Wells Voice July 2021

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July 2021 Issue 49

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From Wells to the Love Island villa 24-year-old who grew up in city is contestant in new series of TV match-making show Turn to page 9

Warning of food link to cat deaths Vets investigating illnesses in Wells area as a number of pet food products are recalled Turn to page 10

Young players celebrate their success at junior tournament organised

by Wells City FC that saw nearly 100 teams take part – turn to page 37

Call to seize chance for better bus services WELLS is being urged to take advantage of an opportunity to improve bus services for the city.

The Government has launched a new bus strategy entitled Bus Back Better. Peter Travis, Co-Chair of Somerset Bus Partnership – a Somerset-wide

group of bus campaigners – says the strategy offers a chance of Government funding for upgrading bus services across the county, and that could mean a better bus service for Wells.

This was the message he was due to convey when addressing

Wells City Council at the council meeting on June 24. Mr Travis said: “The next four months could result in a much better bus service for Wells, that’s if the city seizes the opportunities on offer.”

Continued on page 4

25th anniversary Preloved fashion boutique will celebrate with some in-store surprises for customers Turn to page 14

COMPETITION Chance to win amazing prizes Two people will win wines, beers and cheeses from The Bishop’s Eye in our great competition Turn to page 21

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wellsvoice

July 2021

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n NEWS

‘Opportunity for everyone to celebrate’ MORE details have been announced about the Wake Up Wells Community Day: The Big Picnic being held on Saturday, July 24, from 11am-4pm.

Project Factory CIC has been awarded funding by the National Lottery Community Fund to organise the event.

Kirstie Harris, director of Project Factory, said: “This event has been postponed twice, so we are really excited to be able to put on one of the first community events after such a long and challenging period for most people. We’ve seen our community in action during the pandemic working together to support each other. This is a great opportunity to celebrate that community spirit. We hope people will bring a picnic, meet up with each other again and sample some of the delights that Wells has to offer.”

Inside the Cathedral, about 50 local organisations and clubs will be exhibiting and hope to recruit new members.

Pom Pom lady Tina Blackwill will be getting people moving, and there will be performances

by Wookey Hole Circus, Drum Together, the Beetlecrushers Clog Dancers and the Wells Amateur Bellringing Society.

There will be family workshops to try Djembe drumming, Christmas Craft in the Cloisters and the chance to make a mosaic leaf with Ruth Ames-White, who will be showing the progress she has made on Wells in Mosaic.

Outside, Wells Rotary is organising a country fete with have-a-go activity stalls such as a coconut shy, skittles, circus

Wookey Hole Circus will be among those performing at the Wake Up Wells Community Day: The Big Picnic on July 24 skills with Wookey Hole Circus, pig racing with Wells Lions, tombolas, face painting (Covid permitting), turban dressing with Khalsa Aid and country dancing demonstrations.

Rotary Club President Wendy Ray said: “Wells Rotary are absolutely delighted to be joining hands with Project Factory on Wells Community Day. As we all come out of lockdown, this big event will be a wonderful opportunity for everyone to celebrate, have fun, enjoy a big picnic, lots of activities to take part in, with plenty of musical entertainment in the background. We look forward to this joyous occasion.”

Wellspring Music Recovery Group is organising live music from Wells City Band, Glastonbury Male Voice Choir, ZZ Birmingham Blues Band,

Constituency could be redrawn THE boundaries of the Wells parliamentary constituency could change under new proposals announced by the Boundary Commission for England.

A public consultation is taking place on proposed changes across the country designed to make representation more equal. The number of seats in the House of Commons would remain at 650 but the number of constituencies in England would increase from 533 to 543.

The new constituency of Wells and Mendip Hills would include the eastern part of the current Weston-super-Mare seat, and see Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge become part of the new Bridgwater seat.

The initial public consultation continues until August 2 at www. bcereviews.org.uk Two more consultations will follow on revised proposals in 2022, with a final report due in June 2023.

Got News? Call 07906 499655

The Portraits and Wells Jazz Collective. Mendip Community Police will also be bike marking.

Gert and Daisy will be telling

stories of their life ‘below stairs’ at the Swan Hotel, and there will be a short outdoor play, The Monmouth Pageant, with Wells Civic Society.

Project Factory and Wells Community Network are funding the Sustainable Wells Fresh & Good Collective Ploughman’s Lunch picnic, which is bookable in advance for a donation.

Wells Cathedral School’s Quilter Hall will be open for percussion workshops, and Wells Museum will be open for free for one day only. At The Bishop’s Palace there will be four outdoor performances for children, The Magic Garden (for younger children) and Robin Hood (for older children), each performing twice. These will be on the South Lawn and are free for members and ticket holders. For nonticket holders the croquet lawn will be open from lunchtime so people can take along their own picnic.

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www.wellsvoice.co.uk CONTAC TS Editor and publisher Andy Vallis andy@wellsvoice.co.uk 07906 499655 01749 675157 Advertising sales@wellsvoice.co.uk 01749 675157 Editorial news@wellsvoice.co.uk 07906 499655 01749 675157

Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ wellsvoice Follow us on Twitter: @wells_voice View every issue online at issuu.com/ wellsvoice A member of the Independent Community News Network

LOC AL INFORMATION

AUGUST DEADLINE

Wells City Council www.wells.gov.uk 01749 673091 Police www.avonandsomerset.police.uk General inquiries: 101 Emergency: 999 Fire www.dsfire.gov.uk General inquiries: 01392 872 200 Emergency: 999 NHS www.nhs.uk Urgent calls: 111 Emergency: 999

To ensure your news or letter is included in the August issue, please contact us by July 14.

YOUR VIE WS Letters for publication can be sent by email to news@wellsvoice.co.uk. We reserve the right to edit letters.

COMPL AINTS Despite our best efforts, we sometimes get things wrong.

We always try to resolve issues informally at first but we also have a formal complaints procedure. If you have a complaint about anything in Wells Voice, contact the Editor using the details above. We aspire to follow the Code of Conduct of the NUJ (National Union of Journalists), which holds journalists to a high standard of behaviour. Further details of the complaints process can be found on the Wells Voice website, or can be obtained by contacting the Editor.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Wells Voice is independent. We cannot take responsibility for content or accuracy of adverts, and it is advertisers’ responsibility to conform to all relevant legislation. We cannot vouch for any services offered. Opinions are not necessarily those of the editor. Wells Voice is distributed each month to residents.

Feedback is always welcomed – email news@wellsvoice.co.uk. This month 6,850 copies will be distributed around Wells and surrounding villages.

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July 2021

Chance to press for better bus services From page 1 The Government’s new Bus Strategy comes with £3 billion of funding for improving buses in England outside of London.

To speed up bus journey times, buses are to be accorded a priority, especially on urban routes, with more bus lanes being required and even the removal of parking spaces on key bus routes in towns.

Bus Back Better also calls for improvements to be made to bus shelters and bus stations to make travelling by bus a more attractive experience. The main focus is to achieve a significant shift from driving by car to going by bus.

Somerset County Council discussed the Bus Back Better scheme at a cabinet meeting on June 21. The council is due to produce a Bus Service Improvement Plan by October and will seek to develop a formal ‘Enhanced Partnership’ with bus operators by April 2022, as it prepares to bid for a share of the funding.

“This is great opportunity to seek to bring new Government transport investment to Somerset to help tackle our rural transport challenges,” said a county council spokesperson.

Mr Travis said: “Somerset currently has a very poor record on buses, it has the fourth lowest use of buses in the country. Over the past 10 years there’s been a 43 per cent fall in bus usage and this was even before Covid struck. So, Somerset should be a big beneficiary from Bus Back Better.

“It is therefore important that Wells benefits from this Government funding that will be coming to Somerset. Over the next six weeks, Wells needs to prepare its case to send to Somerset outlining the bus improvements the city needs.”

Improving bus services could mean extending current routes, adding new routes, increasing the frequency of buses, ensuring there is a good evening and weekend service, and generally improving the overall quality of bus services.

Peter Travis in Wells One of the suggestions Mr Travis was planning to make at the city council meeting is an express route from Wells to Castle Cary and the railway station there.

Councillor Jenny Rust reported on the Bus Back Better scheme at the city council meeting in May. She said: “This is a win-win situation. It is a way in which we can work together to improve public transport for all citizens by providing regular timetabled services which will get people out of their cars, reduce traffic pollution and help make a reality of our declared Climate Emergency.

“For poorer members of society and those without individual transport it can provide social and employment opportunities.”

Rob Pym, First West of England Commercial Director, said that the company is keen to develop Wells bus services.

He said: “We very much welcome and support the National Bus Strategy and look forward to working with Somerset County Council, North Somerset Council and the West of England Combined Authority to develop and secure the best possible recovery for our services linking Wells with other parts of our region.

“We will also be working closely with our colleagues at First South West, who have a number of services linking Wells with other parts of Somerset.”

Email: sales@wellsvoice.co.uk

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July 2021

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New call for bus station improvements A RENEWED call has been made for improvements to Wells Bus Station.

In 2019, Wells resident Susan Hartnett spoke at a Wells City Council meeting about holes in the surface of the bus parking area at Wells Bus Station, pointing out these were dangerous to bus passengers when buses lurched into them.

Wells Voice reported on Susan’s call for improvements to the bus station, which is the responsibility of Mendip District Council, and the council said at the time it would be “taking a more holistic approach to the area with a view to longer term improvements, working with its partners to ensure that the space is fit for the future and meets a range of needs”.

Susan says now: “Two years on, and their ‘holistic approach’ to Wells Bus Station has only resulted in even more, bigger and deeper holes. And we’re yet

Susan Hartnett pictured at Wells Bus Station in 2019 to see any improvements in any other areas.”

She explained that both her husband and one of her sons work as bus drivers and so she knows the problems caused for bus passengers and for bus drivers by what she calls “the sad and sorry state of our bus station”.

She pointed out that the Government has called for

improvements to be made to bus services, and said: “Wells Bus Station should be top of the list for immediate action.”

A district council spokesperson said: “Mendip District Council are managing the Wells Bus Station with a view to completing a wider review of the solution. This includes the bus station, its facilities and to make it fit for the future. The

council has been required to divert resources to manage the impacts of Covid, however, we are now in the position to once again review this project. We have just evaluated the potholes, with a view to carrying out these works as soon as possible.”

The First bus company said it was not aware of buses suffering damage because of the potholes, nor of any complaints from passengers.

Robert Sanderson, First West of England Commercial Operations Manager Bath and Wells, said: “We are aware of some large potholes in Wells Bus Station but there has been no damage to buses that we are aware of, or complaints from customers. However, the safety of our customers and staff is our number one priority and we are working with the local authority, whose responsibility this is, to address this issue as soon as possible.”

SOLD IN JUNE

Victorian & Later Effects Tuesday 6th July at 10am

[Viewing: Monday 5th July - 10am until 7pm]

Antiques & Collectables Saturday 10th July at 10am

[Viewing: Thursday 8th July - 10am until 6pm and Friday 9th July - 10am until 7pm]

Cameo brooch Sold £420

Reg Gammon, Green Calf, oil on board Sold £2200

Victorian & Later Effects Tuesday 20th July at 10am

An oyster veneered Cabinet on stand Sold £3600

[Viewing: Monday 19th July - 10am until 7pm]

Enamelled advertising sign Sold £550

Entries invited for all our future sales

We are now open for valuations between 10am and 3pm each weekday (no appointment necessary). Free home visits available.

It is also possible to attend our auctions.

View the fully illustrated catalogues and bid online via www.mendipauctionrooms.co.uk and thesaleroom.com

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Air King wristwatch Sold £2000 George V silver tray Sold £900

17th century oak refectory table Sold £1800

Rookery Farm, Binegar, Somerset. BA3 4UL. Tel: +44 (01749) 840770 | e. enquiries@mendipauctionrooms.co.uk mendipauctionrooms.co.uk

Got News? Call 07906 499655

Email: news@wellsvoice.co.uk

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July 2021

n NEWS

Vaccination marshals thanked for help PRAISE has been heaped on the Wells Coronavirus Network marshals who have helped with the vaccination programme at West Mendip Hospital.

Since it started seven months ago: n Almost 40,000 jabs have been given in 14,000 hours across 3,500 shifts n 150 volunteer marshals and 141 practice staff have been involved They have been supported

by Festival Medical Services, the charity that looks after sick or injured fans at Glastonbury Festival, Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group and the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust.

“What we have achieved would simply not be possible without the help of the WCN volunteers,” said Dr Mike Pearce, a Wells City Practice partner and the Clinical Director for the vaccinations at the hospital.

Wells Coronavirus Network vaccine marshals with Dr Mike Pearce at West Mendip Hospital “They have turned up in fog, hail, rain and cold but have finished in sunshine.

“This shows how voluntary and NHS organisations can work together to great success.

“The whole health community of West Mendip look forward to working together in the future as

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WCN transforms into the Wells Community Network.”

In recognition of the commitment and hours served, Dr Pearce said the NHS has made a generous donation to the WCN. Dr Pearce also paid tribute to Ruth Diligent, Matron of West Mendip Hospital, for being so welcoming and helpful, and Sharon Morgan, who managed the whole process for the six months.

To get the vaccinations done efficiently five health practices in West Mendip worked together: Wells Health Centre, Wells City Practice, Vine in Street, Glastonbury Surgery and Glastonbury Health Centre.

Sharon is the Managing Partner at Vine Surgery in Street.

Dr Pearce also thanked IT Lead Marion Chapman and the Somerset Community Foundation for their support.

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Beryl Fricker was the winner of five £10 vouchers in May’s Wells Loyalty League draw. She is pictured having just received the vouchers with Sharon Clarke of Brownes Garden Centre.

