SUMMER 2021 - Local Poyntz
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SUMMER 2021
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
LOCAL POYNTZ TEAM: - Jon Aries, Caroline Haselhan, Sarah Ridler, Amanda Scott, Jane
Spare, John Wright, Marilyn Wright and myself, Pamela McCoy.
LOCAL POYNTZ PHOTOGRAPHERS: - Sally Aries, Gillian Otlet
As I write this we are emerging from the Lockdown, at last, and what a relief it is. The pubs
and restaurants have opened their doors so that we can eat inside, out of this ghastly
weather. This time last year I was writing in the “Lockdown Poyntz” magazine and we were
basking in gloriously hot weather. Look at it now: rain, rain and more rain, which is excellent
for the weeds. I hope the farmers are pleased. Climate change ?
THIS EDITION – You may remember back in 2017 a gentleman called George Ellis wrote to
me about his early life, here in Iron Acton. He was living in North Carolina at that time and
wrote some interesting things which I put in the spring and summer magazines. He now lives
in Knoxville, Tennessee and has been in contact again. This time he is writing about the
railway track which runs along the southern boundary of Iron Acton and how, as a child, he
was fascinated by it. The article he has written is 4 pages long so I have included 2 pages in
this edition and will put the last 2 pages in the autumn edition. It is titled “Railway Children of
Iron Acton” and is on pages 34 & 35. I hope you enjoy it.
RECIPES – In the previous edition I asked for people to send me any recipes they might have
which we would find interesting and useful. Fiona Bourns has responded with 2 recipes,
which you will find on pages 24 and 25. Happy cooking and thanks to Fiona. I am asking the
same question, again.
st
The deadline for the autumn edition is 1 August 2021. We really need to have all
articles by that date, PLEASE.
FRONT PAGE: - The front image was taken by Sally Aries and shows a typical English
country summer scene.
EDITOR- Pamela McCoy 01454 228874, 07766074252
Email pam.localpoyntz@gmail.com.
Printed by Jamprint Design & Printing Ltd. 01249 823950
3
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HORTICULTURAL SHOW 2021
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 11th
Entries 9am-11am Judging 11.30am Show opens at 2.30pm
Gardeners always have something to grumble about - whether it be the rain, the drought, the
slugs … but we also are always hopeful. If we weren't we wouldn’t plant or care for things.
So, we are now looking forward to this year's Horticultural Show in our slowly re-opening
Parish Hall. Put the date in your diaries!
Our schedules are all prepared and will be on the Parish Hall website –
ironactonparishhall.co.uk and on the Local Poyntz Website – www.ironacton.info by the time
this is published. Hard copies are also being produced which will be on display at The Lamb
Inn, The White Hart, the Swap Box and the Garden Centre.
The classes and format will be familiar - it was all prepared for last year and we feel people
will like to go back to the 'old norm'.
Many of you will have been sewing, knitting, drawing, painting,
crafting during this time when we have all been within our
homes - so we are hoping for a bumper entry in this section.
The same in the photography section as we have appreciated
this lovely part of the world we live in. And as for cooking,
preserving etc - many new recipes may have been tried out
while others will have been perfected as many more meals
were cooked for families!
Nevertheless we will all remember 2020 and would hate to
have our successes in gardens and allotments to go
unrecorded, so please print off your photos and let Jenny
Millward have them, Tel 228704, Cornerways Cottage. We will
then mount a display at this year's Horticultural Show when we
look forward to seeing you once again.
5
ST JAMES the LESS CHURCH
Despite the gardeners and farmers desperately calling for rain, this dry spring season
enabled us to welcome the congregation of 140+ to the Good Friday service which was held
outside, around the Preaching Cross. Jo Strange led the service and Holy Week readings
were enlightened with the appropriate setting of 3 crosses, the Easter Garden which had
been built with the help of 6 pupils from the school and the added joy of the news that we
were legally allowed to sing.
The unusual structure of the Preaching Cross has aroused the interest of historians as to its
intended use for many years – was it a memorial cross, a preaching cross, or both. Its
structure with three octagonal steps, one open side access and a place to rest a book lead
us to think of it as a preaching cross. There is a record that during the 1530s the Mayor of
Bristol and several merchants visited Iron Acton to hear preacher John Erley preach the
word of God in the churchyard – who would have thought that in 2021 we too are making
use of this prominent structure whilst entry into our parish church is illegal due to a
pandemic!
We continue to be restricted with numbers attending services within the church especially
where there is likely to be movement of people which is what has traditionally happened at
the All Age Service where our young folk are encouraged to take an active part. Because of
this we intend to continue outside on the 2nd Sunday each month until September after which
we hope that the rules may offer more freedom.
On 11th July we have been invited to the school field where the pupils will be very much
involved in leading our service, so do come along at 10am.
Rev Malcolm will leave this All Age service and set off on his walk around all the key 'holy'
places of our benefice – (does that include the pubs?) - concluding with an open air”
Benefice celebration picnic” - venue to be confirmed. Malcolm is walking roughly 8 miles
and would welcome any companions who would like to join him for any part of the journey.
The aim of the challenge is to raise money to help the churches of Fromeside overcome
their lack of funds during the last year so please do support and encourage him.
6
We welcome you to our weekly services
10am Wednesday and 10am Sunday
For those not wishing to join others in church please find the weekly recorded
service on
https://www.fromesidechurches.org.uk/recorded-services/
If you have anything you wish to discuss or are in need of any help please do
contact a member of the
Pastoral Care Team or
The Ministry Team
for all enquiries including Baptism, Weddings or Funerals please contact
Kathryn, the Benefice Administrator
01454 776518
B
Share and Prayer- Join local friends to pray for and
bless your local community
We hope to meet in person, outside!
