East Pennard Village Hall

Higher Farm, Sutton, Nr Ditcheat, Shepton Mallet, Somerset BA4 6QF Opening hours Mon-Sat: 7.30am to 6.30pm

For Tool Hire & Repairs.

Tel 01749 860199: Mobile 07771632221 How To Find Us Turn off the A371 Castle Cary to Shepton Mallet road, between Moff Motors and The Brook House Inn, and then t ake t he first t urning left t o Sutt on. Follow this road unt il you see our signs on the right, and then turn right. Hope to see you soon!

This Mont h The Editor’s Letter Advertisers Index 62 Alhampton Inn 7 Alhampton News 6 One hundred years since the end of The Great War and Avoid Being Scammed 10 there are plenty of local opportunities for you to Baby & Toddlers 14 remember the sacrifices of the generation involved in British Legion 40 the carnage. And maybe to reflect on the fact that, for Christmas Bingo 25 all the idealists’ hopes that it would be a ‘war to end all Christmas Coffee Morning 23 Church Services 32 wars’ - no one could imagine waste on such a scale Diary dates 4 happening again – given the bloodier conflict less than Directo ry 60 three decades later, and the fighting in the Middle East Ditcheat Big Screen 11 and elsewhere continuing today, it could perhaps more Ditcheat Book Group 48 accurately have been described as a ‘peace to end all Ditcheat Church Rota 58 peace.’ It would seem humans are ineluctably bellicose. Ditcheat PC Notes 49 Ditche at Schoo l 8 th Ditcheat Weather 26 At East Pennard Village Hall, on the 8 , there is an Early Christmas Greeting 48 illustrated talk on WW1 by local historian Adrian Pearse EP Church Rota 58 and, on the 10th, a Pop-Up Museum and Tea Party EP Hall News 22 where the community art project to commemorate the Friends of Ditcheat Sch 9 soldiers of the village – a ‘field of fingerprint poppies’ - Ga rdening 56 Ga rdening C lub 57 will be unveiled (P23). Ho me Libra ry Se rvic e 15 Letter from the Bishop 44 The Remembrance Parade and Service will be held at Letter from the Front 36 Ditcheat on Sunday, 11th, accompanied by a display of Men's Breakfast 14 memorabilia in the Jubilee Hall (P41). If you have any Mothers' Union 18 Natural World 16 personal keepsakes you would be happy to share they One Hundred Club 6 would be most welcome. Pylle has a Winter Warmer Pennard Pop-up Pub 23 Remembrance Lunch in the Village Hall on Sunday 11th Pte. Harry Tidball 34 (P25). Pylle News 28 Quiz Night 25 And to get a personal description of a Tommie’s life Rector's Note 33 Rendezvous 27 read ‘Letters from the Front’, page 36. Safe Families 15 School Admissions 9 In reflective mood. Skittles at Ditcheat 44 SM Market 5 Village Lunch 14 Margy Cockburn Tim Sanders Waste Not, Want Not 57 Wheelbarrow Harvest 46 www.fossetrinitynews.co.uk Wildlife Group Update 30 Winter Warmer Lunch 25 WW1 Centenary Event 24 WW1 in 3D 24

Front cover: Soldiers at the Front Please send your cover photos to [email protected]

Dates for your Diary

Regular Events Weekly Monthly   Pilates (9.00) Linda 860067   Baby and Toddler (9.30-11.00) Sally 860304 Mon   Tai Chi for Health (10.30) Richard 880308   Ditcheat Badminton Club (8.30) James 860355   Ditcheat and Pylle Singers (7.00) Di 07831 289945   2nd Rendezvous (10.00) Linda 860067 Tue   1st 3rdDitcheat Art Group (10.00) Liz & Stewart 860755   Ditcheat Badminton Club (2.00) Gaye 860081 Wed   Ditcheat Short Mat Bowls (7.00) Martin 860780   Ditcheat and Pylle Singers (7.00) Di 07831 289945   Keep Fit (9.15) Linda 860067 Thu  1st Alhamptonians (8.15) Louisa 860252   3rd Skittles at Ditcheat Manor House Inn 860276 Fri   2ndFolk Dance Club (7.30) Ama 672911  2nd Sat Men’s Breakfast Roger 860551 (Oct+Nov)  1st November 2018 Thurs 1st 8.15 pm Alhamptonians, Alhampton Inn Louisa 860252 P5 Thurs 8th 7.30 pm WW1 in 3D, Adrian Pearce, EP Vil. Hall Anna 860347 P24 Mothers’ Union, Baltonsborough Thurs 8th 2.30pm Jill P19 Church Fri 9th 7.30 pm Friends of Ditcheat School Quiz Night P6 Sat 10th 2.00 pm WW1 Pop-up Museum, EP Vil. Hall Kim 850789 P24 Remembrance Sunday Lunch, Pylle V Sun 11th 1.00 pm Joanna 838757 P25 Hall Tue 13th 10.00 am Rendezvous, Jubilee Hall Linda 860067 P27 Fosseway Gardening Club, Pylle Vil. Tue 13th 7.30 pm Barbara 860438 P57 Hall Jon P43 Tues 13th 2.00pm British Legion, Charlie’s 01458 850241 Thurs 15th 7.00 pm Ditcheat Big Screen – The Bookshop Anne 860444 P12 Sat 17th 8.00pm Pennard Pop-up Pub, EP Village Hll Monica 860519 P23 Tue 27th 12.30 pm Village Lunch, Jubilee Hall Jessica 860205 P15 Further Ahead Sat 1st Dec 7.00pm Quiz Night, Pylle Village Hall Marilyn 831186 P25 Tues 4th Dec 6.30pm Christmas Bingo, Jubilee Hall P25 Wed 5th Dec 3.15 pm Christmas Craft Fair, Ditcheat School P6 Sat 8th Dec 10.00am Christmas Coffee Morning, EP Vill Hall Anna 860347 P23

Alhampton News

Good news from the pub. They are at the moment in the throes of refurbishing the kitchen and doing so thoroughly, which is why it’s taking longer than you might think necessary. Look out for information about food starting again.

As Christmas approaches remember the now traditional singing of carols and other Christmas songs in the pub on Christmas Eve. We usually start about 6.30 and it lasts for about half an hour or so – or as long as our voices last. Hopefully this allows children to come along and those with a lot still to do a chance to have a break before getting back to work. There will be more news in the December edition but make a note.

Haddon Wood has been looking lovely lately and many of us have had the opportunity to gather some luscious blackberries well away from the roads. Thank you to all those who work so hard to keep it looking so good. Incidentally, the other day, driving past one of the parking areas near the rugby club, I saw three bright yellow poo bags lying on the ground. It was good of the dog owner to pick it up I suppose but did they think the good fairies would come along and dispose of them? Actually by the time I came back, intending to stop and do something about them, they had disappeared so obviously somebody – probably more solid than a fairy – had cleared them up. Thank you to them, too.

Congratulations to Linda Stalley on holding a very successful coffee morning for Macmillan the other day. Yes, people are generous but it needs someone to do the organising.

Alhamptonians meet on 1st November if you are free and interested. Louisa Oborne

100 Club Winners

October’s winners are:- Ball 19 £100 Linda & Marcus Wyburn-Mason Ball 54 £50 Lucy Ford Ball 8 £25 Paul Barber

The Alhampton Inn

Following a changing of the guard in June it has been a busy summer at the Alhampton Inn. You might have noticed a few changes but there have been plenty more that are out of sight.

The steady stream of trade vehicles that has been outside the pub over the last few months have been upgrading electrics, sweeping chimneys, checking the gas supply, making sure that everything is up to regulations as well as waging war on the Virginia creeper (twice) and taming the garden.

We have just finished refurbishing the manager's accommodation (new bedroom and bathroom), removed the redundant mobile home (no intention of replacing it) and built a new smoking shelter to the side of the pub to replace the previous iteration that was there.

At the time of writing we are closed for a few days as the old kitchen is being stripped out and the kitchen area made ready to receive a new trade kitchen. We hope to be fully installed and ready for our first service by the end of November.

Because we have been unable to serve food during the summer we have put a pool table in the dining area. This is temporary and the pool table will be removed once new the kitchen is up and running. For those Ronnie O'Sullivan's out there, you need to get your games in before the end of the month.

We have also cleared out the stables and back field filling a number of skips with items that have accumulated over the years. Most unusual items found to date being an inflatable dingy (under the hedge) and Terry's fireman wellies.

Thank you to everyone who has continued to support the Alhampton Inn during the summer months. It has been great to see you and also to welcome new faces.

Our plan is to nurture the pub and to make sure that it recaptures its former glories. We hope that the local community will continue to be supportive of that and to come in and see Chris and the team for a drink (or two) and very shortly for something to eat as well.

Julian and Clare Mant

Ditcheat School

We have had a busy month at school.

Bikeability A group of five Year 6 children at Ditcheat Primary School braved the wind and rain to complete their Bikeability course. The course ensures that the children have the practical skills to be out on the roads today.

European Day of Languages On 26th September, it was European day of languages which Ditcheat Primary School celebrated in style. Each class adopted a country from around the world and discovered where it was in an atlas - finding the capital city, facts about the country, drawing the flag and working out the neighbouring countries. Willow class celebrated Germany by food tasting – the children tried sauerkraut, bratwurst, salami and stollen. While Holly class tried jerk sauce, pineapple, coconut milk and raw cane sugar from Jamaica. Cherry class studied the animals from Australia and Maple class found out all about Swedish folk art and created their own design for a Dala horse.

Harvest Festival On 8th October, we were utterly thrilled to receive a bounty of foods from the Church after the recent Harvest Festival. Mrs Chapman has already put to use most of the fresh produce and the children were amazed at the size of the pumpkin!

