N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0 | V O L . 1 3 SHOSCOMBE NEWSLETTER

Where has the year gone?

We are in November already, it seems to have flown by. The trees are changing colour and there is a brisk chill in the air. You can smell the autumnal lighting of wood burners around the village, building a lovely cosy scene. Wrap up warm everyone!

Editorial If anyone would like to place a commercial advert in the Newsletter, for a small donation towards printing costs, please let us know. There will be no charge for community adverts.

The Newsletter has a monthly circulation of 250 copies, delivered to every home in the village by volunteers from our community.

Items for the Dec 2020 / Jan 2021 Newsletter to be submitted by 21st November either by posting into the postbox of 46 Single Hill or via our new email address [email protected].

A copy of this newsletter and the calendar for the village hall bookings can be found on the village website www.everythingshoscombe.org October Needs Shoscombe Defibrillator Please choose items from the following list only. No other items are needed for the moment, thank you. If you need the defibrillator in an emergency: Biscuits Milk powder Brown sauce Savoury snacks 1.Call 999 Corned beef Sponge puddings 2.State the kiosk postcode BA2 8NB Instant mash Multi-purpose household cleaner 3.You will then receive the access code and Ketchup Toothbrushes (adult's) assistance from the Ambulance Service Macaroni cheese Toothpaste (children's)

Registered Charity Number: 1154122 | Registered in England and Wales 2020 N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0 | V O L . 1 3 Shoscombe Parish Council

I hope you are all well and managing with the, albeit comparatively mild, Covid restrictions we have in our area.

This is just a quick update as we have not had a full Parish Council meeting since September but did hold an Extraordinary Meeting on 1st October to co-opt two new Parish Councillors. We are very pleased to welcome Alan Keating and Danielle Parker to the council. However, we do still have 3 vacancies and notices have been posted on notice boards. Discussions regarding areas of responsibility for councillors will be discussed at our November meeting on Thursday 12th November. It has always been acknowledged that the more councillors we have, the less the workload on each individual.

Unfortunately, the cricket shed was broken into with some damage but it seems nothing was stolen. The Village Hall committee reported this to the police and have a crime reference number. Locking the Village Hall gate will continue as it does seem to be working in at least reducing vandalism issues.

We are also holding a meeting on Thursday 22nd October to discuss a response to the An Der Ecke planning application - 20/03620/FUL.

Update reports on agenda items such as Climate Crisis, Items of Community Value and the Weekly Email Communication will be presented at the November meeting as well as any ideas councillors may have received regarding improvements in the play area. It has also been reported that there is an ongoing issue with dog mess in the village, this will be discussed as well.

The agenda together with the remote link for you to join the meeting will be on notice boards and on the website the week before the next meeting on Thursday 12th November.

As always, please contact me should you have any concerns, ideas or issues on 01761 431068. Jean Fossaceco – Clerk to Shoscombe Parish Council

Do you rely on oil for your central heating and hot water? If the answer is ‘yes’, then now is probably a shrewd time to top up your tank.

Demand for oil has dropped with the outbreak of Coronavirus. This in turn has led to a significant drop in oil prices. Kaz Adams, from the charity West of England Rural Network, says “Whilst we would generally advise all our members to fill up their oil tanks during the summer months (the time when most oil suppliers experience a quieter period and are therefore generally more willing to negotiate a lower price) it would appear shrewd to do so NOW”. Kaz runs a community oil buying scheme, which obtains cheaper prices for its members by placing a single large order once a month and negotiating with multiple local suppliers to get the best price. Members’ prices are on average 6 pence per litre cheaper than average high street oil prices, and was 24.65p per litre (plus VAT) in October 2020.

The West of England Rural Network (with thanks to a grant awarded by Quartet Community Foundation from their ‘Surviving Winter’ fund) is offering free memberships (*normally £20/year for domestic users) to domestic heating oil users living in the west of England aged 70 and over who, especially during Covid, may find they are having to juggle their fuel bills and worry about putting on their heating. The Community Oil Buying 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

If you are interested in joining the Community Oil Buying Scheme, contact Kaz Adams on Tel: 07825 202043, Email: [email protected] or visit http://www.wern.org.uk/community-oil-buying-scheme/ N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0 | V O L . 1 3 Friends of Foxcote

October 14th Meeting It was a dark cold evening on October 14th when the Friends Executive Committee met at Foxcote to discuss the work of caring for the Church building. Their particular concern was the crack which has appeared in the chancel wall. Mr Stephen Clewes chaired the meeting and the Friends were grateful for his professional knowledge. The matter will now be referred to the P.C.C. who will meet on 21st October so that plans can be discussed and formalised.

