Tuesday, June 30th and will run until October. A printing activity day will be held at the museum on Saturday, July 11th. The family-friendly printing workshop will feature activities including: letterpress using a hand press; manual composition and linocut and block printing.
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Stock shortages cause rise HOUSE prices were driven up again in the South West in April as new instructions declined for the third month, according to the latest survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. While 37% more surveyors saw prices rise in the South West in April, the highest reading since September 2014, new instructions continued to decline as 18% more respondents saw a fall in new instructions over the last month. As supply issues affect the market, for the first time since August 2014, respondents’ reported an increase in prices in every area of the UK. In the South West prices are expected to continue to increase over the next three months, with 17% more respondents expecting to see
further rises, and sales expectations are looking positive, with 21% more chartered surveyors expecting an increase in sales over the next three months. Contributing to this, new buyer enquiries are also looking positive with 6% more respondents seeing a rise over the last month.
ARIMIS
PROPERTY CHEW MAGNA
A LARGE DETACHED FAMILY HOUSE LOCATED ON THE EDGE OF THE VILLAGE OFFERING SOME 4400 SQ FT OF ACCOMMODATION 12.24 ACRES OF LAND AND GARDENS AND VIEWS SPANNING THE CHEW VALLEY. Galleried reception hall, drawing room, sitting room, family room, dining room, kitchen with Rayburn, office, utility, cloak and shower room and bathroom. Master bedroom one with dressing room and en suite bathroom, four further double bedrooms, second en suite, balcony and bathroom. Private drive entrance, second yard entrance. double garage, several detached outbuildings with potential (subject to pp), flagged south facing terrace, formal gardens, former lawn tennis court, PRICE GUIDE £1,180,000 pasture and paddocks. In all about 12.24 acres. Ref: 24871 Epc: E
CHURCHILL, NORTH SOMERSET
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN SERVICES Planning Applications Listed Building Building Regulations Care & Repair New Houses – Extensions Conversions & Refurbishments For a free consultation, please contact Rob Tel: 0800 458 4283 Mob: 07818 212 532 Email: rob@arimis-architectural.co.uk
A charming detached house located in the centre of the village offering well appointed family accommodation over two floors with the majority of the living accommodation located on the first floor with lovely southerly views over its land and up to the Mendip Hills. 5 bedrooms, en suites, 3 reception rooms, pretty garden, garage and parking. Paddocks, stabling and menege also available. In all amounting to 8.5 acres available as a whole or in lots £175,000. EPC: D Ref:24830 PRICE GUIDE £530,000
Wrington Tel: 01934
MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 91
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Curry night for Nepal . . .
NEPAL
Pupils respond to disaster
Nimi (far left) with members of the food-prepping team
VILLAGERS in West Pennard, near Glastonbury, have raised more than £4,000 for a charity in Nepal to help in the aftermath of two devastating earthquakes. They organised a pop-up curry night in aid of Sherpa Association UK, a small Nepalese charity raising funds to provide shelter, medicines and all the basic needs for earthquake survivors. They were moved to help because village resident Nimi Sherpa Panisa’s mother, daughter and other close family are all still in Nepal. They escaped with their lives but lost everything. Volunteers spent a day chopping vegetables and deboning chicken in preparation for Nimi to cook curry for 200. More volunteers decorated the hall with prayer flags and set the tables, Nepalese music was played and even the younger village members were involved, waiting at the tables on the actual night.
. . . and cakes!
THE fundraising team at Chew Magna Baptist Church wants to thank everyone who helped them raise money for earthquake victims in Nepal. Nearly £500 was raised at the big breakfast and cake sale, which will be sent to the Care Nepal team in Kathmandu. Two former members of the church, Cathy and Glyn Riley, are working with Care Nepal in Kathmandu and continue to send back reports of how the rescue work is going over there. PAGE 92 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
Pupils at Leigh-on-Mendip First School raised £135
SCHOOLS across Mendip and the rest of Somerset have been joining forces to raise money for communities affected by the devastating recent earthquakes in Nepal. The idea of a countywide fundraiser was suggested by the Student Council at the Blue School in Wells and quickly won the support of the two groups that represent primary and secondary school headteachers across Somerset. All schools were initially invited to take part in a dress down or “mufti” day to raise funds for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC). More than 130 schools have already signed up and some are organising their own alternative fundraising events. Pupils at Mark First School are “filling a sock with change” while Whitstone School in Shepton Mallet has organised a “Step up Everest” event. Other schools are holding cake sales and other events to raise as much money as possible. Councillor Frances Nicholson, Somerset County Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Families, said: “This is a wonderful gesture by our schools to do something to help all those affected by the devastating events in Nepal. “The idea came from the students themselves and they deserve a huge amount of praise for rallying together in this way. I love how the idea has escalated and now we have children taking part in all sorts of fantastic fundraising activities.”
Kilmersdon Primary School pupils dressed up as superheroes to raise money for Nepal.
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Weaving the willows
HOMES & INTERIORS
THE Willows and Wetlands Visitor Centre is the home of P.H. Coate & Son, founded by willow grower and merchant Robert Coate in 1819, and still run by the Coate family today. When Kathleen Boobyer, daughter of well-known willow grower and furniture maker Edmund Boobyer, married Percy Coate in 1940, the joining of the two families created the present company. It’s based on the Somerset Levels, which provides the perfect conditions for willow growing. Basket-making willow, known as "withies", have been grown here for two centuries and it is now the only area left where it is still cultivated for the production of baskets, furniture, garden items and high quality artists' charcoal. Here indeed is the heart of the English willow industry, an industry that in many ways has not changed for centuries. Willow grows extremely quickly; in one growing season which lasts from late May to early October a single rod can reach up to 8ft long. New willow beds are planted in the spring using pieces of willow from the crop harvested during the preceding winter. The new willow bed will not be fully productive in the first three years, but once it is well established, with careful management the plants can last up to 30 years. The team at P.H Coate & Son are specialist basket makers with 180 years’ experience between them and their 100% willow charcoal has a variety of uses, apart from being sought-after by artists.
MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 93
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HOMES & INTERIORS
Solarsense build Bristol’s biggest solar park MULTI-award winning Solarsense UK, based at Brockley, has built Bristol’s first ever community-owned solar park at Moorhouse Lane in Bristol, Bristol’s largest solar power system to date. It was opened by Bristol Mayor George Ferguson. The 1.8MW solar park was funded and is owned by Low Carbon Gordano Limited, a cooperative whose purpose is to help the local community to reduce energy costs and become more sustainable. Solarsense have installed thousands of solar units, including one of the biggest in Europe at Worthy Farm, home of the Glastonbury Festival. Commenting on the opening, Mayor Ferguson said: “It’s wonderful that this solar park is happening right here in Bristol, because as you know, Bristol is the European Green Capital of the Year. “The world is looking at what we are doing and later on we’ll be setting up our own energy company. That gives a real sense of making sure everybody in Bristol will take part in our battle against climate change. But it’s not just
PAGE 94 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
about climate change. “What’s absolutely great is that the emissions here are zero and that means we are cleaning up the air in our cities for our children. “With this project, Low Carbon Gordano will inspire a lot of people to
think a lot more about how we can harness the power of the sun in a much more practical way and I will do everything I can to encourage the new government in Westminster to support renewables and other alternative forms of energy.”
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Tincknells have experience and expertise THE hub of Tincknell Heating Services is the dedicated control centre based in Wells, where they manage the 20-strong team of engineers, tank installers and tank team who service the West Country. Their quality service has developed through listening to their customers. They stand by their reputation and have customers that have been with them for more than 60 years. They offer a comprehensive range of services. The team of experienced engineers cover service and breakdown of oil-fired and gas appliances and carry out boiler replacements and installations. They also install full central heating systems. The engineering team are all highly qualified OFTEC trained technicians, who are able to service, identify and fix faults on virtually all oil-fired appliances including AGAs and Rayburns. If you are considering buying a new tank for your heating oil, or just
relocating your existing one to a different site on your property, their specialist tank installation team will carry this out quickly and efficiently, using their dedicated tank installation vehicle. Their customer service is second to none. Their highly qualified team is
HOMES & INTERIORS
constantly striving to deliver quality performance at every opportunity, with customer service being paramount. They have built their business, in which they take immense pride, upon traditional values, often those associated with bygone times.
You can find out more about boiler servicing, both oil-fired and gas, together with details of their current offers by calling 01749 683911.
PAGE 96 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
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JACKSONS
Jacksons Fencing – news, topical treats and more . . .
Venetian style fencing in stylish modern garden
HERE are some amazing photos, sent in by a very creative and clever Jacksons customer, Stephen Martin. They show his stylish and very modern garden. At first glance it looks like Stephen has used our Venetian fence panels to create this lovely split level outdoor area, complete with raised artificial lawns, timber decks and stunning fence panels that surround the garden and give it a contemporary and chic feeling. I am impressed at how cleverly he has managed to use our timber to create his own version of the Jacksons Venetian panels, especially the way he has managed to make sloping panels that follow the line of the original brick walls, that are the boundary to his garden. There's even a neat pedestrian side gate to match, not shown here - but to see more of Stephen’s photos and see the complete list of Jacksons timbers he used, go to your dedicated page: www.jacksonsfencing.co.uk/bathlocal where you can find a link to his customer project story. If you are anything like me and creating your own fence is beyond you, then you can always go for the much easier option and buy the Venetian panels, posts and gates to match from Jacksons, you can find links to those on the page too – there are even handy installation instructions there as well for you to download, so don’t be deterred!
