One might query why there is a picture of a Wiltshire Hopper on the front of Spotlight and the answer is to draw this service to the attention of all Spotlight readers. Say for a moment that you have to take someone to the Royal United Hospital in Bath and that when you arrive, it is necessary for you to accompany them to their appointment. If you are a car owner and are a driver, then this puts you outside the remit of the Link Scheme and you are then faced with the notorious problems of the R.U.H. car parking whilst trying to look after the needs of your passenger. These problems disappear if you use the services offered by the Hopper system.
Running from Monday to Friday, the service is completely flexible in favour of the individual. As soon as you have the time and date of your appointment, all you have to do is to telephone the office in Warminster on 01985 212213 and give them the following information:- your day of travel and the time at which you are required to arrive at the hospital. You will obviously give your name, address, postcode and telephone number. You will be asked if a wheelchair passenger is involved and your expected day of return travel. Finally, you will be asked to telephone again on the day prior to the appointment. There will be a charge ranging from £4 to £8.50 return depending upon the distance travelled but the Wiltshire Bus Pass Scheme enables the pass holder half price travel.
The first bus arrives at the R.U.H. at 8.30a.m. with the last one departing at 5.30p.m. The service is door to door on both outward and return journeys with payment being made to the driver. Spotlight experience showed the drivers to be extremely supportive and helpful. They seem to know practically every side road and lane in West Wiltshire and they certainly know how to avoid traffic congestion in Bath. When the appointment has been completed a quick telephone call to the above number will give you the time of your return journey home.
The prospect of facing a difficult journey to the hospital can be daunting but all the anxiety of the journey simply disappears in the hands of this very capable organisation.
There are two possible explanations for the name of the month. One is that it was taken from Junius which was the name of an old Roman tribe or clan and the word meant “young”. The other possibility is that it is in honour of Juno who was the goddess of marriage and childbearing. Maybe this is why June is still a favourite month for weddings. The Anglo-Saxons saw June as the “dry month” and called it Seramonath. In the 15th century it was known as Iunius or Iuyn but it became June in the 18th century.
Lead by Her Majesty the Queen, Sunday 10th July is to be a National Day of Thanksgiving remembering the end of World War II both V.E. and V.J. Day. Here in Seend our normal 11.15a.m. Parish Eucharist will incorporate, together with the Royal British Legion, our own Service of Thanksgiving.
Roger Brind spent the first 27 years of his working life as an officer in the Royal Marines during which he represented the Corps at rugby and tennis, was a gymnastics coach and spent five years as Inspector of Physical Training. After retiring he worked in the City. He came to Seend five years ago and in that relatively short time has positively contributed, very significantly, to life in general within our Parish. It is a little difficult to know where to start listing his many activities. His naval background is evident because he is an active flag seller for the RNLI and also a Poppy Collector for the Royal British Legion. He is also a committee member of the Legion and has the responsibility for their public relations. He is a member of Seend Church Choir, a member of the Parochial Church Council and he represents Seend Parish on the Deanery Synod. As an amateur thespian, he has acted in a number of productions in the Wharf Theatre, various productions with the Fawlty Players and he enjoys singing. A man of many parts, he has entertained us with his bagpipes and he plays the guitar and the piano.
Roger serves on other committees, notably the Fete Committee and the Link Committee which also involves quite a lot of driving when taking people to hospital. His other driving duty is the Seend Shuttle. A task that takes up a lot of his time is that of acting as Panel Leader with the Youth Offending Team for Wiltshire. He ensures that the newspaper, “The Melksham News” is distributed around the village and he is also currently preparing his garden for the Open Gardens Weekend to be held in June.
In addition to all of this he is a good host and a regular member of the Friday lunch time “Bell Gang”.
J.S.S.
Sunday, 10th July is a National Day of Thanksgiving commemorating V.E. and V.J. Day. Our normal Church Service at 11.15a.m. will incorporate our own Service of Thanksgiving. This is NOT a Parade but it is very much hoped that members and their families will come along.
There has been a suggestion that we form a Sunday School in the Benefice, to run within the Seend 11.15a.m. morning service. We would like to know what interest there would be in this idea.
