Apple Pressing Day So many apples this autumn and the problem

of what to do with them. Fortunately Iain Campbell came up with a

solution. A pressing day was hurriedly organised, Iain even organised

it under cover, which was essential. He has a semi industrial chopper and

pressing machine which fully loaded

produced 6-8 litres of apple juice per go.

Here you see him supervising David

George as he loads the hydraulic press.

The middle picture shows the juice

coming out and in the far picture the

apple chopper is enthusiastically loaded

by eager helpers.

Welcome and Congratulations Welcome to Julie and Stephen Spooner who have recently moved to Colts Green from North Yate. They have 2 daughters, Katie 24, now lives in Bristol and Rachel 23, who is at home having recently finished University. Julie teaches at The Ridge Junior School and Steve is a Project Director at Rolls Royce. Harvey is their Labrador dog.

We also welcome Sarah-Jayne and Damian Frodsham who have just moved into Church Lane. Sarah writes: “I grew up in Chipping Sodbury and moved to Bristol when I started work . I returned when I had Izzy now 15 and Ross now 12 who went to St Johns Mead Primary and now are both at Chipping Sodbury School following in my footsteps . My husband was born in Southport and moved to Bristol then Cirencester and immediately loved Old Sodbury when we first viewed the house.”

Will Shipp, who has lived all his life in Old Sodbury, will be 21 on the 3rd December. Happy Birthday Will. We thank his parents Tracy and Julian for sponsoring this newsletter.

Anthony Febry writes. ‘ A group of my so called friends (with friends like these who needs enemies) bought me a Bungee Jump for my 50th Birthday. (I know you’re thinking he can’t be) So on the morning of Sunday 13th (yes the 13th) I travelled to the National Diving and Activity Centre at Chepstow. I chose this location because it is where the highest bungee jump in the country takes place, a 300ft crane over a 100ft quarry.

I was accompanied by my ‘next of kin’ (my wife and daughter) who appeared to be looking forward to the experience more than me!

Without going into great detail they tie a length of elastic around your ankles, put you in a cage attached to the crane and take you up 400ft above the water. Then before you have chance to chicken out you are encouraged to dive head first towards the ground. There are many feelings I went through, some of which I can’t repeat but the refief when you feel the bungee pulling on your ankles is overwhelming. I can thoroughly recommend the experience’

On 17th October Phil and Matthew Rumney found a dead male otter in Catchpott Lane. It had been hit by a car, the local otter experts said at about 4ft long it was

the biggest dog otter they had seen. Although we knew that otters were making a comeback since the severe drop in their numbers (due to pesticides in the 1970’s) and that one had been seen in Chipping Sodbury, it is amazing that they have now reached Old Sodbury.

Perhaps he was living in the lakes of Dodington Park, or perhaps like Tarka, he was crossing from one watershed to another. Perhaps he had come up the Bybrook or Avon rivers and was crossing over to the Frome. Now he is on a longer journey to Cardiff University for a post mortem and, in particular a look at the pesticide residues in his body.

Phil reports that, on hearing of the otter, Sir James Dyson has said he will stock the Dodington lakes with more fish in the hope that other otters come to live there, Only a couple of weeks earlier we had been shown by the Waitrose manager an artificial otter holt. It has been put in as part of the package to offset the disturbance to wildlife caused by the new store. Also in Chipping Sodbury, keep your eyes open for bird and bat boxes, a bee hive and a hibernacula near the

R. Frome. A hibernacula is a winter shelter for newts, reptiles and creepy crawlies

Volume 8, Issue 1

Old Sodbury Times

An Otter in Old Sodbury

November 2013

Dates for your Diary:

In the Village Hall:

15,16 Nov World in 80 mins 7.30

20 Nov W.I. 7.30pm

23 Nov Pudding Evening 7pm

30 Nov Xmas Table Top Sale 2pm

18 Dec W.I. 7.30pm

22 Feb Village Hall Quiz 7.30pm

At The Church

16 Dec Christingle 2.30 and 7pm

At The School

16 Nov School Quiz Night 7.30pm

At Chipping Sodbury Town Hall

18-25 Jan Cinderella Panto

200 Club Winners

September No 74 Mrs V. Smith

October No 90 Dr M.Brown

October No 86 Harriet Febry

St. John's Harvest Supper The Harvest Supper, held in the Village Hall on the 7th October was well attended

by folk from church, village and further afield. The food was delicious - thanks to a band of willing helpers - conversation flowed and Richard Carter once again provided us with entertaining quips as he auctioned off the harvest produce - all of which made for a most enjoyable evening.

