What’s On

Cinderella in Bath

Thebest-loved pantomime of them all is back in Bath! with a brand new joke-filled script by Bath’s own awardwinning writer and all round pantomime legend Jon Monie, Cinderella promises the best family fun and festive frivolity you’ll find this

Christmas.

This spectacular production will delight with its enchanting story, side-splitting comedy, lavish settings and adorable miniature ponies.

Dani harmer star of the BAFTA Award-winning Tracy Beaker stars as the Fairy Godmother. Dani, who was also a strictly Come Dancing finalist, returned to her legendary role again this year in My Mum Tracy Beaker on CBBC.

Jon Monie returns for his 15th consecutive year to play Buttons and to help create all the festive hilarity and tomfoolery that make Bath pantos so much fun for everyone.

Don’t wait for your invitation – get your tickets now and ensure that every member of the family has a ball this Christmas!

New at Downside

DownsiDe Abbey visitors’ centre has reopened after improvements and now offers a comfortable café serving light refreshments and snacks and a wider selection of greetings cards and gifts in the gift shop.

Further development has taken place to open up the adjacent courtyard area to provide an events space incorporating ten former stables which now provide an opportunity for traders to have casual stalls for craft or antiques fayres. one stable has been set out to accommodate an occasional bar. The first event in the courtyard is the Christmas Craft and Gift Fayre from December 3rd to 5th. The shop and café is staffed by volunteers and open Thursdays and Fridays between 10am-4pm.

Details: www.visitdownside.co.uk

Turnip entries

enTRieshave started arriving for the Turnip Prize, wedmore’s version of the Turner Prize, which rewards artists who make the least effort. The winner will be announced at the new inn, wedmore on wednesday, December 1st.

Lockdown

Details: Trevor Prideaux 01934 710004 or 0781 2848011

Tractor enthusiasts are in for a treat

The somerset Vintage and Classic Tractor show returns to the Royal Bath and west showground at shepton The auction during the 2020 tractor show Mallet in January for a weekend guaranteed to appeal to enthusiasts and the curious alike.

The central feature of the show – on saturday, January 29th and sunday, January 30th –will be a celebration of Massey Ferguson tractors down the years. saturday sees the return of the auction which always attracts great interest. organised by a new-look committee, the event promises to be a testament to their own enthusiasm for classic tractors. Tom Vailes, one of the committee members, said: “we believe we are going to see some very interesting projects being displayed in public for the first time since the 2020 show as we couldn’t hold one this year.

“no doubt, people have been working away during lockdown in their outbuildings and garages on long-term restoration projects which will see the light of day in January.”

As in previous years, the organisers are confident the weekend will raise thousands of pounds for several local charities. Tom added: “we’re a slightly smaller group now, so there is still a lot of work to do but we’re determined the 2021 show will be a great success.”

WALKING QUIZ ANSWERS

Aveline’s hole; the Rev Augustus Toplady; horse riding, cycling and walking; two phases, started 1st century BC, late Bronze Age and early iron Age; orienteering route end marker post; special site of scientific interest due to geology; Red Devon cattle, exmoor ponies and goats in the combe; Limestone Link; 325m; Butcombe Trail.

Santa’s on his travels in Frome

PeoPLe living in Frome and the surrounding villages can expect to see Father Christmas travelling around on his special float –with help from the Frome Lions and Rotary clubs. his float can be seen from December 1st on 17 days before Christmas Day with volunteers restarting door-to-door collections. Donations can also be made online and by text. he has also had some help in setting up his own social media sites including a santa Frome page on Facebook.The route kicks off at Badcox on wednesday, December 1st and includes visits to nunney, Great elm, Mells and Buckland Dinham, Beckington and Rode. l Find the route and how to donate on Facebook and also the Frome Lions and Rotary websites or visit: www.justgiving.com/campaign/santafrome21 You can also follow his progress at: www.sleighTracker.co.uk

The MenDiP TiMes whAT’s on GUiDeFoR DeC

Covid cases are rising very quickly again throughout this area so we advise that you check that these events will take place. We’re happy to list entries for charities and voluntary groups free of charge. Commercial entries £25. Please send entries as a single paragraph of less than 25 words.

