VILLAGE NEWSFull colour issue www.biddestone.org.uk

October 2018 Issue 457

Editorial Committee biddestonebroadsheet@gmail.com

Editor Linda Lobl-Smith Home Farm 714475Treasurer Annalisa Duff Willow Lodge 712247 Julie Walton The Old Rectory 701784 June Pearce The School 701030 Barbara Holmes Belmont 701060 Chris Draper Home Farm Cottage 248557

Biddestone Broadsheet and the village website seek to reflect the life and interests of the village. Written contributions are invited from readers on any subject that will be of interest. Photos, Drawings and Art work would also be welcome.Any opinions expressed or implied within this publication are not necessarily those of the Editor or Committee and no responsibil-ity can be accepted for any errors of fact printed on these pages. We will of course endeavor to be as accurate as possible.Last copy date is the 3rd Sunday in the month, copy should be sent to the Editor at the email address above.

Biddestone Village Website www.biddestonevillage.org.uk A full colour version of the Broadsheet is available on the website. If you do not wish to have your contact details published online then please make the editor aware of your preference. Any other notices or contributions to be posted specifically on the website should be sent to the email address at the top of the page. To post an item on the Biddestone Village Website or facebook page please contact the Editor Linda Lobl-Smith

Village Hall ClassesMonday 9:45 -11:45 a.m. Painting Group Sue Tennant - 01249 720615

Monday 6:15 - 7:15 p.m. Physio led Pilates (pre booking only)Bridget Bazell - 07841 027603 bridget@bridgetbazellpysio.co.uk

Monday 8:00 - 10:00 p.m. Hips & Haws ClogJan Field - 01380 827140 or hipsanshaws@live.co.uk

Tuesday 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. Real Life YogaEmma Goodwin - 07771662567 or emmacawthra@gmail.com

Wednesday 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. Iyengar Yoga ClassLydia Holmes - office@yogatree.co.uk

Wednesday 10:00 - 12:00 a.m. Writing Group Tim Smith - 01249 714455 or timsmith2@btinternet.com

Wednesday 12:00 - 4:00 p.m. Quilting and Patchwork ClassAnne Chapman - 01249 782842 (not 3rd Wedneday in the month)

Wednesday 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. Womans Institute(3rd Wednesday in the Month)

Wednesday 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. Circuit TrainingSimon Bennett - 07815619138 or info@simonsaysfitness.co.uk

Thursday 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. Real Life YogaEmma Goodwin - 07771662567 or emmacawthra@gmail.com

Thursday 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.Pilatus for beginners/intermediateThe Stonehouse Clinic - 01249 700417 or stonehouseclinic.co.uk

Thursday 7:30 - 10:00 p.m. Modern Seqence DancingPhil Fletcher - 01793 936091 or philfletcher37@gmail.com

Friday 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. Yoga for healthy backs, knees and shoulders. Lydia Holmes - office@yogatree.co.uk

Donations ReceivedThe Broadsheet has received the following donations this month;

S. Bruce £50 Committee members £20 each. The cost of printing this month will be £170.

Village HallTo Book the village hall or the newly finished club room.

Please contact the Booking Secretary at bvhrtbookings@gmail.comOr 07391 511495

Editorial October

Trick or Treat!A reminder to watch out for witches and wizards roaming the village after dark on Octo-ber 31st. Time to get creative with pumpkin carving and stock up on sweets for the little darlings!PS. Children will generally choose the homes with pumpkins outside but just in case Hal-loween is not your thing then maybe pop a notice on your door to avoid callers.

The Broadsheet is a non-profit publication which seeks to produce a regular, reliable source of information for the village and to provide a platform for discussion of local issues.The Parish Council pays towards the coverage it receives and the postal subscriptions cover their costs. Otherwise we rely on the generosity of the Fete committee with the occasional donation from individuals. There is always a shortfall. When the Broadsheet was first published 40 years ago it was suggested then that each household would make a small annual donation to help cover the cost of the printing, this income stream has dwindled latterly. No personal donations were received in 2018, hence the cry for help.

Our recent survey has indicated that readers are willing to donate £5 per annum to have the Broadsheet printed and delivered to their door, to facilitate this we have included an envelope in this month’s issue. If you wish to donate £5 (or more) then please place the money in this envelope and post it at Barbara’s cottage, Belmont opposite St Nicholas Church.The results of the survey can be seen on pg13. It is our intention to continue with the print version on a monthly basis with a com-bined July/August issue to give a summer break to our volunteers and to reduce costs.We have recruited more committee members, welcome to June Pearce and Barbara Holmes, and we are extremely fortunate that Chris Draper and Richard and Liz Eccleston have agreed to help us on the technical side of things, the new software should im-prove the layout making it more concise thereby keeping costs down and increasing the content.We hope you enjoy the results, happy reading!

front cover photo by Chris Draper

Welcome to Raul Graca and his mother, who lives with him, Odete Graca who have moved into The Tynings. A belated welcome to Alex and Kate in Shepards Cottage Harts Lane. We hope you enjoy living in Biddestone.

