DEC 2011 The Bathford Bulletin

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The Bathford Bulletin

The Monthly Magazine For The Parish OfBathford

December 2011

www.thebathfordbulletin.org

The Bathford Primary School Christmas CD Is Now On Sale

Featuring The Children From Bathford School

Do you have a photo or drawing you would l ike to see on the front of the Bulletin?

We are looking for interesting or unusual ones of the vil lage; particularly any thatcapture a distinct character of the vil lage or are from an unusual vantage point. Please

send your submissions to: [email protected]

*Christmas Fair*

Saturday 3 December

1 0 - 1 2 in the Parish Hall

Tables £5. Tel. Monica 07591 277336

Prize for best decorated table

No jumble please

From the Parish Register:

Baptism Daisy Beatrice Brett 6 November

St. Swithun’s Church Bathford

Rev Jane Burgess - Telephone: 858325

email: [email protected]

Churchwardens: Derek Brown 859886 Joy Craine 85861 3

Readers: Gerry Mil ler 858402 Michael Craine 85861 3

Gil l Gilbert 858927 Dennis Pearson 858293

Everyone Is Warmly Welcome!

We have the fol lowing groups for children during our Sunday Services:

Crèche (0-3); Children’s Church (3-1 0); Rock Solid Youth Group (1 1 +).

Our 1 4+ youth group, 'Scubed', meets three times each month. For detai ls please ring

Michael Craine.

Page 2 The Bathford Bulletin

Christmas 2011 at St Swithun’s Church Bathford

At this special time of year you are warmly invited to any of the services at St

Swithun’s.

Sunday 4 1 0.00am Advent Family service

Sunday 11 4.00pm Christingle – a short service suitable for al l ages

Tuesday 1 3 6.00pm Carols at the Community Shop

Sunday 1 8 6.30pm Carols by Candlel ight

A traditional service fol lowed by mulled wine and mince pies

Christmas Eve

4.00pm Crib Service - Come dressed to join in the Nativity if you would l ike to

11 .00pm Holy Communion

Christmas Day

9.00am Holy Communion

1 0.00am A Family Service of celebration

New Years Day

1 0.00am Holy Communion

The Bathford Bulletin Page 3

‘What would Jesus do?’ This is a bannerthat has appeared on our screens duringthe protests outside St Paul’s. Thequestion is a good one which resists triteanswers. Many would argue that theChapter of St Paul’s has not handled theissue well and while undoubtedly seriousmistakes were made in mitigation, theissues are complex and embrace manydimensions: social, economic, pol itical,moral and spiritual.

Part of the difficulty in knowing whatJesus would do in the situation at StPaul’s is that the Bible is ful l of tales ofthe unexpected where God constantlyoverturns our secular expectations. TheBishop of London has said that in talkingwith the protesters, both Christian andnon Christians alike, he has been struckby their constant reference back to thestory of Jesus Christ. One of the thingsthat he says is clear: ‘is that the currentfinancial turmoil is not just a matter offixing things technical ly. Justice, equityand the flourishing of humancommunities are themes that areintimately connected with finding a wayforward on better foundations. The storyof Jesus Christ is a reference point for somany of these debates. ’

As we see the motley collection of tentsoutside the iconic St Paul’s, we arepoignantly reminded of God’s rathersurprising entry into the world, ani l legitimate, vulnerable refugee seekingshelter and mercy from those who couldoffer it. God has always acted in rathersurprising ways. The whole manner andcontext of his birth, which we celebrateagain this Christmas, testifies to a Godwho engaged, and continues to bedeeply engaged, with our world refusingto stand outside the complex issues ofl ife. Indeed, the Gospels are ful l of

stories of Jesus in the midst of messy,complicated social, moral and spiritualsituations. What would Jesus do at StPaul’s? The one thing I ’m sure he wouldnot be doing is giving the encampmentoutside St Paul’s, or those who work inthe City in London, a wide berth. Hewould be in the midst of the situationand the challenges thrown up by it.

