CHADRA

Welcome to the summer edition of the Charfield Newsletter. There are lots of interesting articles in this issue to keep you up to date with village life.

There is an article from a new contributor advertising motorbike rides, which sounds very interesting. I have only been on a motorbike once in my life and was absolutely petrified. I kept asking to slow down but was told, “We are only doing 15mph”!!

The CHADRA team are always interested to hear your news and views, so if you fancy writing an article for the next issue please contact me. Maybe you would like to find out the history of something in Charfield, if so send me your questions and it will be printed, and maybe someone in the village can supply the answer. Someone asked me recently if I knew a building called Charfield Hall (not the village hall). They had been tracing their family history and someone in their family lived there. Do you know where this building was? Please contact me if you do and I will pass the information on.

Whatever your plans for this summer I do hope you enjoy yourselves and, happy reading.

Isabel

Next Copy Date – 6th October 2009

For back issues of the newsletter please visit www.charfieldparishcouncil.org.uk

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The lovely cover picture this issue was drawn by John Acton.

Your prize will be with you shortly.

It is such a long time since I have done an article for CHADRA that I hardly know what to say!

I finished Rainbows a year ago and have now settled into being a District Commissioner – quite a different role but very enjoyable. 2010 will be a very exciting year for Guiding because we are celebrating our centenary. We have events planned throughout the year starting in September with a launch party at Cattle Country and continuing until a finale on 20th October 2010 when at 20.10 pm at Cheltenham Racecourse (and all around the country) all Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Rangers and leaders will be renewing their promise – should be an exciting event!

Charfield Rainbows have been going from strength to strength since I left thanks to Jo and Andrea. Unfortunately they are both standing down as from the end of the summer term, but I would like to thank them both for all their input into guiding. This leaves a problem with Rainbows. But every cloud has a silver lining and Dani Bindon is currently undertaking her leadership qualification and is keen to continue rainbows through the next year. Dani CANNOT run Rainbows on her own and we would like somebody to get involved and be a co-leader with Dani. This will involve planning and running sessions each Monday 4.15–5.15 pm. Rainbows are such a success story in Charfield it would be a great shame if it had to close.

With the centenary year and while I am asking for leaders it would be fantastic to have volunteers to start a Guide unit. I have visited the Brownie units and girls and parents are keen for a unit to be opened and would gladly help on a rota basis but don't want to be in uniform. This is your chance to be part of a great team.

If you are interested in helping in any way please contact me, it would be so sad if another unit had to close especially in the centenary year.

I hope to write another article later in the year to report Guiding going from strength to strength!

Kathryn Schofield
District Commissioner – Wotton 01453 52xxxx or e-mail: xxxx @ btinternet.com

The day started off with a bang as the Red Arrows flew over in formation at 09.31hrs precisely. Despite having arranged it and knowing exactly what time they were coming I still managed to miss it! However, thanks to a fantastic photograph by one local resident we can all re-visit the moment by visiting www.xxxx.com, where you can purchase your own copy while helping raise funds for the Village Hall and 1st Woodend Scout Group.

After the high winds, clouds and rain of last year we were looking forward to a better day, although conflicting events such as Thornbury Carnival, North Nibley Music Festival and Bluecoats school fair, were expected to impact on attendance. In fact the weather was pretty well perfect – not too hot and not too cold, with only light winds, and the dark clouds which appeared from time to time soon blew away. At midday Tundra started the proceedings with a lively set, followed by some fiercely contested football matches (well done 4and thanks to Nigel Cloke for setting it all up and keeping order!) and music from KLB Samba Band continued the summer theme. Then we had the Field Races – it was great to see so many adults and children taking part so enthusiastically, especially as we had a somewhat altered format this year. Thanks for this must go to Lisa Wiles and her team of helpers, especially Mo Kane and Nicola Derrick for creating such a fun programme.

The next highlight was the belly dancing, with Katalina doing a fantastic job of persuading people of all ages to get up and have a go, assisted in no small part by our brilliant announcer, Andy Phipps. The Craft Fair was a great success with entries in all the categories from all ages. Congratulations to all our entrants, who impressed the judges, Barbara Adams and Carol Tarry, enormously but especially to our overall winners, Jessica Hancock in the under 8 group for her miniature garden, Sam Wiles in the over 8 group with his vegetable animal and Carol Parton in the all ages group for her American style muffins. Huge thanks must go to Nicola Bartrop and Sarah Newnes for organising it all. So what else? The Empire Boxing Club from Bristol proved popular, especially with kids who could have a go at hitting each other without being told off! The tennis club with their Pimms and strawberries certainly kept me going, and the acrobatics by Laura Pedley and friends kept the crowds amazed while the ever-popular Tug of War competition attracted a variety of contestants, although the Tennis Club ladies were unable to defend their title due to the absence of any competition. Congratulations to the winners of the Men's (Empire Boxing, led by Andy Phipps), Junior (Jake Mitchell's team) and Secondary (Josh Spill's team) contests.

As always, the list of people to thank is endless but there are a few more people who I must mention: Graham Pedley for the BBQ and his unfailing support and help in organising the event, Ian Kershaw for assisting, Chris Trueman for helping put up and take down tents, everyone who did a stint on a stall or helped set up or clear away, 1st Woodend Scout Group for manning the gates, the organising committee – Tim Hill, Sandra Nute, Jane Fettis, Paul Nash, Margaret Gargett, Fiona Langborne, Colin Wadsworth – Sandra Carnegie, Helen England and the Friends of Charfield School, Pete Wiles for doing a sterling job with Tim in the Sportsman's Bar, John and Dave in the main bar, Steve Yeo for the loan of his sound equipment, and not least to everyone who came along, had fun and spent money! Finally thanks must go to my family for putting up with being neglected and having a grumpy mum for the past few weeks!!

The final figures are still being worked up; hopefully we have made in excess of £1,400 for the Hall. Projects being considered for this funding include the lighting in the main hall. But the Fair is not just about making money, it's about having a day when the whole community can come together to have a good time and enjoy being part of Charfield. So, if you came along and enjoyed the day, perhaps you would like to think about how it all happened. New people are needed to organise next year's fair or it will not happen, so please consider getting involved. As Tim Hill says elsewhere in CHADRA, Charfield is a great place to live and it's events like the fair, which are part of that. If you would like to get involved come along to a hall meeting (first Thursday of the month at 7.30pm in the Sportsman's Lounge) or speak to me or any member of the Committee.

Deb Field Volunteer Organiser, Charfield Village Fair

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Well – we've done it!

In February, one of our visiting preachers, David Sheldon, suggested that the next time that he came we should hold the service under the new roof and today (5th July) we gave thanks to the LORD where we should, in the main Sanctuary – and we will continue to do so for the next seven or eight weeks whilst it is warm enough.

Fund raising is coming on apace, but never quickly enough for all of us: Thanks to one of our most energetic and skillful supporters, April Webb, we held a quiz evening on 27th June which she organised and £200 was raised; in addition, she has devised and published a most successful cookery book which has raised a good deal of money and, on FRIDAY, 31ST JULY, she is arranging a BARBEQUE. April certainly has a flair for organisation – in addition to the barbeque itself, there will be a number of stalls and games for the children; all we need now is good weather! The price is much less than you'd pay for a meal (£3.50 for adults and £2.50 for children – I did wonder about the reduction in price for children as they seem to devour more than the adults!) and tickets can be obtained from Nicky Lanyi, our Secretary – do give her a ring on 01454 26xxxx but you'd better hurry because this event appears to be as popular as the quiz!

