Mendip Times
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VOLUME 15 ISSUE 12
FREE
Celebrating life on the Mendips and surrounding areas
MAY 2020
IN THIS ISSUE: COMMUNITIES RALLY TO BEAT CORONAVIRUS Plus all our regular contributors! Local people, local history, local places, local events and local news
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MENDIP TIMES
CONTENTS
Welcome
BY now most of us will know of people whose lives have been cut short by the horrific coronavirus infection. One hospital worker has described seeing patients “drowning in their beds”. Dr Phil Hammond gives us his assessment of the situation. But the upside has been the surge in community activity, with volunteer groups and pop-up shops appearing everywhere to support the fantastic efforts of health and emergency services. That’s why we have decided to continue publishing, hopefully bringing a little cheer to readers in this time of dreadful isolation. As well as many pages devoted to efforts to mitigate the lockdown, we have all of our regular features. Obviously Sue Gearing can’t bring us her usual walk, so she has set a fiendish picture quiz instead. We report on a historic picture collection in Pensford and one man’s memories of the Malaya emergency. Our thanks to our contributors and advertisers for their support and those businesses still open which have helped with distribution of the magazine, along with many people without such outlets who have offered to stock copies for their neighbours to collect. Also thanks to the bank who have extended our overdraft! Together we can get through this. Keep safe. June 2020 deadline: Friday, 15th May 2020. Published: Tuesday, 26th May 2020.
Editorial: Steve Egginton steve@mendiptimes.co.uk Mark Adler mark@mendiptimes.co.uk Advertising: Ann Quinn advertising@mendiptimes.co.uk Rachael Abbott rachael@mendiptimes.co.uk What’s On listings: Annie Egginton annie@mendiptimes.co.uk Accounts accounts@mendiptimes.co.uk Publisher: Mendip Times Limited Coombe Lodge, Blagdon, Somerset BS40 7RG Contacts: For all enquiries, telephone:
01761 463888
or: email: news@mendiptimes.co.uk www.mendiptimes.co.uk Design and origination by: Steve Henderson Printed by: Precision Colour Printing, Haldane, Halesfield 1, Telford, Shropshire TF7 4QQ Copyright of editorial content held by Mendip Times Ltd. and its contributors. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the express permission of the Publisher. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the publisher or its associates. Front cover: Pop-up shop in Chewton Mendip. Photo by Steve Egginton, Mendip v Coronavirus see page 42.
6
34
Flying high – marking 20 years of service
48
Planting for the future – community wood takes shape
36
A miner’s legacy – The Robert Bailey Collection
First class – the Bruton postie delivering smiles Plus all our regular features Health Dr Phil Hammond ...............5 Environment ...................................6 Farming Nick Green .....................10 Food & Drink ...............................12 Arts & Antiques ...........................17 Internet and Crossword ..............18 Business.........................................20 Wildlife Chris Sperring MBE .......27 Walking Sue Gearing ....................28
Outdoors Les Davies MBE ..........30 Caving Phil Hendy ........................31 Gardening Mary Payne MBE.......32 Charities........................................34 History...........................................36 Community ...................................38 Cycling Edmund Lodite.................41 Mendip v Coronavirus.................42 Riding Rachel Thompson MBE.....54 MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020 • PAGE 3
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MENDIP TIMES
Coronavirus – where are we now? THE NHS is currently coping with the coronavirus outbreak, although the staff don’t have enough protective equipment and far too many have died compared to say Germany. Germany has lower deaths overall and are about to reopen their schools and some of their key industries. By Dr PHIL They were lucky that their outbreak started HAMMOND in fit people returning from skiing holidays, compared to Italy where an elderly district suffered large losses very quickly. Germany has also done relentless testing, tracing and isolating to stop the young, symptom-free super-spreaders and for reasons I will never understand, we stopped this and allowed the virus to spread to the herd before shutting down. So we’re now stuck with “staged herd immunity”. We’ve slowed the outbreak down enough so no-one who needs it is denied a ventilator. But the vast majority of deaths amongst the elderly simply can’t be stopped. So we need to make those deaths as kind and gentle as possible in difficult circumstances. Know your numbers If no vaccine is found and the virus hangs round for the next few years, most of us will get it at some stage. But it’s worth remembering that the vast majority of us will fully recover and some will have virtually no symptoms. If you like numbers, the latest figures from The Lancet are very reassuring. These are the age-related risks of hospitalisation and death, once you know you’re infected. 0-9 years
10-19 years 20-29 years
Hospitalisation 0%
0·00695%
4·25%
0·161%
1·04%
3·43%
60-69 years
11.8%
50-59 years 70-79 years 80 or over
0.00161%
0·0408%
30-39 years 40-49 years
Death
8·16% 16.6% 18.4%
0·0309% 0·0844% 0·595% 1.93% 4.28% 7.8%
Intriguingly, the age-related death curve for COVID-19 almost perfectly mirrors your age-related risk of dying from all causes over a year. So the coronavirus outbreak is simply compressing a year’s worth of death risk into a few months. If you can live with that, you’ll survive after lockdown. Other illnesses are still happening The “stay at home, save lives” message is very powerful, but it could mean some people are delaying seeking treatment for heart attacks, strokes, sepsis, appendicitis, cancer and all the other things that can kill us. A detached retina can cause permanent blindness if not picked up quickly and yet eye hospitals are seeing very few. You must seek urgent help for any emergency, whatever the cause. Count ourselves lucky For COVID-19 the overall mortality is predicted to be around 0.34-1% in developed countries, far lower than, say, Ebola virus (25-90% death rate). COVID-19 will also cause more deaths in the poorest countries, where millions already die young every year
HEALTH & FAMILY
from TB, malnutrition, diarrhoea, malaria, measles, polluted air and water, and smoking. The UK has blagged an extra 60 ventilators from Germany. The Central African Republic has three ventilators for a population of five million. We are comparatively very lucky. A nation of germophobes? Catastrophic infectious diseases come, go and return again because of the way we live on the planet. Yet microbes are essential for our existence. Pandemic panic may breed a generation of germophobic children, but we wouldn’t exist were it not for the trillions of healthy microbes in our gut. Much of our DNA originates from viruses. But take bacteria from our gut and put it in our blood stream or brain, and they kill us. Take a virus from a horseshoe bat and stick it in a human, play mutation roulette a few times and presto – pandemic. That’s the thing about microbes. They’re home-loving creatures and we force them out of their natural homes by our allconquering foolishness. Unsafe animal rearing, slaughter and consumption lets them mutate into humans. They spread quickly, aided by war, deforestation, poverty, urbanisation, global trade and travel. Carry on conquering, and this pandemic is just a taster for the next one. Living with risk Nothing lasts forever, neither life nor lockdown. COVID-19 may yet hang around for years in some form or other. We can’t hide indoors forever. We live with complex and dangerous global risks every day. The air we breathe is so polluted it kills seven million people a year across the planet, mainly innocent bystanders. Tobacco kills another eight million, including 1.2 million innocents from passive smoking, a fair proportion of them children. COVID-19 is just another in a long line of lifethreatening risks humans have made, and humans are having to manage. They all deserve our urgent attention, and that starts with understanding that we are all connected. No risk is an island. Exit strategy When we finally emerge from this pandemic, every country must make the health and wellbeing of people and planet their paramount political concern. The same resolve that’s gone into fighting coronavirus must fight, say, child malnutrition (five million deaths a year) and suicide (one million deaths). As my GP trainer, Dr Brian Clarke, used to say: “The most powerful drug in the world is kindness. It works for everyone, it’s very hard to get the dose wrong and it’s free at the point of delivery.” If we seriously want to stop the next pandemic, we must begin by being kinder to animals: 70% of deadly human pandemics originate in animals. It’s not the bats’ fault or the virus’s fault that this disease has crossed to humans. How and why we trade and slaughter animals is our responsibility. What should I do now? Keep following the rules, but also focus on improving your health. Eat well, sleep well, relax and move. Drink plenty of water and not too much alcohol. Limit yourself to an hour of news a day maximum. And try to have five portions of fun a day. It’s the little things that give us joy, meaning and purpose in our lives. We are all connected, so let’s connect. Look your loved ones in the eye and tell them, from two metres or by Skype, that you love them. That’s what we’re on this planet for. To love and be loved. Love all the people. Love all the pets. Love all the plants. Love all the bats. Love nearly all the bugs. Love our planet. l Mendip v coronavirus see P42.
MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020 • PAGE 5
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MENDIP TIMES
Food forest expands
VOLUNTEERS of all ages joined the team from the Shepton Mallet-based Food Forest Project to plant hundreds of trees on land just outside the town. Heeding the safety precautions in place at the time, families gathered at Rock Farm, near Downside, for a day in the sunshine, planting everything from apple and blackcurrant to plum, raspberry and walnut. They were joined by landowner Gavin Mayall and his family, who have donated several acres of farmland to the project. The Food Forest Project aims to create a free community food source where anyone can visit to enjoy the countryside and free food once the trees begin to mature in around five years’ time. Its first venture is off the Old Wells Road on the other side of Shepton Mallet. The team is hoping to begin work in the summer on an education centre at Rock Farm, with plans for a food project in Wedmore later in the year. Time for a breather
Planting hazel at Rock Farm
Jack and Jill 2020style – fetching a bucket of wood chippings
For details, visit: www.thef
Hedgerows for life
The site at Vallis Vale PAGE 6 • MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020
AROUND 20 adults and children gathered with staff members of the Shared Earth Learning Co-op to plant small trees along the footpath that leads from Vallis Road towards the Vallis Veg site on the edge of Frome. After lots of spade work, another 388 saplings were in the ground and there was a great sense of achievement. Alex Hart, co-director of the Forest School organisation said: “This hedgerow is going to improve so many lives, both wild and human, not to mention the windbreak it will create once fully grown.”
For details about the project, email: sh
Environment section.qxp_Layout 1 22/04/2020 17:42 Page 7
ENVIRONMENT
Nailing it! Protecting the saplings from livestock
The youngest tree planter
Tree planting maps were provided
Getting ready to plant a hedge
Rock Farm sits amidst glorious Mendip countryside
ww.thefoodforestproject.org
Alex thanked the Woodland Trust for the trees and guards, The Rune Tree Press for refreshments, pots, canes and ongoing support to the local farmer for permission to plant and to Vallis Veg. Shared Earth Learning has yet more trees to go in to complete the hedge, but this will have to wait until November when tree-planting season begins again. The severely wet winter made getting people out for tree-planting difficult, and the danger in planting too late into the season is that the saplings dry out before their roots have been able to establish properly in their new home.
mail: sharedearthlearning@gmail.com
The sign says it all MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020 • PAGE 7
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MENDIP TIMES
Swan Cam goes live
ENVIRONMENT
THE Bishop’s Palace in Wells has launched its extremely popular Swan Cam, trained on the nest of palace swans Grace and Gabriel. With infra-red capability, the Swan Cam runs 24 hours a day and is trained on the nest, where Grace has laid nine eggs. Fans will now compete to be the first to spot a cygnet emerging each year.
Gabriel looks rather perplexed by the sign outside the locked entrance to the palace which says Grace was (at the time the photos were taken) sitting on eight eggs. It is now believed to be nine
Details: www.bishopspalace.org.uk and scroll down to the “Latest Videos” section at the bottom
Dawn over Wells
MAUREEN Boylan captured these scenes at dawn on Mother’s Day in Wells, looking east over Stoberry School “no filters – just a bit of natural happy!”
PAGE 8 • MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020
She retired as university secretary of the University of London and is now (usually) a cathedral guide and trustee of the Bishop’s Palace.
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MENDIP TIMES
FARMING
Rural resilience at its best
WITHOUT a doubt, Covid-19 has brought out the best in many. For those fortunate enough not to have any contact with the medical profession or don’t have family or friends involved, the TV coverage has really shown these people are selfless in their dedication to their duty. With NICK They should, and are, being applauded. But GREEN amongst the despair of these difficult times there are many others that have stepped up and carried on working to ensure our disrupted lives continue as normally as possible. Refuse and recycling has been collected. Post has still been delivered. Fuel has remained available. But the ones that have gone above and beyond are the village and farm shops. They have kept many of us fed and watered throughout the chaos of Covid often delivering to homes so the occupants haven’t had to travel and have been able to maintain social distancing and stick to the government guidelines. What started off as a “free delivery to the over 70s” has morphed into a supply chain managing to service all that want to use it. Where major retailers have stumbled, the local shops have stepped forward and shown what they are capable of. They have used local produce as much as possible
delivering to a very local market. They don’t have the buying power of the supermarkets but where they can, they price competitively to ensure all their customers get as good value as possible. It’s rural resilience at its best. Let’s hope once this awful time is history we remember what local shops did and we continue to use them and they buy from as close to home as possible. So what’s on the farming front in the next month? Spring was a bit late this year so as a consequence grass growth was delayed. Not to worry, the seasons usually compensate themselves so hopefully there will be tonnes of sweet grass to be made into silage by the middle of the month. Many farmers have run short of forage so a good “first cut” will do wonders in filling up the larder for next winter.
Nick Green is Farms Director for Alvis Bros Ltd based at Lye Cross Farm. He is responsible for the farming and estate business and is passionate about British food and farming. As well as the business, he is involved with a number of local and national farming charities.
Contact: 01275 472471 • www.jwandtjpearce.co.uk St Katherines Farmhouse, Downside Road, Lulsgate, Bristol BS48 3DZ TOPSOIL AND STONE SUPPLIES Dry high quality screened or unscreened Topsoil. Recycled aggregates and quarry stone supplies, road planings and building stone. DEMOLITION AND STRIP OUT All types of demolition works. From small household to main contractor projects, including rail, schools and city centre redevelopments. Complete range of specialist equipment and services available. ASBESTOS Asbestos removal and collection. Roof sheets, tiles and guttering. Call for information.
Can-am ATV’s and SSV’s • Westwood ride on lawnmowers • Ariens zero turn and push mowers • Echo Power tools • Agricultural Machinery and servicing
TRANSPORT 4,6 and 8 wheeled tipper Lorries for hire and muck away. Low loader, beaver tail and road brush hire. PLANT HIRE Wide range of plant. 360 excavators, Dumpers, Bulldozers and Crushers. EXCAVATIONS Large and small excavations. Specialist works include Equestrian all weather surfaces, drainage and bulk excavations.