If you have a child aged up to 11 who would be interested, or you would be
willing to join a team to help out occasionally, please contact :
Sue Taylor (01225 709360) or Liz Futter (01380 828485) or Revd. Sacha Pearce
(01380 828615).
Flora and Stanley Heavisides wish to thank their many friends for the numerous
cards they received on the occasion of their Diamond Wedding
Anniversary. They also wish to thank everybody for the generous donations which
amounted to £433 and which have now been passed on to Seend Church.
The date for the June Meeting is Wednesday, 15th June at 2.45p.m. in the Pavilion. The speaker’s talk will be “Chernobyl Children’s Life Line” There will also be a Bring and Buy Stall and the tea hostess will be Mrs. May Ferris.
On the 22nd June at 9.45a.m. there will be Corporate Communion in The Church of the Holy Cross, Seend.
Our stall at the Church Summer Fayre in the Rectory Garden will be Toiletries.
Elizabeth Campbell.
Welcome to families and to everyone who wants to have a happy and enjoyable afternoon on Saturday, 7th July. Open 2.00p.m.
There will be games for children including the Clown Striker and the Bear Ball Game. Also there is a Bouncy Castle and fun to be had decorating fairy cakes – to eat afterwards! A Treasure Hunt or Quiz will add to the fun, and the children of Seend School will be giving a short concert
Stalls include Toiletries, Books, Bric-a-brac, Videos/cassettes, etc. Garden produce/plants, Groceries and Cakes. There is a Raffle, and a Spirits draw (the bottled sort!). Teas and Ice Cream will quench your thirst and there will be a marquee if you want to keep out of the sun.
We are now collecting items for the above stalls. Will you please have a browse around and give any items that would be suitable for sale on one of the stalls, to either Bob Howe, Bigbury House, Perrys Lane, 828554, or to me, Tony Ewin, Cranbelle, Rusty Lane, 828325. We want to make this an enjoyable and fun afternoon so we do need your help to fill the stalls with goodies for people to buy.
We look forward to seeing you all having a good time on the 9th.
Tony Ewin.
Seend School PSC are having a Family Barn Dance on Friday, 10th June in the Social Club, Rusty Lane. There will be live music from the top folk dance band “Wiltshire Klof”. Doors open at 7.00p.m. with live music from 8.00p.m.
Tickets are on sale at £6 with accompanied children free from the Social Club or School Office. There will also be a B.B.Q., bar and raffle.
Wednesday, 22nd June, 10.30a.m. Meeting at Manor Farm Keevil. Our guest, Mrs. Evelyn Grant, will speak on “Prayer and Spirituality”.
Sunday 5th & 12th June: - Mrs. McDonald.
Sunday, 19th & 26th June: - Mrs. Futter.
June - Mrs. McDonald.
You are invited to a Coffee Morning at Withdean House, Bulkington on Wednesday, 15th June at 10.30a.m. There will be a Bring & Buy and Raffle in aid of Christ Church funds.
SATURDAY, 2nd JULY, 2005 at 2.00p.m. Millcroft, Bulkington.
With the wonderful back-drop of Nev and Thelma’s garden, plus the magical Great Bulkington Railway, we are looking forward to a bumper Fete for 2005. The Pheonix Brass Band from Hungerford are ready and waiting to serenade us throughout the afternoon, also the added attractions of the Shire Horses from Wadworth’s Brewery and the Maypole Dancers from Keevil School.
Our stalls will include, plants, cakes, books, toys, white elephant, groceries, bottle stall, lucky dip, quizzes and skittles, Bouncy Castle and not forgetting the grand raffle. Teas and refreshments.
As usual we need your help to stock the stalls. A bottle collection will take
place around the Village on Thursday, 30th June. Please be
as generous as you can.
Items for the other stalls will be most gratefully received and include :
Plants – Phyl Yarde.
Cakes - Andie Elliott.
Books & Toys - Andy & Sian Stables.
Lucky Dip - Liz Futter.
Raffle - John McDonald.
We look forward to a fun-filled Fete, fair weather and most of all the pleasure of your company.
At the Parish Meeting last month the following offers were elected for a second year:
Chairman - Mr. Philip Coles.
