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The Pucklechurch community website |
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If you have signed up for emails and are not getting them please check the following: |
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Everyone enjoyed our last trip of the summer season when we went to Lady Farm near Chelwood Bridge. We were made very welcome, given a tour of the grounds, and finishing with coffee and cake. Our winter season started on October 5th when George Alway gave an interesting talk on a calendar of flowers. Orchids was the title of our next talk by Malcolm Perry on November 2nd. Christmas comes early to the gardeners of Pucklechurch, when we have three quizzes and a finger buffet and wine evening on 7th December. Our members can bring their partners on this occasion so we usually have a full house! There is no meeting in January, so we'll start the new season on February 1st with Roger Turner talking about how to improve your garden. New members are always welcome, so do come along at about 7.45pm on the first Wednesday of each month. |
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Happy Circle has completed another season of coach trips, which were enjoyed by all. May we thank all those members and non-members who have supported our trips this year. We will have our Christmas lunch at the Star on December 13th, 12 o'clock for 12.30pm. On December 20th, we will have Christmas carols and readings followed by mince pies. We start again on Tuesday, 9th January 2006. If you would like to join us, you would be most welcome. We meet on Tuesdays in the Community Hall from 2 to 3.30pm. |
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Remember, Remember:
Our present Chairman Les Bence and Nancy Cleevely, who was the first chairman of the PCA, cut a huge cake in celebration. Some people who only popped in for a moment ended up staying most of the afternoon, chatting, buying raffle tickets, drinking tea, and looking at the displays. The event had a mention on Radio Bristol, and the local Gazette photographer was in attendance. The Community Centre hosts more than 20 local sports clubs and other organisations, and it is the venue for many of the village's big events. It provides changing rooms for sports like football and cricket, and the space required for playing badminton and bowls. What other space in Pucklechurch could host a village disco or the Christmas pantomime?
The small group of people who sit on the PCA Executive Committee are responsible for keeping the hall and its equipment in good and safe condition. Major works, such as the new ceiling and light fixtures, cost a lot of money, but ongoing operation and maintenance are expensive too. The PCA was pleased to receive £1300 from the Parish Council and £1350 from Revel towards the recent refurbishment, but money is still tight and there are other large expenditures looming, such as the purchase of new folding chairs. The PCA's other sources of funds include hall bookings, profits from the Social Club, dues from affiliated organisations, and annual membership fees. Do you know how many regular members the PCA has? Only about 400 out of a village population of about 3000. Are you a PCA member? If you are a Pucklechurch resident and attend events at the Village Hall, perhaps you should be! Even if you rarely come to the hall, you wouldn't want to see the village lose this valuable resource, would you? So join the PCA -- annual membership is only £1 per person -- and support your Community Centre. Members get discounted rates on room hire and are eligible to join the Social Club upstairs. Need a large room for your next big birthday party or wedding anniversary? Costs for the main hall in the Community Centre start at £105 for the evening, and this is reduced to £80 for PCA members. Does your organisation want to host a fundraising event? You can have the hall for free and the PCA will split the proceeds with you. Ring Anna Sharpe on 937-4449 (Email hall.bookings@pucklechurch.org) to enquire about room availability and rates or visit the PCA page where you can see the current months bookings online. So remember what the Community Centre has done for Pucklechurch in the 25 years since it was built. Use it and enjoy it. And pick up a membership form at the Post Office or newsagent soon!
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Pucklechurch organisations celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Community Centre on Saturday, the 5th of November. The Pucklechurch Community Association organised an open day and invited local organisations that use the hall to come along and talk to people about what it is they do. Clubs and organisations set up stalls to display photographs and other mementoes of their events and activities, and some clubs managed to recruit a few new members. 
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Revel AGM It was standing room only at the Revel AGM on September 28th. This year's AGM included the presentation of the first annual Bob Stone Memorial Award for best contribution to Revel, which was awarded posthumously to Bob Todd, who had been nominated for the award before his tragic death in August. In a brief but moving ceremony, Bob Todd's widow Diane accepted the award from Carrie Stone, daughter of Bob Stone, who died in February. Both Bobs had been active members of the Revel Committee. The etched silver salver will record the names of the award winners over the years. It will be dedicated in St Thomas à Becket church on 22nd January at a memorial service for Bob Stone and Bob Todd. The prizes for the first annual Photography Competition were also awarded at the AGM. See the related article for the names of the winners, and visit the Pucklechurch website to view the prize-winning photos and runners up. Revel treasurer George Hill reported that Revel raised over £5700 for village causes this year, which includes the £1500 donated by the family of Bob Stone from monies collected in his memory. A total of £6000 was distributed to village organisations, as shown in the list below. During the meeting, Diane Todd informed the Revel Committee that her family had also decided to donate the amount collected for Bob Todd's memorial fund to Pucklechurch Revel, which came to over £1300. A further £231 was was gratefully accepted from the widow of village resident Mr. Twyman. Next year's Revel distribution will benefit from these generous contributions. The next order of business was electing Revel Committee officers for 2006. Cyndi Hill was unanimously re-elected as chairman, Mandi Smith as vice-chairman, George Hill as treasurer, and Christine Murphy as Secretary. The balance of old members agreed to serve again, and two new members volunteered for the Committee during the meeting. While this has been an exceedingly difficult year for the Revel Committee, we are once again pleased to be able to support the worthy clubs and organisations in our local community. More Revel information can be found on the Revel pages. Revel Donations for 2005
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Believe it or not, plans are already underway for next year's Revel. The date for Revel Day is set for June 17th, and there will be the usual variety of events in the week leading up to it. The theme for Revel 2006 will be "Food, Glorious Food". This year organisations that wish to have a float in the Revel Parade will have to arrange for their own vehicles, as no lorries will be provided through the Revel Committee. We would like to encourage all groups to use smaller scale vehicles, or better yet, have marching, walking, cycling, or other non-motorised entries in the parade. |
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Why Not Join the Pucklechurch Social Club? The Social Club has been an integral part of the Community Centre for 25 years and has its roots in the Miners' Institute. The Club gives members a relaxed place to meet up with friends. It hosts 13 skittles teams, plus the football, cricket, and badminton clubs. The Club is open from 7pm to 11pm on weeknights, except for Wednesday, when it opens an hour later at 8pm. Weekend hours are noon to 11pm. Anyone can join the Social Club, though new members will need to be sponsored by two existing members. Annual membership, which runs from April through March, costs only £4.50 for parish residents, £5 for non-residents, and £2 for pensioners, and this includes membership in the Pucklechurch Community Association (PCA), the group that manages the Community Centre facilities. You can join at any time of the year by picking up an application form at the Club itself. Ring the bell and come up and see us! Profits from the Social Club go to the PCA for upkeep of the Community Centre, so your membership and patronage help maintain this valuable resource used by so many village organisations. Where else does buying an inexpensive pint help our community so much? The Social Club also holds raffles and draws to raise money for the annual pensioners' party, which is co-sponsored by the PCA. In addition to the many meetings and fundraising events held here by the resident sports clubs and other village organisations, the Social Club puts on entertainment for its members. Upcoming events include: 17th December Christmas Draw 24th December Christmas Eve Disco 31st December New Year's Eve Party The Social Club now has its own page on www.pucklechurch.org. Click here for more information and photos. |
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