Portrait of Pembridge Blog 8

May 2024

May is full of events in Pembridge with an emphasis on history and the arts.

Historical Pembridge

At the end of the month, we celebrate our medieval heritage. Leominster Medieval Society is staging a medieval encampment, with talks and displays on 25th / 26th May. Portrait of Pembridge is thrilled to host a talk by bestselling author, Anne O’Brien, on the life of Joan de Geneville, married, at 15, to Roger Mortimer in Pembridge Church. Their tempestuous marriage ended in Roger’s execution for treason, leaving Joan imprisoned and fighting for her life. “A Court of Betrayal “ will take place in Pembridge Church on 25th May. Please register for this free event at http://buytickets.at/pembridgeparishhall/1243382

Anne’s blog “Writing About the Mortimers” is on our History page. Those interested in history may wish to attend the inaugural meeting of a new Historical Society, 09.30 on 25th May. If you can’t make the date email: portraitofpembridge@yahoo.co.uk

Enjoying the Arts

Throughout May, take advantage of new technology at the Parish Hall to access elite performances from the National Theatre “Nye”, Royal Ballet’s “ Winter’s Tale”, and the Met’s “Madama Butterfly” and Sadler’s Wells “ Message in a Bottle”.

The Old Chapel Gallery will open a new exhibition of garden sculpture on 11th May, alongside an exhibition of ceramics, glass, drawing, pastels, oils, jewelry, and textiles.

Parish Hall

The Parish Hall AGM saw the re-election of the trustees and the addition of Hayley Osborne as a new trustee. The regular monthly coffee mornings and bingo sessions are popular. The last coffee morning, sponsored by Pembridge Page Turners, raised £117 for St Michael’s Hospice with over 100 books also donated. Thank you to all who donated.

On 6th June Portrait of Pembridge will mount an exhibition “Pembridge at War”, part of D Day 80. It will include a collection of photos and stories of those Pembridgeans who survived WWII. If you had relatives who served, please share your memories with us as we honor them. We’ll hear from evacuees billeted in Pembridge, alongside the experience of our farmers.

Love to Sing Community Choir is preparing for performances and competitions. The choir is now 40-strong and remains open to new members. Come to D Day 80 to hear them and enjoy 40s music and dancing with Cool Moves dance tutors and a swing band.

Arts and Crafts

There’s lots to do for those who want to roll their sleeves up and try their hand at art with a new Village Arts Club. If keen to share or learn new skills the Repair and Share workshop is open on Friday and Saturday afternoons. See our News Pages.

If gardening or home crafts are your thing prepare for the upcoming Village Show on 27th July. We’re pleased to report that the missing trophies have now been found and will be up for grabs in the competition - updates to follow.

Foodies can look forward to the resumption of Cream Teas on Sunday afternoons at St Mary’s Church, starting 25th May at 3 pm, and the reopening of Townsend Farm Shop and Butchery. Updates to follow.

For all events news see our Upcoming Events Calendar and News Pages.

The Importance of Hedges and Trees in Conservation

The importance of hedges, a peculiarly British invention, in wildlife conservation and farming is explained by local farmer and tree warden Tony Norman. See our Farming page.

Verdun Oak

Last month saw the culmination of the Verdun Oak Project. The sculpture was unveiled on West Street. If you have photos of the ceremony, please do share them with us for our Past Events Gallery by emailing portraitpembridge@yahoo.co.uk For more information on this see Community Groups/ Verdun Oak Project.

Portrait of Pembridge

Is keen to reach as many parishioners as possible. If you know someone who hasn’t yet received our blog and “Dates for your Diary” straight to their inbox, please encourage them to sign up for this free service on www.portraitofpembridge.co.uk

For updates follow us on Facebook or log on to our website: www.portraitofpembridge.co.uk If you’d like to join our team of historians, researchers, writers, photographers, and website designers you would be most welcome. Please email us at portraitofpembridge@yahoo.co.uk

Kay Ingram

Portrait of Pembridge Blog 7

April 2024

As we spring forward into British Summer Time there’s a lot to look forward to in Pembridge.

Summertime and the Living is Easy

At the end of May, the Leominster Medieval Society is staging a Medieval encampment in the Millenium Meadow with two days of free activities and events for all the family. More details in our News section with regular updates to follow.

6th June is the 80th anniversary of D-Day when Allied troops invaded France - the beginning of the end of war in Europe. The Parish Hall, in conjunction with other groups, is organizing a

whole day of events to celebrate. A swing band, jive lessons, fish & chips, Pembridge Pizzas and The Beefy Boys have been booked for a 1940s-themed day. If you had relatives who served in WWII, we’d like to hear about them and copy any photos to include in the D-Day exhibition. More on this next month.

