CHADRA

Next Edition Copy Deadline – 12th January 2016

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

For a copy of CHADRA's editorial guidelines, please contact and CHADRA team member or download PDF from The Charfield Community Website at http://charfield.org/chadra/

IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR COPY OF CHADRA DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR PLEASE CONTACT MARION SMITH FROM THE ABOVE CONTACT PHONE NUMBER LIST

3

Stop Press: Good news – Bacon butties are back! Place your orders!

Thanks to Jeanette Halliday, chef extraordinaire, who, as a vegetarian, is certainly going the extra mile for us by stepping into the breach, we can offer bacon again this year. Hurray!

You are again invited to come to the village hall to have a bite to eat, a drink and a chat with your neighbours and friends and family. At about 10.35 you will then join the parade and walk up Wotton Road to the memorial to observe the two minute silence and the laying of poppy wreaths, organised by the Parish Council.

If you haven't joined in before, please do come along. It is now a fixture in the village calendar, and well supported. The focus is a solemn one, but that doesn't dampen the chatter in the village hall – it is a very lively social gathering! This year the Scouts will be with us again; their biennial presence swells the ranks and makes the parade even more impressive.

Once more, all food profits will be donated to Help for Heroes, which charity continues to ensure that money goes quickly either direct or via other relevant charities to those who need it. Over the years you have raised £2,877. Be proud!

We can't cater for ‘walk-ups’ as we need to keep waste to a minimum and maximise fund raising – so please order your food. Details follow:

Do it now before you forget!
See you there!

Many, many thanks.
Your CHADRA Committee

[Graphic: Poppy]

4

You may have seen in the local press that the other major site planning application adjacent to the school which was refused by the Council has now received consent. This has been as a result of the previous major site application that was able to prove the Council did not have the required five year land supply for housing. In practical terms, they were able to prove that the required number of houses was not being delivered in South Gloucestershire, an anomaly really as the Council have given the planning consents but the house builders have yet to bring those developments forward. I won't go into great detail in this subject as Mark will be covering this extensively in the Parish Council feature with possible proposals on a way forward for the village.

I will only say that if we are having these developments forced upon us, then we have to make the best of them for Charfield and we will be setting up a liaison group with the developer to ensure that he delivers his promises which will include allotments for Charfield.

Refugee Crisis
The refugee crisis that has dominated the news for some time has prompted enquiries from residents in the Charfield ward who were saddened and upset by the images featured daily in the media and were wanting to know what they can do to help and what was the position of the Council. I can confirm that South Gloucestershire Council will play its part in taking its share of vulnerable refugees from the camps in the Middle East. The Council is currently assessing the accommodation and humanitarian support required for the refugees and is ready to act when required. Many people in South Gloucestershire have already offered help and support with refugees and if you feel that you wish to offer assistance then please phone (01454) 86xxxx.

Parking issues
I was interested in the article by Debbie Riddle in the last issue around parking in Charfield and I believe that Debbie has raised an important issue that affects all of us. We also have to realise that many of the houses in Charfield were constructed when cars were not as prominent as they are now and 50 years ago very few families owned a car.

Most of the houses in that context have now made provision for off road parking with dropped kerbs and interestingly most of the lay-bys on the Wotton Road are in fact bus stops that are used for parking. So what is the solution for this modern day problem? You only have to look at Wotton to see the problems in the larger settlements. The Council has introduced new parking standards in planning applications to ensure that all new properties must be able to park at least two cars off the road. We could look at providing additional parking areas in new developments for Charfield residents but the question is, would they be used? If you are using the car to take children to school in bad weather would you walk ¼ mile to get the car?

The area that has received most complaints in Charfield is the recent development on the corner of Little Bristol Lane and Wotton Road with vehicles parked outside the properties on this busy and difficult junction. The Council has looked at this area and decided that the vehicles are legally parked and there is no case to extend the double yellow lines. As a matter of interest it is not against the law to park on the footpath as long as you are not creating an obstruction.

Whilst the Council can try to reduce vehicles on the highway on new developments, in many other areas it is a matter of consideration and good driving to park your vehicle where it is not going to have an adverse effect on other drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.

The most practical solution to this problem would seem to be to utilise what we have got by everyone using their off road parking if it is a driveway or parking space. [Graphic: Car]

John O'Neill
xxxx @ southglos.gov.uk

5

Gather round, Charfield, as Dylan might have sung, because the times they are a-changing. I've done the angry rant, I've done the hands thrown into the air, and now I'm onto the making the best of it. That's the eternal optimist in me over-riding the grumpy cynic, and I'm hoping to present some unwelcome news with a side order of hope and opportunity and indeed challenge. Yes, you guessed it, it's all about houses. By now, I guess, you all know that the Gladman outline application for 106 homes has been allowed following a Public Inquiry, and more recently the Waddeton outline application for 31 homes and a 60 bed dementia care home which went to the High Court has also been allowed. It is regrettable that we were unable to persuade the ‘powers that be’ who made the decisions of our case but that's old news now. The required five year housing land supply was found not to exist in South Gloucestershire. Through this failure we lost the argument. We need to move on.

Certainly, both of these applications were outline only, and there is much work to be done once the full planning applications come in, but the danger we face is that the Planning Inspector's comments opened a floodgate of opportunity for additional build in Charfield. In her decision for Charfield Green (the 106 homes) she agreed that it was likely to harm the village and obviously eat further into the green countryside around us but that she found the benefits of additional housing in South Gloucestershire outweighed that harm. She also said in terms that although car use would be relied upon, that Charfield had sufficient local services to be a sustainable location.

In a world where South Gloucestershire has a deficit of housing land supply, villages like Charfield which lay unprotected by Green Belt, AONB, SSSI, important heritage or other legislative protections are vulnerable to hovering developers. When they have easy access to the motorway infrastructure and are identified by Inspectors as sustainable locations … well, you must expect more interest and applications. Perhaps many more. We are in the cross hairs, dead centre.

Nobody expected Charfield to be sealed in amber. Change has come to Charfield many times – Manor Lane, Longs View, Woodlands to name a few. Not to mention the smaller (far more easily assimilated) small builds. Each time a large build has come I'm sure, and have been told so, the village staggered for a while before coming to terms with its new size and new residents. We will do so again with Charfield Green and even with Day House Leaze. But how much more can we take in the short term? If more is on the way, what can we do to at least mitigate the effect and improve the detail?

Thus far, we have been reactive – the applications came in and we did what we thought was needful at the time. I suggest we now need to be proactive. We need to establish clearly and in the current format what we want for the future of Charfield. Perhaps you thought we've done that with the Village Plan and the Housing Needs Survey, but while we were progressing these the government changed the rules with the Localism Act. This Act presupposes development is ‘a good thing’, always, but allows communities to identify how development should progress through an adopted Neighbourhood Plan. I'm not going to cover Neighbourhood Plans in depth – Google is your friend for this.

Neighbourhood Plans can be about what development is needed and where, but since your Parish Council doesn't own land it finds itself in difficulty there – if we were to nominate someone's field they might not be happy, and certainly other field owners would have cause to grumble. But Neighbourhood Plans can also be about identifying the value of a place such as Charfield, and how it can be emphasised through sustainable and harmonious development, and how harmful to the locale it would be if developed inappropriately. It is a way to shape the development, rather than simply wait for the developer to shove something in which is more about profit than beauty.