Wells loyalty scheme members Amba, Basil Powell, Bishop’s Eye, Brownes Garden Centre, Gallery Jewellers, London House, Mansfield Opticians, Microbitz Computers, Millicans Eye Centre, Peter Douglas of Wells, Protec, Rock House Dental Practice, Roly’s Fudge Pantry, Ron Thompson Carpets, Runway, Scribbles, Studleys Jewellers, The Changing Room, The Grape and The Good, The Laundry, Whiting & Son. To join the scheme, contact Robert Powell (robert.powell2@btconnect.com), Rob Bevan (rob@protec-wells.com) or Louis Agabani (louis@bishopseye.com)

To advertise, contact Andy on 01749 675157

Email: sales@wellsvoice.co.uk

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July 2021

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Lions say Moat Boat Race can’t go ahead THE City of Wells Lions have announced that there will be no Moat Boat Race this year.

They had hoped to stage the event again on August Bank Holiday Monday but say that it will not now be possible.

The Lions said: “The combination of uncertainty about easing of restrictions, the concern about being able to raise sufficient sponsorship and the difficulties that many of the businesses who support this event are facing has, sadly, meant that we cannot go ahead this year.

“We hope that throughout the coming months we are able to restart significant fundraising, in particular for the local charities which we regularly support, and that by next summer we are able to bring Wells the Moat Boat Race once again.”

Although the Lions have only held meetings via Zoom, they have been busy in the community, in particular with the ‘Laptops for schools’ project.

Their appeal for unused laptops brought forward about 50 in total and they expressed their gratitude to all those who donated them.

The Lions added: “Our thanks also go to the back room boys at Microbitz and Wellscope who cleaned the laptops’ disks to remove personal data and repurposed them to be compatible with the school systems. Our team member in this project was Wells Coronavirus Network whose volunteers took calls from donors and helped with collection. City of Wells Lions are very grateful to all who assisted in this project.”

Got News? Call 07906 499655

Rob and Karen Rouse with the wall plaque they were given

Farewell thank you presentation WELLS Arthritis Group made a farewell presentation to Rob and Karen Rouse at The Britannia Inn, Wells, on June 14.

The couple have retired after running the pub for 35 years, and they were given a wall plaque with a picture on it of Wells Cathedral to thank them for all they have done for the group over the years.

Group founder member

Nancy Dodd joined committee members from the Wells branch, including chairman Jim Parfitt, for the presentation.

Mike Stevens also presented Rob and Karen with flowers on behalf of Wells Carnival Committee, which meets at The Britannia.

“We will all will miss them but we wish them a very happy retirement,” said Jim.

Email: news@wellsvoice.co.uk

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July 2021

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Palace decides popular People’s Ticket here to stay THE Bishop’s Palace has decided to keep offering the ‘People’s Ticket’ on a permanent basis because of its popularity.

The People’s Ticket was introduced a year ago to allow locals to visit all year round for just £15.

Created in response to the pandemic and the desire to encourage local people to enjoy this tremendous asset on their doorstep, the Palace had aimed to give a significant benefit to all those living in the area, whilst still keeping the site open for day trippers and tourists during the holiday season.

The ticket proved to be an immediate hit with thousands buying the pass in the first few months as the gardens reopened after the national lockdown.

Visitor Experience Manager Laura Richards said: “We were delighted to begin to welcome so many people who had lived in

The Palace has been thanked for its efforts in keeping the Gardens open for all to enjoy throughout the past year Wells all of their life but had felt that the Palace & Gardens were just for tourists. They have now

realised that there is an oasis of beauty and peace right in the city centre that they can use as their

own garden all year round for just £15.”

Comments have flooded in throughout the year thanking the Palace for its efforts in keeping the Gardens open for all to enjoy.

Visitor Julie Heath said: “Thank you for everything you have done this year to bring a place of escape and tranquillity to our lives. It has made a real difference and we are grateful.”

Veronika Elks said: “You have given so much joy to the community through this year.

Bless you all.”

To date, the Palace has sold more than 25,000 People’s Tickets. It is keen to let all those who bought the tickets last year know that the offer is now ongoing, so locals can pop in to renew their ticket when it expires, for the same price of £15. u Medieval Weekend, page 33

Council gives boost to sculpture project WELLS City Council is throwing its full support behind the project to bring a sculpture by Antony Gormley to the city.

The council has made a substantial donation to the project which is expected to increase visitor numbers and have a positive impact on the High Street and the hospitality business.

The sculpture, a new work on loan from the world-famous artist, will be installed on the West Front of Wells Cathedral

at the end of August. Entitled DOUBT, and the only new work

by Gormley anywhere in the country this year, it is expected to arouse national interest.

The burgeoning cafe culture in the centre of the city, the People’s Ticket at the Bishop’s Palace and fine weather for ‘staycations’ are all encouraging signs of a return to normality, and with this endorsement the city council is signalling its support for cultural activities that will benefit residents and

improve community well-being.

Philip Welch, Mayor of Wells, said: “I thank Antony Gormley for loaning this sculpture which will attract visitors from across the country and help the city’s economy recover from the effects of the Covid lockdowns.”

Emma Lefevre, Director of Project Factory CIC which is behind the fundraising for the project, said: “We are delighted that the council is leading the way with its support for the Gormley Project.

“Project Factory is keen to build partnerships that will make the city more resilient and better able to meet new challenges.

We are proud that the Gormley Project is able to offer a joinedup approach that includes input from the Wells Heritage Partners and local schools and we are collaborating with the chamber of commerce on opportunities for businesses. We have a tremendous opportunity here to grow a healthy and prosperous community with a solid future.”

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July 2021

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Love Island Jake will have city’s support

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Love Islander Jake Cornish

Picture © ITV

adding: “But for me, the main thing is having respect and having good fun, and someone who will be loyal to you. I’ve had messages from girls that have got boyfriends and husbands.

This is why I don’t trust anyone.

Someone who is loyal really. But when I’m single, I like having a good time!”

His ideal woman, he said, is TV reality star Billie Faiers: “She is my dream woman. I think for a laugh once with the boys, I messaged her. I can’t remember what I messaged her. She’s a lady, she’s just lush.” n Love Island starts at 9pm on Monday, June 28, on ITV2 and ITV Hub. Episodes are available the following morning on BritBox.

PRIORY D E N TA L

Inspector rejects planning appeal A PLANNING Inspector has dismissed an appeal against a refusal to grant outline planning permission for up to 148 homes on land to the north of Wookey Hole Road.

Land Allocations Ltd had appealed against the decision by Mendip District Council to turn down plans for homes on land known locally as Armchair Field, next to Underwood Business Park.

Among reasons given

for rejecting the appeal, the Inspector said that the proposal would be harmful to the landscape setting of Wells, the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty setting, and the Underwood Special Landscape Feature.

“Whilst the proposal is in outline form, a proposal for up to 148 dwellings would result in this erosion of the openness and rural setting leading to landscape harm,” he said.

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ONE of the contestants on the new series of Love Island will have the people of Wells firmly behind him.

Until recently, Jake Cornish, aged 24, had lived in the city all his life. He went to Stoberry Park School and Wells Blue E L Wells L S City’s School, and W attended soccer school from the age of five, progressing through to the Under 18s and on to the men’s teams. He also played in the Wells & District Skittles League for the Clubmen team, whose home alley is at The Pheasant Inn in Wookey.

When he stopped playing football, he joined Kingdom Training gym at Keward Mill Trading Estate, off Jocelyn Drive, to keep fit. For a while he was a driver for his uncle’s IDel Group delivery services company which has a base in Shepton Mallet, then in the past year he moved to Weston-super-Mare, where he is now a water engineer.

Viewers will be able to see how he gets on in the Love Island villa – where a group of singletons hope to find love – when the new series begins on ITV2 on June 28.

Jake’s father Mark said: “We would like all the local people in Wells to vote and support Jake WtoEthe L final.”

LS on his journey Jake said that he wanted to take part in this series because after being in a relationship for seven years, he was single when lockdown hit, so the opportunity was there.

He said that looks wise, he has always gone for blondes,

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July 2021

n NEWS

Food warning after surge of cat deaths CAT owners are being warned not to use certain cat foods after dozens of fatalities across the country for which it is thought the food may be responsible.

Several cats in the Wells area are being investigated for blood disorders that could be linked to their food – and one has had to be euthanised because it became so severely ill.

A number of pet food products manufactured by Fold Hill Foods have now been recalled because of an increase in cats showing up at vets’ surgeries with pancytopenia, a condition where the number of blood cells rapidly decrease, causing serious illness.

A possible link has been established to the diet of the affected cats.

The recalled products include the Sainsbury’s Hypoallergenic Recipe range, Pets at Home’s AVA range and Applaws Cat Dry products. There is a full

Certain pet foods may be behind a spate of cat illnesses and deaths list at www.food.gov.uk/newsalerts/alert/fsa-prin-36-2021.

Anyone who has bought any of the products should stop feeding them to their cat.

Vet Martin Law is a Director of Shepton Vets and Wells Vets.

He said: “We are currently monitoring a few patients across both sites that were known to be feeding one of the brands.”

He said that the owner of the cat that had to be euthanised at

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She is a sweet kitty who adapted OK to being fostered but needs a patient and experienced owner who will guide her to a more normal life for a cat, enjoying time outdoors.

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Glastonbury & Wells Cats Protection Email: gill@straymoggie.co.uk Telephone: 01749 850660 www.cats.org.uk/glastonbury

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Shepton Vets was angry at the thought that the cat’s food might be to blame – and also felt guilty that they had fed the cat the food in the first place.

“Obviously guilt is natural but they had no way at all of knowing, especially as their cat is one of the first few fatalities listed nationwide,” said Martin.

Sarah Wheadon, who is one of Shepton Vets’ main felinefocused vets, said: “Information

relating to this distressing and highly fatal disease is being collated by the Royal Veterinary College in London. As of June 21, they were aware of 278 cases with, sadly, a 70 per cent mortality rate. It is likely that many cases have as yet gone unreported.

“So far, the only common link found between affected cats is having been fed certain dry diets made at a single plant in the UK. It is not yet certain that food is responsible.

“Many cats show non-specific signs of illness such as loss of appetite and/or lethargy for a day or two before typical signs like bleeding from the mouth and nose or bruising become evident.

“We would encourage all owners to take their cats off any of the listed diets as a precaution and contact their vet if they have any concerns. These cases often deteriorate rapidly and are devastating for all involved.”

GLASTONBURY & WELLS CATS PROTECTION

NEUTERING CAMPAIGN

From 15th April 2021 to 31st August 2021 the charity will offer vouchers to help with neutering costs of cats whose owners are on low income or income support benefits.

We are repeating the special price we offered in our last campaign. Owners will pay £5.00 per cat and the charity will pay the balance and, also microchip your cat for free.

This offer is open to residents in Glastonbury, Wells, Street, Cheddar and Shepton Mallet and surrounding areas.

Contact a volunteer for your voucher:

Julia on 07833 634087 Emma on 07717 837040 Holly on 07855 075962 Gill on 01749 850660 A neutered cat is a happy and healthy cat so be a responsible owner and phone for your voucher.

Pedigree cats are not eligible and vouchers will only be issued for participating vets.

Glastonbury and Wells Cats Protection Reg Charity No: 203644 (England & Wales) and SCO37711 (Scotland)

www.cats.org.uk/glastonbury

Email: sales@wellsvoice.co.uk

wellsvoice

July 2021

11

n NEWS Artist navigates way round map wells in mosaic

Ruth and Ian Ames-White with the template for the six-metre diameter mosaic circle

THE beautiful Wells in Mosaic is moving on apace and as artist Ruth Ames-White moves across the circular design, the city centre map is beginning to unfold.

Around the map, windows and quatrefoils will depict the rich built and social history of Wells. Each of these and other depictions – trees, cows, streets and buildings – can be ‘sponsored’ so that everyone can have a personal link to something which will be a lasting legacy to the city.

Around the outside of the mosaic individually engraved blue lias stones will display the logo or names of those who have made significant donations.

To be a part of this unique project, and to watch the progress, go to the website at: www.wellsinmosaic.org Once completed, the mosaic will be sited at Wells Recreation Ground.

New search to find operator for pub STAR Pubs & Bars is looking for a new operator for The King’s Head in Wells.

The company is poised to restart building work on the pub in High Street once a new operator is found.

A £560,000 refurbishment, which started in March 2020, had been halted as a result of the pandemic, leading the operators who were planning to run The Kings Head to take on another of the group’s pubs that was already operational.

Star Pubs & Bars will be holding an open day at The Kings Head on July 14, from 9.30am5pm by appointment only, offering prospective applicants the opportunity to tour the pub and ask questions of Business Development Manager Gavin Perkins.

To book an appointment, contact Gavin at gavin.perkins@ starpubs.co.uk or Hayley Deans at Hayley.deans@starpubs.co.uk Gavin said: “We were hugely disappointed when the pandemic

halted building work, but totally understood why the previous applicants couldn’t wait for it to be completed.

“The prominent location, refurbishment and the business model on offer, will I am sure attract a lot of interest as it offers a low risk, low-cost route to running your own pub for those with hospitality or retail management experience.

“It is important for Wells that we find the right operator for the site.”

It is expected that the pub will reopen this year after building work restarts, creating 12 new jobs.

The internal and external upgrade of the pub will include the creation of a courtyard garden, two back-to-back indoor bars with a midsection for showing live music and screening sports events, a raised gallery with tables and chairs, an upstairs sports area where customers can play SMART darts and a new kitchen.

Got News? Call 07906 499655

Registration now open for September Whether you want to lose weight or just eat more healthy, nutritious meals, Andres Kitchen has the answer.

