FREE Digitally! Printed edition: 60p

Welcome to the August issue of the newsletter. This is YOUR newsletter and everyone in Eastcombe, Bussage or Brownshill is welcome to submit a contribution—we will do our best to include as many as possible. Please send your news, updates and photos to [email protected] by the 20th of each month.

You can now read the newsletter online on the Bisley-with-Lypiatt Parish Council website ( https://bisley- with-lypiatt.gov.uk/local-links/ ) and the Parish Council website ( www.chalford-glos.gov.uk ). You can also opt to receive the newsletter FREE by email: if you would like it delivered direct to your inbox each month, please contact [email protected] to be added to the circulation list.

Printed copies of the newsletter are available to buy at 60p per copy (a slight increase to cover printing costs) from Eastcombe Post Office, The Lamb Inn, The Ram Inn and Chalford Parish Centre.

We hope you enjoy the August issue.

ChalCAN Launch a New Biodiversity Trail

A 10km trail around Chalford will be launched on 31st July to celebrate the rich variety of wildlife found in our local area and high- light our efforts to restore and protect it for the future. The trail winds through woodland and hilltop grassland, as well as visiting the canal and riverside in the valley, all on public footpaths or roads. While some parts are steep and uneven, others are flat, and of course it can be walked in bite-sized sections. There are notice boards along the way to provide in- formation on some of our special natural places and the work we’re doing to improve them further.

We’re hoping to get a ‘ Snapshot Survey’ of local biodiversity to launch the trail, so if you can, come along on 31 st July and walk part of the trail, recording 2 or 3 exciting discoveries which celebrate our local biodiversity: e.g. birds, butterflies, flowers, trees – anything you spot! Bring news of your discoveries to France Lynch Pleasure Ground between 2 and 4 in the afternoon, where there will be experts on hand to help with identification.

To help you follow the trail there is a leaflet in both paper and online form, a won- derful map and artwork provided by local artist Ruth Hickson. Details on the Chal- CAN website here. The trail has been developed by volunteers from ChalCAN’s Biodiver- sity Action. Thanks also to Caring for the Cotswolds and Chalford Parish Council for their sponsorship, and to those who contributed to our crowd-funding campaign.

More from ChalCAN: In September , in conjunction with Bikeabilty , ChalCAN Transport will be running free short courses for adults to improve confidence and skills in biking . So, if you’ve been wishing you could get out on 2 wheels but need sup- port, please contact Penny ( [email protected] ) to find out more or book a place.

Follow ChalCAN on Facebook (Chalford Climate Action Network) or Instagram. To get our newsletter contact Penny at [email protected] . Tel: 01453 887204 August Traditions

The Anglo-Saxons called August ‘ weod monath’ (weed month) because it's when weeds and other plants grow most rapidly.

1st August is Lammas Day, which was once harvest time in Britain. The name comes from the Anglo- Saxon word Hlafmaesse which means ‘ Loaf Mass’. Lammas marked the beginning of the harvest, when people would go to church to give thanks for the first corn.

On Lammas Day, farmers made loaves of bread from the new wheat, which were then used as Communion bread during a special Mass to thank God for the harvest. The custom ended when Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church, and nowadays we have harvest festivals at the end of the season, with Michaelmas Day (September 29th) traditionally the last day of the harvest season.

Lammas Day used to be a time to foretell marriages and try out partners. Two young people would agree to a ‘trial marriage’ lasting the period of the Lammas Fair (usually 11 days) to see whether they were suited for wedlock. At the end of the fair, if they didn't get on, the couple could part.

An August saying: 'Dry August and warm doth harvest no harm'. 'If the first week of August be warm, the winter will be white and long.’

Bisley-with-Lypiatt Parish Council News: Eastcombe Ward https://bisley-with-lypiatt.gov.uk/

Breaking news: Eastcombe has two new dog bins! Those who walk via Fidges Lane may have noticed that the damaged bin at the entrance has been removed (there are several bins around the green which can be used for litter & bagged dog waste) and a new bin has now been installed near the bench further down the lane, where it meets The Street and the path to the fields. A second new bin has also been installed between the two parts of Accommodation lane, on the borders of Chalford parish.

