Loddon Valley Link 200906- June 2009

LODDON VALLEY LINK JUNE 2009 Sherfield Fete Saturday 13th June The full programme accompanies this magazine

The Church Magazine for Sherfield on Loddon, Stratfield Saye and Hartley Wespall with Stratfield Turgis No . 41 7

BENEFICE WORSHIP - June 2009 Sunday 7th June

Trinity Sunday

10.00am Holy Communion St Leonard’s Sherfield 10.00am Family Service St Mary Stratfield Saye* 6.30pm Evensong and Communion St Mary’s Hartley Wespall Sunday 14th June 11.00 am Benefice Songs of Praise on Sherfield Green wit h Tadley Concert Brass See page 6

Trinity 1

Sunday 21st June Trinity 2 10.00am Holy Communion and St Leonard’s Sherfield Children’s Sunday Club 6.30pm Evensong St Mary’s Hartley Wespall Wedne sday 24th 4.00pm Toddler Time. See page 6. St Leonard’s Sherfield Sunday 28th June Trinity 3 8.00am Prayer Book Communion St Mary’s Hartley Wespall 10.00am Family Service St Leonard’s Sherfield 11.15am Family Worship and Baptism St Mary’s Stratfield Saye* Sunday 5th July Trinity 4 10.00am Holy Communion St Leonard’s Sherfield 10.00am Family Service St Mary Stratfield Saye* 6.30pm Evensong and Communion St Mary’s Hartley Wespall *Drive up close to the w hite gates, which open automa tically Children are welcome at all our services. Services in italics are particularly geared to children and families. Children’s Busy Bags are available at the back of St Leonard’s Church. 1

The Brenda Principle As a curate, way back i n the 70’ s, I visi te d a la dy called Br en da. A y oung m o ther, she s uffere d w ith acu te os teo-arthri ti s and spen t lo ng peri ods i n hospi tal. In s pite o f all her s uffering I never o nc e detec te d any anger or bitter ness in her. Of cour se she w an ted to be a bl e to run ar ound an d pla y w ith her c hildren bu t her di sabili ty de pri ve d her o f thi s.

Revd . Bob Pol itt

She bec am e a friend an d w as always ap pr eci ati ve of my vi si ts, bu t I gai ne d from her m ore than s he ever re ali sed. I r ec ently ex perienc ed a perio d o f s eri ous i llness a nd som e words of Bre nda’ s cam e to m in d. I r em em ber plucki ng up the co ura ge to as k her how s he co pe d a nd this was the gi st of her reply: “I se e p eopl e p assing my wi ndow in such a hurry, jum ping over the preci ous crum bs o f life. Go d has gi ven m e those pr ecious crum bs an d I fe ed o n the m.” Unlike Brenda, I w as temp orari ly force d to s ta nd asi de fr om the daily press ur es of li fe i n order to rest an d recov er, becomi ng a s pe ctator on every thi ng ha pp eni ng around m e. I began to di scover those ‘pr ecious crum bs’ for m ysel f: a vi si t fr om a pair of re d-l eg ge d p ar tri dg es whilst sitting i n the garden, the spring singing and nest building o f the bi rds, kind w or ds in cards, the s uppor t o f m y wi fe, friends, p eo ple a t c hurc h, nei ghbo urs, e nc ouraging l etters and m uch m ore. For m e the busyness of li fe has r esu med, but now I am aware o f the ‘ Bren da Pri nci ple’ i n my life, con tentm e nt wi th the li ttl e thi ngs God gi ves to us all. In our de ter mi nati on to gai n a li ttl e w e can m iss so m uc h. Ther e i s a lot o f g oo dness a nd ki ndness aroun d i f w e choose to look for it; just as Go d’ s love an d presence is ne ar, i f w e take the ti me to look for i t. Some of yo u wi ll rem em ber Wi lli e Whi telaw , Home Se cretary duri ng the 1 981 Bri xton ri ots. S ha ken by the si tua ti on he to ok ti me to re flec t a nd fou nd reassur an ce an d his ener gy restore d by the bea uty o f a suns et and the so unds of na tur e. H e sp ok e a bo ut hi s restor ed c onfidenc e i n the pow er o f g oo d i nhere nt in the worl d to over com e evil; w hat I woul d call the p ower of Go d. Try the ‘Bren da Principle’ for yourself. Christian gre eti ngs,

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BREACH LANE BAPTIST CHAPEL Rev C hr is Rus sell 01276 21469 Geoff Be lsham SU N 7th

01256 882534

10.30a m

F amily W orsh ip led by Je an Sawy er

6.30p m

Informal Worship l ed b y Geoff Belsh am

10.30a m

F amily W orsh ip led by Geoff Bel sha m

3pm

Bib le S tu dy at Ch ap el

S AT 20th

2.30p m

Dis ab led Ch rist ian F ellow sh ip at C amb erl ey

S UN 21st

10.30a m

F amily W orsh ip led by Geoff Bel sha m

28th

10.30a m

F amily W orsh ip led by George Ch ilv ers

3pm

Bib le S tu dy at Ch ap el

8pm

Bib le S tu dy at Cross H ou se, Bramley

th

S UN 14

S UN

MO N 29th

and every TUE

WE D

10.30am

Op en Mo rn ing (p lease ph on e)

11a m

Lun ch C lub fo r th e Eld erly at the Vil lag e Hal l

7pm

Tuesd ay Club at Wink leb ury (for Mencap )

2pm

Kurlin g at Rid g eway C en tre, Bucksk in (fo r Mencap)

ST. LEONARD’S CHURCH OPEN DAYS

Saturdays JUNE 13th an d 27t h 10am - 4pm. Ev eryone i s we lcome to vi sit fo r qui et reflecti on, a prayer, to study the archi tectur e o r to vi ew th e church wi th a we dding i n mi nd.

