CHADRA

Welcome to our first issue for 2008 and, as always, I would like to thank all our contributors (both new and old) for your articles without which there would be no newsletter. Thanks also go to our distributors who will be braving the wintry weather to bring this to your door.

It has been suggested that readers may wish to mark significant family events, such as hatches, matches, despatches or milestone birthdays and anniversaries, with an announcement in the newsletter. If you would like to do this please let us have the details by copy date. I should point out that the January issue would include announcements for February, March and April; the April issue – May, June and July; July issue – August, September and October; October issue – November, December and January.

Inside the back cover of this issue are details of a couple of village events taking place in the next few weeks. Please have a look and see if you would be able to support these events. I would hate for you to get to the end of the newsletter and discover you had missed them.

Regards, Hilary

Next Copy Date – 6th April 2008

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The picture on the cover of this issue has been drawn for us by Kesha Scally. She was 8 when she sent it to us but, due to the number we received at that time, she is 9 now. Thanks Kesha your prize will be with you soon.

As always, if you fancy being a ‘published’ artist – allbeit on the village newsletter – we are always pleased to receive your contributions. Pictures or photographs are always welcome – no more the 16cm square please. Whilst we prefer black and white they can be in colour just so long as they will still look good when we print them in black and white.

Christmas has been and gone but still the work of Christmas goes on. We might have changed the calendar to 2008 but there are still people who are hungry, homeless, cold, sick and poor. We need to remember them all year and not just on ‘the’ day. Please continue to let me know of anyone we can help. During the last 3 months we've had occasion to remember the lives of two people who made a difference in Charfield. Many of you attended Miriam Ealey's funeral and it really was standing room only. Then Brenda Gillett, from the Post office, many years ago, was remembered at her funeral service. Both of these people could have chapters in a village diary!!

In the build up to Christmas we had wonderful times in Church when the school came over twice to perform their Concert and they did a splendid job. It was obvious that staff and pupils had put in a lot of effort, with good results. I also went into school to see key stage 1 Nativity play … another brilliant time. The Uniformed organisations of Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers came in for their Carol Service and they all took part. I now know why there's a fairy on top of the Christmas tree … thank you Explorers! Some awards were presented and one chap received his 50 year award! That really IS service to scouting. Our Crib service on Christmas Eve saw the children taking part and building up their own crib: they seemed to enjoy dressing up and acting out the roles of Shepherds, Kings and even Angels. We had the Christingle as well and the working party at The Rectory saw a small group of us not only decorating Oranges, but playing Triominoes on the floor!!

Easter is early this year … almost as early as it CAN be. This means that Ash Wednesday comes early too and, as the start of Lent, we begin to think again of others. We hope to have Lent Lunches at The Rectory. These are simple meals of Soup and Bread, Cheese and Fruit, with excellent company!! All money raised will go to a charitable cause and the soup WILL be homemade (mostly courtesy of the vicar's ‘wife’!!!) We hope to do an Egg Hunt in the church grounds on Easter Day and look forward to telling you more about that when we deliver the Easter leaflets. By the time this is published I will have survived 9, yes 9 Carol services and numerous Christmas lunches. The first of these was with the Luncheon Club and we had an excellent meal, including home made puddings (I had two helpings … my weakness) and some amazing entertainment from the school music group and singers. I'm hoping to get into school a bit more in the new year and ‘grow’ a music group of my own. I only ‘play’ the piano, very badly at that, but hope to build a choir to sing both at church events and for the benefit of others. Let me know if you'd like to be included!

Life seems to move on very swiftly these days but there's never a dull or quiet moment. I have met many of you, but know there are many more of you out 4there. I hope to rectify that as and when possible. Maybe I will meet some more of you when we have the Jumble Sale. I mentioned it last time but wrongly said it was run by the Scouts. It's actually run by one of the Scout leaders for the Church! I've started collecting things so hope for a really good turn out. Best wishes to you all, and when Easter comes, may we all feel refreshed and ready for some better weather, warmer days and lighter evenings. If the Easter Bunny missed you out, come and take part in our Egg Hunt!

From the Registers:

Viv Kerner.

Burial Ground
Since the last up date on providing a new burial ground in Charfield good progress has been made. Towards the middle of last year the decision was taken to commission land surveys to make sure the land in question was suitable. The first of these, called a Tier 1 Level Ground Assessment (which is required by the Environment Agency) was to establish suitability of the site for burials. The results of the survey were encouraging, however, the ‘rating’ only just crept into the middle bracket and meant that the site required a more detailed Tier 2 Assessment. This assessment is much more involved and requires, for example, the digging of test ‘pits’ to establish the nature of the underlying structure. This process could have proved quite expensive however, after negotiating with the Environment Agency and Structural Soils Ltd over the details it was possible to agree an assessment that would be at a significantly reduced cost. The Tier 2 Assessment took place on the 21st December 07 and, although we are not experts in this matter, looks very favourable. Should all be in order the next step will be to secure ownership of the land. The Parish Council has made significant progress over the last year and I am indebted to Sue Bailey, the Clerk, for the amount of time, effort and guidance she has given to this project.

A Happy New Year to all members, potential new members and to the village of Charfield.

Since my last CHADRA report, it seems like the committee and other valuable helpers have been on overdrive with a number of hard working efforts to fundraise for the club. I take a big breath before I list them all …

First we had a Bingo night arranged and this was originally cancelled due to a lack of interest, however, some quick thinking and improvisation led to a great £80 being made from an informal bingo night at the Pear Tree. Big thanks to Liane Cope & Lisa Wiles & all at the Pear Tree for their support.

