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Thank you from
your festival committee! As we go to press it is a little too early to let you know the number of visitors, monies raised, and those charities and good causes that will benefit from our takings. We plan to let you have these details in next month’s magazine. However, it is never too early to say ‘thank you’ to all those people who helped to support the Scarecrow Weekend. So whatever you may have done, be that: making a scarecrow, supporting the Harmonics at St Peter’s on Friday and the Ceilidh on Saturday night, making those delicious cakes, grilling burgers, bacon and sausages, providing cream teas, supporting the Village Flower and Produce show, assisting with the Craft Fair, running the Pimm’s Tent, selling ice-creams, holding dance classes, providing car park space, parking cars, putting up signs or for volunteering your time to our Festival, then you deserve ☺A VERY BIG THANK YOU! ☺ If you would like to join the extended team of volunteers and get in on the buzz, you can sign up for next year at www.scarecrows.biz We welcome your constructive feedback so that we can make next year’s event even better. For ‘hot off the press’ feedback on this year’s celebration take a look at www.scarecrows.biz.
Scarecrow Festival results People’s Choice 1st: Bonnie Thomas & Oli Roberts
for their scarecrow “YMCA” The winner of the meal kindly donated by the Hit or Miss, drawn from all voting papers for the People's Choice, is Helen Wall. The winner of the meal kindly donated by the Plough, drawn at the Ceilidh raffle, is Helen & Alistair Mathewson. Scarecrow Scrapheap Challenge 1st: “Michael Jackson” made by
Jens, Jane, Des & Claire. Scarecrow Trail Competition Children's Quiz Congratulations to all the winners! Valerie Young
The Village Show 2010 We had a super Village Show in the Union Chapel during Scarecrow Weekend. After a last minute dash we were delighted to receive over 100 entries- almost three times as many as during the last show with twice as many categories to choose from. The fairy cakes were indeed eccentric and first prize was brilliant and rude! The weeds were impressive and chocolate brownies delicious. There was even a disqualification to add to the drama. Our thanks go to all at the Chapel for letting us invade and I do hope the unfortunate smell from the weed arrangements goes eventually! Thank you so much to our judges and most of all to the enthusiastic competitors. The Village Show Committee. THE RESULTS
Village Hall Booking Clerk Sarah Sudbury has taken on the position of Booking Clerk for Kington Langley Village Hall, with effect from 1st July. The new telephone number for hall bookings and enquiries is: 07796 102519 The village hall management committee would like to thank the last Booking Clerk, Sue Hart, for her great work in the role.
Langley
Fitzurse C of E Primary School
This is an ambitious target for a small school, and we really need your help if we are to achieve it! Here’s how:
If you have any queries about the
event, or the type of promises we are looking for, please ring Liz
Howe on FOLFSA (Friends of Langley Fitzurse School Association) AMAZE, excite, Inspire
Local Food
Matters The shop stocks a wide range of local produce which includes fresh bread from Malmesbury, (it's advisable to place an order as stocks sell fast) fresh ham, bacon, quality frozen meat (including locally reared 100% beef burgers and free range chicken portions), Marshfield ice creams, Baraka home made ready meals, meat pies and pasties. There is a wide range of homemade jams, honey, fudge, salad dressings and preserves. In stock every day are homemade cakes - available by the slice, cup cakes and home made quiche all of which are very reasonably priced, plants (depending on the season), fresh fruit and veg, as well as a host of household essentials. Stock is checked daily to ensure that everything is fresh and prices are competitive. Parking is right outside the door and the shop will accept cheques, credit and debit cards. You can find The Village Shop adjacent to Kington St Michael church, inside the end section of the Village Hall next to the Car Park, accessible by the disabled access ramp. Let’s keep “local” Local! Happy Shopping! Kington St Michael Village Shop
Ltd
Two Great Big Thank You’s And secondly our thanks to the brilliant and hardworking Scarecrow Committee for all that fantastic work they did in bringing together another top notch Scarecrow weekend for us. What a wonderful village we live in with such wonderful
and caring people. (hear, hear! – Ed)
One for Summer “Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jewelled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world.” - Ada Louise Huxtable
Helping Hands We now start our next fund-raising for the Christmas Dinner. The next event will be a table top sale on August 14th.
