o. Ghosts of Berkeley Castle - The Berkeley Flyer

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‘For and about the people of Berkeley’ No. 283 May 2019

www.theberkeleyflyer.co.uk

Berkeley Castle have announced their collaboration

with local artist Jackie Lantelli, whose ghostlike

sculptures of WWI soldiers at Slimbridge brought

hordes of visitors to the churchyard last November.

The exhibition which launches at Berkeley Castle on

Sunday 2 June 2019 promises to have just as much

of a ‘wow factor’ and will include sculptures of

Edward II, doomed in his cell; Elizabeth I, ready with

her crossbow to kill the Earl of Berkeley’s prize stags

and Dicky Pearce, the jester who fell from the

Minstrels’ Gallery. It promises to be an unmissable

exhibition with many other sculptures to spot as you

wander around the Castle’s grand rooms and

grounds.

“We are delighted that Jackie has agreed to work

with us to bring our historical stories and characters

to life. Not only has she created sculptures of a King

& Queen notoriously associated with the Castle,

she’s also bringing some of the everyday historical

characters alive too” says Charles Berkeley, Castle

Director.

Sculptor, Jackie Lantelli commented “After exhibiting

the WW1 Tommy sculptures at Slimbridge church I

was delighted when Berkeley Castle asked me to

make some historical figures for them. I find it very

interesting looking into the history of a real person

and finding out about their lives. Then when the

sculpture is finished it seems to have a soul to it and

it can be very emotional at times, just seeing the

sculpture of King Edward makes you think ahh poor

chap, he looks really fed up. And when you know

what's going to happen to him it almost brings a tear

to your eye.

I must say that Berkeley Castle is such a beautiful

place, and the staff are very friendly, I feel honoured

that my work is going to be exhibited there.”

Ghosts of Berkeley Castle

This years Rounders Tournament / Family Funday in aid of Meningitis Now in memory of Sam Virgo is set to take place on

Saturday 27th of July. The main event of the day is the rounders tournament and if you would like to enter a team please

call Lisa on 07885881145 or tell us on our Facebook page. There will be music throughout the day and live bands in the

evening. There will be lots of free entertainment for your children including bouncy castles and craft tent. We will be

catering to your every whim with a very well stocked bar with real ales, ciders, as well as all the usual drinks, and we will

be serving Pimms. The Barbecue will be fired up all day and will be serving bacon rolls for breakfast, burgers and hotdogs

all day and when evening comes there will be a hog roast. The lovely ladies from St. Mary’s Church will be running the

ever popular Vintage Tea Room with their delicious cakes. We pride ourselves on being an affordable day out for you and

all your family and hope that if you have any ideas for other things we could do to keep your children happy you will let us

know. There will of course be a raffle so if you have anything you would like to donate please get in touch.

May 2019 THE BERKELEY FLYER [email protected]

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Garden in May

The garden should begin to look its best this month with the intensity of green from the unfurling leaves and spring blossom mingling with early blooms of summer giving a wonderful feel of freshness. You will need to remain on your guard for late frosts. This is a good time to plant hanging baskets, window boxes and tubs with bedding plants which are very valuable for injecting concentrated splashes of colour in to the garden. Keep them protected until they have rooted well and growing strongly.

Support perennials. This should be done before the plants need it and while they are relatively short. The supports will be quickly hidden by the new growth and will look quite natural in the beds and borders. Prune early flowering shrubs once they have finished flowering. These are for example Kerria japonica and Forsythia. This will encourage new young growth which will flower next year. Dogwood and Willow which are grown for their coloured stems in the winter can be cut down to the ground so that new shoots will appear for next winter. Tie in climbers such as roses, clematis and vines on a regular basis so as they grow they will cover the surface of walls and fences neatly. This will make it easier to prune in the winter. Also leave the ties loose enough for the stems to grow thicker.

Now is the time to sow French and runner beans outside in the open ground. They will germinate when the last frosts are over. Plant sweetcorn in in blocks about 30cm (12”) apart each way rather than in rows. Sweetcorn is pollinated by the wind so by growing them in blocks there is more chance of pollination being successful than if they are in rows. The male flower appears as tassels at the tip of the plant and the pollen falls on to the female parts which are lower down on the stems. Ventilate the greenhouse, cloches and frames on warm days to prevent the insides overheating and

drying out. High temperatures now encourage soft growth which is easily damaged by cold conditions. Close the door and vents at night especially if the forecast is for low temperatures. At the end of the month tender crops such as courgettes, tomatoes, squashes, pumpkins and runner beans that have been raised under cover can be planted out once the risk of frost has passed. Be sure to harden them off before you plant them out.

If some of your spring bulbs have not flowered or have become blind this year it may be that they have become congested. Now is the time to lift them and divide them to give more room to grow and they will flower better. It also a good idea to give all your spring bulbs a sprinkling of a general fertilizer to help the growth of more healthy bulbs for next year. Thinking about last year’s hot summer they say that our summers will get warmer so it would be a good idea to conserve as much water as we can. Why not put a water butt into the garden to catch rainfall from any outbuilding, shed and the guttering from the roof of your house – or even your greenhouse. There are lots of different types available on the market from plastic to genuine wooden casks which are an attractive addition to the garden. If we install it now it can be filling up before we have a dry period. Rain water is more beneficial to the garden than tap water so it makes sense to save as much rain water as possible for any drought that may occur later in the summer.

