CIVIL SERVICE RETIREMENT FELLOWSHIP:

The last activities and coffee mornings have past and we now look forward to a jolly good 2015. Will members please note that there will be only one coffee morning in January, on January 15. We will be booking for our first outing of the new year which will be to Barnstaple on February 10. We would like to thank Alan and Ann for their dedication during Alan’s ten years as chairman. We wish Margaret well in taking on this roll. For further details contact Margaret on 01934 514309.

WESTON ROTARY CLUB:

Weston Rotary Club runs a Contact the Elderly group which meets for afternoon tea every month usually hosted at the home of one of our members. The group is organised by Weston Rotarian David Ray and this month George and Anne Horsfield hosted at their home in Flax Bourton with David and President Terry Gilbert providing the transport.

Sherry and crackers went down particularly well as did the delicious homemade cakes baked by Helen Smart.

For more information about the Contact the Elderly group and general Rotary activities and membership see www.westonrotaryclub.org.uk and www.facebook.com/westonrotaryclub or telephone secretary Bernard Land on 07970 184301.

UPHILL WI:

At the December meeting we all enjoyed an hour of comedy magic with Michael Balinger. His was followed by a Christmas tea and we sang carols by candlelight, the proceeds donated to the Air Ambulance.

If you care to join us, our next meeting will be on January 14 at 2.15pm in Uphill Victory Hall. For further information call our secretary on 01934 813427.

WORLEWIND BAND:

The band continues to be busy on the run up to Christmas. The music has been well received, so if you haven’t heard us yet, you still have time as a small group of band members will be playing at Weston Museum on Saturday and another group will be at The Lamb, Worle, on Sunday. Following that the band will be joining the music group from Worle Baptist Church at 5pm on Wednesday for the annual ‘Carols in the Car Park’. There will be hot drinks, maybe even a little mulled wine, served to help keep you warm.

All the members of WorleWind Band would like to wish readers a very happy Christmas, thank you for your support throughout 2014 and we look forward to seeing you at one of our 2015 concerts.

Full details about the band and future concerts are available on our website www.worlewindband.co.uk

THE NOTABLE CLUB (NOT-ABLE):

Music, Christmas crackers, fancy hats and plenty of food all made the Christmas buffet an enjoyable time for members. Many thanks must go to the volunteers for making this a happy occasion. This week our year finished with mince pies and carols. The volunteers were thanked and given a Christmas gift for their work during the past year. The W&D Community Transport drivers were thanked for their help and support throughout the year and were presented with a hamper of biscuits, cakes, tea bags etc.

The Notable Club is a weekly, socially active lunchtime club for physically disabled people aged 16 to 60 years. For further information please contact Dina on 07845 220349.

ROYAL BRITISH LEGION:

The Royal British Legion in Hutton has honoured its retiring standard bearer, Brian Searle, with a certificate. The presentation was made by branch chairman, Liz Brown. Brian was accompanied by his daughter Jackie and the presentation was made at the Legion’s Christmas dance which was in aid of the Poppy Appeal. The certificate also marked Brian’s personal effort in collecting £1,400, a branch record, in November’s collection. The branch total so far is in excess of £13,500.

HEWISH AND DISTRICT WI:

We made up for a miserable December nights weather by enjoying nibbles, lots of mince pies and drinks.

Before that we listened to Geoff Pegler who demonstrated his great skills on his musical instruments - bagpipes, fiddle and accordion. He gave a brief history of how he came to play so many instruments and said it was due to the gift of a photographic memory. A very talented man and a pleasure to listen to.

Jean was elected as our delegate to attend the National AGM at the Albert Hall in June 2015. As it is the federations 100th birthday year it will be a memorable meeting.

There is a walk planned for January 7; meet in the boat yard at Uphill for 10am. If in doubt, due to weather, ring Ros on 524661.

The new year brings lots of interesting occasions, not least our 40th anniversary. Our next meeting is on January 15 in the Hewish Village Hall for 7.30pm. The speaker for will be Philip Hoyland on ‘Benefit, brass and the girtest grandest day.’

Visitors will be very welcome. Wishing everyone a happy Christmas and a healthy, prosperous 2015.

WESTON HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY:

The society had a very festive social evening when Paul Gilmour came along and gave us an amusing and informative talk on how to dress a Christmas tree and how to use garden material to make fresh arrangements. He also shared some funny anecdotes, as he is now working for the BBC, when he was working on the Christmas decorations at Tredegar House for the Antiques Roadshow.

Our next meeting will be on January 8 at St Peter’s Church Hall at 7.30pm when Jon Wheatley, who is a garden designer, chairman of South West in Bloom and on the panel of the RHS judges, will be giving us a talk on 50 Years of Britain in Bloom. There will be a raffle and refreshments and admission is free for members and £1 for visitors. Subscriptions are now due and can be paid at the meeting.