Parking and white lines opposite Eastcombe Stores: Thank you to all those who respect the white lines painted on the road at the top of Eastcombe green and do not park there. The lines exist to keep cus- tomers and village residents safe as vehicles parked here block visibility and cause vehicles travelling down from the crossroads to approach the blind corner on the wrong side of the road. Parking on the lines also causes prob- lems for vehicles accessing Fidges Lane; this lane is home to 32 dwellings and some 70 residents and parking opposite the entrance makes it difficult to enter and exit safely. Thank you for your help.

Next Meeting : The next PC meeting will be held on August 4 at 7.30pm. Agenda details will be posted on Parish Notice Boards and website a few days in advance. For more details, please contact one of the Eastcombe Councillors or the Parish Clerk on 01452 771 089 or email [email protected]. Hilltop Gardening Club BisCAN at the Bisley Fete Autumn Show and Flower Show

Saturday 11 th September The annual Bisley Fete and Flower Show will be Eastcombe Village Hall held on Sunday August

The Hilltop Gardening Club will be 28th in the Village Hall holding the Autumn Show this year, following last year’s grounds in Bisley from cancellation due to Covid. 1pm onwards. As usual, it promises to be an Please support us by entering as many categories excellent event, well worth as you can!! putting in your diary!

New this year is a special prize for the best specimen rose, For the first time, BISCAN (Bisley, East- and there will also be cash prizes for winning entries in the combe, Oakridge Climate Action Net- children’s competitions. work) will have a stall, with information, Full details are on the website: along with 'hands on' activities for fami- www.hilltopgardeningclub.org.uk lies. Do come along and support us and

Schedules and Entry Forms are available from: find out how you CAN take steps to lessen the impact of Climate Change.

Eastcombe Village Stores For more information, contact Martin The Lamb Inn Brown: bisleyeastcombeoakridge- Head First – Hair and Beauty Salon [email protected] Stancombe Beech Farm Shop Farm Services See you on August 28 th ! Chalford PC Office BisCAN welcomes new members! For Schedules and entry forms can also be downloaded from more information, please email: the website or contact Kathy on 01452 770824. [email protected] or call Martin Brown on 01452 770878 or Tea and Cakes will be Available Lesley Greene 01452 770018 Hilltop Gardening trip to Dudley’s Greenhouse

Kiftsgate Gardens: Many of you will have, over the years, Tuesday August 3rd bought plants from Dudley Brunsden’s greenhouse on Spring Hill, Eastcombe. There are still some places left on the above trip. Sadly, Dudley died early in 2020, leaving a greenhouse full of seedlings, which were The cost is £29 including coach & subsequently rescued by a neighbour and entrance. distributed among the village gardeners.

For more details, please contact This year, many of the seedlings have Kathy on 01452 770824 or email : bloomed magnificently, making a fantastic [email protected] . display in Dudley's memory.

2 CHALFORD PARISH COUNCIL NEWSLETTER – AUGUST 2021: 01453 887204 or [email protected] . www.chalford-glos.gov.uk or follow us on Facebook .

Stroud District Council will be running free summer activities for children aged 5-13 years on Wednesday, 11 August, 2-4 pm at France Lynch Pleasure Ground. The session is delivered by World Jun- gle. Activities include a mixture of circus skills, outdoor games, arts and crafts, wild play and dance.

Befriending: Is there someone living near to you that you feel could benefit from a visit from one of our volunteer befrienders? We have DBS checked volunteers ready to visit and perhaps share a cup of tea or an interest. Please get in touch and let us know.

Grass cutting: In addition to maintaining our own land, we also cut many verges on behalf of County Council. ( Council also carry out mowing in Chalford). The Council is committed to do everything within its powers to combat climate change and our Groundsmen follow a schedule for cutting. However, with a population in excess of 6500, we are aware our actions will not meet everyone’s expectations, although we do our best. Thank you for your co-operation in this matter.

