The Bisley News October/November 2014 www.bisleynews.co.uk

Incorporating ‘The Spire’

The Bisley News Colin Hassall

editor@bisleynews.co.uk 01452 770335

This magazine is also available at www.bisleynews.co.uk

DEADLINE December / January edition

9am Sat 15th November 2014 Or earlier if all space taken

BISLEY W.I. Admission £3.00

Meetings start at 7.30

Thursday 9th October Air Marshal Sir David Walker LIFE AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE

Thursday 13th November AGM &

Sue Bradley, HOW I FELL INTO GARDEN WRITING

Guests welcome

Printed by MDL Kelex 01453 791 400

Bisley Friendship Club W.I. Village Hall

Wednesday 15th October

To be announced

Weds 19th November

Carols 2.30pm – 4.30pm

Delicious Homemade Teas

Guests & newcomers

very welcome

OPEN HOUSE Coffee & biscuits 11am – noon

Thursday 2nd October Jenny Rowe, 14 Bearsfield

Thursday 6th November Ken Lucas

VanderBreen Street Open house is a good way to meet your neighbours and catch up with village

activities

Everyone Welcome

Flicks In The Sticks Bisley WI Village Hall

Tuesday 14th October The Invisible Woman Starring Ralph Fiennes

Tues11th November The Grand Budapest Hotel

Starring Jude Law

7.30 for 8pm Everyone Welcome

Editor’s Notes

Bisley returns to normal After some scorching weather, periods of exciting filming activities and a Flower Show and Fete that was up with the best, it’s time to relax into a more settled time of year; children back at school and winter season activities beginning. Cricket success As the summer ends let us not forget a record-breaking season at Bisley Cricket Club, culminating in promotion to the Premier Division – well done lads! BATTIES out in force The Bisley Amateur Theatrical Society pantomime ‘Open Evening’ to start the proceedings for a January show was a roaring success as a ‘hall-full’ of people attended to offer their services on or off stage. David Klein returns in the role of Director with promises of ‘lots of fun’ for the players as they rehearse their parts. Flower Show and Church Fete All the hard work paid off and another splendid Fete and Show was held in glorious sunshine. New resident Rob Hicks, seen on the front cover with his massive Marrow, stole the crown from Robert Stephens, who had won the big prize for the past 14 years. The gauntlet is down fellas!! Inter Village Quiz The Show/Fete fundraising MEGA QUIZ, was an unqualified

success with 150 people taking part. It was good to see our friend of Bisley, Aubrey Watson, out in typical style to entertain and ask the questions. Well done to the ‘Eastcombe Too’ team which won the prize. Come on Bisley; get your revising caps on so that we can win it back next year! Big Breakfast is back! Autumn brings the return of that great community get-together; the sizzling Big Breakfast in the Village Hall. The first one of the season is at 9.30am, Saturday 4th October; so get along early and join the fun! SDC Councillor Williams Having a young and enthusiastic Councillor to represent us at the District Council means that we get very comprehensive updates. See what Cllr Tim Williams has to report at the back of this edition. The GIFFORDS come to Bisley By now many of you will have seen the wonderful performances of Giffords Circus at Fennells Farm, Lypiatt, just off the road to Stroud. They are to be our permanent neighbours as Nell, Toti, Red and Cecil settle into a new life in our community, and the Circus finds a new permanent home. We wish them every success and happiness. Community Orchard Apple-Day Join in the Apple celebrations at Chestergate Allotments at 2pm on 26th October.