Venetian style panels run along the side of the house, the clean lines of the battens have a smart, contemporary feel, allowing light through but also a degree of privacy at the same time.
Many thanks to Stephen Martin for sharing this project with us. Summer is traditionally the season for shows of all sorts, be they equestrian, agricultural or gardening. So if you are visiting any of those types of shows this year, do check to see if we are there and visit us on our stand. Ones we are definitely at are: Royal Windsor, Hickstead, the Cheshire Show, Bath and
West and Kent County Show and, of course, RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. Check out our events page on the website for other shows we are attending: www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk/bathlocal or call 0800 408 4754 to talk to your local Jacksons Fencing Centre. louise@jacksons-fencing.co.uk
WIN TICKETS TO RHS HAMPTON C O U R T PA L A C E F L O W E R S H O W
To celebrate our presence at RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower show we are having a free prize draw to win pairs of tickets to the show. The free prize draw will run until June 15th. Winners will get a pair of tickets and will receive a goody bag when they drop by the Jacksons show garden when visiting the show. For full details and how to enter please go to your dedicated web page:www.jacksons-
fencing.co.uk/bathlocal
MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 97
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Welcome to
South Coast Fencing & Fabrications Ltd.
ORNATE • COMMERCIAL • GATES & RAILINGS
FAMILY BUSINESS BASED IN THE CHEW VALLEY FOR OVER 100 YEARS
We specialise in the manufacture and installation of ornate steel products including: Gates, Railings, Curtain Poles, and Security Grills. Gate automation and site welding services. We are based in South Bristol and manufacture and install bespoke made to measure ornate steel products including Gates, Railings, Security Grills, and Curtain Poles to both domestic and commercial customers. We take great pride in our work and receive frequent recommendations. Please browse the galleries on our website to get an idea of what we can do. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.
0 77 6 9 90 5 19 9 Unit 18, Honeyfield Business Park, Hartcliffe way, Bedminster, Bristol BS3 5RN. www.southcoastfencing&fabricationsltd.co.uk
PAGE 98 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
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T h e b e n e f it s o f p l a n t a t i o n sh u t t e r s THERE are few sights more appealing or seductive than the morning light spilling through half-open louvres casting striped shadows across the floor and falling awkwardly over a table or settee, according to Simon Moody of Shuttercraft. Plantation shutters are known for their stylish look and versatility. The ability to configure them in a multitude of ways – top opening, bottom closed, full height or cafe style, bi-fold or single panel, solid or louvered, remote control or manual, hardwood or painted finish – the options are incredible. But since buying his Shuttercraft franchise in 2013 Simon Moody says he has found out just how much more these classy shutters offer than just the look. He said: “I put them in my youngest son's room to combat the early morning light that had been an ongoing issue for years once the clocks change to summer. The room is east facing – too light in summer and too cold in winter. We chose shutters in silk white with 76mm louvres and offset tilt rods.
“The improvement in blackout over the rollerblinds and curtains we had put up with before was impressive but what has proved more surprising, and very welcome, has been the way that the shutters have changed the thermal qualities of the rooms they are in. Plantation shutters are brilliant at keeping rooms, susceptible to overheating on bright summer days, cool and those prone to losing heat in winter (and let's not forget that means
HOMES & INTERIORS
money too), warm. My S:CRAFT plantation shutters have transformed my home. “They give me control over privacy and light, which is great of course, but they have also allowed me to take much greater control over the way my home feels.” If you would like to find out how good your home could look and feel this summer, contact Simon for a free inhome consultation, survey and quote.
MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 99
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Tony Hucker TV Service – Sales – Rental
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Family celebrates 40 years in business THIS year marks the 40th year in business for West-End Windows, one of the South West’s largest manufacturers of PVC-U and architectural aluminium. The family-run business was established in 1975 by Bill Carr, initially dealing solely in aluminium window systems. Garry Carr took over the business in 1989 with his wife Pauline. Their two daughters Karen and Laura also joined the family business over ten years ago. Garry introduced Upvc windows and doors to their manufacturing range which soon became very popular but aluminium has always been at the forefront of the business. West-End prides itself on encouraging their staff to learn and grow within the company, with a loyal and experienced team behind them they ensure their customers’ needs are met, helping them to grow their own business and they endeavour to keep up with the latest innovations in the window and door industry, with all the latest products on offer. West-End Windows’ fabricate industry-
leading systems from The VEKA UK Group, Liniar and Smart Systems, offering a full range of high quality solutions to the trade, domestic and commercial sectors. Year-on-year growth has been achieved through their commitment to customer service combined with substantial investment in the latest technology and CNC machinery, thus ensuring consistent
HOMES & INTERIORS
high quality, reliable delivery and competitive prices. Both the uPVC and aluminium divisions have the latest CAD design software, computerised cutting and CNC automated machinery, and a comprehensive transport fleet. Garry has worked effortlessly to ensure that all products are manufactured to the highest standard.
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MENDIP TIMES
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HOMES & INTERIORS
DB Joinery in Hallatrow is eagerly awaiting the arrival of its new state of the art tenoning machine. The joinery has been producing top quality work since 1982 and has built up an enviable reputation as one the South West’s leading joinery businesses. Over the years investments have been made in various types of new equipment including a CNC machine but when the current tenoner looked like it was coming to the end of its life, the owners Lisa and Nick Carter were faced with a decision. Nick says: “We had a choice to replace like for like or to invest in the future with the aim of expanding our windows market. We will of course be continuing with our bespoke joinery service but the new machine will allow us to become more efficient in larger quantity window production.” The machine will be installed by the end of May and the joiners are very much looking forward to starting their training and expanding the joinery’s range.
MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 103
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Music shop is on song Paul and Rachel
MIDSOMER Norton has a new music shop, offering everything from guitars and pianos for sale to lessons for people of all abilities. All Instruments, on The Island, offers a similar service to the family-run business’s store in Westbury. As well as selling instruments, the team at All Instruments can offer expertise ranging from piano restoration to servicing and repairs. In the long-term, there are plans to offers one of the many rooms – all with a sea life theme – as rehearsal space. The TMW Music School will offer affordable tuition with specialist teachers. Paul Myers, the mayor of Midsomer Norton, officially opened the shop to the backdrop of a fanfare composed by talented young musician Rachel Ford.
Opera comes to Midsomer Norton
MUSICIANS and singers have joined forces to bring opera to new audiences by staging a special performance in Midsomer Norton in June. Purcell’s operatic masterpiece, Dido & Aeneas, will be performed at Midsomer Norton Town Hall on Sunday, July 7th at 6pm. Entrance is by donation and the opera will appeal to young and old alike – and it’s not very long! The joint venture, between Midsomer Norton Community Trust, Musicians South West (who bring live music to new audiences), and Bath Cantata Group, represents a unique opportunity to experience opera at a local venue and is part of Project Renaissance – bringing arts to the Somer Valley. Mezzo-soprano Marie Elliott and soprano Julia O’Connor, both well-established soloists and founder members of Baroque ensemble Bath Consort, play Dido and Belinda. They are joined by Andrew Havers as Aeneas and Colette Henshaw singing the dramatic role of Sorceress, and accompanied by the instrumentalists from Bath Consort: Jacquelyn Bevan, Matthew Spring and Linda Stocks. The Bath Cantata Group, under the direction of Neil Moore, provides the Chorus. G Seating is limited and can be reserved by phoning 01761 419133 during office hours or texting 07595 671116 – booking is strongly advised. PAGE 104 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
More big names for Wedmore The chorus in rehearsal
BEST-SELLING novelist, Joanna Trollope, is the latest addition to the line-up for this year’s Wedmore Arts Festival from July 3rd – 11th. It’s shaping up to be the most ambitious ever, with something for everyone: literature, comedy, jazz, drama – and opera. The main event will be Wedmore Opera’s Carmen, with Marie Elliott in the title role, Ben Thapa (of G4 fame) playing Don José, and Tom Colwell as Escamillo the Toreador. Rehearsals are now underway with a host of local people in the chorus and working behind the scene, with 20 children from Hugh Sexey’s Middle School also taking part. The festival line-up is expanding all the time.
Marie Elliott (Carmen) sings the Habanera to Sam Cumming, a member of the chorus
Details: www.wedmoreopera.com or call 01934 713271.
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Choir on the move
MEMBERS of Strode Music Theatre Society, formerly Strode Opera, are looking forward to their forthcoming concerts. A full four-part choir they will perform a selection of music from stage and screen with compositions by Gilbert and Sullivan, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Walt Disney to name a few. On Friday June 5th the choir will be at St. Peter and St. Paul's Church, Shepton Mallet. Tickets can be obtained from Jerry Jeremiah on 01749 345473, Ken Smith on 01749 346697 or on the door. On Friday June 6th the choir will be at Caryford Community Hall, Castle Cary. Tickets can be obtained from Bailey Hill Bookshop, by ringing Alan Gibbons on 01963 350194 or on the door. On Friday June 12th the choir will be at the Mission Church, Street. For details contact Sonia Beaty on churchoffice8@gmail.com or call 01458 442797. There will be an admission charge for each concert and they will all commence at 7.30 pm.
