Kingston Seymour

Issue 159 August 2015 ~ Issue 159 April – May 2015 ~

A great deal of information this month with events planned by the Friends of All Saints. Sports Weekend went really well ending in a very exciting cricket match. Thank you to everyone who helped with the organisation and look out for a report in the next magazine. Do remember that you can access this magazine and so much more if you look at the website as I add anything that comes in between Issues. Why not have a look. I hope everyone has a brilliant summer and we’ll be back in the autumn.

Sylvia Stokes - 01934 834461 - [email protected]

th Copy Date Sunday 20 September

Gentlemen Who Lunch – the next meeting is in the Lambing Shed on 16th September at 12.30pm. New members welcome. Ring John Harris on 01934 832126

All Saints Arms

A family BBQ and fun evening on Saturday August 1st at 4.30pm in the Church Yard, with a licensed bar.

Last of the Summer Wine

A family BBQ and fun evening on Saturday August 29th in the Church Yard, with a licensed bar, following the Village Show.

There is an interesting article in Life about Kingston Seymour. It is a two page spread with a couple of lovely photographs. I will add a link on the website when the magazine comes on line next month. 2 A good home wanted for a Table Tennis Table. Located in Kingston Seymour. Free to collector. Contact [email protected]

Is there anyone in the surrounding area who would like a gardening job on a one day a week basis? If so ring Thelma Blake on 01934 832017

A Quiet Day

This is on Monday 3 August at Cherry Tree House, Kenn (John and Celia's) and will be led by Methodist Minister Jill Flowers. It will run from 10am to 3.30pm and include time for quiet reflection, short talks and worship. People are invited to drop in at any time - for all or part of it. Bring along a picnic and enjoy it in the grounds of John and Margaret Ball, opposite. Also: Avril Gaunt will speak on her work as Hospital Chaplain at a Forum in the Chapter House Yatton at 8pm on Thursday 17 September.

Kingston Seymour Village Auction

The General Church Fund and. the Friends of All Saints are holding an auction on Saturday 10th October in the Village Hall at 7.30pm. Funds raised to be split between both funds.

Please would you search your attics and cupboards for any quality items that you would like to donate to this important auction.

Also if any person has a holiday home perhaps they would like to donate a long weekend or a week’s break to the auction - we already have the promise of a week in Portugal!

If any one has particular talents we are able to auction these as well so cake makers, sewing angels, gardening magicians etc., etc. please donate these valuable talents. You never know who will buy your services!

Please contact Sue Thomas (833593) or Sue Lang (835939) 3 More from Warf Farm

Fresh from her appearance on Countryfile, Thelma Blake was much feted at the Three Counties Show at Malvern recently.

Stonmour Thunder Cloud was the star attraction on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust stand, helping it to win the gold award for Best Stand in Show. There was always a crowd around this much-prized Shorthorn bull, and demurely watching-on was Thelma. “Is he really yours?” (in a brummie accent!) was a frequently heard phrase. Her response was invariably “Yes, all my own breeding”.

Congratulations Thelma we are all very proud of you in Kingston. Ed

All Saints Flower Guild

Church Flower Rota Thank you to all of you who have added your name to the Church Flower Rota, copies in church porch and with Cheryl Sewell. When you arrange flowers please remember you are responsible for watering the flowers and removing them at the end of the two weeks, leaving containers empty for the next person on the rota.

Dates for your Diary

Harvest Festival – Sunday 20th September. The theme will be Magna Carta – one of the Barons at Runnymede came from Kingston! Help welcomed to decorate the church on 16th and 17th September.

Magna Flora Flower Festival, Salisbury Cathedral Tuesday 15th September To commemorate the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta. We have 2 places still available. Cost £25.00 per head includes coach hire and entry to the flower festival.

Contact: Gill Harris 832126 or Sue Lang 835939 if you would like to join us.

Next Committee Meeting – 7th October 7.30 p.m. with Sue Lang. 4

There will be a Charity Auction on 14th November in aid of Springboard, a registered charity that offers support and opportunity to children with developmental delay with centres in and Weston. Lots will include rare opportunities such as a chance to attend major sporting events in style and so much more.

