The Bisley News August/September 2010 www.bisleynews.co.uk editor@bisleynews.co.uk

Incorporating Bisley Flower Show Schedule

The Bisley News editor@bisleynews.co.uk Or 01452 770222 (for Vi!)

The Bisley News is available to be down-loaded from our website www.bisleynews.co.uk.

DEADLINE October/November edition

Saturday 18 September 9am Or earlier if all space taken

OPEN HOUSE Everyone is welcome to come for

coffee, 11 to 12 midday

Thursday 5th August Jo Curtin

Westley House

Thursday 2nd September Adam & Mo Smith

Bear House

BISLEY W.I. Guests are welcome at meetings

Admission £2.50

August 12th Summer Outing to Buscot Park

Thursday 9th September

Di Alexander Pen & Polisher

With grateful thanks to Susan Vesey who has contributed many articles and organised the fund raiser—no mean feat!

Printed by MDL Kelex 01453 791400

Bisley Friendship Club

Tea Party with musical entertainment

2.30pm to 4.30pm

Wednesday August 18th

Wednesday September 15th

Tickets £2.50 from George Stores

Guests and newcomers very welcome

Village Hall events

Flicks in the Sticks will be back Tuesday 14th September

BIG BREAKFAST

Saturday 25th September

Dear Editor, Bisley and the Australian connection

My name is Austin Edward Marmont, born on 27 Aug 1929 in Taralga NSW and I am officially retired from both the Royal Aus-tralian Air Force(RAAF) and, from the Royal Air Force. I was once something of a Flight Navigator and flew in both MK1A and MK2 Vulcan Bombers during my eight years in the RAF. One of the Squadrons on which I served was: No(44) Rhodesia Squadron. My Great Grandfather, on my father's side, was William Marmont (a Native of Bisley) who married Mary Ann Wheeler

also a Native of Bisley . My genealogy on dad's side being: William, John, Josiah and then me. Mary Ann Wheeler was one of a group of 68 people who sailed from Bristol aboard the 'Layton' and arrived in Sydney on 22nd January 1838. However, at the time of my departure from Australia to UK in early March 1964, I knew nothing of this even though my father knew it all but, you see, Great Grandfather William was a Convict so perhaps Dad did not want to spoil my time in England by his pinning on me the Stigma of my being a direct descendant of a Convict. How wrong he was. William's offence was that: because he was virtually starving he went housebreaking and stole butter and cheese was sentenced to death then given a reprieve and transported to New South Wales. In May/June 2007 I went to UK on a memory lane visit, principally to join in the No(44) Squadron Association Reunion being held in the Officers'Mess at RAF Waddington where I had previously spent over three years also, to pay a visit to Bisley. Other ambitions suc-cessfully achieved were to straddle the Uk/Scottish Border, to straddle the Greenwich Meridian, then to become accustomed to and to drink as much Pommy Beer as possible within my limited visit. Some ex-RAF friends drove me to your magic village where we enjoyed lunch in The Stirrup Cup Pub after a look through the Church and graveyard. While talking with the publicans I was given a copy of Oct/Nov 2006 Bisley News where-in, on page 13, is a list of those Bisley people whom I have mentioned. It is something of a treasure which I shall always keep. I asked if the name Marmont is still known in your area but, sadly it seems to have departed yet, America is full of Marmonts . There are many in Australia and we are all related; William and Mary Ann started it all. I am fiercely loyal to my heritage, love England and all of my ex RAF mates, English Beer and hope that one day I can go to England for another trip. Cheers and very best wishes, Ted Marmont.

Letters to the Editor

Christmas Greetings! It has been suggested that instead of sending Christmas cards, it would be ‘greener’ to send your Christmas greetings via the Bisley News. Look in the next edition for some suggestions. Village Sport Congratulations to Louis Gegg who is playing cricket for Gloucester-shire, and David Gibbons who is playing polo for the UK Colts. Buzzing Bisley The 19th and 20th June saw the fabulous Red Arrows flying in for-mation about 10 feet above Bisley gardens - and their appearances raised a few cheers from watchers as they roared towards Kemble Air-show. Beggars Belief One distraught Bisley family recent-ly woke to find their pet guinea pigs had been taken out of their cages and stamped to death overnight. Let’s hope no-one from Bisley is responsible for this venal act. Noisy Neighbours

