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The Parish of Three Saints St Christopher, St Michael, Brent Knoll St Mary, Contacts Priest-in-Charge Baptisms

Reverend Kevin Wright To arrange the Baptism contact the Church Administrator. The Rectory, 3 Ash Trees, East Brent, Somerset, TA9 4DQ Tel 01278 760844 or Mobile 07764 170463 e-mail - [email protected] Weddings

Friday is the Vicar's day off Weddings can be arranged by contacting our Church Church Administrator – Mrs Carole Carter Administrator who will discuss with you availability of dates. Church Office, Church Road, East Brent, Somerset, TA9 4HZ Tel 01278 769082 Funerals e-mail [email protected] Office is open Monday, Wednesday & Friday 10.00 – 1.00 Your chosen Funeral Director will contact our Priest-in- Website www.theparishofthreesaints.org.uk Charge or Church Administrator to arrange your Churchwardens requirements. . Details can be found in Church porch or on our website. ******************* Visit our website –

www.theparishofthreesaints.org.uk Services for October 2019 Service Time Church 6th October Holy Communion – Trad. 8.00am St. Mary’s East Brent Trinity 16 All Age Communion 10.00am St. Mary’s East Brent 13th October Holy Communion – Trad. 8.00am St. Michael’s Brent Knoll Trinity 17 H.C.-Common Worship 1 10.00am St. Mary’s East Brent 20th October Holy Communion – Trad. 8.00am St. Christopher’s Lympsham Trinity 18 H.C.-Common Worship 1 Harvest Celebration 10.00am St. Michael’s Brent Knoll 27th October Holy Communion – Trad. 8.00am St. Mary’s East Brent Trinity 19 H.C.-Common Worship 1 10.00am St. Christopher’s Lympsham Evening Prayer 6.30pm St. Michael’s Brent Knoll St Michael’s Sidesmen Rota 13th October 8.00am Tim Hannah 20th October 10.00am Mike & Margaret Smith 27th October 6.30pm Sally Wingate Church Register – Holy Baptism Cohen Philip Noble At Rest Mary Ann Watts Remembrance 2019 Poppy time is rapidly approaching! As usual, we shall be selling poppies in Sanders Garden World from Monday October 28th for eight days until Monday November 4th. There will be three periods each day 10.30am-12.00, 12.00-1.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm. We shall need a lot of volunteers. So, if you would like to help, please contact me, Sally Wingate, on 01278 760 610. Sally Wingate, Poppy Organiser

OCTOBER BRENT KNOLL NEWS 44

METHODIST CHURCH (www.brentknollmethodistchurch.com) Minister Revd. Steve Bennett At the time of writing, I have just returned from our Harvest Festival. The church looked wonderful and a big “thank you” goes out to everyone who helped decorate it. The greenery and foliage were all handpicked and most of the fresh produce home grown. We’d also like to say thank you to Chris Seger from Seger’s Fruit and Veg in Draycott who donated a box of fresh goods. All non-perishable donations will be sent to the Foodbank, as will the money raised from the sale of perishable produce. The fresh produce which was not taken, will be sent to the Healthy Living Centre on the Bournville in Weston. Our service was led by our own minister, Rev Steve Bennett and was both thought provoking and uplifting. After the service, we all shared a hot lunch, beautifully prepared by members of our congregation who again, we’d like to give our heartfelt thanks to for all their hard work. As mentioned in last month’s magazine, on the last Sunday of each month, we are having an informal time of fellowship enjoying cake, refreshments, singing and activities. We hope this will be a time where villagers of all ages, who may not be able to come to church on a Sunday morning, are able to come and join us at a different time. These times of fellowship will be following the themes of the season and this month, we shall be meeting on Sunday 27th October at 4pm in the school room. Do come along and enjoy the fun and fellowship. Margaret Trapp will continue to lead our ecumenical time of fellowship on the first Monday of each month. We shall meet up on Monday 7th October at 2.30pm in the church where this time together will be based on a Celtic theme. And again, all, of course, are welcome to join us. In the meantime, from all of us here at the Methodist Church, we wish you every blessing. God bless. Rosemary Krull Preachers for October at 10.30am 6th October : Rev John James (Holy Communion) 13th October : Mrs Heather Gale 20th October : Mr Michael Bridges 27th October : Ken McNally Toddlers It was lovely to welcome everyone back after the Summer break and many of our babies have definitely grown into little people over the holiday period. Our display boards are now showing new designs for this term, reflecting the Autumn season with children wrapped up warm enjoying the falling leaves and Teddy meeting a scarecrow in a field full of sunflowers. The children have been colouring some beautiful pictures on an Autumn theme, some of which were displayed in the Methodist Church for their Harvest Festival. Just a reminder: No Toddlers on Tuesday 29th October as it is half-term. Back on Tuesday 5th November. Jane British Legion Quiz Saturday 12th October 7.30pm Red Cow Skittle Alley BRENT KNOLL NEWS OCTOBER Please mention the Brent Knoll News when replying to adverts Please mention the Brent Knoll News when replying to adverts 7 7

Brent Knoll Parish Council Meeting Summary – September 2019 Brent Knoll Parish Council held its monthly meeting on th eptemer in the Parish Hall. It was attended by Councillors with 3 apologies and there were memers of the pulic, 6 of whom addressed the Council on the following matters: Planning Matters Speed watch group for Ham Road Flags in the Village Sheep Worrying by dogs Burton Row Speeding Concerns Planning Matters akdale Appeal - APPVW The Parish Council Reiterate the previous comments made to this application. Westrook Farm Appeal - Change of use of land from agriculture to form extension to caravan park for the siting of static caravans and timber chalets. Location: Westbrook Farm, Harp Road, Brent Knoll, Highbridge, Somerset, TA9 4HQ. The Parish Council Reiterate the previous comments made to this application. : Erection of 2 detached dwellings, formation of new vehicular access and erection of a single storey rear extension to 111 to form an annexe (existing annexe to be demolished) at 111, Brent Street Brent Knoll TA94E. Response: No observations made to this proposal majority decision. : Cedar of Lebanon: Fell (Tree Dead), T26- Horse Chestnut: Remove dead wood back to healthy growing points and T20- Horse Chestnut: Crown lift up to a height of 4m (max) at Ball Copse Hall Brent Knoll TA9 4DF. Response: Supported on the grounds of good arboreal management. : Erection of two storey extensions to side (North West) and rear (North East) elevation, erection of single storey extension to side (South East) elevation on site of existing single storey extensions to be demolished. Erection of porch on site of existing to be demolished. Replace dormer on side (North East) elevation with gable dormer. Increase off-road parking area at 42 Brent St. Brent Knoll. Response: The Council supported the proposal on the grounds of enhancement and modernisation. ther Key ecisions taken were as follows- 1. Decision to install 6 posts with 5 to 6 feet gates and closers on the Battleborough footpath to ensure that walkers remain on the footpath. Signs will also be erected. 2. Highways to be invited to visit Burton row to consider further action that can be taken to mitigate speeding concerns. 3. Some remedial tree management agreed for the Village Green. 4. To approve the repairs to the fireman’s pole on the climbing frame on the green. 5. To obtain suitable quotes for fencing replacement on the green. 6. To continue a link between Cllr Townsend and George Brown with regard to the Chest Tomb. Matters of an on-going ature- 1. General communications policy for the Parish Council. 2. Consideration of under 5’s Play facilities that are available. 3. Confirmation of Code of Conduct Training for the Parish Council on September 30th. 4. Clarity on the Brent Street Affordable Housing purchase by DC. 5. The on-going Tendering process for the village contract. Full minutes from this Council meeting are available by email on request to the clerk and are published on the website together with financial decisions taken at this meeting. The Next meeting of the Parish Council will be on nd ctoer pm with a Parish Surgery between .pm and pm on the same day. A provisional meeting for any urgent planning matters will be held on 16th October 2019 at 7pm: no surgery on that day. Owen J Cullwick clerk@rentknollpc.co.uk Moile el

