CHADRA

Proposed new housing development by the Congregational Church is meeting with some opposition. See inside article by the Church Trustees as they try to answer some of your questions.

[Photo: Photograph of Kings Hall in its present state. The Valuation Office has declared the building unfit for habitation.]

Charfield Jnr Football Club is going from strength to strength with double the teams taking part next season. None of that would be possible though without the team managers, volunteers on the Committee and the parents for getting the kids to training and matches. So thank you to one and all.

With the new roundabout complete, does this mean the end of the humour from our mysterious artist? You have given many of us a good laugh with your signs and ‘art installations’. Can we look forward to any more of your work? Get in touch we would love to know who you are.

A committee has been formed to take on the work of developing the ‘Charfield Village Plan’ see their 2-page article inside.

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Next Copy Date – 6 October 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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It is pleasing that some residents have recently shown concern for Kings Hall; the only previous known occasion was in 2007, just after the new Managing Trustees were appointed, but the person lost interest as soon as they saw the interior of the property, due to the very high cost of refurbishment. The Hall hasn't been used since 2002 and, according to the survey report commissioned by the new Managing Trustees, it would take a great deal of money to renovate it to modern, legal requirements. Some of the matters needing attention are curing the damp, repairing the roof, replacing the rotting floors, rewiring, replacing the plumbing and, according to the Structural Engineer and the Chartered Surveyor who examined the building, strengthening the walls where the wall ties have rusted (some of the walls have bowed); also a recent drain survey has shown that the main sewer outlet is completely blocked by tree roots. Due to its condition, the Valuation Office has removed the building from its schedule for the payment of Council Tax and this has been backdated to the date when the new Managing Trustees were appointed, reinforcing the fact that the building was, even then, unfit for habitation.

This story began in 2002 when there were problems with the Church's roof; why nothing was done at the time is not known, but the Members of the Church were precluded by law in taking action without the then Trustees permission, which was with-held. This situation became much worse over the years to such an extent that the whole roof, including the joists, had to be replaced in 2009. To achieve this, the new Managing Trustees had to raise £28,000, an impossible task for them at ordinary commercial rates of interest, but the cash was eventually obtained through the generosity of the Unaffiliated Congregational Churches Charity who arranged a loan on far more favourable terms than could have been obtained elsewhere.

The Charity Commission (based in Liverpool) and to whom the Members originally complained in 2002, eventually sent representatives who held separate meetings with both the Church's Members and the Trustees (as there was still no communication between the two groups) on 17th October 2006. The eventual outcome being the resignation of the Trustees and the appointment of new Trustees who took up their duties on 2nd March, 2007. After their appointment, the Trustees considered that the priority was to get the main Sanctuary of the Church watertight to prevent further damage and secondly to preserve the Church for future generations. (The Charity Commission has stated that this must now be regarded as the priority of the Trustees.) To this end, the Trustees had a protracted correspondence with the Charity Commission, firstly, at their suggestion, to amalgamate the previously existing five charities into one (which has now been done) and then to develop a strategy to ensure that the object of the Charity (as stated above) could be achieved: These, and other legal issues, were eventually resolved in April this year. As matters stood, unless some severe action was taken, both the Church and Kings Hall would become ruins!

Apart from the Church itself, the main assets are a one acre field to the rear of the Church, and Kings Hall; all of the land was firstly gifted and leased by the then Earl of Ducie, and later purchased and gifted to the Church by Augustus King: It was an outright gift directly to the Church and has never been (as has been 4suggested) “Land left for the children of Charfield”. Augustus King also provided the funding for the “erection and furnishing of a hall for a reading room, and temperance and other meetings at the Trustees discretion”. As mentioned, Kings Hall is in a sorry state and the possible accommodation for meetings is much less than that which is available in the Church. If Kings Hall itself was sold, it is unlikely that it would provide sufficient funds to renovate the Church, and the problems would then be how to get funds to maintain the Church and what to do with the field. It was decided to try and find a developer who would be prepared to sympathetically develop the field but that would mean the demolition of Kings Hall to gain an exit to Wotton Road. Although some objectors to the demolition have cited that Kings Hall is build from brick produced by the Charfield Brick Company, one ex-employee has said that this is definitely not so, however further investigation is being carried out through the British Brick Society to establish the facts.

A potential developer has, at long last, been found. In addition to refurbishing the Church, its future would be assured by the developer donating two semi-detached houses to the Church (these would be held in permanent endowment) in order to rent out. On 26th April 2011, an open discussion evening was held, by the potential developer, for neighbours and local residents, and many people attended. In spite of the efforts to reach a compromise, as far as the design of houses are concerned and their positioning within the boundary of the field, the Trustees appear to have awoken a great interest in Kings Hall. So far, after many years of complacency, suddenly Tree Preservation orders have been place on four trees within the curtilage of the Church's property, and notices have appeared around the village saying “Save the Kings Hall from Demolition” and asking for emailed comments. Many of the older residents of Charfield were christened or married in the Church, and some have relatives buried in the grounds. All of the Members of the Church have done their best to ascertain the facts, analyse the inherited situation, seek expert advice and find a practical solution to the problem of how to save the Church, the older of the two buildings: Development of the field would guarantee the future of the Church for generations to come. It would also provide:

1. A fully refurbish Church and three community meeting rooms of different sizes (for a youth club, mothers and toddlers group, mothers' union for example), as well as being available for more formal meetings.
2. A dilapidated and unusable building (which is becoming unsightly) being removed.
3. Attractive new curtilage walling, landscaping and parking areas
4. Vehicular access for the 3 cottages in the rear field.
5. A well considered residential scheme that will help both the Parish Council and South Gloucestershire Council meet the new housing needs of the area.
6. Two of the houses being retained, freehold and in permanent endowment, by the Church, providing, by way of rental, an inflation-proof income, sufficient for both the upkeep of the Church and the support of local charities.

Most of the facts have been outlined above but further information can be obtained from any Member of the Church. It is sad to think of all of the development that has already changed the face of Charfield since the gift of the Church, together with the organ (which still plays) was given by Augustus King in the 1840s, but, with a growing population, this is inevitable; this proposed action appears 5the only viable way of saving the Church. Although all Members have worked hard to find a way of enhancing and preserving the Church, it has been said all along that the matter is in God's hands – if He wants it to happen then it will, and if He doesn't, then it won't!

• Charfield Congregational Church Charity is a Trust; the Charity Commission has yet to allocate a trust number, as the Trust's annual income is considerably less than the £5,000 required.

Re;- Woodstock Homes planning application in Charfield.

I am disgusted to here that the above are thinking of knocking down the Kings Hall, [my old home] My Mother was dedicated to the Chapel, and as such did the cleaning, prepared the paraphernalia for Holy Communion, e.g., cutting the bread into tiny squares, buying the communion wine, polishing the silver plates and goblets, also the large silver jug that held the wine.

We all helped, during the winter months to keep the large boiler, in what we called the stoke hole, burning well, and also made sure the water level in the tank was never allowed to go down too far, therefore making sure the Chapel was warm even in the coldest weather; this was a labour of love which was expected of those who were lucky enough to call the Kings Hall home.