Fund raising will be needed and already a novel idea has been suggested. Carole Stevenson will be celebrating her 80th birthday on December 22nd and would like to hold a small celebration from 10.30 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. in the Village Hall, and obviously, current Covid restrictions would be observed.

Carole is inviting us all to come to the hall and enjoy a glass of sherry/wine and a slice of birthday cake. Instead of bringing a present, Carole is suggesting we give a donation, however small, towards the cost of repairing the Church wall. If you are unable to attend, but would like to send Carole a donation, it will be much appreciated. A raffle will be held during the event.

October 21st Meeting At the meeting on 21st October, the matter discussed was the crack in Foxcote chancel wall. Investigative plans were passed by Foxcote with Shoscombe P.C.C. in order to acquire the necessary Statement of Significance, due to Foxcote Church being a Grade 2 Listed Building.

The following fund raising suggestions were discussed: Carole's Birthday celebration, Village Hall, 22nd December 10.30 a.m. to 3.00.p.m.

Flower Festival, June 2021 at Foxcote Church.

Garden visits 2021.

Possible Centenary Celebrations 2021.

Calendar 2022, Foxcote and Shoscombe views with recipes, in memory of Hazel Jones

Shoscombe & Foxcote Honey Honey and honeycomb from Shoscombe and Foxcote bees

1lb jars of locally produced Honey £5.50

[email protected] 07583 356508 N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0 | V O L . 1 3 Shoscombe Local History Group Crimes and Misdemeanours Part 2

Below are some of the crimes and misdemeanours taken from local papers occurring in the Parish of Shoscombe. For obvious reasons names have been changed.

1904 Frank Mudge of Shoscombe was summoned for stealing and converting to his own use 1½ lb. of butter, ½ lb. of tea, ½lb. of cocoa, one candle, 1lb. of salt fish, some beef, three cups and saucers, and a print frock, value 10s., all the things belonging to Fanny Rabbits. There was a doubt in the case, which was dismissed.

Martin Pearce a local baker was summoned for delivering bread from a cart without having proper weights or a sufficient balance with which to weigh it. Fined 10s to cover costs or 7 days imprisonment.

1909 John Hall, a native of Single Hill, was charged of stealing a reaping hook, value 2s.6p., the property of Fred Ross, labourer of Faulkland. It appeared that Ross hid the reaping hook under some sacks and when he went to get it he found it was gone. Information was given to the police and P.C. Wallace found the reaping hook under some flooring adjoining a pigsty at Stony Littleton in which the defendant slept. Defendant was sentenced to 21 days imprisonment with hard labour

1918 Mr E Dauncy of Shoscombe Vale, in his letter to the council, wrote saying that whilst driving in Fortescue Road Radstock his horse was thrown down owing to the slippery condition of the tar sprayed road. The fall caused the horse to be lame. It would be unable to work for 3 months. He appealed to the council for compensation

Mr Dauncy thought the tar on the roads was an abomination, and out of sympathy for the horses, if not for the people that owned them, it should not be used on the roads. In Fortescue Road the tar ought never to be put down, as the road was very bad for driving over.

The council expressed their sympathy with Mr Dauncy but denied liability for the incident.

1928 Miner caught with rabbits and nets. William Morrison of Shoscombe was caught coming from land which he was suspected to have been in search of conies. P.C. Charles, who gave evidence, said that on searching the defendant he found 4 dead rabbits and 8 nets on him. Defendant, who pleaded guilty, said he had been out of work for 6 months and had a wife and 2 children. He received £1 from the dole. He was fined 5s and given a month to pay

Tales from the Shoscombe Archives. Email if you would like info on the history of the area for the next newsletter. [email protected] N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0 | V O L . 1 3 Matthew Street, Vicar 'Lest we forget' by Matthew Street, The Vicar, based on Psalm 44:1 and 7

