Mendip Times - Volume 10 Issue 8

Mendip Times

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Celebrating life on the Mendips and surrounding areas

JANUARY 2015

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Local people, local history, local places, local events and local news

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MENDIP TIMES

CONTENTS

Welcome

IT’S good to start the New Year on a positive note. Some of our community heroes have been honoured in Somerset County Council’s annual awards – we salute them. We also have our usual pages devoted to the vital work of local charities and voluntary groups.

We’ve news this month of environmental awards for Frome and for work on woodland in Midsomer Norton.

We also hear how new road signs are helping to put Radstock on the map.

Somerset’s first bird atlas has just been published – we look at the winners and losers as our avian friends adapt to climate change.

We’ve pictures from around the area of Christmas celebrations and we join the party at Moorlynch where the village hall has reopened after the disastrous floods last winter.

We meet Frank Newbery, who may well be the last man alive who helped build the WW2 decoy towns, which we featured in the magazine last month.

Mary James goes back to her farming roots while Phil Hendy explains how Mendip’s caves are getting longer. If you want some exercise over the holiday, Sue Gearing suggests a walk around Banwell. If you want to exercise your brain test yourself against Felkov, our new crossword compiler.

With all of our usual features and contributors, may we wish you a happy and healthy 2015.

February 2015 deadline: Friday, 16th January 2015.

Published: Tuesday, 27th January 2015.

Editorial: Steve Egginton steve@mendiptimes.co.uk Mark Adler mark@mendiptimes.co.uk Advertising: Ann Quinn advertising@mendiptimes.co.uk Rachael Abbott rachael@mendiptimes.co.uk Publisher: Mendip Times Limited Coombe Lodge, Blagdon, Somerset BS40 7RG Contacts: For all enquiries, telephone:

01761 463888 or: email news@mendiptimes.co.uk or: letters@mendiptimes.co.uk www.mendiptimes.co.uk Design and origination by: Steve Henderson Printed by: Precision Colour Printing, Haldane, Halesfield 1, Telford, Shropshire TF7 4QQ Copyright of editorial content held by Mendip Times Ltd. and its contributors. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the express permission of the Publisher. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the publisher or its associates.

Front cover: Young Chef Of The Year competition in Frome.

Photograph by Mark Adler (see page 17).

6

Country cops – more help to tackle rural crime

16

Crafty cooks – college chefs serve up a winner

60

Christmas capers – around Mendip in pictures

82

Counting the cost – theatre group’s tribute to WWI heroes and heroines

Plus all our regular features Environment...................................6 Farming Mary James MBE..........10 Food & Drink...............................14 Internet and Crossword..............24 Arts & Antiques ...........................26 Business ........................................32 Education......................................38 Wildlife Chris Sperring MBE .......41 Walking Sue Gearing....................42 Outdoors Les Davies MBE ..........44

Gardening Mary Payne MBE ......46 Health Dr Phil Hammond.............52 Community Simon Selby .............56 Motoring .......................................58 Charities .......................................62 Homes and Interiors....................68 Riding Celia Gadd ........................76 Caving Phil Hendy........................78 Sport..............................................79 What’s On ....................................80 MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015 • PAGE 3

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MENDIP TIMES

Finger of fate for Felipe

VISITORS to the 2014 Royal Bath and West Show might have spotted the television cameras focussing on some young entrepreneurs; they might not have realised that they were contestants in the BBC

series The Apprentice.

Sir Alan Sugar sent them to the showground as one of their tasks – this photo shows Felipe Alviar-Baquero preparing to tempt buyers to his handbag stand opposite the Cider and Orchards Marquee. Colombian-born Felipe, a solicitor for an international law firm, had a spectacular falling out with a rival in front of people attending the show.

The result? Sir Alan’s finger of fate: “You’re fired”.

Loud and clear

TOWN crier David Greenway has to stand back from the microphone as he announces the official opening of Glastonbury FM’s new studios live on air as presenters Bob Lloyd and Allan Trinder look on.

The community radio station is based at the Red Brick Building in Glastonbury and broadcasts on 107.1FM within a ten-mile radius of the town. It is also available via the internet.on 107.1FM within a 10 mile radius of Glastonbury.

£60,000 medical appeal

WRINGTON Vale Rotary Club has launched a £60,000 appeal to buy a Heartworks training module, which would be the first in the South West.

The machine assists the medical profession in the diagnosis of heart problems by the use of a torso with a computerised beating heart which can show up to 40 heart problems.

Several other Rotary clubs are joining in the campaign but commercial companies are also being asked to support it. Wyevale Garden Centres have presented a cheque for £450 and promised collections at their stores in the near year.

Details: Peter Roswell 01934 822280

Designers of the future?

NEWS

A NEW creative arts centre has opened at All Hallows School at Cranmore featuring cutting edge technology to inspire students to reach new levels of achievement.

Led by Berin Nelson, the school’s new Head of Creative Design and Technology, the centre looks more like a London design studio than classroom with 2D and 3D design technology, facilities for coding, laser cutting and 3D printing, animation, digital photography and more. The centre is also serving as a driving force to enhance creativity throughout the already innovative curriculum on offer.

Berin said: “We are committed to ensuring that the opportunities offered are current, relevant and exciting and that the curriculum evolves continuously to keep pace with the real world. We want to really ‘fuse’ the disciplines and demonstrate to the children that ideas can be brought to life in a number of ways with the help of technology and creativity and we aim to enlist the help of specialists along the way to inspire the children.”

The centre’s ambition has been endorsed by design guru Kevin McCloud who said: “I think All Hallows School's new Creative Centre is just the ticket. The creative industries are growth industries and Britain is a world leader. Some of the biggest planetary names are powered by British design, media and architectural talents. So encouraging children to explore their creativity from a young age – and allowing them licence to think of creativity as important – gives them a head start in a competitive world. Creativity = Original Thinking. The Centre is a brilliant idea."

Gerald Read

GERALD Read, one of Chew Magna’s best-known sportsmen, has died after a short illness, at the age of 80. He was involved in the village’s cricket and football clubs from an early age and retained links with them throughout his life.

He was a founder of RH Windows and continued working with them well into retirement. He leaves his wife, Ann, who works at the Co-operative in Chew Magna, son, Duncan, and daughter Julie. Winford church, in his home village, was packed for his funeral.

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Hedge competition organisers aim higher

Fun day at Ebbor

ENTRIES open in January for the 2015 hedge laying competition organised by the Mid Somerset Agricultural Society.

Hopes are high that the event will top the 26 entries received for last year with a new prize for the best entrant over 60 years of age.

Last year’s amateur winner Clive Riston (left) with The 2015 overall champion Mike Reed competition, which is open to amateurs and professional hedge layers, will be held at Manor Farm at Ditcheat – by kind permission of the Barber family – on Sunday, February 22nd.

For the second year running a clay pigeon shoot, will be held alongside the hedging competition.

Christine Barham, secretary of the society, which hosts the annual Shepton Show, said: “We have already gained some very good sponsors for the day and the competition is going from strength to strength.”

For more information, visit: www.midsomersetshow.org.uk

Beating the rural thieves

CRIME prevention and detection capability equipment worth thousands of pounds has been handed over to locally-based rural crime officers in the Avon and Somerset area.

The Rural Crime Team received £8,000 of security items such as alarms and security cameras which can be loaned to farms and smallholdings whilst there is a higher risk of livestock or equipment theft and other crime, or as a demonstrator before making a decision to buy privately. These items have been chosen so that they are appropriate for, and sturdy enough, for the agricultural environment.

The kit boxes were distributed to PAGE 6 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

Professor Danielle Schreve, from Royal Holloway University, with a group of people at the recently excavated bone cave at Ebbor Gorge where remains of animals that lived on Mendip before the last ice age have been discovered.

MORE than 250 people have attended a family fun day at Ebbor Gorge National Nature Reserve. Visitors explored the gorge, discovered the secrets of the bone cave, weaved a cave lion and cheered on racing snails. Many enjoyed guided walks which revealed the reserve’s unique geology and special wildlife and others which showcased the recent and rare archaeological finds.

Simon Clarke, Natural England’s Reserve Manager said: “The event went really well and we would like to thank the many partners who provided activities on the day. Their input and enthusiasm certainly made the ‘Explore Ebbor’ a first rate Local willow sculptor Sophie Courtiour working with visitors to construct a life size Mendip Rocks!

Festival Event.” cave lion.

Rural Crime Team PC Rowan Hawkins (based at Wells) delivering a training workshop

officers and PCSOs from across the force area at a briefing day held at a farm owned by Somerset NFU chairman Nick Bragg in South Petherton. The 50 local rural crime contacts were also

given more detailed training and briefed about the continued rollout across the force of the Farmwatch scheme. A Horsewatch scheme will be launched in 2015.

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The birds of Somerset

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SOMERSET’S wonderful birdlife has been mapped in a new book The Somerset Atlas of Breeding and Wintering Birds.

Produced by the Somerset Ornithological Society The authors (l to r) Julian Thomas, (SOS) and British David Balance, Rob Grimmond, Eve Trust for Ornithology Tigwell and Stephen Moss (BTO), with thousands of records collected by more than 600 volunteers, this is the first time the birds of Somerset have been documented so thoroughly.

From Exmoor, the Quantocks and Bridgwater Bay in the west, through the Blackdowns, Mendip and Polden Hills and the lowlying Levels and Moors in the centre, to Selwood Forest in the east, Somerset supports more than 200 different species of bird.

The atlas will be an invaluable resource both now and in the future, to help plan how best to help Somerset’s birdlife. It is also a fascinating snapshot of the current status and distribution of birds in Somerset.

It includes common residents such as the robin and blackbird, summer visitors including the cuckoo, swift and swallow, passage migrants such as seabirds and waders, and winter visitors – amongst them thousands of ducks, geese and swans.

The atlas also confirms that Somerset is now home to some exciting new arrivals, taking advantage of the newly-created wetland habitats on the Somerset Levels. Bitterns have returned to breed after an absence of almost half a century, while new arrivals from the south including great white and little egrets, little bittern, and the reintroduced flock of cranes now in residence on the southern part of the levels.

Meanwhile buzzards, red kites and peregrines – once driven to the edge of extinction by poisoning and pesticides – are now a regular sight in Somerset’s skies.

But it’s not all good news. Many once common and familiar birds have either declined in numbers or in a few sad cases have disappeared completely. The tiny lesser spotted woodpecker is no longer found in the county’s cider apple orchards, while yellowhammers no longer sing their characteristic ‘little-bit-ofbread-and-no-cheeese’ song from many of our hedgerows.

Willow tit, grasshopper warbler and merlin have almost disappeared as breeding birds, while turtle doves and corn buntings are no longer found in Somerset at all.

To combat these declines, conservationists, birders and volunteers are now joining forces to improve existing habitats and create new ones, to try to bring these lost birds back and to encourage new colonists – perhaps we may see white storks, glossy ibis and even bee-eater breeding here for the first time.

The Somerset Atlas of Breeding & Wintering Birds is on a special offer price of £25 + £4.95 postage and packing – £29.95 total, until December 31st, after which the cover price will rise to £35 + p&p.

To order, send a cheque payable to ‘Somerset Ornithological Society’ to: Somerset Atlas Offer, Motcombe House, Combe Wood Lane, Combe St. Nicholas, Chard, Somerset TA20 3NH.

ENVIRONMENT

How green is my council?

A car club will open in Frome

FROME Town Council has been awarded £16,000 to set up a new electric and hybrid car club for local residents and businesses.

Two electric cars and one hybrid vehicle will be available for use from Frome Medical Centre, the town centre and another site in the south of the town.

The announcement coincides with the authority being named the Most Proactive Public Body in the whole of the south west at a green awards ceremony hosted by Regen SW. Frome was pitted against Plymouth City Council, Devon County Council and other local authorities from across the region.

Sporting the world’s first solar powered mayoral chain, Councillor Peter Macfadyen, the Independent Mayor of Frome, said: “This award is all about the council and the community working as one in a common cause. We’re creating green jobs, green energy production and green transport opportunities. We’re reducing town wide energy consumption, energy costs and, perhaps most importantly, reducing overall carbon use. It’s kicking in at last!”

The council’s Energy and Recycling Officer, Anna Francis, is the only person in the country doing this type of work at town council level. Anna said: “Frome is a real hub for environmental activity. In the next six months we will be working with local organisations to launch a solar powered electric/hybrid car club.

“We will be installing solar panels on a range of community buildings, including the Frome Medical Practice and Frome Town Football Club, through a ground breaking partnership with Frome Renewable Energy Co-op (FRECo) which will generate 200kw, saving 2,248 tonnes of CO2 over their lifetime and generating £268,000 for a community fund.

“We are also working with schools to empower students and staff to cut costs and carbon and have a team of trained energy volunteers who are helping fuel poor households to reduce their Peter Macfadyen (centre) wearing a solar powered mayoral chain of office energy bills.”

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ENVIRONMENT

Planting for the future

A COMMUNITY tree planting event at the award-winning Silver Street nature reserve in Midsomer Norton completed a very successful year for the volunteers who care for the green space.

Having regained the prestigious Green Flag award, the reserve is gradually being improved and enhanced. In September, the wellhead was restored and dedicated to workers from the

The Green Flag award flies in the reserve

Volunteers take a break from the tree planting event which brought 2014’s activities to an end

Somerset coalfields.

The Friends of Silver Street, who fundraise towards the improvement work and carry out many of the tasks themselves, invited people to enjoy soup, coffee and cake after planting birch saplings, bulbs and plants as well as scattering wild flower seeds.

M E N D I P

W E A T H E R

S C E N E

For more information about the Friends, telephone: 01761 411292.

Season’s greetings to all

THE festive season will be well under way by the time you read this, so greetings to all, including a very happy New Year.

There has been very little sign of winter so far this year here (just the occasional frost), but the recent heavy with DAVID snowfalls in the United States have MAINE been a timely reminder that the calendar is not wrong. Buffalo, on the south eastern shores of the Great Lakes in New York State, was particularly hard hit with up to seven FEET (no, not inches) of snow, but it is prone to a lot, as the icy winds from Canada pick up a lot of moisture as they cross the Great Lakes and hit warmer air.

It’s often been said that what America does, we will follow suit (just look at the shopping mania of Black Friday) so one

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A winter scene on top of Mendip

might argue that we also are on the eastern side of a large expanse of water i.e. the Atlantic, with our prevailing winds coming from the west or southwest? But the situation could not be more different with the Atlantic being warmed by the Gulf Stream.

If we are going to get any wintry weather we need to look to the north or northeast with the winds coming from the Arctic or Siberia and little sign of that so far this winter.

Let’s hope there won’t be too much disruption from the weather this year. I am sure those people living on the Somerset Levels will be only too pleased if we have a drier winter, even if it is a bit colder.

Bye for now.

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Tel: 0800 097 8611

www.johnhodge.co.uk | e-mail: mailbox@johnhodge.co.uk

WESTON-SUPER-MARE | BRISTOL | CLEVEDON | YATTON | WEDMORE

For those of you thinking of moving or even buying for the first time or for investment, we had some rare good news at the beginning of December from HM Treasury regarding Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT). e changes will reduce the SDLT payment for the majority of homebuyers. Under the old rules once the threshold was reached, you would have paid tax at a single rate based on the entire property price. Now you will only pay the rate of tax on the part of the property price within each tax band – similar to the principles of income tax.

For example, if you bought a property for £180,000 under the old rules you would have had to pay 1% tax on the full amount so £1,800.00. Under the new rules, you pay nothing on the first £125k and 2% on the remaining £60k – so £1,200.00, giving a saving of £650.

Our Services Include: Commercial and Residential Property Wills and Probate Litigation and Personal Injury Criminal and Family Law Agricultural, Business and Commercial Employment Shepton Mallet: 57 High Street, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 5AQ. Tel: 01749 330330

Glastonbury: 11 Chilkwell Street, Glastonbury, Somerset, BA6 8DL. Tel: 01458 832510

We recently celebrated Christmas lunch together – although rather early. Father Christmas and one of his elves paid us a visit to drop off some gifts – he did look rather familiar? We wish you all a happy and healthy New Year.

Castle Cary: Old Bank House, High Street, Castle Cary, Somerset, BA7 7AW. Tel: 01963 350888

Cheddar: Roley House, Church Street, Cheddar, Somerset, BS27 3RA. Tel: 01934 745400

Website: www.bgw-solicitors.co.uk

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Lest old acquaintance be forgot

THIS year has been a year of remembrance with many ceremonies to honour those who died in WW1. My father came home, one of the lucky ones.

William James joined the Signals, Royal Field Artillery before he was 17. William’s father was a sergeant in the Bristol police With MARY for many years and when he retired rented a JAMES MBE small farm on the edge of Dundry.

Five members of his large family had moved away but the two youngest, William and his sister May, went with their parents to Prospect Farm. There were around 40 acres which included orchards and a large garden. No sooner had they settled in than William rushed off to sign up in the RFA. A great lover of horses he did not take one of his own. There is a lovely photo of him in uniform on a white horse which I guess could have been taken in France. When he returned home in 1918 with a Military Medal he told his family very little of his experiences. I pieced together, with help from one brother, how he had won the medal.

He had been a dispatch rider, on a motorbike, and had rescued, under fire, a pilot from a wrecked plane who was carrying an important message. One of his other brothers gave me a slightly different version but it amounted to the same thing.

So it was back to the farm which he loved and he set about trying to make it profitable. The principles he applied are the same as small farmers do today to make ends meet. We call it diversifying now. As well as making hay using horses and milking one or two cows by hand he started breaking young horses and selling them on.

They kept hens and sold the eggs locally as well as the milk, raised a few pigs and developed the garden. He built a more modern cowshed that would take ten cows eventually. He also built hen houses and adapted a large two-storey barn to hold pigs. Keeping more cows meant a surplus of milk so it was carefully strained into small churns and he began a delivery round using a horse and cart.

Customers brought their jugs to the cart for William to fill.

There was no refrigeration then or pasteurisation so it had to be delivered quickly. As the milk round grew he used a motorbike and sidecar and in later years a car and trailer then vans William’s father died in the mid-20s and he was left to support his mother and sister. Despite all the hard work he was quite a ‘Jack the lad’ who walked into Bristol to go dancing on the Flying Fox anchored in the harbour, arriving home in the early hours for a short sleep before milking and delivering.

As the milk round grew William needed more milk so he bought some from a local farm in Barrow Gurney. It was in the village pub that he met the love of his life who was the landlord’s eldest daughter, Phyllis Patch. After 23 years of bachelor freedom he settled down with a wife who joined in the hard work.

It involved more cows, my mother milking them, more customers and producing more from the farm to sell to them. By then the milk was cooled in the dairy and bottled by hand with the empties washed by hand in a tank of near-boiling water with a revolving bottle brush, which was the ladies’ job.

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Then along came WW2 and William joined the Home Guard.

By this time it was only his relatives who called him Will or William. Everyone else called him Bill. He managed to keep his customers supplied with veg, eggs and milk. There was also a bit of a black market going on, which was basically illegal.

He had three pigs killed on the ‘quiet’ and he hung the carcasses on the top floor of his barn, well locked up, but that night a bomb fell at the back of the farm and blew the roof off!

There were the carcasses glistening in the moonlight! It was all hands on deck to get the pigs moved before the police arrived on the scene. Before it was light the next morning the pigs had been cut up and the joints delivered When the war was over food was short and times were hard.

Milk was going to be pasteurised and milking machines were being used so Bill decided he was not going to invest in a new milking set-up so he sold the cows (Guernseys) and bought milk from a local dairy already pasteurised and bottled and increased his milk round.

He also bought a new little grey Fergie, the Ferguson T20 tractor. Haymaking became much easier, he raised a few beef animals, the gardens were enlarged and more pigs and poultry were kept. But it was not to be that Bill kept his beloved small farm.

In 1953 most of the land was taken by compulsory purchase for the development of part of Withywood. Undaunted he kept the poultry, pigs and gardens. The milk round was increased yet again and he persuaded his only daughter to work for him! He died in 1968 just 18 months after he saw his daughter (me) married, to a farmer.

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Somerset’s honey harvest

AT last there is some good news for honey lovers as Somerset beekeepers enjoy their best crop for three years. Figures from the British Beekeeping Association show that hives in the West Country averaged 30lbs, up from the lowest point of just 7lbs two years ago.

Reports from the county’s apiaries show a very positive picture in the main with some yields topping the historic average of 40lb per hive.

Bee farmer and member of Somerset Beekeepers Association (SBKA) Chris Harries of Sedgemoor Honey said the season started well: “The bees came out of the winter nice and strong because the conditions were excellent. I only lost one hive out of 300, which was fantastic as the national average for losses is about 10 per cent.

“Throughout the year there was plenty of moisture in the ground, the flowers the bees feed on flourished and the sun came out at the right time. All my 1,700 or so honey boxes were on a hive somewhere in Somerset at one time.”

However some Somerset beekeepers reported another disappointing season due to a lack of forage while others lost colonies because of wasps.

FARMING

Tractor fans help charity

KEVIN Patch, chairman of the North Somerset Vintage Tractor Club hands a cheque for £3,000 to Heidi Every of Crossroads Young Carers at the club’s Christmas social event. The money was raised from donations and events held by the club in 2014.

The Little Grey Fergie model, (Mick Chapman’s Memorial Trophy) which is annually awarded to the highest score in the skittles competition was this year won by Wendy Young of Winford. Some 120 members and partners attended the evening at Redhill Village Club.

The first meeting of 2015 of NSVTC is on Tuesday, January 6th at the club. Membership renewals are due at this meeting and forms for both renewal or new members can be found at: www.nvtec-northsomerset.org. New members are very welcome. For details: 01275 474649.

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MELLS

RADSTOCK

Corey Walkes, at 13 one of the country’s most promising trampolonists, was the guest of honour at the Christmas lights ceremony in Radstock town centre. He’s pictured with Father Christmas and Lesley Mansell, chair of Radstock Town Council

A two-day artisan craft fair was held in the Tithe Barn in Mells; proceeds from a raffle raised funds for the village’s community shop and café

Nick Larsen, whose wife Rebecca organised the fair, helps out on a festive-themed stall PAGE 12 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

Corey, who attends Writhlington School, shows off his two silver medals from the recent World Age Group competition in Florida as children from Trinity Primary School join in the festive spirit

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MENDIP TIMES

January is as nice as pie

THIS time of year is what Nigel Slater calls “pie weather”; a bit dank and gloomy.

