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Biddestone Broadsheet July 2016 No 431
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Biddestone Broadsheet
July 2016 No 431
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The Queen's 90th Birthday Party
What a fabulous afternoon celebrating the Queen's 90th birthday. Thank you to everyone who made it such a success....especially Adam Walton, the chief organiser & his team of lovely tea ladies! Fittingly the celebrations were also shared with two village legends: Lionel Thompson our recently retired postman & Ernest Gingell who recently received the award of the Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur, France's highest decoration for his part in D-Day.
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ALL CAKE MAKERS There is a collection of trays, tupperware and platters at Stonehaven (Madley house)) left here af-ter the fete on which cakes were delivered. Please do come and collect if you think they might be-long to you. Thank you.... and even more thanks for all the cakes supplied for the Cafe Single Teas. CM ALLOTMENTS There are still two allotments available with immediate vacant possession. Fine, sunny location with uninterrupted view of the Cricket. For particulars apply Mr David Daniel 01249 701311 (Please note the number published last month was in correct. Apologies to anybody who tried it.) BEST KEPT VILLAGE COMPETITION Biddestone has been entered into the Best Kept Village Competition (Medium Category) for 2016. In previous years we have done very well and it would be great if we could do well again! We are never told when the judging will take place exactly, but the first round will take place be-tween mid-May and mid-June and then again later in the summer. It would be really appreciated if you could bear this in mind and help to keep Biddestone looking its very best! Thank you very much. Biddestone Parish Council A GAME OF CRICKET ANYONE? The cricket season is under way so why not come and support your village teams over a glass of wine or prosecco? The bar is generally open on a Saturday evening from 6pm; our prices are good with a good selection of bottled beers, wine and soft drinks. What better way to spend a summer evening! Check out the BCC website for fixtures. LIONEL (our Postman Retires)
July 2016
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Strawberries and Strings at The Oak House
Biddestone dressed to impress on a balmy summer evening perfect for the Pimm’s and Strawberries of-fered to concert goers gathered in the garden and music room at the Oak House. In response Caroline Dale and friends, the Tippett Quartet, gave the Saturday night gathering a real treat of sumptuous string sounds and effortless ensemble playing. The varied first half programme showed the versatility of players, composers and arrangers in crafting a feast of texture and timbre in the lovely acoustic. Beethoven’s ‘Harp’ Quartet featured precision passing of pizzicato between the players that would have been the envy of many an international football team. This contrasted well with the Handel Largo with its lovely legato lines beautifully delivered by the viola and cello. Their mellow duet gave the first promise of the resonance of the room to the spellbound 100 strong audience. The muted and plucked strings of the ethereal Ravel, revolutionary in its time, was Impressionistically apt in the English Country Garden setting. The solo violin in the Bach E major concerto shone brightly, accompanied by wonderful ensemble playing, but it was the cellos that stole the show for me. Caroline Dale delivered every ounce of emotion and varie-ty from the three movements of the Vivaldi concerto, filling the room with deep rich tone, and nimble cas-cades of notes. After the interval and more glass raising (and fund raising) activity, the audience settled down for the Schu-bert Quintet in C. This longer work, only discovered after Schubert’s death by Sir Arthur Sullivan of G&S fame, really showed the quality of the Tippett’s ensemble playing to great advantage. Here the two cellos made the hall their own, awakening the acoustic with superbly sonorous sounds, and clearly enjoying the experience of playing in the intimate surroundings. A very memorable musical experience, delightfully hosted in typical ‘no detail left to chance’ manner by Simon and Charlotte Bruce and their team of helpers. The night’s success will add a significant, musically derived, contribution towards the sound of safely hung bells from St Nicholas in due course. NK
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BIDDESTONE BOOK CLUB In May we made our annual trip to Slaughterford. We enjoyed Angela’s hospitality and a lively discussion of ‘All the Light We Cannot See’ by Anthony Doerr. It was a fascinating book. In June the venue was Mel’s house where we talked about ‘The Kashmir Shawl’ by Rosie Thomas. We all learnt about Kashmir and pashminas and thought the book was suitable for a summer read. Thank you to Angela and Mel for hosting the Biddestone Book Club’s last two meetings. This is also a good opportunity to thank Rosemary for arranging the book loans from Corsham Library.