Meanwhile churches up and down thecountry wil l continue to ask themselves,"what would Jesus do here, how wouldhe practical ly be working in thiscommunity?" For some in Bath, oneresponse is to help provide Christmaslunch and afternoon entertainment atKingswood School for al l who are elderlyor may otherwise be on their own forChristmas. Having helped in the past, Ican vouch that if you go, whether as aguest or a helper, it could be one of thebest Christmases you spend. For yourfree ticket cal l 01 225 31 6256.

As we celebrate again the birth of Jesus,we do hope that you wil l join us duringthe Christmas period at one of theservices at St Swithun’s.

Wishing you every blessing thisChristmas season.

Jane

Following our summer concert andJumble sale £500 was sent to ChristianAid to help farmers in Zimbabwe.(Through the Partnership Scheme thissum wil l be multipl ied by 9 by the EU).

Following the harvest supper andcollection £455 was sent to Tear Fund.

Thank you for a great effort in thesedifficult times.

A Letter from the Vicarage


Hope and Homes for Children

On Saturday 3 December at 7:30pmthere wil l be an evening of wine tastingat the Pepperpot Cafe (Dick Wil lows)with Alan Nordberg of Great WesternWines. Tickets at £8 each are availablefrom Keith Masdin (858042) or thePepperpot Cafe.

On Friday 9 December from 6pm comealong to the Pepperpot Cafe and singcarols in preparation for the festiveseason. All welcome, but pleasetelephone 858042 if you wish to come inorder to ensure there is sufficient spaceavailable.

Refreshments wil l be available.

Both of these events are in aid of Hopeand Homes for Children.

Keith Masdin

Bathford Village Shop Vacancies

Cafe Manager

We are seeking a part-time managerfor our pleasant and well equippednew cafe. Rate of pay: £7.50 perhour. For a job description and furtherdetai ls, please contact Kevin Mortimer07921 435579 or 8591 86 (shop)

Newspaper Collator

A responsible early-bird is required tojoin the newspaper team and preparethe newspapers for the deliverers on 3days each week, one being Sunday.Hours wil l be, approximately, from5.30am to 6.45am. For detai ls andrates of pay, please contactKevin Mortimer 07921 435579 or8591 86 (shop)

The Bathford Society

As is usual, there wil l be no talk inDecember. We wish everyone a peacefuland enjoyable Christmas and lookforward to seeing everyone on 30January 201 2 for the talk on the history& work of the Bath Preservation Trustgiven by the Chair of the Trust, Carol ineKay.

David Howells

Bathford Community Shop QuizNight - A Big Thank You

Thank you to all who attended theNovember quiz night in support of ourCommunity Shop. We had a greatevening and raised in excess of £500 forthe shop.

Thanks are also due to all thevolunteers who helped make it such asuccessful evening. Many peoplehelped on the night but special praisemust go to Mike Smith who cooked allthe different curries that were enjoyed inthe interval. No one went home hungry!

Thanks to all who support thefundraising quizzes - there wil l be acouple more in the spring but, in themeantime, best wishes for Christmasand a Happy New Year to you all .

Stan Cherry

Bathford Village Shop

A Meeting Room - The cafe room is nowavailable for hire for meetings etc. in theevening and at some other times. I t is anattractive comfortable room and central lyplaced in the vil lage. Come and look!Bookings are by special arrangement.Contact Kevin Mortimer or the shop, asabove.

Carol Singing - Tuesday 1 3 Decemberat 6pm. Carol singing at the vil lage shop,with mince pies and mulled wine, hasbecome an annual event. I t was a lovelyoccasion last year – a happy vil lage gettogether, so please do come.


Fantastic 2011 Christmas CDOffer - Featuring the children ofBathford Primary School

This amazing CD has been put togethervery kindly by some Bathford parents todelight you and your family overChristmas. The children have been busyrecording their songs in school and StSwithun's, and they sound wonderful.

Each class has sung their ownChristmas song, along with a wholeschool track, a rendition from Class 5and 6 girls and a solo from a class 6 boyset to be a future star. Pepperpotchildren join in with a j ingle written by aPepperpot dad, St Swithun's Children'sChoir with their carol and guest vocalsfeature local singer Fi Patton.

