Someone's not happy!

 

CAR PARK PROPOSALS UPDATE

Local man reacts to latest Town Council idea:

40 new spaces 'on the moon'

carryonlangport.blogspot.com

Established 2015

 😊

 

Carry On Parking!

 

But Where?

 

 

Down here apparently!

Despite Langport Town Council Chairman Sean Dromgoole saying that, aside from land behind the old Travis Perkins site, several other options are being considered for extra parking for Langport....

[here's the post on Carry On Langport's Facebook page around 3 weeks ago]

...the people who managed to get to the [3 o'clock in the afternoon on a week day] council meeting at the town hall a few weeks ago appear to have come away with the distinct feeling that's where the town council wants it.

With a narrow access route that makes Wagg Drove look like the A303, coming out on a road where there's already a busy supermarket junction and a school and a 'decent walk' from town centre shops and offices - objectors had hoped it may be shelved. 

Doesn't look like it has been though and Mr Dromgoole, if not others on the council, seem to be - according to those who listened in at the recent meeting - "enthusiast".

The main reason for that enthusiasm being Network Rail are about to use a large plot of land there on the moor next to the railway line for a hard standing for their vehicles and heavy plant machinery for when they start work on the railway bridge later this summer.

Having the ground already flattened out and semi-ready would mean far less expense for anyone who wants to come along and build a car park on top. Makes sense.

At this point, we're not even sure who owns that land. Is it part of the North Moor common land? Or is it, as many have said, actually within the boundaries of Huish Episcopi?

Either way it sounds far cheaper than buying a plot of land at, let's say Westover for example. 

If the carpark does go ahead - it's believed the town council hopes it could encourage the [approximately] 80 drivers who work and park in the town centre 5-6 days a week to park there, behind the old Perkins store on the moor, instead.

[quite a walk that - don't forget your brollies] 

Our busy little town certainly needs some more parking or some parking spaces freed up - which some think may well happen if fees were introduced in part[s] of the Cocklemoor car park.

But that idea seems to have gone quiet while this new carpark idea out on the moor is banded about. 

 

In conclusion: 

While the town council should be commended for making great efforts to get it all sorted out, one does get the impression that Langport is about to create a new public carpark in the wrong place simply because it's the cheapest option.

Surely practicalities - very poor access, distance from the town centre for those 'asked' to park there instead and sticking it all right on top of a supermarket junction and near a school - should override expense here.

Lots to chew over and admittedly, this article won't have covered all angles of the issue.

But it's a start....and with town council meetings about it at 3 o'clock in the afternoon on a weekday - well perhaps a Carry On Langport post might mean far more people might get to hear about it eh.

 

 

Feedback, observations, suggestions, corrections and rants all in the comments section please!

carryonlangport.blogspot.com

Established 2015

😊 

  

Onward Christian Soldiers!

Ten out of Ten!

Well done to Kingsbury Town Band and the Langport & District Friendly Society who've been playing and marching around our local roads & streets since around 9 o'clock this morning. 

Now all the marchers are in the Arms [5pm] for a well-deserved nosh-up and drink. 

Ten out of ten for keeping the tradition alive! 

carryonlangport.blogspot.com

Established about 190 years after the Friendly Society but always flying the flag for Langport & Huish!

😊

 

New Town Car Park?

 

How About Here?

There was a public meeting this week about a proposed new car park somewhere on part of North Moor [next to the railway line behind Tesco]

The idea is a Town Council one aimed at easing overcrowding in the main town centre car parks. 

It's already thrown up several questions. 

Why so far from the town centre and not at Westover [for example] where the cafes, businesses and river is? Would it be free or charged? Where would its access road be?

 

and will I be able to use my Club Card to get a bigger space? 

😁 

and some of the answers were provided at the meeting.

Why there?  

Cheaper. Network Rail will be using the plot marked in the picture as a hard standing for their nearby railway bridge work in August, so the land will have already been partly prepared for a potential public car park to be laid on top. 

It's also Common land. Again, cheaper. Land at Westover, for example, would have to be purchased. 

Where would its access road be?

The only visible way through appears to be the very narrow track down to the moor between Tesco and the former Travis Perkins site.

Widening that track would involve buying land from either one or both of the landowners either side.

[Good luck with that one] 

Lots of opinions already being banded about!

But it's early days. Wherever it goes, it looks like we do need some extra parking in Langport OR would introducing fees at part of the main one cancel out the need for a new one? 

All food for thought. 

Thanks for the messages and contributions so far - keep'em coming! 

and feel free to add your views in the comments section of Carry On Langport's Facebook page...particulary if you went to the meeting at the primary school this week.

