CHADRA

Who can remember the last time Charfield had a white Christmas? But snow and ice caused havoc to the highway and burst water pipes at the Primary School and The Railway Tavern.

Martin Redmond saved the day, and more importantly his stock of Christmas beer as water from a burst water main in Wotton Road starts flooding his cellar. Martin promptly phoned the water board, who undertook roadworks to sort out the burst water pipe. The water board takes seriously water in cellars as this can compromise the integrity of a building. However the water did not get very deep and as Martin says the cellar is designed to slope away into a drain to assist with the cleaning processes. However the road works themselves led to some confusion for drivers, a police diversion had been set up to divert traffic down Station Road intending them to drive under the railway bridge. Of course the bridge underpass was closed for repairs

New road humps in Little Bristol Lane, done to your satisfaction?

Well done to John Francksen who has now completed the Riga marathons.

Doing anything on April 16? Come and ‘Meet The Village’

Bad News For Basketball Players – the new subway is 3″ lower than the old one.

Good News Brownies coming back to Charfield.

2

Next Copy Date – 6 April 2011

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

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Welcome readers to the 1st issue of the Charfield Newsletter of 2011. There are lots of newsworthy articles, and events to look forward to advertised in this issue; so as ever have your diaries to hand. To help make things easier there is a useful diary page for you to cut out and put on your noticeboard or attach to your fridge door, and never miss any event going on in Charfield again!!

Site at Wotton Road/Little Bristol Lane Junction – ‘The Charfield Triangle’

The story continues. You will recall that the 2008 appeal against the refusal of planning permission for 14 flats was dismissed. There was huge interest in the village at that time, with many feeling strongly enough to send in their letters and emails to the appeal Inspector, expressing their concerns.

It was only a matter of time – now the developers are trying again. This time for a more modest development of 5 homes in a terrace, with a total of 12 bedrooms between them, and 7 parking spaces (one per home, plus just 2 for visitors).

The application was logged by the Planning Department of South Glos Council on 10 December, and it had the statutory 21 days for consultation. This was too tight a timeframe even for the Parish Council, which had to hold a special meeting to consider the application. What with Bank Holidays, and festivities, it is no wonder that many of us only heard of the application in the New Year. What timing.

You can view the application and drawings online on the SGC website, under Planning. Search for ‘Wotton Road’ and you should find it, or type in PT10/3394/F to the reference search box.

We understand that the Planning Officer, Mr Peter Rowe, is willing to consider any comments which are submitted, if he receives them before he arrives at his decision. By the time your newsletter is delivered, this window of opportunity may have been closed; please check, if you wish to submit your comment.

Whilst the proposal is certainly less dense (9 fewer homes) there are still issues to consider, such as parking provision, affect on traffic/pedestrian safety, whether the railway embankment will cope, whether these homes will in the event be ‘affordable’ or not, etc.

We hope it is not too late for you to take an interest, whatever your opinion.

4

In July 2008, Renishaw purchased the 4 acre SKF/SNFA factory site on the outskirts of Charfield when the latter moved production to its main facility in Stonehouse. Our plan was to start refurbishment of the building in early 2009, but of course the severe global recession intervened. However, as many of you will be aware, we made a dramatic recovery in 2010, and the project was resurrected in February last year.

Our first task has been to make the most efficient use of the available space, as a series of extensions to the building over the last 50 years left a rabbit warren of small spaces. We have therefore gained planning permission to build 2 extensions to the front elevation and have completely gutted the inside of the building, meaning that it will be unrecognisable to former SNFA employees. The new building, which is due to be completed this Spring, will have 30,000 square feet of mainly open plan space and will include a high quality staff restaurant and product demonstration area.

Renishaw Charfield will initially accommodate around 100 staff from our healthcare businesses, which are relocating from our headquarters site just up the road at New Mills. These staff are involved in the research, development and marketing of products for brain surgery, MRI scanners and dentistry, with manufacturing carried out at other sites.

In keeping with our other sites around the world, the new factory will have a high quality external and internal finish. The front and side elevations will be over clad with composite insulated panelling, which will aesthetically enhance the building exterior and help reduce energy consumption by minimising heat loss.

We hope that Charfield residents will like what we have done to the site and we aim to open the site to the local community at a future date.

Chris Pockett, Renishaw plc

We've been meaning to write something about CHADRA for some time, but none of the current committee feels entirely confident about writing its history from the year dot, so we've decided to write a little about how we see CHADRA today.

We all use the name “CHADRA” when referring to the newsletter itself, ie, “I must write an interesting article for CHADRA” (hint hint), but the acronym stands for the ‘Charfield and District Residents' Association’, not the publication. But do, by all means, continue to call the newsletter the ‘CHADRA’ – old habits die hard.

The aims of the association are to “assist in promoting the interests of the members of the community and shall be non-party political and non-sectarian in religion’. That's a pretty broad brush. In addition, our constitution specifically mentions the production of a newsletter, the sale of which is the only source of income.

It is the payment of the subscription for the newsletter that makes your household a member of the Association. Another good reason to subscribe!

Vice-Chairman Joan Crowfoot refers to CHADRA the association as a ‘sleeping giant’. In the usual run of things, the 5only item on the agenda is the newsletter, but the organisation is there to be used, should the need arise.

For example, when we heard about the appeal against the refusal of planning application for 14 flats at the railway bridge, we considered the proposal would have an impact on the wider village, and that everyone should at least be made aware of it. Within 2 days we were able to write a leaflet, print it, and distribute it to the entire village, ensuring that everyone had the opportunity to comment on the proposal (whether for or against). We were able to react so quickly because we have the duplicator and the loyal network of distributors.

Since advertisements were introduced to the newsletter, with the additional income CHADRA has been able to build up a ‘fighting fund’, which would be the seed money for any future campaign the village chooses to wage. We also need a bit in reserve in case the scanning duplicator gives up the ghost. In spite of increasing printing costs, we wish to leave the subscription at £1 for as long as possible.

If we have spare funds, we have a policy of supporting projects/purchases which benefit the WHOLE village, not just one particular group. For example, we've donated the cost of extra waste bins (litter and dog) to the parish council, we've just donated catering crockery to the village hall (to be followed swiftly by cutlery), we donated the cost of the village map on the noticeboard, we donated the cost of a banner for the litter pick. We also organise and support the Bacon Butties event on Remembrance Sunday, which we see as a good and positive event for the village, open to all.
Please do NOT apply for funds for groups, clubs or societies; you will receive a polite, prompt, and firm refusal. If you have any ideas which CHADRA might consider supporting, please do let us know. But don't go mad – there isn't that much cash spare!

More in the next issue!

With the last of the Christmas decorations hidden out of sight in the darkest corner of the loft for another year and the Christmas songs finally silenced in the shops after being played since last October! And old langsyne sung in pubs and clubs up and down the length of the country it can mean only one thing! Yes its that time of year again when we stub out the final cigarette, buy a years pass to the gym or vow to lose 2 stone in 2 weeks. You've got it its time for new year resolutions.

By the time many of you read this you will have probably broken at least one. But nil desperandum you are not alone, far from it.

