 Sponsored by Winsham Parish Council FINAL EDITION |
No 10 - 11th October 2026
Keeping our readers up-to-date with the latest news of the Winsham Festival of Arts and Leisure
September 26-October 10th 2026
SAD NEWS-OUR FESTIVAL OF ARTS AND LEISURE HAS COME TO AN END.
THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT IT WAS A SUCCESS!
That seems to be the general opinion of events' organisers and the visitors to their events.
OUR COMMUNITY CAN BE PROUD OF ITSELF.
Below is a review of the events of the last few days.....
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FESTIVAL JUBILEE CAFE was very well attended, Lots of tea and home-made cake at very reasonable prices. Many familiar faces had come along, and it was a delight to see pupils from Winsham Primary School in attendance, led by their new Head of School, Cara Gilmour-White One of the major objectives of the festival was to bring together the different age groups. And the Jubilee Cafe event certainly did that! To round it all off, it was Sandy Wells birthday, so the event drew to a close with every one singing 'Happy Birthday' to our much valued Jubilee Hall Bookings Officer, who had worked so hard in arranging all the Festival bookings.  It was very satisfying to see Winsham School pupils visiting the Jubilee Cafe again. ***  WINSHAM CIDER BONANZA As expected , this event proved to be very popular, and a good crowd turned out to explore the delights of the ciders available to sample and purchase. About £400 pounds was raised in aid of Winsham United Charities, and Russell Binch, a Trustee of the charity, opened the proceedings with an interesting discourse on the way that the charity, which dates back to the 17th Century, founded by Sir Matthew Holworthy. Its purpose is to help Winsham residents, especially young people with educational needs, to meet expenses. This was followed by an interesting talk by James Crowden on the importance of our area on the history of cider making and the important matter of producing bottles that could contain the pressures developed within a bottle, resulting from the method of secondary fermentation that was to be so important in the development of cider as a popular drink, and in France, resulting in what is known as ' method champenoise'. All very interesting. Following this, there was an extended interval, to allow further evaluation of a wide variety of ciders by the discerning audience from four local cider makers, demonstrating the skill and variety we have on our doorstep. Liz Copas then gave an expert dissertation on the work which is currently being carried out on the development and improvement of cider apples and how these are involved in creating new ciders. Much of this work is concentrating on the wide range of apples available, including many of the older varieties. Much of this work is being carried out in the local areas of Kingsbury Episcopi and E & W. Lambrook. This ended the more formal side of the event, where upon the research for better tasting ciders was continued by the audience with added enthusiasm , no doubt invigorated by what they had learned from the expert speakers! The event came to an end at about 9.30pm.  |
'Enjoy an evening in an
English Country Garden' A good description of an excellent film of some of the gardens that featured in this year's 'Open Gardens' event. Photographed , created and presented by by Sandy Crole, Chairman of the Society , lasted well over thirty minutes. Lots of excellent additional still pictures, and a top-class buffet with wine, it was a good village event, and enjoyed by all. *** WINSHAM SHORT-MAT BOWLING CLUB IS NOW FIRMLY ESTABLISHED The progress of the club , formed just a few years ago, with a membership based almost entirely to new comers to the game, has been quite remarkable. Under the enthusiastic leadership of Bryan Goodman, with an ideal location at the Jubilee Hall, on a Friday afternoon, it is now playing to a good standard, and enjoying competitive games against other clubs in the area. The club welcomes new members, providing coaching as required. The festival event was primarily aimed at achieving this.  A club session in progress, with a nice tight 'head'. *** THE FINAL EVENT OF THE FESTIVAL: FULL HOUSE FOR THE HARVEST SUPPER
What a celebration it turned out to
be, despite the actual harvest being a difficult one for
our farming friends and neighbours. The Jubilee Hall was
brilliantly laid-out and decorated to house the fifty or
so diners who had reserved seats, and the food was
excellent.
Much of this was due to Kim Holt
(of ‘Pudding Club’ fame) and Angela Webster who did the
cooking, and their husbands who expertly distributed the
meal and tidied-up afterwards. Well done!
Following
supper, with a minimum of disturbance, the hall was
turned into a cinema! A lovely performance by the
Winsham Players of ‘HEMPEN HOMESPUNS’, filmed at
Barrington Court in 2011, was shown. For many at the
supper it must have been a ‘bitter-sweet’ experience,
seeing on the screen, three of the Winsham Players who
are no longer with us; especially so for two widows who
were at the showing. It was also a fitting tribute to
Stella Abbey who passed away in 2016, who produced and
directed the production.
But life goes
on, and the film was enjoyed by all, and the inclusion
of another element of entertainment in the Harvest
Supper event was greatly appreciated. Finally, the
long-awaited raffle was held, which generated some £400.
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SPONSORED BY WINSHAM PARISH COUNCIL We have now come to the end of an exciting two weeks, especially so because we had no certainty as to how it would all turn out-it had never been done before. We need not have worried, Winsham always welcomes something new! All the event organisers did their best to make their efforts interesting and entertaining, and Winsham residents rewarded their efforts with extra membership and interest. Thanks to everyone who supported the festival. If you would like to see the previous editions of this festival newsletter CLICK HERE |