On Monday 18th July, the meeting will be at 7:15p.m. at Kate’s home in Hartham when we shall be discussing ‘A Man Called Ove’ by Fredrik Backman. In August the book of choice is ‘H is for Hawk’ by Helen Macdonald.
If you have any questions please phone Diane on 712105.
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Jane Taylor – BBC Radio 2 Favourite A Special Spring Concert Friday 29th July Biddestone Village Hall 7.30pm Doors. Starts 8pm – 10pm. (AMENDED FROM ORIGINAL DATE) Fresh from supporting Jools Holland and appearing on the Clare Balding show on BBC Radio 2, after winning ‘Best Album’ at the Independent Music Awards, singer songwriter Jane Taylor is coming to Biddestone as part of her UK Rural Tour to perform a special concert for the village. Expect a little magic, a lot of warmth wrapped up in some gypsy-jazz, classical, blues, gospel and even a little Spanish guitar. This is a unique opportunity to catch an intimate performance with an award winning, critically acclaimed artist, right on your doorstep! Tickets £10 from www.janetaylor.co.uk/tickets or re-serve by e mailing: [email protected] /Tel: 07855 135233. ‘Gorgeous. I absolutely love this!’ – Bob Harris BBC Radio 2 ‘A tour-de-force for Independent music.’ - The Inde-pendent ‘What a voice!’ Clare Balding BBC Radio 2
Bellcote Update It may have been noticed by some residents that the scaffolding has gone up on the bellcote and come down again! This was to carry out a full structural survey and to enable the bells to be re-moved for inspection. Thank you so much to Charlotte and Simon Bruce for hosting the wonderful ‘Summer Evening Concert’ on 18th June. It was such a delightful occasion and their generosity in giving of their time, beautiful garden and ‘concert room’ is much appreciated. Our thanks go also to Caroline Dale and the the Tippett Quartet for making music for the benefit of the bellcote –and the audience of course! This happy evening of music, Pimm’s and prosecco, strawberries and cream raised over £500 for the restoration of bellcote and bells. To everyone involved who helped with and attended the evening – thank you! Biddestone PCC
Summer Concert Income from tickets, drinks and strawberries £1845 Costs Tippett Quartet £1000 Other cost including licence drinks etc. £344 Transferred to St Nicholas tower fund £501 Caroline very generously donated her time and the Tippett Quartet kindly gave us a reduced rate.
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BIDDESTONE & SLAUGHTERFORD PARISH COUNCIL
Clerk Mrs Mary Norton 155 Queens Crescent Chippenham Wilts SN14 0NW Email [email protected]
DRAFT MINUTES OF THE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON TUESDAY 7TH JUNE 2016, AT BIDDESTONE VILLAGE HALL, AT 7.00.PM APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Cllrs Juniper, Madley and de Fossard PRESENT Cllrs Stafford (Chair), Williams, Mullens, Short, Draper and Smith DECLARATION OF MEMBERS’ INTEREST None PUBLIC QUESTION TIME No wri en ques ons had been received. MINUTES The minutes of the Parish Council mee ngs held on 5th April 2016 and 3rd May 2016 were agreed and signed as a true record of those mee ngs MATTERS ARISING As the Clerk is leaving on 30th June, adver sements for a replacement have been placed in the Broad-sheet, and Honeycomb and on the WALC website. Interviews will be held in the week commencing 11th July. A year’s contract has been signed with B20 Ltd for payroll services. The PC cannot reclaim VAT paid for the items purchased with the Sec on 106 money, as the expenditure was not theirs. The final list of Assets of Community value is to be circulated (MN) CHAIRMAN’S ANNOUNCEMENTS Cllr Smith will carry out the defibrillator checks in the period 28th June to 8th July. (TS) A li erbin has been removed by the pond and put into store. The li er situa on is to be monitored, as the PC would like to remove another. Cllr Williams reported that the Slaughterford li erbin had not been emp ed, this had been reported but s ll not emp ed, Cllr Williams will report again. (AW) PLANNING The following applica ons had been received: Elm Co age, The Green, Biddestone: erec on of a wooden summerhouse on the site of a dilapidated wooden shed. This was circulated to councillors, and, in view of the short me scale, a reply was sent on 18th May by Cllr Juniper saying the PC had no objec on Pear Tree Co age, The Bu s, Biddestone: altera on of first floor side extension by removing exis ng flat roof at rear and replacing with a pitched roof; erec on of a single storey rear extension. Rebuild ex-is ng front wall of garage. Demoli ons of exis ng outbuilding at rear of plot and erect new single storey outbuilding on the same footprint. No objec on. The Bungalow, Germains Lane, Slaughterford: conversion of exis ng garage into an Annexe. A er con-sidera on there was no objec on but the PC noted that car parking was to be contained within the boundaries. It was also requested that the works should be ed to the exis ng building preven ng any separate sale, also Sec on 106 provisions to apply. Home Place, The Green, Biddestone: remove exis ng window and replace with double doors. No ob-jec on Westbury, The Bu s, Biddestone: addi on of a shower room and WC on 1st floor. No objec on REPORTS Area Board Chippenham: nothing new to report Area Board Corsham: the major points of discussion were: The es mated cost of reopening Corsham Railway sta on is £19 million. The division of film money in Lacock has allowed a Parish Steward to be employed.
