News

TOLPUDDLE AND SOUTHOVER NEWS  ||  ARCHIVES 2024

Below you will find old 2024 news - for information..........

September 2024
TOLPUDDLE BONFIRE AND FIREWORKS 2024  -  Cancellation

Tolpuddle Events Committee has taken the very difficult decision to cancel the village Bonfire and Fireworks this year.  The Event Lead of previous years has stepped down and unfortunately, it has not been possible to find anyone willing to lead the team on the organisation of this hugely popular event.

We very much hope that by early next Summer an Event Lead will have come forward so it can run once again in 2025.

If you are interested in being involved and would like to know more, we would of course love to hear from you so please email: tolpuddleevents@gmail.com

In the meantime, TEC is sorry for any disappointment this decision may cause

.August / September 2024
Tolpuddle Village Hall is looking for a Booking Administrator

We use Hallmaster, an online booking system. The role of the administrator is to check and confirm bookings from day to day and, if necessary, deal with queries from hirers, usually by e-mail. It may involve several hours per week depending on bookings, but the work can be done when convenient for the administrator so can be fitted around other responsibilities. Ideally we are looking for a volunteer, but we are also prepared if necessary to pay an annual honorarium. If interested please email jonathan@vanbaars.co.uk

June 2024
Martyrs Festival 2024:  Sunday 21 July at Tolpuddle Village Hall:  Can you help?

The Martyrs Festival is less than 8 weeks away and preparations are in hand for usual village contributions.   We will be providing daily breakfasts at the Martyrs’ Field (on which Jonathan Van Baars and Andy Turner are leading) and refreshments will be available at Tolpuddle Village Hall throughout the Sunday.  The proceeds from both go to St John’s Church and the Village Hall and help to support local activities throughout the year, so they are important events for the village as a whole. 

At the village hall on the Sunday we will be providing cakes, teas, coffees and soft drinks throughout the day and ‘ploughman’s in a box’ lunches, as planned last year.  The lunch boxes will offer a choice of ham, cheese or a variety of home-made quiche, alongside the usual staples of salad, roll, pickle, pickled onion and apple.  Additional side salads, such as coleslaw, bean or rice salad, would be available as an extra.  As far as feasible, all the food will be sourced or produced locally, which is where we need your help.

We need help with various aspects of the day’s catering; setting up the hall on Saturday afternoon; and serving and clearing up in the hall on the day.   In particular, we are looking for: 

• Cakes of all shapes, sizes and flavours*

• Homemade quiches*

• Making up the side salads (ingredients for which will be provided)

• Help with setting up tables and chairs from 6.00pm on Saturday 20th

• Helpers in the hall from 8.30am – 5.30pm on Sunday 21st.  We plan to open from 10.00am to approx. 4.30pm (earlier if the food runs out) and would be looking for volunteers to do 2 hour periods at a time in the hall but there is flexibility. (We will prepare a rota for the day in due course.)

*we can help with the cost of the ingredients can be provided, if needed

If you would be willing to help with any – or all – these, please email or text Margaret Walton (maclark2@btinternet.com or 07740622415) to let her know what you would be prepared to do.  If you are happy to help on the day, please let her know if you have any time constraints.   Thanks to those who have already offered help but we do need more.  Many of you kindly volunteered last year and it would be great if you were willing to do so again this year.  Fingers crossed the weather is kind!

We look forward to hearing from you and many thanks in advance. 

The Martyrs Team

Does anyone fancy a free full English breakfast?
Martyrs Festival Saturday and/or Sunday, 20 / 21 July

We are looking for volunteers to help raise money over the Martyrs Festival weekend by helping provide breakfasts to festival attendees and villagers.  All it requires is some basic cooking (it could be warming baked beans or frying sausages), toast preparation or tea/coffee making capabilities!

In the past we have raised over £2,000 for the village, to support good causes, like repairing the Church Roof or decorating the Village Hall.

If you can help us with this on either or both mornings we would be hugely grateful.  It is a great fun team activity and you get a free breakfast at the end!

Please contact, either Jonathan Van Baars (jonathan@vanbaars.co.uk) or Andy Turner (apturner55@gmail.com) for more info.

March 2024
The 150 Club is now the 100 Club
- see the latest news on the 100 Club page. 

March 2024
Tolpuddle Old Chapel
Funded by Historic England, The National Heritage Lottery Fund and TOCT, the Old Chapel is launching a wide ranging programme of courses, talks, craft workshops, history club and much more during 2024 under the project title of "Tolpuddle Family Lives".  Please go to our Events page and also the Regular Activities page for full details of what is planned.

March 2024
Orchard Meadow News

Pleased to bring the following news and updates:

• The new picnic benches have now been installed as have the swings.

• There will be an ongoing programme to replace all the fencing in and around the meadow commencing with the toddler area fence.

• All the play equipment will be cleaned, repaired where necessary, and weather proofed.

• Some of the older decrepit benches will be removed and in some cases not replaced.

• Louise Keogh's memorial bench will be removed and sympathetically restored.

• The bespoke "apple bench" will be removed and hopefully restored.  If this is not possible a new bench will be commissioned like for like.

• Further play equipment is also planned with spring rockers for the toddler area and monkey bars for the larger area.
  
  

The latter plans are not set in stone so we would welcome any suggestions from villagers about further additions for the meadow. 

I hope this gives you an indication of what we are planning.  If you have any points you would like to raise please don't hesitate to contact me, Jim Johnstone via the PAPC:  clerk@puddletownareaparishcouncil.gov.uk  

See also Orchard Meadow's page on this site:  Orchard Meadow

1 March, 2024
The NET
Tolpuddle and Southover Newsletter - Issue 3 now delivered to all households in the two villages.  Can also be viewed electronically on The NET page on this website.

January 2024
New Benches for Orchard Meadow
Great community effort and thanks to Jim Mason, Roger Angus, Simon Rees, Bill Ruddock, Sam Large and of course Jim Johnstone (who arranged their purchase with the Parish Council).  Wheelchair access at two of the benches.  They're made of recycled plastic bottles by a company in Poole.

1 January, 2024
The NET
Tolpuddle and Southover Newsletter - Issue 2 now delivered to all households in the two villages.  Can also be viewed electronically on The NET page on this website.

January 2024
Tolpuddle 150 Club
The 150 Club Winners for November and December 2023 are now announced.  See the 150 Club page here