FEBRUARY 2019

ASH NEWSLETTER

Editor: Caz Halfhide email: ashnewsletter@aol.com

S E R V I C E S A T H O L Y T R I N I T Y , A S H

FEBRUARY 2019

3rd Feb 11.00am Morning Prayer 10th Feb 11.00am Holy Communion 17th Feb 11.00am Holy Communion 24th Feb 11.00am Holy Communion

Evening Prayer is said every Wednesday at 5.00p.m

VISIT THE VILLAGE WEBSITE www.ashpcsomerset.com

OurVacancyPrayer:LovingGod,duringthistimeofVacancy,weprayforallwhoworshipacrossourBeneficeinourchurchesatMartock,KingsburyEpiscopiandAsh,andforallinourcommunities.Weprayforourleadershipteam,ourlayworkersandforourchurchwardenswhohaveextraresponsibilitiesduringthistime.Weprayfortheteampreparingthebeneficeprofileandvisionforthefuture.Weprayforthosewhowillrespondtotheadvertisementforournewvicarandthosewhohavetheresponsibilityofselectingthatperson.Aboveall,Lord,wepraythatwewilllistentoyouandbeguidedbyyourHolySpirit.Amen.

For general enquiries and information & bookings about weddings or baptisms, please contact the Benefice Office on 01935 826113 or email

benefice.martock@gmail.com or pop in at The Vicarage, 10 Water Street, Martock TA12 6JN on Wednesdays 10am to 4pm, Thursdays 2.30pm to 6.30pm or Fridays 10am to 2pm and speak to Sarah Nicholas, our Benefice Administrator who can

help or guide you towards someone who can!

A MESSAGE FROM THE BENEFICE

� Roses are red, that much is true, Violets are purple, and not strictly blue.

Is Valentine’s Day really what you expect? During the period between Christmas and mid-February we begin to notice our commercial world bedecked in pink fluffy, red shiny and silver sparkly things: love hearts, flowers, chocolate and pink bubbly wine. Saint Valentine's day is 14th February.

What’s not to like about a bit of romance to brighten a winter’s evening? Especially if you, like me, are partial to chocolate and sparkly wine. But I have been wondering who St. Valentine was and how the traditions that surround us every February began. Valentine's Day celebrations seem to be the stuff of legend and mystery. If St. Valentine himself existed, who was he?

Valentine's Day marks the first signs of Spring, you may already have seen snowdrops and daffodils in the locality. Historically associated with love and fertility, Valentine’s Day is often thought to come from the Ancient Greek marriage of Zeus and Hera in Athens. Another contender is the Ancient Roman festival of Lupercus, the god of fertility, although the exact date of either celebration is uncertain. The first official Saint Valentine's Day was declared on 14th of February by Pope Galasius in 496. There are records of at least three saints named Valentinus, all of whom were put to death for their faith. As there are no further records of the other two Saint Valentines, a priest who died in Rome in 269 has become the most likely candidate.

There is a story that the young priest, Valentine, rose to fame by disobeying Emperor Claudius II. Because he believed married men made poor soldiers, Claudius II banned marriage for those of fighting age. Valentine believed that marriage was part of God's plan he so continued to marry young couples secretly, in the name of love.

Jailed for his efforts, Valentine fell in love with the jailer's daughter. It is thought that on the evening of his execution the love-struck priest passed her a note which read "from your Valentine". This may be the story which lies behind the world-wide tradition of sending love cards every 14th February.

However you spend this Valentine’s Day, did you know that in Finland and Estonia people celebrate Friends’ Day on the 14th February? Rather than the commercialised love-fest we’ve grown used to, people exchange cards and gifts amongst friends on Friends’ Day. Maybe it’s just a good time to show our appreciation for all our friends to brighten a winter’s day.

Ystävän Päivä! Happy Friends’ Day to you all!

