Chair: John Sugg 863435
Newsletter
Editor: Lesley Lindsay
862868
Secretary:
Sarah Owen 862218
Treasurer:
Keith Helliar 863700
CREAM TEAS AT LITTLE
FOXHOLES
John and Bridget Sugg kindly opened their garden for
cream teas and Pimms on 19 June helping the society to raise an impressive £353
for funds. Thank you to everyone who
helped to support this successful event.
We hope you all enjoyed yourselves.
VILLAGE MEETING
A meeting is being held on Tuesday 14 September at
7.30pm in the Dampier Room, East Coker Hall.
This meeting is to discuss whether the village wishes to hold celebrations/commemorations
of the 60th anniversary of VE / VJ Days to be held on 9/10 July 2005. Please come with ideas and all are welcome.
CHRISTMAS BAZAAR
ADVANCE NOTICE
The Christmas Bazaar will be held in the East Coker
Hall, on Saturday 4 December. Forms for
stalls will be in October's Newsletter.
Village Clubs and Organisations
EAST COKER
FLOWER SHOW &
WINE FESTIVAL - 21
August 2004
Just a reminder that schedules for the classes are
now available from East Coker Post Office & Stores. So pick one up today and get entering! All proceeds will be going to the Pavilion
Fund.
ACTION MEDICAL RESEARCH
Azur Fashion Show
The East Coker Committee of Action Medical Research
would like to thank everyone, who came to our Fashion Show at East Coker Hall. It was a very enjoyable and
successful day, raising £1060 for our
charity.
Michaelmas Fayre
Once again our very popular fair, will be held at
East Coker Hall on Tuesday 21 September,
from 10.00am – 4.00pm.
The entrance fee will be £2, which includes tea or
coffee, and refreshments will be
available all day.
A unique selection of goods
will be on sale this year. There will be over 30 stalls, coming from all over
the country, having been selected to offer a superb range of high quality goods at reasonable prices.
So please come along and bring your friends and do
some early Christmas shopping!
Leigh
Mead
EAST COKER
PAVILION FUND
On a warm, sunny day at the end of May, over 100
cyclists set off on a sponsored cycle ride to raise money for the Pavilion
Fund. Some enthusiastic individuals
ventured out on the 20-mile route, which meandered through the picturesque
lanes of Corscombe and Halstock. Many
families undertook the 10-mile route, which wended out in the same direction,
and those with small children opted for the much shorter route through the
lanes of East Coker.
All riders then met back at the Pavilion for a
barbeque (the food for which was generously provided by Asda) and, of course,
some liquid refreshment. After a few
hours the cyclists made their way home tired but happy. It was lovely to see so many children and
families being involved in this event, particularly as, when the pavilion is
built, it will be the youth of the village who stand to benefit the most from it.
Present estimates suggest that £1400 will be raised
from the cycle ride. However, there are
still some people who have not yet handed in their sponsor money. If this applies to you, please bring it to
Emma Trickey or John Sugg as soon as possible.
Don’t forget, there is a prize for the highest sponsorship handed
in! Because
off the great success of this well supported event we hope to make it an annual
fundraiser.
Speaking of finances, East Coker Pre-School
Playgroup has very kindly donated the proceeds from their Summer Fair to the
Pavilion fund. This gesture is much
appreciated, especially as a lot of hard work has gone into making the Summer
Fair such a success.
We are delighted to announce that the East Coker
Cricket Team is once more playing at Longfurlong Lane, after an absence of many
years. The cricket square has been
reinstated on the “old” playing field, and the football pitch will now be laid
out on the “new “ playing field, so that the pitches don’t have to overlap.
The inaugural match of the new East Coker team was
held on 2 June against an Ivel Barbarian XI.
It was a very close competition, but the East Coker team was the
eventual winner, by a slim margin of four runs!
The next fundraising event will be on 9 October,
when the Pavilion Committee will be bringing you a musical extravaganza at Ivel
Barbarians Rugby Club. The popular local band “Storm” will be performing for
us, and there will also be the opportunity to groove the night away with the
Big “O” disco. Tickets will be on sale
shortly for about £5 per head, which will include a simple supper of bacon and
sausage baps.
