East Coker
Society Newsletter
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April
2007 –
Free Issue No 126
Chair: John Sugg 863435
e-mail
Newsletter Editor: Lesley
Lindsay 862868 e-mail
Secretary: Sarah Owen 862218
Treasurer: Keith
Helliar 863700
Here's your chance to show off your creativity in the
East Coker Society Scarecrow Competition.
Open to all residents and ages; clubs and
organisations of the parish. We hope you
will put on an impressive display in the run up to the Village Fête on Saturday 7July 2007. Prizes will be awarded in 3 classes and an
additional prize for the judges’ favourite.
Prize Classes: 1. Children 2. Adults 3.
Clubs and Organisations
We plan to create a scarecrow map for an organised
walk through the village, which will start from the East Coker Hall from 2.00
pm on Saturday 30 June 2007. Photographs will be taken of all the
entries and displayed at the Village Fête, when prizes and certificates will be awarded. Everyone is welcome to join the walk. Refreshments will be available.
Scarecrows will need to be displayed by 9.00 am on
Saturday 30 June 2007,
for judging before the walk. For inspiration and ideas, check out 'scarecrow
competitions' on the internet at www.google.co.uk. We
would ask everyone to leave their scarecrows out until Saturday 7 July
2007 to help to promote the Village Fête.
Please complete the entry form below and put it in an
envelope with your entry fee of £2 and drop it off in the Scarecrow Competition
collection box at the East Coker Post Office or send to East Coker Society, c/o
Sarah Owen, Paddock Cottage, East Coker, Yeovil, Somerset BA22 9JP 862218. The
closing date for entry forms is Saturday 16 June 2007.
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EAST COKER SOCIETY
SCARECROW COMPETITION – ENTRY FORM
Name ………………………………………………. Contact Tel No ……………………………………
Club / Organisation (if applicable)
………………………..…………………………………………….
Address & Post Code
……………………………………………………..………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………….…...
Scarecrow Name …………………………………………………. Entry Class
………………………..
Entry Fee £2 Enclosed ……………………...
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RECEIVE THE
NEWSLETTER VIA E-MAIL
We greatly appreciate
delivery by e-mail as it saves money on our printing costs. 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. For those already receiving the Newsletter by
e-mail, please e-mail Lesley Lindsay if you change your e-mail address. Your
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private, with no cross-referencing of other people's e-mails.
ANNUAL GENERAL
MEETING
The AGM of the East Coker
Society will be held in the Dampier Room, East Coker Hall, on Tuesday 22 May
2007 at 7.30pm. All villagers welcome.
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.
THANK YOU
A very big thank you to all
the organisations that have given us donations.
We are very grateful for these as they help towards the printing of the
Newsletter.
Village Clubs and Organisations
EAST COKER
FLOWER SHOW AND
WINE FESTIVAL – 18 August 2007
Advance notice for Photography Classes
Harbour View Fire
and/or Smoke Animals
Winter Scene Bridge Four
different photos of Transport
EAST COKER HALL
CHARITABLE TRUST AGM
– MONDAY 14 MAY 2007
The Annual General Meeting of the Trust will be held
on Monday 14 May 2007 in the Dampier Room of East Coker Hall, commencing at
7.30pm.
Any organisation wishing to have a representative on
the Committee must apply in writing to the Secretary, Mrs H Styles, 21 Mill
Close, East Coker, BA22 9LF, to arrive no later than Saturday 28 April.
All residents of the East Coker Parish 18 years and
over are eligible to attend.
EAST COKER SHORT
MAT BOWLS CLUB
The East Coker Short Mat Bowls Club would welcome new
members – beginners or experienced players. We are a friendly club and meet every Tuesday
7.15pm – 10.00pm and Friday 2.30pm – 4.30pm at East Coker Hall. The club is a member of Yeovil & District
Short Mat Bowls League and we also play friendlies with other clubs in the
area, while some of our members enter open competitions further afield. If you are interested and over 14 years of
age, why not give me a call, any evening, for more details. We are always pleased to help beginners.
George Dudden 864222 Club Captain and Chairman
EAST COKER ACTION
MEDICAL RESEARCH
The Luncheon, on 22 March, with a talk 'Secret's of a
Honeymoon Suitcase' by Valerie Trefall made £330. Thank you to all those that supported the
event.
