Wells Classic Motorcycle Cub won the much sought-after “Best Club Stand” award at this major Classic Motorcycle event, held over the weekend 24th to the 25th February 2024.

Club members displayed a total of 15 Classic motorcycles ranging from the year 1929 right through to the early 2000s.

The fine display of motorcycles was complemented by a Wells Market Place theme which included “Three Wells Café and Bar”. The bar and café were fully stocked, complete with a Juke Box. On the other side, we displayed a large backdrop of the Top end of Wells Market Place which along with the bikes attracted much interest.

Among the members’ display of bikes was the club’s “Lamp post lady”, complete with some hanging baskets and a “rattle bucket” collecting donations for the Air Ambulance in exchange for a hot drink and a piece of cake in the café. This was complemented by our “town crier”, complete with his traditional clothing and a bell.

Between them and the bar staff, a whopping £1,647 was raised for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance charity.

The club also organises the very popular “Tortoise and Hare Motorcycle event” which is based in Wells. It sees members ride through the Mendip Hills and beyond at which much-needed funds are also raised to support the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance and EVS Freewheelers. (Blood Bikes)

This year’s event which attracts entrants from far and wide is to be held over the weekend of 19th-21st July.

The club is an active one and new members are always very welcome to join us regardless of the age of the machine or its rider.

All club details and Tortoise and Hare entry forms are available from this website, www.wellsclassicmotorcycleclub.weebly.com

Chris Weeks, WCMC chairman

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The speaker at our March meeting was Margaret Heffernan, who described the development of her large garden with the help and advice that she learned along the way.

Margaret and her family moved to Somerset in 2002 and they wanted to adapt the seven-and-a-half acre garden to suit their own needs and style. Assisted over the years by gardeners, garden designers and experts in many fields, an amazing garden has since been created.

One project involved the planting of 450 tree whips, underplanted with a total of 4,000 bulbs.

At the other end of the scale, a massive beech tree had to be felled but was re-incarnated as a fabulous “henge” in the garden.

Here are a few key points highlighted by Margaret, should you want to embark on a similar project.

At our next meeting, we will be welcoming back, Brian Jaques who will be talking about the origins of garden words and terms. Brian is a most entertaining speaker and his talk promises to be amusing as well as informative.

Come along and hear for yourself on Wednesday, April 17th. We meet at the Village Hall, Ston Easton, Green Street, Somerset BA3 4DA .

The meeting will start at 7.30pm but the hall will be open from 7pm to give time for the perusal of stalls, displays, raffle etc and exchange gardening chat over a cup of tea or coffee and biscuits!

A warm welcome awaits members and visitors alike.

Gillian Hipwood

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Open Forum: Six members of the public attended to raise their concerns about vehicles parking on Felton Common. They said that the Parish Council should enforce the rules prohibiting driving on the Common without permission. They suggested that the village hall car park should be opened at weekends to reduce the pressure on Church Trees car park, and put forward proposals that more boulders should be placed to prevent parking on the Common, or that a bund or ditch could be created to stop parking. The Chair explained that there were legal restrictions on what could be done, and that the Parish Council did not have the powers to police unauthorised driving or parking on the Common.

Highways and footpaths: The Clerk reported on a meeting between Parish Councillors, North Somerset Council (NSC) Highways and Councillor Waite to discuss possible measures to mitigate speeding and rat-running. It was agreed to raise a formal request for NSC to look at installing traffic calming measures on West Lane/Felton Lane. It was noted that the recent prolonged rainfall had overwhelmed the road drainage system in multiple places. It was agreed to wait for drier conditions to see what needed attention. It was noted that NSC was aware of flooding on Winford High Street and was doing what it could to clear the gulleys in that location.

Felton Common: There had been problems with people misusing the dog waste bins, filling them with other refuse and leaving the bins overflowing between twice weekly empties. It was agreed to look at purchasing new, larger bins with restricted-size openings.

Compost site & allotments: Following adverts on social media and in the village magazine, three plots had been let at Felton Allotments and there were two couples interested in plots at Winford. The Bristol Conservation Volunteers had agreed to help tidy up the conservation area at Felton allotments. More material had been removed from the compost site, and the invoice added to the claim for reimbursement already with NSC.

Parish Property: Shaftesbury Road Cricket Club had signed a 25-year lease for the pavilion and grounds at High Winford. Winford Community Shop had been registered as an Asset of Community Interest, subject to an eight-week period during which the owner could request a review of the decision (ending on 6 April). The snooker club would submit a quotation for repairs for water damage to the club roof.

Village Magazine: It was agreed to contribute £500 towards the cost of producing a copy of the magazine for every household, but it was also agreed to ask whether the format could be changed to reduce the emphasis on church matters.

Any other business: Efforts were continuing to arrange a working group with the school and NSC, to look at possible road safety measures. It was agreed to remind the Police Community Support Officers that they had promised to make random checks and issue fines for unsafe parking.

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The current season of talks at the Harptrees History Society will culminate in a fascinating look at the many intriguing architectural follies to be found around Bristol and North Somerset.

Jonathan Holt, author of Somerset Follies and the Follies of Bristol and Gloucestershire, the result of numerous explorations, will reveal some of the stories behind these intriguing buildings, which dot our landscape.

Jonathan is a tour guide, author of books on Dorset and Wiltshire and Editor of Follies, the organ of the Folly Fellowship, a charity dedicated to their preservation and enjoyment (www.follies.org.uk).

Visitors are very welcome, although everyone is asked to book.

Booking opens on April 10th and closes at midday on April 24th. Members free. Visitors £3, payable on the night. Just email: [email protected] with the subject line “April 2024”.

Our next meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 24th 2024 at West Harptree Memorial Hall, BS40 6EG.

Doors open at 7.15pm for 7.30pm start.

Sue Emmett