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For more information call 01460 281114 phone/text 07831 600375 [email protected] www.hambridgeandwestport.org

July 2020 Hambridge and Westport

Parish Council update

In the May Newsletter we suggested village initiatives to address the virus. So, let us

review how things are going.

• The contact list worked well, although quite quickly individuals developed their own

support groups.

• The Red “Emergency cards” were a great immediate response, but most people used

other contact methods.

• The Face Book support page has been a great success and continues to operate.

• The village shop has been fantastic!

• For the time being all parish council public meetings are cancelled, but Parish Council

business continues.

In this issue:

• A message from Phil, and hello Phil

• Hambridge stores

• The Nursing Home

• News from the school and FOHSA success

• The Youth Cafe

• The WI

• The Lamb and Lion

• The Scarecrows are coming

• Building a Scarecrow

• VE75 decoration results

• Football special

• Law and Order

• The Recreation Trust

• Parish Council news

Wonderful things happening in our villages

Louise and the staff working unpaid to help resettle the residents from the Vicarage. What

a trauma for the residents on top of all the other worries. And Linda making up “goodie

bags” for all the staff. Nick and Henry cutting the canal bank. Karen and Tom taking iPads

to Musgrove. Cookie keeping us alive to nature, Jude and many others making scrubs. The

entertainment group cheering us up. An extra Phil arrives as if by magic, Friends posting

letters, collecting prescriptions and shopping. Zooming everywhere with family quizzes.

Social Distancing encounters. Chris towing his mower to help out with the grass, Tammy’s

sun flowers, The discovery of beautiful walks. Groceries and shopping appearing on the

doorstep. Old friends phoning. Yes, it’s not all gloom

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.hambridgeandwestport.org/

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A message from Revd Phil

I trust you and your loved ones are all keeping well. The church has recently opened for

private prayer on Monday 11 - 1pm and Thursday 6 - 8pm. That must be a comfort to many

of you knowing that is happening even if you have not been able to make your way there.

Thank you to the volunteer welcomers.

We have been granted permission to hold services in the church. I will be holding a

WELCOME BACK service for Hambridge on Sunday 26th July at 10am. This will be a

short service - not communion and will also give us the chance to welcome our new curate

Philip Albrow. (see below) We shall have music in the services but sadly no singing.

We have also started to hold midweek communion services What a joy to be able to see

each other and take the sacrament again. Hambridge will host a communion service on

Thursday July 30th at 10am. I am now able to keep the reserved sacrament so for anyone

who would like me to call in to your garden and give you the sacrament safely that is now

possible.

Needless to say, our Sunday evening zoom service will continue for the foreseeable future

at 5.50pm which includes our silent minute at 6pm. It has been a joy to welcome up to 60

people each Sunday. I have spent a lot of time helping people who are not confident with

the technology to get online and I remain happy to do that when asked.

I am undertaking my big bike around the 35 churches of the deanery to raise support for

our local lady Anne Plested who is doing a valuable work in Bethlehem. It has been a joy to

welcome Anne to our weekly zoom service., and if you would like to make a donation you can

give me that direct or go on the CMS giving page online and look out for the page relating

to Anne. If you do, so would you please tip me the wink so I know to thank you.

My name is Philip Albrow and I have recently completed studying theology and formation

at College in Salisbury. My home diocese is the same as yours i.e. Bath and Wells and my

home Benefice is the Seven Sowers Taunton and consists of

seven rural parishes. I live near Hatch Beauchamp with my wife

Sue and we have three sons all in their twenties and all living

away in various parts of the world.

I still work part time as a director in a house building company

and like to worship and relax with my church friends as much as

possible. Also, when I have time, I enjoy photography, walking

the dog, reading, gardening and flying. I live in Beer Crocombe

and my e-mail is [email protected]

I will soon be spending more time with you all as I join Phil and

the team as your ‘new’ curate and deacon in Hambridge,

Westport and the other parishes of the Isle Valley Benefice. I

very much look forward to meeting you all in due course. I know

that you have a lot to teach me and I promise to be attentive to your words and deeds as

we seek to move as one with the Holy Spirit. See you soon!, Philip.




