Community news in and around Wellington

WELLINGTON Choral Society has given a very warm welcome to our new accompanist Ed Jenkins. Ed grew up in Somerset and studied music at Taunton School and Exeter University, including organ with Paul Morgan, before completing a PGCE at Bath Spa University College.

He has had a career in music education, working at schools in Bristol before becoming director of music at Wycliffe College in Gloucestershire in 2008, followed by taking up the same position at Queen’s College in Taunton in 2014.

After working with a number of choirs and ensembles as a conductor and accompanist as well as leading the successful Music Department at Queen’s College for ten years, he now combines a busy schedule of performance, conducting and teaching across the South West as the administrative manager of Guildhall Young Artists Taunton.

Wellington Choral Society are delighted that Ed has also joined us as our accompanist at our Mozart Mass in C Minor and other works by Mozart Concert. The choir are enjoying rehearsing Mozart's Mass in C Minor assisted by him at the piano. We are looking forward to the performance of the Mass and other works by Mozart under the baton of our music director Laurence Blyth on Saturday, November 28 at 7 pm at St John the Baptist Church, Wellington. Tickets are £16 and under 18s go free. Tickets are on sale on our website, from members and on the door.

Lucy Watson

IT was all about breathing, balance and the benefits of movement and meditation at the November meeting of West Buckland WI. Rob Walsh and Elaine Farley, local instructors of Yang style Tai chi and Qigong, guided members through a taster session of basic moves, demonstrating the benefits of good posture, good breathing and gentle movement. Everyone joined in and embraced the experience, learning simple movements to take away and practice at home.

Rob explained that Tai chi originated in ancient China as a martial art, but over many hundreds of years has developed as an effective exercise for health. Now practised worldwide, this gentle form of exercise is acknowledged to benefit health and longevity, improving posture, removing stress from the body and boosting the immune system. At its heart, Tai chi is a moving meditation with flowing movements that improve strength, flexibility and balance. Both Rob and Elaine emphasised that Tai Chi is suitable for everyone, and you are never too old to begin.

Based in West Buckland, where they have a small studio, Rob and Elaine run classes throughout the Wellington area. These are accessible to everyone and include standing and seated Tai chi and Qigong sessions. Gill McGoun gave a huge thank you to Rob and Elaine for sharing their knowledge and expertise. Trying something new was a reminder that we all need to move more.

Anyone interested in Tai chi can contact Rob and Elaine by emailing [email protected]

Members then enjoyed a short refreshment break. President Christine Wombwell continued the meeting and reminded members that the WIs 90th anniversary Christmas party takes place on December 8. This is an auspicious occasion as it is the same date as the very first meeting of West Buckland WI in 1936. On December 10 a 90th anniversary and combined carol service will take place at 2.30 pm at St Mary’s Church, West Buckland. President Christine reported that the Somerset Federation of WIs had awarded West Buckland a commemorative 90th year certificate. A lively account of the Somerset Federation of WIs annual meeting was then provided by Anne Sparks.

For the first four months of 2027, meetings will take place in the afternoon, starting at 2 pm. New members are always welcome. If you would like to visit or join West Buckland WI, please contact Christine Wombwell on 01823 652863 or 07736712273.

BLACKDOWN Acapella is an award winning, all female chorus of over 40 local women, with a passion for fun and musical excellence. We recently competed nationally at the 'Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers (LABBS) 50th Anniversary Convention' in Harrogate alongside 40 other UK choruses, where we achieved our highest ever score since forming five years ago.

We were also competing with our highest number of members ever - eleven of which had never competed previously, performing two songs in front of a panel of nine judges who scored us across three categories (singing, musicality and performance).

Our circus themed set certainly caught the judges attention, and they rewarded us with an overall score of 72.2 percent - our highest ever.

As we look forward to 2027 we would love to grow our membership further and are particularly looking for women with a lower voice range to join our beautiful bass section. We are also looking forward to hosting our third Blackdown Acapella Show 'A Night at the Movies' on Saturday, May 15, 2027 at Holyrood Academy in Chard where we will be showcasing our talent with a varied mix of cinematic classics. Tickets will be on sale via our website and Facebook page soon.

Helena Baker

Blackdown Acapella

PRESIDENT David Badham welcomed 28 members to the November meeting of the Monument Probus Club of Wellington.

During a brief business section of the meeting, reference was made to the club's successful autumn break, which saw a party of 17 members and partners enjoy a four-night stay at the Mill House Hotel in Salisbury.

Mr Badham then introduced the speaker for the morning, Nick Clyburn who gave a presentation entitled “An Expert Guide to Air Traffic Confusion”. Mr Clyburn, a former Royal Air Force officer and air traffic controller has over 40 years of experience in military and civilian air traffic management.

Born in Devon, he joined the RAF at 16 and operated in global conflict areas including Kosovo, managing some of the world’s busiest airspaces while developing strategic safety policies. He also graduated from the UK Joint Command Staff College and studied airpower extensively.

After rising to senior command positions during his RAF service, his later career saw him take up roles as a senior industry consultant, civilian air traffic controller, and manager.

With the aid of moving onscreen illustrations, Mr Clyburn kept members enthralled for more than an hour, as he explained the roles of both military and civilian air traffic controllers working to ensure air safety amid the ever-increasing volume of traffic in the skies of the United Kingdom.

The presentation was followed by a lively questions-and answers session, after which Mr Clyburn was thanked by the president.

The next meeting will be on Thursday, December 3, when the speaker will be Bel Dearing, who will give a presentation, entitled “Flooding in Somerset Past, Present and Future”.

The Monument Probus Club is a non-political and non-sectarian social organisation for retired and semi-retired men. It meets on the first Thursday of each month at 11 am at the Beambridge Inn, Sampford Arundel.

Inquiries from potential new members are always welcome.

PET pooches will have the chance to meet Father Christmas during Santa Paws sessions at Rumwell Farm Shop and Café this December. The festive events will take place on Sunday, December 6, Saturday, December 12 and Sunday, December 13 from 3 pm to 4 pm.

Sophie Mitchell, Partner at Rumwell Farm Shop & Café says: “Santa Paws offers a wonderful opportunity for dogs and their owners to enjoy some festive fun together and create special Christmas memories.”

Father Christmas will be welcoming booked-in dogs to his cosy cabin and, with the help of his canine-friendly elves, will wish every canine visitor a Merry Christmas. Each dog will receive a wrapped, dog-appropriate Christmas gift and treats, while additional treats will be handed out to dogs waiting to meet Santa. Tickets cost £16 per dog and include treats and a gift. Advance booking is essential and can only be made online via the Rumwell Farm Shop website.

The Farm Shop is expecting strong demand for the sessions and is encouraging owners to book early. A maximum of two well-behaved dogs can attend with one or two accompanying adults.