The kind of weather that requires something that will wrap its arms around you and make you feel comforted. And nothing does that better than a pie. A pie with a crust, or maybe two, lovely buttery With JUNE crumbly pastry, innocent looking until you MACFARLANE slice into it to reveal the delicious contents within. It needs little else on the plate, maybe a bit of greenery, or a blob of cream, but all you really want is in one package.

How neat.

CHICKEN, HAM AND LEEK PIE

Salmon in pastry with stem ginger and currants

This is a princely dish; the sweetness of the leeks sets off the chicken and ham brilliantly. Make a big one for New Year’s Eve, or a little one for a weekday.

Serve it hot or warm, it is very well behaved.

METHOD

Pre-heat oven to 200°C. Soften the leeks in the butter. Add flour and cook through. Add enough milk to make a thick sauce. Add mustard and cream. Add chicken and ham. Allow to cool to warm.

Roll out pastry to two rectangles as thick as a pound coin. Place one on baking paper on a baking sheet. Spoon the filling on top. Brush the edges with water. Lay second sheet on top and crimp the edges to seal. Brush the top with beaten egg and slash to allow steam to escape. Bake for 35-45 mins until golden.

SALMON IN PASTRY WITH STEM GINGER AND CURRANTS INGREDIENTS

375g/13oz shortcrust pastry 110g/4oz butter at room temperature 4 pieces stem ginger in syrup, finely chopped 2 tbsp currants 1 piece fillet of salmon, mid-section, skinned and pin-boned 1 egg, beaten salt and pepper

One of the all-time great pie recipes, dating back to at least the 17th century and the signature dish of the great George Perry-Smith, of The Hole in the Wall restaurant in Bath. Try to keep the pastry as thin as possible and cook it in a hot oven so the salmon is lightly cooked.

METHOD

Cut up butter and put in a bowl. Add ginger and currants and mix to combine. Cut salmon in half lengthways.

Season one half with salt and pepper, spread half the butter mixture over it. Cover with the other piece of salmon, top to tail so it makes a neat sandwich. Season. Spread remaining butter mixture on top. Refrigerate while you deal with the pastry.

Roll out pastry thinly and place on baking paper on a baking tray. Set salmon on one end, leaving a 1cm edge, and fold over the rest of the pastry, sealing edges. Rest in fridge for at least an hour. Pre-heat oven to 220°C. Brush pastry with beaten egg and make a couple of slashes in the top. Bake for 20 mins until golden. Allow to rest for 10 mins before serving.

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INGREDIENTS

(for a large pie) 450g/1lb cooked chicken, in bite size pieces 450g/1lb cooked ham (a gammon shank is good for this), in bite size pieces 2 leeks, sliced into 1 cm discs 30g/1oz butter 3 tbsp plain flour 250ml/1/2 pint warm milk 3 tbsp Dijon mustard 1 tbsp double cream 2 packs puff pastry 1 egg, beaten

APPLE PIE

An apple pie always tastes better if you make it yourself, especially if you have a treasured family recipe. This is a double crust pie (the best kind, with pastry top and bottom) and uses both cooking and dessert apples for texture. Add extra ingredients and spices if you want, but don’t overdo it; it should be what it is, a simple dish, well made. Use a metal pie plate to avoid a soggy bottom.

METHOD

Pre-heat oven to 180°C. Cook spices in butter for a couple of minutes, add the Bramley apples and the sugar and cook until collapsed and fluffy. Remove spices and set aside. Peel, core and chop the Coxs into chunks and add to the Bramleys. Taste for sweetness.

Cut pastry in half and roll out one half. Butter INGREDIENTS a pie plate and cover 375g/13oz shortcrust pastry with pastry. Sprinkle 2 Bramley apples, peeled, over the base 1tbsp flour cored and chopped and 1tbsp sugar. Pile 1 cinnamon stick apple mixture in the 4 cloves middle. Dampen edges. a knob of butter Roll out remaining 100g sugar pastry and cover pie.

3 dessert apples, such as Brush with egg white, Cox slash top, sprinkle with 1 tbsp butter sugar. Bake for 35-45 1 tbsp flour mins and allow to cool a 1 tbsp sugar little before serving.

1 egg white, beaten

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FOOD & DRINK

A Somerset winter warmer

WITH the season for warm, spicy cider rapidly approaching, Thatchers Cider has asked West Country chef Tim Maddams to recommend some festive dishes to serve alongside Thatchers Mulled Cider.

Using fresh, seasonal produce, Tim’s recipes are ideal as snacks or starters, or even a warming outdoor eat for carol singers or Wassail revellers in the New Year. Now available as recipe cards for download at www.thatcherscider.co.uk the scrumptious dishes are Smoked Mackerel Tart; Potted Pork with Quick Pickled Beetroot, and Barbecued Pumpkin, Pheasant and Chorizo Wraps.

To make your own mulled cider, simply follow this simple Thatchers family recipe: Take two litres of Thatchers Heritage cider, and add: • 1 sliced orange, lemon and apple • 2 star anise • 5 cloves • 2 cinnamon sticks • 8 slices ginger • 5 tablespoons of soft brown sugar to taste.

Simmer gently for around ½ hour but be careful not to let it boil.

Martin Thatcher, managing director of Thatchers Cider and fourth generation cider maker, said: “There’s nothing more welcoming than the warming, spicy aroma of mulled cider on a cold, winter’s evening. This is a recipe our family has used for many years – we hope you enjoy it, especially when accompanied by one of Tim’s extra special winter warmers.”

JANUARY 2015 DATES

Wells: every Wednesday 9am-2.30pm at the Market Place All other markets 9am-1pm unless otherwise marked*

Saturday 3rd Axbridge & Midsomer Norton – cancelled Saturday 10th Frome Cheese & Grain & Keynsham Saturday 17th Crewkerne Saturday 24th Glastonbury & Yeovil (9am-2pm)* Friday 30th

Burnham-on-Sea

follow us @SFMMarkets For more information phone 01373 814646 or visit www.SomersetFarmersMarkets.co.uk

Powering Farming’s Future Tel: 01225 667151 Web: www.yourenergyuk.com

New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner Menu Champagne and canapés

AMUSE-BOUCHE Jerusalmen Artichoke Velouté (V)

TO START

New Year at Bowlish House Live piano music all evening • Fireworks at midnight

Home Cured & Poached Salmon, Wrapped in Herbs & Smoked Salmon with Potato Salad, Herb Oil or Baked Goats Cheese Crotin, Spinach, Confit Cherry, Tomatoes, Balsamic Syrup & Tapenade (V)

INTERMEDIATE Chicken Liver and Foie Gras Parfait with Red Onion Chutney, Toasted Rye Bread or Toasted Pine Nut & Spinach Risotto with Parmesan Crackling (V)

MAIN COURSE Fillet of West Country Beef, Root Vegetable Dauphinoise, Roasted Shallots, Madeira & Truffle Sauce or Woodland Mushroom Wellington, Roasted Red Pepper Puree, Grilled Artichokes (V) All main courses are served with a selection of seasonal vegetables

DESSERT Assiette of Chocolate: White, Dark & Milk Chocolate Mousse, Tart & Brownie or Baked Orange Cheesecake with Orange Mascarpone & Vanilla Ice Cream

Email: reception@bowlishhouse.com or info@bowlishhouse.com www.bowlishhouse.com e Bowlish House, Wells Road, Shepton Mallet, Somerset BA4 5JB

TO FINISH Selection of West Country Cheeses, Homemade Chutney & Biscuits Coffee & Petit Fours £74.50 per person

MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015 • PAGE 15

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Young chefs are “awesome”

By Mark Adler

SARAH Petroff’s pride in her catering students’ talents was clear for all to see – yet again, the contestants in the annual Rotary Club of Frome’s Young Chef of the Year competition had risen to the challenge.

From chicken breast wrapped in bacon with a Stilton sauce (followed by sticky fig and walnut pudding with toffee sauce) to pan fried duck breasts served with a chestnut mousse and blackberry sauce (with a limoncello mousse in a rich chocolate pot to follow), the seven finalists knew more than their onions.

Judges Kevin King, from sponsor The Scallop Shell, and Kevin McDonagh were in no doubt about the talent on show at Frome Community College.

Kevin “M”, from sponsor Appetito, said Gabriel Toomey’s chocolate fondant with a caramel sauce would have tested the skills of the best of the Celebrity Masterchef contestants: “They probably wouldn’t even attempt a fondant under this kind of pressure.”

But Sarah, the college’s subject leader for food technology, was never in doubt.

“You have all been absolutely awesome,” she told the finalists.

In the end, it came down to a battle between Gabriel’s chicken with morels and a sherry sauce and sautéed potatoes – followed by the impressive fondant – and Emma Anders’s smoked cod, served with sautéed new potatoes, rainbow chard and samphire on a bed of butternut squash with a trio of desserts –

Emma’s prize-winning menu PAGE 16 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

The finalists with judges Kevin King and Kevin McDonagh, college principal Gavin Ball, Jerry Lewis, president of the Rotary Club of Frome and Sarah Petroff

Emma Anders: “the main course was more complicated”

cappuccino cup and chocolate mousse and raspberry jelly shots – to follow.

The winner? First Molly McKechnie, Katie Lacey, Keeley Berry, Becky Veness and Tia Roach, were presented with Highly Commended certificates.

When Kevin “K” announced that Gabriel was the runner-up, Emma’s expression said it all.

The 16-year-old admitted she took some advice on the two-course menu from a friend in the catering industry and practiced in the kitchen of the Mason’s Arms pub in Frome. Emma, who hopes to work in either the catering industry or with children, said: “The dessert might look the most complicated but that was easy compared to the main course.”

Emma will now go on to represent Frome in the next round of the national competition.

Rotary club president Jerry Lewis said: "Once again we are very proud to be involved with the competition."

A tense moment when Gabriel is announced as the runner-up and Emma realises she has won

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FOOD & DRINK

THE GEORGE AND DRAGON Barry and Niki Horwood welcome you to their newly refurbished village pub.

BEER GARDEN Children and dog friendly

Open Monday to Saturday 11am – 11pm Sunday 11.30am – 10.30pm Traditional food served all day, Sunday lunch £6.95

FUNCTION ROOM AVAILABLE FOR HIRE

Celebrate New Year with us – live music, buffet and great company

High Street, Pensford BS39 4BH. Telephone: 01761 490156

We’ve got it covered

Mendip Times Distribution Points

Mendip Times is available from over 800 outlets across the Mendips from superstores to village stores and post offices, farm shops, supermarkets, garden centres, pubs, inns, hotels and restaurants, doctors’ surgeries, libraries and tourist information centres.

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MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015 • PAGE 17

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Make Wells a winner

Fran is presented with her gifts at Wells market

FOOD trader Fran White celebrated her 50th birthday by working on her stall at the weekly Wednesday market in Wells but is hoping for another reason to be cheerful.

Fran and her fellow stallholders – they presented her with cards and a bouquet of flowers – are keeping their fingers crossed that customers will vote for them in a national contest.

Britain’s Favourite Market is an online competition run by the National Association of British Market Authorities, an organisation representing local authorities who control markets such as Wells. Wells has been entered in the category for best large outdoor market.

Voting is now open in the Britain’s Favourite Market competition

Nominations close on December 31st. To vote, visit: www.nabma.com

THE QUEEN ADELAIDE BLAGDON

01761 463926

Sharon and Colin would like to wish all our guests a Happy New Year. Thank you for your patronage in our 1st Year. We look forward to serving you throughout 2015 and beyond.

We are open for food New Year’s Day.

GOOD FOOD, LAGER, ALES AND LOCAL CIDER

GLUTEN-FREE ON WEDNESDAYS

PAGE 18 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

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GARDEN FOOD

A porky New Year

JUST before the end of 2014 I fulfilled a long-held dream of mine – I raised, slaughtered and processed my own pigs.

As I write this I'm at the end of a tenhour day spent making black puddings (both British style and Normandy style – with apples and cider brandy), paté With JAKE (which I preserved by pressure cooking WHITSON in jars), and faggots, as well as butchering and vacuum-packing joints for the freezer.

The faggots were, by a narrow margin, the stars of the show, rich and unctuous, almost creamy. They were, without doubt, the best faggots I'd ever made. So I thought I'd share my improvised recipe with you here, seeing as they just about fall under the remit of garden food, given that they were raised in, and fed partly from, my garden.

Feel free to improvise this recipe according to what you can readily get hold of, but try to keep the proportion of offal to meat roughly the same.

Firstly I minced 1kg liver, and followed that up with the hearts, kidneys, spleens and brains of my pigs, along with around 2kg of boned-out shoulder (lots of fat included).

Into this I thoroughly mixed 300g oatmeal, a generous pinch of mace, about 40g salt, lots of black pepper, five bay leaves ground up with a little salt in a pestle and mortar and a good pinch of ground allspice.

I left this mixture for around an hour for the oatmeal to swell and stiffen the mix, then I shaped into balls and wrapped them in caul fat – alternatively you could just pop them onto a tray and roast until cooked through and set.

Simmered for 20 minutes in a little pork stock, and the liquor thickened with a little beurre manie, and these faggots were simply sublime.

Jacob Whitson is a chef and food writer who has worked in many of the West Country’s most prestigious restaurants. He is currently working on his first book, a travelogue detailing the regional foods of Japan.

FOOD & DRINK

WILD FOOD

Beserker brew!

IT really seems like I have quite a boozy theme going for Christmas and New Year.

As mentioned before, certain plants such as Bog Myrtle were ingredients in ale long before the use of hops in beer and have had an historical association with people in this part of the South West for over a With ADRIAN millennium.

BOOTS Old Somerset names include: Devonshire Myrtle (I wonder, in Devon do they call it Somerset Myrtle?), Gawan, Gold and Goyle (all forms of Gale) from the Old English ‘Gagol’ and gives its name to places such as Galsworthy in Devon. This plant has two common names one is pretty the other less so but somehow I prefer it.

Sweet Gale or Bog Myrtle (Myrica gale) is a deciduous shrub 0.5 – 2m tall. Male and female flowers are red and orange respectively flowering in April or May. Leaves are narrow and toothed and grey-green colour on reddish-brown twigs, locally common in the wetlands, bogs and wet heath.

Bog Myrtle has so many uses it really is a talented plant. These include making faggots for the oven, giving off a wonderfully sweet resinous aroma when burnt. Resin was also extracted from the twigs to make a vegetable candle wax. It is an effective insect repellent and gives a yellow dye. Medicinally it has strong anti-microbial and anti-bacterial properties useful for cuts and grazes.

But most importantly of all it gave flavour to ale. In Scotland, Bog Myrtle was used to sweeten heather ale made with, wait for it – heather! If making beer or wine sounds like too much work, just use the leaves to give a unique botanical twist to vodka or gin.

One cheery factoid to consider is that it was also an ingredient in the Vikings’ ‘beserker brew’, a heady cocktail of plants and fungi designed to power our horned harrowers and instil utter fear in those on the receiving end. See what happens when you refuse their offer of trade.

The Bog Myrtle was really only present to improve the flavour. The ‘berserk’ bit comes with the use of the otherworldly properties of the mushroom Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria). Nasty. My advice, just make sure you use the correct ingredients in your own concoctions. Here’s wishing you a happy and prosperous New Year. Cheers!

Adrian Boots is a Landscape Ecologist, Wild Food Forager and Adventure Activity provider. You can visit his web site www.gowildactivities.co.uk to learn more about wild food foraging and activities you can do with him on the Mendip Hills.

MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015 • PAGE 19

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MENDIP TIMES

Lap of luxury

CHEW Valley Hire Ltd, is a family run business and has been established for 16 years – providing Super Luxury and Standard toilet units and shower units for all types of events, including weddings, festivals, funerals and film shoots, to name but a few.

They pride themselves on an excellent level of service, from the initial enquiry through to the end of the event – their units being of an immaculate standard.

As well as toilet units, Chew Valley Hire has been hiring out trackway for the last three years, allowing their units, generators, catering vans and marquee vehicles access to weddings and other events without sinking into fields or ruining lawns.

Chew Valley Hire

LUXURY MOBILE TOILETS 01761 221105 E: info@chewvalleyhire.co.uk • W: www.chewvalleyhire.co.uk

We give personal help and advice, deliver and collect on schedule and pay immaculate attention to detail.

We provide a wide range of luxury and standard mobile toilets, showers and hire of trackway for special events including:

• Weddings • Corporate Events • Fashion Shows • Film Shoots

PAGE 20 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

Cadbury House has it all

WITH breathtaking views, a contemporary, luxurious style and a revitalising on-site spa, it’s easy to see why DoubleTree by Hilton Cadbury House is so in demand. The hotel offers a number of packages available from as little as £2,999.

Each package has options to suit your every need and the wonderful attention to detail that sets Cadbury House apart. For the foodies amongst you, rest assured that the dining element of your wedding day will be well catered for.

The hotel can offer a number of chic rooms for your ceremony, licenced for civil ceremonies. For a summer wedding who could resist the romantic statement of an al fresco ceremony under a thatched gazebo, positioned to provide a backdrop of the most sensational views across the Bristol Channel?

So it’s true, Cadbury House really does provide the full romantic package. Book your wedding at this unique venue and you can look forward to a real treat.

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Palace a special venue

FOCUS ON WEDDINGS

THE Bishop’s Palace and Gardens is a stunning medieval palace situated right in the centre of Wells. Home to the Bishops of Bath and Wells for over 800 years and surrounded by 14 acres of beautiful gardens, this venue offers a truly unique location for your wedding reception.

Guests will be thrilled to arrive at the medieval drawbridge and cross the moat (complete with world famous mute swans) to enter the tranquillity of the inner courtyard, where the remains of the Great Hall and a picturesque croquet lawn offer the perfect backdrop for some truly amazing wedding photos.

After arrival drinks on the terrace, alongside formal planted gardens, the wedding party can dine in the splendour of the medieval vaulted undercroft and later, head up to the unrivalled Long Gallery for coffee and cake, before dancing the night away downstairs in the undercroft!

The Bishop’s Palace has played host to lavish hospitality for over 800 years, so why not let our dedicated weddings team show you how to make the best day of your life a truly memorable one?

As wedding reception prices start from just £2,500, you don’t have to be a real princess to have a real palace for the day!

The perfect wedding gown

HAVING departed the High Street to “find time for her family, house and the garden in summer,” award-winning bridal wear designer Jo Christoforides has nevertheless continued to be in demand, each season creating a limited number of hand-made garments of unrivalled quality for weddings and special occasions using her trademark silks, laces and fine wools.

Described by clients as “dressmaker, artist and sculptress all rolled into one,” Jo concentrates upon form and fit to achieve the most flattering silhouette. Exquisite decorative techniques feature, worked in collaboration with the UK’s foremost specialists.

One happy customer said: “Jo created the most beautiful gown that I and many others had ever seen. I cannot put into words how gorgeous it looked. I felt amazing wearing it. I lost count of those questioning me about its designer. It was everything that I dreamed it would be, encapsulating tradition, elegance, and individuality. It was truly perfect!”

e Bespoke Studio • info@jochristoforides.co.uk • Tel: 07773 813069

Mendip Times reduces travel costs

100,000 potential customers within a short distance of your business MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015 • PAGE 21

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The perfect wedding venue in Somerset

WHETHER it’s an intimate wedding, a large wedding reception or the civil wedding ceremony itself, the Best Western Plus Swan Hotel prides itself on providing the perfect wedding venue in Somerset.

Civil wedding ceremonies are held in the delightful Garden Room. This light and airy room lends itself beautifully to civil wedding ceremonies and opens out onto a secluded Walled Garden.

The Oak Room, located on the ground floor, has its own reception and bar area and seats up to 90 guests for a wedding breakfast. Evening functions for up to 150 guests can be catered for by hiring the interconnecting Garden Room.

At the front of our hotel, Swan Terrace provides a unique opportunity to capture Wells Cathedral as a stunning backdrop for wedding photographs.

PAGE 22 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

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Looking forward to 2015

FOCUS ON WEDDINGS

WE are poised on the cusp of an exciting New Year for mothers of the bride and groom, according to Compton House of Fashion in Wedmore, with new designs, colours and styles flooding in from their designers.

They say wedding hats and, increasingly, fascinators are being seen as the chance to show everyone just how proud you are of your lovely daughter/bride.

Compton House of Fashion does two buys per year. Their biggest and most important buy is in the summer when they travel to London to see the amazing new collections for the Spring and Summer Season of the following year.

They say: “For 2015 the designers have created some stunning Mother of the Bride wedding outfits.

We have found that in the past few seasons the colours do not differ too much between seasons which we like, as we feel it gives our ladies an array of choice regardless of the month of which their special day is.”

Top service

TOPLINE Catering have vast experience in catering for all types of events in all sorts of venues and their friendly and relaxed approach to organising a memorable occasion helps reduce the stress and strain that can spoil the excitement of planning your dream wedding.

From the initial enquiry, menu planning, sourcing great local ingredients, service on the day – everything is discussed, arranged and carried out in a slick and professional manner with pleasant and helpful staff ensuring that the event runs smoothly and all guests are properly looked after.

Don’t just stick to the traditional – Topline Catering have imaginative barbecue, big pan and sharing platter menus as well as the usual hot meal and fork buffet menus. For fabulous freshly prepared food and top class, no nonsense service get in touch with Topline Catering on 01275 333308.

MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015 • PAGE 23

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INTERNET

Using the Sleep and Home buttons of your iOS device

(Continuing on from last month) APPLE products are referred to as iOS Devices – but here referred to as iDevices!

Your iDevice has two buttons – the home button at the base of the front and the sleep (or wake) button near the top right-hand corner. Here are a few notes on how to use them.

1. How to Restart your iPad/iPhone The first answer to any techi problem is “turn it off and turn it on again”, so if your iDevice is feeling slow or if some of the apps aren’t feeling very responsive, you can restart the device.

Press and hold the Sleep button for about four seconds and then swipe your finger to power off the device. Now press and hold the Sleep button for a few seconds again – until the Apple logo appears – to restart.

