Welcome to the February edition of your village magazine.
After 30 years of commitment Lilian and John Smallshaw are taking a very well earned retirement from running this much loved local journal. Last year they indicated that the time would soon come for them to hand over and after considerable thought and discussion it was agreed that now would be the right time. Until a permanent editorial team is in place a small group have taken over the production of the magazine. This will inevitably be an evolving process.
We would welcome your views on the content and future direction of Spotlight and/or if you would like to be involved in the production please do get in touch. The production includes talking to people, gathering the information, typing and creating, planning ahead, making arrangements with advertisers….and much more besides. Up until now this has been managed by two people supported by a loyal team who give their time actually doing the printing, collating and delivering the finished magazine to your doorstep!
Lilian remembers during the early 1970s becoming involved with Spotlight when it was being printed and copied on a Gestetner in one of the bedrooms in the Rectory. Since then several folk have been involved and shared their skills and the magazine has grown and evolved. Both John and Lilian describe how much they have enjoyed being part of Spotlight and all that it has meant to them. It is fairly certain that without their continued tireless work all the news and information for our villages of Seend and Bulkington would not have been so easily available for you to read.
So on behalf of Seend and Bulkington villages and of all Spotlight readers over the years we say a very big THANK YOU to Lilian and John for keeping such a flow of local news, information and a jolly good read available for so very long
Joanne Bell, Sue Bond, Meg Combs, Revd Sacha Pearce &
Tina Yockney
Spotlight’s Interim Editorial Team February 2006
Written comments and contributions for the next issue (copy deadline 11th February) can be delivered for the time being to The Rectory or the Post Office, High Street, Seend or to 1 Northfields, Bulkington. You can also e-mail to Spotlight@seend.org.uk. If you’d like to speak to someone about helping with Spotlight you can phone Meg Combs on 828229 or Revd Sacha Pearce on 828615.
My retirement from the Seend and Bulkington Churches on Advent Sunday was for me a truly memorable occasion and I would like to convey my grateful thanks to all of you who were in anyway involved in the day.
We all enjoyed an excellent Advent Service in Holy Cross Church followed by a lovely and beautifully presented buffet supper in the Pavilion. Grateful thanks to the ladies for the delightful food, prepared and set out.
This was of course followed by your presentations. I was quite overcome by the extreme generosity of your gifts. Your bumper cheque is still in the care of ‘Nationwide’ until I have given further thought to a suitable use, which will remind me of my time with you as your organist and choirmaster. Peter Hicks’ watercolour of Holy Cross, so beautifully mounted and framed, has a proud position in my lounge.
The cheque which was presented by the choirs has been used to purchase a biography on the life of J S Bach which has recently been published and is sold with a CD to illustrate the work. I am a great lover of the work of Bach and the book will give me great pleasure - I await its delivery very soon.
Faith was also most appreciative of the lovely bouquet which you gave to her
which lasted nearly three weeks!
I will not attempt to name those people who have helped and supported me in
my work because inevitably one leaves out someone and I have no wish to offend
anyone. Please, all of you, accept my deep thanks.
I have always endeavoured to give of my best in my work and I trust that my successor will do likewise - I’m sure that he will, and I wish him every success.
With love to all, Clem.
We are delighted to welcome David King, as our new Director of Music.
David King studied Organ with Dr Douglas Hopkins, Harpsichord with Judith Lambden
and Composition with Hans Heimler and was awarded the degree of BMus by the
University of Durham in 1980. He is an Associate of the Royal College of Organists
and a member of the Association of British Choral Directors.
He has been giving recitals for many years and over the years has directed the
music at churches in Worcestershire, London, Surrey, West Sussex, and Wiltshire.
He has also directed a number of secular choirs and led workshops for choirs.
He is currently Hon. Treasurer of the Salisbury Diocesan Choral Festival Group,
a past president of the Wiltshire & Bath Organists' Association and has
recently been directing the choir at St Michaels, Melksham prior to coming to
Seend.
He has been composing for a many years and writes mainly for choir and organ,
though he has written songs, instrumental pieces and chamber works. Recent compositions
include 'King of Glory' composed for the Silver Jubilee of the Devizes Chamber
Choir and 'Father Forgive' commissioned by the Salisbury Diocesan Choral Festival
Group to form the opening of the Millennium Choral Festival in June 2000, he
has also arranged William Boyce's 'Blessing and Glory' for 4-part choir for
the 2006 Diocesan Choral Festivals.