Vice Chairman - Mr. Mark Barnet.
The Chairman’s report is as follows :
The Turpin Stone which is situated on the grass verge near Brass Pan Bridge has been refurbished after a minor accident and is being resited a little further back from the road in order to avoid any vehicular damage occurring. Incidentally, the Turpin Stone is the only item of historical interest relating to Bulkington which is mentioned in history books of the area.
Road Signs: We recently had a minor problem with the removal of some road signs directing traffic to Bulkington both at the Poulshot and Strand junctions, effectively air-brushing us off the map! This created some interest for the local newspapers, and Tony Bradford actually saw the sign being removed from the Poulshot junction and immediately contacted W.C.C. and myself and the Press. After several letters and many ‘phone calls, the signs were eventually reinstated!
Dogs: The long awaited bins have arrived but look more like ordinary littler bins than dog-mess bins! We will assume they are dog-mess bins for the time being and this matter will be clarified in due course.
Plastic Re-cycling Facility: The matter is still in hand and we hope to take delivery of the skip soon.
Village Hall: The Village Hall is in very good shape and
looking very smart, due to the superhuman efforts of Councillor Boulton and
his Village Hall Committee, plus many helpers. The floor is superb, strong and
safe! The Kitchen has been greatly improved and has new electrical sockets,
etc. We also have a new loo, specially adapted for disabled access. A wheelchair
ramp has also been constructed to the front door of the Village Hall. When the
Hall was refurbished, the whole floor was lowered so the entire floor is on
one level for ease of access for all! Three outer walls have been
re-pointed and we hope to re-point the fourth wall very soon. Villagers did
all the work that did not have to be done by professionals, thereby saving a
considerable amount of money. The Parish Council helped by paying the bills
plus VAT and the Village Hall Committee reimbursed the Parish Council with the
nett costs. Money was raised to finance these building costs by several functions,
including Nev’s Railway Open Days and a Clay Pigeon Shoot.
Fireworks Night: The Firework display was organised by the Playing Field Committee rather than an outside contractor. This meant higher insurance costs but it was good to have things done ‘in house’.
Planning: An outline Planning Application has been received from Mr. G. Elliott to build starter homes and 4/5 bedroom houses and a sports pavilion for the Village on land adjacent to the Playing Field. The Parish Council passed its views and comments of the villagers to the District Council who make planning decisions, where as the Village Parish Council is merely consulted.
War Memorial: The War Memorial was last refurbished by Allan Dunlop and myself in the mid-80’s, when it was steam cleaned and re-polished. It is now due for some further attention and enquiries are in hand.
Finally, I would like to thank my fellow Councillors for their help and support over the last year, and my thanks especially to Felicity, our indomitable Clerk, whose patience and expertise has guided us through all our meetings and helped ensure the smooth running of the Council and thereby the continuing enhancement of the Village of Bulkington.
Philip Coles.
Much hard work and fund raising has resulted in the refurbishment of the Village Hall, thereby restoring to the community an important amenity and focal point.
At 6.00p.m. on Sunday, 26th June, there will be an informal service in the Hall and the collection will be donated to the Village Hall funds for the good work to continue. The theme for the service will be ’Journeys and Travel’ with favourite hymns, readings and poetry. During its lifetime, the Hall has seen many changes in village life, and travelled an interesting path including its own metamorphosis from Chapel to Village Hall.
Please come along and support the Village Hall fund and listen, watch or even join in this informal and joyful service.
Christ Church, Bulkington, PCC.
Spotlight seeks assistance from some residents of Bulkington. Although the annual collection envelopes were distributed throughout the Village last month, there has been nobody available to collect them. Envelopes represent by far the great majority of Spotlight income and some 16% of these envelopes are currently sitting in houses in Bulkington. If they stay there then there is the possibility that Spotlight might run out of money later in the year. The magazine only seeks to make sufficient money to purchase the necessary printing materials as all labour is voluntary. If any body is prepared to undertake this once a year job, would they please contact Andie Elliott. Additionally, it would be helpful if anybody holding envelopes would pass them to Andie or to David Raby Cox.
