THE Upleadon Church annual parish and parochial church meetings will be held on Thursday, April 24 at 7.30pm. They will take place in Upleadon Village Hall. All parishioners interested in the affairs of the church will be welcome. Annual accounts and reports will be presented. A new parochial church council will be elected and future events will be discussed.

Wine buff of the year competition will be held in Upleadon Village Hall on Saturday, May 10 at 7.30pm. There will be a starter, a main course consisting of pates/cheese/coleslaw/ green salad with crusty bread and butter. A sweet and coffee is also included plus five wines to taste and identify from a list of suggestions. This will be interspersed with a few not too serious wine questions of the A, B, C variety. The cost will be £10 a head inclusive. For details or to book places please telephone Gerald or Christine Draper on (01531) 820043.

For many years people in Upleadon have supported the Children's Society by being box-holders. In 2002 the amount sent to the society and raised through the boxes was £82.14.

In December there was a nine parish service in Upleadon Church when the Venerable Christopher Wagstaff preached. He told the congregation that money sent from the benefice to Tanzania over the past few years, had been used mostly to purchase bicycles. These enable the priests to travel around their enormous dioceses more effectively. The alternative to cycling is walking! Each bike costs £70 and the collection at the December service amounted to £170.

The service next Sunday at St Mary the Virgin Church in Upleadon is evening prayer at 6pm with Jessie Williams and the Rev Dr Peter Newing. On Easter Day there will be parish communion at 9.30am with the Rev Andrew Perry.

If you haven't already booked the date please do so now. Saturday, June 21 at 3pm is when the annual Upleadon church fete will be held at the Old Vicarage for church funds. There will be lots of stalls with something for everyone. In addition a skittle alley, teas, barbecue and strawberries and cream will all be enticingly available. The grand draw is also a permanent and popular attraction. The England's Glory Ladies Morris Team will be present to give a display.

There is no need to go to Wordsworth's Lake District to see a host of golden daffodils. Just go down through Upleadon. The daffodils on the roadside verges are a brilliant display. From Upleadon Cross down through Gloucester Road and also down Forge Lane they have come up better than ever. The wild daffodils also grow in the fields at Upleadon but this is on private property and not so conspicuous. On several verges the cowslips are just coming out in bloom and will take over from the daffodils to delight the traveller. On the bank outside Forge Cottages there is also a small display of blue grape hyacinths to contrast with the yellow. Outside the village hall the Silver Jubilee trees planted in 1977 are just springing into leaf and everywhere the hawthorn hedges are well covered in their spring coats of green. Spring has arrived.