Link–Up August 2020 E-Magazine 1 FROM THE EDITOR … What a strange few months. No Link-Up since April. I know it’s been missed. We’re now back and, hopefully with fingers crossed, we’re here to stay. Obviously, not too many events planned at the moment but keep your eye out for news in the future. I’m hopeful things will get back to normal and we’ll be seeing the coffee mornings, film nights and other social gatherings once again. We are now more restricted to the number of pages we can have, due to new professional printing process. With this in mind you will notice that our Window on the Past and From the Tractor shed are not in this issue. Never fear, they’ll be back very soon. No news on local clubs and activities in this month’s issue. However, you will find some interesting articles among these pages, including a light hearted quiz and a few jokes thrown in to make you smile. Annie Trolley Birthdays: If you would like your children’s birthdays (up to 16) mentioned in the Link-Up please let us know. Or maybe you know someone with a special birthday or anniversary who you would like mentioned. Let us know and we’ll put you on our special list! Happy belated birthday to Tom Moulden who was 9 in July. Did you hear about the man who stole 10 bars of soap from a supermarket? He made a clean getaway. LINK-UP is the community magazine for the parishes of Broomfield, Cheddon Fitzpaine and Kingston St Mary. Any views in LINK-UP are not necessarily those of the Editor(s), the editorial staff or the LINK-UP board. The board gratefully acknowledges the support of all whose advertisements appear in our magazine. However, the inclusion in LINK-UP does not imply recommendation. The LINK-UP board reserves the right to accept any material and advertisement at its discretion. The Link-Up Board will only use personal data for the purpose for which it was provided. 2 LINK UP OFFICERS & STAFF Chairman Yvonne Harris 451883 [email protected] Secretary Jean Alger-Green 451732 [email protected] Treasurer Jackie Aldrich 451696 [email protected] Advertising Manager Annie Trolley (yellow pages only) 451312 [email protected] Distribution Manager Carol Platt 451605 [email protected] Editor this month Annie Trolley 451312 [email protected] Church pages contributor Michele Hardiman 451257 [email protected] Editor next month Jean Alger-Green 451732 [email protected] CHURCH CONTACTS Rector Rev’d Mary Styles 451189 Associate Vicar Rev’d Jim Cox 07967 817337 Curate Rev’d Tracey Hallett 07854 489753 Benefice Office Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri 9.00am-2.00pm 451257 [email protected] CHURCHWARDENS Broomfield Bez Purdy 451632 Cheddon Vacant Kingston Julia Hammett 451642 Jan Holmes 451343 DEADLINE FOR SEPTEMBER MAGAZINE: Wednesday, 12th August Hard copy contributions by: 10.00am Fyne Court Farm, Broomfield 12noon Benefice Office, The Vicarage, KSM Email contributions to the editor by: 12noon Only emails clearly marked ‘Link Up’ will be opened and acknowledged. Distribution: From Friday, 27th August 3 No FORTHCOMING EVENTS at time of going to press Don’t forget to take a look at the village websites www.broomfieldparish.org www.cheddonfitzpaine-pc.org.uk www.kstm.uk KSM Community Partnership Good Neighbour Scheme Call 07796 838 590 email: [email protected] Regular Weekly/Fortnightly Events: Please contact to check if groups are up and running again. Babies’ and Toddlers: 01823 451257 [email protected] Badminton/Table Tennis: 01823 283998 [email protected] Dragon Quilters. 01823 240041 Pilates and Keep Fit: 07850507489 / 01823 672617 Bell Ringing: 012823 451676 or 01823 3357766. Youth Club: 07771 778552 [email protected] Kingston Walking Group: 01823 451941 [email protected]. Quantock Beaders: 01823 433838: Singles Lunch: [email protected] If you are planning an event in any of our 3 parishes over the next 12 months, do let us know so we can add it to our list. Include a telephone number so anyone else planning an event can contact you. This list is intended as a guide only, to aid event planning. Please note that during this time this service may not be available. HOSPITAL TRANSPORT & EMERGENCY PRESCRIPTION SERVICE The following people have kindly offered to collect your prescriptions or take patients from the appropriate parish to and from hospital. For residents of Kingston only Sonia Pether 451311 Jenny Fisher 451332* (*Prescriptions only) For residents of Cheddon only Liz Thompson 451529 Mary Gunning 412179 4 Abi’s ‘gentle stroll’ for the Alzheimer’s Society In July, Abi Sherriff was due to walk to the top of Ben Nevis to raise much needed