PAGE 10 • MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020
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MENDIP TIMES
Stay-at-home food
I hope you have all been able to get the food you need, or someone has brought it to you. I’m glad that I live here in Mendip, and I’m very sorry for anyone living in a tower block in a With JUNE city. Cooking is a way to use up time MACFARLANE enjoyably, perhaps with children, and also to use up things lurking at the back of cupboards. Time for the chickpea to enjoy the spotlight!
CHICKEN SALAD WITH ORZO
Adapt and enjoy – use whatever fruit you might have in this chicken salad
This is something to make with the leftovers from a Sunday pot-roasted chicken. I had some pomegranate molasses but you could omit it, and you could use rice or fregola instead of orzo pasta. I had some leftover pickled cherries, but you could use pears or fresh orange segments.
METHOD In a large bowl whisk the first four ingredients together and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain and toss in a little oil. Remove seeds from cucumber and cut into big chunks. Add to dressing. Tear the chicken into big pieces. Add to dressing. Section the fruit. Dry salad leaves well. Pile into a big bowl and add chicken, cucumber, dressing and fruit. Fold in the orzo and sprinkle herbs over the top, with any leftover dressing.
QUARANTINI
There is no recipe to follow here, just an idea for that unused bottle of liqueur that you brought INGREDIENTS back from holiday last year. A good cocktail will 2 oz silver tequila include something alcoholic, something fruity or 1 oz elderflower cordial sweet, and something sharp or acidic. 1 oz lime cordial The balance is what makes it good or awful. Make up your own and give it a name! This one is made with what I found in the cupboard … Mendip Margarita anyone? METHOD Shake all together with ice. Serve with a slice of lime (optional).
INGREDIENTS
(serves four) 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses 3 tbsp olive oil 1tbsp red wine vinegar 2tbsp lemon juice Seasoning 75g orzo 300g cucumber, peeled 450g cold roast chicken 200g fruit 100g salad leaves, washed 10g fresh herbs, chopped
Time to get out that unopened bottle lurking in the back of a cupboard
CRUNCHY ROASTED CHICKPEAS
These make a great snack to have with a drink, and I like them sprinkled into a salad too. Use your favourite seasoning, spicy or tart, smoky or herbed.
A munch with crunch – roasted chick peas are easy to make
PAGE 12 • MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020
INGREDIENTS
240g chickpeas, cooked, rinsed and drained weight 1tbsp sunflower oil ½ tsp salt 1 tsp seasoning
METHOD Preheat oven to 160°C. Spread out rinsed and drained chickpeas on a clean tea towel. Dry very thoroughly. Transfer to a bowl and add oil and salt. Mix well. Spread out on a lined baking tray. Bake for about 45 mins, giving the occasional shake, until crisp and golden. Remove from oven, toss with seasoning to taste while warm. I had lemony sumac in the cupboard and some dried oregano; you might have a spice blend or maybe some chili flakes or smoked paprika.
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FOOD & DRINK
Meeting the needs of local people
NICK and Nic Parfitt have expanded what their farm can offer to help local people during the coronavirus lockdown. A new milk vending machine dispenses the farm’s own Guernsey milk, Graylands Gold, at £1.20 a litre, with the option to buy a Nick and Nic Parfitt glass bottle for £1 to cut down on plastic. The 30-strong herd also supplies milk for the farm’s famous Chew Moos ice cream. They stock butter and cheese from Lye Cross, Redhill and eggs from Patch’s at Winford. While the current crisis continues, they are also making up vegetable boxes from fruit and vegetables supplied by Arthur David. The couple who farm at Upton Lane, Dundry say they are doing it for the convenience of local people who have nowhere else to shop in the immediate local area.
Fresh, pasteurised whole Guernsey milk Butter, cheese, eggs and ice cream Veggie boxes £20 Fridays and Saturdays 10am-5pm Graylands Farm Upton Lane Dundry BS41 8NR 01179 646727
NEW MILK MACHINE INSTALLED
info@chewmoos.co.uk
butchers * fishMongers * delicAtessen • Fresh produce and dairy • Freshly baked food to go • Smokin’ Bean coffee to go • Fresh flowers • Local Suppliers • Laithwaites wines • Remarkable COOK ready meals We would like to thank our local suppliers, particularly Arthur David, Greenacres Farm Eggs, Cam Valley Foods, Lye Cross Farm, Hunts Foodservice, Cotteswold Dairy, Chew Moos and West Country Honey, Butcombe Brewery, Twisted Oak Brewery and Rapide Stationery Supplies
SUPPORTING OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY
We are still open as normal and are also offering a next day delivery service for the elderly, vulnerable and selfisolating. Please respect our signs to social distance whilst shopping with us. May we take this opportunity to thank all our customers for their support. And from all of us, we send you our best wishes. Please stay safe and stay well.
open: Monday – saturday 7am-6pm • sunday 10am-4pm
e cross, union street, cheddar, somerset bs27 3nA 01934 742521 • email cobbsofcheddar@outlook.com MT ENDIP • MAY 2020 MENDIP IMES T • IMES NOVEMBER 2017 • PAGE 13
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MENDIP TIMES
WILD FOOD
The lockdown forager
RECENTLY, I was contacted by a fellow forager about doing an interview for a podcast. We covered topics such as landscape ecology, how we are all hunter gatherers at heart, our foraging experiences, plant identification etc. There were a few gags too. With ADRIAN About this time the news was running BOOTS images of empty supermarket shelves, panic buying, and lengthy queues. This led me to think about the need for fresh food, and how foraging for wild food meets this need. You can do this near your home (if we are still allowed out that is) or indeed your garden (if we are not) which is an underused resource anyway. But what do you need to be a forager? Not much really. Welcome to my guide to being a lockdown forager! 1. You don’t really need any special tools or clothing to be a forager* 2. You will need some knowledge about plant identification 3. Take an identification book with you, either a specific wild food book or a plant ID book to make sure you have collected the correct things 4. Only select common, easy to identify plants such as stinging nettle, wild garlic, dandelion leaves 5. It is illegal to uproot or destroy any wild plant, but you can pick leaves, flowers and fruit 6. You will need a container of some description to put your finds in. This could be a plastic container or a woven basket if you want to go for the full country living look. Or just a bag 7. Gloves and scissors are really useful as you will soon tire of picking stinging nettles without them 8. Ideally select an area to pick your wild food that isn’t heavily used by dogs or other animals 9. If foraging along a lane, track or roadside be aware of traffic (such as it is at the moment) 10. Please do not trespass on someone else’s land, you wouldn’t like it if they came to your garden and took all your veggies 11. Wear suitable clothing for the time of year and current weather conditions – no point in catching a cold just so you can triumphantly brandish a few dandelion leaves * I always wear a hat because: a) I don’t have a lot of hair, b) I hate cold ears, and c) it is a useful item to have if you have forgotten number 6! If you are interested in hearing my foraging podcast with Miles Irving, then please feel free to go to this website: https://forager.org.uk/podcast its number 39 – enjoy! Adrian Boots is a Landscape Ecologist, Wild Food Forager and Adventure Activity provider. You can visit his website: www.gowildactivities.co.uk to learn more about wild food foraging and activities you can do with him on the Mendip Hills.
PAGE 14 • MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020
GARDEN FOOD
Perennial kale
I'M not sure why I'd never grown perennial kale before this year – I believe many years ago I tried to grow some from seed, and failed. But recently a friend gave me cuttings of this perennial kale and I'm really impressed. With JAKE First of all, the cuttings root WHITSON incredibly easily, like willow – no special preparation or rooting hormone is needed, and almost any size of stem will work; we just put them in some pots of moist compost and the take rate was 100%. Once you have established plants, it's then easy to propagate tens or even hundreds more at the drop of a hat. I'm a little unsure of the variety of this one, though I'm led to believe it ultimately comes from Charles Dowding's garden and it's already provided us with a couple of meals of fleshy kale leaves during a period when there wasn't much else in the garden. There are quite a few varieties of perennial kales, Daubenton's and Taunton Deane being two of the better known ones, as well as perennial cabbages and other leafy brassicas. They vary in their perennial tendencies, with some lasting just a few years and others much longer – though it seems they are renewed by taking cuttings, so once you have a variety you should have it forever. They of course save a lot of work in not having to be propagated every year and provide abundant greens all year round, especially appreciated during the hungry gap when little else is around. We like to make a version of salt-rubbed kale salad with our perennial kale. Firstly finely shred the kale, add a generous pinch of salt, and vigorously rub and crush the shredded kale between your hands with the salt for a few minutes, until it is bruised and dark green. Then add some toasted sesame seeds, still hot from the pan, and stir in. Add a drop of soy sauce, lemon juice, olive oil and some chopped tomato, and mix well. This is really delicious on its own, perhaps with some chopped avocado, or as a side salad, with some crusty bread. Jacob Whitson is a chef, food writer and smallholder. He is currently working on setting up a small sustainable goose farm in Somerset with his partner Johanna.
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Keeping it local
FOOD & DRINK
FARRINGTON’S is offering a collection and delivery service, supported by local volunteers. They offer the best local produce, while their own production kitchen produces an array of home cooked foods. Their ingredients mainly come from their farm, their master butcher’s locally sourced meats and local suppliers. They say: “We feel a sense of responsibility within our community at this difficult time and we want to support all of our customers that have supported us over the years. “These uncertain times really highlight how important it is to support each other locally, not just now, but ALWAYS.”
Community support
LYE Cross Farm Shop has made hundreds of free home deliveries to the over 70s and vulnerable and also has a phone and collect service. It says it’s great to be able offer those self-isolating their full range of products, including their deli counters packed with cooked meat, pies, quiches and much more, while also continuing to support local suppliers. They have award-winning Cheddars, fruit and veg, butchery and daily deliveries of bread and milk from Pullins and Chew Valley Dairy.
MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020 • PAGE 15
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MENDIP TIMES
Vandals condemned
Dismayed: a dog walker who lives nearby said she was shocked by the vandalism
Foundations support local communities
NEWS
OuR local community foundations have established funds worth over £1million through their coronavirus appeals and have distributed funds worth more than £500,000 to help small charities and voluntary groups. Somerset Community Foundation’s fund has grown to £450,000 and it has awarded more than 90 grants totalling £210,000. Quartet Community Foundation, which covers North Somerset, B&NES, Bristol and South Gloucestershire has distributed over £360,000 to local charitable organisations, with its fund standing at £670,000. Justin Sargent, chief executive at SCF said: “More funding is going out every day to local charities and organisations reaching those in urgent need, thanks to the generosity of the donors who have given to our appeal. “In the initial stages we’ve been proactively contacting organisations that we already know. As the fund grows we plan to soon broaden the scope to invite other charities and community organisations to apply.” Sue Turner, Chief Executive of Quartet Community Foundation, said: “From ensuring our children and elderly people have good food, to advice on benefits and mental health support, we depend on charities to ensure our most disadvantaged people are not forgotten.” Details: www.comersetcf.org.uk/appeal https://quartetcf.org.uk/general/coronavirus-fund-alreadyreaching-local-people-in-need/
VISITORS to the historic Hood Monument overlooking Butleigh were horrified to find that it had been vandalised with graffiti. People living nearby on their daily exercise discovered the base of the 110-feet high tribute to 18th Century Royal Navy hero Vice Admiral Sir Samuel Hood had been spray painted with an apparent message to people to stay at home during the coronavirus outbreak. A Grade II* listed monument, the structure – completed in 1831 – is cared for by Historic England.
The worst damage was caused to the inscription
PAGE 16 • MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020
Photo competition
THE countryside charity, CPRE Somerset, is launching its 2020 photo competition with the theme “Reasons To Be Cheerful” with a £100 prize for the winner. Chair, Chris Lewis, said: “It is more important than ever to try to stay positive in these difficult times. As the countryside charity, we’d love to see images of the little things about the Somerset countryside, or nature just outside your window, which are keeping you going while you follow the social distancing rules. “The great outdoors will still be waiting for us when we are free to return, but for now, let’s all share some little reasons to be cheerful we are enjoying closer to home!” Entries should be emailed as an attachment to admin@cpresomerset.org.uk by midnight on August 31st. Details: www.cpresomerset.org.uk
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Keep calm and stay home – well done nhS!
ArTS & AnTiqueS
When norma Bull (19061980) painted this watercolour exactly 80 years ago titled “The Blitz Kitchen” she was capturing the people of Bristol at a time of great upheaval. One can only imagine the fear that nightly bombing raids would have on the suburban population, but people rallied round and came together to help those in need. Set up by Jones & Co on Mary Le Port Street, Blitz Kitchens like the one depicted here sprung up all over the city to feed those who had lost everything. The enemy may have changed but the sentiment remains the same. Sold at Clevedon Salerooms for £400.
