CHADRA

Charfield and District Residents Association

Newsletter 152 – July 2013 – 25p

Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily the opinions of CHADRA.

Copyright © Charfield and District Residents Association 2013.


Contents

Blooming Marvellous
Safety is the top priority
Members Of The CHADRA Team
Charfield Parish Council
South Gloucestershire Council
Pre-School
Charfield Charity Walk Says Thank you!
The Answer Lies in the Soil
Let's Clean Up and Green Up Charfield!
CADS Presents
Marilyn's Bit
Sinners and Slimmer's @ St John's
Wanted Beautiful Gardens
Charfield Gnome Hunt
Charfield Congregational Church
St John's Charfield
Green Finger Volunteers Needed!
Out of School Club
From Your Local Councillor
Safer & Stronger Community Groups
I Rule the World
Village Housing Survey 2013
Friends of Charfield School
1st Woodend Scout Group
Charfield Memorial Hall
Pre-School
Charfield School
Fascinating Rhythm
Girlguiding News
A Cry For The Fields Of Charfield
Charfield's Got Talent
Newark Park Volunteers
Thornbury Town Band Needs You
Charity Fun Day
Diary Dates
Village Organisations


1

Blooming Marvellous

As you read through this edition of the CHADRA Magazine, you may notice lots of garden/environmental issues raised by our groups and organisations. This together with information gathered via the Village Plan seems to indicate that Charfield residents in the main want to improve their neighbourhood.

Earlier this year the Royal Horticultural Society launched its Centenary Appeal, which aims to help the charity reach out to the next generation of horticulturalists via various programmes of work. They already support schools through education and training schemes. It seems a fortuitous time for the village to want to be involved with community spaces, particularly as our Local Authority has to cut back on its work in the area. Read articles inside this issue to see how you could help improve the village. There are some challenging but exciting times ahead.

Safety is the top priority

Safety is the top priority for South Gloucestershire Council's first parking enforcement car. The high-tech vehicle will target ‘high-risk’ areas outside schools as well as bus stops, pedestrian crossings and taxi ranks in a bid to enhance road safety and reduce traffic congestion.

The car will patrol the district and where it detects an illegally parked vehicle, it will automatically record its number plate for review by a parking enforcement officer.

The scheme has been welcomed by schools in the district. “We know that the enforcement car can't be everywhere at once, but hopefully the knowledge that it is out and about at school drop-off times will encourage people to observe the parking regulations and make our roads safer for children and their parents.”

Chair of South Gloucestershire Council's Communities Committee Cllr Claire Young said: “We're urging drivers to check the local parking restrictions and make sure that they park safely and away from restricted areas. Road users particularly need to be aware that driving away when the parking enforcement car approaches is not a defence, because their details will already have been recorded.” The car's introduction this month follows pilot testing and public consultation last autumn which revealed high levels of public support for the scheme. Councillors formally approved the scheme in January. The car is clearly marked with the council livery.

Further information about the car is available to view on the council's website www.southglos.gov.uk/parklegally

2

Members Of The CHADRA Team

Joan CrowfootVice-Chairman, Newsletter Printingxx, Wotton Road
01453 84xxxx
Vanessa ColeAdverts for New Traders
and changes to adverts for existing traders
Xxxx Cottage, Elbury View 01453 52xxxx
xxxx @ gmail.com
Linda FeltonSecretaryxx Manor Lane
01454 26xxxx
xxxx @ gmail.com
Julia O'Connor-BeachTreasurerxx Manor Lane
01454 26xxxx
xxxx @ gmail.com
Barbara AdamsCommittee memberXxxx Xxxx, Wotton Road
01454 26xxxx
Marion & Angela SmithNewsletter Distributionxxx Manor Lane
01454 26xxxx
xxxx @ xxxx.freeserve.co.uk
Isabel DaviesNewsletter Production
And Editorial Issues
xxx Woodlands Road
01454 26xxxx
xxxx @ gmail.com
Deborah FieldCommittee Memberx Woodlands Road
01454 26xxxx
Alison WhiteCommittee Memberxxx Woodlands Road
xxxx @ btinternet.com

Next Copy Date – 6 October 2013

If you would like to write an article for the next issue, or make comments on articles published, please e-mail these to xxxx @ gmail.com

3

Charfield Parish Council

Summer finally arrived. Perhaps it's the daft weather we've been experiencing but it seems everything has bloomed at once. Roses in great clusters, and waving purple heads of lavender – and that's just the burial ground! The fruit trees in my garden are hung with the promise of apple, plum and greengage, and I may die happily of strawberry overindulgence. Summer is here, and long may it last.

You may have noticed summer has brought with it high grasses on the verges. I hope you're not suffering from the grass pollen (I was but it seems to have passed) but longer grass is something we may see more of in the future. Further and increasing cuts at South Gloucestershire have impacted on the way Highways treat our green spaces. Discussions are ongoing, and there is opportunity for us (i.e. you, through additional charges to the Parish Council) to buy back or otherwise retain some services, but changes are inevitable. Roadside verges are likely only to be cut twice a year (hence the longer grass) with amenity space getting more cuts. Roadside verges are generally up to one metre in from the highway, and any vegetation further in will not be so cut.

There are advantages to this of course … allowing grasses to seed can in some cases restore wildflower to our environment, and thereby bees and other insects and birds etc etc. And then again of course it can produce thick grass, bramble and nettle that catches us and our children (being lower to the ground!) as we walk. It hides litter too. You can be assured your Parish Council is working to get the correct balance and also keep the place looking good, and not only by picking up the litter (more on that later).

This leads us into “the greening of Charfield“. I'm sure elsewhere in this CHADRA there is information from Vanessa Cole about the “It's your neighbourhood“ scheme of community gardening. The plan is to make Charfield an even more pleasant place to be, horticulturally speaking. I know many of you already lovingly tend your own gardens; I see it as I walk about the village. This scheme not only involves individual gardens but the open spaces in the parish, and reflects a call to ‘green up’ Charfield in the Village Plan.

Already, folk have been out and about. The burial ground was subject to a happy if hot weed pulling evening last month, and the front of the Memorial Hall has been cleared in preparation for a focal point improvement. You can get involved, or you can stick with your own home garden. If we all do a little, everyone does a lot. And if you have ideas for planting or improving your locality, let Vanessa know, especially if you want to help do it!

Making Charfield greener and tidier includes keeping dog mess to a minimum (heck, let's say zero, it's not hard really). Another one of South Gloucestershire's cutbacks involves dog bin emptying. Now, we are aware that you can now dispose of bagged dog mess in any litter bin. You don't have to look for a dog bin. Dog bins are increasingly expensive to empty and can't take normal litter, so it makes sense for us to replace some dog bins with litter bins. This is a little contrary to the desire for more dog bins expressed in the Village Plan, but I hope you see why it does make sense.

A while back, many of Charfield's streetlights went to a part-night regime. Some of us had reservations about ‘going dark’, but worries of increased crime and accidents were happily unfounded. The blanket of stars shining over the village in the early hours remain a personal pleasure, even when I am called out at night to go back to work! Now, all the streetlights in the village, part-night or all-night working, are due for replacement, and South Gloucester have handed us 4the baton again, this time to be first with all-LED lighting. LED lights save even more energy, and further reduce light pollution. Work starts any time now.

Planning has begun for this year's Remembrance Service, and we're planning the autumn Litter Pick immediately prior to the Remembrance Day so that the village looks spick and span, and ready for a short walk of respect from the Memorial Hall to the War Memorial. This year we are joined once again by the Cubs, Brownies and Scouts etc, so please do come out on Saturday 9th November and help tidy the village for them, and for us all. And then again on Sunday the 10th, for the Remembrance itself.

