Edition 553 December 2022/ January 2023
Printed courtesy of Mrs Annette Haynes as a service to the community
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
Please email your entries for the February 2023 issue to: ThePennant@mail.com by 21st January 2023
Telephone Box News
May we wish you all a very Happy Christmas.
Thank you for all your support over the year and thanks to all the bulb and plant providers, waterers, (and the person who pays for the water) etc. etc. Thank you also to the W. I. for, over the year, knitting so many striking red poppies for our war memorial for Remembrance . Our thanks also go to Annette Haynes and her team for providing and building our wonderful new nativity stable and to the Parish Council for providing our Christmas tree.
Many hands make light work! Thank you all. Happy New Year, The Telephone Box Team
Neighbourhood Plan Update
A huge thank you to everyone in the village who attended last Thursday’s Open Meeting, and who took the time to tell us what matters to them. The Working Group truly appreciates your feedback and is busy collating it all. If you were unable to attend, we would still really welcome your views. We are particularly interested in hearing from our younger generations in the parishes – this is everyone’s future! Do you have any comments on the following areas? (Points are there to prompt thought, they are by no means exclusive!)
- HOUSING - local need/types/conversion of rural buildings/conservation of heritage/design, both aesthetic and eco, of any future provision;
- TRANSPORT - buses/community transport/footpaths/parking and accessibility/cycle routes and bridleways/traffic calming;
- BUSINESS SERVICES - support for WFH/development of a hub/visitor accommodation/promotion of diverse small enterprises;
- CLIMATE CHANGE – drainage and flood control/provision of renewable and sustainable energy sources for the village/access to river;
- COMMUNITY SERVICES – use of village hall and sports club/church and graveyard/primary school, pre-school, wrap around care and clubs/recreational ground and open spaces;
- ENVIRONMENT – local biodiversity and hedgerows/heritage and special interest buildings/ important views or open gaps/land of local importance;
- OTHER – things that are much appreciated/things that could be improved/facilities that you would like to see in the village.
Details can be found on the Parish Council website: https://bradford-abbas.uk/village_plan/village-evolution-where-next/policy-areas
If you do not have access to the Internet, please ring Terry Hunt on 07400 506203 or post your comments through the Village Hall post box, addressed to Neighbourhood Plan. Please let us have all your comments by 23rd December 2023.
Christmas Post Box
The post box will be in the Church from Sunday 4th of December until the last collection at 2.00pm on Sunday the 18th. The service is free, but if you feel that you would like to make a donation, please place these in the Fabric Fund box, just inside the Church door. We always need volunteers, so if you are able to help with deliveries to Bradford Abbas and Clifton Maybank , Sue will be happy to hear from you, telephone 471901. Your continued support is appreciated.
St. Mary’s Community Trust
The classical music concert on 11th November, performed by students from Sherborne Girls, was a sheer delight and raised approximately £270 for our village church. We hope to have them back again in the future.
CHRISTMAS WREATH-MAKING – Friday 2nd December 7:30pm in the Village Hall.
At the time of writing, there were still tickets available for this event. Come and make your own Christmas wreath and enjoy prosecco and puddings while you create. All materials provided and expert guidance available if you need it (you might like to bring your own secateurs/scissors and wire cutters if you have them). Tickets £25. Contact Ruth or Trevor on 01935 700001 to book your place.
FESTIVE CHRISTMAS TEA with BINGO – Saturday 17th December 3pm in the Village Hall
Is somebody you love already fed up with the football? Need to earn some brownie points? Come and treat yourself and them the week before Christmas to a top notch afternoon tea. Tickets £15. Contact Ruth or Trevor on 01935 700001 to book places.
OUTDOOR CAROL SERVICE – Christmas Eve 5:30pm. In front of the church (Church Road will be closed to traffic). If you have missed the outdoor carols service in 2020 and 2021, try not to miss it this year. A wonderful way to kick off your family Christmas.
Dates for 2023: Mark your diary now.
Wassailing – Saturday 21st January 2023. Meet at 6pm at the church with boots/wellies, warm clothing and a torch/lantern. We will process down to Mill Farm, make fools of ourselves in the orchard and move into Mill Farm’s barn for drinks, hot food, songs and entertainment. If you don’t want to process, you could meet us at Mill Farm about 7pm. We had a very enjoyable wassailing evening in January 2022, but it was a bit cold in the church. It should be a bit warmer at Mill Farm!. Come and join us for a fun night out.
The Big Breakfast – Saturday 18th February 2023 9am to 12 noon in the church. Come and enjoy a delicious breakfast with us.
The Church That Rocks with live music in front of the church and – when night falls – inside the church will take place on Saturday 10th June 2023.
The Church That Rocks 2 with live music in the playing field will be on Saturday 9th September.
