SHOSCOMBE NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2011/JANUARY 2012

EVENTS IN DECEMBER 2011/JANUARY 2012

Saturday, 3 December Shoscombe School and Church Christmas Fayre

Sunday, 4 December Christingle Service at Shoscombe School

Saturday, 10 December Coffee Morning with Cynthia at Glenshea

Sunday, 18 December Carol Singers Apple Tree Pub

Saturday, 24 December Christmas Carol Service at Shoscombe School

Thursday, 5 January Jamie at School at Shoscombe School

Saturday, 21 January Soup Lunch with Hazel and David Jones

Saturday, 28 January Curry Night at Shoscombe School

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Saturday, 2 June Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Party at Shoscombe School

Shoscombe School and Church

Christmas Fayre

3rd December

2.30pm – 5pm

CHRISTINGLE

Come and join us at Shoscombe School for our Christingle Service

on Sunday 4th December at 10 am, raising funds for

the Children's Society. The All Age Worship Service will be a

lively and enjoyable family occasion with lots for the children to

see and do.

CHRISTMAS CAROL SERVICE

This popular family occasion will be

held at Shoscombe School on

Christmas Eve at 4.30 pm

Carol SingingCarol SingingCarol SingingCarol Singing Shoscombe Village Hall Committee are once again going to sing Carols this year to raise funds for the Hall. On Sunday 18th December, at 5.00 p.m. at The Apple Tree pub. We will gather with our unmelodious voices to serenade the poor customers who often pay up to make us stop! Please come and listen to our efforts, because we can't go home and cease the noise until our coffers are full! You can sample some mulled wine from mine hosts, Mark and Mandy, which may make the time we are there less of an ordeal. If you feel you can sing with us and make a more tuneful noise, we need all the help we can get, so please phone Lisa on 01761 433293, or e-mail: lisahcoles@aol.com so that we will know how many voices we will have. Those who just want to come and enjoy our discomfort, please come along - we look forward to seeing you there.

SHOSCOMBE NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2011/JANUARY 2012

PARISH COUNCIL NEWS

We held our Parish Council meeting on Thursday 17th November and are happy to announce the launch of

the new Parish Council website! Mr Nick Gates has designed and created this. Many thanks to him. It is still

under construction but can be accessed at www.shoscombeparish.org.uk. He is looking for additional

content such as photographs etc. It is planned for the whole Newsletter to be available on the site.

We also discussed further the issue of broadband in the Village. This is another matter Nick Gates is trying

to resolve for the village. We know that fibre optic cable is available in the box by the roundabout but BT

will not install down into Shoscombe because they cannot guarantee the correct speed for Infinity. However,

the improvement in connection and speed would still be phenomenal compared to what we have at the

moment. Nick suggests as many people as possible write to Jacob Rees-Mogg at the House of Commons to

see if he can help in any way. The postal address is:

Mr. Jacob Rees-Mogg,

Member of Parliament for North East Somerset,

House of Commons,

London SW1A OAA.

Steve Scott has been undertaking some extensive research into the installation of de-fibrillators in villages

and, as we mentioned before, the telephone box in St. Julian’s Road could be used for this. The general

consensus of opinion is that they are a good thing and have saved over 200 lives. He will be continuing with

his enquiries looking at costs, training and localities. If you have comments or suggestions, please let us

know.

Other items under discussion were the visibility issues at the junction of Green St and Braysdown Lane; we

will be in touch with the landowners regarding this as they have indicated they are happy for this to be

improved. The footpath near St Julian’s Farm will, hopefully, be improved over the next months, as it is

quite hazardous at the moment. Andrew Marptree is in discussions with Natural England regarding the

badger sett. Unfortunately, funds for extra signage on the Mercedes roundabout for the village, village hall

and school are unavailable so we will be obtaining costings to see if the Parish Council could purchase these

as they would help people find us!

Lastly, The Walk to School/Travel Plan will be discussed at the next Governor sub-committee at the school

and I have been invited to attend. Once we have the collated results of the parental questionnaire and the

updated Travel Plan, we can forward these to B&NES to see if there is anything they can help with

regarding this ongoing issue. I have also been asked to inform all residents of the voluntary one-way system

which is currently in operation. The school have asked parents at both drop off and pick up times to come

down Green St., approaching the school on the left, and then go on up Single Hill. It is hoped this will

alleviate the problem of people meeting each other in our narrow roads and having to reverse.

Jean Fossaceco – Clerk to the Parish Council

Jamie Oliver at School Jamie Oliver at School Jamie Oliver at School Jamie Oliver at School

Thursday 5Thursday 5Thursday 5Thursday 5thththth January 2012 January 2012 January 2012 January 2012

This is a chance not only to see what the range of kit looks like but in true January

style there is a SALE.

Please come along and support the school. It’s being held at 3.30pm immediately after school.

