THEsurprising heatwave in September caused a few problems at Frome Cheese Show but didn’t stop a big crowd enjoying themselves.
Elsewhere other fetes and shows flourished –we have pictures from across the area, including the Somerset Coalfield miners’ reunion, one of the biggest for years.
In sport, a local rugby club’s mentoring scheme for youngsters has gone national and we meet the junior cricket team which is supporting a local cancer charity.
Emma Rich, who hadn’t thrown a javelin for 20 over years, won gold at the Masters Athletics Championships –showing it’s never too late to try. Emma Challis, aged 50, is about to complete her 200th marathon!
We bid farewell to the Wells-based Children of Chernobyl charity and hear details of a new community centre in Winscombe.
In caving, Phil Hendy reveals why swallets around Oakhill tend to be named after beers! With all of our regular contributors and features, let’s say cheers to another packed issue.
November 2023 deadline: Friday 13th October
Published: Tuesday 24th October
Editorial: Steve Egginton steve@mendiptimes.co.uk
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Up to 50% off selected items until the end of October
FORMER Somerset Coalfield workers gathered at the Old Down Inn at Emborough for their annual reunion.
Around 40 people attended the event, which used to be held at Radstock Museum, organised by the Somerset Miners Welfare Trust. Amongst them was trust president, Michael Eavis.
As well as the annual reunion, the trust organises other events and trips for former mineworkers and their families. They also commissioned a series of stylised metal sculptures of a miner which have been placed close to the sites of former pits.
Smaller sculptures are on sale, along with 3D plastic miniature ones.
Trust chairman, Bryn Hawkins, said: “The Somerset Miners Welfare Trust is on two missions: to look after retired NCB employees and to make people
aware there were coal mines in Somerset.”
Bryn is currently recording a series of
programmes about the Somerset Coalfields for Somer Valley FM, being broadcast on Thursdays between 7-8pm.
QUITEby chance in 2012, after 29 years, I found that there are two meadows at my home which are completely natural.
They take up nearly two acres and were usually grazed by sheep. For some reason the sheep were excluded in the spring of 2012 and suddenly a profusion of flowers emerged together with grasses, reeds, sedges, and rushes.
Associated with this came birds, butterflies, bees, other insects, microorganisms and I am sure invertebrates and small mammals, some not so small, such as roe deer.
This was very exciting because I know that since the 1830s over 97% of meadows have disappeared mainly because of the change to intensive farming methods to increase food production.
Inputs of weedkillers and fertilisers combined to destroy “weeds” so that they could be replaced by fields of uniform highly nutritious ley grasses. Haymaking for winter animal feed is costly and the labour supply dwindled as more and more country dwellers moved to towns for work.
And of course housing development took up more space. After some research I found that the two previous owners of Hillview had never used chemicals on these fields which meant that for at least 60 years no chemicals had been used.
I found it astounding that the huge seed bank of grassland flora was there and waiting for a chance to germinate and thrive. Subsequently I began to take a huge interest in meadows and their fringes and was lucky to find a wonderful book called Meadows by George Peterken (ISBN 978-0-95649024-7) from the British Wildlife Collection number 2.
Apart from a huge diversity of life, the meadows also give much pleasure and sanctuary to humans. A path is cut through the meadows so that people can walk amongst the flora and fauna. It is also a place for children and adults to listen, see and learn, especially with the guidance of an expert.
In July 2016 two botanists and an entomologist came to survey the meadows and its surrounds. The number of plant species recorded was 106 including trees and hedges. The
entomologist wrote that these are species-rich fields with 180 insects caught in a large net. These represented 41 species and six orders of the class Insecta. All commented that certainly some species were missed and other new ones would gradually establish themselves, as I’m sure they have.
In conclusion meadows are important for some wild animals but most species rely on other habitats and just take seasonal advantages of meadows before they are cut. This is because such meadows are not natural and so there is always some danger of disturbance and destruction.
If you would like a complete list of the plant and insect survey please email me at dredfern@cooptel.net
DIANA REDFERN
THE Somerset Earth Science Centre at Stoke St Michael has hosted the latest in mini-museum series of events to introduce people of all ages to geology. The centre, run by a charity, is based next to Wainwrights Quarry and will be playing a leading role in this year’s Mendip Rocks! Festival, from October 1st-October 22nd.
THEpopular series of walking books produced by Timsbury residents Peter Bradshaw, Larry Cunningham and Sue Fraser, together with their walk with Clare Balding broadcast on BBC Radio 4, has heightened interest in the exceptionally beautiful area that surrounds their village and beyond.
In response to this they have produced a photobook, Between The Cotswolds and The Mendips, depicting the landscape of the wider area.
Together with a foreword by Sue and an introduction by Larry about the geography of the area, the book contains over 60 of Peter’s landscape photographs.
Larry said: “In the previous books the photos are secondary to the text but brought together in the new book they show how attractive the area is and how fortunate we are to live in such a setting.”
Their previous books have raised over £3,000 for good causes and proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to Diabetes UK.
The book is available from Health & More and The Hub in Timsbury, Farmborough Community Shop and The Oldfield Book Shop in Bath. It will also be on sale in the Cam Valley Arts Trail in November and the pre-Christmas pop-up-shop in Timsbury. It costs £6.
DOROTHYHouse Hospice and Wiltshire Wildlife Trust have announced a new partnership to help support people diagnosed
A PHOTOGRAPH taken on the Isle of Lewis has won Compton Martinbased astronomical photographer Josh Dury a place in the final of a national competition.
“The Enigma of the North”, of The Callanish Stone Circle, taken last year from his visit to The Isle of Lewis, is to be displayed for a year-long exhibition at The National Maritime Museum at Greenwich London.
Josh was due to learn if he had won the title of Astronomy Photographer of the Year Competition as the September issue of Mendip Times was published. There were more than 4,000 applications and only 140 of those were shortlisted.
Josh’s shortlisted photo
with a lifelimiting illness or experiencing grief after the death of a loved one.
The partnership will begin by connecting the grounds of the hospice in Winsley to the Kennet and Avon canal path in the valley below.
Wayne de Leeuw, chief executive of Dorothy House Hospice, said: “By partnering with Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, we can enable more people in our community to find space to remember loved ones, reflect and pause from their busy lives in the peaceful and tranquil setting of our amazing grounds.”
The Princess Royal has opened the hospice’s Firefly Woods area of remembrance, where 20,000 lights burn from dusk to dawn.
IN North Somerset and Mendip we live in a golden triangle when it comes to food and drink. Cheese, yoghurt, beef, pork, chicken, turkey, chocolate, cider, beer, wine. This time of year, the harvest is well under way when it comes to the drink element. The fertilised apple blossom of spring has morphed into plump, juicy apples ready to be made into cider.
The barley for the beer has been grown and harvested ready to be turned into malt to combine with the hops harvested in September and October. And the grapes grown on the slopes of the Yeo Valley at Sutton Ridge, Aldwick Court and elsewhere are being harvested to be turned into fine wine.
It’s not by accident or chance these crops are grown. We have an ideal maritime climate which means it stays relatively warm all year round and the crops thrive. The soil is the right type. Plentiful rainfall ensures apple trees have enough moisture to make sure the apples don’t go thirsty. The same applies to being able to grow large quantities of high quality barley.
Beer, cider and wine all used to be made on farm and in country cottages every year. Some of it was produced to satisfy the thirst of the farm workers whilst wines made with plants from hedgerows and gardens were made for domestic consumption.
As with lots of things in the 20th century, domestic production ceased in many places and a few others turned it into a commercial operation. Butcombe Brewery was founded by Simon Whitmore in Butcombe as a small-scale artisan operation which has grown into a significant brewing concern whilst retaining the taste and flavours of the original product.
We have many cider makers in Somerset headed up by Thatchers with each having their own individual characteristics and flavour. A few names have been mentioned and there are many others who are equally successful.
Each reflect the characteristics of our fantastic area for producing a great variety of drinks. When you next enjoy a drink of something local, consider how the vines, trees and crops shape our surroundings thanks to the skills of those who produce the finished products and raise your glass to all that we have on our doorstep.
THE English Guernsey Cattle Society National Show and the Jersey Cattle Society of the UK National Show, with a judge joining from Australia, will be among the features of this year’s Dairy Show at the Bath & West Showground at Shepton Mallet on Wednesday, October 4th.
As ever, competitions will be at the heart of the show, taking place throughout the day as breeders and owners battle it out for the Supreme Champion Award.
There will also be the opportunity to get up close with the newest technology before making those all-important purchasing decisions.
Insightful seminars will also be taking place throughout the day. This year, guest speakers will be focusing on carbon, giving valuable advice on how farmers can reduce what they can and offset what they can’t.
Jess Chiplen, Head of Shows at the Bath & West, said: “The Bath & West team are really looking forward to welcoming everyone back to our 42nd Dairy Show.
“ It is a real privilege to host some of the best dairy cattle in the UK, along with agricultural companies who are leading the way with new technology, genetics, and practices.”
For details and tickets, visit: www.bathandwest.com
THEMendip Hills AONB
(Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) Service is proud to announce that their project to build new homes for adders won the Bowland Award at the National AONB Conference. The coveted Bowland Award, which recognises outstanding contributions to the work of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is voted on by all AONBs.
The adder hibernaculum project resulted in 15 new over-wintering sites for the reptiles being built across the Mendip Hills. Three different styles were built;
a “round barrow”, a “long barrow” and a horseshoe, each hibernaculum containing several tonnes of stone and logs constructed with voids in the middle to allow the adders to stay protected from the cold.
The hibernaculum are built facing south to absorb the sun's warmth and near scrub or bracken so that the snakes can bask in the spring. Each hibernaculum has a tube built into it that allows volunteer rangers to drop a temperature and humidity gauge down to monitor the insides.
Adders are Britain's only venomous snake and are considered a “threatened” species. This is one of the
reasons the Mendip Hills AONB Service has chosen it as one of the “champion species” of the area to focus conservation work on. The hibernaculum project was funded through a grant from Natural England's Species Recovery Fund.
Nathan Orr, Mendip Hills AONB Nature Recovery Ranger, said: “Alongside the important fact of actually building these new sites, we've been able to draw lots of people into the project, increasing their awareness of how vulnerable these snakes are.
“We've had AONB volunteers involved, volunteers from the National
Trust, Avon Wildlife Trust and Butterfly Conservation Trust plus lots of landowners who have housed the hibernacula; they all deserve special thanks and a share in this award.
“It's great to see how direct action on the ground has an instant impact for wildlife and on the people who have helped.”
ORGANISERS of the Frome Agricultural and Cheese Show were forced to make some last-minute changes to the timetable for the day at the West Woodlands Showground due to weather temperatures of more than 30°C.
The grand parade of livestock in the main arena was cancelled as exhibitors were allowed to pack up early and the dog show was called off completely.
That didn’t prevent thousands of visitors enjoying Mendip’s final one-day celebration of all things countryside of the year.
IF you have ever mislaid your car keys or lost your case or even your cat, you might have wondered if IT could help. Well there are a number of devices worth investigating to see if they might provide a solution.
Although none are perfect, they may provide a partial solution. Samsung has its Galaxy Smart Tag (shortly to be updated) and Apple has its Airtag for instance.
In basic mode they can send their location to your phone to enable you to track them down. This works when they are in close proximity. Where the tag is out of range, 33ft or so of your phone, another strategy can be used to provide the location through other phones of the same manufacturer within range of the tag.
It uses Bluetooth, the Find my Network (Apple) or the Find my Device (Android). This theoretically means that if there is one compatible device in Bluetooth range the tracking distance is limitless. Some folks have put them in their holiday case to be able to track it, if they go missing, for instance.
Another version of a tag is a GPS tracker. These typically require more power as they have GPS location circuitry and a mobile phone sim card built in. The device monitors its location from the GPS satellites.
In its simplest form you phone its sim mobile phone number and the device then sends back its location co-ordinates to you via a text message or to an app. A larger battery may be needed.
Of course, you have to pay for the device and mobile phone line or subscription to an app but compared to the price of a new car maybe it is worthwhile. Halfords amongst others sell various versions.
Lastly there are professionally installed and monitored systems which may get you a insurance premium reduction, perhaps for your large expensive motor home?
ACROSS
1 Ronnie Barker or Corbett (8)
5 Operational, up and running (6)
9 30 across, 8 and 22 down (8)
10 A persuasive vegetable! (6)
12 New baby otters have been born at Holnicote Estate near Exmoor. One kit has been named after which famous goalkeeper? (4,5)
13 Colour of the British Army (5)
14 Cain’s brother (4)
16 Contentious yet delicate (7)
19 Working country estate close to Castle Carey named after an amphibian (3,4)
21 Organised group: people with a common function (4)
24 Prosthetic limbs might hold the answer to reaching the top (5)
25 Hammam, caldarium (5,4)
27 Jalapeno or Scotch Bonnet (6)
28 Headgear worn by male Jews (8)
29 American term for an overnight flight with little chance of sleep (6)
30 Driblets took the shape of umbrage! (8)
1 Ravines or canyons (6)
2 Inadequate, scant or pathetic (6)
3 Threnody or lament (5)
4 The most senior commander of a fleet (7)
6 Where Haynes Motor Museum can be found (9)
7 Savage, merciless or fiendish (8)
8 Dateline affected what was needed (8)
11 Prince Rupert, Pearl or Victoria (4)
15 Men’s excess weight due to ale consumption (4,5)
17 Motor vehicle strengthened for races where collisions are the norm (5,3)
18 Confirmed as true (8)
20 A source of ivory (4)
21 Wave. Roller or boomer (7)
22 Carpel develops an amount of land (6)
23 Cast, hewn or fashioned (6)
26 The nursery rhyme ‘Little Jack Horner’ refers to an old resident of this Village (5)
By greendandelionClues in italics are cryptic
This month’s solution can be found on page 86
EASTBrent Harvest Home was dedicated to Bob Bees, a former parish councillor and harvest home committee member, whose family ran the Knoll Inn for nearly 100 years. His friend, Geoff Adams, said: “He loved Harvest Home and he loved this village.”
ARTIST and illustrator Rebecca Gryspeerdt has only to look out of her studio window at her home in Wells to catch sight of the Bishop’s Palace. And it was the view – and regular family visits – that gave Rebecca the idea of setting a children’s book there which she has written and illustrated herself in ink and gouache.
Helpful Nell is the fictional story of a little girl who helps her grandparents who live and work at the palace and who feed the swans and cygnets each day. Nell then has some adventures of her own –accompanied by her favourite cuddly toy. It also features Wells town crier Len
Sweales.
Rebecca, who trained at the Bath Academy of Art, said: “I hope it will be a book that parents want to read out loud to their young children. When the children get a little older I hope they will then use it to learn to read by themselves.”
Her husband is a beekeeper in the palace grounds – a younger version of Nell’s grandfather – and there is a strong sense throughout the book of caring for nature and the environment.
Rebecca, who has worked as a teaching assistant and is a member of the Wells Oratorio Choir, has been invited to talk to pupils at several local schools.
VILLAGERS in Compton Dando had an exciting weekend when filming for the fourth series of popular Bath-based ITV series McDonald & Dobbs took place in their local church and churchyard.
Churchwarden, Clive Howarth, said: “It started when a location scout asked to look at St Mary's Vestry. She liked it and sent a few people to do a look-see.
“They realised that the church and churchyard had more to offer so one day's filming turned into four, plus two days of set-up and take-down (strike in film parlance).
“The crew numbered between 60-70 every day and together with actors and extras the onsite caterers fed lunch to 145 people on one day alone.
“The unit took over the parish hall both for dressing, make-up, and hair as well as a set for a registry office. They also used two local houses for dressing and make-up.
“The two principal actors, Jason and Tala were very approachable and friendly, and the crew said they loved working here in Compton because we have all been so helpful. They, too, were great to work with, friendly and helpful.”
This not-so-scary dish would make a lovely breakfast, you could prep it the night before and cook it in the morning. My son took some in his lunch box and my baby granddaughter absolutely loved it!
METHOD
METHOD
Mix the yoghurt, flour and pesto together with green food colouring (if using), knead for a couple of minutes then divide the dough into golf ball sized pieces (I made seven).
Flatten each one out to about half a centimetre thick and add beans and cheese into the centre, fold up the edges pinching them together in the middle. Bake them at 180°C for 20 minutes until risen. Enjoy warm!
Gently fry onion, carrot, pepper and broccoli together, for about seven minutes. In a jug, whisk together eggs, milk, cheese and herbs and season with salt and pepper. When the veg has cooled slightly, pour in the egg mixture and mix thoroughly. Pour into a lined greased baking dish and cook at 170°C for about 45 mins or until firm. Leave to rest for ten mins and slice into pieces.
Not for the faint-hearted
Despite their look, the contents create a very tasty lime mousse!
METHOD
Slice the top off each orange and scoop out as much flesh as you can using a little sharp knife and a spoon (you could get the children to decorate them with Jack o’Lantern faces using black paper and a glue stick). Reserve the tops.
Make up the jelly with a quarter pint of boiling water and when cooled slightly mix in the crème fraiche and broken up jelly laces. Add green colouring and lime juice if using. Pour into oranges and leave to set. Pop the tops on. Strain the orange juice and flesh through a sieve and colour with red colouring. Serve as a glass of bat’s blood!
(makes six or seven)
150g self-raising flour
150g plain Greek yoghurt
75g green pesto
Green food colouring (optional)
(For the filling)
Half a tin of baked beans (chilli flavoured if you like)
Pinch of cumin
Tsp garlic granules
Red food colouring (optional)
Handful of grated cheddar cheese or mozzarella
Indoors or out, these are very popular
INGREDIENTS (makes four big slabs or 12 baby-sized fingers)
1 sliced red onion
1 finely diced carrot
1 smallish diced red pepper
150g broccoli
100g grated cheddar
Teaspoon dried herbs
Handful of chopped parsley
5 eggs
100ml milk
INGREDIENTS
(serves six)
6 oranges
1 pack of lime jelly
300ml of crème fraiche
A couple of jelly laces (red string sweets) broken into bits
Squeeze of lime juice
(optional)
Green food colouring
(optional)
Red food colouring for the blood drink!