The Horticultural Show is to be revived at the end of July. The cups last awarded in 2019 have all been returned, except for two, won by Mr Adrian Evans. If any of our readers know him, could you please ask him to get in touch.

St Mary’s Church will be offering Cream Teas every Sunday afternoon starting on 26th May and have an evening concert planned for 5th July, starring Bronwen Lewis, Tom Jones’ protégé on “The Voice”.

There are plans afoot to launch a Music and Food Festival around the August Bank Holiday. Updates to follow.

Spring Clean

With the lighter nights, and (we hope) better weather, both Pride in Pembridge and Pembridge Ecology Group have a full programme of events to keep our village clean and tidy. Both groups welcome volunteers - their contact details are in our News section.

The sun shone for the 40th Anniversary celebrations of Jane and Rosie Melvin arriving at the New Inn. Our past events picture gallery showcases photos from the day. If you have photos, you’d like to share with us, please send them to portraitofpembridge@yahoo.co.uk

You can read our interview with Jane and Rosie who reminisce about their times at the New Inn in our History section.

Farming History

Local farmer, Tony Norman, recounts the history of The Leen’s herd of pedigree Herefords which can trace their bloodline back to 1780. Tony’s father-in-law, Frank Smith, was Chairman of the Hereford Herd Book Society and met the late Queen at the Royal Show. See our Farming Section.

Performing Arts Flourish

The Love to Sing Community Choir exceeded all expectations when they scooped a Gold Award at the Hereford Performing Arts singing competition. After only six weeks together, and up against more established choirs, this was amazing. Musical Director, Hayley Osborne tells us how they did it in our News section.

The Parish Hall and Pembridge Footlights Society have thrilled audiences with the streaming of National Theatre, Royal Ballet, and Royal Opera House productions. Coming up in April and May are the operas “La Rondine” and “Carmen”; the ballet “Swan Lake”; and the National Theatre play “Nye”; starring Michael Sheen in a biopic of Aneurin Bevan, the godfather of the NHS.

The regular Parish Hall Bingo and Coffee Mornings are proving popular. The next Coffee Morning, sponsored by Pembridge Page Turners, will include a book sale in aid of St Michael’s Hospice. Unwanted books will be welcome.

The Parish Hall Annual General Meeting takes place this month. Come and hear about the trustee’s plans. Have your say. If you would like to help run the Parish Hall and become a trustee, please register your interest on www.pembridgeparishhall.co.uk

After much planning, the Verdun Oak sculpture is set to be unveiled. See “Dates for your Diary” for details.

Portrait of Pembridge is keen to reach as many parishioners as possible. If you know someone who doesn’t yet receive our blog and “Dates for your Diary” straight to their inbox, please encourage them to sign up for this free service on www.portraitofpembridge.co.uk

If you’d like to join our, team of historians, researchers, writers, photographers, and website designers you would be most welcome. Please email us at portraitofpembridge@yahoo.co.uk

Kay Ingram

Portrait of Pembridge Blog 6

March 2024

March is packed with events and activities this month. Here are some of the highlights. Pembridge Film Nights is showing “One Life” the story of Nicholas Winton who rescued hundreds of children from war-torn Europe. Starring Anthony Hopkins, Helena Bonham-Carter, and Johnny Flynn. To end the season of feel-good films “Local Hero” Bill Forsyth’s whimsical comedy. Trailers and booking details on www.portraitofpembridge.co.uk

National Theatre and Royal Ballet performances are being streamed into Pembridge Parish Hall. The showing of “Dear England”, starring Ralph Fiennes as England manager Gareth Southgate, received rave reviews both nationally and locally. The Royal Ballet’s performance of “Manon” left the audience breathless, describing the screening as “stunning, awesome, and a real privilege to watch”. This month an adaptation of Chekov’s “Vanya” starring Andrew Scott ( Fleabag) is showing. On 27th March “The Motive and the Cue” starring Mark Gatiss, Johnny Flynn, and Tuppence Middleton will be showing alongside the Royal Ballet’s Swan Lake.

If live music is your thing, the newly formed Pembridge band “Now and Then” is performing for the first time at the New Inn, while the Love 2 Sing Community Choir has entered a local singing competition.

It’s 40 years since Jane and Rosie Melvin arrived at the New Inn. Rory MacColl talked to them about the changes they’ve seen and the characters they’ve met.

