Good causes benefit from Cutcombe Show proceeds

MORE than £2,500 has been distributed to local good causes following this year’s Cutcombe Horse Show and Gymkhana.
Show treasurer Nigel Dobbins said the accounts presented a rosy picture as several areas of the annual event had shown an increase in takings this year - and that was after the 2006 show was considered to have seen a good result - and the dog show and terrier shows also continued to go from strength to strength with large entries.
Show secretary Di Stevens said the resounding success was due to the help and support received from sponsors, competitors, supporters, and the many helpers, such as the work party who set up the show and the team on the day who made sure all jobs were covered, and those who cleared up afterwards.
Mrs Stevens said: “We had a dry day, entries were excellent, and there was plenty for spectators to enjoy around the rings, including the wonderful fancy dress competition which had lots of colourful entries.
“There was plenty of home made food for sale, plus a barbecue and a licensed bar, and Styles Ice Cream had a van supporting us to keep everybody cool, while the Minehead Harriers gave a superb display in the main ring.”
Mrs Stevens said the show was started for two reasons, firstly to provide children who did not have ‘show’ ponies with an opportunity to enter their little ‘hairy’ and be in with a good chance of winning a rosette, and secondly to raise funds to be shared between Cutcombe First School and other village amenities.
This year’s funds were distributed as follows: £600 each to Cutcombe School and Cutcombe Church, £100 to the pre-school nursery, £50 for the parish party fund, a £250 donation to CLOWNS, £400 for the Moorland Hall, and £500 plus £15 collected in a bucket for the Devon Air Ambulance.
Mrs Stevens said: “We would like to thank everybody who helped in any way to make this fantastic outcome possible.”

• Our photograph shows Mrs Margaret Hawker (left) presenting the http://www.selfdriveyourhorse.com/ Cup for the best turned out rider, a new award, to Fay Reed, on Pollyanna. Photo by Mark the Photographer, ref CUT070040. Order image reprints online at www.tcpbymtp.co.uk.

Promises made for CLOWNS and HomeStart charity auction

AN auction of promises is to be held at Minehead Barbarians Rugby Club on Friday, May 18, to raise funds for West Somerset charities CLOWNS and HomeStart.
CLOWNS needs the funds to replace its aging blue playbus.
The auctioneer for the evening will be John Addicott, of Chanin and Thomas.
Some of the promises which have been donated include bull semen, a car wash, a day with an Exmoor Ranger, 12 months of advertising in The Crier, and an offer to sell a house without charging any commission.
CLOWNS provides a service for parents and/or carers and also children in rural isolation and areas of need within West Somerset.
A double deck bus has been converted for play and is used to offer recreational and educational facilities as it travels around the district.
There is also a smaller vehicle which takes equipment for Tumbling Toddler sessions to village halls and is used during the school summer holidays to run play schemes in villages and to take toys from the charity’s toy library to isolated communities.
It also collects clean, safe, salvaged materials from businesses for use in the CLOWNS Scrapstore.
The Playbus also carries information on a range of related services, and helps to maximise the impact of visits by working with other agencies which require rural community access.

• Pictured above at the Dunster Castle launch of the CLOWNS promises auction are (left to right) Kathy Morton, local MP Ian Liddell-Grainger, auctioneer John Addicott, and The Crier’s sales and marketing consultant Dudley Seale. Photo by Mark the Photographer, ref M030030. Order image reprints online at www.tcpbymtp.co.uk.

