Issue 10 - Volume 14 - Mendip Times

Mendip Times

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VOLUME 14 ISSUE 10

FREE

Celebrating life on the Mendips and surrounding areas

MARCH 2019

WIN TICKETS TO THE NORTH SOMERSET SHOW

IN THIS ISSUE: SPRING EVENTS • BUSINESS • FARMING • PROPERTY • WHAT’S ON • SPORT • COMMUNITY Local people, local history, local places, local events and local news

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MENDIP TIMES

CONTENTS

Welcome

THE days are getting longer and the weeds have woken up – that’s the warning from Mary Payne this month, while our wildlife expert Chris Sperring is already watching out for the arrival of early summer migrants.

In Frome they’re celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of John Webb Singer whose foundry went on to produce some of the world’s most iconic statues, while on the Levels the Coate family are celebrating their 200th year in the willow business.

Our business section is one of the biggest we have ever had and we have some business news of our own – Mendip Times Online had 406,005 visitors in the last year, swelling the huge number of readers of the magazine itself.

This month we preview North Somerset Show – and give you the chance to win tickets – as well as local point-to-point meetings. We had a record number of entries for our West of England Game Fair competition.

We look at Shepton Mallet’s answer to Formula One racing, join a birthday party for the late Acker Bilk, and meet the enthusiasts who collect some of the world’s oldest tractors.

June MacFarlane has a few ideas for pancake day and we have dozens of suggestions for What’s On in March!

Welcome to the area’s most popular local magazine.

April 2019 deadline: Friday, 15th March 2019.

Published: Tuesday, 26th March 2019.

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: Snowdrop time in Shepton Mallet.

Photograph by Mark Adler. See page 71.

70

The wheel deal – farmers’ workhorses celebrated

A starring role – coach café helps the homeless

Sticking to it – girls’ rugby is a mud fest

11

89

92

A sad farewell – remembering an equine star Plus all our regular features Environment ...................................6 Farming Mary James MBE ..........10 Food & Drink ...............................16 Internet and Crossword ..............22 Business.........................................24 Arts & Antiques ...........................38 Charities........................................42 Wildlife Chris Sperring MBE .......49 Walking Sue Gearing ....................50 Outdoors Les Davies MBE ..........52

Gardening Mary Payne MBE.......54 Health Dr Phil Hammond .............60 Community ...................................64 Property ........................................72 Caving Phil Hendy ........................76 Homes and Interiors ....................78 Music & Theatre ..........................84 Sport ..............................................86 Riding Rachel Thompson MBE.....92 What’s On.....................................94 MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 3

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MENDIP TIMES

NEWS

(Photo courtesy of Shannon D’arcy Photography)

Work to start on hydro pool

Town hall is a “safe place”

(L to r): Mendip council vice-chairman Bryan Beha, councillor Philip Ham, portfolio holder for transformation, head teacher Laura Searle and Dick Skidmore, council chairman

A NEW hydrotherapy pool will be built at Avalon School in Street after a successful fundraising campaign.

A grant of £25,000 from Mendip District Council meant the school reached its £1.1millon target for work to begin. The grant came from the now-closed Local Legacy Fund, managed by the authority.

Head teacher Laura Searle said: “It’s so wonderful to have reached our target, with the help of our community here and the Local Legacy Fund, and we’re now excited looking to get the build under way and fundraise for the equipment we need to ensure everyone gets the most out of the pool.”

Once built the pool will provide the school – for children aged 11-19 with special needs – with a facility meeting Sport England’s guidance, with three changing cubicles, three large showers, one accessible bathroom and changing room and a small changing room for groups. There will be scope for further development in the future and will be available for use by other organisations across Mendip.

As well as the grant from the council, pupils from the school helped to fundraise, a donation came from a Hong Kong-based charity and a grant from St James’s Place Foundation.

For details about Avalon School and the pool, visit: www.avalonschool.net

Happy anniversary, dear . . . stag do

PAUL “Chick” Chayter is a firm believer in celebrating his wedding anniversary – by recreating the original stag do he organised.

For the past ten years, Chick and many of his Chick and friends in the Rose and friends from the time Crown in Wells have boarded a bus from Shepton Mallet to Wells to tour the city’s pubs along the same route as that first day. Chick said: “I had such a brilliant stag do that I thought why not celebrate it every year!”

Frome mayor Richard Ackroyd outside the town hall with the Safe Place sign

FROME Town Hall has been designated an official Safe Place for vulnerable people to turn to if they feel threatened or overwhelmed when in public.

The scheme – managed by Avon and Somerset police – is designed to help people with communication difficulties, such as dementia or a learning disability, stay safe when they are out and about.

A Safe Place sign is now displayed on the town hall noticeboard to ensure that people know it is part of the scheme and there is also a dedicated phone number available 24 hours a day.

Mayor Richard Ackroyd said: “The town hall has always been a welcoming building for all members of the public and we are delighted to be the first officially recognised Safe Place in Frome, other the police enquiry pffice. We hope that soon it will be one of many to offer a space where people feel able to ask for help when they need it most.”

Tor weeds campaign

A FUNDRAISING campaign is underway to employ someone to clear invasive weeds like thistle on Glastonbury Tor by hand rather than by using chemicals.

Glastonbury Friends of the Earth has joined forces with the National Trust to come up with a scheme to avoid the use of glyphosates.

They are trying to raise £2,000 to create a part-time co-ordinator post to encourage people who love the tor to volunteer to pull the weeds by hand. So far, just over £500 has been raised. The trust has offered to pay for posters and most tools needed.

Glastonbury FoE said volunteer days were tried a couple years ago to pull weeds by hand but efforts dwindled and the NT didn't have the capacity to carry on.

A spokesperson for the trust said:“Our team have been working with the local community to recruit some local volunteers to help us manage the weeds at Glastonbury Tor. “Patches of thistles and nettles are becoming increasingly dense and unfortunately there has been a small patch of Japanese Knotweed, which is incredibly difficult to remove permanently.

“We are legally obliged to control certain weeds under the Weeds Act 1959 and the use of any chemical weed-killers are used only as a last resort.”

For details, find Glastonbury Friends of the Earth on Facebook

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 5

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MENDIP TIMES

Cemetery reveals more of its past

ARCHAEOLOGICAL volunteers – including metal detectorists – have uncovered more metal grave markers hidden in Mendip Hospital Cemetery in Wells, a rare survivor of a Victorian asylum burial ground.

Most of the almost 3,000 people buried in the cemetery between 1874

Volunteer Carl Haigh, with a repainted grave marker (left) and friends chairman Tony Cavill. It was rare, but not uncommon, for the numbers to be painted to highlight the location of a grave

One of the pieces by local sculptor Peter Bolton which stands in the cemetery

and 1962 were too poor or had been forgotten by their families for their graves to be marked with stone monuments. The status was usually reserved for staff.

Many of the cast iron markers were later lifted and stored in piles, so volunteer members of the Friends of Mendip Hospital Cemetery have been trying to identify the correct positions, using the hospital’s extensive records.

Some of the grave markers by the cemetery wall

The cemetery is now a wildlife reserve but is open to visitors on selected weekends throughout the year.

Tony Cavill, chairman of the friends group, said: “We still receive inquiries from relatives of patients wanting to find out more about their loved ones and people also come to us with grave markers which have been removed over the years and used as house numbers and the like.”

A new work – representing Icarus – is being worked on by Peter Bolton using chainsaws

For details about the work of the friends and the cemetery, visit: www.mendiphospitalcemetery.org.uk or find them on Facebook.

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ENVIRONMENT

Society’s tree planting landmark

Glastonbury mayor Denise Abbott joins in the tree and hedge planting

MEMBERS of Glastonbury Conservation Society are about to celebrate the planting of their 50,000th tree in and around the town.

The landmark was due to be reached at Herbie’s Field, land bought by Glastonbury Town Council for community use close to Northload Bridge.

Volunteers joined members of the society – formed in 1971 – to plant a hedgerow around the perimeter of the field, with many paying £20 to dedicate a tree to a loved one or organisation.

Good news for butterflies

SOMERSET Wildlife Trust has received a £22,000 grant from Aggregate Industries through their local partnerships fund to improve habitats for Mendip’s butterflies.

The project, “Making Space for Butterflies”, will involve woodland management work at Cheddar Wood and grassland and hedgerow restoration in East Mendip around Aggregate Industries’ Torr Works Quarry site.

As a part of the project, Aggregate Industries staff, trust volunteers, members and local people will all have the opportunity to learn rural skills such as coppicing and hedge-laying.

Simon Wiltshire, Aggregate Industries’ biodiversity and restoration advisor said: “We are really pleased to be able to

Support for wildlife

Conservation society chairman Alan Fear – he estimates 25,000 trees have been planted during his time in office

support Somerset Wildlife Trust in such a positive project which will benefit butterflies and other wildlife by enhancing vital habitats in Mendip on and around our quarry sites.”

Fences at Cheddar Wood fields and around Torr Quarry Works will also be repaired and upgraded to enable these areas to be grazed to keep back encroaching scrub, which allows grasses and flowers to flourish. Scrub will also be cleared from the grassland around Torr Works Quarry, which will restore even more valuable calcareous grassland, vital for butterflies like the small blue.

Lila Morris, SWT’s manager for the project said: “Aggregate Industries has been an important source of support for

AVON Wildlife Trust has been presented with a cheque for £1,500 by the Chew Valley group’s Claire Croft, who organised the annual jumble sale in January, which exceeded all expectations with the amount raised.

Receiving the money was Ian Barrett, the CEO of the trust, and Amy Coulthard, head of conservation.

One of the group members, Annie Sewart, said: “The money will probably be used to support central AWT projects, the local AWT reserve Folly Farm and wildlife and conservation education and promotion through relevant talks and presentations.”

our work in Mendip over the years and we are very grateful to receive this funding to improve butterfly habitats at Cheddar Wood and in East Mendip. It is fantastic that AI are keen to manage their land with wildlife in mind, as well as fund the running of community workshops and volunteer sessions to restore vital habitats.” l Somerset Wildlife Trust has appointed a new chief executive following Simon Nash’s decision to leave the organisation after 15 years of service.

Georgia Stokes, originally from Somerset, will join the trust in April from the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country, where she has been chief executive officer for the past four years.

Pictured (l to r) Amy Coulthard, Ian Barrett, Annie Sewart and Claire Croft

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 7

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MENDIP TIMES

ENVIRONMENT

Greening up the Greenways

VOLUNTEERS have been taught basic hedge laying techniques as part of a move to improve the Colliers Way former railway route across East Mendip for users and wildlife alike.

The route is part of the National Cycle Network maintained by the charity Sustrans which has been carrying out an audit of its aims and objectives to revitalise the network.

Sustrans wants to increase the accessibility of its routes and encourage more users – not just cyclists – to enjoy them for commuting and pleasure after the review highlighted that they were underperforming.

Around a dozen volunteers joined Sustrans staff and rangers on a section of former line between Great Elm and Buckland Dinham to clear overgrown vegetation. The hope is that the volunteers will form a works party to continue to maintain and improve the route.

Lydia Blake, Sustrans’s land manager and Greener Greenways project officer for the south, said: “Hedge laying will help create an improved and more diverse environment and wildlife corridor

Sustrans hope local people will “adopt” parts of the route and help its volunteer ranger team

The team take a break from their hedge laying near Great Elm (Lydia Blake is pictured far right)

and we hope it will also become more attractive to users other than cyclists.

“The time was right for us to look at our aims and objectives and to show that we want the network to be used and enjoyed by all.”

Ranger Rob Ladd at work – hedge laying will also open up the views across the countryside

For details about Sustrans and the Colliers Way – part of National Cycle Network Route 24 from Bath to Eastleigh – visit: www.sustrans.org.uk

Somerset beekeepers brace themselves for Asian hornets SOMERSET Beekeepers’ Association (SBKA) is giving all its 900 members Asian hornet monitoring traps in readiness for the arrival of the non-native insects which threaten honeybees and other pollinators.

Distribution started at its annual lecture day on Saturday, February 16thwith members picking up traps to set up in their gardens. Beekeepers are Asian Hornet advised to monitor daily and release native insects.

Anne Pike, chairman of SBKA, said: “We consider the arrival of Asian hornets to be so serious that we are spending thousands of pounds to make beekeepers and the

PAGE 8 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

public aware of these highly destructive and potentially devastating hornets.”

Concerns about the potential for Asian hornets to appear in Somerset come after two nests were found and destroyed last year in Fowey, Cornwall, and two in Hampshire.

SBKA’s efforts to save honeybees and other pollinators are being supported by organic dairy Yeo Valley which donated £3,600 to the campaign and has pledged to raise awareness among their customers and staff.

The association has printed thousands of fliers and identification cards to help beekeepers and the public to recognise the insect.

Asian hornets look like large black wasps with an orange head. Any sightings should be reported immediately, preferably with a photo, to the Non-Native Species Secretariat (NNSS): alertnonnative@ceh.ac.uk

Details: https://www.somersetbeekeepers.org.uk/

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So much has happened here since Christmas.

In January, Director Libby Rae and fiancé Nick were married. Libby has adopted her Nick’s surname and is now known as Libby Stoodley.

A few weeks later Libby had a significant birthday. We won’t embarrass her by giving her age away, but she is hoping that life does now begin and that it really is the new 30!

At about the same time Robin Weelen celebrated his 70th birthday. At an age when many have settled into quiet retirement, Robin’s energy and enthusiasm are an inspiration. We had a lunchtime celebration to commemorate these two events. Sadly, Libby was unwell and couldn’t be there. She denies that this was down to over enthusiastic celebrations over the preceding weekend…

We’re an eclectic bunch at BGW with English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish staff, so the Six Nations rugby tournament is causing a bit of controversy. At the time of going to press we are eagerly awaiting the clash between Wales and England.

This time next month we’ll be starting our preparations for the Royal Bath and West Show at which we shall again be one of the sponsors.

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Website: www.bgw-solicitors.co.uk

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MENDIP TIMES

Sheep are just champion

AT this time of year lambing is in full swing which reminds me that I have not written about sheep farming in general terms, so here goes.

There are thousands upon thousands of sheep in the British Isles, particularly in Scotland, made up of pure breeds and With MARY cross breeds. The first domestic sheep in JAMES MBE Britain were introduced by Neolithic settlers around 4000BC. They were probably horned brown sheep similar to the Soay of today. Preserved wool from the Bronze Age appears to be Soay. The most popular breed today is the “mule” which is a cross between a Blue-faced Leicester ram and a Swaledale or Scotch black-face ewe.

There are in fact 57 pure British breeds. Some breeds are suitable to particular areas; for instance the most popular breeds on Mendip are the Beulah (Welsh), the Romney and the ubiquitous mule. There are commercial breeds for meat and the pedigree (pure bred) breeds produce the lambs for meat or breeding.

My source of information on sheep has been well-known shepherd Richard Wear of Butcombe who helped to revive the Ryeland Breed which, in 1968, was at its lowest level with only 200 ewe lambs registered that year.

Richard and Margaret Wear are among original members of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Now, the Ryeland breed is

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PAGE 10 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

Richard and Margaret Wear's grandson Kyle at the 2018 Mid Somerset show with their Ryeland champion

known all over the UK with 823 members of the breed society. The Wears have won literally hundreds of championships for their Ryelands across the UK and it gives them a great deal of pride to have won the Champion Ryeland Flock of the UK for 18 successive years.

Sheep farming in general is very time consuming and lambing time particularly can be arduous with the farmer getting little sleep until all his ewes have lambed safely.

Sheep also have a tendency to escape from their fields so if one goes they all go.

But they are intelligent and at the first sight of anything unusual they will “flock” together and the well trained sheepdogs can help to move them around safely. Sheep frighten easily and a stray dog can cause death, destruction and abortion, so please, please keep your dogs on leads when you are anywhere near livestock.

Then there is sheep wool of course, that wonderful versatile product that makes coats, jumpers, scarves, blankets, carpets etc. There is a whole craft out there for the spinning, dying and weaving of wool. See Jen Hunter’s website to see how she has raised the profile of wool – fernhillfibre.co.uk Nowadays a fleece from one sheep sells for approximately £2.50 but it costs £1 to shear each sheep! I must emphasise here, it is NOT cruel to shear sheep as it is for the benefit of the animal; it is cooler for them in hot weather (how would you like to wear a winter coat all through the summer) and it stops blow fly attacks that bury into the wool to the flesh and cause pain.

Sheep farmers are currently in “no man’s land” because in the last year for instance 33% of sheep were exported to France alone as well as to Germany and the Middle East, in carcass form. If there is a “no deal” for Brexit then export tariffs will make sheep farming unviable.

In other words, a disaster. The lady NFU president says a “no deal” will be Armageddon for British food and farming.

On a more cheerful note, why not give your children a lovely day out at North Somerset Show at Wraxall on May 6th. There will be plenty of animals for them to look at.

Hedging competition

THE Wrington and Burrington Hedging Society’s 187th competition will be held at Holt Farm, Blagdon on Saturday, March 9th, 9am-4pm.

It attracts competitors from across the region, as well as a good number of entries for its produce show.

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Show with an international flavour

THE 2019 Somerset Vintage and Classic Tractor Show celebrated the history of an American maker which can trace its roots to 1902.

Dozens of examples of International Tractors took centre stage at the Royal Bath and West Showground for the two-day event celebrating all kinds of agricultural workhorses.

The weekend raises thousands of pounds for charities, this year ranging from Time is Precious to Guide Dogs for the Blind and the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. Best in Show went to a 1947 Fergusson T20 owned by Adam Branfield, of Wiveliscombe, whilst hundreds of items went under the hammer at the auction.

The event is organised by Nick and Pat Bryne, who live near Ditcheat, and a team of volunteers.

FARMING

Representatives of local charities and organisations who received donations from the show organisers

Some of the earliest International tractors on show whilst Jess Carr, from Kent, is pictured with dogs Rudi and Chester on her International 434

Adam Branfield with his Fergusson T20 which was named best in show

Fergus and Friends author Steve Burnside, from Emborough, signs a book for Maisie and Seth

Henry Banks, from Coleford, with his rare Iseki 2140F. The compact tractor saw service at Mendip Golf Club before it was acquired by Henry, who can be seen driving it regularly through the village

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 11

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MENDIP TIMES

Entries open for North Somerset Show

ORGANISERS have begun preparing for the 160th North Somerset Show in May. Entries are now being invited for the annual event at the agricultural showground in Wraxall, just outside Bristol, which will be held on Bank Holiday Monday, May 6th.

Bumper entries are expected for the exciting show which puts the region’s agricultural expertise on display, providing a spectacular day of entertainment for all.

Show Secretary Tim Ledbury said: “Planning has already started and we are inviting those who rear livestock, produce food, are involved in the equestrian world or follow countryside pursuits to come forward and join in the fun.

“There are prizes to be won, but more importantly this is a chance to show off the best of British agriculture in this region and to meet together on a Bank Holiday to celebrate the countryside and the people who work in it.

“Agriculture is especially important in this part of Somerset and the Show gives farmers, traders and visitors the chance to celebrate the very best of our countryside.”

As well as farmers and producers, local firms wishing to sponsor a category or showcase their products are urged to go on the website and register their interest.

Tim said: “We’re not just about traditional farming. There will be cattle, pigs, horses and tractors of course – but we also offer the opportunity for a lot of fun and entertainment. In addition to a whole range of events, this year we will be hosting the first ever

North Somerset’s Strongest Man contest.”

The one-day show has been a highlight of the countryside calendar in North Somerset since 1840 when a small group of farmers formed the North Somerset Agricultural Society, having previously got together for ploughing competitions.

Profits raised from the show go towards funding a free educational day for local KS2 pupils in July. Over 2,000 pupils are booked to attend and learn about where their food comes from and the integral role the countryside plays. Arena events are being finalised with a full day’s programme for all the family. l Mendip Times has teamed up with the North Somerset Show to offer readers the chance to win one of ten family tickets to the show. Simply answer this question: When was the first show held?

Answers on a postcard to North Somerset Show Competition, Mendip Times, Coombe Lodge, Blagdon, BS40 7RG. The closing date is March 15th. The first ten correct answers drawn will win the tickets. The editor’s decision is final.

Details: www.nsas.org.uk call 01934 837285 for ticket sales and 01934 837283 for general enquiries.

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Wedmore are winners

WEDMORE Young Farmers Club won the county entertainments final held at the Brewhouse Theatre in Taunton on Sunday, February 10th.

The club performed their show entitled Our House which involves a variety of singing, dancing and comedy. The competition was very close and the club were victorious by one point.

Jack Nicholls also won best actor for the second year running. The club also saw two of its junior members Lottie Hill and Maddie Rousell come second and third in junior member of the year.

They will now perform in the South West Area final Sunday, March 10th at Weymouth Pavillion.

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Market is focal point

FARMING

TWO well-known and respected members of the Mendip farming community are thriving in their roles at Frome Livestock Market.

Nick Hill, of Nyland, and Tom Rogers, who lives in Timsbury, are part of the tightknit Frome Livestock Auctioneers team who ensure the regular sales of everything from Cattle, Dairy, Sheep and Pigs to Poultry run as smoothly as possible.

Tom’s main role on non-sale days is as fieldsman – travelling across a wide area to advise farmers and valuing their stock. A former stock manager on the Mendips, Tom can be found on farms in an area north of the A303, taking in Mendip, the Chew Valley and into Chippenham and Devizes. During auction days Tom manages the flow of livestock in and out of the market as well as clerking during auctions and meeting farmers and buyers alike.

Nick is best-known as a farmer and multi-prizewinning livestock exhibitor and is the market manager, overseeing the team.

The market is run by Frome Livestock Auctioneers, formed by members of both Cooper and Tanner LLP and Symonds and Sampson LLP – both having acted as market auctioneers for many years. Based at the Standerwick Agricultural Business Park on the edge of Frome, the market is recognised as one of the most important store cattle markets in the country, with around 130,000 head of stock presented each year, and because of its status, buyers travel from all over the country.

The market first opened on March 28th, 1990 after relocating from Frome town centre.

Specialist sales – such as the forthcoming poultry sale on Saturday, March 16th, together with an inaugural sale of pedigree beef bulls set for 17th April, mean the market diary is increasingly busy with sales every Wednesday (from fat cattle and dairy cows to both fat and store sheep, calves and fortnightly sale of pigs) with suckler cow and calf stirk sales as required. Store cattle sales are held on a Friday with organic store cattle sales taking place on one Friday in every month.

As the market says: “The Standerwick site has sustained Frome as a survivor market, enabled it to flourish into a regional livestock centre of national renown and secured its ongoing long-term future. All of that has been made, and remains, possible by the continuing support of vendors, buyers and hauliers.”

Kids go free

TICKETS are now on sale for the Royal Bath & West Show and children can go free for the first time during the May half term, with a £5 discount on early adult bookings.

The show, which will be held from May 29th to June 1st offers a thrilling day out for all the family, with a packed schedule including exciting main ring attractions, live music, off-road driving, livestock and equine competitions, and plenty of local food and drink.

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 13

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MENDIP TIMES

EVENTS

Hedge competition has the edge

MORE than 20 hedge layers competed in the annual MidSomerset Agricultural Society competition, held this year at the Royal Bath and West Showground.

After the popularity of last year’s first tractor run held in conjunction with the competition, organisers welcomed even more machines to the showground. They were joined by an impressive display of Land Rovers and stationary steam engines.

Competition organiser Roger Noble (left) and show chairman Ian Harvey hold a hedge laying trophy not seen for more than 50 years after it was unclaimed from the former Penn’s jewellers shop in Shepton Mallet. The trophy had been donated by the then Viscount Stuart and the last winner – for 19 perches – was Dennis Croker in 1966

Experienced competitor Clive Bethell won the over-60s class

Simon Collins and Jess Lewis travelled from Marksbury for the tractor run

Anna Perry clears brushwood from the base of the hedge at the start of the day

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The tractor run passes the Land Rover display

Roger Pike, from Chilcompton, president of the Wessex Stationary Engine Club, with his 1926 Ruston Hornsby model

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MENDIP TIMES

A month of treats

PANCAKE Day is Tuesday, March 5th! This year I thought I would try the thick ones, piled high in what the Americans call a “stack” – a great breakfast, but just once a year!

Serve these crunchy pork With JUNE escalopes fresh from the pan with MACFARLANE a scattering of gremolata – parsley, lemon zest and garlic. And don’t forget to cook something delicious for your Mum right at the end of the month. Maybe this wobbly panna cotta with fresh new rhubarb!

PORK ESCALOPES WITH GREMOLATA

There is a special place in my heart for wiener schnitzel. I love the crunchy texture. This version is made with pork and finished with the wonderful lemon/parsley/garlic combo that is gremolata.

METHOD INGREDIENTS Cut half inch (Serves four) slices from the 1 pork fillet pork, discard Seasoning ends. Use a 100g flour rolling pin to 2 eggs, beaten flatten slices ko 100g breadcrumbs/pan between sheets crumbs of baking Vegetable oil parchment.

30g flat leaf parsley, Season. Put chopped flour, eggs, and Zest of one lemon breadcrumbs 1 garlic clove, finely into separate chopped bowls. Heat half an inch of oil in a frying pan. Coat escalopes in flour, then eggs, then breadcrumbs. When oil begins to shimmer slide in the escalopes and fry until golden on underside. Turn and cook again until golden.

Drain on kitchen paper. Mix together the parsley, lemon zest and chopped garlic and sprinkle over the escalopes to serve.

The key to the success of this recipe is the gremolata

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Pancake Day – you’ll be racing back for more of these

BUTTERMILK PANCAKES

Easy to make lots, just make sure your baking powder and bicarb are less than six months old. Top them with whatever you fancy. I fancied blueberries, maple syrup and bacon!

(makes about 12) 250g plain flour ¼ tsp salt 1 tbsp caster sugar 200g plain flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 egg 300ml buttermilk 100ml whole milk Vegetable oil to grease pan

INGREDIENTS

METHOD Sift together the dry ingredients and make a well in the middle. Whisk together the wet ingredients. Mix wet into dry but do not overstir the mixture. Heat a frying pan and oil lightly. Add dollops of batter – they should be about 4” wide. Cook until dry looking on top, about three minutess, then flip and cook the other side for another couple of mins.

Keep warm in a low oven while you finish the batch. Serve warm with your preferred topping.

PANNA COTTA AND RHUBARB

Panna cotta should wobble when you give the plate a gentle shake. If it does that you are a success! Contrast its creamy paleness with the zing of new rhubarb, roasted to preserve its colour. I use flavourless grapeseed oil to grease the moulds.

(Serves four) 2x2g leaves gelatine 300ml double cream 115g caster sugar 150ml whole milk Vegetable oil to grease 400g rhubarb Juice of one orange 1tbsp sugar

INGREDIENTS

METHOD Soak gelatine leaves in cold water. Put cream and sugar into a pan and heat gently until sugar has dissolved. Bring to a bare simmer, take off the heat.

Squeeze out gelatine and add to cream, stirring to dissolve. Put through a sieve into a clean bowl and add milk. Lightly oil the inside of small ramekins or pudding moulds. Divide the mixture between the moulds. Allow to cool, then refrigerate overnight. Cut the rhubarb into 1” lengths. Put into a roasting tin with the orange juice and the sugar and roast covered at 200°C for about 20 mins. Check for tenderness.

Cool. Unmould the panna cotta by dipping moulds briefly into hot water and running a knife around the sides. Serve with the rhubarb and some of the syrup.

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What’s new from

Myrtle Farm

Local landmarks on TV!

FOOD & DRINK

A round-up of events from Thatchers Cider in Sandford

IF you’ve been watching the Six Nations Rugby on ITV, you may well have spotted some familiar sights during the ad breaks. We’ve aired our new TV ad for the first time in February. Entitled Race Car, we’re really pleased to have been able to use some iconic local landmarks for filming. Keep an eye out for the market place in Wells, and our orchards at Shiplate!

Apple grower of the year

EVERYTHING we do here at Myrtle Farm has a firm focus on apples and orchards!

Everyone who works in our orchards, and everyone who grows apples for us, contributes to the very special ciders we produce. So we send a massive congratulations to Richard Morgan-Jones, who is the recipient of our Apple Grower of the Year for 2018. Richard supplies seven different apple varieties to us, both bittersweet and dessert – from Katy early in the season, through to Yarlington Mill as one of the last to be harvested.

A very special place

OUR Exhibition Orchard is a very special place, located on the corner of Nye Road and Sandmead Road in Sandford. In this orchard we have 458 different varieties of apple tree growing, collected by John Thatcher over many years.

You can hear John talking about the importance of apples, and in particular the heritage preserved in this orchard, on a recent episode of BBC Radio Four Open Country, broadcast on 7 February, and available on the BBC Sounds app.

