The biggest change for many years to our Benefice is now taking place. From late November, Bruton will loose Batcombe, Lamyatt and Upton Noble, and will be reduced to six parishes: Brewham, Bruton, Pitcombe, Redlynch, Shepton Montague, Wyke Champflower (Redlynch and Wyke are not actually separate parishes but dependencies of Bruton). See Rectory Ruminations on page 3. We hope that the people of the three parishes that we are losing will continue to read The Dove, and news items and Diary dates relevant to them will still be most welcome.

To the new priest-in-charge of the Evercreech Benefice (which also covers Chesterblade and Milton Clevedon), Rev. Rosey Lunn, we extend a warm welcome as our new neighbour, and wish her the very best. Meanwhile, Father Justin will be kept busy, but we hope the pressure on him will ease a little.
From time to time we find that distribution of subscribers’ copies of the magazine cannot always be guaranteed to arrive before the general distribution to shops etc takes place, though we do try our absolute best. Please remember that the task of distributing copies, like the design, layout, and editing of The Dove as well as the management of its advertisements and subscriptions, is done entirely on a voluntary basis, and we can’t always fit it in in the ‘right’ order. We hope our readers will understand and be patient if things occasionally don’t quite go according to plan.
This brings me to a correction: of two phone numbers in the Where to Eat and Drink section. The new number for the Green Monkey café is 07801 513 728, and for Truffles 812 180. Do keep us informed if there is a change to details in this or the Useful Information section: the only way we can know something’s wrong is if you tell us!  Elisabeth Balfour