CHADRA

Charfield and District Residents Association

Newsletter 131 – April 2008 – 25p

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

Copyright © Charfield and District Residents Association 2008.


Contents

Editorial
Production Team
Cover Story
Charfield Primary School
St. John's Church
Charfield Rainbows
Charfield Barns Office Park
Tennis Club
Charfield Memorial Hall
Memorial Hall 200 Club
RNLI – Wotton under Edge & District
Marilyn's Bit
Thornbury FM
SG Futurenergy
Attention – All ‘Solo Parents’
Charfield Parish Council
Is There a Dog Poo Fairy?
Charfield Junior Football Club
Congregational Church
1st Woodend Scout Group (Fury's Own)
Friends of Charfield School
A Conversation With …
Charfield's Defenders
Thought for the day
Village Organisations


1

[Artwork: Buzzard watching the area in front of Urn Cottage]

2

Editorial

Well the weather certainly can't make up its mind at the moment can it? During the last week of term at school came the first days we could comfortably venture out without a coat. The warm sunny afternoons released the parents collecting children from school from their winter coats, umbrellas and scarves. And then the first weekend of the holidays down came the snow (albeit only a covering on the gardens) and the cold wind was back. As I write this the snow has melted and the sun is out again, but it's still jolly chilly out there. I wonder what the weather holds in store for us over the next few months?

We have a packed newsletter for you this issue and my thanks, as always, go to our contributors. All copy was in on time and this has allowed me to put the issue together in a very short window before going away for a few days – not having to come back to it is a pleasant feeling.

At the end of this issue we have some notices for village events coming up soon – please have a look so that you don't miss out on any of the events and please give them all the support you can.

A number of people in the village are taking part in the ‘Race for Life’ raising money for Cancer Research UK. I wish them all the very best – go girlies!!

Regards, Hilary

Production Team

Joan CrowfootVice-Chairman, Newsletter Advertising & Duplicatingxx, Wotton Road 01453 84xxxx
Stephen DrinkwaterSecretary, Newsletter Copy Chasingx Hawthorne Close 01454 26xxxx
Julia O'Connor-BeachTreasurerxx, Manor Lane 01454 26xxxx xxxx @ yahoo.co.uk
Barbara AdamsCommittee memberxxxx, Wotton Road 01454 26xxxx
Marion & Angela SmithNewsletter Collation and Distributionxxx Manor Lane 01454 26xxxx xxxx @ xxxx.freeserve.co.uk
Hilary & Geoff WignallNewsletter Productionx Berkeley Close 01454 26xxxx xxxx @ tesco.net

Next Copy Date – 6th July 2008

3

Cover Story

Thanks, once again, to Derek Leahy for the artwork for the cover of this issue depicting a neighbourhood buzzard watching the area in front of Urn Cottage. Thanks Derek, your prize will be with you soon.

We have now used up our ‘stock’ of usable pictures for our cover so we are hoping that YOU will supply us with your artwork. Pictures or photographs, on the broad theme of ‘my village’, are welcome – no more than 16cm square please. Whilst we prefer black and white they can be in colour just so long as they will still look good when we print them in black and white

Charfield Primary School

Striving for Excellence
Learning for Life

Well they say all good things must come to an end and for me that is certainly true. Time has moved so quickly and already we are approaching the moment when I formally hand over the reins to Mr. Lawday, our new Head Teacher. It has been an honour to lead the school through this ‘interregnum’ and it is with a sense of pride that I handover to Mr. Lawday. Keeping with the theme of speed, things inside school have in no way been at a stand still; here are some of the activities that have taken place since my last Chadra Newsletter.

Staff news
Of course we will shortly be welcoming Mr. Lawday to our team but his is not the only arrival at Charfield Primary School. Miss. Wiltshire will have already joined us by the publishing of this letter. She has been appointed to cover Mrs. Noall's maternity leave. Miss. Wiltshire was delighted to accept the position. She is a well trained Year Five/Six teacher which is great news for our children in the junior department who will have said goodbye to a great teacher. I am sure you will join me in wishing Mrs. Noall much luck. Staying with our junior department, of course it is approaching the time when our Year Six children take their end of Key Stage Two Assessments. I would like to take the opportunity to wish them all every success. The children and their teachers are all working extremely hard to ensure that everyone is well prepared and, more importantly, calm and happy. Good Luck Everyone!

What have the children been up to?
We are always proud of the children in Charfield Primary School but never more so than in recent weeks. We have had a number of visitors to the school who have all commented on the serenity of the school and the manners of the children. Our Year Five children were also invited as guests to a celebration of 1000 years of Gloucestershire, where they shared a variety of experiences with county dignitaries. Again the organisers received glowing reports about conduct of children from a school called – Charfield. How proud am I!

Our greatest achievement to date however has been a whole school venture. We have been developing a wide variety of new strategies to develop writing skills amongst our young people and WOW what a difference we are seeing. Children in Charfield Primary School are rapidly becoming expert writers. If you ever get the opportunity to visit our school, and you are always more than welcome – don't be surprised if you hear Year One pupils using the word euphoric or sticking their thumbs up at odd times during a conversation to indicate the use of a time connective, or Year Sixes using personification and discussing the merits of using a non-finite verb to begin a sentence, or Year Fours and Fives challenging themselves to find new, exciting vocabulary such as phantasmagorical and triumphant, Year 4Threes contemplating the word putrid in their next sentence or Year Twos inviting you to a ‘scrumptious feast’ at the Prince's castle. Even Reception is getting in on the act. Did you know that in Reception you can now book a holiday with one of our trained staff who will write your name and where you want to go on a form? If they start talking like a robot – don't be alarmed, they are spelling!

Fundraising – by School Council
Our School Council have made changes to their terms of reference. They now chair their own meetings, invite speakers and minute all matters. I am so proud of their achievements. We are trying to develop ‘young leaders’ in our school and this is a step in the right direction. The School Council also have a budget to manage and funds to raise. The latest venture is to raise money to buy football nets for the school playground. They are also keeping a watchful eye on the workings of our behaviour policy and keeping me well informed. I would like them to write a piece for every Chadra issue so watch this space for SCHOOL COUNCIL NEWS.

Sports, sports and more sports!
Well, as promised, Charfield is back on the sporting map. We had great success at the Cross Country Finals, completely down to the dedication of our Cross country team, including Mrs. Peer, and specifically the achievements of Luke Messer, who came 1st overall. We are also due to take part in a country dancing festival in May and our football club is now up and running with over 40 children taking part. Watch out – here come Charfield P.S F.C! We had a great response to our plea for help in all things sporting and now have two parents involved in the football club BUT we are still keen to involve more members of the community. GIVE US A RING TO GET INVOLVED, all sports considered.