Celebrating Mother’s Day

IF you’re looking for somewhere to surprise Mum for Mother’s Day on 31st March, The Railway Inn will be treating all Mums booked in for a meal (there’s four roast dinners on the menu to choose from!) with a special gift. Please call us on 01934 611518 to make a reservation.

The Thatchers Cider Shop also has a special Mother’s Day offer for our new Thatchers Rosé – buy 12 and get a free stemmed glass. Come along and visit!

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

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2017 2019 • PAGE 17 MENDIP TIMES • NOVEMBER

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MENDIP TIMES

THE WHEATSHEAF The Wheatsheaf at Corston is a country pub. Awardwinning chef Scott Lucas has created his own menu, including a variety of locally sourced dishes, from elaborate dishes to pub classics. A cosy bar with a roaring fire and classy restaurant environment wait to greet you.

OPENING TIMES

Monday: closed Tuesday: 12-3, 4.30-close – no food Weds: 12-3, 4.30-close Thurs: 12-3, 4.30-close Friday: open all day Sat: open all day Sunday: 12-6

Food served Wednesday to Saturday: 12-2.30pm; 5.30-8.30pm.

Sunday: 12-4pm

The Wheatsheaf, Wells Road, Corston, Somerset BA2 9HB Telephone: 01225 874518 Website: www.wheatsheafcorston.co.uk

Welcome to the Wheatsheaf

THE Wheatsheaf is a picturesque country pub in Corston near Bath that has recently undergone a major overhaul and now boasts a smart new decor, a delicious new menu, a welcoming open fire and staff who are friendly and accommodating.

Reviewers say that since the pub has been under new management from November 18th the locals are flocking back and diners have been most impressed by the quality of the freshly cooked food – check out their comments on TripAdvisor.

The pub not only offers good food but has a great range of Cask Marque accredited beers, wines, cider, spirits and soft drinks plus teas and coffees.

In the winter months the cosy snug really lends itself to enjoying a drink with friends round the huge open fire and on those warmer days you can head outside to the stunning beer garden.

Why not pop in for a pint next time you are passing and discover the great food and friendly atmosphere for yourself?

Details: The Wheatsheaf, Wells Road, Corston, Bath BA2 9HB or call 01225 874518.

Maddie’s a winner

PAGE 18 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

MADDIE Blackburn from Frome College has won the Rotary Chef Regional Finals at Westfield Academy in Yeovil.

She had to plan, prepare, and cook three healthy dishes in two hours on a budget of £20 – a challenge in itself!

Frome College was competing with other students from Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire, to secure a place in the district finals in Exeter.

Maddie was super organised with her time-plan, and managed to present her dishes to an incredibly high standard. The judges commented on the level of talent and professionalism of the students involved.

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GARDEN FOOD

Home-made popcorn

I'M afraid this isn't something I've grown in my garden (yet), but I've been thinking a lot about (and eating a lot of) popcorn recently, and hope to grow a little in the greenhouse this year.

Popcorn is a special variety (Zea mays everta) of maize, rather closer in With JAKE the form of its seed to the wild WHITSON ancestors of maize, called teosintes.

The hull of these kinds of corn is especially tough, which means that when they are heated, rather than simply splitting or cracking at an early stage, steam builds up inside the kernel, until a pressure of around 135psi is reached, whereupon the hull ruptures and explodes.

This causes a sudden drop in pressure inside the kernel and a corresponding rapid expansion of the steam, which expands the starch of the endosperm into an airy foam.

As the foam cools, the starch and protein polymers set into the familiar crispy puff.

We are all familiar with the kinds of popcorn popularised as a cinema snack food, either caramel flavoured or salty and buttered, but in fact popcorn has been around for at least 7,600 years! It may have been one of the first kinds of corn domesticated in what is now Mexico, and was noted by the first Spanish to arrive as being used for both food and decoration.

In Mexico it is commonly sold as a snack flavoured with lime and chilli, and we have taken on this as our new favourite way to eat it at home – simply squeeze the juice of a lime or half a lemon over a just popped pan of popcorn, along with a sprinkling of salt and chilli powder to taste, and mix well.

Some of the corn will collapse a bit when soaked in the citrus juice, but these end up being the most delicious bits!

Incidentally, there are also little known varieties of chickpea and bean that also pop, which I hope to get a hold of and test in the future.

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. Details: www.chaosfungorum.co.uk

FOOD & DRINK

WILD FOOD

“Catsup” – a secret weapon!

DON’T get me wrong, this month’s article is not about the wild food uses of any feline based products. Tiddles would not be best pleased after all. No, the word “catsup” has evolved along with the word “ketchup”, a well-known sauce such as tomato ketchup.

But what I want to highlight is a little With ADRIAN known Victorian mushroom catsup or BOOTS ketchup. Yes that’s right, even more astounding than a sauce that isn’t made from cats (or tomatoes for that matter) is one made with mushrooms. And it is delicious!

This was the Victorian cooks’ secret weapon, it added depth of flavour to other sauces, soups and stews. So I wanted to make wild mushroom ketchup using a combination of dried Ceps, and fresh domestic chestnut mushrooms.

So what can you use mushroom ketchup in? Well nearly everything from pasta sauce, sauces for meat or vegetarian dishes or as a slightly thicker version in my favourite venison Wellington.

Wild mushroom ketchup is prepared by pressing your gathered edible fungi (dried mushrooms can also be used) into a container with salt, this helps to remove the liquid; gently fry some onions until completely soft, add a little cider or wine vinegar and spices mace, nutmeg and black pepper (don’t forget it already has been salted), some wild thyme or oregano, and then the mushroom mash.

Bring to the boil, then gently simmer to reduce it to the desired consistency; the remaining liquid portion is strained off.

Give it a quick blitz and you are done. The resultant dark mass may be quite off-putting for some but I can assure you it smells wonderful. That’s why I decided to show the finished dish rather than a pot containing indistinguishable dark grey goo in the accompanying image.

The ketchup is smothered over smoky bacon which is then wrapped around the venison loin, encased in pastry, baked in the oven and in this instance served with traditional roasted veg. Can’t you just smell it?

Mushroom ketchup really is a secret weapon to keep in the kitchen arsenal, ready to be deployed at a moment’s notice to blow away friends, family and dinner guests’ taste buds. So there you have it, remarkably versatile wild mushroom ketchup and no cats were harmed in the making of it . . .

Adrian Boots is a Landscape Ecologist, Wild Food Forager and Adventure Activity provider. You can visit his website: www.gowildactivities.co.uk to learn more about wild food foraging and activities you can do with him on the Mendip Hills.

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 19

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MENDIP TIMES

Champagne for breakfast?

“IT was a celebration day – a notable birthday with a full day planned ahead.

“For some friends, the only chance to meet was breakfast so we arranged to gather at Hartley’s Kitchen for their famous three-course champagne breakfast. We started with fine bubbly and freshly squeezed orange juice and smoked salmon and free range gorgeous scrambled egg began the feast.

“Next came a breakfast stack on a giant field mushroom finishing with coffee then warm waffles with fresh strawberries and maple syrup. What a great start to a celebration day!”

Consider this treat for Mothering Sunday and Easter get-togethers. Apart from a much-acclaimed full breakfast menu, probably the best on the Mendips, is a lunchtime gastronomic adventure as “Le Patron” would say.

Hartley’s really friendly, well-experienced team will be there to look after you and there is even easy parking and disabled facilities – so what are you waiting for?

PAGE 20 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

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What’s new at the Pickled Inn THE friendliness – and quirkiness – at the popular Pickled Inn in Evercreech certainly won’t be changing, but owners Richard and Sarah have decided the time is right to enter a new and exciting phase in the venue’s history.

Having renovated and reopened the inn in November 2016 and given it the unusual name, the couple are now embarking on a new chapter which includes new chefs, new bar staff (“head of security” is the couple’s energetic German Shepherd puppy Cabbage), an extended lunchtime menu and even afternoon teas!

Popular with locals and visitors alike (and dog-friendly), the Pickled Inn sits just off the village centre in Queen’s Road. With two bar areas and a dining room, it welcomes everyone whether for a pint and a glass of wine or a full meal or Sunday roast.

The Pickled Inn is also unusual in that it is one of the few inns to be licensed for weddings, so ceremonies and receptions can be held in the same venue. And with an in-house PA system, the inn enjoys hosting parties.

There is regular live music – open mic nights are especially popular – and other events. The quirkiness comes from the inn’s décor; whilst Richard carried out most of the renovation works, Sarah introduced the fun look with many unusual items hanging from the walls and even the ceilings!

As well as welcoming new chefs Chris and Gene, the inn is about to take on its first apprentice: 16-year-old Gypsy, who will be working in the kitchen and front-of-house and alongside them all is the “Pickled Pippa” who oversees the day-to-day running of the bar and restaurant.

Conor cooks up a place in final

FOOD & DRINK

ASPIRING chef Conor Boakes, winner of South West Junior Chef of the Year 2018, is through to the national finals in March of another prestigious competition.

Conor, of Shepton Mallet, won the South West regional final of the Springboard FutureChef competition in Conor is off to London for February. the cookery final Conor travelled to Petroc College in Tiverton to compete alongside other young cooks who had qualified through the school heats and the local finals to reach the regional final.

After much deliberation, the judges selected Conor, aged 13, as the winner after tasting his menu of pan fried mackerel with beetroot, Pommes Dauphine and tartare with fennel followed by apple soufflé with a blackberry sauce. Conor is a student at Whitstone School, Shepton Mallet.

Conor will now go on to represent the South West at the national final at Westminster Kingsway College in March. He was mentored by South West Chef of the Year judge and junior chef mentor, Liam Finnegan at the Castle Hotel, Taunton.

Exciting times ahead at The Pickled Inn Open: Mon (6pm-midnight), Tues-Thurs (midday-midnight), Fri and Sat (midday-1am), Sun (midday-11pm) Food served: Tues-Fri (midday-3pm & 5-8pm), Sat (midday-8.30pm), Sun (midday-4pm) Serving cream teas from March 1st! (Please phone to book) Mother’s Day Special (to include Prosecco)

Queen’s Road • Evercreech Shepton Mallet • Somerset BA4 6JR

Tel: 07557 648219 MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 21

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INTERNET

Backup using The Cloud

WE looked at using an external hard drive to back-up on Windows 10 last month, but you could also use The Cloud (a generic name for online storage/usage). A good rule of thumb is that if you have only backed up once (especially if that back-up is to an internal drive), then you haven’t really backed up properly. Depends on how valuable it all is, really. So using an external drive, plus The Cloud would be a perfect “belt and braces” approach to the problem.

The basic system is the same as detailed last month – go to the Start button, Select Settings> Update & security> Backup> Add a drive, and then choose a network location for your backups.

Windows has an inbuilt option, OneDrive, but there’s also a load of alternatives, such as GoogleDrive etc, most of which provide between 5GB and 10GB of online storage free of charge.

Or if you need loads of space, you might have to pay a monthly fee.

Dropbox is one option, (www.dropbox.com) but they are all very similar. Once you sign up to Dropbox, you create a special folder, then you move all the files and folders you want to back up automatically to said folder, so from then on, all will be backed up as you work. And with Dropbox (and others too) you can then share said folder with another person, so you are both working on the same file/folder, which will always be updated with whatever changes either one has made. So if you make changes on your work pc, then work from your home laptop, all those previous changes will be there waiting for you. Dropbox also offers extra free storage if you tell a friend about the site who then uses it.

For Mac products, iCloud is more or less the same – go to www.iCloud.com and create an account and sign in.

Always a good idea to check everything out first, and Money Saving Expert is an excellent site for all sorts of info. www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/free-online-storage Submitted by IT for the Terrified : Cheddar Village Hall, Church St, Cheddar BS27 3RF 01934 741751 (usually goes to answer phone) www.itfortheterrified.co.uk itfortheterrified@btconnect.com I.T. for the Terrified – for all your computer training needs.

A skill-sharing, community project.

Run by a Committee – Staffed by Volunteers Registered Charity No. 1130308 : Company No. 06779600 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. 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: Macs: Tablets: iPads: smartphones.

Or if you would like to share basic skills with others, please get in touch.

PAGE 22 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

CROSSWORD

The Mendip Mindbender

ACROSS 1 Declares as fact (7) 5 Village just south of Bristol Airport (7) 10 Undisturbed (2,4) 11 Use to excess (8) 12 Place (8) 13 Concurred (6) 14 Loud rock (5,5) 16 Fluctuate (2-2) 17 Iranian branch of Islam (4) 19 Bristol suburb and site of its former airport (10) 22 Decorates (6) 23 Bridge at Ditcheat (8) 25 Particular (8) 26 Noon (6) 27 One's own person (7) 28 Hot spot (7) DOWN 2 Cave in the western cliffs of Cheddar Gorge (3,4)

3 4 6 7 8 9 15 18 19 20 21 24

The Fair Lady of the film (5) Travelling for sightseeing (7) Look over (7) Conversation starter (3,3,3) Pretty much (7) Bruton visitor whilst he wrote "The Acts of King Arthur and his Noble Knights" (4,9) Carved stone walkway at Frome Church (3,6) House near Castle Cary with gardens restored by Penelope Hobhouse (7) Unrealistic (7) Village near Highbury Hill hill fort (7) Camel train (7) In this puzzle, it’s the Mendips (5)

The Mendip Times Scribble Pad

This month’s solution can be found on page 97

Page 23 March.qxp_Layout 1 21/02/2019 12:52 Page 1

TOPSOIL AND STONE SUPPLIES Dry high quality screened or unscreened Topsoil.

Recycled aggregates and quarry stone supplies, road planings and building stone.

DEMOLITION AND STRIP OUT All types of demolition works. From small household to main contractor projects, including rail, schools and city centre redevelopments. Complete range of specialist equipment and services available.

ASBESTOS Asbestos removal and collection. Roof sheets, tiles and guttering. Call for information.

TRANSPORT 4,6 and 8 wheeled tipper Lorries for hire and muck away. Low loader, beaver tail and road brush hire.

PLANT HIRE Wide range of plant. 360 excavators, Dumpers, Bulldozers and Crushers.

EXCAVATIONS Large and small excavations. Specialist works include Equestrian all weather surfaces, drainage and bulk excavations.

Tel: 0800 097 8611

www.johnhodge.co.uk | e-mail: mailbox@johnhodge.co.uk

WESTON-SUPER-MARE | BRISTOL | CLEVEDON | YATTON | WEDMORE

Business section.qxp_Layout 1 21/02/2019 13:17 Page 24

MENDIP TIMES

Country Innovation’s new home

COUNTRY Innovation, which counts Bill Oddie and Simon King among its customers, has moved from Congresbury to bigger premises at The Stables Business Park, near Rooksbridge on the A38. It’s now 20 years since Maria Chilvers established the business – which today exports a large proportion of its products to countries all around the globe.

She said: “Ours is now almost entirely an online business. We really need premises where we can still have a showroom for those customers who drop in from all around the country (and even further afield) to see what we offer, as well as more space to focus on fulfilling the Internet orders we receive.”

Jackets l Fleeces l Walking Boots l Bags l Hats, Gloves l Travel Clothing l

The Stables, Rooksbridge, BS26 2TT 01934 877333 www.countryinnovation.com

Sandy re-elected

MEMBERS of Chew Valley Chamber of Commerce unanimously re-elected Sandy Bell as their president, along with vice president, Rod Podger.

A well-attended annual general meeting heard an upbeat review of the year and some ideas for future activities, including improving public transport links, supporting economic development and raising the chamber’s own profile.

FUEL STORAGE SPECIALISTS

Heating oil and Diesel tanks domestic and commercial • Bunded and fuel station, above and below ground Replacement • installations • re-siting We accommodate any size tank and access difficult and hard-to-reach areas • Free inspection of your tank • All areas • OFTEC registered

E: nathan@chriswattsbuilding.com T: 01963 32809

Exciting new Spring/Summer 2019 collections

We have added some fantastic new labels to our existing brands.

Accessories include the new addition of Toni Pons espadrilles, beautiful jewellery, scarves, handbags and belts.

Balloon flights over the Chew Valley, Mendips and Somerset Levels

PAGE 24 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

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How to reduce the risks of thatch fires A FIRE at a thatched roof property can be almost impossible to control with devastating consequences if not caught in time; this is largely because thatched roofs are designed to shed water, which makes it notoriously difficult to put out a fire once one has started. If you know the risks and avoid them, then statistically speaking – your thatched property is no more likely to catch fire than the house next door with a conventional tile roof.

The most common and deadliest risks to a thatched roof property are chimney fires and ejected embers/sparks from the chimney.

How to reduce the risk: • Burn only seasoned, or kiln dried wood (maximum moisture 20%)

BUSINESS

• Follow manufacturers’ guidelines for woodburner ventilation and recommended conditions • Sweep your chimney regularly! At the start and during the burning season • Remove spark arrestors, maybe use a bird guard instead • Take care when lighting fires – use firelighters over paper and card which aren’t recommended • Carry out CCTV inspections to identify areas of concern in your chimney (in a damaged chimney structure there could be gaps which allow embers to pass through to the thatch) • Keep woodburner baffles clean • Make sure the top of your chimney is a good height above the thatch – the higher the better! The height of your chimney will have an impact on the dispersal of embers away from the thatch.

All normal fire safety precautions must also apply, such as safe use of electrical items.

The best way to help protect your thatched property is with an insurance policy tailored to your specific circumstances.

Thatched houses and cottages are expensive to build, repair and maintain. Therefore, making sure you have the right insurance policy is essential should anything unexpected happen.

Higos Insurance Services have a dedicated thatch team with many years’ of experience in providing excellent levels of cover for thatched properties and can help you find the right policy to suit your needs. Call the team today on 01458 270 352 or email thatch@higos.com

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 25

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MENDIP TIMES

Wedmore's new and exclusive gentleman's barber shop, providing a professional service in a warm and comfortable environment Opening times Monday 09.30-18.00 • Tuesday CLOSED Wednesday 09.30-18.00 • Thursday 10.00-19.00 Friday 09.30-18.00 • Saturday 08.30-14.30

Contact: Stephanie on 0787 7030300

No. 5 Borough Mews The Borough Yard The Borough Wedmore BS284EB

New business opens in Wedmore

TIDBOALD Blythe is a new barber shop opening in Wedmore, run by Stephanie Tidboald and her partner Harry Blythe.

Stephanie started her hairdressing career in 2008 and has specialised in men’s hair for the last few years, working in Winscombe and Weston-super-Mare.

She hopes the new shop will appeal to all ages: “Barbering over the last ten years has become a booming industry, with men spending more time and money on their hair and beards. The dream was always to have my own barber shop, with a country, family feel and old traditional barber shop look.

“The waiting room has a warm inviting feel, with home comforts while you’re waiting, and the cutting side is more private so you can have a proper consultation, your hair washed, and a good old chat. Who says it's only women that can be pampered?”

Her partner, Harry is a HETAS engineer working in and around Bristol and Somerset for Jeremy Blythe & Son, installing log burners and solid fuel appliances.

He said: “Ever since studying business studies at school and Alevel, I have had an entrepreneurial itch and desire to set up my own business. I have known Stephanie for many years but ever since we have been together as a couple we have found we share not just personal but business interests.”

They will offer discounts and loyalty cards alongside male grooming products and possible accessories. They may also offer, in conjunction with other local businesses, vouchers and discount rates.

Protection against rising energy prices

UK solar PV installed capacity has grown to 13GW across a million installations and has surpassed the need for government subsidy. The Feed-in Tariff has achieved its goal of making solar a mass-produced product that can be delivered at a cost-competitive price.

Consumers are now aware of the environmental and longterm economic benefits of generating their own electricity rather than purchasing volatile, expensive energy from a supplier. Last year proved the worst ever for the number of price rises energy suppliers inflicted on consumers, with a total of 57 price hikes compared with just 15 in 2017. With wholesale gas and electricity costs continuing to rise, more and more consumers are looking to solar to provide their energy.

Solar panels offer energy independence and allow both businesses and homeowners to secure their energy for more than 20 years. In the same period that energy bills have increased, the price of installing solar has dropped significantly. The price of installing a solar system is now less than a quarter of what it was in 2010 with the cost of larger systems falling even more. For businesses and homeowners that have considered solar in the past but not acted, it is worth revisiting with a free, no obligation desktop survey.

PAGE 26 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

Details: call 01275 461800 or visit www.solarsense-uk.com for more information.

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BUSINESS

Two centuries of willow craft

INSPIRED by this year’s bicentenary of their business, Chris and Anne Coate have produced a book, Willows, Wetlands, Weaving and more… telling the story of their family’s involvement in the willow industry on the Somerset Levels.

The Coate family, back row Nicola, Archived material Jonathan, Chris, Anne and Sarah, combined with front Marcus, Flossie and Freddie photographs, personal anecdotes and living memories record Coate’s family history and that of the willow industry in Somerset.

Original business ledgers, documents and artefacts provide the source material for a fascinating family memoir.

The family and business development through two centuries inevitably provides an insight into social, geographical and economic history of the times too.

The book tells of the highs and lows of Coate’s business; the effects of fashion trends and market competition necessitating flexibility and innovation. You may be surprised to learn how they first produced high quality artists charcoal and that they are now a leading global supplier!

Sustainability is at the heart of the business and willow is an ultimately renewable raw material. If the growing and processing of willow is of interest there is something on that too! In fact every aspect of the business is included.

It will surprise the reader with insights into how willow has been used in everyday life, past and present, and in recent years for some exciting special commissions for high profile clients!

With its roots planted in the past, Coate’s continues to develop into the future as willow growers, willow suppliers, basket makers, furniture makers, charcoal producers, and tourist attraction!

Willows, Wetlands, Weaving and more… by Chris and Anne Coate compiled by Jean Allen.

P & C Logs Call Phil on 07734 098323, or Colleen on 07785 250033 or on Evenings 01934 741941

Friendly prompt service from Phil & Colleen at their farm in Charterhouse Quality seasoned beech and ash hardwood, chopped and split into a variety of load options (with free delivery).

LECATCHER MO

FREE Fox Control Please ring or text if you have a Fox problem.

07809 839460

NO MOLE NO FEE Telephone 01761 417100 www.mendipmolecatcher.co.uk

FLY A GLIDER! THE IDEAL GIFT!

Mendip Gliding Club is located near Cheddar and offers a variety of Glider Flying packages including Introductory Flight Vouchers (from £50), or regular membership and “Fixed Price To Solo” options. Club is open all year on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Suitable for aged 12 upwards – no upper limit! Fly with BGA-rated instructors in dual control gliders. For further information, please visit our website at:

www.mendipgliding.co.uk or phone 07770 346492 if you have any questions MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 27

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MENDIP TIMES

Have bike will travel

STRAWBERRY Line Cycles offers a mobile cycle mechanic service along the Strawberry Line and beyond including Somerset, Weston-super-Mare, Bristol and the Mendips.

Owner Rob Kerly provides a collection and delivery service and extended working hours, evenings and weekends. He does repairs, servicing, upgrades and custom builds in his workshop or on site at your home or your work-place.

This includes suspension fork servicing, hydraulic brake bleeding and servicing, wheel building and custom spoke threading, TIG welding steel and aluminium frame repairs.

Whether your bike needs just a little TLC, a full service, or if

HOLIDAY LET Two-bedroom Ground Floor Flat at WEST BAY – between Lyme Regis and Weymouth

Top honours for Middlewick Holiday Cottages

For details and availability call: 01963 23456

• Accommodation, farm shop & events venue at the base of Glastonbury Tor • Cottages, cabins & glamping pods set within 16 acres of orchards, animal paddocks & gardens • Sleeps from 1-52 people across 26 bedrooms • Indoor swimming pool & group room • Dog friendly • Rates start from £70 per night

Middlewick Holiday Cottages Wick Lane, Glastonbury, Somerset BA6 8JW 01458 832351 hello@themiddlewick.co.uk www.middlewickholidaycottages.co.uk PAGE 28 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

you’d like to upgrade some parts or perhaps even a whole new build (we all like shiny new things after all!) then he can help. Just drop him a line or call him and he will find the best solution for you and your bike.

AFTER celebrating gold at the Bristol, Bath and Somerset Tourism Awards, Middlewick Holiday Cottages has now been Highly Commended in the SouthWest Tourism Awards for self-catering holiday cottages of the year.

Middlewick Holiday Cottages is a stunning collection of selfJill and Jonathan with their latest award catering stone cottages, barn, wooden cabins, glamping pods and a shepherds hut set within 16 acres of orchards, paddocks and fields at the base of Glastonbury Tor in the hamlet of Wick.

The resort, which can sleep up to 52 people, boasts an indoor swimming pool, steam room and onsite farm shop selling home produce.

Owners Jonathan and Jill Barker said: “It has been an honour to be up among so many great tourism businesses across the South West. To win Gold and now to be Highly Commended in the South West awards has made us very proud of what we and our team have done here at Middlewick.”

Awards organiser Robin Barker said: “This year the SouthWest Tourism Awards saw a record of 651 entries to consider and a team of 51 judges undertook a record 472 visits to entrants. To be recognised with Highly Commended is a huge achievement, especially in England’s top tourism region.”

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Countryside law: footpaths, farmers, animals WITH spring approaching comes the prospect of walks in the glorious Mendip countryside so it may be helpful to provide a brief outline on how the law sets out the rights and responsibilities of footpath users and land owners.

Footpaths: In England and Wales a public footpath is a path on which the public have a legally protected right to travel on foot. The majority of footpaths are shown on Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 maps.

Local highways authorities are required to maintain an official map of all public rights of way in their areas and these can be inspected at council offices. If a path is shown on the map then the right of way is legally binding. Just because a path is not shown on that map does not mean that it is not a public path, as the rights may not have been recorded.

The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 provides that paths that are not recorded on the map by 2026 and that were in use prior to 1949 will automatically be regarded a stopped up on 1 January 2026. The right of access on a public footpath normally only allows walking, so there is usually no right to cycle or ride a horse on such a footpath.

Liability for injury caused by animals: In most cases, injury caused by an animal which belongs to a 'dangerous' species (tigers, hippos, leopards etc ) are the liability of the keeper or owner of the animal. If the

animal does not belong to a dangerous species (dogs, cats, horses etc) then the owner is liable if he was aware of the animal’s tendency to attack people.

Generally, if a domestic animal (e.g. dog) kills or injures livestock then the keeper of the animal is liable.

If a person trespasses on to land where, say, a dog is kept by the owner of the land and that dog attacks that individual, then the owner of the dog is not liable in most circumstances.

Similarly, if livestock stray onto the same land and the dog attacks them, the owner will not be liable.

Detention of animals: When livestock stray onto land, out of the control of the owner, the land occupier has the right to detain them. This 'right of detention' ceases: (a) after 48 hours if police or owner are not notified. (b) where the livestock owner has offered sufficient money to satisfy any claim for damage caused by the animal and any reasonable expenses incurred in keeping it. If, after 14 days detention, no steps have been taken to return the animal it can be sold at market.

Protection of livestock against dogs: In the case of owners of livestock protecting that livestock (cows etc) from dogs, it is a defence for that owner to prove that he, the livestock owner, was acting to protect his livestock and was entitled to do so.

This is providing that the police were informed of any incident within 48 hours of it occurring. Generally,

BUSINESS

individuals only have the power to act if land is owned by them, or they are acting on behalf of the owner of the land. In the case of a livestock owner shooting a dog, an individual can only be regarded as protecting his livestock, if a dog is actually worrying, or is about to worry that livestock (usually sheep). In addition, the dog must be on its own, and there must be no other way of stopping it from its actions, and there must be no easy way of finding out to whom it belongs.

So if you stay on a recognised footpath and in any event keep your dog/cat/horse under control all should be well.

Edward Lyons

Email: enquiries@lyonslaw.co.uk Website: www.lyonslaw.co.uk Telephone: 01275 332168 An established and progressive law firm providing a personal and cost-effective legal service for commercial and individual clients. l Family & Divorce Law l Co-habitation disputes l Inheritance disputes l Wills and Living Wills l Powers of Attorney l Administration of Trusts l Property – sales and purchases Chew Magna 01275 332168

OFFICES AT: Westbury-on-Trym 0117 950 6506

Kingswood 0117 967 5252 MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 29

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MENDIP TIMES

New family law office in Winscombe AVON and Somerset Family Law have now opened their new offices at 1st Floor, 14 Woodborough Road, Winscombe. Their consultant solicitor Sharon Whitcombe will be working from the new offices.

Sharon Witcombe qualified as a solicitor in 2002 and advises on a wide range of private client matters including wills, trusts, enduring and lasting powers of attorney, Court of Protection, succession planning, probate, elderly client law and mental capacity issues.

Sharon is local to the area and is happy to meet clients at our Winscombe and Weston-super-Mare offices. She is also happy to carry out home and hospital visits during or outside normal business hours.