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Parish Steward: Cllr Madley is a ending the Parish Steward (PS) mee ng at Monkton Park this evening and will be raising the following issues: The difficulty in speaking to anyone regarding PS issues, and the increased difficulty of ge ng responses to emails and phone calls. A conversa on is already ongoing about the unsa sfactory rota for grass cu ng in Li le Challows (yet again), and will ask for a review, because once every six weeks is inadequate The blocked drain on The Bu s has been cleared. The broken sign post at the junc on of Slaughterford Road and Cu le Lane has been reported but the response was that it is of very low priority and would be replaced by aluminium one at a much later date. As there is a good looking mber one on the new junc-on David Taylor has been asked to restore the broken one.
The signpost from Giddea Hall to Biddestone is missing its finger points. Cllr Williams will email Mar n Rose (WC) about this. (AW) The Chair will write to Mar n Rose about the potholes in Middle Lane (GS) Village Hall: Brenda New is the new bookings secretary. A new system has been put in place to ensure contact can be made via a mobile phone number. All old phone numbers have been removed from a vari-ety of old websites etc. It was agreed to place the outdoor table tennis table, purchased from the Sec on 106 money, next to the play area. An ini al £2000 is being spent on the landscaping of the grounds. The Risk Register is to be cir-culated for comments. Fund raising, the Quiz Night and Manor Teas were very successful. The next Quiz Night is 30th September. The AGM will be held on 19th July at 7.30 pm Biddestone Cricket Club has been awarded the £54000 applied for in 2015. Congratula ons to Cllr Short who was the driving force behind this A response is awaited from Midge Ferguson to confirm whether or not there is to be a showing of the Agatha Raisin episode on 28th June in the Village Hall. Police/Neighbourhood Watch: nothing new to report Slaughterford Broadband: BT recently responded to a request to bring high speed broadband to 16 ad-dresses in Slaughterford. The costs were too high, but these addresses have been added to a similar ap-plica on made to a wider area, including Ford and N.Wraxall. A response is expected shortly. QUEEN’S 90TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS, 12th June Adam Walton, who is a volunteer appointed by the PC to organise the party, has everything under con-trol. He is repor ng to and doing it on behalf of the PC. The money collected for Lionel’s leaving gi amounts to over £600. A cheque together with a card from the residents of Biddestone and Slaughterford will be presented to him at the celebra ons on Sunday 12th June. WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT A mee ng with Linda Smith and Jo Holder has been arranged for 8th June. A Community Grant may be applied for and Cllr Short will deal with this. This could be £500-1000 and matched funding will apply to any award (AS) CORRESPONDENCE Transparency Code - an email has been received from Ka e Fielding, which the Clerk will ac on (MN) ACCOUNTS AND GENERAL FINANCE Invoices for payment were: N Hard for June £90 (cleaning toilets) Mrs M Norton £95.47 (reimbursement for payment to Canon) Wessex Water £54.29 (toilets) Community First Trading £662.06 (Insurance renewal) B20 Ltd £120 (Payroll services) Lucy Jiwa £44.39 (website) BVH&RT £121.25 (hire of hall) Mrs G Stafford £13.74 (reimbursement of gi and postage to the internal auditor) David Taylor £125 (cu ng the greens) M Norton £167.10 (net salary) HMRC £41.80 (income tax) The audit for the three months to 31 March 2016 has been completed by Cllr Mullens and was sa sfacto-ry.
