Issue 1 - Volume 19 - Mendip Times

Welcome

IN the immortal words of BBC Royal Correspondent, Jonny Dymond, the King has been well and truly “coronated”. The coronation didn’t go unnoticed on Mendip, as you will see from pages of photos.

We’ve been celebrating too –this is our 18th anniversary issue –many thanks for all of the kind messages from readers, advertisers and contributors.

We couldn’t have become Somerset’s most popular local magazine without you.

We saw a lot of people at the North Somerset Show and look forward to the Royal Bath and West and Mid-Somerset shows. See you there!

We meet a young gardener who has won a place at RHS Hampton Court with her first ever garden design and a cyclist whose training for a charity marathon included riding up and down Burrington Combe 12 times in one go.

In sport we report on the Somerset ladies’ county golf championship and the return of Mendip Table Skittles.

With all of our regular contributors, features and listings, celebrate the start of summer with us!

July 2023 deadline: Friday 16th June

Published: Tuesday 27th June

Editorial: Steve Egginton steve@mendiptimes.co.uk

Mark Adler mark@mendiptimes.co.uk

Advertising:

advertising@mendiptimes.co.uk

Lisa Daniels lisa@mendiptimes.co.uk

What’s On listings: Annie Egginton annie@mendiptimes.co.uk

Accounts: accounts@mendiptimes.co.uk

To subscribe: subs@mendiptimes.co.uk

Publisher: Mendip Times Limited Coombe Lodge, Blagdon, Somerset BS40 7RG

New road signs

CHEWStoke has some new road signs thanks to children at Chew Stoke Church School, the regional winner of the Platinum Modeshift Stars Award, which is a government initiative to increase active and sustainable travel.

As part of the award the school had been working with the parish council to design some new speed signs to be installed in the village.

The winners were Wilf and Henley (pictured). The school goes through to the national awards this summer.

A thank you lunch

Town mourns “dancing queen” Di

THE Crispin Hall and Community Centre in Street has celebrated the work carried out by its volunteers with a lunch to say thank you.

All 86 volunteers were invited; their jobs range from cooks, gardeners, craft teachers, DJ’s, drivers and bacon sandwich makers!

Meanwhile, the hall once again teamed up with students from Millfield School to host a tea dance for local residents. The next dance is on Wednesday, June 7th from 2pm-4pm.

Di Tothill, who has died aged 87

SHEPTON Mallet has sadly lost its very own much loved “Dancing Queen” Diana Rosemary Tothill, known as “Di”, who has died aged 87.

Di was well known and respected in local performing arts circles and for more than four decades she taught hundreds of local children and young adults the joy of dance at The Centre School of Dancing and later The Chapel Dance Studio.

Through her beloved ballet lessons as a child, she well and truly caught the performing bug and it was later through joining the Plymouth Operatic Society that she met her husband Barry, and they married in 1956.

Life brought them to Shepton Mallet in 1972 when Barry became a prison officer at Shepton Mallet Prison, a job he held for 27 years. Barry and Di celebrated their Diamond wedding anniversary in 2016, and Barry passed away in 2019.

The couple had three children Jeremy, Sally and Robin, who all showed a talent for ballet, tap and jazz, and inherited the performing gene, taking to the stage in many Shepton Mallet Theatre Group productions.

Di continued teaching dance in the town until the age of 81. The performing gene from both Di and Barry was also inherited by their grandchildren, with Jack, Max and Billy all studying dance, with Sally’s daughter, Billy, winning the Whitstone School Dance Award and going on to study dance at college. Jack and Max also play guitar and drums. Robin’s children, Charlie, Ruby and Adam are also drummers, as is their father and Sally and Robin were members of local bands.

Many middle aged Sheptonians may well have memories of being taught to dance by Diana Rosemary Tothill. Di’s funeral was on Friday, May 19th.

Memorial

article by Carol Vincent

Volunteers at the lunch party

Another tea dance will be held in June

How do you build a home for an adder?

THEMendip Hills AONB Service has built 15 shelters across the area to help link populations of adders, a threatened species. The hibernacula are sites that adders can spend the winter in.

It says adder populations on the Mendip Hills are good but it's important to help them spread out. Moving to new areas and mixing populations is important for keeping the gene pool healthy.

It also means that if a site they've been using for some time is badly affected in some way the overall population can carry on.

A hibernaculum is an organised pile of stone; the ground surface is skimmed, large stones are placed at the bottom to create voids for the reptiles, then logs and smaller stone are piled on top up to a height of at least a metre.

It should be south facing to absorb the sun's rays and next to long grass, bracken or woodland edge for the adders to bask in and away from busy visitor areas. The AONB service has produced a How to Build a Hibernaculum Guide that you can download for free.

The aim is to build hibernacula that maintain constant temperature and humidity at their core to protect the adders

through the winter. To understand the best building technique, the AONB service has built five each of three different shapes; long barrow, round barrow and horseshoe. Each one has a monitoring tube built in so that the temperature and humidity can be monitored every month. Volunteer rangers are being trained to survey the sites next spring and into the future to see what happens.

Nathan Orr, Nature Recovery Ranger for the AONB Service, said: “We know hibernacula are really important but this is the first time that three different types have

Park friends take notice

THEFriends of Trendlewood Park volunteer group in Nailsea have collaborated with North Somerset Council and community groups to install a much-needed new noticeboard for the park.

Recent Green Flag judges have drawn attention to the need for such an interactive notice board, which enables the group to share its activities and events with park users.

Funding for the board came from North Somerset Council and grants from Rotary Nailsea and Backwell and Waitrose and Partners Ltd. Nailsea Town Council provides the friends with an annual grant, which enables the group to plan continuous improvements to the park.

The park is there for the enjoyment and relaxation of all and to provide many semi-wild spaces for plants, birds and

been built and monitored, we're excited to see the results.

“Protecting population strongholds like we have on Mendip is important but to help nature recover we have to focus on corridors and stepping-stones so that they can spread out. Although we've built these with adders in mind, we know they're going to help lots of other reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.

“Our thanks go to Natural England for the grant, all the landowners who let us build them and all the volunteers who helped.”

animals to flourish. At this time of year, there is plenty of blossom, colourful meadows and abundant wildlife to enjoy.

The group said they would in particular like to thank Ken Rock, Community Lead from Rotary Nailsea and Backwell, and Isobel Williams, Community Partner from Nailsea Waitrose, for their personal interest and support.

Details: friendsoftrendlewoodpark.org.uk

Details: Nature Recovery Plan – Mendip Hills AONB

ENVIRONMENT

King’s new nature reserve on Mendip

THE south facing slopes of the Mendip Hills have been announced as one of the “King's Series” of five new National Nature Reserves across the country.

The plans from Natural England will see five new national reserves named every year for the next five years to celebrate the King’s coronation.

The Lincolnshire coast has been declared and Mendip will join Moccas Park in Herefordshire, Ingleborough in North Yorkshire and Lullington in East Sussex later this year.

Natural England and partners say they will leave a lasting public legacy for people and nature, reflecting the King’s deep love and concern for England’s wildlife, natural and rural places.

The new Mendip National Nature

Protecting skylarks

Reserve draws together all the existing important wildlife sites along the south facing slopes from Brean Down across to Wells, taking in important sites like Crook Peak and Cheddar Gorge.

The declaration means the land will be managed for conservation for the future. Farmers have been doing important work in-between the wildlife sites and their land

supports crucial links for wildlife even though they won't form part of the new National Nature Reserve.

Jo Lewis, Natural England, said: "This announcement shows how important Mendip is for nature and how we can all play our part in helping it recover. The declaration will bring together all the good work of many different organisations along this stretch of land to all work as one for wildlife.

“The golden thread running through the national nature reserve is the Mendip Way, a 28-mile route that takes you through the iconic areas, so people will be able to get up close and experience nature.

“Our ambition is that more landowners along the route choose to work with us to provide further benefits for nature."

MENDIPHills AONB Service has commissioned BLAGSAEY Arts CIC to create several willow and paper skylarks to install at Deer Leap.

They hope they will remind people to watch out for these iconic birds and to keep dogs on leads, so that ground nesting birds such as the skylark can breed successfully and begin to recover their numbers.

Chew Valley woodland is named

NEWwoodland being planted near Pensford and Publow has been given an ancient name, Hicks Mead Wood.

It’s part of the Great Avon Wood project, the biggest in the South West, with plans to plant 40,000 trees.

Metro Mayor Dan Norris helped neighbours, volunteers, and charity staff to name the new woodland.

Great Avon Wood is a partnership between Avon Needs Trees and the Forest of Avon Trust which has seen the two charities jointly buy over 100 acres of land near Pensford.

Hicks Mead Wood was chosen from a shortlist of names drawn up by the immediate neighbours. Historical records show Hicks Mead was a field name for the location, with mead an ancient word for meadow.

The neighbours already refer to the area as “the meadows” and in the plans for the wood, ancient ridge and furrow earthworks are being maintained as an open meadow.

Volunteers have helped plant over 6,000 trees at Great Avon Wood in the first planting season. Over the summer there will be a series of free events including a bat and owl walk, a family day and an “All Things Trees” event.

Details: www.avonneedstrees.org.uk

As busy as bees –how we can help

THIS phrase is well known but how busy is a honey bee? Let us see. How much honey can a bee make in its short life? The answer is just one twelfth of a spoonful.

All foraging bees are called worker bees, are female and for three to five days of their short life of three weeks or so they must search for pollen and nectar to take back to the hive to feed themselves and their young.

Each trip takes about 25 minutes and up to 20 trips a day happen depending on weather – exhausting work. Much honey is stored for the winter. We steal it so we must make sure that enough is left to see the bees through the winter.

Filling a 1lb. jar of honey needs 550 bees and the nectar from 2 million flowers. Luckily one hive of bees contains up to 60,000 bees at the height of the flowering season.

Whilst this exhausting work is going on plants are being pollinated. We may think mostly of bees as pollinators (of which there are 270 species in the UK) including honey bees, bumble bees and solitary bees.

There are others equally important namely hoverflies, lacewings, wasps, butterflies, moths and other insects such as beetles.

Bees and plants have evolved together. To avoid competition there are flowers to suit each pollinating species. They vary in size and shape though there are six recognisable flower shapes.

Bees are constantly searching for pollen and nectar. Plants are awaiting pollination. When a bee alights on a flower it may brush against the male part of the plant (anther) and pollen is likely to fall onto the bee.

When the bee reaches the next plant, some pollen may fall onto the sticky female part (stigma) and so cross-pollination

occurs. Most of the pollen is stored on the legs in an area known as the pollen basket.

Pollen is full of protein plus fats, minerals and vitamins. Queen bumblebees use pollen to engage their ovaries after hibernation, so they can start laying eggs. Bees also collect pollen to feed their young.

Some pollinators eat pollen themselves, such as some types of beetle and wasps. Pollen varies from plant to plant in quality and quantity. The flowers that offer the best quality pollen are members of the legume family such as clovers, lupins and trefoils such as bird’s foot trefoil.

If lawns were mown less often or even just a patch of lawn left long clovers and trefoils are likely to flower, providing a much-needed source of pollen.

Plants reward insects by providing nectar which is water containing sugar, but they have to push deep down into the flower so brushing by the pollen to find the nectaries at the base of the petals.

Plants advertise nectar by providing guidelines, scent and attractively coloured petals for the bees that see in UV light. It is a very efficient system that has evolved over many years. Nectar itself is very variable both in sugar content and availability. Bees like nectar to be 80% sugar. For example, dandelion nectar contains 50% sugar whilst apple blossom only 25% sugar.

Thus, the bees would choose dandelion because it has to spend less energy extracting water and adding more sugar. Some flowers produce nectar on demand like penstemons and the raspberry family, but it is a very energy demanding process for the plant.

Being so sugary, nectar is packed with carbohydrates, which give bees the energy they need to fly. Indeed, it’s thought that bees can only live for 24 hours without nectar, unless they are hibernating.

Other pollinators use nectar, too, including butterflies, hoverflies and other flies, and some beetles. They all use the energy from the nectar to find mates and establish nests.

As gardeners we are increasingly asked

to plant for pollinators but how do we choose welcome plants? It is important to provide a variety of different plants because different insects are adapted to use specific plants.

It is even more important to provide a range of plants for as much of the year as possible especially early and late when food is short and insects may die in their search for food. Snowdrops, hellebores, primroses and mahonia are good choices.

Late in the year Michaelmas daisies, some dahlias, caryopteris and especially ivy are useful. Bees, especially, have plant favourites so it is a good idea to plant groups of the same plant together to avoid the insect using too much energy in its search for its chosen flower.

Single flowers are the most accessible because there are fewer petals for insects to negotiate before they can reach the nectaries. Blackberry, apple blossoms and single roses are good examples.

Plants that are umbrella shaped like cow parsley are especially welcome to pollinators because there are many flowers close together so that insects can crawl over the plant without wasting valuable flight energy.

Such plants include angelica, fennel, coriander, parsley and many vegetables if some are allowed to seed such as carrots and leeks.

Of course, we depend on pollinating insects too for they pollinate one third of all our food plants. So why, I keep wondering, do we persist in spaying plants with poisonous chemicals that do not distinguish between garden friend or foe?

The “cide” in pesticide and fungicide means kill or destroy deliberately.

The foxglove flower suits larger bumblebees. As they push in pollen falls from the stamens on the petal onto the bee

Angelica gigas

Diana Redfern is a retired teacher and amateur naturalist and lives in Sandford

What’s going on between oil beetles and bees?

OILbeetles are nest parasites of solitary mining bees. Female oil beetles dig burrows in the ground, into which they lay hundreds of eggs. Once hatched, the active, louselike larvae, known as triungulins, climb up onto flowers and lie in wait for a suitable host bee.

When a bee visits the flower to collect pollen or nectar, the triungulins attach themselves to hairs on the bee’s back using hooks on their feet. Once in a suitable bee’s nest, the larva disembarks. The larva feeds on the bee’s store of pollen and nectar and develops in the burrow until it is ready to emerge as an adult oil beetle. The adults can get quite big, between 1-3cm in length.

Why is the oil beetle one of the AONB Service's “champion species”? If you find one, it means you're in a great habitat for them and lots of other wildlife. The oil beetle prefers grazed, wildflower-rich grassland sites with some disturbance to maintain areas of bare ground, which supports mining bee populations.

You can help. Records of oil beetles are welcome; photos should be taken and sent to the AONB Service for ID by an expert.

The adults are active in spring from February to May, and triungulins are

If you would like a grant to improve your land for nature please get in touch with the AONB Service Farming Engagement Officer Lucy Stockton 01761 462338 mendip@mendiphillsaonb.org.uk

(Photograph courtesy of Kaite Jones)

active from May to June. Or you could download the Seek iNaturalist app to upload your records.

Commitment to recycling

I HADthe good fortune to visit Northern Ireland recently and attend the Balmoral Show. Apart from being a first-rate agricultural show there were numerous other non-farming organisations represented all with their individual message. One of note, was the Women’s Institute. Alongside their fantastic craft competition was an exhibit about waste and recycling.

nothing new to farming.

The traditional Somerset farming system of milk from cows being used for cheese making with the by-product of whey being fed to pigs and the manure from the pigs and cows being used to provide nutrients to grow the crops to feed the cows and pigs has been going on for hundreds of years.

With NICK GREEN

We know landfill has a finite life and it is damaging to the environment. Over the years people have worked out how to recycle materials into a usable form ready for re-use. Glass is a good example.

If it gets put into landfill it takes between one and two million years to break down. Compare that to recycling. Put it out for collection one week and it could be used again in a different format a week later.

Similarly, aluminium cans take between 80 and 200 years to break down but can be recycled overnight. Recycling is

The one thing which has changed is the inputs farmers use. One thing many of us see as we drive around the countryside is black plastic used to wrap silage bales. Every bale uses about 12 square meters of wrap to preserve the grass inside. Easy to buy and apply but more difficult to handle once it has been finished with.

A group of PhD students realised the issues some years ago and tried to develop a biopolymer wrap which could be eaten by the cattle and sheep with the silage. Things have gone quiet and it has yet to appear on the market.

But with farmers’ continual efforts to safeguard the environment, if it could be developed, the millions of bales of silage all wrapped in edible plastic could prove to be the ultimate in farm recycling.

Nick Green is Farms Director for Alvis Bros Ltd based at Lye Cross Farm. As well as the business, he is involved with a number of local and national farming charities.

Land specialist

AUCTIONEER Richard Nancekivell has set up on his own account as Nancekivell & Partners specialising in rural development and agriculture land.

He successfully sold a selection of five parcels of agricultural land at his first Spring Auction 2023, including 43 acres of bluebell valley at Shipham.

Dundry 1.07 acres sold £19,626 per acre

Shipham 6.70 acres sold £18,507 per acre

Dundry 4.47 acres sold £15,659 per acre

Felton 21 acres sold £8,571 per acre

Shipham 43 acres sold £8,162 per acre

He also has instructions on an old English cider orchard and redundant barn set in one acre at Portbury being offered as a going concern for £50,000.

He is now taking entries for his summer July Auction.

Details: Richard@nancekivellandpartners.co.uk

Residential Development site –Wrington

3 x Large Building

Plots & 2 x Cottages complete Refurbishment to sell with Planning

JULY AUCTION –NOW TAKING ENTRIES

Entries to hand: Smallholding Buildings & 26 acres on Exmoor Paddocks at Shipham/Banwell & Dundry Barn & Paddock at Sidcot

A show for all

A LARGE crowd enjoyed warm May sunshine at the 163rd North Somerset Show at Wraxall.

A helping hand for two youngsters taking part in a young farmers relay race

Barbara Bennett from Portishead a member of the Avon Guild of Spinners and Weavers

One of the Extreme Mountain Bike Show riders in action

Members of the Lockyer family, from Somerset and Devon, with their Crayola Dutch Spotted sheep

Ellie, aged two and from Winscombe, on the Tincknell Stores stand

The South West Tractor Pullers Association once again organised the annual test of skill and power

Sophie Long, aged 12, with her prizewinning sheep

Red Devils parachutists Cpt. Steve Child (left) and Cpl. Richard Kingston present a Puxton Park flag used in the drop in the main arena to Ali, Alma and Arthur Mead watched by show president Richard Withers

Felton Eccles in action

A Hereford bull called Trailblazer, from South Wales, was crowned supreme champion. He is pictured with handler Adam Bown and a delighted rosette-waving Bobby John at the end of the grand parade

Part of the spectacular Red Devils display

Stuart (left), Lloyd and Brigette, from Nailsea, with table decorations from the members’ marquee which were sold at the end of the day in aid of the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution

Accents using shortcuts

If you are using a computer for writing letters, reports etc, it is useful to be able to add an accented letter quickly and easily. The word café will automatically accent itself, but words like macramé or fiancé need a bit of help.

These are the shortcuts in Word on a PC and on a Mac. And some special characters automatically insert themselves as well, such as © or (t) – just type (c) and it will change – whether you like it or not!

PC

You can use various combinations of keys to generate accent marks. Most of these combinations begin with the control key or the alt key. Search for Microsoft Support for a list. To generate an e with an acute accent (é), hold down the control key and then, simultaneously, press the apostrophe key. Then, release those two keys and quickly press the e key.

To generate a capital E with an acute accent, hold down the shift key at the same time you hold down the control and apostrophe keys, then release the three keys and press the e key.

Mac

On a Mac, you can use a neat feature to quickly generate accent marks. Simply hold down the key for the letter you need, and a little window will pop up with a list of accents to choose from. Each choice is given a number, and by typing the number after releasing the letter key, the letter with the chosen accent will appear. You can also click on the chosen accent mark to get it to appear.

To create an e with an acute accent, for instance, hold down the e key until the window pops up above it, and then press the number 2 key, which corresponds to the acute accent mark; or just click directly on the é in the window.

You can also use key combinations to generate accent marks, the same way you would on a PC. The steps are exactly the same, except that the alt key is called the option key on Mac keyboards.

Beyond accent marks

While accent marks may be the most common kind of special character, you can find many other kinds of special characters in the lists of symbols in Word, as well as on the websites. Other kinds of special characters include letters in other alphabets, such as Cyrillic, Hebrew, and Arabic, as well as special characters like the copyright symbol (©) and symbols for currency, such as the euro (€).