Halloween is on the horizon, so here are some ideas to make the most of this scary time of the year and amuse young and old alike with their spooky colours.
delicious flavours for a scary night
THE Frankie Howerd Community Hub and Cafe is, this winter, offering groups of 12 to 16 people a unique dining experience. Located in the nostalgic setting of Loxton’s old blacksmiths, diners will be able to soak up the rustic ambience of the room which has a range of lighting options and underfloor heating.
The Hub’s chef, Kieran, will prepare a quality dinner for your group which can be of two or three courses. Even more inviting is the fact that your group will have the room to themselves for the
whole evening making it ideal for special occasions for families, club groups or works’ events. AND, if you’re less than 8 miles from The Hub, our 16 passenger bus may be able to transport you there and back so no one has to worry about driving. Why take on all the organisation of a dinner party when everything can be done for you?
All proceeds from the winter dining experience will go towards funding the new Dame June Whitfield building which will provide The Hub with a wider range of community facilities. The Hub is run by The Frankie Howerd OBE Trust, a registered charity.
WEhave the Romans to thank for many things but for the forager it has to be the introduction of the sweet chestnut that is the greatest. Soon after their arrival here some 2000 years ago, the Romans planted the first sweet chestnut trees which are now a familiar part of our countryside. They are the most versatile and, in my opinion, best tasting of all the wild nuts.
A good time to start collecting them is late in October throughout November. They are not that easy to remove from their spiny, needle-sharp casing but the effort is rewarded when the rich deep brown nuts are revealed from within.
Don’t confuse sweet chestnut with horse chestnut which produce inedible nuts more commonly known as “conkers”. The casing of conkers is much coarser with shorter, thicker and less frequent spines so are easy to distinguish.
Once peeled the flesh inside sweet chestnuts is edible and as such can make an instant trailside snack but nothing can beat the sweet, smokey flavour of chestnuts roasted over a wood fire so it’s worth saving some for this method of cooking.
Whether you cook them on an open fire or in the oven be warned – chestnuts must be punctured with a knife before cooking. Otherwise, they have a habit of exploding!
Sweet chestnut (Castenea sativa) is a deciduous tree up to 30m tall. The leaves are single, spear shaped and serrated. The male flowers have yellow catkins, the female green. The nuts (technically fruits) come in twos or threes in round, green cases covered in long sharp spines, from October to November. It’s fairly common in woods and parkland.
There are many culinary uses, too many to list here, but they can be used raw, boiled, baked, candied or pickled. They are ideal chopped up in a nut roast, added to a meaty stuffing for roast poultry or ground into flour for baking into breads, cakes and desserts.
Adrian Boots is a Landscape Ecologist and expert forager running wild food forays, events and activities. Please visit: www.hedgerowcottage.co.uk for more information or email him at: hello@hedgerowcottage.co.uk
EXPECTeverything in October! Summerlike harvests of tomatoes and peppers, autumn cauliflower and cabbage, and tastes of winter to come such as parsnip and celeriac.
While in terms of daylight, we pass rapidly from light to dark. It’s why on October 10th, “the devil spits on the blackberries”. Weak light levels cannot sweeten fruits.
Therefore, any remaining tomatoes are best picked before that time. Grade out the ones showing even slight colour, because you can finish their ripening very successfully in your house.
Not in sunlight, which would soften them instead of the gradual maturing we want, over two to six weeks. And green tomatoes can be turned into chutney.
Clearing tomatoes and other summer vegetables under cover makes space for new plantings around mid-October. This includes garlic! Interestingly, garlic grown under cover does not suffer nearly as much rust as when it's grown outside. I've been puzzling over the reasons for this for a decade and more.
Social media comments from around the world help me to understand. Such as the farmer from Uruguay who asked “what is this new disease?”. That was two years ago and it was the first time he had ever seen rust on garlic.
It makes me think that rust spores are even in the rainfall. They develop most vigorously in damp springs, because the rust seems to need water on leaves to grow. Hence, my and others’ garlic staying rust-free in a polytunnel, out of the rain.
A further tip is other gardeners telling me that they kept garlic clear of rust in 2022/23, by keeping a mesh cover over all winter and spring.
On a more joyful note, do keep making lots of compost! Many materials become available as we clear plants from the garden. The composting process works better if you can chop anything woody into lengths no more than 10cm.
You need either a sharp knife, secateurs, a lawnmower, or a shredder. The latter is a worthwhile investment for larger gardens.
Charles Dowding has made no dig popular with millions of readers and viewers. Currently he grows vegetables in Somerset. He has written 14 books and gives talks plus courses at home and abroad.
THE hamlet of Stoney Stratton, near Evercreech, is inviting everyone to attend its Apple Day celebrations in October.
Taking place in the Neill Orchard, on Saturday, October 21st, the family-friendly event will see apple pressing, a BBQ and much more. The events run for the previous ten years as a community event, but will be the first since Covid.
Cidermaker Paul Chant will give a talk again this year and answer apple-related questions.
We source our ingredients from the local area and our menu changes with seasonal local produce
Come and see the changes we ’ ve made!
Breakfast 8am – 10am every day.
Dinner
Tuesday to Friday 5pm – 9pm Saturday 12noon to 9pm Sunday 12noon 6pm
Open
From 3pm midweek
From 12 noon Saturday and Sunday Table booking advised using our website https://seymourarms.co.uk/book-a-table
Rooms available
The Seymour Arms, Blagdon, Bristol BS40 7TL
01761 462279
www.seymourarms.co.uk
THISNovember sees the Cam Valley Arts Trail celebrate its 11th year of arts in the community. There will be a huge variety on show: paintings, ceramics, felt, wirework, sculpture, weaving, glass, mosaics, enamel, jewellery, print and photography. Karen George, chair of the group, said: “We’re really excited to see what creations our artists will show this year. We have 34
wonderful artists taking part in local community venues and artists’ studios. We would love you to come along.”
Many artists will be demonstrating their processes during the trail on Saturday, November 4th and 5th, 11am–4pm daily. It will be hosted across 12 venues including eight artists’ studios; a perfect opportunity to see where all the artwork is created.
Details: www.camvalleyartstrail.co.uk
A NEWarts project in East Harptree is offering two artists free studio space for a year, supported by an arts administrator, to stage workshops and events with the local communitåy.
The new Arts Hub at East Harptree is being funded by East Harptree Parish Council and is due to open next January. The deadline for applications is October 31st.
Details: www.artshubharptree.com https://www.instagram.com/artshubharptree/
FOUR members of the same creative family have held a “popup” display of their varied art at Swan Artworks picture framers at Paulton.
Swan Artworks is run by Carrie Osborne and husband Tony, who’ve harboured a long-term desire to showcase Carrie’s work alongside that of their two daughters, Elora and Elswyth, and Carrie’s mum Heather O’Brien.
STRONGbidding was firmly in evidence at Clevedon Salerooms’ Autumn Quarterly Fine Art sale on September 14th. Amongst over 800 lots, some stellar results were seen but it was in the silver section that the day’s top price was achieved.
A handsome pair of sterling silver candelabra from the celebrated Danish silversmiths Georg Jensen had arrived at one of Clevedon’s ever popular Monday valuation events, somewhat inauspiciously in a shoebox, having spent most of the last 50 years hiding their light under a bushel in the owner’s sideboard.
Finely cast with the craftsmanship one would expect from Jensen their quality shone through. The focus of much pre-sale interest, some very spirited bidding saw them leave their estimate well and truly in the shade, selling for £6,200.
As is traditional, the jewellery section opened proceedings, where top price was the £5,500 paid for a single-stone diamond ring of some 2.1 carats. Also leaping over its estimate, a diamond, ruby and emerald set frog brooch, which sold for £3,800.
Amongst watches, it was the golden name “Rolex” that sent pulses racing. A gentleman's Oyster Perpetual Daydate wristwatch, sold for £4,900, whilst a Gentleman's Oyster Perpetual Datejust Chronometer stainless steel wristwatch sold for £3,000.
Amongst a characteristically eclectic selection of collectors’ items, a piece of motor racing memorabilia stole the show: the silver plated trophy awarded to Damon Hill for second place position in the 1997 Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix. Purchased at auction in 2003, it was a trophy that fans of British motor sport would find hard to pass by and it raced passed its estimate, selling for £2,600.
A strong pictures section included an interesting collection of late Victorian and Edwardian watercolours consigned from an historic private collection in North Somerset. From this source came a very arresting monochrome study The Arrow of the Lord’s Deliverance by Francis Bernard (Frank) Dicksee (1853-1928), which shot passed its estimate to sell for £3,400, and a very atmospheric study by Albert Goodwin, Westminster, Sunset Through The Smoke, which sold for £2,800.
Clevedon Salerooms next Specialist sale will be on December 7th for which entries are now invited.
IT’Snot long now until the very special two days of the year when visitors have the chance to drop into venues all around the Chew Valley to view and admire the creative skills on display in the 21st edition of the Chew Valley Arts Trail.
Venues are varied, from studios, barns and homes, to pubs, halls and churches. The local area is a picture in itself, with great scenery and the lakes, which often feature in exhibitors’ work.
In addition to painting, it will have quilting, printing, furniture making, stonemasonry, ceramics, sculptors, potters and photographers who cover things, literally from all angles.
Brochures can be found in public places all around the area, which provide you with a snapshot of what will be on show and all the details you’ll need so you can always contact the exhibitors later if you find you need a special present.
Details: www.chewvalleyartstrail.co.uk
OPEN
Chew Valley Arts Trail
Originals | Prints | Postcards
Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th October, 10am–6pm
Church Lane Cottage
Stanton Drew
Bristol BS39 4EW
Phone: 07464 951180
email: info@natashaclutterbuck.co.uk
www.natashaclutterbuck.co.uk
AT Killens, the team of experts at the Mendip Auction Rooms work hard to achieve the best prices for their vendors. Selling at auction is always the best way to realise the true value of your antique jewellery. Killens handle a broad range of antique, period and modern jewellery. Live internet and timed auction bidding, social media marketing, targeted advertising and mailing lists ensure that they attract buyers from across the globe.
Bringing your items to an auction house is a great way to secure mass interest in one place – and thanks to the nature of the selling process, you can remove much of the hassle and enjoy an efficient and quick turnaround. With an auction, you’ll know when and where the selling is taking place – and, at Killens, they are on hand to help every step of the way, making the process as simple as possible for you.
The very nature of an auction house means that buyers are willing to compete to win the items they’re most interested in, which can lead to back and forth bidding –which means you see bigger returns!
Some consider selling to a private dealer but remember that a dealer will be seeking to make a profit in agreeing a purchase price and this will often exceed what an auction house charges for selling your
items. When selling to a dealer, you are also putting your trust in him or her on what the selling price should be whereas auction ensures that you achieve the best price through global marketing. Some auction houses and house clearance companies seek to buy items directly. Killens never buy items and ensure that clients receive the true value of their items Killens are regulated by the RICS and such activities are a clear conflict of interest and would be a breach of their professional standards.
So if you have silver or jewellery to sell, Killens want to hear from you. Call into your local auction house at the Mendip Auction Rooms for a free valuation and to consign your items. They will place it into one of our specialist silver and jewellery auctions and advise you on the straightforward selling process.
COOPER and Tanner’s forthcoming October and November sales at Standerwick, near Frome, have already attracted a great deal of interest with an intriguing variety of items already consigned. Their November specialist sale is looking as spectacular as the May one, with more than 300 lots consigned already, with excellent attendance for the valuation days held around the county and at their offices. Already consigned is an unusual Longines “Dirty Dozen” wristwatch face, with its original purchase receipt, estimated at £1,200-1,800; a Victorian Etruscan revival necklace set with green paste stones with an estimate of £2,0004,000 and an interesting collection of handmade silver. Entries for the sale close on October 18th and they will be accepting items (subject to inspection) up until this date.
Highlights of their August sale included a fabulous Regency marble topped table, which attracted bidders from all over the country and, after competition from the internet and the room, it sold to one of four telephone bidders at £7,700 on the hammer.
There was also an interesting terracotta bust of young Queen
Victoria, inscribed to the back "J Durham Osborne 1855", together with a matching terracotta bust of Prince Albert, these eventually selling for £950, and a pair of 19th century Rococo style gilt wood armchairs selling for £1,600 (both hammer prices were subject to buyer’s premium)
Coming up in their October sale are some fantastic items including paintings, jewellery, and ceramics. They have a number of classic cars including a Daimler with an estimate of £16,000-17,000, as well as some unusual gold coins, including a Queen Victoria 1887 double sovereign estimated at £2,000-3,000.
If you have any items that you would like to be valued, be those jewellery, silver, furniture, paintings, collectables or any other items then please call their office on 01373 852419 to discuss a free, no obligation valuation either at home or at their offices.
They hold valuation days at Standerwick every Monday and Thursday, 10am to 4pm each day. Alternatively, please send photographs of items to: salerooms@cooperandtanner.co.uk
DORE & Rees has a bumper selection of auctions in the coming months, with lots of opportunities for collectors and connoisseurs to find pieces of interest.
Their Select Interiors auction on October 18th includes a collection of modern prints which will add a splash of colour and interest to any interior. Furniture, pictures, ceramics, works of art and more are on offer. These interiors focussed auctions have a strong following of regular buyers looking for quality items to adorn the home; contact Guy Tayler to discuss selling your items in the December auction.
The November specialist auctions are filling up fast. Fine Asian Art on November 6th will be sold alongside The Anthony Lovett Collection of famille vert Chinese porcelains, which is creating quite a stir amongst collectors noting its quality and rarity. A rare pair of turquoise ground puce enamelled dragon vases with Qianlong sixcharacter seal marks and of the period will be offered at an estimate of £20-£40,000.
An Impressive Mid Victorian Gold Necklace Set With An Important Collection of Roman Intaglios
ESTIMATE: £35,000 - £45,000
The turquoise ground puce enamelled dragon vases
Jewellery and Watches auctions of March and June continued to show the popularity of antique jewels and quality watches to buyers and collectors alike. Susan Rumfitt’s November 29th auction will be led by an intaglio necklace, a rare collection of graduated intaglios collected to form a unique piece of adornment. A Rolex submariner gentleman’s watch leads the watch section currently. If you are interested in finding out how much your items may be worth, book an appointment for one of our valuation days.
The newly-introduced Fine Silver auction got off to a successful start at the end of June, with strong sell through rates and prices realised considerably beyond the weight price of silver. Curated by Duncan Campbell, he is now focusing on gathering prized examples of silver craftsmanship across the centuries for his second auction on November 29th.
Book an appointment to come and meet a member of the Dore & Rees team, many of whom are well known faces on BBC Antiques Roadshow and receive a free no-obligation auction valuation. Home visits available. VALUATION DAYS
MONDAY 9 AND TUESDAY 10 OCTOBER
Dore & Rees Auction Salerooms
Vicarage Street, Frome BA11 1PU 01373 462 257
enquiries@doreandrees.com
29 NOVEMBER 2023
2:00pm
NOW INVITING ENTRIES
VIEWING
25-28 November
www.doreandrees.com
enquiries@doreandrees.com
01373 462 257
Dore & Rees
Auction Salerooms
Vicarage Street
Frome BA11 1PU
A PREMARITAL(otherwise known as prenuptial) agreement is an agreement that sets out how assets should be divided in the event of a divorce. In late or second marriages people will often have already accumulated significant assets or perhaps have an expectation of an inheritance which they might wish to protect in the event of the relationship going awry, particularly in its early stages.
The advantage of a premarital agreement is that it can clearly set out the parties’ intentions at the outset of their relationship and in particular identify what assets are to be regarded as marital assets and how they should be divided in particular circumstances.
In this way many of the issues which are commonly argued in matrimonial financial cases can be avoided to the benefit of all concerned. So, the main purpose of a premarital or postmarital agreement is to limit the claims that can be made against assets brought into the marriage and help the parties to more easily reach a financial settlement if the relationship ends.
Although either party can still take the matter to court, a judge is unlikely to ignore an agreement freely entered into by both parties, and with full financial disclosure, without very good reason to
do so.
If the agreement is prepared correctly and carefully, with both parties having the opportunity of taking independent legal advice and the agreement is fair, it can carry significant weight. Using these agreements can lead to a significant saving in legal costs.
In the absence of a premarital agreement, it is still open to the court to ignore assets built up before the marriage and after it has broken down.
Postmarital agreements are less common than premarital agreements but can still achieve the same objectives although it is perhaps even more important to demonstrate that steps have been taken to establish that the agreement is fair and has been freely entered into by the parties after a full disclosure of their financial circumstances has been given.
All this is fine as far as married couples are concerned but the position is potentially more difficult for those who are just cohabiting. They are at a disadvantage as the court does not have the wide and flexible powers to divide up the assets as it does in divorce proceedings.
So, if a relationship breaks down a division of assets is not based on fairness but on strict property law principles which could lead to one party going
unrewarded even at the end of a long relationship.
However, such an outcome can be avoided using a cohabitation agreement which can set out the parties’ intentions and record in as much detail as is required the arrangements for the division of the assets in a variety of scenarios.
These agreements are used too infrequently and it would save a great deal of acrimony if they were in more common use. It is usually prudent to take legal advice before entering into agreements of the type described above.
EDWARD LYONS
established and progressive law firm
a personal and cost-effective legal service for commercial and individual clients.
THEfarm can be one of the most treasured family assets. In many cases, the farming way of life will have been passed down through the generations and as such the farm often forms the hub of the family. However, when couples divorce after a long marriage, all assets are placed into one “matrimonial pot”. The assets are then divided so as to achieve equality; this can include the family farm.
The Court will consider the need to rehouse both parties and when there are children involved, the Court will want to ensure that they are rehoused in an adequate property.
When there is no liquid capital, the Court will have to consider whether it is necessary to sell the farm. However, many families will want to prevent this from happening.
In the event of divorce, farms can be more complicated than other assets. Farms are often inherited by one party prior to a marriage and can be owned by various members of a family.
As such, there can be other parties’ rights and interests to consider. Additionally, many farmers will want the asset to be retained because it both generates their income and there is often a desire to leave it to future generations.
It is usually necessary to have the farm valued and assess the financial situation as a whole. This will enable a solicitor to determine whether a settlement can be reached without the need to sell the whole or parts of the farm.
It is usually possible to come to constructive solutions without recourse to the Court. If parties are able to enter into
negotiations, then the complexity of the farm can be considered, and flexible solutions can be reached.
