CHADRA

Well, 2006 has arrived, I hope yours is happy and healthy, and we are already hurtling towards the end of January. If you made resolutions I hope they are still going strong.

Someone explained to me recently that time appears to pass more quickly as you get older because the older you get a year is a much smaller part of your life. On your 4th birthday it seems an aeon ago that you were 3 – that year is 25% of your life and you've fitted so much in and learnt so much. On your 40th birthday it seems like only yesterday you were 35 let alone 39! You still fit a lot in and still learn stuff but it's only 2.5% of your life. I'd always thought it was something to do with getting old but more to do with your memory failing!! Now I know that when you get to what you used to think was ‘old’ it really isn't!!!

That's enough philosophising for me – I must be getting old, though I haven't hit 40 yet! Mind you, it won't be long …

Many thanks, as always, to our contributors for this issue. Without you; Barbara (who makes sure we have the money to buy the paper and ink); Joan (who makes 800 copies); Marion and Angela (who collate 800 copies) and our distributors the newsletter would not be in your hands now.

Regards, Hilary

Next Copy Date – 12th April 2006

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Derek Leahy has provided a lovely picture of Poolfield Farm for the cover of this issue. Thanks Derek for your continued support of the newsletter, your prize will be with you soon.

Why don't you have a go for April's edition? To remind you, as always, the subject is “Me and My Village” – drawings should be in black and white and no bigger than 16cm square.

Go on … why not?

Unfortunately due to circumstances beyond my control the entry for the Parish Council was missed from the last edition of CHADRA so I make no apologies for repeating some of the detail here. In September the Parish Council co-opted Ian Kershaw to fill the vacancy left by the death of John Poskett. Ian has lived in Charfield for some 9 years and resides in the Woodlands Road area of the village this happily helps maintain the spread of councillors throughout the village. We welcome Ian to the council and hope that he finds the activities both interesting and enlightening. I would also like to thank all those who came forward for this vacancy, it was heartening to see so much interest from the village.

South Gloucester Council Wards
Mention was also made previously of the recommendations of the Boundary Committee for England and the proposal in it's report to combine the wards of Charfield and Ladden Brook into one large single member ward. After consideration the Parish Council decided to oppose these recommendations and propose to maintain the present status of 2 single member wards. It was felt that this suits better the contact and involvement of councillors with communities in their own area. I am pleased to say that our submission along with others has been carried forward and the draft proposal has been suitably amended.

Parish Clerk
Those who have read the local papers will be aware that our Parish Clerk, Cath Holmes, tendered her resignation in September. Although the Council knew this was coming it never-the-less sparked off a flurry of activity to secure a successor. The vacancy was advertised and we were all surprised to receive 20 notifications of interest in the post from as wide a field as Filton and Stroud. Application packs were sent to all that enquired and from those who subsequently replied the decision was taken to interview 6 candidates. I have to say that the calibre of those who were interviewed was very high and the decision on whom to appoint was extremely difficult. However, in the end we all felt that one person had the edge and was duly offered the post. I am pleased to be able to say that the new Parish Clerk is Mrs Sue Bailey; Sue can be contacted for the time being through our usual contact points until we have arranged for a new telephone line and internet access later this month. I am sure you will all, along with the members of the Parish Council, extend a welcome to Sue and hope she finds the job challenging and rewarding.

Cath Holmes will not be far away; she has agreed to stay on for a couple of months to ensure a smooth transition to the new clerk. We wish Cath well in her retirement and thank her for the loyal service she has given the parish over the years.

The Pound
One of the things that has provided some interesting debate is the origins of the area known as the Pound. This is a small parcel of land situated in Churchend that has links back to the 4earliest origins of the village. Whilst the actual site of the Pound is known very little is on record on how it came to be, and what its immediate environs were like. It has been suggested that what we presently understand to be the Pound was actually known as the Keep, I would like to appeal therefore to all those in the village who might have knowledge of its history. If you can throw any light on the origins or history of the Pound please contact either myself, the Clerk or any member of the Parish Council, it does not matter how trivial or anecdotal your information may be we will be glad to hear it.

And Finally
Litter; lots of it. In Charfield we are fortunate to have many good public footpaths that meander around the village and like a great number of people I enjoy getting out and about. What I do find distasteful is the amount of litter strewn around our streets fields and hedgerows. Notwithstanding whose job it is to pick it up it should not be there in the first place. At first most of the evidence pointed towards a great number of individuals with a sweet tooth judging by the amount of sweet and chocolate wrappers deposited near the shops and garage, however, since the bank holiday there have been an ever-increasing amount of alcoholic drinks cans littering the hedgerows. I am old enough to remember the Keep Britain Tidy campaigns back in the 1970s and the advice of my parents and grand parents to take my rubbish home and deposit it in the bin, isn't it time that we all started behaving responsibly and leading by example and not just leaving it to a small band of volunteers who give up their time in April for the village spring clean. We should take pride in our surroundings and our village; this may be a ‘throw away society’ but lets THROW IT IN THE BIN.

Paul A Ashford
Chairman

Following the piece I submitted to the October issue of CHADRA, prompted by the low attendance at the War Memorial on Remembrance Sunday in 2004, I have been deeply touched by the surprising number of you who have been kind enough to contact me to express your appreciation of the sentiments expressed therein. I thank you all, from the bottom of my heart.

It was also wonderful to see a very good attendance at the War Memorial in 2005 for the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II (although an increase in numbers was to be expected with the Scouts on parade).

I am therefore now convinced that this important annual ceremony has wider support in our village community than the level of attendance would indicate, and I am all the happier for knowing it.

May I wish you good health and happiness in 2006,

Julia O'Connor-Beach

We had a great term at Baby and Toddler Group with loads of craft for Autumn and Christmas. At our Christmas party Santa himself popped in to see the children, with a sack-load of presents.

