SPRINGis definitely in the air and our gardening experts offer suggestions for planting, pruning and foraging.
Looking ahead, there should be a good cider apple crop come autumn, judging by the number of wassails we feature this month, along with many other events.
The Mendip calendar is rapidly filling up, as you can see from our extensive What’s On and Music pages.
Men’s Sheds are growing in popularity and we feature Midsomer Norton and Axbridge, where they have taken over the town’s former station.
Katy Beauchamp offers recipes to suit all weathers, while Sue Gearing gives us a walk around Wrington.
As usual, we have a dozen pages or more devoted to news from charities and community groups, which we are very happy to support.
We can only do this because of our loyal advertisers. Our thanks to them –and the small army of people who send us so much material every month.
With all of our regular features and contributors, let’s enjoy the spring flowers.
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Around 3,000 people are expected to take part in the day of free activities and events, on Sunday, July 21st, stretching from the Cheese and Grain, via the market car park, into Welshmill woods and the river walk, as well as Welshmill.
Organisers, the communitybased charity Purple Elephant, say funding for the day has previously come from many sources but, in the current climate, there simply isn’t enough to go round for all the UK’s charities.
Festival founder, Sue Willis, said: “Purple Elephant is lucky to have funding for our year-round vulnerable family and child support services, but the children’s festival is a bit different.
“It is a one-off, huge, annual event that is open to everyone, regardless of their needs. It’s about integration in the town, community spirit and fun. As many activities as possible are accessible to those with additional needs and we include local student ‘young producers’ in designing it, as well as mentoring young volunteers too.”
Purple Elephant is now seeking businesses to become major sponsors and for individuals to donate to its LocalGiving appeal.
Sue added: “Indeed, we know that money is so short for some families that our children’s festival directly takes the place of traditional summer holiday trips and days out. Please join us in bringing as much sunshine as we can to the town this year.”
For details, email info@PurpleElephant.org.uk donate via https://localgiving.org/childrensfestival2024 or visit: www.PurpleElephant.org.uk
THE lives of workers at Clarks Shoe factories in WW1 – along with a new-found interest in the Quaker movement – have provided the source material for a series of three novels by Street resident Alison Knight.
Writing under the name of May Ellis, the first book, The Clarks Factory Girls at War, following the lives of three girls working there in 1914, will be published on March 9th with an official launch at the Friends Meeting House in the village on Saturday, March 16th.
Alison said: “It was inevitable that some of my characters would be Quakers because of the strong influence of the Clark family in the area, so I went along to the Friends’ Meeting House to do some research.
“The local Quaker community, known as Friends, were very welcoming and helpful. I became fascinated by their philosophy on faith and life and now I’m a regular attender at their meetings. It therefore seemed fitting to have my book launch at the Quaker Meeting House in Street.”
She also spent a lot of time researching local history in the Alfred Gillett Trust Reading Room at The Grange, currently closed due to the building of a new museum. Alison added: “The archivists were brilliant, finding documents and photographs for me to study that gave me a real flavour of what it was like working at Clarks during the First World War.”
FARMERSand land managers from across the Mendip Hills gathered at Fernhill Farm to celebrate the successes of the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme. Over the past three years, a lot has been achieved on the ground.
Over 4km of hedgerows have been planted, with 3.5km restored, providing crucial food and habitats for numerous species, including the endangered dormouse.
Some 2000 native trees have been planted, while 23 ponds have been either created or restored, forming a network essential for the breeding of various creatures like the great crested newt.
Nearly 6km of new permissive paths have been established through farmland, allowing people to connect with and appreciate the beauty of the landscape. And 1km of drystone walls have been reconstructed.
In addition over 100 educational events have been held, offering people the opportunity to engage with the farmed and natural landscape, plus training farmers in regenerative agriculture.
For the past three years the Mendip Hills National Landscape team have been delivering the programme with funds from Defra to support local farmers and land managers in delivering public goods.
Lucy Stockton, Farm Engagement Officer, said: “Together, we can continue to nurture and protect the rich tapestry of Mendip, ensuring a sustainable legacy for generations to come.”
In this fourth and final year there is a substantial sum of almost £350,000 available for projects, with £200,000 already allocated, so she is urging all interested parties to apply.
WEDMORE Village Farm has launched a Crowdfunding campaign to support its activities. It was established last year in Plud Street on the edge of the village.
It says it offers a space for the community to connect with their land,
A THERMALimage survey will provide a unique insight into wildlife at Cheddar Gorge. The National Trust and Longleat Estate, who jointly own the iconic landscape, have commissioned a drone survey to gather accurate data on the Soay sheep and Cheviot goats that call the gorge their home.
It will provide vital information for the Cheddar Gorge Wildlife Management Group, which consists of landowners and stakeholders in and around the gorge and has been formed to oversee the management of the free-roaming animals.
The group is working in partnership to record and monitor the animals to ensure a healthy population is maintained for the conservation of these species.
Each spring some goats make their way down from the cliffs in search of food as garden plants typically bloom earlier than the wild varieties in the gorge. It says residents at the bottom of the gorge should encourage goats which make their way into their garden to move along like any other wild animal.
Simon Powne, Wildlife Manager for the National Trust in Somerset, said: “‘The Cheddar Gorge area, as part of the Mendip Hills National Nature Reserve, is a carefully balanced ecosystem where the Soay sheep and Cheviot goats play a pivotal role in shaping the flora of this landscape.
“We will be looking to understand the current populations and what impact they are having on the habitat.”
their grower and their food.
They run services that help the community, such as a Care Farm scheme helping adults with learning difficulties and working with organisations such as Somewhere House who support people convalescing from addiction issues.
Wedmore Men’s Shed have joined them on the farm to address social isolation and mental health issues in men and the
Food Forest Project are there growing free organic food for local food banks.
It says: “Your contribution, no matter how small, will play a crucial role in making Wedmore Village Farm a vibrant and inclusive space for everyone.
“By supporting us, you are not just investing in a farm; you are investing in the wellbeing of our community and the sustainability of our shared future.”
Details: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/wedmore-village-farm
THEpublic is being asked to comment on proposals to close Cheddar Gorge to traffic occasionally to open it up to walkers, cyclists, visitors and for other events.
The Mendip Hills National Landscape Team proposes an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) to restrict vehicular access.
The order would be in place on Cliff Road (B3135) from the first narrows to Black Rock car park, meaning all the formal car parking would be unaffected. Initially, it is proposed that the restrictions would take place once per month.
An ETRO is a temporary measure used to help understand the impact of a proposed traffic regulation. It allows for the testing of changes to traffic flow, parking restrictions, or other related regulations on a trial basis.
Jim Hardcastle, manager of Mendip Hills National Landscape, said: “We want to create an experience that is fitting for a naturally beautiful and significant visitor
attraction like Cheddar George, as we’re aware of concerns about the volume of traffic and anti-social driving in the Gorge which people feel impacts safety and enjoyment of the area.
“The proposed order would allow people to experience the Gorge more safely and presents opportunities for events and activities to be held here to encourage enjoyment of one of Britain's most spectacular natural landmarks.”
Businesses in Cheddar and the car parks at either end of Cheddar Gorge would remain open as usual during the ETRO.
The consultation period runs until Tuesday, March 12th. The proposal has been criticised by motorists, but welcomed by geologist Richard Arthur, who first called for the occasional closure of both Cheddar Gorge and Burrington Combe in the Mendip Times nine years ago.
He said: “I am writing up the geology of Mendip and would like to be able to take groups to see the remarkable detail in the
rock that can be observed, if you know how and where to look and can do so in relative safety.”
He says one particularly important type or fossil (called Stromatolites) is really only able to be seen anywhere on Mendip by walking through the narrows near the horseshoe bend.
He said: “We owe our very existence to Stromatolites which were, and still are, made by sediment trapping microorganisms that were alive some 3.5 billion years ago.”
Details: https://mendiphills-nl.org.uk/news/cheddar-gorge-etro
THEcharity, Avon Needs Trees, is appealing for support to plant the South West’s biggest new woodland in a generation.
Lower Chew Forest would see 100,000 native trees planted between Bristol and Bath, including an area around Compton Dando.
Since 2019, when the charity was formed, it has planted over 35,000 native trees in the Somerset and Wiltshire countryside, with plans for 40,000 trees in Great Avon Wood, near Pensford.
Dave Wood, chief executive of Avon Needs Trees, said: “When Wick Farm came onto the market we knew we had to act.
“It’s rare for such a large amount of land to come up in one go, particularly somewhere like Compton Dando which is so close to Bristol and Bath, and we know that biodiversity recovery is far more effective across a large area.
“It really is the biggest opportunity in a generation for us to turn around the critically low percentage of woodland cover in our region and create a forest-sized woodland.”
The charity has identified grant funds and impact focused loans to cover a portion of the cost of the land and woodland creation costs. But it is still seeking £100,000 to help buy the land and
plant the trees.
It is hoping that woodland lovers, along with people who want to help tackle the climate and nature crises, can make a contribution.
It has launched a crowdfunder to invite individuals, schools and businesses to get involved to help make the project happen.
Those who make a donation are invited to sponsor a 3x3m block of land and each contributor will receive a what.three.words location for the patch they have sponsored.
Details: www.avonneedstrees.org.uk
DOwe ever wonder what happens to all the faeces dropped by sheep, cattle and horses on pastureland, plus that from wild deer, badgers and rabbits adding their share? It is not obvious. What does happen so that we are not overwhelmed by droppings that accumulate year upon year?
The answer is the dung beetle (unless as a human you collect horse droppings regularly) whose existence relies only on dung.
It seems quite hard to find detailed information about these amazing creatures. As always in nature every creature has its own particular niche. There are three basic types of dung beetle only two of which live in the UK – the tunnellers and the dwellers.
The roller beetle lives in the warmer regions of the world. These three descriptive words describe how the beetles use the dung they find.
Dung beetles can fly, some by day and others at night. As they are flying around they use their very sensitive antennae to smell where the dung is. Different species of dung beetles prefer different decomposition stages of dung.
Some will fly in straight away onto fresh dung whereas others prefer older dung. They will also prefer dung in
different locations and soil types. Some like dung in muddy areas, some the shadow of hedges and trees.
And finally, some dung beetles are specific to dung from certain species (sheep, cattle, horse for example). As well as those that are specialists, there are dung beetle species that are generalists, being less specific to dung age, location or the animal that produced it. It's a niche they fit into perfectly so helping themselves and us.
Dung beetles provide a wide range of other environmental advantages that help to maintain healthy pastures and soils. Most obvious is the direct consumption of dung thereby removing it from the fields, thus reducing pasture fouling and saving money to have it removed by other means.
There’s more. As the tunneller beetles tunnel down through the soil, burying the dung for breeding purposes, essential nutrients are recycled back into the soil. This improves grass growth and provides a direct benefit to grazing animals.
The larger species such as the Minotaur beetle can tunnel a metre or more. This action breaks up the ground and improves drainage which is especially useful on clay soils.
Given the right conditions, dung beetles can decimate a pile of horse poo or a cow pat in just a couple of days. The dweller beetle lives and breeds in the actual droppings.
The beetles are also an important food source for many other farmland species such as bats and birds and other insects. They are at work throughout the year though less so in winter and live for about three years.
There seems always to be a sting in the tail. Dung beetle species, of which there are 60 in the UK are becoming scarcer. A review by Natural England (October 2016) showed that many of our dung beetle species were in serious trouble, with almost 50% categorised as nationally scarce or threatened in some way.
The main reasons for this are:
The use of anthelmintics (wormers) a type of drug given to livestock routinely to control intestinal worms that prevent the farm animals from thriving. Dung beetle larvae are especially vulnerable to these wormers and are often killed by the presence of avermectins and similar products. Oh dear.
The disappearance of livestock from pastures due to a changes in farming practices. Livestock, especially cattle, are increasingly kept indoors to increase yields I assume.
Just a little about the roller beetle, which as the name suggests rolls dung into balls many times its size and weight. It uses these to make nesting chambers and to feed itself, mate and larvae under the ground.
This beetle was sacred to some such as the ancient Egyptians. They believed that the dung ball represented the world and the dung beetle kept the world forever revolving like its ball of manure.
The Addo National Park in South Africa has a sign at the entrance asking drivers to protect the rare and flightless dung beetle that lives there.
DUNG BEETLES HAVE A RIGHT OF WAY –DO NOT DRIVE OVER THEM OR ELEPHANT POO
Perhaps we should show more respect for this unsung hero too.
DIANA REDFERN
With NICK GREEN
ONEthing I notice more than anything while travelling around the beautiful area we live in is colour. As we are seeing the end of winter, the grass in the fields has started to change from the dull greens and yellows of the last few months to a vibrant green. It’s a sign nature is coming out of hibernation and we can look forward to some warmer weather.
As winter ends with mornings getting lighter earlier and evenings drawing out, so spring flowers start to appear. The white of snowdrops in January are followed by crocus, daffodils and primroses in February and March and can be seen along many of our roadside verges.
If you get a chance to explore our local woodlands no doubt you will find bluebells. This is an ancient woodland flower that forms a carpet of blue in late spring. Whilst these flowers make a fantastic view, they also provide much needed food for insects.
Later flowers such as dog violet, cow parsley, and daisies provide a fantastic source of food for pollinators. These flowers are found widely across British farmland. In some cases, the
farmer has planted them but, in the majority, the farmer has just looked after them to make sure they are there and flower year after year. Areas of fields that aren’t very productive are often left uncultivated. Nature doesn’t take long to self-seed and develop and before long there is a small area of pollen and nectar producing plants which bees and butterflies thrive on.
There are aspects of Mendip flower life shared with few other areas. The distinctive yellow flowers of gorse can be seen in various places on Mendip and if you have the chance to walk through it you will be enveloped by the smell of coconut.
Whilst gorse can be found in many places around the UK, the same can’t be said about the Cheddar Pink. The Cheddar Pink is a rare and protected orchid found in Cheddar Gorge and the immediately surrounding area. Some can be found on a rocky outcrop on farmland just past the top of the Gorge.
They are out of reach of the cattle which graze the rough grassland surrounding the outcrop so are defended by nature. Every year in June they become a vision of pink with a series of five petalled flowers clumped together on a couple of limestone steps.
Nick Green is Farms Director for Alvis Bros Ltd based at Lye Cross Farm. As well as the business, he is involved with a number of local and national farming charities.
Animal Feeds and Bedding
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Tools | Hardware | Gardening
Workwear | Logs and Gas
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Open 7 days a week
Mon-Sat 7.30am – 5.30pm | Sun 10am – 4pm 01963 440464
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Fir Tree Business Park, High Road, Galhampton, Somerset, BA22 7BH sales@galhamptoncountrystore.co.uk
ACROSS
1 A Somerset hill where King Alfred’s Tower stands (10)
6 Hair colour (4)
10 Old style TV policeman (5)
11 Indian dish of fermented dough, cooked in a clay oven (4,5)
12 Insects with a segmented carapace that enables them to roll into a ball (8)
13 Maybe descriptive of custard with bits in it (5)
15 Containers for writing fluids (7)
17 Having made a valid will (7)
19 Design in relief cut on a piece of linoleum enabling it to be used for printing (7)
21 Set of symbols at the bottom of a computer screen that let you to access your programmes (7)
22 African country once known as The Gold Coast (5)
24 Fashion item offering protection from wet weather (8)
27 The portraying an amusing or striking incident (9)
28 Water dwelling animal that might be referred to at a higher
temperature in the East End of London (5)
29 A badger’s home (4)
30 People who believe there should be no governments (10)
1 Teases young goats or children (4)
2 Your closest relatives (4,2,3)
3 Council of senior clergy or church officials (5)
4 Targets used in the American game adapted from skittles (7)
5 The most slender (7)
7 Lowest part of the small intestine (5)
8 Children’s toys named after President Roosevelt (5,5)
9 Shapes such as Wellington Monument on the edge of the Blackdown hills (8)
14 Male sex of some of 1 down (5,5)
16 Fields of fruit bearing trees (8)
18 Walks about (9)
20 The first city of Somerset to have electric street-lighting (7)
21 Made of long, round and hollow
material (7)
23 Well brought up spy (5)
25 A particular period of history (5)
26 Units of work or energy, (one ten-millionth of a joule) (4)
This month’s solution can be found on page 88
By greendandelion
Clues in italics are cryptic
THE annual Shepton Snowdrops festival has been hailed as another big success with visitors travelling long distances to enjoy events ranging from guided walks to children’s activities and a wildlife-themed fashion show using upcycled clothes and accessories.
The festival took place across a number of locations in the town. The Bishop’s Palace in Wells and Yeo Valley Organic Gardens were also festival partners. As well as entertainment and arts events, the photography and poetry competitions also attracted large number of entries from across the world.
Shepton Snowdrops celebrates the work of Victorian pioneering plantsman James Allen, who lives in the town and who hybridised wild snowdrops.
OVERNIGHT heavy rain turned the fields into mud – and morning fog didn’t help – but the Mid-Somerset Agricultural Society’s Countryside Day went ahead as planned.
Building on the success of the society’s revived hedge laying competition, visitors were also able to enjoy a 60-strong tractor run, clay pigeon shoot and dog scurry at Bagborough Farm, between Evercreech and Pylle.
The Wrington and Burrington hedging competition is on March 9th at Hazel Farm, Compton Martin.
Alex Hannam, competing in the Open Class
Emma joins dog Ivy on the scurry course
Champion hedge layer Alex Bown (second right), of Oakhill, with (l to r) novice class winner Samuel Jeddere-Fisher, from Bristol, with show president Tony Guidi and competition organiser Clive Bethell
With CHRIS YEO
Salerooms is delighted to announce their Spring Fine Art Sale will feature an original watercolour by His Majesty the King. The life of a Monarch is a hectic one. Juggling affairs of state with Buckingham Palace garden parties leaves little time for relaxation but, as the saying goes, everyone should have a hobby.
Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II famously had a love for the turf, but did you know that King Charles has been painting - chiefly landscapes –for nearly 50 years and describes himself as an “enthusiastic amateur” artist?
Of this pastime, he says: “Painting
transports me into another dimension which, quite literally, refreshes parts of the soul which other activities can't reach.”
The King’s passion for visual art was cultivated from a young age. He learned to paint under the influence of Robert Waddell, a teacher at Scottish boarding school Gordonstoun, which was his father Prince Philip’s and his alma mater.
Despite his self-proclaimed amateur status, King Charles is an honorary member of the Royal Academy and the Royal Watercolour Society and says he prefers watercolours because they are quicker to finish so he does not have to keep his security detail waiting too long.
The picture being offered at Clevedon is an unfinished watercolour study of Lochnagar, which featured in the 1993
television production of “The Legend of Lochnagar”. The watercolour features in the beginning scene, where His Majesty is working on the watercolour in his study when he is joined by a group of children.
He then tells the children the story of the “Old man who went to live in a cave in the highlands of Scotland on a mountain called Lochnagar”. It carries an estimate of £10,000 to £15,000.
In what promises to be an exciting and eclectic sale, other lots to be offered include a Victorian platinum and diamond tiara and, less regally but no less impressive, a rare early draft film script for “Raiders of the Lost Ark”.
l Clevedon Salerooms Spring Specialist will be held on Thursday, March 14th commencing at 10.30am.
THEprospect of inviting a stranger to the home of a parent or relative to value the contents (personal property) to fulfil HMRC requirements is for many people just one more task in a long line of unpleasant duties that administering the estate of a recently deceased person entails.
Finding a valuer of art and antiques with sufficient experience, a qualification recognised by HMRC and the compassion to assist a grieving family, is not always straightforward.
Toby Pinn is the third generation of family to follow a career in art and antiques and has 25 years’ experience providing certified RICS valuation reports.