(If gov restric>ons are li?ed, if not via Zoom)
Sat 22nd May + 11th July, 9.30-10.30am
If you would like us to pray for you or you would like more details
please contact Pete and Chris Bellis
@ Fairview CoHage, 1 Fairview Terrace, Iron Acton 01454 228065
7
HENRY V
By William Shakespeare
Gate Farmhouse, Itchington, BS35 3TA
Sunday 4 July 2021, at 14.30
Garden open for picnics at 12.00.
Open air performance, bring your own rugs
and chairs
Adult £15, Child under 15 £9.50
01454 413318
antonbuckoke@gmail.com
www.crbo.co.uk/henryv (from April)
Thornbury Garden Shop (from April)
Social distancing - limited number of
tickets
“For its 35th Year of touring, Festival Players
International brings you Shakespeare’s most
popular History Play.
After a rebellious and spirited youthhood, carousing in the taverns of London, Prince Hal takes
on the responsibility of Kingship and leads his troops, of low and high station, across the
Channel to do battle with the French at Agincourt. Follow the charismatic King Henry the Fifth in
this stirring tale of leadership, bravery, humour, and love; two hours of exhilarating
entertainment for a Summer’s afternoon!
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website combatstress.org.uk or call our 24-hour Helpline on 0800 138 1619
ORGANIC BLOOMS
Dreaming of summer
As I write this article, we have just sent our last boxes of Spring Flowers to Abel & Cole, we
are cautiously coming out of lockdown and we’ve had weeks of cold nights, sunny days and
no rain!
No rain is causing a dilemma for us, after such a wet winter we never thought we would wish
for rain again, but we are. The polytunnels are brimming with plants that are all going to need
be planted out and dry weather will delay this, so it looks like we might have to do a rain
dance.
For a couple of weeks we can have a breather waiting for the early summer crops to start,
Sweet Williams, Hesperis, Larkspur, Alliums, Ammi, Daucus and the gorgeous Sweet Peas all
waiting to make their entrance. This gives us the chance to tidy up the site and hopefully by
the time this is published our flower field will be enclosed with stock fencing, no more electric
fence. We’re looking forward to walking out of the studio into the flowers without having to
fight with a gate!
June is the month of British Flowers Week, a campaign run by New Covent Garden Market to
celebrate and promote British Flowers, this year it’s being held from 14th-20th June and we
thought this would be an appropriate time to launch our Saturday morning farm gate sales
and PYO flowers. We will be open for flower and plant sales and PYO (bookable online), what
better way to spend a Summer’s morning picking flowers. More details to come!
9
IRON ACTON COMMUNITY CHOIR
Ah…there is some light at the end of the tunnel…a touch of optimism in the air!!
All being well, by the time you are reading this the choir will have resumed real-time choir
practices in The Parish Hall…and Zoom sessions will be a fading memory!
We are so looking forward to being able to sing together for the first time in well over a year
and I am anticipating that there will be a fair amount of emotion attached to that first moment
of harmony!
We have spent many months trying to learn new music on Zoom which has had its moments
of fun and pleasure but has not come close to providing that tingle of delight that only comes
from singing together live. We will be preparing for an informal “concert” in the garden of The
Lamb sometime in September and then looking forward to Christmas Carols and our, now
traditional, winter concert next January 2022.
The energy and enthusiasm members have been bringing to Zoom rehearsals for the last
many months remains fantastic and it is a really positive and joyous experience to work with
them to learn new music and develop our skills and abilities to sing. Community singing
remains a powerful force for good and the Iron Acton Community Choir is real proof of that. It
is a privilege to work with all the singers and we manage that fantastic balance between
working very hard and having a lot of fun too. We now number about 35 members in total.
We will resume our meeting on a Tuesday evening in the Village Hall at 20.00 hrs in an as
Covid-secure environment as possible according to the Hall guidelines. We normally pay an
annual membership fee (£30) to support the running of the choir in terms of hiring of the
rehearsal space and the purchase of music. Any money raised from our singing (and this
does happen!!) always goes to chosen charities.
We currently have spaces within the choir in all voice parts, but particularly we would like to
recruit more Sopranos, Altos and Basses. You just need to be keen and enthusiastic, no prior
experience nor musical knowledge required and there is no audition. If you are interested then
just let me know (robpardoe@gmail.com) and we’ll take it from there…or pop in to one of our
Tuesday evening rehearsals when we have restarted and see what you think.
Rob Pardoe
10IRON ACTON LOCKDOWN PUZZLE
During the Winter Lockdown plenty of puzzles were being pored over so we hit on the idea
of creating our own Iron Acton Lockdown puzzle to raise money for St Peter's Hospice,
whose normal Fundraising events have been so affected by the Pandemic.
Using images from Judith Mee's wonderful Wishing Tree book and hopefully capturing some
of the community spirit of this unusual last year this puzzle image was created.
I managed to get an excellent 50% off deal, on authentic Ravensburger puzzles normally
costing £25 and so was able to offer them for £20. I was astonished by the wonderful
response and had over 60 orders in a few days! The delivery of them was not so smooth..
the second box arrived 6weeks after the first after a long battle with customs and
Parcelforce as sadly it seems German puzzles need taxes paying these Brexit days!! Luckily
Photobox were very good and paid the fees. So I was delighted to be able to send St Peters
Hospice the full £450 from the proceeds.
Should anyone feel they missed out I am sure I could order some more; email me on
sonya.grubb@gmail.com
Happy Puzzling!
