Stratton Newsletter

Stratton onthe Fosse

Follow the Fortunes of Stratton United FC

Reconnecting Roots

History Corner

What's on at the Hall

Why a Community Garden??

What do you know?

Churches in Stratton

Downside School

Its all on the website

Its rugby season!

Make us Proud ...

Housing Impact

Jon Carter - Chair of Planning Committee

SOF PC

Although the better part of a mile away from the village, what could be called the hamlet of White Post is nonetheless part of our Parish Although just about surrounded by both Class B & A roads, the surrounding fields just about win the day on giving this area a distinct rural feel to it

But not for long, though, as, despite strong efforts being made by your parish Councillors, objecting to all plans to develop these fields, the Parish Council has been left powerless to stop development.

The result has been that we face about 350 homes being built in the two fields on both sides of (and behind) The White Post

There is concern on the Council that the addition of 350 homes will add further to the feeling of the White Post area being a community separate from the village This particularly applies to those living in our village who wish to access schools on the Midsomer Norton side of our Parish An approach to Somerset Highways is now being considered as a way of providing a cycle/pedestrian way

Community Coffee Morning

Monday 2nd October 10am - 12pm

Stratton Village Hall

All residents very welcome.

Whats on at the Hall?

The Village Hall is a registered charity and the running of the Hall is the responsibility of the trustees of the Village Hall, the Village Hall committee The committee looks after the upkeep, maintenance & cleaning of the Village Hall and to manage Hall bookings The Hall can be hired by local villagers for parties and by organisations for parties or group activities

The Hall is a great asset for our Village but it does take time and money to keep it wellmaintained, well equipped, clean and warm for our hirers. We rely on Hall Bookings to generate most of our income and the Committee are also involved with fund-raising events such as Village Day

Our current regular bookings are generally evening bookings and the Hall is often free during the day:

Monday Mendip Karate

Wednesday Slimming World

Thursday Band Practice

Friday Pilates, Enigma Majorettes

Weekends Scrappers; HGV Training; Gong therapy, Birthday parties; Family parties by arrangement

COMMITTEE MEMBERS WANTED

Decluttering? then please let us have your clothes, bags and shoes. Twice a year we have an advertising board outside our collection point at Fosseway House (opposite the Hall)

Your donations raise vital funds for the hall

We run a village lottery Its £12 per year and cash prizes are drawn every month which help keep the hall running If you are interested then contact snkingsberry@gmail com or another member of the Hall Committee to be allocated a number

Suzanne Kingsberry – Chair

Rachel Broadway – Treasurer

Barb Jones – Hall Bookings

Irene Dugan – Hall Cleaner

Zoie North

Trevor Letcher

Hall Committee

History Corner

From The local paper dated February 6th 1914.......

Stratton on the Fosse Dances -

The introduction of the Tango and other new dances by Miss Pow of Bath has considerably increased the attendance of the Wednesday classes held in the hall, which tends to show that this much discussed dance is not banned in this neighbourhood

Test your knowledge......

What is the birthstone for September?

Who discovered penicillin in September 1928?

What sea side town is famous for its illuminations, switched on in September?

What date in September did Harry Potter first go to Hogwarts? Answers found later on in newsletter

Welcome to St Benedicts

From the weekend of 2nd / 3rd September, the Saturday Vigil Mass in St Benedict’s will be at 5 pm and the 11 am Parish Mass on Sunday will be in St Benedict’s (no longer in the Abbey Church) Parishioners are most welcome to attend a 10 am Mass in the Abbey Church (School Mass on Sunday during term-time, which will take a different form during the holidays).

Rosary is said every Thursday evening at 7pm in St Benedict’s church

All are welcome.

Root Connections is a unique not for profit organisation based at Manor Farm just up the road, in Stratton.

Their mission is to end rural homelessness and rough sleeping.

From its 1 5 acre market garden, its team of inspiring volunteers come together every week with the local community to work the land and grow fresh produce, seasonal flowers and plants, as well as nurture their own small apiary of European honeybees.

Grown locally and sustainably without the use of pesticides or chemicals, Root Connections’ Veg box and Flower subscriptions continue to grow in popularity, with delivery to your door within a 12 mile radius of BA3 4QF Veg boxes feature a minimum of 8 fresh, seasonal items which vary according to the time of year

All proceeds go back into supporting and improving the health and wellbeing of adults with complex needs

about their veg box scheme and flower subscriptions, and to place your order visit https://www.rootconnections.co.uk/shop www.rootconnections.co.uk

Training Nights

Training for the u8s, u9s and u10s is every Friday 5 30-6 30pm at Stratton until we move to Writhlington floodlit astro for winter training every Friday at 5pm commencing 6th October.