Your Parish Council will be calling an open meeting for the village to come together and discuss this possible next step in the evolution of Charfield. From that meeting we would hope to see a group come together which would research, consult, investigate and prepare a draft Neighbourhood Plan. Any such plan has to meet certain requirements and go through stringent checks and hoops 6including a referendum, but we will cover all that in the meeting.

Charfield Council met with South Gloucestershire recently and asked the most pertinent question it could. “If there is still no five year land housing supply, will a Neighbourhood Plan hold any weight at all against another predatory developer?”. The answer was, in terms, ‘some’. I'm not suggesting a Neighbourhood Plan will shield us from any and all new build; but it's the best chance we have in these times to mould the future of our village rather than have it moulded by others.

So, do we want to be proactive, or simply wait for the tide to wash over us? Will we pick up the gauntlet again, and can we come together in a working group to create a Neighbourhood Plan? Watch the web site for news of the meeting.

Mark Rosher – Chairman
Charfield Parish Council www.charfieldparishcouncil.org.uk

Following the May 2015 elections, CHADRA invited your Parish Councillors to introduce themselves to the village …

Mark Rosher – Chairman
Janet and I escaped from the never-ending rush hour traffic jams of Bristol back in 2001, seeking a more peaceful life and a better school for Charlotte. We succeeded in both these things, finding a home by the playing fields of Charfield. In 2007 I responded to a circular gauging interest in a potential new burial ground for the village, and went along to a Parish Council meeting to get more information.

I am also a Druid and a Charity Trustee of The Druid Network, and had access to funding for environmental projects, so I asked if there might be something I could offer. And what the Council asked me for was … me! I joined the Council a few months later and became Chairman in 2009 (I hope I've got all the dates right!). As you probably know, the burial ground opened on spring equinox, 2012. As a Parish Councillor, I see the main risk to the village is that of unsustainable development. The thrust of current government thinking seems to be market driven development, and this can lead to a surfeit of houses and very little amenity or support infrastructure. We all need homes, and more houses are necessary, but must be balanced by improved services and roads, not simply dropped into any available field. So my prime focus is to improve community life whilst adapting to its changing needs. I'm also very focused on the environment and I am an irregular Tree Warden, keeping a protective eye on our standing folk.

Richard Rawlings
I have lived in Charfield with my wife Kay for close to 30 years now, living near to the Plough Inn. Kay was born in the village and all her family have lived in Charfield for over 60 years – They bring a wealth of local knowledge! I am 71 years old and have been retired from public life since 2009. Being so warmly welcomed into the village all those years ago, I felt I would like to put something back into the village and so when a vacancy occurred a few years ago I needed no encouragement to apply to become a Councillor.

I am a Governor at Charfield Primary School and also a Trustee of the Charfield National Schools Foundation. I am pleased to be able to try to help Charfield as much as I can.

Mrs Naomi Newns
I have been a resident of Charfield for over 45 years. Together with my husband we have raised our family within the village. Our two children attended the local schools and they now live close by in Wotton with our three grandchildren.

During my working life I was a State Registered Nurse mostly at the old Southmead Hospital. How different things are now at the new version! I took retirement almost ten years ago and decided that since the village had given my family and I a good life over many years, that I would like to give something back in return. I have always enjoyed a good discussion and debate so I joined the Parish Council. In addition to participating in the day-to-day activities of the council I have taken a special interest in the 7younger members of the village and their welfare and dedicated facilities. I have also assisted in the process of establishing and developing the new graveyard. Charfield in 1970 was already in the situation of a small village coping with the impact of a large development known as the Old Manor Estate. Since that time, the village has continued to expand steadily. Now with the high demand for more houses countrywide, it is important that the councillors try to minimise the effects on local life of the most recently planned developments.

Mike Cheskin
I have lived in Charfield for 33 years operating Charfield service Station for the past 17. Serving on the Parish Council allows me to contribute to the village which supports my family business. There is a great deal of satisfaction in working for the community.

My wife (Evie) and I are members of The Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints in Yate. As Chair of the Safer Stronger Group which covers Charfield, Cromhall, Falfield and Tortworth I again can put something back in to the community. My interests are: railways (I am still a train spotter at the age of 68!); 45 rpm records (I have over 4000); family history and Mangotsfield United F.C.

Judy Law
With the general exodus of MoD staff from London to Abbey Wood in early 1996, my husband was posted to this part of the world. I joined him in October of that year, and already being in the home civil service, it was a case of “if you cannot beat them, join”, so I also joined MoD. I knew next to nothing about Charfield and its surrounding area, and for a few years I must admit that working full time did not give me a lot of spare time to become familiar with the area, especially as I had once more become involved in scouting.

One of the best ways I initially had of finding out what was going on in the village was via CHADRA. Towards the end of 2009 the newsletter contained a request for additional Parish Councillors, and although I had no previous knowledge or expertise in this field, it seemed to me to be an excellent way to become more involved in village life, so I volunteered. Having now retired, it is much easier to be more involved in the life of the village and the area in general. I have developed a particular interest in the environmental side of living in the village and represent Charfield on the S.Glos Environmental Forum. This forum has representatives from other local Parish and Town Councils in the area, and groups such as the Avon Wildlife Group and the Ramblers, and enables a lot of sharing of information, together with hopefully resolution or advice on any current problems.

I think that the biggest challenge we all face in Charfield is to try to keep what has been and is still thankfully the character and vitality of an extremely vibrant village. How long we will be able to do so successfully is really in the lap of the gods, but I do try to bear this in mind especially when we have planning matters before the Council.

Ian Williams
My wife Lisa and I have lived in Churchend, at the top of Charfield Hill for the last 11 years. Lisa, having been brought up in Ham, a few miles away, when it came time to return to Gloucestershire, here felt the perfect spot to make our home.

It was here in relation to a number of contentious planning applications that I first came across the Parish Council. Their objectivity, support and help at the time was greatly appreciated. So when I found myself with more time on my hands, I wanted to give something back. A vacancy on Charfield Parish Council in 2010 proved the opportunity. I've now been a member of the team for several years and thoroughly enjoy the variety and camaraderie it brings.

I see the Parish Council as a hub around which so many other community organisations weave their magic. The Parish Council has a statutory role in Local Government and can facilitate access to grants and it is also consulted by district and national government. I feel it is a worthwhile thing to be a Parish Councillor, and I'd be very happy to speak with anyone thinking they might wish to join the Council. I'd particularly like to see young adults bring their perspective to the Council. There is work involved, yes, but also great satisfaction in serving the community in which you live.

8

Viewpoint & Bank
Phase I of the viewpoint and bank plan is now complete. I hope everyone has noticed the new bench, bollards and rubbish bin. What a difference they make! Our thanks to the Council's Streetcare team who installed the items and did such a fantastic job including an additional extra of repairing the broken tarmac. Also thanks to CHADRA for sponsoring the new bench. It is worth the trek up the hill to enjoy the view, have a rest and then perhaps an additional stroll down Churchend Lane to enjoy the new burial ground, St James Church and the view across Charfield up to the edge of the Cotswolds.