In the field, where the above, Woodstock Homes, are seeking to build yet more houses, children from Horseford Cottages, the Wye, [Now May Grove] Railway view, and all the many surrounding cottages, now all demolished, used this field as a play area, especially around an old quarry [not to be confused with the Horseford Road quarry] where very large dock plants grew in great numbers, wonderful for playing hide and seek.

In the winter, when the water was frozen, much fun was had, as well as bruises obtained, when attempting to slide from one side to the other without crashing over, now of course what is left of the old quarry is just a dent in the field

To get back to the question everyone wants answered, is this, if as we are told, this building, where my Mother and friends ran a successful café, known as the Kings Hall Café, has fallen into disrepair, who allowed it to do so?

In my opinion, whoever allowed this to happen to part of our village's heritage, where Wedding receptions, concerts, youth club, and even the local Stroud Holloway Friendly society had their meetings, should be made to pay the bill for its repairs,

“NOT ALLOW IT TO BE KNOCKED DOWN”

Ken Parker.

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We would like to draw your attention to the proposed development by Charfield Congregational Chapel, by presenting these two statements from local residents:

I hope that most of the CHADRA readers have seen the posters, which have been posted throughout the village for the last few weeks. Their aim is to highlight a development, which is currently at the planning application stage with South Glos. Council.

In order for the development of 16 dwellings to proceed, the King's Hall must be demolished, to facilitate access, the properties will then be built on the land behind the Chapel. There is very strong opposition to this development in the area around the site, due to the removal of a historic building and the proposed building of these properties on the original Charfield Green.

The King's Hall was, in its heyday, the village hall and as such was a meeting place for local societies and clubs, film showings, concerts, as well as receptions for the weddings that were held in the Chapel. It was also home to our own Ken Parker, whose Mother ran a cafe there, which was always well attended.

The planning application contravenes various council and government policies, housing, design and layout and conservation, to name but a few and pays little respect to its setting. Yes, the Oak trees have been retained, but at what price? To have their canopies raised by 5m, just to let more light into the new properties? What about the existing properties that will lose their light by being dwarfed by the sheer size and proximity of the proposed buildings. The wildlife will vacate its peaceful habitat once building works commence, possibly never to return and this will be a major loss, as a single Oak can be home to up to 300 different species of insects and invertebrates, not to mention the birds, owls and bats, that call this area their home.

Then we have the problem with the burial ground … Part of the land which will become the back gardens of the ‘Church houses’, is currently an unused section of the designated burial ground, which was extended in 1997 (plans still available to view on SGC website). There are also the concerns over privacy. This burial ground is a wonderful area of peaceful tranquillity, set away from the main road, where family and friends can pay their respects to their loved ones. The solitude of this location will be forever lost due to the 6 new properties which directly overlook the burial ground, affording no privacy whatsoever and on the other side there will be the new carpark.

I do have to acknowledge the Trustees dedication to their cause, that of the restoration of their ‘Place of Worship’, but do have grave concerns about their actions. There have been comments made that our concern for the King's Hall are ‘too little too late’, and I am amazed that anyone can say this. This is also not a case of ‘not in my back yard’ more ‘not on Charfield Village Green.’ There have been requests from various local people to rent or buy the King's Hall, there have also been requests to buy small pieces of the land which border neighbouring properties, all of which have been shunned by the Trustees.

I am very empathetic with your problems, having been involved with a ‘restoration project’ myself for the last ten years, and I am more than aware of how daunting a task it can be. However, myself and many other local residents are upset about the 7plans and the way that the Trustees have acted. If asked, I would have come forward to give some of my spare time to help in a restoration project and I would hope that many other residents, concerned with the saving of these historic buildings, would also have come forward.

It is never too late to take the alternative path, which maybe God has also provided.

A concerned Charfield Green Resident

Well, what do you think of it? I mean, of course, the finally completed roundabout at the top of the hill at Tafarn Bach. I can't help expecting all the metalwork on top to start pumping up and down as, with a flourish of chords and a blast of steam, the Wurlitzer rises up out of the middle … ahem, perhaps that's just me. I'm hugely relieved that the interminable traffic delays of the last six months are now over, although I may miss the comic sideshows from Dougal and the rest of the team. I wonder if there's any energy within the community to improve the verges with some sensible planting – assuming errant lorries don't simply drive over them? It has to be said though, my earlier fears about permanent traffic hold-ups appear to be unfounded. Indeed, traffic does appear to be flowing well, and I'm very happy to be proven wrong in this matter.

The roundabout was built to mitigate an increase in traffic caused by the expansion of works at Wickwar Quarry, which will in future be about as close to Charfield as it is to Wickwar. Liaison continues between the quarry operator, Cemex, and the local parish councils, and any issues may be brought to the attention of the Clerk for discussion at the regularly held meetings or raised there personally. The next one is on 28th September in Wickwar.

As I write this we still have a vacancy on the Parish Council, but by the time these words hit print the vacancy may be filled. If so, welcome to our newest Councillor! And something else new – Charfield has a Steering Committee who will shortly begin work on the Charfield Parish Plan, facilitated by a grant from South Gloucestershire Council. This Plan will be essential for the future of our village and the environment around it. Other villages are either on the way or have already produced their own plans, and all these will form required reading for the Local Authority as they formulate their own plans. Whether Charfield remains the size it is or becomes larger, whether public transport provision is improved or not, how our open spaces are developed etc, all these things will be covered by the Parish Plan. I know there will be other articles in this and future CHADRA's regarding this work, so I'll say no more for now. But do get involved, directly or simply by returning the questionnaire that will (in good time) pop through your door.

One subject potentially up for discussion in the Plan is speeding motorists … We've had a number of comments and complaints about the speed of vehicles in the residential parts of Charfield – Manor Lane specifically but other areas too. It's not clear if these motorists are in fact exceeding thirty miles per hour or if they are under the limit but driving recklessly, so we'll be monitoring the situation over the next few months. Personally, I feel thirty is far too fast in our winding, heavily parked roads, especially given the number of children who play or walk there, but at the moment thirty is the limit. It is a limit though, not a requirement. We'd be interested in your comments, 8and I'd offer you this web site for some interesting reading – http://www.####.org.uk/

Development of any size is always difficult, and the two applications for multiple dwellings – on the corner of Little Bristol Lane, and behind the Congregationalist Church – are provoking much debate. I'd note that the best way to make your feelings known, either pro- or anti-, is by commenting on the online South Gloucestershire planning web site. We're happy to discuss these matters with you of course, but our own comments are on record and as such we now await … developments.

Some upcoming maintenance. You may have noticed some changes in the play area – Councillors and other excellent folk have been touching up the paintwork and carrying out minor works. We are nearly at the contract stage for the erection of a gate between the play area and the car park, and this may happen during the life of this CHADRA issue. And with the upcoming 90th anniversary of the Royal British Legion, we are carrying out some necessary maintenance of the War Memorial prior to Remembrance Day this year. The Parish Council has been asked to take on the coordination of the parade and the road closure etc, and is happy to do so from this year forward while of course the service itself and the bacon butties remain with those already doing such a fine job.

