CHADRA

Charfield and District Residents Association

Newsletter 116 – July 2004 – 25p

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

Copyright © Charfield and District Residents Association 2004.


Contents

Editorial
Production Team
Cover Story
Memorial Hall
Crying in the Chapel
RABBITT Recycling
Nibley House Nursery
1st Woodend Scout Group (Fury's Own)
Tae Kwon Do
Katherine Lady Berkeley PTA
The Friends of Charfield School
Marilyn's Bit
Charfield Pre-School
Welcome Transportation
Police Report
The Bottom Line
Charfield Parish Council
Edinburgh Marathon 2004
Congregational Church
Charfield Primary School
St. John's Church
The Duke Of Edinburgh's Award In Kenya
Charfield Out of School Club
Neighbourhood Watch
Rainbows
100 Issues Ago
Charfield Diary
Village Organisations


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[Graphic: Huntingford Mill]

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Editorial

Thanks, as always, to our contributors for getting their articles to us promptly. We hope everyone enjoyed the Village Fayre, we weren't able to be there but, by all accounts, it was a big success.

Whatever you are doing this summer we wish you much fun and merriment. Just to let you know it's only 10 weeks until the next CHADRA copy date and only 21 weeks to Christmas – is it time to put the sprouts on yet?!

To pass a minute – some illusions for you!

[Graphic: A Rabbit … Or a Duck? hint: the duck is looking left, the rabbit is looking right]

[Graphic: A Face Of A Native American … Or An Eskimo?]

Regards, Geoff and Hilary Wignall

Production Team

Joan CrowfootVice-Chairman, Newsletter Advertising & Duplicatingxx, Wotton Road
01453 84xxxx
Stephen DrinkwaterSecretary, Newsletter Copy Chasingx Hawthorne Close
01454 26xxxx
Barbara AdamsTreasurerxxxx, Wotton Road
01454 26xxxx
Marion & Angela SmithNewsletter Collation and Distributionxxx Manor Lane
01454 26xxxx
xxxx @ asmiths.freeserve.co.uk
Hilary & Geoff WignallNewsletter Productionx Berkeley Close
01454 26xxxx xxxx @ Breathemail.net
Sue ThornVillage Profilesxxxx Cottage, Little Bristol Lane.
01454 29xxxx
xxxx @ endocrinology.org

Next Copy Date – 12th October 2004

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Cover Story

After the deluge of submissions we received from the Cubs for the last issue your contributions for the front cover picture have dried up. Nevertheless we are, once again, very grateful to Derek Leahy for coming up with another fantastic drawing for us.

Huntingford Mill is the subject of this, his latest contribution. Many thanks Derek – your prize will be with you soon.

The school summer holidays are upon us now so lots of you young people out there must have at least a little spare time on your hands. Why not give it a go, get out pen and paper and see if you can be our cover artist for the October Issue.

To remind you, as always, the subject is “Me and My Village” – drawings should be in black and white and no bigger than 16cm square. A prize is given to the published artist.

Memorial Hall

The Village Hall Committee is looking for a Secretary to take Minutes at the monthly meetings and deal with general correspondence. Honorarium – £240.00 per annum. Interested? Call Pat Brice 01454 26xxxx.

Monthly Draw

MAY
120V Bateman£25.00
147Y Kershaw£10.00
177V Cole£10.00
150H Griffiths£10.00
 
JUNE
116Mrs W Stevens£25.00
248Mrs B Pestell£10.00
153Mrs V Vlietstra£10.00
224Mrs A Lloyd£10.00

Crying in the Chapel

I had occasion one Sunday in May, to visit the old Chapel or Congregational Church in Charfield. My neighbours' husband was giving the service that day and in order to support him (and her) I'd agreed to go along and hear him speak. He was good, though that's not the point of this article.

The fact is that never before had I seen the interior of the Chapel. I'd passed its rather dreary exterior frequently – had been inside two of its rooms once when my youngest child was about to begin at the Play Group which then relocated to the Foundation Room – but I'd never been in the Chapel before.

The Service had been held in one of the rooms previously used by the playgroup, since the roof of the Chapel itself is deemed unsafe, so all Services are now held in a room adjacent.

Following the Service I wandered into the Chapel, curious to see it. What a surprise I had! Reminiscent of a Tardis – one has no idea that it's as big inside as it is – I was amazed at how beautiful it is. Huge arched windows make the interior spacious, light and airy. The old fashioned pews are wood: each has gilt numbers embossed on them, reminiscent of the days when members of the congregation had their own numbered pew where they sat each week.

The organ, to the right of the altar, is a picture of turquoise blue and even to my uneducated eye, a work of art. There were plaques dotted around on the walls; though as it was all closed off I wasn't able to read them, which was disappointing, as obviously they'd been put there for a reason. What was even more charming was the balcony overlooking the main Chapel, not forgetting the short aisle that countless 4brides must have walked up. It would have looked wonderful!

It was a bit like looking into a time warp, yet having said that it didn't seem old or musty, just absolutely lovely – but with a gaping hole in its ceiling.

How sad, I thought, that the roof hasn't been repaired and that the main body of the Chapel has been out of use now for over two years. When I enquired about why this sorry state has continued for so long, I was told that apparently the whole of the roof needs to be rebuilt rather than just mending the small hole that shows, and that two years ago the cost was estimated at £40,000.

The Chapel is administered by a group of Trustees, whose function apparently is to care for the Chapel. I began making enquiries as to why nothing appears to have been done about the unhappy state of this beautiful building. Contact with one of them was difficult; he was uncooperative to say the least. The other Trustee I contacted appeared to have little idea of what was going on, (or if he did he wasn't telling me – but at least he was polite!) That, I'm afraid, seems to be that.

Have I missed out on something? Has an appeal been made that I am unaware of? I don't think so.

The Chapel roof will not miraculously (though one never knows) mend itself. I believe passionately that it would be a crime to let it stay as it is now, forgotten by all but a tiny congregation, and eventually collapse so that the whole building perishes. Charfield is a small village and we live in a time of dwindling Church attendances. We have St. Johns Church to worship in and visit throughout our life's milestones. We also have the now derelict St. James Church on the hill overlooking Charfield. How many places of worship do we need? I don't know, but soon we won't have the choice.

I have spoken to several Charfield residents about the Chapel and found that many people have old family links, which is hardly surprising, as the Chapel was built in 1854 and extended some years later. The graveyard is full of interesting tombstones.

The Chapel is beautiful: it deserves to be resurrected and preserved. I urge those of you who have never been inside to go and see it. I am convinced that I won't be the only one to see its beauty and want to do something about it.

V. P. Norman.

RABBITT Recycling

Local Charfield based company Rabbitt Recycling Limited (incorporating Worktwice Marketing) has attained the prestigious Investors in People (IIP) Recognition. With support from John Day of Gloucestershire Business Link, the company was one of the first in the county to attain the award using the “Laurel on Line” internet based system.

The achievement is the result of a concerted team effort over many months ably led by IIP Manager Bella Warren who, on behalf of the company, received the award at a recent Investors in People Awards Evening at Cheltenham.

