Mendiptimes - Volume 10 - Issue 5

Celebrating life onthe Mendips and

surrounding areas

FREEMendipTimesVVOOLLUUMMEE 1100 IISSSSUUEE 55 OCTOBER 2014

Local people, local history, local places, local events and local news

IN THIS ISSUE:AAUUTTUUMMNN OONN MMEENNDDIIPPMINERS’ MEMORIES

FFOOOODD && DDRRIINNKKWHAT’S ON

Front cover designs:Layout 1 18/9/14 14:43 Page 1

We have had a busy summer at BartlettGooding and Weelen. We hardly hadtime to catch our breath after the MidSomerset Show before enjoying our staffsummer party in Bristol, on a barge ofthe River Severn. The weather wasbeautiful and it was a lovely occasion.

Then only last weekend, BridgetCleaves from our Castle Cary officecelebrated her 60th birthday earlier inthe year by abseiling 100 feet down thewall of Yeovil Hospital accompanied byher friend (and former colleague) HelenHiggins. Bridget (who is normally

terrified of heights) described the stunt as exhilarating, is said to be still buzzing fromthe experience and keen to try it again. Best of all, Bridget and Helen raised just over£13,000 for the building of the Special Care Baby Unit at the hospital. An excellentachievement of which they should both be very proud.

Despite all the excitement we are continuing to work hard and the up-swing in theproperty market has continued into September. Our conveyancing department hasstrengthened enormously in the last couple of years and the feedback that we get fromclients and other professionals is that we provide excellent value for money. If you arethinking of moving house please contact any of our offices to discuss how we mighthelp you.

Shepton Mallet: 57 High Street,Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 5AQ.

Tel: 01749 330330

Glastonbury: 11 Chilkwell Street,Glastonbury, Somerset, BA6 8DL.

Tel: 01458 832510

Castle Cary: Old Bank House,High Street, Castle Cary, Somerset,BA7 7AW. Tel: 01963 350888

Cheddar: Roley House, Church Street,Cheddar, Somerset, BS27 3RA.

Tel: 01934 745400

Website: www.bgw-solicitors.co.uk

Our Services Include:Commercial and Residential Property

Wills and ProbateLitigation and Personal InjuryCriminal and Family Law

Agricultural, Business and CommercialEmployment

Bridget Cleaves (left), from our Castle Caryoffice with her friend Helen Higgins afterabseiling 100 feet down the wall of YeovilHospital

Page 2 October:Layout 1 18/9/14 14:46 Page 1

MENDIP TIMES • OCTOBER 2014 • PAGE 3

MENDIP TIMES CONTENTS

WelcomeWITH the harvest safely gathered in,autumn is the season to celebrate, withharvest homes, ploughing matches andshows – and we have them all inabundance this month – as well aspictures from Frome Show where onceagain it was a pleasure to meet so manyreaders and the North SomersetPloughing Match.We’ve news of a new book about the

last years of the Somerset coalfields,written by children from three schoolsaround Midsomer Norton, and meet theChew Valley schoolgirl who has spotted3,700 different birds around the world.We meet the local craftsman who has

made a new altar for St. Mary Redcliffein Bristol and hear how a village unitedto raise more than £20,000 forChildren’s Hospice South West.Our caving expert, Phil Hendy, has

stayed above ground this month to takeus on a fascinating tour of ancient rockshelters around Mendip, while SueGearing plots a walk from Charterhouseto Velvet Bottom.We’ve a huge choice of venues in our

food and drink section, as well as furthernews of local food festivals, whileforager Adrian Boots explores thetreasures of the beech woods. MaryPayne offers advice on how to prepare ashow of spring bulbs.Summer may have been hectic, but

the fun isn’t over yet – now we have thecarnival season to look forward to!

November 2014 deadline:Friday, 17th October 2014.Published: Tuesday, 28th October2014.Editorial:Steve Egginton [email protected] Adler [email protected]:Ann Quinn [email protected] Abbott [email protected]: Mendip Times LimitedCoombe Lodge, Blagdon, Somerset BS40 7RGContacts: For all enquiries, telephone:

01761 463888or: email [email protected]: [email protected] and origination by:Steve HendersonPrinted by:Precision Colour Printing, Haldane,Halesfield 1, Telford, Shropshire TF7 4QQ

Copyright of editorial content held by Mendip Times Ltd. and itscontributors. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in aretrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the expresspermission of the Publisher. The views expressed in this publication donot necessarily represent those of the publisher or its associates.

Front cover: Relaxing during the grand parade at Frome Cheese Show(see page 12). Photo by Mark Adler.

45Book of memories – schoolscelebrate miners’ lives

Plus all our regular featuresEnvironment...................................6Farming Mary James MBE..........10Food & Drink...............................14Arts & Antiques ...........................30Internet and Crossword ..............37Business ........................................38Wildlife Chris Sperring MBE.......49Walking Sue Gearing....................50Outdoors Les Davies MBE ..........52Gardening Mary Payne MBE ......54

Health Dr Phil Hammond.............64Community Simon Selby.............68Charities .......................................72Property ........................................77Caving Phil Hendy........................78Homes and Interiors....................80Motoring .......................................85Riding Celia Gadd ........................90Sport..............................................92What’s On ....................................94

11

68Playtime in Frome – newcommunity facility opens

Furrowed brows – the NorthSomerset Ploughing Match

86All aboard – ten years of theBath & West Railway

Contents page:Layout 1 18/9/14 15:07 Page 1

LEATHER,SUEDE &

SHEEPSKINREPAIRS

Do you know about our repair and alterationservice for sheepskin, suede and leather

clothing? Whether it’s new zips, repairs to ripsand tears, sleeve shortening or re-styling, we

should be able to help. We also repairmotorcycle leathers.

We also still offer our part-exchange service whereyou can trade in your old sheepskin, suede or

leather coat against a new one.Please telephone for details.

Four Seasons105 High StreetSTREETBA16 0EYTel: 01458 442500

Four Seasons16 High Street

GLASTONBURYBA6 9DU

Tel: 01458 832061



MENDIP TIMES NEWS

A FLOWER festivalwith a World WarOne theme and anextensive exhibitionof old photographswere amongst theways villagers inLeigh-on-Mendipcommemorated theoutbreak of theconflict.Almost 20 flower

arrangements filledSt Giles church inthe village, withthemes ranging fromthe Christmas Truceof 1914 to the roleplayed by QueenAlexandra’s RoyalArmy NursingCorps.

The local history exhibition in the Memorial Hall next tothe church was organised by keen collector Graham Harris.The photos ranged from 1890 to 1950 with the emphasis onthe war and its impact on the village and surroundingcommunity.The weekend was held to raise funds for the upkeep of the

medieval church and the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.

Village remembers

Graham Harris with part of his collection of photos; it tookhim more than a year to organise the exhibition

War in the Air – one of the flowerarrangements complete with modelSopwith Camel

Over the Top and part of the Which Hat displays

SOMERSET CARNIVAL DATES 2014Saturday, November 1st: Bridgwater (7pm)Monday, November 3rd: Highbridge and Burnham-on-Sea(7.30pm)Friday, November 7th:Weston-super-Mare (7.15pm)Saturday, November 8th: South Petherton (7pm)Monday, November 10th: Midsomer Norton (7.30pm)Wednesday, November 12th: Shepton Mallet (7.30pm)Friday, November 14th:Wells (7pm)Saturday, November 15th: Glastonbury (7pm)

Carnival is coming!A night to remember – the carnival

season is underway

PREPARATIONS are in full swing for this year’s carnivalseason on Mendip which will see a re-invigorated procession– and new route – in Midsomer Norton.Organisers of the annual Midsomer Norton and District

Carnival are celebrating a decision to approve the new routewhich will take the procession through Midsomer Norton andRadstock once more.The carnival has been taking place between Radstock and

Westfield in recent years because of concerns that some of thecarnival carts were too big for the town centres.

But after a trial run earlier in the year, Midsomer Nortontown council and Bath and North East Somerset councilreached an agreement to share the funding of changes to thetraffic island outside the town hall which will allow thevehicles to turn safely.Organisers hope this will encourage more of the bigger

carnival clubs to take part in the procession. The carnival willtake place on Monday, November 10th, beginning at 7.30pmin Silver Street in Midsomer Norton and will go throughRadstock to finish in Westfield.The Heritage Lottery-funded Carnivals in Somerset

Promotion Project is planning to celebrate the return of theMidsomer Norton event by helping with a special carnivalexhibition at Radstock Museum to coincide with theprocession. The exhibition opens on Wednesday, October 1st.� Castle Cary children’s carnival procession takes place onSaturday, October 4th, followed by the main procession onSaturday, October 11th. Castle Cary and Ansford’s carnivalcommittee donated £2,100 from last year’s events to localcauses. Cary is part of the Wessex Grand Prix circuit, whichhas already begun, and which also included Frome. That tookplace as Mendip Times went to press (see next month’s issue).

News page 5:Layout 1 18/9/14 15:12 Page 1

PAGE 6 • MENDIP TIMES • OCTOBER 2014

MENDIP TIMES

Welcome to Wainwright – company MD Peter Barkwill was on hand to welcome visitors

By Mark Adler

This is what we do

SEVERAL thousand visitors seized theopportunity for a behind-the-scenes lookat one of Mendip’s busiest workingquarries.Wainwright opened the gates of Moons

Hill Quarry at Stoke-St-Michael to thepublic for the first time in eight years fora ticket-only event.Output at the quarry – especially its

asphalt plant – is booming andWainwright managing director PeterBarkwill said the time was right toshowcase its success of recent years.As well as guided tours of the quarry

workface, visitors could inspect the giantequipment and meet the drivers andoperators. There was also the opportunityof a bird’s eye view of the quarry from acage suspended 50 metres from the top ofa crane as well as tethered balloon rides.The Somerset Earth Science Centre,

based next door to the quarry andsupported by quarry operators onMendip, was also open for a series ofactivities.

Waiting to go on a tour of the quarry

Connie and Freddy with their balloonsas the tethered balloon takes off behindthem

Harry is dwarfed by some of the machinery on show

Environment section:Layout 1 18/9/14 15:14 Page 6


ENVIRONMENT

Behind the sceneswith Mendip Rocks!

50-metres up – a view of some of the displays on the ground

Wainwright recently commissioned its new £3.5m aggregate plant

Contrast – how haulage has changed in recent years

The sight of a tetheredballoon taking off

welcomed visitors to theopen day

QUARRIES play a significant role in this year’s MendipRocks! festival of geology, which begins on Saturday,September 27th.Tours of Moons Hill, Whatley and Torr Works – all

must be pre-booked – will be held during the fourth yearof the festival, which offers a chance to explore some ofMendip’s best-kept geological secrets.The festival opens to the public with Burrington

Rocks! a fun event for the family and continues withwalks, talks and events throughout October. The festivalis supported by the Mendip Hills AONB Partnership incollaboration with the Somerset Earth Science Centreand Somerset Wildlife Trust.One of the highlights will be a special outdoor event at

Castle Hill Quarry in Nunney on Saturday, October 4thwhen dramatic images of local quarries collected by theQuarry Faces living history team will be projected ontothe quarry face. The evening will start with the call toorder by Stephen Thomas blowing a Victorian blastinghorn used by his great grandfather George Colman whoran both Castle Hill Quarry and then the larger HolwellQuarry.Ruth Worsley, the festival co-ordinator, said: “Whilst

enjoying the breathtaking views above ground on theMendip Hills, the events will bring alive the fascinatingstories of the rocks beneath our feet that have shaped thelandscape.“We aim to explore this geological diversity

throughout our festival events. No prior knowledge ofgeology is required, and all will be revealed as weexplore together.”� The Nunney event runs from 6.30-8.30pm and is free(donations to the Mendip Hills Fund) but bookings areessential. To book, contact Andy Mallender via e-mail at:[email protected] or call Ruth Worsley on:01761 232898. Visitors are advised to bring a rug, brollyand folding chair! Hot refreshments will be available.

For full information, visit:www.somersetwildlife.org/rocks

Mendip Hills AONB practical volunteers group clear thequarry face at Castle Quarry in readiness for the event


Campaign makes progress

Details: www.coffinlane.com

CAMPAIGNERS have had a breakthrough in their bid for anew path for walkers and cyclists, avoiding the busy roadfrom Axbridge to Cross, the former coffin route to ComptonBishop.Landowner Michael Clements has agreed to consider a path

on the edge of his land at the junction of the A38 and A371Cross Lane crossroads. Members of the Coffin LaneCampaign have been busy cutting back the hedge andbrambles.Campaign co-ordinator, Tess Gill, said: “This is a matter of

public safety and it is gratifying that a local landowner iswilling to take this matter seriously and discuss a solution.”


MENDIP TIMES ENVIRONMENT

I CHOSE this headline as we areapproaching that time of the year whensome of the most pleasant weather canoccur and October is second or third onmy list of most favourite months.Summer may have gone, but October

is still a long way from being a wintermonth. Mean daily maximumtemperatures early in the month are still

around 16˚ or 17˚ Celsius and 20˚C is not uncommon on asunny day, so a trip to the south coast can still be quiteworthwhile (the sea temperatures early in the month are stillaround 15˚ or 16˚ C for those hardy enough to take a dip).Even the overnight minimum temperature is still near

10˚C as we start the month. We often see the first frost duringOctober but it is usually just an early morning touch, often

followed by a day ofwarm sunshine.With the leaves

beginning to turn onthe trees and a bit ofearly morning mist,the countryside cansometimes be aspleasant in Octoberas at any other time in the year. October, though, often seesquite a big change in the weather from the beginning to theend and the first of the big winter storms usually affects ourshores before the end of the month. Next month it willprobably be a completely different story!� Remember that British Summer Time ends on Sunday,October 26th – time to put the clocks back!

with DAVIDMAINE

Golden October

MENDIP

WEATHERSC

ENE

THE newly-launched Mendip Hills Fund is a partnership betweenSomerset Community Foundation and Mendip Hills AONBPartnership, providing a new community fund to conserve andenhance the environment, communities and economy of theMendip Hills.The Mendip Hills is an area rich in natural and cultural heritage,

with ancient monuments, steep craggy slopes, gently undulatingplateau, spectacular gorges, flower-rich grasslands and ancientwoodlands.The central and western area, including the Chew and Blagdon

lakes, is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty inrecognition of its landscape quality and being one of England’sfinest landscapes.Grants will be awarded to support projects that meet the fund

criteria. This includes: landscape conservation e.g. management ofnatural or historic features; education and interpretation projects toincrease awareness, understanding and enjoyment; social andeconomic initiatives, including enhancing community facilities and

support for start-up of social enterprises e.g. local food initiatives.The Mendip Hills Fund income is raised from grant applications

for specific projects and pooled donations from donors includingvisitors via the Mendip Hills Visitor Giving Scheme as well as on-line, text and phone donations.Visitor giving is the process of asking visitors to voluntarily

support conservation and enhancement of the area they enjoy bydonating a very small amount of money via their bill or fees.Businesses participating in the scheme will help to raise moneywhich will be used to support a range of projects across theMendip Hills – projects which are delivered by the manycommitted organisations who are working hard to look after thethings that make the Mendip Hills special.The Mendip Hills AONB Unit help and support businesses in

joining the scheme. This includes provision of materials to informtheir customers about the exciting projects they are supporting.Local businesses are also promoting the Fund by selling

Chalkhill Blue butterfly and Greater Horseshoe bat badges.

New Mendip fund launched

Details: For further information on applying or donating to the fund seewww.somersetcf.org.uk/special-projects/mendip-hills-fund. Businesses interested in the Visitor Giving scheme please

contact: Sarah Jackson email:[email protected] or Tel 01761 462338.

This year’s Double Hills ceremony atPaulton was bathed in warm sunshine(see page 60).


Tel: 0800 097 8611www.johnhodge.co.uk | e-mail: [email protected]

WESTON-SUPER-MARE | BRISTOL | CLEVEDON | YATTON | WEDMORE


Putting the record straight


LAST month I wrote of falling beef pricesand now it is falling milk and wheat pricesso the farming industry is in for a roughride again. Watch the prices in thesupermarkets and see if they reflect thissituation. Evidently it is all down tomarket forces, sanctions against Russia etc– or is it?Over the years the farming industry has

tried very hard to promote itself to the consumer so they canreally understand where their food comes from and how it isproduced. There have been Open Farm Sundays and Farmlinkin our area that works with schools, bringing children out tothe farms to work on projects within the core curriculum.Hundreds of farms take individual school visits and do a

wonderful job. There have been many Buy British campaigns.Then there are The Archers and especially Countryfile withAdam Henson who really does describe his farming practicesvery well.So I was appalled to read that the Daily Mail (August 30th)

ran an article called ”So that’s why you are dog tired, it’s thecurse of modern life”. The author, a so-called top GP, DrSohere Roked, evidently appeared to have a very loose graspof fundamental facts in the farming industry.She was completely and utterly wrong to say “that UK

dairy cows are injected with hormones to keep themproducing milk all year round”. They are most definitely not.

She also implied that British cattle are given hormones toboost meat production which again is wrong because thepractice is banned in the UK.Then she went on to claim that antibiotics pass into our

milk. She should be aware that there are strict withdrawalperiods to prevent that. Every tanker load of milk is testedand if antibiotics are found the whole load is rejected.Animals do become ill and they have to be treated withantibiotics and other forms of medication when necessary, butas little as possible.There were many other spurious claims against the food

industry. I tried to get a full copy from the Daily Mailwebsite, but they withdrew it! I hope they had a lot ofcomplaints. The press is a good friend most of the time but itcan be a hell of a bad enemyThen, to cap it all, around the same time ITV2 was running

an “ident” between programmes which showed peoplewalking on top of round bales. Now this is reallyirresponsible. The NFU complained to both the Mail andITV2.Those round bales, whether they be hay or silage, can

weigh up to a tonne and if they are located on uneven groundthey can roll and kill either the persons rolling on them orpeople in their path. Tragically many accidents on farmsinvolve children, some who live on the farm, but also thosewho have wandered onto farmland to play and are unaware ofthe dangers. Take care.

With MARYJAMES MBE

MENDIP TIMES

• Lightweight and easy to handle• Removable inner tray completewith nesting box and roost.

• Air vent/sight glass fitted.• Houses 4-5 hens• Two access hatches for bothfeeding and removal of eggs.

• Built-in external rainwaterharvesting feature.

Farming section:Layout 1 18/9/14 15:19 Page 10


Orchards get a little helpfrom their friends

Lesley Hurford (left) was teaching children how to make corndollies. Children William Down, Elsa Gray and Thea Down arepictured with mum Charlotte Down

FARMING

North Somerset Ploughing Match

Vegetable class

THE Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group has received a£40,000 boost for its efforts to give Somerset orchards a newlease of life.The aid – over two years – will fund advice and training for

orchard owners, allowing them to restore, manage and plantorchards – with the aim of returning them to full health. Thedonation came from the Shepton Mallet Cider Mill after localgovernment funding was cut.Ben Thorne, from FWAG SouthWest, said: “After the County

Council decided to withdraw its support, many orchard ownerswere left needing help.“It’s fantastic news that The Shepton Cider Mill has been able

to step in to provide support and grant aid. This demonstratesShepton Cider Mill’s commitment to the tradition of orchardingin Somerset.”Bob Chaplin, master cider maker at The Shepton Mallet Cider

Mill said: “Healthy orchards are critical to the long-termsuccess of the cider industry.“But more than that, orchards are a much loved and important

part of the Somerset landscape and our heritage. As well asproviding people with fruit for production and adding to thebeauty of our countryside, they are crucial for wildlife in thearea.

Farming section:Layout 1 18/9/14 15:19 Page 11


MENDIP TIMES

Terrier racing on the Village Green

Still growing: Longhorn bull Stoke Mudlark, one of the stars of theParsonage Down National Nature Reserve at Shrewton, is stillgrowing to maturity. He’s pictured with judge Bernard Llewellyn(left) and reserve manager Simon Hope

Organisers of the cheese awards raised funds for the Wallace andGromit children’s charity. Rachel Phillips, from the charity, ispictured with Chris Edwards, from Arla Foods (left) and committeemember Graham Hunemman

Judging underway in the Global Cheese Awards

Terry Mole prepares his display of giant vegetables

Carriage driving competitors in the main arena

The grand parade, seen from a telehoist above the main arena(with thanks to Andy Bolan from Weiderman dealer WackerNeuson)

Frome Cheese Show DPS:Layout 1 18/9/14 15:20 Page 12


FROME CHEESE SHOW

Woodcarver and furniture maker StephenStokes, was creating date of birth yearplaques to raise money for DownsideAbbey’s restoration project

Not the dead parrot sketch: Suzanne (with Mad Max), Penny and Jacqui (with Morgan),were promoting the nationwide Birdline Parrot Rescue charity

Under-13 players from Frome CollegiatesFC were collecting donations at the FromeScaffolding viewing platform towards theirplanned trip to Europe in May next year.Matches are being lined up in Holland,Belgium and Germany

The busy auction – when award-winning cheese is sold to the public – underway

Dog tired? Taking time to relax after a long day at the show

Tony Bishton won the award for the bestdeli. The competition was run by theorganisers of the Global Cheese Awards.Tony, from South Petherton, is picturedwith Jessica Kimber-Holloway, from theawards

Frome Cheese Show DPS:Layout 1 18/9/14 15:20 Page 13

Make this now and itwill be ready in goodtime for yourChristmas mince pies.By all meanssubstitute fruit juice(orange or apple) forthe alcohol, butremember alcohol is apreservative so themincemeat won’tkeep for so long.

METHODPut everything in alarge bowl and mixwell. Cover and leaveto macerate for 48hrs, stirring occasionally.Sterilise enough jars in the oven (see above). Packmincemeat into warmed, sterilised jars, taking care not to

leave air bubbles. Coverimmediately with a waxeddisc and dampened cellophaneor a lid. Label and store in acool, dry, dark place. Leave tomature for at least two weeksbefore using. Refrigerate afteropening.

INGREDIENTS250g/9oz cooking apples,peeled, cored and grated275g/9¾oz/1.5 cups glacécherries, halved100g/3½oz/1 cup walnuts,roughly chopped500g/1lb 2oz/3 cups mixed vinefruits375g/13oz/scant 1¾ cupsDemerara sugar100g/3½oz/¾ cup shredded beefor vegetable suet1 tsp ground mixed spice300ml/10½fl oz/scant 1¼ cupssherry

NOTHING offers such a feeling of satisfaction asa row of jewel-coloured preserves gleaming inthe provisions cupboard. The bounty of theharvest is turned into food for the cold months,all its goodness captured and instantly available.

Emma Macdonald, of The Bay Tree FoodCompany, has a new book out called,appropriately, Preserving and, as promised lastmonth, I bring you three more recipes from it.

* Preserving by Emma Macdonald © Nourish, Watkins PublishingLimited 2014

With JUNEMACFARLANE

Well preserved!

Caramelised peppers

Everybody ought to have a jar of this in the cupboard. It’sgood with cold meats and burgers and it’s great withfishcakes.

METHODWith a sharp knife cut a cross in the top of the tomatoes, coverwith boiling water and leave for two-three minutes, then drain.Peel off and discard the skins; roughly chop the flesh.

Put the tomatoes, lemon juice, chilli flakes and sea salt in apreserving pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat andsimmer for five minutes until the tomatoes have softened.

Add the sugar to the pan and stir until it has completely

dissolved. Boil rapidly for10-15 mins until settingpoint is reached.Meanwhile sterilise yourjars in the oven at 180°Cfor 20 mins.

Remove the pan fromthe heat and allow to rest for 15 mins. This helps to stop thetomatoes rising in the jars.

Ladle the jam into warm, sterilised jars, cover with a waxeddisc, dampened cellophane round or a lid, label and store in acool dark place. Refrigerate after opening.

INGREDIENTS1kg/2lb 4oz tomatoesjuice of 2 lemons2 tsp dried chilli flakes¼ tsp sea salt1kg/2lb 4oz/4½ cupsgranulated sugar

SWEET TOMATO CHILLI JAM


These sweet and sourpeppers look so prettyand are lovely servedeither hot or cold.They make a greattopping for bruschettaor on a baked potato.

METHODPut the mustard seedsin a non-stick fryingpan and dry fry,tossing continuously,for about one minuteuntil lightly browned.Set aside. Cut peppers

in half, remove core and seeds, slice thinly and cut into1in pieces.

Put vinegar and sugar in a preserving pan and bringslowly to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.Reduce heat and boil gently for about five mins untilreduced by a third.

Add mustard seeds, sliced peppers and chilli, increasethe heat and boil rapidly for about 20 mins until mixtureis thick but peppers retain their shape.

Meanwhile sterilise your jars (see above) with vinegar-proof lids. Fill the jars, seal, label and store in a cool,dry, dark place. Leave to mature for a month beforeusing and refrigerate after opening.

INGREDIENTS1 tsp yellow mustard seeds1.25 kg/2lb 12 oz yellowpeppers1.25 kg/2lb 12 oz redpeppers200ml/7floz/scant 1 cupcider vinegar300g/10½oz/1.5 cupsgranulated sugar¼ small bird’s eye chilli,deseeded and finelychopped

BOOZY CHERRYANDWALNUTMINCEMEAT

CARAMELISED PEPPERS

MENDIP TIMES

Food & Drink section:Layout 1 18/9/14 15:30 Page 14


Travelling through, walkinglocal trails, or living in the

village, if the doors are open– come in and enjoy what

Blagdon’s little country pubhas to offer.

Booking highly recommended

BOOKING NOW FOR CHRISTMAS!

THEQUEEN

ADELAIDEBLAGDON

01761 463926

GOOD FOOD, LAGER, ALES AND LOCAL CIDERGLUTEN-FREE ON WEDNESDAYS

FOOD & DRINK

OPENING TIMESTuesday to Saturday11.30am till 7pmMajor credit cards accepted

SEASONS FISH KITCHENFarrington’s Farm Shop,Farrington Gurney,Bristol BS39 6UB

FRESH FISH DAILY . . . AND COOKED JUST FOR YOUBOXED . . . FOR YOU TO ENJOY

Hot fish lunches or seafood suppers, proper fish & chips,from beer-battered Cod to Dover Sole

Don’t want to wait? Phone ahead and orderSundays are available for private dining, birthday lunches,

or a relaxed get-together with friends

Now openuntil 8pmon Fridays


PORK from a pig brought up entirely on food waste and cookednose to tail; local wild game and foraged herbs; vegetables notbeautiful enough for supermarkets; sweet treats from the autumnhedgerows; bread and other local products donated by localmarket stalls, food shops and allotments – all the ingredients for aspectacular foraged feast as part of this year’s Wells FoodFestival!

The Forgotten Feast’s Autumn’s Banquet will be held in theBishop’s Barn and hosted by acclaimed eco-chef and ObserverFood Monthly Award winner Tom Hunt. Tom’s Forgotten Feast isa roaming restaurant that supports the ugly, the unwanted and the

unloved. It creates an unforgettablecelebration of taste that championsthe use of wild foods, wastedfoods and foods that have beenforgotten or ignored by the modernworld. Some 150 people will enjoythe £30 per head banquet. To drawattention to the problems of foodwaste and awareness of theunexpected foods available in Somerset there will be a short talkby Patrick Holden of the Sustainable Food Trust.