We would like to thank Charfield Parish Council for a donation towards new toys, which are always needed. Also thanks to the Ford Family for a huge pile of building blocks!

Just as a reminder Charfield Baby and Toddler Group meet in the Memorial Hall every Thursday morning during term time from 10am until 11.30 am. We are open to children up to 3 years old with their parents or carers. The children 5enjoy a variety of activities, including bikes, jigsaws and books. We have a special baby area with baby toys. The children enjoy playing with other children, and the adults enjoy chatting to other adults.

Your first session is free and then it is £1.10 per adult and 50p per child. We love to see new faces so come and join us.

Yvonne Kershaw
Treasurer

Happy New Year and we hope you are keeping to all your New Year resolutions! At the end of last term we said goodbye to 7 of our Rainbows, it was sad to see them go but we wish them well in Brownies. The term went particularly well with our “What do you want to be when you grow up” topic. We had a nurse who came in and bandaged up the children, we sent the girls to jail when we were WPC's. The best part of the term for me was running our “Rainbow Café” – the girls all dressed up in aprons and hats and confidently served all the mums and dads with sandwiches, cakes and drinks. All the girls, and I hope all the grown ups, enjoyed being part of our café.

This term welcomes many new starts that are going to enjoy all our activities at Rainbows. We are looking at the four elements that make up our Rainbow programme – LOOK, LAUGH, LEARN and LOVE. We will be making treasure boxes and funny vegetable people, love hearts and Easter Bunny goodies. I am sure your children will enjoy all the activities that we have planned throughout the coming months.

I would also like to say thank you on behalf of Andrea and myself to all the parents who support Rainbows in so many different ways.

If your daughter would like to join our happy team, please pop into any of our sessions on Mondays (4–5 pm), or call me – you will be made very welcome.

Kathryn Schofield (01453 52xxxx)

As I mentioned in the last edition of CHADRA we are desperate for new leaders, even more so now. Unfortunately at Christmas Mike and Pauline Chinnick decided to wear their kneckie and woggle for the last time. Their children have now both moved on to Explorers and after running the Scout Troop for the past three years and Pauline serving as assistant Beaver leader for a long time before that, they have decided to take a rest from all things scouting. On behalf of the Group I wish them well, and thank them for all of their hard work and we wish their children Tom and Anne well in the Explorer Unit.

Meanwhile, Mike Rickwood (Boomer) has agreed to take on the Scout Leader role with three assistants, sounds a lot but not everyone can make it to each weekly meeting. Please we are calling on all parents, ex scouters in fact anyone, we have 27 Beavers, 34 Cubs, 32 Scouts, over the next year the Scout numbers through Cubs moving up will reach 40! We NEED more leaders. Waiting lists are up to 10 youngsters in each section that is 30 youngsters who will not be able to take part in Scouting. And as I emphasised in the last CHADRA the only route in to the Group now is through Beavers at six years old. If you are interested in helping the group please contact the Group Scout Leader, Peter Carnegie, on 01454 26xxxx.

6On to the section reports, the Beavers are working their way rapidly through the new badge scheme. There will be a number of District events planned for them this year as they are celebrating 20 years of Beavers, two of my sons started during the first year so that ages me doesn't it? Cubs are also celebrating 90 years of Cub Scouting and no I didn't have a Cub then or know of anyone that was, however, we would be interested to hear from any older Cubs that could come in and talk to our members about Cub Scouting in the past.

The Cub section have three main camps planned for this year, camping skills at Avening Green in June and a medieval camp, again at Avening Green, in July visiting the Berkeley Jousting weekend. We are also planning a joint weekend away with the Scout Troop to our favourite 3D Education and Adventure down in Torquay in October. With a couple of sleepovers at the HQ for sixers and seconders we should be kept really busy. Kate has planned the programme for this term, working towards the Global Challenge the Cubs are becoming superheroes to solve all problems defend the world etc. and will be holding a super hero convention in May, please make sure your kryptonite is locked away on this evening!

The Scouts have just put together their programme for this term; they will be entering the Malvern Challenge again in July let's hope they win again! They are also planning camps at Avening Green and entering the Post and Press competition where they must camp and take part in scouting activities without their leaders! Until then they will be finishing off a few badges including the Entertainers badge, for a while they have been planning an entertaining evening of play-lets using the Scout Law. Each law will be acted out in a different style e.g. “Little Britain”.

Our fund-raising went really well last year. We have managed to buy two new “pod” tents that can sleep 12 Scouts per tent, that is 4 Scouts per pod, 3 pods per tent and each tent plus pods are the same size as one patrol tent sleeping 5 Scouts! And they are put up in about 15 minutes a lot less than a patrol tent. We're really looking forward to using these this year. We will still be using the patrol tents for camping at Avening Green, they are more hard-wearing and it's fun watching the Cubs and Scouts putting them up! We have also bought a replacement party tent, which we use as a dining tent, and some new 3–4 man hike tents. Parents will be invited to view these at our next AGM. We're currently getting in quotes for windows and for the building and heating works, any tradesmen out there please contact us as we do have problems with getting people who want the work!

Need to go, have a Cub meeting
Yours in Scouting
Sandra Carnegie (Raksha)

Between about 25 November and 23 December Charfield was subjected to a spate of crimes mainly involving thefts from motor vehicles.

In response to this we committed dedicated night time patrols to the area, using both marked and unmarked Police cars; ensured that crime scene investigators visited the most worthwhile scenes of crime and posted placards throughout the village advising against leaving valuables in cars.

Despite some very interesting stop checks and enquiries into rumours that have been circulating around the village we have as yet had no conclusive results, although the epidemic does seem to have stopped.

7If anybody has any information regarding these offences it would be welcomed and, if necessary can be 'phoned through anonymously on our ‘Crimestoppers’ line (0800 555111).

Other than these there have been further problems at the school bus stop, resulting in one boy being arrested and charged with two counts of threatening behaviour towards another boy.