Nibley House Nursery

Nibley House Nursery have had a very busy summer term. The children (and parents) have seen some of our sheep on the farm have a haircut, we have seen foals and chicks, we have had visits from the road safety officer and the reception teacher from Charfield school (which was we hope beneficial to all our Charfield children who will be starting school in September).

5We had our summer trip in early June to Court Farm Country Park in Banwell, Weston super Mare where we enjoyed feeding the animals, tractor rides and lots of fun in the soft play areas. There was the small matter of a Steam Rally going on next door which thrilled the children to see Steam Engines trundling past the window.

We also had a visit from Ofsted. We are very pleased that we attained an extremely good review with top marks and lots of encouraging remarks.

To finish the term, topics include ‘Getting Ready for School Week’ which we hope will make the transition of our children to school that bit easier. We are also holding an end of term party in the grounds on the last day of term – Wednesday 21st July from 1.00pm–3.00pm – all are welcome.

Places are available for the new term in September. If anyone is interested, please contact Debbie Eley on (01453) 54xxxx or the Nursery direct on (01453) 51xxxx.

1st Woodend Scout Group (Fury's Own)

The Cub Section were surprised to see their pictures and names in the last issue of CHADRA and were even more surprised at the wonderful prizes they were given and thank everyone concerned. I think they would like to include the activity in next years programme, which will provide pictures for the front cover and work towards their artist badge.

What have we being doing since the last issue? Well Beavers visited Cadbury World and had a wonderful time. A couple of weeks ago myself and two Scout Leaders filled in for the Beaver Leaders and tried our skills at entertaining the Beavers, we did rounders, campfire songs and an unusual game of tunnel ball where they seemed to be going backwards instead of forwards. We really enjoyed the evening with the younger members.

Shortly after the last issue of CHADRA, the Cubs and Scouts returned from their 10-day visit to the Fgura Scout Group in Malta. They and the Leaders had an excellent time visiting historical sites, beaches and shared a joint Easter weekend camp with the Fgura Cubs and Scouts. Many friends were made and we all can't wait to go again. We are hoping to be able to meet with the Fgura Scouts when they attend the Eurojam 2005 next year.

Not long after our return from Malta the camps started. Whit bank holiday saw the Avon Jamboree with our older Cubs and the Scouts plus over 2500 others, a 3-night camp with lots of activities and crafts. Two weeks later 32 out of the 33 Cubs held a Wild West camp at Avening Green building wigwams, totem poles, making Indian headdresses and war paint it was fun! Two weeks later the Scouts entered the Malvern Challenge, a 2 night camp including a 7 mile hike with challenges such as rifle shooting, abseiling, problem solving en route, and a fair plus crafts the next day. Despite dreadful weather on the Saturday our best team came in 33rd out of over 300 entries, well done you lot. Finally a week later the Cub Sixers and Seconders spent 2 nights at 3D Education and Adventure at Torquay doing climbing, quad bikes, trampoline, aero ball, problem solving and zip wire. The Leaders took the “Leaders Challenge” and went backwards, no handies off the top of the building and believe me, it was great!

So you might think we will be taking a well-deserved rest after all this – no. Scouts are getting ready for their summer camp and a South Cerney water camp in September, Cubs are 6camping in October and both Sections are taking part in a 2 night stay at St Briavel's Castle on Halloween weekend – lots to prepare.

We are running excellent programmes by excellent Leaders and all backed by an excellent Executive Committee who are all parents of current members. The problem is we have increasingly long waiting lists for all sections. Figures based on current members show the Cub Pack and the Scout Troop with 40+ members from 2005 up to 2007, this is from our current intake of Beavers only! To ensure other children in our area have the opportunity to be a part of Scouting we must start a new Beaver Colony, Cub Pack and Scout Troop.

If there is anyone who has had previous experience within Scouting or Guides or you just want to have a go, please give me a ring on 01454 26xxxx. You don't have to commit yourself, just come a long to a couple of meetings and see how we run.

Yours in Scouting
Sandra Carnegie, Group Scout Leader

Tae Kwon Do

Kayleigh Parker is the Ladies Heavyweight Black-belt champion, before being a Black-belt and before reaching 18 years of age!! The 17 year old travelled to Ireland late last month to compete in the Irish Championships as a Cadet (age range 16–17) at Red Belt, but unfortunately there was no-one there to fight her. The organisers promoted her to the Ladies Heavyweight division, where she would face older and heavier competitors, in the Black-belt category which meant she could face anyone with as much experience as 15 years or so! Kayleigh took it all in her stride, and with just 4 years of Tae Kwon Do experience, fought her way through the rounds, reaching the final where she fought her way to Gold! She plans to take her Black-belt grading in October this year, so who knows what the future holds, but with the skill, attitude and fitness she has, it could maybe be the top of the scale.

Many of the students of the club are training hard for their next colour-belt grading which will be held in the Bristol Tae Kwon Do Academy. Last quarter's grading saw Alex Carey and Steven Bishop both getting an ‘A’ pass for their high standards. Vicky West again received an ‘A’ pass and also was presented with the Grading Award, which always goes to the student with the highest standard and attitude. Alex and Jeri Holden along with Barney Eccleson and Oliver Baker all took their last colour-belt grading of their career, as the next step is the ultimate recognition – Black Belt. Ricci Collins was presented with his Black-belt in April so well done to him!

We should have more news on tournament success as well as a few more black-belts in the club in the next edition, so fingers crossed to everyone putting the work in. Remember, if you are interested in fitness, self-defence or working your way to the ultimate in martial-arts, please just call in to the club!

Katherine Lady Berkeley PTA

Although we have only just broken for the summer the following events are already planned, to be held at the school, for later this year.

Quiz Night – Saturday 9th October
Casino Night – Friday 26th November

More information regarding these events will be available nearer the time, or you can contact me on 01454 31xxxx

Suzanne Flye
PTA Chair

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Advertising

[Advert for Greenline Tanks]

[Advert for Falcon Cottage B&B]

[Advert for Bradley Garage]

[Advert for Eclipse Hair Studio]

[Advert for Alan Hamer driving]

[Advert for Charfield Post Office]

8[Advert for W.S. Franks vehicle repair]

[Advert for Pat Jeanes Reflexology]

[Advert for Claire Saunders hairdresser]

[Advert for Surround Sounds]

[Advert for Skips]

[Advert for Littles Curtains]

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The Friends of Charfield School

With the summer holidays now upon us we can take a well earned rest from the many fund-raising activities we've held this year. Our efforts have netted the school much needed money for essential classroom resources, as well funding some new outdoor play equipment.

Early into the new term in September we hope to start planning an area for durable all-weather play structures which will be sited both on the school playing fields and in the playgrounds. Following on from this our next big project will be the construction of a covered walk-way between the ICT suite and classrooms, which will also serve as an undercover play area for the infants.

We have been working very hard since the last edition of Chadra and have held some of our most popular and successful fund-raising events.

Promises Auction (20th March)
The Promises Auction in March raised a massive £1800.