The festival, a feast for food lovers across the South West, isreturning for a second year running on Sunday, October 12th. Theone-day festival will welcome thousands of foodies, bringingtogether the very best artisan producers from across Somerset in adedicated covered market, as well as hosting two lunchspectaculars, and a wealth of talks, walks, workshops, stalls andcompetitions to get involved in. Other speakers include MendipTimes contributor Adrian Boots, an expert on foraging, who willbe hosting a ‘walk and talk’ event.

Anne Furniss, Organiser of the Wells Food Festival, said: “Weare following in the footsteps of the hugely successful festival lastyear, which attracted 3,500 people. We have built on the successof last year, to create an even bigger and better festival this time.It’s all about welcoming foodies, families, and friends to join us incelebrating the fantastic produce and ingredients Somerset has tooffer.”


TomHunt

A foraged feast in Wells

MENDIP TIMES

Relaxed and friendly dining in the heart of Wells

Autumn & Winter at BEAH

Find us at Union Street, WellsCall 01749 678111

Email: [email protected]

• Breakfast Menu available from 10am – noon

• New lunch menu from 12noon – 2pm (3pm onSaturdays)

• New Prix fixe Dinner menu:£12 for two courses

£16 for three courses

• Full a la carte menu with daily specials

• Bespoke menus for private parties from 20–60upstairs in our ‘Chapel’ function room

• Christmas Lunch & Dinner partymenus available now

• Looking for a less formal Christmas party this year?Find out more about our Christmas buffet party

menu. Email or call for details

• Open Christmas day for lunch –menu available soon

Christmas Party Menu

StartersSmoked bacon & white bean soupTuna tartare with fennel coleslaw

Ricotta cheese & cranberry parcels (V) with rocket & red chard saladKefta briouats with tomato & coriander salsa & yoghurt dip

MainsSomerset turkey with all the trimmingsTurkey & apricot tagine with cous cous

Lamb shank & prune tagine with cous cousSole tricolour in white wine & tomato sauce seasonal vegetables

Chunky vegetable paella with rustic artisan bread

PuddingsChristmas pudding with winter berry compote

Fig & pistachio cheesecakeChocolate crepe filled with cointreau cream

Somerset cheeseboard (£2.50 supplement)

2 courses £18.503 courses £22.50


CHARLOTTE Oliver’s love of baking has led her to openher own business – Charlotte’s Tearooms in Winscombe.Based in the former HSBC bank, it’s proving to be verypopular.

Charlotte, aged 24, was a grocery manager at Morrison’sin Worle, when she decided to try something different.Supported by mum and dad, Steve and Carol, who runShiplate Farm Fishery at Bleadon, and grandparents, Patand David Oliver, she’s turned her hobby into her tearoom.

Her father, who worked as a builder when he wasyounger, transformed the former bank, with his friend Roy,

in three weeks. Her friend, Sarah Lewington, has given upher job in a residential home to work with her.

Since it opened customers have been flocking in. Thecakes and scones are all home-made and there are glutenand dairy-free options. The space in front of the old bankis now a sunlit patio area and Charlotte plans to open agarden at the back next year.

There’s no wi-fi and mobile phones are discouraged.Charlotte said: “We want people to talk to each other andhave a nice rustic atmosphere. The reception has beenreally good – we already have our regulars.”


New tearoom in Winscombe

FOOD & DRINK



DOM Lowe and his friend Matt Stalker (left) have turned theirlove of home brewing into a business, launching the Chew ValleyBrewery in Pensford.

Both had been keen amateur brewers before a trip to MastersBrewery in Wellington changed their lives – on the way homethey decided to set up their own brewery. They returned toMasters for training and after six months experimenting withvarious malts, hops and yeast launched their own beers, which arenow selling in local pubs.

The beers are designed to reflect the earthiness and history ofthe area, with a traditional malt flavour. Dom said: “We wanted toget away from modern snazzy, zesty hoppy beers. One of ourcustomers, who is in his 80s, said he hadn’t tasted anything sogood since he was a boy.”

New brewery launched

NOW in its third year, the annual Apple Pressing Day in Wringtonhas really established itself as a great day out for the whole familyand is a firm favourite in the village calender.

Hosted by The Plough Inn at Wrington, you can bring your ownapples to be pressed, as well as tasting last year’s produce in itsjuice form, or as a delicious cider (careful now!)

In addition there will be a fantastic BBQ, live music throughoutthe afternoon, an outside cider bar and many activities, art andgames for adults and children.

If the BBQ does not interest you, why not just enjoy one of ThePlough’s famous Sunday roasts or simply relax in their beautifulgarden.

Apple Day in Wrington

Real beer, made in the Chew Valley0775 368 6179

[email protected]

Tel 01749 880 450 | [email protected]

East Cranmore Lane | CranmoreShepton Mallet | Somerset BA4 4QJ

Quintessential English country pub | Under new managementand refurbished | Log fires | Imaginative seasonal menusEvents catering | Garden | Dogs and horses welcome

(biscuits and carrots provided)

Planning your wedding? Come to our Wedding Fair onSaturday, 18 October, 10.30am – 2pm, and meet the

professional caterers, events planner, photographer, florist,B&B hosts, dress maker and marquee hire company who can

help you organise your perfect day at The Strode Arms.

Wednesday 5 NovemberEnjoy our explosive Guy Fawkes menu

Special Christmas menus availableBook your Christmas celebration now

Mention “lucky boat” when you visit the pub and enjoy a free cup of coffee

MENDIP TIMES

O U T S I D E C I D E R B A R


ANOTHER new discovery of mine,Toona sinensis, also know as Toon orChinese cedar, is not a cedar at all but adeciduous tree widely cultivated as avegetable in China.

The young shoots are used as a stronglyflavoured vegetable or herb and have anextraordinary roasted garlic/onion flavour,with hints of spice. Quite bitter and

astringent raw, when cooked they become sweet andflavoursome, and are delicious in all manner of cookeddishes.

Although almost completely unknown as a vegetable in thiscountry, it is however occasionally grown as an ornamental,usually the cultivar ‘Flamingo’, which has especially pinkstems and leaves – if you have this growing you may bepleased to discover you also have a perennial vegetable patchalready established in your garden.

Perennial plants like this take almost no maintenance tokeep on providing you with edible shoots throughout thegrowing season. If left to its own devices the tree can grow to10m or more, but if the shoots are picked regularly you cankeep the shrubby and no more than a couple of metres highand wide.

A regularly cropped tree will need a little feeding and ayearly mulch of rotted manure will go most if not all the waytowards this. I grew these little trees from seed and so Ihaven’t had lots of shoots to experiment with as yet.

I would suggest researching Chinese recipes for the shoots,or else add to stir fries or, my favourite so far, add toomelettes, coarsely chopping the shoots and stir frying for aminute before adding the eggs and plenty of salt and pepper.

Jacob Whitson is a chef and food writer who hasworked in many of the West Country’s most prestigiousrestaurants. He is currently working on his first book, a

travelogue detailing the regional foods of Japan.

With JAKEWHITSON

New discoveryG A R D E N F O O D

Adrian Boots is a Landscape Ecologist, Wild FoodForager and Adventure Activity provider. You can visit hisweb site www.gowildactivities.co.uk to learn more aboutwild food foraging and activities you can do with him on

the Mendip Hills.

Find treasure inthe beech woods

W I L D F O O D

AS a forager you start to become attuned tothe landscape and where one is most likely tofind edible goodies. For example, in my mindI always associate the Bay Bolete mushroomwith beech trees, mainly because I only seemto find them in/near beech woods.

So at this time of the year I just look forthe wonderful copper leaves of the beechtrees as a marker for these mushrooms. It’s

not guaranteed, but it’s worked many times for me.On one particular occasion I was driving along with my wife

when I noticed an abundance of dark, bay coloured caps scatteredalong a road-side bank. It was like someone had overcooked somebuns and decided to dispose of them out of the window of theircar whilst driving down an obscure country lane.

We came to a dramatic halt which did upset my wife a little butthen oh happy days for me! There were Bay Boletes everywhere.Guess what trees they were growing under….

Bay Bolete (Boletus badius) has a relatively round cap eight to15cm across feeling tacky when wet but has a very mattappearance when dry. The cap is quite a dark chestnut or bay in

colour, thus the name! Thestem is five to ten cm tall,one to four cm wide andhas a brown wrinkledappearance on a yellowbackground getting palertowards the top of thestem.

The tubes or pores arevery small, pale yellow and easily bruise blue. They are foundmost commonly in broadleaved and coniferous woods.

The best time to catch Bay Boletes is when they are fairlyyoung and firm as the older they get the more likely they willabsorb moisture (a bit like us I suppose) and assume the textureand taste of a damp bathroom sponge. And if you’ve ever tried adamp bathroom sponge you’ll know what I mean.

Fortunately they are very common and seem to be fairly maggotfree, the tubes/pores of many other boletus species making aconvenient maggot shaped home. Bay Bolete may not have theculinary headline that ceps command but they are very goodnonetheless.

Try drying them out and storing them in a jar in anticipation ofthat occasion when you are desperately trying to think of how toimprove the flavour of your autumn soup. Bay Bolete could wellwork wonders for you!

Interested in finding out more? Why not join me for a ‘talk andwalk’ at the Wells Food Festival on Sunday 12th October or onone of my Fantastic Fungal Forays on Sunday November 16th.Please call 01761 462162 to book or go to the website below.

With ADRIANBOOTS


FOOD & DRINK


OPPORTUNITIES to lean about the skills behind many ofSomerset’s traditional and not-so-traditional food and drinkwill be showcased at the Somerset Food and Drink Fest inOctober.

The exciting new event being hosted at the Royal Bath andWest Showground on Saturday, October 19th and Sunday,October 20th will feature some of the best in local food anddrink producers from within the county of Somerset and thesurrounding areas.

Cookery demonstrations, wine tastings, farmhouse cider,real ale, and food to eat and try all feature on the agenda forthe festival. Cider makers, real ale brewers, cheese producersand retailers, wine and spirit makers, butchers, bakers andchocolate makers – together with hot foods, cold foods, spicyand tasty – are just some of the demonstrations visitors willbe able to see and sample.

Organisers Graham and Tracy Walton, from GWPublishing, say the emphasis is very much on making theweekend a family event with craft making, a puppet theatre,rides and face painting. Youngsters still have time to enterthe “Best Brownie competition” via the festival website witha chance to win £100 for their school and a family ticket(worth £60) to visit Wookey Hole Caves.

Graham and Tracy say there will be lots of musicalentertainment throughout including The Mangled Wurzels

who will be playing on both days.The aim of the event is to raise money for Chidren’s

Hospice South West. Community fundraiser, Julie Patterson,said: “Thankfully few of us will ever have to cope with theloss of a child but sadly there are many who will. Family lifechanges forever when a child is diagnosed with a life-limiting illness. Parents, who often have to give up work tocare for their sick child, face challenges that can threatentheir relationship, whilst brothers and sisters can feelconfused, left out and alone. Children’s Hospice SouthWest’s three hospices provide respite care and support tothose children and their families who have to cope with themost difficult of situations.

“We rely on the generosity of our donors and supporters tocontinue to deliver this valuable lifeline, we are extremelygrateful that GW Publishing has chosen to support Children’sHospice South West through the Somerset Food and DrinkFest 2014”.� Book tickets in advance and save 20% and get a freeprogramme voucher. Two tickets cost just £10 in advance.Call now on 01749 813899 or visit www.netaticket.com orvisit your local tourist information centre to save 20% andget the free programme voucher. There is still time forexhibitors to book space. Call 01749 880168 or visit thewebsite and download the exhibitor entry forms.

Food and drink producers showcase their skills


Visit: www.somersetfoodanddrinkfest.co.uk or email:

MENDIP TIMES


Preserving is my passion

BUSINESSWOMAN Emma Macdonald didn’t hesitatewhen the publisher of her first cookery book invited her towrite a second one.

The theme was close to her heart and the recipe for thesuccess of her company Bay Tree Food – preserving.

Television programmes have caused a massive resurgencein interest in home cooking skills such as baking and there’sprobably a good chance that preserving – especially withthis autumn’s glut of produce in gardens and hedgerows –will one day feature on screen as well.

Called simply Preserving, Emma’s book offers a range ofrecipes from around the world. Although many wereadapted from Bay Tree’s commercial recipes, a hugeamount of work went into their development for domestickitchens.

Emma said: “Preserving is what I do, what we do and thepublishers were keen for me to write a book about thesubject.

“It wasn’t just a question of reducing the quantities in therecipes; they had to be very carefully adjusted to achievethe right balance when making them at home. Simplyreducing the amount of herbs and spices wouldn’t work; itcould have resulted in a completely different result.”

Emma added: “I am thrilled with the new book,especially the photography, and I really enjoyed thechallenge of devising recipes for curing and drying.

“Preserving is not just about pickles, but there are recipesfor gravlax, jellies and even lemonade!”


Emma Macdonald in the kitchen of her home at Hornblotton,near Shepton Mallet

Preserving by Emma Macdonald © Nourish, WatkinsPublishing Limited 2014

FANTASTICFUNGAL FORAYwith Adrian Boots

Join me on a fantastic wildfood foray enjoying the bestwild edibles the autumnseason has to offer!Sunday 16th November 201410am to 1pm£35 per person

Please call 01761 462162 to bookyour place or for more info visit:www.gowildactivities.co.uk

FOOD & DRINK

Join us for a half-term HalloweenSpooktacular! Weds 29th –Fri 31st October



Taste of Somerset

THE Taste of Somerset, held as part of Hutton’s festivalweek, was popular with both stallholders and visitors.Hutton Friendship Circle (pictured) sold jams and preservesfor charity.

EACH year a barbecue is held by the parish of Publow,Compton Dando and Chelwood as a thank you to all its helpers.

One of the organisers, Mrs Judith Hillman, said: “The parishbarbecue has become an annual event and is held as a ‘thankyou’ to a lot of people who help behind the scenes withcleaning, flower arranging, etc. and also our neighbours, whosmilingly put up with living next door to All Saints’ Church.”

Pictured (left to right) are Peter Owen, Andrew Hillman andCharles Wookey getting the barbecue going and Alfie, agedseven and Billy, aged two, enjoying their food.

Parish celebrates

Farm Shop: 01761 220067Tea Rooms: 01761 220172

Country shopping at its best

TEA ROOMSHot & cold mealsDelicious cream teasFull EnglishbreakfastsCome and enjoy ourlovely Sunday roastlunches

North Widcombe, West Harptree, Bristol BS40 6HW

Opening times:Farm shop: Monday to Friday 9am - 5.30pm

Saturday 8.30am - 5.30pm • Sunday 10am - 5pmTea Room: Monday to Sunday 9.30am - 5.30pm

Wheelchair access, children welcome, free parking, coaches by appointment

Centred around a traditional farm courtyard near ChewValley Lake – the very best in local produce and gift ideas

Enjoy a goodSunday roast

Geoff’s freshfish everyFriday

MEATSUPPLIEDFROM OUROWN FARM

CELEBRATE AUTUMN WITH US!

Time to think aboutChristmas and our

home-produced meat

Emma BridgewaterChina & otherChristmas gifts

FUNCTIONROOM

AVAILABLEFOR PRIVATE

HIRE

MENDIP TIMES



CLIVE Mead and his partner Sam, the new landlords ofthe Ring O’ Bells in Wookey, have come west from thehome counties to find their perfect pub.

The 14th century Ring O’ Bells in Wookey, with itsbrasses and beams, certainly fits the bill and they havereceived a warm welcome from locals.

Clive had some experience with the brewers,Charringtons in East London, back in the 1990s, but wasworking in an office in sales and customer services, whenhe and Sam, who was a teaching assistant, decided topursue their dream of running their own pub.

They looked at pubs elsewhere before returning toWookey, the first place they had visited, and “just lovedit”.

Sam said: “It just felt right. We loved the views andwhen we visited before moving in we just loved the areaand talking to the people here.”

Their emphasis is going to be on keeping a decent pint –they have five real ales and three ciders – and providing arange of home-cooked traditional pub food, at reasonableprices. For example there’s ham, egg and chips at £6.99 ora choice of chicken curries at £8.95, sandwiches at £3.50,children’s menu at £5.50, including a drink, and a range ofgluten-free and vegetarian options.

But being traditional doesn’t mean being boring. Thepub has a skittle alley, used by three teams, and they haveplans to organise a darts team, but they also plan to hold

frequent discos, as well as putting on live bands and aNorthern Soul night. The next disco will be after a kids’Halloween afternoon on October 31st.

They will be holding Sunday quizzes once a month.

Clive and Sam have plans for the Ring O’ Bells

FOOD & DRINK

RING O’ BELLSRING O’ BELLSHIGH STREET • WOOKEY • WELLS BA5 1JZ • 01749 678079

Clive and Sam welcome you to this 14th century inn

5 real ales • 3 ciders • 2 lagersTraditional home-cooked food – Humble Pie

and curries a speciality!Skittle alley • Darts • BT Sport

Look out for live bands and discos

Monday – 4pm-lateTuesday – Thursday 12.30–late

Friday, Saturday, Sunday 12noon–late



WITH its elegant, yet relaxed atmosphere, Bowlish House inShepton Mallet is the ideal place in which to enjoyChristmas and New Year with friends and family.

Busy preparing for their second festive season at Bowlish,owners Martin Gibson and Len Muircroft are building on thesuccess of last year’s celebrations at the hotel and restaurant.

Chef Stephen Frost has designed some wonderfullybalanced and tempting menus. They include a Christmasparty menu – available at lunch and dinner from lateNovember onwards – for office parties or more informalgatherings. Bowlish House is ideal for an intimate dinner fortwo or its dining rooms can be made available for privateparties. Amongst the starters on the party menu is a prawnand salmon gravlax salad with lemon oil and a choice ofmain courses from poached and pan roast escalope of turkeyto braised shin of beef wrapped in pancetta and a woodlandmushroom wellington with beetroot puree and trufflevelouté.

Christmas Day lunch is suitably celebratory and a galadinner on New Year’s Eve will include fireworks at midnightwith a pianist adding to the elegance of the occasions.

Martin said: “Our rooms will be available for New Year’sEve and the people who stayed with us last year said theyhad a fantastic time.”

Not that Martin, Len and the team are concentrating solelyon Christmas at this time of the year. Bowlish House willhost several large weddings – complete with luxury heatmarquee – around the festive period as well as several otherfamily events, including a reunion with guests coming fromAustralia.

Preparing for the festiveseason at Bowlish House

Bowlish House is currently seeking to add to its full andpart-time front-of-house team. Please contact Martin or

Len for further information.

Santa’s on his way

AS part of the Wells Rotary Reindeer Parade, children can visitSanta in his grotto at the Best Western Plus Swan Hotel onSunday December 7th, from 11am until 4pm.

Tickets are available on the day, cost £5 and include a presentfrom Santa. Profits will be donated to local charities.

MENDIP TIMES



An intimate Dinner for two or aCompanyCelebration for 60 .. . it’s time to Book yourChristmas Party!

Email: [email protected] [email protected] Bowlish House, Wells Road,Shepton Mallet, Somerset BA4 5JB

Celebrate Christmas andNewYear atBowlish House

Our Christmas Party Menu is also available from lateNovember to the end of December.Lunch – Two Courses £18.50 ree Courses £21.95Dinner – Two Courses £22.95 ree Courses £26.50

Christmas DayMenu 2014Champagne and Canapés

STARTERSParsnip and apple Soup with chive crème fraiche (V) orHome cured Salmon Gravlax served with Atlantic prawns,

Cornish crab, pea shoots and lemon oil orDuck Rillettes, marinated and confit leg, with red onion chutney,

shallot and red wine vinaigrette orExmoor blue and Somerset Brie Soufflé, with a watercress,apple, beetroot, hazelnut salad and hazelnut dressing (V)

or Chille Marinated Ogen Melon (V)

MAIN COURSESRoast breast & leg of Turkey served with sage, chestnut andcranberry seasoning, roast potatoes, chipolata & bacon and

Madeira sauce orMarinated and roasted Mediterranean vegetable Tart, glazed with

goat’s cheese, served with tomato and basil sauce (V) orRoast fillet of Hake with a herb crust, served with a warm potato

salad and smoked haddock chowder orBeef Wellington, west country fillet, wrapped in spinach & puffpastry, roast shallots, wild mushrooms & parsnips, red wine

sauceAll main courses are served with a selection of seasonal vegetables

DESSERTSHomemade Christmas pudding served with brandy cream orTreacle Tart served warm with lemon mascarpone and mulled

fruit ice cream orNeapolitan Chocolate Mousse, Layered White, Milk and Dark

chocolate, served with praline and orange curd

West Country cheese and homemade mince pies

Coffee and petit fours

£79.50 per personChildren (under 10)

Nice – Half price Naughty – Double price

NewYear’s Eve GalaDinnerMenuChampagne and canapés

AMUSE-BOUCHEJerusalmen Artichoke Velouté (V)

TO STARTHome Cured & Poached Salmon, Wrapped in Herbs & Smoked

Salmon with Potato Salad, Herb Oilor

Baked Goats Cheese Crotin, Spinach, Confit Cherry, Tomatoes,Balsamic Syrup & Tapenade (V)

INTERMEDIATEChicken Liver and Foie Gras Parfait with Red Onion Chutney,

Toasted Rye Breador

Toasted Pine Nut & Spinach Risotto with Parmesan Crackling (V)

MAIN COURSEFillet of West Country Beef, Root Vegetable Dauphinoise, Roasted

Shallots, Madeira & Truffle Sauceor

Woodland Mushroom Wellington, Roasted Red Pepper Puree,Grilled Artichokes (V)

All main courses are served with a selection of seasonal vegetables

DESSERTAssiette of Chocolate: White, Dark & Milk Chocolate Mousse, Tart

& Brownie orBaked Orange Cheesecake with Orange Mascarpone & Vanilla Ice

Cream

TO FINISHSelection of West Country Cheeses, Homemade Chutney &

Biscuits

Coffee & Petit Fours

£74.50 per person

FOOD & DRINK


Holcombe has it all

WHETHER it’s popping in for a pint of English organiclager and a sandwich or relaxing over a three-course mealwith fine wine, the Holcombe Inn is the place to visit.

And with people travelling from all over the world tostay in its luxury bedrooms, the inn always has a buzzabout it from breakfast time to closing time.

Jules Berry has been running the Holcombe Inn foralmost four years – the anniversary is in February – andthere is usually some project underway to enhance itsaward-winning reputation.

The roof has recently been replaced – no easy task whenit comes to an historic 17th Century building –improvements to the kitchen have been carried out and twolog cabins are being built in part of the garden to increasethe amount of accommodation available (dogs will bewelcome to stay in the cabins). Then work will begin torestore the three-tiered Victorian section of the garden.

Inside, Jules and the team are about to turn the snug areaof the bar into a coffee lounge, open from 8am, withspeciality coffees on offer.

Jules said: “When we moved here, we had a five-yearplan for the inn, from refurbishing the bedrooms tocreating a welcoming environment in the bar. Right nowwe are looking forward to Christmas.”

The Holcombe Inn is offering two different party menusfor the festive season. Dishes include stuffed ballotine Ofturkey, seared scallops with pea puree and chorizo, turkeywellington, roasted rolled saddle of venison andhomemade ravioli filled with bocconcini mozzarella.Christmas pudding with rich brandy sauce is – obviously –on offer but so is a white chocolate brûlée served with

cranberrycompote &shortbreadbiscuit.

Jules added:“OurChristmas Daylunch isalways verypopular andour NewYear’s Eveparty is ever-popular.”


A festive scene in the bar of the Holcombe Inn

The Holcombe InnStratton Road, Holcombe, Bath BA3 5EB.Tel: 01761 232478 • Fax: 01761 233737.E-mail: [email protected]: www.holcombeinn.co.uk

Christmas atThe Holcombe Inn

A choice of Christmas Party Menus available from £21.00

We are now taking bookings forChristmas Day Lunch, party bookingsand New Year’s Eve. See our website

for all details and menus.The Holcombe Inn promises abeautiful, festively-decorated

restaurant with roaring log fires anddelicious Christmas menus.

OOuurr eevveerr--ppooppuullaarr

NNeeww YYeeaarrss EEvvee BBaannqquueett && DDaanncciinngg ((DDaannccee FFlloooorr AAnndd DDJJ)) •• ££4455 PPeerr PPeerrssoonn

TTiicckkeett iinncclluuddeess ttaabbllee aanndd bbaannqquueett ssuuppppeerr

DDrreessss tthhiiss yyeeaarr .. .. .. GGlliittzz && GGllaammoouurr!!

MENDIP TIMES FOOD & DRINK



OCTOBER 2014 DATESWells: every Wednesday 9am-2.30pm at the Market Place

All other markets 9am-1pm unless otherwise marked*

Saturday 4th Axbridge & Midsomer Norton

Sunday 5th SFM@ The Frome Independent (10am-3pm)*

Saturday 11th Frome & Keynsham

Saturday 18th Crewkerne

Saturday 25thGlastonbury & Yeovil (9am-2pm)*

Friday 31st Burnham-on-Sea

follow us @SFMMarkets For more information phone01373 814646 or visit www.SomersetFarmersMarkets.co.uk

Powering Farming’s FutureTel: 01225 667151

Web: www.yourenergyuk.com

October11th is

Keynsham’s10th Birthday

Market

MENDIP TIMES FOOD & DRINK


MENDIP TIMES


Chew Stoke Harvest Home

Adults and youngsters sidespulling in the tug of war

Gillie Slater from the Chew Stoke RNLI, with Anna Mccoll andtwo-year-old Bethan as they try out one of the lifeboats

Chartered engineer KevinSlater from Manor FarmEngineering in ChewStoke, with his prizewinning iced cake

Chanel, aged seven, and Charlotte, four, with Lexil, who they wereentering in the fun dog show

Sophie Febrey and Matthew Thorneywork from Hoop Pixiedemonstrating hooping with their fairy face hoops

Pictures by Ros Anstey

Events feature:Layout 1 18/9/14 15:43 Page 34

Stratton shines tocelebrate two stalwarts

Star of the future? Sophie Curtis, who regularly performs at thevillage’s Bluebird Acoustic Café, is being hailed as a star of thefuture

THE lives of two much-loved residents were celebrated by thestaging of this year’s Fun Day in Stratton-on-the-Fosse.Over the years, the event has raised funds for improved

facilities in the village, such as the village hall and communitygardens.Richard Jones and Bill Quinn were two Stratton-on-the-Fosse

parish councillors who sadly passed away this year. Both weremuch-loved villagers who did a great deal for Stratton,including helping to raise money for the hall and garden.Organiser Suzanne Kingsbury said: “The day celebrates the

depth of community feeling here in Stratton. There’s been ahuge amount of support from people in the village.”

Barb Quinn and Jan Pain were amongst the volunteers who ran thetombola stall

Sam Blomfield (left), with Quinn, and Sally Dixon, with Minstrel,were from the Holcombe-based Harness Goat Society

Scout Zak Bendall, 13, ran a skittle alley to raise funds towards the£3,000 cost of his trip next year to the World Scout Jamboree inJapan. Zak, from nearby Stoke St Michael, is a member of the 1stRadstock Scout Group

A dog’s life: puppies Florence, Hugo and Rufus enjoy theirafternoon in the sun

EVENTS




New altar atSt. Mary Redcliffe

A NEW altar has been created for St John’s Chapel in St.Mary Redcliffe, Bristol, by Congresbury furniture makerRobert Coles, as part of the refurbishment of the chapel tocommemorate the centenary of the outbreak of the FirstWorld War.