Recently a number of incidents involving anti-social behaviour by a small group of youngsters have been reported in Willow Close. This is currently under investigation.

During the early morning hours of 4 January an ill conceived, and apparently opportunist, attempt was made to gain entry to the Post Office via the front door but this was easily prevented by the inbuilt security.

Finally, back in late October a delayed ‘road rage’ type incident occurred in the car park of the Memorial Hall whereby a local youth was assaulted. A man has since been arrested, charged and appeared before the court for this.

Moving away from the subject of crime, local neighbourhood policing is to be reorganised, probably by next September. It is then proposed that the existing Charfield beat (which also includes Cromhall and Tortworth) be amalgamated with the Laddenbrook beat (incorporating Wickwar, Rangeworthy, Iron Acton, Latteridge and Bagstone).

The proposal is that this is covered by one dedicated Police Officer with the probable help of community support officers.

PC 3799 Jones

I can't believe Christmas is over and we're back to Pre-School already. We are all refreshed and looking forward to the new term, but just to look back at last year I would just like to say a huge thank you to everybody who took part in this years float – whether it was making the float, walking the village, the coffee stops and of course Santa. It was a great success and much enjoyed by everyone. It was nice to see so many getting involved. The Pre-School would also like to say thank you to everyone who donated. A big thank you must also go to Craig and Jeanette Halliday who supplied the van and decorations.

Also a big thanks to the teachers who did a great disco and carol service for all us parents (there wasn't a dry eye in the building).

On to this term; we have several new starters and still a few places left. We take children from 2 years 9 months (as long as they are dry); they can come for one morning or up to five (space allowing). Please feel free to make an appointment to meet our teachers and have a look around.

We are also starting our Rising 5's this week. This is for the older children who will be starting school in September. We will be having these sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. This was a big success last year with the older children having more 1 to 1 quality time.

Dinners are going well – these are open to all children twice a week. If you would like your child to stay for packed lunch please speak to Claire or myself.

Thanks

Krissy
Chair, Charfield Pre-School

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A very Happy New Year to everyone.

We all hope that 2006 will be a healthy, happy and enjoyable year.

Key Stage 2 SATs League Tables
The Key Stage 2 SATs League tables have recently been published for 2005. I am delighted to note that when the percentages scores for children gaining Level 4 or above in English, Maths and Science have been added together, our overall aggregate score this year is 282 – our highest ever score!!

When we are ranked against other South Gloucestershire Primary Schools, we are in 7th position out of 80 schools in the LEA. This is all the more pleasing as this is our second improvement in successive years and a tribute to all the hard work that all the staff throughout the school have put in to give our pupils the best possible opportunities they can.

Tag Rugby and Cross Country
Our Cross Country runners have had very enjoyable meetings at KLB and each one of our runners has put in 100%, whether they came first or last.

Mr Norman and a lot of our pupils and parents went to Bath Rugby Club in October, to play at half time in an action packed local derby. I would especially like to give thanks to Mr. Williams, Mr. Barnes, Mr. Walker, Mr. Cope and Mrs. Cope who gave up their time after school to train our players up to match perfection!

In December our Tag Rugby team played in a tournament at Little Stoke, and played four matches, winning three and narrowly losing the last match. Nevertheless, they had loads of fun along the way and were cheered on by the loudest supporters on the day! So well done to our players and our parent supporters. ☺

Shoe Boxes
We had our usual fantastic response to this appeal and I am delighted to say that we broke the 100 shoe box barrier and have sent off 110 boxes to children in The Gambia. I would like to thank everyone, pupils and parents for their generosity! ☺

Cover Pudsey in Coins
On Friday 18 November, each class had a Pudsey Bear in their classrooms, thanks to our artists in Class 8. We covered each Pudsey Bear in coins and found out which class had covered him with the largest sum, with all the money going to Children In Need. I am delighted to tell you that we raised £260 for this cause!

Book Fair
At our recent Book Fair we took over £730 in sales of books. This means that the school has gained £438 in commission which we can use to buy more books for our school library. Thanks go to Mrs. Peer for organising the event and all those who helped run it. Thank you!

Friends Social Hour
The Friends hosted their first Friends Social Hour in the Hall on Wednesday 23 November starting at 2.45 p.m. Parents joined them for a cup of tea or coffee and a chat and were able to find out what the Friends do for our school (which is a lot!). I am glad so many of our parents came along and realised how enjoyable working with the Friends is and how important their varied fund raising activities are to our school! ☺

Year 6 Conway Residential Week Visit
During the last week of November our children and staff returned safely, somewhat tired, but having had a most brilliant time, from their residential visit to the Conway Centre. I would like to thank Mrs Gordon, Mr Norman, Mrs Tyler and Mr Gordon for all their work to make this residential visit so successful. I would 11especially like to say how I am so proud of our Year 6 pupils. The number of compliments paid to them about their behaviour, politeness and manners whilst they were away, has been nothing short of fantastic – from the coach driver, the staff at the Conway Centre and our own staff. They have been a real credit to themselves, to our parents and our school! ☺

School Musicians
We currently have many children learning a variety of musical instruments at school, ranging from drums, clarinets, flutes, recorders, guitar, and violins. Much praise must go to Mrs. Windram for expanding the range on offer to our children. Close to Christmas, a group of our musicians entertained the Charfield Luncheon Club with a selection of tunes, showcasing their talents and enjoyed by all.

Christmas Productions
I am glad so many of you came to see the Infant and Junior plays. The standards reached by the children this year have been exceptional – they really are a credit to us all!! ☺

The Infants presented ‘Jesus in the Manger’ and the Juniors presented ‘Scrooge’. All the performances were a sell out on each morning, afternoon or evening. Both plays were absolutely fantastic to watch and every child had their part to play in making them so successful.