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Prayer & Reflection TEXT F OR TH E M ONTH of J UNE 1 Cori nthians 13 : 3 to 8 I f I give all I poss ess to the poor an d surre nder my body to the flam es, but have n ot lov e, I gai n n othi ng. Love is pa ti ent, l ove i s ki nd. I t does n ot env y, it do es no t boast, it is no t prou d. It i s no t rude, it i s no t s elfsee ki ng, it is no t easi ly an ger ed, i t kee ps no recor d of wrongs. L ov e does not deli ght in evil bu t r ejoices wi th the tru th. I t always protec ts, always trusts, alw ays hopes, always perseveres. L ov e n ev er fails. The NIV Bi ble PRAY ER FOR TH E M ONTH L oving God, y ou teac h w ha t l ove m eans an d dem ons tra te your love for us, as a F ather w atc hi ng over hi s c hildre n. In thi s month w hen w e cel ebra te Father’ s Day forgi ve us that we for ge t that you are the Fa ther of all. Forgi ve us that we forg et your pr esenc e am on g us and open o ur ey es to all tha t you ar e, an d do for us. Hel p us to re cogni se our nee d o f y ou an d ack nowle dge the emp ti nes s wi thi n our lives. Help us to se e wher e tru e happi ness lies no t i n the i llusions after which w e chase but in kn ow ing you and bei ng a bl e to trust in yo ur lov e a nd c are for us. Hel p us to u nders tand you are wi th us ev erywher e an d n ot jus t now but always. May we r efl ec t your gra ce in the lov e w e show an d dem onstra te to all ar ou nd us. M e et wi th u s n ow, i n all your Glory an d hel p us to m eet wi th yo u. T hro ugh J esus Christ our Lor d. Am en PRAY ER POINT F OR THE MO NTH Pray for all newly marri ed coupl es, for thos e w ho have been m arrie d thi s year, those ar e marr ying thi s m on th an d those who are pl an ning for thei r marri ages later this year an d n ex t y ear to take pla ce i n our Churc hes. Pray for A fg hanistan an d our forc es there who are attem p ti ng to bri ng peace to this war tor n c ountr y, especially as the c ou ntry hol ds el ec tions Con ti nue to pray for the peo ple o f Zim ba bw e livi ng in the presence o f fami ne a nd di srup tion to thei r cou ntry. Pray for the pe opl e o f Iraq as the p op ula ti on res um es control of its own fu tur e. Pray for fi ne weather for all the outdoor village eve nts happe ni ng thi s mon th an d tha t ma ny wi ll com e a nd enjoy the fun and fellowshi p w hi ch thes e crea te. Pray for those w ho ar e su fferi ng from illness to thems elves or wi thi n their fami lies and fri en ds, m ay they be gran te d Go d’s peac e.

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The Parish Registers Baptism Georgia Toosey 26.04.09 S tra tfi eld Saye

Weddings Ni na Jones and Patri ck S mith 09.05.09 Sherfi eld on Loddon Lyndsey Hol den and Ali s tair Ru by 23.05.09 S he rfield on Lo ddon

Funeral Phi li p M oore 20.04.09 Har tley W espall

Songs of Praise Sherfi eld V illage Green 11.00am Sunday 14th June accom pa ni e d by

Tadley Conc er t Br as s Some chai rs are prov i de d bu t you a re welcome to bring your own picni c chai r i f you wish. Well be haved pets are welco me.

Toddler Time Babi es to 5’ s a t S t Leonard’ s C hurc h, S herfi eld Todd ler service on We dnes day 24th June. 4.00-4.20pm

Meet on the re d carpet in church.

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All w elcome.

A bo ve right: Re vd. Bo b Po litt with the M D a n d J ohn Po w ell of S he r bo u rn e .

A bouncy c as tle, face painting, m usi c and a free bar be cu e w ere hos te d by Sher bo urn e to l aunc h thei r spo nsors hi p o f the S t L eonar d’ s C hurc h bui ldi ng app eal on Sun day 1 0th Ma y. The w ea ther was glori ous an d the food ( from Ke n’ s Shop of cour se) was yumm y. A ver y respectable a ffai r ? Or no t?!!! The c ap tion r ea d, “St. L eonard’ s nee ds a loo or two. Don’t sp en d a penny. A pou nd or two wi ll do” I am s ur e y ou wi ll be seeing thi s o bj ect agai n so on! Revd. B ob Politt write s: A big than k y ou to ever ybody w ho has gi ven thei r supp or t a nd enc ouragem ent to our projec t. Si nce the la un ch on Easter Da y we have rec ei ved further gifts a nd the to tal is now £37, 795.0 0 tow ar ds provi ding toi lets a nd other faci li ties at S t L eo nard’ s. L ook out for our s tall a t the Vi llage Fe te thi s month and have a go at the ‘ Toi let Gam e’ and see i f y ou can wi n champ agne or a be au tiful Te ddy B ear.

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FROM THE EDITOR Sheena Archer PLEASE SEE PL EA AT THE BOTTOM OF TH IS COLOMN! Some on e s ai d, “Do we e ver gi ve to a ny-

JUNE LINK Content s Pages 1-8 From the C hurc he s 10 Un pai d, j ob o pportuni ty! 12 Oppor tu ni ties. To be a P arish Clerk, clai m an e du ca ti onal gran t

thi ng but bui ldi ngs a nym ore?”. Well, s ee Pag e 1 6. H elp your local WPC to support

or apply for fre e tick ets 14

two exc ellent chariti es. Bri an Archer is the E di tor for the n ext, com bi ne d J uly a nd August Sum m er, e di ti on. Hi s con tact de tai ls an d those

Gravestones a gain! 16

for Winston on adver ti sing are on pa ge 45. I tems shoul d be in to hi m by 16 th June at the late st. From the D alai Lama, (heard on ra di o 4).