I'll sign off by reminding you of our web site www.charfieldparishcouncil.org.uk where you can find all our Parish Council information and notices, as well as our Twitter feed @Charfield_PC where the odd message goes out every now and then. Do come along to any Council meeting, to listen or to speak, and contact the Clerk any time for any Parish matter. Have a great summer and a bountiful harvest.

Mark Rosher – Chairman
Charfield Parish Council

South Gloucestershire Council

In January 2009 Charfield Parish Council put themselves forward for the first trial of part night lighting with South Gloucestershire Council. In June of the same year 176 lights in Charfield were part nighted (representing 62% of the lights in Charfield). During the first 3 years the following savings have been made in total: 63,000 KWh of energy, 33 tonnes of CO2 and at previous energy rates approx. £6000 in monetary terms.

With the development of LED lighting an opportunity exists to make Charfield the first parish to have all LED lighting, the light columns currently part nighted will remain so, with the lights currently operating all night being dimmed to a lower level thus maximising savings. By following this route a further 40000 KWh and 21 tonnes of CO2 per annum will be saved, and at current energy charges that equates to approx £4000 per annum.

Work is likely to start on converting the light columns over the next 3 months. If you have any queries – please don't hesitate to contact Andy at South Gloucestershire Council (01454) 86xxxx, or Parish Council via Hannah Saunders (01454) 29xxxx.

Andy Porter
Electrical and Building Maintenance Manager Street Care

Pre-School

As we come to the end of another busy and fun-filled term, we say a fond farewell to our Leavers, who are moving up to Primary School in September. We've enjoyed watching each and every one of them grow and develop into confident and happy little people, and we're proud to have been part of their early years journey. We will miss them all, and wish them well in the Primary School of their choice.

As part of their final term with us, we treated our Rising 5's to a coach trip to St Augustine's farm, where we all enjoyed a sunny day getting close to the animals. Our end of term trip to Cattle Country was also a huge success, thoroughly enjoyed by everyone!

Our new Gardening Teacher, Norma Edwards has now transformed our garden plot, and the children have already enjoyed planting and harvesting potatoes, carrots, radishes, tomatoes and flowers. Norma has already proved to be a great asset to our team. She has some 5wonderful plans for the autumn, for both outdoor and indoor activities that will get our children really engaged in gardening, wildlife and nature.

Norma's weekly updates are published on our blogsite: www.####.blogspot.co.uk, as well as our weekly activity plans, and the intrepid adventures of Barney the Bear and Marmalade the Cat as they visit the homes of our children and their families.

From a fundraising point of view, we've had a successful year and in total we've raised over £2,000 to enhance our children's experience here at Pre-School. Huge thanks must go to all our fantastic team of Committee members for all their hard work at each and every event – we'll be looking for some new members at our AGM on Wednesday 11th September at 8pm in the Foundation Room, so please come along and get to know us better!

We are delighted to have been awarded a grant from Charfield Parish Council of £150 to buy new toys specifically for our younger children, to help them settle in to the Pre-School environment.

We've invested in some new toys such as dressing up costumes and puppets, but this year we have used our fundraising money to support specific projects, namely the wonderful Petite Academy drama and song workshops that our children have enjoyed so much.

Over the summer, we'll be spending the rest of our 2013 budget on a minor make-over for our beloved Pre-School room, which will include a fresh coat of paint all over AND some completely new flooring! We can't wait for the “big reveal” in September, so watch this space!

Our newly-formed ‘grants team’ (Vicky Jones and Sam Jones, ably assisted by Peter Elliott!) have just submitted the first of our applications for the next academic year. This is a really exciting project to introduce iPad devices, upon which both the staff and children can take photos and videos to be uploaded into their Learning Journeys.

The next Xmas Shopping Evening (yes, believe it!) is booked for Friday 18th October at Charfield Memorial Hall. We will be running a stall again for second-hand, good quality children's books, games and toys, so please, next time you're having a clear-out then send them our way! Spread the word and ask your friends and family to do the same, and bring them into Pre-School at any time – all donations are very gratefully received! Oh, and put 18th October in your diary too!

Finally, we say a fond “farewell” and huge thanks to our Secretary, Mary-Anne Willmott, who is stepping down after two years in the seat. Mary-Anne has been a driving force in organising many of our events, and she will be sorely missed.

Enjoy the Summer!
Karen Stainthorpe Chair


Free Childcare for 2 Year Olds

Are You Eligible?

Call Debra at Charfield Pre-School on 07966 61xxxx or e-mail us at xxxx @ gmail.com for more information.

Charfield Charity Walk Says Thank you!

1 fantastic village,
2 inspirational women,
3 supportive men (Tim. Pete & Sam!)
4 charities, Maggies, Charlton Farm, BRI wards 34 and 61
266 walkers
Countless helpers

All worked together on Sunday 12th May 2013 to raise money for the fight against cancer.

We are both awed by the response we received to a simple email asking if anyone was interested in helping and supporting an event in the village, where the focus was on raising money to help families the in village whose circumstances touched many people in many different ways.

We knew we lived in a nice village, but now we know we live in a great village!

The day was a resounding success and the feedback, on and after the day, was about how much people had enjoyed the walks and the atmosphere at the hall and in the village.

A fantastic and unbelievable £10,700 was raised, that is a lot of tea and cake, sponsorship, donations and raffle tickets!

We are now looking forward to presenting the cheques to the charities and putting the money to good use.

So THANK YOU! We couldn't have done it without you!

Angie Hill and Lisa Wiles

The Answer Lies in the Soil

The Controller of the Newsletter, Isabel, suggested that I might write about soil structure and home composting. This is a big subject because it depends on how you grow your vegetables. Do you dig or not? Do you have raised beds or simply a patch of ground? Each method has its pros and cons. I like digging and I like the flexibility of a clear piece of land, so that's what I'll talk about.

I've grown vegetables in six different gardens in Charfield. I briefly used one garden where the soil was like dust and appeared to have been a household rubbish tip. The other gardens were more normal, with varying depths of topsoil underlain by clay. In those cases the soil responded well to being worked and having ‘compost’ dug in. It would be nice to produce real compost like Monty Don shows us on TV, but most of us don't have the space and variety of materials to achieve it. We just have to do the best we can, remembering that virtually all soils will be improved by adding decayed vegetable matter.

Because I don't have a shredder, the shrub prunings at home go into the green wheelie bin. What goes into my compost bin is mainly grass cuttings, leaves, some waste vegetable material such as broad bean pods, the odd bit of newspaper and sometimes bought compost that has already been used twice in pots. Therefore I'm left with this soft material which I transfer to a bin in my vegetable garden. Waste from that garden gets added, except perennial weeds and 7anything such as potato haulms that might be carrying persistent disease. Then comes the important job: turning the contents every few weeks so that they are mixed and rot as much as possible in the time available.

In the autumn I'm likely to have some fresh material including the runner bean plants that I have just pulled up. So how can this and the ‘compost’ be used to improve the soil structure and fertility? I enjoy digging a runner bean trench. I take out the topsoil and break up the subsoil, into which I mix some of the fresh plant material. Then I put back the topsoil with ‘compost’ in layers. The result is left to settle naturally until the beans are planted next May.

The bean trench illustrates some general principles. The subsoil can be broken up, but definitely not mixed with the valuable topsoil. The rotted material should be used with the topsoil. Ideally the digging should be done in sufficient time for the soil to settle before planting or sowing. Don't walk on the dug soil, particularly when it is wet, or it will become compacted. Ideally again, vegetables should follow a rotation. I aim to incorporate a lot of ‘compost’ into the soil where I am going to grow potatoes. On that land the following year I'll grow legumes (beans, peas). The next year I'll fork the land over and grow brassicas (cabbages, sprouts) and follow them with roots (parsnips, carrots). After four years all of the plot will have had ‘compost’ added.