Submitted for I.T. for the Terrified by Lynne Duckett. Although we have stopped our one-to-one tuition, we will continue with this column to keep the name alive. This article is for guidance only, and the opinion of the writer.

The Mendip Mindbender

ACROSS

1 A type of timber used in making guitars, chess sets and billiard cues (8)

5 Largest town in Somerset (6)

9 Village 8 miles from Bristol, 8 miles from Bath. Anagram of untethers (9)

11 Title of a married Indian woman (5)

12 Nevertheless take whatever direction you want (6)

13 Made a violent attack on (8)

14 Pub table-top game originally known as “Shoffe-grote” (5-9)

18 freelance work, or position as the owner of a business say (4-10)

22 Coaches for soft sports shoes (8)

23 Somerset village with a hole in it (6)

26 furze or ling (5)

27 A citrus flavoured boiled sweet (5,4)

28 Somerset village named after a perfect beer? (6)

29 Behave like all other participants (8)

DOWN

1 Train or prepare for a performance (8)

2 A bright and enjoyable atmosphere due to Apollo (5)

3 A measurement of electric power (7)

4 Range or roaster (4)

6 Cuddle or clasp to one's bosom (7)

7 Self-appointed law enforcer (9)

8 Eleventh letter of the Greek alphabet (6)

10 Indolent, slothful (7)

15 Worker, especially of machinery (9)

16 The most senior commander of a fleet (7)

17 Remains where it is (5,3)

19 Letters of appreceation, especially to show-business figures (3,4)

20 Capital of Cameroon (7)

21 Home of Clarks shoes in Somerset (6)

24 In Hinduism the sum of person’s actions in this and previous lives (5)

25 Sign of no workers (4)

By greendandelion

Clues in italics are cryptic

This month’s solution can be found on page 81

Civic awards for town volunteers

THE Lord Lieutenant of Somerset has presented awards to a group of people in Glastonbury for their work amongst its various communities.

Mohammed Sadiq, along with the High Sheriff of Somerset, Robert Drewett, joined civic leaders for the ceremony as part of the coronation Big Help Out.

Amongst those to be honoured was Glastonbury businesswoman Mary Parker, who was made a Freewoman of Glastonbury.

Others were: Chris Craig and the late David Beach as Long Serving Volunteers; David Beach, Kim Von Coels, Liz Pearson, Laura Sorensen and Soul Fire as Exemplary Volunteers; John Coles, John Keery and Ian Tucker as Honorary Aldermen of Glastonbury Town Council and Gina Ty-Wharton as Citizen of the Year 2023.

Club helps pupils

MEMBERS of Somer Valley Rotary Club have donated more than £200 to Longvernal Primary School in Midsomer Norton towards the cost of providing extracurricular activities.

The school relies on contributions from parents to help pay for trips to places like museums, activity centres and wildlife parks but the cost-of-living crisis has hit families hard.

Nature count

SOMERSET Wildlife Trust has announced the return of its Big Count from June 16th-25th encouraging as many people as possible to record wildlife sightings. It says the data will help inform the work that’s needed to stop further species decline.

The public are being asked to record their wildlife sightings on the popular iNaturalist citizen science platform. The project is being sponsored by Southern Coop.

Simon Clarke, Head of Nature Recovery at Somerset Wildlife Trust, said: “We were so pleased at how many people got involved last year. We were able to add nearly 1,000 species records during The Big Count 2022, which is an amazing effort.”

Details:

www.somersetwildlife.org/bigcount 2023 www.inaturalist.org

The Lord Lieutenant with Kim Von Coels, who was recognised for her work in creating the Glastonbury Mural Trail

Mary Parker was made a Freewoman of Glastonbury Sam Bracher accepted the award on behalf of her late father

Soul Fire with the Lord Lieutenant; Soul Fire works with the caravan dwellers and the homeless

Civic dignitaries with the award winners

Club president Alan Bowhay with headteacher Karen Bazeley

RH Windows

THE CHEW VALLEY’S LONGEST ESTABLISHED WINDOW COMPANY WITH A REPUTATION BUILT ON QUALITY AND SERVICE FOR CONSERVATORIES, WINDOWS AND DOORS IN HARDWOOD OR UPVC HARDWOOD JOINERY SPECIALISTS

www.rhwindowsltd.co.uk

Telephone: 01761 452171

Fax: 01761 453342

EAST HARPTREE CHURCH

COMPTON DANDO

East Harptree celebrated the Coronation and the reopening of St Laurence's Church after restoration. The Rev Tony Wilds and his wife Mary are pictured cutting the cake

CHEWTON MENDIP

Chewton Mendip WI held a Coronation themed evening, with tiaras, crowns and other regal headwear worn by the ladies and the hall decorated with bunting.

Compton Dando Art Group celebrated the Coronation with a toast to the King and a slice of cake, made by Iris Davis. Jean Harnaman (pictured) decorated the table.

WI

Winscombe Folk Club's Coronation concert raised £938 for Cheddar Food Bank

The event was attended by around 60 people and raised £300 towards the new Coronation Park in the village

Villagers gather on the Recreation Field for the start of an evening of celebrations

CHURCHILL

CHEW MAGNA

(Photo courtesy of Tamara Stubbs)

Villagers gather outside the Jubilee Hall

The Chew Magna Society organised a duck race and village picnic

The Churchill Village fund and local churches provided teas at a Village Fun Afternoon

BATCOMBE

Eadrie in front of the big screen in the village hall

Adelina and her family

Probate

Is your insurance up to date?

ANup-to-date insurance valuation of your home contents provides peace of mind and for homes with collections of fine art and antiques, goes hand in hand with the insurance policy.

Choosing an RICS Arts & Antiques Surveyor from a RICS regulated firm affords the quality assurance preferred by insurance companies.

Toby Pinn Ltd provides certified valuations tailored to your individual requirements. The valuation document is a visual record of your assets with description and replacement values. It can include furnishings, art, silver and jewellery, garden statuary and classic cars.

The role of insurance companies is to assess individual risk. Choosing an RICS valuer is the first step in demonstrating the management of that risk.

For a no-obligation discussion please contact Toby on 0117 2517251 or visit www.tobypinn.co.uk

June jewellery spectacular

THEnewly-named Somerset Craft Guild – formerly the Somerset Guild of Craftsmen – is proud to be hosting a jewellery spectacular throughout the month of June at their gallery in Wells showcasing their 12 talented makers.

Guild member Carole Lockwood, who enamels royal regalia, will be presenting her brand enamelled collection whilst narrative designer Jack Beaumont can tell you an enchanting story about his silver, moonstone and amber creations.

Julia Thomson has created some truly outstanding pieces with her new opal collection and Prue Biddle continues to delight with her easy-to-wear contemporary gold and silver.

There is a vast variety on display in the Wells gallery, just off Broad Street, and they will be celebrating long-established makers alongside new, contemporary work.

Working in gold, silver, resin, precious stones and even velvet, there’s sure to be something for everyone from their designer jewellery selection and they are looking forward to welcoming you all.

| Insurance | Auction Family & Matrimonial | CGT | General Inventory

Fine wines and spirits attract high bids

WINEhas always been a staple of the auction business. In the early 20th century no country house sale would be complete without a few pages of the clarets and ports from the cellar. Today wines and spirits are a multi-million pound auction business with premier sales taking place around the world. With what can appear a minefield to negotiate, never has the auction adage of buying what you like been more true.

The market is still recovering from the difficulties that come from Covid, the war in Ukraine and the cost of living crisis, which have made this a difficult few years for the wine trade. The buyers are also

changing with the average age lowering year-on-year, today’s fine wines are more likely to be purchased by young Millennials.

With the rise in online bidding, collectors, dealers, restaurateurs and merchants can all fight at the same auction. Habits are changing too and, like the market, consumers are deciding to buy better quality rather than large volumes.

France has always been the place to begin collecting, with the traditional regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone and Champagne leading the way. Most collectors start with Bordeaux and then move on to the Burgundy. The amazing whites and reds from this region are increasingly strong.

We often find vintage port at auction, usually a gift marking a special year or

occasion. The outstanding years of 1963, 1985, 1994 and 2007 often turn up and offer exceptional value for money.

Spirits are of course led by whisky with great names, such as Macallan, Dalmore and Bowman attracting record-breaking prices around the world. A single bottle of The Macallan Fine and Rare 1926 whisky sold at auction for £1.2m.

The strong Asian market also has a fondness for whisky, with a 54-bottle set of Hanyu Ichiro’s Japanese whisky selling for £755,000.

Martin Bentham exhibition

MARTIN Bentham’s paintings mainly evolve from the landscape of the Mendip Hills, its people and their work, but not always.

He won first prize at the Royal Bath & West Show in 2007, the Daler-Rowney Oil Painting Prize in the 155th annual autumn exhibition and first and second prize in the Viewers’ Choice Award at the 156th autumn exhibition.

He also won first prize at the West of England Academy in Bristol, where he was elected an academician in 2009.

He’s been holding successful exhibitions since 1993, including two shows at the RWA in 2010 and 2012 and more recently at the Bishop’s Palace in Wells in 2014 and 2018.

His painting “The Apiarist, Late July” is a typical work, inspired by visiting beehives with the beekeeper who was tending them.

He said: “It is a most fascinating subject - being a combination of ‘figure’ in ‘landscape’ with ‘life' and ’still-life’.”

Safari trip art

TRAVELLING artist Moish Sokal has just returned from the wildlife parks of Tanzania and Kenya and his newly inspired watercolours will go on show in the Malthouse PRESS Gallery of East Lambrook Manor Gardens from June 3rd–July 22nd.

His last trip to Kenya’s Maasai Mara and Amboseli wildlife parks was in early 2020 before the pandemic. Only when sitting on the crowded shuttle bus to Arusha, the safari capital of northern Tanzania, did he feel had picked up where he left off three years ago.

The next early morning saw the start of a most memorable safari trip. Whilst watching a big group of impalas, zebras and giraffes a streak of cheetah lightning flew from about 500m away finally catching an impala.

Moish said: “I could not believe what I just saw! After so many years of safari trips when one is lucky enough just to get a glimpse of a cheetah –how lucky I was.”

The wildlife is the inspiration for his new exhibition.

Online auctions proving great success

INaddition to the regular live and online auctions of Fine Art, Antiques and Collectables held at the Mendip Auction Rooms, Killens stage regular online only auctions and these are proving popular.

Items can be viewed online over a week or so and bids submitted prior to the close of the auction. This method of sale has proved very successful in respect of specific categories of items such as cameras, scientific equipment, trains and books.

Toby Cleave, a valuer and auctioneer with Killens, co-ordinates these sales and can be contacted at the auction rooms. As Toby states: “These sales attract interest from around the world and provide an opportunity for buyers to carefully consider a purchase ensuring the maximum price is achieved.”

During June, an online auction of

cameras will be launched and, in July, there will be a sale of toys. Do contact Toby for advice.

Also in June, on Saturday, June 24th, Killens are staging a sale of classic cars, agricultural vehicles, bygones and more and this is also being co-ordinated by Toby. Toby comes from a Cornish farming background and was keen to introduce a

new form of sale appealing to the local community. Entries are being invited.

Are you looking to sell items in our sales? Valuations can be undertaken on a drop-in basis at the auction rooms between 10am and 3pm each weekday and Killens have professional valuers and experts on hand to advise. Alternatively, valuers are able to conduct free home visits.

From pilgrims to nature

SCULPTORS

Fiona Campbell and Ian Marlow are preparing to take part in a major exhibition opening in July at Tremenhere Sculpture Gardens in Cornwall which looks out to St Michael’s Mount.

Wander_Land features work by a number of members of the Royal Society of Sculptors from the South West, including Fiona, from Cranmore, and Ian, from Buckland Dinham.

The St Michael’s Way, which passes through Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens, is one of the Camino routes which leads to Santiago de Compostella in North West Spain and provides the inspiration for the exhibition which explores the act of walking in all its forms

It is this specific aspect, the route of a pilgrimage, that has inspired Ian’s sculpture for the exhibition. Called “The Pilgrim” it is a life-size image of a pilgrim set in

glass, supported in a stand of stainless steel monoliths.

Ian is currently working on an installation sculpture called “Choral Harmony” for the Wells Art Contemporary, which also opens in July, whilst Fiona is currently involved in a project by Spoken to create a new animated promenade giant called “Sovereign Nature” and which is also offering a workshop programme to community groups to participate in making her garments.

The giant will portray aspects of Mother Nature, such as her train being crafted to depict a river, her crown being a copse of oak trees, and Somerset's wildlife – both endangered and reintroduced – being represented on her garments.

Built by a professional giant maker Jem Dick, Sovereign Nature’s costume will be created with Fiona, project director/storyteller Sharon Jacksties and community groups.

It will make its debut on June 10th at the Taunton Green Fair, before a procession the following day at the Green Scythe Fair at Thorney Lakes, the Pitchfork Festival on July 16th as well as making appearances in residential care homes in the Mendip and Sedgemoor areas.

Fiona's design for the processional giant

Ian's work for Wander_Land

June –a busy month of auctions

DORE & Rees are looking forward to a bumper month of auctions this month with Curated Interiors on Wednesday, June 7th in which two high calibre private collections will be offered with pictures, furniture, decorative and collectable items lighting up the auction salerooms (public viewing Saturday 3rd, Monday 5th and Tuesday 6th June).

Saturday, June 17th will see our sixth Classic Cars auction taking place with marquee viewing on Friday, June 16th in our usual position next to the Cheese and Grain in Frome. This is always a popular and well attended event in the town and one of the most packed auction salerooms too as passionate collectors gather to secure their favoured classic.

Our inaugural Fine Silver auction comes up on Friday, June 28th at 10.30am, led by Duncan Campbell who we introduced to you in the March issue; it promises to be a successful auction with high quality silver from Britain, Europe and India on offer.

The Fine Jewellery and Watches auction follows Fine Silver on the same day, starting at 2pm, and will be full of beautiful pieces with something for everyone. Leading the auction is a Faberge rat which will, we believe, steal the show in both cuteness and price realised.

The team at Dore & Rees can help you understand and realise the value of your items. Valuation appointments are available throughout the year at Dore & Rees Auction Salerooms in Frome or at your home. Contact us to book on 01373 462257 or email enquiries@doreandrees.com

JUNE AUCTIONS

CURATED INTERIORS

Wednesday 7 June at 10:30am

CLASSIC CARS – THE SUMMER AUCTION

Saturday 17 June at 2pm

FINE SILVER

Wednesday 28 June at 10:30am

FINE JEWELLERY AND WATCHES

Wednesday 28 June at 2pm

Check doreandrees.com to see the online catalogues and viewing details

19th CENTURY TRAVELLING APOTHECARY CASE ESTIMATE: £400-600

CURATED INTERIORS

7 JUNE 2023

10:30AM VIEWING

Saturday 3 June 11am to 3pm

Monday 5 June 10am to 4pm

Tuesday 6 June 10am to 4pm

www.doreandrees.com

enquiries@doreandrees.com

01373 462 257

Dore & Rees

Auction Salerooms

Vicarage Street

Frome BA11 1PU

Duncan Campbell

Tom Billings, from the Shepton Mallet Big Band

HOLCOMBE

Some of the organisers of the evening celebrations gather by three beautifully restored Minis owned by classic car specialist Mike Edgell

Gaye, Ali and Lennie prepare to party

Chilcompton’s “Knit and Natter” group decorated the bridge in Lower Chilcompton

Austin with dad Chris

Flora collects her coronation memorial coin

Millie strikes a pose during the Queen song We Will Rock You at the disco

Enjoying the fine weather on the Sunday at Westhill Recreation Ground

Wells Cathedral choristers perform in front of the West Door after a coronation celebration service attended by civic dignitaries from across the county

Matthew (left) and William Sica arrived on their “trandem” for an afternoon of fun on the Cathedral Green Compere, artist Edgar Phillips

Wells WI organised a netball challenge

Gary Biberger tending the bbq on the playing field

Celebrations began in the Memorial Hall with a picnic and a giant screen

Local musician Ross Kirk

Easy recipes for those long summer days!

With KATY BEAUCHAMP

CHEESY LEEK AND COUSCOUS CAKE

PAN FRIED GAMMON AND CIDER

VEGAN CHOCOLATE BARS

You can snack on slabs of this at your picnic or cut into bite-sized pieces and top with cream cheese, salmon, prawns or tomatoes and hand round at your summer party!

METHOD

Cook the couscous according to the packet instructions. Meanwhile, gently fry the leeks in the olive oil until soft and take off the heat. Add the couscous, sweetcorn and grated cheese, give it a good mix and press into a lined loaf tin. Bake for 15 mins at 180°C. Leave to cool completely and then turn out and slice.

INGREDIENTS

200g flavoured couscous (I used two packets of Mediterranean flavour)

2 thinly sliced leeks

100g tinned or frozen sweetcorn

200g grated mature cheddar

Splash of olive oil

Pork in cider is always a winning combination

METHOD

Fry the gammon, mushrooms and onions in the oil and butter for six mins, add the cider, bring to a simmer, and cook for a further three or so minutes. Stir in the cream or crème fraiche and cook for a further minute before plating up. I’ve served mine with mashed potato, but new potatoes would be lovely too.

These chocolate bars are very rich

These are really rich and I cut mine up into bite-sized pieces. The base is made from dark chocolate and dates, and then you can add anything you fancy, such as dried fruit, nuts, granola, muesli, cornflakes or even puffed cereal.

METHOD

Put the water and the dates in a large saucepan, bring to the boil and cook for three mins. Turn off heat, break in the chocolate and stir until it’s all melted (a stick blender is best to whizz it directly in the saucepan to make it all smooth, or you could use a potato masher).

INGREDIENTS

4 x gammon steaks

1 small onion chopped

200g sliced mushrooms

150ml Somerset cider

150g crème fraiche or double cream

Splash of oil and knob of butter

Add your fruit and nuts (or whatever you’re using) then turn into a lined baking tray and cool in the fridge. Slice into pieces.

INGREDIENTS

(Makes about eight bars)

150g roughly chopped dates

15ml water

150g dark chocolate

Extras (I used hazelnuts and raisins as I love a fruit and nut chocolate bar)

If coronation street parties and village events haven’t dulled the appetite for eating al fresco, here are a couple of picnic ideas along with a pork and cider main course which is simple but delicious.

Let them eat cake!

Herbal remedies

JULIABedford, the founder of Herbal Brue in Glastonbury, celebrated the group’s first birthday with friends in the Red Brick Community Garden on Somerset Day.

They walked through the fields towards Bride’s Mound, foraging for salads (chickweed, sorrel, flowers, dandelion) and for leaves to make tea. Then they went back to the garden to feast on their finds and eat cake.

Julia, who is training as a herbalist, has been organising foraging walks and community medicine making days over the past year.

Over the winter she ran a series of workshops, “Remembering Remedies” in several different local villages, inviting people to come to share what they know about some of the traditional medicinal uses of plants – “before all that knowledge is forgotten”.

Julia’s long-term hope and plans are to start a no-cost herbal clinic in Glastonbury.

New café in Wedmore

THEBluebird Café on the Borough in the centre of Wedmore is being opened by local business partners Ian Scott and Andy Daintree.

It will be a café by day and on Fridays and Saturdays will stay open as a bar.

As well as offering a range of locally sourced food and drinks, it aims to showcase talented South West musicians.

They want to support the local community and have set up the Bluebird so that they will donate their profits every year back to local clubs, societies and good causes.

It opens on Tuesday, May 30th, with a double night of music on the first weekend.

Details: Herbal Brue on Facebook

WILD FOOD

Elder, but not as we know it

THE beginning of summer (if we ever get one this year) is a great time to seek out edible plants with wonderfully fresh, aromatic flavours. Happily, for the forager there are many green plants that fit this bill and ground elder is one of them. It is said to have been introduced by the Romans but was certainly used extensively through the Middle Ages as a garden pot herb and medicinal plant.

It was known as Goatsfoot from the first part of the Latin name “Aego-podium” due to the shape of the leaves. Common Somerset names include: Ground Ash from the old word “ache” meaning parsley, a herb with a not too dissimilar taste, and Goutweed which comes from the second part of the Latin name “podagra” meaning “gout” and was used medicinally to prevent and treat the affliction.