Calling all
Readers! Langley Fitzurse School has a new library and we hope to fill it with many new and exciting books. Would you like to help us? We are holding a list of books we would love to include in the library and are hoping that people will help us by buying some of those books to help fill the shelves. All contributors will have their names added to the front of each book using a specially created bookplate that the children will be designing. Interested? Whether it’s a single book or a whole series, these books will help encourage young readers of today become avid book fans of tomorrow! Please contact Sandy Lester at school or 01249 658644 to find out about this list.
KL Gamer’s Review
Super Mario
Galaxy 2 Wii
Games reviewer, Kington Langley
The unspeakable
in search of the unplayable Still, 34 years on, renewing my interest (in football, not Elton John) seems to be the answer to all my problems. Apart from the obvious advantages of being able to chat freely to the barber or make small talk with taxi drivers, it would make my distain of motor racing and hatred of boxing more excusable. The biggest and possibly most important revelation, however, is the permissible xenophobia inherent in international sport… even better than this is that you are allowed to hate anyone who doesn't support your team. You can even disagree with those who do. Just think, I could go out to a match and legitimately beat the living daylights out of other people just for the sake of it. What a way of relieving the pressure of the human condition! In fact, presumably, if one chooses a team that nobody else wants to support, you can insult just about anyone. Your team doesn't even have to be the best; you just have to say it is and then lay into anyone who says otherwise. One day I was in a furniture store restaurant in Germany where I was living. A man in his mid-fifties threatened to "beat (me) around the ears" because we were waiting for our food and that meant he'd have to walk around us. I tried to tell him we were British and that as such we had invented politeness in the hopes of getting into an acceptable nationalistic slanging match but it went unnoticed. I didn't feel able to justify getting into a fight over a potato gratin, so I simply sat a while in shocked semi-silence trying to ignore my sudden lack of appetite. Now if it had been about football! "Get your tray out of the way!" "Get lost! And by the way, Bayern-Munchen sucks." "Right, put 'em up..." Mei Catherall
Publicity for the opening of the path at Church Bends
This path was officially opened last month by Ms. Wyatt from Wessex Water. They have added a short news item on their website about the path - please click here to view
The A360, a Single Lane Dual Carriageway?
Frequently, drivers will drive down the middle of the two-lane road, effectively blocking traffic right back to the Stanton Saint Quinton roundabout in an attempt to stop other road users from using both lanes of the carriageway. Do we really need to start having signs of the likes seen elsewhere such as “Use both lanes” before the merging onto the Malmesbury Road roundabout near Morrisons? Don’t the words “Dual carriageway” contain all the clues one needs? We spend a lot of time moaning about the lack of common sense & British courtesy these days, maybe we could start by showing it on our roads. Confused (of Kington Langley).
Community Radio online Did you know there are some really local stations broadcasting over the Internet? And I mean local, not just Bristol & Swindon...but Sutton Benger and now even Kington Langley!
Radio ITFM is a professional quality local radio station, broadcast from a studio in Sutton Benger. Ian Taylor is an experienced broadcaster and is working to develop a real community radio station. Tune in on Sunday mornings to check it out at www.itfm.me.uk. ITFM actually streams music to some of our local pubs and clubs, so if you've been to The Plough recently you've already heard their broadcast! There is an internet radio page on our own Festival website (www.scarecrows.biz follow the link for Radio Scarecrow) where we'll be playing songs old and new, some of which will be the titles of some of the scarecrows on display (but which ones?). The idea is that if you want to have a musical background to your Scarecrow, tune in (you need Broadband though) and point your PC speakers out of the window. We'll also be making announcements throughout the day so it will be like having a sound system around the village! If you would like more information, or need some technical assistance, give me, Steve Howe, a call on 750466 www.scarecrows.biz
Celebrating 90 Years of Rural Entertainment at The New Forest Show Summer days in England often make you think of escaping to the countryside and what better way to have a wonderful day out, than to come to one of the best County Shows in the UK, right on your doorstep in the middle of the beautiful New Forest. The Show is proud to announce that it is celebrating its 90th anniversary. The roadside boards will be going up soon so a quick reminder that the 20% off all tickets ends on July 11th so make that saving now! Go online on our new web site – www.newforestshow.co.uk or ring the credit card hotline 01590 622409
In essence the Show’s presence is as vital now as it was in the 1920’s. It continues to be a focal meeting point for farmers, commoners, locals and visitors and a showcase for agriculture, horticulture and many rural businesses to be found the New Forest. The Show provides a source of revenue for many companies and organisations and is now estimated to bring in around £15million pounds to the local economy every year. Looking forward to seeing you there!
