The Shapwick Starlets WI celebrated their 100th birthday in 2025, and marked it with a wonderful set of embroidered pennants and postbox toppers. There’s only space for some of them here, scattered throughout this Shapwick News. But they were on display at the WI Christmas Fayre and we hope will feature again at village events! See p. 4. Parish Council Rich Tweedy’s Letter History Group Shapwick Starlets WI VillageHall Allotment Association Dovecote School Bird Flu Bunny Hop ‘26 Charlotte’s Puzzle Sustainability Group What's On And did those feet...those hands... those needles and threads... WI NTER I S SUE | J ANUARY 2 0 2 6 W I N T E R I S S U E , J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 6 B R O U G H T T O Y O U B Y T H E S H A P W I C K C O M M U N I T Y G R O U P In this issue: 2 3 3 4 5 5 5 6 7 7 8 8 Shapwick, Christmas 2025: o 14 December: Santa arrives, watched by some 60 Shapwickers, including lots of children and grandchildren. Thankyou, Tracey, Alan, and the King William C.C., for organising this again! The lights at Loxley Batch And don’t forget Chilli Jam on 31 January! See p. 8! a postbox nativity
- I am delighted to welcome Louise Chilcott, Shapwick’s new Parish Clerk and RFO. Louise brings strong financial skills to the role and is also an experienced Parish Clerk for Chilton Polden PC. - It was great to see steady progress being made across the Village Green during last year, with an emphasis on the Play Area. Despite the drought (remember the drought?!), we finally established some grass cover and as result were able to remove the metal fencing. - During the past few months, we have successfully implemented Scribe Accounts, bespoke software for Parish and Town Councils. Scribe has already made routine reporting, invoice payment and budgeting easier and more efficient. - And finally, starting with this issue, Shapwick News will now be printed in colour. We hope that you enjoy using your village website and that it fulfils a mission of being “Everything Shapwick”. In addition to the Agendas and Minutes you will find that your PC seeks to be fully open, sharing policies, procedures, financial information and other reports and presentations from a wide range of meetings. Apart from providing individual webpages for each of Shapwick’s brilliant Community Groups, the Parish Council intends the site to provide, via the Council and Services Information menu, links to, and information about, services that Shapwick Residents may need to access routinely. Shapwick Parish Council and Community Group 2 WI NTER I S SUE | J ANUARY 2 0 2 6 GRAHAM CROUCHER CHAIR OF SHAPWICK PC And don’t forget Chilli Jam on 31 January! See p. 8! Looking forward to 2026 we are excited at the prospect of adding more play equipment and building a Pétanque Court in response to the enthusiastic community support for one. Councillors are currently researching both projects, and they will be important elements in the budget decision in January. The Pétanque project is a splendid example of how we can take a community generated idea forward on behalf of Shapwick, so please do keep the ideas coming: use the form at https://www.shapwickvillage.co.uk/contact-us/ or speak to one of the councillors to share your ideas. A small group of villagers and councillors met in early December to consider Shapwick’s preparedness for an emergency. Flooding, extended power cuts and snow were amongst the risks considered. It was decided that the group would attend an Emergency Planning Workshop which is being organised by the Avalon & Poldens LCN. Happy New Year to everyone and thank you to everyone in Shapwick and beyond who supported the Parish Council, attended our meetings, and made financial contributions to our community efforts in 2025. Shapwick’s Village website, an update: - shapwickvillage.co.uk Finding it hard because the photos a bFlack and white? Find a flourition of Shapwick News at: https://www.shapwickparishcounci l.org.uk/parish-newsletters/ Other category headings and links include: - Reporting Problems to the Relevant Authority: - “Reporting It” Environment Agency incident 24-hour hotline 0800 80 70 60 2 Somerset area interactive mapping Flood Resilience Information Part 1, useful webpage links ONE.NETWORK: interactive map that shows current and future Highways roadworks across Somerset On every website page a Contact Shapwick Parish Council link allows you to simply type in your message and a copy will be sent to the Parish Clerk and Chairperson; your contact details are optional. Please take a few minutes to explore your village website and please do let us have your comments and any suggestions for improvement. the QR code will take you there too: GRAHAM CROUCHER Some of those marvellous pennants! See pp. 1 & 4.