With more than 60 fantastic pledges from both local & national companies, together with individual pledges the auction really did promise to have something for everyone, and the keen bidders who attended the event weren't disappointed.

Many thanks to Mandy Champion and Graham Pedley who organised this event, to everyone who pledged a promise and who turned up to bid, and all the Friends who helped-out on the night. A great result.

Band In A Barn (8th May)
At the beginning of May we held our very popular Band in a Barn event – tickets sold out in mid-February so we knew it was going to be a great fund-raiser, and it was, raising just over £1000. The band, Kick The Cat, was fantastic and everybody was up dancing all evening, it was a great way to keep warm!!

Many thanks go to the Friends' team behind this event; Claire Adams, Kay Jones and Karen Williams and to everyone who helped set-up and clear away.

Cattle Country Barbecue Evening (26th June)
The rainy weather on the day turned the BBQ evening into more of a picnic event, with everybody seeking shelter in the big barns but even so the evening was a lot of fun and everybody who turned up enjoyed it. In between the rain showers the outdoor play areas, trampolines and bouncy castle were well used and even the prospect of ending-up caked in mud didn't stop anybody experiencing the new tram ride.

The fact that this event endured the less than favourable weather conditions means that it has now become one of our firm favourites and one which we will definitely hold again next year.

Village Fete, Sports & Horticultural Show (3rd July)
What a windy day! The main concern before the event and one which we had absolutely no control over was the weather, but we were very lucky and apart from a strong breeze the weather was perfect. Unfortunately the hot air balloon was grounded due to the strength of the wind but The Mall's balloon team still turned-up and remained with us throughout the afternoon hoping for a chance to set-up.

Everything else went perfectly to plan. The pony rides, glider, gymnastics and tug-o-war attractions proved very popular, as did the many stalls, with just about every club in the village participating.

10The sports were fantastic and very well supported – thank you to Mike Smith and Kim Wintle, without whom we couldn't have held the races! Also, a big thank you to Pete Tymms for manning the PA system all afternoon and keeping us amused and informed and to Kate Isaacs and Debbie Pringle for organising the Horticultural Show.

The entries into the Horticultural Show were fantastic this year, with entries into every class in the Show. Certificates were awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd places, and each 1st place winner was also awarded a show rosette. Our thanks go to our judges;
Arts & Crafts   Mitra McQuilton
Cookery   Sylvia Scoulding
Flowers & Vegetables/Fruit   Barbara Adams

Congratulations to our Tug-O-War winners, the Tavern pub. Our fantastic referee Colin Wadsworth used his cool, calm and jovial manner to keep the teams under control and the contest in high spirits. I would like to thank all the teams involved – the Tavern, Plough and the Pear Tree, but also a special thank you to the Charfield Dads. We were left one team short on the day and had to frantically put together another team of worthy opponents. Many thanks to Kevin Mitchell, David Isaacs, Chris Riley, Mark Walters, Steve Nute, Nigel Watkins, Barrie Williams and Kevin Brett (with coach Simon Jones). A fantastic effort at such short notice, of course, with the right shoes and a bit of training who knows what the result would have been?

There really are so many people to thank, but in brief, a big thank you to the Memorial Hall committee; the entire Friends committee who made this event possible; Kevin Bath for marking-out the pitch and being the football final referee; all the parents who volunteered as helpers on the day, enabling our committee members the chance to leave their stalls to enjoy the Fete with their families; Tracey Hindle (& family) for the fantastic amount & variety of plants on sale; Wotton Round Table for manning the gates and everyone who brought things for the ‘Mufti’ day and made cakes for the cake stall.

In the week running up to the Fete I was inundated with offers of help which was fantastic, with many helpers giving up their entire afternoon, thank you very much we really do appreciate this support.

We don't yet have an exact figure of monies raised but the Fete is really more than just a fund-raising event, it is a village-wide community event and one which we hope was enjoyed by everybody in the village.

(Note: Lost Property – We have three items of lost property that were found on the playing fields after the Fete, a denim jacket, a blue hooded top and a baby's cream-coloured shoe. If you would like to reclaim any of these please give me a ring on 01454 26xxxx.)

That's it for this academic year.

Diary Dates
We have already been thinking about future events and have some confirmed dates:

Quiz Night   Friday 24th September
AGM   Wednesday, 6th October
Chocoholics Shopping Evening   Wednesday 13th October
Bonfire & Fireworks Display   Friday, 5th November

If you have any comments or would like further details of anything outlined here, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Jacqui Mitchell
Chairperson.

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Marilyn's Bit

Firstly, I would like to thank whoever tidied the side path from Katherine Close to the playing field, on the Village Spring Clean Weekend. I did write to the Parish Council but the person or persons involved may not have heard my letter and might be reading this. All the rubbish that gets flung into my garden was removed so, again, thank you!

When the darker evenings were still with us, I was a bat in reverse. I must start by saying that I now go to a fabulous new, well new to me, tap dancing class. My old one in Wotton closed, to adult tappers, so in January, several of us “landed” on Carol Kitching's class in Alveston. Oh it's lovely. New faces, beautiful and fantastic music, it's great. Anyway, driving down the A38, cars kept flashing. I realised later that my rear lights were not working. Sue, my chum from Wotton acted as my back lights on the way home. Keith had to change the whole unit which controls that sort of thing, so until he fixed it I could only go out in daylight!

Several weeks later, I'm driving down the M5, when all the power goes. I managed to get across the lanes to the hard shoulder, smoke pouring out from under the bonnet. Now this is where you can have a good old laugh. I got out, of course, locked up the car and took the T-shirt, I wanted to change, with me! Well you never know. It was a beautiful evening, about 6-ish. I walked along the roadside to alert the services. I was only a few minutes past the RAC building, so they could well have seen me.

A charming chap arrived, looked at the damage and said, “Head gasket.” I said, “Oh” thinking that when I'm rich and famous, I'm going to get a nice NEW car. “How are you at being towed? He asked. “Oh brill,” I replied. He obviously didn't know my vehicular history. I was on a fixed tow and tense. “Can we go via M&S?” I enquired. He gave me one of those looks. I wished I had a bag on my head whilst hairing down Charfield Hill, with all the young lads I used to chase around in that playground, sitting outside the Pear Tree, laughing and waving.

Our Lawrence is living in the Dominican Republic at the moment. We got a phone call one Saturday evening. Not, “Hello Mum, missing you” but “Quick, put Dad on the phone.” I did. “How do you hot wire a car?” he asked. The family he is staying with had a 4 × 4 thing and the Dad had been swimming with the keys in his trunks pocket and they had fallen out. Keith said that the car was too new to hot wire. How does he know? Later we get another call, and this is the most amazing thing, Lawrence was snorkelling in ALL THAT SEA and found the keys!!!!!

Right, computers. Re my last literary piece. I phoned Dursley College to ask if I could enrol on their Tuesday night class. It was for Part 2. “Have you done Part 1?” the lady asked. “No,” I replied, “it's on a Monday morning and I'm at work.” Well you can't do Part 2 until you have done Part l,” she informed. Oh blow you, I thought. So my next move is to Filton, College that is.

