East Coker Society
Newsletter
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July
2008 Free Issue No 131
Chair: John Sugg 863435
e-mail
Newsletter Editor: Lesley Lindsay 862868
e-mail
Secretary: Sarah Owen 862218
Treasurer: Keith Helliar 863700
EAST
COKER SOCIETY
SCARECROW COMPETITION
21
Congratulations
to the 29 entrants in the second East Coker Scarecrow Competition, who
demonstrated their impressive creative abilities and provided us with a great
deal of entertainment as we walked, cycled and drove round the 'scarecrow'
route during the week-end of 21 22 June. We were anticipating many more entries this
year, after the encouragement from so many of you who enjoyed the 2007 event
and specifically asked us to repeat it again. Although many of these failed to materialise,
this was more than compensated by the supreme efforts of those who did
participate. You brightened up the
village, and encouraged many people out and about! Well look forward to seeing some of them at
the Church Fκte.
The
standard of the entries was so high that the judges had a very difficult job. The first prize in the Childrens Category was
won by the Backhouse Family with their Slam
Dunk entry. Rosie and Katy Palmer and
Sam and Clare Barnes-Thornton were a very close runner up with Percy the Park Keeper. In the Adult Category, Flavia Leng won first
prize with Miss Flora Bunda. The runner up was Ann Coyne with Maurice Morris. Finally, the Clubs and Organisations Category
was won by Trebles Gone, entered by Don and Barbara Nicol and
friends of Ten Cottages. East Cokers
Christian Fellowships Cutting Edge entered
by Kevin Chapman was a close runner up.
Photographs
of all the scarecrows will eventually be on the website www.eastcoker.com
Sarah
Owen, Secretary East Coker Society
ANNUAL GENERAL
MEETING
At the AGM of the East Coker Society held on the 10
June, the Executive Committee was re-elected en bloc. It was disappointing that only one villager
attended, as all villagers are automatically members of the Society. We would welcome some new members to serve on
the Executive Committee, so if you feel you could give your experience to the
Society, please phone the Secretary 862218
A NEW
'MUST-HAVE' ITEM!
The new East Coker Bag is a 'must-have' item if you live in East Coker! The cotton shopper is available with either
long or short handles, and has the East Coker Cockerel on one side. Environmentally friendly, and good for the
'green' consumer! Available from the
East Coker P.O. & Store or Sarah Owen 862218
ADVANCE NOTICE of the WINTER FAYRE
Book early!
Tables for the Winter Fayre are available. The price is £1. 50 a foot, for 4, 6, 8, 10
and 12 foot tables. Setting up of tables
will be from
Individuals or organisations who wish to reserve a
table should please fill in the form below, and send it with either cash or a
cheque, by 15 November at the latest, made payable to East Coker Society, to Carol Blackmore, Pippins, Higher Burton,
East Coker 862192. This will make certain your stall is
reserved.
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WINTER FAYRE
Name of Organisation
...
.
Type of Stall
.
Contact Name and Telephone Number
Size
of table at £1. 50 per foot
.. I
enclose £
..Signed
...
......
.
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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 so if in future you would
like to help by receiving 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
For those already receiving the Newsletter by
e-mail, please e-mail Lesley Lindsay if you change your e-mail address.
Village Clubs and Organisations
EAST COKER ACTION MEDICAL RESEARCH
We are holding a
Womans World Evening at the East Coker Hall on
Tickets are £10
including wine and refreshments and are available from Angie Mead 862972 or
Barb Raison 862553.
A reminder of our lunch
with the Rt. Hon Ann Widdecombe MP on Thursday 27 November 2008 at the new
Tithe Barn, Haselbury Mill, Nr Yeovil. Tickets
are £30 to include a two-course lunch with wine.
There has been a lot of
interest in this event and tickets are limited, please ring Jane Donnelly
478409 for tickets a.s.a.p.
Cream Teas £2,300 was made from the 500 Cream Teas which
were delivered in Yeovil, Sherborne & Crewkerne. Thank you to all those in the village who
supported us.