I am looking forward to returning to Seend and Bulkington - there are I know
some of you who were here when I spent a year here as Organist in 1986 - 1987
- and once again there is the challenge of rebuilding the choir to ensure that
we have a high standard of music as an integral part of our liturgy.
Those of you who enjoy singing will be most welcome at the Wednesday night rehearsals
when we will be rebuilding the choir ready for a 'public appearance' in time
for Easter. I hope to encourage children to be an active part of our choir and
in due course will be starting additional rehearsals for them (probably after
school on Monday). Once established the choir will be an integral part of the
main Sunday morning service every week and will provide music for services on
festivals and additional services such as the Advent and Christmas Carol services.
Please contact me on 01380 727642 if you would like to be a part of this!
David King
Our first meeting of the New Year will be 15th February. The speakers will be Mr Rod Taylor who will talk about CHICKS (Country Holidays for Inner City Kids). Tea Hostess: Ruth Body. We will have a Bring and Buy. Any new members will be very welcome to this or any other meeting. Third Wednesday at 2.45pm in the Pavilion.
Elizabeth Campbell
We ended the Christmas term with our end of term service in church after a week of hectic activities that included our Christmas productions performed to packed houses of parents, grandparents, ex-pupils and friends. Both the staff and children worked hard to create the two excellent shows, ‘Gnome Alone’ by key stage 1 pupils and ’I wonder what it’s all about’ by key stage 2 pupils. A retiring collection was made at the end of the productions and a cheque for £150.00 was sent to the `Forever Friends Appeal` at the Royal United Hospital.
The children have started this term with enthusiasm and activities are already in full swing with the school football team playing in the local league. In the next issue we hope to have a match report celebrating our first victory of the season! Alongside this, clubs will soon be starting; music lessons are about to begin and homework is about to appear!
The excellent performance of our Year Six children in the Sats last year have been celebrated in the local press, recently, and I would like to congratulate any of them that may read this article and thank them for their hard work during their time at Seend C.E. school. Although, it must be said, the exam results are only a small part of the life of the school. Our aim is to develop a range of independent thinking and learning skills that will help our pupils to enjoy success throughout their lives, and we do this through a whole range of subjects, art, drama and sporting activities.
In our first collective worship this term the piano was played by Mr David King the new Director of Music for the church. He will be visiting the school in the near future to make a presentation about the local children joining the choir. This will be a new and exciting initiative for the school, and will give the children, if they wish, a new opportunity to develop their musical expertise.
Finally we would like to invite any members of the local community, who may wish to come, to our Golden Assemblies on Fridays at 2.30pm, when we take the opportunity to celebrate our work and successes with our parents and friends.
Steven Bennett, Head Teacher
The day after New Year’s Day saw an excellent start to reviving the long standing tradition of the Village Walk. Nearly 60 people, plus a few children and several dogs, met outside the Hall and, led by Ron Apted, walked around the Village. The weather was dry, sunny and quite warm and the walk was thoroughly enjoyable. Also, it may have helped some of the walkers to clear Christmas and New Year excesses! When they returned to the Hall they were able to indulge in a choice of splendid soups and rolls or, if their preferences lay in other directions, visit the bar.
The walk originated over thirty years ago when a team left The Bell and walked to The Raven at Poulshot. At the same time of 11 o clock, a team left The Raven to walk to The Bell. Because the walk which was downhill to Poulshot was easier than walking the other way, every other year the same teams changed ends. The team that was the first to arrive with six walkers at their destination was declared the winner. The losers had to buy the first drinks. It then became a race and lost some of its pleasure, so a number of walks were tried before finally settling on a walk from Devizes along the canal towpath prior to calling in on The Three Magpies and The Bell Inn. For a long time it was a popular event with the number of walkers peaking at over 100. In recent years it has declined, but hopefully, this year’s success will encourage more people to take part next year.
JSS
The annual village Pantomime takes place in Seend Community Centre on February
16th (7.30pm), 17th (7.30pm) and 18th (7pm) Oh yes it does!. Tickets (priced
£4 or £2) are available from the Shop/PO, the Community Centre or
the Brewery Inn. We can promise you the usual unforgettable Fawlty theatrical
experience - whatever that may mean to you! See insert for full details.
If you can offer some last-minute help with costumes, or are available to help
backstage, please ring Pete or Anita on 828757, or Tessa on 828617. There’s
also still time to ring Tessa if you would like to advertise in the Pantomime
programme - or if you can help to organise refreshments during the intervals.
It’s all in a good cause.