I have been reading about the benefits of gardening. When we garden our movements reduce the release of radicals slowing down the ageing process and reducing the risk of disease. Research has shown a link

between contact with soil, plants and nature and reduced stress! Stress hormones create more damaging free radicals but when we garden our brains go into a restful mode allowing us to become more resilient to stress and reducing the risk of depression and anxiety. Being outdoors exposes our skin to vitamin D which is not only good for our bones but also minimises the risks of heart disease, asthma and cancer. Gardening improves health and saves the NHS money! According to the World Health Organisation inactivity is the fourth leading cause of death in the world. Well all I can say is – Keep Gardening! Gardening helps restore our connection with nature as well. I think we all know that already. Until next month.




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This spring’s One-Act plays by the Berkeley Players was an opportunity to enjoy once more the local talent of this

wonderful group.

First to the stage were the youngest members of the players in ‘Narrator gone bad’ by Andy Pavy. The confident narrator (Carol - played by Maisie Scott-Leighton) charmingly re-imagined a princess and the dragon fairy tale where a put-upon princess was supremely unbothered by the attentions of the dragon, troll, Lancelot, and his knights. Order was restored with the arrival of Aunt Phyllis who waved off her niece and allowed her characters to return to their knitting.

Next up was another re-telling: this time of Romeo and Juliet in the form of Picalilli Circus by Richard Tydeman. The compere (Macey Spiers), fluent in rhyming couplets, told the story of the Montis and Capps - divided and then reunited by the relationship between the youngest members of each family. The circus setting was a fascinating twist to this age-old story.

Things took a slightly darker turn with the third play: Louise Wade’s 'This is a lockdown’. Ms Melkin (Megan Ashford) took control, completely unruffled by the lockdown drill that lasted just slightly too long. She was calm even in the face of the intervention of student Charlotte (Libby Palmer) who contacted the media almost immediately after the drill

began. By the end of the play the absent Jacob (Tom Gibson) was still an ambiguous figure. Was the group right to trust him and let him back in?

The final play was a hilarious take on the trials and tribulations of directing a small amateur dramatic group. The aspirations of Tristram Farthing (Owen Gower) for the group were challenged more and more strongly by each member until finally he could take no more. The comic skills of all involved were a real treat - although director Margaret Glover seemed to suggest that it wasn’t such a fictional account…

Can’t wait to see what the summer has in store!

Berkeley WI were delighted to host a defibrillator familiarisation session on Saturday April 13th in Berkeley Town Hall.

We were incredibly fortunate to have a South West Ambulance Service Assistant Community Responder Officer (Louise Cooper) to deliver the session.

If you have had to dial 999 (112 also works and is the international emergency number) and are expecting an ambulance Louise recommended make your house visible. Turn on all the lights in every room. If your car is on the drive switch on your hazard lights. If you have a long drive attach a high viz jacket to the gate post. The sooner the first responder/paramedic/Ambulance crew can find you the sooner you can have the professional support your casualty needs.

Anyone who dials 999 and asks for an ambulance will be talked through the first aid needed. The operator stays on the line so the advice Louise gave was put them on speakerphone and ask them to

repeat any instructions as needed. The operators are trained to support those in a medical emergency situation and require information:

Is the patient conscious and breathing? Dependant on your response will determine what first aid advice is given

What is your location?

Immediate first aid DRSABC

Danger - do not put yourself in danger or at risk

Response - speak loudly into each ear and if no response tap the collar bone area - if no response

Shout for help at least THREE times - the evidence is that once is not enough to get bystanders to react. Ask the person to dial 999 ask for an ambulance and to come back and inform the person administering first aid what the ambulance service said.

Airway - tilt the head back and lift the chin to prevent the tongue

blocking the airway.

Breathe - listen for breathing and watch for chest to rise and fall. If the casualty is breathing normally they should be put in the recovery position.

CPR - if they are not breathing or not breathing normally initiate cardio pulmonary Resuscitation.

Louise talked those present through doing CPR. How to interlock the hands, with a speed of 100-120 chest compressions per minute. Depth of chest compressions depending on size of casualty. How vital it is to get an AED as soon as possible and get the pads attached.

There is no possibility of getting it wrong. The AED assesses the heart rhythm of the casualty - no rhythm no shock so it is not an option not to start CPR. No CPR no rhythm for the AED to assess so no shock. The casualty is dead. That is the miracle of CPR. By performing CPR the blood is circulated to the brain from the heart and if any rhythm is present the AED detects

it and advises whether to shock or not. Any CPR is better than none. If you are with a non-breathing/non responsive casualty you are their only chance.