Best Kept Village 2018By Di Webb On a wet and cold Sunday the good and famous came to Bid-destone to present the well-deserved awards to Biddestone for winning the Best Kept Medium Village 2018. Ann Henshaw Chairman of the Wiltshire Branch CPRE welcomed guests and the standard was unveiled by Mrs Sarah Troughton President of Wiltshire Branch CPRE and Lord-Lieu-tenant for Wiltshire. Cllr Alison Bucknall Chairman Wiltshire Council presented a Plaque to Di Webb for the village.

Andy Short was presented with a CPRE Certificate by Nicky Alberry. High Sheriff of Wiltshire for all his sterling work carried out over the years maintaining the cricket and football pitches and was instrumental in the construction of a new cricket pavilion.

Presentation of the framed District Round CPRE Certificate was presented by Anne Henshaw to Rosie Harris who gives the village so much pleasure by her planting and maintenance of the War Memorial Garden .

The Hills Group Plaque was presented by Chief Executive Mike Hill to Mark Hawkins-Wyatt who as you all know is the village Steward who has done an excellent job of keeping the village looking smart and is always willing to help.

Vote of thanks was given by Simon Bruce.

Recipe BLACKBERRY AND ALMOND CAKE

By Julie Walton

Ingredients 

225g margarine or butter 225g self raising flour 125g caster sugar  50 g ground almonds  3 eggs 1 tsp baking powder 100g blackberries  1tsp almond essence

Flaked almonds for the top

1. Pre heat the oven to 180C. 2.Cream together the margarine and sugar with a wooden spoon or electric whisk . 3. Mix in the flour, eggs, ground almonds, almond essence and baking powder.  4. Gently stir the blackberries in to the mixture with a wooden spoon. 5. Place cake mixture into a greased and lined 20cm cake tin. 6. Sprinkle flaked almonds and reserved blackberries on the top and bake for 45-50 mins or when a wooden cocktail comes out clean after inserting in to the cake. 7. Can be served warm or cold.  Blueberries can be used instead of blackberries.

Record of meeting of Biddestone & Hartham Women’s Institute, 19 September 2018 Val Ringham, President, welcomed eleven members and introduced our speaker, Pam Baldry, for her talk on “Life in the 20th century through glass”. Pam had covered a table with a wide variety of examples of glassware, ranging from exquisitely coloured cut-glass objects to the most mundane household bottles and jars. She said she had been collecting glass since 1990, when research into the subject had helped her recover from a stroke. Beginning in 1902, she took us through the development of glass manufacture, and the differing fashions in life-style which pro-duced, for example, a rabbit-shaped blancmange/jelly mould, a Babycham glass, various sizes of wine glasses (from the tiny to an enormous contemporary one specifically for Shiraz), ending with the instantly recognisable jars for Marmite and Vick.Val R. gave the Vote of Thanks.

Members then enjoyed refreshments provided by Ronnie.The record of the Garden Party meeting in July was taken as read. Alison read out a brief report of the August outing to the Liter-ary Lunch at Cumberwell Park Golf Club, enjoyed by nine members.

Correspondence. Val R. reported that the Committee had signed the Trustee Eligibility Declaration, which would be kept in our records. She said that it was not thought that the W.I. would be affected by the new data protection regulations, as any records sent to the Federation were not passed on to anyone else. There was no interest in attending the Federation meeting in Salisbury in October. The two Vals would go to the New Speakers’ Day on 22nd November if they thought it necessary. There would be a Christmas Crafts Day at Goatacre on 17th November. The Wilts. Federation would celebrate its Centenary in 2019 and there would be several events to mark this including a concert in Salisbury Cathedral on 10th July; the choir for this was open to anyone interested in singing. Notice had been received of the next W.I. holiday in Lincolnshire in May 2019. Postcards had been pro-duced showing the successful campaigns run by the W.I. over many years.

Val S-J and Beryl were thanked for making the curtains in the new Village Hall meeting room. Finance. Carol reported that our situation is still healthy. The subscription for 2019 would rise to £42. Challenges. The sunflower competition was won by Carolynne with a height of 98”. There were five very pretty entries for this month’s “Arrangement in a jam jar”.The raffle prizes were won by Margaret and Val S-J.Next month’s meeting on17th October will be a craft event led by Val R. Alison Flint

FARMING NOTES  According to official figures UK self-sufficiency in temperate foodstuffs i.e. stuff we can grow ourselves fell from a high of 95% in the 1980’s to 72% in 2009 the most recent available fig-ures. It is probably safe to assume that it is even lower by now. Most people of course will not give a monkey’s as long as the supermarket shelves are full but there is a serious point here. Food Security is defined by the UN as ‘the access for all people for all time to enough food for a healthy active life’ Leaving aside the fact that walk down any high street and you will see plenty of people with no obvious interest in a healthy or active life despite having all the food they need, this would seem to be a reasonable aspiration for governments. There is an argument to be had as to whether self-sufficiency is the best way to achieve food security in that it is expensive for any country to build and maintain large food reserves for instance grain and butter mountains of recent history or is it best to produce manufactured goods to provide money to buy food from wherever you can get it. Supporters of the first proposition such as myself and most farmers would argue that relying completely on market forces and global supply is a risky business open to the volatile peaks and troughs of production and possible physical interruption of supply. It seems counterintuitive that we are less self-sufficient than we were given all the apparatus of modern farming perhaps it is partly because the population is much bigger obviously needing more food and there must be some loss of acreage to green en-ergy. I may not be very clever but I am clever enough to know that on any given piece of land you can produce either food or energy not both. A personal view would be that no wind or solar farms should be built on ploughable land but that genie is probably out of the bottle. On a more local note global warming seems to have returned the parish to normal summer weather, much to most farmer’s relief. I hope the next drought will not be for another 40 years which means I won’t see it. Even more local, in my barn this morning there were 4 fledgling swallows a great joy as this is the first successful brood for 3 years at Home Farm. I spent an enchanting few minutes watching as the parents zoomed in and out calling the young to follow them, one by one they did, good luck to them, safe journey and come back next year please. Ian Smith

