Serving the Communities of Ditcheat, East Pennard and Pylle

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Tel 01749 860199: Mobile www.travellersrest.org.uk 07771632221 How To Find Us Turn off the A371 Castle Cary to Shepton Mallet road, between Moff Motors and The Brook House Inn, and then take the first turning left to Sutton. Follow this road until you see our signs on the right, and then turn right. Hope to see you soon!

Letter from the editors

This Month Time was when putting the Fosse Trinity News together

Advertiser Index 58 involved a very literal version of cutting and pasting copy Alhampton News 5 – using scissors and a tube of Pritt stick, and the print Bee-Keepers 37 method was decidedly manual – feeding in sheets of A4 Book Group 25 and turning a handle on a reprographics machine. Gerry Church Services 30 Confirmation 54 Lees has seen it all. On the editorial team for nearly 11 Diary Dates 4 years, and having broken in 5 editors, he has finally Ditcheat Ch. Rota 54 stepped but, thankfully, will continue to be responsible Ditcheat PC 47 for its online presence. The team would like to thank him Ditcheat Plan 41 Ditcheat School 18 wholeheartedly for his stamina, tact and diplomacy in D’cheat Big Screen 12 showing ‘newbies’ the ropes, humour when things went E.P. Parish Council 42 awry and generosity in always being available to sort Queen's Party 17 stuff out. And we would like to welcome to the team Tim Garden Section 23 Jutland 8 Sanders; may your time with us present some Milton Clevedon 38 gratification amidst the graft. Mothers Union 14 Natural World 27 And …Ditcheat Big Screen needs someone to take on a Pylle News 35 Royal Brit. Legion 12 leadership role. It is a fantastic community service as Theatre Trips 7 well as being an important fund raiser for the Jubilee Hall Wastenot wantnot 32 (p38). ‘Ditch the Kitch’ is only £5,000 away from the Weather 11 £30,000 it needs to build the school kitchen. See p19 for Who’s Who 55 Wildlife Group 31 ways to help them get there.

And may July, named for the month in which Julius Caesar was born, be more auspicious for you than for him; the name change was made in the year of his assassination. Enjoy the summer.

Margy Cockburn Tim Sanders www.fossetrinitynews.co.uk

The Fosse Trinity News is a community magazine. It is financed by advertising and donations. It is delivered FREE to every household in Ditcheat, Alhampton, East Pennard and Pylle. We welcome any contribution from anyone in the community of any age! The editors reserve the right to edit.

th Send copy by 15 of each month to [email protected]

For enquiries about advertising in the magazine, please contact John 01749 860457 or email [email protected] Closing date 10th of each month Cover Picture: © Rose Hubbard

Dates for your Diary

Every Week Pilates (9.00) Diana 860224 Clubbercise Fitness (6.30) Kylie 07707 778948 Mon Ditcheat Badminton Club (8.30) James 860355 Ditcheat and Pylle Singers (7.00) Di 07831 289945 Art Group – Fortnightly (10.00) Liz & Stewart 860755 Tue Tai Chi for Health (10.30) Richard 880308 Ditcheat Badminton Club (2.00) James 860355 Wed Ditcheat Short Mat Bowls (7.00) Martin 860780 Ditcheat and Pylle Singers (7.00) Di 07831 289945 Thu Keep Fit (9.15) Diana 860224 Fri Pilates (9.15) Mo 07815 748518 July 2016 Sat 2nd Spectra Musica concert 01747 841263 Thu 7th 2.30 Wildlife Garden Visit Bridget 860240 Thu 7th 8.15 The Alhamptonians Louisa 860252 Fri 8th 3.00 Royal British Legion – Charlie’s Studio Jon 850241 Fri 8th 7.30 Folk Dancing – Jubilee Hall Deirdre 860594 Tue 12th 10.00 Rendezvous – Jubilee Hall Diana 860224 Sat 16th Alhampton Village Party Louisa 860252 Sun 17th Great Weston Ride 22nd – 24th Milton Clevedon Arts Festival Page 32

Alhampton news

A final reminder about the party for all the 90 (and one 91) year-olds (including the queen) on 16 July. In case you have mislaid, or already recycled, last month’s issue the details are:- Time - 12 noon till about 4 pm. Place – Millbrook, on the left going down Mill Lane. Bring your own drink and glasses, utensils if you don’t want plastic ones, chairs or a picnic blanket if you can and some food to put on the tables for all to share. A tip to share from those setting up the fete in the past – it’s amazing what you can fit into a wheelbarrow. Any food is welcome, savoury or sweet, but needs to be something you can eat with your fingers or with a plastic fork or teaspoon. We will have these as well as some paper plates and napkins. The idea is that there should be as little clearing up to do as possible. Everyone is welcome and if you have family or friends you would like to bring along that is fine as long as you cater for them. Now all you need to do is hope for fine weather, though we do have the two party tents if the worst happens. A special plea from Stephen and Jinny – please no dogs!

What an amazing result for the open gardens. I was selling the tickets and, thinking that we would have far fewer people than in previous years because of the weather and all the other events on that day, I stocked up with a book and a bowl of salad for my lunch. That will help to pass the time, I thought. Well, we were so busy that the book stayed in the basket and I actually ate my ‘lunch’ at about quarter to five! Not that I am complaining – it was lovely to have so many people. And congratulations to all the gardeners and to Rose for her beautiful photographs – I heard a great number of complimentary remarks. Our garden can’t compete but we do have a lot of thick hedges and bushes and the result has been that we have been fortunate enough to have had several types of bird successfully rearing their brood including, for the first time, pied wagtails. One minor drawback to the hedge outside our bedroom window, which normally shields us from noise and weather, is that we can also hear very loud baby birds cheeping for food and it is a favourite place for some of the dawn chorus singers. It is good to hear them but sometimes it is a bit early! One special sight was three young thrushes hopping/flying along behind their mother amongst the virginia creeper on our neighbours’ garage. We assume that at least one wren prospered, as we saw a tiny one sitting at the edge of the hedge where the nest was, but it dived back into the middle as soon as it saw us. We also had a young woodpecker busily cleaning out an ants’ nest on the back lawn recently. We have also seen the crueller side of nature, though, as we have seen the magpies take the eggs from at least two nests and we found the remains of some baby blue tits as well.

Alhamptonians meet as usual on the first Thursday of the month – in July that is 7th. Come along any time from about 8.15 and stay for as long or as short a time as suits you.

Alhampton Open Gardens – the result!

10 gardens were open, 9 in Alhampton and one in Sutton, on Sunday 12th June. We thought last year’s total of over £1660 wouldn’t be beaten, especially as the weather wasn’t as kind; how wrong could we be!

If you started your tour at Millbrook House, the train was silent but the garden was glorious. Alham House triumphed again with tea and cake on the deck in this unique wrap-around garden. Langford Farmhouse’s parterre, sunken area and enviable espaliered pear tree were on view for the first time. Corner House was a revelation to some who’d never seen the huge area where vegetables are grown, just beyond the lovely walled garden. Canada House continues to intrigue with its quirks still in place, though some simplification for easier gardening. The Court’s gates were open to show off progress since its revamp, to display classical structure with a stunning lime avenue. In the No Through Road White Chimneys had another fantastic offering of tea and cake in its pretty, child-friendly garden. Our amazing organic gardens at Meadowside and Homeacres were open, showing two completely different approaches, both incredibly productive and with areas of great beauty. Then to Sutton to see Middle Farm House’s beautifully landscaped garden, perfumed by glorious roses.

The proceeds from the open gardens go towards Haddon Wood, which the Friends of Haddon Wood will be leasing from the Woodland Trust in the next couple of years. It’s the Woodland Trust’s policy to lease its woods to allow them to focus on creating new woodland, so we need to raise funds to carry on essential maintenance both now and when it becomes our full responsibility. Our ticket sales raised an extraordinary £1145 this year, and more than ever, many thanks are due to all those who generously opened their gardens. Thanks, too, to those who baked cakes, put up signs and bunting and did all the other odd jobs that make this day succeed. There are some people who deserve special mention. Louisa, ever organised, sold the programmes, explained everything, coped with everyone; Margy and Jo & Mark raised an extraordinary £584.19 through tea and cakes in their gardens; Gert potted up so many of his plants that he raised £165; Nell picked up all the slack on organising; Nick spent the afternoon stewarding car parking; Rose designed and printed the superb

6 programmes and posters, put on the photographic exhibition in the chapel, and produced Haddon Wood postcards, notebooks (bearing photographs of the wood) and pens for sale, which raised around £134.50 (orders still coming in!). You can buy these items, and copies of Rose’s photographs, just contact me if you’d like to do so.

