ROADWORKS have commenced on Front Street and part of Portesham Hill following over a year of meetings with councillors and our local MP Oliver Letwin, presentations and a great deal of work by a group of residents on behalf of the villagers.

All opinions and ideas were taken into consideration with surveys and questionnaires and the majority views are now beginning to come to fruition.

There will inevitably be delays over the following few weeks but everyone is requested to please be patient for what we hope will be a successful outcome for the future safety of our village

  • A TALK on the making of “Dad’s Army” at the October meeting of the WI was held as an open evening to allow husbands and partners to come along and it proved a very successful event that was very well attended.

Mr. Chris McColl related some of the hilarious anecdotes about the making of this popular TV series filmed between 1968 and 1977.

Chris worked behind the scenes and told many stories of little incidents that happened interspersed with mimicry of several characters and some music including the title song that introduced each episode “Who do you think you are kidding Mr. Hitler” which we all sang along to!

Jimmy Perry was the main and first writer of the series with scripts laughing with the war not at it. Michael Mills was responsible for the eventual title “Dad’s Army” originally to be called “The fighting Tigers”!!

Characters in the series were created but sometimes altered, one such being Pike who was written in as a hooligan but changed to a naïve innocent type.

A thoroughly interesting and enjoyable evening and we look forward now to the next meeting being held on Tuesday, November 10 with a talk by John Hutchings on “An insight into Hypnotherapy”.

  • THE ST. PETER’S Church after school club “Shooting Stars” is now being held in the school itself on Wednesday afternoons.

This is a fun club for all children and now they are meeting in the school it allows more room for expanding and with more volunteer helpers there are exciting plans for including dancing, cooking and other interesting activities to the programme.

  • FRIENDS of St. Peter’s Church held a very successful and packed Village Café at the end of October with the hall overflowing with people even though it was a wet, dismal and windy morning.

A well-stocked raffle table was popular and stalls included some delicious homemade cakes, the usual library and cards made for sale by the Friends of St. Peter’s.

A sum of around £300 was raised which will be added to the Church funds to help towards the running costs and upkeep of the Church building and thanks must go the generosity of the villagers who attended.

  • A DIARY note - The Crafty Christmas Party is to be held on Saturday, November 28 from 2.30-5pm in the village hall, which should not be missed; more details to follow later.
  • THE DIAMOND Club enjoyed an excellent lunch at the Portesham Primary School when 40 members sat down to a delicious meal of locally produced beef, roast potatoes and seasonal vegetables with apple tart and custard or cream to follow.

The Club wish to thank the staff and Year 6 and the POPS for looking after them so well and they are now looking forward to Christmas lunch to be held on Wednesday and Thursday, December 9 & 10.

The Club are also looking forward to a Christmas shopping trip to Taunton on Tuesday, November 17 with the coach leaving Abbotsbury at 11am and Portesham at 11.10am returning around 4pm.