Details from Anita Simmons or [email protected]

Kingston Seymour Historical Society 2015 to 2016 season

Membership £10.00, visitors £3.00 junior visitors £1.50 (this price includes light refreshments)

Tuesday 29th September - At FAIRFIELD FARM, Ham Lane Paul Barnett – The Severn Railway Bridge Disaster of 1960

Tuesday 20th October : At THE TYNINGS, Ham Lane Dr Amy Frost – William Beckford in Wiltshire & Bath, writer & collector, builder of Font Hill Abbey and the Beckford Tower, (a treasure chest).

Tuesday 24th November : At BULBECK, Bullocks Lane Bill Francis – Slimbridge Wetland Centre

No meeting in December

Tuesday 19th January 2016: At HAWTHORN COTTAGE, Middle Lane John Britton – Concorde

Tuesday 23rd February : At GREENACRE, Ham Lane Trevor Bowman – Coal and Glass

Tuesday 29th March : At THE TYNINGS, Ham Lane Gina Merrett-Smith - Marianne North, the intrepid Botanical Artist- Her Life, Travels and Paintings of this remarkable Victorian Lady, and her connection with the Royal Kew Botanical Gardens.

Tuesday 26th April At : BULBECK, Bullocks Lane - AGM and Social

Meetings at members’ homes at 7.30pm for a 7.45pm start. Thank you for your support 5 For details please contact Jane on 01934 877322 and 07591959269

Kingston Seymour Parish Council

The Council held a special meeting in early June and its regular bi- monthly meeting on Tuesday 7th July.

Co-options to the Council I am pleased to report that Caroline Harris and Ian Wariner have been co-opted onto the Council, which now has its full complement of seven members. Co-opted members have exactly the same status and voting rights as elected members.

Councillor responsibilities

There are quite a lot of jobs for councillors to do and it is always a good thing to share the workload. A full list can be viewed on the website, but here are some of the key roles and responsibilities:

• Roads and footpaths – Paul Cox • Emergency planning – Pete Harris (see below) • Schools admissions / transport – Mike Sewell • Health-related matters – Caroline Harris • Tree Warden – Fred Malton • Parish Councils Airport Association – Ian Wariner

Queries about planning matters can be put to any councillors but will usually end up with me, so it may be easier to approach me direct. Queries or concerns about flood risk can also be put to me and I will refer you on as appropriate.

External Audit I am also pleased to report that the External Audit has been completed and that all was found to be in order.

Fly-tipping

A few weeks ago an instance of fly-tipping was observed and the witness managed to obtain the registration number of the vehicle concerned. Fly-tipping is a criminal offence but most cases of fly-tipping are passed on from the police to the local authority, which for this

6 purpose has the same powers to prosecute as the police. We are trying to find out what the outcome was in this instance.

Village verges The Parish Council has received several complaints about the large wooden planters recently placed on the wide verge on Ham Lane near the ducks. There are concerns about “creeping urbanisation”, but more particularly the pots have hindered access by the Drainage Board to the rhyne for the purpose of keeching (cleaning out), an essential maintenance task performed to keep the water free of vegetation. The Drainage Board has written to the Parish Council asking it to arrange for the pots to be removed and the Council has referred this to Council as the landowner for them to address.

Please note that verges should not be obstructed by “white stones” either, or used for parking residents’ vehicles, or those of their visitors. Along our narrow lanes, verges fulfill two important functions. Firstly they are refuges for the safety of pedestrians, cyclists or riders; secondly – and essentially since most of our lanes are lined by ditches or rhynes - they separate the highway from the ditch edge and prevent the collapse of the ditch banks. When used for parking or to enable large vehicles to pass each other, their integrity is compromised and the ditch banks are weakened, which increases the risk of accidents and of flooding.

Emergency planning Pete Harris has taken on the responsibility for galvanizing us into action, all attempts to force little Kingston Seymour into the big corporate Community Resilience mould having failed! Hopefully there will be a simple but effective action plan in place before next winter.