The obvious explanation for our common name is that the leaves look like those of Elder but instead of sprouting from a tree’s twigs, it grows on the ground.

Ground Elder (Aegopodium podgraria) is a hairless medium growing perennial, oval, broadly spear-shaped leaves with serrated edges. The flowers are many, white flat-topped heads or umbels (umbrella shaped) giving away its affiliation to the carrot family.

It flowers during the summer months and is common and widespread in shady areas of gardens, parks, roadsides and waste areas.

Unfortunately, when the plant matures the leaves are much less edible, losing the herby flavour and becoming much tougher – they even develop a laxative effect. You have been warned! To keep a fresh supply, just cut back regularly and pick the new growth.

Be aware of the poisonous Dogs Mercury which looks similar to the uninitiated and is found in the same habitat at the same time of year. Ground Elder has now fallen out of favour as a pot herb but still hangs on in gardens to the frustration of many a gardener due to its creeping habit and robust ability to withstand all efforts of eradication.

Whilst it can be wilted down like spinach and seasoned with butter salt and pepper or made into a soup, it is as a fresh garnish for salads, new potatoes, pasta and fish where it really shines.

Adrian Boots is a Landscape Ecologist and expert forager running wild food forays, events and activities. Please visit: www.hedgerowcottage.co.uk for more information or email him at: hello@hedgerowcottage.co.uk

GARDEN FOOD

Blanched dandelions

DANDELIONleaves are, of course, edible although very bitter and a little too strong to eat in any kind of quantity (for my taste). Here’s a nice trick for making them much more palatable – blanch or “force” them, in much the same way as you might force rhubarb or endive. This is simply a matter of excluding the light over established plants.

A plastic plant pot with the holes covered at the top will do, although as you can see from the picture (which is of leaves forced under a plastic pot), this tends to only make them partially paler and less bitter.

Incredibly, enough light seems to get through for them to carry on photosynthesising! More reliable are thick ceramic pots, or clay forcing tubes like you’d use for rhubarb. This results in very fine, bright yellow dandelion leaves that look much like blanched frisée or endive and are absolutely delicious in salads.

Unfortunately, all my ceramic forced dandelions had been buried in ant nests; ants love to make their homes under the upturned pots!

Even forced, dandelions are of course still a little bitter, but in a pleasing way. Sweet things are a natural complement and we often make a salad of blanched dandelion (or endive) with segments of sweet orange, walnuts, and a dressing made from the juice, filleting the orange segments, along with olive oil and salt.

Worth remembering is that an even more powerful tool in reducing perceived bitterness in any dish, is salt. Try this next time you have a stock or sauce that is bitter – adding salt is much more effective than adding sugar.

I’m sure this is why dandelions and other bitter greens are often paired with bacon. Another of our favourites is a salad of bitter greens along with crispy fried lardons, croutons and a (salty) blue cheese dressing. Delicious!

Jacob Whitson is a chef, food writer and smallholder –he divides his time between the Mendips and Pembrokeshire.

With ADRIAN BOOTS

With JAKE WHITSON

Award-winning ciders, beers and other drinks

Food, including summer ploughmans and charcuterie

Functions and parties

Charity quiz night first Thursday of the month

New cider maker

AD ASTRAis

Somerset’s newest cider maker and tap room, based at Stone Allerton, producing six ciders from different apples.

Paul and Suzanne Rolfe bought 13-acre Orchardleigh Farm and its 2,100 apple trees during lockdown when they decided on a complete change of career.

He had been in the RAF before working for defence contractors and she had been a farmer. There was planning permission for three cottages for old barns on the farm.

Orchardleigh Farm, Allerton Lane, Stone Allerton BS26 2NG www.adastracider.com

Suzanne.rolfe@adastracider.com • 07897 348119

Instead, they turned the barns into a bar and function room, with a cider press on one side. They entered the British Cider Championships at the Royal Bath and West and won Gold, two Silvers and a Bronze. Look out for them at the show this time.

A winning combination and a friendly welcome

WHAT makes a visit to Hartley’s Café and Bistro on the Mendips so special?

The answer lies in a winning combination of factors. They are a team, a ship’s crew, a dedicated group with one passion which is to source the very best local food, to prepare it freshly and with respect and care and to follow the seasons to get the best out of Somerset’s meat, game, fruit, fish, salad and vegetables.

Having been trading for nearly 15 years at Rookery Farm, Binegar, the “crew” have developed a foodie paradise. They say probably 75% of their customers are regular visitors enjoying a menu which changes every month.

Outside the bistro you will find a “market stall” offering the same fresh produce as used in the kitchen and there is always someone on hand to offer recipe tips.

Hartleys is without doubt a gastronomic adventure; they pull together menus and produce to deliver great food for breakfast, brunch, lunch, Sunday lunch, luxury afternoon teas and their now famous “curry evenings” offering authentic Indian dishes in a buffet style.

So, if food is your passion – the team at Hartleys are waiting to greet you.

Chicken Caesar salad

STANTON DREW

STONEY STRAT TON

The village school held a cake sale to raise funds for the Prince's Trust

The event was hosted by the Mid-Somerset Agricultural Society. Pictured (centre) is society president Tony Guidi flanked by chairman Graham Walton and secretary Christine Barham

Martin and Cuillin enjoying the party

Helena Sofley on stage during Party in a Field

Families were encouraged to bring their own picnics

Stanton Drew WI members "yarn bombed" the village with red, white and blue. Pictured (l to r) Ann Budd, president Anni Grice and secretary Anne Bennett

Stoney Stratton held its first ever street party for about 90 people

CHEW STOKE

CHEDDAR

To celebrate the King’s Coronation, Chew Stoke WI decided to share their centenary celebrations with the village, offering a cream tea to everyone

A picnic in the park was organised by Paulton parish councillors Anne Lyons and the Rev Adam Pitt, with help from Liz Hardman (right)

The village school celebrated the Coronation with fish and chips!

About 120 residents of Yarley, Bleadney and Henton didn’t let a few showers spoil the big day.

Village picnic in the park

AN ARCADIAN PLACE TO STAY

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Cohabitation –your rights explained

COHABITATIONis increasingly preferred to marriage but as a cohabitee your rights are not the same as if you were a spouse. Here then is a basic summary of your rights:

Renting a home together

When both your names are on the tenancy agreement, you are equally responsible for the rent and any other tenancy conditions. If you split up and one of you wants to move out, you will need to talk to your landlord or lettings agency to change the tenancy agreement.

Buying property together

You could be joint tenants, where you own the whole property together, or tenants in common, where you each own a share in the property. Find out more about these terms on the GOV.UK website.

You own the property together

Having a cohabitation agreement already in place can make things easier if you split up. You will need to agree between you what happens to the property. If one of you dies, the other automatically inherits the property. This cannot be changed by your will.

You each own a share in the property Ownership could be split equally, or one of you may own a larger share. You might agree this if they pay more of the deposit or mortgage. With tenants in common ownership, if you split up you will be entitled to your own share in the property. If your partner dies, you will not

automatically inherit their share, unless they have left it to you in their will.

If one person owns the property

You will not usually have any rights to the property if you don’t own the property or a share in it, unless you can prove you have: l contributed to the deposit for the house or the mortgage payments, or l made a financial commitment, like paying for major work on the house, with the understanding that you would own a share of the house.

This means if you split up and you are not the owner you have no right to continue living in the property. And unless it’s left to you in their will, you won’t automatically inherit the property if your partner dies. If you agree that you should both have a share in the property, you can transfer the property into a joint tenancy. A solicitor can help you do this.

Bank accounts

If you die and you have separate bank accounts, your partner will not be legally able to access your account. Find out more on the Money Advice Service website.

Pension access

If you die, your state pension is not automatically passed on to your partner. Different rules apply to company and private pensions. Find out more on the Money Advice Service website.

Tax benefit

You and your partner do not have tax benefits as a couple. If you want to give

assets, like a house or a large amount of money, to your partner you may have to pay tax.

Cohabitation agreements and wills

To make sure you and your partner’s interests are protected, you may want to consider getting a cohabitation agreement and making a will. Without a will your partner and their children will not automatically inherit from you. They will only be able to make a claim through court if:

l you have been living together for two or more years, or

l they were financially supported by you. You would do well to get legal help with cohabitation agreements and wills.

EDWARD LYONS

Mendip triumphs at tourism awards

MENDIP Basecamp in Churchill was named Silver Campsite of the Year at the South West Tourism Awards held at the Eden Project.

The campsite, having only opened in 2020, was declared the second best in the whole of Somerset, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Wiltshire, Bristol and Bath for 2022.

David Eddins, managing director at Mendip Basecamp and Mendip Activity Centre said: "We were shocked to win this prestigious award; particularly with so many wonderful accommodation providers in the area.

“We opened our activity centre to camping in the summer of 2020 to get through COVID and were overwhelmed by its popularity and the positive support we received.”

Basecamp is a family adventure campsite on the edge of the Mendip Hills for tents and campervans.

Set in the heart of an activity centre, guests can take part in over 20 outdoor activities or enjoy relaxing within the ancient woodland, the giant sandpit and beautiful grass paddocks. It opens for the season on May 26th.

Details: www.mendipbasecamp.com

The importance of Lasting Powers of Attorney

A RECENTsurvey of 2,000 UK residents by Which found that while 85% of respondents knew what a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) was, only one in seven people had one in place.

In her latest article Senior Associate Cara Burr discusses LPAs, the misconceptions, and the benefits of having an LPA.

The misconceptions

There are many misconceptions about the use of LPAs but the two most common are that people incorrectly believe they lose access to their financial accounts once the LPA is registered and that an LPA can be created at any time during a person’s lifetime, not realising that it cannot be done once mental capacity has been lost.

There are two different types of LPAs. Under the LPA for Property & Financial Affairs, while you still can make your own decisions, you can ask your attorneys for help with your financial matters, for example, to sign documents for you or go into the bank on your behalf. Your attorneys would only take over if you were ever to lose the ability to make your own decisions about your finances.

With an LPA for Health & Welfare, your attorneys would only be able to act if you were unable to make health and welfare decisions yourself.

If you lose mental capacity to make your own decisions without an LPA in place, your loved ones will have to apply for a Deputyship Order at the Court of Protection. It is a significantly more costly and complex application than making LPAs. The Deputy is accountable to the Court on an ongoing basis and an annual supervision fee applies. Applying for a Deputyship Order also takes considerably longer than registering an LPA.

The benefits of an LPA You can appoint someone you trust

An LPA gives you peace of mind that someone you know, and importantly trust, oversees your affairs. Without an LPA in place, it is left up to the Court to approve who should make decisions on your behalf if you lose mental capacity.

Access to money when needed

If you are the primary earner and you became incapacitated it is likely that your partner, children, or friends would need urgent access to your bank accounts to ensure essential bills continue to be paid. An LPA protects your loved ones from entering a legal limbo where they cannot make these crucial decisions.

You can leave instructions

Having an LPA in place means you can leave instructions for your loved ones. If an attorney is presented with a choice, they can follow any instructions you have left in your LPA, which would be legally binding.

Peace of mind

Think of LPAs as if they were an insurance policy. Once you have made LPAs and the documents have been registered, you can simply file them away and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing that if anything should happen, they are in place to make things easier for you and for your loved ones.

We insure all aspects of our daily lives in case the ‘worst’ should happen, so why not our ability to make decisions?

To discuss making a Lasting Powers of Attorney or if you have any questions, please get in touch with Cara Burr on 01749 341818 or email cara.burr@mogersdrewett.com.

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The procession takes a break in Draycott

King Charles and Queen Camilla walk the route

The street party in Rodney Stoke

(Photography courtesy of Martin Grass)

Broad Street was closed for a party

(Photography courtesy of Adele Williams)

Food for thought at Field to Food

THE Royal Bath & West Showground at Shepton Mallet hosted a Field to Food Learning Day to educate the next generation about farming and food production.

It offered children the opportunity to step outside the classroom and look, hear, smell and really get their hands dirty! This year, demonstrations included butter making and cheese tasting with Wyke Farms, a sheep “MOT” with Shepton Vets, bread moulding with Denelas Bakery and a water cycle workshop with Wessex Water.

Twenty six schools from across Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire attended, with both pupils and teachers all

commenting on how much they learnt throughout the day. Shows and Education Coordinator at the Royal Bath & West Society, Lilanie Self, said: “It has been a real privilege to welcome back over 1,200 to our Field to Food Learning Day. Food is a key part of everyday living, so being able to see so many young children learning about food production is very special to be a part of.”

l If you are a local school, and would like to register your interest for next year’s Field to Food Learning Day, which takes place on Wednesday, April 17th, contact Lilanie Self: Lilanie.self@bathandwest.co.uk

A shearing demonstration underway

Sowing the seeds of interest

Team’s London efforts

New trophy up for grabs

COMPETITORSin Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance’s Race from the Base event on Saturday, June 10th will have the chance to win a new trophy.

The Hugo Yaxley Trophy will be awarded to the cyclist who raises the most in sponsorship. Hugo died after an accident in November 2020, since when his family and friends have raised £46,000 for the air ambulance.

SOME57 members of Team Harvey took part in the London Landmarks Half Marathon, raising £35,000 for the Harvey Hext Trust, which was founded by Sarah Hext in 2016, when her son Harvey passed away from neuroblastoma cancer, aged nine.

It supports bereaved children and their families, supplying bespoke memory boxes, days out, funeral grants, and bereavement resources for schools, hospitals and hospices.

Chris Canning, who completed the run on his 45th birthday, smashed through his personal best time in a super-fast 1hr:35:44. Others, new to half marathons, were happy to run at their own pace, sometimes alongside the celebrities taking part.

There was a magical moment when ITV’s Dermot O’Leary spotted Spencer, Harvey’s twin brother, holding his hand out as he passed the Cheer Station at Mile 12. He backtracked to give him a great big High Five.

Christopher Bridges from Team Harvey said: “I have never run a half marathon before, but the training and build up with the team before the event was supportive and friendly. On the day it was magic, the atmosphere was amazing. Seeing all the supporters cheering us on kept me going to cross the finish line.”

Sarah Hext said: “I am so grateful to everyone who made up Team Harvey this year. The amount raised is just incredible and it will enable us to support so many bereaved children with this money. The long-term impact that this will have is immeasurable.”

If you would like to become part of Team Harvey in the London Landmarks 2024, limited places are available on the trust’s website.

His brother, Thomas, said: “We are really touched that Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance have introduced this award in Hugo’s memory.

“The clinical team were there when we needed them the most; they gave Hugo a fighting chance and although he didn’t make it, they gave our parents a chance to say goodbye.”

Entrance fees for the race, starting from Henstridge airfield, are adults: £25 (30km), £35 (60km), £40 (100km); U-16s: £10 (30km), £15 (60km). The 100km distance is not open to Under U-16s.

Details: www.dsairambulance.org.uk

Mayor’s Beltane fundraiser

Details: https://harveyhexttrust.com/event/londonlandmarks-half-marathon/ or email events@harveyhexttrust.com

AN arts and crafts Beltane Bazaar in Glastonbury Town Hall began the town’s weekend of Beltane celebrations in style.

Mayor Jon Cousins organised a concert in the town hall which raised £400 for his chosen charity, the Glastonbury People’s Trust.

Amongst the exhibitors at the bazaar was artist and poet Rosie Temple, a member of the Pegasus Collective. Rosie was asking for donations for her work in aid of a campaign to fund a return visit to the town by a group of Masai Warriors who were last in Glastonbury in 2018.

For details, find the Pegasus Collective on Facebook

Artist Rosie Temple, a member of the Pegasus Collective, is pictured (seated) with mayoress Sue Barnett and mayor Jon Cousins

Sweet success at Tucker’s tea party

SWALLOW is 30 not out

Members of Benj’s family and friends

A CREAM tea party at the Tucker’s Grave Inn at Faulkland has raised almost £2,300 for the Bowel Movement charity.

The Bowel Movement was set up by the family of Benjamin Millard, who died from bowel cancer in April 2019, aged just 33. “Benj”, who was born in Frome, was young, fit and apparently healthy but had developed a five-centimetre tumour in his large bowel. By the time it was discovered, it had spread and he died a few weeks before what would have been his 34th birthday.

The charity aims to increase awareness and knowledge of the disease, especially amongst younger people and in July, a group of supporters will tackle the Three Peaks Challenge.

For details about the Bowel Movement, visit: www.thebowelmovement.uk

Wedmore fashion show

SWALLOW, a charity based in Midsomer Norton, is celebrating 30 years supporting teenagers and adults with learning disabilities.

In June they are asking friends and supporters to get behind the charity by doing 30 things to raise money which could involve running 30km to baking 30 cakes, to walking for 30 minutes for 30 days.

SWALLOW will provide a fundraising pack and challenges will go up on their Challenge Wall on their website. They are also asking schools and companies to get involved.

SWALLOW provides supported housing, education and training and outreach in the community as well as a range of support towards employment and activities to reduce social isolation. The charity is a user-led organisation and was started in 1993 in response to the needs and wishes of local people with learning disabilities.

For details, visit: www.swallowcharity.org or call Nicky on 01761 414034

Take on the Mendip Challenge

MOREthan 1,000 people are expected to take to the Mendip Hills for Weston Hospicecare’s Mendip Challenge on Sunday, June 4th.

A SELL-OUT charity fashion show in Wedmore supported by 120 people raised more than £2,500 for the Help the Child charity.

It was organised by Claire Bidwell, who owns Lime ladies wear in Wedmore. She provided the seven models who are all friends and four, Sarah, Jo, Lynn and Jules, work as sales assistants.

Wendy Ryder who practices reflexology in the village was backstage helping the girls in and out of their 35 outfits. The eclectic mix of great clothes were teamed with large, brimmed straw hats and matching bags along with vibrant jewellery and scarves.

This is the 33rd time it has been held and the hospice hopes to raise about £75,000. Participants are given the choice to take part in a 30, 20, 10 or 5 mile route following the stunning West Mendip Way.

Events and Challenges Manager, Nicola Slark, said: “I cannot put into words how truly thankful we are to our incredible community for supporting the Mendip Challenge this year.”

Details: https://www.westonhospicecare.org.uk/ event/the-mendip-challenge

SWALLOW Members and staff at their 30th anniversary annual meeting

Walkers say thank you to children’s hospital

Cycling

to save young lives

SIXTEEN fundraisers raised more than £1,000 for the Wallace and Gromit Grand Appeal with a ten-mile fancy dress sponsored walk.

It started and finished at the Hunters Rest, Clutton by way of High Littleton, Paulton, Tesco, Farrington Gurney and Hallatrow. It took them 4hrs 25 minutes.

The same group has raised nearly £16,000 for the appeal, thanks to a succession of annual fun days held in Temple Cloud.

One of the organisers, Tasha Dix, said it was to thank the hospital for saving her nephew Morgan’s life when he was just 13 months old.

She said: “We were told he had a very bad case of meningitis and the RUH hospital in Bath told us he would not make it through the night. He was then transferred to Bristol Children’s hospital where they worked their magic and saved his life.”

Morgan took part in the walk with his mum, Kay Bolton. She said: “My son was extremely poorly back in 2011 with meningococcal meningitis.

“If it wasn’t for the children’s hospital my son wouldn’t be here now. We can’t thank the hospital enough. So raising money to help other families in the same situation is our aim and also raising money for the hospital.”

The next Temple Cloud Fun Day is on Saturday, July 8th, 12-5pm at Temple Cloud village hall and playing fields. As well as supporting the appeal it will be in memory of former parish council chairman, Tony Hooper, who was a very big supporter of the fundraisers.

Details: https://www.facebook.com/groups/960605674031963 or email boulton90@live.com

He rode to raise money for PAPYRUS, a charity which works to prevent suicide in young people, after the 17-yearold son of a friend had taken his own life.

Mark, aged 55, a consumer finance expert and campaigner, had started road cycling shortly before the COVID pandemic struck and cycled round Chew Valley Lake several times most days during lockdown.

He said: “Having secured one of the 8,000 places in the race I started to learn about how to prepare for a challenge equivalent to cycling from Cardiff to London with Mont Blanc in the way.”