So just what is it that makes perfectly sane, rational human beings make such massive unachievable demands on themselves every January the first!, only to go through suffering and despair for the next 2 or 3 weeks and then give up? Or more importantly why don't they work in the first place?

The answer is quite simply because we don't expect them to!

For all those of you out there reading this who are successfully achieving their new year goals I congratulate you! But for the other 99.9% of you may I offer this simple 6-step guide to help you achieve at least one resolution.

1) Who is this goal for you or someone else?
Although giving up smoking for a loved one is a fantastic gesture, it would be so 6much easier if you wanted to do it for you.

2) Take some time out and write down about 3 or 4 big goals that you would like to achieve. Then select the one that is most important and above all exciting to you. This is very important, as it's so much easier to do something we enjoy rather then hate.

3) Take your main goal and break it down in to smaller more manageable steps. For example if your goal is to stop smoking you could try this. Lets say you are smoking 40 a day you could break it down like this.

Step 1, I need to find out about N.R.T or similar help
Step 2, be only smoking 20 a day by February the first
Step 3, STOP completely by Valentines Day

4) Once you are happy with your goal and your plan make some copies of it and stick them around where you will see them often the bathroom mirror for example or your desk at work.

5) Now comes the most important step of all! Begin to believe that you can achieve it. See your self in the future having achieved your goal, how great does it feel knowing you have been successful.
Say the goal to your self a few times last thing at night and first thing in the morning.

6) achieve it!

We have a lot more control over the events and situations we encounter in our lives than we think. We are natural goal setters but sadly most of our goals are set by our auto pilot mode.

I have a New Year goal that I have made every year for the past 3 and that is to enjoy living everyday of the New Year! This might sound like a crazy thing to do but just stop for a second and look at your life and indeed all the post's people write on face book. Over 80% of status updates are about friends counting down the days to the weekend that's 104 days a year we look forward to out of a possible 364 so we are actually writing off 260 days! Now what sounds crazy?

If you want to start enjoying 364 days a year instead of 104 or just want to know more about goal setting check out my website at xxxx.co.uk or phone me on 0758356xxxx

The Charfield Hall committee is putting together a drama production and is looking for local residents to fill the roles of actors, back stage production, props etc everyone welcome regardless of age or past experience.

First meeting to be held in the Sportsmans Lounge adjacent to the village hall on the 2nd of February at 7.30.

Contact Steve on 0758 356xxxx or xxxx @ googlemail.com for more information

The Nationwide Recycling Group has left the unit on Wotton Road, and the mountains of mixed waste rigid plastics are being gradually removed from the site.

The new tenant of the site is TJL Industries, and we hope to be able to include a feature on this company in the next issue.

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[Certificate: Help for Heroes, £576.00]

Frying bacon never felt so right – though 300 rashers or so was a pretty tough consignment: not to mention the sausages, making the tea and coffee, serving and clearing up. All in the cause of Help For Heroes, a cause that obviously you all felt was a great one because you turned out, paid up generously and enjoyed not only the bacon butties and sausage sarnies but meeting friends, old and new, at the Village Hall on Armistice Day. And then came the purpose and serious part of the day. Grouped around the war memorial, young and old, we heard the timeless and immensely sad words of sacrifice, the hauntingly beautiful tones of the bugle, the prayers and the silence.

Then back to the Hall for some to put things back to rights and count your generosity. £576. Yes, that's right, five hundred and seventy six pounds. Wonderful. To everyone who came, to everyone who donated – thank you.

And Sunday Nov 15th 2011? Yes, we'll have the frying pans out again and be looking forward to seeing you all again.

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Or even three of them! The traffic calming measures have been installed on Little Bristol Lane and we hope and believe they are having the desired effect, reducing the average speed of traffic.

It's a shame that the humps already resemble tarmac patchwork quilts, with various works or repairs carried out post-installation; let's hope the frost doesn't attack the seams and cause potholes in the humps or at their edges.

We note that the painted white warning chevrons on either side of the road humps are looking quite dingy and are therefore not very visible. Also, the chevrons are only on the left hand side of the road in each direction; unfortunately, with cars parked outside the houses on Charfield Green, traffic going towards Wotton Road has to drive on the right of the road, and therefore does not have the benefit of the warning chevrons.

You'd have thought, with a budget of £60,000, that the Council would have been able to afford a bit more paint …

With these thoughts in mind CHADRA has written to South Gloucestershire Council requesting information on the installation of the humps. We have had a reply from Laurie Robinson of Mouchel, who have been working in partnership with the Local Authority on this construction. An extract from his reply follows.

‘I am in the middle of ongoing discussions with the contractor for this scheme regarding the quality of the raised tables on Little Bristol Lane, I have raised concerns regarding both the original works and the subsequent repairs. I am due to meet with the contractor early next week to discuss how to proceed, following this meeting I will be able to comment further.

I have requested additional triangular markings on the raised table closest to Manor Lane following comments from residents, unfortunately road marking works in South Gloucestershire have been severely affected by the recent cold weather and these have been delayed. I will discuss the programme for installing these markings with the contractor next week.

£52,000 has been allocated to the scheme for this financial year (2010–11). Final costs for the scheme will be determined following receipt of all invoices but are likely to be well within this figure’.

CHADRA trusts all the works will be complete by the time the next newsletter is due out, however if not we will keep you informed of progress.

CHADRA Team

The last four months have seen a lot of activity at the Village Hall. The refurbishment of the Changing Rooms has been completed, and everyone is delighted with the result. The Football Club decorated the lounge and surrounding area and we are most grateful for their help.

Unfortunately we experienced a flood just after Christmas when some pipes burst. Some interior damage has been done and we are hoping that it will be dealt with by an insurance claim.

The Village Hall Committee is very grateful for the very generous donation of crockery by CHADRA. This means that we now have good crockery for 9many functions and private events. The crockery can also be hired at a reasonable charge.

We still have a problem with dogs on the playing field and once again ask for dog owners to act responsibly and clear up after their pets.

It is hoped that in the coming year we will be able to install new lighting in the Hall. This will make a great difference when we have plays and other performances. The cost of the project is quite considerable and we need financial assistance. We are looking for grants and donations to be able to do this.

As always we are looking for people to serve on the Committee, especially for help with hall bookings. If you can assist in any way, please contact Deb Field or myself.

The Hall, Sports Fields and Play Area are a wonderful asset for the villagers of Charfield. Please continue to use this facility, and help whenever you can.

David Small

AN EXCITING YEAR AHEAD

Hello again from the Villages Junior Football Club. On behalf of all those associated with the Club we would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year.

The year ahead for the Club and its players has all the makings of being a very exciting one. Both the Under 9 and Under 14 teams started the new calendar year in third place in their respective leagues and likewise both won their first game of the New Year. The Under 9s had an impressive 10–2 victory over Rodborough whilst the Under 14s beat Stonehouse 4–2.