We are so lucky to have Haddon Wood, and all these people willing to help raise money to support it – including you if you came along to visit! To find out more about the wood, see the blog http://www.friendsofhaddonwood.wordpress.com/ or contact me to join the Friends group – no cost, no obligation, just email updates and invitations to get involved if you choose to. Our gardens event this year raised £2028.69 at the time of writing this; astonishing for such a small village. Thank you all.

Hilary 860615 [email protected]

The Telfer family

Anne and her family would like to thank all the friends and neighbours, and everybody else who has been in touch, for their support during this difficult time. Their kind words and help have made a real difference and it is a comfort to know how well-known, and liked, Ian was.

Charity Theatre Trips to Bristol Hippodrome

The big news this month is that Matthew Bourne’s new dance show, The Red Shoes, based on the much-loved film, comes to Bristol in April. No surprise that it is selling out fast.

July trips are to Chicago (the musical – our coaches are not up to Atlantic crossing), Tue 5 Jul £43; Guys & Dolls, Wed 13 Jul £42; and The Rocky Horror Show (time to get out my little red dress, so I am told), Wed 20 Jul £36.

July also brings the deadline for bookings for Ghost, a fantastic musical based on the film, and just as good and as tear-jerking, with staggering magical effects; Tue 13 Sep £39.

We pick up in Curry Rivel, Langport, Somerton, then Keinton Mandeville and Shepton Mallet or Street and Wells. Full details of our trips can be found at www.theatretrips.webeden.co.uk or phone Chris on 01458 273085 to request a postal listing. All profits are donated to charity.

JUTLAND and other commemorations

2016 is a year of commemorations. On the positive side we rejoiced that our oldest and longest serving monarch turned 90 years old – twice if you count the real day and the official birthday.

But we also remember from a century ago those devastating encounters of the Great War from 1916 – Verdun, the Somme and, by sea, the great battle of Jutland.

Jutland has a personal ring for me because my maternal grandfather was a participant. Having joined the Royal Navy as a boy he rose through the ranks and by 1916, aged nearly 50, he was a Chief Gunner (a newish warrant officer rank, equivalent now to sub-lieutenant). Fortunately he was on HMS Ajax in the main fleet, commanded by Admiral Jellicoe, rather than the smaller flotilla led by Vice-Admiral Beatty, where the loss of life was almost certainly occasioned by the gun crews leaving open ‘safety doors’ to speed the firepower. This allowed flashbacks to enter the ammunition stores and hence six ships were literally blown apart.

I still have his ‘cocked hat’, jacket button inscribed ‘Ajax – Jutland 1916’, war medals and St Anne’s Medal presented to English officers by the Russian Tsar. Recently I have transcribed and edited his memoirs, written in 1958, when he was approaching 90 himself, and was amazed at his accuracy of detail.

Some words of Timothy Dudley Smith, himself just 90, who was briefly my bishop while in Norwich diocese: Lord, for the years your love has kept and guided us, urged and inspired us, cheered us on our way, sought us and saved us, pardoned and provided, Lord of the years, we bring our thanks today. Graham Hendy

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Ditcheat Weather - May 2016

May seemed to be a pretty ordinary month in our lovely village. My “notable” weather file had nothing written in it! Rainfall was lower than the 2 previous years and in line with the whole of the South West. Across the UK, rainfall was 92% of long-term averages.

Temperatures were slightly up, my mean temp was 12.9ºC compared with 11.3 nationally. I have changed the day count figures in the table at the foot of the page; we should not be expecting night time temperatures below zero and our daytimes should always be above 10ºC. The Jet stream still causes problems with wind direction. May seemed to have a lot of wind from the E to N direction. In fact the dominant direction was North, this gives us a chill feeling on our skin, even if the air temperature is warm. At this time of year we should be expecting wind from the South. Wind chill only affects warm blooded creatures, inanimate objects cannot experience a change in temperature due to wind speed / direction.

According to the Met Office, sunshine was 112% of average across the UK, the solar panels recorded 108% of predicted output - so I’m quite happy with that.

I was talking to Paul Barber one day and we were discussing the differences between recordings and observations of rain, in particular. He has a weather station at his house too! Weather is a funny subject, it’s very difficult to report on anything other than what we observe first-hand - be it via a weather station, or just our eyes and ears. The weather at one end of the village will be different to the other end and different again for those who live at the top of the hill, for example. My data relates to our garden, the weather station is not completely scientifically sited, it is too high for a start. I have to do that to avoid wind deflection by nearby houses. When I used to race sail boats, the effect of other nearby boats could have a big impact on performance due to wind shading. What I can do, however, is assess my data and comment on how it compares month to month and year to year. I’m sure we all forget. I know I do!

May Max Min >20c < 10c rain wet wind run deg c deg c days nights total days miles

2016 22.9 1.6 8 11 47.4 16 1733.5

2015 21.2 2.8 1 3 64.4 15 2080.5

2014 23.8 3.8 5 8 87.4 18 1594.6 Live weather … www.geoffwebber.co.uk/weather

DITCHEAT BIG SCREEN in association with MOVIOLA

HELP NEEDED

The Ditcheat Big Screen is run by a group of volunteers, co-ordinated by a “lead person”. However, our current lead has stepped down and this leaves a role to be filled.

As you may be aware, Ditcheat Big Screen is a significant fund raiser for the Hall as well as being a valued community activity. If we are unable to fill this role it is possible that Ditcheat Big Screen will discontinue.

If you may be interested in taking this role on then please contact me, Linda on 860067.

East Pennard Royal British Legion

The memorial service for Maurice Alexander Napier was held at East Pennard on 27th May and we were very fortunate to have with us Susie Dearden, who is one of his surviving relatives. The presence of a relative does drive it home that the person we are commemorating really did have a life and is not simply a name on a war memorial. It took a long time to research but this is what we found:

Maurice Alexander Napier was born in London in 1887. By 1891 he was living at 8 Windsor Villas, Bath, with his younger brother Walter, aged 2, and his parents, Arundel Berkeley Napier and Cecelia Jane Napier. Maurice’s father, Arundel, was raised at Pennard House, hence the connection with East Pennard. Maurice went to Hermitage House Prep School in Bath. At some stage the family moved to 33 Park Street, considerably closer to the school; both buildings still exist. By the 1901 census the boys had a younger sister, Violet. Maurice, now 13 years old, would have moved on to another school; unfortunately, we cannot discover which school that was. However, we do know that Walter went on to Sherborne School for Boys.

The next piece of information we have is taken from the London Gazette dated 22nd December 1905 which states that: “M A Napier, Gentleman, to be Second Lieutenant in the 3rd Battalion of The Essex Regiment”. So, we must assume this is when Maurice joined the Army as an officer, aged 18. The London Gazette dated 22nd May 1908, some three years later, states Lieutenant M A Napier (so he had been promoted) moved from The Essex Regiment to The Cheshire Regiment. The 1911 census shows Maurice as a Lieutenant, aged 23, single, and in the 2nd Battalion of The Cheshire Regiment, ready to sail or already en- route to India. We do know that on the 4th August 1914, the Regiment was stationed at Jubbulpore, India.

Presumably, because of the outbreak of war, the Regiment returned to England, disembarking at Devonport, Plymouth, on Christmas Eve 1914. The Regiment didn’t spend much time in England because, by the 17th January 1915, they had embarked from Southampton and landed in Le Havre. The Regiment was involved in the second battle of Ypres where it suffered many casualties, and then fought at the battle of Loos.

The next information we have about Maurice is taken from his obituary which appeared in the Bath Chronicle dated Saturday 3rd June 1916. Maurice had been promoted to Captain on the 5th December 1914. He was then appointed temporary Major in 1915, presumably because he had been attached to the Welsh Regiment where he was appointed second in command of his Battalion. He was in the firing line for 6 or 7 months and had been at home on leave in Bath shortly before he was killed in action back in France in 1916. Major Maurice Alexander Napier is buried in the Rue-du-Bacquerot Graveyard, Laventie, France where he is Remembered with Honour. Within ten days, we were back at East Pennard to commemorate the life of yet another of our Fallen; this time it was Reginald Thomas Little, and once again we were very fortunate to find a relative still in the local area. This is Pearl Emery, and Reginald’s sister, Susan, was Pearl’s mother. It was slightly easier to research Reginald and this is what we discovered:

Reginald Thomas Little was born in the village of East Pennard, probably in Yew Tree Cottage, which is where he was raised. There is some confusion about his date of birth. The parish record states the birth was registered between October and December 1898 and we must assume this to be correct; it does correspond with the two censuses of 1901 and 1911. However, the military records state his date of birth to be 11th October 1896, and that he was 20 years old when he was killed in 1916. Did he pretend to be older than he was in order to join up? We will never know. His family were local people. His Dad, Arthur, was born in Glastonbury and was at one time a mason’s labourer. His Mum, Emily, was born in West Bradley and between them they had six children, Frederick, Walter, Annie, Susan and Reginald’s little sister, Dorothy.