Sharon is known for her empathic and personal approach and she will do her best to ensure that her clients are guided through complex and often emotional issues in a professional but

PAGE 30 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

sympathetic manner.

Whilst Sharon will be dealing with these matters our experienced family practitioners Jay Oberoi, Emma Wildblood and Simon Hutchence will also be available to offer advice and assistance on divorce, financial matters as well as disputes regarding children.

Appointments can be made either in Weston or Winscombe as Emma, Jay and Simon are happy to meet you wherever is convenient. We can also arrange home visits if appropriate.

We are able to offer legal aid at our Weston office to those who qualify, those who have been victims of domestic violence and are able to provide the required evidence and have limited means. Legal aid may also be available if you have a letter from social services, your GP or other agency. Please see our website for more information.

Sadly, there are occasions when Contact us for further information:

Jay Oberoi

parents are not able to care for their children and so social services may intervene and Emma Jay and Simon are all experienced solicitors on the children panel who can help represent parents and other family members in these proceedings.

If you are the parents of the child then you will be able to qualify for legal aid. If you are caring for the child then it may be possible to apply for legal aid.

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BUSINESS

Entries for the 2019 Mendip Business Awards are now open!

MENDIP-based business owners can enter one of 11 categories to be in with a chance of winning at the fifth annual Mendip Business Awards.

The winners will be announced during the evening celebrations at the Royal Bath and West Showground on Thursday, May 30th. The awards are held to recognise and celebrate some of the 5,755 independent and vibrant businesses based in the district.

Councillor Tom Killen, deputy leader of Mendip District Council, said: “Now in the fifth year, the Mendip Business Awards demonstrate the wealth of local talent in our business community. We are proud to deliver the awards, giving organisations across the district a chance to showcase excellence.

“It’s great to see organisations of all sizes enter the awards, but in particular we are always keen to hear from smaller businesses who often do not get the

recognition which they deserve.”

This year’s awards have a category for every type of business, including a new category called “Market Trader of the Year”. This award celebrates the art of market trading in Mendip towns throughout 2018.

Categories open to all Mendip businesses include: • Community Enterprise of the Year – Sponsored by Aster Group • Retail/ Hospitality Business of the Year – Sponsored by Kilver Court Designer Village • Apprentice of the Year – Sponsored by Strode College • Customer Services Excellence – Sponsored by 3 Solutions Ltd • Taste of Mendip – Sponsored by Old Mill • Family Business of the Year – Sponsored by Wainwright • International Business of the Year –

Sponsored by Swan Hotel, Wells • New Business of the Year – Sponsored

by Killens • Small Business of the Year – Sponsored

by Burton Sweet • Business of the Year – Sponsored by NFU Mutual, Wells • Market Trader of the Year – Sponsored

by Mendip District Council Last year’s Business of the Year was Glastonbury Spring Water. The Customer Service Excellence Award 2018 went to Jungle Properties.

This year’s sponsors are Clarks Village, The Royal Bath & West Show and Mendip District Council. The awards are in partnership with many local food and drink specialists around the district including Brothers Drinks, Wild Beer Co., Barbers Farmhouse Cheese and Lilley’s Cider. Red Berry Recruitment are kindly sponsoring the welcome drinks at the awards evening.

For more information and how to enter or to register your interest in tickets, visit www.mendipbusinessawards.co.uk, email: bizawards@mendip.gov.uk or call 01749 341345. You can also follow @MendipBizAwards on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 31

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MENDIP TIMES

Family recycling company expands

JW WASTE Recycling Ltd, a local family-run business, moved to a larger site in Coleford a year ago and pride themselves on their reliability, customer service and quality services.

They are a fully licensed waste management company committed to completely avoiding landfill, offering a complete range of recycling for garden waste, building, hardcore and aggregates, card, plastics and metals, dealing with both commercial and domestic general waste.

They have a fully calibrated weighbridge and weighbridge services in their Coleford yard and can supply all domestic and commercial waste management needs via wheelie bins and skips.

This includes a full range of domestic household wheelie bin services for recycling and general waste.

They are able to pick up fortnightly collections for domestic

PAGE 32 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

households where the council’s new fortnightly services leave homes falling short of effective waste services.

From starting out as a "Man in a van", the company, started by Jamie Witt ten years ago, has come on leaps and bounds.

He said: “Through this time I have learnt almost everything there is to know about the waste industry. I got to realise just how bad other waste companies were and this was the main driver behind starting up a local, friendly, company that people could rely on.”

The company motto is "Reduce, Re-use, Recycle!" and since their set-up in 2006 their aim is to achieve 100% diversion from land fill. This means they are committed to finding alternative greener solutions to waste disposal and are committed to reducing our usage of natural resources.

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Cooper & Tanner’s Grand Tour

WHILE most of us when thinking of the Grand Tour would think of Jeremy Clarkson and co, this Grand Tour saw the Cooper & Tanner auction team take to the road on what was to be their biggest on-farm fodder sale to date, visiting 12 farms spread across four counties.

They saw excellent support for a varied selection of fodder from start to finish with a number of buyers, both local and from as far as Wales following throughout the day.

Auctioneer, Trevor Rowland, said: “The recent snow and thus increased wet conditions on the land created an uplift in demand.”

Following the expansion of Cooper & Tanner last year into Wedmore, Bridgwater and Cheddar, the firm has now grown to 11 offices in the region offering not only sales but also lettings, surveys and valuations for residential, commercial and agricultural properties.

Rural professional services on all aspects of land ownership, including development issues, now also include a new AMC Agency headed up by Tori Osborne via the Cheddar office.

Cooper & Tanner are also auctioneers at the livestock market at Frome, which also hosts the salerooms offering furniture and vintage ware as well as regular on-line auctions of antiques and collectables.

Whether you are looking to sell or let residential, commercial or rural property, require a survey or valuation, sell furniture, agricultural machinery, crops or even livestock, Cooper & Tanner can help.

BUSINESS

Back to the future for Aaron

AFTER almost four years of being based at Rookery Farm at Binegar, Mendip Rural Services are relocating – to return where owner Aaron Coleman began his business. From April 1st he will be working just two miles away based at the family home at Haydon and offering all the services for which he has become so well-known: servicing and sales of lawnmowers and garden machinery as well as repairs and spares. The workshop at Haydon can also accommodate larger machinery. Aaron won’t be leaving Rookery Farm entirely – Greens of Mendip will stock accessories and customers can leave machinery there for Aaron to collect and return, if necessary.

Mendip Rural Services Ltd. WE ARE RELOCATING! From April 1st we will be at: Springfield, Haydon Drove, Haydon nr Wells BA5 3EH Offering all our usual lawn mower and garden machinery services and suppliers

Phone 07974 259766 Workshop 07491 665290 www.mendipruralservices.co.uk email: mendipruralservices@outlook.com

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 33

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MENDIP TIMES

Frome’s famous foundry founder celebrated

AN ambitious new heritage project celebrating one of Frome’s most prominent historical figures, J.W. Singer, has been launched at the town’s Heritage Museum.

Casting the World incorporates exhibitions and events throughout 2019, exploring the life and work of John Webb Singer, who was born in Frome on February 23rd, 1819.

Founded in 1848, J.W. Singer & Sons started out with a small forge on Eagle Lane, but grew to become one of the town’s major employers with 700 staff and was responsible for producing some of the

Gladstone’s head being finished off

J.W. Singer was a Victorian pioneer

world’s most iconic public statues, including Boudica on the Thames Embankment in London, Justice, that crowns the Old Bailey, and the lions at the Rhodes memorial in Cape Town, South Africa.

The museum event took place on what would have been Singer’s 200th birthday and also saw the launch of Frome Town Council’s inaugural Singer’s Heritage Trail, a tour of sites around Frome associated with the entrepreneur.

Curator Sue Bucklow had been researching and studying Singer’s life and work since 2001 and discovered a number of previously unseen images of the

foundry at work in surviving glass negatives, as well as correspondence and family photographs. Sue will share her research in the upcoming exhibition, which will be held this summer at Rook Lane Chapel.

She said: “The history of John Webb Singer and all that he did for Frome is truly fascinating. Setting up a foundry that employed hundreds of local people, working with the top sculptors of the day, casting statues that were sent all over the world, as well as establishing the Frome Art School are just a few of the stories we’ll be highlighting during this Rook Lane Arts project.”

For details, email projects@rooklanearts.org.uk The Singer’s Town Trail can be experienced anytime. Pick up a leaflet in Discover Frome or download it from Frome Town Council’s website: www.frometowncouncil.gov.uk

Researching Pensford’s history

TWO members of Pensford Local History Group, Leigh Comber and Chris James, are hoping to research what life was like in Pensford from around 1900 to 1925.

Leigh said: “We started by looking at the war memorial and thought it was something we could do to keep preserved.

“After our second talk to the history group we had updated it slightly as F.W. Smith had come up and his name wasn't on the war memorial, although he had fought in the war and fallen. He had been left off as his family had moved to Canada.”

After the war it was a time of great change in villages such as Pensford and a time which the two men said they would love to explore and research.

They would like to talk to anyone with any family history to do with the WWI particularly if the family member survived and returned from the war. Back in 2016 both men, along with

A coach outing to Weston 1914

four other locals, visited the grave of one of Pensford's fallen soldiers, Disney Grant, at Poperinge, near Ypres.

Details: Leigh Coomber 01761 490547 or Chris James 01761 490392.

PAGE 34 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

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HISTORY

Legion helps with history of WWI veteran

MEMBERS of Frome’s Royal British Legion branch carried out research into the service history of a veteran of WWI who died tragically from Spanish Flu on his way home at the end of the conflict.

Sergeant Ernest Leach was remembered by his descendants during a church service close to the anniversary of his death on February 9th, 1919. His name is recorded along with 12 others on a memorial table in Frome’s Wesley Methodist Church.

His nephew, John Leach, aged 83, contacted the legion to help with compiling a history of his wartime service. His father and Ernest’s brother, Albert Henry “Harry”, survived the war and returned to the town where other descendants live still.

Ernest joined the army in 1915, aged, 22, and underwent initial training with the 2nd South Western Mounted Brigade Field Ambulance which had its headquarters in Frome. The field ambulance was a mobile frontline medical unit manned by troops of the Royal Army Medical Corps; the 2nd South Western Field Ambulance was a Territorial Unit which had been formed in 1908.

Ernest served in France in 1917 and in Italy from late 1917 until early 1919 when on his passage home on board ship he contracted influenza, was put ashore and died shortly afterwards

John Leach and family with Jane Norris and Jim Clipson after the service, held with thanks to the Rev. Carol Chaplin and the congregation

Harry and Ernest Leach with their mother Emma

in hospital. Telegrams home warn of his grave condition and then of his death. He is buried in St Germain-au-Mont-D'Or, a Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in a village near Lyon and which was the site of a British hospital until November 1919.

The research was carried out by Jane Norris and Dr Jim Clipson from the branch. Jim said: “My maternal grandfather was wounded when storming the Hindenburg Line in late 1918 – the stretcher bearers crossing No-Man’s land heard him calling and said: ‘Alright Tommy, we will find you’. My grandfather thought he recognised a voice and said: ‘William, William is that you?’ The reply came, not the universal Tommy this time but: ’Thomas – don’t worry, we are on our way’. My grandfather, Thomas was rescued by his own brother William, a stretcher bearer in the RAMC.”

Children get a Victorian history lesson

CHILDREN from Cameley Primary School in Temple Cloud experienced a typical Victorian school day when they recently went to Sevington School House in Wiltshire, which opened in 1849 and is preserved as it was when it closed in 1913.

They had lessons in a Victorian schoolroom, played old-fashioned games outside and learned about the punishments on offer for being naughty.

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 35

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MENDIP TIMES

Orchard celebrations

Glastonbury Morris gather below the tor

EVENTS

GLASTONBURY Tor offered the perfect backdrop to a wassail ceremony in the National Trust orchard on its slopes.

Several hundred people gathered at the Avalon Orchard for the afternoon of ceremony and entertainment, including storytelling and a performance by Taunton Thespian Mummers.

Town crier David Greenway was master of ceremonies Let’s make a noise!

Time for a rest from the fun and games in front of the firepit

PAGE 36 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

The wassail ceremony was led

by Ashgrove Druids

Volunteers at work

The call of the midwife

NEWS

New kissing gate

THE Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Unit and Somerset Wildlife Trust have been working together to enhance Bubwith Acres Nature Reserve, a site of special scientific interest overlooking Cheddar.

Volunteers from both organisations joined forces in January to improve access and restore habitat. Two old rotten stiles were replaced with new kissing gates along a public footpath on the edge of the reserve after a request from local group, Cheddar Walking.

The footpath is also part of the West Mendip Way, enabling walkers to better explore this recreational trail that runs from Weston-super-Mare through to Wells and beyond to Frome as part of the wider Mendip Way. Volunteers also cleared a block of scrub, made up of hawthorn and bramble, restoring a limestone grassland slope.

Chris Eyles, West Mendip senior reserves manager at Somerset Wildlife Trust said: “This fragile habitat is particularly vulnerable to encroaching scrub, which if left unchecked will swallow up the grassland. This vital work means this area will now be capable of hosting a much richer variety of ground flora and invertebrates.”

Tim Haselden, development officer for the Mendip Hills AONB, said: “We’re really grateful to all of the volunteers who gave their time to help carry out these important access and habitat improvements on site”.

Practical conservation days with volunteers take place every other Wednesday at various sites across the Mendip Hills.

Details: www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk and www.somersetwildlife.org

Follow the bittern trail

GLASTONBURY Town Council has launched a four-mile, family-friendly cycle trail linking the town with the Avalon Marshes Centre at Westhay.

The Bittern Trail uses flat lanes and permissive routes through the nature reserves including Ham Wall and Shapwick Heath and is named in honour of the successful conservation work to increase numbers of the birds.

The council has designed the trail in conjunction with local attractions and says it is not intended to be used by cycling groups. It is also a walking trail and pedestrians have priority. l The trail was due to be launched officially at the Visit Somerset Outdoor Pursuits event as Mendip Times was being published.

Trail maps will be available at Glastonbury Information Centre in Magdalene Street. For more details, email: office@glastonbury.gov.uk

Betty Carter, who passed away in January

A THANKSGIVING service has been held in Midsomer Norton to celebrate the life of one of the first midwives to work at the dedicated maternity unit at Paulton Hospital.

Betty Carter, who passed away in January aged 95, trained to become a nurse during the Second World War before studying midwifery in Edinburgh. As Betty Gay, she began work at Paulton in 1944 when the hospital had only two maternity beds in the main building. The then hospital director Dr Crook, of Timsbury, established a separate maternity unit and recruited Betty as sister to run it with the help of others.

Her death comes as the maternity unit faces an uncertain future, with clinical commissioning groups for Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire saying the inpatient beds are underused. A petition has been launched as part of a campaign against their possible closure.

After marrying a local farmer, the late Reuben Carter, in 1953, Betty returned to work part-time at the maternity unit.

The couple had two daughters, Sally and Hilary, and five grandchildren.

Betty was a member of Midsomer Norton Methodist Church. Interviewed several years ago for the church magazine, she was asked what had changed in midwifery nursing over the past 60 years: “Betty recalls that fathers were rarely present at births and probably did not want to be! Laughing gas was used as pain control and certainly births did not take place under water!

“Was maternity nursing anything like the scenes shown in Carry on Nurse? Hardly, laughs Betty, at a cottage hospital like Paulton’s.” l The plans are currently out for consultation; a final decision is expected in the coming months.

(Photo courtesy of H.H. Evans Independent Funeral Directors, Paulton)

(Photo courtesy of T. Haselden (Mendip Hills AONB)

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MENDIP TIMES

If you have any questions, find us on Facebook – Prowse Antiques and Interiors or call us on 01934 712453 or 07860 837 680

23a Broad Street Wells, BA5 2DJ. Tel: 01749 671112 Open Mon–Sat 10–4 www.somersetguild.co.uk PAGE 38 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

Mendip Times reduces travel costs 100,000 potential customers within a short distance of your business

Wells is where the art is

HERITAGE Courtyard Gallery and Studios and the Somerset Guild of Craftsmen are working together to promote Wells as a city with art at its heart.

The friendship was sealed at the recent Wake up Wells community day in Wells Cathedral when they ran stalls next to each other. HTC sits in Heritage Courtyard, off Sadler Street, and incorporates a light and spacious contemporary art gallery with ten artists’ studios. It was founded in 2015 by artist Heather Wallace in 2015, who now runs it with the help of fellow artist and co-director Rebecca Barnard.

The gallery space hosts regular classes run by the in-house artists or those from outside and is also available to hire.

Heather and Rebecca are currently working with the Bishop’s Palace to organise a contemporary art exhibition running from July to October in the palace and grounds called Re-Formation, with artists’ work inspired by the location. The event will coincide with Wells Art Contemporary and Somerset Art Weeks.

The Somerset Guild of Craftsmen is based just off Broad Street. It is the showcase for work by more than 100 members of the guild. Gallery manager Tanith Tothill said: “Not only was Wake Up Wells a huge success in itself, but we were able to talk and agreed that there was no point working in isolation.”

Heather and Rebecca added: “Wells has a vibrant artistic community and we want to encourage all art lovers to visit the city; we don’t want to work in a vacuum.”

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Clevedon Salerooms specialist sale CLEVEDON Salerooms spring Quarterly Specialist Sale will be held on Thursday, March 7th at 10.30am. The online catalogue is available to view now with a broad range of interesting and fine lots to suit all tastes.

In the picture section an Arthur Wilde Parsons (1954-1931) Venetian watercolour scene depicts the Santa Maria della Salute through the early morning mist. Measuring 59cm x 98cm and dated 1915 the tranquil scene is estimated at £1,500-£2,500.

ARTS AND ANTIQUES

A fine pair of Bohemian lustre drop green and white glass vases will send rainbows dancing around your room as the light catches them. Standing 32cm high the estimate of £400-£600 should catch the light and the attention.

Following the success of similar pieces in recent auctions at Clevedon, the salerooms have had a Banksy “Walled Off Hotel” print consigned from a London collector on the strength of the Banksy “Love Rat” print sold before Christmas at Clevedon for £11,750.

In a similar vein, a further London based owner of this fine Vizagapatam sewing box was impressed by the result for an almost identical box sold at Clevedon in 2018 and chose to consign their example with a £2,000-£3,000 estimate.

Viewing the sale in person is on

Wednesday, March 6th, 10am–6.30pm. If you have items you may be thinking of selling why not attend one of their free valuation days or email images to info@csrauctions.com

Every lot in every auction, illustrated and sold with live internet bidding Audemars Piguet wrist watch £10,000 - £12,000

Fine Art Auctioneers & Valuers

FREE AnTiQuE VALuATiOn DAYS

Black Forest hall stand £500 - £800

11th, 12th & 25th, 26th March 9.30am–1pm and 2pm–5pm Held at the salerooms – no appointment necessary

Antiques, Interiors, Collectables & Jewellery Thursday, 21st March Sale starts at 10.30am On view day before 10am – 6.30pm

Tel: 01934 830111 The Auction Centre, Kenn Road, Kenn, Clevedon, Bristol BS21 6TT www.clevedon-salerooms.com

Diamond ring £5,000 - £6,000

Banksy ‘Walled Off Hotel’ £800 - £1,200

Quarterly Specialist Sale

Thursday 7th March at 10.30am Viewing day: Wednesday 6th March 10am – 6.30pm Sale day from 9am.

On line catalogue available 10th November MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 39

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MENDIP TIMES

Sweet smell of success at first online sale of the year COOPER and Tanner’s first online Specialist Antiques and Collectables sale of the year was a great success, with attendance strong both in the room and online. There were excellent results throughout the sale; with paintings,

bottles from Nina Ricci, Dior, Givenchy and many others. In total the collection made over £1,700 on the hammer.

The star lot of the sale was a “Lord Collingwood” steam engine sign that sold well above estimate at £4,000,

Gareth saw a range of items including jewellery, silver, glassware and oriental pieces.

A number of items were taken in for sale and all sold very well in the February 6th Antiques and Collectables

The Lord Collingwood sign that sold for £4,000

silver, jewellery and furniture all achieving excellent prices.

An interesting and unusual single owner collection of perfume generated a huge amount of interest and all lots sold above estimate. The collection was predominantly of perfumes from one of the oldest perfume houses in the world – Guerlain; however there were also

COOPER

finally selling to a telephone bidder after much competition. Another iconic British symbol – a red telephone box – sold for £900 to a local buyer.

A free valuation morning was held at Cooper and Tanner’s Wedmore office in January and valuer Gareth Wasp had a stream of people that came to have items valued. During the morning

AND

sale. The next valuation morning will be held at our Frome office on Thursday, March 28th from 9am to 1pm.

Gareth will be happy to look at any items you would like valued even if you are unsure of the value; and if you have items that are too big to bring along then please contact the office to book for a free valuation on 01373 852419.

TANNER SALE ROOMS

FEBRUARY SALE HIGHLIGHTS

Two limited edition Art Deco bottles of 'Liu' perfume by Guerlain, sold £170

A rare Ushers of Trowbridge Royal Doulton ale jug, sold £280

A 19th century tortoiseshell tea caddy, the interior with two lids, sold £340

A 19th century walnut kneehole desk, with brass swing handles, sold £750

SALE ROOMS Gareth Wasp Telephone 01373 852419 The Agricultural Centre, Standerwick, Frome BA11 2QB gareth.wasp@cooperandtanner.co.uk PAGE 40 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

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Time to declutter – Killens can help WITH spring fast approaching it may be now is the time to consider decluttering. At the Mendip Auction Rooms, the team stage various sales at which all items you may be clearing can be sold.

In addition to their Antiques & Collectables sales at which antiques of value are sold, Killens also hold Victorian and Later Effects sales at which more modern items including household effects are sold with values as little as £5-£10. So if you are decluttering, give Killens a call to seek the best advice on how to sell.

Killens can also organise house clearances for you. Their professional contractors provide an excellent service ensuring that items that can be sold are sold through the auction rooms to your advantage.

At their antiques sale on February 9th, Killens saw a vast array of different lots go under the hammer with a very large crowd in attendance.

Silver and jewellery are always wanted and a really interesting Kashmiri navette shaped bowl, reportedly from Gulmarg in the western Himalayas, started the sale with strong interest selling well above estimate for £850.

Amongst the jewellery, a yellow metal pair of earrings each set with a central rose-cut diamond achieved £1,300 whilst items attracting keen interest and selling well above estimate included a collection of coral necklaces £130, a white metal

ARTS & ANTIQUES

bangle £60, a wedding ring £140, a yellow and rose metal shield pendant £75 and a yellow metal ring set with an aquamarine £120.

Collectables of all values always add interest to any sale room and there was a varied entry of lots to tempt buyers. A cased Dorman Lockstitch miniature sewing machine stamped 1905 sold for £600 and other items selling well above estimate included two Cadburys “Novel Chocolate Biscuit” tins £48, a Victorian stationery box £270, a Russian lacquer casket £200, a quantity of pocket lighters £110 and a W.A.S. Benson oil lamp £120.

Military items also always generate interest on Mendip and a very impressive medal group awarded to Warrant Officer P Bird of the Tank Corps including medals from the First and Second World Wars led to internet, phone and room bidding and sold well above the estimate of £300–400 for £1,800.

The next sale at the auction rooms will be of Victorian and Later Effects on Tuesday, February 19th and Tuesday, March 5th followed by a sale of Antiques and Collectables on Saturday, March 9th. Both sales start at 10am.

The team at the Mendip Auction Rooms aim to make selling and buying at auction straightforward and great fun.

The auction rooms are open from 10am until 5pm Monday to Friday and the valuers are happy to visit you at home free of charge to provide valuation and selling advice.

The auction rooms can be contacted on 01749 840770

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 41

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MENDIP TIMES

Schooltime in Africa

(From top left), SOS Africa staff Members Marja, Kaylen, Anna and Des with Claudia, baby Ted and founder Matt

SHEPTON Mallet-based charity SOS Africa Charity has opened its first education centre building project for children from township communities in South Africa.

The charity was founded by then 18-year-old Matt Crowcombe during his gap year to South Africa in 2003 to fund the education and care of disadvantaged children. Thanks to the support of its charity shop, local fundraising events and sponsors from around the world, the charity now funds four education programmes across four different regions of the country.

The Dudley Rotary Education Centre was designed by Matt’s partner Claudia and has been fully-funded by SOS Africa sponsor Dudley Rotary Club. It has a timber frame and Nutek plank outer cladding with full insulation to cope with extreme weather conditions. It offers two classrooms, a staff room, kitchen, library, counselling room and outside learning space.

Matt and Claudia said: “It is a proud moment for our grassroots charity – designing education centres which are fit-for-purpose enables us to increase the standard of education we can provide to our children.”

Daffodil time in Stoke St Michael

KNITTING group the Crafty Ladies, from Stoke St Michael, have started making daffodils ahead of the annual Marie Curie cancer charity’s daffodil appeal in March Daffodils in Stoke St Michael The team, which knitted hundreds of poppies last year in aid of the Royal British Legion, are appealing to other knitting groups or individuals in the local area to help them support the cause. Knitting and crocheting patterns are available together with display and collection boxes.

For more information contact Teresa: tataylorwolff@outlook.com

Council staff fundraise

For details about the charity, visit: www.sosafrica.com

Cycle event returns

THE Wedmore 40 30 charity cycle challenge returns after a great inaugural event last year. Once again riders can choose from a selection of four routes.

The 12-mile route is a fun ride; the 30-mile cycle is a short ride across the Somerset Levels and the 40-mile route is a hilly cycle across the Mendips.

And for a bigger challenge, cyclists can embark on the 70-mile route which incorporates both the Mendips and the Levels.

As the event is being held on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 16th there is a special opportunity this year for any children aged 16 and under to register and cycle for free, as long as they are accompanied by an adult family member.

All routes start from Wedmore playing fields. The event will raise money for Weston HospiceCare and Friends of St Mary’s Church, Wedmore.

Details: To register go to www.tiny.cc/wedmore4030

PAGE 42 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

Figure it out – the total raised by council staff last year

STAFF from Mendip District Council were baking, quizzing and cycling to raise more than £1,700 for Mendip YMCA. Every year, authority staff nominate a charity of the year, in 2018 Mendip District Council supported Mendip YMCA. Mendip YMCA, operating in Wells since 1892, now delivers and supports a wide range of services, mostly for young people, across the whole of Mendip, specialising in housing and homelessness issues.

During 2019, the authority will be supporting CLIC Sargent and already have plans for a vegan bake sale, cinema night, dress down days and more.

To find out more about Mendip YMCA, visit www.mendipymca.org.uk or to learn more about Mendip’s new charity partner, visit www.clicsargent.org.uk

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Tina’s charity ball

Charity casino night

CHARITIES

Pictured (l to r) Professor Andrew Wolf receiving a cheque from Merlyn Saunders, president of Wrington Vale Rotary Club with Rotarians John Thatcher and Paul Jenkins on the right.

TINA Blackwill is staging her second Night of Nostalgia on Saturday, March 23rd in the ballroom at Wells Town Hall, 7.30pm-10.30pm.

Tickets cost just £10 and include a glass of fizz on arrival and your ticket will give automatic entry into The Premier Raffle, with the prize being a night for two in the Cathedral Suite at The Swan Hotel in Wells.

The Silver Levels Jazz Band will be playing all evening with singer Lin Phelps who used to belong to the Ivy Benson Band.

Tina is holding this event to raise as much money as possible for Marie Curie, who looked after her father before he died and gave great support to her mother.

Her first Night of Nostalgia last February was very successful. She organised Wells Festive Windows at Christmas for St Margaret’s Hospice and is holding a Wells Got Talent in aid of the hospice in July.

She’s also busy with her seated pom-pom classes.

Details: tina.blackwill@live.co.uk 07450367805 or purchase tickets from Wells Town Hall.

Charity shoot

WESTON Lions are planning a charity clay shoot on May 18th at Woodspring Clay Shoot in Wick St. Laurence.

It will be ideal for families and novice shooters, with expert tuition on each stand, all guns, ammunition, ear defenders supplied and refreshments available.

Details: Paul Middleton 07894 744112 paul@huttonvillage.co.uk or Eric Tones 07719977301 ertones@gmail.com

WRINGTON Vale Rotary’s Casino Night raised well over £7,000, with over 250 “punters” chancing their arm with a token £50 of fun money as they tried to beat the various roulette and card games around the giant marquee manned by professional croupiers.

The evening, hosted by Thatchers Cider, made an initial donation of £3,500 presented to Professor Andrew Wolf, ambassador of the Grand Appeal, Bristol Children’s Hospital.

The total raised for good causes by this event over the past four years is well over £27,000.