Active Mark
Just to prove that we mean what we say, I am extremely proud to announce that Charfield Primary School has been awarded the ACTIVE MARK for excellence in the field of sports and physical fitness. This of course has been down to the enthusiasm of the children and the dedication of our teachers and one teacher in particular – Mrs. Windram who has collated all of the evidence to submit to the panel. We are now looking to maintain that standard well into 2008 and beyond.

The Friends of Charfield School
The friends have been extremely busy for the school and, as I am sure you will read in their article, have provided a pathway to the adventure playground. Thank you Friends of Charfield from me and all the staff and children – playtimes will never be the same again.

And finally
As mentioned in my last letter, we are still looking for ways in which the school can play a larger role in Village life. We have recently offered a parenting course FREE OF CHARGE, to the village community and we will continue to develop further links. If you are reading this letter as a leader or facilitator of a village group and feel that links with the school would be mutually beneficial then please contact the school and ask to speak to Mrs. Gordon.

Best Wishes one and all,
Vicky Gordon, Acting Head Teacher

St. John's Church

We've had some busy and interesting times at St. John's recently. The biggest event was probably the Jumble Sale arranged by Allison Trueman. She and her team of busy helpers delivered leaflets, collected jumble and worked very hard on the day. The amount raised was £752!! She was thrilled and so are we at St. John's. The money is 5going to help us cover the costs of our Quinquennial … it's a report by the Architect every 5 years and it tells us what must be done, what should be done and what could be done, to the church building. We have to deal with some roof problems (minor) some re-pointing and replacement of wood on the exterior. We really need to deal with the carpets too and a few other things. This money will make a big difference so thank you to all who contributed to the event … both collecting and buying. Another event soon to happen is a Disco. We would like to do things to the inside of the church and I personally would like to see a cloakroom/toilet area. This money would be the start of a ‘works fund’

After the Easter School break we're hoping to do two main things: I would like to start a junior choir, this would be after school on a Friday for about 45 minutes. At the same time we will be having a table outside (ever optimistic about the weather) so that parents collecting children from school can have a drink beforehand whilst they sit and chat with their friends, and after school too if they'd like to or want to wait for their ‘singers’.

There are a few stalwart workers who keep the churchyard tidy and you will have noticed it's been a time of cutting back and pruning. My thanks to those people. We shall be telling you about our big PLANT SALE as usual this year in May and look forward to helping you re-stock your gardens. The Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) will take place on April 27th after the 9.30 service if anyone would like to come along.

Our Lent Lunches are now over. We raised almost £600 to send to the family in Sri Lanka. Many thanks to all of you who came and joined us for Soup, bread, cheese and fruit. It was a good forum for chatting and catching up and of course, meeting new people.

May the sun shine in your lives as well as on our village. Viv K

Charfield Rainbows

Another term over, another good time had by the Rainbows.

This term we were looking at what we wanted to be when we grew up. Each week was a different occupation; we were the emergency services, chefs, writers and best of all cafe owners. The Rainbows had to make posters, menus and invitations for the grand opening of the cafe. On the day they laid tables, decorated cakes and biscuits and then dressed up as waitresses to serve customers. The opening was a success with many parents coming and drinking lots of tea and eating lots of yummy cakes. It was a brilliant afternoon and thanks must go to everyone who came and supported our cafe.

After many years of being involved with Rainbows I have decided to step down as leader of Charfield Rainbows as from the end of the summer term. It was a hard decision to make but I feel it is now time to move on to pastures new. Andrea has kindly offered to become leader and I must thank her for all her support over the past few years. To ensure Rainbows keeps going from strength to strength there needs to be a second leader (in uniform), if you think you could give an hour a week during term time to make things and have fun please contact me.

Lastly I would like to thank all the past Rainbows, Andrea Barnes and Judith Wenman for the many brilliant years at Rainbows and hope it may continue for years to come.

Kathryn Schofield
01453 52xxxx

6

Charfield Barns Office Park

A model community of businesses

It is a fact of modern agricultural life that farmers have to ‘diversify’ to survive; ie, become something other than traditional farmers. Refraining from discussion of the EU, its agricultural policies, milk quotas, set aside, and so on, and not breathing a word about TB, foot and mouth, or bird flu, and being totally silent on the impact of large supermarket chains on farm gate prices, it is still obvious to the outsider that land and buildings have to earn their keep one way or another.

Small wonder that at various locations in our vicinity old farm buildings are being converted to modern commercial use. Even if a farm still has a working milking parlour, many of these buildings, which started life in the 19th century, are far too small for today's supersized cows and farm machinery, and a new use must therefore be found. It would seem an eminently sensible solution to provide office and workshop space for local people to use, thus cutting down on commuting distances.

At Watsome Farm on the East boundary of Charfield on the Wotton Road, Christine Bennett has created an office park, attractively and sympathetically designed, complete with parking for bicycles. Since completion in early 2007, it has attracted 5 businesses:

The Park businesses have found that they can help each other with contacts and business sharing, and that they have a common interest in environmental issues; now the ‘Charfield Barns Forum’ meets over a curry in the last week of the month, to explore areas where they might co-operate. For example, to reduce the number of delivery lorries to the site, the Forum is seeking a single source supply for stationery and sundries. The Forum (chaired by Rod Harlow of O People) is keen to work with other local businesses.

There is just one more unit available at the Park – wouldn't you like to work closer to home?

JOCB

Tennis Club

With the improving Andy Murray BEATING Roger Federer (again!) and doing well at tournaments the prospects actually look realistic & good for a possible British Wimbledon winner, so the Tennis Club are hoping that this will raise more interest in the game & motivate all existing members and potential new members to get involved in the club and enjoy some Tennis this year.

The 2008 fees for membership are as follows: Family £40, Couple £25, Single £20, Juniors £10.

In return you have the full facility of the court being book able in advance by using the IBOOKA system via the Tennis Clubs website on http://xxxx.ibooka.com/

7This system is only available to members of Charfield Tennis Club. If you do not have a user name and password please contact the club to provide one for you.

This is a great system which Charfield Tennis Club pays for on behalf of its members, but please ensure that you only book the court when you are certain that you will be using it (weather permitting!) as there is a charge for every booking made.

During the season the Ladies Ladder will be running again (Contact: Rita Wadsworth) along with a Men's Doubles Tournament on the 18th May, Mixed Doubles over the weekend of the 21st/22nd June & Ladies Doubles competitions for the Adults. There will also be Junior competition on the 8th June & a repeat of last years successful Family Tournament.

