The September 2024 edition of the Bride Valley News can be read HERE

The deadline for copy for any month’s issue is mid-day of the second Thursday of the preceding month. All material for publication must be sent to the Village Correspondent. For Litton Cheney this is: John Firrell, Tel: 01308 482313 email: jfirrell20@gmail.com

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Litton Cheney Parish Council The next meeting of the Parish Council will be on Tuesday 12 th November in the Meeting Room of LATCH at 7.30pm. All welcome, plus the chance to have your say during democratic time. There is pressure on smaller councils to increase their precepts in readiness for having to bear more of the costs previously shouldered by the unitary authority. Fair? This will be a consideration for the PC at this meeting. As you are probably aware our present Clerk, Lucy, will be departing once we have found a replacement. We are in the process of interviewing candidates, and it is possible we will have found a replacement by the time of the November issue. More news in due course. Full Fibre Update – on its way shortly. Litter Pick Alert We plan to carry out a litter pick during November once the vegetation has died down, and before winter really sets in. Please stand-by to help. Premier Crew members will be contacted by email and information on when and where will be placed on FB. Dog Owners - Neospora Caninum is an invariably fatal disease – Your Part in its Eradication Failing to pick up after your dog, allowing it to wander unchecked in fields with livestock, and failing to have it regularly checked out for worms and other infections, probably means you (not your dog) could be responsible for a farm animal having to be put down due to being infected with Neospora Caninum, caused by ingestion of dog poo. Your dog can also be infected with possible dire consequences. How to avoid this happening? Pick up, bag it and bin it, plus regular vet checks. The Parish Council together with other local councils and administrations, and in conjunction with local farmers, will be campaigning in an effort to get the message out there, and putting in place further measures to assist local residents in disposing of their pick ups. You are reminded – bagged up dog poo can be placed in your household rubbish – the preferred scenario for one and all. Please do so. The Law - Anyone who fails to clear up after their dog can be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of up to £100. If the case goes to court this could cost the owner or person in charge of the animal up to £1,000. The law states that being unaware a dog has fouled or not having a suitable bag is not a reasonable excuse. Events at Litton and Thorner’s Community Hall (LATCH) - November Weekly: Mondays: 3.30 – 4.30 pm Big Q Church (Term time only) Tuesday: 4.45 pm Short Mat Bowls ((Ron Davidson 482661) Wednesdays: 4.45 pm Table Tennis (Ron Davidson 482661/Paul Kingston 482162) 7.00 pm Mindful Movement with Jane Hutchins (07882 527697) Thursdays: 9.15 – 11.15 am First Steps Toddlers (fortnightly, term time only) Special: Tuesday 12 th : 7.30 pm Parish Council Meeting in Meeting Room Saturday 16 th : Village Café in aid of “Stepping Out” (Cancer Rehabilitation) Sunday 24th: 10.00 Morning Yoga with Nadiya Wynn (nadiyasime@hotmail.com) Friday 29th: Bingo Night – see separate announcement in Valley Notes and below. Coming Up: Friday 5 th December: 7.30 pm Film Night “Save the Cinema” Village Cafés: The hall is available for hire free of charge on Saturday mornings for a Café to raise funds for any group. It’s a good social event for the community and always popular – contact me to book a date. Hall Bookings/viewings: Wendy Firrell 01308 482532 wtlitton@gmail.com Bride Valley Bingo Fundraising Group invite you to join us to celebrate 5 years of fundraising for Dorset Based charities. Friday November 29th at LATCH – see more details in Valley Notes. A Special Mention – On Saturday 12 th October, around sixty of local residents and a few more besides attended a wonderful concert by VRi, a Welsh folk ensemble. It was an evening sponsored by Artsreach, and organised and administered by Patricia and David Charlton, with several friends in support. These much enjoyed events would not be possible without people such as Patricia and David. The events require considerable effort to organise and make a success, and this dynamic duo do it time and again. Thank you Patricia and David, plus Sue Overton who is part of the team. We are lucky to have you living amongst us. Village Cafe: Please come along to the Village Cafe at LATCH on 16 November 2024, 10am till 12:30, supporting the Stepping Out Cancer Rehabilitation Group. The group meets at Bridport Leisure Centre twice a week to support members with their recovery, during and after their cancer diagnosis. There will be drinks and breakfast rolls, plus a raffle and information about the group and its aims. If local art or craft people would like a stall on the day, in return for a donation, please contact Nichola Chitson for further information on njchitson@gmail.com. https://www.steppingoutbridport.co.uk/ Thorner’s School The children have been incredibly busy and the autumn term was packed with harvest festival celebrations, apple juicing, cross-country races, 11+ exams, cooking lessons, class trips and open days. At our Harvest Assembly, Litton, Chesil and Bredy classes treated us to some wonderful songs and poems which they performed to a packed hall of children and parents. The older class of Eggardon then shared their research into food banks and the growing need for all to support their crucial work and several parents took part in our 'Bake Off' Bread challenge - in which they kneaded and fashioned superb loaves in a record time! Thank you to all staff and parents who supported our food bank collection on the day - this wonderful contribution will make a difference to those in need in the coming months. The children also took part in our annual apple juicing day in which the children picked apples from our Forest School area - mashed them into a 'pomace' using our scratter (or 'mangler-wangler' as the children call it) - and then pressed the pulp in our cider press to create delicious apple juice for all to try! It is lovely to see the children experience this process from start to finish and appreciate just how much hard work is required to produce one cup of apple juice. We were also delighted that each class have been cooking so much during the harvest week with crumbles, pies and tarts being made by each class during the week.. Thanks to our new oven - the smell of baking filled the school each day. Our preparations for all of these activities were momentarily halted at the start of the month by a phone call from the Office for Standards in Education - letting the school know that they would be inspecting us on the following two days. Although anticipated, many thanks still to all our staff, governors, children and families for doing so much to get over to the inspectors what Thorner's is all about at such short notice. A copy of their report will be out in due course and placed on the school website. In important news, new pupils have been elected House Captains for the year and a slew of trips have taken place ranging from watching War Horse at the Southampton Mayflower Theatre, trips to Bridport Library and Museum, a tour of the Bovington Tank Museum as well as a visit from the National Landscapes Team in our wildlife area and a well deserved end of term themed disco organised by our brilliant TSA (Thorner's School Association Parent Group). One of these new House Captains, Jesse Boughton-White, led the school team brilliantly at the annual Colmer's Hill X-Country race finishing third in the boys' race. Well done to all the runners who managed to get round the typically muddy course! We also wish good luck to those of our pupils awaiting their 11+ results this week and congratulate all those children who have received their summer 'Reading Challenge' certificates this month - it is lovely to celebrate books in this way and all credit to those who completed the challenge across the holidays. Lastly, although we almost feel guilty about mentioning it so early, we look forward to starting auditions and rehearsals for the children's nativity and whole school Christmas production in the next few weeks. We also think ahead to our Christmas church service as well as our now regular series of assemblies with Rev. Andrew - as we approach Advent. We are trying something different for this year's production, rather than the traditional Christmas plays (Dickens et al.) and the children can't wait for the music to start as well as the important jobs of set and costume design to whirr into action as we head into December! Mike Sitch Headmaster