CHADRA

Hello readers, and welcome to the first edition of the CHADRA Newsletter in 2010.

There are some lovely articles in this issue, lots of news and tips on keeping our houses warmer. There is news on up coming events, and a jumble sale and various meetings. Lots to keep the pages turning.

Well have you made your New Year resolutions? I have promised myself I will be stricter with deadlines for articles, and get the newsletter out quicker!! Well maybe next issue at least.

Next Copy Date – 6 April 2010

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Our cover photograph this issue was taken on January 6th 2010. It was taken outside one of the houses on Wotton Road – what fun.

We weren't sure whether the irresistible scent of sizzling bacon on the winter air would entice you from your warm homes on 8 November last, but you turned out in force. We had orders for 112 butties, catered for 135 just in case, and in fact could have sold another 30. There was a hint of Corporal Jones – don't panic! – when a cooker blew a fuse and slowed up the bacon production line, and a pot of tea was knocked to the floor producing a brown tsunami, but teeth were gritted and all was well in the end. Everyone was patient and good humoured, there was a good hubbub of chatter and all agreed the bacon butties were top notch!

We were bowled over by your generosity; many paid much more than the £2 we asked for the bacon roll and beverage, and some just gave donations as they couldn't attend. Do the maths: 135 × £2 = £270, but we sent £560 to ‘Help for Heroes’. Their county organiser was amazed at what Charfield had raised in an event which lasted about one hour, and said she wished that every village held bacon butty mornings on Remembrance Sunday!

The rain held off just about long enough for those attending the two minute silence not to be drenched for their public-spiritedness. There is always a higher attendance when it is Charfield's turn to have the scouts joining the ceremony, but the number parading up from the village hall behind the scouts was impressive and moving to see. (No doubt Viv will write about the ceremony itself elsewhere in the newsletter.)

There is no doubt that the appalling news from Afghanistan in the week preceding Remembrance Sunday concentrated minds and prompted many more to join us.

The ‘brunch’ was a proper village effort and we thank everyone who supported it, including the shops which held sign-up lists for us, Andrew Cope at charfield.org for publicising it online, the school bonfire night organisers who distributed leaflets for us, the village hall for letting us use the space, the suppliers who gave us discounts, and everyone who pitched in on the day. It was a privilege to be involved, and did the heart good to witness such a lot of kindness and generosity.

We've been asked to make it a regular event. The challenge is now to do equally well in 2010, even if the scouts are in Cromhall! Are you up for it? Perhaps we might offer a choice of bacon or snorkers this time …

CHADRA

Happy New Year to all CHADRA readers! The cold weather conditions have not caused all doom to everyone as the news would have us believe. The kids with their extended Christmas 4holiday due to school closures would testify to this.

With the cold weather and motoring in mind, please make sure that it is safe to use the roads as it always takes longer to get out of trouble than to get into it. Ask yourself the question; do I really need to use my car for this journey? This is always a better option than expensive damage to your car, or worse, hurting someone. For the people who leave the house at the last minute, please ensure that your windscreen and lights are not obscured by frost or snow, use this time to warm the car up. Do not cause an accident and spoil somebody else's day by you not being able to see out of your car.

Okay that is enough cold weather advice for the drivers amongst you. I will now make an appeal to the motorists who park in an inconsiderate and often dangerous way in the periphery of Charfield Primary School. The danger from this twice daily ritual is to the children and parents who do make the effort to walk to school. If you do drive to school please do not be selfish to the other villagers, park in a safe way. It may be even a good time to change your lifestyle a little and work off some of the Christmas pudding you tucked into over the holidays.

Inserted in this copy of CHADRA is the first edition of neighbourhood policing team newsletter, produced by Avon & Somerset Constabulary. Inside this correspondence is information on what the police are doing in your area. This publication will be distributed to every household in the area three times a year.

I would like to end this report by wishing everyone a safe and happy New Year.

PCSO Sean McKinnon

Sat 6th March At 2pm
Charfield School Hall
Proceeds To St John's Church

St John's Church, Charfield is holding its annual Jumble Sale, and all donations of jumble will be gratefully received.

Doorstep collections will be made during Friday 5th March. Please leave any jumble out first thing (clearly marked!). You can also deliver jumble to the Church on that day, or direct to the school on jumble sale day from 10:00 am.

Your continued support is much appreciated.

CHARFIELD & DISTRICT RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION
(CHADRA)

Date: Thursday 25 February
Time: 7:30pm
Venue: xx Wotton Road Charfield

Agenda
Election of Committee
Appointment of Auditors
Amendments to Constitution

Residents are welcome to attend this meeting. Come along and find out what the residents association does & meet the committee members.

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We should all be perfect drivers/cyclists with perfect road manners. We should always be sensible pedestrians and be a good example to our youngsters. We are not.

What always amazes me in particular is how we villagers conduct ourselves within our own village territory, where people know and recognise us. Ever heard the expression, ‘don't mess on your own doorstep’? (That's the polite version!)

Some of the behaviours, which we've all seen and possibly have been guilty of at some stage:

• those who have space on their drive, but regularly choose to park outside their house on a bending road with poor sightlines, forcing other drivers to take risks when overtaking the parked car.
• drivers who approach parked cars on their side of the road, see you coming in the opposite direction, and rather than use their brakes and allow you to pass, opt to overtake the parked vehicle, forcing you to brake or mount the pavement to avoid kissing wing mirrors, or worse. These drivers usually grin apologetically as they pass by.
• those who park with wheels on pavements to protect their vehicle from other traffic, but forcing pedestrians with children, pushchairs, or walking sticks to find a way through.
• those who speed along our estate roads, oblivious to the safety of fellow villagers.
• those who insist on holding a mobile phone to an ear whilst driving.
• children who have run ahead of parents, and run across the road oblivious to the dangers.
• dog owners who don't keep their animal under control near roads.
• cyclists who have the attitude that road safety/sense doesn't apply to them

Because of concerns at speeding vehicles along Little Bristol Lane, some villagers wrote to South Glos Council asking for something to be done. As a result, £10,000 of our rate money has been allocated for the design of traffic calming measures and consultation period in 2009/2010 alone. If works are to proceed, this will cost much more, and take place in the following financial year.

I can't help but appreciate the irony; it isn't two minutes since the Council's planning department argued that there was NO traffic problem on Little Bristol Lane, and had no traffic objections to the building of 14 flats on the old railway plot at the Wotton Road junction. Bah.