Most people in Bisley and the surrounding hamlets show consid-eration for their neigh-bours when they throw a party and stop ampli-

fied music at midnight, having had a good couple of hours enjoying dancing under the stars. Some re-cent party-givers, however, have been extremely inconsiderate—or just didn’t realise how far their party

music was travelling—and ‘shared’ their musical choices at full volume, often until after 2am, with those who are trying to sleep. Residents do not have to put up with this: if the house is pulsing in time with a headache making, pounding beat, then the number to call is given below—although the police will prioritise other more im-portant crime calls if they are busy. (And don’t let them tell you it’s a civil matter. Technically it is, but you are entitled to call this number and ask for police action to stop the nuisance). If the music hasn’t been turned down or off within 20 minutes, call again. Each call should be logged and the more ob-jections there are, the quicker any inconsiderate revelers will be si-lenced.

0845 090 1234 The John Taylor Foundation This is a charity that awards grants to students/apprentices to help with the cost of books, equipment or tools. If you are starting at Univer-sity, a vocational training course or apprenticeship in September you may qualify for a grant. Grants are not available to ‘A’ level students. If you are interested, under 25, have not previously applied and live in the ancient parish of Bisley, please apply in writing to Mrs Pat Bashford, Eskdale, Vander Breen Street, Bisley before 8th Septem-ber, stating your name, age, college course or apprenticeship.

BITS & PIECES

.....................Last minute entries.................

Letter to the Editor I frequently drive through Bisley on my way home to Cheltenham and have never really been tempted to stop in the past in the Stirrup Cup. However, two weeks ago, myself and my wife decided to stop and try the new ‘Fish Friday’ menu that was advertised on the roadside. What an absolute delight. The selection of fish was as impressive as any restaurant in Cheltenham and the quality of the food combined with value for money was astounding for a country pub in the Cotswolds. We found the atmosphere very enjoya-ble and relaxing, with no loud music or blaring jukeboxes. We gather that it is under new ownership, if that is the case then the new owners deserve praise for turning the Stirrup Cup into a

country pub and food destination that I will definitely be revisiting. I also picked up a copy of the Bisley News there and enjoyed the read, hence the letter to yourself to express my surprise at how much the Stirrup Cup has changed from years ago. Yours sincerely Mr P. Johnson, Cheltenham by email Bisley Pre-School Playgroup would like to thank John and Elizabeth Cowen and everybody who helped at their summer garden fete which raised £375 We would like to pass on our best wishes to our playleader Belinda Ban-yard, who is stepping down after six years in the role. Diana Chapman will take her place from September and we wish her every success in her new role.

Jilly’s new book ‘JUMP!’ will be published in September.

Nestling among the Bavarian Alps in the Ammergau Valley, 2,500 feet above sea level, lies the village of Oberammergau where, with two ex-ceptions since 1634, the Passion Play has been performed every 10 years. The outline of the play has remained much the same since 1634. It be-gins with the entry of Christ into Jerusalem, then takes us through the momentous events of Holy Week - the Last Supper, Gethsemane, the betrayal and arrest of Jesus, the mocking and scourging, all leading to the climatic scenes of the Crucifixion, Resurrection and Exaltation. In between each scene is a ‘living’ tableaux. These are vivid motionless pictures depicting stories from the Old Testament giving the impression of a living scene frozen in time. For example the scene of Jesus on the way to the cross is prefaced by the tableau of Abraham demonstrating his complete trust in God as he prepares to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, thereby linking the story lines of the Bible. During the months from May until September over 500,000 visitors attend the play. With a population of only 5,300 people there are about 2,500 involved in the production, either on stage, in the orchestra and choir, or dealing with scenery, costumes and props. Of five hours duration, with a two and a half hour break for dinner, it was a profoundly moving experi-ence.

Gerald Parkinson

THE PASSION PLAY - OBERAMMERGAU

Calling all bar stool editors........ This is our village magazine. It is funded by advertising and donations, as outlined in the last edition of the Bisley News. Neither the editor nor

any of the hardworking distributors get paid for what they do. If you would like a turn as ‘guest editor’ please do not hesitate to contact me—

I’m not far away!

The introduction of an Under-13 team this year is due to the efforts of Club Secretary Gerry Baker and children’s coach James Hemming.

