bisley news june / july 2016
DESCRIPTION
The Community Magazine for the village and hamlets of Bisley, GloucestershireTRANSCRIPT
The Bisley News
Please recycle our village magazine by returning it to:
The George Stores, Holbrook Garage or Stancombe Beech Farm Shop so that someone else may read it. Thank you.
June / July 2016 www.bisleynews.co.uk
Incorporating ‘The Spire’
The Bisley News Colin Hassall
[email protected] 01452 770335
This magazine is also available at www.bisleynews.co.uk
Copy DEADLINE August / September edition
Saturday 16th July 2016 Or earlier if all space taken
BISLEY W.I. Admission £3.00
Meetings start at 7.30pm at the Bisley WI Village Hall
Thursday 9th June Dementia Avenue
June Hennell Thursday 14th July
The History of Punch & Judy Phil Colhead
Guests Welcome
Printed by MDL Kelex 01453 791 400
Bisley Friendship Club Wednesday
15th June
Songs from the Musicals Wednesday
20th July Entertainment T.B.A.
Guests & newcomers very welcome
Susie Bromley 770232
OPEN HOUSE Coffee & biscuits 11am – noon
Thursday, 2nd June Alison & Tom Merry, 3 Rose Hill
Thursday 7th July To be no fied
If you’d like to host a meeting please contact Mo 770298
Open house is a good way to meet your neighbours & catch up with village activities
Everyone Welcome
Flicks In The Sticks Bisley WI Village Hall
7.30 for 8pm
Tuesday 14th June ‘Spectre’
The latest James Bond movie with Daniel Craig
Tuesday 12th July ‘Brooklyn’
A touching story with Saoirse Ro-nan and Julie Walters
Everyone Welcome [email protected]
Cover photos: Ascension Day in Bisley: walking to the Wells
Editor’s Notes Ascension Day This year the event was met with that rare commodity – sunshine! Well done to all who contributed; the children looked splendid and the floral arrangements were beautiful. Even the Vicar looked pretty cool! Elections We see new folk taking on the role as Parish Councillors and we wish them well. I have to agree with Jane Walker’s sentiments that the outgoing team deserve a big vote of thanks from us all. Congratulations to District Councillor Tim Williams on his re-election. I was particularly pleased to see
Martin Surl re-elected as our County Police and Crime Commissioner. I worked with Martin in days of yore and know that he is exactly the right man to get a good job done (and keep party politics out of policing). Broadband - Gigaclear or BT? I suspect that a lot of you, like me, have found the whole broadband debate somewhat overwhelming. Roger Utley has helped enormously with his explanation on Page 10/11. As this magazine goes to print Gigaclear’s website announces: “Good news: Your neighbours have demonstrated there is sufficient demand in your community to enable Gigaclear to install our ultrafast fibre-to-the-premises network. We are finalising our plans for network routing and will start installing soon.” So, finally, we all have the opportunity for ULTRAFAST broadband in every home that wants it. Arrivals 1 - Defibrillator The village defibrillator has arrived and is installed outside the village hall. Well done to all who worked so hard for this to happen. Arrivals 2 – Grandson Congratulations to new grandmother Pat Maisy. Her daughter Fran and husband Tim Meek have their first wonderful new baby boy, Hugo James. A Bisley News ‘Thank you’ - to Bisley-with-Lypiatt Parish Council and to Bisley Cricket Club for their recent donations towards the printing of the magazine, helping to keep your copy free of charge.
All change at the Parish council We say goodbye to Roger and Shelagh Utley and to John Mulligan who have all been exceptionally valuable in the work of the Parish Council. A very big thank you to them all for giving up so much of their time. Welcome to our two new councillors sitting on the Bisley Ward contingent of the Bisley-with-Lypiatt Council. We are pleased to welcome as elected (uncontested) Parish Council members: Hazel Saunders, who is well known for her excellent work in the Bisley Community Composting scheme and with the W.I. and as a school governor. Hannah Hurst, who will also be a familiar face, for her work in the village with her child minding business. I hope that they will enjoy the challenge and I look forward to working with them in the future. Their contact details are below. This creates a vacancy within the Ward for a councillor to be co-opted. Do you know of anyone who would be willing to help? The work is rewarding and makes a real difference to the village. What do we do? Among other things, we review all planning applications; take care of our footpaths, churchyards and our children’s play areas. Also, we liaise with the District & County Councils on the state of the roads, rubbish collections, dog bins, and snow contingency planning as well as having regular contact with the Community Police Officer. Each Councillor will do as much or as little as they can manage in a voluntary role, (although attendance at a minimum number of meetings is mandatory) and no training or experience is necessary, (although there are plenty of courses to help). We are also looking for individuals to take on the specific roles of Snow warden(s) and Footpaths warden(s). For any extra details, please feel free to contact myself, or the Clerk. No Cold Calling stickers. If anyone requires stickers to put in their window discouraging Cold Callers, please contact a councillor. Footpaths. The spring is now here and with the excess of rain, we expect that foliage will be on the rampage! You can report problems to any councillor or to Gloucestershire county council PROW. (Then go to” report an issue”) Remember! The only strimming and cutting back available through the Parish Council will be if this is on Parish Council land…otherwise it is through the County Council Public Rights of Way, as above. Superfast Fibre Optic Broadband. By the time of going to press it is likely that the BT work on the Superfast…
Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor I would like to express my personal thanks to Roger Utley, Councillor for Bisley Ward since 2010 and Chairman of the Bisley -with- Lypiatt Parish Council since 2011 for all his years of work with the Council. He has been a skilled and experienced administrator, and has enhanced rigour and transparency both within the full Council, and at Ward level. He has been an equitable and wise Chairman, and his scrupulous attention to detail has been much appreciated by all. To the village he has contributed greatly to various fields of work. He established a productive dialogue with Gloucestershire Highways and with Stroud District Council, resulting in both the repairs on many of the village roads, and continued snow contingency planning, not to mention the installation of many new Dog Bins in key locations. Other work at Ward level included the continuing refurbishment of the King George V Pavilion, reviewing all planning applications and recommending responses, as well as ensuring a healthy budget to maintain all Council services within the Parish. His advice and clear vision to make Bisley a good place to live in has been exceptional. Therefore, I am sure that all parishioners will join me in wishing him well for the future. I look forward to working with his successors on the Bisley- with Lypiatt Parish Council. Jane Walker
Parish Council …continued…
...Broadband will be complete (following the closure of Holloway Road 2-7 May). Contacts : Jane Walker 770713……………. [email protected] Hannah Hurst 771285………… [email protected] Hazel Saunders 770606……… [email protected] Peter Morris (Clerk) 771089…… [email protected] The Bisley -with-Lypiatt website and the Stores noticeboard show all agendas and minutes of Bisley Ward meetings and The full Parish Council Meetings, all of which you are encouraged to attend as a member of the Public.
Tennis Tournament REMINDER Sunday 12th June, 2.30pm – finals at Jayne’s Court
To book your place and for full details contact Phiip Howard – [email protected] 01452 770776
The Frith Youth Centre, Bussage Open times Monday 3:30pm till 5:00pm - All Ages Monday 6:30pm till 8:00pm - Ages 9 to 13 Thursday 3:30pm till 5:00pm - All Ages Thursday 7:00pm till 9:00pm - Ages 14 to 19 Friday 7:00pm till 9:00pm - Ages 14 to 19 Various fun and games, table tennis, pool table, air hockey, table football, music, food and refreshments, Free Wifi Qualified, experienced staff to ensure a safe environment for all the youth of the area. For more information or any specific requirements please contact:
Laura on 07791583954 or [email protected] Frithwood Surgery – Mountain Mayhem
CYCLING medics Dr Tim Crouch and Dr Will Nattrass are in training for a 24-hour challenge at Gatcombe Park this June. The pair are hoping to raise at least £500 from their efforts, which they plan to split between Frithwood Surgery Patients Participation Group and the Macmillan Cancer Support. Dr Crouch, who retired from practising as a GP two years ago, and Dr Nattrass will be joined by Locking Hill-based Dr Robin Blenkarn and vet Hareth Abdulla from Liverpool for the gruelling 24-hour ‘Mountain Mayhem’ Race on June 18 & 19. The men are hoping to complete as many laps as possible during the challenge, but also intend to build in time to eat, rehydrate and sleep. Practice manager Ruth Henney and her husband Peter have volunteered to provide catering support for the team. Dr Crouch, 66, has been a keen cyclist for 20 years and rides for at least eight or nine hours a week. He completed 11 laps at last year’s Mountain Mayhem and said he hoped the weather would stay dry in the lead up to the event. “Each lap is six miles and include steep climbs and challenging descents,” he said. “We’re going as a team but our aim will be to each ride as many laps as we can. We will be taking breaks; some people ride straight through, which is unbelievable, but we will be taking time to eat and sleep. “We do lots of cycle challenges but without doubt this is the most gruelling.” Dr Nattrass, 38, who joined the Frithwood surgery two years ago, said the practice’s PPG is raising money to buy a finger prick blood testing machine to help diagnose bacterial infections. “The benefit of this equipment is greater accuracy over the prescribing of anti-biotics,” he explained. People who use Frithwood Surgery can sponsor Dr Crouch and Dr Nattrass by speaking to a member of the reception team or visiting: http://www.justgiving.com/frithwoodsurgery-PPG. Supporters are welcome to go along to cheer on the Frithwood team. By Sue Bradley, Cornerstones Media
Flower Show Advice from Penny Smith There are several new classes in this year's schedule. The new Novice Class in Floral Decorations reads 'Flowers and foliage for my kitchen, open to anyone not winning a prize in this category in any previous show' I encourage anyone who has not entered before to 'have a go'. This class is about just that, it is a fun thing to do and at first thought may feel intimidating but your ideas may be yours and interpretation may be colour or something pretty that relates to your kitchen - and containers can be kitchen related, a glass jar or anything in between. Another new class is 'A Decorative Wreath made with seasonal flowers and foliage not to exceed 400mm overall'. There are several different types of bases that can be used and it is important to remember not to exceed the 400mm overall size. The material used needs to be mature - this helps to ensure the arrangement will stand well. Preparation of your foliage and flowers helps - I tend to pick in the morning and immerse in water in a cool place for at least a day. Do have a go, the whole tradition of a village show is local participation. Good entries make the show a success and it's SUCH FUN to take part in the day! Note from the committee, other new classes are:- Vegetables: • A basket of home/allotment grown vegetables, open to anyone not winning a
prize in this category in any previous show. • Swiss chard, three leaves Flowers: 3 rudbeckia Baking: Cup Cakes
Bisley Flower Show Committee
Invite you for
Summer Drinks & Canapes at Lower Nashend Cottage, Nashend, GL6 7AJ
6.30pm Friday 10 June, 2016 £6 on the door or from George Stores.