 

The birds, the water and the giants

Entered by Emily Draper into the Radio 2 500 word competition for under 13’s

Climbing trees is my favourite thing to do. At the moment, I am climbing the oak tree in my garden, to find a spot to see those stupid birds making fools of themselves. The best kind of trees to climb are ones with lots of branches! Not thin ones, but big chunky ones, so I don’t feel like falling. Not that I feel like fall-ing anyway, I have extremely good balance! Scattered around my oak tree are bird feeders (about five), which means there are lots of birds coming and going, chattering and making a noise. There is a nice blue and yellow one that is so close I can almost touch it. Its tiny head is bobbing in and out of the bird feeder. I don’t know why it likes those peanuts so much. They look dis-gusting! Anyway, it’s enjoying them so much, it has no idea I’m here. I’m just going to reach out and grab its plump, little body...Oh, I’m back on the sofa, I must have dozed off, it was just a dream. I’m still feeling tired so I think I will go upstairs to that warm cosy bed.

I don’t want a bath, I don’t need a bath! I HATE GETTING WET! Okay, so I have been playing in the muddy bushes at the bottom of the garden, but that doesn’t mean I need a bath. They are picking me up, lifting me over the side of the bath. I can see the water below me. It’s so clean. I’m going to die! Why is the whole family watching me? One is even filming me on his mo-bile, saying “This is going straight on YouTube,” whatever that is. HELP! It’s too late for me! Arrgggggghhhhhhhh...

What. Wait. I’m still on the bed, and still alive!!! After that wa-tery nightmare, I think I deserve something to eat. Downstairs in the kitchen is some left over chicken. Nom, nom, nom, still tastes good! I’m going to look out the window above the radia-tor. This is one of my favourite spots to sit and stare at nothing for a few hours.

The Giants were all sitting around watching the telly in the corner, with more Giants talking. I don’t know how they get in there, because I have looked behind it and there is nothing, but those long snake things that I love playing with. My tummy is rumbling, as if I haven’t had any food in hours, but all they do is ignore me, like I’m not here. I bash my head against their legs, nothing! So, now I jump up and stare right into his face. No, I don’t want to be stroked, can’t you see I am starving to death? What don’t you understand? Food, Food, FOOOODDD... The sound of the front door opening wakes me up again. My family all rush in and start patting me. “You big lazy cat sleep-ing all day, I suppose! You’re still the best cat in the world!”

PoetryThankyou to Hilary Noyes for this months choice

Postscriptby Seamus Heaney 1939-2013

And some time make the time to drive out westInto County Clare, along the Flaggy Shore,In September or October, when the windAnd the light are working off each otherSo that the ocean on one side is wildWith foam and glitter, and inland among stonesThe surface of a slate-grey lake is litBy the earthed lightning of a flock of swans,Their feathers roughed and ruffling, white on white,Their fully grown headstrong-looking headsTucked or cresting or busy underwater.Useless to think you’ll park and capture itMore thoroughly. You are neither here nor there,A hurry through which known and strange things passAs big soft buffetings come at the car sidewaysAnd catch the heart off guard and blow it open.

Book ClubBirdcage Walk by Helen Dunmore led to lively discussion at our latest Biddestone Book Club meeting. Not everyone was convinced by the relationships, although obviously marriages were different in Victorian times. It was inter-esting to learn about the building boom in Clifton, Bristol, in the late 1700s and its collapse brought about by the war between England and France which started in 1793. This was Helen Dunmore’s last book and she conveys strongly the sense of place – of Bristol – a place she writes: ‘I have known and loved for decades and have tried to understand across more than two centuries: the location of Birdcage Walk.’On Monday, 15th October at 7.15p.m. we shall meet at Kate’s house to discuss My Name is Lucy Barton by Eliza-beth Strout.The choice for November is A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler.Any enquiries? Phone Diane on 712105

Film ReviewThe Mercy Director: James Marsh, UK, 2018, 112min

A Shakespearian tragic hero is one who, while capa-ble of greatness, is brought down by fatal character flaws and bitter twists of fate. By this definition, Donald Crowhurst, the subject of this film, certainly qualifies. In 1968, a year after Sir Francis Chichester became the first man to circumnavigate the world as a solo yachtsman, an audacious yacht race is organ-ised by The Sunday Times: to emulate Chichester’s feat, but this time non-stop. Decades before advanc-es in navigation technology and boat construction have made solo circumnavigation almost common-place, this was a hugely challenging task. Enter Crowhurst: an enthusiastic but desperately amateur yachtsman, he joins the race to promote his strug-gling business, manufacturing a primitive electronic navigation aid.

