The Tusk Trust, based in Gillingham, supports 67 field projects in 19 African countries that not only work to protect wildlife, but also help to alleviate poverty through sustainable development and education among rural communities who live alongside the wildlife.
Dan Bucknell, executive director , will be giving a talk on the charity’s work on Friday 15 April 7.30 in the village Hall. Suggested donation of £10, to be shared between Tusk and the Horsington Parish Church (Currently undergoing restoration).
It seems that your reporter consumed too much of Mr Tarling’s excellent (and very strong) Timothy Taylor’s “Landlord” bitter at the pub quiz on Easter Sunday and became muddled.
A casual slip of the pen resulted in what started as a pleasant Bank Holiday lie-in turning into a right old lambasting for the poor soul, who was only trying to report what he thought was the truth.
A closer examination of his notes reveals that he got the WRONG RESULT.
Sorry everyone.
The correct result is:
1 The Moonies
2= We’re thinking about it
The Jesters
4 The provisional Ted Banks Appreciation Society (Don’t ask, its too complicated -ED)
The Wooden Spoon went to 3 small 1 tall, who came a very honourable last, and won a bottle of bubbly for their trouble.
Perhaps someone else could take on the onerous task of reporting these events. The old git is clearly past it. (Surely not -Ed)
Mark Blackham, who delighted audiences in “HMS Pinafore” and “Iolanthe”, plays the title role
The award-winning Milborne Port Opera performs Gilbert and Sullivan’s third comic operetta, “The Sorcerer”, at the Milborne Port Village Hall from 13th-16th April. At 7.30 pm. It should be a great show, featuring a 14 -piece orchestra and some great performers, including the regular duo from Horsington, epic cyclist and champion quizzer Chris Bailward and Richard Gaunt, sometimes known for organising karaoke evenings in the pub.
Chris Bailward, typecast as the Lord of the manor, falls for the comely Mrs Partlett, occupation?- pew opener.
Once again MPO will transform the village hall into a theatre. The innovative MPO has given Gilbert & Sullivan’s comic tale a fresh new look for this new 2016 production. The show is set in Milborne Port itself, in the year 1958, at the start of the Rock n’ Roll and the “teenage” eras. The company hopes that everyone will enjoy watching an alternative and very funny take on rural life in Somerset.
A big society wedding is due to take place at Milborne Port’s premier mansion Ven House. The bridegroom decides to engage the services of a “Family Sorcerer” to enchant the whole village into falling in love with the first person they see, chaos ensues and some highly unsuitable relationships are formed. It’s social engineering as you have never seen it before.
Curmudgeonly Notary Richard Gaunt is the object of Gemma Kiddle’s unwilling attentions.
The show has wonderful music and great comic and dramatic scenes and twists. Just for good measure, they’ve spiced it up with a couple of extra characters and some new Sullivan numbers from other works. The award-winning company, and its 14-piece orchestra – under the musical direction of Caroline D’Cruz – is sounding fantastic in rehearsal – don’t miss this amazing show!
The Milborne Port Opera Company, about to perform its 26th show.
Tickets this year are available online (www.mpopera.co.uk) as well as from The Tippling Philosopher, Wayne’s and the Post Office in Milborne Port.
The Half Moon is organising a coach party on Thursday 14th April. Some places available. Contact Andrew or Philippa – 01963 370140
The Half Moon’s traditional Easter Day quiz attracted 9 teams of considerable talent, who battled it out in a difficult quiz, set by Terry Loader, from Templecombe. Difficult, that is, unless you knew the name of the band which eventually became U2, and the names of the men who eventually became known as John Wayne and Pol Pot, among other tricky questions.
The winners were a very depleted Moonies, down to just 2 men, who scored 104 points. Were they economising on entry fees?
Second Equal were “We’re thinking about it” and the “Jesters”. Third were “3 Small 1 Tall”.
Entry fees and raffle money went to the church, and St Margaret’s Hospice.
Congratulations to our broadband campaigner Penny Nagle. Thanks to her tireless energy, those who registered with her for rural broadband, and have current internet speeds of less than 2 Mb/s, now have a £500 voucher waiting for them. The voucher can be used for connecting to a non-wired provider of a faster broadband service.
Penny is now searching for a supplier which can meet the needs of an enlarged group, which could include Stoke Trister, Cucklington and Buckhorn Weston, who have all shown interest.
If you have slow internet speeds and would like a better service, it is not too late to get involved, without obligation. Contact Penny Nagle.
Daisy Liddle and her father Justin, Horsington’s Marathon hopefuls
Horsington’s father and daughter team Justin and Daisy Liddle are training to compete in the London Marathon on April 24th. As far as we know, this is the first time anyone from the village has competed in this grueling event.
They aim to raise £4,000 for the Spinal Injuries Association, inspired by good friend who suffered a spinal injury.