Unfortunately, we have not been able to track down any of Reginald’s enlistment details, but we do know that he joined the Royal Marine Light Infantry, that his service number was PO/17910, and that he was serving on HMS Hampshire at the time of his death. We do know quite a bit about HMS Hampshire, though, and the events leading up to Reginald’s death. Hampshire was one of six Devon Class armoured cruisers and was present at the Battle of Jutland, the 100th anniversary of which has just been commemorated. She was ordered back to Scapa Flow in the Orkneys to take Lord Kitchener to Russia. There is some debate about the purpose of this trip and also some rumours that a considerable amount of gold had been taken on aboard, presumably, to give to the Russians.

We do know that Hampshire set off from Scapa Flow in very poor weather conditions. It was so bad that her two escorts were soon left behind and Hampshire pressed on alone. She was still technically “off the Orkneys” when she struck a mine laid by a German submarine. We know the submarine which laid the mine was U-75 and she was captained by Kapitanleutnant Beitzen. HMS Hampshire rolled over and sank very quickly. Of her crew of 655, only 7 survived. The military records state that Reginald was “killed as a direct result of enemy action”, another military source saying that he was “killed by a mine explosion “off The Orkneys”. Some of his shipmates, whose bodies were recovered, are buried in the Lyness Royal Navy Cemetery on Hoy. Reginald’s body was never recovered and he is Remembered with Honour on the Royal Naval Memorial at Portsmouth.

Such is the nature of war and the number of casualties, that we are back to Ditcheat on 1st July to commemorate the life of Arthur Charles White. The 1st July is a Friday and the service will be at 11.00hrs. Already there is some confusion - was he “Arthur Charles White” or “Charles Arthur White” or even plain old “Arthur White”?

Our next branch meeting will be held at Charlie’s on Friday 8th July at 3pm.

St Dunstan's Mothers' Union enjoyed a very pleasant outing to the Bishop's Palace in Wells on Thursday 9th June. We were blessed with a lovely Summer afternoon which greatly enhanced our time wandering around the delightful gardens. There was a most interesting exhibition of beautiful vestments, some centuries old, from Wells Cathedral and Downside Abbey. Several of us spent some time in quiet contemplation in the Bishop's Chapel and very much appreciated the peaceful atmosphere prevailing there. The afternoon ended with us sitting at tables outside enjoying tea and delicious cakes and the surroundings. Having organised the outing we were sorry Mrs Jill Done was unable to be with us due to illness, we wish her a good recovery.

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Queen’s Birthday Party - Folly Drive

On Saturday, 11th June, the residents of Folly Drive and their friends threw a street party to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday. Despite living in “Upper Ditcheat”, Kate and I were invited to join the festivities. Numerous people, including some who could not attend due to prior engagements, contributed to the event with food, drink, chairs, tables, decorations and shelter. Despite a grey and damp afternoon, the rain managed to hold off long enough for everyone to spend a pleasant few hours chatting with friends. Some “royal” face masks added to the fun, with a few scary pictures resulting! Charles Evans raised a toast to the Queen and Prince Phillip. A delicious celebration cake was cut and shared by all - yum yum! Geoff Webber

Thank you

I would like to say a huge thank you to friends and strangers alike who donated most generously to my 5K run for Race for Life.

I had some interesting reactions to my disguise from:”Do come in” – brave I thought - to: “You should wear short skirts and long hair more often.”

I do apologise to one Ditcheat resident for scaring their cat who took one look and fled!

I raised the magnificent sum of £458.36.

Thank you so much.

Barbara Cary

Ditcheat School – Fun Day

The school enjoyed a wonderful fete on Saturday 28th May with lots of exciting attractions. Some of the most popular events of the day included: a dog show, face painting, country dancing, barbecue and fun run. The parents worked so hard to create a very special day and raised lots of money. They have now raised £24,000 towards the school's new kitchen and are heading towards their total of £30,000.

“Ditch the Kitch”

This is our first official post for the FTN, we wanted to tell you more about our charity and our current project, Ditch the Kitch!

Who are we? Friends of Ditcheat School (FoDS) is our school association consisting of parents, staff and friends from the local community. FoDS works very closely with the school to enrich the children's experiences by funding visits, buying equipment, paying for visitors to come in and supporting a number of social occasions throughout the school year. We are a registered charity: 1040376.

Ditch the Kitch? What’s the project? We have a fantastic cook, Ann Cooper, who makes the school lunches fresh on site daily. The problem is the kitchen is more of a cupboard and not fit for purpose! Ann is known to come in at 5:30am on roast dinner days to ensure the meals are ready on time. We are so lucky to have Ann, the children not only adore her, they just love her fabulous home-cooked food. We simply have to get a kitchen that works, with the ability to handle potentially 85 meals a day, to secure the future of hot meals at our school. At the end of our school hall there is a large storage room which would make an ideal kitchen. To relocate the kitchen and create more storage we require £30,000! We have taken on the task of raising this amount and named the fundraising project “Ditch the Kitch”.

How’s the fundraising going? After working very hard and holding several events over the last school year, we currently have around £25,000. We are now desperately trying to raise the remaining £5000 so we can start the building work. This is proving to be a big challenge which we hope to achieve.

Can you help? Race Night: Saturday 23rd July @ 7pm, save the date! The Race Night is our last fundraising event for the school year and is for locals to come and enjoy. We are just finalising the details as this goes to press!! But please look out for the many posters we will have around the village and on the noticeboards. Tickets will be just £3, don’t miss out – this will be a night to remember!

Just Giving: We have set up a final fundraising page online using Just Giving, we can also benefit from gift aid. If you would like to make a donation online or see how close we are to our target, please visit: www.justgiving.com/ditchthekitch

Thank you We have been so thrilled with the support we have received from the village already. Thank you for the donations, support and advice so far.

Please feel free to contact me and I hope to see you all at the race night!

Katy Bryant Friends of Ditcheat School Chairperson 860453 [email protected]

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Gardening

This is just the best time to enjoy the garden. There is produce if you have a veggie patch, fruit and an abundance of blooms. The garden does seem a bit late this year. Mine is lacking in colour which is unusual for June. However, the ground is so dry it is surprising anything is surviving. The peas were positively wilting last night. Fear not, it is my annual holiday on Saturday and the forecast is 100% chance of rain for the first five days. Brilliant.

To keep that abundance of blooms keep dead heading, i.e. remove the blooms once they have faded. This will not only stop them producing seed but will also throw energy back into the plant and encourage new buds and, hopefully, a second flowering. Other perennials will have finished flowering and look very tatty. Cut these back hard to encourage new foliage.

Once shrubs have finished flowering it is a good time of year to give them a good pruning. Remove all the dead wood and any old stems that are crossing over one another. Try to open up the middle of the plant to help promote new stems next year.

Hedges can be pruned, but do check and see whether there are any birds nesting before brandishing hedge trimmers.

Hanging baskets and pots should be looking really good now. They do need a lot of watering but it is worth it. If you didn’t use a slow release fertiliser in the compost, feed once every fortnight with something like Phostrogen or an All Purpose Plant Food.

The vegetable patch, if anything like mine, is full to bursting. A good deal of it will be ready to harvest whilst I am away. Whoever ends up watering in my absence should have a lovely time… If you do have any space this is a good time to plant broccoli, calabrese, kale and cauliflower for winter. Leeks and other brassicas can also be planted out.

The greenhouse is full with tomatoes, peppers, aubergines and lots of unusual herbs which are being grown for market. An old favourite, Summer Savoury, is doing particularly well. If you haven’t tried this herb do try and get hold of it. The flavour really does taste of summer and seems to be a mix of Thyme, Oregano and perhaps Parsley all rolled into one. It doesn’t normally survive the winter (in my house) but is easily grown each year. Seeds are available at Cary Market on a Tuesday. Greek Basil is also doing well. This is nothing like the supermarket Basil and again has the aroma but looks and tastes a bit like Thyme. Completely different. Seeds also available at the market.

