Expressive Chair Dance Workshop with Becky.
Category: News
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Ilchester Charity Car Boot Sale
On the Ilchester Sports Fields every Sunday April 12th to October 10th.
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Ilchester Christmas Fair
Come and join in the Ilchester Christmas Fair 10am-2pm 29th November at the Town Hall.
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Sound Baths
Whether you are new to sound baths or a regular bather, come and
experience the benefits for yourself and join Tori at one of her regular sound baths
held at the Ilchester Town Hall on the second Saturday of the month at 10am. -
Walk the Walk
Walk the Walk Camino 100 28th September to 5th October 2025 – The greatest challenge of my life, I am embarking on an incredible 100 mile walk along the Camino Way in Northern Spain over 5 days. This is an officially organised walk by the charity mentioned above. Some of you may have heard of the Moonwalk, a walk overnight around the London Marathon route, again organised by the same charity. I have completed the Moonwalk 3 times now and have accepted this further personal challenge/test of endurance to raise further funds in memory of my niece. My journey will be :-
Day 1 – O’Cebriero Mountain to Samos, 18.5 miles
Day 2 – Samos to Portomarin, 24 miles
Day 3 – Portomarin to Palas De Rai, 15.5 miles
Day 4 – Palas De Rai to Salceda, 26 miles
Day 5 – Salceda to Santiago De Compestella
It would be amazing if you could read the full story as to why I am doing this, not just in memory of my niece but for all those in the future. Any contribution however small would be incredible, even to share my story with friends, family (I don’t do social Media) and raise awareness would be great.
If you see me and my dog pounding the pavements around and about the villages, give me a toot, it would be great encouragement and much appreciated. I have a long journey ahead.
Thank you in anticipation. -
Lantern Parade & Christmas Lights Switch-on
Lantern Parade & Christmas Lights Switch-on
Thank you everyone, especially children, who made the Lantern Parade and Christmas tree lights switch-on such a great event.
One parade wound its way down from the school to the town hall, while another came up from West Street, following the trailer carrying Father Christmas’s illuminated reindeer. Choosing the best lantern was hard but Father Christmas chose Elli, and so it was she who had the honour of climbing the ladder to switch on the Christmas tree lights.
The Christmas bauble colouring competition was popular. The winners were: pre-school, Reuben Forrester; infants, Luna Scaife; juniors, Mason Williams; seniors Logan Williams. Ilchester and District Community Association organised the event. Thanks to Graham Pope for the reindeer trailer, Lucy at The Bull for hosting lantern workshops in the skittles alley in the run-up to the parade, and Paul and Jane Simpson and Rose for running the hot dog stand.
Christmas comes alive in Ilchester 2024
Paddington bear minus marmalade sandwich at Ilchester Lantern Parade, 2024 A warm welcome awaits you at St. Mary Major
You will be welcomed by Christmas trees as soon as you step into the church of St Mary Major. Groups who have decorated their “own” tree include Ilchester History Group, Rainbows and Brownies and Ilchester Community School. The Ilchester Arms and Just Maria have also joined in.
Posted by Tina Rowe
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Father Christmas at Ilchester Town Hall!
Father Christmas at Ilchester Town Hall!
Santa and his helpful Elf (Amie) at the town hall Father Christmas and an elf (Amie) were kept very busy on Saturday (30th November) at Ilchester town hall as the Christmas Fair was in full swing.
Lots of children who certainly were not on Santa’s naughty list were given presents, courtesy of Ilchester and District Community Association which organised the event.
It is understood that the scaffolding on the building would have frightened Santa’s reindeer so he parked his sleigh out of town rather than on the roof.
Posted by Tina Rowe
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Ilchester Christmas Fair 2024
Christmas Fair 2024
Ilchester Christmas Fair 2024 – Saturday, November 30th 10am until 2pm at the Town Hall -
Remembrance Sunday Service at St. Mary Major, Ilchester
Remembrance Sunday Service at St. Mary Major, Ilchester
Ilchester Parish Councillor “H” Williams wore his Chief Petty Officer’s beret and medals when he laid a wreath on behalf of the parish council at the Remembrance Sunday service at St Mary Major.
