Valley Life - November 2022

awards

Welcome to the sixty-ninth issue of Valley Life and we hope you are continuing to enjoy the offering of news and views from around the Cheddar Valley.

The site of demolition workers bringing down Cox’s Mill was a diffi cult watch for some people who gathered above the former hotel to witness the buildings demise.

Cheddar’s all-time goal king calls it

day

Granted it was an eye sore having been left derelict for more than ten years.

Longleat were keen to extol the virtues of bringing down a build ing which had passed its best before date in favour of a dramatic water feature and a pla za where visitors can enjoy the surroundings of the Gorge. But everything has gone quiet on this front and the fear is that the short-term car parking which will replace Cox’s Mill will be something a little more long term.

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The hope is that an ‘iconic’ building will eventually replace Cox’s Mill. But Longleat have given no up-to-date details about what this might be.

Prior to the pandemic

Having told the com munity of their plans to bring the Cox’s Mill up to date, many will feel let down if all we are left with is an increased number of car parking spaces.

Rob Perkins, Editor

Cox’s Mill is brought down to end an era

It was once the beating heart of the Cheddar Gorge, but work has now begun to demolish Cox’s Mill.

For some it had become an eyesore in an otherwise beau tiful part of the gorge, while others are mourning the loss of a once proud establishment that brought in visitors from far and wide.

There had been a mill on the site for years but in 1823 at an auction at the Marquis of Bath Arms (now The Bath Arms) in Cheddar it was bought by James Cox who began to turn it into a hotel.

From then until the First World War the hotel and the grounds that grew up around

it were a major attraction with visitors coming from far and wide.

Such was the draw of the ho tel that celebrities of the age, like Lillie Langtree, pictured, socialite, actress and mistress to the Prince of Wales Ed ward could be found in one of the rooms.

In 1958 as a fresh-faced teenager Cliff Richard visited the Cliff Hotel while he was playing in Bristol.

But the popularity of the ho tel was declining as holiday makers sought more exotic destinations.

Many locals remember the nightclub that used to be housed beneath what was by then Cox’s Mill.

But as the years passed and Cox’s Mill struggled to attract the customers it needed to survive it finally shut its doors in 2011.

Simon Townsend, Cheddar Gorge and Caves’ operations manager, told a public meet ing in 2019 that the premises were “an eyesore” and that it was becoming unsafe.

He said: “We hope the chang es will enhance the lower gorge, the views and the area around Cox’s Cave and the Queen’s Row shops and make it a much nicer space for our visitors and local people.

“Once demolished, we plan to use the site for additional car parking and for landscaped communal public space.”

Festive Night back with its usual bang

It’s

one of the highlights of the calendar in the Cheddar Valley - Festive Night returns on Friday, December 2.

As usual, Cheddar will be lit up and buzzing for its highlypopular and much-loved Festive Night!

The fun will start at 6:00 pm with the launching of a rocket from St Andrew’s Church tower following a church ser vice at 5.30 to announce the beginning of the festivities.

This year, there will be a host of events for all the family to enjoy.

These will include a hog roast

and choir outside The Bath Arms Hotel, carols and sea sonal fayre at the Methodist Church.

There will also be an open-air street market in the Cliff Street car park, selling food, drinks and gifts, plus funfair rides for the children.

Many of the shops in Bath Street will also be staying open late to welcome custom ers in for a bit of Christmas shopping.

In the gorge itself, retail ers, eateries and pubs will be opening their doors, offering a great chance for present-buying, as well as

delicious food. Cheddar’s very own cocktail bar, On The Rocks, will be running two outside bars, along with a light show and Christmas music.

At the top of the gorge, Ched dar Caves will also be joining in the fun, with singing in the caves, mulled wine in the café and more opportunities for shopping in its gift shop.

Festive Night wouldn’t be Festive Night without a visit from Santa, who will be trav elling, as usual, on Cheddar Fire Service’s sleigh so keep a look out for him as he makes his way around the village!

Grants available to help our youngsters

CheddarYouth Trust was set up in 2000 to provide grant help to young people aged between five and 25 years.