Coaching is also available from 3 years upward, run by Jake Barnes (Contact: 07971 93xxxx)

Thurs 3.30–4pm Reception & Yr1
Thurs 4–4.45pm Years 2–4
Thurs 4.45pm–5.30pm Years 5,6,7
Fri 3.30–4pm Reception & Yr1
Fri 4–4.45pm Years 2–4
Fri 4.45pm–5.30pm Years 5,6,7

And the suggestion has been made to run a youth evening on a Thurs or Friday (or both – depending on numbers).

We will also be organising members social events including in November ‘Frog Racing!!’ a Quiz Night in May and a repeat of last years sell out Xmas Lunch.

We are now starting in earnest to raise the challenging funds to begin work on our exciting 2nd Court Project, The planning permission for this project, I am pleased to confirm, has now been passed (subject to some conditions), but we now need to raise some £40k in order to take it to fruition.

Our own Barrie Williams is our planning & building coordinator for the project and he was at on hand at the Open Day armed with the plans for all to see and to discuss any aspect with anyone who had any questions.

With the money raising challenge in mind we have secured the services of an outside consultant that specialises in this type of ‘sports & community facility development’ fundraising and he is confident that he can get us to our goal and a much needed second court for us all.

Do not hesitate to contact me if you are interested in joining or need any more information.

See you on court?

Thanks & Regards
Chris Riley, Chairman, 07795 66xxxx

Charfield Memorial Hall

The first quarter of 2008 has been one of mixed emotions at the hall. We have held a couple of very successful fundraising events, the disabled toilet facility is almost completed but we have seen a return to the “bad old days” with a number of incidents of mindless vandalism and other anti social behaviour at the hall.

I'll start with the positive – we had a very well supported Valentines Night at the hall in February. Around £500 was raised to support the hall. My thanks to Angie Hill, Lisa Wiles and Deb Field for their considerable efforts in organising the event, to Steve Dee for singing himself to a standstill, to the sponsors who gave us the raffle prizes and to all those who came along to the event. We also held a very successful Easter Fair in March. This again was well supported 8by the village and over £400 was raised directly for hall funds. I must thank Margaret Gargett and Martine Davis for organising the event, all the committee members and friends who gave up their time to man the stalls and again to all the sponsors who gave raffle prizes. A final note of thanks on this one must go to Andrew Cope at Evergreen Computing. Andrew very kindly sponsored our “logo competition” and this should hopefully lead to the hall (& playing fields) having our very own logo soon. The final results of this are not available yet but I would like to thank all the entrants and will post the results in my next article.

The above fundraising efforts have seen us move a step closer to our plans to upgrade the Gents toilet at the hall. We have also secured some funding from South Gloucestershire Council and the Parish Council to support this work. However this brings me onto my negative points. Over the last couple of months we have seen a number of incidents of vandalism at the hall. This has resulted in damage to both the hall and its facilities, graffiti at the rear of the hall and damage to vehicles in the hall car park. This means once again we have to divert funds raised by the events described above to repair damage rather than it being used for proactive, positive activities. The most disappointing aspect of this for me is that it is almost certain that the youths responsible for the damage and general anti social behaviour are Charfield residents. They are destroying OUR only multi-purpose community facility! The police are aware of the issues, and the identity of some of the culprits, but the wider community in the village must take action to support both the hall committee and the police. Some “self help” is needed – so please, if you witness any illegal activity around the hall please take the time to report it to the police by calling 0845 456xxxx. We all must work together to show these idiots that they, and their actions, are not welcome in OUR village.

Returning to the positive, plans are moving along for the village summer fete on Saturday 5th July and the successful Casino night, complete with Elvis, will return in October. Watch out for more information about both events.

Finally a reminder – our AGM will be held on the 8th of May. To keep the hall committee functioning, and the hall open, we will need a new Secretary and a Vice Chairman. I have operated for the past 11 months or so without the support of a Vice Chair but this puts additional workload onto the other officers and it is not a situation that I would wish to continue. We also need additional committee members to support our activities, so please volunteer your help to support this vital community facility.

Thank you, Tim Hill, Chair.

Memorial Hall 200 Club

Jan141Mrs K Tranter£25
 137Mr G Jenkins£10
 292Mr D Davies£10
 267Mrs D Wilson£10
Feb141Mrs K Tranter£25
 224Mrs A Lloyd£10
 185Mrs C Haliday£10
 223Mr J Baines£10
March120Mr Bateman£50
 113Mrs S Fields£25
 224Mr A Lloyd£10
 228Mrs J Acton£10
 246Mrs A Hill£10

Help support the village hall and join the 200 club. There are four draws per month and one quarterly draw paying £50. Please contact Mr J Russell on 07711 55xxxx or 01453 52xxxx.

9

RNLI – Wotton under Edge & District

[Logo: RNLI Lifeboats Wotton under Edge & District]

Open Garden – Ozleworth Park
Sunday 15 June 2008

With the kind permission on Mr M J C Stone we are again organising an open garden at Ozleworth Park on Sunday 15th June. The grounds cover 12 acres and include woodland and wild flower areas with paths, a lake, rose garden, vegetable plots, greenhouses, a Victorian bath house, and the church of St Nicholas of Myra – which dates back to the 12th century.

The grounds are well worth visiting, and as last year, I have again been promised good weather on the day (and we had good weather last year) – so please come and support us. The grounds will be open from 2.00pm until 5.00pm; entry is £4 for adults with accompanied children free, but no dogs (except guide dogs) please. As well as giving you the opportunity to walk around and view the grounds, there will be an art show, a local choral group, and opportunities to buy refreshments (including home-made cakes), plants, second-hand books, etc.

House-to-House Collection
As in previous years I will be organising a house-to-house collection in the GL12 postal district for the week beginning Monday 7th July. While I have a number of faithful collectors, I would welcome more – especially for Underhill Road, Farm Lees or Cromhall.

If any of you would like to know more about your local branch, or are willing to collect during house-to-house week or help otherwise (even if only occasionally) – please contact me.

John Barnett (Chairman)
01453 84xxxx (Charfield)

Marilyn's Bit

Hello! We had a brilliant Maths evening at school, last week. My role was to look jolly, ring the bell at half time and not answer any questions. That last bit was my decision. I was only going to stay until 8 as I was off to my tap dancing class. I just nipped into the Ladies toilet before I left and glanced into the mirror. I had white fluff on my nose. How long had that been there? Furthermore, all the parents that I had been charming to, well, you can imagine can't you. I was unsettled for the remainder of the evening. When I first moved to Bristol, I worked in a Building Society. I had opened an account for this chap with a tomato skin on my front tooth. Same sort of thing really.