Jo, Alan, Rob, Ruth, Trevor and Gary, The ST MARY’S COMMUNITY TRUST team
Bradford Abbas History Society
Our next meetings will be in the Village Hall on Tuesday AFTERNOON 24th January at 2.30 pm and Thursday EVENING 26th January at 7.30 pm. Our annual subscription of £10 will be due. We start with our AGM, followed by a presentation by Luke Mouland on Hospital Blues. This is a good insight into the hospitals in this area in WW1. Meetings are open to all at a cost of £2 per person per meeting or free to History Society members and to those 16 and under.
Bradford Abbas Women’s Institute
Our meeting in December will take place at 7.30pm on Tuesday 20th at the Village Hall when our members can enjoy a Christmas celebration. Members should bring a plate of food to share and wear something festive if possible. The competition will be ‘Your Favourite Christmas Tree Decoration’. This should be a fun evening with business kept to a minimum but games, food and mulled wine to be enjoyed.
Our first meeting in 2023 will take place on Tuesday 17th January at 7.30pm in the Village Hall when our own
Miranda Pender will tell us about her experiences doing her own Family History. The competition will be announced in December. This should be an interesting evening so dig up some of your own Family History stories – all welcome to come and join in.
NB Our annual Jumble Sale will take place in the Village Hall on Saturday 4th February 2023 from 2.00 – 4.00 pm so start collecting and sorting. Donations may be left at the Village Hall from 10.00am on that day and we look forward to seeing you there.
Bradford Abbas Parish Council
The Parish Council would like to thank everyone that took the time to complete the evidence form for the Gollops Ground Definitive Map Order Application. The application was submitted and accepted in September. Please email the Clerk for a link to the applications:
HEDGES AND VERGES
The Parish Council is concerned that a few hedges and verges have become overgrown and are causing a problem to pedestrians and road users.
Now is the time of year to manage these.
Please can we ask you to look at any of your hedges and verges that abut the road and check that they are not causing an obstruction to either vehicles on the road or pedestrians walking past.
Sandra Hillier, Parish Clerk
The Friendship Club
The Friendship Club meets on the 6th December, the first Tuesday afternoon of the month, at 2.00 pm at Bradford Abbas Sports and Social Club. There is Bingo, a draw, Tea & Biscuits and a chance to have a chat and laugh with fellow villagers, new members are welcome
The next meeting will be on Tuesday 3rd January 2023 at 2.00 pm at Bradford Abbas Sports and Social Club. Annual subs of £10 are due.
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. Please note the new telephone number.
Monday Night Bingo
Our very popular cash Christmas Bingo will be held on Monday 19th December at 6.45 pm with eyes down at 7.15 at Bradford Abbas Sports and Social Club. Everyone 18 and over is welcome to our light-hearted festive evening which also includes our famous Christmas draw and of course a laugh and chat. We should finish just before 10.00 pm (hopefully).
Monday Night Bingo will resume on Monday 2nd January at 6.45 pm with eyes down at 7.15 pm, again at Bradford Abbas Sports and Social Club. It will also include a small draw and a chance to win the SNOW BALL and of course a laugh and chat, we finish just before 9.00 pm.
Sherborne Bradford Abbas Camera Club
The last meeting for 2022 is on Tuesday 6th December, 7.30 at the Village Hall. It is a seasonal social get together with a competition, ‘The most unusual image’, plus a quiz.
- Tuesday 10th January: Critique evening, any subject with no specific topic. An external judge will critique the images.
- Tuesday 24th January: “Shoot a Theme Competition”, the theme was chosen by our 2021 winner Mark Tatchell , “Street Photography that puts a smile on your face”. It will be judged internally by our members.
Meetings are in the Village Hall starting at 7.30pm, everyone welcome. Further information at sbacameraclub.co.uk
Bradford Abbas Sports & Recreational Club
New members are always welcome. The Club Function Room can be hired for Private Parties. For bookings, please contact the club: Tel: 01935 420575, www.bradfordabbasclub.co.uk
Visit our Facebook page: Bradford Abbas Sports and Recreational Club
Crib Morning - Mondays from 10:15am. Tea, coffee and lots of laughs are available.
Bingo - Monday evenings - Starting at 6:45 pm with eyes down at 7:15pm.
Arts & Crafts - Wednesday evenings from 7:00pm. If you are feeling artistic, why not join like minds.
Cycling Club - Wednesday evenings. Meet at 6:45pm. We cater for all abilities and welcome ladies and children to join us for a leisurely cycle ride of varying distances.
Happy Hour - Every Sunday we are open from 1:00pm-5:00pm and we have a happy hour 3:00pm-4:00pm
On Tuesdays we are open from 7:30pm as there will be skittle matches taking place, so please do come along and support the teams. During the skittles season we will also be open on Thursday evenings for another of our skittles teams.
Yeovil Railway Centre at Yeovil Junction
- Saturday 3rd and 10th December: Tea with Santa. A few spaces left on either date. Children come and have tea and a chat with Santa, play some games and receive a small present. Note that there are no train rides with this event.
