Telephone Box Update
We do hope that you are enjoying the wonderful selection of books that have been donated. Thank you to all the people who have left books for us.
Due to the generosity of the people of Bradford Abbas we now have a good reserve stock of books and do not need any more at present (but will do later in March).
We are now appealing for DVDs and jigsaw puzzles so that we can extend our range for February. Please leave any you can spare in the telephone box and we will sort them etc.
Thank you to the children of the school for designing and making the super window decorations, which were a constant source of delight for so many people at Christmas.
Later in the spring we will be asking for plants etc. so if you are planting seeds, or dividing plants please plant a few extra to share with the village.
Thank you for your support,
The telephone box team
Our photo (not included yet in this online version) shows the chair of the Parish Council, Lynne Bennett, officially opening the Parish telephone box in December.
Keep Bradford Abbas tidy
Every year in this country, millions of small mammals die after becoming trapped in littered bottles and cans, and our oceans are becoming a toxic, plastic soup as a result of all the rubbish that is washed into our sewers and rivers. This year the problem has been exacerbated by all the single-use masks that so many of our volunteers are having to clear up from our streets, parks and beaches. So please, keep our village free from litter.
Bradford Abbas Community Land Trust
As with lots of organisations it is difficult making progress with things in these challenging circumstances, but there have been some developments. We have had a seed corn grant from Dorset Council to provide ourselves with working capital and have started the early stages of providing affordable housing for rent to meet local needs. At the moment this consists of setting up a survey form to establish Community views on the subject and to get a sense of likely local needs for housing. However, it isn’t easy trying to run a survey in the current lockdown world, and besides it is likely that people’s minds are elsewhere at present, but we will be starting this when conditions seem right for it.
In the meantime, we could really do with more members so that we can get as wide a range of local views and opinions as possible, so do please contact me using the details below and get your voice heard.
One final plea… We have a website but would very much like to find someone who could give it a sort out to make it more appealing and informative. Also, we could really do with a presence on social media. Would you be able to help us? If so, we’d love to hear from you.
Dick Bennett
01935 474306
Website - https://www.baclt.org.uk/
Bradford Abbas Ultrafast Community Project
People in Bradford Abbas are taking up the offer of the UK government to pay Openreach to connect their premises to the internet by fibre optic cable. On January 1st, 90% of the target had been achieved so we need to have a few more people to pledge their vouchers so that they can go from a typical 20 Mbps now, to a possible 900 Mbps!
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It doesn’t cost anything to pledge at https://www.openreach.com/connect-my-community
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Your pledge attracts £1,500 (or £3,500 for a business) of government money paid to Openreach.
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Eventually .gov.uk will email you to confirm your pledge to Openreach.
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Should Bradford Abbas meet the target, people making the pledge are expected to connect to the internet via a retail service provider of their choice like BT, Sky, EE, etc.
We’re almost but not quite there yet! Openreach need a few more of us to sign up.
Already signed up?
If you’ve already made your pledge, don’t delay in responding to the email sent from gigabit.vouchers@notifications.service.gov.uk that contains a link to gigabitvoucher.culture.gov.uk where you confirm your pledge.
The Rose and Crown
We are still not able to open the pub, but we are doing takeaways and lunch-time deliveries. Please note, we need more support from the people of the village!
Takeaways and deliveries on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and for Sunday lunches. We are also doing large pizzas for £6 and all children’s meals are £5. All the food is freshly cooked to order. Please order for lunch time before 10am, for evenings before 3pm and for SUNDAY lunch before Saturday lunch time. Keep safe and look to the future, from Mary and staff at the pub. Phone 01935 774506
Bradford Abbas Village Store
To all Bradford Abbas villagers….. Where we are, what has happened and what will happen!!
The property was provisionally sold and we were due to leave at the end of January 2021 when the shop would have had to close. However, the sale has fallen through which means that we are able to remain open for the foreseeable future!
We have been in the village for nearly three years and have tried our best to keep the shop open, but like all businesses we need customers and rely on your support, and so we would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to all our faithful customers.
