MENTIONED in DISPATCHES

Dispatches

Barrington Village Fete –Saturday 20th August

JOIN THE VILLAGE of Barrington for an afternoon of live music, magic and Morris dancing. For the younger ones there is a bouncy castle, helter skelter, endless games, last man standing, face painting and much, much more!

Bring your four-legged friends too because they’re also holding a Family Dog Show with classes for pedigrees and ‘scruffs’!

Try your hand at skittles, splat the rat, and the ever-popular bottle tombola. Grand raffle –first prize £100. Join them for a cream tea or perhaps a burger or a drink from the licensed bar. Icecreams and cakes.

Over 40 local craft and produce stalls will be displaying their wares and there will be a great selection of classic cars for the enthusiasts. Look at the owl and hawk display or a walk down memory lane with our Barrington through the ages display. The Ilminster Thursday Group arranges a series of general interest talks on Thursday mornings from the autumn until the spring

The Ilminster Thursday Group is an independent local group of mainly retired people which began its 40-year life at Dillington House. From the early days when just a few members gathered for weekly talks, they now have a membership of usually around 200. Their permanent home is the Warehouse Theatre, Brewery Lane, Ilminster TA19 9AD, which has raked seats and excellent speaking and presentation facilities. They stage twenty weekly talks each year; ten during the autumn and ten during the spring. These begin at 10.15am and generally last for about 60 minutes with time afterwards for questions. Teas and coffees are available from 9.15am.

It is their policy to provide a balanced programme of talks and to encourage, where possible, local experts to share something of their knowledge and enthusiasms. Talks are not limited to local interests and each programme will include subjects which range over a wide spectrum of knowledge.

The 2022 autumn programme

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will include Trick or Treat - art fakes and forgeries, Out of Africa with Nomad, parts 1 & 2, a wonderful tale of travel, Blood Earth and Medicine and Devon’s Cloth Trade in the 18thc plus much more.

They currently have vacancies for the year 2022/23. Membership costs £25 per year which includes all 20 talks. Visitors are very welcome at £3.00 a visit, including a free coffee (or tea), provided there are seats available. If you are interested, please contact the Secretary, Sue Morley on 01460 53378 or email suemorley @talktalk.net or the Membership Secretary, Lesley Lusby on 01460 57914 or email nlc40@hotmail .com.

Summer at Somerset Museums

The Museum of Somerset and Somerset Rural Life Museum have a summer of imagination and celebration ahead for visitors. From discovering the myths and monsters of children’s literature, to a celebration of festival and fete inspired by the return of Glastonbury Festival, there’s plenty for all the family to enjoy. At the Museum of Somerset visitors can explore the wild worlds of Myths and Monsters in a new exhibition featuring artwork from some of our bestloved children’s stories. The exhibition brings together over 70 artworks by 17 of the most celebrated children’s book illustrators. Star contributors include: Axel Scheffler – The Gruffalo, Jim Kay – A Monster Calls, Chris Mould – The Iron Man and Victoria Topping Mythologica: An encyclopedia of gods, monsters and mortals from ancient Greece. The exhibition is created in collaboration with Events of Wonder.

Alongside the exhibition, young visitors can discover The Museum of Marvellous Things with interactive storytelling, activities, and a trail created by author and illustrator Kristina Stephenson. Children are also being invited to create a ‘Monster in a Jar’ which will go on display in the exhibition. There are lots of creative activities too, including making dream catchers, monster masks and finger puppets.

At Somerset Rural Life Museum visitors are being invited to join the party with a celebration of festivals and fetes. This summer the Glastonbury Festival returned after a two-year absence and the museum is marking the event with a display of photos. ‘Music, Mud, Mayhem: Photographing Glastonbury Festival’ brings together images from 20 years of the iconic festival. They have been captured by Somerset-based photographer Jason Bryant who has chosen his personal favourites for the exhibition.