That's your Wednesday bulletin folks! 

carryonlangport.blogspot.com

Slowly replacing the Western Gazette since 2015

😊

Town Gardener Arrested:

 

Indeceny Charges at Langport.

Langport Town Garden was closed off this afternoon as increasing numbers of visitors dialled 999 to report an 'indecent' display in one of the bushes.

The item [pictured] has appeared in the undergrowth in recent days triggering horror and panic.

Anne Summer's Head Office in Taunton told police "it wasn't one of theirs" while one local man was seen trying to cut it off and take it up Priest Lane.

"I think it's a disgrace" said local woman Molly Sugden, "I only sat on that bench to do my scratch cards....I didn't expect that to come up"

George Brown, who manages the garden for the town council, was arrested but then released on bail this evening after he told police he needed to spend the weekend in London.

The 45 year-old apologised for the alarm the new bloom had caused and said he'd be "taking it up the Palladium" as soon as he arrived in Soho tonight.

There are no further details.

carryonlangport.blogspot.com

Established 2015

😂

Was that thunder?

 

AMBER WARNING: 

The Met Office has issued a Langport-wide weather alert with locals showing signs of ever-so-slight madness after the first rain fall this evening since March, there was thunder & lightning too.

Soggy red, white & blue bunting was spotted outside the Langport Arms [nothing in Huish until July 4th] 

More than 5 stallholders have announced they'll turn up for this Friday's market, parents driving the kids to Scouts this week have suddenly agreed not to bugger up Bond's Pool for the first time since 2015 and a bar manager in Drayton [pictured] has raised a Union Jack on the back of his bicycle.

The dirty fascist.

Crazy, let's hope things return to normal ASAP.

Looks like the storm's already passed.

Thank God for that.

That's your Tuesday evening bulletin folks, log in again soon!

carryonlangport.blogspot.com

Established 1066

😊

Here We Go!

Time To Party Like It's 1945!

The Langport Arms 80th anniversary VE Day party is a week tomorrow [May 10th] in the downstairs bar & courtyard. 

Wartime music, food & drink.

Dress up in 40s gear if you can find anything.

Even coming just dressed as a blackout curtain counts!

Starts at 3pm!

 

😄

carryonlangport.blogspot.com

Established 2015

 😊

Get Him.

 

2 people from Cheapside and 7 people from Bow Street have been arrested after stretching fishing line across the main road outside their houses to catch the noisy bastard on a moped going up and down every 20 minutes all this week. 

"We think they got him though" said a delighted Boss Hogg [pictured] at Portishead police HQ.

There are no further details.

carryonlangport.blogspot.com

Established 2015

😊

 

Here's Hoping!

 

Unlike the glorious displays of red, white & blue in Somerton, Martock, Long Sutton and other nearby communities - none of our town councillors (11? 12 of them?) had any interest in hanging even the cheapest bunting across the front of our town hall for either the late Queen's last jubilee or the coronation of King Charles. 

Let's see if we can coax them in to spending less than a tenner of public money on doing something for the 80th anniversary of VE day! 

7 days left! Here's hoping!

carryonlangport.blogspot.com

Established 2015

😊

HORROR ON COCKLEMOOR

 

Three people were attacked by a giant mole on Cocklemoor last night. 

The animal, which used to live under the precinct but relocated to avoid the upcoming new parking charges, lunged at paddleboarders having fish & chips. 

"It was all so sudden" said one of the survivors, "there was just no time to think so we left our rubbish all over the grass and just left" 

 [no change there then] 

There are no further details.

carryonlangport.blogspot.com

Reporting Local News Since 2015

😊

 

HAPPY EASTER!

Happy Easter and here's another great picture from the archives:

 

Local pubs - Langport, Huish, Aller, Drayton, Pitney, Kingsbury & elsewhere - if you've got any live music on this Easter weekend - let us know in the comments section on Carry On Langport's facebook page.

👍

a reminder Cider Saturdays have restarted for the spring & summer at Burrow Hill Cider, with music, food & drink and walks through the Orchard. The event opens from 10am every Saturday and runs in to the afternoon.

and don't forget these two coming up next month:

 

 

carryonlangport.blogspot.com

Established 2015

😊

 

That's it then, we've been 'defined':

 

BREAKING NEWS

Supreme Court rules on definition of a Langporter: 

Not interested in sour dough bread

kids walk to school

uses a blanket on the bed when the bedroom's cold

uses local pubs

knows how to pronounce Othery 

and ever so slightly related to everyone in Tesco

👍

carryonlangport.blogspot.com

Established 2015

😊

TRAFFIC NEWS:

 

 

A Long Sutton couple driving to Langport this week say they managed to slow down for long enough to read everything on these pub signs.