Sup port Oxfam an d the Gurk has 18 Book for two Ju ne Co nc erts 19 Cri me in the Ben efice 20

“If you thi nk you are too sm all to be e ffec ti ve y ou have n ev er been in be d

Res ults of Sher fi eld P. C. AGM 22

wi th a m os qui to!”

Hartl ey W esp all an d Stra tfi eld Turgi s Eve nts 23–24 An intervi ew wi th Gi ll Aus ti n

The L oddon V alley L ink Com mitte e are looking f or a n a dditional Editor. Are you a m em ber of on e o f the thr ee Benefic e c on gre ga ti ons? Do y ou w an t to do som ethi ng for the c ommu ni ty? Can you us e a com puter? ( Pre fera bly M S Publi sher, bu t s oftware an d full trai ni ng given if no t). Ca n you s par e about 24 worki ng hours, a bo ut fo ur ti mes a ye ar, plus a bi -mo nthly m ee ting? Can yo u w ri te and s pell English reasonably well? Excellent. Please contac t the Chai rman, Donald Dawson. S ee co ntact details on pag e 45.

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25-26 Da tes for your di ary. J uly and bey on d 28–32 News from the Cl u bs 34 -36 Reviews of M ay ev en ts 38 The Crossw or d 41-42 Sm all ads. 44-46 Who’ s w ho an d c on tact in fo.

OPPORTUNITIES SHERFIELD PA RISH COUNCIL VACANCY FOR PARISH CLERK 1 9 hours p er week. Working from home wi th som e evening m ee ti ngs inclu de d I f you are i nterested call Fi ona Crai g on 01256 88 21 49 for de tai ls.

THE STRA TFIELD SAYE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION (Gran ts for C hi ldr en an d Y oung People) The F ou ndati on was establishe d by Georg e Pitt i n 1 739 and provi des grants for childre n a nd young peopl e un der 1 8 i n the Pari shes of Stratfi eld Saye an d Be ec h H ill. The Truste es woul d like to e nc ourag e par en ts of Stra tfi el d Say e a nd Be ec h Hi ll to m ak e use of this hi stori c chari ty. All claim s, wi th rec ei pts, for ex tra curricular a cti vi ties, where n ot provi ded by the Local E du cation Authority w ill be co nsi dere d sympa theti cally. T he gran t i s not m eans -tes te d and is availabl e for activi ti es suc h a s: Musi c a nd swi mmi ng tuiti on, r esi denti al an d s tu dy cours es, textbooks an d speci al e quipme nt etc. Ap pli cati ons for gran ts m ust be r ec eived by: Roy Best, Cl ap pers Farm , Gra zele y, RG 7 1 JJ Paul Se dgwi ck, Stra tfi el d Say e Esta tes, Es tate Office, Stra tfi eld Saye, Near Readi ng, RG7 2 BT, n ot later than 30 th June 20 09.

“My Fair Lady” at The Haymarket An opportunity for a g rant fo r tickets for dese rving g roup s. L ocal groups or or ganisati ons ar e bei ng en cour ag e d to apply to rec ei ve a fre e grant of up to £900 to hel p c over the cos t o f tickets and transp or t to s ee “M y Fai r La dy” being s ta ge d by Basi ngsto ke Am ateur T heatrical Society at The Ha ymark et in Basi ngs to ke fr om Tuesday 3r d Novem ber to Saturday 14 th Novem ber 2009. Thr ou gh its “Grassroots Gran ts” s chem e, the H am ps hi re an d I sle o f Wi ght Com m uni ty Fo un dation (H IWCF) i s awardi ng gran ts to sm all groups w orki ng i n Ham pshi re. (Th e co nt act d et ai ls for HIW CF were n ot su pplied. Ed itor)

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A Story from Barry Silver of Basingstoke I w oul d like to rela te to y ou a s tory that my m other tol d to m e many years ag o a bout thre e o f the grav es in St. L eonar d’ s C hurc hyard. Acc or di ng to her, the i n form ati on was passe d o n to her by the ol d grave di gger or person tha t use d to loo k a fter the c hurchyard at

S t L eonards i n a bo ut 1910 - 1914 when s he was a gi rl and use d

to atten d the church. She said that she r em em ber ed the graves bec ause of the story, but perhaps the old man jus t wante d to fri ghten the chi ldr en i nto no t v en turing to the back o f the church! Thr ee gra ves behi nd the chur c h were o f sai lors who w ere hun g a t Por tsmo uth dockyard a t daw n. The bo di es were trans ported northwards but co uld be take n only to the end of the Di ocese by ni g htfall. The thr ee were buri ed the w rong way round, at the back o f the churc h away from the norm al buri als a t the fron t. For a while the graves w ere unm arke d, bu t later an unknown bene fa ctor who w as a well-to- do La dy pai d for s tones to be erecte d.

S ome of th e ston es b eh ind th e C hurch

Editor - Some on e has told m e this stor y before, s o i t must have been a p op ular tal e. There ar e som e stan dar d, di sti nguisha ble sto nes i n that area, so was not an unus ual ar ea for burials. There are o ther s tones w hi ch ar e n ot now decip hera ble, s o the stor y m ight be tru e! Parti cularly, ther e are two large fl at sto nes a t groun d level either o f w hi ch mi ght have bee n som e ki nd of m ass buri al for the thr ee. In 191 0 more of the i nscri pti ons mi ght have be en le gi ble, so does anyone r em em ber some on e w ho k new tha t thi s story w as true and w hy were they tr avelli ng to the North o f the di ocese anyway ?