Fine Art Auctioneers & Valuers
We may not be open yet but we can still value your items by email Simply send images to: info@csrauctions.com For a free auction estimate
Stay safe! Tel: 01934 830111 The Auction Centre, Kenn Road, Kenn, Clevedon, Bristol BS21 6TT www.clevedon-salerooms.com
‘Only loss teaches us about the value of things’ Arthur Schopenhauer MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020 • PAGE 17
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INTERNET
The virus and the internet
BUT we are not talking computer viruses this time. At the time of writing, we are all in lockdown. And I suspect at the time of reading it will be about the same. Worth sparing a thought for what it would be like without the internet – at least we can watch old episodes of Dad’s Army for a different kind of war and different kind of rationing! But without that extension to our lives, it would be very difficult – there is YouTube www.youtube.com to entertain us with funny videos. Some very touching moments when grandparents have to view their new grandchild through a window. But also instructions on how to all sorts of things, so if you find you need a new hobby, all the info will be there on YouTube. Plus videos to follow for exercise – Zumba Gold is good for the more mature amongst us. But workouts of all kinds are available. We can video call our relations to keep in touch – on an iPhone, you can FaceTime – just go to your contacts, find the one you want and tap on the Video button. This will give you a choice of how to call. FaceTime only works Apple to Apple, but if you have WhatsApp, that works Apple to Android (e.g. any phone to any phone). On an Android phone, Skype is a good option, as you can Skype to Skype for free – you just need to register. There are numerous sites now which offer services for free which you used to be by subscription. Carol Vorderman has made her site teaching maths to children free https://www.themathsfactor.com but there are numerous sites to help keep kids entertained as well – Joe Wicks has online workouts at https://www.thebodycoach.com/ Of course, the BBC is a good site for news, but for kids, there’s https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc If you are downloading apps, make sure you go through GooglePlay for Microsoft or AppStore for Apple. At the moment, we are not doing any training of course, but if you need a quick word of advice of computer usage, email us at itfortheterrified@btconnect.com Keep safe. Submitted by IT for the Terrified: Cheddar Village Hall, Church St, Cheddar BS27 3RF 01934 741751 (usually goes to answer phone) Please note – we have had some trouble with our phone line, so if you have tried to ring and not got through, please try again. www.itfortheterrified.co.uk itfortheterrified@btconnect.com I.T. for the Terrified – for all your computer training needs. A skillsharing, community project. Run by a Committee – Staffed by Volunteers Registered Charity No. 1130308 : Company No. 06779600 This article is for guidance only, and the opinion of the writer. For more in depth information, please contact us. We offer individual training, at a pace to suit you. We can cover a range of subjects – including absolute basics; photo management; shopping online; emailing; Word processing, spreadsheets; basic web design; etc. on a range of devices, including Windows: Macs: Tablets: iPads: smartphones.
PAGE 18 • MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020
CROSSWORD
The Mendip Mindbender
ACROSS 9 Large three-toed horned ungulate (5) 10 Item held in case there is a need to replace the original (5,4) 11 When the Bristol and Exeter Railways operated, this was the only station on the branch line between Glastonbury and Wells (7) 12 Morally correct (7) 13 One of a crowd or score at cricket (5) 14 This chap might be found in a church robing room (9) 16 Helichrysum, a plant of the daisy family is said to possess this quality and is so named (15) 19 Where to get supplies for a boat (9) 21 If you are on the breadline you will, nevertheless, have these (5) 23 Obvious, as plain as the nose on your face (7) 25 Self-propelled under-water weapon (7) 27 The loudest or climatic point (9) 28 Large Asian cat (5) DOWN 1 Item used on set or rugby player or support (4) 2 Flower and colour (6) 3 Put into storage for later use (10)
4 5 6 7 8 13
15 17 18 20 22 24 26
Russian born American biochemist and science fiction writer (6) Take part in an aquatic sport being towed behind a motorboat (5,3) Network or dovetail (4) Village, home to the Bay Tree Food Co. (pickles and jams) (8) People who adopted the ideology and policies of the Soviet Communist Party leader (1879-1953) (10) This village, not far from Castle Cary has no number for 'ten' on its church clockface and it’s bells used to ring in BBC's Songs of Praise (10) Breathe new life into (10) Scrutineer (8) Material in a flat form (8) The Strawberry Line cycle path starts here (6) Strength and vitality (6) Fletcher eats out the middle (4) Lady's fingers (4)
Clues in italics are cryptic by greendandelion
This month’s solution can be found on page 54
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Business section.qxp_Layout 1 22/04/2020 17:36 Page 20
MENDIP TIMES
How homemade wills could leave bereaved families with less Private client specialists at national law firm, Clarke Willmott LLP, say enquiries about wills have increased dramatically since the coronavirus outbreak, but with some obstacles – such as the requirement for them to be witnessed independently – the team is concerned some people may go down the DiY route. according to Jacqui Lazare, senior associate at Clarke Willmott, homemade wills can give rise to several problems and even result in beneficiaries receiving significantly reduced sums. Jacqui says: “there are currently some difficulties in executing wills during the lockdown, but this means expert advice is needed now more than ever, as the situation is changing rapidly. “Homemade wills can appear attractive because of their nominal cost and the current mandate to self-isolate and practise social distancing. However, they can cause problems which may lead to considerable stress and difficulty for the testator’s surviving family and, at its worst, result in significant depletion of the estate’s assets in sorting out the disputes that may then arise.” Jacqui adds: “a professionally drafted will avoids problems arising from incorrect form or signature and, in an age of increasing longevity, may also lessen the likelihood of disputes over the testator’s capacity as this will be assessed, and a medical opinion sought if necessary. “if you are making your own will it is difficult to take an
objective, detached view of the provisions you intend to include; talking your thoughts over with an experienced professional who is trained to recognise problems and pitfalls can be invaluable. “if your estate, or your children’s, is likely to pay inheritance tax, a professionally drafted will can also help you to reduce this as much as Jacqui Lazare possible. Secure storage can also be provided free of charge so your will can be easily located when required.” to find out more or to speak to Jacqui about wills directly, contact her at jacqui.lazare@clarkewillmott.com. Clarke Willmott LLP has offices in Bristol, taunton, Birmingham, Manchester, London, Cardiff and Southampton. Despite the COviD-19 restrictions, we are fully open for business with our lawyers working remotely from home.
For further information on private client and business matters and how they are being impacted by COVID-19, visit https://www.clarkewillmott.com/supporting-you-through-covid-19-coronavirus/
GALHAMPTON Country Store
Mendip Times reduces travel costs
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Fir Tree Business park, High Road, Galhampton, yeovil, somerset, Ba22 7BH • Tel: 01963 440464 email: sales@galhamptoncountrystore.co.uk PAGE 20 • MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020
ECATCHER MOL
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P & C Logs Call Phil on 07734 098323, or Colleen on 07785 250033 or on Evenings 01934 741941 Friendly prompt service from Phil & Colleen at their farm in Charterhouse Quality seasoned beech and ash hardwood, chopped and split into a variety of load options (with free delivery).
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BUSINESS
MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020 • PAGE 21
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MENDIP TIMES
There has never been a better time to get your affairs in order Making a Will is never high on our list of priorities but if the last few weeks have shown us anything, it’s that life can certainly be unpredictable. So, it’s never too soon to think about putting safeguards in place to protect your loved ones. Making a Will is easier than you think Depending on your situation, the starting point could be as simple as listing what you own and what should happen to those things should circumstances change, forming the basis of your Will. We’ll happily provide informal, no obligation discussions to address any concerns and help get you started. We can provide all the information needed to make informed decisions, and answer any questions that relate to your personal circumstances. While we are currently working remotely to protect our clients and staff, we have systems in place that allow communication in the most comfortable way, including phone, email and Skype. We can also advise on how a Will can be witnessed and be compliant without direct contact with others, where it is still a requirement to have two people (who are not beneficiaries) witness your signature. Choose who manages your affairs when you can’t a Power of attorney is a legal document enabling an appointed person to manage and make decisions about your affairs in the event you are unable to. there are different types of power of attorney but the most well-
known is the Lasting Powers of attorney (LPa). there are two forms of LPa: one for property and finance and one for health and care. We’re happy to discuss the options to ensure the right one is in place for you. a key benefit of an LPa is the reassurance of knowing that you have someone you know and trust to make decisions on your behalf, if needed, giving you and your loved ones peace of mind. Cara Burr, Private Client Team at Mogers Drewett
If you want to take control of your affairs, making a difficult time a little easier for those you love, call our Private Client team today on 01749 342323 or email cara.burr@mogersdrewett.com
PAGE 22 • MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020
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Tincknell Stores still open
BUSINESS
tinCkneLL Country Stores are open for the local community and say they are grateful to their teams of staff. they are still receiving regular deliveries from all their suppliers and both their stores in Wells and Congresbury are well stocked. But for the safety of both their staff and customers, they have decided to keep the shop doors closed and bring the products out to the customer on a click and collect basis. Details: www.tincknellcountrystore.co.uk
Here to help
WeLLS Funeral Services is now based at Chilcompton, a move which has offered funeral director rod Major the opportunity to expand further into the Bath and north east Somerset area. rod, a familiar face on his stall at the Wells Wednesday market, is working more closely with crematoria staff to help the bereaved whilst restrictions are imposed on the number of people allowed to attend services. as well as organising the live streaming of services online, rod is investigating an idea from the United States for “drive-in” funerals, where mourners can watch the service on a big screen from their cars.
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MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020 • PAGE 23
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MENDIP TIMES
Your cash savings and their safety even with bank rates at an all-time low, banks or building societies remain the safest place to keep your cash in the short term. keeping enough money easily accessible on deposit is a high priority for your financial security and one of the foundations of your personal financial plan. although you should be holding adequate reserves of cash, historically over longer periods of time the return on deposits struggle to keep pace with inflation. it’s tempting to look at alternatives and whilst we believe that investment portfolios will likely deliver better long-term returns, this isn’t a risk-free option. Moving funds from a very safe environment to one where capital is at risk needs to be considered carefully and as part of your longer-term plan. that said, for money you are prepared to take a long-term view on, with stock markets significantly lower
than at the beginning of the year, this could be a good time to invest. Safety of your money the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) provides you with a level of protection up to £85,000 worth of cash savings covered per individual, per financial institution. Here are four things to consider: 1. the FSCS only applies to funds that are saved within a financial institution with a banking authorisation (not all bank accounts, or even all banks, are covered). Find out which financial institution owns your bank. 2. if you have savings of £85,000 or more with two different banks who are owned by the same institution, with just one authorisation, you’re only covered for a total of £85,000. You can transfer the excess to an account with another bank or use national Savings and investments which have 100% protection and are backed by the
Stuart Coombe
Uk government. 3. You could set up a joint account with your partner which will essentially double your coverage to £170,000. 4. if you have offshore banking, remember that banks outside the Uk may not be covered by the FSCS.
If you wish to discuss your individual circumstances, contact Stuart Coombe on 01392 351301 or email stuart.coombe@om.uk
PAGE 24 • MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020
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BUSINESS
Making a will in the COVID-19 era in the present Coronavirus pandemic solicitors are seeing a steep increase in the number of instructions as individuals stare at their own mortality in a way unseen since war time. add to that the fact that the execution of a will is the last bastion of law where physical face-to-face contact is the only legally valid way – at a time when social distancing is the new code of conduct – and we have a uniquely challenging situation. the starting point for the valid signing of wills is found in the Wills act 1837, one requirement of which is for the signing of the will to be made or acknowledged by the testator in the presence of two or more witnesses at the same time. nothing could be more contrary to the COviD-19 safety guidance, and so why, the question is asked, is there not a relaxation of these legal requirements in these exceptional times? Risks in relaxing formalities this is complex. there are many risks in relaxing the formalities around the signing of wills especially taking into account the vulnerability of some clients concerned. it is not difficult to see why this is a tricky subject; once the testator dies, so does the only person who can tell us about the actual circumstances in
which the will was signed. Was there someone else present who was forcing them to sign the will, and was it actually them that did so? Did they understand what they were signing? the questions around this are infinite. the current safeguards are stringent, but despite this, there are still a great number of wills that are challenged. Bearing in mind that there are only a few instances when someone is in a position to challenge a will in the first place, it may well be that we are only touching the tip of the iceberg in successfully exposing the number of wills made as a result of undue influence, or worse. Solicitors are seen as key workers when it comes to making wills so can visit you at your home. So, if you are using a solicitor to prepare a will for you this might be the procedure you could expect in the era of COviD-19. (a) the solicitor will usually take careful attendance notes of the reason for the change in a will, and where possible obtain electronic visual instructions, or, as many of solicitors have been doing, sit in a car next to a client in a car and speak on a mobile phone! (b) the solicitor will enquire whether a will needs to be made. Sometimes just revoking an existing will or dying intestate
(ie without a will) achieves the same thing and with less risk. (c) Where possible the solicitor should witness the will. this is because most clients are in their own home with family members who will be the beneficiaries; a beneficiary witnessing a will loses their entitlement under that will. We are taking instructions by phone and arranging to witness the wills whilst maintaining social distancing by standing two metres apart at the front door or driveway/garden. You can call us to arrange a telephone consultation. EDWARD LYONS
Email: enquiries@lyonslaw.co.uk Website: www.lyonslaw.co.uk Telephone: 01275 332168 An established and progressive law firm providing a personal and cost-effective legal service for commercial and individual clients. l Family & Divorce Law l Co-habitation disputes l Inheritance disputes l Wills and Living Wills l Powers of Attorney l Administration of Trusts l Property – sales and purchases Chew Magna 01275 332168
OFFICES AT: Westbury-on-Trym 0117 950 6506
Kingswood 0117 967 5252 MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020 • PAGE 25
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MENDIP TIMES
THE MENDIP SOCIETY
Springtime and community spirit cannot be cancelled
THE Mendip Society, along with every other organisation, club or group has, on strict government guidelines, halted our current programme of talks, visits and walks; ironically it was sent out to members on the day the lockdown was announced! But we can assure everyone that all is not cancelled and thus “lost” but merely “postponed” until picked up and resumed at some time in the future. A great many of our members, who would label themselves fairly active and fit sort of folk, have found themselves in the “at risk” category, much to their consternation. The combination of Old Father Time and maybe a few medical conditions which are usually ignored in the living of everyday life has brought about a dose of realism. Two such members are Richard Frost, the society chairman, and his partner, Denise Poole, who live in Winford. Richard said: “The lockdown had enabled me to actually get around to doing those 101 jobs in the house and garden that I have just learned to live with and ignore. But reality hit when a younger member of our community contacted us to enquire if we needed any help – did we need any shopping or jobs doing? It was then that I realised our local community was alive and kicking.” Mendip Times readers will remember the article in a previous issue about the saving of the Winford local stores by the community, for the community; Denise is a member of the small committee which keeps the scheme viable and she has given us this highly relevant, “good news follow-up”. “In the village of Winford the village shop with its post office was going to close so the residents of Winford, Felton and Regil decided to do their best to take it over as a community shop. This was achieved about a year ago with the shop and post office being run by volunteers led by a steering group. “One paid member of staff holds it all together and mainly works in the post office. We have had problems though, getting enough volunteers to work in the shop which has meant leaning a bit too heavily on the people that we do have.