This won’t close any of the apps that may be running in the background before the shutdown. But you might lose unsaved work – such as an email you were writing before restarting the device.

2. How to Hard Reset your iPad/iPhone In most cases, restarting an iDevice should fix the issues but if you are not able to restart the device, you may do a “hard reset” and bring your frozen device back to life again.

Simultaneously press and hold the home button and the sleep button for about 8-10 seconds until the Apple logo appears. The device will now restart. If you don’t press the buttons simultaneously, you’ll end up taking a screenshot.

If you don’t touch the screen for two minutes, iPad locks itself.

You can change how long iPad waits to lock itself. And you can set a passcode to unlock iPad, which would prevent anyone else from using it without your consent. To set the auto-lock time, go to Settings > General > Auto-Lock.

To set a passcode, go to Settings > Passcode. Make sure you remember what you set!

HAPPY NEW YEAR Submitted by IT for the Terrified : The Old Cowshed, Station Road, Cheddar BS27 3AG 01934 741751 • www.itfortheterrified.co.uk itfortheterrified@btconnect.com We reopen after the Christmas break on 5th January 2015. Two Open House sessions for your to drop in to find out more about us on Wednesday 7th January at 1.30-3.30 and Friday 9th January at 10-12.

Followed by workshops on iPad and Tablets and courses on eBay and Photos, all of which must be pre-booked. We also run a COMPUTER DROP IN session 1.30-2.00 Thursday afternoons. Call in for a quick word of advice/help/info.

This article is for guidance only, and the opinion of the writer. For more in depth information, please contact us.

We offer individual training, at a pace to suit you; a session lasts two hours and costs £10. We can cover a range of subjects – including absolute basics; photo management; shopping online; emailing; Word processing, spreadsheets; basic web design; etc. on a range of devices, including Windows XP/Vista/W7/W8: Macs: Tablets: iPads: smartphones.

See our website or contact us for further details.

Or if you can spare two hours a week and have skills on any level with any type of computer that you would like to share with others, please get in touch.

PAGE 24 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

CROSSWORD

The Mendip Mindbender

ACROSS 1. Mad rush to reach exquisite village (12) 9. Offline? (9) 10. It is vital you keep state secrets (5) 11. No further clue is necessary!

(6) 12. King is as surrounded and encompassed by opposing sibling as constitutes a state of chaos (8) 13. Another retest in Somerset (6) 15. Strikes surround lack of hard line security (5,3) 18. Libellous poems sully director (8) 19. Avoid lifesaver (6) 21. HRH as OAP rebuilds old monarchy (8) 23. Lawyer and schools leadership may be shedding light (6) 26. Night before National Trust meeting (5) 27. Puts off relief in an anarchic East (9) 28. Sell ice cream illegally as a diversionary tactic (7,5) DOWN 1. Slimmed down BBC transport (7) 2. Confuse winter blue on distorted display (5)

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

14.

16.

17.

18.

20.

22.

24.

25.

Walkers lacking confidence emulate swimmer in a state of rest (9) Long sounds (4) I get into trouble with fake in old academy for the arts (8) For the sake of realism it has to include a great thinker (5) Gardeners absorb newfangled idea of repeating patterns (7) Father managed nothing! I avert suspicion (8) Shown up old sandstone cliffs (8) Cold call blunder anything but nice (9) History has colourless old king open first race (8) Loan repaid spontaneously which is understood to be unheard of (7) Fighters follow procedure as being backed up at the outset leads to three sides taking fire (7) Gives the game away by taking a different route (5) Could be a tin of beans holds credible alternative to local restaurant? (3,2) Kudos is what invigorates a national identity (4)

Compiled by Felkov

Answers on Page 81

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NEWS

Sign shows the way for local communities

NEW road signs in place around Radstock are the first of their kind in the United Kingdom as part of an initiative to generate a greater sense of community.

The new signs – similar ones have also been put up at Writhlington, Haydon and Clandown – feature images of local landmarks and have been developed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Transport.

Bath and North East Somerset Council commissioned the signs which were produced by disabled and disadvantaged former service personnel at Royal British Legion Industries in Kent.

The council was able to persuade the government that different signs should be used for each area because they are “distinct” communities. Usually, all road signs within a local authority area have to be of the same design.

The striking photography used on the new signs was taken by Peasedown St John-based Viewpoint Photography. The three Radstock signs depict the miners’ wheel and museum clock tower; two Haydon signs feature its community garden; the Writhlington sign has an orchid from the world-renowned orchid project at Writhlington School and the Clandown sign shows a view across the countryside with the former Holy Trinity Church in the foreground.

Councillor Dine Romero, the council’s joint Cabinet Lead for

The RBLI manufacturing plant in Kent

Lions’ tree of light

CHEDDAR Vale Lions Club celebrated its third year of Tree of Light, where residents of the Cheddar Valley are invited to sponsor a light in memory of a loved one or cause.

Cheddar Valley Voices with Kate Lynch

Welcome to Radstock: the official unveiling of one of the new signs.

Pictured (l:r) are: councillor Paul Crossley (leader of B&NES), cllr Dine Romero, Geoff Streetley, cllr Martin Veal (chairman of B&NES), cllr Flyff McLaren (Radstock town council), cllr Simon Allen and Brian Perrett, chairman of Radstock Residents Association

the Community Covenant, said: “In 2013, Bath and North East Somerset Council signed a Community Covenant which encourages local communities to support the armed forces and promote understanding and awareness of issues affecting them.

We are pleased to have been able to commission the signs from Royal British Legion Industries as part of our commitment to the Community Covenant.”

Her counterpart, councillor Simon Allen, said: “We’re delighted with these new gateway signs which reflect the strong sense of local pride and identity of these communities, especially at such an exciting time for Radstock as the new-look town centre starts to take shape.”

RBLI is a registered not-for-profit charity that provides rehabilitation, accommodation and employment. Geoff Streetley, RBLI Director of Commercial, said: “We are delighted that Bath and North East Somerset Council has decided to use RBLI to supply new gateway signs. Manufactured with cutting-edge technology and made by armed forces veterans in our social enterprise, these signs will allow us to support more ex-service personnel across the UK. “This shows the council’s commitment to the Community Covenant as it is relationships with councils like Bath and North East Somerset that allow us to provide continued support to veterans.”

The dedication service was led by the Rev Sue Rose. Cheddar Valley Voices under the direction of Kate Lynch sang Christmas music prior to the service and carols were accompanied by Cheddar Valley Music Club Brass Band led by Anne Higgs.

Over £767 has been raised so far this year and sponsorship will be accepted up to December 20th. Last year all the money raised was donated to youth projects within the Cheddar Valley and as in the past no administration money will be taken from donations.

The Rev Sue Rose, members of Cheddar Valley Music Club Brass Band together with Lion President Judith John and organiser of the Tree of Light Lion Glyn John MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015 • PAGE 25

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MENDIP TIMES

HANDMADE ARTISAN RUGS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE

JA N SA UAR LE Y

£1 books and massive online selection!

Family friendly with Children's area Free spacious parking and Free WiFi www.bookbarninternational.com bookbarn@bookbarninternational.com 01761 451 333

The Full Stop Café offers delicious, original locally sourced home-made food, and fresh coffee.

A

G R E AT

PAGE 26 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

DAY

O U T, A L L

at Bookbarn International, Wells Road, Hallatrow, Bristol BS39 6EX 01761 451 764 www.orientalrugsofbath.com

C L E A N I N G • R E S TO R AT I O N • VA L U AT I O N

IN

ONE

L O C AT I O N !

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ARTS AND ANTIQUES

Big boys’ toys from Tamlyns

TAMLYNS Collectors’ Sale on February 17th next year will include an unusual clockwork toy by Gebruder Bing of Germany, modelled as a child pulling a toy sailing boat.

Based in Nuremberg, Bing started making toys in the 1880s and by the beginning of the 20th century they were the largest manufacturers of toys in the world. Their export market dried up during WWI and although they continued manufacturing between the wars, by 1927 they were having serious problems and stopped production in 1933.

They made high quality toys which were expensive in their day and are sought after by collectors today. They are well known for their trains and cars but this toy is rather different and possibly quite rare.

The sale will also have a large collection of Beatles memorabilia

amassed by a local fan who loved the sound they produced from the moment they first started to the time they spilt up – there will be all manner of “ephemeral” items including posters,

books, fan club material, wallpaper, tin of talc and a large collection of scrap books with numerous cuttings beautifully glued in to them.

Entries are now being accepted for this sale. Contact Tamlyns on 01278 445251 for further information.

MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015 • PAGE 27

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Clevedon Salesrooms review of 2014 CLEVEDON Salerooms rounded off the 2014 calendar of sales with one of their most successful quarterly specialist sales in the firm’s history and their largest ever fortnightly sale.

The year started well, with the first specialist sale in March including a rare Rolex ref:8171 self-wind triple calendar moon-phase wristwatch. Known to Rolex connoisseurs as ‘The Padellone’ (Italian for Frying Pan – a reference to the larger than normal 38mm diameter of the case) this watch was one of approximately 1,000 examples produced by Rolex between 1949 and 1952.

This short production run coupled with its complex movement are the grounds for the appeal to collectors. Estimated at £22,000 – £28,000 the watch had an interesting history, originally the property of a British diplomat based in the French Riviera during the post-war period.

All phone lines were booked prior to the auction and as the bids increased, so the temperature rose, leaving two bidders, a collector from Switzerland pitted against another from Hong Kong. The gavel dropped and the new owner from Hong Kong parted with £69,000 for the privilege, further cementing the saleroom’s reputation for achieving the highest prices on fine and rare watches.

The 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War has increased interest and values of related items. An historically important Military Cross group awarded to Captain Vivian Sumner Simpson 12th Battalion York and Lancaster Regiment was the most poignant lot of the year as it included two bound albums containing over 90 hand-written letters from Simpson

Rolex Ref: 8171 ‘Padellone’ 18ct Wristwatch – sold at Clevedon for £69,000

PAGE 28 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

to his brother, along with photographs and ephemera.

Simpson played for Sheffield Wednesday before the war and had scored a hat-trick against Manchester United before serving in France, being wounded and returning again to the front despite having the option to remain in England. On April 13th 1918 Simpson was shot by a sniper. Described in a letter as ‘The finest man in the regiment’ he left a wife and young family.

The successful bidder was the Yorks and Lancaster Regiment Museum, alerted to the lot by Clevedon Salerooms a couple of months before the sale, allowing them time to find the £6,950 required to secure the lot for future generations.

Snow in June seemed unlikely but the bidders interested in this Parisian winter landscape by Antoine Blanchard depicting Notre Dame were undeterred. Measuring 58cm by 89cm, the oil on canvas was

A pair of Chinese hardwood demi-lune tables – Sold at Clevedon for £26,000

Military Cross Group awarded to Captain Sumner 12th Battalion York & Lancaster Regiment – Sold at Caledon for £6,950

number of specialist jewellery valuation days resulting in more than 150 choice lots of fine jewellery and a further 40 lots of fine wrist and pocket watches. A 1950s Cartier brooch created interest from around the globe and two telephone bidders took shots at the bird-shaped brooch, the winning bidder ruffling a few feathers when parting with £23,500.

During the year Clevedon Salerooms popped up in their regular marquee furnished to look like a country house interior at the North Somerset Show; laid on the annual study day for St Peter’s Hospice Charity shop managers, as well as conducting numerous charity auctions, hosting valuation events and giving talks, all helping to raise funds for local and national charities.

Clevedon Salerooms would like to thank all of their clients for contributing to a successful 2014 and look forward to welcoming clients, old and new at the first Antiques, Interiors, Collectables and Jewellery Sale of 2015 to be held on Thursday January 8th. They look forward to offering your items to the widest possible audience to achieve the highest possible price.

secured for £16,500 with two further works by the artist not far behind.

The oriental market has become more selective but for the finest items money appears to be no object. A pair of 19th century Chinese hardwood demi-lune tables came from a house in Westonsuper-Mare where the instruction was to sell anything of value.

Two Chinese internet bidders intent on bringing the tables home squared up against one another with the successful bidder parting with £26,000 for the tables.

The build-up to the final specialist sale of Antoine Blanchard oil on Canvas – Notre Dame, Paris – Sold at 2014 included a Clevedon for £16,500 www.clevedon-salerooms.com

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ARTS & ANTIQUES

Fine Art Auctioneers & Valuers November Specialist Sale Highlights 2015 Auction Calendar now available

Tel: 01934 830111 or 0117 325 6789 The Auction Centre, Kenn Road, Kenn, Clevedon, Bristol BS21 6TT

www.clevedon-salerooms.com MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015 • PAGE 29

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ARTS & ANTIQUES

Another busy month at Mendip Auction Rooms

DECEMBER was a busy month at Mendip Auction Rooms with the first staging of a two-day sale that saw 1,200 lots go under the hammer with lots having to be displayed in an additional revamped saleroom.

Items offered included an interesting iron Gladius Mainz pattern infantry sword dating from the first or second century and probably Roman with an estimate of £2,000 – £3,000. An oil on canvas entitled “By The Thames” by Percy William Gibbs (Estimate £1,000 – £1,500) also met with strong interest.

The next sale to be staged at the auction rooms will be of

PAGE 30 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

Antiques, Fine Art and Collectables on January 10th with a sale of Victorian and Later Effects on January 20th. A calendar with the sale dates for 2015 is available from the auction rooms.

The auction rooms are open for valuations every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10am to 5pm or a valuer is happy to make a visit to your home at a time to suit you to value items and discuss the auction process.

Alternatively, the team provide free online valuations – send an email to enquiries@mendipauctionrooms.co.uk. They can be contacted on 01749 840770.

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Which side of the digital divide is your business?

ENCOURAGING small businesses into Somerset is something we can all agree is a good thing.

All business starts off small but entrepreneurial people with drive and determination start the businesses that eventually become significant local employers. The fact that Mendip is an area of outstanding natural beauty, with a choice of schools, great food, independent retailers, markets, pubs and restaurants surely helps to attract people wanting to run their own small businesses while providing their families with a great quality of life?

Well yes, and no. Looking more carefully at what business people want and need, Mendip doesn’t fare so well when it comes to roads, rail, telephony and internet connectivity. Of these four infrastructures, telephony and internet connectivity improvements would cost a small fraction of road or rail – just look at the costs of the Government’s A303 road improvement announcement ahead of the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement!

Perhaps we’re sleepwalking into a problem? Many people’s reaction to broadband provision in Somerset is: “Well, I think I’m getting enough, it isn’t too bad.” However, an incomer used to a connection 10 or 20 times faster may not have the same view.

There are many and increasing numbers of services provided over the internet that simply won’t work over slower connections – and we already have evidence that businesses will not consider taking on premises with a slow connection. Within a few years this is likely to mean home owners in areas with slow connections are attracting fewer viewings and property prices will be affected.

Gaining information about connectivity upgrades is painful.

Neither Somerset County Council nor BT will reveal plans in any detail. We hear that some areas, such as David Cameron’s rural constituency in the Cotswolds, can expect 100% of properties to get a half decent internet speed, however targets for Somerset are substantially lower and very vague.

Does it matter? If you’d like your business to experience broadband that allows blistering fast downloads and uploads, reliable internet telephony, video on demand, video conferencing and other 21st century services, why not come along to the Mendip Hub on Southover, Wells?

If you feel it is damaging to Somerset’s economy for so many to be on the wrong side of the “digital divide” make your voice heard with our elected representatives!

Judith Ludovino, The Mendip Hub

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Tel 01761 451787

www.cameleylodgelaundry.co.uk PAGE 32 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

NO MOLE NO FEE Telephone 01275 332966 mendipmolecatcher.co.uk

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Complete business service

POOLBRIDGE Accountancy, launched in May this year, is a new accountancy practice located in Poolbridge Business Centre, near Wedmore. It is headed by local accountant, Caroline Phillimore.

Caroline previously ran her own practice in the area for ten years before heading the finance department for an international group of companies. Poolbridge Accountancy services a wide variety of companies from local sole traders turning over £30,000 to international companies with a £4million turnover.

They specialise in preparing management reports, such as monthly management accounts, budgets and cash flow statements, working either with the company’s own bookkeeper or taking total responsibility for the company’s bookkeeping requirements.

They work with businesses to implement systems and procedures, which streamline and enhance the company’s finances. Caroline said: “We have a strong team with over 50 years’ experience within finance that also provides much more than an accountancy service. At Poolbridge the team provide accountancy, bookkeeping, payroll and CIS, a virtual office with a dedicated PA, both serviced offices and hot desk services. We also have high specification printers, meeting rooms, free parking and our own dedicated lease line providing fast broadband. We have a complete range of services for businesses.”

BUSINESS

Photo by Ignyte Limited, Radstock.

Business section:Layout 1

Get your Se lf Assessmen t submitted from £100

Follow them on Twitter: #SWAccountant

TOWENS are now offering Skip hire and Waste management services from their new facility at Clutton

Extensive range of competitively priced skips and containers Experienced and helpful drivers Permanently sited skips and containers Wait and loads Discounts available on pre-sorted waste e.g. all hardcore or inert soil etc sorted into one skip or container

SKIP THE REST – HIRE THE BEST Towens Waste Management Ltd | The Old Coal Yard | Marsh Lane | Clutton BS39 5ST T 01761 453200 | M 07872 489335 | Website: www.towens.co.uk MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015 • PAGE 33

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Old Mill adds to the team

WEST Country accountancy and financial planning practice Old Mill has further added to its thriving rural services team with the appointment of consultant Mark Shelton.

Although he will work out of Old Mill’s Wells office, he will cover the whole South West region, focussing on specialist expert witness and forensic accountancy work, as well as helping agri-food clients with finance and business planning.

Andrew Vickery, head of rural services at Old Mill, said: “Mark has rich pedigree of experience in the farming and food sectors, with over 30 years’ experience. After 10 years in practical farming he qualified as an accountant with PwC in Reading in 1992 and then spent 10 years with Deloitte in Bristol.”

In recent years Mr Shelton had his own specialist accounting practice in Wells before working with other accountants and as an interim financial director for a growing food business. In 2012 he was also national chairman of the British Institute of Agricultural Consultants.

&

CENTRE

SALE STARTS SATURDAY 27th DECEMBER

Up to TELEVISIONS BIG REDUCTIONS up to

£500 OFF PRE SALE PRICES

ON SELECTED

REFRIGERATION LAUNDRY COOKING

50% OFF PRE SALE PRICES THROUGHOUT THE STORE ON SELECTED PRODUCTS

LIMITED PERIOD OFFERS – SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY

PAGE 34 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

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BUSINESS

Car advice

DUNCAN Wood has turned his passion for motoring into a respected business, Bristol Car Consultant, with the aim of saving money for local motorists. Whether you are buying or selling a car, or just want motoring advice, please call or email – he will do all he can to help you.

QUALITY MARQUEES FOR YOUR SPECIAL EVENT ARIMIS

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN SERVICES Independent Advice, Practical Assistance, Buying, Selling, Maintenance, Repairs

Planning Applications Listed Building Building Regulations Care & Repair

LET ME HELP YOU SAVE MONEY ON YOUR CAR

New Houses – Extensions Conversions & Refurbishments

Email: duncan.wood@bristolcarconsultant.co.uk Website: www.bristolcarconsultant.co.uk

For a free consultation, please contact Rob Tel: 0800 458 4283 Mob: 07818 212 532 Email: rob@arimis-architectural.co.uk

Duncan Wood Tel: 07983 262310

JG MARQUEES HAS A VERY BUSY 2015 – STAFF REQUIRED

Must enjoy working outdoors, physically fit.

We are looking for FULL TIME MARQUEE ERECTOR/RIGGER (no experience required, will train for an excellent long-term future). To work in a small team, erecting marquees and installing furnishings. During the winter, assisting with minor duties on the farm.

Monday – Friday 8.30- 5.30. Must have driving licence, ideally with 7.5t lorry licence, if not we will get you trained.

FULL TIME FOR SPRING/SUMMER (6 + months) Helping with marquees, must have a car driving licence.

STUDENTS FOR SUMMER – some keen, able bodies home from University, own transport to get to work is important.

Will be looking to fill these vacancies in the spring.

Pay will depend upon experience etc.

CV to: Jeremy Griffin, info@jgmarquees.co.uk JG Marquees, Nettwood Farm, East Harptree, Bristol BS40 6DA. Tel 01761 221366

MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015 • PAGE 35

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BISHOP’S PALACE, WELLS

The moon rises above the gardens and a willow sculpture, especially illuminated as part of the festival

Floral designer Cathryn Humphries (front left) with members of Wells and District Floral Arts Society who together created the stunning Narnia-themed display in the private chapel as part of the Palace’s Winter Festival

The willow lion in the chapel, from The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

A glimpse of Christmas future? One of the stunning displays upstairs

PENSFORD

Father Christmas with (left to right) Izzy, Zackary, Luke, Karen, Lawrence and the Christmas Elf, Tracey King PAGE 36 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

This year’s Advent Fun Workshop held

by All Saints' Church, Publow in Pensford Memorial Hall, was hailed another success.

Georgina and Abigail are pictured making an advent card.

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MIDSOMER NORTON

CHRISTMAS EVENTS Kath Dymond (left) and Denise Moore, from Midsomer Norton Methodist Church take part in the nativity event

Ian Glichrist, vice chairman of Bath and North East Somerset Council, joins Paul Myers, the mayor of Midsomer Norton and the town’s carnival royalty to switch on the lights

Sammy and Isabelle in the nativity stable run by Welton Baptist Church

The newly-formed Midsomer Norton branch of the Forever Friends Appeal for Bath’s Royal United Hospital ran one of the community stalls on the night Stella won first prize in the lantern making competition

MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015 • PAGE 37

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MENDIP TIMES

Setting individual goals

At Chilton Cantelo School, near Sherborne and Yeovil, we believe that every child is an explorer.

We help our pupils achieve their potential by giving them space to grow, creating an environment that inspires every day.

Open Day 16 January

Year 7 Scholarship Day 3 February

CHILTONCANTELOSCHOOL.CO.UK Telephone: 01935 850555 | 3-18 years | Co-ed | Day, Boarding

Award winning Children’s Day Nursery

Next Steps Childcare Centre

Baby room - Nursery - Pre-school - Forest School

Highly qualified team. Excellent secure rural location.