Thank you for your generosity with the collections at the end of each show. You have been so kind. I am delighted to say that we have raised £535. £400 will be going to our Christmas charity, Caring At Christmas, to help the homeless in Bristol, particularly at this cold time of the year.

Many, many thanks for your generosity – it has been exceptional this year!! ☺

Finally
Finally, I would like to thank all of our staff, parents, pupils and governors for all that they continually do to make our school the happy, caring place it is. Thank you.

Stefan Frontczak
Headteacher

If you enjoy gardening – armchair or the real thing – the club has another range of lively talks arranged for our monthly meetings. They include one on ‘Hard Gardening’ – making paths, walls etc. another on exploring the ‘World of Willows’, one on visiting Yellow Book gardens and another discovering why the tropical rain forests are so important to mankind. Something to suit most tastes – and that's before mentioning our visits to local gardens and an all day trip further afield. Plus, we are a cheerful, sociable bunch even if we do always find fault with the weather – too wet, too dry, too hot, too cold – and get depressed by slugs. You'll find a warm welcome at the Club Room in Gloucester Street, Wotton (with easy parking in the Civic Centre car park) on the third Tuesday of each month at 7.30. Just come along, or if you'd like further details ring Barbara Adams 01454 26xxxx.

This season six teams have been flying the flag for Charfield across the county. Three adult teams and three junior including an under 9's competing in their very first campaign. Plus Forest Green Rovers under 18's enjoy using the excellent facilities in the village on a Sunday afternoon.

The senior teams are all showing improvement on last season with the First team and Reserves aiming to finish in the top six of the North Gloucestershire Senior League (division 122) and Stroud and District Football League (division 4) respectively, whilst the Third team (division 7) at this stage have eyes on promotion. All home matches are played on Saturday afternoons (kick off 2.00 or 2.30) with the Sportsman Lounge open afterwards.

The juniors continue to play at their Moreton Ground, next to Tortworth Primary School, either on a Saturday morning for the under 9's or Sunday morning/afternoon for the under 13's/14's. So far this season both the u13's and u14's are enjoying real success again. Each team has only lost two matches, and have reached their League Cup semi-final to be played on 29th January. This form is very similar to last season when the boys reached the final, however they came runners-up and also finished second and third in their division. Let's hope this season they will bring home some well deserved silverware to Charfield!

Finally, the u9's are progressing well in the Mid Gloucestershire Mini Soccer League.

If anybody would like to know more about either club, come and play or would like to get involved please do not hesitate to call me on 01454 26xxxx.

Jeremy Lewis – Secretary.

Well it's that time of year again. You stuffed yourself over Christmas, ate and drank too much and those clothes are a bit on the tight side. You probably noticed it when you went shopping in the January sales. It's also that period when celebrities are pushing their fitness videos with promises of how much weight they lost in such a short space of time, with before and after shots. Whatever happened to Mr Motivator waking us all up in the morning with his funky moves on Breakfast Time? But on the matter of exercise you may ask … How can I fit in gym membership or a class with my busy schedule? Where is the nearest sports centre to Charfield? Isn't it too cold to go out jogging in January? These are common excuses.

If you watched the TV programme Celebrity Fit Club, remember Harvey the USA Marines fitness trainer (whom they commissioned especially for the programme)? He always had a smile but relentlessly worked the participants to the limit so that they could go some way to achieving their goals. What we need is our own Harvey in our minds eye waking us up and pushing us to exercise against our natural inclination to sit down and watch TV, eat a bag of crisps or down another pint at the pub!

So where do we start? Firstly fitness is for EVERYBODY, whatever age and whatever our limitations. We can't all jog, do triathlons or cycle over the Alps, but we can start somewhere and the smallest changes can make noticeable gains over a couple of months.

One easy way to start is walking.

A brisk walk 15 minutes a day will make all the difference. Start off by walking gently and then gradually increase the pace and then the distance walked. From where I live in Charfield I like the gentle hill going up to the Post Office. To increase the workout, if time allows, I do a circular walk up to Churchend then down the lane back via Little Bristol Lane; as one suggestion.

Charfield is fortunate that there are some good walking circuits for all levels but in the cold and wet January weather it can take some motivation to get out and walk.

Whilst it's still cold, wet and dark there are well lit paved areas of the village to walk around to keep active. Try to use walking as part of your daily activities 13instead of using the car as far as possible; even if it is just a walk to get the newspaper – try taking the long way round and pick up the pace!

Footwear is important in your fitness routine. Never ever wear plimsolls, as there is no support or shock protection in them, but good trainers or very supportive shoes. These prevent injury and are often designed for the task.

The other brilliant activity is – housework! Yes, zooming around with that hoover and duster can all start to burn those calories, especially with some lively music on the stereo! And even just as good – gardening – to supplement that walking regime.

But my message in 2006 is ‘GET ACTIVE and WALK’ as brisk as you can make it.

By being active you keep the heart, lungs and circulation working effectively and keep that fat at bay by burning calories. Which leads me to explore what goes into your body by means of food – but that's another story!

Mike W. (RSA, YMCA) is a freelance Personal Fitness Trainer and group exercise instructor. He can be contacted on 07786-44xxxx for personal training sessions.

Issue 22 was published in January 1981. It consisted of 14 pages, and cost 12p.

An incident had occurred in the previous newsletter, where the time of a service at St. Johns Church had been reported wrongly. The vicar at the time, Kenneth Grant, decided that as so many people would be going by the time published in the newsletter, that he might as well move the service to correspond with the erroneous newsletter!

St. John's Church celebrated it's centenary in 1981, and the congregation were looking forward to a year of events to celebrate this landmark. More, no doubt, in future issues, as the year unfolds.

Most of the village organisations report on their Christmas activities, but there is also a request for volunteers to help with the Sports Day coming up in the summer. It was acknowledged that the previous year's camel racing would be hard to beat.