Sonya Grubb
11
Small & friendly family run business
Luxury accommodation
All breeds welcome
Inspections welcome by appointment
For more info call: 01454 228374
Elm Farm, Bristol Road, Iron Acton, Bristol,
BS37 9TF
www.elm-farm.netIRON ACTON K9 CLUB
We are just beginning to emerge from our Covid lockdown and although we have managed to
complete some puppy foundation training virtually, it is a relief to be able to meet again to
train - even if it has to be outside in groups of 6.
Our Lockdown Tricks Challenges, set and assessed virtually by Karen, kept members busy to
the end of lockdown. The highest scorer in the latest set of challenges was Jenny with Lilly,
but everyone worked really hard and produced some amazing training, much enjoyed by both
dogs and handlers. Many thanks to Karen for keeping us all sane. In the photos, with their
rosettes are Sherpa, Archie, Teddy and Zamy. See our facebook page for lots more photos
Our latest Puppy group, Catherine & Ziggy, Deb & Basil, Suriya & Oscar, Karen & Casey,
Rose & Fergus, Anne & Betsy, Natasha & Nellie and Lou & Iggy have just completed their
Puppy 2 course and are hoping to start training for the Kennel Club Bronze award as soon as
possible. Bronze, silver, club and Agilty for Fun classes have all restarted – working outside.
Hopefully, the Gold class will restart at the beginning of May.
We are hoping to restart Kennel Club GCDS training classes in Rangeworthy Hall from 17 th
May, but in the short-term places will be limited. For more information, please ring Sue on
01454 228803 or Karen on 01454 228891 or take a look at our facebook page or website
www.ironactonk9club.co.uk.
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Andrew Tillotson
Oil Boiler, Aga and Rayburn,
Servicing and Repairs
covering South Gloucestershire and West Wiltshire
m: 07830 211400 e: andytillo@hotmail.com
Jinx Johnson
Electrician
07967 011165
EMAIL: jinxjelec@gmail.comACTON AID CIC
It’s incredible to think that an entire year has passed since the LOCKDOWN POYNTZ
SUMMER 2020 was published. So much and so very little has happened in that time. As I sit
and write this at the end of April, we are heading towards another May Bank Holiday
disappointingly, for the second time running there is no May Day celebration on the Village
Green.
I speak regularly to my friends and colleagues in Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain,
and most sadly, in India, who are suffering third waves of the pandemic. We have been so
fortunate in the United Kingdom, through our conscientious behaviour, a successful vaccine
programme and a wonderful National Health Service, that we can see the end is in sight and
a faster return to some semblance of normality. With that in mind, Acton Aid is hopeful that we
can provide some social events in the latter half of the year.
We have updated our website with a fresh new look, so please visit regularly where we will
publicise our event schedule as-and-when we are able to plan them. Of course, all of it is
subject to changing government regulations but we're doing our best to work within the
restrictions. It will be wonderful when we can stop hiding behind our masks, be it PPE or a
Zoom video calls and start having some fun again!
www.actonaid.org.uk
I would like to thank of all the volunteers that staffed the Iron Acton Helpline during the stay-at-
home periods who provided invaluable assistance to parishioners in need over the past year.
Ralph Mora, Chairman
IRON ACTON FILM CLUB
Like many of the other local groups in this magazine, Iron Acton Film Club is also emerging
from lockdown and very soon we will be meeting to start planning our 2021-2022 season.
Hopefully we can remember how to set up and run all the equipment! And since out doors
Film Club just isn’t an option we will be working very hard to ensure that we can resume our
monthly Film Shows at the Parish Hall in a COVID safe manner.
We will be in touch with our existing members over the summer in preparation for restarting in
October. The Parish Hall is booked and we are really looking forward to welcoming everyone
back again. If you would like to be kept in touch with latest Film Club developments please
contact myself caroline.haselhan@btinternet.com or phone either of the numbers below.
Best wishes to all our members and supporters.
Simon Cross Caroline Haselhan
01454 228291 01454 228791IRON ACTON PRIMARY SCHOOL NEWS
Much has happened at school since the last edition of Local Poyntz. All children came back to
school for 4 weeks of learning before the Easter holidays. They settled back in to school routines
quickly however we did notice that both children and staff were very tired by the end of the term!
We are now well in to Term 5 which seems to be speeding by but we’ve had a positive few weeks
back since Easter.
It was great to hold an Easter service at church just before the holidays; the whole school was
able to come together for the first time in a long while to hear about and share the Easter story.
Easter songs were sung and Father Malcolm gave the children an Easter message. Some of our
youngest children had also been invited to help create the Easter garden which was enjoyed by
all involved.
Now that our new classrooms, installed last summer, are in full use we are looking at how to
continue to improve our school environment and outdoor area. Our next project is to look at a
small wooden outdoor stage area with seating to help encourage performance and to develop
children’s confidence. This will also help us to continue to use our outdoor spaces effectively
which is something that is central to a lot of what we do at Iron Acton. Our amazing PTA – The
Friends of Iron Acton – are supporting the school financially with this project.
Our new enquiry curriculum approach is also becoming increasingly embedded in the daily life
of the school. Children learn many of the subject areas through a question based approach where
they work towards a project or challenge towards the end of the enquiry. At the moment, our
youngest children are answering the question ‘What is home?’ where they are looking at animals
and their habitats; the next class is answering the question ‘Who stood here before us?’ which
has links to both local geography and history; our oldest children are thinking about ‘How can
you show what you believe in?’ which looks at what people around the world believe in and how
beliefs have changed over time. Our new approach has been good at promoting a lot of
discussion and children appear to be motivated and enthused by what they are learning.