The Under 9s are now about halfway through their first season of competitive football and after an interesting first game have come on leaps and bounds and this weekend's result (8th January) was their best to date. The credit for this improvement goes to their Coach Gary Davis whose great enthusiasm for the game is paying dividends. Gary started up a Friday evening training session for the younger kids of the village (ages 7–9) last summer and the popularity even perhaps surprised him with at times up to 30 boys and girls turning up. With such large numbers and a variety of ages this should allow us to have two new teams playing next season alongside the existing two. Gary is still welcoming new players so if you are interested please get in touch (my number is below).

My own team the Under 14s reached the mid-point of their season last weekend and to date have won 7 out of the 10 games they have played. Their victory over Stonehouse also moved them equal on points to Slimbridge in second place who we just happen to be playing in the next game. There are no easy games in the league so this promises to be another tough but exciting game. Whatever the result though, all the parents are very supportive and home or away always turn up in good numbers to cheer the team on.

So with the current season looking promising and with two new teams likely to be playing when the next season kicks off in the summer this is an exciting time for the Club. As always if you would like to join or help the Club in any capacity please, or require any information, then please contact me on 01454-26xxxx.

Thank You. Nigel Cloke
Club Secretary/Under 14s Manager

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Happy New Year to you all from everyone at Charfield Pre-School!

Children and parents enjoyed lots of festive activities in the run up to Christmas including a Christmas party at the Memorial Hall, the Snowman's Story Pre-School Play and a real life Nativity at Red Wood, which was magical! Lots of fun was had by all and we managed to raise lots of money from our fundraising events! These included a stall at the School Fair, a Raffle, Father Christmas' Float, Rag Bags, Photography Session and a sale of framed children's handprints! We would like to thank everyone who supported our fundraising events, without the support of families and the village we would not be able to achieve this. The children benefit so much from the equipment and toys that is purchased using this money, so thank you!

This term we will be starting the Rising 5 sessions for the children going to school in September 2011, we've found this session really helps the children in the transition between pre-school and school. Each week we will be doing a cooking activity and music/movement activity. The Pre-School also now offers hot school dinners to the children on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. This has gone down very well with the children and we appreciate the school being able to offer this additional service.

We have a committee meeting on Wednesday 19th January so anyone wishing to attend is very welcome! 8pm at the Foundation Rooms.

For further information on any of the above or enquiries regarding places for your children please do not hesitate to pop into the Pre-School and speak to Debra our Pre-School Manager or call me on 01454 26xxxx.

Katherine Edwards
Chair Person.

From 11th Jan 2011 Nicki Brain, Anna Boggis and Helen Wyatt will run Charfield Brownies with the help of Jess Paget. The “old team” of Helen P, Jo and Deb will still be there sometimes too. The new contact for brownies will be Nicki on 0774 311 xxxx or email xxxx @ msn.com.

If anyone would like to put their daughter's name down, there is a waiting list. The age for Brownies is 7–10 and Rainbows 5–7. Both run from Charfield Village Hall.

With thanks

Helen

The Edge Community Orchestra would love to hear from instrumentalists of all abilities with an interest in playing a variety of music in a relaxed and friendly group. The group is small, and is ideal for those returning to music after not playing for some time, those leaving school orchestras and wanting to continue making music with others, and even for players who don't have any previous orchestral experience.

The orchestra meets on Tuesdays between 7:30 and 9:00 PM in the club room on The Chipping car park at Wotton. Our next meetings will be on January 25th, February 8th, March 1st, 8th and 22nd. We don't often perform in public, and you'll be welcome even if you don't feel you want to take part in performances.

11If you, or perhaps someone you know, would like to play in an orchestra then we would love to hear from you. For further details please contact Richard Graham on 01666 89xxxx or just come along and meet us.

Musical Evening at Charfield Village Hall

The Village Hall is hosting another musical evening from
Wiltshire and South Glos Rural Arts
on
Saturday 12 March 2011.

‘The Hot Potato Syncopators’ present a rip-roaring comedy musical revue of 1930's jazz and dance band melodies interspersed with visual gags, delightful humour and novelty moments. One review says “This energetic and hilarious trio has been a hit oat countless festivals, and is set to take village venues to a bygone age”.

If you were fortunate enough to see Graffiti Classics, which was a sell out on both occasions, you wont want to miss this musical event.

Tickets will be available from mid February from Margaret – Adults tickets £8, – Children's tickets £6, – telephone nearer the time on 01454 26xxxx.

It is with sadness that we announce the end of Granny Trek. Children's Hospice South West is dropping the annual April event at Charlton Farm from their calendar. The web site www.####.co.uk remains open, packed with information about the last seven years, during which time thousands of people have helped raise over £254,000.

A few copies of the Granny Trek book are still available, either from the web site or from Granny Trek, xx Lower Road, Woolavington, Bridgwater, TA7 8EF, price £7.99 + £2 p&p, cheques payable to ‘Granny Trek CHSW’. (Full £7.99 goes to Children's Hospice South West).

Our sincere thanks to everyone who has joined with us to make this venture such a huge success. We wish the hospice well with their new Bluebell Walk – phone 01275 86xxxx for details.

‘Granny’ Beryl Griffiths, ‘Nanny’ Julia Barlow, ‘Backroom boy’ Tony Griffiths and canine superstars Rudi and Fritz. 01278 68xxxx

Our ongoing refurbishment has led to a quantity of lovely pine pews being redundant. Should anyone be interested in purchasing a pew at a very reasonable price we would be pleased to hear from you.

please contact April on 01453 84xxxx or e-mail at xxxx @ hotmail.co.uk

12[Advert for Charfield Memorial Hall – Booking Secretary Urgently Needed]

[Advert for CHADRA AGM]

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By now, I dare say you've either had flu this winter, or know and perhaps have looked after someone who has. It certainly brightened up my December – not. And even now, well into January, I think this will be a shorter Parish Council brief than last time. Should have taken the flu jab I was offered … If you are suffering likewise, do get better soon. I'll touch on three or four main issues in here, but do remember you are always welcome to attend the full Parish Council meetings held every month (except August) in the Memorial Hall on the second Tuesday of each month. Agenda for these meetings are posted on the Parish web site:- http://www.charfieldparishcouncil.org.uk and on the notice board outside Steve's Shop. There, plug over. You can come out now. :)

Firstly, as you'll have already noticed (the signs went up yesterday), we are being handed a new roundabout at the top of Charfield hill at the junction of the B4058 and B4509. As you read, the work is probably underway, and will take some 22 weeks – six months – to complete during which the junction will be controlled by temporary traffic lights. The Parish was not consulted prior to the roundabout being approved and we can only hope the inevitable disruption from the building works is not followed by peak time traffic jams as the roundabout comes into use. Your Council is also of the view that the (alleged mandatory) street lighting of this roundabout is unnecessary and goes against the highly praised work Charfield carried out as vanguard to South Gloucestershire's part-night street lighting initiative.