Curry and rugby Tom Dunn in action

TOM Dunn, from Bath Rugby, will talk about his life as a professional player and the aspirations of his team at a Curry and Beer evening hosted by the Rotary Club of Mendip on Thursday, May 23rd at Wedmore Village Hall.

Tom, who plays at hooker for Bath, was invited to a training camp with the senior England squad by Eddie Jones and in January, 2018 he was named in England's squad for the 2018 Six Nations Championship.

Tickets are £20 each and the evening will include a raffle and auction in aid of Cancer Research UK. Details: Chris Steel chris@mhpuk.co.uk

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MENDIP TIMES

Stores support charities

Trio tackle husky trail

Staff fundraising in Nailsea

RUTH Knagg, Sally Hooper and Jon Witcombe, from Frome will fly to Norway on March 22nd hoping to raise £12,000 for local charity WHY by taking on the Lapland Husky Trail.

It involves a 250 km trek over the border into Sweden, camping out for almost a week in temperatures likely to be down to minus 30 degrees.

All three challengers are dog lovers and this photo was taken in Victoria Park with the five rather smaller hounds that they own and the help of a snow machine.

As part of her fundraising, Sally, a keen wild swimmer, has been doing “a dip a day”, swimming in either a river, lake or the sea without a wetsuit. On working days, that can see her in the river at Farleigh at 6am in the dark.

All the funds are going to We Hear You (WHY) who provide free, professional counselling for anyone affected by cancer or other life threatening illnesses.

This is the charity’s 25th anniversary year and the husky trail is one of several special events going the extra mile to raise more funds for the service.

Jon said: “The first time I helped WHY with fundraising was volunteering to DJ at an event and when I saw this dog sled challenge, it really appealed as a great way to notch up my support to another level.”

There will be a fundraising quiz on Saturday, March 2nd at 7.30pm in the main hall of Frome Steiner School.

TEN charities are set to benefit from money raised by Southern Co-op retail stores in Bristol and Somerset thanks to the support of their local customers.

More than £8,800 will be donated to charities including Above and Beyond, Children’s Hospice South West, Clevedon and District Foodbank, Dorothy House, Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, Feed the Homeless in Bristol, The Brainwave Centre, The Royal Marines Charity, The Salvation Army in Pill and We Hear You. The local causes were chosen last year by stores to become their charity partner for a year – many of the stores are now inviting new applications for 2019-20.

Details: www.thesoutherncooperative.co.uk/makingadifference/local-partnerships

Details: www.wehearyou.org.uk https://www.globaladventurechallenges.com/challenge/lapl and-husky-trail or call Ruth Knagg on 07792 832150.

Remembering Maggie PETER Wells lost his wife Maggie over a year ago to meningitis and started Remembering Maggie for Meningitis Research in her memory. He has now been asked to become one of the charity’s ambassadors.

Peter, who lives in Bishop Sutton, said: “Being an ambassador for Meningitis Research is going to take me into areas that I have never walked before. If it helps to stop meningitis killing someone the way it killed my Maggie then I will do anything."

Peter conducting a charity auction

Details: http://rememberingmaggie.co.uk/

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CHARITIES

Charity month at Tincknells

EMPLOYEES at Tincknell Fuels, in Wells have helped to raise £2,100 including a sizeable contribution from the company for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) after a month-long fundraising campaign.

They took part in a variety of activities including bingo, bake sale, and a virtual mountain climbing challenge.

Shirley Tincknell, administration office manager, said: “Everyone had a step counter and we were able to see how that translated to climbing different mountains.

“Most of us were pleased with getting up Mount Snowdon, but one member of staff, Liz, managed to complete more than 800,000 steps with a few on her tail, compared to an average of 30,000 for most. That was enough to scale Olympus Mons, a mountain on the planet Mars that is twice as tall as Everest.

Helping the homeless

“We also had the managers making tea and coffee rounds with staff having to make a donation. It was a bit of fun for all the staff and everyone really embraced the challenge.

“Fundraising for the BHF has also made us all more aware of our own health, and team members have made pledges to improve their own heart health from losing weight to drinking more water every day.

“We all know someone who has been

YMCA Mendip & South Somerset is looking for people to support the national YMCA Sleep Easy Week, highlighting the plight of young homeless forced to sleep rough.

It says for every rough sleeper in our community, there are dozens more who are sleeping on a friend’s sofa, in a car, or on the move night after night.

Its Sleep Easy event will take place at Frome Youth & Community Centre on Saturday, March 16th, 7pm-7am the following day.

Registration costs £10 per participant (exceptions apply) and participants are then being asked to gain sponsorship and help raise as much money as possible.

Although part of the wider YMCA movement, YMCA Mendip and South Somerset is an independent charity and relies on the local community for support. All funds raised during this event will be used to provide much-needed local provision.

Marketing and fundraising manager, Michelle Payne said: “We don’t aim to replicate the experience of what some of our residents have been through if they slept rough; instead we wish to raise awareness and generate funds in order to prevent more young people having no option but to spend a night on the streets.”

If anyone sees a rough sleeper, they can call the rough sleeper referral line, StreetLink, on 0300 500 0914 or refer online at www.streetlink.org.uk Details: www.mendipymca.org.uk call 01749 679553 or go to fundraising@mendipymca.org.uk

affected by a heart condition, so it was especially pleasing to be able to help the BHF fund research that can find new cures and treatments.”

Victoria Carswell, fundraising manager for the BHF, said: “We’re so grateful to Tincknell Fuels for raising such an incredible sum during their fundraising month. Their incredible energy and enthusiasm is helping to power our lifesaving research and beat heartbreak forever.”

Collectors wanted

LANGPORT & District Red Cross Group is appealing for collectors during the 2019 Red Cross Week, Sunday, May 5th to Saturday, May 11th.

An hour or two of a volunteer’s time during this week will be warmly welcomed and will help keep the Red Cross voluntary service running in this area. They do bucket collections in Langport and Somerton and house-tohouse in any of the villages in South Somerset where they can find volunteers.

As the last remaining volunteer-run Red Cross Centre in Somerset they say it is very important that they continue to raise funds to stay in operation.

Their centre in the main Langport car park is open every morning, except Sunday, where they sell donated goods and provide friendship and company over a hot or cold drink and a biscuit (or two!).

Donations of items for sale are always welcomed. They also carry a small stock of disability aids for loan or purchase.

Details: Chris, the group leader 01458 273085 or e-mail to cox.cj@btinternet.com

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 45

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MENDIP TIMES

CHARITIES

Marathon man

FORMER Pensford cricketer and footballer Neil Thompson is taking part in this year's London Marathon on April 29th, having never run more than a half marathon before.

He said: “I am hoping my run might be an inspiration for tubby, balding 54-year-old men everywhere.”

He is running this race for the Lily Foundation, a charity which is committed to finding a cure for mitochondrial disease.

He said: “My granddaughter Freya, aged nine, was born with a mitochondrial disorder which was pretty devastating but I am pleased to say she is currently fit and well.

“However, for many sufferers this isn’t the case, as we have learned from our association with the Lily Foundation, the charity set up by a grieving mother which goes from strength to strength in its support for families and those involved in research into the disease.

“When the Lily Foundation granted me a charity place I jumped at the chance to help.”

Neil will be running the marathon with Freya's dad Andrew Cooke, and is inviting people to lend their support and sponsor them.

Neil Thompson (right) with his son-in-law Andrew Cooke and grand-daughter Freya

Details: https://www.justgiving.com/companyteams/RunLily2019 https://www.thelilyfoundation.org.uk

Sahara challenge

Course canter to help armed forces charity The Wincanton canter in 2016

Hannah, Nicole and Ruth

THREE supporters of local cancer counselling charity We Hear You held a black tie ball at Orchardleigh Estate.

Organisers Hannah Culff, Nicole Poa and Ruth Squires organised the event as a kind of “sponsorship with a difference” ahead of taking on a trekking challenge across the Sahara, with all sponsorship proceeds going to the charity.

Details: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/nicole-poa

Appeal for clothes

WELLS Refugee Action Group has issued an urgent appeal for winter clothing and equipment to help refugees in Northern France. WRAG collects donations every Friday morning at Wells Town Hall. Deliveries are sent every fortnight via Taunton. It is appealing for men’s walking boots and trainers (sizes 40-43), warm jackets, waterproof coats and trousers and other items (small and medium sizes) along with other items such as sleeping bags and mats, full-sized blankets, tents and tarpaulins.

For details, find WRAG on Facebook or email Wrag456@gmail.com

PAGE 46 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

HORSE and pony owners are being invited to take part in a canter around Wincanton Racecourse as part of a fundraising campaign for Combat Stress, the mental health charity for military veterans.

The canter takes place on Sunday, May 19th and is open to all ages. It follows the success of previous events in 2014 and 2016. It is not a race and galloping is not allowed.

The fundraiser is associated with the course’s Armed Forces Day meeting on Sunday, October 27th. l It costs £20 per round for over-16s (£15 for 16-year-olds and under). To register and for further details, contact: Catherine Johnston on 01747 852693 or email wincantonracecoursecanter@hotmail.com

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NEWS

Memories of the Great Flood

ISABELLE Tilley from Midsomer Norton has found a photo of her late mum which she had never seen before and also made some new friends, thanks to an article in Mendip Times, which featured a book on the Great Flood of 1968, by local historians.

Ruby Bowell was living at Paulton with her second husband Sidney at the time and was one of a small band of WRVS and ex-civil defence workers, who managed to get to Pensford and assist in the rescue and clearance operations.

The book had a photo of Isabelle’s mum with Mabs Holland, who was a civil defence volunteer. Since then Isabelle has been to Pensford, had a look at the floods photo display in the Miner's Coffee Shop, and means to return when the weather improves so that she can have a proper look round the village.

She said: “She told us that the work itself was hard, but not physical. She also told us of the devastation and found it upsetting to see the people and their loss and fear. She kept on saying about the fear on people's faces, and how awful to be in that situation.

Ruby Bowell (left) with Mabs Holland at Pensford during the aftermath of the flood

Race’s first winner

CHEW Valley School Year 10 pupil Grace Churton, from Hinton Blewett, has won this year’s competition to design a technical T-shirt for the upcoming Chew Pictured (l to r) CVS design technology Valley 10k on teacher Jo Ashman, pupil Grace Churton, Sunday, June 9th.

10k race director Denise Mellersh and The race is now George Worle from sponsor Debbie Fortune open for entry and organisers are hoping for another successful year, with a potential 1,000 runners, making it the largest race to date.

Details: www.chewvalley10k.co.uk or see Facebook and Twitter @chewvalley10k

PAGE 48 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

Isabelle Tilley, Lyndsay Cooper and Julie Baber looking at the Pensford Flood book

“When working she was very glad to do anything to help and talk to people. She found it very harrowing to be there and see the devastation.

“The WRVS were used to situations like this and with the job she overheard some upsetting tales. At the kitchen table we were saying how lucky we were that it wasn't us. It was the personal loss which hit everybody and mum came home with the thought in her head that no-one was killed. She just couldn't imagine how no-one had been.”

Ruby Bowell is also well-known for writing the poem which is carved on the stone memorial at Double Hills, Paulton.

Mrs Tilley said: “One day in 1944 mum, who was a nursing sister, was taking some evacuee children for a walk up Double Hills when the glider, coming from Keevil Airfield, came down.

“It was pretty grim and mum was helping with first aid. The pilots, who all died, were on Operation Market Garden and were British on their way to Arnhem, when it exploded.”

She said she is thrilled by the book on the floods: “I think it's a fabulous book and to have a photo of my mum was unbelievable. I wanted to come over and meet everyone who had compiled the book and feel I have now got three new friends. They have all been so kind to me and the work they have all done is amazing.”

Team’s new look

ODDS & Ends skittle team in Wells have smart new team shirts, thanks to sponsorship by CRS Building Supplies Wells branch.

The team was formed in 1952 and is still going strong, now based in the Tramways, Wells. Keith Derrick joined in 1953 when they played at the Legion in Wells.

He said after all the other teams were sorted, a few of them were having a knock-about and decided to take the last Friday available. As they were the “leftovers” they decided to call themselves the Odds & Ends. They moved to the Tramways when the Legion closed on their usual Friday home night. They have had success over the years and usually play in Division 1.

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WILDLIFE

Sing up – the birds they are a’changing

MARCH heralds longer days and lighter mornings which prompts resident birds to ramp up their singing.

By CHRIS This is the time SPERRING for birds to find MBE breeding territories and establish their nesting sites for the summer to come. Those winter residents that haven’t already left will be heading north to their breeding ground and those who come to us for the summer will now start arriving, so there may be some crossover.

Some species are obviously here for a short time, including the redwings and fieldfares, but many familiar birds also migrate. Birds such as chaffinches, blackbirds and robin can all move around during the winter and some of those we’ve been feeding up all winter may now be on their way back to Scandinavia.

Black-headed gulls (whose heads are actually white at this time of year) can be found right across our area during winter, from the coast to inland water areas and even on farmland, but they are not with us all the time. Some arrive in the early autumn, whilst others come later, and they form noisy winter flocks (their Latin name means laughing gull) at many lakes and ponds, stealing bread that people are trying to give to the swans!

Black-headed gulls breed in colonies around the coast and inland sites such as gravel pits and other water bodies.

Most of these breeding colonies are in the north and east of the UK, with some boasting more than 20,000 nesting birds. Some travel from further afield, however, and I recently photographed one whose leg ring (fitted whilst it was a chick in its nest) identified it as having come from Norway.

These gulls are on the Amber list of Birds of Conservation Concern in the UK, which indicates they have declined by 25-50% in the last 25 years. Despite this, their eggs are still classed as a delicacy which became extremely popular during Victorian times. During World War II the eggs regained

A black headed gull – their heads are white at this time of year

popularity due to the shortage of hen’s eggs and, even today, they are collected under licence and sold (also under licence) for up to £10 per egg!

As some birds leave us, others are now arriving.

Some, like the wheatear, will be with us for a short time enroute to their breeding grounds.

This is an attractive little bird of the uplands which has the slightly lessattractive local farmers’ nickname of “White-Arse”!

They are often seen running along the ground and don’t move until you’re right on top of them, then of course the only thing you see is the white flash of rump feathers (hence the nickname) which makes them easy to identify.

They will stop on Mendip to feed up for a few weeks before continuing northwards to the high ground of Wales, Northern England, Scotland and beyond.

Other species arriving now will stay

Norway – no way! Yet this leg ring proves the black headed gull came from across the North Sea

for the summer months and one of the most noticeable is the swallow. One of my most memorable encounters with a swallow on Mendip happened four years ago, near Charterhouse, where I watched a newly-arrived swallow flying through a blizzard of snow, confirming the old saying that “One swallow does not a summer make!”

Chris Sperring is Conservation Officer for the Hawk and Owl Trust Contact him via chris.sperring@btinternet.com

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A spring walk from Mells

TO celebrate the approach of spring, this is a varied six-miler in the beautiful countryside around Mells, East Mendip.

There is much of interest in the village, then it’s up across fields which were once in the heart of the East Somerset Coalfield and reach Buckland Dinham.

Here is a fine old pub, handsome church and lock-up. Dropping down through fields, we end the circle by going along the Wadham Valley past the fascinating

old Fussells Ironworks following the fast-flowing Mells Stream in the now picturesque deep-sided valley. There are pubs in Mells and Buckland Dinham and cafes in Mells, so no shortage of refreshment options.

PARK: In beautiful Mells village, a couple of miles west of Frome. A good place is at the east end of the village opposite the village community shop/cafe/post office. Here is a distinctive triangular stone shelter and memorial designed by Lutyens. It’s a nice place to start or finish with a coffee or tea. Or go along to the Talbot Inn on the main street and park near there. Our route passes both, so it doesn’t matter.

START: From the cafe, turn up along the main street of Mells, past the village war memorial (very democratic as the listings are in alphabetical order and not by rank) and come to the Talbot Inn.

With Sue Gearing PAGE 50 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

1. TALBOT Take the small street at the side, New Street, designed in 1470 by Abbot Selwood of Glastonbury. It was meant to be the start of a town plan in the shape of a cross. But this was the only street ever finished. Pass the old school on the right.

Go through into the churchyard. This 15th century church contains much fine work by a number of artists who were friends of the Horner family, the Lords of the Manor of Mells which is next door. It

is meant to be the place that gave rise to Little Jack Horner of nursery rhyme fame. Outside the church in the graveyard on the right is a grave to the renowned war poet, Siegried Sassoon, who died in 1967. He was buried beside Ronald Knox, priest and scholar who lived in Mells Manor while translating the bible. Go round the back and head up the path of clipped yews designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. Leave through an unusual stile, 1857, invented by Thomas Lyne of Malmesbury.

2. FIELDS Go straight up the field centre and over a stile at the top. Go across the next field and over into a third. Maintain direction along the right edge. In the corner go through to the lane. Turn left along the lane, round a right bend and then continue on. Cross a bridge over the Colliers Way, the wonderful cycle/walkway created from the former railway, and a route that many followers of my walks will remember. But we don’t go on it today. Continue up the lane a little further, climbing gently.

3. FOOTPATH Take the first marked footpath on the right through a belt of trees and into a field. Turn left staying just below the ridge. Cross two stiles in the corner, which are separated by a grassy track.

Not far from here down on the right was the old Dorset and Somerset canal with

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WALKING

an amazing balance or lever lock, designed

by James Fussell, but all of that is long gone. Go across the field, bearing right to reach the right side and then follow it along and go along a narrower strip.

Le

4. CLAREHAM LANE Once over another stile, go up to the top field corner and join a lane/track, Clareham Lane. Cross a drive/track by a farm and just continue straight on. Pass over right an old chimney from a former colliery in the East Somerset Coalfield.

5. BUCKLAND DINHAM Eventually reach a T-junction on the village edge. Turn left and come to the main road and the welcoming 16th century Bell Inn. Cross and turn right along the main street. Come to steps on the left. Our route continues on the other side of the road going up between cottages, but first, it is worth a quick detour to the church and lock-up. For this, go up the steps and along, staying right and bend round past modern houses and come out near the church. As you approach the church see the stone lock-up on the corner of St Michael’s Close. Having visited the church, go straight down to the main road.

Turn right and reach the bottom of the steps. Cross the road and go ahead by the side of Hill House, joining the long distance path, the Macmillan Way. Come into a field over a stile. Go straight on, over a stone slab stile and continue on down. Go left through a kissing gate and head diagonally down the field. A kissing gate takes you down steps and across a lane.

6. LANE Go over the stile opposite and ahead in the field. At a choice of paths take the one that bears diagonally right. On the far side, cross a track and head across this next field to a small gate and footbridge in the hedge left. Maintain direction across the corner of the next field and then follow the hedge and lane, staying in the field. Go through another gate and continue along the right hedge, passing a gate onto the lane. Keep your direction in the field, while the lane bears away for a short way.

Aim for the rail tunnel ahead.

7. TUNNEL Go out over a stile back onto the lane and then turn left under the tunnel which is carrying the Colliers Way. A short way further on, take the footpath on the left through a gate and go up into the field and across. A stile brings you onto a lane. Turn

6.25 miles. OS Explorer 142, Shepton Mallet & Mendip Hills East. Grid ref: 730490. Post code shops/cafe BA11 3PF, Talbot Inn, BA11 3PN.

right and shortly, take the drive/track down left which leads to a house. At the end go right over a bridge across the Mells Stream.

8. MELLS STREAM Go up to a track and turn right along the Mells noticing the remains of former mills.

The stream was a lifeblood for industry in this area. In spring the valley is a mass of snowdrops and later violets and monkshood. You are now in an area called Bedlam, so called because of the rather manic industrial activity here in days gone by. Go under an iron rail bridge carrying a quarry line and all the way to a lane in the beautiful hamlet of Great Elm. 9. GREAT ELM Cross and go through the gate opposite.

Continue ahead before crossing right over a bridge over the river. Turn right here and follow the river on your right as it bends round, passing a fine house on the other side. Simply stay with the river on you right until you reach another footbridge.

Cross and then carry on with the Mells Stream now on your left through the valley, a green and secretive confusion of undergrowth hiding remains of industry and workers’ cottages. Come up to Tarmac by houses. Continue along and by a gate go down the path at the side and back along the river.

10. RUINS As you come a wooden rail you begin to see more obvious evidence of the old

Fussells Works. It was a massive enterprise with kilns, a turbine house, offices, sluices a ropewalk and lots more.

From the mid-18th century to the end of the 19th workers toiled under the iron rule of the Fussells’ family to make the name of Fussells of Mells known throughout the Empire for the supply of edge tools such as hay knives, scythes, billhooks and spades. There were two sites in Mells at one time employing 400500 people and six sites altogether, probably linked by the stream. The demise of English agriculture in the 1870s began the decline and by 1895 the site was silent and began to crumble under the vegetation. Just continue on along the river past a gauge house and all the way to the road. Turn left with care and soon come to a junction on the edge of Mells. Turn right and reach the village shop, with a triangular shelter opposite and possibly your parking spot. Or continue on further into Mells to where you started.

• Mells Village Stores and Cafe, run by volunteers and opened by Mary Berry, Easter 2011. It is open daily.

Tel: 01373 812251.

• Mells Walled Garden by the old tithe barn has an atmospheric garden and cafe open April-Oct. Tel: 01373 812597.

• The Talbot Inn, 01373 812254.

• The Bell, Buckland Dinham, 01373 462956.

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 51

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MENDIP TIMES

OUTDOORS

West Countryman’s diary

WELL, a quarter of the year nearly gone.

The clocks will go forward at the end of March and summer time returns again. I am really looking forward to spring and the lighter evenings, but there is a little way to go yet.

The cold weather we have recently With LES experienced pales into insignificance DAVIES MBE when you look at what the Americans have been dealing with! The snow here stayed just long enough to give the children and the toboggans an airing, close the schools and give the odd grown-up a day off as well.

If it was going to come, it could not have done better than arrive on a Thursday evening and be gone again by Monday morning. There is however still time for some more.

Mendip is at greater risk of snow in February and March than before Christmas. At one time, until he changed his timetable, the very thought of John Small from Charterhouse Warren Farm, starting lambing would bring on the white fluffy stuff.

It doesn’t take much to shut down Mendip top, with the wind blowing the snow over the walls and filling in the roads. With this new challenge will always come some of those who wish to try out the 4x4 capability of their vehicle in the snow.

Whereas I can understand the fun and enjoyment this may bring, it must be remembered that there are those who need to be driving about on the Hill and those who don’t!

For the school children an extra day off would have been a welcome surprise. With schools being more and more centralised, I would imagine the catchment areas are fairly wide and the staff have a good distance to travel as well.

My days at Tickenham VC Junior School are a long way back! The school is still there but it will bear no resemblance to the educational establishment I attended. Thankfully things have changed for the better with education today.

Such views, as came from a Mendip teacher in the 19th century, that “a yard of strap is worth a mile of talk” are not held today. The heating will have changed as well; no longer the iron stove in the high ceiling classroom that was to thermal efficiency what a colander is to water collection.

I remember the cocoa that was made on very cold days, from our allocation of free school milk – you have to be of an age to remember that. The smell of muddy water on my Land Rover exhaust brings the experience rushing back to me!

With modern clothing and textile technology, being outside in the cold has never been warmer. Windproof, rainproof breathable materials being used today allow a level of comfort we have become used to.

My neoprene-lined wellington boots also provide cushioning and warmth as never before, yet there is something still that is missing – yes, my youth. In my younger days I would not feel the cold quite so much. I have slept out on Mendip in minus ten during my time as an army reservist.

It wasn’t the sleep of a warm night tucked up in a multi-

togged duvet, but I survived. The very thought of doing it now sends me rushing for the hot water bottle, thick blankets and a warm fireside.

It is the same with wet conditions, but the wet and the cold can really pull you down. When all is said and done, I am fortunate that I don’t have to be out in bad weather all the time now – instead I can just talk about it and nostalgia certainly isn’t what it used to be!

The birds are already starting to check out their nesting sites. I watched a pair of blue tits putting their “deposit” on this year’s residence, as they constantly went to and fro from the nest box. Lots of fussing about and lots of chatter between them, all no doubt about the suitability of this new residence and carried out in fluent “Avian”.

Always the first to start are the blackbirds, who have on many occasions put a stop to my late scrub clearance, when I find them already sitting on the nest. In the hedgerow bottom, the dog violet will start to emerge and the wood celandine begins to poke its head above ground.

Whilst on thoughts of spring, I cannot wait to see what emerges in my woodland. I have watched it for the last couple of years and each time find something new and exciting that has previously been missed. The same will apply to Black Down after the bracken was sprayed off last year. What has been lying quietly below ground just awaiting the opportunity to grow again?

Plants are amazing! Many have the capability to lie dormant as seed for years until the right conditions allow them their time in the sun. The wild poppy was one such flower that covered the shell-torn and battle-smashed landscape of France 100 years ago. It came to symbolise a re-birth of all that was good and peaceful, by covering the horrors of the past. Pity it didn’t last.

So it is on the way, spring that is, and a promise of good things to come in the year ahead. I will leave you with a little from Robert Browning’s poem, Thoughts of Home. Yes, I have quoted it before and will do so again: Hark! Where my blossoming pear tree in the hedge, Leans to the field, and scatters on the clover, Blossoms and dewdrops at the bent sprays edge, That’s the wise thrush he sings his song twice over, Least you should think he never could recapture, That first, fine, careless rapture.

Finally to this month’s picture of a little unassuming bunch of snowdrops. There seems to have been some good displays this time.

You can always contact me through my website: Westcountryman.co.uk

PAGE 52 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

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YEO VALLEY

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 53

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MENDIP TIMES

Spring has sprung, the grass has ris’ . . .

MARCH is a very busy month in the garden, the days really are getting longer and the light levels improving, so here are a few jobs to keep you occupied!

Lawns are growing and so the mowing season is ahead of us. Before mowing rake off any debris and set the mower With MARY blades to “high” for the first couple of PAYNE MBE cuts. Any weeds and moss can be controlled with a spring feed applied in early April.

This contains fertiliser to get the grass growing, weed killer to control broad leaved weeds, such as dandelion and daisies, together with iron sulphate which controls moss. It is vital that this is applied evenly and at the correct rate, so read the instructions carefully. The moss will turn black and can them be raked or scarified to remove it.

There is still time to plant bare root trees in March. Ensure that new trees are staked well using either a single vertical stake for which is inserted before the tree is planted or a diagonal stake put in after planting.

Container grown and root balled trees will require a diagonal stake or preferably two short stakes with a cross piece of timber to which the tree is tied. Check all other tree ties in your garden to prevent the trunk being restricted.

Deciduous shrubs can also be moved, but it is preferable to move evergreens in April.

Pruning of deciduous shrubs and roses can be done now, but I prefer to leave pruning of evergreens until a bit later.

Start by removing all the dead, damaged and diseased wood.

Then consider removing branches that are crossing and rubbing on each other.

Vigorous shrubs that flower between now and late June, such as Forsythia, Weigela, Deutzia, flowering currant and Philadelphus can have roughly one third of the old wood removed from the base to encourage new growth which will flower the following year.

Check variegated foliage evergreen shrubs for shoots that have reverted to being plain green. These should be removed as they are more vigorous and can eventually outgrow the variegated shoots. DO NOT prune vines, birch or walnuts now as they will bleed.

Deciduous ornamental grasses such as Miscanthus can now be cut back to two inches or so from the ground. Do not worry if this involves cutting through green shoots.

Dogwoods and willows grown for their coloured stems can also be hard pruned. Feed around the root area with a general fertilizer to encourage strong new growth for next winter.

Towards the end of March, the remaining old flower heads can be removed from the morphed and lace cap style hydrangeas, but only cut down to the top pair of buds as these will produce this summer’s flowers.

If you have not already done it, a reminder to move snowdrops now. Divide congested clumps and replant in clusters of five to seven bulbs. As the snowdrops go over the narcissus take over. As the flowers fade pull off the seed heads but leave the foliage for six to eight weeks before cutting or mowing off.

Clumps of blinds daffodils should be lifted and divided, checking for large narcissus fly infestation. Cut the occasional bulb vertically to see if a grub is present and if so PAGE 54 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

discard in your green bin, or burn.

Watch out there’s a pest about! Those pesky little black keel slugs are ravenous for any soft new growth, especially delphiniums, asters and even daffodil flowers weighed down by a spring shower. Biological control using nematodes will help but read the instructions carefully as some nematodes are fussy about the soil temperatures they prefer.

The alternative is the organic approved pellets based on ferric phosphate. There is no need to create a carpet of turquoise pellets over your garden. A light scattering around vulnerable plants repeated will suffice.