Do you remember the slipper saga? My lovely brown suede clogs threaded through with baby blue ribbon. The fashion this year, apart from 3 million designs of flip flop is round toe, flat heels resembling ballet pumps in the most amazing styles and colours. They so suit my feet, so I warned Keith that I might have to have the next 10 years shoe allowance now! I purchased a beautiful pale green, Chinese style fabric pair with embroidery of different flowers. “I like your slippers, Mum” said Lawrence. I met an old friend in Wotton last week. “Oh I do like your slippers,” she remarked. “They are not slippers!” I stressed. Funnily enough, I wore them to school last week and no-one 12mentioned them. Perhaps they thought I hadn't changed!

Finally, I am now going to recommend some music if you need to get going and have a good old shake about, apart from “Anything Goes”, of course. It's called Born Slippy by Underworld or might be Underworld by Born Slippy, but it's great and must be played LOUD.

Bye for now and take care.

Maz

Charfield Pre-School

As the last week of term approaches we prepare to say some goodbyes and we all look forward to a well-earned summer break, I can hardly believe this year is coming to an end.

Since last writing, we have had an Ofsted Inspection, which was very positive, especially about the quality of care given by our staff team, so huge thanks to; Nicola, Sarah, Lynda and Deborah for all their extremely hard work this year. I also want to thank Debbie and John Riddle for their indefatigable support of Pre-School this year, which has made so much possible.

Our open day was a great success as well and an event we would like to repeat, a great way for current and prospective parents to have a look round and meet the staff.

As well as welcoming new starters, we see 19 of our children go up to school this September; we intend to see them off in style with a special party.

We also sadly say good-bye to Deborah, who has been such an asset to the team and given so much, we wish her success in all she does, and hope she keeps in touch.

Like others, we were grateful for the warm weather for the village fete, especially those of us, mad enough to volunteer to go in the stocks!! It was such a success I can see the welly throwing competition making a return next year.

I should like to take this opportunity to thank Mike Cheskin of Charfield Service Station for his continued support, Wickwar Brewery for their prize donation for the welly throwing competition and the Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales for their generous grant which we have put towards our rent costs.

Thanks to all the staff, committee, parents and children, who have made this year such a success and such fun. We will be holding our AGM at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday 29th September; we need to recruit new parent volunteers onto the committee to keep the Pre-School the excellent community resource it has always been. If you are interested, please contact myself or any of the current committee.

Kate Scally
Chair of Charfield Pre School

Welcome Transportation

We would like, yet again, to highlight and thank the Charfield Transport Scheme co-ordinated so professionally by Mrs Marion Smith, also, her many very pleasant drivers who often give up their quality time to oblige. However, Marion is very often stretched, as she does not like to call on her drivers more than once a month – but often needs to, because of lack of same.

So drivers, if you think you could spare and hour or so just now and then, give Marion a ring on 01454 26xxxx, you will be very much appreciated.

R & O Perry

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Police Report

Since my last article appeared crime levels have remained low not only in Charfield but throughout the Thornbury area.

In Charfield there has been yet another spate of damage to the Memorial Hall following a long quiet spell.

Aside from that there have been several thefts of potted plants from people's gardens during the early hours of one morning! Not the most obvious thing to steal you might think, but if you do have any potted plants which you particularly value it might be worth considering marking the pots with your postcode in indelible marker.

In the case of the above thefts two alert residents noticed the occupants of a dark coloured Citroen ZX motor car acting suspiciously in the vicinity at about 1:15 a.m. One of these witnesses recorded a partial registration number and using the PNC (Police National Computer) to try different permutations a suspect car has been identified locally and enquiries are now underway.

Whilst it has been fairly quiet on the crime front I have spent a considerable amount of time talking to local groups. These have included the Charfield Friendship Club (with an emphasis on preventing distraction burglaries), two local Scout groups, Tortworth Junior School and Tytherington Friendship Club.

You might remember that in a recent article I mentioned the theft of high powered cars from residential driveways using keys stolen from inside the owner's house.

Subsequent to this a BMW and a Golf GTi were stolen using that method from a house in Longs View.

This trend appears to be re-emerging locally and although Charfield has not yet been hit nearby villages, such as Hawkesbury Upton, have been.

In fact a car that was stolen from Hawkesbury Upton was stopped by Police on the M32 in Bristol last week as a result of an ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) operation. All three occupants were arrested.

It is probably only a matter of time before Charfield is targeted again, so if you possess a newish high powered car, especially of German Manufacture, I would remind you not to leave the keys on view downstairs in your house; to use your house alarm, if fitted; and to garage the car if possible.

PC 3799 Jones

The Bottom Line

Want to save lots of money and the environment?

The Real Nappy Project is a not-for-profit organisation that provides information and advice on modern washable nappy use.

If you do not fancy washing nappies yourself there are nappy laundry services available to do it for you!

We also provide a nappy loan service so you can try a range of nappies at home before making a decision.

For more information contact: Haidee Baker Outreach Worker Tel: 0117 985 xxxx Email: xxxx @ blueyonder.co.uk

A day in the life of a reusable nappy worker!

I start the day like most other parents of young children being woken up by a small person demanding attention, and a nappy change. I still marvel at the way 14my sons fleece wrap and cotton nappy can last 12 hours without leaking!

This is partly what we are trying to tell parents and carers out there that using modern reusable nappies does not mean compromise on effectiveness, easy of use, style or comfort. There is even a laundry service that will provide and wash nappies for you!

A typical day may start with a visit to an Ante-natal class to give a talk to expectant parents. We provide advice and information on all aspects of reusable nappy use, from types of nappy systems and use, washing, financial and environmental savings, where to get your nappies etc. I try to make this light hearted, and pass some nappies around for closer inspection and this usually prompts some discussion among the group, especially the leopard print one! We also have a very informative video available to buy for more practical information.

We have also started a nappy loan service for anyone interested in ‘try before you decide’ so I will spend sometime with the parent/s advising on use etc. This means that a selection of the different types of nappies, wraps, and liners are loaned for a week so that an informed choice can be made with no financial outlay.

We also do a lot of networking with Health Professionals, Community Development workers and other interested groups, and have regular displays and stands at all types of events from The Scrap Store Road Shows to The Children's Festival so invite us along we make a good talking point!

For more information, advice, talks or loans, please contact The Real Nappy Project at The Recycling Consortium
Tel: 0117 930 xxxx
Email: xxxx @ recyclinqconsortium.org.uk

Charfield Parish Council

Contacting the Council

People sometimes say to our other halves “Your husband/wife is on the council, can he/she do something about …” That's not a problem for most of us, but the more efficient way is to speak or write direct to the Clerk (see back of this Newsletter) or a Councillor. If you don't know where to find a Councillor, our contact details are on the Parish Council's notice board on the end of Steve's Shop off Manor Lane. Bear in mind that the Clerk, Catherine Holmes, is the person who contacts other bodies, such as South Gloucestershire Council, to encourage them to get things done. If you want some action on a straightforward matter, like a missing road sign or an unlit street lamp, the Clerk can deal with it without waiting for the next council meeting.