Our COFFEE MORNINGS on the LAST SATURDAY in the month are also proving popular and, I'm glad to say, many of you are dropping in either on the way to your weekly shop or on the way back – there is always a ‘bric-a-brac’ stall and it is quite amazing what some people give away (praise God, as it all adds to the renovation funds).

We have also started a regular Work Party on the Second Saturday in the month. As well as getting a great deal of work completed (not only the routine jobs such as cleaning, grass cutting, general maintenance but also new projects) we bring sandwiches and make a ‘day out’ of it; even the children enjoy it – so may you, would you care to join us …?

The July and August services, at 11 a.m. have been arranged as follow:

Sunday school runs each week except for the first Sunday in the month when the children stay in the Church and the service is specifically geared for them. None of them have fallen asleep … yet!

The last Sunday in the month is a Communion service and Bible Study it is held each Monday evening at 8 o'clock.

As well as at our, or rather, your services, we hope to see you at the Barbeque and our Coffee Mornings – you will also be most welcome (most welcome) to join our work parties, but remember to wear your old clothes!

God bless.

6

There has been a recent incident at the Memorial Hall whereby the stakes and ropes surrounding the cricket pitch were removed and thrown around the playing field. May we take this opportunity to remind residents that incidents like this affect the community as a whole, and jeopardise the wonderful facilities that the Memorial Hall and Playing Field has to offer. Incidents like these are undoubtedly the actions of youths, and parents and guardians should be mindful of what their offspring are up to when they are ‘out and about’.

If anyone has any information about this incident, please contact your local Beat Team.

Complaints have been received recently in relation to inconsiderate parking outside Charfield School, especially during ‘drop off’ and collection times. Parking in the driveway of the school, even momentarily, to drop off your child is not acceptable, and can put other children at risk. Parking on the wide pavement outside the school gates is an offence, and this will be monitored closely. Any offenders will receive a non endorsable ticket which carries a fine.

The recent hot weather will have made many people leave doors and windows open. Please remember to close doors and windows if you leave your house unattended, even for a short time.

If you are going away on holiday, please ensure that your house does not look unattended. Timer switches on lamps and radios are useful, and if you have a neighbour who can remove piled-up post, this will be beneficial. Remember, sheds and outbuildings must be secured too.

We are still keen to set up the Community Speed Watch, and need more volunteers. We cannot train the volunteers we have until we have a suitable number, so if you would like to join up, please contact Sean.

Enjoy the summer holidays

Sean McKinnon PCSO 7408
Lee Bainbridge PC 1269

Well, a lot's been going on in Charfield recently, so let me try and present all the updates. In case you didn't see my earlier comments regarding the Spring Clean Litter Pick in late April, it was a great success. Many people came along to help (thank you) and several said they'd be interested in an Autumn Litter Pick too. Well, watch the web site and local newspaper because we're working on it!

Of course, litter collection is regularly carried out by South Gloucestershire Council, but keeping on top of the problem requires we all get involved – even if that's simply by not dropping litter! I know it sounds obvious but it's clearly not. Over the summer I've watched as groups of all ages meet in the playing field, bringing with them their drinks, crisps and biscuits. Sadly, I've later found the remains spread everywhere, even attracting the occasional seagull or two. I was at a site in South Wales recently where the seagulls have become so aggressive as to dive bomb anyone holding food. It would be a shame if we allowed this to happen here …

On 1st July we held a Burial Ground pre-application planning meeting with South Gloucestershire Council and the Architect who is helping us with our design statement and planning application. There are still some issues to be ironed out, but progress continues so watch for updates at www.charfieldburialground.org.uk. We are still, of course, interested in your thoughts regarding the burial ground. 7Please let us know by contacting the Clerk.

Perhaps you've noticed, perhaps not, but the lighting initiative we entered into with South Gloucestershire Council has been under way for some weeks now. Many of the streetlights are now extinguished between midnight and five in the morning, saving energy, reducing carbon emissions and reducing light pollution. Please do give us your comments, good or bad, as to this initiative, which has the support of the Parish and County Councils, Police and other emergency services.

We are very nearly at the point where we have the funds we need to rebuild the toddler play area. There's no disguising the sorry state of the existing resource, and although it continues to pass its safety inspections we urgently need to replace it. A working group is obtaining quotes from suppliers and making final grant applications. Assuming those applications come through we ought to have something to tell you in the next newsletter. Updates as ever on the Parish Council website www.charfieldparishcouncil.org.uk.

Various Councillors have also had lengthy and valuable conversations with many of the youths who use the Play Area. Although our focus is on the toddler area right now, we are interested in ideas and input from the teenage users. Some of the ideas presented in this informal meeting will be discussed in Council. We'd be interested to know too if there is any interest from our older parishioners, for exercise and play equipment. Nothing comes without money, but neither does it come without germinating ideas. Contact the Clerk.

I would like to speak about the Safer Stronger Communities meeting that was held in Falfield on Thursday 2nd July. A significant turnout from Charfield resulted in several initiatives being taken up at the meeting, including positive moves to reduce anti-social behaviour in the Woodlands Road area, and in the Hall and car park. It was revealed at the meeting that neighbouring villages had benefited from extra funding towards local projects as a direct result of residents getting involved. Such funding would greatly assist Charfield in areas such as the Play Equipment and it is clear that if we wish to use the Safer Stronger Communities resource then we too need our parishioners to turn out to these meetings. The next one is on 29th October in Cromhall. More news on the web site. If you would like to help on the Council's Play Area working group please contact the Clerk.

It was announced that a traffic calming project would be implemented shortly in Little Bristol Lane, comprising several speed humps. As soon as the Parish Council has detailed plans of this work we will place it on our web site (www.charfieldparishcouncil.org.uk). Also, instead of ugly bollards (which were initially proposed) there is a plan to place two large flower planters beside the school entrance in order to prevent illegal and dangerous parking there. Would any nearby resident care to adopt these planters and keep them looking nice all year round with a weed, feed and water? Have you got a few spare plants you could donate? Contact the Clerk so that we can keep Charfield looking attractive.

The same meeting also discussed ways in which we can persuade parents and other folk collecting children from the primary school to park their cars in a safer manner, and the overall issue of vehicle speeds in Charfield. The police do not have the manpower to stand by the road and monitor traffic speeds. However, they are willing to train residents and provide speed cameras and hi-vis jackets, in order that we can do the monitoring on behalf of the police. We would therefore like some residents to offer their spare time, to receive training and stand by the corner 8of the Railway Tavern, and help make Charfield a safer place. Anyone interested should contact the Clerk.

Mark Rosher

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Tony Bullock & I have lived in the village for the last 25 years.

The reason for writing this piece in the newsletter, is that after 32 years of running varying distance races from half marathons to 10k's, I have decided to “retire” from competitive racing. It just so happens that at the end of the year, I am also reaching a landmark Birthday; so I have decided that the last race I compete in, will be the Bristol half marathon on 6th September 2009.