To raise money for the Flower Show Marquee
Hilda Trinder
The family of the late Hilda Trinder would like to thank everyone for all their kindness shown during Hilda’s illness and subsequent death. They have been overwhelmed by the generosity of the community; to date around £1500 has been raised for All Saints’ Church and Cancer Research.
So much cleaner now!
Many thanks to those who volunteered for our recent litter-pick in April. Thanks to them Bisley now has a great deal less rubbish on our lanes and roads. So to Brian, Ann, Gerry, Lucy, Jane, Suzie, Lisa, Malcolm and Jane Jones and her gang of pickers from Stancombe, and WI/Village Hall Chairman Jeff Taylor who put all our 13 bags of rubbish out the following Friday for SDC to collect (after Peter forgot !) a great big THANK YOU!!
BATS – the next episode…
Following the BATS Annual General Meeting we are pleased to announce that Lucie Mitchell (“Good Puss” and Senior Teacher at the Blue Coat School) and Ken Brown (BATS stalwart) have joined the Committee. The new committee has now met and would like to explore the opportunities for the Panto in January 2017, with rehearsals beginning in September this year. So, good folk of Bisley please put on your artistic heads… For a PANTO there are three essential requirements –
A DIRECTOR to bring the players to a crescendo of performance! A PRODUCER to create the stage and effects and organise all else
A SCRIPT suitable to satisfy the needs of our Panto-hungry villagers! Are YOU up for any of the above?
This is your big opportunity! Please contact Sue Bryant for full details, or offers to take part: Email: [email protected] Phone: 01452 770792
A Village ‘Thank you’ to Giffords Circus Our neighbours Giffords Circus now so well established at Fennells Farm, Lypiatt are ‘on the road’ for their Summer season. They kindly invited Bisley Residents to join them at their final evening dress-rehearsal on Thursday 12th May, and you responded by giving them a full-house. So on your behalf, Bisley Villagers, here is a great big ‘Thank you’ to Giffords for the kind invitation, and for a brilliant performance of their 2016 ‘The Painted Wagon’. After their season of touring they’re back at Fennells Farm in September – see www.giffordscircus.com
WHY IS A FAST BROADBAND SERVICE LIKE A BUS? Because you wait years for one…
and then two come at once!
For some years we have known that the Fastershire Project (a joint undertaking between Gloucestershire and Herefordshire County Councils) would include an upgrade of the Bisley telephone exchange to provide Superfast Broadband. Just as it looks as though the Fastershire promise is about to become a reality, up pops a company called Gigaclear plc with a proposal to build a completely independent dedicated fibre-optic broadband network capable of bringing Ultrafast Broadband to most of Bisley-with-Lypiatt Parish. Gigaclear sales teams are currently roaming the Parish knocking on doors and trying to persuade householders to sign up to the new service. Unfortunately, some of them aren’t very good at explaining the pros and cons of doing so. Here are some things you might want to think about: Do I really need to upgrade? If you are 100% happy with the speed of the internet service you already have, then you don’t need to do anything. It will still be available. If you’re not happy with the speed of your current service, then read on…
What’s on offer? Here’s a comparison of the various speeds on offer. They are expressed in Megabits per second (the larger the number, the faster the broadband service). The current service (ADSL2+) and the Fastershire Superfast service are delivered via your telephone line. This slows the signal down so the actual speed received is lower (sometimes much lower) than the one quoted by service providers. These are estimates of the likely actual speeds of the 3 services: ADSL2+ – 4 to 5 Mbps on a good day Fastershire Superfast – up to 15 Mbps Gigaclear Ultrafast – from 50 Mbps upwards Note too that ADSL2+ and Fastershire Superfast are asymmetric. This means that the signal coming into your home travels much faster than the one going back from your home to the exchange. So if your inbound speed is 15 Mbps, the outbound speed may be no more than 3 Mbps. This becomes a problem if you need to send large amounts of information, as well as receive it.