During April a national newspaper reported that supermarkets were shunning British organic meat in favour of cheaper imports and this prompted Spotlight to consider the value or otherwise of organic products. At our request Richard Whitehead, who lives in Seend Cleeve and is a true authority on these matters undertook to write on the advantages and disadvantages of organic foods. His comments now follow :
What is organic food? In the UK organic food is produced by growing crops and animals in accordance with strict rules laid down by the Soil Association who specifically exclude the use of man-made fertilisers and most proprietary pesticides and animal medicines. But remember, there’s no guarantee that imported ’organic’ food meets the same standards. In UK, contrary to popular belief, a number of chemical treatments are permitted in organic production for the control of weeds, pests and diseases, including sulphur and copper – fungicides that have long since been overtaken by more benign products in conventional agriculture.
Does organic food taste better? Not necessarily. Tasting experiments show that people cannot reliably identify organic produce. If there is a difference in taste it is often because the varieties grown for organic production are usually different from those grown in conventional . Why? Because it is important that those grown in an organic system can resist attack by pests and diseases, usually by the production of their own built-in chemical pesticides. Freshness is another factor. Tomatoes grown in your garden taste better than those from the supermarket because they haven’t been picked when unripe and transported hundreds or thousands of miles to your plate. Whether or not they are organic is irrelevant.
Is organic farming better for the environment? Arguably
yes, provided the produce is sold and consumed close to where it is grown. Organic
farming seeks to maintain soil fertility and health as well as conserving and
improving natural, environmentally friendly features of the landscape, such
as hedgerows and wildlife. That is obviously ’better’ for the environment,
but these are not features exclusive to organic farming, nor are they the only
environmental factors to consider. Organic farming is generally less productive
than conventional agriculture, which means you need more land to grow the same
amount of food. Without the use of fertilisers and plant protection products,
U.K. farmers would have to plough up more land equal to the size of Wales to
grow the same amount of food as they do now.
By the same token, the use of chemical pesticides is not necessarily ’bad’
for the environment. It’s the manner in which things are done that matters,
just as it is the way in which a fast car is driven that determines whether
it is ’safe’. But, it’s ridiculous to argue that a punnet
of organic strawberries grown in California and flown 8000 miles in a fast jet
to Sainsburys in Devizes is better for the environment than a similar punnet,
grown using pesticides in Bromham.
But surely organic food is better for me? No. The Food Standards Agency have said (backed up by the Advertising Standards Authority) that there’s no evidence that organically produced food is nutritionally better or safer than conventionally farmed produce, and it usually costs more. But in most cases there’s nothing wrong with it either. If you feel more comfortable with eating organic food because you simply don’t believe the scientists, that has a value that justifies the premium you are almost certainly paying. But remember, if it’s imported (and about 70% of ‘organic’ produce is) it may not have been grown to the same exacting standards that are laid down here.
Isn’t conventional food full of chemicals? Yes, of course it is. Everything is made of chemicals, but if you mean chemicals resulting from pesticide treatment, the answer is ‘no’, Phrases like ‘full of toxic chemicals’ or ‘drenched in pesticides’ make good TV or newspaper stories, but they are far from the truth. Over two thirds of all conventionally produced food contains no detectable pesticide residues at all. Those that do, have them in miniscule quantities (equivalent to about 5 seconds in your lifetime) that are nevertheless rigorously tested to check they will not cause harm in the diet. The risk of microbial contamination of food (e.g. Salmonella) is reckoned to be 10,000 times greater than the risk from pesticide residues – and microbes don’t distinguish between organic and non-organic food.
So why do supermarkets import food when they could source it in
UK? Usually because it’s cheaper. Why? Because very often
it hasn’t been grown or reared to the same exacting (and costly) standards
that British produced food must meet and can therefore be sold more cheaply.
This applies to all farming systems – organic or otherwise. We’d
all be better advised to buy British (and preferably locally) produced food
in preference to imported food, and stop worrying about whether it is organic
or not. And remember, the British Medical Association have said that in the
western world the greatest danger we all face from food is eating too much of
it.
