BGS newsletter – November 2025
Diary dates for November
Date What When; Where
8/11 Coffee morning – raising funds for the ‘Bream Village Lights’ 11:00am -12:00pm; Bream Sports Club
11/11 BGS general meeting – “Ashwood Nursery & John Vassey” 7:30pm; Bream Sports Club
15/11 BGS Barn Dance 7:30pm; West Dean Centre
22/11 Christmas Craft Fair 11:00am – 2:00pm; St James’ Church Centre
25/11 BGS members’ viewing of Tender Shoots presentation 7:30pm; St James’ Church Centre (T.B.C.)
Please remember that there are also online presentations from Tender Shoots most weeks which BGS members may access at www.tendershoots.uk/programme, using the password “spud” (see item on Tender Shoots below).
Welcome to the November BGS newsletter, my first. A big thanks to Margaret Kidby who has been editing this newsletter now these last 5 years or so!
I have decided to send out the newsletter as a simple email, rather than an email with an attached file, as previously. It makes everything smaller and neater. There should be no problem printing it out if you prefer reading it on paper, but I have not spent much effort on getting the pagination tidy for printing.
As previously this newsletter will be available from the newsletter archive on the BGS website. BGS Members – newsletters
I also thought it would be a good idea to issue the newsletter on the day after the Committee meeting, so that news can be transmitted quickly and to give a week to advertise the next General Meeting to maximise attendance.
You will have noticed that I have introduced a summary of meetings and events in the month at the top of the page. Margaret used to have an introduction in which she gave out gardening tips for the coming month. I know my limitations; NO ONE wants to copy what I’m doing in MY garden!
So I’ve invited Jane Carr to provide a monthly piece which we’ll call Jane’s Jottings for gardening advice.
She will start this properly next month, but has offered the thought for this month that we should not be too hasty to tidy up dead or dying vegetation in our gardens. Better to leave it standing so that various creatures can eat seeds and fruits, and so that the predator insects we are trying to attract into our gardens can find somewhere to overwinter.
I’d also like to provide a ‘market place’ where members can offer things for sale or as freebies and also seek help with things they’d like to buy or borrow. Anyone wanting to take advantage of this should send their adverts to me at secretaryBGS100@gmail.com. I can include pictures but only one per advert please.
Below is this month’s news, written by committee members. I’d be happy to include news items written by members, though I’ll retain the right to edit supplied copy to make it fit (or remove salacious remarks likely to see me locked up!). Please send offerings to the “secretary” email address.
John Theophilus – Newsletter Editor
News
BGS Autumn Show
The dust has barely settled on clearing up after the Autumn Show and we are still counting up the takings and reviewing how it all went.
The broad headline is that it appears to have been another great success, with visitor numbers and exhibits both up significantly from last year.
The Dean Forest Beekeepers joined us with their Honey Show this year. The joint venture appeared to run smoothly and advantageously to both parties and we hope to continue working together next year.
Everyone involved in the Show seems to have had a good time and we owe a great vote of thanks to the many members who put in a huge amount of work to make it work (especially Show Manager and Show Secretary Kathryn and Elizabeth Gardner) and also to those who entered produce, art, craft etc. It made for a terrific spectacle and made the Show the success that it was.
Congratulations to those with winning entries. Here are a few pictures of prize winners with their silverware.
There are lots more nice pictures from the Show on our Facebook page. See Facebook – Bream Gardening Society
There will be a detailed analysis of the show presented at our AGM in February, as usual.
Raised Bed at BSC
We are discussing with the Sports Club making the raised bed we installed for the Summer Show a permanent feature. We hope the current temporary structure will be replaced, in due course, with a more substantial permanent structure. In the meantime we would like to refresh the current bed ready for a good display in the Spring.
If any members are able to donate surplus to requirements bulbs or bedding plants this would make the whole enterprise more economical and “Green”. Can anyone who can help please bring donations to the next general meeting on the 11th.
Upcoming Events
11 November – BGS General meeting. 7:30pm at Bream Sports Club
A talk by Howard Drury on Ashwood Nurseries and its owner John Massey.
An insight into John Massey’s private but very exciting garden at the legendary
Ashwood Nurseries. Howard will transport us through a year of colour and plants
in what must be one of the top private gardens in Britain.
15 November – BGS Barn Dance. 7:30 – 10:30 at West Dean Centre
Dancing to live music from Banshee Ceilidh Band with a professional caller. Tickets are £8.50 per head including refreshments. There will be a ‘pay for’ bar.
This is a dance to celebrate our 160th Summer Show. Come along for an evening of fun and frolics – be there or be square! (actually, there will probably be square dances, so you can be square either way….)
You can buy tickets for the Barn Dance here BGS Barn Dance – booking form
Other November events
Tender shoots presentation
BGS is affiliated to the online gardening group “Tender Shoots”. This gives our members access to some excellent on-line content. It can be reached through the link given at the top of this email using the BGS password “spud”. Please note that this password is specific to BGS and should not be shared with outsiders.
The Tender Shoots organisation operates on the basis that all affiliated societies provide an online presentation every year. Our presentation has been arranged by Elizabeth Gardner from one of her Kew colleagues, Dr. Janine Griffiths-Lee, and will go out on 25th November. The subject is “Habitat management to benefit pollinators”.
Members may watch this at home via the Tender Shoots website as usual, but we are also arranging a group viewing for interested members at St James’ Church Centre (T.B.C.) at 7:30 on the 25th November. We would encourage members to attend, not least because the talks are always improved by good questions at the end and we can hopefully supply some of these if we put our heads together.
The Tender Shoots presentations are transmitted on Zoom. If any members would like to watch them but are uncertain of how to use Zoom please let us know (email SecretaryBGS100@gmail.com ) and we will provide advice.
Wreath Making Workshop
Looking ahead to December there will be a wreath making workshop on December 4th at West Dean Centre run by the Lydney and Severnside Flower Club. They are seeking bookings by 15 November. Members who wish to take up this offer may follow this link for further information Wreath-making workshop – further information