With advice from fellow members of Chew Valley Cycling Club, he developed a six-month plan to train through the winter.

He said: “At the start of my training I was riding 150km a week with one of my rides being three climbs of Burrington Combe. For the last six weeks of my training, I had built up to over 350km a week and I finished with an exhausting ride including 12 climbs of Burrington.

“My finishing time was nine hours 58 minutes (just two minutes inside my charity challenge time) and incredibly I was placed 561st out of the many thousands of starters.

“Before I started my friend had messaged me to say ‘Hector will be riding with you all the way to the finish line. It’s a beautiful gesture to take this challenge on for such an important charity and in memory of our beloved son’. There was certainly an angel looking after me that day.”

He has raised more than £5,000 so far for PAPYRUS, which provides suicide prevention training – suicide is the biggest cause of death in U-35s.

Details: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/m312 www.papyrus-uk.org

Morgan, dressed as Spider-Man, and his mum Kay Bolton

MARK Taber from Compton Martin has completed one of the world’s toughest one-day cycle races, 225km across the mountains in Mallorca.

Where are the young birds?

I’M writing this in mid-May and already some interesting results from a survey of the early bird breeding season are coming through.

By CHRIS SPERRING MBE

Take my garden for example: there should now be many fledging blue and great tits, blackbirds incubating eggs for the second brood, robins also on their second broods and goldfinches feeding young in the nest.

The stark reality is that none of the above has resulted so far this year in any bird fledgling.

The cause of this appears to be the weather. Even though my garden has very wild parts in it, a quick insect survey reveals little evidence of the big build-up of insects that helps to feed a lot of these young birds.

Colleagues and friends are telling stories of blue and great tit boxes in gardens that have young who have all died, whilst where a few of those have enjoyed success that success is lower or much lower than last year.

As with other springs, I get asked to lead people on dawn and evening chorus walks and I was beginning to think I was losing my hearing as each event was so much quieter than the previous few years. Seriously, I was blaming myself; that was until people who were leading similar walks around the country were saying exactly the same thing (phew).

The early butterfly results in my garden during a warm spell in March were very encouraging with brimstone, small tortoiseshell and comma butterflies recorded, but since the beginning of April and now in mid-May, not one butterfly has been recorded.

Part of the problem, without a doubt, is resilience, meaning there’s not enough good habitat for these species to rebuild. In other words, the bit I do in my garden is good, but unless it's

backed by other local gardens doing the same thing then its overall positive effect is a drop in the ocean.

Rewilding has been noted as the answer to all these problems and this is a subject about which I have been lecturing for many years. Indeed, 20 years ago I would have probably spoken in your own village or town about the “real wild”. This looked at nature from nature's perspective and how we fit into that. Rewilding is a subject very close to my heart but now has so many meanings, which confuses too many people, it’s all become diluted.

For any form of nature recovery to be effective, nature will need us to stop thinking that every road verge and every park needs to be treated like a bowling green. It’s true that management will be needed and this should be encased into any so-called rewilding plan which, in some cases, can be achieved by wild or domestic animals and by machine only where necessary.

Farmers and landowners will play a very important part in any recovery plan but will need the proper compensation from the government to back up their efforts and which must be done, of course, in a manner which does not threaten national food security.

And so, lastly, it’s back to gardens. These areas can play a major part in rural, town and city nature recovery. But instead of one gardener in 20 thinking about wildlife let’s make it a continuous area. No, you don’t have to use all your garden (I haven’t), but the bits I have left are borders and corners which are normally difficult to manage in any case.

me know if you are doing your bit for nature; it’s always great to hear from people, farmers and landowners. Also, by the time this issue is published, our barn owl eggs on the live webcam –

Great tit

Female blackbird

Walk this way to the windmill

ENJOYa glorious summer walk in the Vale of Wedmore from Weare. The highlights are superb views across to Mendip, open grassland walking, a windmill, smokery and café and an amazing cider barn/café/entertainment centre. There is a steady climb not far from the start onto Brinscombe Hill but other than that, it is flat through fields, a little lane walking and then a downhill back to Weare. In recent years there has been a sprouting of Bristol Gates which makes the going much easier.

PARK: In Weare (sometimes referred to as Upper Weare) near St Gregory’s Church. Park with care and leave room for people going to church services. If approaching from the A38 turn towards Weare and at the school fork left for Upper Weare.

START: Go through into the churchyard of St Gregory and follow the path ahead to the right of the church.

The comedian, Frankie Howerd, who lived for many years near Wavering Down, is buried here. You can find the grave behind a wall where new graves are placed. Frankie is six rows down and about four graves away (next row) from Dennis Heymer his partner of 40 years.

Do look at the wood carvings in the church if you have time. They are unusual as they were the work of a woman, Violet Pinwill, at the end of the 19th century. Only two churches in Somerset have her carvings but there are many more in Devon and Cornwall.

The path comes out to join the high pavement alongside the lane. Keep on and then go left down Splott Lane.

1. SPLOTT LANE

At the end, head through a gate, pass Homefield Cottage and go through another marked gate ahead. You are now on the edge of Wedmore Vale. Follow the right hedge and get the first of the views across to Mendip ridge and the big slash made by Cheddar Gorge. Go through a gate and a little way along, turn right through a Bristol Gate (BG) and then left and head across to another BG passing Stream Farm on the left.

2. CONVERTED BARN

Come out onto the lane and walk straight on, passing the grand barn conversion and climbing a little. Approach houses and by the entrance to the first house on the right, go through the gate/opening into the field on the right (not marked as a public footpath, but it is). This is the steepest

climb of the circle, up on to Brinscombe Hill. Head up to the top left corner and go through onto the path which continues a gentle climb.

Head along the hill with glorious views across left. Keep on in this direction for over 0.6 miles, going through BGs and later on, have the hedge on your left. Don’t take any side turns. Continue until you begin to drop down and curve down right.

4. TRACK

Leave the field through a BG and turn up a track on the right, flanked by bluebells when I came. Go ahead through a BG at the top and on by gates to the remains of an old stile ahead. Then on through another gate and in this next field turn left through an opening into another field. Cross this, heading to near the far left corner. Again, you have views over to Mendip left. Cross a fence stile and go straight on with a hedge right, through another BG. Maintain direction following the left hedge. And at the corner just carry on across the rest of the field to a BG. Then cross the next field diagonally and in the corner, stay in the field turning right along the top edge. There’s a marked gate in the corner which you go through and carry on for a short way. Then take the BG left. Bear across the field right, passing not far from a hedge corner, to a BG ahead by a dead tree. Follow the left hedge on and near the end cross a double stile in the hedge and turn right. After going through

3. BRINSCOMBE HILL

With Sue Gearing

an opening keep on towards a house down on the right. Ahead in the distance is Ashton Windmill. Go through a gap in the hedge and then follow the garden wall to reach a gate onto a lane.

5. LANE

Turn right. After a few minutes, turn off the lane left through a BG. Cross the field, and in the next field follow the left hedge all the way to the end. Go out to the road with the fine Ashton Windmill on the other side. Cross with great care as it is a blind bend.

6. WINDMILL

There are seats here so it is a good place for a picnic. Ashton windmill is a tower mill over 7.5 metres (25 ft) high with thick stone walls. The millstones were used to grind wheat for flour and beans for cattle food. The first mill on the site was medieval, but the present structure probably dates from the 18th century and is on the mound where once stood a post mill. It was modernised in 1900 with machinery brought from the demolished Moorlinch Mill, with iron hoops around the building being added. After being neglected for a long time, it was restored in 1967 and has a grade II listing. See the end for details of opening times and visits. Coming out from the windmill follow the lane left and after a few minutes, go left through a metal kissing gate and diagonally right across the field. Come out through a gate in the hamlet of Chapel Allerton at a T-junction.

7.

Cross the side road and go right (not sharp right) past Ham Lane and Front Street in the direction of Weare. This is a fairly quiet lane which leads out to the road again. After turning left, reach what used to be the very popular walkers’ pub, the Wheatsheaf, being converted for fine dining.

8.

PUB AND SMOKERY

A smokery and shop is now run next door – the Valley Smokehouse. See end of walk for opening hours. From here, turn down left on the smaller lane and this soon brings you on the right to a drive which is also a footpath leading to an amazing cider

OS Explorer 141,

barn and venue, Ad Astra, set in its own orchards at Orchardleigh Farm.

9. AD ASTRA

What3words:

The hard-working owners Paul and Suzanne Rolfe, apart from producing very popular cider, have become a centre of the community running many social events, often for charity, with live music. Suzanne is very happy for you to call in on the way past and suggests you ring her before if you would like food. The barn and tap room is a spacious venue with a bar. There is usually someone there, so do call in, or ring beforehand. It is a very friendly place.

Follow the footpath track and this joins the drive. Turn left to the road. It’s left now along the road for a short way to take the first turning right, Mill Lane.

412 527,

Soon, along Mill Lane, cross left onto a footpath over a stile and then through a kissing gate into a field. Keep on round two sides of the field and in the corner cross a stile and go through a small piece of woodland into a field.

11. FIELDS

Now just keep on in this direction through fields heading for the Mendip ridge ahead. The hedge is sometimes on your left and sometimes on your right. Don’t turn off at all. There’s a kissing gate on the way. Then come alongside woodland and a wooded valley on your right. Take a gate ahead and continue down to go down steps to a drive by a house. Turn left back to the road in Weare with the church a short way on the right.

l Ashton Windmill, in the care of Somerset Council is run by volunteers and is usually open Sundays and Bank Holidays 2.30pm to about 4.30pm (between Easter Sunday and end of September), Wednesdays 2.30pm to 4.30pm (July and August). Admission free, and group visits are available by arrangement. Please contact a member of the Friends of Ashton Windmill on 01278 789859.

l The Valley Smokehouse and the Wheatsheaf. The shop and a café are open Thurs-Sat 10-5pm. The Wheatsheaf pub is open for fine dining by reservation only on Thursday and Friday evenings. Tel: 01934 712346.

l Ad Astra, Stone Allerton, cider barn, tap room and venue. Walkers are welcome. Phone Suzanne on 07897 348119.

CHAPEL ALLERTON

10. FOOTPATH

Cheddar Gorge & Mendip Hills West, grid ref:

postcode for church BS26 2LE.

dolphin.bring.skimmers 5.4 miles, about 3-3.5 hours walking.

West Countryman’s diary

I DON’T think that anyone could say this May has been boring! Three Bank Holidays, a Coronation and the North Somerset Agricultural Show. It’s the month of my birthday along with my son and his wife and commemorations of another three family members no longer with me. Add to this, 18 years of Mendip Times and it starts to add up to something special in my calendar.

You will be reading a lot about the North Somerset Show, local Coronation celebrations and the 18 years of Mendip Times in this month’s copy. I would also like to add my tribute to MT and how it’s grown over the years.

Steve Egginton and Mark Adler came to pay me a visit at the Mendip Hills Wardens office early in 2005. Both were well respected and established journalists who had decided to take a more “happy story” approach to journalism than they were able to do in their former careers.

A previous free newspaper had failed on Mendip through lack of advertising support. These guys however had different ideas for MT and my old “Rola-Dex” contacts file came into its own. Many will remember these along with space invaders and early computers.

Once I had supplied as many options as I could for their up-andcoming contributors, there came the final request: “Will you write for us as well?”

So it all began for me with a change of title to Westcountryman’s diary for my column when I left the AONB. My thanks go to MT for including my column that has allowed me to keep memories alive and to record those often simple rural occurrences that pass us by in the modern world.

So now a few more of my thoughts and observations from hill, moor and garden.

As the middle of the year approaches and with it the longest day, I wonder what exciting surprises our Mendip weather has in store for us. So far, it’s one of the wettest springs on record, but it’s been a good growing month once the ground warmed up.

The forage harvesting teams have been busy and from some of the grass I’ve seen it should be good. I would look to Nick Green however to make comment on that.

The apple trees mentioned in last month’s column are showing great promise and amazing blossom. My vegetable patch however is late, well it’s not strictly the veg patch that's late, it’s me, but I have made a move to catch up. The words “Needs to try harder” seem to ring in my ears from junior school reports!

Life for the blackbirds in my front hedge is as hectic as ever. No doubt there is a second brood being fed now and both parents will be more than a little bit ragged at the end of it. Life is tough on us all at times, no matter how clever we may be or how simple a life we lead.

That’s where the countryside comes in. A green and pleasant environment that can smooth ruffled feathers and cool the fevered brow. A recent meeting with a Bristol school teacher who

remembered the Farm Link days at Yeo Valley re-enforced this view.

She remembers the sunny afternoons on the north slope above Ubley when we would get the school children to sit down and just look. Get them to take in the views using their eyes and minds as they would a camera to recall them at a later time as they closed their eyes to go to sleep. That and lying on their back looking at the clouds trying to find shapes and faces had such a calming effect.

I wonder if they still find time to do it, or like many other things in our lives, has it left those ex-pupils, hopefully to return later in life with their own children.

Simple things in life are often the best and as with so many other things we over complicate it with high-tech activities and deeply thought-out solutions that we analyse to within a hair’s breadth of our sanity.

People seem more confused about gender and being, more critical of a past that cannot be altered, whether it be good or bad it is what it is. Let’s be content with the present and more positive about our future.

I for one am proud to be British and swelled with pride at the pageantry and tradition of a ceremony of Coronation that has existed for over 1000 years. Nobody does ceremony like the “Brits” and it brings in, as it undoubtedly did this time, a lot of money and affection for this country. There . . . I had better go and lie down and calm myself now!

It would appear we are not the only species to get confused with our established roles. Looking out of the window I see my garden squirrel climbing the telephone pole. He climbs cautiously in jerky movement to the very top of the pole and negotiates the cluster of wires to sit right on the top, until a crow makes him move.

Finally, Happy Birthday Mendip Times and in celebration here are some flowers for you. I am most grateful to Andy Chamberlain, Mendip Hills AONB Ranger for taking this picture of cowslips.

Don’t ever forget the W.H Davies poem that begins: “What life is this if full of care we have no time to stand and stare.” Look up the full version, I use it quite often.

God Save the King!

With LES

June is bustin’ out all over

AFTERa bad winter and late spring Mother

Nature has finally got her act together and June is coming into bloom in our gardens. This month is the peak season for gardeners to open their gates to raise money for the very worthy causes supported by the National Gardens Scheme.

Visiting local open gardens is an excellent way of getting ideas, seeing what does well in your area, and picking up a few plants from the sales tables, whilst enjoying delicious tea and cakes.

However, we should be aiming for our gardens to be “gardens for all seasons” to help our insect populations that are sadly declining. Bees need pollen virtually all year. So, support those gardens that open later in the year as well.

June is also peak month for roses, our national flower, but sadly more and more varieties of roses are proving too susceptible to diseases.

The English rose is synonymous with David Austin Roses, and they have recently “retired” a number of well-known and much-loved varieties, notably “Graham Thomas”, “Darcy Bussell”, “Munstead Wood”, “Winchester Cathedral” and “Jude the Obscure” among others.

This is due to climatic change and the evolution of plant diseases and our reluctance to use chemical controls. A longterm prediction by the Royal Horticultural Society suggests that many more will follow.

Other plants are following that trend. Viburnum tinus, that ever-popular winter flowering evergreen, is now so prone to the viburnum beetle that I have stopped planting it. Escallonias, so commonly used as windbreaks in Cornwall, have been removed following severe attacks of a leaf spot fungal disease.

Increasing numbers of new varieties of hebes, heralding from New Zealand, are appearing in garden centres, but buyer beware, they are very prone to downy mildew, especially the highly variegated ones. The tiny leaved ones, such as Hebe

sutherlandii and H. rakaiensis appear to cope better.

If the fungal disease has not decimated your hebes, then the winter may well have done so, especially the larger leaved forms. Many plants suffered from stress during the summer drought and high temperatures, then had soggy roots from all the rain in the autumn, followed closely by well below average temperatures and low light levels.

Other New Zealand plants to suffer badly include the New Zealand Flax (phormiums), particularly the variegated forms.

Another problem associated with the winter is “green petal” on some clematis flowers. The tepals (posh name for the petals on some plants!) can have abnormal green streaks and become severely distorted.

The cause is low temperatures when the flower buds are being initiated some months before flowering. White flowered varieties are particularly prone to this problem. It should sort itself out for next year!

Those who have adopted No Mow May should consider extending it to “No Mow June, and July” to allow those flowering plants, such as cowslips, to set and disperse their seeds. Allowing your dandelions to seed may not be socially acceptable to your neighbours and in rural areas there is an abundance of these anyway.

If you decide to sow some cowslip (Primula veris) seed, to add to your lawn, then remember to keep the seed trays cool. All primula seed will go dormant if the temperature goes too high and will then need a winter chilling to overcome the problem. This is the right time of year to sow but be aware of the problem. The seed should also be fresh.

Mowing inviting paths through an area of longer grass will add interest to the area which can start to look unkept as the season progresses. Be aware that in an urban situation allowing your grass to flower may subject your neighbour to unpleasant hay fever.

For a good display of wallflowers next spring, they should be started this month. They can be sown direct into a spare piece

of ground. Water the seed drill prior to sowing the seed thinly. To produce the best quality bushy plants, transplant them when 2-3” high spacing about 6” apart.

This breaks the tap root and encourages the development of side shoots and a more fibrous root system that will transplant more easily when moving to their final position in late September once the summer bedding plants have been removed.

Commercially produced plants do not get transplanted and may suffer when transplanted, but usually recover well. The Sugar Rush Series of dwarf wallflowers may flower in the autumn and again in the spring and can be used in pots or baskets.

Traditional varieties like “Primrose Bedder” are more suitable in the garden or large pots in combination with tulips. Now is also a good time to sow foxgloves to flower next year. These too can be sown outdoors and can simply be moved to their flowering positions in the autumn.

The month of June may be bursting with blossom, but it is also the time for the bugs to attack. One single greenfly can multiply, without a mate, and produce many million offspring in as little as 100 days when the weather is warm. So be prepared!

Box moth is about and very soon your gooseberry foliage will vanish, consumed almost overnight by an army of gooseberry sawfly caterpillars. Your lupins have probably already been attacked by a multitude of the most enormous greenfly which can seriously affect the plant, but the blue tits love them – the greenfly that is!

Just as those precious delphiniums are about to flower, we will get gales so be prepared and stake them.

For National Garden Scheme gardens open near you, go to www.ngs.org.uk and for village gardens opening dates see www.opengardens.co.uk

With MARY PAYNE MBE

Rosa ‘Graham Thomas’

• Make sure that your potatoes don’t run short of moisture at this time. The new tubers should be forming now and will respond well to a thorough watering.

• Plant out those annual herbs (dill, pot marigold, basil, coriander, etc) that often resent being planted too early.

• Plant outdoor tomatoes, ridge cucumbers, courgettes and marrows. These can all be easily grown in large pots or grow bags on the patio.

• Most herbs will benefit from being cut fairly hard now. The young shoot tips are generally the tastiest parts to use in cooking.

• There is still time to make a sowing of perpetual spinach leaf beet. This is a really useful vegetable that can be harvested right through the winter.

• A late sowing of parsley can still be made and, even if you don’t have a veg. patch, curled parsley will not look out of place in the flower border!

• Spray your apples to stop Codling Moth grubs boring into your fruit. Pheromone traps, now widely available, give good non-pesticide control but need to be installed early enough to get control.

• Remove (by snapping them off) side shoots from cordon (non bushy) tomatoes. Stake and support them. Feed regularly with tomato feed, it improves the flavour!

Aaron’s one-stop shop

NEED a paddock maintained or a lawnmower serviced?

Perhaps it’s a landscaping job or a new strimmer?

Mendip Rural Services, run by Aaron Coleman, offers a wide range of services from their base opposite the Mendip Shooting Ground, near Binegar.

A busy workshop leads through to a showroom packed with the latest gardening machinery and accessories, making it literally a one-stop shop. But Aaron has built his successful business on also offering a wide range of outdoor services including digger work and fencing as well as log deliveries. It means it’s always worth giving Aaron a call in advance to check the workshop and showroom are open or if he’s out and about.

Aaron said: “Offering a number of varied services throughout the year means I’m always busy but I really enjoy the variety as no two days are ever the same. I’m also very privileged to have some fantastic regular clients around the area.”