The message for all those present was in the survival rate from sudden onset cardiac arrest is 10%. The consensus of those present was we need more defibrillators in our area - Wanswell and Berkeley Vale Park currently have no provision. Berkeley has one - outside the Co-op. Anyone in Berkeley dialling 999 for a suspected cardiac event will be told to send someone to get the defibrillator and will be given a code to open the cabinet, get the defibrillator out and pads on to the patient as fast as possible.

The session was brilliant. Informative. Empowering. Confidence boosting.

If you don't know any first aid make it your business to attend a Defibrillator familiarisation session. It could save a life.




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TYNDALE PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB

Ralph Snook ARPS DPAGB EFIAP is a highly qualified photographer, speaker and judge, so Tyndale Photography Club were extremely happy to welcome him back to North Nibley to adjudicate their annual 'Folio Five' competition.

As the title suggests each member entering the competition submits five images on the same theme to be judged as a group of photographs not as individual images.

Ralph began by telling us how he went about judging the 25 panels. He, first of all, asked himself – 'do all the images meet the title of the theme' – secondly, he looked at the individual images to see if they were strong pictures within the theme – thirdly, 'did the set make a coherent picture overall'.

He then proceeded to show us the panels entered, we saw each individual picture of the folio first and then all the images as a panel. Ralph commented on each image pointing out the positives and advising where improvements could be made and then gave his opinion of the five hanging together as a panel. He awarded points as he went long awarding 3 panels 20 points - 1 panel 19 points and 3 panels 18 points, he did, however, keep the final placings until the end of the evening.

The variety of subjects chosen to photograph made for a most enjoyable evening, and surprisingly no two folios were based on exactly the same theme or story.

From the three panels awarded 20 points George Ryske was given third place for his panel 'Faces of India' Jenny Fryer second place for her creative panel 'Trees' but it was Bill Beere who was awarded first place for his panel 'Mindwinter Blues', he also took home the 'Folio Five Cup'.

Many of us will be spending time in out

gardens over the coming weeks planting

seeds weeding and mowing.

Peat is a useful constituent of many

commercial composts, it is extracted

from Peat bogs in this country and

Ireland. However peat bogs are also an

invaluable natural store of carbon. Once

Peat is removed from the mire it begins

to degrade releasing its store of carbon

as carbon dioxide, thus adding tithe UKs

contribution towards climate change.

As gardeners we can preserve peat

bogs by changing to peat-free composts.

These peat free composts are regularly

featured in Which? Magazine. This year

several peat free composts were given

the ’Best Buy’ award based on

performance and cost.

For more information go to

www.which.co.uk/reviews/compost/

article/should-i-buy-peat-free-compost

The RHS and BBC Gardeners World

also have useful information.

Jane R

Berkeley Area Climate Action—BACA




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We are a small residential care home in the center of Berkeley. We care for elderly individuals who wish to

live in a friendly and homely environment. ‘respite breaks available’

Tel: 01453 810292 www.canonburycare.co.uk

Berkeley Educational Swimming Trust (BEST) April Draw

Winner David Smith Ball No. 50 £20.00

Runner Up Phil Smith Ball No. 91 £15.00

The draw was carried out on 6th April 2019 at Longfield Charity Shop by a member of staff

On behalf of BEST I would like to thank Longfield for their continuing support Gill Badsey, Lottery Manager for BEST

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With everything that’s going on in the world at the moment concerning the environment we have decided that we would like to do our bit to educate our children. We have earmarked the weekend of June 15/16 to tidy up our town. We want to litter pick, weed and generally have a big clean up. We want our children to take pride in the town we are raising them in. We will be providing litter pickers and bin bags and we will be asking everyone to bring their own gloves and hi vis vests. We would love to see all ages taking part in the events across the weekend. We are getting together with the school to create a huge art piece to highlight how much unnecessary plastic we all have in our homes. We will have collection points

around the town for your colourful plastics to be placed in. We particularly want things that are the colours of the rainbow (including pink) We want lids, old dried up pens, punctured balls, drinks containers, straws, broken swimming goggles, broken hangers, headphones, packaging, broken pegs etc Collection points are 5 Watts Close, 1 Salter Street and the Primary School (please get in touch if you would also like to be a collection point) Kathryn Burdett 07784087330 Lisa Palmer 07885881145 We will let you know more details of the weekends events in next months edition of the Berkeley Flyer. If you are on Facebook you can find out more on our page ‘Pride Of Berkeley’

mailto:[email protected]




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An Independent funeral business providing personal care to Berkeley and the surrounding community.

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Berkeley WI were delighted to welcome several prospective new members to the meeting. The business part of the meeting as always covered national WI initiatives, county WI initiatives and our own Berkeley WI plans and happenings.

