This is a shameless plug for the editor’s Mercedes, going on the market shortly.
It’s a 2012 Mercedes C 180 Blue Efficiency A Estate (Petrol). (Type 204K).Facelift model with the hood mounted Mercedes star and traditional grille. £8,000 ono.
A beautiful car. Owned since November 2018. 3 Former keepers. Only 68, 276 miles – hardly run in. MOT to December 2021. Selling because I rarely use it.
Full service history. I acquired it with 3 months Mercedes warranty, (not triggered), and then handed it over to Ollie at South Cheriton Garage who has since done everything required:
6 Mercedes services, plus full service July 20 at 65976 miles
The Tent House – Originally designed for use as a Party/Wedding tent, it was used at Glastonbury festival where it was reported in the papers as probably the most glamourous and opulent of all the glamping tents at the Festival .The Tent House has Indian block printed interiors and is divided into 4 large and beautifully furnished bedrooms with each with king size double canopied beds or single twin beds leading off a large atrium styled living/dining room furnished with upcycled hand painted furniture .The toilet-shower room facilities rival those found in premium hotels ensuring that even the most discerning guests are rested and refreshed to fully enjoy their outdoor adventures. The kitchen room is an additional covered space created adjacent to the, ’Palace,’ equipped for all culinary needs, with exterior lounging chairs and table available or relaxing by the open fire.
Disclosure: Your editor is involved with the marketing of the venture featured in this story
“Glamping” – luxurious rural camping surrounded by beautiful countryside- is about to start near South Cheriton. With a limited number of amazing tents, some of which have large bedrooms, block printed interiors ,canopied beds, and hand painted upcycyled furniture, it is set to become one of the more unusual and exclusive staycation holidays in 2021, a year in which Covid has put an end to holidays abroad for most people.
The site will be in an unspoilt seven acre field in farmland about a mile from Horsington and South Cheriton.
Accommodation will be limited to a maximum of 50 people in a variety of different stylishly equipped tents ,some with their own private bathroom facilities .It is intended that the site will be open for 56 days between the last bank holiday in May until 2nd week in September .In June, July and the beginning of September the site will be open on a Friday –Sunday basis with August being the only month in which it will also be available on certain weekdays.
Pop Up Somerset is a cross country walk from Marsh Lane
No music will be allowed and rubbish and general and sewage waste will be monitored regularly and collected and disposed of by certified contractors in a responsible way .They shall also adhering to strict environmental control regarding potable water and wash up facilities and tests will be carried out ensure that the water is safe .
The venture is run by Pop Up Campsites (Somerset), which also has sites in Sussex and Hampshire (Somerset is the only “Glamping” one). It will be managed by 2 local people, Jay Varcoe and Jonny Townsend, who have both 15 years experience in providing tented hospitality and also running private luxury temporary campsites at places like Glastonbury, Badminton etc.
Pop up campsites is aware of the impact on the environment that any site may have ,not just to those living close by but also to the wildlife and farmland which is why they wish to limit the site to a small number of people for a limited time period .
Pop Up Somerset understands that traffic may be a concern as some of the roads are both narrow and often busy and they have advised a route to the campsite which they believe will cause minimum impact .As the numbers of potential guests is limited they do not envisage a significant increase in traffic using these public roads.
Pop Up Campsites operates small scale quiet, relaxed and laid back campsites. All electronic music and percussion instruments of any kind are banned as loud noise doesn’t fit in with communal camping. No dogs are allowed on the site.
There is a Low noise policy from 10pm around the campsite.
It is hoped that ,although small, the campsite will provide an economic benefit to the local community by encouraging guests to eat out and buy food and drink provided by smaller individual local suppliers and visit places of interest in the area.
Here’s the latest fund raising wheeze from the school – The Great Horsington Carrot Growing Competition.
Get planting! Seeds are available any time from Gill and Steve Miles at Freshford (opposite the Half Moon) at £1 per packet. The envelopes are in the porch, and you can put your money in the container.
The carrots will be judged on Sunday 27th June, with prizes for the longest and “other categories”. The mind boggles.
Most of us have forgotten what the interior of a pub looks like, let alone the taste of a freshly pumped pint of foaming ale. But good news is on the horizon.
The White Horse at South Cheriton re-opens at 5 pm on Monday April 12th (Sadly not before Easter.) You will have to sit outside in their lovely outdoor dining area, specially created for the Covid lockdown.
Several people have already booked meals, so get cracking and make a reservation: thewhitehorsesc@gmail.com 01963 370394
You can use this email or number to book a takeaway – Wednesdays to Fridays from 5.50 to 7.30 and Sunday lunches, including Easter Sunday
We encourage all our readers to use their local pubs, who have struggled to provide a service during the lockdown. In our area it really is a case of “Use it or lose it”
Here are the latest Government Statistics for the South Somerset area, updated to 4 pm 30 January (Local Stats are up to 25 January, the latest available)
Confirmed cases
There were 44 new people with a confirmed positive test result reported on 30January 2021. (16 January:48)
Between 24 January 2021 and 30 January 2021, 317 people had a confirmed positive test result. This shows a decrease of 27.6% compared to the previous 7 days.