Boundary Commission for is carrying out a review of Parliamentary constituency boundaries in England and propose a transfer of Chalford (together with other parishes/towns) from the Stroud constituency to The Cotswolds. The Parish Council will be opposing the proposal. It is felt that our history is in the Stroud Valleys, and from an economic, social and geographical perspective it would be illogical to place Chalford in a constituency with which it has no links. The Commission’s proposals can be viewed at www.bcereviews.org.uk and the consultation period ends on 2 August. We encourage residents to visit the site and post their views.

Book swap and telephone kiosks: A reminder that we have a selection of books on offer at the Parish Centre where you can donate books as well as take one or two. We also have book swap telephone kiosks in Silver Street and France Lynch.

Cycling on the Canal Towpath: Gloucestershire County Council erected ‘no cycling’ signs earlier this year on the stretch of towpath from the playing field to the A419 due to complaints from pedestrians that cyclists were making it difficult for them to walk safely. The tables have turned, and it is now the cyclists who are complaining. We are hoping the signs can be changed asking cyclists to slow down/give way to pedestrians so that both activities can be jointly enjoyed.

Achievements and moving on: Your Footpath Volunteers have been working on two projects since May, and these have been finished. Firstly, we’ve made big improvements to the paths on Upper Hill Farm (in Bournes Green) including installing kissing gates, improving the signage to make the Public Rights of Way (PROW) clearer, and the major task of shoring up a collapsing path. Secondly, we’ve in- stalled five notice boards around the Parish alongside the ChalCAN Biodiversity group. The notice boards were obtained with a grant from Cotswold National Landscape and will be used to explain points of inter- est on a 10 km biodiversity trail (you can just do bits!). The launch of the trail is set for 31 July.

We have two themes for the future: where possible we’re going to make PROW and playing fields more accessible, for instance by widening entrances, whilst still keeping them child-safe. Second, we will be laying a finer and more walkable surface over the chunky ‘type 1’ stone we’ve used to deal with muddy patches. Both of these will take time, but they’re firmly in our sights.

Break-ins: a number of sheds and outbuildings were broken into in Bussage, Chalford and Eastcombe and several bikes, including some of significant value, and tools were taken. Sheds at Eastcombe Allot- ments have also been forced and hanging baskets stolen from Scrumptious Cafe along with damage to items outside the building. If you have any information in relation to these offences or any CCTV/ doorbell footage, please contact PCSO Charlotte King at [email protected]

Why Not Come Along to a Meeting? Once again, we are holding face to face meetings and all our council meetings are open to the public. You are very welcome to come and view a Full Council Meeting in action. You can see the full schedule of forthcoming meetings on our website. Our next Full Council Meeting will be held on Thursday, 2 September 2021 at 7.00 pm. Please contact the Clerk beforehand to let her know if you would like to attend, particularly if you wish to speak, so that she can make time for your issue on the agenda. Contact details above.

The Lamb Inn Cricket Club

On 17th July, Phil Barry, 72 years young, Don’t forget to provide water hit a amazing 109 not out for Eastcombe for our wildlife in August! 2nds in a match against Frampton 3rds. Described by the pub as a ‘local legend’, Phil was subsequently interviewed about his achievement on Talk Sport Radio .

The Lamb Inn cricket team play every Thursday evening at 6pm, at Eastcombe CC when at home. We welcome all support and new players; it’s not a serious league, we just love cricket and like to enjoy ourselves, not to mention a few beers and a bit of food! To get involved, contact us at the pub. 3 Eastcombe Baptist Church

We meet in the Baptist church in Dr Crouch’s Road, which dates back to 1801. It has an incredi- ble history, especially when you look at its location. It’s placed right on the village green, and can seat approximately 350 people! The pulpit and pews are still intact, as is a wonderful pipe organ. Services are held every Sunday morning at 10:30am. St Augustine of Canterbury, Eastcombe & St Michael’s & All Angels, Bussage August services continue to be held in person, visitors welcome.