We are now looking ahead to the final term of the year and tentatively planning some of our usual
events: sports day, our end of year performance and our Year 6 leavers’ service to name just a
few. It feels as though there is a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel and the prospect of
children being able to get involved in some of the important end of year activities they are so
used to fills us all at school with a sense of joyful relief.
Whilst we are full or oversubscribed in most year groups, we still have a small number of spaces
in Years 3 and 4. If you are interested in finding out more please contact the school office on
01454 228322 or enquiries@ironactonprimaryschool.co.uk
Mike Riches
17THE ACTONIANS News
email: actonians@outlook.com Website: www.actonians.co.uk
Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/Actonians
We are currently in the planning stage for our future productions and have not yet confirmed
when our long-awaited main production of Tartuffe will be performed. But I promise you that
the Actonians will entertain you with some theatrical entertainment once again in the Autumn.
The Avon One Act Festival has been re-scheduled for the 2nd and 3rd July and now will be
held at Iron Acton Parish Hall. We are entering two plays into the Festival and do not yet
know which day we will be performing but details will be released soon. These performances
will be open to the public and tickets will be on sale soon. If you would like to come along to
watch please contact us.
I can’t say that it has been easy preparing for this Festival. We have gone from rehearsing
under the Rule of Six in the Parish Hall to Zoom and now open-air rehearsals! We are now
looking forward to being able to get back into the Hall again.
The two plays are very different from each other. Syrinx is a play about how a tragic accident
has impacted on the friendship of three women. It is a very moving, thought-provoking piece
written by Kate Mosse and it is named after Debussy’s beautiful flute solo.
Lockdown in Little Grimley by David Tristram, is a light hearted comedy that is part of the
Little Grimley series of plays which follows the antics of a hapless Amateur Dramatic Society
desperate for audiences. Jokes about Lockdown, toilet rolls and social distancing will keep
you laughing and feeling better about lockdown than you might have thought possible.
As the Club starts to spring back into action we are hoping to welcome new members to our
friendly, sociable Drama Group. You don’t have to act, there are lots of other roles backstage
to keep you busy. There are a lot of ways to contact us: website, email or Facebook (details
above). We would love to hear from you.
Our Junior Group are not currently taking on new members. They too, have been keeping in
contact through Zoom Meetings and are hoping to restart group sessions very soon, ready to
resume rehearsals for their production of Alice in Wonderland.
Sue Anstey
18BIRD WATCHING IN SPRING (PART 2)
The difficulty with writing this article a month before publication is that events could overtake
me, and I could get things wrong making me look foolish.
As you read this all our summer visitors will be here busy building nests or feeding young.
Despite it being a dry sunny April, it hasn’t much felt like spring, however our local Swallows
arrived back on 4th April, the earliest date since I started keeping records in 1988.
They will build their mud nests on or against a beam or wall inside the shelter of the building,
lined with feathers and lay their eggs, usually 4/5. If you see a mud nest on the outside of a
building this will be a House Martin. There is another Martin – the Sand Martin, slightly smaller
and browner than the House Martin and without a white rump, these arrive back from Africa in
late Feb early March, and you can see them hawking over lakes for insects. Traditionally they
build their nests in banks by a river or lake, excavating a nest chamber up to 1metre long,
however in recent years they have started to take advantage of gravel and sand quarries, in
the 2-3 metre high banks, where the different layers of sand and gravel meet there is usually a
softer layer, you can sometimes see dozens of nesting holes every few centimetres. As I write
I have not seen any House Martins or Swifts in the village, but as night follows day, they will
be here in the first week of May!
During our lockdown walks around Mays Hill in March there was a large flock of Linnets on
the fields planted with wild seed, presumably done by the farmer under the Countryside
Stewardship scheme, up to 1500 were present many coming from colder climes to warmer
Iron Acton. They breed in loose colonies generally in gorse or similar thorny bushes and used
to be common along railway lines until health and safety - “leaves on the line”- caused
Network rail to strip all vegetation from embankments causing the loss of hundreds of miles of
wildlife corridors.
This year the
re also appears to be a small influx of Starlings to the village, and they have already hatched
their young in the middle of April, which is almost 4 weeks earlier than when I was a lad,
presumably global warming has affected their food source – leather jackets and worms.
Another bird which seems abundant this year are Collared Doves with at least 3 pairs around
my house and considering they only arrived in the UK in 1953 and are now considered a pest
is a remarkable achievement if an unwanted one as far as I am concerned.
During this latest lockdown I set myself a small challenge to get my garden Robin to feed from
my hand – I am happy to say that he now waits outside my back door for his mealworm treats
and after filling his crop takes a few back to his mate, who is now on her second nest after the
first brood was predated by a Magpie or Jay who also predated a nest of Blackbirds.
By the time you read this the Jackdaws in my front gable and those in the nest box in the
Chestnut tree will be feeding young, they both had 5 eggs but usually only 2 will fledge. I also
have a Goldfinch on 5 eggs, Great Tit on 7, a Wrens nest under my grandsons’ tree house,
and a Stock Dove exploring another nest box in the chestnut (similar to a Wood Pigeon only
15% smaller and with no white neck marking). I am also hopeful of Blackcaps nesting in the
garden as they have been around all winter and who regularly bathe in my new lockdown
pond along with Chiffchaff, Song Thrush, Dunnock, Goldfinches and Tits to mention a few.