Keep the greenhouse well ventilated and apply a shade paint if it is really getting too hot.

All sorts of fruit should be ready to harvest now, such as early apples and plums, currants, gooseberries, raspberries and blueberries. Sadly, the birds enjoy these as much as we do so, where possible, cover the plants with netting to try and keep them at bay. This applies to peaches, apricots and nectarines as well. To encourage summer-fruiting raspberries to produce a good crop, prune all canes that fruited this year right to the base. This allows new stems to develop.

The weather, thus far, has been very dry. In times of drought conditions, raise the mower to a higher cut. If it gets really dry it is quite a good idea to leave the clippings on the lawn as they act as a mulch and will help conserve moisture. It doesn’t look very pretty. It is worth remembering that although lawns do die back in extreme weather conditions it is very rare for them to die completely. The lawn will grow back when the rain returns.

To continue with this drought theme (and absolutely ensure it will rain whilst I am away) do remember to water trees and shrubs, particularly if they haven’t been in the ground for long.

It was Castle Cary market again this morning and, as promised, I have started supplying both sweet and savoury gluten-free goodies, including large slices of Asparagus and Cheddar Cheese or Caramelised Leek, Courgette and Goat’s Cheese tarts, Peanut Butter Cookies and Almond Shortbread to name but a few. (The cheese and butter purchased locally, of course). The first offerings went down very well. It is a lovely market with interesting stalls including fresh fish, vegetables, organic vegetables, herbal teas, meat, artisan bread and plants. My stall sells Franchi Seeds from Italy with an ever-changing range, herbs, home and garden wares, soaps, candles and gluten-free foods. This morning we had a great debate on the EU referendum in between serving customers. Do come along, many familiar faces from Ditcheat are there each week.

Happy Gardening.

DITCHEAT BOOK GROUP Karen Joy Fowler’s We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves Review by Clare West

Rosemary used to be a great talker when she was a child but, now she’s a young woman at college, she’s surprisingly silent. She used to have an older brother and a sister, whom she adored, but both have disappeared from her life, and she misses them badly.

Moving backwards and forwards in time, Rosemary sketches in the events of her childhood and adolescence, and gradually we find out about the event that has so damaged her entire family. Her voice is articulate and funny, and the characters in the story range from zany to completely off-the-wall. But underlying this lively narrative of smalltown American family and then college life, there is a tragedy at its very core. Rosemary has to deal with her feelings of pain and loss on a daily basis, and the worst thing for her is that she isn’t quite sure what actually happened. The book is part psychological mystery, as she attempts to wrestle the truth, or an acceptable version of it, out of her blurred childhood memories.

There are so many issues raised by this novel. What are the qualities that distinguish humans from animals? What is the justification for using animals in scientific experiments? What legal status should animals have? Are scientific ideas less important than emotion and lived experience? Is a structured academic environment the best way for most people to learn? Are there certain choices that parents should not make for their children? Do siblings ever get over their innate rivalry? Do we ‘remember’ things which never actually happened? Can we ever relive and correct the past? How can we deal with our feelings of responsibility and guilt for our actions?

The story races along, packed with black humour and scientific asides. Finally, there is a resolution in which most of the characters come to terms with what happened. But not all; one family member is still out there, looking for some kind of redemption, in a self-imposed exile. And the gaping hole remains at the family’s heart.

Joanna Miln Jinny Wessel Linda Stalley

Wales Barn Group

11th Exhibition and sale of Pottery, Paintings, Leather, Pearls and Knitted Wire Jewellery

Saturday 30th & Sunday 31st July 10.30am – 5.00pm The Davis Hall West Camel BA22 7QX (Just south of A303)

Commissions taken: Free Admission Cream Teas and Refreshments

Jane Evans Rachel Reilly Caroline Morrow

The Natural World

The countryside has ground to a halt. Now there’s a sweeping statement. Of course it hasn’t, but a lot of the reproductive side of things has been completed and life seems calm and tranquil. Bee swarming should have finished by now, but read Anthony Sutcliffe’s article (page 37) to see how complicated things can get. The vast majority of hedgerow blossom has come and gone, with a few notable exceptions. Bramble has just started to come into bloom and, with the possible help of lime trees, will provide my bees with some wonderful forage through the summer. Already there is plenty of honey in the hives, but none in jars as yet.

There is one place that simply bursts with life at this time of year, and it is an area that most people have some knowledge of, but few delve into fully. Quite a few of us have ponds, but are we fully conversant with what is in them, or nearby streams? We all know that there are innumerable frogs in the area, but seemingly fewer toads, and although that is true, toads aren’t really water bound animals. They are far more likely to be found away from water at this time of year. They breed in water, and their offspring spend their formative stages in water, but after that they are very much landlubbers. They are strictly nocturnal and lead a solitary existence, except during the mating season, so that might explain why they are seemingly uncommon.

What is in the water then? We are lucky in this area that we have both common (smooth) newts and great crested ones as well. They, too, breed in water, but then spend a lot of their time on land. That’s covered the amphibians, which all prefer standing water, but what about other creatures? I deal with my bees on a regular basis, but other insects seem to come under the banner of creepy crawlies, and get bad press as a result; a shame as some are truly stunning, if a little awesome. Most standing water will soon deliver its glorious harvest of dragonflies and damsel flies, but of which variety? There are 5300 Beautiful Demoiselle species worldwide, but we only have 38 in Britain. Damselflies are the small slim ones, which, with two notable exceptions, like still water, but those two exceptions are magnificent. Soon the larvae will climb the stalk of a stream- side plant and shed their outer skins to reveal absolute beauty. The Beautiful Demoiselle really lives up to its name and it can easily be seen fluttering along the banks of the Alham at this time of year. The Banded Demoiselle is nearly as good looking, but has a hard act to follow.

There are dragonflies galore about to brighten the lives of those who are prepared to travel a little. Seek out some standing water, like the pool at the top of Ditcheat hill, or go slightly farther afield. The rhynes and disused peat diggings of the levels are laden with all types of dragonflies (hawkers, darters, skimmers and chasers). The large, slender dragonflies are the hawkers and some of these grow to 80mm (3.5 inches), although they Southern Hawker seem bigger. We have Southern Hawkers in a very small pond. Chasers are smaller, hardly ever exceeding 30mm in length and having a much stouter abdomen. Darters are about the same size, with body shapes resembling the larger hawkers and some species following the body shape of the chasers. There are only two species of Skimmers recorded in the UK, but there is a chance that you might see either the black tailed, or keeled skimmer on the Somerset Levels.

Broad bodied chaser

Contrary to common belief, dragonflies live a lot longer than just one day. In fact, once hatched, it takes them a few days to mature and they can then live for several weeks, like most other insects. I love to see these creatures flying over the countryside, sometimes a considerable distance from water. Their food is garnered from a variety of other insects, from which they remove the wings, before devouring the rest of the body. If that wasn’t quite gruesome enough for you, it might interest you to know that the monstrous jaws of the alien in the film starring Sigourney Weaver, were modelled on the mouth parts of none other than dragonfly larvae.

If you would like to know more about dragonflies, go to http://www.british- dragonflies.org.uk/

Stewart Gould email: [email protected]

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CHURCH SERVICES FOR JULY

Sunday 3rd Thomas the Apostle 9.30 a.m. Parish Communion at Ditcheat – Revd. Canon Graham Hendy 11.00 a.m. Morning Worship at East Pennard – Revd. Canon Graham Hendy

Sunday 10th 7th Sunday after Trinity 11.00 a.m. Parish Communion at Pylle – Revd. Canon Graham Hendy

Tuesday 12th 10.00 a.m. Midweek Benefice Communion at Ditcheat – Revd. Canon Graham Hendy

Sunday 17th St Mary Magdalene, 8th Sunday after Trinity 9.30 a.m. Patronal Festival Parish Communion at Ditcheat – Revd. Canon Graham Hendy 11.00 a.m. Parish Communion at East Pennard – Mrs Jean Halford

Sunday 24th 9th Sunday after Trinity 9.30 a.m. Parish Communion at Alhampton – Revd. Canon Graham Hendy 6.30 p.m. Beekeepers Service at Pylle – Revd. Canon Graham Hendy

Sunday 31st 10th Sunday after Trinity 11.00 a.m. United Benefice Communion at Pylle – Revd. Canon Graham Hendy

CHURCH SERVICES FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY IN AUGUST

Sunday 7th 11th Sunday after Trinity 9.30 a.m. United Benefice Communion at Ditcheat – Revd. Canon Graham Hendy

The Wildlife Group Update

The May Walk with Nightingales We had a tremendous evening walking with the Nightingales, just over the county border to Alners Gorse & Lydlinch Common in Dorset.

