A CHARITY coffee morning in aid of The Beacon Centre at Musgrove Park Hospital, will be held by Nynehead Court on Saturday, October 25, from 10am to 12.30pm in The Orangery.

The event promises to be a warm and welcoming gathering, with freshly brewed coffee and tea, alongside a tempting array of cakes and refreshments, all lovingly prepared and served in the elegant surroundings of Nynehead Court.

Visitors can also look forward to a tombola and raffle, with a fantastic selection of prizes donated by local businesses and friends of the home. Prizes include: £100 cash, a garden tour and cream tea at Nynehead Court, £25 voucher for Kanya, 45-minute beauty massage, cream tea for two at Brew Two, two cinema tickets, floral arrangement, plus many more lovely surprises.

The raffle will be drawn at noon, so guests are encouraged to arrive in good time for a chance to win.

All proceeds from the morning will go directly to The Beacon Centre, which provides vital cancer care and support to patients and families across the region. Every coffee poured, every raffle ticket sold, and every donation received will contribute to the centre’s ongoing work.

Entry is free, and cash donations are welcome on the day. A JustGiving QR code will also be available for those who prefer to make their donation online.

This event offers more than a cup of coffee — it’s a chance to come together, support a cause close to many hearts, and enjoy a sociable morning in the company of friends, neighbours and the Nynehead Court community.

For further details, call 01823 662481, email [email protected] or visit the website www.nyneheadcourt.co.uk/coffee-morning-in-aid-of-the-beacon-centre

FRUIT, vegetables, packaged food, and flowers decorated St Mary’s Church, Hemyock, for the Harvest Festival weekend.

While the floral window displays will remain in situ most of the other goods will be donated to the local Community Larder.

The service on Friday evening was conducted by Piers Langdon with the address given by invited speaker the Rev Tim Hodge.

The collection was in aid of the Farming Community Network.

Following the service a hot supper was enjoyed at the Parish Hall followed by a short singalong entertainment.

The Rev John Rawlings led the Sunday Harvest Holy Communion service which was followed by light refreshments.

MEMBERS of Wellington Monument Rotary Club were delighted to see thousands of books find new homes during their recent pop-up.

Ada Mournian, club secretary for Wellington Monument Rotary Club, said: “Many of you will have already visited the pop-up and helped us find new homes for thousands of previously cherished books. Don't worry, we have more than enough to last until Saturday, October 18, and look forward to seeing you.

“Cash and card donations very welcome. This year's charities are: MacMillan Cancer Support at The Beacon Centre, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, Mind (Somerset), and Neroche Woodlanders.”

For more details see: www.facebook.com/MonumentRotaryClub

THE Wellington Bible Society Action Group will be holding a ‘Songs of Praise’ event at Wellington Methodist Church, Waterloo Road on Sunday October 19 at 3pm.

Donations will be for the Bible Society's Prison Appeal.

The event will be followed by light refreshments. All are welcome to attend.

THE Friends of Wellington Park will hold its annual general meeting on Saturday, October 11, at 6.30pm at Wellington Rugby Club.

Sandra Nunn, on behalf of Friends of Wellington Park said: “Everyone is welcome to attend. If anyone would be interested in joining our committee please come and talk to us at the meeting.”

There will be a members only social after the meeting.

THE October meeting of the Monument Probus Club of Wellington, held at the Beambridge Inn, Sampford Arundel, was attended by 25 members, who were welcomed by the president, Richard Williams.

The business section of the meeting focused on a variety of upcoming social events, including the club’s annual autumn break to Cornwall and a visit to the Culm Valley Model Railway Club. Dates were also announced for the 2025 Past Presidents’ Lunch and 2026 President’s Luncheon, both of which are scheduled to take place at the Oake Manor Golf Club.

The president then welcomed the speaker for the morning, Brian Fernley, who gave a presentation, entitled “Hunting the Hunter – RAF Dunkeswell in World War Two”.

With emphasis on RAF Dunkeswell, near Honiton, Mr Fernley featured the Battle of the Atlantic, the only battle that continued throughout the six years of conflict between 1939 and 1945. He said that the effect of Germany’s submarines on Allied shipping needed immediate defensive action and required the co-operation between RAF’s Coastal Command and the USAAF and then the US Navy.

Life on the base was documented by an American magazine, which provided a wealth of visual material, which coupled with the personal anecdotes of people who were there at the time, provided a fascinating insight to the life of the submarine hunters, including Joe Kennedy, brother of the future American President John F Kennedy.

The talk by Mr Fernley, a keen aviation historian, prompted a lively session of questions and answers, after which the speaker received a vote of thanks from the president, followed by a round of applause from the members.

The next meeting will be held on Thursday, November 6, 11am at the Beambridge Inn. The speaker will be Tony Hoyle, who will give a presentation, entitled “Local Bees”.

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

COMMUNITY efforts to tackle fuel poverty and keep people in Somerset warm this winter are being offered free financial support from National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED).

Money is available to run warm spaces and improve the energy efficiency of community buildings, such as village halls, that are hosting them.

The company is also looking to support groups that are:

Individual grants up to £5,000 are available for registered charities or non-profit companies from NGED’s Community Matters Fund, which is open for applications until 5 pm on October 24.

NGED’s social impact business partner Ellie Patey said: “We want to support grassroots organisations looking to help people stay warm this winter, particularly those facing cost of living pressures.”

Constituted charitable organisations without a charity number can apply for up to £2,000.

It is part of National Grid’s ongoing commitment to energy affordability through a range of community support including year-round partnerships with trusted organisations via the ‘Power Up’ and ‘Affordable Warmth’ schemes to help tackle fuel poverty, targeted assistance delivered in collaboration with Kidney Care UK and the Fuel Bank Foundation, and increased access to warm, welcoming community spaces through a partnership with the Warm Welcome campaign.

WELLINGTON Town Council is to start investigating moves to building a new community hall as part of the Cades Farm housing development.

It was back in February 2021 when councillors heard they had been offered a parcel of land along with £250,000 from the Persimmon Homes developers – as per a legal Section 106 agreement – for the building of community facilities on the Cades Farm development.

A working group of local residents and councillors was formed to look at developing the proposals, but it never really got going with people moving away or unable to commit time to the project and it all got put on the backburner and eventually forgotten.

But four years on and now the town council is looking at it again.

The council’s chief executive and town clerk, Dave Farrow, said: “Persimmon has now indicated that it is in a position where it wishes to transfer ownership of the land on which the hall would be built to the town council.”

The council recruited Helen Acreman late last year as a temporary part-time project officer to oversee the Kings Arms community hub project in the town centre.

Mr Farrow said: “Now that work is more or less complete Helen has agreed to stay on and project manage the building of the community hall at Cades Farm.”

Councillors have been told that estimated costs for the building of a community hall – depending on size – varied from £300,000 to £400,000.

Mr Farrow said the project would cost more than the £250,000 Section 106 agreement with Persimmon.

“Once detailed costs are available consideration will need to be given to how the gap will be covered and we’ll have to look at grant funding,” he said. “There is potential for income generation for the hall once it is built.”

Councillors supported proposals for council officers to start investigations.