STILL TO BE OPEN ALL HOURS
We start with the sad news that East Coker Post
Office is to close. We would like to say
a big thank you to all who supported us and fought with us during the campaign
to save the Post Office. We are sorry
that we were unsuccessful in our attempts and feel deeply saddened for the
village at the loss of a service that a great many people will miss. The date for the closure is set for
Anyway, time to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves
down and move forwards. We are going to
continue to run the store under the new name East Coker Village Store. Due to the removal of the Post Office, we are
going to re-arrange the interior space and displays to hopefully improve the
Store. Please bear with us, as it could
take some time to get fully sorted. Along
with the changes, we are creating a website with details of stock offers and hopefully
a stock list, though again this could take some time.
You can check on progress at http://mysite.orange.co.uk/eastcokerstore.
We are fully aware of the importance of stock
control and stock holding and will continue to work hard as we have done over
the last 16 months to ensure availability of stock. We are also open to suggestions of products
and services that you would like us to supply or of any other ways in which we
can improve on what we do. If we get
enough demand for a particular item then we will try to source it at a
reasonable cost.
You can call into the store with any suggestions. Alternatively we can be e-mailed at eastcokerstore@yahoo.co.uk.
We are always on the lookout for
opportunities, as anyone who knows Paul will tell you.
Some of the recent new additions to our stock
portfolio are electronic items (TV with DVD and Freeview, USB portable Hard
Drive, Satellite Navigation, Remote Control Tank and Helicopters and more),
chemical toilet fluids for Campers and Caravanners, and DVDs (including some
new releases and a selection of other movies for all tastes).
We also have other ideas which we are investigating
at present.
At the time of writing this piece, we are in
communication with a company which, if things work out, will allow us to
continue to offer some Bill Payment Services and would hopefully add the
ability to provide electricity key charging amongst other services. We have had to buy the rights from the Post
Office to be able to continue to provide these services. We will keep you informed on this.
Paul is also a qualified driving instructor and is
looking to take on extra work. More
details on the driving school services will be available in store.
Ultimately, we are realistic enough to know that
there is only so much that we can do to make the store a success. In reality, it is our customers who make the
store what it is. We only hope that we
can continue to serve our community to the best of our ability for a long time
to come.
Paul, Vicky, Emmalia & Lillia Moorhouse
THE COKER 400 CLUB
£100
Mr J Mornement; £50 Mr J Sharp; £40 Mr & Mrs T Kimpton; £30 Mr D Jenkins;
£20 Mrs K Best; £15 Mrs A Mead; £10 Mr C Bingley; Mrs B Chatwin.
If
anyone would like to join the 400 Club £20 a year payable by quarterly payments
of £5 by Bank Standing Order please contact Mike Weston 862472, Gloria Mead
862384 or Mary Ashley 862263
EAST
COKER FLOWER SHOW
& WINE FESTIVAL
This will be held at
East Coker Hall on
Doors will be open to
exhibitors between
Good Luck everyone!
EAST COKER PAVILION
FUND UPDATE
Opening Celebration
The new Pavilion extension is complete and we are
having an opening celebration with complimentary light refreshments on Sunday
20 July from
On not quite such a positive note. There has been some minor vandalism with the
use of the new roof as a seating area, which has caused damage to the felt. May we ask all parents to ensure that children
realise the dangers and cost of these actions and actively to discourage anyone
seen on the roof.
A note for your diary, we are having an Auction of Promises on Friday 10 October
which we hope will raise enough funds to refurbish the old Pavilion. We are looking for promises from cakes to
holidays. Our last auction raised over
£8,000 and if we could achieve this again it would complete this very
worthwhile project. Please contact me on
863435 if you can help in anyway.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank
Warman Builders for delivering an excellent job on time and more importantly on
budget and Robert Mead for all his efforts including project management.