There have been many changes in the way government works since the May elections, and some of the major changes affecting local government will come from the Localism Bill. As I type, this Bill is awaiting its second reading in the House of Commons (you can find out about it by using this link: http://tinyurl.com/365rous). Until the Bill is enacted in law we can't be totally sure of the provisions, but it proposes new ways to hold referenda, and for new neighbourhood development plans. These latter documents would set out how the residents of a location wish their environment to develop – perhaps whether or not they wish for more affordable housing, or how they feel their local infrastructure should be improved. Once the Bill becomes law, your Council will look to support parishioners who wish to develop their neighbourhood plan. On the subject of Councils and governance, your Councillors are due to stand for re-election in the spring. Formal notices will go up at the end of March, just after Census day, so if you are interested do keep an eye on the notice board or web site. And on the subject of the Census, do make sure you fill in your form on 27th March – it's an offence not to! And more than that, if the powers that be don't know about us, they can't make provision for us in terms of schools, doctors surgeries, bus routes … And it's possible this will be the last ever Census, so remember to help out future genealogists as they construct their family trees!

Construction work commences on our Burial Ground shortly. Once the winter is done and the ground is easier to work, our contractor will be moving onto site to begin the laying of the parking and turning head, and the installation of the road entrances. He'll then be levelling the slope and seeding, to produce a usable site. The Parish Council was very happy to learn recently that our application to the Aggregates Levy Fund had been successful, and we were awarded £5,000 towards the costs of 14construction. There is still work to be done, planning the business side of the facility, and the Burial Ground working group are progressing with this. However, the long journey we undertook some years back is coming slowly to fruition.

Finally for this article, several parishioners have been in touch about the pathetic broadband speeds we have in the village. Charfield is divided by the railway track, with one half of the village being supplied by Falfield exchange and the other by Wotton. From both directions we are at the end of a long ‘bit of wet string’, and connection speeds are mostly sub-1Mb/s. While the Parish Council has no power to force an increase in speed (which would require significant infrastructure investment by BT or another carrier), we are gathering information so that we can present our case should any opportunity arise. I am in contact with Steve Webb on this matter and if we can bring any pressure to bear we will. In the meantime, if you can determine your broadband speed (upload and download) using one of the online testing sites, please send your information to the Clerk along with your postcode.

Hopefully the snow, which mostly missed us over Yule, will stay away now until next winter. The Sun is returning, spring is coming. May I wish you a very happy New Year.

Mark Rosher – Chairman Charfield Parish Council

A Happy New Year to everyone in the village from the staff and committee of the Out of School Club. We hope that 2011 proves to be a successful year for all our village organisations who work so hard to make Charfield such a pleasant place to live.

The Christmas holidays were certainly a busy and successful time for the club. It was full most days and was even open right up until 6pm on Christmas Eve! The children had great fun doing lots of Christmas crafts, games and competitions.

Earlier in December the club held its AGM and a new committee was formed. Yvonne Kershaw was elected chairperson, with Jenny Dormer as Treasurer and Anne Moore as Secretary. Other committee members include Zoi Pearce, Rosemarie Matthews, Martine Davis and Jonathan Dormer. Thank you to everyone who attended this meeting and especially those who were prepared to stand as committee members. As a committee we are positive about working together and have many ideas about how to build on the success of previous years.

An extra mention should also be given to Jake Barnes who stepped down from her role as bookkeeper for the club in October. The committee would like to thank her for her hard work over the time she has been involved with the club.

Fundraising continues to be our top priority in these difficult economic times. The Committee organised a Jam a Jar stall at the School Christmas Fayre, which raised almost £100. At the same time, the staff organised a Grand draw for a fantastic Christmas hamper. This was won by Sam Bartrop and raised £82.50. Well Done!

The club has a Jumble Sale arranged for Saturday 29 January 2011 in the School Hall from 1–3pm with further fundraising events planned throughout the year. The club is also considering seeking charitable status in order to assist its financial position and we are eager to seek advice from anyone in the village who has expertise in this matter. If anyone in the village has experience 15of this and feels that they can help the club follow this route, please contact the club. We would be glad to hear from you!

This term the children will be engaged in activities along the themes of New Year, Winter, and Australia day, Chinese New Year as well as Valentine's Day and What's Cooking? The club will also shortly be taking bookings for the Half Term holiday (21 Feb–25 Feb 2011) so if you need holiday child care or even if your children would simply like to play in a structured and caring environment, please contact the club for a booking form.

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

Remember the club is open weekdays in term time from 7.30–8.45am and 3.10–6 pm providing an outstanding (Ofsted) provision. The club also offers a reduced rate for those children who are dropped off early at school and come into the club between 8.20am and 8.45am simply to play. Likewise, the club is usually open, should the school be closed due to snow, as staff live locally and can usually walk to work. Please contact the club if this should arise and providing there are spaces, the club will do its best to help, even if you are not a regular user.

Finally, don't forget that the club is open between 7.30am–6pm during school holidays and also on In Service days. Give it a go and we are sure your children will enjoy it and you will be impressed!

Thank you once again to everyone who has used the club in 2010, or who has supported us with fundraising activities. And also a very big thank you to Pat, Georgina, Jo Anne and Paul, our dedicated staff, who work so hard for the children at all times. We look forward to a successful 2011.

The Out of School Club Committee.

Grand Jumble Sale
Sat 12th March At 2pm
Charfield School Hall
Proceeds To St Johns Church

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

Doorstep collections will be made during Friday 11th March. Please leave any jumble out first thing (clearly marked!). You can also deliver jumble to the Church on that day, or direct to the school on jumble sale day from 10:00 am.

Your continued support is much appreciated.

16

CHADRA CORDIALLY INVITES YOU TO

“MEET THE VILLAGE”

SATURDAY APRIL 16TH 2pm–5pm

Charfield is blessed with a wide variety of organisations, clubs, and societies, catering for all ages, all of which add to our quality of village life. There have been more in the past … some have gone the way of the dodo for various reasons. Some of those we still have would welcome more members, some could do with additional help. How might we address this?

Are You Missing Out On Something?
Going along to a society's event or meeting for the first time can be very daunting. Will you be made welcome? Will you know anyone there? What is it like? What's involved? What does it cost? Would it help to chat informally to representatives of the group over a cup of tea, before you pluck up the courage to join?

Are You Interested In Starting A New Club?
Do you want to test the water first? Do you want to run your idea up a flag pole and see who salutes it? Make contact with like minded people and see if you can form a new club eg book club, gardening group etc here is the place to do it.

Do You Feel You Have Something To Offer?
In a village the size of Charfield, we have a huge amount of people with skills, talents, knowledge, energy, goodwill. Granted, they'll have varying amounts of time to spare, but we're sure that there is an untapped resource of volunteer hours amongst villagers. How to match this resource with the needs of the various groups? If it was clear what was needed, and how much time you were able to offer, would that ease the way?

CHADRA's idea is to host a drop-in “Meet the Village” event at the Memorial Hall on the afternoon of Saturday 16 April, from 2pm to 5pm.

We hope that all clubs/societies, existing or potential, will have a table to promote themselves and, more importantly, send some representatives to chat to people and explain both what they have to offer, and what help they could do with.

We hope that as many villagers as possible, of all ages, will come along to this social event and see what's available, and what's needed.

CHADRA will hire the hall and pay for the teas/coffees/biscuits. These are the bare bones of what we envisage; we may yet come up with additional wheezes to add to the mix! If you have any ideas, let us know.

Please do join in – put it in your diary for 16 April. All are very welcome. Just drop in for a cuppa and a chat or just a nosey.