Parish Council Notes

Lorries in the Village. We now have agreement from Gloucestershire Highways to erect ‘no articulated lorries’ signs at the entrances to the village. Sadly they would only approve regulated signs meaning that we could not have graphics and the signs will be in English. We were hoping to improve on the existing signage and become more comprehensible to non-English speaking drivers. It's not clear yet how much the Highways contractor would charge to erect the signs and discussions continue on this in particular. Be assured that we will try our utmost to reduce the number of lorries entering the village. The Pavilion upgrade. The new booking system is now in place (contact the Parish Clerk if you'd like a booking form) and users are coming to terms with the need to notify the Parish Council when they wish to use the facilities. Work continues to obtain costings for insulation and heating with no firm dates in place as yet. A new front door has been installed. BMX Track We have had frustrating time trying to organise the move of topsoil to the playing field for the creation of a dirt track. The task required a mini‐digger with driver, plus a light tipper truck. Our thanks go to Rob Gardiner and Nick Miles and for helping us out with these. By the time you read this we hope that the move of the soil will have been completed and work on creating the track can begin. Any interested volunteers are more than welcome to help in the design. Contact anyone on the Ward team. Fibre Optic Broadband for Bisley with Lypiatt Parish. The Fastershire project has announced that work to upgrade the Bisley exchange is scheduled to begin in June 2015 and should be largely complete by December 2015. Footpaths. Due to the huge growth of weeds with the lovely summer weather, some of the paths within the village have become quite overgrown. The Ward team have been trying their best personally to cut the overgrowth in the essential areas, such as the Windyridge path to the Bear car park. The Parish Council has no responsibility or finance to keep these tidy or passable. This lies with the County Council, who unfortunately have limited resources to add any more work to their list this year. Please let the County Council Public Rights of Way staff know if you have any comments on a particular overgrown path (their contact number is 01452 425000). Please try to cut back any paths near your own house if possible. Winter is coming! Sorry to mention it but we are now making plans to help the Village if the snows descend upon us. We are in need of one or two extra volunteers to help with gritting the High Street and some of the village walkways. This is always a huge help to the older residents and children trying to get around. Please contact anyone on the Ward team if you can give a little time - training and equipment provided. Numbers below Mobile Library We were pleased to hear that the County Council has decided to reinstate the Mobile Library Service. It will call at Windyridge between 9.30 - 10.30 on Thursday 30 October and Thursday 27 November. Boundary Review The Electoral Commission is currently reviewing the boundaries of the District Council Electoral Wards. At present the whole of Bisley-with-Lypiatt Parish is represented by one District Councillor. If the Electoral Commission decides to change the Ward boundaries then we might find that different parts of the Parish will be represented by different District Councillors. We may also find

that the individual villages of the Parish are amalgamated, for electoral purposes, with neighbouring urban areas. If you have a view on how the boundaries should be drawn/redrawn, then the Electoral Commission would like to hear from you. There's more information on the review and how you can make your views known on the Parish Council website at www.bisley-with-lypiatt.gov.uk/documents/ElectoralReviewStroud.pdf Next Meetings of the Bisley Ward The meetings on 13 October, 10 November, 8 December and 12 January (every second Monday of the month) will be held at 7.30pm in All Saints Church Meeting Room so that Pantomime rehearsals can take place in the Village Hall. Anyone is welcome to come to listen, comment or raise an issue with the Ward team (but bring a torch, the churchyard is very dark at night!). Next Meetings of the Full Parish Council are on Wednesday 1 October and 5 November at 7.30pm in the Village Hall. Again all are welcome. Both meetings publish their agendas and minutes on the Bisley Village website at http://www.bisley-with-lypiatt.gov.uk/ Bisley Ward contacts. Jane Walker 01452 770713 (Chair of Ward, Footpaths) John Mulligan 01452 770214 (Highways) Roger Utley 01452 770614 (Planning, Finance) Shelagh Utley 01452 770614 (Play areas)

Graduated with Honours

Many congratulations to Jack Dickenson, Jennie Batten and Ben Jones who all Graduated with Honours this summer. They have all worked extremely hard during their time at University and their success is well deserved. We wish Jack, Jennie and Ben every success in their future careers. Photo Ben Jones

A big ‘Thank You’ from the Trinomites

WE DID IT! Everyone made it round in one piece: the swimmers navigated The Docklands and avoided Sammy the seal, the cyclists pedalled their hearts out around London and the runners braved the heat and brought us smoothly over the finish line! The atmosphere was fantastic and our supporters were amazing, they really kept us going throughout the day. We have currently raised £12,222 (inc. gift aid) which has far exceeded our original target of £3,000. Becky, Sophie, Harriet and Charlotte along with the rest of the team would like to say a big thank you for all your help and support; we are truly overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of everyone. We are already discussing with Sue Ryder how this incredible amount can be best spent to help Leckhampton Court.

Amazing Allotments

The Chestergate allotments are in good heart. 35 allotment " plotters" and their families are not only producing fresh food, but (all named Rob?) winning awards for their magnificent vegetables and glorious gladioli at the Bisley Flower Show, and community orchard fruit (winning second prize in the fruit collection class) is raising the profile of Gloucestershire 's threatened apples grown here on the Allotments. An increasingly wide range of wild life has been identified on the allotments including at least ten species of different worms - these workers are key to the quality and vitality of the soil, and the quality and vitality of the food grown. Last but even more important, through Jess' great initiative, generous allotment gardeners are donating vegetables and fruit every week to help those people, who due to increasing inequalities in our society, use the Stroud Food Bank. If you want to get fit, grow fresh nutritious food, share imaginative recipes for that courgette glut, cut food miles and help address climate change in a simple way, get an allotment. Call Lesley on 770 018 / lesleygreene2@googlemail.com

Community Orchard - Apple day Celebrate our trees at Chestergate Allotments

2pm Sunday 26 October Weeding, mulching, bring apple cakes and apple juice.