I had decided to have a bit of a pedicure. Instead of soaking my feet in a washing up bowl, not THE washing up bowl, in the kitchen on the tiled floor, listening to the radio, I organised myself in the lounge watching T.V. I thought it was a bit strange and was going to ask Keith to get some more water. I waited a bit longer and the water had almost disappeared. I discovered there was a fine crack in the bowl. I could not believe it. I used about six towels to mop up and still the carpet was soaking. Three days later this awful smell started and lasted for at least three to four weeks. I can only think that the carpet and floorboards had gone all musty. I was squirting smelly stuff all over the place. I thought if I had this trouble with mango and peach bubbles, what had those poor people experienced in those floods? Sophie came over and exclaimed, “Mum, pot pourri?” “Don't ask,” I said.

Haven't lemons got expensive? I'm now putting limes in my G & T.

I heard on the radio this morning, that wolf whistles from building sites, etc., are out of date and offensive. I'll tell you 10that if some gorgeous bloke in tight jeans and carrying bricks whistled at me, I'd be well pleased.

Mum and I were in the Crypt at St Martin's in the Fields Church, just off Trafalgar Square, (fab lunches, I can recommend it), having a cuppa. We were discussing what was on tele lately. “I like New Tricks,” said Mum. I told her that James Bolam was married, in real life, to Susan Jameson who plays Esther, married to Brian, in the show. Are you keeping up? Mum said that they used to be in that programme The Liver Boys. I said, “No, that was the Liver Birds.” Mum said, “oh yes it was filmed in Manchester.” I said, “No, it was filmed in Liverpool and James Bolam was in The Likely Lads.” We were having a right old laugh and decided because of that we had better have Apple Crumble and Custard. A week later we were in our own homes. “Are you watching New Tricks tonight?” I asked. “Yes,” said Mum, ”the one from the Lively Boys.” You can imagine my response. She said, “You're going to write about this, aren't you?”

Well, my dear readers, I think I've brought you up to speed. Have a fantastic Spring. The next time I write; we will have been out to visit Lawrence, it will then be July and naturally, with our beautiful English weather, extremely HOT.

Best Wishes, Love Maz

Thornbury FM

We are back on air from Monday 28th April through to Sunday 25th May, broadcasting on 87.7FM. We want to publicise local events, so please send details of any activities taking place during this period to info @ thornburyfm.org or, during the broadcast period, phone the studio on 01454 41xxxx. The full programme schedule and details of how to get involved are on the website www.xxxx.org or contact the studio.

Advertising

[Advert for Add Plant]

[Advert for D.R. Vizard]

11[Advert for Charfield Memorial Hall]

[Advert for Wedding Cars]

[Advert for Plumbtec]

12[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]

13[Advert for W.S. Franks]

[Advert for Pat Jeanes reflexology]

[Advert for Claire Saunders]

[Advert for Colin Lane Carpet & Flooring]

[Advert for Littles Curtains]

[Advert for Chris Bound Carpentry Services]

14[Advert for Cotswold Edge Carpets]

[Advert for Barbara Daw]

[Advert for Severn Planning]

15[Advert for Terrys]

[Advert for Deborah Jayne Pringle]

[Advert for RK Aerials]

[Advert for PC Repairs & Maintenance]

[Advert for Acucare]

16[Advert for New Street Garage]

[Advert for At Home Curtains]

[Advert for Relax-ology]

[Advert for Gymtastic]

17[Advert for Evergreen Computing]

[Advert for Frocks & Tails at Home]

[Advert for Party From A Box]

[Advert for Manor Garden Maintenance]

[Advert for Memorial Hall Country & Western Nights]

18[Advert for Autocheck]

19

SG Futurenergy

[Logo]

In an effort to reduce domestic carbon dioxide emissions and save householders money on their fuel bills, South Gloucestershire Council has launched an initiative to encourage residents to install renewable energy technology in their homes.

The council has teamed up with Severn Wye Energy Agency to launch SG Futurenergy, which will provide advice and grants of £500 to households that want to install renewable technologies to save money and create a more sustainable home.

SG Futurenergy will act as a “one stop shop” for people interested in finding out more about renewable energy for their home. Expert advisors will provide advice and support, right from the initial enquiry to actual installation of a renewable technology.

Advice is free and impartial and advisors can help identify the most suitable renewable technologies for homes, help with finding a reliable installer who has signed up to a customer care standard as part of the SG Futurenergy scheme, and a grant of up to £500 towards installing the technology. Advisors will also make people aware of any other grants they may be eligible to apply for.

Renewable technologies can save households money on their fuel bills and reduce carbon emissions by using clean, inexhaustible sources of energy and provide a healthier environment to live in.

Some of the renewable energy technologies that are eligible for the scheme's grant include: solar hot water, solar photovoltaic (PV), ground source heat pumps, small scale wind, biomass, and small scale hydro.

To find out more information about each of the technologies and to apply for a grant ring the SG Futurenergy Renewable Energy Advice Service on 01594 54xxxx, which is open Mondays to Fridays, from 9am until 5pm. Alternatively people can email renewables @ swea.co.uk or visit the website at www.southglos.gov.uk/climatechange.

Attention – All ‘Solo Parents’

Are you a ‘solo parent’? i.e. one who is endeavouring to bring up a child or children on your own. You may be un-married, separated, divorced or widowed and possibly feel isolated from the rest of the community by virtue of being a ‘solo parent’.

I would like to try to help by giving you the opportunity to meet with other ‘solo parents’ in the village to share experiences, exchange ideas or merely to socialise with others who understand exactly how you feel! I would like to remain as flexible as possible with regard to the agenda of any meetings and would aim to be totally guided by your wishes. Meetings could be arranged during the day, in the evening or at weekends, to fit in with your other commitments. There will be no fee to join.

If the idea of belonging to a group such as this appeals to you or if you would just like to discuss it further with me, please ring the number below. Anything you may say will be kept in strictest confidence. If you are not personally eligible to join the group but you know of someone who might wish to, please pass this notice to them. Once I have an idea of numbers I will arrange a first meeting to discuss how we proceed.

20However shy or anxious you are, just give me a call – you've nothing to lose and hopefully a lot to gain. What is that saying – “a problem shared is a problem halved!”

To register an interest, just leave your first name and 'phone number (land line if possible) with Steve on: 01454 26xxxx.