OCTOBER BRENT KNOLL NEWS 8 8

Journeying together I was on the train today and a South Western Railway poster caught my eye. The headline was ‘Our Promise to You’. It then said: ‘We are passionate about delivering a great service for you and are here to make travelling easier.’ It went on to spell out what that meant in these words: • Be visible and available to you when you need us. • Offer information and answer questions you may have. • Make announcements about the destination and its calling point. • Keep you informed should things be delayed during your journey. Obviously, this was talking about trains, but it got me thinking as some of those things could also be applied to my role as Bishop. My role, and that of Bishop Ruth, the archdeacons, our other colleagues and the central support staff in the Old Deanery is to support the work of mission and ministry which takes place across the parishes, chaplaincies and schools of the diocese. And we are all passionate about doing the best we can to support you and to ‘make your travelling easier’. And by ‘travelling’ we mean the walk that we have with Jesus as his followers and his disciples. One way we seek to support you is by being visible and available. Bishop Ruth and I like nothing better than getting out and about across the length and breadth of the diocese, meeting people and hearing all that you are doing to live and tell the story of Jesus. Every month we meet hundreds of new people and we try, as and when we can, to answer questions and let people know what is going on. These parish magazine articles are another way in which we try to keep in touch and share what we are up to. The diocesan website, our e-newsletter, Connect, Manna magazine and our social media feeds on Facebook and Twitter are other places you can catch up with what we are doing, but more importantly to hear and read about what God is doing among us and within the communities we serve. The train poster ended with the words ‘Let us know how we are doing’. And that is another important reason why we love to get round the diocese so that we can hear what else we can do to support you and to share with you in living and telling others about the love of God. With my prayers and very best wishes The Rt Revd Peter Hancock, Bishop of Bath and Wells Harvest Supper Saturday 19th October is the date for this year’s Harvest Supper! Music this year is by the “Jerry Nicholls Band” a local band. Tickets are £15 each and are available from Eddie Fuller on 01278 760 308 or the Village Shop. Come along and enjoy a complimentary glass of cider or fruit juice on arrival and a great evening of food, music and dancing. Eddie Fuller Carols from the Bike shed Carols from the Bike Shed will this year be on Monday 16th December at 7pm. As in the past few years, we will be using the school but this year we have a change of musicians. This year we will be raising much need money for the Highbridge Area Foodbank. Please put the date in your diary and look out for more details nearer the time. Mike & Margaret Smith

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Church roof alarm, substitutes for lead roofs and SOS Ceiling Last month I wrote about the sad theft of the lead from our north aisle roof and the immediate aftermath of the theft. This month I am writing to let everyone know that the Parish has installed an alarm on the roof. Why didn’t I mention an alarm last month? The simple reason was that I didn’t wish to advertise the fact that we were alarming the roof. We were told by our insurance company that the theft was “a very professional job” and that there was a risk that the thieves would return and steal the lead on the north nave roof. If that had happened, we would not have been insured at all, and would have had to find an extra £40k for replacement of that roof as well. Fortunately, this has not happened. If the thieves return now, they will be deafened by a loud siren and we shall be notified of their presence immediately. If this does not deter them, and they do remove lead, we are fully covered to reinstate the lead roof. Not unnaturally some people have raised the issue of whether we should replace the lost lead with a cheaper alternative. This is a very reasonable point, and the issue has been discussed in newspaper articles recently. Unfortunately, it won’t be possible to do this for a number of reasons. Our architect advised us at the outset that using a different material would require planning permission, and this would be unlikely to be given because our church is Grade 1 listed. He has guided us through our project so far by defining a Schedule of Work and supervising the Tender process. We have selected our preferred contractor. If we were to put the project on hold, we could seek planning permission to switch to a different roofing material, but we would then have to go back to square one and our architect would have to rewrite our Schedule and go through the Tender stage again. This would delay us by up to six months. But worse would then happen because Heritage grant funders will only fund projects in which lead is used to replace lead, so our roof project would then be unfundable. Unsurprisingly the Parish has decided to continue with our current re-leading project. I do apologise for going into this detail about the roof project but some people in the village have felt quite strongly about the issue of using a cheaper alternative. In the best ordered world, we might have started down that route, but we are where we are, and we have to continue with our current project. So, let’s get back to the task in hand, which is to raise funds for our Save Our Special Ceiling appeal. This is going well. If we include Gift Aid contributions, we have now raised over £10k towards our target of £15k. But we must not rest on our laurels, and I hope that everyone will consider supporting our next two fundraising events, both at St Michael’s. Raise the Roof, a mix of popular choir and instrumental music, is on Saturday October 5th, and our Medieval Banquet is going to be held on Saturday November 16th. Both are at the church and mentioned in this issue of the BKN. Hope to see you at these events. Ged Keele, Friends of St Michael’s Church BRENT KNOLL AND MARK TENNIS CLUB The surface on our tennis courts had been deteriorating for some time. After much discussion, we decided to move away from the old tarmac surface and install a modern synthetic outdoor carpet surface. The work was done at the beginning of August and players are very pleased with the surface. Coaching on Thursdays started again in September after the Summer break and Winter league matches get under way in October. For information about joining the tennis club, contact Alison, [email protected]. Alison Hillyer

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Ecumenical Group Our next meeting is on Monday October 7th 2.30pm at the Methodist Church. All are welcome. Margaret Trapp Pastoral Care Groups Since September 2014, there have been groups running for the villages of Brent Knoll, East Brent and Lympsham, supported by The Parish of Three Saints. Care Support Groups – Alzheimer’s & Dementia Carers Group Monday October 21st at 4pm at Brentcombe House, Church Road, East Brent, TA9 4HZ. Tel Carla 01278 760 041 for details. COM-FOR-TEA - Comfort Group Open to everyone. Offering a place to meet and share cares and joys, build friendships and beat loneliness. Being ourselves and sharing refreshment. In confidence and privacy. Thursday October 17th at 2pm. Tel Dot 01278 760 600 for details. Bereaved Friends Group Thursday October 24th at 2.30pm at Southcot, 87, Brent Street, Brent Knoll, TA9 4EQ. Tel Margaret 01278 760 691 or Gwen 01934 750 416. For further information, please contact me or any of the others noted above. These groups are open to all. Margaret Smith Shibashi Tai Chi is coming to Brent Knoll Have you ever wanted to learn Tai Chi but were worried about whether it would be right for you? Ageing Well (a programme managed by Age UK Somerset) run SHIBASHI TAI CHI classes across Somerset and will be starting one here very soon! Shibashi is a very easy to learn form of Tai Chi and the effects are proven. It helps improve balance, co-ordination, strength and breathing, it is calming for both mind and body. It can be done seated or standing, so is suitable for most people and no previous experience is needed. If you would be interested in finding out more or would like to put your name down to start, please get in touch. Places will be limited. Email [email protected] Nikki Smith – 07530 777895 www.ageuksomerset.org.uk Kim Wilcox, Village Agent Most people will know by now that overnight at the start of August the lead from the North Aisle roof was stolen. The pictures on the front cover show the roof the next day and some taken by drone more recently. Inside the church rain was pouring in and as a result there was damage to the interior of the church. A temporary cover has been put on to keep out the rain and an appeal has been set up to raise money to replace the lead and reinstate the roof to its normal condition. If you would like to contribute, please contact the church wardens, Revd Kevin Wright or the church office. Mike Smith FRONT COVER Photos Thanks to Tony Gilbert and Steve Russell for the photos of the Church Roof. Bob