Philippa

Dr Philippa Bellows

ASH GARDENING CLUB JANUARY 2019 MEETING

Our first meeting of the year was well attended and it was good evening with members meeting up after the Christmas break. We were treated to an interesting evening with a return visit by Marion Dale. On this visit Marion gave us a talk on the subject “Where do our plants come from”. We were shown many pictures of plants which we think of as native to the British isles which in fact came from more exotic places. Many of our plants being brought over by the Romans and many more in more recent times by explorers and plant hunters. Some of the plant names giving us a clue as to where they originated from or the name of the plant finder. As gardeners have learnt to their cost not all of them being welcome with some of them becoming invasive and not something you would want in your garden. At the end of the talk Marion gave us a quiz showing us pictures of plants which we had to name the country of origin; this was great fun and good way to end the evening. So when the warmer weather comes and we get back out into our gardens stop for a moment and take a look at your garden and question where in the world some of your plants originated. The next meeting will be on Monday 25th February and our guest speaker will be David Usher and the topic will be ’The care and Management of

Trees and Shrubs’. New members always welcome and you can also come along as a guest to see if you would like to join us, meetings start at 8pm.

Everyone welcome - visitors £2.00 including refreshments

NEWS FROM AROUND THE VILLAGE

HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, ASH

COFFEE N’ CHAT! ASH PAVILION

Every Wednesday 10am – 11.30am ALL WELCOME

A big thank you to all who contribute & continue to support this weekly event.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE VILLAGE

JANUARY 2019 Meeting - Lorraine welcomed new Member, Viv and wished us all a happy New Year.

We had suspected that this meeting was going to be ...different. Just how different became clearer when each of us was given one or two bright, shiny shakers- purple or green!. Lorraine introduced our speaker, Tina Blackwill, who explained, with a big smile, that we were all to be involved in ' The Great British Shake Off! An extremely accomplished demo. followed......Then it was our turn! Foot tapping in front and to the side, interspersed with 8 shakes of the shiny shakers, all in time to disco music. Not too complicated so far...... But Tina added several other sequences, one of which involved shimmying forward and back and then a sideways shimmy ( plus shiny shaker shakings). By this time, gales of laughter (or was it hysteria?) had set in, as some of us shimmied in the wrong direction or lost track of forward or backward rotation of the shakers. But we persevered! There was a minute's respite between each of 3 sessions, then a longer break before the grand finale. Tina encouraged us to stand up and perform the entire sequence twice!! First slow (ish), then fast ( very!). There had been lots of laughter- and exercise too! Someone with a Fitbit calculated that she'd accomplished around 3,000 steps and burned 120 calories! Another Member said 'Most fun I've had on a Monday evening for ages! The break for tea or coffee was very much needed! Business. Members all agreed that our Christmas meeting at Frogmary Farm was most successful. We then discussed the 6 resolutions and voted for the one that we would like to go forward to the AGM in June. Next Meeting: Monday 11th February: Catherine Murton speaks about 'Curious Wills of the Past.'

Visitors and prospective members welcome.

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NEWS FROM AROUND THE VILLAGE

ASH SCHOOL

We returned to school to start the Spring term on Monday 7th January. On the first Wednesday the Year 1 children visited the Rural Life Museum in Glastonbury.

They have been learning about life for Victorian children and this supported their learning well. They had the chance to make scones on the range and examine artifacts from the Victorian period. It was a very enjoyable and useful trip which complemented their in class learning very well.

The parents have had the opportunity to ‘Come to a Maths lesson’ this term. They joined their children so that they could improve their knowledge of the strategies and resources in use. Over fifty parents attended and found the experience very interesting and useful. We have been offering this opportunity for four years now and it is valued highly by parents and more attend every year. Yeovil Town Football Club came to school this week to talk to the children about staying active and healthy. There were lots of ideas and reminders about food groups and balanced diets. We are looking forward to a Harry Potter event in early February which is being run by the PTA and the School Council jointly. We are excited about the Bug Fest activity which will be occurring on that day. The children will be dressing up, playing Quidditch, doing Hogwarts activities in Literacy lessons and buying interesting sweets at the end of the day. It should be lots of fun and it is good to see the School Council actively working with parents to make it a success.

