Edith Wilson: a friend to many
Many Congresbury villagers were shocked to learn of the sudden death of Edith Wilson, at the age of 82, after only a short illness.
Despite her small stature, Edith was a vibrant and engaging personality, involved in many aspects of village life, always ready to volunteer when help was requested, and a loyal and caring friend.
What a great event we had today. The sun shone and we were very busy the whole morning with a jolly crowd enjoying a full English breakfast. There were cakes, jams and cards for sale, a guess the cake competition and a raffle. Thank you to all who contributed either by helping or by dining. A special thanks to the organiser, Kath Kemplay, who did a brilliant job taking over from the wonderful Julie Gosling this year. We raised £1,455 for Hospicecare, well done!
Remember to take all your unwanted clothes and items to the Hospicecare shop in Broad Street, and have a look for something nice while you are there.
See our Facebook page for more photos.
We are warning people in Avon and Somerset to be on their guard against a growing fraud.
A number of incidents have been reported to us where people have been duped out of cash and coerced into purchasing valuable items by fraudsters posing as police officers.
We advise relatives of the elderly and those who have elderly neighbours to make them aware of these scams and also report any instances where people may have been victims of the fraudsters.
A police officer, or any other official, will never ask for money or bank details over the phone or on the door-step or ask you to arrange to take them to a pre-arranged location. If you are unsure if the person is who they say they are, ask for identification such as their collar number and call 101 to check the name and the authenticity of the caller.
Always make sure you use a different phone or even get a relative or neighbour to call to ensure the fraudster has not blocked the phone line. It is always unwise to use any number they give you to call back.
Thank you to the organisers of the Horticultural Society Autumn Show for a very successful day which was well attended. There will be a write-up of the show later. If you’d like to enter something next year, the Spring show is on Saturday 24th March. Click here for website.
See lots of photos on our Facebook page.
Firefighters from Yatton & Weston battled a blaze in Oldfield Fish & Chip Shop in the Precinct at lunchtime on Tuesday 5th September. They managed to get the fire under control without anyone being injured.
Crews were called to the fish and chip shop in the precinct to reports of a blaze on the ground floor of a two storey building. Once inside eight firefighters using breathing apparatus, a high pressure hose reel, a Co2 extinguisher and a dry powder extinguisher, battled to extinguish the fire.
The blaze caused damage to the ground floor takeaway, as well as smoke damage to the flat above. No one was injured in the blaze, which took two hours to bring under control, which is thought to have started accidentally.
It is not known when it will re-open.
Congresbury men celebrated winning the C&D Evening League for the first time in the modern era as well as gaining promotion from Somerset North1 to Premier 2 for 2018. To cap a remarkable season, the B team also clinched promotion from North 2 after a nail-biting victory over closest rivals Bristol B in the final game of the season.
The men were also finalists in the North Somerset KO Cup, losing to Victoria and reached the semi-final of the 4D competition, losing by just one point to eventual winners Clevedon Prom.
Please look out for the latest issue of the Congresbury Chronicle that will have been delivered to your house recently. If you need a spare copy you can find them in the Library, in the Parish Office or in the Fish and Chip shop in the precinct.
The revised building with a lower roofline seen looking south with the cricket field to the right
Revised plans for a smaller new village hall and community centre for Congresbury are being drawn up to help offset rising costs.
The Congresbury New Village Hall Development Trust has been working with architects Stride Treglown on reducing the footprint of the proposed building, first mooted in late 2013.
This month livestock thieves have been foiled and vehicles recovered in Somerset– thanks to members of the public. Make a note of the number to text 07492888109, or call 999 if it requires immediate action.
The Parish Council has been the Sole Trustee of the Millennium Green since May 2012 and is assisted in the day to day running by a Management Group. The 3 officers of that group namely Chair, Secretary and Treasurer have stood down at the AGM held last Monday and no nominations were received from the floor of the meeting. In order to help the Trustee make an informed decision on the future management of the Green if there are any volunteers to take on one of these roles could you please inform the Parish Clerk by Fri 4th August.
For further information please contact Di Hassan on 01934 876454 or Liz Greaves on 01934 838802.
Members of the Neighbourhood Watch scheme are invited to contact the Avon and Somerset Neighbourhood Watch Association and start the discussion around the fantastic opportunities they could bring to further develop the partnership between local policing teams and NHW.
A PERFECT DAY!