In order to mark the occasion, I will be running to raise funds for Cancer on behalf of Penny Brohn Cancer Care, a local care centre in Pill, Bristol. Having had close friends & work colleagues who have suffered with cancer & not personally been able to help them, this is one way that I feel that I can help others during a very difficult time. If you have similar feelings & would like to sponsor me or to find out further details, please do not hesitate to contact me.

My details are as follows:-
Home phone number – 01454 26xxxx
Mobile – 0775386xxxx

I am also in the process of setting up a web site where you can make your donation on-line.

Thank you for reading this, I appreciate your support & any sponsorship you can give.

Tony

REGULAR BIKE RIDES

[Graphic: Motor bike]

1ST & 3RD SUNDAY IN THE MONTH
10:30 AM, CAR PARK, RAILWAY TAVERN, CHARFIELD

(with kind permission of Martin)

Just turn up, wait for others to arrive then off you go, or email tavernriders @ ####.co.uk

Meeting every 1st and 3rd Sunday in the month a small group of bikers of varying ages get together for a ride out. It always depends on the weather as to how long that may be for but now that summer has eventually arrived we can expect some decent weather (fingers crossed) and look forward to some rides out.

A regular stop before heading off to the Brecons is the cafe at the Bus Station in Abergavenny, always busy with bikes in from all over the region and on sunny days positively heaving. Elan Valley is a 9great ride with the stunning Caban-Coch Reservoir as the destination. Weymouth is within easy reach and always a great place to visit as is Minehead or Lynmouth then across Exmoor or what about a couple of hours in Swanage.

If you've had enough of your own company and fancy travelling with some like minded individuals to chat with over a cup of tea come and join us.

Better still if you have a ride you particularly enjoy that has some good roads and scenery then let us know. Contact us at : tavernriders @ ####.co.uk

I would like to thank you all once again for your fantastic support of the May Fair. It turned out to be the most successful May Fair so far, and has enabled us to buy lots of lovely stuff for our school, as below.

I would also like to take this opportunity to make a heartfelt thank you to Yvonne Kershaw and Sally Edwards, the Co Vice Chairs, who have decided to make the step back to general members after two years in the post's. Your dedication and enthusiasm have never failed to amaze me, once again thank you from myself and all of the committee.

On that note we are having an AGM on the 30th of September at 730 pm, if you have a spare hour once every few months for a general members, or maybe even a spare hour a week for the committee we would love to see you there.

Total income for the year to date by organising various fairs and events exceeds £13,500!! What a great village we live in :-)

Other things we've done include:
Selling Christmas trees for the second time
Collected in old mobile phone handsets exchanged for £251
Supported the school Christmas party and trips
Organising our first Go Karting event

Things we've spent the money on include:
£2000 towards our fantastic outdoor learning area
£892 on specialist computer software (this is an annual cost of £1,500)
£521 on maths equipment and books
£288 on music resources for assemblies and use in classrooms
£240 and a lot of team hours on replacing bark in the adventure play area
A new marquee for events

[Graphic: Go-karting]

GO KARTING
SATURDAY 18TH JULY 10AM–2PM
Go karts available to all PRIMARY school age children
But anyone can use the simulator!
NO-ONE NEEDS TO FEEL LEFT OUT
This is just to say a HUGE THANK YOU from The Friends to anyone who has attended or helped at any of our events.

Thank you very much.
This is a special end of term event for all the family
ONLY £1 A GO COME AND ENJOY

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Advertising

[Advert for Heritage Wine Company]

[Advert for At Home Curtains & Blinds]

[Advert for Kopperz]

[Advert for D.R. Vizard]

[Advert for Add Plant]

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 refloxology]

[Advert for Claire Saunders hairdresser]

[Advert for Colin Lane Carpet & Flooring]

[Advert for Littles Curtains]

[Advert for Local Gardening Services]

14[Advert for Cotswold Edge Carpets]

[Advert for Barbara Daw]

[Advert for Slimming World]

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 Relax-ology]

[Advert for Autocheck]

17[Advert for Evergreen Computing]

[Advert for Frocks & Tails at Home]

[Advert for Party From A Box]

[Advert for Manor Garden Maintenance]

[Advert for Ashworthy Cattery]

18

Another tennis season is underway and we are looking forward to a long warm summer with plenty of action on court!

Our AGM was held in April. Most committee places were filled and new members welcomed, however we still have a vacancy for chairperson which at the moment is being filled on a meeting by meeting basis. If you would like to get involved we would love to hear from you.

Special thanks must go to the outgoing chair Chris Riley, he has relinquished his role as chair but will remain on the committee. His dedication to the second court project is on going and we thoroughly appreciate all his efforts. Also Kate Isaacs stepped down as treasurer, so thank you Kate for all your hard work too.

The ladders continue to be successful and are fantastically managed by Rita Wadsworth, just get in touch if you would like to be added to the ladder. Don't forget to keep challenging people to climb to the top!

There are several tournaments arranged for this summer, a family, mixed doubles, men's and ladies doubles, which I am sure will be great fun if not rather competitive in some cases! We would also like to thank those who volunteered to run these tournaments for all your time and effort, you know who you are so thank you very much.

Cleaning of the court has now taken place and lots of weeds scraped from around the side of the court. We would like to thank Andy Phipps for the court cleaning and a core of people for weeding and clearing up rubbish, without whom the court would not function in the efficient and professional way that it does.

Finally if you are reading this and are inspired to pick up your racket, give us a call we are a friendly bunch, play a bit of tennis, drink Pimms eat strawberries, what could be better!

Judith Watkins

[Graphic: Tennis]

Charfield Tennis Club – would like to invite all Charfield Residents to use the court to play tennis ONLY during the hours of 9am–3pm, Monday–Friday, term-time only.

Please note that Club members who have booked the court will get priority and non-members are requested to vacate the court promptly on arrival of a member. Members have membership cards, which they can use to prove club membership. The tennis court is not available on Friday afternoons from 2pm–3pm when it is booked for lady members only.

The Tennis Club hope that Charfield residents will enjoy using the facility and respect the court and surrounding areas by only using the court to play tennis and by removing all rubbish from the area. We would ask that anyone who wishes to take advantage of this offer should email or telephone a Committee member to register their contact details. Please go to the community website at www.charfield.org/tennis_club and follow the ‘online booking system’ link for more information and committee contact details.

19

The Grizzly is a 20(ish) mile offroad event based at Seaton on the south Devon coast organised by Axe Valley Runners. The course involves several sections of shingle beach, steps, muddy paths, road (not much) and an enormous bog for good measure. So it was with some trepidation that I travelled down on the morning with some Thornbury Running Club members. Conditions were good early on but deteriorated later so a lot of time was spent running in driving rain. We changed in a local nightclub and got ready for the start.

The atmosphere was very friendly and I saw a few more Thornbury RC members warming up. Then we were off and along the Seaton seafront, then back along the beach. I discovered that there is a technique to running on shingle that involves being light-footed so you don't sink in too much (unfortunately I'm not). Back through the cheering crowds on the road then a nasty incline on the way out of Seaton towards picturesque places like Beer and Branscombe, where more crowds awaited us. I was feeling quite good as we headed through a caravan park towards the coast path. I sheltered behind a huge guy from the wind and was struck how sociable the race was, it reminded me of the Beachy Head marathon.