Singers’ new team
SOMER Valley Singers have had a busy year, performing at 14 local venues and raising £800 for charity. They also have a new musical director, Mark Baker, following the retirement of Heather Hill, and a new assistant musical director, Hannah Richards. The choir meets every Thursday at 7.30pm at the Somer Centre in Midsomer Norton. New members are always welcome. Details: www.somervalleysingers.co.uk or telephone 433325.
Glastonbury gig
THERE’S going to be a special event on Glastonbury Tor on June 20th when musicians gather to celebrate Music Therapy Week, which runs from June 22nd – 28th. Local music therapists, their family and friends will gather on Glastonbury Tor to start playing at 11am – and hope the public will join in. Music Therapy week is a nationwide event to acknowledge, promote and share information about music therapy and the work of music therapists across the education, health and care sectors. Details: www.bamt.org
Choirmaster’s mission
MUSIC
WELLS CATHEDRAL organist and Master of the Choristers Matthew Owens and his five-year-old chocolate Labrador Elsie will walk the 50-mile Mendip Way to raise £5,000 for the trust’s bursary endowment appeal. The walk will take place over two days on Saturday June 27th and Sunday June 28th. Matthew and Elsie will begin their Mendip Way walk in Weston-Super-Mare and travel through the beautiful Somerset countryside, taking in Wells and finishing in Frome. Matthew said: “This is my way to assist the trust get to the halfway target for its bursary endowment appeal and support the choristers. It will be great to walk the Mendip Way with Elsie. She accompanies me on runs all the time and is great company.” The trust's primary objective is to build two endowment funds to generate interest to provide bursaries for choristers in support of their education and to ensure no chorister is barred on financial grounds. So far, its two endowment funds (one for girls only and the other for boys and girls) have enabled it to award £209,700 in bursaries to qualifying choristers since 2009. Details: www.wcct.co.uk/owens-sponsored-walk
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Winscombe May Fair
Winscombe School pupils danced round the maypole
Teddy bears picnic
Winscombe Horticultural Society was kept busy
Sandford WI ran a cake stall PAGE 106 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
Yeo Valley Open Day
EVENTS
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RIDING
New equestrian centre going well
THE Mendip Plains EC is run by the Green family who have been farming on the Waldegrave Estate in Chewton Mendip and Ston Easton for over 80 years. We are extremely lucky that they have decided to diverse into the equestrian sector. The aim is to provide a friendly face and a With CELIA facility for all ages and abilities whether horse GADD riding is just a hobby or for the more professional riders who are bringing their horses on for major competitions. The facilities Include: a cross country course with fences from 80cm to 100cm; a 90m x 50m all-weather outdoor arena, with a sand and fibre surface; one set of wooden training show jumps; one set of wooden competition show jumps; dressage boards and markers and a 100m x 100m hard standing lorry and trailer park. Father, Duncan runs the dairy and arable farm; and he also decided to get back into the saddle nine years ago when daughter Hannah had grown out of ponies and had a horse big enough for him to ride. He set out for a day’s hunting with the Mendip farmers and after a few ports and stone walls he decided he ought to invest in his own horse and is still going strong now (just so long as someone has mucked out, cleaned the tack and plaited the horse!)
June show dates
Thursday 4th Dressage with Helen Griffiths at Mendip Plains Equestrian Centre Saturday 6th Unaffiliated show jumping at Mendip Plains Equestrian Centre Unaffiliated dressage at Kings Sedgemoor Equestrian Centre, Greinton Wednesday 10th Lower unaffiliated show jumping at Badgworth Arena, Axbridge Unaffiliated dressage at the Conquest Centre, Taunton Sunday 14th Unaffiliated dressage at Mendip Plains Equestrian Centre Mendip Farmers Pony Club Open Show – Mid Somerset Showground Wednesday 17th British Seniors show jumping at Mendip Plains Equestrian Centre
Higher unaffiliated show jumping at Badgworth Arena, Axbridge Saturday 20th Midsummer Madness dressage day – West Somerset Riding Club, Roborough Gate Wednesday 24th Lower unaffiliated show jumping at Badgworth Arena, Axbridge Sunday 28th Wellow Fun Ride, in aid of Wellow Riding for the Disabled and Wilts Air Ambulance, Ford Farm, Wellow, BA2 8QT, three, six and ten-mile rides, with optional jumps (three-mile suitable for lead rein), minimum sponsorship £15 in advance, £20 on the day. Details: www.saxondressagegroup.co .uk Lyn Doman 0775 2020 373.
Jane looks after the farm accounts and is always in the kitchen cooking up a storm to feed the workforce (keep an eye out in the MPEC office for some tasty treats). Jane calls herself the unpaid groom as she helps out with day-to-day running of the family horses and if she’s not running round after Hannah at a one-day event or dressage competition she’s collecting Duncan from a day’s hunting. She also had great fun being the secretary of the Mendip Farmers Hunt pony club for three years. Hannah has helped out on the family farm since completing her equine management diploma at Bicton college in 2009, although it was not exactly what she wanted to do she has learnt a lot of useful skills that have helped her with running the equestrian centre. In her spare time she enjoys eventing dressage and hunting. Tom helps Duncan run the farm and doesn’t have too much to do with the horses if he can help it, unless it involves a large tractor baling hay or straw for them! He does however enjoy a day’s hunting when he gets the chance (again just as long as the stable has been mucked out and the horses tack cleaned and main plaited!)
Buy a share of a horse
BRITISH eventing is a really exciting and very sociable sport and Team Bragg, Simmone and Alex Bragg, have come up with a fabulous way for people to get involved without having to pay out full ownership, livery and entry fees. Alex has had an exceptional few years eventing since picking the sport back up and running it alongside his busy occupation as a farrier. He is now nearly full-time riding and runs the yard supported by Simmone, and together they have three children. His huge success is very much due to the hard work that they all put in and during 2014 they competed in 99 events and finished in the top ten at over 50% of the competitions. Featured for the second consecutive year in the top 100 riders, Alex is determined to get to the very top of his sport. It is obviously very expensive to run the horses and they are actively seeking sponsorship from local companies at the moment, but also have come up with the great idea of creating a sponsorship syndicate in order to be able to keep a very talented horse that has joined the yard. Bloomfield Tiger Too is a five-year-old, very talented 16hh grey gelding. Alex believes he has the scope and temperament to go all the way and will be aimed at the young horse championships this year. And so it is now possible to become part of a syndicate to ‘own’ him for next season. For a fixed monthly amount there will be ample opportunities to visit the yard and go along as part of Team Bragg and watch him compete. This is a really great way to enjoy all the benefits of being an owner in the sport, at a fraction of the costs. Contact Alex on 07799534350
MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 107
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Help for the young and disabled HILL Farm Equestrian has recently become one of the newest riding centres to be included in the Riding for the Disabled accessibility scheme. The Accessibility Mark is a Sport England project being developed and launched by Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) in partnership with Hoof, the British Equestrian Federation’s (BEF) legacy programme.
Putting your horse’s health in the hands of the experts
# Based in Wells and covering Mendip and throughout Somerset # Providing a personal and professional service for all horses at your home or at our purpose-built equine clinic # 24 hour emergency cover – our team is available at the end of a phone # A fully mobile service with state-of-the-art equipment, dentistry, pre-purchase examinations, fertility work (including AI)
The aim is to provide training, assistance and accreditation to riding centres, schools and clubs to enable more disabled people to participate in horse riding activities. Centres successfully completing the training and assessment will be given a recognised accreditation from RDA – Accessibility Mark – to demonstrate their ability to safely and competently accommodate those with a range of physical and/or learning disabilities into their programmes. Hill Farm is also part of the Young Equestrians Scheme. Young Equestrians is a programme created by Hoof, in collaboration with The Pony Club aimed at those aged 13-18. Young Equestrians provides social hubs on a local level for riding and training opportunities through local riding schools enabling those involved to reconnect and engage with equestrian sport. You do not need to be a Pony Club Member to take part!
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Stables Equine Practice, Conkerfield, Pennybatch Lane, Wookey, Wells BA5 1NH Tel: 01749 830666 • website: www.stablesequinepractice.co.uk
• Riding Lessons on our well-schooled horses & ponies or on your own • Pony Club • Accessibility Mark • Take back the Reins (new format for these courses starting now) • Indoor & Outdoor Arena Hire, by the hour ½ Day or Full day, available for Private use, or for Clubs & Groups. Also available for Dog Training
Livery DIY, Part, Full, Schooling & Holiday Livery available. Purpose built stable yard and New American Barn style stables. Fantastic facilities including – 2 x All Weather Arenas, Show Jump Paddock with XC Jumps, Wash Box, Meeting Room, Tuck Shop, Saddlery Goods for sale, Free Lorry/ Trailer Parking. Reduced Price Lessons. Plus other excellent facilities. Hill Farm Equestrian, Hill Farm, Burtle, Bridgwater, Somerset TA7 8NB 01278 723415 or 07891 555151 or 07977 122047 Hillfarmequestrian.com or hillfarmequestrian@hotmail.co.uk
PAGE 108 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
Horse trials on their doorstep SOUTHFIELD Sporting is looking forward to another exciting Nunney International Horse Trials – each year the event attracts more and more competitors and visitors; it is a fantastic day out for the whole family. If you’re planning to attend, make sure you Southfield Sporting: a must-visit visit Southfield Sporting. destination during the horse To find the shop, head trials towards the dressage arenas. Inside you will find an exceptionally wide choice of country clothing and footwear for ladies and gents from popular brands such as Schoffel, Really Wild Clothing and John Field. If you’re in need of a new pair of wellies for walking the cross country course they stock Le Chameau, the choice of wellington boots for members of the Royal Family! Alongside the clothing there is a delightful range of ruralthemed gifts and accessories. There is also an extensive gunroom that stocks both new and second hand shotguns and rifles as well as all the accessories associated with shooting. Southfield Sporting will be open on all three days of the competition, with special show offers available throughout all three days.