Funding available for 2-3-4 year olds Gardening, Yoga, Music & Dance, Cookery

01749 346808

www.nextstepschildcare.com

The Royal Bath & West Showground • Shepton Mallet BA4 6QL Ofsted 2009 “Outstanding partnership with parents”. “Children have great fun freedom exploring the world outside in the fresh air, Excellent organised activities.”

An exclusive Children’s Day Nursery delivering exceptional care & education in an award winning environment Babyroom Preschool

SET in 20 acres of beautiful parkland, Chilton Cantelo School is located near Sherborne and Yeovil. A co-ed, day and boarding school for children aged 3-18, the school brings out the best in its pupils by tailoring learning goals and objectives for each one of them.

The school provides full, weekly and occasional boarding. Bus transport for pupils around Somerset offers flexible daily routes as well as for weekly boarders.

Daily after-school activities are provided as well as weekend programmes for boarders. All pupils attend at least three activities a week which range from chamber choir to vehicle repairs.

Chilton Cantelo is part of Cognita Group, a world leader in independent education and the UK’s largest network of independent schools.

Details: Call 01935 850555 to attend an Open Day or to arrange a visit at any time.

We are champions!

EAST Harptree Nursery PreSchool and Forest School are delighted to announce their success in achieving the accolade of Communications Quality Kite Mark.

The citation says they provide “a wealth of rich experiences that children can enjoy on a regular basis, exciting opportunities for extending children's experiences in learning and communication and this

Our vision To provide a rich, stimulating environment, enabling all our children to achieve their full potential.

Our beliefs

Nursery

Forest School

Ofsted 2010 “Children have developed good language and number skills and show a passion for exploring and investigating their world.”

“These skills will help support their future learning”

Funding now available for 2-3-4 year olds Wells Road Latcham Wedmore BS28 4SA 01934 713527 www.littleowlschildcare.com PAGE 38 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

We believe in the ethos of the Early Years Foundation Stage, e.g.

• Every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support that enables them to fulfil their potential.

• Children develop quickly in the early years and their experiences between birth and the age of five have a major impact on their future life chances.

Our Practice – we will • consider the individual interests and development of all our children by observing, recording and reflecting on the experiences offered and the planning of individual programmes to fulfil these.

• value each and every child, allowing time for all children and celebrating their individuality and their successes.

Opening hours Mon – Fri 8.00am – 5.00pm Term time only

standard is a real strength of your setting”.

The school strives to maintain high standards for all their children and families and achieving this Quality Mark is acknowledgement of the hard work and dedication of their enthusiastic staff team.

They are true champions of their ethos: “Where children come first.”

The school is also celebrating the opening of its new outdoor play area, following a successful fundraising event earlier in the year – a gig by the band Midlife Crisis which raised £3,000.

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EDUCATION

All Hallows celebrates sporting success ALL Hallows Preparatory School adopts a ‘Sport for All’ ethos, aiming to instil in all children a love of sport and a healthy lifestyle for life. Many children take part in a wide range of team and individual sports and activities throughout the year with some fantastic results and a lot of fun and enjoyment along the way!

It has been an exciting few months with the following representative honours on top of some great team successes in the core sports: Fencing Gold Medal – Salvador Luther Payne, a Year 7 pupil, took the gold medal in fencing at Millfield at the Leon Paul Junior Series – a national competition.

Mendip Schools Cross Country Series – All Hallows children took three silver team medals and one bronze.

Somerset Netball Academy – congratulations to Alice Dymond on gaining selection.

Junior Academy, England Hockey development programme – congratulations to Beth Eke, Alice Dymond, Maddie Ley-Morgan and Phoebe Williams.

Somerset U15 County Rugby – congratulations to Beth Eke. South West Prep Schools U11s & U13s – congratulations to Arthur Green, Rob Dymond, Daniel Hendry and Gregor Gaggero.

Somerset Prep Schools Rugby –

congratulations to Gregor Gaggero, Louis Roberts, Tom Griffiths and Joe Tomkins.

England IPAC Hockey – former pupils Victoria McCabe and Annie Wooler have been selected at their respective age groups.

U15 Spanish National Rugby – former pupil Matteo Mendizabel has been selected to play rugby for Spain at Under 15 level.

GB U21 Hockey Squad – congratulations to former pupil Ed Horler.

For information on Sports Scholarships please contact jbird@allhallowsschool.co.uk

MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015 • PAGE 39

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MENDIP TIMES

St Benedict’s Catholic Primary School Charlton Road, Midsomer Norton BA3 4BD ‘Growing Together Through Christ’

Where every day is an OPEN DAY

Please call 01761 418594 to make an appointment We are a smaller than average school and pride ourselves on our caring approach and our ability to meet every child’s needs, helping them develop and ensure they reach their full potential, whilst growing in the love of Christ. We welcome children of all faiths. We also offer wrap-around care as well as an independent on-site Nursery Come and see for yourselves what the St Benedict’s experience can do for your child.

Mendip Times reduces travel costs

100,000 potential customers within a short distance of your business

EDUCATION

College merger completed

A MERGER between Norton Radstock and City of Bath colleges has been confirmed by the government.

The go-ahead was given by Nick Boles, the Minister for Skills and Equalities. Henry Logan, acting principal at Norton Radstock College, said: “I believe this is a positive outcome for the college, its staff and students.

“It will bring financial security and secure further education for the district. We will be able to combine resources to continue the rapid quality improvement that we have begun at Norton Radstock College.

“We will now be working together on the detail to make this happen. This quite rightly will take time. Current courses are not affected; it is business as usual while this behind the scenes work takes place. This is an exciting time for the future of vocational education in Bath and North East Somerset.”

The combined college will provide specialist vocational and education training for more than 3,000 full-time students and around 10,000 part-time students across a broad range of subjects.

Norton Radstock College is one of the largest employers in North Somerset with 200 full and part-time staff and caters for approximately 700 full-time students and 5,000 part-time, studying a wide range of courses over 13 curriculum areas.

The college has been transformed over the years from a collection of wooden huts to purpose-built complex

Family approach

ST. BENEDICT’S is a school with the Spirit of Christ’s love at its heart. They offer a rich, exciting curriculum coupled with top quality teaching and first class resources all wrapped up in a warm, caring environment.

They make your child’s well-being and education their priority so every child has the freedom and support to express their individuality and creativity. They believe that success, endeavour and friendship should be celebrated together as a community – the St. Benedict’s family.

They are delighted to announce they have just achieved ‘Dyslexia Friendly’ status for the second time! The staff were praised for their calm, detailed and effective approach to learning needs and the way that children with dyslexia are included seamlessly in all areas of school life.

They cater for the whole child and work tirelessly towards total inclusion, thus ensuring that every child reaches their potential.

PAGE 40 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

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WILDLIFE

MY goal for 2015 is to help more people become involved in wildlife conservation.

I often hear inspirational stories about local

By CHRIS community initiatives SPERRING to help wildlife, not MBE led by the big charities we all hear about, but by ordinary people standing up for wildlife issues within their own local area. Most don’t possess outstanding wildlife knowledge, just a drive to protect what they enjoy seeing and hearing when in their garden or out walking.

It works because they know, or get to know, the local landowners and politicians and decision-makers, as well as other like-minded people in their community. Where specialist knowledge or support is needed, there are always people like myself who can come in and help.

The State of Nature Report published recently pulled data together from some 25 wildlife conservation organisations. It concluded that 60% of species in the UK are in decline and that 10% are heading towards extinction within the next 40 years. Nature conservation seems to constantly be full of doom and gloom, sometimes on a biblical scale, for example the World Wildlife Fund stated recently that in the last 40 years the earth has lost 50% of all wildlife!

There are many hard-working charities and other organisations fighting to reverse the destruction of our wildlife and wild

Jan Osborne and Teresa Day at the launch of the Community Owl Project

places, but I believe it’s time to call in the cavalry. If the amazing diversity of wildlife we’ve inherited on this earth is to survive for the future then its protection needs to be led from a local level and by local people.

For proof of how this can really work you need look no further than the Yatton and Congresbury Wildlife Action Group (YACWAG). Formed in 1999, YACWAG’s purpose was to enable local people to come together and purchase (through grants from various bodies) a ten-acre field deemed to be under threat.

The objective was to purchase this land and protect it for the parishes forever.

Since that early success YACWAG has gone on to recruit more than 200 members and successfully purchase an additional four nature reserves. Its members also help maintain part of the Strawberry Line, as well as the magnificent Cadbury Hill, a North Somerset Council reserve, and various other sites.

This is local people making a major, tangible difference to their local environment, now and for the future. If you would like more information about YACWAG then look at their website (www.yacwag.org.uk ) where you will find their contact details. They are a very friendly group and always willing to share their knowledge, and are always looking for volunteers.

Photography by Chris Sperring

Make a resolution and get involved this year – it can be a hoot!

If you need any more inspiration, just look at the picture which I took in October. It shows two of YACWAG’s founders, Tony and Faith Moulin (wearing high vis jackets), along with some of their volunteers holding a clutch of barn owlets from one of the nestboxes on their reserve (the owlets were taken briefly out of the nestbox to have BTO rings fitted).

From this same nestbox a brood of tawny owls had fledged earlier in the year, followed by a brood of stock doves and now a late brood of barn owls. This is not a magic box, it simply shows that when you create good wildlife habitats then wildlife can and will thrive.

I wish everyone a happy 2015, and remember everyone can make a difference for wildlife.

G If anyone would like to learn more about owls, then please come along to the launch – previewed in last month’s Mendip Times – of our new Community Owls Project on Saturday, January 17th (2pm to 6pm – booking not required), in Caryford Community Hall, Castle Cary, BA7 7JJ. The event includes: craft sale, meet and learn about barn owls, family activities, refreshments and nature walk, after which I will be giving a talk (booking is required for this). The event is organised by Give 2 Hoots – a group of volunteer supporters of the Community Owls Project. Contact: somersetbarnowls@gmail.com for more information and booking.

Chris Sperring is Conservation Officer for the Hawk and Owl Trust Contact him on 07799 413 918 or via chris.sperring@btinternet.com

MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015 • PAGE 41

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MENDIP TIMES

Hills, caves and castle

Sue is having two months’ break from writing new walks, but has suggested we re-run a walk dating right back to the start of Mendip Times. This ramble from Banwell was in Issue 4, September 2005, and has been rewalked and is still as good as ever.

A SHORT, fine figure-of-eight walk from Banwell taking you up above the beautiful Yeo Lox Valley. It is an area with evidence of much early settlement in the valley and this walk passes close to the very special Banwell Bone Caves. Walking is easy, dry underfoot on paths, tracks and quiet lanes and begins with a steady climb to Banwell Hill at the start, followed by flat and downhill sections. There are a number of stiles some better maintained than others. En-route there is no refreshment but options in Banwell.

Although the M5 runs down the Yeo

With Sue Gearing PAGE 42 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

Lox Valley, this walk nevertheless gives you much peace, beauty and interest.

PARK: In Banwell village, about four miles west of Weston-super-Mare on the busy A371. Park in the free car park in the centre, well signed off the main road.

START: Turn right from the car park and along the pavement. Cross Wolvershill Road and continue a few more yards before crossing the main road at the crossing. Head up the Tarmac footpath, beginning the ascent of the hill. Go through an estate of bungalows up to a Tjunction with another road and take the marked footpath which leads you straight on and up (it was closed for repairs when I re-walked it and if still in this state just follow the road left, up and round to the High Street).

1. HIGH STREET Reach the attractive old High Street (aptly named because it is high!) and turn left, passing Banwell Hill Victorian pump and a variety of village cottages built in higgledy-piggledy fashion over the years.

There are good views down over the village. Reach Rock House and turn up right on the right of way up Hill Path, to pass more old houses and enjoy more views. Carry on up the footpath when the Tarmac ends and this brings you up onto the open grassland on Banwell Hill, with the sounds of the village getting fainter below.

2. BANWELL HILL In the 18th century the hill was an open pasture and was also being mined for minerals such as lead, calamine, ochre and baytes.

Reach a crossing track which used to be the drive up from Banwell to the caves. Turn right on this and immediately cross left over a stile into a field.

Continue along the left side of the field, still on the old drive, and soon pass a boulder on your right.

It marks the grave of an unknown person. A modern human skeleton was found near Banwell Caves and buried here in 1842 by William Beard who was running the caves. The stone is inscribed with the following: In 1842 Beard with his kindness brought me to this spot As one unknown and long forgot He made my grave and buried me here When there was no kind friend to shed a tear My bones are here but my spirit is fled And for years unknown numbered with the dead Reader as I am, so shall you be Prepare for death and follow me Stay on the left side of the field and cross a stile into the next. Bear diagonally across heading for a cottage on the far side. After another stile, go through part of a cottage garden and through the fivebar gate to a track.

3. TRACK This may have been part of an old Roman route from the lead mines of Mendip heading for the port near Uphill from where the lead was shipped out. Cross the track and take the stile opposite. Follow the path diagonally right down the hill starting to get your first view of the Lox Yeo Valley and Crook Peak, the only pointed hill on Mendip. Pass to the left of an ash tree and cross a stile. In the next field drop downhill. Cross a marked stile

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WALKING

and continue down and over another and carry on down to leave over a third stile by a metal gate.

4. LANE Our walk goes right on the lane and at a junction, turn right and stay on this quiet, high-hedged route for about half a mile.

Ignore a turn left over the M5. Start to climb gently and reach a Tarmac farm track on the right marked with footpath signs on a power pole. Ahead a little way up the road are the famous Banwell Bone Caves (see end for opening details).

5. FARM TRACK To continue, turn right on the farm track and go through the farm to the right of barns and along the track. Soon pass a converted long house. Up left is wooded Banwell Hill containing some of the follies associated with Banwell Bone Caves and also Banwell Tower which you may be able to see emerging from the trees. After about another third of a mile, pass a cottage on the left and come to the point where you joined the track earlier on. Now continue along the track (not retracing) and go through a gate across the track and on to reach a gate and a road.

Continue in the same direction for a few yards to reach a crossing footpath.

6. SITE OF ROMAN VILLA The field on the right is the site of an old Roman Villa and a Dark Ages cemetery but all that remains are grassy mounds.

Excavations have produced a number of finds, in particular a glass bowl which is now in the care of the Ashmolian Museum. Other finds are in Axbridge Museum.

Cross the stile on the left and go up the

3.35 miles, about 1.75 hours walking.

OS Explorer 153, Weston super Mare & Bleadon Hill, grid ref: 397 593

right edge of two fields and over a stile back onto the track on Banwell Hill. Turn right here and eventually the track brings you down to a lane. Turn left and soon arrive at Banwell Castle and the main road.

7. BANWELL CASTLE The romantic looking castle, dating from 1847, was built in the Gothic revival style, popular amongst eccentric and wealthy landowners of the time. It is set in 25 acres of grounds and has great views.

Cross the main road with care and go left and then down Dark Lane which used to be the main route through Banwell. At the foot, cross the main road and go left along the pavement, passing the fire station, then turn right down the drang (alley) between walls, coming to Banwell Chuch.

8. CHURCH Go through the churchyard to the right of

the church, passing the tomb of William Bear. Take the path out the other side and go down steps and on down to the road.

Here go left and soon come to Banwell’s cart wash with an explanatory sign. Take the steps up to the bowling green which was the site of the old village pond and mill. It was filled in when the site was acquired to harness the spring to provide water for Weston. Continue to the main road and turn right, passing the old Malt House which served Banwell’s former brewery and arrive back at the car park.

G Banwell Caves: There are two caves in the grounds of an early 19th century house which are unique and of national significance. The Bone Cave contains bones of animals that are no longer native to this country and are up to 80,000 years old. There are various follies in the grounds including the 50ft high tower.

Full public open days are no longer offered but groups of 10-20 can visit by pre-booking. Details are in the private visits page of the website or contact johnatthecaves@btinternet.com for an application form by post.

Members of caving clubs may book in advance to visit the Bone Cave/Baker Extension and the Stalactite Cave between May 1st and end of September. e-mail to: johnatthecaves@btinternet.com The Story of Banwell Caves republished in 2014 describes in detail the history of the caves and contains illustrations and photos. It costs £5 plus £2.00 p&p. Cheques payable to Banwell Caves Heritage Group, to John Haynes, The Caves, Banwell, BS29 6NA. Banwell Castle has a restaurant, and in the summer serves teas in the castle itself. Tel: 01934 822263.

MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015 • PAGE 43

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OUTDOORS

West Countryman’s Diary

AS I write this month’s edition, the frost is still on the roof, but the sun is shining. Only in the last couple of days have I felt the first cold of winter, and realised that I can no longer wander around in just my shirt sleeves.

My weather memory is always very short With LES and the days of wet weather have been DAVIES MBE kindly removed from the memory bank. In its place will be this cold frosty morning, when a steaming mug of tea makes the perfect companion for two slices of toast (with plenty of butter) two free range eggs and two rashers of smoked bacon.

I have to resist the temptation to continue the line of English breakfast items purely because of time, but a ‘set up’ meal like this is a good investment if you intend to get out and about on winter days. Exercise will burn off any excess calories and there is both protein and carbohydrate content to keep me going, possibly even up until mid-morning!

Food is the first essential in staying warm through the winter months, especially if you are going to be outside working or enjoying the countryside. There is a lot of discussion about diet in our modern lives. It’s true that fewer people do physical work these days, but fat is a fuel that we need, providing there isn’t too much of it.

The wildlife will have been building up body reserves through the autumn period in preparation for an expected leaner winter.

The trees held onto their leaves so much longer this time, drawing down as much food as they possibly could and there are lots of berries on the bushes, much to the delight of the birds. No, there won’t be any winter weather predictions from me!

My orchard work really gets underway in January, but begins in December with the trip to Cornwall. Trenderway Farm is near the tiny fishing village of Polperro and just down the road from Looe. Their 2,000 young trees start the work that will dominate my life for the next couple of months – pruning. The trees here are still manageable with secateurs and saw.

Formative pruning to get the right branch structure has in the main been replaced by branch removal in order to keep an open tree structure and prevent overcrowding. Later in the season the secateurs will be replaced by the power pruners and air saw, as bigger trees are dealt with. This year I will not be carrying out any restoration work in Devon.

Although I will NOT miss the early starts and late finishes during those last three years, I will miss being in the old orchard at Worth Farm and the feeling of a job well done at the end of each day. There are other orchards that still need my attention and even though pruning is a relatively repetitive job, I thoroughly enjoy my work.

For those of you who would like to have a go at your own apple tree here are a few ‘pointers’. Firstly only prune apples and pears in the winter months; stone fruit such as cherry and plum need to be cut when there is still some growth in the tree that will aid the healing. These trees are prone to a disease called ‘silver leaf’ that can destroy the tree. Its method of entry is through tree wounds and there is a lesser risk if they are pruned when sap is still moving. I have found that September is

a good month.

So let’s stay with the apples and pears: firstly remove any dead wood from your tree, then turn your attention to broken, damaged or diseased branches. Don’t remove any more than 25% of living wood from the tree in any one year. If you still have room in your 25%, tackle crossing, rubbing and very strong upright branches that threaten to take over the tree.

Finally (if there is still room in your 25%) you can add low branches that cause you problems when you are cutting the grass. No need to paint the wounds, just don’t cut them too close to the main branch or tree trunk.

As for the tools you are going to need, they aren’t complicated. As always, you get what you pay for and cheap tools are not an investment, so buy the best that you can afford.

Forget the chainsaw as I doubt that many will be dealing with lots of trees. Buy a good quality hand pruning saw with hardened teeth. These can’t be sharpened, but hold their edge for a long time, and cut on the pull stroke with a curved blade that helps hold them into the cut.

Always put an undercut below the branch to prevent the wood tearing, and reduce branch weight by cutting back in stages.

Secateurs can cost a lot of money, but always go for the by-pass type. These act like scissors and with a sharp blade cause less damage to the branch. Don’t attempt to cut anything greater than the thickness of your finger with these and be careful because they can cut through fingers as well! If you need any more advice visit my website westcountryman.co.uk.

With the closure of Glastonbury’s Somerset Rural Life Museum for a couple of years, there will be no wassail in the orchard this time. I shall watch with interest the effect that this lack of encouragement will have upon the crop next year. I have however been taking a look at what might be happening through the amount of fruit bud showing in the local orchards. Initial inspections show ‘potential’, but it will depend upon the blossom season and the willingness of the pollinating insects to get out and do the job.

Again like the weather forecasting, no firm predictions from me. In political speak: “I’ll give you a definite maybe some time within the next few months.”

This month I’ve gone back to a photo taken in the orchard at Worth Farm near Cullompton during January 2013. The air lines are running out from the compressor on the back of my old Bucher Alpine tractor (which still waits patiently for me to re-fit the gear box after gear failure). The weather was dry and all was well with the land. I hope it stays that way this year – I hope that someone has pulled out the plug, so the water can drain off the Levels this year.

You can always contact me through my website: Westcountryman.co.uk

PAGE 44 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

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To prune or not to prune PRUNING of shrubs appears to be the least understood of garden practices and yet with a little basic knowledge it can make all the With MARY difference to the way PAYNE MBE your plants perform.

Why do we bother to prune at all? We prune to encourage the plant to perform to the best of its ability, whether you wish it to give you plenty of flowers, coloured leaves, fruits or coloured stems for winter effect. We also prune to keep the bush open, create a good shape, and allow greater air flow which discourages disease.

The time of year that we prune can have a dramatic effect on a plant. Pruning during the dormant season encourages strong vigorous growth. In general the harder you prune the faster the plant grows.

Pruning in the summer months (July/August) discourages vigorous growth and encourages the development of flower buds on spurs of older wood. The ideal time to prune for most flowering shrubs is immediately after flowering, except for late flowering sorts that are best left until early spring.

Some plants “bleed” if pruned once the sap has started to rise in the spring e.g. vines, birch, walnut. These must be pruned while completely dormant. If you have never heard the sap rising in a birch tree in spring have a go at this. Press your ear to the trunk of a birch in early March and you can actually hear the sap rising. No, I have not gone bonkers!