OR
The Gigaclear Ultrafast service is carried on fibre optic cable all the way into the house. This allows Gigaclear to offer speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps. Gigaclear’s service is symmetric, that is its quoted speeds apply both to incoming and outgoing signals. What speed do I need? A connection offering a genuine 15 Mbps would probably meet the needs of many home users. Anyone who regularly downloads (or uploads) large files would benefit from a faster connection. How much will it cost? There are a number of things to check here:
What is the monthly charge for the service? How much is the activation fee? Is there a monthly usage restriction? Will it meet my needs? How much will I
have to pay if I exceed it? For the Gigaclear Ultrafast service, how much will it cost to run a fibre optic
cable into my house from the Gigaclear connection point in the road verge? What about my home telephone? If you opt for the Fastershire Superfast service, which is delivered down the telephone line, you will be able to continue using your home telephone as normal. If you choose the Gigaclear service, but want to keep your landline telephone, then you will have to pay the landline rental in addition to the monthly Gigaclear charge. Alternatively you could change to an Internet Telephone Service which routes your telephone calls via your internet connection (in most cases, you can keep your existing telephone number). Something the salesman might not tell you is that an Internet Telephone service won’t work in a power cut. You can get round this by installing an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), but this increases the cost. Sports/Entertainment Packages If you currently subscribe to an internet package that includes a sports or entertainment bundle, speak to your package provider before deciding between Fastershire and Gigaclear. There may be restrictions on moving your package. Future Proofing Fastershire’s dependence on copper wires for its internet service means that its maximum speed is limited and there is little scope to develop the technology to improve matters. By contrast the Gigaclear system uses more modern technology, making it significantly faster and giving it more potential for future development. Minimum Numbers Because the Fastershire service is government funded, it will be provided regardless of how many people choose to take it up. The Gigaclear proposal, by contrast, is a commercial undertaking and will only go ahead if at least 30% of households place orders for the service. If you like the sound of the Gigaclear offering, you need to register your interest now at http://www.gigaclear.com/ By Roger Utley
Bisley Community Composting Scheme • The gate code was changed on 1 May. Please renew your
membership for access to the pedestrian gate – but we are always open 10-1 on Saturdays. Sieved compost will be available from 21 May for a donation of £3 a bag
• In collaboration with Stroud Festival of Nature BCCS is hosting a “Life in the Soil” workshop on 9 July 11-1. All welcome.
• The Master Composters Scheme (supported by Gloucestershire County Council and Garden Organic) has organised an open Lecture on the microbiology of the soil and compost at the Royal Agricultural University :The Talk is given by Professor David Hopkins, Professor of Soil Science and Dean of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the Royal Agricultural College. Title “Microbiology and Biochemistry of Decomposition in Soils and Composts” Date: 7pm – Tuesday 2nd June at the Royal Agricultural University Cirencester Watch our website for workshops, activities, information on composting : http://www.bisleycommunitycompostscheme.org.uk
CHESTERGATE ALLOTMENTS
• Plots varying sizes available £12 each. Contact Lesley for info 01452 770 018 • National Allotment Week is 8th – 14th August, when we will have our annual
‘get together’ , including an update on the Charities allotment history, and the opportunity to discuss things of interest or concern - including a proposed rent rise by last year’s Parish Council. Date to be agreed soon. Watch our lively website, made by allotment holders for allotment holders, for photos of events and up and coming activities including the date for the Annual ‘Get Together’ :https://bisleyallotments.co.uk
Bisley Community Orchard • We care for and keep the community orchard circular paths well mowed –
please don’t leave your dog pooh on them!! • We have a kind donor for another Rowan to be planted at the edible hedgerow
gateway to the orchard – to ‘match’ George and Hadley Hemming’s Rowan planted on the anniversary of Lyn’s death this January. Wildlife Corner
Nature Notes by Verity Trinder A few weeks ago, my family and I spotted a hedgehog in our back garden. If you see hedgehogs in the day, as we did, it means something’s wrong. We took the hedgehog to the hedgehog hospital. They said it had a cut on the nose and by its feet. They also said that it was probably from someone strimming and the hedgehog was most ..continued
Defibrillator At Last! Our Community Public Access Defibrillator has finally been installed on the exterior wall of the Village Hall. Once again a very big thank you to all those who have helped to achieve this by fund raising and particular thanks to Jeff Taylor for his help in getting it installed. Watch this space for news about training in how to use the defibrillator. Hazel Saunders
likely hidden under a pile of leaves. Please be careful where you are strimming, particularly as this time of year it is when hedgehogs come out of hibernation, and it is also the time when many people start to tidy up their gardens after the winter. If you want to feed a hedgehog give them cat food and water but not milk (as this upsets their stomach). www.helpahedgehog.org
Wildlife On Our Doorstep by Jamie Stephens The other night I stepped out into the garden and was greeted by a loud snuffling and snorting noise. It was a pair of young hedgehogs totally immersed in a courting ritual. I left them to it only to stumble across the largest adult hedgehog I've ever seen! We only have a small garden, but the wildlife visitors are immensely varied. The birds were easy to tempt in and the hedgehogs invited themselves, but we needed to attract more creatures, particularly insects. Less than 9 months ago we dug up about 10m² of the lawn. In that area we built a small wildlife pond and planted shrubs and flowers that would attract bees, butterflies and other insects; not forgetting large stones placed between plants for butterflies to 'sunbathe' on. And finally, I received a brilliant birthday present from my mother-in-law — a 'bug hotel' that was hung on a fence. Flowers are now starting to bloom and already attracting bees, whilst the pond has attracted many residents including a frog, a toad, some newts, water boatmen and many more... not to mention the numerous birds who use it as their local watering hole and bath. This project didn't break the bank and it gives us no end of pleasure watching the garden evolve into a 'mini nature reserve'. Give it a go, you won't regret it.