Next we had a Shopping Evening at the Village Hall on the 7th November where £172.00 profit was made. Thanks for all the hard work of committee members and to all those who helped, in particular Andy Phipps & Pete De Clare for transporting the School Book Fair up and down the road! – Watch out “The Chuckle Brothers!”

We also supported the Charities Fair on the 24th November at the Wotton Civic Centre thanks to Jake, Rita & Kate.

Into the festive season saw involvement the Christmas Fair on the 1st Dec – thanks here in particular to Deb & Natasha Pringle & Megan Isaacs for manning the stall all afternoon.

The year ended in great style with the members Family Christmas Dinner at the School on the 9th Dec. With a 60 seat sell out event, the excellent 3 course traditional Christmas lunch was provided by our local celebrity Chef, Phil Barnes, who was superbly assisted by Colin Adams as his able 2nd Chef. (When's the restaurant opening guys – who's this fella Ramsey??)

The great food was followed by games of Bingo, a Quiz and a raffle to the enjoyment of all and I would like to thank all the following who made the day so special: Phil, Jake, Lydia & Ellie Barnes, Colin & Claire Adams. Rita & Colin Wadsworth, Tony & Deborah Field, Debbie & Natasha Pringle, Sian Jones, Nicola Coleman, Rob Melville, Kate & Megan Isaacs, Pete & Sue De Clare, Pete Wiles for his polished and entertaining Bingo Caller performance – he's done that before!, Tim Hill for being a fab Quiz Master and the school cook, Jill, who very generously let us use her kitchen. (Hope that it was left the way you would expect to find it?)

All this splendid effort will start to put some foundation into the tough path that we have to tread towards the funding of the 2nd Court project. We still need to raise some £10k to help us get to the next stage and we will continue to come up with ideas to help in the fundraising objective. Of course if any local businesses out there who want to contribute a donation towards the Tennis Club, whose activities provide one of the foundation blocks to the benefit of the spiritual and physical well being of all ages and demographic of the community of Charfield and towards this important development that will provide the extra, much needed, playing area for the members to use, then feel free to contact myself or any member of the committee.

6Enough of the begging, looking ahead we are moving towards a new season for the game and the club, so in anticipation of full membership renewals & some new members joining, we are planning a number of tournaments including Mixed Doubles, Men's Doubles, Ladies Doubles and for the Youth of the village, starting in April to go along side the Ladies Ladder and a new Men's Ladder.

Striving for Excellence
Learning for Life

I would like to start my first newsletter to CHADRA by wishing everyone a very Happy New Year. We said a fond farewell to Mr. Frontczak in December and while we await the arrival of Mr. Lawday, I am proud to be at the helm.

New for 2008
We have welcomed three new members of staff to the team. Mrs. Pragnell is currently teaching in class 7 while Miss. Carroll takes maternity leave, Miss. Taylor is teaching reception while I take up position in the office and we also welcome Vanessa Parkhill to our TA team. Of course we wish them the very best.

Without question however, the biggest change for Charfield Primary School is the arrival of our new head Mr. Lawday. He will be joining us at the end of April from Shield Road Primary School. We are all looking forward to his arrival.

Fundraising
Our Infant and Junior productions were a great success and our thanks goes to all members of the community who supported our children and gave so generously at the end of each performance. We raised £169.49 in Key Stage One, which we will be sending to CLIC, and £256.53 in Key Stage Two, of which half will be sent to CLIC and the remaining half given to the church for their chosen charity.

Sports, Sports and More Sports!
We are delighted to announce that yet again Charfield will be back on the sports map as we start a programme of events that will see Children from Charfield taking part in a wide variety of county events. Mrs. Windram, our sports coordinator, is heading a team of staff that will be training the children in:

• Boccia (similar to bowls)
• Football in time for the cluster festival
• Summer festival of sports
• Winter swimming gala
• Cross Country
• Tennis (led by Jake Barnes and Debra Wilson)

I will update you in future CHADRA newsletters of our sporting successes. GO CHARFIELD!

We are also keen to involve the community in this venture. If you have a sporting skill and would like to share that talent with young people we would love to hear from you. Indeed if you have any skill, talent or passion that children can benefit from and you have some time to spare, get in touch. Come into the school office to collect a letter and declare your interest.

Business Links
Charfield Primary School is also looking to link to local businesses and develop a relationship where the children can get a view of ‘the world of work’. We desperately want to stay in the 7community for this venture and would welcome any advice or ‘avenues’ we can try.

The Friends of Charfield School
The Friends held their annual Christmas fair during December and raised money for the school. We are always very proud of our Friends. They work tirelessly for the good of the school and give the children opportunities that wouldn't otherwise be available. And of course you play a huge role, as you attend the events the FRIENDS run in the village so ‘THANK YOU’.

and Finally
As we launch into spring we are looking for ways in which the school can play a larger role in Village life. You are our future and without you we can not ‘strive for excellence’. We are always happy to receive ideas that would develop important community links. I am always happy to talk to you and find out what you can do for Charfield Primary School and what Charfield Primary School can do for you.

Here's to a prosperous new year!

Vicky Gordon, Acting Headteacher

Disability Equality Scheme
We are currently developing a disability scheme for our school and we are looking to gather information to enable us to take a proactive approach to promoting disability equality and eliminating discrimination.

The scheme will address pre-existing duties to bring greater benefits to disabled pupils, staff, parents and others by considering disability equality from the start and at every level of the school. We are looking for contributions from pupils, staff, parents and other users of the school.