By the way, you can see that I'm Chairman for another year. You may have read in The Gazette that I've said this is my last year in such office. By next year I shall have been Chairman or Vice-Chairman for 7 of my 9 years on the council, and that's more than enough. I am delighted that Paul Ashford, a relatively new member of the council, has willingly agreed to be Vice-Chairman this year.

Maintaining the Play Equipment

Some people connected with the Parish Council and the Memorial Hall Committee, or both, have done a lot of work over the years maintaining the play equipment on the playing field. This is unpaid work done when people have spare time. We have now decided that we would like to have a maintenance contractor, with the necessary skills and insurance, who would be on call to carry out running repairs. We would still employ a specialist when necessary for particular jobs. If you could do the 15general maintenance, or you know someone who could, please contact the Clerk.

You may have noticed that the blue-painted steel bench has gone from the skate project. It was torn from its bolts and some young men were discovered trying to put it in a tree. We shall consider fixing it somewhere else where it might be better appreciated.

Overhanging Hedges and Trees

By this time of year, hedges and trees have put on a lot of growth. Have you had a look at the footpath outside your property to see whether people can walk along it comfortably, or whether you need to get out the shears? We sometimes get complaints. The Clerk then generally checks the situation and, if necessary, writes to the occupant of the property asking them to put it right. This informal way is preferable to invoking the formal procedures that are available to South Gloucestershire Council. Most people just need a reminder.

Sometimes when you have cut back shrubs or trees severely, the ends of woody branches stick out. Please make sure that none of these projects at any level into a footpath used by other people. Recently someone suffered a minor injury on her leg because of a projecting branch. Personally, I was very careful in front of one property where the lilac was chopped back leaving branch ends over the footpath at my eye level! Remember that if the worst came to the worst, an injury to a member of the public could prove costly to the owner of the property.

Public Footpaths

Julia O'Connor-Beach is our Voluntary Parish Footpath Warden. I'm not talking here about footways alongside roads. Julia is concerned with the public footpaths throughout the parish, mainly across fields but also some of the paths through the developed area of the village. She walked all of the paths in May and has written a comprehensive report for the Council. She has made a number of recommendations aimed at getting the footpath network fully into order. We shall be considering them and, with Julia, taking at least some of them up with South Gloucestershire Council's Rights of Way section. Our thanks to Julia for her thorough work. Incidentally, did you know that there are no bridleways in the parish? Or any of the funny ways known as RUPPs or BOATs? All our paths are for pedestrians – no horses or cycles allowed.

John Acton
Chairman, Charfield Parish Council

Edinburgh Marathon 2004

In the week leading up to the Edinburgh Marathon on 13th June I was quite concerned by the hot weather, but excited at the prospect of making the trip to Scotland with Tracy and Lizzie to run the “E” in my surname!

My personal goal is to run a marathon (26.2 miles to remind you) for every letter of my surname before I am 50 (I am 43 in July). I started last October in Amsterdam with 4 hours 33mins 15secs and a personal best! Given the time limits that I have set myself, the Marathons are obviously not going to come along in the right order to spell ‘Francksen’; but then, you can't have everything!

I was hoping to prove that my Amsterdam time was the ‘new me’ but I was well aware that the Edinburgh course was hillier and it was much warmer. The flight from Bristol was uneventful and we were soon settling into our small hotel on the outskirts of the city. Friday night and Saturday were 16spent sightseeing and trying not to be on my feet too much – I'm not sure I was altogether successful at that! Edinburgh is a beautiful city with great shopping (the bit that interested Lizzie the most), and seeing the Royal Yacht Britannia was a great experience.

Marathon morning dawned bright and clear and I caught an early-morning taxi to reach as near Holyrood park as I could get with all the road closures. As I waited to get ready I chatted to the runner next to me and found he was from Yate! Before I knew it we were lining up for the 9am start, which was signalled by a huge army gun and we were off up the road. I mean ‘up’ as we climbed steadily almost from the start around Arthur's Seat – which is an extinct volcano – in the park and popular local vantage point. I wondered which comedian had thought this was necessary to begin a marathon, but we were soon descending and coming back around to the start again to loop out of the park and towards the city centre. It was getting warm but I ignored it and made sure I kept drinking plenty of fluids. It was surprising how many didn't and the medics were kept busy with runners flaking out with dehydration and heat exhaustion most of the day.

As I made my way along Princes Street I saw Tracy and Lizzie standing on a bench and shouting encouragement, which gave me quite a lift. We carried on out through Leith to the Firth of Forth and ran along the coast, where it was quite windy as well as hot by now. I ran past many bemused families enjoying a day on the beach – not the best of conditions for running 26.2 miles! I went past Britannia with good crowds where another changeover in the relay event took place. This was teams of four runners taking turns to run a leg of the marathon, so you had to be careful not to try to keep up with some of the fresher runners after they took over!

By 20 miles I was suffering somewhat but I kept going, and chatted to some of the people with me. We finally turned off the coast road and headed up back towards the park area. This meant another climb to test my already aching legs, but the prospect of another £300 sponsorship for the Round Table Children's Wish charity and the letter “E” kept me going. After numerous cries of “not far now!” I finally reached Holyrood Park and crossed the line in 4 hours 50 mins 47secs. I was a little bit disappointed with the time, but quickly realised that conditions and the undulating course were against another personal best. I saw Tracy almost immediately after finishing and she took the picture opposite. I went off to get my medal, get changed and join them to relax on the grass. It was a good event but I was glad it was over. I then had to walk up the hill out of the park to catch the bus to the airport. You could tell who had run the marathon as we were all proudly wearing our medals and T shirts as well as walking stiffly! I slept on the plane back and very well that night. I now turn my attention to “N” and New York in November, which is an event all marathoners want to run. My training for that starts in late July so not much chance of a rest!

This year, I created a website for sponsorship (justgiving.com) and have had a good response through this. I am also very grateful to all my faithful supporters who have again willingly sponsored me in the traditional way, and to all my ‘Encouragement Team’ not least Tracy who has to put up with all my training, tracking down ‘odd’ food as recommended by my Running Club and washing of the sweaty kit!

Many thanks to everyone-however you sponsored me!

John Francksen

17[Photo: ‘Glad it's over?’ – John at the end of his Edinburgh Marathon]

Congregational Church

Minister: Rev. Philip Hopes Tel. 01453 84xxxx
Sunday Kings Kids – 11 am.
1st Sunday of each month Family Service 11 am.
Please note all services will begin at 11 am.
Friday 2.30pm. Bible Study and Prayer
Harvest Thanksgiving Service – October 3rd 11 am.