Would organisations, sports clubs, fitness groups, drama groups, scouts, brownies, playgroups, luncheon clubs, drama groups, transport schemes, community police officers, parish councils, motorbike clubs, etc, etc, PLEASE support this event, and book your table by contacting the undersigned – by email or phone. No cost involved – just a bit of time and effort.

The more, the merrier!
Julia O'Connor-Beach
01454 26xxxx xxxx @ gmail.com

17

Charfield Congregational Church would like to take this opportunity to wish all the residents of Charfield and the surrounding areas a very happy new year!

The lead up to Christmas was a very busy period for our members as many hours were spent making and filling Christmas shoe boxes for orphanages and elderly people in Eastern Europe. We managed to send 115 boxes filled to the brim with ‘goodies’ for these under privileged people.

Anyone who would like to get involved with Christmas shoe boxes this year, please let us know. It is a very rewarding experience.

Our ongoing refurbishment has led to a quantity of lovely pine pews being redundant. Should anyone be interested in purchasing a pew at a very reasonable price we would be pleased to hear from you.

We hold services every Sunday at 11am with tea/ coffee and biscuits afterwards, where a friendly welcome awaits. The first Sunday of every month is our family service and on other Sundays we hold our own Sunday School ‘King's Kidz’, where all primary school-age children are most welcome. The last Sunday in every month we hold our Communion service.

We look forward to seeing you sometime. For more information on any of our services or the sale of pews, please contact April on 01453 84xxxx or xxxx @ hotmail.co.uk

Our speakers for the coming months are:-

Charfield seems alive with dogs,
They poo just where they choose,
No matter where you try to walk,
You'll get some on your shoes.

So heed my warning gentle folk,
And watch your every step,
Be on your guard, be vigilant,
Or the poo will get you yet.

It terrorises young or old,
It's a messy booby trap,
Some people call it excrement –
Others call it – something quite different!!

My apologies to the majority of dog owners, who obey the law, and do the decent thing, in spite of the snow. Dogs make wonderful pets, but a minority of owners make their pets seem like pests.

As a dog lover, and one time patroller, it makes me very annoyed when I hear 18people complaining about dogs and the mess they leave behind them on the pavements etc, when they should be complaining about the real culprits – the owners.

Dogs live by the code of instinct, they know nothing about human laws. Humans live by the code of law and decency, but sadly, some dog owners, ignore this fact.

Ken Parker

In December, I was attending a concert and sat next to another Charfielder. Waiting for the folk singers to insert a digit in an ear and assume a nasal whine before singing 20 verses of some dirge about a fallen woman or the plight of the weavers in 18th century Lancashire, we exchanged news. I was shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of two long-term Charfield residents. I had had no idea. I thanked the fates that I learned of their demise before bumping into their loved ones.

We don't all regularly read the notices in the local press. CHADRA would therefore like to introduce a regular feature which might be of benefit to us all at some stage, ie a ‘Hail, Well-Met, and Farewell’ item.

You are invited to submit news of births, marriages, departures from the village (people moving house), and deaths, to our Editor for inclusion. Keep it to the bare minimum; just the name of the person, the event, and the date, please. This should be submitted in writing, giving your name and contact details, stating your relationship to the person concerned, and providing some proof or giving a reference, to enable us to check the accuracy of the information if necessary.

Examples – nearly all fictitious:

Born: (or Hail)
Iris Elizabeth, to James and Katherine Smith of 00 Severn Close, 2 January 2011.

Married: (or Well Met)
John Evans and Ann Kelso of 00 Woodlands Road, 15 December 2010.

Pastures new:
David and Helen Woodhouse, to New Zealand, January 2011.

Died: (or Farewell)
Ashley Peacock of Coronation Street, 8 December 2010 (I know there isn't a street of that name in Charfield. Just pretend.)

We hope you will find this new feature of benefit.

And the folk group was fabulous. Not a finger in any orifice, nor a nasal whine to be heard.

Julia O'Connor-Beach

We just wanted to say ‘farewell’ to all our friends, colleagues and acquaintances in the village as we will be living in New Zealand by the time you read this, having left these shores on Christmas Eve.

We have been visiting New Zealand for the past 16 years as 2 of our 4 children and 5 grandchildren live there so it is time for us to take up the challenge of something new.

We know that we will miss the friendliness of Charfield, the views, 19walks and countryside but it will be exchanged for sea views in the Bay of Plenty in North Island.

We first came to Charfield about 25 years ago and in 2000 opened up The Massage Table Store in Manor Lane. This quickly became a very successful operation and we had clients from all over the world, including many famous names. Contrary to some rumours, we sold the company in 2007 and the new owners decided to consolidate both our stores (Charfield and London) into their head office premises in Tamworth – we didn't go out of business and it still thrives to this day!

We have had great pleasure from living here and have been involved in Round Table, Rotary, the Book and Walking Clubs, Boules and part time invigilating at KLB so retirement hasn't been all that quiet. The village we are hoping to live in has similar organisations and we hope that they will be as friendly and welcoming as here

Dave and Helen Woodhouse

I think I may have missed the last two editions of Chadra due to holidays and volume of work. I'm now group Scout Leader for 1st Woodend and 1st Falfield as I don't think I have enough to do in my spare time – ha! ha! Both the Beaver and the Cub sections have met their respectives and have created programmes together, swapping ideas and have arranged joint outings for the youngsters. The Beaver Section at Falfield has taken some of the strain off our waiting list, which is appreciated. Remember we do suggest you add your children's names to the waiting list as soon as possible (i.e. at birth!), we often receive names of 6 year olds who may have to wait until they are 7 or even 8 which is Cub age to enter the Group – and we do take boys AND girls into all sections.

This term we must have beaten our record intake. Due to a large number of Beavers moving up into Cubs we have invited 13 children to join Beavers, 4 into Cubs and 1 into Scouts, that's a lot of form filling. We do hope these children (and parents) have a wonderful time with us in the Group.

This year the Beaver Section is celebrating 25 years of Beaver Scouting. They have a 25th birthday challenge to complete and will be allowed to wear a special birthday badge on their uniforms. A number of outings have been arranged for them including a Mad Hatter's Tea Party, a trip to Slimbridge, Santa train at Bitten and a Beaver birthday party in December. All this and badges too!

The Cubs are going to be doing quite a bit of map reading, knotting, orienteering etc. The Scout Leaders would like some more trophies on the shelves so we are starting training a little earlier, it's all good outdoors fun anyway and we mix the learning in with games and quizzes. If there is anyone out there that specialises in these subjects we'd appreciate some extra help! As this year's World Jamboree is to be held in Sweden and there's no chance the Cubs could get there, the Cub Leaders agreed the theme of the July camp at Avening Green would be ‘International’ and that passports would be needed. I don't want to give too much away but we will be having special Woodend passports and there will be a check in desk.