Many thanks to everyone who joined our communal trip down memory lane last September; what a great turnout! It was absolutely fascinating to hear so many different stories and to learn more about village life over the years. Some longer term residents even recall Shapwick before mains electricity and water, worth remembering when bemoaning today’s patchy broadband! We also enjoyed a trip to the excellent Shoemakers Museum in Street in November. The striking new building was designed and built in under two years to coincide with the 200th anniversary of Clarks - that’s a lot of history to pack into four galleries (the museum is home to 25,000 shoes alone!). Luckily ace archivist Tim Crumplin was on hand to guide us, beginning in 1825 when Cyrus and James Clark decided to make slippers from sheepskin rug off-cuts, before exploring the Quaker ethos, the creation of Street as a factory village and the company’s rise to global recognition. Some of our party were ex-employees and must have found it a little strange to see once familiar workplace machinery now displayed as museum exhibits! The visit Let’s hope and pray for 2026 to be less polarised and more peaceful than 2025! Every blessing, Rich Tweedy vicar@poldenwheel.co.uk New Year Reflections 3 WI NTER I S SUE | J ANUARY 2 0 2 6 RICH TWEEDY Happy New Year! As we enter 2026, I’m sure we all realise that the world as a whole is increasingly unsettled. Part of this is the increasing polarisation of the political scene. For example, internationally, the American president and his associates seem hell-bent on stoking up division, in Europe as elsewhere; while the Russian president continues to peddle his Shapwick History Group JOHN ANDERSON So how do we enter 2026 without succumbing to despair? Here are a few suggestions: Enjoy the world around us – for example, family, friends, our gardens, the beauty of the Somerset Levels and the Polden Hills and its wildlife. Do what you can, not what you can’t – none of us can change international politics, but we can do things that enable us to be responsible citizens – for example, in choosing to live a lifestyle that involves lower carbon emissions. Get to know the Creator – the One who created our world does not delight in the destruction of his creation – but he is sovereign still. ‘own alternative truth’ to justify his ongoing, unprovoked destruction of a sovereign nation. Meanwhile, 2025 was the second-hottest year, globally, on record – just behind 2024, while fossil fuel emissions reached an all-time high. The reality of climate change and the threats that it poses are hard to deny. Our session began with school day memories of former Shapwick primary school pupils (including the provision of small, warm, milk bottles that will be familiar to readers of a certain age) before the group moved on to discuss wide-ranging recollections of village life: a behind-the-scenes account of the old village shop, the influence of the Vestey Estate, local trades and childhood jobs, historic discoveries, entertainment - including village shows, gymkhanas, athletic and motocross events - and stories from the farming community, including unusual pig housing solutions and an ingenious improvised sheep dip … We filmed the meeting (thanks to Paul Douglas) and look forward to sharing the video on the Parish Council website soon. We also plan to hold some smaller group sessions in the future. concluded with a convivial catch up over cake and coffee in the café, a smart new venue available to all whether you’re visiting the museum or not. If you’re interested in local history, design (there are some fantastic retro advertising posters), or you just love shoes, we’d thoroughly recommend a visit!