SHOSCOMBE NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2011/JANUARY 2012

CHURCH SERVICES

DATE &

NOTES

SERVICE

TIME

LEADER PREACH

ER

Complacent worship - Zephaniah 1:10-18

Dec 4th

2nd of Advent

10.00

Morning

Praise

Christingle

Rob

Bubyer

Christingle

Rob

Bubyer

Repent whilst there is still time

Zephaniah 2 :1-3

Dec 11th

Last W/E Term

3rd of Advent

10.00 Holy

Communion

Richard

Fothergill

Richard

Fothergill

God is mighty to save - Zephaniah 3 :14 - 17

Dec 18th

4th of Advent

6.00 Ten

Lamps

No Service No Service

Dec 25th

Christmas Day

CHRISTMAS COFFEE MORNING

Saturday 10th December

10.30 to 12 noon. Please come and enjoy

coffee and homemade mince pies at the home of

Cynthia Mason, Glenshea,

Raffle and Bring and Buy

SOUP LUNCH

Saturday January 21st, at Evad le Zah,

12noon to 2.00pm, cost £4.00

David and Hazel will once again be serving a variety of home made soups. We would like to thank them for giving us a very enjoyable

Harvest Lunch in November when £115 was raised for church funds.

Think about it based on Luke 2:19 by Matthew Street

'Mary stored these things up in her heart, pondering what they might mean' Luke 2:19

Still waters, we are told, run deep. They also have another quality: the ability to reflect. Both those qualities, though in a somewhat different sense, are amply evident in the example of Mary at the birth of Jesus, and we do well to ponder them. It must have been an exciting night for her, that night Jesus was born. For a start, there was the natural euphoria of giving birth and of holding her child close for the first time, but, alongside that, there was more. There was the memory of Gabriel, telling her that this child was the Son of God, and then, as if to confirm it, the coming of shepherds, no doubt blurting out their story of angels praising God and directing them to where a Saviour, the Messiah, had been born. She could so easily have been swept along by the tide of events, carried away by it all in such a way that she scarcely gave a thought to what was happening, but she didn't - she stored these things up in her heart, pondering what they might mean. In other words, she looked deeper, beneath the surface, and she reflected on what God had done in her life. She made time to consider and to understand.

Do we do that today? Christmas is an exciting time for us too, though for different reasons. It's an occasion for partying and celebrations, for family reunions and get-togethers, for giving and receiving, laughing and making merry. And why not? - those all bring some welcome happiness in the bleakness of winter. Yet, how many of us pause to reflect on what it's ultimately all about, on what we're celebrating and why, on the thing God has done for us that gives the season its name. Make time for fun and celebration, but, above all, make time to think and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas, for then you will truly find something worth getting excited about.

with my best regards,

Matthew

Matthew Street, The Vicarage, Church Road, Peasedown St John, Bath, BA2 8AA Tel: 01761 432293 - Email: mgstreet@me.com - Website:http://www.stjsgroup.com/ Benefice Office:Hywel Carr - Tel: 07881 921018 - Email: hywel_carr@me.com Children's Pastor - Rob Bubyer - Tel: 07977 094262 - Email: robbubyer@me.com Worship Pastor - Hywel Carr - Tel: 07881 921018 - Email: hywel_carr@me.com Treasurer - Jane Street - Tel: 01761 300451 - Email: jane_street@me.com

DECEMBER 2011

GIFT DAY

Thanks to everyone who generously contributed to the

Church Gift Day Appeal. Donations totalling £251 will be used to support and maintain our village churches.

SHOSCOMBE NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2011/JANUARY2012

Dear All, You may recall that Jan and Geoff Swift held a coffee morning in aid of Uganda last July. Some of the money went to famine relief but the rest went to a project in my locality . A self help group of parents with severely disabled children are supported by Hannah, a young British volunteer. She and her Ugandan husband Jo give them support and advice on how to care for and stimulate their children. She has already ,with your help , set up a toy library for the group so that children can use and touch simple toys such as soft balls, simple musical toys, wooden cars and lego. She has now been able to attend the most recent meeting of the group and she and Jo talked to them about the causes of malaria and the use of a mosquito net. ( Many people in the villages who have not had the chance to attend school still believe that malaria comes from mangoes. This is because mangoes are on the trees in the wet season when mosquitoes are most prevalent) Due to your generosity she was able to give each family one or two nets (where there are many children). This will really help keep malaria at bay as mosquitoes are most active at night. Thank you so much. Sue Galer

MOSQUITO NETS

Fare Car - Combe Hay, Shoscombe,

South Stoke & Wellow Area Fare Car is available to residents of the Combe Hay, Shoscombe, South Stoke &

Wellow area. It is a safe and friendly shared taxi service at special rates operated by Bath Taxis with financial support from Bath & North East Somerset Council.It

is available on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays but not Public Holidays.

The fare is £1.50 per person per single trip. The service works on a flat fare

basis so from any point between the rural area and Bath the fare is £1.50. This is a subsidised fare and there are no further reductions for Diamond Travelcard holders or children.If you are a resident in the designated Fare Car

Zone, firstly you need to be issued with your Fare Car membership number. Please call 01225 477615 to obtain your free Fare Car membership and for further information or look at www.bathnes.gov.uk/transportandstreets/

travel website .

‘This is a very efficient service but more residents need to use it or it could be taken

away. I have used it weekly during the last two months and found it very reliable.’

