STRAWBERRY LINE TIMES – Local newspaper review: long faces in Axbridge over planning defeat, Banwell’s long wait for a bypass but victory for Shipham’s footballers

Planning defeat and musical Anne Higgs

The Cheddar Valley Gazette leads on the green light given to developers to build 53 homes on green fields in Axbridge.

Maxine Irving writes: “There were long faces in Axbridge on Tuesday night as residents discovered that controversial plans to build houses off Houlgate Way had been given the go-ahead.” The story has been covered in length in this publication – see down the page for more details and comment.

The newspaper also celebrates 40 years of the Cheddar Valley Music Club begunback in 1979 by headteacher of Kings of Wessex Keith Herring, Bev Hearn of Weare First School, music teacher Eric Richard and the legendary Anne Higgs who is still the driving force behind the group.

Strawberry Line and Banwell traffic

The Mercury features the upgrade of the cycle path in Cheddar by the Axbridge Cheddar Cycle Walkway group who have raised funds to improve the section in the village. While on the letters page there’s a complaint by Romany Poppitt-Price about the continued traffic congestion in Banwell. Readers with long memories will note that a bypass was proposed in 1938 – so it is long overdue. The writer suggests that the MP John Penrose highlighted the plan to build a bypass soon may have been just a PR stunt before the General Election last month.

Cheesemen and a late penalty

In sport the Cheddar Valley Gazette reports on Cheddar’s footballers humbled 4-0 by Welton Rovers in another way game – effectively ending their chances of promotion from Western League Division One as they drop down to 8th position. Meanwhile in the division below Shipham FC secured a 4-0 win away to Hutton FC Reserves.

In rugby Winscombe lost at home 32-14 to Matson in the Western Counties North fixture but Cheddar Valley RFC beat Taunton RFC’s second team by 23-20 when Sam Lloyd slotted home a late penalty to secure the win reported in the Mercury.

Publishing

Both newspapers come out on a Thursday and are available in your local shop.

For more details for the work of the journalist Harry Mottram visit www.harrymottram.co.uk

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