CLOWNS auctions London International Horse Show tickets

TWO pairs of London International Horse Show tickets are being auctioned on eBay to raise money for West Somerset children’s charity CLOWNS.
The seats are within the Members’ Enclosure at Olympia and are for the 1 pm afternoon performance on Saturday, December 16.
The tickets have been donated by Tim Pilcher, chief operation officer of Clarion Events Ltd, Earls Court Exhibition Centre, via The Crier’s photographer Mark Stothard and his wife Sarah.
Money raised from the auction will go toward a fund to replace the CLOWNS blue play bus, which tours West Somerset to take play opportunities and health education opportunities to isolated communities.
The two eBay auctions can be found using the following links: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330061439653 and http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330061437077.
This year’s London International Horse Show features the Dressage Quadrille of the Hanoverian State Stud, a display by some of the most stunning Hanoverian stallions in the world.
The immaculate horses perform with amazing accuracy half-passes, flying changes, and other dressage staples, all set to beautiful music.
There is also the Metropolitan Police Activity Ride, which is a fast-moving display demonstrating high levels of skill and agility from both horses and officers.
Inch perfect timing, total commitment, professionalism, and complete trust is required for this ride, which demonstrates the abilities of a working police horse.
Visitors to the London International Horse Show can spend a whole day at Olympia, as the doors open at 9.30 am for afternoon performance and people can spend the morning browsing the shops or watching some of the morning events in the main arena before the performance starts at 1 pm.

Steam train footplate pass eBay auction for charity

A RARE opportunity to ride on the footplate of a West Somerset Railway steam train is being offered in an internet auction for charity.
The eBay auction, which will start on December 1 and run for 10 days, could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for somebody not already connected with the railway.
Photographer Mark Stothard, of Timberscombe, is auctioning the WSR footplate pass to try to raise at least £1,000 for West Somerset charity CLOWNS.
Mr Stothard said: “My family are indebted to CLOWNS for the help they gave my daughter Kyla when she was little and I want to do all I can to support them.
“I am a steam train enthusiast and when I heard how CLOWNS was losing a lot of grant money from local councils and would struggle to continue delivering their services, I came up with this fund-raising idea.
“As I understand it, these passes hardly ever go outside the confines of the WSR and their staff and volunteer members, so this really could be somebody’s chance of a lifetime to experience riding on a steam engine footplate.”
Mr Stothard approached WSR general manager Paul Conibeare, who agreed to donate the footplate pass for the auction.
Mr Conibeare said: “I was very pleased to be able to support CLOWNS like this when Mark came up with the auction suggestion.
“We all know what terrific and valuable work CLOWNS does with needy young families in communities right across West Somerset.”
CLOWNS co-ordinator Kathy Morton said: “We are facing a real funding gap due to Government cut backs and we need all the help we can get
“Mark’s offer to organise the auction was very welcome and we will put the money it brings in towards continuing our services, which we know are welcomed and valued by the people we help.”
The eBay auction item can be found by following this link: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330057216930

• Our photograph taken on a WSR steam engine shows Kyla Stothard with Kathy Morton and Paul Conibeare. Photograph by Mark the Photographer, ref M1117008. Order photo reprints online at www.tcpbymtp.co.uk.

Open day for CLOWNS

AN open day was held by CLOWNS to encourage local families to visit the charity and learn about the community services it provides, while having some fun at the same time.
CLOWNS, which stands for Creating Learning Opportunities in WesterN Somerset, provides a service for parents and/or carers and also children in rural isolation and areas of need within West Somerset.
A double deck bus has been converted for play and is used to offer recreational and educational facilities as it travels around the district.
There is also a smaller vehicle which takes equipment for Tumbling Toddler sessions to village halls and is used during the school summer holidays to run play schemes in villages and to take toys from the charity’s toy library to isolated communities.
It also collects clean, safe, salvaged materials from businesses for use in the CLOWNS Scrapstore.
The Playbus also carries information on a range of related services, and helps to maximise the impact of visits by working with other agencies which require rural community access.
CLOWNS relies on raising its own funds and is based at the West Somerset Sports and Leisure Centre, Minehead. Anybody who wants to know more about it can contact co-ordinator Kathy Morton on 01643 707190.

• TOP PHOTO - Enjoying the CLOWNS open day fun are (left to right) Kezia and John Elton, Holly Jones Batley, and Ewan Jones Batley. Photo by Mark the Photographer, ref M1023013. Order photo reprints online at www.tcpbymtp.co.uk.
• BOTTOM PHOTO - CLOWNS co-ordinator Kathy Morton is pictured with (left to right) Vena Merchant, Jamie Savage, Taylor Campbell, and Xia Furze. Photo by Mark the Photographer, ref M1023006. Order photo reprints online at www.tcpbymtp.co.uk.