East Coker Society Newsletter
January
2007 –
Free Issue No 125
Chair: John Sugg 863435 e-mail
Newsletter Editor: Lesley
Lindsay 862868 e-mail
Secretary: Sarah Owen 862218
Treasurer: Keith Helliar 863700
Happy
New Year
VILLAGE DIARY
The 2007 Diary is now at the
East Coker Post Office. Please could
village organisations put their forthcoming events in the Diary to avoid the
doubling up of these events. Thank you.
RECEIVE THE
NEWSLETTER VIA E-MAIL
If in future you would like
to receive the Newsletter via e-mail, please e-mail Lesley Lindsay with your
name and postal address so you can be removed from our delivery lists. Your
e-mail address will be kept entirely
private, with no cross-referencing of other people's e-mails. We greatly appreciate delivery by e-mail as
it saves money on our printing costs.
For those already receiving
the Newsletter by e-mail, please e-mail Lesley Lindsay if you change your
e-mail address.
CHRISTMAS
BAZAAR
Thank you to everyone who
came and supported the Christmas Bazaar last November. We made a profit of £296 which will help in
printing the Newsletter. A special
thank you must go to Father Christmas who called in on his way to the North
Pole and to Carol Blackmore who organised the many varied stalls. A big thank you to all who helped at this
event, your efforts are much appreciated.
THANK YOU
The Society would like to
say a big thank you to all our distributors of the Newsletter – we couldn't do
it without you. Also thank you must go
to Sally Jackson who proof reads the Newsletter and to Martin Wells our chief
distributor.
Village Clubs and Organisations
EAST COKER
WINE CIRCLE
By the time the Newsletter
goes to press the East Coker Wine Circle theme party 'A Day at the Races' will
have been enjoyed by gathering of over 100 people. We now look forward to an interesting and
enjoyable half-year programme. At the
February meeting we have been fortunate to attract Bramley and Gage (Devon), to
give the Circle a tasting of liqueurs.
This is followed in March with another tasting – Blue Vinney cheese and
soup. The April meeting, 'It's a Hoot',
a talk and presentation on owls, will no doubt be of great interest to those of
our members who are interested in natural history. The May meeting, 'Coracle Making' by Ted
Pitman leads us into the Annual Meeting in June, when we will be having another
commercial wine tasting. Plans are
already being made to make the next year something really special, as it will
be the 30th Anniversary of the Circle.
The circle meets on the
first Wednesday in the month at the East Coker Hall at 8.00pm, unless otherwise
publicised. Guests are always welcome.
EAST COKER W.I.
We are just beginning our
New Year programme with many varied and interesting speakers. We are hoping to
welcome new members, both young and old, to boost our numbers.
Don’t think of us as just
'Jam and Jerusalem'. We no longer slave over the hot stove, unless we want to,
and no longer sing ‘Jerusalem’ at village level. Now we are a group of women who like to hear
interesting and stimulating speakers on all issues, join together for a
sociable evening once a month and lend our voice on issues we think important
to health and the environment.
For those who wish to take
part, there are skittles evenings, whist evenings, group meetings, craft days
and days out, as well as other activities.
Our normal monthly meetings are on the last Thursday of the month at the
East Coker Hall at 7.30pm. Please do
come and give us a try; a small guest fee is charged until you know whether we
fit into your scene. The speaker at our
first meeting on 25 January is Bruce Trigger, telling us all about
the role of the Town Crier. Before that,
on Thursday 18 January we shall be holding a Whist Night at the hall
from 7.30pm.
A
Jumble Sale is also planned for Saturday, 17 February at 2.00pm at the East Coker
Hall. For any further information please ring Linda on 863694
New members are always welcome. For more information please phone Jean Caunter on 863329
EAST
COKER ACTION MEDICAL
RESEARCH
Lunch
with a talk 'Secret's of a Honeymoon Suitcase' by Valerie Trefall. Thursday 22 March at East Coker Hall.
Tickets
available from Leigh Mead 863466
A
NEW EXPERIENCE
Having been a
member of the Ladies' Keep Fit for about 20 years I have in the past been a
helper with the village lunches put on twice a year. Now, with dubious sight and increasing age I
am no longer much help.
This year I had
the delightful experience of being a customer at the Christmas lunch in the
East Coker Hall. And what an experience it was – one not to be forgotten! In two sessions more than 200 people were
given a three-course meal – turkey with the usual trimmings, etc. Red and white wine was served and coffee or
tea afterwards. A selection of
mouth-watering desserts was on offer in the Dampier Room.