If you have any comments about building access, communication etc we would like to hear from you.

You can either drop into the school office, phone on 01454 26xxxx or email us on xxxx @ southglos.gov.uk

Thank you.
Nicola Bartrop,
Charfield School Governor

I hope you all had a good Christmas and would like to wish you all a happy new year from all the Friends.

I would like to start by saying a big thank you to everyone that helped at and came to the Christmas fair, it was a very good day and we raised £640. We spent some of the money on donations towards the juniors cinema trip to Wotton and a party and presents for the infants.

The other event we held in December was the sale of Christmas trees which went very well and we made £340. I would like to say a very big thank you to Adrian Fallows and Rob Melville for organising this event all on their own. Thanks as well to everyone that helped them on the day.

I just have one more thank you and that is to Pete De Clare for his help on the day of the Christmas fair and all the other times that he helps us out – too many to mention!

I will keep you informed of our future events but, until then, once again, a very big thank you to everyone who has worked with and supported the Friends.

Co-chair Lisa Burner

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Hello folks!! Happy New Year to you. Right then, what's been happening? Keith and I went to visit Lawrence in half term which to those of you involved with school, will know it's not half term but the end of a new, little term. I decided I'd better look a bit swanky, fashion wise, competing with all those gorgeously dressed New York women and purchased my fab new grey coat with lovely covered buttons. You may, at this point be thinking how sad, a grey coat, but if you can cast your minds back to my green, put in the wash, dry over night, baggy thing, from West Midland Farmers!!! how long has it been Countrywide stores?, you will appreciate why I got all excited. Anyway, New York, in October was lovely and mild, I only wore it once, on principal and Keith got sunburn.

Whilst we were shopping in Macys, (I love this name dropping stuff) I purchased a fab bag, just right for all my school things, in grey with silver and black stars. Loads of people commented on it as I ambled up to, and in, school. So much for glamour, three weeks later, the bag couldn't take the weight and the handles broke. I could then be seen with a new shiny black bag, yes, O.K., plastic, this time with Dorothy Perkins on. It lasted until Christmas and I am now using a Tesco's, never use carrier bags again, tote with ladybirds on. And, I drove home from Cam the other day with my new coat belt hanging out of the car door, collecting mud as I journeyed, so my swankiness has packed up.

Now, no offence to God and the church, but I am starting Lent early. I've only got two Ferrero Rochers, six chocolate Christmas pudding balls and a cherry bakewell to go and I've finished all the yummy bits. Not that Megan, our dog, didn't help. I got up one morning just before the celebrations started to see lots of red sparkly paper under the tree. She'd only broken into a present devouring all the chocs inside. Now I'd heard that chocolate was poisonous to dogs, so had a right old fit. Then as I was putting the turkey through its paces, it had done the roast, the cold with pickles, the curry and was about to be souped up, a wing bone dropped off the meat plate, fell onto the floor and whoosh, Megan was on the case. Talk about clenched jaws. I'm screaming to Keith to help prize her mouth apart, she was having none of it, I was tugging at this tiny piece of slippery skin at the side of her mouth when suddenly, with a gulp, it was gone. I picked up the remaining shards of bone from the kitchen floor, imagining the vets bills as all this sharp, jagged and pointy bits of turkey bone were travelling through and no more new coats. Still life carried on and no major trauma, from Megan that is.

Mum came down from London. We decided to have a mince pie with a cuppa. The previous time I'd warmed them up in the oven but I thought I'd use the microwave. I put them in for 1 minute but they didn't seem done, so pressed for what I thought was a further 30 seconds. I ran upstairs, put some bits away and came downstairs, to find the microwave still on 24 MINUTES!!! I had a fit, my ‘this is not just mince pies, but deep delicious soft crumbly pastry with sumptuous filling Tesco Finest’ had been turned into bullets. Even the birds didn't eat them. I was speaking to Mum last night and told her I was doing my Chadra bit and was going to mention the you-know-whats. Don't blame it on me, she said. Not like the MFI building, in London, with all the spies in.

Oh well, I'd best finish off, and get this to dear Hils&Geoff. I wish you all happy times and hope there's going to be something good on the telly so that we can have a good giggle.

Best wishes, with love, Maz.

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The end of 2007 and the festive season have meant a relatively quiet period at the hall. Bookings and hall usage continue to be steady although we would always welcome the use of the hall by more groups and individuals. Our hire rates are published in our advert on page 9; please contact us to make a booking enquiry (07774 41xxxx).

On the hall fundraising front, we held a Jumble Sale in October, our Casino Night with “Elvis” in November and have been hard at work selling calendars during December. The Casino Night was a great success, enjoyed by all who attended. This event will be repeated later this year – on a night which doesn't clash with the school fireworks! Thanks to Phil Barnes for his help with the food at the Casino night and thanks also to all those who attended the event and helped to run it. The 2008 Calendars have been selling pretty well with over 350 sold around the village. Again my thanks to Colin Wadsworth & Lydia Barnes for their work on the calendars, to all of the sponsors, and to all the sellers for their hard work in actually getting out, knocking on doors and selling them.

Early in 2008 we will host a Valentines Night on Friday 15th February and perhaps another Easter Fair. Details of these events will appear around the village soon.

On another note, we hosted the National Blood Service blood mobile on New Years Eve and we have 2 more visits planned for 2008. We also hope to get the blood service to re-start using the hall proper for donor sessions. This may turn out to be a long winded process and I will keep you informed of progress via these pages.