Charfield Parish Council

Play Equipment
I am sure that parishioners will be aware that the play equipment, situated to the side of the Memorial Hall grounds, is purchased and maintained by the Parish Council. We have been working over the last few years to improve this equipment and provide a facility that is challenging to use and provides that element of fun that is important in the development of children at an important time of their lives. However there seems to be a section of our young charges that view the play equipment in a different light. I refer to the ever-present battle against vandalism. Graffiti has been around for millennia but this still appears with regularity inside the shelter, this is when they have become bored with breaking the wooden seats or in worst cases setting fire to them. The most recent cases of vandalism have involved the removing of fencing material from around the large slide so that it can be used as a mountain bike course, mind you this is an improvement on removing the fence posts to use as a means of breaking into the hall. Most recently a group of children were seen tearing down the small sections of fence on the sides of the swings. These fence sections are put there as a safety barrier to stop children running into the path of the swings.  Without them there is a possibility for injury and in the modern world of blame culture this would leave the Parish Council, as the owners and maintainers of the equipment, open for criticism. This latter incident is frustrating; particularly as we have just replaced one of these barriers since the last time they were torn down. Actions of this nature cannot go ignored; incidents will always be reported to the Police for investigation. Please remember it is your money that has to be spent in repair. In the next couple of months the play equipment is due to undergo its annual safety inspection. An independent inspector will make recommendations to the Parish Council on the safety of the site and its continued use. One of the outcomes of this is the level of insurance that is required, the cost of which is borne by you the parishioners through your Council Tax Precept. In extreme circumstances the equipment may have to be taken out of use.

On a more positive note I have asked the Council to form a working group to look into the whole aspect of play equipment. This group will be seeking input from the schools; children's groups and parents into the type of play equipment most would like to be provided. I am sure we will get requests from all ends of the spectrum but we wish to provide equipment that is going to be used to its full potential in the years ahead. If you would like to take part in this consultation please pass on ideas or your contact details to the Clerk or any of the parish councillors.

Land at Manor Lane
Since the last CHADRA Newsletter the new seat, rubbish bin and notice board has been installed. From the numbers I have seen using the seat and the amount of notices appearing on the notice board their installation has been welcomed. The final addition to the notice board will be a street map of the village; this will be fixed to the central portion of the notice board behind the Perspex cover. The only down side of 21this is that the Perspex cover has been vandalised by either paint or an attempt to set fire to it. Not bad for something that has only been installed for a month. The hedge at the rear of the willow tree has been cut and layered, this looks a little thin at the moment but it will bulk out over the summer. The next phase will be to arrange for some planting on the site to give a better visual appeal.

Parish Meeting.
On the 6th of May the Annual Meeting of the Parish will be held in the Sportsman's Lounge of the Memorial Hall. This year we hope to secure a guest speaker from South Glos Council to come along and enlighten us on their efforts at recycling and what is hoped for the future. Don't forget this is not a Parish Council Meeting, it is your opportunity to come along and discuss with councillors any topic that has impact on the parish, what you would like to see improved in Charfield for the benefit of all parishioners. Without your input we only have to assume that we are getting it right. If there is any topic you would like to see on the agenda please contact the clerk, oh and we will be providing refreshments.

The Clerk can be contacted on 01453 51xxxx or through the PC website at www.charfieldparishcouncil.org.uk

Paul Ashford
Chairman; Charfield Parish Council.

Is There a Dog Poo Fairy?

Has any other dog walker noticed this? As I walk with my dog round the footpaths in the village (armed with my plastic bag) I am noticing a curious phenomenon. Somebody, another dog walker presumably, has carefully picked up their dog's poo, bagged it, and then hung the bag in a prominent place on a tree branch or fence.

Why? Do they think there is a dog poo fairy who will magically whisk it away? Or is it someone who is a tad forgetful (and short-sighted), intending to remove it on a return journey, perhaps. Or is it not from their dog but somehow they think they are making a point? (unlikely, this one, I think). I can't think that it is done by someone so small minded that they think it's a clever thing to do.

I'm delighted that so many dog owners now clear up after their pets (though there is still room for improvement) but this situation leaves me quite bemused.

Does anyone have an answer?
‘Puzzled’ of Charfield

Charfield Junior Football Club

Successful Cup Runs
+ Fund Raising

Hello again from the Junior Football Club! March and early April have been a very busy time for all 4 teams and the Committee members. It started with our now annual beer festival and has finished with the Under 16 side reaching the County Cup Final.

The first weekend in March is now host to Charfields Annual Beer Festival. Despite last years organisers pulling out just a month prior to this years event the Committee members, supported by a number of Mums and Dads rallied together to make this a very successful evening. A fine selection of beers and a couple of popular ciders were available together with a choice of wines and soft drinks. The Ploughman's meal also went 22down well. The evening's entertainment was provided by live music from the ever popular local band the Ultimate Echoes. Everyone who attended said they had a great time. So much in fact that it was difficult to get people to leave at the end!

With interest nationally focusing on both the FA Cup final and the British involvement in the Champions League more locally the Junior Football Club is having a bumper year in its progress in cup competitions in the County, and in both the Stroud and District and Mid Gloucestershire Mini Leagues. Our U16 team has reached the County Cup final to be played against Oldland Abbotonians on Sunday 20th April at the Gloucestershire FA Headquarters in Almondsbury. Our Under 12s have also reached their league cup final on 4th May whilst the U15s are closing in on theirs. The U11s reached the quarter finals before coming across the unbeaten league champions. I wish all the teams continued success.

Also of note over the last month was the U11s team involvement in Sports Relief. The players and both coaches ran between a mile and 3 miles raising £441.00 in the process. The players had enough energy left for a game afterwards, but having just run 3 miles I was happy to stop and watch them!

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

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

Thank You,

Nigel Cloke
Club Secretary/Under 11s Manager

Congregational Church

Minister Rev. Philip Hopes
tel: 01453 84xxxx
Sunday Worship 11 am.
Family Service 1st Sunday of each month at 11 am.
Tuesday 8 pm. Prayer and Bible Study

Two of Jesus' followers were discussing their disappointment, after His crucifixion. They did not realize that their questioner was Christ Himself:

Luke 24:17–21 (NRSV) And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place.

Their hopes and dreams were crushed. They had believed Jesus was to be a political Messiah, and now that was not possible. As many times as He had directed their minds to a Heavenly perspective, they just didn't get it. They thought it was all over. In actuality, 23something more crucial was happening here. The death of Christ, and His subsequent resurrection, procured for us the salvation we could never achieve on our own. Because of Christ's conquering sin and the grave, those who believe in Him as Saviour can spend eternity – forever – with God. What appeared to be a bleak moment became the turning point of history, irrevocably changing two worlds, both this earthly one and the one that lasts forever.

Maybe you are going through a dark phase in your life. Right now you can see no purpose, no hope, and no light. But even though we can't always see the whole picture, God can. God sees everything, He is in control and He loves you very much. He can bring a glorious Sunday out of any “Good Friday” that we face.