- Santa Specials are being run on Sunday 4th, Saturday 10th, Sunday 11th, Sunday 18th, Wednesday 21st and Friday 23rd. Pre - booking is essential this year, at least 24 hours in advance. Prices per person, adult or child, are £11. Groups of 8 or more are £10. Book early, we were sold out in 2020 and 2021. ‘On the day’ tickets will be sold at £15 per person and are strictly subject to availability.
- To book see our website for our on-line booking service for cards
- Further details on our website: yeovilrailway.freeservers.com, or our Facebook page.
- Main Line Steam on Tuesday 6th when a Black Five loco hauls the annual London to Sherborne for the Carol Serve at Sherborne Abbey. The loco then continues to Yeovil Junction, times provisionally 13.25 to 16.30.
- Admission is by donation (suggested min £2 per person), limited parking. The shop and café are open.
There are no public events in January. The shop though will be open on Sunday mornings, 10 to 12 noon. Behind the scenes there is a busy time ahead with clearing up after Christmas, general maintenance and the start of building a new toilet block. Restoration of the BR Vanwide wagon has been completed, now work on the Ballast Plough Brake Van commences. New volunteers are always welcome in helping with this or other projects.
St. Mary’s Church, Bradford Abbas
SERVICES IN DECEMBER AND JANUARY
EVERYBODY IS WELCOME – PLEASE DO COME ALONG. WE ARE ALWAYS DELIGHTED TO SEE NEW FACES.
- SUNDAY 4TH DECEMBER 10am Welcome to Worship (lay-led)
- SUNDAY 11TH DECEMBER 6pm SERVICE OF LESSONS AND CAROLS
This is always an uplifting occasion, with lots of familiar carols to get you in a proper Christmas mood. - SUNDAY 18TH DECEMBER 10am Holy Communion
- CHRISTMAS EVE 5:30pm Outdoor Carol Service (in front of the church)
- CHRISTMAS DAY 10am Holy Communion
- SUNDAY 8TH JANUARY 10am Welcome to Worship (lay-led)
- SUNDAY 15TH JANUARY 10am Holy Communion
- SUNDAY 29TH JANUARY 10am Holy Communion
On weekends when we are without a service in Bradford Abbas, we encourage villagers to join a service at one of our neighbouring churches. These are posted on the notice boards outside the church.
BABY BASICS This Christmas, we are supporting the charity Baby Basics which puts together bundles of essentials for new mums and new babies who are in need. What better symbol of hope and goodwill could there be at this time of year? There is a collection point just inside the door of the church. If you wish to help, please buy something(s) from the following list and leave it in the church before the end of December: maternity pads, sanitary towels, hand soap, baby soap, baby shampoo, mum shampoo, newborn nappies, baby wipes. Thank you for your generosity.
FOOD BANK With more and more people struggling to make ends meet, please think about supporting your local food banks (e.g by leaving something for the Sherborne Food Bank in their collection point at Sainsburys). If you can’t get there, you are welcome to leave tinned and dry goods in the box in the church and we will pass them on. From the Harvest Festivals in the church in October, the village school children, their families and our regular parishioners gave approximately 300 items which we delivered to the Sherborne Food Bank, for which we received a fulsome letter of thanks. We pass those thanks onto you all for your kindness towards others.
A Seasonal Message from the Vicar - CHRISTMAS 2022
‘I understand that God will be blessing you with a baby brother or sister this Christmas’, said a priest to a member of the Sunday School ‘Yes’ the child replied ‘and he knows how we are going to pay for it; I heard dad say God knows where the extra money is coming from!’’.
Do you worry at Christmas and its cost? – You don’t need to. Christmas has been marked for 2000 years as part of the general range of Christian festivals and it is only in the last 200 years or so that the secular world has moved in on it and whilst keeping many of the trappings has tried to change it into an orgy of consumerism. It does not have to be like that.
So, what is Christmas actually about? Many TV programmes start with a short recap and the phrase, ‘and previously on ……’. Well similarly with Christmas. Except that the phrase ‘now previously’ in Christian belief should be said at Easter and refer back to Christmas. This is because the Christmas story was recorded from the point of view of Easter and the resurrection. Matthew and Luke, in whose Gospels we find all the Christmas material, were keen to show that God’s love for humanity was apparent right from the beginning of Christ’s life. It was not until the Victorians and more particularly Charles Dickens's story `A Christmas Carol’ that it was irrevocably changed and the extras have been put into it year on year. The early church felt that it was appropriate to hold the celebration of hope in the cold barrenness of winter that pointed to better things to come, both physically with the warmer weather and spiritually with Easter. Christmas is about hope for us all and not about how much we spend.
I heard on the radio once a self-admitted atheist telling how she always enjoyed being invited around to some particular friends of hers at Christmas because as Christians `They knew how to celebrate Christmas properly'. Strange thing for an atheist to say you might think but then many people are nearer to Christ than we or they realise.
Happy Christmas
Tony Gilbert, Team rector