Both the AA and the RAC have described the claims as "extraordinary" and are looking into the incident.

There are no further details.

carryonlangport.blogspot.com

Established 2015

😊

WE HAVE A DATE!

 

Saturday 5th July!

If you know, you know!

carryonlangport.blogspot.com

Established 2015

😊

 

Breaking News:

 a

More tariffs announced as local trade war escalates

Stock markets across Somerton, Martock & Keinton Mandeville continue to fluctuate this weekend after the latest round of trade tariffs take effect across Langport and Huish Episcopi.

Here's a reminder of what's happened so far:

15% on Friday market stall holders who bother to turn up.

30% on dog owners whose hounds urinate on plants in the town garden every day even though 800 acres of moorland is just 30 feet away.

10% on under 30s who have anxiety attacks when local bakeries run out of sour dough bread.

15% on anyone who doesn't complain about something on the 'Spotted In Somerton' facebook page. 

25% on Eli's for calling last orders at 6pm on a Sunday even though the beer garden's full [edit: now reduced to 15% after extension announced]

15% on anyone who doesn't get lost in Langport's 'vintage quarter' (so many streets and little alley ways) 

50% on townies who move in to the area, build a massive fence around their property, don't say hello to people out walking on the river bank and only go to local pubs on Christmas Day hoping to get a free pint.

20% on any over 60s who never had sex up Priest Lane in the 70s & 80s.

95% on people who've been living here over a year and still can't pronounce Muchelney.

and 100% on people who think Carry On Langport is a trustworthy source of local news and information.

😂

That's your Sunday bulletin folks!

Thanks for the contributions and carry on reading!

Advertising:

Two events next month for you....

carryonlangport.blogspot.com

Rocking the boat since 2015.

 😊

 

So what could it be?

 

Your Thoughts:

The uncovering of what look like centuries-old if not Roman remains on the Huish Episcopi farmland where 100 homes are about to be built [yes it's farmland so why are we building on it? UK food security's obviously gone out of fashion] has sparked excitement among locals and triggered pages of speculation.

As we await the county archaeologist's official report, let's look at what people are saying in pubs, cafes and online....

😊

Could it be an early One Stop? That flagstone at the top slides open when you go near it and a tin of beans discovered in the mud there is 3 times as much as it is in Tesco. [Kenneth Williams]

I think it could be part of a shop chain, maybe connected to the place opposite Fosters newsagents & the post office......closed for 2000 years. [Peter Butterworth]

Look at those wheel barrows in the picture.....it's gotta be an early Overt Locke's. [Hattie Jaques]

It's definitely not an early Roman Freemasons Lodge, there's no sign of chariots double parked either side making it near on impossible to get through. [Charles Hawtrey]

   Look at that splashback on the stone work, it's evidently where Eli's originally located the men's urinals, why they moved 'em back within nose range is anybody's guess. [June Whitfield]

 Has ABP bought it yet? Must be room for 15 people in there surely? [Joan Sims]

😊

Certainly all food for thought.

Either way, it begs the question there must be more up there buried under the soil. How about opening it all up and making it a feature?

Or shall we just opt for more red lego houses up there instead?

Watch this space [or that hole even]

That's your Wednesday bulletin folks, thanks for the contributions and carry on reading!

👍

 

ADVERTISING:

 

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Ten Years!

 

Carry On Blogging - I'll try!

Marking Carry On Langport's 10th birthday this month, I'm reposting what has proved to be one of the blog's most popular videos ever from back in 2016. 

Clocking up over a thousand views at the time, it includes some 'in jokes' from back then which may or may not be relevant today. 

To set the scene - in his bunker in Berlin in the 1940s, Hitler is outraged the Luftwaffe don't seem to be able to hit the thing about our dear little town that he detests the most: The Langport Arms

😂

[contains very strong language]

Thanks for following this blog and its Facebook page and thanks for all the contributions

[many of which are in a safe]

carryonlangport.blogspot.com

Also on Facebook & Instagram

😊

 

 

HERE COMES SUMMER!

EVENT LISTINGS 

For those of us planning our spring and summer diaries, here are some of the dates you might want to make a note of, or completely avoid even if they're not your cup of tea.

There's obviously lots more going on across Somerset too but these are the well-known regulars in our neck of the woods: 

😊

Monday 5th May - Kingsbury May Festival @ Kingsbury Episcopi

Sunday 8th June - The Green Scythe Fair @ Thorney

PS - is that how you spell scythe? 

