Meare primary school sing for the community ……

A group of children from Primary School performed a mix of traditional and new Christmas songs for everyone at the village Carol Service as well as the Hosted Post Office during December. They sang with real enthusiasm, clarity and harmony - a credit to parents, to Jan Fellows as Head Teacher and especially to Jane Higgs whose musical skills made this such a delight.

Facebook: Meare and News Website: www.meareandwesthay.com

1 2 MENDIP COMMUNITY TRANSPORT NEEDS YOU ….

Why not join us as a volunteer Hospital Car Driver

MAGAZINE DATES & CONTACT INFORMATION ISSUE DEADLINE DISTRIBUTION April / May 1st March 2019 31st March 2019 June / July 1st May 2019 31st May 2019 ● Please send all articles and advertising to: [email protected] or deliver to Manor Coach House, Main Road, WESTHAY, BA6 9TW ● MATERIAL RECEIVED AFTER THE DEADLINE CANNOT BE INCLUDED. ● A down-load copy of Meare & Westhay Village News is available from the website: www.meareandwesthay.com Meare & Westhay Village News wel- ADVERTISING RATES comes all and any contributions to the Rates are per annum - six copies magazine. However it should be remem- bered that any views or comments ex- Outside Back Cover (Colour) pressed are those of the individual 1/8 Page 1/4 Page contributor and do not in any way reflect £36.00 £66.00 the opinion of the magazine, the Editor Inside Front or Back Cover (Monochrome) or the Parish Council. 1/8 Page 1/4 Page The editorial team also wish to make it £33.00 £60.00 clear they reserve the right to amend, ed- Inside Pages (Monochrome) it or omit any article or contribution in the interests of legality, public decency, 1/8 Page 1/4 Page 1/2 Page Full Page availability of space or any other reason. £27.50 £49.00 £92.00 £180.00 Invoices for advertisements will be sent by the Treasurer (Mrs Ann Giles) and must be settled prior to appearance of the advert in the magazine. Cheques should be made payable to “MEARE PARISH MAGAZINE FUND”

3 ANNOUNCEMENTS - WEDDINGS

Many congratulations to Jane Wortley and Roger Clarke who married at Wells Town Hall on 7th November and held their reception at Meare Manor.

DEATHS Brother and Sister - Geoff and Annabell Wilkins (later Scriven) Geoffrey Gwilym Wilkins - 1934 to 2018 Geoff passed away on 30th October aged 84. He was born in Meare where he lived throughout his life. He worked at Morlands Factory and, as a young boy, used to help his mother clean the brass in St Mary’s Church.

Annabell Scriven (nee Wilkins) 1939 to 2018 Annie passed away on 29th November aged 79 She was also born in Meare and moved to Street when she married. ‘Annie’ was a member of both St Mary’s Guild and The Ladies Social Club, playing skittles just two weeks prior to her death.

4 THANK YOU MESSAGE The family of Geoff Wilkins and Annabell Scriven (nee Wilkins) would like to convey their thanks for the kind messages of sympathy and the many cards which the family received. Also to the many people who at- tended Geoff's service at St Mary's church in Meare and Annabell (An- nie's) service at the Parish Church in Street. Geoff and Annabell were the grandchildren of The Reverend Jenkins who was the vicar of Meare in the late 1930's. Once again thank you from all the family.

If anyone within or related to the Parish of Meare wish to make announcements of births, celebrations, deaths or obituaries please do send details to the Editor (details at the front of this magazine). Photographs are very welcome; if you have problem copying or sending these, again, please contact the Editor.

MEARE GALA PARADE - MONDAY 26TH MAY 1980 ‘Service with a Smile’ for Tracey Tucker (2nd left) from ‘Bunny Girls’

● Wendy Carroll ● Carol Spencer ● Katherine Difford

(From Central Gazette, Thursday May 29th 1980) Courtesy of Colin Carroll (Apologies for the quality of the image - this is a rather yellow newsprint arti- cle that is 38 years old though we’re sure it’ll still bring a smile)