OCTOBER BRENT KNOLL NEWS 16 16

The August meeting was back at the Parish Hall (following last month’s Garden Party) and back to the usual format. Our speaker was Jane Hill who gave an illustrated talk entitled “WSM Museum ‘Reminiscences’”, which, if you have not already guessed, was mainly about her experiences at the Weston Super Mare Museum. Mainly, but not entirely, as she gave us some of the background of the museum from its being established in approximately 1861, moving to become the Free Library and Museum in 1901 to taking up the former Gaslight Company premises in, I think, 1975. It is a shame that only two percent of its artefacts can be displayed at any one time but its Community Outreach programme ensures that temporary exhibits are keeping the museum in the public eye. Numbers were again down on normal: let’s hope it is the Summer effect, but it did ensure that there were more than enough cakes and I think everyone won a raffle prize! Dates for forthcoming meetings:- 2019 October 16th - Mr John Strickland Lifeboats November 20th - Christmas Fayre December 18th - No meeting as we will be at the Christmas Lunch We are a friendly group and welcome visitors and new members, preferably over the age of 18. We meet at 2.30pm in the Parish Hall on the third Wednesday of every month. For further information contact Karen Russell on 769 382 or Ann Robson on 760 981. CGR WI Craft Group We will meet at 2.30pm on Monday October 21st in the Methodist Church school room. We are a small friendly group which likes to knit or craft, chatter and have a cuppa. We are continuing to knit hats and scarves for Mission to Seafarers, as well as blankets for premature babies. You don’t have to be a WI member to join us. We would love anyone who does craft of any kind to join us, we love seeing what others are doing. For further details please contact me on 01278 760691. Margaret Smith “RAISE THE ROOF” Music Evening As many of you may be aware, our Church Roof has been stolen and we are in urgent need of funds for the associated repairs. An evening of light entertaining popular music, featuring the Burnham Rock Choir has been arranged for Saturday 5th October commencing at 7.30pm at St Michael’s Church. Tickets are £5 which includes refreshments. Tickets are available from Colin Townsend (760 226), Ged Keele (769 010) or Caroline at the Village Shop Please give us your support. Many Thanks, Colin Townsend.

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Brent Knoll House Histories European Heritage Year 1975 W. I. Book – 35 This month I am starting with something a little unusual, but which I thought was rather an interesting picture. It was given to me by Ivor Gurney (to whom my grateful thanks) and shows a local landmark as it was in the mid 1930s. Can you guess where it is (there are some good clues)? The answer will appear next month.

If anyone else has any interesting pictures of bygone Brent Knoll, or the surrounding area, I would be most interested to see them and may well be able to use them in this section in the future. Following the Red Cow in the W.I. book are some pictures of Under Knoll. Besides the pictures, there is a short write-up which states, “This was once a bakery. The ovens can still be seen. The Bread was sold at the house over the road now called “Red Roofs.” As I wrote at length, about ten years ago, regarding Under Knoll, I am not aiming to repeat that, but will show the two drawings which appear in the W.I. book as they were not in my earlier article. Continued on page 20

OCTOBER BRENT KNOLL NEWS 20 20

Brent Knoll House Histories – Continued

The first of these is a gable which says it is showing the Dutch influence. The second shows the bread ovens which I did show as a photograph before, but think this drawing is well worth including now. There is also a drawing of Tyler’s Cottage, which I mentioned briefly in the original Under Knoll article, but can add a little extra now. “About 70 years ago this was the “Reading Room,” it says in the W.I. book, which would imply it was still in use as such up to around 1905, as the W.I. book was dated 1975. In the 1881 census, there is a family called Broad living at Reading Room, Brent Street. Robert Broad was 78 years old and a retired butcher (though probably not in Brent Knoll). He was married to Eliza Board, who was fifteen years younger than him, and their young niece, Ellen Butt, was 4 years old and staying with them (not necessarily permanently as the census recorded where people were on the specific day, not where they lived permanently. (To be continued) John Page

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Women’s Society Our AGM is to be held at Lyn’s house, 117, Brent Street on Thursday 26th September at 8pm. Thank you so much for offering to be hostess Lyn. We have had quite a busy year with garden visits, craft evenings and even little train rides! Thank you so much for your ideas and support, we now look forward to arranging a varied and interesting programme for next year. We have had several new members over the past year, some from Burnham and Edithmead also East Brent. You are all very welcome and we do hope you have enjoyed our company and found the meetings interesting. We meet on the last Thursday of each month. I will distribute our new programme as soon as it is printed. In the meantime, we trust you are all well and come up with some good ideas for speakers and visits for 2020. Thank you. Ann Congratulations Ann & Jim on your Diamond Wedding Anniversary – 60 years together; Wow! Women’s Institute The WI is back in business after the Summer break. We had an interesting meeting on September 11th when Kim Wilcox, the Village Agent, explained her work in the community. Village Agents work with all ages, dealing with a variety of problems, giving support to mainly elderly people with social care issues and enabling them to lead independent lives. Kim can be reached on 07943 555519 for more information. The winner of the Flower of the Month competition was Margaret Smith with a dahlia. The speaker at the meeting on October 9th, 2.30pm at the Parish Hall, will be Dr Burroughes whose talk is entitled “In the Mood”. There will be a bring and buy table. JMG “Meet & Eat” Meet and Eat will be held on Monday October 28th in the Nuttall Room at the Brent Knoll Parish Hall at 12.30pm. Please book with Liz by Friday October 25th. We always welcome new diners to join us for lunch in good company. Liz, Rosemary, Weit and Bella Somerset Sight The Mobile Advice Service is attending the following sites listed below between 10.30am until 3.30pm. The service is able to demonstrate items from liquid level indicators and talking watches to talking microwaves and video magnifiers. The vehicle also stocks mobility aids such as white walking sticks and canes, and games such as large print scrabble and playing cards. Somerset Sight also does a Volunteer Visiting Service, which provides one to one support for people with sight loss in their own homes or care homes throughout Somerset. The Volunteer can visit a person on a regular basis, usually weekly or fortnightly and help with a variety of things such as Company and friendship, Reading and correspondence, Making and accessing appointments, Going out for a drive and a cup of tea or Assisting with shopping. There is an annual charge of £25 for this service. If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact me. Kim Wilcox Village Agent 07943555519 [email protected]. Burnham on Sea B&M Tuesday 29th October Highbridge Monday 18th November ASDA Wednesday 27th November Thursday 19th December Kim Wilcox