Work on the new disabled toilet facility should start at the end of January and this will hopefully be completed with the minimum of disruption to hall users. We also hope to be able to upgrade the Gents toilets in the hall later this year as well as purchasing some much needed new chairs.

I know it may seem very early to be mentioning this but our AGM will be held at the beginning of May. To keep the hall committee functioning, and the hall open, we will need a new Secretary and a Vice Chairman. I have operated for the past 8 months or so without the support of a Vice Chair but this puts additional workload onto the other officers and it is not a situation that I would wish to continue. We also need additional committee members to support our activities, so please volunteer your help to support this vital community facility.

Thank you,
Tim Hill, Chair

To those of you who pass the Church every day, it may seem that little or nothing has been happening, but it is rather like a duck swimming against the current – not much action to be seen but a great deal going on out of sight.

Since the report in July last year, the ceiling of the Sanctuary has been removed exposing the roof timbers and the detailed survey has been completed – also a structural engineer has had to be consulted. Basically the timbers are in good condition but some have come apart at the joints; although it looks frightening, the structural engineer is of the opinion that most of them can be repaired. To this end, quotes are being obtained from builders to have the roofing work carried out as soon as 19possible. This is, of course, only the first step towards the ‘Grand Reopening’! Well, not actually the first step, we endeavoured to get our ‘priorities’ right – the small kitchen has been completely refurbished so that tea and coffee can be made! After the roof has been repaired and before replacing the ceiling, the whole building will have to be rewired to bring it up to modern safety standards and then, of course, a system of heating will have to be investigated. All this before any painting can be contemplated. It will be worth it in the end.

In the meantime, we are continuing to hold our services in the room behind the Sanctuary and any of you who care to join us will be made most welcome – 11 o'clock on Sunday and tea/coffee and biscuits afterwards!

We look forward to seeing you.

Minister Rev. Philip Hopes

Sunday – 11 a.m. Morning worship and Sunday School.
Tuesday – 8 pm. Prayer and Bible Study.

A warm welcome awaits you at our meetings

2007 was a good year for Scouting, celebrating 100 years and 1st Woodend celebrated well. All of the children had the opportunity of taking part in camps, even the Beavers, although their parents had to accompany them. We started the year with the County St George's Day in Bath (April), the County Ton of Fun camp at Woodhouse Park where Cubs and Scouts camped and Beavers attended as day visitors (May) then the Group held a Centenary Family Camp at Woodhouse Park in which all of the members were invited, ending the weekend with a BBQ and the Group's AGM.

We also took part in section camps/sleepovers, and the Beavers went on the Santa Express. Donations from Parish Councils, bag packing and charity fairs were very successful in boosting our empty bank account following the installation of the central heating, enabling our youngsters to continue to travel further afield on camps.

There were a number of highlights in the year for me, far too many to mention, but the first had to be the installation of the heating. The first time we ran hot water from the hot taps was as though we had never seen running water before and as the hall is less damp we can now store paperwork and craft materials at the HQ instead of our homes and garages. Our trip to Malta was another highlight and we look forward to returning the Fgura Scouts' hospitality next year. The camps are always fun, the bag packing and fairs hard work for the organisers but we've got a great fundraising team who are taking the workload off us leaders for which we are extremely grateful. At these events we are always complimented on the behaviour of the youngsters, which is credit back to the parents, and it shows the public that there are still “good uns” in the 6–14 age range.

The Remembrance Day Parade which was held in Charfield this year was extremely well attended, well done to you all. Peter and I were absent, which might explain the numbers! We had taken our annual holiday later in the year due to the previously explained events and took part in our own ceremony accompanied by a number of fellow passengers on a luxury cruise ship on the Nile – at 11.00am British time of course. We did wear our 20poppies on the day and explained to the Egyptians why we were wearing them. We were a little shocked however when at the breakfast table a young Danish passenger in our group asked why we couldn't “just get over it and forget about the war”. There followed a discussion with the rest of the table who were all British and he then understood why, we also then understood why he had made the statement, it turned out that his community had taken a not so nice part in the war which they wanted to be able to forget about. It really makes you think!

On a lighter note we had a fabulous turn out at our Group Carol Service at St. John's Church in Charfield. Peter in his District role presented gold and silver awards, invested Mark Reeves (leader) into Cubs and presented our treasurer Bryan Wright with his 50 years service award in Scouting. His service is at least 52 years now as it takes HQ (London) a long time to process these things. Bryan became a Scout Leader at 18; he worked as a warden for a time at Chalfonts a Scout camp near London before joining 1st Woodend as a Scout Leader, then Group Scout Leader and now treasurer. He has a vast amount of scouting experience, local knowledge as a retired postman and lots of contacts to which the Group and myself are very grateful. We all wish you many more years Bryan. Back to the Carol Service each of the sections took a part in the service and I've never known the Cubs and Scouts to be so quiet. The Cubs did a bit of acting to which they were all very confident until put in front of an audience and the Scouts who were singing en mass suddenly lost their voices! The Explorers ended the evening with some festive jokes which was different, then mulled wine and mince pies all round.

So what's happening this year, well the people at the top (London) have asked us to keep the 2007 centenary momentum going in Scouting and I don't think we have to in our Group as we all give 100% already and already (hopefully) deliver first class Scouting, offering our youngsters (and Leaders) every opportunity possible to try new experiences. This year we have some new badges and challenges to work on, including if you saw it on the news, a new badge – parascending ???? Now that is a challenge and I'm not saying that we will be doing that one!