Deaths
There was 2 new death within 28 days of a positive test for Coronavirus reported on 30 January 2021.(16 January:1)
Total number of people who have died within 28 days of testing positive for Coronavirus as of 15 January 2021 was 113.(5 January:101)
Closer to home:
Positive Covid tests in Wincanton, Cheriton, Charlton Horethorne (includes Horsington Marsh): 7 Days to 25 January: 8 (11 January:20)
Templecombe, Henstridge, Milborne Port (Includes Horsington Village):7 days to 25 January: 9 (11 January:16).
Yeovil Hospital: on 30 January 7 January there were 62 patients in hospital (16 January :60) of which 4 were on ventilation (16 January :7).
Vaccinations
Milborne Port surgery reports:
Vaccinations are being delivered according to priority groups identified by the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). Milborne Port Surgery is working with other local practices (Queen Camel Medical Centre, Bruton Surgery, Millbrook Surgery in Castle Cary and Wincanton Health Centre) to deliver vaccinations at Wincanton Community Hospital and the Bath and West Showground
When it is the right time for you to receive your vaccination, you will receive an invitation to come forward.
Please do not call the surgery to try to book a vaccination and please do not turn up at a vaccination site without an appointment
Is your life or business being strangled by chronically slow broadband?
In the editorial bunker, the current speed is a pathetic 1Mb per second. Life has almost ground to a halt.
If enough people register (no obligation) with Wessex Internet, then we will get a fibre optic Broadband connection with sizzling speeds.
If you are currently on BT’s “Superfast” service, it’s only fibre optic cable from that green box by the entrance to Horsington House. The Wessex offering is fibrre all the way!
If you sign up, you will get a £500 voucher to contribute towards the installation cost. £2500 if you’re running a business (Home working may count.)
It costs nothing to register and you are under no obligation.
Neighbouring villages are getting it together. Come on Horsington!
Here are the latest Government Statistcs for the South Somerset area, updated to 4 pm 16 January (Local Stats are up to 11 January, the latest available)
Confirmed cases
There were 48 new people with a confirmed positive test result reported on 16 January 2021. (6 January:72)
Total number of people who have had a confirmed positive test result as of 16 January 2021 was 3,646.(6 January: 3021
There was 1 new death within 28 days of a positive test for Coronavirus reported on 16 January 2021.(6 January:2)
Total number of people who have died within 28 days of testing positive for Coronavirus as of 15 January 2021 was 113.(5 January:101)
Closer to home:
Positive Covid tests in Wincanton, Cheriton, Charlton Horethorne (includes Horsington Marsh): 7 Days to 11 January: 18 (2 January:20)
Templecombe, Henstridge, Milborne Port (Includes Horsington Village):7 days to 11 January: 16 (2 January:16).
Yeovil Hospital: on 16 January there were 60 patients in hospital (7 January :42) of which 7 were on ventilation (7 January :5).
Vaccinations
Milbore Port surgery reports vis facebook :
The official media release from Somerset CCG finally permits us to share the good news with you.
Yesterday a team from Milborne Port Surgery joined colleagues from our Primary Care Network practices and a host of wonderful volunteers to start vaccinating our patients at Wincanton Community Hospital.
We were excited to welcome 239 of our patients from Priority Group 2 (those aged 80 and older and some frontline health and social care workers). We also helped to vaccinate a further 76 patients from Wincanton Health Centre in the evening.
Further clinics are planned for this weekend and next week so please do not worry if you have not been called yet.
Please don’t call the surgery to enquire about booking because we need all our lines free to be able to help you!
Housebound patients will be vaccinated at home in due course.
Thank you again for your patience as we undertake this huge vaccination campaign.
To check our local Coronavirius status, click here
Here are the latest Government Coronavirus figures for our area. The picture is mixed, with more cases, but fewer hospitalisations and deaths. Possible grounds for optimism? We hope so, but we remain in the hands of the Government for lockdown status and vaccinations.
Winterborne Longjohns, The Blog’s racing correspondent, who lives in London, has already had 2 vaccinations. But the Somerset NHS website Here merely says that vaccinations will be rolled out “in the coming weeks”, and requests people not to contact their GPs, and to wait for notification.
A confirmed case is where a person has had a positive test result for Coronavirus.
There were 72 new people with a confirmed positive test result reported on 6 January 2021. (30 December: 58)
Total number of people who have had a confirmed positive test result as of 6 January 2021 was 3,021. (30 December 2574)
An interesting side statistic is that more people in the under 60 age group are becoming infected than their older peers. Is this because the older group is staying at home, not socialising and respecting the rules? or is it just luck? Or lack of it.
St John the Baptist, Horsington, has suspended services for the duration, but you can join virtual serices and prayers on Zoom. See below.
On Wednesdays there’s Bible study on the book of Daniel – you know- the guy who was thrown into a li0ns’ den (and escaped), and who also advised Belshazzar on graffiti removal at his famous feast. One of the more interesting books of the O.T.
Sundays 10am: Service via Zoom ID: 195 548 436, Password: 740915 Wednesdays 2.30pm: Bible Study on the book of Daniel via Zoom ID 442 929 840. Password: 007292 Saturdays 10am: Home Group via Zoom ID 796 392 12228, Password: 741430 Every Day except Sunday 5.30pm Evening Prayer ID 442 929 840. Password: 007292
