| Activity | Folk Evenings |
| Details | 1st Thursday of the Month at 8pm. Includes performances from local folk groups. |
| Contact | thatchway@yahoo.com | Phone | Insert | Insert |
Drama / Musical Theatre
| Activity | Insert |
| Details | Meets at the War Memorial Hall on Monday @ 4:30 and Saturday @ 12:30 |
| Contact | Georgie | Phone | 0753 0839827 | Insert |
Bingo Club
| Activity | Bingo |
| Details | Meets at the War Memorial Hall on Monday at 8pm |
| Contact | Elain Bowman | Phone | 07801964748 | Insert |
Aero Modellers Club
| Activity | Aero Modellers Club |
| Details | Aero Modellers Club meet in the War Memorial Hall on the 2nd Thurs of the month from 8pm |
| Contact | Mr Flook | Phone | 07513744962 | Insert |
Appleshed Inclusive Theatre
| Activity |
AppleShed Inclusive Theatre Company is a brand new venture, rooted in Congresbury. |
| Details | They are a friendly little company, designed to make everyone feel welcome. Their ethos, modelled on Chickenshed Theatre in London, is to help young people who may or may not have additional needs, work together to create truly inclusive theatre events.
War Memorial Hall on Wed & Thurs after school. |
| Contact | St. Andrews Church office | Phone | 01934 833126 |
Congresbury Billiards & Snooker Club
| Activity | Club open Monday and Friday from 7:30pm in the War Memorial Hall. |
| Details | Come and experience our new roof! |
| Contact | Irving Prowse | Phone | 01934 832004 |
Cricket book captures 175 years of village life
A new book celebrating 175 years of village cricket opens up a window on life in Somerset through the Victorian and Edwardian eras to the present day.
The book, published by Congresbury Cricket Club in association with Congresbury History Group, tells much more than the story of cricket in the village over the generations.
“The more research I did, the more people I spoke to, the more I realised how the fabric of village life and the development of cricket were intertwined,” said local historian and author Clive Burlton.
The book, with 112 pages, 60,000 words and 250 images draws on the archives held by both the cricket club and the history group as well as recounting the memories of villagers and players, past and present.
Clive, a club vice president, explained: “Among the many nuggets we’ve found is a photograph and an account of a 1907 men v women cricket match in the village with men batting left-handed with broomsticks!
“We also found recipes for all sorts of cakes and pies written by village ladies with known links to cricketers of the time which sparked the idea for a cricket tea bake-off at the Congresbury Fete on June 29.”
The oldest document uncovered is the scorebook from 1919. The first match after World War One was against Weston-super-Mare – the two clubs met again in April this year in a pre-season friendly almost 100 years later.
The book tells far more than the story of Congresbury CC, looking at the development of cricket in North Somerset from the middle of the 19th century with extensive use of newspaper archives since the 1850s.
175 Years of Village Cricket will be launched at The Old School Rooms in Congresbury on Friday June 21 with a presentation by Clive Burlton starting at 7.30pm. Doors open at 7pm.
The book was designed and produced by Bristol Books and can also be obtained online at www.bristolbooks.org
Bowler Ant is national champion
Congresbury bowler Anthony Page is an England champion after winning an indoor tournament in Nottingham last weekend.
Ant won the Disability Bowls England National Singles for Non-classified members at Nottingham at his first attempt.
He won three tough rounds before winning overall in the fourth round 19-13.
“The last round was nip and tuck at first, then I managed to get ahead in the last few ends,” said Ant, aged 45, who lives in Worle.
He was brought up in Wolverhampton and first started bowling at age 11 on crown greens.
“My father got me into it. My four uncles played too,” said Ant.
“It was my life. It was everything I did, six nights a week from April to September.
“I got to county standard and played for Staffordshire at junior level.”
He started bowling again in 2017 when he joined Congresbury, and in 2018 won three of the club’s singles titles and reached the final of the men’s championship.
Ant, who works in a supermarket bakery, was born with a condition called scoliosis – curvature of the spine – which is painful at times.
Congresbury Bowling Club’s 2019 season starts on April 13.
New members are welcome. Turn up every Monday at 6pm for coaching. Equipment provided.
Flow – Depression and Anxiety Peer Support Group
| Activity | Depression and Anxiety Peer Support Group |
| Details | We meet every Wednesday 10-11am in the room behind the Methodist Church Hall. Come and join us for tea and a chat. There’s no need to book, just turn up. |
| Contact | Sarah Heiermann |
| Web | facebook.com/flow.north.somerset |
| flow.nsomerset@gmail.com |
Cricketers enjoy successful winter despite defeat
Congresbury Cricket Club fell agonisingly short of victory in their debut season of the SuperCric8 indoor competition.
Having put a disappointing summer campaign behind them, Congresbury embarked on this new challenge with relish, finally falling at the semi-final stage to Weston-Super-Mare C.C.