The hall and
the tables were seasonably decorated, with crackers for everyone. Paper hats fluttered and balloons
and streamers were tossed across the tables; and there was a continual buzz of
happy chatter.
Having
previously been on the other side of the counter, so to speak, I know how much
hard work and planning goes into this event.
All the food is prepared and much of it cooked at home. The Keep Fit ladies are mostly in the kitchen
dishing up and filling the plates. Daughters, and young wives prepare the
starters and act as waitresses; boy friends and husbands are wine waiters. In the crowded hall it was amazing to me how
the young people could weave their way among the tables keeping everybody
served and happy.
As the second
session came to an end a long table was being prepared for the weary workers to
sit down at last and have their Christmas lunch.
A similar event takes place in
early summer – this time a Roast Beef Lunch. These lunches have been going for
26 years. They are never advertised and somehow, mysteriously, they are always
fully booked. They are also
fund-raisers. From their proceeds, plus
raffle money, a four-figure sum is raised during the year to be donated to one
or more local charities. The Ladies'
Keep Fit and their lunches are part and parcel of East Coker village life.
Sally Jackson
THE COKER 400
CLUB
The winners in the October draw were Mr & Mrs A R
Jullens £100, Mr H Stirrat £50, Mr & Mrs A T Kimpton £40, Mrs E Horwood
£30, Mr M Evans £20, Mrs F Todd £15, Mrs S Graham £10 & Mrs J Ogilvie £10.
EAST COKER
GARDENING CLUB
One of the highlights of
the last quarter of 2006 for the Gardening Club was the visit by 25 members to
'Highgrove' at the beginning of October.
Having seen the slides of the garden presented by David Howard in May,
it was a great opportunity to experience the place we have all heard so much about,
and to see the expression of the Prince of Wales' ideas about working with
Nature.
The Annual General
Meeting on 9 November was held again at the Quick Silver Mail and was an
enjoyable occasion. The business of the meeting was followed by a meal and a
game of skittles, at which Don White was the overall winner and Helen Styles
obtained the highest score among the women.
Olga Clifford resigned as
Chair after serving several years, first as Secretary and then in the Chair.
Her place has been taken by Helen Styles; Catherine Denney has filled the
vacant office of Secretary, Stan Shayler remains Treasurer and Sally Jackson
Press Secretary. Rachel Blow resigned as Programme Secretary, but remains on
the Committee, and Don White is the new Programme Secretary. Mike Bayliss has been co-opted onto the
Committee.
A few days later Brimsmore Garden
Centre invited the Club to their Christmas 'Fairyland' for discount
shopping. The year ended with a
fascinating talk on 'Orchids' by Blair Siburn from Chetnole, who came at very
short notice to take the place of Marion Emery's 'Victorian Christmas', as she
had been put out of action by an emergency operation. Mulled wine and mince pies provided the
Christmas spirit.
Programme: February –
April 2007
Thursday 8
February – Pam Gossage, a member of the team at the East Lambrook Manor
Nursery, with an illustrated talk on 'Snowdrops'
Thursday 8 March
– Paul Hending on 'Soil Science'
Thursday 12
April – Terry Bracher on 'Dahlias'
A return visit to Cornwall – a trip
so successful two years ago – has been arranged for 27-29 March There may still
be places available or last-minute vacancies, so it is worth contacting the
Secretary or Treasurer for further information.
Meetings are usually held on a Thursday, at 7.30pm in the East Coker
Hall. Visitors and new members are
always welcome. Enquiries to the
Secretary, Catherine Denney 862294 or Treasurer, Stan Shayler 420291
EAST COKER PLAYERS
East Coker Players would
like to thank everyone who attended their pantomime 'Goldilocks & The Three Bears'. If
you are interested in joining or helping out in any way our next meeting is on
5 February 2007 at East Coker Hall in the Dampier Room from 7.30pm. This is also our AGM when we will be electing
a new committee and discussing future productions, so if you would like to see
us continue, we need YOUR support. For
more details, please contact Nora White 477897.
Future events include a
Barn Dance with the Yetties – 22 June; Christmas Bingo – 8 December. The above events are fundraisers for the
Yeovil Division Guides trip to Switzerland in 2008.
THURSDAY
AFTERNOON BADMINTON
Due to illness and
unforeseen circumstances the Thursday Badminton group would welcome new
members. We are a group of mixed ability
ladies who enjoy the fun and exercise.
We meet at 2.15pm at the East Coker Hall and play for just an hour. The timing is ideal for those mums with
children at school who would be able to play and then collect their children
later.