funds for the Alzheimer’s Society. Because of lockdown she has had to postpone the trip but will now be plodding to the top of said ‘hillock’ in September. If you would like to help her raise funds for such a worthy cause please go to her Just Giving page: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bennevischallenge2020-abigailsherriff For more information please give Abi a ring on 01823 451169. Too much woofing in Kingston Several people in Kingston have commented on the endless noise of barking dogs, occurring on a daily basis. This is becoming a noise nuisance and is disturbing the peace and quiet in our otherwise tranquil environment. Please could dog owners ensure their animals are not just left to bark. Ed: I wonder why they bark. Boredom? Bad training? I don’t have this problem where I live but can understand why it may upset some people. Ed: Sadly, during the time Link-Up has not been produced we have lost members of our Kingston village community: Colin Munro, Floss Keates and John Penston. Two ex-villagers, Julie Dickinson and John Playll also passed away during this time. Our thoughts are with their families and friends: 5 Julie Dickinson Many Kingston villagers will remember Julie and Roy Dickinson who lived at Cala from 1980 until Roy’s death in 2017. Julie moved from Kingston to Derbyshire to be near one of her daughters and passed away peacefully from dementia in her nursing home on 7th May this year. Although she was brought up in Chingford in Essex, Julie moved to the West country for her first job with SWEB and met and married Roy in 1956. They lived in various locations in the south west, but loved the Taunton area and village life in Kingston St Mary. Having bought the garden (which just happened to have a suitable house on site!) at auction in 1980, they invested huge amounts of blood sweat and toil maintaining and improving the plot. They were never happier than when they were pottering around in the garden or sheds, come rain or shine, producing far more vegetables and fruit than they could ever manage to eat! The garden also housed several beehives and for some years, a resident family of peacocks. Julie was, over the years, very involved with the printing and collation of Link-Up and made several very good friends amongst the team – it seems fitting that she gets her own mention in the magazine now. She also became a member of the church bell ringing team and was instrumental in establishing a strong hand bell ringing group in the village and surrounding area which, I know, she was extremely proud of. Both Roy and Julie also became wardens of the Woodland Trust spinney, spending many hours clearing and improving the paths so that the area could be enjoyed by everyone. Julie loved the village and the scope it gave her to become involved. Her children, Mandy, Peter, Kath and Tina will miss her hugely and hope to hold a celebration of her life in the village at a later date when people can come together more easily and with fewer restrictions. Kath Keating 6 John Penston 1929-2020 The Penstons moved to Kingston St Mary in 1977, after John had undertaken a long refurbishment of Bay Tree Cottage at Fulford. Although a Londoner, John soon grew to love the life of the village, and he and his wife, Joyce, became active members of St Mary’s Church and many of the village organisations. Most recently he was chairman of the village flower show committee, and stalwart stapler of the Link-Up collation team! He greatly enjoyed the company of the many friends he and Joyce made within the village. Although a quiet man, John loved life, enjoyed a joke and loved music, especially jazz and was a keen amateur artist. His family were everything to him, and he was a devoted husband, Dad and Grandad. John was born into a different world, before the second world war. He was born the day before the Wall Street crash, an event his family always jokingly blamed on him!! He left school at 14, and became an apprentice engineer in the Woolwich Arsenal, where he worked for 10 years before he had to do national service in the RAF. Whilst in the RAF, he was able to do the exams that he had not been able to during his school years, because the war disrupted his education. As a result, he went on to theological college, before deciding on a career in teaching, a job he did for the rest of his life, until he retired as headmaster of Williton First School at age 60. He and Joyce have enjoyed a long and happy retirement in the village and have been keen charity volunteers and fundraisers (particularly for the Children’s Hospice South West).