Ascension Day 2016 The Church Bells rang out joyously, the silver band played jubilantly, the
congregation sang heartily and the children giggled excitedly! Wonderful Bisley – it could only be Ascension Day!
Angela Mobile Hairdresser
All aspects of
Ladies, Gents and Children’s Hairdressing at your home
Fully Qualified & Insured.
Tel:01452 722249 Mob:07709 646891
Eddie’s Tennis At the net, like a man
possessed, he enjoys two handers to smash his balls
Then he wakes up and goes to work!
Eddie Kearney’s Bisley Fencing
Tel: 01452 770546 Mobile: 07774 694646
All Types of Fencing Agricultural, Industrial & Domestic
Dry Stone Walling Specialists
Grads win 7th Gold at Malvern Show
The ‘Sunken Retreat’ Garden, designed by Ann Walker of Graduate Gardeners, has won
the Graduates team a Seventh Gold Medal at the RHS Malvern Show. The starting theme for the garden was the use of Corten (rusted) Steel. The central feature in the sunken garden is a square Corten steel fire pit, with seating around it for up to 20 people. Logs for use on the fire are stored underneath the seating, making an attractive feature..
The team, led by Foreman Adam Thomas was made up of local boys, Jake Turley, Johnny Davies and history graduate, Sam Hunt, who is shortly to enter
the Young Landscaper of the Year competition. They are seen here enjoying the sunshine with one of the show’s Celebrity visitors, Gardeners World’s Monty Don. Charles and Ann were also joined by Bake-Off Celebrity, Mary Berry.
Meanwhile… In celebration of World Naked Gardening Day (Saturday 7th May 2016), gardeners have been
unveiled in their natural glory. Here Charles was spotted ditching his clothes and grabbing a newspaper, for a relaxing spell in the sunken garden (I bet that stone seat was cold!). World Naked Gardening Day is celebrated by free-spirited gardeners across the globe on the first Saturday in May each year.
Images by Stuart Purfield for RHS Malvern Spring Festival
The Spire - All Saints’ Church
In June, the Church enters the long period of what is called "Ordinary Time"
(the Sundays after Trinity). With Easter falling so early this year, this season goes
on until 23rd October. As you can see from the diary, not much seems to happen
(apart from a few special weddings and baptisms - and of course the fête!).
This has made me think about the very concept of 'ordinariness'. Much
of our time is spent doing 'ordinary things' - brushing our teeth, shopping,
washing up and so on. But calling something 'ordinary' has almost become a
derogatory term. It implies boring, disappointing or lacklustre. All around us,
adverts sing the praises of "best ever", "all new", "20% bigger", as if today must
always be more exciting and satisfying than yesterday. We spend our lives
wishing away 'ordinary' days until special days come round again.
The reality is that our daily existence is one of 'ordinariness', so we doom
ourselves to dissatisfaction and disillusionment if we cannot find some way of
living contentedly with the everyday. We also forget that we need the ordinary
to help us see how special the extraordinary is in comparison.
We mustn't think either that it is only in the extraordinary that we can
encounter God or recognise his presence amongst us. Almost always the people
who met Jesus were just going about their ordinary business, little expecting that
this was a day that would change their lives forever. There are so many examples
of this in the Bible: the calling of the first disciples who were out and about doing
their day jobs as fishermen or tax collectors when he walks by and calls them to
follow him; those whom he healed on the road who were just trying to struggle
on; St Paul on the way to Damascus; even Mary, interrupted by a visit from the
angel Gabriel while perhaps doing her household chores.
So don't despair of the ordinariness of life - treasure it and all that you
have been given. Learn to live in the present moment, however unglamorous it
might feel - for you never know what might be round the corner.
Revd Rosie Woodall
Bellringing News Bell Ringing has
continued
throughout the
Spring with good
attendances throughout. Our
new recruits from last summer
are doing really well.
Rebekah, who has been taught
to ring by Julian, has made
rapid progress over the last
few weeks and benefited
enormously from attending a
Stroud Branch practice at
Woodchester. Emily is also
doing well and is developing a
good technique. Meanwhile,
Lindsay was successful with
her first attempt at ringing a
Quarter Peal - we rang this on
the light bells of Randwick. We
are delighted to have attracted
two more new recruits: Lisa
and Adrian who live in
Bussage. We hope they will
enjoy ringing with us.
Once again, Bisley
represented the Stroud Branch
in the Association Striking
Competition. This contest
involves teams from each of the
twelve branches of the
Association ringing a test piece
on a ring of six bells. This year
the contest was at Woolstone in
the Cheltenham Branch. We
were really pleased with our
performance but were both
surprised and delighted when
the judges announced that we
scored 96% and were placed
2nd behind the team from St
Mary Redcliffe, Bristol who
represented the Bristol City
Branch!