I never achieve the ideal, and it doesn't matter. The important thing is to follow the general rules if you can. The results can be surprisingly good. For example, remember those broad beans that I sowed on 13th March and hadn't appeared by the April Newsletter? They have pods on them now!

John Acton

Let's Clean Up and Green Up Charfield!

[Graphic: Gardener]

One of the results identified in the Village Plan was that local residents were keen to see an improvement in the cleanliness and general upkeep of the Village, including the planting of more trees, flowers, communal composting and a community orchard.

With this in mind, Hannah our Parish Clerk and Sue from the Village Plan, have taken the first steps towards setting up a new action group which will oversee some or indeed all of the above projects and have already secured funding of approximately £2500 to get the group up and running.

The new action group – called Clean Up Green Up Charfield – will come under the umbrella of the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) ‘It's Your Neighbourhood’ scheme which aims to encourage community participation, whilst acknowledging environmental responsibility and sustainability and also horticultural achievement. It rewards volunteer community groups who ‘clean up and green up’ their local environment.

A few weeks ago, on a lovely sunny evening, a volunteer group started clearing the weeds in the Burial Ground and this will be just one of the areas that the new IYN Team will help to maintain in the future.

We are looking for villagers to help us identify specific areas that you think would benefit from some TLC, whether it be in the form of a general tidy up or something more ambitious, such as the planting up of a neglected site, perhaps 8designed with the help of the local residents.

We also need volunteer workers, it doesn't matter how often you can help, be it once a year, on a more regular basis, or maybe take responsibility with your neighbours for the maintenance of an area near where you live, or perhaps even join us on the Team. The more volunteers we have to call on, the easier the workload will be.

Look out for more information/updates on the Memorial Hall Notice Board.

To volunteer, share your ideas or for more information please contact: Vanessa – 01453 52xxxx xxxx @ gmail.com

[Graphic: Garden tools]

CADS Presents

MORE TEA VICAR!! IN THE VILLAGE HALL, 11TH & 12TH OCTOBER 7.30PM

CADS newest performance is set in the home of Andrew and Jane and is not one estate agent's would find easy to sell. You see its accident prone. A number of people have died there in unfortunate and embarrassing circumstances, and when their daughter's boyfriend Geoff turns up things really start to get difficult.

Geoff is unaware of the history of the house and due to misunderstandings he thinks something sinister is going on. When the local vicar drops in he feels it's his duty to protect him. Into this mix add Andrew's sister Sarah, his daughter Sally, Geoff's mum and dad, a TV repair man and a wheelbarrow and then it's a series of mini disasters.

TICKETS ON SALE FROM OCTOBER 1st
@ STEVE'S SHOP PRICED AT
£5.00 EACH

News from back stage

Wow it's all going on in the world of CADS at the moment, where to start? Well firstly can I say a massive thank you to everyone who came out to support us in January for the 2013 panto ☺ As most of will know we are just a small group of local happy go lucky people doing some good for the community while having a laugh at the same time. And seeing you lot coming through the door and taking your seats is fantastic.

As I write this we are well into rehearsals for our autumn production MORE TEA VICAR!! A fast paced farce from the same writer of our first ever production YOU KNOW WHAT. Now I know I am maybe a little biased but we only perform shows that make us laugh at the first reading, and this one had us in stitches so definitely not one to be missed.

I put my pen down for the last panto and we used a pre-written one instead. But after much talking with the group we decided to have a crack and write our own again for next time. I am pleased to say Jack and the Beanstalk is coming along nicely, and is due to be performed in February 2014.

We were also very lucky to receive a grant from the local council. This means we were able to meet with the village hall and help resurface the stage. Thus helping not just us but all hall users, and after the halls support when we first 9started the group it was lovely to give something back.

We have a few new faces in the CADS family for this production both on and off stage, and as always a few taking a break. If you have been to one of our shows and left thinking I could do a bit of that, we would love to meet you. We desperately need more bodies for Jack and the Beanstalk, both on and off stage, Male or female, young and old (but not OAP as they are not covered by our insurance!! I'm just joking) just drop me a text on 07741 25xxxx. Or email me xxxx @ googlemail.com

Thanks again for all your love and support and see you in October.

Marilyn's Bit

Hello dear chums, in view of the weather man's forecast, Happy Summer.

Well, what to report. What has been dominating my waking, and sleeping, moments is my dodgy knee.

You may have seen me hobbling up the road to school. It all happened at tap dancing. We were learning a new routine, on a Spanish flamenco-type theme which we needed to finish by a turning flourish, a bit of leap in the air, twirling and, in my case, landing rather heavily on my right arthritic knee. OUCH!! I went up to London, last week, to see my Mum. One of her neighbours whose language is more European, asked what I'd done. He looked at me a bit mysteriously. When I mentioned this to Mum she said, “perhaps he though you'd said lap dancing.”

Keith and I went down to Teignmouth. We discovered a newly built museum which was displaying wonderful information about the Suffragettes. What amazed me and what does not seem too long ago was that up until 1970, working women were refused a mortgage in their own right, unless they had the signature of a MALE guarantor!!!

We went along the coast to Dawlish and waited by the railway for a local steam train to pass by, then read information about Brunel. I had to write down this marvellous quote, to share with you, by Daniel Gooch, a great friend of the engineer and who worked on the Great Western Railway. He said, on the death of Brunel, “The commercial world thought him extravagant, but although he was so, great things are not done by those who sit down and count the cost of every thought and act.”

Wow. I shall sign off now, wishing you lots of fun and giggly moments.

Lots of love, Maz xxx

Sinners and Slimmer's @ St John's

Will break for the summer on July 16 re-start September 17th at 9am

Come along to the church for a weigh-in and chat, to help loose those extra pounds put on over the holidays.

For More information call Gill on 0145426xxxx or Rosemarie 0771714xxxx

Wanted Beautiful Gardens

We are looking for beautiful gardens in Charfield! Please, please help in identifying those hidden gems that would be great to include in the 2014 Open Gardens event in Charfield.

We have raised in 2 openings over £9,000 for charity. We want to open next year but for a number of reasons are 10struggling to find more than 3 gardens. If you know of someone in the village who has a lovely garden or if YOU have a lovely garden then please don't be shy tell me. It doesn't matter how small or unusual this garden is – I'd love to hear about it.

I do understand it is daunting for some to open their garden so strong arm tactics won't be used and help /advice will be available to any volunteers.

Please ring me on 01454 26xxxx or email me on xxxx @ andrewartha.fsworld.co.uk.

Charfield Gnome Hunt

CHELSEA HAD THEM & SO HAS CHARFIELD
BUT CAN YOU FIND THEM?

CHARFIELD GNOME HUNT
On Sunday 29th September starting from 2.00

(No knowledge of Charfield is needed as a map shows you were to go)

Come along to the Memorial Hall and pick up your information leaflet and either walk, cycle or even scoot around the village to find gnomes and other interesting little creatures.

A fun activity for the whole family and when you've finished come back and enjoy refreshments & games while we find out who has spotted the most.

There will be a plant sale at The Paddock in Horsford Road so make sure you have a look when you pass.

Family tickets £3 available on the day starting at 2.00, the winner will be announced around 4.30. The hall will be open for refreshments from 2–5.00pm

If you don't want to walk why not just pop into the hall for home made cakes & a nice cup of tea!

For more information ring 01454 26xxxx

This is a joint fundraiser for the Memorial Hall & The Out of School Club

Charfield Congregational Church

Charfield Chapel is now fully refurbished and looking fantastic!

We have lots of exciting events planned for the rest of the year, below are just a few.

On Saturday 17th August at 12noon we are holding our first senior citizens lunch at the Chapel. The menu will be homemade shepherd's pie, vegetables and a delicious desert, followed by some brilliant music and entertainment. There will also be a vegetarian option. Numbers would be appreciated beforehand. Any donations on the day can be made to one of our chosen charities.