Saturday 5th July - Party by the Parrett @ Kingsbury Episcopi  

Saturday 5th July - PitFest @ Pitney [from 2pm]

10th - 12th July - PitFest @ Emmen - this is the hardcore punk heavy metal festival held every year in the Netherlands - don't type that one in to your SatNav 😐

 18th - 20th July - The Steam Fair & Country Show @ Low Ham - if you've never been - it's a great venue, great site up there on the hill and it's not all about steam engines & tractors....there's a lot more going on up there including live music, shows, displays & fun for the kids 👍

Finally

There are unconfirmed reports that Westcountry charity event promoters Gamble & Holland, who can't be named for legal reasons, may be putting together a 30th anniversary 'bike ride' one Saturday this summer.

 

Wagg Drove, 1995

For those of you who remember these events back in the 90s....this news will either terrify or delight you.

Watch this space!

carryonlangport.blogspot.com

Established 2015

😊

CHECKPOINT CHAPEL

 

Merge baby, Merge!

As Huish and Langport continue to impose tit-for-tat trade tariffs on each other's goods, work's begun this morning on ANPR cameras and passport control barriers at Checkpoint Chapel. 

There are no further details.

carryonlangport.blogspot.com

Rocking the boat since 2015

😊

 

BREAKING NEWS:

 

TAKE COVER!

In Langport this morning a teenager fainted at a cafe when he noticed a couple on another table eating bacon.

A young mother in a car far too big for the army let alone her and her young son was heard asking what time Garden City opened because she needed some hanging baskets.

And a woman with a 7-bedroom house and room for a pony was heard telling a shop keeper on Bow Street how she'd moved here from "Sherborne" without pronouncing the Dorset town's 2 letter Rs.

 

THIS IS A GENERAL TOWNWIDE ALERT:

 

Take all necessary precautions - bellringers & farmers - you have been warned.

carryonlangport.blogspot.com

Also on Facebook & Instagram

😊

 

SUNDAY BULLETIN:

Let's get the big story out the way!

Somerset Council has decided that it's not really fair that some towns in the county have free parking while others have it charged, some town councils [not ours] even pay to keep some of theirs free.

And so changes could be on the way which are highly likely to involve some sort of fee to park in some or all of Langport's main car parks.

A plan to introduce overnight fees appears to have been dropped, but the day time proposals are still in the pipeline and will first have to be put out to public consultation, which according to a recently updated statement from Somerset Council has already been happening....

No no no, the Langport Area Business Group [LABG+] has already had a meeting about it, local councillors appear to be well informed but there's little evidence that Joe Public's been told much about it.

We're still waiting for the 'full' public consultations to begin. 

[Use of the word 'full' a tad cheeky here when there don't appear to have been any at all with the public so far]

The issue has raised questions and naturally provoked much gossip and comment in the town's cafes, pubs & clubs.

 

 

Let's look at a few things Hilda and her mates have been saying:

[rightly or wrongly]

"It'll never happen, the land's not Somerset Council owned - it's Langport's" IVY TILSLEY

"Residents with no parking of their own [most of Bow Street & Cheapside] will surely get some sort of permit? But will the permit be free?" ANNIE WALKER

"Yes, make the bloody paddleboarders that hog the carpark all day between April and September and leave their litter behind pay something - the buggers" ALBERT TATLOCK

"Would any money raised even go to Langport? Wouldn't Somerset Council get it?" EDDIE YATES

and

"Does anyone know when the Langport Arms porch is being rebuilt?" STAN OGDEN

 

So there you go. As soon as we see that the official 'full' [!] public consultations are open we will post a link for you to click on and take part.

But for now, dear reader, that is all we know or think or assume or imagine....etc etc.

Diddly squat about it on Langport Life by the way, that's our town council's official website. Unless it's hidden away somewhere 6 clicks in.

Biggest story facing Langport in years, if not decades, and nothing about it.

Long Sutton daffodil festival's on it though.

But updates have been appearing from time to time on the Facebook page Langport - Where It's To, which for those not in the know is Carry On Langport's much better behaved big sister

 😁😁😁

 

That's it on the parking story....just a few pieces of other news and a few events for you folks: 

Get those grey cells vibrating

Quiz Night at The Old Pound in Aller!

 

 

The big Aller pub quiz is TONIGHT!

Boasting 10 rounds of 10 questions each, subject categories include general knowledge, history, British Olympians and poetry.

And then the usual much-loved 'local' rounds too including village feuds going back 200 years, skittle match results from the 1970s and Middlezoy inbreeding figures.