This superb compilation has beenprofessionally recorded by localcomposers and is unique to our school.I t is available for just £8 from the vil lageshop and other local stores or at theSchool Christmas Fair on Friday 2December.

Monies raised from this CD wil l gotowards new staging, l ighting and soundfor the hall to enhance the children'sperformances. The recording this weekhas shown how wonderful ly talented ourchildren are at performing arts. This is agreat opportunity to purchase atreasured keepsake and makes awonderful Christmas present for familyand friends.


Free money for Bathford Schoolwhilst online shopping

Don't forget you can shop online viaTheGivingMachine.co.uk, which istotal ly free and a percentage of salesgoes to the school. Just a reminderwhile you're buying Christmas presents!

Many thanks,

Becca Therrien

[email protected] &

Emma Horn

[email protected]

Bathford School Governors

The Governors of Bathford C of E (VC)Primary School are pleased toannounce that the School Hall wil l beavailable for hire as from 1 November201 1 , subject to the Letting Policy andConditions drawn up by the FullGoverning Body.

These documents can be found on theschool website:

www.bathford.bathnes.sch.uk

Click on the Community icon and thenclick Document Library to find the HallLettings folder.

Alternatively contact the School office.


Saturday JUDO, 9-1 0 am

(Following National Curriculum Guidelines)

FREE ‘TASTERS’ ages 5-1 3.

The Parish Hall, Church Street, Bathford

Check our website gleesonjudo.com

for dates and information.

Or call Finn on 0781 0790039

Look forward to seeing you there!

Headteacher Retiring

After 1 8 years as Headteacher atBathford School, Mrs Grebby wil l beretiring in August 201 2. She has workedtirelessly to develop the wonderfulschool we all enjoy today, with fantasticnew buildings and resources and a verycaring environment. She wil l be greatlymissed by children, parents and staff.

Mrs Grebby said: "I have beenHeadteacher since 1 994 and in that timeI have seen so many positivedevelopments that I am proud to havebeen part of such a fantastic school.Bathford is a very special place with

very special chi ldren and the schoolreflects that uniqueness. I leave theschool well placed to face and rise tothe challenges of the future. I t has beena privi lege to have served the parents,staff and children of Bathford."

The school governors have confirmedthat Mr Stone, current Deputy Head andclass 2 teacher, wil l take on the role ofActing Headteacher from September201 2 unti l the appointment of apermanent Headteacher, planned forEaster 201 3. Ms Sykes, class 6 teacher,wil l be the acting Deputy Head.

Bathford - A Year In Photographs


Snow Fall On The Trees

by David Howells

Beauty & The Beast Pantomime

by John Budd

The Bath Rambling Association

photo supplied by Marilyn Wright

The Bathford Sole Sisters

photo supplied by Sally McLeod

Bathford Summer Festival Fun Run

by Amy Tapscott

The Big Lunch at Warleigh

by Maureen Breeze


Cream Teas in the Village Cafe

Every Thursday afternoon 2pm - 5pm

by Liz Whitfield

The Demolition of Tyndale

by Eric Green

Bathford Visit to Château de Chambord

photo supplied by Jenny Matthews

Bathford Society Archive Weekend

by David Howells

The FlowerShow 2011

by LizWhitfield

Bathford RBL Remembrance Parade

by David Howells

Page 1 0 The Bathford Bulletin

PARISH COUNCIL NEWS01 225 859007

[email protected]

Christmas Greetings – the ParishCouncil can look back on another 1 2months of actively helping to keepBathford a safe and pleasant place inwhich to l ive and work. The Council isgrateful for the support of manyindividuals and to the community as awhole for your interest in parish matters.The Council sends Season’s Greetingsto al l residents with best wishes for aMerry Christmas and a Happy NewYear.