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Four officers from H am ps hi re Police w ill test their stam ina and enduran ce ag ai nst team s from the fam ously toug h Gur kha r egi ments cov eri ng 1 00km on the So uth D ow ns in 30 hrs. The Ha mpshire Police tea m includes WPC Ma ndy J ewell, our l oca l Parish C onsta ble, who is se eking s ponsorship for the e ve nt. If y ou would li ke to sp ons or her , plea se e ither give he r a call or use the de dicated website, which is: www.justgivin g. com /wheresthe ne xtpub There ar e tw o benefi ci ari es: Oxfa m is a dev elo pm en t, relief an d cam paigni ng organi sati on dedicate d to fi n di ng las ti ng sol uti ons to pov erty and s ufferi ng aroun d the world. Gurkha We lfare Trust was set up i n 1 969 to r eli eve har ds hi p an d distress am on g Gurk ha ex -ser vi ceme n o f the Briti sh Army a nd thei r dep en de nts i n Nepal – on e o f the po orest countries i n the worl d. Tha nking you, in adva nc e, for yo ur su ppor t a nd to thos e who hav e already spons or ed m e, havi ng s e en the ar ticle i n the Gaze tte

Mandy and the team Charity Golf Day For the Basingstoke and District Alzheimer’s Society. Sherfiel d Oaks on 18 th J une fr om 9.0 0am to 3.00pm For the de tai ls pleas e c all Dave C ook on 01489 790 365 or david- cook@leadbi tter.co.u k

Flower Festival St Stephen’s Church at Up Nately Satur da y 2 0 th an d Sun da y 21st J une 2009 1 0am to 5pm ea ch da y SONGS OF P RAI SE Sun day 21 s t June at 5pm

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SUMMER CONCERT WITH MOZART Douai Abbey, Woolhampton, Nr. Reading. 7.45pm Sunday 21st June Strawbe rries, cre am a nd wi ne fr om 6.30pm Coronati on Mass, Tan tum Ergo, Ei ne Kl eine N ac htm usi k, Exsul tate a nd J ubi late. Soprano - Erica Eloff The N ew L on do n Sin fonia Basingstok e C horal Soci ety Con ductor - Davi d Gibs on £15 i ncluding refre shme nts . Bo x office 01256 4 61402 BCS is a r egi ster ed ch arit y no :2 7 40 09

SALVATION ARMY CONCERT The Salv ation Arm y Basi ngs to k e Cor ps Wessex Close Basingstok e RG21 3N P ann ou nc e the vi sit of

The Salvation Army Symphonic Wind Ensemble on Sa turda y 20th June 2009 at 7.00 p.m . Ticke ts £5 i n aid of the Basingstok e Salvation Arm y Ba nd Instr ume n t Sc hem e. Please contac t K en Ki lgour on 01256 35 51 20 or e -mai l k.ki lgour @sky.com for more i n form ati on an d ticke ts. ANSWER S TO C RO SS WOR D on page 38 (No lookin g u ntil you h ave done it! ) 13.OPTIM ISM

1.LUKE 2.HYM N DOWN ;

16.QUOTIENT

1+5.LYC H GA TE ACROSS;

ANSWERS T O

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“NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH” NEWSLETTER Crime in the Benefice in April 2009 Burglaries Stratfi eld S aye : Stratfi eld Turgi s:

Mor ti mer Lane - horse tack from outbui ldi ngs. G reen Lane - vari ous i tems from outbui ldi ng. A33 (business p re mi se s, v arious i tem s),

Ve hicle crim e Stratfi eld Turgi s:

Pub car park. O ne event.

Damage Stratfi eld S aye: Theft

Stratfi eld Turgi s:

Cheque rs Lane gate s da mage d. Sherfi eld on Lod don: Reading Road. Ga rd en u mbrel la and gar den tool s stolen. Bramley Road. A mo bi le phon e taken. Wild moo r Lan e. A garden seat ( recov er ed) Fish s tolen. A33 (trai ler),

Offences ag ainst t he p er son (assaul ts, threats, ha rass ment) Sherfi eld on Lod don: One ev en t Traffic O ffence s (poor dri v ing, ex cess alcohol) Sherfi eld on Lod don: Two ev en ts Road T raffic Coll isions Sherfi eld on Lod don: One ev en t S tra tfi eld Turgi s: One ev en t. Public Order and drugs Sherfi eld on Lod don: One ev en t Non crime ma tt er s r equiring police invol vement.

NB. There is a PLANT THEIF about: One house on Taylor’s Farm has been hit twice. Plants disappeared from the fron t garden on ly to be follow ed by their replacem en ts.

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SHERFIELD PARISH COUNCIL Report of the AGM from Bruce Bat ting THE PA RIS H CO UNCIL AGM wa s hel d at the Liddell Hall on Wednesday 13 th May. Afte r tw elv e years as Chai rman, Bruce Batti ng re si gned from the pos t but remai ns as a councillor. Iv an Gosden w as elec ted as the n ew Chair man of the Pari sh Counci l and S an dy Johns ton w as elec te d as Vi ce Chai rman. Sally Henne ss ey has joi ned the Planni ng Committee, bu t o th erwi se Commi ttees r emai ne d the same and eac h wi ll elec t a Chai rperson at i ts fi rs t meeti ng. In ad di tion to those menti oned above the S herfi eld on Loddon Counci llor s ar e, i n alp habe ti cal or der, Bri an Arc her Bruce Jones, Dav id Leiv esley, Lucy Mars hall and Lorai ne Smi th The Parish Counci l is currently on e person sh ort. If you ar e at all int er ested, ple as e ring our Parish Clerk, Fiona C raig, on 882149. Also see page 12 if you would l ike to be t he new P ari sh Cle rk. Ple ase note … .The L oddon V alley L ink Com mitte e Please note that the comm ittee c annot be hel d r esp onsi ble for the reli a bi lity or quality o f any work or servi ce pr ovided by adver ti sers. Nei ther wi ll the y accep t: • Any i tem r ec ei ved anonym ously. Ple ase s up ply yo ur name and a ddress wi th ma terial you wi sh to be consi dere d for publi cati on. •

An nou nc em en ts, invi tati ons or a dver tisem en ts from a thi rd par ty. A responsible pers on, di rec tly i nvolve d i n the event, must su bmi t the i tem .