We welcomed several guests to our December meeting when the Speaker, Clare Hanham, gave us a most interesting talk on ‘My Life and Work at the Royal School of Embroidery’. She studied for three years and discipline was very strict. During this time she produced some wonderful pieces of embroidery and a selection of these were on display. We were very impressed by the skill and imagination that went into the creation of these works. She was thanked by Mrs Kay Beasley. The competition ‘A Piece of Embroidery’ was won by Mrs Margaret White with a beautifully embroidered cushion. During social time we enjoyed a lovely Christmas buffet provided by the committee.
Our next meeting is on 8th February and is an ‘OPEN MEETING’. The Speaker will be Mr T Graving who will give us a talk entitled ‘Everest on the Run!’. The competition is ‘A Photo of a Mountain’. There will be a ‘Bring and Buy’ stall. Tea Hostess: Mrs Norah Webley. Visitors will be warmly welcomed to this Open Meeting.
Mrs Betty Smith
PHYLLIS TUCKER - Thanks to all who sent me Christmas Cards and best wishes for 2006 in my new home here in Chippenham. Happy New Year.
Phyllis
So Long, Farewell
After nearly 30 years in "Spotlight", I've decided to step out of the limelight and slip quietly out of the stage door! It has been a pleasure, (and sometimes a pain) being part of such a great production. Over the years we've had Comedy, Tragedy, Thrillers and sometimes even Pantomime. Before the curtain falls, let me tell you about a brand new production, which is waiting in the wings to take to the stage - more streamlined, more hi-tec, more 21st century!
I'm very pleased to say that the new "Bulkington News" contact is
Joanne Bell, and I'm very grateful to her for accepting the role! You can contact
Jo at 1 Northfileds, Bulkington, tel: 828550 or trevor@bell8490.freeserve.co.uk
Please give her your support.
So before they change the scenery, and I take my final bow, may I say it has been a great cast, working and living in this lovely village, together with all its wonderful characters past and present. Thanks for the memories.
Andie Elliott
An all day event in the Playing Field will take place on Saturday July 1st 2006. The day will start with a Duck Race. There will be tug-o-war, BBQ, children's games, the usual fete attractions, and the possibility of evening entertainment. Scarecrows will be found round the village and in the field. Any help in making this a grand day out will be much appreciated. Look out for more details in subsequent editions of Spotlight, or contact the Church Wardens John McDonald 828376 or Liz Futter 828485.
Bulkington PCC
Wednesday 1st March 2006 11.30 am Ash Wednesday lunch at Keevil Village Hall, with quest speaker. Hot lunch in aid of M.U. Overseas Fund.
A special "Thank you" to the ladies for making the Church look so beautiful for the festive services. The new Flower Rota will begin on Easter Saturday 15th April 2006. As Lent begins on 1st March, I will be responsible for the flowers during February.
Andie Elliott
February 1st - 14th Mrs J Raby-Cox
February 15th - 28th Mrs M Jones
Many thanks to the people who so generously supported our carol singers. The grand total of your donations was £142.44 which will be sent to Salisbury Women's Refuge. Our thanks also go to Joan and John Champion who together with their friends, put on a delicious buffet with wine. It was most welcome and greatly appreciated on a cold night. Joan's prowess in the kitchen is well known and she has set us the following challenge.
Recipe for Bible Cake
Four and a half cups 1st Kings Chap 4 Verse 22
One Cup Judges Chap 5 Verse 25
Two Cups Jeremiah Chap 6 Verse 20
Two Cups Nahum Chap 3 Verse 12
Two Cups 1st Samuel Chap 30 Verse 12
Two Cups Numbers Chap 17 Verse 8
One pinch Leviticus Chap 2 Verse 13
Two tablespoons 1st Samuel Chap 14 Verse 25
Six articles Jeremiah Chap 17 Verse 11
Half cup Judges Chap 4 Verse 19
Two (oz) teaspoons Amos Chap 4 Verse 5
Season to taste with 2nd Chronicles Chap 9 Verse 9
Unfortunately there are no references for oven temperatures or timings!
Bulkington PCC
I am pleased to report that the weather was very kind to us – very cold but no rain and that the ‘Train Rides to See Santa’ events went very well. On 16th of December we had 50 passengers from the pre-school children from Seend and on Saturday 17th (The main event) we carried over 300 passengers. Finally on the afternoon of Boxing Day around 80 people turned up to consume the 100 sausages on sticks! It was very heart warming to see the children’s reactions when meeting our Santa and his beautifully dressed staff of two Fairies and an Elf. Afterwards there was much excitement while they opened their presents in the village hall. In the hall itself was a huge, well-decorated Christmas tree with refreshments (including some super mince pies donated by the Tipsy Toad) available for the adults and raffles. We thank all the Mums, Dads, Grandparents and Children for supporting us.