Furthermore, many of these issues can be prevented if the parties enter into a prenuptial agreement before they get married. It is also possible to come to a similar agreement during the marriage; this is known as a post-nuptial agreement.
The agreements create the opportunity to discuss what would happen to the family farm in the event of separation and can be very persuasive when coming to a financial settlement. It can also prevent lengthy solicitor negotiations or Court proceedings at a later date.
At Mogers Drewett, we understand the importance of retaining the farm but also achieving a fair financial settlement for both parties.
ROTARYhas presented its highest award, a Paul Harris Fellowship, to Marlene Vogtli, a central figure in keeping alive memories of the Somerset women who died in the Swiss air disaster 50 years ago.
On April 10th, 1973 Invicta International Airlines Flight 435 (IM435) was flying from Bristol Lulsgate to BaselMulhouse when during its approach and in a freak snowstorm it crashed into a forested mountain near Hochwald, Switzerland, killing 108 people, with 37 survivors.
Most of the 139 passengers were women from the Somerset town of Axbridge and the villages of Cheddar, Wrington, Yatton and Congresbury. The accident left 55 children motherless.
Following the accident, a memorial was erected by the local people and many visits have been made, recognising various anniversaries, the latest this year commemorating the 50th.
Marlene Vogtli was instrumental in organising these and joins people like President Jimmy Carter, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, US astronaut James Lovell, Mother Teresa and UN Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar in receiving Rotary’s highest award.
The citation read: “Today you are about to join these very famous people. This is because most of the above activity would not have been possible without the close love and cooperation of the people of Hochwald and surrounding villages, led in the main by you.
“Marlene, above all you are the one person we think needs to be recognised for your outstanding efforts. You are therefore awarded this Paul Harris Fellowship award for your long service, going above and beyond all others in motivating local villagers to keep the memorial in such good condition.
“Also for organising most, if not all, of the anniversary visits together with the resultant hospitality and for helping to keep both communities in Hochwald and Somerset so close together over the last 50 years.
“This award is in recognition for all the selfless work you have done in making each of these visits so memorable and enjoyable. You have made both of our communities better in so many ways. We cannot thank you enough. You have definitely demonstrated that important Rotary ideal of service above self.”
The award was given by the Rotary Club of Cam Valley which is based at Farrington Gurney. One of its members, Malcolm Brooks, lost his mother in the accident.
John Woods. who wrote the citation, is a former Rotarian whose mother also died in the accident.
MARTIN
Dymond, the stage manager of Mendip Male Voice Choir, discovered a selfseeded showstopper growing in his garden.
The sunflower appeared in his vegetable patch in Midsomer Norton, reaching 11ft tall and with a flower 18in across.
Martin said:
“The trunk is as thick as my forearm, a nineinch circumference and it is unbelievably heavy so leans a lot as it is only on a garden cane! It's the talk of some of our neighbours.”
MEMBERSof St John’s Church in Peasedown St John have given away almost £9,000 this year to local, national and international causes.
They follow the biblical principle of giving away the first ten percent of their income each year and have given away £118,000 in the last 12 years.
Details: www.stjsgroup.church
BANWELL Gardening Club say their horticultural show was a great success, with 35 adult exhibitors and 23 children!
Details: http://www.banwellgardeningclub.org.uk
Mendip Times is available from over 900 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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WHITSTONE School in Shepton Mallet is celebrating a remarkable improvement journey in recent years and has a considerable amount to be proud of.
Headteacher Guy Swallow has led the school to one of the best Ofsted inspections seen in Somerset in the past five years. Academic results in 2023 have placed Whitstone as one of the most improved schools in the whole country and the development of a curriculum that now offers students the choice to study more subjects than ever before.
The progress Whitstone School has made in recent years has also resulted in a large increase in students joining the highly successful secondary school, with the school now heavily oversubscribed. Despite this considerable recent success, the school remains deeply committed to maintaining its identity as a caring, inclusive learning environment, where students are wellknown and supported in both their academic studies and also their social development.
When Ofsted inspected the school just over a year ago, they commented on the highly ambitious leadership within the school, the excellent curriculum and the aspirational standards for student conduct. The school was judged “Good” in all areas and now works closely with other schools in the local area to offer support and enrichment opportunities for primary school children.
One impressive aspect of the school’s recent positive developments are the “Open Morning Tours”, which take place throughout the year. Whitstone School was one of the first in the area to offer the opportunity to prospective parents and carers to see the school “in action”, visit lessons and see the students on a normal day. These events take place regularly and are signposted on the school’s website.
Whitstone School is an ambitious, yet highly inclusive comprehensive secondary school in Shepton Mallet for children aged 11-16.
The progress of students under the new headteacher and leadership team places the school as one of the most improved in the country, with the excellent standard of education recognised in a very strong recent Ofsted inspection report. Visits to the school are welcomed and can be organised through an individual appointment or by joining one of the pioneering “Open Morning Tours”, which take place regularly and encourage visitors to see the school “in action”.
POSTPONED from July due to warnings about high winds, Oakhill’s big day out – Oakfest – finally offered a day to remember.
Organised by a team of villagers led by Kirsty Baxendale, the event featured traditional fun and games – including a village Bake Off-style competition – with live music in the evening from the Back Room Boogie Band.
RESIDENTS of Paulton and the surrounding area joined current and former service personnel at the annual Double Hills ceremony.
The service remembers the two Army Air Corps crew and 21 men from 9th Field Company (Airborne) Royal Engineers on board a glider bound for Arnhem on September 17th, 1944, who were killed when it crashed on the outskirts of the village.
There were tears when a photograph carried by one of the troops, Sapper John Fernyhough, of his baby daughter Valerie –and kept safely by descendants of the White family, of Midsomer Norton who found it close to the burning wreckage – was presented to her 79 years later.
The well-attended service also saw the presentation of a new Glider Pilot Colour, donated by the Glider Pilot Regimental Society.
CAMERTON Local History Group will be hosting an exhibition about the village school at the community hall in Camerton on Sunday, October 15th, 2-4pm.
Camerton School opened in 1866. It was a mixed school with girls and boys from five to 14 years of age. The children were predominantly from mining families and they learnt basic reading, arithmetic, writing and religious education.
The Jarrett family were benefactors of the school in the early days. It later evolved to become a church school, its name changing to Camerton Church of England School. It closed in 2018.
Local Camerton man Nick Biggs purchased the school in 2019, his main aim being to retain as much of the existing building and character of the school. He successfully converted the building into seven apartments, the work completed in 2021.
Entry is £5, children free.
GLASTONBURY-based photographer, genealogist and author, Richard Cooper-Knight, who moved to Somerset in 2020, is publishing a second volume on the county’s WWI graves.
His first book, Death and Service: The Commonwealth War Graves of Somerset was released in 2021 and included the stories of more than 250 of the fallen. The second volume will be released on October 6th.
It uncovers the lives of 165 more soldiers, sailors and airmen laid to rest in the towns and villages of the county. There will be a launch event at the Crown Hotel, Glastonbury on Friday, October 27th.
EMPLOYEESat South West legal and financial planning firm Mogers Drewett are putting on their running shoes to help dementia sufferers and their families.
The firm, which has offices in Bath, Wells, Sherborne and Frome, is fielding more than 20 runners, including business colleagues, in this year’s Bath Half Marathon which is being held on October 15th. They are running to support the Alzheimer’s Society.
Sean McDonough, managing partner at Mogers Drewett, said: “We have colleagues here at the firm whose families, including my own, are and have been affected by this terrible condition, so the race will be deeply personal for us.”
Details: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mogersdrewett
THEWells-based charity, Children of Chernobyl, has decided to close because of problems caused by the Covid lockdown and now the war in Ukraine.
It was started in 1991 by David and Heather Lancashire to give respite to children affected by the Chernobyl nuclear accident.
BATHCats and Dogs Home had a sunny day for their 13th Wag Walk with almost 100 people taking part with their dogs this year. The event was supported by TV vet, Dr James Greenwood, who attended along with his rescue Labrador, Dolly.
CEO, Rachel Jones, said: “All sponsorship raised by our Wag Walk event is so much appreciated, particularly during this challenging time when so many more stray and abandoned dogs and cats are arriving at our rescue centre.”
Details: www.bathcatsanddogshome.org.uk
About 500 children spent time with host families over the years, with days out provided by local attractions and with dental and health care if needed.
It has donated its funds to Chernobyl’s Children, a similar charity based in Leeds. Trustees and supporters held a farewell picnic at the home of Kay and Paul Trippick in Emborough.
BURNHAM-on-Sea’s growing branch of Re-Engage, the charity that provides monthly tea-parties for isolated elderly people, is appealing for help.
Now running four groups spanning Burnham and all surrounding villages, they need four more hosts to join those who provide two afternoon tea-parties per year and they need local shops to donate food items for their annual Christmas lunch.
Paula Protheroe, Burnham area’s Re-Engage co-ordinator, said: “Since we launched in 2016, we now provide monthly gettogethers for 32 lonely people, supported by a team of more than 25 volunteers who host those events and drive our guests to and from them.
“We now need four more hosts who can provide an afternoon tea for eight guests and up to four drivers twice a year. All our hosts find these events truly enjoyable, because our guests love those dates in their diaries.”
Potential hosts merely need to provide an afternoon tea (either 2-4pm or 3-5pm), with access to a downstairs toilet and no more than three steps up to their front door.
Details: paula.reengagevolunteer@gmail.com
SOMEcurrent and former RUH midwives and nurses have raised more than £2,000 for The Florence Rose Fund, in memory of baby Florence who died at the RUH after three days.
They called in at all the trust’s birthing centres, via Chippenham, Trowbridge, Frome, Paulton, then back to Bath, staying in a tent one night, a total of 55 miles.
Florence was born on September 30th, 2019 but tragically passed away at three days of age from a rare metabolic disorder. Florence's parents, Ella and Ryan, have been fundraising since then to provide a bereavement room and garden at the RUH, where Ella is a staff nurse.
Details: https://www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/theflorencerosefund
SOMERSET Freemasons have given a grant of £24,000 to the Froglife charity, which helps people living with dementia and their carers in and around Frome, to engage in nature conservation, arts, crafts and other activities.
Three sessions take place each week, one in Mells and the other two in town centre allotments in Frome.
Froglife was commissioned in 2019 by Somerset County Council to establish and run the Green Pathways project for three years. Given its ongoing success the council agreed to keep part funding for a further three years.
Since 2020, Froglife have had 97 people attending their sessions, 61 living with dementia, 24 carers and 13 care workers.
The grant from Somerset Freemasons comes through the Masonic Charitable Foundation, which is funded by Freemasons, their families and friends, from across England and Wales.
Martin Puddy, from Somerset Freemasons, said: “I’m very pleased we’ve been able to help Froglife with this important project that helps both people with dementia in and around Frome and valuable conservation work. There are proven benefits to those with dementia that significantly improve their quality of life.”
St Mary's CofE Primary School and Nursery, Writhlington, raised £950 with a sponsored climb in aid of cancer charities following the return to school of a pupil who spent a year battling with a brain tumour.
The school said:
“Pupils from Years 1 - 6 were set a challenge to collectively climb Ben Nevis (4,809m)reflecting the challenges faced by our awesome pupil and the family.”
It was in remembrance of her mum, Meg Flower, who had a lot of support from the society when she became ill.
Jane said: “The Alzheimer’s Society helped so much while Meg remained living at home, enhancing her life with visitors, reading, painting and music and also wonderful fun outings with picnics, in all seasons and weather, which she loved.”
ROTARY Nailsea and Backwell’s charity quiz has grown in popularity and the next one will be held at the Backwell WI Hall on Saturday, November 4th, 7pm.
The cost is £6pp, with all proceeds in aid of the village’s Memory Café.
Details: Roger Smith 01275 854076 email roger.jan1942@gmail.com
INTREPID fundraisers have cleared a £40,000 target by Shepton Mallet charity SOS Africa to build two new classrooms in Grabouw, in the Western Cape.
Dozens scaled the 160-feet high King Alfred’s Tower, between Bruton and Stourhead over a single weekend.
For details, visit: www.sosafrica.com
A COUPLE who launched the Mells 10k to raise funds for a cancer charity which cared for their terminally ill young son are to hold their final event in October after breaking the £1m barrier.
The 10th annual event, for runners, walkers and mountain bike riders, promises to be a huge celebration of the work by Nige and Su Crutchley in memory of Benny Boy who died of an inoperable brain tumour in 2012; if he had survived, he would have been 21 this year.
Some places are still available for the Mells 10k, taking place on Sunday, October 14th, raising money for Young Live vs Cancer. Nurses Sally and Ally, from the Bristol charity, who cared for Benny Boy – as well as Nige and Su and their older son Luke – are expected to be at
The start of last year’s Mells 10k
the event, starting and ending at Mells Recreation Ground and passing through the private Mells Park Estate.
Nige and Su, who live near Mells, set an original fundraising target of £50,000 but a
For details, visit: www.mells10k.com
AFTER Melissa Humphry’s husband, Mark, was given the all-clear from a shattering cancer diagnosis she wanted to pay something back for all the help he was given whilst in treatment.
Melissa decided to set up a committee to raise funds for Cancer Research UK and became chair of the Mendip Fundraising Group.
Melissa, 57, who is a garage director from Sandford, joined her friends and family in the 10k Shine Night walk in Bristol for Cancer Research UK. Some 835 people took part, raising more than £130,000.
Melissa’s husband, Mark, aged 68, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in September 2017 and underwent surgery. He went on to make a successful recovery. Melissa marked his five-year-all clear with her first Shine Night Walk in Bristol last year.
Melissa said: “As a family we were stunned and very worried as
series of 21 challenges – ranging from climbing Kilimanjaro to cycling from Paris to London – have seen them and their supporters smash the £1m mark.
to what the future held for my husband. You always think it is going to happen to someone else and for a while you feel like your world has fallen apart.
“Fortunately, he had excellent treatment at Southmead Hospital and is now six years cancer free. My experience means I understand the importance of Cancer Research UK’s work all too clearly.”
Last year, Cancer Research UK spent more than £3 million in the South West, including work at a paediatric experimental cancer medicine centre in Bristol.
ORGANISERS and volunteers from the Dig for Victory Show, which is held annually on the North Somerset Showground, visited the airbase of Great Western Air Ambulance Charity to present a cheque for £3,750 from proceeds from this year’s Show. The 1940s-themed show will take a break next year and be back in 2025.
THEWedmore 40/30 cycle challenge looks to have raised a record amount for Weston Hospicecare and St Mary’s Church in Wedmore.
About 200 riders took part in the event offering various routes including a climb up Cheddar Gorge.
THE High Sheriff of Somerset, Robert Drewett, presented five awards to people for their services to their communities during a garden party at his home
For more information about the event go to https://www.digforvictoryshow.com/ For more information about GWAAC go to https://greatwesternairambulance.com/
overlooking the Chew Valley. Sam Plummer, of Youth Connect South West, Justin Fudge, of the Somerset Lieutenancy Office, Tessa Armstrong, of
Voices for Life, Eric Deyes, on behalf of Yeovil Street Pastors and Ali Sanderson, of West Somerset Food Cupboard, all received High Sheriff Awards.
DESPITE the dryness/coolness of the spring and summer, when it should have been warm/wet or, indeed, the other way round, the grass and the flowers in our meadow nature reserve of Slader’s Leigh, adjacent to the Strawberry Line in Winscombe, have both grown and flourished magnificently.
Thus it was, at its correct time in the calendar, the task of “cutting and raking up” came round again as usual though, this year, coinciding with the hottest UK week on record. We now have a clear field – and we are very grateful to our loyal volunteers who worked so hard in the difficult circumstances.
As well as fulfilling the vital job of removing the nutrients from the ground to benefit the many wild flowers which we enjoy each year, we have a further reason to be cleared and tidy just now, especially in the far corner right at the northern (lower) end of the meadow.
When the society first bought the field in 1986 its first reserve manager was David Addison, who retired in 2002; shortly afterwards he donated a seat for the meadow in memory of his wife, Pat.
We commissioned a beautiful seat from Somerset Wood Recycling, a charity which collects surplus wood and timber from everywhere they can and then teaches unemployed people the woodworking skills needed to make a living.
Ours was made of oak and teak rescued from Weston Pier which burnt down and has stood in its place under the birch trees, looking full length up the meadow for many years. Very popular with visitors it is often a sought-after place for quiet reflection.
However, time has weathered it until it is no longer safe; at the same time, we have been the fortunate recipient of donations in memory of two long-standing society members, who both loved Slader’s Leigh.
So, we have again commissioned Somerset Wood Recycling, still going strong and in much bigger premises, for another fourseater of oak, just as beautiful as the first. This time the dedication will be to four people, Pat and David Addison, as on the original, and also to Dorothy Sage and one of our recent society chairmen, Paul Harley.
We hope to have a gathering of members and friends in the near future, before this remarkable summer draws to a close.
In furthering our volunteers’ countryside skills in our reserves, we also seek to further that of dry stone walling; it is rather ironic that we have no walls of any sort in either of our two reserves, only hedges, so when we run a walling tuition course, another part of Mendip benefits.
But we are just as proud to see the beginners’ progress wherever the wall is, as we were last month after a successful weekend’s work up at Chancellor’s Farm. Many of those we have
helped to learn how to wall will have taken part in the walling competition class at the Mendip Ploughing Match at Chewton Mendip on September 27th – the day after this month’s Mendip Times is published; so look out for all the news in the November issue.
On October 7th we have an interesting circular ramble, led by Sue Gearing and Les Davies; they are reprising for us the walk Sue did for the Mendip Times in the March issue this year, around Coleford with the old canal and remains of coal mining.
It will be a 10.30am start, meeting in front of the King’s Head pub. This is in the old part of Coleford village which is south of Highbury and north of Leigh-on-Mendip. All the details are on our website walks page www.themendipsociety.org.uk – click on the programme button.
You can also read the full route and other details on https://mendiptimes.co.uk/archive.html, click on the March issue and go to pages 42/3.
As well as being a sponsor for the ploughing match, the society is also a partner in the yearly Mendip Rocks! Festival; on Sunday, October 15th, as part of the festival programme, Richard Frost is leading a special interest walk on the Coalfields, Canals and Railways of Camerton.