The press immediately identify him as the iconic plucky outsider, a role which dogs him to the very end. The film faithfully follows the true story of this brave but foolhardy man, successfully evoking the dangers, discomforts and occasional joys of solo yachting. The dilemmas that force him to make im-possible choices are portrayed convincingly, and the period detail is extremely well done. There is little sentimentality in this film, even in the depiction of his long suffering wife, played by Rachel Weisz, and Colin Firth in the lead role is suitably ordinary and down to earth. You don’t need to be a sailing enthu-siast to be enthralled by this engaging tale of heroism and folly, made all the more compelling by its close adherence to the truth of what actually unfolded.

Adam Walton

THE WILTSHIRE BRANCH 50TH ANNIVERSARY BUTTERFLY BALLMaurice Avent

Ten years have flown by since I undertook to manage a grand event to suitably remember the 40th Anniversary of the Butterfly Conservation Society. The Society was set up in 1968 by a small group of enthusiastic lepidopterists and from those humble beginnings it has grown in leaps and bounds; an expansion well worth celebrating. Thus the decision was again made to organise a festive Ball to commemorate another decade of positive progress. In similar fashion to 2008 it was to be held in a marquee in my Biddestone paddock; this time the objective was to raise funds for the Wiltshire Branch of the Society. Shortly before Christmas 2017 the decision was made to convene the event on June 23rd 2018, in good time to book a band, a marquee, a caterer and an entertainer.

My previous Ball was organised under the auspices of the Lulworth head office and benefitted greatly from their support but this second event had to be run on a personal basis, with the specific objective of making money to donate to the local branch for the conservation of moths and butterflies within the county. Much had to be done to ensure a decent return from such an enterprise and the date was widely marketed with this in mind, however we had unfortunately chosen a particularly busy weekend, close to the longest day of the year. Despite that an immensely enthusiastic group of 191 participants joined us for a champagne reception at 7.30pm on a beautiful summer evening and a tangible air of great bonhomie was apparent. Our target was to persuade 220 guests to join us (with an ability to cater up to 240 if necessary). Although we failed to reach our numerical objective those who joined us from far and wide had a splendid time! The initial hugely positive response was from many of those who found themselves unable to come, instead they sent letters to wish us well, often enclosing cheque donations and thus their generosity raised the wonderful sum of £2,715. Howev-er on the night three beautiful lady guests, one of whom had joined us for the evening from California, the other two Emily and Rebecca being daughters of Hugo Brooke the current Branch Chairman, aided us by selling raffle tickets and copies of the Wiltshire Butterfly Walks book. Their superb combined effort raised a further £1,502; the lead prize amongst several was 10 days in a holiday home in Provence!

Adrian Mackay of Pepperpot Catering prepared a magnificent meal on site comprising a Smoked Salmon Roulade with Herb Mousse starter followed by a main course of Guinea Fowl with Mushrooms and Tarragon Cream Sauce. At the end of the main course our own Richard Madley became the focus of the evening as he brilliantly auctioned items as diverse as a box at the Albert Hall and three books signed by the author, our Pres-ident, Sir David Attenborough. Meanwhile a Silent Auction of items most generously donated by friends and supporters in-cluding days of fly fishing, holiday homes, a full picnic basket, a tapestry and trips in a vintage Bentley was running alongside the hectic bidding around the marquee. Over the Summer Pudding Hugo Brooke, spoke to all about the pressing need to help stop the decline in numbers of butterflies and moths, what the local branch was doing to help them and the benefits of membership. The Live Auction raised promises of £8,675 and the Silent Auction promises of £4,093. The enthusiasm of the bidding and the humour of the party were further stimulated by the complimentary French wines and finally a cabaret was provided by magician David Redfearn who entertained us with an extraordinary ability to apparently read the minds of attendees while undertaking card tricks and finding the rings of guests in his top pocket! Finally an excel-lent band, The Clones, ensured a full to bursting dance floor until long after midnight. The total outcome of the event was a massive donation of promises amounting to £16,985. A huge thank you is due to all attendees, donors, bidders and suppli-ers of auction items for their massive support which has been hugely appreciated.

HARVEST SUPPER IN BIDDESTONEDiane Ross-Smith

On Saturday 15th September we met together in the Village Hall to celebrate the bringing in of the harvest with a Harvest Supper.

The event was well attended by villagers of all ages. A sheet of puzzles was handed out at the beginning to occupy busy minds before the scrumptious supper arrived. We enjoyed lasagne and salad followed by a variety of puddings. All this delicious food was produced by talented village cooks.

A raffle was held and the beautiful flowers donated by Rosie were auctioned.

Altogether over £100 was raised for the costs of running St Nicholas’ Church which is very much appreciated and needed.

Thank you to all those involved in organising the event, cook-ing, washing up and running the raffle. Particular thanks goes to Rosemary Warchus for all her organisation and hard work in running and co-ordinating the whole delightful evening. How fortunate we are to enjoy each other’s company in our beautiful village and celebrate the harvest, a harvest which we also cele-brated in church the following morning. Thank you to all those who decorated the church so beautifully with flowers.