The design was inspired by, and reflects the maritimeconnection that Bristol and St. Mary Redciffe has, withshipping and the sea.

Robert said: “Having been born and bred in SouthBristol, as were my ancestors, it has been a great honourand privilege to be asked to make this altar and tocontribute something back into the community which Ihope will be enjoyed for many years to come.”

The chapel, in which a commemorative WW1 candlewill burn continuously for the next four years, has beenrefurbished by Wedmore architects Benjamin andBeauchamp, and includes new lighting, restoration of themedieval windows and a makeover of the famous sculptureof Queen Elizabeth 1.

[email protected]

MENDIP TIMES

Arts & Antiques section:Layout 1 18/9/14 15:47 Page 30


MARC and MarianneBurridge, directors ofClevedon Salerooms, haveappointed Toby Pinn, MRICSChartered Arts and AntiquesSurveyor and Auctioneer adirector of ClevedonSalerooms.

Toby has been with the firmsince 2000 and theappointment reflects the

continued growth of a firm with roots reaching back 120 years.Toby offers vendors professional valuation advice in the sale ofantiques and fine art through the firm’s calendar of specialistauction sales promoted on a global platform.

As one of a very limited number of RICS Chartered Art andAntiques Surveyors covering the Bristol and surrounding area,Toby is regularly instructed to compile contents valuations ofantiques and fine art for inheritance tax purposes to RICS ‘RedBook’ standard.

He is the first choice of many Bristol tax and estatepractitioners and probate solicitors for this specialist field ofwork that demands a broad knowledge base combined withsensitivity in dealing with families at a difficult time.

Promotion for Tony Pinn

Toby can be contacted at [email protected] and01934 830111.

ARTS AND ANTIQUES

Fine Art Auctioneers & Valuers

FREE ANTIQUEVALUATION DAYS

6 7 8 October20 21 22 October

9.30am–1pm and 2pm–5pmHeld at the salerooms – no

appointment necessary

Next Specialist SaleThursday 20th November

Tel: 01934 830111or 0117 325 6789

The Auction Centre, Kenn Road, Kenn,Clevedon, Bristol BS21 6TT

www.clevedon-salerooms.com

Free Jewellery, Silver & Watch

Valuation DayAt the Salerooms

Tuesday 28th October 10am – 4pm

£19,600£3,550

£5,150 £4,600£69,000

Some gems from previousSpecialist Jewellery Sales


Turning snaps into art


THEmobilephone iscapable oftaking greatphotos andvideos.PeterFroome, ofWildCountry

Lane Studios, was asked recently whether there is any needto hire a professional photographer or videographer whenthe phone seems to do everything you want.

To try to answer that, he used his phone to photograph anorchid on a window sill in his house. The picture he took isthe inset in the illustration. It’s a perfectly nice snap, butnothing exceptional.

The main picture is the same plant taken with a DSLRfitted with a close-up lens and lit with two studio lights.This makes the orchid look really very special.

As a video example, he used his phone to film someonegetting a car out of the garage. If you head to their website,you can see how he then transformed this everyday sceneinto quite a drama.

Details: www.wclstudios.co.uk

MENDIP TIMES

NORTH Somerset Arts is celebrating after the CharitiesCommission awarded it registered charitable status. Theorganisation which was founded by Annie Taylor is renowned forits biennial North Somerset Arts Week, which see communityhalls, private homes and artist studios opening up as exhibitionand performance spaces across the region.

Since its inception the voluntary group has grown in itsambition to develop the arts provision in the area, making the artsmore accessible through activities, educational events and byhelping artists to network, promote and showcase their work.

Its recent project work has included intergenerational andmulticultural storytelling and song writing, family-friendly hands-on workshops and artist networking and critique sessions.

In 2013 North Somerset Arts received funding from the ArtsCouncil England to recruit a freelance development officer towrite a business plan allowing a clear path for the organisation tobecome more sustainable. Charitable status will help give thegroup greater prominence and abilities to move forward.

NSA chair, Lorraine Jones, said: “Gaining charitable status is agreat achievement for North Somerset Arts. It will help to protectthe future of the organisation and our trustees. It is fantastic thatthe Charities Commission have recognised what we are trying toachieve for the North Somerset Community.”

The volunteer led organisation is currently taking submissionsfor next year’s Arts Week. Entries can be made online, by post orat one of their ‘Face to Face’ submission days, on ThursdaySeptember 25th 6.30pm – 9pm at Old Town Quarry, QueensRoad, Weston-super-Mare and on Saturday October 4th, 10m –4pm at Tyntesfield Cow Barn Café foyer, Wraxall.

Boost for arts group

Details: www.northsomersetarts.org or by [email protected]

Children enjoy a hands-on workshop


APPROXIMATELY 500 lots of antiques and collectables wentunder the hammer at Mendip Auction Rooms’ September sale.

There was an excellent entry of jewellery with almost 250lots of rings, necklaces, bracelets and watches drawingmany specialist bidders. The offering of a rare RoyalDoulton Sir Francis Drake character jug led to stronginterest beforehand and a buyer drove from Scotland on thesale day in order to secure it for £1,000 whilst up againstmany internet bidders.

Other items selling to advantage included a 19th centurybuffalo horn with detailed carving (£700), a Wemyss mug(£500), a Troika vase (£390) and a good collection of modeltrains (£480). The next sale of antiques and collectables will beonline and will be on October 11th.

The general sale of Victorian and later effects at the end ofAugust saw standing room only and almost a completeclearance of the 600 lots on offer. At these sales there is alwaysa good range of furniture, collectables, ceramics and householditems and an excellent atmosphere is created. The next generalsale will be on October 21st.

Entries are now invited for our sales in October and valuationdays are held at the auction rooms every Wednesday, Thursdayand Friday from 10am – 5pm. Alternatively the valuers fromthe auction rooms are always content to make a home visit freeof charge at a time to suit you.


Francis Drake draws Scottish bidder

ARTS & ANTIQUES

The auction rooms can be contacted on 01749 840770 or log onto www.mendipauctionrooms.co.uk.


Vintage and vinyl at Wells Trading Post

Vintage look: Lois wearing a 1950s Horrockses cocktail dress

NAT King Cole is on the gramophone and Lois Wickett looks likeshe has just stepped from the pages of a 1950s glossy magazine –welcome to a typical day at Wells Trading Post.

The business has always had a slightly retro feel about it butLois, a professional stylist who has worked for Harper’s Bazaar, isbringing the vintage feel to life. Her love of the 50s era wasinspired by her grandmother and her parents have owned a seriesof classic cars.

Lois, who has also appeared as an extra is several televisionseries, said: “I love the history of clothes and fashion which havestood the test of time and have a story to tell.”

Vintage is generally now taken to be pre-1980s and WellsTrading Post is a popular haunt for people keen on nostalgia.Owners Tanith and Robin Tothill are preparing for the annualHalloween rush of partygoers wanting a gothic look.

They’re currently building up their stock of vinyl records andhave acquired a gramophone on which customers can play tracks tocheck for scratches. Tanith said: “The shop is so vibrant at themoment – we’ve had people dancing in here!

“Where else can you visit to buy a wardrobe, an axe, a 50s dress

and an Abba record at the same time?”� Tanith and Robin are keen to hear from people with classic jazzand reggae vinyl as well as punk and metal from the 1950s to1980s but by appointment only.


MENDIP TIMES

Old Priory Mill, West St, Wells, BA5 2HG. Tel: 01749 671454www.wellstradingpost.co.uk • email:[email protected]

QUARRYMAN Tim Rumble, from Haydon, Radstock hasswapped his drill for an artist’s paint brush and will be holdingan exhibition of his work at the Victoria Hall Gallery inRadstock.

He spent 25 years in the industry, working in the Bath stonemines at Corsham, Limpley Stoke and Combe Down and inopencast quarries at Holwell and Doulting. His last miningcontract was the Combe Down stone mines stabilisation project.

Whilst quarrying and mining, he quite often carved pieces of

stone but didn't really recognise this as being creative.Eventually he was talked into attending evening classes insculpture which led to a diploma in art and design.

During the diploma he applied to Norwich School of Art andDesign where he completed a BA Hons degree and an MA infine art (painting) whilst continuing mining and quarrying in hisfree time.

The exhibition is running from 7pm Friday October 3rd untilThursday October 16th.

TTiimm’’ss jjoouurrnneeyy ffrroomm qquuaarrrryy ttoo ggaalllleerryy


AT Tamlyns’ recent auction of collectors’ items, a Victoriancoin-operated polyphon made top price of the day of £1,300.

Although the case needed some attention, the movementworked well and having a double comb meant that the quality ofsound was excellent. Polyphons play large circular metal discsthat have a series of holes punched in them which raise metallugs on one side, these then “play” the comb as the discrevolves. Simple really but very effective.

A private collection of railway memorabilia and uniformsfrom South Devon totalled just over £1,100 with a group ofmixed luggage labels selling for £85 and an accident registerand other books £90.

The postcard section included a collection of local postcardsfrom a deceased estate – postcards seem to continue to be moreand more popular – a group of cards of North Petherton andlocality from around 1903-1920 sold for £360 and a group ofBridgwater cards £250. A 19th century flintlock pistol by Tayler& Mander sold for £400; a de-activated Pietta revolver £320and a de-activated Webley revolver £250. Amongst the toys andgames a jigsaw puzzle by Holtzapffel & Co made £150; aShackelton clockwork lorry £200 and a Wells Brimtoyclockwork tinplate lorry £170.

Other items of note were Royal Mint gold “proof” sovereign£210; quantity of modern commemorative coins £195; fourteen

early aviation postcards £170; MZ ETZ 125 motorbike £300;group of five WWII medals Imperial Service medal etc £250;Corgi Ecosse Racing Car Transporter, boxed £85 and assortedunboxed play-worn Dinky vehicles £100.

Collectors flock to sale


MENDIP TIMES ARTS & ANTIQUES

The next collectors’ sale will be on November 18th. Entries are already being accepted so if you would like to putanything into this sale contact the auction rooms on 01278 445251.


AN introduction through mutual friendshas led to the opening of a new art galleryat Pylle Emporium, near Shepton Mallet.

Emporium owner Tony Hopkins andretired businessman Charlie Berridgeimmediately “hit it off” and later began todiscuss how they might be able to worktogether.

Charlie is a keen collector of art and seesthe partnership as a way to indulge hispassion. He has taken over an upstairsgallery at Pylle Emporium, next to JonThorner’s on the A37 south of SheptonMallet, to display a range of paintingswhich he says will “appeal to all tastes”.

Known as Mr B’s, the gallery also

features some of Tony’s furniture alongwith other art including sculpture.

But the venture doesn’t end there: thepair have also taken space at Barton HouseAntiques on Catherine Hill in Frome,where they’ll sell a limited range ofmodern art and furniture.

Charlie said: “I have always beeninterested in art and the timing is right tosee if it can work as a business.”

Tony added: “I suppose you could saywe are enjoying the ‘honeymoon period’and it seems to be working very well.People seem to like what we are doing.”


MENDIP TIMES ARTS & ANTIQUES

Charlie (left) and Tony discuss a painting by Jasmine Eavis in the revamped upstairsgallery at Pylle Emporium

Come upand see us!

Pylle EmporiumStockwood Business Park,

(on A37 south of Shepton Mallet)Pylle BA4 6TA

www.pylleemporium.co.uk • e-mail: [email protected] • tel: 01749 838783

A N T I Q U E S & A R TMr. B’s Art Company

Opening atBarton House Gallery,

14 Catherine Hill, Frome BA11 1BZ

Open Day,Saturday, October 4th 10am-4pm

Open Evening,Saturday, September 27th 5-8pm

BUY SELL RESTOREPYLLE: Five showrooms housing a mixAntiques • Vintage furniture • SilverChinese Porcelain • Art Deco • etc.

FROME: A ‘Bijou’ Gallery with mainlyContemporary Art and some exquisiteitems of small furniture and Bronzes


INTERNET CROSSWORD

The Mendip Mindbender

Answers on Page 97

Submitted by IT for the Terrified :The Old Cowshed, Station Road, Cheddar BS27 3AG

01934 741751 [email protected]

We also run a Computer Club Drop in session 1.30-3.30 Thursdayafternoons. Call in for a quick word of advice/help/info.

This article is for guidance only, and the opinion of the writer. Formore in depth information, please contact us.

We offer individual training, at a pace to suit you; a session lasts 2hours and costs £10. We can cover a range of subjects – includingabsolute basics; photo management; shopping online; emailing;Word processing, spreadsheets; basic web design; etc. on a rangeof devices, including Windows XP/Vista/W7/W8: Macs: Tablets:iPads: smartphones. See our website or contact us for further

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Tip #6: Typing the wholesentence in capital letters isoften considered rude butthere can be instances whereyou may have to type a wordor two in uppercase.So unless you change the settings, you’ll have to tap the Shiftkey after typing every single character but you can “Enable CapsLock” under Settings –>General –> Keyboard and thendouble-tap the shift key to turnit into a Caps lock key. Theywill stay dark until you pressthe key again. No need to “unset” it; it will only work when youwant it to. The keyboard changes to look uppercase, so youknow when it’s active.Tip #7:While you are on the internet, type only the domainname and then press and hold the dot (.) key. It will offer you anoption to add popular domain extensions like .com, .org or .netto your web address so just tap the one you want.Tip #8: You can also use the dot key in the Mail app of youriPhone or iPad to type email addresses quickly. While typing anemail address in Mail, press and hold the dot (.) key and you’llget a list of domain extension to auto-complete your emailaddress.Tip #9: You can split the iPad keyboard into two and type fasterwith both your hands while holding the device. While the on-screen keyboard is visible, press and hold the keyboard icon inthe lower right and choose the Split option. If the option isn’tavailable on your iPad, go to Settings -> General -> Keyboardand toggle the Split Keyboard option.Tip #10: The “@” symbol is not available on the alphabetickeyboard so you’ll first have to switch to the numeric keyboard(?123), tap “@” and then again switch to ABC mode. But there’sa quicker way – just press the ?123 key, slide the finger (don’tlift) to reach the “@” key and then lift the finger up to releasethe key. You can use the trick to type numbers, punctuationsmarks, currency symbols and all other characters that are foundonly on the numerical keypad of your iPhone or iPad.

Keyboard shortcuts foriPhone and iPad continuedMore tips to help you master these keyboardshortcuts to speed up touch typing on your iPad,iPhone or iPad.

ACROSS1 Place in Croscombe whereholiday flights are boughtand sold? (7,6)

8 Stalk seen as move towardsrational communication (4,5)

10 Recorded every part of ascore? (5)

11 May be read in attic or atcivil disturbance (4,3)

12 Adult . . . whose beans areready? (5-2)

13 Crack had reduced chance ofgorgeous competition (7,4,4)

16/21D/25 Elementary schoolgot second-rate golfimproved by furthereducation (8,7,2,3,3,10)

21 Changed to a moreexpensive version? Admitted(5,2)

22 Now is the time for thesubmarine from 18? (7)

23 Point in space forperformances (5)

24 Now retaliate and mix incurry (9)

25 See 16

DOWN1 Circus pet trained to findbargains (3,6)

2 By yourself holding 50thousand and losing the lot!(3,4)

3 Madame built a US stud forherself (7)

4 Sounds cooling? That shouldbe naice! (3)

5 Spilled ink people put downto the family (7)

6 Greek giant and I havearticle for the Fairy Queen(7)

7 Bored with feeling bloated?(3,2)

9 Our tent erected accordingto the Magnetic Pole . . .(3,4)

14 . . . and personally I’d be atfar end of no through road(2,5)

15 On no occasion foundunprepared for power (4-5)

17 Lead man in Africanorganisation (7)

18 Where the deep-cover agentshang out in Bristol? (7)

19 Tile got loose – forget it(3,2,2)

20 Therefore holding a businessqualification attracts a limiton publication (7)

21 See 16 Across24 It’s her day tomorrow (3)

Crossword page:Layout 1 18/9/14 15:49 Page 1


CASTLE Cary fashion and beauty stores are holding a'Fashion Week' from October 6th to 11th with late openingon Thursday the 9th until 8pm.This is a great opportunity to see all the new season'sfashion ranges and to find out just how many fabulousbrands are available in this beautiful market town.Several stores are taking part, including some offeringhair, beauty and health treatments. Special offers on all newclothing ranges will also make your visit during FashionWeek really worthwhile.

Fashion week in Castle Cary

THE largest graduation ceremony in Weston College’s historysaw hundreds of students awarded degrees validated by BathSpa University and the University of the West of England.More than 350 students gathered with their families atWeston-super-Mare’s Winter Gardens to pick up their gownsand mortar board hats before processing from the College’sUniversity Centre at Knightstone Campus to the parish churchof St John.Principal and Chief Executive Dr Paul Phillips OBEwelcomed those gathered to a college celebrating both anOfsted ‘Outstanding’ grade and a successful bid to berecognised as a Further Education and Higher Educationestablishment.He said: “It only seems the other day that we started off withjust nine graduates. We now have 800 students on our degreecourses, and very high aspirations for Weston to become auniversity town.”There were many great stories of success among thosereceiving Bachelor and Foundation Degrees in Health andSocial Care, Public and Environmental Health, AppliedComputing, Musical Theatre and Graphic Design, among manyother subjects.Grace Davies, 21, from Paulton and Keith Kilpin, 25, fromWeston-super-Mare, both achieved First Class Honours in BAGraphic Design. For the past year, they have been a couple,having met on the course. She specialises in print design and hein digital design, games and apps.Grace recently won the Design Council’s prestigious FuturePioneers award out of approximately 1400 students whoexhibited at New Designers in London. Keith works forAardman Animations as a junior designer, a post which startedas two weeks’ work experience.

College celebrates success

Broad Street • Congresbury(opposite Ship & Castle)

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MENDIP TIMES

• Weddings • Corporate Events• Fashion Shows • Film Shoots

Chew Valley HireLUXURY MOBILE TOILETS01761 221105E: [email protected] • W: www.chewvalleyhire.co.uk

We give personal help and advice, deliver andcollect on schedule and pay immaculate attentionto detail.We provide a wide range of luxury and standardmobile toilets, showers and trackway for specialevents including:

Business section:Layout 1 18/9/14 15:58 Page 38

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Five Weddings last year, one this year, maybethe next one could be yours if you are single

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IT’S the end of an era for Next Steps, based at the RoyalBath and West showground. Their early years educationteam always share a great sense of pride, getting the pre-school children ready for “big school”.It’s always emotional, but this year has been particularlysad, because the Hawkins family finally left them after tenyears. Karen Thayer, who has looked after all four Hawkinschildren, said: “It has been an honour taking care of thefamily throughout their time with us.“We have had great fun and they are a pleasure to carefor. We would like to take the opportunity to thank Ed andRowen Hawkins for their support, and wish them well forthe future.”

A fond farewell

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MENDIP TIMES BUSINESS

I HAVE always longed to be a really organised person and sometimes, just occasionally, Iseem to manage it. It’s always the way though, isn’t it, that, as they say, the ‘best laid plansof mice and men’ come a cropper on a regular basis when reality hits the fan.Thus it is that we, Probusiness, that is, have very happily agreed to sponsor some localevents and, as in previous years, we were looking forward to enjoying active involvement inthem. However … yes, there is a substantial one of these … however: we also needed tobook a holiday.As with so many of us, we have a number of commitments so choosing a time when wecould take a break was a little bit tricky. Having congratulated ourselves on booking a break which avoided children’s birthdays,parental commitments and all pre-arranged hospital trips for the older friends etc… we satback. However, when we checked the diary, we realised that we had made a fairlysubstantial ‘whoopsie’. We had, in fact, managed to organise our holiday to clash with oneof our favourite sponsored events, the Wells Festival of Literature which takes placebetween October 10th and 18th. Aaargh!We are very excited this year as we are supporting two lovely ‘events’. One is the ‘TwoSteves’ who use their skills in schools all across the world to encourage children’s literacyand the other is the evening of Andrew Motion’s wonderful poetry. Fortunately we havepeople on our team who are as excited by the festival as we are and they will be there tosupport on our behalf.The moral of this story is, when trying to be organised – especially in business – checkvery carefully at all times! We are getting closer to January 31st and the personal tax returndeadline, so, please be prepared! The Revenue is hotter off the mark than ever before andwe don’t want anyone to have to pay fines and penalties which can add up to quite cripplingamounts so very quickly.So, good luck and enjoy the events that we are going to miss.

JANE BOWE

Organisation is the key to success

Business Accountants & Advisors 01749 677989

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MENDIP TIMES BUSINESS

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A CUTTING of the holyGlastonbury thorn treewhich flowers in spring andat Christmas is an idealgift. Now available in patiosize, these trees areassociated with the legendof Joseph of Arimathea andhave been propagated by

grafting since ancienttimes. A flowering sprig issent to the British monarchevery Christmas. Legend tells us that

following the crucifixion ofChrist, Joseph ofArimathea arrived atGlastonbury with the HolyGrail. Tired and weary,Joseph thrust his staff intothe ground on WearyallHill where it took root andgrew into the holy thorn. Four Seasons of

Glastonbury have sourceda supply of CrataegusMonogyna Biflora cuttings(The Glastonbury Thorn).These are now on sale inboth tree and patio sizes.

Cuttings of Glastonbury’sholy thorn tree

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Achieve your potentialwith Strode College

STRODE College in Street isinviting year 11 pupils to visit thecollege on Thursday October 23rd,6-8.30pm, to find out what makesa great sixth form experience. It’s important to choose the ALevels or vocational course thatwill help you to achieve yourambitions and to choose thecollege where you will achieveyour potential. For many this

means moving to a specialist sixth form college like StrodeCollege. Official reports show that the outstanding teaching andsupport at Strode helps students to gain excellent results andbetter advanced level grades than predicted following theirGCSE results (Ofsted 2012, League Tables and ALPS 2014).Strode offers the widest choice of A Levels in Somerset,excellent vocational qualifications and apprenticeships. Studentsenjoy learning in an environment with people of the same agewhere the teaching, support, facilities and social activities aretailored to their needs.


JANET Turner, who has been district commissioner for WansdykeScouts for the past ten years, stepped down from that role at therecent annual meeting – all scout commissioner roles have a ten-year lifespan.At a packed meeting in Radstock Scout Hall, district chairman

John Mander recalled that during Janet’s leadership numbers hadrisen by 70%, compared to 25% nationally. She had put a teamtogether which saved the Radstock Scout Group from closure,organised two district jamborees and had enabled the founding ofa new scout group in Chew Stoke and an explorer scout unit inClutton.Mr Mander said: “Janet has led this district with enthusiasm and

dedication. She is a brilliant listener, very patient, and has aninfectious sense of humour. Wansdyke Scouts have been veryfortunate to have had a committed leader who has been sogenerous with her time.”While the search for a new district commissioner continues,

Avon deputy county commissioner Stuart Ballard from Keynshamwill take over.Other presentations during the meeting were made to three

retiring members of the district executive committee: formerchairman Roger Dowse, Roger Lewis and John Church, who eachreceived a caricature skilfully drawn by local artist Fiona Bishop.A 40 years service certificate was presented to assistant districtcommissioner Tony Clutten.


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Details: http://natalietojapan2015.moonfruit.com/

Janet Turner is presented with a Commissioner’s CommendationAward by deputy county commissioner Stuart Ballard

Commissioner’s award

NATALIE Ashford will be holding a 12-hour ‘Knit-a-thon’ onOctober 4th to help raise funds for her to attend the 23rd WorldScout Jamboree in Japan. She will start at 9am (finishing at9pm), at Mandy Wools in Mill Street, Wells.All knitters and crocheters are welcome, regardless of ability,

to help her create as many 4”x4” blanket squares as possible.Natalie is a 20-year-old student, shop assistant and scout

leader at 1st North Mendip, based in Binegar. She has beenscouting for over 14 years.

Natalie’s mission

THE congregation at All Saint’s Church in Nunney haveheld the first in a series of acts of remembrance to honourservicemen from the village who were killed in World WarOne.The plan is to mark the 100th anniversary of each

serviceman’s death, on or very close to the actual date atthe evensong service.The first person from Nunney to be killed in action was

Albert Hillier of Ridgeway, who died in France onSeptember 22nd, 2014 at. He was a Private in the 1stBattalion, Duke of Edinburgh’s (Wiltshire Regiment). Aservice was held on Sunday, September 21st.The next act of remembrance will be on Saturday,

November 1st at 6pm when the church will honourReginald Keates. There will be further gatherings in thecoming years until 2018 when the congregation willcommemorate the end of the war.Meanwhile, Nunney church will be hosting the travelling

exhibition “Somerset Remembers” during October.� Everyone is welcome at the services. The dates will bepublished each month in Postlebury News, on the VisitNunney website and on the church notice boards. A smallexhibition about the men who died will be on display.

Church’s tributeto WWI fallen

MEMBERS of Wrington Twinning Association are organising awine festival to raise funds for its youth exchange visits.The festival, on Thursday, November 6th, will celebrate wines

produced both locally and from Languedoc region of France,where Wrington is twinned with Villeneuve les Beziers.Aldwick Court Farm will host the event, which is also

supporting The Gurkha Welfare Trust, and some of their wineswill be available. Two local winemakers, Ingrid Bates and LukeFord, will have examples of their wines available for tasting.

Wine festival in Wrington


THE Somerset Rural Life Museum in Glastonbury reopened thedoors of the Abbey Barn for two days to offer visitors thechance to see its redevelopment plans and to meet the teambehind the project.

The opening was part of this year’s Heritage Open Days.visitors met the architect working on the project, saw a modeland visualisations of the new galleries and learnt about thearchaeological excavations which have taken place on site.

It was the last chance for visitors to see inside the AbbeyBarn before building work commences on the entire site.


MENDIP TIMES NEWS

For more information about the markets or theproducers who attend, please visit

www.somersetfarmersmarkets.co.uk and you can alsostart following SFM on Twitter @SFMMarkets.

An architect’s impression of the newLearning and Community EngagementCentre

A glimpse of the future

ART and Design students atStrode College in Street showedimpressive skill and creativity intheir first week at college,making cardboard couturecostumes for the college catwalk.Students worked together in

small groups to create sturdy butstylish costumes in less than twodays before the project finalewhich was a catwalk show infront of other students and staff.Students who worked on thecostumes are studying Art andDesign Level 3 ExtendedDiploma and Art and DesignFoundation pre-degree Diploma.One of them was Clara

Mumford-Turner, who lives in Wookey Hole, and was on the teamthat created ‘Chinese Dragonballs’.Clara said: “We wanted to create something that was large and

impressive – something ambitious. The head alone took two daysto make.”Duncan Cameron, Strode College’s Foundation Art and Design

course manager, said: “We always kick off the year with a projectto warm up the students’ creativity after the summer holidays andto get them working together in small groups – we want them tohit the ground running with this fun induction! They’ve showngreat design and construction skills and created some fantasticcostumes in only 48 hours, using recycled cardboard, brown tape,paper and string.”