Bridget Sugg East Coker Pavilion Fund
EAST COKER POETRY GROUP
Tuesday 29 July Joyce Smith & Betty Davis
Tuesday
30 September Travel, Caroline Mornement hosts an evening of travel poetry
with a display of textiles from around the world to accompany the verse.
Readers include Joyce Best and James Nash.
East Coker
Poetry Competition 2008 deadline for entries
The subject is 'Time'
Everyone is welcome to enter the competition. Your poem can be short or long. It can be in any form sonnet; limerick;
haiku. It must be mainly in
English. It can be typed or
hand-written. For details of the rules
please contact the telephone number below.
Entries should be sent to East Coker Poetry Group, Church Cottage,
Burton Cross, East Coker, Yeovil BA22 9LYor email to
info@eastcokerpoetry.org.uk
All meetings are at The Helyar Arms, East Coker,
TIME TO SHARE
The year began with a jolly Hogmanay Hop, with
musical accompaniment by the Misty Trio, plus a Bargain Bazaar to boost funds.
Then the change of venue which affected all those
using the facilities of the East Coker Hall due to its closure whilst major
repairs were undertaken. We gratefully
accepted the generous offer made by Kevin Chapman to transfer to his hall in
In February, a Poetry Please session was held, with
members submitting their own poems appropriate for Valentine's Day.
Nigel and Alison entertained us with their slides
and commentary of their second trip to
Bill Petheram projected some fascinating pictures
of his diving exploits in the
A
fun Sing-a-Long of old-time favourites had members waiting more desperately
than usual for their refreshing cup of tea served at the end of each meeting
such were their efforts to sing with gusto the familiar lyrics!
In
May, it was eyes-down for Card Bingo, and later in that month Bob Fox
entertained us with his hilarious recollections from a life-time of being
involved in the world of Old Time Music Hall Variety Theatre.
The
late Joan Bulcraig would have been delighted to see how we enjoyed the day trip
to Minehead she bequeathed the Club, including a Carvery meal at the Wellington
Hotel. It was one of those gloriously
sunny days that rarely happen when trips are arranged in advance of weather
forecasts being available.
The
half-yearly programme finished with Songs of Praise at St Michael's Church on 23
June, and now it's back to East Coker Hall for future events, with its
brand-new floor and shiny new windows.
Jean
Cooksey
Forthcoming Events
7 July Sing-a-Long a celebration! 21 July Travels in
4 August Quiz-time pit your wits! 18 August Birthday Tea Dance with the Misty Trio
1
September AGM and Bring & Buy 15 September Whole Day Outing
29
September Call my Bluff Larry Skeats 13 October History of the Swan Theatre Stan Law
27
October Craft Competition Gill Holt
The
Club meets in the East Coker Hall from
EAST
COKER GARDENING CLUB
After meeting in various venues for the past few
months, members of the Club were delighted to be back 'home' in the East Coker
Hall for the June meeting.
Since the beginning of April, members had heard a
helpful talk on 'Rock Gardens and Alpines' and had seen two splendid slide
shows of photographs of 'Somerset Wildlife' by Den Bridel, and a 'Portrait of
Exmoor' by John S. Stuart.
In early April, the Clubs spring holiday took a
coach-load on a 3-day trip to
On 11 June, a day trip went to The Chelsea Physic
Garden in
At the time of going to press, on 10 July the Club
will be hearing about the work of The Barn Own Trust.
The Club took part in the East Coker Societys
Scarecrow Competition with 'How Does Your Garden Grow' displayed in Mill
Close. It is anticipated that members
will put on a good showing at the Annual Flower Show on 16 August. This year the Club will also be presenting a
cup for one of the classes.
The programme for the rest of the summer is set out
below. The Club usually meets on the
second Thursday in the month at
14 August Marie-Elaine
Houghton from Hortus Nurseries on'Planting for Late Summer Interest'
11 September Pam
Lewis from Sticky Wicket on 'Gardening in Tune with Nature'
Saturday 27 September Day trip to Malvern Autumn Show leaving East Coker at
8.00am.