Be good to your Heart

In line with a number of our neighbours in Chalford, Brimscombe, Oakridge and Eastcombe there appears to be an appetite for the village to have a Defibrillator to cater for any appropriate heart-related medical emergencies. A lot of research is currently going on in terms of cost, training, location etc, however with the community money from the Jubilee celebrations (£575) there is a good platform to launch a fundraising effort. To this end Anne Eaton is planning a

“Hearty Christmas Do” in the WI Village Hall on Saturday 29 November

(look for more details closer to the time). Many thanks to Colin & Jane at the Bear who have pledged the Raffle money at their monthly Quiz Nights in September (£98)and October. If anyone else wishes to suggest & organise a fundraising event towards the Defibrillator please do get in touch. By the time you read this I will have met with South West Ambulance in terms of information listed above. It may well be that villagers would welcome an informal evening meeting with the Ambulance Service to hear for themselves just what having our own community Defibrillator means. If so please get in touch. Peter (770708) peteranne.thorp@btinternet.com

News from Bisley Blue Coat School

New Governing Body A new Federated Governing Body will take over from the individual Governing Bodies of Bisley and Oakridge Schools this term. The schools will not lose their individual identities, but there will be just one Governing Body with responsibility for both schools, a natural development of the links between the schools. Out and about Classes 1 and 2 are learning about inventors and inventions. They will visit the S.S. Great Britain in Bristol to learn about Brunel’s famous ship. Class 3 will have the opportunity to meet children’s authors at the Cheltenham Literary Festival. Once again all three Classes can enjoy outdoor learning at Copsegrove Farm as part of the Forest Schools initiative. We are fortunate to have such a wonderful, beautiful place to learn about the natural world and to practise skills such as whittling and cooking over an open fire. After School Sports Thanks to staff and parents who give up their time, children will have the chance to be active after school with Netball, Tag Rugby and Cross Country Clubs on offer. Good Neighbours An annual reminder to all car drivers – please park well away from the School Lane area. It is so dangerous for all pedestrians, especially children, if drivers park there, even briefly. And a plea to fly tippers – please do not deposit your rubbish in or near the school skips. The school has to pay to have its rubbish collected, and would appreciate not having to deal with other people’s too. We are planning a new outdoor learning area outside Class 3, between the Classroom and the Churchyard. This will be similar to the outdoor areas available already to Classes 1 and 2. Free School Meals The introduction of free school meals for the younger pupils has got off to a good start. The meals are prepared at Bussage and brought to Bisley. Film Star One of our pupils, Isabella Polkinghorne, is to appear in the new version of ‘Cider with Rosie’ which is to be filmed soon. Vera Clouston

Bisley Village Hall presents…

Bisley Village Hall presents the second in its run of Theatre Shows - a tribute to the

wit and song-writing skill of that most English of Englishmen,

Noel Coward

who said of himself ”I am an enormously talented man and there is no point in denying it”.

Born in 1899, Coward was an actor, writer, composer, director, producer, and in later life painter– and he excelled at them all. The show will include reminders of his dazzling wit and performances of such gems as ‘A Bar on The Piccola

Marina’, ‘Don’t Let’s Be Beastly To The Germans’, ‘Mrs Worthington’, ‘There Are Bad Times Just Around The Corner’ and ‘Mad Dogs & Englishmen’, to name but a few.

'A splendid evening's entertainment' The Noel Coward Society

Saturday 15th November

Tickets (£12) are available from George Stores from mid-October, telephone 01452 771203. The seats will be numbered, so it’s first come, first served. Roger Smith

Sheep Trail 2014

The Launch was not as well attended as in earlier years, but we feel we have a solution to that next year. However our 22 “hosts” provided a village-wide trail for visitors to tread and many thanks to those of you who really entered into the spirit of “sheep design”. We received 24 correct entries and Rosie pulled out the winning names of Antonia & Isabelle Wright at our really well-attended Songs of Praise in the Marquee after the Service on Sunday morning, Antonia & Isabelle’s piggy banks are nicely topped up now to buy a nice Christmas pressie for Grandma Caroline, who took them round the village (but did not help them, so she says) Favourite “sheep”, once again was Emma and her girls at Overcourt Cottages, a wonderfully imaginative setting including a photo of Barak O baa ma plus “Lady Ba-Ba” at Little Close was also voted for by a number of sheep trailers. Shaun.