Chris Boyce
19Home extensionS AND
complete garden renovations
renovation works
Stone & Brickwork
Driveways & Patios Fencing & Decking
Lawns & Artificial grassTHE DAY I MET HRH THE PRINCE PHILIP, DUKE OF EDINBURGH
The first time I met, or to be more precise actually saw Prince Philip was in 1953 at a cricket
match played on the Duke of Beaufort’s Estate at Badminton. He was captaining his Invitation
XI against Lindsay Hassetts’s Australian tourists one sunny Sunday, one of those old
fashioned games played for fun between the more serious stuff of Test and County cricket
matches.
In those days we lived in Staple Hill and to get to somewhere we had not even heard of we
caught a train to Stapleton Road changing for one for Swindon. It stopped at Badminton
whether the Duke or Duchess were on board or not; a private arrangement with GWR.
Seating on the boundary was on straw bales, those on trailers were extra; large marquees
for bars and changing rooms were a world away from Lords and its Long Room. Prince Philip
both bowled and batted in his I Zingari cap, a decent cricketer in his own right by all accounts.
Some years later, having passed all the various tests, the next occasion was that of being
invited to Buckingham Palace to receive my D of E Gold Award along with 140 others on the
3rd November 1959. The Scheme began in 1956 with girls starting 2 years later and on this
day the first ones were being awarded their Gold Award Certificates.
What a fantastic day out as the first part of our trip was a tour of both Houses of Parliament
as personal guests of The Rt. Hon. the Lord Aberdare who was the National President of the
Y.M.C.A.. And it was via the Kingswood, Bristol Branch of this organisation that my school
friend David and I had completed both the Silver and Gold Standards. There were seven
Y.M.C.A. boys on this tour to be followed by a luncheon in one of the private dining rooms of
the House of Commons.
Then we were dropped at the Palace gates and made our way into the inner quadrangle
and through a side door into the Palace itself. We were met by footmen who took our coats
and gave us our instructions. Lining up in two corridors, each side the State Ballroom, we
were told how we were to be called forward, how we were to address the Duke of Edinburgh
and where we were to stand after the presentation. So much to take in but we were so much
younger then.
When I was presented he asked me what was my occupation and what I might like to do
with my life. At the end he gave a short speech and a few of us were introduced to Sir John
Hunt, the general secretary of the Scheme; little did I know that I would see more of this
retired Brigadier who was to lead an expedition to Greenland the following Summer; however,
that is another story.
Finally we met up with our parents who had also been invited to the Ceremony. After a few
photographs and a couple of press interviews it was taxis back to Paddington Station for the
long trip home.
However, this article is really about Prince Philip and his wonderful Scheme that he
designed to get boys and girls throughout the World to try their hand at pushing themselves
to achieve that much more from life. And I would encourage any young reader to join the
Scheme, you will not be disappointed. Remember, thousands of us all over the Globe have
now taken part since the Scheme started over 60 years ago, so something must be going
right for it.
Roy Hubbard
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RHUBARB, RHUBARB, RHUBARB. IT IS THE ONLY FRUIT … OR IS IT? Local Poyntz needs recipes, says the editor. Hard to believe when I know Iron Acton is crammed full of fantastic, inventive cooks not short of their own ideas. So, what to share? Recipes I love take me to a happy place: family parties, meals the children ask for that date back to their childhood. The scaffolding dishes of life. We all have them. The ones that drift through your mind when thinking of warm happy days with friends and family. Lasagne. If I asked Robert for his favourite food, he’d say something plain and traditionally British … like lasagne! Or cauliflower cheese, pizza, moussaka. Traditional British fare? Or cultural misappropriation? Such a cosmopolitan, multi-cultural, multi ethnic society! Daughter Sarah’s slightly off beat choice for her wedding day feast included her mum’s lasagne. Rolled out at so many memorable events over her lifetime, she wanted it again at her special day. But everyone has a favourite lasagne recipe, so I won’t impose mine. Son Richard will always request apple tarte tatin for his birthday, its trade mark soggy bottom part of its charm - though no chance of Bake Off prizes. So maybe … Or something new - not yet family scaffolding but ready to fill a supporting role. Seasonal rhubarb: its leaves full of poisonous oxalic acid but, on the plus side, its stems rich in anti- oxidants. A bit of a star then … if you keep to the stalks. My first suggestion uses rhubarb … as a vegetable; a new one to me, though maybe I’m just late to the party. Rhubarb and lentil curry. Strangely delicious, spicy but not hot. For 4. 2 onions chopped, 4 cloves garlic squashed, 2 stalks celery chopped, 4 tsp garam masala, 2tsp turmeric, 2tsp paprika, 300g split red lentils, 350g rhubarb chopped, 1-2 tbsp soft brown sugar, 2 lemons both grated, 1 squeezed, 1 cut into 4 wedges, handful of fresh coriander chopped, bag of spinach (about 300-400g), 300g Greek yoghurt, seasoning to taste. 1. Fry onion, garlic & celery in oil for about 4 mins till soft & glossy 2. Add garam masala & cook for a few mins. Add turmeric, paprika & lentils & stir well. Add 600ml boiling water, stir & cook for 10 mins or so. Add rhubarb & sugar. Simmer for further 10 mins till cooked. 3. Stir rind into yoghurt & juice of 1 lemon & spinach into curry till wilted, 4. Stir half coriander into curry. Taste & adjust seasoning. 5. Serve with brown rice. Top curry with a dollop of lemony yoghurt & a sprinkle of coriander & with lemon wedges to squeeze Robert, who is not a fan of spice or veg, ate without complaint … ‘though might have been improved by adding cheese sauce!’ The other is a take on tarte tatin, though actually it has no apples. And no pastry. In fact, the only similarity is that it’s upside down. So more of an upside-down pineapple cake. But without the pineapple! Here goes: 60g butter, 60g soft brown sugar, grated rind of an orange, 10 stalks of rhubarb (about 450/500g) cut on the diagonal into chunks, 125g soft butter or baking marge, 175g caster sugar, 175g self-rising flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 3 eggs, 1 tbsp milk.