9 October Clem
Pryor on 'Roses and Castles
For further information contact the Hon-Secretary,
Catherine Denny on 862294, or the Hon-Treasurer, Stan Shaylor on 420291.
Young People
EAST COKER
SCOUT GROUP
Coffee
Morning Saturday 19 July by kind invitation of Tim
& Jackie Glover at The Old School House Closworth (next to the Church) 10
00am 12noon. Entry £2.00 to include
coffee and homemade cakes; bric-a-brac stall and raffle.
Proceeds to help fund the Scout Group's forthcoming
visit to the Irish Jamboree.
Waste Paper
Collections: Saturday 26 July 30
August 27 September
Autumn
Jumble Sale Saturday 18 October, East
Coker Hall from
REMEMBER WE
WILL COLLECT. Contact Max Bugler
862186. Thank you for your support.
EAST COKER PLAYGROUP
Thank you to everyone who supported the playgroup's
Annual Summer Fair. The weather was
beautiful, ice-cream nearly sold out, and the event raised an amazing £1000.
Our topic this term is Pirates, so beware you land
lubbers! As usual, the staff and
children need little encouragement for the ideas to roll in (sorry). So far the outlook is calm, maybe a little
hoppy around Sports Day, fair to nice for the leavers visits to
During the summer holidays, the group plans to open
on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings, subject to demand, from
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. 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 we offer optional lunch cover
for children who like to bring a packed lunch. The playgroup offers extended opening hours (a
breakfast club and afterschool club for pre-schoolers) please contact Kay
Strode if you would like more information on this exciting opportunity on your
doorstep. For more information and to put your child/children on the waiting list
please contact Kay Strode on 07798 812540 or after
YOUTH
PARISH COUNCIL
The
Parish Council has been exploring the possibility of forming a Youth Parish
Council. If a Youth Parish Council were
to be established it would obviously need youngsters to come forward to form
it. However, it is also clear that adult
support would be essential for a project like this to succeed. The Parish Council is keen to know if there
are any community minded adults willing to take a leading role in, and be the
focal point for, the establishment of a Youth Parish Council.
If
you are interested and require more information please contact: Barrie Hartley 862060
The Churches
ST. MICHAEL'S
CHURCH
Services
Sunday 31 August Sung
Matins
Other church services as
usual during July and August
Sunday 7 September Pet
Service 10.00am
Sunday 28 St Michael &
all Angel's Service 10.00am
Sunday 5 October Harvest
Festival Eucharist 10.00am. Older
school children are encouraged to give a presentation of 'Eco-friendly' living
for our future world
Saturday 13 September
Wednesday 1 October Harvest Supper
Future Dates
Sunday 19 October
Sunday 26 October
Fairtrade St Michael's is moving towards becoming a Fairtrade
Church wherever possible, refreshments supplied will be of Fairtrade origin.
Service for those we love but no longer
see
This
year the service will be on 2 November at St Michael's Church at
It
would be helpful if people could let me have the names of their loved ones they
would like to have read out by 26 October.
Many
thanks, Monica 862834
EAST COKER
CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP,
Open Sunday
with Cream Tea On Sunday 14 September we shall be serving Cream Teas in
the Hall at the end of
Coffee Stop The Hall is open every
Wednesday from
Walking Group A walking group uses the Hall as a base
every Tuesday morning at
Bible Study We hold a Bible Study in
a home on Wednesday mornings and another in a different home on Wednesday
afternoons. If anyone would like to join
us or form another study or discussion group please contact Kevin Chapman.
Weekly Meetings 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th
Sundays 11.00 am Worship Service (incorporating Communion). 2nd Sunday
11.00am Family Service. Tuesdays
Kevin Chapman is available in the village each
Tuesday and Wednesday. He can be contacted on 0781 2726853 or 01935 422594 or
email ec.cf@hotmail.co.uk Please do feel free to contact him if you
have any queries about the Christian faith or if you would like someone to pray
with you or simply to talk to.