The Scouts will be in training to win some hiking/orienteering type trophies as I said previously. They have already undertaken some night hikes in appalling weather. But hopefully teams entered in to the Malvern Challenge this 20year will do us proud, both troops are quite young but full of enthusiasm and I'm sure they will do well. The Scouts and Leaders have the opportunity to take part in a County Camping Challenge. There are 3 badges available, the mess tent, patrol tent and the toilet tent badges. Each badge can take a year to complete, but you can only count one camp a month taken from a list of 28 different camping scenarios, which can only be used once. The mess tent is 6 camps, 8 and then 10 respectively. Some of the scenarios are serious camping such as at above 2000ft, at below 0°, with a new recruit and in different locations. Quite a challenge and I think I might have achieved the mess tent so far and it isn't compulsory to sleep in the mess/patrol/toilet tent but it adds to the fun. The Group is quite lucky as we do have a double toilet tent that could fit 2 side by side! Needless to say a few of the younger leaders dashed off and completed the first badge before the Scouts themselves.

The big event of the year is the Avon County 4 Seasons Jamboree to be held at Woodhouse Park over the Whit weekend. This will be three nights camping for the Scouts and older Cubs, the Beavers and younger Cubs will be invited to attend as day visitors. This event is held every 4 years the last being in 2007 when we had gale force winds and horrific rain, hence the older Cubs only camping, as similar weather would put any first timer campers off camping for life! All of the activities will be themed on the 4 seasons, so we'll have Easter, summer holidays, Halloween and Christmas activities all over the one weekend. Some of the activities booked are scuba diving for the older members, ice skating, zorbing, climbing walls including an ice wall, kayaking, crafts, Christmas grotto, inflatables, archery, shooting, adventure course, roller skating, sandcastle building, Halloween disco, a carnival parade, Avon X factor and lots, lots more. Best thing is we don't have to cook! We have managed to book catering for the whole camp (3–4000!) so we just have to wash up, that is our own pots only. Did I mention who is organising the event, our own Akela! He's putting so much work into it with me keeping him in check of course, we have had a couple of discussions about how much snow we would need to produce a snow covered field and whether it would really be eco-friendly, and our plans for a beach were scuppered by the wardens at Woodhouse Park! But he's brilliant with persuading people to do stuff so they've picked the right man.

Warning to parents – after our fantastic trip to Malta last year we have had a bit of a rest from fundraising, this is starting again but at a slower pace, bag packing at Morrison's Cribbs on Saturday 22nd Jan. We would like a new kitchen at the HQ and at Avening Green and we would like to make the boys and girls toilets at Avening Green a little more equal than 6–1.

So we're off into another fast paced year of fun and excitement. Want to join us? Then give us a ring, our leaders are both full and part time so don't be shy, contact numbers are at the back of Chadra.

Yours in Scouting
Sandra Carnegie
Group Scout Leader 1st Woodend & 1st Falfield

Open wide the windows, fling wide the door,
The sound I thought was lost in time,
Can be heard by all once more.

21Bong – Bong – Bong – that glorious sound,
It makes the air vibrate,
It also breaks some windows –
And brings the soot down in the grate.

But never mind, the Bells now back,
A memento of the past,
Yet some people think this grand old bell –
Should never have been cast!!

I have discovered that most people love the sound of the Church bell, but one or two are not too sure of the musical content of – “Bong”.

Ken Parker

Hello, Happy New Year. Nothing has changed here, it's the 12th and I'm just getting in for the deadline.

Right what news? We had a fab Christmas with our lovely granddaughter, Millie and, as they say in all the books, even at 4 months she loved rustling the wrapping paper.

Now and again, I'm having a bit of trouble stringing words together. My chum Sue and I were doing our festive face painting at the School Christmas Fair. I kept wondering why the children were looking at me strangely then I worked out that I was asking would they like icicles on their cheeks instead of snowflakes!!! I needed a perk up in the sparkly earring department but wasn't too keen on spending lots, yes I know, Scrooge. Keith and I were in the Co-Op when I spied some beautiful bright shiny red bells with little green holly leaves and red berries. Wow, had to have them. But the next day, at school, I was driven mad. They had little metally things in and jangled all day. I thought I was going to suffer from tinnitus, so shoved tissue in them to stop the clanging. I had to wear them though, they cost me 99p.

I went into the lounge and Keith was watching a program with large chaps in shorts and they were under a sign of “W S M”. “Oh is that Weston Super Mare?” I asked. “No,” came the reply, “the Worlds' Strongest Man.”

I appreciate that I have an absolutely fantastic job (have you missed me, I've just been downstairs and watched Midsomer Murders, still got two hours to go) but on Radio 4 the other day I heard names/titles of some amazing jobs, here goes: one chap was a Professor of Italian Studies, another was a Professor of Auditory Perception and finally, the third was a Food Historian researching Yule Logs. I know it was the Season of Goodwill and I'd obviously had a sip of the sherry whilst peeling the sprouts but wow, researching Yule Logs. I wonder what he does the rest of the year and, – they were all chaps.

You know on the tele I love it when they say, “And now here is the news where you are.” Talking of which, when we had that snow and they said, ”don't drive unless it's absolutely necessary,” we wondered if that meant don't collect your Mum from 22London even if she's coming for Christmas.

Are you appreciating that there is a festive theme running through this? I'd put all my decs up and then spent a few hours unravelling my fairy lights. Yes I know I should wind the wire around card, etc, but that's far too boring. I decided that I needed a few around the dining room where Mum and I would spend Christmas doing our crosswords, giving Keith full reign of the clicker and only going in the lounge for Aled Jones Sing-alonga-Carol and Miss Marple. Anyway you remember last year when I went to New York, on my own, I thought I had better buy Keith a special gift and so made a purchase linked to his collection of Fire Brigade memorabilia. I bought a Fire Station model which would light up. One thing though it needed a transformer. Eventually this year he bought one. Now this string of lights that were going to adorn the dining room, I plugged in and out of thirty bulbs only eight lit up. I gave the wire a good shake but that was it. Keith came in the room, unplugged my eight bulbs and put in the socket, his transformer and demonstrated the Fire Station. Without being cheeky, are you keeping up with this and have you got the picture? Oh yes it looked lovely. Keith decided he wanted the model in the lounge. I then replugged in my fairy lights and the whole lot had blown. I'm sure there must have been a surge in the socket. I raked another lot of lights out of the ‘Open Once A Year’ box and plugged them in. THREE bulbs this time. I bet you think ah poor thing no money for fancy earrings and sitting in the nearly dark. Anyway to cut a long story short I restrung my 50 multicoloured stars and all was well.

So, that's about it. It's 11.23pm, and still the 12th. Lawrence has just phoned and caught up with all the news. He's fine and now has an American driving license. Apparently, the fabulous FEMALE New York Examiner was rather taken with his hair and wanted to know if he had highlights. You wouldn't get that over here would you, well not in the middle of your driving test.

Well my lovely fab readers, I wish you a wonderful 2011 and to tell you that the weather man said that we will be having a scorching hot Summer! Yippee!!

Lots of love, Maz xxx

There were very few dull or idle moments at Charfield Station, but on a couple of occasions I did experience embarrassing moments. As they were both of a similar vein, and several years apart, I will only tell you about one, as discreetly as possible of course.