YOU ARE VERY SPECIAL
In all the world there is nobody like you. Since the beginning of time there has never been another person like you.
Nobody has your smile, your eyes, your hands, or your hair.
Nobody owns your handwriting, your voice. YOU'RE SPECIAL.
In all time there has never been anyone who laughs in exactly your way, and what makes you laugh or cry or think, may have a totally different response in another. So … YOU'RE SPECIAL
You're different from any other person who has ever lived in the history of the universe.
You're the only one in the whole creation who has your particular set of abilities.
Nobody in the universe can reach the quality of the combination of your talents, your feelings.
Through all eternity no one will ever walk, talk, think, or do exactly like you. YOU'RE SPECIAL.
You're rare and in all rarity there is enormous value, and because of your great value, the need for you to imitate anyone else is absolutely wrong.
YOU'RE SPECIAL and it is no accident that you are.
Please realise that God made you for a special purpose.
He has a job for you to do that nobody else can do as well as you can.
Out of the billions of applications, only one is qualified.
Only one has the unique and right combination of what it takes, and that one is YOU.
YOU'RE SPECIAL!!

18

Advertising

[Advert for Deborah Jayne Pringle]

[Advert for Safeclean]

[Advert for Manor Garden Maintenance]

[Advert for Cotswold Edge Carpets]

[Advert for Barbara Daw]

19[Advert for Evergreen Computing]

[Advert for SM Consultancy]

[Advert for Laura Needham]

[Advert for Massage Table Store / Positive Pressure]

20

Charfield Primary School

So much has happened since I last wrote in CHADRA, it's hard to know where to start, but here goes …

This academic year, from 1 September 2003 to the present date has been one of enormous change for all associated with Charfield Primary School.

During the summer term, builders were very busy refurbishing our Infant block. Initially, the LEA had identified that there were old asbestos tiles that had to be removed by experts. Whilst this was being done, we decided to have the roof re-roofed, as it was in a very poor state. Also the wiring needed renewing, so we had the electricians in to rewire the entire infant block. Finally, we put in new double glazed windows and exterior doors, to replace the old metal ones we had.

This work was scheduled to finish before the start of the new term, but unfortunately, ran over, which meant to say that there had to be a delayed start to the new year for our infants.

In December, all the Junior Department moved from their temporary classrooms into the finally finished new extension. Everyone was thrilled with the move into their new classrooms, after so much waiting. Not only have we now got 5 brand new classrooms, but we also have a Food Technology room, a secure play area for our Under 5's, a group room to support our pupils who are withdrawn from class for specialized work, and a new library, which was furnished entirely by the Friends of Charfield Primary School (for which I give continued great thanks for their fantastic support.)

However, the work has now meant that we have a high quality, relatively maintenance free building that we have been seeking since I came to the school in September 2000.

The extension has now put the final piece in place for our school, and we can now truly call our school a quality learning environment, fit for all the community it serves.

We were so delighted and carried away with the new buildings that an OFSTED inspection came and went at the start of January. OFSTED noted that parents and pupils are very positive about the school. Parents feel that their children are happy and are helped to succeed. Pupils enjoy their lessons and feel that the school does everything it can to help them to do well.

The school has been through a period of significant changes including a major building programme and, through no fault of the school, a large turnover of teachers. There has been a significant improvement in the provision and standards in information and communication technology (ICT). Pupils with special needs continue to achieve well. Pupils' attitudes and behaviour are now consistently good.

Pupils have good attitudes to work and behave well. Both these features help pupils to benefit from lessons. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Attendance is well above the national average.

Good features of the teaching that help pupils to learn include:

The school provides a good curriculum with a very good range of extra-curricular activities. There is a good level of care and support for pupils and good links are established with parents and other local schools.

21Overall:

The most important things the school should do to improve are:

The school has drawn up an action plan and is currently working on the improvements needed.

Recently, on Friday 9 July, we had an enjoyable and successful Open Afternoon for all of the Charfield Community to come and look round the school and share in our pride and the excitement we feel for our new school. This was quite a historic time as I had the enjoyment of showing the previous three Headteachers, Mr. George, Mr. Malpass and Mr. Sreeves around our new school. They all enjoyed the celebrations and marvelled at the changes to the school. They were each presented with a framed photograph showing four scenes of the new school, which had been excellently created by Mrs. Sarah Tyler.

There have been changes in staffing too. Miss Rachelle Evans (Y2), Mrs Jessica Gainer Lane (Y2) and Miss Elizabeth Roebuck (Y4) all started in September 2003 and have proved to be excellent and popular appointments. I am delighted to say that we have been able to make Mrs. Gainer Lane a permanent appointment. Miss Roebuck will be leaving us at the end of the year, but through careful management of the school budget, her replacement is Mr. Daniel Norman, who will be starting this September, teaching our Year 4 class. We wish him every success for the year he will be with us.

At the start of 2004, (4 days before OFSTED!) Mrs. Victoria Gordon joined us as our Year 5 class teacher and replacement for Mrs. Richardson as my Deputy Headteacher. She has proven to be an excellent appointment in every possible way and has really added a great strength to our school already in the two terms that she has been here. Mrs. Gordon is already planning to take a group of pupils on a residential week to the Conway Centre in Anglesey during November. I am sure that the group will have a truly wonderful time!

Mr. Peter De Clare started as our new caretaker and has also recently taken 22on the post of Crossing Patrol Supervisor, following Mr. Paul Lewis' move to another part of South Gloucestershire.

Mrs. Miriam Ealey retired after many years of fantastic service and many years of scrumptious meals for the pupils. We wish her well in her retirement. She has been replaced by Mrs. Jill Smith, who has made a great start already.

Miss Evans and Mrs. Gainer Lane worked brilliantly with their Year 2 classes recently to perform their version of Cinderella to all the pupils in the school, the school staff and our special guests from the Pre-School, who are based in the Foundation Room. The final performance was for the parents of Year 2, and it was simply superb! Parents enjoyed it terrifically and our Year 2 pupils made their teachers and parents extremely proud of them. They were all such stars.

Sports Day, organised by Miss Evans and Miss Roebuck was a great success. Instead of the traditional approach to sports day, the teachers planned a sports day where all the pupils were active all the time and everyone attempted up to five different events. Judging from the amount of very positive comments from many parents, this was a big hit with everyone, parents, pupils and teachers.

We had a film crew called ‘SchoolDays’ come in to the school to do some filming around the school of the children's day in our school. This resulted in a DVD and video being produced for purchase showing our assembly, lessons in each class, dinnertime and playtime. The final result was a lovely snapshot of our school for parents to cherish.

In cycling proficiency training our Year 6 pupils once again had the benefit of quality coaching from Mrs. Sarah Tyler and Mr. Malcolm Leahey. I am delighted to say that their preparation was so thorough that all those pupils who took the test passed with flying colours!

The Friends of Charfield Primary School have had a brilliant year not only raising money to equip the school with many vital extras that are so welcome, but have put on events for the community of Charfield to enjoy. The next big project for next year is the development of play equipment for our Under 5's and the school as a whole.

As I said at the start, we have had some terrific changes at our school. Now, at the end of these changes, and with all the positive benefits that have come from them, we hope we can now get back to a year with less interruptions to ensure that we carry on giving the very best we can to our pupils.

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

Stefan Frontczak
Headteacher

St. John's Church

In a summer which seems dominated by sports events it is, perhaps, not surprising that the children's holiday project picks up the theme of the Olympic Games. Go for Gold takes place at the Lower School Room in Kingswood from Monday 16th to Friday 20th August and is intended to be for children in the primary school range from both villages. Details are available in the church porch.