Inside the shop showing social distancing marks
“When we realised the implications of COVID-19 we despaired of continuing to run the shop and post office, despite the importance of both to the community, with so many of us being over 70. Then the amazing people of the villages, realising the problem, all rallied round to support the shop. “WhatsApp groups were set up to support the village plus the shop. We were inundated with offers from the young families in the villages and returning students to help in the shop and also to do deliveries when that became necessary. “We are now running with enough volunteers to serve in the shop and also to have someone on the door to keep it to one person in at a time, supervising the wearing of gloves and using hand sanitizer whilst also keeping an eye on the queue. “The older generation often moan a lot about people not helping or caring, but we are so proud of them all rallying round now, when they are really needed. Community spirit is definitely NOT cancelled.” And just in case you haven’t noticed, neither is the season of spring. Living on, or around the fringes of the hills means we can take advantage of dozens of footpaths in the area; ones which go all ways, across fields, through woodlands, across open heath and by rocky outcrops, often with spectacular views. On these “exercise walks”, one thing we cannot fail to have seen during these few weeks of glorious weather is the rapid onrush of spring. Nature most certainly has not cancelled its arguably most glorious season in years, rapidly greening, flowering and covering everywhere with its most casual but intense beauty. The permissive footpath through our flower meadow nature reserve, Slader’s Leigh, at Shute Shelve alongside the Strawberry Line, remains open, giving pleasure to the many who pass through the sunny, peaceful, flower-covered field. On social media, they tell us they often go there every day for their exercise – walk, run or cycle – it fulfils a need in all of us to stay connected to the natural world for the sake of our mental and physical health. We are very glad that spring hasn’t been cancelled here in Mendip. Richard Frost, Denise Poole, Judith Tranter
For details of all events visit www.themendipsociety.org.uk and Facebook ‘The Mendip Society’
PAGE 26 • MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020
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WILDLIFE
Wildlife watching in lockdown
I HOPE you and your families are safe and well during these uncertain times. The strain of lockdown on our physical and mental wellbeing will affect us individually in many different ways, of course (at the time of writing) we remain in this situation to protect our essential and keyworkers who in turn are By CHRIS trying to save the lives of the sick and keep SPERRING the country going. If we keep that in mind, MBE then that can help us all get through. But another way is turning to nature to help, and indeed many people have. Whether you’re on your country estate, in a suburban garden – large or small – or even block of flats there will be some part of nature, or indeed some view of the outside world, you can watch, listen to, or even educate yourself about. If you have a smartphone, laptop or desktop computer then try finding some live streaming wildlife webcams. The Hawk and Owl Trust have started streaming live webcams and, along with their peregrine falcon webcams, there is now a Somerset Barn Owl webcam; just go to https://youtu.be/ShKB3VZoKjQ to watch the Somerset Barn Owls live. If you’re able to carry out your permitted once-a-day walk, then in my area I’ve created a game for families to find ten spring flowers, most of which can be found along hedgerow and woodland walks; hopefully this is both enjoyable and educational at the same time. Birds are obvious by sight and sound at present, the dawn chorus will reach its peak over the beginning of May so it is well worth sitting in your garden or just opening the window (weather permitting) and just literally let the sound in. On international dawn chorus day, I will be doing a Facebook live from my garden beaming out my garden birds to the world. If you’re interested in finding out which birds are singing then join me live in my garden on https://www.facebook.com/Chris.SperringMBE – the date is Sunday, May 3rd.
Bugle
Wood splurge
Bluebell
For those of us with gardens, the lockdown period has so far been blessed with some amazing sunny days, which has given us (our family) the space we need, but also interesting education opportunities as well. So far, the whole family is cataloguing different groups of plants and animals that live in the garden, indeed my three-year-old’s insect list is enormous; so the point of this is, of course, he’s learning many other things besides the actual animal of his focus and also some very important life lessons. Vitamin D is said to important for the immune system and many other things as well, the sun can be an important source of it. If you have pets such as dogs or cats, it’s always interesting to watch them absorb some sunshine but, unlike we humans, they don’t overdo it by burning themselves; notice how they seek shelter from the sun after a while. Warning: too much sun will burn you, little bits of basking in the sun won’t. Whilst I have been sitting outside, I have been looking up from the garden and counting the different species of bird that fly over my urban garden. So far, over the course of three weeks, I’m up to 54 species; these include all the crow family and now recently I’ve added swallow, house martin and, flying really high overhead, swifts (on April 19th). Birds of prey have been really interesting, with red kite and osprey flying over, along with peregrine, buzzard, sparrowhawk and kestrel, and all this just by looking up from my garden! Please stay safe everyone.
Yellow archangel
Chris Sperring MBE is conservation Officer for the Hawk and Owl Trust. For news of any public walks or talks coming up please visit via Facebook @ChrisSperringwildlife
MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020 • PAGE 27
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MENDIP TIMES
So how well do you know your local countryside? I HAVE been stopped in my tracks! I’ve never come across anything quite like this before. Like all of you who love walking, it is very difficult to realise that we can at present no longer head for the hills, the valleys, the fields, the sea, the rivers. And what a time of year it would be to go out and immerse ourselves in the beauty of the new season. But let’s remember that if we stick to the rules now, the sooner we can get out and about again. I don’t want to dwell on the negatives. We are fortunate living here in that most of us can, for the present that is, find good, shortish walking routes from our
With Sue Gearing
homes. From where I live in Wrington village there are a number of country circuits, taking in wooded Wrington Hill, Goblin Combe, open fields and the River Yeo. And many of them come with great views too across to the Mendip Hills. We should spare a thought for those who at this difficult time are confined in apartments in built-up areas, and of course, those who can’t get out at all. So for the first time since the start of Mendip Times (15 years ago) there is no new walk from me in this issue. Over the period of about 35 years of writing regular walks, nothing has ever got in the way – before now. Even the Foot and Mouth Disease in 2001 didn’t stop me producing a walk a week for the Western Daily Press. Having been banned from the countryside, I focused on cities instead and produced some very varied and interesting routes in cities in the region – Bristol, Bath, Taunton, Cheltenham… and so on. Sadly, this is not possible with Covid 19. I am itching to get the maps out and work out a new route for you. There’s nothing I like better than browsing over the OS Explorer map. So, I look for something of interest on the way – perhaps a geological or historical feature like a castle, maybe a canal, a lake or a high point with great views. The main problem is to find a good starting point with a suitable and sensible parking area. Where I can, I try and avoid
starting in a village which has no decent car park. I would hate Wrington, for example, to be overloaded with even more parked cars than it is now. Then, of course, there is the high point of the whole exercise – to actually go out and do the walk, with map in map case, camera, and my recorder. Often I am alone, with a borrowed dog, or with a friend or my husband – not necessarily in that order! I’m amazed at how many people over the years have actually asked me if I have done the walk. How they think I could write it up – as accurately as I can – I do not know. Even with the OS map it isn’t always easy to puzzle it all out. Sometimes if a path is blocked or a stile is dangerous I have to approach the landowner in question, or more often I seek help from the local authority Rights of Way officers. And they have in the main been invaluable. But adhering to current advice and using your common sense do get out when you can and keep up some kind of walking exercise. Like any other cardiovascular exercise, brisk walking boosts endorphins which do literally lift the spirits, improve mood and self esteem and chase away depression. So boots on, head high and best foot forward! Let’s hope I can do a new walk for next time. When this is all over, we will appreciate our country rounds even more.
observant are you on the walks? Here is a selection of the many photographs I take when I am out. Why not have a go at identifying
where or what they are. Don’t forget some of them may be several years old.
WALKING QUIZ: WHERE OR WHAT IS IT?
BUT all is not lost now. Instead of a walk in this issue, I thought I would remind you of some of my walks over past issues of Mendip Times. How
1 PAGE 28 • MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020
Answers on page 54
2
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4 3
WALKING Le
6
5
7
9
8
10
MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020 • PAGE 29
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MENDIP TIMES
OUTDOORS
West Countryman’s diary
HOW pleased I was to get an email from Mendip Times asking for copy by April 18th. This is the only bit of normality I can find at the moment. My closing words from last month’s edition, will no doubt be ringing in your ears: Finally, this month’s picture is a sign of better things to come! A With LES rainbow over Yeo Valley. DAVIES MBE How wrong could I have been! No one could have predicted such a change in life as has happened within this last month. Like many others, my work has come to a stop. My ability to get out and about has been restricted, but I have managed to keep busy. Everyone else will be the same and it’s such situations as this that bring people together. Even the ritual of queuing to go into the supermarket is being accepted. After all we are British and quite accustomed to such things. The countryside is also taking a rest. There will not have been anything like this since the shutdown during our Foot and Mouth epidemic in 2001. Now, as then, there will be a whole generation of wildlife coming into a world where contact with humans is minimal. Pathways and areas heavily used for recreation will begin to recover. Perhaps we will appreciate what we have taken for granted so much more when this is all over. British agriculture is still going and still feeding us. We must not forget that when we return to normal. Neither must we forget our local food outlets who have stepped up to the mark. Does it go without saying that our own National Health Service is beyond any shadow of a doubt, the jewel in our nation’s crown? It would a very foolhardy politician who contemplated any sort of sell-out in the future. I have been “Digging for Victory” in my vegetable patch, as I do every year. This time however I really am ahead of the game. The digging is all done and I have had a few comments from those who support a “no dig” policy, but I shall continue this traditional cultivation on my ground. Getting the seed has been difficult, so I have used my own seed potatoes from last year, my own beans, onions and shallots. Even some out of date packets are showing interesting results, which makes me look very closely at what I have “assumed” to be seed viability in the past. After all, poppy seed remains viable for years in the soil, the aftermath of WW1 showed this on the shell-torn and smashed landscape of the Western Front at the end of 1918. I managed to get up to Foxwood before everything closed down. How lovely it was to be back there! The feeling of wellbeing and tingle of enjoyment I feel when I stand there is difficult to describe. The wood is just starting to wake up and I fear that my display of bluebells will be missed this time. They have been hard won from what was a solid patch of bracken; every year they just managed to get their heads above ground before being overwhelmed. I did however manage to plant the foxgloves that came from Mother’s garden, but her primroses are being held back for a later planting. My neighbouring woodland owner, Chris, informed me that I had some visitors in the wood over winter. Three Soay sheep had taken up residence and had kept an eye on things for me. I
have been unable to get there because of ground conditions, but they kept my grass down and, it seems, felt quite safe and comfortable there. They would regularly come down and watch him whilst he re-built his dry stone wall and no doubt made comments amongst themselves, in a “wild sheep” kind of way on the result of his labours. Chris told me that they had taken themselves back towards Cheddar Gorge one morning. They were quite respectful whilst there and I found no damage – they would be welcome again. The orchard had its first cut much earlier this time and having longer brackets made for the height roller on the mower enabled me to cut that little bit higher and faster. I have now guarded all the trees in readiness for the arrival of sheep. I am hoping these will keep on top of the grass throughout the season. Even after mowing there was a good enough “bite” for them to come straight onto it and once lambing is over, they will all be there. The pear blossom has been a picture this time and I have high hopes that the apples will follow their example this month. You see wassailing does work! I have seen a lot of posts on social media of people’s thoughts – what will we be returning to when this is all over? Is this time to take a long look at the way we live? I am becoming accustomed to the lack of traffic noise; seeing a clear sky that isn’t criss-crossed with condensation trails from international flights the previous night; only buying what I really need and then making sure I don’t use too much of anything. Believe me, I am in no way advocating a return to the past, for I have lived through it, but a little backward glance is no bad thing. We will come through this and be the stronger for it. At the time of writing this, it looks as if the restrictions will stay in place until early May. Perhaps after that some hope and some chance of enjoying a late spring and then summer. It’s raining at the moment, but that will do far more good in the garden than I will today. My picture this month made me laugh. It came via social media, so I have no idea who the originator was. Whoever they were, it’s a brilliant and humorous take on rural life, thank you. I just had to share it with everyone else!
You can always contact me through my website: Westcountryman.co.uk
PAGE 30 • MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020
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A time to reflect
(Photograph courtesy of E. Dunford)
BY the time you read this, we will have been in lockdown for around five weeks and I hope you are all bearing up. In my 54-odd years as a caver, this is the third time that caving has been curtailed, though never on this scale. Previously, during the foot and mouth With PHILIP outbreaks, caving was still permitted on HENDY land without livestock, which effectively limited us to Burrington Combe and Fairy Cave Quarry. Now, the caving huts are closed and cavers are advised not to go underground, as we do not want to risk accidents, putting further strain on the health and rescue services. All dinners and social gatherings have been put on hold and planned foreign expeditions and training for them has been cancelled. We are all of us in as much isolation as we can manage. It is a time for reflection, with the hope that in due course we can all return to normality. At least video-conferencing allows some of us to stay in touch. Some caving did take place during the 2001 episode of foot and mouth disease and we took full advantage of any opportunity for a social gathering, which included a visit to police headquarters at Portishead to learn about the use of helicopters in rescues from remote places. One would have been useful in May when a group of schoolchildren on a night hike at Charterhouse heard cries for help from Stainsby’s Shaft, an old lead mine. The Mendip Cave Rescue team brought out a man who had been missing from home for some days. A helicopter evacuation would have been useful (indeed, the rescuers were looking forward to it) but it was too misty for one to be called out. Prolific and enthusiastic digger Tony Jarratt was so despondent at being prevented from undertaking his usual activities that Roger Dors at the Hunters’ Lodge Inn allowed him to dig in a soakaway behind the pub. This resulted in the discovery of Hunters’ Lodge Inn Sink, which has some amazing formations and also palaeolithic bones dating from the last ice age. My own digging team was digging
Lodmore Hole site
(Photograph courtesy of P. G. Hendy)
CAVING
Chancellor’s Farm dig
at Lodmore Hole on the Yoxter Range. We had found a boulder choke, but dug down the wrong side of it, to reach a narrow slot. However, there was a draught coming from the boulders and by carefully removing some rocks and cementing others, a crawl was negotiated leading to a drop into a loose passage. We were stabilising this with a view to working our way along the passage when we were forced to close the dig down at a depth of 37 metres. This was partly due to the loss of some of the team, but foot and mouth finally put an end to it. By a stroke of luck, there was no livestock at the Somerset Wildlife Trust’s Chancellor’s Farm and Kate Lawrence kindly suggested we might like to investigate a hole that had opened up behind the farm buildings. We erected a sheerlegs and windlass and dug down through an infill of patent medicine bottles and batteries. The previous occupants of the farm were elderly, with no electricity or mains water, and life for them must have been quite hard. The well was a few hundred metres away, near the road. We also found the disarticulated skeletons of two pigs and what looked like decomposed mortar, in amongst clay and broken tiles. Obviously, the site had once been a convenient rubbish tip. Over the next 12 months, the dig continued down, past the rubbish, through clay with the occasional stone. The shaft took a dog-leg and then we dug out a chamber with a choked upward connection. By now the clay was very wet and sticky and hauling buckets up through the dog-leg meant that one of us had to sit on a precarious ledge four metres above the floor to guide them. One side of the chamber was found to have a rough man-made wall, which led us to think we might be digging out an old mine. However, one night we arrived to find around two metres of water at the bottom of the dig, probably at the same level as the water in the well. We had no choice but to abandon the dig. The foot and mouth disease outbreak had ended by this time and normal caving activities were resumed. The Axbridge Caving Group had a promising dig at Lower Pitts Farm at Priddy, but were short-handed. My team offered to help and we have been at Templeton ever since, gaining a depth of around 100 metres, with some promising leads. No such activity is possible now, of course, but the caves will still be there when we are allowed to resume our activities. In the meantime, we can give our kit a good clean and leave the bats in peace.