For families there will be festival vibes with themed activities taking place throughout the holiday. Young artists will find plenty of ways to express themselves with a variety of arts and crafts on offer. These include making festival flags and friendship bracelets, flower power crafts and making a musical instrument. For the movers and groovers there is juggling, hula

The Museum of Somerset: Artwork by Victoria Topping, Poseidon from Mythologica written by Dr Steve Kershaw, Wide Eyed Editions. Somerset Rural Life Museum: Have a go at hula hooping with Mimosa Performance.

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hooping and a bubble bonanza. There will also be donkey rides.

Museums’ Manager Susie Simmons said: “Visitors of all ages can explore the fantastical world of their imagination and get in the festival spirt with a museum visit this summer!”

For daily activities taking place at the Museum of Somerset and Somerset Rural Life Museum visit www.swheritage.org.uk /events.

Bruton Choral Society are recruiting

Bruton Choral Society will resume rehearsals in September and are keen to recruit new members with some choral experience. They are a wellestablished and friendly group with a wide-ranging and eclectic repertoire including Vivaldi, Handel, Mozart, Schubert and Fauré as well as Rutter, Scott Joplin, George Shearing, spirituals, jazz and arrangements from musicals.

They have an exciting programme of events coming up: in 2023 they are celebrating their 30th Anniversary with two concerts planned for March and May, and then a Christmas Concert to round off the year. They meet to rehearse in Bruton on Wednesday evenings. For more details please go to the website: brutonchoralsociety .org.uk or contact Barbara on 01749 812708.

Bruton Choral Society are recruiting. Image: Andrew de Mora.

Willowfields, Lowerside Lane, Glastonbury, Somerset, BA6 9GY 01458 831020 28 High Street, Butleigh, Glastonbury, Somerset, BA6 8SY 01458 850654 or Street 01458 443677 Pound Pool, Somerton, Somerset, TA11 6LZ 01458 272297 or Langport 01458 250509 www.forseyandson.co.uk

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Images of Gillingham Past

The Slade Centre, the Gillingham art gallery, is departing from its usual practice of displaying the work of local artists and photographers to pursue a historical theme, taking as a subject the changing character of Gillingham in earlier times. The project is a coming together of The Slade Centre and the Gillingham Museum, which will be supplying the items on display.

Images of Gillingham Past explores the town from Victorian times to later decades through the lenses of its past photographers and the brushes of local artists. The core of the exhibition is the large collection of postcards and other street photographs held in the Museum, many of which were taken by local photography businesses and sold from their premises. Some of these pictures are arranged as vistas, allowing the town scene to be studied from particular viewpoints. The Museum also holds watercolours and oil paintings by local artists, and these will be on show along with extracts from older maps. A display of aerial views from the turn of this century enables the viewer to spot the changes which have taken place over the last two decades.

The Museum is pleased to be able to have a space in which such a large number of items can

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be exhibited at once, including views which have not been shown in public before.

The Slade Centre is located in the Square in Gillingham. The exhibition runs from Saturday 13th August to Saturday 3rd September. Opening times are Tuesday-Friday 9am to 4pm and Saturday 9am to 2pm. Entry is free. Visitors can also enjoy the refreshments from the coffee shop.

Norton Sub Hamdon Jubilee Nature Garden Jubilee Bop

A group of residents and friends have been working on an overgrown plot in the centre of the Village, to turn it into a village amenity, for all, to be called the ‘Jubilee Nature Garden’ work is ongoing, and more funds are needed.

To help with this, they are organising a ‘Jubilee Bop’ at Norton Sub Hamdon Village Hall. (TA14 6SF) on Saturday August 20th from 8pm-11pm. DJ Roy will be playing music from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. Dress to suit a decade optional. There will be prizes for the best dressed. Cash Bar and Raffle.

Tickets from Norton Community Shop, £8. each or £15 for 2. Everyone welcome, please come and support this project. Enquiries and info. please contact Jennie Harris, 01935 881718.

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Nick Rees - 50 Years a Potter: An exhibition at Muchelney Pottery 23 July - 24 September

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Nick says “I never tire of exploring the subtleties of form; for example, how a shape can change at the top of a pot by the process of taking away a little more clay in its lower part. The visual volume changes with even the slightest adjustment of

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