Most instructions are the result of recommendations by solicitors and probate practitioners with whom Toby has established relationships, in addition to instructions from layexecutors, all of whom require a valuation of personal property, to include jewellery and vehicles, in order to complete the HMRC IHT 407 return for inheritance tax purposes.
For a friendly and professional discussion call
Toby: 0117 2517251
EMMAAbel is a wildlife mosaicist living near Wells who is aiming to raise awareness of critically endangered wildlife through exhibitions, international competitions and social media.
Each sale generates a donation to the wildlife charity supporting that particular animal in its struggle for survival, such as the Oriental Bird Club which supports the yellow-breasted bunting, threatened by mass netting for Asian cuisines.
Mosaics have been her passion for over 25 years. She uses marble, slate, granite, ceramic and glass while eyes are handmade in fused glass to give personality.
To date she has created over 200 wildlife mosaics and made donations to over 20 wildlife charities. Contact her for commissions or to join one of her mosaic workshops.
Details: eebabel@hotmail.com abelmosaics.com or Instagram@abelmosaics
Charles Robert Doyly-John (1906-1993) ‘Cap Ferret’, estimate £300£500
HOT off the back of fantastic February auctions in Frome, Shepton Mallet and Hong Kong, Select Interiors take centre stage this month at Dore & Rees in Frome on March 26th.
The auction offers a wide selection of pictures, ceramics, silver, furniture and more from private collections, including more from The George Withers Collection (see February issue). A collection of paintings by Charles Robert Doyly-John (1906-1993) offers a splash of Mediterranean spring warmth, depicting views of Nice, Cap Ferret and more.
The auction will close for entries on March 8th, so get in touch with Head of Interiors, Guy Tayler, if you are thinking of selling, for a free auction valuation.
On April 13, the Market Yard in Frome will host the Dore & Rees Classic Cars auction view, next to the Cheese & Grain. Head of Motoring, Nick Wells, is working on this auction now, gathering a collection of classic and sports cars to showcase for collectors and fans alike. An early consignment already booked in is an amazing 1954 Austin-Healy 100/4, in the family since the 1960s, off the road since the 1970s and now seeking a new home.
An exciting programme of auctions is planned for the rest of 2024, offering a variety of opportunities for sellers. The team at Dore & Rees can help you understand the value of items in your collection by arranging a valuation appointment at your home or at Dore & Rees auction salerooms in Frome. Contact the team on 01373 462 257 or by email enquiries@doreandrees.com to arrange an appointment.
SIX years after Wells stonemason and sculptor Paul Roddan staged the first Wells Stone Carving Festival, the event is returning in May to the city’s Bishop's Barn.
Paul’s original intention was to make the festival an annual event, but events conspired to prevent that, not least with the Covid lockdowns and Paul and his partner, Shona, having a baby.
This year’s festival will run from May 4th6th – the May Day Bank Holiday – and Paul is once again hoping this will mark the start of what will become an annual May Day highlight of the city’s calendar, attracting hundreds of visitors each day.
As well as being a qualified stonemason, Paul is a yeoman of the stonemasons’ livery company in London (The Worshipful Company of Masons), which is once again supporting this year’s festival.
Paul said: “While it’s been a whirlwind getting everything together for this event there’s a buzz of excitement that comes with putting on a stone carving festival. I’m really hoping we can capture the same success we had back in 2018 – the feedback then was overwhelmingly positive and the idea of hosting a second festival has always been burning away in the background.
“These events give us masons and carvers a chance to come together, sharing our passion for the craft. Carving and banker masonry can be a solitary task at times, so these gatherings are a chance to connect with peers and contemporaries. Unlike the usual straight lines of our day-to-day work, the festival lets everyone go in whatever creative direction they fancy.”
For those taking part there will be three prizes: one chosen as the best piece by the masons and carvers taking part in the festival; one judged by the organisers; and one judged by the general public who visit the event.
Finished works will be auctioned on the Bank Holiday Monday. The first auction – of 16 pieces – raised £6,000.
l Any mason or carver who would like to take part should contact Paul on stonecarvingfest@gmail.com. There is an entry fee of £60 per person.
WHAT sells well at auction has always been influenced by the fashions of the time and this is very much true today.
Mid-20th century interiors and Scandinavian design continue to dominate in 2024 as they have done for a good while now. I am often asked how long I think it will be before a trend will come back or how long one will last? Difficult to answer, but I can honestly say that I don’t believe that either of these trends will be on a downward turn anytime soon. Demand is so high at auction for brands such as Ercol and G Plan that lesser-known brands from this period are becoming increasingly popular as buyers seek simply “the look” of this period.
An unexpected potential trend for this year is in lighting; many styles of chandeliers and light fittings have long been a source of unsold lots for auctioneers; however, this year promises to see at least some improvement in this area.
Another reported trend for this year is investment in contemporary and fine art. There are some artists who retain a value throughout the years and some whose values are very much tied to fashions of the time. This April we have our very first fine art sale and we have a wonderful selection of lots already entered, including a single owner collection of fantastic pieces by the French artist, Gustave Cariot.
Our specialist jewellery, silver and watches sale, also coming up in April, is already filled with some absolutely stunning pieces and we are travelling around the county visiting our estate agency offices with valuation days for this sale.
l We have free valuation days at our Standerwick office every Thursday 10am to 4pm and free home visits can be arranged by appointment. Please contact the office on 01373 852419 or salerooms@cooperandtanner.co.uk, and we will be happy to assist you.
A 1957 Same tractor was named the champion of champions at the 2024 Somerset Vintage and Tractor Show.
Owned by Sally Ennor, of Hook in Hampshire, the DA 30 FWD was chosen by the team of 12 judges as the best in show.
Hundreds of enthusiasts visited the two-day event, which featured an auction on the Saturday, with one of the biggest-ever entries of tractors for sale. This year’s special feature was Allis Chalmers tractors and farm machinery. Next year’s feature make will once again be Fordson.
The weekend also raised thousands of pounds for charities, with £3,300 going to the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, £2,000 to FordHaven children’s hub in Glastonbury, £2,000 to The Fire Fighters Charity, £2,000 to Happy Landings animal sanctuary.
Hot Rock Carnival Club, which organized the marshalling and stewarding, received £1,800. Samanday’s CC, which also helped over the weekend, received £900.
TWOof the Champion Species for the Mendip Hills need your help at this time of year. The champion species are: adder, greater horseshoe bat, Cheddar pink, dormouse, black oil beetle, water vole, small pearl bordered fritillary and skylark.
All these species are threatened, indicate if their habitat is in good condition or not and are quirky conversation starters. The skylark and adder are springing into life across the nature reserves now but they’re easily disturbed so please keep dogs under close control and avoid roped off areas if you see them.
Watch out for the amazing new videos on the Champion Species of the Mendip Hills. Mike Dilger, local wildlife expert and TV presenter has made the videos using exclusive footage from the Mendip Hills to introduce you to them.
The eight videos will give you an amazing insight into the species and why the Mendip Hills are so special alongside what you can do to help look after them. Check out the videos on our website and social media.
What do you think about making Cheddar Gorge traffic-free once a month? Over a thousand people have completed the survey to share their views on using an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order in the gorge to allow walkers, cyclists and
other visitors to enjoy it more safely.
If you haven’t completed the survey yet please visit mendiphills-nl.org.uk/news/cheddar-gorge-etro
£12,000 has been given to local projects through the Mendip Hills Fund grant scheme. Wildlife projects have received funding along with history and art initiatives and clubs that support young people. If you are a farmer, land manager or landowner you could benefit from the Farming in Protected Landscape programme of grants.
With KATY BEAUCHAMP
In like a lion . . . recipes for all weathers
I’m certainly not going to predict what the weather might have in store for us in March. But the saying “In like a lion and out like a lamb” is usually a good metaphor for the month ahead, so here are some dishes that are suitable for anytime – whatever the weather!
A soup for all seasons
I know tomatoes are a summer thing, but this creamy tomato soup makes a warming dish for a cold March day.
METHOD
Roast the tomatoes, peppers and garlic in the olive oil with plenty of salt and pepper until soft (180°C covered for approx 45mins). When cooked, tip into a blender and whizz up! Add the stock bit by bit until it’s the consistency you desire. Add the vinegar, sugar and crème fraiche (or cream) and whizz again. Serve with your favourite bread; I made some garlic parsley bagels.
INGREDIENTS (Serves six)
1kg tomatoes (quartered)
1 red pepper (quartered)
2 cloves garlic (peeled)
20ml olive oil
Salt and pepper
300ml stock
2tbs cider vinegar
2tsp white sugar
100ml crème fraiche (or double cream)
Spicy, but simple
METHOD
Boil the potatoes until just tender. Tip them into a large roasting tray and crush them slightly using the base of a heavy glass (if you oil the potatoes a bit first then the glass won’t stick). Fry the chorizo in a pan in the oil and all the spices for a few minutes until all the chorizo has flavoured the oil. Toss in with the potatoes. Add the broccoli, leeks and beans and gently combine.
Cover with foil and cook at 180°C for 15 mins. Uncover and give it a mix and put back in oven for another 15 mins. Serve with lemon wedges.
INGREDIENTS (Serves four)
200g chorizo cut into 1cm thick dice
300g small new potatoes
100g broccoli cut into florets
1 big leek cut into 1cm thick pieces
1 can mixed pulses
20ml olive oil
2tbs ground cumin
1tbs ground garlic
As much chilli flakes as suits you
1tbs smoked paprika
2tsp sumac (or juice of half a lemon)
Easter is coming
These make a delicious dessert at any time of year; they are quick and easy to make and decorated with chocolate eggs pass as an acceptable Easter nest!
METHOD
Lay out the pastry and cut into 12 small-ish rounds (I only used half a sheet and made cheese twists with the rest but you could freeze it for another day).
Bake in the oven at 180°C until puffed up and golden (8-10mins). Using the end of a wooden spoon, poke a hole in the top of each one and wiggle the stick to make it bigger for the nest. Leave to cool. Combine the cheese and curd, spoon into the cases and decorate with raspberries or eggs!
INGREDIENTS
Makes 12)
200g cream cheese
130g lemon curd
1 sheet of readymade puff pastry
Raspberries to decorate . . . or chocolate eggs for Easter!
THE Waggon and Horses is a 15th Century coaching inn at Doulting Beacon, above Shepton Mallet and, for owners Dawn and Mike Corp, it is also very much a family home.
On March 1st, the couple will celebrate their 16th anniversary of taking over the Waggon – they bought the inn two years later – and have no plans to leave, despite the proposed expansion of Moons Hill Quarry at nearby Stoke St Michael which – if granted planning approval – would eventually leave them living and working just a short distance from the quarry boundary.
Dawn grew up in the village and is well aware of the importance of quarrying to the local economy and is just as well aware of the sights – and sounds – of the industry in the area.
However, the couple are determined to not let the proposal get in the way of making sure the inn remains a focal part of the community.
They continue to offer honest home-cooked food every lunchtime and are open in the evenings from Wednesday to Saturday and are looking forward to a new season of popular Friday night “Bike Nights” when dozens of riders make their way to the inn. There are also plans for a bike rally in May and visits by historic car clubs are in the pipeline. Land next
Dawn, Mike and the team welcome you to their friendly freehouse on the Mendips
Serving food every lunchtime 12-2pm and evenings Weds-Sat 6-8pm (closing times may vary)
Enjoy a traditional Sunday roast (standard £14, small £12, kids £10) with all the trimmings (bookings advisable) or a Monday Madness Special(£7!)(exc Bank holidays)
to the inn is home to a caravan site and a caravan storage facility.
Dawn said: “We know what our customers like: good home cooked food – with a specials board and weekday Monday deals – and a warm, welcoming atmosphere.
“We’re not going anywhere and it’s very much business as usual for us.”
With ADRIAN BOOTS
NOTHINGbeats a good stroll outdoors. It gets the legs moving, the heart pumping, fresh air in the lungs and for a time at least, one can forget about responsibilities and just enjoy the freedom of the countryside. Yet I find a walk is always enriched by the discovery of the first spring leaves and flowers of wild edible plants.
One of the earliest ones showing us its heart-shaped leaves and jolly yellow buttercup lookalike flowers is lesser celandine. But it is not the leaves or flowers that are edible, it is the tubers and only when cooked!
Lesser celandine has wonderful local names such as “spring messenger”, “starlight” and “golden cups” and more humorously “fig wort” (fig being the old word for piles), or “pilewort” due to the knobbly looking tubers.
Lesser celandine (Ranuculus ficaria) is a low growing hairless perennial five to 30cm. It has bright yellow flowers with narrow petals and three sepals. The distinctive green leaves are heartshaped, rounded, deeply notched at the base and are often mottled with paler green shade.
The only lookalike are buttercups. It’s very common, found in woods, hedges, gardens, roadside verges, banks etc.
You will need to dig the plant up but please be aware it is illegal to uproot and destroy any wild plant without landowner permission, so my advice is look in your own garden first! Once excavated, wash thoroughly and the diminutive tubers and tangle of roots will be revealed.
Remove the tubers and cook (can be boiled, steamed, roasted or fried) along with other root veg and they make a great addition to a rich stew. Warning: must be well cooked –if the old local names don’t put you off, then undercooking and subsequent visits to the loo most certainly will.
Adrian Boots is a Landscape Ecologist and expert forager running wild food forays, events and activities. Please visit: www.hedgerowcottage.co.uk for more information or email him at: hello@hedgerowcottage.co.uk
With CHARLES DOWDING
YOU can grow a lot in a small space. It could be a bed without sides, just compost on the ground, but best wait until equinox before direct sowing outside. Or in early March, sow these same vegetables (except carrot) in module trays in a greenhouse. That extends the season and gives better germination because of the extra warmth.
Options include onion, spring onion, carrot, peas, broad beans (not yet runners or French), lettuce, spinach, beetroot, radish and turnip, plus first early potatoes.
These vegetables crop and finish by late July and many before the end of June. This allows time for second plantings in summer. The best results come from covering the bed with fleece, after you have sown and planted. Buy a 2m wide roll, 30gsm thickness, not the flimsy 17gsm.
For this one bed, sow and plant in rows across. A different vegetable in each row means a pleasing variety of harvests.
Plantings late March
• Peas of a medium height such as Hurst Greenshaft will need 1.2m sticks for support.
Space at 10cm apart with 40cm row space, or 5cm apart if you want to pick them for shoots, which results in few pods.
• Broad beans need 50cm row space, with seed sown 4-5cm deep at 15cm apart.
• Carrots grow well from sowing in surface compost, make a drill 2cm deep and aim for two seeds per cm, easier said than done! Thin them in May, often at edible size, with 25cm row space.
• Lettuce need 22cm space between plants in a row across, and 25cm row space.
• Onions and spring onions need 25-30cm between rows, and 7cm between plants for bulb onions, 2cm for spring onions.
• Spinach needs 30cm row space and 10cm between plants, sow before the end of March because it flowers in late spring.
• For beetroot, space the same as spinach.
• Radish and turnips are rapid, give 22cm row space and 2cm between radish, 5cm between each turnip.
Charles Dowding has made no dig popular with millions of readers and viewers. Currently he grows vegetables in Somerset. He has written 14 books and gives talks plus courses at home and abroad.
SOMERSET Farmers Markets celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. It originated in 1999 to help local, small-scale producers sell their produce to local customers.
With the area already home to the UK’s first modern farmers’ market (an honour which went to Bath in 1997), SFM’s initial market – opening in Glastonbury two years later – was the very next in the country to follow suit.
Now, SFM hosts seven monthly markets across Somerset –specifically, in Nailsea, Midsomer Norton, Axbridge, Crewkerne, Keynsham, and two in Frome. All carry the same philosophy of providing Somerset communities with access to local food produced to a high standard.
In exchange for the base rate £25 pitch fee, producers receive 100p in every pound, unlike the 8p they might get from supermarkets.
Originally, SFM, a not-for-profit organisation, emerged and was made possible from Agenda 21 funding in the 90s, which was a result of the first climate change summit in Rio de Janeiro.
Its commitment –to bringing better, more climate and nature-friendly food to Somerset towns and supporting local, more sustainable farmers – hasn’t wavered since.
Details: www.somersetfarmersmarkets.co.uk
AXBRIDGE
1st Saturday of the Month
MIDSOMER NORTON
1st Saturday of the Month
SFM @ THE FROME INDEPENDENT
1st Sunday of the Month
FROME BOYLE CROSS
2nd Saturday of the Month
KEYNSHAM
2nd Saturday of the Month
NAILSEA
3rd Saturday of the Month
www.somersetfarmersmarkets.co.uk
THEannual Shrove Tuesday pancake races nearly didn’t take place this year in East Harptree as Whitecross Road was closed for road works during half-term.
Organiser, Jenny Cruse, on behalf of East Harptree WI, said: “Angela Harper came to our rescue, kindly offering the drive in front of Harptree Court for the races.
“The enthusiasm of participants and supporters was not dampened by showery weather and families came to enjoy the traditional races.”
The women’s race was won by Hannah Weston with Rosemary Bennett close behind. The men’s race was won by James Whiers closely followed by Phil Peat.
The event raised £67 for the upkeep of East Harptree children’s playground.
SHROVETuesday was celebrated in Chew Stoke with a pancake lunch held by the Methodist chapel, which raised £289 towards the cost of a replacement dishwasher.
Friendly encouragement
Start of one of the races
Methodist minister, the Rev John Hayes, with his family Irene, Grace and Jemma
One of the winners
FRUIT and vegetable wholesaler, Arthur David, says it’s thrilled to announce that they have been awarded the prestigious title of Business of the Year at the South West Business Awards 2024!
Their team (pictured) attended the event, unaware that they would be leaving with such a significant accolade.
They said: “This achievement reflects the dedication and hard work of our entire team, and we extend our heartfelt thanks to our loyal customers whose unwavering support has been instrumental in our success.
“We are excited for the future and look forward to continuing our journey of excellence with you by our side.”
THEbusiness of being a landlord of a buyto-let property is beset with ever-increasing challenges resulting from continuing Government legislation intended to help tenants and improve the environment.
The rulebook has recently grown even more following the introduction of the Renters Reform Bill to Parliament, which includes scrapping Section 21 “no-fault” evictions, the introduction of rolling tenancies to replace shorter fixed-term tenancies, and the creation of a new Property Ombudsman to resolve landlord and tenants disputes.
Aside from headline-hitting reforms, there are many other smaller rules which are easily missed yet have serious ramifications for buy-to-let investors. Here, I highlight below five rules every landlord should know. Failure to comply with these rules is likely to result in an extensive delay and increased expense in recovering possession of a residential property.
How to Rent Guide
There are several important documents that you must issue before a tenancy commences. One such document is the “How to Rent” guide. Since October 2015 landlords have been legally required to issue this guide, which is the Government’s rental checklist, at the beginning of a tenancy.
It contains important advice for tenants in England and Wales on what to expect from the tenancy and what their responsibilities are, as well as their landlord’s legal obligations. The guide
must be given to the tenant as a hard copy, or via email if previously agreed.
All deposits taken on assured shorthold tenancies in England and Wales must be registered and protected in a tenancy deposit. This is a legal requirement and landlords must provide tenants with information about the deposit and where it is held within 30 days of it being paid. A failure to protect the deposit on time could result in it having to be returned to the tenant before you can deliver a section 21 no fault eviction notice.
Landlords are legally required to provide a gas safety certificate at the beginning of a tenancy and within 28 days of each annual gas safety check. Failure to do so is a criminal offence and can result in thousands of pounds in fines or a prison sentence. Landlords are also legally required to arrange a gas safety check every 12 months with a Gas Safe engineer. Buy-to-let investors must also provide a copy of a property’s Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) at the beginning of a tenancy. This is important to allow tenants to manage their energy bills, but is also a legal requirement. Since 2018 landlords have had to ensure their properties are rated E or higher before they can be let. The minimum standard is expected to rise to a grade C under proposals currently being considered by the Government. It is understood that all tenancies will need to
be upgraded by 2028, although the deadlines are yet to be confirmed by the Government.