Advance Notice of request forVolunteer Snow Warden Duties - theCouncil has applied to join a BANESinitiative for a Snow Warden ‘Pilot’scheme to run throughout the wintermonths in assisting with themanagement of gritting and snowclearance around the Parish. TwoParish Council lors, l iving at the top andbottom ends of the vil lage, have beenput forward to be Warden and DeputyWarden. I f our application is successful,which would mean better provision ofsalt supplies and co-ordination ofgritting/snow clearance, the Wardenswil l need to call on some volunteersfrom other parts the vil lage to help.Further detai ls wil l be published whenwe know the outcome of the application.I f you are interested in helping pleaseforward your detai ls to the Clerk.

Use of salt/grit from grit bins –residents are kindly reminded that thesalt stored in grit bins is solely for useon the roads. Please do not take thegrit for use on private property. Theadvice published in the November

edition of the Bulletin contained helpfulinformation about the use of alternativesto grit to keep private drives andpathways clear, eg the use of table salt,dishwaher salt, sand or ash. You maylike to keep page 9 of the Novemberbulletin as a handy guide to refer towhen the bad weather comes.

Dog Fouling - because of complaintsand requests the Parish Council haveput considerable effort into preventingdogs crossing the recreation ground andin policing dog foul ing around thevil lage. This is being done at rate-payers' expense.

However there are sti l l incidents of dogfoul ing; recently seen in suchunacceptable locations as right outsidethe Community Shop and in the middleof paved footpaths. As well as othertotal ly unacceptable incidents of baggeddog faeces being thrown over fencesand hedges; sometimes into people'sgardens.

Village Cleansing/Litter – fol lowingcomplaints about the apparentlyincreasing amounts of l itter around theParish, the Council has been in contactwith officials from B&NES CleansingDepartment about the problem. Ahelpful meeting has taken place andBANES have measures in hand toimprove the schedules and ensure thatBathford is included in a regularcleansing program. As always, BANEScan only do so much and residents havetheir part to play in ensuring that theparish is kept clean and tidy. Residentsare fortunate to receive a refusecollection and a comprehensive kerbside recycling collection on a weeklybasis, but the Parish Council has beeninformed that if a refuse sack is spl it byanimals or recycling is blown about prior

The Bathford Bulletin Page 1 1

to the collection, the collection crew isnot obliged to pick up the scatteredrefuse or recycling. Therefore, if yourrubbish is scattered prior to thecollection, please re-bag it or return it tothe recycling box. This wil l ensure thatl itter is not left lying on the roads.Collection crews should pick up anyitems that they drop during the collectionround, but if after the collection haspassed you see items left near yourproperty, please return them to your binor recycling box for collection thefol lowing week. Residents are remindedto take their l itter home with them or putit in a bin. B&NES have confirmed thatl itter bins should be inspected andemptied regularly when ful l . I f you see alitter bin that needs emptying then callBANES Council Connect on 394041 toreport it.

Date of Next Meeting – There is nomeeting of the Council in December.The next meeting wil l be held onMonday 1 6 January 201 2 at 7.30pm inParish Office, Bathford Hil l . Al l ParishCouncil meetings are open to the publicand residents are welcome to attend asobservers or to bring matters of concernto the attention of the Council in the first5 minutes of the meeting.

Ruth Holding

Clerk

Bathford Allotments

Cut your food bil l in half! ! ! !

A few half plots available.

Please contact Martin Wright

on 858047

or email: [email protected]


A Handful of Singers

A Handful of Singers is coming to StSwithun's Church, Bathford on Saturday3 December for a concert featuringBritten’s A Ceremony of Carols withharp, Chilcott’s new composition OnChristmas Night and l ight-hearted musicfor the festive season.

The concert starts at 7.30pm and tickets(£8, £6 concessions, under 1 3 free) areavailable from the Bathford CommunityShop, St Swithun's Church and the choir01 225 31 1 773.