What followed was one of the most difficult running challenges I have faced. As a comparative veteran of eleven marathons now, I began to realise that, with the constantly changing surfaces, you had to undertake marathon training to make a decent job of this event. While the rain cooled me it made the paths very slippery and tiring to get along. Some sections resembled a quagmire, I had not seen so much mud in ages. My technique, or lack of it, was like some kind of Olympic skier as I careered down a slope trying not to hit a tree! At one point a guy with an artificial leg came past me, which made me knuckle down and try to give a good account of myself.

This year's route (it changes yearly) had three beach sections which really knocked hell out of me. Where you had to run through freezing water it actually helped to refresh my feet (when I could feel them again). The screaming I could hear announced the infamous bog, which is about two hundred metres along and very deep in places. There were marshals positioned to help those who fell in. I managed to negotiate it fairly well by hanging onto ropes along the edge and laughing, it reminded me of the Sodbury Slog, only much worse. This is an infamous local off-road event of about ten miles.

The “Stairway to heaven” series of steps from the beach back up to the clifftop just about finished me off. When I finally gasped my way to the top I somehow got my legs going again and carried on trotting towards the finish, which was still a few miles away. I knew then I would finish, as I am proud of the fact I have never retired from a race. One last section of beach saw me clawing back a group of Plymouth runners, but not quite catching them. Then I was back on the seafront and over the finish line in just over five hours. I was rather disappointed with missing sub-five hours but I wasn't last and perhaps an excuse to go back? There was quite a problem with timings and it took a few days for them to appear on the website with the proviso they may not be accurate. My watch said 4:52 so maybe I did do it?

20Anyway it was then get the T-shirt as I felt I really had earned this one! The fire brigade gave my legs a nice cold hosing-down, better than any icebath. I thought about a dip in the sea but decided to head back to the club to get changed. The winning time was about 2:30 which seemed incredible to me. After that I was hungry so I went for some fish and chips. While I waited for my cod & chips a policeman came in to say flames were coming out of the roof and the place was on fire! So I had to go round the corner where I had a very nice sit-down meal that tasted so good.

All in all The Grizzly is a great event, well organised with friendly encouraging marshals, but make sure you train for it and give this multi-terrain long-distance event the respect it deserves, or it will bite you as it tried to with me. I felt it was an achievement for me to complete the event as I had definitely undertrained for it. I felt it's effects for a few weeks and I have recovered quicker from some marathons. My next major target is the Kent Coastal marathon on 6th September to get the “K” in my surname. I am running for the Help for Heroes Charity for injured servicemen and women. Only “R” to go after that but one thing at a time …

John Francksen

Some people may now have read about or experienced for themselves many street lights in the village going out in the early hours. Others may be blissfully unaware of this switch off as they are fast asleep. However for those who are up late or get up very early, as the case may be, the ‘Charfield Street Lighting Initiative’ is in full swing, leaving swathes of the village in darkness after midnight.

I first noticed the black out coming back late from London in early June, I supposed it was a circuit problem or localised power cut. However, after several nights of noticing this switch off, I rang a Mr Stone from South Gloucestershire Council (in charge of street lighting) and discovered that it was an initiative by Charfield Parish Council to reduce carbon emissions, energy and light pollution.

I spoke to two people from the Parish Council and I was advised that there has been a full consultation and those present at the last Parish Council meeting raised little objections to this initiative going ahead; that It had been mentioned in the Gazette and CHADRA Magazine, and full details are on their web site. However many of my neighbours and myself knew nothing of it, and could not even find it in the last edition of CHADRA.

In fairness to this Parish Council I found their web site to be helpful and informative with a map attached of Charfield showing the streetlights that are extinguished and those that remain on throughout the night. This map shows though to my dismay that whilst the main Wotton Road and Little Bristol Lane remain illuminated throughout the night, vast swathes of the village will now be in darkness in the early hours, with no lighting to the junctions of many streets.

Whilst thankfully lighting remains on some footpaths, most roads remain unlit after midnight, with the estate off New Street experiencing an almost total black out at that time.

This is a cause for concern and in essence a very visible reduction in the 21Council's service provision, albeit on an experimental basis. If this initiative in Charfield is successful, then the plan is to role this out to other areas of South Gloucestershire.

The Parish Council web site says “lets bring the stars back to Charfield”, but as we know the sun doesn't always shine, so in the same way the stars won't always come out!

Not everybody works office house or are retired. Some people work shifts or undertake night work. The extinguishing of many lights in the early hours is potentially a health and safety matter. There is a greater chance of people tripping on curbs etc when leaving their home to go for example to work, and this risk will only increase during the winter months.

Charfield has always enjoyed relatively low crime figures and with the excellent street lighting many people feel safe to be able to walk home in the early hours, particularly at weekends and Bank Holidays after seeing friends etc. With the lights out, a person will need a torch to find their way home and instead of walking, may start to use their cars for seemingly short journeys, which of course negates the carbon footprint issue.

There is concern that crime will increase. The Parish Council web site says that criminals prefer street lighting, as they don't like the dark. I am not sure what statistics there are to prove this, as crime can often be opportunistic and highly adaptable.

In speaking to several serving officers from Gloucester Constabulary they put the opposite arguments, saying that thieves operate more freely in a darker environment and this can make theft, such as motor vehicles, in essence easier. Darkness makes identification of criminals or car registration numbers more difficult, whilst lighting makes more accurate reporting possible. The extinguishing of street lights creates greater possibilities for road traffic accidents, both for pedestrians crossing an unlit road, or for stationary cars parked outside houses, compared to an illuminated road.

It is interesting to note that South Gloucestershire Council in addressing this issue says that, street lighting will remain on throughout the night where there are higher crime figures, – which seems to counteract the notion that thieves are afraid of the dark.

To this end the reduction in street lighting after midnight to lower the carbon footprint, save energy and reduce light pollution is a noble aim. However the extinguishing of lights in most of the village, during the early hours will generate new problems and potential dangers.

A compromise would be to undertake a ‘partial switch off after midnight, with every road junction illuminated and every third light remaining on, so there is a reduced illumination rather than the present darkness the village has descended into.

I am comforted that the initiative at this stage is experimental, and your views are important. They should be forwarded to either the Parish Council, your local Councillor (Sandra O'Neill), or Dave Stone from South Gloucestershire Council (01454 86xxxx) who will gladly hear your views.

Mike W Charfield Resident

22Note from CHADRA Editor;
Unfortunately the Parish Council's report, which should have appeared in the April issue of CHADRA, was omitted. This was an error on my part, I was struggling with windows keep telling me it had an error and was closing down. In order to keep everyone informed I have printed below April's Parish Council report.

Parish Council (April 09 report)

Greetings from the Parish Council (with added springtime sunshine)! Every time the cut-off date for CHADRA comes around I wonder what to write that is significantly different from the previous articles – after all, the main ongoing projects of ‘burial ground’, ‘play area’ etc are still … ongoing. I don't want to start boring you. (Don't say ‘too late’!)

I guess this month has a theme of community engagement and social responsibility. We recently held the Annual Parish Meeting, with several guest speakers from South Gloucestershire StreetCare. We booked the main room in the Memorial Hall and filled it with optimism, pamphlets and slides – but ultimately failed to fill it with parishioners. Nevertheless, to those who came we recounted the work of the Parish Council over the past year and the state of the Parish accounts. Then StreetCare presented ‘Charfield Part-Night Street Lighting’ and took questions from the audience on the initiative. Given that the attendance was no better than that of the Parish Burial Ground Meeting we're wondering if the parishioners of Charfield are so happy with our work you let us get on with it, but we're a little concerned you might simply not care!

