Edition 580 June 2025
Printed courtesy of Mrs Annette Haynes as a service to the community
Please email your entries for the July 2025 issue to: ThePennant@mail.com by 21st June 2025
Variety Show BBQ â Saturday 29th June
June is upon us and hoping this beautiful weather will continue until the Variety Show BBQ on Sunday 29th June from 2-6pm at the Bradford Abbas Sports & Social Club.
Bring your ideas and suggestions for the Christmas Special Show planned for November and enjoy a burger with us! Hopefully see lots of you there with your enthusiasm and willingness to share your humour, skills and fun spirit to make this yearâs Show extra special.
Ring or email me if you are willing to help or perform at the Show but unable to attend the BBQ âlou.silk@hotmail.com / 07786 626402.
ST MARYâS COMMUNITY TRUST
Sunday 25th May â THE CHURCH THAT ROCKABILLIES
Thanks to everybody who came to support our Church That Rockabillies evening. We hope you had a good time.
UPCOMING EVENT
We are planning a September musical event, following the format of the last few years. The line-up is still to be finalised but you can put the date in your diaries now⊠Saturday 13th September.
See you soon.
Jo, Alan, Rob, Ruth, Trevor and Gary, The ST MARYâS COMMUNITY TRUST team
ST MARYâS CHURCH, BRADFORD ABBAS
LAST MONTHâŠ
Saturday 10th May CAR SHOW
We hope you had a good time at the car show. We charged a very modest ÂŁ3 to come into the show area and - thanks to the efforts of the army of helpers selling items, running a tombola, making cakes, serving teas and coffees, looking after the barriers and car park â we managed to raise another ÂŁ1200 for the church heating fund.
COMING SOONâŠ
Sunday 15th June SHERBORNE MARKET We have a stall at the Sherborne Sunday market, selling items made by Bradford Abbas folk. Find us on Half Moon Street, just in front of the Abbey. Please come along to the market that day and support us.
Saturday 28th June ABER VALLEY MALE VOICE CHOIR We are delighted to have the Aber Valley Male Voice Choir back at St Maryâs. It is always a great evening, so donât miss out. Tickets are ÂŁ10, which includes your
first drink. Doors open 6pm. Concert starts 7pm. Tickets are available from Alan Fall (01935 425747) or you can buy them at the church on Saturday mornings when we have our regular café (10am to 12 noon).
UPCOMING SERVICES - EVERYBODY IS WELCOME
SUNDAY 1ST JUNE 10am Morning Worship (lay-led)
SUNDAY 15TH JUNE 10am Holy Communion (led by George Moody)
SUNDAY 6TH JULY 10am Morning Worship (lay-led)
SUNDAY 20TH JULY 10am Holy Communion (led by David Dunning)
On Sundays when we are without a service here in Bradford Abbas, we encourage villagers to take in a service at one of our neighbouring churches. There is always a list of these on display in the church porch.
A message from the Team Rector
Sleep has been very much on my mind this month. I discovered that my sleep pattern has been severely disrupted for quite some time now without me realizing it. It came out â when I was tested overnight for two nights â that I was getting little if any deep sleep. It is odd to go from total ignorance to requiring significant intervention in 24 hours, but I know I am not alone in this experience. My difficulty at least is easily treatable (though probably not curable), and the treatment has already restored some of my function (not that anyone has noticed the difference). For others it is a far more challenging road to travel.
Nevertheless, sleep. Something we simply rely on without thinking about, that is until we have to do without it. I vividly remember a month after our first child was born, dancing down the road in a euphoric state because I had had 4 hours sleep. Contrast is everything, but more than that, sleep is essential. Without it we will eventually die. We must sleep. It is the state where our brains sort themselves out, where our minds reboot like a computer being turned off and on (Is that where they got the idea?).
Now I know I go on about rest a lot. I remind people who seem to be overdoing it that we are made for rest. Work came as a kind of afterthought. I remind myself that rest is a responsibility rather than a right. I am responsible for finding rest, but I am also responsible for allowing others to rest. For paying a fair price for my goods, so that other people, domestic animals and the natural world are able to rest and recover.
If you then add sleep into the equation all this doubles up. One of my favourite Psalms is best translated (in my view) as 'God gives to his people good things while they sleepâ. In other words, sleep is an act of trust, that God and the world donât need you to prop them up, that they get on very well without you for a few hours. And not just an act of trust, but a declaration of trust. I am safe in Godâs hands until I resurface and return to consciousness. Babies sleep anywhere, because they know they can, they know they will be looked after as they sleep. So we can too.
So next time you sleep, give thanks for sleep. Some find it hard to sleep, some are allowed little sleep, some sleep but return little rested. If you sleep well then you have much to be grateful for. More than that you might want to thank the Lord that when you sleep, he doesnât. The world doesnât stop turning, the sun doesnât go out, the atmosphere doesnât float away. The world will be here when we get back to it.
George Moody, Team Rector, Three Valleys Benefice
St. Mary's Bradford Abbas Heritage Fund: Annual General Meeting
Help preserve our cherished St. Mary's Church, a peaceful retreat and historic landmark at the heart of our village. Since 1995, the Heritage Fund has supported the maintenance of this gem for future generations. Join us by attending our Annual General Meeting on Thursday, 26th June at 8:00 PM in the village hall.
Support our cause with an annual subscription or one-time donation. Membership forms are available in the church.
Let's ensure St. Mary's continues to be a pillar of our community!
