A plaque dedicated to David Leader and the leading role he played in the establishment of the MUGA (Multi Use Games Area) will be unveiled tomorrow, Friday 24th May, at 9.30am at the MUGA.
David’s family, the Parish Council and Broadwindsor School would like to extend an invitation to the community to join them. David was passionate about the MUGA and highly instrumental in the project, working tirelessly over many years and overcoming many obstacles along the way. He never gave up and today we have this wonderful community asset, used and enjoyed by so many 🙂
To mark the 80th Anniversary of the Normandy Landings on Tuesday, 6th June 1944 – our Parish council invite all to attend a Service of Commemoration to be held at the new war memorial in Broadwindsor from 10.30am on Thursday, 6th June 2024.
At 6.30pm the Bells will ring along with the rest of the Nation. At the Allotments (opposite the Primary School) at 9.15pm, there will be a lighting of the beacon .
The largest amphibious invasion in the history of warfare, the statistics of D-Day, codenamed Operation Overlord, are staggering. The Allies used over 5,000 ships and landing craft to land more than 150,000 troops on five beaches in Normandy: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Junoand Sword.
By the end of the day, the Allies had established a foothold along the coast and could begin their advance into France, marking the start of a long and costly campaign in north-west Europe, which ultimately convinced the German high command that defeat was inevitable.
D-Day required unprecedented cooperation between international armed forces. The Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) was an international coalition and although the Allies were united against Germany, the military leadership responsible for ‘Overlord’ had to overcome political, cultural and personal tensions.
By 1944, over 2 million troops from over 12 countries were in Britain in preparation for the invasion. On D-Day, Allied forces consisted primarily of American, British and Canadian troops but also included Australian, Belgian, Czech, Dutch, French, Greek, New Zealand, Norwegian, Rhodesian and Polish naval, air or ground support.
The invasion was conducted in two main phases – an airborne assault and amphibious landings. Shortly after midnight on 6th June, over 18,000 Allied paratroopers were dropped into the invasion area to provide tactical support for infantry divisions on the beaches. Allied air forces flew over 14,000 sorties in support of the landings and, having secured air supremacy prior to the invasion, many of these flights were unchallenged by the Luftwaffe.
Nearly 7,000 naval vessels, including battleships, destroyers, minesweepers, escorts and assault craft took part in Operation ‘Neptune’, the naval component of ‘Overlord’. Naval forces were responsible for escorting and landing over 132,000 ground troops on the beaches. They also carried out bombardments on German coastal defences before and during the landings and provided artillery support for the invading troops.
Germany tried to defend the northern coast of France with a series of fortifications known as the ‘Atlantic Wall’. However, German defences were often incomplete and insufficiently manned.
Members of the French Resistance and the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) provided intelligence and helped weaken defences through sabotage. The Allied deception campaigns succeeded in convincing the Germans as late as July 1944 that the main invasion force would still land elsewhere. The threat of this larger, second invasion kept German reinforcements tied down away from Normandy.
‘Overlord’ did not bring an end to the war in Europe, but it did begin the process through which victory was eventually achieved. By the end of August 1944, the German Army was in full retreat from France, but by September Allied momentum had slowed. The Germans were able to regroup and launched a failed but determined counter-offensive in the Ardennes in December 1944 – The Battle of the Bulge.
The Annual Meeting of the Parish Council convened on Monday, 13th May and marked the start of a new five year term of office.
Many returning Councillors were welcomed and Councillor Rick Dyke was elected as Chairman, receiving unanimous support from all. Of the six vacancies there are currently 2 vacancies remaining: one for Broadwindsor Ward and the other for Drimpton Ward*.
Bringing fresh new perspectives and a wealth of skills and experience, a warm welcome goes to:
Councillor Garry Miller (Broadwindsor ward)
Councillor Tim Beer (Blackdown ward)
Councillor Philip Dixon (Drimpton ward)
Councillor Chris Beck (Drimpton ward).
We wish them all well and hope that they enjoy being part of the Parish Council.
During the meeting a number of representations were agreed as follows:
Broadwindsor School – Councillor Rebecca Burt
Comrades Hall – Councillor Rick Dyke
Blackdown Village Hall – Councillor Sonia Raymond
Drimpton Village Hall – Councillor Chris Beck
Broadwindsor Allotment Group – Stefan Nikolov
ROWLO/Footpaths Officer – Councillor Philip Dixon
DAPTC Western Area Committee – Councillor Rick Dyke & Councillor Nathalie Roberts
Dorset Council Climate & Ecological Emergency Support Group – Sheila Hawkins
The next meeting of the Parish Council will be on Monday, 3rd June, 7.30pm at Blackdown Village Hall. All are welcome.