The hyssops that we have planted have been in full bloom for the last few weeks. It's a wonderful splash of purple as you drive past. We eventually finished clearing back the verge all the way up to the roundabout. It took us a bit longer than we expected but I hope you will agree that it has made a big difference and it is now possible to walk that path safely. Hopefully letting more light in will mean that the bulbs that have been planted there will give us a good show in spring.

Phase II is now in planning!

Little Bristol Lane Corner
The poppies lasted for ages and looked spectacular. We left them to seed before a major weeding session and we have continued the more permanent planting scheme, which will take a couple more seasons to start to really make an impact.

Primary School Bed
This has continued to zing with colour throughout the summer and early autumn. You will notice that the team have managed to clear the second half of the site and it is now almost ready for planting. This site is not easy – it is much larger than you would imagine, access is difficult and the slope makes everything doubly difficult. The small team that have worked on this site have done a wonderful job – my thanks to them – you are stars!

Memorial Car Park
The team meet regularly on Thursdays to work on this site. Help is always welcomed. No special gardening knowledge is required as the team will be there to advise. Plans are to extend the area that we look after and we have arranged some help to start this.

Thanks
I would like to say a special thanks to Reg Cox who has continued to maintain the roundabout verges and is making the southern entrance to the village so spick and span. It makes such a difference.

Thanks also to a local company, Tortworth Plants based at Old Lodge Farm, Tortworth who have been very generous in supporting CUGUC with some good discounts on lovely plants. They are worth a visit.

AGM
We are holding our AGM on 19th November at the Sportsman's Lounge at 7.30pm. The formal business of the evening will be kept to a minimum and afterwards there will be refreshments and a quiz. Everyone is very welcome to attend and there will be an opportunity for you to share your ideas and views with the team. We'd love to see you there.

If you are interested in helping us please contact one of the team – details below. You can help for as little a time as you are able to.

Find us on Facebook – just search for CUGUC.

Don't forget to let us have your ideas, comments and donations. Details of how to contact us are detailed below and on the contact page at the back.

Yvette Andrewartha
Chair CUGUC
http://charfield.org/cuguc
email: xxxx @ gmail.com

[Graphic: Flowers]

9

Wow! What a busy few months we have had. The first important thing to tell you is that …

WE HAVE MOVED!

You can now find us on the 3rd Wednesday of the month in The Sportsman's Lounge at Charfield Memorial Hall between 10 and 11am. The group is still free to attend, although donations for tea/coffee are welcomed.

Secondly, although the children have only just finished their summer break (and I have the grey hairs to show it) by the next time I write, Christmas will have been and gone and we will have embarked on a brand new year. If you would like to join us for our Christmas meal on the 16th December, please do let me know and I will add you to the list. We'd love to see you.

Speaking of the festive season, on Wed 30th December, the Congregational Chapel has kindly invited us to afternoon tea, with a slideshow, and a trip down memory lane. For many, Christmas is a time for family, but for those without, it can be terribly lonely. If you would like to come along, or know someone who does, please let me know. If you would like someone to come and pick you up, this can also be arranged.

Finally, (and I'm REALLY excited about this one), we are thrilled to have been awarded a Community Grant from South Gloucestershire Council to develop the Memory Group into longer, more frequent sessions. This will enable us to reach more people in the village, offer planned activities, and eventually offer more of a respite service for families and carers.

If you would like to learn more about the support services available then contact me on 07814 69xxxx or email xxxx @ hotmail.co.uk

[Logo: “Working together to build a dementia friendly community”]

Amanda Pearson

Does your community group need funding?

South Gloucestershire Council can give grants to all kinds of voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations and town and parish councils to support them with their projects.

There are three types of grant:
• Community Grants
• New Homes Bonus
• Positive Activities Subsidy Grants

Applications are welcome at any time.
The next closing date is 17 November 2015

Decisions will be taken during February and March 2016.

Register, apply or log in
You can register your organisation online and then apply for grants. The Council has developed the online system to support organisations wishing to apply for funding for their projects. Applications cannot be considered until your organisation has been registered.

The final decision on grant awards is made locally by Councillors in one of five area forums or an area-wide forum if the project covers all of South Gloucestershire and the application is for a community grant.

Help and support
The Grants Helpline (01454 86 5865) is open Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 16:00. Or contact by email for support with applications.

Step by step guidance notes designed to help organisations to complete the registration and application forms are available and can be downloaded from the on-line system or from the Grant pages.

10

I would like to start off with a very BIG warm welcome to all our new children and to all those children who have returned to pre-school.

[Graphic: Pirate ship] Well the summer days seem a very distant memory now but during the holidays we were still busy making some improvements to our much loved garden. We were successful in our bid earlier in the year through the parish grant and with this funding, we built a wooden pirate ship with a sail, binoculars and telescope. Before the ship could be built the grassy mound had to be dug up and removed and a blue all weather matting was laid to on the ground to act as the ‘water’ for our pirate ship. The ship has been well received by the children as they have enjoyed playing in the garden. We feel the pirate ship will be enjoyed by lots of children for many years to come. Thank you to John O'Neill, South Gloucestershire Council and Parish Council. All the grants have been gratefully received. I would also like to thank Peter Elliott for standing in the rain a few days during the summer holidays organising the dismantling the grassy mound.

We would like to say a huge thanks to all our fantastic team of Committee members for all their hard work at each and every event and to thank our new committee members who came and supported our AGM on Wed 9th September. It was great to see some familiar faces and to welcome a few new ones to our committee. Welcome to our new ‘Secretary’ – Sam Brown who steps into the position from the general committee. Once again, The Pre-School would like to say a big thank you to Wotton Accountancy Associates for their continued invaluable support by performing an Independent Review of the year end accounts for 2014/15.

Lots of other great fundraising events are planned for the coming year. Our first one will be our annual Christmas Shopping Evening. See poster opposite. You can start your Christmas shopping, you will also be able to have a mince pie and a glass of something. We look forward to seeing you all there!

JINGLE BELLS! Finally, Santa is already booked to tour the village on his float on Sunday 15th December. We are planning on roaming the village from 3pm this year … Keep your eyes and ears peeled for those sleigh bells, and a little elf ringing your doorbell with a collection tin in their hand!

As always we are relying heavily on fundraising and marketing the Pre-School in and out of the village … So why not join our Lottery Club?

Enter our monthly prize draw and win a cash prize! This is a great way for grandparents, aunties/uncles and family friends to support Pre-School every month … as the saying goes, “you have to be in it, to win it”!

The theme that the children will be concentrating on this term will be personal, social and emotional development. The children have been working closely with the new Pre-School gardener on something special for Grandparents' day.

If you would like to chat about registering your child as a new starter, or about extending your existing hours please call Debra on 07966 61xxxx. We are currently operating a waiting list. Please call or e-mail us (xxxx @ gmail.com) for more details.

Kindest Regards, Louise Sydney, Chair

[Graphic: Charfield Pre-School Christmas Shopping Evening]

Charfield Memorial Hall
Friday 27th November
7.00pm to 9.30pm

Lots of stall holders, if you're interested in having a stall please contact Sam on 07772 41xxxx

11

[Graphic: Charfield School]

SEE THE FULL, COLOUR VERSION ON OUR SCHOOL WEBSITE www.charfieldschool.org.uk

Welcome to the latest CHADRA update from Charfield School.