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Nunney Horse Trials – a day out in stunning countryside THIS year’s Nunney International Horse Trials, which take place near Frome in June, promise to be the best yet with 800 competitors lined up to compete over the three days of the event. The trials, from Friday, June 19th to Sunday, June 21st, attracts some of the top names from eventing with international stars Zara Phillips, Harry Meade, Sam Griffiths, Kristina Cook and Izzy Taylor all competing there in the past. NIHT is staged in the spectacular grounds of Southfield House, between Whatley and Nunney. The focus is on – and around – the main arena where the showjumping Kitty King, winner of the competitions take place against a CIC2 class on Ceylor L A backdrop of a wide range of trade N with John Clothier, stands and food outlets. Close by is from Frome Show, one of the cross country course with last year’s event sponsors
RIDING
Izzy King in action
excellent vantage points over the fixed timber fences. Organiser Alisa Hunter-Gordon said: “We are really looking forward to this year’s event. We first ran at Southfield House in 2012 and the event has been growing in popularity. “It’s great that it attracts so many of the top names from the sport and it provides a wonderful opportunity for people to come along and enjoy a day out in beautiful countryside while watching the exciting sport of horse trials.”
Entry to the event is free on Friday and £12 per car on Saturday and Sunday. Visit www.nunneyhorsetrials.co.uk for more details.
MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 109
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Runners meet the challenge AROUND 200 runners competed in the annual 10km Jack ‘n Jill Challenge which featured a tortuous climb up Kilmersdon’s famous hill. Organised by Somer Athletics Club and starting from Haydon, the course
took competitors on a challenging route of mostly off-road running. Before they started, dozens of youngsters – and a few adults – took part in a fun run.
The start of the main race Jack and Jill Hill took its toll on even the leaders of the race
Competitors prepare for local events
PLANS are well underway for the Frome Half Marathon on Sunday July 19th, which is expected to attract 1,000 runners. This year there will be an added competition to complete – whovever climbs Egford Hill in the fastest time will be crowned King and Queen of the Mountain. The race includes 10k and 5k distances and children over 11 can take part in the 5k, and there is a 1k run for children under 11. Entries are welcomed from athletes of any ability. Details: www.fromehalfmarathon.co.uk PAGE 110 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
Not just for fun: Jayne Keitch took part in the fun run to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust; she’s hoping to raise £1,000 for the charity this year and is being supported by Cooperative Funeral Care in Frome where she works
Benjamin Hails, aged nine, wins the fun run.
THE third Chew Valley 10k and 1k Rainbow Run takes place on Sunday June 21st and places are going fast. Chew Valley resident and Mendip Times columnist Dr Phil Hammond will start the scenic yet challenging 10km race at 9.30am, which is followed by a 1km Rainbow Run, during which 250 children will be squirted with safe, biodegradable multi-coloured paint. The event will raise funds for Bloodbikes Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Support, Above and Beyond, which supports Bristol’s hospitals, and the local school, Bishop Sutton Primary School. Details: www.chewvalley10k.co.uk
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SPORT
Mendip table skittles champions 2015
Division 1 pairs winners John Walker (left) and Ken Croker
REMEMBER how it was? All the polls suggested one result, then on the day, a totally different outcome arrived? Yes, I’m talking about the table
Divison two winner Julian Scott
Ladies winner Kristy Pole, Red Lion Bishops Sutton
skittles finals nights, which wrapped up a long and incident-packed season this month at Redhill Club. Kristy Pole won the ladies title for the first time, making this probably the most hotlycontested title in the league, with five different winners in the last five years. Meanwhile Andy Evans, despite taking on the running of the league, gave himself the hardest possible route to the final in the Division One Individuals Cup: not only did he easily beat last year’s winner in the final, he got there by beating a previous winner in three of his earlier rounds! This title is also turning into one with real competitive edge, with a new name on the trophy
Division 2 pairs winners Chris Attwood (left) and Julian Scott
in each of the last seven years. In the Division One Cup, the Stoke Inn secured a thrilling last leg victory to triumph unexpectedly over the Redhill Lionhearts in the semi-final, and then went on to easily defeat the Crown in the final to take the title for the first time since 2001. Meanwhile in Division Two, the Crown Rangers recaptured the cup title they last held in 2011 after a good win over the Red Lion from Bishop Sutton. In the league, there were no surprises as the strongest teams in recent years claimed first and second in both divisions, with the Crown Regil winning Division One and the Tetley Brewers, Banwell, Division Two.
Division One winner Andy Evans
But it was lovely to see a real stalwart of the league, Johnny Walker, get his name on the Division One Pairs trophy – surprisingly, his first win in this competition since 1999. Next season promises to be a cracking one, with so much to play for, especially in Division Two, as Julian Scott and Chris Attwood, who have dominated the silverware in Division Two in recent years, will be playing in Division One at last. If any pubs or players are interested in joining the league for next season, which starts in September, please contact Andy Evans at andyskittles@yahoo.co.uk or have a look at the website at www.mendiptableskittles.co.uk Steve Miles
MENDIP TABLE SKITTLES LEAGUE PRIZE WINNERS 2014-15 LEAGUE League Division 1 Champions Crown Inn, Regil League Division 1 Runners-up Lion-Harts, Redhill League Division 2 Champions Tetley Brewers, Banwell League Division 2 Runners-up Redhill Club, Redhill KNOCK-OUT CUPS - TEAMS League Cup Crown Inn, Regil League Cup Runners-up Lion-Harts, Redhill Division 1 Cup Stoke Inn, Chew Stoke Division 1 Cup Runners-up Crown Regil, Winford Division 2 Cup Crown Rangers, West Harptree Division 2 Cup Runners-up Red Lion, Bishop Sutton KNOCK-OUT CUPS – PAIRS/LADIES/INDIVIDUALS Division 1 Pairs Cup Ken Croker & John Walker, Crown Regil
Division 1 Pairs Cup Runners-up Tom Warren & Mike Elwood, Railway Children Division 2 Pairs Cup Julian Scott & Chris Attwood, Tetley Brewers Division 2 Pairs Cup Runners-up Simon Harris & Ed Norman, Red Lion Ladies Cup Kristy Pole, Red Lion Ladies Cup Runner-up Vonnie Kempster, Blue Flame Division 1 Individuals Cup Andy Evans, Brewers Droops Division 1 Individuals Cup Runner-up Ken Croker, Crown Regil Division 2 Individuals Cup Julian Scott, Tetley Brewers Division 2 Individuals Cup Runner-up Simon Harris, Red Lion MENDIP ENDIPTT IMES• •JJ UNE2015 2015• •PPAGE AGE111 ?? M IMES UNE
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(Photo courtesy of George Bladon/gbpix)
Strong field at Pensford
ABOUT 160 runners took part in the Pensford 10k in ideal conditions over the tough hilly country roads around Pensford. The winner of the open category was Chris McMillan of Weston Athletics Club in a time of 35 minutes 41 seconds. The leading female finisher was Katie Hooper, from North Somerset AC, in a time of 45 minutes 43 seconds.
Double first for Frome
FROME College U16 girls’ football team have won the Somerset County Cup for the second year running, beating Taunton School 2 – 0 in the final. Frome College boys’ U16 team then made it a double by winning the boys’ county cup, beating Broadlands Academy in Street by the same margin.
Everyone for tennis?
Luke’s a winner
Kevin Durney (kneeling far left) with some of the organisers of the day and players
WELLS Tennis Club was amongst those taking part in the Great British Tennis Weekend. Aimed at encouraging more people to take up the sport for fitness or competition the weekend was co-ordinated by the Lawn Tennis Association. Free children’s coaching, “come back to tennis” for adults, cardio tennis, free turn-up and play court use and a barbeque were on offer. For Wells, it was also a chance for players to meet Kevin Durney, the club’s recently-appointed head coach. A similar event will be held on June 13th. For more information visit http://www.wellstc.co.uk
PAGE 112 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
THIRTEEN-year-old Luke Mason, a member of Churchill Fencing Club, displays his latest trophy after winning the U14 South West qualifier for the British Youth Championships to be held in Sheffield. His father, Jon, one of three coaches at Churchill, introduced Luke to fencing at the age of seven and Luke's ambition is to represent his country one day. Des Sloyan, chief coach and founder of the club, said: “Luke is a natural, a very stylish and exciting fencer who gives all us oldies a serious run around on the piste!”
