Mendip voices are fast gaining a reputation for their originality and versatility in both song and instrumental performance. Another chance to hear what they do is on Sunday April 23 at Chewton Mendip church at 6pm when they will perform songs from medieval to modern, both serious and light-hearted and all on a theme of spring. Among thei number are several gifted instrumentalists who combine song with interesting accompaniments. Guest soloist singer is Matt Smith, a wonderful talent, who will also be reciting a popular poem or two. The group's ten singers hail from various places around the Mendips, based in Chewton Mendip. The choir started last summer. If you like variety and a bit of humour then come along and support the choir who are championing music in the villages of the Mendips. Entry by programme on the door, adult £5 and child £3.

Jindo success at Crufts

One of the Overhill Jindo dogs
One of the most popular attractions at Crufts every year is the Discovery Dogs section where members of the public and breeders alike get the chance to view unusual breeds.

Among the dogs on show in this section at last month¹s show were the Jindos brought along by Mrs Purnell-Carpenter of Overhill Kennels in Pensford. A medium-sized breed with a similarity to a fox the Jindo is a lean yet muscular dog with great agility, strength and dignity. A native of Jindo Island off the south-west coat of South Korea, the Jindo has been used in hunting for centuries and the purity of the breed has remained intact due to the preservation and protection provided by the Jindo Island authorities.

As a breed, the Jindo almost died out during the Korean War and by February 1952 was on the verge of extinction until President Lee Seung Man heard of the diminishing number of Jindo dogs while on a visit to the island. He ordered a strong effort be made to protect the breed and awarded the island authorities 5 million Won to assist in re-establishing the breed. The first Jindos were imported into the UK in 2002 sent by the Jindo Island Breeding Centre with the intention of establishing this rare breed outside Jindo Island.

Financial assistance to the project was given from Lee Kun Hee, chairman of the electronics group Samsung and himself a dog fanatic, keen for the breed to be seen outside its home country. These Jindos were the first ones to be sent officially out from the island to anywhere in the world and Mrs Purnell-Carpenter was chosen to breed them here with the result that there are now around 25 in the country. When a new breed is brought into the country it has to be officially recognised by the Kennel Club. From January 2006 the breed has been classified on the Import Register but as yet is ineligible for exhibition at Kennel Club licensed breed shows until their breed standard has been approved by the Kennel Club.

Mrs Purnell-Carpenter who has been to Jindo Island, met the government and visited the breeding centre there, described the dogs as incredibly loyal to their owners with a strong homing instinct and great sense of humour! However, the strength of their hunting instinct is such that when thus engaged they may not always respond to calls. In short, they can be stubborn and are very independent characters! When asked how the dogs had been received at Crufts Mrs Purnell-Carpenter said: "It was absolutely amazing. They were so popular. We had television crews from many countries visiting us and lots and lots of interest from all around the world. We were totally overwhelmed by the reaction of both members of the public and breeders."

Anne Collier

Views from the hill

Trefoil guiders on the top of Knowle Hill, Chew Magna
February 22 is the anniversary of the birthdays of Lord Robert Baden Powell and of his wife Lady Baden Powell. For members of the Guide movement it is 'Thinking Day', when they think of their fellow Guides throughout the world. Nine members of Chew Valley Trefoil Guild celebrated the day, in cold windy weather, by walking up Knowle Hill (The Tump, aka the hill of Jane Millard's 'View from the hill') and singing international songs, before warming-up at the Lakeside Teashop.

Pensford X Factor
Pensford Memorial Hall was the venue last month to showcase local musical talent in the two preliminary heats of the Pensford X Factor. The race was on to discover the finalists who will be competing head-to-head for a prize of £500 at Pensford Music Festival on Friday June 16. The two knock-out rounds were held on March 4 and 18 and the judges on both nights were Richard Hurst and Bridie King, both from Bristol Academy of Performing Arts, and Keith Clarke from the Evening Post.

Six acts took to the stage in the first heat. At the end of the evening third prize went to Ben Wheatley on solo guitar, second to the band Pin Stripes while first place was awarded to another band, The Hit Ups. The enthusiastic audience that night were also entertained by three other local acts: Amy Wilcox, solo vocalist from Pensford and two bands, Fright Liner and Mirrorfield.

A fortnight later another six acts competed for the second place in the final. This time third prize went to Anarchy (a band of Year 7 pupils from Chew Valley School). The judges found it a very tough decision to choose between the two acts in first and second place, but in the end honours went to Gem, a five-piece band from Bristol, with solo artist fourteen-year-old Lucy Pearce coming a very close second.

The other Chew Valley bands performing that evening were Axis, The Jobes and Twisted Circle. Organiser Sheila Wilcox said: "Once again we were amazed at the high standard of everyone who took part - these evenings show just how many talented musicians there are in the area and I would like to thank everyone who helped to make the evenings such a success, my fellow-organisers, the audience and of course all of the performers."

So, make a date in your diary now for the head-to-head final between The Hit Ups and Gem at the Music Festival on June 16.

Anne Collier

North Somerset Show
May 1 will mark the start of the Agricultural Show Season, as Bathing Pond Fields will be the centre of culinary delights as a food theme runs throughout The North Somerset Show. Last year¹s Show attracted record crowds of well over 15,000 and with the site improving year on year, it's only getting better!

This year the show will be zoned with an education zone, village green and livestock and horse areas, which will make navigating the large site easier for visitors. The education zone will be home to a joint collaboration between the North Somerset Agricultural Society, rural educationalists FarmLink, Bristol Education Authority and the Bristol Primary Healthcare Trust. A one-acre site housing a project called the "Bristol Schools Healthy Meal Wheel" will represent the different strands of the food chain.

The centre of the cart wheel being a giant healthy meal, with each spoke representing its derivatives. From the core product to the finished meal! Children will really be able to get stuck into the meal making process with cooking demonstrations, cows, calves and piglets on hand to stroke and pet and grain to make flour. All this, plus tasting sessions will provide a real hands on farming experience for all the family to take away and remember for years to come.

The food theme will carry on throughout the showground with an ever growing food hall exhibiting some of the best local producers Somerset and the surrounding areas have to offer as well as housing food from all other areas of the UK and world. Tickets for the day are available at a reduced price beforehand by phoning the box office number 08700 115 007 or go online to www.nsas.org.uk For further press information please call Vicki Spencer on 07971 877 590 or email vicki@biglittleevents.co.uk

New school for Felton
About 50 people attended a consultation meeting at St Katharine's school on March 22. Chair of governors Mark Hunter introduced the meeting and then handed over to Zak Willis (Head teacher), Mark Cage (North Somerset) and Andy Holmes (Consultants).

Zak spoke of the current school ethos and what the teachers/governors would be looking for in the new school. Mark Cage then took over and said that both landowners had been approached and negotiations were in hand although no conclusions had yet been reached. Andy Holmes then ran through the process the architects would be following and left various designs at the back of the hall for people to view after the meeting. The evening was very much one of consultation and 45 minutes were then given for the panel to be questioned and for the meeting to be given an opportunity to say what they would like to see in a new school.

A feedback form was also given to every person present to be handed back to the school if they so wished so that all views can be taken into account. Mark Hunter concluded the meeting by saying that once the land had been purchased a further consultation meeting would be held in the village hall to look at possible school designs in more detail.