ALL SAINTS'
CHURCH CLOSWORTH
Closworth
Family Service
We hold this on the 3rd Sunday of the
month at
Sunday 14 September
Sunday 21 September will be a special Harvest
Celebration Service so please come and join us
For further details please phone me, Monica 862834
ALL SAINTS
CHURCH SUTTON BINGHAM
The Coffee Morning held on 14 June at the home of Mrs Kay
Biggin raised £397 towards the Church Roof Fund. The final total was £689, the residue being
made up by kind donations. Anthony and
Carol would like to thank everyone who supported and contributed in any way.
Services
1st Sunday in the month
Work starts on the porch roof on 7 July. Access may be a little restricted during the two
weeks' work.
BIBLE MID-WEEK
MEETINGS
Wednesday 16 July
Wednesday 20 August
Wednesday 17 September
Wednesday 15 October
These meetings take place in the East Coker
Hall. Do join us and bring your
friends. Refreshments are served after
each meeting.
For further details contact Roy Hodder 862519 or
Edward Armistead 862785
Village News
LIFEBOAT WEEK 14 TO
Thankfully, relatively few of us will ever need to
be rescued by the emergency services.
However, just watching one real-life event on 'Seaside Rescue' convinces
us of the bravery and dedication of the people who perform these lifesaving
duties.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is totally
supported by voluntary donations. Not
only does it provide the well-known lifeboat service, it is also a significant
provider to the increasingly familiar Beach Rescue activity.
Environmental and economic conditions are encouraging more people to holiday at home, and more lives are being saved by the yellow-vested team each year.
Please give generously during Lifeboat Week. Also, if you are able to help collecting near your home, please call Peter Burrows on 862218.
GOOSE SLADE FARM
SHOP OPEN EVENING 19 SEPTEMBER FROM
We
are holding another Open Evening from
A
big than you to all our customers, we appreciate and value your support
Our
regular
opening hours are Tuesday to Saturday,
Phil, Liz, Joe and Lindsey Dunning 863735
EAST COKER VILLAGE
SHOP
St
Michael's Social Responsibility Group wish to draw to the attention of
villagers, the real danger of the Post Office Closure having a secondary effect
on the viability of the Village Stores, which is a very important asset at the
centre of the community as well as a life-line for non-drivers, the elderly and
the disabled.
If
everyone buying a newspaper were to make a purchase at the same time, they
would be contributing to making the Village Stores financially viable. Remember USE IT OR LOSE IT!
The
mobile Library visits on a Thursday the times and dates for the stops in 2008
are:
East Coker
Helyar
Arms
Meadow
View
Sutton Bingham Bower Farm
Dates: 10 July 31 July 21 August
THANK YOU
The plant sale at Weavers Lodge, East Coker in May
went exceptionally well. At last we had
good weather for our sale and the large number of people made the proceeds
swell to £350 for charity this year.
If there was something particular you liked this
year, please let me know and I'll try to grow them for next year. A firm favourite this year was the Salvia,
Wild Sage, in red, pink and red/white, with sage fragrant leaves.
Thank you all again for coming. Hope to see you next year.
Glenn and Christine Seymour.
POPPY APPEAL
Owing to the rising price of diesel, Barry and I will not be
delivering the poppy boxes to individual collectors this year. A system similar to that of West Coker,
Hardington,
Once again I thank you all in advance for all your help.
Sue Hounsell 01308 424702
EAST COKER A
VILLAGE ALBUM
The second edition of Abigail
Shepherd's book 'East Coker - A Village Album', with its anecdotes of village
life and over 190 photographs, is being reprinted, price £12.50.
Advance orders are now being
taken. If you wish to reserve a copy,
please fill in the form below, enclosing £12.50 per copy ordered, and leave it
at the East Coker P.O. & Store, or to Lesley Lindsay at Little Meadow,
Coker Marsh. You will be notified when
the books are printed and delivered to East Coker for collection. The print run is due to take place during
May/June.
If you wish to have the book posted
either within the
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EAST COKER A
VILLAGE ALBUM
Name
. Contact Tel No
Address
(in case we need to contact you)
..
