The Horsington Blog

Horsington’s father and daughter team Justin and Daisy Liddle are training to compete in the London Marathon on April 24^th. 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.

The Blog wishes them every success.

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”

Next Show “The Sorcerer” opens on April 13.

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.

“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.

Book on line at www.milborneportopera.co.uk. Tickets also from the Milborne Port Post Office, Wayne’s butchers, and from the MPO box office -07926 983585. Also  boxoffice@milborneportopera.co.uk.

The race meeting on Thursday 10th march has been abandoned. According to the racecourse, the turf is waterlogged after 27mm of rain fell on Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Conveniently for the racecourse, this meeting was free to those who had the foresight to book early.

Funny. The same thing happened last year.

Neighbouring Milborne Port Opera always aims to punch above its weight, putting on ambitious, successful and popular musical shows in a transformed village Hall. Now they have catapulted  into the modern age with a new on line booking system .

Audiences for the next show, Gilbert & Sullivan’s comic opera “The Sorcerer” (Milborne Port Village Hall, April 13-16) can now book using credit or debit cards 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

MPO hopes the new system will be a great improvement on the previous one, which relied on volunteers taking bookings on a mobile phone, with the inevitable poor reception and availability issues.

MPO wants to improve its audience’s experience inside and outside the theatre. They  hope audiences will find the new internet-based system much easier and simpler. Most entertainments now have on line booking, and people are now very familiar with this way of  buying seats.

For those who can’t, or don’t want to use the new system, Milborne Port Opera’s regular outlets Waynes Butchers and the Milborne Port Post Office will continue to sell tickets over the counter. And the box office phone will continue, but with limited hours.

To book tickets go to www.milborneportopera.co.uk and follow the links.

Rehearsals are now well under way, and we will let you have details of the new show, a G& S comic opera,  soon.

Congratulations to the “The Horsington & South Cheriton Villager” , which has published its 50th issue – 5 years old.

The Blog has also passed its 5th birthday, and has clocked up over 500 posts. The first was on the 15th February 2011, a spoof film review of “The King’s Peach”, which set the tone for the Blog ever since.

A month 0lder than “The Villager”, the Blog claims the title of Horsington’s senior publication, and we look forward to an article in their next issue congratulating the Blog on its 500th post!

 

Regular activities (Village Hall unless stated).
Mondays         Pilates 6pm
Tuesdays         Upholstery 10.30 am , Badminton 8pm,
Wednesdays  Adult tap dancing 10am
Thursdays      Art 10.00
Fridays            Art 10.00

Other Events
Tues 1st       U3A – Seven Years in China, a talk by David Grierson. Henstridge Village Hall
Wed 2nd         Wincanton Races. 1200 – 1705
Music Night  Half Moon Inn 8.30pm
Thurs 3rd      W.I .  Joint Meeting with N. Cheriton  Village Hall 7.30pm
Thurs 3rd      Wincanton Races.  Coors Day  11.30-16.50
Mon 7th        Ladies Lunch Group at Rose & Crown, Trent
Thur 10th      Parish Council Meeting.  Village Hall 7.30pm
Thur 10th       Wincanton Races . Bathwick Tyres Day Day.  11.30 – 17.15.  Free tickets if booked by 6th March
Tues 22nd       Film: The lady in the Van.  King Arthur’s School 7.30pm
Sunday 27th    BST begins. Put your clocks forward

St John’s Church services
6th March        9.15am Holy Communion
13th March       11 am  Morning Prayer
20th March       9.15am  Holy Communion
For Services in Holy Week visit Henstridge or Templecombe
27th March        (Easter Sunday)  9.15am  Holy Communion

FUTURE EVENT

Milborne Port Opera presents The Sorcerer by Gilbert & Sullivan………..                          April 13th – 16th at 7.30pm at Milborne Port Village Hall. Click HERE to buy tickets on-line

The Village Hall was filled to near-capacity on Saturday 14th February for the Annual Village Hall fundraising dinner.

As befits the date, the evening had a romantic air, with a Valentines theme embellished with a liberal sprinkling of love hearts,  soft candle light, sweets with romantic messages, and flowers. But despite this, behaviour was an impeccable as ever.

As always, the main course was delicious, rounded off by some wonderful desserts donated by guests.

John Macdonald, chairman, is to be congratulated on an excellent evening, along with his fellow committee members Chris Bailward, Phil and Vicky Frankin, Maria Hawkins and Gill Miles. They all deserve our thanks for working hard to create such a convivial evening. Phil Franklin deserves a special award -see picture.