Thank you to everyone who supported our Christmas Fayre, which was a huge success and the Tombola seemed to be very popular. For our October meeting we were entertained by the fabulous Marion with her fab Drumming. This was her second visit as everyone enjoyed it so much the last time. You may or may not have heard us, apologies if you did!The last time a few of us were so enamoured we were going to set up our own drumming group! You will all be relieved to hear it didn’t happen. We had our usual craft evening in November, with some festive pebble painting where even the least creative of us could have a go! Shapwick Starlets WI SUE SELLICK 4 WI NTER I S SUE | J ANUARY 2 0 2 6 On 29th October we celebrated our 100 birthday in style at the Avalon Marshes Centre courtesy of South West Heritage Trust. We were greeted in the Saxon Long house with mulled Somerset Cider before being given a tour of the site by Dr Richard Brunning, Senior Historic Environment Officer. Such an interesting place especially the re-creation of the Roman mosaic. Our host Susie, then showed us how to do stick weaving around the fire pit, with a demonstration by our very own weaver Louise. And then there was a toast with a lovely glass of chilled Prosecco to bring the th morning to a close. Or so we thought.....while queuing to get our jacket potatoes to take back to the Long house we bumped into Anita Rani from Countryfile. She was very happy to come and have a photo with us and explained that she was filming at Shapwick Moor. She told us she is a big fan of the WI! Since the Spring an amazing group of ‘crafters’ have been spending many hours working on a new banner and bunting to commemorate our birthday. A huge thank you to Jenny and Marion for the amazing banner that now hangs in the village hall and also to Caroline, Jan, Louise, Ros, Jean J, and Lisa for ensuring that we all contributed to the bunting that is also on display in the hall. Jean J has created some wonderful pieces including a special one for Dora! Every member has been presented with a tea towel with a picture of the banner on it as a momento. And as a special treat this year, we had a delicious meal in the hall with outside caterers, so no cooking or washing up! Secret Santa gifts were passed around and just to mix it up a bit, some of us also moved seats. Our netball group also enjoyed a pre-Christmas meal at the Albion, and so didn’t have far to walk home. See p.1 and at points all through this issue of Shapwick News for as many of these wonderful pennants as we could find space for! And finally, we have planted two trees on the village green with the help of Steve. Well actually he did most of the hard work whilst we ‘supervised’. One tree is to commemorate our 100 birthday and the other is in memory of our dear Dora who is no longer with us. th It has been a very eventful year, who knows what we will get up to in our 101 year? st
Shapwick Allotment Association As I write, we are still harvesting our winter roots and brassicas as we prepare for the Christmas Dinner marathon. Some excellent veg and so much nicer when you have grown it yourself! Many Allotmenteers have been busy with their winter planting and others preparing their plots for spring, so as we plan for 2026, let’s hope the seasons are a bit more predictable. Thankyou for all your support through 2025, have a great Christmas break and we look forward to welcoming you onto our busy allotments in 2026. New Year best wishes from us all! 5 WI NTER I S SUE | J ANUARY 2 0 2 6 SIMON DAWES Dovecote School Carol Service On 16 December 2025, staff and students from Dovecote School were delighted to hold their annual carol service at the village church. We are extremely grateful to the church community for the warm welcome extended to everyone and for providing such a special setting for the occasion. The service included festive readings from two of our students, who beautifully performed The Night Before Christmas and Christmas Stars. A highlight for many was Rich Tweedy's Lego Nativity, which captured the spirit of Christmas and drew much admiration from the congregation. were pleased that the artwork remained on display for the wider community to enjoy the children's work. Our sincere thanks go to everyone who contributed to making the service such a memorable occasion. On behalf of all the staff and students at Dovecote School, we would like to wish all villagers a very happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year. DAISY JOHN The church was also filled with Christmas artwork created by our students, adding colour and creativity to the celebration. We Finding it hard because the photos a bFlack and white? Find a flourition of Shapwick News at: https://www.shapwickparishcounci l.org.uk/parish-newsletters/ Village Hall NERINA SCOTT, BRIDGET DAWES Harvest Supper, Village Breakfast, Quiz ‘n’ Chips, Wreath Making, the WI and its Christmas Fayre (see p.4), the New Year’s Eve Party, plus all the regular activities such as the Arts and Crafts and Pilates groups: the Village Hall continues to take advantage of its new facilities and provide a hub for Shapwick village events! And don’t forget Chilli Jam on 31 January! See p. 8!