The Bath-based chamber choir of 1 8experienced singers has beenperforming in and around Bath since2002 and is a regular performer at theBath Festival Party in the City. Over theyears appreciative audiences have beentreated to memorable concerts ofpopular favourites such as the FaureRequiem and the Mozart SolemnVespers, but also contemporary musicby Goodall , Rutter, Dove, Whitacre andChilcott. The choir is well respected forthe high quality of its performances andits wide-ranging repertoire. In 201 0 itwas awarded a substantial grant by theBBC through its Performing Arts FundChoral Ambition Scheme for its concert

A Handful Of Singers

involving local young and talentedmusicians.

The choir is directed by ChristopherFinch, winner of the 201 0 BBC Choir ofthe Year with his choir The WellensianConsort.

I f you can’t come and hear the choir onDecember 3, its next concert is onMarch 31 201 2 in St. Michael’s Church,Broad Street – an all-Americanprogramme of Bernstein’s ChichesterPsalms with harp, organ andpercussion, and music by Copeland andWhitacre.

Jane Charles


Bathford and Kingsdown TwinningAssociation

Bottoms Up! Cultural exchanges don'tget better than this!

The latest Twinning event saw our firstrendezvous on a golden autumn Fridaymorning at The Crown in Devizes for aful l Engl ish breakfast ordered by thefifteen French beer-drinkers to start theirvisit off in style. They were here to learnabout the traditions associated with beerand beer drinking. We then moved nextdoor for a tour of the Wadworth Brewery.With its fantastic Victorian buildings andmachinery, much sti l l in use, the signwriting, the cooper and the fabulousshire horses this visit was of greatinterest to us all and was completed withthe opportunity to try some of the beersbrewed on site. Beer was bought. Thenoff into the sunshine to enjoy a publunch.

In the evening James Honey, the chair ofthe regional committee of CAMRA,brought his knowledge and enthusiasmplus twelve different beers to the ParishHall for a beer tasting. I t was a very jol lyevening! We learnt a lot and wobbledhome treasuring our new-foundexpertise.

The next morning, another brewery,another tasting. But a very differentexperience as the group visited the BoxSteam Brewery - one of our local micro-breweries. Situated in farm buildingsjust off Bannerdown it produces a smallnumber of delicious beers. Beer wasbought!

Next on the l ist of activities was a pubcrawl. Remember them? We all got onthe bus for Bath and separated intogroups to visit pubs which the weekendorganiser, Kevin Marris, had suggestedas "typical". Some groups made aserious attempt to visit al l . Our groupenjoyed three very different styles of pub

and as we rolled out at 4 pm to catch abus home I realised that the last time Ihad done this was as a student in 1 969. . .

Saturday evening was spent together inthe Parish Hall where there was anexcellent soup and English cheesesupper. The French visitors entertainedus with some drinking songs and we triedto respond with equal panache withsome traditional songs of our own. Andthen we fel l upon a selection of pubgames: drafts, darts, shut the box andmany more which kept us all entertained'ti l the doors were locked.

Sunday saw many of us taking a healthyinterest in the great outdoors. AgainKevin had on offer a selection of walksfor the groups to do - and somehow theyall seemed to start or end in a pub. . . . Butit was good to get out and enjoy, if not agolden autumn day, at least a dry one.And it certainly cleared our heads for themain event of the day which was supper(I had the fish and chips which weresuperb!) and a pub quiz at the Crown inBathford. A truly Anglo-French quiz hadbeen prepared by Stan Cherry and wasdelivered in fine style and bothlanguages by our bi-l ingual quizmaster,John Lees. I t was a noisy butmagnificent end to our pub and beerevent.

The French were ful l of praise for thedelights of their stay, the kindness oftheir hosts and the excellent organisationof al l the activities. We all agreed thebeer oiled the wheels of friendship! Welldone Bathford and Kingsdown TwinningAssociation!

Judy Marris


Twinning Photos by David Llewellyn


We would l ike to wish

A Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year

To all our readers, contributers and advertisers

From the Bathford Bulletin Team

Diary Of Events

The deadline for receiving copy for the January 201 2 Bulletin is 1 5 December 2011Please put your items into the Bulletin Box in the Bathford Village Shop,

email to: [email protected]

Documents

DEC 2011 The Bathford Bulletin