Details: Des Sloyan 01934 852627
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SPORT
Well done Welton! By Mark Adler
FANS of Welton Rovers FC had plenty to celebrate at the end of the season – promotion and the official opening of a new stand. Welton beat Cheddar 1-3 on the last day of the season to ensure a place in the Toolstation Western League Premier Division, where they’ll face local rivals including Shepton Mallet and Street. The celebrations continued the following day when a big crowd turned out for a charity fun day at West Clewes to see Welton take on an under-
Welton and City line-up before the start of the charity match
21 Bristol City side. The day raised money for Dorothy House and civic dignitaries including
Celebrations after Welton score their third goal against Cheddar
Midsomer Norton mayor Paul Myers were present for the opening of the new £70,000 stand.
A champagne moment – Welton players and coaching staff celebrate promotion
Flying high: City's youngsters repel an early Welton attack
Mascot Henry Ford tosses a coin before the start of the game
Going up – next season the team will place in the Western League Premier Division
The official opening of the new stand at West Clewes MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 113
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Double success for Norton . . .
Norton captain Matthew “Scruff” Denning
Words and pictures by Mark Adler
MIDSOMER Norton rugby club completed a remarkable cup double with an emphatic victory against a side from Bath at the city’s famous Rec. Norton faced Old Sulians in the final of the Bath and District Rugby Combination Vase Final, winning 34-7 in front of a sizeable crowd. The trophy now joins the Somerset Vase, which Norton won just a few days earlier after beating Bristol Harlequins 25-22 at Weston-super-Mare, in the cabinet at their Norton Down ground.
Norton score their opening try
Norton with the Somerset Vase
Let the party begin: Norton celebrate on the Rec
Norton pile on the pressure PAGE 114 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
(Photo courtesy of Will Nichol)
Norton contest a line-out against the iconic Bath background
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SPORT
. . . but frustration for Wells WELLS Rugby Club had to settle for being runners-up in the final of the Somerset Cup against Hornets of Westonsuper-Mare. Hornets outplayed Wells for much of the match at Bridgwater and Albion RFC, running out comfortable 30-14 winners in front of a large crowd of around 500. It was the second time that Hornets had lifted the trophy in the competition organised by Somerset County RFU.
Hornets with the trophy Wells still manage a smile after defeat
Peter Costeloe, who was president of Hornets for 20 years, with his wife Diney
Successful year for Chew Valley SOME 120 players and supporters gathered at Chew Valley Rugby Club for the annual general meeting followed by a dinner and speeches culminating in awards to players. Club chairman Chris Miller reflected on another successful season which saw the First XV, led by Mitch Quoi, consolidate their position in Western Counties North while Luke Gibbs led the Second XV to their second successive promotion. Next season they will play in Somerset Premier against the First XVs of local rivals Winscombe, Tor, Yatton and St Bernadettes. With the club running a Third XV for the first time in a number of years Captain Dom Ford led a mixture of young and old to a creditable fourth place in Somerset 3 North. The awards went to: Presidents Cup, 2nd team squad; Clubman, Bruce Wellman; Coaches Award, Will Keel; Colts Player of year, Joe Cowell, Most improved, Kyle Cordens (back), Jorden Buet (forward), Players player, Will Folkes, Clubman, Curtis Hurst; 3rd Team, Player of year, Adrian Sims, Most improved, Alex Hodson, Young player, Liam Houlihan, Players player, Mike Houlihan; 2nd team Player of Year, Sam Ryan, Most improved, Tom Limb, Young player, James Ryan, Players player, Luke Gibbs; 1st Team Player of
Second XV Captain Luke Gibbs with the team’s Presidents Cup and his personal award.
year, Alex Cox, Most improved, Ben Chase, Young player, Richard Light, Players player, Darren Jeffries (forward), Dan Gatton (back). MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 115
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Puxton scores a hat-trick for excellence
The fayre is back in town
The maypole festival at last year’s fayre
ONE of the South West’s most popular adventure parks is celebrating after being presented a prestigious award for the third consecutive year. Puxton Park, near Weston-super-Mare, has been awarded the 2015 Certificate of Excellence, the highest accolade given by online travel review site TripAdvisor. It was given the certificate after receiving an overwhelming amount of positive reviews from visitors who offered their feedback praising outstanding facilities and service. TripAdvisor said in a statement: “TripAdvisor is delighted to award Puxton Park the 2015 Certificate of Excellence. This achievement is a direct result of your consistently great reviews from TripAdvisor travellers.” Puxton’s Alistair Mead said: “It is a real honour to be awarded the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for the third year running. Our visitor numbers are increasing year on year and we achieved our busiest Easter half term holiday on record since our inception. “This excellence award is therefore a clear refection on the number of people choosing to visit Puxton Park and rating us highly as a result of their experience. We always welcome feedback from our guests and take on board all comments to ensure we improve customer experience year on year and offer an excellent family day out.”
MIDSOMER NORTON FAYRE Saturday, 11th July 2015 12noon-5pm e Town Show – Live Music – Victoriana Tea Rooms Maypole Festival – Art Exhibition – Duck Race Skate Jam – Adventure Play Park – Egg eatre For more information: 01761 419133 www.midsomernortoncommunitytrust.co.uk
Midsomer Norton Fayre sponsored by: PAGE 116 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
AFTER a very successful 2014 event, Saturday, July 11th will see Midsomer Norton Fayre bring together a range of activities and events. The event will be held at the Skate and Adventure Play Park and will offer something for everyone including the maypole festival, skate jam, town show, art exhibition, Egg Theatre performances and much more. The town show will be housed in a 720-square metre marquee at Gullock Tyning and will aim again to showcase and celebrate the creativity of residents of Midsomer Norton and district and its community groups. Jenny Hillman, Chair of the Community Trust’s Town Show organising committee, said: “Overall the aim is to encourage as many people as possible to take part to celebrate the varied creative skills of local people. With over 2000 entry forms having been printed it will be easy to enter one or more of the show sections. “There will be a range of trophies, one for each of the seven main sections, town show trophy for the person winning the most points overall. In addition, there will be a schools trophy presented to the Midsomer Norton school with the highest number of points.” Copies of the entry form are available from the town hall and Midsomer Norton Library. For details visit www.midsomernortoncommunitytrust.co.uk
Outdoor theatre at the Palace
THIS summer is set to be a winner with wonderful productions from three fantastic companies taking place at The Bishop’s Palace in Wells. They welcome back Chapterhouse Theatre Company with The Secret Garden on Sunday, June 21st, The Lord Chamberlain's Men will return on Sunday, August 2nd with their all-male cast performing Twelfth Night and The Pantaloon’s present Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice on Saturday August 15th.
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Love and affection at abbey
WHAT’S ON
Joan Armatrading will reprise a career stretching back more than 40 years
THE legendary Joan Armatrading – one of Britain’s finest singer/songwriters – is to be a special guest at the Glastonbury Abbey Extravaganza in August. The singer will be joining the line-up headlined by Ray Davies and supported by The Shires, who will be bringing their countryinfluenced music to the event on Saturday, August 8th. Joan, currently on her last world tour, will be sharing highlights of the last four decades of her career which produced hits such as Love and Affection, Me Myself I, Drop the Pilot and Willow. The Shires are made up of Ben Earle, who once lived in Somerset, and Crissie Rhodes who both featured in the BBC2 documentary, Nashville UK, last year. This year’s Extravaganza - the 19th in a long running summer tradition for the West Country - will take place in the grounds of Glastonbury Abbey and will end with the traditional firework display. Michael said: “These are two fantastic acts which, along with Ray, will really make a superb Extravaganza; from Joan, who is a legend and has performed for 42 years plus has numerous awards and hits under her belt, to The Shires, who are making a name for themselves within months of being formed. It will truley be a night to remember.” Janet Bell, Abbey director, said: “To have these world-class performers showcasing their talent in the abbey grounds is going to make a for a wonderful event. We are so grateful to Michael for making it possible. It is bound to be a summer highlight for many.”
Calling all artists
APPLICATION forms are now available for artists and craftspeople to apply to exhibit their work during the 2015 Chew Valley Arts Trail open studios weekend which will take place on Saturday October 10th and Sunday 11th in venues across the Chew Valley area. As usual, the organisers would like to invite people to show a wide variety of artwork, from paintings in contrasting styles, illustrations, mixed media, printmaking, sculpture, wood turning, decorative glass, pottery, photography, candle craft, bookbinding and jewellery. As well as their usual exhibitors, they would like to encourage anyone who hasn’t taken part before to have a chat about what’s involved. Details: Sandy Bell organiser 01275.333128 Tintinna@aol.com www.chewvalleyartstrail.co.uk
MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015 • PAGE 117
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Bale and hearty
PEOPLE are being encouraged to throw their weight behind a new fundraising event in aid of the village pre-school in Priddy. In previous years, the PTA has organised sheep racing on the village green – this year, they’re planning a bale rolling competition. The competition – Supported by Priddy Friendly Society and sponsored by Killens, Cheddar Ales, Tincknells, Queen Vic, Anthony David Design Consultants and Mendip Heights Campsite -will take place on Saturday, June 6th with the first race at 6pm. Teams of three are invited to take part. £10 per team entry fee. Register with Gill Flury at: gillflury@gmail.com or on 01749 678875.