Off to Hampton Court

JODIE Chan retrained as a gardener during lockdown after realising she needed to ditch her office job.

In early March, she secured her first permanent gardening job at Clare Hall Nursing Home in Ston Easton and was straight away inspired to think about creating a sensory garden for the residents.

During her first week, she spotted a call from the RHS Hampton Court Festival looking for sensory garden design submissions and decided to enter – her first time ever designing a garden.

She was amazed to win a highly sought after place at the show from July 3rd-9th, having received excellent feedback from the RHS who liked her innovative and original design.

Now a team of mums from Wells and Chewton Mendip, where she lives, are spending weekends with her to create this rather unusual garden called “Touching the Senses”.

The design incorporates large sculptural spheres of more than 1,000 succulents, inviting visitors to touch and explore. They will be anchored in a soft, contrasting backdrop of soft prairie grasses and bright flowers.

It's been designed to be low maintainence, drought tolerant, given climate change, and accessible for wheelchair users.

After the show she would like to bring it back for the local community to enjoy. First though she is looking for sponsorship to help realise this dream.

Details:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/plant-a-sensorygarden?utm_campaign=p_lico+share-

Hidden gardens

ABOUTa dozen gardens which are normally hidden from view will be opening in Wedmore for all to visit on June 24th and 25th. Some are large, some small, some well established and others freshly landscaped in the new developments in the village.

Details: www.isleofwedmore.net

NGS GARDENS OF THE MONTH

42, Silver Street, Midsomer Norton

THISlong narrow half acre garden attached to a Victorian semidetached house backs onto the Somerset and Dorset heritage railway with views over the Somer Valley at the far end. The owners are a landscape architect and professional gardener who have undertaken the design and construction of the garden themselves, from grubbing out old trees and digging ponds, to laying paving and planting nearly 1,000 species and varieties of plants, many of which are rare or unusual.

Address: Midsomer Norton, Radstock BA3 2EY.

Contact: Andrew King & Kevin Joint, kingandrew@talk21.com

Opening date and time: Sunday, June 18th, 11am-4pm.

Admission: Adults £5, children free. Cash only.

June 3rd and 4th

Babbs Farm, Westhill Lane, Bason Bridge, Highbridge TA9 4RF, 2-5pm, adults £7, children free.

OTHER GARDENS OPEN FOR THE NGS

Badgworth Court Barn, Notting Hill Way, Stone Allerton, Axbridge BS24 6NQ, 2-5.30pm, adults £5, children free.

June 7th and 11th

Mathlin Cottage, School Road, Wrington, Bristol, BS40 5NB 25.30pm, admission £5 children free.

Thursday June 8th

Watcombe, 92 Church Road, Winscombe, BS25 1BP, 2-5pm, adults £5 children free.

Friday June 9th

Caisson House, Combe Hay, Bath, BA2 7EF, 11am-4pm, adults £7 children free.

June 9th and 11th

Tregunter, Charlcombe Lane, Lansdown, Bath, BA1 5TT, 12-5pm, adults £5 children free.

Saturday June 10th

The Old Rectory, Doynton, 18 Toghill Lane, Doynton, Bristol, BS30 5SY, 11am-4pm, adults £5 children free.

June 23rd and 25th

Mellowstones, Staples Hill, Freshford, Bath, BA2 7WL, 11am4pm, adults £6 children free.

Sunday June 25th

Combe Cottage, 161, Long Ashton Road, Long Ashton, Bristol, BS41 9JQ, 1-4pm, combined admission with Sunnymead, adults £5 children free.

Sunnymead, 153, Long Ashton Road, Long Ashton, Bristol BS41 9JQ, 1-4pm, combined admission with Combe Cottage, £5 children free.

To see more gardens open for the NGS, see The Yellow Book, or Local County Leaflet, available from local Garden Centres, or go to: https://www.ngs.org.uk

A real garden treat

FORtwo of the region’s best gardeners the first weekend in June is their big charity opening of the year and it’s a chance for you to make a real gardening weekend of it and visit both.

Though several miles apart, Sue O’Brien and Trish Gibson have much in common and between them they’ve opened their gardens for the National Garden Scheme for an amazing 25 years!

Sue’s garden at Babbs Farm, Highbridge, is the larger, with more formal gardens around the farmhouse expanding out naturally into the surrounding fields of the Somerset Levels.

Trish’s at Badgworth Court Barn near Axbridge is more contained, with “rooms” set around the old farm buildings within which the planting is relaxed and colourful, with an atmospheric courtyard, and colourful meadow-like sand garden.

Both gardeners are self-trained, benefiting from years of hands-on experience, their hobby slowly becoming a constant need and presence in their life.

Both gardens are open for the National Garden Scheme on Saturday, June 3rd and Sunday, June 4th. See NGS Gardens of the Month for details.

Trish Gibson (left) and Sue O'Brien discussing a magnolia

DIY or Trade customers welcome, to our new purpose designed showroom and stock yard.

Specialists in hard landscape supplies, providing:

Porcelain tiles

Natural stone paving

Granite paving

Landscape accessories and bespoke products

Jointing compounds and sealants

All our sales team are ex-installers, allowing us to provide you with experience and knowledge to help you create your perfect paved area.

Local service at online prices, next day nationwide delivery also available.

“Passionate and professional about paving”

CHANTRY AND WHATLEY

AXBRID GE

Edgar is crowned King of England by Bishop Dunstan at Glastonbury Abbey in a re-enactment of the first coronation service of its kind in 959

The Glastonbury Drummers lead a procession from the site of the Edgar Chapel after the crowning ceremony

Four Charlies, an Arthur and a George were crowned by deputy mayor Indra Donfrancesco (now mayor) and outgoing mayor Jon Cousins, helped by Queen Camilla. There was no Philip at the school to make up the full name of King Charles

Around 200 children enjoyed the ceremony in the town hall

The two villages combined their celebrations

The medieval square was packed

BINEGAR & GURNEY SLADE

LONG ASHTON

Long Ashton celebrated in Peel Park with music from the church choir and the Polka Dots

Afternoon tea is served in a big top tent

Soaking up the atmosphere

Sally with a kid and lamb she is hand-rearing

Sharon Jennings, a singer with the Shepton Mallet Big Band

BLAGDON

Blagdon WI organised a cream team in the village club

The bells rang for the King at St. Andrew’s Church, Blagdon thanks to (l to r) Chris Ball, Harry Dudden, Rodney Gay, Marion Ball, Michael Fairey, Colin Parfitt, Belinda Roe, Ian Munnox and Chris Coles.

Debut of the flying doctor

“IT’S the economy stupid” was a phrase coined by James Carville in 1992, when he was advising Bill Clinton in his successful run for the White House. It has dominated much political thought ever since and for good reason – you can’t have decent public services without economic success. However, neither can you have relentless economic growth that is blind to the consequences. Growing the economy whilst destroying the planet is hardly sustainable.

members’ raffle where you can win a large cash prize but only if you’re there to claim it. No-one has been yet, so it currently stands at £375. Also, the beer is relatively cheap, the banter is good and you can have a game of bar billiards for just 40p.

By DrPHIL HAMMOND

At the moment we’re in a downward spiral of economic stagnation, a cost-of-living crisis and environmental catastrophe. Everyone, from doctors to farmers, is relatively much poorer than we were in 2010.

But you can bet the government will go into the next election full of optimism about economic growth and the benefits of Brexit, with a few last-minute tax bribes to sugar the pill.

A better plan might be to rally round “it’s the community, stupid”. We need a bidet revolution, building our recovery from the bottom up, sourcing and spending as much as we can locally and looking out for those most in need.

It's hard to understate the importance of connection and community. Loneliness is far more than just a bad feeling. It increases not just the risks of anxiety and depression, but also the risks of heart disease (29%), dementia (50%) and stroke (32%).

The increased risk of early death associated with loneliness and disconnection is comparable to smoking daily and may be even greater than the risk of obesity.

Fortunately, there’s plenty of connecting going on in the Mendip Times catchment area, as this fine magazine invariably documents. But it’s tougher to join up in tough times. If you’re lucky enough to have some disposable income, now’s the time to dispose of it. You can’t take it with you. And there’s plenty of fun to be had at a modest cost.

In Blagdon, you can learn to ring bells on a Tuesday night for no cost at all. I have tried this and shot up to the ceiling when the stay broke in a freak accident. I only lost a bit of skin on my fingers and am now officially known as “the flying doctor”. I haven’t laughed that much in a very long time.

Thursday evenings in the Village Club are heaving, thanks to the

Blagdon WI did a lovely coronation cream tea and Chew Magna exploded into action with a big screen in the village hall, a coronation quiz (we came second), a duck race and a free family fun day with cricket. Hats off to the Chew Magna Society, and their front man Mike Gough, who do so much to keep village life alive.

The Ring O’ Bells in Compton Martin had a great live band recently as did my local, the New Inn. The IOUs are back there again on May 26th but be careful not to trip down the steps when you dance (Matt).

We heard the Beth Rowley perform in Nempnett Thrubwell courtesy of Valley Arts recently and my fabulous neighbour Tina Pluchino at the Cider Barn in Cheddar.

I’m trying to do my bit too, opening Blagdon fete (May 20th) and compering the PTA dog agility show (June 10th), commentating for the wonderful Chew Valley 10K in Bishop Sutton (June 11th), performing in the Regen Tent at Valley Fest (August 4th-6th) and doing a comedy fundraiser for the homeless charity Julian House at the Yeo Valley headquarters (November 30th).

The bottom line is that if we want to rekindle our communities we need to get out and do it, but remember that money is tight for many. The less you have, the lonelier you can be. If you have no trouble doing your daily CLANGERS (see below), see if you can help others do theirs.

If you’d like me to come and show you my CLANGERS, let me know.

For Dr Phil’s books and shows, www.drphilhammond.com

Volunteers needed

SOMERSET Sight, a local charity that has been supporting sight impaired people across Somerset for more than 100 years, is looking for more volunteers for its visiting service. Volunteers are matched locally with a sight impaired person for regular visits for company and support. Full training is provided and they cover all reasonable expenses.

Details: 01823 333818 www.somersetsight.org.uk/

CAFÉ Community + Hub

Café’s community bus

TELEPHONE: 01934 244362

THE Frankie Howerd OBE Trust, whose cafe and community hub opened in Loxton last year, has received a 16-seat community bus thanks to donations from the National Grid and the National Lottery Community Fund.

Dame Joanna Lumley, the trust’s president, received the keys to the bus at a ceremony in London.

Phil Davies, the trust’s chairman, said: “The bus will be available to support social events, shopping trips and to provide a taxi service to and from The Hub.”

The Hub Cafe is open every day 9.30am-4.30pm serving hot meals, quality coffees, teas and cakes. All proceeds are used to support the charitable works of the trust.

Home is Best for care

VILLAGE Agents for rural Bath and North East Somerset represented the Community Wellbeing Hub at St Martin’s Community Hospital to help give Sulis Ward Day room a colourful lift for the Coronation weekend.

The bag of recycled goodies from Bristol's Scrapstore were put to good use, especially by Linda Staple, determined to add patriotic flair to her newly acquired Zimmer frame.

She said: "I have had a wonderful time and it is so good to have you here to help us. There were 15 of us in the dayroom having a laugh together, it was wonderful."

The Community Wellbeing Hub initiative at the hospitals in B&NES is part of a wider Home is Best project supporting people beyond the medical care they receive. A partnership of 12 organisations is available for patients and those who look after them.

Details: www.communitywellbeinghub.org

WERN team with Linda Staples

New sports kit

THEMendip School, which caters for children with special needs, has new sports kit, thanks to sponsorship from PlanIt Future Financial of Long Sutton.

Director, Rhiannon Gogh, is also a parent and head governor at the school. She said: “The young people are so enthusiastic about representing the school, there is fierce competition to be in the team with everyone getting an equal chance.”

Astronomers looking to the future –and the past

MEMBERS of Wells and Mendip Astronomers have celebrated the club’s tenth anniversary with a dinner and talk by its founder, Chris Starr.

The club is based at the Wells and Mendip Museum and one of its main aims is to introduce astronomy to people of all ages, experience and knowledge.

Chris, a retired geography teacher, founded the club in 2013 to fill a “black” hole in the area for a group where people interested in astronomy could meet and share their knowledge.

The club runs regular meetings, star camps and observer sessions as well as pop-up public outreach events such as observing the sun through a special solar telescope set up on Wells Cathedral Green. The telescope was funded with the help of a grant from the Somerset Community Foundation.

In 2015, the club hosted a special exhibition of space art by painter David Hardy, one of the world’s leading space artists. Chairman Hugh Allen said: “This really is a golden age for astronomy and events in space such as the launch of the European Space Agency’s JUICE spacecraft and the images from the James Webb Space Telescope.”

JUICE – Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer – will make detailed observations of the giant gas planet and its three moons.

Hugh is an industrial chemist by profession and his particular interest in astronomy is spectroscopy – the absorption and

emission of light and other radiation by matter. He added: “We’re very much a fun, social group but we do have a role to play in promoting STEM education amongst young people and members and visitors come from all ages and backgrounds.”

The group’s next meeting will be on Friday, June 23rd – in person and online – with scientist Dr Emma Curtis-Lake a James Webb Space Telescope Webb Fellow at the University of Hertfordshire who will give a talk about the latest news of the project.

For details, visit: wellsastronomers.org.uk

Astronomers gathered at the Old Down Inn at Emborough for the tenth anniversary celebrations

One of the pop-up sessions on Wells Cathedral Green

Space artist David Hardy at an exhibition of his work in Wells

Stalwarts retire

TWOlong-serving officers have retired from the Conygre Hall and Trust in Timsbury and were thanked for all they had done to create and develop a sense of community in the village.

Mat Bramley, treasurer, and Malcolm Tucker, booking officer, had 30 years of service between them.

Chairman, Martin Kendal, told the AGM: “For the past 18 years Mat has always been ready to contribute his expertise and time to ensure that the trust and the facilities it offers were well up to scratch.

“Everyone who has used the hall and field has benefited from his care and attention to detail.

“Having handled hall bookings for the past 12 years, Malcolm has been the face of the Conygre Trust to all those hiring the hall. The helpful and friendly service he has provided has done much to establish its excellent reputation as a venue for meetings, events and parties.”

Brain of Nempnett

Cheddar awards

CHEDDAR

Parish Council has announced its annual community award winners, Martin Kay and Grant Garge.

Martin was the initiator and driving force behind the Cheddar Parkrun at Sharpham Road Playing Fields, which attracts about 100 participants each week.

Grant was the driving force behind the pump track at Sharpham Road and chairs Ride Mendips, which was established in 2018 to create mountain biking routes.

WI members rock

Blackpool

SEVERAL members of the Inner Wheel Club of Shepton Mallet have attended the Inner Wheel annual conference in Blackpool.

A BRAIN of Nempnett quiz raised £500 for Nempnett Thrubwell village hall, with supper provided by the hall committee.

One of the organisers, Sharon Everett, said: “There was an excellent turn-out and the hall was buzzing with the competitive atmosphere.

“Nempnett thought it had no brains but the challenging quiz, mastered by James Everett, proved differently!”

Shepton Mallet IW member Lynne Evans with a statue of Morecombe and Wise in the Winter Gardens in Blackpool where the conference was held

National association president Karen Davies' chosen charity for the year is the air ambulance movement and, at the last meeting of the Shepton club, Helen Jefferies from the Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance charity was their guest with the club making a “substantial” donation towards its work.

Volunteers wanted

PEASEDOWNSt John’s Community Library has launched a recruitment campaign to sign up more volunteers.

It’s located at The Hive Community Centre, formerly the youth centre, open Mondays, 11am- 3pm, Wednesdays, 2–4pm and Saturdays, 10am–1pm.

Details: peasedownlibrary@hotmail.com

Martin Kendal (right) with Claire Bramley, Mat Bramley and Malcolm Tucker

Valley Life Chairman, Derek BradleyBalmer (centre), Martin Kay (left) and Grant Garge

Party time

Last ditch appeal to save minibus service

VOLUNTEERS who run a busy community minibus in the Midsomer Norton and Radstock areas are appealing for help to save the service from closure.

Midsomer Norton & Radstock Community Service Vehicle Trust must find someone to take on a vital clerical role by the end of June.

The trust, registered as a charity, runs the service primarily for the elderly or disadvantaged groups of people, taking them to their clubs, cafes, garden centres, lunch venues and sporting events. Amongst its regular clients are the SWALLOW charity and SWAN Transport, a volunteer car scheme. SWAN, which covers the

whole of the Bath & North East Somerset Council area, says using the minibus allows its volunteers drivers to carry out other duties such as hospital journeys and other essential appointments.

The minibus service is now in its 55th year but following the resignation of a number of committee members post-Covid, it is urgently seeking a volunteer with the ability to help to co-ordinate a maintenance policy/regime, undertake recruitment, training and management of drivers and to conduct risk assessments and other duties. It says a person with some transport knowledge and experience would be ideal. Melvyn Johnson, trust chairman, said:

“If we are unsuccessful then, sadly, the minibus service will come to an end. We will no longer be able to support the most vulnerable in our society as the minibus is their only means of being mobile to attend their social events.”

Meanwhile, SWAN itself, based in Radstock, is appealing for more volunteer car drivers to join its service. It has around 460 users on its books and 27 drivers, some of whom are currently off sick.

Sarah Oughton, from the group, said people could volunteer to drive as often or as little as suited them. SWAN, part of the Swan Advice Network, pays mileage.

Melvyn with members of a regular Coffee and Chat group at the SWALLOW café in Radstock

Return journey – the trust says the minibus plays a large role in people’s wellbeing

BLAGDONWI have continued celebrating their 75th anniversary with a lunch at Woodford Lodge, next to Chew Valley Lake, and a cream tea at Blagdon village club.

Bluebell walk

THEsun came out for Compton Dando's annual bluebell walk, which was led this year by Richard Davis, who was joined by villagers, parishioners and members of Compton Dando art group and table tennis club.

One of the organisers, Jenny Davis, said: “The weather was kind and the bluebells stunning. On returning back to the village we enjoyed tea and homemade cakes in St Mary’s Church prepared by church members. All in all it was a very pleasant afternoon.”

Fog? It’s child’s play in Priddy

DRIZZLE and fog were ignored in true Priddy style when it descended on the Priddy Friendly Society club day, lunch and afternoon sports on the village green.

The society’s event was timed to coincide with coronation celebrations in a community event which saw the society roll call and procession to the church followed by lunch, an afternoon of traditional games with youngsters and adults competing in a range of challenges before live music.

Compton Dando

THE Coronation weekend’s Three Kings exhibition and teas, held at St Mary’s Church in Compton Dando, was so successful that the event ran out of cake. It raised £275 over the two days to help pay for the repair of St Mary's Church roof.

The Sands family are pictured. The church will be opening for tea and cakes every Sunday and bank holiday Monday from May 28th until August 28th, 2.30-5pm.

Easter winners

CHELWOODBridge Rotary raised £1,770 with its annual Easter Egg raffle which was supported by 25 businesses in the area.

It will be shared between The Star Scheme, Wizzybug and the Water Survival Box charity.

Rotary president, Martin Palmer, said: “A big thank you to all the business that hosted the eggs and all members of the public who entered the raffle.”

One of the winners, Andy Littler, is pictured receiving his prize from Vaishali Patel at Pensford Post Office.

Details:

https://www.facebook.com/ChelwoodBridgeRotary/

Not quite Priddy Nine Barrows . . .

Taking the strain

Historic duties in a modern world

ROBERT Drewett, the latest High Sheriff of Somerset, has a simple message for people who might not understand the role: “I’m here to help you.”

The retired solicitor made his “declaration of office” in March at the traditional Legal Service in Wells Cathedral and has wasted no time in getting out and about to meet people from all walks of life around the county.

However, Robert, who lives near Bishop Sutton, believes some people – especially in North East Somerset – might not be aware that the role of High Sheriff even exists and he wants to change that.

Robert said: “The position covers the whole of the old county of Somerset but I’m aware that I’m the first high sheriff in 45 years to come from North East Somerset and I really want to connect with people in Midsomer Norton, Radstock, Paulton, Peasedown St John and the villages and to see how I can help them.”