August 1st - Eastcombe (Morning Prayer*) at 11am August 8th - Bussage (Holy Communion) at 9.30am August 15th - Bussage (Morning Prayer*) at 9.30am August 15th - Eastcombe (Holy Communion) at 11am *Morning Prayer is a simpler, lighter & shorter service.

Weddings, baptisms and funerals are possible with attendance in line with current guidelines.

For full details, why not sign up to our mailing list? Email: [email protected] or Revd Sue Murray [email protected] Eastcombe Primary School Gnome Hunt:

The 2021 Gnome Hunt was a great success!

We were overwhelmed by the amount of people that came to support our school. Everyone said they had a lovely time walking round our beautiful village and seeing all the different celebration gnomes.

We would like to thank all our sponsors and Gnome Hunters for being respectful to our village, gnomes and the Covid restrictions in place.

The best bit is that we raised an AMAZING £3,086! Eastcombe Primary School is a small school that believes that we can Aim High, Believe and Achieve.

The gnomes are now back in Gnome HQ and look forward to seeing you again next year.

Sophie Harrison, Chair of Eastcombe School Association Bussage Primary School August Update:

At the end of a difficult year, it was fantastic that our Year 6 children could have a camp out on the school field for two nights.

They arrived on Monday 21st June and went straight to Copsegrove Farm for a day of adventure. Whilst they were away, six bell tents were put up, fully glamped up with bedding and fairy lights!

That evening the children enjoyed a meal prepared by Mrs Hale and games in the school grounds. The next morning, after a cooked break- fast, they visited Croft Farm Water Park for raft building, paddle boarding and kayaking, and, that evening, enjoyed a BBQ and a Staff vs. Children rounders match (which they won)! Big thanks to the parents who sat by the campfire on night watch duty so we could all sleep safely!

From 28th June we enjoyed a Well-being Week and on the Monday a big top was erected in the school grounds, followed by a morning of circus skills. During the week the children also enjoyed yoga, fencing and many other activities to nourish the body and soul.

On July 2nd children from Years 5 and 6 entered a Mountain Biking Competition at Stratford Park Leisure Centre. Both teams finished in the top two places - Team 1 completing their relay in 11.02 and Team 2 in 11.25!

Finally, we took part in the Step Into School Challenge, finishing in 2nd place with an overall to- tal of 7,117 active journeys to school in six weeks. Well done everyone who walked, ran, cycled, or scooted to school. It is fantastic to see so many of you leading healthy lifestyles.

New to the area? We currently have places available in Rainbows, Year 2 and Year 3 for this September. Please contact the school for more details: www.bussageprimaryschool.co.uk/ or call the school office on 01453 883 205. 4 EASTCOMBE WI

The Eastcombe WI resumed meetings in small groups in April. Attendance was about 25 Members. Our May and June meetings were about the same numbers and our Members were very happy to meet up with their friends. We were very lucky with the weather, just a shower during the May morning meeting. Many reminiscences were exchanged and news brought up to date.

Once again the Committee would like to thank the hostesses, and Ann, whose cakes were memorable and yummy!

On Tuesday 20th July, we will be celebrating our return to the Village Hall, when we hope to have a large proportion of our members attending.

If anyone is thinking of joining our membership, or just coming as a visitor to hear a particular speaker, please contact Margery Lambert on 01453 886697.

Margery Lambert, Secretary Bisley & District Theatre Club

Bisley & District Theatre Club has been established for over 25 years. At its peak we had over 100 members and there was a waiting time of nearly 12 months to join! How times have changed; now we are struggling to keep the club going as membership has dwindled to around 35 paid up members.

We visit various theatres, including The Everyman in Cheltenham, The Barn in Cirencester, Theatre Royal in Bath and The Festival Theatre in Malvern. We always have a trip to the RSC in Stratford upon Avon once a year. Trips are planned on a monthly basis, depending on performances available.

The annual membership is £15, this includes monthly notices regarding trips. The price given on the notices include a discounted ticket price, the coach fare and a tip for the driver.

