After the rain in April, the Footpath Volunteers were in action in May making soggy areas passable!
The village lunches are at 12-30 p.m. on the last Wednesday of every ALTERNATE month.
Other dates for 2023: - September 27th November 29th + Christmas lunch
Please contact either: - Ally Dore 01458 840595 (allydore51@gmail.com) or Pauline Atkins 01458 272485 (paulineatkins1944@gmail.com)
On Saturday, October 7th there will be an evening Harvest Barn Dance with a Ploughman's Supper in the Village Hall, dancing to the folk band 'Hobson's Choice.'
Further details, and where to buy tickets, in next month's magazine.
Newsletter deadline for July issue
Thursday 22nd June 2023
REMEMBER: - No newsletter in August
To submit news items/information for the newsletter, please contact Alan Dean either by telephone (01458 270057), or email to alangdean@btinternet.com
Submissions for publication: - The quality in print of your submitted items depends on the standard of the image or documents if in PDF format. Items of poor quality may prove to be unusable.
Short Mat Bowls - Monday evening and Thursday afternoon
Dance group - Monday afternoon and Thursday evening
Toddlers & Baby group - Tuesday morning
Pilates and Kettlebells groups - Tuesday 4 to 6.30pm and Friday morning 10 a.m. to 12 noon
Line dancing - Wednesday morning and evening
Table Tennis - Wednesday afternoon
Yoga - Thursday morning
Music With Mummy - Thursday morning
Fortnightly events
U3A sewing bee - in meeting room Tuesday afternoon
U3A quilting for all - Thursday morning in the main hall
Craft Club - 1st & 3rd Tuesday 10 a.m. to 12 noon
Monthly events
Avalon Quilters - the first Saturday in the main hall
Women's’ Institute (WI) - second Wednesday - the meeting room
CAMEO (Come And Meet Each Other) - Coffee mornings 1st
Wednesdays 10-30 a.m. to 12 noon (see page opposite)
Gardening Club - first Monday - Meeting Room at 7-30 p.m.
Parish Council - first Wednesday (not Aug.) - Meeting Room 7 p.m.
Repair Café - 2nd Saturday - 10 a.m. to 12 noon
All groups are open for you to join
(Hall timetable - please see the website:https://comptondundonvillagemeadwayhall.co.uk/)
Hall monthly meetings 2nd Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m.
If interested please contact Janet Davies ( Chairperson) 01458 272877 or Tiffany Kearton ( Secretary) 07855 328979
To protect the health and well-being of children and all other field and Hall users, with the exception of assistance dogs no dogs are permitted in the Meadway Hall or anywhere on the playing field and the children’s play equipment area at any time.
on Wednesday, 10th May 2023
The meeting was opened and our guest Speaker, Nicola Penn together with “Long Suffering Ben” from Boo Cottage Botanicals were welcomed.
Nicola, after a short history of their business, commenced a demonstration of how to make your own soap. Nicola started her demonstration by gently melting some of the solid ingredients such as beeswax and cocoa butter together with other items including essential oils and olive oil. When all had been mixed, the mixture became cloudy and became ready to pour into the mould. The final process is to leave the soap to cure before being portioned into regular blocks of soap. All the soaps, as well as skin balm and solid skin lotion bars, are made including botanicals.
A display of some of their products was laid out for members to see. Many members were keen to sample and then purchase one or two products for their use. Boo Cottage Botanicals are based locally up on the Quantock Hills.
Sally read out the previous AGM’s minutes. Lots were then drawn for the position of President. Sally received the greatest number of votes for President and then for the posts of Vice Presidents, Pat and Val received the majority of those votes cast. Other members of the Committee had agreed to continue in their posts for a further year.
Janet reported on the activities of our WI over the past year. We had 14 members and an average attendance of 10 members. Pat had supplied the Treasurer’s report and Janet read out the highlights.
The Minutes of last month’s meeting which had been circulated were approved.
County News: Forthcoming trips were highlighted. Then raffle was drawn and also the 100 Club.
We have plenty of outings and activities planned and new members will be most welcome to help us reach our 95th birthday in 2024!