Wessex Water We had a fabulous visit from Wessex Water to teach the children all about conserving water and what we can and can’t flush down the loo. Victoria Withers

School Admissions

For the attention of all parents/carers with a child due to start or transfer school in September 2019.

If your child is due to start school for the first time (will be age 4 before 1st September 2019) or due to transfer to a junior, middle, secondary or upper school, then it is very important you make an on-time school place application. Deadline for primary admissions 15th January 2019 Deadline for secondary admissions 31st October 2018 To download the primary or secondary booklet for parents, to make an on-line application and for further information please visit our website www.somerset.gov.uk/admissions. Please phone 0300 123 2224 if you require a paper application form or further advice. School Admissions Team, Somerset CC Friends of Ditcheat School

Last month FoDS hosted a Macmillan Coffee Morning at the School. Thank you to everyone who participated, either by donating baked goods, or by buying them. It was wonderful to enjoy a coffee, cake and a chat! We are delighted to say that we raised £220 for Macmillan Cancer Support. This year, as well as the usual educational and social events for the children, we will be aiming to raise funds for two larger, stand-alone projects. The first is a comprehensive reading scheme which Victoria Withers is keen to implement as soon as possible. This will, of course, benefit all students and is an incredible investment for the future. Our second, and slightly more ambitious project, is to renovate and improve the outside play area. The natural ravages of time and regular use are beginning to take their toll; we’re very keen to see it restored to its full potential. On Friday 9th November we are hosting a Quiz Night. This was a huge success last time and we’d love to see a few local teams joining us again! Tickets are available in advance from the School Office. There are a limited number so please do get yours early to avoid disappointment. The ticket cost is £8.50 and includes entry to the Quiz as well as a delicious buffet supplied by Pop’s Thai Kitchen. There will also be a raffle on the night with some incredible prizes. We hope to see you there. We would also like to invite you to our Christmas Craft Fayre. There will be a range of stalls selling a wonderful selection of gifts for all the family, as well as the usual festive games and activities, and who can resist a mince pie and some mulled wine? This will be held on Wednesday 5th December from 3.15pm at the School. (See page 4 for ads) Helen Russell 9

How To Avoid Being Scammed

As scams get increasingly sophisticated and harder to spot, Guy Dury, our Community Police Officer, has put together some advice on how to protect yourself and avoid being caught out.

There are several ways that people can be targeted: It can be difficult to spot a scam and fraudsters can be very cunning. A cold call can be a sign of being contacted by someone you haven’t heard of or want to deal with. If you do receive a cold call make sure you do all you can to verify the identity of the caller. Ask them to give you all their details, so: If you're not 100% convinced of the identity of the caller, hang up. Never share your personal details with anyone you can't validate is who they say they are including your bank account number. No bank will ever ask you for your full pin number and you should never give your passwords to anyone. Never proceed unless you are absolutely certain your money will be safe; once you transfer, it may be too late. Scammers will often try to hurry your decision making; always take a breath and think things through. Salesmen in particular should always give you time and space to make an informed decision, anyone who tries to rush you is not to be trusted. Use your common sense, if a deal is too good to be true, it inevitably is.

Vague contact details can be a PO box, premium rate number (starting ‘09’) or mobile number. If anything goes wrong it's important you can contact those involved. This will be difficult if you don't have accurate contact information. Premium rate numbers are also a favoured trick for someone intent on squeezing every penny they can out of you. Legitimate organisations will rarely, if ever, make glaring spelling or grammatical mistakes, and if so they will usually be an isolated incident. Being asked to keep something quiet should be a red flag. It's important you can discuss any agreements with your friends, family or independent advisors. Often, asking you to stay silent is used to keep you away from the advice and support you need in making a decision. Guy Dury

And now for the film that was promised in October but, due to circumstances beyond our control, had to be rescheduled.

Ditcheat Big Screen Presents

The Bookshop (PG) Thursday 15th November – Jubilee hall – Doors 19:00

England, 1959. Free-spirited widow Florence Green (Emily Mortimer) risks everything to open a bookshop in a conservative East Anglian coastal town. While bringing about a surprising cultural awakening through works by Ray Bradbury and Vladimir Nabokov, she earns the polite but ruthless opposition of a local grand dame (Patricia Clarkson) and the support and affection of a reclusive book- loving widower (Bill Nighy).

As Florence's obstacles amass and bear suspicious signs of a local power struggle, she is forced to ask: is there a place for a bookshop in a town that may not want one?

Tickets: £5

In Advance: Maryland farm shop, Ditcheat or Anne Robson (01749) 860444 Online Tickets and Trailer: www.ditcheatvillagehall.org.uk Licensed Bar & refreshments.

Sponsored by Barbers Cheese (Ditcheat) Harris and Harris (Solicitors – Wells)

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Mike Doyle Home Maintenance

All types of property maintenance undertaken including:

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Ditcheat Church Room Activities

Monthly on 2nd Saturday 8.30am Baby and Toddler Group in the Church Room (Except Oct & Nov only st which will be 1 Saturday) Mondays 9.30-11.00 (during term time only)

Freshly cooked breakfast

To book email; Call/text Sally 07929 097374 [email protected] or ring Roger Adams 860551

VILLAGE LUNCH The Village Lunch is held on the last Tuesday of the month in the Jubilee Hall at 12.30pm.

Menu for 27th November Oxtail Soup Tomato Soup Celeriac & Celery Soup

Selection of Puddings. Tea or Coffee.

£5.00 per person. Menu options are available on the FTN website, www.fossetrinitynews.co.uk.

If you would like to come let either Jessica Leach (860205) or Vee Lees (860542) know by the previous Wednesday, There will be a raffle as usual - any prizes will be welcome.

You can make a difference..... It may come as a surprise to you but we have many children and families in need here in Somerset. And these families can have their lives changed through contact with a friendly face.

Our Safe Families For Children volunteers provide a range of support to families, from having a chat over a coffee to helping a mum get her toddler to a doctor's appointment. You could become a Safe Families Volunteer and make a difference in a local family's life. In most cases it only takes an hour a week for 3-6 months.

We are developing a network of volunteers across South Somerset and Mendip and would love to hear from people who may be interested in befriending and supporting a local family. You can make a difference. If you would like more information, please contact: Dawn Holmes:

[email protected] 07384218826

Home Library Service

Bringing library books to the doorstep – the Home Library Service is a free service run in partnership with the Royal Voluntary Service and Somerset’s Library Service. It is available to anyone who cannot easily get to the library, often those who are vulnerable or who may have disabilities or mobility needs. This is such a great service for people who love to read but can no longer get to the library. A volunteer will deliver and collect books which the person would like.

If you know someone who would benefit from this service, please contact Kirsty Jenssen, Service Manager for the Somerset Home Library Service. on 07920 250834 or by e-mail on [email protected] Lynn Rendell

Natural World

How long do birds live then? Somebody asked. The same question could be addressed to any species really, including humans. The big difference being that we have partially overcome some of the major problems that all other species have to deal with. Child mortality has gone through the floor. In 19th century Germany, half of all children died before the age of 5. Childhood mortality in A blue tit developed countries is now below 1%. A very low percentage of humans die between the ages of 10 and 60, but after that the figure increases dramatically. Remember also that the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide: considerably more than had died in the 1914 – 1918 conflict. It was also estimated that 500 million people, one third of the world’s population, was infected.

Birds suffer from diseases which go largely unchecked, but strange as it may seem, the most successful diseases don’t kill their victims. In so doing, they die themselves and that is the end for them. Even those which kill their victims should ideally infect others before doing so. It’s not just illness that kills birds, though. Natural England has open days for families at Shapwick Heath NNR and one of the most popular attractions is the ‘migration game’ which teaches children what migrating birds have to overcome in order to survive. The list includes: hunters, power lines, storms, strong winds, lack of food, predators, oil spills, drying of wetlands, colliding with buildings and getting lost.

There are innumerable hazards which birds have to overcome, and some are better at it than others. Only one in every ten robin eggs will hatch and survive to breeding age. Having managed that, half of the survivors will die each year, which means that out of every 1000 robins to reach maturity, only one will make its tenth birthday, but even though some will live longer, the average lifespan for a robin is only 18 months. Blue tits fare even worse, with 70% annual mortality, their average life expectancy is under one year – but that’s why they lay so many eggs. Blue tits lay between 6 & 12 eggs once a year; robins lay between 4 & 6 eggs, but could have two or, rarely, 3 broods per year.

Surviving the winter is a major problem for small birds, as they tend not to lay down as much body fat as larger birds. Blue tits can lose 5% of their body weight overnight, and even more on colder nights. It’s keeping warm that costs them so much energy. They are most susceptible towards the end of winter when, 16

even though it is getting warmer, available food is at its lowest ebb, and that’s when bird feeders are needed most.

The life cycles of many small birds in northern Europe are similar. Generally, as birds get bigger, so their potential life span increases. Your best bet as a small bird, though, is to move somewhere warmer. Small birds in the tropics tend to have longer lives.

Even slightly larger birds do better. The average for blackbirds is about three years, but the oldest recorded reached 20 years. Bigger still, buzzards who reach maturity can expect to live for 8 years and golden eagles can fully expect 20 years.

If you want more security and better life prospects, it would appear that a life at sea could be a good bet. Of all European birds, those who spend the majority of their lives flying over the oceans and eating fish, tend to live a lot longer than similar sized land-based birds. Fulmars, puffins and herring gulls top the charts, all safe in the knowledge that, if they reach maturity, they can expect to live to about 19 years old. Flamingos seem to do quite well too, with similar expectations. All chicks and fledglings have a tough time, and we have all seen the TV clips of young seabirds trying to avoid predators and reach the safety of the sea, but once there, they don’t have many predators, and seem to lead a pretty safe, if somewhat lonely, life, until they return to mate. Puffins lay only one egg per year, which shows you that not many die in their first year, with 95% reaching maturity.