The consultation on Part-Night Street Lighting continues until the end of April, and there's considerable information regarding the initiative on the Parish Web Site http://www.charfieldparishcouncil.org.uk. Assuming no show-stoppers – and we've heard only positive responses thus far – the trial will commence in June.

I have little new to add on the subject of the burial ground this time around. We have architects working on the design, taking into account the requirements of parking, disability access etc (which is slightly reducing the capacity of the ground but will certainly result in a quality facility). The design will be presented in the summer to South Gloucestershire Council for Planning Approval.

I do have some good news on the Play Area. Happily, the Parish Council recently received a considerable award from South Gloucestershire Council, which it will put towards replacing the Toddler Play Area. The sum takes us much closer to the final estimate of £30k and with luck and perhaps a grant or two more we should be able to proceed with this necessary enhancement in the next financial year. However, some folk have expressed concerns over spending the money right now …

For some reason, Charfield has picked up a bit of anti-social behaviour recently. There's always been a low level of vandalism and suchlike, but over the past three months things appear to have deteriorated. It's depressing to recount the various issues, but we've had graffiti on the Memorial Hall and the Play Area Hut, windows and doors damaged at the Hall, vehicles either screaming their 23tyres in the Hall car park or else parking outside homes and playing extremely loud music, and a horrendous increase in littering. The Police are now taking an active interest in the village and you'll probably have noticed the yellow warning notices outside the Hall. It's sad to think we could become an ASBO hot-spot, but the Parish Council is determined to support the Police in ending this spate of yobbish behaviour. Please have a chat with your own children. We'd all prefer it to be otherwise, but I'm sadly given to understand from the Police that many of the youths involved are local.

On a similar subject but with a more positive feel, please do come along and support your community by helping out with the ‘Charfield Spring Clean’ on 25th and 26th April. We'll have litter-pickers, black bags and gloves available in the Hall car park and even if you can only spare an hour you'll be helping make your environment a nicer place. It's where we live, shouldn't we care about it?

Mark Rosher

Some True Stories from the past.

There has over the years, been many unexplained sightings of animals seen on the railway lines around Charfield. One such sighting was by an engine driver who stopped at Charfield signal box and informed the signal man that he had just ran into a bunch of cows on the Huntingford bend, and that he was certain some of them must have been hit.

Obviously the signalman had no option but to warn all trains about to enter that area to approach with caution; as with all problems of this nature the caution applied until after an investigation had taken place and the all clear had been given. Visibility wasn't all that great at the time, but it was by no means bad enough for fogmen to be on duty.

Having happened on the Charfield length, the investigation was a job for the Charfield plate laying gang; so those who were available were called on to find out just what had happened. After collecting various tools and some sacks to cover up any animals that may have been hit by the train, we went as fast as possible to the location described by the train driver to find out just what the problem was.

On arriving at our destination, we searched high and low for any sign of bovine intrusion, but not one cow did we find, dead or alive. We walked up the track for maybe a couple of miles, but found nothing to show that cattle had been on the line.

People who have lived in rural areas all, or most of their lives, know that cattle, wherever they are, always leave their visiting card [cow pats] but there was not a cowpat in sight.

Also, a bunch of cattle of any description would have made a mess of the ballast around the sleepers, but there wasn't a stone out of place. We also checked for any damage to hedges or fences, but they were fine and completely cattle proof. After another look around, we still found no indication that cattle of any description had, at any time, invaded the line anywhere in the Huntingford area.

So, what happened, were the driver and fireman hallucinating? or were they drunk? Absolutely not, they were both completely coherent, and adamant that they had disturbed a bunch of cows in the area referred to.

24It was suggested, that the owner of the cattle had removed them before we arrived, this in my opinion, would have been impossible. No one could have cleaned up any cowpats, and replaced the ballast around the sleepers [as mentioned above] in the time available to them.

Also if, as the driver told the signalman, some of these straying animals must have been knocked down, how did the owner, dispose of any dead or injured animals without somehow getting a vehicle of some sort onto the line to remove them? To me, this suggestion was way off the mark.

It would be very interesting to know exactly what the train driver and fireman did see on the Huntingford bend 50 years or so ago. Phantom cattle perhaps! I doubt it, has anyone ever seen the ghost of a cow!

So, what exactly is the answer to this conundrum? It would be nice to know.

As regards the phrase Bovine Intrusion, I borrowed it from an announcer who, some years ago, as my wife and I were waiting for a train at Parkway Station, announced over the loud speaker system, that the train we were waiting for would be late due to bovine intrusion; a porter who was standing nearby, must have noticed that some of the travellers, including myself, seemed somewhat bewildered at this information, so he said in a very loud voice, “In other words there are some b----y cows on the line”. The phrase, Bovine Intrusion, fitted this story so well that I decided to borrow it.

One of the strangest reports of animals seen on the railway lines in the Charfield/Wickwar locality, concerns a white horse, this horse has been seen by a number of people over the years entering Wickwar tunnel. Doctor Dawes, a well known GP from Wotton-Under-Edge, was one of these people. Dr Dawes had been called out rather late one night to see a patient, presumably in Wickwar, when, as he was driving past Wickwar Station on his way home he was amazed to see a white horse on the railway line, it was approaching from the Charfield direction and disappeared into Wickwar tunnel, obviously the Doctor reported what he had seen at the first opportunity.

As with the cattle on the Huntingford bend in Charfield, all trains were cautioned and an immediate search of the tunnel and the approaches to the tunnel was made but nothing was seen of a white horse, or indeed a horse of any colour. All the other previous sightings of this horse had been dealt with in the same way, but no horses were ever found, neither were there any hoof marks seen that would have given these sightings credibility.

So, just what is it with animals on railway lines, are they a figment of people's imagination, or are they real animals that have moved off the line before the searches began, or do lots of people spend too much time having more than one for the road?

What ever it is, whether its all in the mind, or the result of too much alcohol, it certainly makes a good talking point, but no one has ever come up with a satisfactory explanation of either of these two strange sightings of animals on the railway lines, perhaps they never will! Any ideas?

Before moving away from animals that are reported seen on the railway line but never found, I must mention animals that are found on, or adjacent to the railway line but are, unfortunately, found dead. The animals I am referring to are not wild animals, they are domestic cats, some obviously killed by trains, but others it 25could be said, are unwittingly killed by their owners.

Keeping hedges tidy and ditches clear, was part of the plate laying gang's job, as well as track maintenance. While tidying up hedges I have seen the remains of at least three cats whose collars had become tangled up in the undergrowth, these cats had been either strangled, or had starved to death being unable to free themselves.

Although I am not a cat lover [I prefer birds] I cannot tolerate cruelty to any living creature, and the type of collar found on the skeletal remains of the cats found were tantamount to cruelty. It would have taken a mountain lion to have escaped from one. The cats referred to above were found many years ago, but quite recently I found a cat collar tangled up in a hedge very close to where I live, luckily for the cat he, or she, had managed to struggle free, but not without leaving quite a lot of fur behind. So, take heed cat owners, make sure your pets' collars have a breaking strain of only a few ounces.

Ken Parker.