Cardboard couture

SOMERSET Farmers’ Markets are celebrating after twomore of their regular venues – Axbridge and Frome –gained Taste of the West gold awards.

The honours are recognition for their quality and rangeof produce and the knowledge and enthusiasm of the localproducers who attend. Taste of the West Hospitality andRetail Awards assessed more than 300 local food outletsacross the whole of the South West.

One definitely worth a visit is the monthly market atAxbridge which offers a city-sized market in a tinymedieval town on the first Saturday of each month.Feedback from the judges praised the 25 stalls and theirexcellent mix of high quality local produce. Equallyimportant, they found all of the stallholders were veryfriendly, and keen to talk about their products and explaintheir methods of production.

The judges summed up their visit: “The site is wonderfulas it is located in a traditional market square with thewonderful back drop of the ancient church and marketsquare houses located on a pedestrian area. We felt thevalue was wonderful and that there was something for allpurses.”

Meanwhile the judges had a different but similarlyimpressive experience at the Frome Farmers’ Market heldon the second Saturday of the month. The event is held inthe historic Cheese & Grain market hall, now adapted forthe 21st century, which provides a solar powered indoorvenue, plus café, holding up to 36 farmers and foodproducers.

It is one of the largest stand alone farmers’ market in theregion. A market this size offers customers a wide range ofhigh quality products and plenty of choice – a veryattractive proposition for the loyal Frome customers.

Both Axbridge and the Frome Cheese & Grain Farmers’Markets have over the years genuinely taken root withintheir respective communities becoming valued local assets.Shopping becomes an eagerly anticipated social eventbringing the community together – producers andcustomers alike!

Gold awards forAxbridge and Frome

Axbridge Market received a gold award along with Frome

Clara models her team’s cre-ation: ‘Chinese Dragonballs’


MEMORIES of working in the Somerset coalfields have beencelebrated in a new book created by students from three schoolsin the Midsomer Norton area.Mining the Past – the last years of the Somerset Coalfields –

features interviews with former miners and other collieryworkers.

The book was launched at the annual Miners’ Reunion lunchat Radstock Museum, organised by the Somerset Miners’Welfare Fund and supported by local organisations including theRadstock Co-Operative Society and L&F Jones.Supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, students from

Norton Hill, Somervale and Writhlington schools spent the pastyear talking to the miners and researching the industry’s history.Their work is now recorded in a permanent exhibition at themuseum.


Springhead celebrates town’s heritage

SOMERSET MINERS

The book is available from Radstock Musuem, priced £3.50. For more information, visit: www.radstockmuseum.co.uk

Paul Myers, the mayor of Midsomer Norton, unveils the plaqueas James Edwards, chairman of the Friends of Silver Street, lookson

A RESTORED springhead at the award-winning Silver Street nature reserve inMidsomer Norton has been dedicated tothe legacy of the miners who workedthe Somerset Coalfields.The springhead was built by miners in

the 1700s to provide water for NortonHouse. The Friends of Silver Street – avolunteer group – launched a campaignto restore the feature and won thesupport of Midsomer Norton TownCouncil which gave a grant to allow the

work to be carried out.An interpretation board was unveiled

to celebrate the completion of the work;it also coincided with a party in thereserve to mark the fourth year runningthat it has won a Green Flag award.

Clive Norman, Robert Bailey, Bill Morris and Bryn Hawkins,from the Somerset Miners’Welfare Trust, are joined by Lucy andJames Edwards, from the Friends of Silver Street nature reserveand Paul Myers, the mayor of Midsomer Norton

Mining heritage celebrated

Former mine workers Rex Ladd, Mo Duery, Tony Salvidge andJohn Church are joined by pupils and staff from the three schoolsat the book launch

Members of the welfare fund committee were joined by studentsand Mark Everett, headmaster of Writhlington School at lunch

Somerset Miners page:Layout 1 18/9/14 16:03 Page 80

MENDIP TIMES


Baltonsborough Show

Rain dance! The Desert Divas were determined to put on a show,despite a downpour

Raining hats and dogs

Duncan Macleod, from Hornblotton, with his three daughters andgrandchildren

. . . while her father Major IanRands won first prize for thismarrow

Jane Swayne was sellinghandmade chocolates in the localfood marquee in aid of StMargaret’s Hospice

Clare Rands won first prize forthis display . . .

Too much choice: Oliver had a hard decision to make when hevisited the cake stall

Binegar Village Day

Make a noise: Midsomer Norton and Radstock Silver BrassAcademy join members of the Binegar Playing Fields Associationin front of the climbing frame which needs to be updated

PROCEEDS from the second Binegar Village Day will gotowards the cost of renovating play equipment on the playingfield next to the Memorial Hall.Members of the Binegar Playing Fields Association

organised the community event as part of their ongoingefforts to improve facilities in the village.

Never too shy: a traditionalattraction at the event


EVENTS


Coleford blooms at Village DayMORE than 18 months of discussions, planning and fundraisingpaid dividends with the success of the revived Coleford VillageDay. Organisers joined forces with the village’s flower and craftshow committee to stage the events on the same day.The Coleford Revival Group was formed in February 2013.

They planned originally to stage a village day last year butdecided they needed more time and expertise to run it properly.Chairman Phil Horler said: “It was brilliant to see it all come

together. I can’t emphasise how much it was down to a huge teameffort. I am absolutely chuffed!”As Mendip Times went to press, the group was due to hold its

annual general meeting when a decision about staging a similarevent next year was due to be taken.Fundraising events in the pipeline include a Halloween party in

the village’s Royal British Legion hall and a Christmas lightsevent. The CRG is also planning to host a Christmas meal forelderly residents in the village.

Teamwork pays dividends: some members of the Coleford RevivalGroup with Ted Phillips (centre), a long-serving member of thecommunity who opened the day

Chloe Reynolds (left) and Lucy Franciswere raising funds for the Irish RetrieverRescue groupLakitta (left) and Tegan with Kiki the dog

Vera Cowley won first prize for PaddingtonBear

Vintage tractor enthusiasts soak up the atmosphere

Sue and Howard Butchers, from Peasedown St John with their rareautomatic 1972 MGB GT. More than 50 classic cars took part in theshow

Two of the zumba dancers whogave a display on the sports field


MYA-ROSE Craig, or Birdgirl as she isknown, is passionate about birds, wildlifeand conservation. The 12-year-old fromCompton Martin attends Chew ValleySchool and wants to combine her passionfor nature with a love of writing.She writes the “birdgirl” blog and a

column in the Chew Valley Gazette;September saw her first article in the bigselling Bird Watching magazine; andthere was an interview with her in BBCCountryfile magazine.Mya-Rose has been birding all her life,

going on her first trip at only nine daysold to the Isles of Scilly to see a lesserkestrel. Her fourth word was “birdie”,whilst pointing at a very rare black larkon Anglesey. As she grew older, Mya-Rose became passionate about birds,nature and conservation, appearing as anengaging seven-year-old in the 2009BBC4 documentary “Twitchers: A VeryBritish Obsession”.She goes birding regularly at her local

patch, Chew Valley Lake, and is involvedin the bird ringing station there mostweekends. This is part of the British Trustfor Ornithology’s scientific studies onbirds, where they catch birds in nets,examine them, and put rings on their legsbefore releasing them.Mya-Rose also goes birding around the

world and last year became the youngestperson to see 3,000 birds. With a list nowof 3,700 birds, Mya-Rose returned inearly September from a six-week trip toMalaysia and Borneo. She saw beautifulbirds like rhinoceros hornbill, storm storkand saw six species of pitta, which arebeautiful but notoriously difficult to see.Some of the rarest birds across the

continents that Mya-Rose has seen areturtle dove in Europe, yellow-headedpicathartes from Africa, Jamaicanblackbird from North America, dusky

starfrontlet from South America,mountain serpent eagle from Asia, andChristmas Island frigatebird fromAustralasia.Her favourite bird in the world is

southern cassowary, which is a huge pre-historic looking bird with strong legs thatcan kill.She said: “I still love looking at birds

locally and seeing the change in themover the seasons. It is interesting just to

watch birds in your garden and reallyexciting when you get special birds comein like goldcrest, bullfinches and marshtit. My favourite British bird is commonkingfisher with its striking colours andability to fish.”Soon after returning from her latest

trip, Mya-Rose attended a conference inCambridge organised by youngconservationists. Some 200 young peoplecame together for the UK’s first everyouth conservation conference, A Visionfor Nature. Run by “A Focus on Nature”,it was about looking forward and askingthe question: “What do today’s youngpeople want the natural world in 2050 tolook like, and how do we get there?”Mya-Rose said: “It was amazing to

meet so many young people interested inconserving our world. I came awayfeeling part of something big and reallymotivated to persuade more people myown age from school, guides and scoutsto get involved with nature.”


BBiirrdd ggiirrll ooff tthhee CChheeww VVaalllleeyy

Details: Read Mya-Rose’s blog at http://birdgirluk.blogspot.co.uk/ For more information about A Focus on Nature http://www.afocusonnature.org

MENDIP TIMES

Mya-Rose on her latest expedition

Mya-Rose ringinga baby blue tit

Stork-billed kingfisher

Rhinoceros hornbill

Birdgirl page:Layout 1 18/9/14 16:11 Page 1

OCTOBER is thestart of the bonfireseason: a time toburn some of thegarden waste likefallen or cutbranches and leaves.If you are planning

a bonfire and make apile to dry for a few

weeks before burning, please move thepile around before lighting and checkthere are no hedgehogs hiding inside.Now is the time they are looking forwarm places to sleep during the dayand for potential hibernation places.I have been seeing hedgehogs in my

garden recently so have set up a coupleof nice warm boxes for them. Theyneed to be placed in undergrowth andfilled with hay or dead leaves andshould have a tunnel on the front or abaffle inside to stop foxes or badgersreaching them inside.There are some good plans and

advice here:http://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/leaflets/L5-Hedgehog-Homes.pdfOther ways to help hedgehogs are to

go organic and stop using pesticides,make sure there is access for them toenter and leave your garden (just asmall gap under a fence is enough) andput out fresh food and water at night.They love dog food, which is very goodfor them, but never give them milkwhich is really bad for them.If you have dogs or cats likely to be

in your garden at night you could makea cat-proof feeding house to put thefood in, with an entrance tunnel ofaround 14cm in diameter.For those who don’t feed the birds all

year round, now is the time to beginfilling up the feeders once again,ensuring they are fully clean beforeuse. We've been adding differentfeeders in our own garden with greatsuccess and the list of species visitingregularly grows by the week.Two of the newcomers are house

sparrow and starling, which hadvirtually disappeared over the last tenyears or so. Greenfinch is anotherwelcome return, its absence havingbeen caused by a disease called

Trichomonas gallinae, which is aparasite probably spread from one birdto the next via partially eaten food atbird tables, which is why it’s soimportant to disinfect feeders regularly.Other species were affected by thisdisease, which was first noted in 2006,but greenfinch was one of the worst hit.Feeding garden birds has been an

enjoyable pastime for many decades. Itgives people real pleasure to see thevariety and number of birds that visittheir garden and is a great way ofbringing wildlife to us. Buddingwildlife photographers can use gardenbird feeders to practice takingphotographs of wild birds, and will getsome interesting shots with patience(the pictures accompanying this article

were all taken by sitting in a small hideclose to my own feeders).Apart from the pleasure of watching

birds at close quarters we can also gainknowledge and, through trial and error,find out which foods are most enjoyed.Counting the various birds in thegarden is also interesting and your datacan be fed into long-term nationalstudies.There are two regular national

surveys that take place (these are areally good way to get childreninterested as well):1: The RSPB have a dedicated weekendin January:http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdwatch/how.aspx2: The British Trust for Ornithology(BTO) run a Garden Bird Watch:http://www.bto.org/volunteer-

surveys/gbwI have found the most popular foods

in my garden are: sunflower hearts, suetpellets, peanut kibbles (choppedpeanuts), suet blocks and balls, mixedcorn (which I put on the table so thatthe wood pigeons eat that instead of themore expensive seeds which I buy forthe smaller birds), dried mealwormsand a good quality mixed wild birdseed. If you don’t have cats coming into your garden you could also set up aground feeder to attract blackbirds andthrushes, which love suet as well assoft fruit like apples and pears.Enjoy your wildlife watching!

By CHRISSPERRINGMBE


Phot

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byCh

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Wild gardens for autumn

Chris Sperring is Conservation Officer for the Hawk and Owl TrustContact him on 07799 413 918 or via [email protected]

WILDLIFE

Blue tit

Wood pigeon

Young starling

Wildlife page:Layout 1 18/9/14 16:20 Page 1

AUTUMN berries, mist, golden bracken,gorse and heather with buzzards andravens circling above, all combine tomake this the best time of year for thisbeautiful short ramble through UbleyRakes and then along the top of VelvetBottom in the heart of the Area ofOutstanding Natural Beauty nearCharterhouse before walking up throughthe valley itself.It’s a short, but very sweet walk taking

you through the fascinating rakes andhumpy bumpy ground created by formermining and then along the top of VelvetBottom with great views. To finish we

follow Velvet Bottom back up to the startobserving the changed landscaperesulting from former mining and re-smelting of lead. It is now transformedinto a very peaceful area full ofbutterflies, birds, rabbits, amphibians,wildflowers and close cropped grass –hence the name ‘Velvet’ Bottom.The walk is gently graded, with no

steep uphills, and just one steepish dropdown. It is a good walk for dogs but theymay have to cope with being wellcontrolled in fields with animals grazingand may need some help over one or twostiles. There is no refreshment en-route.

PARK: In the stony car park forBlackmoor Reserve, behind CharterhouseCentre. Take the B3134 road upBurrington Combe which then crossesMendip. Turn towards Charterhouse andafter a couple of minutes at a crossroads– with Charterhouse Centre on your leftand St Hugh’s Cottage right – turn leftdown the side of the centre to the roughcar parking area at the end. Here is aninformation plinth about the Romans,Victorians and mining on Mendip to setthe scene for this interesting andbeautiful walk.

START: Take the small path to the rightof the plinth between boulders. Soonpass on your left the remains set intorocks of former stables for the horsesthat worked in the re-smelting industry,some of them patiently turning thebuddle wheels to wash the lead ore. Thiswas during the mid-19th century when

there was a revival in re-smelting thewaste from earlier mining. Three centreswere set up on Mendip and this atCharterhouse was one of them. Therevival was headed by Cornish minerswho had lost their jobs and came up toMendip with new ideas for using the oldlead waste.Continue on the path to a slightly more

open area with three paths. Take the leftone, which is more or less straight onand then begin to climb. The pathbecomes quite narrow and when I camewas flanked on each side by high rosebaywillow herb, heather, gorse and bracken.Up on the right in the clump of trees onthe hill was the house of the captain ofthe mine.

1. UBLEYWARRENGo through a gate and enter UbleyWarren Nature Reserve owned bySomerset WildlIfe Trust and on theinformation board is a list of some of thewild plants you may hope to see. Followthe path on up. You may see small flocksof tits or finches attracted to the brightred hawthorn berries. Then fork leftheading for a large barn roof in thedistance. After a few yards bear right andfind you are walking with a long rockygully on your left – part of the minedrakes.

2. LADDER STILEA little further on look to the right andsee the top of a large wooden ladderstile. A path bears right to reach it andgoes down and up a small gully en-route.


MENDIP TIMES

A touch of Mendip velvet

With Sue Gearing

Walking DPS:Layout 1 18/9/14 17:19 Page 50

There is a gate at the side if you prefer.Now head across bearing slightly left.Stay on this small path and it will lead toa wider track which bears slightly rightand then curves round right to bring youto a wide grassy expanse – almost like avery shallow dry valley, all part of thenature reserve. Go on along here with thehumpy bumpy ground on each side, allthe way to a gate on to the Charterhouseroad.

3. ROADTurn left up the road and at the top, turnright on the drive to Warren Farm, farmedby the Small family, starting to get thefirst of the views over the Velvet Bottomvalley, across to the highest point onMendip at Black Down.

4. FIELD FOOTPATHBefore you get to the farm, take themarked public footpath on the right overa stile, and head across the field bearingover towards the end of woodland on theleft. You now have a good view across tothe Observatory at Charterhouse Centreand St Hugh’s Church.Cross a stile on the left – a few yards

along from the end of the wood – and gostraight ahead across the field, keepingparallel with the top fence and wood.Take the next stile and continue onstaying reasonably close to the top. WhenI came in early September swallows wereexcitedly gathering together on theelectric wires.

5. TRACKReach a point near a gate on the leftwhere a footpath comes in from the left.Bear right down the track for a few yardsand then left, to continue the direction

you were in before along the valley sideon the top grassy ledge.Stay close to the fence all the way until

you reach a slight open area. Ahead is theBlack Rock valley and the sheer rockyside of an abandoned quarry, and up onthe left is a large metal gate.

6. SMALLER PATHThe path, smaller now, bears down right,winding between the bracken. Reach alarger path and join it, going left, on theflat for a short while with the abandonedquarry down in the valley on your left.Continue all the way to a grassy, stonyheadland, where you look down to theend of Velvet Bottom valley and a largemetal gate.A well-defined stony track takes you

steeply down right to reach the gate at thefoot. Go through into Black Rock valley,

and turn right for two or three yards andthen right through a gate into VelvetBottom Nature Reserve.

7. VELVET BOTTOMAn information board explains the floraand fauna of the valley and the evidenceof former mining which you will be ableto see as you progress.Carry on, going up a series of dams and

large flat grassy ledges which werecatchment and settlement tanks for thewater from the reworking of the lead ore.Up right you can see the top where youwere earlier. Just follow the path as itcontinues along the side and then throughthe valley over the humpy ground.Further on the path is surfaced with

shiny black galina, which was left overfrom the re-smelting. There are twoseparate sites on the left of former buddlepits – round pits where the lead ore waswashed – but you will be hard put tolocate them now they are covered invegetation.

8. CONCRETE BASEPass a concrete base on the left which isall that remains of the large hut, known asthe Mendip Adventure Centre. Stay withthe path and it is somewhere up here onthe left where some of the buddle pitswere sited.It’s not long before you see the road

ahead and the drainage tunnelunderneath. Go through a gate on to theroad and right a few yards.

Then go left through another gate andfollow a path on. Come out through agate onto the lane which you drove downand turn right back to the parking area.


3.75 miles, about two hours walkingOS Explorer map, 141, Cheddar Gorge & Mendip Hills West, Grid ref: 504 556

WALKING

Walking DPS:Layout 1 18/9/14 17:19 Page 51

IT’S damp and misty in the mornings, butby about mid-morning the sun is stillmanaging to get through and make itspresence felt. By mid-day it can be quitewarm in the pleasant autumn sunshinethat still holds some of its summerstrength.I always think that sunshine at this time

of year is a blessing and although there isnothing quite like a summer, such as we have just had. thebonus of fine autumn weather is always well received.The days are shortening and time moves on with the

coming of autumn – already the leaves are beginning tochange colour. Would it be too greedy to ask for a splendidautumn as well?This is the season of Harvest Home and of the ploughing

match, both of which celebrate and give thanks for anothergood year – and this one has been a good year. I had awonderful day with everyone at the Wedmore Harvest Home,the pictures of which appeared in last month’s issue.Other communities are having their celebrations as well.

It’s something that is so very English, and so very rural.Long may such a tradition remain on our calendars. I’ll writemore about the Mendip Ploughing match in next month’sedition, suffice to say we are all hoping for good weather onthe day.Such is the power of the press, that as a result of my article

in last month’s Mendip Times, I have been contacted by EricBrain from Clutton about the old Victoria stationary enginethat I wrote about last month. Eric writes for the StationaryEngine magazine and was able to tell me that this engine hasbeen restored and is residing in Rangeworthy near Bristol.It was one of only a few 7hp models made and is estimated

to be post WWI, although the serial number is no longerlegible. Eric remembers it from the days he used to delivercow cake, in an old Albion lorry, to Hales Farm in the 1960s,stacking it in the very building I was talking about.It must be a couple of years back now that I wrote about

the discovery of the old Bedford lorry from Hales Farm. It’shas now been restored, and haulage contractor Jeff Manshiptook it for its first outing to the Mid-Somerset Show inAugust. Jeff has done an amazing job in restoring thisvehicle, even reinstating the sign writing on the cab doors –WG McEwen-Smith and Son, Hales Farm Tickenham Som.I’ve got to thank Mark Adler from Mendip Times for takingthe trouble go and see Jeff and sending me somephotographs.Another member of my family has departed this life. Geoff

Tavener (my uncle) died in the early hours of August 21st.Geoff was well known as a postman in Nailsea, but it was hisfarming background that gave him most pleasure in hislifetime. You may be able to take the boy out of farming, butyou will never take farming out of the boy!This sentiment was very strong with Geoff and his

connection with Hales Farm in Tickenham stayed with himthroughout his life. He had many other jobs, but underlyingthem all was a connection with the land.When he started school, at the age of five, Geoff had to

walk to Wraxall School from the farm on the Failand roadevery day. There was a family at the top of Tower HouseLane who were meant to take him, but they rarely waited. Soit was that Geoff would take himself to school, but oh howmany distractions there were on the way. So many things tosee and places to explore and, as often as not, he wouldarrive late at school. He wasn’t destined for an academiccareer on leaving school – he was destined for the land.As a small boy I spent a lot of time with him and other

members of my family on the farm. I was able to beinvolved, and learn, in a way that would be impossible intoday’s highly mechanised and health and safety dominatedworld. He drove the first tractor that I can remember, an oldFordson Standard with cast iron front wheels. The smell ofTVO (Tractor Vaporising Oil) still takes me back to the timeI spent perched alongside him on that old tractor.My first driving experience was on this machine. With my

legs dangling from the cast iron driving seat, I was instructedto steer a course across the field, as he pitched hay off thetrailer for the cattle. Any deviation from the desired coursewas rectified by Geoff who, with a pitchfork that came pastmy ear, would turn the steering wheel in the direction hewanted to go.I could write at length about him and his antics, but will

close this short tribute with the observation that he was akind man who helped others. He gave his time freely to theNorth Somerset Agricultural Society as a steward, both at theshow and their annual ploughing match. Above all he likedanimals. Not everyone who works with animals is an ‘animalperson’ but he was.The picture I’ve chosen was taken of Geoff in 1957; it’s

from my collection and is in my presentation ‘To Follow thePlough’. Geoff is with a Shorthorn bull he raised from a calf.With the pedigree name of Tickenham Herald, he was knownto Geoff as simply ‘Pup’ and I remember him as a verygentle animal. When the time came for him to go, Geoff wasdevastated and became infuriated with the cattle lorry driverwho used a stick to drive the bull onto the lorry. He hatedcruelty and for him this was just too much to bear. I think thedriver was lucky that day!We’ve laid him to rest with his wife, mother and father in

Tickenham church. It’s a reminder that we should allappreciate those who are around us, for they will not be withus forever!

MENDIP TIMES OUTDOORS

With LESDAVIES MBE


You can always contact me through my website: Westcountryman.co.uk

West Countryman’s Diary

Outdoors page:Layout 1 18/9/14 17:34 Page 56

ANOTHER exciting year has almost passed for us here in theYeo Valley Organic Garden.We have had a record numbers of visitors to the garden again

this year – enjoying the delights of our Garden Tours, GuestSpeakers, Flower Arranging Days, Compost Talks, CookeryDemonstrations, Plant Fairs and not to forget our Suppers in theGarden! Here are a few of the team’s highlights from thisseason . . .The making of our TV programme ‘Hive Alive’ was the most

challenging thing by far this year for the Garden team! Tryingto keep the noise down during the filming each day proved tobe quite a difficult thing. Machinery was pushed quietly, voiceswere kept low and tip toeing through the tulips became a realityfor those who spotted the mic sticking up above the hedge!We also experienced lights, camera…and complete darkness

with Sir Roy Strong when he began his fantastic lecture inMay! A power failure was not going to stop him delivering agreat talk though and he still awarded us 10 out of 10 when hetook a tour of our gravel garden!A trip for the garden team to Staverdale Priory had us all

green with envy as we admired the topiary display. A real showof skill and patience had been used for such fantastic creations.Look out next year in our garden to see if the influence hasrubbed off.The real highlight for any gardener this summer though was

the fact that the sun came out, and it stayed out. It madewatering a challenge, digging impossible and our new solarpanels work their socks off!So the Garden team survived celebrity campout, endured

power cuts, got topiary envy and watered non-stop- all in thename of gardening. We hope you enjoyed your garden as muchas we enjoyed ours, and thank you to all of you who visited.To finish the season, please do come and see us out with a

bang(er!) on Friday 7th November. We’d love you to join usfor our toasty autumnal ‘Sausage Sizzle’, a toasty autumnal. Aswe’re a working farm, we’re featuring Bangers & Mash ratherthan fireworks, but arrive from 7pm to warm up by the fire andenjoy a drink, before tucking into a hearty 3-course supper. It’sBYO for alcohol but we’ll supply the marshmallows!

Booking essential. For further information:Call Jill on 01761 461425 or email [email protected].

We hope to see you there – or if not, when we reopen in 2015!

The Yeo Valley Organic Garden,Bath Road, Blagdon, Bristol BS40 7SQ

See what else is on at yeovalley.co.uk


YEO VALLEY

‘Over the next few months Yeo Valley will be bringing you a wide selection of guest writersfrom different areas of the family farm. Ranging from news from the garden, the farm team,the Mead family plus many more, we’ll be sharing a little about what’s going on behind thescenes here in the valley. Happy reading!’

Yeo Valley page:Layout 1 18/9/14 18:27 Page 1

THE garden centres are awash withtempting, colourful packets of spring bulbsand there is no doubt that spring floweringbulbs light up the garden before the mainbody of plants have got off their startingblocks.When buying bulbs look for those that are

the largest and heaviest of the variety asthese will give the best display. Avoid bulbs

that look bruised or are mouldy. It is best to purchase bulbsearly and keep them in a cool dry place until planting. Shopsand garden centres are subject to fluctuating temperatures andwarm weather will further dry out the bulbs.Most bulbs should be planted as soon as possible, with the

exception of tulips, which are better kept until November.Snowdrops are best planted when in growth, that is what we call“in the green”. If planted in the autumn as “dry bulbs” thefailure rate can be dramatic.Snakes Head Fritillaries (Fritillaria meleagris) have small

bulbs that desiccate very rapidly when out of the ground and soshould be purchased early and planted immediately. The drytubers of winter aconites and anemones look very lifeless and itis a good idea to soak these tubers overnight in a shallow dishof water before planting.Planting depth is important and the majority of bulbs should

be planted at the bottom of a hole hree times the depth of thebulb so the bulb is covered by twice its depth of soil. Likeeverything in life there are exceptions and the Madonna Lily(Lilium candidum) and nerines should have the tip or nose ofthe bulb just proud of soil level.Tulips give us the most vibrant colours and there are many,

many colours and shapes to choose from. While it is a joy to seethe early flowering ones I prefer to use the later varieties as theblooms are less likely to be damaged by adverse weather.Daffodils are more weather resistant and can be used to giveearlier colour. They can usually be relied upon to perform yearafter year while tulips are best planted afresh every year if agood show is required.This spring was very wet and tulips suffered badly from a

fungal disease known as tulip fire which causes spotting on theleaves and flowers. There is a danger that the fungal spores ofthis disease are still in the soil so I would advise planting in adifferent area if possible.All bulbs can be grown in pots and it is easy to move the pots

of colour to where they are needed in the spring. For the bestdisplay in pots be generous and put two or three layers,alternating the compost and bulbs. Top the pot off with somewinter flowering pansies, bellis daisies or dwarf wallflowersand wait for a stunning show in spring. This method worksequally well for tulips and daffodils, indeed you could put alayer of each such that the daffodils flower first and then thetulips.Small bulbs like iris work well in shallow pots and can be

stood on a garden table where their beauty, and often scent, canbe better appreciated. Look out for Iris histrioides ‘LadyBeatrix Stanley’; the blue flowers have much more substancethat the more usual Iris reticulata types. For something a bitdifferent in a shallow pot try Ipheion ‘Albert Costillo’. Thesimple white flowers are strongly scented although the foliagesmells of onions, but only if bruised.