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The accounts for the year ended 31 March 2016 were approved by the internal auditor and the PC, and the return was signed by the Chair and Clerk. It has now to be submi ed to the external auditor. There has been no change to the situa on regarding bank signatories, and the PC is considering whether to con nue with the present banking arrangements. AOB The Clerk is leaving on 30th June 2016; the Chair presented her with a voucher and an orchid on behalf of all the Councillors, to thank her for all her efforts over 23 years service. The next mee ng will be on Tuesday 5th July, at the Village Hall, at 7.00 pm
WHITE HORSE DIARY. EVERY WEDNESDAY IS LATE SUPPER NIGHT, 2 MAINS FOR £20, SERVED UNTIL 9.30 EVERY THURSDAY IS STEAK NIGHT, 2 STEAKS & A BOTTLE OF WINE, RUMPS £35, FILLETS £45. SUNDAY LUNCH, 2 COURSES £14.95, 3 COURSES £16.95. LAST FRI OF THE MONTH IS QUIZ NIGHT WITH A CASH PRIZE & MONEY GOING TO CHARI-TY.TEAMS OF 4@ £10 A TEAM. BOOKING IS ADVISABLE. CONTACT US ON 01249 713305 OR EMAIL [email protected] Don’t forget we have the snug room for private dining & milk, eggs & butter for sale. All our beers are recommended by Cask Marque, all our food is homemade and hearty and our ser-vice is friendly and efficient
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Record of meeting of Biddestone and Hartham Women’s Institute 15 June 2016
The President Jo Hancock welcomed ten members and six visitors to the meeting, which began with a fascinating talk by Emma Turner and David Forster of Alfie Purl Yarns and Textiles. The talk was entitled “From Lamb to Loom”, and it took us on a journey starting with the birth of a cute new lamb named Lulu in their flock. Lulu is a pedigree Cotswold sheep, the preferred breed for Emma and David. Slides showed us how she was sheared, how her fleece was sorted, spun and dyed and then woven into cloth. Finally Emma demonstrated hand spinning on her spinning wheel, and showed examples of the wonderful colours which could be produced in various plies of wool. There were several questions, and then Alison gave the vote of thanks. The Minutes of the previous meeting (which can be seen in the Broadsheet) were taken as read and signed by Jo. Matters Arising Tickets had now been received for the Quizzical Pursuits Evening. The sale of cakes, plants and scarves on Bank Holiday Monday made a profit of £236, more than the previous year. Unless people wanted to reclaim their unsold scarves, they would be offered to the Fete or taken to charity shops. Val S-J reported on the AGM in Brighton which she and Carol had attended. A collection had been taken for Den-man College, which was in need of repair. Following the debate on the first Resolution (better care in hospitals for those suffering from dementia), Val had voted against, as advised, but it was carried by 79.4%. There was then a talk by the Chair of the BBC Trust. After lunch the second Resolution (about food waste) was debated. This time Val voted in favour, as advised, and it was carried by 82.7%. Jo confirmed that the August outing would be to Tyntesfield. Final numbers would be decided at the July meeting, as Betty had to book a timed visit. Cakes for the Fete should be taken to Carolyn Madley, and scones to Gill Stafford. Correspondence There was no interest in taking part in the Skittles or the Scrabble Leagues, or in a laptop workshop. Jo also said there would be a Lace and Craft Day in Bromham on 9 July and a Big Band Night at the Neeld Hall on 12 Novem-ber. Garden Party Jo listed the names of invitees, and thought probably 15/20 people in total would attend. Everyone to provide enough food for two, and Betty would bring the remaining celebration cake. Val S-J would take the WI cups and saucers. If fine, members should bring garden chairs. Jo mentioned the missing WI urn, but it was thought kettles would suffice on this occasion. The challenge would be to find as many words as possible of at least four letters (not three) from Biddestone and Hartham W.I. Membership Numbers Jo said that the declining numbers would be discussed in full at the October meeting. Calendars and Diaries for 2017 Carol could now take orders. Challenge There were four entries for the green foliage display. Jo thanked Val S-J for providing the refreshments and one of the raffle prizes. These were won by Carol, Beryl and one of the visitors.