6 WI NTER I S SUE | J ANUARY 2 0 2 6 As well as amazing pennants, the Shapwick Starlets’ 100 birthday celebrations included a whole set of knitted figures telling some of the WI’s many stories! Here’s a few! th From the Horse’s Mouth TRACEY LOCKYER Farmers have struggled this year with the ever challenging weather: so hot and dry through the summer with crops not growing and ever rising feed costs, and then the autumn and start of winter with excessive rainfall yet with mild temperatures, which in itself causes problems with disease. Bird flu first struck in this area at Ham Wall nature reserve with swans found dead and diagnosed with the disease. A further outbreak was identified at Ashcott with over 35000 chickens having to be humanely culled. This placed us in Shapwick in a 3km protection zone, which will last for 4 weeks if no further outbreak is identified. No poultry Bird flu is thought to be caused by wild bird droppings, and local chicken owners have been instructed by DEFRA to enclose chickens. Ideally where possible with netting over their pens; if that is not possible to lock them in a large shed. Bird flu is a zoonosis, a disease which humans can catch from animals and sometimes (reverse zoonosis) pass back to animals. You can catch it just by going for a walk, or having contact with wild birds at your bird feeders in the garden. Droppings are the main cause, so be careful if filling feeders and ensure you thoroughly wash your hands. Like human flu this disease is likely to be ongoing until the spring. So best advice: keep away from poultry and wild birds to stay safe and protect our animals. If you see dead birds e.g. swans please report the whereabouts to DEFRA; do not touch or move them. Stay safe everyone! can be moved to new premises in this period. DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) have contacted and visited chicken owners in the area as everyone keeping poultry must now register with them.
Numbers are limited to 150, so if you are stimulated to sign up please visit www.fullonsport.com and search for Bunny Hop where entries will open from 0830 hrs on January 6 ! (No 'on the day' entries permitted). th For further information about the race, please contact Race Director, Jim Williams on 07901 712601 or by email at yarleycross@gmail.com or go to the profile at Fullonsport or www.streetstriders.co.uk for further details. If you would like to volunteer as a marshal, please contact Simon Lancey on 07971 568798. And here's to a motivating start to the new year! Warm wishes from . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WI NTER I S SUE | J ANUARY 2 0 2 6 7 All eyes 'and ears' on Bunny Hop April 6 2026 (Easter Monday)! th The Bunny Hop admin team hopes readers of Shapwick News have enjoyed a welldeserved festive season—packed with good food, good company, and maybe the occasional extra treat (no judgment here!) Launched in 2008 by Shapwick Villagers, Teresa King and Lucy Hedgcock, the Shapwick Bunny Hop is a wonderful celebration of old-fashioned cross-country running – a 7.5 mile circular route starting and ending in Shapwick; and taking in road, village paths and two nature reserves. Bunny ears and other means of celebration are welcome! This year's Bunny Hop poster was created by a first year Strode College art student, Elmo Bull, who won out of a field of 30 fantastic entries. A further two designs by the runnersup will be printed as labels on the bottles of cider awarded to finishers and helpers. This year's run, our 17 , will be organized again with Street Striders with proceeds going to local charities. The tradition of a 4-mile walk following part of the race route will be available for friends and family. So, if you happen to be feeling in need of fresh air and exercise after the holidays, signing up could be the perfect way to hop—quite literally— back into a healthy routine. A fun goal, a friendly challenge, and a great excuse to dust off those running shoes as the new year begins! th Happy New Year everyone! If you’re anything like me, then you’ve just had a two week break where the first week is super chaotic - trying to buy everything you see in the shops for your friends and family. The second week, it’s the complete opposite - a struggle to get out of bed in the morning and homework is out of the question. Here’s an example: Good luck. >:) For the School Kids of Shapwick This quiz is for you to finally flip the switch in your brain and get ready to go back to school (ugh). For this quiz, every word links to the previous one somehow, and at the end they all have to fit into the sequence. I’m sure you’ve probably seen someone playing something similar to this game online. There’s also some pictures to help a little bit (some that don’t relate to the quiz to make it trickier!) If you think you’re smart enough, you could always cover over the images. Finding it hard because the photos a bFlack and white? Find a flourition of Shapwick News at: https://www.shapwickparishcounci l.org.uk/parish-newsletters/ CHARLOTTE DOUGLAS School B-- Stop S--- Post Sweet S--- Window G---- Pane Balloon S----- Lights S----- Channel “cat toy” “toy box” remember: some of these don’t relate to the quiz! THE BUNNY HOP TEAM