If you want to enter the record books as a bird, then become a southern royal albatross. You could spend up to 42 years eating fish, but the longest living of all birds are the larger parrot species with New Zealand kakapos and African greys making 40 years with relative ease. The undisputed champion A sulphur crested though, was an Australian sulphur crested cockatoo cockatoo which died in London Zoo in 1982, at the age of 80.

Stewart Gould [email protected]

Mrs. Shirley West led the Prayers at St. Dunstan's and District meeting in Baltonsborough Church Room on Thursday 11th October. Her Prayers integrated with the theme of our guest speaker, Mr. Tony Brown. His illustrated talk: "Saving Lives at Sea" was an insight into the work of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

Mr. Brown is an Educational Officer working with the Charity "Royal Naval Lifeboat Institution" that saves lives at sea. In 1824, Sir William Hilary introduced the first lifeboats; they were originally very basic. Generally, 24 launches a day throughout the United Kingdom save 23 lives. There are over 10,000 life guards, Beach Life guards, Youth Educational Teams and Sea Safety Inland Water Rescue Teams, and International Water Reserves - all receive specific training programmes.

Crews are volunteers from all walks of life. They have to be physically fit, highly qualified (including First Aid knowledge) and they need to be able to obey orders. The latest new Shannon lifeboat is highly technical and the crew can take control from their seats.

Many questions were answered and several short films shown of lifeboat crews working during last year. Mrs. West thanked Mr. Brown for his extremely informative talk.

On Thursday 18th October our branch, assisted by members from nearby areas, are taking morning Prayers in Wells Cathedral at 11.30am.

The next meeting, Thursday 8th November, 2.30pm in Baltonsborough Church Room. Mrs. Eileen Heath (member), plans to give an illustrated talk about the Mothers' Union current Worldwide Situation. All new members and friends most welcome.

Jill Done

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FLEXIBLE WINTER MEMBERSHIP AT MENDIP GOLF CLUB Available from 1st November to 31st March 2019 £59 per month, includes  Eligibility for 15 months for 12 membership offer from 1st April 2019 to 30th June 2020  All weather free draining course – no tee mats  Play any time, maintain/obtain CONGU handicap  Play in all club competitions throughout the winter  10% discount on all beverages and food  Superb PGA coaching and golf shop service  Reciprocal golf via 1908 club and local RAG scheme Apply for a tour of the golf course and more details from [email protected] Telephone 01749 840570 Ext 1 [email protected] Telephone 01749 840570 Ext 6 www.mendipgolfclub.com Follow us on Facebook f:@MendipGC Thomas Kenrick Re-pointing

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East Pennard Village Hall News

World War One Community Art Project and Centenary Celebrations Thank-you to all those villagers and soldiers' relatives who have contributed fingerprint poppies in memory of the World War One soldiers from East Pennard so far. They look absolutely fantastic and we are looking forward to bringing them together to make a poppy field collage. We still have some soldiers who we need remembering with a fingerprint poppy, as we would like all the soldiers to be represented. If you would still like to do one for a soldier who lived at, or near, your address or you are relative of a soldier named on the Roll of Honour, then please contact Kim Beer on 01458 850789 or at [email protected]. It only takes ten minutes or so.

We will hopefully be unveiling the collage of fingerprint poppies at our World War 1 Pop-up Museum and Tea Party on Saturday 10th November. Also at this event we will have a letter writing table, where if you wish you can write a letter to one of the East Pennard residents named on the village memorials, which we will then place in a memorial book.

Kim Beer will also be coming around the village at the beginning of November to place signs detailing the soldiers from East Pennard, placing them outside the houses or areas they were known to have lived. We hope everyone will be willing to co-operate and allow us to do this as we hope it will give everyone a poignant indication of just how many soldiers went off to fight in World War One and the impact this would have had on the family members and farming community left behind.

If you want to find out more about the experiences of some of these soldiers, then do come along to Adrian Pearse’s talk on World War One in 3D. We will all have to wear 3D glasses but, as long as your eyesight is not too poor, we can promise you will find the 3D images incredible. Finally, East Pennard Village Hall has a new Facebook Page where you can find out about all our events and receive reminders. So if you are a Facebook fan then please make a friend request. Some of the other upcoming events are …

Friends of East Pennard Village Hall Meeting The next meeting of the Friends of East Pennard Village Hall is on Thursday 15th November at 7:30pm. This is the fundraising group which raises funds towards events and the maintenance and refurbishment of the hall. If you are interested in attending this meeting, then please do come along. We will be starting to plan our 2019 Glastonbury Festival Stewarding and our Christmas events, so if you would like to get involved, this will help you find out more about what we are doing. 22

Christmas Crafts, Raffle and Coffee Morning On Saturday 8th December we will be holding our annual Christmas Coffee Morning and Raffle from 10.00am to 1.00pm. Everybody welcome. There will be a chance to buy cakes and Christmas gifts and enjoy a cup of coffee and a chat. Any donations toward the raffle are welcome. For further details contact Anna Gifford on 01749 860347

Pennard Pop-up Pub Saturday 17th November 8.00pm until 10.30pm

Some soft drinks, wine etc available for a small donation to Village Hall funds or bring your own alcohol

Join us and bring your stories of woe, funny anecdotes and favourite tipples for a villagers ‘get together’ again. Further enquiries, please contact Monica on 01749 860519.

CHRISTMAS COFFEE MORNING

In aid of EAST PENNARD VILLAGE HALL Refurbishments

To take place at

EAST PENNARD VILLAGE HALL (BA4 6TU) (formerly The Church Room)

On SATURDAY 8th December 2018, 10am - 1pm

Enquiries contact: ANNA GIFFORD: 01749 860347

Refreshments / Raffle / Bring & Buy / Christmas Gifts

PLEASE COME AND SUPPORT US

World War 1 Centenary Event Pop-up Museum and Afternoon Tea To remember those soldiers from East Pennard Parish who fought for this country in World War 1 and their families

th Saturday 10 November 2018 from 2.00 pm onwards at East Pennard Village Hall Entrance free Donations will be gratefully received to go towards the cost of our Community Art Project commemorating the Centenary of Armistice Day in East Pennard, which we hope will be unveiled on the day.

World War 1in 3D A talk by local historian Adrian Pearse

Thursday 8th November 2018 at East Pennard Village Hall 7:30pm

3d glasses provided - but please note that the 3d images may be difficult to see if you suffer from poor eyesight Tickets in advance: £5.00 (refreshments included) Tel: Anna on 01749 860347. Please pay in advance and be aware that due to the popularity of our talks, there are unlikely to be any tickets available at the door. 24

Winter Warmer Lunch

Remembrance Sunday Sunday 11th November 1pm

Pylle Village Hall BA4 6SZ

All welcome

Adults £10, Children £5

Please book in advance with Joanna Miln 01749 838757 [email protected]

Mild curries: chicken casserole: vegetarian casserole Quiz Night Saturday 1st December – 7pm Pylle Village Hall BA4 6SZ £10 including hot meal Bring Your Own Drink Tickets in advance from: Marilyn and Don 01749 831186 [email protected] Please state dietary requirements on booking Teams of 6 Chilli con Carne and desert Profits for new PVH blinds

Ditcheat Weather - September 2018

Wind…Looking back at last year’s report I mentioned how windy September was, well this year has surpassed last year by some considerable margin.

Since the winter season of 2015/16 the UK and Irish Met organisations have followed the American trend of naming significant storms. I’ll not go into the whys and wherefores of what makes a storm name-worthy, it’s too complicated and makes my brain hurt! Suffice to say it makes for a useful way of tracking them.

For the first two seasons, the first named storms didn’t arrive until mid to late November. Last year storm Aileen arrived on the 12th of September. This year Ali arrived on the 18th, BUT it was joined by Tropical storm (ex Hurricane) Helene (track below). Just 2 days later storm Bronough arrived.

Tropical storms (as the name suggests, are born in the tropics - often off the coast of Africa). It is these that sometimes develop into the full blown Hurricanes that have a significant impact to the east coast of the USA. It is rare, but not unheard of for their effects to be felt here in the UK.

The combined effect of Ali and Helene conspired to make September the 18th the windiest day ever for my weather station, 402.5 miles.

One of my neighbours recently asked what is meant by ‘wind run’ - you will see these figures in the last row of my data tables. Well… imagine you are standing in a field with the wind blowing past you. If a leaf goes by, the speed it travels at and the distance it covers is a function of wind speed. If you were able to remove the effects of gravity and friction the leaf would keep going as long as the wind blew. If the wind was blowing at a constant 20mph for an hour then it stands to reason the leaf would travel 20 miles in that hour. So wind run is the total number of miles that the wind blows past my anemometer in a period of time (regardless of direction).

Despite all the wind, September was quite a warm month, being the warmest over my data period (albeit by 0.1°C). Rainfall was down on previous years. An extended period of high pressure at the end of the month brought chilly nights (10 consecutive nights with temperatures in single figures). Days were characterised by clear blue skies and little wind. It was these conditions that helped the solar panels to produce 108% of their predicted output. This is the 5th time this year that production has exceeded predictions. 26

On the subject of ‘predictions’ I noted that the shouty press have already declared that we are in for “4 months of snow” whilst another ‘expert’ has predicted that “crippling snowfalls will hit in November, which could lead to the coldest winter in a decade.” Hmm, I will keep my powder dry and stick to discussing what has happened, I do not have a crystal ball!