And in the current economic climate the trust’s help, which enables grants to applicants to assist them across a wide range of areas, is more im portant than ever before.

Grants are available to help young people in their school ing and further education, in sport, music, the arts, appren

ticeships and in encouraging their service to communities both here and abroad.

“We receive applications from and regularly help a number of youngsters, providing assistance with a range of educational costs, sports ex penses and work experience funding,” said chairman Clive Panchaud.

“We’re well aware that just now things are becoming very difficult for quite a few families and we want to let

people know that we’re here to help.”

Young Cheddar people who have lived in the civil parish of Cheddar for a minimum of 12 months can apply by downloading an application form from the CYT website, www.cyt.org.uk and submit ting it to the trustees.

Forms should be delivered by hand or post to treasurer Mark Meldon, Meldon & Co Ltd, Bath Street, Cheddar, BS27 3AA.

Cheddar restaurant is a big winner - again

Cheddar’s

Zen Thai restaurant is celebrat ing after receiving two awards for the quality of their food and service.

The restaurant which opened its doors in April 2019 has gone from strength to strength with diners applaud ing the quality of the authen tic Thai food on offer.

For the second year running, Zen Thai received a TripAdvi sor Travellers’ Choice Award – an accolade which is only given to the top 10 per cent of establishments worldwide.

While the restaurant has also received a Good Food Award for the second consecutive year as well.

Owner Spencer Wallace and his wife, Pear, pictured, said: “Our philosophy has always been ‘We cook as we eat’ and that means we serve Thai cui sine the way we love to cook and eat in Thailand.

“We use only the finest fresh ingredients, many of which are locally sourced; others are imported directly from Thailand to ensure that we maintain the quality and authenticity of our food. We cook with a passion for what we are serving and it seems the public appreciate what we

are offering.

“These awards don’t happen by chance, they are the prod uct of a real team effort and testament to all the hard work and dedication of the team at Zen Thai who strive so tire lessly to make the restaurant what it is today.

“And finally, a big thank you to all our customers over the last three years who have appreciated our food. Their reviews have helped to spread the word about the quality of

the food and service on offer at Zen Thai and you can’t underestimate how important those recommendations are for our business.”

Zen Thai are now taking bookings for the festive peri od with a Tropical Christmas Day Lunch and a New Year’s Eve extravaganza.

• Call Zen Thai on 01934 740444 or email info@ zenthaicheddar.com for bookings or inquiries.

Sport talk

The good and the bad

CheddarFootball Club’s recent upsurge in fortunes continued with an exciting 4-3 Som erset Premier cup win (on penalties) against old adver saries Hengrove Athletic. This followed a 6-3 league win at mid-table Gillingham Town.

The not so good was a reversal in the league against Hengrove which saw the Cheesemen go down 1-3, in a match described by manager Michael Dangerfield as the team’s ‘worst performance’ since he assumed his role.

The Cheddar boss under standably called for a reaction from his players and that is exactly what he got; his team winning 2-0 at Bristol Telephones.

Recent wins have lifted the club to 16th in the league and one which they are hopeful of improving with ‘winnable’ games at Tytherington Rocks, Almondsbury and Shire hampton.

Maximum points from which could see the Cheesemen knocking on the door of a top ten placing.

Friday night football returns to Bowden’s Park on Novem ber 4 with the clash against Hallen. This precedes the club’s firework display and bonfire night the following evening. Toolstation Premier league leaders Bridgwater Town are the visitors on November 8 in a County Cup clash and the club see out November with visits from Radstock Town and Almondsbury. Cheddar goalscoring legend Adam Jones, scoring above, has announced his retirement from the game, following injury. Jones who has netted 280 goals in 360 appearances for the Cheesemen will leave a legacy that is unlikely to be surpassed.

In other news, Winscombe’s fortunes continue to thrive as they hit three goals to beat Stockwood Wanderers. Their league form continues to be successful albeit a temporary hiccup against Wrington pre vented the local team gaining the league leadership, but with just three points behind leaders Somerton, Rikki Hutt’s side, pictured above, will be sure to challenge top spot.