[Graphic: Ofsted]

In my last update to you I said we were awaiting our OFSTED inspection. We were very pleased to have our inspection 9th and 10th July which graded us as an Outstanding School in every aspect.

The judgement is testament to the hard work and determination shown by us all to ensure that our children thrive and succeed.

The report highlights many positive aspects of the school and includes comments such as:

“All groups of pupils make excellent progress across the school.”

“The overall quality of teaching across the school is outstanding and enables all pupils to make excellent progress.”

“Pupils greatly enjoy their school and are very proud to be members of it”

“Pupils showed tremendous enthusiasm for learning”

“Communication with parents is frequent”

“The Head teacher, staff and governors have high ambitions and are committed to achieving the best possible outcomes for every pupil.”

The inspectors were also very complimentary about the support given to the school by the community, particularly those who completed the parent-view survey and offered words of support and praise to the inspectors.

Achieving an outstanding judgement does not mean ‘job done’. It highlights us as not only one of the best schools in the country, but as a school that is committed to developing further and providing an excellent learning environment.

A copy of the report can be accessed on the OFSTED website and through our website.

Again thank you for continually supporting and championing Charfield Primary.

STAFF NEWS

[Photo] WELCOME – I am pleased to welcome Miss O'Sullivan to the Charfield team as our Year 6 teacher.

CHARFIELD SCHOOL IN THE COMMUNITY

[Graphic: WE ARE MACMILLAN – cancer support World's biggest coffee morning 25 SEPT] We were privileged to hold our 2nd Macmillan Coffee morning on Friday 25th September. I will provide more details in the next CHADRA. However I would like to thank everyone who supported our event.

[Graphic: Collaboration Courage Enthusiasm Pride Resilience Responsibility Working together … learning for life]

Dafydd Lawday, Headteacher

12

Following a great year of fundraising we have raised over £5,000 to help the school with much needed equipment to enrich the children's experiences within the school. This could not have been achieved without the help and support of our amazing community and I know the school and committee would like to say a massive thank you for attending and making the events what they are. The committee love organising the events but it is your participation that makes them really worthwhile.

This year has enabled us to fund a number of projects including a new DVD player for all classes to make use of, new staging equipment for the hall, new sound equipment with radio microphones, Christmas presents and Christmas parties for Key Stage 1 & 2, presents for year 6 leavers, new bark for the adventure playground and a massive overhaul of the reception class play area. Your generosity never ceases to amaze us in the current financial climate. I hope we can continue to support the schools with similar projects to enrich all of the children's time at school this year.

Talking of funding, a few of the projects for this year include a new garden area where each class will have their own vegetable patch to make use of, a fort in the wooded area for the children to explore during play time and lunch time and also the inclusion of the climbing wall in the playground to use during the months when access to the playing field is restricted. These will hopefully be funded by a mixture of grants, our fundraising events and donations.

We are now heading into a busy fundraising period for The Friends. Our AGM was a huge success with the majority of the committee staying on. A couple of the team needed a well-earned rest from all of their hard work over previous events and I'd like to say a massive thank you from myself, the committee and school for your support as it has really been appreciated. They will be sadly missed during meetings and events to come. We are slightly down on general committee members as a result and so if anyone can spare a little time to help with prep for fundraising events please feel free to get in touch. You don't have to come to all the committee meetings, simply be on hand to offer help when needed.

Funding has already started with a very kind donation from the Parish Council to assist in the redevelopment of the garden area – thank you from the team – all proceeds are very gratefully received.

Firework night is nearly upon us and we are busy arranging the evening to make sure everyone has a lovely time. Fingers crossed that the weather is better than last year. We have a similar night organised with the professional display organised by Chinnick Theatre Services as well as hot food on the night and a bar for the adults. The format and costs remain the same as last year and we look forward to welcoming you to an amazing display as always. Our upcoming events are:

[Graphic: Fireworks] Fireworks Night – Friday 6th November

Christmas Fair and Christmas Tree sale – Saturday 5th December [Graphic: Christmas tree]

I look forward to keeping you informed of our future events, until then, once again, a very big thank you to everyone who has worked with and supported The Friends.

Dave Ashby
Chair – The Friends of Charfield Primary School
xxxx @ yahoo.co.uk / 07904 02xxxx

13

It seems a long time since the children were enjoying their activities during their long summer holiday. The holiday club was a great success. The theme was ‘Fantasy’ with activities covering mermaids, dragons, aliens, pirates and witches and wizards. We also had a visit from ‘Zoolab’ with their bugs and reptiles.

We would like to welcome all the new children who joined the club in September. The club is very busy this year, all our afternoon sessions are full and we have a waiting list but we do have spaces available for our breakfast club sessions between 7.30 and 8.40am.

Our student helpers, Antonia and Ed will be leaving us to move on to new projects. We wish them well for the future and thank them for all their hard work over the past year. Our new student, Philippa will be joining us on Thursdays and Fridays, we wish her a warm welcome.

In July, the club had an unannounced visit from OFSTED and I am pleased to report that we have achieved recognition that we are ‘GOOD’ overall. This is a great achievement and we would like to say a big thank you to the staff for all their hard work and dedication to the club. You can view the full report at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

The club is now taking bookings for the October half term holiday, so please contact us if your children would like to come along to join in the fun. The theme will be Halloween so lots of fun and spooky activities to enjoy!

The club held its Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 13th October and we're looking for volunteers. So, if you already use the club, we would love to see you and if you could offer a couple of hours a year to attend committee meetings, offer ideas and help with fundraising we would be very grateful.

If you know of any new families who would like to use our service, both before and/or after school or during the school holidays, or, if you yourself would like to find out more, please contact us at the club. You can check us out on www.charfield.org/coosc. 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.

May we take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to everyone who continues to use the club and a big thank you to the staff – Pat, Georgina, Jo, and Anne for continuing to make the club an outstanding facility for our village.

The Out of School Club Committee

Every Penny Counts

[Graphic] Some of you have a collecting box for The Children's Society in your home; you pop in your loose change throughout the year and it is then collected in, counted up, and goes some way in supporting The Children's Society's work with children living in poverty and teenagers at risk.

There are 18,420 children in the constituency of The Cotswolds; 3,830 of these children are living in poverty and in Gloucestershire there are 1480 children registered as ‘in need’ because of abuse and neglect.

The average house box contains about £15, but between all of the boxes in England, we raise over £1.6 million every year towards our work from your loose change; a good place to check is down the back of your sofa as it's estimated that there's £42 million in Britain alone hiding under our cushions! The collecting box in your home is crucial in supporting the work we do with children living in poverty and teenagers at risk.

To learn more about the work of the Children's Society visit:

www.childrenssociety.org.uk

Thank you so much for your support, and if you don't have a house box, but would like one, please contact Marjorie Grantham on (01454) 26xxxx.

Roseann Boyce, Regional Fundraising Manager.

14

[Logo]

Lots to report from Charfield Memorial Hall!

