THE parish churches of Hemyock with Culm Davy Chapel, Clayhidon and Culmstock were delighted to welcome the Bishop of Crediton, the Venerable Moira Astin to a joint service of Holy Communion.

Held at St Mary’s Hemyock she was assisted by Dr David Major a Lay Minister

Following the service a bring and share finger food buffet was held at the Parish Hall when the Bishop took the opportunity to chat to those present.

THE new 27 bus service, operated by Somerset Council between Wellington, Wivelsicombe and West Buckland, is reportedly being well used and a revised timetable for the service was introduced on September 2.

The service runs between West Buckland, Memorial, Wellington, Langford Budville, Milverton, Wivdeliscombe and Langley Corner.

The service is on Tuesdays and Thursdays only.

• Buses depart from Wellington High Street for West Buckland at the following times: 10.09am, 11.39am and 1.09pm.

• Buses depart from Wellington High Street for Wiveliscombe at 10.29am, 11.59am and 1.29pm.

• Buses depart from West Buckland to Wellington at 10.20am, 11.50am and 1.20pm.

• Buses depart from Wiveliscombe, the Square, to Wellington at 9.38am, 11.08am, 12.38pm and 2.08pm.

A Canadian theatre company wowed the audience at Premiere of ‘A Little Green Leaf’ - a powerful WWII play about SOE agent, Odette Hallowes - coming to Wellington Arts Centre on Friday, September 12.

Tumbleweeds Theatre, from Victoria BC, premiered ‘A Little Green Leaf’ in London on August 27. This original one-act play, inspired by the true story of WWII Special Operations Executive (SOE) heroine Odette Hallowes, will now tour venues connected to Odette’s history, as well as schools, across the south of England.

A full house welcomed the cast, including Kathleen O’Reilly, playing Odette, and Will Carr, playing Captain Edward Bonner and other characters, at the Collective Acting Studio in London.

A standing ovation was given for the performance with one audience member remarking: “I felt that the playwright had done a great job in encapsulating the essence of Odette within the words of the play and these were then really beautifully delivered by Kathleen O’Reilly.”

Another audience member said: “Will Carr very subtly brought all those characters to life in a slightly different way within the very clever design of the play.”

Other comments include “Powerfully staged” and “She sounded like an echo of Odette.”

Blending intimate storytelling, puppetry, and shadow work in a black box medium, ‘A Little Green Leaf’ illuminates a story of resistance, survival, and the power of hope.

The tour is designed to spark conversations around peace, gender equity, and women’s wartime contributions and each performance will be followed by a Q&A session.

After surviving nearly two years in Nazi captivity and at Ravensbruck Concentration Camp, SOE agent Odette Hallowes is unexpectedly freed by her captor, SS Commandant Fritz Suhren, who hopes to use her to negotiate his surrender.

At the American front lines, Odette exposes him as a war criminal and hands him over to the Allies, seizing his pistol in the process. Sitting in Suhren's SS-issued convertible under the night sky, she convinces Captain Edward Bonner to let her stay outside a little longer, distracting him with the extraordinary story of her life — and how a ‘Little Green Leaf’ saved her in her darkest moment.

Odette is secretly after the papers Suhren has hidden in the car, hoping to secure vital evidence for the British. Over the course of the night, a bond forms between the resilient Odette and the war-weary Eddie, who was at the liberation of Buchenwald in the weeks prior to meeting Odette.

He is grappling with his own ability to find hope in the bleakness of what Fascism has shown itself to have done. Odette becomes that light for him over the course of their conversation as they share a rare moment of peace amidst the shadows of war.

For tickets and information visit: www.alittlegreenleaf.com

STAFF and students were thrilled to learn Wellington’s Court Fields School had been awarded the Bronze UNICEF Rights Respecting School Award (RRSA).

The RRSA is a UK-wide initiative led by UNICEF that supports schools in embedding the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into their ethos and curriculum. The aim is to create a school environment where children’s rights are learned, taught, respected, protected, and promoted—empowering young people to become active, engaged citizens.

Headteacher, Mrs Matthews shared her pride in the achievement.