We heard Nightingales as soon as we arrived and they accompanied us throughout the walk at Alners Gorse, with the background music of the more commonplace but beautiful bird song. The turf was grazed by horses and it promised a stunning display of wildflowers later in the year. We came across an albino Bugle plant (see photo) and Lady's Smock was interesting for two reasons. These Dorset ones were much paler than our ones around Ditcheat and there was a naturally occurring double-flowered specimen. We enjoyed seeing the Lesser Spearwort (illustrated below). We moved on to Lydlinch Common and to the song of Nightingales we saw large numbers of beautiful Early Purple Orchids. On our way out of the common we saw the foliage of Creeping Jenny, a common Thanks for the photos John horticultural plant growing in its native surrounds.

About nine of us hived off to a suitably ornithological-sounding pub, the "Bird in Hand", which rounded off the evening very convivially. We love to have new people join our trips, please leave a phone number or contact email, so I can get back to you.

Tips: Have a little bridge of rocks or plants near your wildlife pond for Toads & frogs.

Meeting up: 7th July 2.30pm Garden Visit for Wildlife. £5 pp, children free 1st August 8.00pm Bat Walk

Contact information: Bridget Wadey: email: [email protected] or phone: 01749 860240

Recognise the mystery bird? Sarah's photo at W. Lydford, possibly now in Parbrook. Answers by email or phone to Bridget before 10th of July.

Answer to June's photo competition was Marbled White butterfly. Keep sending the photos in, they're great fun.

You can follow our activities by:  joining our emailing list; contact Bridget see above  through the FTN news (www.fossetrinitynews.co.uk), there is usually a monthly update on the Wildlife group  or www.ditcheatchurch.co.uk, this site publishes our meetings and activities as they happen. The Wildlife Group has its own tag

Waste Note, Want Not If you have anything you are thinking of throwing out, that someone else may get use out of, then advertise it on this page. No money changes hands. If, after a while, no one has been in contact, then you throw it out.

Plastic flower pots, various sizes. Daphne 860287

Accounts Bookkeeping

Payroll Tax/Self-Assessment VAT Management Accounts

www.hs-accounts.co.uk e-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01749 860857

Old Bank House High Street, Castle Cary Somerset, BA7 7AW All kinds of legal advice and castlecary@bgw- assistance available, both solicitors.co.uk Tel: 01963 350888 efficiently and economically. Fax: 01963 351107

PYLLE NEWS

Church Flowers and cleaning July Carolyn Fussell August Hilary Hiscox September Debbie Rossiter If the church is locked please contact the church wardens: Teresa 831419, Hilary 830538, Carolyn Fussell 830120, or Alan Cary 07896945936 to obtain a key.

Ladies Working Party - Joanna Miln 01749 838757 We had our normal meeting in the Coffee Den at the beginning of June. Our next meeting will be on 6th July in the coffee Den – raffle from Margaret please. Wednesday 3rd August will be our annual summer outing when we will have lunch at Cole Manor. Wendy will take your lunch order at the July meeting. Raffle from Debbie please.

Church Spring Clean church wardens Teresa 831419, Hilary 830538: Sadly the great cleaner we have used for the spring clean in the church over the last few years has become ill and so is unable to do the job for us this year. If you can recommend anybody to spring clean Pylle church please will you let us know their name and contact details? Thank you.

Harvest Supper Friday 23rd September The Harvest Festival church service will take place on Sunday 11th September. Unfortunately, the team who organise the Harvest supper are not available the following day on Monday 12th so we have had to move the Supper to Friday 23rd September to avoid its cancellation. The format of the evening will be the same as last year, so put the date in your dairy and come and enjoy a great evening.

Pylle Pageant 1862 - - - And 2016 Well, the weather was kind to us, the location was breath-taking and everyone appeared to have a good time; Pylle Pageant 1862 can be deemed to have been a great success. Many thanks to all involved. The Book of the Pageant and the DVD are now both in production and we hope to have a viewing in the not too distant future. For those who have expressed an interest in acquiring a copy of both, the images will not be duplicated. Our gift to Anabel and Bill for allowing us to make use of their home for the occasion (a photograph of the Rectory c.1905), is now at the framers and will shortly be handed over.

We are still missing one bowler hat. If you can help locate it please ring me on 830538.

From Our Religious Affairs Correspondent The council has shown no sign of repairing the pathway adjacent to the church, so we have done it ourselves. The next major undertaking will be the Quinquennial Inspection of the building. Fingers crossed that all will be well.

Workshops in Pylle Village Hall We are offering a variety of workshops in Pylle village hall this summer including Acrylic landscape painting, willow workshops and pastel animals: ‘Paint the Summer’

Relaxed friendly acrylic landscape painting workshops on 20th and 22nd July 10am-4pm. £60 includes 5 hours tuition, basic material, tea and coffee. (Please bring packed lunch and your own brushes.) Places limited to 4 per day so book early with full payment to confirm your place. Contact Miriam Sheppard on 07717805667 or [email protected] Willow Workshops

All willow workshops are suitable for beginners with all materials provided including tea and coffee. Willow birds: 20th July 2-5pm £35 Bring a picture of the bird you want to create. Willow Baskets 23rd July and 17th August 10am – 3pm £60 Make a small frame basket. (Please bring a packed lunch) Places limited to 5 per day so book early with full payment to confirm your place. Contact Angela Morley on [email protected]

Joanna Miln is running her pastel workshops painting animals and has 2 spaces left on 20th July. See her website for details: www.joannamiln.co.uk

To hire Pylle village Hall: During the first 2 weeks of July please contact Jeremy Branson on 830181. At all other times please contact Joanna Miln 838757

BEES UNDER THE CHURCH ROOM

As if dry rot under the chancel floor in the church earlier in the year was not enough, the church room has recently been challenged by an under-floor invasion, this time by a large swarm of bees! Following an anxious call from Kevin at the Manor, alerting us that there was a heightened level of bee activity in the car park, closer inspection traced the source to an air vent at the bottom of the church room wall. An alert was put out to our resident swarm man, Stewart, but he was busy at the Bath & West and couldn’t attend for a few days; in the meantime, anxious eyes were kept, (from a safe distance!), on the comings and goings under the church room. Crafty creatures bees: they knew that we would have to bash down the front wall of their new home to get at them. So, suitably attired with gloves, masks and smocks, Stewart and I removed the air vent, only to find that the main swarm, where the queen was probably residing, was about two metres further down a pipe. Ingenuity being a critical qualification of a swarm man, Stewart rigged up a household brush secured to the end of a long garden hoe, and the bees, not entirely happy with the ensuing disruption, were carefully removed. But had we got the queen? The bee box was left overnight and the next day there seemed to be a reasonable number of bees in it, but this was not enough to convince Stewart who advised leaving it for another day. The following day`s inspection satisfied him and so the box, with apparently up to about 25,000 occupants, was transported away. Many thanks Stewart and bon voyage to the bees! Anthony Sutcliffe

CALLING ALL BEE-KEEPERS!

After a successful evening service at Pylle a few months ago where the theme was bell- ringing, we turn this month to BEES & BEEKEEPERS.

All Beekeepers please note the date in your diary – Sunday 24 July @ 6.30 pm. However, from 5.00 pm the church will be open, tea and cake will be served, a demonstration hive and other apiary artefacts present.

I hope to invite as many Beekeepers as possible, but I gather there are at least 2 dozen in Ditcheat alone. So, if you don’t hear directly, please come along and join in.

The service will be specially devised to focus on bees, which is a feat in itself perhaps. Please bring along some pots of your honey and these may be sold before and after the short service. GH MILTON CLEVEDON ART FESTIVAL

The village of Milton Clevedon is staging an Arts Festival in July to raise money for its lovely church set in the farmyard of a working dairy farm:

 Friday 8th July “My Life with Flowers”, talk and demonstration by Michael Bowyer, St James’ Church, Milton Clevedon, 7.00pm  Sunday 10th July “Vintage Mosaic Workshop”, led by Ruth Ames-White. Milton Clevedon village, 10.30am-4.30pm  Friday 22nd July “Helen Habershon & Friends”, classical concert inspired by nature, St Peter’s Church, Evercreech, 7.30pm  Saturday 23rd July “A Blues Night”, music by Doctor Dash with a bar and food, Manor Farm, Milton Clevedon, 7.00pm  Saturday 23rd to Sunday 24th July, Milton Clevedon Arts Festival, talks, workshops, exhibitions, food and drink, 10.30am-5.00pm

Delicious food and drink will be available to keep the creative spirit alive! A Grand Draw with first prize of a portrait by John Staib will be drawn at the end of the weekend.