If you do accidentally cut one of these plants and it starts to drip copious amounts of sap then cauterise it with a blow lamp – even the sort used in posh kitchens will do the trick.

Evergreens and slow-growing deciduous shrubs such as witch hazel, Hibiscus and Corylopsis need very little pruning other than removing any dead, damaged, diseased or crossing branches. Also remove any shoots that may have reverted from having variegated foliage to the more vigorous plain green of the original species.

Newly planted shrubs should be allowed to establish before routine pruning is necessary.

Strong growing deciduous shrubs that flower in winter, spring or early summer (up to late June/early July) e.g. Forsythia,

PAGE 46 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

flowering currant, Weigela, Deutzia and Philadelphus should have approximately one third of the older wood thinned out, cutting as near the base of the plant as possible.

All these flower on wood they made the previous season. This encourages new wood which can ripen and flower the following year. Ideally, do this immediately they have finished flowering.

Use this approach for deciduous shrubs grown for their attractive coloured foliage e.g. purple leaved Berberis or variegated dogwoods.

This “one third” method is also ideal when trying to rejuvenate old or overlarge shrubs. If you cut out one third of the oldest wood and the plant responds well, then repeat the process the next year and so on. If the plant does not respond with new growth from the base it is probably a good idea to replace it. If attempting to rejuvenate an old evergreen shrub, always prune in spring, so that the new growth appears after the likely incidence of frost which can distort soft young growth.

Deciduous shrubs that flower later, say July to October, including Buddleja, Ceratostigma, Lavatera and Caryopteris, can be hard pruned in the spring, removing virtually all the growth they made the previous season leaving just an inch or two. This method also applies to plants grown for their attractive coloured winter stems, e.g. dogwoods, willows and white stemmed brambles.

This encourages plenty of new growth which gives the best coloured stems the following winter. This can be done every year or every other year. I also use this method for cotton lavender (Santolina) as I do not wish it to produce those bright yellow button flowers and this also stops it

flopping open too.

There is always a lot of debate about pruning lavender. I like to trim off the flower spikes in late summer to neaten up the shape of the plant and then I further trim the previous season’s growth back in late spring. However, it is worth bearing in mind that in the wet West Country lavender does not last long looking really good and I usually encourage replacement after five years or so.

Buddleja and Lavatera can grow very large in one season and are prone to damage during the winter by gales. It is a good idea to remove the top one third of the bush in the autumn and then leave the proper pruning until the late spring.

Winter flowering heathers should be trimmed over immediately after flowering, essentially removing the old flower spikes as this will encourage new growth and stop the plant becoming leggy and flopping open.

Simply chopping off the top of a shrub to reduce its height on a regular basis only encourages it to grow taller and the base to get older and woodier. Your neighbours may reap the benefit of any flower while you look at a collection of old bare stems.

Sadly pruning in municipal parks and car parks these days is done with a hedge trimmer seemingly trimming them into amoeboid shapes and thus often preventing them flowering or even reaching their potential as individual plants.

If you have not already cut the old leaves off your Lenten Roses (Helleborus) then do so promptly as this helps stop the spread of a black leaf spotting disease.

May 2015 be the best gardening year ever.

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JANUARY GARDEN TIPS

G Mist over the tops of houseplants regularly especially if they are in a room with central heating. Water carefully; it is better to let plants dry out between waterings and then give a thorough soak than a small amount regularly.

G Clean houseplant leaves with leaf shine. Dusty leaves will struggle in low light at this time of year and polished ones look so much better!

G Group plants together, the display will look better, but more importantly, they grow better together as a group.

G Feed indoor plants monthly; but make sure the root ball is wet first, if not water first!

G Keep Citrus cool unless they are actively growing.

G If your living room is looking bare once you have taken out the Christmas tree and taken down the decorations, why not liven up the room with a houseplant G Keep deadheading Cyclamen, African Violets, Christmas Cacti and Azaleas to encourage more flowers to open.

Don't forget to keep Cyclamen and Azaleas as cool as possible for prolonged flowering.

G When the days and nights are very cold, move plants away from cold windowsills into a warmer place!

G Central heating can dry out houseplants, so stand the pots in groups on a tray of damp Hydroleca or pebbles.

This will create a humid atmosphere around the plants but do avoid over watering and position them where they can make the most of the winter daylight.

Courtesy Cleeve Nursery

GARDENING Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from us all at Cleeve Nursery!

Fantastic Fresh Christmas Trees Beautiful Houseplants National Garden Gift Vouchers and much more!

Cleeve Nursery, Cleeve, Bristol BS49 4PW Tel 01934 832134 Email info@cleevenursery.co.uk cleevenursery.co.uk/blog/ www.cleevenursery.co.uk

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MENDIP TIMES

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Wedmore by Lamplight

Kings of Wessex school band

RAIN showers didn’t dampen the spirits for Wedmore by Lamplight. St. Andrew’s Church was packed for the traditional carol service before village children set off with lanterns to parade down into the village.

Burtle Silver Band entertained the crowds, from a sheltered spot in The Borough and shopkeepers and stallholders reported doing a roaring trade.

Bleadon choir’s success

NEWS

THE Bleadon WI Choir, the Bleadon Belles, are through to the finals in a national competition called Singing for Joy, organised by the NFWI (National Federation of WIs) to celebrate the centenary year of the Women’s Institute.

The enthusiastic choir have only been together for a year, but with their choirmaster Andrew King conducting and accompanied by Matthew Tilke, sang three songs in the regional finals in Exeter and will now go through to the finals in Birmingham in March 2015.

They will compete against five other regional finalists and will be performing a specially commissioned song “Singing for Joy” composed by Jonathan Willcocks, Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Music. The winner will be performing in the Royal Albert Hall at the centenary meeting of the NFWI.

National award for Frome volunteers

The start of the lantern parade Carols around the Christmas tree

VOLUNTEERS at the Barnardo’s children’s charity shop in Frome have received a national award in recognition of their outstanding dedication and commitment.

The Marsh Trust Award is normally given to an individual but the judges were impressed by the achievements of the whole team at the shop in Kingsway Precinct. They were nominated by Barnardo’s manager Judith Loughlin after both she and her deputy fell ill last year. Although cover was provided by other staff from elsewhere, the local volunteers worked longer hours than normal in order to ensure the shop remained successful.

The current team consists of 32 volunteers aged from 15 to 84 years old, who in the last six months alone provided more than 3,900 hours of help. During the same period they received a total of more than 5,700 bags of donations from the local community.

Judith said: “Our volunteers are the core around which the rest of the shop revolves and I was amazed by how they rallied around during such a difficult time. They were loyal and steadfast.

“During the busiest period they were receiving around 200 bags of donations each week but they never complained.

They just wanted to carry on raising as much money as possible for vulnerable and disadvantaged children.”

MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015 • PAGE 49

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Family gathers for plaque unveiling DESCENDANTS of one of the founding fathers of the modern-day Labour movement gathered in Frome for the unveiling of a plaque to commemorate the centenary of his death.

Fred Knee was one of the pioneers of social housing in Britain and was renowned as a fiery orator, even though he was just five feet tall.

The plaque was donated and installed on Vallis School in Milk Street by the Frome Society for Local Study. The group has now dedicated 15 plaques to local people.

Fred was born in Blunt Street (now Selwood Road) in Frome in June 1868. He was the second son of James Knee and his wife, Elizabeth, who were both weavers. The family then moved to Milk Street and Fred attended Milk Street School before becoming an apprentice compositor at Butler and Tanner and then moved to London. The family home was later demolished to make way for an extension to the school.

It was in London that Fred’s political career flourished. He joined the Social Democratic Federation and the Cooperative Society, campaigning for cheap workers’ train tickets and founded the Workmen’s Housing Council to obtain better housing for workers.

On election to the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea, he became chairman of the Housing Committee and started a major programme of housebuilding to produce some of the first council houses in Britain. He remained a prominent The plaque commemorating Fred member of the Social Democratic Federation and Knee at Vallis School in Milk its successor the British Street

Members of the Knee family at the unveiling

Socialist Party.

He became Secretary of the London Trades Council and was the first Secretary of the London Labour Party until his death in December 1914. He was succeeded as Secretary of the London Labour Party by Herbert Morrison, a future Home Secretary.

Politicians from across the spectrum attended the unveiling of the plaque by Roger Knee, Fred’s great grandson.

Fred Knee and his family around 1910 at home in Radlett, Hertfordshire

Wartime exhibition stirs memories MORE than 200 people visited the World War I Exhibition held in Burrington Parish Room at the end of November. Most stayed to linger long over the many artefacts displayed, the letters sent from the front, the official notifications of a loved one missing or dead, or the cuttings from contemporary newspapers.

There was an illustrated time-line of the main events of the war, local photographs and documents, including copies for handling of fragile originals which were in display cases.

Several visitors found their family names in the old school register or on census records, some met up with old friends or even discovered that they shared a family link to a soldier who gave his life.

The thought-provoking displays stimulated lively discussion over tea and cake. Donations to military charities raised £168.

On the following Monday morning the pupils of Burrington Primary School visited the exhibition which included examples of their own work about WWI. On sale was the new book Burrington Parish in World War I.

This beautifully presented 230-page book in full colour contains local research into all those who served, along with details of life in the parish at the time. As the project benefited from a Heritage Lottery grant it is available for only £8.

Details: 01761 462491 or 462586 or email: rickfordvillage@gmail.com

PAGE 50 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

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Saving Bristol from the blitz

HISTORY

Last month we reported on a project researching the history of the decoy town built on Black Down to divert German bombers from Bristol during the 2nd World War. Frank Newbery, aged 90, from Pensford remembers working there.

Steve Egginton reports.

HAVING survived the bombing of Bristol Aircraft Works Frank left to start an apprenticeship with Colston Electrical Co. in Bristol. This started on November 26th, 1940 and the first of six major blitzes on Bristol was on Sunday November 25th.

Frank worked on all the decoys around Bristol, Weston-superMare, Gloucester, Yeovil and Exeter. Cowlins were the main contractor but all the layout and technical work was carried out

by Colston Elec..

He said: “Jock Dewer was our contracts manager and the last work I carried out on decoys was laying out the Cheddar sites, as we called them, in 1941. These were made to look like marshalling yard lights layouts with fire box units, all linked to a generator in a shelter with a concrete roof.”

By this stage of the war the German air campaign had subsided and he said the Black Down decoy was never used.

But it was a different story elsewhere.

“I remember after the Good Friday night raid the fields on the decoy north of Chew Magna were littered with bombs. Earlier in December there were incendiary bombs all over the fields at Downside, where the golf course is now.

“When Lulsgate emergency landing site came into use, that decoy was moved to Brockley Woods. There were others at Stanton Lane, near the old Somerset and Dorset Railway, on the estuary at Yeo Mouth, Failand, Kenn Moor, and at Uphill. An RAF man, AC2 Cecil Bright, was awarded the Military Medal for lighting the site there by hand with a flaming torch, as the detonator powder was damp.

“Like the bomb disposal team I met at Chew Magna decoy, they were all as ‘mad as hatters’ but very brave men.

“It’s no accident the decoys were mainly on the south side of Bristol, because the Germans used the Bristol Channel to navigate, not only to Bristol, but also to Liverpool and Birmingham, dropping any bombs they had left on the way back.”

Frank’s job was to install lights that mimicked Bristol’s

docks, railways and other strategic locations and fire installations which would look like burning buildings. He was not involved in building the humps on Black Down put there to stop German gliders landing.

He said: “We built two sections on each site, keeping one in reserve if one had to be rebuilt. Some of the lights were in boxes that opened and closed mechanically, simulating the filling of fires on locomotives. We had angle-iron frames built as box-like structures and covered them in rolls of hessian, which looked like buildings collapsing as they fell burning.

“The fire baskets were filled with rags and anything else that would burn, all soaked in creosote. When I had to put a detonator into the basket I got covered in creosote and ended up with sores all over my hands and arms. It took a volt and a half to set them off.

“Fire baskets were the main units on a Starfish site and were grouped together all over a site that could cover several fields.

It was the basic form of a decoy that worked very well at Downside for the second and third major blitz on Bristol and the sixth on Good Friday at Chew Magna.

“It was a seven-day-a-week job with a coach always available from Clifton Greys, so when I got to Cowlins down in Broadweir of a morning I could be taken to any site to work.

Later if I was working on layouts with Jock Dewer I went to our office in Denmark Street as Jock had a company van.”

He then went into Colston’s workshop to work on Admiralty contracts, mainly Asdic (now called Sonar) training units and continued to work on engineering projects after the war, moving to Pensford with his sister Alice about 50 years ago.

Since then he’s become nationally famous for growing champion dahlias and is still president of Bristol and District Chrysanthemum and Dahlia Society.

But his memories of the war remain as sharp as ever.

He said: “I may well be one of the last alive who has such knowledge.”

MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015 • PAGE 51

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MENDIP TIMES

Drop CLANGERS and stay happy

“TELL me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” So asked the poet Mary Oliver.

Your life is rushing past, so how can you

By Dr PHIL get the most from it?

HAMMOND The healthiest and happiest people often have a reason, purpose and passion in life.

They have something to get out of bed for, but that something varies enormously from person to person. If you sometimes struggle to find the point of it all, consider dropping CLANGERS every day.

The Clangers were, or possibly still are, a community of mauve moon mice who spoke in whistles, ate sensible portions of soup made by a dragon, and blue-string pudding, and lived a gentle life built around friendship and the little things. They may still be doing it, and it’s also great plan for living well.

CONNECT – With the people around you.

With family, friends, colleagues, neighbours, strangers and pets. At home, work, school, in your garden, local community, on your travels and in on-line communities. Think of these as the cornerstones of your life and invest time in developing them.

LEARN – Try something new. Rediscover an old interest. Sign up for that course. Join a choir. Take on a different responsibility at work. Fix a bike. Learn to play an instrument or how to cook your favourite food. Develop new passions. Set a challenge you will enjoy achieving. Learning new things will make you more confident as well as being fun.

(BE) ACTIVE – Put your passions into practice. Go for a walk or run. Step outside.

Cycle. Play a game. Get breathless. Garden.

Dance. Join another choir. Break free from the four walls and the screen. Doing anything outdoors makes you feel good.

Discover a physical activity you enjoy and that suits your level of mobility and fitness.

Try to get a little breathless every day. A good activity such as walking a dog or gardening achieves a whole CLANG. Have you had your five portions of fun today?

NOTICE – Be curious and fill up your senses. Catch sight of the beautiful. Remark on the unusual. Enjoy the everyday. Notice the changing seasons and light. Savour the moment, whether you are walking to work, eating lunch or talking to friends. Be aware

of the world around you, how you belong to it and what you are feeling. Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you. Filling up your brain with your senses leaves less space for anxiety and depression.

GIVE BACK – Do something nice for a friend, or a stranger. Thank someone. Smile.

Volunteer your time. Join a community group. Look out, as well as in. Seeing yourself, and your happiness, linked to the wider community can be incredibly rewarding and creates connections with the people around you. Helping those less fortunate than yourself is fundamental to good emotional health. Give company to someone isolated and lonely (e.g. by becoming a dementia friend or a Silverline volunteer).

EAT WELL – Connect with local food producers if you can, learn how to grow, prepare and cook food, notice the different sights, smells, textures and tastes of the ingredients and give back a meal to your friends and family. Slow down and savour the tastes and you end up enjoying and eating a portion, rather than gulping down three without them touching the sides. You can prepare, cook and eat well on a budget (check out the blog and the book, A Girl Called Jack, by the wonderful Jack Monroe).

RELAX – To sleep well, you may need to housekeep your brain, write down thoughts and tasks for the following day so you don’t forget them and then just rest and reflect on the day you’ve had, reliving and resavouring the good memories and feeling grateful. We edit our memories like a Wikipedia page, focusing on the positive or negative depending on what mood we’re in.

Others can edit our memories too, which is why you should choose your friends wisely.

SLEEP – Sleep is essential for mental and physical health. The brain is very active during sleep, clearing out all the clutter from the previous day. If you don’t sleep it’s like having a party in your brain whilst trying to stack the dishwasher, mop up the sick and kick out the gate-crashers. A dark room and clean cool sheets help, as do a comfortable mattress and pillow. If your sleep is poor, try to master the skill of napping for no more than 15 minutes at a time to top up.

Oversleeping is of no benefit unless you’re very sleep deprived. Get up at the same time every day, draw the curtains to let the blue light bathe your eyes and get CLANGing.

Happy 2015!

For Dr Phil’s new book and 2015 tour dates, go to www.drphilhammond.com

PAGE 52 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

Silent night

ONE of the joys of the festive period is the annual round of musical beds. I am contemplating buying a new sofa bed for my brother who has uncomplainingly put up with a warped bed-frame and mattress for several years now.

My brother’s visits are also accompanied by sneezing and the rustling of blister-packs of antihistamine, owing to his cat allergy, so I will endeavour to keep the cats away from the new purchase.

He is not alone in developing an allergy. Eldest child claims she is allergic to the sound of other people snoring. She doesn’t mind snoring herself; it’s just other people’s snorts and sighs she can’t abide. This means that under no circumstance; holidays, weekends away, guests staying, must eldest child’s sleep be disturbed.

This situation leaves middle and youngest child sharing a room while our relatives are visiting. As granny could master a PhD in insomnia, it’s preferable that she is left undisturbed in youngest son’s room. The cats must be locked in the kitchen otherwise they will prowl round the house trying to find an open door and a bed to sleep on.

They are not fussy about who they share with, as long as they can wake them up at 5 o’clock and demand food.

Youngest son moves out into middle child’s room. He comes with a camp bed, self-inflating mattress, duvet and pillow, a book and 12 soft toys.

Youngest child is happy on a camp bed and is not fussy about its location.

However, I am worried that once the soft toys have taken up their position they’ll be no room left in the bed for him.

In fact it’s the soft toys that were source of granny’s insomnia during her last visit. At three o’clock in the morning youngest son rolled onto a mini Frankenstein, with a built-in menacing laugh, which once activated let out a loud: “Whoo-a-ha-ha-ha!”

This woke Granny up while youngest son slept on peacefully. With this in mind the best option is to persuade youngest son that while we have guests staying all noisy toys should sleep alone, in heavenly peace; even if they are zombies.

Wishing you a peaceful New Year!

MENDIP MUM

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A lifelong passion for angling SHE may be 88-years-old, have macular degeneration and a bad back, but that isn’t going to stop Mary MacCabe from indulging in her lifelong passion for fly fishing.

And to celebrate the success of her recent cataract surgery, Mary spent an afternoon fly fishing with celebrity fishing guide, John Horsey, at Chew Valley Lake.

She said: “It was absolutely wonderful to be out on the water again. My macular degeneration means I can no longer see well enough to tie on a fly, but I can still cast a fly line.”

A resident at the St Monica Trust’s Sandford Station retirement village, Mary got her first fishing rod when she was just four years old and has fished all over Ireland, Great Britain, New Zealand and Patagonia.

It was in Patagonia that Mary caught a monstrous 27lb sea trout – one of six fish over 20lbs that she caught during her two-week trip, which wasn’t bad considering she was in her mid-seventies at the time!

She lived in Switzerland for 25 years, where her husband was a lawyer, but says the fishing was poor: “I had one week a year when I would return to the British Isles to fish for salmon and sea trout.

Then, as the children got older and went to prep school in England, I’d drive over with the car to pick them up and do a spot of fly fishing along the way.”

After the death of her husband, Mary moved back to the UK and settled in Taunton where she fished all over the British Isles for many years with one of

HEALTH & FAMILY

her closest friends before moving into Sandford Station retirement village.

Unfortunately, the Chew Valley trout proved to be rather elusive on this occasion, but John Horsey was very impressed with Mary’s performance: “Mary’s casting was better than a lot of the 20-year-olds I take out on the lake.

“Having fished for over eight decades she has an incredible knowledge of the sport and her dedication to overcome her recent health issues and get out on the water is an inspiration to us all!”

MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015 • PAGE 53

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MENDIP TIMES

DO YOU WANT A FRESH START IN 2015?

STRESSED? OVERWEIGHT? DRINKING TOO MUCH? AWAKE AT 4am?

Healthy projects wanted!

A TOTAL of £7,000 is up for grabs from Sedgemoor District Council for groups to spend on health focussed projects.

Community groups, registered charities, afterschool clubs, leisure centres, housing providers, activity clubs, children’s centres, offices and businesses are all

HYPNOTHERAPY CAN HELP! MIRANDA ROBARTS-ARNOLD BA (Hons) HPD DHP SFBT (HYP) MNCH (Req) AfSFH CNHC CLINICAL HYPNOTHERAPIST and PSYCHOTHERAPIST

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Clinics held at: Wells Chiropractic & Osteopathy Centre BA5 1XJ Chew Medical Centre BS40 8UE PAGE 54 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

£30

NEW YEAR, NEW LOVE?

being encouraged to come up with their own project ideas – based on local health and wellbeing needs, – and then bid for up to £2,000 to carry the project through.

The projects must be based around one or more of the following themes: physical activity and exercise, healthy eating, cooking and growing or weight management.

G Applications can be made until Monday, February 2nd.

For details contact Lianne Clarke (Health Promotion Officer) via community.services@sedge moor.gov.uk or on 01278 435715. Visit: www.sedgemoor.gov.uk/healt hylifestyles where application forms and criteria are available for download or call 01278 436420 for postal or email copies of the forms.

Learn more about this organisation and the opportunity to stay with families in Estonia and visit Latvia during May 2015.

Wednesday, 18th February, 2015.

BEAH Wells 11-1pm – Free event.

A chance to learn about travel from a local Somerset based group.

Just turn up!!

To find out about this event or Somerset Friendship Force (including the visit to Estonia & Riga) contact: jo.webb@mbzonline.net or ring 07549190744 to hear a recorded message.

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HEALTH & FAMILY

Little Yoginis

Yoga for youngsters

Yoga Parties for Children Little Yoginis Parties are a two-hour, funfilled, healthy and memorable way to celebrate your child’s special day, whether it’s a birthday, passing exams or simply a treat!