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
MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020 • PAGE 31
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MENDIP TIMES
What can our gardens teach us?
During these troubled times the nation has turned to their gardens (those lucky enough to have one) as an escape route from With MARY the daily routine. PAYNE MBE Some have adopted the “grow your own” approach and the seed companies have been swamped with orders. Others have turned to the joy that working with nature can bring to our lives. Many others, now with time on their hands, have just decided to sort out the garden to keep them occupied. Hopefully, the outcome will be that many more will find both the mental and physical satisfaction of working with Mother nature and creating something pleasing to the eye. gardening can develop many useful skills. Perhaps one of the most obvious skills is that of patience. You cannot make a plant grow significantly faster. You have got to nurture it, supplying water, feed and light in the right proportions and at the right time in its development. raising plants from seed is a true test of patience as some may take two years to germinate while others pop up almost overnight. i have never lost the sense of excitement of seeds germinating, however ordinary or precious. So much of life today is instant. Parcels are delivered within hours of ordering but with gardens we have something to look forward to. not everything flowers at once and we can look forward to the next plant blooming or being ready to harvest. Those lucky enough to live next to a bluebell wood have eagerly awaited the distinctive smell of our native bluebell and the colour spectacle of a mass of them in a wood. So much is available all year round these days it is good to have seasonality. Visual skills are a necessity in gardening. These will develop with time whilst learning to spot the first signs of a problem, such as pest or disease. As a horticultural consultant i go looking for the likely problems. Learning to identify which are weeds and which are not weeds is important, PAGE 32 • MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020
bearing in mind that a plant is only a weed if it is not where YOu want it. A rose in a field of cabbages is a weed! Most of our weeds are British wildflowers that have hopped into our gardens and are enjoying the lack of competition found in their natural habitat. Some we encourage, some we discourage. Tolerance – how many greenflies can you tolerate before needing to take action? Can you leave it for a while for the ladybirds? Lack of aircraft and reduced traffic has meant that garden sounds can better be appreciated. Bees, birds and other insects are loud and clear. The odd mower does spoil it, but that is part of gardening so we must be tolerant. Smell – the scent of flowers or aromatic foliage is heart-warming. Perhaps less air pollution hopefully, as a result of this pandemic, will enable us to appreciate it more. Try to ensure that you have a scented plant in your garden for all seasons. i am currently enjoying the clove fragrance of stocks. One scented plant can fill the air with fragrance. A vase of sweet peas may only live a few days when cut, but what a wonderful scent and so easy to grow. With many plants smell comes closely linked to touch. Those with scented foliage often need to be bruised by touching to release the smell. Mint is a classic example of a plant that pretends to be so many others, ginger, pineapple, strawberry, apple, orange, peppermint, lemon, grapefruit and lime are just a few, but before you rush off and plant a “fruit bowl” of mints together remember that, unless they are grown separately, they will all end up smelling/tasting the same. You learn something every day! True Lemon Verbena (Aloysia citriodora) has the strongest citrus smell of any plant i know and a few leaves can be used in the base of a baking tin to add flavour to a cake. Texture – the leaves and indeed flowers of plants have very different feels. Many grasses for example have saw-like edges and can give a nasty cut. Some are rough textured, while others invite you to feel their furry foliage caused by an abundance of hairs. Some flowers are furry too, inviting touch, for example the flower heads of a feathertop grass (Pennisetum
Feathertop grass
villosum) are covered in hairs and are very touchy feely. Even our artistic skills come into play, arranging our plants to be visually satisfying to us. The myriads of types and colours of plants all offer plenty of scope for individual taste. You choose what you like and enjoy – take no notice of current trends. gardening has often been referred to as the “green gym”. The constant bending and balancing when tending borders or planting vegetables helps improve co-ordination. Other health benefits include reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol – unless of course the mice have eaten your sweet peas and there is anecdotal evidence that greater exposure to soil bacteria means we may have a stronger immune system. A King’s Fund report in 2016 on gardens and health, funded by the national gardens Scheme, found that the mental health benefits of gardening were broad and diverse, with reductions in depression and anxiety and improved social functioning, emotional wellbeing and physical health. Smart phone technology means we can now photograph and identify virtually any wildflower or plant in our gardens. i thought i knew a vast number of plants, both native and exotic, but came across one in a garden i had never seen but was able to identify it via a smart phone app from just its foliage, not even a flower. So clever. However large or small your garden, or even window box, learn to look closely at your plants and be amazed by their beauty and diversity. Stay safe and keep gardening.
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M AY G A R D E N T I P S
• Plant out dahlias and begonias but protect from late frosts and plant up your hanging baskets and containers. Hardenoff annual bedding plants ready to plant out soon. • Some houseplants can be moved outside for summer this month. Put them in a shady spot until they get used to the brighter light outside and make sure they get watered regularly. • Citrus plants will benefit from being outside from now until late August. Once acclimatised they will relish the sunshine! Some orchids, such as Cymbidium, are happier outside than in. • give some of your border perennials the “Chelsea Chop”. if you cut some of them back by about half now it will delay flowering but extend the display longer in your garden. • Start feeding greenhouse tomatoes with a high potash feed, as soon as you can see the first visible tiny fruit. Vibrate flowers regularly to improve fruit set. • Earth up early potatoes and keep a watch out for late frosts, cover with horticultural fleece if frost is likely. • Tie in soft new shoots of trained fruit trees and canes. Hoe off raspberry canes that appear between the rows. Check gooseberries for sawfly larvae. • Sow courgettes, marrows, ridge cucumbers and melons in individual pots. • Sow turnips, swedes, cauliflowers, leeks and other late winter vegetables now. • Sow borage, nasturtium and other edible flowers for use in salads.
GARDENING
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ALL YOUR GARDENING NEEDS – SET IN 12 WONDERFUL ACRES – MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020 • PAGE 33
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MENDIP TIMES
Air ambulance celebrates 20 years
DorSeT and Somerset Air Ambulance went online for the very first time at 8am on March 21st, 2000; 52 minutes later they were tasked with their first mission. Back then, the service, which is still based at henstridge Airfield, operated during daylight hours in a Bölkow 105 helicopter and carried a crew of two paramedics and a pilot. Since then the service has developed beyond recognition. Their 20th anniversary sees them operating the most advanced air ambulance helicopter of its class in the world, delivering the highest possible standard of pre-hospital clinical care to the people of Dorset and Somerset for 19 hours a day. The charity is marking the anniversary with a “20 Years By Your Side” initiative which aims to showcase just how far they have come over the years, thanks to public support. An area has been developed on their website which gives detailed information on the history of the charity, their key milestones, an insight into what happens when the air ambulance is tasked to an incident and a number of heartfelt stories from the patients who have needed their help. A commemorative edition of the charity’s Beeline magazine has also been produced. This is available to be viewed online via the charity’s website, or supporters can sign up to receive a copy by post or email. Bill Sivewright, Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance Ceo said: “over the years, technology, clinical practice, regulation and even patient expectation have changed dramatically. however, the changes we have made voluntarily, have been based on evidence and have all passed a simple test; will this benefit the patient? “This approach has served us extremely well and has prevented us from making unnecessary and potentially expensive mistakes along the way, whilst ensuring that the things that we have changed, have all mattered.
Lifesaving equipment
The Big hearted Ball, organised by coach operator, Gerald Creed, from Clutton, raised enough money to buy a fibre optic intubating laryngoscope for the intensive care unit at The Bristol heart Institute. Now it’s proving invaluable in the treatment of coronavirus. Dr Chris Monk, a trustee of the charity, has written to say: “I thought you might be pleased to learn that the ITU and anaesthetic recommendations about intubating all patients with Covid-19 is to use a fibre optic laryngoscope. The scope we bought will be even more useful than we had expected.” Gerald, who was treated at the institute after a heart attack, has written to supporters to say: “I know you will be as pleased as I am to learn that our efforts to raise the money for that equipment may now save many more lives than we could ever have imagined. “Thanks again to all of you who supported the ball in 2019 and again this year. I hope we can all celebrate together next year when the ball is planned to take place on Saturday, February 27th. “Fingers crossed, see you all then.”
PAGE 34 • MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020
Some of the crew
“Public support has enabled us to do many great things, above all, it has helped us to save and improve thousands of patients’ lives. In the last six years, the number of patients in need of our service has quadrupled in size; we have been tasked to over 16,000 incidents, with more than 2,000 of these being last year alone. “To assist with the containment of CoVID-19, we have already taken collective action in order to protect and assist in the effort to delay further spread. This includes the cancellation of events, door-to-door lottery canvassing, talks, cheque presentations and upcoming engagements which involve the gathering of people. “This is something that is very hard for us to do, as we take pride in being able to thank our supporters in person for their wonderful support, whether that be by raising funds, or simply learning more about our life-saving work. “We have also announced the cancellation of our tenth annual Coast to Coast Cycle Challenge, which was due to take place on Sunday, May 17th. This is clearly disappointing as it is the only fundraising event that we organise ourselves and raises significant funds for the charity. “We recognise that at this time the public may be concerned about their finances, however, we also know that they appreciate the life-chances that Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance can bring. In the last 20 years we have come so far. “With the patient as our motivation and continued support from the public, we hope to be able to continue to innovate, develop and be there for the next 20 years and beyond.”
Inside the aircraft
Details: www.dsairambulance.org.uk/20years
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Charity appeal for assistance dogs Jamie and Whisper
JAMeS Burns, from Nailsea appeared on a national BBC television appeal for the charity that transformed his life, Canine Partners. James, aged 26, who has cerebral palsy, was partnered with his amazing assistance dog Whisper in 2018. The charity trains dogs to transform the lives of people with disabilities, boosting their confidence and independence. The dogs are taught a range of everyday tasks including picking up and fetching items, opening doors and helping to undress a person. They can even help to load and unload a washing machine and they can fetch help in an emergency. As a result of James’ condition degenerating, he had to have his left arm amputated, so Canine Partners tailored Whisper’s training to suit Jamie’s need for items to be brought to his right-hand side. having Whisper means that James can live independently, as not only can Whisper help him with everyday tasks but he can also fetch the phone in an emergency so that Jamie can call for help. The television appeal came at a time when Canine Partners is celebrating its 30th year and needs support now, more than ever, due to the impact the coronavirus (CoVID-19) pandemic is having on vital income. Chief executive, Nicola Martin, said: “We’ve been building lifetransforming partnerships for 30 years but there is still so much more we could do. With support for this appeal we will be able to continue to transform lives for the next 30 years and to open the doors to the opportunity of having an amazing assistance dog to even more people living with physical disabilities across the UK.” Details: www.caninepartners.org.uk
Charity group folds
The Chew Valley group supporting arthritis research is in danger of closing down. The branch was one of the charity’s most active with annual garden parties and various other events. Ann Morris, who took over from Jean owen as organiser said: “We had to close, with one person moving away, another trying to move and a third, who wished to retire after being part of the group for so long. I’m afraid I can’t do it on my own.”
CHARITIES
Charity groups merge
YMCA Bath Group and YMCA Mendip & South Somerset have merged to form the YMCA Brunel Group. They hope that the new group will provide wider services for more people across more communities. YMCA Mendip & South Somerset provide housing and support, with housing projects in Wells, Street, Frome, Shepton Mallet and Yeovil. They also provide youth and community work with youth clubs in Frome, Coleford, Shepton Mallet, Street, Glastonbury and Yeovil; and young carers’ groups in Pilton and Yeovil. YMCA Bath Group provide hostels in both Bath and Bristol, which not only provide central accommodation for those wishing to visit the cities, but also provides long term housing support to low risk individuals. Mike Fairbeard, chief executive, said: “By coming together as one organisation we are bringing two complimentary sets of skills and people together that ultimately will enable us to be more fit for purpose moving forward; and even better able to meet our charitable aims.” Details: www.mendipymca.org.uk and www.ymcabathgroup.org.uk
Hospice launches virtual fundraising challenge
WeSToN hospicecare has launched The Big Virtual Challenge which encourages supporters to give their daily exercise allowance purpose. The launch comes after the majority of the charity’s income faded away due to shops closing and fundraising events being put on hold due to the coronavirus. The event challenges people to run, walk or skip either a half-marathon, a full marathon or an ultra 50-mile marathon over 30 consecutive days. It cost £5 for individuals to enter or £10 if taking part as part of a family team. Medals will be issued after the event and will be based on registration information. All individual sign-ups will receive a medal and teams will receive one medal that they have earned together. Proof of covering the distance is also required through screen shots of data recording apps such as Strava, MapMyrun or Pacer. iPhone users can use the integrated health app. The screenshots should be submitted to the events manager Grace Dibden by emailing grace.dibden@westonhospicecare.org.uk upon completing the challenge. The challenge started on Wednesday, April 1st and will carry on through until June 30th. This means supporters have until May 31st to register to take on the challenge. Details: www.westonhospicecare.org.uk/the-bigvirtual-challenge/ or email grace.dibden@westonhospicecare.org.uk
MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020 • PAGE 35
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MENDIP TIMES
Former miner’s historic collection saved
THE late Robert Bailey’s vast photo and slide collection of Pensford has been donated by his family to the Pensford Local History Group. There is now a project underway to catalogue, digitise and ultimately archive this collection with the Bath Record Office who will then be able to provide access to members of the public. It will be known as the Robert Bailey Collection. The Pensford, Publow and the Stantons Community Trust (PPSCT) has awarded a grant of £2,000 to the history group to support the first phase of the project. The former miner, who died last July, had done so much to record Pensford's history and the history of mining in the area. He was born in Riverside Cottage, behind Pensford Primary School, to William and Trissie Bailey, who had five children, Ernie, Sylvia, Brenda, Robert and Roger. He attended Pensford School, where he met his late wife Margaret, then worked in Pensford colliery, where he used to weigh the miners’ coal at the end of the shifts to ensure that they were paid. He later worked at Vitamealo, Keynsham as transport manager. Ros Anstey
Rob Bailey
A Douglas motorbike stopped by Bridge House in Pensford. During the summer months test drivers, including the two Douglas sisters, would test run these bikes through the lanes of Pensford, Compton Dando and Woollard
Miners at Pensford Colliery
A rustic scene probably at Leigh Farm, Pensford
Thought to show (l to r) Tony (Syd) Thompson and Lionel Smart on their bikes
PAGE 36 • MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020
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HISTORY
Unveiling of Pensford War Memorial with the Rev Kerr Thompson
Boy scouts, Robert was a scout leader at one time
Teacher Kate Batten at Pensford Primary School
Were these farm or railway workers?