For any further information
please ring Joyce on 862816
EAST COKER ROYAL
BRITISH LEGION
Poppy Appeal
Once again, many thanks to all collectors and all who
gave so generously, giving us a total of over £5000 for the combined
villages. Barry and I wish you all a
very happy and healthy 2007 and look forward to seeing you all at the Cheese
& Wine later in the year.
Sue Hounsell
EAST COKER POETRY
GROUP
Annual poetry writing
competition
The subject for
the East Coker poetry group annual writing competition this year was 'The
Seasons'. There were more than a
dozen entries and it was standing room only when the winner and runners up were
announced at a special event at the Helyar Arms on 24 October.
Last year's
winner Ros Treloar lives in Australia, but thanks to the wonders of the
Internet, she was able to judge the competition. First prize of a meal for two at the
Helyar Arms, went to Jane Williams, from Wells, who also won this year’s Wells
Festival of Literature International Poetry Competition. Her poem 'Cuckoo
Call' "used vivid, sensual language and unexpected images to make
palpable what was being sensed” said Ros.
(See below).
The two
runners-up prizes of a bottle of wine went to Anthony Watts, for 'Blackberries', and Iona Lambe, for 'New Tree'. There were also special commendations for
David Cloke’s 'Seasons on the Road',
and Sally Jackson’s 'A Time for
Everything'.
Tuesday 20 February 'Maiden Newton Ecliptic'
Virginia Astley and her daughter Florence present a
poem based on a twenty-four hour walk around the village of Maiden Newton near
Dorchester. This long poem is set with a
Harp accompaniment.
Virginia lived in East Coker several
years ago and has family connections here.
She has been involved for many years in the music world as a
singer/songwriter. Her debut album 'From
Gardens Where We Feel Secure' was first released in 1983, and re-released
on CD again in 2003. Recently she has
been devoting more time to her writing and poetry.
Tuesday 27 March – Fire River
Poets
Fire River Poets from Taunton come
to East Coker for this meeting. John Stuart
and Anthony from this group are already well-known to East Coker Poetry Group
having read poetry at our Poetry Summer Evening. Anthony Watts' poem 'Blackberries' won second prize in our poetry competition this year.
Meetings are in the Skittle Alley, the Helyar Arms
7.30pm. Material for the Group's
February Newsletter, or any correspondence, can be sent to David Cloke, Group
Co-ordinator, Church Cottage, Burton Cross, East Coker, Yeovil, BA22 9LY,
862623 or Joyce Best 862317
EAST COKER
PAVILION FUND UPDATE
As I am sure you are aware,
we have been actively fund-raising to provide a new Pavilion at Long Furlong
Lane for the last four years and, with the continued and very generous support of
the village, have, to date, raised just over £50,000.00. However, as I am sure you will appreciate,
this alone will not be enough to see the project to its fruition and we have,
therefore, been endeavouring to obtain grants/funding from outside organisations,
the main one being the Football Foundation.
Unfortunately, it appears
that we, as a fund-raising organisation, are unique in that we are trying to
facilitate so many different groups and, sadly this has been causing major
problems in obtaining Grants; the final straw being that we have now been
turned down by the Football Foundation as we do not and, indeed, cannot meet
their necessary criteria.
However, although this does
mean that we will inevitably need to scale down the project, all is not lost. Robert Mead and various experts have been
looking further into the matter and believe that, with the money we have
already raised and with the help of the Parish Council, we will be able to
extend and considerably improve the existing facilities, hopefully taking into
account all the special needs of each group using the building.
The East Coker Pavilion
Fund Committee will, therefore, still actively be working towards this goal
although, unfortunately, without Robert Mead at the helm. He has been Chair for the last four years and
has reluctantly decided to take a back seat.
However, he will still be involved with regard to the building project
and his help and expertise will be very much appreciated. I will be taking over his role as Chairman
and hope that I can help keep the momentum going that Robert has created.
As Chairman, I would like
to take this opportunity to thank Robert very much, both on behalf of the
Committee and, indeed, the village as a whole – we could not have got this far
without him.
As always, anyone who has
any views and/or suggestions to offer is more than welcome to come along to our
meetings. For meeting dates, etc, please
contact me on 863435 or Paula
Downes on 862264
Bridget
Sugg Chairman – East Coker Pavilion Fund
Quiz Night – Could you and your friends be the
Brains of East Coker?
This event will take place
on Saturday 10 March at East Coker Hall; doors open at 7.00pm and the quiz will
start at 7.30pm. Teams – one per
organisation only – will consist of eight people, and the prize will be a
trophy.
A licensed bar has been
applied for.