Nationally the WI is continuing to address issues that have been raised by the membership and adopted as ongoing resolutions- plastic pollution of the oceans and land; the imprisonment of women for repeat minor criminal offences; the impact of the reduction in rural bus services to name a few. Climate change is currently very topical with all the Extinction Rebellion activities in London with the pink boat in Oxford Circus. The WI is among many organisations who have resolved to address climate change and to this end now have the national WI magazine WI Life delivered by mail in a compostable potato starch wrapper that can go in the food recycling bin so what are other publications waiting for - do we need to have so many magazines/newspaper inserts wrapped in plastic? It is worth thinking about. The joy of the WI is that members choose how much they want to be involved or indeed how much time they can commit - at local level with the monthly meeting; or extending that involvement by joining the committee and potentially taking on one of the Officer roles - such as president or secretary or joining in with one or more of the WI groups held outside the meeting such as the book group or the handicraft group. For some being engaged at county level provides the stimulus and outlet that suits them. Some WI members who are involved with the Gloucestershire Federation go on to become involved at national level. At county level there are continuing plans for the WI centenary picnic in July in Cirencester and the exhibition in Gloucester Cathedral in October. County activities include various walks in different parts of Gloucestershire; bowls is one of the sports taster sessions being offered this summer. On a serious note there is an evening information session about FGM (female genital mutilation). For anyone who gets Cotswold Life there is a WI news page every month detailing current ongoing activities and happenings. Berkeley WI reaches its centenary in 2021 so ideas are being considered as how best to mark the occasion. In the meantime we are looking forward to a skittles friendly practice with Stone

with Woodford WI at The Boar’s Head at the end of this month (Thursday April 25th - 3pm). The first match in the GFWI skittles tournament will be at the end of May and Berkeley have been drawn against Uley. Always a good match. This month's book for the book group is The Hoarder by Jess Kidd. Last month's book was thoroughly enjoyed by all the book group members - Mike Gayle's The Man I Think I Know. The resuscitation and defibrillator familiarisation session held on April 13th was well attended and very well received. The speaker for the evening was Mike Davies who came with five members of Ragged and Old Morris. Ragged and Old are a team of Morris dancers based in Bussage No longer is Morris dancing the preserve of men and many sides are, like Old Ragged Cott, mixed male and female. Of the six (2 female and 4 male) all attired in the familiar Morris clothing one played accordion, one played and four demonstrated the dances. ‘Weyhill Fair’ is a stick dance, ‘How do you do?’ a handkerchief dance ‘Hat dance’ was a five in a line dance. After lots of toe tapping the ladies of Berkeley WI were invited to take to the floor and so they did with great gusto amid much laughter and merriment. Mike gave some background to how Morris Dancing began. The word "Morris" is thought to have been derived from the Moors in Spain in the 14th century although the first written evidence is dated 1448 when it is recorded that the Goldsmiths Guild hired Morris Dancers and in 1458 a widow left 3 silver cups decorated with Morris men. Thereafter there are various records including Henry VIII in 1497 paying to be entertained by Morris men. By 1700 most villages had their own Morris men. As with other forms of local entertainment each village or group of villages developed their own style of Morris dancing - the Welsh have border Morris dancers. Cotswold Morris is, of course, the style of Morris dancing in this area. When people talk of Morris dancing thoughts immediately turn to bells on legs, handkerchiefs waved in the air and sticks banged in the ground. Unsurprising they have significance. The bells attached at the knee are to keep demons at bay and the sticks are to wake up the earth to promote fertility and bring a good harvest. They had a fool with a bladder on a stick to keep the spectators in line. It became clear that Morris dancing is a tradition that was almost lost and has since the early 20th century enjoyed a revival. It is very much part of the social history of our nation. Look out for the Morris dancers at Berkeley Show in June.




Marybrook welcomes Mrs Clare Barnfield to the Team as the new permanent Manager. She will continue to work alongside the Church Street team to ensure stability and to improve the services to our patients.

Doctor Team

The Doctors currently working across the week at Marybrook are:

Dr Sanjay Shyamapant - Managing Partner

Dr Richard Dean - GP Locum

Dr Sarah Corston – GP Locum

Dr Sarah Packham – GP Locum

Dr Katie Baker- GP Locum

Dr Andrew Rigby – GP Locum

Dr Dan Brizell – GP Locum

Dr Peter Bouzyk - GP Locum

New Nursing Team

Donna Veal who is a qualified and registered Prescribing Nurse Practitioner. She conducts an Urgent Care clinic every morning, Monday to Friday, dealing with acute illnesses (i.e. new medical problems that have been going on for less than 2 weeks) for example:

Asthma flare up, COPD flare up, Chest infections, Coughs, Colds, Ear infections, Hay fever, Sinusitis, Sore throat, Urinary tract infections, skin issues (rash; cellulitis; infections; insect bites).

She also carries out general nursing clinics in the afternoons along with a Baby clinic on a Tuesday afternoon and a Respiratory clinic on a Friday afternoon

Katie Smith who is a qualified nurse who carries out general nursing clinics on Tues/Thurs/Fri.