Beavers – are up to our maximum of 25. Activities this term include food tasting, pet badge, pancakes, valentine's crafts, mother's day, potato printing and games evenings.

Cubs – 34 rising to 41 in September, so come on we need more adults! Activities include Burn's night, hobbies badges, pancakes, kite building, valentines crafts and working for their creative challenge – inventing a new sweet, giving it a slogan, advertising it, making a jingle and TV advert then presenting it to parents.

Scouts – 25 on both nights, both up to their maximum numbers. Activities include problem solving, working for their master at arms badge at Tytherington Quarry, night hikes, creative nights, bowling, and acting.

Allison Trueman is still taking names for the Beavers waiting list but only for boys and girls under 6. Taking into account the exiting Beavers numbers the Cub Pack is projected to be overflowing for the next two years at least, likewise the Scouts.

We are fortunate to have two possible new leaders in the pipeline possibly helping out at Beavers. However we do need additional adults for Monday night (6.30–8.30pm) Scouts and in the Cub section so that we can split the Pack into two more manageable evenings. If we don't succeed in gaining more Cub 21Leaders we may have to split the Cubs so that two Packs meet on alternative Wednesdays, this will mean that the Cubs will only receive half the Scouting. Discussions about the future of the Pack will be made over the next few months, as a decision will have to be made before the start of the autumn term. So if you are thinking about joining us, you need to come forward now!

Wishing you a happy and successful new year

Yours in Scouting
Sandra Carnegie (Raksha)
www.xxxx.co.uk/1stwoodend

[Graphic: CHARFIELD JUNIOR FOOTBALL CLUB]

The Beer Festival is Back +
Charfield Play in Europe

Hello again! January sees the mid point of the Junior Football Clubs season with all 4 teams continuing to improve and hopefully emulate the success of this years Under 16s who won their league last year (as U15s).

This is a very important year for both the U16 and U15 teams. For the U16 this is their last year of youth football before they look hopefully to play for the senior team in the Village, whilst at the end of this season the U15s head to Holland for a couple of overseas games. To me as a resident of Charfield I find it quite amazing that we will actually have one of our youth teams playing in Europe! With the success of that it is hoped that this will become a regular part of playing for the Club when the players reach the U15 stage.

In order to pay for this trip the players have been busy raising funds. The Club recently held a fund raising dance with excellent live music from the Echos. The next event will be our ever popular quiz night and the players will also be packing bags at the Co-Op in Wotton-Under-Edge on 29th Jan, so if you happen to be in the neighbourhood that day please pop in and do some shopping there. Also, if anyone would like to donate any funds to this tour I know the players will be very appreciative.

Fund raising is an important part of club life and one of our bigger events is the now annual Beer Festival in the Village Hall. This year's event will again include a fine selection of beers and will be held on the evening of Friday 29th February (7.00pm to 11.00pm) and on Saturday 1st March (Noon to 6.00pm & 7.00pm to 11.00pm). The Saturday evening session will also include live music whilst wine, soft drinks and food will be available throughout the event. Look out for the banners and leaflets nearer the time on where to get your tickets. These sold out last year so get yours quick!

As mentioned in previous articles the members of the Club are very proud that we are the only local youth team to have its own facilities that include 2 pitches, changing rooms and floodlights to allow us to train on those dark winter nights. We are always on the lookout for new players and coaches not only from Charfield but also in the neighbouring villages to help promote football and encourage youngsters to not only play but to both learn about the game and have fun at the same time.

If you would like to join or help the Club in any capacity please contact me on 01454-26xxxx.

Thank You. Nigel Cloke
Club Secretary/Under 11s Manager

22

Located in the Foundation Room on Charfield Primary School Premises

Update
School Holidays and In-set days:
September and October were quieter than the Summer. December was fully booked and January quiet.
Term-Time:
Slightly busier since October.

Thank you for your continued support

January 2008
The prices (per child) for the club will remain as follows:
Term-Time:
AM session (7.30am–8.40am) £3.85
PM session (3.10pm–6.00pm) £6.50
Holidays and In-service days:
Half Day (7.30am–12.30pm) £14.00
Half Day (1.00pm–6.00pm) £14.00
School Day (7.30am–3.30pm) £16.20
Working Day (7.30am–5.00pm) £19.20
Working Day (7.30am–6.00pm) £21.00

Note: 20% discount for subsequent children from the same household. (Only for users registered before 31st July 2007).

Please speak to the Club Manager, Pat Loveridge, on 07816 23xxxx, if you would like to register your child/ren. There are still a few vacancies.

Club Staff
We warmly welcome back Joanne Loveridge (Play Leader/Play Assistant), who participated in a Raleigh International programme based in Malaysia for 10 weeks before Christmas and would also like to introduce Alice Lambert (New Play Assistant) who joined us in November.

Many thanks to all the staff – Pat Loveridge, Georgina Parker-Smith, Joanne Loveridge, Paul Bird, Jessica Gibbs, Alice Lambert, Laura Pedley, Gemma Brown and Hannah Morris – for all their hard work and commitment!

EGM
We held our EGM on Thursday 11th October.

This meeting was extremely well attended. 12 parents/carers were present and the previous Director's/Management Committee were able to resign or re-elect their positions.

The current Directors/ Management Committee are: Penny Thorne; Chair, James Kane; Treasurer, Nicola Derrick; Secretary, Jonathan Dormer; Company Secretary, Adrienne Hegarty, Martin Gregory and David Isaacs.