Planning

The application for a mobile home at Acorn Carp Fishery has been approved. There are several other applications under consideration as I write. The bigger picture – probable large-scale development in Yatton (Arnolds Way etc) and other parts of North Somerset - is still not at all clear, pending a decision by the Secretary of State on North Somerset’s housing numbers to 2026. The total number of new houses to be built in Yatton alone could be anywhere between 150 and 900. Even the lower

7 figure has implications for local roads, schools, the surgery etc but until there is more certainty these concerns cannot be addressed in any meaningful way. Works to Yeo Flood Defences The work is proceeding well; the EA reports that the embankment raising on the North is now substantially complete and the construction of the new bank on the south side is 33% complete. The scheme has benefited from the dry weather and progress has been good. Environmental mitigation measures are in place and regular checks for nesting birds and hares are being completed in all areas of construction. The reptile fencing is still being maintained on the north side and will remain in place for the duration of the contract. During the rest of the summer, further borrow pits will be excavated to avoid having to import material to site, new embankments on the north will be completed, existing banks raised and piling work and structural repairs done at Sampsons Sluice. It is hoped that main works will be completed by late autumn. See the village website for further details.

Speed and turning survey North Somerset Council has apologised for the delay in undertaking this; their survey engineers have been heavily committed on other tasks. We are promised that the surveys will take place in the early autumn.

Date of next meeting: Wednesday 9th September at 7.30pm

Leonie Allday, Clerk Tel: 01934 876528 E-mail: [email protected]

Look out for Sweet Chestnut Blight

Hot on the heels of ash dieback comes another nasty threat to our trees, this time to sweet chestnut trees (NOT horse chestnut “conker” trees). Sweet chestnut blight has the following signs and symptoms:

• On leaves: The foliage wilts and dies as a result of girdling cankers lower down the stem • On stems: Striking contrast between green healthy and diseased orange bark on young stems. Underneath the bark 8 buff-coloured fungal growth may be seen. Cankers (swollen or sunken) develop on the stems on which masses of yellow- orange to reddish-brown pustules, the size of a pin-head, are visible. The tree sprouts new shoots below the cankers which can also be affected. • On whole tree: Cankers spread throughout the tree surface, killing the tree. Although young trees may succumb to the disease within a year, it may take years before mature trees eventually die. The root system is not affected.

Sweet chestnut blight has been found in Kent and Sussex and is moving west. It is a notifiable disease and must be reported to the local authority or direct to a relevant organisation such as the Woodland Trust. No chemical controls are available.

For more information, see the RHS, Forestry Commission or Woodland Trust websites.

All Saints Church report

Church life remains very busy with a variety of services and events. On June 27th Liam Agg and Claire Pring married at All Saints’, our beautiful church and brilliant sunshine made a perfect setting for their special day. Then on 11th July Stephen and Emily Caffrey renewed their wedding vows in the church. We wish Liam and Claire a long and happy marriage and Stephen and Emily our blessings for their future happiness together.

We have been busy in and around the churchyard pruning a large overgrown horse chestnut tree outside Liz and Martin Hale’s house, now they can see the light!!! The hedges have also been trimmed and Mark Humphries continues to keep the grass at bay with our new sit-on mower.

The process of building a new toilet in or outside the church has begun. Our architect visited the church and offered proposals for the new toilet and we await his written proposals and plans before we launch the process of applying for a faculty. This can take over a year before we begin to see the results of our ambitious project. The coffin rest beside 9 the lynch gate needs replacing and we will now request quotations for the work before we apply for a De Minimus from the Archdeacon. A big thank you to Tim and Jacqui Harris for hosting the North Somerset fleece fair, Sarah and David Harris for their expertise and contacts and also to an army of willing helpers. It was another beautiful day with a wide range of country crafts and interesting exhibits. The event raised over £1000 for church funds.

The Friends of All Saints’ are planning BBQ’s in the churchyard during August, the first is planned for 1st Aug from 4.30pm -10.00pm and the ‘last of the summer wine’ BBQ on the 29th August from 4.00pm-10.00 pm. This is weather dependent so please look for the notice boards as you enter the village for updates.

During August, children and parents will be looking forward to the school holidays’ and we pray that they will enjoy their time together, have a ‘peaceful’ rest and will return to the next school term refreshed in mind, body and soul.

Our next Christian festival of celebration is our harvest services and supper. Please look out for notice boards and the village web site for dates and times of services and supper.

Finally a thank you to all those especially the young families who involve themselves in our family services and the children in their support of the TNT group.

