Congratulations are in order for our very own ladies with knitting skills, gaining first place at Camdyke’s birthday celebration craft competition. The subject was ‘Our Village’ – what better than a knitted Farrington Gurney?

Our model included a knitted St. John’s Church, farm house, a Farrington’s Farm Shop with a protruding Gurt the cow, a school and a mini bee garden, plus characters, animals, flowers and fields.

Some excellent work with lots of detail. Well done to all members who contributed. Well done, also, to Radstock who came a close-second, and all the other interpretations of neighbouring villages. A good show from all groups and a great party.

Pamela Pontin, with her ‘Baskets’ was our very humorous guest speaker for April. She talked us through her reason for becoming known as a ‘bag lady’ five years ago.

Along with her husband, ‘chief precise cutter’ of the cardboard strips, she uses them to make creations decorated with leftover anything’s from other projects. Painting, weaving, varnishing and attaching handles, she then sells her baskets as gift bags, sandwich and egg boxes, knitting holders; you name it for any type of holder!

To date she has sold 1,266. Some call it a new idea, but really it’s old methods from biblical and medieval times, including plaiting and decoupage put to a current use, and Pamela also holds workshops in Chippenham.

On Tuesday, 8th May we have something a little different, The Pill Whalers’ with Sea Shanties, when all are welcome at the Village Hall at 7.30 p.m.

Barbara Sims