September 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 >20°C days 18 3 11 1 10 <10°C nights 7 25 9 16 17 High temp °C 23.8 21.8 25 20.9 23.9 Low temp °C 5.3 4.6 6.8 4.7 3.1 Rain mm 16 60.4 61.8 92.4 43.8 Wet days 7 16 18 26 15 Wind Run 804.7 1171.1 1178.9 1677.2 2454.7 (miles)

Geoff Webber. Live weather… www.geoffwebber.co.uk/weather

The Rendezvous

Tuesday 13th November 10.00am – 12.00pm Ditcheat Jubilee Hall

Enquiries: Linda 860067

Pylle News

Church Flowers and cleaning NOV. Jean Puddy DEC. Helen Bushrod Volunteers needed to join the rota. For details please ring Hilary on 830538. Your help would be greatly appreciated. If the church is locked please contact the church wardens Teresa 831419, Hilary 830538, Carolyn Fussell 830120, or Alan Cary 07896945936 to obtain a key.

The Carol Service Advance Warning: This year we are combining with East Pennard and the service will be held on Sunday 23rd December at 6.30pm at All Saints Church, East Pennard.

Ladies Working Party – Wendy Billing (01749 830046) The Working Party meets on the first Wednesday of the month for lunch at The Den. Meals will not be pre-ordered so do come along at mid-day and order whatever you like.

Village Hall Don't forget! Copies of the booklet The Pylle Village Hall are available in the Village Hall itself, the Church or by ringing 830538. The cost is £3 and the booklet, which is a history of the hall both in its early days on its site at Stockwood's Farm, and latterly when it took over the one-time school, is packed with interesting pictures and fascinating information.

A Picture from the Past Grateful thanks to all those readers who supplied information regarding Wendie Scutts (and apologies for leaving off the 's' in last month's piece!), the photographer who was responsible for our picture of the interior of St Thomas's Church. According to information received, she was a local girl, who lived at Factory House, Ditcheat, where her father, A.H. Scutts, was a supplier of oil, creosote and tyres and operated his business from the adjacent barn (now a private house). He had been a leading light in the Ditcheat Home Guard during the Second World War.

Wendie Scutts was a prolific producer of photographs of the area, which were turned into picture postcards and presumably sold in the local post offices. We have been shown examples of her postcards of Pylle, Ditcheat, Evercreech, Pilton and East Pennard. She also operated as far afield as Glastonbury and Castle Cary. The earliest card seen to date is a view of Pilton that was posted on the 6th July 1954. She also did wedding photographs and we have been supplied with details of one carried out in 1955. It would seem that she was born circa 1931 or thereabouts and she features in a photograph of the Ditcheat Bell Ringers Outing in 1953, but what we have yet to find out for certain is what happened to her. One suggestion is that she emigrated to New Zealand. Once again, do ring Stephen on 830538 if you can add to this.

This month's picture is a view of the present A37 by an unknown photographer. In Edwardian days it was known as Street on the Fosse. The horse and cart approaching us is about to cross the railway bridge and in the distance one can just make out Stockwood Farm. Not a motor vehicle in sight but the garage on the left is up, running and open for business. The note accompanying this photograph reads 'Garage and Blacksmith's Shed, Pylle, and apparently the lady in the garden is Ellen March.

Pylle Ladies Working Party

I’m sure many people in the Benefice would like to thank the Pylle Ladies for all they have done for the community over the years. Their hard work and dedication to serving others has been exemplary and an inspiration. I well remember the wonderful Mothering Sunday teas they used to put on when our children were small; ironed cloths and posies on every table and a most delicious home-made tea. They came in force to the joint Pylle and Ditcheat Harvest Festival this year and produced a fantastic barrow of produce, which was decorated with memorabilia from the two World Wars. Of course it was not a competition, but I’m sure they would have won ‘Best in Show’ had it been! A very big thank you to them for all their efforts over the years.

The Wildlife Group Update

Share a close encounter with wildlife:

Jessica found this visitor in her house. It is a type of Bush Cricket; can anyone identify it? I have had the same experience with Bush Crickets entering the house. Could it be that they are looking for a place to hibernate that is warm and dry? Or do they just like climbing houses?

Drinkable Rivers:

My cousin who is the founder of “Feedback” a charity that is anti-food waste and behind the beer, Toast, once flagged up to me the idea of drinkable rivers.

My initial thought wasn’t very helpful as I was imagining liver flukes. Being a country gal, I’d never drink from streams unless the water had been boiled because of the possibility of catching liver fluke.

His idea was that it would be wonderful if our rivers were clean enough to drink. So, he moved me on and said that the concept was that if everyone took responsibility for their patch of water runoff, ditch, stream or river we could potentially have crystal clear rivers good enough to drink from.

Giving some thought to this we could all play a part in cleaning up our waters. It is well documented and legislated what farmers & industry can and cannot do with water runoff, waste and pollutants. But just take a look at what is happening from the general population. There is a walk at the top of Pennard Hill that I like to go on, which has a pretty little ravine with rubbish tipped down it which includes a fridge. The overflow from rural domestic septic tanks with the contaminants of bleach, phosphates from detergents etc get into ditches. Litter, especially in the form of plastics, will float gaily down the ditches and streams into rivers and out to sea.

So, what should we do about it? We could all start by buying biodegradable detergents and reduce our use of flushable pollutants. Make sure our septic tanks are emptied regularly and maybe form a work party to clear that pretty ravine of its rubbish!

Tips:

Avoid cutting back your flowering Ivy as it is an invaluable late nectar plant and the berries are a good source of food for birds. Do sweep some of your garden leaf litter under a hedge for Winter wildlife shelter and a food source in Spring.

Photo Competition: This is found on Wild Rose plants. Answers by 10th November please. Entrants please feel free to use Photoreference Competition books or winnerthe internet for October:to help with Congratulations identification. to Paul, it was a female Long- winged Cone-head (Conocephalus discolour) which we saw on our meadow visit. Once, nationally very rare it now has increased its population enough to be Photo from Nature spot – it is a very described as “local”. interesting site, set up to record the Wildlife of Leicestershire and Rutland

Contact information: Bridget Wadey email: [email protected] or phone: 01749 860240  You can follow our activities by: joining our emailing list; contact Bridget see above,  through the FTN news (www.fossetrinitynews.co.uk), there is usually a monthly update on the Wildlife group  www.ditcheatchurch.co.uk, this site publishes our meetings and activities as they happen. The Wildlife Group has its own tag

Church Services for November

Friday 2nd All Souls 7:00pm Service for All Souls at Ditcheat

Sunday 4th All Saints 9:30am Parish Communion at Ditcheat 11:00am Patronal Festival with Communion At East Pennard

Sunday 11th Remembrance Sunday 10:40am Act of Remembrance at Ditcheat 11:00am Service of Remembrance at Ditcheat

Tuesday 13th Benefice Midweek Communion at 10:00am Ditcheat

Sunday 18th 2nd Sunday before Advent 9:30 am Holy Communion (BCP) at Ditcheat 11.00am Parish Communion at East Pennard

Sunday 25th Christ the King 9.30am Parish Communion at Alhampton

Church Services for December

Sunday 2nd 1st Sunday of Advent 9:30am Parish Communion at Ditcheat 11:00am Morning Worship at East Pennard

Sunday 9th 2nd Sunday of Advent 11:00am Parish Communion at Pylle

The Armistice

As this month comes into being we have finally reached the centenary of the Armistice, bringing to an end over four years of bloody conflict which was first known as The Great War, and more recently as the First World War. Since August 2014 we have been reminded of its beginning with ‘the lamps going out all over Europe’, the great battles each year, and the final 100 days from the Battle of Amiens to the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

This year, appropriately, Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday coincide on Sunday 11th November, and there will be the usual service at Ditcheat (details elsewhere in FTN) but it will have a special poignancy ‘as the guns fall silent’. One can only imagine what that silence must have been like for those who had suffered noise (and all the other privations and dangers). As we keep the two minute silence that is a chance to ‘enter into the experience’ as well as remembering particular individuals.

So we enter a new era of more than a century since the Armistice. I am sure in the lifetime of most of us, the Great War and its battles are not going to fade into ‘remote’ history like Agincourt, the Armada, Trafalgar and Waterloo. Whether or not we need to keep two days, Armistice and Remembrance, others will decide; but perhaps Remembrance freed from the particularism of 1918 will embrace all those conflicts past and present. Is our world really safer than it was 100 years ago, 50 years ago, 25 years ago?

The Second World War, a generation later, ended with a desire for the great European project – what became the Common Market and the European Union. In 2018/19 the UK seeks to withdraw into an unknown future. More questions???

Best wishes, Graham

ALL SOULS DAY COMMEMORATION

We hold the annual ALL Souls’ service on Friday 2 November (7.00 pm at Ditcheat Church). We will be inviting those who have lost a loved one in the last year or so, but anyone is welcome to come, remember a family member or friend whose name will be read out, and light a candle.

Private Henry James (Harry) TIDBALL

We carried an obituary for Henry Tidball in last month's edition but Pete Trueman, who together with Sue Curragh is putting together a book: ‘Lest we forget …', to be published by Wells & Mendip Museum, got in touch and offered some additional detail about his service.

Private Henry James (Harry) TIDBALL Service number 20748 6th (Service) Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment Killed in action on 27th August 1918, aged 19, Harry was born on 21st September 1899 to Richard and Charlotte Tidball in Milton Clevedon near Evercreech. He was the second of their three children, who were all boys.

In 1901 the family lived in Yew Tree Cottage, Ditcheat, which is a couple of miles south of Shepton Mallet. Harry’s elder brother, Richard, was four, and his father worked for the Somerset & Dorset Railway as a driver of a pumping engine at the station at Evercreech Junction. The pump was used to draw water from the River Alham to provide the supply for locomotives. The pump house was next to the bridge over the river, which was approximately ¼ mile south east of the station. The water was pumped to a large tank at roof level on a stone building 34

(the water tower) next to the level crossing on what is now the A371. Harry’s younger brother, Arthur, was born in around 1903. In January 1909, the family moved to a cottage called Maryland, still in Ditcheat. His mother died in the last quarter of 1910 and was buried on 9th December 1910. At the Mid Somerset Show in September 1911, Harry won a prize for milking. During this period his father was still working as an engine driver. When Harry turned 18, he was living in Highbridge, and in September 1917 he enlisted in Weston-super-Mare into the Dorsetshire Regiment. In February 1918, he joined their 6th (Service) Battalion in the Flesquières salient, where it remained until the retreat in March 1918. The battalion was part of the 50th Brigade of the 17th (Northern) Division.