The Marvellous Slaughterford FayreBy June Pearce

Each year we marvel at how the very tiny population of Slaughterford put on such a marvellous country fair. This year along with the usual great food (fantastic veggie curry as well as burgers and sausages, and a wonderful range of cakes), pet show (complete with long haired guinea pig, cats, and even sheep as well as lots of dogs of all sizes and the odd eccentric owner), a wonderful book sale, bric a brac, face painting, farm animals, local produce, wood carving demo (we’ve probably missed some stalls so apologies to them). There was also a new Victorian Photo Booth that was really popular.The forecast was poor but the weather was better than expected, until the skies opened just after the pet show finished – good timing! The organisers must have been pleased with the turn-out. Somehow sitting on the dried out cow pats on the grassy slope overlooking the pet show ring just adds to the fun and the sense that this is what village living is all about – some really hard working and creative local people putting on an afternoon of fun for young and old alike.Well done Slaughterford village.

20th and 21st July 2019

Open 2pm until 6pm

Entrance £5

Children free

BVHRT SKITTLES LEAGUE 2017/2018

Skittles matches will start up again this month, nine teams will line up this season;

Biddestone Cricket Club Biddestone StudsSlaughterford Slaughterers The Last Laugh ( new )Desperate Housewives Eddies EaglesBiddestone Biddies The CourgettesChallows Challenge

The draw was done on 13th September 2018 by Giles Hease-man of The White Horse, witnessed by Stuart Hughes and Challows Challenge, Biddestone Studs, Eddies Eagles and The Last Laugh.John Flint Memorial Trophy is our straight knock out com-petition, highest overall pins over six legs wins, In case of a tie, team captains will nominate a sudden death playing order with the first named playing each other ( and then, if necessary, the second named player and so on ) until there is a pin total winner.

contact Mike Chrystal 01249 712833

Dates for your Diary – October

5th Agatha Raisin filming on the Green 8am – 1pm5th Edward Bear, St Nicholas Church 10am8th Bridge Club, White Horse pub 7pm9th Parish Council meeting15th Book Club, Kate Jones 7.15pm16th BVH&RT AGM, Village Hall17th Skittles, Village Hall 7pm31st Moviola, Grittleton village hall 7pm

Save the Date2nd November Biddestone Fireworks 6pm16th November Christine’s Coffee Morning 10am- 1pm11th December Broadsheet Coffee Morning 10.30am14th December Advent Supper21st December Christmas Concert6th July 2019 Biddstock

Parish StewardIn their distinctive green and yellow vehicles, parish stewards carry out minor highways work which is set for them by the local community. I hope you will agree that Mark does a splen-did job of keeping the village ship shape, as our recent CPRE award for best kept village demonstrates. Well done and thank you from Biddestone!

The steward will be in the village on the following dates;Friday October 12th (half day)Monday October 15th (whole day)If you require the steward, please contact Di Webb 01249 715963

Autumn litter pickSunday 18 November, 10amBiddestone Green and Cuttle Lane Triangle

Following our successful litter pick last March (see photo below), you lucky people have another chance to help clean up Biddestone. Join us for a fun couple of hours rummag-ing around in hedgerows and verges to pick up the bits that thoughtless people leave behind. It’s surprisingly fun, sociable and rewarding!

All equipment provided, but please bring your own gloves and wear suitable clothing for the weather conditions, including boots if necessary.

Clubs and Community Activities in and around BiddestoneAllotmentsLocated at the village hall. For more information, contact Da-vid Daniel 701311

Bridge ClubThe club meets for a social evening of bridge; no tuition is available so players must have some level of experience. Bridge club will meet on Monday 8th October in The White Horse at 7pm. Please contactIan Smith 01249 714475 or Jane Iggulden 01249 713311 for details.

Book ClubThe Book club meets once a month. Please contact Diane Ross-Smith for details 712105

Biddestone SingersMeet together at The Oak House or St.Nicholas on Thursday evenings at 7.30pm – 9pmAll welcome, no previous experience or standard of singing necessary.For more information, please contact charlottebruce@btinter-net.com or 716330

Biddestone WalkersThe walking group meet on the last Sunday of every month. Contact Kate Jones for details 715180

Biddestone Tennis ClubClub night Tuesday evening and Saturday morning. For mem-bership details see website.

Biddestone Cricket ClubSee website for more details

SkittlesPlayed in the village hall. First match on 17th October. Contact Mike Chrystal 712833

MoviolaCommunity cinema, showing in Grittleton village hall.Showing: Journeys End. (12A) Wednesday October 31st See their website for details.

Wardens WalksA list of this months walks can be found on village notice boards and on the website.Contact Barry Cox for details

Womens InstituteMonthly meetings and outings. Next meeting 17th October craft event.

If you would like to add details of an activity or club, please

Collection point is in St Nicholas Church Biddestone. Please give what you can as every donation makes a difference.