Carol Fahy Our Health Care Assistant (HCA) is qualified to take

blood for analysis including INR; blood pressure readings;

dressings; suture removal; NHS Health Checks; onward referral

for weight management and smoking cessation. You can make

an appointment via the Receptionist on Mon/Tues/Weds

Sarah’s Field, April; the beginning of the growing season. Named after the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite and meaning “to open” as in Aperit, (Latin) A month with 30 days, the first known as April Fool’s Day. Tricky jokey hoaxes can be played but only up to midday. Time to exchange Easter eggs, traditionally representing renewed life, a time of celebration and to welcome the newly sprung trees and flowers. In Sarah’s field, the signs of awakening life are evident with fruit trees budding and blossoming. Pond life is emerging and evidence of some nocturnal animals has been found. A record is being kept of any sightings of birds, beasts and other species. To date; a little egret has been spotted, otter and deer footprints, a sparrowhawk; ravens can often be seen up above. A pair of mallards bobbing along the rhine and tadpoles squiggling around in the shallow

water of the bog area. Whirligig beetles spin frenetically on the water's surface and the great diving beetle takes the plunge in the pond. Volunteers have been sowing wild flower seeds around the ponds with wetland species such as meadowsweet, marsh marigold, sneezewort, selfheal, purple loosestrife, watermint to name a few. Woodchip has been provided from a local tree surgeon for mulching and pathways. There is more to be done and plans include another picnic table, more slabs around ponds and overall ongoing field maintenance. Working Labels for fruit trees, an interpretation board displaying heritage and natural history and putting up a rustic sign custom made by a friend of Sarah’s Field from a pine tree planted in 1973.

Sarah's Field Spring Open Day

Saturday25th May, 12.00 – 16:00 Families and all are invited to come and explore. Bring a picnic. 12:15 Formal opening of the site, cutting of the ribbon Sit and enjoy your picnic, bring rugs and chairs as you prefer Activities: Family nature walks; birds, bugs, animal tracks and signs Dig the soil to find different earthworm species and old artefacts such as pottery. 14:00, Join the Earth Walk and find out about using all your senses to explore and find a “magic spot”. 15:15, Music in the Field to celebrate the Merry Month of May. Bring percussion and join in the merriment. All happening at Sarah's Field, Lynch

Road Berkeley




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Safety spectacles Home visits by appointment

Berkeley Forum

The Flyer reserves the right to edit and abridge letters submitted for publication. Anonymous letters will not be published, but we will withhold your name if requested

The total amount raised for the 2019/20 Lottery was £1248.00 I personally would like to thank all of you that bought tickets for the lottery. It makes such a difference to us.

Gill Badsey, Lottery Manager for BEST

I don’t know how many of your readers are fans of old tractors, but here are a

few on their way up to the Deer Park past Cat Grove last Saturday

James Corbett

Thornbury Musical Theatre Group are proud to present their Summer concert as they take you on a whirlwind adventure through the streets of Broadway and the West End! With a mixture of songs from classic past and exciting present theatre shows, ‘Broadway Lights, West End Nights’ will be sure to satisfy theatre buffs everywhere!

Our stars will take to the stage with imaginative renditions of not only those musical numbers you know and love but also some modern classics in the making. The fantastic live band will have you all dancing, jiving and having the time of your life with a great mixture of powerful company numbers as well as the delicate emotional pieces we all love to hear.

With singers and dancers galore, you can look forward to a fully immersive, wonderful evening of entertainment, as we put on a show that is sure to knock your socks off as you thank us for the music.

So why not join us at the Armstrong Hall in Thornbury for smiles,

laughs and memories. Take your pick from three performances; Friday 14th June at 7.30 pm and Saturday 15th June at 2.30 pm and 7.30 pm. Book early to avoid disappointment!

All tickets are £10 and are bookable at www.tmtg.org.uk or from Lisa Costa Residential Sales and Lettings at 53 High Street, Thornbury from Saturday 18 May 2019. There is also a discount of 10% on group bookings of 10 or more. For any enquiries don’t hesitate to call the Box Office on 07516 270140.

Not convinced? Check out the Thornbury Musical Theatre Group Facebook page for glimpses of what a fantastic show this is sure to be.

For more information about ‘Broadway Lights, West End Nights’ and our group generally, take a look at www.tmtg.org.uk or contact us by e-mail at [email protected]. You can also follow us on Twitter.

Well done all the New Berkeley Harriers who took part in the Cattle Country 5 and

10k. It was an amazing day, really well organised and special thanks to all the

Harriers who weren't even running but who supported the runners at the end by

literally ringing them in with Bells!

James Barker




Volunteering at Dr Jenner’s House:

could it be for you?

The future is looking decidedly more positive

at Dr Jenner’s House in 2019: we were

successful in raising the £20,000 that we

needed to remain open this year, thanks in no

small part to the generosity of the people of

Berkeley; we’ve already had one of our

busiest starts to the open season ever; and

we have some, we think, pretty amazing

plans for later in the year.

It’s a very exciting time for the museum and

we can’t wait to show you some of the

changes we have already made. But, did you

know that most of the activities we do are

carried out by volunteers? From welcoming

visitors and helping out school groups, to

caring for our garden and the museum’s

collections, volunteers are at the heart of

everything we do. In 2018, our volunteers

gave a whopping 450 days of their time!