For further details of the society contact Cynthia Filer on 01934 514057 or visit our website http://www.wsmhorticultual.org.uk/

WESTON CHESS CLUB:

With half their matches played Weston are lying second in division three of the Somerset leagues three points behind Taunton Knights. In their latest match Weston drew 2 – 2 with Sedgeless.

David Gough and Kerry Kyriacou both drew and a loss was recorded on board three.

Special mention must be made of Weston’s youngest player on board four.

Magdalena Blocinsca lost a bishop early on but recovered to trap her opponent’s queen. Now with material advantage Magdalena gradually exchanged pieces until she was left with queen and rook against her opponent’s lone rook and his king behind a wall of unmoved pawns on the second rank. Playing accurately this was easily converted to an unstoppable checkmate to record the only win.

WESTON YOUTH ORCHESTRA:

Weston Youth Orchestra would like to wish members and supporters a very merry Christmas in advance of next week’s festivities. We have enjoyed a successful year of rehearsals and performances and are looking forward to our next series of concerts scheduled for the new year. If you are a young musician aged 21 or under and are interested in joining an orchestra we would love to hear from you. We rehearse every Friday throughout the year at the Boulevard United Reformed Church and we have a junior and a senior orchestra to cater for a wide range of age and ability. If you would like to come along to one of our rehearsals please contact our director Dennis Cole on 01934 623787 or 07787 520230.

WESTON BRASS:

The packed Christmas Concert in the Winter Gardens on Sunday ended with a standing ovation and an encore. It was a wonderful afternoon with guests Hutton Village School and the band on top form. There was a much appreciated guest performance by the bands own training band, but star of the show was 12-year-old Grace Linfield. She played a beautiful arrangement of Away in a Manger, and showed what a talented young musician she is.

The bands busy Christmas season continues this week, and the band will once again be playing carols in Weston High Street on Saturday. To help keep the band warm this year, Marks & Spencer and Thomas Cook have provided the band with hot coffees, which has been much appreciated.

Our website www.westonbrass.com is full of information on the band.

WESTON LIONS:

President, Chris Nelson met up with Heidi Every, Service Manager, Gael Rowan, Project Worker and Young Carers attending their first support group.

This follows a very successful Lions Arts and Craft Charity Auction held at the Grand Atlantic Hotel which raised £2,400 for Young Carers.

Heidi Every said: “We are absolutely overwhelmed by peoples generosity, both Weston Lions who worked so hard to organise the event and everyone who attended on the evening bidding on the works of art.

“We are currently supporting over 150 young carers aged from just five years who live in the North Somerset area.

“The money will go towards providing fun activities, day trips and support groups for the young carers who would otherwise miss out on opportunities to have a break from caring. This in turn will increase their self-confidence and sense of well-being and help them to develop peer group friendships.”

WRINGTON VALE INNER WHEEL:

The club held its Christmas party at the Burrington Inn. Other clubs in the district were invited to join in the fun and they were not disappointed. After a Christmas meal they were treated to songs, sketches, dances and readings by a group of members directed by Chris Shaw. Judging by the cheering and laughter everyone left the evening feeling the Christmas spirit had truly arrived.

LOCKING GREEN WI:

The December meeting saw the WI making a Christmas table flower decoration. It was a very well attended evening and everyone took home a flower arrangement. We finished off the evening with tea and mince pies. Thank you all for coming and look forward to seeing you in the new year.

RAFA CONCERT BAND – BLAKEHAY RESIDENT BAND:

On Sunday the band put on its annual Christmas concert in front of a packed theatre. It was an extremely enjoyable afternoon during which the musicians entertained the audience with a fun and professional seasonal programme. It’s been a busy year for the band and there have been many highlights, including a second appearance at the Colston Hall, Bristol.

There are a few vacancies for competent players, so please feel free to contact the musical director on 01934 820205 for further details.

We wish our friends and supporters a very merry Christmas and happy new year. We look forward to seeing you at our concerts in 2015.

WRINGTON VALE ROTARY:

David Welch was our recent speaker with his topic being Rotary and the Somerset Levels. David’s talk featured the day to day operation of the involvement of the Rotary club members from across the region, constant problems associated with the warehouse facilities, immense problems and friction with an in house family within the warehouse, juggling with the donations as they arrived, some stipulated to be used for food supplies with others to assist in re-housing displaced families and who owned what stock.

This was certainly a very challenging assignment which David took up within twenty hours notice as a result of the original organiser forced to drop out due to a serious health issue.

Future speakers include Steeplejacking by John Suddell on January 14, Chairman’s viewpoint of North Somerset by David Hitchins on January 21 and Follow the Plough by Les Davies on January 28. For more information call Dick Richards on 01934 844214.