We produce ready-prepared healthy / weight-loss meals which take away all the shopping, preparing and cooking, so are perfect for the busy life. If you are looking to lose weight or make healthier choices, or you just want to have home-cooked meals delivered fresh to your doorstep, we have meals to suit.

Our plan supplies lunch and an evening meal from Monday to Friday (with the optional extra of Saturday). All meals are delivered fresh twice a week on Sunday evenings (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday meals) and Wednesday evenings (Thursday, Friday and Saturday meals). Microwave heating is all that is required, with the odd meal to be oven cooked, although all meals can be oven heated.

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Email: news@wellsvoice.co.uk

wellsvoice

12

July 2021

n NEWS Three for voters to choose from THERE will be three candidates in the forthcoming St Thomas Ward by-election to choose a new city councillor: Denise Dennis (Wells Independents), Tony Robbins (Liberal Democrat) and Mandy ThomasAtkin (Conservative Party).

The election will take place on Tuesday, July 13.

Reading event

A special open day was held in May to allow visitors to see the renovated garden at Wells & Mendip Museum.

Pictured are museum volunteers, including some of those who worked on the garden, with Mayoress Caroline Welch and others invited to see the improvements. The garden will be open to museum visitors, and will be available for hire for weddings, conferences, functions and local interest groups.

Tourism work progressing well WELLS’ tourism infrastructure continues to be improved as the city looks to widen its appeal and welcome more visitors this summer.

An agreement has been reached between Wells City Council and Wells Heritage Partners (which include Wells Cathedral, The Bishop’s Palace and Wells & Mendip Museum) to combine wellssomerset.com and visitwellssomerset.com into a single state-of-the-art website, and meetings are underway with website developers.

Merryn Kidd Marketing

has been contracted by Wells Heritage Partners to manage and deliver Visit Wells social media across all platforms and Merryn will be sourcing custom video footage to upload in the coming weeks.

In partnership with Project Factory, a new visitor brochure is being created – something Wells currently lacks – which will provide visitors with ideas of what they can do in and around Wells, with reasons to stay for longer.

It is also hoped to establish a Walkers are Welcome group in

Wells and St Cuthbert Out this summer. Walkers are Welcome is a nationwide network of accredited towns that aim to develop and promote walking in their locality.

“The particular priority is to fill the ‘Wells gap’ on the Mendip Way between Cheddar and the Shepton Mallet and Frome stages to the East,” said Andy Webb of Visit Wells.

He added: “Together, we hope that the steps we are taking will give tourism in the area a boost and improve the visitor experience.”

THE ‘Wild World Heroes’ Summer Reading Challenge is being launched at Wells Library on Saturday, July 10, at 10.30am, when there will be a presentation for children aged 9-11 on The Fascinating World of Beetles.

Spaces are limited so booking is essential. Email wlslib@ somerset.gov.uk or call 0300 123 2224.

Breakfast forum CRANDON Springs Care Home on Glastonbury Road, Wells, is hosting a Professionals’ Breakfast business networking event on July 28 from 7.30am-9am.

Professionals in and around the Wells area are invited.

To register attendance, email crandonsprings@barchester.com

Change of date THE Wells Arthritis Group has had to reschedule the meeting that was going to be held in Wells Town Hall on June 28.

It is now due to take place on August 23 (2pm).

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Email: sales@wellsvoice.co.uk

wellsvoice

July 2021

13

n NEWS

Performance venue among ideas for Barn A LIVE music and theatre venue and an exhibition space were among suggestions for future uses for The Bishop’s Barn made at a public meeting.

About two dozen members of the public attended the meeting in the Barn on June 9, organised

by Wells City Council to share ideas about its potential uses.

Control of the Barn and Recreation Ground is due to be transferred to the city council

by Mendip District Council in the next month or two; they were given to the people of Wells by the Bishop of Bath and Wells more than 100 years ago, but came under the control of Mendip with local government reorganisation in 1974.

At the meeting, Paul Cannon, a member of Wells Jazz Collective, said that the Barn is a “brilliant venue” for live music.

He said that the Collective has used the Barn in the past and loved playing there.

Neil Johnson, a director of Wells Theatre Festival, said that he had been involved in performances in the Barn, and would be very keen to see it used as a performance venue.

Another member of the public said, on behalf of the Jesmarie’s

The Barn is a Grade I listed building Painters art group, that it would be lovely if they could hold exhibitions in the Barn.

Town Clerk Steve Luck said that a considerable amount of money will need to be spent to bring the Barn – a Grade I listed building – up to a reasonable standard for public use. The Trust that manages the Barn and Recreation Ground has £470,000 from the sale of Park Cottage, but extra funding will be needed.

Chris Winter, chair of Wells Civic Society, said there were estimates several years ago that millions of pounds would be needed to bring the building to a really good state. She said

Book on life as bishop’s secretary AN apartment owner at Churchill Retirement Living’s St Athelm Lodge development in Wells has recently published a book about her life as a bishop’s secretary.

The Non-Stop Years: Life at Bishop’s House is Mary Cryer’s personal account of her time as secretary to the Bishop of Southwark, Mervyn Stockwood, who she served for 17 years.

During that time he and Mary came into contact with many famous and celebrated people, including Princess Margaret, the Queen Mother, and Sir John Betjeman, as well as the late Princess Diana’s father Lord Spencer. The book mentions some of the places that Mary travelled to with the bishop, such as the Lake of Galilee, the Dead Sea, and the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem.

It also covers her wideranging prior career as a clerk for the Bank of England, a secretary

the society was very supportive of a scheme that will bring the building back into use, but was a little worried that the amount of work that needs to be done has been under-estimated.

There was a request from someone else that future work should include the installation of a Loop system to assist people who use hearing aids.

Others mentioned noise as a potential issue, and parking.

Norman Kennedy, a city councillor, listed other venues in the city such as the Portway Annexe and the Town Hall, and asked: “Who is going to use all these halls?”

Mr Johnson said he did not think there are enough spaces in Wells, and Deputy Mayor Oliver Hartley said that people are travelling to places such as Bath and Bristol for activities when more could be organised for them in Wells if only there was the space.

Questions were asked about whether the city council was the right body to run the building, and whether the council had the capacity to promote it, as it had great potential and could bring visitors to Wells.

Tessa Munt, the county councillor for Wells, said that the city council should be ambitious on behalf of Wells, and that Wells should take on those things that belong to Wells. “It should be up to us to charge the city council with finding the right way to run this. The potential is enormous,” she said.

Mr Luck and Mayor Philip Welch both said that the city council is an ambitious council.

“We don’t make any apology for that,” said Mr Welch.

He concluded by saying that the meeting had come up with lots of interesting ideas that had been noted down, and that there would be more of these sort of meetings.

THE MORTGAGE CENTRE James & Co Financial Services Market Chambers 5b Queen Street Wells Somerset BA5 2DP Tel: 01761 492922 david.sinclair@theopenworkpartnership.com CONTACT US FOR:

MORTGAGE / RE-MORTGAGE BUY-TO-LET / COMMERCIAL Mary Cryer with a copy of her book for the Daily Telegraph, and a secretary for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. After her time with the Bishop of Southwark she also went on to be secretary to the Bishop of Canterbury.

Got News? Call 07906 499655

EQUITY RELEASE LIFE ASSURANCE CRITICAL ILLNESS INCOME PROTECTION Email: news@wellsvoice.co.uk

wellsvoice

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July 2021

n NEWS

Shop set to celebrate 25th anniversary

WELLS preloved fashion boutique The Changing Room will celebrate its 25th anniversary in July.

The shop opened in Queen Street in mid-July 1996, and owner Jeanne London has witnessed a lot of changes since then.

She said: “Over 25 years a lot has happened, many shops have changed. Thousands of buyers and sellers have passed through our door, some have moved away, some have passed on. New people have moved into Wells, babies come in with their parents and we watch them grow through school days and onward.”

She has seen how fashion has changed since the 1990s.

In 1996, style was generally more formal, particularly for special occasions, she says, and gradually dress has become more casual. Now, men rarely buy suits and ties and women do not want trouser suits. Jeanne says

Jeanne London in The Changing Room, the shop in Queen Street she has run since 1996

Celebrating

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that working from home due to Covid-19 has speeded up this change.

The Changing Room has a constantly renewed range of modern, vintage and retro fashion for men and women, spread over three floors. As well as clothing, shoppers are likely to find shoes, belts, handbags and wraps.

“Our women’s and men’s clothing and accessories are very popular with buyers of all ages, from sixth formers up to some very trendy octogenarians all looking for sustainable quality and style at an affordable price whilst helping the planet by buying preloved instead of fast fashion,” said Jeanne.

“Over the years internet shopping has grown hugely which has affected our high street shops, in particular smaller independent shops.

The Changing Room now has

an online presence which is going well but there really is no substitute for ‘going shopping’, meeting people and generally interacting; after all, computers are hardly good conversationalists, are they?

“Over 25 years of trading I have to thank all the lovely people who have bought and sold through the shop and the many fantastic staff members, starting with Rebecca who has helped me in one way or another throughout, Fay, Diane, Claire and many others in between, and Victoria, still with me over many years. Thank you to you all for such amazing support throughout.

“To celebrate, during week commencing July 12, there will be some surprises, perhaps some giveaways, and there will, of course, be balloons.

“Watch the window and social media.”

Playscheme for young children STEPPING Stones Playgroup is launching a new Summer Holiday Playscheme tailored to the needs of the little ones aged 0-5, open to all children and their carers from Wells and beyond. There will be a Teddy

Bear’s Picnic, a search for buried treasure in the grounds, the singing of rhymes and games, or a chance to stay and play.

The playgroup is based at Stoberry Park School, North Road.

Email: sales@wellsvoice.co.uk

wellsvoice

July 2021

15

n NEWS

Quilt captures pupils’ waves of emotion

By Emma James CHILDREN, parents and staff of St Cuthbert’s CofE Junior School have come together to produce a beautiful quilt, the result of a well-being art project designed to enable the expression of feelings through creativity.

The project is called Same Sea Different Boats, and was created by educational therapist Vanessa McArdy, who explains: “We have all been in the ‘same sea’ in this global pandemic, but our individual experiences have been varied, ie, ‘different boats’.”

Rachel Murtagh, Year 5/6 teacher and art specialist, joined the school in September and was very keen to get the project off the ground at St Cuthbert’s having heard about its success in other parts of the country.

“The project has allowed everyone to express how they are feeling,” says Rachel, “and it’s easier to do this by drawing rather than verbalising. The children have experienced a whole range of emotions from boredom all the way through

The finished quilt on display outside St Cuthbert’s CofE Junior School to trauma and everything in between.”

Parents working at home were supported and assisted by an educational therapist and the school was also visited by a film-maker who filmed the work in progress and talked to the children as they created their squares.

Their drawings were transferred onto patches of

Maths Week fun and games CHILDREN at a Wells school have been enjoying fun and games as part of Maths Week.

The week proved a big hit with the children at St Cuthbert’s CofE Academy Infants and Preschool, when all things number and shape were explored through games, activities and play.

The Infant school classes had great fun with many activities throughout the week, including using 3D shapes to build models, looking at capacity using containers, as well as playing snakes and ladders and doing long jump to measure length.

The Pre-School has been busy working on the skills and knowledge the children will need before they move on to Reception class. They enjoyed dressing up with numbers on their clothes and hats, and ‘What’s the time, Mr Wolf’ was fun in the school’s large outdoor area.

“We pride ourselves on how ready our children are to make the transition into Reception class,” said headteacher Sheryl Cooper.

Children taking part in a Maths Week activity at St Cuthbert’s CofE Academy Infants and Pre-school Maths Week then finished with a dress-up day for the whole school, when everyone could wear something with a number on it.

The school says it has spaces available in all year groups from September 2021 if people would like to get in touch.

Got News? Call 07906 499655

fabric with marker pens and then stitched. Rachel explains: “The quilt is made up of approximately 180 patches and Mel Rowles is the incredible lady who organised the patches for the children and the community and stitched them all together.”

Rachel continues: “It’s about everybody coming together after something that’s tried to keep us apart. It’s been hugely positive.

“What was really beautiful was the moment we were able to display the finished quilt on the fence outside the school for everyone to see.”

Headteacher Helen Mullinger says: “The project has been successful on many different levels. Children have been given the space and time to explore emotions linked to lockdown and the restrictions caused by the pandemic. It gave everyone in school the chance to be together doing a joint project towards a shared goal.

“Even though children and staff are working in separate bubble groups across school, this project managed to bring us all together. The quality of the quilt is fantastic and it is going to be hung in school, taking pride of place in the library.”

We appreciate your support in getting Three Conservative Councillors elected to Wells City Council in the May by-elections. We have strengthened our voice for the City and are all dedicated to making Wells the best it can be. From the purchase and repurposing of The Portway Annex to the regeneration of The Bishops Barn, you the community, are always in the forefront of what we do.

Please support our Conservative candidate, Mandy Thomas-Atkin, in the next byelection.

St Thomas— Vote Conservative Tuesday 13th July Email: news@wellsvoice.co.uk

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July 2021

n NEWS

Good response to seating fundraiser WELLS Blue School PTA says it has been overwhelmed by the response to its fundraiser to provide outside seating with a weatherproof canopy.

Wells Voice reported in April that it was aiming to raise £5,000 for the facilities so that students could have an outdoor area in which to socialise and more space to eat their lunch – and it has ended up raising £15,000.

There were many generous personal donations, and a number of local businesses pledged financial support and match-funding as well as free paint, picnic tables and ideas such as sponsoring benches.

Lorraine Millington, co-chair of the PTA, said: “When we first put in the application to run an Aviva fundraiser in February, I

had no idea that so many parents felt like I did, that the need for outside seating and sheltered areas for both social reasons but also, vitally, a place to sit and eat lunch, was of such great importance for the well-being of students during the school day.