Meeting at 10.30am at the junction of Camerton Hill and Durcott Lane (O.S. map 142 ST 682577 and BA2 0PS). This walk, as part of the festival, must be booked with the Mendip Hills AONB service: https://www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk/event/
The final event of the project Moments on Mendip of which the society is also a partner is The Projections Exhibition, when photographs taken by the public and artist Elizabeth Woodger, will be projected onto the rock faces in Cheddar Gorge.
It is a free event, 6.30-8.30pm, on Sunday, October 22nd, no need to book, starting at The Riverside Gardens, Cliff Road, Cheddar for a 400-metre stretch.
JUDITH TRANTERDetails: Eventbright website/Moments on Mendip
THE nights are now really drawing in and throughout October bird movements from the north to south start to reach a peak. A lot of these movements will be at night.
By CHRIS SPERRING MBETechnology has helped tremendously in understanding just which species are moving. Sensitive listening devices can be placed in gardens and nature reserves which record all bird calls, with many of them being flight calls as the birds are passing overhead.
Once the researcher has all the recordings, they can then run these through an analyser where the software will search for each call and make an identification based on the sound waves but, of course, if you know your bird calls you can by-pass the software and analyse the data yourself.
Sadly, with the expense of such equipment, I tend to use my own ears or employ the use of my smartphone. These phones have very sensitive microphones and can pick up much higher-pitched or background sound
than my ears, meaning I get a better idea of what is flying over the garden at night during the autumn migration.
I will record for an hour after dusk and the results from last October opened my eyes to just how much movement over my garden is taking place. My garden is not near a body of open water, so three species of duck were very interesting – teal, widgeon and mallard – as well as wading species such as redshank (and seemingly quite a few), followed by sandpipers and even curlew.
However, the ones I’m really waiting to hear are the redwings which, last year, were recorded over the garden on October 18th. This was the first recording of what over the subsequent three weeks would become a constant flow of redwings passing overhead.
With redwings you don’t need any special equipment. These song thrushsized thrushes make their flight calls quite loudly sounding like a highpitched, drawn-out “seer” as they fly overhead.
Redwings spend the spring and summer months much further north; it is a very rare breeding bird in the UK and is found occasionally breeding in the far north of Scotland. Most of our
wintering population of redwings can come from Iceland or Scandinavia and even from as far as Russia.
During October, when the first of the redwings are heard flying overhead (mostly at night), they are probably just passing overhead and moving much further south into France and Spain to spend the winter. Later into the month, we begin being able to observe redwings, in the daylight, feeding.
Upon their arrival, they may well be joined by their bigger cousin who is also on winter migration, the fieldfare. Both species may well be observed feeding in hedgerows that should be dripping with berries, though the fieldfare at this time of year may well be found in traditional apple orchards feeding on fallen apples and other fruit as well.
Once the berries are gone by midwinter, redwings will be found feeding in sometimes large groups across open fields searching out worms and grubs and if, during the winter, the ground freezes then the redwings will join with song thrush and blackbirds in the woodlands turning over fallen leaves which will harbour invertebrates that are free from the icy conditions in the warmer leaf litter.
THIS is an autumnal circle on the north side of the Mendip ridge giving glorious views over both Chew Valley and Blagdon Lakes, taking in parts of the Yeo Valley Way (YVW) and including magnificent beeches and a beech drive. It starts at Compton Martin at the Ring O’ Bells and follows a beautiful wooded combe up to join the YVW and then heads up to Hazel Farm, passing the woodland being developed by the Yeo Valley company. Later we go along the north side, past a prime viewing point known as Prosecco Point (bring your own!) and finish by following the path down through Compton Wood. There is a 20 minute or so climb at the start up the combe and thereafter it is a mixture of flat and some reasonably gentle ups and downs. Please note, the YVW is
closed on October 3rd for one day only to keep its status as a permissive path. Some of the wooden signs are broken so may not still be where I have indicated.
PARK: Ring O’ Bells, Compton Martin, a beautiful pub on the A368 in Compton Martin. The landlord has given permission for MT walkers to park there. Park sensibly and do go into the pub for refreshment.
START: Turn right from the pub.
After a couple of minutes, turn right up the Coombe, with picturesque cottages on each side.
At the top of the lane, continue quite steeply straight on up the stony path into the combe – a shady, green and luscious valley full of trees, ferns and mosses and rocky sides. Pass remains of quarrying. The path gets less steep. Cross a stile on the way and there may be a couple of fallen branches to negotiate. Further up, see a cave in the rock face over right. Pass a bit of a car and machinery dump over left. Ignore a gate left.
Just continue to a T-junction with a small path near the top. Turn right and follow this grassy path along, with the woodland down right. Go up to join and turn right on the parallel track above, which is the Yeo Valley Way (YVW).
This is a walking and cycling trail developed by Yeo Valley Organic and opened in 2020. It features in Mendipity, the book of walks on Mendip written by me and Les Davies. This is a good chance to see how the trail has developed. It goes round the edge of Hazel Manor Woodland, which was bought by the company and as you go along you can see how their ambitious management plan is developing. (Go online to: yeovalleyway.co.uk to find out more).
Continue for a short way, soon ignoring a gate ahead into a field and taking the grassy path on the right which leads on and has the rustic YVW sign.
Very soon, at a large deer gate on the left marked with a footpath sign, go up through, leaving the YVW for the time being. Follow the right wall. Ignore a first opening and then take the second, through on a track and turn left along the top. Begin to get the first of the views over
Chew Valley and the lake. There may be mud in parts due to the use of large machinery. Over left, see some of the woodland planted by the original owners, Will Woodland.
5. FARM
Reach Hazel Farm ahead and go through the pedestrian gate, pass the farm on your right and continue to the drive. Follow this along and bend left. Go on through stone gate posts and continue along the magnificent beech drive of Hazel Manor. Nothing remains of the old Hazel Manor that burned to the ground in March 1929. It was never rebuilt but lives on as a ghost within the more modern complex of farm buildings and cottages which are further on and over right. It had its origins as an
Elizabethan manor house.
Soon pass an entrance right, marked as Hazel Manor Woods on the stone pillar. Keep on following the main beech drive. Go through gates and then immediately turn right rejoining the YVW on a track known as Green Lane.
6. GREEN LANE
Follow this hedged track for half a mile. You can see more of the fencing and thinning work being carried out by Yeo Valley. And just before the bend, go right through the hedge, and then left for a few metres. Turn right on the grassy track with a line of beeches on your left and a new fence right, and paralleling a track on the left. Further down, over in the field on the left, see a great example of a newly restored dry stone wall. Maintain direction with beeches on your left for a while and start to descend gently. The track bends round.
7.
Reach a corner by two huge beeches and a YVW sign directing you downhill left. Further down, curve right. Soon come alongside a field on your right. Then, further on, bend left and drop down quite steeply following a wooded valley on the left. Bend right up to a gate.
8. VIEWPOINT
This next stretch is the most beautiful of
the YVW with views over both lakes.
Tim Mead of Yeo Valley Organic has named this area as Prosecco Point, being a wonderful spot to enjoy a glass of wine on a summer’s day. A log or two along here would set it off perfectly so walkers can sit down for the tipple and views.
Eventually drop down to a pedestrian gate. Go up ahead on the left of two paths, which is the YVW. Down on the left, woodland plunges steeply. Follow the undulating path. Pass a gate right and continue on. Eventually reach a point where the path drops more noticeably and come to a deer gate and metal gate and junction of tracks.
9. WOOD
Leave the YVW and go left down into Compton Wood on the main, clear track. Follow it all the way down, through a gate and stile on the way. At the end, ignore the open area once part of a quarry, and take the small path ahead on the left down a rocky section which may be slippery. Pass a view point on the left and carry on down, with a wooden handrail at the end before you reach the end of the coombe.
Turn left retracing your steps. At the main road turn left back to the pub.
Ring O’ Bells, 01761 221264. With a Butcombe Loyalty Card you get 25% discount on meals, including drinks, on Wednesdays.
THEseasons are on the change again. The first fingers of mist have started to wrap themselves around early mornings in the Vale of Avalon. As always, Mendip, with its own climate and weather patterns, will jealously guard it’s right to low cloud and misty hollows. With this in mind everybody and everything in the countryside is only too aware that the onset of winter is not far off.
In the days of Priddy Fair, held on the third Wednesday in August each year, autumn was considered to have started on Mendip.
This year’s summer has been a mixed bag with mixed blessings to say the least. For the apple crop there was a good blossom set in the spring and with my crop I fully expected to lose a lot of small fruit through the dry period as trees protected themselves by dropping them.
Along comes the wet weather to help the apple grower but hinder the livestock farmer who needed fine weather for hay and silage production. The final result has been a good apple crop, but a last minute scrabble to get the final cut of silage and make some hay for a winter ahead, the effect of which were are at the moment blissfully unaware of.
As always with life there is no happy medium that suits everyone . . . probably just as well otherwise we should be arguing over that. Life does go on as it must and many of you will remember the visit to my house by Herbie the hedgehog last summer.
The upshot of this visit and his gentle eviction from the house, was Herbie taking up residence in my garden. He made himself at home and took no notice of the cats that tried to intimidate him and take the food. He successfully survived his hibernation and to my delight continued to patrol my garden until I found him dead a few weeks back.
Now buried in the place he came to call home I await his successor to the pile of leaves and vegetation I have left in the hedge bottom.
Autumn is part of that recognition of life cycles and as the red tinge begins to show on the Virginia creeper in the garden, some trees start the process of closing down for the coming winter. Ground water should have been replenished by now as all those deeply fissured tree trunks have funnelled the summer rains towards the root system.
Soon the leaves will begin to change colour as the tree draws back every reusable resource within them. Then after using its leaves as a sort of “toilet paper” for waste they will be jettisoned, returning to the soil to complete the carbon cycle and release nutrients for future growth.
It’s with this last act of returning nutrient to the soil that the agricultural tradition of autumn ploughing became so important. These days the move is more toward minimum cultivation with the thinking that soil structure and microbiology can be destroyed by such tillage.
As always, the debate continues about ploughing, but some soil types will benefit from turning, especially the heavy clay soils that need aeration and organic material to open their structure. Amongst the many countryside sayings that acted as prompts for farming operations is one for manuring in autumn: “In October dung your field and your land its wealth will yield.”
Agriculture has undergone enormous changes and we think we are being innovative but look back over 200 years ago when the likes of John Billingsley and Jethro Tull (no not the 1970s flute player who played standing on one leg) were suggesting radical reforms to cultivation methods.
The Bath and West of England Society established in 1777 became the most influential voice in the new agricultural movement, establishing the country’s first experimental farm at Weston near Bath.
The new awareness of agriculture became recognised by the growing popularity of livestock shows, agricultural societies and ploughing matches.
So, l link almost seamlessly into the ploughing matches being held at this time of the year. I regret that by the time this comes to print many may have been missed, but a note in the diary at the beginning of September next year to start looking may be a good idea.
As for the Mendip match being held near Emborough on September 27th, I will as always bring you an account of the day in the next edition of Mendip Times.
Meanwhile I’ve been catching up on my work on firewood, apple picking and mowing. This month’s picture is of “Trigger” my mower working on the grassland at Foxwood. The name came about after a conversation over why I had a horse box but no horse.
My reply was: “That’s for my mower ‘Trigger’. He travels in a horse box and chomps grass!” Those of you with a vintage memory will also recall that “Trigger” was screen cowboy HopAlong-Cassidy’s horse and the horse that pulled the “fastest milk cart in the west” in the Benny Hill one hit wonder song “Ernie”. Well, you’ll say, what a load of rubbish!
Finally, via Mendip Times, I received a lovely email from an elderly lady who had been given some magazine back numbers. In one of them was my reference to Somerset farmer George Withers and his poems.
It turns out that she was related to the Withers and her family had farmed in Tickenham many years back. Mendip Times sent a magazine to her and I was able to supply the dates and information of the farm in Tickenham.
When the stone is thrown into the pond the ripples go out . . . It’s nice when they come back again. Thank you June Tripp!
Enjoying some sweet treats
THE last of the flower shows are over and we are heading rapidly for winter, but don’t give up on your garden yet. It is possible to keep the magic going until the end of this month. Many gardens finish at the end of June, but by careful planning it is possible to keep colour going into October. The recent mini heatwave has affected plants for the second time this year and many trees are dropping leaves prematurely to relieve this stress.
With MARY PAYNE MBE
Plants showing autumnal foliage tints earlier than usual are doing so through stress rather than natural processes.
The stalwarts of early autumn garden colour are the asters, which come in all shapes and sizes to suit all gardens. The asters have undergone major botanical name changes, but I will stick with their more familiar names.
The true Michaelmas or New York asters (A. novi-belgii) tend to suffer badly from mildew by this time, but there are plenty of better-behaved ones. My all-time favourite is ‘Little Carlow’, mildew free, growing to about 1.2m (4ft), and starting to flower in mid-September.
If that is too tall or it tends to flop, then cut back the stems in late June and let the side shoots develop. Every garden should have a ‘Little Carlow’, and bees love it. For those with shadier conditions, try Aster macrophyllus ‘Twilight’ (blue daisy flowers), or Aster divaricatus, the white flowered Wood Aster.
The New England asters (A. novae-angliae) have hairy leaves and resist mildew attack. Many are tall and ideal for the back of the border in shades of pink, cerise, purple, and blue, but ‘Purple Dome’ is shorter.
Japanese anemones must be admired in the autumn garden, even if they have a habit of wandering. The stately white ‘Honerine Jobert’ sneaks up the back of a border, while the shorter two-tone pink ‘Hadspen Abundance’ can take centre stage. ‘Prinz Heindrich’ has multiple deep pink petals and is shorter still at 60cms.
Dahlias continue to give us abundant vibrant colour until the first frosts if you are diligent about deadheading. If you normally lift your tubers, don’t be tempted until the frost blackens the leaves, as the tubers continue to develop in the shorter days of autumn.
Hydrangeas flower heads will have started to change colour, with white ones taking on pink tinges. Leave all these heads on throughout the winter. Remove those when hard pruning the “paniculata” types in spring, but with the mophead types, only prune back to the topmost pair of dormant buds, as they will produce the next crop of flowers.
Ornamental grasses come into their own now, with the many varieties of Elephant grass (Miscanthus) beginning to flower, having enjoyed the recent mini heatwave. The flowering stems of these, and many other grasses, will add interest right through the winter months, before being cut down to the ground when the new growth starts.
Pampas grasses look impressive now but can grow into thugs. There are dwarf varieties now available. Cortaderia ‘Pumila’ grows to 1.2m (4ft.) while ‘Tiny Pampa’ grows to only 60cms. (2ft.) Pennisetum ‘Black Beauty’ is well worth a space, growing to 1 metre, with sultry bottle brush shaped flower heads in late summer through into autumn.
This grass is not evergreen, but the foliage changes to attractive buff shades which add winter value, before being cut off in the early spring.
Every garden has a dense dry shade spot, giving despair as to what to grow there, but there is a plant for every situation , however challenging. The problem is knowing what to try. Look no further than lilyturf or Liriope.
Grass-like evergreen leaves tolerate shade and drought well. Then, just as you think it is all over purple spikes of flowers, reminiscent of grape hyacinths emerge from grass-like evergreen leaves. Several varieties are now available, with ‘Munroe White’ offering white flowers that show up well in the shade.
While all the above plants are long lived perennials, our summer bedding plants in pots or hanging baskets may well be coming to the end of their season. However, try begonias next year. These will keep blooming, given some TLC and food right through to the end of October, or the first frosts.
They come in a wide range of shapes, sizes and colours, as long as you don’t want blue. The single flowered types are also good for bees, such as the Million Kisses Series or Begonia boliviensis forms.
Last winter’s severe weather killed off the late flowering tender salvias that have become so popular, as climate change takes effect. The dark blue flowers of Salvia ‘Amistad’ that can grow to 2metres, and the shocking pink heads of Salvia involucrata ‘Hadspen’ used to overwinter in many gardens, but to be on the safe side, take cuttings now.
They root like weeds! Select non-flowering shoots, if possible, but if not, just cut off the flower. Trim just below a leaf and remove the lower leaves to leave a shoot about 10-15cm (4-6” long). Plant them around the edge of a pot of moist, well drained compost, with a plastic bag over the top, secured with a rubber band.
Keep on a windowsill out of the sun, and within two weeks or so they will have rooted. Keep cool, but frost free with plenty of light over winter, before potting individually in the spring, and you will have plentiful supply for you and your friends.
• If your borders look full and there appears to be no room for bulbs, pot them into largish pots or pond baskets so that they can be dropped into the gaps which will inevitably appear as winter approaches. Taller tulips and daffodils can easily be grown this way.
• Lift dahlia roots and store them in a frost free place for winter. Cut the tops back to about 8-10cm and stand them upside down for a few days to let the excess water drain out of the stems.
• Finish bulb planting now, the sooner they are in the ground, the sooner they will start rooting and the better they will perform next year.
• If badgers dig up tulip bulbs, plant them in a buried cage made of chicken wire.
• Step up the bird feeding this month, a variety of feeds will bring a variety of birds to your garden.
• Don’t rush to cut off flower seed heads as these could provide free bird food.
• Put up ladybird, lacewing or mason bee over-wintering lodges to help these useful insects over-winter. They will help you with pest control next year!
• Install a shelter for toads, hedgehog and bat boxes. These will encourage these very useful and interesting mammals to visit your garden.
NYNEHEADCourt was the home of the Sandford family from 1590-1902. The 14 acres of gardens are noted for specimen trees and there will be a garden tour with the head gardener at 2.15pm. Nynehead is now a private residential care home.
Address: Nynehead, Wellington TA21 0BN.
Contact: Nynehead Care Ltd 01823 662481 nyneheadcare@aol.com, www.nyneheadcourt.co.uk.
Opening dates and time: Opening by arrangement until December 18th for groups of ten to 35.
Admission: £7.50.
A THIRD of an acre walled garden with shrubs, borders, trees, circular potager, topiary combines beauty and utility. Further 1½ acres, lawn, orchard and vineyard.
Address: Fivehead, Taunton TA3 6PX.
Contact: The Rev Mervyn & Mrs Margaret Wilson, 01460 281 558 margaretwilson426@gmail.com.
Opening dates and time: Opening by arrangement until December 1st for groups up to 20.
Admission: £5, children free.
Saturday October 7th
Holt Farm, Bath Road, Blagdon, BS40 7SQ. Open: 10am-5pm.
