Category: News

News and events in the Horsington area

Superfast Broadband could benefit the village

There is hope on the horizon if you suffer from chronically slow broadband speeds

The average UK residential fixed line broadband speed is 22.8 Mbit/second (Ofcom November 2014). This is nothing like the dismal speeds we achieve in Horsington, which are often under 1Mb per second.

The Connecting Devon and Somerset Programme aims to give 90% of the area superfast speeds of 24 Mbs by end of 2016. The signal will be delivered by superfast fibre optic cables, and will be available to everyone who lives within 1 ¼ miles of a local connection node, known as a “ Cabinet”.

You will of course have to pay for this.

However, they will not evaluate us and the “cabinet” until next year. They won’t tell us where the “Cabinet” is (Templecombe?).  And it won’t get upgraded if we don’t have enough people to justify the cost.

Penny Nagle, who lives at Felthams Farm on Horsington Marsh, is getting up a petition to try and accelerate the evaluation process.
You can sign the petition on the Church notice board or by emailing her –
“We really want to have superfast broadband here in Horsington Village and Marsh” to pennynagle@gmail.com.

If you live too far away from the “cabinet” you will not benefit from superfast broadband, but if 80 people or more express an interest, Wessex Internet will consider erecting a wi-fi tower to broadcast a high speed signal. You can express an interest with no obligation here:  http://www.wessexinternet.com/register
It will be approximately the same price (we don’t have details). But sign up anyway as this will be a good back up option if we are not part of the Programme or too far away from that darned “cabinet” .

Luckily you don’t need supefast broadband to download your Horsington Blog!

How about a petition to do something about our pathetic mobile phone reception? -Ed

Update 20 May 2015: Horsington & South Cheriton may go superfast in January 2016. See story

Brilliant Winky Choir sets off BBC charter demand

BBC Radio 4 must bring back the “UK Theme” before the morning shipping forecast

Sunday 17 May saw the Wincanton Choral Society (featuring several Horsington residents) in excellent form for their 25th anniversary concert. The choir seems to have recovered its former spirit, and gave us a wonderful performance. They would be truly brilliant if we could hear the words a bit better.

The choir was augmented by a larger than usual orchestra, which added a certain majesty, making a reasonant sound which filled the packed sports hall at the Leisure Centre. Their opening number was the “UK Theme”, which used to herald the start of the day before Radio 4’s early morning shipping forecast. Until they killed it.

This is a glorious piece of music, much loved by fishermen, yachtsman and seafarers, (and, we suspect, landlubbers.) Hearing it brought back many happy memories of steadying oneself on the oggin, nursing a mug of tea, pencil stub in hand, trying to jot down the details before going on deck to tell the crew what was about to befall them in Lundy, Fastnet and Fitzroy.

Loyal readers will recall that your editor offered to rescue the crisis-ridden BBC when they “lost” their director-general in 2012. The offer still stands, with the additional proviso that the “UK Theme” is re-instated before the shipping forecast.

Readers may wish to write to their new MP, that nice Mr Warburton, demanding that reinstatement must be a condition of renewing the BBCs Charter, which comes up next year. Let’s go viral with this one!

Listen to the UK Theme, arranged by Fritz Speigl, performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

BloggoVision Extra – Live from the election count

BloggoVisionThe Blog’s fearless camera crew infiltrated the election count in Yeovil to record the historic win by Councillors Wallace and Inglefield, who both increased their majorities. Mrs Wallace reports on her bad luck to her father.

Blackmore Vale re- elects Inglefield and Wallace with increased majorities

SSDC-iconBlackmore Vale’s two conservative Councillors William Wallace and Tim Inglefield have been re-elected with increased majorities.

There is now no overall majority at the previously Lib Dem-led South Somerset District Council.

The Lib Dems have lost two seats and now have 29. Conservatives gained three seats and have 28. Independents lost one seat and now have three.