POPPY APPEAL
60TH ANNIVERSARY OF
D-DAY
This year has been a very memorable one in our history,
as we watched veterans of the forces celebrate the 60th anniversary of
D-Day. Let us now do our bit as we turn
our thoughts to the Poppy Appeal.
I do hope all my collectors will be available for
this important year. I really do
appreciate your 'footwork'. Even though
we are no longer in the village the procedure will be exactly the same, as
Barry and I will still deliver the boxes.
Many thanks.
Sue Hounsell
EAST COKER POETRY
GROUP
After a successful first
meeting of the new East Coker Poetry Group, the next event is planned for
Wednesday 28 July, when Joyce Best and Jean Caunter will be reading their
favourite animal poems.
The group meets from 7.30pm –
8.30pm in the Apple Loft at the Helyar Arms, East Coker. It is a fun and informal occasion and
everyone is welcome. There is no
membership fee.
Call Sue McKerracher on
863633 for information, or just come along on the night.
EAST COKER GARDENING CLUB
We had a highly successful
Open Evening in May, with Anne Swithinbank.
This enabled the club to present
St Margaret's Hospice,
Yeovil with a cheque for £1000. Since
then members have visited the South Somerset District Council plant nursery at
Lufton Park and have spent a glorious day at the Royal Horticultural Society's
garden at Rosemoor in Devon. We have
also been to the Brimsmoor Garden Centre to listen to a talk on ponds – their
construction and suitable plants.
Now we are looking forward
to visiting the Hampton Court Flower Show in July. A coach will be setting off early on 8 July
with more than 50 members and their friends.
We look forward to a great day.
The club now has over 70
members. New members and visitors are
always welcomed to our monthly meetings which are held at East Coker Hall on the
2nd Thursday of each month (unless otherwise stated) starting at 7.30pm. If you are not yet a member but would be
interested in joining us come along to one of our meetings, or ring me, Rachael
Blow, on 862841.
EAST COKER WINE
CIRCLE (www.ecokerwinecircle.eurobell.co.uk)
A fascinating programme of
speakers to suit many tastes has been planned for the East Coker Wine Circle's
new year. The first meeting will be on Wednesday
4 August when Chris and Sandy Rendell will talk about antique glassware. It is hoped there will be an opportunity for
them to discuss any items members bring with them. This will be followed on 1 September with
stories of the supernatural by Roger Evans and on 13 October with a talk by
Barry Woodhouse about his journey from Russia to the Mediterranean. Larry Skeets returns to the Circle on 3
November when he will be talking of his experiences at bar tending. A Call My Wine Bluff (tasting) and a bread
making competition will bring 2004 to a close.
Running in conjunction with
the main programme this year will be a winemaking forum designed for the
dedicated winemakers, for both beginners and potential winemakers. These meetings will be held at members'
homes. Anyone interested in this forum
should contact Vince Wolny (863838) or via the Circle's email (ecokerwinecircle@eurobell.co.uk).
A comprehensive social
programme has also been planned and will include a brewery tour and tasting of
country wines and liqueurs in October, a nine-day trip to the Rhein in Germany
and three theatre outings. The Circle's
winemakers will also be entering their wines in the SW Federation wine festival
in October.
EAST COKER WOMEN'S
INSTITUTE
Members and friends
recently spent a very interesting day at Wilton House and gardens for the
Women's Institute birthday meeting. In
July a talk will be given by Mrs Alma Williams and in August Mrs Peggy Newman
will guide members through research into family trees. Members will be showing off some of their
talents at the September meeting.
This Institute, which meets
on the last Thursday of each month, was awarded third place in both the cookery
and craft sections at the Bath & West Show this year. The monthly open whist drives restart at East
Coker Hall on Thursday 16 September.
Anyone is welcome to attend any meeting as a guest or a potential new
member.
Young
People
EAST COKER SCOUT
GROUP
40th Anniversary Barn Dance on Saturday 13 November at 7.30pm East
Coker Hall.
This year is a special year
for the Scout Group as we will be celebrating 40 years of scouting in East
Coker. To mark this event we will be
holding a Barn Dance. This is not a fund
raising event but an opportunity for the village to celebrate with us and is
open to all who would like to come along.