Deposit size
The Tenant Fees Act 2019 capped the maximum deposit a landlord can request to five weeks’ rent if the tenant pays less than £50,000 a year. The limit rises to six weeks’ rent above this threshold. Before the cap, some landlords would ask for bigger deposits to insure against any damage if renting to tenants with pets.
Since the five-week limit many buy-tolet investors have refused to accept animals in their properties – creating a housing shortage for renters with four-legged friends. This is set to change, as the Renters’ Reform Bill states landlords are unable to “unreasonably refuse” pets –although the landlord can charge an additional “pet insurance” to account for the risk of damage.
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WASSAILING returned to Midsomer Norton with a morning of family-friendly events and activities before a not-sotraditional ceremony in the Town Park.
The event was organised by the Midsomer Norton Community Trust and included a procession through the town centre from the Unit 14 community space.
THE Bishop of Bath and Wells, the Rt Rev Michael Beasley, has welcomed the Rev Katrina Dykes to the new benefice of Chew Valley South, which encompasses the villages of Hinton Blewett, East and West Harptree, Compton Martin, Ubley, Blagdon and Charterhouse.
The celebration was held at St Laurence’s Church in East Harptree, followed by refreshments in the church.
PAULTONis the first area to receive a WESTlocal bus service. The service from Mayor Dan Norris’s West of England Combined Authority, allows communities to access cash to design and run their own, brand-new, not-forprofit bus.
The first successful bid is from Paulton Parish Council. The Paulton WESTlocal will link communities across the Somer Valley and Cam Valley running from Radstock to Odd
AROUND 500 unwanted digital devices were donated at a special event at Frome Town Hall, hosted by a community interest company that restores and redistributes the equipment wherever possible.
Donate It wipe data and refurbish the devices to distribute to people who need them such as the isolated, elderly, people in rehabilitation and domestic violence charities. They also donate equipment to health service providers around Somerset. The amnesty also avoids much of the need to send the unwanted devices to landfill.
Donate It founder Simon Barfoot said: “Devices have a functional life of about ten or 12 years, but people are upgrading or ending contracts in four or five, or even sooner. So there’s a product there out there that can still do a job for people, that can get out into the community to someone in need.”
Frome town councillor, Anne Hills, who attended the amnesty said: “It was another successful day for the Donate IT team – and great to have Fixy on hand too, who are a goldmine of advice when it comes to reusing and repurposing electrical items of all
Down Park and Ride via Westfield, Midsomer Norton, Paulton, Radford, Timsbury, Camerton and Tunley.
The service will run five times a day starting in the spring.
Mayor, Dan Norris, said: “Local people came together and said they wanted better links to local shops and schools as well as to the RUH. They’ve put in the hard graft to design a bespoke plan, so I’m delighted that they’ve won the first WESTlocal.”
kinds. Five hundred devices saved from languishing in drawers or going into landfill are now set for a new useful life – a Sunday very well spent!”
l Donations of unwanted devices can be made at Frome Town Hall during office hours at any time in the year. Future tech amnesty dates will be advertised at: https://www.frometowncouncil.gov.uk/news/
HEADS Up, the charity which supports vulnerable people across Somerset, has announced that it has managed to buy its base on the edge of Wells.
Heads Up’s building, at South Horrington, offers many multi-use spaces including a woodworking room, creative activity studio, an award-winning garden, a well-equipped kitchen to support cooking sessions and a place for meetings. Hundreds of clients have improved their mental, physical and emotional wellbeing thanks to the dedicated work of the charity.
Heads Up chair of trustees, Wendy Attridge, said: “After many years of aspiration and the dedication of so many, we are thrilled to have been able to secure this wonderful community asset.
“As a charity passionate about supporting local people with their mental wellbeing and dementia support needs, we like many within the voluntary sector, have seen demand for our services growing sharply in the last two years, partly because of the pandemic.
“Contributions of any size, both financial and non-monetary, have been so important to Heads Up. We wouldn’t still be here 12 years on without the help of so many.
“Thanks to all these organisations, individuals and the hard work of the staff and trustees, we are delighted to now have the security of owning our building, and we will strive to keep making an impact within our community providing mental wellbeing and dementia support.”
For details. visit www.headsupsomerset.org.uk or phone Michelle
AXBRIDGEDistrict Rotary Club made presentations to two good causes thanks to its autumn fundraising events and activities.
A cheque for £1,100 was presented to Freewheelers EVS (Blood-bikes), which
provides a free motorcycle courier service to the NHS and Air Ambulance services in the South West.
A cheque for £224.99 was given to Cheddar Food Bank, plus 60kg of food donated by the public to their stand at a
Christmas fair.
It says it will continue to support local charities and good causes with its 2024 programme of events. The club meets on the first and third Thursday of the month, 7.30pm at the Lamb at Weare.
STEVECollings from Yatton has been training on Westonsuper-Mare beach for a 100km ski trek within the Artic Circle.
The Somerset freemason is raising awareness and donations towards two new community support units for St. John Ambulance across Somerset. A further £40,000 is required to reach the overall cost of £160,000.
The trek includes five nights in a tent on the ice and ice fishing for dinner, all a new experience to Steve!
St John Ambulance has over 350 adult volunteers in Somerset who gave First Aid support to more than 300 local events last year.
Details: https://bit.ly/arctic-2024
DOROTHYHouse Hospice hosted a very special conversation at Bath Rugby’s Recreation Ground to help break the silence around men’s mental health, particularly when it comes to talking about grief and loss.
It was held to launch the 2024 Men’s Walk to Support on March 9th and features Bath Rugby player and Dorothy House Ambassador Tom Dunn, fellow Ambassador, Alan Phillips and his son Seb, a new Young Person’s Ambassador for Dorothy House, Bath Rugby player, Kieran Verden, and Chris Eames, a recipient of Dorothy House’s care.
The conversation, facilitated by Dorothy House Hospice Care’s Family Support Lead, Dominic Denny, is now live on the hospice’s website.
The walk starts at 11am from Dorothy House, Winsley, and participants will set off on the route that follows along the canal and finishes at Bath Pavilion - in time to watch the Six Nations Super Saturday matches.
Details: www.dorothyhouse.org.uk
FRANKNoble has announced he is retiring as chief executive of St Peter’s Hospice in Bristol after five years. Susan Hamilton is the new CEO.
Frank said: “I’m incredibly proud of the whole hospice, particularly how the team stood up to the challenges of the pandemic and how it has moved forward. We have delivered for our patients, families and carers through the very toughest of times.”
A charity was started 30 years ago by Dave Hutchings, a nowretired chief fire officer, after witnessing a fatal road crash while on holiday in Gambia.
Chris said: “Avon Fire and Rescue send useable appliances and equipment to Gambia and send volunteers to show them how it all works and give them additional training.”
SOMERSET Sight, which has been supporting sight impaired people for 100 years, is looking for people to join its Volunteer Visiting Service. Volunteers are matched locally with a sight impaired person for regular visits for company and support and to alleviate their loneliness and isolation.
Full training is provided and they cover all reasonable expenses.
Details: 01823 333818 https://www.somersetsight.org.uk/
POPPY Garton’s family are making two major fundraising efforts this year, hoping to achieve their goal of raising £24,000 towards an Innowalk for their daughter, an individualised disabled cross trainer.
Poppy, aged 19, desperately needs this training equipment as she transitions away from children’s to adult services, when she will no longer receive the therapy or service support she currently accesses at her specialist college.
On Saturday, July 20th, a 12-hour spinathon will be hosted by Kingdom Training Gym on the Keward estate in Wells.
Poppy’s mum Lisa said: “We desperately need our local community to support this fundraising effort. We’ve been fundraising for over five years now, and with Poppy planning to go to Bath Spa University in September, she needs this essential equipment to ensure she can exercise safely and pain-free.
“Most of us take even just walking for granted, let alone exercising for health. Poppy doesn’t enjoy this luxury. She needs your generous support to raise the remaining £9,000.”
In October, Lisa will trek the Inca Trail in Peru to raise funds.
Details: https://www.justgiving.com/ crowdfunding/keepmewalking
MENDIPMale Voice Choir has raised £4,659 for Prostate Cancer UK with its “20 Mendip Men Needed” recruitment campaign.
Most of the 18 new members are now attending rehearsals held every Monday at St Mary’s School, Timsbury 7.309.30pm. Five concerts are already planned for this year.
Details: www.mendipmen.co.uk
NORTONRadstock Tangent have presented £900 to Dorothy House Hospice Care raised through fundraising activities over the last year.
Two members of staff from Dorothy House, Elizabeth Winch, clinical lead in community palliative care, and Angela Jakubowska, community staff nurse, accepted the cheque and delivered a heart-warming talk about their work.
Chair, Nicky Jarman, said: “I am very proud of the effort and commitment of our members to support such a worthwhile important local charity.
“In addition to raising money for the charity we have learnt more about the practical and emotional support they provide not just at the hospice but also in the community.”
THE Donate for Defib Westonsuper-Mare project has raised £15,000 for defibrillators in the town in just a few months.
In August last year, a group of concerned residents contacted the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC) to see how to get defibrillators sited in Weston after one of their customers had a cardiac arrest in a local pub and there wasn’t a defibrillator close enough to help save him.
By working with GWAAC and less than five months later, they have already sited eight defibrillators!
Josh Bell, Tom Farrand, Christina Chell, Peter Elston and the team are still working hard to raise funds and work with local businesses and organisations who want to purchase one.
They now have 16 groups fundraising for the project and have recently attracted the support of Weston-super-Mare Chamber of Commerce. Matt and Dan at Aardvark AVO Electricians are installing the defibrillator cabinets for free.
Details: donatefordefib.wsm@gmail.com
GYM members in Somerset raised more than £15,000 with a 24-hour Prowlathon for the Brain Tumour Charity, in memory of Adam Stimpson, who died of brain cancer at the age of 20 last year.
More than 100 members and friends pushed a gym prowler weighing 60kg continuously for 24 hours up and down the length of the Target Fitness gym in Weare a total of 142,990 times – an
incredible 88 miles!
Adam died less than six months after diagnosis and just after his birthday. His mum, Annette, from Wedmore, said: “I am so touched by the support I have had from all my friends at the gym for their enthusiasm and support for such an important cause.
“Losing a child is the worst thing any mother can imagine. We struggled to get an earlier diagnosis for Adam and need greater awareness of the early signs and symptoms to increase the chances and quality of life for people suffering this dreadful condition.”
Adam was a pupil at Kings of Wessex Academy, Cheddar and an avid skateboarder at Cheddar Reservoir. He was in his second year at Swansea University studying Aerospace Engineering when he found out about his diagnosis shortly after experiencing changes to his vision, headaches and vomiting.
The Brain Tumour Charity is the UK’s largest dedicated brain tumour charity,
Details: www.braintumourresearch.org
A NEW forest group project for users of the Westfield-based charity SWALLOW is to be launched in April with help from a £5,000 award from freemasons.
The forest project will allow users to explore nature and learn a range of outdoor skills and will be joined by a woodworking project with the aim of creating items for sale. SWALLOW offers education and training opportunities for adults with learning difficulties.
A £2,500 donation from the Somerset Freemasons’ masonic charity was matched by a donation from the Masonic Charitable Foundation.
Members of the Somerset Freemasons and the foundation visited the SWALLOW café in Radstock to hear a presentation about the plans.
Bev Craney, chief executive of SWALLOW, said: “We are very
committed to fighting brain tumours on all fronts.
Gina Almond, from the charity, said: “Brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of the under 40s and survival rates have not improved significantly over the last 40 years. We are leading the way in changing this by fighting brain tumours on all fronts.
“It’s only through the efforts of people like Annette that we can change these shocking statistics in the future.”
grateful for this amazing donation from the freemasons. This will allow us to start the Forest Group which our members have been asking for. They love being outside and enjoying nature.”
Graham Puddy, from Somerset Freemasons said, “I am very pleased we have been able to support SWALLOW with their new forest group. This will enable local people to develop additional skills to benefit them throughout life.”
A SOMERSETcharity that provides monthly tea parties for the lonely is seeking more hosts and drivers.
Re-Engage already runs four groups, providing monthly Sunday events for more than 30 local residents who live alone, with a team of 20 volunteers who host those events or work as drivers to collect guests.
The team now needs more hosts and drivers to enable them to reach out to more lonely people.
Paula Protheroe, group organiser for the Burnham-on-Sea area, said: “We have rapidly expanded to running four groups, but there is a strong need for us to expand even further.
“We can only do this by recruiting more hosts and more drivers. Volunteers get to give back to their community whilst enjoying hearing about our guests’ interesting lives and enjoying an afternoon tea.”
Hosts for these events need to be able to accommodate up to eight people and provide an afternoon tea (sandwiches, cake, and tea) or a cooked meal. They also need to be able to provide easy access to their home and a downstairs toilet.
Drivers, who will have to undergo a DRB check, will collect and deliver their guests to the hosts’ events.
Details: Paula Protheroe 01278 773839
email: paula.reengagevolunteer@gmail.com
charity in Radstock has won a national award following a ground-breaking project working with young people.
The project aimed to encourage youngsters to volunteer with the charity, initiating social interactions between young volunteers and Swan passengers, who are elderly, frail or disabled.
The charity won the “Innovation in Volunteering” award from the Community Transport Association. Swan’s CEO Sarah Williams and project coordinator Helen Allen are pictured at the awards ceremony in Birmingham.
They said: “This work is proof that our young people all over the country have so much to offer and should be valued and invited to participate.”
Swan is looking for volunteer drivers of all ages to join their team. They are paid a mileage rate for using their own vehicles.
Details: 01761 439548 email office@swantransport.co.uk
JESS Hughes will return to Wells for a charity recital, featuring trumpet and harp, at St Thomas Church on April 4th, 7.30pm.
She will be performing with Cameron Chin-See, a fellow graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music.
They will be performing a varied programme of classical, romantic and contemporary music for this unique combination of instruments.
Prior to her higher education, Jess attended Wells Blue School and was awarded a scholarship to Wells Cathedral School where she studied harp with Ruth Faber.
She now balances her busy schedule of performances and private teaching with a position at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester.
The recital will raise funds for Young Lives v Cancer: CLIC Sargent. Tickets, £10, will include an interval drink.
Details: jesshughes229@gmail.com
MEMBERS of the Bath, Wells and surrounding areas Linus Group handed over a number of quilts to Children’s Hospice South West at Charlton Farm. Project Linus has members across the UK.
Co-ordinator, Linda McGregor, said: “The aim of the quilts is to bring comfort and cheer to babies, children and children needing a hug. All the quilts and blankets are homemade and unique.”
De Colle from Charlton Farm’s care team said: “The children and their families really appreciate these lovely quilts - they really brighten up the hospice.”
THERE’S just about enough space in the workshop in a farm outbuilding for two people – three really is a crowd – but it’s proving to be the latest success story at The Dairy House homeless hostel in Stratton-on-the-Fosse.
Mark and Simon are the leading lights in the venture which recycles and upcycles unwanted timber into a wide range of products which they then sell through outlets such as Cheddar car boot sale, Frome Independent Market, Roots’ own Christmas fair and word of mouth.
The Dairy House is a direct access hostel dealing with rural homelessness in Somerset and offers its residents opportunities to learn new skills ahead of moving back into the wider community.
Those skills include working on the land as part of the hostel’s other venture, the Root Connections food box scheme.
Neither Mark or Simon – one a qualified construction worker and the other a furniture removals worker – were remotely interested in woodworking when they arrived separately at the hostel but were persuaded by a then fellow resident to “have a go” and rose to the challenge.
Since then, they have spent as much times as possible in the workshop, turning their hands to crafting everything from bird boxes and feeders to bug hotels and even bat boxes. “They’ve been flying off the shelves,” joked Mark.
The pair were instrumental in taking Upcycle Recycle at Manor Farm to the next stage and the workshop is now in profit – they have made around £600 so far, allowing them to invest in more tools and equipment and training other residents. Much of the wood so far has been donated by Haven Timber at
Beckington but they are also looking for other sources.
But their enthusiasm doesn’t end there – when the time comes for them to leave, they plan to keep in touch and act as mentors to current and future residents. Their other ambition is to raise enough funds for a dedicated Upcycle Recycle workshop and storage space as the current room has been loaned to them by Root Connections and farmers Rob and Sue Addicott.
The Dairy House, at Manor Farm, is part of the Connect Community Church in Wells. Both Mark and Simon help cook at the Connect Community Centre.
Kate Dixon, Connect’s Housing Support Officer, said: “We really want to keep the momentum going. Mark and Simon have really taken it to the next level.”
Just some of the items that are being made there
For details, find Upcycle Recycle at Manor Farm on Facebook or visit: www.connect-centre.org.uk
WRINGTONVale Rotary Club has teamed up with Tout’s supermarket to jointly fund a defibrillator on the Tout’s site in Langford after a request from Churchill parish council.
The club funded a defibrillator in Churchill Community Centre some ten years ago. Recently a club member saved the life of a close relative thanks to a defibrillator.
The Tout’s site was chosen because of the large footfall, traffic on the A38 and the essential cooperation of Tout’s staff, many of whom have been trained in the use of the device. Rotary has provided funds of £1250, being half of the costs.
STANBudden passed away on February 3rd after a short illness at the age of 86. Typical of the man, he wanted a simple funeral with only close family members. I write this account to celebrate the life of a man who was so well known in the local area that many would have happily attended his funeral to pay their respects.
Stan leaves a wife, Jean, children Trudi and Gary, hls grandchildren and great grandchildren. A butcher by trade, the last 19 years of his working life were spent as caretaker and latterly site manager of St Benedict’s CE VA Junior school in Glastonbury.
Stan loved and cared for that school with a passion. So much so that he asked that any
donations in his memory should be donated to the school.
Known for his sense of humour and his joking personality, many of us can testify to the various antics he put his unsuspecting victims through. All, I hasten to add, done with safety and common sense in mind.
Using one of the large cages that house the large footballs, Stan placed it in the entrance hall, put a small bowl of water, some food and a straw shelter in the corner. As children arrived he said that a “Wolfmunk” had been found in a crate of bananas at a local supermarket.
Children stood by in awe and several said they saw the straw “move”. This all came to a
climax on the Friday when a little girl arrived with a letter from her parents saying could she look after it at the weekend. It was then that the RSPCA arrived to “collect it!”.
On another occasion children saw Stan standing by a large piece of metal on the school field. “What’s that Mr Budden?” they chirruped. Oh, said Stan, that was left by an alien space ship that landed here last night.
A young member of staff had a small Christmas tree as part of her class display. Stan, mischievously placed a real bird’s nest among the branches and started making bird noises when she entered the room.
These fun things he did for the children were great for stimulating their imagination
and their love of school.
There is so much more that could be said and I’m sure there are many more stories out there. But I hope this tribute to an unassuming person who gave his all to the children and community of St Benedict’s Junior school, will be of comfort to Jean and his family.
Many of us have lasting memories of a wonderful friend and colleague. God Bless Stan. Rest in Peace.
Wendy Simmons Former Head
WESSEXLearning Trust ran a collaborative conference on Monday February 19th, bringing together more than 600 dedicated members of staff from across its 17 schools, Mid Somerset Consortium Teacher Training (SCITT) and Kings Fitness and Leisure Centre. The event was hosted at the Kings Fitness and Leisure and Kings Theatre in Cheddar.
The day featured enlightening talks from two distinguished keynote speakers. Aisha Thomas, the esteemed founder of Representation Matters, shared insights on the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in an educational setting.
Drawing from her extensive experience as a former Assistant Principal in a Bristol academy, Aisha sparked thought-provoking conversations about promoting inclusivity and belonging in schools.