Please contact our Secretary, Janet Davies for further information: - 01458 272877.
Come along for a fantastic evening full of dancing and laughter, at the same time raising money for our greatly missed village church bells! There will be a bar, food van, raffle and another local support band to enjoy! Looking forward to seeing everyone come together!
“Mad Dog Mcrea blend a unique mixture of folk rock, pop, gypsy jazz, bluegrass and ‘shake your ass’ music. From selfpenned songs of adventure, drinking, love and life, to traditional songs of gypsies, fairies, legless pirates and black flies – Mad Dog never fail to capture their audience with their infectious songs and are, in every sense of the word, a live, band.”
Purchase tickets at The Castlebrook Inn or https:// www.wegottickets.com/event/581222
The weather report promised us bright blue skies and sunshine for several days ahead, so we set off to Minehead to find heavy overcast skies. The Met Office reports are as reliable as my golf swing!
Sam had got into his father in law’s good books prior to this visit by taking him out for lunch for his birthday – he then spoilt it all by beating Peter on the golf course AGAIN! (Will these young people never learn?) He even managed to mishit a shot some 100 yards from the green and watched it roll all the way and down the hole (how did that song go? –“That don’t impress me much!”) Peter meanwhile was failing to get out of a bunker and gave up after 5 attempts.
Nigel has just spent oodles of money on a new set of clubs – they obviously didn’t like the seaside – suffice it to say he didn’t have a good round. Nikky thought that the Golf Society needed some advertising and she inadvertently left a few CDGS monogrammed balls lying in the grass around the course.
This year we have introduced buying Mulligans ( a replayed shot without incurring a penalty) for charity. The idea is that, by using these, one can get a better score on a hole by cancelling out a bad shot. Royston’s use of these Mulligans leaves much to be desired, as when he used his he scored no points at all, which is not quite the object! It should be noted that Dave used his two Mulligans and still owes the money!!!!
The winning team was Hamish, Peter and Kevin. Dave had the highest Score, Gary nearest the pin, and Nikky, falling from her pinnacle of top scorer two months ago. won the prize for lowest score – she blamed the lesson she has just had – good value for money then!
The reckoning up of all the scores completely confused me as I read them out and announced two teams in third place and no second – I now realise that cider interferes with the ability to count.
The next visit is to Honiton on Tuesday 13th June. Anyone wishing to join us contact Richard Conway. We always welcome new members of any ability.
The other visits this year are to Long Sutton (July), Warminster (August), Brean (September) and Wheathill (October).
With reference to the typhoid fever at Compton Dundon, the sanitary inspector stated that he procured a sample of water from the place and took it to Dr. Alford, the County Analyst, who condemned it as unfit for dietetic purposes. The lnspector stated that he had sent the certificate of analysis to the Medical Officer of Health. The Medical Officer presented his report on the above. He stated that he had examined the water of the well of the house where the outbreak took place, which was utterly unfit for drinking purposes. He attributed the contamination to the fact that the water was only four feet from the mouth of the well, and consequently fed principally from the surface water which filtering through the ground became contaminated with sewage matter. He awaited the instructions of the Board in the matter, but was afraid that there were many wells in Compton Dundon in as bad a condition. The remedy would be to abandon this source of disorder and have water from a distance, but in so small a community it would be a great expense.
(Langport and Somerton Herald June 1892)
Future dates - Always from 10 a.m. until 12 noon
June 10th – Village Hall
July 8th - Castlebrook Inn
August - NO REPAIR CAFÉ
December 9th Village Hall
September 9th – Village Hall
October 14th – Village Hall
November 11th – Village Hall
A large group of members visited Brismore Garden Centre at the May meeting, delighted to view the plants and receive a 25% discount!
We were given a brief talk on what colourful plants were available for planting at this time. Among them was a rosy-coloured geum, an alpine erysimum – tiny wallflower with bright yellow flowers, a lovely bright pink hemerocallis. Small shrubs included a new pittosporum with chocolate leaves under green ones. Sumptuous clematis now in flower and one with orange-pink shoots which grows 2-3 metres high. Brismore's aim is to provide plants that are 80% or more grown in the UK, many of their plants are home-grown, only bringing in plants from other sources if their supply runs out. The use of peat in the compost bags will be excluded from 2024 so other material such as coir is being trialed and found successful.