Pick up points are the green in Eastcombe and the Stirrup Cup in Bisley. We usually leave East- combe between 5 and 6pm depending on the destination. Members are welcome to bring guests, space permitting. We need a minimum number of 20 people per trip to make the trips cost viable.

Obviously, through the pandemic no trips were able to be organised, but we are now ready to recommence and have booked 3 trips at the Barn in Cirencester for performances of:

An Elephant in the Room – September, date to be advised David Copperfield – October, date to be advised Cinderella – December, date to be advised

If you would like more information, or would like to join the club, please ring 01452 770073 or email [email protected] Eastcombe Village Group The Wine Walk will take place on Sunday 8 August 4 – 8 pm

Tickets (wine walk packs) are available at the Eastcombe Stores and from Louise (evenings only) at Redwood, Dr Crouch's Road..... until 31st July.

• In your Wine Walk pack, you will get a map of the village show- ing where the 5 hosts live and the wines they are offering (French/Argentinean/Chilean/Australian/South African/Spanish and Portuguese). There may also be music and /or nibbles relat- ing to the country... • You can start at any venue and work your way round the village in any order • At each venue, there will be a choice of two carefully chosen reds and two carefully • chosen whites for you to try. • You have 5 'tickets' - ideally to hand one in at each venue (wine walk !), but you can use all 5 tickets at one venue if you wish. • The event will take place - whatever the weather! No money back on tickets - just come prepared! • The event will be held in line with any COVID restrictions that are in place at the time. You are welcome to bring your own glass if you wish. • Toilets will be available at Eastcombe Village Hall if you are too far from home!

The event was very popular when last held, with a chance to have an enjoyable (possibly educational for all of you OENOPHILES out there!) evening....so please come along and support it - and bring friends!

Any enquiries, please contact Sadhana on 07843 367402 5 District Council Notes from Councillor Martin Brown 01452 770878 [email protected]

Tree Preservation Order : A TPO on five trees at St Marys, Eastcombe, opposite Thomas Keble School, was confirmed by the Development Control Committee, over the objection of the land- owner. A number of trees on the site had already been felled, to the dismay of local residents. The Parish Council asked for the TPO to protect the remaining mature pines, beeches and a sycamore. The vote of the Committee was unanimous. I was pleased to be one of these votes . Please contact me if you have suggestions for trees you think should be protected by TPOs.

Illegal Waste Storage and Burning : SDC successfully prosecuted a Bisley landowner for illegal storage and burning of waste, at a site near the Green Shop. Wilfred Hunt admitted four offences and was fined £3426.85 by Cheltenham Magistrates on June 30th.

Ebley Mill Council Offices : SDC is still asking residents to make appointments to visit the council offices, though I understand visitors without appointments are being helped. Staff and Council Members are still wearing masks when moving around the offices, and desks and council chamber seats are still distanced. To contact the council on any matter call 01453 766 321 (or outside office hours for emergencies 01453 222104).

Business Grants : £500,000 remaining in the business funding pot was distributed to businesses by the end of June deadline. This means SDC is eligible for an extra £1m to distribute to busi- nesses. Neighbourhood wardens did a good job helping to get businesses to apply before the deadline. SDC has also distributed £3.6 m via the flexible Additional Restrictions Grant.

Local Walking and Cycling Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) : The County Council is developing 'LCWIP's for areas of the County including Stroud, and gave a presentation on this to the Environ- ment Committee in June. These plans will be the basis for applying for funding for such projects as new cycling routes. Please contact me if you would be interested in being part of a local network to help develop the cycling parts of this plan to reach areas such as ours.

Parliamentary Constituency Boundary Change: Although not really a District Council matter - it will not involve any change to District or Parishes - the Boundary Commission for England is proposing changes to constituency boundaries which would remove Bisley, Eastcombe and Oakridge from Stroud constituency and form a new part of the Cotswold constituency. My view is that we should remain in Stroud. The historical, geographical and cultural connections of this area to Stroud are strong - indeed, Stroud was once part of Bisley Parish! The consultation period runs until August 2nd. Anyone can comment at https://www.bcereviews.org.uk/ .

