News, comment and gossip for Horsington, the Cheritons and surrounding villages in Somerset
The White Horse, South Cheriton (still the only pub in the parish) has diversified into a new venture, the Antico Caffe, serving breakfasts, morning coffee, light lunches and afternoon teas from Mondays to fridays from 9.15 am.
Eat in or takeaway.
St Margaret’s Hall Horsington – 4 November (and monthly)
All villagers with produce invited to bring along to sell -20% of income donated to Horsington Primary School and the Village Hall.
Food resilience and supporting local farmers and food producers has never been more important in a cost of living crisis against a background of climate change, Brexit, and pandemics. This is a new Community Market and Kitchen to connect local producers with the local community, generate additional income for producers, villagers, and the Primary School.
Proper coffee, tea and cake will be available. Card payments taken. WhatsApp group – ask to join (Penny Nagle 07768 832954) or mail penny@felthamsfarm.com
Facebook Social Media: @HorsingtonCommunityMarket – Producers, farmers and local businesses confirmed so far : –
Feltham’s Farm – multi award winning organic cheesemakers, selling cheeses, organic fruit, vegetables and sheepskins.
Blooming Wild – Cabbage Lane’s growers of perennial flowers, grasses, and wildflowers, selling plants. Not here for November (as taking a well deserved break) but back in December.
Baglio San Felice – tastings of their Sicilian olive oil, available to pre-order direct from the producer for the 2023 harvest .
Lovington Bakery Sourdough bread will be available for sale, and collection.
And most of all YOU – anyone with excess veg, fruit, eggs, cakes, breads, pies, meats, jams, chutneys, homemade crafts, please come! This is YOUR Community Market and Kitchen. Just let us know if you are coming for numbers
Penelope Nagle penny@felthamsfarm.com
Use it or lose it is the message from our local bus operator. The 58 and the 58A, which connect Wincanton to Yeovil in an hour-long trip via Henstridge, Stabridge and Sherborne, are under threat due to falling passenger numbers.
This is despite bus fares pegged at £2.00 per journey until december 2024.
(This applies to other bus services in Somerset, including cross country services to Bristol, Taunton and Bridport.)
The Somwerset Bus partnership have launched an advertising campaign which boasts it costs less than a latte to use the bus. Also less than using expensive fuel and running up parking charges!
Horsington Parish Council have re-scheduled their meeting timetable.
Starting in 2024, the parish council will meet 10 times a year. There will be no meetings in February and August.
So now you know.
The clocks are about to change, and we predict an outbreak of jerseys, to be followed by a rash of Christmas jumpers.
Here’s a few things to keep you amused during the autumn.
The White Horse, South Cheriton (still the only pub in the parish) is holding a Race Night on Saturday 4th November.
If, like your editor, slow horses and fast women led to your downfall, you will find them a’ plenty in the bar.
The evening consists of televised English horse races on the big screen. Come and have a flutter with pretend money, exchangeable at the bar.
Ther cost is £12.50, to include some food. From 7 pm. First race 8 pm
Should be fun. Must Book – at the bar or phone 01963 370394.
The White Horse also hosts a popular monthly quiz on the second Sunday of the month. The next one is on the 11th November. Teams of 5 max. 7.30 pm.
The Horsington Community Market & Kitchen got off to a great start last month. November’s market is on the 4th November at the village hall (and on the 1st Saturday of the month thereafter.)
Local produce, cheese, meat, flowers, plus wonderful Sicilian olive oil. 9-30 -11 am. Got somewthing to sell? Bring it along.
Horsington Church is hosting a concert by The Mill Singers, a male voice choir featuring Horsington’s own Bob Jones on Sunday afternoon, 19 November at 3 pm.
Entry is by a suggested donation of £8.00, (cards accepted) and all profits will be for the church’s funds. The concert will be followed by refreshments.
They sing quite light stuff on the whole, songs from the shows, folk-songs, light-opera, Sea Shanties, all generally easy listening. And FUN!
*Winter Draws On! Listen: http://*https://open.spotify.com/track/48OIgI0OWGNfSXMLJzft4M?si=a5d03325416c48df
The horsington Community Market and kitchen starts on Saturday 7th October, and continues on the first Saturday of each month.
All villagers with any produce are invited to bring it along to sell.
The venue is the Horsington Village hall. 9.30-11 am.
20 per cent of the proceeds go to help Horsington Church School.
The school PTFA is looking to bake some delicious cakes for sale. Can anyone donate 18 eggs? Please!
Contact Penny Nagle –
07768 832954)or mail penny@felthamsfarm.com
Social Media: @HorsingtonCommunityMarket
There will be a clay pigeon shoot on Horsington Manor’s lands on Saturday 20 September from noon till aroud 4pm.
The manor’s lands are basically within the circle of Batchpool lane, Marsh Lane and Lower Road.
If anyone woukd like to join the Horsington shoot next seson (and/or take part in the clay shoot), please contact Alec davis on 07852 111909
The Horsington Shoot is having a clay pigeon shoot this Sunday 27 August, between 4 and 7 pm on the Horsington Manor estate. In other words, inside the ring formed by Lower road, Batchpool Lane and Marsh Lane.
They hope to keep disturbance to a minimum, but it might be as well to keep your pets in if they are nervous of gunfire.
Anyone interestied in joining this small, fun, shoot next autumn/winter, should contatct the editor (editor@idnet.com), who will forward any enquiries to the shoot organisers.
It’s election time again. Yawn. Next Thursday we go to the polls to elect a successor to the disgraced Tory ex-MP David Warburton.
Judging by the number of posters to be seen in our villages, there is little enthusiasm. The Libdems seem to have the most, but even they are few and far between. The Tories have none, and a source tells us that none have been distributed!
Maybe there are posters in far away Somerton or Frome, after which this huge constituency is named.
The bookies have the Libdems as odds on favourites. We find this surprising as Sarah Dyke had a disastrous interview with the Guardian, during which she professed no knowledge of Somerton or of economic conditions in this area. A Somerset councillor since 2022, she spearheaded the cancellation (or is it the postponement?) of the Wincanton regeneration scheme. She shouts a lot.
The Tory candidate, Faye Purbrick is an experienced Somerset councillor, and probably a safe pair of hands. She inherited a massive 19,000 majority from David Warburton, but can she hang on to it?
Labour’s Neil Guild is running a very low key campaign, and judging by the party’s track record in Somerset, is unlikely to make an impression at the ballot box.
So that’s the big three. But what about the outsiders?
Voters should remember that whoever is elected will only be in parliament for just over a year before the scheduled General Election. After which, the constituency will be split, with a different demographic mix, and we start all over again. The new MP will unlikely be able to change anything in Somerset or Westminster, since the Tories will still have a good majority in Parliament.
So why not tick the “None of the above” box and vote for one of the outsiders?
You have a wide choice – The Greens (who already have four seats on Somerset Council), UKIP, Reform UK , Christian Peoples’ Alliance and an Independent candidate (an ex-labour RMT member).
It would send a strong message to the Government and the established parties to get their act together before the next big election.
The full list of candidates for the Somerton & Frome by-election is:
Each of the candidates have set out their stall in interviews in “The Leveller” available free from the usual outlets.
Voting is at St Margaret’s hall in Horsington. Don’t forget to take some photo identification with you.