Friday 28 September, 'Silver Jubilee Ball' to be held
at the Digby Hall, Sherborne. This is to
celebrate 25 years of the Action Medical Research in East Coker. For further details 478409
EAST COKER
WINE CIRCLE
East Coker Wine Circle
achieved success at the Annual County Wine Festival, organised by the Somerset
Association of Amateur Winemakers in March.
This included winning, for the fourth time, the coveted inter-circle
challenge trophy for four bottles of wine. The honours in this class – two firsts, a
second and a third – were shared by the current chairman, Vince Wolny and
former chairman, Joyce Pryor.
Although fielding only
three exhibitors this year, East Coker brought home a total of nine trophies. Vince Wolny gained five trophies, and Joyce
Pryor three. Together with Darren
Shutler, the East Coker Circle mustered sufficient points from their other
placings to come a close runner up to this year’s champions, Mendip Wine
Circle, who had eleven exhibitors competing.
The Circle still has an
interesting programme before it embarks on its year of events to celebrate its
30th Anniversary. To mark
this milestone the Circle is supporting the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance
and the Yeovil Cardiac Unit, and certain events and activities during the year
will be earmarked as fund raisers. Guests
are always welcome at the monthly meetings and social events. The Anniversary Dinner on 20 October
will be one event when former members of the Circle will be particularly
welcome. Also, look out for notices for
the Open Golf Tournament that is being organised for the above chosen
charities.
The Circle still has a few
places for membership. All inquiries to
the Secretary, Mary Horsley 471072
TIME TO SHARE
Members started off the New
Year with a lively afternoon of popular music and a sing-a-long with the Warry
Brothers. At the next meeting a talk by
Clive Wakely – a funeral director – might have aroused feelings of mortality in
some – NOT SO! He informed and amused
most with some of his more light-hearted experiences in the family business he
had joined as a school-leaver. A 'Jolly
Brolly' competition added a touch of cheer to the occasion with an array of
umbrellas featuring floral designs, penguins, donkeys, owls and a winning Pooh
Bear motif.
Steve Davis was the next
guest speaker, outlining the work of the Thames River Police from a time when
rowing boats and hand held flame torches were used to patrol the dockland areas
to the high-tec modern craft that can speed up and down the river today.
Pat Liddiard, a local
resident and accomplished quilter, brought an impressive display of patchwork
and crocheted quilts to the next meeting.
She acts as area coordinator for the South Somerset division of the
national 'Linus' group of volunteers, who produce 'security blankets'. These
are given freely to babies and children in desperate need of tangible comfort
and support in times of stress, and thereafter to own for keeps. Pat then judged items club members had hand made,
and an endearing little stuffed donkey received her highest praise.
A gallant team of members
were persuaded to enter the Pavilion Fund 'Village Quiz Night' on 10
March. They were 'successful' in winning
the 'booby prize', with no loss of dignity, but with much hysterical laughter,
disguising their panic as the quiz sheets were rushed around the table 'Jeremy
Paxman' style. But, oh, how they enjoyed
the Fish and Chip Supper served during the interval.
A very non–'Strictly Come
Dancing' was enjoyed at the popular Tea Dance, when very few members remained
in their seats and those who did so appreciated the spectacle of the Time to
Share – toe-tapping, shoe-shuffling, joint-creaking – troupe of past-caring
exhibitionists, responding to the music of the Steve Stimpson 'Misty Group'.
New members are always
welcome to join this relaxed and friendly group, who meet every fortnight at
the East Coker Hall from 2.30pm – 4,00pm.
Transport can be provided if required.
Future programme of events:
16 April – Searching for Butterflies in Hungary 30 April – Complimentary Therapies
14 May – The Cresta Entertainers 4 June – Card Bingo
11 June – Whole Day Outing – non-members welcome
25
June – Songs of Praise at St Michael's Church
THE COKER
400 CLUB
The winners in the January draw were: Mrs L R Dunster
£100; Mrs T Dunningham £50; Mr M Cripps £40; Mr T Clough £30; Mrs L Evans £20;
Mr C Bingley £15; Mr P Pisani £10; Mrs S Graham £10.
EAST COKER W.I.
