Charities

SUPPORTERS of Childrens Hospice South West set up a fundraising stall during the Priddy Implement Sale, raising almost £400 for the charity.

Priddy Church held an all-day cream tea event in a marquee on the green. The next day, an animal service was jointly held by Priddy, Easton and Westbury churches with William Newton Newey and the Rev. Doris Goddard taking the service. Priddy Friendly Society then hosted a village picnic and children’s games afternoon.

BIllyCHIP,the charity supporting rough sleepers, has been awarded almost £10,000 from the National lottery Community Fund.

The funding will pay for 300 BillyChip starter packs, which will be given free of charge to new food and drink outlets signing up to the scheme.

The BillyChip platform allows people to purchase a token from participating food and drink outlets which can then be given to rough sleepers and homeless people as an alternative to cash.

They can then redeem the BillyChip for food, drink and other products. The starter packs contain 25 BillyChips, window stickers and decals and a range of items including posters and strut cards.

Meg Abernethy-Hope, from Bishop Sutton, co-founder of BillyChip, set up in memory of her brother, and recent winner of a Diana Award, said: "We're over the moon to have been recognised by the National lottery for the work we are doing with the homeless.

“Thank you to everyone who supports the BillyChip. We really wouldn't be able to do this without you!"

CyClINGcharity, life Cycle UK, is about to launch in Somerset urging residents to give cycling a go.

It will join with community organisations across the county to offer a range of fun and supportive activities to boost cycling skills and confidence – and make local communities more cyclefriendly.

The initiative will provide everything from industry-recognised training for bike mechanics to financial support to get a quality, refurbished bike.

Cycle training sessions will be available for adults, helping new cyclists to discover the joys of riding a bike and giving returning cyclists the confidence they need to get from A to B. life Cycle UK will also install free Sheffield stands, enabling local venues to provide safe and secure cycle parking.

WESTON HospiceCare has announced the launch of the autumn/winter range in its charity shops.

From coats, boots, accessories, jackets, jeans and more, their shops are now stocked with seasonal donated goods.

Director of retail, Emma King, said: “We don’t yet know what treasures we will find which gives a perfect excuse for charity shop lovers to tour all of our shops to find their autumn winter clothing.”

The charity’s shops are located in Weston-super-Mare, Clevedon, Burnham-on-Sea, Cheddar, Congresbury and Winscombe.

IAN Williams, aged 63, from Wells was due to be approaching land’s End as Mendip Times went to press, a month after setting off on his bike from John O’Groats. He’s raising money for local mental health charity, Heads Up, which he’s previously supported by running the london Marathon and through other events. He works in the packing department at Charlie Bigham’s, who sent him on his way with some meals. They will also make a donation. Ian said: “I’m feeling fine, but have been getting to bed early. I’d forgotten it was my birthday until my sister phoned me.”

He’s been joined by various friends en-route and stopped off in Wells on his way to continue fundraising.

ASa tentative first event after lockdown, Chew Valley RNlI Fundraising Branch held its Tea & Cakes by the lake event, which raised about £1,000, supported by 120 people.

Musical interludes were expertly provided by Ruth Kenyon, a professional harpist from Bath, which added to the enjoyment of the event.

They had hoped to run their annual curry lunch in November but have postponed this, possibly until February, when the Covid situation is clearer.

RESCUEcharity HorseWorld has announced the appointment of Desi Dillingham MBE, as chair of the board of trustees. She was founding chair of British Dressage (19972007), president of the British Horse Society (2007 –2011) and chair of the Animal Health Trust British Equestrian Awards 2002-2012. Desi Dillingham Her career spans all equestrian circles including having a major involvement in British breeding and playing a central role in fundraising for the equestrian section of British Olympic Team since the 1980s.

HorseWorld, based at Whitchurch, is dedicated to saving the lives of abandoned, neglected and mistreated horses, ponies and donkeys.

The charity is also home to the unique Discovery educational programme for disadvantaged and vulnerable young people and adults offering a learning programme that brings them together with gentle rescued horses.

FUNDRAISERRachel Clark has broken a second Guinness World record, raising £1700 for local cancer charity We Hear you, thanks to 671 skittles players.

Rachel said: “What a phenomenal day! It was fantastic to be back together again, smashing a world record and raising money for WHy under the sunny blue skies with wonderful people!

“We weren’t sure people would come out in the numbers we saw in 2018 and 2019 after a tough year and a half, but you came, you skittled and (pending official verification), you conquered!”

WHy’s fundraising and communications manager, Gemma Wilkes, said “Rachel has done it again –we’ve never known anyone with such drive and determination and so many ideas!