FRIENDS OF ST. NICHOLAS RAISE £13,300 IN 12 MONTHS Summary minutes of AGM held Sept 12th 2018 at 7pm inVillage Hall Present - Simon Bruce (Chair), Paul Sneddon (Secretary), John Owen (Treasurer) Stewart Entwistle (Trustee) Audience- Charlotte Bruce , Alison Flint , Ronnie Robinson, Catherine Armstrong , Robert Marsh

Introduction/Background (Simon)

*The FOSN was founded by Sir Brian Shaw in 2009 responding to a crisis call from St Nicholas Church for urgent roof repairs . In 2 yrs £23,000 was raised mostly from corpo-rate & individual donations and £18,000 was given to PCC in 2012 for repairs. For a variety of reasons it was not possible to progress new projects and the FOSN committee suspended fundraising in 2014 with £10,000 awaiting disbursements .Over a 4 yr period of inactivity donations dwindled to £500 pa until summer of 2017 when new volunteers came forward to provide fresh impetus.*At a special AGM on Aug 1st 2017 officers were appointed and the new team outlined their goals . One year on this is what was achieved ....

Annual Report ( Paul ).

FOSN Goal 1- Work closely with PCC to raise funds for priority church improvement projects . We set a 3 year fundraising target of £20,000 by 2020 - £6660 in year 1

Result - In our first year we raised £13,300 - DOUBLE OUR TARGET !! Also Stewart Entwistle now serves on both FOSN and PCC committees providing an effective link . We also worked closely with Catherine Armstrong to ensure funds raised stay ahead of priority project costs.

FOSN Goal 2- Launch a calendar of fundraising events to deliver the 1st year target.

Result - We delivered 10 fundraising events with activity in 9 of the 12 months !

AUG- Open Garden Teas & Pimms Tent raised £1060SEP - Negotiated HMRC rebate on Gift Aid over previous years £530OCT - White Horse Pub Quiz £140NOV - Safari Suppers & Auction £4,800DEC - Advent Supper £820 - Christmas Concert Caroline & Friends £1100MAR - Relaunch of Gift Aid Donations program £2300MAY - J.S.Bach Concert with Tom Bowes & Caroline Dale £1650JUN - Ireland golf competition £400JUL - Magnificent 7 World Cup 50/50 Competition £500

*We think this level of fundraising activity may not be sustainable every year so, for exam-ple, we will only plan the Safari Supper/Auction every 2 years. We feel we need to grow the Gift Aid program so we can build a solid base on which to add more attractive,lucrative fundraisers . Organising a lot of events is very time consuming in terms of plan-ning and execution plus you can only go to the well so many times !

*Looking forward we still have 2 more events before the end of 2018FRI. DEC 14th - Traditional Advent Supper in Church ( bells will ring again ! )

FRI. DEC 21st - Christmas concert with Caroline & Friends in Village Hall

FOSN Goal 3- Demonstrate to villagers , other donors & visitors that St Nicholas Church is really improving because their funds are being used for Church and community benefit.

Result - The Bellcote project provided the ideal opportunity help restore credibility to the whole Fundraising for Church Improvement projects process. PCC already had £22,000 in funds ringfenced including £5000 raised by Simon & Charlotte Bruce during the challeng-ing 4 yr period of inactivity . Everything was ready to go in Sept and under the leadership of Catherine Armstrong it was successfully completed before Xmas when the bells rang again in Biddestone for the first time in 5 years !! This was recognised and celebrated by the whole village community .

*Going forward as PCC & FOSN finalise and deliver future Priority projects (currently under discussion) it will be important to ensure parishioners, villagers, visitors and the wider fundraising community that we target, continue to clearly see the benefits of their contributions both financial and emotional .

FOSN Goal 4 - Communicate progress at least quarterly and hold an AGM every year

Result - We worked hard to deliver on this pledge eg *Our Committee met 15 times in 12 months to plan , execute and review always with an agenda, action minutes and clear next steps*We gave progress updates and/or advertised in 8 Biddestone Broadsheets *We advertised on village notice boards and pubs*We produced high quality publicity /promotional material to handout at events *We are holding an AGM as promised .

This concludes the Annual report

Treasurers Report (John )

The accounts summary for 1/8/17 to 31/7/18 was handed out to all present and discussed in detail but the headlines are :*Year opening balance £10,258.14p

*The FOSN raised £13,319.95p due to wonderful support and generosity of the village and all its friends.*Year closing balance £23,578.09p

*What makes these accounts truly remarkable is that the Treasurer did not have to make any payments for expenses . Every penny that was collected for all the 10 fundraising events went directly into the Friends account . The total cost of providing food , drinks , services, advertising , printing and paper has been funded by the Friends Committee. This year 100% of what we received is now available for the maintenance of the fabric of our St Nicholas Church .

OUTLOOK & POTENTIAL PROJECT PRIORITIES

*FOSN will produce its Calendar of Fundrasing events for 2019 by end Nov 2018.*Looking ahead we are mindful we still need to raise a further £7,000 to meet our original goal of £20,000 by 2020 based on the last Quinquennial Report . *However, life moves on , and the Church is in need of funds to address 4 priorities.