June and July will continue to
be busy. We will be ringing to
celebrate Bob and Jenny
Gardiner’s 40th Wedding
Anniversary and also The
Queen's Official 90th Birthday
celebrations. We have two
weddings to ring for - both
brides having once been
ringers at Bisley. There is the
Stroud Branch Striking
Competition to look forward to
and then there is the Ringing
World National Youth Contest
on Saturday 2 July – Julian,
Fen and Olly are attending the
Association Youth Team
practices in preparation for
this event which, this year, is
being hosted by London. Julian
and Fen have represented the
Association before but Olly is
working hard and may yet be
selected as well.
Ian Bucknell
Woolly Tales - The Rise and Fall of the Woollen
industry in and around Bisley parish
Local author Jennifer (Jenny) Tann will give a presentation in All Saints’
Church on Friday 17th June 7pm for 7.30pm start. This will be followed by a buffet hosted by John and Elizabeth Cowen at Overcourt.
Tickets at £15 are available from the George Stores. Price includes welcoming glass of wine in All Saints’. Proceeds to the Church and, at Jenny’s request, to Stroud Women’s Refuge.
There are so many reminders of the woollen industry in our local
landscape: fine clothiers’ houses, mills nestling in the valleys (including
some on very small tributary springs), weavers’ cottages and workshops.
We owe the Canal to clothiers who needed access to S.Wales and
Forest of Dean coal, as well as to London markets. And our language
is full of woolly words – spinning a yarn, going to a gig, and many more.
This fully illustrated talk will focus on how and where people worked in
the local woollen industry; and what physical evidence can still be seen.
Fortunes were made and lost. The decline of the industry and the
hardship of handloom weavers and small clothiers (there was migration
and emigration to relieve poverty) will be traced. And the postscript is
positive, for new uses have been found for old mills.
(Jenny is author of Wool and Water, The Gloucestershire Woollen Industry and its Mills, History Press, 2012)
All Saints’ Bisley Services Sunday 29th May
9.30am Benefice Eucharist with celebration of 150 years of Reader Ministry
St Michael and All Angels, Bussage Hill
Sunday 31st July
11am Benefice Eucharist Christ Church Chalford
Starship Discovery Holiday Club
The "Starship Discovery" Easter Holiday Club (run by volunteers from local
Anglican, Methodist and Baptist churches) took place
from Wednesday 6th to Friday 8th April at Chalford Hill
Methodist Church. A fun-packed three-day programme
saw the children taking part in songs, games, crafts and
cooking, all with an outer
space theme. Activities
included designing their
own planet for our collage; producing an alien or
space monster out of junk; making and
decorating biscuits and cakes; bouncing around on space hoppers; playing
'flying planet volleyball'; learning our theme song, and so much more!
The children also learned about someone
who went on a different kind of amazing
journey - Jesus' friend called Peter the
fisherman. We heard how he first met
Jesus and 'turned' to follow him; how he
'trusted' Jesus so much he almost walked
on water himself; and, how he was 'transformed' by the gift of the Holy Spirit
at Pentecost to become one of the leaders of the early church.
All the children agreed that the Holiday
Club experience was truly "out of this
world"! Thanks to all those who
supported the Club by donating junk and
especially to those who organised and ran
the activities on the day. We hope to hold
another one in the summer holidays, so
keep your eyes peeled for more details
later!
Bisley WI goes a ‘YARN BOMBING’! Nadia writes; To celebrate the Queens 90th Birthday the WI have requested members to take part in Yarn Bombing their local area. Bisley WI decided to choose George Stores village shop door / gate area to Yarn bomb. In preparation for this Alyson MacLeod kindly hosted a Knit and Natter evening where we were able to get our needles and hooks (crochet hooks) out and get to work. We set to work on the sunny afternoon of Sunday 17th April to decorate the shop. Thank you to all members who provided pom-poms, bunting and the fantastic knitted Queen, Prince Phillip complete with Corgi made by Jane Neighbour.
Bisley Cricket Club 2016
Bisley Cricket Club’s first League match against Frocester was abandoned at tea time on Saturday, May 7th when a violent thunderstorm prevented our team from going in to bat. Neither side received any points. Before the game, the team was photographed outside The Bear. The owners, David and Amanda, sponsored our players for the second year running, joined this season by cider makers Stowford Press and GR Groundworks. New Captain Christopher Whitfield and Vice Captain are in the centre of the front row.
Bisley Pre-School Playgroup A small community-based playgroup Where parents are listened to, and children are nurtured Where laughter is shared, environments explored, and friendships are built. Bisley Pre-School Playgroup has taken full advantage of the warmer weather. We have been exploring water play, hunting for mini-beasts, and creating and playing on obstacle courses with balancing beams, hoops and cones. We have had several new children join us this term. We have been thrilled at how quickly they have settled into their new routine. It has also been lovely to see how caring and gentle the older preschool children have been to their new friends. Thank you to those who supported our Car Boot Sale. We raised approximately £130, which will be used to develop our outdoor play space.