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The Stores in Lockdown!!

Hello Lovely people!! Well the last 6 months has been an incredibly trying time for

everyone, but we hope that we have at least made getting your essentials just that little

bit easier. Remember, we still provide a grocery Delivery Service for anyone that needs it.

As we continue to head out of lockdown, we wanted to say a BIG THANK YOU to all our

customers, Old & New, for using us during this strange period. We have tried our best to

get everything that you have asked for, and to serve you all with a smile on our faces and a

laugh & joke where we can!! We hope you have enjoyed using us as much as we have loved

serving you all, and hopefully you will continue shopping with us!!

We also wanted to thank everyone that donated to help the homeless appeal that we

operate in store, at present we are donating items to Curry Rival support group they are

helping families who are struggling in all local areas close to us. We have also taken our food

boxes to Ilminster, Yeovil, Taunton and Langport, all of this would not be possible without

all your kind donations of money and food. We really have a fantastic community here

If you or anyone you know would benefit from the community support please let us know

and we can pass your details on to Steve From Curry who coordinates this for us.

Some New Changes & Returning Favourites!!

During lockdown we slightly lost sight of all the fantastic suggestions that were made

during our meeting at the start of the year, although one we have tried to continue to

progress is a real effort to ensure that the goods and services we provide are as wide and

varied as much as possible. With this in mind, we have added a couple of items to our café

menu, with the introduction of Breakfast Rolls, Milkshakes, and a wide range of Flavoured

Coffees. Along with this we have also added a wider variety of Fresh Fruit & Vegetables

and are now happy to be able to take orders for whole Veg Boxes, Fruit Boxes or Salad

Boxes as well as individual items for purchase.

We have also bought back a couple of old favourites, with the Slush Machine and Ice Cream

Freezer returning to the Stores to keep us all cool while we holiday at home this Summer.

These can now be enjoyed on The Green, either making use of our Outdoor Seating, or the

Picnic Blankets that we now have available for you all to use.

Sprucing up the House!! Another exciting addition that is just about to hit The Stores is

that we will be offering a Rug Doctor for rental, so what better time to get all those

carpets clean around the house. If you are interested in this, please contact us and we will

be happy to explain the whole process to you. We are now able to provide Gift Hampers

containing goods from the West Country. You can order by price (we will then select

appropriate goods tor the price), or you can choose the contents. These can then be

collected or sent direct to friends and loved ones from the Post Office. So why not spread

a little happiness, with Wonders of the West, far and wide.

Lastly, we need to say how grateful we are to everyone who has already sent thank you

messages, Cards, gifts and flowers, it is lovely to feel appreciated!!



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Message from Vicarage House Nursing Home – from Louise

It is with great sadness that I am informing you that Vicarage House Nursing Home will be

closing in the coming weeks due to Southwest Care Ltd going into liquidation.

We would like to take this opportunity to express our thanks & gratitude to you all for your

support, especially over the recent months. We have constantly been overwhelmed by the

support & goodwill shown by the community, with regular knocks on the door from people

dropping of magazines, games & jigsaw puzzles for the residents, as well as chocolates and

cakes for the staff. Thank you to you all.

We also take great pride in our recent Covid19 test results returning clear of the virus for

all residents & staff. This would not have been possible without the high level of care

provided by all the staff & the support of Somerset County Council providing us with the

appropriate PPE, protecting not only our residents but our staff as well.

More about the Vicarage

When the canal was built from Langport to Westport in the late 1830s, it was felt that it

was time that a new church should be built to serve the two communities of Hambridge and

Westport. It was erected in 1844 and the vicarage was built at the same time. The first

incumbent was the Rev Charles Grueber, who served for 50 years. Grueber had a large

family and as a result an extra storey was added to the vicarage. He died in 1894 and a

year later Rev Charles Marson took over. He was a friend of Cecil Sharp, the music

teacher, who came down to visit him in August 1903. This event was the start of the

Edwardian Folk Revival. Marson died in 1914 and a sequence of clergymen followed right up

to Father Wallis in the 1960s.