Project Cost(est) Timing 1.Urgent Roof/tile repair £1,000 Sep ‘182.Water ingress /Masonry repair £11,500 Q4/13.Footpath upgrade & handrail £6,000 Q14. Repair chancel arch £5,500 Q3’ 19

Projects 1. and 2. have already been approved by FOSN /PCC and are currently being im-plemented. More work is required on 3 and 4 to finalise cost and resources. Other potential projects were also discussed but it was noted these 4 alone will use all the existing funds so it’s onwards and upwards .

The existing officers stood again for re-election and were unanimously voted in - proposed by Alison Flint and seconded by Ronny Robinson.

A Q&A and wider discussion then took place with all present and it was agreed that PCC ( Stewart & Catherine ) and the FOSN would meet during Oct/Nov to manage the projects efficiently . Where pos-sible we will try to exhaust grants and other loans before utilising our own funds . Progress on our priorities will be communicated in due course as we continue to encourage fundraising support .

There being no other business the AGM closed at 8.05pm .

Paul Sneddon

Summary of results of the Biddestone Broadsheet QuestionnaireWith many thanks to the 65 households who completed the questionnaire by the deadline, which is a really good response rate (so we understand) with very clear results.

The full spreadsheet of responses (thanks to Julie and Claudia Walton for analysing the data) showing the individual results is shown below.

The Broadsheet Committee have read all the questionnaires (yes all of them!) and have agreed the following planThe Broadsheet will be retained in paper format! 97% of the questionnaire respondents wanted a printed format (of which 10% were ok about reduced frequency of printing) and the Committee is delighted with this clear outcome.

All households in Biddestone and Slaughterford will be asked (via the envelope enclosed with this month’s issue) to contribute £5 per annum on a voluntary basis to close the funding gap. The Committee doesn’t feel that making it a compulsory payment would be the right thing to do (and that would make it onerous to manage) but we hope the vast majority of households will contribute (and those who feel strongly that it should be free need not).

The Committee will apply to the Parish Council for an increased donation (at the November PC meeting).

There will be a coffee morning (details to follow next month) to raise funds and to thank our volunteers who deliver the Broad-sheet each month.

We will attempt to include more local event news (eg from Sports Clubs, welcome to new residents) and photos of events that have happened.

By popular demand (as they say), The Dates for your Diary will be reinstated.

With the technical issues hopefully on the way to being sorted (thanks to Chris Draper and Liz and Richard Eccleston) the Committee will focus more on news gathering. With more people involved in the software side of the production, we will have to be stricter about entry deadlines.

There was a lot of feedback that the village website isn’t up to scratch and we agree this should be tackled and think we might have a volunteer with technical skills to take this on – more news later.

When we can, we will attempt to print the Broadsheet in 12 pages (to save cost) but some months there is just too much news!And we propose moving to 10 issues per annum (it’s currently 11 issues because Dec and Jan are consolidated) to give the Com-mittee a summer break.

So, to the people of Biddestone and Slaughterford, thank you for saving the Broadsheet, described beautifully by one respond-ent as a “small but important monthly pleasure”. The Committee has been re-energised by the positive strength of feeling and we hope you like your new look Broadsheet and the other improvements that will come over the next few months.

First published in The Honeycomb in OCTOBER 2014

ACROSS1. Rhine pop makes sailors dance. (8)5. Autumn fruits laced with Ecstasy provide clouds of smoke. (6)9. Absorbed in toil, Pa intermixed artist’s requirement. (3, 5)10. Avatar zany jungle hero intercepted. (6)12. Loose ox – warn thrall in this village! (5, 7)15. Turner either way. (5)16. Name she and he born with on board ship – girl in the middle in dire straits! (9)18. Injury on one about to play this instrument. (9)19. Wiltshire town found in local news. (5)20. Playground equipment contains game which provides river crossings. (5, 7)24. Kingdoms - about donations given to poor people. (6)25. Residence and agricultural land provide name of Biddestone property. (4, 4)26. Gloss on desire –other way around! (6)27. Handicraft with its end included again to provide note. (8)

DOWN1. Owl’s sound – what a laugh! (4)2. Bewildering lure of government. (4) 3. Quiet that terrible riot, you musical threesome! (5, 4)4. North American prison for priest giving out punishment and absolution…(12)6…While animal is provided by another spiritual leader following fifty. (5)7. Two tail-enders roam freely with girl to provide Italian cheese. (10)8. Shades for star tumblers!(10)11. The oxymoron of Chinese food! (5-3-4)13. Carthorse’l provide description of symphony or philharmonic. (10)14. Many a grouse produced by physical training - limb gains mixed! (10)17. Start of root buried in filling for cavities provides dentist with pay increase? (9)21. Marge shaken up as participant in Grand Theft Auto! (5)22. Cleansing local city. (4)23. Time changes to make a sound? (4)

CrosswordBy Diane Ross-Smith Solution to last months Crossword

Abridged Draft Minutes of the meeting of Biddestone & Slaughterford Parish Council 11th September 2017.Following the obligatory legal duties the following issues were covered:

Planning Applications Received: 18/07723/FUL Wavering Brook Farm, The Green, Biddestone, SN14 7DGProposal: Construction of equine education barn, aqua walker with plant/treatment barn, outdoor arena and 3 double stable units SUPPORTED Footpaths on land to be maintained.