Now is a great time for walking in and around Charfield. The sun is (mostly) out and the wheat is growing in the fields, if not as tall as when I was a boy. Barbara Adams and Steve Hake, as our volunteer footpath wardens, have been doing sterling work keeping an eye on the condition of our Public Rights of Way, so get out and enjoy! If you come across any problems with stiles, overgrowth or access restrictions do get in touch with them or with the Clerk. All the details are on the web site. And if you walk up over Churchend, don't forget to take a look at the burial ground site, which is now going through the final settling in stage as we work toward next year's opening.

Have a great summer, folks!
Mark Rosher – Chairman
Charfield Parish Council.

Hello Charfield! After our last performance ‘Cinderella’, which was over 50 years ago!!!! The Charfield Amateur Dramatic Society (a.k.a. C.A.D.S) is back!

We are always looking for new members to add to the forever growing madness, and with the success of ‘Meet the Village’, our small society is slowly growing but we need your help! Our dramatic society is for ages 11 and over or if you don't fancy being a member, why not become a patron like The Plough Inn, New Street Garage, The Pear Tree and Wyman & Dylan! You can also support the arts by attending our up and coming fundraisers and workshops, these will include pub quizzes, theme nights and much more!

Even though we've only just started, we already have a play under way! Our up coming play is called ‘You Know What?!’ and here's a little taste of what's to come …

You Know What is set in a quiet house in the countryside, where the mischievous workings of Mrs. Winthrop are sure to be interrupted by an unexpected visit from the chief constable and his sister? Will Mrs. Winthrop secret be revealed or do her new quests have a secret of their own?

9Liked our taster? Why not find out all the secrets when You Know What?! Is performed on 15th and 16th JULY 2011!!!

AND REMEMBER! Watch around Charfield and your post-box for up and coming events and hope to see you soon!!

Toodle Pip … For Now!
By Megan Bird, Hannah Blackie And Samantha Pullen

It seems little stays quiet at the hall for very long! The AGM was held in May and we virtually have a whole new team of officers, with myself back at the helm as Chair, after an 18 month “holiday”. The full new team is as follows;

Tim Hill – Chair
Jo Davis – Vice Chair
Tracy Franksen – Secretary
Wes Price – Treasurer
Liam Balloch – Booking Secretary

I would like to thank them all for taking on these important roles and also to thank all those who have also joined the management committee as trustees. The hall simply does not function without the hard work of these people. On that note I would like to use this forum to once again thank the officers – David Small, Colin Wadsworth and Gail Kemp – who stood down at the AGM for a variety of reasons. Their hard work and dedication is much appreciated. I would especially like to thank Deb Field, who has stepped down after about 3 years as Vice Chair, but who has stayed on the committee to provide some continuity and also to coordinate our grant applications. This work is more important than ever at the moment as the hall urgently requires money to complete some legally required, and expensive, electrical and plumbing works. We still also have plans to finally upgrade the lights in the main hall. Another objective we have is to re-roof some, or even all, of the hall. This will both stop the many leaks which we are regularly having to deal with and will also provide us with a platform for solar panels – both to generate all the electricity we need and also to sell some back to the grid for much needed additional revenue.

We have a number of events planned in the near future – both to raise revenue and also awareness about the hall, so please look out for details of these around the village. We plan a Curry Night in August when you can look around the hall, meet the committee, have some refreshments and hear about our plans for the hall in more detail. To help raise funds, we plan both a Quiz Night and a Le Roc dance evening in the Autumn.

Finally, please remember that YOUR village hall is always under threat for all manner of reasons – some direct, others less so. Please continue to do what you can to support your villages one true community facility. Thank you.

Tim Hill
Chair

Hello all walkers out there. Have you explored the range of interesting footpaths around the village? Whether you're walking the dog or just enjoying the wonderful views they are yours to appreciate. An Ordnance Survey map has the footpaths clearly marked and most footpaths are sign posted where they leave a metalled road. The footpath wardens are busy working with the Parish Council to keep your footpaths clear and well marked. Observing the countryside code will establish a good relationship 10with the landowners whose land they cross.

This year we have cleared the vegetation around eight stiles to allow better access. There are a few paths that have wobbly stiles and where the route is not so clear but we are working on it. If you are concerned about a right of way whether it be a stile obstruction or whether the farmer has not rolled the path back in through the growing crop, let us know. If you regularly walk a path and you would like to monitor its condition we'd be pleased to hear from you.

Footpath Wardens, Steve Hake (26xxxx) and Barbara Adams

Thanks, Steve Hake

The 200 Club is a monthly lottery in aid of Charfield Village Hall. For £12 per year (that's only £1 per month!) you get the chance to win 1 of several cash prizes (from £10–£25) every month, with a bonus prize of £50 every few months, while also contributing to the upkeep of the village hall. We really need every penny we can get at the moment as the cost of maintaining this old building is increasing and there is lots of work required to keep it safe and legal.

For your chance to win while helping boost the coffers of your local community facility, please contact John Russell on 0771155xxxx or me, Deb Field, on 01454 26xxxx – the cost for the remainder of the year will be a bargain £8.

2011 winners last month.

June Mr Young (176), Mr J Beans (159), Mr D Wilson (267), Mr A Baird (264), Mr Herbert (105).

As everybody in Wickwar and Charfield will now be aware, the roundabout at the Tafarn Bach junction is now complete and open. It was handed over to South Gloucestershire on June 21st but CEMEX, as the contractors, will remain responsible for maintenance until June 2012. CEMEX financed and implemented this scheme as part of the legal agreement associated with the planning permission for the quarry extension. The scheme was designed by CEMEX consultants and approved by South Gloucestershire Council.

The project was completed on schedule and the road closures were kept to only two occasions, although three had been scheduled. Although initially, the traffic lights and the sequencing of work did cause some frustration and complaint, these were necessary elements of the project and the instigation of a weekly briefing to the Parish Councils kept everybody up-to-date on what was happening and why.

Work has begun in the extension area to the quarry and this has involved clearing the topsoil, creating bunds and some initial blasting. The bunds around the perimeter will be in place to screen operations whilst the upper levels of the extension are being substantially developed. However, the bund in the middle of the site will be removed at an earlier stage, as work on the site expands.

The Quarry Liaison Group last met on May 27th and is due to hold its next meeting on September 28th in Wickwar Town Hall. This group consists of South 11Gloucestershire councillors and officers, parish councillors from Wickwar, Charfield and Tortworth, residents and representatives from CEMEX.

CEMEX is establishing an internet ‘microsite’ to cover some of its operations in the UK and this includes Wickwar Quarry. It will contain information on the activities at the site as well as minutes of Liaison Group meetings and will have the facility for residents to make comments or raise issues. It can be found at www.cemexcommunities.co.uk

Ian Southcott – CEMEX.
xxxx @ cemex.com

As another busy year at Pre-School comes to an end, we prepare to say goodbye to our Leavers as they take the next big step up to primary school in September. Our Rising 5 sessions (Monday afternoons) have been focussed around fun activities that help them prepare for school life, including a number of visits over to Charfield School itself. Our PE lessons (complete with PE kits!) are very noisy and slightly chaotic, but always enjoyed by everyone!