[Graphic: Charfield School]

Striving for excellence …
Learning for life

What a busy time we've had since my last CHADRA! The Summer Term is a busy term for all in school, we have leavers shows, annual reports, sports days and assessments just to name a few. However the biggest event for us was our OFSTED inspection in May. The inspection took two days and was very hectic. However I was so very proud of the children; they showed the inspectors just what a great school this is.

At the end of the inspection we were judged to be a good school with many outstanding features. We had good improvements since the last inspection and we had more outstanding grades than previously. I would like to thank all who were involved in the build up and during the inspection, without so many dedicated people constantly working to improve the school we would not have been graded so well. The report is now officially published and can be accessed through our school website.

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

Since the last CHADRA we have created a Parents Consultation Group. We have held two meetings to discuss the SIP (School Improvement Plan). The parents have been very supportive and helped me improve aspects of the school's running. Many thanks to all who have become involved. If you would like to join this group please let me know.

STAFF NEWS

It will be the end of an era at the end of this term. Mrs Bradley has decided to retire and relax in beautiful West Wales. As you all know Mrs Bradley has taught here for quite a few years (lets just say she was teaching here when I was born!) and I'm sure many villagers were once in her class! We have created a memory book for her, which can be found in the school foyer. Please feel free to come in and write some words for Mrs Bradley to reflect on (and probably laugh about) her long teaching career at Charfield Primary.

26Mrs Gordon's son Alfie was born during May. Mum and family are doing well and we are looking forward to our first visit from the Gordons

PUPIL ACHIEVEMENTS

Our Year 6's recently completed their SAT assessments and we are eagerly awaiting the results. Our impressions were that the children performed well. They certainly showed a great attitude to the week. During the week Viv the vicar and some volunteers provided breakfast for the Year 6's (and a few teachers too!) I would like to say thank you again to all involved for giving our children such a good start to the day!

Our school has also taken part in a number of sporting events recently. Firstly a group of children went to the cluster swimming gala. It sounded like a lot of fun and the children were a credit to our school. Overall we came fourth and brought home some great certificates!

Secondly we took part in the District Sports at KLB. The children were again a credit to us and took part in a very sportsmanlike way. At the end of the event we came second.

EVENTS AT CHARFIELD PRIMARY

The school May Fair was again another success. There were so many things to do! I got the opportunity to (successfully!!!) defend the Welly Throwing Champion title and get slightly soaked by children at the Teacher Torture stall.

The Friends committee yet again gave us a fantastic event. Thank you all!

On 22nd May we held a Careers Day. The children were visited by a number of parents and volunteers who talked to groups about their jobs. The children had a great day, a few of them left with aspirations to become a firemen, policeman, lawyer etc …

Many thanks to all who gave their time to help us run the day.

If you would like to see some more of the events we hold at Charfield Primary have a look at our events section of the school website!

FUTURE PLANS FOR CHARFIELD PRIMARY

During the summer holidays we will be updating the infant toilets. Following this we will begin updating the cloakroom and classrooms in the infants. This project will put this area in line with the high standards of the rest of the school and hopefully merge both areas together.

Dafydd Lawday Headteacher

[Graphic: Walking the way to Health]

Get out in the fresh air, make new friends and get fit!

Who are we?
South Gloucestershire Council's Walking to Health project has been running for six years and covers: Kingswood, Yate, Filton, Patchway, the Stokes, Thornbury and many rural areas as well!

What do we offer?
A low risk, low impact activity, available to people of all ages and abilities. Our led health walks range from 0.5 miles to 4 miles across the district including local parks, green and 27open spaces. We also provide buggy walks for parents with young children.

Volunteers Wanted!!!
We are always looking for fun, friendly and sociable people to become a volunteer walk leader, which involves guiding the walkers around a pre-described route. (Full training is provided). If you have some spare free time and this sounds like something you would like to do then please contact us.

Find out more!
For more info, or to receive a free copy of our walk programme call 01454 86xxxx or email us at: xxxx @ southglos.gov.uk. The programme and newsletter can be downloaded from: www.southglos.gov.uk/walkingtohealth.

Work to lay a new sewer in Charfield to alleviate flooding in the area has been completed.

Wessex Water started work in the village in April to replace a 40 year old sewer, which wasn't designed to cope with an increasing population. As part of the £250,000 scheme Wessex Water had to close part of Wotton Road to carry out a series of excavations. Dan Bown, Wessex Water's lead design engineer for the scheme, said he wished to thank the cooperation of residents and businesses while the work was carried out. He said: “This was a challenging scheme as we had no choice but to close the busiest road that runs through the village. “It was inevitable that this would cause some inconvenience to local residents but despite working closely with South Gloucestershire Council's highways department to agree a diversion route that avoided the village, we still experienced problems with drivers ignoring the official route and using smaller, unsuitable roads. “It was disappointing to see so many people driving at excessive speed and with little consideration in a residential area.”

Prior to the scheme starting advance warning signs were put up at key locations within Charfield and on approaches to the village including at junction 14 of the M5. Wessex Water also contacted bus companies and businesses in Charfield and the surrounding area to advise of the road closure and provide information about the diversion. Shortly after the road closure came into effect the company took additional steps to put up extra signage on the outskirts of the village to encourage motorists to avoid entering Charfield which did result in many larger vehicles following the diversion.

The improvements to the sewerage infrastructure will ensure it operates effectively during times of intense rainfall. Mr Bown said: “We completed the final section of the scheme, which involved upsizing a sewer that runs along Little Bristol Lane, in July. “It will also make a significant difference to those residents living in the area who have experienced flooding.”

WOW! It's official, I'm a Granny!! Yippee. Right, where to start? As you know, from my last “bit”. We were awaiting the arrival of Baby Estevez-Smith, in New York. He, (we knew that bit) was due on 10 April. Keith and I had booked the whole of the school holiday to be there, 4 April to 28the 20th. I kept being asked, what if he doesn't arrive whilst you are there? Well, not much, you can't fight nature. Anyway, on the Thursday 2nd, Lawrence phoned to say that “things were happening”. On Friday morning, just before I left for school, he phoned again to say that they were in the hospital and baby should arrive in approx. two hours. I'd told Judith and Jen in the office that I would be expecting a call. We all carried on as normal when at ll a.m. Jen phoned through to the Junior block and Judith was hairing up the corridor. I picked up the phone and Keith said, “Hello, Grandma.” Judith and I were jumping up and down hugging each other, me asking Keith to repeat all the information AGAIN, then all the children were out of their classes joining in the excitement. So Baby Luca Alfred, (after my dear Dad) Estevez-Smith was born on April 3rd at 5.15 am, New York time.

Keith and I set off the next morning to catch the 10.30 flight to New York. We were in the departure lounge, I was mooching for a magazine in Smiths when I hear three names being called for our flight. One of these was Smith but we didn't take any notice. I expect there were quite a few Smiths. Next thing I heard, will Keith and Marilyn Smith please come to Continental Airlines Check in. I dropped the magazine and shot over to Keith. “Oh what's this all about?” I said. We went to the desk and was greeted with a “Good Morning and we are delighted to tell you that you are being upgraded to Business First Class, enjoy your flight.” We sidled away, then I turned back and said, “Have you heard that we have just become Grandparents?” “No,” she said, “but Congratulations.”