18/0419/FUL The Oak House, Church Road, Biddestone, SN14 7Proposal: To erect a car house and garage NO OBJECTIONS

Statement of Balances for Accounts #1 £484,32.29 & #2 £5,003.40Accounts for Payment September2018 28.08.18 G Gill Salary (Aug) BACS 166.0528.08.18 HMRC Tax 34 41.6011.09.18 David Taylor Ground Maint. BACS 90.00

Proposed by SB for payment and APPROVED.

Parking in Cuttle Lane; SB to write to absentee landlordLittle Challows –Documentation received showing that although Wiltshire Council had cut the grass continuously for more than 25years they are still denying ownership of the green. The land is not shown on resident’s deeds and is not owned by the Parish Council. There is also historical evidence of tree work by the local authority. Broken path was also reported, DW to ask Parish Steward to look at it.

Cotswold Warden Report – Parish Footpaths Council had received from Peter Rouse a comprehensive report on all the parish footpaths together with maps and were given a verbal report on those of major concern, chiefly, BIDs 9,14,16,19,20,& 25. Peter was congratulated on his detailed report and he and Barry Cox, Cotswold Warden were thanked for all their hard work. It was AGREED that a Working Party be set up to walk all the paths and meet with the Rights of Way Officer Stephen Leonard to go over the concerns and to report back to Council with their recommendations at the November meeting. A policy to be written to give clear guidelines on future maintenance.

Best Kept Village Presentation Day TimetableSB to provide coffee machine and biscuits to The White Horse where a VIP area will be made available for refreshments follow-ing the presentations which will begin at 11.00am. Car parking will be available for the Lord Lieutenants’ party near The Green. Baroness Scott of Bybrook will attend as our Unitary Council but will not take part in the presentations. Receiving certificates will be: Di Webb, Rosie Harris, Mark Hawkins-Wyatt (Parish Steward) and Andy Short. SB will give closing speech of thanks.A gazebo to be erected in case of rain. SB to arrange with Mildhenhall to collect the Standard which will be placed on the Green.

Clerks Report - 366 Electoral Review Update, WC Consultation on New Division Boundaries – Request to the Commission for the Two Slaughterford houses at present within Colerne/Box division be moved into Bybrook division.

Filming Update – Block 3 - Contract received and sign by Chairman. Filming will take place on Thursday 20th, September 08.00 – 19.00 and Friday, 5th October 08.00 – 16.00.

There being no further business the meeting ended at 9.10pm.

The Parish Council now has its own website where you can find unabridged minutes and all the latest notices.

www.biddestoneslaughterfordpc.uk

Look out for the Parish Plan Survey – Your Chance to Have your Say!

As mentioned in the Broadsheet last month, we are now ready to send out the Parish Plan Survey.

The survey will be delivered to your home on the weekend of 13/14 October. We would be very grateful if you would complete it and have it ready for collection by Sunday 28 October.

Adam Walton, Chair of Parish Plan Development Committee

Church Services for October 2018ST. NICHOLAS, BIDDESTONE

7 Holy Communion 11.00 a.m.

14 Evensong 6.00 p.m.

21 Morning Praise 9.30 a.m.

25 Team Service Grittleton 10.00 a.m.

Every Wednesday morning there is a service at 9.15 a.m. This is either Holy Communion or Morning Prayer and includes prayers for the suffering.

ST. NICHOLAS, SLAUGHTERFORD 14 Holy Communion (BCP) 3.00 p.m.

CHURCH EVENTS

Tea and Toast every Monday at St. Margaret’s, Yatton Keynell, 8.45-10 a.m.

Morning Prayer with Intercessions for the Sick at St. Nicholas’ Biddestone, 9.15 a.m. Wednesdays – 2nd Wednesday is usual-ly Holy Communion.

Morning Prayer at 10 a.m. on Thursdays at St. Michael & All Angels, Kington St. Michael – 2nd Thursday is usually Holy Communion.

Morning Prayer at 9 a.m. every Thursday at St. Margaret’s, Yatton Keynell.

Short reflective Prayer Meeting at 12 noon every Wednesday at St. Mary’s, Grittleton.

Lunch Club every second Wednesday from 12.30 p.m. at St. Mary the Virgin Church, Burton.

Edward Bear Club at Biddestone for pre-schoolers meets at St. Nicholas’ Church on 1st Fridays, 10 – 11.30 a.m.

Edward Bear Club at Yatton Keynell meets at St. Margaret’s Church on 3rd Fridays, 10 – 11.30 a.m.

Yatton Keynell ‘Café Church’ every Tuesday 10-12 noon; light lunches from 12 noon – 1 p.m.

Biddestone ‘Coffee in Church’ every Thursday, 10.30 – midday.

Edward Bear Pre-School Group

The Edward Bear pre-school group is a free get-together for pre-schoolers and their parents or carers. We would love you to join us for stories, crafts, activities and refreshments on the following Fridays at 10am:

St Nicholas Church Biddestone

5 October9 November7 December

St, Margaret’s Church,Yatton Keynell

19 October16 November21 December

If you would like more information or to be added to the contact list for future dates, please email:

Julia (for Biddestone) atjuliaquiggin@hotmail.comorHeidi (for Yatton Keynell) atmmhlm@live.co.uk