As a checker, every Friday afternoon I had to count every item of Bibby's animal feed etc in their storage sheds, as well as that stored in a rat proof cage in the actual goods shed. This count had to tally with what we called the stock book, in which everything that had been taken from Bibby's stores during the week, had to be booked out and signed 23for by the customer, along with their name and address.

Mr Wintle, the Bibby area manager, relied on this information in order to run his business successfully; the reason for me explaining this, and probably boring you, is because I used this as an excuse to get out of a rather embarrassing situation.

One afternoon, a lady who was a regular user of Bibby's poultry food, arrived at the goods shed to pick up some layers pellets. We went into the larger of the three stores, where I produced the stock book, but before I could write down any details of her requirements, this lovely lady made an offer I could not refuse, and I can tell you it wasn't ½ doz eggs, but the offer only applied if I forgot to put her order in the stock book, however, it was an offer I just “had” to refuse.

Not wanting to offend her, I used the stock taking procedure as an excuse to turn down her rather naughty suggestion, explaining that every item taken from the store had to be accounted for otherwise Mr Wintle would not be a happy man. I had to mention this strange encounter to Frank, the shed foreman, wondering if he thought anyone working in the goods shed had, or would, fall for her charms, Frank thought this extremely unlikely.

As far as I was concerned this was just a little bit of attempted hanky panky and as it happened way back in the past, that is where this mischievous lady's name will always remain; sadly, like Charfield Station, she is no longer with us, therefore she is just a memory, but having written this, she will become a very small part of Charfield's Railway History, something she would never have dreamed of when she came into Bibby's store one day just to collect some laying pellets.

Although work on the Goods Shed was arduous and sometimes dirty, the most distasteful thing we had to do was telling a farmer who arrived at the Goods Shed to get food for his livestock, that as per instructions from Mr Wintle, they were no longer allowed access to any of Bibby's products. Having to tell someone this made all of us feel pretty awful, knowing as we did, that a ban was almost always imposed due to financial default. Everyone working in the Goods Shed knew the farmers concerned very well, and having dealt with them for many years they were thought of as friends, not just Bibby's customers. Unfortunately, distasteful as this banning procedure was, it was something that had to be done.

Ken Parker.

Well Happy New Year everyone! Can't believe that we've now been here for just over a year!

After a difficult start (cost of food, lack of good rental accommodation and the cost of it) we've now settled a lot better in to the NZ way of life.

After finding a nice rental property in a place called Greenhithe on the North Shore of Auckland it was full steam ahead cleaning the place to await the arrival of our 40 foot container from the UK which was due to arrive on the Monday following our moving in on the Saturday!

Everything arrived apart from 2 boxes (no idea where they disappeared to and 12 months on I'm still discovering items I no longer have …) Some damage but it could have been a lot worse.

Once everything's unpacked, pictures on the walls etc it felt a lot more like home, just in time for our 1st Kiwi Christmas 24which we spent having picnics on the various beaches! Bizarre …
Especially seeing lifeguards in Santa hats …

Most of our weekends have been spent sightseeing and doing the odd mad stuff (come to that part later).

In February we spent a lovely day at the Devonport food and wine festival and a few weeks later we discovered we'd won a weekend away for 2 at a luxury resort in Karikari (way up north). We were a bit dubious as neither of us remembered entering a competition at the festival and a phone call at 9.00pm at night usually sets alarm bells ringing. However, a couple of weeks later there in our mail box was the voucher, week end for 2 at the Carrington resort on the Karikari peninsula. Since this is quite a way up North we decided to book it over Easter and have an extra night stay. Fantastic time, with free wine tasting and wonderful sunsets from the vineyard restaurant which was high up on the hill. A bit confusing as we were on the East coast but yes the sun still does set in the west even down under … We even managed to fit in a day's excursion to Cape Reinga the northern most point of NZ. Absolutely magical with wonderful scenery. (think a bit like Lands End but without the naff tourist resort)

Once Easter was over I decided to look for a job whilst waiting for my NZ registration to be processed. Browsing through the village news I saw that a waitress was required at the local Dutch restaurant (asked for a Dutch speaker but thought hey nothing ventured nothing gained!) I rang up and the owners 1st question was how old was I? Well I didn't think it tactful to say that it was impolite to ask a lady's age since I wanted a job, so I told him and his reply was ‘Oh good’ I'm looking for a mature lady … (still deciding if that's complimentary) … Anyway went for a chat, he liked me and I started work 2 weeks later. Never waitressed in my life and learned how to make good coffee (NZs are prolific coffee drinkers and there are umpteen different types of coffee from long blacks to lattes with ones in between) I'm now a bit of a coffee geek and my husband Graham is embarrassed when I criticise the coffee when we are out, a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing …

Anyway worked there for 4 enjoyable months until my registration finally came through and was then employed by medical physics at Auckland Hospital. A bit of a trek but travelling not so bad as my husband drops me off at the bus station which is opposite his hospital and I catch a direct bus to Auckland hospital, journey time about 40 minutes but like the UK when the kids are on holiday it takes ½ the time.

Having a ‘proper’ job has meant that we now have a bit of spare cash to do more fun stuff.

Which you can read about in the next issue of CHADRA.

Miss family and friends but definitely do not miss the weather!

All the best for 2011 – Carol and Graham

All enquiries to foster children in South Gloucestershire Council's care are always very gratefully appreciated, but the age group which is traditionally always in need of more carers is young people aged from 11 to 19 years old.

Often, people enquiring about fostering will be looking to care for children at the younger end of the age spectrum, for a variety of reasons, and they may not 25have considered the idea of offering their home to someone a little bit older.

Most young people in this age group will have gone past the age where they can be adopted and – in view of the fact they really need stability in their home lives to enable them to concentrate on their schooling to gain qualifications to stand them in good stead in the outside world – the plan for them has to be more long-term care or permanence.

So, we are particularly looking for people who have the time (and room) to devote to a young person who needs to feel at home for as long as their individual plan recommends.

[Photo: “Foster carers are really important at this stage of life”]

We know that people do not get involved with fostering for financial reasons but we are fully appreciative of the fact that it is a very challenging thing to do and that those who do should be well compensated. Approved foster carers taking on a young person would get a basic fee of £160 per week. Added to this would be a weekly Age Related Allowance (ARA) depending on the age of young person placed with you, so for young people in the 11 to 12 age bracket this ARA would be £140, for 13–15 year olds it would be £141 and for 16 to 19 year olds it would be £187. Additional payments are also made for birthdays, Christmas and holidays. So, the very minimum payable for one placement in situ per week would be £300.

In addition to getting these payments, foster carers also receive ongoing support from the foster care team and training to help develop their knowledge and understanding of children and young people.

If you think you have the time, energy and room to help make a difference to a young person's life – and help them through a very important time in their lives – please contact me, Tony Bray, on 01454 86xxxx for a general chat and/or to receive an Information Booklet.

Tony Bray
Recruitment & Marketing Officer
Family Placement Team
South Gloucestershire Council
www.southglos.gov.uk/fostering

[Graphic: Charfield School]

Striving for excellence …
Learning for life

HAPPY NEW YEAR from all at Charfield Primary

STAFF NEWS
Sadly at the end of last term Sheila Smith, a long serving Dinner Lady of Charfield Primary, hung up her yellow tabard and began a relaxing retirement. Sheila was a firm favourite of the children and we will all miss her dearly.