SHOSCOMBE NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2011/JANUARY2012

VILLAGE HALL SURVEY

The Village Hall, originally a Miner's Welfare Hall, was built at the beginning of the 20th Century. It now needs rebuilding, as the cost of continually doing repairs becomes non viable and if not done, the hall will gradually deteriorate until it eventually falls into decay and will be unusable. There are sources of funds which are available from various different bodies, and to apply for help in this way, we will need to show that the hall is in frequent use and is needed by the community. We will, of course, need to raise money ourselves in addition. However, the first task is to establish what people would like to see their hall used for and what events they would attend. The Village Hall Committee have decided to survey the whole village to gauge the interest in keeping the Hall running and in rebuilding. We will be delivering a survey at the end of December when we hope many of you will be at home, bored with TV, tinsel and turkey and be happy to look at something different. It will be collected a few days later. Please have a think, fill in our survey and help us keep the Shoscombe Village Hall up and running. As everyone says "Use it or lose it".

THANK YOU

Lots of you will have had a brilliant time at the Village Hall when the Halloween par-

ties took place. Organised by Sue MacDonald it was a ghoulish fest of spiders, ghosts

and vampires. The hall was superbly decorated and enjoyed by both the children at

their party on the Friday and the adults on the Saturday. Everyone took the theme to

heart and the hall was packed with witches, warlocks and oddbods!

What a fantastic evening, the music was great, both the group "Hot Shots" and the

disco, and the food, which was generously prepared by Linda Harding and Lisa Coles.

Thanks so much to everyone for making the effort to entertain us so well. The bonus

was a princely sum, of which the lions share went to the Cricket Club and a small

donation made to the Village Hall.

Well done, Sue, when's your next do?

Curry NightCurry NightCurry NightCurry Night

We are clear of Christmas by both 34 and 330 so what better day to have a Curry?

Saturday 28Saturday 28Saturday 28Saturday 28thththth January January January January

7pm7pm7pm7pm

At SchoolAt SchoolAt SchoolAt School There will be a range of curries to try including vegetarian ones. For those who like a drink

there will be bar. This is a ticket only event. I hear you say “How do I get a ticket?”.

Well several options:

Helen Craig-Jones 439179 , northleahouse@aol.co.uk Fred Chaytors 432382, f.c.c@btinternet.com

Cost is £5 per adult. Children under 12 eat free (There will be a film for children)

SHOSCOMBE VILLAGE HALL

100 CLUB

NOVEMBER RESULTS

1st Prize £90 Guy Gudmunsen (13) 2nd Prize £45 Sue Babington (151) 3rd prize £40 Lynne Clapp (27)

The next draw will take place on Tuesday, 13th December

(about 9.00pm) at The Apple Tree

Hall Bookings Lee Crowther Russell

Email: leecrowtherrussell@hotmail.com or telephone 07866 749369

SHOSCOMBE NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2011/JANUARY2012

Editorial

Please let us know if you would like us to include any family announcements in future issues. If anyone would

like to place a commercial advert in the Newsletter, for a small donation towards printing costs, please let us

know. There would be no charge for community adverts.

The SHOSCOMBE NEWSLETTER has a monthly circulation of 250 copies, delivered to every home in the village, by volunteers from our community.

Items for the February Newsletter to:

letterbox at 46 Single Hill

or shoscombenews@btinternet.com by 21 January.

N.B a copy of this newsletter can be found on the website www.shoscombevillagehall.co.uk

The Old Railway Land – Single Hill.

Many who walk around the village or live at Single Hill will be aware of the ongoing clearance work being under-

taken on the old railway track at the end of the lane. As a wildlife enthusiast, I had noticed that the ‘scrubbing over’ of

the land had led to a seriously detrimental effect on many species with some disappearing completely including

nesting turtle doves and the marbled white butterfly which always graced the end of the lane during June. Others hang

on by a thread; perhaps the most interesting being the colony of glow worms which can be seen at night during

summer.

During 2009, I approached the owner of the land with a view to turning back the clock and managing it to encourage a

greater diversity of wildlife. He gave me his blessing and work proceeds during the winter months. I am concentrating

following the footpath towards Stony Littleton as this has greater wildlife potential. This was the last part to become

overgrown, hasn’t been used as a dump for garden waste for decades and suffers less from light pollution, a very

important consideration for a healthy glow worm colony.

The Grizzled Skipper Butterfly

My main wildlife interest lies in butterflies and the work carried out so far has

produced results already. Many wider countryside species have quickly re-established or

visit the site which seems to be a magnet for the bright yellow Brimstone, the harbinger of spring. During 2011, I

recorded 19 different species, a number I anticipate growing as the habitat becomes more favourable. I am confident

the Marbled White will soon return as grassland re-establishes and there is a possibility that the scarce Grizzled Skip-

per may find a refuge as its home on the Radstock railway land will be turned into a housing estate if our enlightened

local council get their way! Phil Hall

Future Date for your Diary

Saturday June 2nd 2012

Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty’s Coronation.

Street Party (Well actually playground party)

There will be a 1950’s theme, with lots to do.

This event is open to Royalists, Republicans &

Communists.

Please, Please book the date. More details in the

New Year