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HARTLEY WESPALL PARISH COUNCIL ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING M onday, 29th June 2009 at 8.00pm in th e Liddell Hall, Sherfi eld on Lodd on (b eh ind m ain Village Hall) Agenda 1. Welcome 2. Apo logies for absenc e 3. Chai rman' s S atem ent 4. Fi nanci al Matter s 5. Update f rom Bo rough Councillor 6. Any O the r Busines s

COFFEE MORNING at Ha rtley We spall Church Outsi de i f the weathe r i s fi ne Tues day 23 rd June from 9.00am Free coffee an d bi scui ts. We hop e for a friendly, soci able, fun occasion. We are not r aising funds for anyt hing! Do Come along! Enqui ri es: Ri ng 882661 o r 882277

STRATFIELD TURGIS SUMMER WALK Saturday 6 th June at 2pm. M eet outsid e Th e Cricketers Pub in Turgis Gre en. Come and joi n us on a gentle stroll a round so me of the beauti ful and his toric si ghts of the vi llage. This ti me w e wi ll be vi siti ng our local churches. No fundraisi ng, no dona tions, jus t lovely countrysi de and good co mpany. Ev eryone’s welcome. Th e w alk s houl d tak e approx i mately 3 hour s acros s fai rly level ground. For mor e detai ls contact S heila Ca mpbell on 01256 882351 or see the vi llage website (ww w.stratfi el dturgis.org.uk)

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Donald Dawson interviews Gill Austin. Some memories of Sherfield Before Gill move d to Long Wh at ton in Leice st er shi re in M arch t hi s year, Donal d recor de d some memo ries of h er time in Sherfi eld on Loddon. Gi ll mov ed to S herfield i n 1968 and ha s been an i ntegral part of v illage life for ov er 40 years, A couple of yea rs af te r arriv ing i n Sherfi eld , w hen he r daugh ter Caroline w as 2 y ears ol d, she s ta rted a playgroup i n partnership wi th Janet Jo hn ston. Thi s beca me known as the Little O rc hard Nur sery School, w hi ch Gi ll and Janet ran successfully for 27 y ears as equal par tn er s. They ran the pr eschool every morni ng an d two afternoons a w ee k until i t clo se d i n 1997 followi ng thei r reti re ment. The chi ld ren had many happy me mo ri es of th ei r ti me a t the nursery sc hool, as i s tes tament to the nu mber of wonderful le tter s they recei ved from for mer pupils.

Litt l e Orchard Nur sery S cho ol in 1 9 94 . W ere y ou t h ere?

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“A ga rd en is im portan t to me ” says Gi ll. “I am thrilled w hen people come roun d for coffee or tea and I can show the m round”. G ill has alw ays enjoyed sharing he r beauti ful gar den wi th neighbou rs and fri ends informally or at a fund -rai si ng ev en t such as a coffee morni ng. As chai rman of the Bra mley and Ro mans Floral Soci ety for 10 years , Gi ll w as able to b ri ng her ho rti cultural lov e and knowledge to a wi der audi ence. Sh e organi sed flow er fes tiv als a t B ra mley and Sherfi eld church es. Th e most recent at S t. Leonar d’ s C hurc h i n 2003, b roug ht all the soci eties i n the v illage tog ether by buyi ng, sponsoring or di splayi ng flow er s. N o-one refus ed , w he ther they were involved wi th the c hurc h or no t. “Everyon e was so helpful and wi lling”, remembers Gi ll, “al l wante d to be par t of i t – this was so v ery i mpor tant”. Gi ll was also acti ve a t the annual Sherfi eld v illage fete, w he re sh e i nv ariably ran on e of th e s tall s, jus t “one of a big fami ly”. Tw en ty year s ago G ill had a coffee morning whi ch made £100 enabling h er to purchase a w hi te li nen al tar clo th fo r S t. Leona rd’ s Church. Two yea rs ago thi s sa me cloth had to be repaired af te r the chu rch mi ce ma de a couple of holes in it. However, i t i s sti ll i n use today. When G ill fi rs t cam e to S herfi eld the Rev d. Bray shaw was rector. Si nce then the rec tors have been James Anderson, Nev i lle Tho ma s and now our presen t i ncumbent Bob Poli tt, . S he ha s seen many changes i n the s tyle of wors hi p and the developmen t of th e churc h. Gi ll w as church w ar den for eight year s from 2000, helpi ng w ith the car park, pa thway and r es toration p rojects. S he ha s wi tnessed th e grow th of the church wi th many mo re younger peopl e taki ng an ac tiv e par t i n the organi sa ti on and runni ng of the church. We w ill mi ss Gi ll, and wi sh he r ev ery happi nes s i n her new home. She i s only a three hour driv e away and wi ll b e back on occasi ons to v isit. S he woul d ce rtai nly welcome a v isi t fro m ol d fri ends if any are passi ng through Lei cester shi re at any ti me.

24

JULY DATES FOR YOUR DIARY SHERFIELD VILLAGE OPEN DAY Saturday 4th July 1pm to 5pm GARDENS OPEN TO VIEW. More than ten and all wi thi n the v illage. Buy a passport ticket wit h map at S herfiel d Village H all fi rs t. This wi ll giv e you entr y to all t he gar dens. Refres hments and an exhib ition a t t he Village Hall. All procee ds to S t Leonar d’ s Church and the Vi llage Hall building and repai r funds.