We are always looking for more people to join

our team. On 2 May we’ll be holding a

Volunteering Coffee Morning at the museum

from 10:30 to 12:30. The morning will start

with biscuits and a short presentation about

volunteering opportunities at the museum,

then you’ll have a tour of the museum and an

opportunity to chat to existing volunteers

about what they do. The event is free to

attend and there’s no obligation to volunteer

after the session, although we hope you will!

If you plan to come please call the Museum

Office on 810631, email

[email protected] or register at

ticketsource.co.uk/drjennershouse.

Still undecided? Here’s some FAQs about

volunteering at Dr Jenner’s House.

Q: Why do people volunteer?

A: For all sorts of reasons! Our volunteers are

from all ages and backgrounds. Some are

passionate about local history, some want to

‘give something back’, some are looking to

develop new skills, or keep using old ones.

And all of us love a good chat over a cuppa!

Q: I wouldn’t be able to make a regular

commitment, is volunteering for me?

A: We hope so! We try to make volunteering

as flexible as possible and so, whilst some of

our roles might be easier if you are able to

come in regularly, other roles can be done as

and when you have the time.

Q: Do I have to come to the Volunteering

Coffee Morning on 2 May?

A: No, and in fact by the time you’ve read this

in the Flyer it may well be too late! You can

find out all about volunteering and even apply

on our website at jennermuseum.com/support

or, if you want to talk to a real person, pop in

when we’re open and talk to our wonderful

volunteers then, or give us a call on 810631.

Whether you can give a couple of days a week, or a couple of hours a month, please consider supporting your local museum. Find out more about volunteering on our website at jennermuseum.com/support

Final preparations are well underway for Berkeley’s Family

Festival – we have an amazing live music line up featuring, Steve

Faberache and Leon Daye during the day with Champagne

Charlie entertaining us into the evening. You will be able to

purchase an all day pay and play wristband which allow children

(£3 each) to make unlimited use of the disco dome, human whack

a mole, Football darts to name a few, as well as the Children’s

craft tent stocked with lots of materials to let their imagination run

wild. We have catered for our little visitors too and have a bouncy

castle and soft play area for the under 3’s. Whilst the children are

entertained you can sample the large variety of ales, ciders and

gins in our beer tent. We will have a traditional BBQ along with

some added extras, and children’s lunch boxes for sale, along

with an ice cream van.

We would encourage any local visitors to leave the car at home,

but for anyone coming from further a field there will be limited

parking available and we would suggest people to use the council

car parks located near the school. Please note this is a cash only

event. Tickets are still on sale at the early bird prices and can be

purchased from Berkeley Pharmacy, Berkeley Town Football Club

and Cam Post Office – Tickets will also be available on the gate.

Our Grand raffle tickets are now on sale with some fabulous

family day out tickets up for grabs, along with an Apple iPad as

the main prize! Any Manchester United fans are encouraged to

look at our facebook page as we have one very special prize up

for grabs!! www.facebook.com/berkeleyfamilyfestival

We look forward to

welcoming you all on 11th May.

http://www.facebook.com/berkeleyfamilyfestival




Saturday 15 June

Cabaret Night With comedian Lenny Dee + tributes to Elvis and Tom Jones

All events supported by Weareevolution... Tickets available online at hamfieldsleisure.co.uk Hire Hamfields Leisure!!! Children’s Parties; Birthday’s Engagement Party or Wedding Functions. only £100 for members or £150 non-members Phone: 01453 810413 email: [email protected]

COFFEE MORNING BERKELEY EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SATURDAY 11th MAY 10.00 - 11.30 am

The Spring sunshine last month was a

welcome sight and I'm sure it contributed to the fact that there was a good number at our last coffee morning. Perhaps the tempting thought of home baked cakes and biscuits helped too? We welcomed new faces as well as old friends and every one seemed to enjoy the goodies on offer including some excellent Easter biscuits, always a hit because traditionally we only eat them once a year. Our doors will be open again in the 2nd Saturday in May. The tea and coffee will be limitless, the cakes plentiful and delicious, the calorie counting forgotten for an hour and the welcome warm. If you'd like to give us a try but not sure of where to find us or would like a lift, please contact: Dawn: 810494 or Grace 811138

Berkeley Gardening Club is holding its last "talk" meeting of the season on Wednesday 15th May at Berkeley Books Library starting at 7.30pm when we have Jon Mason from Highfield Garden Centre talking about "Lawn Care". How to clear moss and deal with weeds and diseases.

During the Summer months we have trips and visits and demonstrations arranged with our next meeting at the Library in September.

Visitors and new members are always welcome.