“She’s an inspiration and that shows in the huge and dedicated team that has grown around her. As well as raising an amazing £1700 for our small charity, Rachel’s contribution to raising our profile and helping people who need support to find us is immeasurable.

“All Rachel's fundraising is in memory of her mum Shirley and we’re sure she’d be very proud.”

Pending official verification Team Clark broke the existing world record for the most players in an eight-hour game of skittles by 203 players, with 671 people taking part. The team broke the Guinness World record for the most participants in a 24-hour rowathon in June 2018, with 678 participants.

DORSETand Somerset Air Ambulance’s tenth coast to coast cycle fundraiser saw hundreds of riders cycling 55 miles from Watchet to West Bay in Dorset or a shorter 11-mile route to the finish.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the event had to be cancelled in May 2020 and then postponed in May 2021. It was rescheduled to coincide with Air Ambulance Week.

Those who took part included former patients who had experienced the work of the air ambulance first-hand. Others cycled in memory of loved ones, as a personal challenge, or as a team.

At 82 years young, Brian Dale (pictured) was the oldest participant completing the 55-mile route.

Bill Sivewright, Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance chief executive, said: “Having an event that attracts such an amazing range of people taking part, seems entirely appropriate for a service that is there for anyone who needs us.”

Next year, the Coast to Coast Cycle Challenge will revert back to being held in May. Online registration will open in January via the charity’s website.

THEMid Somerset Oxfam group held a silent vigil for Afghanistan on Wells Cathedral Green to show concern and anger over the situation there and to stand in solidarity with the ordinary people of Afghanistan.

Their silence was broken only by three readings, including the words to the song “Our land”, written by an Afghan refugee forced into exile in the 1990s.

The group plans further silent vigils and hopes local councils will be generous in accepting refugees.

DOROTHyHouse Hospice has launched its light up a life appeal, inviting people to dedicate a light in remembrance of their loved one on their Christmas tree at Winsley.

They are also offering supporters the opportunity to attend one of their Services of light.

They will be holding two daytime services in the grounds of Dorothy House on Sunday, November 21st at 12 noon and 3pm, which will include the switching on of the lights.

Other Services of light will be held at Bath Abbey, Malmesbury Abbey, St Bartholomew's Church Corsham, Holy Trinity Church, Frome, St Andrew’s, Devizes and Midsomer Norton Methodist Church.

Don Kennedy, from Dorothy House, said: “I am privileged to see the dedication messages written in remembrance of loved ones. We also see many of these messages thanking our clinical staff for their wonderful care and support. It is such a heartfelt reminder of why hospice care is so important and what this care means to our local community.”

MENDIPfarmer, Jo Creed, recently swapped her pitchfork for a pinny and her wellington boots for a pair of walking shoes to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Care.

Jo signed up to take part in a 13-mile hike in the Wye Valley and to pledge fundraising of at least £250, but ended up raising nearly £2,800.

As well as the walk, she baked 300 scones – a challenge in itself – and organised a cream tea. With family and friends baking cakes, cookies and tray bakes, with the tea pots flowing an amazing afternoon was had by all, in the local hall at Priddy.

Takeaway boxes were also a great hit for those who were unable to attend. A hundred square raffle was also run during the weeks leading up to the cream tea with squares selling for £1 a go with lots of lovely prizes up for grabs.

The BIG draw was overseen by Jo's better half "Shamus" so Jo said: “A special mention to him for supporting me throughout this challenge.”

She also asked for thanks to go to everyone who donated prizes, donated money, baked, sold raffle tickets, helped on the day and ate cream teas!

Jo lives in Westbury-sub-Mendip and the farm, where she grew up and where she and Sean keep their cows, is Ubley Hill Farm, Ubley Drove near Charterhouse.

WHENnine-year-old Jacob returned to Cameley Primary School after the summer holidays his fellow pupils were amazed with his transformation.

Instead of his long hair he was sporting a short hair style. His mum, leanne Chesters, said: “It has always been a fight taking Jacob to the hairdressers to have his hair cut as he always wants it long.

“He decided during lockdown that he would see how long he could grow it and donate it to the little Princess Trust to be made into wigs for children who have lost their hair through cancer and illness.”

FRIENDS and family of hairdresser Suzy Furber baked like fury to raise more than £1,300 for charity.

The cake sale and raffle at the Tucker’s Grave Inn at Faulkland was in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support; it was the eighth year that Suzy had organised the fundraising event.

SUNDAynight is bingo night in Chilcompton, thanks to Julie Daly, who thought of them during lockdown to raise money for charity. She and her family are raising funds for suicide awareness at the moment.