In June our Rising 5's enjoyed a day trip to St. Augustine's Farm. They all behaved brilliantly, and had a wonderful time feeding all the animals! We will be holding a special leaving party for them on 18th July (to include a BBQ and entertainer) and we are currently selling commemorative tea towels, printed with their hand-prints, as a lasting memory of their time with us. We wish them all the best in their new schools.

Our newly refurbished garden has been an absolute hit during these warmer months, and came into its own for our Royal Wedding Garden Party in April. We've also enjoyed some fantastic general activities, including Grandparents' Week, our end of term trip to Avon Valley Country Park, and an impromptu visit to the school to watch their Sports Day. Our children were really excited to be invited to run in their own race!

As ever, both our Staff and our Committee have been hard at work in their continued efforts to raise funds for new equipment. This term, we have collected Rag Bags, CD's and DVD's, and Tesco and Sainsbury's Vouchers. We've sold printed labels for school-wear, run book clubs, done a treasure hunt, and all our customers enjoyed our stall at the School Fair, which included a marble game and Hook-A-Duck. Thanks to all these efforts, we have been able to purchase a water tray, Aquaplay, a cement mixer, a petrol station and a new farm, which all the children are really enjoying.

Please remember that Pre-School is a charity, and is operated by a voluntary committee. We would like to thank everyone on our out-going Committee for all their hard work in fundraising over the past year – we are extremely grateful to everyone who has given their time and support.

Of course we will be looking for a new Committee to support the next academic year, so if you would like to get involved then please DON'T BE SHY! Our AGM is on Wednesday 14th September at 8:00pm in the Foundation Room, and we would love to see ANYONE that can spare us a little bit of time, or any of their skills, to support us and keep our lovely Pre-School going. We do need a Secretary but of course you don't have to take on an officer's role, or commit to loads of time or resource. You don't even 12have to have links with the Pre-School – ANY help that you can give us by way of helping out on the odd fundraiser, putting flyers through letterboxes, or even splashing a bit of paint around on a Saturday morning, would be very gratefully received. Please get in touch … our contact details are on the back of CHADRA!

Equally as important, is that we have now opened our Waiting List for admissions in September 2012. We have spaces for 20 children in each session and places are already filling up quickly. If your child is 2½–3 during the school year 2012–2013, and you are interested in them attending Pre-School, then you will need to now get in touch and register your application – please don't leave it too late, or you may be disappointed.

Finally, we would like to extend a very warm welcome to all our new starters, and their parents and carers, from September 2011 – we're sure their time with us will be a happy one. Not only do we have some great activities planned for next year, but we will be focussing on improving the décor and standard of the Foundation Room, to make it an even better learning environment for your children.

We hope you have a really good summer!

Katherine Edwards
Chairperson

Did you attend the ‘Meet The Village’ event organised by CHADRA in April?

The village hall was packed with organisation and club representatives ready and willing to give help and advise, to members of the public about their group.

In total 28 organisations attended the day, so the hall was full even before the public arrived. Many of the organisations took the opportunity to network with each other and exchanged useful information. Many organisations did manage to sign up new members, or even recruit some volunteers, so the day was a success.

Those attending were treated to Salsa dance demonstrations, and the pantomime dames were a sight to behold.

People who attended were entered into the raffle, the top prize of a Sunday lunch for two, (kindly donated by Martin Redmond of The Railway Tavern), was won by one of the Police Constables who attended.

Much tea was drunk, many cakes and biscuits were eaten, and the hall was full of chatter.

Well done to all who attended both as visitors and club representatives.

Charfield Amateur Dramatics society or (CADS) attended the Meet The Village event and had a smashing time, meeting not only the other groups that we are lucky enough to have in our small village, but the villagers themselves!

Steph and me dressed up in pink and blue pantomime dame costumes, complete with wigs and posed for the cameras! We also signed up a few fresh faces for our next production in October!!!

I'm sure a lot of hard work and planning went in to organising the event, but it was well worth it, we had a great time and 13would definitely support another in the future!

Steve Picking

Hello folks, how's things? I must start by saying I had a great time at the Meet the Village afternoon in April, arranged by Isabel and Julia of the CHADRA Committee. I caught up with a lot of chums, had a cuppa and jiggle about to the Salsa music.

I've just got in because I've been doing my stint for the RNLI. This is another fab way of catching up, knocking on doors and having a chat shaking my cardboard lifeboat. Last year I got back home and Keith asked if I had finished. I'd been out for about 4 hours. “No,” I replied, “I've only done 3 houses.”

We'd, or shall I say I'd, mislaid one of our house phones. We've got three with stands. You know what I mean. One by the bed and two downstairs. It's great having moved on from them being attached to those curly wires anyway, I'll proceed. I asked Keith if he'd seen the missing one and we tried to call it. No response. The next day Keith found it. It was in the toaster. Toasted!!! I now how it had happened. I must have finished talking to either Soph or my Mum and just rested it on top of the toaster in the kitchen. It had obviously slid in. Keith tried to do two bits of bread, wondered why the grid things wouldn't close and found it. All crinkled up. The laugh was, the day before he managed to do two HOT CROSS BUNS!!

Well what did you think of Wills and Kate's wedding? I switched on the tele at 8.30 and there were guests queuing to get into the Abbey and there I stayed, on the sofa. Didn't even get out of my nightie. I thought it was fantastic and one of the most wonderful things was when the Bishop of London spoke to them after they were married. He mentioned Catherine of Sienna. So I looked for info on her. She was born in 1347, an Italian Saint who wrote mystical letters and prayers. The Bishop quoted her words saying, “Be who God wants you to be and you will set the world on fire.” Wow, how fab is that?

On that note, I'll sign off, wishing you all good things. A big hug to Viv the Vicar who is feeling off the boil at the moment.

Love and best wishes, Maz xxx

House-to House Collection & Open Garden
At the time of writing this, we are in the middle of our annual house-to-house collection and looking ahead to our Open Garden at Ozleworth Park on Sunday 17th July. By the time that you read this, I 14expect both these fund-raisers will be over – I hope both will be successful.

Guest Speaker Talk – November
Following the success of our Guest speaker evenings at the Cotswold Edge Golf Club in 2009 and 2010, we have arranged another – this time in November.
The speaker will be Miranda Krestovnikoff (from the BBC's Coast series and other programmes).

As before, the talk will be at the Cotswold Edge Golf Club; the date is Thursday 17th November and tickets will be £10.

Tickets are not yet available, but if anyone wants to register an interest and be contacted when they are – please contact me.

Illustrated Talks on the RNLI and Safety at the Seaside

I continue to give illustrated talks to both youth and adult groups. Recent talks to youth groups have included Brownies in Kingswood and Clifton. One of the young Brownies is clearly destined to be a diplomat; in response to my asking why I could not be a crew-member, she replied “You are not young enough”. Usually I am just told “You're too old!”

We do not charge for talks – but a donation is never refused and offers to hold a fund-raising event (for which we can provide support) are very welcome!