Jess Gainer-Lane resigned in June. Janice Brett and Matthew Fuller have continued to support the Management Committee whilst the new Directors are Ofsted checked and Companies house registered.

Bookkeeper/Administrator
In October we employed a new Bookkeeper/Administrator. We very much welcome Jake Barnes.

I would just like to reiterate my thanks to all for their continued support! It has been a particularly hectic time for Charfield Out Of School Club with all the changes during the past three months.

Nicola Derrick, Secretary

In a previous edition of the news letter, [under the one hundred issues ago heading] an article by Mr Lawford Smith, regarding the exciting show days of the 1920's and 30's, spurred my memory 23box into action; I knew that somewhere I had a poster issued by the London Midland & Scottish Railway Co, concerning the Charfield show day of August 21st 1926. It didn't take long to find it, so I reduced its size thinking it would be nice, if it was at all possible, to reproduce it in the news letter; this poster shows the extent of interest and popularity in the Charfield shows of yesteryear.

[Image]

During the period mentioned above, 1920's–30's, Charfield shows were far more varied and extravagantly prepared than they are now, mainly I would imagine, because of the Gymkhanas that attracted competitors from a very wide area, plus of course, the horticultural section which always created a great deal of excitement. All houses had large gardens years ago, and many keen gardeners also had allotments, therefore, every one grew their own vegetables. This was more or less essential for a lot of families, money was a rare commodity for many people in those days, so producing your own food obviously helped considerably with the finances. Everyone thought their vegetables were better than every one else's, so to prove it they had to put them in the show, this created a wonderful atmosphere, and to win just one class, especially if it was in the pen section, was sheer ecstasy.

The shows took place in the large field at the bottom of the hill in New Street, on the left hand side of the road. This was an ideal venue for a show of this kind, with the west side bounded by the railway embankment, the northern end by the Little River Avon, and on the east side by the Pin Mill, Charfield House, and a long wall, this completed an unbroken boundary that encircled the entire field. In the centre of the field were a number of gigantic elm trees, [long since gone] giving ample shade for the horses and their riders. With the Little River Avon running along one end of the field, water was not a problem. It wasn't unknown for a fidgety, highly strung horse, to do a wild uncontrolled gallop around the arena, but being completely enclosed it would be quickly rounded up and returned to the fold.

But that's enough about the pre war shows; shows shortly after the last war, even if they were on a smaller scale also had their moments, in fact competition became so intense between competitors, that sometimes a little bit of skulduggery entered into the proceedings. Competitors in the horticultural section prepared, cosseted and protected their proposed exhibits for many months before the event, hoping and praying they would reach perfection on the required date. Winning was of major importance, so much so, that at least one entry in the egg section was found to be not exactly what it should have been, so for the first time, and 24hopefully for the only time, disqualification was necessary.

One very enthusiastic lady competitor had her prized plums confiscated by a mystery intruder the night before the show was due to take place. The lady in question was Claire, she lived in Melrose House, and was really looking forward to the chance to prove that her plums were better than anyone else's. All through the summer Claire carefully protected her plums from natures ravages, they were fitted out with neat little see through wraps to keep wasps at bay, tins with pebbles in them that rattled when the wind blew, to keep the birds away, plus strips of tin foil that quivered and shimmered at the drop of a hat, also I presume, to keep the birds away. This dedication to perfection however, had very little effect on the person who nabbed Claire's lovely plums on the night before the show, how she felt about this despicable act I will leave to your imagination, although the fact that she was a regular worshipper at the Chapel, would have somewhat tempered her feelings towards the perpetrator of this crime. I have no idea if Claire ever knew what happened to her plums, but I am pretty certain they won a prize in the show.

The strange eggs that I referred to above, will always be remembered by the older inhabitants of the village, more so by the very funny stories that circulated regarding the attempted subterfuge, than the actual attempt at cheating. One of the stories that circulated, was started by a neighbour of this unfortunate exhibitor, who, during one of his many visits to the Railway Hotel, told all, who were willing to listen, that he thought the perpetrator of this attempted felony, was sprinkling cocoa powder on his hens feed, the reason for him thinking this was, that during the run up to the show, our dodgy exhibitor had twice borrowed cocoa from him, but it was now quite obvious he had not been making himself hot drinks, he was feeding the cocoa to his hens, hence the beautiful brown colour of the eggs.

A later rumour suggested, that the eggs on show were not hens eggs, but – wait for it – turkey eggs, and an even later story suggested that the gentleman concerned, had somehow managed to breed hens that produced eggs ready boiled in – “Bisto” – of all things. As we all now know, this latter suggestion was fairly close to the truth. Yet one more theory that did the rounds was, that an infra red sunray lamp had been used to give the eggs their wonderful tan.

It was all a light hearted bit of fun, and the real reason for the exhibitor's expulsion, was very soon forgotten as everyone got on with their lives.

How the judges discovered this attempt to cheat is somewhat sketchy, only the judges and committee men were allowed in the hall when judging took place, and as I was not a judge or a committee man, I wasn't there, my information however came from someone who was, namely, Mr Percy King, the owner of Kings Cash Stores, [long since closed] and a dedicated committee man. Apparently the perfectly even and unusual brown colour of the eggs aroused the judge's suspicion; they therefore used their powers of investigation and decided to inspect the internal properties of the eggs. A large glass was obtained and a steward tapped one of the eggs on the edge of the vessel thinking its contents would, as they normally do, drop into it, unfortunately this did not happen even though the shell was severely damaged. Having taken note of the eggs' strange behaviour, it didn't take the judges long to realize they were dealing with something they had never experienced before, it was either hens that could produce fresh laid eggs partly boiled, 25that when handled produced a coffee like aroma, or hens that laid normal eggs that had somehow, accidentally dropped into a saucepan of boiling water laced with a generous quantity of coffee essence. As neither of these things were deemed possible, the judges decided, after careful consideration, that the eggs in question had been deliberately boiled, or partly boiled, in a strong solution of coffee, so had no other option than to disqualify the eggs, and the eggshibitor!!