Both outdoors and in the greenhouse the greenfly are breeding at an alarming rate. Those who spot the first signs can control the attack by simply squashing them. More serious infestations may require the use of one of the sprays based on plant oils. It is vital to get a total coverage of every insect to get good control as these sprays have no systemic action.

If you did not plant your garlic on the shortest day in preparation to harvesting it on the longest then worry not, you can still plant it now. I use the varieties Edenrose and Printanor both of which are suitable for planting in the spring but will not be ready for harvest until July/August.

Onion sets can also be planted now. Heat-treated sets are less likely to send up flower stalks but are slightly more expensive.

March is a very busy seed sowing month as the light levels are improving, but don’t forget to clean the glass in greenhouses both inside and out; any improvement in light levels is a bonus, however slight.

Peppers, both sweet and chilli, should be sown as soon as possible and keep them warm for germination. Tomatoes and aubergines can be treated in the same way.

If you fancy an asparagus bed, then the plants can be readily raised from seed more cheaply than buying plants and are often easier to establish. Try one of the F1 hybrid varieties like Arianne.

Leeks can also be sown now for planting out later, while slow growing flowers such as Rudbeckia are best sown soon.

We have no time to stand and stare – just don’t leave the garden bare!

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MARCH GARDEN TIPS

• Cut dogwoods (Cornus alba types) and willows (Salix) that are grown for brightly coloured winter stems down to almost ground level now. This encourages young new shoots that always have the best colour.

• Protect newly emerging Clematis shoots from attack from snails, especially those growing low down.

• Prune most roses now, (climbing, rambling and shrub roses are best pruned in summer after the main flush of flower). Cut back to 6-8" from the ground and cut just above a bud, prune out any branches that are crossing to leave an open centre. Remove any root suckers as close to the roots as possible (neatly tearing them off discourages more). Cut out any weak, dead or diseased shoots.

• Start spraying roses for blackspot, rust and aphids with Roseclear Ultra* as soon as the leaves appear. Early spraying is essential!

• There is still time to transplant evergreen shrubs before it is too late but remember to disturb the roots as little as possible and keep as much soil attached to them as you can.

• If you haven’t done it already, prune Buddlejas back to about waist height and trim Lavateras back to healthy new shoots.

• Prune hardy Fuchsias back to strong new shoots. Tidy up straggly Penstemons. Give them all a feed with Vitax Q4.

GARDENING

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MENDIP TIMES

We cover all aspects of Tree surgery including felling, crown reductions, pollarding, tree surveys, hedgecutting and stump removal

For a free quote give Alex a call on 07764 633003 / 01761 462968 or email us: holroydtgs@gmail.com www.holroyd-tgs.com

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S. Collins – Independent Greenkeeper (Bowls) Mobile: 07971 677790 • Office: 01749 595224

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PAGE 56 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

Tackling trees

HEALTHY trees just keep on growing! But when yours gets a little out of hand, Holroyd Tree and Garden Services can reduce the height of the tree and make the outside dimensions more manageable.

As professional certified arborists they are fully insured and licensed, and have the necessary skills and equipment to get the job done correctly and safely. They can completely remove your old tree stump/s, low hanging branches and clear them off your property. Give Alex a call for a free quote on felling, stump removal, reductions or crown lifts.

Plant fair

TWENTY two top independent nurseries and seed growers will once again be at East Lambrook Manor Gardens in Somerset on Saturday, March 23rd for the eighth Early Spring Plant Fair, organised in partnership with the Hardy Plant Society, Somerset Group. This very popular and prestige plant fair takes place in the grounds of cottage gardening doyenne Margery Fish’s former home.

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GARDENING

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NURSERY MASBURY, NR. WELLS, SOMERSET BA5 3HA TEL: 01749 841014 FAX: 01749 841055 www.rockymountainnurseries.co.uk COME & SEE OUR FINE RANGE OF FRUIT TREES, SHRUBS, GERANIUMS & FUCHSIAS

Visit our MASBURY’S CAFE

Serving breakfast, lunch & afternoon tea Delicious homemade meals.

Sunday Roasts, Outside catering, buffet lunches delivered, themed cuisine events.

Telephone 01749 841155 for further details.

BROWSE AROUND JAMES STORE SEE OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE DETAILS WWW.ROCKYMOUNTAINNURSERIES.CO.UK

ALL YOUR GARDENING NEEDS – SET IN 12 WONDERFUL ACRES –

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 57

Reader's Opinion DPS.qxp_Layout 1 21/02/2019 14:03 Page 58

MENDIP TIMES

Dear Mendip Times, I have just (belatedly) read Rachel Thompson’s article on Remembering the Horses of WW1 in the November issue and would like to congratulate her on a very moving article bringing home just what those poor creatures had to contend with.

As a previous horse owner myself, I can only imagine the terrible heartache to see your beloved animal taken away never to be seen again – also my visits to Rocky Mountain Nursery at Masbury and trips past Tynings Farm will never be the same without imagining the noise, confusion and fear that must have gone on there, now such peaceful spots.

Thank you Rachael.

Rosie Pont Ashcott

Dear Mendip Times, Many congratulations on publishing in your February 2019 issue Rupert Kaye's article Child Poverty in Schools and its Impact on Children's Lives.

It was a most thoughtful and powerful article, making effective and in-depth use of his personal knowledge as head teacher of a school in a socially deprived area of Frome. He effectively combined a well-researched overview of the wider national picture with some encouraging examples of positive initiatives in our town. Rupert Kaye comes across as an understandably angry man, albeit not a negative one. It would be good to hear more from him in your pages.

It was unusual to read such an in-depth article in your publication. For many of your readers it would have made uncomfortable reading; I'm sure I'm not alone in welcoming it.

With all good wishes, Marjorie Morris Retired SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) in a large comprehensive school in Berkshire) Frome l On the day the school hosted 12 elderly people from the neighbourhood, thanks to 15 volunteers, including four members of school staff. A dozen more parents, governors and other school staff had donated food, table cloths, decorations and food. A magician conjured for free!

They ate a full Christmas lunch, sang carols accompanied by a piano, did a pub quiz and watched the Queen's speech live on TV. Dear Mendip Times, A wholehearted thank you to you and your team for not only my professionally produced advertisement and also the editorial. I was really pleased with the finished page it looked fantastic.

It’s great to know that with the help of the Mendip Times many more members have found their way to group and also to a happier, healthier, lifestyle. I would not hesitate in recommending the Mendip Times to other local advertisers.

Jaine Tucker Slimming World

PAGE 58 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

READER’S OPINION

Dear Mendip Times, I should like to respond to Mary James's article about litter and waste in Issue 9 of Volume 14.

It is unfortunate that the farmer who had been collecting farm plastic waste has given up this practice. It seemed to be most beneficial especially since some farms look like wartime bomb sites.

It is not just plastic but binder twine strewn in the hedgerows, large old plastic containers, old machinery and the speciality of N.E. Somerset being dead caravans.

The filth beside our roads is truly incomprehensible and way out in the countryside close to nowhere as well.

I think the UK must be the dirtiest nation in Europe but what is worst is that nobody seems to care. I have seen private driveways full of litter and the owners just drive over it on their way home.

I have only lived in the area for a relatively short time and I am appalled by the filth that I have seen. Within a couple of weeks of litter picking in a country lane, the filth has returned.

Do people really care so little for their environment? Where are the eco-warriors who should rightly be offended?

Probably too busy chasing the hunts.

Some litter and dumping is too much for manual clearing, it needs machinery but the various councils are not interested.

Yes, I know insufficient funds is always the excuse but the true reason is just plain unwillingness.

Even when some councils are presented with hard evidence (such as stationery identifying perpetrators) they simply fail to prosecute.

Everybody loses – farmers are villains and heroes, especially when having to clear up other peoples' dumps, the general public are villains with some individuals being heroes, councils are indifferent villains.

How can such behaviour be tolerated? The public have very much come round to criticise the abuse of drink driving after many years of a casual approach. Is it not possible to publicly name, shame and campaign against the filthy?

If no generalised effort is made, this country will continue to be filthy and indifferent and the culture will become further embedded and consequently become worse. There is virtually no personal responsibility.

Richard Sudworth Shepton Mallet

Dear Mendip Times, I would be most grateful if you could pass on to Mary James (Getting to grip with rubbish, page 10, February issue) that while I cannot answer for other authorities, Somerset tracks every tonne of recycling, including plastics, to be sure that we know where it goes and what happens to it.

Because of that, we can be sure that all the dozen or so materials taken for recycling via kerbside boxes, including plastic bottles, and the dozens of materials taken for recycling via recycling sites, including plastic pots, tubs, trays and bottles, are not dumped but recycled.

Somerset residents recycle close to 53% of all the waste they make, a figure high on the league table of area-by-area recycling. Of that, well over 90% is recycled in the UK, much of it in Somerset, Nick Cater Senior Communications Officer Somerset Waste Partnership

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NEWS

Reg lights up the night for lovers

A crowd gathers every year for the lamp lighting which is signalled by the launching of a firework

A LARGE crowd gathered for one of Mendip’s most unusual annual ceremonies – the lighting each February 14th of the Valentine Lamp in Frome.

Reg Ling, aged 87, has performed the ceremony for the past 27 years after campaigning successfully for the historic gas lamp to be restored.

The Valentine Lamp at the top of Catherine Hill is the only working gas lamp in Somerset and is dedicated to the memory of St Valentine. It also has a renovated George V post box attached. The lamp normally operates automatically.

Jack, who celebrated his sixth birthday on February 14th, joins Reg, Frome mayor and mayoress Richard and Jacqui Ackroyd and town crier Mike Bishop and consort Angie Bishop

In memory of Acker – friends remember his birthday

Acker Bilk at one of Pensford's many jazz festivals with (l to r) Pete Budd of the Wurzels, Acker, Fred Wedlock, Roger Bennett of the Blue Notes and Tommy Banner from the Wurzels

SOMERSET jazz legend, Acker Bilk, would have been 90 on January 28th and to celebrate fans from all over the area, including one black poodle, descended on Pensford Memorial Hall.

The event was organised by the Blue Notes Jazz Band, singer Hannah Wedlock and her mum Sue, who hired the hall for the occasion.

The evening brought back a lot of memories of past events there when Acker had performed for fans and people of Pensford, as the Blue Notes and Hannah

The Blue Notes Jazz Band with Hannah Wedlock at half time

performed numbers made popular by Acker and his Paramount Jazz Band throughout the years.

It was a fantastic evening, which finished with the rendering of his most famous piece – Stranger on the Shore, which brought the house down.

Unfortunately, Acker's wife, Jean, was unable to make it but was kind enough to let the Blue Notes decorate the hall with some of her many posters, for which everyone was very grateful.

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 59

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MENDIP TIMES

SYOSO or SEOSO?

I’D love to be as erudite as Jacob Rees-Mogg, but I don’t have the Latin. My family motto is Australian, and suitably vulgar. SYOSO. Sort Your Own Shit Out. In a world where we outsource our problems to the state or the market, we’d be better off trying to put our own houses in order first.

By Dr PHIL Part of the problem in healthcare is that we HAMMOND – society, science, politicians and the media – have raised expectations of what we can achieve, and what individuals should be entitled to, far beyond what our services can deliver. In 1948, the NHS was built on the bold promise that every man, woman and child was entitled to universal healthcare, funded by taxation and free at the front door, from cradle to grave. Nye Bevan tried to add a note of caution: “We shall never have all we need. Expectations will always exceed capacity. The NHS must always be changing, growing and improving. It must always appear inadequate.” But by then the entitlement genie was out of the bag.

Bevan was also clear that although society had a collective responsibility to shoulder the burden of being sick and to provide the best care available, individuals had an equal responsibility to try to remain healthy. With rights came responsibilities.

There was a tinge of hypocrisy here – many wartime politicians were heavy drinkers and smokers, worked ludicrous hours, suffered chronic ill-health and died before their time (including Bevan). Only Churchill managed to drink, smoke, work ridiculous hours and live to 96.

Far fewer people now smoke, and medicine has made extraordinary advances since the war to the extent that we are now living longer, with less disease, than ever before. And yet our health service is still overwhelmed with demand.

Many people visit their doctor suffering from what GPs secretly call “shit life syndrome”. They are unhappy, isolated, overworked or unemployed, and almost universally anxious. There is little their GP can do about this social meltdown in ten minutes except listen.

So what’s the answer? For many, life will be a tough journey and it will certainly not be happy all the time. Shit happens to all of us along the way. We get sick, our friends and family get sick, we lose a job or a pet. Many struggle to stay warm or eat. Many people go through very long periods of stress and unhappiness when they’re trying to bear up under a very heavy load.

That’s life. It may not always be sweet, but it always has meaning and purpose. Humans are social animals, our problems are socially determined and so are the solutions. SYOSO works for resilient people but SEOSO works better. Sort Each Other’s Shit Out. The real health service is not within the walls of your GP practice or hospital, but in community groups.

Football, rugby, fishing, dancing, yoga, Monday clubs, WI markets, playgrounds, mother and toddler groups, ramblers, dogwalkers, church, choirs, cyclists, joggers, gardeners, men’s groups, women’s groups, mixed groups, book groups, am dram, scouts and guides, celebrations of farming… anything that makes us feel connected, valued, included and welcomed does more for our health than any pill.

We need to rekindle ourselves, our families and our communities. Get out and do it.

Dr Phil is performing “The Great Health Con” at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe.

PAGE 60 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

Plop the Raindrop

Which animal in the world has the biggest teeth?

I’d always thought it must be one of the big cats like lions or tigers. But what about crocodiles? They lie on the river bank with their mouths wide open, with teeth like a line of jagged mountains, while little birds dodge in and out cleaning them.

The birds must be very brave or very hungry. If all those teeth are bad, crocodiles probably also have the smelliest breath!

A walrus has two very long tusks, which I’m not sure really count as teeth. You might think that whales would win, since they are the biggest creatures on earth, but I think they mostly lost their teeth millions of years ago.

Perhaps they didn’t go to the dentist.

My bet for the animal with the biggest teeth is the hippopotamus. When they open their mouths wide, their massive fangs are huge, white and pointed like small elephant tusks.

Hippos are one of the world’s most dangerous animals – only elephants are bigger on land. And hippos are very territorial and can be very bad tempered.

They will chase boats in the water and even cars when they’re on the land – especially if they have babies to protect.

Strangely, though, hippos are vegetarian, so why do they have such massive teeth? Can you think of any other reasons?

They do have to defend their young against predators like crocodiles and sometimes they fight each other to decide who is the big boss. They sometimes also attack human beans.

I’ve seen hippos quite a few times over the years, usually after raining down in a thunderstorm or flowing past them in a huge river somewhere in Africa.

I was once minding my own business in a warm gooey mud hole when a whole family of hippos decided to roll in for bath time.

Can you imagine that some human ladies pay to have mud plastered on their face, as a beauty treatment? Well hippos roll over and over in it all the time to cool off and get all the bugs off their thick hides.

And they are still some of the ugliest creatures you can find.

Perhaps ladies use a different sort of mud.

I ended up on the nose of one hippo. Sometimes that’s all you can see sticking out of the water. His breath smelt like rotten eggs and decaying cabbage. The bubbles coming from the other end of him smelt even worse.

No wonder the youngsters were first out of the water.

He followed soon afterwards keeping a watchful eye on them.

Now it was time for a snooze in the warm African sun.

While he snored, oxpecker birds got to work picking away at his skin, so thick I don’t think he could feel a thing.

That’s how I ended up inside one of the birds, which gave me a short tour of some of the rain forest, before it was eaten by a tree snake.

I thought hippos were smelly, but being inside a slippery, slimey snake is really disgusting.

Whatever next?

MENDIP GRANDAD

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HEALTH & FAMILY

Court House – the care home with a difference COURT House has been a family business for 33 years and is now being managed by Christopher and James Dando who continue with the same ethos and values that have always been in place.

The vision was to create somewhere with a homely atmosphere that was different from other care homes and everyone that visits agrees that this is still the case.

Residents are able to take all of their own furniture, staff don’t wear uniforms and Court House is furnished with lovely furniture that fits in with the surroundings.

All of the rooms are en-suite, with a toilet, hand basin, shower or bath. Every room also has telephone and television points as well as a nurse call system.

Well-trained staff are on hand to help with all aspects of their residents’ daily life, offering as little or as much help as needed, including full personal care.

There are activities arranged such as a pianist who plays regularly, themed suppers, flexercise and afternoon teas.

Residents are by no means expected to

join in, they have the choice which is also the case with all aspects of their daily living.

The superb location of Court House means that residents have wonderful

views over the Mendip Hills and are also able to enjoy its village location meaning that they can continue to be part of the local community, which is actively encouraged.

Doreen’s special day

DOREEN Shields celebrated her 105th birthday on February 5th. She was born in Leeds, where her father was a tailor. She had various jobs including shorthand typist and working for a wholesale meat supplier and carpet manufacturer during the war. In 1939 she married George and they moved to Cheddar in 1955 when he got a job at Cheddar Primary School. George passed away in 1988 and Doreen continued to live on her own in her bungalow until she moved to Court House Retirement Home in 2009 and has been living there ever since.

Doreen received her second birthday card from the Queen, her previous one being on her 100th birthday. She also received a card from Amber Rudd, the Secretary of State for work and pensions.

She celebrated her birthday at Court House with visits from friends and staff and enjoyed flowers and a birthday cake.

COURT HOUSE A beautiful Georgian Retirement Home set in the lovely village of Cheddar, Somerset.

You can live your life to the full and choice is our favourite word

The Manager – Chris Dando 01934 742131 chriscourthouse@gmail.com Court House Retirement Home, Church Street, Cheddar, Somerset BS27 3RA MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 61

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MENDIP TIMES

Axbridge aims to be dementia friendly

THERE are plans to make Axbridge a Dementia Friendly Town. The suggestion has come from the town council and is being supported by Winscombe Hall Care Centre.

Owner, Ty Yilmaz, has a personal interest in reducing isolation within the elderly community because his own mother struggled when his father passed away.

The home’s marketing consultant, Annie Cowell, lives in Axbridge and contacted the mayor, Barbara Wells, and the town clerk, Vicky Brice, offering Winscombe Hall Care Centre's support.

She and Ty Yilmaz met the mayor, town clerk and other interested parties and came up with a strategy that would engage the community from the reception ages at Axbridge First School right through to the residents and businesses.

To become Dementia Friendly would support individuals living with dementia to feel valued, understood and still be able to contribute to their community. It will also help the friends, families and carers of those living with dementia to feel confident that the environment that their loved one lives in will understand the challenges that living with dementia brings.

As a group they want the initiative to build sustainable, collaborative partnerships within Axbridge. Once businesses undertake the dementia training they will be accredited with the Dementia Friendly status.

This training will be refreshed periodically as new staff start with our locals pubs, restaurants and other local organisations.

They have also planned training for locals to become Dementia Friendly and aware.

Initially the strategy is targeting Axbridge First School.

Annie made seven memory trees, one for each classroom and one for the nursery.

A larger memory tree will be displayed on the town council’s market stall at March’s Axbridge Saturday farmers market. Locals were invited to share their thoughts on butterflies and hang them from the tree. After the market the tree went on display in the church Following an extensive refurbishment project, there has also been an open day event at Winscombe Hall Care Centre which has offered to support this initiative for the long-term whether it's with refresher training with their specialised clinical staff, using their facilities and grounds to meet and have fundraising/awareness events or with Annie being in the community continuing to build and sustain collaborative partnerships.

Annie said: “Dementia is heart-breaking and cruel. If I could find a cure I absolutely would in a heartbeat.”

Key Stage 2 pupils of Axbridge First School are going to have a competition to design a unique Dementia Friendly logo for the town. This logo is likely to be used for town council correspondence and so on. Ty Yilmaz is going to sponsor the prize.

PAGE 62 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

Getting back on track

HYPNOTHERAPY can help to address the underlying causes of many unpleasant and debilitating issues, such as stress, anxiety and low mood, anger management, fears and phobias, weight control and sleep disorders.

Angie Hayes trained with Clifton Practice Hypnotherapy Training (CPHT), an accredited centre of excellence in hypnotherapy and psychotherapy, and is fully insured with a valid enhanced DBS certificate enabling her to work with children and vulnerable adults.

She was introduced to the power and effectiveness of hypnotherapy when she went through a tough period in her life.

It helped her to re-focus and take time out to rebuild her resilience and get her life back on track.

After having worked in the financial and drinks industry for 30 years leading teams, coaching and mentoring individuals, she always had a passion for coaching and supporting people towards their goals and aspirations and helping to utilise their innate confidence to lead happy and fulfilling lives.

Details: Angie Hayes 07879 008262.

Angie Hayes DHP, HPD, MNCH, AfSFH

HELPING YOU MAKE POSITIVE CHANGES Solution Focused Clinical Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy in Weston-super-Mare I CAN HELP YOU WITH . . .

Anxiety, Stress, Low Mood, Confidence, Addictions, OCD, Fears, Phobias, Sports Performance . . . or many unwanted and negative behaviours.

For your free initial consultation, contact me on:

07879 008 262 angie@angie-hayes-hypnotherapy.co.uk www.angie-hayes-hypnotherapy.co.uk

Registered Member of the British Association of Foot Health Professionals Theas’ Footcare, Mobile Foot Clinic

38 Palmers Road Glastonbury Somerset BA6 9PB

Mobile: 07849 033 055 Email: thea-m-1@hotmail.co.uk

Mendip Times reduces travel costs 100,000 potential customers within a short distance of your business

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Award-winning dementia care

HEALTH & FAMILY

SURROUNDED by rolling Somerset countryside on the edge of the Mendip Hills, The Russets is a 73-bed specialist dementia care home run by the St Monica Trust. The awardwinning environment has been skilfully designed so that everyone can feel part of everyday life, no matter where they are on life’s journey.

With a clubhouse set in lovely secure gardens and access to the stunning grounds, residents can enjoy the special warmth and care for which the Bristol-based charity is renowned.

Spacious rooms open out into light and airy open-plan living areas, which create a homely environment. The beautifully decorated modern bedrooms are all en-suite and complete with furniture.

Residents can also bring in personal items and other belongings so that they can have their room exactly as they like it. And from their private suites residents can enjoy views of the beautifully landscaped gardens or the nearby Mendip Hills.

Outside, residents can relax in a beautiful secure garden complete with colourful borders or get involved in tending the vegetables in the garden. Inside, they can get creative with arts and crafts in The Clubhouse, help with baking a cake or simply relax by the fireplace in a comfortable chair.

You can enjoy a virtual tour of the Russets by going online at www.stmonicatrust.org.uk/villages/sandfordstation/russets-and-sherwood

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 63

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MENDIP TIMES MENDIP TIMES

Kids in the cathedral

COMMUNITY

WELLS Cathedral hosted its annual oneday children’s festival with the theme of The Earth, Moon and Stars.

Around 250 youngsters aged between four and 11 years old, from churches across the Bath and Wells Diocese attended the fun day, which feature live music, games, stories and worship.

Games in the Chapter House

Tumbling in the nave – the festival takes place whilst most of the seating in the cathedral is removed for cleaning

Games in the Chapter House

PAGE 64 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

The Impetus Group: young musicians from a group of churches in West Somerset rehearse ahead of their afternoon concert

Children from Locking Castle church learn about the lunar cycle and try their hands at clock craft beneath the Jack Blandiver clock in the North Transept

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Bargains expected at art show

A FUNDRAISING exhibition and sale of artists’ postcards is to be held at the Wells and Mendip Museum from Tuesday, March 19th to Saturday, March 23rd.

Dozens of artists have agreed to donate postcardsized examples of their work (in any medium), including well-known local artists such as Philippa Threlfall, Rebecca Barnard is seen with her proposed exhibit Juliet Piper and Ruth Ames-White.

All profits from the event will help pay for new development work at St Thomas's Church in Wells.

The organisers are hoping to display more than 200 exhibits, including some from local schools, and are offering three cash prizes for the best entries. Admission to the exhibition is free.

Dr Alan Butt Philip, one of the organisers, said: “There is a great chance for local art lovers to bag a bargain at this show, as all the items on display will be for sale at £20. Some internationally-recognised artists are donating work which is worth far more than that.”

Michael Eavis, founder of the Glastonbury Festival, is the lead sponsor of the exhibition and will formally open the show at a preview on Monday, March 18th.

For details about submitting work contact Alan at alanbuttphilip@googlemail.com The deadline for receiving artwork is Thursday, March 14th.

Work in progress

VOLUNTEER members of the Mendip Ramblers Working Party installed or repaired 16 bridges and countless stiles, gates and steps in 2018, along with fingerposts and marker posts and clearance work.

Elaine Dadley, from Mendip Ramblers, said: A new kissing gate replaces a stile “Of course there is a cost which had collapsed to this, and local councils have many calls upon their limited resources. The materials can be very expensive and must, of course, be funded.

“But the work is largely unseen and there’s always more to be done! These volunteers who give their labour are making an important contribution to the common good. It is always a work in progress!”

For details, visit: www.mendipramblers.co.uk

COMMUNITY

Mayor’s charity event is a scrapstore challenge

GLASTONBURY Town Hall will host a “Great Scrapstore Challenge” for children and adults on Saturday, March 30th as part of a fundraising drive.

Children aged from three to 12 are being invited to create hats, masks and costumes from upcycled and reused materials at £2 a time followed by a fun fashion show with prizes for the best creations.

Throughout the day people will be able to browse stalls selling upcycled and reused items and engage with innovative local environmental ideas.

A fashion show for adults will be held in the evening with outfits made from reused and upcycled materials, local clothing businesses and charity shops. Challenge cups are up for grabs in several categories and an overall prize of £100 for the best entry. Categories include best ladies outfit, best man’s outfit, best festival outfit and best evening wear.

Entries cost £5.

Funds raised will go to the town’s volunteer-run Yeast Scrapstore, in Dyehouse Lane. Glastonbury mayor Denise Abbott said: “I am delighted that the Yeast Scrapstore are using the town hall to raise funds for their new outdoor space by holding this special fashion event.

“It will be brilliant to encourage the creation of sustainable clothing from reused and upcycled materials while rising fund for such a worthwhile cause.”

The day begins at 10am with the adults fashion show at 7pm. For full details visit: www.yeastscrapstore.co.uk

Rotary winners

FANCY Fudge, a team of Year 9 students from Kings of Wessex Academy, won the annual entrepreneur competition, The Big Pitch, run by the Rotary Club of Mendip.

Florence Reeson Rotary president Adam Travis (left) with and Scarlet Smith Scarlet and Florence and sponsor Mike from Wedmore Webb from Webb & Co revealed that they had made a net profit of nearly £200. Mendip Rotarians judged the competition on five criteria: concept, image, sustainability, profitability and teamwork.

The project started last autumn when a team of Rotarians led

by Patrick Simpson worked with staff at the school to put on an Enterprise Challenge Day to stimulate interest in business management.

Groups of interested students then set up teams which were mentored for three months by a team of Rotarians with commercial and business experience. A total of 19 teams entered the competition and four of them made it through to the finals from which Mendip Rotarians voted for the winners.

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 65

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MENDIP TIMES

Music sessions for people living with dementia

(l:r) Diane Hall, from the DAA, Inner Wheel president Judi Rice, Sister Anne Martin, DAA, the Rev. Jonathan Hunter Dunn, music therapist Julie Britton and Shepton Rotary president Maurice Davies

MEMBERS of the Inner Wheel Club of Shepton Mallet are to run monthly music therapy sessions in the town for people living with dementia.

The club will work with the town’s Dementia Action Alliance group, music therapist Julie Britton and the Rotary Club of Shepton Mallet to offer the sessions.

The sessions – the club’s community project for the coming year – were announced at a special church service to mark Inner Wheel Day. The service at the parish church of SS Peter and Paul was led by the rector the Rev. Jonathan Hunter Dunn who focused on women and girls as part of the 20/20 mission to end period poverty.

New secretary for Probus Club

Chairman Colin Tincknell (right) welcomes Tony Daniels to the secretary’s position

PAGE 66 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

MIDSOMER Norton Probus Club opened their new year with their annual meeting which saw the appointment of a new secretary.

Tony Daniels succeeds Andew Linham, who had to give up the role due to ill-health, although he will continue to attend meetings. l The club meets every other Tuesday at the Centurion Hotel in Westfield at 10am for a 10.30am start. The next meeting is on March 12th. New members are welcome.

New patron for talking newspaper

BILL Bailey, the comedian, musician and actor, has become patron of the Keynsham and District Talking Newspaper.

The newspaper is avialable to listeners from Keynsham, Bristol, Bath and further afield. It was founded 35 years ago and provides a free service for approximately 100 visually impaired listeners, with a weekly mix of news and magazine articles.

The showbusiness star Bill Bailey, who grew up in was born in Bath and grew Keynsham up in Keynsham.