Tickets which will include
a fish and chip supper will be available from Bridget 863435
EAST COKER
SCOUT GROUP
Beaver Scouts – 6 to 8 years
old
We are in a position to re-start our Beaver Colony for
boys and girls. Please contact Mike
863430 or Max 862186 if you have children who are interested.
Cub Scouts – 8 to 10½ years old
We also have spaces within the Cub section. Please contact David on 474648 or Max 862186
for details
Waste Paper Collections
The collection point is opposite the
School on the last Saturday of each month from 8.30am to 10.30am. If possible
please flat pack your newspapers and tie into bundles. We are now only able to collect newsprint –
sorry, no magazines. Arrangements for
Nash Lane and Helena Road are co-ordinated separately by Ray Smith.
Scout Jumble Sales for
2007
Spring – Saturday 21 April Autumn – Saturday 20 October. Both to be held at East Coker Hall from
2.00pm. Remember we will collect. Contact
Max Bugler 862186
Thank you for your continued
support. Jackie Glover.
EAST COKER PRE-SCHOOL
PLAYGROUP
What a fantastic and
exciting half term the children at playgroup have had. I write this because when I sat down to note
what the group had done, my list got so long.
Thank goodness the Christmas holiday arrived, giving the children,
parents, carers and staff a chance to recover for the Spring Term.
First there was Halloween
to discover and find out about, quickly followed by Bonfire Night. The committee and parents worked very hard to
make the Craft Fair, held in November, a resounding success. The playgroup would like to extend an
enormous thank you to everyone who supported the Craft Fair. The annual event raised over £1350, which
will be use to improve facilities.
Bookings are being taken for the next Craft Fair; please contact Liz on
864405 for further information.
'Take Art' visited the
group in November with themed sessions on African Art. The children decorated old CD’s and made a
beautiful display that sparkles in the light.
This suspended display was easily incorporated into the Christmas decorations
and display that the children made. A
busy time was had making calendars for parents, table decorations and Christmas
cards. The parents and carers were
treated to a fabulous Nativity Show. The
children did really well, dressing up, singing and dancing and enchanting
everyone present. Father Christmas
kindly stopped off from his busy schedule to visit the playgroup and meet the
children during their Christmas party.
East Coker playgroup is
situated at the Pavilion, Long Furlong Lane, in an outstanding and safe
location, with parking on site. From the
Pavilion direct access to the playing fields allows the group every opportunity
to take the curriculum outside and enjoy physical and outdoor exploration.
The wealth of experience of
our fully qualified staff offers quality childcare and education through play,
exploring the wider environment and local community with project-based
activities. These include trips out and
visitors, such as the fire brigade, police, vet, doctor, dentist, clergy,
musicians and local artists. Ofsted have
consistently given the group excellent reports and commended us for the
interaction and encouragements between staff and children, partnership with
parents, teaching, management and the emphasis on fun.
Children can join us from
the age of 2½ and Nursery Education Funding is available from the term after
the third birthday. We are open during
term time every weekday morning, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons and offer
optional lunch cover for children who like to bring a packed lunch. We also offer sessions during some of the
school holidays.
For more information and to put your child/children on
the waiting list please contact Kay Strode on 07798 812540 or after 6.00pm on
872126
DANCE CLASSES
The Helen Laxton School of Dance is now offering
Ballet, Jazz/disco and Tap dancing classes for children in the East Coker Hall
on Wednesday afternoons. Children are
taken from the age of 3 – 16 years. The
classes are taught by fully qualified, professional teachers who aim to bring
out the best in every child and to instil a love of dance and music.
For more details telephone Helen Laxton LRAD, ARAD, AISTD,
AIDTA on 474717
ST. MICHAEL'S
CHURCH
Services
Sunday 4 February 10.00am
Children's Candlemas Eucharist
Sunday 4 March 10.00amFamil
Service – Speaker Rev'd David Gent of Barwick
Mothering Sunday 18 March 10.00am Flowers presented to parents and adults
Palm Sunday 1 April 10.00am
Eucharist
Maundy Thursday 5 April 6.30pm Eucharist – Last Supper, The Watch
Good Friday 6 April 10.00am
Litany Prayers
Easter Saturday 7 April 6.30pm Festival of Light – Renewal of Baptismal Vows
Easter Day 8 April 8.00am
Holy Communion 1662 10.00am Family
Eucharist 2000
Parish Church Annual General Meeting Wednesday 18 April, 7.30pm Dampier Room, East Coker
Hall
T.S. ELIOT PUBLIC LECTURE
By The Rev. Dr. Peter Mullen
Saturday 24 March 2007 11.00am
St Michael’s and All Angels Church, East
Coker
and afterwards at Tudor Wing, Coker Court
ALL WELCOME
Admission Free – Any donations to the East Coker
Vicarage Fund
Peter Mullen is Rector of St Michael’s
Cornhill, London, and is a regular columnist for The Times, The Sunday
Telegraph and the Spectator Magazine, as well a contributor to Radio 4. He has also published several books on
theology, philosophy and politics and also a number of novels. He is a lifelong Eliot devotee and
enthusiast.
