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!
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