IT was announced that David Badham has stepped up to become the new president of the Monument Probus Club of Wellington.

He was officially presented with his chain of office by his predecessor, Richard Williams, at the club’s annual meeting, held at the Beambridge Inn, Sampford Arundel.

Mr Badham’s previous role (vice-president) has been taken over by John Williams.

The club also has a new secretary with Barry Brown taking over from the long-serving Richard Whiteway.

In his report of his year in office, the outgoing president said: “I am pleased to report that 2025-26 has been another successful year for the club, with a full and varied programme of events and talks.

“Sadly, we lost several current and past members over the course of the year, but it was encouraging to see that new recruits quickly took their places, and so overall membership has held steady at a healthy figure of just over 40. That level of resilience is a good testament to the health of the club.”

Club officers elected to serve for 2026/27 were: president, David Badham; past president, Richard Williams; vice-president, John Williams; secretary, Barry Brown; treasurer, Roger Nunn; committee members, Chris Clarke, Alan Sealey, Richard Smith; welfare officer, Alan Keith; lunch stewards, Chris Clarke, Neil Howe, Mike Dillon.

At the conclusion of the meeting, members were informed of the death of past member Alan Craig, who had passed away at the age of 98.

Members stood for a minute in silence in his memory.

A busy morning for the outgoing president concluded by him giving members a presentation, entitled “The Last Confederate and First Canadian”, which gave a fascinating insight into the foundation of Canada as a country, its, at times, thorny relationships with America, the United Kingdom and France and its subsequent emergence as an important power on the global stage.

The next meeting of the club will be on Thursday, April 2, 11am, at the Beambridge Inn when the speaker will be Richard Sillett, who will give a presentation entitled “Speedbird 1 – Memoirs of a British Airways Pilot”.

Monument Probus Club welcomes new members. More information can be obtained from the Hon Secretary via email at [email protected]

MP Gideon Amos for Taunton and Wellington (Liberal Democrat), toured the town with senior local police officers on Friday (March 6).

Mr Amos met with Steve Jones, Neighbourhood Inspector for Taunton, Wellington and Minehead, and Jon O’Connor, Neighbourhood Sergeant for Wellington.

The MP said afterwards: “It was a privilege to walk the beat with the town’s local officers and show my support for those in blue.

“With crime rates clearly below the national average, Wellington is a safe place to be, but that should never be cause for complacency.

“I campaigned to bring back proper community policing after recent years saw reductions in officer numbers in Avon and Somerset.

“The new increase of ten additional police officers serving our part of the county has turned that around and it was good to hear first-hand how that’s helped bring extra support into the town when it’s been needed.

“But it is Wellington’s community spirit – including that of its dedicated town and county councillors working together with the police – which really makes a difference, so it was also helpful to understand and discuss ways to improve that even further to keep the town the safe and thriving place we all want it to remain.”

WELLINGTON & District u3a welcomed David Ramsden MBE for his talk “Climate and ecological crisis? What’s all the fuss about?”

The earth’s ability to sustain us for any length of time is seriously under threat. The group were told about the basics that make up a healthy planet – fertile soil, natural water cycles, permafrost and ice, healthy ecosystems and beneficial atmosphere. No one of these can fail without catastrophic result. Carbon, mostly carbon dioxide, is the main threat and David expanded on its many aspects.

The statistics (from numerous sources, all meticulously attributed) made things clearer, especially the links between CO2 , global temperature and sea levels. The huge change since industrialisation was clearly demonstrated. The group’s attention was shifted to the future and potential outcomes.

David offered a wealth of steps that we as individuals can take to mitigate matters, covering energy, transport, food and consumerism. It was beyond his brief to stir the group up to political activism but many were determined to put pressure on our elected representatives to do more than pay lip service to positive action.

On arrival, some of the members thought they knew a fair bit about the subject and wanted to know more, some doubted the seriousness of the situation and others wanted to know how the group could make a difference. As the members left they were all much better informed and somewhat alarmed. The speaker’s words were ringing in our ears : “If we want to witness the breakdown of our society, the collapse of civilisation, unimaginable amounts of human suffering and death, all we have to do is … nothing.”

Wellington & District u3a meet on the second Tuesday of every month at 10.15 am at Wellington Rugby Club.

Visitors are welcome to attend.

REMINISCENCE Learning will host an open day celebration to announce the results of research carried out in collaboration with Bath Spa University on March 20.

Reminiscence Learning is a regional and national multi-award winning registered charity based in Wellington, specialising in dementia care, activity and reminiscence.

The event begins at 10 am and will be held at Reminiscence Learning Hamlands.

No booking is required for the free event.

Tea, coffee and cake will be provided.

A spokesperson for Reminiscence Learning, said: “If you care about the future of Wellington as a dementia inclusive and friendly place, come along and hear what we found out. We think it's so important that this information is shared, to inspire change in the local community.”

PRESIDENT of Wellington Rotary Club, Richard Williams, visited Court Fields School to present book tokens to the school’s Youth Speaks competitors, Reiniel, Nicole, Oscar, Aimee and Beatrice.

Mr Williams said: “These young speakers were outstanding — confident, thoughtful and a credit to their school.”

Teacher Mrs Lisa Bulmer said: “I’m so proud of their passion and hard work. They truly shone.”

RUMWELL Farm Shop, which is on the A38 between Taunton and Wellington, is starting its 2026 Late‑Night Rumwell Café on Thursday, March 19, from 5 pm to 7.30 pm to help further raise awareness of the importance of british, westcountry and Somerset-sourced produce.

Sophie Mitchell, partner at the Farm Shop, said: “We’re offering visitors the chance to enjoy our Rumwell experience into the early evening as part of our ongoing mission to promote British, westcountry and Somerset ingredients wherever possible.

“We produce our own eggs, pork, beef and potatoes on our family-run farm just up the road from the Shop and sell them to our customers, as well as using them in our award-winning café, ensuring lower food miles, freshness and provenance. We also make hundreds of ‘Made at Rumwell’ products onsite including bakery and deli items, as well as jams and preserves, and gluten free products too.

“Our ethos is to source produce, wherever possible, from as close to us as we can. That means by shopping with us, you’re supporting lots of other farmers and growers in the area too. Obviously, we can’t get everything from close by, but we work hard to do the best we can.

“Farm Retail Association’s (FRA) says, 75p out of every £1 you spend at a farm retailer like us stays in the local economy. This means when you buy from us, you’re supporting jobs and livelihoods in your community and helping preserve rural landscapes too.

“By opening our Café later on one weekday evening a month, it should allow people who can’t come during a normal working week to have a meal with us and also for those with children at school to be able to have an early family tea here.”

The late‑night Rumwell Café will run on the third Thursday of every month throughout 2026, excluding December.

Sophie added: “Faced with many ongoing challenges, farmers all around us here in Somerset and the South West are in need of community support now more than ever before, so eating food that’s grown, produced and sourced locally has never been more important.

“That’s one of the main drivers for offering our visitors the chance to not only dine with us during the day but to also be able to eat here one evening each month. We’re extending the opportunity for people to eat delicious food in a wonderful setting while supporting farmers, growers and producers here in Somerset, the westcountry and Britain.”

For further details on the late night cafe visit www.rumwellfarmshop.com/2026-late-night-rumwell-cafe