News from
Leonard Cheshire – Greathouse We are starting to go out on trips more often with days out on canal boats and to Weston-super-Mare planned. Drivers are always needed and so if anyone can help do please get in touch. We will have to ask you to undergo an assessment with one of our driver trainers but this is not onerous and we would appreciate your help. We will need a regular driver to collect residents from our home in Warminster once a week for the next ‘Make a Show’ course in September, days and times to be arranged. We will have a greater need for drivers in the autumn when the college courses start as well. We also need additional volunteers to accompany residents to their college courses, usually only a couple of hours at most, as the college have asked for us to provide additional support. We also need help here with our photography group. We do have a resident with her own vehicle who needs help to keep it properly checked over so she can use it when she needs it; we also need a driver to take her out or to church occasionally as our current drivers cannot always help out. If you had a few minutes every now and again just to check her vehicle it would be a great help! The ‘Belloved’ rock band played Greathouse in June and thank you to all who attended. The residents enjoyed the evening and we made a small profit on the evening through donations on the gate and profit from the bar; it was a great evening! Sadly our book fair was not so well supported but managed to make a small profit. We are joining with the Red Cross on the 24th July when we have Jazz on the lawns and everyone is welcome. Tickets are just £7, students £3.50 and U12’s free! Please come and join us for the evening. The wine bar will be open selling wine, beer, cider and soft drinks. Please bring your own chairs and blankets to sit on as we do not have lots of chairs. Why not come and have a picnic on the lawns, gates open 6.00pm with music from 7.00pm. Future events: 12th September is the Chippenham Half Marathon and the Harriers are supporting us this year, if anyone wants to run on our behalf we would be very grateful. 19th September 2.00 pm – 4.00 pm we are having teas on the lawn and we are holding a duck race, look out for the tickets on sale now! Prizes include a case of wine. Guided tours of the grounds and a history of the house will be available. 27th November is our Christmas Bazaar from 2.00 pm, Dudley Hewitt, Volunteer Coordinator 01249 750235
Backwords Like most people, I’m quick to complain if something is wrong but how many of us balance it with praise when it’s right… and this year’s festival was “oh so right”! Perhaps you’re still fuzzy from the Pimms or in traction from the dancing but next month is still not too late to pen a few words of appreciation, as I said before: voluntary jobs can be rather thankless… trust me, I know! Meanwhile, have a lovely August and keep those contributions coming in, remember: “It’s our magazine!” Mei Catherall
(and yet another) Half a Dozen New and Needed Words Scarecrominamism:
Sk-è-kro-min-ě-miz-m Unscarcecrowing: un-sk-ěrr-s-kro-wing abominaball (ə-bŏm'ə-nə-bôl) abso-toodle-utely (ăb'sŭ-tü'dŭ-lüt'lē) abusement (ə-byuz'mənt) abdicake (ăb'dĭ-kāk)
Learn to Dance! with Kington Langley’s own Dance2Learn Stay fit & have fun at the same time! We offer fun Salsa & Bachata classes for individuals or small groups. Birthdays - Anniversaries - Weddings - Hen Parties Learning a few fun salsa moves is a great way to celebrate an occasion and help your guests to break the ice. Visit our new website to find out how you can trip the light fantastic or get your party started and do your bit to help others less fortunate. Tel: 07841
775351
www.Dance2Learn.org
Autumn Skittles – can you help? The Playing Fields Association and Village Hall committees jointly run a skittles tournament in the autumn. This is always an enjoyable social evening and a chance to show your skittling skills. Teams from a variety of village groups, friends and families battle it out to win the trophy. In addition to the fun, the proceeds from the evening go towards the maintenance of the playing fields and the village hall.