On 21st March 1918, the Germans started their Spring Offensive, and from that day until the 28th, the 6th Battalion fought a fighting retreat until the German offensive was halted in their area. During this period 213 officers and men of the battalion were killed, wounded or went missing. After the retreat, the Battalion was rested and reinforced at Pernois. After two stints in the line, on 8th June, 516 officers and men from the 6th took part in a large trench raid and suffered 157 casualties. On 21st August, the 6th Battalion started its 60 mile advance that would end with the armistice. At 3:30 a.m. on 27th, the 50th Brigade, with the 6th Battalion in the centre, launched an attack on Flers. It started well. Flers was passed on both sides and 200 prisoners and a number of machine guns and mortars were taken, but when a fresh German division counter-attacked at 7 a.m., they were pushed back past Flers to a point 500 yards in front of where they started. Harry died during this action and was buried in a small local cemetery. After the armistice, Harry was moved to the A.I.F. (Australian Imperial Forces) Burial Ground, Flers, grave III. K. 13. This cemetery changed hands a number of times during the war and was recaptured for the last time by, amongst others, Harry’s battalion, at the end of August 1918.

On 20th September 1918, the Wells Journal reported Harry’s death: He became a soldier in September of last year and went to the front in February of this year. For some time he resided with his aunt, Mrs. [Florence] Willis, of [31,] Southover, who on Friday received the news of his death from his father, who lives at Ditcheat. Pte. Tidball, had he been spared, would have been 19 years of age to-morrow. In civil life he was an employee of Mr. F. S. Webb, builder [of 11, Broad Street, Wells].

Harry was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal. He is not listed on any of the other Wells rolls of honour, but he is on the roll of honour in Saint Mary Magdalene Church, Ditcheat. His brother Richard served in the Royal Engineers and the 4th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry. 35

Letter from the Front - a soldier's story

By July 1916 the Liverpool 'Pals' regiments (Britain was the only major power not to begin the First World War with a mass conscripted army as it was realised that many more men would enlist voluntarily if they could serve alongside friends, colleagues and family) had captured the village of Montauban and were set a new objective - to capture the village of Guillemont - a small, farming community that had been heavily fortified by the Germans. The first attack failed completely, the second attack, on July 30th, was hampered by fog and pre-battle gas and shell attacks and moved the front line forward just 300 yards at a cost of 1,115 of the 2,000 who fought on that day killed, captured or injured. Laurie served with The King's 1st (Liverpool) Battalion, known as the 'Liverpool Laurence Cockburn Terriers', (they were part of the territorial army) bought in to replace those lost and to continue the assault.

The third attack on the village was planned for 4.20am on 8th August, to be preceded by a 17-hour bombardment. On the night of 7 August all of the troops moved to their assembly points and were in position by midnight. At 4.20am mist and fog swathed the battlefield. The whistles blew and the men moved forward toward the enemy lines. They were confronted on all sides with a hail of fire from German rifles, machine guns and gas shells that also covered No Man's Land, making any hope of relief impossible. Visibility was terrible and communications broke down. German troupes came between them and the British trenches and the battalion moved only a few hundred yards before having to dig in. Laurie 'Died of Wounds' on the third day of the battle. He is buried in a mass grave and honoured at the Thiepval Memorial. France. Section of an original trench map from 1916, showing the position of the British front line trenches, including those south of the village at Arrow Head Copse, from where it is thought Laurie 'went over the top'.

Pencil-written letter from Laurie to his friend in Liverpool, from his posting in Belgium, on 11th May 1916

Dear Gladys, Thank you for your kind present of the handkerchiefs which will be most useful indeed (I wish you could give the tie as usual, however, let's hope for my 21st birthday) and for your kind wishes. Your parcel of chocolates has not arrived as we have not been getting parcels very regularly owing to our position. I shall get it shortly, no doubt.

We are jolly lucky to get letters as transport is difficult and dangerous. For nearly a fortnight we have been on reserve in dugout about 11/4 miles from the trenches. We are in a nice dugout with four in it. It is made by digging into a bank deep down and then covering over with corrugated iron and boards from destroyed houses and then earth and branches to conceal from aeroplanes; we have really about a score of aeroplanes over here every day. Mostly British though, the Germans use captured one to sail over our lines and they have our markings on. Ours are circles of red, white and blue. French are a blue circle then white and red. The 'Allemande' have black iron crosses on their wings. We have seen them with the naked eye often when they come low down, you know where we are.

I see our Battalion mentioned in the recent fighting, I think it's the Daily Mail of the 21st, two of our men have been awarded the DCM for going out for wounded in the day time, a great honour as so few Terriers have got it.

We have seen some shelling lately, believe me, enough to last me a lifetime. Our dug outs are fairly safe though they often send them sky high with their shells. I have experienced the gases they use. They are horrible, evil smelling but they sting your eyes and make you absolutely miserable with watering eyes. It floats about in the air for quite a long way.

Our work is all at night, carrying fatigues. We carry food of all sorts, water, ammunition, explosives, bombs, engineers' stores of all kinds, wood planks, all sorts of stuff goes up night after night. Of course, we lose men this way as all the approaches to the trenches are shelled with whizzbangs, and stray bullets and shrapnel figure in the programme very largely.

The day we have pretty well to ourselves, we read, smoke (I don't) or rest. Most of our time is taken up in cooking over a little tin with holes in and we use wood for fuel. We have good grub and get nice fried bacon and a little bread and jam for brekkie and bully and biscuit for dinner. We don't get much bread but our dug out has supplemented its supply by foraging expeditions to the deserted city where still a few hang on leading a subterranean existence in spite of constant shelling. Altogether we dig out very well here.

The weather is glorious but very, very hot (yesterday I must tell you we boiled 8 dishes of water between the 4 of us (talk about brews of tea and cocoa with condensed milk, we know the way to camp now!)

Must close now. I hope Mr and Mrs Boon will accept this letter as well, although addressed to you, we can't write too many, of course. Please remember me to Bessie and tell her Mr Hart, I think you said she knew him, is well and give my love to all and accept some yourself.

From your sincere friend, Laurie

Guillemont was finally taken in September, 1916. In the six week period prior to that, the King's Regiment lost one eighth of their total number killed throughout the whole four-year war; it works out around one Liverpool life for every yard gained. Left: The King's Scroll which, together with a customised bronze plaque, known as 'the widow's penny', was given to the next of kin of those killed while serving with the British and Empire Forces in the War.

Below: Extract of a letter from Glady's Mother to her daughter, in August 1916, after Laurie's brother, Stanley, who was also serving near Guillemont, wrote to let her know of Laurie's death.

Bottom of page: Extract of a letter to Laurie from Gladys, written over a year after she knew of his death;.

Daily Mail postcard showing The High Street of the village of Guillemont, 1916 . This was the objective of the three bloody battles. Below, extract of a letter from Laurie's brother, Roland, to his 'intended', 18th December 1917, describing a journey through the battle fields near Ypres. “…From Pop we made for Ypres along a road which was camouflaged with wire netting and cloth. Ypres itself is simply a heap of stones, we could only recognise the Cloth House and that only by the remains of the square tower. It was a wicked sight to see such fine old buildings a heap of ruins. After a while we motored right along the Menin Road, passing Hell Fire Corner. I never saw such a place – not a tree which was not blown to atoms. Miles and miles of shell holes, tanks battered almost out of recognition. The sun was setting as we passed along the battle fields and it reflected in the water which filled the shell holes. Dante's Inferno takes a back seat! However men lived through it is wonderful... Armentiers was our next stop, a great change Three of the Cockburn brothers, from left: Laurie, Roland and Stanley. from The Line. It looked like Smithdown Road would have if nearly all the roofs were off the buildings. No windows in nine cases out of ten, not many walls standing, not a living thing could we see and it gave Robbie and I the blues. We had tea in what had been a lace factory, the machines broken up and the roof off.” Margy Cockburn; in memory of her Great Uncle Laurie

(With thanks to Karen O'Rourke Liverpool Museums.org.ac for some of the battle detail.)

East Pennard and District Royal British Legion

We are very mindful of the importance of our article in this month’s magazine because it coincides with the centenary of the end of World War 1. We do have a centenary service for William James Gollege at Ditcheat on the 28th October, starting at about 10.45, which reminds us that lives were still being sacrificed so close to the end; worse still we have a service for Edward Lionel Gane on the 24th November, again at Ditcheat. That must have been particularly difficult to cope with. However, before we start on the serious stuff, I must update you about our quiz night.

Our annual “exploration of one’s memory bank” was held yet again at The Den in Pylle on Sunday 30th September, and what a night it was!!! Probably, one of the best quiz nights that we have held; once again the service from the staff at The Den was excellent and I’ve had lots of feedback saying how good the food was. The evening was an excuse for a get-together and judging by the amount of chatter prior to the start and the banter between rounds, a good night was had by all. Once again, a new team came top, by one point only, which made it very exciting, especially the last round. The winning team this year came from Ditcheat and was called “A Bird and Three Cocks”, the inspiration for the name apparently coming from a picture of a cockerel on the wall in The Den. The team members were Bob, Gary, Kathy and Gordon.