The 18th Century court dress –complete with the Somerset Sword – is saved for more formal occasions: Robert is the King’s representative in the county in all matters of the judiciary and law and order. But, in the 21st Century, the emphasis is on the community, voluntary and charitable organisations and recognising people who “contribute to the wellbeing of the

county’s residents.”

The office of High Sheriff administers grants from both its charitable trust and the High Sheriff Awards scheme and Robert says he is keen to meet as many people as possible in his year of office: “That’s going to be the fun part. I want to hold a traditional tea party in September with lots of fun stalls.

“And if people ask me to visit them to talk about the role, I’ll wear the formal kit and sword!”

Robert at Bath police station – the high sheriff is the King’s representative in the county for law and order

On a visit to Nunney to explain the high sheriff’s role

Arriving at Wells Cathedral for the legal service

Robert Drewett: keen for people to get in touch with him

Sharing a joke with the then Countess of Wessex in 2017 in his role as chairman of the Royal Bath & West Society

Old School Room reopens

Coronation champion

THEOld School Room in Pensford has reopened after refurbishment and is now available for hire. It was once known as Pensford Church Rooms.

Andrew Hillman, chairman of the Feoffees (trustees) gave a “thank you” speech to everyone who had helped, including Jim Saunders, Ann Hunt and Graham Williams, for all their years volunteering as a Feoffee (over 100 years between them).

He also thanked the volunteers who had helped more recently with the renovation, including Paul Baxter, Cedric Bamford, Richard Stevenson, Chris James and Charles Wookey, plus Joan Owen, for supporting her husband Peter with his many hours volunteering as a Feoffee over the years.

The official opening included the cutting of a ribbon by Sue Gearing who was accompanied by Les Davies, both Mendip Times contributors.

Sue, who is well known for her walks in the magazine, said: “I am full of admiration for the hard work of Pensford Feoffees who, with the support of volunteers, have brought about the restoration of this beautiful old schoolroom on the River Chew in the heart of the village. It should now be able to become a living hub of the community.”

The Old School Room was originally built around 1850 and continued as the local school, until it was moved to the present school in the village in the 1890s.

The building is managed by the charitable Feoffees Trust, who were set up back in the 1500s to look after the church lands within the Pensford area. The Old School Room is now the only remaining church lands building.

Details: osr.pensford@gmail.com or contact Jane Flower 01761 490234

LIZ Kingston from Bishop Sutton joined many other volunteers and essential workers at the Coronation Concert held in the grounds of Windsor Castle. The invitation came along with a “Champions” pin badge and certificate. These were awarded in recognition of her voluntary work within the Chew Valley as part of the Coronation Champions Awards, launched by The Royal Voluntary Service and supported by the Queen. The concert also coincided with her birthday!

She was nominated by a library user for the “continual, positive hard work” she undertakes within the Chew Valley and in particular her role within the Chew Valley Community Library.

The nomination said Liz always looks for ways to include others and wears many volunteering hats within the library –from checking out books, dealing with the admin, serving coffee and cooking bacon butties or cheese toasties on Saturday mornings.

The library volunteers also act as mental health advocates and Liz is a member of Rockchoir, which has raised thousands of pounds for mental health charities.

She has been a parish councillor for over six years and helps with the poppy collection every year. During lockdown she helped elderly residents with shopping and delivered Sunday lunches from the Red Lion in the village.

The library in Bishop Sutton is open Thursdays 2-4.30pm and Saturdays 10-12noon.

Details: www.chewvalleylibrary.org.uk

Walking festival

THEannual Somer Valley Walking Festival will be held on the weekend of September 9th and 10th, offering a variety of walks, including an introduction to Nordic walking.

It aims to introduce walkers of all abilities to the natural landscape, wildlife and industrial heritage to be found in the area around Radstock Westfield, Midsomer Norton, Paulton, Timsbury and Peasedown.

Details: www.somervalleyramblers.org.uk

The Old School Room

How safe is caving?

MOSTpeople, when I say that I am a caver, respond by saying that I must be mad. This is probably true, for a certain degree of madness, but I like to think that I, and my caving friends, are at least sensible. To the non-caver, the underground is a place of peril and danger and to some degree this is true.

There are sudden deep drops, thundering waterfalls to be negotiated, the risk of loose rocks or roof, the chance of a sudden flash flood and the possibility of getting lost in some of our more labyrinthine systems. Add to that the possibility of succumbing to hypothermia or suffering total light failure.

Yet compared to contact sports, horse riding or mountain biking, which are all approved of by the general public, accidents in caving are, thankfully, few and far between, especially when the number of accidents is compared to the number of participants. This is not due to luck.

There is much fuss made these days about Elf n Safety and risk assessments. Before any caving trip, the participants make an assessment, either mentally, or in discussion with others. What is the weather doing? If there is a chance of heavy rain, should we go to a “dry” cave. Have we all got the right equipment and has it been tested? Are all members of the party fit for the trip?

Our risk assessment has been summarised in the Caving Code, which all cavers should be aware of. It recommends no fewer than four in a party, with at least one caver experienced in the system to be explored.

This means that in the event of an accident, one person stays with the casualty, while the other two go for help. Many experienced cavers, however, prefer solo caving, but in any case, it is always wise to leave details of your proposed trip with a responsible person on the surface.

This should include where in the cave you intend to go and your estimated time of exit. On arriving back at the surface, it is important to let your call-out know that you are safe. Several “rescues” have been initiated when this has not happened and after an intensive search of the cave, the guilty party are found at home, or in the pub.

With the right clothing, boots and helmet, warmth can be assured, and today’s lighting equipment is very reliable. Small long-lasting LED lights can easily be carried in a pocket, as can a small first aid kit. Ropes and ladders are used on drops which cannot be free-climbed and care is taken to ensure that they are rigged properly.

The code includes sections on conservation and, importantly, the Country Code. All caves are on land owned by someone, be it a farmer, council, estate or wildlife trust. We can only access these caves with their goodwill, so we avoid disturbing livestock, leaving gates open, or causing damage to wildlife.

Sometimes there are limitations to access, to avoid disturbing breeding or hibernating animals, or simply to protect outstandingly beautiful caves. Some caves are known to be hazardous, so a leader system will be used.

Conservation, both above and below ground, is another consideration. The general rule is “take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints”. Care is taken to avoid accidental damage to the cave and certain pathways may be taped to keep visitors away from vulnerable areas.

These do not just include stalactites and stalagmites, but also mud floors and formations, and in some cases historical graffiti or archaeological material. Fortunately, the universal use of electric lighting has put an end to unsightly and polluting piles of spent carbide from acetylene lamps in the cave and in the past visitors often inscribed their names on the cave wall using the sooty deposit from

these lamps.

The carbide dumps and graffiti have now been removed. Few, if any, serious cavers now collect stalactites as a kind of souvenir – they are much better appreciated in the cave where they grow, where everyone can see and admire them.

Of course, it is impossible to legislate for rogue cavers, or youths who seek to have fun by entering a cave, with no idea of how to care for it. And accidents can happen – a misplaced foot on a slippery rock can cause a muddy hand to fall on a formation, or even worse, to break it.

Some caving clubs have “adopted” a cave, and from time to time will organise a clean-up session, removing litter and cleaning or repairing damaged formations. Most responsible cavers will join a caving club.

Each has a slightly different ethos, but all do their best to abide by the codes, to keep caves open and as well-preserved as possible. Knowledge and information is shared, not only within clubs, but also between them. There may be a casual meeting in the pub, a post on an internet forum, or at a meeting of the regional council.

Countrywide matters are discussed at meetings of our national body, the British Caving Association, which has links with other sporting and conservation bodies and also government.

So, cavers may be mad (and some of the most significant discoveries have been made by the maddest), but there is a method to it.

Caving is not a right, it is a permissive sport, and we do our best to ensure that it is carried out in as safe a way as possible, minimising damage to the environment and maintaining good relations with the landowners on whose goodwill we rely.

With PHILIP HENDY

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

Extra

money for Somerset roads

SOMERSET Council has netted an additional £5.4m to carry out essential repair works across the county’s road network. This year’s extra Government funding reflects the unprecedented challenges facing authorities after a year of extreme weather conditions. In Somerset in 2022/23, there were 27,671 safety defects reported (potholes, blocked gullies and other damage) up 3,500 on the previous year.

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PENSFORD

East Harptree School dressed in red, white and blue for the coronation

The Uphill Society organised celebrations in the Victory Hall

Valarie Compton

BISHOP SUT TON

Bishop Sutton WI organised a cream tea

Pensford Tower Friends held a coronation tea. Catriona Ree is behind the mask

Adapting to change

ONEof the most valuable lessons I have learned in my many years as an estate agent is that you must change when the housing market changes. The genius, Albert Einstein, very much agreed with that policy when he said it was the definition of insanity to carry on doing the same thing over and over again and expect a different result.

We will certainly not be falling into that trap and will be focussing on achieving the best current market value.

So, if you are thinking of selling your home, I think you should very carefully consider the advice you are given about pricing and avoid being seduced by anyone suggesting levels that may no longer be realistic simply to win an instruction because wishful thinking won’t sell your house.

It’s important to remember that estate agents do not determine the value of properties, the market does. A house is only worth what someone will pay for it

and what a mortgage provider will lend. This is not all bad news for sellers. This remains a well-established and sought after area and there are still eager buyers out there, though they are becoming more sensitive to price. But even if your property does not fetch quite as much as you might have hoped, it means your next purchase will also be less expensive than it might once have been.

One of the benefits of being in this business for a long time is that it means I have seen every kind of market and I have the experience to navigate changing circumstances. When it’s more challenging to sell a property, it means our keywords – Dedication, Imagination and Delivery – become even more important.

My team are working harder than ever, doing our homework, using our unrivalled knowledge of the area and reacting to the market we are dealing

with today.

I can understand it if you are concerned about putting your house up for sale at the moment because you think it may not bring as high a figure than it would have before. But take comfort from knowing you are buying and selling in the same market, so what you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts.

There’s never a right time or a wrong time to sell your house as long as you have trusted and experienced advisors who can negotiate on your behalf to achieve the best possible outcome. Give us a call and we’ll get you on the move.

JOANNA TILEY

Church project completed

EXTENSIVE restoration work to St Laurence Church in East Harptree by historic building conservation specialists Ellis & Co. has been entered into a prestigious awards scheme.

Project Newton – named after Sir John Newton, a lord of the manor who died in 1568 and whose monument stands in the South Porch – aims to safeguard the church for future generations and has seen urgent repairs to the tower, bells, chancel, wall paintings, the monument itself and stained glass as well as improvements to access to the churchyard and church itself.

Outside, work including making a steep path to the church more level has been carried out, with lighting set into a retaining wall which also features remains of old gravestones.

There has also been work to the churchyard to encourage more flora and fauna as well as repairs to the church’s famous hunky punk gargoyles.

Ellis & Co, based in Shepton Mallet, has more than 35 years’ experience in conservation projects on church, stately homes and other historic buildings, using its team of specialist craftsmen.

The team worked on the project with architects Benjamin and Beauchamp, based in Wedmore, which has been entered in the William Stansell Historic Building Awards competition run every two years by the Somerset Building Preservation Trust.

The truth about cycle lanes

CYCLE lanes create safer conditions for cyclists but are often criticised by motorists. However, a cycle lane in Keynsham has attracted significant interest from the national media for quite a different reason! Since the cycle lane along Keynsham High Street was installed, in March last year, 59 people have sustained trip injuries as they attempted to cross it.

Many describe it as an “optical illusion” as the kerb edges and white lane markings look level, but in fact are not.

I know that from first hand. I tripped over the kerb last year, when funnily enough, I was going to the opticians!

There have been calls to have the cycle lane removed. But these have come from politicians aimed at point scoring and attracting votes during the recent local elections, rather than any rational reasoning.

The cycle lane serves a valuable purpose – to keep cyclists safe – and the solution is to remove the optical illusion with better markings or to eliminate the tripping points.

In Clevedon, the re-configuration of the road along the seafront has also attracted attention. Largely unchanged for centuries, the road has been made one-way, had parking reconfigured and a 400-metre segregated cycle lane installed.

The aim of the change is to remove cyclists from along the promenade, reduce road traffic along the seafront while providing pedestrian priority at crossing points. In short, it is trying to make the seafront a quieter, safer and more pleasant place to be.

One of the innovative measures in the scheme was to introduce “wavy” road lane markings that some locals and a leading motoring organisation said left them baffled.

In response, the planners said the wavy lines are a design feature aimed to reduce unwanted parking and help the road feel narrower and reduce speeds.

The schemes in Keynsham and Clevedon highlight the difficulties of introducing cycling lanes. Opponents often use misguided arguments against them.

One is that reducing road space increases congestion for cars. The concept of induced demand has been known for decades and tells us that providing more road space will only bring more cars. That is what causes the congestion.

But the concept can work in reverse as well. Bike lanes (and bus lanes) are an efficient way of moving more people in less space. If more people used them there would be less

cars on the road.

Another misconception is that hardly anyone uses them. If a cycle lane is installed today, it may not be full tomorrow, because behaviour change takes more than a day.

But where good quality cycle lanes are built people will use them, particularly when they are part of an integrated transport infrastructure.

Installing cycle lanes isn’t just about traffic, there is personal safety, health, and choice to consider and value.

Travelling in a cycle lane reduces the risk of a collision with cars and that can only be good for both parties. It also allows the two modes of transport to move along at their own pace without impacting or impeding the other.

One of the most frequently quoted barriers for people to take up cycling is the thought of cycling in traffic. The idea of cycling in front of or alongside cars particularly on busy roads can be quite intimidating. Providing safer options along cycle lanes will encourage more people to cycle.

Allowing more people to cycle will in turn benefit their health and wellbeing. The consequence is a healthier and happier population reducing the demand on an over-stretched NHS.

There are cities that have led the way with cycling lanes and infrastructure. London is the prime example, and is a success, but it took years to do and the resolve and determination of its political leaders.

The cycle lane schemes at Keynsham and Clevedon are part of a much bigger picture aimed at re-shaping the future of our transport infrastructure and lifestyle for the better.

That should be the focus for the way forward, and not the deliberations of politically motivated opponents or selfinterested motoring organisations.

ACROSS: 1. Rosewood 5. Yeovil 9. Hunstrete 11. Begum 12. Anyway 13. Assailed 14. Shove-halfpenny 18. Self employed 22. Trainers 23. Wookey 26. Erica 27. Lemon-drop 28. Theale 29. Interact. DOWN:1. Rehearse 2. Sunny 3. Wattage 4. Oven 6. Embrace 7. Vigilante 8. Lambda 10. Easeful 11. Operative 16. Admiral 17. Stays put 19. Fanmail 20. Yaounde 21. Street 24. Karma 25. Omen

JUNECROSSWORDSOLUTION

Keynsham High Street

Aimee’s victory on home soil

THIS year’s Somerset ladies county golf championship has been won by Mendip Golf Club ladies captain Aimee Sawyer on her home course.

Aimee finished on level par over the two rounds to claim a one-shot victory over Burnham & Berrow’s Harriet Lockley, with Mendip’s Ellen Reakes in third on five over par.

Still whistling after all these years

HE might be in his 80th year, but Arthur Jones is still officiating with the Mid-Somerset Football League.

Art was in charge for the Baxter Shield Cup Final at Radstock Town’s ground and was presented with special award by the MSFL for more than 30 years of service.

And there was a big surprise for Arth as he entered the clubhouse after the game as some of his old team mates from Timsbury Football Club had come along to congratulate him on his achievements; he had not seen some of them for more than 40 years.

Aimee tees off on the first of her 36 holes

Aimee (centre) with Ellen Reakes (Mendip) and Jade Cope (Weston-super-Mare)

(L to r): Megan Wilde (Mendip Spring), Sarah Louise Whitlock (Saltford) and Emelia Pearce (Mendip Spring)

Abigail Moore (Wedmore) takes a practice swing

Arth with his award and his team mates from Timsbury FC

Return of Mendip table skittles

MANYmembers of the Mendip Table Skittles league gathered at Redhill Club on Wednesday, April 26th to mark the end of the first full year of the league since the pandemic.

In a joyous celebration of being “nearly back to normal”, the final fixtures were played in front of a capacity crowd and the season’s trophies were awarded, before a fabulous buffet rounded off the evening.

The evening signalled the completion of the first full, competitive season since 2019-20 and the special friendliness and sociability of this lovely, local sport was in evidence all night.

There were quiet, personal remembrances of those keen players who were no longer with us and a lovely presentation of a “Thank You” trophy to Andy Evans, league secretary, for his work in keeping the league going, along with gifts for those on the committee who had helped him.

In the serious business of competition on the night, the experienced partnership of Mickey Parsons and Alan Dibble took the Pairs title again after a convincing win over newcomers to the pairs final, Lee Wedlake and Kerry Cross, two talented youngsters who will no doubt in more finals in the future.

Mickey Parsons then played again in the last game of the

season, the final of the Individual Championship, but lost out to the consistency of fellow Lion-Hart Steve Miles, who took the title with a convincing 2-0 win to round off a great season for all concerned.

In the presentations that followed, the Bellenders from Banwell picked up the League trophy after an excellent season where they remained unbeaten at home, with the Lion-Harts from Redhill coming runners-up.

The League Cup final, which was played several weeks before, had seen the Bellenders triumph again for the “double”, this time taking victory against a plucky performance from the Crown Jewels from West Harptree.

The new season starts in September and new teams are welcome. The AGM will be held at Redhill Club on Wednesday, June 14th.

Details: www.mendiptableskittles.co.uk

Twickenham debut

PUPILSfrom Chew Stoke Church of England Primary school recently played in a tournament at Twickenham, the national home of rugby, before the Bath v Harlequins game.

Four of their pupils, Lachlan, Harry, Evie and

Daisy, along with former pupil Seb, played in an U10s tournament against teams from around the country and also enjoyed a behind the scenes tour of the stadium during half time.

It was arranged by Chew Valley Rugby Club.

Head teacher, Ben Hewett, said: “We even had Kaiser Chiefs playing live in the stadium before the match! It was more of an experience for the kids rather than an official tournament with scores counting.”

Some of the Bellenders team

Mickey Parsons and Alan Dibble, pairs champions

Steve Miles, individual champion

Somer celebrate in style

IT was a busy St George’s Day for Somer Athletics Club as the club’s members left the familiar surroundings of the Mendips and headed to London or made the shorter trip to Corsham.

Seven Somer runners were amongst 58,000 others in this year’s TCS London Marathon with Tori Ratcliffe being the first Somer athlete home as the 77th lady back overall in just 2:53:23, ahead of Lillie Bleasdale.

The other five Somer runners all performed impressively, being cheered around the capital’s streets.

Somewhat closer to home and appropriately enough, 40 Somer clubmates enjoyed Corsham’s 40th anniversary event. In the 2km race, eight of Somer’s junior athletes proudly donned the club vest.

Maia Craddock, under the watchful gaze of proud father and Somer Junior Leader, Keith, was third in her age category whilst the other juniors performed well.

The 10km race saw Somer’s runners head into the Wiltshire countryside to Neston with the club’s first runner across the finishing line being Oliver Aldred in 38:27. He secured first place in the U-18 age category whilst a number of others recorded personal bests.

Somer Runners is keen to welcome new members of all abilities to join the Somer family. Seniors meet at 7.15pm, every Tuesday at the Centurion Hotel in Westfield and Thursdays at Writhlington School.

Their Juniors (8-12 years) and Youth (13-17) meet on termtime Thursdays at Chilcompton Sports.

Details: www.somerac.org.uk Facebook or Instagram

Pensford through to final

CHILDRENat Pensford Primary School are celebrating after their team made it through to Pokémon’s national football finals U-11s seven-a-side competition for small schools, which they did by winning the regional tournament in Keynsham.

Head teacher, Warrick Barton, said: “We were fortunate that the event was

held in Keynsham, as other teams had much further to travel, for example from Cornwall, Dorset and even Jersey. The team played incredibly well together throughout the day.”

Pensford will now represent the whole of the South West at the finals on June 7th at Premier League club Leicester’s ground, where just eight

Marathon runners, former member Martin Stapleton (left) with Tori Ratcliffe and Daryl Emery

Winner Oliver Aldred

The Corsham 10k team

teams from across England will be competing.