Please contact Ewen Stewart
07976 528535 or Rev Roger Burt 01935 862125
Focus on Mission at St
Michael's – 'Zambia Link' and 'USPG'
These are two charities which St Michael's Church has
made a commitment to support annually.
If you would like more details of the charities, please use the
following web-sites.
Zambia Link – www.bathandwells.org – under mission
USPG – www.uspg.org.uk
St Michael's Social
Responsibility Group
The Pilsden Community, near Beaminster, is a Christian
Organisation who mainly help ex-drug addicts and ex-alcoholics, who stay for as
long as necessary. We would like to
support them this year.
They are currently re-furbishing 4 bedrooms and need
mattress covers, pillows, bed-side lamps, mugs and if anyone has a spare
bed-side locker it would be very welcome.
Any of these items will be most gratefully received, and can be left at
the Vicarage or St Michael's Church for delivery to Pilsden. Thank you.
Kay Privett
Lent Lunch – 12.45pm Soup, bread and cheese and a
short talk on a Somerset (Corton Denham) /Zambian parish link. All Welcome
Young Families Group
The St Michael's Young Families Group are keen to
raise £400 to train a midwife at St Francis Hospital, Katete, Zambia, and it is
hoped that donations from the Lent Lunch will kick-start the fund-raising
interaction…it will be organising more activities throughout the year. The first one for your diaries, Saturday 10
March, 12 noon – 2.00pm at the Vicarage.
ALL SAINTS'
CHURCH CLOSWORTH
A very big thank you to all who supported the Carol
Service and the Christmas Nativity. This
year the Church was packed for the presentation written by Roger Barber. I think we had more Kings and Angels than in
the past, but one little angel was more interested in a Labrador dog, suitably
decked with tinsel, than in Mary and Joseph!
Services
Sunday 18 February 10.00am Family Service
Mothering Sunday 18 March, 10.00am, when the children
will give flowers to their mothers.
Good Friday 6 April, 10.00am, will be a short service
for both adults and children.
Easter Sunday 8 April 10.00am Family Service
All services last about 30 minutes and tend to be very
informal.
Monica 862834
ALL SAINTS’
CHURCH SUTTON BINGHAM
With well over a
hundred candles to light the church, our Candlelit
Carol Service was again a great success, with over seventy friends old and
new to fill the church on a dry, mild night.
This was followed by mince-pies and mulled wine to put everyone in the
Christmas spirit. Thank you for your
continued support generosity for this special service and we promise to have
the usual printed Carol Sheet up and running again for 2007!
There is still
time to have a go at our Quiz: ‘More
Saints for All Saints’, which follows the format of previous quizzes in aid
of the Friends of All Saints’ and especially to fund the Porch Roof Repairs,
which is our main project for this year.
£2 to enter and we have
extended final entries to 14 February. Copies are available from Heather Snook
(474138) Anthony Dening (474294) or at the churches.
Notelets – featuring an attractive
picture of the Norman Chancel Arch are available in packs of 12 for £5, or 50p each from Heather and Anthony and
these are also part of our fundraising activities. There about 10 packs of our very popular Christmas Cards left, featuring the
Candlelit Carol Service, at the same price, as well as bookmarks, key rings,
pens and other memorabilia.
Services February – April
Sunday 4 February 9.00am
Holy Communion Sunday 18
February 11.30am Holy Communion
Sunday 4 March 9.00am Holy
Communion Sunday 18
March 11.30am Holy Communion
Good Friday 6 April 11.00am
Litany Prayers Easter
Sunday 8 April 11.30am Holy Communion
Sunday 15 April 11.30am
Holy Communion
We look forward
to welcoming you to Sutton Bingham in 2007.
EAST COKER
CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
A warm welcome awaits you at the end of Burton Lane.
Services are as follows:
Sundays – The Lord's Supper 11.00am. Prayer and Bible Study 6.30pm.
Monthly Family Service on the 2nd Sunday at 11.00am
when The Lord's Supper takes place at 6.30pm instead of the Bible Study. Other events announced weekly.
Contact us on 422594 or 863735
THE MILL CHURCH
There is a service held at 10.30am each Sunday at East
Coker County Primary School. Our worship
tends to be informal in style. You are
very welcome to join us.