Julie said: “We decided on suicide awareness due to my husband’s dad who suffered with mental health (PTSD) from being in the army and Northern Ireland and who had taken his life a couple of years ago.

“Also quite a few of my son’s and daughter’s friends, and I mean young friends in their 20s, have in recent months taken their own life, which is extremely sad. There is not enough being done around the area for people who suffer with mental health issues.”

Julie started fundraising in 1999, after she lost her dad in 1998 to cancer of the oesophagus. He passed away a month after he was diagnosed.

She said: “My dad, Clive Dix, was a footballer for Peasedown St John in his younger years, also played for Swindon Town, then went on to become a brilliant carpenter. He also worked in Germany for many years, and it was there when he began to feel ill. He returned and went to Westfield, Radstock where he was diagnosed.”

Up to 40 players have been attending the bingo, held on alternate Sundays.

A PEACE garden complete with water feature and benches has been officially opened at Bishop Henderson primary school in Coleford to mark the school’s golden jubilee.

Local companies, including Stowell Concrete and Hanson, joined the school’s Parent Teacher Association, Coleford Parish Council and the Coleford Revival Group in funding the garden. Shepton Mallet Landscapes carried out the work.

Former chair of governors Carole Parr and former vice chair Ann Usher cut the ribbon to open the garden before a time capsule containing items connected to the school as well as those chosen by each class, was buried beneath a compass sculpture.

A NEWweekly wellbeing café has started at the Link in Bishop Sutton, run by the Chew and Yeo Baptist Network in partnership with Renew Wellbeing.

Margaret Blakey who is the network’s associate pastor and a coordinator for Renew Wellbeing, said: “We are setting spaces up as a response to the crisis of loneliness, isolation and poor mental health that existed before the pandemic, but has, of course, been magnified over the past 18 months.”

The café is run every Wednesday, 11am-1pm, by volunteers. The Link also hosts Chew Valley’s community library on Thursdays and Saturdays. THE High Sheriff of Somerset, Thomas Sheppard, and Claire Wynne Hughes, philanthropy manager for the B&NES branch of Quartet, visited the Chew Valley to thank some of the community groups they have helped to support, especially over the past 18 months.

Those present included representatives from the West of England Rural Network (WERN) who organise community support through Village Agents and run a scheme to reduce the cost of heating oil by cooperatively ordering in bulk.

There were also representatives of the volunteer-led Chew Valley Community Transport Scheme and “Chew Chat”, a community group also supported by WERN and Quartet.

HISTORIAN Steve Thomas is appealing for help from anyone who recognises any of these troopers in a rare photograph of the North Somerset Yeomanry.

The photo was taken some time after 1905 and remains in such good condition because it was used as a backing board for another picture – of a clergyman – hanging in St Mary’s Church in Wanstrow. It was only discovered when the frame was removed for maintenance.

It shows men from the Mendip area on annual camp before the

outbreak of the First World War. Competitions would have been staged at the camps. Steve, of Nunney, has been able to provide a rough date because the trooper seated in the front row is wearing the Imperial Yeomany long service and good conduct medal which was not issued before 1905.

The two large cups are the Field Marshal Earl Roberts cup and the Dorchester cup won by Sergeant Major Brains of the Wincanton troop at Priddy in 1907.

The North Somerset Yeomanry – the men would have all been recruited for their horseriding abilities – has its origins in the French Revolutionary wars. A meeting was held in Frome on May 2nd, 1798 when a military association – the Frome Troop of Cavalry – was formed.

A METAL detectorist from Cheddar who found an early medieval silver disc brooch has described the find as “incredible”.

The brooch, dating from AD 800-900, was declared treasure by a coroner at an inquest in August. Its value has yet to be determined by the independent Treasure Valuation Committee.

Iain Sansome discovered the brooch while detecting on farmland at Cheddar in October last year. He immediately stopped detecting and contacted the Portable Antiquities Scheme. As a potential item of treasure under the 1996 Treasure Act it was reported by PAS to H.M. Coroner. Led by the South West Heritage Trust, a follow-up investigation took place at the find site but no further significant discoveries were made.