Altogether we made an amazing profit of over £1000 which will go a long way to finishing the restoration of our village hall.
I would like to publicly thank my fellow villages and the members of the West Wiltshire Society of Model Engineers who worked so hard to make this possible.
The AGM of Bulkington Village Hall will take place on Thursday
9th March at 7.30pm.
Nev Boulton, Chairman Bulkington Village Hall Committee.
Ladies Gentle Exercise Classes.
Come on Ladies – Get Fit! Every Wednesday in Bulkington Village Hall at
7pm.
The last issue of Spotlight contained a few comments on ‘time’
and
said that today, time is measured with great precision by atomic clocks. Any
adjustment is made at the end of a year and such adjustments are made internationally.
For the first time in seven years an adjustment was necessary. Press reports stated ‘Next year will be arriving late because the rotation of the earth is slowing, largely because of the friction of the tides. To compensate for the effect, a leap second is to be added to the end of December 31st, 2005.’
Did anybody notice that 2006 started a leap second late?
JSS
The Club’s December speaker was Chris Evans, who told the story of the opening of his Grandfather’s Dundry Nursery at Bamfurlong near Cheltenham, in the 1940s. Using his grant on leaving the services to buy a cottage and some land. With unbelievable naivety, he approached Woolworths stores and offered to supply them with bedding plants. Having landed a huge order, he then had to learn to grow them, and find the labour to prick out the seedlings, make boxes and do all the jobs necessary to run a nursery.
The venture succeeded by hard work, total family involvement and the ability to listen to customer’s needs. As it says in its flyer, “the nursery covers all your gardening needs and much more.”
Chris could make a living as a ‘stand up’ comic as he had his audience in fits of laughter as he told his tale, especially on the difficulty of using spiked overshoes to aerate the lawn - a garden fork would be much simpler!
If you fancy growing potatoes, even one in a bag or pot, the nursery has many varieties of early or late potatoes to choose from and all sorts of seeds, in as small a quantity as you wish.
The competition for a Christmas decoration, using cones was won by Margaret Coley.
Malcolm Thomas had to postpone his talk on ’Weather’, on 10th January, but we shall still have someone from the Met Office to judge the Competition.
Phil Collins from Bromham has kindly taken his place and will talk on ’Growing Vegetables for Farmers’ Markets’. He will bring a variety of vegetables with him and hopefully his sense of humour too!
The Club has two tickets for the Chelsea Flower Show, on Thursday 25th May 2006, priced £29 each. This is £10 cheaper than the cost to the general public. Please let Roger or Joyce know if you are interested in having them. These tickets will not be bought unless we have a definite offer, so let us know ASAP.
The February meeting is on Tuesday 14th at 7.30pm in the Pavilion. The speaker will be Gordon Cottis who will speak on ‘Hardy Cyclamen and Snowdrops’. His nursery also grows Hellebores and he will bring plants in for sale.
Competition. Six ginger biscuits. Hopefully the cooks amongst you will oblige and give us something to taste with our tea and coffee.
I would be good if some members who have been on club trips would let us have photos or anecdotes to make a comprehensive entry to be included in the WI Record Book of Seend. Thank you.
Joyce Brand
Sunday 27th November: 16 walkers attended this walk led by Colin Waldeck. The 7 1/2 mile walk commenced from the main street in the village of Heytesbury, 4 miles east of Warminster. We had a super cold bright morning, passing through Wylye river villages and across downland. Many thanks to Colin for an interesting walk.
On Sunday 11th December, Terry and Sheila Williams took a party on 16 walkers on a 5 1/2 mile walk commencing from the car park near Manton House, Marlborough. We skirted the horse-training course on the Clatford Downs, touching on the Ridgeway, with wonderful views throughout. The weather was bright, a most refreshing experience. Our thanks to Sheila and Terry.
Tuesday 27th December (Bank Holiday), Bob Howe took a party of 23 walkers, commencing from the National Trust car park at Avebury, passing the stones and strolling through the village and out across fields, walking alongside the river and over downland for a distance of 4 1/2 miles. A bracing air to this morning, but great to be out after the Christmas festivities, a most enjoyable distance. Thanks to Bob Howe for organising the walk.