If anyone is interested in a talk or simply wants to know more about the RNLI or the activities of the local branch – please contact me. If the talk is for a youth group or school, you may wish to go through the RNLI Regional Office in Saltash (E-mail: xxxx @ rnli.org.uk; Tel: 01752 85xxxx).

John Barnett – 01453 84xxxx (Charfield)

The young people who attend Charfield Youth Group have recently finished four graffiti boards, which have been put up in the hexagonal shelter adjacent to the playing field.

The boards were designed by the young people in the village, in memory of their friend Chris Pegler. Chris sadly died very suddenly last year from meningitis.

[Photos]

The young people are also working with the Parish Council to repaint the shelter as part of the revamp of the play area.

A warm welcome awaits you at Charfield Congregational Church.

We hold a Prayer Meeting and Bible Study fortnightly on Monday evenings from 8pm. We also hold coffee mornings 15every last Saturday of the month, 10 till 12 noon, all are welcome.

The Children's Christmas Shoe Box Appeal is still an ongoing event. If anyone would like to donate small items such as toiletries, small cuddly toys, woolly hats, gloves and scarves etc, please feel free to come along and drop them in. Empty shoe boxes most welcome!

We still have a few lovely pine pews left for sale; to help with our restoration costs. Please get in touch if you are interested.

Services are held 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. On the last Sunday in every month we hold our Communion service.

Our speakers for the coming months are:

JULY 17th Rev Jill Stephens, 24th David Sheldon, 31st Terry and Evelyn Gillard

AUGUST 7th Brian Smith, 14th Brian Cresswell, 21st Nick Whittard, 28th John Steeds

SEPTEMBER 4th Sam Gee, 11th John Mapstone, 18th Sissi Hemming, 25th Ray Avent

OCTOBER 2nd Alan and Linda Jenner (Harvest Service, 9th Jason Cave, 16th Pam Dix, 23rd Terry and Evelyn Gillard, 30th Adrian Wyatt

We look forward to seeing you sometime. For more information on any of our services or about our fundraising events, please contact April on 01453 84xxxx and if unavailable, please leave a message. Alternatively, you can email on xxxx @ hotmail.co.uk

Hello again from the Villages Junior Football Club. After an exciting first season for the then U9s and with the U14s having their best season to date we ended last year on a relative high. For the coming season starting in September we have four teams playing in 3 different leagues.

Both the U9s and U14s move up a year with the now U10s playing in the Mid Glos Mini Soccer League and the U15s in the Stroud and Dursley Youth League. We also have a new U9 team in the same league as the U10s whilst the new U8s join the Cotswold Youth League. An exciting time for the youth of the Village but certainly a challenge for me to ensure we get all the players registered with the right league by the right date!

It is great though to see the Club going from strength to strength with double the teams next season. None of that would be possible though without the team managers, volunteers on the Committee and the parents for getting the kids to training and matches. So thank you to one and all.

Also coming under the heading of a challenge and exciting was holding our first tournament and Fun Day in June in which we had 8 under 9 aged teams take part. The exciting part was seeing the new gazebo get blown over! A few more pegs kept it firmly attached to the ground before the first team arrived though. The Charfield U9 league team won the final as well which also blew the parents away!

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. Likewise if your son or daughters would like to play 16football or just come along for the training evenings please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Thank You.
Nigel Cloke Club Secretary/Under 15s Manager

[Graphic]

This year Remembrance Sunday is 13th November … it may seem a long way off (only July and kids haven't even finished school) but the Parish Council have been holding discussions with various groups in the Village regarding the programme for the day. This is following their Annual Parish Meeting in May when the issue of the ‘Parade’ and ‘Responsibility’ was mentioned by CHADRA committee members on behalf of ‘Villagers’ and ‘Organisations’.

It has been agreed by the Parish Council that as it is an important event, and sadly there is no RBL branch to co-ordinate, they will take on this duty … working closely with other organisations and ensuring the day goes smoothly.

At a recent meeting – whilst discussing the ‘Order of Parade’, ‘Protocol’ and ‘Etiquette’ it was felt appropriate that the Parish Council reach out to anyone from Charfield in the Services who will be in the Village on Remembrance Sunday and may like to Parade in Uniform.

Please contact me, Hannah Saunders – Parish Clerk for further information, if you have any queries or if you are in the Services and would like to be involved.

[Graphic: email] xxxx @ charfieldparishcouncil.org.uk OR [Graphic: Phone] (01454) 29xxxx.

Over the summer holidays you will see some work being undertaken at the War Memorial. The Parish Council have employed a local contractor to carry out some necessary repairs – whilst that is being done – the tablets with names on will be cleaned and names repainted.

Please look out for more information regarding the ‘Order of Parade / Service’ and all timings for the event – which will be published in the next edition of CHADRA (October 2011).

For those of you who don't know – Marion Smith is the ‘Poppy Appeal Organiser’ for Charfield and surrounding villages – a role she will have carried out for 30 years this autumn. This demonstrates amazing dedication and her knowledge has been a great help to me in pulling all information / contacts together.

Thank you … and remember to contact Marion for your Wreaths ASAP as I believe she needs to get the order in by the end of July.

While working on the Railway I bumped into some rather strange people, not strange as in weird, but people who did rather odd things, which I will tell you about.

17Almost every day containers had to be unloaded from the siding in the Old Timber yard. This siding ran parallel with the main line with just the narrow platform between them.

Because of the closeness of the two lines, before any lifting could begin, permission had to be obtained from the signalman in case anything went wrong that could affect the safe movement of trains on the main line.

One morning on entering the signal box, to find out if it was OK to offload a container, (as mentioned above,) I couldn't help but see that Harry, the signal man, was eating the most enormous cooking apple I had ever seen, it was probably 6 inches in diameter, I was so flabbergasted that I almost forgot to ask him if it was safe to unload a container; however, I did eventually ask, and Harry confirmed that we could go ahead. In no time at all, the container was loaded on to the lorry and off to its destination.

On my way back to the goods shed, I bumped into Don, my brother, and knowing that he knew Harry very well, being in the Signal and Telegraph Dept, I spoke to him about seeing Harry tucking into a giant cooking apple, to my amazement he said “Don't worry about it, he eats a cooking apple like that every day, and if he runs out of his home grown ones, he gets them from the shops“. I knew Harry grew apples in his garden, but I had no idea he ate them all. I know there are many older people living in Charfield who knew Harry, but I wonder if any of them knew of his passion for eating raw cooking apples, I certainly didn't.

Ken Parker.

Birth
Olivia Kate was born on 13 May 2011 to Roger and Sam Jones.

Olivia is sister to Jack and Rhys.

Happy 21st Birthday to our son Edd Cole, whose birthday was on 11 July – Mum and Dad.

We will never see the person who shakes us by the hand,
Though our eyes can see the smallest star,
And in a spiders web each strand.
We will never see this person and it's not because we are blind,
It's because their real identity is hidden in the mind.
Each one of us is really two, there is one we see and hear,
The other isn't seen or heard but it's the one we should most fear.
No one knows the secrets that are hidden and out of view,
No one knows the thoughts and schemes in the mind of me or you.

Ken Parker.

