‘Those were the Playdays…!’
We are delighted to report that the Playdays event on Tuesday 9th August was a great success! This was a South Somerset District Council initiative, supported and partly funded by the Parish Council. Children of all ages enjoyed a range of activities, from axe-throwing to wall-climbing, from go-karting to archery, and even handling birds of prey! The weather was beautiful, all activities were free-of-charge and the smoothies were great…
A Facelift for the Town Hall
The Town Hall is looking much prettier after the redecoration of the woodwork, guttering and drainpipes on three of its four sides. Unfortunately, the scaffolding and traffic-management issues where the fourth side (the A30 side) were concerned defeated us but we hope to return to this challenge within the next year. Many thanks to decorator Paul Heather for his hard work.
Commonwealth War Graves Recognition at the Cemetery
A few months ago, the Parish Council applied for a plaque to be displayed at the entrance to the cemetery to indicate thatthere are Commonwealth war graves there; they are the graves of Arthur John Gosney, Ronald Leslie Greenstock, Herbert George Hinks, William Merritt and Henry James Tabor.
Others who have served and died for their country are remembered in the churchyard at St John’s Church.
Many thanks to John Fanning of the History and Heritage Group Committee for initiating this process.
Cemetery Tidy-Up:
Cllr Lyn Harrison along with the Parish Clerk and Parish Ranger descended upon the Cemetery during August with any empty van to remove all the junk that had accumulated there over the years. All the builders’ bags, bits of wood, old pallets, plastic, carpet, and other bits have now been removed. The spoil heap is due to be removed by the end of September.
We remind people that dogs are not permitted in the cemetery and the bins there are for internal use only. The bins have to be emptied by hand and so the dumping of bagged dog poo in them is rather unpleasant.
The trees that have been planted over the last few years have now started to establish themselves and with the new bench in place under the Arbour at the end, the Cemetery is certainly a quiet and pleasant place to be for reflection and remembrance.
Other Items in Brief:
Ball Court Grouting: Is there anyone out there with some time on their hands and the relevant skills who could complete the grouting work started by our ranger, Martin This would be paid work, of course! Contact Simon or Nathalie if you are interested.
Further, would anyone be willing to help with the weeding? – where all the flooring needs grouting large weeds are now pushing through. Not a massive job, but certainly one that will involve being on your knees for a while.
Cemetery Chapel Museum: Essential roof repairs will be carried out in August; scaffolding will be erected for the duration of the works.