As from the 19th May the weekly Market will be open on Thursdays from 9.00a.m. until 10.30a.m. in the Baptist Church Hall in Sheep Street, Devizes. We do hope that these new times will suit our old customers and we will warmly welcome any new customers to try our exciting selection of cakes, preserves, savouries, vegetables, plants and crafts. Old customers will know how good they are! Entry is free and refreshments are available.
A.G.M. - Tony Hill thanked all those members who had humped furniture, cooked and arranged flowers to prepare the hall for the Club’s AGM & Social. He also looked back on the highlights of thirteen years as Chairman: to mention a couple – Prince Wolonsky standing surrounded by his wonderful garden in France, happily talking to us in his carpet slippers and the superb views from the summit of Snowdon, so rarely seen because of cloud cover. At one stage, we were having two weekly away trips and a day out, so there were many events to choose from and it is not surprising that Tony should feel it is time to pass the Chairman’s baton on to someone else.
Tony thanked Joyce for her work as Secretary, especially the task of organising the Speaker’s programme; Also, the late David Edgley and Roger Allen, our two competent Treasurers, during his term as Chairman; also the rest of the committee, who are always there helping behind the scenes. A special mention to John Payton and Molly Card, who run the Raffle each month so successfully, helping to keep the Club solvent. After thirteen years we have gone full circle and will be back visiting Monet’s Garden as we did on our first visit abroad. In closing Tony wished the Club well under its new Chairman with interesting travels and a final thank you to Audrey for all her researches into the places to be visited.
Treasurers‘ Report: Having lost some members and gained others, the membership stands at ninety five people and new members are always welcome. Lecturers and Affiliation fees have risen. Excursions and the raffle make a profit, but Social functions show a loss. However, we still show a profit over all so do not need to increase the membership fee.
The Club President, Peter Hicks, took over the Chair. Peter felt that Tony
had moved the Club on with visits and entertainment and the AGM was no longer
a dreary occasion: his retirement was an occasion tinged with sadness, but we
all understood that he was more than ready for a rest. As a remembrance of his
time as Chairman, Tony had chosen a garden parasol, under which to sip his gin
and tonic and Peter has kindly drawn a card showing Tony’s Regiment badge
of Mercury, except that he holds a garden spade and sports a moustache!. Tony
thanked everyone for a most useful gift.
Roger Allen was subsequently voted in as Chairman and Joe Hardstaff as Treasurer,
the rest of the Committee were voted in en bloc. Peter Hicks presented the Gill
Edgley Cup to Sylvia Ewin, who gained the most points during the monthly competitions.
Thanks to the generosity of members, all enjoyed supper and wine before the entertainment which was supplied by one of our number, Colin Waldeck. He showed a video of a film that he shot for the BBC Omnibus series in 1990 about a Brazilian landscape architect, Roberto Burle Marx: his contemporaries from around the world rated him as great as Le Notre & Repton and Colin found him to be a man of many talents, who was interested in all the Arts and Music. His part in the design of Brazil’s new capital Brazilia was enormous and he was solely responsible for the marvellous mosaics along the Copocabana promenade and the design of many famous gardens.
Saturday, 30th July: Day visit to Hinton Ampner and the Chantry
Gardens, Winchester. See May issue of Spotlight for details. Pick up Points
and places are as follows: Woolmer Farm 8.30a.m. Martinslade 8.45a.m.
The Bell Inn bus stop 9.00a.m. Seend Stocks 9.15a.m. Please ‘phone Sue
Johns (828777) if you wish to be picked up between any of these points.
Joyce Brand (828433).
We are planning a Parish Picnic in our beautiful Churchyard on Saturday, 6th August so that we will be able to enjoy the far-reaching views. This will be a morning event, so bring along your garden tools to help tidy up around some of those scruffy ancient graves, etc. More details next time.
Sylvia Ewin.
Grateful thanks to all who came on Wednesday, 18th May to the Coffee Morning in aid of Church Flowers, and to all who donated the grand sum of approximately £175.
Lilian Smallshaw.
The above event will take place in the Pavilion, Seend on Tuesday, 12th July, 7.30p.m. onwards. The following will be on display -
A Nail Technician (From Creative) - nails are available on night.
A Body Shop Representive:
A Clothing Company:
Candles from Partylight
Silver Jewellery:
Virgin ‘V’ Cosmetics.