Giffords Circus settles in Bisley

From September onwards, we began the process of moving from Folly Farm to our new home, Fennells Farm, Lypiatt. We are all very excited! Folly Farm has been a perfect winter home for the circus from 2003 when we moved there but we have outgrown it and have been looking for a new farm for a few years. Fennells Farm is the perfect spot. It has ancient trees, plenty of barns and sheltered fields for the horses during the winter. As a family we moved into Fennells when the children started big school and, with only a field required to put on a show, we had some performances of ‘The Thunders’ lined up over a weekend. We hope that many of you from the surrounding villages were

able to come and enjoy the show. A special fundraising event was held on 20th September for UNCHR to help Syrian refugees with their plight. We are all so looking forward to being part of the Bisley with Lypiatt community and meeting new friends and neighbours over the coming months and years. Nell, Toti, Red & Cecil Gifford

_________ We send a hearty welcome to our new neighbours, the Giffords, and hope that they enjoy life in our busy community. Editor

Bisley Flower Show 2014

Star of the vegetable classes was allotment holder Robin Hicks (picture on front cover) who impressed the judges and well over 1000 visitors with his parsnips, carrots, onions and extraordinary marrows. His winning marrow weighed in at an astonishing 68lbs. Amazingly he started growing show standard vegetables only this year - which proves anyone can do it; you just have to have the knack.

Could this be you next year?

The Bentley family's connection with the ever-popular Men's Chocolate Cake competition continues. The boyfriends of Charlotte and Harriet scooped 1st and 2nd places with their first attempts at baking, following the 2012 success of much-missed Paul.

The Children's categories gave judge Jilly Cobbe a real challenge. Here she looks at the painted Hen’s Eggs

Daisy and William Roberts both with first prize for 'skeleton' decorated cup-cakes and poster.

The Jam, Chutney and Pickle classes were well represented. The Baking entries were better than ever in numbers and quality. Notable

successes were Ann Senior's overall best across 6 classes for her Quince Jelly, Georgia Mudd for Junior Baking and Mrs Jean Hayward-Wright for the best…

Bisley Flower Show 2014

…Victoria Sandwich, winning the W.C. Smith Memorial Challenge Cup donated by her father. With over 500 entries this year the Flower Show continues to thrive.

Mrs MacDonald judges the Bread, whilst below Mrs Heather Hunt judges the Hen’s Eggs

Mr Vick is seen judging the glorious Gladioli, whilst Mr Rigby judges the Savoury Flan

The terrific contribution from so many table sponsors is a welcome financial boost to the fundraising.

Thank you to everyone for supporting the Show by sponsoring, entering, helping on the day and visiting the marquee. You all contribute to an event which has been part of the Bisley community for over 100 years.

Caroline Stephen, Chair, Bisley Flower Show Committee

Bisley Flower Queen 2014

Bisley Flower Queen Georgia Gray and her Attendant Georgie Mudd took pride of place not only at the show, but in the next edition of Stroud Life on the front page. The Queen was crowned by our oldest resident Mary Millin, who was 100 in May. Recently retired GP Doctor Tim Crouch opened the fete with fond memories of life treating his Bisley patients at the Frithwood Surgery, and happy days with his father, Dr Hubert Crouch, visiting the Stirrup Cup in the days of landlord Les Restall.

Picture courtesy of Gloucestershire Echo

Eastcombe Wins First Inter-Village Quiz

The inaugural Inter-Village Quiz took place in the Flower Show Marquee on Sunday August 31 with 150 contestants (Yes – one hundred and fifty!) enjoying a Ploughman's Supper. 24 teams from Bisley, Eastcombe, Bussage, France Lynch, Oakridge and Chalford filled the tent. Over 100 questions posed by Quizmaster Aubrey Watson tested the teams' knowledge over a range of topics from local history and sport to pop music. whilst introducing some splendid background snippets about our truly varied locality. The winners ‘Eastcombe Too’ stormed ahead after they scored well in their chosen Joker round, finally winning narrowly from one of the Bisley teams; the McCroddan’s crowd ‘The Scrubbers’. Funds raised go to the Church and Flower Show. Thanks to Ollie Bradley for scoring, to all the helpers, Aubrey for his stimulating questions and everyone for being such good sports.

Lost Property from the Flower Show These items were found when the Flower Show was cleared…

1 vase, 1 small basket, several plates, A set of keys If they’re yours please contact April Phillips on 01452 813334

All Saints’ Church

Oct/Nov 2014

This time of year is all about remembering. At Harvest we remember with thanksgiving those who produce our food, while also providing out of our bounty for those who are struggling to feed their families, either close at home or overseas.

On All Saints Day (which we will celebrate on 2nd November), we remember those tens of thousands of holy men and women who have gone before us in past generations. Often they began as ordinary people just like us, but enabled by the grace of God, they went on to live extraordinary lives and do extraordinary things. It is them to which our parish church is dedicated - both those whose names we know and those who history has forgotten (though God has not). That same evening we celebrate All Souls, remembering those known personally to us who have gone ahead of us, those who we miss and mourn, and who we will never forget. So as we commit them into God’s safe keeping, we light candles for them to keep their memory alive.