We are pleased to invite you to our Open Day on Sat 31st August 10am–4pm. You will have the opportunity to look around the Chapel and see for yourself the amazing transformation. Tea and cake will be on offer.

As you are probably aware, we will be starting our Youth Café shortly, we are very busy finalising the last details. 11Please look out for more information in the coming weeks and months.

Are you musically minded? Would you like to play the newly refurbished organ? We would like hear from anyone who would be interested in occasionally playing our organ on Sunday mornings.

Our services are held every Sunday at 11am with tea/ coffee and biscuits afterwards, where a friendly welcome awaits. We also have our very own Sunday School ‘King's Kidz’, where all primary school-age children are most welcome.

For more information on any of the above, please contact April Palmer on 01453 84xxxx or xxxx @ hotmail.co.uk. If you would like to sign up to our email list, to find out all our latest information please get in touch with your email address.

Christmas Shoe Box Appeal

Fundraisers in the Kingswood-Charfield area want you to get hunting for EMPTY SHOEBOXES. They will happily collect them from you. Without the boxes the group faces a struggle to decorate and fill hundreds of gift boxes for needy children, teenagers and adults in the poorest parts of Eastern Europe.

April Palmer from Kingswood, is spokesman for the volunteers based at Charfield Congregational Church “Last year was our eighth appeal. We had lots of support and were able to send more than 500 filled shoeboxes in time for Christmas. The charity delivers them to people aged from 3 to 90 in dozens of communities; they transported 116,000 shoeboxes in all

Until we can find shoeboxes, we can't decorate them with fancy paper before packing with gifts of hats and gloves, small toys, toiletries, games, toothbrushes, colouring books, and writing and drawing items.

Please help this wonderful scheme to bring a smile at Christmas. Contact xxxx @ hotmail.co.uk or 01453 84xxxx.

St John's Charfield

The Harvest Sunday service will be on 6 October this year. Please do bring in your non-perishable food gifts, which will be distributed to good causes. We normally hold a village supper around that time in the school, to which everyone is welcome, so watch the notice boards for details of this.

On 13 October there will be a benefice confirmation service at Kingswood at 11.00. There will be some Charfield people being confirmed, so please come and give your support.

We held our usual successful plant sale in late May and takings were almost £900. Many thanks to Simon Farmer and all the other organisers of this. We also held a church fête on Saturday 14 June in the grounds of the church and the rectory. Rosemarie and the rest of the team worked fantastically hard arranging this and, very sensibly, had marquees and gazebos, as we had a torrential downpour at one point. We all had a great time despite the showers, with hot dogs and burgers vying with cakes and tea for our attention and lots of games for the kids, as well as stalls of plants, honey et al. It was really successful and donated almost £900 to church funds.

The day after the fête was Fathers' Day and we had a special family service at St John's. We had a really good attendance, with lots of dads and their children. It was a simple, but effective and really moving service, with people bringing in mementos and treasures relating to dads 12present on the day and to some, sadly, no longer with us.

I thought I'd introduce you to the clergy team over the next few issues. The Rector is Rev'd David Russell, working with him, and based in Charfield, is Rev'd Chris Mason. They are supported on some Sundays by Rev'd Alastair Kendall.

For this issue, I interviewed David Russell. David lives in the Rectory at Wickwar with his wife and three children. I asked David a series of questions.

[Photo: Rev David Russell]

QWhat was your background before ordination?
AI was in High Street banking. I like to make the distinction these days between that and the other kind of banking that seemed to get us into trouble!!!
QWhat prompted you to go for ordination?
AGod, I guess. But the first person to suggest to me that I should consider it was a good friend who happened to be an atheist! Never rule anyone out for what they do or don't believe!
QWhat do you enjoy most about being a parish priest?
AHelping people find the difference that God makes in their lives – Oh and school assemblies, weddings and baptisms are great fun too.
QHow long have you been at the Wickwar benefice old and new?
AWe arrived the day after St George's Day 1998. My last service at St George's Church Tuffley was the Scouts annual service. I was licensed here in May of that year.
QHow would you like the people of Charfield to view the church in their parish?
AAs one of the main focal points for the community; as a place to come for friendship and fellowship and support in times of need; As a place to celebrate life changing moments; as a place to find out that there is a loving God present in all our lives longing to be a part of who we are and what we are.
QWhat would be your message to Charfield?
AThe word church means literally ‘The Assembly of the people’, and so church is about us as a community. Whenever anyone takes part, or attends an occasion at St John's, they are part of ‘church’. And that kind of church has a lot to say to society about goodwill, life values, support, friendship and love. If anyone wants to find out more about the Christian faith and the reality of the God of love, then they are welcome to ask anyone from our congregation, the Rev'd Chris Mason or myself, and we will be glad to have a chat.

We aim to be a very welcoming church community and we are always pleased to see new people – please do make yourself known. Babies and children are welcome for baptism at any age and couples of all ages are warmly encouraged to talk to David or Chris about marriage at St John's. Also contact David or Chris if you would like to find out any more about confirmation.

See our notice board for a list of church services.

13People are sometimes nervous about coming to a communion service if they are not confirmed. Don't worry about this. You are still welcome to come to the altar rail for a blessing. If you keep your hands by your side to indicate that you are not taking the bread and wine, those taking the service will know to give you a blessing instead. Or you can just remain in your seat if you prefer. If you would like anyone to be included in the prayers, just write it in the Prayer Book at the back of Church or have a word with someone.

Don't forget the church is open every day for prayer or if you just want a quiet place for personal reflection. There are also books and the world's best jams and marmalades available.

Sue Thorn PCC member

Green Finger Volunteers Needed!

St John's Church are looking for volunteers to help us ensure that the successful May Plant Sale can continue next year.

We need people who can
• plant and nurture seedlings (preferably in a heated greenhouse)
• prick them out into individual pots

We can then pass them on to church members to tend until the Plant Sale (or you could continue with them yourself).
Seeds, compost, trays etc can be provided – what we lack are the growing conditions and the time and skill to ‘start them off’. We need help from January and you can take as many of as few seeds as you like.
Please contact Tracy on 0797142xxxx for more details.

Out of School Club

With just two weeks left before the end of the school year, the Out of School Club is gearing up for a fun packed summer holiday, filled with interesting activities for the children to enjoy. The staff have all worked extremely hard planning the Summer Programme. Our theme will be “Here comes the Summer” so let's hope the sun shines! There will be fun science, cooking, challenging crafts, using malleable materials and games challenges, team games and competition time.

If your child is interested in attending any of these sessions, please contact the club. Booking forms are now available for children but spaces are filling up fast, as we do take children from several surrounding schools. So book early to avoid disappointment!

There have been some exciting changes to the Foundation Rooms recently. The Committee, the Foundation Trust and the Pre School have been working in partnership to make some improvements to the Foundation Room with new flooring, a coat of paint, and new notice boards to display the children's work. So thank you to the Foundation Trust, the Pre-School and everyone who has supported us at our fundraising events.

We will be continuing our fundraising effort during the summer, when we shall be running Tortworth Lake Teas on Sunday August 4th. As many of you will know, the lake opens on the first Sunday of the month, from February to October, for visitors to enjoy a walk amongst its beautiful surroundings. Local organisations then have the opportunity to provide visitors with refreshments and we have managed to secure that chance on Sunday August 4th. Please put it on your calendars and we look forward to seeing you between 10am and 4pm on the first Sunday in August, hopefully with the sun shining!

14The club is still keen to recruit volunteers from the local area who would like to help in holiday times, either by showing the children a specific skill or hobby they enjoy or even if they just want to get involved with the activities already offered at the out of School club. We would love to hear from you. All volunteers would need to be aged 18+ and prepared to undergo an enhanced CRB check as is required for all individuals who work closely with children.