5 ST MARY’S GUILD - FROM START TO CLOSE

At the end of January 1957 a group of young wives and mothers decided to set up a Young Wives Group with: ● Group Leader - Mrs O. Fear ● Deputy Leader - Mrs D. Roland ● Secretary - Mrs D. Arnold ● Treasurer - Mrs J. Baker ● Committee - Mrs Walter Mrs Watts and Mrs Hooper It was agreed that each member would give 6d at each meeting. Mrs Watts, Mrs Walter and Mrs Crane offered to make refreshments at each meeting - all three ladies were the school cooks at the time. Some of the early talks given were on Home Nursing by the District Nurse, Leather Working by Mrs Roland, Mr N. Jones gave a talk on the Bible and Mrs Pool spoke on Marriage Guidance. The group raised funds to give Christmas parcels to the elderly in the parish. They also raised and donated money to different charities and helped with Church activities. At the Annual General Meeting in May 1963 a vote was taken to change the group name to St. Mary’s Guild, this was agreed and the new committee was elected: ● Joint Leaders - Mrs Roland and Mrs Fear ● Business Secretary - Mrs. R. Baker ● Social Secretary - Mrs G. Huntley ● Treasurer - Mrs S. Probert ● Catering Officer - Mrs M. Difford ● Committee - Mrs. R. Toogood Mrs J. Stone Mrs R. Simmons and Mrs N. Hughes At the meeting on 16th May 1967, congratulations were given to Mrs Ruth Baker and Mrs Angela Hughes who were new mothers. Mrs Hughes’ baby girl had broken the weight record at Butleigh Hospital. At the A.G.M. in May 1967, Mrs Elizabeth Loxton became a committee mem- ber and has been the leader in 1990 and 2000, and from 2006 until the present day 2018. This means she has been a member for over 50 years. ….... continued

6 Other long serving present day members include: Mrs Muriel Baker Mrs Ruth Baker Mrs Glenis Difford Mrs Ann Broadie and Mrs Jean Stone ….. Forgive me if I have missed anyone. Speakers on many subjects have informed and entertained over the years. Donations to charities and local projects have been made regularly. This is a very short history and I apologise to all the leaders and officers I could not include because they are too numerous; however they all made St. Mary’s Guild’s history. I am sad to say that over the last couple of years the Guild has lost many members who have passed away or moved away and as this has left the membership depleted. A difficult decision has been made to close. The last meeting of St. Mary’s Guild will take place in the Church Rooms on Thurs- day 3rd of January 2019 with a New Year’s meal. ….. and here it is, the last photograph of the last meeting of St Mary’s Guild

Photograph from 3rd January 2019 at Meare Church Rooms Thank you to all members and supporters over the past 62 years. (Secretary) St. Mary’s Guild

7 ST. MARGARET’S HOSPICE - your used stamps …..

A big THANK YOU to everyone who have taken the trouble to deposit their used stamps in the collection boxes stationed throughout the Parish. These boxes will be left in position until the end of January when all the stamps collected will be taken to St Margaret’s Hospice depot to raise money for that charity. We will repeat this in November but, in the meantime, it is still worthwhile holding onto any used stamps and saving them for the collection boxes. I also want to say THANK YOU to each of the venues who have kindly accommodated these boxes: Brian & Ruby’s Fruit & Veg, Bird in Hand, Meare Church Rooms, Meare Chapel, St Mary’s Church and Westhay Schoolrooms. - Editor

8 9 NOTICE BOARD

Each Friday 9.30 - 12.30 Meare Church Rooms

10 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Need for Faster Broadband - “Emma and I run a financial consultancy from our home on Drove (the Road) and, like many businesses, depend on a relia- ble and efficient internet service. We opted for BT fibre when it was first introduced to the village to try and improve speed – whilst it has made a slight improvement our distance from the BT “green box” in the centre of the village does result in a signifi- cant drop in speed from that advertised. As a result our business-critical use of broadband is only bearable at best and painfully slow at worst, particularly when our children are also online. The Truespeed solution is a no-brainer for us given the (promised) speeds on offer. As everyone’s use of the Internet increases for day to day tasks, in addition to entertainment services such as streaming and catch up TV, we may find that 200mbs becomes the essential minimum in future.”