Additionally, Errol Lawson, from The Art of Brilliance delivered a captivating keynote speech, sharing his personal journey of transformation and urging staff and leaders to embrace courage, aim high, and actively pursue positive change within their schools and communities.
Errol’s message resonated deeply, reminding attendees to reconnect with their “why” and harness it as a driving force for meaningful impact.
During the extended lunch break, staff enjoyed nourishing and indulgent food generously donated by The FSC Group, along with engaging well-being activities including exercise sessions, yoga and swimming at Kings Fitness and Leisure, art, music, Welsh workshops and even a laughter workshop facilitated by Laughter John, a renowned laughter therapist.
Every delegate received a recycled tote bag branded with our Wessex values and theme of the day “Everyone Matters, Working Together and Making a Difference”. Delegates’ feedback was overwhelmingly positive reflecting the culture of professional learning already in place across Wessex. Staff quotes include:
“Both speakers were very inspiring and engaging. In the current educational climate, it was great to focus on positivity, as well as having some time to focus on our own well-being.”
“Aisha was MOTIVATIONAL! I hope I am a vehicle for positive change for representation – just like she is!”
“Errol was so inspiring and got me thinking about positivity at school and beyond!”
“The donated sandwiches and doughnuts were absolutely delicious!”
In reflecting on the impact of the day, Sarah Hobbs, Director of Learning at Wessex Learning Trust, shared her delight, saying: “I am thrilled with how the day went. It was truly inspiring to see our staff come together, engage with thought-provoking discussions, and leave feeling motivated and energised to make a difference in the lives of our young people.
“This INSET day reaffirmed our commitments to fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation within our Trust.”
A NEWbook highlights the fact that Frome has the most listed buildings of any town in Somerset and is particularly renowned for the quality of its non-conformist chapels and 18th century vernacular buildings.
In the book, author Alastair MacLeay, highlights 50 of the town’s finest buildings and structures from the 15th through to the 20th centuries.
Frome in 50 Buildings presents a fascinating look at the buildings and architectural styles from across the ages to reveal the history, economic and civil development of the town.
Alastair MacLeay, a biochemist and professional brewer, was born in London and brought up in Kent. He has lived near Frome for 45 years and has renovated 12 derelict buildings.
Alastair is a former chairman of the Frome Society for Local
LOCAL charity, Somerset Film and Video Ltd, has been given £37,644 National Lottery funding for a community archive film project called ‘A Village Apart, Villages Together’.
The project takes its name from the book written by the late C. S. John Sparkes “Gie I Burtle –A Village Apart” published in 2001.
John was an enthusiastic chronicler of life in Burtle and the surrounding Chilton Polden area from the 70s onwards through photography and 8mm film. His 300 plus collection of films was entrusted to the Bridgwater-based charity by his wife Valerie, with the intention of finding a way to share it with the public.
Now, thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, the Bridgwater-based organisation will work with the community to catalogue, digitise and celebrate the work of C. S, John Sparkes.
Creative director, Deb Richardson, said: “John was passionate about the countryside, wildlife and where he lived and worked. He was an active contributor to village life and was much loved by his local community.
“His films first came to our attention when he donated a film he had made documenting local workers in the peat industry. We’re delighted to be looking after his collection and hope to find some similar treasures to share with the public.”
Details: www.somersetfilm.com
A NEWbook on Camerton relates the story of the old tin miners’ hut that was the centre of community life until it fell into disrepair and was replaced.
Written by Julieann Biggs, at £14.99, all proceeds go to Camerton village hall. It’s available from Oldfield Park Book Shop, Moorland Road, Bath BA2 3PN 01225 427722, from Bryn Hawkins 07877 907963 or Radstock Museum 01761 437722.
A NEWbook charts the history of the St John Ambulance division in Wedmore, which was formed in 1940 and closed in February 2003.
The land was eventually sold in February 2021 with all remaining assets donated to the Wedmore & Axbridge Community Health Fund.
Tony Cousins charts its history in From Air Raid to First Aid from its origins as a wartime first aid/civil defence party to a recognised St John Unit in 1945.
His father was a founder member and he was the last divisional superintendent, one of the last three trustees and probably one of only three children of founder members who know the story.
He said: “My family have a long and proud association with the Wedmore St John Division.
“Most of my family including my wife and two daughters have, at one time or another, been members of the division. My uncle Stan and his wife Elsie, together with cousin Eric were also members.
“My father, Herbert Cousins, along with four others, was a founder member in the early 1940s. We lived in a small detached house at Latcham, just out on the Wells road. My father, known affectionately as Herb or Herbie, was a farmer having about a dozen milking cows – mostly Friesian and Jerseys.
“Together with his fellow founder members, there are no doubts that many lives were saved due to their skills and knowledge.”
The books are £10 each with 25 percent from each sale going to the Wedmore & Axbridge Community Health Fund.
Details: silvz51@yahoo.co.uk or 01278 792536
DESPITEthe rather inclement weather at the beginning of February this year, we had a very satisfying orchard wassailing, returning once more to Burrington village. Burrington has a very long history and several of its orchards are long established, the majority are well known to our Master of Ceremonies, (also our society president) Les Davies MBE.
He arranged for us to wassail the lovely family orchard tucked away behind “The Old Post House” in the middle of the village. However, several of our society members had first come to know it well, back in the early 2000s.
Then as members of the Rickford Community Association we planted our own orchard in Rickford with Les’s help, just one mile away, and bolstered our apple collection for juicing and bottling by scrumping from the Old Post House. Here I must emphasise it was with full permission of the then owners, Mr. & Mrs. Simpson.
Now it is owned by Mike and Vanessa Dennett. But that is not the whole story. For Vanessa (neé Simpson) spent her childhood there and to complete the story of our 2024 wassail, our wassail Queen, chosen by “the bean in the piece of apple cake” and crowned by Les Davies, was none other than Polly Dennett, their daughter. For community and continuity, this surely cannot be beaten.
We were accompanied, as we often are, by the Barley Rye choir, with wassail songs to the apple trees and after our refreshments and mulled cider in the village hall, to a rendition of the Mummers play “St. George and the Dragon”. Many thanks to them and those who came from all over to help us keep up this fun but serious country celebration.
For the immediate future we have a couple of walks planned and all are welcome, on March 2nd to Winscombe and Winterhead and on the 23rd to the Stanton Drew Circles and
Pensford. All the details are in the What’s On pages of this Mendip Times.
After our advanced hedge laying course last December, we have a huge amount of brush remaining in piles in our nature reserve at Ubley. This time, in line with Government guidance on carbon sequestration, we are not going to have big bonfires spewing out carbon and particles into the air.
We will be exploring the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide, by the making of bio-char, a soillike substance which locks up the carbon for thousands of years, if not millions. The idea is to stabilise carbon in solid (and dissolved) forms so that it doesn’t cause the atmosphere to warm.
So, we will spread the bio-char onto our woodland floor where it will be safely stored. Made on-site with no mileage costs, benefitting our own reserve and the environment, it’s a win-win solution. Watch this space in April, we should have a day or two planned and set up by then.
We are again holding the society AGM in April, this time at Draycott Memorial Hall on Saturday 27th at 10.30am. After the business meeting we are very pleased to welcome back Dr. Alan King, Principal Geologist with Geckoella Ltd.
His talk is entitled: “Where the Hills meet the Sea! The use of drones in monitoring habitats and geological features in the western Mendip Hills and coast”. This recent project in our local area gives us a grand opportunity to see some very aesthetic images of local geology, habitats and landscapes, taken using the most up-to-date technology.
Dr King promises us we’ll see The Mendip Hills and beyond as we’ve never seen them before. Members of the public are very welcome to come to the talk for a small charge, starting at 11.30am approx.
By CHRIS SPERRING MBE
WITH warmer and sunnier weather hopefully on the way, birds will begin singing and now is the ideal opportunity to begin to learn to recognise birdsong.
Whether you have a garden or access to a local park, it’s worth taking some time to just sit or stand and listen during the early morning to the birds. Even with just a few species singing, it can be daunting to attempt a single identification of just one species, but there are techniques that may help.
If you are a music listener this will be easy; if you’re not, then you need to train yourself to only listen to part of the wall of sound that surrounds you. Firstly, try concentrating on just one bird singing and block out all other sounds, you are literally focusing with your ears on one subject amongst many.
So, in musical terms it’s like listening to an orchestra and just picking out the violin to listen to and pushing back the rest with your concentration. This process can take time but once mastered, it sets you up to begin breaking down the song to be able to store it to memory.
It’s wise to start with a simple song, for example the great tit, which does have a wide vocabulary, but at this time of the year its main song comprises of two notes; the first slightly higher than the last, sounding like “teach-cher, teach-cher” or, as I prefer, sounding like a squeaky, old fashioned bicycle pump.
Great tits are very common, so should be available for most people to hear and also, with little vegetation foliage, a bird you are likely to see as it sings meaning, of course, that your learning has both audio and visual association. One thing to
look for once you get really good at identifying great tit song is, as the song is a simple one, it’s quite likely you will be able to pick up variations that means you can actually identify individuals singing.
This means that each great tit may have a slightly different way of delivering its song, from a slow delivery of the standard two notes to faster song, higher pitched delivery to lower tones, though the song remains the same.
Getting used to variations from individuals will help you map a park, garden or even woodland with some confidence that you’re recording all the male great tits in your area, as of course it is the males that are advertising for females and marking breeding territories at the same time.
Most people have smart phones and most come with very good audio recorders and internal microphones; therefore, you should be able to record each great tit that you find singing and, by giving it a written location, return to the same site the following year and check whether that male great tit is still on site or close by.
Though I have only focussed on one bird, the technique I have outlined in this article can be repeated with other bird species, even those with more complex song. Although it becomes very difficult to breakdown individuals using this basic technique, you will be able to begin the process of learning local birdsong.
And remember now is the time, not just because it’s our local birds singing or warming up, it also the fact that with less foliage it’s far easier to hear and see the bird at the same time. Enjoy your time in nature and enjoy the learning . . . no matter your age.
WRINGTONHill and Wrington Vale, situated a few short miles south of Bristol Airport, are beautiful places to explore. It is easy to ignore what is on your doorstep, but I realise it is worth taking you there and starting from my home village of Wrington which has quite a history. This is a circle that takes in the flat fields of the vale and then climbs up through woodland to the hill itself with glorious views across to Mendip. The landscape changes as you go along. The climb onto the hill is steady but quite long. There is just one stone slab stile. If there has been much
With Sue Gearing
rain don’t blame me if you encounter mud!
PARK: At the Plough Inn in the centre of Wrington village which is situated between Congresbury and Redhill. I have permission for you to park at our village pub, the Plough, if you go in and have a drink and or something to eat. If not, find somewhere else to put the car. It’s a popular pub which is coming back into its own thanks to owners, Dan and Jaz. You’ll find it at the bottom of the High Street, tucked back with a large car park behind.
START: From the Plough turn right and take the first right into Broad Street Wrington, passing the other popular village pub, the Golden Lion.
Broad Street is wide because of the regular market that used to be held here under the charter of Edward II. Our village still has a Friday market in the Memorial Hall and a variety of shops.
Pass Mother Hen café, a great place for a coffee to start the walk, leave the road as it bends left, and go ahead into the Triangle.
It was here in what was then a thatched cottage on the far side on the left that the great philosopher John Locke was born in 1632 when his mother was visiting. Soon after, the family moved to Pensford. It is worth going through to the glorious village church. In the
churchyard on the far side left is the grave of Hannah More, the great reformist and her sisters, who lived for a while in Wrington, at Cowslip Green and Barley Wood.
The church’s spectacular tall tower was described as one of the highest achievements of architectural genius. And, Sir Charles Barry, an architect for the Houses of Parliament, was said to have used Wrington's tower as inspiration for the Victoria Tower.
Head on into Ladywell and soon after a private drive turn right on the marked footpath.
After a gate, turn left and go through a kissing gate (KG) on a well-used path. Go through another KG and head across a field on the right hand of two paths. Pass a fenced mound right marking the site of spring water that for a while was marketed in the village. Go into the second field and follow the hedge on. Near the end, go right through a gate and then over left through another. Carry on in the same direction as before passing a pylon and turn left through a gate and then follow the hedgeline right. At the field end take the Bristol Gate ahead. Ignore the other gate ahead and just stay in the field continuing on parallel with the right edge to the end.
Over on your left is the Mendip ridge and Wrington Hill to your right.
After going over a small bridge bear left across the field and then cross a large footbridge over the River Yeo. Turn right.
Come out through a KG onto Iwood Lane ahead and turn right over the Yeo and continue up the bendy lane passing one entrance to the Manor and further on the main front entrance.
There used to be a thatched mill on this site involved in the iron industry, one of 14 mills worked by the River Yeo but sadly it was destroyed by fire in 1892.
Follow the lane up. Just before it rises gently, take the fenced footpath on the right through a KG. Stay with the path as it bends and continues up. Soon pass a field full of free-range chickens and keep on up through a KG and on up to the top right corner through a KG and a stone stile out onto Westhay Road. Take care as you come onto the road with little visibility.
Turn right and soon turn left on the footpath up the drive of Stablegrove. Pass the house, go through a gate and follow a footpath on alongside a field of llamas. A gate leads into a field at the end. (Despite the sign, I have never seen a bull in this field!). Turn right along the hedge.
A KG takes you into woodland. Go
straight on starting the fairly long climb up onto the hill. Soon, at a fork, stay on the main upper path and just maintain direction ignoring side paths. Near the top, as the track bends sharply left, leave it and go straight on up and through a gate into a field.
Now keep more or less straight on through fields, still climbing up onto Wrington Hill.
6. HILL
In the last field you get great views south (right) across to Mendip. Come out through a KG onto the top of Burnthouse Lane. It’s left now to reach Wrington Hill road. Turn right. Follow it along and bend down right, almost immediately going left into a field. Head up and across.
7. TRACK
Arrive through a KG onto Old Hill a treelined track. Follow it left and then bend right. When the track bends left you go straight on through a KG and then through another further on. See ahead well-maintained Meeting House Farm estate.
As the name implies, there was once a meeting house here used by Protestant dissenters in the 18th century.
8. TREE SEAT
At this point, turn right past a welcoming tree seat on the left. The inscription reads: “ Society grows great when old
men plant trees they know they will never sit under” in memory of David Telling from Meeting House Farm. Go along the beautiful tree-lined path and follow the footpath down the side of a field. Then bend right along the bottom. Drop down left on a path through a belt of woodland and up steps into a field on the hill. Go straight on following the right edge to reach a heavy KG on the far side. After this, follow the left edge down and then right along the bottom, getting really good views over Wrington and beyond. Reach a track below and follow it down left and round to Old Hill where you turn left.
This old route takes you down to Branches Cross junction at the top of Wrington with a triangle of grass and “the hanging tree”.
It commemorates the spot where an older tree once grew, from which three local men were hanged following the Battle of Sedgemoor in 1685, on the instructions of the notorious “hanging judge”, Judge Jeffreys.
Go straight ahead down School Road, passing the primary school further on, and coming to the junction at the garage. Turn right back to the Plough or where you parked.
I COULD almost get excited as we head into March! The appearance of the sun gives a “spring” feel to things. The countryside is like a coiled spring, just waiting for a signal to begin the new year of growth and rejuvenation. We are all governed by the weather, plants, birds, insects, animals and humans. It makes us feel good or it can literally make us feel under the weather.
The weather in its turn is influenced by solar and lunar action, all of which can change. It’s what I politely call “cosmic chaos” and it has a habit of catching us out at times. Not everything is as it once was, these days our weather patterns are prone to change.
What was the unusual now seems to be becoming more frequent and I’ve spoken about climate change many times before.
March was up until 1752, the first month of the year, as it had been in the Roman calendar. The Romans named it “Martius” after their God Mars, whilst the Anglo Saxons gave it the title of “Hlyd Monath” meaning loud or stormy month.
From this comes the expectation that it “Comes in like a lion and out like a lamb”. We will have to wait to see if this will be so again.
I have taken a look at the school log for Charterhouse School during March in the 1880s. Sarah Anne Manning was the headmistress and some of the entries vividly portray the feelings of frustration and isolation she must have experienced during weather conditions in February and March:
for bread. He had taken his shovel and dug his way to Paywell Farm (a mile off) and fetched a few quarters. I had been making fritters from a 3 pound bag of flour I happened to have.”
It’s no wonder that the poor woman resigned on the 20th July 1891: “I wrote my resignation as Mistress of this small school today as I get so fearfully depressed in the winter months.”
If I start to feel a bit fed up and lonely, I will only have to think of what she went through to realise I don’t have a problem!
The early heralds of spring have started to appear. The snowdrops are out and the first of the brave daffodils are showing themselves alongside a few crocuses, as the everdefiant primrose sits proudly in a few places at the hedgerow bottom.
15 March 1886 “I cannot get at my coal in the yard as the snow there is up to my waist.”
16 March 1888 “I gave a neighbour a large knob of coal for digging me out three buckets of coal.”
11 March 1891 “The sun has been shining beautifully but the snow is quite 5 feet deep outside my door. It has not been opened since Monday. Have not seen a living soul today. The baker should have come yesterday and the grocer today, but they have not come. Sky looks as likely for snow as ever.”
It seems that the weather in February wasn't much better either:
14 February 1888 “I have not seen or heard a living thing this day except my little canary. Only able to see daylight through the windows, as they are blocked with frost and snow.”
15 February 1888 “The baker has not called this week yet. Coal too is getting low. Nearly 8 o’ clock at night and my nearest neighbour has just been over to ask me how I was off
It won’t be long before the sun shines and we all feel like getting out and about again. Meanwhile I still have pruning, planting and grafting to get on with as my contribution to the coming year, so I would like the weather to stay cool but dry for just a little longer.
Don’t forget some important dates on your calendar in March. Mothers’ Day is on Sunday the tenth. As a small boy I would always get up early to pick primroses from the field hedgerows for my mother and grandmother. Such activity would meet with disapproval in today's world, but back then it was accepted.
The Vernal Equinox (equal day and night) begins on Wednesday the 20th as the official start of spring is declared. Easter comes on Sunday the 31st with an extra bonus . . . summertime beginning on the same day.
I have now finished all my wassails and sit back waiting for the bumper crop of apples that will ensue from all that activity. Can I also thank Mike and Vanessa Dennett in Burrington for hosting this year’s Mendip Society celebration, together with daughter Polly who so capably carried out the duties of wassail Queen.
Thank you also to all those who came along to wassails I was involved with and thank you everyone for laughing at my jokes!
Finally, I leave you with an image of the Green Man, a symbol of fertility and a protector of the natural world. I attempted to emulate him several years back for a wassail, but after painting my face green I decided I look more like the character Freddy Kruger from the horror film Nightmare On Elm Street
The idea was immediately dropped and instead I have a wooden face of him on my kitchen wall, kindly presented by the good folk of Godney after the 2023 wassail.
With MARY PAYNE MBE
ALLtoo often shrubs are planted and then left to their own devices, until they become too big for the space. Probably because your shrub does not look like the one in the books, which give the impression that every plant has different pruning needs. So, in desperation they are then trimmed with a hedge cutter into a “currant bun” shape, causing problems with future flower potential and the health of the plant.
Pruning shrubs seems to be a dark art to most folk, yet the principles are quite simple. We prune shrubs for three reasons, plant health, shape and purpose (what are you expecting the plant to do, have flowers, coloured stems, or perhaps coloured foliage).
Woody plants (excluding trees) fall into one of just three pruning groups, but before getting out the loppers we need to address the six pruning “demons of death,” which can be abbreviated to D, D, D, C, R, W.
1. DEAD – Prune out any obviously dead parts.
2. DAMAGED – Prune out anything that is broken
3. DISEASED – Prune out anything with an obvious disease problem such as canker.
4. CROSSING – Remove any branches that are crossing and perhaps rubbing on another as this will cause damage and may let in disease and eventually cause death. It also helps to keep good air circulation through a plant which helps reduce diseases.