Unfortunately, Charlie our Chairman, couldn’t make it this year owing to work commitments, but he did play a part by getting the whole thing rolling weeks before the actual day. So, thank you Charlie; we missed your jokes but still managed to have a good time. Our sincere thanks to everyone for their support of this event. We did make the usual plea for new members; those of us who are more involved with the Branch than most can see a point in the future where we have moved on (however you want to interpret that !!) and there is no one else to step into the committee roles and the Branch will simply fold up. You could ask yourselves, does that really matter? That’s a 40

question for another article, but the bottom line is, we do need one or two new members who might take an interest in the running of the Branch.

Moving swiftly on to matters concerning Remembrance. I hope you all know by now that there is only one Remembrance parade this year because the 11th November falls on a Sunday, and that parade will be held at Ditcheat. It is really quite remarkable that such an important Remembrance service marking the 100th anniversary of the end of WW1 should fall on a Sunday. Is it me, or was it planned? The timing is the same as usual, gathering from about 10.30am and the parade will commence shortly after 10.50am. Please do not forget that we will be setting up a display of memorabilia in the Jubilee Hall for you to wander round after the church service up until 1pm. There will also be tea and coffee to sustain you. If anybody has personal keepsakes from WW1 they would be happy for others to look at, then we would be delighted to find them a space in the display. Can we suggest that any delicate items such as letters from the trenches, for example, should really be photocopied and the copies put on display. We will have somebody supervising the display at all times.

If you are a regular reader of this Legion article you cannot fail to have noticed the number of centenary services that we have held over the last four years to acknowledge the sacrifice of our Fallen. 24 services so far, 2 more to come before the end of November and probably one more to recognise the 5 Names that we have been unable to track down. 31 deaths in our small community and we’ve no idea how many other men went off to war and came back injured both physically and mentally. Behind each of these men were families; wives, children, brothers, sisters, mums and dads, all of whom had to suffer the losses and somehow carry on with life despite having their lives devastated by the death or injury of loved ones. Every year at Remembrance we “remember” the Fallen; do we think about how the families had to cope? Probably not if we are honest. And talking about being “honest”, let’s face it chaps, it will have been the women, with all their inner strength, who would have pushed and pulled and cajoled the families through the trauma. We should acknowledge the role of women in sorting out the mess and devastation caused by men whose ego is bigger than their brains.

So, on the Remembrance parade this year, during the Silence, just spare a thought for the women of our Country and the role they have to play to sort out 41

the mess that men leave behind in times of conflict.

The other thing which is difficult to get one’s head round is the number of casualties as a result of the War. One source would suggest that the overall figure could be around 37 million. That figure is supposed to include all the military casualties, all the civilians who were killed, and all those who died because of diseases brought about malnutrition, poor sanitation etc as a direct result of the war. The Spanish Flu is a good example of that. Looking at the casualties from the United Kingdom (and Colonies) both military and civilian, who were killed or died as a result of the War, this figure is approximately 2% of the population at that time. Just to give you some comparisons, the figure for France was about 4.3%, for the German Empire (as it was at the time) it was about 4% and for Belgium it was about 1.8%. Canada and Australia lost about 1%. At the other end of the scale, the Ottoman Empire lost in the region of 14% of its population and for the Americans it was about 0.13%. Just for the United Kingdom, we lost 744,000 men killed or missing in action. After a while the numbers lose their meaning, it is impossible to relate the losses to anything we can comprehend.

Thinking back to what we were talking about, women having to pick up the pieces, 744,000 men not coming back home, even if some of those men were from the same family, that’s an awful lot of effort by a staggering number of women to try and hold the fabric of life together. How much debt does this Country owe to its women?

Some of you might think it was a bit “tacky” to have an article ostensibly about Remembrance and people dying in war, with a big chunk of it dedicated to people having a great time at the quiz night. But isn’t that just typical of life in general? Wherever there is tragedy there is always a sign of some sort to say that life goes on. The Fallen will always be there, nothing can change that. Whether we choose to remember them is slightly different. That is what we are trying to convey with this article; by putting images of the Fallen, without naming them, randomly amongst the article, we are suggesting they will always be there, somewhere in the background, but never far away. It is up to us to ensure we never forget their sacrifice, but life goes on and they would want us to laugh and joke with our friends, otherwise what was it all about.

But we don’t learn, do we! We are just about to commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War, and what have we had in between? Another major war with the same “blooming” protagonists. All I can say, personally, is

that I’m glad I will not be around to do the research of those of our community who gave their lives in WW2.

So, by the time this parish magazine is in everyone’s home, we will have had the service for William James Gollege. Yet another of our Fallen. All our poppy collectors will have been given their collecting kits and some, if not most, will already have started on their poppy round. And so the ritual continues. People will generously put money in the collecting tins, pin their poppies on some item of clothing, attend the Remembrance parade, and spend some time thinking about family members who have given their lives in the service of our country, not only in WW1, but in any conflict since. Hopefully, we will also remember family and friends who have passed away through old age or as a result of some illness or other. Sometimes we just need a nudge to remember and Remembrance is a “hell of a nudge”. Is it possible this year you could spare a part of your “remembering time” to give thanks for the women of our country who have, dragged us through the blackest of times.

If you agree with any of the sentiments expressed in this article or feel that you would like to support the work of the Legion, then why don’t you consider joining the Branch. It doesn’t mean that you will suddenly be given a job on the committee or have a poppy round thrust upon you. Your life could carry on just the same, apart from the fact that once a year you will be asked to pay the membership fee, which is currently £17.00 per year. You would be very welcome; we would be delighted if you joined, over the moon if you took an active interest. It goes without saying that we would love to recruit some ladies, we need some of the va va voom we’ve been discussing.

Our next Branch meeting will be held at Charle’s on the 13th November 2018, starting at 2pm. Why not come along? Call me, Jon Dickens, 01458 850241. I might even tell you where Charlie lives. Jon Dickens

Somerset remembers

Over this last year I have been hearing about the different ways our communities have been coming together to mark the 100 year anniversary of Armistice. Remembrance Sunday is always a poignant time and it will have a particular resonance this year as Remembrance Sunday falls on the centenary of Armistice Day, 11th November 1918.

We will remember them. We must not forget. As Bishop Tim Thornton says in the special Remembrance issue of our diocesan Manna magazine, “Remembering does not mean going through an intellectual exercise. It means doing everything we possibly can to bring back into the reality of today the horrors of the past so that we do not make the same mistakes again.”

I’ve been moved to hear the stories of how our church communities have used this landmark as an opportunity to research their own Tommies, to rededicate memorials, make spectacular poppy displays or install the Perspex Tommies of the charity, Remembered. And how communities have really come together across the generations through these acts, large and small.

Wells Cathedral’s Book of Remembrance contains around 11,300 names. These are the people from Somerset and beyond, listed by community, who gave their lives in the service of their country.

We will remember them. The Rt Revd Peter Hancock Bishop of Bath and Wells

Social skittles evenings All welcome

First Thursday of every month Manor House Inn, Ditcheat £3 to include supper.

(Check Manor House Facebook page for cancellations)

Ditcheat, Pylle and Alhampton Harvest Festival

Twelve organisations from within the Benefice supplied a barrow of produce for our Harvest Festival, on the weekend of October 6th/7th. Considerable thought and care had gone into preparing these and we are most grateful to all those concerned for their time and generosity. We would also like to thank the Flower Team for its efforts in creating some beautiful arrangements around the church. Following the service on Sunday the congregation enjoyed a finger buffet lunch and drinks in the side chapel. It was felt to have been a good idea for the churches to amalgamate for this occasion and we hope to do the same next year.

On Monday, four barrow loads of fresh fruit and vegetables were taken to the school, where Anne, its wonderful cook, was going to make them into delicious meals for the children. The non-perishable produce was taken to the Somer Valley Food Bank in Midsomer Norton, which expressed its delight and ‘heartfelt thanks’ for the amount we took. The warehouse had become quite depleted over the summer holidays, with families struggling to feed their children. A huge thank you to all who gave, it was very much appreciated.

The Ditcheat Book Group

Little did we know that when ‘Vanity Fair’, by William Makepeace Thackery, was chosen by us for our September read it was going to be serialised on television. This may or may not have done justice to the book which is over 650 pages long plus notes at the back! Some might find its length daunting but, as is always the case, a novel includes so much more than a TV adaptation can ever do.

This is Thackery's description of an unused dining room and it gives a flavour of his writing: “The turkey carpet has rolled itself up and retired sulkily under the sideboard; the pictures have hidden their faces behind old sheets of brown paper; the ceiling lamp is muffled up under a dismal sack of brown holland” etc.

The story revolves around two women; Amelia Sedley a ‘good women’, albeit very naïve, and Becky Sharpe, her moral opposite. Amelia takes for granted the loyal and inarticulate attentions of her long-suffering admirer, Dobbin, whose name is meant to suggest a lumbering workhorse. Becky is a very interesting character - an anti-heroine who is incredibly manipulative but has to be in order to succeed. She thinks she would be ‘an honest women if only she had £5,000 a year’.

It’s a good read but not for the faint hearted. Vee Lees

An early Christmas Greeting

I am sending a collective Christmas Greeting to all my old friends in Alhampton and the Ditcheat area so nobody gets forgotten! I wish you all a very Happy Christmas. I’d love to see anyone who is passing this way.

My address is: The Dower House Nursing Home, Springvale Road, Headbourne Worthy, Winchester SO23 7LD.

Best wishes to you all Kath Severne

The Fosse Trinity News is a community magazine. It is financed by advertising and donations. It is delivered FREE to every household in Ditcheat, Alhampton, East Pennard and Pylle. We welcome any contribution from anyone in the community of any age. The editors reserve the right to edit. Copyright of all photographs published remains with the originator unless specified otherwise. Send copy by 15th of the month to [email protected] For enquiries about advertising in the magazine, please contact Marcus 01749 860067 or email [email protected] Closing date 10th of each month for adverts.