There is no need to go to the expense of buying bulb fibrewhen potting bulbs. Simply use a multi-purpose compost andadd a little grit to ensure better drainage during the winter rains.It is well worth planting some dwarf bulbs under deciduous

shrubs. Bulbs such as Anemone blanda and scillas will thrive,making the most of the light while the shrub has no leaves.They all go dormant for the summer so need no light. Hardycyclamen are very versatile, but are best purchased as growingtubers in pots rather than the dry tubers you often see for sale.The autumn flowering cyclamen (C. hederifolium) flowers fromAugust through to October, or even later and, as its namesuggests, the flowers are followed by attractive ivy shapedfoliage creating a winter green carpet.They can also be grown under large trees, even evergreen

ones, and are one of the joys of the autumn garden. Theircousins Cyclamen coum take over and flower from January toApril. Once established both of these cyclamen will be spreadaround by ants who are attracted by the sweet coating aroundthe seeds. The early summer flowering hardy cyclamen (C.repandum) will also spread well if happy, but is not so easy toplease.Ornamental onions have become very popular in recent years

and are ideal for making the transition from the spring bulbs tosummer perennials. The very large flowered ones can be veryexpensive but Allium ‘Purple Sensation’ is excellent and willpop up year after year. Allium christophii has metallic lilacheads the size of footballs and make a dramatic addition to aborder and are quite reasonably priced these days.If you wish to plant daffodils in an area of grass that you wish

to mow then do not be tempted to purchase a bag of mixedvarieties. The bag may contain early, mid-season and lateflowering varieties and you need to leave the foliage of bulbs atleast six to eight weeks after flowering before mowing. The lateflowering ones may mean delaying mowing until well into June.Buy your bulbs as soon as possible but don’t forget to plant

them!


With MARYPAYNE MBE

LLiigghhtt uupp tthhee ggaarrddeenn wwiitthh sspprriinngg bbuullbbss

Tulip 'Ballerina'

MENDIP TIMES GARDENING

Gardening section:Layout 1 18/9/14 17:42 Page 54


O C T O B E R G A R D E N T I P S� Sow Meteor Pea for the earliest crops of garden peas.

These round seeded varieties are hardy and reliable� Pick maincrop varieties of apples and pears. Choose

only the unblemished sound fruits to store, the othersshould be discarded or eaten straight away. Apples canbe stored quite well in ordinary clear freezer bags.

� Sow mustard and cress for a nutritious salad orgarnish. Grow them on a windowsill in damp kitchenroll lined trays or punnets. Sow each thickly but sowthe mustard 2 days later. Cover the seeds with paperuntil the seeds are 25mm (1") high then remove thecovering. Keep moist by regular watering.

� Aquadulce broad beans can be sown from now on.This autumn sowingwill produce the earliest crop andinvariably avoids attack from blackfly.

� Remove any 'mummified' fruits from apples and plumtrees. These will have been infected with 'Brown Rot'and the spores on these dried up fruits, often stucktogether in clusters, could infect next year’s crop ifleft on the tree or the ground underneath.

� Pull up runner bean plants and put them on thecompost heap. Store the poles in a dry place for nextyear.

� Cover tender veg with polytunnels or cloches. � Plant all forms of fruit trees, bushes and canes this

month; this is the best time for planting!Courtesy Cleeve Nursery

Cleeve Nursery & Box Tree Café,Cleeve, Bristol BS49 4PWTel 01934 832134Email [email protected]/blog/www.cleevenursery.co.uk

Cleeve Nursery& Box Tree CaféYour Independent Garden Centrewith great advice and home grown plants!


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Blooming marvellous! Mendip celebrates South West In Bloom

Glastonbury

Midsomer Norton

One of the judges, Terry Porter, with the Pride in Paulton team

THERE have been celebrations throughout our area in the SouthWest in Bloom awards with Gold awards going to Wells,Radstock, Midsomer Norton and Paulton, Silver Gilt to ChewMagna and Temple Cloud and Silver to Glastonbury. The judgeswere full of praise for the hard work and community spiritshown by the entrants.

Penniless Porch in Wells

A glorious display ina replica coal tubnext to Radstock’s

iconic colliery wheel

Paulton’s war memorial has pride of place in the village

Pupils from local schools contributed to thisdisplay in Wells



Plan and plant for spring!

Just some of the spring flowering bulbs now in stock

ROW after row of spring flowering bulbs and racks upon racksof seeds begging to be sown are the first sights to greetcustomers at Norton Green Farm garden centre and nursery onthe edge of Chilcompton.Regular visits to the centre are one way to tick off the seasons

as the stock in the family-run business reflects the year goingby.Now the emphasis is on providing some colour in the garden

to last through the autumn, to plant that mass of daffodils and tobrowse the seed catalogues in preparation for 2015.Mike Selway, who runs the centre, said: “This autumn has

arrived early; we’re already seeing some trees bronzing anddropping their leaves. Autumn is a very good time to garden, toget some colour in for winter and to prepare the ground for nextseason.”Mike said he has noticed an increasing trend for people to

want dwarf varieties such as narcissus and dwarf tulips andadded: “Our botanical range is very popular indeed. People arelooking for plants which are less than 12 inches tall, either forunderplanting or for containers. “We hope people will be impressed by our range when they

see what’s available and we are always happy to offer advice.Customer service is very important to us.”

Just some of the spring flowering bulbs now in stock

Wells Road, Chilcompton, Nr. BathTel: 01761 232137 E. [email protected]

WELCOMES YOUTHIS AUTUMN• Autumn bedding & container plantsnow available incl. pansies,primroses, polyanthus, wallflowers,ornamental cabbage

• Shrubs, trees, climbers,herbaceous perennials, herbs, fruittrees etc. (Autumn sale offer still on– 25% off!)

• Spring flowering bulbs – daffodils,narcissus, tulips etc.

• Grass seed, fresh turf (weeklydeliveries), Autumn lawntreatments

• New seasons seed collections nowin stock incl. Unwins, Fothergills,Johnsons & Country Value

• Compost, mulches, soilconditioners & barks etc. incl.multibuy & special offers

• Wild bird food and feeders• Terracotta, glazed, fibreclay, plastic& wood pots, troughs & containers

• National Garden gift vouchers• Calor gas

LOCAL DELIVERY SERVICEOpen: Mon-Sat 9am-5pm;Sun 10.30am-4.30pm

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Start planning for 2015IF you felt your garden lacked lustre this summer now is thetime to resolve to do better next year. Garden designer and tutorChristine Pritchard is running a number of short courses to suitenthusiastic new gardeners.You can choose to redesign your whole garden or learn more

about putting plants together in your borders. You can evenlearn how to illustrate your garden plans. The sessions takeplace at Stoke Lodge, Stoke Bishop, Bristol, from January 2015onwards.You don’t need to be a knowledgeable gardener or fluent in

Latin to enjoy these informal courses.

Garden Design • Planting Schemes • Horticultural ConsultancyCourses in Gardening and Garden Design

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RM



SEVENTY years on and the memories had not faded; SirKenneth Warren’s voice cracked as he recalled the day hewitnessed the crash over Paulton in September 1944 of a glidercarrying troops bound for Arnhem.Sir Kenneth, a former MP, was giving the address at the 35th

Double Hills ceremony to remember the 21 sappers and twopilots of the Horsa glider who were killed in the crash. He wasstaying with his aunt in nearby Farrington Gurney when the airwas filled with the sound of aircraft on their way to take part inOperation Market Garden; the servicemen in the glider – knownas Chalk Number 389 – were the first casualties of the battle.Sir Kenneth said: “I began watching one Horsa in particular.

It was at about a thousand feet, slightly off to my left, tugging abit on its tow rope, then starting to sway into two gentle, soft,roll oscillations, left, right, back and forth. I assumed it was inthe slipstream of its tug.“Suddenly – it just stopped. No more forward flight, shredded

into a hundred pieces, falling in streaming, coloured ribbons …no explosion, no flames. The silence of the break-up was eerie.”Sir Kenneth rode on his bike to the crash scene and tried to

pull two men from one section of the fuselage when there wasan explosion in which he suffered serious injuries.Former and current service personnel, relatives, villagers and

many others gathered for the ceremony. Ironically, the man dueto be the Reviewing Officer for the ceremony could not attend.

General Sir Peter Wall, Chief of the General Staff (theprofessional head of the Army), who was due to retire thefollowing day, was forced to remain at his desk because of thecrisis in the Middle East.

MENDIP TIMES


The first casualties of Arnhem

Vintage militaryvehicles broughtVIPS to theceremony

Sir Kenneth Warren addresses the hundreds of people at theceremony

Words and pictures by Mark Adler

Some of thestandard bearerswho came fromacross the southwest and Wales

Double Hills organiser Peter Yeates

Friends from the Royal Observer Corps Association Guests arrive for the start of the event

History feature:Layout 1 18/9/14 17:45 Page 60

HISTORY


Preparing to laywreaths – servicepersonnel reflect

Arthur Shackleton salutes the Double Hillsmonument after laying a wreath A bugler plays the Last Post

Lt. Col. Johnnie Humphreys, 92, a Chelsea pensioner, who saw action in Arnhem and twiceescaped from POW camps, alongside serving officers

Piper Ian Wyllie of Portishead

Guests of all ages gathered in front of the Double Hills memorial

An occasion to remember

History feature:Layout 1 18/9/14 17:45 Page 61

MENDIP TIMES


Doulting Produce Show

One of the prize-winning displays in Doulting village hall

Grow your own seems to be the messageA feast for the eyes – just some of the home-grown produce entered into the show

ORGANISERS of the annual Doulting Produce Show held ascarecrow competition as part of the event for the first time.

Scarecrows appeared throughout the village

It’s a sailor’s life for me!

Whitchurch Village Fete

BBC presenter Alex Lovell opened the Whitchurch Village Fete.She's pictured with fete princesses Sophie Maddocks and RosieThompson

IT wasn't all about flowers at Stanton Drew Flower Show in theChew Valley. Several people were there manning stalls andpromoting their projects, including the Pensford Publow andStantons Community Trust and Wansdyke Telecom.

Pictured (left to right) Sue Elsbury, Cllr Liz Richardson, SueOsborne, Simon Whittle and Evan Wienburg.

Not just flowers



EVENTS

Somerset Showcase Axbridge

Grease was this year's theme

Storyteller Bernard Coulterhad the children enchanted

Axbridge town crier Gladys YvonneChamberlain is retiring in May after 40years

Pied Piper Jonathan Weeks with Rubin, Erin and Kitty



MENDIP TIMES

Go sober in October?

Dr Phil’s wonderful new book, What Doctors Really Think, is available atwww.mgp.ltd.uk

A roaming aromaI REMEMBER a trip to our local farm-shop with eldest child. She was only two-years-old and we had not long relocatedfrom the city to Somerset. I was excitedby rural life and was pointing out thefarm animals and beautiful countryside.She sat listening quietly in her car seat,

beside the open window (to let in the freshair). She eventually announced: “It stinks.”Sixteen years later and I am driving her

back from Cheddar where she has beenworking on a stall at an event. Thewindow is open beside her but this timesomething malodorous is emanating frominside the car. We may be in Cheddar butfrom where I am sitting it smells morelike Gorgonzola.I am ashamed to admit that the car has

been known for a while as the “bin onwheels” because cleaning the house willalways take priority and as Mendip Dadpoints out: “The children have no respectfor your car.” A quick inventory revealsthe following items which I believe donot belong in a car:� An odd sock� A scattering of Dr Who Topp Trumpscards

� A book of first class stamps� An address book� A cellophane wrapper from a card(written in haste and posted just intime)

� A bottle of nail-varnish remover (anemergency purchase on the way to animportant meeting)

� A cable (for transferring photos onto acomputer)

� A leaky biro and a highlighter pen� An ice-cream wrapperHowever, in conducting the inventory

my main motive is to find the source ofthe sickening smell. We are ontosomething when youngest son detects that“it smells like a cheese show has takenplace in your car”.After lifting up the rear seats of the

people-carrier, which incidentally you cannever look cool in driving along with thewindows down blasting out yourfavourite track from the ’90s; the sourceof the stink is revealed. A packet ofmozzarella had slipped beneath the seatshaving fallen from a shopping bag as wedrove home from the supermarket twoweeks ago.The cheese has fermented and its brine

exploded onto the carpet with devastatingresults…

MENDIPMUM

DO you fancy going sober in October? It rhymes and chimesalmost as much as a dry July. You may have already had a dryJanuary – which doesn’t even come close to rhyming but isfuelled by festive over-indulgence angst and the feeling that youought to do something to say thank you to your liver for takingsuch a beating on your behalf.The beauty of sober October is that you raise money for the

cancer charity MacMillan too – if you want to – and can thus feeldoubly smug. According to the website, there are lots of health

benefits of a month off booze, and they appear to have been compiled by the Professorof Common Sense at the University of the Blindingly Obvious:� Increased energy levels, higher productivity� Clearer head� No more hangovers� Sleeping better/snoring less�Weight loss� Clearer skin� Healthier bank balance/Save money� Sense of achievement� Fresh approach to alcohol consumption� Generally feel healthier� Doing something positive for a good causeI would add less domestic violence and fewer road traffic deaths too (note women

are overtaking men on drunk driving convictions). There are some caveats to dryingout, however. Apparently you can only take part in Go Sober if you are 18 or over. Idon’t quite get that. The people who really need to sober up quickly are the 12-year-olds.Also, Go Sober “does not encourage people to increase their alcohol

consumption immediately prior to 1 October 2014, nor will it promote excessivedrinking from 1 November 2014”. And sudden alcohol withdrawal for heavydrinkers is not without the risks of cold turkey and the DTs: “We advise heavydrinkers or people dependant on alcohol to speak with their GP first before signingup to Go Sober for October.”There is evidence that if you rid your world of processed food, extra salt and

alcohol, and get breathless every day, you can notice some benefits in terms ofblood pressure, cholesterol and liver enzyme levels over a month but if you thenreturn to your old pattern of consumption, your risk factors for heart attack, stroke,cancer, liver and kidney disease return to their previous levels.Healthy changes need to be changes for whatever you have left of your life.

Statistically, it may be that a month off heavy boozing adds a day or so to your life butthe greatest benefit is realising how much more you can do with your life if it isn’tblurred and diminished in a fog of Dogbolter. As the poet Mary Oliver put it: “What isit you plan to do with your one wild and previous life?”Our lives are over in the blink of a geological nanosecond and no man ever said on

his deathbed: “I wish I’d spent more time with a headache, memory loss or picking upa public order offence for urinating outside a kebab shop.”Alcohol is there to be savoured – find a taste you like, and drink it slowly so you

appreciate the taste and the afterglow. Drink to remember, don’t drink to forget – asthe Eagles should have sung – or you’ll be stuck in Hotel California (or your localWeatherspoons) for life. I won’t be doing Dry October but I will make a donation toMacMillan which – along with Cancer Research UK – is one of our finest cancercharities.And the best advice I can give for your liver is not just to take a month off, but two

days off a week, every week – and take them consecutively after any binge. But if youfancy the challenge of a month off booze, go for it. You may find you don’t miss it atall, give it up entirely and suddenly have the energy for Morris Dancing (if it ispossible to do that sober, please let me know, either way, with photos).

By Dr PHILHAMMOND

Health section:Layout 1 18/9/14 17:50 Page 64


SOMERSET PodiatryClinic has announcedthe introduction of anew treatment for fungalnail infections and anew member of staff.The Erchonia®

Lunula Laser is arevolutionary low levellaser device bringingnew hope to peoplesuffering from painful,discoloured anddisfigured toenails

associated with onychomycosis, or fungal nails.New staff member Dave Coulson is a former RAF

remedial therapist with over 25 years’ experience inremedial therapy, sports massage and biomechanics –specialising in the golf swing.Somerset Podiatry are open five days a week, Monday to

Friday, with clinics in Congresbury, Langford and Bristol.Home visits in the North Somerset area are also availablefor patients unable to attend the Congresbury and Langfordclinics. They also visit residential and nursing homes on amonthly basis to attend to residents’ footcare.

New services atSomerset Podiatry

HEALTH & FAMILY



A Real Alternative

Bluebird Care offers a realisticcost-effect alternative toresidential care. We can

provide all the support youneed whilst you tay in familiarsurroundings, close to all thepeople and possessions that

matter the most to you.

What We Offer

We offer everything fromdomestic support and

personal care to social visitsand shopping trips. We also

offer overnight and live-in care.Everything you need to stay in

the comfort and security ofyour home.

A NEW Frome-based homecare business hopes to createaround 100 new jobs a cross Mendip within the next twoyears. Bluebird Care Mendip only started as a business inJuly this year, but already employs 11 staff and has justsigned a contract with the county’s Adult Social Caredepartment to help provide homecare across the district.The company currently delivers its homecare and support

services to Frome and surrounding villages but plans toexpand to Shepton Mallet and Wells aroundSeptember/October and then to Street and Glastonbury inDecember 2014/January 2015.Managing Director Masen Naidoo said that Enterprise

Mendip – a partnership between Mendip District Council andthe local chambers of commerce which aims to offer adviceand support to new start-up businesses – had played a keyrole in attracting him to the district.He said: “Through Enterprise Mendip I was able to attend

networking events, business breakfast meetings and freecourses, which were a huge help to me and gave me somevaluable advice on starting the business.”Cllr Tom Killen, Portfolio Holder for Business

Development and Growth and Deputy Leader of MendipDistrict Council, said: “I’m delighted that Bluebird CareMendip has got off to such a successful start and wish thecompany all the very best success for the future.”

Bluebird flies afterlanding in Mendip

MENDIP TIMES

Singles Social Group(Not a dating agency – est. 1979)

Age range 40 – 60 approx.

Weekly Bar NightEvents include: walks, dances, parties,

meals out, theatre, cinema etc.

For further details call01749 330455 • 01278 78807701458 840958 • 01934 743139www.singleprofessionalassociation.co.uk


MIRANDA Robarts-Arnold, who alreadyhas a busy practice in the Chew MedicalPractice, is starting a new clinic at WellsOsteopathy and Chiropractic Centre in thePriory Health Park.She said: “I offer solution focused

hypnotherapy which is a combination ofpsychotherapy and hypnosis. This type oftherapy is optimistic and forward looking.Through solution focused hypnotherapy, youlearn how you can use your full mentalresources to achieve your goals and give youtools that you can use right now, and for therest of your life.”Miranda says that hypnotherapy can aid

you in removing negative thoughts, improvemental health and thereby physical healthand correct bad habits.She said: “Many people think that

undergoing therapy is a painful experience –almost that you have to feel worse to getbetter. Absolutely not! Hypnotherapy is avery pleasant experience because we focuson what you would like life to be like, ratherthan what’s wrong. While you are not asleepduring hypnosis, the mind and body isincredibly relaxed.”

Miranda trained at The Clifton Practice,the leading hypnotherapy training centre inthe UK, and has over 15 years’ experience inthe fields of mental health, hypnotherapyand recovery.She specialises in anxiety problems, sleep

issues and chronic pain as well as offeringhypnobirthing to pregnant women.Hypnotherapy can also help with other wideranging issues including fears and phobias,IBS, OCD, depression and alcohol problems.Hypnosis is a relaxed trance state that we

naturally go into many times a day forexample when daydreaming. Miranda said:“I can’t make you do anything you don’twant to. My goal is to help you get what youwant from life. Please get in touch if there isanything I can help with.”


CCOOUURRTT HHOOUUSSEERREETTIIRREEMMEENNTT HHOOMMEE CCHHEEDDDDAARRAccommodation available now with full en-suite

Please contact Chris Dando01934 742131

Website: www.courthouseretirementhome.co.uk

Court House is a very special place to live, the very fact that it is made up of differentareas of accommodation adds to its attraction.

e Main House with gracious large rooms with full en-suite looking out ontodifferent aspects and personalized with Resident’s own furniture and pictures etc. Aspacious Drawing Room with doors to a covered veranda and patio area leading ontolawns and flower beds.

e Courtyard which has lovely vaulted accommodation with full en-suite andcleverly concealed kitchenettes where Residents can make a cup of tea or a snack forthemselves or their guests and small raised gardens so that the people living there may,if they so wish plant and tend their own flowers.

e lovely cottage accommodation full of character with a large Victorian styleconservatory looking towards St. Andrews Church and doors opening out from alovely sitting room to a tranquil garden.

Putting all of this together with the very special care given by dedicated staff thatrespect and give privacy and dignity to all who live here, you can see why people whocome to live at Court House are so happy to have found this very special place.

“One of the mostbeautiful and wellkept retirementhomes I’ve everseen”.– e Photographer

Respite Care also available

MENDIP TIMES HEALTH & FAMILY

Aches and Pains andOn-Going Problems?

Why not try e Bowen Technique,performed by

Samantha Hillman ECBSA subtle and relaxing therapy, done

through light clothing. Exclusive offer for Christmas only

£10 OFF YOUR FIRSTTREATMENT

Contact Sam to know more,07834 708327 or Email:

[email protected]:

www.samsbowen.wix.com/samhillman

New clinic in Wells

CAN’T SLEEP?AWAKE AT 4am?ANXIOUS?DEPRESSED?NOT COPING?

HYPNOTHERAPYCAN HELP!Initial consultationand relaxation CD £30

Clinics held at:Wells Chiropractic & OsteopathyCentre BA5 1XJChew Medical Centre BS40 8UE

MIRANDA ROBARTS-ARNOLDBA (Hons) HPD DHP SFBT (HYP)MNCH (Req) AfSFH CNHCCLINICAL HYPNOTHERAPIST andPSYCHOTHERAPIST

Come and have a talk to see how I canhelp you get back on track,call 07717 170 865 to bookan initial consultation or visitwww.mirandahypnotherapy.com


your business

MMeennddiipp TTiimmeessrreedduucceessttrraavveell ccoossttss


SOME things in lifedon’t change; theyjust come around incycles. This cancertainly be said ofthe various scamswhich target all of us,especially the elderlyand vulnerable.

It therefore came as no surprise to meto see yet another warning issued by thelocal constabulary regarding a group ofdoor-to-door cleaning products salespeople operating in our area, mostrecently in Pensford, Hallatrow,Midsomer Norton and FarringtonGurney.It is an offence to try to sell on the

doorstep without a proper pedlar’scertificate and police arrested one“knocker” – from Nottingham – forselling goods without a valid certificate.He was released with a caution.While peddling without a certificate is

not exactly the crime of the century it is

also worth mentioning that when thesepeoples appear in an area there is often arise in various crimes shortly after; drawyour own conclusions. That is why it isimportant to let the police know if youreceive such a caller (on 101, or via yourNeighbourhood Watch). You should alsomake sure you are completely happy thatany caller is who they purport to be – askthem for identification and read it!When I was a crime reduction officer

and used to give talks aimed at stoppingbogus callers I used to talk aboutidentification and hand around mywarrant card. I would then ask ifeveryone had thoroughly checked itbefore asking the audience what wasactually written on there. Hardly anyonecould tell me, prompting me to considerhaving one with the details of somenotorious person on it to see if anyonewould spot what was wrongAbout ten years ago we had a major

problem with bogus callers and that leadme to thinking about what would

strengthen my Neighbourhood WatchSchemes. I saw an article in a magazineabout a small pot called “Message in aBottle”, which was running successfullyin Australia. The idea was that if yousuffered from an illness, or hadmedication which made you liable tocollapse you wrote the details down onan information sheet, with your next ofkin, doctor etc. and put it into a plasticbottle. The bottle is put in the fridge(because generally everyone has one,they’re easy to find and they don’t burn).And lastly, you stick a sticker on thefridge door and the front door to alert theemergency services if you ever needassistance.I arranged a launch of a similar scheme

for the South West and a Lions Clubfrom Weston-Super-Mare joined in. Thescheme was launched by the PrincessRoyal and the bottles also used to comewith advice about bogus callers. I’d beinterested to know if they still containthat advice.

By SIMONSELBY

Details: www.pristonmorris.org.uk email:[email protected] or contact Dave Bush on:

07932 745825.

(Pho

toco

urte

syof

Fred

Dev

ey)


Doorstep scams – beware

MENDIP TIMES

PRISTON JubileeMorris recently paidits final respects tofounder memberHorace Broomfield,by dancing andforming a guard ofhonour at hisfuneral. Horacepassed away aged94, but his lastdance was withPriston Jubilee atthe Priston Festivalin 2009, when hewas a mere 89 yearsyoung.Priston Jubilee

Morris is aCotswold Morris

side that has been entertaining the locals both far and widesince 1977. The group began, with Horace, in commemorationof the Queen’s silver jubilee.They practice on Monday nights at Priston Village Hall

from 8pm and this year they will be focusing on some newdances as well as looking to update some of their existingrepertoire.

Honour for Horace

AFTER many decades, the village of Sandford has lost its finalgirl guiding unit. 1st Sandford Brownies had been running forover 30 years, but had its final meeting on September 9th.Pam Avery, who had been Tawny Owl and Brown Owl for

nearly 30 years, had to retire a year ago, when she reached her65th birthday, but stayed on as an assistant while a new leadercompleted her leadership qualification.But the new leader left, after being offered a place at

university, leaving no-one to take her place. Both Sandford’sRainbow and Guide units had previously closed, because noleader could be found.A former guide contacted Mendip Times to say: “Finally, a big

‘well done and congratulations’ to Pam Avery for 30 years ofservice – Brown Owl will be missed.”

