THE Scout troop are celebrating winning the district cooking competition and Scout leader Alex Gibson was delighted with the result.

This is the first time that Crossways had been victorious in this field. They were judged on a variety of criteria and not just the taste of the final product.

  • THANKS to many generous donations, the recent Valentine's bingo for the new church fund was a great success.

The sum of £200 has been added to the coffers and an enjoyable evening's entertainment was had by all who attended.

Rev Jacqui Birdseye hopes others will come forward to organise fund raisers for this cause.

All the prizes had been donated and as it was a romantic feel there were plenty of chocolates and flowers to be won.

The next event takes place this Saturday (23) at Crossways Rectory, Warmwell Road when there will be a coffee morning between 10am and noon.

Coffee and homemade cake is £1 and there will be a selection of stalls. Then later on at 7pm there will be a vocal concert at Moreton Church given by Louise Wayman and James Davies Tickets are £5 and available in advance from Crossways Rectory or at the door.

  • A new group is now taking place each week in Crossways Court communal lounge, Binghams Road All ages and abilities - all welcome. Every Thursday from 2pm-4pm and 1.15-3.15pm on February 28, called Games galore! and costing: 75p (to invest in new games) and 25p for refreshments.

No need to book, just turn up at either - with your hobby or game of choice - and join others for two hours of companionship - sharing knowledge, skills, talent and laughter.

Organised by the residents at Crossways Court for everyone in the community with a warm welcome for all.

  • Crossways Football Club were also in the winning ways when they beat Poundbury by a thumping 7-Nil.

Thank goodness for a few dry days, which had restored the condition of the pitch. The team have had to contend with some pretty dire conditions at their recent away matches so it was a welcome return to Dick O'Th Banks Road and a brilliant result.

They had to wait three weeks for being able to play the Intermediate Cup quarter-final against Lyme Regis.

They were triumphant with a 2-0 win against a side which showed a little more experience and had been strongly tipped to go through. To follow this they won 3-1 against Chickerell with all three goals on the score sheet coming from Jamie Beasley.

The up-coming fixtures are March 1, away to Upwey & Broadwey at the Redlands Sports Field. The following Saturday see the team at home in Crossways for a 2.30 kick-off in the Intermediate Cup Semi Final. The team are hoping a good local turnout will support the team in this important fixture.

The main Warmwell Road (B3390) has often been the subject of discussion and debate in view of the volume and speed of traffic.

The stretch through the village being straight has often been seen as a racing track' even in spite of the 40mph speed limit.

There has been a campaign to get this lowered to 30mph. You would think therefore that the current set of temporary traffic lights would be a relief but not so!

The traffic queues have stopped people from parking outside Tree Stores and blocking drives and forecourts alike.

Added to this has been the reliability of the lights themselves which have failed on a regular basis since the work began.

Chaos has been caused with both sets of lights being red at the same time. Work has been scheduled to take ten weeks and is being undertaken to undertake work on the electricity mains.

Village matters will be to the forefront of discussions at the next meeting of Crossways parish Council on Thursday, February 28 at 7pm.

The first half hour is an opportunity for members of the public to participate before the council goes into session.

  • The parish magazine The Bridge is appealing for more volunteers to help with collating.

Each month a small and dedicated team put together over 1,400 copies of the publication which is then distributed by another team to every house in the parishes of Crossways, Moreton, Tincleton and Woodsford.

This has been happening for over 30 years.

You literally could help everyone who uses these pages to communicate to the local community and provide a lifeline to those who want to know what is going on around them.

It now appears online at www.crosswaysdorset.info where many 'hits' have been received.

All of this is funded by an annual appeal for readers to make a financial contribution. There is no subscription but the team feel that this is part of the attraction and the secret of the publications success.

Think you can help - even if only as a relief' collator for holiday & illness cover please contact Tony Walton on 01305 853437

Moreton

THE next meeting of Moreton Parish Council will take place on Tuesday, March 4 at 7pm in Moreton Village Hall. Residents are most welcome to attend.

The regular whist sessions held in Moreton Village Hall have finished.

After many years of organising, Phil Brinson has 'retired' but wishes to thank all those patrons who had supported this venture so loyally.

  • Even though it seems a long way away, preparations and plans are already in hand for the annual flower festival which takes place over the late spring bank holiday at the end of May (24 - 26).

Organiser Carol Gibbens is hoping that local people will come forward and volunteer their help.

With the famous Whistler clear engraved glass windows and the association with TE Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) who is buried there, it is always a popular visitor attraction.

For three days, the church works hard to raise badly-needed funds for its own needs as well as for other charities too.

In addition to the flower arrangements there are cream teas to prepare and serve and stalls to run.

Volunteers needed to put up the gazebos, set up the stalls and back them away at the end of the festival. Particularly popular are the book, cake, plants and bric-a-brac stalls.

All offers gratefully received by Carol on 01929 462468. This is also the contact if you would like to become a Friend of Moreton Church.' For a small annual subscription you will be kept informed of news and events as well as invitations to special floodlit services when the windows are specially lit.