* If you are interested and would like to find out more about the role and responsibilities of a parish councillor, please contact the Parish Clerk at hello@broadwindsorgroup.gov.uk.
On Saturday, 15th June – we hope for sunshine and… You are invited to take a walk around Drimpton and venture into any garden which displays a sign outside and/or appears on the list which will be created nearer the time..
For any Drimpton residents wanting to take part –
You do not need a pristine garden but you must be happy to let people browse around and look at yours. They may get some ideas for their own garden! If you think that you would like to open your garden then please contact Diana and she will add you to the list 🙂
Three tapas dishes this month, in the hope of some Mediterranean weather!
Garlic Prawns (Gambas al Ajillo) – serves 4
200 grams raw prawns (or more)
1 eggcup olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
Half teaspoon chilli flakes
Juice of half a lemon.
3 tablespoons chopped flatleaf parsley
Salt and sugar to taste.
Large pinch of saffron (optional), soaked in a little hot water
Method:
Gently poach the garlic in the oil for 5 minutes until softened but not browned. Add chilli flakes. Add prawns and gently fry until cooked and released their juices . Remove prawns from the oil mixture and cover.
To the pan add lemon juice plus saffron with its water (if using). Increase the heat and whisk to emulsify. Allow sauce to reduce and add parsley. Check for seasoning and add salt and sugar to taste. Add prawns back to the pan and heat through. Allow to rest and serve at room temperature. Serve with crusty bread for dipping.
Tortilla española – serves 6-8
The traditional tortilla has only five ingredients. You can add cooked chorizo, peppers, prawns, slices of ham in the middle, etc.. I have seen Spanish cooks quite successfully use leftover chips/fries and even crisps instead of sliced potatoes! Tips for best flavour – 1) season the potato, onion and egg separately, and 2) cook the onion until caramelised. Leftovers are great for breakfast, or in a crusty baguette with mayo and roasted, sliced red peppers (from a jar). Amounts are for a frying pan 8 or 9 ins.
1 medium onion, chopped.
8 large eggs
Salt
Olive oil (approx.150ml)
2 large (waxy, not floury) potatoes, peeled, halved, thinly sliced, rinsed and dried
Method:
Gently fry onion in 2 tbsp olive oil until soft and caramelised. Tip into a bowl, season with salt and wipe pan. Over a medium heat, warm another 4 tbsp oil and add potatoes, turning to coat in the oil. Cover and cook gently until cooked but holding their shape. Season, then tip into the bowl of onions and gently fold to mix. Clean pan and add 3-4 tbsp oil to warm. In a large bowl, beat eggs and season. Add potato/onion mixture to the egg (and anything else you fancy). Tip into pan, ensuring that the mixture is evenly spread. Scrape bottom of pan, like when making scrambled eggs, then cover and leave for around 3 minutes on a medium heat. Tease the edges away from the sides and with a spatula ensure that the tortilla isn’t sticking. After 10 minutes, remove from heat and let sit for a couple more minutes. Place a plate upside down over the pan and using a tea towel, turn over the pan and plate, so the tortilla is cooked side up on the plate. Wipe out pan, swirl round a little oil and slide in tortilla to cook on underside for approx. 5 minutes. Serve warm or cold.
Chorizo in red wine (Chorizo con Vino Tinto) – serves 4
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion or 3 shallots, finely chopped.
1 horseshoe chorizo, skinned and sliced into roughly 5mm coins
1 scant teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh
Gently fry the onion/shallots in the oil until softened but not browned. Add the thyme and cook for a further 2 minutes. Remove onto a plate. Add chorizo pieces to pan (no more oil needed) and gently fry until they release their oils and are slightly browned and cooked through. Add the smoked paprika and cook for a further minute. Add the onion back to the pan, along with the wine. Bring to a simmer – add more wine if you think you need more liquid and simmer again. Season with salt and sugar to taste. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Best served slightly warm.
Two Drimpton residents,Paul Clements (Cleaner Chimneys) and Stuart Pearce, are and members of Drimpton Cycling Club and are taking the Challenge below and cycling the 55.2 miles route to raise funds for Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance.