On Remembrance Sunday, and on Armistice Day, we remember those who have died in conflicts past and present - military and civilian - and this year particularly those who died and were injured in the First World War, giving their lives for the sake of freedom.

Memories can be very strong. Some moments of remembering bind a generation together - people sometimes ask if you can "remember where you were when you heard..." about the death of George VI or JFK or Princess Diana. My brother and I still remember the day the racing driver Ayrton Senna was killed - my mum rushed into the garden to tell us and it was the first time we had heard our dad swear!

Sometimes remembering is painful and hard - sometimes we would prefer to forget. At other times remembering brings us great joy and comfort "I'll never forget when...". And sometimes we need to ensure we do remember, something particularly relevant this year with no WWI veterans left. For it is only by doing so, that we can learn the lessons of the past, and build a future for our children that is worth remembering.

Rosie

News from the Bell Tower Ian Bucknell

Congratulations to those of our

youngsters who took national exams - they all did very well. We have two new recruits – Eva Tongue (Connie and Fen's sister) and Jennifer Gardiner. This takes our membership to twenty ringers of all ages and abilities.

Over the summer we enjoyed a day walking and ringing around Great Barrington, Great Rissington, Sherborne and Windrush. A group attended the Ringing Roadshow - an event for obsessive bellringers held at the Newbury Race Course. There is to be an attempt at a full 3 hour peal by the Ancient Society of College Youths on Sunday 21st September. The Gloucester & Bristol Association will be visiting us for training events on Saturdays 11th and 18th October.

After much thought and discussion the bell ringers decided their ringing to mark WW1 would be more meaningful if there was local relevance. Rural Sacrifice, written by N J Thornicroft, was the inspiration and we intend ringing on - or as close as possible to - the one hundredth anniversary of the death of each Bisley man, that means twenty two occasions over the next four years.

The first commemoration will be on or around 21 October for Corporal Edwin T C Blackwell, 1st Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment, who was 27 years old when he was killed at Poperinge, and his brother, Reg, was also wounded at Ypres. Their parents lived at Mount Pleasant. Major Thomas P Dorington of the 1st (Royal) Dragoons, and owner of the Lypiatt Park Estate, was shot by a sniper on 12th November 1914 and will be honoured second.

What’s on Sunday Praise

5th Oct - 2nd Nov – 7th Dec

Engaging and lively worship from 11-11.45am. Brand new service. Holy Communion (said) at 6pm

on these dates.

Sunday School @ 11am

Fun activities and Bible stories for primary age children during the Holy Communion Service on 2nd, 3rd and 4th Sundays.

Harvest Supper & Harvest

Festival

Sat 11th/Sun 12th Oct

In Loving Memory

Communion for All Souls 6pm on 2nd November

Remembrance Observance 10.45am Sunday 9th November

The journey of The Holy Family

When the leaves are only just turning colour and the clocks have still to go back, it seems strange to be writing about Christmas!

It is a tradition to send figures of Mary and Joseph and the donkey on a journey round our parish during Advent. In the weeks before Christmas, they search for hospitality on their journey to ‘Bethlehem,’ and arrive back in church in time for the Christmas Eve Crib Service. Bisley’s knitted figures will begin their journey on Sunday 30th November and travel in a basket which also contains suggestions for lighting the Advent candle, and saying prayers. Any home or business in the parish can offer hospitality, over night or for part of a day. Then the basket goes on to the next place. If you would like to welcome the holy family to your home any time during Advent, please get in touch with Judy Howard (770776) or Kim Trinder (770675).

From the Registers Marriages 19

th July Thomas Banyard and Rachel Webster

30th

August Juan Uys and Jessica Morris 12

th Sept Benjamin Hunt and Hayley Green

Baptisms 27

th July Lucas Rory Bromley

10th

August William Jacob Kilmister

The BIG question

Come and explore, discuss, argue and ponder some of the big questions of life and faith

on Tuesday evenings

Nov 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th and Dec 2nd

See posters for the venues

If you would like prayer for yourself, or someone you care about, please leave a request in the box by the church door. Requests will be prayed for on Tuesday mornings at the 8am service.

Calling all children !

Would you like to be in the All

Saints' Church Children's Christmas

Choir? Enthusiasm is the only

requirement!

We will be learning some old and new

carols and then singing for family and

friends at the Christmas Eve Crib

Service. All junior school children and young teens are welcome.

We will be meeting on four Sundays in November: 2nd, 16th,

23rd and 30th. (Not on 9th November as it is Remembrance Sunday). It

doesn’t matter if you can’t make all four weeks, just come along

to as many as you can.

Come to the church just before our start time of 9.45am.