There had been many changes to the residents association committee responsible for the newsletter: David Beer took over as chairman, and Geoff Thornton took over as editor of the newsletter Jacqui Barnett joined as secretary, and the existing secretary, Marion Smith moved to vice-chairman. Sounds like a cabinet re-shuffle!

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16

Happy New Year to you all! I hope everyone had a great Christmas and a very merry New Year's Eve.

A quick recap of the events that took place last year (seems like ages ago now!). Firstly, we had the Fireworks Night in November which, as always, was extremely well supported by the whole village. It was a great evening and the weather was kind. Thank you to everyone who supported us and to all the wonderful volunteers – teachers, parents and committee members. Thanks to Lyn Edwards for being the First Aider on the evening too.

The Christmas Fayre was an amazing success down to the sheer hard work put in by Kate and John Scally and their team of helpers. We changed the format of the fayre from past years and it worked extremely well. We may even have to extend the hours next year as we struggled to fit everything in! Thanks again to everyone for helping with the preparation, set-up, clearing away and, of course, help on the day. It was great!

Coming up this year …

We have a very busy year ahead and, although not all of the details have been finalised yet, I am able to give you a brief run-down of the exciting things to come:

January 29th – Lisa came up with a brilliant idea – a Family Quiz Afternoon. It will be from 2pm to 4pm and tickets are available from the School Office at only £5 per family. There will be tea, coffee, hot chocolate and cakes – what better way to spend a cold Sunday afternoon in January?

March 4th – We will be holding a Family Karaoke Evening. The details are still to be confirmed but anyone interested can find out more by telephoning the School or myself. Many thanks to Karen Riley for offering to organise this event – we need the continued support of parents like Karen to be able to keep arranging these fundraising events which are not only great fun but also raise money for the school and our children.

March 17th – This Friday evening we will be holding yet another of our brilliant Quiz Nights! Tickets will be on sale from the beginning of March, again in the School Office – remember they sell out fast – the ticket prices are still to be confirmed. Again anybody wishing details may ring me.

April – Another of our clever parents has come up with a superb idea. A Village Garage Sale. This will involve people buying a ‘pitch’ for £5 and for that we will design a map of the village showing everyone who wishes to have a Garage Sale, we will do all the advertising and then we will sell the map to anyone else who wants to go around the village visiting everybody's Garage Sales. A boot sale on a grand scale – this should be great fun and good exercise too. Dates and times to be confirmed and hopefully we can have teas and cakes back in the school hall later in the afternoon. You will all get a leaflet drop nearer the time.

May – The School hopes to hold a May Fair. If the weather is good we can make use of the lovely surroundings of the school and show off the school to its best advantage. We are still deciding what things can be done and anyone with any brilliant ideas – large or small – please contact me!

June – We will be having our usual Family Evening at Cattle Country sometime in June. Dates and times to be confirmed.

17July – The Village Summer Fete will be taking place this month as a joint venture between the Friends of Charfield Primary School and The Memorial Hall Committee. This means the hard work involved will be shared and the Hall will also benefit from making more money too! Anyone interested in helping please contact either myself or someone on the Hall committee.

September – We are hoping to have another joint venture with the Memorial Hall in the form of a Promises Auction. All of the details are yet to be decided but anyone wishing to support this by donating something for us to Auction please contact me.

October – The Shopping Evening that we hold each year with Chocoholics and many other stalls always goes down extremely well; especially if there is football on that evening! I will let everyone know the date and time.

November – We can't miss Fireworks Night out. This will be on Friday 3rd November. Again details nearer the time.

December – Our lovely Christmas Fayre is in this month. Usually the first Saturday but confirmation later in the year.

Well that should keep us all busy! Please make a note of these events and don't hesitate to ring me if you need to know any other details. I hope we have a wonderful time this year – as we always do. Thank you again for all of your support and a special mention to my Co-Chairperson, Lisa Wiles and to all of the Committee and Teachers.

Karen Williams
Joint Chairperson

I'm sure you will have already read Mike's article on fitness in which he suggests some brisk walking around the village. Do you need an incentive to get you out? Well, maybe we can help – we need distributors for the CHADRA newsletter in the following areas:

• Churchend
• Charfield Hill
• Avon Road & part of Manor Lane

All you need to do is take a brisk walk once every three months and pop CHADRA through your neighbour's doors. You will also need to collect their payments, which can be done annually. It could give you the opportunity you want to get to know your neighbours.

It really doesn't take up a lot of time in the big scheme of things and you don't have to live in these areas to volunteer. But if you do live in these areas and no one volunteers then maybe you won't be getting your copy delivered to your door in future?

If you think you can help, please contact Marion Smith on 01454 26xxxx.

Minister: Rev. Philip Hopes Tel: 01453-84xxxx

Services:
Sunday 11 am. Kings Kidz 11 am.
Family Service 1st Sunday of each month at 11 am.
Tuesday's at 8 pm. Bible Study.

Sometimes we have the idea that Jesus was always gentle and mild, but that's just not the case. There is a time for being firm. Jesus didn't hold back when someone was trying to circumvent God's will, even when that someone was a dear friend like Peter.

18(Mark 8:31–33 NASB) And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. 33 But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter, and said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's”.

Sometimes we don't want to make waves; we want to maintain peace at all costs. It's not fun to confront people. But sometimes it's necessary. We may think it's unkind, but actually it can be more unkind not to – it isn't going to help someone to grow spiritually or emotionally, if they are not held responsible for their behaviour or words. Sometimes the truly loving decision is to confront someone, or a system. At times, if no one takes a stand, evil will triumph.