Now we are faced, speeding petrolheads and the careful drivers equally, with the prospect of 6 ‘road tables’ (obstacles or humps by another name) to negotiate between the playing fields and Woodlands Road on Little Bristol Lane, and a 20mph speed limit which we may assume will not be enforced any more than is the current 30mph limit.

The answer to our problems lies with ourselves.

Drivers: have a bit of consideration for your neighbours; drive within the speed limits, or slower if you know there's a particular danger spot (for example, where a footpath ends at the roadside). Just think … if all Charfielders stuck to the limit on the Wotton Road, then all traffic passing through would have to do the same! And please park where you will cause the least inconvenience/risk to others.

6Mums and Dads, Grannies and Grandpas: reinforce road safety awareness with your children – on foot and on bicycles.

Sit for a minute, and imagine how you would feel if you were responsible for a dreadful road accident, for the injury or death of someone. Even if the accident was not your direct fault, perhaps the outcome could have been mitigated, had you been doing 25mph rather than 35mph … Could you live with the guilt?

No amount of traffic calming will do as much as we can do for ourselves.

Julia O'Connor

JUMBLE SALE LOOMING.

As I write this, the ground is covered in snow and there are 4 lads in the church grounds building snowmen … they're teenagers but still seem to be having fun. The traffic lights are silent as no-one is going to school … somehow things have ground to a halt and nature is taking over … I quite like that idea. At church we're moving on again with the restoration and funds are slowly growing. One huge in put is of course the Jumble Sale arranged by Alison and her team. This year it's on Saturday March 6th. We will, as usual, leaflet the whole village and arrange to collect things on the Friday. It's a good time to have a sort out and if the snow's still here I shall auction those snowmen. I've just been on a soup-run to a couple of older people who are unwell and stuck indoors and they amaze me, as they themselves are digging into their store cupboards to help other neighbours. That's what it should be like and in ‘the olden times’ people were more willing and able to help one another. IF you know of anyone who needs help … or even soup … let me know, please. I'm going to hibernate for a few hours now and see what nature throws at us for tomorrow … whatever comes, I hope the lads enjoyed their snowball fights and all those mums and dads with youngsters trailing sledges … well, you were young once too. If you have any youngsters you'd like to let me borrow on a Friday after school for Choir, I'd be happy to see them and some stay on after that for our 4-0-5 club (it starts at 5 past 4) and we do all sorts of fun things. Writing about fun things … I went to the luncheon club Christmas dinner … and what I learned from some of the older ladies … well, I couldn't possibly repeat them, but they had fun there and the meal was excellent. Thanks as always to Ros and her team for their hard work. They meet quite regularly and offer a good meal. Why not go and join them?

The birds are desperately tapping their beaks on frozen water so I'd better go and de-frost their bird bath … and no doubt put out some more food … even nature can't always provide the right things at the right time … take care and keep healthy, best wishes,

Viv the Vicar.

If your home is un-insulated, you could be losing as much as 75 per cent of the heat you pay for through walls, ceilings and draughts.

That's according to figures from the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE), who suggest that un-insulated homes can lose up to 35 per cent of heat through walls, 25 per cent through roofs and a further 15 per cent through draughts.

Yet for the vast majority of properties, measures to reduce these losses are easily available and often free to install – all South Gloucestershire residents can benefit from free and discounted loft and cavity wall insulation.

Gloucestershire Warm and Well is a major insulation project run on behalf of the Councils of Gloucestershire and 7South Gloucestershire to help residents to reduce fuel bills and ensure their homes will be warm this winter.

All private households in South Gloucestershire – including privately rented properties – will qualify for free loft and cavity wall insulation, if residents:

• are over the age of 65
• OR are in receipt of certain benefits
• OR have a low income and low savings if aged over 60 or with children under 16

Danielle Barrett, a Community Energy Advisor for CSE, said:

“With temperatures plummeting and the wintry conditions showing no signs of letting up, insulation is the most effective way of cutting our fuel bills and keeping our homes warm and can save some people hundreds of pounds over the course of a year. Even if you do have insulation already, many people are not aware that they may need a top-up.”

To be referred to Warm and Well, or for further information on this and other grant schemes available in your area, please contact your local Energy Saving Trust advice centre on: 0800 512 012.

ANNUAL PARISH MEETING
CHARFIELD PARISH COUNCIL

Date: Tuesday 27 April
Time: 7:30pm
Venue: Charfield Memorial Hall

Guest speakers for the evening will be representatives from South Gloucestershire Council, who will be speaking on the Charfield Streetlighting Initiative, and the Charfield Parish Plan. All residents are welcome to attend.

Charfield Parish Council

Well, by the time you read this the Planning Application for the Burial Ground will be with South Gloucestershire. It's taken a lot of work from many people, and we had to carry out a number of investigations to meet the requirements of the planners, including watercourse, ecology and habitat, and archaeology surveys. We've had holes dug, trenches excavated and birds counted! All the reports will eventually be on the burial ground website, as well as on the South Gloucestershire Planning Portal, for your information. Now we wait for the decision. But never happy with sitting on our hands, we are now beginning the next task of drafting the Burial Ground Rules and Regulations, and designing the layout of graves and plantings. As ever, all the news is on either the Parish website www.charfieldparishcouncil.org.uk, or the Burial website www.charfieldburialground.org.uk.

The toddler play area is now in the design stage with Jane's Pond, a local but regionally renowned landscaping and play design company. The remit for the design was decided in conjunction with the Parish play area working group, South Gloucestershire's playground advisor and Jane of the aforementioned landscaping company. We will have the final design very soon, making use of earthworks, tunnels, slides and sand to create a safe but exciting play arena. Once approved the build should be completed before summer. This too has taken a lot of work by Councillors and Clerk, who all worked together to make the successful grant bids necessary to raise the £30,000 needed.

The Parish Council is keen to see recreational facilities for all age ranges, and recently came to the assistance of the youth group who meet weekly in the Memorial Hall car park. Apart from 8helping with funding the group the Council has also moved out of the Sportsman's Lounge into the main hall for the monthly meetings over the winter, so that the youth group can use the Lounge. It was a surprise to us that many of you weren't aware there even was a youth group, so we'd like to plug the contact email address of Reehana Sayeed, the South Gloucestershire play worker. Please contact her on xxxx @ southglos.gov.uk for more information.