Electric Vehicle Charging Points : Glos County Council is funding a network of electric vehicle charging points, and it may be possible to bid to get one (or more) in this area. Please complete this short survey to help assess need and demand: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/FSWV8TB Keep it Local!

Ballyhoo Dance and Theatre School is your local dance and theatre school.

We offer dance classes to children ages 2 and up in ballet ,tap, modern, jazz, musical theatre and commercial/street dance, taught by wonderful teachers with experience in the West End and on Broadway, now sharing their knowledge with the next generation of young performers.

We work towards examinations in ISTD Ballet, Modern and Tap, but a lot of our classes are simply fun for the children, forming a creative activity after school. There is a lovely family feel and the children make new friends.

Some of our children are offered the opportunity to dance in national festivals and competitions; they find this very rewarding and a great way to improve their skills. We have just put on a show at the Sundial Theatre, Cirencester, which was a great success, enjoyed by parents and students.

Our Drama Lab started this year and we entered children into The Cheltenham Performing Arts Festival, with excellent results. We will also be entering students for LAMDA exams in the new term.

If you would like your child to be a part of our School, visit our website www.ballyhoo.me or email us at [email protected] . You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram - Ballyhoo Dance. We look forward to meeting you!

Cotswold Ice Cream Co: The summer is the perfect time to enjoy ice cream - and Lynsey and the team at Cotswold Ice Cream Co have lots to offer! Choose from more than 30 Marshfield Farm flavours, including Strawberries and Clotted cream, Heavenly Honeycomb and Chocolate Heaven as well as sorbets, vegan ice cream and even doggy ice cream!

Find more info on their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ cotswoldicecream or call by 1 Berwick House in Dr Crouch's Road, Eastcombe and pick up a menu.

The Cotswold Ice Cream Co b eautiful vintage ice cream bike is also available for wed- dings, parties and events - visit www.cotswoldicecreamco.co.uk/ for more details or contact [email protected] 6

MEDITERRANEAN ALL IN ONE CHICKEN (Mary Berry) Ideal for summer entertaining. Delicious and very easy to prepare. Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

600g potatoes, peeled and cut into 5cm chunks 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 medium onions, cut into wedges 2 garlic cloves, crushed 4 rashers of smoked, streaky bacon, cut up 8 chicken thighs, skin off 2 fresh lemons (cut into quarters) 1 tsp smoked paprika 3 courgettes thickly sliced 70g black olives Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven 200c /Gas 6. 2. Place the potatoes into a large roasting tin with 1.5 tablespoons of oil. Toss well to coat. 3. Add the potatoes, onion, garlic, bacon and chicken thighs and toss in the oil together. 4. Add the lemons to the roasting tin. Season well and sprinkle with paprika. Do not be alarmed by the large amount in the tray. It will cook down and produce a delicious liquor. 5. Roast for 40+ minutes. Give all a turn with a big spoon half way through. 6. Meanwhile, in a bowl, toss the courgettes in the remaining half a tablespoon of oil and season with salt and pepper. Add to the chicken mix and scatter the olives on top. 7. Return to the oven for a further 20+ minutes until the chicken and the potatoes are cooked and the vegetables are golden brown and tender. 8. Serve immediately. No need to serve with anything else - except maybe slices of garlic bread to mop up the juices. 9. Enjoy! Who’s Who on the Hilltop? We asked Book Review: Olive, Mabel Michelle and Mike, recently moved to and Me by Andrew Cotter

Eastcombe… I requested this book for my birthday; it had good We moved to Fidges reviews, but I half expected Lane, Eastcombe in it not to live up to the hype. February 2021 after I was wrong. lockdown fulfilled a long held dream of ours to Andrew Cotter is a well be able to work from known voice who, in normal home, meaning that we times, commentates on vari- could move to the ous sports, including tennis country. and golf. When lockdown hit and sport ceased, Andrew We relocated from suddenly found himself with nothing in his Twickenham where we diary. At a loose end, he turned his skills had lived for 15 years, to commentating on the everyday antics of bar 3 years when we his two dogs, creating a series of short lived in San Francisco and New York. videos.