Farewell to Pam

Community DPS:Layout 1 18/9/14 17:53 Page 68

COMMUNITY

A season of mellowfruitfulness foryoung peopleA SERIES of grants have been madearound the Mendip area which willbenefit its young people.A total of 16 Somerset youth clubs

shared £48,000 in grants from SomersetCounty Council to help run popularactivity sessions, buy equipment andemploy staff. Teenage members of theSomerset Youth Parliament AdvisoryGroup allocated the funding with thegrants supporting new and existingprojects across the county.Sam Foulder-Hughes, a group

member, said: “The bids from Mendipwere all very exciting. Young people inFrome, Glastonbury and Wells love theiryouth clubs and it was fantastic that wewere able to fund them. This processhas been really rewarding and I’veloved seeing everything that is going onaround the county.”In Mendip, grants were made to:

� Frome Youth and Community Centre– £4,980 toward the delivery of youthclub sessions on Wednesday evenings.� Connect Youth Club in Wells –£2,440 for staffing costs to continuedelivery of open-door youth club onFriday nights.� The Red Brick Building inGlastonbury – £2,930 toward the costsof staffing for the Friday night club.In South Somerset, amongst theorganisations to benefit were:� The Youth Matters group from CastleCary and Ansford – £2,000 toward thecost of the evening youth club.� The Charltons Senior Youth Club –£3,300 toward the costs of staffing andprogramme for the coming year.Cabinet Member for Children and

Young People at Somerset CountyCouncil, Councillor Frances Nicholson,said: “We are extremely pleased to besupporting young people in Somerset byhelping voluntary groups andcommunities across the County toprovide youth services.“Involving the Somerset Youth

Parliament in the allocation of thesefunds has been a real success. I amextremely impressed by the way thatthese young people are helping to makeimportant decisions, within the setcriteria, that affect other young peoplein the county.”


MORE than 40 residents had a fun afternoon when a new play area opened inFrome.The community space in Dorset Close was developed by Aster Communities as

part of the housing provider’s recent improvements on the estate. A grant from anAster’s neighbourhood panel for Frome has also funded new seating and a picnicbench.David Allford, Aster’s customer involvement and community development

manager for Somerset, said: “This new community space was all about providingsomewhere safe for youngsters to enjoy playing.“It was a great afternoon and really helped us to show residents what was

available and the fun times that can now be enjoyed by everyone in this new, smartarea.”

New community play area in FromeResidents enjoying the opening event

A GROUP of people who left Writhlington Secondary School in 1979 werereunited in Peasedown St John, to share stories, memories and reminisce aboutyears gone by with some of their former teachers.Karen Walker (nee Latus), who grew up in Peasedown St John, was part of the

class of '79 and one of the reunion's organisers. She said: "The world might havemoved on and changed in the past thirty-five years, but our memories of schoolhaven't.”

School reunion

Community DPS:Layout 1 18/9/14 17:53 Page 69

MENDIP TIMES

Details: 07791746606 (Charley, Chair ofMessy Tots @ Paulton).

A GROUP of parentsof preschool childrenin Paulton is rallyingtogether to form anew communityplaygroup “MessyTots @ Paulton” toprevent the closure oftheir much-lovedmessy play group.

The group was formerly run by B&NES Children’s Centreservices but the support is being

withdrawn due to government cuts and redirection of funds.The longstanding group has provided a place for local parents

to bring their pre-school children on Thursday mornings formany years at Paulton Scout, Guide and Community Hall. Thegroup offers differing activities each week which encourageexploration, imagination, creative play and development of keyskills.

Despite the loss of council support in running the group sinceJuly, the organisation has been able to provide support andtraining for the parent volunteers of the group, who aredetermined to keep it going.

Charley O’Connell, chairperson of the new Messy Tots @Paulton group said: “We think it is really important to continueto provide a fun, welcoming and exciting playgroup for all.There is no other group in the community like ours so we mustfight to keep it going.”

The new group plan to open their doors on November 6th andrun every Thursday (term time) from 10 – 11.30am at the samevenue. In order to do so, however, they will be looking for bothextra volunteers to help with the weekly tasks of running thegroup and above all they need to raise funds for the initial start-up and then ongoing costs of running the group.

Plea for support A lifeline for the elderlyAGE UK Somerset has received £15,000 from SomersetCommunity Foundation to continue and expand its vital worktackling loneliness and isolation among older people.

The funding – £5,000 per annum over three years – willsupport the charity’s befriending service which is nothing shortof a lifeline for many. Age UK Somerset’s befriendingvolunteers provide companionship, social contact and support toolder people. It might just be offering up some time to chat overa cup of tea, visiting the shops together or going to a café.

Alan Bartle, chief executive of Age UK Somerset said: “Weare thrilled to receive this funding which will help us to expandwhat is an essential part of our work. The relationships formedthrough our befriending service promote wellbeing andconfidence and can also help people in later life to remainindependent in their own homes. We currently support 190befriending partnerships across Somerset and North Somersetand this funding will help us in our efforts to recruit morevolunteers.

“Our volunteers receive full training and usually spend anhour or so a week with an older person. Their visits can makesuch a huge difference to someone if they’re feeling lonely. Butit’s worth pointing out that many of our volunteers get as muchenjoyment from their visits as the clients.”

Justin Sargent, chief executive of Somerset CommunityFoundation, said: “Supporting vulnerable older people andimproving communities affected by rural isolation andloneliness are two of our key focus areas. We are happy toprovide funding to the Age UK Somerset’s befriending serviceand recognise that this project has the potential to trulytransform the lives of older people in Somerset.”

Age UK Somerset is a local charity providing essentialservices for 9,000 older people, their families and carers inSomerset and North Somerset.


Details: www.ageuksomerset.org.uk or by following Age UKSomerset on Twitter @AgeUKSomerset or Facebook

www.facebook.com/AgeUKSomerset

TEENAGER Hannah Tripp is celebrating after beating hundredsof other youngsters from across the country to be crowned theUK's Best Young Driver – before she is even old enough toofficially drive.

Hannah, who is just 13, finished top in the 11-13 age categoryat the national finals of the 2014 Young Driver Challenge inBirmingham. She was crowned overall champion after thejudges praised her control of the vehicle, precise manoeuvresand quick-thinking behind the wheel.

More than 350 young people initially entered the competition,organised by Young Driver which offers driving tuition forunder-17s. Hannah was among the 40 who made it to the finalof the contest – which was open to those aged between 11 and16.

As well as being marked on their practical driving skillsbehind the wheel of a dual-control car at one of Young Driver’s33 venues, the entrants were also judged on their performance inthe Goodyear Driving Academy.

Hannah, who attends Kings of Wessex Academy, said: "It was

an amazing feeling even to be in the final. To then learn I'd wonthe whole event was just incredible, I’m stunned. It was quite achallenging test and we knew the judges were marking ourability based on a lot of different driving skills andmanoeuvres.”

Young Driver was established in 2009 with the aim of helpingto teach youngsters to drive over a longer period, thereforeencouraging a safer generation of new drivers at 17.

Hannah Tripp

CChheeddddaarr yyoouunnggsstteerr ffiinnddss ttoopp ggeeaarr

News pages 70-71:Layout 1 18/9/14 17:55 Page 70


MENDIP TIMES NEWS

ALHAMPTONAXBRIDGEBALTONSBOROUGHBACKWELLBANWELLBARROW GURNEYBARTON ST. DAVIDBECKINGTONBISHOP SUTTONBLACKFORDBLAGDONBLEADONBRENT KNOLLBRISTOLINTERNATIONAL AIRPORTBROCKLEYBRUTONBUCKLAND DINHAMBURCOTTBURRINGTONBUTLEIGHCAMERTONCASTLE CARYCHARTERHOUSECHEDDARCHELYNCHCHEW MAGNACHEW STOKECHEWTON MENDIP

CHILCOMPTONCHURCHILLCLANDOWNCLEEVECLUTTONCOCKLAKECOLEFORDCOMPTON DANDOCOMPTON MARTINCONGRESBURYCOXLEYCRANMORECROSCOMBECROSSDITCHEATDOULTINGDRAYCOTTDUNDRYEAST HARPTREEEASTONEMBOROUGHEVERCREECHFARMBOROUGHFARRINGTON GURNEYFAULKLANDFELTONFROMEGLASTONBURYGREEN ORE

GURNEY SLADEHALLATROWHIGH LITTLETONHINTON BLEWETTHOLCOMBEHUNSTRETEHUTTONKEINTON MANDEVILLEKILMERSDONLANGFORDLEIGH on MENDIPLITTONLONG ASHTONLYDFORD ON FOSSELYMPSHAMMARKMARKSBURYMASBURYMELLSMIDSOMER NORTONNAILSEANETTLEBRIDGENORTON MALREWARDNORTON ST PHILIPNUNNEYNYLANDOAKHILLPAULTONPENSFORD

PILTONPOLSHAMPRIDDYPYLLERADSTOCKREDHILLREGILRICKFORDRODERODNEY STOKEROOKSBRIDGEROWBERROWSANDFORDSHEPTON MALLETSHIPHAM

SOMERTONSTANTON DREWSTANTON WICKSTOKE ST MICHAELSTON EASTONSTRATTON ON THE FOSSESTREETTARNOCKTEMPLE CLOUDTIMSBURYTRUDOXHILLTYTHERINGTONUBLEYUPHILLVOBSTER

WALTONWANSTROWWEDMOREWELLSWEST HARPTREEWEST PENNARDWESTBURY SUB MENDIPWINFORDWINSCOMBEWOOKEYWOOKEY HOLEWRAXALLWRINGTONWRITHLINGTONYATTON

We’ve got it coveredMendip Times Distribution PointsMendip Times is available from over 800 outlets across the Mendipsfrom superstores to village stores and post offices, farm shops,supermarkets, garden centres, pubs, inns, hotels and restaurants,doctors’ surgeries, libraries and tourist information centres.

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THE annual Rotary Young Chef competition for students atKings of Wessex Academy, in Cheddar was contested by 11

year-10 students, who were giventwo and a half hours to prepare,cook and serve a two-course meal.

The winner was 15-year-oldHannah Bird who createdJamaican cod fritters withpineapple chutney, followed byCola BBQ Ribs with Jenga chipsand slaw.

Hannah’s a winner inRotary competition

BACK in August Mendip Times reported the mystery ofhow a World War One victory medal had been found in afield on Mendip back in the 1950s. It had belonged toPrivate William Wareham, but who was he and how didit get there? Two of our readers Richard Loxton and IanBrown have been investigating.

They confirm that the soldier in question attendedChewton Mendip School and that his family lived atShooter's Bottom in 1911. At least two other members ofthe Wareham family from Chewton Mendip fought inWW1 and survived but there are several prospects forwho they were.

It’s possible they were visiting the pub at Green Orewhich was run by another member of the family. Perhapsthey were celebrating and William dropped his medal onthe way home.

Ian has been doing research into his family history.Wareham was his great grandmother’s maiden name andhe believes she had a first cousin, William Wareham,who was farming 40 acres at Binegar Batch in 1881.

He had a son, William Charles Wareham, born in 1901,who was assisting his father faming at Rush Hill Farm,Ston Easton in 1911. They believe he was the soldierwho lost his medal in the field at Green Ore.

Our readers turnmedal detectives

News pages 70-71:Layout 1 18/9/14 17:55 Page 71

Good heavens – moatrace ended by rain!

MENDIP TIMES


HEAVY rain caused an early finish to the annual WellsMoat Boat Race but not before some serious – and not tooserious – competition on the water took place!The Rt. Rev. Peter Hancock, the recently-installed Bishop

of Bath and Wells, joined in the fun, competing in theBishop’s Palace’s Queen of the Moat raft.Proceeds from the races are split between the bishop’s

chosen charity and the 1955 Wells Air Cadets and City ofWells Lions who organise the day.

Glastonbury Players, an amateur dramatic group, once againclaimed the best fancy dress prize

Fun day for children

Bishop Peterprepares forthe first race

Well done – this team from Honitonwon the first race

Seeing red –one of themilitary cadetentries

Event organiser Matt Shellard with (l:r) Steve Bellamy (withCharlotte), CHSW lottery fundraiser Louise Turner, Julie Pattersonand Diana Tincknell (with Elizabeth)

DOZENS of families enjoyed a fundraising fun day at TincknellCountry Stores in Wells in aid of the Children’s Hospice SouthWest charity.Attractions ranged from a go-kart and pedal tractor track to a

chance to get up close to animals including dogs, geese anddonkeys.The event raised £1,500 and was organised by staff – led by

Matt Shellard – and members of the Tincknell family who wereon hand to welcome visitors. It was supported by companiesincluding Uphill agricultural engineers, Tincknell Fuels, BergToys, Wookey Hole Circus and two local carnival clubs: KeyKids CC and Wick CC.Steve Bellamy, Retail Manager at Tincknells, said: “We are

all thrilled at both the amount raised and also the sheer numberof people that supported us. It was great to see so many newfaces and we hope to see them return to us in the lead up toChristmas. Matt, who organised the whole event, did a fantasticjob and is already thinking of ideas for next year.”Julie Patterson, community fundraiser for CHSW, said: “We

are so grateful to Tinknell Country Stores for putting on such afabulous event in support of Children’s Hospice South West.The Kids Fun Day was a true community event in every sense;involving local businesses, organisations and members of thepublic.”

Ruby and Alexis take aride on the pedal tractors

Charity section:Layout 1 18/9/14 17:57 Page 72

Runners aid charity

CHARITIES


Details: Quartet – Bath Half Marathon Fund or call the Community Foundation’s Bath office on 01225 420 300 oremail [email protected].

EVERY year, the Bath Half Marathon raises funds, which arechannelled through Quartet Community Foundation andinvested back into Bath & North East Somerset.The funds come from donations raised by race entrants and

are used to support local community-based charities andgroups who offer sports, healthy lifestyles or play-basedactivities. Applications are now invited for this year’s grantsround and the deadline is 17 October 2014.Grants of up to £5,000 are available. This year one award of

£5,000 will be made with other awards of up to £2,000.Jilly Edwards, development manager at Quartet said:

“Accessibility is key, as is offering a range of activities whichpeople may not have had the opportunity to try before.Projects reaching all sections of the community havebenefited and the range of activities has been amazing:wheelchair football for children, Tai Chi for people withdisabilities, flexercise classes for older people and playequipment for pre-schools.”

Raising a glass for charity

Here we go – some of the team behind this year’s festival prepare towelcome festival-goers

HUNDREDS of real ale and cider fans gathered in Chilcomptonfor the eighth annual Wessex Beer Festival organised by theRotary Club of Somer Valley.The festival this year featured beers mostly from Kent

although the vast majority of the 30 ciders on offer had theirorigins in the West Country.Proceeds from the weekend, in a marquee at the Court Hotel,

will go to local, national and international charities. Last year’sfestival raised money for everything from the installation of adefibrillator in Peasedown St John to typhoon disaster relief inthe Philippines.Live music from the Honky Tonks, Jack by the Hedge and

others kept visitors entertained.

The live music began with local musicians Doug Siddons andMandy Broadwater, known as Lady and the Tramp

Dawn, Richard and Max sample the drink

Trevor and Moggie enjoy the atmosphere


MENDIP TIMES


Village unites in memory of TessaTHE August Bank Holiday weekend sawthree days of events organised by BlagdonValley Gun Club as a memorial to TessaMoore, the daughter of Colin and Sophieand sister to Joe.Tessa was born on January 30th and was

diagnosed with Full Trisomy 18, EdwardsSyndrome a severe life limiting condition.During the ensuing 40 days Tessa metmany people particularly in Blagdonleaving a lasting impression. Sadly onMarch 11th her short time on this earthended.We were determined that this should be a

beginning and not an end so we set aboutplanning a suitable memorial. Our chosencharity was The Children's Hospice SouthWest, an organisation that had given theMoore family so much help in their time ofneed.Friday, August 22nd was the date of the

first event – an auction of promises fromall around Blagdon and the surroundingarea held at Blagdon Village Club. In thelast few days promises poured in and weended up with just over 100 lots. Ourauctioneer certainly had his work cut out toget through the list with around 200 peoplein the marquee.Our initial target figure for the entire

weekend had been an optimistic £10,000with a more realistic £7,500 looking a fairbet a couple of weeks prior. So justimagine our delight as lot after lot smashedexpectations, resulting in a total of£10,366! All this ignoring a successfulraffle and bar sales.Saturday was another day of setting up

ready for the clay shoot and evening partyon Sunday but nevertheless saw an eveningof long alley and table skittles run by theteams at Blagdon Village Club and raisedjust over £800.On Sunday we held a 100 target clay

shoot at the club ground at Middle EllickFarm, which was attended by shooters

from all around the South West. The highgun score was 88 achieved by RichardKing a leading UK shot based in Dorset.Second was our very own Glen Hooperwith 85 and third, another of our membersJerome Barry with 84. In all the shootraised in excess of £2,000 for the charity.Sunday lunchtime we held a children's

party at the village club with an entertainer,face painting and a fully uniformed StarWars Imperial Storm Trooper. Whilst thiswas not primarily intended as a fundraiserbut more as something to involve thevillage children we managed to raisearound £200.Sunday evening saw the closing party

with a pig roast, bar and a jazz/swing bandconsisting of talented local drummer JamesPaton and friends featuring the outstandingsaxophonist James Morton. All this housedin the marquee at the village club. Therewas a great turnout early on although rainand colder weather did somewhat curtailnumbers as the evening progressed but agreat time was had by all.Bar sales, the pig roast and various

raffles over the three nights brought inproceeds of around £3,500. The publicitywe had created in the village and viaFacebook and Twitter for the cause brought

in donations of about £3,500.Our total costs for staging the event, all

of which had been underwritten byBlagdon Valley Gun Club, came to approx£2,500. Therefore the total raised over thethree days has come in at just over £18,000after costs. To this we can add tax relief,from gift aided donations, of in excess of£2,500 so the total figure to date is anamazing and quite overwhelming £20,500.We say to date because we have several

other amounts promised such as a charityfootball match and BBQ being arranged byWrington FC in the next few weeks andthe proceeds of the Blagdon Golf Societydinner. We are still receiving donations tothis very worthy cause and if you wouldlike to contribute please send a chequemade payable to The Children's HospiceSouth West to Ian Pratt at Westerly,Rhodyate, Blagdon, Bristol, BS40 7TR.Grateful thanks are due to all the

organisers and helpers of whom there weremany. This fundraiser worked because ofthe fantastic spirit and attitude of the manyhundreds of people who were involvedwith setting up, running and attending theevents. There was a permanent air ofpositivity throughout the weekend andthere were people from every walk of lifeall pulling together to achieve a result wehad never envisaged.In particular the shooting and fishing

communities came up trumps giving greathelp and creating 'one off' auction lots thatgenerated huge interest and vigorousbidding. Old acquaintances were renewed,new friendships and contacts made and theweekend was one to be remembered for avery long time as will the memory ofTessa, whose 40 amazing days of life willhelp so many other families.

Ian PrattChairman, Blagdon Valley Gun Club


UNIVERSITY graduate Rowan James had never ridden a roadbike before taking up a challenge to cycle all the way to MonteCarlo for charity.Rowan, of Peasedown St John, was one of five novices who

joined around 50 riders on the journey of 820 miles over ninedays. He was joined by his girlfriend Amy Frank on theadventure to raise money for Cancer Research UK.The ride was called Inspired Living in memory of Amy’s

mother, who died from cancer three years ago.Rowan, who studied international relations at Birmingham

University and is now looking for a job in the insurance andinternational risk sector, said: “The ride was awesome.”He hopes to raise at least £1,000 for the charity. People can

continue to donate by visiting: www.justgiving.com/Rowan-James/

CHARITIES


St John Ambulancecelebrates in Wells

Details: Roger Smith 01275 854076.

ACHARITY golf day raised over £3,000 for Cancer ResearchUK. Over 50 golfers took part in a team stablefordcompetition which was organised by the Yatton group of thecharity and held at Mendip Spring Golf Club.The golf day was organised in memory of Jan Chilcott, who

lost her fight against cancer in June 2013. The day wasparticularly well supported by members of Yatton RugbyFootball Club, where Jan was active over many years, bothadministratively and socially.The team stableford format required three out of four

players to score on each hole and the winning team, on count-back, was Dave McGovern, Alex Rendall, Brian Penguin andPeter Hill who scored a total of 117 points.All participants enjoyed a fine day which was rounded off

with a well- supported auction, raffle and social evening.The Yatton group of Cancer Research UK has been

campaigning for over 30 years and, during that time, hasraised almost £500,000 for the charity.

Golf day success forCancer Research

Yatton group chair Pam Hale (centre) with winning team DaveMcGovern, Alex Rendall, Brian Penguin and Peter Hill (shownleft to right).

THE Rotary Club of Nailsea and Backwell has come up with anew idea to raise money for local charities. It’s appealing forladies to donate unused handbags to sell in it pre-Christmascharity shop.It has more than 100 already but would welcome more. They

can be delivered to the rotary bookstall outside Waitrose inNailsea on September 27th, before 4pm.

Festive handbags

Monte Carlo or bust forRowan and AmyRowan and Amyat the end of theride

The riders celebrate in Monte Carlo

WELLS Cathedral hosted a celebration of St John Ambulancevolunteers and their life saving work, on Saturday, September13th. Hundreds of the charity’s first aiders from all over theSouth West region, which includes Somerset, Cornwall, Devon,Dorset, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and the former county ofAvon attended the ‘Spirit of St John’ event.Following a cathedral service of celebration and thanksgiving,

Cathedral Green was filled with displays of the charity’s work,historical re-enactments and a performance from the SJAregional band. His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester,Grand Prior of the Order of St John, led the VIP guests andspent time meeting many of the charity’s volunteers.St John Ambulance’s free first aid demonstrations continue

throughout Save a Life September and you can find out whereand when your nearest event is or get first aid advice online at:www.sja.org.uk/sals


MENDIP TIMES EVENTS


Hutton Show

The start of the sack race

The main exhibit from Hutton Main Road Allotments

Scarlett Davidson, aged five, had the best flowers in a jam jar. Shealso won the sack race

Bernard Cox and Mary Beckett sold plants in aid of HuttonHorticultural Society

The vegetables were impressive . . .

. . . and so were the flowers



Buyer demand slips

Visit their website for further details and to book freetickets for the talks: www.transitionwells.org.uk and/or join our facebook page for regular updates:https://www.facebook.com/transitionwells

Save pounds, save the planet

HOUSE pricemomentumslowed in theSouth West inAugust, andnew buyer

enquiries fell for the secondconsecutive month, accordingto the Royal Institution ofChartered Surveyors.In the South West, 25% morechartered surveyors saw a risein prices in August, comparedto 59% in July 2014 as houseprice increases in the regionbegin to moderate. New buyerenquiries also declined for thesecond consecutive month.However, this decline comeson the back of a long run ofpositive activity.Although the number ofagreed house sales has alsodipped for the first time sinceJune 2012, the overall pictureshows a return to a less volatilemarket, with more stable priceexpectations over the next threemonths. Sales expectations,meanwhile, remain a little morepositive with 21% morechartered surveyors anticipatinga rise in activity in the nextthree months.Prices across the region arestill projected by surveyors torise over the next year but theextent of the anticipated gainhas moderated to 1.6% from an

average of around three percent in the first quarter of2014.The concern over a potentialrise in interest rates could be acontributing factor to the fall inbuyer interest and the numberof agreed house sales withmembers reporting a rise in thetime taken to process sales. Onbalance, members areindicating that the MortgageMarket Review (MMR) – andan increasingly acute shortageof conveyancers – is addingbetween 2-4 weeks onto thetime it takes to complete atransaction. A lack of supplyremains a challenge for themarket in the South West, withmembers reporting that newinstructions have fallen in eightof the nine last months.

TRANSITION Wells is hosting a free Energy Day onSaturday, September 27th in Wells Town Hall for localbusinesses and residents to meet with a range oforganisations and companies that offer support to those whowant to become more energy efficient and reduce energybills.The event has been organised by Transition Wells in

partnership with Tincknell Green Energy with speakers,trade stands and workshops. Chris Briton, the Mayor ofWells, will open the event at 10am.Transition Wells is a community group set up to improve

the sustainability of Wells in light of rising energy prices.

ARIMISARCHITECTURALDESIGN SERVICES

Planning ApplicationsListed Building

Building RegulationsCare & Repair

New Houses – ExtensionsConversions & Refurbishments

For a free consultation,please contact RobTel: 0800 458 4283Mob: 07818 212 532

Email; [email protected]

Wrington Tel: 01934 864300

CLAVERHAM, NORTH SOMERSET

A splendid detached converted Victorian pump house in rural lanelocation down private drive offering stylish versatileaccommodation. Superb light and bright interior over two floors –three/four bedrooms, vaulted sitting room, study, living room &snug. Every window boasts a green view from this traffic freeenvironment. Large garden & double garage. EPC: C ref: 24768

PRICE GUIDE £640,000

AUCTION – NOVEMBER 25TH 2014 (UNLESS PREVIOUSLY SOLD)To be sold individually: Three ‘Mews Style’ modern cottages locatedin a private rural cul de sac on the edge of the village with largegardens, plenty of parking and lovely south facing views. Move intocondition with central heating and double glazed windows and doors.EPC: C. Ref: 22843 PRICE GUIDE £200,000–£240,000

Superbly presented and thoroughly renovated detached Victorianhouse with separate 3 bedroom cottage annexe standing in gardensand paddock of 2.7 acres. Five bedrooms in main house, 3 en suites.Bespoke kitchen and dining room with French doors onto the largegarden. Ample parking and turning areas, triple garage, orchard andpaddock. EPC: C Ref: 24741 PRICE GUIDE £775,000

UPPER LANGFORD, NORTH SOMERSET

UDLEY, WRINGTON

HEWISH, NORTH SOMERSET

A superb equestrian establishment located in a rural backwater yetwith easy access via the A370. A modern detached 4/5 bedroomhouse, stabling for 14 horses plus additional outbuildings. Menage.About 12 acres. EPC rating TBC. Ref: 24762 PRICE GUIDE £775,000

PROPERTY

Property section:Layout 1 18/9/14 18:04 Page 77

FOR anyone caughtout in a suddenshower of rain, aconvenient rockoverhang in a cliffface makes a usefultemporary shelter. Forsome, the shelter maybe a more frequent or

prolonged refuge. Of the 20 or so rockfeatures on Mendip known as shelters,around half have yielded archaeologicalmaterial, showing that they have been usedas dwellings of various periods andduration, or as places of burial. Some,lying close to a more traditionalconstructed building, were useful as storesor somewhere to keep animals.Rowberrow Bottom Shelter, for example,is close to derelict hovels once lived in byminers, and would have been a useful‘garden shed’.Not all of the so-called shelters have an

association with human activity, and thereappears to be no clear definition of what ashelter is. Size is not everything, as someshelters can be more than eight metreslong and up to the same in vertical range.The longest, Barton Shelter, is 14 metreslong, and could reasonably be called asmall cave. Some shelters, such asRoadside Hole at Cheddar or SmokyShelter in Ebbor Gorge, are mere arches ina rockface, but all shelters have somelength, with sides as well as a roof – amere overhang in a cliff or outcrop couldnot be described as a shelter.

Many shelters on Mendip have yieldedarchaeological material – tools and bones,both animal and human. Probably therichest was Flint Jack’s Cave, low down inCheddar Gorge. This was excavatedaround 1893 by the eccentric entrepreneurRoland Pavey. He found Late Palaeolithicflints and human bones, which weredisplayed in Pavey’s Cave. This is aroofed-over quarry, constructed by Paveyas he wished to have a cave of his own torival George Cox’s spectacular stalactitecave a few metres higher up the Gorge.The finds from Flint Jack’s Cave wereplaced in open boxes, so it not surprisingthat a lot of the collection was lost tosouvenir hunters. The whereabouts of mostof the rest is unknown. Pavey’s Cave hasnow been connected to Cox’s Cave, andcontains the Crystal Quest, one of theattractions at Cheddar Caves.

