Leigh

REPS: Philippa Toulson philippa.toulson@gmail.com Eddie Upton upton.eddie@gmail.com DISTRIBUTOR: Judy Tuke

It isn’t often that Leigh hits the headlines in the august pages of the (New) Blackmore Vale Magazine, but that is exactly what happened on 12November. To be precise, it wasn’t the village that made news so much as the village shop and, to be even more precise, it wasn’t so much the shop as Brenda, Steve and Sica.

Bridge Stores/Leigh Village Shop is now The Little Leigh Store, and Brenda has handed over the keys of the shop to Sica Burton.

It is difficult to overstate what Brenda and Steve Addison have done for the village. Ask people from the neighbouring area what they know about Leigh, and they are likely to list the shop/garage, the village hall, the cross, and the church, in that order. Brenda and Steve brought all their creative thoughts to setting up the shop, post office and garage as the hub of the village. They deserve huge thanks from us all, and they have fully earned the rest that retirement should bring them. Brenda also must be thanked for the great help and encouragement she has given Sica in handing over the shop.

Sica and Johnny Burton were married in the village and live at Three Gates. In just over a week, they transformed the shop and the place is already the talk of the village.

You can now get everything that Brenda stocked plus fruit and vegetables, alcohol, home baked cakes and pastries AND you can meet your friends there for a cup of tea or coffee and a piece of cake. The transformation is remarkable. For Post Office customers, the mobile Post Office will visit every Monday from 1.00-3.00pm.

For the time being, Leigh Little Store’s opening hours will be: Monday 9.00-16.00 Tuesday Closed Wednesday 9.00-14.00 Thursday 9.00-14.00 Friday 9.00-18.00 Saturday 9.00-13.00 Sunday Closed A reminder that the great folk musician and entertainer John Kirkpatrick will be bringing his brilliant Christmas show, ‘Carolling and Crumpets’, to the Village Hall at 8.00pm on 3 December. Contact Phil on 07778 119663 or email stanchesterquire1@gmail.com to reserve tickets (£10.00 each).

The organisers of the Fish Supper, due to be held in the Village Hall on 1 December, have decided that there is too much going on in the run up to Christmas and too much uncertainty over Covid infection rates and so have postponed the event until spring. Watch this space for more news.

The same fate befell the last Pop Inn of the year, at the end of November. It is such a shame after all the energy that went into restarting everything in August and the enthusiasm of all the customers. The October Pop Inn took place during some horrible weather, but still attracted more than 100 customers – a sure sign that this is a highly successful and popular initiative! Make a big note in your diaries for the restart of the Pop Inn (fingers crossed and double crossed) on Friday 28 January. Keep an eye on the Leigh Life Facebook page for more news nearer the time and look out for posters round the village.

THE P PO OP P IIN NN N

Leigh’s Renowned Pop-up Pub. Dates for 2022 JAN 28 JUNE 24 FEB 25 JULY 29 MAR 25 AUG 26 APRIL 29 SEP 30 MAY 27 OCT 28 NOV 25

Looking forward a little, remember to keep 11 February free. Charlie Read will be running one of his celebrated Race Nights in the Village Hall. This will be raising money for church funds. The Pop Inn people will be in attendance and admission price will include a Ploughman’s Supper. Look out for posters and news on Facebook. It will be a great night!

The next time we write something for the magazine, we will be well into 2022. Have a very happy and peaceful Christmas and, as they say in Odcombe, “a bright and prosperous New Year”.

Philippa Toulson and Eddie Upton St Andrew’s Church, Leigh

Thank you so much to everyone who made our Harvest Festival such a great success. The church looked lovely, there were lots of people for the service, the singing was both tuneful and robust, and we were treated to a dynamic and thought-provoking sermon from Brother Hugh of Hilfield Friary. After an outburst of chatting and craft activities, we served a cooked lunch in the church to a record number of people A special thanks to all the cooks and the washers up, and to all of you who came to eat.

Christmas is just round the corner. Services will be held on 5 December (8.30am), 12 December (6.00pm) and 19 December (10.00am). We celebrate Christmas with our very special Village Carol Service at 6.00pm on Christmas Eve and then our traditional Midnight Holy Communion at 11.30pm on Christmas Eve.

Last year the Carol Service took place in the churchyard and we may well have to do the same again this year. Much will depend on the weather and the prevailing rates of COVID in the area. We’ll keep you up to date on the Leigh Life Facebook page and on the church notice boards. If we are out of doors, wrap up warm, dress for wet weather and bring a torch. Whether we are in or out, it will be a joyful occasion and one to talk about for the year ahead.

We will again be celebrating the passing of the year with a short, informal ceremony in the churchyard at 4.30pm on New Year’s Eve.