Précis of the draft minutes from the Ditcheat Parish Council (PC) meeting held on the 27th September 2018.

PRESENT: Chairperson – Councillor Evans (CE) and Councillors – Dando (JD) and Hughes (LH), Clifford (SC).

IN ATTENDANCE: Miss P Griffiths – Clerk to the Council.

BY INVITATION: and District Councillor John Greenhalgh (JG).

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION – There were two members of the public present. CE invited members of the public to address the Council. Mr L Wright, acting on behalf of the applicant for the planning application on the agenda -Item 138/18 a) 1) – for Owley Farm, gave an overview of the planning proposal. Mr Harris explained that he was seeking support from the PC to get a speed limit introduced on the A371 (Item 141/18 a) on the agenda) on the stretch of the road that goes past his house, south of the Natterjack Inn to Arthurs Bridge. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE - Apologies for absence from Councillors Hutton (RH), Clark (HC), Harrison (HH), Kerr (SK) and Travis (RT) were received and approved. County Councillor Nigel Hewitt-Cooper (NHC) and PCSO Dury had also sent their apologies. COUNTY AND DISTRICT COUNCILLORS REPORTS – There was no report from NHC. JG gave an update on matters relating to the District Council as follows:  The Leaders of Somerset’s councils have confirmed that work has commenced to find a partner to assist the process of assessing all the options for the future of local government service provision in the county. The Council Leaders agreed a broad set of principles which will inform the work to make sure that the best interests of all Somerset communities are served and are working together to determine the best future for Local Government in the county. This is with a view to considering the possibilities for service delivery and financial efficiencies within the context of significant reductions in funding for councils across the country. Procurement has started to identify an organisation to work with the Councils on the feasibility and potential benefits of a range of options. All of Somerset’s MPs plus Bath & North East Somerset and North Somerset Councils will also be invited to participate in the process to discuss and identify common ground.  The Council has agreed to increase its financial support for the CAB service following the announcement of SCC cuts affecting the service.

 An update on the organisation and work of the Planning Department is due to be made next week, but no appointment has yet been made for the Head of Planning & Growth.  At a recent meeting of the Standards Committee it was agreed that the Council did not need to introduce Disclosure and Barring (DBS) checks for Councillors as few have contact with young children or vulnerable adults and adequate procedures and best practice already exist.  The Council has had a more than 90% response from parish councils’ Declarations of Interest forms, the best in the county.  The Capita 5 Councils’ contract continues to deliver the expected savings. A service issue affecting Land Charges property searches has been resolved and most enquiries are now answered within 2-3 days.  A by-election has been called in Wells following the recent death of Councillor Danny Unwin. This is scheduled for November 25th.

REPORT FROM AVON & SOMERSET CONSTABULARY- included the following incidents:

17th August & 24th August – Report of a lorry stuck on Wraxall Hill – Police attend; 18th August – Report of a tree down on A37 Wraxall Hill – Police/Highways attend; 24th August – Report of a car broken down on Wraxall Hill – Police attend; 24th August – Report of a disturbance in Alhampton – Police attend; 26th August – Report of a lorry stuck on Wraxall Hill – Police attend; 7th September – Report of a theft in the village.

CODE OF CONDUCT – CE declared a personal interest in Item 139/18 b) 2) as the recipient of the payment.

MINUTES and MATTERS ARISING - from the meeting held on 16th August 2018. The minutes of the meeting were approved and signed by the Chairman. Painting and repair of finger post signs – The Clerk reported that £3,710.50 had been received and banked. The work on the first two signposts had been completed. The Clerk will speak to the contractor and ask for a progress report. Shroud on Elephant rocker mobile in playground – CE reported that despite purchasing an additional key to lift the elephant off its base, it had not been possible to remove further bolts that secure the base. It was resolved that as there was no mention of the shroud being damaged on the recent inspection report that no further action will be taken. Gate leading from toddlers’ play area to junior play area – JD reported that the matter seems to have resolved now that there has been some rain. No further action required. 50

Mural board in the bus shelter in Ditcheat – the mural has been completed. The Clerk will write to Chyrs Henning to thank her for undertaking the painting. The Clerk reported that Somerset Waste Partnership had issued containers for recycling waste to the resident in Ditcheat along with information and advice on how to sort and leave out the waste for collection. The Clerk confirmed that the quotes for the replacement of the remainder of the safety matting had been obtained for the purposes of applying for grants and financial assistance for the project. MINUTES - The minutes of the meeting held on 6th September 2018 were approved and signed by the Chairman. MATTERS ARISING - from the meeting held on 6th September 2018. CE reported that although the decision on the planning application for development of Folly Orchard was not yet known it was understood that the matter was likely to be considered by the Planning Board. It was confirmed that RH would attend on behalf of the PC. PLANNING - The following planning application was considered: Full planning application – Change of use from agricultural land to part equestrian/part residential formation of menage and creation of acoustic bund to the highway. Owley Farm, Ditcheat. Ref. 2018/1899/FUL. Outcome – unanimous ‘recommend refusal’ with the reason that the creation of the bund as per the proposal appeared to be excessive for the described need. The Clerk will inform the Planning Department at MDC. It was noted that planning permission has been granted for Holmeswood, Ditcheat. Ref 2018/2072. FINANCE - Bank balance as per cash book at 21st September 2018 is £15,100.63 with £3,710.50 in the fingerpost refurbishment project fund and £1,100.00 in the Alhampton defibrillator maintenance fund. Payments to the following: Somerset Forge for refurbishment of fingerposts 1&3 on the schedule - £1200.00; Mr C Evans for footpath repair materials - £220.68; Parochial Church Council of Ditcheat for room hire - £54.00; Miss P Griffiths for Clerk’s salary – £683.53 and expenses £100.54 HMRC for PAYE/NICs - £170.80 for 1st July to 30th September 2018. RESOLVED: that the above expenditure be approved. It was noted that payment has been made to the following: - Wicksteed Leisure for annual inspection and risk assessment of playground - £72.00; Longhill Accounting for internal audit 2017/18 - £75.00; Somerset County Council for hosting of DPC website - £29.99; Tony’s Garden Services for grounds maintenance in July £200.00 and August - £140.00. PLAYGROUND - The annual inspection and risk assessment report was considered and resolved that as a result of the report that the Clerk should arrange for the more urgent works to be undertaken by Wicksteed as follows: Supply and installation of the replacement slats on the Bo-Peep unit along with the ancillary nuts and bolts and inserts for the holes to prevent finger entrapment; the wooden platforms on the Rainbow Multi-play unit; chains for 51

the swings as per the report and the supply of the paint for the Bo-Peep unit – to be painted by PC volunteers. HIGHWAYS - The request from parishioner Mr Harris for assistance in the installation of a reduction in the speed limit to 40mph on the A371 south of the Natterjack Inn to Arthurs Bridge and/or the installation of concealed entrance signs to assist egress from his property was considered. Resolved that the PC will support the request. Update on items/matters for repair previously reported: Sunken manhole/gulley covers in Smiths Lane and water meter cover by the turning into Smiths Lane – outstanding. New matters for report to the Highways authority. West Lane - the wall by the entrance in to the field on the left has been damaged and stones have been knocked into the culvert thus blocking it which will cause flooding in heavy rainfall. The fly posting on the HGV sign on the A371 by Moff Motors the fixings on the same HGV sign need to be tightened to prevent it swivelling. The camber of the road in Moor Lane is high in the centre of the road causing grounding of some vehicles. The fencing running alongside the river by the Alham Bridge needs repairing. The Clerk to report the above. FOOTPATHS, BRIDLEWAYS AND RIGHTS OF WAY - Ditcheat to Sutton footpath – it was noted that good progress had been made of the renovation of the footpath with approximately 50 m of the total 991 m left to be completed. Anticipated cost left to complete is less than the £500.00 CE had previously indicated. The gate posts on footpath by Priors Leigh and in Ditcheat at the back of the church - to be followed up. FEEDBACK FROM COUNCILLOR ATTENDING ‘THE RENDEZVOUS’ - CE reported that more people were exercising their dogs on the cricket pitch and not clearing up the dog waste. CLERK’S REPORT AND CORRESPONDENCE. The letter and poster from Royal Mail regarding scam mail was noted. The Clerk will put up the poster on the noticeboards and a copy on the website. The letter from the CHT confirming that ownership of the former telephone kiosk in Alhampton has been transferred to the PC was noted. DATE OF THE NEXT MEETING – 8th NOVEMBER 2018 AT 7.30 pm in the Church Room.

Please check the noticeboards for agendas and dates.

FOR INFORMATION: The agenda for all meetings is displayed on the website www.ditcheatparishcouncil.org.uk and the notice boards in the parish i.e. Alhampton, Ditcheat, and Sutton at least 3 working days prior to the meeting.

PARSONS

Supplier of Hardwood Logs

Hardwood log sales Woodchip mulch sales

Tel Home 01749 678604 Log Hotline 07788 542519

Gardening

Early October came as quite a shock as I returned from a wonderful trip to Greece. Not only were the temperatures half the 30 degrees we had been enjoying but the vine harvest appeared to have quadrupled in my absence! Having envisaged a quiet three days before returning to work I was up to my armpits (almost literally) in 28 kilos of red and white grapes. Sorry now to have shared my grape jelly recipe as when I tried to offload the grapes to cooks in the village most had already sourced supplies from elsewhere. There will be more vigilance with the pruning next spring.

In contrast, it was wonderful to continue for another couple of weeks with runner and French beans. They really have been amazing. The plot is still full with plenty of lettuce, beetroot, celeriac, fennel, radish and brassicas and the greenhouse has some wonderful red peppers and chilli.

