The village of Stratton-on-the-Fosse sits along both sides of the Fosse Way, an ancient Roman road that linked Exeter in South West England to Lincoln in Lincolnshire, via Ilchester, Bath, Cirencester and Leicester.

The Romans were famed for their long, very straight roads and the Fosse Way is no exception. While this no-nonsense approach to road building may have been ideal in ancient times when transport was on foot or via horse and cart, these days, it can

encourage road users to speed, as there are long stretches of road with few twists and turns to negotiate or slow cars down.

While the majority of people travelling through Stratton-on-the-Fosse respect the 30 mph speed limit, there are still many drivers who don’t slow down, despite the traffic calming measures already in place. Therefore, the villagers are raising money from their Annual Village Day this year to help buy a permanent flashing radar speed check sign to discourage dangerous driving and help keep the village and road users safe.

The Village Family Fun Day this year is on Sunday, 10th September at the Village Hall and football field from 12 noon to 4 p.m. and has something for everyone, including cream teas, live music from the Bluebird Acoustic Café, a rustic bar, birds of prey, a fun dog show, country dancers, small animals to pet, a tombola, some great raffle prizes donated by local companies, a hog roast, bouncy fun, a sweet stall, welly-in-the-hoop, and introducing our new stocks! The show will once again be opened by the Downside School bagpipe band and entry is free.

Sue Bartucca