· 09/02817/COU – Use of land for the stationing of a vehicle for the sale of hot food and drink. Lay-by A303 Hazelgrove Roundabout to Chapel Cross Eastbound. REFUSED
· 09/02559/TPO – Application to fell and carry out tree surgery works to various trees shown as being within woodland W1 of the SSDC Tree Preservation Order 2007. Hazelgrove Lodge, High Street, Sparkford. GRANTED

The following planning applications have been received:

Mr. Little reported that the Chief Executive of the County Council has retired and they are currently looking for a replacement. The new administration has brought in a recruitment freeze for six months so anyone who leaves will not be replaced.

Mr. Lewis reported that starting in November the District Council will be providing a green waste service for anyone who wants it. It is thought the cost will be £45 to £60 per annum. They are still trying to work out the final details of the programme but it is thought it will be on a fortnightly basis. They are still looking to see if cardboard and plastic can be collected in the recycling service.
The date of the next Parish Council Meeting is Monday, 5^th October, in the Sparkford Parish Hall.
Karen Bourke Clerk to Sparkford Parish Council sparkford.clerk@googlemail.com

Ellen and Ted Marsh wish to thank all the friends of the late Roma Deacon for attending her funeral. Roma was very fond of her cats and it was her wish that donations should be given to the local branch of the Cats Protection league. The sum of £232.00 was forwarded.

SPARKFORD NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH

There has been an increase in the theft of ‘Sat Navs’ from cars. Obviously these are becoming more commonly used, but we are being careless in leaving them on view and/or the telltale signs of their presence, i.e. windscreen suckers, etc. And, bogus callers are still a problem, so think twice before you open your door. Use a door chain and if you don’t know your caller, don’t let them in – if in doubt, keep them out! Mark your calendars - our Christmas ‘Get Together’ will be on Friday, 11^th December, at 7.30pm, in the Sparkford Parish Hall. Please come – no charge for tickets, but there will be a raffle.
Bill Westcott

A coffee morning in aid of St. Margaret’s Somerset Hospice will be held at the Sparkford Parish Hall on  Saturday, 3^rd October, from 10.30am to 12.00pm, noon. There will be a ‘Bring & Buy’ stall, a raffle, and the usual sale of Hospice Christmas cards, etc. Do, please, come and support this very worthy cause. Barbara Cottier

OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS - ST. MARGARET’S SOMERSET HOSPICE:
October 10^th Hot Jazz with Sunset Café 5 at Baltonsborough Village Hall, 7.30pm-11.30pm. Tickets £10 to include buffet supper. (Tel 01458 85167)
October 11^th Lunch and Cabaret at Cricket St. Thomas, Nr. Chard. 12.00pm, noon, onwards. Two-course *Sunday Lunch* followed by afternoon cabaret. Tickets £16 (Tel 0845 345 9671)
October 15^th Ladies ‘Off the Peg’ Fashion Night with quality high street fashion at 50% off high street prices. 7.00pm for 7.30pm start at the Quicksilver Mail, Yeovil. Tickets £5 (Tel 0845 345 9671)
October 25^th Quiz Night at the Lamb & Lark, Limington, Nr. Yeovil. Tickets £2 per person, teams of four. See you on the night at 8.30pm.

EVERGREEN CLUB

 Coach Trip to Minehead:
The Evergreen Club have arranged a day trip on Thursday, 29^th October, to Minehead and this is open to all who would like to join us for the day. The Coach will pick up at Twines Close at 9.30am and then pick up in Cleaveside Close in Queen Camel. From there, it’s on to Minehead where you can do as you please for a few hours, have some lunch, browse in the shops, and walk along the sea front. Then it’s back onto the coach for the scenic ride home over Exmoor enjoying the stunning scenery and spotting wildlife from the higher vantage point of the coach.  If you are interested in coming along for the day, the costs are £10 per adult and £5 per child under 16.  Please contact Sharon Bradford on 01963 440110 to reserve your seat(s).