A day at Charles Dowding’s garden in early October was a brilliant experience and something I have been meaning to do for years. His approach and knowledge were like a breath of fresh air and although I have never seen myself as an old fashioned, die hard gardener, he has got the little grey cells working overtime. A thoroughly recommended day and Steph Haggerty’s lunch was truly delicious. She has a new book coming out shortly and if her lunch is anything to go by this book should be a must for vegetable growers.

How did we get to November? It is time to wrap up warm and insulate the greenhouse to keep any plants snug over the winter. The Erysimum (wallflowers) are ready to go out, but I have been loath to pot up the Geraniums for over wintering as they are still giving a great display.

The borders need a bit of a tidy up. Many perennials can be left to add interest over the winter but others, such as Phlox, Alchemilla and Anemone can be cut back to ground level. Some, such as Agapanthus need protection from frost. November is the best month to plant tulips. As a rule of thumb all bulbs should be planted to a depth of between two and three times their size.

Leaves will have fallen from most trees and shrubs by now and it is a good time 56

to check for fungal diseases. If you do find infected growth, remove with secateurs and either burn or take to the dump. Bare rooted trees and roses are available between November and March and are usually far more reasonably priced than containerised specimens.

Having been introduced to ‘No Dig’ gardening I shall not be digging over the vegetable plot this year, but feeding the soil and sowing my broad beans on 10th November. The garlic went in just before my holiday in late September and is already thriving.

Although lawn mowers have had an unseasonably quiet time this summer, it is worth giving them some tlc. If you haven’t already done so, give the lawn a final cut with blades on high. Turn off the power (if electric) and clean away any grass stuck to the bottom of the mower. Check to see if the blades are blunt and if so, use a sharpening stone to give a good edge on metal blades.

Clear fallen leaves from the top of ponds and pop a rubber ball to float on top of the water to help prevent ice forming.

Keep a look out for pigeons. They can devastate crops. Use 15cm plastic pea and bean mesh to cover brassicas such as kale and extend beyond the edge of the outer rows. Secure in place with canes or rocks.

As always if you need any help with design or planting, do get in touch. Jane Follis [email protected] 860850.

Fosseway Gardening Club

Next meeting, Tuesday 13th Nov: 'Gardening on Clay', Neil Livesay from Picket Nursery. 7.30pm at Pylle Village Hall, BA4 6SZ. Further details phone Barbara Cary on 01749 860438. Barbara Cary

Waste not, Want not...

53 coppiced hazel poles between 9ft and 9ft 6ins in length. Daphne 860287

St Mary Magdalene Ditcheat Rotas

Cleaning Church Room November 3rd / 10th H & A Nicholls Martin Pope 17th / 24th R & L Adams December 1st / 8th J & A Robson Pat Dando 15th / 22nd P & J Dando

If you would like to help, please contact Vee Lees (860542) for church cleaning or Pat Dando (860448) for church room cleaning. The complete lists are available on the web site in archive1. www.fossetrinitynews.co.uk.

Flowers Brass Nov 4th Sally Atkins Barbara & Ian Rounsevell Nov. 11th & 18th Margaret Shylan “ Nov.25th Kate Webber Jess Leach Dec.2nd – 23rd ADVENT No Flowers Dec. 24th CHRISTMAS TEAM

Ditcheat Church Flowers & Brasses Volunteers Needed Do you enjoy arranging flowers or polishing brass ... then you would be very welcome to join our team of volunteers!

Anyone interested please contact Jessica Leach on 01749 860205

East Pennard Church Flowers & Cleaning Rota

November Renata Rodd Bridget Wadey December Henrietta Mazur Susie Dearden January Carrie Stokes David Stokes

East Pennard flowers and cleaning team are looking to recruit new members. If you are a public-spirited person and would like to help, church going not a requirement and the commitment is no more than about 4 hours a year. Please contact Bridget Wadey on Tel: 860240

MARK CURTIS ROOFING & BUILDING www.markcurtisroofingltd.co.uk

Tiling/ slating/ flat roofs/ lead work Loft conversions Listed building & restoration specialist General building

WE OFFER A COMPLETE ROOFING SERVICE FROM SCAFFOLDING TO BUILDING

WHITE CHIMNEYS ALHAMPTON SHEPTON MALLET 01749 860898 SOMERSET Mobile 07702820794 BA4 6PZ Email [email protected]

Who's Who ? FOSSE TRINITY BENEFICE Interim Minister Canon Graham Hendy 677003 Reader Emeritus Jean Halford 860422 Fosse Trinity Advisory Committee Jean Heal 860452 Fosse Trinity News Editor Margy Cockburn 860611 Fosse Trinity News Advertising Marcus Wyburn-Mason 860067 Fosse Trinity News Distribution Lesley Dunn 860746 Mothers' Union Yvonne Stokes 01458 851480 Safeguarding Officer Hilary Tudsbery-Turner 830538 Children's Society Jo Curtis 860898

ALHAMPTON Chapel Warden Ditcheat Churchwardens Church Council Secretary Vacant Neighbourhood Watch Lynne Hughes 860654 FTN Correspondent Louisa Oborne 860252

EAST PENNARD Bells - Tower Captain Mervyn Buckley 01458 440180 Jean Heal 860452 Churchwarden { Susie Dearden 860502 Church Council Secretary Vacant Church Room Hire Audrey Dyson 860317 Parish Council Chairman Adrian Pearse 890216 Royal British Legion Secretary Jon Dickens 01458 850241 United Charities Chairman Adrian Pearse 890216 Verger David Stokes 01458 834486

PYLLE Bells - Tower Captain Joe King 890357 Hilary Tudsbery-Turner 830538 Churchwarden { Teresa Rossiter 831419 Church Council Secretary Stephen Tudsbery-Turner 830538 Ladies Working Party (Chairman) - FTN Correspondent Stephen Tudsbery-Turner 830538 Village Hall hire and keys Joanna Miln 838757

Email contacts are on page 62

DITCHEAT Art Group Liz & Stewart Gould 860755 Badminton Club Secretary James Bairstow 860355 Bees – Swarms Stewart Gould 860755 Bells - Tower Captain Roger Yeoman 860304 Bells - Correspondence/Bookings Ben Look 860257 The Other Book Club Sue Stevens 860396 Church Council Secretary Vacant Church Room Hire Pat Dando 860448 Lynne Hughes 860654 Churchwarden { Jessica Leach 860205 Community Car Service (ADEPPTS) Joyce Marsh 860493 Country Dancing Ama Bolton 672911 Cricket Club Nick Mann 812304 Ditcheat Big Screen / Moviola Anne Robson 860444 Ditcheat School Richard Reid 860329 Friends of Ditcheat School (FODS) Katy Bryant 860329 Ditcheat Players Chairperson Gaye Volk 860081 Fosseway Garden Club Barbara Cary 860438 Jubilee Hall Chair Linda Wyburn-Mason 860067 Jubilee Hall Hire Anne Robson 860444 Jubilee Hall Website Geoff Webber 860184 Keep Fit Linda Wyburn-Mason 860067 Neighbourhood Watch Jim Dando 860448 Parent & Toddler Group Sally Yeoman 860304 Parish Council Chairman Charles Evans 860336 Rendezvous Linda Wyburn-Mason 860067 Saturday Stitch Sally Yeoman 860304 Short Mat Bowls Martin Edgar 860780 Skittles Manor House Inn 860276 Village Lunch Jessica Leach 860205 Wildlife Group Bridget Wadey 860240

GENERAL Community Police Lucy Bagnowiec 101 Guy Dury 101

Please help us keep this information up-to-date. Email [email protected] with any changes.

Index of Advertisers

Mobility, Sutton Stairlifts 2 Keep Fit, Evercreech Slimming 54 Computing, Stable Computers 12 Log suppliers, M Parsons 54 De cora to r, Pinnel & Sons 55 Medical, Osteopath, Trevenen Pascoe 12 Dining, The Manor House Inn 45 Mowing, Kevin Bushrod 63 Driver, Philip Saunders 13 Odd Jobs, Alistair Gillard 2 Electrical, ARL Electrical Services 12 Oven cleaning, Ovencor 12 Electrical, Ian Lester 2 Removals & Storage, Armishaws 53 Estate Agents, Lodestone 21 Roofing, Mark Curtis 59 Events, Pennard House 19 Solicitor, J Derbyshire, Purely Probate 63 Food, Jon Thorner's Back Solicitors, Bartlett, Gooding & Weelen 13 Funerals, Trotman Funeral Directors 19 Stone Mason, Thomas Kendrick 20 Furniture Restorer, Piers Keating 12 Stone Walling, Yenstone 21 Ga rage Doors, SDS 54 Taxi, Tony Chinnock 19 Golf, Mendip Golf Club 20 Tool hire, Hire Shed 2 He ating Services, Warm Welcome 13 Transport, Adeppts 2 Ho me Mainte nance, Mike Doyle 13 Tree Surgeon, Jody Osborne 63 Joinery, DRW Carpentry 20

Printed by Parish Magazine Printing

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and

contributors to this magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Fosse Trinity Benefice Parochial Church Councils,

their officers or the FTN Editorial Team and no responsibility can be taken for the information given or views expressed in this magazine. In particular,

no liability is accepted in relation to the contents of any third-party advertisement.

Who's Who ? Email addresses

Fosse Trinity News Editor [email protected] Fosse Trinity News Advertising [email protected] Fosse Trinity News Distribution [email protected]

Ditcheat Parish Council ditcheatparishcouncil.org.uk Ditcheat Village Hall ditcheatvillagehall.org.uk Community Police [email protected] [email protected]

LOP Mowing Contractor www.lopmowingcontractor.co.uk Kevin Bushrod

Competitive pricing on mowing large areas of grass. Lawns, orchards and paddocks. Grass collected or mulched. Shed/fence panel picks and deliveries etc

Tel: 01749 860546 / 07930 306465

North Brewham, Bruton, Somerset