A group of lads enjoying a trip out
Details: plhg.rbc@gmail.com
MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020 • PAGE 37
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MENDIP TIMES
(Photo courtesy of Caroline True)
Villagers bearing up to isolation with V.E. Day idea KNITTING enthusiasts in Stoke St michael have come up with a novel way to stay connected despite being isolated – and help children in the village at the same time. After plans for a V.e. Day 74th anniversary celebration in the village’s memorial hall were cancelled, they hit on the idea of copying the same knitting pattern whilst at home to create dozens of teddy bears to give to the youngsters as a memento. The bears will all have the Union Flag on them and may also be dressed with a sash commemorating the events of 1945. organisers are also planning to stream a tutorial video on how to knit the bears via the village website if any other community would like to join in. Teresa Taylor-Wolff, chair of the memorial hall committee and a keen knitter said: “our plans for a village Ve Day variety show have had to be cancelled, so we wanted to find a way to keep people together and do something for the children here. “We’d all knitted poppies for the First World War commemorations and I adapted a pattern for another teddy bear
Bear necessities: Teresa Taylor-Wolff is one of the Stoke St Michael knitters. (Images were taken from a safe distance)
Grin and bear it – the knitting idea is one way to help people feel connected. The knitters would appreciate donations of unwanted wool
to distribute. It’s a way to feel connected even though we’re isolated.” The knitters have enough wool, patterns, tutorials and needles to offer to anyone who would like to take part, but would also welcome any offers of leftover wool. Teresa added: “There are ten-12 of us knitting and we are aiming to make up to 70 bears in time for V.e. Day.”
For details, visit: www.stokestmichaelhall.co.uk or email stokestmichaelhall@gmail.com
Fond farewell
Frome College said farewell to Year 11 and 13 students, before coronavirus restrictions, including an open mic session at lunchtime in the main college hall. The staff band
PAGE 38 • MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020
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Welcome to Pensford
The entrance to Pensford has been looking a lot prettier thanks to a pair of planters, which were filled with bulbs and flowers. Parish councillor, mike Daniels, came up with the idea, supported by les Jenkins from Pensford and liz Jones from Publow. mike said: “We have more planters planned, with several nearly ready, but because of the outbreak of coronavirus we are unable to collect them. We are also unable to buy any more plants at the moment and will have to wait until the lock-down is over.” meanwhile, liz has said that she will carry on looking after the planters if she is able to do so. At a later date if anyone would like to donate plants, bulbs, and/or cash towards the scheme or even sponsor some planters, mike would like to hear from you. Details: Mike Daniels 07834 721002
Spring bluebells
Bringing comfort to young patients
COMMUNITY
Frome Women’s Shed held their first quilt and bunting sessions for the local community before coronavirus restrictions were imposed. Some 13 ladies took part in the event and made cotton patchwork quilts, knitted blankets and
metres of bunting. The quilts and blankets will be passed to the Project linus for Bath, Wells and surrounding areas who then distribute them to the neonatal babies unit and children’s ward at Bath royal United hospital, Doctor Barnardos and the Somerset Children’s hospice at Charlton Farm. The bunting will be used by the town council to decorate the town during public events. last year the Bath, Wells and surrounding area branch of Project linus produced over 500 quilts and blankets to provide comfort with a hug to sick babies, children and teenagers. Val Whelan, local organiser of the Project linus Frome Group is hoping to arrange further monthly sessions that will be hosted at the Frome Shed at Welsh mill on Park hill Drive, Frome. Unfortunately, owing to the current coronavirus situation the Frome Shed has had to close its doors. once the situation improves new dates will be advertised. Details: Val Whelan 01373 463503 email valwhelan@btinternet.com www.projectlinus.org.uk
Agents on call
oNe of Compton Dando Art Group’s members and founders, mary Shaw, gave a demonstration at the group’s last meeting before it closed because of the coronavirus lockdown. Penny Telling of Chelwood won one of her paintings in a raffle, with proceeds going to Dorothy house. The group hope to resume meetings later in the year.
VIllAGe agents across the area have had to give up home visits but are available by telephone to give help and advice. The Community Council for Somerset, which employs agents across the county, got 2,500 calls in the first week of the lockdown. Chief executive, Keeley rudd, said: “our amazing communities in Somerset have all risen to the challenge of providing support to those that need it very quickly, and our agents can help put you in touch with your local group. “If nothing else this crisis has shown how people in Somerset have endless compassion, kindness and community spirit. I feel very proud to be part of Somerset.” They can be contacted at 01823 331222 or 0300 7906275 or via their website www.ccslovesomerset.org. Around the Chew Valley area village agents can be contacted on 01275 333700.
MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020 • PAGE 39
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MENDIP TIMES
COMMUNITY
New chair for Quartet
Rotary supports foodbank
(Photo courtesy of Nick Spratling) (Photo courtesy of Ellie Shipman)
QUArTeT Community Foundation has announced that Sue mountstevens, Avon & Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner, is the new chair of its trustees. She said: “This is a very difficult time for our small local charitable organisations. The need for their activities has never been greater but their ability to fund their work is being deeply damaged by the coronavirus crisis. “Quartet Community Foundation has a vital role to play in raising new funding and getting it quickly to them so I am proud to have taken over as chair of Quartet’s board at this critical time.” Quartet gives over £3.5 million each year to causes across Bristol, North Somerset, B&NeS and South Gloucestershire. Chief executive, Sue Turner, said: “Sue mountstevens has superb knowledge of the issues facing our communities so we are delighted that she has become our new chair of trustees, taking over from helen Wilde who has done so much to encourage more local philanthropy.”
Details: https://quartetcf.org.uk/about-us/who-are-we/
mIDSomer Norton & radstock rotary Club has donated £500 worth of food to the Somer Valley Foodbank. The club, which is part of District 1200, was allocated £250 which local members then match-funded taking the total to £500. Paul Woodward, Somer Valley Foodbank manager, said: “The money was used to purchase a brilliant amount of food from Tesco, lots of what we needed to keep the foodbank going. “With the current ongoing coronavirus pandemic charities like ours are being hit hard. We’re receiving less donations and support from businesses, but the same number of people, if not more, still need our support with emergency food parcels.”
Details: www.somervalley.foodbank.org.uk email info@somervalley.foodbank.org.uk or call 07729523986
School unveils mosaic – and tries lockdown cakes
A moSAIC now stands in pride of place at Cameley School, designed and created by children at the school, with the help of David Bowers of mosaic madness ltd. It was one of the last projects the children had been involved in before the coronavirus lockdown. PAGE 40 • MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020
Joe with his flat-breads
Morgan with his chocolate cake
School cook, Sara Box, has suggested compiling a school cook book during the lockdown and has already received a couple of suggestions.
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CYCLING
Cycling in lockdown – a family affair
IF the lockdown restrictions imposed during the pandemic have done one good thing, it is that we’re now aware of the simple things we used to take for granted. Whereas Italy and Spain have banned leisure cycling, here in the UK it is still permitted as a solitary form of exercise that CYCLING complies with government social distancing with EDMUND guidelines. LODITE There was a point early on in the lockdown when I thought that might not be the case and I considered buying a turbo-trainer. Searching on the web it became apparent that I wasn’t the only one with the same idea. If the figures were to be believed then over 2,000 people were looking at the same model as me and the nearest available one was 45 miles away. We may not have herd immunity yet but we certainly have herd behaviour I thought! If there was ever a time to get into cycling it is now. Besides being good for your health and wellbeing it’s a great way to have fun with the family, explore new places and enjoy the countryside. For children it develops independence, confidence and awareness. Going out each day it’s apparent to me that the number of cyclists has increased significantly, completely opposite to the travel volume graphs shown during the evening briefings. What has been really encouraging to see is that it’s not just cycling
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enthusiasts who are out there now. I’ve seen lots of families with young children taking advantage of the quieter roads to go out for a bike ride. Older couples taking in a gentle bike ride along quiet lanes. Bicycles that have been tucked away in the garage have suddenly been given a new lease of life. There have been some genuine acts of kindness as well. A local household who no longer had need of two children’s bikes left them by their gate for anyone in need to take them for free. Whilst we all recognise that these are difficult and unprecedented times, I wanted this article to focus on the little nuggets of positivity. So many people have discovered cycling as a great way to enjoy our countryside and keep fit. Now is the best time to give it a try it if you haven’t already. It’s a time to enjoy cycling for just what it is. When I started cycling it gave me freedom to explore and I just liked riding. Even the top cyclists started because they simply liked riding a bike. Let’s hope that when this crisis is over we remember the silver linings of this difficult time. If you or your children’s silver lining was discovering cycling then I hope you all keep it up! Stay safe.
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MENDIP TIMES
Amidst all the gloom and uncertainty, here at Mendip Times, we thought we would celebrate some of the positive stories still happening around the area we cover.
Heartfelt thanks from care home residents
PASSERS-by have been admiring a series of rainbow paintings created by residents of a care home in Shepton Mallet in honour of National Health Service workers. Field House, run by Somerset Care, is in lockdown but a series of pictures have been hung on a fence by the entrance on Cannard’s Grave Road. The residents are well-known for their artwork; recently they worked with pupils at St Paul’s junior school in the town as part of the Window Wanderland project. Teresa Box, manager at Field House, said: “The initial sense of shock and coping with going into lockdown was a new experience for everyone, but the amazing collective spirit that came out of that was truly amazing and inspiring. “To see and understand the sacrifices being made by frontline keyworkers, and for me and my colleagues to be part of that
process here at Field House, made me feel extremely proud. The commitment being made at this time is essential to ensure the ongoing care of those who most need it.” Teresa added: “The rainbow trail was beginning to take off as a show of support for the NHS and a sign of solidarity, optimism and hope. With that, staff and residents all wanted to get involved and show their support for each other and the local Shepton Mallet community.
The handwritten signs say it all
Songs to keep up their spirits
A CARE home entertainer decided to improvise when lockdown at one of the places she usually visits meant she wasn’t able to go inside. Instead, Becky set up a music system outside Catherine House in Frome and invited residents to join in from their rooms. Becky, who works for Kiddleydivey, a nationwide therapeutic music service provider, was joined outside by Zoe, the home’s administrator, and Sharon, its activities coordinator.
Becky soon had residents singing and dancing along
PAGE 42 • MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020
The residents enjoy art
Social distancing – a lone dog walker admires the artwork outside Field House
“Anything creative, and the residents just love to invest their time, skill and enthusiasm, particularly given the circumstances. It follows on from the fabulous work and opportunity we had participating in and contributing to the recent Window Wanderland project. We are just pleased and proud to be part of the wonderful community spirit that exists here in Shepton Mallet. Thank you for your ongoing support and stay safe!”
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Praise for recyclers
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Support network growing in Street
These messages were spotted on a truck in North Somerset
RESIDENTS in North Somerset have been showing their appreciation of the area’s recycling and refuse collections crews’ efforts. In Uphill, the messages were spotted in the cab and on the side of one of the team’s truck. North Somerset Council says other crews are receiving similar messages, applause and kind words from grateful residents. l The council’s three recycling centres at Backwell, Portishead and Weston-super-Mare are closed until further notice.
Andy Leafe, a Street parish councillor and parent and family support advisor in a local school, makes up food packages to be delivered to local families whose children need extra support. His team has also been supplying educational and craft resources
A COMMUNITY food market has taken place in Street as part of the village’s Community Support Group activities. The market was held outside the Salvation Army centre in Goswell Road and food was donated by Millfield School and school catering company Chartwells. The Street Community Support Group is a group of volunteers providing support to the local community and to other villages and towns nearby. It is made up of volunteers from Street Parish Council, Millfield School, Somerset County Council, the Salvation Army, Mind in Somerset, Citizens Advice Mendip and Carly Dutton Design and Photography.
The community market prepares to welcome the public
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Cathedral choristers on song FOUR students who sing in Wells Cathedral have made national headlines after singing from the garden of the house they share in the city. The four were videoed by a neighbour who was enchanted by their decision to sing outside almost daily because of the enforced closure of the cathedral. Jenny Massiah’s daughter posted the video online and it received thousands of hits within hours. Adam Fyfe, David Bevan and Horatio Carr-Jones are all choral scholars at the cathedral, whilst university student Emily Risdon – David’s partner – sings there in the women’s choir. Because they live in the same house in the medieval Vicar’s Close, they do not need to self-isolate from each other. Horatio said: “We love to sing and basically we were bored inside, so decided to do something outside to spread
A stunning setting, but the cathedral is closed: Adam, David, Emily and Horatio in the garden of their Vicar’s Close home
the joy and cheer everyone up.” Emily said: “The amount of media coverage we have received so far took us all by surprise; it’s taken some time to get used to it!