What if no one had stood up against Hitler? Or slavery? What if everyone thought “someone else will do it?” Sometimes we need to stand up for Christ, for Christian values. God doesn't need undercover Christians, secret agents! So be the one who makes a difference. The next time you are tempted to remain quiet to keep the peace, make sure the peace is God's will. Pray about it, ask for God to give you discernment, and the words and courage if He wants you to speak up.

www.southglos.gov.uk/svwebpoints

This is a website with information on community groups in Severn Vale. Why not visit when you're next online to add information about your community group or to find out about other organisations in Severn Vale?

They produce a newsletter which can be read online – the Winter 2005 edition has details of companies who may give goods or financial donations to your community group. Contact Sarah Roberts, Community Development Worker, on 01454 86xxxx if you would like support completing funding applications or for any funding suggestions for your project.

Following a very successful conference for the Neighbourhood Watch groups in Bristol at the end of November we had many requests for the presentation on ID theft to be made more widely available.

This can now be found on the force website:

www.avonandsomerset.police.uk

Follow links through Community Safety to Neighbourhood Watch and the Scheme Members page where you will find the presentation on ID Theft. No password is needed. If you do not have access to the web please ask a friend or neighbour or visit your local library who will be able to help.

The most important facts to remember are to dispose of any personal documents with care and not to respond to any unsolicited requests for information about your passwords or account details.

To contact the police please dial 0845 456 xxxx.

Please remember that you can report illegal activities such as drink driving, drug dealing and suspicious behaviour anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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Advertising

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20[Advert for St John's Church Grand Jumble Sale]

21

DO YOUR YOUNGSTERS RIDE BIKES?
DO THEY GO OUT IN THE DARK?
ARE YOU ABSOLUTELY SURE THEY HAVE LIGHTS?
DO THEY WEAR VISIBLE CLOTHING?

Did you know that there seems to be a new sport around – RIDE THE ROADS WITHOUT LIGHTS? Now, we don't want to spoil anyone's fun and we know that a lot of the excitement has been taken away from our children's lives by endless legislation (and some of us can even remember what it was like to be a kid) BUT we definitely don't want any of them to end up being swept up off the road either.

Neither do we like the idea of some innocent driver having to live with the after effects of a horrible accident. That's the stuff of nightmares. So PLEASE can you make sure you know if yours are taking part in this and, if so, encourage them not to (and, if possible, find them something else – exciting but safer – to do). It's very hard for youngsters to believe they are mortal and that anything bad could ever happen to them. PLEASE don't let them learn the hard way.

Anyone wishing to join please contact Mr J Russell on 01453 52xxxx

So I'm trying to prepare for London again. A couple of easy months of low mileage (20–25 miles per week) to keep me ticking over after my 4 hours 24 minutes personal best in the Cardiff marathon in October. Nearly two stone lighter after my run in New York in November 2004, I had felt so good finishing in the Millennium stadium with my family watching, even if my GPS had said nearer 27 miles when I finished! So by my reckoning I had done 4 hours 16 minutes for 26.2 miles, but it is the official time that counts.

But in December I sense a small niggle in my hip. Exactly the same as last year, when I had to pull out of London and defer my entry to 2006. This opt-out is unique to the London marathon but you still have to pay another £25 to enter again. I want to run London again, it is where I was born, so it feels like taking a tour of my home town. I want to claim the “F” in my surname as Flora London Marathon. Fortunately the sponsor has not changed for 2006! I try to ignore the niggle but it does not go away (they do sometimes). Christmas comes and after a run on Christmas Eve, the niggle has become, literally, a pain. So I stop, and don't run at all over the holiday. I went to the physio, who diagnoses weak core muscles. Basically I'm out of balance and need realigning and strengthening, so certain muscles are not overworked to make up for the weak ones all the time. So my schedule in future will include Pilates exercises and more 22cross-training (i.e. non-running). This can be cycling, swimming or weights (not heavy ones, will build up too much bulk).

Early January I spend on my back as the pain gets worse and any form of exercise is impossible. Things start to improve and that is where we are now at time of writing. My physio is cautiously optimistic I may be in some kind of shape to be on the start line at Greenwich on April 23rd, running for the Anthony Nolan Trust, to raise funds for bone marrow transplants to happen. I hope still to be part of the Round Table team for this event as it will be my last year as a tabler, and it will be a nice worthwhile thing to do. If I have to withdraw I will choose another marathon in the autumn or do that as well. By then I will only have “R”, “K”, “S” and “N” left, so on that positive note, I hope to see you all out and about soon!

John Francksen

Lots of fun activities were planned for the winter to keep the children busy. Christmas always provides a wealth of craft and cooking activities for the children who had fun making Christmas biscuits and candles, tree decorations and cards. They even designed their own wrapping paper!

As always many thanks to Pat and the team for keeping the children occupied and busy – you only have to go into the club to see some of the examples of the great things they do with the kids.

In the weeks ahead they have the Chinese New Year, St Valentine's Day and Mothers Day to look forward to and will no doubt be planning a wide variety of craft, games and activities for the children to enjoy.

Treasurer's Role
I am pleased to advise that we have managed to recruit a new Treasurer and I should like to welcome James Kane to the Management Committee. We hope he will enjoy his time as Treasurer of the club.

Childcare Places
We currently have places at the club for children every morning and every evening except Thursday, which continues to be the most popular day. So if you're thinking of starting a new job or returning to work why not pop in, pay us a visit and put your children's name down on the list.

Admin
Club opening times – Breakfast club: 7:30am to 8:40am; After School Club: 3:10pm to 6:00pm; School holidays and Inset days: 7:30am to 6:00pm. The Holiday Clubs remain popular, particularly on in-set days, so early booking is essential to avoid disappointment.

If you want to find out more information about the Club, contact the Club Manager, Pat Loveridge on 07816 23xxxx or 01454 26xxxx or call into the Club at The Foundation Room in the School grounds during opening hours.

Julie Macnamara

It's Friday 13th!!!!!!! And when should this have been in? Last night. What's new, you ask.