Covid is affecting everyone and sometimes it is very difficult to keep going but despite that we’ve managed to stay open every day, apart from Christmas day!!! Both of us have medical issues and we’re so grateful for the amazing support we’ve had from the volunteers who help ensure that the shop stays open every day.
And so, as the property has not been sold, we are still able to open the door, and we will continue to have many fantastic deals, including the Jaffa cakes currently on offer!
We look forward to seeing you all at the shop. If you need help please ask.
All our best wishes
Alan and Wendy
01935 420685 or store@bavillagestore.co.uk
Bradford Abbas Parish Council
On behalf of the Parish Council and residents of the village I would like to thank the new editor of The Pennant, Jo Barber. Hopefully, The Pennant will soon be buzzing again with events to enjoy.
The Councillors met at the beginning of January to discuss the budget for the 2021-22 financial year. After careful consideration the precept will need to be increased to cover increasing costs from our suppliers and to save funds in order to replace the toddler multi-unit play equipment in the playing fields in the next few years. For more information please go to the Parish Council's website https://bradford-abbas.uk/
Dog owners: Please DO NOT use the litter bins in the playing fields to deposit dog poo bags. There are many other litter bins throughout the village that can be used. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Please note, the Post Office, which is located in the Village Hall, is open on Tuesdays only (opening times: 1pm – 4pm).
Bradford Abbas Parish Clerk
Please use the Parish Council website
For latest news on what the Parish Council is doing on our behalf, why don’t you enter your email address in the “subscribe” box at https://bradford-abbas.uk. You won’t be bombarded with emails, but you’ll get to know when the Parish Council has something important to say.
Also, if there’s something in particular you’re looking for, there’s a ‘search’ box where you can easily find it. With a single click you can do a word search through all Parish Council minutes and various other documents going back to November 2015.
St.Mary’s Church
‘Trust in God, trust also in me…’
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC
“Everything is provisional!” Those words have been repeated on endless occasions by Tony Gilbert, our Team Rector when referring to organising events and Services within the Benefice that have to be changed, sometimes in a hurry, thanks, or otherwise to Covid! That saying does seem to have been the watchword in so many ways over the last year, especially as we enter Lockdown 3!
As I write this clergy letter, right at the beginning of the year, I mused on what the situation might well be like on New Year’s Eve this year. Will we be free of Covid? Will we be able to meet without restrictions? Will we still have to socially distance? Whatever does happen I reckon the last year has been like no other in the memories of many folks.
Many have suffered in so many ways. Restrictions, lockdowns, businesses failing, some after many years trading and changes to lifestyles have abounded. Some may have become ill with the virus. Some may have tragically lost relatives. Whatever, we as a nation, have had a really bad time over the last year. We are very much down, but not out! We are made of sterner stuff than we might appreciate. We can move on after all of this!
And so searching for some positivity, the more people I have spoken to in the last few weeks, either as parish priest or as a chaplain to farming and the rural community, mostly seem to say the same thing – be positive going forward into next year, with the vaccine being treated as a gift from God! Let’s keep going, keeping safe, looking after and loving one another - we’re nearly there!
By the time you have read this we will be heading into February and a month will have elapsed since those New Year Resolutions were first hatched. Did we make one after all? How many of these resolutions are still intact? Have we broken any already? Have we lost any weight since then? Are we texting less and talking more? What about those few extra drinks then? Are we really sticking to the resolutions ‘religiously’?
In the Bible, Jesus says in St. John’s Gospel, “Trust in God, trust also in me”. (14: 1). But how many times do we trust in God, rather that the world, full of trickery and deceit? I don’t know about you, but I would rather hedge my bets on trusting Jesus than a bunch of rather shallow resolutions that really don’t mean much at all. For me, Jesus is the only one to trust, he can be leant on and will really be there when we need him. Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest”. (Matthew 11: 28).
With the wonder, awe and re-birth of Easter in the first week of April, and all the issues of the last year, let us look to that wonderful resurrection of a life for each one of us to be part of. Jesus said, “Trust in God, trust also in me”. In the weeks ahead, let us do just that.
Vicar Richard
Church Services
Our local clergy have taken the difficult decision to suspend all church services during the current lockdown, but please check the church notice board for further updates. Remember there are frequent online services; go to www.threevalleysteam.org for further details.