She said: “We are incredibly proud to have achieved the Bronze UNICEF Rights Respecting School Award. This recognition reflects our commitment to creating a school environment where every member of our community feels valued, heard, and empowered.

“At Court Fields, we believe that teaching children and young people about their rights—and the importance of respecting the rights of others - helps build a stronger, kinder community both within and beyond our school gates. We are now excited about our journey to achieving Silver.”

This award marks an important milestone in our journey to becoming a fully Rights Respecting School. We look forward to continuing our work to ensure that every student at Court Fields feels safe, supported, and inspired to make a positive difference in the world.

BUSINESS, charities and other organisations are being invited to find out more about the county’s biggest and most prestigious awards at the official launch of the Somerset Business Awards 2026.

Entries open next month for the Somerset Business Awards 2026 which celebrate the best of Somerset’s business community and voluntary sector.

Organised annually by Somerset Chamber of Commerce, leading accountancy firm, Albert Goodman, is returning as the headline sponsor for the 16th consecutive year.

The awards will officially open on Wednesday, September 10, with a special event in Bampfylde Hall at Hestercombe House and Gardens, near Taunton, where would-be entrants will be able to meet sponsors and judges and find out more about the awards.

There is no charge to attend the launch event but people must register in advance via the Somerset Chamber of Commerce website.

This year, the awards welcome a trio of new judges and sponsors with 14 categories covering all sectors and sizes of business and charity. The awards are free to enter and businesses do not need to be a member of Somerset Chamber to take part.

Categories include the Business Resilience and Growth Award to recognise businesses which have reinvented their offering to go from strength-to-strength, a Business of the Year awards, plus awards for Charity of the Year, Service Excellence, Environmental and Sustainability, Apprentice of the Year and Start-up of the Year.

Organisations will have until November 21 to submit their entries via the Somerset Business Awards website at www.somersetbusinessawards.org.uk, while full details about the launch event can be found on the event listings on Somerset Chamber of Commerce’s website at www.somerset-chamber.co.uk

David Crew, managing director of Somerset Chamber of Commerce, said: “The Somerset Business Awards are a great way for businesses to raise their profile, engage their staff and celebrate their achievements.

“They enable firms to share their success stories and I am grateful for the sponsorship and support of so many of Somerset’s leading businesses who, like me, are keen to celebrate our incredible business community.”

Awards this year are: Small Business of the Year; Medium Business of the Year; Large Business of the Year; Albert Goodman Family Business of the Year Award; Best Use of Digital Technology Award; Charity of the Year Award; Employer of the Year; Investing in Somerset Award; Start-up of the Year Award; Apprentice of the Year Award; Environmental and Sustainability Award; Service Excellence Award; Somerset Manufacturing and Engineering Award; Business Resilience and Growth Award.

The 90th Wellington Flower Show celebrated 50 years of holding the show at Wellington School. It was an extremely successful event, with an excellent number of entries despite a very challenging growing season.

The fruit and veg judge was Ian Johnson, accompanied by steward (and treasurer) David Smith, Sheena Page is secretary and Stephen Page is chairman, not as reported in last week’s article.

Championship results:

Pot/house plant — 1, David Smith; 2, Maggie Crockett; 3, M Broom.

Floral art, an exhibit to depict a publication — 1, Rhys Parry Williams; Saranna Cogswell; 3, Joy Garland.

Cookery — 1, Louise Avery; 2, Judy Payne.

Richard Fox Trophy, for the exhibit most pleasing to the president — Michèle Weaver.

The Humphries Perpetual Challenge Cup, for the most points in classes 200-206 (floral art) — Jackie Crouch.

Ursula Tracey Memorial Trophy, collection of fruit - Andy Russell.

Bill Flay Memorial Trophy, vegetables — Mike Hawkins.

The Rowe Trophy. collection of five vases of cut flowers — David Smith.

The Challenge Cup, given by the Late Julian Fox for the best collection of five pot plants — David Smith.

The Society's Golden Jubilee Trophy, for floral art – Rhys Parry Williams.

Championship rolling pin — Louise Avery.