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DITCHEAT PARISH PLAN – WILDLIFE & CONSERVATION GROUP

The Seasonal Changes Diary Final Entry

Top bird sighting of the month has to be a Little Egret under Alhampton Bridge but, apart from that, there have been sightings of Bullfinches, Goldfinches in abundance, and various Tit families. House Sparrows are also beginning to accumulate in larger numbers. One particularly exciting sighting must be a family of Green Woodpeckers regularly visiting the feeders in a garden near the stables. Whilst idly gazing out of our bedroom window the other day I saw a Swift disappear into the gable end of a house opposite. Later on, at a more alert moment, I saw and that it flew towards the gable end of the house and then swooped upwards at the last minute and literally disappeared under the verge tile where it has its nest; absolutely brilliant to watch!!

Finally a Grey Wagtail has been seen near to the Alhampton footpath, a second one was present last year apparently and they may have nested under the footpath bridge at that time.

We have a report of another lonely hearts club incident! There has been a sighting of a male Broad Bodied Labellula Dragonfly with its blue abdomen around a fairly new pond on the Ditcheat portion of Alhampton Road, whereas a female with her brown abdomen with yellow spots down the side has been spotted in the ditch in fields behind Back Lane. They are a bit too far apart I fancy.

A detailed report of sightings in Wraxall include Barn Owl which is quite rare as well as Deer(Roe), Fox, Bullfinches, Whitethroat, Moorhen complete with offspring, Goldfinches, but alas no Hedgehogs!

So that is it, my final article on the seasonal changes in the Parish. I am extremely grateful for all the contributions from everyone concerned. I now have to work out how to present it all in a readable format that is also an archive document for use in years to come.

Jan Robson 01749 860444, or email: [email protected]

REPORT OF EAST PENNARD PARISH COUNCIL ANNUAL ASSEMBLY Held on Thursday, 12th May 2016 in the Church Room

Present: Adrian Pearse (Chairman), Kim Beer, Roger Cock, Martin Dearden (Vice Chairman), Paul Heal, Matt Golledge (East Pennard Relief in Need Charity), Hilary Tripp (Minute Secretary) & one member of the public

1. Apologies Audrey Dyson 2. Appoint a Chairman Adrian Pearse was proposed as chairman for this meeting. 3. Minutes of last meeting The minutes of the last meeting were signed by the chairman as being a true record. 4. Financial Report The report was circulated. We are in a good position as there is £4,585 in the bank, with outstanding liabilities of £500 owed to the School Room Group once the lease is finalised. A sum of £2,000 needs to be held in reserve in case there is a full-cost election. 5. Adoption of Accounts The accounts were adopted on the proposal of Martin Dearden and seconded by Kim Beer. 6. United Charities Report Matt Golledge presented this report. Annual income was £598. The closing balance (31/12/15) was £2,892. It has been decided that some of the money from the current account will be used to buy additional shares so as to increase the return from the dividends which are available for charitable work in the Parish. 7. Chairman’s Report The year began with the election of 2 new councillors – Kim Beer and Roger Cock.

It has been a quiet year with mostly mundane matters.

Planning: Pylle Solar – the envisaged scheme has been partially constructed, and with very little disruption. Some of the screening has also been planted. There is a vague possibility that the promised ‘local funding’ might emerge. The most dramatic domestic scale planning item is the Lodge. Otherwise applications were of a routine nature.

Highway Management: A mild winter, so little additional damage but a slowly increasing number of potholes. No progress on the problem by Carpenters’ Yard in spite of the intervention of our County Councillor.

Glastonbury Festival: The liaison process continues. In many aspects, such as security, problem areas have been resolved. Village parking issues/management during the Festival still requires implementation of a better system. Cockmill Lane controls are not working. Wider parish traffic/Worthy View access well-resolved.

Very slight public attendance. Premises only barely usable, but lease to SRG now agreed and awaiting completion so prospect of improvement.

Thanks to: Audrey Dyson, Clerk since 1974. Amanda Reynolds, who retired on health grounds as Minutes Secretary, replaced by Hilary Tripp. Martin Mogg, the internal auditor.

The meeting closed at 8pm.

REPORT of EAST PENNARD PARISH COUNCIL MEETING Held on Thursday, 12th May 2016 in the Church Room

Present Adrian Pearse (Chairman), Kim Beer, Roger Cock, Martin Dearden (Vice Chairman), Paul Heal, Hilary Tripp (Minute Secretary) & two members of the public

1. Apologies Audrey Dyson 2. Minutes The minutes of the last meeting were signed by the Chairman as being a true record. 3. Matters Arising Meeting with Glastonbury Festival on 17th May at 6pm. Martin Dearden will be talking about local complaints.

Drain issues at Carpenter’s Yard: This is still an ongoing problem. Adrian Pearse to liaise with Nigel Woollcombe-Adams about this and drains in the triangle.

Pylle Solar: There have been no recent issues with this.

Old signposts: Some concern that these were in a bad state, but there is no money from the county to repair them. Martin Dearden is to tackle the one near him. A suggestion was made for an ‘adopt a signpost’ scheme. If and when the Community Fund becomes available it could be used for upkeep of the verges and signposts.

The precept: This has been received.

Heritage at Risk Register: The stone bridge at Cockmill has also been included on the register by Pilton Parish Council.

4. Financial Report The precept has been received. There is a balance of £4,585. Cheques were signed for SALC (Somerset Association of Local Councils) and for insurance.

5. Planning Applications Coppins, Fosseway To remove a rear extension and construct a 2 storey extension. Approved with conditions

The Lodge To demolish an existing garage and replace with 3 parking spaces and an extension and loft conversion to the existing dwelling. Approved with conditions

Rosebank, Pye Hill To knock down barns and put up a new improved one. Returned as no objections

6. Church Room The Lease is in the final stages; it now has to go to the Charities Commission for signing off. Paul Heal warned that there might need to be a public notice period (a month) although, since everyone has agreed, this may not be necessary. There was concern about who would have responsibility for the building - the lease stipulates that the building has to be returned in no worse a condition than when leased. The School Room Group is planning a schedule of repairs; they will apply for grants once they have the lease. 7. Queen’s Birthday Medal These are available from MDC, but there is a minimum order of 50 (£99-50). It was suggested that those interested investigate online purchase as a purely parish scheme was not thought viable. 8. Correspondence Disclosable Pecuniary Interests: A letter from MDC states that there has been a steady increase in complaints about councillors not putting all of their interests on the form. There is a list of clauses in the letter which councillors need to be aware of. Members of the committee have all filled in the forms and met statutory requirements. 9. Date of Next Meeting This will be on Thursday 4th August 2016 at 7.30pm

The meeting closed at 8.50pm.

A. TREVENEN PASCOE BSc. (Hons) Ost. Med. ND. OSTEOPATH 42 High Street Shepton Mallet Somerset BA4 5AS Tel. (01749) 342594 PPP/AXA and BUPA recognised

Précis of the draft minutes from the Ditcheat Parish Council (PC) meeting held on the 19th May 2016.

PRESENT: Chairman – Councillor Evans (CE); Councillors Harrison (HH), Clark (HC), Dando (JD), Clifford (SC), Hughes (LH) and Yeoman (RY). IN ATTENDANCE: Miss P Griffiths – Clerk to the Council. BY INVITATION: District Councillor John Greenhalgh (JG). Apology for absence from Councillors Hutton (RH) were received and approved. PCSO Dury sent his apologies. ELECTION OF CHAIRPERSON of the Parish Council for the year 2016 – 2017 and signing of declaration of acceptance of office. Following a proposal by JD, seconded by HH, it was resolved by unanimous vote to elect Charles Evans as Chairman for the year 2016 – 2017. CE signed the Declaration of Acceptance which was countersigned by the Clerk as the Proper Officer. ELECTION OF VICE-CHAIRPERSON for the year 2016 - 2017. On a proposal by CE seconded by HC, it was resolved by unanimous vote to elect Roger Hutton as Vice-Chairman for the year 2016 – 2017. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION – Opportunity for members of the public to address the Parish Council. The Chairman invited members of the public present to address the Council if they wished to do so. Mr Staddon addressed the Council to explain the rationale behind the planning application that he had submitted, see Min 077/16 a) 2) and asked for the PC’s support. Mr Thring, who is a neighbour of Mr Staddon, spoke on behalf of himself and his wife to state that whilst he had no fundamental objections to the planning proposal as detailed by Mr Staddon he did however have some concerns which he expressed to the Council about some of the details within the application, and how the work would be carried out. Mr Giles Barber addressed the Council on behalf of AJ & RG Barber Ltd to give some context for the planning application which had been submitted for a two storey extension to the main office, see Min 077/16 a) 3). COUNTY AND DISTRICT COUNCILLORS REPORTS – JG gave a brief update on matters relating to the District Council:  The five-way contract with the district councils and Capita has now been signed and would commence immediately for the four other councils however the changes to MDC would commence on in mid-June.  Devolution to the South West (Devon and Somerset) – the Government’s insistence on the election of a mayor as part of the devolution process was considered not relevant by MDC who would not commit to such an appointment. However, the decision by MDC whether to pull out of the proposed devolution would depend on the response by Government to the unwillingness to have a mayor for such a large geographical area.  Glastonbury Festival – plans all in place. Confirmed that there would not be polling booths within the festival site for the voting on 23rd June.