Little Wheelers is a well established Parent and
Toddler Group that runs each Tuesday morning in term time at East Coker Hall,
commencing at 10.30am. It is a chance
for parents to relax and socialise, while their children play. We run Little Wheelers with help from other
churches.
Bridges is a midweek group for teenagers. It is an opportunity for food, friendship and
exploring together the good news of Christianity. There is also a sailing club for young
people, called 'Broadreach'.
We have other groups and activities for adults and for
young people. Up to date information on
all of these events can be found on our website www.millchurch.org.uk – which includes
a weekly news-sheet – or you can telephone the church office in West Coker on
864136.
BIBLE MID-WEEK
MEETINGS
These meetings will take place in the East Coker
Hall. Do join us and bring your
friends. Refreshments are served after
each meeting. For details please
contact, Roy Hodder 862519.
HELYAR ARMS – CHARITY COFFEE
MORNINGS
Grateful
Thanks from the RNLI
The Yeovil Branch of the RNLI
has expressed its appreciation to the Helyar Arms and to all those who attended
the coffee morning held in November in support of this life-saving service
supported entirely by voluntary donations.
Over £190 was raised. Although
many of us are aware of the lifeboat activities, the beach lifeguard service
has also been brought into the public eye by the BBC TV Series Seaside Rescue. Last year was even busier for them than 2004
in which the beach lifeguards handled over 8,000 incidents and saved 51 lives.
Friday
26 January – In aid of ARC (Arthritis
Research Campaign)
10.00am – 12 noon – Entrance £2.50 including Coffee & Cake.
ARC is a research
organisation entirely supported by voluntary contributions and committed to
finding a cure for arthritis.
Do
come and join us by the fire!
Friday
23 February – In aid of Mercy Ships
On Friday 23 February, the
Helyar Arms is hosting a coffee morning in aid of Mercy Ships. This charity
provides hospital ships and land-based units crewed by doctors, nurses, water
engineers and agriculturalists to bring medical assistance and long-term
development to some of the world's poorest regions in Africa, Central America,
the Caribbean and Asia.
A local Rotarian and
ophthalmologist from Yeovil, Yinka Osoba, has freely
volunteered her services for a period to Mercy Ships. The proceeds from this coffee morning will go
towards funding the support costs of her trip.
Come and join this friendly
local event from 10.00am until 12noon to enjoy fresh coffee and excellent cakes
or pastries for only £2.50. For further
information, contact Peter Burrows on 862218 or Dennis Stevens on 823960 or
enquire directly at the Helyar Arms.
Friday
30 March – In aid of Parkinson's Disease
STAMPS FOR C.L.I.C.
A
very big thank you to everyone who gave all their used stamps to CLIC. Please continue to collect them. They can be dropped in to the East Coker P O
or to Holly Cottage nearby.
Micky
Hall
HATHERSTONE
WOOD
Hatherstone Wood, situated at
Primrose Hill on the parish boundaries of East Coker, West Coker and Hardington
Mandeville, was created in 1999 as part of The Woodland Trust’s ‘Woods on Your Doorstep’ scheme, a
millennium project. The woodland is
maturing well but does need some attention from time to time, e.g. the removal
of tree guards, strimming etc.
If you would like to assist
with the maintenance of this community woodland, please contact Carol Blackmore
862192 or Jean Kelly 862407
GOOSE SLADE
FARM SHOP
The Dunning family would like to wish all our
customers both old and new, a very happy and healthy New Year, and thank you
for your valued custom and support. We look forward
to serving you again throughout this coming year.
Phil & Liz Dunning 863735
NOTES FROM
THE OBSERVATORY
New
Year's Day 2007
2006 was reputed to be the
warmest year on record. It was an
interesting year for weather-watchers.
After an indifferent Spring, the summer began with a very hot and dry
spell. Temperatures soared to a hot
maximum of 31.8ºC (89.2ºF) on 19 July.
In that hot spell the mains water temperature rose to a luke-warm 24ºC
(75ºF). Conversely the lowest
temperature of the year was -5.1ºC (22.8ºF) on 11 February, when the mains
water temperature fell to 8ºC (46ºF).
Even this low water temperature was high compared with the low of
1962/3, when the mains temperature fell to a whisker above freezing, in that
long cold winter which lasted from Christmas to March.
There were 21 days of
frost, with a sprinkling of snow on two days.