We look forward to meeting
up with 'old' scouts and acquaintances from the past. The evening will also include an
exhibition. If anyone has any
interesting items/old photos etc. that could be exhibited please contact
us. These would of course be returned.
Tickets are on sale at
Adults £5, Children £2.50, and includes supper, but please bring your own
drinks. Children's soft drinks will be
on sale during the evening.
Contact Max Bugler 862186 and Pat Switzer 863764.
Waste Paper Collections: 31 July,
2 October, and 4 December.
Autumn Jumble Sale to be held at East Coker Village Hall, Saturday 9 October at
2.00pm. All donations of jumble
gratefully received. Remember we will collect. Max Bugler
862186
Thank you for your
support. Jackie Glover
EAST COKER PRE-SCHOOL
PLAYGROUP
Summer term at playgroup has
been a whirl of activity. The children have explored 'Our Environment' and
'Other Countries'. There is some
wonderful artwork displayed around the Pavilion. The children due to start in September have
come to visit and the children who go up to school in September have visited
their schools. Towards the end of term
there will be a trip to go on for the older children and the Sports Day to take
part in. (We mums and dads are in
serious training right now)
East Coker Pre-School
Playgroup is registered with Ofsted and the Early Years Development and
Childcare Partnership and follows the Foundation Stage curriculum. We provide a warm, friendly, stimulating and
safe environment where children can blossom and grow, learning and developing
happily through play based activities.
There is funding available through the Early Years Grant when children
become eligible. Children are able to
attend from 2½ up to 5 years old. We are
open Monday to Friday during term time from 9.15am – 12 noon, and on a Tuesday
and Wednesday afternoon from 1.00pm – 3.30pm.
At present we are able to offer lunch cover for children who would like
to bring a packed lunch and stay until 1.15pm for an extra fee.
To secure a place on the
waiting list for your children please contact Kay Strode on 872126 after
6.00pm. It is best to get your child’s
name down early on the waiting list; places are limited.
During the Summer Holidays,
sessions will be available to children up to their 6th birthday. Please contact Kay Strode on the number above
if you would like further information.
This year will see the
tenth annual Craft Fair held by the Playgroup.
It will be on Sunday 14 November 2004 at East Coker Village Hall, from
10.30am – 4.00pm. Stalls are available
for the Craft Fair. Please contact Eve
Dudden on 862357 for details.
The
Churches
ALL SAINTS', SUTTON
BINGHAM
A Coffee Morning is being
held at The Anchorage, Coker Marsh, on Saturday 4 September, 10.00am – 12
noon. Many stalls including cake,
plants, bric-a-brac and raffle. Entrance
£2 to include tea or coffee. All
welcome.
ST. MICHAEL'S CHURCH
Service for those we have loved but see no longer.
Our annual service in which
we remember those who are no longer with us will be on 31 October – the Sunday
of All Souls. The service will begin at
6.00pm and the preacher this year is Rev. E Bangay who is chairman of Cruse and
was chaplain of Yeovil Hospital. During
the service we read out the names of those who have passed away. I will be writing to those whose loved ones
died this year but please let me have the names of anybody else you would like
included by 24 October as the list usually contains some 100+ names. We prefer to use only one Christian name.
Monica Whipp 862834
St. Michael's Church Plant Sale 2004
Thanks to the efforts and
support of many people this year the event raised £1,100. This has enabled the committee to make
donations of £500 to The Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance and £500 to The
Yeovil Hospice Appeal. Our thanks to
everyone who was involved.
EAST COKER CHRISTIAN
FELLOWSHIP
A
warm welcome awaits you at the end of Burton Lane. Services as follows:
Sundays:- Sunday Club for
4 – 12 year olds 10.00am except 2nd Sunday in the month which has a Family
Service 10.30am The Lord's Supper
11.30am Bible Study 6.30pm. Other events announced weekly.
Contact
us on 422594/862980 or 863735
Village
News
EAST COKER PARISH
COUNCIL
The proposed Parish Plan
has received a grant so that the Parish Council can now finance questionnaires,
which will be delivered to every house.