 Ward Members – MDC continues the push for information on Ward Members to be more available in the wards. In the absence of the County Councillor, SC informed the PC that there was no truth in the rumour that the library in Shepton Mallet was closing. It was in fact relocating to Shape Mendip (the District Council offices site) after which the opening hours would be extended. CODE OF CONDUCT – Declarations of interest and dispensations. a) Declarations of interest on items included on the agenda:  HH declared a personal and prejudicial interest in 077/16 a) 1) as the applicant was a close friend and a personal interest in 081/16 as Chair of the PPSG.  CE declared a personal interest in 078/16 e) 1) as the recipient of the payment.  SC declared a personal interest in 072/16 b) as an officer of SCC who have drafted the trial website. PLANNING - The following planning applications were considered: HH left the room. 1) Single storey workshop, Rose Cottage, Alhampton. Ref: 2016/0965/HSE – Outcome: Unanimous ‘Recommend approval’ with comments that the proposal is an improvement on the previous application. HH returned to the room. 2) Single storey extension, 2 Longhill Lodge, Ditcheat. Ref: 2016/0919/HSE. CE answered the concerns raised by Mr Thring in the ‘Public Participation’ session, that they were not relevant in terms of planning consideration but should/would be dealt with by Building Control and with discussion with the applicant. Outcome: Unanimous ‘Recommend approval’ with the comments that the single storey extension is in keeping with the applicant’s and surrounding properties. 3) Two storey extension to main office, Maryland Farm, Ditcheat. Ref. 2016/0982/FUL - Outcome: Unanimous ‘Recommend approval’, with comments that the PC understood the need for the additional office accommodation and the design was in keeping with the existing building. b) It was noted that planning permission has been granted for the following: Amberwell, Alhampton. Ref. 2016/0592/FUL and 2016/0593/LBC.

MATTERS ARISING - from the meeting held on 21st April 2016. a) Post Office Home Service - the Clerk reported that a notice had been submitted for publication in the FTN, seeking interest in the service. b) Parish Council website – It was agreed to proceed with the development of a new website as prepared by SCC. SC abstained from voting – all other councillors present voted in favour. It was noted that the cost of developing the site would be £450.00. The Clerk will clarify if the quoted annual domain and hosting cost of £50.00 included the domain name registration/renewal. All Councillors to consider if it is appropriate to have a logo and if so to

circulate any ideas for consideration at the next meeting. Fencing around the green at Southview, Ditcheat - no progress. The Clerk will follow up for the next meeting. c) Signs by the car parking for Haddon Wood – HH confirmed that as the Woodland Trust would not supply the signs asking HGVs not to park in the parking bays for Haddon Wood, that the Friends of Haddon Wood had the ordering of the signs in hand. d) Access onto Class 4 road on land opposite The Lodge on the A37. The Clerk confirmed that the Planning Enforcement Department had queried how the approved planning scheme would be carried out because of the manner in which building work was being done, and asked the owner of the land for an explanation of the future use of the land. The Clerk will follow up for the next meeting. REVIEW OF COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP TO OTHER BODIES. Somerset Association of Local Councils (SALC); Somerset Playing Fields Association; Community Council for Somerset; CPRE. It was resolved to continue with the membership of the above organizations. ELECTION OF MEMBERS’ TO SPECIAL AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY. Highways and Road Safety – CE; Footpaths and Rights of Way – RY; Parish Council website – the Clerk; Playground – CE and HC; Finance and Budget (including checks of the Parish Council Finances) – JD and LH; Mendip District Council Strategic Plans, Housing and Planning – RY and HH; Standing Orders – LH; Press and media – CE, SC and the Clerk; Insurance – RH; Legal – LH. It was resolved to appoint the councillors to specific areas of interest as detailed above. CONFIRMATION OF USE OF ADOPTED POLICIES: a) Standing Orders. b) Financial Regulations. c) Code of Conduct. d) Freedom of Information Act Scheme & Schedule of Charges. e) Disciplinary Procedure. f) Complaints Procedure. The use of the above policies was confirmed with amendments to a) Standing Orders and f) the Complaints Procedure as discussed. LH to circulate suggested amendments to the Clerk and all Councillors. The Clerk reported that it would be necessary to further amend the Financial Regulations in light of new guidelines and a draft would be tabled at a future meeting. APPOINTMENT OF PARISH COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES TO PARISH ORGANISATIONS. It was resolved that the following councillors represent the PC as follows: Jubilee Hall committee – HC; Parish plan steering group (PPSG) – HH and RY. FINANCE Internal Audit for year ended 31st March 2016 – the Clerk reported that the internal auditor had signed off the accounts.

The accounts for 2015/2016 were approved and signed. Annual Return Section 2 Statement of Accounts; approved and signed. Bank balances as at May from latest statements – The Clerk reported that the current balance of all accounts as per the cash sheet is £20,854.01 as at 18th May 2016. Approval of Parish Council payments and authority to sign cheques. 1) Mr C Evans for materials for the repair of the Ditcheat to Sutton footpath - £184.85. 2) SALC membership fee - £183.23. 3) Tony’s Garden Services for grass cutting on 11th, 22nd and 29th April 2016 - £195.00. 4) SALC for training session (Clerk) - £25.00. The above expenditure was approved and the cheques signed. b) The Clerk was confirmed as the Responsible Financial Officer (RFO). c) Longhill Accounting was appointed as the Internal Auditor for the year 2016 – 2017. d) The Assets Register was reviewed; no amendments required. e) The Risk assessment was reviewed; no amendments required. Parish Council Insurance –Came & Company were confirmed as the insurers for the year 2016/17 and to enter into a 3 year binding agreement to take advantage of reduced premiums. PLAYGROUND: As stated at the previous meeting the replacement of the safety matting in the toddlers’ play equipment area has been completed. Any matters of report – following a suggestion from CE it was agreed to apply for a grant to replace the safety matting in the larger area of the playground from the ‘Tesco Bags of Help’ scheme as detailed in a recently circulated Parish Bulletin from MDC. The Clerk will complete the application form along with any others considered by the Clerk as appropriate. HIGHWAYS Speed limit through Alhampton – The Clerk read out the email from the Traffic Engineer at Somerset Highways which appeared to indicate that, subject to approval from the police that they will provide enforcement, speed restriction schemes in Ditcheat and Alhampton will be added to the works programme which should be completed this year. The Clerk will seek clarification from Mr Tranter. Update on items/matters for repair previously reported – no work appears to have been done. The Clerk will follow up previously reported matters. New matters for report to the Highways authority - The white ‘Give Way’ lines at the end of Back lane along with the lines along the side of Back Lane have been eroded. CONTINUED ON PAGE 53

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 50 FOOTPATHS, BRIDLEWAYS AND RIGHTS OF WAY. Update on matters previously reported: Replacement of stile with a Bristol gate on footpath SM 6/32 - CE reported that the stile was now in place. The PC wished to thank Mr Chris Barber for organising for the work to be completed. Any matters for report – RY reported that the Mendip Ramblers Association, of which he is a member, were planning to do a series of walks in and around Ditcheat for their main event in 2018. FEEDBACK FROM COUNCILLOR ATTENDING ‘THE RENDEZVOUS’ CE reported that he had received two comments at the May ‘Rendezvous’ as follows:  The Grove path needs some attention – JD agreed to seek some volunteer help to get the path cleared.  A query as to when there was likely to be an outcome from the Local Plan Part 11 – CE had responded that MDC had indicated that a response could be expected later in this year. CLERK’S REPORT AND CORRESPONDENCE. Correspondence – The Clerk will circulate the letter from the Royal British Legion and Fields in Trust about the Centenary Fields programme in the ‘RR’. ITEMS OF REPORT AND INCLUSION ON AGENDA FOR THE NEXT MEETING. Members – SC reported that the flood lights had been installed at CCRFC and were now operational. They will be ‘switched on’ at the K7 tournament in June but not used until October as per the planning conditions. DATE OF THE NEXT FULL MEETING – 30th JUNE 2016 AT 7.30 pm in the Church Room. If necessary, a Planning meeting will be held on 9th June 2016 the Church Room. FOR INFORMATION: The agenda for all meetings is displayed on the website www.ditcheatparishcouncil.org.uk and the notice boards in the parish i.e. Alhampton, Ditcheat, and Sutton at least 3 working days prior to the meeting.