We report on a Princess and some frogs. A Pembridge resident has donated her hair to charity the Little Princess Trust. Learn about this charity which helps young cancer sufferers and how you too can help. Frogs and Toads are at the peak of their breeding season. We highlight the work of two local farmers in helping them make a safe return to their breeding grounds.

St Mary’s Church is doing its bit for wildlife conservation. Esther Clarke explains how the Churchyard can sustain wildflowers and will be sharing her tips on creating wildlife gardens later in the year.

Gardeners may wish to join The Hardy Plant Society at the Parish Hall for a talk on Container Gardening.

The Parish Hall will be holding monthly Bingo Nights and monthly Coffee Mornings. There are also plans to further upgrade the facilities at the Hall.

Pembridge School PTFA has started an after-school LEGO club for classes 2, 3, and 4. They are grateful for the LEGO generously donated. If you have unwanted toys and books, they are selling them at the school on 6th March as part of their fundraising.

Pride in Pembridge has a full schedule of projects for the coming months, outlined by Secretary Karen Goodwin, who would love to hear from new members.

Wartime Pembridge. Did you grow up in Pembridge during the Second World War or did

your parents and grandparents share their memories with you? Portrait of Pembridge is

planning an exhibition on wartime in Pembridge. If you are willing to share memories and

photos from that time, please contact Kay Ingram at 07342 625796 or ingramkay3@gmail.com.

Save the Date

• 25th-27th May – Leominster Medieval Society in the Long Meadow.

• 6th June – D-Day Celebration

• 24th August – Bank Holiday Music, Food, and Family Fun

Details of all March events are in “Dates for your Diary” www.portraitofpembridge.co.uk

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With only eight weeks to Christmas, you can make a start to your Christmas shopping without leaving Pembridge. The PTFA of Pembridge CE School will host a Christmas shopping evening on 10th November and the Woodcock Fayre, hosting many talented crafts people, is in St Mary’s Church on 18th November. 

The pre-Christmas period is also a good time to have a clear out of unwanted items. The PTFA is taking the Kington charity shop in November and the Royal British Legion is on the lookout for bric-a-brac for its stall at the Woodcock Fayre. 

The end of November sees a whole host of events in Pembridge. These include Pembridge School Choir performing with G4 at Hereford Cathedral, a Food and Folk Session at the King’s House, Art Club at the Church for all who want to be creative and the Ecology Group survey of the Conservation Area by the River Arrow. 

On 25th November there’ll be a Pop Music Quiz at the Parish Hall. If you enjoy Pop Master or the Hit list on radio and TV, and think you could do better than the on-air contestants, now’s your chance. Registration for this event is now open to teams of up to six on the Parish Hall website www.pembridgeparishhall.co.uk or call 07342 625796.

Film Nights continue at the New Inn on 9th and 23rd November – Richard Goddard gives us his review of “ Pleasantville” and “ Mrs Henderson Presents”.

On 24th November the film “Isaac” will be screened at the Parish Hall, followed by a Q&A with the Director, in aid of the Verdun Oak project. 

We met Ed Elliott, sculpture of the Verdun Oak, who is holding an open day event at his studio near Ledbury. This up-and-coming sculptor explained how he approaches his work and his hopes for his Pembridge based project. 

On 10th and 12th November there will be services at the War Memorial and in church on Remembrance Day. Our series on the War Memorial written by Rory MacColl continues to tell the individual stories of the men whose names we will read out. www.portraitofpembridge.co.uk/warmemorial

For full details of these and other events see our “Dates for your Diary” in the News section.

In our History section:- We look back at the founding of Dunkerton’s Cider. With all but two banks in Leominster closing, Jennifer Christie Temple tells of the time when Leominster and Hereford had their own banknotes. 

Kay Ingram

Portrait of Pembridge Blog 4

September was a busy month in Pembridge with two of our local businesses supporting charity events. The Westonbury Mill Water Gardens donated their entrance fees on 3rd October to Pembridge Church. It was a lovely sunny day, perfect for seeing the bottle grotto and the ingenious water driven cuckoo clock. If you haven’t visited yet, put it on your bucket list. 

The sun also shone for the King’s House Afternoon Tea, in aid of Breast Cancer Now, raising £580 for the charity. See our Past Events  gallery for photos. 

October’s packed with events in and around Pembridge. See our “Dates for Your Diary” for details.

The Parish Hedgerow Survey is underway and looking for volunteers to help map the flora and fauna which depend upon them. On 4th October tree warden, Nick Rumble, will be at The New Inn to explain why it’s important and what’s involved. We met up with him to find out more. 

With the start of Autumn, Pembridge Film Nights are back. “Barbie” was a sell-out success and there are a few tickets left for “Waking Ned,” showing on 5th October at The New Inn. Richard Goddard gives us a preview of this season’s films. Follow the online links to book your seat. 