Bradford Abbas Sports and Recreational Club
- We will be holding our Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 1st July from 8pm. Everyone welcome to attend. We are looking for volunteers to join our committee; please come along to the AGM or speak to a committee member in advance.
- Memberships are now over due
- We are also still looking for a permanent cleaner - Please speak to Clare Bagwell on 07484 136717 for further details
- Our current opening hours are: Sundays 2:30pm - 6pm, Mondays 7pm â Closing, Wednesdays 7pm â Closing, Fridays 7pm - Closing
Chatty Crafters
Another successful afternoon was spent crafting with a lot of chatting too and we welcomed new crafters from the village as well as three new residents to the village. The Chatty Crafters will be meeting up again on Friday, 20th June at the Rose & Crown, Bradford Abbas between 2-4 pm. Please feel free to come and join our informal relaxed group on the 20th.
Rose and Crown, Bradford Abbas
Opening hours: Tuesday 5- close; Wednesday - Thursday 12-3 & 5-close; Friday 12-close; Saturday 10am â close., Sundays 12 noon â 6pm.
Restaurant:
- Wednesday- Friday 12pm-2pm & 5.30pm-8.30pm, Saturday 10am - 2pm (breakfast 10am -12pm)
- Grill night- Wednesday & Thursday from 5.30pm
- Sunday Carvery - these are very popular, please book to avoid disappointment.
- Meat Draw every Sunday at 4.30pm. ÂŁ1 a ticket
- Look out for our lunch time and evening specials board
- All food is available as a takeaway
Summer Skittles: Rose and Crown in house, mixed 4-a-side. Running from June - August.
ÂŁ16 per team entry fee. ÂŁ2pp per game. CASH prize for the winning team. Please contact us to enter your team. You can hire our skittle alley - please pop in or contact us to discuss further
June events:
Quiz Night: Thursday 5th June. Come and test your knowledge! Teams of 4-6, ÂŁ2pp. From 8pm.
Karaoke Night: Saturday 7th June. Join us from 8.30pm and showcase your talent!
Fatherâs Day: Sunday 15th June Treat your dad to our popular Sunday Carvery! Bookings advised to avoid disappointment
Contact us on: 01935 423199, email info@therosecrownbradfordabbas.co.uk
Visit our website https://www.therosecrownbradfordabbas.co.uk
The Friendship Club
Our next meeting is at 2.00pm, Tuesday 3rd June at Bradford Abbas Sports and Social Club. There is Bingo, a small draw, Tea & Biscuits and a chance to have a chat and laugh with fellow villagers. New members will be warmly welcome. Our meetings are always on the first Tuesday afternoon of the month.
Monday Night Bingo
Every Monday at 6.45pm with eyes down at 7.15pm. at Bradford Abbas Sports and Social Club. Everyone 18 and over are welcome to our weekly light-hearted evening which also includes a small draw and a chance to win the SNOW BALL and of course a laugh and chat, we finish just before 9.00pm.
Sherborne Bradford Abbas Camera Club
- We are taking our summer break so there will be no meetings in the village hall, however there are photoshoots planned.
- Regular meetings will resume in September. At the first meeting on 9th September is the AGM and members evening, when members can submit up to three images on the theme âSummerâ.
See our website sbacameraclub.co.uk for further details, or follow our Facebook page.
Yeovil Railway Centre at Yeovil Junction
- Sunday 1st June: Teddy Bear Express â Steam Train Day with 0-4-0 Peckett Pectin
- Sunday 15th June : Steam Train Day
- Sunday 29th June: Steam Train Day â âSchool of Witchcraft and Wizardryâ
Further information www.yeovilrailway.freeservers.com
Bradford Abbas W.I.
It is with great sadness that after 108 years the Bradford Abbas WI had to close, a result of low membership and insufficient officers to take the responsibility going forward.
I would like to thank my committee for all their hard work on a recruitment drive, an interesting programme and our fundraising, we did try very hard but unfortunately could not keep the group going.
I would also like to express my extended thanks to ALL past committee members and WI members for their contributions over the past 108 years. The archive is not lost, itâs been filed at Poundbury, Dorset WI HQ.
Our hand-embroidered WI banner is being displayed in the village church and the exquisite hand-made cross stitch & embroidered WI tablecloth, made by members for the village millennium celebrations, is now in the Sherborne museum, as a local artefact of interest.
If at any point in the future a group of villagers would like to restart a new Bradford Abbas WI then this would be achieved by contacting The Poundbury Dorset WI HQ.
Sue Hanslip, The last President of Bradford Abbas WI
Bradford Abbas Parish Council
- Distressingly, there have been recent reports of fly tipping in the lanes around the village. Donât forget that you can report any such cases of fly tipping to Dorset Council: https://dorset-self.achieveservice.com/service/report-fly-tipping.
- Several residents have observed the phenomenon of âsplitâ bins. If yours has been similarly damaged you can request a replacement bin from Dorset Council: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/bins-recycling-and-litter/request-a-bin/request-a-bin.
- Dorset Council is asking for reports of small collisions or near misses, even if there is no injury or little damage and no police involvement. This is in order to help target road improvements. For more information and to report such instances, please go to https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/news/tell-us-about-small-collisions-or-near-misses-to-help-us-target-road-improvements?utm_source=Town+and+Parish+Councils&utm_campaign=12263c31de-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2024_06_03_09_19_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-bcbf3fc9a5-439296413.