Smithfield comes to Somerset

Andrew Wear and Mendip produce
The Royal Smithfield moved to Somerset from Earls Court for the first time and was a resounding success. In years past the staff of the Royal Bath & West Show would assist at the Smithfield as both societies were based in Bath. How things have changed. The entries for cattle and sheep were of an excellent standard as befits the premier winter livestock show and fair and many were from Scotland and Ireland. Among the local winners were Farrington Gurney young farmers' club member, Melissa Pollett of Hallatrow, who entered her steer by a Belgian Blue. She bypassed the classes specifically for young farmers and entered one of the open classes.

The steer was placed third. Chew Valley member Henry-James Gay of East Harptree was showing lambs and was placed in the YFC class for sheep sired by a continental ram. He was presented to the Princess Royal who visited the show on the first day. Another local exhibitor in the cattle section was Stephen Potter of the Whistley Herd Partnership. Three cattle were taken and won a first and two second prizes. In the sheep section K J Osborne & Sons won a first prize in the shortwoolled breeds sired by a Dorset Down.

The Festive Farm Food Challenge was a wonderful opportunity to show what wonderful food comes from the great livestock on display at the fair. Farmers, butchers and chefs created a festive buffet and a three-course meal menu from local produce. Recipes to be included. Andrew Wear of Compton Martin Will Simmonds from Priddy Farm Shop and chef John Hole of Erlong Farm, Westbury sub Mendip combined to create the overall winning entry. As the Princess Royal was walking through the show she stopped at the trade stand of Mary Griese of Slightly Sheepish, the studio at Fairseat Farm, Chew Stoke. Mary was exhibiting her paintings, greeting cards, prints and original watercolours of agricultural livestock. The Princess looked at Mary's paintings and the other items on display whilst talking to Mary.
Words and photo by Rosie Sage

Two die in Clutton A37 accidents
A Clutton man and a girl from Paulton died in separate accidents at Clutton on December 15 and 16. Police are appealing for witnesses to the two separate fatal road traffic collisions. The first one happened at 9.30pm on Friday, December 15, on the Upper Bristol Road. Nicholas Wyatt (45) was leaving the Warwick Arms pub and was crossing the A37 when a Ford Maverick collided with him. He was taken to Bath's Royal United Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

The second collision happened at 9.40pm on Saturday, December 16, on the A37 at Red Hill. A Ford Fiesta was travelling along the A37 northbound when it collided with a Nissan Micra. A Peugeot 106 was also involved in the collision. The front seat passenger of the Ford Fiesta was a teenage girl who sustained fatal injuries as a result of the collision and died at the scene. Police have named the 14 year old who died as Michaela Jones, from Paulton. The family have requested that people respect the family's privacy during this difficult time.

Police are keen for anyone who witnessed either collision to call the force's collision investigation unit on 0845 4567000 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

Bootiful Bishop Sutton

The children of Bishop Sutton Primary School all wore their wellies to school in support of World Aids Day on Friday December 1. Wellies came in all different colours and sizes and look amazing, and were perfect for the time of year - stamping in the puddles! The school raised £90, and thanks everyone for their donations. Photo by Fiona Hunt

Blagdon School chess success
The last weekend in November saw the second round of the Somerset Junior Chess Grand Prix series at Millfield School, at Street. The team from Blagdon Primary School went with high expectations and were not disappointed. Peter Strong was the top U12 player in a strong section that saw Katie Purchase unusually down in 15th after 6 very long games.

Two of these games could have gone her way and pushed her up to second, so tight are the results. In the U10s, William Abrams had a very good win against one of the favourites and finished 7th while David Alexander had a purple patch in the middle of the day winning two games. Zoe Strong was 2nd in the U9s, just 1/2 a point behind the winner, after losing the last game. Ruben Paddick was not firing on all cylinders and finished below his best in 7th place.

The real star for the day was Jordan Chave who won the U8s with 5/6. His only loss was against Oliver Main from Priddy who is the south of England champion. Jordan got a good start in the game but drfited a little in the middle and allowed his opponent to mount a strong attack. The whole team played well and are delighted with the two trophies. Blagdon Primary School are hosting the next Grand Prix on January 13. If anyone wishes to enter please contact Chris Strong via the school on 01761 462416 or at home on 01761 462277.

Top trio to play at the Old Down

The Old Down Acoustic Club pride themselves on getting only the best acts from the folk/acoustic circuit to come and play at The Kings Arms in Litton. The January 5 concert is no exception. The club has been fortunate enough to book The Devil's Interval who are a great young trio, who were nominated for the prestigious Horizon award in the 2007 Radio2 Folk Awards. The Devil's Interval combine the individual vocal talents of Lauren McCormick, Jim Causley and Emily Portman.

The English song tradition so strongly expressed in their solo work is also present in their group repertoire, an eclectic mix ranging from Tom Waits to Phoebe Smith and Dolly Parton! The Kings Arms provides an intimate venue where the audience can feel part of the show and be close to the performers which is a completely different experience for music lovers when compared to the large venues that these and other acts in their caliber would normally perform at

Come and see The Devil's Interval at The Old Down Acoustic Club. Tickets are £10 and the doors will open at 7.30pm To book tickets contact, Cathy Judge on 01761 241235 or Johnny Francis on 07766 442490 For more information visit
www.theolddownacousticclub.co.uk

Progress for East Harptree shop project
The Village Shop Project may seem to have been quiet since the public meetings in October, but in fact there has been intense activity behind the scenes. A thorough, professional research project was commissioned and carried out in the Parish with very positive results. It shows that there is a strong desire for a new shop providing a basic range of provisions as well as being a centre for the community. 74 households in the village were randomly selected for face to face research and the remainder were given postal questionnaires. From the 250 households in the East Harptree parish, a total of over 60% responded.

The key messages coming from the survey were: * There is a definite desire for a shop providing basics and key community services and information * The inclusion of a cafe would be very well received * A book swap facility was seen as a good idea * With volunteer involvement a well run village shop could certainly be financially viable * 70% of respondents were interested in becoming a partner in a community run shop * 40% were interested in investing in the project with the proceeds re-invested back into the shop and community * 62% were interested in a loyalty scheme So one third of the feasibility study is complete.

The next phase is to use these findings to put together a business plan and look more closely at potential premises before final decisions about feasibility can be taken in the New Year. The hugely successful Friday Shopping Club continues and funding is now available to keep the service running until the end of March 2007. If you would like more information about The Village Shop Project in East Harptree or how you can help please log on to
www.eastharptree.org
or email ehcommunityshop@tiscali.co.uk for the latest updates.