COTSWOLD MARKETING PRINTING SERVICES

& PHOTO COPY BUREAU SHORT RUN FULL COLOUR

PERSONAL & BUSINESS

STATIONERY

FORMS, BROCHURES, BOOKLETS

CALENDARS, CHRISTMAS CARDS

PROMOTIONAL PADS, ADHESIVE LABELS

TICKETS, POSTERS & LEAFLETS

RAFFLE TICKETS

TYPESETTING & LAYOUT

COLLECTIONS & DELIVERIES

Open 9-5 & Sat morning

Contact: John or Christine Carter Tel: 01453 546645

Fax: 01453 544311

Mobile: 0776 245 8397

[email protected]

Or call in: 22 High St, CAM, Glos. GL11 5LE

For a regular entry in the What’s On Diary please email [email protected] before 15th of the month

Computer Club 1st Friday of the Month at the Library 11am

Berkeley Community Library 10.30am - 4.30pm

Berkeley Rainbows The Scout Hut 4.15 - 5.30pm

FitFix Exercise - Cam Memorial Hall 10am - 11am

Friday

Extend Exercise Classes for 60+ Scout Hut From 10.30am Contact Barbara 01453 766421

Bingo - Sharpness Village Hall from 7.30pm contact Jimmy Thomas 01453 811339

Coffee Morning Union Church Schoolroom 10.00 – 11.00am

Art Group Berkeley Library . £3.00 per session 10.00am—1pm. Bring own materials

NatWest Mobile Bank In the Police parking bay (outside Sema4 Graphics) 10.15am -12.30 pm

Beavers Scouts for 6 to 8 years old Scout HQ, Park View, 4.30pm - 5.30pm

Berkeley Brownies The Scout Hut 6.00pm - 7.30pm

New Berkeley Harriers Running Club 6.30pm at Canon Park Pavilion

Thursday

Berkeley Community Library 9.30am - 12.30pm

Coffee Morning Every 2nd Saturday of the month 10.00 - 11.30 at The Evangelical Church

Physio-Led Modified Pilates Class

Town Hall— Advance Booking essential

Contact Miranda 07813513516

10am -11am

Craft Club - Berkeley Library Last Wednesday of the month. 10.30am - 1.30pm. £2 all welcome

Dog Training - Sharpness Village Hall from 7pm contact Mike Vine 01453 822134

Berkeley Under 5’s Town Hall Toddlers - 9.30am - 11.30am

P3 Community Based Drop In Town Hall, 10am - 12pm

Citizens Advice Bureau Town Hall, 1pm - 3pm

Berkeley Youth Club Canon Park Pavilion 6pm - 8pm

Coffee Morning Sharpness Village Hall 10 - 12pm Call Christy 07970 565099

Berkeley Gardening Club 3rd Wednesday of the month Library 7.30pm

Past-Times Café Marybrook Medical Centre Chat, Crafts, and tea. 2.00pm

FitFix Exercise - Stinchcombe Village Hall 7.30pm - 8.30pm

Alcoholics Anonymous Berkeley Steps Town hall, 7.30pm - 8.30pm, Town Hall

Town Council Meeting 3rd Monday of the month 7.30pm

Stay & Play Kids - Sharpness Village Hall 9.45am - 12 noon contact Sue Boxall on 07526101287

Youth Club - Sharpness Village Hall 6.30pm - 8.30pm contact Darren Brown on 07799067237

Beavers/Scouts Scout HQ., Park View Scouts 10½ to 14 years old 7.00pm - 8.30pm

FitFix Exercise - Stinchcombe Village Hall 6.30pm - 7.30pm

Physio-Led Modified Pilates Class

Town Hall— Advance Booking essential

Contact Miranda 07813513516

Monday's 10am -11am , 11.15am—12.15am & 7.15pm-8.15pm

Monday

Community Bank - Town Hall, Tuesdays 9.15am - 11am

Poetry Circle: 1st Tuesday of the month 2-3pm at Berkeley Library. Informal group for reading, writing and enjoying poetry. Bring your favourites along

Town Planning & Finance Meetings 2nd Tuesday of the month 7.30pm

Berkeley Community Library Tuesdays 10.30am - 4.30pm Telephone 810520

Line Dancing/Ballroom Dance Class Hamfields Leisure 7.00pm - 9.00pm Contact Daphne 01453 826034

Skylarks Community Choir Town Hall, 7.10 - 9pm Term Time only. All welcome

Cub Scouts - Scout HQ. Park View 8 to 10½ years old 6.00pm - 7.30pm

FitFix Exercise - Cam Memorial Hall 9.45am - 10.45am

Crochet Group - Berkeley Library 11.00am. £1 per session. Everyone is welcome.

Just bring a crochet hook and some wool.

Berkeley Walking Group

Meet 10.a.m. The Library Car Park. (Free) Coffee

optional afterwards in The Library.

Free Legal Sessions 1st Tuesday of month, Coventry Building Society

Thornbury Macular & Low Vision Support

Group

1st Tuesday of month, 10.30am to 12.30pm

Methodist Church Hall, Castle Court, Thornbury

Tuesday

Wednesday

Saturday

Sunday

Roman Catholic Mass Sundays 8.30am, 10.30am St Dominic RC Church, Kingshill, Dursley

Berkeley Union Church Salter Street, Berkeley. (Next to Town Hall) Sunday Services 10.00am -11.00am Coffee, Tea and biscuits to follow

St Mary’s Church Please see the church website for service times

FOOD BANK

A food bank can now be found at

St. Mary's Church




BERKELEY FLYER TEAM:

PUBLICATION: Simon Bingham: 01453 811353 Sarah Hall: 01453 511681 James Barker: 01453 810703