As you may have noticed, our car park has had a new lease of life thanks to a new set of gates, new line markings and the continued planting/cleaning up by the Clean Up Green Up Charfield (CUGUC) Group. The brand new gates can now fully close off the car park and, due to continued loud noise and general anti-social behaviour, as well as our concern for our neighbours on Newtown, the committee has now made the decision to lock the gates overnight thanks to volunteers from Newtown. The new line markings in the car park have given us 51 car parking spaces which should help with fitting in more cars for the busy events at the hall. Finally, thanks to the hard work of CUGUC, we have some more plants along the borders which generally beautify the village hall, for which we are grateful.

We have also been busy having some new front doors and windows installed. The doors, windows and gates were all funded through a grant from Ibstock Cory Environmental Trust for which we say a massive thank you to them, and also to Deb Field and Tim Hill who wrote our application for this grant! It is also important to say thank you to Sue Simmonds (our Booking Secretary), Mick Simmonds and Rob Melville (a Trustee Member of the committee) who helped co-ordinate all the work.

Some of you may have also noticed that we have had a lot going on in our Sportsman's Lounge. Due to a damp issue, that had been plaguing the Lounge end of the building for years, we are now in the process of removing the damp and with that will come new flooring, radiators, lighting, kitchen, bar and a new lick of paint. We hope that this work will be fully completed by the end of the year. If you want to see it, why not think about booking it for an upcoming event? (I had to get a small plug in there!) We would like to thank everybody who has helped us in our efforts, from donating time to kitchen cabinets, we thank you!

Now … the future!

We have lots planned for the continued improvement and development of the hall over the next couple of years and that is where we would like your help! As a local community space, we would like to contact local tradespeople to do various jobs for us. We appreciate the importance of using local people wherever possible. So, what we would like to do is create a list of numbers that we can call when we need to get quotes for jobs. Obviously, if you are willing to donate some of your time for free, that would be a bonus! We would like you to contact us on our Facebook page or pop in your contact details to Ruth at the Charfield petrol station email her at xxxx @ gmail.com if you are interested in joining our local tradespeople list. To give you an idea, our next big piece of work is to lay a brand new patio, including picnic benches for families to use on a nice hot day. If you have the skills, or know someone who does, please get them to contact us!

Nearly done!

We still have very important positions vacant on the committee. We are in need of a Vice Chair and a Secretary. We appreciate that this seems like it might be a big commitment and so, if you are interested and wanted to come along to a meeting and trial a few months, before you commit, we are happy with that. If you are interested, please contact me (Liam) – xxxx @ gmail.com

Finally, upcoming Events/Fundraising!

As you know, the hall is run solely on fundraising and grants, and right now both are going well. The new Village Lottery has been a success. We have given out over £300 in prize money and have raised over £600 for the hall since May. Our winners are loving it! HAVE YOU JOINED UP? No? Contact Ruth as above (petrol station or email) for a chance to be our next winner!

15Here are the winners of the Village Lottery for the last quarter:

By the time you read this we will have just held our 007, James Bond themed ball at Eastwood Park! Thanks for all that are supporting it as it raises so much needed money for the hall. The next event is our Family Halloween Disco which returns after last year's success. Saturday 31st October, our doors will be open to everyone that can come along for some family Halloween fun! It will include a fancy dress competition and a pumpkin carving competition! Please look out for posters or contact Ruth – xxxx @ gmail.com for more info. After that it is a Ladies Fashion Evening on Friday 20th November, more details will be announced soon.

That's it from me. Thank you for all of your support.

Liam Balloch, Chairman, Charfield Memorial Hall Management Committee

[Logo]

JustTextGiving

As part of our efforts to raise funds for vital health and safety improvements and general repairs and refurbishment to the Memorial Hall facilities, we have registered for

JustTextGiving

All you have to do is text CHAR12 £2/£5/£10 (enter your chosen amount) to 70070 and the Memorial Hall will receive the full amount

(all administrative costs are borne by Vodafone)

It couldn't be simpler! So, please act today …

EVERY LITTLE HELPS!

[Advert for Charfield Memorial Hall & Playing Fields]

16

Over the last few months St John's Church building has been going through some big changes on the inside. Thanks to a substantial grant from the CEMEX Community Fund and the generosity of local people in giving gifts in kind and masses of time and effort, the church now has a large socialising area with café tables and food preparation and washing up facilities, a special children's area suitable for toddlers and infants and a designated welcome area. Please drop in any time and take a look.

The two cream teas held during the summer raised over £450 and were much enjoyed. Sale of pews removed from church raised £860. Both sums are much appreciated, especially in the context that we need to raise £10,000-15,000 per year over the next five years for improvements in addition to the regular £25,000 a year that it costs to run St John's. All contributions gratefully received!

Rev'd David Russell was licensed in October as the Area Dean for the whole Wotton Deanery area, which means he will be supporting clergy throughout the Deanery as well as parishes in vacancy and also chairing Deanery Synod. We have also gained a new curate (trainee vicar) for the benefice, Peter Fewings from North Nibley. Those of us who are on Deanery Synod have known Peter for some time as a Synod member, and we look forward to getting to know him better.

We're moving into our busy season now. We start with our All Souls service, which will be held at 7pm on Sunday 1 November. At this service we read out the names of all those who have died and are missed. Do add any names to the list in church and join us for the service. This is followed by Remembrance Day on 8 November, with our usual service, starting at 10.55 at the Cenotaph outside church.

The Advent services start on Sunday 29 November with the children's Christingle service at 4pm. We will have a Christmas tree festival in church all through advent with about 15 trees, decorated by different village organisations. Pop in and see them any time. The candlelit carol service at St James's will be on Saturday 19 December at 7pm. The children's service at 4pm on Sunday 20 December will be a Christmas tree service celebrating all the decorated trees. It will be preceded by a children's tea party at 3pm. There will be the usual crib service at 4pm on Christmas Eve and midnight mass at 11.30pm. The Christmas Day service will be at 9.30.

We have two really exciting lay events. The first is the Christmas Fair, rapidly becoming a tradition. It will take place from 6.30–9pm on Friday 27 November. There will be stalls selling all sorts of Christmas products, crafts and produce. See the ad elsewhere in this issue.

For details of regular services, see our ad in this issue. To contact the clergy, call Rev'd David Russell on 01454 29xxxx or Rev'd Chris Mason on 01454 26xxxx or email xxxx @ gmail.com.

Sue Thorn, PCC member,
xxxx @ yahoo.co.uk

Journey of the Magi

Friday 18th December at 7pm Charfield Memorial Hall

A magical, moving and laugh-out-loud funny Christmas show

Show will be performed by Springs Dance Company which is one of the longest established contemporary dance companies in the UK. They tour not only in this country but also internationally. Accolades include ‘the best Christmas show I have ever seen’ and ‘I have never laughed so much’, ‘a brilliant evening’.

Tickets are available from:
Steve's Shop, Charfield Garage, St John's Church,
Chris Mason at the Rectory (xx Wotton Road),
Rosemarie Berry (07717 142xxxx) or the Congregational Chapel.