Wednesday November 24th

Backwell & Nailsea Macular Support hopes to meet at 1.30pm in Backwell wi hall. Details: sheila 01275 462107. Harptrees History Society talk by Tony Coverdale ‘Later Avon Valley industry’ 7 for 7.30pm west harptree village hall Bs40 6eG. Visitors welcome £3. Please book: info@harptreeshistorysociety.org

Thursday November 25th

Avon Wildlife Trust talk by Mary wood about the wildlife of Arnos Vale cemetery, 7.45pm Chew Magna old school Room, £2.50.

Thursday November 25th to Saturday 27th

Craft4Crafters Show Bath & west showground, 10am-5pm, crafting supplies, Christmas gifts or learn a new craft, £10 (£9) Details: www.craft4crafters.co.uk Shepton’s Window Wanderland, 6-8.30pm. Details: www.makethesunshine.co.uk

Friday November 26th Whitchurch Art Club Christmas art & craft

fayre, 3-6 pm Fortfield Rd Community Centre Bs14 9nT. Gifts, refreshments, car parking. new members welcome –every Thursday 79pm. Details: avril.csve@gmail.com Frome Memorial Theatre presents "Forbidden nights" 7.30pm Adults only. Tickets £25 from 01373 462795. www.fromememorialtheatre.org.uk Unravelling Wilburys charity concert 7pm st Thomas’ Church wells. Tickets £15 from swan hotel and Globe inn. For wells Food Bank & Lions: wellslionsevents@gmail.com

Saturday November 27th

Churchill Music Exultate Singers 7.30pm All saints Church wrington Bs40 5LG. Details: tickets@churchillmusic.org.uk St Mary’s Church Timsbury “Christmas Gifts and more” 10-3.30pm. stalls, refreshments, lunch, raffle. All very welcome. Somerset Choral Society 7.30pm Axbridge Church. Tickets £10 from 01934 843727. Bar. somersetChoralsociety@hotmail.com Congresbury Book Sale 9am-1pm war Memorial hall. Quality books, jigsaws, dvds. Chew Valley Choral Society 7.30pm st. John’s, Keynsham. Tickets £15 (£7.50) from 01275 333014 or otd. www.chewvalleychoral.org.uk Glastonbury Frost Fayre midday to 7pm. www.glastonbury.gov.uk/frost-fayre/ Christmas coffee morning with stalls, 10-12 Blagdon village club for weston hospicecare. Craft Fair 10am-2pm at The Key Centre, Keynsham Bs31 2JA.

Saturday November 27th – Sunday 28th

Lantern Making workshops start for www.sheptonlanternfestival.org.uk

Monday November 29th

Wessex stationary engine club meeting 8pm old Down inn, emborough BA3 4sA. All welcome. Details: www.wessexsec.org Green Wedmore meeting, 7.30pm at The swan. Details: www.greenwedmore.co.uk

Congresbury Memorial Hall Club

Friendship evening with Bingo, 8pm war Memorial hall. Visitors welcome.

Wednesday December 1st

Christmas Coffee Morning in aid of help the Child, 10am-1pm, Burnham & Berrow Golf Club, Burnham, TA8 2Pe. Details: www.helpthechild.org.uk

Friday December 3rd

Red Hot Jazz Club Glastonbury presents The Jazz Defenders, 7.30pm. Tickets £8 in advance /£10 otd. Details: www.redbrickbuilding.co.uk Cheddar Festive Night – see P50.

Friday December 3rd-5th Downside Abbey Christmas Craft & Gift

Fayre in the courtyard. Details: www.visitdownside.co.uk

Saturday December 4th Chew Magna Christmas Street Fayre,

3-6pm. Piano Concert by Joss wort: 7.30pm st Mary’s Church, Yatton, Tickets £10: www.yms.org.uk Christmas Market 10am-12.30 All saints Church Publow, will include paintings and artwork by the late Robert Bailey of Pensford. Handel’s Messiah sung by wells Cathedral oratorio society with guest soloists and Music for Awhile string Quartet, 1pm wells Cathedral. Free, retiring collection. see p109. Frome Memorial Theatre presents “That'll be the day Christmas show” 7.30pm. Tickets £26 from 01373 462795 www.fromememorialtheatre.org.uk Wookey Christmas Fair 9am-12 Church hall. santa’s grotto, stalls, Christmas trees on sale, refreshments.