Hopefully, as you read, the snows have cleared. The corner of Manor Lane will be showing the tips of the daffodils that were planted as a temporary measure. However, we still have aspirations to improve this corner with manageable shrub planting and landscaping. If anyone in Charfield Parish has experience and enthusiasm for managing this small plot of Parish land please do give the Clerk a call. It seems a shame to leave it to plain mowed grass when with some energy and input it could be an attractive addition to the village open space and a beautiful frame for the lovely Willow and the Parish notice board. Here's hoping …

I want to make an early call for the Annual Parish Meeting, which this year will be on Tuesday 27th April. We will be meeting in the Memorial Hall in the evening, and apart from presenting the Council's year and strategy we aim to have representatives from South Gloucestershire who will speak on two subjects: the Charfield Streetlighting Initiative and Parish Plans. The latter is something we earnestly hope will be taken up by parishioners. The Charfield Parish Plan would be a forward looking document helping to shape the future of our community. It is formed by the local community and can influence planning decisions – it can play a vital part in shaping how any new housing estates imposed upon Charfield may look for example. So please do come and listen and have your say!

Lastly, the Parish Spring Clean is set for Saturday 20th March, between 10am and 4pm. Just the one day this Spring, to augment the recently introduced and well taken up Autumn Village Tidy. Please do come along and help clear out the sweet wrappers and rubbish from our hedgerows and open spaces. You know the place looks better for it – and a tidy village makes it less likely that those with a tendency to litter will do so here! With best wishes for 2010 from the Parish Council.

Mark Rosher Chairman Charfield Parish Council

Some of the more unsavoury items to be uncovered at the end of New Street during the litter pick were no less than 3 blue plastic bags containing dog poo which had been thrown into the undergrowth.

Needless to say, this was not very pleasant and rather defeats the object of the owner going to the trouble of collecting his dog's excrement. There are many dogs walked along this stretch from Farm Lees towards the Pin Mill but if this strikes an embarrassed chord with the owner, it would be appreciated if you could stop.

Having had my moan – and on a more practical note – there would seem to be a good case for having a disposal bin sited somewhere along that stretch – perhaps in the lay-by? Parish Council please note!

Charfield Resident.

In August 2008 seven local residents met to discuss their serious concerns in reference to speeding on Little Bristol Lane / Charfield Green. There was an over whelming urgency to curb and 9maintain reasonable levels of speed within the vicinity.

The meeting was not about naming our group or appointing people into positions. It was to highlight the topic at hand, investigate the way forward and how to start the ball rolling.

As a local resident who had recently experienced bereavement due to a road traffic accident, and has been left to bring up two young children single handed; I felt very passionate that there should be immediate action, and we should not wait until there is a fatality. No one should have to experience the trauma of loosing a loved one in this way. My family has also participated in the making of a road safety dvd with the Police and Somerset Council.

Traffic calming and road safety also became an issue (apart from living with the speeding daily) when a local resident and close friend's son was knocked down and seriously injured on Little Bristol Lane / Charfield Green and had to be air lifted to hospital.

The meeting was held on the 6th of August 2008 in a resident's home. Various ideas were discussed as follows.
• Speed cameras monitored by the police
• Hand held cameras and training.
It was noted that there is only one hand held camera, which is in use in 3 localities. Wickwar, Cromhall, and Charfield.

Sean McKinnon the local liaison Support Officer made himself available continually, and also worked closely with the local village school. The children were also educated in advance about speeding and were able to participate thereby starting them early in thinking about road safety and the responsibility of the part we all play as pedestrians and drivers. This has also established a good working relationship with our local police liaison officer. The gazette also ran an article on the speeding campaign.

Many questions arose from the meeting Residents believe that 30mph is too fast and 20mph was more suitable. Various studies have highlighted that at 35mph there is 50% chance of the injuries being fatal. At 30mph the risk falls to just 20%.

There is currently a 30mph speed limit on Little Bristol Lane / Charfield Green. However recent traffic surveys reveal the average speeds are actually between 35mph to 36 mph in both directions north of Manor Lane, whilst speeding is marginally slower towards Charfield Green to the south. This survey was carried out after residents sent petitions to the local Highway agency.

Various potential hazardous spots in the village were identified. Including the hidden subway entrance (Station Road) under the train bridge. There are currently about 20 children who live in this stretch of the road, the local bus, and the KLB School picks up and drops off on the road and is seen as an accident waiting to happen. Prevention is better than cure.

A pensioner (84 years of age) who has lived in the village and has raised her family in the area, was concerned that getting in and out of her relatives vehicle is dangerous, and on more than one occasion she has had to dodge speeding vehicles. She is unable to move quickly and why should she?

A lady of 70 has stated that she is petrified of speeding mopeds on the road and the pavement. A family with a severely disabled toddler has expressed concerns in regards to the safety aspects of getting their child in and out of the vehicle.

10A letter was drafted with a petition, and local shops and businesses were asked to display this, to enable anyone who wished to sign to participate. Once the signatures were collected the petition was sent to Mark Shearman of South Gloucestershire Council, Highway Agency, Broad Lane Offices in Yate. A speed monitor was then located north of Little Bristol Lane and south of Charfield Green.

Statistics were also gathered previously in 2007 in regards to speeding in Charfield Green / Little Bristol Lane. A copy of these can be obtained from Sandra O'Neill our local councillor.

There are generally concerns about speeding in the village and a few locations are deemed as hazardous. Residents believe that the improvements will protect the inhabitants. We would also like to thank everyone who signed the petitions and attended the meetings and started the ball rolling. We would also like to thank our local police for their involvement. We hope we can count on continued support and the CARE, and for future initiatives.

Happy New Year to all and may this year be full of good NEW BEGINNINGS.

Written by Barbara Blair-Galligan, Margaret and Winston Leonard, Kate Leeds.

GlosS FM will be broadcasting from 19th April to 16th May, covering Charfield and District. With the studio facilities successfully used for Thornbury FM's nine broadcasts, and with the aerial mast situated on higher ground, GlosS FM will be on air for four weeks twice each year, covering many more communities. We need local representatives from every community, so if you can help as a link contact for your locality or be involved with advertising, promotion and publicity, management, finance, presenting or programme content we would be delighted to hear from you. For further details contact David Primrose, 01454 41xxxx, or complete the Register of Interest form via the Get Involved tab on www.####.org

REGULAR BIKE RIDES

[Graphic: Motorbike]

1ST & 3RD SUNDAY IN THE MONTH
10:30 AM, CAR PARK, RAILWAY TAVERN, CHARFIELD
(with kind permission of Martin)

Tavern Riders meets every 1st & 3rd Sunday in the month at the Railway Tavern Car Park at 10:30am which provides enough time to have a hearty breakfast before setting off for a good day's riding.