“It’s unusual, because we’re the only residents here who are able to sing in four parts because we’re in the same house together.”
The four can be found on Twitter @TheCloseQuarters13
Star’s work is expanding
SUPPORT has been growing for one man’s efforts to help the homeless and vulnerable around Mendip with supplies of food and other essentials. Star Murray set up the Help the Homeless Coach Café last year, using his own coach in which he lives as a kitchen and food preparation area. Star, who was himself homeless, now uses a donated car to visit sites around the area delivering supplies ranging from fresh food to toiletries and pet food. His most regular stop-off is near the Red Brick Building on the edge of Glastonbury where supplies are left outside a lived-
Safe distancing protocol! Bill Scott, student support manager at Strode College, delivers another load of supplies to Star, paid for by the proceeds of an ongoing book sale
Star prepares to leave more fresh food and toiletries to a community stall set up outside a caravan near the Zig Zag Building in Glastonbury
in caravan by the Zig Zag Building. Supermarkets including Tesco are donating essentials as are Strode College and Millfield School. Roy Steggles, of Buckland Dinham, who used to run an animal sanctuary, provides the pet food. Star said: “I’ve been doing this for some time now, but in the current situation, it’s becoming more and more necessary. Some people I see tell me that without me, they would have nothing to eat. But what helps people, also helps me so I am determined to carry on. “I am so grateful to all the organisations and individuals who are helping me, either by donating goods or money via my GoFundMe page.”
For details, find Star on Facebook @HelpTheHomelessCoachCafe or at: www.uk.gofundme.com/f/help-the-homelesscoach-café
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Lions support community
CHEDDR Vale Lions Club continues to be active, despite the coronavirus outbreak, communicating regularly through a WhatsApp group or by telephone. President Keith Cook even conducted an online badging up ceremony, to confirm the membership of Ann Staples, who joined at the beginning of March together with her husband, Lion Steve Staples. Steve transferred from another club when they moved to Cheddar recently and, before Covid-19 took hold, they were able to attend two meetings. Ann was disappointed not to be confirmed as a member before meetings were stopped, so the club surprised her by performing the ceremony through a video conference call. The Lions are supporting the “Corona and the Cheddar Valley Community” group which has been set up, through a Facebook page, with a free telephone helpline for the Lions Message in a Bottle scheme community.
Take a gander at this
ONE of the unexpected advantages of the current coronavirus lockdown is a chance to admire a series of stunning scenes shot by a Frome-based photographer, Tim Gander, being showcased on hoardings at the town's derelict Saxonvale site. Tim spent more than two years documenting life at the dilapidated location before Mendip District Council acquired the site and made it secure in August 2018. The result is his series entitled “What Happened Here'” which highlights contemporary issues through a mixture of eyewitness photojournalism and touches of humour. The images displayed on the hoardings are just a small selection of the overall project which also tells some of the human stories connected to the site. There 13 panels, creating what Tim believes to be the world’s first “drivein” art gallery at the bottom of the Merchants Barton car park in the town. He shot all the photographs on expired film which would have been destined for landfill had he not
Ann very proud of her membership certificate
Through this group they made more people aware of the Lions “Message in a Bottle” scheme and have been delivering these around the village. The kit includes a form, where personal and medical information is detailed, which can speed up treatment if needed. The Lions have also donated £400 to the Cheddar Foodbank.
The almost-deserted car park offers local people a chance to enjoy an unhindered view of Tim’s exhibition
repurposed it for the project, while local print specialists Compugraphic were commissioned to make durable prints suitable for the outdoor display. Tim said: "Saxonvale has remained unoccupied and unused for the best part of 20 years. This series highlights what happens when a former industrial site is left to deteriorate. Fly-tipping, vandalism and natural decay take their toll." Mendip is working with partners
Acorn Property Group to redevelop Saxonvale after purchasing two adjacent plots of land that were owned by Notts Industries and Terramond, which combined amounts to around 9.2 acres of land. The plan is to deliver a high quality commercial and urban living development, which will provide a mix of uses, and accommodation to help satisfy current housing demand. MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020 • PAGE 45
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Raising a glass to VE Day
A CAMPAIGN launched in Peasedown St John aims to go national, in honour of the country’s war heroes. Due to the cancellation of VE Day 75th anniversary events across the UK on Friday, May 8th, people are being encouraged to raise a glass at home instead. The initiative, being coordinated by community leaders, Karen Walker and Sarah Bevan, aims to see households mark the special day by toasting the national war heroes in their living rooms, gardens, on their doorsteps and balconies. Karen Walker said: “The coronavirus pandemic that’s
Sarah (left) and Karen
A splash of colour
PLAY areas in Frome might be closed to the public, but one street artist has certainly managed to get across the message about personal hygiene at the Welshmill site. PAGE 46 • MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020
sweeping across the country is making a huge impact on the way we live our lives. “It means that we need to look at new ways of doing things, which includes the celebration of upcoming national events like Victory in Europe Day, with this year being the 75th anniversary.” In 1945 at the end of WW2 Prime Minister Winston Churchill famously declared that May 8th should be known as Victory in Europe Day. At 3pm in his radio address to the nation, he said: “My dear friends, this is your hour. This is not victory of a party or of any class. It's a victory of the great British nation as a whole.” The campaign also hopes to see modern day heroes thanked as well, such as the key workers on the front line in the current coronavirus outbreak. Sarah Bevan said: “Our heroes of today who are working on the front line in the fight against coronavirus can be applauded too. Their bravery and courage should never go unacknowledged or be forgotten. Let’s all raise a toast at 3pm on Friday, May 8th at home, whether you’re in the living room, garden, on your front step or the balcony. “We’re encouraging everyone to upload photos onto social media too, with the hash tags #RaiseAGlass and #VEDay75.”
Staying in touch
AT Stanton Drew Primary School parents have been sending in photos for a special school newsletter so that families can stay in touch. School administrator, Lisa Clubbe said: “Let’s all enjoy some of the news we have been sent to cheer us all up and keep connected with each other.” Sophie and her older sister Emily (pictured) have been busy decorating windows with rainbows.
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Shop local
ANDY Miller (pictured) took over as landlord of the Princes Motto in Barrow Gurney on Friday, March 13th three days before the government ordered pubs to shut. Instead he’s turned the bar into a shop, serving through a window. Parish council spokesman, Nick Tyrell, said: “The whole village is absolutely delighted with the service he now provides to the community and we are all looking forward to the day the pub reopens and we can wholeheartedly raise a glass to Andy. “And there might yet be a further bonus. He is giving serious consideration to retaining the shop in a small part of the pub, as it has proved to be so popular. “As there hasn’t been a shop in Barrow Gurney for several years now, you can be sure that would be further cause for celebration!”
Making Shepton smile
ABBY and Richard Young from Tall Tails Theatre Company, based in Shepton Mallet, are helping put a smile on people’s faces in the town. They are doing all of their outdoor daily activities in costumes, while still observing the coronavirus restrictions. So on day one Zinnia and Captain Funtastic headed into town. As well as doing exercise or shopping they will be keeping a tally of how many people they make smile!
MENDIP V CORONAVIRUS
Pub to the rescue
DURING these difficult times it’s wonderful to see our communities pulling together. Dan Obern and the staff at The Redan in Chilcompton deserve kudos for their selfless and exemplary help providing free deliveries of prepared meals to NHS frontliners and their families as well as the elderly and vulnerable
people in the area. Maybe a story on them could help bring in even more help from within the community as The Redan’s resources won’t last forever. Additionally, Dan travels into the Bristol Market at 5am every morning to bring out fresh produce as well as locally sourced eggs, cheeses and meats to sell in an outside stall at The Redan so that our village doesn’t go without. Lorraine Sloan Chilcompton (A big fan of the Mendip Times)
Quiz time
IN Blagdon, village club members have organised an online quiz to help pass the time. They are pictured: top row Julie Chamberlain, Mark Lillyman, Ben Wiggans; row two the Hichens, (Al, Kathryn and Maddie) and the Keatings; row three Andrew Taylor, the Clements and the Days; row four the Walkers, and the Fairleys.
MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020 • PAGE 47
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MENDIP TIMES
Postman’s laughter deliveries are first class By Mark Adler
Bringing a smile to the faces of people in the town
Mark, a bass player with local band The Mellowtones, has been a postman for around ten years; just over two of which have been in Bruton, where he used to live. He added: “I just wanted to put a smile on people’s faces. It has cheered them up and it has cheered me up. I love my job and the people I meet every day and this is a way of giving something back.”
(Photo courtesy of Sally Thompson)
POSTIE Mark Shotton has been brightening up the lives of people living in Bruton by going on his rounds in fancy dress. From Superman to a clown and a Native Indian squaw, Mark, aged 60, came up with the idea of bringing a smile back to people’s faces whilst he was in self-isolation when he saw a news story about another postman elsewhere in the country doing a similar thing. Mark, who himself suffers from depression, said: “I was getting really fed up and was really down being stuck inside at home when I’m so used to being outside. “I joked to a friend on Facebook that I’d be up for doing something similar to the other postman, but didn’t have any costumes and he said ‘I used to run a costume hire business and have some you can use!’, so it had to be done.” His aim is to wear a different outfit every day and other people have now come forward with offers of costumes. His walk around the town is now so popular that children have been drawing and painting pictures of him to put in their windows – Mark is thinking of giving out a prize for the best artwork when the restrictions are lifted – and customers have been photographing and applauding him every day.
Clowning around – his first day in costume
(Photo courtesy of Chris Chapman)
Mark is a familiar sight around Bruton
Superman
PAGE 48 • MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020
Children have been putting up paintings and drawings in the windows of their homes
Mark is getting used to being the centre of attention
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A Fruber idea in Frome
VOLUNTEERS have joined forces with Frome Town Council to establish two networks to supply essential supplies to vulnerable or self-isolating people. FruberEats sees council staff packing and delivering food and other urgent items to people when they first find themselves in need before volunteers make contact with them to provide a ShopForMe service. Mayor of Frome, Mark Dorrington, said: "Our aim at Frome Town Council is to ensure we have ‘Frome covered’. Following our campaign to check in on your neighbours, we established these services to ensure that those who, for whatever reason, don't have an active support network, can still get assistance during this lockdown period. “All of this wouldn't have been possible without our wonderful army of volunteers who have been an integral in bringing the town together during this crisis." Toni Dudderidge (back) and Nykki Mehta from the town council
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Pop-up shop to the rescue
Lynda Dixon with helpers Roberta Bland (left) and Erin Le-Bas
LYNDA Dixon has opened a pop-up shop in her bakery in Chewton Mendip to help local residents during the coronavirus lockdown. As well as bread, pastries and cakes, she’s added milk, groceries, fruit, vegetables and some ready meals. Villagers are able to walk across the fields to her bakery, Lynda’s Loaf, on the Waldegrave Estate from 9am-1pm, except Sundays. She’s being helped by her relatives Roberta Bland (middle) and Erin Le-Bas, who are self-isolating with her. Details: lyndasloaf@hotmail.co.uk • 07913 690583
Coronavirus blues
For details, visit: www.frometowncouncil.gov.uk
Thank you from the coal tip
This tribute to the NHS has appeared on The Batch, the famous coal tip near Midsomer Norton
MUSICIAN Barry Walsh, from Axbridge, has found worldwide fame with a set of jingles he has written about coronavirus. Originally from Bristol, he has been a songwriter/musician most of his life, supporting Fairport Convention, Marmalade, the Wurzels and Brotherhood of Man to name a few. However, since the Barry Walsh outbreak of coronavirus meant self-isolating in our homes, he has been using his time wisely in Axbridge, writing short informative jingles about the effects and solutions for this disease. They have been played locally and nationally on BBC radio and as far afield as Australia, America and Europe. He says his jingles are a light-hearted yet serious public service, informing listeners about what they should be doing in these troubled times. Details: https://www.youtube.com/user/barrywalshbristol
MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020 • PAGE 49
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Staying safe
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Telephone helpline
THE first 24-hour mental health telephone support line in Somerset has been launched to help people who are experiencing mental distress. The Somerset Mental Health Alliance have also stepped up additional services that Mindline can direct people to, depending on their needs and circumstances.
On a beautiful March sunny day, Coronavirus controls our way. In trees the birds are singing, In churches no bells are ringing.
COVID-19 is destroying many lives, The elderly are struggling to survive. Washing our hands and keeping our distance, Our bodies have got to build up a resistance.
Details: Call 01823 276892 at any time
Support for business
The deadly virus is killing many, Please stay inside and watch the telly! Self-Isolate, two words we fear, Two metres apart, don’t come near!
MENDIP District Council has issued in excess of £14 million in grants to more than 1,000 organisations affected by the coronavirus crisis – offering a lifeline to Mendip businesses and the local economy. Other local councils are offering a similar service.
Dear Mum I won’t see you for a week or two, I know the carers are looking after you. They are heroes in gloves and masks, Going about their everyday tasks.
Details: www.mendip.gov.uk/businessrates
Support for volunteers
Doctors and nurses are doing their best, They need to eat, sleep and rest. Saving lives under stress, Keep up the good work NHS.
On Monday March 23rd, Boris announced ‘lockdown’, No unnecessary shopping or going into town. He looked down the lens, straight into our eyes, STAY AT HOME, don’t mess with your lives! I can’t see my grandson, it’s breaking my heart, A mile down the road, but so far apart. In six months’ time he may be walking, I’ll miss his first words when he starts talking.
At Worthy Farm there will be no spectacle, No 50th Glastonbury Festival! Social gathering limited to two, Weddings, Christenings, new dates to be viewed.
LOCAL charity, Spark Somerset, are working with community groups to coordinate offers of support and match volunteers to activities in their communities via their new website. The team are also providing invaluable support to the groups themselves – including practical advice on safeguarding, DBS, managing volunteers and funding. Details: www.corona-helpers.co.uk
Life under lockdown
March 26th, Thursday night at 8 o’clock, The whole nation came to a stop. Outside our doors we clapped our hands, Thanking NHS and carers throughout the land.