The vicarage became a residential home for the elderly in the late 1970s, Andrew Wilson

and his parents were the first and named it Glenavon. Then it was bought by Dorothy and

Peter Oliver in 1985, and was then refitted as a nursing home by David and Lesley Sutcliffe

during their 20 year tenure (1987-2007) Nicola and SWC took over in 2007. It would be

good to know what the vicarage was between Father Wallis and Andrew. Can you help us

find out?

Niggles

It’s been a difficult time for many, and understandably we get a few niggles. Let’s start

with bonfires. We don’t always realise that the smoke from our fire might drift for half a

mile or more. If someone in that distance is suffering from lung disease it can be torture.

We have a recently resurfaced carpark at the hall. What fun it might be to pull doughnuts

on it. But it cost a small fortune. So, if it’s a young Lewis Hamilton or an elderly boy racer,

please don’t do it or we might have to send you the bill.

It’s so difficult for young people to have fun, we all know that. We are planning to fit CCTV

at the hall so can we all please act sensibly to avoid the thrill of our families seeing us on

You Tube.



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A message from Sharon at the school .......

It has been a challenging time for schools in recent months due to the Covid 19 pandemic.

Here at Hambridge we have been so impressed with how well the children have adapted. We

have also been deeply saddened that we have not been able to have all children back, due to

a lack of space and staff shortages. We miss them a great deal and are really looking

forward to seeing them all in September.

I must take this opportunity to thank all of the staff at Hambridge. Because of their hard

work, commitment and desire to support the families in our school we have been able to

remain open, for key-worker and vulnerable children, even in half term and at Easter.

Staff have given up their holidays and free time without a grumble or complaint - they are

heroes too! Without them our NHS and other key-worker parents would not have been able

to go to work. Thank you Hambridge staff, each and every one of you.

We also thank the Village Hall committee who were so willing to offer us the use of the

hall. Sadly, government guidance did not allow us to take up this offer, but it was still great

to know that we were not alone in trying to find solutions when trying to open the school to

more children. In September we are expecting to be able to have all our children back and

we have used the last few months to plan some wonderful activities for when they return.

Because of vast amount of extra money we have needed to spend due of Covid 19 we are

now unable to complete some of the maintenance tasks that needed doing. If you have a

few hours to spare and would like to volunteer to: jet wash, paint, repair or clean, then

please get in touch as all help will be regretfully received.

Friends of Hambridge School

Rachel reports on a great year! ...... So it’s been a long time! Hope this message finds

you and yours well in such challenging times! We were so lucky to have raised so much

prior to lockdown to be able to support the school in buying £3,300 worth of

technology and £650 of reading books ready for September! I know all our children will

benefit and want to thank you all for your support in achieving this.

We are planning gifts, as always, as a send off for the year 6 s. These will be ready for

September. In the meantime we have arranged for Noodles ice cream to pay a visit for

a sweet treat for year 6!

We will be setting a date for an AGM for October. If anyone is interested in joining

the committee please let me know! Or if anyone has any ideas for socially distanced

fundraising next year please contact me or one of the committee!

Wishing you all the very best for a happy and healthy summer break



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Youth Café

We are sorry to announce that we will not be able to reopen until September when we hope

it will be safe. All new members will be very welcome from school year 7 to 13. It will still

be first Tuesday in the month from 7-9pm. Nearer the time we will know more about what

we will or will not be able to do so look out in the Facebook page for opening date and

information nearer the end of August. If anyone wishes to know beforehand, please do

contact one of us. Mandy and Ruth

WI

Over the period at the peak of Covid 19 our WI have baked cakes for Musgrove Park

Hospital. Keeping the spirits of the WI together, cakes were collected weekly by

volunteers and distributed for the staff and all the volunteers during that pressured time.

Members of our WI baked generously to support our local community. The WI has kept

together in Hambridge and Westport, and been supporting and communicating through

'WhatsApp' and still hoping to get together soon, even in smaller numbers initially.