If you know of any new families who would like to use our service, both before and/or after school or during the school holidays, or, if you yourself would like to find out more, please contact us at the club. You can check us out by following the link form the school website: www.charfieldschool.org.uk. The club is open to children up to the age of 13, so even if your children are moving onto secondary school they are still welcome after school and in the holidays.

May we take this opportunity to wish everyone in the village a very happy and relaxing summer holiday, and say a huge thank you to everyone who continues to use the club, or who has supported us with our fundraising activities.

Good luck to all our families with children who are moving on to other schools and to our student play workers who will be leaving the club and be off to university soon, thank you for all your hard work. We hope to see lots of new, as well as some familiar faces, in the autumn. Finally a big thank you to the staff – Pat, Georgina, Jo, and Anne for continuing to make the club an outstanding facility for our village.

The Out of School Club Committee

From Your Local Councillor

Austerity continues to dominate the Public and Private sectors as everyone attempts to make savings and efficiencies to meet shrinking budgets. This was manifested recently when First Bus Company decided to cancel the 311 service with four weeks' notice as the service was considered unviable, there is no doubt that it is not a heavily used service but for the people that use, the 311 is an essential and vital service and the only public transport to Thornbury. It is also the service that changes to the 309 to Cribbs Causeway, if we could not maintain it then it was essential that we replace it.

A campaign was launched to either save or replace the service. As the service commences in Dursley via Wotton there was also a vested interest across the County border and South Gloucestershire Council in collaboration with Gloucester County Council raised an emergency tender to subsidise the funding of this service for the next year. It would be a tragedy to lose the only public transport link to Thornbury and as the service will be reviewed next year, I have made representations ahead of the review that this service must be maintained or replaced with an alternative viable service.

The quest for efficiency continues within the Council as all departments look to make savings, with no increase in the Council Tax and a further reduction in funding from central Government there is pressure on everyone to make savings. The council has attempted to make internal savings that do not impact on front line services, however I did mention in the last issue about the waste strategy consultation that may look to make a charge for the green bins. Another strategy that is being consulted on at the moment is a reduction to street scene services; this will consist of where flower beds were planted or hanging baskets placed this service will discontinue. There will also be a reduction to grass cutting services, this will be particularly noticeable on the highways were it is 15planned to cut the verges twice a year. Amenity spaces will not be affected as much and the Parish and Town Councils will be able to buy back some of the services from the Council. These are particularly difficult decisions for all Parish Councils as they impact on everyone.

An item of particular local interest is the development at the corner of Little Bristol Lane. I attended the opening event for this development on the 12th June and by the time you read this they will be complete and ready for occupation, this area has raised concern during its construction and I feel most were worried about the levels and highway safety, the retaining wall is now in place and been approved and the developers are on the last phase of the site. I know that many are interested in some of the facts and figures of this site which are, the homes have been constructed to code 3 sustainable homes standard and lifetime homes compliance. The development and management of the homes will be by Knightstone Housing Association who is similar to Merlin and the cost of the project was £799,993 with £674,993 from private finance and £125,000 from the Homes and Communities Agency.

There are 3 two bedroom homes and 2 three bedroom homes, 1 two bed for social rent and the others for affordable rent, the difference in social rent and affordable rent, for a two bed house £101pw social £121pw affordable. There is no doubt that there is a need for developments such as this, with the difficulties in the housing market it is essential that we continue to provide affordable rented homes for our young people in the rural area to sustain the community.

Last but not least the Broadband project, I am pleased to report that good progress is being made on this subject with the roll out about to start with the laying of fibre cable. The first communities to benefit will be Wick and Pucklechurch who will be able to order the new broadband service from next Spring. Unfortunately due to the economics, geography and various other factors it is not able to prioritise areas, however I will attempt to get an estimate where Charfield is on the schedule for the next issue.

John O'Neill

Safer & Stronger Community Groups

[Graphic: Safer & Stronger Community Groups]

Would you like to make your area a better place to live, work and play?
Then why not get involved with your local Safer Stronger Community Group?
It works with the Council, Town Council, Police, Fire & Rescue and Health Authority to do just that.

You can:
• come along to a meeting
• find out what's happening in your area
• go on-line at: http://####.southglos.gov.uk.
• call your Community Engagement Officer on 01454 86xxxx
• email: xxxx @ southglos.gov.uk

The next meeting for the Charfield, Cromhall and Tortworth:

Thursday 1st August 2013, 7.30 pm, Cromhall Chapel, Cromhall

One of the agenda items for the above meeting is Information on funding opportunities for local groups.

16

I Rule the World

Beneath the canopy of rustling green,
That casts cool shade upon the emerald ley,
I sleep and dream, and in those dreams –
– Dreams that are forbidden when sleep is gone,
I rule the World, and say to those who rape and kill,
And laugh at pain and tears,
“Laugh no more; the burning stake shall rid the World –
– Of those who make the peaceful cry”.

Beneath the canopy of rustling green,
That casts cool shade upon the emerald ley,
I sleep and dream, and in those dreams –
Dreams that are forbidden when sleep is
gone, I rule the World, and say to those oppressed –
“Fear not, go forth in joy,
For you are they now blessed”.

Beneath the canopy of rustling green,
That casts cool shade upon the emerald ley,
I sleep and dream, and in those dreams,
Dreams that are forbidden when sleep is gone,
I rule the World, but only in the yearnings of my mind.
When sleep is gone, so to the dreams –
But why can't they who rule when wide awake,
Enforce the laws that all should keep –
As I do when dreaming in my sleep.

Ken Parker

Village Housing Survey 2013

EVERY HOUSEHOLD COULD HELP TO IMPACT FUTURE DEVELOPMENT IN CHARFIELD

The Housing Enabling Department at South Gloucestershire Council are working in conjunction with Charfield Parish Council and the Village Plan Steering Group in order to undertake an independent housing needs survey for the parish of Charfield. Look out for your questionnaire!

This survey now allows the collection of data on housing need in the parish in a more formal and robust format that will be acceptable to South Gloucestershire Council when considering any future development proposals. Please be aware that no personal information that could identify your household will be shared with the Parish Council or Village Plan Group. The information on income and savings are key to determining if any new affordable homes are required to meet local housing need. Affordability in housing terms is determined by comparing a household's income with the cost of meeting their housing needs in the local market. This can only be done if we have information on both the type and size of home you need to move into AND what income you have to pay for it.

The Parish Council is fully supportive of this survey and has played a key role in helping to develop and plan the questions. This piece of research will complement the work recently carried by the Village Plan Steering Group (see extract from plan below) and was one of the actions highlighted that needed to be worked on by the Parish Council when the plan was adopted earlier in the year.

Any new development should be small scale, carefully integrated and in keeping with the village. It should also be appropriate to meet local needs. People considered that affordable housing, 1 or 2 bed houses or flats, bungalows and sheltered accommodation were needed in the village. Larger detached houses were not considered necessary.

The deadline for returning the survey will be Monday 30th September 2013. You 17can post the form back to South Gloucestershire Council in the pre-paid envelope provided or you can bring it along to the Community Consultation event being held in the Sportsmans Lounge of Memorial Hall on Friday 20th September. This will be an opportunity to find out more about the survey and ask any questions you may have on the delivery of affordable homes in Charfield. Please drop-in and speak to representatives from the Parish Council, Village Plan Steering Group and South Gloucestershire Council, any time between 3.30pm–7pm.

If you have any queries about the survey when you receive it you can also contact Tracey Price from Housing Enabling Services on 01454 86xxxx or e-mail xxxx @ southglos.gov.uk Hannah Saunders – Parish Clerk on 01454 29xxxx or email clerk @ charfieldparishcouncil.org.uk Sue Simmons – Village Plan Steering Group email xxxx @ gmail.com

Friends of Charfield School

Hello from The Friends! I am delighted to be able to announce that it is official – CHARFEST 2013 ROCKED!!!!