The harvest supper not only provides an opportunity for a social gathering but also provides an evening where we can be thankful to God for His great provision. To show our thanks we use this evening to raise money for worthy causes. This year the Teenage Cancer Trust South West Appeal was the chosen charity. Laura Scowen, regional fundraiser, talked to us about the appeal which is raising money to build a specialist teenage cancer unit in Bristol serving the whole of the South West.

The charity is calling on a 1,000 individuals, groups, schools and communities to rise to the challenge and raise £1,000 each to reach the £1million fundraising goal. University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with North Bristol Trust, is the designated teenage and young adult principal treatment centre for the South West. Every day in the UK, six young people are told they have cancer and over 200 are diagnosed across the South West every year. This vital specialist unit will mean for the first time young cancer patients aged 16 to 24 from Bristol, Bath, Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Gloucestershire, will be treated with others their own age, in an environment suited to their needs. The charity’s home-from-home units are designed to be as close as possible to a young person’s normal life outside hospital. The Bristol unit will be built over two floors with one floor dedicated to in-patients featuring five en-suite rooms, a social area which includes a pool table, jukebox and gaming equipment, a quiet room, TV room, kitchen and dining space. The other floor will be for day patients, featuring three treatment pods, two consulting rooms, a procedure room, social space which includes entertainment and gaming facilities, a waiting area with cafe and staff office.

Many thanks to all who contributed to the evening as a tremendous £925.32 was raised for the charity. The unit is due to open in Spring 2014 so if other groups can be inspired to raise as much as a small village like Old Sodbury then the target for the remaining £750,000 should be easily reached.

Christmas Services at St. John's Old Sodbury

Sunday 22nd Dec 5pm Carol Service followed by coffee + mince pies.

Christmas Eve 3pm Crib Service - a service especially for children

Christmas Day 11.15am Family Communion

PAGE 2 OLD SODBURY TIMES VOLUME 8 , I SSUE 1

Old Sodbury Primary School The new school term began with gusto! The children’s creative curriculum topic is

“Medieval mystery and madness” and with this in mind the whole school visited

Berkeley Castle a few weeks ago and had a great time. In addition, the children have

had a number of exciting workshops and our new Reception children started in school.

The children had their Harvest service in the church in October and the Church or-

ganised a wonderful “Harvest experience” for them the following day, when they

learnt more about Harvest with lots of different activities to try.

Next term we are planning a medieval day, with a banquet and bonfire. We also have

our bedtime story evening and the children’s author Jeremy Strong coming in to

visit.

There will be 2 Christingle Services one at 2.30pm and the other at 7pm on Monday

16th December in the church.

Inspiration

Mucky pups imprints

Have your dogs paws gently pressed into soft clay to make an imprint. Once the clay has dried it is kiln fired, painted in with your choice of colour, glazed and fired a second

time making a lasting keepsake.

This plaque comes with a hanger on the back or opt to have it framed. The impressions take 3-4 weeks to be

completed.

For further information or to arrange a home appointment please contact

Rachel on

Tel 07412238324 or email

inspiredsodbury@aol.co.uk

Genealogy: Orchard Family Old Sodbury / Yate

I am trying to make contact with any ORCHARD’s whose ancestors were from Old Sodbury or Yate. In 1832 my 3rd Great-

Grandfather, James Orchard got married in Cape Town and indicated that his previous residence was Bristol.