Now to you lovely seasoned travellers who may have sat in this exciting part of the aircraft please feel free to skip the next couple of paragraphs whilst I whitter on. We were in seats 1 c & d, nearly on the pilot's lap!! I was just having my bag checked when I heard someone say, “Yes, Mrs Smith will be boarding shortly.” Wow, first on. What fab excitements. Keith and I hadn't even sat down when our steward asked what drinks he could bring us. I asked what he had available and he replied, “coffee, juices, champagne.” You can guess what we chose. It just went on from there. Hot appetizer cart, salads and warm breads, four!!! choices of main course, fruit and cheese cart, dessert trolly, snacks in between and then pre-arrival refreshments. All this interspersed with gin & tonics and red wine. Our seats had entertainment screens and a table that popped up at the press of a button. More buttons made the seat recline, feet up and a lumbar thingy. We had beautiful cutlery AND linen cloth and napkins. I just kept pinching myself. Our steward was real cute. His hair was sticking up in little tufts and he was quite giggly. I suppose you're more relaxed in first class. All that room helps for a start. You certainly haven't got your elbows in your neighbour's dinner. And suddenly we were there. The rest of the passengers waited until we disembarked. I know I had this unstoppable grin on my face. Then we were back to sort of normal, queuing up for entry into the USA.

What can I say? Our grandson, Luca, is absolutely beautiful. I have Lawrence's “old” camera. It's not digital, but takes fantastic photos. I took five rolls of film into Ace Cameras, Yate. “We having a filmfest then?” the man asked. I later collected my snaps. Little Luca must have wondered, in his own baby way, what all that flashing was about. So if you are desperate to 29see him, in his cot, asleep, awake, arms up, arms down, little hands clenched, little hands open, in such beautiful little outfits, you know where to come.

In this Chadra, there is an article by Tony Bullock. Please look out for it. He is running in the Bristol Half Marathon, fundraising for Cancer Care. All his details are there if you would like to sponsor him.

In the May school break, Mum and I went to the newly refurbished Whitechapel Art Gallery. In one of the rooms, they had art that had been purchased, of artists, before they became really famous. Damien Hurst, Bridget Riley, etc, and they mention what they paid for these works. Obviously, they would cost more to purchase now. There were four spherical shapes on the floor, each one about two feet across, in blue and black paint. I couldn't help myself, I just had to touch one. Next thing, this young chap gave a hurrumph type of cough and shook his head, “Please don't touch the exhibits, Madam.” Well these pieces were made in 1972 by A Kapoor. I think his first name is Amish. You can't tell me that they hadn't been touched up with the odd bit of paint. I told him that they were asking to be touched, the young chap, not Amish. Anyway, the next day in the freebie paper on the Tube, this artist was mentioned and how his works were being shown all over the world. Crikes, I thought, with my fingerprint on it now.

Mum and I were having a chat in the café and she said, that Hannah and Ben, (my niece and nephew) didn't want to go to Ikea. After a while, we both realised that it was Tai Kwondo. “You're going to write about this, aren't you?” Of course, Mum.

Well, my lovely fab friends and readers. It is such a delight when you stop me in the village and say that you read this. Thankyou. I wish you all a wonderful next few months until I write again. I shall whizz this off to Isabel in the confidence that the little email man will deliver.

Love, Maz.

Both staff and children at the Out of School Club have been enjoying a very busy and successful summer already. In the Breakfast and After School sessions the children have been engaged in activities with a summer theme such as “Days Out”, “The Beach”, “Bugs” and “Sports Day”. And continuing with the “Sports Day” theme, the May half term Holiday Club theme was “Sports and Outdoor Games”. The children had a fun packed and active week, which also included sessions on keep fit, tennis and tag rugby run by parent volunteers Nicola, Jake and Kevin, to which the Club would like to say a big thank you!

At the same time the club has gone through their Ofsted inspection and was awarded an OUSTANDING grade. This is fantastic news for the club! Only a small number of Out of School Clubs ever obtain this outcome and for this achievement the Club received a letter of congratulation from South Gloucestershire's Director for Children and Young People, Therese Gillespie. The club recognises that this result is down to the hard work and dedication of the staff at the club and all the effort they put into providing such excellent after school and holiday care. So another big thank you to Pat, Georgina, Ann and Jo and all the students!

30Our fund raising activities have also been successful. The Tombola at the May Fair was popular and raised £85 for the club which we will use towards new camera equipment. The children have also been busy with their sponsored searches, which will help to provide new outdoor equipment. The club are always grateful for everyone's contributions.

For those of you new to the area or perhaps looking for Out of School and Holiday Child Care for the first time, Charfield Out of School Club meets in the Foundation Room and is open term time from 7.30 am before school and until 6pm after school. Prices per session are £4.35 for a morning session and £7 for afternoons, and these include breakfast and a healthy afternoon snack. The club is also open during school holidays and inset days, and there are a variety of different sessions children can attend, depending on parents' needs and working patterns. These range from half days (7.30 am–12.30 pm or 1 pm–6 pm) at £14.90 per session, to extended days (7.30 am–6 pm) at £22.30. During the holidays children from 10 different schools attend, with new children joining all the time. It's a great way for your child to have fun, an opportunity for them to make lots of new friends as well as providing affordable high quality childcare in a safe and caring environment.

This summer, the theme is “Our world” and the six weeks are broken up into Animals, Food, Elements, Natural Materials, Recycling and Wild and Wacky – something to suit everybody! We look forward to seeing you there!

For further details please contact the club on 07816 23xxxx

How I love the new revamped charfield.org site. So much so that I have decided to make it my home page and from here my wife can easily access the tennis club and I can see the calendar of events, and how easy it looks to make a booking of the village hall and to hire the bouncy castle which has had a maintenance check and has an up-to-date certificate. Some very nice photographs as well. I also like the three-day weather forecast although it doesn't always get it right of course! I find it very satisfying to look out of my office window at the sunny Cotswold Hills when the forecast is predicting thunderstorms. It makes me feel rather superior!

Great credit is due to the designers of the website and I think it is a wonderful facility for the whole village.

Colin Wadsworth.

As I sit here typing this in my not so well air conditioned office, with the temperature touching 80°F, I realise that I have lost my bet with a few people that I would not be writing another CHADRA article for the hall. The reason I am back in print is that no volunteers came forward at the AGM in May to take on the roles of Chairman and Secretary. So I am now a temporary Chair and Angie has resumed her role as Secretary, again on a short term basis. I will take this opportunity to thank Annette Carter for her work during her year as secretary and must also thank Deb Field, Colin Wadsworth and Fiona Langborne for continuing in their roles as the other 31officers of the charity. However, this does not solve the ongoing problem – the hall needs a committee and that committee needs both a Chair and a Secretary. We do have a potential volunteer for the role of Chair but, as yet, no one has stepped forward for the secretarial role. It isn't that taxing but just needs some time, energy and enthusiasm. Remember, if these roles are not filled come the autumn, then activities at the hall will have to be reduced, if not curtailed altogether. What a huge shame that would be for all those who have worked incredibly hard, and continue to do so, to make the hall a pleasant and successful venue. How this would impact on all the clubs & groups which use the hall would have to be seen, but no doubt some would fold or be forced to find more costly alternative homes.