God bless you, Bryan and Jackie.

Anguilla anguilla

One of the oldest species on earth, A.anguilla – the European Eel - is one of 17 species; wherever a warm oceanic current meets a continental landmass, eels are present. And the Severn Estuary is the perfect such place. They spawn in the warmth of the Sargasso Sea to the south of Bermuda, each female producing up to 4 million eggs, and over the next two years the resultant leaf-shaped leptocephalae drift on the Gulf Stream across the Atlantic, growing into 6 cm glass eels.

10 Only about 1% survive the predators en route. Then they are faced with man’s influence. They could cope with old leaky wooden sluices and hatches to make the transition from sea to fresh water; but modern flood controls of concrete, metal and plastic are not as forgiving - there are 2,500 on the Severn alone. As the elvers are washed into the estuary at night on the high spring tides, at least the fishermen here still use hand nets and catch them by the kilo. In Spain, trawlers with vast nets harvest them by the tonne.

At Over in Gloucestershire, UK Glass Eels Ltd. buy-in this harvest in a period of feverish nocturnal activity in tune with the tides. Under tightly controlled temperature/water quality/feeding conditions the elvers are prepared for onward transmission. Historically, eels have formed a significant part of the human diet; in the recent past, there was a lucrative market in China and the Soviet Union for commercial production and restocking of rivers. Nowadays, 60% are translocated for restocking within the UK, Scandinavia, the Low Countries and Eastern Europe. The Sustainable Eel Group encourages commercial producers, the remaining 40%, as this provides the restocking incentive.

For otters, herons, bitterns and other fish over the next ten years, the growing yellow eels as they are now called, are a vital part of the food chain as they make their way up the river systems. Sadly, they are conspicuous by their absence from the rhynes of Kingston Seymour these days. In my youth one would haul them out with every rakeful of weed when keetching and they were a regular part of our diet – with parsley sauce. As a student farmworker in Denmark, we used to encircle the plate with spinal bones, with a glass of schnapps between each one!

Having survived “nature red in tooth and claw” and grown anywhere up to 1m long, it’s back to the sea and across the Atlantic for the silver eels. As they make use of fluvial floodwaters in autumn and spring, not only do they meet those same obstructions, but find it very difficult to escape maceration in hydroelectric turbines (25,000 such power stations in Europe) and various other water pumps.

Taking account also of oceanic/climate change, the loss of 85% of our wetlands over the past 200 years, and disease & pollution, it’s no

11 wonder that CITES (The Convention on International Trade of Wild Fauna & Flora) is very concerned for the Anguilla genus.

But all is not lost; to its credit the EU introduced Eel Regulations in the ‘80s to limit commercialisation and encourage restocking. In 2014 (albeit a record year), 35 million glass eels were caught on the Severn and Parrett, with the majority transported past those barriers for restocking. 90 million were moved like this in Europe. And despite its very limited resources at present, the Environment Agency budgets several million pounds each year for the inclusion of eel passes in the coastal sluices, particularly in the south west.

Throughout Europe, many of those involved in fishing, conservation and research have joined the Sustainable Eel Group over the last five years. But there is still much to learn.

John Harris.

(Charity Number 1117796)

We are a small charity offering confidential and professional counselling to people living in our local communities. We are looking for volunteers on a Tuesday afternoon to work, in the Refectory in Congresbury, with our Counsellors to:- • provide a warm and friendly welcome to our clients;

• be discreet & treat everyone with kindness and respect;

• take phone messages;

• prepare the Counselling rooms, and tidy up afterwards.

Would you be prepared to give 2–3 hours of your time each week or fortnightly? Whilst the counselling sessions are in progress you will have some “quiet time” to catch up with your own reading, writing, studies etc. 12

If you would like further information about what we do, or perhaps about joining our team, please contact Liz Linnitt, Administrator, on 01934 876377, or send an email to [email protected] www.vinecounselling.org/

Top up your oil tank before winter

Local charity West of Rural Network is advising householders to top up their domestic oil tanks before expected price rises in autumn and winter. The charity runs a community oil buying scheme which aims to save local people money on their oil bills by placing a collective order once a month. Scheme co-ordinator Jill Baker says “oil prices tend to rise in autumn and winter as demand increases. By placing a single large order we can negotiate with suppliers and everyone pays less.”