We are hoping for a few more to join the list!!!
All proceeds will go to the Playgroup. Tickets will be on sale on the night
at £3.50, this will include a glass of wine and cheese and biscuits. The
Committee will also be serving tea and coffee.
Please come along and support the Playgroup. Feel free to bring a friend or
two!! Contact 01225 700204 (Lindsay).
The two-yearly event is a date for every ones’ diary. There will be 12 superb and interesting gardens to view on the Saturday, and 10 on the Sunday, (the Manor House and Garden Cottage being closed). There are some new and some old favourites to wander around at your leisure. Gardens open 1.00p.m. to 5.00p.m. each day.
For your added interest there is an Exhibition of Wildlife Paintings by our renowned local artist, Pam Mullings, in the Pavilion, Rusty Lane on both days from 10.00a.m. to 5.00p.m.
There will be teas served in the W.I. Hall. Ample free car parking is available on the Lye Field.
Entry to all gardens is by Programme only – Adults £4, Concessions £3. Sales point on the Lye Field.
This is one of the highlights of any year in the Village: with record breaking attendances last time. Please come and spend a wonderful afternoon in some of the loveliest gardens in the Village.
Tony Ewin, Church Social & Fund Raising Committee.
Wiltshire artist – Pam Mullings R.M.S. H.S. will be exhibiting her latest paintings in the Pavilion, Seend on Saturday 25th and Sunday, 26th June from 10.00a.m. – 5.00p.m. each day. Admission is free and everyone is very welcome to come and browse. Sales and a Raffle will benefit the Seend Church Restoration Fund.
There will be a large selection of detailed gouache paintings on sale – mostly depicting local wild life,. Featured are popular garden birds, owls and birds of prey, mammals including badgers and foxes – all set against backgrounds of wild flowers and foliage. Also included will be some paintings of wildlife from Africa and other areas. The paintings are in a range of shapes and sizes including a selection of miniature paintings.
Also on sale will be a range of items suitable as gifts including limited edition
prints, note blocks and cards.
Enquiries and invitations to the Private View – Tel: 01380 828296.
REMINDER re the Thames river trip and visit to Mapledurham House on the 23rd July. It would be appreciated if all those members who put their name down at the AGM, wouldn’t mind confirming with me that they are still able to come, as I have to make bookings for the boat in advance.
Thank you. Tony Ewin, 828325.
Thank you everyone from Seend, Seend Cleeve, Bulkington and Sells Green who gave their time and effort to collect for the Life Boats.
In the Village you collected £517.69p. The Flag Day in Devizes raised £943.51p of which £350 was collected by people from the Seend area. This was an excellent result – thank you once again.
Bob McCulloch.
A local artist is hoping to set up a small group in the Village. The focus will be on drawing and painting using mixed media, i.e. water colour, pastel, pen and pencil – not oil. Anyone who feels they would like to have a try, please contact Zoe Short on 01225 705551.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Due to the increased level of usage of the Scheme, it is no longer possible for one person to carry out the co-ordinators job on a continual basis. So, will all users of the scheme please note that in the months ahead you will not necessarily be speaking to Jo Waldeck on the Link number 828190, concerning your request for the Scheme’s help. There will be other persons doing this job on the same ‘phone number, possibly for up to a month at a time. If you do not contact the co-ordinator on duty, please leave a message about your requirements. You will be contacted at the earliest opportunity.
Unless it is an emergency, please give as much notice as possible, preferably 48 hours. I would emphasise that all co-ordinators do this work voluntarily, and having their own busy life to lead, are not able to always be on the end of the Link ’phone however much they want to help you. We will continue to give you our many clients the help you need, when you need it.
Tony Ewin.
Invite you to an exhibition of their work to be held at Seend W.I. Hall on Wednesday, 1st June, 2005 from 10.30a.m. until 3.30p.m. The Purple Bus will also be in attendance in order that you can buy materials, embroidery threads, etc.
Admission is £1,50 to include a cup of tea/coffee with cake or biscuits. There will also be a raffle of a Lap Quilt and other items.
Contact number 01249 660 888.