We've had a couple of new riders wishing to join us since our last CHADRA entry, so if we carry on like this by the time next Spring comes we'll be having days with a dozen or more bikes.

A number of us joined the Harley Owners Group for Hogging the Bridge in October. Each bike is expected to make a donation of £5 to join the ride, which 11starts in the large parking area that was the original Aust Services building. Entry to the parking and collection area was efficient; well they took the money very efficiently. The facilities provided were good with some catering, drinks and portaloos. It was a magnificent sight seeing more than 3,000 bikes gathered together, lots of joviality with good humour being the order of the day.

Getting in to the parking area was one thing getting out was something quite different, but eventually we did.

The ride crossed the bridge and along the M48 to Magor then back along the old road to Chepstow via Caldicot. Surprisingly lots of people were out waving and cheering (or was that waving and jeering!) but it was a great ride with lots of smiling faces on the spectators, and as you can imagine Chepstow was heaving.

So if you fancy joining us you will be welcome.

Get in touch tavernriders @ xxxx.co.uk

SNOW SNOW QUICK QUICK SNOW

Hello again from the Villages Junior Football Club. Christmas is traditionally a busy time not only getting ready for the holidays but also on the football pitch. This year the weather has been against us and we have played very few games since my last article.

Back in mid-December the U13s played possible their best ever game with a superb 7–1 victory at home over Slimbridge. The team had previously never beaten Slimbridge with the closest being just a minute away from victory in the League Cup semi-final last season before losing in extra time. Although the U13s had beaten Thornbury 10–0 a few weeks earlier in the first round of this year's cup their all round performance against Slimbridge was simply brilliant. Well done to all the players.

In the run up to Christmas we had games cancelled due to water logged and frozen pitches and since then they have been covered in snow. It was quite impressive though how quickly the snow went. One day the pitch was covered in 4 inches of snow and the next it was all gone. The cold weather did cause a few problems at the club and I am very grateful to Paul Newnes who came to our rescue at very short notice.

With the weather getting a little warmer training will be starting up again for both the U13s and the U9s and below. As you will be aware from previous articles it was very good to see the younger boys and girls of the village using our facilities adjacent to Tortworth School on a Friday evening (6.15–7.15pm) under the floodlights. Before the Christmas break up to about 20 5 to 9 year olds regularly attended the training sessions and hopefully in the coming months we can encourage a few more. We also aim to arrange a few friendly games in the months to come with a view to perhaps entering a team(s) into a 7-a-side league next season.

The coming year not only brings with it a lot of games but a lot of work and a lot of promise of good things for the Club. As ever we need not only the help of not only the players, their families and the Committee to make the Club a success but hopefully the support of the village and its residents as well. If you would like to join or help the Club in any capacity, or require any information, then please contact me on 01454-26xxxx.
Thank You.

Nigel Cloke
Club Secretary/Under 13s Manager

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A Happy New Year to everyone! 2009 proved to be a very busy and enjoyable year for the club and we hope for continued success in 2010. The children enjoyed the activities and preparations they made in the run up to Christmas which culminated with all the children being given a gift.

The Club was open in the three days leading up to Christmas where the children enjoyed a range of Christmas craft activities. An outside visitor came in and helped the children make presents for their families. The snow was a bonus enabling the children to enjoy snow man building too.

Indeed the Out of School Club opened on during the recent snow days helping those parents who were at work whilst the school was unable to open. The children enjoyed playing in the snow, making 2010 calendars and Hama bead snowflakes.

Fundraising remains a top priority as it does for any charitable organization. The Club ran a successful Jam a Jar stall at the School Christmas Fayre, which raised £94 and is planning a Jumble Sale on 23rd January 2010 in the School Hall.

The club was also grateful for the generous donations of £100 that has been used to buy gardening equipment, and £700 that will be used to fund new equipment for the children in the New Year.

The themes this term are New Year, winter, Winter Olympics, Friends and Valentine's Day and during the half term holidays the theme will be Chinese New Year. Staffing also remains the same with Pat, Georgina, Ann, Paul and Jo running activities. The committee would like to thank all the staff for their hard work in 2009 and wish them all the very best for 2010

The club will be open in the Half Term and Easter holidays providing top quality child care for working parents as a well as opportunities for children to play and socialise with their friends. The club also remains open 5 days a week before and after school until 6 pm. New members are always welcome. Please ask at the club for details.

[Graphic: Charfield School]

Striving for excellence …
Learning for life

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
It is a strange feeling to be writing this CHADRA whilst sat at home on a school day. Yes I'm looking out of my window while the snow continues to fall, causing the school to be closed for the third time this year! I hope the system of informing parents using the school website is working well for everyone. It seems the quickest way to get information across. Hopefully you had a chance to look at some of the children's work while you were there!!

2010 – To me that date still sounds futuristic. As a young boy I remember watching Tomorrows World and being told that in 2010 my tea would be made and served by a robot; people would be living on the moon and I would be flying to work in a flying-saucer like the one in the old refreshers advert (the children will hopefully remember that story!) Ho hum maybe that'll happen for our children!

Well enough rambling! On to school matters.

20STAFF NEWS

2010 saw the return to school of Mrs Gordon and Miss Carroll. Sadly Mrs Bennett's contract with us finished. We were very fortunate to have Mrs Bennett with us for that short period of time. She is a very good teacher and we hope she will be able to do some of our supply teacher work. We also have a new caretaker, Mr Scott Curtis. Scott has made a fantastic start to the school and has really taken the schools maintenance issues by the scruff of the neck!

In April Mrs Noall will return to school as well. However the current class arrangements are:

SCHOOL SAFETY.
The school is in the process of reviewing it's safety procedures and has made a few changes so far. These are:

• Ensuring that all adults visiting the school wear badges to show children and staff they should be in school. We have worked hard with the children to make sure they do not let people into the school. Please help us by not asking children to let you in through doors.
• Infant outside play areas are locked during the school day. We will shortly be installing a mesh between the fence and the canopy in this area.
• All volunteers within the school are being re-checked for safety. The school stance on vetting is adults volunteering to work within groups in the vicinity of a staff member (e.g. Infants parent readers) will be List 99 checked. These people will not be put in the position of working with children 1 to 1. However any other adult who will work individually with children will be vetted by a CRB application. The school is always eager to have extra volunteers. If you wish to become a volunteer within school please let us know so we can make these checks to allow you to help us.
• We have re-fenced the area between the back lane and the field.
• We are also reviewing ways to make the school entrance gates more secure. The staff and governors are investigating a number of possible solutions to address this and I will inform you in future school newsletters of any decisions we will be making.