We continue to have interesting
speakers each month who both entertain and stimulate. At the March meeting Dr and Mrs Long told
members of their continuing support to the children of Fiji. In April, the Resolution which the Women’s
Institute wish to bring to the Government’s notice will be debated. In May we hear from John Burgess on his work
as correspondent for the wireless, whilst in June, to celebrate the birthday of
East Coker W.I., we are planning a day's outing. The progressive Whist Drive continues to
increase in popularity now, regularly playing 10 tables, which, with the Jumble
Sale held last February, helps to subsidise our outing. Whist Drives will be held on Thursday 19 April,
and Thursday 17 May. For
those interested, we play friendly skittles every other month and are planning
a craft day in the Autumn. We also join
in Yeovil group activities such as ten pin bowling.
We have recently had the
honour of being asked to allow our W.I. banner to be shown in a National
Federation Needlework Exhibition later this year.
Anyone interested in joining
the W.I. needs to contact Secretary, Linda Morgan tel. 863694
EAST COKER
GARDENING CLUB
'Ornamental
Grasses', 'Snowdrops', 'Soil Science' and 'Dahlias' were the subjects presented
to the Club during the first four months of 2007.
Chris Smith,
from Pennard Plants, situated in the old walled garden of the big house at East
Pennard, not only discussed the value and care of ornamental grasses, but also
brought a number of other plants and seed packets for members to buy. Likewise the plants Pam Gussage brought with
her to illustrate her delightful talk on the seasonal plants of snowdrops,
which were readily snapped up. Paul
Hending's talk on 'Soil Science' was well supported by the men of the
Club. His easy style made this seemingly
'dry' subject accessible to everyone.
The talk on 'Dahlias' takes place as this Newsletter is being
distributed. Also in this period a coach
load of members went on a three-day trip to Cornwall, visiting the gardens that
were not included in the very successful trip, two years ago.
During the next
three months, Christabel King, a leading botanical artist connected with Kew,
will pay a return visit to talk about her experiences in Brazil. Julie Riley and Alex Reeves will be talking
about plants for ponds, and in July there will be another visit to a local
garden of interest. There is also an
expedition to Exbury on 17 May, when the gardens will be aglow with
Rhododendrons.
Programme for
May 2007 to July 2007:
10 May
Christabel King – Brazilian Plants & Botanical Paintings', with
illustrations
17 May Day Trip
to Exbury
14 June Julie
Riley & Alex Reeves – 'Plants for Ponds & Wet Places'
12 July Garden
Visit
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
ROYAL BRITISH LEGION
The East Coker Branch of the Royal British Legion will
be holding their annual Cheese & Wine evening on Friday 27 April 2007 at
the East Coker Hall at 7.30pm. Please
come and support this popular event and we would be delighted to welcome new
members to the village.
We are fortunate in Somerset to have two Legion Homes,
one for convalescence and one residential which we support on a regular basis.
The ex-servicemen who now are able to take advantage
of the facilities that these two homes provide are no longer elderly residents,
but young casualties from present conflicts.
The Legion is able to support them in a variety of ways from
convalescence to finding a new career, perhaps after leaving the Forces.
We always need new members in the Branch to help us to
continue the work we do in supporting our ex-service men, not just locally but
throughout the country. If you are
interested in becoming a member of the Legion, please join us on 27 April 2007
at the East Coker Hall.
Marilyn Smith
EAST COKER
PLAYERS
Barn Dance with The Yetties on
Friday 22 June 2007 at East Coker Hall, at 7.30 pm. Tickets £8 to include a ploughman's supper. Bar to be provided. Proceeds to go towards a guiding trip to
Switzerland in 2008. Tickets available
from Nora White 477897
EAST COKER
POETRY GROUP
Tuesday
24 April 'Open
Evening' – anyone can
read either their own or favourite poems.
Tuesday
29 May 'Flora
Poetica' – poetry on the
theme of gardens, with local gardening clubs invited.
Tuesday
3 July 'American Poetry'
All our meetings are held
in the skittle alley of the Helyar Arms, 7.30pm start. There is no admission charge, and the
meetings are open to anyone with an interest in poetry.
EAST COKER
PAVILION FUND
The Annual Village Quiz was
held on the 10 March at the East Coker Hall and once again it was a full house
with 20 teams of 8 people.
The winners of the 'East
Coker Cockerel' were The Friends of the Helyar Arms, with the Scouts coming a
close second and 'Crumplers' third.
Congratulations to the winners and many thanks to all the people who
helped to make the event a great success.
Just under £900 was raised for the Pavilion Fund.