.
Number
of copies @ £12.50each
..
.
... Payment
enclosed
.
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THE
HELYAR ARMS
Charity Coffee Mornings
Friday 25
July Almshouses Charity
Friday 29
August All Saints' Church, Sutton
Bingham
Friday 26 September
Quiz Night
Held on the last Sunday
of every month. Four persons per team at
£5 per team. Good fun for everyone
SPONSORED CYCLE
I am cycling from
The journey in stages goes from
Your support would be welcomed not only when I am training, but in
helping me raise as much sponsorship as I can for a very worthwhile local
cause. You can contact me at 5
Broadacres, East Coker, 862826 or e-mail AMcdoug105@aol.com
SAM WEALE QUALIFIES FOR THE
Twenty-six
year-old local athlete
Modern
Pentathlon comprises shooting, swimming, running, horse riding and fencing
which are all done on the one day of competition, so it is a gruelling event
requiring many different skills and strengths.
Sam is currently ranked 28th in the world which was enough to
qualify him for his place. It has been
especially hard for Sam as he has had to overcome many injuries along the
way. As he couldnt compete much last
year, he has had to do all of the international qualifying competitions since
January this year.
Sam
started in the sport at a very early age. When he was eight he and his twin brother
Chris and sister Becky used to do biathlons. They learned to swim at Yeovil swimming club
and I coached them in the running. They
all joined Yeovil Olympiads athletic club and Sam still runs occasionally for
the club now. The family then joined Pegasus modern pentathlon club and they
all learned to shoot. Chris and Becky
were not so good at shooting so eventually moved on to other things, but Sam
took to it very well and won the national triathlon (running, swimming, shooting)
when he was 12. It was then that he
decided that he was going to compete for his country. He took up fencing at 14 and by the time he
was 15 he had his first GB vest for tetrathlon (swimming, running, shooting,
fencing). Lastly came the riding. He learnt the early stages of riding at
Brymsmore Riding Centre and when he went to Bath University he was trained
further in this discipline.
When
he was a first year junior pentathlete he came 3rd in the Junior
European Championships. Unfortunately, injuries over the years held Sam back
and he failed to qualify for the last Olympics. He even gave up for 18 months because he was
so despondent. After several operations
on both his feet it took him quite a while to get back on top form again, but
he showed his true potential in April this year when he won bronze at the World
Cup at Millfield School. All the top-ranked
athletes in the world were there that day, including the Olympic champion, so
he did very well to get on the podium.
I
hope the village will support Sam by wishing him well, as it is a great honour
to represent your country at the Olympic Games, and it has taken Sam many years
of hard work to achieve this goal. Watch
the action on BBC digital interactive 301 or 302 channels on 21 August. Unfortunately, because of the time difference,
we will all be up in the night watching it but I am sure you can catch up on
the action the next day.
Anyone who wishes to sponsor Sam can contact him on
samweale@googlemail.com or
write c/o Mr and Mrs D. Weale 12 Broadacres East Coker BA22 9LW.
Annette
Weale (very proud mum)
STANCHESTER
SPORTS CENTRE
Parents its almost that time again! That time when you need to find enough
activities to occupy your kids for 6 whole weeks, oh yes, the summer holidays
are almost upon us! But dont break down
into a cold sweat just yet, because Stanchester Sports Centre is here to make
the planning easy! Join us from 24 July
29 August for our biggest programme yet!
Brand new for 2008 is 'Active Kidz' the new play-scheme
concept and its perfect for any working parents as well as those children who
want to stay with us and enjoy the fun all day!
ACTIVE KIDZ (Mon 18 Fri 22 August)
q
Early Risers:
q
Active Kidz session 1: 10.00am 1.00pm
q
Active Kidz session 2: 1.00pm 4.00pm
q
Afternoon Chillout:
Each day will have a different theme including
water days, boot camp, circus day, a Gladiators day and our very own
Stanchester Olympics. Simply pick the
days and the sessions that fit in with your week or book for the whole day for
just £16.00 per child!