‘We have heard for ourselves, O God, our predecessors have told us the deeds you performed in their time, how in bygone days you saved us from our enemies’ Psalm 44:1 and 7 ST JAMES the LESS FOXCOTE November 1st, 4th before Advent ‘Do you remember the time we came here before?' asked my wife. I racked my brains, 11:15am Morning Praise trying to recall it but it was no good; the occasion was clean forgotten, as though it had Lead by Matthew Street never been. We do remember many things, of course, but we forget many others, as Preaching by Derek Smith probably all of us can testify from bitter experience. Points we ought to remember have November 8th, 3rd before Advent that infuriating habit of disappearing from our minds just when we need to recall them Joint with Wellow most, and so we resort to such props as a knot in a hankie or a memo-board in the kitchen, hoping that these may jog our memory. November 15th, 2nd before Advent Such, increasingly, is the rationale behind Remembrance Day. Every year, the number of No Service those who lived through one or both of the two World Wars diminishes, yet for that reason the occasion becomes more rather than less important. We have only to witness the horrors of terrorism, or the continuing violence in the Middle East, Afghanistan and November 22nd, Christ the King so many other parts of the world, to realise that things haven't changed as much as we 11:15am Morning Praise might like to think. Some even dare to suggest that the horrors of the Holocaust never Lead by Matthew Street actually happened, thus dismissing, at a stroke, the suffering, terror and anguish Preaching by Matthew Street experienced by so many millions. The fact is that we cannot afford to forget the past. November 29th, 1st of Advent Remembrance Day does not glorify war but rather recalls the price of peace, reminding 11:15am Morning Praise us of the evil and inhumanity that people can stoop to, and the sacrifice so many made to Lead by Matthew Street ensure that such tyranny did not triumph. It purposely thrusts such things back into our Preaching by Matthew Street consciousness - lest we forget.

Memories from the village

Fred Chaytors of Single Hill has kindly shared some memories from moving to the village

When we first came to this village there were two chapels, I think the one in Shoscombe itself had already closed but the one in Single Hill was still open. We went as did many others to the last two "sacred" services there firstly Liam & Chris Martin who lived in 54 Single Hill got married in the chapel and subsequent reception in village hall, best wedding I've ever been to. Second service was Fred Yellings' funeral he and his wife lived in 52 Single Hill. The wake was held in 52 and mainly outside 52 his daughter Pam Creese said about the wake Dad would approve.

Included are a couple of pictures one of a chair and one of an organ pipe. The chair is one of two I that I bought from Single Hill Chapel when it closed. They were for those who officiated at services to sit on, they were in the area of the chapel that us ordinary people did not sit in. The organ pipe is all that is left of the organ that was in Shoscombe. I spent a fruitless afternoon trying to sell the organ (before internet as it is today, yellow pages and phone) to restorers, scrap dealers etc, absolutely no interest even when I said it could be free. The result was it was ripped out and burnt, I kept the one pipe which I occasional sound with compressed air.

If you have any memories of the village that you would like to share, please send it through to [email protected] N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0 | V O L . 1 3

Shoscombe Village Directory

Electrical, Heating & Plumbing L E Services, Pippins, Shoscombe 433293 or 07714 327662

Piano Tuition 01761 435656 Linda Lethbridge [email protected] Charlotte Ostafew BMus (hons) 07971 001424 All ages and abilities welcome livemoreeasily.com Alexander Technique lessons [email protected]

Life Coaching

Antonia Clews 07591 104080 Project self personal change coaching - supporting you to make and www.projectself.co.uk manage change in your self and your life [email protected]

Antiquarian and Secondhand Books Jo West, Woodborough Hill 01761 434585 Books bought and sold [email protected]

Learn Spanish with a Spaniard Daniella Gonzalez [email protected] Effective lessons that are tailored to all levels, goals and interests. Experience with children, Spanish for GCSE and A-Levels and teaching Spanish for business

Local Bio Oven, Carpet & Patio-Decking Cleaning Icthus Cleaning [email protected]

Tutor for KS2 SATS, GCSE English 01761 420229 or 07786 746151 Fiona Crockett - Qualifed teacher (retired) [email protected] N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0 | V O L . 1 3 Free Range Eggs for Sale Local Oven, Patio- Decking, Carpet Cleaning £2.50 a Dozen BOCCA Certified, FSB Member Egg stations have been set up around Curry's contracted Agent the village - No deliveries will be carried FREEINDEX 1st place UK Oven out unless previously agreed with Rosie Cleaners Member Also available at the gate of Sharpmead Frome, Somerset & Wiltshire 01373 451225 or 07891 909789 For details www.icthuscleaning.co.uk please [email protected] ring Rosie on 07595 279126