I administer the World Families ORCHARD Y-DNA Project where various ORCHARDS are trying to trace their ancestors. All

male descendants with the same family surname have the same Y-DNA markers across many generations and I am willing to

sponsor a Y-DNA test to determine if my South African ORCHARD’s do not match any living relatives from Old Sodbury or

Yate. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Kind regards. Evan Franklin e-Mail: evanfranklinsa@gmail.com

School Quiz

16th November

7.30 for 8pm

Tickets from

Nikki Waterlow

01454 327686

Village Quiz 2014 Update Village Quiz now proposed for Saturday 22 February 2014 (new date to avoid clashing with Burns Night)

At our September and August meetings we had very entertaining

speakers. In September Cheryl, Rachel and Tasha from Woollen

Wisdom gave a very interesting and informative talk about felting

which has been practiced since 600BC. We were shown the difference between wet felting and dry

felting and the use of needle felting. Various different types of wool were passed around the members

for inspection. Human hair, dog and cat hair, crushed crab shells, hemp and flax can all be used.

Demonstrations are available and children’s parties can also be arranged. For our October meeting

we welcomed Diane Greenway whose talk “A Game Maker’s Journey” detailed her experience of the

Olympic Games 2012. Following a successful interview in June 2011, training in January 2012, Diane

was ready for the Olympics at Wimbledon in July 2012. Diane in her youth played a high standard of

tennis (only just missing out at playing at Wimbledon herself) and has always loved the sport.

Dressed in the purple and red uniform of a ‘Games Maker’ her job was to be a point of information

throughout the Tennis competitions. Diane was one of 70,000 volunteers. What happened to all the

tennis balls used – well some went to Battersea Dogs Home, some to Forces Charity and some had

holes cut into them, which were then placed in grassy banks as new homes for dormice!

At the Group AGM in September we were presented with our trophy for winning the Avon Federation

WI Skittles Tournament. November’s meeting is our AGM and our Christmas Party is in December.

If you would like further information on Old Sodbury WI, please contact Elaine on 01454 327803.

OLD SODBURY W.I.

PAGE 3 OLD SODBURY TIMES VOLUME 8 , I SSUE 1

Spicy Pepper and Roquefort Quiche

by Jenny Allard

Ingredients:

8oz plain flour

4oz chilled butter cut into pieces

1 beaten egg, Pinch of salt

1 x 375g jar pepperdew hot sweet peppers -drained

4oz Roquefort cheese, 3 eggs

250mls double cream

Method:

Heat oven to 180° and grease 8-9” flan tin. Pulse flour, butter and salt in food processor (or with finger tips) until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add enough beaten egg to bring pastry to a ball (add a little chilled water if necessary).

Roll out thinly and evenly, line the flan tin and prick the base all over with a fork. Line with parchment paper, scatter with baking beans then chill in fridge for 20 mins. Bake in the oven for 15mins. Remove parchment and baking beans.

Whisk the eggs together and use a little to paint the inside of the pastry case then return it to the oven for 3-4mins until the base is crisp. Remove from the oven, tear peppers and arrange pieces on base and crumble over the Roquefort. Whisk the cream into the eggs and pour into the flan. Bake in oven until golden and risen.

Friends of Old Sodbury Church

Pudding Evening

23rd November 2013 7.00pm

Old Sodbury Village Hall

Plus fun food quiz

Bring own drinks and glasses

Tickets £8 available from

John Myers 01454 312223

Tracy Shipp 01454 324673

Tickets limited for this popular event

Sodbury Players Pantomime 2014

CINDERELLA written by Ross Brown

At The Town Hall Chipping Sodbury

18-25th January

Tickets £9 each from 1st November

Call 0844 33 202 30 or pay at

www.sodburyplayers.org.uk The past two pantomimes (Aladdin and Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs) have

won Best Variety Show in the whole of the South West at the Bristol Evening Post

Rose Bowl Awards..

Come and see if they can make 3 in a row!

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 MINUTES Presented by Sodbury Vale Musical Comedy Club

The Village Hall, Old Sodbury

15th & 16th November

7.30pm & 2.30pm matinee on Saturday.

Tickets £5 from 07738 381487

Online booking : http://www.ticketsource.co.uk/svmcc

A brilliant evening of entertainment awaits you as the talented cast

whisk you around the world in 80 mins!