This fundraiser was powered by parents and families, and massively supported by the local community. To all, we owe huge thanks.”

Separately, the Blue School has been granted planning permission by Mendip District Council for a new social space in the central part of the campus.

The plan is for tarmac, pavers and trees to replace a grassed area and provide an additional hard surface all-weather outside space for students during break and lunch times.

Craftsmen

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The garden at The Rib borders the grounds of The Bishop’s Palace

Rib garden opening to visitors THE garden at The Rib in St Andrew Street, Wells, is being opened to the public again this year for the National Garden Scheme (NGS).

The garden, which adjoins Wells Cathedral and The Bishop’s Palace, is compact but features long-established trees, interesting shrubs and more

Showcase for stained glass artist STAINED glass artist Clare Maryan Green is being showcased as maker of the month by the Somerset Guild of Craftsmen.

Clare is based in the heart of Exmoor where, in her words, “the wild deer run free and owls hoot from the woods”, and nature resonates in all her work.

When she is not creating her stained glass windows and hangings, she works at her smallholding where she tends more than 60 sheep. Lambing season is over and she is now busy shearing, using the wool for more crafting. The creatures she sees daily are prevalent in her stained glass.

Clare’s passion lies with

A work by Clare Maryan Green windows – “I want to glaze beautiful buildings with joyous windows” is her mantra – and she has recently finished a commission for Williton Community Hospital.

Her work can be seen at the Somerset Guild of Craftsmen gallery in Broad Street, Wells.

Invitation to become Ambassador SINCE April, 20 Wells Ambassadors have been welcoming people to the city, with encouraging feedback from visitors and locals alike, but more are needed to join the team. The Ambassadors give out maps and point out all there is to see in Wells. Each has a ‘Welcome to Wells’ lanyard and a ‘Can I Help?’ badge and during

To advertise, contact Andy on 01749 675157

SGC.MTADVERT.0521.V.01.indd 1

recently planted mixed borders, as well as an orchard and a cottage garden.

It will open on Saturday, July 3, from 10am-5pm. Tickets can be bought in advance through the NGS website, www.ngs.org. uk, or turn up and pay on the day. Admission is £5, children free.

11/04/2021 15:27

their duty will be on Cathedral Green, wandering through the Market Place and outside The Bishop’s Palace.

People who can spare the two and a half hours a week asked of the Ambassadors should call Ross Young on 07721 523487 or contact him on: ross-young@ hotmail.co.uk. Basic training and guidance will be given.

Email: sales@wellsvoice.co.uk

wellsvoice

July 2021

n NEWS Two roses in need of new homes A WELLS resident is looking to re-home two rambling roses. One of the plants is called Seagull and the other Rambling Rector.

“Although they have different names they are the same in appearance but both are too big for my garden now,” said owner Carol. “They would be excellent to cover a large bare wall or an outbuilding, and the bees love them.”

The roses are free to good homes. They are currently in bloom so removal will be from the end of July onward. If interested, email cazfay62@gmail.com

The Seagull rose in full bloom

exhibitions at the Cathedral and Bishop’s Palace.

Working as a therapeutic group to help release the stress and provide some routine to its members’ lives, it has been providing an alternative place to meet at the Connect Centre every Tuesday from 1.30pm to 3.30pm. It has continued to support existing members in rediscovering their artistic talent and would welcome new people if they want to join.

Throughout SODA’s 40 years of existence, it has worked to support, promote and show a positive image of its disabled artists’ work. People who have an interest in art and would like to support disabled artists and help put on exhibitions are invited to get in touch. Email pegjimmcdonald@btinternet. com or twintrees.dml@gmail. com, or phone Diane on 07821 883633.

Childminding grant incentive SOMERSET County Council is renewing its campaign to tackle a shortage of childminders across the county through a ‘Golden Hello’ grant worth £250.

The grant is available to new childminding businesses offering early years funded places which apply before February 28, 2022.

Would-be childminders can get information and advice at a short, informal virtual

Another Wells City Council byelection, on Tuesday 13th July

Vote

Society seeks more volunteer support THE Society for Disabled Artists (SODA) is looking for new volunteers – two management officers, a treasurer and a secretary, and helpers to assist the disabled people at the group’s art classes.

Throughout the Covid pandemic the organisation has faced many changes and been less active than usual. Groups round the country have lost the venues they used for their weekly classes and exhibitions; their management officers, helpers and members have left due to health problems or family commitments; and they have been unable to have art tutorials and workshops or go on their regular trips.

The SODA group in Wells has been no different. Not only did its treasurer and secretary leave, but it also lost its venue for art classes at the Portway Annexe, and could not hold annual

17

session on Wednesday, July 21 (6.30pm-7pm). Anyone interested is urged to register through online booking website Eventbrite through the following link: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ childminding-in-somersetvirtual-information-sessiontickets-157986252133 To find out more about becoming a childminder, call 0300 123 2224.

Got News? Call 07906 499655

Following a recent resignation, there will be a further Wells City Council by-election in St Thomas’ Ward. So, another chance to grow the roster of truly Independent councillors, who will listen to you and who will represent your views, working hard for Wells and its residents.

If one person deserves a reputation for getting things done, it’s Denise Denis.

After 23 years running a Care Home, Denise currently volunteers for Wells Coronavirus Network, The Bishop’s Palace, Wells U3A, Wells Art Contemporary, Wells Dementia Action Alliance, Wells Neighbourhood Watch and Somerset Sight.

Vote for Denise Denis and Wells Independents T 07941 187951 E hello@wellsindependents.org W www.wellsindependents.org

People not politics

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July 2021

n NEWS

Two events took place in June to mark 100 years of the Wells Branch of the Royal British Legion. Pictured above are standard bearers from across the county with guests after a 100th Anniversary Evensong service in Wells Cathedral. There was also a Gala Concert at The Bishop’s Palace featuring The Grey Dogs Band, pictured below left, and the Yeovilton Military Wives Choir, seen below right.

July’s SOUP! event postponed Support for two new unitaries GIVEN the latest advice from the Government, the July 10 SOUP! has had to be postponed until the next scheduled event on October 2.

The four charities who have waited since April 2020 to present are the City of Wells St John Ambulance, Children’s World, Wells Neighbourhood Watch and Mendip Fibromyalgia Support Group.

The organisers need a full audience for them to present to and to raise much needed funds, and look forward to them joining the 63 charities and projects that have been supported so far. Accountancy company

Probusiness has donated £350 in its continued support of the event and Waitrose, Burns the Bread, Sante Wines, Morrison’s and pupils of the Blue School provide the food and beverage.

Ross Young, one of the organisers, said: “We are immensely proud of the platform we give to charities but can only do so with the great support we have enjoyed over the years from the local community. So please put October 2 in your diaries.

We look forward to seeing you there.”

SOUP! takes place at the Connect Centre on Chamberlain Street.

To advertise, contact Andy on 01749 675157

A POLL on options for change in local government in Somerset resulted in 65 per cent of those who responded backing the Stronger Somerset plan for two new unitary councils.

The poll was organised by the four district councils, which propose two councils, Eastern Somerset and Western Somerset, to replace the existing five county and district councils.

The alternative One Somerset proposal put forward by Somerset County Council is for a new single unitary council.

More than 111,000 people voted in the poll, producing a turnout of 25.6 per cent.

Leader of Mendip District Council, Cllr Ros Wyke, said: “The result is clear – people want to keep their council local.”

A county council spokesman said: “We have been clear from the outset that this was a deeply flawed, biased and expensive exercise.” He added that there had already been a chance to make views known through the government’s official consultation.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick is assessing the two proposals and is expected to make a decision on them before the parliamentary summer recess begins in late July.

Email: sales@wellsvoice.co.uk

wellsvoice

July 2021

19

n NEWS

Expert stops off at city antiques shop

By Emma James A WELLS antiques shop is to feature in an episode of Antiques Road Trip.

The cameras recently filmed at Matthew Coles Antiques in Sadler Street for the longrunning BBC TV series, in which antiques experts set off on a road trip around the UK searching for treasures and competing to make the most money at auction.

Matthew Coles has been running his antiques shop in Sadler Street for less than a year and says that, in between lockdowns, business has been good.

He has followed in his father’s footsteps and is also joined by his brother and his sister who specialises in jewellery. The family has several shops in Weston-super-Mare and also carries out house clearances.

Matthew says: “I was born into a life of antiques and it’s

Matthew Coles, left, outside his antiques shop with Paul Martin all I’ve ever known really. I’ve read all the books and watched all the TV programmes but the best education you get

is handling – that’s the way you learn. Coincidentally, my dad’s mentor was also Bernard House’s mentor. Bernard ran his

own antiques business from this very shop before moving to the market place.”

In April, Matthew was contacted by the production team of Antiques Road Trip. He subsequently received a visit from Paul Martin, the antiques expert and former presenter of Flog It! “He bought a cast iron fender from me and he got a good deal.

It’ll probably sell at auction for somewhere between forty and sixty pounds,” said Matthew, who expects the episode to be shown in the autumn.

Matthew tries to open his shop on Mondays and market days as well as by appointment.

He has no regrets about expanding his business in Wells.

He says: “I visit all the auction rooms and often passed through Wells. I’ve always thought it was a beautiful place so when a shop came up, I jumped at the chance.”

Music Summer Schools We offer five different courses during July and August. Choose from Wind, Brass and Percussion, Piano, Jazz, String or Composition.

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Email: news@wellsvoice.co.uk

wellsvoice

20

n COMMERCIAL SENSE

July 2021

With Jane Bowe of Probusiness accountants

Beware of scammers and their devious tricks

I AM angered when people I know and like, and who are guilty of nothing more than being trusting, are scammed out of thousands of pounds. And I am sad that this is happening more and more frequently as clever, unscrupulous people think up more and more cons to catch people out. Whatever inspires them to behave in this way, we all have to guard against them.

Currently, there are so many scams coming to us in so many forms it’s frankly hard to keep up. There are some I can name instantly, such as the recorded message purportedly from HMRC informing you that a warrant is out for your arrest due to a debt owed to them. This is absolute rubbish.

First and foremost, HMRC has no authority to have anyone arrested directly. Any debt owing would be discussed with you and only with you, and not by a telephone message. So, firstly,

don’t trust telephone calls of this nature ever, and especially if you are asked for private details, and particularly bank details.

If you are a user of WhatsApp, hackers are sending messages apparently from your contacts and asking you to send them a code which has mistakenly been sent to your mobile phone.

Please don’t respond to this! If you send that code on, it gives the hacker access to all your contacts. A family member was targeted by this, and it took some considerable time and effort to ensure that everyone relevant was warned and to finally eliminate the risk.

A particularly slimy and clever scam is one in which a group are involved in pretending to be acting in your interests because staff members at the local branch of your bank are dishonest and trying to defraud you out of money. It’s very clever and having set up fake telephone

numbers, it is highly convincing too. Please do not trust this one.

The fake bank staff will pretend to set up safe accounts for you and encourage you to gradually transfer more and more money to ‘safety’. As you transfer the money, you would be asked by your bank if you were sure you wanted to complete the transfer. By this stage, you are likely to have been so thoroughly convinced by the scammers that you confirm the transfers. Once this has been done, you have no comeback at all. Your money is lost.

For a little light relief, there are some scammers who send text messages which are hilariously badly spelt. The email address they come from is also usually suspect. For example, a bank’s correct name might be in the email address, but instead of beginning with ‘www’, it might start with the word ‘authorisehsbc/Lloyds/ or whichever bank

they are trying to use for their deception. On one such text, a friend was told, amongst other interestingly spelt things, that he would be given an ‘entimation’ instead of an estimation. He said that this sounded like a medical procedure which should only be carried out under anaesthetic...

Sadly there are many more scams ‘doing the rounds’ now, and there seems to have been an outburst of them during lockdown. So, if something doesn’t sound right, or sounds too good to be true, please, please follow your gut and get in touch with your bank or your financial adviser and ask them about it. Although many of us aren’t experts, we have enough experience either to have heard of a scam or to be able to work out what is a scam and to suggest you should check it out.

Please take care, there are so many unscrupulous people out there!

probusiness accountants

Beware of Scammers!

If something doesn’t sound right, or sounds too good to be true, please, please follow your gut and get in touch with your bank or your financial adviser and ask them about it.

To advertise, contact Andy on 01749 675157

01749 677989 mail@probusinessuk.com www.probusinessuk.com Email: sales@wellsvoice.co.uk

wellsvoice

July 2021

21

n COMPETITION

Chance to win wine, beer and cheeses THE Bishop’s Eye wine bar celebrates its first anniversary in July – and to mark the occasion, it is offering amazing prizes to two lucky Wells Voice readers in a special competition.

The wine bar and restaurant at 12 Market Place, Wells, has become a popular place to meet and chat over coffee and cake or a glass of wine and a food board.

Like other hospitality venues, it has had to change and adapt over the past year, and innovations include teaming up with new suppliers such as Bristol Fine Wine, which now supplies the wine. Two winners of our exciting competition will each win six bottles of wine from the Bristol Fine Wine range, as well as a selection of cheeses from Longmans, The Bishop’s Eye’s local cheese supplier, and some newly launched bottles of beer from The Wild Beer Company. The total value of each prize is £115.

The hamper is filled with an example of the prizes each winner will receive “We have had to make some adjustments over the past year with the disruption caused by the lockdowns,” said Louis Agabani, the owner of The Bishop’s Eye. “With the easing of restrictions, it has been great to

welcome customers old and new again, as we prepare to celebrate one year in this wonderful 15th-century building.”

The Grade II listed building was originally completed in 1451.

To enter the competition,

answer this simple question: In which century was the building in which The Bishop’s Eye is located built?