If you are interested in joining our Playgroup, we accept children from 2 years 9 months. We do not have any spaces for this term, but if you are interested in a space for September, please get in touch. Our hours are 9am-12.45pm, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. If you would like to arrange a visit, or would like to secure your child’s place, please call Emily Luckham (Playleader) on 07908 488509, or email:[email protected]. Further details can be found on our website http://bisleyplaygroup.wix.com/play
Big Top Congratulations! Charlotte Bentley and Ben Beach were married on Saturday 14th May 2016 at All Saints’ Church, Bisley, and to celebrate they and their guests went to the circus! A big thank you to all at Giffords and Circus Sauce for a wonderful day and a spectacular show.
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Pasta with Summer Vegetables in a Mediterranean Cream Sauce
An ideal recipe to serve at a Pimm's and Pasta Summer Party (4-6 servings) 225g/8oz pasta shapes - cooked a selection of vegetables to include - courgette slices red onion rings peppers of various colours - sliced mangetout -cooked whole baby sweetcorn - cooked whole asparagus tips 225g/8oz seedless grapes Mediterranean Cream Sauce - recipe below 110g/4oz Parmesan cheese - grated or shavings
Cook the prepared vegetables in 300m/half pint boiling water until they begin to soften with lid on pan. Strain through a colander and rinse under a cold running tap, add to the cooked pasta and stir in the sauce before serving - serve grated or shavings of Parmesan separately.
Lazy Cook tips -the vegetables should be crisp in texture - avoid overcooking and I prefer pasta shapes as they hold the sauce. Mediterranean Cream Sauce 300ml/half pint white wine - boil until reduced by half. 1 teasp. sundried tomato puree 6 sundried tomatoes preserved in oil - slice 110g/4oz pitted black olives 1 tblsp mixed fresh herbs - chopped 1 teasp Balsamic or Wine vinegar freshly ground white pepper 50ml/2oz single cream
Whisk the tomato puree into the reduced wine before adding all the remaining ingredients and stir well before serving. Lazy Cook tips - this sauce can be made up to 5 days in advance - store in a covered jar or jug in the fridge -stir well before using. A good sauce to serve hot or cold with pasta or rice dishes.
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Leaking like a sieve In recent weeks I’ve been along to four local historic properties to advise on why rain is driving through the front or gable-end walls? In each case rainwater was being ‘blown’ through the masonry during sustained periods of heavy rain and high wind recently experienced, manifesting itself as dampness on the internal face of the wall, and indeed in a couple of cases, resulting in Trevi Fountain-like cascading water features! These inspections follow on from my post in the previous edition of The Bisley News in which I wrote on the subject that most of our vernacular cottages in the area were either limewashed, or lime rendered, prior to having their render removed often because of the fashion to expose the stone. In all four cases, the elevations inspected are exposed to the prevailing weather. One common denominator is that all the buildings were built of poor-quality ‘as dug’ locally quarried limestone. It is my opinion that the intention of the original builders, when choosing the construction stone, was to have the building rendered, or at minimum, ‘limewashed’. Without that render, or limewash the building is subject to the ravages of the weather To add insult to injury, in all four buildings, the original lime pointing had also been replaced with cement-based mortar pointing over more recent years and this has generally had disastrous results because of the inherent properties of cement and its incompatibility with stone and brick. As the guidance provided by Historic England (formerly English Heritage) states: Buildings of traditional construction (generally those built before 1914) used soft weak permeable (or 'breathable') materials such as lime mortars. Later modern construction, on the other hand, uses strong impervious materials such as cement and concrete. If you use modern materials with traditional construction you may just be causing more damage by trapping moisture and reducing permeability. So, the moral of the story here is that before you attempt to repoint your leaky wall in cement, carefully consider your building; consider its exposure to the elements, its ability to withstand the elements, whether the material it is built will withstand the
ravages of the weather; inspect the mortar between the joints and consider the merits of replacing cement with a lime mortar; finally, consider whether the wall originally had (or would benefit from) an additional layer of lime render or limewash which would give it an additional level of protection. Nick Miles
News from our District Councillor
As the election was underway, there is little news to report. Below is a small summary of the events that happened in April/May 16. Election At 18:15 on Friday 6th May it was confirmed that I was re-elected as the district representative for the Bisley ward. Although 46% of you voted, it is upsetting that this was one of the highest percentages in the Stroud District. This is an issue nationwide which I hope, across all parties, can be addressed in the future. Martin Surl was elected as the PCC with a total of 78,592. The turnout was 30%, this is higher than the 17% we saw in 2012. Highways As many of you may know, I met with Scott Tompkins – Lead Commissioner of highways- on Thursday 21st May to discuss a series of issues. Here are some county facts: - There are not enough gangs to get around all of the roads so some pot holes get fixed and others, right next to them, are left. -Highways have been given £2.5 million next year to sort pot holes; they use £15 million to maintain the roads at their current state- this is does not include fixing or replacing. -Some new machines are being bought which make the tarmac on site. Keeping the material warm is difficult and it goes off during the day. These new machines mean that the first pot hole is just as good as the last and lorries can be loaded up the night before to increase efficiency. - Some gangs do not have skill sets to do certain jobs. - There is a new council website being created so that we, as residents, can take photos of pot hole and note the location. There is not an app and no offline working so I have questioned how useful this would be in our ward where we get limited phone signal. We would have to go home and upload the photos afterwards and would lose the Geographical locator functionality of the website. Apparently Apps are a thing of the past. - Parish councillors are going to be given a section on the website so they can log in and understand what pot holes have been recorded and their current status.