1st Woodend Scout Group (Fury's Own)

Good news for the Group on the Leaders front, we now have 2 new assistant leaders for the Tuesday Scout Troop, we do need at least another 2 for the Monday evenings, 6.30–8.30pm if you are free? The Beavers new assistant leader “Mallard” has settled in nicely but we could do with another assistant, Tuesdays 6.15–7.15pm. The Cubs will be resurrecting the “Lion” pack in September, this pack merged with the Tiger pack shortly after the foot and mouth period due to a drop in numbers and Leaders. The new pack will consist mainly of Beavers moving up and a few of the younger children on the Cubs waiting list, who will be informed shortly.

Unfortunately the Wotton Group and ourselves are both full from the Cub age upwards which shows that Scouting is very popular in the area but neither groups now have the physical space to expand.

Spring always seems to be a good time to do the craft activities with all of the sections, Valentines cards were made, for Mother's day potted plants were made or planted and then there were decorated eggs for Easter. Not having issued a note reminding parents to send in a boiled egg each, Julie offered to boil 30+ and we were totally egg bound. Good job however as the Cubs managed to break their own on the way into the hall. Eggstrordinary creations were made and I think it was a rock star egg that won in the end. The Beavers and Scouts have both been bowling, one Beaver had never ever played the game for real however he was brilliant on a Nintendo Wii, he came out with the second best score. 

The Scouts Troops have held a couple of joint meetings due to the bank holidays, one I visited had them producing a sketch with the other Scouts guessing which of the Scout Laws it referred to, a wonderful way of remembering their Promise and Law. We were also treated to some musical entertainment and one scout even drew caricatures of the Leaders, our scouts are certainly very talented. The past couple of weeks they have been working on their stage 3 First Aid badges so should be very useful Scouts too.

At the end of term the Cubs were awarded with their Art badge and Creative Challenge. For this they created, named and designed a new sweet/snack. One six included everyone's favourite creating a chocolate, sweet, pasta pizza bake concoction. Each six created the packaging, a slogan and advertisement poster of their product based on the opinions of the other Cubs in the pack. For the final part of the Challenge badge 24they had to present their product to their families who voted which one they would buy should it reach the shelves. And in true Apprentice/Dragon's Den style the Cubs were questioned on their products by the audience, they did really well nothing fazed them. The next task was a little more difficult, “Who's line is it anyway”, where the six is given an object and they have to act as though it is something else and the audience guesses, our Cubs are used to being put on the spot with this game but the parents weren't. All performed really well.

Last Saturday the Scouts and a handful of Cubs and parents travelled by coach to London to visit the Natural History and Science museums, a great day out and we all could have spent a little longer in both, I think this might be on the Scout agenda again. Be warned anyone wanting to visit the dinosaurs – you have to queue!! The Group held our tombola as usual at the Wotton Spring Charities Fair assisted by the Beavers and Cubs (and parents, thank you) and although it was fairly quiet we did raise a good amount. Next week Sunday April 13th we will be taking our first venture into Town Hall Teas, the Scouts will be assisting on this one maybe one or two of them will bake, hint hint? The following Sunday we will be attending the District Family Fun Day at Woodhouse Park celebrating St George's Day with Olympic style games, it won't be as big as the centenary celebrations last year at Bath but we hope it will be as enjoyable. The weekend after that the Scouts will be taking part in their first camp of the year at South Cerney Water Park taking part in sailing activities, with it snowing today I think this may be a cold one. I've never known an April so busy.

Over the summer term the Beavers will be venturing on a day trip to Weston and attending a District Beaver Fun day at Woodhouse Park. The Cubs will be attending a District Camp at Woodhouse Park themed on the Wild West, making tepees, face painting, feather headdresses etc. we hope it will be a good one. Scouts will be taking part in the Post and Press competition at Woodhouse, the Malvern Challenge at Chippenham. So we'll all be having lots of fun in the great outdoors – kids don't forget your raincoats!

New Beavers – to put your child's name on the waiting list please contact Allison Trueman tel 01454 26xxxx

Yours in Scouting,
Sandra Carnegie

Friends of Charfield School

We hope you all had an enjoyable Easter and ate loads of chocolate like we did – yum yum!!

A date for your diary, we are having a May Fair on Saturday 10th May 12pm–3pm. We have organised many attractions and activities including a bouncy castle, giant Jenga, giant Connect 4, BBQ, cream teas, craft room, face painting and many more stalls. The children will be May Pole dancing or country dancing for us and there will also be Morris Dancers performing.

Entry to the fair is free so please come along and enjoy what will be a great day (fingers crossed for good weather!).

A big thank you to all of you who purchased an Invitation Book, this raised £330.00; thank you to Lisa Burner for organising this.

Just a short note from us this time. See you at the Fair,

Helen and Lisa, Co Chairs

25

A Conversation With …

Viv Kerner

April the first, the day I was meeting Charfield's new vicar, Viv Kerner, was a glorious spring morning and as I walked to the Rectory my mind was running over the questions I was hoping to put to her for the first of this occasional series of articles on Charfield residents, old and new, for CHADRA.

I was in for a shock. After a warm greeting and being shown to her comfortable study, the first thing Viv made clear was her position. ‘I am not the vicar’ she stated firmly. ‘I am an unpaid volunteer. The vicar is based in Wotton and is in charge of Wotton, North Nibley, Ozleworth, Tresham, Kingswood and Charfield. My proper title is Non-Stipendiary, Associate Minister, Assistant Curate, House For Duty Parish Priest and I am responsible for Kingswood and Charfield.’ (I guess the acronym would be N-SAMACHFDPP. It would be easier to remember the full title, I think.) And then she made it clear that what people choose to call her is irrelevant. Unpaid her work might be but it, and the people she meets, is all important to her and she loves it.

She went on to explain that her type of position is becoming more common in the Church of England and her duties include the sort of things we all rather expect – weddings and funerals, pastoral care, services and assemblies in school but that her job would be impossible without the tremendous support she receives from her two local teams of four, one in Kingswood and one in our village, who help with every aspect of her work. In tune with modern thinking there is even a parish statement – ‘to take the church into the community and the community into the church’.

And this is exactly what she does. Amongst the many ideas she has are ones to include young children and their parents. ‘There is a missing generation of churchgoers’ she explained ‘many of today's parents of young children have not been involved in the church and I would love to be able to change that.’ One of her plans is to start a singing group for youngsters; another is to offer tea and biscuits to parents when they are collecting their children from school. ‘Sometimes they look so cold and can be waiting for quite a long time. I think it would be very sociable to offer refreshments in the church grounds – inside the church if the weather is bad – no strings attached. I understand how Sundays have changed – so many children are doing sports in that slot so the school assemblies I do are very important. Viv the Vicar, the children call me’.