Email you answer, along with your name, address and contact details, to: competition@wellsvoice.co.uk or write out the information on a postcard or piece of paper which can be left in a box on the counter at The Bishop’s Eye. Entrants must be aged 18 or over, and there can only be one entry per household.

The closing date for entries is noon on Monday, July 12, 2021.

After this date, two winners will be drawn from all the correct entries. The winners must collect their prize from The Bishop’s Eye, and their names will be published in a future edition of Wells Voice. l Additional competition rules: No cash alternative. The winners may have to provide proof of identity and age. The competition organisers’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

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Email: news@wellsvoice.co.uk

wellsvoice

22

July 2021

n NEWS

‘Deeply humbling’, says OBE recipient SOMERSET Community Foundation (SCF) Chief Executive Justin Sargent has been recognised with an OBE for services to the community in Somerset in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

Since SCF was founded in 2002 it has awarded more than £16 million in funding, and most recently awarded over £1.5 million worth of grants in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Justin joined SCF in 2005, and today leads a team of 12, delivering more than £2

Chief Executive Justin Sargent million of funding to Somerset communities every year.

He said of the OBE: “It is deeply humbling to have been awarded such an honour. It has been the privilege of my life to have led Somerset Community Foundation for the past 16 years. However, the success of the Foundation is truly a collective effort, and I would like this honour to be viewed

as a reflection of the care, compassion and dedication of everyone who has been involved with the Foundation.

“I work with an exceptional team of staff, trustees and volunteers, but we can only continue to make the difference we make thanks to the very generous support of our donors and funders and the commitment of our local voluntary groups, who all help to change the world on their doorsteps every day. Never has this been more apparent than during the coronavirus pandemic, when local charities and volunteers have gone above and beyond for those in need. It is the unrelenting desire of our communities to make Somerset a better place for all that I feel is reflected in this award.”

Jane Barrie, Chair at SCF, said: “The Trustees of SCF are absolutely delighted that Justin has been honoured in this way.

He is a man of very special qualities who gives far more to Somerset beyond his role as CEO of the Foundation. He is passionate about doing the best for the disadvantaged and vulnerable in our communities, and in crises such as those posed by the Somerset floods of 2013/14 and the coronavirus outbreak, he has worked well above the call of duty to help provide funding and leadership to the voluntary and community sector.”

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Terri Perkins in an attractive corner of Henderson Place

Cheerful bunting admired by locals and visitors alike BUNTING put up at Henderson Place in Wells for the Wells Community Bunting Project will stay in place throughout the summer.

The courtyard has been decorated by Terri Perkins and

Lyn Wilcox, and has attracted the admiration of passers-by.

“We’ve had lots of tourists who see the bunting and come in for a closer look, they love it,” said Terri. “I like it, the residents like it – it’s cheerful.”

Bunting at Llewellyn’s Almshouses in Priest Row

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Email: sales@wellsvoice.co.uk

wellsvoice n NEWS

July 2021

n ON THE BEAT

Good to see people out and about again A COLD, wet winter has finally come to an end and we are hopefully within or getting closer to the second phase of lockdown easing.

The first phase provided us all with that much needed sense of normality. After joining the Wells Neighbourhood team at the height of Covid when nothing was open, it has been wonderful to see everyone out and about making the most of our beautiful city and what it has to offer, whilst still being compliant with the current regulations to ensure everyone keeps safe. When on shift, the neighbourhood policing team are out and about in all locations so when you see us, please stop and say hello.

Due to the increase in people enjoying our open spaces we have started to see a lot more litter and broken glass across the city. Can I remind people to be considerate when it comes to keeping our areas clean and tidy, using litter bins across all of Wells. If there are no bins nearby then please take your litter with you and dispose of at home.

We have recently seen an increase in scams. Whether you personally have been a target or know someone who has, these scams pop up in different forms. I’m sure many of you will have received at least one of the text message variety looking something like this: n HSBC: A payment was attempted from a new device.

If this was not you, please visit https://....... n PayPal: We have detected unusual activity on your account.

Please follow the link to confirm your information https:// ....... n Royal Mail: We were unable to deliver your parcel today due to unpaid delivery fee of £1.25.

Please follow the below link to update your details and make payment https:// .......

As well as many more, claiming to be Hermes, DPD, a variety of banks and so on.

These type of messages received usually come from a different mobile number each time you receive one and you will notice they will always ask you to follow a link. My first piece of

News from the local policing team with PCSO Kayleigh Hallett advice is to NOT follow the link.

None of the above companies would contact you asking you to follow a link this way. If you are ever unsure, contact the company direct via your original order confirmation or by the telephone number showing on the original communication.

If the message is from an alleged bank and you are concerned take any of the following steps: n Log onto your official, secure online banking n Call via the official number on your online banking page or showing on your debit/credit card n Visit the branch You will never be asked to provide any personal details via an unknown link and no one should be asking you to confirm this over the telephone. Unless you made the phone call yourself or you were expecting the call, DO NOT provide or confirm any of your personal details.

If you weren’t expecting any communication from any of the above or something doesn’t add up, simply ignore and delete the message. When it comes to phone calls, again if you were not expecting the call, hang up, leave it a few minutes and if you are concerned, contact the company/ bank yourself.

If you have any further questions, feel free to contact the Wells neighbourhood team or flag one of us down if you see us out and about and we will be happy to help as best we can.

Got News? Call 07906 499655

23

Hundreds visit as society’s annual exhibition returns THERE were hundreds of visitors to this year’s Hilliard Society of Miniaturists’ exhibition in Wells Town Hall.

Sixty-six artists from the UK, South Africa, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago and Japan took part, and 44 paintings were sold at the exhibition and over the phone from the UK and USA. On average 80 people per day attended, while over the first three days of the exhibition alone, which ran from June 5-12, there were 8,289 visits to the website.

After the disappointment of last year’s event having to be called off because of the pandemic, President Maggy Pickard said that the society was delighted to be able to hold it this year.

“A special thank you should go to the staff of the Town Hall together with council members and volunteers of the Hilliard

Maggy Pickard, President of The Hilliard Society of Miniaturists, pictured at the private view for the 2021 exhibition Society who made this possible,” she said.

“In 2022 it will be the 40th anniversary of the Hilliard Society, which was founded in Wells, and we hope to make it a special event in the Wells calendar for next year. Please visit the website for more details at www.hilliardsociety.org.”

Email: news@wellsvoice.co.uk

wellsvoice

24

July 2021

n NEWS

Time to have say on future use of Annexe City councillor Adrian I’Anson provides an update on where things have got to with the Portway Annexe PORTWAY Annexe was due to be placed on the open market for sale by Somerset County Council, after the tenancy agreement was ended by Somerset Skills & Learning at the end of last year.

To retain the building as a community asset, Wells City Council (WCC) applied to Mendip to have the Portway Annexe recognised as an Asset of Community Value (ACV).

For that application to succeed, Mendip had to be satisfied “that it is realistic to think that now or in the next five years there could continue to be primary use of the building which will further the social well-being or social interests of the local community.” In support of the application, Mendip councillors Rob Ayres and Laura Waters

wrote that “the Portway Annexe sits in the heart of the city and is accessible to all across the city. Its loss as an education and community hub would be catastrophic, especially in the current climate.”

Mendip agreed to register the building as an ACV which gave us time to negotiate with the vendors. On the basis of a valuation, we offered £590,000, significantly less than the market value, and this was accepted.

In March 2021, WCC agreed to buy Portway Annexe with a loan of £620,000 to cover the purchase price and incidental costs. The total cost of the borrowing from the Public Works Loan Board has to be guaranteed by WCC and thus the precept payer. This has resulted in an increase of 5.54 per cent at a cost to the average band household of 14 pence a week.

However, one of the key aims of the public consultation and

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The Portway Annexe building business planning is to ensure that the Annexe attracts strong demand and thus revenue that enables it to become financially sustainable, limiting or avoiding any recourse to the precept in the future. If this happens, then WCC would have the flexibility either to reduce the part of the precept relating to the Annexe in later years or, at least, ensure no further increases.

Our loan application was made in March but sits in a queue of similar applications and may not be approved until September of this year. This will give us time to refine our plans

for best use of this community asset.

Discussions with community groups are already taking place and now is the time for you to have your say.

In order to help you express your views as to future use of the building we have put relevant documents on the council website – www.wells.gov.uk – together with video footage of the exterior of the building and videos/photos of the interior.

In addition, there will be an opportunity to visit Portway Annexe on Saturday, July 31, between 10am and 4pm. The building will be stewarded and you will have a chance to ask questions and record your views about its future use.

We are now preparing a short questionnaire and a copy of this will be available next month both on the council’s website and direct to every household in Wells. We are also looking for people to join focus groups. If you would like to contact me as facilitator of the Portway Annexe Public Consultation Working Party, please do so: Cllr Adrian I’Anson – a.ianson@wells.gov.uk.

Inspiring music centre hope A LOCAL community group, Wells CMC, hopes to nurture creative talent and offer young people a space to rehearse and perform through the proposed Wells Contemporary Music Centre.

The music centre, which could be based in the Portway Annexe, hopes to open its doors to established musicians for workshops and to use rehearsal spaces, as well as offering a weekend music school for children and young people and short courses on stage performance, video production and music creation software.

Nigel Fraser, of the Wells CMC, said: “Since featuring in the Wells Voice, there have been some exciting developments, and we have received interest in both a contemporary music studio, rehearsal and venue space, and a music school.

“It would be great to see

the wonderful Portway Annexe providing a community hub where people from all generations and walks of life can share and develop their enjoyment of music, whilst also providing educational opportunities.

“If you would like to see this happen, please consider highlighting the need for a community-based music centre in the forthcoming Wells City Council Portway Annexe public consultation.

Keep an eye on the Wells City Council website for information on that.

“Please visit our website and contact us if you’d like to find out more about the project.

Thank you to all those who have expressed interest in the music centre.”

More information about the proposal can be found at www. wellsrocks.org.

Email: sales@wellsvoice.co.uk

wellsvoice

July 2021

25

n FROM THE TOWN HALL

Open Garden raises £1,200 for charity THE sun shone, the harpist played and 150 visitors explored the beautiful grounds of a spy novelist’s former home.

The venue was Coxley House which John Le Carre bought with the profits of his first bestseller The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, which was later made into a film. His experiences working for MI5 and MI6 helped with his writing.

The occasion was an Open Garden to raise funds for the Mayor of Wells charity – the local branch of Macmillan Cancer Support whose chair Mark Tobin said: “It was a fantastic success and we are delighted to have raised £1,248.”

Through the afternoon serene sounds were played by Wells harpist Siona Stockell who said: “It was a delight to be involved in supporting such a worthwhile cause.”

Money taken on the gate totalled £840 while the Macmillan volunteers raised £280 through their tea, coffee

Victorian chambermaids Gert and Daisy entertained visitors

Mark Tobin with the Macmillan volunteers at their tea and cakes stall, and Lavinia Byrne with harpist Siona Stockell and cakes stall. The rest of the takings came from donations and sales of a special tea towel featuring historic photos of Wells.

I thanked the owners of Coxley House, Julia Riley and her husband Mark, Victorian chambermaids Gert and Daisy, as well as Explorer Scouts leader Jan Doyle for organising a nature trail for children.

But a special mention must go to Lavinia Byrne, without whose support the Open Garden would not have happened.

As the grounds of Coxley House are so huge the visitors were able to spread safely in small socially-distanced groups. l The next Mayor’s Charity fundraising event will be a Classic and Historic Motor Club rally on Saturday, July 17.

Normally this finishes on Wells Cathedral Green but because of

concerns about safe distancing, it has been moved to the wide open spaces of the Bath and West Showground. l Then on Saturday, July 24, we will have a Macmillan gazebo at the Community Day on the

Cathedral Green with a raffle for a special prize – bed and breakfast in the Swan Hotel’s stunning £350 a night Cathedral Suite.

Mayor of Wells Philip Welch Email: p.welch@wells.gov.uk

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Email: news@wellsvoice.co.uk

wellsvoice

26

July 2021

n NEWS

Visitors praise asylum photos exhibition

AN exhibition at Wells & Mendip Museum that opened in June has drawn warm comments from visitors.

Somerset and Bath Lunatic Asylum: A Photographic Exhibition (1848-1918) tells the stories of 100 of the staff and patients at the asylum – which later became Mendip Hospital – and 3,000 of whom are laid to rest at the Mendip Hospital Cemetery.

One of those who helped create the exhibition, Clare Blackmore, said at the end of the opening day: “We had a constant stream of visitors all of whom left incredibly positive comments in the visitors’ book.”

A woman from Clevedon said that she was “shaking with emotion” after finding a photograph of her greatgrandmother who is buried in the cemetery.

Another visitor said: “As a mental health worker I found

Pictured at the exhibition opening are Mayor and Mayoress Philip and Caroline Welch, Donna Paul, Clare Blackmore, Roxie Ford, Peter Jaggard and Town Crier Len Sweales the sensitive attention to detail and in-depth history on the individuals respectfully presented. Thank you for reinstating the lives of people past. It was an invaluable insight into the life of the Victorian asylum.”

The exhibition, which runs

until July 8, was opened by Mayor Philip Welch. He said: “This is a wonderful exhibition which I am sure will be extremely popular. Thank you to everyone who has made it possible.”

The museum is currently open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10am-4pm.

Chance to seek advice from police THERE will be a Police Beat Surgery at Wells Library on Monday, July 5, from 11am12pm. It will be an opportunity

to meet the local Neighbourhood Policing Team and talk to them about issues or concerns, and get crime prevention advice.