Armed with our 2 blue beads, one to be handed over for our free tea, and one at the cash desk to pay for our plants, we set off to explore the very eclectic range of plants and many took advantage of the high quality of plants which will grace their gardens this summer. However, don't forget to keep on watering them!
The meeting on 5th June will be by Amy Willoughby on the Plotgate Community Farm at Barton St David.
The meeting in July is an outing to Yeo Organic Garden at Holt Farm in Blagdon. The date is Friday 7th July in the afternoon. If sufficient members attend, we will have a tour of the garden with one of their guides which lasts about 1 and a half hours. The cost of entry is £7-00 each and the cost of the tour will be paid for by the Club. As booking of cars is essential, we need to know how many people wish to attend and how many need a lift. We will be requiring final numbers at our June meeting.
Everyone should now have their Village Show brochure. Study it carefully and think about how many entries you can muster!! Look forward to seeing and enjoying your efforts.
Village Hall Summer planting -
Lobelia Waterfall Lavender, Waterfall Purple
Lysimachia Midnight sun (yellow flowers)
Marigold Vanilla
Nemesia Lady Mary (white/yellow), Plums and Custard, Sunmesia Denim (purple)
Verbena Black Velvet
Our school has been very lucky to have the support of Polyvine in Cheddar, who generously provided Decorators Varnish to protect our beautiful school mural. You may have noticed the team of 11 from Dulux Decorator Centre who were on site on 26th and 27th April to apply the varnish to our external pods and, as they were here, we armed them with a long list of additional jobs to do! These included mowing, hedge trimming and strimming the large playing field and our forest school area, digging a vegetable patch from scratch, re-siting our tulip and daffodil bulbs, fixing benches and a table, tidying our Forest School area, painting a shed, cutting back a vast area of brambles, creating an insect hotel, upcycling wood to make a planter, painting creative signs and clearing a huge pile of debris, including rotting wood and rocks, from the school field. And of course numerous trips to the tip! This tremendous team of volunteers have allowed our pupils to enjoy our outdoor area in various ways, making our surroundings safer, more accessible and pleasant and we know we will enjoy more time out there this summer. We hope that you notice the difference when you pass our school.
Thank you Dulux Decorator Centre!
May 100+ Club winners:
1st £20 Laura Pammett # 6
2nd £15 Laura Pammett # 120
3rd £10 Andrew Curtis # 139
4th £5 James Bullett # 134
For more information, please contact:janetdavies123@btinternet.com or 01458
272877/07971 834166
There was a discussion of interests and ideas which included: -
• Create a community orchard, and/or manage existing orchards.
• Create community woodland
• Village farming allotments
• Engaging residents to raise awareness
• Plant trees in selected places for future generations
• Be aware of legislation and responsibility for what is planted.
• Ask residents to suggest where special trees could be planted.
• The CD footpath group meets each month, has assisted with planting and has local knowledge.
• Ask residents to suggest anywhere trees could be planted
• Concern about planning applications for development on orchards
• Community walks around the village and environs to share knowledge
• Raise confidence in tree selection and planting
• A tree nursery could engage people and could supply trees
• The CD History group is developing and will have maps of the village
• Help with planting of commemorative trees
• Help to develop hedges
• Have a stall at village events to raise awareness.
The group agreed : -
To meet monthly to start with and review what frequency suits.
To meet on the 17th May and the 15th of June.
That we take it in turns to organise and chair meetings and other tasks.
To celebrate 10 years of A Cappella adventures, The Sons of Pitches are back on the road to bring you their ‘Best Bits’.
Expect some of your favourite tunes from the last decade of SoP shenanigans, including songs from their debut TV appearance on Gareth Malone’s Naked Choir and favourites from all 5 of their UK tours. There’ll be a selection of ridiculous skits that should probably have been left in 2017 and of course, their trademark improvised numbers that you’ll help to inspire.
