Old Sodbury Times Issue 86 January 2021 This Old Sodbury Christmas was certainly not cancelled!! Dates for your Diary: None due to Covid Restrictions Old Sodbury Doorstep Carols The merry sound of Christmas Carols was heard in every road around Old Sodbury on the December evening. The weather was dry and calm which was ideal for villagers to come out in the safety of their doorsteps and gardens to sing carols together. The singing was led by Marta Nuevo on the Village Green and Joanna Osborn in Church Lane supported by instrumentalists and choral singers. Around the streets nine groups of singers in their ‘bubbles’ or groups, safely spaced, who coordinated singing throughout the village from Westmorland Terrace to Coombs End. It was Christmas at last! People were smiling, laughing and enjoying the Carols as we have always done. The smell of Chapel Lane Carols mulled wine and spiced cider completed the scene, as Father Christmas flew by on his vintage tractor, courtesy of Simon Lewis of Badminton Road! It was all made possible by different village organisations working together to provide a memorable evening despite the challenging times of 2020. This included: Old Sodbury Church, The Village Hall, Old Sodbury W.I. and the Friends of the School. In addition many volunteers helped with the distribution of the carol sheets to ensure that they were delivered around the village. Our thanks go to everyone who helped. The result was a wonderful evening when the Village was able to come together :- another success for Old Sodbury. John Myers and Daren Hales The Mobile Post Office in Chipping Sodbury, reported in November, now has extended hours. In addition to Tuesday 1.30pm to 3.30pm, it 200 Club Winners: October No 180 Miss J Johnson £25 is now in the High Street on Wednesday morning 9.30– 11.30am. This was the last draw for this year—see Page 4 Village However there is no service from 7th January to 14th January due to Hall Update alterations to the premises in Cam. Welcome to Richard and Linda Hore who moved from Fleet in Hampshire into Old Sodbury Cottage on Cotswold Lane just before Christmas. Linda is keen on cooking and crafting (all sorts) and has been a choir member for 25 years. Richard, a retired engineer, is keen on electronics, audio, Hi-Fi, computers, and photography. They love meeting people and are looking forward to joining in with village life. At the moment they are busy unpacking boxes from the removals. Also in Cotswold Lane we welcome Chris and Lucy Fitzsimmons. They write ‘ Hello to everyone in the village, and thank you to all those we've met so far making us feel very welcome. We've moved here with our two children, Charlotte (5) and Henry (3), and our dog Jasper (2)!!! Whilst we have a big renovation on our hands, we instantly feel at home. We're excited at slowly restoring this beautiful property, getting to know our neighbours and exploring the wonderful countryside on our doorstep. On Badminton Road at The Maltings welcome to Christina and Albie Mottershaw and their 7year old son Jacob. Albie writes ‘ We have just moved into the beautiful village having spent 17 years living in Chicago. Originally from Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. I'm so happy we found such a wonderful location’. In Chapel Lane Jennie and Keith Simms moved into Chapel Lane, Old Sodbury in November 2020 just in time for Christmas. Jennie writes ‘We moved from Hertfordshire where we have lived for the past 30 years but have moved back to the area to be closer to family. We have been made to feel very welcome by our neighbours and look forward to meeting everyone properly once the pandemic is under control.’ Also new to Chapel Lane are Alex and Amy Crosbie. “We moved to Chapel Lane in early December and have felt very welcomed into the village by the neighbours we have met so far. We look forward to meeting more of the people of the village (when we are permitted!). Hopefully we can meet up for a drink at the pub soon! PAGE 2 OLD SODBURY TIMES Sophia Curry of Badminton Road decided a few months ago that she wanted to raise money for people who are less fortunate than herself. Her original idea was to do odd-jobs for people around the village to raise funds but obviously this wasn’t possible due to Covid restrictions. Undeterred she then decided that she’d do jobs for her family and family friends instead. She weeded the garden, raked leaves, did polishing and made homemade Christmas cards to sell. On talking to her Nanny about her volunteering at