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View every issue of Wells Voice online at issuu.com/wellsvoice

To advertise, contact Andy on 01749 675157

Email: sales@wellsvoice.co.uk

wellsvoice

July 2021

n NEWS

Legal guidance with Chubb Bulleid

Crozier laid down to signal farewell BISHOP Peter marked the end of his time as Bishop of Bath and Wells by laying down his crozier in a farewell service on May 22.

In a quiet Wells Cathedral, he placed the staff on the altar and signalled the end of his seven years leading the diocese.

He has taken early retirement following treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia. Due to coronavirus restrictions and his ongoing treatment, the service was not held in person, but was available to view via the Bath and Wells website and Facebook page.

Dean John said: “Although we cannot gather together physically on this occasion, yet in heart and mind we join together to recall how our lives have been graced

by Bishop Peter’s presence among us, and to give thanks for his seven years of service here: for his wise leadership, his vision for this diocese, his prayerful pastoral care and his love of the people entrusted to his care.”

During the service Bishop Peter’s wife Jane read Colossians 3, 12-17, there was a Reflection

by Bishop Ruth Worsley, Bishop of Taunton, and songs from the pupils of St Mark’s School, Worle.

In his sermon, Bishop Peter said: “It has been an enormous privilege to serve as the 79th Bishop of Bath and Wells and I am so grateful for

Bishop Peter lays down his crozier the welcome you have given me as I have travelled around, visiting parishes, schools and chaplaincies and sharing in all that is happening across the diocese.

“As I come to retirement, I also want to thank everyone for the support and prayer you have given Jane and me since I was diagnosed with leukaemia last year. At times it has been a hard road to walk, but your love and prayers have been more uplifting and encouraging than I can tell you. And we look forward, with faith and hope, to all that the future holds.”

Following the service there was an online Zoom tea for Bishop Peter and Jane, with family, friends, colleagues and workmates celebrating and remembering more than 40 years of ordained ministry.

Heritage activities being planned BETWEEN September 10 and 19 there will be a number of events around Wells to celebrate the built and cultural history of the city.

Heritage Opens Days is a national, annual event encouraging everyone to explore their local history and for the custodians of historic buildings to invite the public in.

This year’s theme will focus on the country’s amazing food culture – what did or didn’t we eat in days gone by?

What was grown hereabouts?

The Banqueting Hall or the Workhouse? Where would you

27

have liked to eat?

Teams at The Bishop’s Palace, the Cathedral, the Almshouses, the Museum, St Cuthbert’s Church and Wells Walking Tours are already making plans and others will be invited to take part in a programme of activities over the period of ten days.

Details of the national programme can be found on www. heritageopendays.org. uk, or for people who would like to get involved in Wells, contact chris.f.winter@btinternet, who is coordinating the programme of events on behalf of Wells Civic Society.

Got News? Call 07906 499655

Take care over tenant evictions

By Nicola Grant

BAILIFF-enforced evictions of residential tenants from privately rented accommodation were banned throughout the Covid-19 pandemic due to its unprecedented financial impact of on renters, many of whom have been furloughed or lost their jobs since the first lockdown in March 2020.

That ban came to an end on May 31, 2021, meaning that landlords were able to start to enforce evictions with effect from June 1. The end of the eviction ban is likely to result in a large number of eviction notices being served upon tenants by landlords who have obtained possession orders granted by the courts over the course of the pandemic.

Pre-pandemic, a landlord requiring possession of a property was required to serve two months’ notice upon a tenant on “no fault” grounds, by way of service of a Section 21 Notice upon the tenant, or between two weeks and two months’ notice, depending on the reason for the eviction (including rent arrears and anti-social behaviour), by service of a Section 8 Notice upon the tenant.

Those notice periods were amended during the pandemic so that six months’ notice was required to be given, and, importantly, there was a total ban on evictions taking place, except in the most serious cases involving anti-social behaviour and domestic abuse, whether or not any notice period had expired.

Not only has the ban on residential evictions ended, but the period of notice required to be given by a landlord requiring possession of a property decreases from six months to four months for the period between June 1, 2021, and September 30, 2021, at which time it is expected that notice periods will return to the pre-pandemic levels.

The exceptions to the four-

month notice period are, again, the most serious cases involving anti-social behaviour or domestic violence, together with cases involving “serious rent arrears” of more than four months, in which case four weeks’ notice is required to be given. Note also that from August 1, 2021, the notice period required to be given in cases involving less than four months’ rent arrears will decrease from four months to two months.

It should also be noted that the courts are reported to have a significant backlog of residential possession and eviction cases, brought about by the pandemic, increased notice periods and eviction ban, and that this is likely to result in delays in such cases being processed by the courts, hearings taking place and possession orders being granted.

This can only have a knock-on effect on bailiff-enforced evictions, where the courts were already stretched to capacity pre-pandemic.

The above being said, it is going to be extremely important that landlords obtain accurate and specialist advice when serving notice upon tenants to ensure that the correct notice is served and that the appropriate notice is given.

Failure to provide the correct notice will result in the notice being invalid and the landlord having to start the entire process again.

Due to the complexity of this area of law, and the potential for things to go wrong if matters are not dealt with properly, landlords should always seek proper advice from the outset and, we advise, consider the instruction of an appropriate specialist to act on their behalf in providing notice and making the appropriate court applications thereafter.

At Chubb Bulleid we are able to guide you through the process from start to finish. Please contact one of our specialists on 01749 836100. n Nicola Grant is a Chartered Legal Executive with Chubb Bulleid, who have offices in Wells, Street and Somerton. Phone 01749 836100.

Offices in Wells, Street and Somerton Tel: 01749 836100

Personal legal services for you, your business and your family www.chubb-bulleid.co.uk

wellsvoice

28

July 2021

n NEWS

Band ready to perform in public again WELLS City Band may have appeared to have been silent for the past year but behind the scenes extensive activity has ensured that when the coronavirus rules are changed, it is ready to entertain Wells again.

Under the guidance of Chairman Nick Poole, Musical Director Dot Poole and members of the committee, contact has been made with all players to give encouragement during lockdown.

This included Zoom meetings and chats, karaoke Zoom playing, emailed sheet music for practice, risk assessments, update of archive material, lessons on Zoom for the training section, and quizzes to keep in touch.

Over the last 100 years the band has played a part in local and national events from the opening of Wells Cottage Hospital to fighting in two world

Wells City Band practice sessions started again in May thanks to Wells United Church allowing the band to use its newly refurbished building wars. This duty of service in the heart of the community has continued, with three players being on the front line with the NHS working long hours to help fight the virus.

The band remembers with

fondness the supporters who have died this year, especially Alan Southwood and ‘Auntie Lil’.

It has bought two new pieces of music to ensure the sacrifices of so many during such a difficult year will be recorded in history

so it will not be forgotten. The players have really missed playing for everybody.

May 21 was very exciting as band practice started again thanks to Wells United Church, allowing the band to use its newly refurbished building. Full Covid rules are being adhered to with strict social distancing, no talking, no moving from individual areas, and masks being worn unless playing.

Thanks to the generosity of band supporters who gave generously to ‘Watch In A Box’ fundraising, the band has been able to purchase bell guard masks for all instruments and screens for the conductor.

No indoor events are being confirmed at this time but the band hopes to be able to play on the Cathedral Green for the Wake Up Wells Community Day on July 24 as its first performance.

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wellsvoice

July 2021

29

n NEWS

Funding for community and eco projects

AN extra £400,000 of grant as freecycle events, repair cafes funding for community and for broken domestic appliances, environmental projects has been tree planting, rewilding schemes, made available from June by more bike racks, or events where Mendip District Council. people can try out electric bikes Local community groups as or skateboards and other green well as town and parish councils transport solutions. are being invited to put forward “We know there are lots of schemes to improve facilities people out there who are keen for their communities as well as to push forward with these sort environmental improvements of ideas and we want to help as to combat the climate and many of them as possible,” he ecological emergency. said.

Grants will be available in “The money will be allocated sums of up to £2,000 for small as evenly as possible across projects or eco schemes, and Mendip and we want news of £30,000 for major ones such the availability of the grants as improvements to facilities, to be spread far and wide so where groups can show evidence groups in the smallest villages of matched funding from have as much opportunity to elsewhere. apply as those in the bigger Councillor Ros Wyke, Leader of Mendip District Council, and her colleagues Other suitable projects communities.” celebrate the launch of the Communities Fund and the Climate and could be anything from cycle or Further information about Ecological Emergency Fund walking route improvements, the application process and what Of the total £400,000, local history projects or schemes would be appropriate portfolio holder for strategic £350,000 will be distributed development of apps to local is available from www.mendip. policy and climate change, said in grants via the council’s filmmaking or creative projects gov.uk/cf and www.mendip.gov. he hopes to see applications for Communities Fund and for children and young students, uk/ccf grant funding include ideas such £50,000 though the Climate and and signage for landmarks of Ecological Emergency Fund local historical information or for “This initiative is designed to tourists. help organisations and groups Eco projects can be anything of all ages get together again, that reduces energy consumption achieve some new projects and and reliance on cars, or gives enjoy life again,” said Councillor an ecological benefit. Ideas Liz Leyshon, Mendip’s portfolio for projects to reduce waste, holder for corporate services and support local food production or projects. encourage biodiversity are also No need for an expensive care home “Because of the lockdown welcome. many people have been All applications have to Stay independent at home with your own live in carer worryingly cut off and isolated. be submitted by midnight on They have forgotten what it’s like August 31 and the grants will No need for an expensive care to go out, to join like-mindedMany then be judged against criteria people want to stay in home their own home as they get olde people in the development of an and the awards made equally No need for an expensive care home Stay independent at home with your own Nois need for an expensive care home live in carer exciting project. This fund all across the Mendip district.

No need for a Stay independent at home with your own live into carer Many people want stay in their own home as they get older about getting people together The panel that makes the final Stay independent at home with your own liveaninproviding carer Featherbed Care has been live in carers since 198 No need for expensive care home No need for home again and putting decisions will be drawn from Many people want toalso stayabout in their own home as they get olderNo an expensive expensivecare care home Stay independent at Noneed need for for an an expensive care home people want to stay in their own home as they get older money back Many into organisations different political parties and We believebeen in independent only the at very care affordable cos Stay independent at homebest with your your ownat livean in carer carer Stay with own live in Featherbed providing live in carers since 1986 Stay independent at home home with your own in carer Stay independent home with your own livelive inpeople carer that have stalled over the past 15 Care has include an independent member Many want to stay Featherbed Care has been providing live in carers since 1986 Many people want to stay in their own home as they get older We believe in only the very best care at an affordable cost Many people want to stay in their own home as they get older months.” from Spark Somerset to ensure Many people want tocarers stay in their as as they get get olderolder Many people want to stay insince theirown ownhome home they Featherbed Care has been providing live in 1986 We believe in only the very best care at an affordable cost Councillor Tom Ronan, a fairness and an even spread of believeand in only the very best care at has an affordable cost Wells districtWe councillor monies across the local economy.

Featherbed Care been providing providing live in in carers since since 1986 Featherbed Care has bee has been been live carers Featherbed Care Featherbed Care has providing live in an carers since 1986 1986 We believe believe in only only the very best care care at affordable cost Featherbed Care has been providing live in carers since We in the very best at an affordable cost We believe in 1986 only the v We believe in only the very best care at an affordable cost

Care in your own home

Care in your own home Care in your own Carehome in your own home Care in y Carein in your your own own home Care in your Care ownhome home Care in your own home

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We believe in only the very best care at an affordable cost

A NEW all-inclusive choir is be held in Wells Town Hall on being started in Wells.

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Call for brochure today today Call for aa brochure today Call a 0117 9860710 / for Freephone: 0800 111 4885 / Freephone: 0800 111 4885 www.featherbedhomecare.co.uk Call for a brochure brochure 0800 today It is directed by community To register interest,0117 email9860710www.featherbedhomecare.co.uk 0117 9860710 9860710 Freephone: 111 4885 4885 0117 9860710 // Freephone: Freephone: 0800 111 111 4885 0117 / 0800 0117 9860710 / Freephone: 0800 111 4885 Email: featherbed@featherbedhomecare.co.uk Email: featherbed@featherbedhomecare.co.uk singing leaders Eliza Wylie emma@somersetartswell.co.uk.

Email: featherbed@featherbedhomecare.co.uk Email: Email: Call for a brochure today Call fo Email: featherbed@featherbedhomecare.co.uk featherbed@featherbedhomecare.co.uk www.featherbedhomecare.co.uk and Emma Wheat, founders of More at www.somersetartswell. www.featherbedhomecare.co.uk www.featherbedhomecare.co.uk www.featherbedhomecare.co.uk 0117 9860710 / Freephone: 0800 111 4885 www.featherbedhomecare.co.uk 0117 9860710 / Somerset Arts Well. Sessions will co.uk Email: featherbed@featherbedhomecare.co.uk Email: featherbed

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wellsvoice

30

n IN DAYS GONE BY

July 2021

With Clare Blackmore

Officials did best to stop spread of plague FROM the 15th to the 17th centuries the Plague was constantly recurring and spreading throughout Europe.

In London in 1603 “it scarcely entered a house in London but it seized all living there”.

In 1722, in his book The Plague Year, Daniel Defoe describes the “Great Plague” of 1665 in which thousands died.

A system of quarantine was introduced in the capital whereby a house in which a plague death had occurred would be locked up and no one allowed to enter or leave for 40 days.

This frequently led to the death of other inhabitants either from disease or neglect and proved an incentive not to report the plague, and “Searchers” who were appointed to find “plague houses” were heavily bribed to record a death as being by other causes.

Wells was not untouched by plague and preventions were

within this town for one half year following.”

1592 in the reign of Elizabeth I In London in 1592 another plaque struck and it made its way to Taunton.