Sports and games are, of course, intended for fun, enjoyment and even entertainment but there is also the additional benefit of maintaining our fitness and health. We are complex creatures with many different aspects 23coming together to form the whole. I do not claim to be a perfect specimen – far from it, but I do know that our spiritual health and well being contributes greatly to the whole. We may think that we are fully in control of our lives but we never know what lies beyond the next corner and I take great comfort in knowing that God is walking alongside me in all that I do and ready and willing to come to my aid. God will not, however, interfere, it is up to us to invite him into our lives and he is ready and waiting for that call.

I have been taken aback by the number of people who have recently been attending our prayers for healing and wholeness. Whether they come for healing for themselves or on behalf of someone else there is clearly a need for God's healing power to be at work. Please let me know if you or a loved one needs praying for, I shall be pleased to respond.

May you find the rest and refreshment that you need over the summer period and remain fit and well for the challenges of life.

Revd. Robert Pestell
Rector.

Sunday Services for the summer all at 10.30 a.m.

25th July
United Family Service at St. James', Church End, Charfield.
1st August
United Communion Service at St. Mary's, Kingswood, (Celebrant and Preacher the Bishop of Tewkesbury)
8th August
United Communion Service at St. John's
15th August
United Communion Service at St Mary's, Kingswood
22nd August
United Family Service at St. Mary's, Kingswood
29th August
United Communion Service at St. John's
5th September
United Communion Service at St. Mary's, Kingswood

Thank you
Thank you to all those who supported the Annual Church Plant Sale in May, £850 was raised towards church funds, a good effort indeed.

From the Registers

Holy Marriage
15th May – James Thompson and Elizabeth Waite of Wotton Road
Holy Baptism
23rd May –
Ellie Loveridge of Durham Road
Jack William Davis of Manor Lane

Friends of St. John's
This group, which aims to financially support the ministry and mission of the church and maintain the church building, is now up and running. For just £1 per week you can contribute towards the high cost of maintaining the church and also have the opportunity of winning a cash prize. Anyone can become a friend of St. John's, please contact one of the Church Wardens for further details, Margaret Clarke 26xxxx or Bryan Grantham 26xxxx.

The Duke Of Edinburgh's Award In Kenya

In December 2004 a group of 12 young participants, 4 young leaders and 2 exchange leaders selected from the South West will embark on a trip of a lifetime to Kenya. The group will join up with a team from the President's Award (equivalent to the Duke of Edinburgh's Award in Kenya) and join forces for the 3 week venture. There are 5 participants and 2 young leaders from the South Glos area, and the female leader lives in Charfield.

24During their time there, the group will undertake 3 community projects. The first one will be a presentation of tools to a correctional centre in Wamumu. Young boys aged between 8 and 18 years attend this facility because of crimes committed. They learn carpentry skills and woodwork techniques to take back to their own village and help raise money for their families. They have hardly any tools and are unrecognisable as ‘tools’ which we would use. The group aims to collect as many as possible to support this very worthwhile project.

The next project is in a village called Kiriani where the group will convert a community room into a computer lab to help with much needed communication. We are collecting computers and printers in good working order to help this needy project. While there, the group will also fit water storage tanks and guttering to all the buildings/structures in the village to help collect water during the wet season for the very dry season.

The third project is at Chogoria hospital where again the group will fit water storage tanks and guttering to the buildings, and build a piggery to support the running costs of the hospital and help provide much needed medical equipment. The foundation for the piggery will be laid by the Kenyans in September ready for the arrival of the group in December. All materials will be purchased by the group in Kenya.

To end the project, the group will ascend Mount Kenya and complete an expedition lasting 6 days. Christmas day will be celebrated up the mountain, returning back to the UK on 31st December.

Each person must raise £1,400 to go to Kenya, and as a group need to raise £4,500 to pay for the materials needed for the projects and to support a return visit from the Kenyans in 2005. The group have been involved in many fund raising activities since October 2003 in areas all over the South West to help raise the money for the project phase and personal sponsorship. In September the group will attempt the 3 Peaks challenge and try to raise as much money as possible.

We need your support!

As the group will be in Kenya at Christmas time, we would like to take gifts for children. We plan to take shoe boxes full of toys, small clothing and educational items eg. Pencils, chalk, pens and books to present to schools, orphanages and in the local hospital. The gender and age of the child should be written on the outside of the box, to help with distribution. The RAF has kindly agreed to take the goods to Kenya ready for our arrival, but these parcels would need to be ready by the end of October at the very latest.

If you would like to support the project in any of the following ways or to find out more, please contact Tina Griffin on 07759 05xxxx (female exchange leader).

Thank you for your support

For more information about The Duke of Edinburgh's Award log on to www.theaward.org.uk . There are many activities going on in the village already that could be used towards an Award including Tae Kwon Do, tennis, learning to drive, cricket, football, supporting the youth club, uniformed organisations and many more. Why don't you have a go TAKE THE CHALLENGE!

Charfield Out of School Club

Afternoon sessions full
We finished the Summer Term with all afternoon sessions full and with a waiting list! We could do with more space … now there is a thought!

Summer Holiday Club
We are running a Summer Holiday Club as in previous years. We are already at our capacity on some of the days. Anyone looking to use the Club in the summer should contact the club manager on the number below as soon as possible.

New blood
We recently held a well attended AGM. Many thanks must go to Anne Mosley, who stepped down from being treasurer this year. Anne has been the treasurer of the club right from the beginning and her enthusiasm and commitment have been tireless throughout. We will miss you Anne …

We are delighted that new members have joined the committee! Nicola Derrick has stepped into the treasurer's role and Penny Thorne, Becky / Richard Marshall and Katy Ling have joined as general committee members. These new people will keep the momentum going and help with continuing improvements to the club and Foundation room.

BBQ and disco
Our annual summer family BBQ and disco took place yesterday. It is a joint event run by the Out of School Club and Charfield Pre-School at Leyhill Social Club. Mark Davies and “Surround Sounds” ran the (as usual) fantastic family disco. Despite the greyish weather, the families in attendance had GREAT fun! As I said it is an annual event run around the 11th/12th July. So look out for it next year! We will try to remind people a little earlier next year …

Summer Fete
Our jar stall sold out in record time this year. It only took 30 minutes to clear the table! Thank you to all of you who supported us. The money raised will go straight back into the club.

Relief Playleader
We are always on the look out for local people who could occasionally help cover sickness and/or provide holiday cover. Minimum qualifications are an NVQ3 or Equivalent. Training might be available for the right person. Interested? For more details contact Pat, our Club Manager (see below), or apply in writing to Matthew Fuller, Charfield out of School Club, The Foundation Room, Wotton Road, Charfield GL12 8TG.

Admin
The club opening times are: Breakfast club 7:30 to 8:40am. After school 3:10 to 6:00pm. School holidays and inset days 7:30am to 6:00pm

If you want to find out more details about the club contact the Club Manager, Pat Loveridge tel. 07816 23xxxx or 01454 26xxxx or call into the Club at The Foundation Room during opening hours.