Admission: adult £7 children £2. Pre-booking essential.
To see more gardens open for the NGS, see The Yellow Book, or Local County Leaflet, available from local Garden Centres, or go to:
https://www.ngs.org.uk
HUNDREDSof villagers and visitors met in the garden of the Rising Sun to watch 600 ducks being poured off the weir bridge to paddle their way around the island to the finish line. The event was organised as usual by the village tennis club who provided games and activities for adults and children. Henry and Poppy (pictured) also organised competitions.
THE BBC’s Gardener’s Question Time caused quite a stir when it was recorded at Charlton Adam Community Hall, with all 100 tickets sold.
The Charlton’s Horticultural Society, made up largely of members from Charlton Adam and Charlton Mackrell (jointly known as the Charltons) were selected to host the world’s longest running radio programme. Members are pictured with panel members, Peter Gibbs, Christine Walkden, Ann Swithinbank and Bob Flowerdew.
James Dawson, aged three, with his winning entry
Flower arranging judge Pauline Weaver
Crafts judge Jenny Chippindall
AN estimated 250 people joined in a celebratory ramble to mark the opening of the latest extension to the Strawberry Line multi-user path between Westbury-subMendip and Easton.
It was the latest stage in ambitious plans to create a traffic-free route from Clevedon to Shepton Mallet – and possibly beyond –using as much of the old railway trackbed as possible and providing links to other communities to create the Somerset Circle.
Overseen by the Strawberry Line community project and the Greenways and Cycleroutes charity, the emphasis has been to work in partnership with local authorities – especially Somerset Council –and landowners.
In Shepton Mallet, work is progressing well on a route between the edge of
Masbury and the western end of town; organisers hope partners in Wells will extend their stretch of route beyond Charlie Bigham’s Quarry Kitchen at Dulcote. And,
in Frome, the town’s Missing Links Project is also working to reconnect communities with similar, traffic-free links.
By DrPHIL HAMMOND
HOWmany deaths each year could be avoided if we looked after ourselves better and the health service treated us better?
In 2019, before the pandemic, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) ranked 37 countries for deaths that might have been avoided by better prevention and treatment.
The UK was joint 24th worst for prevention, with an estimated 119 avoidable deaths per 100,000 population, and 26th worst for treatable deaths (73 per 100,000).
In 2019, roughly 80,000 people died prematurely in the UK through failures of prevention and around 50,000 through failures of treatment. In 2020, after the pandemic, 153,008 deaths out of 672,015 were considered avoidable, or 22.8% of the total; 69% were preventable and 31% treatable. Avoidable deaths tend to cluster around poverty. In 2018 to 2020, Blackpool local authority had the highest male preventable mortality rate with 355.8 deaths per 100,000 males and Middlesbrough had the highest female preventable mortality rate with 205.4 deaths per 100,000 females.
Blackpool also had the highest treatable mortality rate across England and Wales with 164.2 deaths per 100,000 males and 132.2 deaths per 100,000 females.
This suggests preventing illness isn’t as simple as ordering everyone to swap bad habits for better ones.
People need enough income, decent education, manageable stress levels and a life that they value before they’ll ease off on the booze, stop the drugs and start the squats. Most causes of avoidable death are on a downward trend except those due to drugs and alcohol. The suicide rate is 20% lower than it was two decades ago, but the rate has not fallen since 2018.
There are over 5,000 deaths by suicide in England each year and the rate is three times higher for males than females. Suicide and self-harm increased in young people over the pandemic, but not adults.
The government has had a suicide prevention strategy for 21 years and has just beefed it up but it needs to focus on reducing the risk factors too; physical illness, financial difficulty, gambling, alcohol and drug misuse, social isolation, loneliness, domestic abuse, easy access to the means and methods to self-harm and websites that legitimise suicide and give clear instructions on how to do it.
The bottom line is that if you’re lucky enough to be able to sort your own health out, share some of that luck and help others. A girl born today in the most deprived 10% of local authority areas is expected to live 19 fewer years in good health than a girl born in the least deprived. How can that be fair?
Our future health, and our future economic prosperity, is written in our genes, our upbringing and our education. If we prioritise the health of all children, our future is bright. If we don’t, we are fouling our own nests.
Dr Phil is interviewing Mya-Rose Craig, aka Birdgirl, about her life, writing, love of birds, inclusivity and how protecting nature and the environment also protects our mental and physical health. September 29th, Compton Martin. Tickets www.valley-arts.co.uk
ANOTHER month, another flood. This one killing thousands and thousands of people in Libya. It’s not often I feel ashamed to be a water droplet, but in the face of such death and misery who wouldn’t be appalled?
Last month it was floods in the desert in the USA. It shows once again how powerful we can be when we combine together in an unstoppable tide, a soft tinkling stream becomes a roaring monster.
Often we provide a power for good; the mill race turning wheels to grind corn or to provide electricity. The soft rains that make crops grow. Sometimes it can lead to tragedy.
In Libya millions of gallons of water were held back by dams that collapsed and swept away a town and a lot of its people. That might not have happened if human beans hadn’t built the dams. Lots of my friends were sent thundering down to the sea. They will survive. Even in the stinking pools of stagnant water left behind.
Even now many will have been whisked back into the sky to bathe in sun on cotton wool clouds, thanks to evaporation. Being indestructible has its benefits. It also gives us very long memories.
There have been big floods before, one mentioned in your book The Bible. I wasn’t involved in that but I was part of the tsunami that flooded Somerset in 1607. I got stuck in a peat bog after that. It’s now a beautiful nature reserve full of birds and butterflies.
The history of Earth is a full of natural disasters, followed by wonderful periods of recovery. But the rate of change has quickened, as human beans become ever more dominant.
The change to the climate will be the next big disaster. It will need a mighty unstoppable tide to prevent it.
The power is in channelling a tide of voices, like a flood of water droplets, to make that happen. You have the chance to do that.
But tides can turn both ways.
MENDIP GRANDAD
Walkers gather outside the scout hall in Kennion Road, the venue for the start of this year’s festival
THIS year’s annual Mendip Ramblers’ annual walking festival was based in Wells and attracted some overseas walkers including visitors from Brazil and Peru. A range of walks was on offer over the three-day event, from long routes for experienced ramblers to popular familyfriendly afternoon strolls.
Elaine Dadley, from Mendip Ramblers, said: “All of this was possible because of excellent behind-thescenes teamwork –the working party, the location finders, the route planners and checkers and leaders, the cheerful caterers, and the car parking experts.”
The festival will return over the August Bank Holiday next year, but based at a different location.
MEMBERS of Weston Rotary Club joined RNLI collectors in Weston-super-Mare over the August bank holiday to raise funds for the charity. The club welcomes new members.
For details, call Stewart on 07776 216304 or email: secretary@wsmRotary.uk
For details of the group’s regular activities, visit: www.mendipramblers.co.uk
LONG Ashton Royal British Legion is busy making plans for June 6th next year, when the last few of the thousands of WW2 British servicemen who landed on the Normandy beaches 80 years ago will regroup to attend a memorial service at the British Normandy Memorial.
Long Ashton RBL will be holding an event in Peel Park on the evening of June 6th and is appealing for information about any local men who were involved.
The event will include the church choir, a Drumhead Service with a Royal Marine Guard of Honour and the lighting of the village beacon, as well as entertainment, food and bar.
Details: Dave Addis, secretary, david@addis.me.uk 07801 816612
THEfirst vintage transport rally was held at Yatton Station to support the Strawberry Line Cafe Cycle Project which offers employment opportunities to adults with learning difficulties.
The café has been running as a CIC since 2010, with cycle hire getting underway in July 2020. The rally featured vintage coaches and buses, some courtesy of the former Claverham Coaches, and vintage and classic cars.
Visitors enjoyed free bus rides on former routes around the area, mystery tours and trips to the railway heritage centre at Sandford Station.
The event raised £1,200 for the café and souvenir programmes are still available.
ROYAL British Legion stalwart Sue Trott has received a Shepton Mallet branch president’s award for her services to the organisation.
Branch chairman Andy Ransom said: “Sue works tirelessly to help others and never seeks recognition for her work.”
Details: Dave Pinnock pinnock@tinyworld.co.uk
CHEDDARVale
Lions Club held their annual duck races in Cheddar Gorge on August Bank
Holiday Monday, raising funds for Children’s Hospice South West as well as for local good causes.
COMPTONDando village church’s Sunday summer teas raised just under £2,500 for St Mary’s Church funds.
One of the organisers, Jenny Davis, said: “In spite of a wet summer we have enjoyed lots of visitors to St Mary’s for our summer Sunday teas. Our funds have been boosted by sales of homemade jam, marmalade and chutney made by one of the villagers.”
The teas will start again in May 2024.
THE vice-chairwoman of Bath & North East Somerset Council is starting a new sixmonth tour of community projects, as part of an initiative to support rural communities around the local authority.
Cllr Karen Walker (Independent, Peasedown) was unanimously elected to the role in May by a crossparty group of councillors at Bath’s Guildhall.
THE Inner Wheel Club of Mendip welcomed Helen McCann at its September meeting as its latest member.
Helen is very well known in the area for her tireless work raising funds for Guide Dogs for the Blind. Meanwhile, a fundraising breakfast at the home of president, Janet Travis, raised £325 for BRACE, the Alzheimer’s research charity.
SHIPHAM’Scommunity café, Lenny’s, is due to reopen on Friday, September 29th in the village hall and will then be open on Fridays fortnightly from 11am-3pm.
Opening in 1997, the volunteer-run café, which donates its profits to a range of charities, has always been at the centre of Shipham’s village community.
It began in what was probably the smallest shop in Britain, but lockdown and economic changes meant giving that up.
It operated from the village’s St Leonard’s Church during the summer, where volunteers both served customers and donated home-made hot and cold food, cakes, tea and fresh
She said: “There are so many wonderful projects, initiatives and community-led examples of best practice happening right across Bath & North East Somerset. Most of which are run by volunteers who give up their time for free.
“The council is keen to support those ‘unsung heroes’ right across the area, and we want to shine a light on the fantastic work they do.”
Details: Karen_Walker@bathnes.gov.uk
coffee to raise funds.
It was co-funded by the parish council, Shipham’s Harvest Home, the David Worker Legacy Fund, and the government’s Warm Spaces initiative.
Now, by popular demand, Lenny’s is back, renamed as Lenny’s Community Café, still operating on the basis of donations rather than set menu prices, with all profits going to charity.
A spokesman said: “The village café will remain at the heart of Shipham’s village community, and offer a warm welcome to everyone, but in order to continue it needs your support.”
WINSCOMBECommunity Association (WCA) launched a fundraising campaign at the Winscombe Village Show to raise the final £300,000 needed to start building a new multifunctional community centre next summer.
This, together with local and national grants, will enable them to begin Phase 1 of the £2million plus project.
Local MP John Penrose opened the village show and stopped by at the Winspace stall to launch the electronic donations station, which will soon be available for donations inside the community centre.
Full planning permission for the new building was granted in 2022 and since then the trustees of the WCA have raised £1.3 million in pledges and donations.
The current community centre was built in the mid-19th century to accommodate the primary school until 1972. In 1979 the villagers of Winscombe took over the buildings and since then it has provided facilities for a wide range of interests and events.
The new centre will replace three 1960s annexes. In Phase 2 of the project, the existing building will be fully renovated to provide a considerably upgraded youth centre.
This fundraising drive is running alongside their “Love your community centre campaign” asking for local people to volunteer their skills, including project management, IT, and finance.
Details: winspace.org.uk
STRAWBERRY Line WI, which meets at Cranmore Memorial Hall, has become a collection point for broken or unwanted jewellery, watches and other items to raise funds for a new breast cancer unit at Yeovil Hospital. Two of the fundraising team from the hospital visited the September meeting to talk about the plans to build a dedicated unit.
For details about the new unit or to donate, contact Maggie on 01935 250108 or Yeovil Hospital Charity on 01935 383020
BANWELL WI members have been busy knitting baby blankets and clothes which have been donated mainly to the baby unit at St Michael’s Hospital in Bristol.
They are also getting ready for Banwell’s Remembrance displays, with offers of help from Banwell Buddies, Banwell Primary School, the ladies from Craft and
and local villagers.
The hall was busy
NORTONSt Philip has celebrated 100 years of the Palairet Hall, their local village hall, with well over 100 people attending two events.
The hall itself was once the property of Henry Hamilton Palairet (1845-1923). On his death he gifted the hall to the village under the auspices of the church, to be used for the benefit of the village.
The celebrations, organised by the local management committee, included stalls and displays, with Edward Palairet, a descendent of Henry Palairet, travelling down from Coventry to ceremoniously cut the cake!
In the evening the celebrations continued with the Palairet Players providing a meal and a screening of Cinema Paradiso.
Natter
A FORMER school bus has provided the inspiration for the official launch of a new multi-purpose community venture in Glastonbury.
Lost Projects CIC is a grassroots, non-profit organisation currently self-funded and built by its founders, Gavin, Andrew and Ed, featuring a recording studio, indoor skate park and flexible art space.
The three were motivated by a lack of accessible and affordable opportunities in the area. All are professionals, ranging from a carpenter to music producer and electrician.
Gavin said: “It has been a passion of ours since coming out of school and not really having a place we could hang out
and express ourselves affordably in a chilled environment.”
The venue, on the Tincknells-owned site on Wells Road, first opened last October to house the 57-seater coach which the trio had converted into the music studio.
Glastonbury mayor, Indra Donfrancesco, said: “I have been waiting for this project since I was a bored teenager in Glastonbury. I am so grateful to the young team for taking initiative for all our future youth; we should all support this project.”
The trio are hoping in the coming years to obtain grants so they can make all the projects affordable for all range of ages and abilities and grow the local community's passion for urban arts.
For details, visit: https://thelprojects.com/about
double
number
trees in
valley. Bryony is looking for volunteers to help plant and care for trees on her land near Chew Magna. Details: bryonyhuntley2019@gmail.com
LIKE most Mendip villages, Oakhill was founded on a spring line, because every community needs a source of water. Apart from domestic and agricultural use, this water was used to supply the once-famous Oakhill Brewery, renowned for its Oakhill Invalid Stout. This was founded in 1767 by James Jordan and Richard Perkins. John Billingley, of nearby Ashwick Grove, joined in 1776 when Perkins resigned.
The beer was very popular and its heyday was the period before WWI. Prior to 1904, the beer was taken to the railway at Binegar, hauled by a traction engine, which caused much damage to the road surface. In that year, a 2’ 6” railway was constructed and the beer was transported using two saddle-tank engines, Oakhill and Mendip.
At its peak, the brewery was producing 2-2,5,000 barrels per week. The war caused a great decline in production and in 1925 a fire destroyed the brewery and its records. The maltings survived and the enterprise has since been taken over by several different brewing companies.
As well as water for brewing, it was also needed for ancillary purposes. Fortunately, the springs at Oakhill were well able to supply the demand. They rise from Beacon Hill to the north and have long been channelled through pipes and culverts, although with the loss of records and subsequent developments, the layout is now lost.
The need for a constant supply and a head of water to drive machinery led to the construction of two holding lakes, one above the other. They lie on private land which once belonged to Pondsmead House, south of the village.
The house, a grand Victorian building, used to be the brewery
manager’s house and was called Oakhill Cottage. It is now a private nursing home. As with many utilitarian structures of the period, the lakes were also designed for their amenity value.
The dam holding back the upper lake incorporates a grotto, built of large blocks of waterworn limestone. These blocks were much in demand by landscaping gardeners, which is why there are very few left lying around on the Mendips.
Now partially collapsed, it was once possible to walk through the grotto from one side of the lake to the other, with the path lit by openings in the rocks through which there are views of the lower lake.
Although most of the water was directed to the brewery, the outflow from the lower lake was taken through a conduit to a circular pond close to the house. It is now dry, because a few years ago the culvert collapsed near to the dam and the water now sinks underground.
Members of the local Cerberus Spelaeological Society dug at the collapse, naming the sink Lady of the Lake. A well-built shaft is now gated and locked, to prevent accidental access.
Nearby there are three other caves all being actively dug by Cerberus. Stout Slocker is currently the longest at 70 metres, reaching a depth of ten metres. Bibble is the upstream continuation of Stout and the two are connected.
An old stone-lined channel, now mostly destroyed, leads from the lower lake to Bibble and was seemingly constructed to take overflow water. Both caves are also gated and locked. Another cave opened by Cerberus, G & T (Giggle and Titter), is located in an adjacent depression and probably connects with the others. Curiously, all these swallets have beer-related names.
The water which sinks underground and is lost at Oakhill reappears a mile
away in Ashwick Grove. The valley begins at the A367 half a mile northeast of the village. At its head is Ashwick Grove House, once home to John Billingsley but now in ruins.
Passing down the valley there is an artificial grotto high on the left bank and farther down a silted pond, once fed by a conduit which is very damaged, but still carries water in periods of high rainfall. Further still are three resurgences on the right bank –Ashwick Grove Higher, Middle and Lower Risings.
They were capped by Bristol Waterworks, but the supply is no longer used, due to pollution. There is a short cave, Clare’s Crevice on the left bank in Raven’s Rock, a craggy eminence, and the Cerberus cavers dug several years ago on the ridge between Ashwick Grove and the Harridge Wood Valley but have had little success in finding major cave.
Water from Harridge Wood rises from a small petrifying spring below the road at Nettlebridge and flows over several small weirs until it joins the Ashwick stream at a dilapidated packhorse bridge. There are further weirs downstream and the river eventually joins with the outflow from St. Dunstan’s Well, below which there was a paper mill and the ruins of the hamlet of Fernhill.
The hydrology of this area is quite complex and the gradient between sinks and resurgences is low, so there are unlikely to be any large cave systems waiting to be found. Even so, cavers have tried to penetrate its mysteries for some time, and interest continues.
With PHILIP HENDY
CARNIVAL supporter Sam Moody took part in her first tractor run on board a newly-restored tractor, helping to raise funds for a local club’s entry for this year’s processions.
Sam, who lives near Cranmore, was driving a 1977 International 1046, rebuilt by her partner, James. After its farming life, it had been used as Britannia CC’s decorated tractor.