Wells issued another decree in November 1592: “Commerce is prohibited and trade with the town of Taunton and the places adjacent under pain of imprisonment by reason of the Plague being there.”

Tucker Street was ‘overspread with the Plague’ in December 1603; the Plague was a menace during the reign of various monarchs, including Elizabeth I, right employed and attempts made to arrest the course of the disease once it entered the city.

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November 1603 in the reign of James I “There is made a very strict order prohibiting all persons to trade with the Cittie of Bristoll under penalty of XLs and one day’s imprisonment and if not able to pay the money what punishment Mr Mayor thinks fit by reason of the Plague being very hot there.”

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and similarities between the Plague years and our own contemporary pandemic.

The following are excerpts from the Wells City Records.

August 1537 in the reign of Henry VIII “At this Halle it was agreed that every man within the city of Welles which was far from water should have a tub or a stand of water at his door during the height of the year.”

January 1571 in the reign of Elizabeth I “It is fully condescended and agreed that two Burgesses shall be appointed in every verdery within this town for to examine every house holder, what he or they will pay towards the keeping of the streets and carriage away of the filth and so to bring it in at the next halle what sum will raise for the same.”

1575 in the reign of Elizabeth I “It is ordered and agreed that if any of the inhabitants within this town shall travel at any time hereafter to Brystowe for any affairs or buying of wares during the time of the sickness there or send any servants hither, or shall receive any wares from thence by carrier or shall receive any inhabitants of the said City of Brystowe into their houses, that they shall presently be avoided in this town or else their shoppes be shut up for selling any wares

Despite these precautions the Plague reached Wells in early December 1603 and the records show that: “The sickness of the Plague being now come into this city it is ordered a strict watch be made both at the fore door and the back door of the howses where the infection is and that no person presume to go out or in on payne of imprisonment during the pleasure of the justices.”

December 6, 1603, in the reign of James I “Tucker Street being overspread with the Plague there was now an order made that none out of that street should come up into the other part of towne though they be not infected and that a rate over the towne be made to mayntayne all Tucker Street and that an overseer and two assistants be appointed to provide provisions and other necessaries for them and to keep them downe out of the towne.”

William Bull was nominated for Mayor in 1599 and having refused to serve, was fined 20s. He was elected Mayor in 1602 and on two subsequent occasions. In 1603 he was again fined 20s this time for bringing goods from London during the Plague.

Email: sales@wellsvoice.co.uk

wellsvoice

July 2021

n IN DAYS GONE BY

Focus on health with Bluebird Care

Criticism of 1973 restoration work IN 1973 the statues of The Virgin and the Child, The Coronation of the Virgin and the Christ in Majesty on the West Front of Wells Cathedral were being renovated when Sir Henry Moore, Sir John Betjeman and Mark Girouard, an eminent architect, wrote a letter to The Times condemning the restoration work being undertaken.

They stated that “the restoration of the Virgin and Child is a disaster” and that the plan to add limbs to other figures on the West Front is as “outrageous as it would be to start replacing the lost fragments of the Elgin Marbles”.

Mr Girouard wrote in the Architects’ Journal that the head and the arm for the child was “winsomely sweet” and that “sausage like fingers and great slob of a head for the Virgin have been added to the figure”.

Referring to the West Front in their letter to The Times, the critics said: “It should be unthinkable seven centuries later for anyone to attempt to restore it to its original completeness yet the Dean and Chapter have already added to these figures.

The completed restoration is inevitably a disaster, negating the rhythm and vitiating the deeply personal nature of the original carving.

“The Coronation of the Virgin is perhaps the most expressive and moving sculpture on the West Front of Wells Cathedral and arguably one of the finest sculptural works produced in England. To add heads and limbs to it is outrageous.

“The missing portions we may best add by using our imaginations.”

In May 1973, Henry Moore visited Wells and in a “stormy meeting” with local representatives of the Dean and Chapter and the Friends of Wells Cathedral, it is said that Mr Moore was very vocal and highly critical of the restoration work of Arthur Ayres, a sculptor of Chelsea, and of the Cathedral’s

31

Figures on the West Front of Wells Cathedral commission. Dr Robert Reid told Mr Moore that “about two thirds of the West Front was restored by masons over the ages so that by their reasoning they should demand the demolition of these pieces.

“If the West Front had never had any restoration or additions made to it there would be nothing left.

“I happen to think that the work of Mr Ayres is very beautiful and that of Henry Moore terribly ugly.”

The Archdeacon at the time, The Venerable John Du Boulay Lance, answered the criticism in his own letter to the Times in which he said: “Should we clean the statues and show their defects even more? Should we remove all those that have lost all shape and most of their features?

And if so, should we replace them with the best that modern sculptors like Mr Moore can offer today?”

The argument died down and went away but not without a final word from Dr Reid: “Even those who like Mr Moore’s work can hardly contend that it has affinities with the magnificence of the West Front. Why should we in Wells who have loved and looked after our building for generations, sometimes badly, sometimes well, suffer this Metropolitan interference?”

The deadline for the August issue is July 14

Got News? Call 07906 499655

Individuals should be free to choose

By Jenny Atkins

CHOICE is defined an act of choosing between two or more possibilities. It is important to understand we are all making choices all the time. Even when we choose not to make a choice we have made a choice.

We like having choice as it allows us to feel in control. Choice is about you, it is personal and there are times we think does choice really matter. Some types of choices can be quite simple and then there are times where there are lots of restrictions to a person’s choices and options and sometimes it feels like there is not really a choice at all – it’s just the way things have to be.

At the times where we find it difficult it make a choice we are continually searching for more information or seeking others’ recommendation. Your intuition or ‘gut feeling’ is a strong indicator of whether the decision is right for you and fits with your values.

To promote the dignity of all individuals they should be fully involved in any decision that affects their care, including personal decisions (such as what to eat, what to wear and what time to go to bed), and wider decisions about their care or support. Everyone’s choices are shaped by things like their background, values, culture, religion or similar beliefs (if any), education or past experiences.

Taking control of your own care

and support helps build your identity and self-esteem.

Opportunity to choose for ourselves allows us to learn and grow as individuals. Everyone has individual tastes and preferences which they are entitled to voice and be respected for, and these can often change depending on a whole variety of factors such as the time of day, the season or simply a person’s mood.

It’s important care is based around individual preference by providing customers with choice which they have a right to.

There are times where choices are restricted due to the health and safety aspects, some may be supported with a risk assessment and adaptions made where possible to support the choice as much as possible so choice is made safe and the individual feels respected and supported.

Sometimes an individual may not be able to understand and retain the information they need to make a decision or communicate their choice. If this is the case they may lack the mental capacity to make the decision. An advocate might be an additional option to help someone to make a decision where they need additional help to understand and consider their options and the risks.

Every day brings choices so embrace the choices you have ensuring your safety and enjoy the outcome. n Jenny Atkins is Care Manager of Bluebird Care (Mendip), email CMMendip@bluebirdcare.co.uk, phone 01749 372197 or 01458 570015.

01749 37 21 97

wellsvoice

32

July 2021

n MESSAGE FROM THE MP

Somerset doing well in race to vaccinate ONCE again, it is with regret that this column once again must be focused on Covid-19 but unfortunately, it is still a huge part of our lives and is affecting each and every one of us in one way or another.

I – along with many others – was disappointed by the Prime Minister’s announcement to delay the full unlocking until July 19. However, I also reluctantly supported it. I say reluctantly because I am all too aware how much the June 21 date, when the unlocking was originally planned to take place, meant to so many people – and of course to businesses who are still suffering due to the restrictions.

However, having met with some businesses over the past few weeks, I have been clear that there is further help available from grants distributed to Mendip District Council and

News from Wells MP James Heappey ‘It has been wonderful to see Wells’ economy up and running and enjoying some of the lovely weather’ applications are now open via the council’s website.

There is no doubt in my mind this is a cautious approach. But

this does give us just a little more time to ensure as many people as possible have had their second vaccination for maximum protection.

The focus has always been on ensuring this unlocking is irreversible and that is the priority going forward. There has always been a race between the vaccine and the virus and the numbers down here in Somerset are hugely impressive.

I have visited nearly every vaccination centre in the constituency, and I was then not surprised to hear that Somerset has the best vaccination rate in the country for second doses – with North Somerset close behind. This is just fantastic news for everyone and puts us in a strong position when we do unlock and throughout this time while we welcome tourists back to our county.

There is also excellent availability for younger people to bring their second doses forward to just eight weeks after their first. All you need to do is go online and cancel and rebook.

This will all help when the Government analyses the data later this month.

I hope that by the next time I am writing, there will be much more positive news and we can finally move on with our lives and focus on the important domestic agenda.

In the meantime, it has been wonderful to see Wells’ economy up and running and enjoying some of the lovely weather – I have been delighted to see some outside dining has remained on the Market Place. I do hope this will be able to continue throughout the summer as we welcome more visitors to the city.

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wellsvoice

July 2021

33

n LETTERS

Email news@wellsvoice.co.uk

Amount of rubbish a growing problem DELIGHTFUL as it is to see the cafe culture and consequent increase in visitors to the city, it is equally dispiriting to notice the amount of rubbish around the place.

Andy, the barrowman, does an excellent job clearing and takes his last load down to Union Street at 4.30pm on Saturday, leaving central Wells pristine.

By 9am on a Sunday morning the city is adorned with rubbish again.

This is not peculiar to one area of business, in fact most rubbish bins/sacks are dealt with efficiently according to the refuse contracts. Others clearly are not.

With a predicted, and encouraged, increase in visitors I would suggest this is a matter to be addressed urgently. I ask councils and councillors to engage with landlords, residents and larger businesses to work out a reasonable solution to the problem before high summer and school holidays arrive.

Shirley Garner By email

Unexpected filming spoilt visit to Wells MY wife and I had a disappointing experience of Wells as first-time visitors recently. Based in Dinder, we saved Wells for our last full day in the area, Thursday, June 3, expecting it to be the highlight of our trip. Alas, we were unimpressed to discover that half of the Cathedral and all The Bishop’s Palace and Gardens were closed to the public during a school holiday week, because of filming.

We didn’t see any advance notifications about these closures on the Visit Wells and Visit Somerset websites which we checked daily in the fortnight before our visit. Any advance online information for prospective visitors certainly wasn’t upfront and centre on those destination websites; not even a standing note advising readers to check the individual attraction websites. Afterwards, we eventually found reference to the June 3 closure deep in the Palace website and, as I write today (June 9) the Cathedral website homepage displays a

visitors should always check the website of a particular attraction, or by telephone, to avoid disappointment.”

Ownership could not be given away

Photos from Shirley Garner of waste piled up in Wells footer giving information about further closures due to filming this week. I’m not sure such an ‘add-on’ was in place for last week.

The duty lady in the visitor information centre told me they weren’t aware of the closure in advance. The Wells Ambassador who greeted us as we approached the Cathedral probably was but, “Welcome to Wells – 75 per cent of our main attractions are closed today” isn’t a great opening line so we can understand why he left us to discover it for ourselves.

We were crushingly disappointed. Instead of staying in Wells all day we left about 1pm and went to Bruton where we spent the remainder of the day and a considerable amount of money. Will we return to Wells or recommend it to our friends?

Doubtful. Once bitten, twice shy. Wells needs to up its visitor welcome and management game.

John Wrightson Worcester n In response, Visit Wells said: “We’re very sorry to hear that these visitors had such a disappointing visit. As we understand it from Wells Cathedral and The Bishop’s Palace, the contracts with filming companies are often signed at very short notice (2-3 days in advance), and the organisations cannot publicise in advance the closures until contracts are signed. Both organisations had put notices on their own websites advising of the closures. The Visit Wells social media channels are designed to let potential visitors

Got News? Call 07906 499655

know about all the options available to tourists throughout the year and to highlight the beauty and history of Wells, they are not used to advertise closures of individual attractions, and we strongly recommend that

I AM writing to draw attention to a misleading statement in Wells Voice for June: in your article ‘Public meeting about barn, in Barn’ you state: “The Bishop’s Barn and Recreation Ground were given to the people of Wells… by the Bishop of Bath and Wells. They were transferred to Mendip in 1974.”

Any suggestion that this invaluable community resource could be given away is quite wrong as the then Bishop gave it to the people “in perpetuity”.

What was transferred in 1974 and is being returned to the city council is the care and administration of Barn and Ground, not its ownership.

Arthur Billington By email

SITUATIONS VACANT lodestoneproperty.co.uk

SALES ADVISOR IN OUR WELLS OFFICE Lodestone Property, a multi-award-winning property agency based in Bruton, Shaftesbury and Wells, is looking for an enthusiastic, energetic, forward-thinking and organised individual to be part of the sales team in their Wells office.

Negotiating skills, the ability to work as part of our motivated friendly team, as well as being able to communicate articulately with the public and our clients, are essential. Experience of working in estate agency is important.

If you think you are the right person for this full-time role, you can be part of this young, dynamic, growing business.

Salary will commensurate with experience.

Please send your CV with a covering letter to: Sue Macey, Managing Partner at: sue@lodestoneproperty.co.uk

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Email: news@wellsvoice.co.uk

wellsvoice

34

July 2021

n AROUND THE SOCIETIES WELLS WI WE started our June Zoom meeting with this year’s AGM. Membership is around 50. With most members participating in at least one additional activity, President Anne is glad women are engaged at several levels.

The President, Secretary, Membership Secretary and Treasurer were all re-elected, and there were a few minor reshuffles to other committee roles. The year’s accounts were approved and adopted.

Anne had attended the national WI AGM online that day, hearing speakers including Baroness Hale; Cressida Dick and the Countess of Wessex.

WI income dropped 29 per cent this year, and Denman (the residential college) was sold as it was making a loss. However, 70,000 members accessed online courses during lockdown – clearly the way forward. Anne told us it was said that the WI is what you make it, so we must make it what we want it to be.