Wendy believes yoga will be one of the buzzwords for 2015

EXPERIENCED yoga instructor Wendy Sugg believes yogathemed parties for children will be all the rage in 2015 amongst parents looking for a healthy option for a celebration with a guaranteed fun factor.

As a result, Wendy has launched “Littlyoginis”, a two-hour themed package aimed at children up to 13 years old, featuring fun and creative poses and non-competitive yoga “games”.

Themes include Ocean Adventure, Jungle Journey and Forest Friends but Wendy can also work with parents’ own ideas, providing all the yoga mats, props and music to make the party a success.

Wendy, of Evercreech, said: “Yoga is not just for adults but can be enjoyed by all ages and children respond really positively to the idea.”

Parties – costs are £150 for up to ten children and £10 for each additional child – are held in either the child’s home – including garden – or any other venue and Wendy can also provide delicious and healthy party food. The yoga sessions can also be tailored for children with special needs or learning difficulties. Wendy said: “The poses are designed to increase cognitive and motor skills in children with learning and development disabilities. Specialised breathing exercises and relaxation techniques can improve concentration and reduce hyperactivity.”

Wendy is also a qualified stress management consultant and has combined her expertise to create a new spa-based course for adults call Relaxology. The first day-long session – limited to eight people – will be held at the Charlton House Hotel in Shepton Mallet on Monday, January 19th.

Wendy said: “The Relaxology-day’s stress management programme encourages optimum wellness through selfawareness, diet and lifestyle changes, set in a spa environment for a truly therapeutic relaxation experience.”

Parties in your own home/garden or venue of your choice. Includes fun, creative poses and non-competitive yoga games led by an experienced and certified yoga instructor!

Benefits: The stretching techniques used in yoga are an ideal, easy way for children to have fun whilst growing flexible and strong; teaching self-awareness, helping to build selfconfidence, encouraging concentration, positive behaviour and promoting overall wellbeing.

Choose a fun theme: • Ocean Adventure • Jungle Journey • Forest Friends (or invent your own idea and we’ll provide all you need: yoga mats, props and music) As a special gift, the birthday/party host child will receive a beautiful “littleyoginis” T-shirt (choice of colours)

Tel: 07786 444735 e-mail: wendy3mahi@gmail.com www.littleyoginis.com

For information about the parties, visit: www.littleyoginis.com More information about the first Relaxology day can be found at: www.charltonhouse.com

MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015 • PAGE 55

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MENDIP TIMES

From balsam bashing to church cakes: meet some local heroes

INSPIRING people from Mendip were among those awarded at a special ceremony held by Somerset County Council for outstanding contributions to their community.

In all, more than 40 awards were presented to individuals and community groups from across the county at the annual Chairman

By SIMON Awards. They included: SELBY Janet Smith – a truly community-minded resident of Oakhill, she supports village clubs and societies and is an active member of the Methodist Chapel where she plays the organ. Janet is also involved in the East Mendip Gardening Club and helps to organise the annual Produce Show. She gives time to support the Good Companions group in the village, is an active member of the Village Hall and Recreation Ground Committee and also sits on the Patient Participation Group at the Oakhill Surgery.

Dorothy Ann Bryant – best known for her tireless work with Friends of the River Frome. She has been the main project lead in a bid to rid the riverbank of Himalayan Balsam and has arranged many litter picking events to clear the areas around the river. She also leads regular Mendip Health Walks. Most recently, Dorothy set up a “Life Begins at 70” group, arranging workshops which focus on ways in which those in their 70s can continue to lead a healthy and active life.

Kathleen Newman – for more than 40 years, Kath has been tireless in her contribution to the community of Binegar and Gurney Slade. She has had involvement in many aspects of community life within the village including an active role in the Holy Trinity Church and she continues to be an invaluable member of the Village Hall Committee. This role has seen Kath Janet Smith

Dorothy Ann Bryant

give much time and energy to supporting events, in particular at the heart of all kitchen activity. Kath is a dedicated long-term member and ex-president of the Women’s Institute and is instrumental in the running of the village’s Welcome Club.

Barbara Cowell – has given a great deal to the community of Street and was nominated for the commitment she has shown to local community groups within the village for more than 20 years.

She was a community nurse for 17 years, during which time she helped many local residents. She has also served on the parish council for 20 years with two terms of office as chairman. She has also worked tirelessly on the committees of the Street Society, Street Twinning Association and Strode Theatre Board of Management.

Stan Wilson OBE – a member of Beckington Parish Council for nearly 25 years and during that time he has worked tirelessly for the community. He was nominated by the community as he is standing down at election next year and the whole community wanted to acknowledge the work he has carried out for them.

Cliff Clark – a member of the Pen Selwood Parish Council for some 13 years, with only one short break. He set up the parish newspaper and continues to edit it so that everyone in the community can access information. He also organised a picture exhibition at the parish fete for many years.

Sadly, neither Stan nor Cliff could attend the awards ceremony.

Chairman of Somerset County Council, Councillor David Fothergill (pictured presenting the awards), said: “I am proud to be in the presence of these community champions who all deserve a huge thank you for what they do. The time that they give back to the people in each of their community’s is worthy of recognition and I am thrilled I can celebrate their dedication with them tonight.”

Kathleen Newman

Have a crime-free festive season WE used to have a saying back when I was a crime reduction officer: “Crime cannot flourish in a community which cares.”

In other words, get to know your neighbour and community, perhaps through Neighbourhood Watch. At the very least, be interested in what is going on around you and, if you spot something odd, report it rather than assuming it’s none of your business and someone else will.

I mention this because we are in the midst of Operation Hamper, a crime prevention initiative by Avon and Somerset police and which includes trying to reduce the theft of

PAGE 56 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

Barbara Cowell

livestock, heating oil, food items and anything else the criminal fraternity might want to relieve you of.

As such the local rural beat teams, PCSOs and the Special Constabulary have been out and about across our area actively visiting farms, businesses and stables. They have also been visiting events such as Christmas markets and fairs.

Inspector Andy Pritchard, who used to be a sergeant in Wells is now with the Rural Crime Team and said: “The weeks leading towards Christmas are a time when everyone should be particularly wary of the burglary risk posed by an abundance of

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Team effort

A DEFIBRILLATOR has been installed outside Churchill Memorial Hall, following a local fundraising campaign supported by The Rotary Club of Wrington Vale, Churchill Tree Care, Churchill Parish Council, Clumber Lodge B&B and Churchill Village Fund.

Pictured at the handover are the president of Wrington Vale Rotary Club Tony Thurling, parish councillor Graham Fortune, chair of the parish council Jackie Bush and parish clerk Aleana Baird. Graham Fortune is the appointed guardian of the defibrillator and is responsible for checking it regularly.

Boost for village hall plans

PLANS for a new village hall and community centre for Congresbury have taken a step forward with £30,000 funding to help submit a planning application by next March. The money comes from the Homes and Community Agency, for a new building on the George V playing fields.

The funding is dependent on agreement from Fields in Trust which owns the playing fields and the Charity Commission.

Plans have also been boosted with the involvement of leading architects Stride Treglown. One of their directors Robert Sargent is a volunteer on the new village hall project.

Ian Sheppard for the project said: “Thanks to their expertise we are now looking at a smaller single storey building than the one shown in the original concept plans. This will significantly reduce the overall cost. “ Fundraising is underway with a full programme of events planned for next year. The project team is now targeting September 2017 as the date to have the new building open if planning permission has been agreed and funding is in place.

Mr Sheppard pointed out that the new building is not dependent on the sale of the village Memorial Hall, as has been reported.

high-value food and drink and livestock associated with our local businesses, as well as rural domestic burglaries.”

G A correction: Having chatted with the Somerset Freemasons, they are keen to correct my error in my December article when I said that I had heard that the amount the organisation reportedly gave to charity was “second only to the national lottery” as that can’t really be substantiated. I did however find that they had donated £20-25 million yearly (from all sources), which I think we can agree is pretty impressive.

Village celebrates

COMMUNITY

The Somerset Masonic Flood recovery Fund administered by the Somerset Community Foundation who presented a cheque for £25,000

MOORLAND and District Village Hall has reopened after nine months of recovery and building work following the floods on the Somerset Levels.

BBC Points West’s Alex Lovell performed the opening ceremony before villagers and friends celebrated with a hog roast and drinks, funded by the village hall’s insurer, Aviva.

Apart from money from the insurers, there was a donation of £25,000 from The Somerset Masonic Flood Recovery Fund administered by the Somerset Community Foundation, and £4,600 from North Petherton Town Council.

The Community Council for Somerset managed the restoration and rebuild of the hall. Chief executive, Katherine Armstrong, said: “What a fantastic event, I have to thank Aviva for funding this celebration and for their support throughout the process. Most importantly this is a fantastic step towards Moorland’s recovery, the hall is back up and running and looking great.

“I know the committee are anxious to get the hall and its user groups back and to continue to be a well utilised community space. The hall really is back to its former glory if not better with a few improvements and extra flood defences.”

Julian Taylor, acting chair of the Moorland and District Village Hall, said: “This really is a hall for the community and it’s great to see so many of the residents here tonight. We have proven to be a resilient community and hope this is a new start to come together more often.

“We can’t thank everyone enough for their hard work and our thoughts are with those of you who are still not in your homes – the community and hall is here for you.”

Children from Moorland MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015 • PAGE 57

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MENDIP TIMES

Salts of the earth

By Mark Adler

MEET some of the team who will be working round-theclock – if necessary – to try to keep the roads in Bath and North East Somerset clear of ice and snow this winter.

Led by Kelvin Packer, the council’s Group Manager for Highways and Traffic, the highways crews will be ready to lay salt on around 260 miles of road using a fleet of nine gritters.

If necessary, staff from other B&NES departments can be drafted in to support the crews, based at Clutton.

In the worst of winter, it can cost the authority £10,000 per day in salt alone to try to keep the roads clear. More than 38% of the network is salted by the council, supplemented with more than 400 grit bins also available for the public to access salt, which is imported from Northern Ireland.

The council gritters can be fitted with ploughs to clear snow and farmers are also on standby to clear minor roads using blades provided by B&NES. The council has also recruited 17 snow wardens to help in their local communities.

As Mendip Times went to press, the crews had been deployed to lay salt on six occasions since October.

Kelvin, who has 30 years’ experience in the highways field, said: “We are able to maximise our salt supply by regularly turning it over in the barn to maintain its shelf life, as well as moving our emergency supply into the barn before it deteriorates and using calibrated spreaders on the gritting machines to ensure not a grain is wasted.

“We are monitoring the weather forecast 24 hours a day using real time data from two weather stations in Peasedown St. John and at Cold Ashton. We also obtain detailed forecasts from a specialist supplier of weather information about the likely effect on road conditions. The council is well prepared to ensure our priority routes are gritted so that people can get around the road network as safely as possible.”

In addition, the council has a team of inspectors who visually check the roads. As Kelvin said: “Don’t be surprised to see someone in a hi-vis jacket next to a council van who is checking the road surface temperature with a thermometer!”

Councillor Caroline Roberts, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “For the past few months, Bath and North East Somerset Council has been busy preparing for a harsh winter. Our increased salt storage means our gritting on prioritised routes can continue for longer.”

What to do . . .

A SUBSTANTIAL amount of information is available on the Council’s website - www.bathnes.gov.uk/gritting – including a winter advice leaflet offering tips on dealing with severe winter weather on highways and pavements. This includes Government guidance on householders clearing snow and ice outside their home. During any severe winter weather the council

PAGE 58 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

Brian Price and Richard Wilcox, two of the highways team, with Kelvin Packer and Cllr Caroline Roberts

“We’re also very grateful to members of the council’s Snow Warden Scheme, the initiative encouraging people to volunteer to help clear snow and ice the Council can’t get to.”

Kelvin and Caroline in the salt barn

provides regular updates about the status of its services on www.twitter.com/bathnes.

The public can also play their part in helping the council to manage the road network during severe weather. They can report any problems on: • Web: www.bathnes.gov.uk/reportit • Email: councilconnect@bathnes.gov.uk • Twitter: @ccbathnes

• Text SMS: 07797 806545 • Call: 01225 39 40 41 during working hours • In an emergency call 01225 477477 • Don’t get too close to the back of a gritter in operation – it’s being driven at a specific speed to ensure the optimum amount of salt is being spread

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Marchants Hill, Gurney Slade BA3 4TY Call: 01749 841051 Mob: 07778 465520 Email: sales@caravanrepairs-sw.co.uk MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015 • PAGE 59

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CHEDDAR

Members of the STARR pantomime group were in fine voice Transport up the Gorge

Alex Beake, Adam Trenchard and Saffie Tucknott, from Kings of Wessex, entrants in Mendip Rotary Big Pitch business competition

Cheddar cubs entertained the crowds Cheddar's firemen gave Father Christmas a lift

Esther Hawley and baby Rose, aged 15 months, enjoyed the fun PAGE 60 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

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ROOKERY FARM, BINEGAR

Emma Green, one of the organisers of the Rookery Farm Christmas Fair, is pictured holding Suggsy, her Jack Russell, alongside family and friends. A raffle during the day raised £260 for the charity Eady’s Journey

CHRISTMAS EVENTS

Victoria Marcangelo-Lyons, another of the fair organisers, with Sandra Palmer (seated), who enjoyed a mini dermatological treatment whilst visiting Angel-Oh

A child’s eye view of Jozef and Cheeky, two donkeys who entertained young visitors to the fair

Kim, Kelly, Helen and Clare, ran a craft stall. They work at The Craftshed, a project near Priddy for people with learning difficulties

BLAGDON CHURCH

ST ANDREW'S Church in Blagdon is nearly £1,000 better off thanks to its recent Christmas Fair, which was held in the Village Club.

Penny Crawford and the Rev Jane Chamberlain on the Christmas produce stall.

Father Christmas talking with young Freddie, as elves Rosie and Ellie look out for other customers.

MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015 • PAGE 61

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MENDIP TIMES

Rotary keeps helicopter flying Taking the plunge for charity

MEMBERS of Midsomer Norton and Radstock Rotary Club have donated £3,000 to the Great Western Air Ambulance charity towards its new, larger, helicopter.

The charity was chosen by past president Rob Porter during his year in office. Rob (far left) and current president Larry Taylor (second left) are pictured presenting the cheque to the air ambulance charity in Bristol.

Busy knitters

KNITTERS have raised £3,500 to support Age UK Somerset’s winter warmth campaign by making 14,000 miniature woolly hats.

Shepton Mallet’s Knit and Knatter group alone made 1,300 hats, which will join the rest on top of Innocent Smoothie bottles. For each bottle sold, 25p is donated to Age UK. Money raised locally will be used to support the charity’s services across Somerset and North Somerset.

Details: www.ageuksomerset.co.uk

Knocking spots off Poulter’s style

PROFESSIONAL golfer Ian Poulter is well-known for his unique taste in clothes, but even he would have been impressed by fundraising youngsters from a community pre-school in Wells.

The children from Horrington House wore spotty t-shirts they had designed themselves on a visit to neighbouring Wells Golf Club for a golf lesson to raise money for Children In Need.

PAGE 62 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

RADSTOCK Co-operative Society director, Derek Roberts, presented the Frome-based charity Positive Action on Cancer with a cheque for £1,000 and then signed up to do a sky-dive for them.

He was shown round the charity’s offices, including the children and young people counselling room, by PAC’s director Mary Taylor and fundraising and communications manager, Hannah Culff.

Afterwards he signed up for the charity’s sky-diving day planned for March 21st. He said: “I’ve always wanted to perform a sky-dive and this was all the inspiration I needed to sign-up for an activity that will give me the ultimate adrenaline rush but at the same time give me the opportunity to raise money for this very deserving cause.

“The work that PAC does is admirable which is why our members chose to support them as one of our chosen charities for the year.”

Positive Action on Cancer believes that no-one should face cancer alone and clients using the service often refer to it as a lifeline. It says it can only continue its vital work because of its support from the local community.

Details: www.positiveactiononcancer.co.uk or call 01373 455255.

Quilters ahoy

WESTON Super Quilters, a group of enthusiastic and very skilled people who share their interest in developing impressive quilts, have raised £1,500 towards the cost of building a new lifeboat station in the town.

Lifeboat operations manager, Charlotte Conroy, presented prizes for the best quilts at the group’s major exhibition in the Winter Gardens.

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CHARITIES

Help at Christmas

VOLUNTEERS and donations are urgently needed to ensure a homeless Christmas shelter in Weston-super-Mare can operate for its 25th year. Homeless charity Comfort and Warmth opens a shelter every year in the seaside resort to ensure those less fortunate are kept off the streets and fed at Christmas.

This year the charity will achieve a huge milestone by helping the homeless for 25 years running by setting up a shelter at St Paul's Church in Walliscote Road. However, to ensure their service can continue running as normal, they urgently need volunteers to come forward and donations from the community.

They need volunteers to help at the shelter in shifts from the evening of December 24th at 6pm until after breakfast on Friday December 28th.

Committee chairman Jon Codd said: “We are desperate for volunteers to come forward and offer their help to the shelter this Christmas. Helpers are needed for all shifts including evening shifts (6pm-11pm) and nights 11pm-8am, so if you can offer any of your time to this worthy cause we would be most grateful.”

The charity also requires donations of non-perishable food, blankets, clothing and toiletries to offer to the people staying at the shelter from Christmas Eve until December 28th.

Details: Call Jon on 01934 813139 or 07766 448889 or go to www.comfortandwarmth.co.uk

John’s busy year

DURING his year as president of the Rotary Club of Nailsea and Backwell, John Churchill asked members for their support in raising £6,000 to cover the cost of a special bed at St Peter’s Hospice.

He’s actually been able to present the hospice with a

cheque for £11,000.

John said: “We raise so much for local, national and indeed international causes that I thought I may be asking too much to introduce an additional separate president’s charity.”

Two of the club’s events raised over £3,000 each for his charity – the Nailsea Charity Walk organised by Graham Hunt and Richard Gaunt which raised a total of over £18,000 for local causes and a golf day organised by Howard Walton which also resulted in over £3,000 being donated to the Special Care Baby Unit at the BRI. In addition the Salvation Army gave almost £1,000 from their Nailsea Christmas concert.

In receiving the cheque Simon Caraffi, chief executive of St. Peter’s, praised the contribution of Rotary and in particular the outstanding contribution made to the work of the hospice.

Christmas comes early for Autistic Eye

THE Radstock based charity Autistic Eye, which sells artwork for people on the autistic spectrum, has received £1,000 from Radstock Co-operative Society to support its work.

Director, Graham Jeffrey, is pictured at the cheque presentation. This was the Co-op’s second donation to the charity during the year.

Emma’s challenge

EMMA Welch of Chilcompton has cycled 1,000 miles to raise funds for Brain Tumour Research, after being inspired by Andrew Stammers of Radstock, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2011, aged 37.

Last year Emma became the youngest girl in the world to climb the height of Mount Everest on an indoor climbing wall at Writhlington sports centre again raising funds for the charity.

Determined that she could still raise more she decided to cycle from Land’s End to John O’Groats, but Emma suffers from scoliosis and hadn’t realised the impact it would have on her cycling.

So a decision was made to change the event from Land’s End to John O’Groats to simply 1000 miles cycling at home.

Emma said: “It was a terrible shock to learn that Andrew had a brain tumour and that research into this devastating disease is so poorly funded – brain tumours receive just 1% of national cancer research spending.

“This is such an injustice to the thousands of families each year who learn that a loved one has a brain tumour. I felt I had to do something to make a difference.”

Her next challenge will be to climb Snowdon next year.

Details: www.emmawelch.co.uk

MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015 • PAGE 63

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Welcome to Winscombe

Sidcot School pupils with (front row) Alex Demetriou, Gill Auden (back row l-r) John Bailey, Iain Kilpatrick and Dave Sayers

STUDENTS from Sidcot School have helped welcome Weston Hospicecare to its new home at Kildare House, the former HQ of Moose International, in Winscombe by planting 2,500 daffodil bulbs.

Thirty students and their teachers from the Quaker school planted the bulbs which had been donated by the Axentis Michael Charitable Trust.

Sidcot’s Headmaster Iain Kilpatrick who led the budding young gardeners said: “Many of our students had not heard of a hospice before and those who had were somewhat fearful of what it meant for a loved one. They gained a huge amount from volunteering alongside the hospice team of nurses and doctors and it was a good opportunity for them to learn what a positive and inspirational organisation it really is.”

Alex Demetriou whose grandfather, Axentis Michael, was cared for by the hospice was on hand to represent the charitable trust and to help the children plant the bulbs.

Weston Hospicecare purchased its new premises in Winscombe in May 2014, the year it celebrated its 25th anniversary. It hopes to move from its current base inUphill within the next five years.

Winscombe Primary School children will also be planting bulbs for the hospice in the next few weeks.

Blagdon supports hospice

BLAGDON Village Club was bustling with festive cheer for a Christmas fair, which raised just over £1,000 for Weston Hospicecare.

It was organised by the charity’s Blagdon and Wrington support group, who were thanked by its fundraising manager Lynette Preston, pictured left.

PAGE 64 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

Cakes for charity

A CLASSICAL Cake Off at Winscombe Community Centre raised £600 for Weston Hospicecare while also encouraging supporters to try their hand at baking.

Charlotte Oliver, of Charlotte’s Tearoom in Winscombe, gave two delicious raffle prizes. Event fundraiser Blair Chadwick was joined on the day by a team of local volunteers which included members of the Winscombe Community Choir and hospice staff.

Jan’s achievement

Jan Little with Hospice UK Chair Lord Howard

A NURSE who has dedicated her life to caring for people with life-limiting illnesses has been awarded a prestigious lifetime achievement award by Hospice UK. Jan Little, from Knowle, was given the Anne Norfolk Lifetime Achievement Award, named after the late Duchess of Norfolk, after caring for patients at St Peter’s Hospice in Bristol for 35 years.

She is pictured receiving the award from Michael Howard at a glittering ceremony in Leeds during the Hospice UK annual national conference.

St Peter’s Hospice chief executive, Simon Caraffi, said: “Jan is so deserving of this award and we’re so proud that she has been recognised in this way. Her commitment and resilience over 35 years has been astonishing and she has been instrumental in helping St Peter’s Hospice to develop into the large and thriving organisation that it is today.”