17

My wife Carol and I moved into x, King's Meadow, Charfield on July 1st which, at that time, was recorded as the hottest day of 2015! Not the perfect backdrop for the removal men from Cornwall or us. We intend to make ourselves available, whenever possible, to join you all in the already splendid programme of help available here in your community. I am writing as the new Pastor of Charfield Chapel having recently spent almost nine years in lovely Wadebridge, Cornwall. I am looking forward to meeting you all in the days ahead and if you feel we can be of help to you please get in touch. You are warmly invited to our services and events, please read on for further details.

Christmas Shoe Box Appeal 2015
We have been busy filling wrapped shoe boxes for all ages over the last few months. This year, all our shoe boxes will be sent to Romania. We support the charity, Blythswood Care, who combine the Christian message with practical help for those in need. Blythswood Care (www.blythswood.org) is involved in many projects – this is just one of them. We fill our wrapped shoe boxes with items, such as, toothpaste, toothbrushes, sponges, combs, soap, scarves, gloves / hats, sweets, colouring / writing books, pens / pencils, toys for a child, deodorant/hair gel for men, sewing kits / make-up for ladies. Christian literature is also put into each individual box. This shoe box will be the only gift many of the children will receive all year. If you would like to contribute in any way, either by helping fill the boxes when we meet, wrapping and filling your own shoe box or by donating items, it would be greatly appreciated. Knitted hats, scarves and gloves are always very welcome. The shoe box deadline this year is the end of October, when they will be collected from Chapel.

Harvest Service – Our Harvest service was held on Sunday 4th October at 11am. All donations given on the day of food and tins were donated to the local food bank.

‘Making Sense of Life’ – At Charfield Chapel every Monday evening from 7.30pm until 8.30pm, throughout October and November, 2015, starting on Monday 5th October. Each session will include input from Ray about his many experiences of life here and overseas. Small group topic sharing for those present and a short round up followed by refreshments. Hope to see you there with your family and friends.

Senior Citizen's Harvest was held on Saturday 10th October with musical entertainment from ‘God's Grampies’.

Coffee Morning, with bacon rolls (and vegetarian option too) – Saturday 31st October, 10am – 12 noon – All proceeds will go to Water Aid. Every minute, every day, people suffer and lives are lost needlessly because of a lack of safe water and sanitation. [Graphic: Cup]

Saturday Morning Prayer Meetings – We now hold a prayer meeting at 9.30am–10am followed by tea, coffee and biscuits on a Saturday morning, all very welcome to come along and join us, a lovely way to start the weekend.

Bible Study – Bible study is every Tuesday evening from 7.30pm. We discuss interesting topics, we are currently studying the book of Exodus.

Youth Café – Our Youth Café is open every Thursday evening, at Chapel, 7pm–9pm. Please pass these details on to any young person that may like to come along. We have a dedicated Facebook page. Please ‘like’ us to receive our latest updates. www.facebook.com/CharfieldChapelYouthCafe. We would love to know your ideas too – please get in touch.

Stamps for C.R.Y.
[Graphic: Stamp] Why collect used British or foreign stamps? Because if you do and pass them on to Ray Avent, 2 King's Meadow Charfield or through Charfield School the charity C.R.Y. [Care and Relief for the Young] currently helping children, young people and adults in 20 countries worldwide can sell them and raise valuable income. This includes C.R.Y.'s current special appeal to support refugee families. www.cry.org.uk

18Sunday Services
Our services are held every Sunday at 11am with refreshments afterwards, where a friendly welcome awaits. We also have Sunday School ‘King's Kidz’, where all primary school-age children are most welcome. We also have a Teen Class (aged 13–17) which meets regularly on a Sunday Morning at the same time as Sunday School. The first Sunday of every month is our Family service, and the last Sunday of every month is our Communion service. Please note we will not have a Sunday service on Remembrance Sunday at Chapel – Sunday 8th November, as we will join with St John's Church.

For more information on any of the above, please feel free to contact:

April Palmer Tel: 01453 84xxxx
Email: xxxx @ hotmail.co.uk

Ray Avent, Pastor Tel: 01453 84xxxx
Email: xxxx @ hotmail.com

Ray Avent, Pastor, Charfield Chapel.

[Graphic: Girlguiding UK girls in the lead]

District Commissioner's Message
Charfield is very lucky to have a thriving Rainbow Unit and to have Guides meeting in the village during the summer term. It was wonderful to see two Guides complete their Baden-Powell awards in July – the highest award a Guide can get. They both worked hard for this, but huge thanks must go to their amazing leaders who made this possible by providing opportunities, help, guidance, encouragement and support. What we need in Charfield is to re-open the Brownie Pack. To do this we need leaders. If anyone is interested please contact me: Sarah Norton, Girlguiding Wotton District Commissioner (joint).
Tel: (01453) 52xxxx xxxx @ tesco.net.

1st Charfield Rainbows
Rainbows are part of the ‘Girl Guide Association’ and are for girls aged 5 to 7 years. We currently have one space, with a few more available next term, so if you have a little girl or know of one who might be interested in joining 1st Charfield Rainbows now or in the future, please send an email to xxxx @ yahoo.co.uk so their names can be added to the waiting list.
Ruby, Topaz, Sapphire and Moonstone.

2nd Charfield Brownies
Closed – seeking volunteers to run the Pack. See District Commissioner Message.

2nd Wotton (Charfield) Guides
Alternative Thursdays at Wotton Baptist Hall 7.30pm. Sadly due to the lack of leaders we have had to reduce meetings to fortnightly please get in touch if you think you would like to get involved! Please contact xxxx @ hotmail.com

Last term we said farewell to a bunch of our older girls, some moving on to Senior Section, and this term a big HELLO to a new bunch moving up from Brownies, and joining their friends.

This term we are completing the ‘GO FOR IT – Be The Change’ It is all about how you can get involved and help to bring about change to the community in which you live. It gives you the opportunity to learn how the country is run, including who your local Member of Parliament (MP) is and how they can help you. ‘Be The Change’ includes activities which enable your patrol to learn about how to make your voice heard in the U.K. today. It will show you how to run a campaign about an issue that you feel strongly about. It also explores which qualities you will need to develop to become a successful leader and shows you how to identify the skills you already have. Looking forward to some interesting debates! We will of course have the autumn chip walk (more about the chips than the walk), Remembrance Parade and our Christmas trip.

Senior Section
[Graphic: Get Messey – 1ST WOTTON UNDER EDGE SENIOR SECTION] The girls in the Senior Section were very busy last term creating a challenge to sell, to raise money for upcoming trips and events. It is called ‘Get Messy’ and so far the reaction from a 19Girlguiding Facebook group has been incredibly positive!

Wanted! Girls aged 14+ for fun filled adventures! Are you interested in having fun, finding new places to visit and meeting new friends? Then Senior Section is the place for you. You do not need to have been a Brownie or a Guide before, just a sense of adventure! If you would like your daughter to join Girlguiding UK please contact the relevant leader, or go to http://www.girlguiding.org.uk/ get_involved/ volunteer/ register_your_interest.aspx

Dates for your diary
7th November – ‘Colours’ Fashion Show – 7pm onwards – Wotton Town Hall. Join us for a fabulous Ladies evening at Wotton Town Hall. There will be a fashion show and then the opportunity after the show to try and buy the clothes. Tickets will be available for just £7 to include a glass of wine or orange juice. Further refreshments will be available at the venue, as well as a raffle to win £50 in vouchers for the clothing! All welcome. Please call Sarah or Lynsey for tickets. Also available from Steve's Shop Charfield.