Rain fell on 137 days giving a total for the year of 725 mm
(28.54ins). Despite the rain days, the
summer was a dry one. By August the
landscape was beginning to resemble the dry scene of 1976. But then a cooler damp spell made the grass
grow again. A warm dry spell towards the
end of summer was followed by a brief damp mild autumn. Several frosty days at the beginning of
November came as quite a shock. A foggy
spell with a barometric high of 1047mb and virtually no wind, for the five days
before Christmas, changed to rain and gales to end the year. The highest rainfall in a 24 hour period was
in this spell with 28.5mm (1.12ins) falling on 29/30 December.
Despite the warm weeks of
summer, wild life was sparse in the garden.
The usual garden birds did not return until late in the year and even
then were indifferent to food put out for them.
I received several reports of a scarcity of birds in the village. But one report of a Little Owl in Mill Lane
was particularly welcome, as was a sighting of a Green Woodpecker in
December. In the warm autumn, the leaves
began to colour in mid-October, but remained on the trees for longer than
usual. Apart from the usual Large &
Small Whites, butterflies were scarce. A
late Red Admiral fed on ivy flowers on 22 September, while a Bumble Bee visited
a flowering Viburnum on 14 November.
Even later, I was surprised to see a Brimstone butterfly flying strongly
on 28 November, in bright sunshine when the temperature was 11.6ºC (53ºF).
The mild damp October gave
a splendid crop of fungi on local lawns.
The most numerous were the brown
heads of Paxillus involutus resembling
individual Yorkshire puddings but the most striking were clumps of the bright
yellow 'sulphur tufts' Hypholoma fasciculare. Other fungal growths in profusion were the
violet headed Russula cyanoxantha.
This profusion of fungi led to local bookshops running out of their stock of books on fungi
identification, an unexpected
consequence of a warm autumn.
Most planets will not be
well placed for evening viewing in the early months of 2007. Saturn will be moving across the southern sky
at bedtime as the year progresses.
Sirius, the brightest star, will be low in the south. Solar eclipses in March and September will
not be visible from East Coker, but a total eclipse of the moon will be visible
on 3 March, from about 22.00 hrs to midnight.
For some years I have been
puzzled by the curious fact that around the time of the shortest day the sun gets
up later each morning for several days after the sun begins to set later in the
evenings. The same phenomenon happens at
the summer solstice but is not so noticeable at an early dawn. Any explanation would be welcomed.
Francis Cloke 862496
'SUMMONED BY BELLS' – OR
NOT?
A Couple I knew in the West Coker Road told me they
planned their Sunday morning walk so that they could hear the bells of St
Michael's wafting across the fields. A
few weeks ago somebody said "I didn't hear the church bells on
Sunday". They didn't because there
were not enough ringers, for the only ringers available were needed at
Closworth!
St Michael's has eight bells and Closworth five. To be able to ring a peal of changes at least
five bells are needed. When I first started
to learn there were enough ringers for both churches to have their bells rung
at the same time.
Sadly, for various reasons the number of ringers has
declined and there is a danger that it may no longer be possible to ring
regularly at St Michael's unless we have some new recruits.
It is only the very old who can remember the silence
of the war years when church bells could not be rung, and the delight when
bell-ringing could be heard again. That
was why it was so moving when Closworth bells were repaired and re-hung for the
Millennium. They had not been heard
since 1939!
There are certain misconceptions about
bell-ringing. It was because of some of
these that I did not start until I was over 80 years of age. It would have been better all round if I had
started 20 years earlier. A major
misconception is that one should be a regular C of E churchgoer. Another is that one is committed to ring
every Sunday. Bell-ringing takes place
in a church towers because that is where bells are, and it is used as a call to
worship, but is not part of church services.
Anybody can be a ringer – 'believer' or
'non-believer'. The ringers at
Froxfield, near Marlborough, where a friend rings, include a Jew, and Michael
Nasar, a Moslem, was a promising ringer here, until he gave up to do
humanitarian work overseas. It was once
considered to be a man's world, and in the 18th and 19th
centuries, ringers were once regarded as rollicking yokels, drunk on cider.
There is no age limit – one experienced ringer here
started when she was nine years old, and when I first began to learn, a father
and school-boy son were both in the tower.
There are distinct advantages in starting young, not least the
confidence of youth.
People talk of the danger, the danger of being caught
up in a rope and whisked up to a grisly end amongst the bells. Nothing like that could happen at St
Michael's, where the ringing chamber has a fairly low ceiling with holes for
the bell ropes to go through to the bell chamber – though one must always respect
the bells. It is an excellent place for
learning as there is a relatively short length of rope to learn to control.
Bell-ringing is a skill that has to be learnt. Like riding a bicycle or driving a car it
requires co-ordination of thought and movement, which once learnt is never
forgotten. It is an excellent exercise
in concentration and team-work, combined with relaxation.