Two sitting Tory Councillors failed to submit their papers in time, denying them full control of the Council. Piss ups and breweries spring to mind.

In neighbouring Wincanton, Conservatives  Colin Winder and Nick Colbert were both elected. Lib Dem deputy leader Tim Carroll failed to gain a seat.

Lucy Wallace, William’s wife, was unlucky down the road in Milborne Port. She lost by ONE VOTE after 3 recounts to Sarah Dyke-Brache, a Lib Dem.

SSDC results 1

 

Let’s get serious – Financial Armageddon after the election?

Jeremy Warner, the much-respected Telegraph writer, has published a piece about a contagious global credit bubble which threatens to bring down bond markets (and presumably lots of other markets too). And all this despite massive quantitative easing by central banks.

Eventually, he says, there will be a massive correction, in which creditors will suffer sickening losses.

If you haven’t time to read the article, at least take note of his conclusion:

“Nobody can tell you when that moment will arrive. We live in an “extend and pretend” world in which economies pathetically fight between themselves for any scraps of demand. One burst of money printing is met by another in an ultimately futile, zero-sum game of competitive currency devaluation. As if on cue, along comes another soft patch in Britain’s economic recovery, with first-quarter growth quite a bit weaker than expected. Like a constantly receding horizon, the point at which UK interest rates begin to rise is pushed ever further into the future. It’s like waiting for Godot. When Bank Rate was first cut to 0.5pc in response to the financial crisis, markets expected rates to start rising again in a year. Six years later, Bank Rate is still at 0.5pc and markets still expect them to rise in a year. In Europe it’s not for four years.

Both Keynsian and monetary economics seem to be in some kind of end game. What comes next is anyone’s guess.”

Please tell us what you think -Ed

Watch your speed!

According to the “Western Gazette”, the Boys in Blue are out there looking for speeding motorists. Clearly no Blog reader would do this, but you might want to pass the information on to others as a warning.

Here are the current locations of speed detection cameras:
They seem to have the area pretty well covered!

A303 2 1/4 miles east of Wincanton (70mph) Site: 6129
A303 2 miles west of Wincanton (70mph) Site: 6042
A303 2/3 mile east of Wincanton (70mph) Site: 6128
A303 3 miles east of Sparkford – eastbound (70mph) Site: 6026
A303 3 miles east of Sparkford – westbound (70mph) Site: 6047
A359 Cole Road, Pitcombe (30mph) Site: 6106
Bayford Hill, Wincanton (30mph) Site: 6030

Don’t go near the water!

Horsington Pond infested with killer fish – did the butler do it?

Horsington Pond
It may look like a peaceful village pond to you, but what’s under the surface?

There’s something nasty beneath the calm pellucid waters of Horsington Pond. It seems a flock (er-what? –Ed) of carnivorous fish have made their way into the pond, and are making a meal of anyone – or their feet at least – who goes near the water.

The fish are a breed called garra rufa obtusas, or “Doctor fish”, used for carrying out so-called fish pedicures in spas and hairdressers. The little blighters nibble away at all your dead skin, treating any infections and returning your feet to pristine condition.

So how did they get into the pond?  Police are dismissing the theory that they escaped from a local hairdressing salon on the grounds that there are no hairdressers upstream of the pond. However the brook which feeds the pond passes through the gardens of, or near, some of Horsington’s most prestigious and expensive residences – including Horsington House, Horsington Manor and the Grange, and the area is known for its upmarket and well-heeled residents.

Police believe that someone may have kept the animals as domestic pets, using them for the occasional toe job. Then, perhaps while they were away, a well-meaning cleaner or butler may have accidently pulled the plug.

The bad news is that these creatures only eat human skin and flesh, and no-one knows what a domesticated strain will do when they are released into the wild. As a result, cautionary warning notices have been erected around the pond and people have been advised to keep away.

Horsington Pond
You have been warned!