New gig club has big ambitions

A NEW Cornish Pilot Gig rowing club in Weston-superMare has launched a fundraising campaign to buy its first boat.

Gold medalwinning Olympian and ocean rower James Cracknell OBE has pledged his support for the club’s efforts which include aiming to compete in the 2024 Gig World Championships in the Isles of Scilly.

A 24-hour row near the Grand Pier in Weston raised almost £1,000 in donations over the May Day bank holiday weekend,

helping the club to reach the halfway point towards its £10,000 fundraising target.

Cornish pilot gig rowing is a friendly and welcoming sport with clubs based across the South West and the UK. Teams are active in nearby Burnham-on-Sea, Clevedon, Portishead and Bristol.

Kerry O’Neill, a club rower, said, “Our boat at the moment, the Walter Hicks, is on temporary loan from the Cornish Pilot Gig Association so we have to return her soon. We need to raise money to get our own boat otherwise when Walter goes back to the CPGA, we’ll have no boat.”

James Cracknell said: “The club has many members from all walks of life. With a new boat, they can offer this amazing opportunity to many more people.”

Weston Gig Club’s Crowdfunder runs until mid-June. If the club hits its £10,000 target to buy its first training boat, Sport England has pledged to double these funds to a total of £20,000.

l To donate, visit: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/get-westonrowing-buying-our-first-boats or email wsmgigclub@gmail.com

Frome 7s – a feast of rugby and fun

RUGBY players from across the UK will be competing – some seriously, others not so seriously – in this June’s Frome 7s tournament.

A total of 56 men’s and ladies’ teams have entered the five competitions taking place during the one-day event, on Saturday, June 10th, which is free for spectators to enjoy with lots of food and drink vendors on site. The festival – organised by Frome RFC – takes place at their Gypsy Lane ground.

Success for Chew Valley U-16s

CHEWValley RFC U-16s completed a memorable season by going undefeated and winning two cups along the way.

Playing 18 games over the season, Chew had to travel far and wide to find strong opposition and had some enjoyable trips to Chippenham, Royal Wootton Bassett, Longlevens and Taunton.

The season ended with back-to-back cup finals, starting with a comprehensive 42-7 win against local rivals Keynsham in the Bristol Combination Cup.

Tries from Jacob Dufour-Battle, Ashton Churchill, Malakai Thompson, George Peters (2) and Jack Johnson, alongside 12 points from the boot of Zak Radforth saw Chew run out comfortable winners against

a spirited Keynsham squad. Their final ever match together as a squad was the Somerset Cup Final against Bath. Starting brightly, Chew took the lead through tries from Jacob Dufour-Battle and Zak Radforth, both converted by Max Culverhouse, before Bath fought back making it 14-7 just after half-time.

However, a brace of tries from James Stewart in the 2nd half saw Chew finally winning 26-7.

Huge contributions were made by the whole squad throughout the season and the players, coaches and parents will certainly enjoy looking back on such a successful season with immense pride.

The 24-hour row underway in Weston

Action from one of last year’s games

For details, find Frome7s on Facebook

A young rider with big ambitions

All big stars start somewhere and one to watch is little Holley Lasbury, from Paulton. I went to meet her at home on the farm with her mum, Emma Rhymer, who runs a livery yard as well as retraining racehorses.

EMMA comes from a non-horsey family and was brought up in Bath but, luckily for her, her grandparents had the farm at Paulton and she was given her first pony when she was five.

It went from there; Emma was hooked and taught herself to do everything without lessons, until she went to Lackham Agricultural College to do a diploma in Equine Studies.

She now runs the farm and has about 17 horses and ponies there including some youngsters and horses in training. Emma’s eldest daughter, Holley, is only ten years old and already on the competition circuit. It is plain to see that she too is a very busy little person.

When I arrived, she had just walked home from school and was getting on with stable duties independently, looking very competent.

She seems extremely knowledgeable for someone her age. Emma says she is also very intuitive and has an eye for spotting any lameness or anything wrong with any of the horses, often being the first to notice anything is amiss.

Not content to ride in just one discipline, Holley competes in showjumping and working hunter classes, as well as pony racing, which sometimes run alongside many of the point-to-

point meetings during the season.

There are also Pony Club race days held up and down the country, as well as plenty of training days which have to be attended. On these occasions Holley proudly represents Mendip Farmers Pony Club.

This year Emma and Holley have been to Dorset, Cheltenham, Royal Ascot, Wincanton, Ston Easton and Cothelstone, completing successfully at each venue, coming away with a first in the Intermediate race at Wincanton (see next page) and a second at Milborne St Andrew.

Following her win at Wincanton on Alfie in the Intermediate, Holley is now doing Open races. Alfie, whose “proper” name is Luanshya Ambassador will also do some showjumping with Holley aboard. I watched them jump a 1.05m fence while I was at their home and there was plenty of air between Alfie and the jump.

Bob, Holley’s other ride, is an Exmoor pony standing at 12 hands. In his head collar which is printed with “Catch me if you Can”, I soon got the picture – Thelwell eat your heart out!

Holley will be working hard to hopefully do well with Bob in working hunter qualifiers for the Royal International Horse Show at the Excel in December and The Horse of the Year Show in October at the NEC.

It will be fun to watch her progress. Good luck Holley.

Badminton –squelching in the mud!

OH my goodness what a Badminton. I cannot remember a leader board anywhere which changed so dramatically over the course of the competition. It used to be said that the dressage was the most influential phase, but not this time. The cross country took plenty of prisoners on the Sunday. No-one went inside the time, stopwatches were irrelevant, it was just a question of getting round and making sure the riders and horses came home unscathed.

There was plenty of drama, falls (no reported serious injuries) and eliminations. This competition just showed that it’s the survival of the fittest in eventing. Both

horses and riders had to be at the top of their game to complete at what must surely go down as one of the toughest Badmintons in recent years.

Ros Canter led from start to finish and was justly rewarded with her first Badminton win. She was also the only rider to get round on both of her entries, proving it could be done. Austin O’Connor who has been on the eventing scene for many years rose from 34th after dressage to produce a masterclass of a round on the cross country in the fastest time of the day to put him in second position.

He finally finished third after the show jumping. What stamina. He completed his

first Badminton in 1999. You’ve got to hand it to him - on the podium at last!

Eric Winter’s cross country track this year was tough on its own, but combined with the ground conditions which became heavier and stickier as the day went on, it meant that the horses tired more quickly and quite a few people either withdrew or retired, saving their horses for another day.

From an initial start list of 85 horses at the beginning of the competition, there were only 30 left in show jump on the final day, all having passed the final vet inspection. Upwards and onwards for next year, and huge admiration for everyone who took part.

With JANE PATERSON

Big day at the races for pony club riders

PONY Club members from across the south of England took centre stage at the 13th Wylye Valley PC race day at Wincanton.

Competing over either eight or four furlongs, the young riders entertained spectators throughout the eight-race afternoon. The fixture was supported by trainer Paul Nicholls, along with Angela Yeoman – who hosts Wylye PC events at Southfield House, near Nunney – The Racing Foundation, Richard and Dawn Price, Pony Club Area 14 and Read Agri; members of the family-run firm were there to watch Poppy Read, from Upton Noble, win her first-ever race.

Riding Bardic Doodlebug, Poppy – a member of Wylye Valley PC – won the Wiltshire Smokehouse Beginners Stakes. Some of the riders in the

Holiday Courses

Poppy and family in the winner’s enclosure

Holley returns to the parade ring with mum Emma Rhymer after winning the Will Biddick Intermediate Mile

Grosvenor Consulting Novice Stakes

Heritage funding for bell ringing project

International choir

Let the bells ring out (L to r): Helen Ottaway, artistic director Artmusic, Martin Bax, chair Rook Lane Arts Trust, and Mathew Higby director Mathew Higby & Co.

A CELEBRATION of bell founding and ringing in Frome has been awarded a grant by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Ring Out is a project by the Rook Lane Arts Trust and Artmusic. Funding has also been awarded by Frome Society for Local Study and Frome Town Council.

Ring Out will form part of this year's Frome Festival with 13 events taking place across ten days in July. There will be walks, talks, concerts and tours. Listen out for the Frome Carillon ringing the hours from above the market square. Visit a local bell tower or a bell engineering works. Try your hand at handbell ringing or even ring a tower bell.

Ring Out also involves bellringers from Somerset and Wiltshire, Poetry in Motion, Frome Museum, St John's Church, Matthew Higby & Company Ltd, The Silk Mill and Frome FM Community Radio.

For details, visit: www.fromefestival.co.uk

Choral concert for Air Ambulance

SONGS from the musicals, the pop charts, spirituals and traditional male voice songs will feature in a concert by Cheddar Male Choir in June in aid of the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.

The concert will take place at Draycott Memorial Hall on Saturday, June 17th at 7.30pm. Tickets (£10) are available from Deane’s of Cheddar, a choir member or on sale on the night.

For details, email contactcheddarmalechoir@gmail.com

BRUTONChoral Society is looking forward to welcoming the Aurin Girls’ Choir from Hungary back to Bruton for the first concert in their 2023 tour.

They have visited Bruton many times in the past, as well as other venues in the South West. From the Kodály Music School, Kecskemét, Hungary, they have become one of the top youth choirs in the world today, under their energetic conductor, László Durányik.

Their many achievements have included two gold medals in the World Choir Games in China, first prize at the Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod and 27 first prizes in other international competitions.

The concert is on Monday, June 26th, 7.30pm, at St Mary’s Church, Bruton. Tickets are £10 in advance, £12 on the door and will be available from Bruton Convenience Store.

Details: 01749 813161 or www.brutonchoralsociety.org.uk

Rotary concert

ANevening of song, organised by Chelwood Bridge Rotary Club, was enjoyed by a packed audience at St John’s Church, Keynsham.

The concert featured two choirs, The Bristol Military Wives led by Beth Morgan, and from Wales the award winning Cantorion Creigiau Singers led by their founder, Mair Roberts.

The evening was in support of Rotary charities and in particular RUHX, the charity arm of the RUH hospital, Bath.

Organiser, Rob Taylor said: “The evening was a great success, thanks to the help of our Rotary team and to the support of so many members of the public that attended despite the wet weather."

(Photo courtesy of David Chedgy)

Rickford’s got talent

Blessing of the bells at church anniversary

ANevening of singing, music and food raised more than £1,600 for good causes – and showed what a talented bunch they are in Rickford.

The entertainers, who all live in Rickford or close by, included the High and Dry Shanty Crew, formed by nine men after a Christmas party in the village.

They’ve since gone on to raise money at charity gigs for Children’s Hospice South West, the RNLI and other causes. Phil and Tina Gibson with other members organise the Bristol Shanty Festival, which has raised more than £10,000 in the last two years.

They hope this year’s event, on September 22nd and 23rd in Brunel Square, Bristol will raise even more.

Other performers at the concert were AmberMac, Mike McLennan and Amberley from Rickford village, Bob Shapland and pianist Sue Curtis from Rickford Rise, the renowned musician and vocalist Jerry Blythe formerly of Burrington.

The event raised more than £1,600 for the Turkey/Syria Earthquake Appeal and the Children’s Hospice South West. There was also a bucket collection in aid of local Ukrainian refugees.

Bath Abbey concert

DOROTHYHouse Hospice is holding a concert in Bath Abbey on Friday June 9th featuring 100 students and a live band from schools across Bath for an evening of musical theatre hits. The evening is being hosted by the Rev Philip Hawthorn, a former BBC TV presenter.

The chairman of Bath’s Rising Stars and long-time supporter of Dorothy House, Carol Stainer, has brought together The Royal High School and Bath Spa University as music and production directors respectively.

She said: “This has been a dream of mine for several years, to hold a concert for Dorothy House in Bath’s stunning abbey. I really hope all the performers enjoy this special occasion and have a fun and relaxed event. And, of course, I hope the audience enjoy it too!”

Tickets are £33, £22 & £11.

Details: https://bathboxoffice.org.uk/whats-on/bathsrising-stars/about

THETabor Ringers say they were delighted to play at Tabor Independent Methodist Church in Timsbury for the church’s 162nd anniversary on April 30th.

The Superintendent Methodist Minister, the Rev Simon Topping, officiated and blessed the bells and hand chimes marking the group’s 30th anniversary.

On Sunday, June 25th donations will be collected for the local foodbank.

National award for Morris side musicians

Best band – the Mendip Morris musicians

MUSICIANS who accompany the Mendip Morris dance side were named Best Band at the national Joint Morris Organisation’s Day of Dance in Exeter.

More than 40 Morris sides from across the country danced at venues across the city on Saturday, April 22nd.

For details about the side, find Mendip Morris on Facebook

Steep Holm Island 2023 sailings schedule

IF you ever wonder what lurks on the island that looks like a whale in the Bristol Channel seen from Weston seafront, why not join one of the sailings to find out?

Vikings, smugglers and pirates all played a role in the history of Steep Holm, which lies six miles off the coast. Occupation stretches back to the Stone Age; Vikings used it as a base from which to raid the mainland. An Augustian priory of St Michael was established in 1150.

Its heyday was from 1735 when Steep Holm was a regular smuggling haunt, with spirits, tea and tobacco hidden away there.

The Victorians fortified the island as a Palmerston Fort. Their six-gun emplacements, complete with cannons, remain largely intact. Massive gun batteries were built in WW2, together with searchlight posts.

The island was bought by the Kenneth Allsop Memorial Trust in 1976 as a living memorial to the BBC broadcaster and author; he was a passionate campaigner for conservation causes. The trust continues to maintain the island as a nature reserve.

The island is a site of special scientific interest and a peaceful haven when the gulls have finished rearing their young, with 360degree views of the Bristol Channel and the Somerset and Welsh coastlines.

Visitors can wander the clifftops, explore the military buildings, underground ammunition stores, and buy one of the island’s own postage stamps. Soldiers were housed in the main barracks, which have been converted into the island’s visitor centre, containing an exhibition area, licenced café and souvenir shop.

The island boat sailings are entirely dependent on weather conditions and because of the tidal range visitors have to stay on the island for between 10-12 hours. The trip, costing £45, is unsuitable for those with mobility problems or children under 1.1m tall and must be pre-booked.

Details: www.steepholm.online bookings@bayislandvoyages.co.uk

Building on its strengths

ENTRIES are now open for this year’s MidSomerset Agricultural Show in Shepton Mallet with the society behind the one-day event determined to build on its many strengths.

The show, on Sunday, August 20th, is the only show in the south west offering free admission to pedestrians.

This year’s event sees the return of some favourite main arena attractions including Shetland Pony racing and dog agility displays and, of course, the grand parade of livestock.

New classes have been added to the sheep competitions but, sadly there will once again be no poultry classes due to avian flu. The food hall has been extended and trade stands are still available across the site.

Show secretary Christine Barham said: “We’re very much looking forward to welcoming visitors, exhibitors and traders this year.”

Advance car park tickets are now available online at £16. For details, visit: www.midsomersetshow.org.uk

Radstock festival

FOLLOWINGlast year's hugely successful Jubilee Festival in Radstock, another fantastic event is planned this June - hosted by the Natural Theatre Company.

There will be plenty of theatre shows and live music, as well as have-a-go creative workshops and stalls from local businesses and organisations. The Radstock Co-operative sponsored community stage will be showcasing the very best of local talent and the wonderful SWALLOWCafé will be open all day serving delicious food and drink.

Shetland Pony racing returns

Photo|Frome returns with expanded festival programme

THE 2023 Photo|Frome Festival of Photography brings an inclusive and thought-provoking perspective on photography to Frome and the South West.

Running from June 24th – July 12th, work will be exhibited in 14 venues across the town, featuring dozens of photographers. The programme includes workshops, portfolio reviews, student and book awards and a two-day symposium.

Organisers, Frome-based photographers David Chedgy, Mick Yates, Martin Bax, and Joao Diniz Sanches, say: “Last year’s inaugural Photo|Frome was something of a test – would people be interested in photography, could we attract world-class practitioners, do we have the skills locally to mount strong exhibitions, and would the world of photography take notice beyond Frome’s borders? Well, the answer to all those questions was a resounding ‘yes’ with over 6,000 visitors to seven venues.

“Now, every aspect of the 2023 festival has been improved, starting with our theme, ‘Decolonising Environments’. This explores the complex and often conflicting relationships between human communities, places, and the natural world.

“Encompassing a range of styles, subjects and genres, Photo|Frome invites photographers and audiences to contribute to discussions around the social and environmental impacts of

longstanding political, cultural and economic ideas about our world. As an indie festival, we want Photo|Frome to be part of an image-driven conversation on important issues.”

The festival approaches contemporary documentary with a broad lens and the artist line-up reflects that vision, featuring world-class national and international artists, photography to explore the history of the South West region, and showcasing the talents of local, student and amateur photographers.

Acclaimed practitioners such as Gideon Mendel, Leah Gordon, Christina Simons, Jesse Alexander and Arteh Odjidja are joined by newer talents such as Jacqueline Ennis-Cole, Keerthana Kunnath, Gobinder Jhitta and Clementine Wilson. Devon’s Beaford Archive is premiering the early 1970s work of Oscar-winning cinematographer Sir Roger Deakins, together with documentation of the impact of ash dieback created by artist-photographer Robert Darch.

The UK Black Female Photographers community are bringing their latest work to Frome, and artists such as Vanessa Winship, Mandy Barker and Laura Pannack feature in a specially curated group show. Students from the University of West of England and Boomsatsuma are also curating exhibitions of their work, as are local photography group Frome Wessex Photographic.

For details, visit: www.photofrome.org

Glastonbury gathering

MEDICINEwoman is a three-day gathering nestled in the surrounding lands of Glastonbury where you can oversee the Tor from their healing field.

Organiser Lucy Wylde writes: “‘When women gather, magic happens’, Leymah Gbowee wrote and after committing three years of my time to deepened sisterhood connectivity, I can fully vouch for her simple yet powerful phrase.

“Medicine woman isn’t just about gathering at a festival. It’s deeper than that, it’s a remembrance of who we truly are when we let go and lean into the sisterhood and the earth itself, our greatest mother, we open ourselves up to a world of possibilities.

“This is a co-creative space where you can receive and enjoy your time connecting back to our great mother, a space where you can mend and weave your sorrow back into gold, a place where children can run free, a space where we can create a village, supporting and guiding each other.

“Come and remember, remember who you truly are, be inspired to learn a new way of being, to live with sacredness at the centre of your heart.”

Details: www.medicinewomangathering.com

Priddy Folk Festival: The Fringe and more

THIS year’s Priddy Folk Festival – from July 7th to 9th – and with more than 30 bands, from across the UK and Ireland, performing on seven stages around the village, it is shaping up to be another fantastic weekend –the 30th since the festival began in 1991.

In tandem with main festival’s line-up, the Fringe will be hosting a lively programme of local and emerging talent as well as the ever-popular open mic sessions. The Dance Stage hosts dancers from many traditions – Somerset, Cotswold and Border as well as rapper and Appalachian sides.

Add in a full programme of events for children and young people, as well as bhangra, circle and stepping workshops and you have a great day’s entertainment for all the family.

Entrance to the Fringe, Children’s and Dance Festivals is free: come and browse the arts and crafts stalls, eat some tasty food whilst sampling the range of folk music on offer.

The festival has once again teamed up with the Blue School in Wells to host the Priddy Rising concert on the main stage on Saturday morning. Pupils will be showcasing their folk music skills, so come and support the emerging stars of the future.

For details and tickets, visit: www.priddyfolk.org

Fun for free in the Fringe

Civil war and more at the Bishop’s Palace

THE Bishop’s Palace in Wells is preparing to be taken over by 17th century soldiers and their entourage on Saturday, May 27th and Sunday, May 28th.

The Wardour Garrison, a group of re-enactors who enjoy recreating life as it might have been in England at that time, will be setting up their encampment at the palace for the weekend. Visitors will be given a flavour of both domestic and military life, through sight, touch, sound and smell as the garrison engage in the crafts and skills of the period.

Outdoor productions in the picturesque surroundings of the palace are always a highlight of the summer season and, with this summer’s tickets now on sale, there’s a choice of outdoor theatre, opera and family-friendly performances this year.