Continued …
- Only 5% of pot holes are reported by the public, the rest are by the inspectors that we see driving around. Here are some of the questions I put to Scott Tompkins (Editor: there were a number of further questions that, due to lack of space, will appear in the next edition): Does the pot hole grading system not take in to account the danger for cyclists? The 3 categories of pot holes. These are set nationally and Glos County do not have any control over those measurements. There is a legal document titled “well maintained highways” - published in 2006 that they work to. Apparently, the inspector has a right to increase the urgency of particular pot holes if they feel it is a busy road for Bikes. He stated that with 1% being bike users, the budget just does not stretch and decisions have to be made. Why are highways cutting private hedges- this is a waste of money? Highway operators have green tickets that they send to residents. These request the resident cut their hedge or face a charge for the highway completed service. There are no stats on this- which i wanted to see- but apparently the relationship is strong between the residents and the county. Scott said typically people oblige when asked once. Car crash site? As many of you know, I requested a meeting to highlight the crash site near Upper Southmead farm. Following that meeting, a solution has been scheduled in early 2017. I have requested that they make sure the resolve does not reduce the road width and cause further issues in the future. Why some roads that appear to be in good condition are replaced? Apparently we have to be careful to use the word wasted when discussing the budget and its allocation. Just because a road looks fine, work could be conducted because of a structural defect or the roads inability to allow cars to brake safely. Is there any competition- why do Highway gangs seem to sit around all day? The highway teams are measured on KPI targets and often have competitions with each other to drive production. When members of the public see other third party gangs- line painters for example- these are operated by third parties who are paid by the job. What they get done in their day is up to them and of no loss to our highway depts. That said, Highways would want to hear about them, just in case. They will investigate and deem whether these are highways responsibility or not.
Continued overleaf…
Contact me: Some ward matters, planning in particular, are of a time sensitive nature. Too often I am approached with planning issues just days before the decision date. In light of that, below is a list of the quickest ways to contact me:
• You can write to me, for those of you who don’t know where I live, SDC have my details online as well as in their office- so ring reception.
• You can write to Stroud District Council and the letter will be put in my pigeon hole.
• You can email me- [email protected] • Ring into the office at Stroud council and leave a message for me. • You can also view work on my twitter account. It is mostly Farming, Family and
Food- but I do put any political updates on their too. You don’t need an account to view- just google “Tim Williams Stroud” Alternatively, have a word with your parish councillors or County Councillor- Jason Bullingham. Thank you I want this to be the last thing that you take away from my article. If you voted for me on May 5th 2016- Thank you! There has been some great achievements over the past two years and I am keen to maintain that momentum and push for more in the next 4 years. If you have a district matter, get in contact.
News from you Village Agent First of all many of you will know that I had been working shortened hours over the last couple of months due my father’s illness and sadly his death last month. I would like to thank so many of you for your support and kind comments over this painful time. Always a difficult time it has been inspirational to feel the support of the community and the empathy of others. So now to news -There’s lots going on around the county this month, and one big event on June 5th marks “Walk in my Shoes” to celebrate Carers Week from 6th to 12th June. Carers in Gloucestershire last year saved the local economy an incredible £540 million! The event takes place in Pittville Park, Cheltenham on Sunday 5th June 2016 and will see people from across the county swapping footwear with their family, friends and colleagues to walk a mile around the beautiful Pittville Park to show their support for local unpaid carers. Registration is £10 for adults and £5 for children which includes your ‘Walk a mile in my Shoes’ t-shirt and goody bag (under 16s can register for free if they don’t want a T-shirt). If you are one of the 63,000 unpaid carers and are not already in touch with Carers Gloucestershire I do urge you to contact them. In addition to providing information, advice, support in the form of groups, days out, counselling and a bespoke support line, Carers Gloucestershire also provide the “Positive Caring programmes” . As a carer, there can be additional worry about what would happen if you were to become ill yourself. That’s why there is “The Emergency Carers Scheme” which works on two levels of need. Most of our local charities which focus on physical and mental health conditions will also offer more specific information to support you as a carer. Carers Gloucestershire Telephone: 01452 386283 Gloucestershire Young Carers-Gloucestershire Young Carers is a support network for young carers across the county. Working with young carers they ensure that service providers understand young peoples’ special needs and respond appropriately.Telephone: 01452 733060 Healthwatch Gloucestershire- free phone 0800 652 5193 Carers UK-Carers UK is a charity set up to help millions of people who care for family or friends.Telephone: 0808 8087777 The Carers Trust -A charity for, with and about carers which works to improve support services and recognition for anyone living with the challenges of caring, unpaid, for a family member or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or who has mental health or addiction problems.Telephone: 0844 800 4361 Village agent, Gill Cannon - 07776 245767 or email [email protected] or through GRCC head office 01452 528491
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