NGS Garden open to the public Sunday 5th July. 1pm – 5pm Te rry and Brian Rai sborough are opening their pri ze w inni ng garden agai n on 5 t h July. Thi s fol low s a succe ssful opening i n May whi ch a ttracte d ov er 200 vi si tor s. White Gables, Breach Lane, Sherfi eld -on-Loddon is the venue. Look ou t for the ye llow NGS po ster s. Teas , cakes an d plant sale s are on offer, as w ell a s an abun dance of flora and fauna i n full colourful spl endou r! May we take thi s opp or tuni ty of thanki ng all the bakers, hel pers, and clea rers w i th ou t w hos e v aluabl e assi stance our prev i ous open day i n May w ould not have b een the success i t un doub te dly w as.

25

AND MORE JULY DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Bramley School Fete 2009! Join us for the Golde n J ubilee fun da y at the school on the 11 th July . Thi s year we ar e deli ghte d to be cel ebra ting our sc ho ol’ s 50th anni versar y. Ga tes o pen a t m id-day, there wi ll be lots to do and see, i ncluding a falconr y display and a Ch i no ok he li cop ter. All the usual fun and ga mes, re fr eshm ents plus a c hanc e to w in our Pot of Gol d pri ze.

Benefice Wide BBQ Lawn Farm Hous e Stratfiel d Turgis 12.30pm SUNDAY 12th JULY Fami lies and children ve ry welcome. Enjoy a su mme r gar den and shari ng ti me togethe r We ne ed to hav e som e i dea of numbe rs RS VP to Gi ll and John Willi am s Offers of help wi th food to Gill please Tel: 01256 882705

Coffee Morning and Bring and Buy Saturday 25t h Jul y 10.30am to 12.30.pm 4, Mi ll Lane, Har tley Wespall. Ho me of W endy Toal. To raise fun ds for Hartley Wespall Church.

The New Forest & Hampshire County Show Tue sday 28 th – Th ursday 30 th J uly Just to announc e the free c hi ld ti ck et o ffer - onl y until June 30 th - wi th an y a dul t or senior ci ti zen ti cket Ti cke t hotline i s 01 590 622409 or on ww w.newforestshow.co.uk .

26

Village Hall Matters Reg Cha ri ty 272385 ww w.sherfieldvillag eh all.co.uk

A message to all hall users of the Sherfield Village Halls: L ucy M ars hall w ri tes: We truly v alu e the su pp or t y ou gi ve us through yo ur regul ar bo oking o f the vi llage hall for your ac ti viti es. As yo u wi ll know by n ow , the " Friends o f the Vi llage Hall" me et each m on th to di scuss fund-rai si ng i deas to su pp ort im prov em en ts to the H all an d i t would be s o help ful i f we coul d have som e i npu t from the user gro ups. Ther efore, c oul d we please enco urage you to fi nd a volun te er wi thi n y our gro up to come along to our in form al m eeti ngs from tim e to tim e and join in the discussi ons.

The Friends will next meet at Four Horseshoes Monday 1st June, 7.30pm We v ery m uc h hop e to see new fa ces and hear som e n ew ideas!

Sherfield and District Gardening Club Next Meeting: A Garden visit to Little Court in Crawley For arrangements contact: Linda on 882341 or Vane ssa on 881760

28

Re ported by Gil l Fearon

NWR wen t on a tri p dow n Me mory Lan e recently wh en we selec te d music w hi ch re mi nded us of pas t ev ents. An ab sent boyfriend (later a hus band ) i s alw ays broug ht to mi nd by ‘When I N eed You’ by Leo Sayer an d an early romance w i th a handso me musi cian i s remembered by ‘ My G i rl’ by O ti s Re ddi ng. On heari ng ‘I Heard It T hrough th e Grap ev ine’ by Marv in Gaye tak es ano ther me mber back to her days at a Youth Hostel s As soci ati on youth clu b. ‘T he Lark Ascen di ng’ by Vaug hn Willi ams was cho sen by so meone w ho had sp en t ti me i n France an d i t remi nde d her of England and w alki ng i n so me of our b eauti ful countrysi de. We li stened to a very wi de range of music i ncludi ng Pavarotti , Katherine Jenki ns, Elton John, Si mon and Garfunkel, Rober ta Flack an d Ab ba. We w ere spellboun d by listening to ‘ Di do and Aeneas’ by Purcell, N abucco by Verdi and Anna Bolena by Donizetti , all of w hi ch evoke d wonderful me mo ri es such as the la tter being performed a t the O pera Hous e i n Budapes t. W e en joye d th e eveni ng so much that we didn’ t w an t to fi ni sh and go ho me! Someone proposed that we i nclude another suc h ev eni ng i n our nex t p rogram me. By the ti me this ar ticle is publi shed w e wi ll hav e done a rambl e along the Ba si ngs toke Canal from Winchfi eld, fini shing a t Th e Barley M ow pu b for a meal. Ou r June ev en ts include our annual Safari Supper an d a discussi on la te r i n the mon th on w hat we consi der to be the best and wors t i nv enti ons.