Pembridge and Shobdon Royal British Legion are holding their AGM at The New Inn on 9th October. Membership is open to all, regardless of whether you have served. The branch has over 50 members who enjoy talks, visits, and social events, alongside raising funds for veterans and their families. 

The RBL is gearing up for this year’s Poppy Appeal. Appeal Organiser, Graham Hudson, tells us what to expect between 26th October and Remembrance Sunday on 12th November. 

Leading to Remembrance Sunday, we are publishing the stories of the 41 fallen heroes who had links with Pembridge. Rory MacColl has undertaken painstaking research to reveal each of their stories.    

Pembridge Ecology Group meet on 20th October at the Bridge St car park, to complete their monthly survey of the Conservation Area, followed by lunch at The King’s House. No experience is necessary, and all are welcome to join in. 

Pembridge School has a vacancy for a Governor. Could this be you? See our feature about what’s involved and how to find out more. If you’re interested in working with children, there is also a vacancy at the school. 

Pembridge Church will be holding its Harvest Festival service on 15th October and the Autumn Supper at Pembridge Parish Hall on 28th October at which apple grower, Bridget Rose, will give a talk. 

Other events at the Parish Hall include an opportunity to meet the sculptor of the Verdun Oak statue, Ed Elliott, on 11th October. On 14th The Hardy Plants Society will host Gail Plant on how to create a scented garden. Regular events include the weekly Pembridge Auctions, Jive classes, and Running Group. On 21st October Pride in Pembridge will be hosting a Coffee Morning.

26th October is the date for the Folk and Food session at The King’s House, which on 28th is hosting a Moroccan Night.

Harold Rumsey, former landlord of  The Red Lion, was an award-winning racing driver in the 1950s. You can read about Harold and his Triumph TR2 in our history section.

Kay Ingram, October 2023

Portrait Of Pembride Blog 3

There’s a lot happening in Pembridge this month. To make sure you don’t miss out we have compiled a “Dates for your Diary” feature. Key events include:- the launch of the Autumn Exhibition at the Old Chapel Gallery; the return of Film Nights at the New Inn with a showing of “Barbie”; and an Afternoon Tea at the King’s House in aid of Breast Cancer Now. These are just a few of the many things happening in Pembridge in September.
If you know of events taking place in October, please get in touch now ingramkay3@gmail.com.
We’d love to include them in next month’s diary. 
Pembridge and Shobdon RBL are visiting Bletchley Park, home of the WWII code breakers, we preview their visit, on which there are a few places left. 
We look back at the Pembridge Players and their staging of “Cinderella” which will mark its 20th anniversary in January. Were you part of the cast and crew? Would you like to see the DVD of the performance at a reunion in the New Year? What are your memories of taking part or being in the audience? 
We continue our series on the Leominster to Kington Railway with an aerial view of the route through Pembridge, and recount how some locals and American servicemen walked and drove along the line. 
We are launching a new series of articles researched and written by Rory MacColl. They tell the stories of the men commemorated on our War Memorial, and those of their fallen comrades whose names were not included. 
Local farmer, Tony Norman, resumes his Leen Times series of articles, telling of his introduction to farming in Gloucestershire. 
In our news section there’s a plea from Pembridge C E School for a new Foundation Governor. Could this be you? We also detail changes to bus timetables starting in September.

Kay Ingram

Portrait Of Pembridge Blog 2

D-Day Remembered

Writing this on 6th June, the 79th anniversary of D Day, we are reporting on  the recent trip of  Pembridge and Shobdon branch of the Royal British Legion to the sites of the D Day landings. https://www.portraitofpembridge.co.uk/groups-and-clubs

 The group learned first-hand from a  WWII survivor of the liberation of France led by glider pilots, some of whom trained at RAF Shobdon. As a six-year-old she’d experienced the Nazi occupation which ended on that day, and at 87, is still telling visitors of the day les planeurs rescued her family. See our picture gallery which shows replicas of the gliders and RBL members on their trip.

Bats in the Belfry

We visited the Bats in Churches event at Pembridge church and interviewed Dr Alison Barnett, a bat ecologist.  She  explained why bats are an important part of our food chain, why they love to live in churches and what we can do to protect these endangered creatures. 