Featuring regulars from the respected group and singers who have

performed in Gerry Hunt’s shows Marta, Kat and Matt.

Old Sodbury Football Club—

First Team The season is well under way with 8 games played, one being a cup game. Mixed fortunes in the league with the team winning 2 and losing 5 games. Good wins against Totterdown and Bitton in the league with another win against Bitton in the G.F.A. Cup have been the highlights so far. The games lost have been by the odd goal so team manager Greig Everson is not too concerned but he is hoping to get a settled side soon as there have been a lot of injuries to key players.

Reserves Steve Clapp from the village has taken over running the reserves side this season as John Williamson’s job means a lot of Saturday work. Well Steve has done well, the team is lying third in the table after 5 wins and 3 losses. Six players left during the close season so some of the old hands have come back to help the younger players rebuild in a new tough division.

The Pavilion is near completion and is looking good. We are waiting for news on the electricity supply and then the sewer is to be connected. The project is still short of the target so any financial help would be very much

appreciated.

Please send in your news to either Laura Walker Tel: 313445 or Pauline Wilson Tel: 310540

Deadline for January edition 12th December. For Village Hall bookings contact Carol Rowland Tel: 314923

THANK YOU TO ALL who have helped with this edition. WE ALWAYS WELCOME MORE CONTRIBUTORS

Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed or implied within this publication are not necessarily those of the editors. Any

articles submitted are on the basis that they can be edited and must not be anonymous.

Sodbury Short Mat Bowls Club

The Bowls club members are enjoying playing on

Mondays and Thursdays now that winter months are

here. We welcome back those members who prefer to

play outdoors in the summer.

Four couples took part in the Denis’s Day competition

held in memory of Denis Hanks, a founder member of

the club in 1995. This year the winners were

Michael Humphris and Peter Jones, with finalists

Ron Whitaker and Terry Pick. Julie Hanks presented

the trophies. We hope that more members will be able

to take part next year when the competition will be

held in the Spring.

On October 28th members took part in a singles com-

petition for the Ervine Pullin Memorial Trophy.

Fixtures 1st Team H=Tormarton

9 Nov Lebeq H

16 Nov Mendip A

23 Nov Winterbourne H

30 Nov G.F.A. Cup ?

7 Dec Hallen Reserves A

14 Dec Longwell Green Res H

21 Dec Wick H

28 Dec Premier Cup ?

4 Jan Bitton Reserves H

2nd Team H = Old Sodbury

9 Nov Fry Club ‘B’ A

16 Nov Bradley Stoke Res A

23 Nov Talbot Knowle Res H

30 Nov G.F.A. Cup ?

7 Dec Soundwell Reserves A

14 Dec Highbridge Res A

21 Dec Bendix Res H

4 Jan Sea Mills Reserves H

Photo by Pete Grifftihs

Sponsored Village Bike Ride Raises £957

This intrepid bunch cycled from Plymouth back to

Old Sodbury in the summer. It was a hard ride

especially over Dartmoor arriving in Exeter at

9.45pm with a couple of injuries along the way.

But the weather was glorious, scenery stunning,

everyone enjoyed it and the impressive total

raised was shared between C.L.I.C. Sargent

Charity and the Village Hall Fund.

Christmas Market & Table Top Sale

Saturday 30 November from 2 till 4.30pm

Trade stands will sell Christmas gifts, cards, jewellery and

a variety of other items. Other stallholders are welcome to

have a table to sell whatever they like. £5 per table,

larger tables pro rata. Bring what you like to sell, within

reason, (no livestock please!) and of course it should fit

on a table! Please book in advance to ensure we have

sufficient tables available, by calling Ian on 314923.

Also teas, coffees and cakes on sale.

Please drop in for an hour to browse and meet up with

your neighbours over a cuppa. You never know what hid-

den treasures may be on offer. Free Entry for purchasers.

We look forward to seeing you on the day.

Advance Notice - Burns Night Dinner

25th January 2014

This will be popular -book your tickets now from John Myers on 01454 312223

Photo by Pete Griffiths