“H” served in the Royal Navy for 25 years and wearing the beret allowed him to salute the war memorial and the men named on it who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Hundreds of people turned out for Sunday’s parade Members of the Royal Navy and Army Air Corps, youth and other organisations marched to the church along West Street, High Street and Church Street. The service began inside the church, then, shortly before 11am, the congregation gathered around the churchyard war memorial where the Rev Bruce Faulkner led prayers. Wreaths were laid, and Last Post and Reveille sounded by a military bugler.
Yeovilton Military Wives Choir brought the service to a conclusion with a moving rendition of Abide With Me. “H” praised Rev Faulkner’s sermon in which he spoke of the individual strengths of Ilchester and of nearby Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, and what each community can bring to the other.
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November Event at Ilchester Town Hall – The Saviour
November Event at Ilchester Town Hall – The Saviour
A tale of two sisters and a failing chip shop. A quest for potatoes. (With songs).
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Halloween Party Fun 2024 – Report and photos
Halloween Party Fun 2024 – Report and photos
Children – and adults – had fun at the spooky Halloween Party organised in the Town Hall by Ilchester and District Community Association. There was plenty to do from face-painting, making ghosts and edible witches’ broomsticks, to dancing in the (almost) dark by the light of giant imitation pumpkins. Halloween-themed food included skeleton hands (transparent gloves filled with popcorn – see our photographs).
Teddy gets his face painted.
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IDCA Newsletter Aug/Sept 2024
IDCA Newsletter Aug/Sept 2024
To read the newsletter, touch the cover image to display next page / previous page arrows at the bottom of the page and you can zoom in to enlarge the text if required.
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New in Our Shop
New in Our Shop
Autumn / Winter Collection of Hoodies and Sweatshirts.
Keep warm as you walk the dog, power-walk, cycle or run the Ilchester – Yeovilton – Limington circuit, in these lovely new additions to our shop…
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IlCHESTER CHARITY CAR BOOT SALE 2024
Dog Friendly Car Boot Sale every Sunday at the Ilchester Pavilion and Sports Ground
BUY YOUR REFRESHMENTS FROM THE BENNY’S FISH & CHIPS BURGER VAN
Our car boot sales start on Sunday 7th April and run through to October 2024!
Please see our new entry times: The car boot sales will now be opening to sellers from 7.30 am and buyers can access stalls from 8.30 am. All of the funds we raise from entry fees go towards the Ilchester Town Trust Charity 235579. Please come along and support our community, there will be a burger van on site if you fancy a cuppa and a bite to eat! Your four legged friends are also welcome (though please clean up after if there are any accidents – we have two dog poo bins on site!) If you require further information please use the link below to access our Facebook page.
You can message the organisers via their Facebook Page, CLICK Here (opens in a new window)
CAR BOOT SALES – GENERAL INFO
Buyers Entry Fees:
£1 for cars
50p for walkers and 2 wheeled vehicles
(NO vehicles are to be left parked on the highway: occupants will be denied access to the Car Boot sale)
Sellers: – No vehicle movement on the sellers’ site before 1100 (including collection of goods without the supervision of marshals)
The above ruling has been applied on the grounds of Health and Safety due to near misses with pedestrians and the destruction of other sellers’ goods by vehicles leaving the site early.
Sellers entry fees:
Cars & Small Vans – £5 Medium Vans – £10 Merchant Vans – £15
Additional Trailers – £5 extra
PROHIBITED:
– The sale of Fire Arms, Offensive weapons, Tobacco/Alcoholic goods.
– Tombola’s/Raffles or the sale of food and drinks (that would clash with on-site caterers) without prior arrangement.
– Trading with others prior to the admittance of the general public.
Please remove ALL goods and rubbish from the site on departure
Ilchester Charity Car Boot Sales are run by volunteers on behalf of Ilchester Town Trust who own and operate the Sports Field in Ilchester. In the past, the Car Boots were run to provide sporting facilities in Ilchester and are still providing support in the up-keep of the grounds and pavilion as well as new projects.
The Town Trust would like to thank you for your continued support.
Ilchester Charity Car Boot Mobile Phone: Tel: 07967 280754
Cancelled Car Boot sales: An announcement to this effect will be left as soon as known, or at 0645 on the day. Please do not leave messages.
Car boot guidelines for sellers …
The car boot is organised by the Ilchester Sportsfield Committee. We hope you will enjoy your visit. All monies raised is used to maintain and develop the sports field and pavilion – charity no. 235579, and to support our local community. All our helpers are volunteers who give their time freely and we ask you to co-operate with them, please.
