Welcome to our website
Witham Friary is a small village situated between Frome and Bruton. It's mentioned in the Domesday Book and gets its name from a Carthusian priory.
If you'd like to see the Domesday Book entry,
it's here.
The Village Hall, the Parish Church and the Seymour Arms are at the heart of village life here. There's always plenty going
on in Witham Friary, and visitors are always made to feel very welcome.
We also have a village facebook page:
Please click here for information on the new Somerset Unitary Authority kindly provided by your Ward Councillor Mr. Michael Gay 30th September 2021
Local Corona Virus Information
The latest Mendip District Council Community Briefing can be found
here. It contains relevant Coronavirus information.
UK Government statistics for our local area
There is now useful
local and up-to-date corona virus statistics information for Mendip published by the UK Government on the following link. Please click on the link to view
the local corona virus information. It's updated daily as soon as data is collated for the previous day (usually around 4.00 pm). Also
here is a link to Somerset's
COVID-19 dashboard which gives a lot of information about COVID-19 in Somerset.
The Playpatch
Following guidance issued by the government, the Parish Council re-opened the Village Playpatch for residents to use
on Saturday 4
th July 2020.
Although the risk of catching coronavirus is lower when outdoors, the virus can remain active on surfaces. So to protect the health of everyone when using the playpatch, the following instructions are to be followed:
- Children must be accompanied by an adult, who should ensure that the two metre social distancing rule is maintained.
One child only per equipment.
- If you or your child has any symptom related to coronavirus, such as a persistent cough or high temperature, do not go to the playpatch. Follow the instructions at www.gov.uk/coronavirus.
- Take hand sanitizer with you and apply it before and after using the play equipment and wash your hands when you return home.
- If the area becomes too busy and spacing becomes a problem, please leave and return at a quieter time.
- Please limit your time in the playpatch to 30 minutes so that others can have a go.
- Do not take food or drink into the playpatch.
Enjoy and stay safe.
Somerset Waste Partnership
For information regarding collections and recycling sites please follow
this link to Somerset Waste Partnership's recycling sites information.
Important information for our parishioners
Corona virus - Covid-19
Witham Parish Council notice - This is a potential problem which may affect you and others you know in the
local community - please follow the
government guidance (document opens in a new page).
This link should be the latest guidance but we can't guarantee
that as it depends on the government updating their web page, so please search the Internet if you believe
it may not be.
Somerset County Council's help page regarding COVID-19 (document opens in a new page).
Witham Friary has a growing group of people who are happy to help if you need support - for shopping, dog walking or a chat (phone or at least 2 metres between the chatters).
All you need to do is to contact Maddy Ferrari who can arrange this for you. Her contact numbers are 07809 254989 or 01749 850790 and her email address is maddyferrari@btinternet.com.
We are already aware of people talking to neighbours and offering help (which is what we would expect in such a great village) however
please be aware that there are already scammers in other parts of the country offering to shop for people, so be wary of accepting help from people you don't know. Perhaps ask them their name, where in Witham Friary they live, to describe their home, provide their postcode or please feel free to check their name with Maddy.
Witham Water
The Witham Water sub-committee of the Parish Council reported that after a great deal of investigation into how we might
organise a Community Interest Company (CIC) to run Witham Water LLP and an exchange of emails with representatives of the
Duke of Somerset’s Estate, it had become apparent that it was going to be difficult to pursue this further. As
well as difficulties in finding finance it appeared that the Estate was reluctant release further information
about the company and had instead offered to find a new owner for Witham Water LLP themselves. A motion was passed to agree
that would be the best course for them to take and the Parish Council Chariman will inform Witham Water LLP of that decision.
Information about the new Somerset Unitary Authority
For those of you who are interested or concerned about the new Somerset Unitary Authority and who will represent you in the council's structure, please find below a letter from your Ward Councillor, Mr Michael Gay sent to your Parish Council on 30
th September 2021.
The letter is followed by a number of relevant links that you can click on to get further information - note that Witham Friary is in the Postlebury Ward in the Mendip area..
Dear All
I am sending this information to each parish in my Ward for the benefit of the Clerks, Councillors and members of the public as part of my regular reporting. The attachments are the options for re-organisation for the purposes of Unitary sent to the Ministry (now the Ministry for Levelling up, Housing and Local Communities under Michael Gove, following the dismissal of Robert Jenrick).by the Electoral team from the Districts and Somerset County. They were asked to make their recommendations because no Boundary Commision review is possible before the projected date for elections to the Unitary Council next May.
It takes some assimilation, but the broad facts are these. Currently, between Districts and County, there are over 250 councillors to look after the needs of people covered by the Unitary area (so approximately 2.5 district councillors and one county councillor for 5000 people, remembering that their duties are different) , The Ministry expressed an interest in as few councillors as possible to be appointed, a suggestion made they would be pleased with a total in the seventies.
The nearest the officers felt they could go to that was 85, so those councillors would combine the duties of both district and county councillors, for a number of people that may well be over 5000. This is more than other existing Unitaries. In other options, wards (also known as divisions)might well be larger again but have two councillors.
There are also options for 100 councillors ( as featured in the Unitary model the Ministry said it had chosen, One Somerset', either with single councillors or two, or 110 in two councillor wards (featured in Stronger Somerset).
I believe all these options represent a watering-down of your opportunity to get support from your councillor. In some proposed wards, it would take over an hour to drive from one end to the other, parishes and their people would become remote from the representative.
I think two member wards represent a particular threat. In a large ward both the representatives may be from wherever the largest number of people live... leaving other areas potentially side-lined. As an example, if the existing Postlebury ward could be combined in a new Unitary division with Coleford, a parish will well over 2000 people in it.