Most of the other shelters were alsoexcavated by antiquarians, who usuallycleared them out down to bedrock. Verylittle detailed knowledge of the finds andstratigraphy of these sites exists, whichmakes it almost impossible to conductdating or other tests. A report on the dig atBarton Shelter has never been published,and that was excavated as late as 1950.For other sites, we know a little moreabout what was found, and its age. HerbertBalch dug many of the small caves andshelters in Ebbor Gorge around a hundredyears ago. In Beaker Shelter, he found adeposit from the Bronze Age, around4,000 years ago. There was also a floor oflimestone flagstones, associated with apossible burial. The Late Pleistocenedeposit in Bridged Pot Shelter consistedmainly of bear bones, but some Neolithicmaterial was also found. Little Sheltercontained Neolithic bones and flints.Near Cheddar, Chelm’s Combe Shelter

was also excavated by Balch, who foundRomano-British material. Under this was aLate Palaeolithic deposit, which includedan engraved bone and a whistle, both rarefinds. Sadly, the shelter was quarried awaybefore modern archaeologists could re-examine the site. Hay Wood Rock Shelter,on Bleadon Hill, was dug by the AxbridgeCaving Group between 1957 and 1965.They found flints suggesting it was beingused as a temporary shelter during theMesolithic period, but the remains of 10human skeletons were dated to the EarlyIron Age, suggesting that it then became aburial site.A small Roman-British deposit was

found by archaeologists from the MendipNature Research Committee at DinderWood Shelter in 1933, but further

With PHILIPHENDY


Rock shelters

MENDIP TIMES

Pho

togr

aph

by

Phi

lHen

dy

Phil has been caving for more than 47 years and is a member of the Wessex Cave Club. He has been involved in produ

Barton Shelter

Roadside shelter

Caving DPS:Layout 1 18/9/14 18:07 Page 78

CAVING

roducing several caving publications and is a caving instructor in Cheddar. His main interest is digging for new caves.

excavation would be difficult, as after thesecond World War, large concrete cubesused as an anti-tank defence line weredisposed of by being dumped inside. Thereis a so-called rock shelter in Canada Combenear Hutton, where it appears that a shortcave may have been unroofed to providebuilding stone. There is a short chokedpassage at the end of the shelter.Probably the most famous shelter on

Mendip is not really a shelter at all; it is anopen sloping rift on the side of BurringtonCombe. Here, according to the story, theReverend Augustus Toplady, curate ofBlagdon, took shelter from a storm in thelate 18th century, which inspired him towrite the well-known hymn ‘Rock of Ages’,from which the cleft gained its name. Thenearby Aveline’s Hole would have made abetter shelter, but this of course was notdiscovered until 30 years later.Today, our rock shelters provide little

interest for cavers, and virtually none forarchaeologists. They are still, however,handy places to escape from a suddendownpour.

Rock Of Ages, Burrington Combe

Smoky Shelter


Caving DPS:Layout 1 18/9/14 18:07 Page 79

SHUTTERCRAFT Somerset is one of thecounty’s leading Plantation Shutterretailers and offers a local servicesupplying and fitting the UK’s premierrange of S:CRAFT made-to- measureinterior window shutters. Shutters arebecoming increasingly popular due totheir wide ranging appeal and ability tosuit all homes and windows from periodand traditional to modern andcontemporary homes.Plantation shutters are an incredibly

versatile window covering and offermany unique benefits over moretraditional window dressings includingoutstanding light and privacy controloptions through operable louvres andpanels which can be opened and closedindependently to help control the lightand privacy levels within a room.The bottom panels can be closed to

provide privacy at eye level – ideal forhomes next to busy roads and pavementsor if overlooked by other houses – while

the top panels can be left open to allowlight into the room.Shuttercraft Somerset offer a made-to-

measure supply and fitting service andare therefore able to find a bespokeshutter solution to fit just about anywindow or door no matter the size, shapeor complexity from simple rectangle

windows to more complex bay windowsand special shaped windows includingarches and gable ends.It offers the widest range of shutter

materials, louvre sizes and options plus afree consultation, survey and quote tofind a shutter solution to match everyhome and budget.


Give Simon Moody a call today on 01749 649171 to discuss your needs or visit www.shuttercraft-somerset.co.uk to findout more.

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MENDIP TIMES HOMES & INTERIORS

Homes section:Layout 1 18/9/14 18:12 Page 80


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MENDIP TIMES JACKSONS


SORRY for the dreadful pun everyone. Iwanted to get your attention, but probablyall I’ve got from you is a groan.You may have guessed from the

headline that my subject this month is‘gates’. Here at Jacksons, we know that atthis time of the year enquiries for, andsales of gates, go up. We don’t know whythey do this, but can hazard a guess ortwo. It may be that people concentratemore on garden projects like replacingfencing, creating decks and pergolasearlier in the year, because what theyhave in mind is making the most of theiroutdoor areas, so they can enjoy ‘alfresco’ living in their gardens, throughoutthe summer months.So it may be that later in the year the

less ‘sexy’ projects raise their heads andprick the conscience, when people realisethey had promised themselves they wouldget that done this year and suddenly inautumn they think: ‘Hey I’m running outof time to do that this year!’I think it could be that and a mixture of

other reasons, one being the darkerevenings are coming and it may wellmake you think of tightening up yourhome and garden security – that’s never abad thing. Making sure your gate, orgates are in a good state of repair is avery good place to start. I havementioned in these pages before howillogical it is to have the perimeter ofyour garden fenced to keep unwantedvisitors out, but then to leave the gateunlocked. We know a lot of thieves arealways on the lookout for a chance totake what is not theirs. They may try a

few gates – if your gate stays shut, thenthey will move on to the next one, it’s assimple as that. Of course, if the gate hasseen better days and is a bit of a ricketyold creature, then no amount of locking isreally going to stop someone comingthrough, which is another good reason tomake sure that it is a good sturdy gateand not a pushover!All this seems to be focusing on

goings-on at the back of the property,with the inference that it’s only there thatsneaky thieves will operate, butpresenting the front of the house in aproper way makes good sense too.Visibility is important in more ways thanone. Don’t let hedges get too tall and outof hand, they can create dark pockets inthe front garden, where potentialintruders can lurk unobserved, givingthem time to work on getting downstairs

windows open. This unkempt foliage canalso create the impression that you are abit lax with your property’s upkeep, youmay well be like that with your securityas well. By the same token, good stronggates at the entrance to a property sendthe right signal, they say we take oursecurity seriously and we invest in theright stuff to keep you out. Firstimpressions count, believe me.

We have a special half price deliveryoffer* on all gates in the Good FencingGuide range throughout October andNovember, to find out more go to yourlocal page, www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk/bathlocal, or call 0800 4084754 to talk to your local JacksonsFencing Centre.* T & Cs apply

[email protected]

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MENDIP TIMES JACKSONS



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MOTORING

Motoring page:Layout 1 18/9/14 18:17 Page 1

HUNDREDS of model railwayenthusiasts will gather at the Royal Bathand West showground in October for aweekend celebration of their passion.The East Somerset Society of Model

and Experimental Engineers, which runsthe Bath and West Railway, were invitedto host the event – which will featureappearances by at least 60 locomotives– as they mark the 10th anniversary ofthe opening of their line at theshowground.Members of the 7 ¼” Society will

gather from across the UK, Europe and

further afield for their annual generalmeeting and celebration. The EdmundRack Pavilion will be transformed into agiant marshalling yard with a specially-designed and built turntable in thecentre. A temporary line will link thepavilion to the railway itself. The eventis not open to the public and the railwaywill not be running rides.There is more than a glint of

excitement about the challenge in theeyes of ESSMEE members as they planthe event; the railway has come a longway since a meeting when its thenchairman Cliff Almond and outgoingRoyal Bath and West Society chief

executive Jane Guise came up with theidea of creating the set-up at theshowground.Earlier this year, the railway saw its

100,000th passenger and it has hostedroyalty on many occasions from PrinceCharles and the Duke of Kent to theCountess of Wessex.ESMEE member George White, who

is overseeing the organisation of theweekend, said: “The society has to havean annual meeting and it is heldsomewhere different each year.“Once the business side is over, it’s a

chance for a good old steam up, to swapideas and meet people!”

Full steam ahead


For more information about the weekend and the society – w

MENDIP TIMES

By Mark Adler

Members of the Royal Bath and West Society, take to the trains after Lord Julian Fellowestook over as this year’s president

Lucy Dixon this year became the 100,000thpaying passenger. Lucy, from Chelwood, ispictured with daughter Millie and CaitlinJefferies, receiving a commemorative capfrom ESSMEE president The Rev. CanonRoger Davis

Members of the Royal Bath and West Society, take to the trains after Lord Julian Fellowestook over as this year’s president Lowering the bridge – the key part of phase three – int

B&W Railway DPS:Layout 1 18/9/14 18:37 Page 86

y – which welcomes new members – visit: www.essmee.org.uk


BATH & WEST RAILWAY

Organising the weekend has been abig challenge for ESSMEE, which hasaround 110 members. Vice chairmanRoy Lipscombe said: “We had a long,hard think about whether we could hostthe event as we knew it would take a lotof planning.”

Consolidation is now the watchwordat the Bath and West Railway itself,with ongoing maintenance of the trackand facilities. Nearly all of its rollingstock is owned by its members but workis underway to build the society’s ownsteam locomotive.

� The society AGM weekend is notopen to the public; however there is onelast chance to enjoy the railway onSaturday, September 27th and Sunday,September 28th when the society hostsits Open Weekend for the publicbetween 10am and 4pm.

e – into position Prince Charles enjoys an impromptu ride

The railway yard

B&W Railway DPS:Layout 1 18/9/14 18:37 Page 87

AVALONMarshes andNaturalEnglandvolunteer JulieMerrett haswon thenational 2014Octavia HillVolunteer WildHero Award.As featured

in theSeptemberissue ofMendip Times,Julie was oneof two peoplefrom Mendipwho were

nominated for the awards, organised by the National Trust, theWild Network and BBC Countryfile Magazine and whichcelebrate people who work to protect and enhance green spacesfor wildlife and local communities. Edward Harding, from theWelton Free Rangers Forest School in Midsomer Norton, wasnominated in the professional category.Simon Clarke, Senior Reserve Manager at the Somerset

National Nature Reserves, said: “Thank you very much to allthose that voted for her. The team here feel this is certainlyfitting recognition for the wide and amazing volunteercontribution Julie makes across Shapwick, the Avalon Marshesand beyond.”


MENDIP TIMES NEWS

Julie with son Isaac

Merit for Merrett!

GOOD neighbourShirley Edwardshas taken on anew role forStanton Drewparish council,ensuring the gateson publicfootpaths are keptclear.She patrols the

area at least threetimes a week withher husband, Pete,and dog Fudge,trimming backhedges andundergrowth.Shirley also

keeps thechildren’s play area tidy and has been litter-picking around thevillage for years. She was one of the winners of the GoodNeighbour of the Year in B&NES community awards.She’s asking anyone who notices a path needing attention to

contact her 07855 272542.

Shirley and Pete on patrol

VITAL conservation work will begin on October 6th toensure the preservation of the medieval Great Hall atThe Bishop’s Palace in Wells.The Great Hall, dating from the 13th century and built

for King Edward I, has suffered from years of exposureto the elements and now stands to lose essential parts ofits tracery and outstanding windows unless conservationwork is carried out as soon as possible. The stoneworkbecame exposed to the elements when the hall wasturned into a Victorian folly and is now in a very fragilecondition.The palace has raised enough money to carry out an

exploratory pilot scheme of urgent remedial works,beginning with the most vulnerable section of the GreatHall wall. It is hoped that these important first workswill be carried out throughout October, finishing in mid-November 2014.Chief executive, Rosie Martin, said: “The first section

of the wall is in a highly delicate condition and so weare extremely excited to be able to press on with thiswork. Our priority is to ensure the safety of visitors andto conserve this wonderful structure.”The pilot scheme will determine the scale and likely

success of the full conservation scheme, which it ishoped will take place from spring 2015 if the funds canbe raised in time.The ‘Great Hall, Great Future’ fundraising scheme will

launch officially on October 1st. The Rt Rev PeterHancock, Bishop of Bath and Wells, said: “We aredelighted to be able to commence a project designed toensure the future of this spectacular building andsincerely hope that the public will support us in ourendeavours.”

Bishop’s Palace appeal tosave the Great Hall


LOCAL choir, Sing Out Loud UK,conducted by ex BBC Proms soloistElizabeth Glen, performed at The LastNight of the Proms on BBC 1. They hadtaken part in a BBC challenge to recordand submit a video of themselves singingthe Mary Poppins song“Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”, andwere thrilled to see their submission hadbeen accepted on the live BBCbroadcast.It was shown as part of a larger choir

put together from individuals and groupsfrom around the country. MusicalDirector Elizabeth Glen said “I wasparticularly proud to see our choirfeature, because we learnt and recordedthe song in one evening.”

The open-to-all community choirrehearses on Tuesday evenings at “TheCampus” Worle, and put on severalconcerts a year in aid of local charities.Their recent concerts in Blagdon, andWick St. Lawrence, were sell-outsuccesses and raised hundreds of pounds

for their chosen charities.Their next concert, in aid of Weston

Hospice, is on Saturday October 4th atSt. Andrew’s Church, Congresbury at7:30pm. Tickets, £7.50, are available onthe door, from [email protected], or byphoning 01934 832283.

ONE of the UK’s best-known male choirs will take the taste ofSomerset to Japan when they set out on a ten day concert tour ofthe country at the end of October.Bath Male Choir will become the first amateur English male

choir to perform to audiences in Kyoto and Tokyo. There will be42 members on the tour party which will include singers and somepartners.The tour was instigated by Stuart Axtell who lives in Tokyo

with his partner, Fumiko Akimoto. Stuart was born and bred inTimsbury and moved to Japan in 1991. Stuart and Fumiko run agarden design company and on Saturday, November 8th the choirwill be guests of Yamadera San, the owner of Kingswell Gardens.Stuart said: “I have followed the success of Bath Male Choir

since their national TV appearances on Last Choir Standing andduring visits to Bath in the last few months have met the boys anddropped in on their rehearsals.“We will have a great day with them when they come to

Kingswell Gardens. They will sing in the fabulous concert hall,tour the gardens and I know this will make a memorable final dayfor them on the Japan tour.”

MUSIC


Bath Male Choir members. One of the tour sponsors is cider makerand singer Bob Honey. The tour jackets were supplied by locally-based workware company Dickies and carry the Midford Ciderlogo on the reverse

Details: www.westonrotaryclub.org.uk andwww.facebook.com/westonrotaryclub or telephone

Secretary Bernard Land 07970 184301.

PRESIDENT Terry Gilbert of Weston-super-Mare Rotary Clubpresented two new bugles to Lieutenant (Bandmaster) ScottBunker and Cadet Bugle Major Rosie Bunker of the SomersetArmy Cadet Force Silver Bugle Band based in Uphill.The Silver Bugle Band is one of the most prestigious cadet

bands in the country bringing great credit to Somerset andWeston in particular. It performs to audiences throughout thecountry and on occasion to members of the royal familyincluding the Queen.Mr Gilbert said: “The club is delighted to make this donation

in support of the pursuit of excellence by the young cadets ofWeston.”

Band receives new buglesFrom cider to sake

Choir’s promssuccess

Music page:Layout 1 18/9/14 18:21 Page 46

EVEN though I spent many hours gallopingacross country on a variety of horses duringmy eventing and team chasing days, a fewyears ago now, I have always been incomplete awe of the bravery and dedicationof the jockeys.Whilst eventing it is just you and your

horse against a range of obstacles (althoughdefinitely still not for the faint-hearted) and

although in team chasing there are four of you galloping at topspeed, the rest of the team are on your side and certainly meanyou no harm (however, I have to admit we had some prettyclose scrapes in our team chasing career!)However, when you are riding in a race, you are neck and

neck with other very competitive people, with all of you ridingto win, and often when you combine that with the fact that youmay be riding very inexperienced horses, on ground that is farfrom ideal, it is indeed a brave person that takes part.I was thus very impressed with the inner determination, and

obvious talent of Lisa Corfield, aged 20, when I met her thismonth.Lisa was brought up on ponies through the Weston Harriers

pony club and it was her lovely pony Sparky, who first tweakedher interest in race riding. Having competed in all disciplines onthis willing and talented pony, it was race riding that really gotinto her blood and this is the path she has followed ever since.Whilst still at school she worked for Gerald Ham for two

years, riding out and exercising his string. Then after leavingschool she went on to work for Emma Mellor (nee Jackson) forfour years with her various race horses and point to pointers.After a further year at Cannington College Lisa was delighted tobe accepted into the British School of Racing and after nineweeks there she got a place at the yard of the famous top trainerPhillip Hobbs.However, whilst at the racing school there was an incident on

the gallops that left Lisa in a lot of pain when she landed badlyon the saddle of a bucking horse and was taken into hospital. Atthe time nothing was diagnosed and she left there to carry onworking and riding.

A few weeks later whilst lifting hay at Phillip Hobbs yard shesuddenly became in terrible pain and after a trip to hospital andX-rays and scans she was found to have a broken back.After waiting six months for surgery it was a further year off

from riding which surely would have been enough to put mostpeople off the thought of riding in a race.But no – Lisa is still quietly determined that this is the path

she is going to follow. Obviously a hard-working andconscientious young lady she has taken over the wonderful yardat Totney Wick Farm, Mark, owned by Richard and PennyWeight and is now taking in full and part liveries.Penny suffered a very unfortunate accident earlier in the year

and as Lisa was working for her at the time it has been anobvious transition for Lisa to take on the livery side of thebusiness.This is an idyllic spot, quiet and spacious, and set in the

middle of Mark Moor which has some fabulous droves andlanes around which to hack in peace.The yard will house nine horses when full and Lisa can offer

full care, an all-weather arena, top quality hay and haylage andwinter turnout too. Lisa is also happy to help with other localhorse owners who may need exercising or care for their horsesand can be contacted on 07896689176.I look forward to following her progress onto the race track

over the next few years.

With CELIAGADD

MENDIP TIMES

Brave lady

October 2014 show dates

Lisa Corfield on Lily

Wednesday 1stLower unaffiliated evening showjumping at Badgworth Arena,AxbridgeThursday 2ndKaren Whiston Dismountedworkshop, Christon, AxbridgeSaturday 4thPolden and Bridgwater Riding Clubopen dressage at CanningtonEquestrian CentreSunday 5thBlackdown Hills Riding ClubAutumn show at Heazle RidingCentre, ClayhidonUnaffiliated dressage at Kingfisher

Equestrian Centre, Castle CaryWest Somerset Hunt Fun Ride atBrampton Raulph, TauntonMendip Farmers Hunt Fun ride atChewton Field Farm, Ston EastonWest Somerset Vale Hunt Huntertrial at Stockland Lovell Manor,FiddingtonThe Mendip Fun Ride: approx. 10miles with optional jumps acrossMendip and beautiful private land.Entries on the day from 9.30am-midday. Adults £17, children (14 andunder) £12. Under-14s must beaccompanied by an adult. Alsohorsey car boot sale. Mendip Plains

Equestrian Centre, Ston Easton, BA34BX. Ffi: 07707 398136Wednesday 8thHigher unaffiliated show jumping,Badgworth Arena, AxbridgeTuesday 14thKaren Whiston Dismountedworkshop at Christon, AxbridgeWednesday 15thLower unaffiliated show jumping atBadgworth Arena, AxbridgeThursday 16thHunting schooling day at PontispoolEquine Sports CentreSunday 19thTaunton Vale Hunt Pony Club

Hunter trial at Pontispool EquineSports CentreWednesday 22ndHigher unaffiliated evening showjumping at Badgworth Arena,AxbridgeThursday 23rdAldon Park Horse Trials, YeovilSaturday 25thUnaffiliated dressage at PontispoolEquine Science CentreSunday 26thOctober Tack sale at BlackfordVillage Hall, Blackford, Wedmore


Riding section:Layout 1 18/9/14 18:22 Page 90

RIDING


MEMBERS of the public will have the chance to visitHorseWorld’s busy rescue and rehabilitation yard, KeynesFarm, which is not normally open to the public, on SaturdayOctober 4th, 10am - 4pm.The open day in Whitchurch will enable visitors to meet the

rescued horses and the grooms who are dedicated to caring forthem. Entry is free but the charity is asking for donations tosupport its work.

Open day at HorseWorld

Details: www.horseworld.org.uk

Hill Farm Equestrian, Hill Farm, Burtle, Bridgwater, Somerset TA7 8NB01278 723415 or 07891 555151 or 07977 122047

Hillfarmequestrian.com [email protected]

LessonsTaster Lesson £10 (Adult or Child come and have a try at Riding)

Show Jump, Flat Work or Cross CountryTraining on your own horse/pony from £15 per 1hr Groups

Most Saturdays and some SundaysRiding School Lessons £25

Try something new or just brush off the cobwebs and remember the wonderfultime in years gone by you had getting in the saddle. In association with SportEngland and e British Equestrian Federation. Hill Farm Equestrian is very

proud to be offering a seven week course “Take Back the Reins” – this has beendesigned specifically for those wanting to find a little “me time” – e sessionswill not only include riding, but also enjoying a coffee with fellow participants

each week – £20 per week. Enquiries now being taken for New Courses startingthroughout September.

LiveryDIY, Part, Full, Schooling & Holiday Livery available.

Purpose built stable yard and New American Barn style stables.Fantastic facilities including – 2 x All Weather Arenas,

Show Jump Paddock with XC Jumps, Wash Box, Meeting Room, Tuck Shop,Saddlery Goods for sale, Free Lorry/ Trailer Parking.Reduced Price Lessons. Plus other excellent facilities.

British Horse Society Approved Riding School & Livery Yard(Highest Rating)

Local Authority Licensed Riding School

PONY/RECREATIONALPADDOCKS FOR SALE

AT DEANE, BETWEEN SHEPTON MALLET & FROME

2 Paddocks, approx. 4.5 acres each, south facing, set150 metres back from main road, in a peacefulsetting with pleasant views over surrounding

countryside.Set in an excellent horse riding area, each paddock

has direct access onto a well-used bridle path whichleads to a network of other bridle paths in large

public woodlands near quiet country roads.Both paddocks have good free-draining soil, water,

with planning passed for mixed equestrian andagricultural use. Wide, stoned, main road access, andboth paddocks have wide, stoned tracks along theirfull length. Located in a neighbourhood watch area.

Assistance with fencing, ménage building, etc. isavailable if required.

To be auctioned in Octoberplease ring for further details on01749 673428 or 07801 347287

THERE is something reallyquite lovely about the earlymornings at this time of theyear, many of our Mendipequestrian friends are alreadyout autumn hunting andgetting ready for the lasthunter trials and events of theseason.Although the weather still is

being kind, and there is plentyof grass about, it is this time

of year when you need to startthinking about making thetransition towards wintermanagement and feeding ofyour horse. It is probably agood idea to start introducingthem to some time in thestable, even if they are stillliving out at night so thatwhen the weather turns it isnot such a sudden change indiet and routine if you have tobring them in off the ground.Most horses are happier

with as much time out aspossible, and in certain partsof our Mendip Times area thisis possible for most of theyear, while for those down onthe Levels there is definitelyless chance of 12 months ofthe year turn out.It is time to check out those

rugs, make sure your winterturnout rugs are in good order,and give your stable rugs aclean if you forgot to do so inthe spring.As usual the cost of keeping

horses has risen again thisyear and if you have thestorage space and budget it isdefinitely cost effective to tryand buy in your winter supplyof hay and bedding now,rather than waiting until mid-January when everyone’sstocks are getting low and theprices will rocket.Although owning horses

during the winter can betough, there is also a greatsense of satisfaction when yousee your horse warm and dryin his stable, when the rain ispouring down outside.

It is obviously not so nicethough when you have to goout in it to exercise them.Let us all hope that this

winter does not bring theflooding and devastation thatlast did to our friends down onthe Somerset Levels.

Now is the time to prepare for winter

Riding section:Layout 1 18/9/14 18:22 Page 91

CHEW Valley Football Club has received an award for FACommunity in Youth Development at the SomersetFootball Association’s annual county awards evening,Special guest, Lucy Wellings, the regional business

manager for the FA, presented Chew Valley FC chairman,Dave Hedges, with the award as Charter StandardDevelopment Club of the Season.Dave said: “It is wonderful to see the club’s hard work

recognised, especially during such a difficult period. Thegood news is we continue to grow and develop youthfootball in and around the Chew Valley.”The award winners will go on to be judged at regional

and then national level, by a panel which includes SirGeoff Hurst and Sir Trevor Brooking.The club is now in its 18th year and has over 130

children under the guidance of qualified coaches. It trainsat Pensford between 4pm and 8pm on Thursdays,depending upon age group. New recruits are alwayswelcome to join their training sessions.

Award for Chew Valley FC

Details: Dave Hedges 07821 021733

MENDIP TIMES


Pictured (l to r) Lee Hedges (Head of Finance for Somerset FAYouth Council and Level 2 youth coach for Chew Valley FC ),Dave Hedges (Chew Valley FC chairman ), Sarah Bardi (clubrepresentative for Midsomer Norton league), and Colin Moore(Chew Valley FC committee member).

ROD Neale, head groundsman at Frome Town Football Club,received a highly commended award at the Football Association’sGroundsman of the Year ceremony at St George’s Park.Rod was nominated for the honour by the club and that,

combined with the marks obtained from visiting clubs and matchofficials and an inspection by the FA, meant he reached the awardstage.Meanwhile, the club is looking for three people to assist them

on first team matchdays to help increase the experience of thoseattending the Blindmans Brewery Stadium. It is looking for twopeople to act as car park stewards before the game, making surethe visiting team coach is parked up and also being the first pointof call for any supporters’ queries.The club is also seeking a suitably qualified first aider to be on

duty in case of any injury or illness for spectators and the postholder will need an in-date and relevant first aid qualification.Entry to all home matches for club volunteers is free.

Honour for groundsman

If you think you can help contact club secretary IanPearce on 07811 511222 or email: [email protected]

THE semi-final groups for speedway’s 2014 Premier LeagueChampionship-deciding play-offs have been announced and it willsee the ‘Cases’ Somerset Rebels, the defending champions, faceScunthorpe and Ipswich in their particular group.Edinburgh, who pipped Somerset to top spot in the Premier

League table with their win at Glasgow, had the “honour” ofhaving first choice of group opponents and will be in a groupcomprising Workington and Berwick.The three teams in the respective groups will face each other

home and away, the top team in the respective groups then goinghead-to-head on a home and away basis in the Grand Final, withthe top scorers on an aggregate basis being crowned the 2014Premier League Champions. The dates for Somerset’s Play-Offmatches are:Friday, September 26th – Scunthorpe (away)Weds, October 1st – Scunthorpe (home)Thursday, October 2nd – Ipswich (away)Friday, October 10th – Ipswich (home)Somerset promoter Debbie Hancock said: “Whichever way the

groups went it would always look to be a tough assignment but atthe end of the day, all six teams are in the play-offs for a reason inthat they are the best six sides in the league; to borrow a sportingcliché, there are no easy matches when you get to this stage of thechampionship.“At the start of the year I set reaching the play-offs as our target

for the season, but now having got here the riders are determinedto make it through to the final and retain the title we won lastseason.”