All this sounds deadly serious; in fact we have a lot
of fun in the tower – any excuse for a party!
Champagne flowed as the bells rang in AD 2000.
If you would like to see the ringers in action, you
are welcome to come and watch, and then – who knows? You might want to have a go, and from there,
like me, become absorbed into a really rewarding activity.
The best person to contact is Lesley Lindsay, the
Captain of the Tower, on 862868.
Sally Jackson
EAST
COKER PARISH COUNCIL
Thank you to all
those who have taken the trouble to clean
up rubbish, debris and leaves outside their properties. Hopefully, more residents will make the
effort to do the same and keep the village as tidy as possible. This also applies to rights of way. Please clear up after your dog – there is
still dog dirt on pathways, which is unpleasant for pedestrians, and take your
rubbish home. Do not throw bags of rubbish onto the verges or into hedges as dogs
mess is one of the worst (and most unhygienic) hazards for users of strimmers.
Mini motor-bikes have been seen in the
village, both on and off public highways.
If you do not have your own private land, it is illegal to use these
bikes, and they will be reported and confiscated by the police. They are also a serious hazard for horses and
horse riders.
Would horse riders please be prepared to give way
to walkers on narrow pathways? This
especially applies to walkers with children and pushchairs. Do not expect pedestrians to squeeze by
horses when there is no room, so make sure your horse is able to ‘rein back’ if
you are not able to turn around. Dogs
should be kept on leads when passing horses.
There have been
several incidents of sheep worrying
and even attacks in the Parish. Dogs
must not be allowed access to flocks of sheep, and now that lambing has
started, ewes and their lambs are especially vulnerable. You may think that your dog is ‘playing’, but
this is no excuse when the stock are frightened – sheep do not know the
difference, and even the nicest dog
seems to have a change of personality when in the company of sheep! Dogs must be kept on leads. A barking dog can instantly scatter a flock
and lambs can lose their mothers in a moment of panic. Do not allow your dogs out unsupervised, as
this can often lead to the worst cases of sheep worrying. Farmers are within their rights to shoot dogs
that attack or worry their sheep.
Back Lane footpath Y9/41 has now been
drained and refurbished and will hopefully be more passable for walkers.
Local police
officers are currently trying to identify those members of the community who
may be more vulnerable to the risk posed by bogus callers. They want to
provide help and support to individuals to reduce the risk of them becoming
victims, and to promote crime prevention.
If you know someone in the area who may benefit from such help, please
e-mail ssnsomerton@avonandsomerset.police.uk
or call 0845 4567000 and leave a message for Somerton Sector Neighbourhood Police.
Regular daily
parish Beat Patrols, are being
carried out by the local Coker Beat Team.
Contact numbers, if you need to speak to police on non-emergency issues, are as follows, 01935 402175 or 0845 4567000.
Contact
personnel are listed below:
Police
Community Support Officer (PCSO) – Michelle Haimes 8913.
Email: Michelle.Haimes@avonandsomerset.police.uk
Sector
Inspector – Neil Pitman 280
Email: Neil. Pitman@avonandsomerset.police.uk
(01935 402177)
Section
Sergeant – Sgt Chris Stanbridge
Email: Christopher.Stanbridge@avonandsomerset.police.uk
Please remember these phone numbers
are not for an Emergency call
THE FLAX
INDUSTRY OF THE
COKERS – How the Construction of the Leat Affected the Village
Friday
2 February, 7.00pm – 7.30pm at the East Coker Hall – a talk by Robert Allwood on
the local flax industry. There will be
an exhibition in the Dampier Room with contributions from Abigail Shepherd and
other experts on Flax. Refreshments will
be available during the evening. This
will be of interest to locals and visitors alike.
Saturday
3 February, 9.30am – 4.45pm at the East Coker Hall – an all-day symposium to
investigate further and to progress knowledge of the industry of Flax and Hemp
in the Wessex area. Already several
speakers have agreed to give presentations and will be answering questions
about the industry in the Wessex area from early times. There will also be demonstrations by local
museums and other specialists.
Anyone wishing to attend should
contact Sandy Buchanan, (Chairman of the Somerset Industrial Archaeological
Society), 2 Blake Green, Ashcott, Bridgwater, TA7 9QF. The cost of the day which includes
refreshments will be about £10.
NEXT ISSUE
The next issue of the
Newsletter will be in April 2007. Copy,
please, to Lesley Lindsay, Little Meadow, Coker Marsh, East Coker or e-mail
Lesley Lindsay or to the East Coker Post Office & Stores by Monday 26 March
2007.
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