Princes Road, Wells, BA5 1TD
Starts Friday 29th May
Starts Friday 5th June Tuesday 9th June
Starts Friday 12th June From Friday 19th June
COMING UP:
San Andreas (12A) 3D/2D Pitch perfect 2 (12A) Spy (15) London Road Film Premier (15) Jurassic World (12A) 3D/2D Danny Collins (15) Mr Holmes (PG) Survivor (12A)
Book in person Online 24/7 @www.wellsfilmcentre.co.uk Over the ’phone: 01749 673195
Abbey shares its soul for fundraising night
SIXTIES soul legends Chris Farlowe and Cliff Bennett are amongst the stars of a concert in the grounds of Glastonbury Abbey in June to raise funds for the Rescue Our Ruins Appeal. Visitors to the open air concert on Saturday, June 13th will also enjoy music ranging from classical sonatas to the Beatles and Roy Orbison. Chris Farlowe is currently touring the country with the Solid Silver Sixties show, along with Billy J Kramer, Mike Pender, P P Arnold, The Merseybeats and New Amen Corner. Cliff Bennett was part of the Brian Epstein empire during the swinging ‘60s and along with his group the Rebel Rousers enjoyed top 10 hits with “One Way Love” and the Lennon/McCartney penned “Got to get you into my life”. Both artists have been on tours of Europe backed by the highly-acclaimed Norman Beaker Band who will be supporting both artists at Glastonbury Abbey. The music of the Beatles comes from one of the country’s leading cover bands The Moondogs and they also join Tim Pitman in a Roy Orbison Tribute. Tim and The Moondogs will also be working together on a set of classical arias. Gates open at 4pm and the show gets underway at 5pm.ending at 9.30.p.m. Tickets are £20 in advance and are available from the Glastonbury Abbey Shop or on 07710 743642. Ticket prices increase from Monday, June 1st to £25.
11 JULY 2015 Fun lovin Criminal hUEY MORGAN DJ SET
S H e E L A N A G I G L U K E F R I E N D Dizraeli and Bellatrix / Mike Dignam HElELE / Troy Ellis and His Hail JAmaica Band MORE MUSIC
LITERATURE ATURE / FOOD FOOD / ENTERTAINMENT ENTERTAINMENT ENT
Conjunto Gringo Jerry Crozier Cole
MARTIN HUGHES GAMES MARTIN BLUNOS
BACKWELL BELLeS THE OSCILLATORS Nina Sundstrom Street food & bar
Invisible circus Percussion workshop kids entertainment CHampagne & cocktails
The Paper Moon Band Schmoozenberg Duo R o s i e & P e t e
JOSH EGGLETON PRESENCE THEATRE SAIKAT AHAMED
BACKWELLFESTIVAL.CO.UK B ACKWELLFES LFESTIV VAL.C A O.UK K *Acts *A ctss subject bject tto o change* change* h ge* *
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Show entries open
SCHEDULES are now available for this year’s MidSomerset Agricultural Show at Shepton Mallet – and it’s a chance for the keen enthusiasts to rub shoulders with the professionals. From cider to vegetables and sheep to poultry, the show aims to celebrate the very best of country life, livestock and produce. There’s even a chance to see a favourite photograph featured in the 2016 calendar of Shepton Mallet and the surrounding area produced by the town’s Tourist Information Centre and a unique opportunity to be featured in a special exhibition of artwork at the A2 Gallery in Wells. The wide-ranging appeal of the show – on Sunday, August 16th – is probably best summed up by Bob Cork, this year’s show president. Bob, with 35 years’ experience in the cider industry, will be presenting a special perpetual trophy for the best cider in the show and said: “I always say that all ciders are wonderful; it’s just that there are some ciders which are slightly more wonderful than others!” Organisers of the one-day show are hoping to attract more entries from schools and young people. Some areas of the showground layout have been changed to accommodate more space for entries, including vegetables, cheese and also the sheep classes which will welcome continental breeds Zwartbles and Charolais. For details, visit: www.midsomersetshow.org.uk or find them on facebook and twitter.
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Cider trophy celebrates president’s career
BOB Cork, this year’s president of the Mid-Somerset Agricultural Society, has stepped back from day-to-day involvement in the Shepton Mallet Cider Mill. The move was by mutual consent. Bob will continue to be involved in an ambassadorial role for the mill and parent company C&C Brands – as well as Bob Cork – president of representing them on the National this year’s show – will pres- Association of Cider Makers – but ent a new trophy for the it will also allow him to pursue best cider other opportunities. The 58-year-old joins the show in its 163rd year and says he is very much looking forward to his new role: “The Mid-Somerset Show is an iconic show and I’ve always been a keen visitor. I’ve obviously always enjoyed the cider heritage area’s competition. The livestock arenas and the vintage machinery in the Addlestone’s Field have also been a great attraction to me. “As this year’s president I can’t wait to get more involved in the planning and preparing of the show. It’s the grassroots event of our area and I believe it is a vital part of the community in Shepton Mallet. I’m particularly looking forward to helping it continue to thrive and grow.”
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Please send entries for these listings as a single paragraph of approximately 25 words. We’re happy to list entries for charities and voluntary groups free of charge – but please submit them in the format below. Commercial entries cost £25.
Wednesday May 27th Backwell & Nailsea Macular Support group meeting at Backwell WI Hall, 1.30 for 2pm. Further information, Sheila 01275 462107. Bishop’s Palace, Wells, family activity day ‘A Bishop’s Life’, 11am-3pm, included with admission. AGE UK Somerset drop-in session at Glastonbury Health Centre, Wells Road. 10am to 12 noon. Pop in for a chat with an adviser and obtain information on a wide range of issues affecting older people. Thursday May 28th West Mendip Walkers – mod circular walk 5m from Wrington. Ex154 ST469628. Park behind Plough Inn. Start 1.30pm. Contact Tony Strange 01934 733783 or anthonyestrange@gmail.com Friday May 29th Mendip Citizens Advice Mobile Unit at Glastonbury Health Centre, Wells Road, 10am to 12pm. The CAB staff will be available to provide free, independent and confidential advice. Saturday May 30th Mendip Society Walk: Star, Nr Winscombe. A mod 5 mile walk followed by tea and homemade cakes. ST 440 585. Meet at 2pm at ‘Apple Acre’, down the lane by the side of the Star Inn, BS25 1QF. Contact: Mary 01934 843789. Castle Cary Choir 50th Anniversary Gala Concert, Sherborne Abbey. Supporting the choir will be special guest Jonathan Ansell, X Factor finalist with G4. Tickets £15 or £10 and are available from the Tourist Information Centre in Sherborne and the Bailey Hill Bookshop in Castle Cary. Proceeds to St Margarets Hospice. Thursday June 4th Cheddar Valley U3A, Childhood Reflections – a talk by farmer Pete Tinney on his early life in Cheddar Valley, at Church House, Cheddar 2.15pm, entry £2, visitors welcome. West Mendip Walkers – Leisurely circular walk from Exford 7.4m, Ex OL9 ST853384. Start 10am. Park nr Youth Hostel. Contact: anthonyestrange@gmail.com or 01934 733783. Friday June 5th Redhill Village Club Open Mic Night, 8pm, hosted by Jerry Blythe. Great opportunity for musicians/performers to showcase their talent. Church Road, Redhill BS40 5SG. 01934 862619. Strode Music Theatre Society concert, St Peter and St. Paul's Church, Shepton Mallet, 7.30pm. Tickets: Jerry Jeremiah: 01749 345473, Ken Smith: 01749 346697 or on the door. Yeo Valley Pop-Up Diner, ‘Summer’set Night, a rare chance to book a dining table for an evening of Somerset produce, Fodder, Yeo Valley HQ. Details: 01761 461425; or email events@yeovalley.co.uk Paradis Palm Court Trio concert An English Idyll at Midsomer Norton Town Hall, 12.30 – 1.30pm, home-made cakes, tea and coffee on sale, entrance by donation. Details: 01761 419133. Saturday, June 6th Joint Concert by Churchill Singers and “Im Takt” Choir from Cologne. St Leonard’s Parish Church in Shipham. 7.30pm. Concert of a wide selection of Choral Music by the Churchill Singers and the visiting “Im Takt” Choir from Cologne. Wine & refreshments during the Interval. Tickets £8 available on the door. Ffi: 01934843388 or 01934 852005. Saturday June 6th to Sunday June 7th Winscombe Area Green Open Homes: seven homes in Winscombe, Sandford, Burrington, Langford with ground/air source heat pumps, solar pv/thermal PAGE 120 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