Evergreen October Meeting:
On Wednesday, 7^th October, at 2.30pm, the Evergreen Club has Dr. Simon Huins in attendance for one of his open advice/’question & answer’ sessions and everyone is welcome.  You may have to join the queue as Dr. Huins attends to the light-headed and wayward ladies of the Evergreen Club who will no doubt be dropping and wilting in his presence (on purpose!).  During his last visit with us the advantages and benefits of Viagra were given, so I dread to think what will be discussed this time. We will be feasting on knickerbocker glories and fruit sundaes and no doubt Dr. Huins will partake and may even leave with a cake or two!  PCSO Thelma Mead will be with us holding her surgery in the hall at the same time - so crowd control and security is sorted!  Please feel free to drop in and join us. Sharon Bradford

Firstly, thanks must go to Sparkford Parish Council for their generous grant of £150.00 and to Sparkford Neighbourhood Watch who donated half the profits of their summer BBQ to us, this enabled us to buy a new event tent which is 30ft x 13ft and was a great help on our district summer camp and we were 106 in total; beavers, cubs, scouts, explorers, leaders and parents attended. Activities included making and paddling rafts, canoeing, tunneling, climbing, abseiling, shooting, archery, cycling, walking, a day trip to Swanage on a steam train, though the weather was not good at home our area of Dorset escaped most of the rain – saving it for the last day of camp so we could bring home wet canvas! It is all safely packed away now until the next event! We have some new members this term and some ready to move up to the next section of scouting. We are finalizing dates for an exciting programme this term – if you want to join us call Trevor Tuck Group Scout Leader (Tel 01963 440860 or 07775 666155). Anne Tuck

MISS TERESA DE-ROBERTO SINGS AT ST. BARNABAS CHURCH

Earlier this year, I was invited to attend a musical evening held in Henstridge Parish Church to hear a young lady perform. I was astonished by the quality of the singing and the wide repertoire of songs. I came away pondering whether such a concert could be held in our locality. I am pleased to write that through a member of my family I have succeeded and that young lady, Miss Teresa De-Roberto, will be performing in Queen Camel Church on Wednesday, 14^th October, commencing at 7.30pm, by kind permission of St. Barnabas PCC. Teresa has won many singing contests nationally and is using the concert as a rehearsal for the National Finals at the end of the month. Price of admission will be £5.00 per adult which will include light refreshment. Ted Marsh

The Breakfast Committee would like to thank all who helped out during this year’s breakfast season.  Our takings were slightly down on last year, but considering the economic climate and the obvious change in traffic pattern it is still outstanding and as a well known supermarket tells us 'every little helps'.  Special heartfelt thanks and appreciation go to the Weston Bampfylde Hall Committee, The Playing Fields Committee, and the Church who all agreed to receive a reduced profit handout in order to assist the Sparkford Parish Hall to pay a ‘one off’ extraordinarily large bill and to the Parish Council for their help and support. The social event of the year is being held on Friday, 23^rd October, in the Sparkford Parish Hall to thank all of those who helped out in whatever capacity this year.  Your invitations will be delivered nearer the time.   Award nominations, stories and odd requests by our 'victims' are needed by Sharon - all will be treated in the utmost confidence (ha ha)!!!  Who was late?   Who didn't turn up?  Who dropped the plates?  Who is this year’s ‘Baked Bean Queen’?  Who was just perfect?  Contact Sharon Bradford by telephone at 01963 440110 or by email at sharbrad@tiscali.co.uk. Many thanks again -
The Breakfast Committee.

Once a month, the Cary Comedians Carnival Club hold a Cash Bingo at the Sparkford Parish Hall. 7.30pm start  (doors open at 6.15pm). Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. The next bingo night will be on Friday,  30^th October, then on the 20^th November, and 18^th December. Please mark your calendars! We hope to see you there.

SALE OF CHRISTMAS CARDS & GIFTS/COFFEE - FOR ‘SAVE THE CHILDREN’

Please join us for the sale of Christmas cards/gifts, coffee, cakes, produce, books, and bric-a-brac at the Queen Camel Memorial Hall, Saturday, 10^th October, 10.00am-12.00pm, noon. All proceeds in aid of Save the Children. We hope to see you there in support of this good cause. Suzanne Corbett

A shared vegetable garden/allotment is available to anyone who would be willing to cultivate it (Tel 01963 440590). Helen Brazier