Whether you’ve followed the boys on their journey or you’ve always thought A Cappella was a beach in Mexico, you’re in for a real treat with this show.
Parish Council Members
Cllr Geoffrey Walker (Chair) 446487 geoffwalkercdpc@gmail.com
Cllr Diane Churches 442078 diane.churches@live.co.uk
Cllr Kevin Fleming
Cllr Steve Lawrence (Vice Chair)
Cllr John Rowlands 07976 631321
Cllr Martyn Say 07802 434526
Cllr Chris Swain 440405 Cjswaintransportservices@gmail.com
Clerk: Helen Richardson Email: comptondundonclerk@gmail.com
Tel: 0789 9970173 Website: www.comptondundon-pc.gov.uk
The next Parish Council meeting is on Wednesday 7th June 2023 at 7 p.m. In the Meadway Village Hall, Ham Lane, Compton Dundon
Dean Ruddle is our County Councillor and a District Councillor for the Wessex Ward (Somerton and Compton Dundon)
For an appointment call 07976 556054 or email at deanruddle@icloud.com
Tim Kerley is South Somerset District Councillor for the Wessex Ward (Somerton and Compton Dundon)
For an appointment to see Tim, email at tim.kerley@southsomerset.gov.uk or call 07949 798507
For the latest community news and information, follow Compton Dundon on Facebook: www.facebook.com/comptondundon. Most past issues can be seen at this website:https://issuu.com/gregjones44/docs
Please report all crime and vandalism - phone 101 Make your local police support officer aware of what is happening in the village.
If you wish to contact the Police about an incident, please call 101 or Call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111
Local village contacts for concerns or to report problems or about participation in the local scheme: -
COMPTON – Simon Dore – simondore545@gmail.com
DUNDON – John Gordon – johngordon1952@hotmail.co.uk
The following planning items were discussed at the Parish Council meeting held on 3rd May 2023: -
a) To receive notifications of district council planning determinations.
b) To agree responses to planning and legal consultations:
i) 23/00744/HOU: The Old Farmyard, Behind Town, Compton Dundon. Replacement Outbuilding
ii) 2300825/HOU: Hood Cottage, Peak Lane, Compton Dundon: Proposed extension with room in roof.
c) Enforcement issues:
i) Access to Aphrodite House/Clarendon house
ii) Blocked Footpath L7/30
Now the Coronation weekend is over, can I thank those who decorated their houses and also those who attended the picnic lunch at the Cricket Field.
I hope you all enjoyed the occasion to meet on a sunny afternoon especially after the day before when it rained – perhaps this is Coronation weather as it also happened in 1953.
Hope people are thinking about the Village show in August?
It is hoped to produce a Village Calendar next year so any photographers, please send your photos, in landscape format, of activities and places around the village for the months of January to December 2024 to linney.chris@gmail.com
If you need to contact the church, about Weddings, Baptisms or anything else, we'd love to hear from you: -
Reverend Ana Lawrence –Rector
Tel: 01458 841373 or email: revanalawrence@gmail.com
Mrs Sonia Beaty - Benefice Administrator
Tel: 01458 442671 or email: churchoffice8@gmail.com
Church Warden: Pat King 01458 274926
Services & Events - 4th to 25th June 2023
All services start at 10.00am unless otherwise stated
Check ‘Upcoming Events’ at www.swcd-churches.org.uk
Sunday 4th June Morning Worship
Sunday 11th June Holy Communion
Sunday 18th June Morning Worship
Sunday 25th June Holy Communion
Saturday, 1st July in the Mission Church. A one day interactive journey through the Bible, focussing on how we can apply the 'big story' of the Bible to our everyday lives as Christians. A nominal charge will include refreshments and a simple lunch. More details from the Church Office
Following the success of our two day ‘holiday at home’ last year it is hoped to offer something similar in August. Please contact Ana if you would like to be involved, whether by offering an activity, preparing and serving refreshments or being a welcoming presence.
“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” Jeremiah chapter 33 verse 3.