St Mary Magdalene Ditcheat

Ditcheat Church Rota

Rota for Flowers Brasses July 3rd Margy Cockburn Jess Leach 10th & 17th Sally Greenhalgh Jean & Ellie Halford 24th & 31st Jess Leach “ August 7 th & 14th Pat Dando Eleanor Yeoman (Aug. 6th wedding) 21st & 28th Kate Webber “

Cleaning Rota July Sat 2nd/9th Eleanor Yeoman Sat 16th/23rd Jan & Anne Robson Church Rooms Pat Dando August Sat 6th/13th Pat & Jim Dando Sat 20th/27th Vee Lees Church Room Lynda Wyburn-Mason

Jessica Leach (860205) for flowers and brasses. Vee Lees (860542) for Church Cleaning. Pat Dando (860448) for Church Room Cleaning.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO PREPARE FOR CONFIRMATION?

Confirmation is a service in which those who have been baptised (perhaps many years earlier) reaffirm their faith in front of the bishop, who then prays for them and lays his hands on them, often anointing with chrism oil. I have had one request recently and would be glad to hear from anyone else who might be interested (01749-677003). We would probably go to a confirmation service in the cathedral later in the year. Graham Hendy

MILTON CLEVEDON ARTS FESTIVAL 22 – 24 JULY 2016 a celebration of the arts talks, workshops, exhibition, concerts refreshments available

full details & programme: www.miltonclevedon.com or phone 01749 830308/830242

proceeds to St. James’ Church, Milton Clevedon BA4 6NS

Who's Who ? FOSSE TRINITY BENEFICE Interim Priest Canon Graham Hendy 677003 Reader Jean Halford 860422 Fosse Trinity Advisory Committee Jean Heal 860452 Fosse Trinity News Editor Margy Cockburn 860611 Fosse Trinity News Advertising John Greenhalgh 860457 Fosse Trinity News Distribution Lesley Dunn 860746 Anthony Sutcliffe 860541 Prayer Pyramid Co-ordinator { Eleanor Yeoman 860337 Mothers' Union Yvonne Stokes 01458 851480 Safeguarding Person Bridget Wadey 860240 Children's Society Jo Curtis 860898

ALHAMPTON Chapel Warden Jo Curtis 860898 Church Council Secretary Louisa Oborne 860252 Neighbourhood Watch Lynne Hughes 860654 FTN Correspondent Louisa Oborne 860252

EAST PENNARD Bells - Tower Captain Mervyn Buckley 01458 440180 Jean Heal 860452 Churchwarden { Susie Dearden 860502 Church Council Secretary Carol Stuart 860587 Church Room Hire Audrey Dyson 860317 Parish Council Chairman Adrian Pearse 890216 Royal British Legion Secretary Jon Dickens 01458 850241 United Charities Chairman Adrian Pearse 890216 Verger Ray Higgins 860339

PYLLE Bells - Tower Captain Joe King 890357 Hilary Tudsbery-Turner 830538 Churchwarden { Teresa Rossiter 831419 Church Council Secretary Stephen Tudsbery-Turner 830538 Ladies Working Party (Chairman) Joanna Miln 838757 FTN Correspondent Joanna Miln 838757 Village Hall hire and keys Joanna Miln 838757

Email contacts are on page 58

DITCHEAT Art Group Liz & Stewart Gould 860755 Badminton Club Secretary James Bairstow 860355 Bees – Swarms Stewart Gould 860755 Bells - Tower Captain Roger Yeoman 860304 Bells - Correspondence/Bookings Ben Look 860257 The Other Book Club Gail Dyke 860189 Church Council Secretary Louisa Oborne 860252 Church Room Hire Pat Dando 860448 Anthony Sutcliffe 860541 Churchwarden { Eleanor Yeoman 860337 Community Car Service (ADEPPTS) Joyce Marsh 860493 Conservative Party Contact Elizabeth Crossley 860245 Country Dancing Deidre Pezaro 860594 Cricket Club Nick Mann 812304 Ditcheat Big Screen / Moviola Anne Robson 860444 Ditcheat School Richard Reid 860329 Friends of Ditcheat School (FODS) Katy Bryant 860329 Ditcheat Players Chairperson Gaye Volk 860081 Fosseway Garden Club Barbara Cary 860438 Jubilee Hall Chair Linda Wyburn-Mason 860067 Jubilee Hall Hire Anne Robson 860444 Keep Fit Diana Cook 860224 Neighbourhood Watch Jim Dando 860448 Parent & Toddler Group Pippa Clapham 860329 Parish Council Chairman Charles Evans 860336 Ramblers Linda Wyburn-Mason 860067 Rendezvous Diana Cook 860224 Saturday Stitch Sally Yeoman 860304 Short Mat Bowls Martin Edgar 860780 Skittles Shirley Derby 07939198030 Village Lunch Jessica Leach 860205 Wildlife Group Bridget Wadey 860240

GENERAL Community Police Lucy Bagnowiec 101 Guy Dury 101

Please help us keep this information up-to-date. Email [email protected] with any changes.

Index of Advertisers

Accounts, Hayley Spencer 33 Hire Shed 2

Art Gallery, Studio 13 15 House Maintenance, Repointing 29 Art, Wales Barn Group 26 Home Maintenance, Mike Doyle 29 Art, Milton Clevedon Festival 55 Jewellery, Fosse Beads 9 Buildings, Timber Frame, W Latta 10 Keep Fit, Pilates 55 Clothing, Rose & Lyons 21 Manor House Inn 51 Computing, Stable Computers 10 Medical, Holistic Therapy 21 Curtains, covers etc, Helen Bushrod 2 Medical, Homeopathy, Fionna Roberts 39

Decorating, Ray Ackerman 45 Medical, Osteopath, Trevenen Pascoe 45 Driver, Philip Saunders 29 Motoring, N E Motors 16 Electrician, Ian Lester 33 Motoring, Bay Motor Co. 20 Events, Pennard House 33 Music Tuition, Piano, Alison Bower 16 Events, Sparkford Hall 46 Odd Jobs, Alistair Gillard 2 Fencing, Shepton Mallet Fencing 39 Oven cleaning, Ovencor 15 Flowers, Margy Cockburn 10 Plumber, James 16

Food, Gould's Cheddar 59 Removals & Storage, Armishaws 40 Food, Jon Thorner's Back Roofing, Mark Curtis 52 Funerals, Connock 45 Soft Furnishings, Jude Herlihy 15 Funerals, Trotman Funeral Directors 16 Solicitors, Bartlett, Gooding & Weelen 33 Furniture, Joinery & Kitchen, Mark White 39 Solicitor, J Derbyshire, Purely Probate 21 Furniture Restorer, Piers Keating 10 Stone Walling, Yenstone 22 Garage Doors, SDS 45 Taxi, Tony Chinnock 39

Garden Design, Jane Follis 15 Tennis coaching 46 Gardening, Rob Carling 10 Transport, ADEPPTS 2 Gardening, Gill Oldaker 53 Travellers Rest, Stone 2 Gardening, Jeremy Dodd 21 Tree Surgeon, M Parsons 16 Heating Services, Warm Welcome 29 Tree Surgeon, Jody Osborne 59 Heating Services, R A Wicks 34 Tree Surgeon, Noel Radford 59

Printed by Parish Magazine Printing

Email addresses Who's Who ?

Fosse Trinity News Editor [email protected] Fosse Trinity News Advertising [email protected] Fosse Trinity News Distribution [email protected]

Ditcheat Parish Council ditcheatparishcouncil.org.uk Community Police [email protected] [email protected]

Seasoned Charcoal Logs