Parents are welcome to come and have a hot drink from 10.30am

and take you home when we finish at 10.45am.

All you have to do is:

Turn up at 9.45am on Sunday 2nd November – bring a contact

telephone number and any relevant medical details, eg. if you

have an inhaler or medical condition we need to know about.

If you would like any further details please ring

Kim Trinder* 01452 770675 or Lisa Roberts* 01453 884830

We look forward to seeing you there!

*We are trained teachers and CRB checked

LEMON SORBET Lemon Sorbet- an asset in a freezer 4 lemons 225g/8oz granulated sugar 600ml/1pt water 2 egg whites Peel the zest from the lemons and put in a large pan with the sugar and water, stir continually until the sugar has dissolved then bring to boiling point and boil rapidly for 6mins. Remove from the heat and add the juice from the lemons and when cold put into a plastic or suitable container with a lid and freeze until it begins to set. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, take the mixture from the freezer and process for a few seconds then stir it into the whisked whites. Pack into the freezer container, cover and freeze. To serve, scoop or spoon out into small glasses and top with a little grated lemon zest - your guests will love it.

Reflections of a hot Bisley Summer…

On the Eve of Overcourt With apologies to Shakespeare

Once more unto the breach dear friends once more Or sizzle here in Bisley gardens fair In winter nothing so becomes a man As woolly socks and jumpers bulky But when the blast of sun blows in our ears Then imitate the action of a duck, Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood Apply the sun-cream with hard favoured rage Then lend the eye some glasses darkened Apply some lip-salve to the lips so cracked and jaded On, on you noblest Englishman Head for the sea and Weston beaches Swilled with the wild and wasteful ocean Now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide Hold hard the breath and bend up every limb To its full height Then prepare to dive and cool the body sweating And you good yeomen, whose limbs were Made in England, show us here The mettle of your pasture; let us swear That you are worth your leaving of The Cotswolds, which I doubt not; I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips The swimwear fashion trade is truly on the up Be copy now to men of grosser blood And teach them how to swim The game’s afoot, follow your spirit And upon this charge; Cry God for Bisley, England and Submerge!

A. Rhymester of Bisley

Citizens Advice Bureau – Pensions Advice

New pension rules - what do they mean for you? New rules about how you can access your pension savings will come into effect in April 2015. From this date, you'll be able to access and use your pension pot in any way you want to, after you reach the age of 55. The main changes include:

• the option to take up to 25 per cent of your pension pot as a tax-free lump sum when you retire

• converting some or all of the rest of the money in the pot into a guaranteed regular income, called an annuity

• taking out the rest of the money in stages or as one lump sum, which will be taxed.

Sandi Sorell, Deputy Manager of Stroud & District CAB says ‘If you're retiring before April 2015, the existing rules have been relaxed, meaning you can take out more of your pension as a lump sum and change the amount you can take out in stages. Working out what to do with your pension savings is a big decision, so it's important to look at your options carefully. From April 2015, you'll be able to get free and impartial advice to help you decide. If you're planning to retire between now and then, you could talk to a free service such as the Pensions Advisory Service on 0300 123 1047, or speak to a financial adviser.’ The Stroud & District CAB have a freephone telephone number for advice 0808

800 0510 and will also give advice by email. Self-help advice is also available from the website. Emails can be submitted via the website www.stroudcab.org.uk. The CAB helps people resolve their legal, money and other problems by providing free, independent and confidential advice and influencing policymakers.

Bisley Cricket Club wins promotion

Bisley CC won no less than ten of its thirteen league games, finishing second overall and earning promotion back to the Premier Division. The team’s performance was a remarkable improvement on previous years, and there were some outstanding individual performances. Bisley recorded its highest-ever league score of 305-1 off forty overs against Frampton on July 26. Will Gegg scored 40, his brother Callum 101, and Chris Whitfield 133 (both not out.) The Club won by 166 runs. Callum Gegg, with two centuries and two 50’s to his name, landed 5th position in Stroud District Top 25 batsmen and Chris Whitfield notched up 5th position in the Top 10 innings in all competitions. Ed Nash and Jason Hunt both scored a half century in the season. With 6 for 18, Dave Rhodes achieved the best figures of any bowler in Division One and came 11th in the Stroud District Top 25 Bowling Table (all divisions). Jason Hunt with 5 for 26 and Will Gegg (5 for 31) were 14th and 18th respectively. Laurie McCroddan (whose father Kim incidentally took our picture) finished 6th in the Top 25 Wicket Keeping Table, with nine catches. All in all, a brilliant season for Bisley CC, led by Captain Graham Hunt and Secretary Gerry Baker, continuing the tradition of cricket in the village. Thanks once again to the Vice Presidents for their support.