Michelle worked for 17 years as a television producer and His first attempt, The Dogs’ Breakfast now runs a not for profit company that promotes flexible Grand Final , was tentatively shared on working and job-sharing in TV and Film. Mike works for Twitter (after all, Andrew reasoned, who a Swedish energy company installing low carbon district would really be interested?) and it became heat networks with a vision of being fossil free in one an instant hit, quickly amassing a huge generation. and hungry following. Andrew tells the We chose to move to Eastcombe after our property story of how it feels to be at the centre of search saw us looking at houses pretty much all over the a viral phenomenon, candid about the South-West. Eastcombe was truly the most lovely place down side of the unexpected fame as well we visited and we put an offer on our house there and as the up, while his wry and witty observa- then. tions on his dogs are often laugh out loud funny. I also enjoyed reading about Our two girls go to Eastcombe primary school and we Andrew’s passion for mountain walking, love living in Eastcombe. Thanks to everyone for being something I knew nothing about. so friendly and welcoming. Now things are opening up again, we are really excited to start exploring the area. A light hearted and well written book for dog lovers, mountain walkers and anyone Michelle and Mike who would like to be entertained.

7 Michele Calverley Village History: Sketching in the Past…

Many of you will be familiar with the work of Pete Westley: the annual Christmas windows at Eastcombe Primary School, scenery for school productions and the village map on the wall of Eastcombe Stores are just some examples.

Recently, Pete has been working on a series of illustrations of the buildings and cottages of Eastcombe, Bussage and Brownshill as they once were. Using old photographs, he is recreating the village views of long ago, and, over the coming months, we will share some of these with you, along with their stories.

This month, we look at Sheephouse Farm, which lies in ruins by the footpath that runs between Eastcombe and Nash End. Dating from 1604, the farm was once a bustling concern, and, in the 1930’s, when the photo on which this sketch is based was taken, it was a mixed farm with pigs, hens and cows.

One of the last farmers of Sheephouse Farm was Wilfred Andrews, the son of Sir John Dorington‘s gamekeeper. As a young man Wilfred emigrated to Canada, and, at the start of World War I, he enlisted into the Canadian army and fought on the front line in France, before being wounded at the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Invalided out of the army in 1919, Wilfred returned to England and farming.

After Wilfred retired, the new owner of Sheephouse Farm fell into debt and sold his one valuable asset - the stone tile roof of the farm. This proved the beginning of the end, and, gradually, the house fell into disrepair, until the local council considered it dangerous and removed the first floor.

Today the remains of the farm are overgrown, but it is still possible to see traces of an orchard around it, as well as the well, the spiral staircase and some of the mullion windows. Could you contribute to the next newsletter?

A few suggestions:

• An item of news • An update about your local group • An upcoming event • A snippet of village history • Nature notes or September gardening tips • Do you have a favourite walk or place? Tell us about it! • Is there a good book you’d like to share?

Please send contributions (max 300 words) to [email protected] by noon on 20th August. Thank you.

What’s on in August? Name that View! • 2 August: Constituencies re- How well do you know our villages? view: consultation period ends

Did you recognise last month’s location? It was the footpath sign • 3 August: Hilltop Gardening by the top traffic lights on Toadsmoor Hill—close to the stone stile Club trip to Kiftsgate Gardens at the bottom of the path up through the woods to Bussage. • 4 August: Bisley-with-Lypiatt

This month’s image is • Parish Council Meeting: 7.30pm • 8 August: Eastcombe Village again taken some- Group Wine Walk 4-8pm where in or around the • 11 August: SDC play activities three villages. at France Lynch Pleasure Ground Can you identify its • 20 July: Deadline for newsletter location? • contributions to September issue • 28 August: BisCAN at Bisley The answer will be revealed Fete/Sausage & Cider Festival @ in the September issue. The Lamb Inn 8 • 29 July: Quiz night at The Lamb Inn 7pm