Village FaceBook Group
There is a very active Stawell and Sutton Mallet FaceBook group. You may apply to join, and if you live in Stawell or Sutton Mallet and are willing to follow the group rules you will be admitted. As the group is getting rather large now we have decided to restrict members who are not villagers to those who have something significant to offer the group or who have a genuine interest in the community. If you just want to know what is going on then everything is posted here, on the website.
Stawell Speedwatch Team
Are you concerned about vehicles speeding through our villages?
If so, you aren’t alone. After listening to the views of villagers the Parish Council is looking to set up a Community Speedwatch Team.
Can you find a little time and volunteer to become part of this group? To move forward we need at least five volunteers.
Volunteers will be trained by local police officers and will then be issued with speedwatch equipment and suitable clothing before starting to monitor vehicle speeds through the villages.
If you are interested then get in touch with Simon Thomas for more details and to put your name forward. Please do this before 31 March so the group can start work as soon as possible.
Simon can be found on simonofstawell@hotmail.com or telephone 722995
April Happenings
HUB Cafe: The HUB Cafe will be a little later in April. The Cafe will open its door from 10:00am to 1:00pm on Saturday 22 April.
Coffee Morning: This will be hosted by Denise Rogers at Holly Tree House on 29 April. As usual, our host will be brewing coffee and serving cakes from 10:00am to 12:00pm
Goodbye and Good Wishes to Stepping Out
As many villagers will know, Stepping Out are moving on and continuing their fabulous provision at Bawdrip and Cossington Village Halls from next week.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank them for making our hall their home for some time and providing lovely lunches on Tuesdays. We wish them all the best in their future enterprises and I am sure villagers will continue to order their weekly bread from them.
March...Spring is on the way
ROAD CLOSURE NOTICE: Wessex Water will be carrying out essential maintenance (a mains leak) from Tuesday 21 March to Friday 24 March. This will require the closure of Ford Lane to all through traffic (but emergency service access is permitted). The closure appears to be from just past the village boundary sign to the bottom of the hill. Pedestrian access may still be possible. Any concerns and questions can be directed via 0345 6004600. I believe all properties should have received a letter from Wessex Water with details and a map but the map can also be accessed at https://one.network/?tm=133334579
March Parish Council Meeting: The agenda for the next meeting (6 March) of the PC is now available here on the website.
HUB Cafe: This month the wonderful HUB Cafe will be on Saturday 11 March. Come along for a guaranteed warm welcome along with good food and hot drinks.
Lent Lunch: On Saturday 18 March from 12:00 to 2:00pm there will be a Lent Lunch in the village hall. Have a lunch of soup and rolls and make a donation to charity.
Coffee Morning: The March Coffee Morning will run from 10:00am to 12:00 noon 25 March. Your hosts are Nico and Soraya Anvari who live in Catslide Barn (5 Manor Court) at the end of Manor Court in Stawell – There will be signs up outside!
Easter Bingo: In the evening of the 25 March, after partaking in the fantastic cakes and coffee which Soraya and Nico are promising 😉, you can go to play at the annual Easter Bingo event. The VH doors open at 7:00pm. Refreshments will be available.
As usual donations of prizes are very welcome. They can be left with Ruth Peberdy at Old School House or Tina Swift at Carisbrooke House. If you wish to donate a prize but cannot deliver then call Ruth on 722914 who will organise their collection.
It's February Already!
Parish Council Minutes: The minutes for the February meeting have now been published.
HUB Cafe: Yes, there is a HUB Cafe this month! Come to the Village Hall this Saturday (11 February) and enjoy good company with friends and neighbours plus great coffee and a range of foo, both sweet and savoury. Doors open at 10am until 1:00pm.
Coffee Morning: This month our hosts are Giles and Ailish Edwards at Connaught in Stawell. Always a lovely event with good company, cofffee and home-made cake. 10:00am to 12:00 noon (ish).
MOMSS: The February edition of the MOMSS magazine is out. The digital edition is available here under the Organisations/Church menu. Always worth a look at the digital version to see Anne Farmer’s cover pic in colour.
Road Closure: If you drive through Chedzoy I’m sure you will have seen the signs but if not here is a notice of a road closure there. There will be a road closure at Ward Lane, Chedzoy which will commence on 2nd February 2023 – 3rd February 2023 (00:00 – 23:59) for a total of 2 days.