OCTOBER BRENT KNOLL NEWS 2424

Chris Evans Bike Ride & Hog Roast The Bike Ride and Hog Roast took place on Sunday 7th July this year with approximately 60 cyclists taking part – that’s a lot of Lycra and padded shorts! Cyclists had a new route for this year’s event. Starting at the Red Cow, the avid riders headed over the . The weather was glorious as the cyclists peddled through the leafy country lanes to Chilton Polden. There was a much welcomed ‘pit stop’ at the White Hart, before riders made their way back to the Red Cow, covering a distance of 23 miles. After the ride, the cyclists were joined by family and friends for a delicious hog roast, provided by Russell Astill in the gardens of the Red Cow. Over the 8 years, the bike ride has raised over £15,000 for the British Lung Foundation. The monies have gone directly to the research laboratory at the charity. We have been invited to the research laboratories to see where the fundraiser’s proceeds have been used. Rebekah Ahmed, Head of Events and Community Fundraising at the British Lung Foundation, says: “We are delighted that the Christopher Evans annual bike ride is now in its eighth year, continuing to raise essential funds for the BLF’s research into Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We are so grateful to the Evans family for all of the hard work and effort they put into making the event such a success every year in Christopher’s memory. Every contribution makes such a difference to our work and the funds raised over the years have gone to our various IPF research projects, allowing us to invest in better prevention, treatment and one day, even a cure for IPF.” Our famous raffle did not disappoint. Prizes included; The White Company champagne flutes and home scent gift set, a Michael Kors smart watch, Afternoon Tea for two at The Grange, Cheddar Caves and Gorge day ticket, Carvery and Dessert for two at Brent House, Team Sport go-karting experience, Tesco £15 gift card, a meal for two at the Red Cow, Sanders Garden Centre £15 voucher, Rose Farm condiments, Westcroft Cider farm goodies and, a mug and biscuit gift pack from the Brent Knoll Village Shop. We would like to thank all those businesses and individuals who donated to the raffle: your generosity is much appreciated. We have made the decision that this year’s event will be our last to host as a family. If anyone would like to take over the event, we are always on hand to lend a helping hand – please do contact us. We would like to finish by saying a heartfelt thank you to all those who have helped organise, participated in, donated and, contributed to the event over the years – we could not have done it without you. We hope that you have enjoyed the event as much as we have. We, as a family, are extremely humbled by the support and friendship given over the years and by the fun, laughter and many memories made from this wonderful event to remember Chris. We look forward to visiting the research laboratories at British Lung Foundation and hope to continue to support the charity in the years to come. The Evans Family.

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Dear Customer Brent Knoll Post Office® 54 Brent Street, Brent Knoll, TA9 4DT Branch Temporary Closure We are writing to inform you that, regrettably, following the resignation of the operator the above branch will be closing temporarily on Friday 27 September 2019 at 13:00. The provision of a Post Office service to our customers in the local community is important to us, and we will continue to work hard to restore services in the area as soon as possible. We would welcome any applications from potential retail partners interested in running a branch locally on our behalf. The vacancy is currently being advertised on our website www.runapostoffice.co.uk and applications will be carefully considered. If you are aware of any interested parties, please do share the link with them. I would like to assure you that we are currently investigating the options available which will enable us to reinstate a Post Office service to the local community. In exploring this, it is important that any future service is sustainable for the person operating the service, and for Post Office Limited. Future provision will reflect customer numbers and usage and we may take the opportunity to establish an alternative type of service. This may be a new style local branch, which, run alongside an established retail shop in newly refurbished premises, creates a more modern and convenient experience for customers. If you have any questions you would like to raise about this matter, please write to me via the National Consultation Team at the address shown at the end of the letter. Please note that your comments will not be kept confidential unless you expressly ask us do so by clearly marking them “In Confidence”. Any future changes to service provision would be handled in line with our Principles of Community Engagement. A copy is available at the end of this letter. We will display posters in the branch to inform customers. If you are a local representative, it would be helpful if you could share this information with any local groups or organisations that you know within the community, for example on noticeboards, local charities and in GP surgeries, to help our customers and your constituents understand what is happening to the Post Office in the local community. If you would like a supply of these posters, please let us know. We would like to apologise for the inconvenience the temporary closure may cause. We hope that our customers will continue to use Post Office services and full details of alternative Post Office branches in the area are shown at the end of this letter. If you are a local representative, we will write to you again once we have any news about our plans for future service provision. Yours faithfully Matthew Walls Change Manager How to contact us: [email protected]: www.postofficeviews.co.uk or “FREEPOST Your Comments.” If you think our village still needs a Post Office, please make sure you respond to this Post Office consultation or we will lose it by default. Don’t leave it to someone else, they’ve probably left it to you!!

OCTOBER BRENT KNOLL NEWS 2828

Nature Diary for October In this diary I am looking back over the recent Summer and considering whether there was a hangover from the blazing hot Summer of 2018. In conservation circles there were predictions that butterfly numbers would fall away significantly because there was not sufficient food plant material for the caterpillars to produce offspring in 2019. I am also going to make some comments about our local churchyard. I have two observations to make about plants in 2019. First, I have noticed that marsh thistles have disappeared almost completely from my butterfly walk except in the wettest of places. Marsh thistles often grow in places that are relatively dry but they clearly need some moisture. They used to grow on the northern slope of Brent Knoll itself but this year they have disappeared completely. Pyramidal orchids vary in their abundance and distribution. However, this year there were hundreds of spikes on the top of Brent Knoll. Clearly the hot weather in 2018 must have favoured their spread. As far as butterflies are concerned, there is a mixed picture. The Butterfly Conservation garden butterfly survey this year showed that some butterflies, particularly the blues, have declined in numbers. My experience would support that, but other butterflies have flourished. I saw the largest number of meadow browns that I have ever seen on the Knoll during late June and early July. Painted ladies also had a good year but this doesn’t have much to do with the weather here because their numbers in this country depend upon their breeding success in the Atlas Mountains in North Africa. If this is very successful, large numbers migrate to this country having travelled up through Europe during the Spring. One exciting sighting for me this year was a clouded yellow, which appeared in August. This is only the third time I have noticed this species in Brent Knoll in 20 years of observation. Again, this is a migrant from Europe that comes across in large numbers some years. There are two points that I would like to make about the churchyard. First, I surveyed the plants in in the churchyard in 2016 and was pleasantly surprised by the biodiversity. Following the survey, I grew some wild flowers to introduce into the north bank of the churchyard, which is an area of rough grassland that is dominated by coarse grasses. I am pleased to report that these introduced plants have succeeded in establishing themselves. Second, the magnificent beech tree in the churchyard next to Church Lane unfortunately shed a large branch in a gale in late Spring. This must have happened because the leaves acted as a “sail” that strengthened the effect of the wind. Shortly after this happened, the scar sprouted some fungi. This would appear to indicate that the branch was infected before it was torn from the tree by the wind. The rest of the tree looks healthy, and it is going to be inspected by local tree experts. Let us hope that it is given a clean bill of health. Ged Kim Wilcox – Village Agent My role as your Village Agent is to help anyone who is isolated and help to connect excluded and vulnerable people across rural areas in Somerset: this may be through signposting them to other agencies and services. I work with all age groups and a variety of issues that enables me to have a link in with other local services. If you have any issues or worries then please do not hesitate to contact me. To find out more about my work and the work of my Carers and Community Agent colleagues, then please visit our brand-new website www.somersetagents.org. Also, don’t forget to find out if you can apply for a warmer homes discount from your electricity or gas provider from 14th October. Kim Wilcox, Village Agent 07943555519 [email protected]