So now the Ministry says it will make a choice by mid-October, and I will let you know the detail when I know.
I should also add it is suggested by David Fothergill (leader of Somerset County Council) to the Minister that Parish Councils ought to have the current term cut by a year so that there will also be Parish elections next May.
You or your residents may have questions about this, and if you send them to me, I will do my best to answer, though as you can see, much is yet unknown. I would be obliged if Clerks could send this on to their Councillors.
Thanks, and Kind Regards
Michael
Option 1 - 85 Members single member wards
Option 1a - 85 Members single member wards
Option 2 - 100 Members single member divisions
Option 2a - 100 members multiple member wards
Option 3 - 110 members 2 member wards
Somerset Chief Executives Boundary Review Cover Letter Sep2021
Somerset-LGR council-submission-on-council-size 17 sep 21
Unitary potential electoral arrangements Options 1 1a 2 2a and 3 170921
Annual Parish Meeting
We have been unable to hold an Annual Parish Meeting for over two years due to Covid-19 restrictions. Now that we are able to do so we will hold the Witham Friary 2021 Annual Parish Meeting on Tuesday 9th November at 7pm in the Village Hall. This will be an open meeting that anyone can attend to ask questions of the Parish Council, make suggestions and generally discuss matters of interest to our community.
The agenda will start with updates on Witham Water LLP, the Holt Farm Natural Flood Management Project and the latest on the One Somerset approach to local government. After that we will discuss anything else anyone wants to raise. If you do wish to ask a question please register it with the Clerk by email at withamfriary.parishcouncil@gmail.com
Hugo Brooke
Chair WFPC
Postlebury News
Printed Edition
As mentioned in our last edition of the Postlebury News, currently we are not producing a printed edition. News items will appear on this page.
Recent electronic editions of the Postlebury News/Postlebury Newsletter can be found by clicking on the links below:
Church Services
Please look at the latest edition of the Postlebury Newsletter for details of church services.
Church Opening Times
Nunney - Open every day from 9am-dusk.
Stoke St. Michael - Open every day from 9am-4pm
Leigh-on-Mendip - Open 9am -12 noon Sunday, 1pm-4pm Wednesday
Wanstrow, Witham and Cloford are not normally open but churchwardens are happy to open up if anyone wishes to enter for private prayer. Please
contact Bob Bramley at 01749 850571 or Liz Sargent at 01749 850654 at Wanstrow, George Pritchard 01749 850732 at Witham, or Richard Mawer at Cloford on 07967 651240.
Pubs and Clubs- see here what this lovely village has to offer
Attention all village organisations.
The Parish Council has asked me to contact all the various groups in the village with a view to reporting back to them on events and activities that go on locally. Closer cooperation and co-ordination between local organisations could result in better publicity and possible funding opportunities. Obviously there is very little happening at the moment but as a start could a representative of each local group send details of the aims of the organisation, any ongoing projects and contact details to : r.featherstone@yahoo.com or telephone 01749850752.
Thank you, Roy Featherstone
A very warm welcome awaits all cricket lovers.
Witham Friary Cricket Club exists for the benefit of the residents of Witham Friary in Somerset.
Membership not only allows you to play for the club, but will give you access to the nets whilst supporting
the great English tradition that is village cricket.
Please don't view lack of ability or experience as a reason for not joining as all are welcome. All we ask is a love of cricket,
a willingness to join in, and from those of you who have already mastered the art,
a tolerance of those who have never played before or haven't picked up a bat since school days.
See details about this great club
here
on Yahoo Goups!
They do a lot of good work for local charity and also run really fun events in the village.
You can link to their Facebook page by clicking
here
.
Here's just one example of the great work that they do for the village (for free) - a complete refurbishment of the signpost at the South of the village. They don't shout about it - they just do it for all of you!
It was a complete wreck before and now looks magnificent - thank you all so much! It was carried out with the support of Read Agri,
Witham Village Hall, and the Witham Friary 100 club, the latter funding the cost of materials.
The repair was kindly carried out free of charge at Reads, and the painting in the village hall, with many late nights!
This amazing village pub is one of the rarest types of its kind in the country.
Built in the 1860's, partly as a farm, and partly as a hotel to serve the nearby Mid-Somerset GWR branch railway station,
it was originally part of the Duke of Somerset's estate.
Beer, cider and spirits are served from a glass panelled hatch in the central hallway in the traditional way.
You'll find a warm welcome from the locals who frequent this pub!
This is CAMRA's description of this very special pub.
See below for a YouTube video made in this pub in 2009.
If you want to contact the Seymour Arms they are on 01749 850742. They do have an alternative number which is 01749 684280.
The original building dates from around 1200. It was altered in a transitional style in 1828, and then rebuilt and extended 1875 by William White in "Muscular Gothic" style.
Service details can be found on the Postlebury News page of this website.
'Village Voices' - Reminiscences of Witham Friary
Recorded by the Witham Friary History Project and published for the first time in this collection, residents of the parish recount life in the village from the 1920s onwards; country courtships; wartime; Beeching's axe; farm, school and pub.
Edited with a wry sense of humour and a powerful sense of history, the collection contains 12 evocative transcripts on England through seasons and years.
'Village Voices' is available for purchase from the Seymour Arms, price £10.00
To order a copy of Village Voices by post please send a cheque made payable to The Witham Friary History Society for £12.50 (£10 + £2.50 p&p) to:
The Witham Friary History Society, Friarsmede, Witham Friary, Somerset BA11 5HD