ASH SCHOOL

The money raised will be spent on new reading books for the class libraries.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE VILLAGE

The Year 6 children are excited about the possibility of becoming ambassadors for our Erasmus European Project. They have been writing stories, diary entries of the school day and putting together presentations, explaining why they would be a good ambassador for the school. It has revealed excellent ideas and talents as they compete for the places available. We are still looking for more Reading Mentors to support us in school. If you have time to commit once a week to come and work with a small group of children we would love to hear from you. It has been a very successful initiative and the children (and adults) have found it very enjoyable and rewarding. Please contact the school office on 01935 822674 if you wish to be involved or email the school office at office@ashprimaryschool.co.uk

VISIT THE BENEFICE FACEBOOK PAGE

Churches of Martock, Kingsbury Episcopi and Ash, Somerset

NEWS FROM AROUND THE VILLAGE

Minutes of the Ash parish council meeting of 7th January 2019 Please note that page and item numbering are not included. Present - Cllrs. J. Parker, [chairman] R. Coombes, N. Bluck, L. Buckley,[vice

chairman] - N. Bloomfield - Five members of the public Apologies for absence Cllr. M Wooden due to illness Cllr. S Vickery due to illness Apologies for District Cllr. G. Middleton were submitted after the meeting Declarations of interest None made Minutes Following one amendment the minutes of the meeting of 5th November 2018, as circulated, were RESOLVED [5/0] to be an accurate record and were signed as such by the Chairman Matters to REPORT from the previous meeting It was noted that the speed indicator device had received a very positive response although a different location might be considered for future visits. Correspondence and Planning A. CORRESPONDENCE

1. Consultation on rural housing – this had been forwarded to all councillors. It was agreed that the parish council would make no response at this time

2. Consultation on school admissions – this had been forwarded to all councillors and promoted via the village newsletter.

3. Letter from Area North Beat Manager – it was noted that contact details had been provided as requested.

It was agreed that the parish council would not be re scheduling the dates of its meetings and the beat manager be advised that all visits to parish council meetings were appreciated but it was understood that the visits were not a priority.

4. A letter had been received regarding nominations for attendees for the

NEWS FROM AROUND THE VILLAGE

5. A letter had been received regarding nominations for attendees for the

Buckingham palace garden party – It was agreed that at present council had no one to recommend that fitted the stated requirements

B. PLANNING Decisions reported: Application No: 18/03411/LBC Application Status: Application permitted with conditions Applicant: Mr Christopher Dunk Agent: Mr Rhys Brookes Parish: Ash Ward: MARTOCK Location: Ash House,41 Main Street,Ash,Martock,TA12 6PB Proposal Replacement of 1979 metal casement windows with new timber casements and minor internal alterations to ancillary service wing to Ash House. Application No: 18/03098/LBC Application Status: Application permitted with conditions Applicant: Mr & Mrs R Smith Agent: Parish: Ash Ward: MARTOCK Location: 90 Main Street,Ash,Martock,TA12 6PB Proposal Removal of existing garage and small lean-to and the erection of new rear and side extension to dwelling (Revised application). Application No: 18/03097/HOU Application Status: Application permitted with conditions Applicant: Mr & Mrs R Smith Agent: Parish: Ash Ward: MARTOCK Location: 90 Main Street,Ash,Martock,TA12 6PB Proposal Removal of existing garage and small lean-to and the erection of new rear and side extension to dwelling [revised application]

Applications received The Chairman declared a personal interest in application 18/03838/HOU

1. 18/03838/HOU Ash cottage Witcombe Lane Ash TA12 6AH proposed alterations, extension and conversion of outbuilding to form a home office/store, playroom, bathroom. Revised application to include increase to roof height of single storey front lean-to, alter number of rooflights, replace timber cladding to front with natural stone, build up existing gable window and omit new window to front elevation. (part retrospective) It was AGREED that council make the following observation:

The drawings submitted do not match the current layout in respect of the front Elevation of the single storey extension.

2. 19/00018/OUT Outline application for residential development of 1 dwelling at Land adjoining Barton Court Farm, Martock Lane, Ash, Somerset TA12 6NR It was AGREED that council OBJECT to this application for the following reasons: - This is a greenfield development outside the natural village settlement boundary

- The development would be detrimental to the existing village street scene

NEWS FROM AROUND THE VILLAGE

District & County Councillors reports Councillor Neil Bloomfield spoke on - Fold Hill Lane site had been cleared and secured - Bus consultation cancelled - The ongoing impact of the County Council financial situation - The highways decision that they will be providing bags of grit to local

parishes. – it was agreed that council request the delivery of 20 bags to the Pavilion

Parish Clerk & Office a. It was AGREED that following the successful completion of a three

month trial the Clerk – Helen Moore – be appointed on a permanent basis.

b. - It was reported that the office now had an electricity supply, and that a telephone line had been installed but was not yet operational. -It was noted that software for the computer was awaited -It was AGREED that a bell be purchased for the rear door -It was noted that an additional alarm pad was not considered to be needed for the rear door and that the agreed changes be made to the rear fire door to enable it to be unlocked from the outside.