BRENT KNOLL NEWS OCTOBER Experienced Lady Gardeners

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PARISH HALL COMMITTEE FORTHCOMING EVENTS for your DIARY 2nd Saturday Bazaar, Farmers’ Market and Parish Café 19th October Harvest Supper 28/29th March Book Fair with the “Jerry Nicholls Band” 25th April Jumble Sale 30th November Craft Fair 14th June Village Fête 2020 18th July ‘Six Machine’ on the Green 29th February Another BAD Experience! 17th October Harvest Supper Next meeting – Monday, 14th October at 7.45pm in the “Jubilee Room” S Few A Second Chance for so many From September onwards, we start releasing many orphans that are now self-sufficient. It takes a lot of time for our Release Manager whose job it is to find new homes for the many orphans that we care for. We try to copy what goes on in nature and choose the time when the animals would naturally disperse. Certain species such as swallow and swifts have to be released in time to be able to start their migration journey to warmer climates. We try to ‘soft’ release animals, which means a pen or aviary is put up in the new location and this gives the animals chance to get to know their new area and also, when the trap doors are opened, they know they can come back for food that the landowner provides until they are able to survive on their own. There is no point in putting so much in to rearing the orphans, if you’re not going to give them the best chance of survival when released. So, it’s goodbye to so many animals that we have cared for from the badgers, foxes, owls, fawns and many more, then it is time to repair and get ready for the next season. There are no more open days this year but do think about going to a fantastic night out at the McMillan Theatre where Lloyd and Rose Buck will be giving an evening in aid of Secret World and bringing their birds with them. That’s on Monday November 25th. Contact 01278 556677 for tickets. Pauline Kidner Scarecrows on Ham Road Firstly, I would like to thank everyone in Ham Road for their support and enthusiasm (especially the children), and all the effort put in to creating our traffic calming scarecrows. They had an immediate effect on the vehicles coming into this narrow 30mph stretch. Thank you to all the drivers for taking it so seriously. Secondly, I would like to report the fact that on Friday 13th September, our scarecrows were torn out of the ground and taken away. If anyone has any information as to the whereabouts of our “two ladies”, please let me know. A plea for help - if anyone wishes to donate their scarecrow, to help our cause, after the scarecrow weekend, we would be happy to give them a good home. Thank you, A. Hicks 01278 786713

OCTOBER BRENT KNOLL NEWS 3232

Race to the moon – and Mars Many will know that President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have instructed NASA to send more men (and at least one woman) to the moon by 2024. But the rocket NASA has commissioned, the SLS or Space Launch System, has not yet been built! It should have been ready in 2017, so it is years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget. The latest forecast is that it will be ready in 2021. However, all in not lost. Many will also know that, in the last 10 years, two American billionaires, Elon Musk (of PayPal and Tesla fame) and Jeff Bezos (who owns Amazon) have built rockets of increasing power and capacity. Elon Musk’s BFR (Big Falcon Rocket), scheduled to fly by the end of this year, will be more powerful than NASA’s SLS and be capable of carrying 100 astronauts and 150 tonnes of cargo into space. It has cut the costs of delivering cargo to a fraction of previous costs (via the now retired Space Shuttle), mainly by the rocket boosters and the upper part being capable of re-landing on earth, the moon or Mars, vertically. These components can then be re-fuelled and used again instead being jettisoned and destroyed! Both Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have a lifelong ambition and passion to make man a spacefaring species. This is to guard against mankind being wiped out on earth by disease, massive volcanic eruptions or being struck by an asteroid (as happened to the Dinosaurs). So, Mars is their first target, although moons round other planets, asteroids and even habitations built in space are other possibilities. Jeff Bezos always keeps his plans secret but Musk says that his BFR (with the top half now re-named “Starship”) will be ready to make an unmanned trip to Mars in 2022 in order to robotically prepare for a manned expedition, including leaving stores, in 2024 if all is successful. NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover was Sky-craned to the surface on 6th August 2012 and has relayed 7 years of data back to Earth. This has identified locations with a level surface with no boulders, near to frozen water-ice just below the surface. This, and the methane in the atmosphere, will enable oxygen and methane rocket fuel to be produced for the return journey home. For more details and pictures, see this video: - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaeiSncTZFg David Filmer

BRENT KNOLL NEWS OCTOBER Please mention the Brent Knoll News when replying to adverts G B Building & Maintenance Conservation Builder Historic, Listed and Traditional Methods Lime Plastering; Stonework; Cob Walls Lime Wash Paints; Brickwork Telephone: Mr Gary Broom on 07776032289 or 01823283212 Listed Heritage Member

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Your September Sudokus Easy Sudoku 17 Clue Sudoku

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

A 1 2 3 A 3 5 8

B 4 5 B 1 6 . 4

C 6 7 C 7

D 8 9 5 D 8 9 2

E 7 6 2 1 E 3 6

F 4 5 8 F 5

G 2 8 G 4 7

H 7 1 H

J 3 6 5 J 2 9

Sorry about the transposition error in last month’s Easy Sudoku. I corrected it for those persons whose email addresses I know. I’ve made sure that this month’s are OK! After much hard work (which I greatly appreciate), Klaus Brenner kindly provided the perfectly symmetrical Easy star-shaped Sudoku, which I think most people will enjoy. A feature is that it starts with1-9 in perfect order! Stars are a feature of the Universe and on page 31 I have written an article about Elon Musk’s “Star-Ship”! The 17-clue puzzle is a bit more difficult but has a clue. 12 persons sent answers in last month. Comments were “Thanks David- easy one was easy-17 clue very satisfying!” – “Thank you, David”– “We enjoyed doing both of them” – “A very interesting month’s Sudokus” – “They solved very neatly. Routine but some very nice twists.” – “Thank you. A lovely distraction from mundane tasks!”. Solutions came from, Klaus Brenner, Jenny Butters, Pauline Chadwick Tim Cromwell, Mac Hares, Liz Ibrahim, Chris Marsh, Frankie and Geoff New, John Spiers, Ted Toon and Louise Wright. Please send entries to me at [email protected] or 48, Brent Street. David Filmer Last month’s Sudoku Solutions (by popular request) are below:- Easy Sudoku 17 Clue Sudoku 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

A 2 1 4 8 5 3 7 6 9 A 4 1 9 5 3 8 7 2 6

B 7 5 8 6 3 1 2 B 8 2 7 6 9 4 5 3 1 4 9

6 3 7 1 4 9 8 C 9 3 2 1 7 4 8 C 5 2 6 5 1 7 4 5 2 D 3 4 5 6 8 1 2 9 7 D 3 6 8 9 9 8 6 3 2 4 5 E 6 9 2 3 7 5 4 8 1 E 1 7 2 5 4 8 6 9 1 7 F 1 8 7 9 2 4 6 3 5 F 3

7 6 1 8 3 9 G 8 2 9 5 4 6 1 7 3 G 2 5 4 5 4 8 9 2 3 1 7 H 4 7 3 1 9 2 8 5 6 H 6 3 9 1 7 4 5 8 6 J 5 6 1 7 3 8 9 2 4 J 2

OCTOBER BRENT KNOLL NEWS 3636

Lympsham Gardening Club Our Next Meeting will be on: Tuesday 8th October - 7.45pm at the Manor Hall, Lympsham when David Usher will talk about The Herbaceous Border. Future Meeting Tuesday 12th November - 7.45pm at The Manor Hall, Lympsham. Pests & Diseases with Adrian Hutchinson. Come and join us – you do not have to be a resident of Lympsham. Visitors and Friends welcome at all meetings. £2 per person. Mariette Denison