We are looking for a volunteer (or
volunteers) to help run the event this year, Do you have experience of running
a skittles tournament? Do you know the rules?! If you are prepared to help, or would like more details of what is required, please contact: Valerie Young: 01249 750362 or valerie.young9@btinternet.com. Many thanks.
Poetry Corner ODE TO A PILL
Within your content lies relief, But what I wonder, little pill, I have a headache, that is true, Do you work alone or hire a crew Don't let me down, please do not
shirk “Borrowed” from a magazine of Seghill, Newcastle, by Audrey Palmer Do you have a favourite poem? An old friend, one that makes you smile, self-penned? Send it to villagemag@googlemail.com
Meet The New Editor – Mei Catherall I haven’t come across the name “Mei “ before where does it originate from? It’s actually half of a Welsh name. I was born in “The Valleys” sometime back in the last century. I dropped the other half as soon as I was old enough to choose; even the best intended “funny variation” of a name can grate after the 10th time, leave alone years of it… and besides, I lived in French-speaking Belgium as a child and “Meirion Robert Catherall” in a French accent sounds more like someone clearing their throat than a name. What it is you do for a living? Recently I’ve taken up tour guiding as a way of getting to know my own country but I’ve been teaching English as a foreign language to adults for the last 25 years, 14 of which I spent in and around Frankfurt am Main, Germany. My mother used to ask: “So what is it you actually do Mei, I mean English doesn’t have any Grammar.” As a new recruit to the ranks of the Grumpy Old Men, I’m now inclined to agree. Any typos or split infinitives that may come up in future issues are, therefore, entirely intentional and in true teacher parlance: “Just testing”! Back in 2008 I co-founded Dance2Learn.org, a charity to encourage the joy of partner dance, demystifying it and putting the fun back in whilst at the same time being able to help children less privileged than our own. Fancy brushing up your cross-body lead John? What brought you to Kington
Langley? What prompted you to decide to
become the new editor of the magazine? Have you got any ideas on
changes you would like to make to the magazine? I feel that the magazine has an important role in informing the local people about local events, but admittedly, I’m hoping to raise a couple of smiles along the way. Any particular thoughts as you
take on the magazine?
New path improves safety
I am pleased to announce that a new footpath has now been created along Church road opposite the Church. This allows pedestrians to walk around the dangerous bend in safety on a dedicated path. I would like to thank the landowners and Wessex Water for their help in making this path possible, and also the Chippenham Area Board for the grant that allowed us to fund the path. Now that the ground is no longer frozen, we will be putting some finishing touches to it, but it is open for all to use! The footpath is a permissive path rather than a public right of way, cycling is not allowed and dogs must be kept on a lead. Please note that the existing footpath from the Playing fields which joins the new path by the water reservoir is restricted for use by schoolchildren and their parents and will normally be kept locked by the school.
I hope you enjoy the safety of the new path and also the excellent views that you get from the new pedestrian route around Church bend! Councillor Graham Trickey, Kington Langley Parish Council
Parish Finances
2009 – 13 The footpath is a much used and important village facility. It literally affords safe passage on foot right up to the School on Middle Common. But shortage of funds meant that the Plough Lane stretch of pathway did not receive its hard and resilient Natratex surface with the original project. The temporary surface has been breaking down, has become lumpy and uneven, and will deteriorate rapidly unless we take action. The cost of the work will be just over £20,000, which will be borrowed from the Public Works Loan Board (PWLB). It will be repaid at around £2,000 per annum over thirteen years. This will be in addition to the £3,700 per annum that we are repaying on the original loan. PWLB rules do not allow the two loans to be consolidated and a single set of payments established. The current loan has £13,230 outstanding and will be repaid in February 2013. We can make this commitment and hold next year’s Precept unchanged by taking a tight view on budgeting and because we held reserves of £7,735 at the last financial year end. We forecast reserves of £6,000 at this year end, having allocated £2,500 to match the grant funding we have obtained to undertake the Church Bend Footpath project. From March 2013 our loan repayments will fall back to £2,000 per annum and we will start to rebuild our reserves. Between now and then new projects will be supported from within reserves as judged financially prudent each autumn. The Millennium Footpath decision has been dictated by events. We believe firmly that investment of this type, together with the Church Bend Footpath project, is in the best interests of the whole village. It is our infrastructure that enables us to come together as a community. Maurice Dixson, Chairman, Parish Council
Kington St Michael Village Shop
News Kington St Michael Village Shop is a not for profit organisation run by the community for the community.