Congresbury Acro Gymnastics Club
| Activity | Acro gymnastics for boys and girls between 4.5 and 16 yearsTaster session for £1. Sessions are held at St Andrew’s Junior School Hall on Fridays from 4 to 5pm for general gym and 4-7pm Fridays plus 4-6pm Mondays for competition group. Coaches are BGA registered, qualified in Acro gymnastics and CRB checked. |
| Details |
| Contact | Sheila Mounsdon | Phone | 01934 876518 | sheesh07@hotmail.co.uk |
Ladies Badminton Group
| Activity | Playing badminton. Ladies only – no coaching. |
| Details | Meets at War Memorial Hall – Monday and Thursday mornings |
| Contact | Mrs Christine England | Phone | 01934 833808 |
Congresbury Art Group
| Activity | Watercolour painting group. Also experimenting with acrylics, pastels and other mediums. |
| Details | A friendly group of local people who meet every Wednesday, during term-time, at The Old School Rooms, Congresbury from 10 o’clock until 1 pm. A mixed ability group ranging from beginners to more experienced painters who all learn from each other and also from tutors as and when funds allow. |
| Contact | Jenny Byett | Phone | 01934 835435/td> | jenbyett@yahoo.co.uk |
Congresbury Billiards & Snooker Club
| Activity | Club open every evening from 5:30pm in the War Memorial Hall. Two full size tables. League play available for more serious players. |
| Details | The lights over the tables are paid for by tokens available from the Social Club bar in the War Memorial Hall. |
| Contact | Irving Prowse | Phone | 01934 832004 |
Congresbury Bowling Club
| Activity | Lawn green bowling from April to September for men and ladies of all ages from junior up to the most senior. Short Mat bowls is played indoors in the clubhouse from October to March. |
| Details | Please visit our Web Site |
| Contact | Dave Byett | conbcsec@gmail.com |
Congresbury Brass
| Activity | Non-competing brass band. |
| Details | Details An established, friendly brass band who play at village fetes, bandstands, carol services etc, raising money for charitable causes where they can. We welcome players of all standards, and have even tempted several returning players to pick up their instrument for the first time in over 10 years! We play a variety of music old and new, classical and light and seek to support any personal favourites. Practices are on a Friday evening 7.30 – 9.30 in the Methodist Church Hall, Congresbury, where we support and encourage each other to play to our best in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere that rounds off the week. There are some instruments available on a free-loan basis. |
| Contact | Stuart Lovell | Phone | 07986 007829 | www.congresburybrass.com |
Congresbury Community Preschool
| Activity | Under 5’s education – learning through play |
| Details | We are a well-established Pre-school in the village of Congresbury, founded over 25 years ago in the old school rooms. We have grown considerably over the years and are lucky to have our own portakabin building with a lovely spacious garden within the grounds of St Andrew’s Primary School. We now offer places to all children from 2 to 4 year olds. All staff have recognised childcare qualifications and years of experience in supporting children to reach their full potential as set out in the statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation stage. This states that as practitioners we must consider the individual needs, interests and stages of development of all children in our care. We provide opportunities and activities that enable the children to develop their skills in all areas of learning in line with their individual needs. |
| Contact | Teresa Turner | Phone | 01934 707262 | congresburypreschool@aol.co.uk |
Congresbury Cricket Club
| Activity | Cricket |
| Details | Please visit our Web Site. |
| Contact | Kieran Palmer | Phone | 01934 835122 | keiran@hawkerandpalmer.com |
Congresbury Evening W.I.
| Activity | Monthly meetings with varied speakers and occasional visits of friendship. |
| Details | Non-political, non-religious group. Meeting second Wednesday of each month at 7:45pm at the Methodist Hall, Congresbury. You will find more information about the W.I. on our Web Site. |
| Contact | Mrs W Manning | Phone | 01934 838209 |
Congresbury Football Club
| Activity | Provides football facilities for both junior and senior players. |
| Details | Please visit our Web Site. |
| Contact | Chris Sherwin | Phone | 01934 876083 | chris.sherwin@bristol.ac.uk |
Congresbury Footpaths Group
| Activity | Congresbury Footpaths Group was founded in March 1993 with the aim of ensuring that the footpaths within the village boundary were walked regularly. This is still done today, although walks are not confined to the village and the Group will often travel to neighbouring counties, especially for the Sunday walks. |
| Details | There are two walks per month – on the first Tuesday and the third Sunday. Tuesday walks are in the morning and are about 2 to 4 miles in the vicinity of the village or locations nearby. Sunday walks are planned for the day and can be from 5 to 9 miles and are further afield. Bluey, the village mini-bus is used on Sundays to transport members. Meetings are held twice a year to plan the walks programme. There is a summer outing in July to the seaside, where there is a choice of activities, from an energetic ramble to a lazy day on the beach. In the Autumn members enjoy a weekend away, for many years in Devon, but now we’ve ventured as far as Cornwall. A traditional Boxing Day walk attracts a good number of villagers and guests. Membership costs £2.50 per year and there is a small cost levied for each walk, plus a charge for Bluey, The group is covered by insurance. The winter and summer programmes and posters for each walk are posted on the 3 village noticeboards, on the village website and in the library. Details of each walk are also printed in the local newspapers, magazines and the village diary. New walkers are always welcome, and their dogs, where allowable. |
| Contact | Mary Abbott | Phone | 01934 834207 | may_abbott@uwcluc.net | |
| Julia Koblizek | 01934 838182 | julia.koblizek@btinernet.com |