New orchard bears fruit

The newly planted trees in the community orchard in Rickford have had a 100 per cent flowering rate this spring and the residents can heave a sigh of relief after the long dry spell which seemed to set in soon after they went into the ground.

They can now look forward to a good crop of apples in a few years time; in the meantime it is hoped that the delicious juice 'Windfall tipple' which was made with last year's bumper harvest of windfalls can be produced again this autumn.

Pictured above, A Rickford family visiting the orchard to admire the trees. Photo by Judith Tranter

Bishop visits Ubley

The pupils of Ubley School welcomed visitors from Zambia to the school on July 12. Bishop William Muchombo of Eastern Zambia and his wife, Mary, visited all the classes during the day and spoke to the children at school assembly.

For several years Ubley School has had a link with St. Francis School, Msoro, Zambia, supporting the building of classrooms and the teaching staff, and sending needed equipment to the school in this poor rural area. There has also been an exchange visit between Ubley School staff and St Francis staff, which has further cemented the link between the two schools and developed the international awareness of the children.

Bishop William brought the good news that the school numbers are increasing, over 600 children now attend the school, with a high proportion of girls as a result of the school strongly promoting girls' education in this traditional area of the country. Parents are moulding 120,000 new bricks to start building new classrooms. The bad news was that termites had attacked the wooden roof beams of several classrooms and much rebuilding work was necessary.

The school also faces the problem that the central government is unable to pay the salaries of the new teachers required at the school. Bishop William and Mrs Muchombo also made a brief visit to the Ubley Pre-School where the children had been learning about Africa. Mrs Muchombo was able to answer questions about domestic life in Zambia and show the children how African mothers carry their babies on their backs. Ubley School continues to support St Francis School, Msoro, in many ways. Most recently the offering from the School Leavers' Service has been sent to Zambia.

'A Slice of Saturday Night' at Blagdon

Photo by Julie Chamberlain

On the evenings of Thursday 24, Friday 25and Saturday 26 June the audience were transported back to the swinging 60s to Club A Go-Go, for the Blagdon Players fourth and most ambitions production yet - 'A Slice of Saturday Night'.

Over the three nights, Churchill Community School Theatre was transformed into a 'Cavern' style cellar beat club in a provincial English town of the early 60's, enabling some of the audience and cast alike to reminisce nostalgically while others just tapped their feet to the beat of the music. Directed by Julie Taylor, everyone involved in the show gave 100 per cent and brought something special to the show either on stage or behind the scenes. With fantastic wigs for Gary, Terry, Rick and Eddie, kindly donated by Blagdon resident and Oscar winner Peter Owen, and authentic costumes you could be forgiven for thinking you had been put in a time machine and taken back over 40 years to an action-packed Saturday night in the 1960s out on the pull - particularly during the song 'Oh So Bad'!

The cast of 21 put on an outstanding show for such a challenging production created in such a short space of time. All cast members were fantastic with particularly memorable performances given by Sue (Lorraine Perry), for her the solo song, 'You're Oh, So...', Gary (Paul Burchill) for his enthusiastic performance throughout the whole show and by Eric 'Rubber Legs' Devene (Barry Day) for being a classic 60s club owner!

With catchy songs such as Romance/ Wham Bam, Heartbreaker and Seventeen, the audience were certainly captivated by the talents of their friends, family and acquaintances and even more enthralled by the audience participation in the second half with Eric's Hokey-Cokey Shuffle. It's safe to say that most of people who watched the production were impressed by the flair and ability of the cast and some would go as far as saying that they 'loved it, they really really really loved it!'

Niki Martini.

Support for speed cameras
Support for the much-criticised A37 speed cameras has come from data showing a big fall in fatalities from local road traffic accidents. Road deaths in Avon and Somerset have fallen by more than a third since the launch of the Safety Camera Partnership two years ago.

Sixty-six people died on local roads between April and March this year - 22 fewer than in the previous 12 months. The biggest fall in injury accidents has come on stretches of road and at junctions covered by speed detection and red light cameras, with a 23.6 per cent reduction in the past two years. Safety Camera Project manager Dick Bowen said: 'I am pleased the figures are going down. I believe it shows that an increasing number of drivers are taking notice of the advice to adjust their speed to the road and weather conditions. The reduction in traffic speed has helped to make our local communities just a little safer, particularly for the most vulnerable residents - the young and the elderly.'

The Safety Camera Partnership in Avon and Somerset was formed by local highways and health authorities, police, the Crown Prosecution Service and Highways Agency, with the aim of reducing road casualties through camera enforcement of speed limits and traffic lights and driver education programmes. More information about the partnership, including all speed detection and traffic light camera locations, can be found on its web site www.safecam.org.uk

'Chew Valley Enterprise' day success
The 'Chew Valley Enterprise' event which took place at Chew Valley School on July 10 was very well regarded by participants and visitors. Jointly sponsored by the Chew Valley Chamber of Commerce and the School some 40 organisations participated - including a good cross-section of local businesses and community organisations.

This was a great opportunity for them, and the school used this to showcase a wide range of initiatives going on there - Performing Arts, the Leisure Centre, Design and Technology, Business Studies and the Sixth Form were all promoted to the community. Despite the weather there was a steady stream of visitors throughout the day and most seemed impressed with what they saw. Organisers extend their thanks to all the staff involved and to the School Society for providing the food and drink.

Also to Dan Norris, MP, who spent more than two hours going around and chatting to the various participants. Chamber President Jim King was very pleased with the event: 'Through Chew Valley Enterprise we were seeking to raise the profile of the Chew Valley Chamber of Commerce and provide local businesses with an opportunity to promote themselves. We were also looking to strengthen the partnership with the school and other community organisations. We feel we achieved all these things. The event was well publicised and all exhibitors worked hard to put on a good show.'

Chew Valley Beer Festival 2004
Tickets are selling well for all 3 sessions of the Chew Valley Beer Festival, reports Steve Blanchard, Chairman of the Chew Valley Beer Festival Committee: 'We are ahead of this time last year, with the big attraction of increasing by 100 per cent the range of real ales to 30 plus three ciders plus a fully stocked bar.'

The event will take place in the large modern Ubley Parish Hall on Friday (September 10) and Saturday (September 11) night sessions 7-00pm to 11-00pm will be accompanied by two live bands together with live music at saturday lunchtime session noon to 4.00pm. Steve says: 'Admission is again by advance ticket only and based on last year's sellout Festival, we would recommend early application.' Tickets are available priced £5 which includes a souvenir pint glass

More info on www.chewvalleybeerfestival.co.uk