RECIPE CONT’D
3. Beat everything else(apart from the almond flakes) together & spread on top of the rhubarb
4. Bake for approx 30 mins about 180 C till firm to the touch, then leave to cool for 20 mins
before turning out onto a flat plate.
5. Toast the flaked almonds & scatter over the top with some icing sugar.
Bizarrely this is still good if the top (which becomes the bottom) gets burned or is
undercooked, so just relax … and enjoy the rhubarb season.
Fiona Bourns
IRON ACTON WOMEN’S INSTITUTE
Six members of the committee were able to meet in Rona's garden in April to discuss possible
upcoming activities. It was decided it would be best to keep the first couple of meetings to
outside activities, which is our usual format anyway, to make the most of the summer weather
and light evenings.
For an outing which doesn't include too much travel, it was suggested we pay a return visit to
Katherine's Farm in Swinhay, Wotten-under-Edge. The gardens are open on a limited basis, in
memory of Katherine Meyer whose father set up a charity called the Cock-A-Doodle-Do Trust.
Monies raised go to both St Peter's and Cotswold Care Hospices. Elizabeth would make
enquiries to find out if the gardens are available to visit this year and we would go in either
June or July if possible. Another plan for one of these two months is a walk, culminating in
drinks at a pub. Anyone wishing for an evening out but unable to do the walk would be
welcome to just participate in the drinks bit with no guilt attached!
Although we don't normally meet up in August, weather permitting we thought it would be nice
to repeat last year's picnic in the Parish Hall garden. This would give any member who may
not have had much contact with others, an opportunity to sit and enjoy a face to face natter.
Geoff Woodland, who previously entertained us with Mayhem, Marathon & Music is already
booked for September in the Parish Hall and we hope this will be the start of being able to
fulfil a regular programme. We have also provisionally booked our 102nd birthday party at The
Lamb for November and will keep everything crossed that this will be able to take place as
well as our Christmas party in the hall in December.
Despite the difficulties of the past year, we currently have nineteen paid up members with
some indicating they would like to rejoin later in the year. Our Secretary, Bridget, would be
happy to answer any questions about our friendly group so we hope that anyone who has
been thinking of joining us will give her a call on 321741.
Sylvie Powell
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07786 150397ONE SMALL STEP … Of all the unexpected consequences of Covid, I never expected one would see me performing surgery on a baby stick insect, no more than 5mm long! Indeed, I had never even willingly entered into an ownership contract with these mini beasts. I have too much knowledge of their propensity to breed prolifically (even I, think more than 4 children is quite a lot!!) and furthermore they routinely escape. Shrieking as they flew out my father’s hands, I vowed back then, never to parent them myself! The blame for us providing refuge for them, lies squarely with my Aunt, and by proxy with Covid. My Aunt punctuates all our birthdays with kind gifts. Even Covid shielding did not stop her, as she discovered the joys of online shopping. I was touched to receive a thoughtful gift, direct from Amazon; impressive! My Aunt’s grappling’s with technology, only goes so far! I (along with my neighbours, who by default have endured many knocks on doors!) have continued to receive numerous, odd parcels from Amazon, courtesy of my aunt failing to disable my address! I was somewhat confused when I opened one such parcel, on the cusp of Mother’s Day, to find inside a stick insect kit. YIKES!! At first, I suspected the humour of my son, but then the penny dropped! Yep, you guessed it!! – Auntie Penny had pressed the wrong button again! Urgent action was taken to send them quickly on to her grandson, the rightful and grateful recipient. Unfortunately for him, the kit contained no eggs. An apologetic company sent a tube of eggs, to the birthday boy and guess who else?!! My Aunt kindly insisted I must keep them; was I supposed to be pleased??!! HORROR!!! But then a bulb of internal excitement started to glow. I have an ever-growing attachment to all of nature’s bounty. It feels like a living inheritance gifted from my father. It radiates inside me as if he is right here. It is also a legacy of Covid bringing the great outdoors to the forefront of daily life. It has opened my eyes, still further, to the incredible miracle of the world we share. Our youngest, another of nature’s custodians was delighted as we set up an ante-natal ward for 10 stick insect eggs: black specks looking remarkably like droppings! Imagine our joy when ‘April’ arrived on her 12th birthday. As we encouraged the new-born’s ascent up a forest of twigs and leaves, I was a little concerned that the egg was stuck to April’s bottom! Not daring to touch such a fragile creature, we assumed it would drop off. Unfortunately, as we mourned her short spell on earth a few days later, and my daughter begged me to leave her for one more day in case ‘April’ was ‘pretending to be dead’, my googling revealed the egg was the likely cause. The eggs weight hampers any attempt to climb and eat. The other eggs lay lifeless, we thought our parenting was done. A further hatchling surprised us a week later and I was somewhat depressed to see that both its back legs were stuck fast in the egg, heralding an imminent demise. I was slightly irritated by my mother’s suggestion that maybe I could perform surgery or indeed ask a vet. As I put the phone down, I shuddered at myself, as I momentarily toyed with the possibility of success, how ridiculous! But Dad would definitely have tried. We have suffered several ‘pet’ calamities along the Covid way and have been humbled by their quiet acceptance of illness, submitting to the power we have, to harm or heal. As we nursed a much-loved, wounded guinea pig back to full health, we were moved by her tolerance in adversity. Then our faithful hound required emergency surgery. Thank goodness for home schooling! Our only pupil, bored and distracted by zoom, spotted all was not well. Post- operatively Tally stood confused and dependent on us, even to eat and drink. Her trust in us was complete, her yielding to hardship remarkable. Once she had healed, Tally had an
in us was complete, her yielding to hardship remarkable. Once she had healed, Tally had an
instant willingness to forget. She bounded, the wind whipping up her ears again, thrilling in
every leap she made. making each day count and only ever seeking joy (and food!!!!).