Held on the South Lawn, with a backdrop of the 13th century ruins of the Great Hall, it’s the perfect combination for a memorable night out.

This year’s programme kicks off in June with the return of Opera Brava to the site. They’ll be following last year’s triumphant performances with two popular operas: La Bohème (June 30th) and La Traviata (July 1st).

The palace will have an 80s theme on July 20th with New Amen Corner who’ll be encouraging everyone to grab their spandex for a trip back in time for a night of non-stop retro anthems. It’s a guaranteed night of floor-filling classics from the first song until the last.

On July 23rd, the ever-popular Lord Chamberlain’s Men will perform Romeo and Juliet, with an all-male cast and Elizabethan costumes, music and dance. The Pantaloons will visit the Palace on August 3rd when they will be bringing their vibrant sense of fun to an hilarious yet faithful new adaptation of Jane Austen’s satirical story ‘Emma’. Then follow them down the rabbit hole on August 9th for an hilarious take on Lewis Carroll’s nonsensical “Alice in Wonderland”.

To finish the season, Pinch Punch will be welcoming guests aboard their exciting show, Locomotive for Murder: The Improvised Whodunnit, on August 18th and 19th.

All theatre productions begin at 6.30pm (Opera Brava at 7pm) and audiences are invited to bring a picnic blanket or low-backed seating along with their own picnic and drinks. The performances will take place regardless of the weather, so dress appropriately!

The Wardour garrison event is included with any standard admission ticket to the palace. For details, visit: www.bishopspalace.org.uk

We’re happy to list entries for non-profit community groups and charity fundraisers free of charge. Please send them written as a succinct single paragraph, in the format below, to annie@mendiptimes.co.uk Entries sent in as posters or which take time to re-write may be charged for at the commercial rate, £25.

Wednesday May 24th

Folk Session 8pm City Arms, Wells. Sing, play a tune or just listen. Free. All welcome. Details: richardlm397@gmail.com

Wells Folk & Barn Dance Club 7.30-9.30pm every Wed, Dinder village hall. £4.50 inc refreshments. Come alone or with partner. Details: www.wellsfdc.co.uk

Thursday May 25th

West Mendip Walkers 10.5m circular walk, 10am from Winscombe, BS25 1AE. Details: www.mendipramblers.co.uk

Mendip Morris dancing at The Strawberry Special, Draycott, 8pm and the White Hart, Cheddar 9pm.

Friday May 26th

Hornets Rugby Club evening with Simon Shaw. Dinner & charity auction. Details: www.westonhospicecare.org.uk/event/anevening-with-simon-shaw/

Saturday May 27th

RNLI Plant & Garden Sale 10am-12

Winscombe Community Centre, BS25 1HP. Seedlings, Acers, shrubs, tubs & tools. Details: 01934 842304 or meejlfh@gmail.com

Congresbury Book Sale 9am-1pm War Memorial Hall. Good quality books etc. Plant Sale: Frome in Bloom & Selwood Horticulture Society, 9.30-11.30am Selwood Academy, BA11 2EF. Cash only. Details: 0777 6208531 or jane.norris9@gmail.com

Saturday May 27th to Monday May 29th

Harriet Sandys Spring Sale: 10% off Oriental Carpets and Decorative Items from Central Asia and India, 2-5pm The Manor House Barn, West Compton, Shepton Mallet BA4 4PB. www.sandysorientalcarpets.co.uk

Sunday May 28th

Shepton Mallet May Mayhem Market 10am3pm Market Place, Shepton Mallet, BA4 5AZ. Fancy-dress competition, music, street food. Free parking.

Open mic, Marston Music nr Frome. 3pm-5. Perform or listen £3 inc tea/coffee. Details: www.marstonmusic.co.uk

Handbell Ringers & Recorders from 3pm Chew Magna Millennium Hall. Teas, bring & buy.Tickets £5 from Chew Magna PO, for Cancer Research and the Highwayman victim’s gravestone.

Nunney Open Gardens 11am-5pm, £10 adults, children free. 20+ gardens, maps at village hall, off Ridgeway Lane, BA11 4LY. Refreshments.

Monday May 29th

Wessex Stationary Engine Club meeting 8pm Old Down Inn, Emborough.

Wednesday May 31st

Backwell & Nailsea Macular Support meeting 1.30 pm Backwell WI Hall. Details: Sheila, 01275 462107.

Thursday June 1st

Folk Session 8.30pm Red Lion, Paulton BS39 7NW. Sing, play a tune or just listen. Free. All welcome. Details: richardlm397@gmail.com

Cheddar Valley U3A talk 'The Art of the Magician' 2pm village hall.

West Mendip Walkers 11m circular walk, 10am Holford Bowling Green TA5 1SA. Details: www.mendipramblers.co.uk

Irish Set Dancing, 8pm-10 every Thursday, Dinder Village Hall BA5 3PF. £3 incl refreshments (sometimes cake). Fun, friendly, no need to book. Details 01458 210051 paulrharper@btopenworld.com

Thursday June 1st to Sat June 3rd

The Royal Bath and West Show. Details: www.bathandwest.com

Friday June 2nd

Save the Children lunch 12.30pm Shipham village hall, £5. Come and join us! Wedmore Carers Group, 10am-12 first Friday every month, Bagley Church BS28 4TG. For those caring for people with dementia.

Supported by Heads Up: 01749 670667.

Saturday June 3rd

“Baroque to Beatles” with Weston Choral, 7.30pm All Saints’ Church, BS23 2NL.Tickets £12, U16s £7 from: www.westonchoralsociety.org.uk

Kingston Seymour Market 10am-12pm Village Hall. Butcher, veg. cakes. Details:07525 040472.

Temple Cloud in Bloom pop-up plant sale, 10am-1pm. Details on Facebook or: tcibinfo@yahoo.com

Sunday June 4th

Oxfam Quiz Night 7.30pm the Tramways, Wells. Teams up to six, £4pp. To book: 01749 673356. Raffle prizes welcomed. Mendip Challenge Walk for Weston Hospicecare. Details: www.westonhospicecare.org.uk

Classic Car Meet, Cheddar 10am-2pm Petruth Paddocks, BS27 3FS. 10-2pm. Free. No min/max stay. Details: 07831 336444. Facebook: Chew Valley Classic Car and Bike Meet.

Tuesday June 6th

The Arts Society Mendip: ‘150 years of the London Underground’ 11am, Croscombe village hall & Zoom. Preceded by AGM. Guests welcome £6. Details: www.theartssocietymendip.org.uk Backwell Sequence Dance Club: 7.15-9pm every Tuesday, Backwell WI Hall, BS48 3QW. Dancing couples always welcome. Details: Paul 07710 460550 email backwellsequencedance@gmail.com

Wednesday June 7th

Bereavement Support Keynsham drop-in first Wed every month, 5.30pm-7pm, Baptist Church Hall, High St. A safe place to meet others who are bereaved. Free, with refreshments. Details: 07776 493221 or bereavementkeynsham@gmail.com Backwell & Nailsea Support Group for Carers Free Cream Tea to celebrate National Carers’ Week 2pm-3.30 Backwell WI Hall. Plants on sale. All welcome.

Thursday June 8th

Chew Valley Garden Society meeting 8pm Stanton Drew Village Hall 'Gardening on the

wild side of Dartmoor' by Hilary Little. Details: 01275 333456. Visitors welcome.

West Mendip Walkers 8.5m circular walk, 10am from Westwood Social Club BA15 2AP. Details: www.mendipramblers.co.uk

Friday June 9th

Frome Third Age talk by Paul Stickland, Blackshed Flowers, Flower Farm, 2pm The Assembly Rooms, BA11 1EB. Details: www.fromethirdage.com

Bath Abbey concert: musical theatre hits for Dorothy House hospice. Details: www.bathboxoffice.org.uk/whats-on/bathsrising-stars/

Friday June 9th to Mon June 11th

Top of the Gorge festival. Details: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/topofthegorge

Saturday June 10th

Timsbury Village Day at Conygre Hall. Mendip storytellers, Mendip Male Voice Choir. Kenn Village Market 10-12 village hall. Race from the Base cycling event for Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance. Details: www.dsairambulance.org.uk

Congresbury Book Sale 9am-1pm War Memorial Hall. Good quality books etc. Come & Sing Handel’s Coronation Anthems, St John the Baptist, Glastonbury. Workshop 2pm, £20. Performance 5pm, by donation. Details: www.stjohns-glastonbury.uk

Peasedown Party in the Park 11.30am-7pm. Details: www.peasedownpartyinthepark.org.uk/ Litton Village Fete 11am-2pm, food, bar, fun stalls. Street party 7.30-11pm with BBQ and live music. Details: 01761 241285. Village Day Westbury-sub-Mendip 1.30pm follow signs to the playing fields for family fun and games! Free entry.

Collett Park Day, Shepton Mallet 10am-5pm live music, stalls, food, bar. Free. Details: www.sheptonmallet-tc.gov.uk/collett-park-day/ Call My Food Bluff quiz with food writers Lindsey Bareham, Orlando Morris and wine expert Neil Tully. 7.30pm Croscombe Village Hall. In aid of local foodbanks. Tickets £15 from 01749 572875 or 01749 343337.

Sunday June 11th

Chew Valley 10k. Details: www.chewvalley10k.co.uk

Wells RBL summer concert. Warminster Military Wives with Meg Curl, 7pm Bishop’s Palace, Wells. Tickets £15, U-17s £10 from www.bishopspalace.org.uk

Monday June 12th

Mendip Folk Dance Club, 8pm-10, St James Church Centre Winscombe BS25 1AQ. No experience needed. Details 01934 742853. Folk Session 8.30pm Queen Victoria, Priddy BA5 3BA. Sing, play a tune or just listen. Free. All welcome. Details: richardlm397@gmail.com

Congresbury Memorial Hall Club Friendship evening with bingo, 8pm War Memorial Hall. Visitors welcome.

Tuesday June 13th

Beth Rowley and The Secret Sisters, Yeo

Valley Organic Garden: www.valleyartscentre.co.uk

Wells & District Wildlife Group: Large Blue Butterflies walk, 10am-12, Collard Hill. Details: 01749 677600 or www.wdwg.org.uk

Mendip Recorder Consort “Music for the Coronation” 3pm All Saints’ church, WSM, BS23 2NL. Free, retiring collection. Shipham, Rowberrow & Star History Society: traditional songs from the Somerset Russets, 7.30pm St Leonard’s Church Shipham. Members £2, guests £4. Details: 01934 260784.

Wednesday June 14th

Weston-s-Mare Family History Group talk by Sue Burne: “The wonder of glass” 2.30pm Lady of Lourdes Church Hall, Baytree Rd, BS22 8HQ.

Blagdon Local History Society Mendip Hills through the Time Tunnel with Les Davies, 7.30pm Village Club. Visitors welcome £2.50. jackykerly@gmail.com

Kilmersdon Gardeners talk by Pauline and David Wright ‘Letting go of Lift the Latch’ and the birth of ‘Little Latch’, 7.30pm village hall BA3 5TD. Visitors welcome £3. www.kilmersdongardeners.org

Mendip Storytelling Circle – folk tales and more… £5. 7.30pm Ston Easton Village Hall, BA3 4DA. Details: mendipstorycircle@gmail.com and Facebook.

Thursday 15th June

Cheddar Valley U3A coffee morning 10am11.30 village hall.

West Mendip Walkers 6.7m circular walk, 10am from Brunel Shopping Centre Somerton TA11 6LW. Details: www.mendipramblers.co.uk

Mendip Morris dancing in Portishead at the Port Bar 8pm and the Ship Inn, 9pm.

Friday June 16th

Save the Children lunch 12.30pm Shipham village hall, £5. Come and join us!

Jenny Peplow Singers 7pm St John's Church Midsomer Norton BA3 2HX. Donations for Children’s Hospice South West. Refreshments.

Saturday June 17th

Ubley Fete 12-5pm at The Old Manor. BBQ, bar, teas, stalls and games. Entry £2. Women’s Midnight walk for Dorothy House hospice. 5km walk through Bath: www.dorothyhouse.org.uk/getinvolved/events/womens-midnight-walk-2023/

Cheddar Male Choir Concert 7.30pm Draycott Memorial Hall. Tickets £10 from Deane’s of Cheddar or on door, for Air Ambulance.

Claverham Market 10am-12pm Village Hall. Butcher, veg. crafts etc. 01934 830553.

Burrington Village Fete 2-4.30pm in the village square and Parish Room, BS40 7AD. Car park entrance via field gateway in Burrington Combe.

Shepton Mallet Men’s Shed Open Day 10am4pm Unit 8, Charlton Trading Estate, BA4 5QE. www.sheptonshed.org.uk

Bleadon Village Market 9.30-12, Coronation Halls BS24 0PG. 30+ stalls, details: 01934 812370.

Sunday June 18th

Classic Car Meet, Cheddar 10am-2pm Petruth Paddocks, BS27 3FS. 10-2pm. Free, no

min/max stay. Details: 07831 336444.

Facebook: Chew Valley Classic Car and Bike Meet.

Tunley Coffee morning 10am-12 Recreation Centre, Nr Bath BA2 0DZ. Profits to Hall funds. Philippa 07849 618221.

Treasure Hunt for the Billychip Foundation, 2pm from Chew Stoke Bowling Club, Walley Court Rd, BS40 8XN. £20/car. Bar, refreshments afterwards.

Wednesday June 21st

Friends of Weston Museum talk by Stuart Burroughs, Director of the Museum of Bath at Work 2.30pm Weston Museum, BS23 1PR. Visitors £3. Details: http://www.facebook.com/groups/friendsofthem useumwsm/

Thursday June 22nd

Shipham & District Gardening Club talk by Brian Jaques “Plant names, common & binomial” 7.30pm in Shipham Village Hall BS25 1SG. All welcome.

West Mendip Walkers 11.8m circular walk, 10am from Dulverton Kemps Way car park TA22 9HZ. Details: www.mendipramblers.co.uk

Mendip Morris dancing in Clevedon on the esplanade 8pm and at the Royal Oak, 9pm.

Friday June 23rd

West Mendip Walkers 9.5m circular walk, 10am from Withypool car park TA24 7RB. Details: www.mendipramblers.co.uk

Friday June 23rd to Sun June 25th

West Somerset Folk Festival (includes Colin’s 2 hour story session).

Saturday June 24th

Mendip Male Voice Choir 19.15, Holy Trinity Church, Paulton www.mendipmen.co.uk

Wells Floral Art Club, demonstration by Coral Gardiner and a cream tea, 2pm St Thomas Church hall, BA5 2UZ. Tickets £15 from 07966 654307, for 70th anniversary flower festival.

Congresbury Village Fete & Gardening Club Show from 1.30pm St Andrew’s Church Paddock. Details: www.congresburygardeningclub.org.uk

Congresbury Book Sale 9am-1pm War Memorial Hall. Good quality books etc. Mendip Male Voice Choir, Holy Trinity Church, Paulton 7.15pm.

Chew Stoke Open Gardens 1.30-5pm Maps at village hall, Church Lane, BS40 8TU. £5, children free. Teas and cake. Details: suzanne@mcdonaldmccal.com

Saturday June 24th and Sun June 25th Wedmore Open Gardens, lunches and cream teas. Details: www.isleofwedmore.net

Sunday June 25th

Shepton Mallet monthly market 10am-3pm Market Place, Shepton Mallet, BA4 5AZ. Live music, street food. Free parking. Open Mic 3-5pm Marston Music nr Frome. Perform or listen. £3 inc tea/coffee. Details: www.marstonmusic.co.uk

Monday June 26th

Mendip Folk Dance Club, 8pm-10, St James Church Centre Winscombe BS25 1AQ. No experience necessary, Details Pat 01934 742853.

Wessex Stationary Engine Club meeting 8pm Old Down Inn, Emborough.

Congresbury Memorial Hall Club

Friendship evening with bingo, 8pm War Memorial Hall. Visitors welcome.

Aurin Girls’ Choir from Hungary 7.30pm St Mary’s Church, Bruton. Advance tickets £10, £12 on door. Details: 01749 813161 www.brutonchoralsociety.org.uk

Tuesday June 27th

Winscombe Folk Club 7.30-10.30pm, Winscombe Club BS25 1HD. All acoustic, performers & audience welcome, £2. Details: 07551 197685 winscombefolkclub@gmail.com

Chilcompton Gardening Club talk by David Usher on the Restoration of Hestercombe Gardens. 7.30pm village hall BA3 4EX.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Handlebards, Yeo Valley Organic Garden: www.valleyartscentre.co.uk

Wednesday June 28th

Folk Session 8pm City Arms, Wells. Sing, play a tune or just listen. Free. All welcome. Details: richardlm397@gmail.com

Backwell & Nailsea Macular Support meeting 1.30 pm Backwell WI Hall. Details: 01275 462107.

Cheddar Valley u3a day trip to Plymouth – to book, email margaretwoodliffe@gmail.com or 01934 744241.

Thursday June 29th

West Mendip Walkers 8.75m circular walk, 10am from Lob Gate car park Bridport DT6 on B3164. Details: www.mendipramblers.co.uk

Mendip Morris with Somerset Morris, 8pm at the Red Lion, Bishop Sutton.

Friday June 30th

Bingo Draycott Memorial Hall, 7.30pm. Free entry, children welcome. Cash only. Details: 07851 410459 or www.draycottmemorialhall.org.uk

West Mendip Orchestra Concert 7.45pm St Nicholas Church, BS23 4SD. £10 on door. Details: www.west-mendip-orchestra.org.uk

Saturday July 1st

Chewton Mendip village fete Wedmore Street Fair, 11am-4pm. Congresbury Singers 7.30pm War Memorial Hall, tickets £10 from PO & Re-Store Congresbury.

Nailsea Concert Orchestra 6.45 for 7.30pm Nailsea School. Details: www.nailseaconcertorchestra.org

Compton Martin Fete 2-5pm Ring O’ Bells Mendip Male Voice Choir 7.30pm St Andrews Church Chippenham. Details: www.mendipmen.co.uk

Compton Dando village fete, 2-5pm. Private Nature Reserve Open, 11am-4pm Greenbush, Doctors Hill, Wookey. Four acres planted since 2014. Plants, refreshments, guided walks, advice. Help welcome: susanmbates@hotmail.co.uk

Swan Singers & Swan Consort of Players 7.30pm St Cuthbert's Church, Wells 7.30 pm. Tickets £12 on door. Details: info@swansingers.gmail.com

Jazz in the Garden with “Trip for Biscuits”, free pizza, 4.30pm Churchill Court Lodge, Church Lane, BS25 5QW. Tickets: holly@churchillmusic.org.uk

Time flies at air museum

THE Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton is home to Europe’s largest collection of Royal Navy aircraft and is a great day out for adults and families alike.

Whether you are looking for somewhere to entertain the kids over the holidays or want to brush up on your history, this is the place for you.

The Fleet Air Arm Museum is where time flies and an opportunity to get up close to a range of historic aircraft as you delve into the world of naval aviation. Start your journey with the dawn of early aircraft, such as the Sopwith Baby, to the fighter planes of the Second World War and finally discover the fast jets and helicopters of our modern era.

The museum has a variety of exciting additions including the upgraded Carrier Experience which is an adventure not to be missed!

There is always something new to explore at the Fleet Air Arm Museum which is why all tickets are valid for a full year. This means that you can return as many times as you like for no extra cost!

They have an action-packed summer activity calendar planned, including interactive Making Mondays, Barracuda Brick Building and Falconry Fridays, where you will meet real life birds of prey.

At the Fleet Air Arm Musuem there is always something to do while school is out and somewhere to go no matter the weather! Tickets start from only £10.

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

Events at Yeo Valley

THE Valley Arts team has joined forces with Yeo Valley Organic Garden to deliver a stunning series of outdoor events in their beautiful garden setting at Holt Farm in Blagdon.

Guests will be able to combine a wonderful evening of entertainment with the chance to explore the gardens.

The season runs from June to August and kicks off with a very special Gig in the Garden on Tuesday, June 13th with Beth Rowley and The Secret Sisters.

It’s followed on Tuesday, June 27th with a high octane production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, from the HandleBards.

Details: www.valleyartscentre.co.uk

Aircraft down the ages at the Fleet Air Arm Museum