Times Issue 53 July 2015 Open Gardens Weekend raises £2,000+ Dates for your Diary: We are pleased to report the Old Sodbury Open Gardens Weekend At the Village Hall: was a resounding success. A grey damp start on Saturday was bright- 7 July Village Hall AGM 7.30pm ened by a superb lunch produced by Barbara and her team. Spirits im- 15 July W.I. 7.30pm proved and from then on, so did the weather and thank you to every- At The Church one who visited. Every Sunday 2.30-4.30pm Teas At Camers Garden The ladies of the W.I. and the church team made great cake and tea 26 July Garden Open for NGS 2pm sales and Gerald’s sale of plants was impressive. The bands played 7,8 Aug Treasure Island + Picnic 6pm and there was a real buzz around the village. It was great to see people At Town Hall socialising and enjoying themselves. 16-19 Sept Titfield Thunderbolt Above all, thank you to the garden openers some of whom you see be- low relaxing at a social evening. Not all the money is in yet but we will pass £2,000 to be divided equally between St Peters Hospice, the Village Hall and the Church Roof Fund If you missed the event, what a shame, but there is the possibility of seeing Camers garden on 26th July, or the next big event, Treasure Island after an outdoor picnic, also at Camers. Please try to attend the Village Hall AGM, they need support. It might be useful just to have a list of people who could help out on the big events. On 16 July The Revd. Canon Jane Kenchington leaves The Sodbury Vale Benefice for a new role. We wish her well.

Congratulations to: Amy Myers, daughter of John Myers (Cotswold Lane), and Chris Davey, son of Jan and Rob Davey (), who were married in St John’s Church, Old Sodbury on Saturday 6th June. The wedding was followed by a reception at Manor near Tockington, with transport provided on a Bristol Double-deck bus! It was a very happy day and a wonderful occasion for friends and family alike. Amy’s sister Stephanie was one of the four brides- maids; and her son Harrison was pageboy. John and Anne Myers will have many happy memories of this lovely occasion for years to come. Welcome to: Jenny and Greg who have recently moved to Old Sodbury, at the end of 200 Club Winners Church Lane, with their children Louis and his baby brother Joseph, who May No 85 Mr P.Tiley £200 was born just a week after moving in to their new house. They all look May No 90 Dr M.Brown £25 forward to getting to know everybody and exploring the area. June No 119 Mr P.Jones £25

Notice: Commonmead Lane will be closed for all traffic from 6th July, for up to 5 days, in order to put electricity cables under the road. Diversion via Badminton Rd, St Johns Way, Sodbury Common and Portway Rd. PAGE 2 OLD SODBURY TIMES ISSUE 53

Old Sodbury CE Primary School entered a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang themed float at the Chipping Sodbury Carnival. Everyone had a great time, the children looked fantastic and huge thanks to all the parents and friends who worked so hard to make our float truly scrumptious!

Mrs Lloyd, who has taught in our school for many years, is leaving at the end of this term .If any past pupils or parents wish they are welcome to our leaver's service Friday 17th July 2015 and after at school for coffee and cakes.

Village Day and the Queen’s Birthday Following the long tradition in the Village of celebrating major Royal events the Village Hall Committee are currently developing plans for the Queen’s 90th birthday. In the hope of better weather, this will probably be the official birthday in early June rather than the actual birthday in April. The final choice of date may depend on the dates for the national events that are planned. Being earlier in the year, and with other events already planned for the post Christmas and Spring period, we have decided to skip Village Day this year to give the organisers a break for the summer and concentrate on the plans for next year.

Ever fancied learning how to do dry-stone walling or Blacksmithing, Thatching, Charcoal Making, Scything, Hedge Laying or even Cotswold Tile Roofing? Try www.cotswoldruralskills.org.uk for a range of courses run by The Cotswold Conservation Board. Or give a gift voucher for the man who has everything.

Sodbury Players Present a Comedy Performance of “Treasure Island” in The Beautiful Camers Gardens, Old Sodbury Performances: 7.00pm Friday 7th August 7.00pm Saturday 8th August Bring a chair and a picnic and enjoy this Spectacular Performance in the Wonderful Gardens of Camers Gates open at 6.00pm All Tickets £7:50 Contact: 01454 – 312223 or 324344 Proceeds to: Sodbury Players & Friends of Old Sodbury Church Roof and Fabric Fund ISSUE 53 OLD SODBURY TIMES PAGE 3

We have had a very busy time of late at Old Sodbury WI. We OLD SODBURY W.I. have celebrated our 96th birthday and some members went to the Royal Albert Hall for the WI AGM. One of our members has been lucky enough to go to Buckingham Palace and we have helped with the teas at Old Sodbury Open gardens weekend. Our craft and book club evenings continue to be very well supported and we are looking forward to the next couple of summer months with enthusiasm.

At our July meeting we will be having a talk that is entitled "All That Glitters". Our August summer outing will be to Chavenage House for a tour and supper; following which we are celebrating the W.I. centenary by having a celebratory supper at our September meeting. We welcome new members and visitors at our meetings which are held in Old Sodbury Village Hall on the third Wednesday of each month. If you would like any further information please call Elaine on 01454 327803.