Well firstly, Happy New Year to you. I'm not going to go on about it doesn't seem two ticks since we were supping the Croft Original and showing the turkey, Delia Smiths how to do, or that bleep, bleep, Mary Berry's Count Down to you know what!! How much DO these people get paid?

23The charming Mr Drinkwater phoned to chase me up, so to speak, a few days previously. It's funny isn't it that you speak to people for several years and have never met. Then it was the 12th. Well I had a right raging old sore throat and to be honest couldn't even summon up a single giggle for you, my adoring public, so thought I'd best leave it. Anyway, this morning, at breakfast, I asked Keith whether he was putting in an article. “Yes,” he replied. “Oh well you might have missed it. Phone Hilary and ask. I'm not going to phone cos she's probably fed up with my previous witterings.” Anyway who should I bump into going to school but the mega brill Hilary and Matthew. So here I now am, Friday PM and doing jottings to you. Incidentally, my throat feels a lot better and, as you can see, words have just started flowing. Whether after you've read all of this, you might think shame her throat improved, we'll have to see.

Lawrence and his chums put on another Club Night Launch Party in the Village Hall on 23 December. What another great night I must say. I volunteered my services. No, not as glamour puss, on the door, but as cloakroom attendant in the kitchen!!! The ever fab Lisa Wiles was serving drinks and I flitted about her distributing numbered hangers and corresponding tickets. And, in case someone lost their ticket we wrote their names down in a book. What a brill system. Isn't it great when you volunteer your services and it all works.

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish the Somertons all the best in their new home, in Lancaster, and give a big Charfield Welcome to our new neighbours Sue, Ken, Tom and Emma. I shall never forget my first few days here. A tall chap, called Bob, leant over my hedge and said that there were three things I needed to know. Firstly, that there was a tennis court ‘over there’, Young Wives in the Village Hall and a Ladies Darts Team in the Tavern. Well the rest, as you say, is history.

I spent a lovely Saturday, last weekend, meeting up with my old friend, Julia, who emigrated to Canada when she was 19. She came over with her son and we walked along Bognor Regis beach, that's where her Mum and Dad live now. They used to live up the road from Battersea Park in London. She has four brothers, so you can imagine what a great old time we had. Anyway the last time we'd got together was about 20 years ago and decided that we hadn't changed a bit. Well, just a little bit more wrinkly.

Isn't it nice when there's a couple of easy to watch programmes on the tele. I like that Seaside Parish about Boscastle and that gardening lady, called Christine, on Friday nights, absolutely loving her and her neighbours' gardens. Now don't think I sound too old because I can't wait for Desperate Housewives this week. On the subject of the TV, did you see the South Bank Show, with Melvyn Bragg, when he interviewed Eric Sykes. Oh, what a pleasure. I'd love to meet him. Simple, fun and gentle humour. What we all need, a good laugh.

Well I had better sign off. On a final note I'd just like to confirm the fact that you can't have too many extension leads.

Best Wishes. Love Maz

24

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A new year can be a time of new beginnings as well as a time of new hopes and I certainly look forward to a number of events that we have planned at St. John's. On Saturday 28th January at 7.30 p.m. in the School Hall, Derek Skelcher a former member of the church, will be performing his one man show, New Twists on Old Tales. Tickets for the event are £5 and some liquid refreshment will be available!

The second ‘Tea Praise’ takes place at St. John's on Sunday 26th February at 4 p.m. Tea and cakes will follow a time of Informal Worship and everyone is most welcome. If you are not used to coming to church but would like to give it a try then this could be the opportunity that you have been waiting for! All ages are welcome and we'll have a variety of hymns and songs that should keep everyone interested along with a presentation of an ‘Open the Book’ story, do come!

Alison Trueman has kindly agreed to organise another Jumble Sale and this will take place on Saturday 4th March at 2 p.m. again in the School Hall – further details can be found on page 20, and thank you Alison.

26On the same weekend there is to be Joint Parish Review Day taking place at Kingswood Village Hall beginning with a service at 10.30 a.m. on Sunday 5th March followed by a meeting and a shared lunch. The idea is to explore setting up a Local Ministry Team to assist with the leadership of both St. John's and St. Mary's. Since taking on responsible for both churches and parishes 5 years ago I have recognised the need for extra support and there are many talented people around who could make a contribution.

If it is agreed to go ahead with the plan then nominations from both parishes will be sought and hopefully a joint team will be formed who will receive training arranged by the Diocese. Anyone is welcome to share in the review day.

Looking further ahead the Annual Plant Sale will be on Saturday 13th May with the usual variety of good quality plants at competitive prices, we look forward to seeing you!

On Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th June we are having a Family Weekend at St. John's with a whole variety of events including a visiting speaker at the Family Service – watch out for further details and keep the dates free!

The events that I have just mentioned give some idea of what is happening at St. John's and, of course, there is the normal pattern of services month by month but the effectiveness of the church does not have to be measured in activities and events and neither do we.

I began with new beginnings and new hopes and I feel that hopes are something that we all value and appreciate and that they are essential to our well-being and happiness. As Christians we can place our faith and trust into the hands of a God who loves and cares about each one of us. He wants the very best for us just as we want the best for ourselves and our families but he also knew that humanity lived in a broken world of broken people.

It was not the world, nor the people that God had intended and so He came up with a plan that would restore peace and hope into an unhappy world. Jesus is the answer. The Jesus whose birth we have just celebrated is the same Jesus who died a horrible death upon the cross on the first Good Friday. He was prepared to give his life that we might have life and hope. Out of something dark and dreadful an amazing amount of light and good has come.

Don't let this amazing offer of hope pass you by. How about celebrating this New Year with a new start and a new hope by giving your life to Jesus? I have never regretted doing so and whilst it does not mean that everything runs smoothly, Jesus never promised an easy life! I can be sure of His continued love and presence in my life and the certain hope that one day I will meet my Lord and Saviour face to face and that is certainly something to look forward to!