Our current classes and teachers are:

Water Damage
I'm sure many of you have heard that the school didn't escape the freezing conditions over Christmas. Pipes burst in three of our classrooms causing damage to school equipment and sadly our children's work too. We have begun the long process of cleaning up and replacing items. We will shortly start looking for items such as children's magazines, old books etc to help us re-stock. If you have any suitable that we could use please let us know.
I would like to thank all those members of the community who rallied around and offered to help get us back to normal; it was really appreciated!

Clubs Plea!
I am sure that in Maz's bit she will have already asked, but our gardening club are currently on the hunt for seeds and plants for their gardening area. If you have any spare plants we would gratefully have them.
We are always keen to give our children as many experiences as possible. One way that people could really help us is to help with running after school clubs. If you have any special talents that you would like to pass onto the children please contact us at the school.

What's next for Charfield School?
We have a number of special event days coming up in the next two terms that we would really appreciate your help with. Please see our school website and Newsletters for more details

Many Thanks
Dafydd Lawday, Headteacher

So it was finally here. After eight marathons since 2003 and the thirteenth in total we were in Riga, Latvia on a Running Crazy trip (to be recommended) to complete my marathon name quest with a letter “R”. Tracy was with me as the weekend was very near to our 25th wedding anniversary, which was a nice coincidence.

We walked around Riga old town in the afternoon which was interesting as Latvia was part of the Soviet Union until 1991 and German occupied during WW2. If history and museums is your thing then Riga doesn't disappoint, luckily it is ours. A pasta dinner and an early night completed a good day.

Saturday dawned bright and warm – again. Breakfast was fine apart from the disco music on the radio blaring! The pasta party on the top floor of a Riga hotel later that evening was good but – they ran out of pasta. So we had to wait while they cooked some more and even the elite African athletes had to wait! And so to bed … only to is woken by a party of noisy Poles through most of the night!

Sunday morning dawned – bright and even warmer with clear skies after breakfast and we set off for the marathon site on a local bus (good services) ready for the start. The marathon course comprised of a 14km circuit that had to be covered three times for the full 42km. There were about 9000 runners. Other events were a half marathon and relay marathon. I opted for cap and sunglasses and decided to run conservatively for two laps as the temperature was in the 20's, and we hadn't started yet!

The course took us through the old town over cobbles (ouch), out around an 27austere residential area near the ice hockey stadium (lonely) and out over a suspension bridge & back, so we had to cover it six times in total!

My strategy was working well, even the PowerAde energy drink was agreeing with me after my experience in Frankfurt (I made sure it didn't make me feel sick). The sun was hot and the building thermometers were reading 23–24 degrees C. After I went through the start/finish area for the second time to start my last lap (sob) I met a young Latvian guy who had opted to trade up to the marathon. We talked and I was astounded to discover that the furthest he had run in training was 10K! He did finish though which is probably testament to youth!

Finally I shuffled across the cobbles back through the city where the support was very good and turned into the finishing straight. Malcolm was there to tell me to keep my arms going and I was across the line in 4hrs 51mins and 1sec. A slow time, but it was a tough day and I had made it inside five hours as I had with my other marathons.

I collected the last medal of the set and hobbled my way over to stretch. I saw my Latvian friend finish and he thanked me for my encouragement on our final lap. Then we made our way to a café with the rest of our party to swap experiences, relieved that we had all made it.

A quick shower and rest then I had an appointment to record a podcast with Julia Armstrong. If you have nothing better to do and would like to listen to it, the link can be found on the TRC website or visit:- www.####.com. Anyway, Julia, who was an elite marathoner with a PB of 2:43 and represented England at the 1986 Commonwealth Games, was waiting for me in the lobby, having run a ridiculously quick half marathon, and we recorded a podcast that I hope is informative and interesting – I will leave you to judge!

That evening we all went out to one of Malcolm's haunts for a celebratory dinner and a few drinks, including a visit to the Skyline bar – a must see in Riga as the highest bar in the city. Come Monday morning we had some time to visit some sights in Riga we didn't manage before including the Occupation museum, which I would highly recommend if you visit Riga. The flight back on the much maligned Ryanair was good again, despite a delay and we got back into Bristol by early evening.

I was happy I had completed my quest but had already started to think about other challenges post-recovery. My daughter wants to cycle from John O'Groats to Land's End next year for Dementia UK as well, which will most likely take place sometime in 2011. As I am 50 next year, I am looking at the 50 mile Challenge in Kent in July, just after my birthday. I have got in the London Marathon ballot next April and I thought I would try a triathlon at some point in 2011 if I can fit it in! So there is still plenty I want to achieve and would like to thank everyone who sponsored me for this marathon and all the others I have tackled over the years.

John Francksen or,
Frankfurt, Riga, Amsterdam, New York, Cardiff, Kent Coastal, Snowdonia, Edinburgh, Neolithic.

Unfortunately the games club help in the Village Hall on Sunday afternoons has been wound up, due to the small number of people attending.

28

Charfield Memorial Hall Regular Events (SL = Sportsmans Lounge)

Diary Dates

CUT OUT THIS PAGE AND PIN IT TO YOUR NOTICEBOARD

29

Advertising

CHADRA would like to wish all our advertisers a very Happy New Year

[Advert for Barbara Daw]

[Advert for New Street Garage]

[Advert for St John's Jumble Sale]

[Advert for Relax-ology]

30[Advert for Greenline Tanks]

[Advert for Falcon Cottage B&B]

[Advert for Charfield Post Office]

[Advert for Eclipse Hair Studio]

[Advert for Bradley Garage]

[Advert for Alan Hamer driving]

31[Advert for Add Plant]

[Advert for Kopperz]

[Advert for Ashworthy Cattery]

[Advert for D.R. Vizard]

[Advert for Elcombe Firewood]

[Advert for Elite Financial]

32[Advert for Cotswold Edge Carpets]

[Advert for At Home Curtains & Blinds]

[Advert for Evergreen Computing]

33[Advert for Charfield memorial Hall]

[Advert for Plumbtec]

[Advert for Deborah Jayne Pringle]

[Advert for Oak Tree Nursery]

34[Advert for Acucare]

[Advert for RK Aerials]

[Advert for PC Repairs & Maintenance]

[Advert for Manor Garden Maintenance]

[Advert for Tree Care]

35[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 T.W. Services]

36

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

British Legion
David Millman (Hon Sec) 01454 26xxxx

Charfield Pre-School
Debra Davidson (Play Leader) 07866 04xxxx
Katherine Edwards (Chair) 01454 26xxxx
Debbie Hodge (Admissions) 0774947xxxx

Charfield Primary School
Dafydd Lawday 01454 26xxxx

Childminders
Elaine Godfrey 01454 26xxxx

Church – Congregational
Nicky Lanyi 01454 26xxxx

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

Council – Charfield Parish
Hannah C Saunders (Clerk) 01454 29xxxx
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 www.charfield.org
(Chair) David Small