MORE than £400 was raised in aid of Minehead Museum funds by a successful charity quiz held at Minehead Social Club on Friday, February 27.

“A big thank you to everybody who attended,” said Julian Luke, chairman of the museum trustees. “It was great to see so many people at what is the curtain raiser for the museum’s season and, as usual, a very enjoyable evening was had by all.

“My thanks also to all the active volunteers who helped with the setting of the questions, publicity, scoring, and selling raffle tickets on the night.”

The quiz was won by the ‘Fuji Four’, whose members were Judith Groves, Fred Groves, Paddy O’Sullivan, and Merv Hillier, who beat 13 other teams to win bottles of wine.

Money raised by the quiz and accompanying raffle will go towards the running costs of the museum which reopens to the public on March 21 and can be found facing the West Somerset Railway station in a section of the Beach Hotel.

More than 85,000 visitors have enjoyed the museum’s displays since it opened in 2014 and new volunteers are being sought to cope with the increased activity.

Mr Luke said: “If anybody has spare time and would like to contribute to the culture and heritage of the area, we have a wide range of volunteering opportunities.

“These include stewardship and organising events, display and conservation, fund-raising, general administration, and grant applications.”

The long-term aim is to move the museum to larger premises in order to expand the collections.

Opening hours are: March 21 to November 1 - Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday 10 am to 4 pm, Sunday 11 am to 4 pm, Monday and Friday closed. Open at Easter and summer bank holidays and Mondays during August.

More information about the museum can be found on its website https://mineheadmuseum.co.uk, where donations can also be made.

CARHAMPTON Recreation Centre kicks off its spring programme this month with a party with a difference which will take place in the centre’s Long Hall on March 14.

Volunteers are being asked to take along their paint brushes and help brighten up the paintwork, starting at 10 am.

On Saturday, March 21, local historian Phil Gannon will give talk at the adjoining heritage centre on the Roadwater Mineral Line - describing the remains of more than 80 mine shafts.

The line was primarily built between 1857 and 1864 to transport iron ore from the Brendon Hills to Watchet Harbour, where it was shipped to South Wales.

The talk starts at 2 pm in the Long Hall, followed by afternoon tea.

Entry cost is £5, payable on the door.

Saturday, March 28, will see an Easter craft fair in the centre from 10 pm to 3 pm.

There will be 20 stalls including woodworking items, gifts, cards, sewing items, photographic prints, jams and preserves.

Tea, cakes, and bacon butties will be available.

LAST year was a good year for Minehead Motor Club, with more than 200 members and donations to good causes passing £3,000.

The tours were especially successful with good numbers of entries, three starting from Tropiquaria Zoo, Washford Cross, and the Tour of Exmoor started and finished at the hall and playing field in Allerford.

At two of the four tours, the club ran a raffle with the proceeds donated to the start venue in appreciation of the help they gave to members.

In addition, the run in June to the Lyn Valley Classic, which is a charity event and so the club donates the entry fees and after the event when making donations LVC gives the motor club a sum of money it can present to a charity of members’ choice, which was again the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, which received £2,000.

From the raffles, a cheque for £300 was given to Tropiquaria, and £300 to Allerford Village Hall.

In addition to this, the children in Allerford were doing a car wash in August as part of their fund-raising for a new slide for the playing field and the club donated £200 to their cause.

At the Christmas social evening in the Valiant Soldier, Roadwater, a donation was given to landlord Mike Twine to give to a charity of his choice, because he provides the food on the evening for free.

Mr Twine asked for the £400 gift to go the air ambulance.

Minehead Motor Club classic tours are open to club and non-club members with classic, modern classic, sports, and kit cars, and any other interesting cars.

Its next run is the spring tour on Sunday, April 12, starting from Tropiquaria and finishing at Oake Golf Club for an optional carvery.

Later, there is a run on June 14 to Lynton to again join the Lyn Classic Car show.

More information can be found on the club website or by emailing [email protected] or by calling 07557473224.

The club also runs monthly trials, a treasure hunt, Exmoor Clouds Classic Trial, and grass autotests in summer, and jointly with Taunton, Burnham-on-Sea, and Tavern Motor Clubs the Somerset Exmoor Targa Rally.

A GROUP dedicated to lifelong learning is welcoming new members in the Minehead and District area.

Minehead and District U3A is inviting retired individuals and those not in full-time work to its annual open day on Saturday, March 21, in Minehead Methodist Church Hall from 10.30 am to 3 pm.

A spokesperson for the U3A committee said: "We are welcoming new members to our open day, where you can explore our talks, social activities, and have the chance to meet group leaders in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere."

Minehead and District U3A provides a wide selection of educational and recreational opportunities for its members.

There is a diverse range of groups available, with subjects spanning from history to wellbeing.

Participation in the groups offers an excellent opportunity to make new friends and enjoy a lively and warm social environment.

It is part of a national network of more than 1,000 groups across the UK supporting more than 400,000 members.

More information can be found by visiting the club’s website.

ANYBODY who has ever wondered where our wild and woolly, or feathered, friends hang out should find the answer when the West Somerset National Trust Association welcomes back wildlife photographer David Bailey who will present another of his popular talks next week.

The talk will be accompanied by images to test people’s wits and perhaps make them sigh with frustration.

David has won many awards, including the Brand Laureate International Personality in 2016.

He has made many contributions to BBC and ITV television and radio programmes, including Spring Watch, and has published several books.

The talk is in the Methodist Hall, Minehead, at 2.30 pm, doors open at 2 pm, on Wednesday, March 11, when all will be welcome.

Admission for the talk is £4, or £3 for members.

WEST Somerset residents are being invited to take part in the annual Big Plastic Count from Monday to Sunday, March 9 to 15, to do something practical in the fight against plastic pollution.

Everybody in the community can take part in the UK-wide citizen science project by signing-up online to collect any plastic packaging they would normally throw away, counting the different types of plastic they use, and submitting the results to help build a national picture and push for change.

A COMMUNITY event in Porlock proved a roaring success as villagers came together to enjoy a bowl of soup and a chat.

Held in Porlock Village Hall, the community soup day was one of 12 community events being organised by Porlock Vale Community Interest Company (CIC) thanks to funding from the National Lottery.

Two different soups and bread were provided by the Ship Inn (Top Ship), in Porlock, for the event on Friday, February 27, which saw about 50 people enjoying a hearty lunch.

Porlock Vale CIC runs Porlock Information Centre, and centre manager Deborah Stanyon, who was responsible for organising the event, said she was overwhelmed by the support it received.

“It was lovely to see so many of our community members join us for a bowl of soup and a chat,” she said.

“Events like these are pivotal in our community and really help bring people together.

“Thank you to the Top Ship for providing the soup, Porlock Ladies for serving it, and Denise Sage for decorating the hall so beautifully.”

Thanks to lottery funding, the soup was provided to community members free of charge with a request for donations to Porlock Information Centre to support other community initiatives.

Porlock Information Centre is always on the lookout for volunteers to help in the centre itself but also at events such as these.

Anybody who would like to volunteer should email [email protected] or call 01643 863150.