Although stick insects may feature low on the ladder of appeal and respect, I felt passionately
that ‘Sticky’ needed his chance: to honour that felt like honouring innocence. Who knows what
joy might lie therein? Armed with David’s A level, biology dissecting kit (Shh! I am forbidden to
touch it. Apparently, I don’t put things back!!!), I began preparations and summoned my scrub
nurse. Luckily a Covid–style treasure hunt, a few days before, meant I was in possession of a
magnifying glass. I had insisted my reluctant husband should dress as Sherlock Holmes, in
partnership to my Watson. Right there in our garden, I boomed out (so I am told!) a glorious
speech directing six girls to commence a hunt in defiance of Moriarty! I never guessed that
Sherlock’s looking glass would be requisitioned for use in minor surgery!! It wasn’t very
powerful but with the addition of a torch, my scrub nurse set up the perfect operating theatre.
With hook and tweezers, I cornered Sticky, and gently crushed the egg freeing his captured
legs, giving him that chance. ‘Mum you’ve taken off his legs’, my assistant screeched. I
paused, gulped, and held my breath…Our joy was unbounded as two back legs moved and
clung to the branch, which we offered him. HE HAD HIS MOMENT. Sticky was about to make
his own unforgettable footprint, insignificant to most, but all powerful to him. His life, his part of
creation, his forever.
I shall miss my Aunt’s parcels as she steps back into the world. As I step back, I am going to
keep those tiny footprints of nature’s smallest, in my vision; trying to tread forwards with trust,
fortitude, respect and above all joy. Interestingly one of life’s great shoppers feels no rush to
visit the Mall. I am far too busy in the garden soaking up nature. After all I’ve got everyone’s
birthday and Christmas presents covered…… Stick insect babies!!!!
Lisa Hatherell
29LITTER VOLUNTEERS
Are you concerned about litter? Do you want to make a difference?
For a few years we have taken part in an annual Spring Clean but this year some of us would
like to try a different approach by collecting regularly throughout the year.
Walks during ‘lockdown’ have highlighted the large number of bottles, cans, crisps packets,
plastic and fast-food containers littering our paths, verges and hedgerows. A small band of
individuals have been discovered independently and quietly clearing various areas of some of
this litter.
Several in the community are happy to be allocated an area of the village which they would
aim to keep as clear of litter as possible. This has quickly grown to 19 volunteers! The
improvement is already noticeable.
If you are willing to join in please do get in touch. South Glos Council have agreed to supply
sacks and gloves. If anyone needs a picker, please ask. Plastic, cans and bottles can be
emptied into the parish bins at the rear of the parish hall.
As volunteers we do this at our own risk. We have consulted South Glos for guidance. You will
be asked to read a risk assessment and sign to say that you will be responsible for keeping
yourself safe.
Wendy Dowding, Fern Cottage Linda Boyce, The Rectory
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THE RAILWAY CHILDREN OF IRON ACTON – PART !
George
Ellis
Being a child raised in the village of Iron Acton during the early 1950’s has led to a few
adventures or observations and I’ll try to recount some of them today, in particular the
subject that seems seldom discussed, the railway running through the parish. The prompt for
this article actually was by a story I recalled for our two grandchildren who came over to visit
this afternoon, you know, one of those ‘what did you do grandpa when you were a kid?’ type
of questions. Rather wistfully I simply wished that these young boys could have had the
relative freedom we did as children to venture forth and then, unplug or disconnect. Times
are different now and we all would be remiss if we didn’t care to pass along these stories of
ours. Many years have passed since my Iron Acton days. Now, every evening we can hear
mile-long freight trains headed by doubled, sometimes triple powered diesel locomotives
using the Southern Railroad track which follows the bends of the Tennessee river. The SR
track is a single track about a mile away across fields from the house. This line comes up
north from Atlanta, Georgia, through Chattanooga, then runs through Knoxville where we
now live, on up to the areas of Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio then on up to the northeast
US. The track has a long two-mile siding where an idling train will wait for a passing up or
down train. The engineers like to make sure everyone knows that they are there with a long
whistle blast and are eager to throttle back up and be off again. So, it appears that the sound
of trains and locomotive whistles will continue to be a part of life as one train slides past the
other on their thousand-mile journeys. If anyone has seen the old Buster Keaton silent movie
‘The General’, depicting various steam engine linked heroics during the Civil war during the
1860’s, this nearby track is the very line that was used. Meanwhile, in Iron Acton during this
epoch, there was fortunately no civil war, Queen Victoria was sadly dealing with the death of
prince Albert, and another railway line was being envisioned, which we will get to shortly.
I was brought home from the palatial 3 roomed Yate Cottage hospital a few days after
being born to live in the Iron Acton primary school house spare room for my first three years.