Pembridge Church is bat heaven, with 7 species of bat living in the church and churchyard.  Each is identified by its distinct call and flight pattern. These days ecologists use high tech drones and apps to track their movements. Drones will be over the church in the early hours of 9th June using thermal imaging to detect the roosts. https://www.portraitofpembridge.co.uk/new-page

Pembridge Railway Quiz for under 12s

Our social history section outlines  the history of Pembridge station and the railway running between Leominster and Kington.  We’ve devised a quiz about the railway for under 12s. Entries must be submitted by midnight on 15th July. A prize will be awarded for the correct answers and if more than one is received  the winner will be drawn from a hat.  https://www.portraitofpembridge.co.uk/children-and-young-people

History of Pembridge School

We’re adding the material displayed at our May exhibition on Pembridge school to the website. The children of the late Victorian period had a much shorter education than today. The curriculum was quite restricted and the condition of the school buildings unimaginable to today’s pupils. https://www.portraitofpembridge.co.uk/social-history

If you have memories about your time at Pembridge school, or photos, please send them to us at portratiofpembridge@yahoo.co.uk or call 07711 406306.  We aim to complete the history of the school from 1966 to the present. 

Pembridge People

We’ve interviewed Pembridge resident, Dr Shirley Evans. Shirley  had a busy month in May. She was invited to a Buckingham Palace Garden Party and has been filming a documentary in the Netherlands. We caught up with her  to talk about her work as Director of the Association for Dementia Studies, at the University of Worcester, and the charity Dementia Matters.

Picture Gallery

The Coronation Tea on the church lawn was a great success, with cake and sunshine aplenty. Do send us your photos of this for our picture gallery. If you have photos of the Nature Walk and BatWatch we’d like to share those too.  Please send your photos to portraitofpembridge@yahoo.co.uk.

Welcome to the Portrait of Pembridge Online Blog

Welcome to the Portrait of Pembridge blog. Following the success of our exhibition on Pembridge station and school we are now launching online. We’ll aim to post once a week and to cover a wide range of news, events, information and features about Pembridge parish and its people. That includes the hamlets of Bearwood, Broxwood, Weston, Marston and the part of Staunton in Pembridge.

Events

Our website is designed to be a one stop shop for all things Pembridge.  Everything from Auctions to Zumba is on the agenda. Whether you are interested in knowing what Films will be shown at the New Inn,  when the next Darts match will be at the Red Lion, Folk Music night at the King’s House, or what’s going on at the Church, www.portraitofpembridge.co.uk  will be the first place to look. 

If you are running an event in Pembridge, please let us know what you have coming up and we’ll add it to our events calendar.  Click here to find our events form.

Photo Gallery

They say a picture paints a thousand words. Look at our picture gallery to see what’s been happening in Pembridge.  If you’ve attended a village  event, do send us your photos. We aim to build up a library of village life, to show future generations what life in Pembridge was like in the 2020s.   We’d love to see your pictures of  the Coronation Tea on the church lawn, please send them to www.portraitofpembridge@yahoo.com or text to 07711 406306.

Pembridge school kindly lent us some of their photos, from  the 1920s to the present day. We’ll be featuring them on our Facebook page and website and asking you to identify the people in them. We hope to help the school create a pictorial  record of all the pupils educated there.

People

There are many interesting people in Pembridge today and there certainly have been in the past. Our People column tells their stories. Do share your memories and news. 

 Did you know that Pembridge has produced not one, but two leading  jockeys, a world champion ploughman, two published authors, two bishops who both met untimely deaths, more artists than you can shake a stick at, and a Paralympian. A centenarian former WAAF and a 90-year-old former WREN still piloting her aircraft feature in our People section. 

 We are  telling the stories of the men whose names appear on our war memorial. They were just ordinary Pembridge folk, who showed enormous courage, and paid the ultimate price for their bravery. This week we feature brothers Charles and Joseph Dykes.

Farming

We live in a rural community and farming remains a key employer. We know that many of you, who are not farmers, would  like to know more about what goes into producing your food. We’ve persuaded a panel of local farmers to write a regular column and to answer some of your questions.

Social History

The medieval history of Pembridge has been well documented. The  medieval history group have done a great job, www.mediaeval-pembridge.com The story has been retold in the Pembridge tapestries.  Others, such as Duncan James and Peter Klein, have researched the story of our many medieval buildings. In 1966 the Women’s Institute produced a history of Pembridge. It’s their source material which inspired our recent exhibition. 

Portrait of Pembridge aims to build on the work that has gone before, to create a social history of the parish.   We aim to stir memories of yesterday, record the present day, for the villagers of the future.  

For this to be a success we need your help. The exhibition lit the spark of interest. Visitors shared their memories of travelling on the railway, and as pupils at Pembridge school. We will include their recollections  in our social history series.  The first of these is  on the Leominster to Kington railway  line which connected Pembridge with the rest of the world.