A total of 30 tractors took part in the run, organised by 2Rs CC, which began in Chewton Mendip and covered 30 miles of Mendip roads and lanes. Sam said: “It was rather a lovely thought that I took part on an exdecorated carnival tractor and was helping raise funds for another carnival club.”
The run was organised by 2Rs CC
Preparing a simple “potage” for lunch
MEDIEVAL re-enactors took over the grounds of the Bishop’s Palace in Wells for a weekend of demonstrations and activities.
Bowlore are a Somerset-based living history group specialising in archery and weapons displays but who are also keen to explain people’s lifestyles and customs from 800 years ago.
Archers prepare for the order to loose their arrow
Neil Eddiford “whipping” arrow feathers
Jackie Head turning Charlie into a bumble bee
Pictured (l tor) Krystina Hartry and Jenny Cruse selling hot dogs to Ian and Angela Head
Unit 13, Priory Farm, Chewton Mendip, BA3 4NT.
T: 07464 710146
W: bridgethasell.co.uk
E: bridgethasell@yahoo.co.uk
October 13th (2-7pm) & 14th (10am-4pm)
l Join me for the launch of my new showroom displaying a range of soft furnishings and stylings, by the side of my existing curtain making workshop in Chewton Mendip
l Working in collaboration with local interior designer Parker & Dot and kitchen designer Valentino Kitchens
l New brands on display
• Romo fabric • Clark & Clark • Jarapa
• Glen Applin • Freya Mitton
• Dave Speed • Voyage • Linwood
l Lynda’s Bakery offering freshly made cakes and drinks
CHEW Valley curtain maker
Bridget Hasell is poised to open her new showroom and shop on the edge of Chewton Mendip next to her existing curtain and blind making business.
Bridget first moved to Priory Farm on the Waldegrave Estate six years ago and it offers an
ideal, tranquil location for both her curtain business and new venture, featuring some leading interior brands.
The business started life on the living room floor of her home in Litton, but proved so popular that Bridget decided to find her own premises. She said: “I love being here; it is such a peaceful place in which to work.”
Bridget has worked with local interior designer Parker & Dot and West Harptree-based Valentino Kitchens to create the new space, which will be launched at an open weekend on Friday, October 13th and Saturday, October 14th.
Lynda’s Loaf, also based on the estate, will be on site offering freshly made cakes and drinks.
TWELVEmonths is a long time in the life of an estate agent, I can tell you. This time last year, properties were being sold in a matter of days and there was very strong demand from buyers.
Things are very different today and the market has settled into the new normal. What I mean by that is there are not so many buyers as there were, but they are still out there and keen to find a home which will allow them to share the lifestyle that we enjoy.
We are helping people who want to move from one part of the Valley to another, others who are coming from much farther afield and interestingly we’ve recently seen quite a few people moving out of Bath.
Another difference in the current market is that there seem to be more people looking for a house before they have sold their own. That means the whole process is often going through at a slower pace, which is no bad thing as it allows people
time to consider all the elements of their new purchase, which is useful, because after all, it’s one of the biggest decisions you will ever make.
It means it is harder work for the agent, but that is a challenge me and my team will never shirk. The thing that sets us apart is we help buyers see the whole picture of what it means to live in the Chew Valley, so that we don’t just sell a house, we sell a lifestyle, thanks to our unrivalled local knowledge and experience.
You just can’t do that if you are not based in the heart of the Valley and are fully involved with the community. We’ve been delighted to sponsor a number of village shows so far this year and we still have Valley Arts and the Ubley Beer Festival to come.
One of the key skills that we pride ourselves on is an ability to understand realistic pricing of properties and to manage the expectation of sellers. Values change over time so it’s important to adapt.
Rightmove say that more than 40% of properties have had a price adjustment this year.
Some agents routinely overvalue properties to secure the instruction. You can rely on us to set the right amount in the first place.
So, overall, it’s not the superfast world of a year ago and now we are spending some time in a slower lane. But you can rest assured that thanks to our Dedication, Imagination and Delivery, we have the ability to work at whatever the speed of the market to ensure we get you on the move.
We understand how important it is to have a removal company that you can trust. We have been in business for more than 100 years, so we know a thing or two about moving.
We believe that our high operational standards, and focus on customer service, sets up apart from other removal companies. But don’t just take our word for it, visit www.referenceline.com to see all our latest reviews, and find out why we have a 99% recommendation rate
A COMMUNITY energy
“retrofit” scheme has been launched in Frome to help households reduce their energy bills.
The project is part of the Green and Healthy Frome initiative, in partnership with Edventure Frome, Frome Medical Practice and Frome Town Council. The project is funded by The National Lottery’s Climate Action Fund.
The scheme includes looking at improving insulation, reducing draughts, or adding secondary or double glazing. Retrofitting can help tackle problems like damp, condensation, and mould which can harm a
person's health and wellbeing. It can also help reduce energy bills and carbon emissions.
For details, visit: https://tinyurl.com/ bdcsb3pv
IN autumn 2018 a handwritten music manuscript book was donated, by the great, great granddaughter of one of the owners, to the archive at the Methodist New Room, in Bristol. Inside the front cover was the name Joseph Collins, West Harptree, the date 1852 and the words “Free Methodist Chapel.” Village musicians made handwritten books of the tunes they used, sometimes with church music starting one end and dance tunes from the other, meeting in the middle! These manuscripts have often been passed down through families and every now and again one comes to light.
THEATRE company Scratchworks is bringing its latest show
“Hags: A Magical Extravaganza” to the area in early November, with the help of charity arts organisation Take Arts and local volunteers.
There are three local performances of “Hags” at Croscombe Village Hall (Thursday, November 2nd), Ditcheat Village Hall (Friday, November 3rd) and Axbridge Town Hall (Saturday, November 4th). The show is recommended for everyone from age 11 upwards.
Take Art is also bringing other shows to Baltonsborough, Bruton, Caryford, Cheddar, Easton and Lamyatt.
Tickets for Hags are from £8 and a family ticket is also available. For details, visit: www.takeart.org/whats-on
A West Gallery choir based in Nailsea, Called to be Saints, will be performing some of Joseph Collins' music in St Mary's Church, West Harptree, 7.30pm, on Friday, October 20th. Free entry, retiring collection.
It may well be the first time in over 150 years that music from the book has been performed in the village.
FOLK music legend, John Kirkpatrick, will be one of the highlights of this year’s Valley Arts Fringe Festival. He’s due to appear on October 22nd in Chew Magna’s Baptist Chapel, a venue he has visited several times before.
He is a leading interpreter of English folk music and has been a member of various bands, including Steeleye Span and the Richard Thompson Band.
Details: www.valley-arts.co.uk
A CONCERT, Simply Sing, will be held at St Mary’s Church, Wedmore on Saturday, October 28th, at 2.30pm.
It will be led by Music in Mind and Music Matters, which are sponsored by Wedmore & Axbridge Community Health Fund.
Music in Mind meets fortnightly on Mondays in the Masonic Hall, Wedmore, while Music Matters meets on alternate Tuesdays in Axbridge Town Hall, both at 2.15pm.
They are for people living with dementia/Alzheimer's, those with feelings of isolation, and their carers.
Tickets are free and available from Wedmore Village Store and Axbridge Post Office or call Stella 01934 732282 or Maureen 01934 852869
THEMendip Storytelling Circle will celebrate ten years on Wednesday, October 11th with its meeting in Ston Easton Village Hall, 7.30pm-9.30pm.
On Sunday, October 22nd Lisa Schneidau will be leading a story walk around the newly planted Great Avon Wood near Pensford.
A well-known national figure in storytelling, Phil Okwedy, will be touring in Somerset, including Chew Stoke village hall on November 9th.
Details: 01275 332735
THEvillage of East Woodlands, on the edge of Longleat Estate, is preparing for its annual Woodlanders Variety Show.
It has taken place at East Woodlands Village Hall (for one week only known by the locals as The Hippodrome) since 1977.
Lydia Tudgay, the choir mistress of the local church had the idea of arranging a show featuring local people to raise money for the village hall which was in desperate need of repair at that time.
The show has evolved over the years but has always had its roots in music and comedy. All money raised goes to local charities and good causes.
The show runs from October 2nd–7th from 7.45pm with a Saturday matinee at 2pm. Tickets are £12.50 or £10 for the Monday preview.
Details: Ann Hart 01373 764291 or 07510 919573 annhart68@ymail.com Facebook or www.thewoodlanders.biz
YATTONMusic Society’s autumn series continues with a brilliant concert by the Italian clarinettist and composer Luca Luciano and Japanese pianist Yuki Osedo.
Both are renowned international performers who will perform in Yatton en-route to the USA.
The concert at St Mary’s Church is on October 20th, 7.30pm, tickets £10, students half price, children free.
Details: www.yms.org.uk
MIDSOMER Norton and Radstock Silver Band have been enjoying the sunshine, with a busy end to their summer this September.
With bandstand appearances in Bath, Keynsham and Wells, audiences have enjoyed pieces such as Sweet Caroline, Fantasia on the Dargason and The Floral Dance.
With Wells being the last summer performance, the band are now preparing for their open evening as well as their winter performances that take place throughout the local area. The band are slowly growing in numbers, but are always looking for new players.
Details: www.msnrsb.org.uk
MUSICIAN and busker, Paul Kirtley (pictured right) performing at the Tucker’s Grave Inn with friends as part of his efforts to raise £7,500 for
the charity Fair Frome.
Paul has been fundraising around the area since 2019 for various local good causes.
Details: Facebook: Paul Kirtley
THERE has been so much going on this summer, it’s been a job to keep up with it all. The various disciplines have provided wonderful spectator sport as well as excitement for those who have been competing. Now we are approaching autumn there are still hunter trials to look forward to, as well as the tail end of the eventing season to enjoy, all on our doorstep.
But away from the thrills and spills of competition there are many, many riders who just want a quiet life with their horse. A leisurely hack in the countryside, a pub or a picnic ride, or even just a few hours spent with their horse in the field is enough to keep them happy - and why not?
There’s so much in the news about the importance of wellbeing, mental health, work/life balance, school phobia, and so much more, and it has been well known for a very long time that equine therapy can work wonders in influencing calming behaviour, particularly for autistic children and young adults, but joining up the dots and actually getting the help for them can be extremely difficult.
Any school child or young person under 25 who has a Special Educational Need and/or Disability has a right to have an assessment to see if they can have an Education
Health and Care plan.
These plans set out to provide extra support for people who have had their educational, health and social needs identified, and once support is in place, even a personal budget is possible so that funds can be provided to facilitate things like equine therapy in its many forms if that choice of activity is selected.
Monies come from the education budget. It’s a well-kept secret but it can provide the means for children for whom school is not appropriate to benefit. Sometimes just standing beside a horse, stroking it, taking in the smells of the environment, can instil a feeling of relief and calm from the stresses of everyday living.
How simple is that? Well, it may sound simple, but in practical terms it can be very difficult and frustrating to actually secure the help needed to get the assessment, wait for the care plan, and so on. But it’s not impossible.
One of the problems facing families or individuals seeking help is that they are already exhausted with the problem itself and have little or no energy left to fight the fight. Social workers and officials are thin on the ground and overworked, so people need considerable help, and maybe a good friend with a lot of determination, who could help as an advocate if needed.
In the Mendip area we are fortunate indeed to have the Riding for the Disabled centres and also the excellent Divoky Riding School, approved by the BHS and run by Pat Bishop and her team of dedicated staff.
A warm welcome is guaranteed there for anyone of any age, able bodied or disabled, and is fully accepting of people with challenging behaviour or poor mental health. There is an approved programme of support given by a caring and professional team that has already changed the lives of many young people and saved them from despair.
The horses at Divoky are well cared for in beautifully relaxed surroundings. If you know anyone needing support through difficult times, it’s worth taking them for a trial session to see the reaction and benefit. Get in touch with Pat.
You don’t necessarily need an educational plan, just take a troubled child for an hour or two, and get the feel of what Pat’s horses and the environment can offer. If the visit is successful, it might just mean that person can turn the corner and find some happiness and improved self-esteem.
Back in the competition field, our young Mendip Farmers Pony Club teams did brilliantly at Bicton Regional Pony Club Championships, coming home with ribbons galore. They won a Team First in the PC 70 Dressage, Team 2nd and 3rd respectively in the 80 and 70 eventing.
In the showjumping the Tiny Tots were thrilled to come Team 2nd in the 40cm class, with individual 2nd going to Bella Hirons, age 6 yrs. Mendip also came team 2nd in the 70cm showjumping.
Charlotte and William both came individual second in their 80 cm eventing sections, with Charlotte hearing later that she had actually won! A technical glitch had denied her a first place on the podium but the late news of the win was enough to make her happy.
It was great to see all the children showing good teamwork, supporting each other through the trials and tribulations and having fun. The Mendip PC district commissioner Wendy Smith was more than delighted. Grateful thanks must go to her and all the team for giving the members an exciting season’s programme and encouraging them all continually throughout.
The very popular Unaffiliated Cotswold Cup series has now had its final qualifier which was held at Pontispool. William Falango entered his first 90cm class on his 7-year-old pony Just be Jack. The dressage went quite well and he remembered the test, but Jack was a bit excited, and in the judge’s words was “looking for the jumps!”
The fun bit followed with clear showjumping and a faultless cross-country round over some chunky sized obstacles, with commentary from the Tannoy providing an added amusement for spectators.
The lucky pair, who have a combined age of 18, were rewarded with a wildcard to the championship final at Cirencester Park at the end of September in the junior U-18 section of the 90cm class, because they went clear cross country, exactly on the optimum time, or as some would say, "bang on the money!”
CYCLING
with EDMUND
THE mornings may be getting darker, the weather may be colder, and the rain more regular but for me autumn is still one of the best times of the year for cycling. The early morning mist usually gives way to warm and bright afternoons followed by a cooling temperature and long shadows from the evening sunset. Coupled with the vibrant colours as the seasons change makes this time of year one of the best for being out and about on a bike.
The seasonal dynamics also occasionally produce those near perfect days when there is hardly any wind – a cyclist’s heaven! It was on one of those calm days, that I was putting maximum effort into my pedalling on a timed ride.
In order to get enough oxygen, I had to breathe through both my nose and mouth. As I looked up from the good news on the trip computer – it happened. A fly went straight into my mouth and towards my throat!
It’s never a pleasant experience and most times a quick cough will get the offender out, but this time I had swallowed it completely.
Unlike the lyrics from the nursery rhyme “There was an old lady who swallowed a fly” I knew that “perhaps” I was not going to die! No doubt if Bear Grylls had been there he would have even pointed out some positive benefits for me!
However, as I continued, the fly did make me think about what we consume during cycling and how it has changed over the years. In the early days of bike racing, nutrition was not a focus for riders. Competitors in the first editions of the Tour de France (from 1903) ate at roadside bars where they reportedly consumed champagne, cutlets, coffee, oysters and lots of red wine.
Even by the 1960s the effects of dehydration were still poorly understood. Race organisers limited the number of water bottles that could be used which meant that riders had to fill up at fountains along the way, or drink at bars. Over time, the importance and understanding of what we eat and drink and how it affects performance has improved.
Nowadays, professional cyclists follow pre-race and post-race diets. During the race, food is handed out to riders in a musette, basically a small bag with long straps, that they can grab and put over their shoulder and neck while still riding. After emptying the contents into pockets, the bag is discarded.
The same improvements in what to eat and drink can now be seen in mainstream cycling. Energy gels are easy to carry and are good for longer endurance rides and water is supplemented with electrolytes and micro-nutrients to aid performance and recovery.
While many things have changed, the relationship between caffeine and cycling hasn’t. The two are still almost inextricably linked through the café stop on group rides. Many of us consume caffeine regularly, whether that’s in the form of coffee or tea – but it’s also found in energy gels, energy drinks and sports-specific supplements. Caffeine is quite possibly the most performanceenhancing aid that we can legally take.
There is no doubt that food and nutrition has improved over the years. But along that journey I think the classification of what we consume during cycling (and sports generally) has changed from being “food” to “fuel”.
Maybe that’s the only sensible way to look at it. You wouldn’t stop for a Sunday roast and a glass of wine during a bike ride, but neither would you sit round with friends and share a pack of energy gels over dinner.
As I neared the end of my bike ride, I pondered that thought, and wondered if food is overrated? In other words, is it better to consume only what our body needs or to eat what we desire? To answer that, there is a fine story about the rider John Woodburn when he made two attempts on the Land’s End to John O’ Groats record in the 1980s.
On the first attempt he used the best scientific nutrition his team of advisers could pull together, but subsequently ground to a halt at a place on the edge of the Cairngorms. The following year he decided to do what he did during the rest of the year and have three meals a day; and that he would decide what they’d be by whim as he rode.
KEEN young gymnast Wesley Talbot has raised more than £500 for his local club after organising his own sponsored run around his home village.
Wes, aged nine, was joined by friends and family on the just over 2km-long circuit around Evercreech, raising at least £530 –he’d set a target of £150.
Wes trains twice a week at the Shepton Mallet Gymnastics Club, based in Shepton Mallet Prison.
Head coach and club owner Clare Tanner is trying to raise £1,000 to buy a new, half-size competition tumble track to allow athletes to train without having to travel to the nearest track, in Bristol.
Wes with coach Clare
Wes sets a fast pace
For details, visit: www.sheptonmalletgymnasticsclub.co.uk
A 16-YEAR-OLDgolfer set a new course record for juniors at Wheathill Golf Club, near Castle Cary, during its annual open competition.
Macklin Hawkins, whose home club is Broome Manor in Swindon, shot a round of 64, beating the previous – ten-year-old – record by one shot. He was crowned the gross score winner as well as winning the Daily Telegraph competition which offers him a shot at qualifying for the national finals in Portugal at the end of October.
Other results included: Rachel Katz, aged ten, (home club Wells), nett winner of the open and the girl’s Daily Telegraph competition; Luth Sleeth-Stevens, 14, (Wheathill): open nett runner-up; Maisie Desiz, 12, Farrington Park, best girl’s gross in the Daily Telegraph competition; Tate Sinfield-Day, 12, (Wheathill) open gross runner-up; Jack McMeekin, 13, (Wheathill) 3rd open nett score and Oscar Alexander, 13, (Farrington Park) 3rd open gross score and best nett in the boy’s Daily Telegraph competition.
Meanwhile, defending senior club competition champion, Chris Hyldon, retained his trophy with a 14-shot margin over the two-round contest.