The gentleman concerned in this attempted scam, was always known there after, as – “Coffee” it couldn't be anything else could it! Instances of malpractice at Charfield shows, past or present, are very rare, in fact the strange egg business just mentioned, is probably the only one in the history of Charfield shows, but there – “I could be wrong”. The plum incident was of course quite different, that was just a bit of personal leg pulling, although Claire didn't think it was funny; it was however, nothing what ever to do with the show, unlike the mystery of the strange eggs.

“Charfield's Wartime Guardians,” this could be the heading of my next Newsletter article.

Ken Parker

Shared Care Network is the national charity representing family-based short break services for disabled children and young people. Short breaks are services where a disabled child or young person is linked with a family or individual (short break carer) who provides them with regular, short-term care (usually in the carer's home). Local authorities throughout the country each have their own short-term care schemes and the one that South Gloucestershire Council runs is called Family Link.

Family Link allows its carers to forge long term relationships with not only the child but his or her family and it suits people who can offer short breaks and who feel positive about children and young people whose disabilities can range from learning difficulties, autism and physical impairments.

The level of commitment that would be expected of a carer is at least one weekend a month on a regular basis, however people can give as much or as little time as they wish. Some Family Link Carers are linked with one child, others provide short breaks to more than one child. The amount of time spent with a child will be agreed with a Social Worker. Most of the children would stay overnight in the carer's home but if accommodation is not suitable to meet the child's need there is still a need for day care.

As the 9th to 16th March is ‘Share the Care’ Week – a national campaign aimed at raising public awareness of the services – this article is being published to not only inform people of these very important services but to encourage those who think they would like to get involved with this type of care to come forward and find out more.

Those familiar with my Marathon surname letter quest will be aware that I did the Beachy Head marathon in 2006 partly because I thought it was also called the Seven Sisters marathon – this was the case previously – so it seemed to me that it did not qualify as an “S” so I decided to look for another. A friend of mine had run Snowdonia before and it was on a Saturday (unusually) in 2007 so we planned a weekend in Wales. Tracy and I were put on to a good hotel about 20 miles away from Llanberis, where the race HQ is, so that appealed also. So, I filled in the form and started training, with more hills than usual (which I was very glad of on the day). I perfected an “African hills” circuit of just over half a mile which comprised on one short, steep climb and another longer, more gradual incline (to use Mr Grimsey's terminology). I built these up to about 10 reps which was quite enough but served to toughen me up physically and mentally for the rigours to come at Snowdonia. 2007 was also the 25th running of the event with a reminiscing evening at Llanberis for past runners hence having the event on Saturday. 2008 will revert back to Sunday apparently as some mad people run the “big three” – Beachy Head on Saturday, Snowdonia on Sunday then hop across to Dublin to run their marathon on the bank holiday Monday.

We travelled up the night before and checked into the Princes Arms hotel in Trefriw, near Betws-y-Coed, had a good meal and retired to a relatively blissful sleep, knowing I had prepared as well as I could. The hotel was great; the manager took an interest in what I was doing so we would recommend it to anyone, as one of our neighbours had.

The next morning brought rain and wind, lots of both in fact. So after a room service breakfast it was in the car and off to the start at Nant Peris, about half a mile outside Llanberis. Tracy was going to keep seeing me around the mostly circular route around Snowdon which proved to be a great morale-booster. The race start is in a field by the main road and had a nice atmosphere to it, being a fairly small race of about 1500 competitors. It is almost all on roads, to preserve the local National Trust countryside, apart from the final brutal six miles back over the top to Llanberis. So it is similar to Beachy Head in that the sting in the tail is in the last six miles. I chatted with four Hogweeds, wished them luck then it was line up for the start. I said I would be happy with anything less than five hours.

The race was being filmed for Welsh TV (I got a tape of it later, all in Welsh!) so I grimaced for the camera and we all trotted up the Nant Peris Pass to begin the marathon. This is a four mile gradual climb up to the Youth hostel at the summit (where the 1953 Everest expedition trained apparently), so chatting died away somewhat towards the top. The weather was still wet and windy but the scenery was spectacular. Unfortunately Snowdon was shrouded in mist for most of the day but it didn't spoil my enjoyment as I felt good. With most ascents of course you get a descent and this was an opportunity to recover, regroup and think about the race ahead. I descended to hit the main road on the A498 and turned right to head to 27Beddgelert. I also saw Tracy, frantically waving her arms and trying not to get too wet. At least I was keeping warm! This leg skirts pretty lake and reservoirs and is largely downhill so was quite pleasant. Being a small pretty village Beddgelert was rather gridlocked on marathon day so I had to pick my way through by road or pavement. I stopped briefly and then I was off again, up the two mile drag on the A498 out of the village towards Waunfawr I had been warned about. I was still feeling good and kept a steady pace up the climb, the rain keeping me cool and I even had the breeze at my back for once! Once over the top the route was undulating and I saw Tracy again for a banana break. She was wearing a Hogweeds hilly half woolly hat and she seemed to have been adopted by the Hogweeds runners to provide food and support for them as well!