A look at the feats of our sporting men and women with Alan Cooper

Back Issues

Avoiding “Tech-neck”

If you’ve ever spent a few hours or more on your computer or phone screen, you probably know the pain that is “Tech Neck.”

That stiffness, soreness, and often injury is caused by holding our head forward for too long whilst using technol ogy, typically a mobile phone.

This really is a global phe nomenon, straining our bod ies and altering our posture, which affects children to the most senior members of our community.

Tech neck causes more than simply the stiffness we feel. It alters our posture often resulting in headaches, neck pain, upper shoulder pain/ This increased pressure on our spinal nerves is the key issue which we must correct to maintain a healthy balance in the body.

Here’s a guide to help you navigate the negative effects of technology on your body.

• Chin tucks. Standing up straight, draw your head straight back to make a dou ble chin.

Do not to tilt your head back, keep your chin tucked in,

head still parallel to the floor.

Hold for five seconds, release. Then repeat.

• Ear tuck Place your right hand flat against the right side of your head.

Try to tilt your head to your right shoulder while pushing against your hand.

Hold for five seconds, release slowly, and repeat on the other side.

• Back tuck. Place both hands on the back of your head, with your head upright chin parallel to the floor.

Now push your head back

wards into your hands. Hold for five seconds, and repeat.  This will work those un derused muscles that keep our head upright normally.

• Check your spine align ment.

Hold your phone at eye level, not your head at phone level! It’s great workout for your arms and lifesaver for neck posture.

If it gets too tiring, lie on your back holding your phone up in front of your face to save your arms.

• Standing desks. Brilliant for posture, promotes gentle movements throughout the day, keeps our legs strong and even helps lower blood pressure!

• Take regular breaks. Five minutes break each hour, make a coffee, change posi tion markedly or have a pace around. Best to set an alarm to prompt you.

• Limit screen time. If work involves plenty of screen time, be sure to limit phone usage after work and prior itize outdoor movement & activity wherever possible.

Doctor of Chiropractic Matt Sutton helps to keep you on the move

Tiggi’s Travels

When a dog’s got to go

Leapingonto the train for a much-anticipat ed trip last week, we found seats for myself, my guide dog Jackie and sighted friend Sue.

This trip was to celebrate Sue’s birthday, bound for London Paddington, we had theatre tickets to see “Hamilton” at the Victoria Palace.

We were then off for cocktails at the Savoy Hotel and the next day a special back stage tour of the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. However, “No plan survives first contact with the enemy”. In this case the enemy was my guide dog’s tummy. Half way through the journey my assistance dog started to howl very loudly. I took her out to the corridor where she was almost throwing herself at the door. A clear sign she needed to “GO”. I sat with her in the first-class loo for a while as it had a plastic floor in case of an accident.

But due to the overcrowding the passengers also needed to “GO”. I was now getting anxious for my dog’s welfare and I stopped a passing train assistant. She was wonderful

and actioned an emergency code button to the driver and the train manager joined us.

It appeared a message had gone out to the network, a blind lady with an unwell guide dog needed to “evacu ate” the train urgently. There was an unscheduled stop at the next small station where a man was standing by with a mop and bucket.

Only my door was unlocked as Jackie and I were accom panied onto the platform. All the passengers were looking out of the windows wonder ing what this further delay was in aid of. There was nothing but an empty stone

platform. All the specta tors watched Jackie and she sniffed about until she could no longer hold on.

What happened next was so unpleasant I will leave it to your imaginations. However, to a round of applause we re mounted the train. Poor Jackie dog continued these bouts throughout the day. On the platform, on the station concourse, the under ground, two escalators and two famous London bridges. Dreading people’s reaction to be revulsion, I was pleasantly surprised that everybody around us rallied. Tissues and water appeared from the bottom of people’s bags and rucksacks. Then the best gift of all came from a man with a packet of wet wipes and a comforting smile.

The birthday celebration, however, ended up being a cold hamburger and warm wine in a Premier Inn speak ing to a 24-hour vet.

The trip was not the one expected. However, to see Jackie the next day feeling so much better and chasing pelicans in St James Park, felt very good indeed.

Seeing life differently with visually-impaired Tiggi Trethowan