Parking On Kington Langley Registered Commons For Special Events If you live close to one of the village Registered Commons and are expecting large numbers of visitors for a party or special event, please contact the Chairman of the Parish Council via the Parish Clerk, Mrs. Sue Webb clerk@kingtonlangley.org Under the Commons Registration Act 1965Act and the Road Traffic Act 1988 s 34 it is a criminal offence to drive a vehicle upon Common Land. There is a penalty of £50 for parking on Registered Commons without permission, so please ask the Parish Council first! We will normally grant special permission for parking on the Commons and give you guidance that will help ensure safe circumstances for your visitors and other road users.
New Village Reference Page This page was
beginning to get too big - but there was lots of useful information on
there. I have therefore created a new "Village
Reference" page, and transferred all of the useful information to
this new page.
Photographs Please The village website is steadily developing, but it would be great to have more pictures. Please send your photographs to: - or post prints to Graham Trickey at 3 Fairleigh Rise, Kington Langley. SN15 5QF
Page updated on 04/07/2010 |
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As the sun sets over Middle Common
following the 2010 Scarecrow Festival, it’s
clear that everyone had a great time. This was Kington
Langley’s biggest and best festival to date with 88 scarecrows
on display. We were lucky with the weather and we had visitors from
all over the local area and many who had travelled long distances to
be here with us. We hope you all enjoyed the event and have already
pencilled in your diaries next year’s festival on the second weekend
in June 2011.
all
winner as voted for by the public.
We
will be holding a Promises Auction on Friday 26 November 2010 in the
Village Hall at which we hope to raise £5,000 towards restocking the
School Library and building an all weather shelter outside the school
for parents waiting to pick up their children.
Once
again our annual Retired Citizens Day Trip has come & gone
d
it once
before, when I was about 12 years old. The
motivation was different in those days though, I just wanted to fit
in, join the lunchtime conversation, and have some heroes. Choosing a
team at random seemed a little fatuous, so I did
some careful study. I didn't want to simply choose a team by virtue
that they never lost on the pretext that it
might not look like an authentic interest. I decided that Watford
would be a safe bet. What was more, Elton John was the manager. It
didn't last long however, about two weeks, as far as I remember. I'm
not sure, but it may have been something to do with the release of
"Don't Go Breaking My Heart" that he did with Kiki Dee. Come to think
of it, it may have had something to do with the fact that he chose to
do a song with someone with a name like "Kiki Dee" in the first place.
I
realise that as I approach my half century, I am officially becoming
“a grumpy old man”. But is there a good reason why, during busy
traffic times, people decide that the right-hand lane of the dual
carriageway is not to be used?
So
what is on offer this year? Too much to list but highlights include
the return of The Devil’s Horsemen, who put on a magnificent display
re-enacting Cossack battle techniques, transforming them into
acrobatics on horseback; - Bob Hogg and his sheepdog trials, an
informative and humorous commentary while the sheepdogs round up a
gaggle of geese!; - the majesty and might of the Heavy Horse Musical
Drive, where tons of horse gallop around the ring intricately weaving
in and out of each other all to music, really putting your heart in
your mouth as one mistake could spell disaster. Other events include
an Inter Hunt relay, farming display, dog agility and the fire service
animal rescue truck. 
As
the crows return with trepidation and the sun finally tries it’s best,
I have to admit to being a little disappointed. Last month I mentioned
the hard work put in by the Scarecrow Committee and suggested showing
them your appreciation for the work they do to keep our village
community as welcoming and active as it is. The easiest way would be
by writing a little article or even a note of thanks for the things
you enjoyed & sending them to me at the magazine. Unfortunately,
whilst I’ve heard the praises sung in the village (and outside!), not
that many votes of thanks got to me here at the Mag. 
This
year’s event will be on Friday 29th October.
Little
pill here in my hand