“I’m not sure about all this Global warming business!” “Why, what is the problem then?” “Well it’s all over the world this warming up news, but my feet are still cold when I get up in the morning!’” “You know why that is.” “No, I don’t” “Well, your bed is facing the wrong way, I bet you are North to South! Get your wife to turn the bed East to West” “Can you imagine what she will say?” “No.” “She’ll say, put your bed socks on!” Just for Fun – Schoolboy howlers Q. Give the meaning of the term “Caesarean section” A. The Caesarean section is a district in Rome. Q. What is a seizure? A. A Roman Emperor, Julius Seizure: I came, I saw, I had a fit. The Friendly Pharmacist

BRENT KNOLL NEWS OCTOBER Cloudbusting: The Music of Kate Bush Friday 4 October 7.30pm

Paul Zerdin’s Puppet Party Thursday 10 October 7.30pm The Ballroom Boys Ian Waite & Vincent Simone Saturday 12 October 2.30pm & 7.30pm

Turin Brakes: Acoustic Fri 20 – Mon 30 December 2019 Sunday 13 October (See website for show times) 7.30pm Join the beautiful Cinderella on her quest to win the heart of the dashing Prince Charming! Don’t delay! Book your tickets now. www.mcmillantheatre.com Tickets: £17 Adult, £16 Retired, 01278 556677 £14 Under 16, £56 Family The McMillan Theatre, Bath Road , Somerset TA6 4PZ

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Dear Friends, From times past, many people have striven for “things” to make them happy, such as fashionable clothes, owning a car or one’s own house. Some of these have become unwritten measures of success in life and the ethics of wealth accumulation are a matter of opinion, debate and politics. However, the media are reporting a change from a desire for material things to experiential priorities. Increasingly people are looking for new things to try – there are racks in shops of gift cards and links online for hotel breaks, exotic holidays and, for the more adventurous, hot-air balloon flights, wildlife experiences, sports car driving days and so on. All great fun! In some ways this seems good, because it may indicate a move away from materialism and ownership. Of course, what you can experience still depends on wealth, how much you can afford. Or does it? There is a well-known saying that “the best things in life are free”. I believe this maxim still holds fast. If you can get out, a walk in the Somerset countryside or along Berrow beach is a wonderful, free experience, (and the health experts tell us we must all exercise more for our well-being). Fruit picked from the hedgerow is especially delicious and free. Reading a good book mindfully is under-rated – many super books are available for very little in charity shops and at our various village fairs. However, we must not forget the best and deepest free experience is to know the love, grace and forgiveness of God. His love is generously given; it costs us nothing, except to accept it and be thankful, because Jesus has paid the price for us all. It can be experienced sometimes through other people, gratefully receiving and acknowledging their service and kindness to us (a hard and very humbling thing to do). It can also be experienced in silence, alone or in a small group of friends, by opening one’s heart to feel his presence, (also difficult as it means relinquishing ourselves and allowing God to come to us). And it can be experienced in church, particularly in the Holy Communion or Eucharist services, when we recall Jesus’ healing presence with us in the Bread and Wine. Never take for granted things that are free. For God’s freely given love, let us all be thankful. If you’d like to talk about this or any other spiritual matter, please give me a call. Many blessings,

The Revd. Kevin Wright, Priest-in-Charge, The Parish of Three Saints Bill Stewart The family of Bill would like to thank everyone for their very kind condolences and your kind and generous donations to the self-funding, Burnham on Sea ‘Music for the Memory’ Group, which Bill enjoyed and so many others continue to enjoy. Your support is much appreciated. Liz Stewart

OCTOBER BRENT KNOLL NEWS 4040

Medieval Feast and Music Members of Caliban’s Dream will be dressed in Medieval costume and playing Medieval instruments at a “pop up” Medieval Feast in St. Michael’s Church, Brent Knoll on Saturday November 16th at 7pm. Why not get a table of friends together? Numbers will be limited so places will have to be booked. There will be no ticket charge in the hope that if you enjoy your evening you will give generously to the Save Our Special Ceiling Appeal, which is now urgent with the theft of lead from the roof. We will be selling our special St Michael’s Angel Ale and there will be a cash bar. Please email rosemary.keele@btinternet or phone 01278 769010 for further information.

Medieval Feast

with music by Caliban’s Dream th Sat Nov 16 7pm

at St. Michael’s Church in aid of an Urgent ave ur pecial Ceiling S o S Appeal Please book 01278 769010

Brent Knoll Classical Music Circle The Brent Knoll Classical Music Circle meets at Ball Copse Hall. Sessions are held every Monday evening starting at 7pm and last for two hours. The term lasts until 9th December. The cost for the term is £20, representing less than £2 per session! This next term includes the theme of music with titles from the British Isles. I do hope you will join us. I guarantee that you will hear some really good music, in pleasant surroundings, with great company. Please contact Alan Spencer on 01278 760572 [email protected] if you are interested in attending. If you are not sure you can try a couple of weeks with no obligation. The programme is available on the Village Website, under Local Organisations http://www.brentknollvillage.co.uk/musicgroup.htm. Alan Spencer, Brent Knoll Classical Music Circle Just for Fun – Schoolboy howlers Q. What is a terminal illness? A. When you are sick at the airport. The Friendly Pharmacist

BRENT KNOLL NEWS OCTOBER Please mention the Brent Knoll News when replying to adverts Please mention the Brent Knoll News when replying to adverts 4343

Mary Watts Long standing Brent Knoll resident Mary Ann Watts sadly passed away on Saturday 31st August aged 87. Having lived in the area all her life, Mary lived in Brent Knoll for over 54 years in her bungalow designed and built by her late husband John Watts who was a parish Councillor for many years. Nick Pennington 200+ “Club” September Draw The September draw was made at the Parish Hall Committee meeting. The lucky numbers were drawn by committee members. The winning numbers were:-

September No. Prize Name First Prize 237 £ 20 Mr & Mrs I. McFetridge Burton Row Brent Knoll Second Prize 331 £ 20 Mr R.H. Cotgrove South Brent Close Brent Knoll Third Prize 317 £ 16 Miss R.V. Nussey Edinburgh Scotland Fourth Prize 116 £ 12 Mr N.A. Nussey Brent Street Brent Knoll Fifth Prize 362 £ 12 Mr S. Burdge Brent Street Brent Knoll Sixth Prize 45 £ 10 Mr M. Dando Brent Street Brent Knoll Seventh Prize 311 £ 8 Mr J. Dennett Burton Row Brent Knoll Eighth Prize 192 £ 6 Mrs C.O. Ashton East Ride Brent Knoll Thank you to everyone who has supported the Parish Hall by joining the 200+ Club, you help make sure that our Parish Hall continues to meet the needs of our local community and remains at it’s heart. Bob Filmer, “200+ Club” Co-ordinator, Brent Knoll Parish Hall Committee BRENT KNOLL BAZAAR FARMERS’ MARKET & PARISH CAFÉ SATURDAY 12th October at Brent Knoll Parish Hall - 10am to 12 noon Locally produced fresh Pork, Goat’s milk, cheese and meat, Eggs, Pickles and Preserves. Vegetable Stall, Speciality Bread, Westcroft Cider, Cakes and Savouries, Handmade Cards, Silver & Beaded Jewellery, Children’s Games and Toys, Local Crafts, Dog Treats, Textiles, etc., CDs, DVDs, Books and Bric-a-Brac. Plus Raffle The Parish Café will be serving drinks & light snacks Entrance FREE Good Quality, Clean items for BRIC-A-BRAC stall (No Electrical Goods, please) will be appreciated, (collection or delivery) or to Book a Table (£7 per table) Phone Eddie Fuller (01278 760 308) Proceeds to Brent Knoll Parish Hall