A great start but we’re not there yet - As you know TrueSpeed have been holding several events in an Meare and Westhay promoting their Ultra Fast Broadband service. Many of us have signed up but we need more numbers if we’re to benefit in the same way as local areas including Theale, Mudgley and Panborough. Many people have been asking where we are in respect of our target. I have spoken to Tony (our Community Engagement Manager at TrueSpeed) and he tells me that, as of 2nd January, we have 119 proper- ties signed up for the service. Our target is just over 200, so we’re making progress but still need more people to sign up if we’re not to be left behind and lose this opportunity. There is lots of interest in our neighbouring vil- lages and, if they reach their targets more quickly, TrueSpeed will allo- cate resources to them first. So please spread the word to friends and neighbours and ask them to look at the opportunity being offered. If you would like to sign-up and take advantage of the FREE installation offer please contact me on [email protected] or feel free to con- tact Tony either on 07507 765 692 or [email protected] and he’ll al- locate you a FREE installation. Lets make this happen! PS. Don’t forget, TrueSpeed are offering FREE Ultra Fast Broadband to our community spaces and school for life!

11 ‘Lazy Sunday Breakfast’ Meare Church Rooms Sundays 17th February & 17 9.00am to 11.30amth March

‘’Open Mic Night’ Meare School Room Saturday 23rd March from 7.00pm to 11.00pm Advance Tickets Only (e-mail below)

[email protected]

12 13 14 ST MARY'S NEWSLETTER It has been great to see so many of you at recent events: Remembrance Sunday, Carol Service and the Christmas Eve Crib and late Communion. It was good to welcome Eddie Wills back to St Mary’s. St John’s in is now closed for a year for major reordering. There are to be many changes to be made as the building is repaired and redesigned to be more flexible. We are delighted to welcome their congregation to our Parish Communion on the second Sunday each month and especially look forward to having their choir to lead the worship. We are also thrilled with our renewed contact with Meare Primary School. The children took part in the village carol service and came to the Post Office “coffee shop” in December to give a super concert of Christmas songs and carols to parents and friends. Many thanks to Jane Higgs and Jan Fellows for organising this. They held a delightful Christingle Service in Church at the end of term. We are hoping the much needed floor repairs will go ahead in the New Year. We have to get detailed permission for any work carried out in the building and there have been a few delays. The deathwatch beetle in the 14th century chancel ceiling has now been treated. Ash Wednesday falls on 6th March. This marks the start of Lent, the peri- od when the Christian Church prepares for the great Celebration of Easter Day. Traditionally it has been a time of fasting and seeking forgiveness. “What are you giving up for Lent?” Perhaps it should be the time when we look at our lives and ask: “What more can I do for others in need of help?”

Parish Communion - Joint Service with St John’s Congregation & choir Sunday 10th February and Sunday 10th March at 11.00am Matins - Sunday 24th February and Sunday 24th March at 11.00am Benefice Communion - Sunday 31st March 10.00am (venue TBC) Ash Wednesday - Wednesday 6th March (details TBC) Morning Prayer - every Thursday at 16 Church Path from 9.00am Tea/Coffee with Hosted Post Office - every Friday at Meare Church Rooms from 9.30am

- Church Wardens

15 DIARY DATES - FEBRUARY TO MARCH VILLAGER OF THE YEAR Please submit nominations to Sheila Brown by Thursday 7th March either by email to [email protected] or call 0773 1624182

MEARE & WESTHAY FUNDRAISING TEAM Sunday Lazy Breakfast (Meare Church Rooms 9.00am) 17th February Sunday Lazy Breakfast (Meare Church Rooms 9.00am) 17th March Saturday Open Mic Night (Meare School Room 7.00pm) 23rd March

MEARE & WESTHAY LADIES SOCIAL CLUB - Events at Meare Manor Thursday Talk by Henry Buckton (7.30 pm) 21st February Thursday AGM - Followed by Bingo (7.30 pm) 21st March MEARE CHAPEL (Regular Events) Sunday Prayer Meeting 10.15am Sunday Family Service & Sunday School 11.00am Sunday Evening Meeting 6.30pm Monday Make Do & Mend (Downstairs) 1O.OOam Wednesday Bible Study & Prayer Meeting (Downstairs) 7.30pm Thursday Meare Minis Baby Group (Upstairs) 09.00 - 12.00 Friday The Hangout’ Youth Club (9-13 year olds) 18.00 - 19.00

