The Parish Magazine

September '26

BERWICK ST JAMES

WELCOME to Fay, Paul, Bobby and Charlie Martin. We do hope you enjoy living in Berwick.

WELCOME to Shane and Lena Rose at The Boot Inn. We are delighted that you have taken over the Boot Inn and look forward to many visits!

GOODBYE to Caroline Ainsworth and Moss Collins and Watson, we hope you have a great time in your new village, and look forward to more Art Exhibitions.

We are sorry that Amy and Ross Anderson have left the Boot Inn, we wish them all the best for the future.

CHURCH NEWS.

On 6th September we have our normal Holy Communion Service at 9.30am.

On Friday 18th September at 6.30pm, we are holding the village Harvest Supper at the Guide Centre. Each Berwick household will receive further details with Community Matters.                                                                                         Last year, we had a very enjoyable evening, although numbers were down on the previous year, so we hope for a goodly number this year. The aim is to have a convivial evening together and any surplus will be split between the church and The Trussell Trust.

On 11.00am on Sunday 20 September, we will be celebrating Harvest Festival, an important event in the agricultural year, particularly this year when harvest has been so difficult for local farmers. As usual, the church will be decorated for the service, and residents are asked to donate produce (fruit, vegetables, tins) which will be donated, as usual to the Women’s Refuge in Salisbury.

Finally, I shall be participating in Wiltshire Historic Church’s Trust Ride and Stride on Saturday 12th September. This is the major fundraising for the Trust ( of which I am a trustee) which raises money for the fabric of local churches. Refreshments will be provided in Berwick church for those visitors participating Ride and Stride.

TEA and CAKE and CHAT

The September Tea and Chats are on Tuesdays 1st and 15th, and the October ones on Tuesday 6th and 20th. We will supply cold drinks as well as tea and coffee, but hopefully the weather will not be as hot as in August. The elderflower and ice went down very well. We would love to see you.

We would love to see people from all the local villages, the Reading Room is suitable for children (I can bring a bag of toys if you let me know in advance), and those with mobility issues – there are no steps! Come along for a chat and a cup of tea, it is free and we welcome everyone. And welcome cakes to share too!

A WARM WELCOME FROM THE BOOT INN – Under New Management
We would like to extend a very warm welcome to everyone in the village and surrounding area. We are delighted to introduce ourselves as the new management team at The Boot Inn and thrilled to be part of this wonderful community.  

Our Chef and Brand-new Menu. We are excited to be bringing your local pub back to life. Our chef, Josh, is currently hard at work creating a brand-new menu, which we look forward to sharing with you very soon. Our aim is to offer a simple pub menu done well, complemented by seasonal specials and themed evenings as we settle in. We will confirm food service times shortly, but in the meantime we would love to welcome you to The Boot for a drink and a chat. 

Opening Times. We are open every day from 12:00 until 23:00. Whether you're a regular face or visiting for the first time, we look forward to welcoming you through our doors and making The Boot Inn the heart of the local community once again.  See you soon!                      Lena & Shane  The Boot Inn  01722 790633

BERWICK ST JAMES CRICKET CLUB       -  Recruiting Cricketers.     

If you are interested in playing cricket for Berwick St James Cricket Club, we would love to hear from you. Please contact: Rob: 07867 520320. Frank: 07850 958995. Charlie: 07796 332523

PLANT, PRODUCE and FLOWER TABLE supporting CRUK

Hello villagers and neighbouring villages.

In last months mag I started by saying ..hopefully by the time you read this temperatures will be normal and we will have had some much needed rain. I really mean it this time, I am sure your garden is as frazzled as mine!! It’s one thing being grounded in the winter because of bad weather but in the summer because of heat is depressing.

Hopefully by the time we have any spare produce for the table thigs will have cooled a bit, but don’t forget to share with your friends and neighbours as the price of everything is no doubt going to rise because of this drought.

I would like to thank all of you for your continued support in these difficult growing times, especially our farmers. Yours Aye Christine.

A STOMPING GREAT SUCCESS – A Berwick St James Barn Dance evening to remember!                                       

The scene was set at 6.30 on a warm and balmy August evening at the Cricket Club pitch with its glorious far-reaching countryside views. Gates opened to welcome the 210 crowd – most decked out in country & western-cum-ceilidh getup. Smiling toddlers, excited kids, keen teens and eager beaver older adults. Berwick residents mingled with family, friends, neighbours and many from surrounding villages. Fairy lights everywhere to twinkle through the night. Stretch tents up and waiting. The stage set and ready for the live bands. Sizzling BBQ food with choice of drinks beckoned. A majestic bouncy castle for little feet to jump and giggle on.  Just a fiver for the chance to win bubbly and sweeties.  Let the fun begin! 

A night of community cheer enjoyed by all. Music to carry one throughout the night. Toe-tapping tunes by Ribble.  High-energy fiddle from Monkey See Monkey Do.  Grab a partner. A packed dance floor. Line up and follow the Caller’s guide. Learn the steps and repeat. Shrieks of laughter. Merry confusion. And here we go again. The end came all too soon at 11.00.                                                 

A BIG ‘thank you’ to all who came to join in the fun and to the many volunteers who helped to make this a memorable occasion. To the Street family as landowners, the Cricket Club for use of their pitch and cooking delicious food and to the new management at The Boot Inn for stepping in at the last moment.  The biggest cheer and yeehaw goes to Christian Lange.  With great enthusiasm he not only initiated the Barn Dance idea for Berwick but he also provided all the amazing set-up for the night.  We couldn’t have done it without him!  Incredibly, the entire evening ran completely on solar energy stored within the battery of an electric car.     We are delighted to announce that the event raised over £3,000 for the Berwick St James Community Fund, which supports various village initiatives. From Berwick St James Village Meeting Committee. [Photos of the event can be found on our village website under the header Fund Raising Events: Barn Dance]

HARVEST DATES

I am sure everyone is aware of how the heatwaves have affected farming in these villages, surrounded by lovely fields as we are.

On a farm in the parish, we grew combinable crops of Winter Wheat, (planted in the autumn), spring planted Barley, and spring planted Oats. Also environmental crops which aren’t combined, many of you will have seen the pretty fields earlier in the year.  This year we started harvest on 20th July (winter wheat) and finished on 29th July (spring oats). Records I have access to start in 1977 (the others are in the loft somewhere!) – so unfortunately we don’t have 1976 to hand. We have never finished in July before.  This year is the earliest finish, and the shortest harvest (10 days) in the last 49 years. It may also be the earliest start, but records before 2008 don’t include the crop type, and Oilseed is harvested earlier, and we didn’t have any this year, but did in earlier years. The yield is well down too.