Gerry Baker reports ‘The team had a very successful first season, win-ning matches against Slimbridge and Frocester. The players’ enthusi-asm, their encouragement and support for each other were widely praised. Most weeks, over half the side were aged ten or under, making their achievement against older competition even more remarkable. The free Friday evening training sessions have proved very popular, attract-ing between ten and twenty children aged seven and upwards each week. Special thanks are due to James Hemming and to the Parish Council and the individuals who have supported the Youth Section finan-cially.’

Bisley cc’s juniors enjoy their first season

Snow White Panto Open Evening Would you like to act or help backstage ?Then come to the WI Village Hall on Monday 6th September at 7.30 pm or phone David Klein on 01452 770 940 beforehand if you can’t attend but would like to take part

Bisley News Overcourt Evening

BATS Big Summer Party went off with gusto and a dazzling array of young talent on display. The

Pimms and supper were a fine accom-paniment to the variety of performanc-es, kicked off with Luca Chapman who stole the ladies hearts and made us laugh at his comic rhymes. Lydia Laws brought a touch of culture with her de-lightful flute playing. This was quickly dashed as Josh Edwards and Hatty Davis launched into their manic quick-change dance routines, bringing the house down with laughter and applause. Laurie McCroddan and Max Simpson showed great musical maturity in their performance of a number of songs, two of them written by Lau-rie himself. Comedians Jacob Dickenson and Conrad McCroddan humorously delivered a catalogue

of jokes at the expense of the England football team. After supper we had an impromptu cho-ral sing-along led by our Vicar, Simon Rich-ards. Both the first and second halves of the evening were played out by Bisley’s own pro-fessional band The Brown Boys. Thanks to all for your support of this excellent fund-raiser towards production of the 2011 BATS panto.

BATS party review

COMPOST queens Liz Howlett and Lesley Greene will be opening this year’s Bisley Flower Show and Fete on Saturday August 28. Liz and Lesley, two of the driving forces behind the Queen’s Award-winning Bis-ley Community Composting Scheme, will be crowning the Flower Show Queen Gabrielle Ponting at 2pm. Gabrielle will be attended by Georgina Arquati, Ellie Barnfield, Emma Drury, Lu-cy Edwards, Kate Garrett and Bethan Walters, all of whom will arrive at the show field in a procession of sports cars. Liz and Lesley were asked to open the Fete in recognition of the wonderful work they carry out, with the support of their BCCS colleagues, in turning our garden refuse into fertile compost. This year’s Fete promises lots of fun and games together with a wide range of stalls.Once again we have obtained several prizes that “money can’t buy” (well almost not!!) for the raffle. Mo and Adam Smith’s son Will has donated a meal for two (up to the value of £100) at “Arbutus”, a Michelin-starred restaurant based in Frith St, London, and owned by Will and his business partner Anthony Demetre. Mo and Adam have also generously contributed £100 towards travelling expenses for the winner. Local MP Neil Carmichael will take our second winner on a tour of the Houses of Parliament before hosting them to lunch in the house. Thank you Neil and Raffle guru David Klein for arranging this. Richard Arquati has conjured up something that some people just find impossi-ble to obtain, two complimentary tickets to next year’s Air Tattoo at Fairford, while Cheltenham-based construction company Kier Moss is donating four tick-ets to next year’s Cheltenham Cricket Festival. Martin and Kate Bankes of Copsegrove Meats is donating a £20 voucher, Colin and Jane Pickford will be laying on lunch for two at the Bear Inn whilst Caroline Mudd is offering a £30 voucher for Smallprint silver jewellery and Charlie and Kim at the Stirrup Cup are offering a meal for two at the Cup. “Several people have contributed significantly to our raffle once again and we are very grateful to them for their support,” said Pete Thorp of the fete commit-tee. This year’s Children’s Fancy Dress competition will be on the theme of Cats and Dogs. The Pet Show remains ever popular and this year we shall be starting this part of the Fete slightly later than in previous years to allow sufficient time for regis-tration which will be open outside the Hall from 1.30 p.m. This year’s classes will be: best child handler, waggiest tail, fancy dress and best in show. Bisley Fete is a real village event and we welcome donations of good as new items, bric a brac, books, plants, produce, cakes, bottles, items for the tombola. We also value any help we receive in setting up the field the morning before the Fete or in running a stall later. To find out more, or to volunteer, call Sue 770337 or Peter 770708.