The Trussell Trust, she decided to use the money raised to support them. Her Nanny provided her with a list of the items required for their Christmas boxes and she raised enough money to buy products to fill 3 boxes! She chose the items herself and then hand-delivered them to The Trussell Trust in time for their Christmas deliveries. She is now hoping to raise money for a children’s charity next year. P.S. a big thank you to Old Sodbury School for allowing Sophia time out of her classroom to deliver her Christmas boxes Sophia’s Mum Alex Curry LITTER As we all walk around the village I hope we appreciate how well kept it is. Unfortunately there are still litter louts who throw their waste out of their cars as they drive through. So can we all give a big thanks to: Rodney who walks round doing a twice weekly litter picking. Steve Febry gave up a day of his holiday in horrible weather in November to collect litter left along the grass verges of the A46. Florence and Angus Ogan (Chapel Lane) spent a day in December litter picking along Commonmead Land and Dodington Lane, collecting over 200 cans to be recycled! Betty Hales litter picked the paths around the village and Sugaracre Field in November. And everyone who picks up as they walk round the village When the Spring is here we hope to once again organise the Annual Village Spring Clean when with S.Glos Council support we collect litter and clean the road signs in the village. Details to be announced in March’s edition of this newsletter. RAINFALL Yes, it has been a very wet Autumn again and here is a picture of the River Frome Flood Alleviation Pond full, and doing its job. Despite a very dry May (only 3mm and didn’t we all appreciate that), it has been a year of above average rainfall and December gave us 146mm, one and half times the average for that month. The years total rainfall was 1072mm; when we first started recording in Old Sodbury in 1986 the average was about 850-900mm now the average is 950-1000mm. So we have to get used to more wet winters. Do you need some new wellies? ISSUE 86 OLD SODBURY TIMES PAGE 3 OLD SODBURY W.I. On a very wet day in December the committee organised a “Come and Collect” surprise for our members in the Village Hall car park. They drove or walked in, to meet committee members, who handed them a “Goody Bag” full of gifts for Christmas. We were wearing our masks and keeping our social distance. It was really worthwhile and reassuring to see members, some of whom we had not met since last March! There was an opportunity to enjoy a quick chat with nearly all of our 41 members. Although we had worn our Christmas jumpers and hats for the occasion, they were mostly hidden under waterproofs! Our Book Club will be meeting on Zoom again in early January to discuss “Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase” by Louise Walters "A heartbreaking tale of love, missed chances and enduring love"! Our second book was recommended by our friends in Govilon WI , “Sweet Sorrow” by David Nicholls. We look forward to hearing other members comments, and suggestions for future books to enjoy. Many messages of cheer were included in our Christmas newsletter. One was particularly poignant during these difficult times. It was taken from a Victorian Christmas Card and would be our wish for 2021. May you have the gladness of Christmas which is Hope. May you find the spirit of Christmas which is Peace. Above all may you find and keep The heart of Christmas which is Love. Sodbury Short Mat Bowls Club We wish all the Readers of the Old Sodbury Times a Happy and Healthy New Year. We have no idea when we can play again but hopefully with the vaccine against the virus becoming available we will be back to a “new” normal by next summer. We are missing the social side of playing our short mat bowls and have been anxious about several of our members, so we send best wishes to them. We also give our thoughts to the family of Don who has suffered a stroke and now needs a great deal of support. He has been a very keen and regular member for many years and we will miss his company. My friend sent me this a handwritten poem that she found in her Grandfather's autograph book. It is dated 1917 and has a lovely pencil drawing . I remember I remember The fir trees tall and high, I used to think their slender tops Were close against the sky. It was my childish fancy But now 'tis little joy To know I'm further off from Heaven Save Heat, Save Money , Save Carbon Here are a few simple tips for keeping warmer.