Of course as well as this we have our usual
exciting summer activity programme including badminton, football, tennis,
fencing, archery, water games, bouncy castles, street dancing, tae kwondo, the
return of the Shooting Stars Circus Company, and much more
Brochures will be coming to you via your childs
school, but to make sure you get your copy ASAP why not drop in an SAE to be
posted a copy, or send an e-mail to the address below to be sent an electronic
copy of the leaflet.
And, as its summer, it means we have daytime
badminton, squash and outdoor tennis courts, all available for casual
hire. We can take bookings up to 7 days
in advance as well as bookings on the day; so think of us if youre trying to
find time-fillers to keep yourselves occupied during the holidays.
See you over the summer we cant wait!
Stanchester Sports Centre 01935 825261
stanchestersportscentre@somerset.gov.uk
EAST COKER PARISH
COUNCIL
The
extension to the Pavilion is nearing completion thanks to Robert Mead and his
team. The Parish Council would like to
say a big thank you to all involved in reaching the final stages, and we hope
that everyone will find the extra space a useful addition to parish
facilities. The last push to raise funds
for furnishing etc. will be announced and hopefully there will be a big turnout
for these events.
Problems with DOGS
MESS on footpaths that are being strimmed has come to a head and Richard,
our lengthsman, really has had enough!! A
face-full of strimmed dog excrement is the final straw for those who work so
hard to keep your paths clear. PLEASE, PLEASE remove dogs mess
immediately, bag it and place it in a Dog Bin or take it home to your own
bin. Leaving the bag on the verge to be
hit by a strimmer is even worse, and such a Health & Safety risk that soon
no paths will be tidy and all that we have worked towards to keep our footpaths
accessible will be in vain.
Sadly, but inevitably, East Coker Post Office was
among the announced closures that have devastated rural parishes. The owners hope to be able to carry on as a
community shop and your support for their enterprise will be very much
appreciated in the future.
Repairs to the Chapel Roof in the Cemetery have been
delayed until further funds are available, following the completion of the
Pavilion extension.
The Parish Council is still pursuing the plan for a
Youth Parish Council, but there has to be a commitment from a small team of
adults to be involved with this project.
Any parents or other adults who would like offer their time to help
should contact the Parish Clerk, so that our younger parishioners can have
their own committee working with the Parish Council.
A second mini-football pitch is being added to the
cricket outfield.
An application for a 30mph speed limit seems to have
stalled yet again; the speed of traffic in the village is discussed at every
Parish Council meeting, but East Coker is still deemed to be a low priority
area in the Local Transport Plan. Please
help by reporting excessive speed or dangerous driving, as this may prevent a
future accident and slow down traffic.
Fly-tipping is on the increase a load of garden
waste was dumped in the middle of
Footpaths are becoming overgrown with greenery at this
time of year and not all of them are strimmed or trimmed by the council or the
lengthsman. To help, please take
secateurs with you if you are out and about stinging nettles are especially
invasive and are easy to trim, and this will benefit all users of our rights of
ways.
If you would like to raise any matters with your local
Member of Parliament, David Laws MP will be holding a surgery on Thursday 31
July, near the Post Office, at the entrance to Long Furlong Lane. Notices to follow.
NOTES FROM THE
OBSERVATORY
Summer Solstice
Today is officially
the start of summer, yet it feels like autumn with a cool wind, a cloudy sky
and rain in the afternoon.
Last night, the
village had a very red sky, just after sunset, which promised a fine day for
the solstice but, alas, it was not to be.
Mid-June has not lived up to its 'Flaming June' reputation, which is a
disappointment after some long dry warm days at the beginning of the month.