Bisley Flower Show and Fete

Bisley Methodist Church has probably never attracted an enormous reg-ular congregation, despite the size of the building, but has always sought to serve the community. It is only a few years since the rear part of the building was redeveloped to provide modern kitchen and toilet facilities - which have been much appreciated by those who have attended the weekly Saturday coffee mornings. Last year we hosted the village’s eco-week activities, and also held a popular flower festival, as part of a pro-gramme of activities. Sadly, however, the Methodist Circuit has decided that it can no longer maintain a church in the village, and it is expected that the church will be closing in the autumn. I have always believed that the various Christian denominations are more an accident of human history than a part of ‘God’s plan for the world’ - and Bisley is fortunate in that it has a flourishing parish church, as well as a Roman Catholic church. The Christian gospel is about en-couraging people into finding a relationship with the living God through faith in Jesus - not about maintaining numerous under-used buildings - and the fact that there will no longer be a Methodist Church in the village does not suggest that God is giving up on Bisley! There will still be plen-ty of opportunity for Christians to meet together and share their faith with others. The Methodist Church has had a long and honourable role in local life - at one stage operating a childrens’ home just down the hill from the chapel. That the Methodist Church has stayed open for as many years as it has is due largely to the work of John and Rosemary Land, who have given themselves tirelessly to the cause. I know that many people have appreciated their kindness and hard work over the years. I hope a future edition of Bisley News will carry more details about ar-rangements for a service of thanksgiving, but if any readers want to know more they are welcome to contact me by email: john.thompson@methodist.org.uk or phone: 01453 763847. John Thompson - Methodist Minister for Bisley.

Bisley Methodist Church update

CHILDREN have bid a fond fare-well to the woman known through-out Bisley as “Granny Lesley”. Lesley Roberts was a founder member of Bisley Pre-School Playgroup in 1970 and went on to work there for several years as play leader and assistant. She officially retired in 2006 but continued to attend playgroup sessions once a week as a volun-teer. The mother-of-three was

also a familiar face at Bisley Blue Coat C of E Primary School, serving in the kitchen for 17 years before returning on a regular basis to help pupils with their reading. Children from playgroup and school, together with parents and friends, gathered in Bisley to say a fond farewell to Lesley just days before she and hus-band Colin left the village for their new home in Devon. Playgroup chairperson Sue Bradley said Lesley’s departure was the end of an era. “Generations of children in Bisley know and love Granny Lesley,” she said. “Lesley has selflessly served the younger members of our village for many years. We are sad to see her leave Bisley but we wish her and Colin a fantastic and much deserved retirement.” Lesley, who became known as “Granny” when her own grandchildren were at playgroup, said she would miss Bisley. “My husband jokes that I have had more comebacks than Frank Sinatra,” she laughed. “I have met lots of lovely children and made life long friends of their mums and dads. “I wouldn’t have known half the people I have known if it was-n’t for playgroup. “I am the only person that I know of with hundreds of grand-children!” Lesley started the playgroup with Kay Stephens and Jill Cook and sessions were initially held in the pavilion at Van Der Breen Street before mov-ing to Bisley WI Village Hall. “We were three young mums and we used to meet at various friends’ houses and tip all our toys into the middle of the room. We started at the pavilion twice a week but it was hard going in winter because it was quite a cold place. Sylvia Cook was our first play leader and we had no more than about 10 children initially. “There weren’t the rules and regulations that there are now. “I shared the playleader role at one stage with a lady called Marion Prock but in 1978 I left to work in the kitchen at Bisley School and stayed there until it closed in 1995.” Lesley returned to playgroup soon afterwards, initially as a volunteer and then as a play assistant, a role in which she remained until 2006. “I came back once a week to see the children – when I retired I said I would come back as a volunteer - if they’d have me!”.

FAREWELL TO GRANNY LESLEY

Stroud Valley Art Space Open Studios

Bisley artists, Jilly Cobbe and Ollie Miles, have recently taken part in Stroud Valley Art Space (SVA) Open Studios - SITE 10. They write : Being an artist can be a very solitary occupation. A great deal of time and thought goes into the creative process and many efforts end up in the recycling ! Finally, having produced the work, then there is the selection, mounting and framing to complete a coherent collection. The hardest part for an artist is marketing their work and SVA Open Studios is designed to help artists like us promote our work to a wider public. Despite the hard work (and trepidation), taking part in Open Studios has given us the opportunity and incentive to welcome people into our studios, gain their reactions and exchange ideas. We would like to thank everyone from Bisley who took the time to visit our exhibitions. Feedback from those who did come suggested that the signs did not make it obvious that it was an art exhibition. We would value any additional, constructive suggestions as to how this could be improved so that we can pass it on to the SVA for another time. We hope that everyone who did come enjoyed the experience, will tell their friends and come again next time. We really valued your support.