Wes and supporters prepare to set off from the village’s Queens Road playgroundEMMARich, from High Littleton, took gold at the Masters Athletics Championships in the Women’s (45) javelin category. It was the first time she had thrown a javelin in over 20 years!
Emma, who works in the department for health at the University of Bath, said she hoped it would encourage other masters/older athletes to give sport a go.
Many years ago she won the English School Girls national championships (competing for Somerset) and remained one of the top British junior throwers.
But when she transitioned to senior athletics, she suffered an elbow and back injury which put a stop to her athletics. It was around then that she graduated with a first class honours degree at Loughborough University.
She returned to the South West in 2010 taking a position in the department for health at the University of Bath. She is now a professor there in Physical Activity and Health Pedagogy.
She said: “A few years ago I had to take some time out from work to care for my mum through a terminal illness. She sadly passed away in 2020 and I suffered a number of losses around then.
“So, giving athletics a go this year was a massive leap but a reminder that it's never too late to give things a try!”
The British Masters Athletics Championships event was held in Derby. As British champion, she can enter the European and World Masters Championships next year.
CHARITY runner Emma Challis is preparing to reach an extraordinary milestone of completing 200 marathons when she takes part in an event at the beginning of October.
Emma, who lives in Shepton Mallet, will tackle the Clarendon Marathon from Salisbury to Winchester, in aid of the Cats Protection League, on Sunday, October 1st. The CPL is very close to her heart – Emma, aged 50, has just taken on her 102nd foster cat.
What makes Emma’s achievements particularly impressive is how she has had to overcome serious health problems – especially blood clots – along the way. She has also completed ultra marathons and full-distance triathlons.
The Clarendon Marathon is mostly off-road along the ancient Clarendon Way. The event is organised by the Rotary Clubs of Salisbury and Winchester.
JACQUI Nolan, of Paulton, has been honoured with a prestigious LV=Insurance Pride of Cricket Award thanks to her tireless work raising funds for Chilcompton Sports Cricket Club.
Named the 2023 Fundraising Hero, Jacqui’s helped to bring in more than £50,000 to the club –formerly known as Stratton-on-the-Fosse –since they were forced to move away from their original home of 93 years at Downside School in 2015.
The club could have easily folded, but Jacqui's fundraising work meant they could purchase the equipment needed to continue: a roller, two mowers, scarifier, sight screens, covers and boundary rope. But she didn't stop there, even while
devoting large chunks of her time to care for her now late husband. Over the past eight years, Jacqui has continued to bring in additional cash to meet the ambitions of the club that now has thriving senior and junior sections.
The club runs three senior sides – two on a Saturday, one on a Sunday – they also have a senior T20 team midweek and this year they've run an under-13 junior team.
Jacqui said: “The way I do the grant application is I start off saying ideally we would like a Lamborghini, then scale it down a bit: ‘If you wish to give us a handcart, we'll still be more than happy!’
“It shows the grant source that we're not being greedy, we are realistic and, in addition, we are looking to the future."
Dave Travis, Director of Cricket, said: “Everyone in the club is delighted that she's won this award.
“It’s thoroughly deserved and we all know that without Jacqui there wouldn't be a Chilcompton Sports Cricket Club.”
CHELWOOD Bridge Rotary Club has made a donation to Chew Valley Rugby Club’s STAR* project which aims to make a material difference to the lives of young people who have adverse childhood experiences or mental health issues.
Chairman of the trustees, Dan Wooler, said: “There is ample evidence to show that involvement in team sport is highly beneficial in developing young people.
“There are many children who would benefit from this, but are denied the opportunity because of their domestic, social, financial or medical circumstances. The STAR* scheme was conceived to help them."
STAR* stands for Support, Transform, Achieve through Rugby. The initial concept was developed by a small group of people involved with the Chew Valley RFC junior section.
They raised sufficient funds to provide kit, transport and other essentials for 12 children to be enrolled free of charge in 2021.
Mr Wooler said: "The impact on those children was remarkable. All had previously been considered to be ‘difficult’ but involvement in team sport in a supportive environment led to a marked change in a very short time.
“The results at Chew Valley were so spectacularly successful that they had to be shared. The expertise of the STAR* mentors was made freely available to anyone interested and very rapidly the scheme took wings.
“By January 2023 the project was running at seven other nearby clubs with similar success.
“Since then it has been rolled out locally then regionally and now nationally. By August, 70 clubs, as far afield as London, Liverpool and Manchester had introduced the programme supporting over 500 children.
“The lives of those children will have been significantly improved thanks to grass roots rugby clubs like Chew Valley RFC and sponsors such as Chelwood Bridge Rotary Club.”
Following a rugby career at Oxford and Cambridge universities, Dan completed his playing days with Chew Valley Vets. He began coaching his sons, Freddie and Joe, at Chew Valley in 2014.
WITHAM Friary junior cricket team celebrated the end of a successful first season when they reached the Bath & District cup final at Frome Cricket Club.
The team supports the local cancer charity WHY and wear the logo proudly on their shirts, with a donation from sales going to the charity.
Unfortunately, they came second to a very strong, and long-unbeaten team from Biddestone in Wiltshire.
Witham's junior team was launched in 2023, in response to the success of the All Stars and Dynamos coaching programme for five-11-year-olds.
Club captain Henry Gibson said: "We Hear You is a fantastic charity that has supported several members of the club over the years. Instead of having a commercial sponsor on our shirts, it’s great to be able to give something back.
“We often get questions about it, from the kids and opposition players, which helps spread the word about the great work they do as well."
Lucy McMahon, from WHY, who attended the match, said: "Thanks so much to Henry, Witham Friary Cricket Club and all the talented youngsters for supporting WHY.
“The support of the communities we serve is the only reason we can keep offering our free specialist services for people affected or bereaved by a life-threatening diagnosis.”
For details about Witham CC, visit: www.witham.cc and for WHY, visit: www.wehearyou.org.uk
HISTORY was made when what is believed to be the first ever official wedding ceremony was held at the Tucker’s Grave Inn at Faulkland.
Lee and Tracy tied the knot in an outdoor civil ceremony performed by John Loy, known as The Southville Celebrant.
The service – completed with handfasting ceremony –brought a celebratory end to the summer at the famous inn where thoughts are now turning to winter and Christmas.
But it is proof that the inn offers a fabulously flexible
venue for all events, whether it’s a wedding, live music, corporate event, office party and family gathering at any time of the year. The parlour or barn are available for hire from midNovember up to Christmas with exclusive use Tuesday to Thursday evenings from 6-11pm – and there’s unlimited parking. They can hold 100-200 people.
John, a former NHS manager for many years who decided to retrain as a celebrant, was delighted to make history by performing the wedding ceremony. He’s known for his quiet, creative and eloquent style, working closely with couples to ensure the big day is one to remember. He covers a 50-mile radius of Bristol.
www.SouthvilleCelebrant.co.uk
Barn & parlour for hire from mid-November to Christmas – exclusive use Tuesday to Thursday evenings from 6pm to 11pm.
Book a Christmas party, family gathering, quiz night, works event for up to 200 people
On-site catering: food van, fish & chips, hog roast, curry, graze tables. Contact Dawn to discuss your personal requirements: 07882 771183
Winter food in the pub – 7 days a week: pasties £3.50/homemade soup & crusty bread £4.50/cheese & biscuits £3.50
Pizzas served Fri 6-9pm | Sat 6-9pm.
Food van open Fri 6-9pm | Sat 9-11.00am & 6-9pm | Sun 9-11.00am
Old Parlour Café & Bar open Fri & Sat 8am-11pm | Sun 8am-5pm
Tucker’s Grave Inn, Faukland, Radstock, BA3 5XF.
T: 01225 962669
E: info@tuckersgraveinn.co.uk
W: www.tuckersgraveinn.co.uk
WELLS might have recently been named the UK's top destination in the Which? survey of inland towns and villages but it not only has magnificent buildings and tourist attractions in its favour: Wells is also a city with a thriving community culture.
Wells Food Festival, on Sunday, October 8th, is primarily a celebration of the region’s finest food and drink producers, but no one can ignore the current food-related social issues which so many people are facing.
With this in mind, the festival has a new interactive feature area this year, Food for Thought, which demonstrates what communities can achieve when they come together to tackle some of the challenges faced through food poverty, food waste, high energy bills and family issues.
Come and meet volunteers from Shepton Mallet’s fantastic Community Fridge and find out how to get involved. This community fridge, freezer and larder both saves food from going to waste and addresses food poverty in Shepton Mallet – it’s a win win.
The bright orange Help for Homeless food truck will be making an appearance at the festival. Meanwhile, Wells Vineyard Church will have examples of the nutritious food parcels they prepare and Root Connections will talk about the seasonal veg boxes they supply with produce from their market garden. There will also be a rolling programme of events from Somerset Community Food including advice on how to make pickled vegetables for winter, plus lots more to see, taste and learn about.
For details, visit www.wellsfoodfestival.co.uk
GLASTONBURYWedding & Events are holding a great day out for all the family down on their farm, near Godney, where they have four acres of pumpkins growing in the field for you to pick. They transport you down to the field to choose your pumpkin
and give you a ride back to the large indoor barns to carve it, if you wish. There are also refreshments and activities for the children.
This is an outdoor event so suitable clothing is advised!
Details: www.glastonburyweddingvenue.co.uk
One of last year’s Santa Specials
VOLUNTEERS at the Somerset & Dorset Railway at Midsomer Norton are busy preparing the living history attraction for its winter season of events.
After an already busy year for the heritage line, thoughts have now turned to its Halloween event on Sunday, October 29th, followed by its Santa at the Station Christmas series in December.
They are promising suitably atmospheric train rides on Halloween. Children aged 16 and under in Halloween costume will be able to travel free! The line will be running a standard timetable with departures between 10.30am and 3pm with the shop, buffet and emporium open between 10am and 3pm. Tickets cover travel on the train as many times as you like.
Santa at the Station is the Railway’s premiere Christmas event with trains running on three weekends in December: 2nd and 3rd, 9th and 10th, and 16th and 17th and also on Friday, December 22nd. There will be five trains per day and it is planned that all Santa trains will be steam-hauled with an approximate 20-minute journey time.
There will also be a North Pole photo booth, goodie bags for children and a festive drink and mince pic for grown-ups. Santa will, of course, be in attendance in his grotto. The season ends with a New Year Mince Pie Special on Monday, January 1st.
For details, visit: www.sdjr.co.uk
A festival of events running 1st –22nd October 2023 to celebrate the awe-inspiring 450-millionyear geology of the Mendip Hills!
PEN HILL GEO WALK
Sunday 1st October. 10.30am–1pm.
BUILDING STONES OF WELLS GEO WALK
Tuesday 3rd October at 10am to 12.30pm.
WITHuplifting vocals and a torch-lit procession, The Mediaeval Baebes will wind their way magically towards St John the Baptist Church in Glastonbury, before their concert there on Friday, December 8th.
Families, musicians and re-enactors are invited to enhance the procession in whatever way they enjoy. Lush, ethereal harmonies and dazzling array of exotic and period instruments will see the Mediaeval Baebes exalting the true spirit of Christmas once again. Joyous music from one of the most successful female-led, early music and folk ensembles in Europe will showcase well-known Christmas carols and traditional folk songs, along with tracks from their latest seasonal album “MydWynter”.
Details: www.mediaevalbaebes.com
BUILDING STONES OF FROME GEO WALK
Thursday 5th October. 2pm–4pm.
BATTS COMBE QUARRY MINIBUS TOURS
Wednesday 11th October – Tours at 10am & 2pm.
UNTANGLING GEOLOGICAL TIME AT TEDBURY CAMP GEO WALK
Thursday 12th October. 10.30am–12.30pm.
GEO LECTURE DAY
Saturday 14th October. 12.30am–4.30pm.
COALFIELDS, CANALS AND RAILWAYS OF CAMERTON WALK
Sunday 15th October. 10.30am–2.30pm.
WHATLEY QUARRY MINIBUS TOURS
Wednesday the 18th October –Tours at 10am & 2pm
CORAL SEAS & MOUNTAIN BUILDING GEO WALK
Thursday the 19th October. 10am-3pm.
SOMERSET EARTH SCIENCE CENTRE MUSEUM & OPEN DAY
Saturday 21st October. 11am–3pm.
MOMENTS ON MENDIP OUTDOOR PROJECTIONS EXHIBITION
Sunday 22nd October. 6.30pm–8.30pm.
Many events require booking and some have a small charge –please see the website for further details.
Please visit the Mendip Hills AONB website or scan the QR code for more information and to book onto an event: www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk/events
Somerset Earth Science Centre 01749 840 156
THEValley Arts Fringe Festival is back for its 7th year, promising a spectacular celebration of creativity, culture and community spirit, with a dazzling array of performances, workshops, and events that showcase the very best in comedy, music, theatre and community engagement.
This year’s festival highlights include a comedy extravaganza kicking off with George Egg: Set Menu. The award-winning, multisell-out, international-touring comic brings the best bits from his previous acclaimed comedy-with-cooking shows, plus a few new surprises.
Local production Second Chancers are hot off the heels of a sell-out Edinburgh Fringe, with a Love Island parody that deals with the minefield of dating in the modern world.
The stellar line up of comedians continues with David Eagle: Flying Solo, a comedian and musician and member of three-time BBC Radio 2 folk award-winning band The Young ’Uns.
This year’s Fringe Festival musical hub in Chew Magna features a diverse range of genres, from classical to contemporary including one of the most prolific performers on the English Folk scene – John Kirkpatrick.
The Bristol Ensemble showcase their amazing performance of Baroque masterpieces in the magical and intimate candlelight surroundings of St.Andrew’s Church.
And if you are in the mood for romance, passion and fireworks then look no further than the fiery notes of Tango Calor, a collective of wonderful musicians who share a love for Argentine tango – dancing is optional!
Theatrical delights for all the family include Roald Dahl and The Imagination Seekers or join The Star Seekers in Temple Cloud on a journey to the stars with a gang of intrepid space explorers.
The Fringe Festival is not just about watching; it’s about participation too, through a variety of workshops that cater to all ages and interests.
Festival director, Geraldine Hill-Male, said: “We’re thrilled to bring the Valley Arts Fringe Festival back for its 7th year. It’s a testament to the Valley’s love for the arts and all the local people who support us year after year.
“We are keen to build on the real sense of community the festival brings and we invite everyone to come and be a part of this incredible experience.
“We’re always on the lookout for new volunteers and it’s a wonderful way to see some top-class entertainment for free, so if you can spare a few hours – we’d love to hear from you.”
Valley Arts is mindful that people are facing tighter purse strings, so the charity has sought to make ticket prices as reasonable as possible. This year they are also offering a Pay What You Can option for selected shows including: An Evening with Baked Alaska, October 21st and Second Chancers, October 27th.
Details: www.valleyartscentre.co.uk
is bigger and better than ever!
MEMOIRS,obsessions and confessions are all highlights of the opening weekend of Wells Festival of Literature which runs from October 27th to November 4th.
Robin Ince, co-presenter of Radio 4's The Infinite Monkey Cage, indulges his bibliomania by visiting more than 100 bookshops in Britain. His is a story of romance, addiction and tall tales.
And how can theatre change the world? From Hitchcock to the Sex Pistols, Dominic Dromgoole, artistic director of the Globe Theatre for many years, looks at how the performing arts have had a radical impact.
Throughout the week gardeners, poets and psychologists all have stories to tell, and there's an afternoon of prize giving and readings dedicated to the winners of the festival's popular poetry and story-writing competitions.
The festival closes with a real-life tale of life, death and defiance in Ukraine from award-winning BBC foreign news correspondent Andrew Harding.
Details: www.wellsfestivalofliterature.org.uk or call 01749 834483
We’re happy to list entries for non-profit community groups and charity fundraisers free of charge. Please send them written as a succinct single paragraph, in the format below, to annie@mendiptimes.co.uk
Entries sent in as posters or which take time to re-write may be charged for at the commercial rate, £25.
Wednesday September 27th
Backwell & Nailsea Macular Support meeting
1.30pm Backwell WI Hall. Details: Sheila, 01275 462107.
Mendip Ploughing Match, Franklyn’s Farm, Chewton Mendip BA3 4SQ.
Cheddar Valley u3a walk, Goblin Coombe. Leave 2pm Cleeve Hill Rd car park. Grid ref 459654. Details: 01934 832835.
Harptrees History Society: “Five hundred years of roads and bridges across the Chew Valley” by Colin Budge, 7.30pm, West Harptree Memorial Hall BS40 6EG. Visitors welcome £3. Please book: info@harptreeshistorysociety.org
Wells Folk & Barn Dance Club 7.30-9.30pm St
Thomas’s Church Hall, BA5 2UZ. All welcome: 2nd, 3rd & 4th Wed every month. Details: 01749 674920 or www.wellsfdc.co.uk
Thursday September 28th
Wells Scottish Dancers 6.30-8.30pm The Blue School Dance Studio BA5 2NR. Beginners welcome. £3. Details: 01934 740065 or email ann.wellsdancers@gmail.com
Irish Set Dancing 8pm-10 every Thursday Dinder Village Hall BA5 3PF. £3 incl refreshments (sometimes cake). Fun, friendly, no need to book. Details 01458 210051 or email paulrharper@btopenworld.com
Friday September 29th
“Hannah More” a new feature length costume drama filmed in Bristol, 7.30pm Shipham Village Hall. Tickets £10 on door, incl. refreshments. Details: www.themendipsociety.co.uk
Saturday September 30th
Past, Present & Future Flood Risk on the River Chew, free workshop sessions at 10am and 2pm Pensford Memorial Hall.
Timsbury Village Market 9.30-11.30am Conygre field BA2 0JQ. Local veg, meat, plants, cakes, flowers. Details: info@growtimsbury.org.uk
RNLI Winscombe Folk Night: Reg Meuross & Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne, 8pm Winscombe Church Centre, BS25 1BA. Tickets £15 from winscombe.folk@gmail.com
Yatton Music Society: pianist Louis-Victor Bak 7.30pm, St Mary’s Church. Tickets £10. Details: www.yms.org.uk
Wedmore “Big Drop” please bring items for donation to Weston Hospicecare, 9.30am-12.30 Wedmore Village Hall.