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systems, electric cars, etc. Chat to the owners, free entry, refreshments, plant sales. Details: 01934 843766 or 823609. Saturday June 6th Strode Music Theatre Society concert at Caryford Community Hall, Castle Cary, 7.30pm. Tickets: Bailey Hill Bookshop, from Alan Gibbons, 01963 350194 or on the door. Somerset Heritage Plant Sale, 10am-3pm at Edington Village Hall TA7 9HA, free admission. Talk at 12.00 “Why not try something different” by Don Everitt. Mendip Society Walk: Edford & Harridge Woods, a mod 5m woodland and ridge walk, ST 661 472. Meet 2pm in the playing field car park, Stoke St Michael, BA3 5JL. Contact: Terry 01749 840752. Summer Ball in aid of St Michael's Church, Dundry. Tickets £12.50, include canapés and a two-course dinner. Licensed bar available. Details: 0117 9643995, 0117 9782861 or 0117 9784209. “Last Night of the Proms” organised by Chelwood Bridge Rotary & Inner Wheel in aid of local charities, 7.30pm, Prospect Theatre, Writhlington School, bar, tickets £12.50 from Rob, 07983 720405 or Jim 01275 333430. Details: www.chelwoodbridgerotary.com Sunday June 7th Dido & Aeneas at Midsomer Norton Town Hall, with Bath Consort and Bath Cantata Group. Strawberries, cream and Prosecco on sale, 6pm, entrance by donation, early booking advised. Details: 01761 419133. Open garden at Spindle Cottage, Binegar 2.305pm. By kind permission of Angela and Alban Bunting. In aid of Dorothy House Hospice Care. Entry £3.50. Magical playhouses in the garden as seen on Open Gardens with Carol Klein (BBC 2) and Shed of the Year with George Clark (Channel 4). Tea/coffee homemade cakes. Music. Parking in the field. Disabled access. Tuesday June 9th Demi Demo Days, half-day cookery experience with chefs at Fodder, Yeo Valley HQ, £45pp. Details: call 01761 461425 or email events@yeovalley.co.uk Congresbury Over-60s Club, plants for a long season of interest – illustrated talk by Don Everitt, Congresbury War Memorial Hall, 2.30-4pm. Details: 01934 832004. Clevedon Art Club, with Jennifer Davidson, St. Mary’s Church Hall, Walton, 7.30pm, non-members £3. Wednesday June 10th Yeo Valley Experience Day, Yeo Valley Organic Garden, Blagdon, food and farming all in one actionpacked day, including morning coffee, lunch and afternoon tea , 10am – 4pm, £65pp. Details: 01761 461425; or email events@yeovalley.co.uk Nailsea & District Horticultural Society, Chelsea with Roy Cheek, United Reformed Church Hall, Stockway North, Nailsea, 7.30. All welcome. Thursday June 11th West Mendip Walkers – Mod circular walk from Bleadon Village Hall car park 8m, Ex 140 ST340570. Start 10am. Park village hall. Contact Andrew Paterson 01934 741690 or aepat@btinternet.com Friday June 12th and Saturday June 13th Flower Festival, United Reformed Church, Street, 10am – 4pm, in aid of Charlton Farm Children's Hospice and church funds. Friday June 12th Wells Cathedral Organ Recital with Richard Lennox, 1.05pm, free. Wrington Friendship Club. Whist Afternoon, Wrington Memorial Hall, Silver Street, 2.30pm. New members welcome. Details: Fred Parsons 01934 863562. Strode Music Theatre Society concert, the Mission Church, Street, 7.30pm. Details:
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churchoffice8@gmail.com or 01458 442797. Saturday June 13th Peasedown Party in the Park, Beacon Field from 11.30am to 7pm, including seven hours of live music and entertainment. Details: www.peasedownpartyinthepark.org.uk Clutton Summer Fete, Church Farm, Clutton, next to St Augustine’s Church, stalls, tractor rides, face painting, candle making, in aid of Clutton & Temple Cloud Churches, 2pm. Details: pat.williams17@btinternet.com Congresbury Book Sale, 9am-1pm at War Memorial Hall. Good quality books, jigsaw puzzles, dvds, cds and talking books. Wild Nailsea Free Family Event, 11am-4pm at the Old Farmhouse Pub, live music, Chris Sperring (and owls), nature walks. Details: www.FriendsofTrendlewoodPark.org.uk or call Pat: 07879 607492. Croscombe Summer Charter Market, Village Hall, 10-12, unique crafts, cards & gifts, plants and vintage stalls, home baking, refreshments, children’s entertainment. Details: E Watson 01749 939457. Mendip Society Walk: Up Cheddar Cliffs, a hilly 6m. ST 459 539. Meet 2pm nr The Gardener’s Arms, Silver St, BS27 3LE. Contact: Gill 01934 742508. Draycott and Rodney Stoke PTA Fundraising Quiz Night with a Fish and Chip Supper. Draycott Memorial Hall, 7pm. Tickets £10 available from Draycott and Rodney Stoke School and Draycott Post Office. Max table of eight people. Email: draycottandrodneystokepta@gmail.com Sunday June 14th to Friday June 26th An exhibition of contemporary tapestry weaving, quilts, textiles and prints to illustrate the life and beauty of the Old Town Quarry, Weston-s-Mare, 10am-4.30pm (closed Monday) in the quarry’s Rowan Tree tearoom Sunday June 14th Glastonbury and Street Male Voice Choir concert, United Reformed Church, Street, 7.30pm. Tickets on the door. Dundry Church Tower open, 2pm – 4pm, refreshments available, sorry no children under eight. Don’t forget your binoculars! Details: Jane 0117 9642245. Congresbury Garden Trail, 15 lovely gardens opened for you to enjoy, 10.30am – 4.30pm raising funds for the new village hall project. Details: www.congresbury.net Free Fun Day, Binegar Memorial Hall and car park, 12-6pm, live music, bbq, kids workshop, games and fancy dress competition, stalls, manicures, skittles, vintage café. Details: info@pizzazzpresents.co.uk & Facebook. Tuesday June 16th Midsomer Norton Townswomen’s Guild “Strange things do happen”, speaker Susan Marshfield, 2pm, St John's Church Hall BA3 2HX. Contact: Glen Hepworth 01761 413528. William Kent – The artistic genius of Palladian England: A talk by Christopher Rogers to Mendip DFAS, 11am at the Restaurant, B & W Show Ground, Shepton Mallet, BA4 6QN. Details: www.mdfas.org.uk. Guests welcome. Thursday June 18th Classic Car and Motorcycle evening gathering at Redhill Club, BBQ, 7pm – 10pm. Parking on the recreation field off Church Road, Redhill BS40 5SG. Details: 01934 862619. All welcome. Cheddar Valley U3A, Meet & Greet Coffee Morning, Church House, Cheddar, 10.30am to 12 noon, visitors welcome. Details 01934 710242 or www.cheddarvalleyu3a.org.uk. Thursday June 18th West Mendip Walkers – Leisurely circular walk from Shapwick church 9.9m, Ex 141 ST418383. Start
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10am. Park on roadside near church. Contact anthonyestrange@gmail.com or 01934 733783. Friday June 19th Wine Tasting, to raise funds for Blagdon Under Fives, at Holt Farm Tea Rooms, Blagdon, 7.30pm. Tickets £15. Details: 07767 847682. Saturday June 20th – Wednesday June 24th The Bishop’s Palace Garden Festival, Wells, 10am6pm, adult £9, concession £8, U16s free. Family day on Sunday, 10am – 6pm, with Chapterhouse Theatre Company, The Secret Garden, 6.30pm, £10. Saturday June 20th and Sunday June 21st Wessex Midsummer Vintage Show, Semington, heavy horses, traction engines, vintage tractors, crafts and a host of other attractions, 10am – 4pm each day, £5, children free when accompanied. Details: 01225 754374. Saturday June 20th Rowberrow Fete – in The Manor House gardens. Classic Cars, Morris dancing, live music, children’s sports, teas and all your favourite stalls. Maesbury Singers, Saturday Night at the Musicals, Croscombe Village Hall, 7.30pm, tickets £8 from 01749 830486 or on the door. Somerset Plant Heritage, 2.30pm at Edington Village Hall TA7 9HA, Talk “Lift the Latch” an All Year Round Garden by Pauline and David Wright. Members free, visitors £4. Book sale & Freecycle event, Winscombe Community Centre, 9am-12.30pm, refreshments. Please leave donations of books, CDs, DVDs and jigsaws on the book trolley in the Community Centre, Sandford Road at the Thursday market, 9-12, or call 01934 823609 or 842250. Bleadon Village Market, 9am-12.30pm in the village hall. Over 30 stalls with local produce and much more. Details: 01934 812370 www.bleadon.org.uk/market and Facebook. Mendip Society Walk: Biddle Combe, a moderate, possibly muddy 4miles. ST 561 466. Meet 2pm at the corner of Drake Rd and Hawkers Lane, Wells, BA5 3JW. Contact: Peter 01761 221995. Somerset Guild of Weavers Spinners and Dyers Annual Fleece Fair at Hatch Beauchamp village hall, rare breeds fleeces for sale, wonderful yarns, demonstrations, refreshments, 10.30am. Details: www.somersetguildwsd.org.uk Congresbury Singers – music from the 12th to the 21st centuries, celebrating the 800th anniversary of St Andrew’s Church, Congresbury, 7.30pm, £8, inc light refreshments. Tickets: Congresbury PO, Morgan’s, Paul, 01275 878740, choir members or on the door. The Songs, Wit & Life of Dory Previn, Churchill Music, St. John the Baptist Church, Churchill BS25 5QW, 7.30pm, £14.50, Champions £10.50. Details: Ursula Dornton 01934 852919 or info@churchillmusic.org.uk Wincanton area Parkinson’s Branch invite you to the Mill Singers Male Voice Choir in a midsummer concert at Caryford Hall, Ansford, 7.30pm. Tickets £10 to include cheese & wine. Details: 01963 33837. Brue Boys male voice choir, Charlton Mackrell Church, TA11 6BN, 7.30pm, £8. Tickets: Charlton Adam PO, 01458 223227 or 01458 224099. Sunday June 21st Father’s Day celebration at Yeo Valley Organic Garden, garden tour and posh ploughman’s, 2pm – 5pm, £24pp. Details: 01761 461425 or email events@yeovalley.co.uk Tuesday June 23rd Congresbury Over-60s Club. Reflections Singers, Congresbury War Memorial Hall, 2.30-4pm. Details: 01934 832004. Wednesday June 24th Yeo Valley Experience Day – see entry June 10th. Backwell & Nailsea Macular Support group, Backwell W.I. Hall, 1:30 for 2pm. Details: Sheila