PHONICS SESSIONS
This year the whole school began running a daily 20 minute phonics / spelling session throughout the school. Assessments made at the end of last term have shown that a vast majority 21of children have improved their spelling and reading skills. The children all work in small groups.

THANK YOU
I would like to thank Chipping Manor Dental Surgery for their kind £500 donation just before Christmas to help with the construction of our Play Pod.

COMING UP
During the next half term we will be plastering the Infant cloakrooms and classrooms.

Party!!! (Painting that is) – As visitors to the school may notice, the paint in the corridors is starting to look a little tired. I would like to find out if people would be willing to take part in a painting party in March / April. If you would be willing to take part please let the school know.

Play Pod – We have purchased the building and submitted a planning application. We will shortly begin constructing the building. Once the building is constructed we will be putting out requests for strange items to fill the Pod with. These items won't be standard play equipment, it will be items you may see as junk but to a child it will spark imaginative play! For example I would love to get a few plastic gutters (making giant marble / car runs etc …), ropes and tarpaulins (for making dens etc.)

Dafydd Lawday
Headteacher

The Village Hall continues to be extremely well used.

Our project for the coming months will be the refurbishment of the Changing Rooms and Toilets adjoining the Sportsmans Lounge. Many thanks to the Parish Council for their generous grant towards this work. There will be some upheaval whilst this work is going ahead, so please bear with us.

In the past few weeks, we have seen the additional use of the Hall and Car Park as a Saturday morning Car Boot Sale. It is hoped that the village will support this venture … I highly recommend the Vegetable Stalls which are well worth a visit.

It is good that the Youth Club has the use of the Sportsman Lounge on a Tuesday evening and we hope the Club will continue to flourish.

We must record our thanks to Tim and Angie Hill for all the work and effort they put into the maintenance and running of the hall for the past few years.

Finally, we are always looking for people to assist our Committee, especially those with organisational talents. We need someone to organise the Village Fete in July, so please give it some thought.

David Small

Join the LINk
Help Make Small Changes and Have a Big Influence on Your Health and Social Care Services

You can become part of the new way for local people to have their say about local health and social care services, and about the way they are run and developed by joining the South Gloucestershire Local Involvement Network.

22You can participate in the LINk as much or as little as you wish from receiving information regularly to being involved in working groups. You can join the LINk as an individual or as a representative of a voluntary or community group. If you belong to a community or voluntary group we can come and talk to you and let the LINk know about the issues you are facing.

The LINk is working hard and talking to the Local Authority and Local NHS about issues including the provision of respite care, translation services for people whose first language is not English, services for older people and for people with physical and sensory impairments.

The LINk can pass issues to the Care Quality Commission (the national watchdog for health and social care), the local Select Committee and on occasion can enter and view health or social care services.

For more information about the South Gloucestershire LINk contact:
Sarah Booker – Development and Information worker for South Gloucestershire LINk
☎ 0117 958xxxx / 0789691xxxx Fax 0117 965xxxx
✉ xxxx @ linksouthglos.org.uk www.xxxx.org.uk
Or write to the LINk at: FREEPOST RSBG-GTHJ-JUKK, South Gloucestershire LINk, The Care Forum, The Vassall Centre, Gill Avenue, Bristol BS16 2QQ

SOME TRUE STORIES FROM THE PAST.

Many years ago, during one of my occasional visits to the old St James Church burial ground, I found the door to the old church was open, and as I wandered around inside I found a poem coming on, the following is the result.

THE LIVING CHURCH

Wall of grey stone, old oak door,
Stained glass windows, slab stone floor,
Solid beauty built to last,
For our children's future as our forbears past,
Pews of hard wood, cross of gold,
A thousand secrets yet untold.
Bell tower reaching towards the sky,
The joyful smile, the lonely cry.
Tranquil peace with music blend,
Life's beginning, journeys end.
Lord or peasant, judge or thief,
Priest, or those without belief,
The living church hears every call,
Refusing none, embracing all.

Ken Parker.

Before I tell you a story about a great character who worked as a porter on Charfield Station, I must mention Don, a railway man who worked for the signal and telegraph dept and was responsible for maintaining the communication between signal boxes, and the maintenance of the semaphore signals on the track.

Around 1963, the time when the infamous Dr Beeching started to demolish the railway system, Don was called out to sort out a problem caused by wires that had come adrift from a telegraph pole on the railway embankment close to Berkeley Road Station, where, if my memory serves me correctly, they were causing problems on a bridge over the railway line.

On the night of this unfortunate drama, my wife and I were sleeping soundly in bed when we were disturbed from our slumbers by a loud hammering on the 23front door, to coin a phrase, I wasn't best pleased.

I put my dressing gown on, went down stairs and warily opened the door, standing outside in a howling gale was Don, covered in snow and looking extremely windswept.

He immediately apologised for disturbing our sleep before explaining to me the reason for him being there, he was looking for someone to assist him on the call out referred to above. Apparently, he had tried to get in touch with his mate on the signal telegraph dept, but he was not available, and the length men he got in touch with weren't interested, obviously because of the weather.

Although I didn't work in the signal telegraph department, I had worked on the railway for a number of years and had a good insight into the way the various railway departments worked; Don knew this of course, hence my disturbed night, I was, as Don explained, his last resort, how could I refuse.

Minutes later we were on our way in Don's Standard Ten to find out just what the problem was. On arriving at our destination, we could see the offending wires, we could also see that it was a bigger problem than we expected.

A couple of the wires were hanging very low over the road, these were easily disposed of. Unfortunately, other wires that were dangling across the road were just out of reach. Don decided that the only thing he could do was to cut off the wires at the top of the post, because of the weather this was obviously a very dangerous manoeuvre. We collected some climbing spikes, a thick leather belt, and a powerful torch from the boot of the car, and with the spikes fitted to his boots and the belt adjusted around himself and the post, Don commenced his climb. My job was to shine the torch up the wobbly post to help him as he climbed.

Slamming his spikes into the post, and adjusting the belt as he moved upwards, Don slowly edged towards the dodgy wires. As he moved closer to the top of the post, I was finding it harder to keep my footing on the wet slippery embankment, so the beam of the torch wasn't exactly where Don always wanted it to be; this was very frustrating for him, so he yelled down to me to sit down on the embankment it would then be much easier for me to hold the torch steady.

