Blog

Somerset Waste Partnership’s latest newsletter reminds us all of the refuse and recycling collection timetable, and brings news of recent fire retardant legislation which may affect how you recycle old upholstered furniture. Click here to read it in full. Time to Get Walking Again With spring on its way we start to think about getting out to walk in the beautiful English countryside again, but where to find new and interesting walks? Walking in Somerset https://www.walkinginengland.co.uk/somerset has loads of walks to download and print, free. It also has books of walks, details of all the walking groups in the county, and much more. Whether you want to walk on your own or with a group, all the information is there in one place. With walks from half a mile to over twelve miles long, and a note of suitability for pushchairs and wheelchairs, everyone can find a walk to enjoy. So home or away, check out the websites and get walking! John Harris Walking in England

There is a website, constructed by the St Petrock’s History Group with the invaluable assistance of Bill Hodgson, which aims to reflect the local history of Timberscombe through a wealth of photographic images and evidence supplied from numerous sources. This resource is openly accessible to all who are interested on https://stpetrockshistorygroup.omeka.net/ and each week a particular entry is highlighted through a Featured Item.

This week that Featured Item concerns local family the Copps which is newly written up by archivist Tom Sperling and well worth reading https://stpetrockshistorygroup.omeka.net/items/show/3491

Marion Jeffrey

SWT Council Business Bulletins

Benefice Newsletter 6th January 2023

• Police Notice

A workshop has been unlawfully entered on a farm in Brompton Ralph, this was discovered on 1st. The suspect gained entry via the main doors to the workshop, without force, and once inside stole two orange chainsaws, before making off. Any information please contact the Police on 101 quoting reference number: 5223001832 stating

NHW release. Or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Thank you for your support.

Attachments: securing-your-garden-and-outbuildings.pdf

• Eat fresh in 2023 with Somerset West Lottery

The Somerset West Lottery New Year Bolt-on Prize is now open, offering players a chance to win year’s supply of fresh food recipe boxes to eat healthier and save money in 2023.

Anyone buying one or more tickets between now and Saturday, 25 February, could win 12 monthly deliveries of fresh ingredients to plan and cook up to 20 delicious meals from scratch from food recipe box provider, HelloFresh, courtesy of external lottery management company Gatherwell.

HelloFresh is a food recipe box delivery service, developed to help customers plan for their weekly food delivery without the need for a meal planner.

Please click here to read the full press release.

• Meet the Team building Rainbow Way, Minehead

SWT and Classic Builders are hosting a drop-in open event for members of the public to come and learn more about this important zero carbon development.

The event is open to anyone wanting to know more about the project and to meet the team delivering the works. Doors open at 3pm on Friday 20 January 2023 at Minehead Cricket Club (Luttrell Way, Minehead, TA24 6DF), and the team will be there until 6pm.

• Somerset County Council (SCC) – Council pushes for urgent landlord action on A358 land slips

SCC is working with a local landowner to ensure work is carried out urgently to prevent any further landslips onto a vital county route. This week the Council’s Highways team is carrying out essential drainage upgrade and clearance works along the A358 at Combe Florey. This key route links Taunton to West Somerset and a number of recent incidents have caused closures and significant disruption.

Two flooding incidents in August (and September just weeks apart, occurred after heavy rain produced run-off from fields which saw tonnes of soil slurry and potatoes run onto the road at Combe Florey. A closure and major clear-up operation was needed on both occasions. On 20 December another smaller incident occurred in the same location, which also resulted in a closure.

At the time of the first incidents a local tenant farmer was asked by the Council to carryout remedial measures to prevent another incident. Although some works were undertaken, they proved to be insufficient to stop the slip on 20 December. The Council is now in negotiation with the Landowner and will require further remedial measures.

Please click here to read the full press release.

Reporting a Pothole

Alerting SCC to potholes or a host of other problems on the road is now easier and quicker – and you can track its progress after you’ve reported it. Gone is the need to make phone calls or send emails – thanks to a new upgraded online system with an improved interactive map, members of the public can report a problem 24/7 and the Highways team will get on the case. From potholes, blocked drains and broken manhole covers, to overgrown vegetation, damaged pavements or cycle paths, faulty traffic lights or missing markings – they can all be reported in just minutes from a smartphone, tablet or computer.

The full range and how to report is available here  www.somerset.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/report-a-problem-on-the-road/. The new development means that if you’re reporting a fault, you can now track its progress. If it’s safe to pull over, all you need to do is take a quick picture of the fault, then visit the Report It site on your phone, answer a few simple questions and upload your picture. You’ll be sent a link which enables you to track its progress.

Please click here to read the full press release.

• “Bus It” for £2 on single bus journeys across Somerset

Bus users in Somerset will be able to travel on most routes in the county for just £2 from January. The major fare cut is part of an initiative funded by the Government aimed at boosting bus use while helping passengers to save money as the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite, fuelled in part by high petrol and diesel prices.

The £2 single fare is available from all participating operators from 1 January to 31 March. The initiative will apply to the majority of routes in Somerset. You can check here https://www.somerset.gov.uk/busit to see find out more about the scheme. Please click here to read the full press release.

• Think Travel Can Help

A one-stop travel information website has been launched by Somerset County Council to support more local people to access public and community transport. If you don’t own a car – or want to leave it at home and travel more sustainably, Think Travel can help you with your transport options. Whether it’s getting to the doctors, shops, travelling to work, college, or school, or just into town to meet friends or family, the new travel planner shows you what’s available. It covers public transport, community transport, the Slinky demand responsive transport service and car sharing.

To start your search, all you need to do is enter your journey start point and destination in the planner and Think Travel will find the available options for you.

As well as information on train and bus services, there’s also a dedicated car sharing notice board you can sign up to, where offers or requests for car sharing journeys can be posted.

The aim is to grow this facility and encourage local car sharing networks to evolve.

You can check out “Think Travel” here: https://somerset.thinktravel.info.

During 2022 the village website was as active as ever, with nearly 9,000 visits to the site over the year!!

Thanks must go to Bill Hodgson who has put together a short PDF summary explaining activity on the website, what people look at, where they come from and what was popular this year.

Thanks must also go to the 6 website editors, who have posted items throughout the year.

Click below to download and view the PDF.

2022 Timberscombe Website Roundup