Chairman of the Keynsham Talking Newspaper, Mike Crane, said, “We are all absolutely thrilled that Bill Bailey has become patron of the Keynsham Talking Newspaper.”

For details about the service, contact: 0117 299 3021

Lions’ charity quiz

Pictured (l to r) Sally Evans, Mike Evans, Lions president David Atkins, Nick Tucker and John Rooks

THERE was a meeting of minds at Glastonbury Town Hall as 20 teams gathered to compete in the 35th annual Brains of Avalon Quiz hosted by the Glastonbury and Street Lions Club.

After almost two hours of brain-teasing questions, on a wide range of subjects, by quiz master Lion Chris Ford the top spot was claimed by team Middle Rump narrowly beating last year’s winners Forum by just two points!

The Brains of Avalon plaque was presented to the Middle Rump team by Lions president Dave Atkins who also gave thanks to all those who had attended and supported the Lions fundraising effort in aid of local charities.

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COMMUNITY

When Wells woke up

DOZENS of community groups from across Wells came together for a day of events centred on the city’s cathedral.

The first Wake Up Wells day was a celebration of life in the city and a chance for organisations to meet and share experiences and for people to find out more about what Wells can offer.

The cathedral was packed with more than 100 stalls, live music and art performances with other events taking place in Wells and Mendip Museum and the Market Place. The day ended with a lantern parade.

Blue School musicians in The Sanctuary

Wake Up Wells in full swing in the cathedral Emma Lefevre (left) and Kirstie Harris, who led the steering group

Helping youngsters in hospital: Jaci Elliott (far left) and Val Whelan (far right) from the Bath and Wells area group of knitting charity Project Linus and Sandy Guidi and Richard Hibberd from Somerset Freemasons, who provide sterile cuddly toys A performance by Wells Theatrical Arts

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 67

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MENDIP TIMES

End of Street Society

Pictured (l to r) Peter Fry, Friends of Street Library, Brian Bastable, The Street Men's Shed, Natalie Watson, The Alfred Gillett Trust, Hilary Napper, The Street Society, Farès Moussa, Friends of Strode Theatre, Cllr Nina Swift, Street Parish

IT was a sad day for The Street Society on Friday, January 25th as they met for the last time.

Due to a lack of volunteers coming forward to join the committee the decision was taken in November to dissolve the society. An afternoon tea held in the Methodist Church hall was the final gathering of members in a fond farewell.

The society’s motto has been “Protecting the past with an eye to the future” and for the last 17 years, since its inauguration in 2001, it has done just that.

The society was instrumental in setting up the heritage information boards in Clarks Village and outside Crispin Hall; it championed a varied range of events each annual Open Heritage weekend and carried out its own version of the Blue Plaque scheme to recognise Street buildings of note.

The membership, which in recent years has numbered in excess of 100, has also been able to take advantage of a busy social programme, which included monthly meetings with speakers on many and varied topics, both local and of wider interest, and outings during the summer months.

An enjoyable afternoon tea, with some 35 members plus guests, saw the dispersal of residual funds by donation to a number of Street organisations and initiatives that the society would have been pleased to support should it have continued.

Beneficiaries were the Methodist Church, a thank you for hosting the society’s monthly meetings; Street Men’s Shed, a contribution to their refurbishment of the old finger signposts in the local vicinity; The Friends of Strode Theatre; The Friends of Street Library; the Merriman Park Community Group; the Alfred Gillett Trust for upkeep of their fossil collection and Street Parish Council in a contribution towards the re-siting of the old war memorial.

Representatives from the various bodies were present to receive their cheques. Founding member Sue Monaghan was present together with several members of the current committee, some having served for many years.

All were sad to see the end of this laudable enterprise but are hopeful that in due course, with new energy and new purpose, something might come from the ashes.

PAGE 68 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

Valley tea party

Guests enjoying tea

THE Inner Wheel Club of Chelwood Bridge celebrated its ninth Inner Wheel Day by hosting a tea party at Pensford village hall for elderly guests from around the Chew Valley.

Club president, Marjorie Robinson, said: "Every year Inner Wheel clubs all over the world celebrate this day by doing different things. We at Chelwood Bridge like to do something within the community so we invited guests from around the Chew Valley to tea."

Guests who required transport were chauffeured by members of the Rotary Club of Chelwood Bridge.

Pictured (l to r) Inner Wheel members Marilyn Martin, Di Farmer, Linda Quizz, Mary Smith, Jane Lawrence, Heather Curtis, Val Coles, Hilary Manson, Marjorie Robinson and Alma Smith

Rotary sales

THE ever-popular bookstall run by Rotary, Nailsea and Backwell, will operate outside Waitrose on Saturday, March 16th, 9am-3pm.

Its next sale of good condition and quality handbags will be part of the community market operating in Nailsea precinct on Saturday, April 20th, 9am-1.30pm.

Details: Roger 01275 854076 or roger.jan@blueyonder.co.uk

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Cadets need support

AXBRIDGE and Cheddar Valley Sea Cadets (Training Ship Goathland) are going from strength to strength. They now have over 30 cadets in the senior and junior sections and they are enjoying a full

and varied training programme.

Their cadets are achieving a very impressive range of qualifications, especially afloat, with virtually every cadet qualifying for at least one (usually several) of the range of water-borne activities – sailing, rowing, power boating and wind surfing.

Apart from the core syllabus, which includes subjects such as seamanship, drill and first aid, they have cadets qualifying for the Duke of Edinburgh awards and attending specialist courses on a range of subjects such as mechanical engineering, meteorology, food preparation and service to name just a few.

They also have cadets booked onto trips on the larger vessels in the Sea Cadets’ fleet such as the tall ship, TS Royalist (pictured), and the power boat, TS Jack Petchey.

During these trips the cadets will enjoy an amazing experience and gain useful qualifications including navigation and watch keeping. Due to their success they urgently need more staff to help run the unit and have had to reduce their training programme temporarily.

As well as uniformed volunteers they have civilian instructors and volunteers who give an hour or two each week to do some administration, drive their minibus or help with building maintenance. Can you help?

Details: Baz Hamblin, chairman, co.axbridgeseacadets@gmail.com or call 07979

Sunday lunch club

THE Sunday Lunch project will be starting on April 14th in the newly-refurbished Crispin Hall in Street.

There’s already a twice-weekly lunch club in the adjoining community centre but organisers say they were increasingly hearing that Sundays were particularly lonely for lots of people.

The lunch will be drop-in so no need to book and they are aiming to cater for up to 80 people. They are hoping that a broad range of people will go along with different generations interacting over a wonderful meal, all prepared and served by volunteers.

On top of this, they are talking to dance groups and choirs etc, hoping to include some entertainment to showcase the abundance of talent in the area.

Details: Michaela Edmunds, Crispin Community Centre, 01458 447248.

Solar power

COMMUNITY

PROFITS generated from Burnham and Weston Energy CIC’s 36,000-panel community solar array at Wick Farm, between Lympsham and Brean, will be made available for projects that will help local communities or community organisations become more sustainable.

Its Sunshine Fund is managed by Somerset Community Foundation, which is now inviting applications for grants of up to £2,500. The closing date is Tuesday, April 30th.

In future the Sunshine Fund will make awards totalling around £20,000 per year and SCF will also look to secure match funding where possible. Funding will be available for projects and initiatives covering an area stretching up the Somerset coastline from Burnham-on-Sea to Weston-super-Mare and inland to Mark and Winscombe.

Details: www.somersetcf.org.uk/burnhamandweston

New fund for North Somerset

A NEW charitable fund has been set up to improve life in North Somerset. The new North Somerset Realising Potential Fund was launched at an event at Clevedon Hall.

It’s been set up by Quartet Community Foundation and North Somerset Partnership. Clevedon YMCA showcased the inspirational work they are doing with young people and people with learning difficulties.

Sue Turner, chief executive of Quartet Community Foundation said: “North Somerset is a great place to live but not everyone shares in the area’s prosperity. Recent statistics have revealed that nine neighbourhoods in North Somerset are amongst the most deprived in England – and they are all in Weston-super-Mare.

“There are hundreds of small, local charitable causes in North Somerset working to make sure local people have a fair chance of a good life and this fund will help them support people in need today and forever.”

Charles Walker, chair of North Somerset Partnership said: “I find it shocking that in one of our communities 9% of 18-24 year olds are unemployed – that’s three times the national average.

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 69

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MENDIP TIMES

Homeless project has Star quality A VISION by Star Murray to open the coach in which he lives into a facility for the homeless is about to become a reality.

A fundraising campaign via social media has so far attracted more than £3,000 in donations to create proper kitchen facilities in the vehicle, which can often be seen around Wells and Glastonbury.

The rear of the coach is full of clothes, sleeping bags, blankets and supplies which Star hands out on his travels.

Star, aged 57, was homeless himself and living in woodland until he found work on the festival circuit and was able to buy the coach.

Under the banner of Help the Homeless Coach Café, Star’s dream is to build up a fleet of vehicles – ideally doubledecker buses with sleeping accommodation on the top deck – to donate to community groups around the country.

The fundraising campaign was started by Mandie StoneOutten, who spotted the coach near the Red Brick Building and struck up a conversation with Star. Star, who is taking professional financial advice about the project, said: “The

The coach can currently be found in Wells and Glastonbury

Campaign’s success

SOMERSET Community Foundation’s award-winning Surviving Winter campaign is on track to reach its target again this year.

Chief executive, Justin Sargent (pictured), said: “We’ve had another absolutely fantastic Surviving Winter appeal, with early donations beating all our previous records. This year our target is to help over 500 older people living in fuel poverty, and we’re well on the way to achieving this.”

With Somerset experiencing some bitterly cold weather recently, the foundation’s Surviving Winter delivery partners – such as Community Council for Somerset and Age UK – have been making sure that Surviving Winter cheques are being delivered to vulnerable older people in Somerset who are living in fuel poverty.

To donate some or all of your Winter Fuel Payment, or to make a donation of any size to the Surviving Winter appeal, send a cheque made payable to Somerset Community Foundation (writing SW on the reverse), Yeoman House, Bath and West Showground, Shepton Mallet, BA4 6QN call 01749 344949 or donate online at: www.somersetcf.org.uk/winter

PAGE 70 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

Welcome to my home: Star in his coach

response has been extraordinary; it has been overwhelming.”

Star hopes work on the coach – a 1980 Bedford Plaxton, partly-converted at the rear to once transport a racing car – can begin shortly. The work will also include fitting more powerful solar panels. Then he hopes to find a base where he can park the coach and have a storage facility for donations.

He would also like to fit a tarpaulin to the side of the coach to create a dry outdoor space.

He added: “I want to find out if there is a need for the coach in the Shepton Mallet and Frome areas and if I can find places to park safely, I would like to organise regular visits around Mendip.

“If I am in the coach, then it is open; I don’t have set times although I do need to sleep. Thankfully, several volunteers have come forward to offer to help so I can get a break.

“I want this to be done professionally and perhaps the coach can also be a place people can visit for counselling and other advice.” l Donations of tea, coffee, soup packets etc. would be welcome, along with toiletries including feminine hygiene products. To help Star, call 07542 317932, email helpthehomeless@mail.com or visit www.gofundme.com/help-the-homeless-coach-cafe

Village clean-up

WHAT better way to spend a Sunday morning than join your friends and neighbours and go litter-picking round the country lanes?

This is what villagers did as once again they took part in the annual village clean-up in Compton Dando, Chewton Keynsham and Burnett, spring cleaning the lanes in and around the villages.

Over 20 volunteers turned up this year and armed with pickers and decked out in yellow reflective jackets they were soon on their way as they climbed aboard the tractor and trailer and pickup truck, which dropped people off at various points.

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Shepton celebrates the snowdrop king

COMMUNITY

STALLS, walks, talks and more brought hundreds of snowdrop enthusiasts to Shepton Mallet for the town’s third annual snowdrop festival.

The two-day family event celebrates the life and work of James Allen, who was born in the town and became a famous in Victorian times for propagating new species of the beloved plant from wild varieties, earning him the title of Snowdrop King.

The winners of the annual best snowdrop-themed shop window display with Annie Maw and some of the festival organisers Chrisi Kennedy, from the snowdrop festival committee

Annie Maw (seated), the Lord Lieutenant of Somerset, opened the festival

Snowdrops were on sale on one of the market stalls

Sloane makes a snowdrop out of recycled materials with artist Liz Jannaway at the Art Bank Café

Conor and Emma Boake on the Shepton Mallet Horticultural Society stand

Snowdrop fun in Shepton Mallet library

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 71

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MENDIP TIMES

Folk dance

WELLS Folk Dance Club can be found at Dinder, off the A371 between Wells and Shepton Mallet and celebrated its 25th Anniversary in November.

They dance for 42 weeks of the year and have a different caller every week, meeting on Wednesday nights between 7.30pm-9.30pm and refreshments are included in the price.

Admission charges are £7 per year membership, weekly admission £3.50, visitors and non-members £4.

Why not go along and see what they do?

Details: Chairman Robin Pearce 01963 350686

Choir looks forward to spring

SING Your Heart Out had a busy autumn and winter season, especially in the run-up to Christmas. Their concert at St Andrew's Church in Holcombe in October was a thoroughly enjoyable evening, raising over £400 for the church.

Closer to Christmas, they helped to spread cheer at festive fairs at St Vigor & St John's School and at Radstock Museum and also enjoyed singing at a Christmas party for the Farmborough Floral Arts Group.

They sang for the local wives group's Christmas service at Radstock's Trinity Methodist Church and joined with the Mendip Brass Band for the carol service at St John's Church, Chilcompton. They celebrated the end of their hectic but fun season with a choir meal at the Old Down Inn, something which has become a very popular tradition.

Although their accompanist left at Christmas due to time pressures and family commitments, Sing Your Heart Out are entering a new phase and embracing technology for their musical support. However if there are pianists out there who would be able to help out occasionally they would love to hear from you.

They always welcome new members – no need to be able to read music, and no auditions – just lots of enthusiasm required!

Details: Viv Moon 01761 232490 / 07780 861868

Frome into the finals

FROME Community College will represent the town in the regional finals of the Rotary Club challenge The Frome College team at the district final Youth organised by Frome Selwood Rotary Club Speaks.

The students beat rivals from Wiltshire and Frome’s Selwood Academy to face a challenge on Saturday, March 2nd at Kings of Wessex School in Cheddar.

At the Frome district event, the college came first speaking on “What happened to feminism” and Frome Selwood Academy team came second speaking on “Women of today’s world”.

PAGE 72 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

COMMUNITY

Top honour for Roger

CAPTAIN Roger Francis, a retired Trinity House deep sea pilot living in Blagdon, has been awarded a Chartered Master Mariner’s Certificate on board HQS Wellington moored at Temple Stairs in London.

The certificate was presented by the Second Sea Lord, Vice Admiral Tony Radakin and the Master of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners, Captain Robert Booth.

The certificate represents the pinnacle of a Master’s achievement, and is jointly presented to members of the Merchant Navy and the Royal Navy. Roger becomes the 32nd recipient to be so honoured.

The presentation followed nine months of scrutiny and interview by his peers to establish how Roger has exceeded the normal command experience.

Roger is already a Younger Brother of Trinity House, a Liveryman of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners, a Freeman of the City Of London and a Member of the Nautical Institute.

The award reflects the work carried out by Roger whilst representing Europilots and jointly representing UK Pilots on the UK Safety of Navigation Committee, where he was largely responsible for the layout of the Thanet Offshore Wind Farm, the design of the Sunk Routeing System, and the six mile, northerly extension of the Off Land’s End Routeing System.

He was wholly responsible for solving a major problem in the Northern Approaches to the Dover Straits around the F3 Light Ship, where ships from the River Schelde, which includes the ports of Antwerp, Terneuzen, Ghent and Ostende and Flushing, round the Light Ship to enter the SW bound lane of the Dover Straits.

The area has over 11000 crossings on average in a year, and an earlier submission to the International Maritime Organisation had resulted in the submission being understandably rejected, mainly by the Dutch Government as it would have meant narrowing the SW Lane in that area.

Roger hit on the idea of swinging the SW lane one mile to the West, which created a much needed safe area for ships to turn around the F3 Light Ship, thus dramatically improving safety. The modification was implemented in July 2009, six months before Roger retired.

Roger has also been recognised as the world’s leading wing sail expert, having carried out two years trials of the first ship wing sail, whilst master of the mv “Ashington”, between 1986 and 1988. He is now in discussions with interested parties to resume plans to bring the wing sails into production.

Crest Nicholson ad.qxp_Layout 1 20/02/2019 14:10 Page 1

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MENDIP TIMES

Brexit is approaching, what is happening to the housing market?

Tom Killen has a look

IT should come as little surprise that the national housing market is becoming increasingly subdued with the latest RICS UK Residential Market Survey confirming that enquiries, sales and new instructions have all fallen further over the past month.

Demand for properties has actually weakened over the past six months as concerns over the potential impact of Brexit has led to increased hesitancy alongside affordability constraints in parts of the country.

That said, whilst short-term expectations are downbeat, there are positive vibes regarding the market over the next 12 months. Back in 2016, the average house in England was increasing in value at a rate of 8% and house price growth has fallen steadily with a rate of 2.6% seen during 2018.

At the start of the year, the expectation was that house prices would increase throughout 2019 modestly by an average 0.8% but actual growth so far this year has been negative territory with values actually falling in some parts by as much as 1.5%.

Most agents expect that the number of sales will fall over the next few months and whilst it may not be the right thing to do, buyers and sellers are likely to choose to sit on their hands and to judge what to do once the impacts of Brexit are known and confidence returns.

Values have been supported by the lack of properties on the market and the number of new properties built still falls well short of the government target.

Of course, Brexit could lead to other issues which may have an

PAGE 74 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

impact on demand and supply. Mortgages may be more difficult to obtain and the impact on interest rates is uncertain. Monetary policy could be loosened to help stimulate the economy or rates could be increased to protect the value of sterling.

If unemployment rises then this could lead to mortgage arrears and forced sales. With control in the hands of our political masters, no one can predict what decisions will be reached and what the implications may be.

Whatever happens, however, uncertainty will be removed and confidence should return to the economy at some stage. There is an increasing feeling that pent-up demand for housing is forming and that this will be released once there is more certainty on the way forward for the economy.

Industry pundits have been heard to say “uncertainty is bringing with it opportunity” and “if you want to live there long term, buy now” and they may well be right. Buying now on a fixed rate mortgage may just deliver the right property for you and security for the future and insulate you from the trials and tribulations that may be seen in the short term as well as any future increases in property values. Vendors may be better to sell now and move for similar reasons.

So overall, the housing market is on a “steady as she goes” path with uncertainty on where it is heading in the short-term. Will it be onto smoother waters or over a cliff edge? No-one can predict but it is more certain that the market will recover relatively quickly as confidence and certainty returns.

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PROPERTY

Kingfisher – the family firm

OVER the years I’ve visited many Kingfisher customers and hugely enjoyed hearing their stories. But as different and varied as these stories are, one thing seems to crop up over and over again.

All these people simply love doing business with Kingfisher. And I know why.

The truth is I’ve known the Kingfisher family for almost 40 years. The founder of the firm, John Fisher, was a sales representative for a leading double glazing firm back then.

He was extremely successful but could never buy in to the idea of pressuring people into making decisions.

John’s philosophy was (and still is) that people should like and trust you before they would buy from you. This approach was never going to have a future with a double glazing firm whose instructions to its sales staff were never to leave a property without an order.

So John set up his own company, Kingfisher, with two clear and non-negotiable objectives in mind. The first was to sell windows, doors, conservatories and cladding in a totally honest and straightforward manner, giving customers informed advice and leaving them to make decisions in their own time. The second objective was to create a genuine family firm that lived, slept and breathed family values.

From my point of view I would say it’s worked. I’ve seen many of Kingfisher’s competitors, whose sales techniques were less than acceptable, come and go, but Kingfisher itself goes from strength to strength. John’s daughter Angie now

runs the company and those family values are more firmly in place than ever.

Nothing makes this more evident than when Kingfisher has an open day and customers bring along presents! Again I suppose I’m not surprised because whenever I conduct these interviews with customers they talk of Angie and her team as friends.

The fact that most of Kingfisher’s business comes from recommendation really says it all. No-one would recommend someone they didn’t trust. Much of that trust is down to the Kingfisher installation team – I’ve lost count of the number of times people have told me how wonderful they are – and all of whom are employed by Kingfisher and proud to be part of the family.

And in case you’re wondering – yes we have windows and a conservatory installed by Kingfisher in our lovely Winscombe cottage (see photo) and my wife and I are more than happy to recommend them.

Tony Thurling

Auction May 8th (unless sold prior)

Wraxall, North Somerset – Guide Price £400,000

A detached 1920’s house located in a rural lane with views over farmland to front and rear.

Three bedrooms on first floor and bathroom, annexe room with shower on ground floor. Sitting room, dining room, and kitchen. Integral garage. Good size garden adjoining farmland. Requires modernisation. EPC: E Ref: 25633.

Contact the Wrington Office: 01934 864307 MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 75

MENDIP TIMES

Exploring Mendip’s mines

MUCH of the evidence of Mendip’s mining past has been lost, due to land reclamation and recycling of building materials. Some of the walls of St. Cuthbert’s smelting works survive, together with the Minneries and Waldegrave ponds at Priddy.

The chimney at Smitham Hill was With PHILIP restored before it collapsed and stands HENDY today. Elsewhere, we can see the extensive gruffs, or trenches, excavated by miners at Charterhouse in their search for ore, and here and there across Mendip depressions and trenches bear testimony to the area’s mining past.

We are fortunate in being able to explore some of the underground workings, where lead, zinc and ochre was extracted from the ground. There are many small shafts and workings, some of which have been gated or covered with grilles, either to prevent accidents or to protect bat roosts.

Often they have been used to dispose of rubbish, which makes exploration rather unpleasant. However, there are some superb examples, which are well worth visiting.

The longest and most complex is Singing River Mine at Shipham, a calamine and galena mine which was also intended as a water reservoir for the village in the 1920s. The 11-metre ginged entrance shaft (lined in the upper part with masonry) leads to a network of mostly roomy passages, generally following a small stream, the Singing River.

The water finally sinks in an impassable slot, but on the way are the aptly-named Blue Holes, short passages below water level. Sadly, the Chocolate Canal, named because of the large deposits of glutinous brown mud, has been washed clean over the years by the passage of cavers.

Daffodil Valley leads down from Shipham to Star on the A38. The sides of this valley, where no daffodils now grow, have several short calamine workings, and on the level ground to the east is Star Shaft, found when a tractor broke through the rotten capping in 2001.

The shaft was enlarged by Cornish miners in the 19th century and the base of the engine house still lies to the side. The floor, 28 metres down, is covered with rubble which may block a downward continuation, but a side passage and further drops, through rotting wooden staging, leads to a lowest gallery, which often floods, but contains a wheelbarrow and drill bits.

Over on Axbridge Hill, Shute Shelve Cavern was entered by ochre miners in the 1920s, although they did not find the large descending natural cave which lay below a tight squeeze. This was entered by members of the Axbridge Caving Group when they re-opened the mine in 1992. Some original pit props can still be seen in the crawl which was the original entrance.

Nearby, Axbridge Hill Cavern was rediscovered by the same cavers in 2011, and is likely to be the cave described by miners as being as large as Axbridge Square. Much yellow ochre remains, as well as a miner’s boot, shovel and other artefacts.

The imposing entrance to Axbridge Ochre Cavern lies in trees on the hillside above the Axbridge bypass. It rapidly becomes a tight descending rift, but a precarious climb up the rift leads into a decorated natural cave with pools of water.

Exploring ochre mines leaves cavers stained with red or

CAVING

Compton Martin Ochre Mine

yellow mineral, as the case may be. Nowhere is this more true than in Compton Martin Ochre Mine. This is an important bat roost, so visits are only permitted during the summer months. A visit is quite exciting, due to the general air of instability and the presence of rotten pit props, many of which no longer fulfil their original purpose.

The Winford Redding Pits, once a valuable source of haematite for the paint industry, is also a bat roost, and a leader is necessary for visits during the summer months, The lead mines which remain open are generally rather short, consisting of short shafts which were probably of an exploratory nature. Most of these are at Charterhouse, although some of the caves there were found and adapted by miners, usually to dispose of the water used to wash the ore.

Waterwheel Swallet was found to be largely filled with leadrich mud when it was excavated by cavers in the 1970s. Nearby, 18th century miners dug into Grebe Swallet and used the natural passages to store large lumps of galena (“stones of lead”), as well as harvest stalactites to sell as curios.

The lead is still there, together with various artefacts, left when the entrance collapsed and the mine was abandoned.

Stainsby’s Shaft, in the same area, is a Cornish mineshaft, where cavers have dug down to the mine’s 18 Fathom Level.

Below this point, which is blocked with lead tailings, is reputed to be a large natural cavern.

The Stock Hill forest at Priddy, is riddled with old surface workings, but nothing was known underground until Tony Jarratt of the Bristol Exploration Club and others dug open what appears to be a wheel pit by the roadside in the 1990s. This lies at the end of a line of buddles, so was named Five Buddles Sink.

A short mined passage leads to natural cave, which drained the water from the wheel pit. Later they turned their attention to a shaft on the other side of the road, which they named Stock’s House Shaft. A 15-metre shaft enters cave passage modified by miners, and a small streamway. Recently Trevor Hughes of the BEC has pushed on to a roomy chamber, and work continues.

Some of our best-known caves have been discovered due to the efforts of miners, one example being Lamb Leer above West Harptree. But the mines themselves are significant, often being more like caves than the passages we normally associate with the underground search for minerals.

They are an important part of our heritage, as well as providing sport and interest for cavers.

Phil has been caving for more than 50 years and is a member of the Wessex Cave Club. He has been involved in producing several caving publications and until his retirement was a caving instructor at Cheddar. His main interest is digging for new caves

PAGE 76 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

(Photographs by Alan Gray)

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MOTORING

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For servicing, repairs and sales of all makes of caravans and motorhomes

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Silver anniversary for car tour

Wells Cathedral offers a stunning backdrop to the cars

ENTRIES are now open for the 25th Mendip Vintage and Classic car tour, taking place on Sunday, May 12th.

Organised by the Classic & Historic Motor Club, it has become one of the most popular events in the region’s motoring calendar, attracting a wide range of interesting vintage and classic vehicles.

It will again be helping to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

The tour is open to 160 pre-1989 vehicles and will start in Whitchurch before following an 85-mile route to finish on Wells Cathedral Green from approximately 2pm. Members of the public are welcome to watch the cars arrive and meet the drivers. The event is again sponsored by Debbie Fortune Estate Agents.

Dress to impress: drivers and passengers like to look the part on the tour

For entry details, visit www.candhmotorclub.co.uk/index.php/5 or contact entry secretary John Blackburn at blackers57@btinternet.com or call 01934 713769.

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ACCIDENT REPAIR CENTRE BREAKDOWN & RECOVERY SERVICE

QUALITY USED CARS Your peace of mind is our priority

CLEEVE HILL, UBLEY. TEL: 01761 462275 (24hrs) www.ubleymotors.co.uk

Bailey approved body shop and workshop

● Caravan Servicing ● Annual Habitation Checks ● Alu-Tech Bailey Approved Repairers ● Warranty Maintained ● Damp Repairs ● Accident Repairs ● Insurance Repairs ● Accessory Fitting

Our shop stocks a full range of accessories and equipment

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Marchants Hill, Gurney Slade BA3 4TY Call: 01749 841051 Mob: 07778 465520 Email: sales@caravanrepairs-sw.co.uk MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 77

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MENDIP TIMES

R.O. Dando and Sons Ltd Registered Builders & Decorators

Mendip Times reduces travel costs 100,000 potential customers within a short distance of your business

PAGE 78 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

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FAMILY BUSINESS BASED IN THE CHEW VALLEY FOR OVER 100 YEARS

Call us or visit our website for more info:

01275 333603 • www.dando.org.uk

Homes section.qxp_Layout 1 21/02/2019 13:53 Page 79

HOMES & INTERIORS

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 79

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MENDIP TIMES

Tony Hucker TV Service – Sales – Rental

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Satellite Installations Aerial Systems TV wall mounting Custom Installations Networking Signal Solutions

01275 332888 • LOG SPLITTING SERVICES • ROOF REPAIRS • CHIMNEY LINERS • SECURITY LIGHTS • CHIMNEY BIRD GUARDS • TREE REDUCTION WORK

www.tonyhuckertv.co.uk Email: tony@tonyhuckertv.co.uk Unit 4, Fairseat Workshops, Chew Stoke BS40 8XF Open: Mon – Thurs 9.00am – 6.00pm Fri – 9.00am – 5.30pm

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40+ colour options available

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01275 342656 www.seal-lite.co.uk Unit 1, Tweed Road, Clevedon, North Somerset BS21 6RR PAGE 80 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

Opening Hours: Mon – Fri 8.30pm – 5pm & Sat

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MENDIP TIMES

Roofing specialists

VEARS Ltd Roofing is an established company serving the Chew Valley area and Mendips, as well as Bristol and Bath. They pride themselves on providing excellent service from your initial contact with their office through the completion of your project regardless how small or large your project is.