Bridget
Sugg Chairman – East Coker Pavilion Fund
Young People
EAST
COKER SCOUT GROUP
Jumble Sale
Spring – Saturday 21 April 2007 at
East Coker Hall 2.00pm Remember we
will collect. Contact Max Bugler 862186
Waste Paper
Collections: Saturday 28 April Saturday 26 May Saturday 30 June
Thank you for your continued support.
Jackie Glover.
EAST COKER SCHOOL
After 24 years as head teacher at
the school, Mr Sweetlove will be retiring this Summer.
Summer
Fayre –
15 June 2007 at 6.00pm
Vacancies:
There are vacancies at the school
for two Dinner-ladies and a Classroom Assistant to work with challenging
children, to start in September 2007.
If you are interested, please
contact East Coker School 862532
EAST COKER
PRE-SCHOOL PLAYGROUP
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.
I bet you didn’t know that
the Pavilion has been host to a bus, train, aeroplane, rocket and submarine
over the last five weeks. This week the
children had great fun drawing fish and sea creatures to appear in the
portholes as we ‘travel’ along. Thanks
to various sea films and (I suspect home aquariums), I was quite astonished at
the variety and names given to their fishy pictures. Our journey to the deep blue will be
fascinating.
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. During the Summer Term the playgroup is
piloting extended opening hours – please contact Kay Strode if you would like
more information on this exciting new opportunity on your doorstep. We also offer sessions during some of the
school holidays, again contact Kay Strode for information on upcoming dates.
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
We would also love to see you at the playgroup’s
Summer Fair on 9 June. This annual event
is held at the Pavilion, Long Furlong Lane in the afternoon. There will be a
variety of stalls and refreshments, East Coker School Country Dancers will
entertain, the raffle will be drawn, and I believe the Firemen are invited as
well. All this activity takes place during the afternoon and hopefully our
booking for fine weather will hold.
The Churches
ST. MICHAEL'S
CHURCH
St Michael's Church Plant
Sale
To be held at Bubspool House, Saturday 19 May 2007,
10.30am – 12.30pm.
In order to have a successful fundraising Plant Sale
this year, would everyone who has a chance to grow some seedlings, split some
herbaceous plants, take some cuttings, or even 'bring and buy' something,
please do their best to contribute to the success of the event.
Cakes and Jams would be very welcome for the Produce
Stall.
Services
Maundy Thursday 5 April 6.30pm Eucharist – Last Supper, The Watch
Good Friday 6 April 10.00am
– Stations of the Cross & 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
Sunday 6 May 10.00am
Children's Service – Zambia Theme
Rogation Sunday 13 May 10.00am
– Meet in the church
Thursday 17 May 6.30pm
Eucharist
Saturday 19 May Children's'
Festival Day – Well's Cathedral
Pentecost Sunday 27 May Pentecost Holy Communion, 10.00am Sung Eucharist, 6.00pm
Evensong.
Trinity Sunday 3 June 8.00am Holy Communion, 10.00am
Family Eucharist.
Parish Church Annual General
Meeting Wednesday 18 April, 7.30pm Dampier Room, East
Coker Hall
East Coker Church Fete – Saturday
7 July 2007 at 2.00pm. All Welcome
Cakes for the Fete
I shall be running the Cake stall at the Fete on 7
July, so any cakes would be very welcome to make this stall a success. Please could you deliver them to Amberley,
Long Furlong Lane, or phone East Coker School 862532. Thank you
Monica King
St Michael's Church Bookstall
Richard and Gail Vanderpump have kindly undertaken the
responsibility for running the Bookstall.
Cards for all occasions can be purchased in the church, as well as
pamphlets and booklets.
ALL SAINTS'
CHURCH CLOSWORTH
There will be an 'All Ages Family Service' at
Closworth Church on Good Friday, 6 April at 10.00am. Although it will be more formal than the
usual Family service, we shall cater for the children with a special activity
for them during the talk. After the
service there will be 'Cold' Cross Buns.
On Easter Day, 8 April at 10.00am, we shall be
celebrating Easter with our usual Family Service followed by an Easter Egg
Hunt. There will be no Family Service on
15 April.
On Sunday 20 May we shall be celebrating Rogation
Sunday – sorry if it is a week later. If the weather is fine we shall go
outside to bless the gardens, and also any pets that can come and join us. For more details phone me, Monica 862834
ALL SAINTS’
CHURCH SUTTON BINGHAM
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.