We moved on to normal business with reminders of

Mayor of Wells Philip Welch and Town Crier Len Sweales with Wells u3a members at their Wells Market stall to promote the organisation on June 2 forthcoming attractions: garden safari visits to members’ gardens organised by the Blooming Fun group, involving complex scheduling of smaller groups to avoid exceeding permitted numbers; an evening walk at Stockhill Woods; and guided heritage walks of Wells. The discussion group has improved their way of working by making the viewing of a film, TV programme or play separate

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from talking about it, which enables members to enjoy something with partners, family or friends and discuss it later with WI friends.

The main event this month was a talk from Hugh Allen, Chair of Wells and Mendip Astronomers. The group has over 60 members of all ages who enjoy talks at the museum, courses at the observatory at Charterhouse on the Mendips, and occasional weekend camps.

Hugh told us how telescopes developed from the long thin refracting types to the more modern reflecting models that use mirrors to better manage light and enable photography.

He showed us some of his stunning images, and explained the phases of the moon, sun and planets.

During Wells Cathedral’s Festival of the Moon in October, the astronomers will be outside on the Green with their equipment, and all are encouraged to come along.

With the delay in relaxing coronavirus restrictions, our next meeting or two will remain online. New women are always welcome and can attend as guests before deciding to join.

More details are on our Facebook page https://www.facebook. com/Wellssomersetwi/ Veronica Howe WELLS U3A ON Wednesday, June 2, Wells u3a joined in the national u3a day to promote the organisation and to hopefully recruit new members. It was market day in Wells so we were able to have a market stall which was bedecked with bunting and tables with a

display of the great variety of groups available to join, along with the cookery book compiled and illustrated by members.

Some members, wearing their Wells u3a sashes, were on hand to highlight the benefit of belonging to such an organisation, especially to those people who had not even heard of us. Homemade cupcakes were handed out to entice people to stop and talk, but the cakes were not really needed as many people stopped to ask questions anyway and even joined there and then, and many took away membership forms with a view to joining at a future date.

The Town Crier, Len Sweales, included u3a in his cry to encourage people to stop at the stall, and the Mayor, Philip Welch, made a visit to the stall to find out exactly what Wells u3a had to offer local people.

If anyone missed our stall and is interested in joining Wells u3a and see what is on offer, visit the website www.u3asites.org.uk/ wells/home Ann Brown MID SOMERSET OXFAM GROUP MID Somerset Oxfam Group is as pleased as Punch to announce the publication of the booklet: MSOG: The Limerick Quest. Bringing together all the amusing, daft and slightly risque limericks from our recent competition, the booklet costs only £3 (plus £2 for each additional copy).

Now is your chance to find out why Bude is so popular with limerick writers, what Brazilian giraffes like and what it is that all those young ladies from Wells get up to.

Email: sales@wellsvoice.co.uk

wellsvoice

July 2021

35

n AROUND THE SOCIETIES All the money that we raise from the sale of our booklets will of course go straight to Oxfam to support its work in countries such as Yemen, Syria, Ethiopia or South Sudan.

Just head to the Mid Somerset Oxfam Group website, www.midsomersetoxfam.co.uk, for details of how to order the booklet.

And to get you in the mood, here is a final (we promise) limerick: We said to our poets ‘The deal is: you write a limerick. We’ll compile an anthology, make no apology.’

At three quid it’s clearly a steal.

Jenny Williams WELLS & DISTRICT GARDENING CLUB OUR gardens are lush, exuberant and open to visitors. Everybody is welcome to come along and make appreciative noises and

murmur admiration at our handiwork regardless of the fact that Nature has done most of it.

But not all visitors are welcome for this is the season when those nibblers and gnashers, suckers and spitters and a host of near invisible creatures do their best to spoil our fun.

Pests, admittedly, are an unwanted nuisance and, as someone said, quite a few seem to exist solely to annoy as anybody will testify who has flushed a clutch of earwigs from the turn-ups of his trousers.

Even earwigs have a place in the scheme of things and in fact the damage they do is offset by the benefit of their predations; they devour vast numbers of aphids.

Many abhor earwigs and take serious steps to annihilate them.

There are, or were, gardeners who took the same view of the humble earthworm. The earthworm of all creatures! One who shifts and sifts prodigious amounts of soil enriching it with those chemicals we grab off

‘If you are plagued by deer, count yourself fortunate that you are so close to the natural world.’ This illustration shows a quilted copy of a medieval bench end at All Saints Church, Monksilver the shelves in garden centres.

A creature which, pound for pound, is 1000 times stronger than a human. Creatures whom Aristotle called “the intestines of the earth”. The folk who took a dislike to worm casts, usually on golf greens, used poisons now happily banned.

It’s all a question of balance.

We reach for the poison and

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slosh it about, ignorant of the effects on organisms which are there to cope with the nuisance in the first place. Here’s a fact to make the eyes water: in 2017, a survey by the European Food Standards Agency found that grapes from Turkey contained 19 different pesticides. So, here is a plea to gardeners to redress the balance before we all poison ourselves. The late Christopher Lloyd of Great Dixter wrote: “Wherever earthworms plough, people thrive. When worms perish, societies collapse.” And if you are plagued by deer, count yourself fortunate that you are so close to the natural world.

Some folk don’t have access to a window box. As for aphids, if the earwigs and ants don’t deal with the black ones try a double-barrelled water pistol.

Then console yourself with the belief that squashing the green ones twixt finger and thumb is the quickest way to acquire green fingers.

Pip Harwood

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04/03/2020 14:55

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36

July 2021

n WHAT’S ON

History being brought to life at Medieval Weekend THE Bishop’s Palace in Wells has announced that its popular Medieval Weekend will return in August.

Last year’s event was cancelled due to Covid, but it will be back this year over the bank holiday weekend, from August 28-30.

Visitors will be able to immerse themselves in 800 years of history and get into the medieval spirit as they discover the historical re-enactment and medieval weapons experts Bowlore encamped amongst the ruins of the Great Hall. There

The Medieval Weekend will include archery displays will be displays throughout each day with demonstrations and choreographed combat

with longbows, pallaxes, Dane hammer, Falchion and Langmesser, to name just a few.

The Black Dog, Bowlore’s weapons and armour tent, can be visited to get a glimpse of medieval life, and members of the Bowlore troupe will be on hand throughout each day to share their expertise and to answer questions.

Entrance to the Medieval Weekend is included with any valid entrance ticket/ membership to The Bishop’s Palace. n The Garden Festival takes place at The Bishop’s Palace from July 2-4. Tickets are £12.50 adult and £6.50 child.

Concerts by talented young musicians IN a celebration of a return to live music, a series of concerts by visiting choirs, orchestras and bands is set to take place in Wells over the weekend of July 17-18.

Courtesy of funding from the Culture Recovery Fund, the second edition of WOWFest: Wells Orchestral Weekend will welcome hundreds of talented young and amateur musicians from across the UK for the concerts.

The inaugural WOWFest took place in July 2018 and saw an exciting range of free events

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in Wells’ most iconic venues.

Highlights included a march by the Royal Artillery Band from the Cathedral Green to The Bishop’s Palace, an experimental workshop by the festival’s patron, local conductor Charles

Hazlewood, and highly acclaimed concerts in the Cathedral, Town Hall, Cedars Hall and Bishop’s Palace by hundreds of visiting musicians from the UK, Germany and Malaysia.

This year, the concerts will be held in the Covid-safe environment of The Bishop’s Palace. On Saturday, July 17, starting at 2pm, there will be performances by the Waldegrave School Chamber Choir, the Wiltshire Jazz Academy, the Brass Ensemble of Cheddar Valley Music Club and the

Fantasy Orchestra from Bristol.

The following day from 3pm will feature The People’s Orchestra, the Lydian Orchestra and local festival favourites the Priddy Singers.

Although the concerts are free, the usual entrance fee to The Bishop’s Palace applies.

Because of the extension of Covid restrictions, a planned special performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with its iconic Ode to Joy chorus and a ceilidh have had to be cancelled.

Trio of theatrical shows with circus twist ON Sunday, August 1, a triplebill of theatrical shows with a street circus twist will take place at Croscombe Playing Field.

Pirates of the Carabina are award-winning circus artists, acrobats and musicians. Their new show Pirate Taxi tells their own tale of running away to the circus, with humour, original music and an ingenious set.

In Roll Up, Roll Up, Simple Cypher will perform explosive tricks within a large, spinning steel ring known as a Cyr Wheel.

This skilled duo combines freestyle Hip Hop and acrobatics with juggling in an innovative and original production.

The Shoebox Theatre Company’s show Walk On The Wild Side is about connection – connection with nature and the natural world around us, and connection with each other.

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Pirates of the Carabina give an extraordinary aerial performance in Pirate Picture: Paul Blakemore Taxi It’s a clown show, in the vein of Laurel & Hardy-type clowns, that is playful, funny, poignant and life-affirming.

The event takes place

outdoors so picnics can be taken along.

Entry is by advance ticket only. Further information via www.takeart.org/whats-on

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wellsvoice

July 2021

37

n SPORT Charity Day has clear winner GOLF

Wells Warriors U12s team with their trophies after winning the Yeovil & District League St John’s Plate competition

Warriors battle way to trophy triumph FOOTBALL WELLS City U12s claimed a fourth trophy within a few weeks when their Warriors team won the Yeovil & District League’s St John’s Plate competition.

The team fought through three difficult knock-out rounds to reach the showpiece final, where they took on Wessex Wolves in Ilchester on

Wednesday, June 16. A goal after just two minutes set the tone for the match, with the Warriors going on to wrap up a comprehensive 7-1 victory to claim the prestigious plate trophy.

Coach George Lunnon said: “The Warriors have put in maximum effort and concentration over the whole season and it has paid off in what

was a very dominant display and a huge cup triumph. I’d like to say a massive thank you to all players, parents and coaches who have made this season possible.”

The Warriors’ clubmates, Wells City Colts, won Division 2 of the Yeovil League several weeks previously, while the U12 Blues won a tournament in Melksham as well as their home tournament in Wells.

Junior tournament a big success FOOTBALL WELLS City FC held a hugely successful junior football tournament on a baking weekend in mid-June.

The club staged a slimmeddown version of its popular annual event due to Covid restrictions, but almost 100 junior teams were still in attendance over the weekend of June 12-13.

Teams from U7s up to U14s battled it out in group stages held across five pitches at the club’s Athletic Ground home, with group winners and runners-up going on to contest semi-final and then final matches to decide the winners of each age group.

Wells City won the U7, U8 and U12 categories, with Worcester City winning the U9s, Westfield the U10s, Bridgwater VPRs the U11s, Wessex Titans

ALAN Edwards, Mendip Golf Club’s Seniors Captain, held a very successful Charity Day to raise funds for Prostate Cancer UK. 112 competitors played in a variety of competitions, some playing 18 holes and some 26 (18+8 representing the theme that one man in eight will be affected by the illness). There were also individual prizes. The winners of the 26 hole event were Derek Strudwick, Kelvin Lum, Nigel Jarvis and the Seniors Captain himself, with 123 points. The 18 hole event went to Duncan Soper, Stephen Hudson, Ian Hall and Bill Waddington with 89 points. The individual events were won by Malcolm

Winners of the 26 hole event Kelvin Lum, Nigel Jarvis, Derek Strudwick and Alan Edwards Srawley with 53 points on count back from David Braithwaite and Alan Edwards (26 holes), and

by Tony Taylor with 40 points on count back from Club Men’s Captain Jim Boyce.

The putting event was won

by Michael Gardiner with Tony Williams runner up. However the real winner was the charity with an incredible £3,763 raised from the entry fees, raffle and the many items in the auction.

Target reached CRICKET Wells City U7s were victorious at the Wells City FC tournament held over the weekend of June 12 and 13. The Blues scored 20 goals and only conceded one across all seven of their matches. The final against a very strong Westfield side was decided on a penalty shootout. This was an amazing achievement for their first competitive tournament. The players are pictured with their coaches, from left, Neil Trevena, Andrew Dellbridge, Oli Hartley, Lee Chard and Andy Hambleton. the U13s and Weymouth the U14s. The weekend was a huge success, with many coaches and parents praising the organisation

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and smooth running of the Covid-safe event, which had been approved and sanctioned by the Somerset Football Association.

WELLS Cricket Club has reached its Crowdfunder target of £15,000 towards new two-lane cricket training nets.

The club received planning permission for new nets at its ground in South Horrington in 2020 but has struggled financially due to the impact of Covid-19. Dozens of local businesses and individuals supported the fundraising effort, and Sport England pledged £4,500 towards the target.

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wellsvoice

38

July 2021

n TAKE A BREAK

The FIEND

Each row, column and square (9 spaces each) needs to be filled out with the numbers 1-9, without repeating any numbers within the row, column or square.

For younger readers

6 9 8 3 1 6 4 2 3 5 3 9 6 7 4 2 1 9 7 4 7 4 2 8 7 Theme: Cooking 1

2

5

3

4

6 7 8

Across 1 3675 (4) 3 738 (3) 5 8398873 (7) 9 423 (3) 10 74383 (5)

9 10

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Easier suduko Down 1 3748837 (7) 2 7689 (4) 3 7327 (4) 4 846 (3) 6 84963 (5) 7 7335 (4) 8 743 (3)

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3 2

1 4 3

Each row, column and square (4 spaces each) needs to be filled out with the numbers 1-4, without repeating any numbers within the row, column or square.

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Solution Txtpert

F O R K S E T O E I R U A N I T E X T U R E T H P Y P E E M I C E R S I E V E L

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wellsvoice

July 2021

39 CLEANING SERVICES

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