Have the seismic waves emanating from Clacton, Essex and Heywood, Lancashire reached Horsington? Will UKIP’s victory in the former, and its rattling of Labour in the latter, make people more or less likely to vote for them in a General Election?
Take part in our anonymous, confidential survey.
Email the link below for this post to your friends so we can get a decent sample.
The Blog will up its local political coverage as we get nearer the election next May.
A readers’ survey conducted by Benchpoint for the Blog showed that nearly 87% of readers believe Scotland should remain in the UK. 13% believe it should be an independent nation.
The same proportion (87%) believes that the “No” vote will carry the day in the actual referendum.
23 people took part in the survey, a remarkable result given that the blog has been asleep for most of the summer. One response came from Canada, the other from Germany, so thank you, our foreign readers.
We know of one Horsington resident who, tempted by the odds on offer from the bookies, put his shirt on a “yes” vote. Who? Our lips remain sealed.
Meanwhile the media has begun to report a serious backlash against the result (whatever it is). It started with a fake frontier post on the border, and then escalated as these exclusive previews show. And it’s still 7 months to April 1st!
Horsington Blog readers have a chance to take part in their own referendum on Scottish Independence.
The survey is anonymous.
There are just 2 short questions
Charles James reports:
The Defibrillator is up and running and the training for the team of responders will be taking place this Thursday (20 June), I am then just awaiting the final registration for t he VETS scheme and all will be complete.
Moving on from there Sonya and myself are now organising for the first Aid courses that will be taking place in the Village hall at a date to be announced, the cost of which will be £30, it is hoped that the funds raised from the music festival will subsidise this and bring the price down to £20 per person (or maybe less dependant on numbers), anyone is welcome to attend but the subsidy will only be available to village residents.
The “Essential First Aid All Ages” course will cover the following.
Communication and casualty care
Looking after yourself and the casualty
Adult resuscitation
Treatment of choking in adults
Treatment of severe bleeding and chest pains
Treatment of an unconscious casualty.
Could you please pass this on , spread the word please and ask any interested parties to contact me or Sonya on 01963 371166 or by email at charles@oytteryantiques.co.uk
We need to start gathering names and numbers..
We are also in the process of organising (early days) a special first aid course delivered by St Johns to all the school children which hopefully will be delivered this summer, (liaison with the school is underway)
This scheme will save lives – and it could be yours. Please support. – Ed
Sunday saw the eagerly awaited latest fixture in the 2014 Half Moon Quiz Series. Turnout was good with, we suspect, many hoping to witness a historic third successive victory by The Ted Banks Appreciation Society. The questions, posed by landlord Andrew, were as varied as they were challenging. The defending champions battled heroically and at the half-time point were romping away with a convincing one point lead.
Despite an encyclopedic knowledge of the boroughs of New York and the facial peculiarities of Caroline Quentin, the champions put in a poor second half performance and, at the final whistle, a four-point victory went instead to The Moonies. A spokesperson for The Ted Banks Appreciation Society said “It’s a huge disappointment for us all – you build yourself up to it and then to fall at the final hurdle is a massive blow. We’ll be back stronger, leaner and fitter for the next fixture though – those Moonies better watch out!”.
Thanks must go to all at the Half Moon for organising the prestigious event which raised a tidy sum of money for the King Arthur’s Camps International trip to Tanzania.
Ten teams lined up for the Half Moon’s Easter Sunday Quiz, well organized by the Blackmore Vale Lions. Victory –their second consecutive one – went to the Ted Banks Appreciation Society, who came from behind to win by 2 points. Is there any limit to the towering intellect displayed by these giants? We shall see. The next quiz is over the bank holiday at the end of May.
The Parish Council is looking for one new member and co-option will take place at the meeting of the Parish Council to be held on Thursday 8th May 2014 at 7.30pm at St Margaret’s Village Hall, Horsington.
Anyone from Horsington or South Cheriton wishing to be considered for co-option onto the Parish Council should contact the Clerk Mr D Chapman, 7 Slades Hill, Templecombe,
Somerset BA8 0HF.
The award-winning Milborne Port Opera’s next offering ”Utopia Limited” (April 23-26) will delight anyone who believes our present situation has been caused by the antics of bankers, politicians, financiers and the absurdities of health and safety bureaucrats.
Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera is a satire about finance, royalty, bankruptcy, celebrity media and the mafia. It revolves around the small South Pacific island of Utopia’s attempts to turn itself into a limited company – with the help of British management consultants. En route, it also takes a swipe at the British Empire, overseas aid, The Lord Chamberlain (plays were censored by him right up to the 1968) and courtship rituals.
The Milborne Port production team have sharpened its satirical edge with some judicious re-writes and updating, which makes it as relevant today as it was to Victorian audiences. In fact it will leave you with the feeling that nothing much has changed.
It is one of G&S’s less well-known works. “ Utopia Limited” is Gilbert and Sullivan’s penultimate collaboration, and it the only G & S opera which has yet to be performed by the Milborne Port company.
Utopia stars its regular singers, including Horsington residents Richard Gaunt, playing the King of Utopia, and Chris Bailward.
Musical director Caroline d’Cruz conducts the talented orchestra. Stand by for a cracking evening.
The show runs at the Milborne Port Village Hall from April 23-26, the week after Easter. Tickets from boxoffice@milborneportopera.co.uk Telephone 07926 983585.
STOP PRESS Horsington has been a great supporter of the MPO over the years, and this year is no exception. The Half Moon is running a minibus/coach to Utopia on Thursday 24th April. It will run from Wincanton via the Cheritons, Horsington, Templecombe and Henstridge. Cost will be £18 per head including admission ticket, interval drinks and canapés. A bargain start to the “season”.
Details and bookings from the Half Moon 01963 370140
Horsington’s campaign to install a defibrillator in the disused phone box has been successful in raising enough money for the project to go ahead. A last minute grant of £850 by Somerset County Council, negotiated by Councillor William Wallace, tipped the balance.
Funding has also come from South Somerset District council (£750), the Lions club (£250), from various fund raising events, including a projected donation from the music and craft festival.
It is not just a question of buying the defibrillator. The machine has to be installed, the phone box needs refurbishing, electricity has to be paid for, and the local VETS (Village Emergency Telephone Service) set up and maintained. This last item is fundamental to the success of the operation . It rings all the volunteers simultaneously, and the first one to pick up can accept or refuse the callout. It goes on ringing all the others until there is a positive response. VETS can be used for any medical emergency, not just heart attacks.
Charles James, who has masterminded the project, reckons that with a donation from the music and craft festival, there will be enough money to carry out all this work and run the VETS system for up to 4 years.
The Defibrillator will enable emergency treatment for heart attacks for most residents of the Horsington area (Including the Cheritons and Templecombe) within 5-10 minutes. Research shows that the quicker the treatment, the better the outcome. The difference can be dramatic.
Seven volunteers have come forward to operate the system. More are needed. No medical training is necessary, but of course anyone with relevant experience is welcome.