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01275 462107. Thursday June 25th West Mendip Walkers – Easy circular walk from St Andrew’s Church, Chew Magna 6.7m, Ex 154 ST576631. Start 1.30pm. Park back of church nr Queen’s Arms. Contact: anthonyestrange@gmail.com or 01934 733783. Friday June 26th – Monday June 29th Congresbury 800 Years of Music and Flowers, St Andrew’s Church celebrations, with a concert on Friday, 7.30pm, with Lyica, Liz Glen, Zoe Maitland, Lucy Connelly and Sarah Cooke, £8 on the door or in advance. Details: 01934 832283. Friday June 26th Wrington Friendship Club – Life Begins at 40, presented by Carole Bourton and Rob Bishop, Wrington Memorial Hall, Silver Street, 2.30 pm. New members welcome. Details: Fred Parsons 01934 863562. RNLI – Summer Supper with Sea Shanties, Chew Valley Lake Sailing Club. Tickets £12 adults, U14s £6, (0-6 free) from Tim Gracey 01275 472639. Saturday June 27th Congresbury Book Sale, 9am-1pm at War Memorial Hall. Good quality books, jigsaw puzzles, dvds, cds and talking books. Ubley Village Hall, nearly new sale of children's toys, clothes and equipment, 10am – 12noon, tables £10, entry £1, in aid of Bath RUH Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Forever Friends Appeal, RUH Charitable Fund. Details: 01761 462912. Bath & Wells Diocesan Choral Association festival celebrating the 800th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta, with choirs from the whole of the diocese, Wells Cathedral 5.15pm. Details: roger.bishton1@btinternet.com or 01225 768607. Mendip Society Walk: Cranmore Tower, a moderate 5m. ST 649 440. Meet 2pm in the back car park of The Poacher’s Pocket, Doulting, BA4 3PY. Contact: Terry 01749 840752. Sunday June 28th Charity Fun Ride, Ford Farm, Wellow, BA2 8QT. 3, 6 and 10-mile rides, with optional jumps (3-mile suitable for lead rein), min. sponsorship £15 in advance, £20 on the day. Details: www.saxondressagegroup.co.uk Lyn: 07752 020373. Sunday June 28th Stanton Prior Open Gardens, in aid of St. Lawrence Church and the village hall, 2pm – 5.30pm, £5, U16s free. Free parking. Nine secret gardens, home-made cream teas, produce stall and more. BA2 9HX. Wednesday July 1st Open garden at Somerset Lavender Fields, Faulkland in aid of Dorothy House Hospice, 7pm, £7.50 to include tour, tea and home-made cakes. Coffee morning in aid of Arthritis Research UK, 10.30 -12.30, Ham Lane, Bishop Sutton. Admission £1, cakes, bric-a-brac, plants. Details: liz@shorney.co.uk Friday July 3rd Redhill Village Club Open Mic Night, 8pm, hosted by Jerry Blythe. Great opportunity for musicians /performers to showcase their talent. All welcome, Church Road, Redhill BS40 5SG. 01934 862619. Saturday July 4th As You Like It, performed by The Festival Players in the garden of Speeds Farm, Lamyatt, 7pm, picnics from 5.45pm, £15 (U12’s £5) in aid of Lamyatt’s church and village hall. Details: 01749 812031. Saturday July 4th E flat Ensemble at Christ Church, Frome. Tickets £10 from the Frome Festival website. Refreshments from 7pm. Details: 07595 671116 www.musicianssouthwest.com Mendip Society Walk: West of Chew Valley Lake, a moderate 5m, no major climbs. ST 554 593. Meet 2pm in the Heron’s Green lay-by on the west side of
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the lake, on the B3114 (BS40 8XD). Contact: Peter 01761 221995. Compton Dando Village Day, 2-5pm, including children's activities, bric-a-brac and other stalls, church tower visits, tea in the church, food and refreshments and locally produced crafts and produce in the hall. Details: Harriette 01761 490445. Sunday July 5th Congresbury Classic and Vintage Car Rally, from Cadbury Wyevale 8.30am, £25 per car (up to 2 occupants) in aid of village hall building fund. Details: Ron at info@congnvh.org.uk 01934 830085. Tuesday July 7th William Morris and the Arts & Crafts Movement: A talk by Dr Anne Anderson to Mendip DFAS , 10.30 for 11am, at the Restaurant, B & W Show Ground, Shepton Mallet, BA4 6QN. Details: www.mdfas.org.uk. Guests welcome. Wednesday July 8th Nailsea & District Horticultural Society, A Year at Pickett Lane, Neil Lovesay, United Reformed Church Hall, Stockway North, Nailsea, 7.30. All welcome. Saturday July 11th Croscombe Show and Funday, eleventh anniversary, fun for all the family, various stalls, music, attractions, free burgers for kids, craft and produce show opens 11.30am. Burrington Fete, 2pm at Bourne House, Bourne Lane, Burrington. Enjoy an entertaining and lovely afternoon in a picturesque garden. Music, Jerry Blythe. Camborne Town Brass Band at St Andrew’s Church, Congresbury, rounding off the day of the village fete, celebrating the church’s 800th anniversary. Tickets (reserved £10, unreserved £8) from the church office, 01934 833126, or Broad Street chemist. Sunday July 12th Mendip Society Walk: Above West Harptree, a hard 7 miles, but no major hills. ST 544 552. Meet 1.30pm in the disused quarry on Old Bristol Rd, BS40 6EN. Contact: Peter 01761 221995. Thursday July 16th Classic Car and Motorcycle evening gathering at Redhill Club. BBQ food 7pm – 10pm. Parking on the recreation field off Church Road, Redhill BS40 5SG. Details: 01934 862619. All welcome. Saturday July 18th Corston Country Fair, stalls, Chuffy the Train rides, bouncy castle & slides, bar, BBQ, classic cars, a dog show, a brass band, 2pm – 5pm, adults £1, U16 free. Mendip Society Walk: Clutton, a moderate 6 miles. ST 623 589. Meet 2pm at St Augustine’s Church, BS39 5SH. Contact: Bob 01934 820575.
MENDIP MINDBENDER ANSWERS
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RNAS Yeovilton International Air Day
THE intensity, drama and spectacle on offer at the RNAS Yeovilton International Air Day on Saturday July 11th promises to be an experience not to be missed. The Royal Navy’s premier award-winning air show is one of the South West's most notable one-day events, attracting over 30,000 visitors and will return this summer with an action-packed day out for families and enthusiasts alike. RNAS Yeovilton was commissioned as HMS Heron on June 18th 1940 and Air Day 2015 offers the perfect opportunity to celebrate 75 glorious years. Over five hours of flying displays will feature historic naval aircraft such as the Swordfish, Seafire and Sea Vixen along with their modern-day counterparts in spectacular role demonstrations and unique flypasts. Other UK military aircraft such as the Red Arrows, Typhoon, Apache, Chinook, Battle of Britain Memorial Flight as well as foreign military fast jets from France, Czech Republic and the Spanish Air Force Display Team will feature in the flying display. Classic jets will also take to the air with displays from a Canberra, Hunter and an extremely rare appearance in the UK by a MiG-15. The Vulcan bomber could quite possibly be making its last thunderous appearance at Yeovilton. Throughout the day there will be plenty of entertainment for all the family including static aircraft, service demonstrations, military bands, helicopter pleasure flights, a fairground, vehicle exhibition, simulator rides, trade stands and much more. Details: www.royalnavy.mod.uk/yeovilton-airday
WIN TICKETS
Mendip Times has teamed up with the organisers to offer readers the chance to win five pairs of tickets. Just answer this question: Which notable anniversary does RNAS Yeovilton celebrate this year? The first five correct entries drawn will win the tickets. The closing date is June 12th. The editor’s decision is final. Answers on a postcard to Air Day Competition, Mendip Times, Coombe Lodge, Blagdon BS40 7RG.
COMPETITION WINNER
Last month we offered you the chance to win a pair of VIP tickets to ladies day at the Royal Bath and West Show. The first correct entry drawn was from Jocelyn Nichols of Priston. Congratulations – have a great day out. PAGE 122 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2015
(Photo courtesy of Paul Johnson )
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