Pilates: Tuesdays 9.20-10.20am or 10.30-11.30am; Wednesdays 7-8pm. Contact: juliehotchkiss98@yahoo.co.uk. Every Sunday: Shapwick Runners' Sunday Run! Meet at the cricket field, set off at 9am. All abilities welcome! Arts and Crafts Group: Thursdays from 2-4pm, Village Hall: contact margaretdobbs@gmail.com Community Cafe, last Thursday in the month, 2-4pm; rotates between Village Hall, Pavilion and St Mary’s Church. Donations of cakes always very welcome! See Facebook, and the roadside signboards, for other upcoming dates! Tuesday 13 January, 7.30pm, Village Hall: Shapwick Starlets WI. Sunday 18 January, 10am, St Mary’s Church: Café Church Tuesday 20 January, 7pm, Village Hall: Parish Council Meeting Sunday 25 January, 10am, St Mary’s Church: Holy Communion Thursday 29 January, 2pm: Community Café. See Facebook for venue. Saturday 31 January, 7pm, Village Hall: Chilli Jam! Tickets in advance (£5, chilli is £3) from Sid on 01458 210185. Tuesday 10 February, 7.30pm, Village Hall: Shapwick Starlets WI. Sunday 15 February, 10am, St Mary’s Church: Café Church Sunday 22 February, 10am, St Mary’s Church: Holy Communion Thursday 26 February, 2pm: Community Café. See Facebook for venue. Sunday 8 March, Litterpick! Meet at the Pavilion, 10am. Tuesday 10 March, 7.30pm, Village Hall: Shapwick Starlets WI. Sunday 15 March, 10am, St Mary’s Church: Café Church Sunday 22 March, 10am, St Mary’s Church: Holy Communion Thursday 27 March, 2pm: Community Café. See Facebook for venue. Monday 6 April (Easter Monday): Bunny Hop! See p. 7. What's On in Shapwick, January to March 2026 Call for Volunteers & Contributions Like to help edit future issues? Please email: shapwick.news@shapwickparishcouncil.org.uk. Shapwick News is a quarterly publication. For the spring issue, due to publish in April 2026, please submit contributions by no later than 15 March 2026, preferably via email above. Thank you! There is no guarantee that all material submitted will be used - publication is at the Editor's discretion and articles may be amended or condensed. We do not print anonymous contributions but are prepared to include items under a pen name, if so desired, on condition that we are given the name and address of the author(s). Opinions expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of the Editor nor Parish Council. Winter Issue, January 2026: Published by Shapwick Parish Council, edited by Moray McGowan, assisted by Charlotte Douglas. WI NTER I S SUE | J ANUARY 2 0 2 6 8 See p. 6! Sustainability Group STEVE POLDEN We had a successful litter pick in October, concentrating on the ‘main’ roads into the village. Thank you to everyone who turned out to help, although we only just had enough villagers to cover the roads we wanted. Special call out to the Douglas family who took on Station Road, a long road with a huge amount of rubbish on the verges and hedges. We also had to report some fly tipped waste which the council collected. When I last asked, there were around 20 groups ahead of us in the queue for the thermal imaging camera. Our position is retained for the next season, but it may be autumn 2026 until it is allocated to us. Finally, are you thinking of installing an alternative energy source, for example solar, or buying an electric or hybrid vehicle? These are big financial decisions, and you may have some questions. Several villagers have already installed and are using these renewable sources and would be happy to show you their installation and answer questions you have. There is an enquiry form on the village website, and we'll try and put you in touch with someone who has the relevant experience. Our next litter pick is scheduled for Sunday 8 March, hopefully before the plants start growing and making it difficult to spot and pick the rubbish. As usual, starting at the Cricket Pavilion at 10.00; please do come along to support. Once again, Wendy Anderson has kindly offered to open the Cricket Pavilion for a hot drink and a breakfast roll afterwards. th
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NzI=