This of course was true, but sitting down in wet slushy snow on a bitterly cold railway embankment was something I had been trying “not” to do, it wasn't my idea of a good night out. Never the less, I did as Don said, and a few minutes later it felt as though various parts of my anatomy were no longer with me, but I did manage to keep the beam of the torch where it was required.

Eventually Don reached his objective, and the offending wires were cut off. Before stowing the equipment back into the boot of the car, we cleared the road of all the loose wires. As the last of the waiting cars moved off, the driver leaned out of the window of his car, thanked Don, and said, “I wouldn't have climbed that post tonight for a thousand pounds”, to which Don replied, “its nice of you to say that, but this sort of thing goes with the job I'm afraid” and with that we walked back to the car. Don drove back to the Berkeley Road Signal Box, and reported to his boss that the road was clear; we then headed for home and a chance for me to get out of my soaking wet trousers.

After all these years, and the fact that all the roads in the area have been readjusted and updated, especially the 24A38 which has been realigned in many places, it is not easy to pin point the exact location of this drama in the snow. However, this has no bearing on the reason for this little story which is to highlight the dedication, and determination shown by railway workers by simply doing, as Don said, “The sort of thing that goes with the job”.

Today, with mobile hydraulic platform lifts, a job, such as the one referred above, would have taken just a few minutes, with very little danger to anyone, so why do some people harp back to good old days, are they really serious!!

Some years after Dons monkey climb up the telegraph post, he lost the thumb on his left hand, this happened as he was checking the points into one of the loops [sidings] just as the signalman was adjusting them to get a goods train off the main line in order to allow an express train through his section. Don's thumb stood little chance against the steel points as they slammed against the running rail.

After having his hand heavily bandaged by colleagues, Don picked up his amputated thumb, wrapped it in his handkerchief, and put it in his pocket.

On arrival at the hospital Don produced the battered thumb from his pocket and asked the doctor who was examining his hand, if he could stitch it back on, the doctor looked at the limp body part and said, “I'm afraid not, it's too badly crushed, I am sorry”. I wasn't present while all this was going on, but I often wonder if Don said to the doctor, “Never mind, this sort of thing goes with the job I'm afraid”.

Looking at the amount of snow in the photographs, I can't help thinking, why is it that a couple of inches of snow these days can cause so many problems? When this question is asked, we are told, because its the wrong sort of snow! Its funny, but we never used to get different kinds of snow many years ago; it was either a lot, or not much, but the wrong sort – “never”.

Ken Parker.

Looking back on the last issue of CHADRA the next event we were to attend was the weekend camp at Cheddar Youth Hostel and for the first time in years we had more Cubs and Scouts wanting to attend than we had places. Unfortunately over recent years the Youth Hostel Association have been cutting back on their properties including our favourite Slimbridge which shut it's doors a couple of years ago. We are finding that as our group increases we have to travel further to find accommodation large enough for us all. On the Cheddar weekend we visited the Fleet Air Arm Museum where we were given a talk on pilots throughout the ages, selected Cubs and Scouts were asked to wear the clothing of the eras causing lots of laughter, some suited the garb too well. We then participated in a question and answer hunt and later back at the Youth Hostel took part in some flight activities ourselves – using the paper varieties of course. The Cubs and Scouts gained their air activities badge through this event. On the Sunday some of the brave Scouts went canoeing, yes it was cold and raining, other Scouts and leaders took part in treetop activities whilst the Cubs stayed on lower ropes and completed team building exercises. All-in-all an enjoyable weekend.

25Our next outing was the Remembrance Service in Charfield which was so well attended by the youngsters, their families and the villagers that we were at one point worried that we would not all fit into the church! When marching up to the church we could all hear the sound of shotguns, it's a shame those taking part in shooting activities on Remembrance Sunday don't take part also.

The Scouts, as work towards one of their badges, worked solidly for a number of weeks making beautiful Christmas cards, gift tags and candles which they then sold on at the school Christmas fair and the group Carol Service in November, well done all of you. The whole group donated filled jam jars for a tombola, and when I say filled they were filled with some unusual items some good some were ‘inventive’. For those of you who won the archery lessons, feel free to contact me when you are ready to shoot some arrows.

Speaking of the Carol Service, which was again well attended, each section had to lead a song, play, talk etc. The Beavers converted their ‘Swimming on’ song into a carol so were in full voice. The Cubs spelled out Christmas in brightly decorated letters and announcing words starting with C, H etc. while the Scouts sang the 12 days of Christmas quite loudly. It was a lovely service ending with mince pies, mulled wine and juice. Thank you vicar Viv, Christmas started that night for many!

Due to the snow, with the exception of the Scout team all of the other section teams were unable to complete their programme planning until mid January, and as the Scouts make their programmes cryptic so the Scouts don't pick and choose which meetings their attend or don't, (yes, your leaders have got you all worked out!) I have no idea what they are doing but I'm sure it'll be exciting and they'll all get a multitude of badges at the end of term. The Cubs are going to working on their Global Challenge over the next term, which includes a talk about international Scouting and a bit on recycling, they'll also be putting on a performance for their parents just before the Easter break. I haven't seen the Beaver programme yet but I'm sure it'll be just as exciting as the other sections.

The older sections have a number of camps planned for the summer including the family camp I mentioned in the last issue which we now hope will be in September due to a camping competition being held on our chosen weekend in June.

I'm now filling the final forms and tying up loose ends on the activities planned for the Malta visit in April. We have received confirmation from the Fgura Scouts that their Cubs and Scouts will be camping with us for a number of days and their newly formed Beavers will be visiting for the day. We have also been asked if we would march with the Fgura Scouts in their national St George's event through Valetta. This is such a big honour and means a bit of marching practise while we are there and perhaps a bit of laundry as it's only two days before we return to England, our uniforms will have to be pristine.

Allison and I have just finished our termly look at the waiting list, we are yet again full, sorry but we can only operate as fast as the Scouts are moving out and we don't have a great deal of movement over the next year. We do ask that parents who have 26children on the waiting list are patient, please be assured we will contact you as soon as a place becomes available and if your child's age moves on a section, his/her details will be moved to that section accordingly. To give you an idea, we have 21 names on the list who are 6–8 and a further 21 on the list ages 2–6. Ideally we would like to start a new Beaver section however there is no room in the two Cub sections or 2 Scout sections for the youngsters to move on to, so you can see our hands are tied. There are however Beaver and Cub places available in 1st Falfield who meet just behind the Huntsman Inn, please contact Allison Trueman or myself and we will provide you with contact details.