Earlier this year the committee decided that it was time that we tried organising a new event to replace the traditional May Fair and so Charfest was born! It was clear both on the day and from the hugely positive feedback I have received after the event that it was a real success, not only financially but also in bringing the Charfield community together and celebrating the school. In addition to the three fantastic bands, GPS Rocks, The Press and The Echoes additional entertainment was provided by talented Charfield School pupils including guitar and flute solos. The children really enjoyed the fun fair rides, with the grown-ups enjoying the hog roast as well as liquid refreshment from the bar!

As I write the final figure for the amount of money Charfest raised is just over £1400 which is a fantastic result! This money will help go towards our continued efforts to raise enough money to fund the second phase of the replacement of the adventure playground equipment.

As with any event its success relies on those people who give up their time to volunteer and get involved. I would like to say a huge THANK YOU to those hardworking committee members and helpers who worked tirelessly to help make this event such a success, in addition I would like to thank the school staff for all of their support and help on the day as well as all of those local businesses who generously supported the event and donated raffles prizes on the day. Look out for Charfest 2014!!!

In addition to reporting on the success of our most recent event I am also pleased to be able to report that The Friends have been successful in their application to Charfield Parish Council for a community grant in the sum of £1,000.00. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the parish council on behalf of The Friends for awarding this grant, these funds will be invaluable in helping us raise the funds needed to undertake the works on the adventure playground mentioned above.

Whilst writing I wanted to remind you of our The Friends Easy Fund Raising initiative. The way that it works is that when doing your online shopping, rather than going to that company's own website, you access it through the easyfrundraising.co.uk link and by doing this that company commits to donate a percentage of what you spend to The Friends. It couldn't be simpler to get involved – you will need to register using this link

18www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/friendsofcharfieldschool.

If you are reading this and want to get involved in The Friends then it could not be easier! Come along to the next committee meeting, you will be made most welcome, new committee members are always needed, but it doesn't matter if you can't help on a regular basis, there are always little jobs that can be done from home – it may even be a money raising idea you have, if so we would love to hear from you!

Finally, I would like to say a very big thank you to everyone who has worked with and supported the Friends.

Tim Skuse
Chair – The Friends of Charfield Primary School 01454 26xxxx

1st Woodend Scout Group

I didn't manage to get a report ready for the last CHADRA as we had just got back from Malta and we were all exhausted. It was a very successful trip, 38 Scouts and 7 leaders, we renewed our friendships with the Fgura Scouts and made friends and swapped kneckies with the Dingle Scouts while we were out go karting.

I found out just before leaving the UK that the newly appointed Group Scout Leader for the Fgura Scouts has visited us three times during his Scouting days and he had just realized that we were the actual group that he visited, so photos were swapped along with memories of leaders and Scouts from the past. We're hoping to share a Brownsea Island camp with them next year. We left the UK in snow and blizzards to sunshine and warmth, but left Malta unusually for them in the rain.

We have just held our AGM at Avening Green with the sun coming out just at the right time. Activity badges were awarded along with the top awards for each section, the Bronze Silver and Gold Chief Scouts awards. The Beavers, Cubs and Scouts have all been working hard for the ultimate Chief Scout's Award, and we're very proud to have such dedicated young people.

Of course we do need Leaders to assist them through this journey and at the moment we have some top quality leaders, both full and part time. Although just recently it was pointed out to me that out of our 19 leaders only 2 of those actually have young people in the group and 2 have a young person in explorers. The question is what would happen if these lovely people decided to retire from Scouting? Believe me it is easier to join in a successful section than have to take over when there is a lack of leaders, at the moment jobs would be divided and years of experience shared. So now is the time to join!

This term we are losing three of our leaders, Karen Muir (Beavers) has had to leave due to an increased work load, it's hard to commute from Glasgow to Tuesday Beavers! Jean Legood (Chil) is joining her son and his family in Trowbridge and Catherine Marsden (Baloo) is relocating to Sheffield. We will miss all three however I am pleased to report that Dan Rickwood has just attended his appointments meeting to become an Assistant Scout Leader, Allison Trueman (Squirrel) has been helping out at Beavers, Julie Ashford (Rama), a previous leader of ours, has asked to return for a September start filling Jean's position and Wesley Price has agreed to be her assistant, so many thanks to them.

Since I became GSL, I've enjoyed working with Executive Committee members who have been efficient, friendly and positive thinking, it also helps if they are parents of members in the group. We have recently lost Bryan 19Wright who has retired from Scouting after many, many years and Hilary Wignall as Subs Secretary, we're very grateful to both of them for all of their hard work for the group. At the AGM we were fortunate enough to have apparent volunteer for the Group Treasurer's role and all of our parent representative places on the committee were filled.

Through all the leadership and exec changes the sections plough on through their exciting programmes and on to the end of term which will be really exciting as the Cubs are holding a Hawaiian themed camp, with good weather, flowery leis, fruit cocktails and a bit of hula dancing what could be finer! They don't even need a passport.

Finally, we have a couple of jobs for some carpenters? Extending some cupboards in our main hall and creating cupboards and worktops in our office, we did have a company prepared to do the work but staff has been made redundant and they can no longer provide their labour. If you are willing to give us a fair quote and are able to work over the summer please can you give me a ring on 07899 98xxxx.

Yours in Scouting

Sandra Carnegie
Group Scout Leader

Charfield Memorial Hall

Things continue to be very busy in and around the hall. Recently we have started to get stuck into our rolling 2 year improvement plan for the hall. With the help of the Village Plan data and the support of the Parish Council, we hope to be able to continue to modernise the building inside and out over the next few years. Hopefully you have already noticed the new external lights (some of the local vandals certainly have!) and more improvements should follow soon.

Fundraising continues to be a key part of hall activity, to back up the money secured through grants. To this end we have a number of events planned towards the back end of the year;

Fascinating Rhythm – a local ladies a cappella singing group in October
Cash in the Attic – an antiques valuation evening also in October
Charfield Talent Show – running throughout November
A Rural Arts Puppet Show for the young and not so young in December

Please look out for details advertising these events and tickets around the village in the next few months.

The new 200 Club year started a few months back and we still have some numbers available. The cost is just £1 a month and we have a prize draw every month and a bigger draw each quarter. Again this raises valuable money for the hall, so please get in touch if you do not yet have a number but would be interested in having one (or even two!)

On to another kind of help – it looks as if we will soon be looking for a new Bar Manager and a new Caretaker at the hall. Both these roles are paid and would suit, perhaps, a more mature local person with a few hours a week to put into serving the local community. The roles may suit a couple, two individuals or could be combined for the right candidate. Again do please get in touch if you would be interested in either of the roles.

Finally, as ever, the usual plea. We are always looking for new committee members to boost our numbers and bring fresh enthusiasm and ideas. The time required is really as much or as little as you can give. If you are reading this, the 20chances are you live in the village and use and enjoy the facilities that the hall & field can offer. Why not put something back? Go on you might even enjoy it!

Thank you,
Tim Hill – Chair


Would you like to advertise your business for just £5? At Charfield Memorial Hall

In November's “Charfield's Got Talent” we will be holding Heat stages and a Grand Finale. This is the perfect opportunity to advertise your business!!
We will be running (on all nights) a rolling slide show of Advert's which could include your business all for just £5. If you are interested please contact Liam on 01453 29xxxx or xxxx @ gmail.com or Margaret on 01454 26xxxx

Pre-School

Xmas Shopping Evening
Friday 18th October
Charfield Memorial Hall
6:30pm – 10:00pm

A huge variety of hand-crafted goods & great gift ideas!

FREE ADMISSION
GREAT STALLS …
COME FOR A BROWSE …
BRING A FRIEND!