NEW GRANT SCHEME – SOLAR PANELS FOR SOUTH SOMERSET

Solar energy will now come at a much cheaper price for South Somerset residents thanks to a new grant scheme being launched this month by South Somerset District Council. Grants of up to £1000 will be available to help homeowners install solar panels that heat water. £600 of the £1000 grant will come from South Somerset District Council and the remainder will come from the Government’s Low Carbon Building Programme. The opportunity is a result of a new scheme that will reduce the cost of a two-panel solar system from around £4600 to £3600 for households of any level of income in South Somerset. On top of the grant, some homeowners may also be eligible for a low interest loan through Wessex Reinvestment Trust that could help fund the entire cost. Climate Energy advisors are now ready to receive enquiries on 0800 0966356. www.southsomerset.gov.uk

BED AND BREAKFAST
"A captivating 17^th century cottage standing within a garden courtyard"
The Dairy House, Little Weston, Somerset 01963 440987 e-mail grahambarnett@lineone.net

A superb country shop! Purveyors of luxury delicatessen foods, fresh meats/cheeses, bread/milk/eggs, fine chocolates and gifts, and a remarkable selection of local fruit preserves, chutneys, honey, cider – and so much more! Enjoy a nice coffee or tea with friends in the café. You are most welcome to drop by and experience for yourselves Sutton Montis’ deli on the farm, Bramble & Sage.
Opening Times: Monday, Closed; Tuesday, 9.30am-5.00pm; Wednesday, 9.30am-5.00pm; Thursday, 9.30am-6.00pm; Friday, 9.30am-6.00pm; Saturday, 9.30am-6.00pm; Sunday, 10.00am-4.00pm. Bramble & Sage, Home Farm, Sutton Montis. 01963 220120 http://www.brambleandsage.co.uk

*A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR*

I want to apologise for September’s week-late issue. I had to work the delivery schedule around my holiday time-off and as I was in America, it was difficult. Unfortunately, some of my distributors (the nice volunteers that personally hand-deliver the newsletters to your door) had to adjust their schedules and even find other willing souls to do the deliveries for them, as they, too, had holidays booked. Also, as I counted out the newsletters for each village, I discovered that we were short by over one hundred copies. For some reason, there was an error at the printers. So, nearly 70-households, as well as the church, stores, and pub, were not delivered the newsletter in September; I’m very sorry about this. To be fair, I removed a percentage of newsletters from each village’s distribution (so the shortage was spread across the board). As some of you may already know, those of you with computers/internet access can view the newsletter online at the Sparkford web site, http://www.sparkford.f9.co.uk/. It’s usually up around mid-month, a couple of weeks before the hardcopy is delivered to your door. Again, I’d like to apologise for the mess-up last month; sorry for any inconvenience caused. And, a BIG thank you to all of the lovely people who help out with the distribution of the newsletter; some of you are hand-delivering nearly 70-copies, rain or shine!

It was super seeing so many parishioners at the Playing Fields’ Fun and Games Afternoon on Sunday, 13^th September. Thanks to the Playing Fields Committee for continually doing so much in order to maintain the park and grounds. Our village is fortunate to have such a great place for our children to play. And, I was most flattered to find that the cake I baked for the event was so liked! It was an American ‘coffee cake’. Americans bake these for coffee mornings, to serve ‘with coffee’! I thought it very funny how some of you, including my English husband, due to its namesake, thought that the cake ‘contained’ coffee as an ingredient! I can assure you that most coffee cakes do not contain coffee. As a few people asked for the recipe on the day, I thought I’d post it here. And, by the way, this cake tastes just as lovely when served with tea! [Note: on the day, I doubled the recipe and baked it in a 14.5"x10.5"x2" pan]

Almond Streusel Cake (an American coffee cake), 25-minutes preparation/30- to 35-minutes baking time
Streusel: 1-c. firmly packed light brown sugar, 1-c. sliced almonds (optional), 1/4-c. plain flour, 3-TBS butter (melted), 1-tsp grated orange zest; Cake: 1/2-c. butter (113g), 1/2-c. caster sugar, 3-large eggs, 1-tsp grated orange zest,  1/2-tsp vanilla extract, 2-c. plain flour, 1-tsp baking powder, 1-tsp bicarbonate of soda, 2/3-c. orange juice;