Once initial contact is made their experienced professional team will always arrange a site visit in order to discuss the works and provide a detailed estimate.

They understand each client and project needs to be treated individually – no two projects will be exactly the same even if they did complete the same works for your neighbour!.

They are particularly proud of their lead work and lead welding.

Whilst lead is an excellent material for protecting your roof from adverse weather, if not fitted correctly it can be unsightly. Their lead work is completed to the highest standard to ensure your roof has a good crisp finish and performs well.

HOMES & INTERIORS

l Roof repairs and refurbishments l Lead burning and lead work l Flat roofs l EPDM single-ply membrane l Experienced, professional and courteous tradesmen

Vears Ltd have a wealth of experience in all aspects of roofing. For further information call 01275 474797 or email enquiries@vears.co.uk

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 81

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MENDIP TIMES

Mendip Times reduces travel costs 100,000 potential customers within a short distance of your business

PAGE 82 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

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HOMES & INTERIORS

Designed with consideration, installed with care

Adam & Louise welcome you to their new relocated showroom in the village of Winscombe.

‘We have always insisted upon quality brands and service at idesign. We are excited to add Samsung integrated appliances to our portfolio’.

36 Woodborough Road, Winscombe BS25 1AG www.idesigninteriors.co.uk

01934 844144 MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 83

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MENDIP TIMES

Boost for brass

CLEVEDON Lions president, Sue Miller “blew her own trumpet” as she presented a bumper £1,000 cheque to Lions Brass4Youth members.

Lions clubs all over the South West support this Clevedon-based group which gives youngsters the opportunity to become musically proficient and where currently 83 youngsters are involved learning and playing brass instruments.

Brass4Youth have four bands in all, so the talented youngsters work their way through and progress as they improve,

New arts group

until they reach the senior band who perform concerts across the region to highlight their success.

Details: lionsbrass4youth.weebly.com

On The Edge is a new artsbased initiative located in the villages of Claverham and Cleeve, born out of conversations between a storyteller, a writer, a vicar and a singer.

It's spiritual home is St. Barnabas, Jasmine Lane BS49 4PA – the church on the edge of the village, a gathering point for those seeking to make connections through storytelling, live music, singing, community celebration and a bag full of other goodies.

Holy Trinity church, Cleeve BS49 4PN will also host some events of which Stories for Change on March 31st is the first.

Details: Michael Loader foolworks@yahoo.co.uk Heidi Hollis writerwithboots@gmail.com Nigel Thomas nigelbthomas@gmail.com

Spring concert in Blagdon

ST. ANDREW’S Church, Blagdon, is the setting for Chew Valley Choral Society’s spring performance of Haydn’s Creation.

PAGE 84 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

Under its director, the composer David Bednall, Chew Valley Choral Society has established a reputation in the Valley for excellent performances of the masterpieces of the classical choral repertoire supported by outstanding soloists.

Listening to its performance of Haydn’s cheerful and joyous masterpiece surrounded by the scenic beauties of the Blagdon valley is the ideal way to enjoy a sunlit spring evening.

Tickets £12 (students & children £6) from CVCS members, on the door or phone 01275 333014.

Some members are so talented that they have been chosen to play in the National Youth Brass Band.

Young soloist in concert

WEST Mendip Orchestra, founded as Winscombe Orchestra in 1974, is now a full and thriving orchestra of about 30 members from the Somerset area.

Their music is from the classical repertoire and often features wellknown local soloists or young talented musicians early in their careers.

For their concert at St Mary’s, Yatton on March 30th, the soloist will be the talented Eliza Woodward from Wells Cathedral School who has studied under internationally renowned teachers and is currently principal flute of the Wells Symphony Orchestra.

Eliza has taken part in various national ensembles across the country such as the National Children’s Orchestra, and National Youth Wind Ensemble of Great Britain and has been led by distinguished globally renowned conductors in prestigious venues including the Royal Festival Hall, Bridgewater Hall and Colston Hall.

The concert begins with Der Freischütz Overture by Weber followed by the Mozart Flute Concerto in G major with Eliza Woodward as the soloist, and finishes with Dvorak's 6th Symphony. The audience is assured of an inspiring evening of quality music.

The concert starts at 7.45pm, tickets £8 Yatton Music Society members, £10 non-members including complimentary refreshments. Tickets can be obtained from the church office or on the door on the night.

Details: Michael Blackwell 01934 838616 or Jolanta Modelska 07540 580824.

Play that funky music

The Funkydillies on stage at Trotters

A NIGHT of live music featuring musicians from the Cheddar area has raised £1,600 for WaterAid. Trotters pub at Crickham hosted DJ Richard Smith, two sets by headliners the Funkydillies and reformed Fairlands school band Digitalis, along with some of the current Kings of Wessex sixth form.

The seven-piece Funkydillies are named after lead singer Tony Dillie, whose dulcet tones were talent spotted by keyboard player/trombonist Matthew Hill, health correspondent for the BBC in Bristol, while Tony was putting up a fence in his garden.

The powerhouse of the band is slap bassist Ian Fergusson whose inspiration is Chic’s Nile Rodgers. As BBC Points West’s weather presenter he was able to give some reassurance that it would stop raining on the day-much to the relief of organiser Jon Meadowcroft. l The Funkydillies will be playing on Saturday, March 23rd at St Andrew’s Hall in Cheddar at a fundraising Thai dinner in aid of Cheddar Tennis Club. For details, visit: www.cheddartennisclub.co.uk

Panto time

CROSCOMBE Frolics presented “Knight Fever”, a very silly pantomime set in Arthurian times with knights, wizards, magic, mythical creature and lots of daft jokes, fun songs and audience participation.

MUSIC & THEATRE

Calls for entries for Frome Busks

Fresher & Angel, winners of last year’s Frome Busks

FOLLOWING the success of last year’s first Frome Busks event, the competition is returning to the town centre on Saturday, March 30th.

Entries are now open for the competition, organised by Frome Town Council. Each act will perform a 20-minute set slot at before rotating to the next key location in the town, with performances running throughout the day.

The competition is open to performers under the age of 25, with last year’s event showcasing some exceptional talent including Fresher & Angel, Garbage Queen, Archie Ttwheam, and James Harriman. The performances will be considered by a panel of judges and the winner will be awarded with the chance to perform at 23 Bath Street and Sunrise Celebration Festival later this year.

Councillor Al O’Kane said: “Frome Busks looks to build on the town’s already vibrant music scene as well as highlighting some of its best locations. It’s a way for young musicians to get a feel for performing live and could be the boost they need to take themselves to the next level – it really is an opportunity not to be missed.” l The deadline for entries to Frome Busks is Monday, March 4th.

Anyone interested should email a link to their music, or any videos of them performing to info@frometowncouncil.gov.uk with the subject Frome Busks. To see photos from last year’s event go to: www.discoverfrome.co.uk/gallery

Clash of the Choirs

AFTER an absence last year, Clash of the Choirs returns to St Mary’s, Wedmore on Saturday, March 30th for a sixth instalment, with 200 singers and a packed church.

Tickets go on sale in early March at Wedmore Village Store – they sell out fast. Each choir gets ten minutes of glory but then have to face the famous "Clapometer" activated completely arbitrarily by the audience’s frenzied applause.

This year's singers include: Wedmore 1st School Academy Singers and Ukulele Band, Blackford Singers, Hugh Sexey's Singers, Glastonbury Male Voice Choir, Cheddar 1st School Choir, Axbridge Singers, The Bluebelles, Burnham & Highbridge Choral Society, Tally-Ho!, Street Men and Cheddar Valley Adult Voices.

Details: David Hopkins 01934 710149 or dahopkins@aol.com

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 85

(Photo courtesy of Louis Smith)

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MENDIP TIMES

Cycling helmets – pros and cons SHOULD the wearing of cycle helmets be made compulsory for cyclists in the UK? Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas certainly believes so saying he “always wore a helmet – and felt others should do the same”.

If helmets protect cyclists then why would CYCLING you not? But the arguments for and against with EDMUND compulsory helmets are actually much more LODITE complicated than that.

If an unprotected head strikes a solid surface such as the roadside or the pavement there can be devastating head and brain injuries. Research shows that wearing a cycling helmet can reduce the risk of that by up to two-thirds.

However the protection a helmet can give is limited to falls, not involving a crash. In a collision with a car travelling more than 20 miles an hour, a helmet offers very little protection.

Psychologists have done some fascinating observations on how wearing a cycle helmet can actually have negative effects. It seems there is a perception of reduced risk when a helmet is worn.

This can both prompt riders to take more risks with their own safety and nudge drivers into being less careful towards cyclists.

One of the most famous experiments connected to risk perception and cycle helmets was carried out by Dr Ian Walker, a psychologist at the University of Bath. In 2006 he attached a computer and an electronic distance gauge to his bike and recorded data from 2,500 drivers who overtook him on the roads.

Half of the time he wore a bike helmet and half the time he was bare-headed.

The results showed motorists tended to pass him more closely when he had the helmet on, by an average of 8.5 cm nearer. The conclusion is that drivers form preconceived ideas about cyclists based on what they wear.

“This may lead drivers to believe cyclists with helmets are more serious, experienced and predictable than those without,” he wrote.

The converse to all this is yet another study carried out by Walker, this time in 2016, which appeared to show that wearing a helmet could potentially make cyclists take more risks.

Gym club needs new base

SHEPTON Mallet Gymnastics Club is appealing for help to find a temporary training base for five weeks from the middle of May because the school gym it uses is needed to host GCSE examinations.

The club has around 130 young gymnasts and fears it may not be able to take part in this year’s Collett Day Festival in the town. As well as showcasing their skills, the community day in June is a vital fundraiser for the club, formed 17 years ago.

Since September 2011, the club has been able to use the facilities at Whitstone

His experiment saw participants of various ages and both genders asked to play a computer game. Half the participants had an eye tracker fitted to a baseball cap, the other half to a bike helmet.

In the game they pressed a button to inflate a balloon on the screen. Each inflation earned them more hypothetical money, but also increased the random chance of the balloon bursting, which would wipe out their winnings. At any point players could stop and bank what they had earned from each individual balloon.

Over dozens of games, those wearing cycle helmets consistently took greater risks on average when inflating the screen balloons.

The helmet could make zero difference to the outcome, but people wearing one seemed to take more risks in what was essentially a gambling task. The implication is that wearing safety equipment can have offsetting behaviour.

Former Olympic and world cycling champion Chris Boardman is against making helmets compulsory. He cites the case of Perth in Australia which saw a drop of 30 to 40 per cent in cycle use after cycle helmets became mandatory.

By making helmets compulsory people think that cycling is impractical and even dangerous. The unintended consequence is a higher incidence of physical inactivity related disease across the population including diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Boardman who now acts as a British Cycling policy advisor argues that the focus should be on addressing the causes of accidents and make cycling safer, particularly in cities. I think he’s got it right.

So, should cycle helmets be compulsory? I say no, but then will always wear one!

School for its afterschool and evening sessions. But the school is expanding and now needs the space every May. In the long term, the club would like its own premises.

Head coach Clare Tanner said: “The school have always accommodated us and have tried to find a solution to the problem but with no luck. It's great the school is getting bigger and the area is on the up, but it doesn't help our gymnasts I'm sorry to say.”

The club is looking for a space similar to an over-sized badminton court or bigger with a minimum ceiling height of

five metres for five weeks from May 13th. It meets from Wednesdays to Fridays with half-term holiday gymnastics in the day time.

Clare added: “Without our classes our club will not able to perform at Collect Park Festival this year which also involves our club fundraising at the event.

This pays for our service on our equipment. Not only no display, our younger development gymnasts will not able to compete in any boys or girls floor and vault competition, or train our more advance gymnasts in tumbling and higher level floor and vault.”

For details, visit: www.sheptonmalletgymnasticsclub.co.uk

PAGE 86 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

Anyone for croquet?

A cut above the rest

CAMERTON and Peasedown Croquet Club will be holding their beginners’ course on Sunday afternoons, 2pm-to 4.30pm, on March 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st and April 7th. All equipment will be provided – all you need is a pair of flatsoled shoes.

If you are looking for a new outdoor sport interest, where you can be as competitive as you like, with light exercise, at a club that has some of the best facilities in the area and a strong social side – look no further.

The club’s experienced and accredited coaches will take you through all the different skills and tactics you’ll need to play this increasingly popular game. All this for £25 for all five sessions – and that’s refunded if you join the club.

The club has established itself as part of the community. It offers superb facilities, with four lawns, a club pavilion and beautiful views across the Somerset countryside – not forgetting free equipment, free coaching and a wide range of inclusive social events.

Details: Mo Boys 01225 708540 www.camertonpeasedowncroquet.co.uk

Boost for disabled cricket

CHILDREN and adults with any form of disability will have more opportunities to get involved in cricket following a major donation to Somerset Disabled Cricket Club.

The CareTech charity foundation has awarded a grant to help the club grow and offer more people with disabilities the opportunity to get into the game.

Disabled cricket players from Somerset Disabled Cricket Club play at a range of levels and abilities, and the new funds will allow the club to run sessions for even more children and adults with disabilities.

With the help of Somerset County Cricket Club and the England Cricket Board, the disabled cricket club runs sessions for complete beginners and newcomers to the sport as well as training sessions for a squad which plays in the

SPORT

SOMERTON Town Football Club kicked off their pitch improvement project recently following the arrival of state-of-the-art ground maintenance equipment.

The project was made possible thanks to investment from the Premier League and The FA Facilities Fund via the Football Foundation.

The investment enabled Somerton Town FC, who play at Step 11 in the Uhlsport Somerset County League, to purchase a brand-new Kubota compact tractor and mower system, which will help to improve the quality and drainage of the club's grass pitch at Gassons Lane.

Somerton Town boasts more than 15 teams, ranging from a Saturday morning soccer school for young children to youth teams, all the way through to under-16’s, plus two adult teams.

The club worked in partnership with the Somerset County FA to secure the £9,250 grant from the Premier League and The FA Facilities Fund. Since 2000, the Football Foundation has delivered projects totalling more than £1.5bn in grassroots sport investment.

Jason Burton, club secretary at Somerton Town FC, said: “The Premier League and The FA Facilities Fund is an amazing fund available via the Football Foundation and your local FA. “Their support has enabled us to purchase our own equipment along with support from Somerton Town Council and the Recreation Ground Trust. We are now able to control the quality of our own pitches using this amazing machinery.”

Paul Thorogood, chief executive of the Football Foundation, said: “The Premier League and The FA Facilities Fund is dedicated to improving grassroots sport across the country, and I am pleased to hear that their investment is going to support Somerton Town FC in purchasing their new Kubota tractor.”

County Championships.

Some of the club’s players also play regularly for England at venues including Lords and Old Trafford.

The new grant will fund a coach and specific opportunities for a development team, the “Dragons Squad”, to train and play competitive matches across the county.

Chair of the club Tracy Hallows said: “The club’s players really are a special group of people! We were originally coached by an incredible man called Dan Hodges. Dan encouraged adults and children with a mixture of physical and learning difficulties to stand side by side and work together.

“Unfortunately, Dan died five years ago, however his spirit lives on in the ethos of the club. Each year we hold “Dan’s Day” – an opportunity for the

Ben Hallows and Paul Lewis SDCC players

SDCC players to pit their skills against a side of able-bodied family and friends. It is an amazing day which showcases what our club is about.”

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 87

(Photography courtesy of Mike Lang)

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MENDIP TIMES

Avon Ski Club seek the ski racing stars of the future

Avon Ski Club’s Ben Hoskings in slalom race action on snow

JUST back from a ski holiday and looking to improve on your technique and perhaps take your skiing to the next level?

Avon Ski Club meet every Tuesday, 6–8pm at the Mendip Snowsport Centre at Sandford, Churchill, BS25 5PQ. Under the experienced guidance of three qualified ski race coaches, members can take their skiing as far as their ambition desires.

Your first session is free and with a reduced price for your next six sessions, all would-be racers have the chance to decide whether ski racing is for them before joining the club.

Current active members range from five years of age to 50, but there are no age limits, the only requirements are that you have reached a level where you can link your turns and that you wish to improve.

The club host regular timed slalom sessions and throughout the summer months send a team of slalom ski racers to compete at the Summer Race League held monthly at Gloucester dry ski slope; the first step on a ski racing journey.

Current members include brother and sister pairing Ben and Ella Hoskings. In just two years Ella has gone from recreational skiing to competing in national dry slope and international snow ski race competitions.

Ella said: “Each week the coaches set us drills to improve our technique and lay out a different course to give us a feel for what a race will be like and provide excellent individual feedback on technique.

“I’ve made great friends in a really fun and supportive atmosphere.”

Older brother Ben was selected by the ESSKIA English Schools Squad in 2017 after only a year of coaching at Avon Ski Club.

Medals awarded by the coaches at every The club committee has recently training session for the undergone a wholesale change with best performance/ a fresh group of parents of current improvement in the junior racers taking up the posts to development and ensure the continued success of the advanced groups club. Just turn up on any Tuesday at 6pm for a warm welcome and remember to take a pair of gloves, all other equipment is provided. Find them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Details: secretary@avonskiclub.co.uk or contact child welfare officer Toby on 07966 485691.

PAGE 88 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

Looking like a tasty encounter

Alex Mitchard crosses for a hat-trick of tries for Norton in a 35-5 victory over league strugglers Wells

MIDSOMER Norton Rugby Club will host high fliers Chew Valley RFC for their final home game of the season, which could be a promotion decider for both sides.

The contest, on Saturday, April 6th, will see a reunion of former Norton players, friends, sponsors and supporters at a pre-match lunch.

Chew Valley were comprehensive victors over Norton in their previous Tribute Western Counties North league encounter in December.

Scrums were well-contested, but Norton’s defence was too strong

Chew Valley maintained their place at the top of the league with a 34-0 win over Wells

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SPORT

Rugby was the winner in muddy festival Photos by Mark Adler

MORE than 120 girls took part in an under-13s round-robin rugby festival at the home ground of Wells RFC. Wells girls combined with players from Dings Crusaders, whilst other clubs taking part included Winscombe, Walcot and Weston Hornets.

Organised by Wells RFC women and girls coach Estelle Love with the help of coaches from the other clubs, it was the first time Wells had hosted such a tournament.

Weston Hornets (in yellow and gold) take on Winscombe

Ellie Harris, from Wells, enjoys her afternoon

Winscombe under-13s

Walcot’s youngsters

That was hard work! Two Winscombe players leave the pitch at the end of their first match

Some fine rugby skills were on show despite the conditions

Mud, glorious mud

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MENDIP TIMES

Cricket history demolished

PART of Midsomer Norton Cricket Club’s history disappeared when the club’s ageing changing rooms were knocked down to make way for new facilities in time for the start of the 2019 cricket season.

The changing rooms were built more than 100 years ago and were becoming difficult to manage and maintain. The club’s first pavilion was built at Withies Lane in 1888 but was destroyed by fire in May 1909. Following two special meetings of club members, a new pavilion costing £51 and ten shillings was in place before the end of the season and a match against the Midsomer Norton Male Voice Choir helped raise funds to meet the costs of the new structure.

Some great cricketers walked down the pavilion steps in the last 110 years including Sir Vivian Richards (representing both Somerset and Lansdown), Mike Procter (who visited the club for the match which marked the club’s centenary) and, more

Brian Rose's testimonial game at the ground in 1983. Somerset and West Indies star Sir Vivian Richards is sitting next to Brian Rose

The old pavilion pictured in the background at a friendly match last summer

recently, England international Anya Shrubsole who played at Withies Lane for the Somerset Women’s team. The club hosted benefit events for other Somerset international cricketers – Brian Rose and Joel Garner – and other big names like Marcus Trescothick, Andy Caddick and Colin Dredge visited for league fixtures. And there are also the club’s own players who are remembered with great affection, players like Henry Thomas, Derek Frost and Chris Tabb.

The new building features four separate changing rooms with their own showers and toilets and provides separate changing facilities for both male and female players and match officials.

Club chairman Graeme King said: “A big thank you must go to Ken Bowen-Jones who kick started the project and to the many friends of the club for all the advice and assistance we have received. The club is a part of its community and the new facilities enhance what the club provides for local people. We must place on record as well a big thank you to Midsomer Norton Town Council and the Sperring Trust for their kind and generous grants which have enabled the project to commence.”

New players of all ages and abilities – and social members – are always welcome at the club. For details, visit the club website at: www.midsomernortoncricketclub.co.uk

Will’s boccia mission

SPORTS enthusiast Will Windess is trying to spread the word around the Frome area about boccia – a game which can be played on equal terms by people with disabilities and special needs and the able-bodied. Will has formed the Frome Boccia Group which will meet at Trinity Hall (next to Holy Trinity Church) on Wednesday, March 13th. The session – between 11am and midday – is free and open to all ages.

Earlier meetings have not been very well attended so in the future Will may approach residential homes and other groups to see if they would like to host games instead.

Boccia is a cross between boules and bowls and is played at Paralympic level. It was developed originally as a game suitable for people with cerebral palsy. Players are seated – either on chairs or in wheelchairs – and aim the coloured, soft, boule-sized balls at a white jack. People with severe disabilities can use a chute to propel the balls towards the target; others might kick them.

Will is the all-abilities co-ordinator for the World Sports Ministries charity, based in Bath. He goes into schools to provide PE coaching and after-school clubs through a not-for-profit organisation called GET Sported, running local community groups, hosting quiz nights and church events PAGE 90 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

Will, who lives in Frome and attends Clink Evangelical Church, said: “I became hooked on boccia and I want to share my passion for the sport because it can be played on so many levels.

“I have always wanted to help disabled people, such as myself, get A window of opportunity: Will Windess is into sports and to keen for people to take up boccia bring them together with others to improve their social lives. I know that many in our culture experience loneliness and depression due to isolation. This group may not solve these issues, but it might mean that some disabled adults can start to build up friendships in the community of Frome.”

For details, visit: www.worldsportministries.com

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SPORT

Boy, these racers are lapping up the action

By Mark Adler

THE “paddock” is full and the mechanicscum-drivers are making last-minute adjustments to their cars ahead of practice for a night of fast-paced racing.

Although the sense of competitiveness is evident, there is plenty of banter amongst the competitors as they compare notes and cars.

Welcome to the Wednesday night world of the Shepton Mallet Slot Car Club, meeting in a room overlooking not the F1 glamour locations of Monte Carlo or Singapore, but the busy squash courts of Shepton Mallet Leisure Centre below.

The paddock is actually a large table and the bar counter; many of the cars have been brought by their owners in metallic flight cases which open to reveal workshops in miniature. Alongside the cars – many of which have been customised – are sets of screwdrivers, pliers, spare parts, oils and lubricants and

A busy night at Shepton Slot Car Club

personalised throttle controls.

Slot car racing is about more than Scalextric; as well as Scalextric Super Resistant, the club members and competitors race NASCAR, Group C and NonnoSlot F1 amongst many.

Slot car racing is big business and can be expensive, but the club welcomes visitors to have a go for free, providing a basic car and all the club’s expertise. Cars can reach speeds of 15mph on the 100foot-long, four-lane track which was purpose-built thanks partly to a grant from Tesco’s Bags of Help scheme.

Graham Lane gets ready for a night’s racing

Podium finish: (l:r) 1st BMW 318; 2nd Volvo 850; 3rd Chevy Camaro

Graham Lane, founder and former club chairman, is also president of The International Association for 1/32 Hard Body Slot Car Racing. He said: “The sport is for all ages and abilities and it brings people together. It’s also a lot cheaper than owning the real thing!”

He added: “The social side is very important, giving people a chance to get out and meet other racers.”

Club member Ian Furey-King, who travels from his home in Bristol to race at the club, joked: “It was a toy invented 60 years ago – played by men in their 60s!”

Drivers at the controls

Cars can reach speeds of 15mph on the Shepton circuit

For details, find Shepton Mallet Slot Car Club on Facebook: @sheptonslotcarclub

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 91

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Saying the long goodbye

WINTER is often a time when we have to say goodbye. The cold, damp and long dark days exacerbate the health issues suffered by our elderly equine friends.

Chronic conditions commonly affecting older horses include arthritis, chronic lameness, respiratory diseases such as With RACHEL recurrent airway obstruction and metabolic THOMPSON disorders such as Cushing’s disease and MBE laminitis. These health issues can become acute in the winter months, adding to the stress of the older horse and often lead to a frank discussion with the vet about the horse’s best interests and his quality of life.

Two of my friends, Caroline Taylor and Penny Butterell, have said a sad goodbye this winter to their horses: Caroline to Percy at the age of 30 and Penny to Folly (Bally Cruise) at the age of 32.

Both my friends are exceptional horse owners who deserve the Mendip Times equine column salute for their dedication and loyalty to their equine companions and for ensuring they have had long, happy, healthy and useful lives.

Let’s say a long goodbye to Percy, the beautiful Thoroughbred x Hanoverian ex-film star horse whose exploits have featured in Mendip Times so often. Percy is the horse who has done everything, from carrying Mel Gibson in Braveheart, Andrew Keir in Rob Roy to carrying ladies in wedding dresses, ball gowns and military attire.

He has been decorated with balloons and banners for children’s parties, whipped in hounds, led parades, performed riding displays and won sacks of rosettes at local, county, Royal Windsor shows and the Veteran Horse Society (for whom he was patron) Championships.

This winter Percy suffered badly with arthritis and Caroline bravely took the hardest decision of all. She said: “Nearly 21 years together, we have done some things, he was such a loyal horse, brave and bold, I shall dearly miss him, pulling faces and wanting his breakfast.”

Let’s say a long goodbye also to Folly, the beautifully bred quirky TB mare with the heart of gold who should have been a superstar racehorse (Folly was by top eventer Cruise Missile and

Percy’s 30th birthday party last year

PAGE 92 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

Caroline and Percy at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 2015

niece to racing superstar Spartan Missile). Folly lived for all of her life in Priddy, loving home so much that when sent away to be trained was so naughty she was expelled by two different trainers, one exclaiming “that horse should be in cans!”

Sent down to the start at Taunton Racecourse, she refused to wait to start, lapping the racecourse twice before her bewildered jockey could pull her up. More exploits followed so Folly came home to live a quiet life, hacking and being a brood mare. Penny said: “She was poetry in motion, the most beautiful horse I have been lucky enough to be with, a horse you have had all of its life, the relationship is so special, sharing the mistakes and the good times, knowing their every thought, she was such a huge beautiful spirit.” Folly died at home, where she always wanted to be.

Special horses and special owners. Our equine friends must, like us, fall and die away with the passing of the seasons, just like the leaves from the trees. How can we repay them for their loyalty and friendship? Kindness, compassion and a loving home right to the end. Percy and Folly – may their spirits live on, enriching all our lives with so many happy memories.

Penny with Folly

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RIDING

From bake off to take off

CELEBRITY Great British Bake Off judge Pru Leith was amongst the crowd at Wincanton’s prestigious Kingwell Hurdle Day which helped Ditcheat trainer Paul Nicholls achieve an extraordinary eight winners on one day across three meetings.

The day boosted the trainer’s chances of regaining the champion trainer title with Grand Sancy, ridden by Harry Skelton, taking the Betway Kingwell Hurdle Race itself with its £26,100 first prize. At Ascot, Clan des Obeaux won the Denman Chase.

Pru Leith (left) presents jockey Daryl Jacob and Amy Derham (Paul Nicholls’s niece) with the trophy for winning the Betway Heed Your Hunch Handicap Chase with Magic Saint

Harry Skelton and stable lass Luca Varga with Kingwell winner Grand Sancy and connections

Fun for all family on race day

Grand Sancy clears the last hurdle on his way to victory

Studying form by the paddock

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 93

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MENDIP TIMES

Historic pall moves to abbey

A FUNERAL pall made from medieval material believed to have been from a ceremonial cloak worn by Abbot Whiting, the last abbot of Glastonbury, has been donated to Glastonbury Abbey.

Abbot Whiting was hung, drawn and quartered on Glastonbury Tor in 1539 following the dissolution of the abbey.

The pall, a cloth to cover a coffin, was made in the late 18th century from the cloak, officially called a cope, worn by the clergy.

The textile – now on show in the abbey – came from St John’s Church in Glastonbury where it had been displayed in the north transept. The church is currently closed for refurbishment work.