Recently I spent a few days away on retreat – whilst this was an opportunity to ‘rest’ and step back from normal routines, it was not a holiday! Thank you for allowing me to take a few days away from the parish for such a space to spend time with God alone in the quiet and stillness of the Devon countryside. Whenever I go on retreat, whilst not seeking to put pressure on myself, I like to be able to do the following: read, walk, eat, pray, sleep & journal and I am pleased that I managed all of these over my few days away.
One book I read during my time away (that has been sitting on my shelf for a number of months ‘waiting to be read’) was entitled ‘how to hear God’ by Pete Greig. This subject is something I, and I suspect many others of you wrestle with and it was good to read the author’s honest and powerful teaching as well as engaging more deeply in Scripture as one way of seeking to discern what God might be saying to me at this time. The author reminded me that we can hear God in many ways: through the bible, through Jesus, the Holy Spirit, through his whisper both in dreams and out in the community, creation and culture. Part of this process of hearing God is being prepared to allow ourselves to be attuned and to give God the space for his voice to be heard. Perhaps God’s voice in the bible may be easier to discern than the still small whisper that we could so easily miss in our daily lives if we are not listening.
Jesus throughout his ministry regularly took time away from the hustle and bustle of the crowd to be alone with his father in prayer, listening and responding. My encouragement to you, as I was encouraged on my retreat, is to give yourself space and time to listen to what God may have to say to you.
With my love and prayers, Ana
Our annual Spring Clean took place at the end of April: thank you to everyone who worked hard to make the interior of our church spick and span!
In preparation for the Coronation weekend, bunting was hung above the church gate, along the path handrails and in the porch. A team of florists decorated inside the church to give it a regal feel with red, white and blue arrangements
On Coronation Sunday, St Andrew’s was kindly offered a stall at the Cricket Club Coronation Celebration, selling jams and chutneys, cakes and plants, raising over £150 for church funds. Thank you to those who donated, served and bought. The remaining plants are now on sale in the church porch until mid June and any donations of plants would be greatly appreciated. Homemade jams and chutneys are also now on sale, inside the church, and any donations of them will also be very welcome.
The good news is that numbers at all our churches are increasing and joint services or special events at our churches are now wonderfully full. However, all but one of our churches have no dedicated car park so, when attending Benefice events, please could you share lifts or walk or cycle wherever possible. We want to be good neighbours both to each other and to those who live around our churches.
If you visit the churchyard at St Andrew’ s, you may notice a few areas have been left to grow longer. The reason for this is that our countryside is in crisis - bird numbers, of even the common species, have fallen, butterflies are becoming scarce and wildflower meadows are disappearing - so the Benefice has joined Somerset Wildlife Trust’s Wilder Churches Initiative, which aims to encourage more native wildlife into these special places.
Once full of wildflowers, mowers and strimmers have made it much easier to keep undergrowth at bay in churchyards and nobody wants to cope with brambles taking over, which can happen very quickly. However, a few areas have been carefully chosen where we are decreasing the regularity of cutting as a start, the first step to bring back the insects, birds and mammals, which need the longer grass, flower nectar and wild seeds to survive. Thank you to the Eco Church Team for making this happen!
This year, spring growth has been much greater than normal. Some areas may have to be cut twice rather than once, later in July. We also hope to have some wild flowers visible for the village Open Gardens event on 9 July, when people will be encouraged to visit St Andrew’ s.
We are very grateful to our team of volunteers who look after the churchyard all year, so that it such a calm and cared for space. There is however the opportunity for others to volunteer now to help with the management of these wilder areas. Anyone of any age can come along and learn more about how to encourage wildlife and help look after these habitats. During June, July and September there will be the opportunity to help with this project Please come along if you can. Shears, secateurs, rakes will all be useful. If it is raining/wet, please ring first.
Tuesday June 6th from 4pm Tidy up - there are some species that need to be controlled. Come and find out what they are and why and take the chance to see how things are going before the Open Day in July.
Wednesday July 12th from 4pm Hay making - the big cut, bring a picnic, extras will be available along with village cider and lemonade. Rather than hay, the cut grass will be raked up to make habitat piles.
Celia Linney 07949 241818 call/text/Whatsapp
