NYNEHEAD Memorial Hall’s extensive makeover is just about complete, with hall committee members out in force this weekend to reinstate curtains, bunting and wall hangings.

The final lick of paint on the new insulated ceiling panels was applied by local decorator Thurston Howe over the weekend after another Nynehead resident Caleb Phillips had installed the panels seamlessly.

The panels and the thermal curtains, financed by a generous grant from the Somerset Community Fund, should help to keep the hall warmer in the cooler months.

The other big change has been the renovation of the Hall’s splendid wooden floor, with work by Total Floor Care, of Bridgwater revealing the rich tones of timber which has served hall users for many years.

The hall itself financed that work as part of efforts to keep the iconic building in good shape for generations to come.

The hall offers a wide variety of activities each week, as well as being a popular venue for party goers of all ages.

For more details, go to https://nyneheadmemorialhall.org.

AFTER a rain-filled January, when the club had no meeting, Sampford Arundel Gardening Club re-assembled for an informative talk by Bella Given on the kitchen garden.

Bella began by telling the group about her own kitchen gardens, where she once had a 52-bed system, comprising 27 for vegetables, 18 for flowers, and seven for other plants.

However, at her present property she has a more manageable nine vegetable beds and four squares for squashes.

The raised beds were created straight on top of grass, using sleepers or templates, measuring eight feet by four feet with a 20 cm layer of compost on cardboard to suppress any weeds.

Bella uses a no-dig process as this encourages mycorrhizal growth and maintains soil structure.

She applies specific nematodes to control infestations of slugs and leather jackets, and puts horticultural fleece over the beds until May to keep the soil warm.

Bella is also enthusiastic about making and using her own compost; for inexperienced gardeners she suggests two Charles Dowding books, one on the no-dig method and the other on compost making.

All plants are started in seed trays, except for direct sowings of carrots and parsnips, with seedlings kept under cover before planting out when frost is no longer a problem.

If sowing seeds is not possible then buying seedlings is always an option.

The remainder of Bella’s talk, fully illustrated by sides, included details of the herbs, vegetables, and flowers she grows, together with information on the soups, dishes, and cakes she makes with the produce.

Culinary herbs, such as parsley, thyme, chives, and mint are mainly grown in containers.

Successional sowings ensure that produce are available when needed rather than having a glut.

This is especially important with vegetables that are not at their best for very long, for example sugar snap peas, French beans, salad leaves, and early carrots.

Bella also grows a selection of edible flowers which can be sprinkled on salads, used to decorate cakes or added to cocktails or mocktails.

Flowers that are edible include primroses, violets, calendula, nasturtium, tulip and rose petals, and cornflower.

As she gardens organically there is no issue with pesticides in her food and drink.

Following Bella’s talk, the club’s newly introduced gardening plants and related items stall at the meeting proved popular with members, who were also updated on the garden visits in May and June.

The flower and produce show in July was also mentioned and members were provided with French Marigold seeds to grow and exhibit at the show.

The Sampford Arundel Gardening Club will have its next meeting on Thursday, March 12, at 7.30 pm in Sampford Arundel Parish Room.

The speaker will be Ursula Franklin who will describe the natural beauty of the Quantocks.

For further details, contact Sue or Nick on 01823 672662.

A SERVICE for the World Day of Prayer will be held at 2 pm on Friday, March 6, in St John Fisher Roman Catholic Church, Mantle Street, Wellington.

The World Day of Prayer is a women-led, global ecumenical movement and the service is held nationally and internationally on the first Friday of March each year.

This year’s service has been prepared by the Christian women of Nigeria and the theme they have chosen is ‘I will give you rest, come’, based on Matthew 11 verses 28-30.

Everybody is welcome at the service which will be followed by tea and cake.

Particularly welcome will be anybody from, or having connections with, Nigeria.

A SOMERSET artist who has sold paintings to royalty and Adele is encouraging people to put down their mobile phones and get painting.

Liam O’Farrell shared what it is like to be a professional artist with West Buckland WI at the February meeting.

He also urged members to pick up a brush and try painting for themselves and offered several hints and tips to get started.

Starting out as a technical illustrator, producing drawings for Haynes manuals, he turned to painting full time in 1999.

Fans of Liam’s work now include the singer Adele who purchased one his works called the Poison Gardener.

Liam said that at the time he was completely unaware of Adele’s identity and superstar status.

He has also produced two paintings for King Charles.

Through his intricate paintings Liam celebrates the every day routines of life.

He said there was nothing ordinary about the ordinary, which has its own special magic.

Influenced by painters William Hogarth, LS Lowry and Stanley Spencer, Liam’s paintings are a unique blend of architecture within the context of people living their day to day lives.

His work is extensively published and has appeared in the Guardian, The Times, Tatler, and many art publications.

Recent examples include an illustration for Tatler about the whips’ office and its role in Parliament and a painting of a redwing for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds magazine.

He has also exhibited at the prestigious Royal Academy Summer exhibition.

Painting outside is not without risk.

He described a ‘brush with the police’ when painting an industrial scene of houses and the Tate and Lyle sugar factory, which is near London City Airport.

Inside half-an-hour, two police officers arrived in a patrol car and demanded to know what he was doing.

Liam said: “I'm hardly a terrorist, I'm watercolouring.”

One police officer said: “You're not painting the airport, are you?'

Liam told him he was painting the sugar factory.

The police officer replied: “Nobody paints factories.”

Liam said the incident puzzled him as he has painted in countries around the world without ever attracting police attention.

To provide insight into how he develops a painting he described the iterative process that resulted in a spectacular painting of the beach at Cromer.

He concluded by donating an original painting of West Buckland’s village church, which was raffled in aid of the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.

Melodie Lane was the winner.

West Buckland WI president Christine Wombwell thanked Liam for an entertaining and informative presentation.

Following tea and biscuits the WI continued with a report from the president.

She said activities were being planned to celebrate West Buckland WI’s 90th anniversary, including a celebration dinner at Oake Manor on July 8.

Committee member Gill McGoun encouraged all members to have their say about what they liked about West Buckland WI and ideas for the future.

This will help plan the upcoming programme of speakers and activities.

Committee member Christine Warn explained the feedback process and also provided a break down of the ideas and votes for the 2026 Christmas party, gathered at the January meeting.

To further support the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, the WI is holding a table top sale at the Wellington Scout Hall on May 9.

The evening concluded with reports from secretary Cheryl Bailey and treasurer Carol Smith.

West Buckland WI meets at 7.30 pm on the second Tuesday of each month in the village hall, and new members are always welcome.

The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 10, when Bel Deering from the Somerset Rivers Authority will talk about the impact of flooding, particularly affecting the area bordering the River Tone.

To visit or join West Buckland WI, contact Christine Wombwell on 01823 652863 or 07736712273.

THIS month, the local U3A branch enjoyed a talk from the Wellington-based charity Reminiscence Learning.

The members listened to the charity’s Claire Care explain the many forms of dementia.

Claire told the meeting that every three seconds somebody in the world develops some form of the disease.

She then showed the group various ways they could learn to recognise and help those in need.

After Claire’s talk, the group chatted over a cup of tea.

The Wellington U3A branch takes place on the second Monday of every month at 10.15 am.