Printed courtesy of Mrs Annette Haynes as a service to the community
Please email your entries for the November 2024 issue to: ThePennant@mail.com by 21st October 2024
Village Hall Committee
Keeping our Village Hall in Bradford Abbas running smoothly has only been possible due to a small team, dealing with the day and day management of bookings, repairs and maintenance, payment of bills and sharing other small tasks as required from time to time. Some members of the team have served for many years and are now stepping aside. We are looking for new members to join the team. We meet about six times a year, for about an hour, usually on the second Wednesday of the month, at 7.30 in the Village Hall.
Without a management team the Village Hall will not function – please come forward to participate and offer a small amount of your time to keep this valuable village asset.
Everyone is welcome at the AGM – 9th October 7.30 in the Village Hall.
The village hall committee is planning a music fundraising evening on Saturday 30th November.
More details will be in the next Pennant. Please keep this date in mind for a fun night out supporting the village hall.
St Mary’s Community Trust
Saturday 14th September - “THE LAST RAYS OF SUMMER”
What a fantastic day we had! The sun shone and lots of you came along.
Our thanks go to all the brilliant acts who provided the entertainment: The Ducks, GenX, Peter Littlewood and Rocket Repair Kit. We’d also like to thank everybody who came along and made it such a special day.
Saturday 6th October – HARVEST BREAKFAST
Join us in the church (9am to noon) for a delicious cooked breakfast.
Friday 5th December – CHRISTMAS WREATH MAKING
As in previous years, we are planning an evening in the village hall (time TBC) when we will supply everything you need to make a Christmas Wreath for your front door (or anywhere else). We will also ply you with Prosecco (or other drinks) and force feed you a variety of yummy puddings. Look out for pricing and booking details in next month’s Pennant.
Christmas Eve – Tuesday 24th December 5.30pm – OUTDOOR CAROL SERVICE
We will again be staging the perfect start to your Christmas. Come and enjoy singing along to your favourite Christmas carols. Church Road will be closed to traffic and the carol lyrics will be projected onto the wall of the church tower.
See you soon, The ST MARY’S COMMUNITY TRUST team
Jo, Alan, Rob, Ruth, Trevor and Gary
Friends of St Mary’s Churchyard
Many thanks to those villagers and other families from outside of our community for helping with the improvements in our churchyard. Folks are taking responsibility for clearing various areas, preparing for planting and improving surfaces of the older and longer graves. Linings and chippings are available at church for anyone who wishes to adopt and care for a grave. We also need advice and support in using materials to clean headstones. Ian and Liz Ward have started valuable work with the older and longer graves.
As Autumn approaches, Saturday mornings from 10am onwards looks the best time for working together at various tasks. The church is open throughout the week for tea and coffee, extra goodies on a Saturday! We encourage volunteers to come along at any time during the week. There’s a plan in church near the Font illustrating ideas for upkeep and improvements.
Please contact Jenny Thomas, Gary Siggins or Alan Fall if you would like to help in anyway.
Bradford Abbas and Clifton Maybank Parish Council
Wriggle Valley PlusBus Service to Yeovil
Starting on Friday 18th October a new fortnightly bus service will be running between Bradford Abbas and Yeovil. The round trip will cost £5.00 and the driver will accept cash and card. (At present the pensioner bus pass is not accepted.)
Timetable:
Dep: Bradford Abbas, Rose and Crown..........10:10
Arr: Yeovil, South Street/Library.......................10:25
Return dep: Yeovil, South Street/Library..........12:30
(drop off or pick up at local supermarkets by request)
To travel on the new service you will need to register with the operator PlusBus which can be by phone (01258 287 987), by email (dorset@ectcharity.co.uk) or on their website (https://ectcharity.co.uk/Dorset/wriggle-valley-plusbus). To book your place for a particular Friday, simply call or email us. Once registered, you can book up to one month in advance but no later than 14:30 on the previous working day.
The bus will have a dedicated driver so people will be able to get to know him/her. It will stay in Yeovil two hours prior to the return journey and will stop at several places in Yeovil. The bus is being run by PlusBus as a trial, funded by a Dorset County Council grant. It will be a case of USE IT OR LOSE IT.
East Farm Right of Way - URGENT ATTENTION NEEDED by current/past Bradford Abbas parishioners
DMMO – T474 - EAST FARM (North of village) - East Lane to Coombe Cottages (Old Compton Lane)
After over 16 years the Parish Council has received notification that a Planning Inspectorate of a public inquiry is to be held in Dorchester in December regarding the above.
The Parish Council desperately need original witnesses and evidence of the use of this right of way as far back as anyone can remember to enable us to gather the proof of usage for the December inquiry. This was a popular, quiet rural route to the north of the village to walk, cycle and exercise your dogs until the denial of access by Charter Oak Estates in 2006/7.
Please forward your evidence and views by 7th November 2024, either by email to the Bradford Abbas Parish Clerk,
bradfordabbas@dorset-aptc.gov.uk or in writing to Jenny Thomas, Tudor Cottage, Church Road, Bradford Abbas DT9 6RF.
Recycling update from Dorset County Council
‘We are pleased to announce that food and drink cartons, as well as foil trays and sheet foil, can now be placed in your household recycling bin for collection.’
Proposed solar farm at Wyke
Thank you to those of you who attended the Parish Council meeting on 3rd September when representatives from RWE were in attendance to answer some of your questions regarding the Wyke solar farm proposal. Also, the RWE consultation session held on 16th September in the Village Hall was very well attended. Please note, you will have the opportunity to present your comments about the proposal to Dorset Council if and when a planning application is made. RWE are saying this will be submitted in December, but the Parish Council will notify you just as soon as this happens.