Those who came to hear Duo del Fuego playing classical violin and guitar last autumn will be delighted to know that the hugely talented guitarist, Hayley Savage is returning to give a recital at the Pavilion at 7.30p.m. on Saturday, 22nd October. Don’t miss it! Proceeds will go to the Lye Field and Pavilion.
This is as well as a Rural Arts Wiltshire event to be held in the Autumn is not yet decided on.
By the time you read this, we will have presented cheques to Dorothy House, Devizes PHAB Club and Seend School out of the proceeds from our panto “Sleeping Beauty” performed last February.
The specification for the Seend Shuttle Mark III has been agreed, and we hope to have the new community bus in service by the autumn. We’re sure you’ll be impressed by it.
If you fancy yourself as a volunteer driver of a smart new bus – whether regularly or occasionally – please ring Pete on 828757.
For information about the first Wednesday shopping trips to Bath (or sometimes Salisbury) ‘phone Terry on 828203.
22 walkers, including 4 visitors, attended a walk organised by Reg Cox and Wendy Miller on Sunday, 17th April which commenced from the hamlet of West Yatton. We walked in the direction of Castle Combe, passing through Long Dean and the Bybrook Valley to the outskirts of Castle Combe. After a steep climb and via a bridleway, we approached castle Combe Shrub.
Following the valley to Ford and back towards Long Dean we then completed yet another circular making, in all, a figure of eight, passing through the hamlet towards Kents Bottom and Yatton Keynell, joining West Yatton Lane and a footpath back to our cars.
We were extremely lucky with the weather until we reached our cars, then it started to rain. Grateful thanks to both Reg and Wendy for a very pleasant and picturesque route.
Next Walk: Sunday, 19th June:
Meet in Rusty Lane for a 9.30a.m. start or Old Sarum car park 10.30a.m. (Out
through Amesbury on the A345 out of Amesbury, which takes you into the back
of Salisbury.
As you will gather from the previous paragraph, the walk is in Old Sarum area
for a very pretty walk of approximately 6 miles. Bring refreshments.
Terry and Sheila Williams will be organising this walk so if you wish to know
any more details, they will be pleased to help you on 01225 704800.
Lin Salter.
Only 2½ months to go before the Big Day! Things are gradually coming together, but as always there are a number of areas where progress is slower than hoped.
Volunteer Helpers: we are still short of helpers for the various stalls/side-shows, etc., despite our earlier appeals. We really do need your help to man the stalls that mean so much to the Fete effort. All we ask is 1 hour of your time, in return for which we promise you lots of fun – and a big ‘thank you’ from the Fete Team.
Tombola Prizes: Many thanks for the ones so far delivered, but we do need more. Please keep looking.
Cake & Pastries Stall: Committee members Jo Vaux and Mary Gray are hoping to expand the scope of the Cake Stall this year, hence the inclusion of Pastries in its description. If you are making a cake for the Flower Show cake Competition, why not make a second one for the Fete Cake & Pastries Stall – you know it makes sense! We also plan a ‘Guess the Weight’ competition. Details of this plus the Cake collection arrangements to follow nearer the time.
Bernie Prolze.
Subscriptions for 2005 – 2006: At the time of writing
(8th May) 133 subscribers have signed up for the year including 23 first-timers.
The amount subscribed so far is £1,995. Hopefully by the time you read
this the remaining 40 or so outstanding subscriptions will have been received
and a new record set. Watch this space! In the meantime, I have allocated numbers
to the new members and to the one current member who requested a number change.
The full number list will appear in Spotlight next month together with the prize
money allocation for the year and the results of the May draw. If you still
haven’t renewed your subscription, don’t delay any further, as time
is definitely running out. Get it to me today!.
April 2005 draw: the winners in the last draw of 2004/5 are
as follows:
1st prize: £35. Nr. 135. Ann Hunt.
2nd prize: £30. Nr. 109. Mrs. May Ferris.
3rd prize: £20, Nr, 25. Eric Akerman.
4th prize: £15. Nr. 186. Jeremy Hawkins.