30

The Women’s Institute Reported by Ilene Iles

De e Bulpitt, our Vi ce Pr esi dent, took the Me eti ng as Tess M orri s w as on holi day. S he welc om ed Mem bers an d Vi sitors an d g ave a s pecial w elcom e to a n ew M em ber, J u di th Wi ndross. W elcome packs were handed to other recent new Mem bers, Kathr yn Wri g ht, Carol Wellm an an d Jo yce Gri ffi n. Jerusal em was sung, the M inutes rea d a nd si gn ed, a nd correspon dence w as dealt wi th by Val D enny. W e r ec ei ved a Re por t by Gl en da Holder on the Spring C ounci l Meeti ng in Ports mouth and than ks w er e gi ven to Val for our lovely tri p to Parham Ho use on a glorious da y. It w as m ention ed that our tri p i n the Au tum n wi ll possi bly be to Oxfor d. S chedules for the C oo kery Show in July were avai lable and D ee aske d for l o ts of en tries. Hele n Rol to n a nd Chri sti ne Ski llett aske d for items for our s tall a t the Vi llage Fete a nd D ee as ke d those inter es te d i n a w alk to be i n the car par k a t 1 1 a.m . on Thurs da y, 1 4th Ma y. We w ere ask e d to vo te on a r es olu ti on concerni ng the health and disastrous de cli ne in our hon ey be e po pulati on – “SOS for Ho ne y Be es” asking H M Governm ent to incre ase fun di ng for resear ch into Be e heal th. De e r ea d out the r esul ts of her research on the su bje ct an d on a “show o f han ds” the vo te was a m ajori ty in favour o f the r esolu tion. Thi s con clu de d the B usi ness M e eting. Tea follow ed an d the ra ffle was drawn bri nging the after no on to a close. NEXT M EETI NG:

W e dn es day, 3rd Ju ne 20 09

SPEAKER: SUBJ ECT:

C arol Banks “The Blu e Cross”

32

Review of Percy’s Plant Sale

by the editor

“Percy’ s Plan t Sale” has been an annual event in ai d of S t Leonard’ s Church and a v ari ety of chari ti es si nce the 1990s. Pe rcy S im ms s tarted the ev ent i n hi s G od dard’ s Lane garden , g rowi ng almo st al l the plan ts hi mself. Dai sy also sol d cakes fro m he r f ront room. Th e sale out-grew thei r gar den and mov ed to Donal d and Eli zab eth Dawson’ s and then S heena and Brian Arch er’ s for a few year s eac h. Many people now grow the plan ts an d help on the stalls. In 2008 i t was d ecided to tea m up wi th the S herfi eld Village Hall’ s POS H coffee mo rning, as it di d again on Satur day 9 th M ay thi s yea r. On this chilly bu t d ry day, the sale of flow er and vegeta ble plants was b ri sk. We no ti ce d how many children we re choosi ng pock et money plants and aski ng v ery searchi ng questions abou t the characteris tics of the v ariety an d the care needed! On e cus to mer needed a tractor and trailer i n whi ch to transpo rt hi s plants.

Percy, now i n his 90th y ear, was a t the sale and thank ed everyone fo r a tten di ng and keepi ng the ev en t goi ng. A total of £ 778 is to be div ided equally b etween S t. Leonard's Church and the Vi llage Hall bui ldi ng and repai r funds.

34

Review of the walk featured in last month’s Loddon Valley Link

I t was ver y tem pti ng to ask for a li ft! ELe anor Burt writes: Tha nk yo u to Sandy a nd J an et Jo hnston for guidi ng us al on g the w alk from Sher field to Ro therwi ck and bac k o n B an k Holiday M onday 4th May. It was s o lov ely to w alk for thre e hours along footpaths which took us along the river bank, thro ug h beauti ful blue bell woods a nd aroun d fiel ds, o nly m ee ting the quie t lanes occ asi onally and se ei ng parts o f the local coun tr ysi de for the fi rst ti me des pi te having li ved i n the village for so ma ny ye ars. I thoro ug hly enjo ye d the walk, the com pan y, the fr es h air an d exerci se ! Tha nk yo u Sandy and Jane t a nd I look forward to the next walk ! Shee na Ar cher writes: Una cc us tom e d as I am to walki ng for ei ght mi les, I to o thorou ghly enj oy ed the walk a nd I only n ee de d two hip replaceme nts w hen I arrived hom e! The wea ther was m ild an d cool, wi th a s mall s hower…. jus t right. Thank yo u San dy an d J an et. I too wi ll com e a gai n.

36

C R O S S W O R D 6 5 ACROS S; 1 + 5 C HU RC HY ARD ENTRA NC E (4 ,4) 7. JEW IS H LA NGUA GE (7)

D OWN ; 1. A UTHOR OF THE A CTS OF T HE APOS TLES (4)

8 . F ORM OF W ORS HI P (8 ) 1 0. C ENTRE OF POPU LA TI ON (4)

2. 3.

1 2. “F OR …. U S A C HILD IS BORN” (4 )

4.

C ALL (4 )

1 4.

PLA NT W ITH F LES HY ROO TS A ND NA RROW LEA VES (8 )

5. 6.

JEW ISH QU AR TE RS (8 ) LEVEL (4 )

1 6.

RES UL T OF D IV ID IN G ONE NU MBER

9.

EN TERPRIS E (7 )

BY ANOT HER (8) 1 7. TO GRA TIF Y C OM PLETE LY (4 ) 1 8. 1 9.

RELIG IOUS SO NG (4 ) S UPPORTER OF A C AU SE (8 )

1 1. GA RLA NDS (7) 1 3. TEN DENC Y TO LOOK ON THE

C HRIS TS GA RM EN T D ID NOT HA VE ONE OF THES E (4)

1 5.

BRIG HT SID E (8) MOS T TRIV IA L (8 )

BEE K EEPER (8 )

1 8.

VOC A L M ELOD Y (4 )

2 2. D IV IS IONS W ITHIN TH E C HU RC H (7 )

1 9. PA IN (4 ) 2 0. PA US E I N MU SIC (4 )

2 3. HID EOUS (4 ) 2 4. N OX IOU S W EED (4 )

2 1.