The Liddles have lived in Horsington for 17 years. You may have seen Justin running around in his bright yellow kit. 18 year old Daisy is tall and athletic, not surprising, since she has represented Great Britain at Biathle, a tough biathlon-type competition. Justin’s approach is more laid back, but he is training hard.
Over the last few months they have both been working to raise Justin’s fitness. Daisy has had to learn to run a little slower while Justin has had to speed up from his normal crawl!
Their training programme has included a Cancer Research UK 10km Winter Run in central London in January. They also did a 10-miler in Bournemouth and the Yeovil half Marathon last weekend, where they both finished in 2:05, a joint personal best.
Every year in the UK over 1,000 people experience a spinal cord injury. There are an estimated 40,000 spinal cord injured people in the UK alone, and the charity aims to help people to rehabilitate and enjoy a full and independent life.
The Team Liddle has already raised £1,500. You can help them meet their target by donating via Team Liddle’s fundraising page at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/teamliddle A donation of any size will help.
You can follow their progress on Twitter (@teamliddle) or “like” their Facebook page (Team Liddle’s London Marathon 2016).
If you would like further information on the Spinal Injuries Association, click here.
Once upon a time, whenever we published a story about South Somerset District Council, we plagiarised their logo and placed a smiling, complacent fat cat at the centre, beaming at the hard-pressed council taxpayers.
This time we have respectfully used their official logo (although no doubt some jobsworth will come and try and get us for unauthorised use) because, although forced to increase the annual council tax by Central Government, the Council has managed to limit the increase to Band D properties (most of Horsington) to just £66 .36 a year. That’s £1.27 a week, less than half a pint of beer, closer to a modest bar of chocolate.
The Council has been hit by cuts in Government support and increases in the demands of other bodies: 1.99% for Avon and Somerset Police, 1.99% for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority, and 3.26% for Somerset County Council, the body which failed to bring any prosecutions for the outrageous trimming of hedges during the nesting season last year.
South Somerset District Council claims to have reduced its annual budget from £19.7m in 2008/9 to a proposed 2016/17 budget of just £17.3m. This represents a cut of 28% after inflation. Well done.
SSDC has targeted new savings of £1.3 million for 2016/17 including staffing costs of £365k, income generation of £703k, and savings on assets of £83k.
Our own Horsington Parish Council has to be congratulated. The amount it takes from us to look after the village has increased only slightly from £31.53 a year to £33.80 a year for Band D properties..
The annual Parish Meeting will be held on Thursday 14th April 2016 at St Margaret’s Hall, Horsington . 7.00 pm refreshments, 7.15pm Meeting.
The annual battle of the wits of Horsington and South Cheriton (or should it be the witless? -ED) in the traditional Easter Sunday quiz will take place in the Half Moon at 7.30 pm.
The quiz is a lot of fun, and usually goes to the wire in a hotly-contested battle between genius pedants.
Please come and join in. Teams of 4-ish. Usual rules. Leave you mobile at home.
We have been asked to point out that the Maundy Thursday service (March 24th) listed in “The Villager” will be in Templecombe Church (it should have been in Horsington but they have had to move it due to the works that are taking place in Horsington). The Service will be at 7.30pm, and not as listed in “The Villager”
Horsington’s favourite local amateur operatic company, Milborne Port Opera, has won a major award, against stiff opposition from over 80 drama groups all over Somerset, in the annual David Beach Awards for musical theatre, presented by the Somerset Fellowship of Drama (SFD).
Milborne Port Opera were nominated by a panel of experts for 2 awards, and carried home the “Challenge Trophy” for having the courage and enterprise to put on the original show “Spring Fate”, written, composed, arranged, directed and scored by MPO’s Neil Edwards, helped by a talented group of actors, musicians and set designers.
MPO’s Spring Fate in performance last year. Writer, composer director Neil Edwards is the man flexing his muscles in the background on the right
“Spring Fate” was Neil Edwards’ third show for the MPO. It played last year to considerable critical acclaim. This is the second time MPO has won the Challenge Trophy. In 2013 they won it for the way in which they so cleverly transform the Village Hall into a theatre, and also an award for the best set.
In 2015 the MPO won the “Show stopper” award for the best musical number.
The award comes a few weeks before the company unveils its latest production, Gilbert & Sullivan’s comic opera “The Sorcerer”. MPO has updated it to 1958, the beginning of the rock n’ roll era, and set it in Milborne Port (or rather a fantasy version of it). A Sorcerer puts something in the tea at a village wedding, with catastrophic and chaotic results. It’s very funny, with great music and singing.
The show is being staged from April 13-16. Milborne Port Village Hall. 7.30. Tickets £12.00. Concession tickets, £10.00 on the Wednesday.
Once upon a time, whenever we published a story about South Somerset District Council, we plagiarised their logo and placed a smiling, complacent fat cat at the centre, beaming at the hard-pressed council taxpayers.
The annual battle of the wits of Horsington and South Cheriton (or should it be the witless? -ED) in the traditional Easter Sunday quiz will take place in the Half Moon at 7.30 pm.