This will enable Wessex Water to carry outa sewer repair due to severe cracks in broken pipe.
A couple of notices from the police. Firstly, garage has been broken into between 9am on the 26th and 9am on the 27th in West View Close, Middlezoy. Once inside the offender stole a motorcycle described as a KTM 450 in Orange & Black (VE58YKK). The police are also warning about scams where someone sells something on Facebook Marketplace. A fraudster agrees to buy it. The fraudster then arrives at the victim’s address, presenting a fake banking app showing that the payment has been made to the victim. The victim hands over the goods, believing they have been paid, only to realise that they haven’t received the money some hours later. If the victim checks their account and questions why the money hasn’t yet arrived in their bank, the fraudster will say that it can take a couple of days to show. Intimidation tactics may also be used. Police advise always using the site-approved payment method.
What's Going on in January
The first Coffee Morning of 2023 takes place on 28 January and is hosted by Jean Reynolds at 5 The Old Apple Store in Stawell. Doors open from 10:00am to 12:00pm.
There is always a warm welcome, plenty of coffee and a range of fabulous cakes to ruin the New Year diet!! Do come along and spend time chatting with friends and neighbours. Funds raised are used to support the village Church.
Parish Council: There is a special planning meeting taking place on Tuesday 3 January. The agenda is published under the Organisations/Parish Council menu.
Road Closure – Ford Lane: a notification has been received of a TTRN (urgent) road closure at Ford Lane, Stawell which will commence on 9th January 2023 – 13th January 2023 (00:00 – 23:59) for a total of 5 days. This will enable Wessex water to carry out main leak repair works.
The contractor has indicated that access for Emergency Services through the site is not permitted on this occasion.
For any further information about this closure please contact Wessex Water on 0345 600 4600, quoting reference: ttro914515SE.
Please visit one.network https://one.network/?tm=132329724 where you will see the map of the affected area (in red), together with the supplied diversion route (in blue).
HUB Cafe and Film Night: January 21st is the big day for Village Hall events this months. The Cafe will be open in the afternoon from 10am to 1pm and in the evening the cinema opens for a showing of Mrs Harris goes to Paris. Full details of both events below
Doors open at 7:00pm on 21 January for a 7:30pm showing. Bar and food on sale.
Based on the book “Mrs ‘Arris Goes To Paris” by the celebrated American author, Paul Gallico (living in Salcombe at the time), the film tells the story of a widowed cleaning lady in 1950s London who falls madly in love with a couture Dior dress, and decides that she must have one of her own. After she works, starves and gambles to raise the funds to pursue her dream, she embarks on an adventure to Paris which will change not only her own outlook, but the very future of the House of Dior.
This film was praised by critics and audiences alike and achieved an excellent 94% on the Rotten Tomatoes website.
Alternative Fuel Payment
The Government has announced that Alternative Fuel Payments will be made in January to Northern Ireland customers and in February to those in Great Britain. this is a payment being given to homes and businesses who do not use mains gas for heating. This payment is in addition to the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) non-repayable discount of £400
"Warm Spaces"
The VHC is very pleased to say that after much form filling and questions beyond belief we have been granted £750.00 towards the ‘Warm Spaces’ project over the winter. This will allow us to do seriously subsidised extra VH hub cafes etc and other ‘things we have planned. Dates of these other cafes etc will be made known when we know ourselves lol. This will be from December through March
Fixed Payments for Oil Heating Consumers
I’ve had the following notification passed on to me which should interest the many users of oil for heating in the village. I went to the UKIFDA website to check this and discovered that the site has lots of information that would be of use to oil consumers.
UKIFDA, the trade body for the liquid fuel distribution industry, has met with the government to discuss the most efficient way of getting the £100 fixed payment announced on 19th September to heating oil customers.
Given the highly competitive nature of the heating oil market, customers have the ability to purchase from a number of different distributors and outlets. Consequently, they are likely to hold multiple accounts, which makes the fixed payment distribution challenging to deliver without duplication.
Inevitably this will take some time, so we strongly recommend that customers do not wait if they need heating oil. We are working closely with the government to find a solution and ensure that heating oil households receive their £100 as soon as possible.