Flapjack Gooseberry Tart from Tracy Shipp Ingredients: 325gr packet shortcrust pastry (thawed if frozen) 4 tbsp. apricot jam 450gr dessert gooseberries 50gr butter, 50gr demerara sugar 2 tbsp. golden syrup 100gr porridge oats 1½ tsp. ground ginger Quality ice cream or custard to serve Method Preheat the oven to 190°C/ Gas 5/fan oven 170°C Roll out the pastry and use to line a 20-23cm/8-9in flan tin. Trim off any excess pastry. Line the pastry case with baking parchment and baking beans or uncooked rice or pasta. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove paper and beans. Reduce the temperature to 160°C/Gas 3/fan oven 140°C Spread the apricot jam over the base of the tart and spread the gooseberries on top. Gently warm the butter, sugar and syrup in a pan, stir until the mixture is smooth and the butter has melted (do not overheat or it will be too thick). Remove from the heat and stir in the oats and ginger. Spoon the flapjack mixture over the fruit (don’t worry if a few peep through) and spread fairly evenly. Bake the tart for 35 minutes until the topping is golden and gooseberries are tender. Leave the tart to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Remove from the tin, cut into Short Mat Bowls wedges and serve with the ice cream or custard. We are delighted to be celebrating our 20th

anniversary in September. Members and Christian Aid Week—May 2015 friends are looking forward to a canal cruise A very big thank you to all who contributed to our from Gloucester Docks with a celebration lunch house to house collection this year. on board. The final village total was £585.00. Old Sodbury are to be congratulated again on their generosity! Our Monday evenings continue to be well I also thank the volunteers that gave up their own attended despite members away on holiday or time to deliver and collect the envelopes. Thankfully in poor health. Our best wishes go to those we were blessed with a fairly dry week for a change! members who are unable to play at present. Christian Aid works to help those whose lives have Visitors are welcome to come to the Village Hall been devastated by famine, disaster and war. Please continue to support them in their work by your on a Monday evening at 6.30 or 7.30pm. For generosity and prayer. more information ring 01454 315161. Sue Febry Sue Leah Old Sodbury Football Club—

The club held their annual dinner and awards evening on Friday 8th May at The Squire Inn Chipping Sodbury. Over 30 players, supporters and members enjoyed a meal which was followed by presentations made to the following players: 1st Team Reserves Clubman of the year - Shaun Holford -Jordan Miller Top Goal Scorer - Matt Ellery -Greg Rodgers Players Player. - Andy Neal -Steve Clapp Managers Player - Andy Neal -Tom Harris Chairman Richard Deane and secretary Laurence Walker and team managers Adrian Box and Ben Rhodes all con- gratulated the teams on a successful year and look forward optimistically to next season. The club was pleased to welcome a new under 14 team to the club this year. The new pavilion is completed but there has been a delay in put- ting in place the new electricity supply which will serve the pavilion and some houses in the village. After this long wait it will be ready for the new season. And the players are looking forward to using it. The 1st team plays in the Bristol Premier combination league and the reserves have been newly promoted to Division 3 of the Bristol and District League. Old Sodbury is a friendly and well respected club and is keen to sign more players for the new season. Anyone interested please phone Laurence Walker on 01454 310980 or Richard Deane on 0783 162 6381 for the senior teams or for the under 14’s phone Damian Frodsham on 01454 323864. Laurence Walker Team Secretary 01454 310980

Village Hall Committee The Village Hall Committee is currently looking for new members. The AGM is being held at 7.30pm on Tuesday 7 July in the Hall. This is open to anyone and there is no One of the many features commitment in attending. in Camers Garden Whether you can attend or not, if you are interested in getting involved with the running of the Hall and the organising of events, we would love to Camers Garden, off Chapel Lane, Old Sodbury opens hear from you. its gates again on Sunday July 26th at 2pm until 5.30pm The garden is looking great due to lots of manuring over the We are looking for people who want to spring, and favourable weather. contribute to the life of the Village. Not everyone can attend every event, or There is a new feature to see and there will be plenty of teas even every meeting, but if you are and home-made cakes on offer. prepared to give a bit of your time to Open for the NGS (National Gardens Scheme) the monies help with maintenance of the Hall or are divided between various charities including Marie Curie running events, please get in touch. and Macmillan. We meet monthly on the first Tuesday Entry is £5 pp on the gate, children free and dogs allowed of the month, or you can call Rodney on on leads. 310224 or Ian on 314923. http://camers.org/

Please send in your news to either Laura Walker Tel: 313445 or Pauline Wilson Tel: 310540 email [email protected] Deadline for September edition 15th August. For Village Hall bookings contact Carol Rowland Tel: 314923 or www.oldsodburyvillagehall.com THANK YOU TO ALL who have helped with this edition. WE ALWAYS WELCOME MORE CONTRIBUTORS Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed or implied within this publication are not necessarily those of the editors. Any articles submitted are on the basis that they can be edited and must not be anonymous.