The West of England Rural Network are able to offer free memberships to their Community Oil Buying Scheme (normally £20/year) to anyone over 70 living in the West of England who uses domestic heating oil. This is thanks to a second grant awarded by Quartet Community Foundation from their ‘Surviving Winter’ fund. The scheme is open to all residents of Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Bristol. Local community buildings such as village halls, schools and churches can also benefit from the scheme, as well as businesses such as farms, shops and offices.

The scheme works by using the buying power of a large order to negotiate with all the suppliers who serve our area. The negotiated price is typically 4.5p less than the average price quoted and most members save around £120 per year. If you are interested in joining the community oil buying scheme, call Jill Baker on 01275 333701 or visit www.wern.org.uk/oil.

Late Night Worship

Yatton Methodist Church has, for two years now, offered a monthly session of worship which is completely different to any routine Sunday service that you’re ever likely to have experienced. For a start there is 13 no talk or sermon. The hall is set up with dimmed, coloured lighting and tables are dotted around for a cafe style setting with free drinks and biscuits available for people to help themselves throughout the evening. There is a lot of singing to modern, recorded music and videos which makes space to really worship Jesus rather than just sing songs about him. There is also a more reflective time with some guitar led, quieter music when space is made available for him to speak through his Spirit, to pray and be prayed for, and to give the opportunity for anyone to share, if they want to, what’s on their heart.

The evenings are on the first Friday of the month, the next one being 7th August. The evening starts at 8pm but the informal nature of the event means that it’s convenient for people to turn up when then can and leave whenever they wish. The evening finishes at around 9.30pm but if some folk want to stay on longer, as has happened, they will be accommodated – hence the name. It was realised from the start that the evening would not suit everyone’s taste but an increasing number of people are finding a new freedom in worship which is just what they’re looking for. A warm welcome awaits you so if you want to try out this new approach for yourself, make your way to Yatton Methodist Church, High Street, on 7th August and join in the celebration. Keith Woodham

The Village Market

1st August at 10.00am

In The Village Hall

This event occurs on the first Saturday of the month.

Come along to buy fresh meat, fresh vegetables, fresh bread, fresh cakes, second hand books, preserves, crafts, cards etc and a cup of coffee!

There will sadly be no market in September, back in October. 14 Church Rota

Date/time Service Welcome Readers Offertory Intercessi onal Prayers. 2nd Family Isobel, TBA by Gabriel, TBA by August Service Tristram, Warren. Paul and Warren 11am Ed and Sheena. Fiona. 9th August Evensong John Bob Norman N/A 6pm Allday Ford + Harris Judy Jo Seward Hedger 16th Holy Janet B + Doreen Margaret + Celia August Communi Margaret Burd Anthony Andrews. 11am on S. Hawks.

23rd Holy Bob Ford Sue N/A N/A August Communi Thomas 8.30am on 30th Team Kenn TBA by Kenn TBA by August Eucharist team team 10am Service minister ministry

Coffee on 2nd August Family Service – Leonie and Anita.

Thank you all for your kind support, it is, as always, much appreciated. • Could we please request that if you are unable to be in Church on this date you ask someone if they would be willing to take your place? • If you wish to read or lead the intercessions please speak to Bob Ford. If you wish to help with tea and coffee at Family Service let Jacqui Harris know; we are grateful that she compiles a yearly list. • Please speak to Sue T if you are able to help with cleaning as she kindly manages that rota. Many Thanks. Bryan Thomas + Jackie Wright 15

VILLAGE SHOW

th Saturday 29 August 2014 In the Village Hall

Classes:- Fruit vegetables, flowers, cookery, poetry, photography, writing and much more.

Both Adult and Children Classes

Entries please by Saturday 23rd August to

Gill Harris Rose Cottage Kate Esler The Diary House The Village Post Office (Tuesday Morning)

Entries to be staged between 9.00 and 10.30am Open to the Public from 2.00pm Presentation of prizes and cups at 4.00pm

The Committee looks forward to your usual high standard of entries.

Contact Gill 0n 01934 832126 for additional programmes and entry forms.

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