The results, and impact, of the work that the committee does can best be seen if you have visited the main hall recently. We have a new, much more efficient heating system in the hall and a sparkling “new” floor. The new heaters are the result of very welcome grants from both South Gloucestershire and Charfield Parish Councils. The freshly sanded and varnished new floor is as a direct result of our recent Promises Auction. This was held in conjunction with Tennis Club and raised over £1000 (each) for both the organisations. I would like to thank all those who donated “promises” and those who bid for the items on the night. Moreover, I must express a massive thanks to Mandy Champion for almost single handedly organising the event with able assistance from Deb Field, Jake Barnes and Angie Hill.

Special thanks to Phil Barnes for providing another of his famous curries on the night and to Deb Pringle, Jo Tymms, Rita Wadsworth, Maria Cloke and Lisa & Pete Wiles for their help with the evening's smooth running. A final note of thanks must go to the auctioneer on the night Pete Tymms, who extracted money from people in a manner which would have made Gordon Brown proud!

The hall has also moved into the 21st century recently and you can now view an availability calendar and make provisional bookings online via a link on the www.charfield.org website. A big thanks to Andrew Cope at Evergreen Computing for his efforts pulling this together and to Fiona, our bookings secretary, who now has the job of administrating the system. The system is simple (we hope!). Once you have picked an available slot and filled in some basic details, a provisional booking will be made for you. An email is then sent to Fiona who will confirm the booking ASAP, once all details are confirmed. Of course, feel free to still phone us up on 07774 41xxxx if you prefer talking direct to a human being!

Our next big event, as I write, is THE village event of the year – the Summer Fete. We are a few days away and the weather is shaping up nicely. The organisers have been very hard at work and I'm sure that a hugely successful and enjoyable day is in prospect for everyone in the village. I hope that you came along and supported YOUR village fete and YOUR village organisations. Maybe you were even inspired enough to volunteer to help at the hall, or the tennis club, or the Friends or maybe to organise next years fete.

I will now just mention some forthcoming events at the hall. We plan to have a Jumble Sale in September and, following on from the huge success of our last production, Grafitti 32Classics, in January, we hope to bring you another fabulous Razzle event in the Autumn, so look out for notices on the web-site and around the village.

To finish – and I know I sound like a broken record sometimes, but wouldn't it be great to give something back to your village? Charfield is a great place to live, one I'm proud to call home, so please ask yourself today – what do I do for my fellow villagers? Just a few hours a week can make a huge difference!

Thank you,
Tim Hill (Still) Chair

I would just like to introduce the new team at Charfield Pre-School. Debra Davidson Play Leader, Lucy May Deputy Play Leader, Sarah Wilcox Play Assistant, Suki Landa Play Assistant and Emily Lock is our volunteer student.

Charfield Pre School is a small thriving group, based in the Primary School grounds at The Foundation Room. We would welcome children from the village and the surrounding area. We aim to provide high quality pre school education for children aged between 2 and a half and 5 years of age. We can accept children in nappies and can take up to 20 children at each session.

The children attending the setting benefit from individual learning. They have freedom to choose activities they wish to play with, also with regard to inside and outside play.

Each child is assigned a key person that looks after all their needs and plans a learning environment for them.

We recently went on an arranged trip to Redwood Forest where children explored the natural surroundings and then toasted crumpets over an open fire. We have visits from the Dentist, Police, Nurse and The Library. In July a trip to the local Fire Station is also taking place. It's very important to us that the children get to know their local community.

We have just had an inspection from Ofsted, we were rated “Good” in every area and the inspector felt our transition to school was outstanding, so we were all extremely happy!!

Charfield Pre School is on the Primary School grounds and although by coming to the Pre School doesn't guarantee you a place at the school, we have a good connection with them. Our Rising 5's will go over to the school once a week; this is great to encourage the children moving up to “Big School” in September.

Please come and visit us and pick up a prospectus, you will receive a friendly welcome. You can find our contact details on the back of the CHADRA.

[Graphic: CHARFIELD JUNIOR FOOTBALL CLUB]

A NEW BEGINNING

Hello again from the Village's Junior Football Club. Since the last article we have had a busy few months with the 2008/09 season coming to a successful end with the U16 team winning the Stroud League KB Coaches League Cup, the election of a new Committee, and new Coaches 33and youngsters from the village starting training with the Club with the aim of starting a new team or two.

In every one of these articles I always write that the Club would welcome new coaches and players and I was really pleased to watch on the evening of Friday 3rd July Pete Clark and Gary Davis and 12 youngsters from the village (boys & girls aged between 5 and 9) start their first training session at our facilities on Charfield Road adjacent to Tortworth School. Feedback from the parents and kids was very positive and more are expected to attend next week. Like a lot of youngsters from the village it seems that we migrate towards Wotton to play our football. Charfield however is the only local junior club that has its own grass pitches and facilities as well as floodlights for training on the grass when it gets dark. I heard it said tonight that they live in Charfield so it would be nice to actually play for Charfield. Pete and Gary hold their aged 9 and under training sessions on a Friday evening between 6.15 and 7.15pm.

Also good to see was victory for the U16s in their League Cup in what was to be their final game for the junior club before they move up to join the village's senior team. With the game itself against league winners Wanswell finishing 2–2 they went on to win the very exciting penalty shoot-out 3–1. Everyone was not only pleased for the players but also for their manager, Colin Wood, who had come so close before but had never been able to win the Cup. This year he did!

For those at the Village Fete you may have caught sight of Charfield's U13s playing the U14s. It was a good close game with the U14s just coming out on top with a golden goal in extra time. The U14s have had a good off season training and things are looking up for them under their new manager Steve Hunt and assistant Holly Davis. The U13s are also looking forward to building on their success of last year and again have been training hard in the summer months to be ready for the start of the new season in the first week of September.

Last month the Club held its AGM and it was very pleasing to see the number of committee members increasing. Sadly though we had to say goodbye to Deena Wood, our excellent Treasurer, who like the U16s is moving on to join the senior team in the same capacity. We would like to thank her and all the U16 players for their time with the Club and wish them all the best for the future.

As ever here goes the sales pitch! We welcome interest from those thinking of running a new team as we have the best facilities in the area and it would be great to have local youngsters actually training or playing for the village teams. We have just had people take up that challenge which has meant more youngsters from the village playing football. Could you do the same?

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

Thank You.
Nigel Cloke
Club Secretary/Under 13s Manager

34

If you wish to alter the entries below, please telephone Isabel on 01454 26xxxx
Or e-mail xxxx @ yahoo.co.uk

Bingo Club
Sue Scoble 01454 26xxxx

British Legion
David Millman (Hon Sec) 01454 26xxxx

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

Charfield Primary School
Dafydd Lawday 01454 26xxxx

Childminders
Sarah Gazzard 01454 26xxxx

Church – Congregational
Nicky Lanyi 01454 26xxxx

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

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

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

Cricket Club
Chris Shearwood 01454 77xxxx

Crimestoppers 0800 555 111

Friends of Charfield Primary School
Scott Curtis 01454 26xxxx

Foundation Room
Bryan Grantham 01454 26xxxx

Friendship Club
Mrs. M Ealey 01454 29xxxx

Junior Football Club
Nigel Cloke 01454 26xxxx

Keep Fit Club
Christine Parfitt 01454 26xxxx

Luncheon Club for the Elderly
Jane Higgins 01454 26xxxx

Memorial Hall
Bookings 07774 41xxxx
Email xxxx @ virgin.net
Tim Hill (Chair) 01454 26xxxx