OLD F A SH IO NED Y OU (4 )

Answe rs o n page 18

38

USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS Al lo tm ents. Ba sin gsto ke Ga zette. Bi n go . Bro wn ie s. St. Le on ard ’s Ch urch. Bre ach L an e Ch ap el. Ca tho lic Ch urch Cri cke t Clu b Eve rg ree ns. Foo tb all (Ju ni or) Foo tb all (S eni ors) Ha pp y Faces Pl a yg ro up L od do n Pl a ye rs L od do n Va lle y Li nk. L un ch Cl ub . NW R. Stratfi el d S aye P. Cou ncil. Sh erfi el d P ari sh Co un ci l Po li ce - Lo cal b e at office r Po li ce - Re po rt a n inci de nt Po pp ies. Po st O ffi ce Sh er. Co mmu ni ty Care G rp Sh erfi el d Fete . Sh er. Di st. Ga rde ni ng Cl ub Sh erfi el d S ho w. Sh ort Ma t Bo wl s. To ddl er Grou p 0 -5 s. Tre e Wa rde n. Vi ll ag e Grn . V ol un tee rs. Wh i st Dri ve . Wo me n’s In sti tu te

Ri cha rd Ga ig er Ch ris Ho rto n Ur sul a L am bd en Su e Han da syde -Di c k Re vd. Bo b Po litt Ge off Belsh am Ch ris Ru ssel l Fathe r V i ncen t Harve y An dy Ste ve ns Jea n Be rntsen Fre d B erntsen Do n Camp be ll Pe gg y Hutchi ns Ch ris Ho rto n Se e b ack p ag es of ma ga zin e He l en B elsha m Gi ll Fea ron Pe nn y M ayo Fio na Crai g (Cl e rk) Ma nd y Jewell Po li ce Con tro l Room Na tal ie L arne r

8 82 42 4 8 82 42 6 8 82 83 9 8 82 33 7 8 82 20 9 8 82 53 4 0 12 76 214 69 4 65 21 4 8 82 41 4 8 82 79 8 8 82 79 8 8 82 95 3 8 80 90 3 8 82 42 6

Do ree n To sswil l Sa nd y Joh nston L in da Syca mo re Sa ll y Bra in No rman Stan ley Da wn Gord on Ge ral din e Ho use -Ba r kl i e Si mo n Hen ne sse y Jea n Wri gh t Va l Den ny

8 82 53 4 8 82 10 6 0 11 89 332 379 8 82 14 9 0 77 70 4716 55 0 84 5 045 4 5 45 8 80 07 5 8 82 21 0 8 82 34 4 8 82 50 7 8 82 34 1 8 82 27 5 8 81 02 1 8 81 79 5 8 82 53 6 8 80 22 4 8 82 84 5 8 82 41 0

Jan M artin Iva n Go sde n Jan e Brydg es

8 82 53 9 8 81 00 7 8 81 97 9

Village Hall Ca reta ke r/B oo ki n gs. Ma na geme nt Co mmi ttee Fun d Ra i si ng Co mmi ttee .

Please inform the Editor of changes to the above information 44

Loddon Valley Link Management Committee Chair m an:

Dr . Donald Daw son Tel. 0 1256 8 82379 e ma il: dg daw son@s ky.co m

De puty Chairm an:

Re vd. Bob Pol itt Tel. 0 1256 8 82209 email: bobpo li tt@btinter net.co m

Se cr etary:

Esm e War d Tel. 0 1256 8805 03 email: geoc.w ard@btin ternet.co m

Hartley Repre se ntative :

Dr . John Will iam s Tel. 01256 88270 5 e ma il: law nfarm@ao l.com

Sher fie ld Park Rep:

Chr is Wr ight Te l: 01256 880 436 email: c hrisw right@dartw ood.w anado o.co.uk

Str atfie ld Saye Rep:

Ge rm ano Giugovaz

Tel: 01189 3 32166

Com m ittee Mem ber:

Clair e Os borne

Tel: 01256 32445 8

Com m ittee Mem ber:

Caroline Row e Tel: 01256 39502 7 e ma il: c arolin erow e40@hot mail.c om

Joint Editor

Shee na Arche r

email: guyclaire@u konlineon line.co.uk

Tel: 01256 882099

email: [email protected] Editor for the July/Augus t double edition. The deadline for item s for that edition is Tuesday 16th June 2009, but it is he lpful to re ce ive them ear lier if possible.

Br ian Arche r 1, Orc hard Lea Sherf ield on Loddon RG 27 0 ES

Tel 01256 88 2099

All Adver tis ing enquiries to: Wins ton Br uce Fin al sm all ads. de adline for July, is Tues day 9th June 2009 .

Tr easure r and Adver tis ing. Wins ton Br uce Tel. 01256 88327 7 18 Lo ngbr idge Close Sherf ie ld on Loddon Hook, RG27 0DQ ema il: w in.bruce@t iscali.co. uk

email: brianarcher@btintern et.co m

45

CHURCH OFFICERS Re ctor: Reverend Bob Politt, Tel: 01256-882209 Kindly Note: The Rector’s day off is Thursday Assista nt Priest: Reverend Sammie Armstrong Tel: 01189 816593 Readers:

Richard Elphick Dr. John Williams

Tel. 01256-882860 Tel. 01256-882705

ST. LEONARD’S CHURCH, SHERFIELD ON LODDON Churchwardens: Peter Gould Tel. 01256-882538 Peter Chessell Tel. 01256-478050 Trea sure r:

Stephen Hemmings

Tel.01256-882523

Orga nists:

Mike Abrams Brian Archer Peggy Willson

Tel. 01256-881188 Tel. 01256-882099 Tel. 01256-880503

ST. MARY’S CHURCH, STRATFIELD SAYE Churchwarden: Roy Best Tel. 01189-882422 Trea sure r:

Robert Craig

Tel: 01256-882253

Orga nist:

Fran Oliver

Tel. 01189-268364

ST.MARY’S CHURCH, HARTLEY WESPALL Churchwardens:Pip Iles Tel. 01256-880559 Dr. John Williams Tel. 01256-882705 Trea sure r:

Michael Webster

Orga nist:

Dr. Gill Williams Tel. 01256-882705 46

Tel. 01256-882413