As Bristol’s only adult hospice, St Peter’s Hospice cares for more than 2,670 patients each year as well as supporting family members.

Details: www.stpetershospice.org.uk

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CHARITIES

Go Provence!

Mendip Times contributor Chris Sperring and his partner Emma have a son called Marc who has severe learning difficulties.

Last summer they were given a holiday in the south of France as part of a charitable initiative called Go Provence. Here, Chris describes the charity’s work and how the week transformed the family’s life.

IN August 2014 our family was given the most valuable gift imaginable: a holiday in the south of France, where our severely disabled son, Marc, could enjoy his first ever break from us and where the rest of the family could relax for a week and enjoy some quality time together in the most breathtaking of settings.

Go Provence was founded five years ago by Ian Callen, who used to work for the Brandon Trust in Bristol. Each summer he and his co-founder, Neil Mancer, and their two female English staff bring people from the UK to enjoy what is probably one of the best weeks of their life.

They are the most caring and laid-back people you will ever meet, and nothing fazes them. They specialize in providing tailor-made holidays for people with learning disabilities, but also take people with all other physical and mental disabilities and give every one of their guests the holiday of a lifetime.

The setting is a beautiful gite situated in the countryside just outside a small village called Moustier St. Marie, in the Gorge du Verdon. The atmosphere is chilled and the weather is warm.

Neil is the chef and provides fantastic home-cooked meals to suit every taste and dietary need.

Go Provence can take up to seven people each week and provide an amazing setting for meeting new friends, or even having the first holiday away from home with their own friends.

The base is a stone’s throw from all kinds of amazing activities, like gorge scrambling, rafting, paragliding (in tandem of course) and even a private mini-cruise to St. Tropez where swimming in the bay is a must!

Ian and Neil fly to England every Saturday to bring one group home and collect the next but, being typically over-protective parents, we decided to fly over with Marc and stay in a holiday Marc swimming in the Mediterranean

Marc about to go riding

house in the nearby village of Rougon, to be near Marc if we were needed.

There are lots of campsites and hotels in the area too, but we liked the idea of being in the mountains where we could walk and enjoy watching the large population of griffon vultures, as well as other exciting wildlife like chamois, lizards and preying mantis! We had an amazing week, swimming in the warm, crystal clear waters of the Lac St. Crois, rafting, canoeing, aqua rambling and exploring charming French villages.

Meanwhile Marc was loving horse riding, swimming, boating and relaxing with the boys. He had been suffering from depression, as many young people with learning difficulties do in their teenage years and although he was improving slowly, was still a very long way from his old self. This week in France was a turning point for Marc and for us. It reminded us all how great life can be and that there is a light at the end of every tunnel.

I urge anyone with a disabled child to have a look at the Go Provence website and think about what their holidays could do for you and your child. I was sceptical and nervous at first, it was a leap of faith for me, my son has no verbal communication and since his depression set in can become aggressive.

I thought the idea of leaving him in the care of strangers in a foreign country was unthinkable, but it was the best decision I’ve ever made. The cost for each disabled person is in the region of £1,300, but that includes everything from the flights (fully supported), transport (in their own minibus), food, accommodation and activities, not to mention 24/7 support from the most amazing people imaginable. If in doubt contact Ian Callen and have a chat.

The only downside is having to come home – we started planning our next Go Provence holiday before we’d even landed back at Bristol airport!

In April I will be leading a wildlife holiday in Provence to raise money for an amazing trip Go Provence has planned for November 2015. They will be taking a group of people with learning disabilities to Uganda to volunteer in communities, building wells, schools, etc. This is an opportunity not usually open to people with learning disabilities, and it will be costly. I will be giving my time to lead the holiday which will be an exciting voyage to see some spectacular wildlife and hopefully even visit the Camargue! The details haven’t been finalised yet, but anyone who’s interested in coming on the holiday please get in touch (tel: 07799 413918) or email: chris.sperring@btinternet.com to register your interest and I’ll send you more information.

Visit: www.goprovence.co.uk for more information about the charity’s work

MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015 • PAGE 65

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EAST HARPTREE

Fun on the farm

EAST Harptree primary school will be using the £1,000 they raised at their Christmas Craft Market to make improvements to the school's outside space. Everyone enjoyed the Christmas Market which was held at Greenacres Farm, West Harptree.

NUNNEY

THE winning entry for Mendip District Council chairman, Ron Forrest’s Christmas card competition, has been announced. Kim Warwick of Nunney submitted the winning entry depicting a snowy Nunney Castle.

Georgian, Darcey and Erin, of Shepton Mallet, get into the festive spirit

COMPTON DANDO

The latest craft workshop, held at Compton Dando, was another success, raising £60 for the village’s community association.

Pictured (l to r) are Lottie Watts, Judith Watts and Julia Shahin with seven-year-old Jean in front.

PAGE 66 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

Bella (left) and Tabitha, students at Wells Cathedral School, selling programmes and reindeer hats in the Market Place

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WELLS REINDEER PARADE

CHRISTMAS EVENTS

Clowning around Bippo removes the first of the stools

Warm-up routine: a gentle jog gets the Cairngorm Herd ready for the parade

FOUR “volunteers” from the crowd gathering to watch the reindeer parade found themselves taking centre stage instead.

In a case of “chair today and gone tomorrow”, Bippo the clown, from Wookey Hole Circus, made them sit on stools on the main stage before taking the seats away one by one, leaving themselves to support each other.

Look – no chairs

Members of Connect Youth hit the streets to sell programmes. The parade once again raised money for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance

The volunteers collapse in a heap

Bippo the clown gets in on the act as Wells mayor Chris Briton presents prizes to art winners Harmoyani Papo and Lili Dadswell and poetry winners Isore Gooch and George Ballard MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015 • PAGE 67

MENDIP TIMES

The gentle art of downsizing SUE and John Slade were facing a problem that many of us have to address.

With the children gone and with families of their own, their own house suddenly seemed to have ‘too many rooms’. It was time to look for something smaller and easier to run, but memories (and indeed the furniture accumulated over the years) made the prospect of downsizing a somewhat daunting proposition.

Again, like most of us facing a similar dilemma, Sue and John bit the bullet and put their house in Wells on the market.

Sue said: “We moved there from Blackford in 1986 and for many reasons the place was just perfect. The views were wonderful and the boys could walk to the Cathederal School they both attended.”

John said: “In many ways we were fortunate that the property sold so quickly – it didn’t give us time to change our minds – but we did need to find something smaller in Wells fairly quickly.”

Once more they were in luck and they found an ideal place, from which

PAGE 68 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

they could walk into town.

The only real challenge was adjusting to rooms that were a bit smaller. Sue said: “We came to terms with this fairly easily but the sitting room did seem a little cramped and we decided to look at extending.”

Adding a conservatory seemed the obvious thing to do, but for aesthetic and allyear-round-comfort reasons, they wanted a tiled roof.

With a clear idea of exactly what they had in mind they went out for designs and quotes.

John said: “Having reviewed the ideas and the prices we were given, we chose Kingfisher and we were pleased we did.

Everything they did was on time and on schedule. They were polite, punctual, tidy and helpful.”

From digging out the foundations to completion, the job took only eight weeks but 2014’s golden summer played

its part – not a drop of rain fell whilst the work was in progress.

Sue said: “What I like about Kingfisher is that they do what they say.

They are 100% reliable and they don’t let you down. The quality of their work is excellent and I can give no greater praise than by saying that I would (and will) recommend them to anyone.”

JACKSONS

Jacksons Fencing – news, topical treats and more . . .

Happy New Year!

IT’S a New Year – 2015! Let’s hope it’s a peaceful and happy one for everyone.

If anything, last year seemed to whizz by even faster than the previous one. Yes I know it’s a sign of age when people say that sort of thing!

This time last year the headlines were focussed on the terrible weather the country had over Christmas and into the beginning of the year. There were dreadful floods and bad storms had caused widespread damage to property.

As a result we were busy at Jacksons, not only supplying fencing, but trying to send out helpful info on how to avoid the common mistakes that can result in fences falling over in adverse conditions.

At the time of writing this, the weather has been reasonably tame – dare I say it, I may be tempting fate – when you read this in January, we may well have had another disastrous winter. Touch wood that’s not the case, but if it is, rest assured we still have all the helpful advice on our website, so just go to your local page www.jacksonsfencing.co.uk/bathlocal, to see all handy links there.

So what’s needed is a swift change of direction here, I’m going to lead you away from the possibly gloomy thoughts of bad weather and show you something that will hopefully conjure up sunnier thoughts and happier times.

The photo at the top of the page was

Detail of the central paved area and the ingenious water feature focal point.

Many thanks to Brian Hattersley for sending me these great photos of his lovely garden, with the Retreats that he has customised to suit his space. He has also used our Venetian panels along the rest of the boundary to match the ones in the shelter.

sent to me by a customer, who I met at a show, a year or so ago. A very nice man, who was admiring the Retreat shelter we had on our stand. Brian took a leaflet, saying he was very impressed with the Retreat, and said he was going to have one in his own garden, and that he may adapt it to make it a bit larger, as he had the room for probably ‘one and a half Retreats’. He promised me photos of the finished installation.

This autumn I was at the same show, when Brian visited our stand again, “I’m nearly finished, I will send you those photos soon," he told me.

Well they were definitely worth waiting for. I think you’ll agree? I certainly wouldn’t mind this as my garden.

Thanks Brian, for showing us what you can achieve with a Retreat – and a half – and a lot of design genius. Hopefully that

WIN

will give us all some inspiration to do something lovely to our own gardens in this new year.

There’s just enough space left to remind you that our Seasonal Savers offer is still running until the end of January: raised bed kits (like the ones you can enter our free prize draw to win), Sissinghurst planters, verge protection marker posts, log stores, wheelie bin stores and metal wall trellis – for the whole of December and January we are offering 15% off.

You can check all the details out on your local page, www.jacksonsfencing.co.uk/bathlocal which gives you links to the products and how to take advantage of the discount, or call 0800 408 4754 to talk to your local Jacksons Fencing Centre. louise@jacksons-fencing.co.uk

A PA I R O F R A I S E D B E D K I T S

Enter the free prize draw and be in with a chance to win a pair of Jacksons raised bed kits.

Simply log on to your local page, address below and follow the easy instructions on how to enter. The draw closes 31.01.15. To enter go to: www.jacksonsfencing.co.uk/bathlocal

MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015 • PAGE 69

MENDIP TIMES

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PAGE 70 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

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MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015 • PAGE 71

MENDIP TIMES

HOMES & INTERIORS

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PAGE 72 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

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SHEPTON MALLET

CHRISTMAS EVENTS

WINSCOMBE

Winscombe school choir Elaine Coles, The Country House Gift Company

Inga (centre) won the right to switch on the Christmas lights in Shepton Mallet town centre in a competition

Father Christmas and helpers

Children from St Paul’s school entertained the crowd in the Market Place with festive songs MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015 • PAGE 73

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Showtime in Weston

Into The Woods cast with director Janet Chvatal (kneeling centre)

New year, new musical director

A LEADING American soprano and musical theatre director helped put Weston College students through their paces in a Steven Sondheim musical which is about to be turned into a major Hollywood production.

Janet Chvatal has worked all over the United States and Europe as a performer and director and is now based in Germany. She spent two years in Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s Phantom Of The Opera and played the Empress of Austria in the world premiere of a musical about the life of King Ludwig II of Bavaria.

Janet is a friend of Weston College Musical Theatre lecturer Volker Bleck, who invited her over to direct Into The Woods, a musical by Stephen Sondheim based on various stories by the Brothers Grimm. The musical has been turned into a film starring Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp and Emily Blunt, which will be released this Christmas Day. Janet said: “I came over as a favour to Volker and I suggested this musical to him because I knew it was being released as a movie. Working with Weston College students has been great.

“There is an incredible pool of talent here and we have all worked extremely hard to bring that out. I’ve cracked the whip, but I’ve also been a nice mom to them all!”

The show was staged at the end of November.

SPECTRA Musica, based in Wincanton, is looking forward to welcoming their new, extremely talented musical director in January.

Peter Leech has over 25 years’ experience as a choral and orchestral conductor, composer and musicologist.

He will be maintaining the group’s eclectic programmes which have brought so much pleasure to audiences.

On February 28th he will lead a Come and Sing Day in the Cheap Street Methodist Church, Sherborne which will include Lotti’s Requiem and Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess.

Concert pianist Anita D’Attellis will be performing and accompanying once again.

Peter’s first concert with the group will be on March 21st at the Wincanton Catholic Church.

Details: 01749 860457

Rocking the valley

Band are wi n n e r s

AIR cadets from the Devon and Somerset Wing Band took top honours in the air cadet national band championships held at RAF Walton.

They were named best band and best ensemble, earning praise from TV presenter Carol Vordeman, a new ambassador for air cadets: “I could not have been prouder to have had the chance to meet the winners. The music today was of an incredibly high standard.”

Drum Major, Flight Sergeant Tim Salvidge,17, of 1955 (City of Wells) Squadron who led the winning band only had time to say “It was wonderful to win,” before being asked to lead the band to perform their winning routine again in front of proud parents and visiting VIPs. PAGE 74 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

CHEW Stoke Am Dram's latest production was a huge success, selling out long before the show – so much so that those unable to get tickets were invited to watch the dress rehearsal.

They put on Who's the Daddy? a musical based loosely on the hit musical Mama Mia, which had been adapted by Phil Chalk, Ruth Knight and Martin Richards, changing the settings from a Greek island to Denny Island and the Chew Valley.

Pictured are Carrie's band The Kittens (left to right) Donna Lawson, Ruth Donleavy and Nicky McKean.

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Musical director retires

JEREMY Martin has retired as musical director of the Trinity Singers choir he founded with the Reverend John Abdy back in 1998.

Over the years Jeremy has taken the choir from strength to strength, developing a wide ranging repertoire Jeremy Martin at the Trinity Singers’ 10th of sacred and anniversary concert secular works and establishing a high reputation in the local area around Churchill and Burrington.

Highlights of his time include Karl Jenkin’s The Armed Man (a joint project with Churchill Academy), concerts at St. Mary Redcliffe, an exchange trip to Florence to sing with a local choir, and a weekend of Evensongs and other services at Wells Cathedral.

The choir celebrated his years of commitment just before Christmas and presented Jeremy with a gift to mark his departure.

Trinity Singers, with Andrew Tyrell, is currently rehearsing Purcell’s “Hear My Prayer” and Parry’s “I Was Glad”, as part of a joint concert with Churchill Academy, Bristol Cathedral School and Bristol Cathedral Special Choir, to be performed in late February in Bristol and Weston-super-Mare.

The choir is looking for a new musical director to continue its development and anyone who is interested in taking up this exciting role can contact Bob Shapland (01761 462273 or 07769 813489) for further details.

Because we’re happy!

MUSIC

Showcase for music talent

Sarah Minns

TWO former pupils of the Blue School in Wells who are now professional singers will return to give a concert as part of a showcase event in January.

David Butt Philip (tenor) and Sarah Minns (soprano) will take to the stage after performances by current students.

David, who is currently singing the lead role in La Boheme with the English National Opera at London’s Coliseum, started his career as a boy chorister at St Thomas’s Church in Wells.

Sarah, trained at the Royal Academy of Music and at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and has sung with Wedmore Opera.

As well as showcasing the musical talent at the Blue School the concert, on Saturday, January 31st will raise funds for both the music department and Wells Twinning Association. David will also conduct masterclasses and take part in a question and answer session with students David Butt Philip the previous day.

Tickets – costing £15 – for the concert are now available from Alan Butt Philip on 01749 675071 or from Bob Reynolds on 01749 87021.

Showtime in Weston TAP dancers from The Centre School of Dance, based in Shepton Mallet, took part in a world record attempt for the "Largest Tap Dance in multiple venues" for BBC Children In Need.

The school says it’s grateful to Tesco in Shepton Mallet for letting them dance in the store premises and to the shoppers who donated money during the display. Dancers across the country performed the same routine to "Happy" by Pharrel Williams at exactly the same time.

FOLLOWING their performance of Duruflé’s Requiem at St Andrews, Chew Magna at the end of November, Chew Valley Choral Society are gearing up for their next cycle of rehearsals for a performance of Stanford’s Songs of the Sea and Rutter’s Requiem, both highly popular pieces.

Rehearsals will start on January 6th on Tuesday evenings at Chew Stoke village hall, with the concert scheduled for St John’s Church, Keynsham on April 18th. New members are always welcome and there’s no intimidating audition to contend with.

Details: Helen Boyde 01275 333014

MM ENDIP ENDIP TIMES TIMES • N• OVEMBER JANUARY 2015 2014 • PAGE 75

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MENDIP TIMES

It’s a family affair

IT is many years since I have visited the Blackdown Stud up on the top of Shipham Hill and it was a pleasure to see it looking to beautifully attended to, full of top quality horses all looking relaxed and happy.

Many local people will remember David Urch, the popular horse vet owning the stud With CELIA and breeding his Shire X TB horses, and it GADD has had a couple of other owners in recent years but 18 months ago Zoe and Stephen Day purchased the large equestrian facility to help support the eventing success of their 26-year-old daughter Jamie Lee. Local business owners already, the family run CG Eventing from the stud, and produce and compete quality event horses.

Jamie Lee started competing at a very young age and as a member of the Banwell Pony club competed very successfully in all disciplines.

Sister Jodie has also always been extremely keen and competed throughout her teenage years, now aged 23 years old she is a massive support to her more competitive sister.

It was a bit of a shock to the family when Jamie Lee gave up the horses and went to train to be a hairdresser on leaving school and was completely out of horses for several years.

During that time Zoe herself took over the ride on Jamie Lee’s very successful pony club horse Fred and enjoyed success in dressage and eventing.

Aged 20, Jamie Lee decided to get back into the sport and really has never looked back. Her mum insisted though that she did a whole winter of ‘mucking out’ and doing all the dirty jobs before giving her the ride back on Fred.

In her first season back eventing in affiliated competitions she completed a CCI 1* competition and started to develop her string of horses.

The horse that really worked its way into her heart was Serano, an attractive grey who was bought at a ‘bargain’ price as he was known as a head shaker but Jamie Lee has had a huge Jamie Lee in action

Jamie Lee Day and her string for 2015

amount of success with him, competing in several 3* and Advanced competitions with great success. A prolific cross country horse he has produced numerous, consistent clear rounds and many placings.

Jamie Lee said: “As soon as I sat on him I just knew we had to have him, it really was ‘love at first sight’.”

Although fit and well at the moment he has suffered a small injury and will come back to competition in 2015 but probably just stay at the level he is at.

Another promising horse is Arkansa Gold who has competed at 2* level, but Kato Ridge, an 8-year-old intermediate horse, is the one that Jamie Lee hopes will follow in Serano’s footsteps.

It is clear talking to Jamie Lee that she really loves her horses, the stables are immaculate and no corners are cut in their welfare and care. Having such a great support structure with Jodie and Zoe never far away is fantastic to see and I feel sure that 2015 will be a very successful one for all of them.

The facilities at Blackdown stud are really good, with miles of off-road hacking literally outside the gate, an indoor school, horse walker and plenty of well-drained turnout.

There are a few spaces available for livery here although I am sure they will get snapped up quickly so if you are interested give Jamie Lee a call on 07894 266203.

January 2015 show dates Wednesday 7th Lower evening show jumping at Badgworth Arena, Axbridge Sunday 11th Winter dressage and show jumping series at Avon Riding Centre, Bristol Wednesday 14th Higher evening show jumping at Badgworth Arena, Axbridge Wednesday 21st Lower evening show jumping at Badgworth Arena, Axbridge

PAGE 76 • MENDIP TIMES • JANUARY 2015

Saturday 24th Unaffiliated dressage at Pontispool Equine Sports Centre, Norton Fitzwarren Sunday 25th Unaffiliated dressage at Pontispool Equine Sports Centre, Norton Fitzwarren Wednesday 28th Higher evening show jumping at Badgworth Arena, Axbridge Saturday 31st Eventers Challenge at Pontispool Equine Sports Centre

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Lucy’s new business

ANIMAL Affection is a new business set up by Lucy Austen.

Lucy’s ethos is to provide top class care for animals that you love.

She brings with her great knowledge and experience and has always kept both horses and dogs. She is college certificated in animal care and has a passion for competing with her own event horse.

The services she offers include exercising horses and dogs, feeding and mucking out, dog walking and checking while owners are at work, holiday cover, helping at horse shows, grooming, or simply providing an extra pair of hands.

Lucy is happy to consider caring for any animal or provide services according to clients’ needs.

Paying for a tumble?

THE Weston and Banwell Harriers are well known for crossing quite difficult country, tackling wide ditches and hedges as they follow their trails and it has been thought for many years that it is not a hunt for the faint-hearted.

And so this year they decided to make the most of the fact that many people end up standing next to their four-legged friends on the far side of the famous ditches rather than staying in the saddle and so the Tumbler Club was born.

Basically subscribers have to pay a fine of £5 per fall, or they can pay a one-off £25 to cover all their falls for the season and this money is divided between the hunt fund and the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance as they have been out on more than one occasion to help riders in difficulty.

Regular visits Holiday cover Exercising Services to suit all needs Reliable and trustworthy Any animals considered

RIDING

Riding on a high in 2014

HILL Farm has had a very exciting summer and have finished the year with a flourish. They now have a magnificent indoor riding arena, so you can enjoy your lesson in the warm and dry, while family and friends have the luxury of enjoying the undercover viewing area with seating.

This top-class arena and their newly refurbished outdoor arena are available for hire by the hour, half day or whole day, so you can run your own event, clinic, or for your own use, at very reasonable rates.

Their Take Back the Reins courses have been a huge success with demand overtaking availability and there is always a waiting list for the next course to start. Because of this success, The British Equestrian Federation and Hoof Ride invited them to give a talk at Blenheim horse Trials, the first riding school in the country to be given this privilege.

Hill Farm is now a Pony Club centre and is also looking into the YELA scheme, the Youth Equestrian Lead Award for ages 13 to 25.

On Saturdays during the winter they are giving jump training lessons on your own horse/pony in one-hour groups for all ages and abilities for the special price of £10 per person. Booking is essential.