However, animal rights activists have claimed that to deprive the fish of human flesh will starve them, and this amounts to terrible and unwarranted cruelty.

Is our quiet village going to be besieged by activists and fish campaigners?  Or overrun by foot tourists? Will it put local hairdressers out of business? Local politicians better be prepared, as it’s a potential vote loser in the sensitive run-up to the elections.

We understand   a SSDC meeting to discuss the matter , scheduled for April 1st, has been mysteriously postponed.

We shall, of course, keep you informed!

Anonymous Horsington residents take advantage of the disaster for a free body scrub
Anonymous Horsington residents take advantage of the disaster for a free body scrub
Horsington Pond in happier times
Horsington Pond in happier times

Pub Quiz – The result reversed!

WhitehorselogoFurther research reveals that David Beckham actually began his professional career at Manchester United, not Preston North End. So in fact the Ted Banks appreciation Society won the White Horse charity quiz on Sunday.

Being sportsmen and gentlemen, they will not be asking for the return of the prizes and a re-run. But watch out next time!

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Beckham

 

Get the inside story on the Middle East

Brigadier John Deverill
Brigadier John Deverill

If events in the Middle East are beyond your grasp, then come to Horsington Church on Friday 27 March.

Brigadier (retired) John Deverell CBE MPhil(Cantab) is giving a talk on “People and Events in the Middle East today”.

With 10 years’ experience in the Middle East as an army Officer,  a diplomat, and  as a businessman, Brigadier Deverell will talk about his experience of this most topical and complex region

He has enjoyed postings with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in Saudi Arabia, Jerusalem and Yemen.

In Iraq he was instrumental in disproving the pre-war intelligence on the weapons of mass destruction WMD) as the senior British officer in the Iraq Survey Group. He presented his findings on the TV programme Panorama.

In Libya he advised the Gaddafi regime on how they would benefit from giving up their WMD programmes.

In Yemen his work with local officials helped avoid war in the wake of 9/11.

In the Palestinian Territories he was the only British government servant to live and work full time.  He was at the forefront of US and British efforts to reform the Palestinian security sector as a basis for a Two-State Solution. In this role John worked alongside Quartet Representative Tony Blair and General Jim Jones, thereafter the U.S. National Security Adviser.

John has spent time in almost every Middle Eastern country and, since leaving the Army, continues to work in the region – most recently in Lebanon.

He now runs Deverell Associates, working with commercial companies to advise them on Enterprise Risk Management and crisis management at home and abroad. He summarises his work as being about “the Prepared Mind”.

The talk is at 7.30.

The proceeds from the talk will be divided between
UNWRA for Palestinian refugees – and Horsington Church
A donation of £8.00 is suggested and will include refreshments

contact: Rosemarie Wigley 01963 371478 or Jane Jones 01963 370562

There is a related talk the previous Sunday on National Security issues at Fifehead Magdalene Church by Senior Home Office man Mark Sedwill. See separate post– Ed

Pub Quiz in South Cheriton

The pub quiz action in the parishWhitehorselogo has moved up the road to the best pub in South Cheriton, the White Horse. On Sunday night, the 8TH March, 9 teams locked intellects in a charity quiz in aid of Riding for the Disabled. The winners, Dishevilled, pipped the current Half Moon Quiz champions, The Ted Banks Appreciation Society, by one point, in tragic circumstances.

Before the quiz started one of the TBAS members moaned “the only answer I know  to any football question is Preston North End. But what is the question?” So a question came up- Where did David Beckham begin his professional football career? The team was flummoxed and put Manchester United as  wild guess..

And the answer was. . . PRESTON NORTH END!

The Cheriton Also Rans came 3rd.

Landlord Steve deserves a big thank you for organising the evening, making freshly fried chips available to hungry quizzers and having some excellent beers on tap. Your editor particularly like the Belhaven, which is not seen very much down here.

Further shock horror development– The result reversed!

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