The Lamb and Lion 01460 281774

Hello everybody, it has been a long seventeen weeks closed, but we have been busy at the

pub doing all those little jobs that normally get put off, thinking “I’ll do that tomorrow”.

Well, we had plenty of time.

We have replaced the lights on the sign outside with LEDs, brighter and cheaper to run,

new bolts on the side door, mostly redecorated the high traffic areas, power washed the

cellar, redecorated and new shelves for the cellar and cleaned and power washed the

kitchen with new filters for the extraction system.

The pub has been sanitized throughout and we continue to do so, with our cleaning systems

in place to ensure your safety. We have hand sanitizer stations, staff temperature checks

and shield screens, to protect us all.

We have plenty of room inside and out, to maintain social distancing, yet still maintaining

that ”pub” feel. You can see some of the changes we have made.



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And now we can offer a “Take away” service. So please give us a call, or better still come

and visit us.

TAKE AWAY SERVED IN BOXs

Classic prawn cocktail with lamb & lion Marie-rose sauce & granary bread £5.50

Free range egg omelette with salad & coleslaw…choose from cheddar cheese, home

cooked ham or both GF £6.50

Cajun spiced chicken or vegetable wrap filled with mixed peppers, iceberg lettuce,

cheddar cheese and sweet chilli sauce with chips or salad V £7.00

Grilled goats cheese & sundried tomato salad with balsamic syrup V, GF £7.00

Sautéed chicken& bacon salad with crispy croutons& balsamic syrup £8.50

Sandwiches

Choose from fresh white farmhouse or granary bread and fill with your choice from

the following:

Cheddar cheese and red onion marmalade V £4.75

Home cooked ham and Dijon mustard £4.95

Somerset brie and tomato V £4.95

Tuna Mayonnaise £5.25

Tuna Melt £5.50

Bacon, lettuce and tomato £5.75

Mains & Burgers All £10.50

Lamb & Lion beef or vegetable lasagne with triple cooked chips V

Beer battered cod fillet or whole tail scampi with garden peas & triple cooked chips

Chicken breast topped with ham & cheddar cheese with triple cooked chips GF

Trio of meaty pork sausages with triple cooked chips & Garden peas

# All burgers served in a toasted bun with triple cooked chips, choose from …

Lamb & Lion beef burger topped with crispy bacon& cheddar cheese

Breaded vegetable burger topped with an onion ring &cheddar cheese V

Beetroot, quinoa & edamame burger topped with salsa Ve



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Children’s Menu All £5.50

Choose from;

Battered cod fillet

Two meaty pork sausages

4oz Beef burger in a bun

Boneless chicken breast…..

….Then add any of the following;

Salad, garden peas, Home cut chips

Side orders

Garlic bread V £2.50 Seasonal side salad V £2.95 Cheese Chips £3.50

Home cut chips V £3.00 GF Beer battered onion rings V £3.00

KEY: V= Vegetarian Ve= Vegan GF= Gluten free . If you have any special dietary requirements please

speak to a member of staff…please note, our kitchen is NOT a nut free environment.



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And now more excitement from the HamWest Entertainments Group.

Yes !!! It’s Scarecrows on August Bank Holiday weekend ….

Register at the shop today!



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Yet more from the HamWest team … Huge thanks to everyone that decorated their house for VE 75 Day, both villages looked

fantastic and it was great to celebrate the day together and bring some colour to our

community. Well done to everyone.

1st - Dunbar, Post Office Row; 2nd - The Lamb and Lion; 3rd - No. 1 Hillview

Football Special

Whilst there is not a men's football team in Hambridge, there is an excellent one in

Barrington. Over the years many Hambridge lads have had great success at the Barrington

Club. The club play in the Perry Street and District League and have very good facilities

and in recent times achieved the league and cup double. Wow!. I hear they are a friendly

bunch, and anyone interested in playing on a Saturday when the season starts should

contact John Martin on 01460 281 560. Alternatively, you could always pop up to the pitch

on the hill above Barrington on a Saturday morning when there is always someone there who

could welcome you and give more information.