Janice Brett

26

Neighbourhood Watch

On-line crime stats give the local picture (forcewide)

Crime figures are now available for your beat and area. Avon and Somerset are now making crime statistics from beat level upwards available to all via the force's website.

Members of the public will be able to input their postcode and view statistics for their area. The crime information will be for the last financial year and can be compared to the last two years with district and sector statistics also available.

All the information will be available in the generic crime categories, such as dwelling burglary and theft from a motor vehicle.

Crime statistics are available online at www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/statistics. If you don't have access to the Internet you can go into any Library in South Gloucestershire and you can go online for FREE!

Please take care

A resident in Thornbury has received a telephone call where the caller stated he was a senior fire service advisor and that he would be in their area tomorrow and would like to visit. Enquiries have confirmed this has nothing to do with the fire service. It could be the start of yet another hard sell company selling fire and burglar alarms. Please warn anyone, who may be taken in by this type of cold calling.

It would seem that a company called eec or european enviormental controls is back in South Gloucester doing telephone selling and then selling fire and burglar alarms in the home. We have warned about this company before, but legal action against them has failed so we must be careful what we say. Advise anyone likely to fall for high pressure sales of fire or burglar alarms, that they should always get quotes from local companies, not to sign any documents at the door and not to hand over cash deposits.

Rainbows

RAINBOWS

COME AND DISCOVER THE
EXCITING “NEW” PROGRAME FOR
RAINBOWS (5–7 YRS)
EVERY MONDAY 4–5 PM

[Graphic: Skipping]

TEL: Kathryn Schofield
01453 520494

100 Issues Ago

Issue 16 published in July 1979 saw the cover price increase from 7p to 10p, apparently this was a big relief to the distributors, as it meant that they had to carry around far less small change.

Kenneth Grant, the Rector at St. John's described the newsletter as “a comprehensive expression of village life.”

Apparently the weather had been attempting to disrupt a number of events that summer, and the letters page reflected the prevailing national fuel crisis.

There were also stern warnings that children should be stopped from playing on the building site in Manor Lane, as the village expanded.

27

Charfield Diary

Please make use of this diary. Either telephone or drop a note of any additions or modifications to Geoff or Hilary Wignall (01454 26xxxx, x Berkeley Close, or xxxx @ Breathemail.net)

DayDateWhat and Where
August
Sunday1stUnited Communion Service at St Mary's, Kingswood Celebrant and preacher the Bishop of Tewkesbury
Sunday8thUnited Communion Service at St John's
Tuesday10thBlood Doning – Charfield Memorial Hall 1:30–3:15 p.m. & 5:00–7:15 p.m.
Sunday15thUnited Communion Service at St Mary's, Kingswood
Monday16th untilGo For Gold – children's holiday project
Friday20thLower School Room, Kingswood
Sunday22ndUnited Family Service at St Mary's, Kingswood
Sunday29thUnited Communion Service at St John's
Monday3rdBank Holiday
September
Sunday5thUnited Communion Service at St Mary's, Kingswood
Friday24thQuiz Night, Friends of Charfield Primary School
Wednesday29thAGM, Charfield Pre-School, Foundation Room 8:00 p.m.
October
Sunday3rdHarvest Thanksgiving Service 11:00 a.m. Congregational Church
Wednesday6thAGM, Friends of Charfield Primary School
Saturday9thQuiz Night – KLB PTA
Tuesday12thCHADRA Copy Date
Wednesday13thChocoholics Shopping Evening, Friends of Charfield Primary School

KLB = Katharine Lady Berkeley School
FR = Foundation Room, Primary School
SH = Charfield School Hall
SB = Sportsman's Bar, Memorial Hall
MH = Memorial Hall

Why not put this on your fridge door or notice board?

28

Village Organisations

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

Baby and Toddler Group
Sarah Coleman
01454 29xxxx
Bingo Club
Sue Scoble
01454 26xxxx
British Legion
John Poskett (Spokesman)
01454 26xxxx
Charfield Pre School
Maria Cloke (Admissions)01454 26xxxx
Kate Scally (Chairperson)01453 52xxxx
Charfield Primary School
Stefan Frontczak
01454 26xxxx
Childminders
Teresa Wildman01454 26xxxx
Julie James01453 84xxxx
Church – Congregational
Rev Philip Hopes
01453 84xxxx
Church – St. John's
Rev Robert Pestell
Email xxxx @ fish.co.uk
01454 26xxxx
Council – Charfield Parish
Catherine Holmes (Clerk)
01453 84xxxx
Council – South Gloucestershire
Sandra O'Neill
Email xxxx @ southglos.gov.uk
01454 26xxxx
Cricket Club
Diane Bradley
01453 84xxxx
Crimestoppers0800 555 111
Football Club – Juniors
Jeremy Lewis
01454 26xxxx
Football Club – Seniors
Chris Somerton (Secretary)
01454 26xxxx
Friends of Charfield Primary School
Jacqui Mitchell
01454 26xxxx
Foundation Room
Bryan Grantham
01454 26xxxx
Friendship Club
Mrs. M Ealey
01454 29xxxx
Keep Fit Club
Chris Pearce
01454 26xxxx
Luncheon Club for the Elderly
Jane Higgins
01454 26xxxx
Memorial Hall
Kate Isaacs (bookings)
01454 26xxxx
Neighbourhood Watch
To be confirmed
 
Newsletter – See inside front cover
Out of School Club
Pat Loveridge
01454 26xxxx or 07816 23xxxx
PTA – Katharine Lady Berkeley School
Suzanne Flye
01454 31xxxx
Police (if not a 999 call) Thornbury Police Station
dial main exchange 01275 81xxxx
And ask for Thornbury beat managers or front office
3799 PC Roger Jones
Thornbury Police Station 10:00–14:00 0117 945 xxxx Weekdays only PC Jones voicemail 01179 945 xxxx (Strictly non urgent and not reporting crime)
 
Round Table – Wotton and District
John Francksen (Hon Sec)
01453 84xxxx
GUIDING:
    Rainbows Judith Wenman01454 26xxxx
    Brownies – 2nd Charfield Beth Ellis Email: xxxx @ hotmail.com07870 69xxxx
Tae Kwon Do
Andy Reynolds
07909 92xxxx
Tennis Club
Nicola Coleman (after 7.00pm)
01453 84xxxx
Transport Scheme – Elderly and Housebound
Marion Smith
01454 26xxxx
1st WOODEND SCOUT GROUP
    Beaver Scouts (Age 6–8)
        Foxes Tuesday 6.00–7.00pm)
        Elaine Popham01454 26xxxx
    Cub Scouts (Age 8–10)
        Tigers Wednesday 6.30–8.00pm
        Peter Carnigie01454 26xxxx
    Scouts (Age 10½–14)
        Monday 6.30–8.30pm
        Mike Chinnick01454 26xxxx
    District Explorers (Age 14–18)
        Sharman Unit Thursday 7.00–9.00pm
        Alan Bartlett01453 84xxxx
    GSL Sandra Carnegie01454 26xxxx

Transcriber Notes

This issue was produced on 28 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: 2017-02-05.