I always try and take inspiration for my work from everyday life and was a bit stuck this time as what to write for the CHADRA until a friend of mine posted a quote on my face book wall that I thought was fantastic.

18Concentrate on your character not your reputation, your character is who you are: your reputation is who people think you are!

So just who is your own personal character in the game of life? Well that's the problem. You probably wear all sorts of different masks for different roles you play in life. You may be a parent, daughter or son, partner or employee. Each of these roles requires you to fill certain obligations.

Then gradually over the months and over the years we all lose sight of who we really are and just what we could be doing with our lives if only time was our own again. This in turn can lead us to feel unfulfilled, disillusioned and lethargic.

If this sounds like your characters role try this simple exercise;

Find someplace quiet where you won't be disturbed and try and remember as much as you can about yourself when you were 21. What did you love to do? What did you love to spend time on? What did you want from life? Write down as much as you can!

Repeat the exercise again, only this time, try going back to your mid teens!

Now I know for some this might be going back a long way, but now try to remember how you felt as a child? What did you love doing in the endless summer holidays? What were your favourite games?

By now you should have a vague outline of similarities concerning your inner self. Now pick at least 2 new activities from the list that will allow you to express your inner self and make time to indulge in them over the coming weeks!

Reconnecting with what we used to love doing, reminds us of who we are and in turn gives us back life's energy, so our lives become richer and happier.

Steve Pickin Life/happiness coach and motivational speaker!
Telephone 07583 56xxxx Email xxxx @ googlemail.com

With just three weeks left before the end of the school year, the Out of School club is gearing up for a fun packed summer holiday, filled with interesting activities for the children to enjoy. The staff have all worked extremely hard planning the Summer Programme. Our theme is “Fantasy”, with the six weeks split into Monsters, Aliens and Space, Witches and Wizards, Mermaids and the Sea, Fairy folk, and Dragons and Knights. Activities include art and crafts, cooking, team games as well as competition time. Furthermore, there will also be visitors coming into the Club, to run sessions on photo craft and tennis. If your child is interested in attending any of these sessions or indeed if you have a craft activity you could offer as a session itself, please contact the club. Booking forms are now available for children but spaces are filling up fast, as we do take children from several surrounding schools. So book early to avoid disappointment! For the craft activities, we will need the following items – Pringle boxes, juice cartons, tissue boxes, 4 pint plastic milk bottles, seashells and kitchen roll holders – so if you have any of these items going spare and would like to donate them to the club, we would be very grateful. It certainly looks like it's going to be a busy summer!

Indeed, it has been an extremely busy time since the last CHADRA report in April. Both May Half Term and the Easter 19Holiday club were a resounding success. During May, the theme of the week was “Bugs” and over Easter, just like the rest of the country, the children celebrated the Royal wedding. Moreover, later in June, the Out of School Club celebrated its very own wedding when Jo Loveridge, one of our longest serving members of staff, married James Young at Tortworth Church. May we wish our very best wishes to the happy couple.

The Easter holidays also saw the Club represented at the “Meet the Village Day” on April 16th, when over 90 people came along to the Village Hall to sample the array of voluntary organisations and groups that we in Charfield are fortunate to have. The next day, the Out of School Club, jointly with the Memorial Hall committee, staged an Easter Fair. There was a range of activities from “hook the duck” and bouncy castle to a fancy dress competition, and the sun shone all day! The Fair managed to raise £652, which was split between the two organisations. Thank you to all who helped organise the fair and for those of you who came along to support us. Over Easter the staff also arranged an Easter Grand Draw, which raised a further £82 so our thanks to Pat and the staff for their contribution too.

Fundraising has continued to dominate the work of the Committee, and in May we organised a Jar stall and a Champagne raffle at the School May Fair. Our sweets in a jar stall soon sold out and made a profit of just over £100. Extra special thanks too, go to Martine Davis for organising the Champagne raffle that raised an extra £35. We are hoping to continue this fundraising effort during the summer, when we shall be running Tortworth Lake Teas on August 7th. As many of you will know, the lake opens on the first Sunday of the month, from February to October, for visitors to enjoy a walk amongst its beautiful surroundings. Local organisations then have the opportunity to provide visitors with refreshments and we have managed to secure that chance on August 7th. Please pop it on your calendars and we look forward to seeing you between 10 and 4 on the first Sunday in August, hopefully with the sun shining!

Likewise we are planning another Jumble sale in September, so if you are having a clear out in the summer holidays please bear this in mind. We will be putting posters and flyers out in the village as soon as the date is finalised.

However, despite this fundraising effort, balancing the books has continued to dominate out monthly meetings. We are extremely grateful to Wotton Accountancy Associates for their help with our year-end accounts, which they have done for a number of years. The financial situation for everyone is far from easy at the moment, and as a committee we are anxious to ensure that the club continues to provide a high quality, safe and cost effective service for the families of our Village, both before and after school, and during the holidays. Consequently in order to help us plan for the future, if you know of any new families who would like to use our service, both before or after school, or if you yourself would like to find out more, please contact us at the club. The club is open to children up to the age of 13, so even if your children are moving onto secondary school they are still welcome after school and in the holidays. We are particularly interested in families who would like to use our breakfast club. You can check us out by following the link form the school website: www.charfieldschool.org.uk

Similarly, 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 20would 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.

May we take this opportunity to wish everyone in the village a very happy and relaxing summer holiday, and say a huge thank you to everyone who continues to use the club, or who has supported us with our fundraising activities. Good luck to all our families with children, who are moving on to other schools, and we hope to see lots of new as well as some familiar faces, in the autumn. Finally a big thank you to the staff – Pat, Georgina, Jo, Anne and Paul – for continuing to make the club an outstanding facility for our village.

The Out of School Club Committee

[Graphic: Charfield School]

Working together …
Learning for life

STAFF NEWS
Sadly at the end of this term Mrs Peer will be retiring. Mrs Peer has been a teacher at Charfield for 33 years and has probably taught someone you know! All of us here will really miss Mrs Peer, she is a hard working and friendly person and she will be leaving some big shoes to fill.

Our classes and teachers for September will be:

Events at Charfield
We have held many events within the school since the last time I wrote to you. In no particular order they have included:

Sports Day –
We had another lovely day for the event! The children once again did us proud and showed great competitive spirit. The overall winners of the day was Kestrel

Dads Day –
The school was packed out with Dads for the day taking part in our America themed Dad's Day. At the end of the day the whole school and Dad performed a parade to the mums to show them what they had built. It was a great day. Thank you to all the Dads, Granddads and Carers who came in to work with us.

[Photo]

School Council Cake Sale –
The school council had planned to hold a cake sale to raise money for play equipment. However following the Japan Earthquake they decided to donate the money to the Red Cross who were working in Japan to reunite lost children with their families. I was very proud of the 21compassion that the children showed and their need to help out.

[Photo]

Super Hero Day – Following the cake sale the school councillors and some Year 5 boys helped to organise another event ‘Super Heroes for Japan’. Many of us came into school dressed as super heroes and donated money to do so.

May Fair – Again our Friends organised a fantastic May Fair! The school was packed with villagers and visitors playing games and buying products. Thank you to all who visited us on the day and thank you to our Friends for all their hard work.