The shade temperature
on 9 June reached 23.5C (74.3F) in the middle of a warm spell that promised
much but soon ended. It was almost as
warm in early May when the mercury touched 22.8C (73.2F). Despite a warm first-half of May, the month
had a wet end. True to form, the late Spring
Bank Holiday was a total washout with heavy rain all day. Rainfall for May was 108mm (4.27ins). There were three days of frost in April with
a sprinkling of snow on 6 April, a surprise as the end of March had been warm
and pleasant. Rainfall so far this year
has totalled 429mm (16.91ins)
Last year's record
rainfall has seriously affected butterfly numbers. Very few have been flying in June. The first Brimstone appeared on 2 April as
did a Small Tortoiseshell. The most
numerous of the early butterflies were Orange Tips that appeared in early May
with quite a few Common Blues and sparse Speckled Woods. But all have now vanished with none of the
usual summer butterflies yet to be seen.
The lack of House
Martins has been commented on. They used
to be such a feature of the village but modern plastics used to trim eaves are
not suitable for nest building. Yet, I
later received a report of many Martins circling, perhaps looking for nesting
sites. In mid May a low-flying Buzzard
was hawked at by a smaller bird and driven away, thought to be a sign of
impending doom as the old man in Macbeth puts it...
'A falcon,
towering in her pride of place
Was by a
mousing owl hawk'd at and kill'd'
Buzzards frequently
circle lazily over the village; high in a bright summer sky. Another strange sight was a dead grey
squirrel on my lawn with not a mark on the body. These creatures seem to have a charmed life
high in the trees.
Queen Anne's Lace has
not been such a bright sight along our hedges this year. As perennials I thought that they would be
immune from the weather. I was delighted
to see a large white Valerian growing among all the red Valerians in the wall
along
The germination of
some vegetable seeds this year has been a disappointment. Many varieties have been reluctant or tardy to
germinate. The principal offenders have
been tomatoes, courgettes and runner beans.
I wonder if this has been the experience of others.
The June full moon
just before the summer solstice was very low in the night sky at transit. It looked much larger than usual, near the
horizon, a feature that has been remarked on for centuries. Yet the apparent enlarging of the low moon is
an optical illusion. A low moon's
photographs look no larger than usual. There
will be a partial eclipse of the moon on 16 August partly visible to us at
21.09 GMT.
A total eclipse of the
sun will occur on 1 August again only partially seen here at 09.10.GMT. Jupiter will be fairly low in the southern
night sky and will move westwards in the summer months.
Summer night skies are
not as interesting as Winter skies but summer viewing is more comfortable.
Francis Cloke. 86 2496
HAPPY MEMORIES A
RECOLLECTION
Looking through the photographs of East Coker on
your village website has brought back floods of happy childhood memories.
In the 1950s, my grandparents lived at Orchard Cottage
opposite the Helyar Arms, and after my grandfather's death my grandmother moved
to the almshouses. As a family of three
daughters plus our two parents we would squeeze into number six Church Terrace,
all the womenfolk upstairs in the single bedroom and father on a camp bed in
the living room.
The magical quality of the village has stayed with
us all throughout our lives. The heady
fragrance of the orchards when full of apples pervaded the village and mingled
with the strong smell of cow manure. There
was a sign saying 'Beware of forty cows' which always tickled us in its
precision. Stepping over the stream on
the flat stone slab was exciting as was balancing on the low wall beside the
road, watching the water run along, the valerian and other little wallflowers a
signature to this part of the world. Local characters, now long dead, remain alive
in our memories: Mr and Mrs Sainsbury, Eric and Molly Stevens (and their son
Terry); Mr Foot who took us up the church tower to look at the view, and many others.
Your website pictures have allowed me to amble
through the village as well as my own childhood. It looks just the same although I'm sure there
are changes out of shot, and perhaps few of the original families remain in
this ever changing world. My husband and
I called at the pub two or three years ago for lunch but the barmaid hadn't
heard of any of the names I knew, so I guess I must leave the past in its own
place and hope that those of you who are fortunate enough to live there now can
feel its wonderful magic. Your website
certainly suggests a great love of the place.
Yours sincerely, Ann
Gilman
NEXT ISSUE
The next issue of the Newsletter will be in October
2008. 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