Due to Health and Safety, sellers are requested not to leave until after 11 am. This decision was made due to concerns regarding some extremely near accidents, caused when sellers leave too early and put other sellers, buyers, and pedestrians at risk of being knocked over/hit by vehicles exiting the lanes. We would further ask that sellers do not trade between themselves until the general public have been admitted.
Please follow the instructions of the stewards (yellow jackets) when parking. We are now strictly regulated regarding layout, so please park sensibly and where directed. Furthermore, due to strict recycling regulations, we politely request that you DO NOT leave rubbish or merchandise on site. Please take EVERYTHING away with you.
Should you have any issues, please do not hesitate to speak with one of the stewards or the staff in the office. Our wooden hut is by the entrance to the grounds. Alternatively, please ring 07967 280754.
Thank you and best wishes
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We are updating our website!
We are currently working to update our website so you may find it appears disjointed at times. Thank you for your patience as work continues.
Now’s a good time to reach out to us if you would like to request any particular features you would like to see on the website. Or, perhaps you would like to send us an article you have written, photographs you have taken around Ilchester, share details about a hobby or activity you enjoy in the area.
You can contact us by clicking HERE, in the first instance.
Or, you can leave a message in the comments section, below, and we’ll get back to you.
We’d love to hear from you!
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Easyfundraising & The Ilchester Town Trust
There are over 6,000 shops and sites on board ready to make a donation – including eBay, Argos, John Lewis, ASOS, Booking.com and M&S – and it won’t cost you a penny extra to help us raise funds.
All you need to do is:
- Go to The Easy Fundraising website by clicking HERE, and join for free.
- Every time you shop online, go to easyfundraising first to find the site you want and start shopping.
- After you’ve checked out, the retailer will make a donation to ILCHESTER TOWN TRUST at no extra cost to you whatsoever!
There are no catches or hidden charges and ILCHESTER TOWN TRUST will be really grateful for your donations.
Thank you for your support.
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** ILCHESTER CELEBRATES THE QUEEN’S PLATINUM JUBILEE **
On Sunday 5th June Ilchester had a fabulous day celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. After a very stormy Saturday night, the Ilchester Sports field Volunteers braved an early start and went ahead with the weekly Car Boot Sale.
Following the car boot, the Ilchester Town Trust started the official Jubilee celebrations by planting an English Oak Tree on the sports field to commemorate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The Ceremony was attended by representatives of the sports field volunteers and Ilchester Town Trust Trustees, Parish Councillor Steven Marsh, Ann Faulkner, wife of Rev. Bruce Faulkner, previous members of Ilchester Town Trust and Mr Gerry Masters and his family. Chairman Graham Mottram invited Mr Gerry Masters to plant the Oak Tree. Mr Masters was the Chairman of the Trust when the sports field was purchased and the Pavilion was built. After a swift glass of something sparkling and a jubilee cupcake, there was just enough time to decant to the Town Hall where the Ilchester street party was just getting started.
A great time was had by all at the street party, with a range of fun things to do for both children and adults. Commemorative coins were given to the children of the village, a drawing competition was held, and a throne was available for a royal photo shoot. There were craft stalls, skittles, bouncy castle, archery, ice cream, tea, coffee and cake, plus a DJ and singers performing throughout the day. It was a spectacular event and everyone had a fantastic time!
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The bones of Faustina – lady in the lead coffin
This lead coffin is held in the Ilchester Museum and contains the skeleton of a middle aged woman. It was found during excavations in 1982 at a roman cemetery near the river. The cemetery is believed to be late 4th to early 5th century. It is believed that the cemetery holds around 1500 bodies.
On Tuesday 14th December, two small bones from the body were taken for further detailed analysis. It is hoped to establish the exact date that this lady died. She is fondly called Faustina, but this is not her real name. We are not sure who chose the name for her.
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THE ILCHESTER MARKET CROSS
A ceremony was held on Monday 25th October to celebrate the rebuilding of the Ilchester Market Cross.
The Rev. Bruce Faulkner presided over the ceremony to celebrate the rebuilding of the Market Cross, after it was knocked down 4 years ago. Planning finally started after covid restrictions were lifted, and stonemasons Boden and Ward started the reconstruction in July this year.
The Market Cross, Ilchester October 2021 