There will also be u11s training every Monday at Stratton 5 30-6 30pm until we move to Norton Hill floodlit astro for winter training from Monday 2nd October and any players from the u10s are welcome to attend either or both sessions

New Team

This season we have a brand new Under 10s team entering the Midsomer Norton league The u10s are managed by Chris Bridges and players are from school year 5 and the stronger year 4s Under 10s play 7-a-side.

Stratton United has grown from just one u7 team two years ago, to three teams last season and now we’ll have five teams competing in two different leagues this coming season This growth is a tribute to the coaches, players and parents who have given their time, effort and trust to the club

Last season’s u7 development team managed by Andy Coombs will be entering the Midsomer Norton Youth Football League (MSNYFL) as Under 8s This is for players in school year 3 from September ’23 and matches are 5-a-side

Last season’s u8 Red and Blue teams will merge as Under 9s, playing in the MSNYFL, managed by Simon Matthews Under 9s is for children in school year 4 from September ’23 and is 7-a-side

The Committee

Chairman - Kevin Smith

Welfare Officer - Anna Parry

Head of Girls' Football - Tom Bona

Matches for all three teams will usually be Sundays at 10 30am but kick off times might need to be adjusted from time to time if two teams are home

This season’s Under 11s will move to 9-a-side with the introduction of the offside rule being enforced. The default kickoff time set by the league is Sundays at 2.30pm. Under 11s is for players in school year 6 and the stronger year 5s.

We have arranged for a regular, qualified referee for all u11 home games this season but we’ll really need a regular volunteer for running the line.

Our third brand new team is our Under 12 Girls who’ll be playing in the Somerset Girls’ League This new girls’ team is completely separate from Wildcats and Squad Girls Matches will be Saturday mornings and the team will be managed initially by Simon Matthews but we are looking for volunteers to get involved, particularly on match days

Fixtures

Midsomer Norton

Sat 16 Sep 2023

Clifton II 15:00

Midsomer Norton

Sat 23 Sep 2023

Midsomer Norton 15:00

Clevedon

Sat 30 Sep 2023

Longlevens 15:00

Midsomer Norton

Sat 14 Oct 2023

Chipping Sodbury 15:00

Midsomer Norton

Sat 21 Oct 2023

Midsomer Norton 15:00

Nailsea & Backwell

Sat 4 Nov 2023

Old Bristolians TBC

About Us

Midsomer Norton Rugby Football Club runs three adult teams with the First team playing in Tribute Western Counties North The team narrowly missed out on promotion having finished in second place they lost to Crediton in the playoff game The Second team finished off a superb season finishing in first position in their league and will be playing in Tribute Somerset 1 League in the 2019-20 season. The Third team play in Tribute Somerset 3 South and also play a number of friendly fixtures in the Bath Merit Table, while the Colts (under 18) compete in the Dorset and Wilts Colts Leagues

Midsomer Norton RFC also has a thriving Junior Section which has over 250 members and provides coaching, training and competitive games for boys and girls from 7 to 12 in its Mini Section on Sunday mornings. There are also male teams for each age group from U13s to U16s, the U17s & U18s play together as the Colts age group

MNRFC takes the welfare of children in its care very seriously and has recently been granted Accredited Status which confirms that proper Coaching and Child Protection standards are in place

Pictured MNRFU first XI ready for the 2023/23 season

St Vigors Church

It is with great sadness that in November 2022 the Parochial Church Council took the decision to close St Vigor’s Church as a worshipping community The churchyard remains open for families to remember their loved ones and visit graves and memorials After a difficult couple of years which saw several sudden deaths in the small congregation and huge bills for maintenance the PCC had to acknowledge they could no longer keep the building open A final service of thanksgiving for several hundred years of ministry and worship St Vigor’s was held in April after which the building has been returned to the keeping of the Diocese of Bath and Wells who will enter into a period of further consultation before deciding on the future of the building It is envisaged that this process will take a number of months

Stratton on the Fosse remains part of the Benefice and I continue to be Rector. The 9am Service has been moved to St John’s Chilcompton, where all are welcome to join in Holy Communion each Sunday

For up to date information, or to enquire about Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals, please visit the Benefice website www stvigorstjohn church Revd Esther Smith

Stratton on the Fosse Parish Council

Website WWW.STRATTON-PC.GOV.UK

The website details things to do with the Parish Council that you would expect like minutes of meetings, agendas and various reports concerning financial matters; It is governed by a lot of rules which are laid out as policies and procedures

It is much more than that though and is intended to be a source of information which will be useful for villagers and parishioners alike.