Environment a. Millenium Wood - Nothing to report b. Village play area repairs

It was noted that Playdale had agreed that the works to the scramble net that they had been paid for had NOT yet been carried out and that they were now due to take place during the week beginning 11th Feb. It was AGREED that a quotation for the works required to the other pieces of equipment be obtained from Playdale

The Recreation Ground It was noted that no response had yet been received from council’s solicitors. It was AGREED that an email be sent stated that council needed to complete by the end of January and that solicitor had 7 working days to respond to this email or council would cancel and seek an alternative solicitor.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE VILLAGE

Accounts a. It was RESOLVED (5/0) that the following payments were authorised and

cheques were then signed Raised prior to meeting: chq no payee reference amount 1294 Mrs H Moore clerk wages (3 months) £538.94 Raised at this meeting: chq no payee reference amount 1295 Mrs H Moore clerk wages (1 month) £230.86 1296 HMRC PAYE & mths 6-9 inc £198.40 1297 PKF Littlejohn LLP External Audit Fee £240.00 1298 PG Fire & Security site visit – system call £ 66.99 1299 AJ White grass cutting £303.00 1300 NM Pulford lengthsman duties £ 50.00

b. It was reported that the level of reserves currently held were enough to cover the agreed long term projects and the required general administration reserve.

c. It was RESOLVED (5/0) that the precept for 2019 2020 financial year be set at £31,145.00. An explanation of the increase had been drafted by the Chairman and will be attached to these minutes as appendix one once any comments from other Councillors are taken into account

d. The comments made by the external auditors were read out to those present and the requirements for the next annual financial return [AGAR] were noted. Copies of the annual financial return [AGAR] may be viewed on the village website or by appointment with the Clerk.

May 2019 meetings and Election a. The election will be on 2nd May . The Clerk will be attending a SSDC training

session for the elections on February 27th. It was reported that there will be a ‘purdah’ period during which time there will be no agenda item for district and county councillors reports

b. The annual parish council meeting will be on Monday 13th May as the first Monday of the month is a bank holiday

The Annual meeting of the parish – consideration of the date and format of this meeting is deferred to the February parish council meeting with the clerk providing and explanation of the legal requirements Public Open Session It was reported that the footpath linking Back Street to Witcombe lane was a growing concern. The Chairman reported that he had requested action from the relevant householder beforehand

DATE OF NEXT MEETING: MONDAY 4TH FEBRUARY 2019 – 7.30PM

T h e B e n e f i c e O f f i c e i s W e d n e s d a y 1 0 a m - 4 p m , T h u r s d a y 1 0 a m - 2 p m

ASH VILLAGE HALL Registered Charity No: 304466

AVAILABLE FOR HIRE SUITABLE FOR MANY FUNCTIONS:

WEDDING RECEPTIONS, KEEP FIT, DANCING EVENTS, AUCTIONS, JUMBLE SALES, CONCERTS ETC

SPRUNG FLOOR – STAGE KITCHEN/TABLES/CHAIRS

DETAILS & BOOKINGS BECKY WHITE

TEL: 01935 825343 (EVENINGS ONLY) EMAIL: martinwhiteok@hotmail.com

EVENTS & CONTACT NUMBERS

TUESDAY TEA CLUB Tuesday Tea Club invites you to the Pavilion on

Tuesday Afternoons, 2.15pm – 3.45pm, for social time, card and table games.

Tea and Raffle £1 Details from Yvonne Moseley: 01935 825462

For your children’s or family party etc. ASH PAVILION

VILLAGE ORGANISATIONS £4.00 per hour

DETAILS & BOOKINGS YVONNE MOSELEY TEL: 01935 825462

YOGA CLASSES EVERY WEDNESDAY 2.00PM – 3.00PM

ASH VILLAGE HALL FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

MARGARET NORRIS: 01935 824737