Bradford Abbas History Society
This month’s meetings are on Tuesday afternoon 29th October, at 2.00pm or the same presentation is also on Thursday evening 31st October at 7.00pm Both meetings are in the Village Hall.
The presentation is by Tony White who will be speaking about events in Bradford Abbas during the mid 1800s and will also be naming some of its residents at that time. This should be a fascinating presentation if you are interested in the history of our village.
Next month’s presentations (November) will also be by Tony White who will be speaking on the Fires in the Village during the 1830’s caused by an arsonist operating in Bradford Abbas. How many properties were attacked???
We are still looking for nominations for the Chairmanship of the Society. Please contact Tony White, 01935 424441.
The Friendship Club
Our next meeting in the village will be on Tuesday 1st October at 2pm 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 welcomed. As mentioned before, we always meet on the first Tuesday afternoon of the month.
Yeovil Railway Centre
- The main event this October is the Halloween Evenings running from 5.30 to 9pm. Admission is £12.50 all ages (though under 1’s are free) pre-booked, £13.50 on the night.
- Come dressed in your scariest outfits with prizes for the best! A Horror Bag for the children. Ghostly steam train rides and Halloween themed food on sale.
- Saturday 28th Disco and ghostly Steam Train rides.
- Thursday 31st Halloween Evening and ghostly Steam Train rides.
and then we are into Santa Specials next month…
Further information on Train Days at www.yeovilrailway.freeservers.com or on our Facebook page.
Bradford Abbas Parish Community Land Trust
We have been dormant for some time now awaiting the publishing of the Neighborhood Plan (NP) since this will be identifying the areas where there might be investment by the community. With the NP likely to be issued for public comment soon, prior to being forwarded to Dorset Council for ratification, we will be re-starting activities soon. The Trust is the vehicle for buying assets like housing and holding and managing them on behalf of the community and as such is an important organization and needs you as a member of that community to support it. If you would like to get involved with the Trust as a member or more directly by joining the Board, please get in touch with me.
Dick Bennett, dicklynnebennett@gmail.com
Tel: 01935 474306; 07768 251920
Pétanque
Hi to all Pétanque players. The weekend games, which alternate Saturdays and Sundays from 2pm, continue to be well supported. Anyone interested in having a go would be welcome (boules can be borrowed at the club).
As usual anyone needing more information on the Petanque group contact Bob on 07840 340799.
Bradford Abbas Variety Club
Our annual AGM will be held at the Bradford Abbas Sports & Social Club on Wednesday 2nd October 2024 at 7.30pm, all welcome.
Bradford Abbas and Clifton Maybank Village Hall
In order to book the village hall please go to the Parish Council website (https://bradford-abbas.uk/hall) to see if the hall is available and how to book, alternatively please email bacmvh@gmail.com or ring the Booking Secretary (Tricia Chapman) on 01935 602279.
Bridge
We play duplicate bridge in the Village Hall every Wednesday at 2.00pm.
If you would like to join us please contact Chris Jones 01935 47500 for more information.
Sherborne Bradford Abbas Camera Club
We meet on the second and fourth Tuesday in the month at the village hall, time 7.30pm
- Tuesday 8th October: Our speaker this evening is Ian Bateman. He will give a talk based on his audio-visual sequences.
- Tuesday 22nd October: The Bradford Abbas Shield, our annual competition between the five clubs, Sherbone Bradford Abbas, Shaftesbury, South Petherton, Wincanton and Yeovil. Each club presents 5 digital images and 5 prints, always an interesting selection with the theme this year of “Trees, one or more or parts thereof”.
Further information on our smart new web site at sbacameraclub.co.uk
Monday Night Bingo
Every Monday at Bradford Abbas Sports and Social Club at 6.45pm with eyes down at 7.15pm. Everyone 18 and over is welcome to our weekly light-hearted evening which also includes a small draw a chance to win the SNOW BALL and of course a laugh and chat, we finish just before 9.00 pm.
Mixed Ability Yoga
Saturday morning yoga has moved to a new time at Bradford Abbas Village Hall on Saturday mornings, now from 8.30am--9.30am. So come along and join us! These are friendly and fun classes, suitable for most. Start your weekend with movement and relaxation. £9 per session.
Emma Riley
https://www.facebook.com/Emma-Riley-Yoga-112642420645325; https://www.instagram.com/emma_riley_yoga/
St. Mary’s Church, Bradford Abbas
UPCOMING SERVICES - EVERYBODY IS WELCOME
SUNDAY 6TH OCTOBER 10am Harvest Service (led by Janet Smith)
SUNDAY 20TH OCTOBER 10am Holy Communion (led by David Dunning)
SUNDAY 3RD NOVEMBER 10am Morning Worship (lay-led)
SUNDAY 10TH NOVEMBER 10:50am Remembrance Service (lay-led), starting at the War Memorial, continuing in church
MONDAY 11TH NOVEMBER 10:50am Act of Remembrance (led by George Moody), at the War Memorial
SUNDAY 17TH NOVEMBER 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.
CHURCH HEATING – There should be an insert in your Pennant this month, sharing news about our latest plans for installing a modern heating system in the church. Please read it and think about what you might be able to do to help turn these plans into reality. If for whatever reason your insert is missing, please email us at BradfordAbbasChurch@gmail.com and we will send you a further copy.
CHRISTMAS CAROL SERVICE AND CHOIR – There will be a Carol Service in the church (date and time TBC). Despite Jo Matthews having left the parish this summer, we are hoping to continue her work and are actively seeking an inspirational leader for our occasional choir. If you have sung with our choir in the past or would like to join us this year, please speak to Anne Hurrell or Gary Siggins to confirm your interest. We are also looking for an organist who would be prepared to attend a small number of practices ahead of the service and to play at the Carol Service itself. If that might be you (or someone you know) please let us know.