It's £2 per person, maximum 6 people per team and there'll be 30 quid's worth of drinking put behind the bar for the winners.

It all kicks off at 6:30pm

😊

Later this month up on land at Pibsbury:

 

and finally some good or at least promising news from Somerton:

👍👍👍

 

That's your Sunday bulletin done & dusted folks.

Thanks for the contributions.

Comments, complaints & observations - as always - in the comments section on the Facebook page please!

carryonlangport.blogspot.com

Established 2015

😊

 

Last Night's TV:

We asked 100 people where they thought Langport's controversial new proposed 'rural bus hub' should be and our survey said:

 

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Also on Facebook & Instagram

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Langport? Congested?

 

Whatever Gave You That Idea?

For those of you who thought our little town was already congested, the site of a headline on the BBC News website this morning is enough to make your jaw drop.

Forget those days when traffic grinds to a halt as bin lorries do their rounds, Boots has a van delivery, people stop their cars outside the charity shops to unload a vase and HGVs try to squeeze through...look what's coming:

 

 

Who came up with that idea for goodness sake?

[and what an unrepresentative photograph of Bow Street traffic, when was this taken? Christmas Day?]

So there ya go folks, Somerset's smallest town with one of the narrowest streets in England is about to be the location of a new rural countywide bus hub.

On The Buses? 

Off Their Heads more like! You couldn't write it!

 

 

If it goes ahead, let's hope drivers get extra training in how to get around post office corner eh.

And that includes you Butler!

To read the full BBC online article click HERE

carryonlangport.blogspot.com

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😊

 

Tonight's TV:

 

It's The Big Day!

Celebrating 40 years of everyone's favourite soap!

😂

carryonlangport.blogspot.com

Also on Facebook & Instagram

😊

Trump Targets Eco-Homes

 a

More Interference from Washington:

Donald Trump has announced plans to 'relocate' anyone living on the East Bank in Langport and turn it in to a Riviera [2 golf courses, a pier and an amusement arcade] 

Known for not liking anything with the word 'Eco' in the title, the President told Carry On Langport it was high time the riverside slum was redevelopped.

There are no further details.

carryonlangport.blogspot.com

Also on Facebook & Instagram

😊

 

 

FRIDAY BULLETIN:

 

U-TURN AT WHITE HOUSE 

Following our report earlier this month that Donald Trump had put in a bid for Huish Episcopi on Ebay, the President's now reportedly changed his mind.

Chatting to Stormy Daniels on Whatsapp last night, he revealed he'd withdrawn his bid.

"It was the local academy that he wasn't interested in" said Miss Daniels from her holiday home on Priest Lane.

"Damn right" said Mr Trump, "I don't like cats and I wouldn't know what to do with that many pronouns"

The President also hinted that the little town on the river next door always asking to be bailed out had also put him off acquiring Huish.

"Merge baby, merge" he told reporters.

There are no further details. 

Thanks for the contributions and log in again soon!

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News From The Doctor's Waiting Room:

 

Film Night Cancelled

Movie fans were left disappointed earlier this week when they turned up for the monthly film night at Langport Surgery only to find the big screen had been removed.

Due to technical issues, the entire set up's had to be taken down and sent away for repairs.

It means the scheduled showing of Carry On Matron has been put off until March.

Back to the 70s!

"The missing screen's also affecting the day-to-day running of the surgery" said Nurse Jacques as she chased Eastover man Frankie Howerd around with a large daffodil.

"Until it's back, GPs will have to wander in to the waiting room and call out the name of whoever's got the next appointment" she added.

For many Langporters over a certain age this will be an easy change to adjust to, as it's similar to how legendary receptionist Mrs Phillips ran the surgery for much of the second half of the 20th century.

Sliding back her glass window and announcing a name and closing it again before you'd even got up and started walking.

Those were the days!

Before we finish, here's what's showing on 'the big screen' at the surgery's monthly film club when everything's back up and running (with the usual break for the summer):

March - Carry On Matron [factual]

April - No Sex Please, We're Huish! [factual]

May - The Life & Times of Harold Shipman [horror]

June - Hot Fuzz [official advice for Cardamom customers]

September - Chitty Chitty Gang Bang [live version from Cartgate Roundabout]

October - Deep Impact [for suppository users]

November - The Human Centipede [educational]

December -  Is That My Yule Log or Yours? [seasonal comedy]

😊

Definitely worth a look!

Film club organisers say everybody's welcome, no need to join, just ring reception at 8.30 in the mornng on the day of the showing to get a seat.

That's it for now folks, thanks for the contributions and log in again soon!

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😊