MEARE CHAPEL (Last Wednesday of each month) Wednesday Community Meal - 12.30pm 27th February Wednesday Community Meal - 12.30pm 27th March

MEARE PARISH COUNCIL Monday Parish Council Meeting (19.30 Meare Manor) 18th February Monday Parish Council Meeting (19.30 Meare Manor) 18th March Monday Annual Parish Assembly (19.30 Venue TBC) 15th April

MEARE PRIMARY SCHOOL Friday Break up for Half Term 15th February Monday New Half Term Begins 25th February

16 REFUSE COLLECTION Wednesday Refuse Collection & Recycling 6th February Wednesday Garden Waste & Recycling 13th February Wednesday Refuse Collection & Recycling 20th February Wednesday Garden Waste & Recycling 27th February Wednesday Refuse Collection & Recycling 6th March Wednesday Garden Waste & Recycling 13th March Wednesday Refuse Collection & Recycling 20th March Wednesday Garden Waste & Recycling 27th March

ST MARY’S CHURCH - Every Thursday, a short service of Reading & Morning Prayer from 9.00am at 16 Church Path. All welcome Parish Communion. Joint Service with St Sunday 10th February John’s Congregation and choir - 11.00am Sunday Matins - 11.00am 24th February Wednesday Ash Wednesday - Details to be announced 6th March Parish Communion. Joint Service with St Sunday 10th March John’s Congregation and choir - 11.00am Sunday Matins - 11.00 (may alter) 24th March Benefice Communion Service - 10.00am Sunday 31st March Venue to be confirmed

WESTHAY FILM CLUB - Start time 19.00 (7.00pm) Saturday Swimming with Men 2nd February Wednesday The Children Act 20th February Saturday The Titfield Thunderbolt 2nd March Wednesday Bohemian Rhapsody 20th March

WESTHAY SCHOOLROOMS Saturday Cafe Westhay - from 10.30 2nd March Saturday Cafe Westhay - from 10.30 6th April

YOGA (Westhay Schoolrooms) Tuesday Every Tuesday 18.30 - 19.30 Thursday 1st & 3rd Thursday of the Month 18.30 - 19.30 Thursday 2nd & 4th Thursday of the Month 18.20 - 19.20

17 ONE OF THE NAMED …… It is always good to put a face to a name and this is one that is listed on the Roll of Honour in St Mary’s Church. The two Rolls list (with one or two omissions) the names of all from the community who fought in both The Great War and World War II, unlike the War Memorial which records those who died. Thankfully H.H. Difford (Hubert Harry), who lived at Porters Hatch in Meare, did return from service as a Lead Rider in an Artillery Unit. He had four sons - Ronald, John, Col- in and Alan - though, sadly, his daughter died in the flu pandemic that affected between 3 and 5% of the World’s population. No-one knows the precise mortality rate (though estimates are between 50 and 100 million) as news was rigor- ously censored at the time except in Spain which, misleadingly, led to the term ‘Spanish Flu’, implying that was the origin of the infection. Hubert’s descendents still live in the area, including his granddaughter June Foster who kindly supplied us with a copy of this photograph.

18 19 MEARE CHAPEL Christmas Dinner and Future Community Meals We had a wonderful Christmas at Meare Chapel and we hope that you did too. Meare Chapel hosted a Community Christmas Dinner on Christmas Day. We announced this in the previous issue of the magazine and throughout the Christmas period. As a result, we re- ceived amazing support from the community with people donating vegetables, mince-pies, drinks, hot-plates and glasses plus many supported the meal by financial donation. It was so encouraging to witness folk coming together to provide for others in their communi- ty. Thank you all for your care and support. The Christmas Dinner itself took a lot of planning but it all paid off. When we planned this we hoped to be catering for 25+ guests but, in the end, there was only a handful of people joining us. While the numbers were lower than expected we are not disappointed. It is important to remember the reason why we decided to host the meal which was to support and encourage those who find Christmas to be a difficult time and, for those that came, that is what we were able to do. The meal itself was delicious, but it was the atmosphere and fellowship that made the community meal so wonderful. We chatted for hours and played games; including charades of course. One of those attending posted on Facebook, “Thank you Meare Chapel... for the best Christ- mas Dinner we have ever had. The company was amazing and the kindness was breathtaking…” If we are able, we hope to run the meal again next Christmas and, Lord willing, more people will join us. But we are still a way away until next Christmas and there is a lot that can be done to strengthen the community before then. As I mentioned before, we received a lot of support from the community and we have a fair bit of money left over. We want to use this money for the purpose it was given, so we are planning to host a Community Meal on a monthly basis which will be open to all that would like to come. We will host the meal on the last Wednesday of each month at 12:30pm. The community can come together, strengthen friendships and provide support for each other. The meals will be simpler than a roast dinner but just as delicious and, just like on Christmas day, the best bit will be the time spent together. Once again the meals will be free with dona- tions accepted. Any money coming in through the meals will be carried forward to the next meal.