I was, of course, very curious about how Viv came to take this big step in her life and the reactions she's had from her family, friends and parishioners. ‘Since I went to Sunday School at the age of four’ she told me ‘it's been important to me though through my teenage years I was with a Baptist church. As an adult, and PE teacher, I was involved with the Church of England but wanted training and 14 years ago I was ordained. I've been a priest for thirteen years now.’

‘What had been her family's reaction?’ I asked. Viv laughed. ‘My then 14 year old daughter's first response was to ask me never to wear my dog collar in front of her school friends. My son, then 11, said ‘Fine. What's for dinner?’ After a couple of years they were asking me for photos to prove to their friends that I was a vicar! My second husband, Steve, – we've been married for 10 years – has been the most tremendous support and I just couldn't do the job without him. All that's been fine. So has the response from most parishioners. The only 26problems I've had has been with a few other priests who find it difficult to adjust.’

Viv is an optimist. ‘My cup is half full,’ she said. ‘I accept people for what they are and developing personal relationships is really important to me. I will do almost anything for a good cause’. (Including, it seems, abseiling down Gloucester Royal for a breast cancer charity!) ‘People come first, paperwork last and meetings somewhere in between. I don't mind asking anything of anyone – I'm not afraid of the word ‘no’. But I have learned to leave problems at the front door.’

‘Is there a downside?’ I asked. Viv thought for a moment. ‘The price of oil’ she said. ‘It's wonderful to have the space in this house but the heating system is pretty costly to run. Oh, and delivery men seem to be reluctant to go to the Old Rectory and I sometimes come home to interesting looking parcels on the doorstep which aren't for me.’ She grinned. ‘We love it here, even though I have to confess I'm a ‘townie’. Coming from Gloucester, I'm used to having shops on the doorstep. I'm getting used to having countryside instead but I still love a trip to the shops. And I was so impressed when I first came see Charfield and Kingswood to find that both churches were unlocked’ She was serious for a moment. ‘If I do get down I have my ‘cheer up file.’ Taking a file from the cabinet she showed me a collection of letters and cards that it contained. ‘From parishioners who have been happy with what I've done. They make me tingle and I only need to look at them to feel better again’.

Supporting people of the parish in times of trouble, whether church goers or not, is the most important aspect of her job to Viv with her ‘adopted’ family in Sri Lanka coming close behind. She was delighted when the Lent lunches raised £670 which was sent to help towards educating their children and rebuilding their home after they lost everything in the Tsunami – almost unimaginable to us. It is, I feel, the essence of everything she believes in – caring, sharing, supporting.

But what, I wondered, did she do for relaxation, which must be pretty important in her very busy life. ‘I would love to garden’, she said, ‘but unfortunately my back won't let me’. Viv doesn't have the best of health. ‘My nickname is Dibley,’ she laughed and went on to explain that she had been on steroids at one point and had gained 5 stones. Fortunately that had been a misdiagnosis and she was able to loose it again but the name has stayed with her. She has, though, had ‘cancer several times’ she said, brushing it off as one might a cold. ‘I am an avid reader, particularly of crime and forensic novels – Patricia Cornwell, Jack Reacher – that sort of thing. I love them. And I enjoy the soaps – I sometimes use examples from them in my sermons which surprises some people. And, of course, my grandchildren. Four year old Josh and Kiera, who is two, are a great joy’. We spend a few minutes happily agreeing on what an enormous pleasure it is to have grandchildren before I leave.

Barbara Adams

Charfield's Defenders

Part time fire-fighters [Fire Guards] and Home Guards in the last war did a great job for their country, almost every town, city, and village had a Home Guard detachment and a Fire Guard unit, Charfield was no exception. [Just by way of interest, Home guards were initially known as the L.D.V. – Local 27Defence Volunteers]. Home Guard detachments, who were in all reality, part time soldiers, gave the War Office a great deal of flexibility regarding the number of regular soldiers that could be deployed over seas. Fire guard units, also did a great job, helping tired and exhausted regular firemen, who, night after night battled unceasingly extinguishing fires that had been started by incendiary and high explosive bombs dropped by German aircraft as they remorselessly pounded towns and cities throughout the country.

Although no bombs actually fell in Charfield, some did fall uncomfortably close, but be that as it may, a very nasty explosion did occur in the coal wharf sidings very near the subway at the end of Station Rd, fortunately no one was injured, but many windows were blown out in the adjacent houses. At the time of the explosion, the home guard platoon was on patrol in the Elbury Hill area, almost a mile away from the village. On hearing the explosion, every one immediately looked towards Charfield where we could see a plume of smoke and debris rising high in the air, to us seemingly coming from the general direction of our ammunition hut which was sited just across the road from the railway sidings. Our immediate thoughts were that something had gone horribly wrong there, the most worrying thing was that our Sgt Major, Denis Spill, had stayed behind to tidy up the store and make a new inventory of all the various items of equipment and ammunition that was needed in order to keep our platoon a viable fighting unit. On reaching Charfield it became clear the explosion had nothing to do with our ammunition store, but had taken place in the station road railway sidings, where minor explosions were still causing flames to shoot skywards from several railway wagons some of which were still burning fiercely, as were sleepers beneath the wagons.

In no time at all, buckets of water were being passed along a chain formed by people who lived in Station Road, to those who were at the scene of the explosion doing their best to control the fire. On arrival I immediately exchanged my Home Guard helmet for that of a fire guard, being also a member of that organisation, and joined in the hot sweaty task, with the help of a stirrup pump thrust into my hands by our Fire Guard chief Mr Freeman, [Owner of a drapers shop in Station Road] to quell the fire in the wagons and to prevent further explosions by spraying water on large cylinders that had fallen from them. We were never told the cylinders contents, but they certainly knew how to explode.

Thanks to a great effort by all concerned, the Home Guard, the Fire Guard, and villagers who were too old or to young to belong to either, the explosions were stopped and the fires extinguished. Those on the stirrup pumps were rewarded by the L.M.S. Railway Co, for services rendered, I thought this very unfair, because without the people carrying the water to those manning the pumps, the fires would have raged on, and more explosions would have occurred, so I think every one who helped to extinguish the fire, whether on the pumps, or carrying the water, should have been rewarded, the amount given by the Railway Co certainly wouldn't have made them bankrupt.