Yours in Scouting
Sandra Carnegie

For the penultimate letter of my marathon surname quest I had chosen to run 26.2 miles of this little-known local gem of a race based at Margate. You had the option of a half or full marathon, which meant having to run through the finish and keeping going while the half marathoners stopped. Not my favourite, but I coped with it OK at Cardiff when I had to run past the Millennium stadium for another 13.1 mile loop. My training had gone well and while I hadn't run any PB's for a while, I felt in good shape.

I travelled down to Kent and stayed with friends the night before so me, Rob and Archie the dog drove to Margate on a dry Sunday morning in September (same day as the Bristol half). We made good time, parked near the event HQ on the green by the seafront and walked straight to an area with food, drink, changing tents and a Sweatshop stall (who were sponsoring the event). It was good to relax with a hot drink and a friend before the start. I looked at the flags waving in the breeze and tried to put it out of my mind.

I changed and went through my usual rituals before a marathon. I still don't take the marathon lightly which is perhaps just a well as it is usually then that they bite you! There were a few announcements before the start including a lady that was running her 200th marathon! I felt I had done well to get to the start of my twelfth! It was quite bright by now so I made the decision to run in sunglasses (wise as it proved but shoes are better) and off we went.

The course was quite scenic as it followed the coast (hence the name) through Broadstairs and out to Ramsgate to the turn. This involved endless running on promenade dodging tourists, but getting lots of encouragement which was good. We were also running on pavement, so my concern was that there was no road in the course which has a bit of give and I was going to pay for this later (so it proved). I was moving quite quickly (for me) and the sun was getting higher in the sky, making it warm. Broadstairs was attractive and I ran past the Charles Dickens museum. He was from Kent and used to visit Broadstairs regularly in the 1800's.

The marshals were very encouraging and there were plenty of drinks stations. I got to Ramsgate and turned to head back. The wind was quite strong now and I realised why I had made such good progress! The route back involved heading away from the sea and around some not-so-nice 27housing areas, so I consoled myself with energy gels and jelly babies. Eventually I got back to the start and headed through with vocal support to continue along the front to the far turn at 19 miles. Suddenly it got very lonely as us few marathoners plodded on into the wind. I saw my friend at about 14 miles and he got a few more pictures of me still fairly cheerful. It was here that it started to get tough mentally so I concentrated on keeping going.

The route took us right by the beach huts along the still-concrete front and I got many a shout from folks enjoying the Sunday sun reclined in their deckchairs. It struck me as somewhat bizarre to be running this far on a warm day while other people were relaxing, and it reminded me of when I ran the Edinburgh marathon. That time I ran past families on the beach at Portabello, now that WAS a hot day. By now my feet were hurting and the feeling slowly crept up my legs into my back. For someone with a history of sciatica this was a worry so I carried on looking for a far turn that was taking a long time in coming. The stench of rotting seaweed wasn't that pleasant either!

Finally the turn came and I was on the last seven mile leg back. The wind was at my back now but now everything hurt. I had to stop and stretch to ease my ravaged back so that I would at least finish. There were a few of us runners together which helped as everyone seemed to be suffering. Encouragement was sparse now and it was a battle for survival.

I finally made it back into the centre of Margate with the thought of another finisher's medal keeping me going. My friend Rob saw me coming some way off and took a series of pictures that run like a video. I didn't look so good now and I wanted it to end! My feet were on fire and I was sure I had lost some toenails.

But right after this I rounded a corner and there was the finish. I crossed the line in 4hrs 44mins having lost some time in the second half against the wind. I was so pleased to finish. My first thought was “right, were do I run the R?” I hate having things unfinished. Rob and Archie were there and they got me a welcome cup of tea. I admired the enamel medal and headed off to change. My feet revealed no blisters, just very sore and I needed a few sessions of physio afterwards to sort out my back. The 200th marathon lady was having her picture taken and she looked remarkably fresh. I just felt like a wreck!

The best bit was having fish and chips on the front which tasted so good. Then we piled in the car and headed back to our friends. I had arranged to spend another night there as I had business there on Monday morning. Just as well as I was stiff as a board the next morning. Having said all this I was pleased to complete another marathon this time to fundraise for Help for Heroes (for injured service personnel) in the Thornbury Running Club vest. I am thinking of turning to triathlon as preparing for marathons is so hard as you get a little older. “R” may be run in Riga, Latvia next May as Reykjavik clashes with Lizzie's AS results and I want to be around for that. We are also going to South Africa for our 25th wedding trip next October so a spring marathon makes more sense. I don't really want to wait into 2011 but we shall see. I have thoroughly enjoyed this marathon quest of mine and will be sad (but also relieved) when I complete it.

28I will have to find something else to do. Maybe London (still entering the ballot, three times refused now so may be 2012) or an event to celebrate being fifty in 2011.
Now let's see …

John Francksen

I'd been mulling this over for quite a while and, finally, expressed out loud that I wanted an adventure. Now some of you females out there reading this might think, so, no big deal, and I, obviously, am speaking from the female perspective of any relationship. After 35 years of married bliss!!??, I wanted to gad off on my own. After convincing dear precious how much I absolutely loved him, I booked my ticket to New York. There was so much of Manhattan that I wanted to discover, quite selfishly maybe, but going with another traveller there is always someone else to consider. And, I was determined to talk to New Yorkers and spend some time with our lovely grandson. Yippee, yippee.

I was sitting in the Departure Lounge at Bristol and a couple's name was called out over the air. “Oh, blow,” I thought, “some lucky devils have been upgraded”. I was looking at my magazine thinking, hang on Maz, you had this treat at Easter, don't be greedy. When next I heard, “Would Mrs Smith, Marilyn, please come to Continental Airline desk.” Well you can imagine can't you, grinning from ear to ear, barging my way through all the other waiting passengers. “I gather you are travelling alone, will it be a problem if we upgrade you?” So I blabbered on about my adventure. Wow, it had certainly kicked off.

Halfway across the Atlantic, after champagne, gin and tonics, red wine, fillet steak and delights from the dessert cart, I whispered to the lovely young chap, from Cardiff, who was on business, that I was sitting next to, that I had been upgraded. “Oh, I could tell,” he said. “You haven't stopped grinning.”