WEB PAGE: David Hook email: [email protected]

ARTICLES, LETTERS AND DIARY DATE ENTRIES: email: [email protected]

DISTRIBUTION: Grace & Dave King 811138

ADVERTISING: www.theberkeleyflyer.co.uk or email: [email protected]

PRINTING: Cotswold Marketing: 22 High St, Cam. tel: 01453 546645 email: [email protected]

If you want to make a contribution, please contact one of the Flyer Team on the numbers shown, place your contribution in the collection box in the Berkeley Pharmacy in the Market Place, or e-mail: [email protected] by 15th of each month

PUBLICATION DATE : 1st of each month

While every effort is made to ensure accurate reporting of events and information supplied to us, we regret we cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions that may occur. Publication © 2018 The Berkeley Flyer. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the Editorial Committee. Copyright of individual articles or pictures submitted for publication vest with their authors, but may not be reproduced as published within this publication without the permission of the publishers. Publication of trade adverts in this newsletter does not constitute our recommendation of their services.

The photograph this month is of one of the

humble dock shunters which worked the

Sharpness docks for many years. These

shunters were the property of Sharpness

Docks and used to move the wagons

around the docks before moving them to

Oldminster Sidings for collection by the

GWR or LMS.

Work is progressing well at Berkeley

Station. The many trees which were

threatening to undermine the weighbridge

house were cut down before the start of the

bird nesting season and the stumps are

slowly being removed. A new lintel has been

donated to replace the rotten one over the

front window.

The big push at Oldminster Sidings to clear

the trees from the 4 lines before the bird

nesting season resulted in a huge amount of

felled timber. This is being cut and sorted.

Anything which is suitable for firewood is

being cut to manageable lengths and

stacked for seasoning. The left over material

is going into the new hedges around the site

which are proving very popular with the local

birds. The last tree was removed on the last

day before the start of the nesting season.

This was a magnificent job by all concerned,

particularly bearing in mind that we were

unable to use any heavy mechanised

equipment. We now have 4 clear sidings,

and many tons of firewood which is

seasoning in stacks. We have a working

party there every Wednesday and Friday,

and most Saturdays, so please join us in

some extreme gardening and friendly

banter.

The completion of the tree removal has also

given us some breathing space to tidy up

our base. We were given a

rather tatty old shipping

container, which has been

fitted out with chairs and

tables, and was much

appreciated through the

cold and wet weather.

However externally it was a

bit of an eyesore, but last

week we got stuck into

sanding and painting it, and

it now looks much better,

sporting a new top coat of

Brunswick Green.

The welding on the boiler for our ex-LMS 4F locomotive is approaching completion. This locomotive, LMS number 44027, was built in 1923 was saw 40 years of service for the LMS and then British Rail, and it will be wonderful to see her working again. When this returns we can complete the re-assemble of the loco. In preparation for this work has started on machining the many parts such as stays and the large nuts which will be required for refitting the boiler. With machines of this age spares are just not available, and anything which is needed has to be made from raw metal.

With all the machinery we now have, we are able to offer engineering services such as turning (up to 40 inch diameter), gear cutting and surface grinding, so if anyone has a complex machining requirement please get in touch with the machine shop at Sharpness Dock.

The April talk was of particular to anyone

with an interest in local history, as it is about

a little-known but highly significant local

resource. During World War 1 the British

Army suffered from a great shortage of

munitions, in particular large shells. To help

combat this shortage, a huge arsenal was

built at Slimbridge. The Slimbridge

Magazine, as it was known, was one of the

largest munitions stores in England. Six and

a half miles of light railway constructed in

1916 fed an extensive storage area which

had all but disappeared by the early 1920s.

Den Bannister will tell the story of the

construction, operation and disassembly of

the magazine with an extensive collection of

maps and pictures. This will be held on

Thursday April 18th from 7:30. Admission is

free, and non members are welcome.

The May talk is for anyone who is interested

in modern railways. Jill Poyton from Network

Rail comes to us to talk about the

electrification of the GWR mainline from

Paddington to Wales. This will be held on

Thursday May 16th from 7:30. Admission is

free, and non members are welcome.

For 2019 we plan a series of trips to visit

some of the more interesting rail centres in

Britain. On Sunday June 2nd we have a trip

to the Great Central Railway at

Loughborough. It is the GCR’s 1940s gala

weekend and there will be a special

timetable in operation with as many as 6

locos in steam. A coach will be picking us up

from Berkeley, taking us to the GCR directly,

and returning us in the evening. This is also

open to non-members.

If anyone would like to see what we are up

to, we are at the engine shed in Sharpness

Dock and at Oldminster Sidings on

Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and at

Berkeley station on Wednesdays, and would

be glad to show you around.

You can also become a ‘Friend of Berkeley

Station’ by joining the Facebook group of

that name, and helping us to start the

process of giving Berkeley back its station.

This also contains pictures of the various

activities.


Vale of Berkeley Railway

mailto:[email protected]

o. Ghosts of Berkeley Castle - The Berkeley Flyer

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