In aid of Charfield Pre-School, reg. charity no. 1029832

Charfield School

[Graphic: Charfield School]

Working together …
Learning for life

OFSTED UPDATE
Our third HMI visit took place at the end of January, which concluded we were making adequate progress. In the current OFSTED monitoring system this was the best outcome achievable. We were again pleased that the inspector recognised the significant improvements the school had made again since the previous January monitoring inspection.
The report was very complimentary and recognised the high levels of pupil's knowledge, skills and understanding. HMI also agreed with the school & Local Authority findings that the quality of lessons and teaching had developed further yet again with vast majority Lessons graded as good or outstanding.
Once again our pupil's behaviour in and out of class was exemplary.
We anticipate a further Local Authority before the end of the year and HMI will again in the next visit in Summer Term and the will also perform their own review of the school.

STAFF NEWS
At the end of this year we will be saying farewell to Mr Curtis (our school caretaker), Mrs England (School Meals Supervisor) and Miss Wiltshire (Y4–5 teacher).
All three have made a great impact on Charfield. Miss Wiltshire has been a teacher with us since 2008 when she joined Charfield as a Newly Qualified Teacher. She has been an inspirational Art Leader. Many of our art pieces have been created under her watchful eye. We wish her every success in her new school.
21Mrs England has been a lunchtime source of support and kindness to our children for over 6 years. Helen has really thrown herself into school life, being a driving force behind the school's Friends committee for many years.
Mr Curtis' skills and knowledge of the fabric of Charfield School will be missed. He has updated and maintained our school for almost 4 years, saving us impressive amounts of school budget in the process. As with Helen Scott has been a valuable ‘Friend’ for many years.

CHARFIELD COMPETES
Area Sports – Saturday 29th June

Charfield School competed in Area Sports at Yate Sports Centre in a fun, but competitive event in which approximately 40 schools entered. We were represented by a number of children from throughout the school. The children made both Mrs Cornelius and Mrs Hill very proud!

Football – Gary Davis & Mrs Tyler continue to provide training and matches for our school football team. The team has gone from strength to strength and show great skill. The latest match against Kingswood resulted in a 6–1 win. Well done and congratulations to the team. Thank you to all the parents and friends who come and support the matches it is much appreciated. Also, a huge thank you to Gary Davis for giving his time every week to coach the team.

Chess Team – Mr Crocker's Chess Team have continued to meet weekly and play against other schools whenever possible. Our latest match against St Pauls (Yate) will be the last match of this year's tournament. The team have tried really and have had some really difficult matches to play. Although we did not beat any schools (this year anyway) individual players own their games very successfully. We plan to continue chess in September and will need to keep our existing players if they want to carrying representing Charfield at chess. We will get better and hope to beat a lot more schools in the new season.

Learning at Charfield
Grasshopper class (Y2) looked at events around the Great Fire of London. The class have written Newspaper reports. The extract below comes from Phoenix M. I absolutely love the start of his second paragraph

London was lit like a candle. It set fire to lots of other things. The giant fire was ten feet high.
The blazing fire spat out splinters of wood. Samuel Pepys was a witness; he said “The fire was horrifying!”
Currently the people of London are living in tents because their houses are being re-built.

Ladybird Class
(Year 4)

The Ladybirds have been working on creating good quality sentences. We have been learning to look at our word choices and to decide whether they make sense. This contribution comes from Rianna F

[Child's letter]

22

Fascinating Rhythm

[Graphic: Charfield Memorial Hall & Playing Fields]

Are very pleased to welcome

FASCINATING RHYTHM

A Local, AWARD WINNING Ladies A Capella Chorus

Plus

Rhythmix – who will be performing as an octet.

When: Saturday 5th October doors open 7pm for start at 7.30pm

Where: Charfield Memorial Hall, Wotton Road, Charfield

How Much: Adults £7, Children/OAP's £5, Group Table Ticket (8 Adult's) £50, Light Refreshments Available

DON'T MISS OUT, TICKETS WILL SELL FAST!

IF YOU NEED MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT MARGARET ON 01454 26xxxx

Girlguiding News

1st Charfield Rainbows
Monday 4.15pm–5.15pm at Charfield Village Hall, for girls 5 years–7 years old.
This term we have been looking at bugs and plants. We've been out on the playing field looking at all the different kinds we could find and created our very own tally chart.
We are currently looking for a new leader and a helper for 1st Charfield Rainbows due to the leader leaving. This will be to start in September. All helpers must be 18+ years old.
If you know anyone that has an hour to spare for the rainbows group on a Monday please contact Emma on 0789192xxxx or xxxx @ hotmail.co.uk

2nd Charfield Brownies
Tuesday at Charfield Village Hall, for girls 7 years–10 years old.
We are finishing the term by having a picnic at Berkeley Deer Park, and a day out to the wetlands. We have a space in September and some more available at Christmas so if you have a daughter coming up to 7, please call to put her name down.
We are in need of more helpers if anyone is interested?
We meet Tuesdays term time from 5.30pm–7pm.
Leader Nicki Brain: mobile 0774311xxxx or xxxx @ msn.com

2nd Wotton Guides
Thursday 7.30pm–9pm at Wotton Baptist Hall (Autumn Term) for girls 10 years–14 years old.
We started the term with our performance of “Where the Wild Guides Go” at Wotton Town Hall, the girls had a great time on stage and earned their Performance Badge, as well as donating £87 to Cancer Research. We made sweets and brownies to sell at KLB fair to raise funds for the train fare for our Summer camp in the New Forest. We will be ending term with a BBQ and practising putting up tents, and a trip to Cattle Country. Next term we will be back at Wotton Baptist Hall.
The unit currently has 36 girls and the waiting list is full too, so we are in need of some more helpers, it doesn't have to be every week, and you don't need to go into uniform unless you want to! But if you could spare some time on a Thursday evening please email Sarah Cocker on xxxx @ hotmail.com

23If you would like your daughter to join Girlguiding UK please contact the relevant leader, or go to http://www.girlguiding.org.uk /get Involved/register your Daughter.


[Graphic: Girlguiding UK]

Come and join Girlguiding in Wotton and Charfield Roles available:

If so, contact us on xxxx @ hotmail.co.uk

visit xxxx.btck.co.uk

follow us on Twitter – @xxxx

A Cry For The Fields Of Charfield

In the year 2023
Where will we walk, you and me?
To a housing estate, sparkling and new;
That's where we'll walk, me and you.

In the year 2025
Not a blade of grass or a hedgerow alive.
“Who needs a field?” is the cry.
Come to the shops, come in and buy.

Where are the animals that once roamed so free?
Gone for ever as the flowers and the tree.
Big business and money now are the thing.
Money is power and power is king.
Thirty years on we'll join up with Yate,
A concrete jungle of a housing estate.
Is this what you want? Oh, I hope it's not true.
Or where will we walk, me and you?

Submitted by a local resident.

Charfield's Got Talent

Reg. Charity – 301482

Newark Park Volunteers

Here at Newark Park National Trust we are looking for new smiley, happy, keen volunteers to help us in our wonderful historic house. Great new volunteer places available on Fridays and Saturdays only.

If your readership may be interested in these openings and you have a little space could you pop a note in your newsletter just to say that we are looking for anybody with a passion and interest for history, quirky houses or the National Trust. No previous experience necessary. If they would like to get involved for a few hours either on Fridays or Saturdays they would be most 24welcome and they do not have to commit to every week, just when they are available.

For more info about the role and to arrange a visit they can call us on 01453 84xxxx. We'd love to get some new and local faces on board this summer!

Best wishes,
Beth Taylor
Visitor Experience Assistant

Thornbury Town Band Needs You

Thornbury Town Band is a long established brass band based in Thornbury, South Gloucestershire. Rehearsals are on a Tuesday evening at the United Reformed Church in Thornbury from 7:30–9:30.