There are sections about the village itself and its history, including an account by a trainee teacher who was stationed in the village in 1956, the Village Hall, Community Garden and a map of the Parish along with many old and new photographs regarding the Parish and activities

There are Information sections about your MP and Unitary Counsellors and how to contact them, as well as a section about the police and the police commissioner and how to make contact with them

There is a whole section on medical facts which includes doctor’s information, hospital information and how to get help about mental health, dementia and coeliacs disease There is a section about schools, both local and private. The list is ever expanding, and if you spot something missing that you would like to see then please get in touch with Councillor Malcolm Daniels, whose contact details are at the bottom of each page of the website

Why a Community Garden

When our now teenage and grown up children were pre-school age, there were no play facilities in the village and a playgroup once a week One of the Mums, Clare went to see her MP to ask how do I get a playpark in my village? He said, get a group of likeminded people together, find a piece of land, fund raise and go for it!

A public meeting was held in June 2008 to gauge interest – the village hall was packed and a group of volunteers formed the Stratton Community Garden Committee – our first meeting was in the pub, we all put in £1 each to set up a bank account and those were the first steps to having the fantastic asset we have today!

Since then we have had a rolling programme of improvements including a picnic area Francis and Malcolm Daniels have created a fantastic wildflower meadow

There are funds ringfenced in the Parish council funds of nearly £8,000 and this is earmarked for an in the ground trampoline

The Parish Council have been negotiating with Downside to purchase the strip of land the community garden occupies.

Sapphire Alexander Fleming

Blackpool

1st September

Founded in 1614, Downside is one of England’s oldest and most well-recognised Catholic schools We provide a homefrom-home to 340 pupils, where boarders and day pupils share six distinct Houses and are proud of our fully international community, with 27 different nationalities represented

Our School is set in 500 acres of beautiful English countryside in the centre of Stratton-on-the-Fosse with extensive facilities including an indoor swimming pool, a 24/7 Health Centre, a Performing Arts Centre housing a 430-seat theatre, Sports Centre, and Recording Studio

Downside pupils are always keen to engage in community activity, whether it be taking part in school assemblies, demonstrating and sharing musical instruments, assisting with language education, helping with the village community garden or volunteering alongside Help for Homeless in Bath

Norton Down Methodist History

TheSociety,asthecongregationiscalled,startedmeetinginaroomatThe WhitePostInninDecember1872(aninterestingchoiceoflocationfor Methodists?)

We would like to welcome the whole parish to our weekly Mass at 10am every Sunday (term time only) in the Abbey Church Mass is celebrated by our School Chaplain, Father Michael Patey, and accompanied by our Schola Cantorum Downside’s Schola Cantorum is formed of boys and girls from all year groups and is proud to be the oldest Roman Catholic school choir in the United Kingdom

We would also like to welcome you to productions and events happening here at Downside - do follow our social media channels on Facebook and Instagram to see details, or contact our Marketing Manager, Melanie Woods mwoods@downsidecouk

ThechurchbuildingopenedinOctober1889onlanddonatedbythe Beauchampfamily ThearchitectwasprobablyanAnglicanfriendoftheBeauchampfamilyandalthoughithasalwaysbeenaMethodistChapel,the interiorlooksverymuchlikeanAnglicanChurch

Whenitwasbuilttherewasadefinitecommunityaroundthechurchandtheinnbutchangesacrosstheyearshaveresultedintheirrelative isolation Therecentallocationofhousingmaywellchangeallthat!

Here, Now the Future

The official membership of The Society is currently 30+ with Sunday congregations of 20 to 25 We meet every Sunday which includes monthly Holy Communion plus coffee morning every Wednesday

It has been a popular location for weddings and baptisms but the lack of a facilities hall has meant that Wedding Venues have become more attractive for the former Currently we still welcome a few weddings through the summer months

The Methodist ministers only stay at the one location for 5 years before moving to a new location (it has it’s advantages /disadvantages) August/ September is the time for those changes to take place across the country As part of that, a new minister has just arrived to take oversight of Norton Down Church plus 3 other churches His name is Andrew Prout who will be living in the Manse in Frome

Everyone is welcome to join us whether at a Sunday Service, Wednesday coffee morning or a fund raising event Blessings to all

Make us proud .....

We would like to see your photos of Stratton whether its an historic photo, landscape, sunset, the changing face of Stratton or just a pretty garden from the village. If you also have topics you want us to cover, or wish to advertise your business please email news.sof@gmail.com