Sunday 19th February, Meet Rusty Lane for 9.30am start. Penny and Ron England will be organising this one. Details at time of going to press still not finalised. In the region of 5-6 miles. Just look forward to seeing as many as possible!
Sunday 19th March, Keep this date free for a walk organised by Wendy and Reg. Again they both have something in mind and will be re-walking as this goes to press. Watch this space in the March ‘Spotlight’.
Tziganarma!
What promises to be a memorable performance by a trio playing ‘wild and beautiful’ Eastern European music is our next Rural Arts touring event. Tziganarama aim to have you alternately weeping into your vodka and dancing on the tables! Come to Seend Community Centre on Saturday 25th March at 8pm. Tickets, priced £6 (£3 children, students and people on benefit) or £15 for a family of two adults and two children, will shortly be available from the Community Centre or by phoning 828617. Any proceeds will go into the Community Centre’s funds for improving facilities.
Lempen Puppets
The imaginative and highly-professional puppet show ‘The Shapechanger’ was very much enjoyed by the families who attended. Just over £40 was raised for the Lye Field and Pavilion.
Bath Opera are busy rehearsing their forthcoming production, which this year is Verdi’s “The Masked Ball” which will take place at the Wroughton Theatre, King Edward School, Bath, on 16th, 17th and 18th February at 7.30pm. Tickets , priced £15 for all performances are obtainable locally from Ann or Brian Hunt on 01380 828581, or from Bath Festival Box Office, tel: 01225 463362. Bath Opera has been well supported by Seend residents in the past, and these good people have always been impressed by the high standards set by the society, with some glorious singing and good orchestras. This year promises to be no exception and all the cast are looking forward to the production. I will not attempt to produce a synopsis in these pages, suffice to say that there is the inevitable hero and heroin, the villains, and someone always dies tragically. If there is sufficient support, we can no doubt hire the ‘Shuttle’ as we have done in the past.
Brian Hunt
The AGM of the Theatre Club will be held on Tuesday 28th February in the Pavilion at 7.30pm. After the business there will be a glass of wine and nibbles, followed by a talk by Mr Louis Atkinson on the Life of a Shepherd. Those who have heard Mr Atkinson speak before, will remember his ready wit and dry sense of humour. All are welcome, whether members or not. We look forward to seeing you there.
Sylvia Ewin
The next meeting of the Club will be held on Thursday 23rd February at 7.30pm in the Irene Usher Hall. Details of our programme for the coming year will be announced, after which Miss Margaret Clark, a National Trust lecturer, will give a talk entitled ‘From Caves to Castles’.
JS
By the time you read this, the new community bus (Seend Shuttle III) may well have arrived! It’s promised by the end of January.
Drivers and hirers of the bus probably know by now that Alison Cobbing has taken over as main key holder of the Shuttle - on top of the work she already does as bookings and drivers’ rota officer! Please may we remind hirers that they must make arrangements in advance to collect the keys from Alison (phone 01380 828568) and return the keys immediately after they’ve finished with the bus. Our thanks to Graham Appleby, who has stepped down from this role after performing it for the last two years.
The new bus will have a brush and dustpan and bin-bags on board, and hirers are asked to please sweep out the bus when they return it, for the sake of the next user!
The shuttle Committee is still waiting for a response to the suggested timetable changes, which would include picking up passengers in Bromham. In the meantime, you can see the current timetable on www.seend.org.uk
And phone Terry on 828203 if you want to join the regular private-hire shopping trips (usually to Bath or Salisbury) on the first Wednesday of each month.
BUS TIME TABLES: If you need an up-to-date timetable for the 49 Trans-Wilts Express, or the X71/72, there are a few copies on the Seend Shuttle – or ring Tessa on 828617. Otherwise you can ring the Wiltshire Bus Enquiry Line on 08457 090 899 from 8am-6pm Mon-Fri. And don’t forget the Hopper bus service from your door to the RUH. Phone 01985 212213 for details.
HAVE YOU RECENTLY MOVED INTO THE AREA?
If so, you may not be aware that the Seend and District Link Scheme has been successfully operating since 2002.
It provides a service to villagers who need some basic assistance with everyday life. This can involve such diverse activities as collecting prescriptions, transporting to and from appointments, or helping with small tasks around the house.
Do not hesitate if you need such assistance, just ring our Coordinator on 828949 for further information. Alternatively you may be in a position to act as a volunteer helper to provide these services for local people. Recruitment Officer David Griffiths (828161) will be only too happy to provide more information.