OCTOBER BRENT KNOLL NEWS 4444

Brent Knoll Weather Report After 10 years, this is the final weather report for the Brent Knoll News. Those who used our web site will know that the live weather information is no longer there, and the weather station itself has been packed away while we move house. We will still be in the village, and once our new home has had some TLC, we will look at reinstating the site: for now, though, most of our worldly goods are in storage, and there is lots of work to do. Since I don’t have a full set of figures for August’s weather, I thought I would indulge in a bit of nostalgia and look back at some of the notable weather events of the past decade. The first was the bitterly cold December 2010 - the average temperature for the month was just 1.0°C, with air frosts on 20 days and four days when the temperature didn’t rise above freezing point. The lowest temperature we recorded was -11.3°C early on the 19th, and Christmas Day saw a minimum of -10.6°C and a maximum of 0.9°C. By way of contrast, December 2015 produced an average of 11.2°C – more typical of May. At the other end of the scale, the warmest month we recorded was July 2018 with an average of 19.3°C. That record was the result of persistent warmth throughout the month rather than any exceptionally hot weather; for the highest temperature we go to 21st June 2017, when we recorded 32.8°C at the end of a very hot spell. Everyone will remember the storms and floods of 2014, so it will be no surprise that our wettest month was January of that year with 157.8mm. It was windy too, with storms in February bringing down the coastal railway at Dawlish, but our highest recorded gust was 50kts on 8th February 2016, thanks to a small but very lively low-pressure system. Our driest month was June 2018 with just 2.0mm of rain, and July that year only produced 17mm, but August redressed the balance with 108.8mm. Hence despite the Knoll going brown (though not as brown as in 1976), 2018 was only our third-driest Summer - 2013 was the driest. Finally, a word about climate change, and I’ll start by saying that we should be wary of drawing conclusions from what is a small data set by scientific standards. The Met Office looks at climate data in 30-year blocks over hundreds of locations, so an 11-year series from one place doesn’t really mean a great deal. For what it is worth, though – of the top ten temperatures we have recorded since 2007, three occurred in 2019, three in 2017, one in 2016, two in 2013 and one in 2009. Nine out of the ten maximum wind speeds we have recorded were in the last five years. On the other hand, there is little evidence of a trend in rainfall – wet and dry years are fairly evenly distributed throughout the time the station has been running. Make of that what you will. Finally – if you have been – thanks for reading over the years, and for visiting our web site. Thanks also to our esteemed editor for his tolerance when I have occasionally stretched the word count, as I may have done this time. Now I have to get on with some DIY. Stephen Baggs; www.knollweather.co.uk BRENT KNOLL PARISH SURGERY our Parish Clerk, Owen Cullwick will be holding a Parish Surgery on Wednesday, October 2nd 4.30pm to 6pm Jubilee Room, Brent Knoll Parish Hall Please use this opportunity to meet your Parish Clerk to discuss any issues

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a5-landscape.indd 1 07/12/2017 22:03 Please mention the Brent Knoll News when replying to adverts 4747

A Gift Beautiful

A gift. In wild fields We didn’t earn. O’er rolling hills, Is freely given. colours blur in the winds caress. What shall we do with it? Breathtaking beauty, It is beautiful to look at. with a careless precision. Hard to grasp. Each one’s Engaging to consider. unique character Awesome to behold. reveals such love in the detail.

But what to do with it? Yet, together,

Keep it safe? that beauty magnifies. Locked away? The contrasts, To observe, and shadows, when we feel the need? the shapes, and movement Keep it at a distance? makes a bouquet for the senses Too much to really fathom. that overwhelms. How did we deserve it? How can we repay it? Eyes close in gratitude and awe. Keep it hidden? I breathe deeply Lest it should change our lives? and realize Upset the comfort. that I too am that beauty Break down the walls? bathed in your love. The answer is simple… Corin

Love it Live it Share it

Faith

Your face, Your smile, Your eyes, Your voice, One I’ve never seen. Never heard. BAD Never felt. Wanting, will be at the desperately something to hold. Parish Hall To feel. To touch. on But you are not of this world. th And I must learn 29 February 2020 to try and understand yours.

And believe

OCTOBER BRENT KNOLL NEWS 4848

Useful Village Contacts: Contact e-mail Telephone St Michael’s Church, Brent Knoll Revd. Kevin Wright [email protected] 760844 Parochial Church Council, Secretary, Carole Carter [email protected] 769082 Church Administrator Carole Carter [email protected] 769082 Church Warden Miss Frances James 760287 Mike Smith 760691 Church Cleaners Weit Harper 760803 Church Flowers Mrs Marion Vining 760612 Poppy Organiser Mrs Sally Wingate 760610 Brass Cleaners Miss Frances James 760287 Methodist Church, Revd. Steve Bennett [email protected] 784808 Janet Southwell 760445 Baptist Church: Burnham, College St. Revd. Steve Ayers 783920 Catholic Church: Burnham & Bridgwater Father Frank Wainwright, 422703 James Heappey [email protected] 01749 343255 County Councillor Bob Filmer [email protected] 760760 District Councillor Bob Filmer [email protected] 760760 Andrew Gilling [email protected] 01934 750580 Parish Council, Clerk Owen Cullwick [email protected] 07917 445215 Chairman Colin Townsend [email protected] 760226 Planning enquiries Andrea Hurkett [email protected] 760099 Footpath Contact Cynthia Trivett–Bill [email protected] 760198 Parish Hall Booking Secretary Jenny Butters [email protected] 760477 Bazaar Eddie Fuller [email protected] 760308 Chairman Bob Filmer [email protected] 760760 Secretary Sandra Few [email protected] 760451 Doctor Dr S L Aung 760313 NHS Non-Emergency Urgent Medical Helpline 111 WRVS Prescription Service 760313 Brent Knoll Primary School Chris Burman [email protected] 760546 Toddlers Group Jane Hannah [email protected] 760629 Brent Knoll Tadpoles Pre-School Cathy Hurley 769126 Village Shop Caroline Chennells 760225 Village Post Office (Sub-Postmaster) Manshu Shah 769281 Brent Knoll News, Production Editor Bob Filmer [email protected] 760760 Distribution Elaine & Eddie Fuller [email protected] 760308 Non-Emergency Number 101 Rhyne Problems Lower Axe Draining Board 789906 Village Agent Kim Wilcox [email protected] 07943 555519 National Trust Honorary Ranger Ged Keele 769010 Village Societies: Brent Amateur Dramatics (BAD) Sarah Joyce 787493 Cancer Research Campaign t.b.c. Conservative Branch Bob Filmer [email protected] 760760 Ecumenical Group Revd. Margaret Trapp 760573 Good Companions Mrs Ann Robson 760981 Guides/Brownies/Rainbows Jane Sinnott [email protected] Horticultural Society (Burnham) t.b.c. Royal British Legion Rod Southwell 760445 Short Mat Bowling Club Alan Castle 760424 Table Tennis Club John Mathews 07414 868333 Tennis Club Alison Hillyer 01934 815407 Women’s Institute Janet Southwell 760445 Women’s Society Julie Baker 751229 E&OE