Finally, we’re very sorry that we have had to cancel the Fish Supper in the Village Hall on 1 December. We were conscious of people’s concerns about the rising Covid rates in the area and this, coupled with the number of events being cancelled in the run up to Christmas, persuaded us that it would be better to postpone the event until spring. The draw for Angela’s magnificent quilted bed cover will still take place at 9.00pm on 1 December outside the Village Hall.

We are very grateful to Charlie and Michelle Read who will be holding a Race Night in the Village Hall on 11 February to raise money for church funds. Keep the date free.

Alaistair Cumming & Eddie Upton

Churchwardens

Afghan Crisis tea party

We would like to say a huge thank you to all those who came and supported our Tea Party in October in Leigh Village Hall in aid of the Afghan Crisis. There were so many people involved in that afternoon but especially we want to thank Sue Fudge for her help in planning it all. We received so many wonderful cakes and raffle prizes which all helped to make the afternoon the success it was.

We raised the incredible total of £1088.30 which we gave to the Chetnole branch of Save the Children to send to their Afghan Crisis Appeal. We are very grateful to Bee Grant-Peterkin and her committee for the brilliant Bring & Buy stall they ran, which raised over £300. We really cannot thank you enough for the amazing team effort and especially with the recent dreadful news of the state of Afghanistan, we pray that the money will be used to help the people of that country.

Anne Reason and Jo Barlow-Poole Leigh Village Hall – Covid awareness

As you are aware, the statistics for Covid in Dorset and, in particular, our neck of the woods are showing cases currently running higher than at the worst of the pandemic.

Therefore, in the absence of any official directive the Village Hall remains open BUT all who use the premises must be aware that they do so at their own risk.

Users: for the record, please remember to put your name in the book on entering the Hall. By so doing, you accept that it is your decision to partake in whatever event is scheduled, whether social or sporting.

In essence use your common sense: maintain a social distance, wear a mask where practical and wash your hands regularly.

Julian Turnbull

Co-Chairman of the Village Hall

Alaistair Cumming

Co-Chairman of the Village Hall

Sylvia Bryan

When, nearly 30 years ago, Sylvia Bryan retired from teaching, she and her husband, Philip, moved to Brook House in Leigh, where her love of gardening and her knowledge of plants were put to good use in transforming a large and neglected plot into a delightful garden, which she regularly opened for Leigh Open Gardens and for the prestigious National Gardens Scheme. It was also the venue for several village and church fundraising events, including a most amusing Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, with Sylvia, as the formidable Queen of Hearts, ‘encouraging’ guests to play a game of croquet (though NOT with hedgehogs and flamingoes) before tea, and an entertaining performance of ‘The Most Lamentable Comedy of Pyramus and Thisbe’ from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Not surprisingly, Sylvia was very much involved in the Leigh Flower Show. She was its Treasurer for many years, as well as a regular cup winner – especially when it came to the floral classes! A talented flower arranger, she was on St. Andrew’s Church flower rota, producing beautiful and impressive arrangements for the church porch, as well as being part of the teams that organised St. Andrew’s two highly successful Flower Festivals. Always generous with her flowers and greenery, she was happy to allow her garden to be regularly ‘raided’ and would also provide table arrangements for the monthly Senior Citizens’ Leigh Lunch Club, together with being one of the group who, led by Connie Wallis, both cooked and served the lunches.

When, some years ago, it was decided to replace Leigh’s well-used old Village Hall, Sylvia, an active member of the Hall Committee, was instrumental in tracking down a wide range of grants that could be applied for, and, as many of the applications proved successful, her hard work made a tremendous difference when it came to the building and fitting-out of the new Hall – now as well-used as its predecessor. She also assisted Philip, a skilled computer user, in designing and printing the village map, an invaluable source of information for newcomers to Leigh and anyone doing deliveries in the area, in addition to producing posters and tickets for most village clubs and events. Sadly, however, over the past few years, increasingly poor health very much limited their activities. Sylvia will be greatly missed by her wide circle of friends, both in the village and beyond, not only for having done so much for Leigh, but also for being such a tremendous character, whose first love was definitely gardening, especially the garden at Brook House, which was very much her signature. Every sympathy goes to Philip and to all her family for her loss.

Dorothy Baldock

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NOVEMBER WINNERS.

Winners for the November draw:

1st Ball No 45 Karen Moore £40 2nd Ball No 57 Michael Arthur £20 3rd Ball No 46 Mark Read £10 4th Ball No 35 D. Ellis £5 If you would like to take part, please contact: Julian Turnbull on 01935 873846 or Alastair Cumming on 01935 872401 It is only £1 per month.

We have decided that as from the start of next year’s lottery, we will present the winners with cash instead of a cheque. However, to keep tabs on our accounts and to be ‘transparent’, we will have to ask you to sign for your winnings. And remember, next month is the BIG one.

Julian Turnbull & Alaistair Cumming

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