For the first part of my vacation I was staying in Tribeca, near Ground Zero. I sussed out some good little diners for breakfast and hit the subway. There were several things that were on my must do list. I headed off to Broadway and went into a Starbucks. There was only one available seat with a guy whose table was full of papers and laptop. I asked if I could share and that I only needed a small space for my cup. I glanced down at the papers and I could see they were scripts. Then he started quietly singing. “Are you auditioning?” I asked. “Yes, for the Jersey Boys, I've got to go back at 2.30 for some harmonising.” Wow, I thought, how fab. “Would you like some help?” I asked, “Because I do tapdance.”

My next stop was the Fashion District and found this fantastic haberdashery store. It was huge and packed with absolutely everything that you would envisage it having. Buttons, bows, threads, flowers, ornate pieces that would be adorning ball gowns. As for the customers, they were just as fascinating. Young girls, young men, women of all ages and older gentlemen purchasing all sorts. I stood behind a few, listening, trying to gauge what they needed these things for, imagining workshops and fashion houses.

I will just tell you about one of my other must do's, the Church of the Transfiguration. In 1870, a nearby 29church declined to conduct funeral rites for actors and directed one such request to “the little church around the corner.” It has been favoured by theatre folk ever since. It lies on East 29th Street between Fifth and Madison Avenue. An English style lychgate leads to the church, which is set back from the street in a small garden. In the main part of the church, a lady was playing the organ. To the left is The Chapel of the Holy Family with a beautifully carved ornate altar with dark wood panelling with three rare carvings in black oak. These are more than four hundred years old and brought over from a dismantled Scottish monastery. In the corner from there is a white marble statue of the Madonna and Child under a stained glass dome and that in turn led into the smaller Lady Chapel, another ornate altar and more, breathtakingly beautiful stained glass. There is a small brass plaque in memory of the English actress Gertrude Lawrence.

Another coffee stop was in Maceys. I shared a table with a New York guy out to get a new winter coat in the sales and an English lady visiting her son. She was from Worthing but had friends who used to work at Berkeley Power Station and she used to glide at the Cotswold Gliding Club. Small world or what? I'll end my New York tale by saying that I had an absolutely fantastic adventure, too much to relate here in my Chadra bit, from hopping on and off the subway, finding Alexander McQueen's beautiful shop, being asked by fab New Yorkers if I needed any help as I perused my guide book and, finally, playing and cuddling our precious Luca. It was fantastic catching up with Lawrence. I went into his work place, the New York Academy of Science. I had to be quiet, in their Lecture Suite, on the 40th floor, where Doctors and Scientists, from all over the world were listening to a lecture on Swine Flu.

I had better sign off by saying that I had a new boiler and my pipes flushed for Christmas and one little lad at school said, “Maz, he tried to strangle me and I was nowhere near him.”

Best Wishes and love to you all, Maz xxx

We at the Friends have held two of our main events since the last issue of Chadra. We held our Fireworks night at the beginning of November and we had great attendance. A fantastic amount of money was raised, over £2500! This money will go towards our school's new play pod, outside play area and children's garden! Thank you to all in the village and beyond who supported us in any way. You will be pleased to know we have already booked the fireworks company for next year, on the 5th November 2010!

On the 15th October we welcomed three new members onto the Friends Committee at our Extra-Ordinary General Meeting, notably Sam Rees as Co Chair and Lindsey Moore as Co Vice Chair. We hope that all our new members are enjoying their first few months. Talk about thrown in at the deep end!

In the run up to Christmas the Friends spend quite a lot of money, we buy the Christmas crackers for the Christmas lunch, buy presents for the children and contribute to a treat for the children in the last week of school. We have also splashed the cash to every class teacher to spend on fun stuff and £150 to the student council.

30We also held our Christmas Fair and Christmas Tree Sale on 12th December. At the Fair we raised between £900–£1000 and Santa as always was a star. The Tree Sale was held in the Railway Tavern car park this year and for the second year running was a huge success. Many thanks to all of you who helped out in the cold. Brrrrrilliant :-)

We feel so immensely proud of our team and we are proud to be a part of this wonderful school!

The Friends Committee
Kindest Regards
Scott

MONEY UP FOR GRABS

For any of the local community groups currently fundraising for projects, just a reminder that once South Gloucestershire Council has set its budgets for the next financial year, they normally start a capital grants scheme. This will probably commence in April/May time, so keep a look out on their website www.southglov.gov.uk from the A–Z of services select G then select grants. The type of grants you need to look for are Community Grants with the next round being the capital grants.

I have copied the next bit from their website to help you decide if your project is likely to be eligible for this type of grant.

‘Capital grants are available to support voluntary and community groups' capital projects, such as buying or enhancing land or buildings and buying or replacing equipment, machinery and vehicles.

Funding is mainly available for smaller projects costing no more than £3,000 in total’.

A number of our local groups have been successful in bidding for funding in the past, so go on give it a go this year.

If you can't get a bid together this time another grants round usually opens sometime in the autumn. That one is for small grants, ie anything that is not covered on the capital grants round.

If the thought of filling in the forms is too daunting I am willing to help groups, or alternatively you can contact the South Gloucestershire Council's grants people who may be able to put you in touch with someone.

Isabel Davies
CHADRA Newsletter Production

On some occasions the CHADRA representatives may distribute the Police Newsletter. This is carried out on a voluntary basis, and no money from the sale of the CHADRA newsletter is used to fund the Police Newsletter. Also no money is received by CHADRA for this distribution.

31

If you wish to alter the entries below, please telephone Isabel on 01454 26xxxx

Bingo Club
Sue Scoble 01454 26xxxx

British Legion
David Millman (Hon Sec) 01454 26xxxx

Charfield Pre-School
Debra Davidson (Play Leader) 07866 04xxxx
Lucy Pass (Chair) 01454 26xxxx
Rachel Marlow (Admissions) 01453 54xxxx

Charfield Primary School
Dafydd Lawday 01454 26xxxx

Childminders
Sarah Gazzard 01454 26xxxx

Church – Congregational
Nicky Lanyi 01454 26xxxx

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
Chris Shearwood 01454 77xxxx

Crimestoppers 0800 555 111

Friends of Charfield Primary School
Scott Curtis 01454 26xxxx

Foundation Room
Bryan Grantham 01454 26xxxx

Friendship Club
Mrs. M Ealey 01454 29xxxx

Junior Football Club
Nigel Cloke 01454 26xxxx

Keep Fit Club
Christine Parfitt 01454 26xxxx

Luncheon Club for the Elderly
Jane Higgins 01454 26xxxx

Memorial Hall
Bookings 07774 41xxxx
Email xxxx @ virgin.net
(Chair) David Small