Mendip Folk Dance Club Christmas Dance

shipham village hall. £10pp, ticket only. Contact Pat 01934 742853. Frome Society for Local Study talk by Andrew Ziminski “A life in ruins: secrets of a Frome stonemason” 2.30pm Assembly Rooms, BA11 1eB. non-members £3. www.fsls.org.uk

Sunday December 5th

Mendip Society walk, meet 1.30pm outside main door of wells Cathedral for 4.5m to Dinder and back. May be muddy, dogs and non-members welcome. Details: Peter 01761 221995.

Sunday December 5th to Tuesday 21st

Christmas at the (Bishop’s) Palace – see p114.

Monday December 6th

“Light and Love” a virtual service to remember loved ones, streamed from 11am to 7pm. see: www.foreverfriendsappeal.co.uk/event/lightand-love-virtual-event

Tuesday December 7th

The Arts Society Mendip “Glad Tidings: The story of the Annunciation” with 4th to 16th century images, 11am Croscombe village hall and simultaneously via Zoom. Guests welcome, on request: tasmendip.comm@gmail.com Guest donation £6.

Wednesday December 8th

Wedmore by Lamplight – see P74.

Thursday December 9th

Thatcher’s Christmas at Myrtle Farm 59pm. Grotto, brass band, stalls. see p17.

Friday December 10th

Christmas Music, nailsea Concert orchestra with Uwe singers, nailsea Methodist Church, 7.30pm, £5 donation for ConneCT. Carol singing led by strike a Chord Cheddar Methodist Church 7.30-9pm. Tickets £5 incl drink and mince pie, for weston hospicecare. Details:01934 744421 or 01934 742057. Space4All Christmas Party, 7pm Priddy village hall, BA5 3Be. stargazing, weather permitting, soup and a talk by astrophotographer Josh Dury on the Aurora Borealis. Adults £3 (£2) family £5. Also on zoom: www.stayhappening.com/e/space4allpublic-event-christmas-party-e2isU2KUF5P

Friday December 10th to Sunday 12th

St Cuthbert’s Crib Festival, wells. nativity scenes, refreshments, music, children’s activities. Adults £2.50.

Saturday December 11th

Wells Christmas Market see p66. Weston Hospicecare Christmas Fayre, st Paul’s Church hall, weston, 2-5pm. Leigh on Mendip Jazz with ian Millar and Dominic spencer, 8pm Memorial hall, in aid of hall funds. £10 U-16s free, licensed bar. Tickets: 01373 812459 or 01373 813942. Blagdon Christmas Fair with Father Christmas! 10am-12, st Andrew’s church. Jazz Age Chicago, Mike Denham and Ben Cummings 8pm Cossington Village hall, TA7 8Jn. Reserved seats £12.50 from 01278 451187 or email rogercollett.sounds@talktalk.net Christmas party with harlem Rhythm Cats 7.30-11pm Gurney slade & Binegar Memorial hall. Tickets £5 (bring own food and drink). To book: 07528 169533 or Facebook.

Sunday December 12th

Children’s Christmas party 3-5pm Gurney slade & Binegar Memorial hall. Games, disco, festive tea. £2 per child. To book: 07890 42217 or Facebook.

Keynsham Mencap Music Man Project

Christmas Concert, Bath. Free, but please book: www.keynshammencap.org.uk/ Valley Arts, The story of a nutcracker, st

eCeMBeR 2021

Andrew’s Church hall, Chew Magna, 2.30pm. Details: www.valleyartscentre.co.uk eatFestival, winter Gardens, weston-superMare. see p22.

Monday December 13th

“Music Hall Memories” talk by Ron Davies for nailsea & District Local history society 7.45pm, Green Lecture Room, nailsea school. Visitors £2 www.ndlhs.org.uk Mendip Folk Dance Club 8-10pm £3pp, st James village hall, winscombe Bs25 1AQ. new dancers very welcome. Contact Pat 01934 742853.

Tuesday December 14th

Can science help us to garden better? with no-dig guru Charles Dowding, 6.30pm-8.30pm Market house, Castle Cary BA7 7Ah. Details: http://cafescientifique.org/ or call 07375 890751. Christmas Concert winscombe Community singers. st. James’ Church. 7.30pm. Refreshments, raffle. Tickets £5 (accompanied children free) from choir members or Farrons.