Sunday
Services; Holy Communion:
6 May, 9.00am; 20 May,
11.30am; 3 June, 9.00am; 17 June, 11.30am; 1 July, 9.00am; 15 July, 11.30am.
Churchwardens: Heather
Snook 474138, Anthony Denning 474294
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
BIBLE MID-WEEK
MEETINGS
Our series of sermons from April to July will be on
Revelation 1-3. 'What Christ thinks of the Church'
Wed 18 April, 7.00pm – Revelation 1 – Ian Lewis, St
Bartholomew's, Bath
Wed 16 May, 7.00pm – The Letter to Ephesus:
Revelation: 2:1-7 – James Dudley-Smith, St John's, Yeovil
Wed 20 June, 7.00pm – The Letter to Smyrna:
Revelation: 2:8-11 – James de Costobadie, St Saviour's, Christchurch, New
Zealand
Wed 8 July,
7.00pm – The Letter to Pergamum: Revelation;2 12-17 – Adrian Reynolds,
Yately Baptist Church
These meetings will take place in the East Coker
Hall. Do join us and bring your friends
with you. Refreshments are served after
each meeting.
Roy Hodder 862519
Village News
HELYAR ARMS – CHARITY COFFEE MORNINGS
Friday
27 April – National Blind
Children's Society
Friday
25 May – Campaign for
Protection of Rural England
Friday
29 June – Action Medical
Research – Touching Tiny Lives
Thank you to the Helyar Arms
At the January Coffee and
Cake Morning kindly hosted by Ian McKerracher and his staff at the Helyar Arms,
£710 was raised for ARC (Arthritis Research Campaign). A big thank you to the 100 plus people who
supported the event and especially Michelle Lesch (Manageress of the Helyar
Arms), Head Chef Mat Eke and their respective teams for all their hard work. Jane Sperring.
Coffee
Morning at the Helyar Arms in aid of Mercy Ships
The Coffee Morning held at
the end of February was a great success and raised £480 towards the costs of
sending local eye surgeon and Rotarian, Yinka Osoba, to operate on a Mercy Ship
off the coast of Africa. The Rotary Club
of Yeovil expresses its thanks to all who attended and to the Helyar Arms for
supporting the project. The required
funds total should be reached by September which will enable this worthy cause
to extend the essential medical services that can be provided to this very
needy region.
EAST COKER
P.O. & STORE
Hello Everyone
We are the Moorhouse family (that's Paul, Vicky, Emmalia
and Lillia) and we are the new owners of East Coker Post Office and Store. We are very excited about our new venture in
East Coker and want to provide the best service we possibly can to the
village. Indeed, it was on our very
first visit here that we knew it was the place to be.
To all people we have already met, we would like to
say a big thank you for giving us such a warm welcome. To those we have not yet met, please do come
and introduce yourselves (we can't promise to remember all your names straightaway,
but we are learning).
Here's a quick reminder of the services we provide and
the opening hours:
Post Office Opening Times
Postage Monday 7.45am
– 1.00pm 2.00pm – 5.30pm
Bill Payments Tuesday 7.45am – 1.00pm
Foreign Currency Wednesday 7.45am – 1.00pm
Travel Insurance Thursday 7.45am – 1.00pm
National Savings/Premium Bonds Friday 7.45am – 1.00pm
Cash withdrawals & Deposits from:
A&L; Barclays; Lloyds TSB; Co-operative
Bank; Cahoot
Fishing Licences
Car & Home Insurance
Gift Vouchers
Post Office Saving Stamps
Postal Orders
Phone Cards
The Shop Opening
Times
Newspapers & Magazines Monday 7.30am – 1.00pm 2.00pm – 5.30pm
Bread & Cakes Tuesday 7.30am – 1.00pm 2.00pm – 5.30pm
Milk, Butter & Cheeses Wednesday 7.30am – 1.00pm 2.00pm – 5.30pm
Fruit & Vegetables Thursday 7.30am – 1.00pm 2.00pm – 5.30pm
Confectionery Friday 7.30am
– 1.00pm 2.00pm – 5.30pm
Off-Licence Saturday 7.30am – 1.00pm
General Groceries Sunday 8.00am
– 12 noon
Tobacco
Cards & Stationery
Mobile Top-ups
Photo-copying & Photo-printing
Handmade Jewellery
Please note the new services of photo-copying and photo-printing. Also, we are pleased to announce that as from
29 March the Post Office will have Euros
on demand, so no need to pre-order.