Please take some time to answer the questions about how you would like
to see the parish move forward into the 21st century. Your views and opinions will be very
important and this is a chance for everyone to have their say in their
village’s future. The results will be
presented at a later date for all to see.
Please remember to return the
questionnaire!
East Coker’s entry in the
‘Calor Gas Village of the Year’ competition has been presented to the judges by
a team led by Sarah Rashley, who has gathered all the relevant information
together. We now await the judges’
decision.
The cricket pitch at the
Pavilion is now in full and exclusive use by the Cricket Club and the football
pitch will be ready for teams to use in the new season. If you are at the Play Area or on the
pitches, please do not drop litter.
There is a rubbish bin for waste, which really should be used! KEEP
YOUR PLAYING FIELDS TIDY!
LADIES NIGHT – Friday 1 October
2004, 7.00pm – 10.00pm, East Coker Hall.
Over 40 therapists, stalls
and raffle. Ticket price £10 includes
three 15 minute therapy sessions, glass of wine and dessert. Choose from reflexology, aromatherapy,
massage, Indian head massage, manicure, facials, plus much, much more - something
for all ages. Come along and be pampered
for the night, indulge in some shopping, and enjoy your free food and wine
chatting with friends.
For advance ticket sales,
contact Liz Raymont on 863229. Book
early to avoid disappointment as tickets will be limited. If you don't pre-book, you can still come
along on the night, browse around the stalls and there may even be a few
treatment sessions still available at £3 each.
Proceeds in aid of
Hardington Pre - School, a registered charity.
Linda Fry
NOTES FROM THE
OBSERVATORY
Summer Solstice – 21 June
Spring continued into
April, which was cool, damp and cloudy, although a few warm days ended the
month. A surprising, violent, hailstorm
occurred on the 7th and rain fell on 13 days.
Towards the end of April a warm spell gave a temperature of 19.4C,
(66.9F) on the 25th.
May was a much drier month
with only 7 days of rain. Rainfall for
the month was 29.7mm (1.17 ins.) compared with April's 87.6mm (3.45 ins.). So far, June has been a warm dry month with
temperatures rising into the mid 20s Celsius.
In the first half of the month daytime temperatures rose to over 20C on
10 days, with a high of 25.4 (77.7F) on the 7th. By the middle of the month, gardens were
looking parched and in need of a good soaking.
Only a trace of rain fell in the first half of the month. Perhaps we shall have a repeat of last year's
hot summer despite the old saying
"Oak before ash, all
wet and splash.
Ash before oak, all fire
and smoke"
as the oak was well in leaf
before the ash this year. Many country
sayings are not all that reliable and I have noticed that the oak is invariably
in leaf before the ash, even in the long hot dry summers of 2003 and 1976.
The dry spell in early
summer reduced the sightings of butterflies.
A damp few days before sunnier days seem to bring them out. The first Orange Tips flew on a warm 24 April, preceded by a Speckled Wood on the
12th. These, together with an early
Brimstone, a few Small Whites, a solitary Small Blue and a Painted Lady have
been the total of sightings so far this year.
But I was cheered to see a fine specimen of an over-wintering Lime Hawk
Moth fluttering indoors in May.
Buzzards have been flying
low over the village. The first of the
migrating chiff-chaffs sang on 22
April. My Long Furlong Lane Outstation correspondent
reports a pair of mallard feeding in gardens locally, while the same pair has
been down to feed on a bowl of food elsewhere in the village. Few swallows have been seen and there appears
to be a reduction in the number of housemartins.
Digging more than one spit
down in the garden yields a base of pure seaside sand. The salty smell brings back a memory of an
old custom which was frequent in my youth.
A travelling ironmonger would sell a bucket of sea-sand for a
penny. This would be spread over the
stone-flagged floors of cottages, to be swept up each evening. I can still recall the gritty feel of walking
on the floor, so strewn, of my next door neighbour. All far removed from modern fitted carpets. I wonder if anyone in the village can recall
such a custom locally?
Alas, the total eclipse of
the moon in May was obscured by clouds, but we had a fine morning on 8 June to
see the Transit of Venus. It was
possible to see Venus as a tiny dot crossing the sun, by projecting the sun's
image onto a piece of white card. Much
better pictures of the event were seen on TV.