Jilly Cobbe & Ollie Miles

CONGRATULATIONS!! To Sofie Rowe, Laura Styler , Beth Martin and any other villagers who have graduated from college or University—we’re proud of

you!

Our link with Plessala in Brittany goes from strength to strength with no lessening of enthusiasm on either side. The first weekend of July was, of course, brilliantly sunny which made it easy to en-tertain our French visitors. They were welcomed at The Butchers Arms on Saturday - many thanks to Jane and staff for the bacon butties, bucks' fizz, smiles and coach parking – and shortly afterwards the French bus took guests and hosts to the Cotswold Show at Cirencester Park. This good start was followed by dinner parties and an early night as we had to be back aboard a bus – excellent Rover this time, with twin-ning-friendly driver Chris – by 7.30 on Sunday morning. The French group had requested a visit to London so we obliged. Westminster, Whitehall, Horseguards, Buckingham Palace and St James's Park all looked wonderful under the blazing sun, and alt-hough the Changing of the Guard was virtually invisible behind crowds, our picnic in the park and subsequent adventures made for a grand day out. Individual hosts made individual efforts on Monday, and for some of us this means we have to thank people at The Bear for an excel-lent lunch, and we are also very grateful for the garden and farm tours. John and Sarah and staff at The Lamb provided a relaxed venue and a stupendous buffet for about 75 French and British friends on Monday evening, enabling us to round off the visit in style. The Twinning Association holds fund-raising events through the year and always welcomes new members. The current chairman is Anna Al-Salim (annalsalim@hotmail.com) and the current secre-tary is Muriel Brooks(mbrooks@niceworkuk.co.uk or 01452 770346).

BISLEY-WITH-LYPIATT TWINNING ASSOCIATION: FRENCH VISIT HERE

Goodbye and Best Wishes This is a very significant time for a number of our pupils and teachers. We hope all our Year 6 Leavers enjoy their new schools and take with them many happy memo-ries of Bisley Blue Coat School. For Mrs Kath Quarton, this will also be her last day as a teacher at the school. A well loved and respected member of staff, she is leav-ing after 12 years at the school. We will miss her commitment, enthusiasm and skill. Our sincere thanks and good wishes go with her. This is also the last day at Bisley Blue Coat for our Headteacher, Miss Sam Porter. She is moving on to take charge at Leckhampton Primary School in Cheltenham having made a huge and very valua-ble contribution to the school in her six years as Head. Residential Visit Pupils from Years 5 and 6 spent a week of glorious weather at The Kingswood Cen-tre, an educational outdoor centre in North Wales. These visits provide a valuable experience for the children, as they find out a great deal about themselves and their own capabilities as they try new activities. Thanks to Mrs Mitchell and Miss Porter from the school, and to Mr Mason, a parent, who all gave up their time to accompa-ny the children. Peter Pan Parents and fellow pupils were treated to a performance of Peter Pan at the Play-house Theatre in Stroud. The leavers’ play was once again a treat for the audience and a source of pride and pleasure for all involved. Artist in residence Groups of children have had the opportunity to work with professional stained glass artist Caroline Lambert. They have produced four panels which will be mounted be-hind the windows in the Hall. Celebrating education In June the school once again took part in this annual celebration of the work of schools in the Stroud area. This year our school theme was Elmer, the patchwork elephant whose story was used as a springboard for many kinds of work following on from Book Week. New Governor needed We are looking for an additional member of the local community to join us as a Gov-ernor of Bisley Blue Coat. You don’t have to have any particular background or skills, but you would need to have the time to prepare for and attend meetings, and offer support to the school in many different ways. Obviously, you would need to be interested in our school and the children who attend it, and be able to play an active part in its future development. If you would like further information please contact any of the Governors – Rob Bar-low-Kay (Chair), Vera Clouston (Vice-Chair), Simon Richards, Susie Bromley, Hazel Saunders, Mike Gibbs, Brodie Mason, Richard Tuttle, Carole Smith.

Vera Clouston Governor (Tel. 770616)

News from Bisley Blue Coat School