Finally, we would ask you to support your local Post
Office and Shop and if there are any improvements/additions you would like us
to make, please let us know and we will endeavour to make them.
THANK YOU
Don and Barbara Nicol (and Tilly), of Jasmine Cottage,
would like to thank everyone who came to our 'drop in day' at the end of
January, and for making us feel so welcome to the village. We were overwhelmed by the response we had to
our invitation and now feel members of your village. We are sorry we can't remember all of your
names – but we are working on it.
OPEN GARDEN
You are warmly invited to
Coker Wood Cottage, Pendomer
Sunday 3 June 2007
when the developing garden will be open between 2.00pm
& 6.00pm in aid of
The National Gardens Scheme
Teas; Pottery; Wood Turning; Water Colours; Fair Organ
(occasionally!); Treasure Hunt for Children (& the Young at Heart)
Parking is limited so please walk,
cycle, or share cars if possible. It is
a lovely walk up from East Coker. We are
on the road between Pendomer and Halstock, at Grid Ref: ST533102. Non-walkers: Parking ¼ mile down the lane by
the railway bridge.
Charities supported: Macmillan
Cancer Relief, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Help the Hospices, Crossroads – Caring
for Carers, The Queen’s Nursing Institute, The Nurses Welfare Service, The
Royal Gardeners’ Orphan Fund, NGS Gardeners’ Bursaries, Perennial (Gardeners’
Royal Benevolent Society), County Nursing Associations, St Margaret’s Somerset
Hospice, St Roch Church, Pendomer
Anthea Lovelock
EAST COKER
BELLRINGERS
Sally Jackson wrote in the last Newsletter about her
bellringing experiences. This prompted a
new bellringer to join us. As always we
could do with some more people, experienced or not, to join us. If you feel like a new challenge of
bellringing, and to help keep the bells of East Coker ringing, please call
Lesley Lindsay 862868
NOTES FROM
THE OBSERVATORY
Vernal Equinox 21 March 2007
We were fortunate in having perfect conditions for
observing the Total Lunar Eclipse on the evening of 3 March. Skies were clear and the event was at a
reasonable time, totality passing before midnight. At totality the moon was a coppery red, just
like the official pictures, a wonderful sight to behold. The next Total Lunar Eclipse visible from the
village will be on 21 February 2008, but that event will take place in the
small hours, with totality at 3.00am, perhaps a time for the dedicated watcher
only.
Winter skies have not been particularly interesting. The only planet in the night sky has been
Saturn but from now until about the end of May, Venus should be a bright object
in the western sky an hour or so after sunset. Then it moves in front of the sun to emerge in
the autumn as a morning planet in the east before sunrise. Jupiter will slowly traverse the southern
night sky in late May, as Saturn glides to the west.
The winter was reported to be the warmest on record. January was mild but quite windy, with a
colder end to the month, stretching into February, which then continued the
mild theme into March. A very cold few days
before the start of official Spring came as a reminder that winter still lurks
in the wings. January's maximum
temperature was 12.9ºC (55.2ºF) on the 9th, while the month's minimum of minus
2.5ºC (27.5ºF) occurred on the night of 25 January. Storms across the country on the 18 January
gave the village a wet and windy day, when the barometer fell to 989mb. January had four frosty days and a rainfall of
79.2mm (3.12ins). February was a little
colder with a maximum of 12.2º (54ºF) on the 28th. and a minimum of minus 2.4ºC
(27.7ºF) on the night of the 3rd. Clear
skies resulted from a high on that day of 1041mb. There were five frosty days in the month
which had 101.1mm (3.98ins) of rain. The
average daytime maximum for January was 9.7ºC (49.4ºF) while the average minimum
night temperature was 5.6ºC (42.13ºF). For
February, the averages were 9.3ºC and 4.1ºC (48.75ºF and 39.39ºF).
The mild late winter weather gave some interesting
reports. I was told of sightings of
celandines in flower in early January, and primroses plus periwinkles flowering
in sheltered hedges by 23 January. Crocuses began to flower in the garden on 7 January.