The climb up into the village of Waunfawr signalled the start of the serious climb as I took a right off the main road (still with great local support considering the terrain) and headed up towards Llanberis again. The road dwindled to a rough track and I headed up again to around 1200 feet and the mist got thicker and thicker until I could hardly see ahead of me! I learned later that the leader abandoned up here when he slowed to a walk and became hypothermic! I was managing a kind of shuffle with only the odd walk so I was relieved to finally get to the top. I didn't see it, I just realised I was running on level ground so I made another mental note (did a lot of those on the way round) to tell Mr Grimsey about all these “inclines”.

As I said before if you have an ascent there is usually a descent and there certainly was here as the track dipped sharply downwards and I had to go with it. I was bounding down the rough track like some kind of demented and ungraceful mountain goat, giggling as I went thinking “This is supposed to be a (expletive deleted) marathon, no-one mentioned fell running!” By the time I got to the bottom my quads were killing me but I was able to raise a trot as we finally entered Llanberis. The race ended with a frustrating circuit around the town as I anxiously checked my watch to finish inside five hours. The finish banner at last came into view and I crossed it in 4 hours 56 mins 17 secs, which I was pleased with on arguably the toughest marathon course in the UK on a difficult day.

I saw Tracy as I turned into the finishing straight, she had had a good day spectating as the circular route helped with plenty of parking places (except Beddgelert!). I was given a very nice Welsh slate coaster to commemorate the event as well as the obligatory T shirt. The post-race tent was very social and I didn't realise how tired I was until I sat down! I found Tracy and we headed off to a tea shop for sandwiches and then journeyed back to the hotel. We had a lovely meal and slept fitfully that night. After a huge breakfast there was time for some sightseeing and shopping on our way home. I would recommend Snowdonia to run, if you are not after a fast course, as it is a well-organised event in a beautiful part of the country. For me, after three fairly tough marathons (I had tackled the Neolithic and Beachy Head marathons previously as well) I intend to try a flat, fast road marathon for late 2008. “F” for Frankfurt sounds promising and direct flights are starting in 2008 from Bristol! So if anyone fancies a club trip I would be happy to investigate it.

I raised £325 towards Jane Tomlinson's Cancer Appeal for my efforts and a big thank you to all those who sponsored me.

John Francksen

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Issue number 30 was published in January 1983. It ran to 20 pages and cost 15p.

Inside, most organisations were reflecting on their Christmas activities, including the School PTA, which had held a Sponsored Stamp Collection – I'm not entirely sure how that works.

The Playgroup had held their first Nativity Play, which sounds as though it was a lot of fun. At the last minute, children decided that they wanted to change roles, or would prefer to go and sit with mum, having spotted her in the audience.

One of the big presents that Christmas was BMX bikes. At several points in the Newsletter there were comments about the hazard of these bikes being ridden on pavements around the village.

One of the key issues affecting the village at the time, was the County Boundary Review. This review looked at which county Charfield would be in, with one option being that we would form part of Somerset.

Elsewhere in the Newsletter, the Scouts reported that the Venture Unit were amalgamating with the local Rangers to form a mixed-sex Unit.

There was an interesting article by Mrs S. Barrance about the Charfield Poor House. Having been a provision of the Poor Law in 1601, there is documentary evidence of a Poor House up to 1836, but at the time of this article, nobody knew where the building was, or what had become of it. If anyone can update this story in a future newsletter, please let us know.

Finally, Issue 30 marked something of a milestone for the Newsletter, as there was a competition to design a new masthead for the front page. Up to this point, the title included a motif roughly indicating the Parish Boundary, but it was felt that it was time for a new design, and a prize of £10 was offered for the winning entry.

The winning design, still in use on this issue, was first used for issue 31 in April 1983; but that's a story for next time.

I'd like to end with the words used at the start of issue 30: Let each one of us resolve to live and act in such a way that the area in which we live will be a better place.

Church Bulletins: Thank God for church ladies with typewriters. These actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services (not in our village, obviously!!):

• The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.
• The sermon this morning: “Jesus Walks on the Water.” The sermon tonight: “Searching for Jesus.”
• Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 PM in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King.
• Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.
• The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy
• Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.

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Advertising

[Advert for Memorial Hall Valentine's Evening]

[Advert for St John's Grand Jumble Sale]

30

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

Baby and Toddler Group
Alex Montgomery 01453 84xxxx

Bingo Club
Sue Scoble 01454 26xxxx

British Legion
David Millman (Hon Sec) 01454 26xxxx

Charfield Pre-School
Donna Allen (Play Leader) 07866 04xxxx
Colette Walker (Chair) 01453 84xxxx
Melanie Davis (Admissions) 01454 26xxxx

Charfield Primary School
Stefan Frontczak 01454 26xxxx

Childminders
Sarah Gazzard 01454 26xxxx

Church – Congregational
Rev Philip Hopes 01453 84xxxx

Church – St. John's
Vivienne Kerner 01454 26xxxx

Council – Charfield Parish
Sue Bailey (Clerk) 01453 51xxxx
Email clerk @ charfieldparishcouncil.co.uk

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
Nigel Cloke 01454 26xxxx

Friends of Charfield Primary School
Lisa Burner 01454 26xxxx
Helen England 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
Bookings 0870 774 xxxx
Email xxxx @ virgin.net
Tim Hill (Chair) 01454 26xxxx