I hope that you all have a very good 2006 and that your new beginnings and hopes will give you joy and happiness.

Revd. Robert Pestell
Rector of Charfield and Kingswood.

From the Registers for October, November and December 2005.

Baptisms
9 October Adam Melville
9 October Mackenzie Hannigan
27 November Sophie England

Funerals
17 October Derek Bennett

Marriage
24 December Paul Eldridge and Jody Buckley

27

Firstly, Happy New Year to you all.

The hall has started the year with a new kitchen being fitted, thanks to lottery and local grants. By the time you read this, it should be completed. We hope to carry on renovating the rest of the hall as and when funds are raised.

I hope you all purchased the Charfield calendar with its photos of old Charfield. If you didn't, I still have some at £3.00 each.

I would like to thank all of you who filled in the questionnaire. We will be taking on as many of the suggestions as we can. These included dance classes, self defence, amateur dramatics, youth club, toddler club, photographic club, gymnastics/trampoline. We would welcome any of these, so if you would, or know of any one who would be willing to run an organisation, please let us know and we will help to set it up. There are grants and help to set up some of these activities. We will try to point you in the right direction. We are looking into the suggestion of historic and local talks. If there is any one who is interested in giving talks on any subject, please get in touch with me.

The craft fair went down well with all those who came. Thank you to all the helpers. The Launch night, just before Christmas, raised about £700, plus the profits on the bar. The youngsters really enjoyed themselves and there wasn't any trouble at all. I would like to thank all who helped.

We will be arranging more fund raising events such as a quiz night, jumble sale, car boots and music nights of different types. We will let you know by posters and leaflets drops.

The hall is available for hire by the hour, so if you need a space for anything from a kid's party to a flower show or a jam session to a wedding reception we will try to accommodate you. We also have a bouncy castle for hire, for use within the hall and for outside events or parties.

Due to other commitments our treasurer is looking for someone to help him, or to take over the position. If you are interested, please get in touch.

We are looking into security options, at the present time, for the outside of the hall, to try and stop some of the damage done to the building and field. If you see anyone causing damage, please report it to the police and to us. It is your Hall and field, so help us keep it as best as we can. Thank you.

Keith Smith, Chairman
Contact no: 01454 26xxxx

There are currently well over 1,000 members of Thornbury U3A. The groups, listed below, offer a wide range of educational, social and leisure activities. Annual individual membership costs £7.00 and £12.00 for two people at the same address. This entitles members to attend as many groups as they choose. Most of the groups meet during the day but there are also evening theatre and concert visits. Further details and membership forms can be obtained from the Membership Secretary, Penny Withers, telephone 01454 63xxxx.

Archaeology
Art Appreciation
Astronomy
Bird Watching
Book Group (2)
Bridge (2) & Beginners Bridge
Calligraphy
Catering for One
Chess (Beginners)
Church Visits
28Cinema
Classical Studies
Computing
Cooking for Husbands
The Cotswolds
Cycling
Discussion Group
Drawing
Etymology
Financial Planning
First & Second Wednesday Lunch Clubs
French
French Conversation
French Reading Group
Garden Visits
German
History (2)
Investment Club
Italian
Jazz
Line Dancing
Lip Reading
Mahjong
Music (2)
Painting
Patchwork & Quilting
Play-reading
Poetry
Practical Help & DIY
Recorders
Rise & Fall of the Nazis
Science & Technology Forum
Scrabble
Short Slow Rambles
Spanish
Spanish Conversation
Table Tennis
Tai Chi
Theatre Group
Travel & Tourism
Trees
Walking
Wine tasting
World Religions

The Best Indian Restaurant Album in the World … Ever!

29

don't miss …

The Midsummer Ball

Friday June 23rd 2006
The Bristol Golf Club
Almondsbury
7.30 til late

Tickets £30 per person
Coach provided at extra cost

All proceeds will go to Charfield memorial Hall

For more information, or to reserve your table, please contact
Sandra 01453 52xxxx, Julie 01453 52xxxx or Deb 01454 26xxxx

30

If you wish to alter the entries below, please telephone Geoff or Hilary on 01454 26xxxx

Baby and Toddler Group
Yvonne Kershaw 01454 26xxxx

Bingo Club
Sue Scoble 01454 26xxxx

British Legion
David Millman (Hon Sec) 01454 26xxxx

Charfield Pre School
Clare Beland (Admissions) 01454 26xxxx
Krissy Gingell (Chairperson) 01454 26xxxx

Charfield Primary School
Stefan Frontczak 01454 26xxxx

Childminders
Teresa Wildman 01454 26xxxx

Church – Congregational
Rev Philip Hopes 01453 84xxxx

Church – St. John's
Rev Robert Pestell 01454 26xxxx
Email xxxx @ fish.co.uk

Council – Charfield Parish
Catherine Holmes (Clerk) 01453 84xxxx

Council – South Gloucestershire
Sandra O'Neill 01454 26xxxx
Email xxxx @ southglos.gov.uk

Cricket Club
Diane Bradley 01453 84xxxx

Crimestoppers 0800 555 111

Football Club – Juniors
Jeremy Lewis 01454 26xxxx

Football Club – Seniors
Jeremy Lewis 01454 26xxxx

Friends of Charfield Primary School
Karen Williams 01454 26xxxx
Lisa Wiles 01454 26xxxx

Foundation Room
Bryan Grantham 01454 26xxxx

Friendship Club
Mrs. M Ealey 01454 29xxxx

Keep Fit Club
Christine Parfitt 01454 26xxxx

Luncheon Club for the Elderly
Jane Higgins 01454 26xxxx

Memorial Hall
Kate Isaacs (Bookings) 01454 26xxxx
Keith Smith (Chair) 01454 26xxxx
Angie Hill (Secretary) 01454 26xxxx

Neighbourhood Watch
To be confirmed