We play a wide range of music from Film music, Pop songs and Classic brass band numbers. We cater for all abilities and ages ranging from 15 to 80!

BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP.
Unfortunately we have lost a large number of members due to relocations for work or university. If you or someone you know would be interested in joining, either playing a brass instrument or percussion we would love to hear from you and together we can keep Thornbury Town Band going.

We are a friendly band and welcome all players to come along to rehearsals to have a blow.

So, please get in touch. You can contact our secretary, Anna Davies: 01454 63xxxx/0796000xxxx or email: xxxx @ gmail.com or just turn up at a rehearsal, we'd be thrilled to see you. www.####.com

Charity Fun Day

Saturday 3rd August 2013 – Charfield Village Hall

From 10am to 10.30am (Staggered Start) Family Treasure Hunt £1.50 per family

Get the kids out and about, with a scavenger hunt on the way …

**** Prizes to be won ****
Free mini cupcake for every child when they get back!

10am to 12.30pm – Coffee Morning and Homemade Cake Stall
Drop in for a cup of coffee and a piece of homemade cake
Or – Why not come along and buy a cake for the weekend.

7pm – A “Through the Decades Quiz” and 70's Memory Meal

A lighthearted, fun quiz with 8 rounds from the 40's to the 21st Century £15 per head includes entry to the quiz and a 3-course meal
Tickets for the quiz and supper obtainable from:
Steve's Shop, Avon Road Charfield
Kopperz Hair Studio
The Edge Coffee Shop, Wotton

All proceeds are going to the Beresford Women's Refuge, founded in 1976; Beresford is the only independent facility of its kind in the area and offers a safe place to stay for women and children who are the victims of any type of domestic abuse. Registered Charity Number: 284607

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[Advert for Well Fed Birds]

[Advert for Oak Tree Nursery]

#[Advert for Kopperz]

[Advert for Cotswold Edge Carpets]

[Advert for Tune Valley Studio]

[Advert for Salsadem]

[Advert for Ovenu]

#

Diary Dates

August
1st Safer Stronger Comm. Groups 7.30 Cromhall Chapel
3rd Charity Fun Day at Village Hall Women's Refuge Charity various times
4th Out of School Club Tortworth Teas 10–4
14th Mobile Library
17th Snr Citizens Lunch Congregational Church 12 o'clock
28th Mobile Library
31st Congregational Church Open Day 10–4pm

September
10th Full Council Meeting Village Hall
11th Mobile Library
20th Drop In Community Consultation @ Village Hall 3.30–7pm
25th Mobile Library
29th Gnome Hunt 2pm start @ Village Hall

October
4th Closing date for entries of Charfield's Got Talent
5th Fascinating Rhythm 7pm at Village Hall
6th Harvest Festival St John's Church
6th Last date for submissions to the autumn edition of CHADRA
8th Full Council Meeting Village Hall
9th Mobile Library
11th/12th CADS perform More Tea Vicar Village Hall 7.30
18th Pre-School Xmas Shopping Event Village Hall 6.30–10pm
23rd Mobile Library
24th Cash in the Attic at Village Hall 8pm With Philip Taubenheim of Wotton Auction Rooms. Village Hall run event.

Advance notice of the Parish Council litter pick, this will take place on 9th November 10am–2pm

Village Hall Regular Activities

Mondays
Rainbows4.15–5.15pmEmma Taylor
Aerobics6.30–7.30Claire Adams
Boot Camp8.00–9.00David Parslow
Tuesdays
Keep Fit10–11Christine Parfitt
Brownies4.30–6.30Nicki Brain
Parish Council Meetings7.30 2nd Tuesday of the monthHannah Saunders – Parish Clerk
Wednesdays
Luncheon Club12–2pm every 4th WednesdayAnn Hyland
Circuit Training6.30–7.30pmClaire Adams
Football Training6.30–8.30Jeremy Lewis
Thursdays
Zumba6.30–7.15Andrea Benson
Girl Guides (certain times)7.30–9pmCathy Bindon
Fridays
Charfield Little Stars Toddler Group10–11.30amEmma/Alex
Ruth Osborne School of Dance
(from Sept)
3pm–5pmMandy Osborne
Weekends
Football Club Games – all age rangesIn seasonJeremy Lewis / Nigel Cloke (Juniors) / Jas Landa (35+)
Cricket Club MatchesIn seasonNick Hunt

CUT OUT THIS PAGE AND PIN IT TO YOUR NOTICEBOARD

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Village Organisations

If you wish to alter the entries below, please telephone Isabel on 01454 26xxxx
or email xxxx @ gmail.com

British Legion
David Millman (Hon Sec) 01454 26xxxx

CADS (Charfield Amateur Dramatics Group)
Steve Picking 07583 56xxxx

Charfield Pre-School
Debra Davidson (Manager/Admissions) 07966 61xxxx
Email:- xxxx @ gmail.com
Katherine Edwards (Chair) 01454 26xxxx

Charfield Primary School
Dafydd Lawday 01454 26xxxx

Childminders
Hazel Stone 01454 26xxxx

Church – Congregational
Nicky Lanyi 01454 26xxxx

Church – St. John's
Rev Chris Mason

Council – Charfield Parish
Hannah C Saunders (Clerk) 01454 29xxxx
Email clerk @ charfieldparishcouncil.co.uk

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

Cricket Club
Chris Shearwood 01454 77xxxx

Crimestoppers 0800 555 111

Friends of Charfield Primary School
Tim Skuse (Chair) 01454 26xxxx

Foundation Room
Bryan Grantham 01454 26xxxx

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 www.charfield.org
Chairman Tim Hill 01454 26xxxx

Newsletter – See inside front cover

Out of School Club
Pat Loveridge 01454 26xxxx or 07816 23xxxx

K L B School FRIENDS
Sally-Anne Barnes 01453 84xxxx
Email xxxx @ tiscali.co.uk

Police (if not a 999 call)
Call Handling Centre 0845 456xxxx
Thornbury Police station 10:00–14:00 0117 945 xxxx Weekdays only
Following are strictly non urgent and not reporting crime
PC Lee Bainbridge voicemail 0117 945 xxxx
PC Lee Bainbridge mobile 07919 62xxxx
PCSO Hayley Harrison mobile 07825 38xxxx
PCSO Sean McKinnon 07825 38xxxx

Round Table – Wotton and District
John Francksen (Hon Sec) 01453 84xxxx

GUIDING:
Rainbows – 1st Charfield
Emma Taylor 0789192xxxx
Brownies – 2nd Charfield
Nicki Brain 0774311xxxx
Email xxxx @ msn.com
Guides – 2nd Wotton
Sarah Cocker 0778685xxxx
District Commissioner
Kathryn Schofield 01453 52xxxx

Tae Kwon Do
Andy Reynolds 07909 92xxxx

Tennis Club
Tony Field 0787703xxxx

Transport Scheme – Elderly and Housebound
Marion Smith 01454 26xxxx

1st WOODEND SCOUT GROUP
Beavers
Tues 6.15–7.15pm Tina Rickwood 01454 29xxxx
Cubs
Wed 6.30–8.00pm Julie Ashford 01454 26xxxx
Thurs 6.30–8.00pm Jean Legood 07877 15xxxx
Scouts
Mon 6.30–8.30pm Mike Rickwood 01454 29xxxx
Tues 7.00–9.00pm Peter Carnegie 01454 26xxxx
Explorers
Thurs 7.30–9.30pm Kevin Watson 07980 27xxxx
Group Scout Leader Sandra Carnegie 01454 26xxxx
AGSL (waiting lists) Allison Trueman 01454 26xxxx


Transcriber Notes

This issue was produced on 34 sides of A4 paper.

Personal phone numbers and addresses have been redacted.

Minor typographical corrections and presentational changes have been made without comment.

Digitization by Brendan O'Connor.

Last update: 2018-03-18.