It had everything for a perfect village fete – sublime weather (sunny, but not too hot), lots of people (old and young), plenty of dogs (but no dog fights), interesting variety of stalls and a good range of food and drink. Villagers swarmed into St. Andrew’s church paddock to trawl the stalls, watch the dog show, partake of cider or Pimms, eat at the barbecue, and enjoy scrumptious home-made cream teas and cakes. The marquee housing the Horticultural Society’s summer show was a riot of colour and perfume, with many outstanding exhibits and excellent children’s entries.
Due to the significant increase in construction costs the Development committee took the decision that we needed to reduce the overall build costs. We are working with our Architects Stride Treglown on a revised plan as part of the next stage of the project. The initial draft we showed at the coffee morning would result in a reduction of 27% in the footprint but allow for future expansion. The main reduction comes from reducing the size of the main hall, which would still accommodate 260 (Memorial hall – 150, Old School Rooms – 120).
The reduced footprint will still mean we would meet our vision of providing a multi-use quality building to meet the needs of the village.
We are now reaching the stage of looking at the fine detail of the design, the finishes etc. and are looking for people to be involved in helping us get this right first time. We be at the village fete on Saturday, come and have a chat.
Over the past couple of weeks a burglary occurred at High Street, Congresbury. Access gained into the property but there are no details as to any items stolen.
A member of one of Congresbury’s oldest families, George Gosling, has died at the age of 81.
George was born in Brinsea Road, in a family of nine children, whose father Frank ran the timber business of T. Gosling & Son.
George Gosling, son of one of Congresbury’s best-known families, who has died aged 81
Three of his brothers, John, Donald and Brian, joined the family business, but George favoured his mother’s family, the Edwards, who were all farmers.
Congresbury skittlers Leila Storey and Chris Andrews were presented with a trophy for winning the South Avon Ladies pairs competition at a dinner and dance held at Double Tree Cadbury Hotel & Spa.
Leila was also presented with the Candy Ballam Memorial Crystal Cup for the highest score in the pairs and individual competitions. It was an emotional time for Leila. Candy, who died in 2015 and formerly lived in Congresbury, for many years was captain of the Clangers Skittles Team, which includes Leila and Chris.
Pairs winners Chris Andrews and Leila Storey
Andrew Sheppy whose sudden death at the age of just 68 has stunned many, was a well recognised figure around the village. The archetypal rustic, in his well-worn boiler suit, dirty green wellies, shapeless hat and bushy beard, his educated tones when he spoke came as a shock.
Andrew Sheppy
But Andrew was a man of many talents, devoted not only to his rare breed Dexter cattle and poultry, but also a musician of some renown, organist, choir conductor, and possessor of a fine bass voice.
Every seat was filled in St. Andrew’s church, Congresbury on the first Friday in April, for an upbeat evening of songs from musicals and films, which set the appreciative audience tapping their feet and humming along.
Villagers representing facets of Sylvia Jago’s 84 years of activity were among the congregation in St. Andrew’s Church, Congresbury, for a celebration of her life on April 4th.
IN THE PINK!
Pink was the theme of the anniversary coffee morning in Congresbury Methodist Hall, celebrating 10 years since Charlton Farm Children’s Hospice at Wraxall was opened, and 25 years since the first children’s hospice in the south west was established in Barnstable.
Every seat was taken at the attractive tables, as over 50 supporters, of all ages, participated in tasting the delicious cakes, made by Pam Stewart and delightfully decorated with pink pigs.
During the evening of 10 April a burglary occurred at a farm at Iwood Lane, Congresbury. Entry was gained by breaking window and items stolen include cash, laptops and a radio.
After three and a half days of close argument, CRAG’s team at the Wrington Lane public inquiry, ably led by Peter Walton, are quietly hopeful of a positive outcome.
Praise for CRAG’s efforts came from District Councillor Tom Leimdorfer who said he was immensely proud of the village. “We knew that we were up against land agents with very deep pockets using top experts and an aggressive business model,” he said.
Friday’s session ended with evidence from two important witnesses for Gladman.
The first, a landscape architect tried to argue that 50 new houses in a field would not alter the character of the surrounding area. The second, Gladman’s town planner, tried to convince the inspector that because North Somerset could not prove a five year supply of land for development, their appeal should be allowed.
Janet Edwards with her prizewinning orchids
A difficult Spring for local gardeners did affect the entries at the Congresbury Horticultural Society Spring Show on Saturday, but villagers pulled out all the stops and produced a colourful and enjoyable event.
Show Secretary Lyn Bacon summed it up when she said that the warm weather encouraged all the daffodils to open early, and they were then drastically damaged by wind and rain.
However the Old School Rooms still blossomed with a feast of colour and perfume, and, once again, children’s entries were numerous and fascinating.