Saturday Sept 30th –Sunday Oct 1st
Avalon Quilters Show 10am-4pm Compton Dundon Village Hall, TA11 6PQ. Admission £3. All proceeds to local charities. Details: quiltersaq@gmail.co.uk
Sunday October 1st
Mendip Rocks! Festival of Geology Pen Hill Geo Walk, 10.30am-1pm, £5. To book: www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk
Monday October 2nd
Pensford Local History Group: “Glimmers of Light – the world of the Magic Lantern” by Martin Elsbury, 7:30pm Memorial Hall, BS39 4HW. £3. Details: pensfordhistorygroup@gmail.com
Stratton-on-the-Fosse Community Coffee Morning 10am-12 village hall. All local residents welcome. Congresbury Memorial Hall Club Friendship evening with bingo, 8pm War Memorial Hall. Visitors welcome.
Monday October 2nd to Sat Oct 7th
Woodlanders Variety Show, East Woodlands village
hall, BA11 5LQ. 7.45pm with Sat matinee at 2pm. Cash bar. Details on Facebook or www.thewoodlanders.biz
Tuesday October 3rd
Backwell Sequence Dance Club: 7.15pm-9pm every Tuesday, Backwell WI Hall, BS48 3QW. Dancing couples always welcome. Details: 07710 460550 or backwellsequencedance@gmail.com
Mendip Rocks! Building Stones of Wells Geo Walk 10am-12.30pm, £5. Meet Wells & Mendip Museum. To book: www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk
Birnbeck Pier: past, present & future talk by Peter Lander, 7.30pm Yatton Methodist Church, BS49 4DW. Details: www.yattonlocalhistorysociety.co.uk The Arts Society Mendip: Caravaggio: painter extraordinaire, a flawed genius and . . . a murderer! 11am, Croscombe village hall & Zoom. Guests £10. Details: www.theartssocietymendip.org.uk
Wednesday October 4th
Bereavement Support Keynsham drop-in first Wed every month, 5.30pm-7pm, Baptist Church Hall, High St. A safe place to meet others who are bereaved. Free, with refreshments. Details: 07776 493221 or bereavementkeynsham@gmail.com
Backwell & Nailsea Support Group for Carers: Tim Lewis and Sheila Furneaux “Around the World in 80 days” 2pm-3.30 WI Hall, Backwell. Frome Carers Support Group 10:30am-12:30pm Cricket Pavilion. Details: Tricia 01373 301369 or www.somersetcarers.org/carers-groups
Thursday October 5th
Mendip Rocks! Building Stones of Frome, 2pm-4, £5. Meet Cheese & Grain. To book: www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk
Cheddar Valley u3a talk by David Boag “Life in a Quarry” 2pm Cheddar Village Hall BS27 3RB. Chew Valley Death Café meets in the Community Library, Bishop Sutton from 12 to 1.30pm, first Thursday every month. A safe supportive space to talk about life, death and loss over tea and cake. All welcome. Details: bryonyhuntley2019@gmail.com
Congresbury Gardening Club talk by Neil Ross: “Ten tips to give your garden the Wow Factor”
7.30pm Methodist Hall. Visitors welcome. Details: www.congresburygardeningclub.com West Mendip Walkers 10m moderate walk starting 10am from Chew Magna BS40 8SU. Details: www.mendipramblers.co.uk
Friday October 6th
Wedmore Dementia Carers Group 10am-12 Bagley Church BS28 4TG. Supported by Heads Up: 01749 670667. First Friday monthly.
Save the Children Lunch 12.30pm Shipham village hall, £5. Do come and join us!
Saturday October 7th
St Andrew’s Blagdon Harvest Supper in the village club. Bar. Tickets £12.50 in advance from 07527 489124 or 01761 462418.
Churchill Music: Sveta & Slava ‘cello and piano duo
7.30pm St John the Baptist Church BS25 5QW
Tickets: holly@churchillmusic.org.uk
Mendip Society walk: “Coleford Coalmining & Canals” led by Sue Gearing & Les Davies. 4.5miles. Meet 10.30am Kings Head pub, Coleford, BA3 5LU. Details: 01275 874284.
Frome Society for Local Study: “Morlands & Baily’s: Glastonbury’s Working Class Heritage”
2.30pm Assembly Rooms, Memorial Theatre BA11
1EB. Visitors welcome £5.
Ann Hallett Children’s Carnival, Castle Cary 3pm.
Disney theme. All welcome. Details: www.ccacs.org.uk
Sunday October 8th
Tunley Coffee Morning, homemade cake, 10am-12 Rec centre, BA2 0DZ. Details: Philippa 07849618221
Monday October 9th
Nailsea & District Local History Society AGM then talk: “Aviation history at Filton” 7.45pm Nailsea School. Visitors welcome £3. Details: 01275 463479 or www.ndlhs.org.uk
Street Carers Support Group 10.30am The Crispin Centre. Details: Mac 07490 060355 or www.somersetcarers.org/carers-groups
Tuesday October 10th
Shipham Rowberrow & Star History Society talk by John Page about Peter Wickens Fry. 7.30pm Shipham Village Hall, BS25 1SG. Members £2; guests £4. Details: 01934 260784.
Fosseway Gardening Club: Gardening through the Seasons by Nigel Cox. 7.30pm Pylle Village Hall. Visitors welcome £2. Details: 07772 008594. Frome Selwood Horticultural Society: “Nature in a different light” by Lisa Rendall. 7.30pm Critchill School, BA11 4LD. Details: 07776 208531 or jane.norris9@gmail.com
Wednesday October 11th
Weston-s-Mare Family History Group talk by Jane Hill about Milton Rd Cemetery, 2.30pm Lady of Lourdes Church Hall Baytree Rd, BS22 8HQ. Kilmersdon Gardeners talk by James Cross ‘The Bishop’s Palace Gardens – past, present and future’ 7.30pm village hall BA3 5TD. www.kilmersdongardeners.org
Mendip Storytelling Circle – our 10th anniversary of folk tales and more . . . £5. 7.30pm Ston Easton Village Hall, BA3 4DA. Details: mendipstorycircle@gmail.com and Facebook.
Mendip Rocks! Batts Combe Quarry minibus tours, 10am or 2pm, meet at reception. £5. To book: www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk
Shepton Mallet Carers group with activity for the person you care for, 2pm at the rear of Shepton Brasserie. Details: Cath 07951 944420 or www.somersetcarers.org/carers-groups
Thursday October 12th
Mendip Rocks! Untangling geological time at Tedbury Camp. Geo walk 10.30am-12.30. £5. To book: www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk
Chew Valley Gardening Society: Ann Brake: ‘A New Garden for the 21st Century’ 8pm Stanton Drew Village Hall. Details: 01275 333456. Visitors welcome.
“Fungi – the good, the bad and the ugly” with Michael Jordan, 7:30pm Wells Town Hall. Details: www.wellsgarden.club
“Steam & Early Diesels” talk by Ian Bennett, 7.30pm Horsecastle Chapel, Yatton BS49 4QQ. £3. Refreshments, book stall. Details: 01934 835208 or www.facebook.com/strawberrylinecafe/
West Mendip Walkers 12m strenuous walk starting 10am from Woodlands Hill, Holford TA5 1SE. Details: www.mendipramblers.co.uk
Friday October 13th
Frome Third Age talk by Jane Shayne “From Kosovo to Chocolate, an Unlikely Journey” 2pm The Assembly Rooms, BA11 1EB. Details: www.fromethirdage.com
Keynsham Avon Wildlife Trust talk by Ellen Bradley ‘Taking action today for Curlews tomorrow’ 7.30pm Baptist Church Hall BS31 1DS. Members
£3.50 Visitors £4.50.
Saturday October 14th to Sat Oct 21st
Avalon Stitchers Exhibition, Wells Museum, with the best of textile art. Details: www.avalonstitchers.org
Saturday October 14th and Sunday Oct 15th
Chew Valley Arts Trail 10am to 6pm both days, 19 venues, 42 exhibitors. Details: www.chewvalleyartstrail.co.uk
Saturday October 14th to Sun November 19th
Valley Arts Fringe Festival: a fantastic series of events across Chew Valley, with music, theatre, comedy and community workshops. Details: www.valleyartscentre.co.uk
Saturday October 14th
Kenn Village Market 10am-12 village hall.
Brent Knoll Bazaar, farmer’s market & café 10-12
Brent Knoll Parish Hall.
Moonlight Beach Walk for Weston Hospicecare: www.westonhospicecare.org.uk/event/moonlightbeach-walk/
Mendip Rocks! Geo Lecture Day 12.30-4.30pm
Somerset Earth Science Centre. £15 (students / unwaged £5) incl refreshments. Book: www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk
Family Bingo Stoke St Michael 7pm War Memorial Hall, BA3 5JJ. Everyone welcome. All profits to Frome Memorial Theatre.
Pensford Tree Care Day at the Great Avon Wood, 10am-3pm. Please register to volunteer: www.volunteer.avonneedstrees.org.uk/
Avon Guild of Spinners, Weavers & Dyers Open Day 11am-3pm Long Ashton Community Centre BS41 9DP. Free. Details: www.avonguild.org
Beckington Autumn Market 10.30am-2pm Memorial Hall. Soup & cheese lunch in aid of St George’s Church.
Castle Cary & Ansford Carnival. 7pm, with live entertainment. Details: www.ccacs.org.uk
Congresbury Book Sale 9am-1pm War Memorial Hall. Good quality books etc.
Sunday October 15th
Mendip Rocks! “Coalfields, Canals & Railways of Camerton” 3km walk with Richard Frost. £5. Must book: www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk/events
Witham Friary Annual Conkers for Charity. Midday onwards at the Seymour Arms. Details, Facebook: Conker Committee – Witham Friary
Monday October 16th
Glastonbury Carers Support Group 10.30am St John the Baptist Church. Bring the person you care for. Details: Cath 07951 944420 or www.somersetcarers.org/carers-groups
Timsbury NATS talk by Chris Sperring ‘Weather vs Wildlife’ 7.30pm Conygre Hall BA2 0JQ. Visitors welcome £3. U16 with an adult free.
Congresbury Memorial Hall Club Friendship evening with bingo, 8pm War Memorial Hall. Visitors welcome.
Wednesday October 18th
Mendip Rocks! Whatley Quarry minibus tours 10am or 2pm, £5. Meet Somerset Earth Science Centre. To book: www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk
Chew Valley Hill Climb: 9.30am Harptree Hill. Details: www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk/racedetails/25614
“Filton in Space” a talk on Filton’s part in space exploration. 2.30pm Weston Museum, BS23 1PR. Members £2, Visitors £4. Details: www.facebook.com/groups/friendsofthemuseumwsm/ Henton & District Gardening Club talk by Louise Burks “Winter hanging baskets and tubs” 7.30pm Henton village hall (B3139). Visitors £5. Details: www.hentongardenclub.weebly.com
Thursday October 19th
Shipham & District Gardening Club talk by Marion Dale “Plants that changed the world” 7.30pm Shipham Village Hall BS25 1SG. All welcome. Mendip Rocks! Coral Seas & Mountain Building Geo walk 10am-3pm, £5. To book: www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk
Cheddar Valley u3a Coffee Morning 10am-11.30
Village Hall BS27 3RB.
West Mendip Walkers 8.5m moderate walk starting 10am from Compton Dando, BS39 4JZ. Details: www.mendipramblers.co.uk
Friday October 20th
Save the Children Lunch 12.30pm Shipham village hall, £5. Do come and join us!
Bingo East Harptree Theatre. Starts 7pm, bar from 5:30pm. Details: www.eastharptreeparish.org/newsand-events/
West Gallery Choir concert 7.30pm St Mary’s Church West Harptree. Free, collection. See our music pages.
Saturday October 21st
Bleadon Village Market 9.30-12 Coronation Halls BS24 0PG. 30+ stalls. Details: 01934 812370. Mendip Rocks! Somerset Earth Science Centre Open Day 11am-3pm. Family activities, no need to book. Details: www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk
Wells & District Wildlife Group: Fungus Foray. Join Les Cloutman at Stockhill Forest. Details: www.wdwg.org.uk or phone 01749 677600
Yatton & District Horticultural Society Autumn Show 2pm Village Hall BS49 4HL. www.yattonhorticulturalsociety.co.uk
Clarinet and piano concert, 7.30pm St Mary’s Church Yatton, Tickets £10, details: www.yms.org.uk
Farmborough Craft & Gift Fayre 10.30am-4pm Memorial Hall, BA2 0AH. Entry £1, children free. Refreshments.
Frome Society for Local Study: “Somerset Crafts people & their portraits” 2.30pm Assembly Rooms, Memorial Theatre BA11 1EB. Visitors welcome £5. Claverham Market 10am-12pm Village Hall. Butcher, veg. crafts etc. 01934 830553. Stoney Stratton Apple Day. Neill Orchard, BA4 6EA. 12noon to 4pm. Apple pressing, BBQ, local cider and beer, soft drinks, talk, games and quizzes. Details: Jane: 01749 830513.
Sunday October 22nd
Moments on Mendip Photographic Exhibition: photos projected onto the rock faces, Cliff Rd Cheddar, 6.30-8.30pm. Free. Details: www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk
Stories under the Publow Oak, 10am-12.30. Free, but please book: www.avonneedstrees.org.uk/events/
Monday October 23rd
Axbridge Carers Support Group 2pm at the Town Hall. Details: 07951 944420 or www.somersetcarers.org/carers-groups
Tuesday October 24th
Chilcompton Gardening Club talk “Flora of Cam & Wellow Valley” by Helena Crouch 7.30pm village hall BA3 4EX.
Winscombe Folk Club 7.30pm-10.30pm Winscombe Club BS25 1HD. All acoustic, performers & audience welcome, £2. Details: 07551 197685 or winscombefolkclub@gmail.com
Wednesday October 25th
Backwell & Nailsea Macular Support meeting
1.30pm Backwell WI Hall. Details: Sheila 01275 462107.
Harptrees History Society talk by Prof Ronald Hutton on King James 1st. Visitors welcome, £3.
7.30pm West Harptree Memorial Hall BS40 6EG. Please book: email info@harptreeshistorysociety.org
Thursday October 26th
Yatton & District Horticultural Society: ‘Hedgehog Awareness’ by Laura Batt. 8pm Hangstones Pavilion, Yatton BS49 4HS. Details: www.yattonhorticulturalsociety.co.uk.
Avon Wildlife Trust: “Encounters with Eagles”white-tailed eagles in Norway, photographed by Helen & Rick Ayrton, 7:45pm Chew Magna Old School Room, £2.50.
West Mendip Walkers 11m moderate walk starting 10am from Faulkland, BA3 5UY. Details: www.mendipramblers.co.uk
Saturday October 28th
“Simply Sing” 2.30pm St Mary’s Church Wedmore, with local groups for people living with dementia or with feelings of isolation, and carers. Donations. See our music pages.
Publow: Called to Be Saints West Gallery Choir sing music from a rediscovered manuscript. 4pm All Saints Church. Free, collection. See music pages. Vintage Hornby Model Train Show King Alfred’s School Academy Highbridge TA9 3EE. Adults £4 cash, accompanied children free. Details: www.somersethrca.org.uk/index.html
The Mayor’s Quiz 7.30pm Wells Town hall. Teams up to six, £5pp. Bar & refreshments. Booking essential: phone 01749 672342 or email terryricketts1948@gmail.com Raffle prizes welcomed.
Congresbury Book Sale 9am-1pm War Memorial Hall. Good quality books etc.
Sunday October 29th
SWT walk: Mendip Lodge & Dolebury Wood. Meet 10am Burrington Coombe car park. NGR: ST476587. Details: www.somersetwildlife.org/events
Craft Fair Timsbury 10-4pm Conygre Hall. Entry £1, parking free. Details: Laura 07410 452685 or timsburygc@gmail.com
Monday October 30th
Wessex Stationary Engine Club meeting 8pm Old Down Inn, Emborough.
Tuesday October 31st
Wells & District Wildlife Group: BBC Wild Isles: Behind the Scenes – a talk by Nick Gates. 7.30pm Wells Museum. Details: 01749 677600 or www.wdwg.org.uk
Wednesday November 1st
Bereavement Support Keynsham drop-in first Wed every month, 5.30pm-7pm, Baptist Church Hall, High St. A safe place to meet others who are bereaved. Free, with refreshments. Details: 07776 493221 or bereavementkeynsham@gmail.com
Backwell & Nailsea Support Group for Carers: Making Christmas foliage table decorations, 2pm3.30pm WI Hall, Backwell.
Thursday November 2nd
Irish Set Dancing 8pm-10 every Thursday Dinder Village Hall BA5 3PF. £3 incl refreshments (sometimes cake). Fun, friendly, no need to book. Details 01458 210051 paulrharper@btopenworld.com
Chew Valley Death Café meets in the Community Library Bishop Sutton, 12 to 1.30pm, first Thursday every month. A safe supportive space to talk about life, death and loss over tea and cake. All welcome. Please contact: bryonyhuntley2019@gmail.com
Congresbury Gardening Club talk by Les Cloutman: “Gardening for Wildlife” 7.30pm Methodist Hall. Visitors welcome. Details: www.congresburygardeningclub.com
Friday November 3rd
Wedmore Dementia Carers Group 10am-12 Bagley Church BS28 4TG. Supported by Heads Up: 01749 670667. First Friday monthly.
Save the Children Lunch 12.30pm Shipham village hall, £5. Do come and join us!
THE prestigious Craft4Crafters and Stitching4All Show promises an exquisite showcase of elite fabric, quilt, and craft talents at the Bath and West showground.
Guests can look forward to mingling with the crème de la crème of exhibitors and partaking in workshops meticulously curated for craft aficionados.
There will be more than 100 daily demonstrations spanning a wide range of artistry: from sewing and dressmaking to embroidery, felting, quilting, and the enchanting “make and take” sessions.
There will be three dedicated sewing studios and, new to the show, Stitchers Alley. The Quilt Hall will have over 100 magnificent quilts, including one of this year’s winning quilts from the Festival of Quilts
For those wishing to unwind, a plethora of cafes and restaurants beckon. The event also boasts free parking, ensuring your day remains unburdened and entirely pleasurable.
Organisers say: “Step into a realm where creativity knows no bounds. Relish a day infused with inspiration, shared expertise, and the sheer elation of crafting!