20 What’s the catch? It seems that in the world today everyone is out for themselves, and sadly, a person’s motives are often questioned. So why does the chapel put so much effort into reaching the community? The an- swer is quite simple, we are active in the village because of our world-view which comes through our faith in God. We believe that each individual person has been created in God’s image and that God designed us to be a community in unity together. We are called to care for each other with genuine love; this is something we take that seriously. The Bible says: “Suppose you see someone who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or cloth- ing. What good does that do?” Or, in other words, “what good is it to preach love and hope but to not actually do anything of benefit to those we claim to love?” Our motivation for caring for the community is our desire to love others practically not just in word, and to strengthen the community we live in through it. Who is welcome to our events and meals? You are. We want to reflect God’s love for us through the things that we do. God’s love is for every- one, and in the same way, everyone is welcome to join us for our meals. Come and be a part of the community and meet some of the amazing people who we share the village with. - Meare Chapel

21 HOLIDAY SURPRISE FROM THE POST OFFICE Amongst the Christmas cards dropping through my door in December was Post Card with a picture of a brightly coloured crab - a ‘Sally Lightfoot Crab’ which is to be found in the the Galapagos Islands. I turned the card over over and saw it bore a list of signatures together with the date 20th October 2006. It was then I recognised it as the one I posted to my home address all those years ago. The practice of sending cards using this embryonic postal service stems from 1793 when whalers arriving at Floreana Island in the Galapagos after a three month voyage from Britain would post messages in a barrel for re- turning sailors to carry back home. The barrel was sited in Post Office Bay where this one now stands. Even today when groups of visitors arrive on Flo- reana their National Park Guide opens the barrel and invites visitors to take one or two cards home to post to an addressee in their country. We then posted ours, duly signed by the group members who came from USA, Sri Lanka, Aus- tralia and UK. We didn’t expect mine would take twelve years to arrive…complete with this year’s Christmas stamp. Maybe there are many UK vis- itors posting cards and mine got to the bottom of the barrel …or perhaps it just never got posted. It was a wonderful reminder of a special trip with a friendly group of travellers and my first solo holiday. Graham at the Hosted Post Office was highly amused but denied any respon- sibility on the part of Royal Mail. Anne Lampson

22 POPPY APPEAL - PUB QUIZ Wednesday

27th February 7.00pm - Bird in Hand Quizmaster

Entry £1.00 per head (Maxmimum 6 per team)

23 WANTED ONE EDITOR

The magazine is the key link in the parish and goes out free to every household, delivering information to all members of the community.

You will need to be comfortable with either Word Processing or with Desk Top Publishing software so that copy is prepared ready for the printer.

If you’re interested in learning more please contact:

PLUS YOU GET A REWARD FOR EACH ISSUE

24 DOWN MEMORY LANE This photograph from between 1948 and 1951 was kindly offered by Colin Carroll for publication in the magazine as a memory of the Glastonbury Carnival float for Baily’s Tanners & Glove Factory. The company oper- ated from the site now occupied partly by Aldi supermarket and were fa- mous for products including boxing gloves (including those used by Muhammad Ali in his match against Henry Cooper) as well as tennis rac- quets, hockey sticks, boots and rugs though their main item was sheepskin coats. The press photo- graph shows Mari- on Carroll (nee Difford) as the Three of Hearts,

with Jean Shepherd to her left as the King of Hearts and Muriel Baker as the Queen of Hearts. Violet Whitney is kneeling in front but who was the Three of Diamonds - does anyone recognise her from this inset picture ?