Thursday December 16th to Sunday January 9th

Cinderella, Bath Theatre Royal, see p110.

Saturday December 18th

Wells Christmas Market see p66. Frome Society for Local Study talk by Yvette staelens “Folk Carols in the west Country” 2.30pm Assembly Rooms, BA11 1eB. nonmembers £3. Details: www.fsls.org.uk

Sunday December 19th

Shepton Victorian Fayre, 10am-3pm. see p69. www.thesheptonexperience.co.uk/

Shepton Mallet Lantern Parade Sunday December 19th – Monday January 3rd

Frome Memorial Theatre: Dick whittington Tickets £14 (£12) Family £45 from 01373 462795. Details: www.fromememorialtheatre.org.uk

Monday December 20th

Mendip Folk Dance Club 8-10pm £3pp, st James village hall, winscombe Bs25 1AQ. new dancers very welcome. Contact Pat 01934 742853.

Tuesday December 21st

Congresbury Singers’ Christmas, with wine and mince pies. 7.30pm st Andrew’s church. Tickets £10 from Congresbury Post office.

Monday December 27th

Binegar’s “Bonkers Barrow Run” festive wheelbarrow race. Teams of four £10/team. Pre-booking essential: 07528 169533. Meet at the horse and Jockey for 3pm start. Raising funds for The Mendip school.

Wednesday December 29th

Christmas Concert, 7pm st Peter’s Draycott. see p109.

Friday December 31st

New Year’s Eve Spectacular, Glastonbury Town hall. see p115.

Win a festive hamper in our Christmas competition

iT’s time to dig out the magnifying glass and inspect the pages of this month’s Mendip Times magazine in even greater detail than usual – our fiendish festive competition has returned! in conjunction with Ford Farm Cheese and wookey hole Caves, we’re offering a prize of a delicious hamper packed with cheese and wine – just locate the rabbits hidden within the pages of this issue.

There are five rabbits to be found and here’s a clue: one is on the advertisement for Ford Farm’s Cave Aged Cheddar; your task is to find it and the four others to earn a chance to win.

The secret to the unique taste and texture of Ford Farm’s Cave Aged Cheddars begins with high quality milk and ends in the maturing process 200-feet below ground in wookey hole Caves where they are left to mature. The caves have been used since the Paleolithic period, and tools dating back 45,000 years have been discovered there. Today the caves are still used, to mature the cheeses, as the constant low temperature (11° Celsius) and the humidity ensure spectacular texture, aromas and flavour!

Please send your answers on a postcard to: Cheese Competition, Mendip Times, Coombe Lodge, Blagdon BS40 7RG. Entries must reach us by Friday, December 10th. The first correct entry chosen will be the winner. The editor’s decision is final. We will endeavour to deliver the hamper to you in time for Christmas.

Festive fun for all at the Bishop’s Palace

ChRisTMAs is coming and, in wells, that means the “Christmas at the Palace” event returns to The Bishop’s Palace from December 5th-21st.

The rooms of the medieval palace will each be adorned with decorations on a different theme, from Victorian to nordic. The entrance hall will be warmed by a roaring fire and seasonal greenery and foliage from the palace gardens will be used to create stunning adornments to complement the historic interiors.

Local schoolchildren will be helping to create an eco-Christmas art exhibition by designing their own eco Angel sculpture, decoration or painting, inspired by angels.

Visitors can explore the magical inner gardens lit up with Christmas illuminations which were so popular last year during special late openings. illuminations are switched on at 3.30pm; last entry time is 6.30pm.

For younger visitors, Father and Mother Christmas will be visiting once again in the palace itself (pre-booked tickets only). new for this year are performances of A Christmas Carol by wells Theatre Company on saturday, December 11th and sunday, December 19th. The shows – three on each day – will last around an hour and will involve costumed actors bringing this timeless tale to life in a wholly unique way. sunday, December 19th will also see wells City Band playing an array of Christmas classics to welcome in the festive season.

Christmas at the Palace –the South Lawn at night

For details, timings and to book, visit: www.bishopspalace.org.uk