5. REVERSION – Shrubs with variegated foliage have an annoying habit of sending out shoots that are plain green. These shoots are more vigorous than the variegated ones, as they have more chlorophyll (green pigment), so can grow faster and eventually overwhelm the variegated parts. This is called “reversion” and the green bit should be cut out. Reversion also applies to plants that have been grafted onto a
rootstock and may send out shoots from below the graft union. These are often referred to as suckers and should be removed.
6. WEAK – The final point is to cut out weak shoots – they will not grow into strong shoots.
We can now decide into which of the following three categories each shrub belongs.
A. Little pruning needed. Ideal for slow growing shrubs e.g. hamamelis, magnolia, and many evergreens. This group needs very little pruning after they have been given an annual once over of D,D,D,C,R,W and removal of any misplaced shoots. Evergreens are best pruned in late spring to avoid frost damage on new foliage.
B. Remove one third of old growth from the base immediately after flowering – faster growing shrubs that flower on previous season’s growth in the first half of the year, e.g. forsythia, flowering current, Weigela, Deutzia, Philadelphus. This group should have roughly one third of the older wood removed from the base to thin out the shrub, allow better air circulation and encourage new growth which will flower the following season. This includes shrubs grown for their coloured foliage e.g. purple berberis.
C. Prune hard in spring – Shrubs that flower later in the summer, on current season’s growth e.g. Buddleja davidii, Lavatera, Ceratostigma, Leycesteria. These can be hard pruned, cutting back all the shoots that flowered to within a couple of inches from where they grew from. This includes willows and dogwoods grown for their coloured winter stems and all deciduous ornamental grasses.
Hydrangeas
Mophead and lacecap types of hydrangea can now have the old flower heads removed, but only back to the topmost pair of buds which will develop into flowers. They can now be pruned as for Group B shrubs above, removing some old stems from the base of the plant.
Hydrangea paniculata and ‘Annabelle’ varieties flower on current season’s growth so are treated as Group C shrubs by cutting back all the last year’s stems to within a couple of inches. This will give a smaller number of larger flower heads. If more blooms are preferred then cut back less hard.
Climbing hydrangeas are treated as for Group A shrubs requiring little attention other than a health check of DDDCRW.
Roses also follow the same rules. Hybrid tea and floribunda roses flower on new growth so follow the Group C method, cutting back harder for the hybrid tea varieties where less flowers of better quality are required.
Floribundas are grown for the quantity of flower, so prune less hard to 12-15 inches. Rambling roses flower on the previous season’s growth and should have the old flowering stems removed immediately after flowering. Shrub roses are simply shrubs so can be treated by the Group B method.
Good comfortable secateurs, a folding saw (gets into awkward places more easily) and a pair of loppers are the ideal tools. All pruning revolves around an understanding of the age of growth that the plant performs on, be it for flowers, coloured stems, or even juvenile foliage.
It is worth remembering that generally the harder you prune the stronger the resulting growth. An annual M.O.T. for all your shrubs will pay dividends to keep them healthy, performing well and not outgrowing their allotted space.
• Cut dogwoods (cornus alba types) and willows (slix) 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).
• Start spraying roses for blackspot, rust and aphids 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 (tree mallows) back to healthy new shoots.
• Prune hardy fuchsias back to strong new shoots. Tidy up straggly penstemons. Give them all a feed.
• Prune late flowering shrubs back hard now. Caryopteris, Ceratostigma, Perovskia, hardy fuchsia, deciduous Ceanothus, Hydrangea paniculata types and Lavatera.
• If you grow Eucalyptus for its ‘blue foliage’, you should cut it back hard now. The golden Catalpa and purple Cotinus too. Leaves are more dramatic after a hard prune.
YEO Valley Organic garden reopens for the season on April 11th and the team have been busy bees over the winter. Visitors will notice a new look pond in the gravel garden as well as the arrival of 15 Yoshino cherries which, fingers crossed, will be in full bloom as they open.
As usual the Cake Hole café will be serving, tea, coffee, cake and light lunches and new products are available in the shop.
They will be hosting Patrick Barker and other South West sculptors in the garden from June 22nd until the end of September.
Valley Arts are hosting more performances than ever before and there’s masses going on in the Yurt, with Jean Vernon returning with her very popular Bee Safaris and Natasha Clutterbuck hosts her Drawn in the Garden workshops.
They will welcome back their Garden Masterclass for two early season events and are planning their September Specials, which return for a third year.
Details: www.yeovalley.co.uk www.valleyartscentre.co.uk
THIShas a three-acre mature garden with beautiful lake, full of bulbs and flowering trees, with many camellias and rhododendrons from March till May, with lovely views towards Blackmore Vale.
TEL: 017 49 8 41014 FAX: 0 1749 84105 5 www.rockymountainnurseries.co.uk
Open
Part formal, with pleached hornbeam allée and rill, part water garden, with wonderful roses in June.
Address: Pen Selwood, BA9 8LL.
Contact: James & Lucy Nelson, https://forestlodgegardens.co.uk
Opening dates and time: Saturday, March 23rd and Saturday, May 18th, 11am-4pm.
Joint Admission: £10, children free. Cashless payment available.
FAIRLYlarge open garden with extensive lawns and wooded surroundings with drifts of daffodils in spring. Small stream running through with several stone bridges. Walled rose/parterre garden, hedged herbaceous garden and several ornamental ponds.
Address: Shalford Lane, Charlton Musgrove, Wincanton BA9 8HE.
Contact: Mr and Mrs David Posnett.
Opening dates and time: Saturday, March 23rd, 10am-3pm, Saturday, May 18th, 10am-4pm.
Joint Admission: £10, children free. Cashless payment available.
To see more gardens open for the NGS, see The Garden Visitors Handbook, or the Somerset County Leaflet, available from local Garden Centres, or go to: https://ngs.org.uk/
THEsmall band of volunteers who make up Temple Cloud in Bloom are celebrating their tenth anniversary this year.
They started the new season by welcoming a new volunteer, Emma Stuart,
and by tidying up two of their beds in the village car park.
Their next two working mornings will be Saturdays, March 2nd and April 6th, which will begin by focusing on the village green and lower end of the village.
The group meets once a month between 10am-12 noon and would welcome more volunteers to help them.
Details: tcibinfo@yahoo.com
MEMBERS and guests of Frome Selwood Horticultural Society enjoyed two mysticalrelated talks to see in 2024.
Val Norval spoke of her many years at Leslies Florist in Cork Street, creating displays and wreaths and entwining stories of festive meaning into her magnificent creations. The theme of mystical meaning was visited again when regular speaker Mike Burks, of Sherborne Garden Centre, spoke on Garden Folklore. l The society meets on the second Tuesday of the month at Critchill School, Frome, 7.20pm for a prompt start at 7.30pm.
HENTONand District Gardening Club celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, with a very special speaker for their March meeting –Nick Bailey, garden designer, author and popular television presenter on BBC Gardeners World. His talk “365 Days of Colour in the Garden” will show how to manage the garden to ensure year-round colour and interest. The club meets in Henton Village Hall on Wednesday, March 20th at 7pm. This is a ticketed event – members £8 and visitors £10.
Details: Sue Thorne 01749 674767
sue.fennycastle@gmail.com
THESomerset branch of the Hardy Plant Society charity is holding its early spring fair at the Yeo Valley organic garden on Saturday, March 23rd, 10am-3pm, with 14 nurseries there as well as other garden related stalls. Admission is £5 which includes parking and entrance to the gardens, RHS and HPS members admission £4. Due to limited parking, there will be a car ticket system which needs to be booked online.
Details: www.somersethps.com
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NOW AVAILABLE SEED POTATOES, ONION SETS, SHALLOTS & GARLIC
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PRIMROSES, POLYANTHUS & POTTED SPRING FLOWERING BULBS FOR A BURST OF EARLY SPRING COLOUR IN THE GARDEN!
A GROUP of volunteers who are slowly rewilding former farmland on the edge of Evercreech say they would welcome more people to help them.
The 15-acre field – now called Wilf’s Wood in memory of the farmer – sits next to the Leighton Lane industrial estate but, since work began, the volunteers have seen a large increase in the amount of wildlife. People are welcome to walk through the field which has an area set aside for a Food Forest Project where people can help themselves to produce.
The volunteers – the Friends of Wilf’s Wood – have received many donations of trees and have also dug ponds with the help of Bristol Water contractors who were working along the lane and needed access to the field boundary; Bristol Water also installed mains water on the site.
Susie Peeler, whose father Wilfred Ryall farmed the land until he retired in the 1980s, said birds of prey were now a common sight, as numbers of mice and voles have increased along the hedgeline, along with greenfinch attracted to the thistles.
Susie said: “We’re ok for donations of trees at present, but more people would be welcome to come along to our work parties. It’s all about keeping the area ‘slightly’ under control.”
FOLLOWINGtheir very successful Buddy Bench project, which Midsomer Norton Men’s Shed have operated over the last few years, they now plan to offer colourful bespoke bird nesting boxes to schools and community spaces in the area.
They have a tremendous workshop and social area at Farrington Farm Shop thanks to the generosity of Andy and Tish Jeffery in providing the space.
With these facilities plus the support of Wickes, Protek and Midsomer Norton Community Trust, they aim to make 100 boxes.
Chairman, Richard Jordan, said: “Without this support Midsomer Norton Men’s Shed simply would not exist. If anyone out there wants to give ‘shedding’ a try please come along – you will find us behind the big barn at Farrington Farm Shop. We are a
friendly bunch eager to share a cuppa and a biscuit!”
The Shed is open every Tuesday and Friday from 9.30am–1pm.
Details: Richard Jordan 45rjordan@gmail.com • 07818 420685
VILLAGERSin Congresbury paraded from the riverside car park to the Millennium Orchard led by Green Man Brian Kemplay, accordionist Dave Byatt and members of Congresbury Singers singing traditional wassailing songs.
There they walked three times round a chosen tree, where wassail king and queen, Sam and Ellie, hung toast soaked in apple juice on the branches.
The Millennium Orchard volunteers and Congresbury Youth Partnership invited everyone back to Congresbury Youth Club for homemade apple cake and hot mulled apple juice.
Details: Thomas.Daw@congresbury-pc.gov.uk
VILLAGERS and visitors marked Kilmersdon’s wassail day in two separate locations – in the community orchard and in the garden of the home of organisers Martin and Frances Horler.
A total of 140 people attended the celebrations – a record number.
By DrPHIL HAMMOND
WHO said “You’ve got to AC-CENTTCHU-ATE the POSITIVE, Eliminate the negative”?
If you know the answer, the chances are you lived through at least one war and possibly two. And if you survived reasonably unscathed in the psychological department, the chances are it had a lot to do with just that. Optimism.
There were no post-traumatic stress counsellors in those days, mainly because post-traumatic stress hadn't been invented. When faced with appalling personal tragedy, there were no therapists to run to. You just picked yourself up off the floor, got on with it and tried to look on the bright side of life.
Some of us still succumb to depression and one psychiatrist I know believes this is often triggered by automatic negative thoughts (ANTS) which creep up on you and lower your self-esteem.
His advice is to chant to yourself: “To stop my daily RANTS against myself, I must stamp on my ANTs.” On reflection, I think I prefer Bing Crosby's version or, if you’re a pedant, the version written for Bing and the Andrews sisters by Arlen, Mercer and Morris.
None of them were psychiatrists. They just used common sense to come up with the same theory as the experts.
Theories without evidence are just opinions, but a series of long-term studies in the USA, which tracked volunteers for over 30 years, found that pessimists were more prone to illness and died younger, on average, than optimists.
The pessimists were not gloomy because of ill-health, but rather the gloominess preceded the sickness.
Optimists also did better at work and on the sports field.
Positive thinkers also have better immune systems as they get older, they recover more quickly from surgery, they cope better with cancer and they have a better quality of life after treatment. So, what is behind the power of positive thought?
Clearly there are very sophisticated links between mind and body at play here. What's most interesting is that there even seem to be benefits in being over-optimistic i.e. believing in a happy ending even when the odds are really stacked against you.
We all do this on a crowded train. Crammed in with lots of other smelly, groping homo sapiens with no room to breathe, the only option is to mentally distance ourselves from the horrible reality and fantasize about something else.
Positive thinkers believe that they have some control over their environment and destiny, and that everything isn't just down to fate. Whether this is true isn't the point. The fact remains that this belief tends to reinforce their efforts, so they achieve more and really do seem to be in control.
They're more likely to pass exams, get a job or score in the last minute of a sports final. Even when overoptimistic people fail, they do not label it as a failure, but rather as a lifeexperience that will contribute to future success. And they usually end up succeeding.
So, optimism pays, whatever the situation. But clearly, there's a fine line between over-optimism and delusion. Believing you can fly out of your attic skylight after six pints of Industrial Strength Cider is unlikely to bring success.
Positive thought is all very well, but it's no match for positive gravity.
I ALWAYSthink the arrival of spring is a time for hope. The sight of flowers emerging and buds bursting shows the ability of the earth to renew itself.
As a very ancient water droplet, I can remember a time before plants, birds or anything else for that matter.
There was just fire, smoke, darkness and terrible winds blowing the ash in enormous clouds. If you have seen photos or video of the current eruption in Iceland, it was like that everywhere.
It took a long, long time for the earth to cool and the first stirrings of life to begin with microbes about 3.7 billion years ago, about a billion years after the earth first formed.
My memories are a bit hazy. I spent most of that time as steam. Later, of course, I spent a very long time stuck in glaciers. These days I prefer getting stuck in ice cream!
I was amazed to find in time that water like me became the basis for life on earth along with oxygen, which I always thought was rather dodgy stuff.
There was a vast soup of material to choose from where I was created way out in space. Probably other life forms have chosen different materials.
Plants have the right idea. They thrive on carbon dioxide and then produce oxygen on which the earth depends. So make sure you have enough plants.
Certainly, spring is the time to see them best. Delicate, yellow primroses are one of my favourites, along with celandines, rosemary, snowdrops, daffodils and crocuses.
Then we’ll start to see bluebells and wild garlic, filling the woods with scent – not everyone likes garlic!
And so the season moves on, with more flowers and tree blossom. I’m not the only one that likes flowers.
The chances are some fat bee or other insect will disturb my spring day dreaming and carry me away on another adventure.
Enjoy the spring flowers!
MENDIP GRANDAD
Set in beautiful, landscaped gardens only a stone’s throw from the thriving village of Winscombe, Sewell House has been home to people wanting something different in later life for over 50 years.
We have 26 individual rented one-bedroom or studio apartments, each with fitted kitchen, ensuite bathroom and free on-site parking.
The monthly rent is inclusive of heating, power, free wi-fi and a daily three-course home-cooked meal.
Current vacancies include studio apartments from £1,000 per month and one-bedroom apartments from £1,700 per month.
We are an active community –regular activities include group outings, charity coffee mornings, craft events and film club.
Sewell House is a not-for-profit association founded originally by Quakers, with a strong link to Sidcot School and welcomes residents from all faiths and none.
OPEN MORNING, SATURDAY, 16 MARCH 2024 10am-12noon.
“As a local doctor for many years, I have found the staff of Sewell House to be not just professional but also very kind and caring providing a safe and supportive environment for their residents. In fact, I am so impressed that my mother now lives there.”
For more information or to come and visit us, please contact Alison on 01934 843746.
Email: busmgr.sewellhouse@gmail.com
www.sewellhouse.co.uk
Charity number 1729R
Residents help in the garden Residents can have lunch together or in their own room The summerhouse Chef Dan preparing lunch –Sewell House has a five-star hygiene rating
ST. Barnabas Church in Temple Cloud celebrated its 100th anniversary with a celebration tea and exhibition.
The church was designed in 1924 by WD Caroe in the Arts and Crafts style, thanks to bequests from the Rees-Mogg family.
Members fear the future of St Barnabas is in jeopardy. The rectory is up for sale and once it is sold, and the car park is no longer available, they say it will be difficult to keep the church open.
BLAGDON'S annual Big Breakfast for Weston Hospicecare was again a big success, making in the region of £450. It also gave villagers the chance to meet their new rector, the Rev Catrina Dykes.
Pictured (l to r) John and Naomi Lyons cooking bacon and sausages for the breakfasts, with Angela Smyth, who is Blagdon fundraiser for Weston Hospicecare, Andrew Barnes and Pip Riley.
a Making a Difference
from Radstock’s mayor, Chris Dando.
It was in recognition of their work teaching budding musicians in the area to play brass instruments. Training Band runs on Tuesdays 6.15-7pm at the Methodist Church, The Street, Radstock, BA3 3PL.
Details: msnrsb.org.uk
CRAFT workshops held in Compton Dando village hall have come to the end of another season with a busy final session.
Organiser, Harriette Dottridge said: "Over the season we have had 95 people through the door in total, with some of them doing their crafts to make things for charitable causes, such as the Children’s Hospice South West, which is wonderful.”
The workshops raised £245 for Compton Dando Community Association and will resume in the autumn.
WELLS Cathedral hosted a unique gathering of more than 70 voluntary and community-based groups showcasing all they have to offer residents and visitors to the city.
The day-long event – which featured live music and performances – was organised by Wells Community Network and The Project Factory – whilst a raffle raised almost £1,000 towards costs and to support the Wells Welcome Hub for refugees. The day was followed by a lantern parade (see page 72).
A TEAM from St Dunstan’s School in Glastonbury were named the winners of Shepton Mallet Rotary Club’s Youth Speaks competition.
Held at the school, the competition saw five teams taking part, with each team comprising three members –chair, proposer and opposer. There was also a contest for best individual speaker.
The runners-up were the team from Ansford Academy. Both teams went through to the district semi-finals in Frome which were due to take place as the March issue of M endip Times went to press.
AFTERa report highlighting a very successful year, Gordon Brassington handed over the gavel of Backwell Probus Club to the new chairman Bob South.
The club was founded in 1982 and now has a membership of over 50. A wide range of speakers entertained the members over the last year.
The summer ladies’ lunch, when members partners join the men, and the Christmas lunch were also highlights.
A wide range of speakers have been booked for the forthcoming year. New members are always welcome.
Details: www.backwellprobus.org.uk
ALAN Bowhay, President of Somer Valley Rotary Club, presented a Paul Harris Fellowship award, one of Rotary’s highest, to Jackie Partridge, reflecting the amazing work Jackie has done for the local and international community. She has collected books and organised a container to take them to a school in Africa to start a library and also used her own money to provide uniforms for the school in Kenya.
Other international work involved joining a fellowship exchange trip to Peru to improve international understanding and relationships. On the Peruvian group’s return to the UK, she provided them with a guided tour of Bath and hosted some of the Peruvian Rotarians in her house. They remarked how impressed they were by her dedication.
Her tireless work within the Somer Valley club has seen her involved with many projects including organising a recent blood pressure checking session in Midsomer Norton.
She also collaborates with other clubs, helping Chelwood Bridge Rotary Club to organise their Water Survival Box packing and MSN Lions Club with their Santa float.
ROTARYNailsea and Backwell’s popular book sales will recommence on Saturday, March 16th outside Nailsea Waitrose, 9am-1pm, raising funds for charity.
A wide selection of paperbacks are on offer at £1 for the first and 50p for any others. They also have a small collection of jigsaws.
PART of a ward at Paulton Hospital has been renovated thanks to a final £12,300 donation from a former charity shop run by the unit’s group of friends.
The official reopening of the day room in the John Stacey Ward came almost exactly six years to the day that the Friends of Paulton Hospital Charity Shop closed its doors for the last time.
The refurbishment aims to make the space more welcoming for both patients and visitors, especially when it is used to help patient rehabilitation.
Terry and Caroline Wynne – both MBEs for their fundraising efforts for the hospital – said: “Our volunteers and ourselves have worked tirelessly to raise money to buy equipment through our fundraising activities over the years.