17th Dec – Christmas Shopping Evening – 7–9pm. We are currently looking for stall holders – so if you know anyone crafty or sells things that could work well – please let me know! We are planning to serve mulled wine and mince pies, have a variety of stalls and a Secret Santa shop for younger children. More details to follow soon!

This is just a short report this time as we have just started back at Scouts. We've had a busy summer, the Beavers went to Legoland on the first weekend of the summer holidays and it was packed and extremely hot, but they and a handful of Cubs thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The Cubs attended a District Cub Camp at Woodhouse Park Activity Centre where they got to meet several other Cub Packs. It was themed on the World Scout Jamboree which this year was being held in Japan so they all had a taste of Sushi, had a go at origami etc. My favourite was the obstacle challenge where they ended up in a thoroughly muddy, smelly pit which did necessitate them having a shower! Again, good weather over the weekend. The Scouts held a ‘back to basics’ camp at Avening Green – really good weather again! They were given money and instructions to go into Yate to buy food for their evening meal, a three courser and come back with change. All went well but Boomer misjudged the bus fares and the leader who was following the Scouts to make sure the trip went ok had to supply more cash for them in Yate. The meals were wonderful though, very inventive.

The Cubs started off the new term with 2 exciting weeks at Woodhouse Park Activity Centre going up (climbing) and coming down (abseiling), the Scouts also paid a visit orienteering in the dark! They didn't report losing any thank goodness.

We're now building up to our trip to PGL Liddington which for the first time ever has included Beavers – They will love it! We've got the giant swing, tree top trail, zip wire, canoeing, vertical challenge, survivor and challenge course which is another wet and muddy one! In between the activities, we do get lots of food and nice warm accommodation.

Space-wise in the group, we are extremely full in the Beavers as we have a lot of 3+ boys and girls waiting for places and just one or two places left in Thursday Cubs (more if we had more leaders). We welcome Tim (King Louie) but we will be losing another leader in the next 5 months to maternity leave. We also have a couple of spaces in the Tuesday Scout Troop who could also benefit from another leader. So if anyone is interested please let us know via our group website www.1stwoodend.scoutsites.org.uk.

We hope to see you all on Remembrance Sunday for the Remembrance Parade.

Yours in Scouting,

Sandra Carnegie – Group Scout Leader
1stwoodend.scoutsites.org.uk

[Graphic: SCOUTS be prepared …]

20

By Barbara Adams

A Conversation with Andrew Cope

[Photo: Andrew Cope]

When Andrew Cope learned about computers a light switched on in his head. It was 1980, he was 14 and since then he has never wanted to do anything else but work with them. Now, computers are the most important thing in his life, apart from his family, that is. His wife Liane, Andrew tells me, has been the best support a wife could ever be and together they run Evergreen Computing – Andrew does the techy stuff and Liane looks after the finance and HR, their separate skills working well together.

Although you may not know the company name, you may well have accessed some of their work. If you have been on websites such as Wotton Cinema, Under The Edge Arts, Wotton Chamber of Trade, Wotton Town Council, Wotton Heritage – the list goes on – Evergreen are responsible for them and, of course, not forgetting the Charfield Community Site (www.charfield.org) which Andrew set up as a service for the village.

I'm not a computer-minded person and after I had arranged to meet Andrew, I was rather nervous about whether I would understand a word he was talking about. I needn't have worried. He wasn't at all technical – well, he was a bit – but so easy to chat to that I soon forgot my anxieties and actually began to feel that I was getting a glimmer of understanding of his world. Just a glimmer.

But, to Andrew himself. First you see his cheerful smile and then you hear his accent – New Zealand. He grew up in Auckland and after 23 years there, left to experience the big wide world, ending up in Bristol. With his bags packed to return home his plans went suddenly awry – He met Liane. There was some to-ing and fro-ing to NZ which ended when they got married in the UK and went to live in his home country. Their two older children were born there. (Jess has recently completed her final year at Stroud College and James is halfway through his ‘A’ levels at the same place) but after seven years in NZ they made the decision to come and live in the UK. Although Bristol was where they wanted to be, the south, which they already knew, didn't feel quite right for them and when an estate agent suggested North Bristol they discovered Charfield, thought it looked pretty good and have lived here happily ever since, adding to their family with Emma who is in her first year at KLB.

We don't think much about it now but back in 1999 websites were very new and although, with his six employees, he still builds websites, the main focus of the business is web-based systems, so that you can have access to your websites and business systems from anywhere. ‘You need to make sites easy for people to use’, Andrew explained. ‘You need to be lazy to be a good programmer. You need to find the quickest and easiest way to do something’. Information that once would have been stored on a hard drive is generally now on the internet and, using a secure system, is much safer. ‘I like to keep up with technology but I'm getting too old for that!’ Andrew was serious for a moment. ‘We are always looking for young people with new skills’.

Lazy is not a word I would use to describe Andrew. He is very involved with Dursley Rugby Club where his son plays and he is an assistant coach and, of course, he designed their website. Handy to have him on board, I think. And then he has the journey to work to take up his time. The business was originally based at home but as it grew they needed more space and are now in Tortworth. ‘It takes me six whole minutes to commute’, he grins. ‘I love it’.

I wondered if it was possible to switch off at home with both of them involved in the business but Andrew assured me it was. He really enjoys family life – being involved with his children's activities, school plays and all 21three have been through beavers, cubs and then scouts. He can't stand cooking though. ‘If it takes longer to prepare than eat then don't bother!’ I hope Liane doesn't feel the same … They try to get back to New Zealand to see Andrew's family when they can. ‘It does blow the budget’, Andrew said ruefully, ‘but other times we enjoy holidays much closer to home in Devon and Cornwall and skiing when we can. Oh, and following rugby Sevens is something both Liane and I enjoy though we haven't yet managed to convince the children’.

Finally, copying a question I've seen in interviews recently, I asked Andrew what might it surprise people to know about him. He thought for a minute. ‘I was a DJ for two years at university and did a late shift on student radio. It was good fun. I enjoyed it. My taste in music is pretty eclectic though I don't think I'd want current pop music if I was stranded on a desert island. I sometimes think the music you don't like at first can be best. If I was cast away and only had one choice I think it would be the 1812’. He strikes me as a very sociable sort of a guy and I rather think that should he ever wash up on the shores of the mythical island, he wouldn't hang about to listen to anything. He might not have a computer to help him but I'm quite sure he would be working out the best way to get back to his family.

Hello! I was rooting through some photos my Mum gave me. I have to say I was rather sweet. My paternal Grandmother had knitted me a bonnet with a cross between bunny/cat ears. Mum said that she had taken me out in the pram and someone said, “Cute baby, shame about the hat.”

[Graphic: Crawling baby] When I was about five and then on, my Dad's Mum would often appear with boxes of dresses. They all had matching ribbons. So obviously although my lovely Mum might not have chosen these particular garments, when she knew Nanny was coming I was suddenly adorned in frocks and hair attire. Her sister, my Dad's Aunt Lil, would pinch me on the cheek and say, “Ooh, I could eat you.” I learnt to accept these signs of slightly painful affection because she always said goodbye producing a huge Jaffa orange and a sixpence. When Grandad was alive, my Dad and I would go and visit on a Sunday lunchtime and go to a pub near Battersea Park. The three of us would sit outside, me with a lemonade and a packet of crisps with the little bag of salt in. My Dad's Mum worked near Knightsbridge for a Maharani and she often came home with ‘no longer required’ pieces of cashmere.