Iain said: “I’ve found a lot of important historical items in the few years I’ve been detecting, and have covered a lot of ground, but this find is in a different league. When I first saw the brooch I wasn’t exactly sure what it was but I knew it was something special and stopped detecting immediately. “It’s a very rare find and the fact that the last person to handle it was probably someone of extreme importance and high status over 1,000 years ago is just incredible. It really does make one wonder!” The disc brooch is known as Trewhiddle style after a group of six such brooches was found in Norfolk in the late 1970s. Experts say finding such a brooch in Somerset is both exciting and exceptional. Dr Lucy Shipley, from the Portable Antiquities Scheme, said: “Although it is relatively common to find Roman brooches in Somerset, early medieval examples are rare. Such items were important symbols of wealth and high status and may have been given as gifts to cement relationships between powerful individuals, including those with religious roles.”

CURRENT and former service personnel, civic dignitaries and well wishers gathered to pay their respects at the annual Double Hills Memorial Service on the outskirts of Paulton.

The service remembers the two pilots and 21 Royal Engineers who were killed when Glider RJ113 crashed on its way to the Arnhem Landings – Operation Market Garden – in September 1944. All are buried in Weston-super-Mare.

As well as a rededication of the memorial following renovations in 2019 – the service could not take place last year – the afternoon also saw the unveiling of three new plaques in honour of people who had been long-time supporters of the tribute.

There was added poignancy on the day; members of 9 Parachute Squadron who had been due to attend the service had instead been sent to help with the evacuation of UK citizens and others from Afghanistan.

WORLD War Two re-enactment groups took over the East Somerset Railway at Cranmore for a weekend of nostalgia.

American troops, the Home Guard, German forces, Land Army girls, evacuees and resistance fighters mingled at the station to the background of running steam trains. There was even 1940s music.

Called The Way We Were, the weekend was the heritage line’s first major public event of the year.

Theerratic weather patterns this year seem to have resulted in rapid, phenomenal growth everywhere, no more so than in Slader’s Leigh our flower meadow reserve near Winscombe; to us the last few days of summer mean it’s annual cut and clearing time.

Plenty of Mendip Society volunteers turned up armed with scythes, slashers and loppers alongside Les Davies, our “handson” president with his latest self-propelled thick grass cutting machine. We usually manage the whole cut hand scything, but this year we were glad to see Les and his machine, for many satisfying hours of thick vegetation cutting. having left it a week to dry and drop seed, the team, joined by volunteers from the AONB task group, returned to rake, burn, and create habitat piles. This has to be done to keep the fertility of the soil low to suit the many species of wild flowers it supports; unfortunately our risings are not suitable for animal fodder or bedding because of the large amount of hard stalks such as the meadowsweet in it, so we can’t give it away to local farmers.

In the past we have burned a big proportion of it; however with all the advice and serious warnings of the harm we are all doing to the planet, even our infrequent bonfires are undesirable. So we compromised and swept as much as possible to our western boundary line where we have set aside an area for it to rot down in safety, we are sure that something will make good use of it.

At the same time, the once open pond area by the lower boundary was reclaimed from under the rapidly expanding hedge and thick vegetation; the hedge will be relaid as part of this winter’s hedgelaying courses which we will advertise on our Mendip Society website and in our next page in the Mendip Times.

The two dry stone walling classes we advertised in the Mendip Times last month are now full and the walks programme is up and running. Our walks leaders met up to refresh themselves on “taking the lead” and basic “save a life” First Aid training from Rich Long at Reflex Training.

The way the walks are now organised has been changed from a printed quarterly programme to accessing through our website. In response to concerns about safety with regards to the large numbers wishing to join our walks in the past, Richard Frost, the walks co-ordinator and Shirley Ousley, walks administrator have issued this activities guide.

“The walks will be led by trained volunteer leaders with practical, local knowledge. Our website will give all the necessary information you require including the number of members and nonmembers allowed to book on each walk. Numbers are limited for safety reasons.

“Walkers must wear appropriate footwear and clothing, ensuring the grading suits their personal fitness level, and carry identity information, including next of kin. The leaders must be advised of any potential medical or physical problems; all walkers are responsible for their own safety at all times.

“Unless otherwise stated, well behaved dogs are welcome on leads; assistance dogs are always welcome. Where non-members are booked we request a donation of £2 towards our heritage Fund. l Important. All those wishing to join the walk must book through www.themendipsociety.org.uk/walks

“A link will take you to the booking system run by "Sign Up Genius”. Just follow the instructions. No Booking = No Walk. Please make sure you check on the day for any cancellations or amendments. N.B. Your privacy through the society website is guaranteed but note that the booking site does not guarantee the same.”

TheMendip Society will launch its new Small Grant Scheme leaflet at this year’s Mendip Ploughing Match, held on land at Green Ore on Wednesday, September 29th.

It’s aimed at private landowners and farmers restoring or creating new landscape, conservation and wildlife habitat which is on or connected to Open Access Land or a Public Right of Way.