A splendid display of daffodils along
Bunford Hill and the old Bunford Lane was a fine sight in January, as was the
early opening of hazel catkins. By early
March, hedges along Bunford Hill were greening rapidly, curiously, on the
coldest side facing north-east. A Blue-tit
sang its 'teacher-teacher' song on 2 February. Fieldfares were reported gathering to the west
of the village in late January but only a single report of a flying butterfly,
probably a comma, has been received. I
saw the first bumblebee flying on 3 March. Ants were running on warm days about the same
date.
Last year I had to reline my garden pool after a heron
had perforated the liner while taking all the fish. As an experiment I have not added any life to
the fresh water to see what would arrive spontaneously. As expected, the first sign of new life was a
growth of algae, greening the water. The
next to arrive were frogs – ten swimming by mid February. After frogspawn had been deposited, a water
boatman arrived on 14 March. I wonder
what will find the water during the summer.
Francis Cloke 862496
EAST COKER
FLOWER CLUB
We are hoping to
start an East Coker Flower Club that will meet once a month on a Thursday, in
the Dampier Room, East Coker Hall, from 2.00pm – 4.00pm. This will take the form of 'hands-on'
arrangements, talks, plant and seed swapping.
It will be quite casual and great fun, with tea and biscuits at half
time. We need at least 10 to 15
interested people so that it is not imperative that you come to every
meeting. There will be a charge but,
again, this depends on the interest and number of people.
If you are interested,
please telephone 862868 by 30 April and you will be informed as soon as
possible after that date, whether this is going to be a viable club.
EAST COKER PARISH COUNCIL
By the time you
read this newsletter, the Parish
Council and South Somerset District Council will have arranged a Litter Picking Day around the parish on
Saturday, 31 March.
Hopefully, there will have been a good turnout of volunteers to
spring-clean the parish roadsides and verges and all will be clean and
tidy. However, it does not stop there – everyone
is responsible for the general tidiness of the village and litter is always a
major issue. So, please keep on top of litter in your area all the year round!
Following on
from the above, if you think that refuse or recycling lorries are spilling
their contents, as has been reported in the village, contact Beth Prince at
Brympton Way (462462) with as much detail (date, time, place, registration no. etc.)
as possible.
The Parish Lengthsman continues to work one
day a week in our area, basically doing the jobs that the local council never
seems to get around to doing, and generally keeping the village tidy. If you think there is a job that can be
resolved by him, contact Roy Hodder on 862419.
The lengthsman also does a lot of the strimming, and he will soon be
seen trimming around the village. A
‘faceful’ of dog’s mess is every strimmer operator’s worst experience and if
there is dog excrement on footpaths, verges and banks the council contractors
may well refuse to continue. PLEASE CLEAN UP AFTER YOUR DOG and use
the dog litter bins around the village.
We do not apologise for constantly reminding you of this!
There has been
an alarming incident of a large dog chasing horse riders in the north of the
parish. Dog walkers were seen walking in
a field (not on a footpath) and the dog came through the hedge and attacked the
pony of a young rider, who was thrown off.
She was lucky not to have been attacked by the dog as well. This was a very frightening experience and
the police have been informed. Dogs must
be kept on a lead near any livestock and walkers (and their dogs) must stay on
footpaths at all times.
The applications
for the Parish Council Elections had
to be in by 4 April, so potential parish councillors have hopefully forwarded
their forms to Brympton Way for inclusion.
Parishioners in
the Wraxall area will be pleased
that they are still a part of East Coker Parish and that the Council voted not
to approve the proposal to merge their area with Yeovil. This decision was made partly because of the
large amount of written public objections to the proposal, so having your say
in an organised manner is still the best way of defeating unwelcome proposals.
Local
councillor, Alan Cornelius, retires
this year after over 50 years in local government. His support for the village over these years
has been enormous and many controversial proposals that were not considered to
be in the interest of the parish have been diplomatically dealt with under his
tenure. He has always had the best
interests of the parish at heart and East Coker owes a large debt to his
perception and loyalty. The Parish
Council will be hoping to celebrate with Alan later in the year.
The road between Pincushion Corner and Netherton will be closed for 2 weeks from 2
April for drainage repairs.
NEXT ISSUE
The next issue of the
Newsletter will be in July 2007. Copy,
please, to Lesley Lindsay, Little Meadow, Coker Marsh, East Coker or e-mail Lesley
Lindsay or to the East Coker Post Office & Store by Thursday 28 June 2007.