Mrs.J.Biggs presided at a well attended AGM in April. The Hon.Treasurer Mrs.S.West presented her financial report for the year and Mrs.P.Hillier gave her report for the W.I. Hall account. Both were very satisfactory. In her Secretary’s report Mrs.S.M. Taylor gave a brief outline of all of the past year’s programme and promised another interesting selection of speakers for the forthcoming year.
The following Officers were elected:
President Mrs. J. Biggs.
Vice President Mrs.S.West:
Hon. Sec: Mrs.M.Taylor:
Minutes Sec. Mrs.E.Campbell:
Hon.Treasurer Mrs.R.Ham.
Committee – Mesdames: M.Buckley; L.Hillier; P.Hillier; and V.Wiltshire.
There was much discussion about the future of SeendW.I. and particularly the W.I.Hall. During social time two quizzes exercised our ’little grey cells’! Mrs.S.West won the competition “An Easter Bonnet” and the Silver Salver (presented to the member with the most points from competitions during the year) was won by Mrs. F. Rowse.
At our meeting on 11th May we had a very interesting and humbling talk given
by Mr. Robin Taylor who works with the charity “Belarusians Ray of Hope”.
He and his wife host children from Belarus where the birth rate of babies with
abnormalities is the highest in the world. Belarus was the worst hit country
after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster on 26th April, 1986. The country is very
poor but the people are very proud. A doctor earns just $50
U.S. per month. Children who visit here do not drink milk because in their own
country the ground is still radio active and the food chain is contaminated.
The competition “A Teddy Bear” was won by Mrs.L.Hillier. The resolutions for the National AGM in the Albert Hall on 8th June were discussed and our decisions will be passed to our delegate.
Our next meeting is on 8th June and is an OPEN meeting in the W.I. Hall, Rusty Lane starting at 7.30p.m. The Three Jays will tell us about ’Beading for Beginners’ - and there will be a ‘HAVE –a-GO’ session. There will be a warm welcome for anyone who is interested in this craft and would like to join us. The competition is ‘A Bead Necklace’ and there will be a Bring and Buy stall.
Mrs.B.Smith.
This local community football club has been in existence for over 12 years with currently over 110 children taking part from the age of 6 to 15. The children come from all over the community from Keevil to Urchfont, and we are always seeking new members. The Season has now come to a close, with training to recommence in late August at various locations: Bulkington, Worton, Cheverell, and Lavington. If you are interested in joining please contact me.
This Season, congratulations go to the Under 11 team who beat Amesbury 1-0 in the Cup inal at the City Ground in Salisbury with Charlie Weylen scoring the only goal. The under 8 team were champions in the South Wilts League having winning 13 matches and only losing 2; whilst the youngest in the Club at Under 7 level set the standard for all teams by winning the League’s “Fair Play “ award. On 22nd May the Club’s annual presentations were made.
Steve Dagnall 01380 727976.
Some may remember that about 7 years ago we opened “The Garden Tea Shop” at Cleeve House. Many local people came for cream teas and enjoyed sitting on the patio in the summer sun.
Having been to Swaziland and back, Carlo and I have returned to Cleeve House where we have been helping with the ongoing restoration work. We have been able to restore one room to resemble the original Edwardian style and now we have decided to open the teashop again with a new name “The Cleeve House Tea Room. The grand opening day is to be in conjunction with a Craft Fayre on Bank Holiday Monday, 30th May.
The Tea Room (and Patio) will be open six days a week after this so that is
:
Tuesday to Saturday 10.00a.m. to 4.00p.m. Sunday 2.00p.m. to 5.00p.m.
We will be serving teas, coffee and home made cakes as well as some beautiful crafts. If you bring your copy of Spotlight with you on your first visit, you will be entitled to a free cup of tea or coffee. We look forward to seeing you. Barbara Zaccarelli (01380 827129)
Seend Poetry Group is alive and well! About once every six weeks one of us
plays host or hostess and we arrive with poems we’ve found on a theme
we’ve decided earlier. The last meeting’s theme was the sun and
the moon and eight of us turned up with a multitude of poems, largely about
the moon and mostly sombre if not down right depressing! We still managed to
find plenty to laugh about however. Some of us also attempt to write our own
and find everyone in the group very supportive. If there are any poetry lovers
out there who would like to join us, do give Tessa Doe a ring (828757)