Who knows when life will return to normal, When we can kiss, hug and be informal. 12 weeks, 6 months maybe a year, During this time many people will have shed a tear.
So, coronavirus I send an email to you, You’re deadly and evil through and through. Leave us alone, let the world mend, Will you disappear when I press SEND?
My thoughts and feelings during a week when life changed.
By Georgie Lane Norton Malreward
THE people of Holcombe have been sharing their experiences of life under lockdown, published in the parish magazine and on the village website. Like most villages, Holcombe now has a small army of volunteers “showing the enduring nature of optimism, resilience and community spirit”. They say this is symbolised by the Union flag that flies from the newly installed flagpole on the playing field, put up to mark VE Day 75 celebrations, which had to be cancelled. Now it serves to provide “a beacon of hope and a vivid demonstration of resilience in the battle against coronavirus”. Details: https://www.holcombepc.org.uk
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HISTORY
Letters from abroad – more memories of the Malayan conflict Late last year, Mendip Times brought you the story about former National Service soldier Alan Knight, of Glastonbury, and his memories of serving in the Far East during the Malayan Emergency. That prompted Chris Face, of Keynsham, to get in touch about his extraordinary collection of letters he wrote home to his family at the same time whilst serving with the RAF, as a crew member on Sunderland flying boats amongst other aircraft. Mark Adler went to meet him.
Chris Face at home in Keynsham
NOW 89 years old, retired ambulanceman Chris Face has vivid memories of his time overseas in the National Service between 1949 and 1954 as a leading aircraftsman. He said: “I loved every minute of it.” Chris wrote home to his family twice a week and, remarkably, the letters have survived, stored in a box from
the time he was based in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. Along with the letters, Chris has kept many albums of photos from his time in the Far East. The letters offer a fascinating insight into daily life as a serviceman overseas at the time: factual, personal, funny and, sometimes, sad. Here are some extracts:
Dear mum and dad, I have passed my examinations, so now I’m studying for a special course to get me before the aircrew selection board. Wish me luck. I went up on a glorious test flight the other day. I helped navigate the aircraft by radar… … When I had totaled all my hours up, I had achieved 125 flying hours in the RAF. The aircraft that I had flown in were: Brigands, Harvards, Tiger Moths, Meteor jets, Sunderland flying boats, Lancasters, Lincolns, Hermes, Dakotas and Valettas… … A little while ago, a film was being made called Outcast of the Islands. Part of it was made here. The outcast was Trevor Howard, Another, Ralph Richardson, had a 50-minute part in it but to save needless expense Richardson, himself, did not come over. To take his place, a film company requested that two bods from our station, the same height and size as the actor, stand in for him. The two who were selected had a glorious time. I have included in my letter a picture of Trevor Howard and a friend of mine who stood in for the actor. All for now. Your loving son, Chris
Dear mum and dad, I’m sorry that I seemed down in the dumps in my last letter (25th Jan), but it is the continual heat and humidity that’s getting me down. In fact, everybody is feeling like it… … It was grand to go up into the Malayan hill country, where it was a darn sight cooler. I travelled to a place called Fraser’s Hill with 19 other RAF men. We had to travel 63 miles through pukka bandit country. We had an escort of an armoured car, a tank and several lorries holding troops, fully armed and composed of the West Kent’s Regiment… … We passed up Gap Road where Captain Guerney and the West Kents were ambushed and killed. We also expected to be ambushed at any time and the surrounding country was ideal for it. With the jungle-covered hills, rising on one side, to a sheer drop of 500 feet on the other, an ambush could have been set up very easily… … If our convoy had been ambushed there, there would have been very little hope for us… … We were clearing a landslide one day and we heard sounds of an ambush not very far away. A party of Malayan scouts, under the command of a white officer, crossed our camp grounds one morning and asked us to keep our eyes open for a couple of bandits that they were hunting for. Half an hour later, a burst of firing rang and next day another two bandits were killed by security forces in the state of Selangor. I am telling you this because I will not be going up there again. I shall probably be stuck in Singapore for the next five months. Your ever loving son, Chris
HUT 226 RAF NEGOMBO, CEYLON 11/1/51:
RAF STATION SELETAR. SINGAPORE 20/2/1952
MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020 • PAGE 51
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MENDIP TIMES
RAF STATION SELETAR, SINGAPORE 22/7/52
Chris with the crew of a Lancaster
RAF NEGOMBO (DATE UNKNOWN)
Well, I am doing the sort of things that I’ve always wanted to do. I am working on the airborne radar in Brigands, the newest fighter/bomber in the RAF… … I’ve just come back from checking the radar in one of the Brigands. There is a plastic dome over the cockpit and, once in there, the sweat just pours off me. I drink two glasses of water, hurry into the cockpit where I have two minutes to complete my checks before rushing out again before I collapse with heat exhaustion. I have burns on my arms and legs where I touched the metal in the aircraft. I shall have to to take two salt tablets with my meal to replace the salt that I have just lost… … If I am on duty crew I have to get up at 4.30am, get breakfast and join up with my other mates (see picture) to start up the brigand that is flying that day. My first job is to sit in the pilot’s seat and get ready to apply the brakes as the aircraft is being towed out of the hangar by trailer. My next job is to go under the oleo leg, behind the huge propeller and prime the engine as the pilot fires it up. I have to pump like mad while the prop turns over. As the engine fires, I have to hang on tight with my arm around the undercarriage or my legs will leave the ground. Health and safety definitely was not invented then!
I was at RAF Station Seletar when I rescued Whiskey. I was coming to the end of my first service at Seletar, so shouldn’t have taken Whiskey back to my billet with so little time left here. I felt so sorry for him that I just had to take pity on him. If I hadn’t he would have died. I was out cycling on a Saturday afternoon when I came across a puppy lying in the ditch. Its hair was matted, he was covered in red ants and appeared to be only about four weeks old. Someone had cut his tail off and gashed it to the bone higher up. I couldn’t bear leaving him in that condition, so I took him with me, back to the station billet. I brushed him off, fed him and bandaged his tail. Now, three days later, he is walking all over my desk and bed scattering chewed biscuits all over my bed sheets. Yes! And the little beggar is eating a letter that I am writing. He is a fine little chap. Got a lovely coat and plays endless pranks. He loves me very much and I must admit I love him too… [Chris enjoyed sailing and Whiskey used to accompany him]. … I used to take him out on numerous occasions in my boat. He really loved going sailing, landing somewhere exotic and having a picnic. He didn’t really mind if one of my mates took him out. Unfortunately, there comes a time when a dog gets ill and expensive to keep… So I decided to have Whiskey put to sleep, partly for his sake, partly for mine. I was shortly to be going home and I did not want him running around with no-one to look after him. We had some grand times together and had enjoyed each other’s company. I decided to take him out for one last sail, with a pal of mine. Oh my! How I felt sorry for people back in Blighty. We went out in my boat at half past nine on a Sunday morning and sailed up the Malayan coast for two hours. We then landed on a really lovely island and spent the day there taking photographs, swimming and exploring the island. It was a lovely day, bags of wind, big sun and no rain. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I know that Whiskey did too. The following day (Monday) I took Whiskey to be put to sleep. I shall miss him.
HUT 217 NEGOMBO, CEYLON (DATE UNKNOWN)
PS, you are probably wondering, how do I say my prayers, in a billet full of blokes before I go to bed every night. It’s quite simple, really. I just kneel down at the side of my bed and say my prayers. No-one bothers me. The blokes in the other beds just let me get on with it. When in the services, everyone has to tolerate one another, in their beliefs. PAGE 52 • MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020
Chris with Whiskey and Chris’s boat King Crab
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The Sunderland flying boat in which Chris used to crew
RAF STATION SELETAR, SINGAPORE 25/3/52
I was sitting down in the mess today reading a letter from home. It must have been good news as my mates noticed my grinning face and commented on it. What I do know is, though, I have completed two years’ service in the Far East Air Force and I have only six months to complete my posting here. Then it is on the boat and home. Yippee. Will I be sorry when my time is up? Mixed feelings really, especially when I tell you the exciting events that I was involved in yesterday, so sit back and listen… … There is a Sunderland flying boat base here and ever since I have been here I have wanted to fly in one. But I was fortunate enough to experience something better than that. If you have read in the papers about security forces in Malaya rounding up a party of bandits in a strip of jungle and calling for an air strike, you will know what I am talking about. Sometimes this strip of jungle, where the bandits are bottled up, is too big for our army lads to cover so they call for an armed Sunderland to fly over that strip of land and bomb and machine gun it. The code word for this is “Firedog”. I was asked to go on one of these patrols and my! Didn’t I have an exciting time… … It was very queer taking off, after having flown in land RAF Saletar in Singapore – the flying boat repair station
HISTORY
Bandit country
planes so often. You look out of the portholes and see a great float on the end of the wing and when the boat gathers speed, the spray comes so high you cannot see out anymore… … The crew consisted of pilot, co-pilot, navigator, wireless operator, two observers, front and rear gunner and two side cannon operators. There was also a general handyman, officially known as the engineer, who does jobs for everybody. There were also four passengers, 40 cases of 20-pound flash bombs, four in each case, 2,000 rounds of .5 cannon ammunition, 3,000 rounds of .303 ammunition for the Bren guns (front and rear positions) and two cannons, firing out of two side panels on each side of the aircraft, behind the wing. So, as I said, we were fully loaded. In an hour we were over the target and circling. For the next two hours I was taking pins out of the backs of the bombs and handing them forwards to the bomb room. In the bomb room I expected them to be lifted up to the bomb racks above me where, at a touch of a switch, the racks would slide out, through open holes, and out under the wings where they would be released. But, to my astonishment, they didn’t do this. Instead, I was asked to pile them up in the galley, which had an open window. The armourer then proceeded to spin the small propeller on the back of each bomb to ensure that the propeller came right off, thus fusing the bomb (if you remember, one of my jobs was to snip the locking wire on the back of each bomb to ensure the propeller would come off). After spinning the propeller, the armourer carefully eased each bomb out through the window of the galley where it would then fall to the ground. I pondered afterwards why this method of dropping the bombs was carried out. I came to the conclusion that this was because the armourer needed the bombs to be dropped in a line, rather than all at once, as they would if dropped from the bomb racks. It made me laugh at first, as it reminded me of how they threw bombs over the side of the cockpit in those ancient string bags in the First World War. But no, this was serious stuff.
* The interview took place before the current Coronavirus restrictions were imposed
MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020 • PAGE 53
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MENDIP TIMES
Dawn raids into the hills
IN these sombre times Tam and I have been rambling at dawn around the landscape, mostly on foot with Tam on a lead or sometimes long reins, occasionally riding – but slowly and carefully. Quiet roads lead to adventures, old bridleways re-discovered, accessible once With RACHEL more. Every day of this quarantine I have THOMPSON posted random stories and pictures of the MBE landscape on Facebook, just as a reminder that despite everything we are having a beautiful spring full of light and birdsong. One beautiful day we went south to the lowlands, along remote paths forgotten by tourists, if they ever knew them. Along a quiet B-road, snaking between a craggy cleft in the hills, once described by the AA as one of England’s most beautiful driving roads. Straight across to strange and wild Middle Down, climbing up and over the huge hump of hill, the Gorge road far below. Past a herd of Exmoor ponies, one of our rarest, oldest and most pure breeds, young and old, still in dark winter coats, pale mealy muzzles twitching mischievously over the gate. Down past the back of Carscliff with the whole world before us, the Mendip Hills arcing around to the sea – Cheddar Gorge, Shute Shelve, Wavering Down and Crooks Peak, the hills brown, olive and green, flaming with golden gorse and back up Little Switzerland as the locals call it. Home via the great Draycott Sleight, rocky crags above a green track, steeply down and along the escarpment, below us a raven honking, tilting his wings in the breeze above a toy town of houses and cars, strung along the Cheddar Valley and beyond, the Somerset Levels stretching flatly away as far as the eye can see. On another day we journeyed over the second of the high Mendip sandstone peaks, Pen Hill. Along a grass land bridleway passing remote farmsteads, a shire horse standing quietly with his white face turned to the sun, past the great mast, the highest structure in South West England, standing 922 feet high.
Horses need exercise too
RIDING
Little Switzerland, near Draycott
When the mast was erected in 1967 there was the most enormous outcry, but now, more than 50 years later, it is the icon that welcomes Mendip folk home. Turning south, wandering down the old Wells coach road through the peaceful timelessness of the Tudway Quilter Estate, the wild cry of a green woodpecker overhead, past a group of rams dozing in the sun. Hooves rattling upon winter washed cobble stones, steeply down through woods where bluebells and wood anemone have suddenly bloomed, the smell of garlic, shy purple violets, walkers passing, good natured, keeping their distance. Suddenly into view the city below basking in the sun and rising ahead the great towers of one of England’s most poetic cathedrals, St Andrew’s of Wells. One wild day in between, the artic door opened and let out the wind. A north east wind smelling of cold and frost, ice and snow. A wind that hurled rubbish down the road and stripped blossom from the trees, scattering it like confetti. A wind that sent lambs scampering for the shelter of drystone walls and would smother them in April snow, should it come. A wind that made the village dogs bark and the fox hounds howl in their kennel. A day to go slowly and carefully around the village. When we were young, wild wind days were the days that sent us disappearing for the hills in a cloud of dust, to gallop sideways on the moor shrieking and laughing, to return home hours later triumphant from an adventure with red faces and tired excited ponies.
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WALKING QUIZ ANSWERS
JUDE Baynes enjoys the quietness close to her home of Priddy Green over Easter to exercise her two horses Jack (left) and Acorn. A former endurance rider with Jack, Jude and the horses are now limited to a stroll around the village.
PAGE 54 • MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2020
1. Colliers Way near Radstock 2. Line of works, Harptree Combe 3. A beach at Middle Hope 4. Axbridge reservoir from near Westbury beacon 5. Old Maesbury station 6. Looking down into Cheddar Gorge 7. Church on Burrow Mump 8. Boat on Kennet and Avon Canal 9. Reserve at Ham Wall 10. Somerset Lavender Farm, Faulkland
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