25 26 VILLAGE CONTACTS & USEFUL NUMBERS Bird in Hand Pub 01458-860859 Childline 0800 1111 Domestic Violence Hotline 0808 2000 247 Highways Faults 0300 123 2224 (Mon-Fri 8am-6pm / Sat 9am - 4pm) [email protected] Home Library Service 0845 3459 177 Meare Church Rooms (Bookings) 01458-860432 (Bookings - Ruth Baker) Meare Independent Evangelical Church 07452-954951 (Steve Neal) Meare Manor 01458-860449 07903-438582 (during sessions) Meare Moles (Nicola Lynham) [email protected] 01458-860228 Meare Village Primary School (Headmistress - Mrs Jan Fellows) 01458-860368 Meare & Westhay Ladies Social Club [email protected] Council 0300 303 8588 Mind 0300 123 3393 01458-860197 (Hilary Sage - Warden) St Mary’s Church (Benefice Office 01458-860739 (Anne Lampson - Warden) 01458-830060 Mon-Fri 09.00 - 13.00) [email protected] 01458-860537 Parish Paths Liaison Officer [email protected] non-emergency 101 Railway Inn 01458-860223 Samaritans 116 123 Street Light Faults 0845 6010 939 01458 443940 Street Men’s Shed [email protected] Western Power (For Power Cuts) 0800 6783105 01458-860489 Westhay Film Club [email protected] Westhay Schoolroom (Bookings) 01458-860853 (Bookings - Anne Moss) Richard Brown (Secretary) Westhay Schoolroom (Secretary) [email protected] 01458-860155 Village Oil Buying Group [email protected] Village Poppy Appeal Organisers 01458-860865 / 07866-080194 or (Charlotte & Elizabeth Norris) [email protected] Yoga Classes (Steph or Bridge) 07764-935167 / 07712-897498

27 PARISH COUNCILLORS CHAIRMAN Chris Crysnal, Main Road, 01458 860393 [email protected] Bennetts Westhay, BA6 9TN 07885 637779 CLERK Sheila Tuesday & Thursday [email protected] 0773 1624182 Brown 8.30am – 3.00pm MEMBERS Anthony 2 Stileway, 01458 860538 [email protected] Baker Meare, BA6 9SH 07899 924465 Paul 19 Downs Orchard, [email protected] 01458 860597 Bradley Meare, BA6 9SQ Colin Pilgrimsway, Stileway, 01458 860309 [email protected] Foster Meare, BA6 9SH 07734 753113 Tristan Winter House, Oxenpill, [email protected] 07739 350968 Foster Meare, BA6 9TQ Rosie Steps Farm, Church [email protected] 01458 860000 Lander Lane, Meare, BA6 9SP Alvin Violet Farm, Church [email protected] 01458 860277 Neale Lane, Meare, BA6 9SL Samantha 1 Millbatch, 01458 860109 [email protected] Perry-Welch Meare, BA6 9SY 07786 352871 Roger Home Farm, Chapel 01458 860575 [email protected] Stacey Lane, BA6 9TQ 07767 621798 Michael Knight’s Cottage, [email protected] 01458 860602 Turner-Welch 19 Oxenpill, BA6 9TQ Janet 11 The Levels, [email protected] 01458 860770 Westover Meare, BA6 9SE

28 CLERKS REPORT Parish Council Meeting Dates: ● Monday 18th February 2019 7.30pm at Meare Manor ● Monday 18th March 2019 7.30pm at Meare Manor VILLAGER OF THE YEAR It’s time to make your nominations for the Villager of the Year Award Please submit your entries to Sheila Brown by Thursday 7th March You can either e-mail or phone your nomination stating the reason for your choice to: [email protected] or call 0773 1624182 Clerk to the Council

Monday 15th April 7.30pm Venue to be announced

29 LOCAL PHARMACIES

BOOTS GLASTONBURY TESCO 39 High Street Feversham Lane Wirral Park Rd GLASTONBURY GLASTONBURY GLASTONBURY BA6 9DS BA6 9LP BA6 9NR 01458 831211 01458 833666 01458 769503

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