Vacancy for Clerk to Biddestone & Slaughterford Parish Council The current Clerk is leaving at the end of June and, the Parish Council is seeking to fill this vital role. Applicants should be confident with basic book keeping, minute taking and correspondence. A working knowledge of Parish Council procedures and/or public administration would be desirable. Good literacy, numeracy and IT skills are essential to the position, as are the personal qualities of integrity, discretion, objectivity and impartiality. The job is part time with an annualised average of 4 hours per week (including paid leave) based on national terms and conditions and the model contract. The salary will be dependent on skills and experience and will be subject to PAYE as applicable. The position is home based and the Clerk will be reimbursed for all consumable expenses, which arise. The Council meets 11 times per year at 7pm on the first Tuesday of the month in the Biddestone Village Hall. This is an interesting and challenging position; it would suit a pro-active person with an interest in community development and engagement. For a job description and/or to apply – please send an email, including a personal statement, along with your CV to Gill Stafford, Chair of the Parish Council at: [email protected] or the Ashley Juniper, Vice-Chair at: [email protected] Closing date for applications: 7th July 2016
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Sir At the last parish council meeting it was stated that a planning application had slipped past the council. Due to the controversy surrounding this application there should be an explanation as how this was allowed to happen and assurance from the council it will not happen again
Carole Hughes
Thanks to Hilary Noyes for the poem selections.
'The Germ' A mighty creature is the germ, Though smaller than the pachyderm. His customary dwelling place Is deep within the human race. His childish pride he often pleases By giving people strange diseases. Do you, my popet, feel infirm? You probably contain a germ. Ogden Nash
LETTERS
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Church Services for July 2016 ST NICHOLAS, BIDDESTONE 3 Holy Communion & Baptism 11.00 a.m. 10 .Evensong 6.00 p.m. 17 Morning Praise 9.30 a.m. ST NICHOLAS, SLAUGHTERFORD 10 BCP Holy Communion 11.00 a.m. Every Wednesday morning there is a service at 9.15 a.m. This is either Holy Communion or Morning Prayer and includes prayers for the suffering.
Copy date 2nd Sun in month delivered to any committee member or by email to [email protected]
Dates for your Diary
5 Jul Parish Council Meeting Village Hall 19.00 7 Jul Clerk to Biddestone & Slaughterford Parish Council Applications close 18 Jul Biddestone Book Club 19.15 29 Jul A Special Spring Concert Jane Taylor Biddestone Village Hall 19.30
Editorial Committee [email protected]
Stewart Entwistle (Editor) Challows House 715887
Mary Mullens (Treasurer) Parker Farm Bungalow 714399
Carolyn Madley Stonehaven The Green 712831
Judy Priest 2 Little Challows 713469
Vacancy
CHANGE OF PATTERN OF SERVICES IN ST NICHOLAS, BIDDESTONE Following thoughtful discussion on our patterns of worship, we have decided that it is time to rest the Family Service on the 2nd Sunday of the month, particularly with the high attendance of Biddestone families at the Ark the same weekend. We hope this will also reinvigorate the Evensong held on that second Sunday. We will now have the following pattern of worship for the time being: 1st Sunday Holy Communion 11:00am 2nd Sunday Evensong 4:00pm during winter, 6:00pm during summer 3rd Sunday Morning Praise 9:30am On the 4th Sunday the Team Service is held at one of the churches in The Benefice. If there is a 5th Sunday we have a Cluster Service at Biddestone, Yatton Keynell or Kington St Michael. Please refer to the notice board outside St Nicho-las, ‘Biddestone Broadsheet’ or ‘The Honeycomb’ for details. We would like to thank all those who have attended on the mornings of the second Sunday, assisted with the service and helped with refreshments. We welcome everyone to all our services. Biddestone PCC