“Again, a very special thank you to our local community.”
is inviting residents of the parish to nominate individuals or groups for a Community Service Award.
The awards are given annually to people who have contributed significantly to the community, whether for work done over the past year or commitment over many years.
In 2023 there were two awards made: Martin Kay on behalf of the Parkrun volunteers and Grant Garge on behalf of Ride Mendips.
Previous recipients have included community groups for their help and support during Covid and many individual volunteers who have put significant time and energy into community activities.
The closing date for nominations is Wednesday, March 20th. Winners and their nominators will be invited to the annual parish meeting at the Cheddar Community Pavilion on Wednesday, April 24th.
Details: www.cheddarparishcouncil.org clerk@cheddarparishcouncil.org
01934 743217
A NEW monthly social event in Chewton Mendip is proving to be popular. It has also enabled a young family from Ukraine to find somewhere to stay.
Singer and sculptor, Cathy Judge, started the Down the Waldy nights on the first Wednesday of the month nine months ago.
She said: “Everybody loves it. Last month we had five ladies on their own, which was great.”
At one of the meetings held in the village pub, she asked if anyone could offer a Ukrainian family accommodation.
Retired businessman, Drew Buck,
offered to help and Sasha, Yulyia and daughter Veronika, aged 15 months, arrived a month ago at his cottage near the village.
Drew is renowned for his epic bike rides, including Land’s End to John O’ Groats and a 4,000 mile trip across the Himalayas. Before his wife, Jan, died two years ago, she suggested he do another big ride.
That took him 2,000 miles on the old Pony Express route across the US. He’s done talks about it since, raising funds for St Margaret’s Hospice.
Back in Kiev, Sasha was in a project engineering team and Yulyia was an
accountant. Sasha said: “It’s so good to be here, with peace and quiet away from the air raids.”
Drew, who brought up five children at the cottage, said: “They’ve brought the house back alive and Yulia made me a lovely cheesecake for my 75th birthday.”
THE Rotary Club of Shepton Mallet celebrated the 75th anniversary of its charter on February 9th.
Secretary, Keith Evans, (right) and president, Michael Flack are pictured with the framed Presidents’ Collar bearing the names of the first 75 presidents, together with a certificate of congratulations from Rotary International.
THE Shipham Collective is rehearsing for another charity concert in the near future, following their Christmas concert in the village’s St Leonard’s Church. It raised £350 for Somewhere to Go, a homeless charity in Weston-super-Mare.
The collective, formerly known as the Lockdown Band, consists of over 25 local musicians from Shipham and Star, with nine string players, eleven brass and horns, plus guitars and singers all led by Anne Oakley.
They started playing together during lockdown, when Anne took her keyboard out into the garden one evening, when people were clapping for the NHS, and played “You’ll never walk alone”.
She said: “After we’d finished we got so many lovely messages saying thank you –as people were feeling so very isolated and they loved hearing live music. So the next week I did the same and this went on for a while until we were allowed to meet outside. A few local musicians asked if they could join me on our drive (socially distanced) and so we began sharing parts online and playing two or three pieces each week.
“This gradually grew and for the jubilee we were asked to play on our drive (with loud speakers pointing all over the village) with people listening in their gardens and a socially distanced picnic on the village green.
“So we became known as the Lockdown Band locally! Since then we have kept playing together –the strings weekly and the others as and when needed to work on repertoire for concerts.
“We have now become the Shipham Collective as this allows anyone who wants to be involved to be included.”
Last year’s supper raised £1,542 from tickets for the starters, mains and sweets plus the raffle organised by Margaret Cowie.
The annual supper has raised cash for local charities for the last four or more decades. The next is due to be held on Saturday, November 30th. It would welcome more committee members.
Details:
LANTERN
inside Wells
before making its way to the Bishop’s Palace.
Dozens of people took part in the procession which was organised by the Wells-based community interest arts company The Project Factory and followed the hugely successful community day in the cathedral.
.
DOZENS of people took part in Radstock’s first-ever lantern parade, part of a new, year-long arts campaign by the town council.
The parade ended with a fire show and acrobatic performance by Justine Squire, a contemporary circus artist from Bristol, behind St Nicholas Church.
Radstock Town Council is currently exploring plans to buy nearby Trinity Church to turn it into a community and arts space.
Rowan Fae, the council’s culture officer, is now organising a performance in the church by a French ceilidh trio and a children’s theatre show, both in March, as well as summer events.
THEold railway station in Axbridge is being given a new lease of life as the Axe Valley Men’s Shed. The group have been given a 99-year lease and have started fundraising to renovate it.
The station opened in 1869 and closed in 1963, the old line becoming the Axbridge by-pass. It had been empty for years, having been used previously by the Sea Cadets and as a youth club.
The former goods shed, which used to store strawberries, is now a workshop, with plans for a model railway to go in there.
The main station building is being readied for a whole range of activities including tai chi, art classes, a computer club and anything else the 60-plus members would like.
There’s also a heritage orchard and two and a half acres of land to be worked. And a games court which they hope to refurbish – if they can raise enough money. The immediate priority is to sort out glazing and heating, at an estimated cost of £30,000.
They say they are grateful for the support they have received from organisations including the Thatchers Foundation, Co-op, Axbridge Town Council, Heidelberg Aggregates and others like Imperial Fire and Security, who supplied CCTV equipment.
CHEW Stoke Church School has been busy over the last year strengthening its partnership with Christian Life Primary School in Uganda and has managed to raise some money to help the school build classrooms.
They raised almost £400 at their Christingle service back at the end of last year, enough for thousands of bricks.
Headteacher, Ben Hewett, said: “Students from both schools have been working with each other on a number of exciting projects last year which included finding out about each other’s cultures, wildlife and habitats and about the quality of education in each country.”
Chairman, Andy Laken, a former fire officer, said: “We’ve taken on a significant challenge but we are a broad church with a lot of skills and knowledge to pass on. What underpins it all is the need to support men’s mental health.”
Bernard Cook, aged 82, moved from Gloucester when his wife died to live with his daughter, Helen in Weare.
He said: “This place has been a life saver for me, it’s turned my life around.”
The group is planning an official opening in the near future. Eventually it hopes it can invite other groups to use the old station.
MEMBERS of the Inner Wheel Club of Shepton Mallet have planted a rose in the grounds of Bowlish Infants School in the town in commemoration of the centenary of the founding of the movement and also World Peace Day.
The rose is a Margaret Holding rose and was bred in honour of the movement’s founding member. It was launched at last year’s Chelsea Flower Show.
PUBLOW church’s first market of 2024 was busy and raised £472 for church funds. The next market is on March 2nd, 1011.30am.
Details: Judith Hillman 01761 490324, Janet Smith 01761 490584 or Gillian Wookey on 01761 490336
THE Brains of Avalon Quiz organised by Glastonbury and Street Lions Club was held in Glastonbury Town Hall.
Dozens of keen quizzers battled it out over 15 rounds, with Middlerump, a team from Middlezoy, emerging as winners.
The evening raised nearly £600 for local charities. Lion president, Derek Green, is pictured presenting the winners’ shield to John Rooks, Mike Evans, Sally Evans and Nick Tucker.
AFTER50 years, Winscombe WI has had its last evening at the village’s Church Centre, formerly known as St James’ Hall.
After a change of conditions in the hiring of the hall, they are moving to Sewell House in Belmont Road, Winscombe. Their meetings will be held on the second Wednesday of each month, 7.30pm.
Generations of women from the Winscombe area have kept a WI running. This started in 1922 and it has been held at various places. In the 1950s it was situated in The Assembly Rooms (close to Bird’s Bakery).
They moved to the church hall in 1964. President, Janet Hollands, said: “Now, sadly, we have to leave there. We look to the future though and we will continue to serve our members from Sewell House.
“The WI may in the past have been known for `Jam and Jerusalem’ but we are so much more these days. New Members are always welcome to join and in the future might wish to serve on our committee. They will receive a warm welcome.”
MENDIP’Slongest cave, and one of the most sporting, is Swildon’s Hole, 500 metres northeast of Priddy Green. Exploration by Herbert Balch and his associates began in 1901 and since then 11 sumps have been found and passed, leading to the 12th, which has so far defied all efforts to dive through it and progress further towards Wookey Hole.
The first sump was reached after 20 years and on the same day, E.K. (later Professor) Tratman climbed up the cave wall some distance before the sump to discover a decorated chamber subsequently named Tratman’s Temple.
At the back, a low crawl led to an exquisite grotto, which Balch hoped would remain inviolate. This became known as Balch’s Forbidden Grotto, but it was not to last. In 1945 a group of cavers from the RAF pushed through the grotto to find a series of muddy passages and pools which were named St. Paul’s Series.
Exploration of the main passage and extensions continued, until in 1953 Howard Kenney, Dr. Willie Stanton, Dr. Oliver Lloyd and Dr. D. Thomson came to the Mud Sump, a constriction filled with liquid mud. Over the next couple of years, strenuous efforts were made to bail this, taking the mud up the passage to a drain. The diggers were encouraged by the fact that occasionally an air space would appear, emitting a strong draught.
Eventually, in March 1955, bailing with the aid of schoolboy cavers from Beechen Cliff Caving Society, enough airspace had been found to tempt Oliver Wells to try to get through. He went on his back, feet first, and after a struggle was able to make his way up a two-metre bank of mud and shingle which lay on the far side.
He was followed by Keith Chambers and Eva Waller. Later, dams were constructed to hold the bailed water, and the mud bank removed. Even so, passing the Mud Sump has generally been a daunting experience.
Shortly after the sump had been passed, Fred Davies described it as: “. . . only a duck with about four or five inches air space but very nasty. Hood essential to keep mud out of ears, helmets must be left off.”
Indeed, one of the diggers, Keith Chambers, had to receive hospital treatment to clean his ears of accumulated grit and clay.
Passing the Mud Sump was an important event, because it led to the discovery of the series of passages known as Paradise Regained, Shatter Pot and its series, and Blue Pencil Passage, which eventually led to the discovery of Swildon’s Four.
Exploration was also continuing beyond Sump One, and at a sharp bend in the streamway, a steep slope was climbed to a ledge, The Landing, from which digging to the northwest led to the Vicarage Series.
In the other direction, the passage continued through Glistening Gallery and Doomed Grotto, and was reckoned to be heading
towards Paradise Regained. However, the passage ended in a mud-choked constriction, which was enthusiastically dug into.
Back in Paradise Regained, by passing Blue Pencil Passage, the explorers came to a duck, which they found could be baled into a mud dam constructed for the purpose. Shortly beyond, a similar duck was found and passed.
These obstacles are the Double Troubles and care has to be taken not to spend too long exploring beyond, as if they fill back up, they cannot be bailed from the far side. Further on, a tight bedding plane was enlarged with explosives (Bang Squeeze), and exploration continued to a mud choke.
Surveying proved that this was the same choke that was being dug from the Vicarage direction and efforts to pass it were redoubled. On August 4th, 1962, digging from both sides achieved the expected breakthrough at Birthday Squeeze, and the parties passed each other and so achieved the first Round Trip, in both directions.
Since then, the Short Round Trip (The Long Round Trip is even more arduous) has been a popular and challenging reason for visiting Swildon’s Hole – until relatively recently, that is. Bailing the mud sump has always been a problem, even more so since the small drain hole used to dispose of the water has become blocked.
Dams cannot be built to hold back all of the water and a small trickle from the far side flows into the sump. Over the years, many cavers have spent hours trying to find a permanent answer, but to no avail, and they have finally admitted defeat.
The blockage itself is only a couple of metres long and an obvious answer would be to use explosives to raise the roof. It can be argued that if such an obstacle were to be discovered today, with the promise of extensive passages beyond, then explosives would certainly be used to eliminate the blockage.
The counter argument is that we should not modify any cave more than is strictly necessary and that as the sump was once passable by digging and bailing, that should be the technique used to re-open it.
Logistically, a large group of cavers would be necessary to open the sump and it would only be a temporary measure. That is the situation at present, as there does not seem to be any caver willing to risk the wrath of his peers by blasting the Mud Sump. Until a solution is found, the Short Round Trip must remain a memory.
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
With PHILIP HENDY
From product advice to a full bathroom re-design, we are delighted to help you with your bathroom plans. Whatever the size of your space or your budget, we’re here to help.
AS I have been driving around the Chew Valley recently, something new has struck me –how neat and tidy the hedgerows are. It’s as though they have all been visited by the barber, and what a great job they have done.
It really makes a terrific difference and it must impress any visitors to the area, who will also appreciate the ever increasing number of flowers starting to show themselves as the weather very gradually starts to improve and the Valley comes to life after its winter slumber.
A good number of those visitors are coming because they are on the look-out for their next property and they are keen to share our lifestyle, which is driving sales. Another
factor we are noticing is the return of the first-time buyer to the market.
Young people are seeing the benefits of more friendly mortgage rates and they are keen to get the keys to their first home. We are seeing more of them in purchase chains and that is a great sign of market recovery.
Another promising sign is the number of new business enterprises I am noticing, which is great to see. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, that we should all do what we can to support both the wellestablished companies as well as the newcomers.
They bring life to the Chew Valley, creating jobs, offering an incredible range of goods and services and generating a
prosperous local economy which benefits everyone.
We recently had a meeting of Chew Valley Chamber of Commerce, of which I am proud to be a member. Sitting round the table brings it home to you what a lively business community we have and that will continue just as long as we all do our bit to support genuinely local companies.
They are the ones like my business, which are owned and managed by people who live and breathe the Chew Valley, who employ local people and possess the detailed knowledge of the area, so they can provide a bespoke service. Take a few minutes to check they are truly local and I doubt you’ll be disappointed.
With that in mind, this is a
great time to check out our website, joannatiley.com and take a local at our valuation tool, which will give you an idea of the price you can expect to realise on your property at the moment.
You are not committed to anything, but it will give us something to talk about and if you do decide to go ahead we will unleash the energy of our renowned Dedication, Imagination and Delivery which has made us the Chew Valley’s agent of choice for so many people who want to get moving in 2024.
JOANNA TILEY
BATH& West Community Energy Fund (BWCE Fund) has awarded £40,500 in grants to reduce carbon emissions and tackle fuel poverty. This year the fund is supporting ten local charitable and community organisations in Bath and the surrounding areas.
Community-based BWCE develops renewable energy projects and for the tenth year running has given a portion of its surplus income for the benefit of local communities. Quartet Community Foundation administers the grant programme on behalf of the BWCE Fund.
The grants will be used by local charitable and community organisations on a range of important projects, intended to cut carbon emissions, reduce energy bills and waste and help with the cost-of-living crisis by tackling fuel poverty.
Sophie Hooper Lea, chair of trustees, said: “Like so many of us, local charities are becoming more environmentally conscious and want to play their part in reducing carbon emissions in their own organisations and within local communities.
“The BWCE Fund provides funding for projects that are climate friendly, which often has the added benefit of saving money as organisations face soaring costs due to inflation and the cost-ofliving crisis.”
Since 2015 the BWCE Fund grant programme administered by Quartet has awarded 101 grants worth over £310,000.
One
in
Entries are now open for this year’s tour, on Sunday, May 19th. The event, which will again raise money for the British Heart Foundation, is also open to non-club members.
With JANE PATERSON
INspite of rigorous health and safety measures being at the forefront of all equestrian competition, it is and always will be impossible to prevent accidents occurring. All sports carry a degree of risk, whether you are competing or simply pottering about at home, out for a hack, or schooling.
Pushing your body to extremes is demanding enough in itself and when you are on a horse you not only have yourself to control, but you are on an animal which however well trained, behaves in a “flight and fright” fashion in certain situations which you cannot foresee.
Thankfully, and we must remember this, really bad and fatal accidents do not happen very often, but when they do, it rocks the equestrian world and pulls everyone up short.
Somerset jockey Keegan Kirkby tragically lost his life on February 4th while competing in a Point to Point race in Kent. Tributes have flooded in from his colleagues at Ditcheat, led by his boss Paul Nicholls who described him as one of his best and hardworking lads.
There was also a social media post from 20 times champion jockey A.P McCoy who Keegan had admired from a young age. The day after the tragedy, fresh from the devastating shock of losing a colleague, top jockey Harry Cobden rode one of the yard’s horses to victory at Taunton.
Fire Flyer was one which 25-year-old Keegan rode nearly every day at home and both Harry and his boss Paul Nicholls dedicated the win to him, giving him credit for all his hard work. The only consolation, if there can possibly be any for his friends and
family, would be that Keegan died doing something he loved and lived for.
A JustGiving page has already raised a very substantial sum of money for a lasting memorial for him. Moving tributes on the page have flooded in, showing just how much he was valued and respected. Life can be so cruel, and moving on from tragedy is a slow and painful journey.
But we have to have hope. Without hope there is only despair. The amazing family of young event rider Hannah Francis are a shining example of how to pick yourself up after tragedy and carry on.
Having lost Hannah in her teens to Osteosarcoma, they carried out her wish to help other young people overcome the disease and try to find a cure. The Willberry the Wonder Pony Charity has gone from strength to strength since Hannah’s death and the latest newsletter is a testament to just what has been done so far.
A recent symposium was held in London, where the PhD students funded by Willberry were able to talk about their work. Not only is Hannah’s charity granting wishes to cancer sufferers and their carers, enabling them to have treats that they might have only dreamed of, it is also funding vital
medical research which will help to improve outcomes for people with Osteosarcoma, and save lives.
The energy and commitment from all involved in the charity is phenomenal and Hannah would be immensely proud and happy. It is important for us all to honour these local heroes who grew up in our midst and but for tragedy would undoubtedly have gone on to do great things and reach the top of their sport.
RIP. Gone much too soon. Fundraising for the Willberry is an important part of the charity’s work and is so worthwhile supporting. The popular annual One Day Event continues to donate impressive amounts to keep the research going and many individuals give monthly in order to “kick cancer’s butt”.
Emily Smart from Banwell, together with her mother Jayne who helped train Hannah in her riding and gave her the very first little Willberry to keep her company throughout the gruelling treatments and dark times, is now training for the London Marathon and will donate proceeds from her fundraising efforts to help the cause.
If anyone wants to help Emily achieve her goal to raise £1000, they can donate via the link https:// 2024tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/emilysmart
THE team and riders at Divoky Riding School at Downhead, near Shepton Mallet, are backing a new British Horse Society road safety campaign.
Called Dead Slow, it aims to ensure all roads are safer for horses and equestrians with at least one horse dying each week across the UK in 2023. The BHS has launched a new and free reporting app called Horse to report incidents.
The Highway Code says drivers must ideally leave two metres between their vehicle and a horse and slow down to a maximum of 10mph.
Pat Bishop, who runs Divoky, said: “The app is really user friendly.
“I now wear a helmet camera every time I leave the yard; this can Bluetooth to my phone and has both sound and great picture
quality so I can now record every ride we take. It is so sad that riders now have to take these precautions. Gone it seems are the days when wearing hi-vis and training riders in road safety were enough to ensure everyone came home safe.”
FINAL preparations are underway for this year’s Mendip Farmers’ Point-to-Point meeting, once again being held at Ston Easton.
Organisers believe they have found a settled format for success on the day – Sunday, March 17th – with six races followed by two pony races.
There will be plenty away from the track to keep families content with licensed bar, food stalls, tradestands, and children’s entertainment – with on-course bookies, of course!
The meeting will pay tribute to jockey Keagan Kirkby, originally from Midsomer Norton, who was tragically killed whilst competing in another point-to-point fixture in Kent at the beginning of February – a stark reminder that it remains a dangerous sport.
Keagan was a popular and valued member of the team at Paul Nicholls’s yard at Ditcheat and the fourth race at Ston Easton, sponsored by Morris & Perry, will be renamed from the Men’s Open to the Keagan Kirkby Men’s Open.