Rebels in play-offs

A TEN-kilometre fundraising event which is open to cyclists,runners and walkers is being held in Mells on Saturday, October11th.The event has been organised by Nige and Su Crutchley in

memory of their son Ben, who died from cancer in 2012.Nige and Su originally set themselves a target of raising

£50,000 for CLIC Sargent but have now raised it to £1mbecause of the support they have received so far! Previousevents for the Benny Boy Crutchley Fund have includedrunning half marathons and marathons, climbing Kilimanjaro,cycling from Paris to London (in four days) and London to Bathin a day, golf days and more.The event, which starts at 11am, will go through the grounds

of the Mells Park Estate, normally closed to the public.

10K for Ben!

For information, visit: www.mellstok.com

Sport section:Layout 1 18/9/14 18:24 Page 92

SPORT


WELLS Rugby Club will be facing newopposition – as well as a few familiar faces– as they start life in their highest league intheir history.The First XV won promotion

comfortably last season to Tribute SouthWest 1 West from Southern Counties Southand are expected to face some toughchallenges when they take on the likes ofBridwater, Clevedon and North Pethertonas well as strong Cornish sides Camborneand St Austell and Gloucestershire teamssuch as Drybrook and Matson.Head coach Peter Kennedy has

strengthened his team by recruiting RoyDavies as his assistant. Onfield sees newplayers emerging from the club’s Coltsteam.

Ready forthe challenge

By Mark Adler

Peter Kennedy (left) with first XV captain Jake Knight, vice-captain Alex Payne and newcoach Roy Davies

The Wells first XV squad for 2014/2015

The friendly game attracted a big crowd – the club hopes it set the tone for the seasonahead

Winger John Branch on his way to scoringthe opening try in the 35-12 win overNewbury

Former international referee TonySpreadbury took the whistle for the club’spre-season friendly against Newbury. Tonywore a commemorative shirt to mark the125th anniversary of the Somerset RugbyReferees Association, the oldest of its kind inthe world

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TICKETS go on sale at the beginning ofOctober for this year’s Halloween funparty at the buzzing Hullabaloo soft playand party centre in Shepton Mallet.Last year’s party was so successful that

the team at Hullabaloo has decided tostick to the same formula of spookydecorations and games; this year’s party

takes place on Friday, October 31st, from6-8pm complete with a competition forthe best costume.Hullabaloo, part of the Haskins Retail

Centre, is run by Pat Chappell and herhusband Mac. They opened the playcentre in July last year after discoveringthere was nowhere in the immediate areaoffering such a facility for their twochildren.The 4,500 square foot centre, directly

opposite Tesco, is designed for childrenaged 0-ten. It boasts an eight by ten metreplay frame full of interesting activities tokeep kids entertained: rope bridge,climbing nets, slides, ball cannons, atrampoline, rolling tubes, as well as atoddlers’ assault course, a mini zip-railand a soft padded baby pond.

The centre features an onsite caféoffering wholesome meals and snacksand a selection of hot or cold drinks. Patwas adamant that no fried food should besold.Pat, a former marketing manager for

Clark’s, said: “The response from bothparents and children since opening hasbeen amazing with comments like ‘finallythere is a place to take the kids that islocal, clean and safe as well as fun!’. Thefree Wi-Fi is a nice little touch that addsto the grown-ups’ enjoyment whilst thekids have tons of fun on the bouncycastle, a big winner with kids of all ages.”The centre has an area which can be set

aside for parties and the whole venue isavailable for private children’s parties inthe evenings with laser lights and music.

The impressive play frame. The centre has plenty of seating for adults to enjoy a coffee andwatch the children play


HHaalllloowweeeenn ffuunn aatt HHuullllaabbaalloooo

MENDIP TIMES WHAT’S ON

Pat (right) with Emma, oneof her team of eight

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Full details of Wincanton’s 2014/15 season is available online at www.wincantonracecourse.co.uk Follow@WincantonRaces on twitter for daily updates.

Ready to set your pulses racing



WINCANTON Racecourse opens itsgates for the new jump season onThursday, October 16th with a renewedaccolade to boast about. The rural racecourse has once again

featured within Visit England’s 2014Quality Assured Racecourse Scheme asone of the top ten tracks for visitorattraction in 2013.The prestigious acknowledgement

provides the perfect backdrop for thelaunch of the season which takes in 17fixtures from October to May 2015.Wincanton’s General Manager, SteveParlett, said: “We are immensely proudto have retained our position within thetop ten racecourses in England. It is areal testament to the continuing hardwork and commitment of the team;whilst we may be a small workforce,we have a huge passion to make ourtrack the heart of rural racing. What wemight lack in numbers we certainlymake up for in a desire to deliver an

excellent customer experience.”Under Starter’s Orders launches the

season with an informative parade ofnumerous equine superstars and in-depth interviews with leading WestCountry trainers for yard updates andguidance on horses to follow.Sunday, October 26th sees the course

stage its inaugural Families and ArmedForces Raceday with the aim to thankserving military personnel, veterans andtheir families for their service to thenation and also to raise money for theCombat Stress charity which providesessential clinical treatment and socialsupport to more than 5,400 veteransacross the nation.The day will also be the culmination

of a series of fundraising events in aidof Combat Stress in Dorset, Somersetand Wiltshire. It will be a spectacularday of highly competitive racing,children’s entertainment, a beer festivaland a range of innovative fundraising

activities and entertainments forCombat Stress. Charity race daypackages will be offered to suit allpockets.Founded in 1919, the charity’s aim is

to ensure veterans receive the rightmental health care, in the right place, atthe right time.November brings about the exciting

renewal of the Badger Ales Trophy. Thevaluable chase – worth more than£60,000 – will once again be the targetof Champion Trainer, Paul Nichollswith a Mark Woodhouse-ownedthoroughbred. Six meetings in 2014 culminate with

the seasonal social highlight on BoxingDay. The meeting attracts the highestraceday attendance, with more than10,000 racegoers on-course, andprovides the perfect venue for familyfun and post-Christmas enjoymentahead of a busy New Year racingcalendar.




T h e M e n d i p T i m e s W h a t ’ s O n G u i d e f o r O c t o b e r 2 0 1 4Please send entries for these listings as a single paragraphof approximately 25 words. We’re happy to list entries forcharities and voluntary groups free of charge – but pleasesubmit them in the format below. Commercial entries cost£25.

Wednesday September 24thMacular Research – a talk by Julie Edwards fromthe Macular Society, 1.30pm-3.15pm at Backwell W.I.Hall, Station Road. All welcome. Contact: Sheila,01275 462107.Thursday September 25thWest Mendip Walkers 6.5 miles around Axbridge.OS Map:Explorer 141 Grid:ST438544 Start 13.30.Park Cheddar Reservoir. Contact:[email protected] Valley Wildlife Group: “Born to Bird” with12-year-old Mya-Rose Craig, Chew MagnaMillennium Hall, 7.45pm. Visitors £2.50.Saturday September 27th – Sunday September28th Heroes and Villains of Olde England at the Bishop’sPalace, Wells. 11am-4pm. Listen to tales of days goneby when the springs of Wells were seen as a magicalplace www.bishopspalace.org.ukArt & Craft Exhibition, Leigh On Mendip MemorialHall, BA3 5QH. 11am- 4pm Free Entry. Wide rangeof locally produced arts & crafts. All welcome.Refreshments available.Saturday September 27thBackwell Market, 10.30am-1pm in the WI Hall,BS48 3QW. Hands-on children’s workshop, baconbutties, stalls of organic local produce. Free. Details:www.backwellvillagemarket.weebly.comFamily History Open Day, 10am-4pm at UWEConference Centre, Frenchay, Bristol. Talks on WW1,advice from Family History Societies, etc. Details:www.bafhs.org.uk or [email protected] Society walk,Meet 2pm at Heron's Greenlay-by on the west side of Chew Valley Lake, BS408XD. Mod 5-6 miles, ST 554 594. Contact: David01761 221145. Tuesday September 30thAutumn Festival at Frome Country Market, 9am-12noon, Cheese & Grain BA11 1BE. Competitions forchutneys and children's best carved pumpkin. Foods& crafts for Hallowe'en and bonfire night. Details:01373 301049.Genocide in Gaza: Origins and Implications. A talkby Ilan Pappé, Israel's foremost and most forthrighthistorian. Cheese & Grain, Frome, 8pm. £5/£3,www.cheeseandgrain.com/eventsOctober 1st – November 30th.Somerset Guy Fawkes Carnivals Exhibition.Radstock Museum. Model carts, carnival art,Photographs, artefacts, videos: the complete history.Details: www.radstockmuseum.co.ukEvery Wednesday & Saturday in October:Wells Cathedral Stained Glass 'Window Walk',11.15-11.35am in the Chapter House. Stairs toChapter House are steep; sadly not wheelchairaccessible. Free www.wellscathedral.org.ukWednesday October 1st Free Mendip Health Walks – Glastonbury HealthCentre. 10am for 10.15. Easy, mostly level walks ofabout 1.5 miles around Glastonbury. Optional caféstop at the end. Details: [email protected] October 2ndThe Pun is Mightier than the Sword – a talk byRalph Jerram for Cheddar Valley U3A, ChurchHouse, Cheddar (opp St. Andrew's Church) 2.15pm.

Visitors welcome, www.cheddarvalleyu3a.org.uk.West Mendip Walkers: leisurely 8.2mile circularwalk from Dundry into Somerset countryside. OSMap:Explorer 154 Grid:ST554668. Start 10am, carpark Dundry Down. www.mendipramblers.co.ukWells Evening Society, John Singer Sargent, talk byMary Alexander, Wells Town Hall, 7.30pm.Charity fashion show with Anna Perra showcasingher casual-elegance Autumn/Winter collection. In aidof Macmillan Cancer Support. Charlton House Hotel,Shepton Mallet. 7.30pm. Tickets £20pp (inc. glass ofprosecco and canapés). Ffi: Dominee Worman on0844 2483830 or Anna Perra: 01749 343945.Friday October 3rd Open Mic Night at Redhill Club, BS40 5SG, from8pm. Hosted by Jerry Blythe. Free. All welcome,singers, musicians and spectators. Tel: 01934 862619.Bingo at Wrington Friendship Club, 2.30pmWrington Memorial Hall, Silver Street. New memberswelcome. Details: Fred Parsons 01934 863562.Quartz Festival, Queen's College, Taunton, TA14QS. 7.30pm, Price: £10/£6. Details: 01823 340829,www.quartzfestival.org.uk Saturday October 4th – Sunday October 12th(closed Monday/Tuesday)‘Echoes’ – an exhibition of contemporary textile artby Gordano Textile Artists, 11am-5pm, Sidcot ArtsCentre, Sidcot School,BS25 1PD. Free. Refreshments.Details www.gordanotextileartists.co.ukSaturday October 4thThe Galliard Wind Ensemble 7.30pm St. John theBaptist Church, Churchill. BS25 5QW. Tickets£14.50; Champions of Churchill Music! £10.50; U-18's £4 from: Ursula Dornton 01934 852919,[email protected] or pot luck at the door.Jumble Sale, 2pm at the Community Centre, TopRoad, Charlton Adam TA11 7B. Please bring jumblethat morning from 10am.Sunday October 5th Wells Cathedral: Newspaper Theology DiscussionGroup, 11.15 – 12.15. Join the Dean of Wells toconsider one of the stories in the news. No Bookingrequired. www.wellscathedral.org.ukMonday October 6thAlzheimer’s Society drop-in session at GlastonburyHealth Centre, 10am-12.30pm. An informal meetingwhere people with dementia and their carers will havethe opportunity to ask questions and find out about thesupport available. All welcome.Winscombe District U3A. Coffee Morning atWinscombe Community Centre, 10am. Entrance £1.RAFA meeting: “An up-date on Air Bus & somehistory of Filton Airdrome”, a talk by Flt Lt JohnBlackburn, 11.00 at The Britannia Inn, Bath Road,Wells BA4 3LQ. Non-members welcome, [email protected] if you wish to attend.Tuesday October 7thCongresbury Over-60s Club. Entertainment fromMike and his Music, Congresbury War MemorialHall, 2.30-4pm. Details: 01934 832004.History of the Somerset Carnivals a talk by JohnDando at Radstock Working Men’s Club at 7.30pm.Details: www.radstockmuseum.co.ukThursday October 9thLine Dancing for beginners starting in ChewtonMendip village hall, 2-3.30pm, £4. Contact Sally07522 674644 or Jennie 01761 241309. Come andenjoy the fun.Wells Cathedral Lunchtime Organ Recital, 1:05-1:45. Simon Williams of St George’s, Hanover

Square, London. Free. Retiring collection in aid ofWells Cathedral Music.Friday October 10thCamerton Mines – a talk by Mike Chapman and adisplay of photos and artefacts from Camerton LocalHistory Group. 7pm at Camerton Primary School,BA2 0PS. £5, incl refreshments, U-16’s free.Trinity Singers Quiz Night, Burrington Village Hall,BS40 7AD. 7.15 for 7.30pm. Light supper, bar andraffle. Teams of 6 but can be made up from smallernumbers. Tickets £6 from 01934 852123 or choirmembers. Saturday October 11thWessex Vintage Machinery, Antique and Bygonebring and buy sale, East Somerset Railway, Cranmore,sellers’ pitch £5, entrance £1. Details: 01225 754374.Congresbury Book Sale, 9am -1pm, at WarMemorial Hall. Good quality books, jigsaw puzzles,dvds, cds and talking books.Craft Fair at the United Reformed Church, Street,10am -2pm. Stalls include local honey, jewellery,wooden crafts. Refreshments. Proceeds for churchfunds.Somer Valley Singers’ Charity Concert, 7.30pm atSt John’s Church Midsomer Norton. Tickets £6 from01761 436042 or on the door. All proceeds to ForeverFriends, and St John’s Church.www.somervalleysingers.co.ukYeovil Concert Band with Millfield pupil soloists,7.30pm at Johnson Hall, Millfield School, BA16OYD. Tickets £7 include glass wine or fruit juice, inaid of Children’s Hospice SW, from 01458 447384 oron the door.Mendip Society – a moderate 5.5 mile walk aroundSidcot. Meet 2pm in the car park behindWoodborough Inn, BS25 1HD. ST 420 576. ContactJo, 01749 870813.Jumble Sale, at Wookey Hole Community Hall (nearcrazy golf at bottom of School Hill), 10.30am-1pm.Free Entry. Home made refreshments. For jumblecollection tel: Jenny on 01749 670772 or Margaret on01749 675415. Proceeds towards hall funds.Sunday October 12thLeading environmental writers debate future ofSomerset’s natural environment- morning eventhosted by Somerset Wildlife Trust during WellsFestival of Literature. Tickets & full details of allevents: www.wellsfestivalofliterature.org.ukTuesday October 14thRoman and Medieval Gardens, a talk by JamesBond, Landscape Archaeologist, for WANHS, 7.30pmat Victoria Methodist Church Hall, Station Road, W-s-Mare, BS23 1XU. Visitors welcome £2.50.How to use egg tempura –a talk by Poppy James forClevedon Art Club, 7.30pm, St Mary’s church Hall,Walton in Gordano. Non-members £3.An ideal partnership: Lutyens & Jekyll. A talk byJames Bolton to Mendip DFAS, 10.30 for 11.00,Westex Suite, Bath & West Showground, BA4 6QN.Details: www.mendipdfas.org.uk Guests welcome.Thursday October 16thCheddar Valley U3A meet & greet coffee morning,Church House, Cheddar (opp St. Andrew's Church)10.30-12 noon. Computer group here to answerquestions. Visitors welcome,www.cheddarvalleyu3a.org.ukWest Mendip Walkers mod 8.75 mile circular walkfrom Cheddar to Crook Peak. OS Map 141 Grid:ST456539. Start 10am. Park nr King’s Head pub.www.mendipramblers.co.uk



Friday 17th October Youthful Spirit Gospel Choir in concert at St Johnthe Baptist Church, Axbridge, 7pm. Tickets £7.50from Penny, 01934 733304. Arranged by FOAC.Free Mendip Health Walks – Glastonbury HealthCentre. 10am for 10.15. Easy, mostly level walks ofabout 1.5 miles around Glastonbury. Optional caféstop at the end. Details: [email protected] Cathedral School Symphony Orchestra,19.30–21.30. Tickets: £8/£15 from 01749 834483.www.wellscathedral.org.ukSaturday October 18th – Sunday October 19th Hestercombe’s first Book Sale, supportingHestercombe Gardens Trust. 10am-5pm. Free entry tobook sale, normal entry charges apply to visit thegardens and house: TA2 8LG.Saturday October 18thCraft & Gift Fayre Farmborough Memorial Hall,10.30am-4pm, entrance 50p. Variety of stalls,refreshments. Proceeds to Hall funds.Bleadon Village Market 9-12.30 at the village hall,Bleadon, BS24 0PG. Over 30 stalls with crafts,collectables, local produce etc. Refreshments. Seewww.bleadon.org.uk/marketSherborne Town Brass Band’s “Last Night of theProms”, the Prospect Theatre, Writhlington School,7.30pm. Bar. Tickets £10 from any Radstock andMidsomer Norton Lions member, 01761 414140 or235556.Redhill Club Pool Competition from 8pm, BS405SG. Come and have a go – all levels of playerwelcome. Prize for the winner. Kilmersdon Apple Day, 2-4pm. Juicing from 11am.Competitions, children’s activities, BeetlecrushersClog Dancers, Village band, teas. Kilmersdon VillageHall, BA3 5TD Contact 01761 437372www.kilmersdonvillagehall.co.uk Book sale & Freecycle event in aid of WinscombeCommunity Association, 9am-12.30pm. Please leavedonations (books, CDs, DVDs, jigsaws) on the booktrolley in the Community Centre at the Thursdaymarket, 9-12.00 or call 01934 823609 or 842250.Mendip Society – a special interest geology walkfrom Stoke St Michael. Moderate 5 miles, meet 2pmoutside Knatchbull Arms, BA3 5JJ. ST 665 468.Contact Roger 01761 490458.Instant Wit, quickfire comedy, Ubley Village Hall,7.30 for 8pm, late bar, £10. Details: 01761 462379 or01761 462133.Monday October 20thWinscombe District U3A. "How Things HaveChanged" a talk by Yvonne Bell at WinscombeCommunity Centre. 2pm for 2.30. Members £1.50,non-Members £2.00, includes refreshments.Honey Buzzards a talk by Steve Roberts for theHawk and Owl Trust. 7.45pm at the Star Inn,Tickenham, BS21 6SE. Members £2.50, non-members £3.50, U-18s free. Details: Carrie 01275462908.Tuesday October 21st Congresbury Over-60’s Club. ‘Colour in theGarden’, a talk by Chris Cudlipp, 2.30-4pm at WarMemorial hall. Details: 01934 832004.Arabian Nights – Life and Art in medieval Cairo,Rachel Ward for the Mid-Somerset DFAS illustratedlecture, 11am, Caryford Hall, Castle Cary, BA7 7JJ.£6. Details: 01963 350 527.Wednesday October 22ndClevedon and the First World War – -a talk byMark Neathey for the Friends of Weston-s-Mare

Museum, 7.30pm at the museum, Burlington St.Visitors welcome, small fee.Thursday October 23rdChew Valley Wildlife Group: Tales From TheCutting Room Floor – Orangutans, with PeterBrownlee of the BBC Natural History Unit at ChewMagna Millennium Hall, 7.45pm. Visitors £2.50.West Mendip Walkers mod. 6 mile circular walkfrom Barrow Gurney to Flax Bourton. OSMap:Explorer 154 Grid:ST529682. Start 1.30pm.Park as close as possible to Post Office.www.mendipramblers.co.ukFriday October 24thWrington Friendship Club, 2.30pm. Membersexperiences of Zimbabwe and National Service.Wrington Memorial Hall, Silver Street. New memberswelcome. Details: Fred Parsons 01934 863562.The Fosse Bells and Friends, 7.30pm, Church of StMary the Virgin, Charlton Mackrell, TA11 6BN.Tickets £8, from Charlton Adam Shop, 01458 223785or 223227. In aid of Muscular Dystrophy andCharlton’s churches. Saturday October 25thFree Indian cooking masterclass, 11am at BackwellMarket (10.30-1pm), WI Hall, Station Rd, BackwellBS48 3QW. Contact: 07870 598770. Congresbury Book Sale. 9am -1pm at War MemorialHall. Good quality books, jigsaw puzzles, dvds, cdsand talking books.Coffee Morning, Regil village hall, BS40 8BD, 10-12. Crafts & cake stalls. £1 includes refreshments. Allprofits to Bristol Oncology Unit and Singing forHeads. FFI Gwyn, 01275 472705 or Pat 01275472077.Mendip Society walk – Autumn colour atAmmerdown. Meet 2pm at Ammerdown House, BS35SW for an easy 6 miles through parkland. ContactGill, 01934 742508.Sunday October 26thMeet The Minstrels day at the Bishop’s Palace,Wells, 11am-4pm. At half past every hour theMedieval Minstrel Troupe will play a short set. Inbetween they will talk about their Tudor instruments,the social context of the music and answer questions.Car Boot Sale Farrington Gurney Memorial Hall,12noon – 4pm, £5/table, in aid of Little Fidgets pre-school. Details: Margot 0744 6281391.Wednesday October 29thRadstock Museum Children’s event: join in makingcarnival masks and face painting, 10.30am-1pm.Details: www.radstockmuseum.co.uk“Castles” Family Activity day at the Bishop’sPalace, Wells. Find out why people built castles andmake your own castle to take home. Giant gardengames – including bouncy castleswww.bishopspalace.org.ukCheddar Vale Lions Club ‘Tea with the Lions’ atNanny Ida’s, Wedmore, 3 -5 pm. Free team andcoffee.Thursday October 30th West Mendip Walkers mod 10.6 mile walk in the

Quantocks. OS Map:Explorer 140 Grid:ST188366.Start 10am. Park at Forest Office.www.mendipramblers.co.ukFriday October 31stFree Mendip Health Walks – Glastonbury HealthCentre. 10am for 10.15. Easy, mostly level walks ofabout 1.5 miles around Glastonbury. Optional caféstop at the end. Details: [email protected] Sixties Night starring tribute band The Berries, 8 -11.30pm at Weston-s-Mare Football Club,Winterstoke Rd, BS24 9AA. Tickets £8 from 01934423960 or 612618. In aid of Weston Hospicecare.Saturday November 1st -Sunday November 2nd Cam Valley Arts Trail: free workshops,demonstrations & exhibitions for all ages. 11–5pmacross 12 venues. Details:www.camvalleyartstrail.co.uk Saturday November 1stChristmas Craft Fair, at Chilcompton Village Hall,BA3 4EX, 10am–4pm. In aid of St John’s Church,Chilcompton. Refreshments & parking. Enquiries:Janet 01761 233301.Monday November 3rdWarmer Improved Somerset Homes (WISHproject) drop-in session at Glastonbury Health Centre.10am-12.30 pm. Find out how to make your homeswarmer, reduce energy bills and improve your health.Tuesday November 4thAngelica Kauffman: an artist in 18th centuryEngland. A talk by Leslie Primo for Mendip DFAS,10.30 for 11am, Westex Suite, Bath & WestShowground, Shepton Mallet. Details:www.mendipdfas.org.uk Guests welcome, contact01749 670652. Thursday November 6thWells Evening Society, Britain’s Pagan Heritage,with Ronald Hutton, Wells Town Hall, 7.30pm.Friday November 7thOpen Mic Night at Redhill Club, BS40 5SG, from8pm. Hosted by Jerry Blythe. Free. All welcome,singers, musicians and spectators. Tel: 01934 862619.Saturday November 8thCharity James Bond Dinner Dance, dress toimpress Bond-style for a 3-course dinner with music& casino at Cadbury Hotel, BS49 5AD. Tickets £28 –to rebuild Backwell Judo Hall – from Gloria, 07870598770.The Avon Guild of Spinners, Weavers and DyersChristmas Market. 11am-3pm, Long AshtonCommunity Centre, Keedwell Hill, Long Ashton,BS41 9DP. Beautiful handmade items including handspun, woven, dyed and felted items. There will alsobe tea, coffee, cakes and a raffle. Ffi:www.avonguild.org.ukThursday November 9thWest Mendip Walkers easy 6.3 mile circular walkover Tickenham, Clevedon & Nailsea moors. OSMap:Explorer 154 Grid:ST457715. Start 1.30pm.Park opp church on Nailsea Causeway.www.mendipramblers.co.uk


T h e M e n d i p T i m e s W h a t ’ s O n G u i d e f o r O c t o b e r 2 0 1 4ANSWERS TO THE MENDIP MINDBENDERACROSS:1 Charter Market, 8 Talk sense, 10 Noted, 11 Riot act, 12 Grown-up, 13Cheddar Duck Race, 16/21D/25 Somerset College of Art and Technology, 21Owned up, 22 October, 23 Arena, 24 Elettaria. DOWN:1 Cut prices, 2 All gone, 3 Tussaud, 4 Ace, 5 Kinfolk, 6 Titania, 7 Fed up,9 Not true, 14 Up close, 15 Ever-ready, 17 Mandela, 18 Redland, 19 Let it go, 20Embargo, 24 Eve.




ORGANISERS of the 22ndFestival of Literature inWells have made more seatsavailable for the openingevent in the city’s catherdral.All the initial 500 seats

quickly sold out to see

author Michael Morpugo,author of War Horse, launchthe festival on Friday,October 10th. As a result,200 extra seats in the aislesof the nave – with limitedview – have gone on sale.The festival offers

something for all tastes fromtalks by fiction writerGabriel Gbadamosi (whosefirst novel was chosen byFay Weldon on her Radio 4Good Read), the Costa’soverall prize winner, NathanFiler, through the everpopular Katie Fforde, tocrime’s most enduringauthor, Ruth Rendell.Comedy, current affairs,cookery and World War I andII are also on the agenda forthe festival which willmostly be held in a marqueein the grounds of theBishop’s Palace.� Everyone at MichaelMorpurgo’s talk, sponsoredby Carter Jonas, will be ableto enter a competition to wintwo tickets for the openingnight of the NationalTheatre’s production of WarHorse at the BristolHippodrome in January.Visit:www.wellsfestivalofliterature.org.uk to see full listingsand to book tickets.

War horse writer fillsWells Cathedral

A scene from the National Theatre production of War Horse

Princes Road, Wells, BA5 1TD

� Book in person � Online 24/7 @www.wellsfilmcentre.co.uk � Over the ’phone: 01749 673195

COMING UP:From Friday 26th September

What We Did On Our Holiday (12A)A Most Wanted Man (15)Box Trolls (PG)

Sunday 28th September Billy Elliot The Musical (12A)1.30pm & 6.30pm LIVE

Wednesday 1st October Stephen Fry: More Fool Me 7pm LIVE

Friday 10th October Private Peaceful (12A) 3pm

From Friday 3rd October Dracula Untold (tbc)Magic in The Moonlight (12A)

Coming Soon: Fury (tbc) • Mr Turner (12A) • The Imitation Game (tbc)



WHAT’S ON


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Documents

Mendiptimes - Volume 10 - Issue 5