This being in the late ‘40’s when my grandfather, Maurice, was working as resident
headmaster. (He was affectionately known as ‘Gaffer’ Ellis). Much to his and my
grandmother’s probable relief his son’s family, left their temporary space by moving into the
newly built Chilwood Close. This was a new estate with a veritable melting pot of new
residents, where, as a child my awareness of the surroundings, or ‘gradual awakening’ took
place. My bedroom at 33 Chilwood Close faced the Yate to Thornbury railway line a few
hundred yards down the gentle hill, so of course, seeing the Midland Railway steam engine
slowly cranking along the track daily was, for a 3-year-old, an event. What was fascinating
was the smoke and steam coming out of the little, grimy 4F class 0-60-0 engine as it pulled
its coal tender plus a dozen or so four wheeled mineral wagons with the required guards’
van bringing up the rear. The smoke gently puffed from the funnel, rose lazily, then drifted
according to the wind direction of the day, covering the hedge tops for a while with a blue-
white haze since the driver at that point would be throttling down as the train was being
slowed. Then, the smoke dissipated after a minute or so as the train itself vanished out of
sight, trundling onwards hidden by the tree lines, an occasional wisp of smoke giving away
its location. A faint ‘peep’ of whistle, a half minute later, meant that the level crossing was
being approached. Gazing at this daily ritual, this railway journey being made, the
realization then came to me much later, a train-to where, and from…. and why?
34Let’s digress as we dig up some history of this particular railway line that still leaves its iron
footprint through western Iron Acton. A wonderful, 144-page paperback book was written
titled ‘The Yate to Thornbury Branch’ by Colin G. Maggs. The authour was living, according
to correspondence he had with my father, in Bath, at the time his book was about to be
published. My copy was printed up by the Oakwood press in 2002. So, the vast majority of
historical data here has to be credited to the diligent research of Mr. Maggs; the rest eked
out from my own memory. But since this book contains many photographs of the railway
branch line and the places it served, Yate, Iron Acton, Latteridge, Tytherington and
Thornbury, reading the book yet again, evokes memories. So, I will take no credit for the
main historical or technical notes that serve to bring back to life those conversations with my
own father, which relate to some details affirmed in the book. I would urge the interested
among you to track down a copy of the book or talk to people in the village who still
remember this time. Many locals will know the history, but will have to be prompted. There
were certainly a few mishaps on the line too that they may recall. No, my book is not for
sale!
I can however, safely type away on the keys with my personal recollections of the railway
and remember my father taking me as a toddler, then later as a young boy for evening
summer walks down through the field, passing the ancient oak tree, going from Chilwood
Close to the footpath steps going up and over the line. I can recollect the large black steel
plated sign adjacent to the rather steep, squared off wooden footsteps that sternly warned in
white letters, ‘No trespassing-London Midland Railway, Trespassers will be prosecuted, ten
pounds fine’ which left me as a child either fearful or having a wave of adventure come over
me. Being a miscreant in training, the latter is likely and we fortunately, never got arrested
by the London, Midland and Scottish railway police in top hats. Just writing these words
made me pause, thinking of those massive, black oil seeped and creosoted steps brings
back that strange smell of old wood. Re-used sleepers cut up to make steps that must have
had countless amounts of hot oil, steam, wheel dust, various organic materials and finally,
burning coals scorching its surface. Over time, nothing can seem to erase this aroma.
It also seemed that once my father got walking on the track timing his steps to the
sleepers the mere action brought back various railway trivia or memories to him that were
passed on. Whether it was explaining about railway ‘keys’ or how the Walschaerts steam
valve gear worked, he always knew the subject.
Walking along the single track going North, sometimes picking blackberries along the way,
we headed past the ‘Big woods’ on the left towards the remnants of the Iron Acton, single
platformed station appearing around the slight curve. I can remember for some odd reason
that someone kept a chicken coop there with scrawny chickens running around the platform,
as they do. This station was immediately reached after bypassing the manually operated
level crossing gates that were there, and then crossing Station road close to the Algars
manor entrance gate. Occasionally we walked with the station and its scratching, scrawny
chickens on the right and veered left, or southerly, where there was evidence of a rail bed
but no sleepers or steel track left. This weedy, gravel bed led off in the Frampton Cotterell
direction where back in the mining days the mined iron ore would have been loaded. My
father, Jack, or Monty Ellis, as the villagers knew him, being an avid steam and history buff
recalled that this ‘spur’ line ran up fairly close to the area behind Frampton Cotterells’ St.
Peter’s church. I’m sure the engine staff never visited the Globe pub next door on a hot
summer’s day either.
35NEWS FROM NORTH ROAD COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOL School
In January, after only two terms back at school, we found ourselves again with a period of
school closure. We had over 40% of our pupils join us in our critical keyworker provision. This
was substantially higher than the first lockdown. We put a remote learning plan in place and
with the support of Acton Aid and the residents of Iron Acton, we were able to ensure that all
of our vulnerable pupils had access to the technology to complete their daily learning and join
on-line daily catch up sessions. With the support from St James the Less Church we were
also able to provide food care packages through the lockdown for some of our most
vulnerable families. We have now started our own school Food Bank, with the support of a
local supermarket, for families for whom the pandemic has hit the hardest.
Currently, in school, all children are busy learning within our
school topic ‘Our Wonderful World’ and are enjoying being
back with their friends in their class pods.
The recent warmer weather has provided plenty of
opportunities to be working outdoors either in our sensory
garden, on the playground, on the school field or within the
wider community of North Road. Our EYFS class have also
been enjoying going on mini beast hunts in the local green
spaces.
As a school, we have 105 children on roll and all classes are full. We had 60 applications for
our September 2021 EYFS intake of 15 places and we are looking forward to meeting our
new families in the coming months.
Recently, our Year three and four class have been enjoying writing memory candles based on
the ideas in The Stormkeeper’s Island by Catherine Doyle, where lighting a candle transports
you back to a memory. One of our pupils, Will, would like to share his memory with you.
Sarah Stillie, Headteacher, North Road Community Primary School
36
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