Jupiter has been prominent in the south western sky at night for a month
or so but will move to the west as summer progresses and disappear from the
night sky by early July. Venus and
Saturn will appear in the early morning before sunrise during the early
autumn. The next total eclipse of the
moon visible at East Coker, will be on 28 October at about 3.00am.
Francis Cloke 862496
R.S.P.B. COFFEE MORNING
Saturday 30 October 2004,
in the Dampier Room at the Village Hall.
Doors open 10.00am – 12 noon.
Please come and support the
birds! Buy your Christmas cards and
gifts from a very good selection. There will
be a cake stall, bring and buy stall, plants, etc.
All donations, especially
cakes, will be very welcome.
Lorna Doyle
BONFIRES
Just a reminder, now that
summer is here, to think of your neighbour before lighting a bonfire. The best time for this is after 6.00pm and
not over a weekend if possible. Thank
you.
HOMES WANTED FOR
FRENCH STUDENTS
Homes are urgently wanted
for French students from the 8 – 21 July.
This is a great opportunity for your family to practice their
French. Payments will be made for their
board and lodgings. The students will be
out all day from 9.00am – 5.00pm.
If you feel you can help,
please phone Monica 863493
VILLAGE LITTER
I heartily agree with the plea
in the last Newsletter, for all of us to help keep our village free of
litter. I would like to give recognition
and thanks to Sally Jackson who, with the aid of a plastic carrier bag and a
long pointed stick, picks up all the litter she finds between the Ten Cottages
and Pincushion corner. Sally is one of
our most senior members of the village and should put all of us to shame by her
indomitable commitment. Thank you Sally
– would that there were more like you.
Joyce Best
-----%------------------------%------------------------%-------------------------%------------------------%-----------------------%
VILLAGE DIARY
July 2004 - December 2004
|
Thu 22 July |
Gardening Club |
Visit Hinton St George |
7.30pm |
|
Wed 28 July |
Poetry Group |
Helyar Arms |
7.30pm |
|
Sat 31 July |
Waste Paper Collection |
Opposite School |
9am – 11am |
|
Wed 4 Aug |
Wine Circle |
East Coker Hall |
8.00pm |
|
Thu 12 Aug |
Botanical Drawings Talk - Gardening Club |
East Coker Hall |
7.30pm |
|
Sat 21 Aug |
Flower Show & Wine Festival |
East Coker Hall |
2.00pm |
|
Wed 1 Sept |
Wine Circle |
East Coker Hall |
8.00pm |
|
Sat 4 Sept |
Coffee Morning |
The Anchorage |
10am – 12 noon |
|
Thu 9 Sept |
"Bees in Your Garden" Talk – Gardening Club |
East Coker Hall |
7.30pm |
|
Tue 14 Sept |
Village Meeting |
Dampier Room, ECH |
7.30pm |
|
Thu 16 Sept |
Whist Drive |
East Coker Hall |
7.30pm |
|
Tue 21 Sept |
Michaelmas Fayre |
East Coker Hall |
10am – 4pm |
|
Fri 1 Oct |
Ladies Night |
East Coker Hall |
7pm – 10pm |
|
Sat 2 Oct |
Waste Paper Collection |
Opposite School |
9am – 11am |
|
Sat 9 Oct |
Musical Extravaganza |
Ivel Rugby Club |
7.30pm |
|
Sat 9 Oct |
Scout Jumble Sale |
East Coker Hall |
2.00pm |
|
Wed 13 Oct |
Wine Circle |
East Coker Hall |
8.00pm |
|
Thu 14 Oct |
Gardening Club Talk - Potatoes |
East Coker Hall |
7.30pm |
|
Sat 30 Oct |
RSPB Coffee Morning |
Dampier Room, ECH |
10am – 12 noon |
|
Sat 13 Nov |
40th Anniversary Barn Dance |
East Coker Hall |
7.30pm |
|
Sun 14 Nov |
Craft Fair |
East Coker Hall |
10.30am – 4pm |
|
Sat 4 Dec |
Waste Paper Collection |
Opposite School |
9am – 11am |
|
Sat 4 Dec |
Christmas Bazaar |
East Coker Hall |
2.00pm |