[Photo]

Music Evening – Our annual music evening has also taken place. Our school's fantastic musicians (more than 30% of our school take music lessons!) played to parents and visitors.

Many of these events have photographs on our school website for people to view.

Do you have any junk???
We are currently looking to restock our Imaginarium Playpod (or pandemonium if you speak to Maz!). If you have any items that you think a child could use imaginatively and are safe we would love to have them. We have found that boxes, sheets, ropes, pipes, cable reels and tarpaulins really spark the children's imaginations so the more the merrier. Please contact the school office if you have anything you could donate

Many Thanks
Dafydd Lawday
Headteacher

[Graphic: Safer & Stronger Community Groups]

Do you care about your community?
Do you want to be heard and get things done?

Then why not come along to the next Safer Stronger Community Group (SSCG) meeting for your area? SSCG influence how services are delivered locally, establish longer-term plans to improve areas, help prevent future problems, and deal with current local issues.

There are 20 Safer Stronger Community Groups across South Gloucestershire for residents to attend and raise local issues that concern them. They can give their views on possible improvements to 22further strengthen their communities and keep these safe places to live and work.

The meetings are also attended by partner agencies, including South Gloucestershire Council, Avon and Somerset Police, Avon Fire and Rescue Service, NHS South Gloucestershire, Town and Parish Councils and other local organisations. These organisations work together on the issues raised and often involve the community in implementing solutions.

Some of the issues raised and tackled have included creating positive activities for young people, anti-social behaviour, school crossing concerns, speeding and parking. Community grants through the Safer Stronger Communities Initiative Fund have helped support initiatives raised at the meetings, such as Community Speedwatch groups, community garden work, youth engagement activities, park improvements, activities for older people, and equipment for walking buses to schools.

For details of the next meeting for the Charfield, Cromhall and Tortworth Group, please visit the groups e-page at http://####.southglos.gov.uk. Here, you will be able to view your group's annual report, minutes and agendas from past meetings, and find other useful information for your area. You can also become a member of the e-group which will ensure you receive the minutes and agendas directly via email. Alternatively, you can speak to a member of the Safer Stronger Communities Team on 01454 86xxxx, or email directly to xxxx @ southglos.gov.uk.

Next Meeting for the Charfield, Cromhall and Tortworth Group:
Thursday 1st September, 7.30pm
Charfield Village Hall, Wotton Road, Charfield, GL12 8SR

The Group has had a hectic spring, the Beavers spent a lovely warm sunny day at Woodhouse Park at their District Mad Hatter's Tea Party taking part in different activities including hat making and icing cakes which they ate at the end. The Scouts enjoyed a maintenance camp late April at Avening Green where they cleaned the cottage and its contents ready for all the sections to use and started to clear a new camping area behind the toilet block in which they plan to hold ‘bivvy’ camps (building shelters using natural sources).

All of the sections were invited at fairly short notice to a County run ‘Bear Hunt’ at Ashton Court on 7th May. This was short notice as it was the only time our Chief Scout, Bear Grylls, could visit us in the County, he arrived and departed by helicopter and took time out to speak to a number of the youngsters. We took over 100 young people, leaders and adult helpers on two coaches (one of which didn't want to start in the car park which was a bit scary) and although the day started out and ended with rain it turned into a lovely sunny day out with activities such as African drums, Bristol Zoo, water zorbs, crazy golf, inflatables etc ending with a picnic tea. A number of the older Cubs were invited to a sleepover at Avening Green immediately after, enjoying a takeaway pizza supper and an inside camp fire due to the rain. The Scouts managed to get the fireplace in the cottage in working order so we were warm and dry although a little smoky. The next day saw glorious sunshine and it got quite hot, so a bit of fire lighting and a walk down the river was in order. This camp was in preparation for the BIG camp of the year.

The Avon County 4 Seasons Jamboree took place over the May Bank holiday 23weekend. Three nights of camping, fun and activities were provided for over 2800 campers with approximately 1000 day visitors attending on the Saturday and Sunday. The weekend was formally opened by Wayne Bulpitt our UK Chief Commissioner and our own Akela who organised the event. The Friday evening seemed to be spent re-pegging tents due to the high winds. The young people in our ‘Polar’ Sub Camp (380 of them!) had a massive marquee (180′×40′) to create their polar bear and penguin themed costumes so they could accompany our decorated trailer on the Saturday night, we won the best costumes, you must see the video on You Tube! The weather on the Saturday was fine and sunny getting quite hot in the afternoon, all of the activities were in full swing when a Cub and Scout from our Group were selected to escort the Lord Mayor of Bristol and his wife along with other VIP's around the site, they did a wonderful job and impressed all of the dignitaries. On the evening the floats and costumed young people were assembled in the main activities field and the carnival games began, it was just a sea of colour! The next day continued within the same format but ended with Avon's Got Talent and a Halloween disco in the massive Main Marquee (180′×80′). Monday started off rainy, so we set the projector up in our Sub Camp marquee and those who didn't want to get wet or were too tired watched a couple of films. Our time to go home was at 6.00pm on the Monday evening, everyone was absolutely shattered, but the work still wasn't over, tents to go down, paper work collected, site to tidy up especially the litter this finished for Akela and I on the following Thursday evening. Would we go again – yes, would I let Akela organise it again – NO!

Oh I didn't mention the trees, this idea was developed during a trip up North to visit the parents, many of our planning happens on the M1. The original idea was a Christmas tree in every Sub Camp (ten in total) which could be planted at the end of the event, remember the 4 Seasons theme! However, Woodhouse Park weren't planning to plant any firs or spruces in the near future so one of our neighbouring Group's Cub Leader, Steve, using his landscaping contacts, managed to acquire through donations of trees and or money ten different trees, and there was £135 left over for the Jamboree pot! However again, each Sub Camp had selected a seasonal name and a colour for their Sub Camp t-shirts or kneckies, so Cotswold Edge was Polar and we choose white, Bath was Showers and they chose Burgundy etc. Steve managed to select trees which tied in with the colours, so we had a silver birch, Bath had a maple etc. He even managed to find a tree with different colours of bark and on the top and bottom of the leaves for the Explorers Sub Camp whose chosen colour was harlequin!

The trees are now planted in the Yeo field at Woodhouse Park and will be marked with a plaque commemorating the Jamboree. We hope the jamboree participants will visit the trees year after year perhaps and eventually with their own Beavers, Cubs and Scouts.

Back to the Group, we've emptied the loft and ‘underneath the floor’ of the main hall, you wouldn't believe what was stored down there, 14 doors, a set of metal scales, a 19th century bottle, 1970's stereo system, 2 coke cans from the ‘80s, golden wonder crisp packets at 3p each and a full sized bath (For sitting in baked beans or jelly of course!) plus far too much more. This clearance has had to be done so that we can get the woodworm treated. Now that we have been given permission by our landlords, Tortworth Estates, to improve the state of the cottage and land we are replacing the windows at the Avening Green property, so this is phase 24one, redistribution of toilet facilities for males and females will be phase two with the addition of a possible donation of a new industrial type kitchen in the offing during the summer. So stacks of work on the go and a bit of money to be spent as well – donations towards the work would be readily accepted at any time?