Neighbourhood Watch

Garage/Shed break-ins are on the increase in some our neighbouring villages so Gloucestershire Police remind us to check the security of such buildings.

Recently a youngish man wearing a red tee-shirt and carrying a holdall purporting to sell goods on doorsteps has raised concerns amongst some householders where he has called. We believe the Police have interviewed the man who, although he presented an Identification Card to householders, this did not seem genuine to a number of people.

When the “No Cold Calling” stickers were pointed out to him he became mildly aggressive in his manner. Remember that you are under no obligation to entertain such callers and it may be that such callers are seeking more information about your properties (lack of security etc) and in such circumstances please feel free to contact Gloucestershire Police on their non-emergency number of 101.

Foot care for Fungal Nails

Fungal skin and nail infections are extremely common, being two of the most widely seen conditions by Foot Health Professionals. Whilst fungal skin infections (Athletes Foot) can quickly and easily be resolved by the daily use of an anti-fungal spray, fungal nail infections are much harder to eradicate. So what causes a fungal nail infection? It is not always possible to pinpoint the actual source of the infection, but one major factor is trauma to a nail, like stubbing a toe which allows the fungi to penetrate the nail. Another known cause is the spread of Athletes Foot to the nails. What do fungal nails look like? Infected toenails often become thickened and quite brittle, and in some cases take on a yellowish brown colour, or a white cloudiness over the surface. Infection usually commences at the end or sides of the nail and gradually spreads over the entire nail. Left untreated, the nail becomes more fragile, often sensitive and can develop a “worm eaten” or porous appearance. In some cases, the fungal nail will drop off. Treatment of fungal nails is always best supervised by a qualified Foot Health Practitioner. Professional thinning of the affected nail removes the infection and allows any medication to penetrate the nail, facilitating the full potential of any treatment. Reduction of the nail also makes the nail more comfortable and manageable. Prevention rather than cure of fungal nails is advisable. Treat any skin condition, like Athletes Foot, immediately to avoid the spread of any infection to your nails. Plus pay attention to the correct drying of feet between the toes. Finally if your nails take on a strange appearance, don’t ignore it. Treat it before it spreads! Michele Cole at Minchinhampton Foot Clinic is your nearest Foot Health Professional. Her clinic is open every weekday between 8am – 6pm on an appointment only basis. Give her a call on 01453 887001 or 07715 627611 to make an appointment.

SDC Councillor Tim Williams

Bisley Flower Show Firstly I would like to thank everyone who organised the Bisley Flower show. It was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon and great to see so many people attend. Boundary change

Something you may be aware of or heard in passing is the decisions by the Boundary Commission to change the boundaries of our area as well as the amount of councillors to represent those areas. The local government boundary commission website was checked for the result (26th August 2014) They stated: “the commission has also announced that is it minded to recommend that the district council should have 51 district councillors in the future, the same as at present. The commission now needs information from people and groups across Stroud to help it produce new pattern wards to accommodate those 51 district councillors”. To elaborate on this, the cross party working group will meet the week commencing 1st

September 2014 to start looking at the distribution of those councillors. Multi-Contract service review As written in my previous article, the multi service contract review for waste collection that commenced in 2001 is due for renewal on the 30th June 2016. The meeting was held on September 4th 2014 and sought to finalise the plans for the up coming renewal. Peter Antill (interim multi service contracts manager) presented the recommendations from the task and finishing group. The recommendations sought to examine not on the design but the delivery of that service. It was reported that a broad understanding was gained from members, officers, and public participation in order to formulate a comprehensive plan for the future. I feel it is extremely important for each member of our ward to know every recommendation from the task and finishing group as this will affect us all in the future: Refuse and Recycling The current system of collecting dry recyclables remains unchanged although, if economical to do so, the plastic film and bags will be added to the collection. Collections are to going to be based around the most efficient routes instead of the being based around parish and town boundaries. Food waste will be collected weekly in a caddy- this is a small green box that will be given to homes. Residual waste will be collected fortnightly offsetting the cost of weekly food collection. Wheeled bins will be used in most cases but black plastic bags will still be provided to properties where bins are not suitable. The price of purchasing these bins will be offset against the saving of black plastic bags. An agreement is signed with the joint waste committee whereby the council will receive an incentive payment scheme based on meeting targets to reduce waste sent to landfill. Based upon projection, the payment will be about £200,000 but could increase, as it is performance based.