Law and order

More telephone and Internet scams and hoaxes relating to masks, Covid tracking and our

old favourite, the free loft insulation inspection. Its difficult to know where to start. If

you aren’t sure, it’s worth checking on Google and you will generally find scam information

listed. And please think carefully about asking all your friends to pass something on to all

their friends – remember the pyramid selling syndrome? And people wonder why the

Internet gets so clogged up !!!!! It also appears that the phantom car contents thief is still

operating, so please remove money and lock your cars at night. And don’t forget TV licence

scams asking for your money if you are 75.



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HWRT

It’s easy to think of the Rec Trust as just being the Village Hall, but it’s much more than

that. There is the playing field, the car parks, a skate park and

playground equipment all to be looked after. And it doesn’t “belong” to

the committee, it’s for everyone, so you don’t have to be on the

committee to help. It’s all YOURS! If you have budgeting skills,

practical skills, admin skills, health and safety knowledge, facility

management expertise, legal knowledge, communication and electronic

expertise, then your help could be so valuable. Oh, and don’t forget the

“no dogs” rule. It is a proper law, so could attract fines, and it is so

unpleasant for children to come home covered in the mess or grass

cutting equipment spreading it far and wide.

The virus situation has not been easy for the committee. No income, but the bills keep

coming. We received the hospitality grant from the District Council of £10k and it was a

bit of a lifesaver. It sounded a lot, but we are already eating into it and it’s difficult to see

any immediate return to the level of income we had before. Of course, there’s also the

need to be compliant with government regulations and respond as they change. Not easy for

the key people dealing with cleaning and bookings.

Loads of improvements have been taking place and the maintenance person role has now

been filled by Paul. Why not have a walk around some time and admire the plants, new paint,

improved parking and refurbished signs. We still have the toilet improvement money and

that will take place when restrictions allow.

It's been important for us to work with the school as well. Sharon and her team are under

tremendous pressure and we are doing everything we can to provide suitable additional

accommodation. This is a great time for us all to think how we can use the hall to help with

the income. So think of the hall for weddings, parties, meetings, sports activities and any

other way you can. The Church, School, Shop and Pub and the Rec Trust all need us

now more than ever.



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The Parish Council is continuing to meet remotely by Zoom. Here are some current

topics.

Could people be reminded to keep to the public footpaths when out and about. Private land

is not for wandering without permission! Farmers keep us fed, and the fields are their

workshops.

Planning applications are all discussed. All planning applications are available for the public

to see online at the SSDC website. The proposed development at the Mill seems to have

stalled.

Simon, the Chair, will be considering ways to help the villages recover from this traumatic

period. It’s obvious that the Emergency Plan was not suitable for the huge impact of the

virus. There is scope to create an “Emergency response team” separate from the Parish

Council. Ideally members would have a range of skills and develop a comprehensive response

plan. We need to learn lessons and develop a clear infrastructure to provide support in

emergencies. Volunteers for this team are vital. It really can be a life or death matter!

Here are a few notes from a recent Crisis recovery webinar. We need a structure to co-

ordinate recovery, and realise that recovery will mean different things to different people.

We should build on the huge amount of goodwill and local initiatives that have developed in

the last few months, and where possible plan for a better future. We need to provide

ongoing support, there may well be no end date, and it’s important to learn lessons and ask,

“What could we have done better, and how can we improve as we go ahead?”

Here are a few first steps. The new web site will be active later in the year and The Parish

Council may ask if they can adopt the Facebook Support group so that the local initiatives

are not wasted. A big problem in rural communities is enabling effective and inclusive

communication and the Facebook page is one way, in conjunction with the web site, e-mails

and printed newsletters. It’s important we send out consistent and compliant messages.

Finally, we need to celebrate what we did well and rejoice in the high points! At the same

time we need to recognise that for some, this will have been a period of great loss and

sadness and provide support wherever and whenever we can.

Community spirit

And to end on a very positive note, and with many thanks

from all those enjoying the canal. "Nick topped all the way

along the canal to allow walkers better access along the canal

path. So, three cheers for Nick, and of course Henry who

climbed on for the photo!

published by Mike Evans and generally reflects the views or discussions of the Parish Council



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