I'm afraid the same news as always regarding membership, we're still full, still have a huge waiting list which is increasing every week. There are Beaver and Cub places in Falfield to which a number of Charfield children are attending so if you don't mind travelling a further mile or so, let me know. We have lost Nigel (Biggles) our Assistant Cub Scout Leader on Thursdays due to a new job; he's working at PGL, the big activity centre company, that we visit every other year! So we do need another cub leader, can anyone help us please?

Which takes me on to the Village's ‘Getting to know you day’? Although Akela and I talked to many people, we didn't take on any volunteers during the afternoon, if any of you that we spoke to have had second thoughts about helping out with the group no matter how small the time available please contact us, we would be so grateful to hear from you.

Tomorrow Akela and I are going on a non-scouting holiday for a week with friends, then it's a couple of weeks of Scouting until the end of term (including a Cub Camp) and hopefully six weeks off to recharge our batteries.

We have a Scout Survival camp planned in September at Avening Green, notes are now going out for a Youth Hostel weekend near Symmonds Yat for the first week in October, an @Bristol day in November for the Cubs and the Santa Train and a party for the Beavers before Christmas.

Thank you leaders, helpers and parents for another fun packed year of Scouting!

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

Registered charity number 1029832

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Wednesday 14 September 2011 8.00pm
The Foundation Room (grounds of Charfield Primary School)

PLEASE DON'T BE SHY! Can you spare a little bit of time, share one of your skills, or just want to get involved with a friendly village organisation? You don't have to be a parent, or grandparent – we would love to see anyone that is interested in supporting us and our fundraising efforts within the village and local are.

Our pre school is a registered charity and managed by a voluntary committee. Without the committee the pre school can not exist. Please come along to our AGM, meet our core team, and offer whatever help you can!

For any information, or for a general chat about how you can help, contact Kath Edwards on:- Tel: 01454 26xxxx Email xxxx @ tesco.net

PS: We also need a Secretary for minute taking – less than 10 meetings a year

25

[Graphic: CHARFIELD WANTS YOU]

Village Plans are important – As part of the national government strategy, & promoted & supported by South Gloucestershire Council & Charfield Parish Council, an independent Steering Group has now been formed to facilitate the process of creating

The Charfield Village Plan

A document that expresses the wishes of the residents for the village, creating an action plan for a number of years to come …

Age 5–105 In coming weeks & months everyone can get involved & have their say on ideas or issues that are important. Look out for events, leaflets, etc & make sure you have your say.

• WHAT WILL BE HAPPENING? The process is expected to take around 18 months & is divided into phases as follows:-
• PHASE 1: Gives all Charfield residents opportunities to list their ideas & issues for the future of our village
• PHASE 2: Using a Survey – gather reactions to the ideas & issues raised in order to measure local feeling & priorities
• PHASE 3: From analysis of the survey, formulate KEY ideas & issues that are important to residents of Charfield & encapsulate them within The Charfield Village Plan
• PHASE 4: Publish The Charfield Village Plan & win the support of District & Parish Councils & other official bodies – in understanding the thoughts of the residents.

[Graphic: Phase 1: Now!]

Every Charfield Resident Can Get Involved in Shaping the Future of our Village

[Graphic: xxxx @ gmail.com]

Further information & updates will be posted to Village / Parish Websites, notice boards and you can email or post comment in one of the boxes …
www.charfield.org
www.charfieldparishcouncil.org.uk

26Charfield Village Plan 2011–2021

[Graphic: CHARFIELD AS IT WAS In 1842]

What matters to You?
Get involved … look out for the ways that you can have your say.

The committee plan to utilise as many local groups & local contacts as possible.

If you would like to help, then please get in touch …

Village Plans can Really Work
Some villages have already completed their Plans …

Pucklechurch – Alveston – Wickwar – Pilning & Severn Beach

Quote from a Wickwar resident:
‘The Wickwar Village Plan led to a real improvements – things the villagers wanted – such as allotments, more sports facilities, improved rights of way – there have been some real success stories …’

• GET IN TOUCH & STAY IN TOUCH …

If you don't want to wait for an event & would like to have your say you can of course contact the Steering Group directly, either by emailing xxxx @ gmail.com

Or by post … drop your mail addressed to Charfield Village Plan Committee into one of the COMMENTS boxes that will soon appear at useful locations around the village.

Look out for more information via CHADRA and on the village & Parish Council Websites …

[Graphic: Help Shape the Charfield of the Future.]

Every Charfield Resident Can Get Involved in Shaping the Future of our Village

[Graphic: xxxx @ gmail.com]

Further information & updates will be posted to Village / Parish Websites, notice boards and you can email or post comment in one of the boxes …
www.charfield.org
www.charfieldparishcouncil.org.uk

27[Advert for Charfield Memorial Hall]

[Advert for Plumbtec]

[Advert for Deborah Jayne Pringle]

[Advert for Oak Tree Nursery]

28[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 The Edge Health & Beauty Centre]

29[Advert for Bridge]

[Advert for Wilts & South Glos Rural Arts]

[Advert for Out of School Club]

[Advert for Alan Hamer Weight Plan]

[Advert for Charfield Memorial Hall]

30[Advert for Steve's General Garden Maintenance]

[Advert for Barbara Daw]

[Advert for New Street Garage]

[Advert for Elite Financial]

[Advert for Relax-ology]

31[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]

32[Advert for Acucare]

[Advert for RK Aerials]

[Advert for Manor Garden Maintenance]

[Advert for PC Repairs & Maintenance]

[Advert for Probert electrical]

33[Advert for Add Plant]

[Advert for Kopperz]

[Advert for Ashworthy Cattery]

[Advert for D.R. Vizard]

[Advert for Electric Guitar lessons]

[Advert for Tree Care]

34[Advert for Cotswold Edge Carpets]

[Advert for At Home Curtains & Blinds]

[Advert for Evergreen Computing]

35

Charfield Memorial Hall Regular Events (SL = Sportsmans Lounge)

Diary Dates

Tavern Riders meet every 1st and 3rd Saturday in the month. Meet at 10:00am at the Railway Tavern Car park.

CUT OUT THIS PAGE AND PIN IT TO YOUR NOTICEBOARD

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 (Manager/Admissions) 07966 61xxxx
Email:- xxxx @ Gmail.com
Katherine Edwards (Chair) 01454 26xxxx

Charfield Primary School
Dafydd Lawday 01454 26xxxx

Childminders
Hazel Stone 01454 26xxxx

Church – Congregational
Nicky Lanyi 01454 26xxxx

Church – St. John's
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
Rob Melville (Chair) 01454 26xxxx

Foundation Room
Bryan Grantham 01454 26xxxx

Junior Football Club
Nigel Cloke 01454 26xxxx

Keep Fit Club
Christine Parfitt 01454 26xxxx

Luncheon Club for the Elderly
Jane Higgins 01454 26xxxx

Memorial Hall
Bookings 07774 41xxxx
Email www.charfield.org
Vice Chair Deb Field 01454 26xxxx