Motivation is provided by Stuart’s desire payback for his trip in the helicopter following a cardiac arrest 5 yrs ago. It costs on average £3,500 for each helicopter deployment, so they are seeking to reach that figure as a target, both to repay Stuart’s debt and to cover the cost of a trip for somebody else.
Please click HERE to visit their fundraising page to donate.
The 55 mile route from Watchett to West Bay passes through Drimpton and Broadwindsor as it does annually, so a rest stop at the Royal Oak for local support will be in evidence!
Stuart’s story:
‘I had been water skiing on the Saturday & we were going back out again on Sunday. Chugged 3 miles round the coast to get to a more calm bay. I got up & promptly keeled over …. Thankfully my best man’s wife saved me going overboard but now had a 13.5 stone dead weight lying on top of her 🥴 Luckily my best man has a 150hp outboard on his rib so floored it back to Salcombe. The lifeboat had been launched but Justin was greeted by the harbour master on his launch for speeding. Once he realised the emergency he escorted Justin to the jetty. Peak holiday season – August 5th. Thankfully 2 families walking by included 2 nurses. They started cpr. 6 doctors were also attracted by the commotion- one got a defib. 2 ambulances turned up from nowhere so they took over & eventually got me to the rugby club where the air ambulance was waiting to take me down to Plymouth. I was in an induced coma for 4 days, ITC for another 8 days & finally released after 22 days with pacemaker & defibrillator fitted. Every day is a bonus, the grass is greener, the sky bluer. Best thing every day is the dog walk. Thoroughly enjoy all the smallest details in life’.
Stuart may not be here today but for the combined efforts of so many bystanders, but critically the speedy trip to hospital via the air ambulance.
From Samantha Smith, DSAA Fundraising Officer…
Dear Residents
On Saturday 18 May 2024 we shall be holding our thirteenth annual Coast to Coast Cycle Challenge, starting at 10.30 am in Watchet and ending in West Bay.
Last year’s event saw 318 supporters take part to help raise funds to keep Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance flying. In doing so they collaboratively rode just over 17,000 miles and raised approx £49,000 – that’s enough to fund approximately 14 missions by the air ambulance.
We are aware that this event may cause you and your neighbours some slight disruption and would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused.
If you would be willing to help marshal this event in your neighbourhood and help us keep everyone safe, we would love to hear from you.
With best wishes and many thanks for your support.
** Also showing at Drimpton Village Hall on Wednesday, 8th May. **
At 7.30pm at the Comrades Hall Friday, 17th May, Broadwindsor’s Community Film Club will be showing…
One Life (12A)
Directed by JAMES HAWES. Starring ANTHONY HOPKINS, JOHNNY FLYNN & HELENA BONHAM CARTER (Running time 110 mins.)
One Life tells the true story of Sir Nicolas ‘Nicky’ Winton, a young London broker who, in the months leading up to World War II, rescued 669 predominantly Jewish children from the Nazis. Nicky visited Prague in December 1938 and found families who had fled the rise of the Nazis in Germany and Austria, living in desperate conditions with little or no shelter and food, and under threat of Nazi invasion. He immediately realised it was a race against time. How many children could he and the team rescue before the borders closed? Fifty years later, it’s 1988 and Nicky lives haunted by the fate of the children he wasn’t able to bring to safety in England; always blaming himself for not doing more. It’s not until a live BBC television show, ‘That’s Life’, surprises him by introducing him to some surviving children – now adults – that he finally begins to come to terms with the guilt and grief he had carried for five decades.
Doors open at 7pm for 7.30pm.
Film Club members – Free entry
Guests – £4 (cash please)
Refreshments available, including a cash bar.
Tickets can be booked in advance by contacting: Emma Myers – broadwindsorem@gmail.com or Margaret Wing – 01308 867252
With thousands of visitors to the village website each month from all around the world, Broadwindsor.Org celebrates 4 years! 🙂
Local business’ support is invaluable as Broadwindsor.Org (affectionally referred to as ‘The Org‘ by many) is a not-for-profit organisation. £300 was donated to the Comrades Hall following a successful music promotion in September ’23.
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If you are a visitor and would like to donate a different amount, please use the QR code below.
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The next meeting of the Parish Council will be on Monday, 3rd June, 7.30pm at Blackdown Village Hall. All are welcome.