A couple of weeks after the explosion I received my call up papers to join the Coldstream Guards; I therefore obtained a unique hat trick, a hat trick of Guards, the Fire Guards, the Home Guards, and the Coldstream Guards, but not being a professional footballer, I wasn't rewarded with a man of the match bottle of champagne – “Ah well, that's life I suppose.”

28To get back to more sensible things, material thrown from the burning wagons was identified as belonging to the American armed forces, but there appeared to be no connection between that and the explosion. A couple of us had very minor burns but nothing serious, my home guard uniform, which was well past its sell by date, obtained a few scorch marks, so much to my pleasure I was issued with a new one, it didn't fit, but neither did the original one.

Below is a photo copy of the award document from the L.M.S. Railway Co, it is a bit tatty, but it's been lying around for well over sixty years.

Wartime memories feature strongly in the minds of most people of my age group, some of them sad, some humorous, and some unusual ones, the sad ones we tend not to think too much about, the humorous and the unusual ones we keep fresh in our memories. One of the strangest incidents I can remember concerned a Fire Guard Unit that was supposed to have been set up in the Little Bristol Lane community, although to this day I am not sure whether the Little Bristolians had an official unit or not, at the time however, it was assumed by the authorities that one had been set up in that part of the village. Eventually it was decided by our fire guard chief, Mr Freeman, and Mr Bullen the school headmaster who was now assisting Mr Freeman, that all the fire guard units should be tested for their readiness to deal with incendiary bombs if any did unfortunately fall on Charfield. To do this, incendiary devices were to be set off at various places throughout the village to check out the fire fighters speed and efficiency in dealing with a fire when, or if, incendiary bombs did cause problems in their designated part of the village.

Everything went according to plan; flames were being quickly extinguished all over the village until the Olympic flame was introduced to the inhabitants of Little Bristol Lane.

[Image: telegram]

29As the flames shot high into the air from the burning incendiary devise the two officials blew their warning whistles like demented referees, the air raid sirens howled, [this was just coincidence not part of the plan] and the entire population of the Little Bristol Lane council houses rushed with amazing speed from their homes, leaned over their front garden gates, and watched with great interest, and the same amount of bewilderment, at the spectacle before them.

Some of us who had already had our efficiency tests, were asked by the two Fire Guard chiefs to follow them around to see how other units dealt with the flaming inferno. To put it mildly, we were amazed at the reaction of the Bristol Lane unit, simply because no one made the slightest attempt to fight the flames. As the spectators watched from their garden gates, the flames slowly gave up the ghost until there was just a tiny spark left, and as that slowly disappeared so did the apparently bored onlookers, leaving Mr Bullen and Mr Freeman to gather up the tired, and by now cold ashes of a somewhat dubious idea that almost worked.

The surprising thing about this was, that the Little Bristol Lane community were a great bunch of people, almost every organisation in the village had someone from Bristol Lane on their committees, they were wonderful workers for the village, so, what went wrong? There were several things that I believe could have gone wrong; knowing the people of Little Bristol Lane as I did, there is no doubt in my mind, that they would have moved with great speed and alacrity if any real danger had threatened, but this rather unrealistic exercise in no way stirred the imagination of the realistically minded Little Bristolians, hence the uncharacteristic response.

Another thing of course is, there may not have been a F.G. Unit in Bristol Lane, as referred to above, and if there was, they had not been informed there was to be a test on that particular day so were all out. What ever the reason was for not fighting the flames, after all this time we will never know, too much water has flowed under the bridge, but it did make for a lot of light hearted banter and something to smile about in rather serious times.

In the last News Letter, there was a query about a Poor House in Charfield, I am pretty sure there was one, but I am not so sure about its location. The house I think could be the one in question, is Charfield House, at the bottom of New Street on the left hand side of the road. On many occasions I heard my mother talking to neighbours about a Work House, which I believe is what it would have been called back in the bad old days.

I may be completely wrong, but I can't think of any other house that would fit the bill. Maybe some one knows its whereabouts, it would be very interesting to know exactly where it was, or perhaps still is, situated.

Ken Parker.

Thought for the day

Some people are like slinkies; they don't really have a purpose but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs.

Advertising

30[Advert for St John's Church Plant Sale]

[Advert for Friends of Charfield School Cycling Challenge]

[Advert for Charfield Primary School May Fair]

31[Advert for Memorial Hall AGM]

[Advert for Memorial Hall “Rising Stars” Talent Competition]

32

Village Organisations

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

Baby and Toddler Group
Alex Montgomery 01453 84xxxx

Bingo Club
Sue Scoble 01454 26xxxx

British Legion
David Millman (Hon Sec) 01454 26xxxx

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

Charfield Primary School
Stefan Frontczak 01454 26xxxx

Childminders
Sarah Gazzard 01454 26xxxx

Church – Congregational
Rev Philip Hopes 01453 84xxxx

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

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

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

Cricket Club
Diane Bradley 01453 84xxxx

Crimestoppers 0800 555 111

Football Club
Nigel Cloke 01454 26xxxx

Friends of Charfield Primary School
Lisa Burner 01454 26xxxx
Helen England 01454 26xxxx

Foundation Room
Bryan Grantham 01454 26xxxx

Friendship Club
Mrs. M Ealey 01454 29xxxx

Keep Fit Club
Christine Parfitt 01454 26xxxx

Luncheon Club for the Elderly
Jane Higgins 01454 26xxxx

Memorial Hall
Bookings 0870 774 xxxx
Email xxxx @ virgin.net
Tim Hill (Chair) 01454 26xxxx

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)
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)
Kathryn Schofield 01453 52xxxx
Brownies – 2nd Charfield
Natalie Perrett 01453 84xxxx
Guides (Kingswood)
Susan Scothern 01453 84xxxx

Tae Kwon Do
Andy Reynolds 07909 92xxxx

Tennis Club
Kate Isaacs (membership) 01454 26xxxx
Jake Barnes (coaching/tournaments) 01454 26xxxx

Transport Scheme – Elderly and Housebound
Marion Smith 01454 26xxxx

1st WOODEND SCOUT GROUP
GSL Peter Carnegie 01454 26xxxx
AGSL Allison Trueman (waiting list) 01454 26xxxx
Scouts
Mike Rickwood Mon 6.30–8.30pm 01454 29xxxx
Peter Carnegie Tue 7.00–9.00pm 01454 26xxxx
Cubs
Sandra Carnegie Wed 6.00–8.00pm 01454 26xxxx
Beavers
Tina Rickwood Tue 6.15–7.15pm 01454 26xxxx
Explorers
Tim Evans Thu 7.30–9.30pm 01453 52xxxx


Transcriber Notes

This issue was produced on 32 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 and Mark Rosher.

Last update: 2017-02-09.