Garden Waste An opt-in chargeable garden waste collection service is to be introduced at a cost of

around £36 per annum per wheeled bin plus a one off charge of £20 for the purchase of the bin. Currently the final setting of charges is in a consultation period. Bulky Waste

A £15 charge* is introduced for the collection of three items with a 12 month review to ensure that the costs are covered by the income received. Changes to the charge are to be delegated to the strategic head. * As we live in a rural area the concern would be fly tipping. The issue has been raised and the conclusion was that the link between higher prices for bulky items and fly tipping has no correlation. However it has been stated that it will be monitored in the future to insure fly tipping does not occur due to this issue. Street Cleansing

Future service delivery has been slightly amended. Our ward fits into Zone Four-Rural villages. The previous frequency was 30% of villages twice a year. The current trial period is twice a year but is suggested to increased to four times per year. Grounds Maintenance

There is no significant change to the current service schedule There is a £10,000 reduction in budget for the use of fertiliser and herbicides

Building Cleaning The frequency of and the systems for cleaning of municipal buildings are to be re-

examined at this time. Implementation

In order to phase the implementation of service changes it is delegated to the Strategic head who is in consultation with the chair of the Environment committee.

All of these recommendations were accepted by the council and subsequently will be implemented from 2016

Preferred Supplier With a unanimous vote the council committee opted for option B- the council will join the

local authority company, UBICO Ltd as a shareholder and enter into an agreement to deliver the contract. Depot

The council had another unanimous vote for the decision to buy, subject to a full cost analysis report, it’s owns depot. Sale of Recyclables

The council has also voted to become responsible for the sale of recyclable materials. _______________________________________________________________________

Open the Book “Open the Book” is where a small team (2 or 3 people) go into the Blue Coat School on a Monday morning, just before lunchtime and tell the children a Bible story. The story normally lasts no more than 10 minutes and we often get the children to take part, which they really love. If you would like to join the team we would love to hear from you. It isn’t demanding as it only happens every other Monday during term time and the more we have on the team the fewer occasions you would be called upon.

If this interests you, please contact Anne or Peter on 770708

October News from your Village Agent

Lou Kemp - 07977 508811 I recently attended a workshop run by Healthwatch Gloucestershire which was set up in April this year to replace LINK. Healthwatch is there to give children, young people and adults a powerful voice locally and nationally. Our Our Healthwatch is all about local voices being able to influence the delivery and design of local health and social care services. Not just people who use them, but anyone who might need them in the future. They are involved in a number of different projects but at the moment they are asking for you to share any experiences you have had recently in regards to hospital discharge (to home or to residential care), podiatry services and patient transport. The findings are going to be taken to a local and national level, and hopefully will lead to improvements in these and other services. I’ll give you contact details at the end of this article but I’m also happy to come to you and relay your experience back to Healthwatch on your behalf. Increasingly these day, so much of our communication is done by email or via Skype,or our buying is done online. Many people I meet say they’re too old to learn how to use computers but they can be so helpful to do things like on- line supermarket shopping. Living out in this beautiful countryside that we are privilege to be in, can have its drawbacks once transport becomes an issue. Age UK is running all sorts helpful computing courses. I’ve noticed that “tablets” (no, not the medicinal kind) seem to be taking off not just for younger people, but especially for older people who never got involved in using a computer. They’re light to hold, easy to use and portable.

. 1. Apple iPad for Beginners-- get off to a flying start with your iPad Thurs 16th Oct, 10.30-12.30. Cost £10 .Venue: Age UK, 26 Station Road, Gloucester GL1 1EW

. 2. Apple iPad for Improvers---the next step...tips and tricks Thursday 23rd Oct and Thursday 30th Oct 10.30-12.30. Cost £20. Venue: Springbank Community Centre, Cheltenham You will need to bring your own iPad for these courses and be confident* using the internet and have a working email address - we can't set up one during the workshop.(*if not, why not sign up for our one to one sessions?)

. 3. Android Tablets for Beginners Introduction to your Samsung, Hudl, Nexus Android type tablet. Please bring your own Android tablet with you. Thursday 6th Nov, 10.30-12.30. Cost £10 @ Age UK There is also a session for trouble shooting your own computer; please contact Age UK for details. Age UK- 01452 422660 Healthwatch Gloucestershire Tel: 01452 504989 or Freephone: 0800 652 5193

a flaming brandy soaked Christmas pudding

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me an iced and marzipanned Christmas cake

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me a flaming brandy soaked Christmas pudding

On the second day of Christmas my true love

gave to me an iced and marzipanned Christmas cake

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me a platter of rich franzipan topped mince

pies

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me a chocolate Yule log

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to

me a tangy, zesty lemon tart

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me traditional mince pies

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love

gave to me a light and creamy chocolate cheesecake

Christmas is hectic time for everyone and that’s without worrying about what you will feed your relatives and

guests over the holiday period. Why not let the Bisley Bakehouse ease some of the pressure by providing

fresh, high quality cakes and puddings that will simply impress!!

fiona@thebisleybakehouse.co.uk