Lessons

Livery

SPECIAL OFFER – Show Jump Training on your own Horse/Pony With Becky & Haley £10 per person 1hr Groups on Saturdays throughout the Winter, all ages and abilities, adult and Children.

Pony Day, Monday 22nd Dec 10-3 £30 Flat & Jump Day, Monday 29th Dec 10-5 £35 “Take Back e Reins” Book now for courses starting in January £20 per week

DIY, Part, Full, Schooling & Holiday Livery available. Purpose built stable yard and New American Barn style stables. Fantastic facilities.

Indoor & Outdoor Arena. Resident Onsite Riding Instuctors. Owners live Onsite

Pony club Membership Forms available now. Rallies & Activities start January 2015

Arena Hire Indoor and Outdoor Arena available to hire or Events, Clinics, & Private use. Very reasonable rates.

Full details from Website or Contact Direct..

Advance bookings only for all Lessons and Arena Hire

Hill Farm Equestrian, Hill Farm, Burtle, Bridgwater, Somerset TA7 8NB 01278 723415 or 07891 555151 or 07977 122047 www.hillfarmequestriancentre.co.uk or hillfarmequestrian@hotmail.co.uk

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Why Mendip caves are getting longer

THERE are several teams of cavers on Mendip digging for new caves or extending known systems and all generally working in With PHILIP isolation. In memory HENDY of Tony Jarratt, who spent years digging for caves here in Somerset, in Scotland and elsewhere, six years ago cavers inaugurated the J-Rat Digging Award.

A brass digging shovel, mounted on a plaque, is presented to the team which discovered the most amount of new cave in the year. It is a good opportunity for the various diggers to meet over a few beers and show off their finds to their fellows.

The prize is open to diggers from Mendip and Scotland and the award ceremony was held at the Hunters’ Lodge Inn on November 22nd. Discoveries in Reservoir Hole and Charterhouse Cave have tended to dominate the proceedings.

Although the Scottish diggers found 45 metres of new cave, the prize this year went to Andrew Atkinson and the Charterhouse Digging Team who climbed avens in Charterhouse Cave to discover 100 metres of decorated passage. Most of this, Puff Pant Rift, was found at the top of the previously part-climbed High Time Aven, found in 2010, but another 25 metres was also entered partway up the unclimbed Talus Cone Aven, found in 2009.

Other Mendip finds have been much shorter, but are still interesting. Caine Hill Shaft, at Priddy, continues to descend steeply, and recently a pitch has been descended. So far, 250 tonnes of spoil have been removed in 13,000 loads, which gives an idea of the effort involved in opening up even a small amount of cave.

Longwood Valley Sink was the scene of much activity two years ago, when cavers reopened a stream sink to allow water which could not go underground at Longwood Swallet, further up the valley.

Blockages to the natural drainage allowed water to flow into Cheddar Gorge during the winter of 2012 – 2013, causing the road to be closed for 88 days due to damage to the Tarmac.

After stabilisation, work continued to try to follow the route taken by the water. A shaft, excavated in the 1970s, was

Presenting the award

reopened, but the route taken by the water was too impractical to dig. Higher up the shaft, a phreatic tube from the Triassic period has been enlarged with explosives to reach the top of a descending rift, which looks promising and will act as an overflow in times of high water.

Several digs in Reservoir Hole are being worked, although The Silo, heading towards and under the Gorge road, has bottomed out to a solid rock floor. At Skyfall, above The Frozen Deep, ladders have been fixed, and digging continues through a choke at the end of a draughting rift. There is another draughting choke at the end of Magic Smoke Dig. In an old quarry at Windsor Hill near Shepton Mallet, a site dug in the 1970s has been reopened by a new team to a depth of nearly ten metres. It takes a large stream in winter and the flow time to the resurgence at St. Andrew’s Well in the moat of the Bishop’s Palace at Wells is only 24 hours – half the time for Thrupe Lane Swallet, which is closer to Wells. Divers investigated the rising earlier this year and there could be open cave passage here, but strangely permission to dig with a JCB seems unlikely to be granted.

At Charterhouse, a team headed by Chris Binding is working in Grebe Swallet, originally discovered by 18th century lead miners. Spoil disposal from a narrow rift at the end of the cave is difficult, but airspace was found beyond the choke. The squeeze was enlarged with explosives, and work continues in a very muddy passage. It is hoped that the dig will enter the far reaches of nearby Upper Flood Swallet, allowing easier access to this part of the cave.

CAVING

The Axbridge Caving Group has for several years been attempting to rediscover Hutton Cavern in Canada Coombe, near Weston-super-Mare. Originally found in 1756 by ochre miners, and explored and described by the Rev. Catcott and others, it contained a large quantity of Palaeolithic bones – bison, lion, hyena, horse and other species.

The cave was then lost and other caves were all backfilled. Several small caves have been found by the Axbridge cavers in old ochre workings, partly with the aid of a digger. The whole area is rich in ochre. It was seen that all of these caves lie in the same ochreous depression and the diggers believe that together they make up the original Hutton Cavern. Some bones have been found, which will be compared to some found in the 18th century and kept in Taunton Museum.

An occasional digging group from the Wessex Cave Club is working at Tween Twins Hole in Burrington Coombe.

Recently, a breakthough in solid fill in an ascending passage has opened an airspace, but at present it is too small to enter. Small breakthoughs are always to be welcomed, as they are the bait that keeps the team interested.

It is very rare for a quick discovery to be made these days – although the Templeton team has excavated to a depth of more than 60 metres and discovered a 20-metre decorated shaft, the big breakthough is still awaited, after more than 15 years digging.

It could be just around the corner, which keeps every digging team going. We shall see how many corners have been passed at next year’s awards evening.

Phil has been caving for more than 47 years and is a member of the Wessex Cave Club. He has been involved in producing several caving publications and is a caving instructor in Cheddar. His main interest is digging for new caves.

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New coach at Cheddar

CHEDDAR Tennis Club has appointed Stephen Pearce as head coach, taking over from Dean Cornish. Stephen is well known locally having coached at Cheddar as well as other clubs and schools over a number of years.

He is a level 4 LTA qualified senior club coach with wide experience of coaching players of all ages from young children to adults.

He aims to build on the established coaching programme at Cheddar with some new fun sessions to encourage more people to pick up a racket.

The club welcomes players of all ages and abilities.

Jo takes the reins at Wincanton

SPORT

Details: Stephen Pearce 07904 061301 or stephenfpearce@googlemail.com, or club chair Jennie Colton 01934 742703.

New investment in leisure

A NOT-for-profit organisation called Fusion Lifestyle has been appointed as the preferred bidder for the leases to run leisure centres owned by Mendip District Council.

From June, it will operate Frome Leisure Centre, Wells Leisure Centre, Strode Swimming Pool and Fitness Centre, Tor Sports and Leisure Centre and Shepton Mallet Lido.

A legal agreement was due to be signed as Mendip Times went to press, granting Fusion a 50-year lease on the facilities.

Fusion will succeed Avalon Leisure. Fusion has pledged to invest in and improve the facilities over the term of its lease, ensuring up-to-date and popular leisure activities can be provided across the district for many years to come.

Fusion’s investment programme, which is due to be completed by April 1st, 2018, includes £2 million at Frome Leisure Centre, £500,000 at Wells Leisure Centre, £100,000 at Strode Swimming Pool and Fitness Centre and £75,000 each at Tor Sports and Leisure Centre and Shepton Mallet Lido.

Councillor John Parham, the council’s Portfolio Holder for Governance, Assets and Public Spaces, said: “The decision to appoint Fusion Lifestyle as tenant of the council’s leisure facilities is great news for the people of Mendip. Fusion will invest in all of the council’s leisure facilities, reinvigorating them and updating them for users.

“As a registered charity, Fusion uses its profits to enhance and develop its services and facilities, so leisure users are kept at the heart of everything they do.

“To appoint a partner to operate the district’s leisure facilities was a bold move by the council and one that has secured the future of leisure across the district for many years to come. If we had not taken this approach, there would have been a question mark over how long the council could have continued to fund leisure services in Mendip.”

Jo Hepburn is the new chairman of Wincanton racecourse

WINCANTON Racecourse will start 2015 with a new chairman after the appointment of Jo Hepburn who will take over the role from Guy Henderson.

A racecourse committee director at Wincanton since 2013, Jo runs a family farming and equestrian operation from home and has previously worked for the National Trainers Federation and in bloodstock shipping.

She will succeed Guy Henderson who – having been chairman at Wincanton since 2012 – is joining Ascot Racecourse as its chief executive in the New Year.

Jo said: “I am thrilled and honoured to have been asked to be Guy’s successor at Wincanton. It is a big gap to fill as he has done so much for the racecourse and we will miss him hugely. However, we have a really strong and enthusiastic team and we will all enjoy building on the great legacy he leaves behind.”

Guy said: “I am delighted for Wincanton that Jo Hepburn has been appointed the next chairman of the racecourse.

Jo’s love of jump racing and involvement in our locality ideally suit her to lead Wincanton along the next phase of its development as we approach its 150th anniversary in 2017.”

Meanwhile, Geoff Derham has been appointed to Wincanton’s racecourse committee. His son Harry was a successful conditional jockey who retired earlier this year after riding 50 winners.

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M e n d i p

Please send entries for these listings as a single paragraph of approximately 25 words. We’re happy to list entries for charities and voluntary groups free of charge – but please submit them in the format below. Commercial entries cost £25.

Thursday December 18th West Mendip Walkers – a mod circular walk of 7.7 miles from Dunster. Explorer map: OL9.

Grid:ST994438. Park: Dunster village car park, off A396. Details: www.mendipramblers.co.uk Weston Hospicecare Carol Service, 6.30pm, St Paul’s Church, Walliscote Rd, Weston-sMare.

Friday December 19th Wrington Friendship Club Christmas Party 2.30pm, Wrington Memorial Hall, Silver Street.

New members welcome. For 2015 programme: Fred Parsons 01934 863562.

Christmas Party Hullabaloo Soft Play Centre, Townsend, Shepton Mallet, 4.30-6.30pm. Santa, party bags, games. Use of all the facilities, unlimited squash, £6/child (must be accompanied by adult).

Saturday December 20th Christmas in the Park, Beacon hall, Peasedown St John, 6.30-8.30pm. Details: Joy 07811 424272 or Mike 07862 253514.

Monday December 22nd Choral Concert, Wells Bach Singers, with Bach’s Mass in B minor. St Cuthbert’s church,

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T i m e s

Wells, 7.30pm. Tickets £10 from the church office, peter@pandjkngston.co.uk or on the door.

Saturday December 27th Tractor & Engine Autojumble, North Somerset Vintage Tractor Club. Sellers from 7.30am. Buyers: 9am. Bristol Sales Centre, Washingpool Farm, Easter Compton, BS35 5RE. Details: Kevin 01278 671784 or Sheila 01275 474649 or: www.nvtec-northsomerset.org Mendip Society Walk – 4 miles, Rowberrow & Dolebury. Meet Swan Inn car park, BS25 1QL. Contact, Gill 01934 742508.

Sunday December 28th Classic Car & Motorcycle Breakfast Gathering, 9- 12noon, Redhill Club, Church Rd, BS40 5SG. All welcome – bring your interesting vehicles or just come along to see those on show. Free entry, ample parking.

Coffee & breakfast. Just off A38 south of Bristol Airport.

Wednesday December 31st New Year’s Eve Posh Frock Party 8 til late.

Sit-down dinner, guitarist/singer John Marcus with popular hits. Tickets £10. Redhill Club, BS40 5SG. Tel: 01934 862619.All welcome.

New Year’s Eve Party at Coxley Village Hall, Nr Wells. Music from 60s, 70s 80s. £10 pp includes buffet, raffle, bar. Children free. In aid of cancer research. Details: 01749 679138.

W h a t ’ s

Thursday January 1st Mendip Ramblers walk, Wells to Croscombe.

Details Tony Strange 01934 733783, anthonyestrange@gmail.com or www.mendipramblers.co.uk Friday January 2nd Free Health Walks – easy, mostly level walks of about 1.5 miles around Glastonbury. Meet 10am at the Health Centre, Wells Road.

Optional café stop at the end. Details: vicssullivan@hotmail.com Saturday January 3rd Mendip Society walk – 4 miles, East Harptree Woods. Meet 1.30pm at Smithams Hill car park, BS40 6DA. Contact, Peter 01761 221995.

Monday January 5th Weight management drop-in session at Glastonbury Health Centre, Wells Road. 1012.30pm. Come and meet a health trainer, have a health MOT, get advice and support, get motivated!

Tuesday January 6th Ivories a talk by Maggie Campbell-Pederson for Mendip DFAS, 10.30 for 11am, Westex Suite, Bath & West Show Ground, Shepton Mallet, BA4 6QN. Details:www.mdfas.org.uk.

Guests welcome.

Thursday January 8th Cheddar Valley U3A – Historic Cheddar in the 18th & 19th centuries – a talk by Dr Sue Shaw

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at Church House, Cheddar, 2.15pm – entry £2.

Visitors welcome.

Mendip Ramblers walk Wells to Upper Coxley and Dulcote, contact details above.

Wells Evening Society architect Geoff Rich on conservation challenges and solutions in Bath, Wells Town Hall, 7.30pm.

Warmer Improved Somerset Homes (WISH project) drop-in at Glastonbury Health Centre, Wells Road. 10-12.30pm. Find out how to make your homes warmer, reduce energy bills and improve your health.

Friday January 9th Free Health Walks – easy, mostly level walks of about 1.5 miles around Glastonbury. Meet 10am at the Health Centre, Wells Road.

Optional café stop at the end. Details: vicssullivan@hotmail.com Saturday January 10th Frome Society for Local Study & Frome Civic Society, buildings historian, Kay Ross, on Bath’s pleasure gardens, Assembly Rooms, 2.30pm.

Brent Knoll Bazaar & Farmers’ Market, Brent Knoll Parish Hall, 10am-12noon. Details: Eddie Fuller, 01278 760308, proceeds to the parish hall. Free admission.

Congresbury Book Sale, 9am-1pm at War Memorial Hall. Good quality books, jigsaw puzzles, dvds, cds and talking books.

Mendip Society Walk – 6 miles around Axbridge. Meet 1.30pm in The Square. Contact, Jo 01749 870813.

Saturday January 10th – Saturday January 31st STARR Pantomime Group, Cheddar, presents Robin Hood. Tickets Adults £7.50, U- 14, £3.50 from Deane & Sons, Cheddar. Saturday matinee.

Wednesday January 14th Wells Civic Society AGM, speaker tbc, 7.30pm, Wells & Mendip Museum.

Mid-Somerset Agricultural Society Wassail Party at North Wootton village hall, nr Wells.

Tickets £5 from the show offices: 3 Europa Court, Crown Trading Estate, Shepton Mallet, BA4 5QQ or Bartlett, Gooding & Wheelen, 57 High Street, Shepton Mallet, BA4 5AQ. Thursday January 15th Mendip Ramblers walk, West Hatch to Bickenhall Plain, Curland Common, Castle Neroche and Staple Fitzpaine, contact details above.

Friday January 16th Wrington Friendship Club. Songs and keyboard with Perry, 2.30pm Wrington Memorial Hall, Silver Street. New members welcome. Details: Fred Parsons 01934 863562.

Monday January 19th Hawk and Owl Trust, Bird Slaughter in the Mediterranean with Roger Lucken, 7.45 pm at The Star Inn, Tickenham, nr Clevedon BS21 16SE. Details: Carrie Riches 01275 462908.

J a n u a r y

Tuesday January 20th Congresbury Over-60’s Club. New Year Celebration & Quiz. Special Raffle for members only. Congresbury War Memorial Hall, 2.304pm. Details: 01934 832004.

Mendip Society talk: “The life of a Mendip dormouse” by Jamie Edmonds. 2.30pm at the Catholic Church Hall, Cheddar BS27 3HU. Saturday January 17th Kilmersdon Wassail, Ploughman’s lunches available at the Village Hall from 12.30, Village Band and Cam Valley Morris, Crowning Ceremony at 1.20.

Bleadon Village Market 9-12.30 at the village halls Bleadon, BS24 0PG. Over 30 stalls with crafts, collectables, local produce etc.

Refreshments. See www.bleadon.org.uk/market Mendip Society Walk – 5 miles, Mendip Ridge & Pen Hill. Meet 1.30pm at the Bristol Road end of Ash Lane, Wells, BA5 2LW. Contact, John 01934 842868.

Tuesday January 20th Edward Seago – From Circus to Sandringham. NADFAS illustrated lectures, Caryford Hall, Castle Cary, BA7 7JJ, Tuesdays at 1030. free parking. £6. Information 01963 350527.

Thursday January 22nd Cheddar Valley U3A – Meet & Greet coffee morning at Church House, Cheddar 10.3012noon. Visitors welcome, details 01934 710242.

Yeo Valley HQ, Stephen Moss, What Has Wildlife Ever Done For Us, followed by twocourse supper, £18, details Jill 01761 461425 or book at events@yeovalley.co.uk Mendip Ramblers walk, Draycott and the Mendip Nature Reserve, contact details above.

Friday January 23rd Friends of Weston-s-Mare Museum, Oh I do like to be beside the seaside, by John Penny, 2pm.

Saturday January 24th Frome Society for Local Study and Frome Civic Society, Shirley Hodgson, Wandering and Begging, How our Victorian Ancestors dealt with Vagrant Children, Frome Assembly Rooms, 2.3opm.

Congresbury Book Sale, 9am-1pm at War Memorial Hall. Good quality books, jigsaw puzzles, dvds, cds and talking books.

Winscombe Table Tennis Club Jumble Sale, 2pm, Winscombe Community Centre, Sandford Road. Usual stalls + cakes, refreshments, raffle.

Mendip Society Walk – 5 miles, Avalon Marshes Heritage Walk. Meet 1.30pm at the Hawk & Owl Trust car park between Shapwick & Westhay, TA7 9NW. Contact, Brian 01749 672457.

Backwell Market, buy one get one free tea/coffee and cake, 10.30am - 1.30 at WI Hall, Station Rd, Backwell BS48 3QW. Wednesday January 28th Nailsea & Backwell Macular Support Group,

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Tom McInulty from the Macular Society, following the AGM, 1.30pm, Backwell WI Hall.

Thursday January 29th Mendip Ramblers walk, Tor Lane, Wells to Chilcote Manor, Boomclose Corner and returning via Knowles Hill, contact details above.

Friday January 30th Wrington Friendship Club, whist afternoon and fun quiz, 2.30pm Wrington Memorial Hall, Silver Street. New members welcome. Details: Fred Parsons 01934 863562.

Saturday January 31st Mendip Society Walk – 4.5 miles to Maesbury Castle Hillfort. Meet 10.30am at Rocky Mountain Nurseries, Old frome Road, Wells, BA5 3HA. Contact, Gill 01934 742508.

Saturday January 31st and Sunday February 1st Somerset Vintage & Classic Tractor Show, the Royal Bath and West Showground, 9am4pm, Adults £7, OAPs,children £4. Details: www.somersettractorshow.com Sunday February 1st Mid Somerset Oxfam Group quiz at The Britannia, Wells, BA5 3LQ. 7.30pm, £2.50pp.

Maximum six per table. Contact Trevor 07739 817136.

Tuesday February 3rd The Golden Age of Venetian Glass, a talk by Mrs J Gardiner for Mendip DFAS, 10.30 for 11am, Westex Suite, Bath & West Show Ground, Shepton Mallet, BA4 6QN. Details: www.mdfas.org.uk. Guests welcome.

Thursday February 5th Wells Evening Society, David Edwards, Surviving the Volcano at Monserrat, 7.30pm, Wells Town Hall.

Saturday February 7th Frome Society for Local Study and Frome Civic Society, Richard Kay on the auctioneer’s art, Frome Assembly Rooms, 2.30pm.

Mendip Society Walk – 6 miles around Bristol Dockside. Meet 10am at Temple Meads station.

Contact, Roger 01761 490458.

ANSWERS TO THE MENDIP MINDBENDER

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(Photo courtesy of Screen Yorkshire www.screenyorkshire.co.uk)

MENDIP TIMES

Testament of youth Alicia Vikander as Vera Brittain in Testament of Youth

ADVANCE booking is now open for the drama film Testament of Youth at Wells Film Centre which starts on Friday, January 16th.

Management at the centre are planning to hold a pre-release screening of the film on the evening of Monday, January 12th with a live question and answer session broadcast from London’s South Bank with the director James Kent and some of the cast. Testament of Youth is based on the First World War memoir of the same name written by Vera Brittain. The film stars Alicia Vikander as Vera Brittain and Kit Harington as her fiancé Roland Leighton.

The pre-screening event will begin at 6.30pm with an exclusive “behind the scenes” film. For more information, visit: www.wellsfilmcentre.co.uk

WHAT’S ON

WWI memories brought to life

A scene from The Little Victory Ball’s performance in Nunney

AN exhibition of domestic artefacts, souvenirs and period costumes from the First World War and the immediate post-war years, is to open in Frome in January.

The items have been loaned by the Heritage Lottery-funded theatre group The Little Victory Ball who will also stage some live performances to coincide with the display.

The theatre group’s shows look at how people at home coped during the conflict and in the aftermath. The emphasis is particularly on women who found themselves working in munitions factories and driving buses.

The exhibition will be held at the Black Swan arts centre from Saturday, January 17th until Saturday, January 31st, with a show on Saturday, January 24th (7pm) and two shows on the 31st (4pm and 7pm). The Little Victory Ball will also be taking group bookings from schools, residential homes and other local groups for shows during the second week of the exhibition.

For information about tickets and bookings, visit: www.thelittlevictoryball.com

Princes Road, Wells, BA5 1TD

Starts Friday 19th December

Starts Saturday 20th December Sunday 21st December

Starts Friday 26th December

Starts Thursday 1st January

FROM ALL THE TEAM AT WELLS FILM CENTRE: MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! Dumb & Dumber To (15) Get Santa (U) Night At The Museum – Secret Of The Tomb (PG) Annie (PG)

Nutcracker (12A) – Bolshoi Ballet Unbroken (15) Theory Of Everything (12A)

Book in person Online 24/7 @www.wellsfilmcentre.co.uk Over the ’phone: 01749 673195

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