Isn't it funny how in early years all the gentlemen wore suits, all of the time? More family photos showed days at Brighton Beach with Grandad on a deckchair fully suited with a trilby. I was closest to my Mum's Mum. This Nanny was super special and had great spirit. She went into service at the age of 14 and learnt many skills, would make my Mum coats and, when times were obviously tough, would make a pie using giblets! Obviously someone with more cash had the chicken. I do hope I've been blessed with her spirit. She died at the age of 96, falling off a step ladder. She just couldn't wait for my Mum, who used to call in three times a day. She wanted to put the Pyrex dish away, on the top most shelf, herself. Memories, eh?

Right, up to date things. You may have read in the local paper that our school received an outstanding Ofsted report. Whilst all the staff were being introduced to the inspectors, Sue and I were outside ‘doing our Parent Link.’ You know me, not being one to miss out. I introduced myself and apologised for not being there to be debriefed! Obviously my charisma saved the day.

Millie, our wonderful Granddaughter, asked me if I knew who the best cleaner was, in the whole wide world. Naturally, I assumed it would be me. “Barry Scott,” she announced. “He's the No 1.” For those who are not as in awe as our Millie, it's the Cillit Bang Man.

Well my lovelies, I'll send this off to our lovely Chadra peeps. Yes, I know, the next time I write, we'll all have had our customary three sprouts on the special day and watched Morecambe & Wise. [Graphic: Have a Nice Day]

So until then Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Love, Maz x

22

People are being targeted repeatedly with pension scams, say Citizens Advice.

Over 55s are being repeatedly contacted with cold-calls and emails offering fraudulent pension opportunities, warns Citizens Advice.

Over four months after the pension reforms came into effect, figures from the national consumer body find that two in five Citizens Advice pensions' staff across England and Wales have seen people targeted repeatedly with pension scams.

Albert Ball, Project Manager at Wiltshire Citizens Advice Pension Wise said:

“Pension scams threaten people's financial security. Scammers are finding new ways to go after people's pension pots including offering free pension reviews and promising to invest funds that don't necessarily exist.

“If you've had an offer or signed up to a pension scheme you're unsure about, I urge you to contact your local Citizens Advice where our staff can offer free help and support.”

Citizens Advice offers Pension Wise guidance where people aged over 50 can access free face to face guidance sessions.

To book an appointment call 01722 58xxxx. Rachel and Tracey make the appointments for all of Wiltshire, South Gloucestershire, Bristol and Bath but you can be seen in any local CAB office as all the Pension Wise Guidance Specialists are mobile. Rachel's office is in Salisbury and Tracey sits in Trowbridge but they share the same telephone number 01722 58xxxx.

Common signs of a pension scam:

• Pension help for free: an offer of help with your pension, such as free review or help tracing a lost pension

• High rates of return: any promotion offering you a much higher rate of return than other investors

• Time pressure: if you are told you must give your details within a short time frame or sign paperwork from a courier

• Early access: an offer to help you access your pension before the age of 55

• How to avoid being scammed

• Never be rushed into making a decision

• Check if the company contacting you is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)

• If you are unsure, contact The Pensions Advisory Service on 0300 123 1047 or contact Citizens Advice on 03454 04 05 06

• Look at the FCA's Scamsmart warning list, which gives the names of investment schemes that are known scams.www.fca.org.uk/scamsmart

• If you have already accepted an offer you think is a scam, report it to Action Fraud

• For further information on pension scams, visit pensionwise.gov.uk

Anne Blackwell,
Pensions Guidance Caseworker, Pensionwise

[Graphic: Dog] If you have a dog or are working with people who own/handle dogs then you may be interested in the following.

The Memorial Hall will be hosting a Dog's Law Seminar with Trevor Cooper, specialist dog law solicitor on October 25th 2015 from 10am to 1pm. Refreshments will be available.

To book a place or for more information please visit either www.sw-dog-training.com or www.doglaw.co.uk

Sue Simmons,
Memorial Hall Booking Secretary

#

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#

Cut out this page and pin it to your notice board.

ACTIVITIES AT CHARFIELD MEMORIAL HALL

Since the summer there have been some changes which you may be interested in so see chart below. For any contact information please contact xxxx @ charfield.org

Are you looking for a venue for an activity or group? – We now have some prime regular slots – morning, afternoon and evening, at the hall and in the Lounge. So if you want to do something on a regular basis or as a one off please get in touch.

Charfield Memory Group, run by Amanda Pearson, now meet in the Lounge and new people are welcome to come along. Also our local PCSO holds a Beat Surgery at the hall once a month so if you need to know the date please get in touch via the email below.

There are 3 sections to CMH – the Main Hall (M), the Sportsman's Lounge (S) and the Playing Field (F)

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY …

CMH = Charfield Memorial Hall, WTH – Wotton Town Hall, Charfield School (CS)
CMHS = Charfield Memorial Hall Sportsman's Lounge

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If you wish to alter the entries below email xxxx @ gmail.com

British Legion
David Millman (Hon Sec) 01454 26xxxx

CADS (Charfield Amateur Dramatics Group)
Steve Picking 07583 56xxxx

Charfield Pre-School
Debra Davidson (Manager/Admissions) 07966 61xxxx
Email:- xxxx @ gmail.com
Louise Sydney xxxx @ gmail.com

Charfield Primary School
Dafydd Lawday 01454 26xxxx

Church – Congregational
Nicky Lanyi 01454 26xxxx

Church – St. John's
Rev Chris Mason 01454 26xxxx
Rev David Russell 01454 29xxxx
Email xxxx @ gmail.com

Clean Up Green Up Charfield
Vanessa Cole
Email xxxx @ gmail.com

Community Dementia Link
Amanda Pearson 07814 69xxxx
https://www.facebook.com/charfieldanddistrictcommunitydementialinks

Council – Charfield Parish
Hannah C Saunders (Clerk) 01454 32xxxx
Parish Council, PO Box 1947, Bristol. BS37 0BU
Email clerk @ charfieldparishcouncil.co.uk

Council – South Gloucestershire
John O'Neill 01454 86xxxx or 01454 26xxxx
Email xxxx @ southglos.gov.uk

Cricket Club
Jeremy Hull 01453 52xxxx
Tony Field 01454 26xxxx

Crimestoppers 0800 555 111

Friends of Charfield Primary School
Dave Ashby (Chair) 07904 02xxxx
Email xxxx @ yahoo.co.uk

Foundation Room
Bryan Grantham 01454 26xxxx

Junior Football Club
Andy Leeds 075801xxxx

Keep Fit Club
Christine Parfitt 01454 26xxxx

Luncheon Club for the Elderly
Jane Higgins 01454 26xxxx

Memorial Hall
Bookings 07774 41xxxx
Email xxxx @ gmail.com
Chairman Liam Balloch 07947 43xxxx