Janet Bell, abbey director and curator, said: “Although there is no direct evidence that it was worn by Abbot Whiting, it is extremely likely to have come from the abbey and would have been worn by the abbots of the time.” l Abbey wildlife volunteer Peter Bluck has captured a year in the life of ruins and the grounds focusing on the creatures living on the 36-acre site. Monthly wildlife tours are available which are included in the normal abbey admission price. To view the video, visit: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChU5wP0aE4C3tVBvUoK WOWg Monthly wildlife tours are available which are included in the normal abbey admission price. To view the video, visit: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChU5wP0aE4C3tVBv UoKWOWg

Smallholding is booming

PAGE 94 • MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019

THE Westcountry Smallholders Show has an even larger presence at the prestigious West of England Game Fair on Saturday, March 16th and Sunday, March 17th.

Now celebrating its 24th year, the countryside celebration at the Bath and West Showground sees a big increase in the range and number of smallholder stands.

From a variety of demonstrations and have-a-go activities to poultry sales, smallholder products and a variety of animals and birds on display, the Exmoor Halls will be packed with hands-on activities, information and advice and enticing, locally-crafted smallholder goods.

There’ll be alpaca products, a wheel wright, chicken houses and kennels, bird boxes, South East Somerset Beekeepers Association; Somerset Smallholders Association and more.

The West of England Game Fair offers a wonderful mix of have-a-go activities including archery and willow making; terrier and lurcher shows, family dog show, air rifles (including a competition for under-13s) and clay shooting; fascinating demonstrations both indoor and outdoor with top names in the areas of falconry, wildfowling, ferreting, gun dog training, fly casting and more.

These are all combined with an incredible countryside shopping experience. Stay stylish with the latest fashions; keep up to date with new products, excellent advice and, of course, plenty of the main brands, shotguns, accessories, fishing items and more.

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WHAT’S ON

SOMERSET Wildlife Trust is promising a lively and entertaining fundraising evening that will literally open your ears to the fascinating world of birdsong, brought to you by well-known Tweet of the Day authors Brett Westwood and Stephen Moss.

Between them Radio 4 presenter Brett and Springwatch producer Stephen have spent over a century watching and listening to birds. Stephen is also president of Somerset Wildlife Trust.

Their bestselling book Tweet of the Day, based on the cult radio series, is packed with hints and tips on how to tell your corncrake from your curlew and your blackcap from your whitethroat.

In this aural extravaganza on Thursday, March 28th the duo provide a crash course in birdsong complete with bizarre sounds, curious anecdotes and fascinating facts, suitable for both novices and avid birders of all ages.

Tickets are £20 +booking fee and Mendip Times readers can save 15% off with the promotional code ‘SWT15’. Tickets can be purchased in person from the Cheese and Grain, by calling the box office directly on 01373 455420 or visiting the website www.cheeseandgrain.com All profits from this fundraising event will go towards the work of Somerset Wildlife Trust – safeguarding the county’s wildlife and wild places and, encouraging everyone to enjoy and appreciate the natural world around them.

(Photograph courtesy of Kevin Wills)

Meet the tweeters!

Stephen Moss

Brett Westwood

Wells Festival of Film

ENTRIES are open for a short film competition being organised by the Wells Festival of Film, paying tribute to local heroes.

People are being invited to submit a 90-second video about a friend, family member or someone else they know who they consider to be a “hero”, The winner will then have their story made into a short feature by local director Darren Cavanagh, which will then be shown at the award ceremony during the festival of film on Sunday, April 28th. A Go-Pro Hero camera will also be presented to the winner.

The festival will celebrate a local hero in another way. A documentary Pick of the Litter about five puppies going through their training to become guide dogs will have a special screening in front of local advocate Helen McCann and her guide dog Alfie who will be guests of honour alongside some of his canine companions. l The festival runs from Friday, April 26th until Sunday, April 28th. To enter the competition, email videos to wellsfilmfestival@aol.co.uk The closing date is March 31st. For more information on the festival visit www.wellsfilmcentre.co.uk or pop into the cinema.

GAME FAIR TICKET COMPETITION WINNERS

LAST month we offered you the chance to win tickets to the West of England Game Fair being held at the Royal Bath and West Showground on March 16th and 17th. We had a bumper entry. The first three correct answers drawn were from Roger Chalwin, Shipham, J. O’Brien, Radstock and Mrs J. Clarke, Mudgley. Congratulations – enjoy the fair!

Princes Road, Wells, BA5 1TD

NOW SHOWING Starts Friday 1st March Starts Friday 8th March Starts Friday 15th March Starts Friday 22nd March

MARCH EVENT CINEMA

Fighting With My Family (12A) • Boy Erased The Aftermath • A Private War (15) Captain Marvel 3D/2D (12A) Fisherman's Friends (12A) • Ben Is Back The White Crow (12A) Talking Film – All Is True Mon 11th 7pm The Great Escape with Dan Snow Sun 24th 6pm An Ideal Husband Wed 27th 7.15pm

● Book in person ● Online 24/7 @www.wellsfilmcentre.co.uk ● Over the ’phone: 01749 673195

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 95

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MENDIP TIMES

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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. We may not be able to use entries which are too lengthy or submitted as posters or leaflets. Commercial entries cost £25.

Wednesday Feb 27th Harptrees History Society talk by James Bond "Deserted Medieval Villages of Somerset" 7.30pm, West Harptree village hall BS40 6EB. Details: 01761 221758 or 221941.

Thursday February 28th West Mendip Walkers mod circular 6m Saltford.

Ex155 ST687673. Start 12.30 Bird in the Hand.

Details: Andrew: 07581 568805 andrewsmallbone@hotmail.com Mendip Ramblers mod 6.5miles to Chelynch. Start 10am Cranmore Steam Railway BA4 4QL, ST668430. Details: Margaret P 01761 232042/ 07910 873853.

France – bird watching & conservation by Ken Hall for Chew Valley Wildlife Group 7.45pm Chew Magna Old School Room, £2.50.

Friday March 1st Open Mic Night Redhill Club, BS40 5SG. 8pm 11pm. Hosted by Jerry Blythe: 07900 587646.

Sam Kelly Trio Meadway Hall, Compton Dundon, 7.30 for 8pm, Bar. £10. Details: Kay 01458 448694 or kaywilliamson46@hotmail.com Concert Churchill Academy & Trinity Singers 7.30pm All Saints Church, Weston-s-Mare. Adults £10, accompanied U18s £5: www.ticketsource.co.uk www.trinitysingers.co.uk Saturday March 2nd Mendip Society walk from Tickenham. Mod 4.3m.

Meet 1.30pm opp Tickenham Church, BS21 6SX. Details: Clive 01275 848052.

Carlea Theatre Arts Hewish & Puxton village hall 9.30-1pm. Children’s dance classes. Details: Leanne 07534 242 119.

Mouse Racing: raising funds for Horrington CC. 7.30 Mendip Shooting Ground BA5 3EH. Tickets £10 in advance: 01749 676733 or horringtoncc@hotmail.com Kingston Seymour Market 10am-12pm village hall.

Fairtrade goods, cakes, crafts. Tables £2. Details: 01934 830553.

Brent Amateur Drama Group presents a Night At the Bad Holiday Camp, parish hall 6.45pm, tickets £12 inc fish and chips from village shop or Sandra 01278 760451.

Sunday March 3rd Mendip Ramblers mod 10.5m Mendip ring circular.

Start 9.30am Strap Lane, Upton Noble. Park verge nr primary school BA4 6AU, ST713393. Details: Bob & Rosemary 01749 346023.

Social table tennis all abilities 2.30pm Compton Dando village hall, £3pp. Details: Richard 07968 269841.

Monday March 4th Mendip Ramblers easy 3.5m cup of tea walk Stratton-on-the-Fosse. Start 1.30pm village hall BA3 4QQ, ST658511. Details: Trevor & Val 01761 232311 07976 629342.

“Back in Time” Winscombe & Sandford in 1950s with archive photos. Report on Millennium Green.

7.30pm Winscombe Community Centre, BS25 1JA. All welcome.

Tuesday March 5th The English face unmasked – five centuries of portrait technique by Sarah Cove, 11am Bath & West Show Ground, BA4 6QN. Guests welcome www.theartssocietymendip.org.uk Pancake Races from 3.30pm St James Church Hall, Woodborough, Winscombe.

Somerset Wildlife Trust talk 'The Hedgehog Predicament' 8pm Caryford Hall, Ansford BA7 7JJ. £3. Refreshments from 7.30pm.

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Village club 3pm-4.30pm. Entry £1.50 includes two pancakes & soft drink.

Wednesday March 6th Mendip Society walk from Cameley. Easy 3m. Meet 1.30pm Cameley Lodge, BS39 5AH. Details: Peter 01761 221995.

Considering Adoption? Families for Children Trust information session 3pm - 5pm Yeovil Community Church, Addlewell Lane, BA20 1QN. Thursday March 7th Congresbury Gardening Club Daisy Days, Michaelmas Daisies, Rise & Renaissance, talk by Helen Picton 7.30pm Methodist Hall High St. Visitors welcome.

Mendip Ramblers mod 6m. Start 10am Stratton-onthe-Fosse village hall BA3 4QH, ST657511. Details: Trevor & Val L 01761 232311 07976 629342.

“Kinky Boots” musical. Evening Charity Theatre trip to Bristol Hippodrome. To book & for details of future events contact Chris: www.theatretrips.webeden.co.uk or 01458 273085.

Mendip Storytelling Circle: short tales, old & new.

Free, donations welcome 7.30pm Chewton Mendip village hall BA3 4LL mendipstorycircle@gmail.com.

Friday March 8th “The boy who cried wolf” musical puppetry by Angel Heart Theatre, 5.30pm Westbury village hall BA5 1JD. Tickets £7, U16 £4, family 2+2 £20 from Community Shop 01749 870640. Details: peterbright60@btinternet.com Thanks for your memories Binegar & Gurney Slade 7-10pm, Binegar Village Hall. Charity night of film, slides, story sharing, tea, cake & bar! £2. Details: Andy 07895 930979.

“Empowered Women” songs of love & courage for International Women’s Day. Magdalena Atkinson & Ruth Blake, 7.30pm Assembly Rooms, Glastonbury.

Tickets £8: www.eventbrite.com 'Old Clocks Roadshow' 7- 9pm St Mary's Church, Timsbury. Symon Boyd of Timsbury Clocks. Bring a clock for valuation. Free, donations to the church.

Wine & soft drinks on sale.

Saturday March 9th Spring Market 10-2pm Croscombe Village Hall, BA5 3RA. Local honey, cheese, meat, cakes, preserves & crafts. Refreshments & Easter egg hunt.

Details: 01749 572875 marylucia.cadogan@gmail.com Mendip Society walk nr Abbots Leigh. Mod 5m.

Meet 2pm Ashton Court golf course café car park, BS8 3PX. Details: Ann 01179 736497.

“Dive into Dahlias” by Naomi Slade: propagation, book signing. 10.30am-1pm. St. Paul’s School hall, Shepton Mallet BA4 5LA www.sheptonhortsoc.org.uk Frome FSLS Sue Bucklow – Casting the Empire: JW Singer & Sons of Frome, Assembly Rooms, 2.30pm.

Crohns & Colitis UK coffee morning, 10am-12pm, Middlecombe Nursery, Wrington Rd, Congresbury, BS49 5AN. Carlea Theatre Arts Hewish & Puxton Village Hall 9.30-1pm. Children’s dance classes. Details: Leanne 07534 242 119.

Bleadon Horticultural Society Annual Spring Show, 2.30pm Coronation Hall, Bleadon BS24 0PG. All welcome. Adults £1.

Congresbury Book Sale 9am-1pm War Memorial Hall. Good quality books, jigsaws, dvds & cds.

Seedy Saturday 10am-2pm, Timsbury Conygre Hall.

Seed swap & green fair: crafts, talks, workshops.

Adults £1 U-16 free www.seedysaturday.org.uk Wrington and Burrington Hedging Society match, Holt Farm, Blagdon BS40 7SQ, 9am-4pm.

Sunday March 10th Post hibernation problems in tortoises: advice from Shepton Vets, 2.30 for 3pm Felton Village Hall, BS40 9XA. Adults £2. Refreshments.

Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt races. See P98.

Monday March 11th The History of Mendip & Bristol Ochre Mines by

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Alan Gray to Nailsea & District Local History Society 7.45pm, Green Lecture Room, Nailsea School.

Members free, visitors £2. www.ndlhs.org.uk Congresbury Memorial Hall Club friendship evening with bingo. Non-members welcome. 8pm War Memorial Hall.

Mendip Folk Dance Club 8 -10pm, St James Church Hall Winscombe BS25 1AQ. All welcome, £3pp Details Pat 01934 742853.

Tuesday March 12th Clevedon Art Club Ruth Ander, Landscape Artist & Print-maker, 7.30pm Sixth Form Centre Clevedon School, BS21 6AH. Non-members £3.

Congresbury Over-60s Club friendship hour – tea, biscuits & chat. War Memorial Hall, 2.30-4pm.

Details: 01934 832004.

Wednesday March 13th Wells Civic Society, Jon Jefferies on Monmouth, the Rebellion & the bloody retribution of Judge Jeffreys.

Wells & Mendip Museum, 7.30pm.

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake evening Charity Theatre trip to Bristol Hippodrome. To book & for details of future events: Chris 01458 273085. www.theatretrips.webeden.co.uk “A Trip up the Panama Canal” by Mike Bolton for Henton & District WI, 7.30 Henton Village Hall BA5 1PD. Visitors welcome. Refreshments.

Nailsea Horticultural Society talk Your Garden in Close Up by Chris & Judy Yates 7.30pm Nailsea United Reformed Church Hall.

Thursday March 14th RNLI Supper Night Queen Victoria Inn, Priddy from 7pm, last orders 9pm. Details: www.thequeenvicpriddy.co.uk State menu choice when booking: 01749 676385.

Social table tennis all abilities 7.15pm Compton Dando village hall, £3pp Details Richard 07968 269841.

Mendip Ramblers moderate 6.5m Wookey Hole, Wookey & Easton (strenuous uphill last mile). Start 10am Ebbor Gorge car park BA5 1EL, ST520485.

Details: Gus 01749 840349 / 07840 926769.

Friday March 15th Jon Pickard in concert: harp-guitar for St Patrick’s Day 7.30pm St John the Baptist Parish Church, Pilton £8 on door. Refreshments (donations). Details: Jenny 01749 890465.

Saturday March 16th Pond Creation & Restoration Workshop for Somerset Wildlife Trust 10am - 3.30pm. Location TBC. Details: events@somersetwildlife.org Parkinson's UK NW Somerset branch AGM 11.30am Masonic Hall, Nailsea, BS48 1BA. All welcome.

Miserere: music for Lent, 7.30pm All Saints Church, Weston-s-Mare, BS23 2NL. Tickets £12 U-16s free.

Details: www.costanziconsort.org.uk Jumble Sale Ubley village hall 1pm-3.30. Donations can be left from 9am. 50p entrance. Refreshments. All proceeds to Primary School PTA. Carlea Theatre Arts Hewish & Puxton Village Hall 9.30-1pm. Children’s dance classes. Contact Leanne 07534 242 119.

Frome Memorial Theatre: "Gaelforce Dance" 7.30pm. Tickets £22, £18 from 01373 462795 www.fmt.website Claverham village market, 10am -12 village hall, Bishops Rd. Tea/coffee, produce, cakes, cards, jewellery, plants, details 01934 838017.

Saturday March 16th and Sunday March 17th West of England Game Fair, Royal Bath and West Showground. See P99.

Sunday March 17th Somerset Craft Club, Hewish & Puxton Village Hall 9am-5pm. Contact: Phil 07787 432700.

Mendip Ramblers mod 10.5m Gurney Slade to Edford. Start 10am Oakhill village hall CP BA3 5AN, ST633475. Contact: Gus 01749 840349 / 07840 926769.

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Monday March 18th “Shady Side of Town” talk by Adrian Lawson for Timsbury Natural History Group, 7.30pm Conygre Hall Timsbury. Non-members welcome, £3.

Wednesday March 20th Somerset Vernacular Group talk by Mike Heaton, who writes Heritage Assessments for planning applications 7.30pm Compton Dundon Meadway Hall. £2. Details: 01935 822202.

Henton & District Gardening Club “Gardens of Stourhead” talk by Alan Power, Estate Manager, 7.30pm Henton village hall BA5 1PD. Visitors £3 incl refreshments.

Mendip Society walk from Stoke St. Michael. Mod 5m. Meet 10.30am Frog Lane car park, BA3 5JL. Details: Richard 01749 841830.

Gardens of WW1, by Christine Stones, 7.30pm Ston Easton Village Hall. Visitors welcome. Details: mendipgardeningclub.com Thursday March 21st Mendip Ramblers mod 6m around Wells. Start 10am end of Ash Lane, nr Old Bristol Road, BA5 2QR, ST549464. Details: Francoise 01458 831823.

Friday March 22nd Redhill Club Quiz Night 7.30 for 8pm, BS40 5SG. Teams of 6 max. £2pp. Hot dogs available. Wrington & Redhill FC in aid of children's play area fund. Tel: 01934 862619.

Quiz Night Binegar village hall Teams of 4, £10. Bar. In aid of Heads Up & village hall. Call Steve to book: 07528 169533.

Saturday, March 23rd Mendip Society walk from Ebbor Gorge. Mod/ hard 6m. Meet 1.30 pm NT Deer Leap CP, BA5 1EL. Details: Brian 01749 672457.

Night of Nostalgia in aid of Marie Curie. Ballroom, Wells Town Hall, 7.30pm-10.30pm. Tickets £10 from Wells Town Hall or tina.blackwill@live.co.uk 07450367805.

New/nearly new sale: toys, books, gifts 10am-12 Compton Dando village hall, in aid of St Mary’s Church. Refreshments.

Ghost Weed & friends, 8.30pm Redhill Village Club, BS40 5SG. £5 on the door. Hot dogs available. In aid of children's play area fund. Tel: 01934 862619.

Carlea Theatre Arts Hewish & Puxton Village Hall 9.30-1pm. Children’s dance classes. Contact Leanne 07534 242 119.

RNLI Quiz Chew Stoke Church Hall. Tickets £12.50, hot supper & raffle. Call Tim Gracey 01275 854623.

Farmborough Craft & Gift Fayre, Memorial Hall, BA2 0AH. 10.30– 4pm £1, children free. Wide range of gifts, refreshments.

Frome Memorial Theatre: "Rule the World with Tony as Robbie" 7.30pm. Tickets £20, £18 from 01373 46295 www.fmt.website Congresbury Book Sale 9am-1pm War Memorial Hall. Good quality books, jigsaws, dvds & cds.

Writing workshop Street Library. 10am-12. Free.

Places limited. To book: 0300 123 2224 or strlib@somerset.gov.uk Frome FSLS agm 2pm followed by the Rev Colin Alsbury on controversial priest, the Rev WJE Bennett, 2.30pm, Assembly Rooms, Frome.

Early Spring Plant Fair, Lambrook Manor Gardens, with 22 top independent nurseries and seed growers from all over the South West, 10am. Details: www.eastlambrook.com Sunday March 24th Social table tennis all abilities 2.30pm Compton Dando village hall, £3pp Details Richard 07968 269841.

Table Top Sale Edington Village Hall TA7 9HA. Crafts, vintage, bric-a-brac, collectables. Raising funds for Forever Hounds Trust. Details: 01278 723247.

Mendip Ramblers mod 11m Cheddar reservoir to Crook Peak. Start 10am Cheddar reservoir north end, BS26 2HG, ST439543. Details: Janet 01458 835238 / 07706 181609.

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Mendip Farmers’ Point-to-Point. See P98.

Monday March 25th Green Gardeners 7.30pm Parish Rooms Somerton TA11 7NB Irresistible Garden Flowers for Butterflies

by Roy Cheek. Visitors welcome £3.

RNLI Winscombe & District Branch AGM 7.30pm Cricket Club. Reports & display of 2018 activities. All welcome. Bar. Details 01934-842304 or meejlfh@gmail.com Congresbury Memorial Hall Club friendship evening with Bingo. Non-members welcome. 8pm War Memorial Hall.

Mendip Folk Dance Club 8 -10pm, St James Church Hall Winscombe BS25 1AQ. All welcome, £3pp Details Pat 01934 742853.

Tuesday March 26th Chilcompton Garden Club “Orchids” Simon Pugh Jones, 7.30pm village hall. Visitors £2.

Wednesday March 27th Harptrees History Society talk by Oliver Hulme, "The Secret Bunkers in Somerset" 7.30 West Harptree Hall BS40 6EB. Details 01761 221758 or 221941.

Backwell & Nailsea Macular Support “The Life & Music of Frank Sinatra” 1.30pm Backwell WI Hall.

Contact: Sheila 01275 462107.

Mendip Society talk: “Surviving the Last Ice Age” new evidence from Ebbor Gorge. Prof. Danielle Schreve, 7.30pm Henton Church. £5 on door. Details: jennycrossley@mbzonline.net or Terry: 01749 679128.

Thursday March 28th Chew Valley Wildlife Group: “Faulklands – conflict & wildlife” by Derek Trendell. Chew Magna Old School Room, 7.45pm. £2.50.

Social table tennis all abilities 7.15pm Compton Dando village hall, £3pp Details Richard 07968 269841.

Mendip Ramblers mod 6m Kilmersdon area. Start 10am Kilmersdon Church BA3 5TL, ST685524.

Details: Contact: Trevor & Val L 01761 232311 / 07976 629342.

Friday March 29th Mendip Society agm, guest speaker Gerry Cottle, Wookey Hole Community Hall, 7pm.

Lions Brass 4 Youth Concert 7.30pm Nailsea School. Tickets £7.50 U-17s £4 from 01275 464240 or chris.j.perry@blueyonder.co.uk. Proceeds to Rotary Nailsea & Backwell local charities.

Quiz Night, 7.30pm Chew Valley School Hall. Teams of up to 6, £10pp includes chilli supper. Raising funds to support the school. Tickets: 01275 332272. Details: cvschoolsociety@outlook.com “From Shoes to Films” talk by Neil Clark (40 yrs with Clarks) 7pm Camerton Community Hall. £5 inc. hot drink.

Friday March 29th to Sunday March 31st Twelfth Night with Avalon Phoenix Players. All profits to Mind in Somerset. Performances start 7pm St Benedict’s Church, Glastonbury. Tickets £8 on door or: Avalonphoenixplayers.weebly.com Saturday March 30th Churchill Music Peter Donohoe, All-Mozart Piano Series part 1, at 4.30pm & 7.30pm, St Johns Church, BS25 5NW. (Part 2 is on 18th May) Tickets online: Ticketsource or Mary: 01934 852589.

Magna Jazz 7.30pm Litton Village Hall. Dance or sit

WHAT’S ON

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& listen! Bar. Tickets £10 incl Ploughman’s supper: Mike 01761 241446 or Maggie 01761 241522.

West Mendip Orchestra Concert Weber, Mozart, Dvorak, 7.45pm St Mary's Church, Yatton. Tickets £10 (£8) students £2 on door.

Clash of the Choirs, St Mary’s Church Wedmore, 5.30 for 6.15pm. Tickets £8, U-14s £3, from village store.

Carlea Theatre Arts Hewish & Puxton village hall 9.30-1pm. Children’s dance classes. Contact Leanne 07534 242 119.

Easter Craft Fair, Ston Easton village hall 11-3pm Lovely stalls, children’s activities; lunch & refreshments. In aid of Chewton Mendip Primary School.

Congresbury Gardening Club Spring Show 2.30pm Old School Rooms, £1. Details: congresburygardening.org Gardens of WW1 by Christine Stones for Somerset Plant Heritage 2.30 pm Edington Village Hall TA7 9HA. Visitors welcome £4. Plant sale 1.30pm Details 01278 451631.

Wells Cathedral Oratorio Society presents Felix Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Wells Cathedral, 7pm, tickets online at: www.wcos.org.uk 01749 672773 or shop@wellscathedral.uk.net Love The Library Day. Shepton Mallet Library, 2, Market Place, Shepton Mallet, BA4 5AZ. Activities for all, including author readings. 10am-4pm. Free.

For details, call into the library or find them on Facebook @SheptonMalletLibrary Tuesday April 2nd ‘As Good as Gold’ Alexandra Epps on its significance & symbolism, 11am Bath & West Show Ground, BA4 6QN www.theartssocietymendip.org.uk.

Guests welcome. Contact 01934 862435.

Thursday April 4th Congresbury Gardening Club Minimum Effort for Maximum Effect by Mary Payne, 7.30pm Methodist Hall High Street.

Mendip Storytelling Circle short tales, old & new.

Treat yourself to listening. Entrance free, donations welcome. 7.30 pm Chewton Mendip Village Hall BA3 4LL mendipstorycircle@gmail.com.

Friday April 5th MENDIPITY: Quiz on all things Mendip! 7pm Burrington Inn. Enter teams of 4 or as individuals. £10pp incl ploughman’s. Book: Judith 01275 874284 /secretary@themendipsociety.org.uk Open Mic Night Redhill Club, BS40 5SG. 8pm –11pm. Hosted by Jerry Blythe: 07900 587646.

Saturday April 6th “Wakey Wakey” Free post hibernation check for your tortoise. Tortoises on display. Vet advice.

Refreshments. British Chelonia Group, 10am-4pm, Felton village hall BS40 9XA. Frome Memorial Theatre: "Jive Talkin' perform The Bee Gees Live in Concert" 7.30pm. Tickets £20 from 01373 462795 www.fmt.website Chew Valley Choral Society Haydn’s Creation, St Andrew’s Church, Blagdon. Tickets £12, students £6 from CVCS members, on the door or 01275 333014.

Free Prostate cancer testing 10am-2pm, St Thomas

Church, Wells BA5 2XG. For appointment: 01458 441669 or peterhopwood46@gmail.com www.cityofwellslions.org/prostate

MARCH CROSSWORD SOLUTION

ACROSS: 1 Asserts, 5 Redhill, 10 In situ, 11 Overwork, 12 Location, 13 Agreed, 14 Heavy metal, 16 Yo-yo, 17 Shia, 19 Whitchurch, 22 Adorns, 23 Boulter's, 25 Specific, 26 Twelve, 27 Oneself, 28 Inferno.

DOWN: 2 Sun Hole, 3 Eliza, 4 Tourism, 6 Eyeball, 7 How are you, 8 Largely, 9 John Steinbeck, 15 Via Crucis, 18 Hadspen, 19 Wishful, 20 Clutton, 21 Caravan, 24 Theme.

MENDIP TIMES • MARCH 2019 • PAGE 97

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MENDIP TIMES

WHAT’S ON

Great racing in prospect

POINT-to-point racing returns to the Mendip area in March with two fixtures guaranteed to appeal not just to enthusiasts but to families seeking a great day out.

First up is the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale meeting on Sunday, March 10th with at least six races starting at 12.30 followed by two pony races for young riders.

The meeting takes place at its traditional venue at Charlton Horethorne, near Wincanton, but the course layout has been changed.

Caroline Hinks, one of the organisers, said: “The track will no longer cross the entrance road into the course. The three-mile start

Supporting owners and horses across the Mendips since 1997 Stables Equine Practice, Conkerfield, Pennybatch Lane, Wookey, Wells BA5 1NH Tel: 01749 830666 • www.stablesequinepractice.co.uk

Action from last year’s BSV meeting at Charlton Horethorne

will be in the back straight and the finish will remain where it always has been. The changes to the track mean that the traffic can continue to flow during the races.”

She added: “We have also changed some of the races and this year we are offering a £500 first prize in the Mixed Open and we have a Conditions Race for riders that have not ridden more than 15 winners at the start of the season which is a fairly unusual type of race.”

This year, the Mendip Farmer’s meeting at Ston Easton will begin with a donkey derby at 11am.

The main features will be the six races: PPORA Conditions (novice and veteran), ladies open, mens open, open maiden, fourfive-and-six-year-old maiden (2m4f), and restricted (2m4f).

With plenty of food outlets, shopping – and bookmakers – there will be plenty of attractions at both meetings to enjoy.

To keep up to date on all meetings in the Wessex area, visit: www.pointingwessex.co.uk

SUNDAY MARCH 10th (First of at least six races from 12.30pm followed by two pony races) Admission £10 per person, under 12 years old free.

SUNDAY MARCH 24th (Donkey derby from 11am, first race 1pm, followed by pony racing) MENDIP FARMERS’ POINT-TO-POINT Ston Easton, (off A37, 8m N of Shepton Mallet, BA3 4DH)

Advance E-tickets now available at discounted price of £8 via: www.mendipfarmerspointtopoint.co.uk • facebook.com/mendipfarmersp2p • www.pointingwessex.co.uk

TEL: 07879 645364 FOR MORE INFORMATION

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