BRENT KNOLL NEWS OCTOBER Please mention the Brent Knoll News when replying to adverts 5050

BRENT KNOLL NEWS OCTOBER 5151

Time Flies Now I know what they mean when they say time flies. It only seems like yesterday however it is eleven years ago I was approached by the Post Office to manage the counter here at Brent Knoll. I would like to thank all the people who were kind and hospitable to me and would like to wish those people the very best of health and happiness for the future. Thanks. Manshu

Ripley Antiques will be holding an Antiques, Collectables & General Auction in the Parish Hall on Sunday 27th October at 2.30pm (Viewing from 10.30am) They will be accepting goods for the sale all day on Saturday 26th. For further information please contact them or visit their website www.ripleyantiques.co.uk 01934 732 641 [email protected] Plumbing by George - always here for you Thank you to all my customers who have shown such concern and patience following my recent hand injury. I am pleased to say that normal service has resumed!! Even though I have moved, I remain in the village and look forward to helping you with all your plumbing and heating needs, big and small. Please note, I do not have a landline now, please call me on the mobile. I am always happy to call you back. Best wishes. George Proceeds to Church Roof fund WHISTDRIE Monday October 14th Ivy Hall,Brent Knoll By kind permission of Frances James 7pm start £1.50 Prizes, Raffle and Refreshments. All Welcome

OCTOBER BRENT KNOLL NEWS 5252

Aston Martin cars at the Red Cow Inn

Bristol & Somerset (area 4) Aston Martin Owners Club cars on display at the Red Cow Inn car park on Wednesday 14th August. The DB9Z, is only one on the road, carbon fibre body, the three cars are worth over million! SR

YOU ARE INVITED

TO CELEBRATE NEW YEAR’S EVE 2019 WITH A BIT OF A DO

PROCEED WITH HASTE TO:

BRENT KNOLL PARISH HALL, BRENT STREET, BRENT KNOLL TA9 4EH

ON

TUESDAY 31st DECEMBER FROM 7.30pm to 2020

IT WILL BE

A BARN DANCE with LIVE MUSIC PROVIDED by HOBSON’S CHOICE

SO

PUT ON YOUR DANCING SHOES!

THERE WILL BE A BUFFET BUT PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN DRINKS

PLACE THIS INVITATION ON THE MANTLEPIECE IN YOUR DRAWING ROOM OR AFFIX IT BY MEANS OF MAGNETISM TO YOUR REFRIGERATOR

As you can see from the above, we are putting on “a bit of a do” for New Year’s Eve, a barn dance to be held in the Parish Hall. Tickets will be £20 per person and are available from Jenny Butters. Numbers are limited so please get in early and purchase your tickets. Also, as we have a band booked, we need to know we have our costs covered by 17th November at the latest. We hope you will support this event as we all know finding something to do to bring in the New Year is a bit tricky. You know you should be doing something to celebrate, but what? Well this year should be no problem, see you there!! Contact details; Jenny Butters [email protected] or Tel 01278 760477.

BRENT KNOLL NEWS OCTOBER 5353

We’ve had the War Memorial cleaned and spruced up; the cost of the clean-up was jointly funded by the Parish Council and the Royal British Legion Brent Knoll Branch. The Memorial was cleaned by Wells Cathedral stone masons. Steve Russell

OCTOBER BRENT KNOLL NEWS 5454

Diary for October Page 1st Toddlers (Every Tuesday) Methodist Schoolroom 10.30-12 noon 4 2nd SORT IT+ Recycling & Green Waste Your House Early!! 2nd Parish Surgery Jubilee Room 4.30-6.00pm 7,44 2nd Parish Council – Public Session Jubilee Room 7.00pm 7 Parish Council Meeting Jubilee Room to follow immediately 2nd Table Tennis Club (Every Wednesday) Parish Hall 8/9.00-10pm 3rd All-Sorts Community Choir (Every Thursday) St Mary’s church 7.30-9.30pm 5th St Mary’s Handbell Ringers practice Ivy Hall 9.30am 5th Raise the Roof St Michael’s Church 7.30pm 12,16,50 7th Short Mat Bowls (Every Monday) Parish Hall 2.00pm 7th Ecumenical Group Methodist Church 2.30pm 4,15 7th Classical Music Circle (Every Monday) Ball Copse Hall 7.00pm 40 8th Lympsham Gardening Club Manor Hall, Lympsham 7.45pm 36 9th SORT IT+ Recycling & Rubbish Your House Early!! 9th Women’s Institute – ‘In the Mood” Parish Hall 2.30pm 23 12th Farmers’ Market & Bazaar Parish Hall 10am-12 noon 31,43 12th British Legion Quiz Red Cow 7.30pm 4 14th Whist Drive Ivy Hall 7.00pm 51 14th Parish Hall Committee meeting Jubilee Room 7.45pm 31 15th Deadline for November Brent noll News 12.00 noon 54 16th SORT IT+ Recycling & Green Waste Your House Early!! 16th Good Companions “Lifeboats” Parish Hall 2.30pm 16 16th Parish Council Provisional Planning meeting Jubilee Room 7.00pm 7 17th COM-FOR-TEA - Comfort Group Contact Dot 2.30pm 15 19th Harvest Supper featuring “Jerry Nicholls Band” Parish Hall 7.00pm 8,31,42 21st WI Craft Group Methodist Schoolroom 2.30pm 16 21st Alzheimer & Dementia Carers Group Brentcombe House 4.00pm 15 23rd SORT IT+ Recycling & Rubbish Your House Early!! 24th Bereaved Friends Group 87, Brent Street 2.30pm 15 25th Mobile Library [Friday] Village Shop 9.20-10.05am 27th Ripley Antiques Auction viewing Parish Hall 10.00am 51 27th Antiques, Collectables & General Auction Parish Hall 2.30pm 51 27th Fellowship Methodist Schoolroom 4.00pm 4 27th British Summertime Ends - clocks go back 1 hour 27th Post Office Closure 27 28th Poppy Collection starts Sanders Garden World 10.30-3pm 3 28th Somerset Sight B&M, B-o-S 10.30-3.30pm 23 28th Meet & Eat Nuttall Room 12.00 noon 23 29th No Toddlers (Half Term) 4 30th SORT IT+ Recycling & Green Waste Your House Early!! 31st Halloween 31st Women’s Society t.b.a. 8.00pm 23 Why not contribute to OUR illage Magaine Do you have a pastime or hobby that you think others would find interesting? Then why not share it with the village? We publish most items and others may find your article interesting. Deadline for the November 2019 Issue – All contributions to be received by NOON on Tuesday 15th October, to:- [email protected] The Brent Knoll News welcomes all contributions. Views expressed are those of individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the editor or the standpoint of the Brent Knoll News. The Editor reserves the right to edit or amend any contribution. BRENT NO IAGE WEBSITE: www.brentknollvillage.co.uk

BRENT KNOLL NEWS OCTOBER Come and see us at Burnham Swim & Sports Academy, Berrow Rd

Chartered Physiotherapists Liz & Andy Gardner are HCPC & CSP registered to assess and treat a variety of injuries Sports injuries & massage Acupuncture • Back pain & sciatica Joint & muscle pains • Neck pain & headaches Registered with all major insurance providers

Please visit us online or call to make a booking 01278 785221 www.centralsomersetphysio.co.uk [email protected]

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