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:
Job Vacancy - Parish Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer
Witham Friary Parish Council is looking for a self-motivated person to become its next Clerk to the Council.
The role is part-time and includes being the Council’s Responsible Financial Officer.
The vacancy has arisen because the current Clerk is moving away.
The role involves advising the Parish Council, managing the accounts, minute taking, preparation of agendas for monthly Parish Council Meetings
and attendance at those evening meetings.
Experience of local government or parish council work will be an advantage, as will experience of monitoring budgets and preparing financial statements.
Good computer skills are essential. The job has to be home based and will require evening working once a month, currently held on the second Tuesday.
This permanent role is for up to 10 hours per week and is paid on the NJC scale of 18-25, currently £17,891-£22,434 (pro rata), depending on qualifications
and experience. A workplace pension is provided.
Candidates will be expected to hold a Certificate in Local Council Administration (CiLCA) or be prepared to study for the qualification and obtain it within two years.
Relevant training would be provided if required.
Please apply on-line to the Chair of the Council, Hugo Brooke . Telephone: 01749850693. The closing date for applications is Friday 27th August 2021.
Interviews will be held week commencing Tuesday 31st August 2021.
Local Corona Virus Information
The latest Mendip District Council Commumity Briefing can be found
here. It contains relevant Coronavirus information.
Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP) has reluctantly decided to suspend garden waste collections for six weeks from 2 August. Collections will resume on your usual day in the fortnight starting 13
th September.
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.
A message from Hugo Brooke - Parish Council Chairman
The corona virus has arrived in Witham Friary, so it is now more important than ever that we strictly observe the Government’s guidelines.
We are a close-knit community and good at looking after one another, but we must do that without compromising our mutual safety.
We must refrain from entering other people's houses unnecessarily, which is something multi-generational families in the village will
find irksome, but that’s what we have to do while the lockdown lasts.
Judging by the daily exodus it seems that the majority of breadwinners in the village are still employed. Many of them are front line workers whom we greatly admire for their selfless endeavours.
Sadly the hand sanitiser dispensers that were put out in the play patch, firmly attached to the equipment, have been stolen. This theft has been reported to the police. The amount of picnic wrappings left on the ground at the same time, suggest the culprit does not live in Witham Friary. However we do not propose to spend more Parish money replacing the dispensers, so please always take your own with you when visiting the play patch. Our aim is to make the play patch as safe as possible, thereby helping to prevent any more cases of Covid-19 in the village but I would emphasise the importance of sticking to the social distancing rules as far as possible. That is a difficult concept for children to cope with, so could parents be sure to accompany them.
The good news is that here in the South West we seem to be ahead of the game when it comes to the vaccination programme. We are approaching
the end of the race - let’s not fall at the last fence. Obey the rules.
Parish Council Meetings
Parish Council meetings will now be held as 'virtual' meetings until further notice. Please contact the Parish Clerk if you would like an invitation to attend a meeting. The Parish Clerk's contact details are on the Parish Council page under 'contact details'.
Re-opening of 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.
- Apply hand sanitizer 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).
Following recent government announcements, please can I emphasise that 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 Parish Council is actively engaged with Bristol Water regarding alternative arrangements for the supply
of water to the village. The Duke of Somerset's Estate are as keen as we are to achieve a seamless transition
to different management of our supply and are aware that may take some time. We are awaiting a written report
from Bristol Water and will advise and discuss with all interested parties when we have identified viable options.
Witham Friary News
Please click on the link to the month for which you want to see the Witham Friary news.
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