The Blackmore and Sparkford Vale fixture, at Charlton Horethorne, near Sherborne, on Sunday, March 3rd, will also pay tribute to Keagan.
Unlike Mendip, the BSV meeting will open with two pony races from midday with the main action under starter’s orders at 1pm.
THE Mid-Somerset Agricultural Society is launching its first Somerset Horse Show on its showground at Shepton Mallet.
Entries open on March 1st for the one-day event, on Sunday, May 26th, and is aimed at anyone interested in competing with their equine companion without the pressure of a county show or affiliation qualifier.
Meanwhile, the showground is also hosting an equine car boot sale, on Sunday, April 28th, starting at 1pm. Sellers and buyers all welcome but sales of horses and ponies are not permitted.
First race 12.30pm followed by pony racing Ston Easton, 8m N of Shepton Mallet, BA3 4DH
Admission: Advance E-tickets £13.50 (until midday Friday March 15th)
£15 on the gate/under-16s free
l Six Races & Two Pony Races
l Children’s Fun Fair
l Licensed Bar l Food Stalls
l Tradestands l Bookies
l Big screen
www.mendipfarmerspointtopoint.co.uk
SPECIALIST equine vet Nicko Robertson, from the Stables Equine Practice, will again be leading the team of vets at the Mendip Farmers’ Point to Point meeting at Ston Easton on Sunday, March 17th.
Preparing for the meeting is always a sign that spring is on its way and is the season when breeding starts in earnest and increased risk of laminitis rears its head.
SEP was founded in 1997 and is based in a purpose-built Conkerfield clinic on the edge of Wookey. Its ethos has always been to provide a personal professional service, offering outstanding veterinary care at a fair price.
If you are thinking about breeding from your mare, why not give them a call? They’re always happy to discuss your needs. If you have any concerns regarding laminitis, they’d be happy to chat about how they can help and support you.
Contact them on: 01749 830666
FordHaven – a community interest company set up by Paul and Roxie Ford – offers fun-based learning activities at a neutral venue with the aim of creating “positive” memories.
The couple currently hire the education and activity room at Paddington Farm on the edge of town to run the sessions which might feature arts and crafts and games – or simply somewhere for children to read and play on their own but, in the long-term, they hope to have a dedicated space of their own.
Now Paul and Roxie have extended the service to homeeducated youngsters as an opportunity to enjoy a different environment for a few hours and the response has been positive.
Home-educated brother and sister Harvey, nine, and Amber, 12, regularly attend sessions at Paddington Farm. Harvey said: “It’s fun here and we can be outside when the weather is good.” Amber added: “I enjoy all the activities we do here.”
The couple and their trustees are currently fundraising on two fronts – to help cover the costs of using Paddington Farm and also to spearhead plans by the scouts in Glastonbury to refurbish their hall in Benedict Street.
The refurbishment project will cost around £8,000 but it will allow FordHaven to use it as a base for their own fundraising events, including a jumble sale on Saturday, March 2nd. Roxie said: “It’s all about working together for our mutual benefit. Paddington Farm is a fantastic place – with countryside all around – but it’s also some distance from town and some people might have issues accessing us.
“The scout hall is an ideal location for our fundraising events, but we recognise it is their hall – eventually, we would love to have somewhere we can call our own with access to it whenever we want.
“We’ve had some lovely support so far from local businesses and we’re really excited about the future.”
The couple would welcome more volunteers to join them.
For details, find FordHaven on Facebook or visit: www.fordhaven.org
VOLUNTEERS have been helping an organisation which uses owls and nature as therapies to promote wellbeing and self-confidence to relocate to a new home on the edge of Glastonbury.
Owl Enlightenment, a Community Interest Company, offers workshops and experiences for both adults and children with its team of either rescued or bred owls, including a barn owl, tawny owl and eagle owl.
Founded by experienced handler Michelle Blackmore, Owl Enlightenment had been based at Meare, but has moved to Paddington Farm on the edge of Glastonbury. The plan is to extend the size of the aviaries and to offer more activities. It also hopes to attract more sponsorship from businesses to pay for visits into the community which are in great demand.
Michelle
SOMETIMESyou can stumble across a good bike route or hill climb purely by chance or good luck. That’s what happened a few years ago when I started volunteering at the National Trust property, Tyntesfield.
The house is absolutely rich in content, full of history and the grounds are perfect for a family day out. It is situated on a ridge that runs east to west overlooking North Somerset, but to get there means going uphill.
That’s how I first came across Belmont Hill, near Flax Bourton on my way to volunteer at Tyntesfield. And the one thing I noticed almost every time I went there, was cyclists making their way up the hill at the same time.
It was a while before I got there on my bike, but it was well worth the wait. The hill is a nice one, with a smooth surface, amazing views and normally not too busy with traffic. For any cyclists living south of Bristol this is a must-do hill climb and that probably explains why it is so popular.
As a climb it has an alpine feel – the road twists and turns uphill offering magnificent views on the way up.
The climb starts near the village of Flax Bourton at the B3129 heading towards Failand from its junction with the Bristol to Clevedon Road (B3130). The first impressions of this hill can be misleading.
The trees covering the hill in the distance disguise what is really in store ahead. The gradient changes several times so when there is an easier section it can be easy to get fooled and to think you are racing up this hill easily.
Equally well, the twists and turns as the road snakes its way upwards to the top and the views along the way are unlike anything else you will find locally.
The initial section is relatively easy and a chance to build some momentum but within a couple of hundred metres the steeper bit on a rightward bend becomes clearly visible. This will be the first of three harder sections along the climb.
Depending on either how fit you are, how old you are or how good you are on hill climbs there are several ways to tackle this hill climb. Each of the steep sections are followed by a flatter section and a chance to catch
your breath again. So, with good legs this is a hill climb that can be attacked.
According to Strava the two fastest riders have completed this climb in two and a half minutes, averaging almost 32 km per hour! That is ridiculously fast, and unless you are a King of the Mountains brute, I would recommend this hill climb for other reasons.
It’s not too hard or too long – meaning that it is achievable and enjoyable for almost any cyclist.
Back on the road, the first steep section bends back to the left and eases off just as it passes by a gatehouse to Belmont Estate, known for its regenerative approach to land management. It isn’t long before the road starts a long-left bend around the hill and the first views across the valley below are visible.
Ahead the road snakes upwards, continually switching between right and left and then back again but all the time making its way further up the hill. In a strange sort of way, it reminds me of when I cycled up Alpe d’Huez, in France.
Now the two may not be anything like each other in either difficulty, distance, gradient or altitude – after all one is a mountain, and the other is a hill. But the constant switching is similar and something you don’t see on many hill climbs in the UK.
Over halfway up Belmont Hill there is a longer straight section with an easier gradient. This is where any cars that have been following (and hopefully been impressed) by your progress get a chance to pass by safely.
After a bit more weaving side to side the final left hander and the hardest section (relatively speaking) is in sight. With a little bit of persistence, you will eventually see daylight above the road, straight ahead of you.
As you head towards the light the road flattens and you finish the climb at the junction heading left towards Lower Failand.
This is a lovely climb for all abilities, whether that is for speed, or hill repetition training or maybe just to ride your own mini Alpe d’Huez!
Climb statistics: Distance 1.4km; Elevation Gain 102m; Avge Gradient 7.0%; Max Gradient 10.3%
CHEDDAR Tennis Club is holding a formal dinner in March to celebrate the club’s 100th anniversary with other events also planned for later in the year.
The club has seen many changes over the years and, at its inception in January 1924, consisted of three grass courts laid in a field adjacent to The Barrows. By the end
of that year, the club had 105 members and matches were held against other local clubs, though play was only possible during the summer months. Subsequent
years saw upgrading of the facilities and by the mid-1950s the grass had been replaced by hardcourts and a new pavilion opened.
In 1990, four new hard courts were officially opened at Sharpham Road with the original courts remaining in use until 1998 when the last set was played there after 74 years of use. Subsequently the Sharpham Road facilities were enhanced with the provision of floodlights, a new clubhouse and more recently the conversion to carpeted courts with a ramp access for wheelchair users.
The club, priding itself on a welcoming and “inclusive to all” policy, currently has an active adult and junior membership, regular coaching sessions and a walking tennis group. Men’s and ladies’ teams play in the North Somerset League throughout the year and club sessions are held each week.
A BUSY 2023 that finished with Somer Athletics Club being named England Athletics’ South West Club of the Year was recognised at the club’s annual presentation evening at the Centurion Hotel in Westfield.
Tori Ratcliffe secured her fourth successive ladies’ championship whilst Dan Blewitt’s dedication and focus saw him regain the men’s shield. Martin Dera was awarded for both his performances as well as his efforts behind the scenes. Meanwhile, fellow youth coach Richard Maddock received a special chair’s award for 20 years’ service to the club.
The club is now looking forward to a busy year across its junior, youth and seniors branches, as well as supporting the development of their Couch to 5k group.
For details, find the club on Facebook and Instagram or visit: www.somerac.org.uk
A MONSTERpike caught in Chew Valley Lake has set a new record. Lloyd Watson from Manchester was on his first visit to Chew when he caught the 47lb 5oz fish.
It cemented Chew’s reputation as one of the finest pike fishing lakes in Britain. The previous British record stood at 46lb 13oz.
The biggest pike previously caught at Chew in 2023 weighed 44lb 7ozs. All the fishing slots at the lake are booked for months in advance.
Lloyd returned the fish to the water.
WELLSCathedral Oratorio Society will perform The Dream of Gerontius by Edward Elgar on Saturday, March 23rd at Wells Cathedral, 7pm.
It says many consider this epic choral work to be Elgar’s greatest single composition, inspired by a poem by Cardinal Newman.
Details: https://www.wcos.org.uk/wcos-eventsmanager/dream-of-gerontius-2024
VALLEYArts has launched a major new community project, Rising Waters, themed around the rich variety of stories about the creation of Chew Valley Lake and other water inspired memories.
It’s inviting Chew Valley residents to send in their stories about the lake and the myths, legends and folk tales inspired by the Mendip Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty for a performance in July.
Details: www.valleyartscentre.co.uk
LOCAL ladies’ choir Sing Your Heart Out, which meets weekly at St John’s Church, Chilcompton, is planning a recording session of its favourite numbers this summer.
Chairman, Sophie Andrews, said: “This is something that we have talked about doing for several years, and as our choir has now grown to over 35 members it seems like an excellent year to bring it to fruition.’’
The choir raised more than £800 for the church with its Christmas concert and has sung at many concerts over the years to raise money for charities including Root Connections, BEAT Eating Disorders and for Ukraine refugees.
The choir rehearses on Wednesday evenings from 7.30-9pm at St John’s Church Hall, Chilcompton, learning a variety of numbers from stage and screen, and pop music ranging from the 1940s to the present day.
They are happy to sing for special occasions, charity events and for local nursing homes and societies.
Details: Viv Moon 07780 861868
IT promises to be a memorable evening at St Mary’s, Yatton when the prize-winning Hungarian violinist Boglárka György from the Liszt Academy of music in Budapest plays a Cuypers 1797 violin, kindly on loan to her from the Harrison-Frank Family Foundation.
She will be accompanied by the brilliant Oxford graduate pianist Amy Butler. Their programme will include a variety of music to suit all tastes including popular classical, Hungarian and sparkling Gershwin music to conclude the evening.
The Yatton Music Society concert on March 23rd starts at 7.30pm, tickets £10, half price for students over 16, children free.
Details: www.yms.org.uk
CHURCHILL Academy music students excelled at Churchill Music’s 16th Young Musician of the Year competition.
Nine talented musicians from Churchill Academy & Sixth Form delighted the audience with their superb performances at St John’s Church.
The adjudicating panel chaired by Dr. Jonathan James, PhD conductor, music educator and founder-director of the Bristol Pre-Conservatoire with Alison Blundell and Adrian Trapp, had a particularly hard task to choose this year’s winners.
Year 11 pianist, Keith Ng won the trophy and generous cheque with his performance of two contrasting Chopin nocturns. Ella Phippen (Year 9) won the Ursula Dornton Vocal Prize.
Their success allows them to enter the regional final of the Rotary Young Musician of the Year competition on March 3rd at Kings of Wessex School, Cheddar. The Junior Trophy was awarded to Luca Granger, Year 11.
Churchill Music trustees welcomed Gary Lewis, CEO of the Lighthouse Schools Partnership, saying it is looking forward to working with the partnership for future music projects.
ORGANISERS of the revived Nunney Fayre are to stage a series of open mic nights in the village to find musicians to perform at this July’s event.
The Nunney Community Association is keen to build on the success of last year’s new-look fayre by staging a wider range of music to entertain people gathered around the castle moat. They have also taken on board visitors’ comments.
This year’s event takes place on Saturday, July 27th and the NCA is keen to hear from any musicians – especially those with local connections or who are emerging talent – who want to take part. It also wants villagers to attend the sessions to help decide who gets to perform in front of a traditionally large audience.
The first open mic night takes place at the George Inn in the village on Friday, March 1st.
FROME Busks returns in March, offering students from Frome College the chance to perform in public around the town centre.
The competition will take place across eight stages in the heart of town on Saturday, March 9th from 11am to 2pm, hosted by the college and Frome Town Council. Each stage across town will host the students, who will provide a range of musical styles with some well-known songs mixed with original compositions.
Mayor Philip Campagna said: “This event enables young musicians from Frome College to perform to the people of Frome. It was truly amazing to see such talented young students perform their own music and lyrics in previous years, so come on down and support the talent we have in Frome.”
Any money raised on the day by the buskers will go towards extra-curricular music performances and productions for Frome College students.
For their next concert, Congresbury Singers will be focusing on the music of the “Viennese Classical” period. During the years from 1787 to 1815 Vienna was a remarkable hub for composers including Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, all of whom worked in the city for significant periods in their lives. This “Classical” programme is a kind of celebration which draws on this rich vein of creativity and respects Congresbury Singers’ tradition of singing a more traditional programme in the spring. Music will include Mozart’s Kyrie & Ave Verum; Haydn’s The Heavens are Telling (from The Creation) & the main work, Schubert’s Mass No 2 in G
We are also welcoming three visiting soloists: l Katherine Everett (Soprano) l Alexander Robinson (Tenor) l Robert Marson (Bass)
They will be performing operatic music by Gluck, Mozart & Rossini.
This exciting programme is being held at Saint Andrew’s church, Congresbury at 7.30pm on Saturday 13th April. Our conductor for the night is Jonathan Palmer, Congresbury Singers’ Musical Director, accompanied by Richard Lennox, Organist.
Tickets are £10 to include Easter refreshments and are available at Re:Store & the Post Office in Congresbury or on the door on the night.
We are very grateful to Paragon Music Trust for the financial support that they have given us for this event.
CITY of Wells Lions Club is to stage a charity concert in the city in March by popular four-piece rock and roll band Loose Ends.
The gig, at St Thomas’s Church, on Friday, March 15th, will raise funds for the Lawrence Centre and Lions charities. Door open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start.
Tickets are £8 and available in advance from the Wells Tourist Information at the Wells Town Hall (cash only). Some may be available on the door.
For details or to buy via BACS, email: wellslionsevents@gmail.com
RADSTOCKand Midsomer Norton Lions are planning an Easter Eggstravaganza on Saturday, March 30th at the Somer Centre in Midsomer Norton, 2-4pm.
There will be an Easter Fair with crafts, refreshments and music by The Radstock and Midsomer Norton Silver Band and an Easter bonnet parade open for all ages with prizes.
Stall holders can book a table for £10.
Details: Carol 07932 497786 bonnet@rmnlions.org.uk
HEALRewilding, based at Witham Friary, is planning Out Of The Darkness, a unique night soundscape experience.
Each performance, during March and April, will take the audience on a wildlife night sound journey. They will hear the calls, growls, snuffles and squeaks of creatures from the present with others recently lost and, thrillingly, those that would have been familiar to ancient peoples who once lived in the landscape.
The audience will be led by torchlight to the event space and take their seats for the 40-minute performance, which is raising money for the charity. Heal Rewilding was launched in March 2020 as the UK’s first charity dedicated to being a rewilding landowner and it acquired its 460-acre foundation site, Heal Somerset, in December 2022.
CHEDDARValley u3a will be flying high on Thursday, March 7th when Sally Smith, author and skydiver who formed the world’s first All Girl Parachute Display Team, will recite stories of “Magnificent Women” in the village hall at 2pm.
This slots between their Open Day on Saturday, March 2nd, 10am-4pm, when there will be displays and demonstrations by many of their special interest groups and their Seed and Plant Swap coffee morning on Thursday, March 21st, 10-11.30am, both in the village hall.
Details: https:// u3asites.org.uk/cheddar-valley
LITTLE ones – and older ones too – will be busy at The Bishop’s Palace in Wells this Easter, with a range of familyfriendly activities taking place over the school holidays.
The holiday fun kicks off with Helpful Nell’s Wildlife Trail –from March 29th to April 14th – where visitors will be encouraged to explore the gardens to find twelve spring pictures. Twelve clues will help guess what will be in each picture and a small chocolate-y prize will be on offer on completion!
On April 2nd (11am and 1.30pm), storyteller Rebecca Gryspeerdt will also be reading from her book “Helpful Nell”; a story set in The Bishop’s Palace and featuring the swans of Wells.
For families looking for a day out with a difference, the everpopular Medieval Falconry Day will take place this year on Saturday, April 13th from 10am-4pm with displays at 12pm and 3pm.
Held on the South Lawn, against the stunning backdrop of the medieval Great Hall, Tony from specialist falconry firm, Raptorcare, will entertain crowds with a day of fantastic flying displays, fascinating information and beautiful birds!
The displays are aimed at all ages of visitor and will illustrate
how these birds would have been used in Medieval times and why. Marvel at their skill and training as they show off their well-honed moves in front of the audience and in between displays, visitors can have the chance to handle some of the birds.
l All activities are included with the value-packed 12-month admission ticket and Bishop’s Palace Memberships.
Details: https:// u3asites.org.uk/cheddar-valley
GLASTONBURY Weddings and Events, the stunning venue close to Godney, is to host its first Easter Bunny Trail – a family-friendly event that will keep everyone amused during March and April.
The farm has earned a deserved reputation for accommodating weddings but lives up to its name by hosting lots of other activities such as helicopter rides and falconry displays.
Jenny and Michael Churches, who run Glastonbury Weddings and Events, decided to launch the trail following the success of last October’s Pumpkin Patch.
They say: “Hop along to our website for details; it’s a great visit for all the family taking place from the weekend before Easter and over the Easter holidays.
“There’ll be indoor and outdoor fun, see the baby lambs, meet the Easter bunny, play in the toy barn, go on a trail to find out the code for your chocolatey treat, ride in the bunny train and relax and enjoy homemade refreshments, with licensed bar.”
For details, scan the QR code or their advert or visit: www.glastonburyweddingvenue.co.uk/eastertrail
Waiting in the sidings: the DMU will return to action on Sunday, March 24th
FINAL preparations are underway for a new season of heritage train rides and other events at the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway at Midsomer Norton South Station.
Opening on Sunday, March 24th, the early part of the season will see the distinctive red passenger coaches being hauled by the line’s diesel shunters. The Diesel Multiple Unit – the green one – will also be in action.
The same day sees the reopening of the station’s popular buffet car for light refreshments; it will be open every Sunday in the season and also on Wednesdays in school holidays when the line’s Wickham Trolley will be in action – definitely offering a different perspective on the railway!
The shop and second-hand emporium will also be back in action, for books and gifts. And, talking of gifts, it’s not too early to think about a Father’s Day present with a difference: driving one of the diesel shunters along the line during 30minute driver experience sessions – all bookable online. Guests can travel in the brake van behind if they wish (a small charge will apply).
For full details, visit: www.sdjr.co.uk
WEDMORE’SClash of the Choirs will take place at St Mary’s Church, Wedmore on Saturday, March 23rd, 5.30 for 6.30pm.
It’s organised - complete with clapometer - by the Friends of St Mary's, raising money for the church.
The choirs include Street Men, The Ukrainian Choir, Hugh Sexey Middle School Singers, Wedmore First School Singers, The
Avalonian Free State Choir, Chorus of Disapproval, The Blue Belles, Wookey Ladies, St Mary's Choir and Joyful Voices.
Tickets are £8, U-12s £4, available from Eventbrite or the village Paper Shop.
Sunday, March 24th –2024 season opens with trains running
Buffet open 10.30 to 15.30 every Sunday in the season
Sunday, March 31st –Easter day running with Easter egg hunt and more
Spring highlights:
We’re happy to list entries for non-profit community groups and charity fundraisers free of charge. Please send them written as a succinct single paragraph, in the format below, to annie@mendiptimes.co.uk Entries sent in as posters or which take time to re-write may be charged for at the commercial rate, £25.
Until Thursday April 11th
Smashed in the Cellar exhibition, Wells & Mendip Museum, Tuesday to Saturday, 10am4pm. Details: www.wellsmuseum.org.uk
Thursday February 29th
RNLI Winscombe & District AGM, 3pm. Details: Alan 01934 842954, Mary 01934 842075 or e-mail: mary.wallace@hotmail.co.uk West Mendip Walkers moderate 8/9m circular walk starting 9.30am from Nunney Castle car park BA11 4NL. Details: www.mendipramblers.co.uk
Friday March 1st
Radstock Folk Dance Club, every week except Good Friday, 8pm-10pm St Peter's Church Hall, Westfield. Beginners welcome, partners not essential. £3 incl refreshments. Details: heather.m.leverton@gmail.com
Wells Natural History & Archaeological Society AGM followed by “A visible history of King’s Castle Wood” talk by David Cottle 7.30pm Wells and Mendip Museum. Details 01458 851443.
Save the Children Lunch 12.20pm Shipham village hall. £5.50 for soup, bread & cheese. Come and join us!
Saturday March 2nd
Cheddar Valley u3a Open Day 10am-4pm
Cheddar village Hall. Demos, displays, refreshments. Details: www://u3asites.org.uk/cheddar-valley
Frome Society for Local Study: “The Victoria County history of Somerset” 2.30pm Assembly Rooms, Memorial Theatre BA11 1EB. Visitors welcome £5.
Cheddar Valley Singers: Mondays 7pm-8.15
Cheddar Catholic Community Hall. Details on Facebook or cheddarvalleysingers@gmail.com
Atéa Quintet 7:30pm-9:30 All Saint's Church, Wrington BS40 5LG. Details: www.churchillmusic.org.uk/ or Holly 07442 672805.
Tabletop & Craft Fair 10am-1pm Gurney Slade & Binegar Memorial Hall. For Dorothy House hospice. Refreshments. Details 07444 943700.
Mendip Society Walk, moderate 5m
Winscombe & Winterhead. Meet 2pm rear car park Woodborough Inn BS25 1AE. Details: Richard, 01275 852786. No need to book. Publow Church monthly market 10am-11.30, home-baking, pre-loved, cards and books. Details: Judith 01761 490324.
Baked Alaska – comedy with original music and an ‘80s twist. 5.30pm, Chew Magna. Details: www.valley-arts.co.uk
Jumble sale 10am-2pm, Benedict St, Glastonbury BA6 9NQ. For repairs to the Scouts Hall. Details: www.facebook.com/FordHavenCIC
Sunday March 3rd
Oxfam Quiz Night at the Tramways, Wells 7 for 7.30pm. Teams up to six, £5pp. Please book: 01749 672342 or email terryricketts1948@gmail.com Raffle prizes welcomed.
Wedmore Big Tidy Up, 10am from Borough
House. Details: Venetia Hopkins 07967 660040.
Monday March 4th
Bath NATS talk by Helena Crouch, “Ferns of Bath” 7.30pm BRLI, 16 Queens Square, BA1 2HN. Visitors welcome £3.
RAFA Mid-Somerset Branch AGM 10:45am, followed by optional lunch, Wells Golf Club, BA5 3DS. Details: rafa.midsomerset@gmail.com or 01458 224057.
Congresbury Memorial Hall Club Friendship evening with bingo, 8pm War Memorial Hall. Visitors welcome.
Tuesday March 5th
Backwell Sequence Dance Club: 7.15-9pm every Tuesday, Backwell WI Hall, BS48 3QW. Dancing couples welcome. Details: Paul 07710 460550 email
backwellsequencedance@gmail.com
Yatton Local History Society: “Mapping Bristol in 1480” by Robert Jones, 7.30pm Yatton Methodist Church, BS49 4DW. Details: www.yattonlocalhistorysociety.co.uk
The Arts Society Mendip: “The Arts & Crafts Movement in England’s Churches” with Kirsty Hartsiosis, 11am Croscombe Village Hall and by Zoom. Guests welcome £10. Details: www.theartssocietymendip.org.uk
Joyful Voices: Fill your afternoon with song! Tuesdays 1.30-3pm Cheddar Catholic Community Hall. Contact joyfulvoicesafternoon@gmail.com
Wednesday March 6th
Backwell & Nailsea Support Group for Carers: Tim Lewis/ Sheila Furneaux “From Music Hall to Beanstalk” 2pm-3.30 Backwell WI Hall.
Frome Carers Support Group 10.30am
Cricket Ground. Details: Cath 07951 944420. Sing2breathe for breathlessness – learn techniques for breathing control and improved posture. 1.45 to 3pm every Wed, Cheddar Catholic Community Hall. Details: Kate: vocalkate@gmail.com 07595 745884.
Thursday March 7th
Chew Valley Death Café meets 12 to 1.30pm in the Community Library Bishop Sutton, first Thurs every month. A safe supportive space to talk about life, death and loss over tea and cake. All welcome. Please contact: bryonyhuntley2019@gmail.com
Irish Set Dancing 8pm-10 every Thursday Dinder Village Hall BA5 3PF. £3 incl refreshments. Fun, friendly, no need to book. Details 01458 210051
paulrharper@btopenworld.com
Bath Railway Society talk by Peter Brabham "Colour Photographs of John Wiltshire and Derek Chaplin 1958-1970” 7.30pm at The Museum of Bath at Work, Julian Rd BA1 2RH. £5
Cheddar Valley u3a talk by author and skydiver Sally Smith “Magnificent Women” 2pm Cheddar Village Hall: www.u3asites.org.uk/cheddar-valley Congresbury Gardening Club “Gardening
with Bees” talk by Bryony Huntley, 7.30pm Methodist Hall. Visitors welcome. Details: www.congresburygardeningclub.com
West Mendip Walkers moderate 11m circular walk starting 9.30am from Farringdon Farm Shop, BS39 6UB. Details: www.mendipramblers.co.uk
Wells Scottish Dancers the Blue School Dance Studio BA5 2NR. Every Thurs (except 28th) 6.30–8.30. Beginners welcome. Tel 01934 740065 or ann.wellsdancers@gmail.com
Friday March 8th
Keynsham AWT talk by Victoria Hillman 'Wild Hidden Bulgaria' 7.30pm Baptist Church Hall, Keynsham BS31 1DS. Members £3.50 Visitors £4.50, incl a drink.
Angel Heart & Rattlebox Theatre puppet show 6pm Westbury-sub-Mendip village hall. Adults £8, U-16s £5, from Westbury village store. Details: Sue 01749 870457.
Saturday March 9th
Brent Knoll Bazaar, Farmer's market & café 10-12 Brent Knoll Parish Hall.
Parkinson’s NW Somerset Support Group meeting, 10.30am-12.15, St Francis Church, Nailsea. Coffee and a talk by Dr Konrad Szewczyk-Krolikowski, consultant with a special interest in movement disorders. Wrington & Burrington Hedging Competition at Hazel Manor, Compton Martin, BS40 6LQ.
Monday March 11th
Street Carers Group 10.30am The Crispin Centre. Details: Cath 07951 944420. Nailsea & District Local History Society talk by Garry Atterton on “Bedminster Coal, Blood, Sweat & Tears” 7.45pm Nailsea School. Visitors welcome £3. Details: 01275 463479 or www.ndlhs.org.uk
Tuesday March 12th
Timsbury Gardening Club talk by Grow Timsbury 7.30pm Conygre Hall, BA2 0JQ. Visitors welcome £2. Details: www.timsbury.org.uk/activities/environment/ga rdening-club/
Shipham, Rowberrow & Star History Society talk by Paul Gregory about the Weston, Clevedon & Portishead Light Railway, 7.30pm Shipham Village Hall, BS25 1SG. Guests £4, with refreshments. Details: 01934 260784.
Fosseway Gardening Club talk 7.30pm Pylle Village Hall. Visitors £2. All welcome. Details 07772 008594.
West of England Cricket Society panel The Future of County Cricket with Rob Andrew, ECB, Will Brown CEO Gloucestershire CCC and Anthony Gibson BBC Radio commentator, chaired by Stephen Chalke, Widcombe Social Club, Bath 2pm, £5.
Wednesday March 13th
Mendip Storytelling Circle: stories for a grown-up audience, 7.30 to 9.30pm Ston Easton Village Hall, BA3 4DA. Details: www.mendipstorycircle.com
Shepton Mallet Carers Group 2pm The Brasserie. Details: Cath 07951 944420.
Wells Folk & Barn Dance Club 7.30-9.30pm St Thomas’s Church Hall, BA5 2UZ. All welcome: 2nd, 3rd & 4th Wed every month. Details: 01749 674920.
Blagdon Local History Society talk by Ken Parsons: “From sheep to shirts: how wool made Somerset” 7.30pm Court Lodge BS40 7TQ. Visitors welcome. Details: www.blagdonlhs.com
Winscombe WI meet at their new venue: Sewell House, Belmont Rd, BS25 1LQ. Talk by Hazel Ballantine ‘How Nutritional Therapy Can Help You’ 7.30pm.
Kilmersdon Gardeners talk by Helena Crouch “Beautiful Burial Grounds for Biodiversity” 7.30pm village hall, BA3 5TD. Visitors welcome £3. Free refreshments. Details: www.kilmersdongardeners.org
Thursday March 14th
Chew Valley Gardening Club: James Crebbin-Bailey talk “Topiary Art” 8pm Stanton Drew Village Hall.
West Mendip Walkers moderate 10m circular walk, 9.30am from Bell Inn Evercreech BA4 6HY. Details: www.mendipramblers.co.uk Wells Garden Club talk by Sally Morgan: ‘The Climate Change Garden’ 7:30pm Town Hall. Details: www.wellsgarden.club
Friday March 15th
Save the Children Lunch 12.20pm Shipham village hall. £5.50 for soup, bread & cheese. Come and join us!
North Somerset Quilters talk by Ruth and Michaela “What is a Modern Quilt?” 7.30pm Backwell WI Hall, BS48 3QW. Visitors welcome, £6. Details: Karen 01275 463119. Wells Lions Fundraising gig, music by Loose Ends, 7pm St Thomas’ Church. Tickets £8 from Wells TIC or wellslionsevents@gmail.com
Saturday March 16th
Frome Society for Local Study: “Avalon Archaeology: Recreating the Past” 2.30pm Assembly Rooms, Memorial Theatre BA11 1EB. Visitors welcome £5.
Bleadon Village Market: 30+ stalls, 9.30-12 Coronation Halls, BS24 0PG. Details: 01934 812370.
Yatton & District Horticultural Society Spring Show, 2pm Yatton Village Hall BS49 4HL. Details:
www.yattonhorticulturalsociety.co.uk
Rotary Nailsea & Backwell Book Sale outside Waitrose, 9am-1pm.
Compton Dundon Comedy Night in aid of the Church Bells, 8pm Meadway Hall, TA11 6PS. No bar or food so please bring your own. Tickets £15 from Compton Dundon PO and www.wegottickets.com/event/606675/
Sunday March 17th
Tunley Coffee Morning with homemade cakes, 10am-12 Tunley Rec Centre BA2 0DZ. Details: Philippa 07849 618221. Mendip Farmers’ Point-to-Point, Ston Easton.
Monday March 18th
Glastonbury Carers group 10:30am St John the Baptist Church. Details: Cath 07951 944420.
Chew Valley U3A talk by Hazel Atherton
“Film extras and acting” 10.30am Ubley Parish Hall. All welcome.
Timsbury Nats talk by Hugh Williamson, “Forgotten Trees of Bath” Conygre Hall BA2 0JQ. Visitors welcome £3. Accompanied U16s free.
Tuesday March 19th
Wrington Local History Society talk: “Peter Wickens Fry, from Axbridge, and the early days of photography” by John Page, 8pm Wrington URC Chapel, BS40 5NF. Visitors welcome £2.50 incl tea/coffee. Details: osmansteve@yahoo.co.uk
Open Mic Night 7.30pm The Pony, Chew Magna. Details: www.valley-arts.co.uk
Wednesday March 20th
Henton Garden Club: Nick Bailey of BBC Gardeners World “365 Days of Colour” 7.30 Henton Village Hall, on the B3139. Visitors welcome, £5. Details: www.hentongardenclub.weebly.com
“The History of the Bridgwater Carnival” the oldest carnival in the UK, talk by Chris Hocking 2.30pm Weston Museum, BS23 1PR. Visitors £4. Details: 01934 876670 or www.facebook.com/groups/friendsofthemuseu mwsm/
RSPB Bath talk by Colin Butcher, “Islands around the North Sea” 7.30pm St Andrew's Community Church, Hawthorn Grove, BA2 5QA.
Music for Miniatures, an interactive preschool music class with lots of fun! 10.30am Chew Magna. Details: www.valley-arts.co.uk
Thursday March 21st
Cheddar Valley u3a Coffee Morning 10am11.30 Cheddar Village Hall.
West Mendip Walkers moderate 8.5m circular walk, 9.30am from Trent Memorial Hall, DT9 4W. Details: www.mendipramblers.co.uk
Railway Evening double bill: Steam trains in the mountains of Austria followed by the Great Train Robbery: talks by Trevor Riddle & Ian Boskett in aid of the Strawberry Line Café, Yatton station. 7.30pm Horsecastle Chapel, Yatton BS49 4QQ. £3 Details: David 01934 876670 or www.strawberrylinecafe.co.uk/ Yatton & District Horticultural Society “Seed Raising & Propagation” a talk by Michael Smith. 8pm Hangstones Pavilion, BS49 4HS www.yattonhorticulturalsociety.co.uk
Shipham & District Gardening Club: talk about Sweet Peas by Gill Hazel, 7.30pm Shipham Village Hall BS25 1SG.
Friday March 22nd
West Mendip Orchestra concert 7:45pm St Nicholas Church Uphill, BS23 4SD. Details www.west-mendip-orchestra.co.uk
Saturday March 23rd
Elgar’s ‘Dream of Gerontius’ Wells Cathedral Oratorio Society, 7pm Wells Cathedral. Details: www.wcos.org.uk
Mendip Society walk: easy 4.5m from Stanton Drew Circles to Pensford church. Meet 10am car park opp. Druids Arms pub, BS39 4EJ. ‘Talk as we walk’ about the railway and coal mining. Details: Richard 07745 834513. No need to book. Non-members welcome, £2. Wells & District Wildlife Group Reptile Ramble 10am-12 on the Mendip Hills with John Dickson, looking for adders and amphibians. Details: 07415 350062 or
www.wdwg.org.uk
Hardy Plant Society Fair, Yeo Valley Organic Garden, 10am-3pm. RHS & HPS members £4, non-members £5. Details: www.somersethps.com
Music Club Night with Ma Polaine’s, blues, jazz, country, 7.30pm Chew Magna. Details: www.valley-arts.co.uk
Yatton Music Society: Boglárka György & Amy Butler on violin and piano, 7.30pm St Mary’s Church. Tickets £10: www.yms.org.uk Congresbury Gardening Club Spring Show 2.30 -4.30pm The Old School Rooms. Schedules at the Post Office and St. Congar's Cafe. Details:
www.congresburygardeningclub.com
Sunday March 24th
Peace, Palm Sunday concert, Cantiamo Singers, All Saints’ Church, Wrington, 7pm, free with collection for church.
Clash of the Choirs, St Mary’s, Wedmore, 5.30 for 6.30pm. Details: 07984 924432. Nempnett Thrubwell parish breakfast, 10am-12noon. Details: jamesteach_55@yahoo.co.uk
Monday March 25th
Axbridge Carers Group 2pm Town Hall. Details: Cath 07951 944420.
Congresbury Memorial Hall Club
Friendship evening with bingo, 8pm War Memorial Hall. Visitors welcome.
Wednesday March 27th
Backwell & Nailsea Macular Support meeting 1.30pm Backwell WI Hall. Details: Sheila 01275 462107.
Harptrees History Society: Prof Richard Coates on the History of Surnames, 7.30pm
West Harptree Memorial Hall BS40 6EG. Visitors welcome £3. Booking essential: email info@harptreeshistorysociety.org
Rising Waters Community Project – Adult Performance Company needs new members! Introduction class, 7.30pm Chew Magna. Details: www.valley-arts.co.uk
Thursday March 28th
Chew Valley branch Avon WT: talk by Laura Batt about Hedgehogs and how to support them, including the work of Prickles Rescue, Cheddar. 7:45 Chew Magna Old School Room, £2.50.
West Mendip Walkers 11.5m circular walk starting 9.30am from Churchinford Village Hall, TA3 7QY. Details: www.mendipramblers.co.uk
Good Friday March 29th
Save the Children Lunch 12.20pm Shipham village hall. £6 for soup, cheese and a hot cross bun. Come and join us!
Vintage Tractor Run in aid of Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance. Landrovers & 4x4s welcome. 10am for 11am start, The Railway Inn, Meare BA6 9SX. £10/ vehicle. Details: www.facebook.com/TheRailwayInn1
Saturday March 30th
Wells Foodbank & Furniture Store Charity Quiz 7 for 7.30pm Wells Town Hall. Teams up to six, £5pp cash on the night, but please book by email: tickets@wellsstorehouse.co.uk or 07587 125228. Raffle, bar, nibbles.
GLASTONBURY Abbey has announced that annual child memberships are now free, as part of its family packages.
It will mean that parents/guardians will have to pay only for the adult part of a membership. This brings membership in line with day visits to the abbey which have offered free child tickets since 2021.
The offer comes as the abbey prepares to welcome its Medieval Fayre, returning across the weekend of April 27th and 28th, featuring jousting, knights, Vikings, battles, music, medieval market and general mayhem.
Have a go at axe throwing and watch the fire breathing jester on the way to the main arena to enter the fancy dress competition or watch an archery display. There is something for everyone and with a weekend ticket you can take your time
Don’t miss this May’s Medieval Fayre weekend at the abbey
and see everything at your leisure across two days.
The 2023 event was recently awarded the gold award as tourism event of the
For details, visit www.glastonburyabbey.com
year at the Bristol, Bath & Somerset Tourism Awards, rewarding the incredible growth of the event since its return in 2021.
A MAJORexhibition at Wells and Mendip Museumis showcasing a remarkable collection of pottery excavated from the museum garden in the 1990s, which includes everything from 14th century wine jugs to exotic Chinese export ware and a whole range of sanitary ware, including a rare late 18th
century flushing toilet!
Smashed in the Cellar also features the major painting The Tea Party by Richard Collins, on loan from The Goldsmiths Company in London.
Local artist Duncan Cameron has been working on a contemporary response to the collection and his original artwork is included in the exhibition. Duncan has also been leading workshops with The Lawrence Centre and Heads Up in Wells, whose work is also on show.
Project curator, Oliver Kent, said: “Every piece of pottery in this exhibition was bought for use and lived its life in the house before it became a museum. We cannot meet the people who lived there, but these objects are theirs and speak for them.”
