Meon Matters News, Views & Comment from

£1.00 Spring 2020 Issue Number 204 meonmatters.com 11 1 EDITORIAL

As the previous issue was going to press, the nation was being inundated. Whole swathes of the country were succumbing to record flooding and thousands were left homeless, their possessions sodden and ruined.

How strange it seems now, looking back, to consider that those who were worse affected might have something to feel fortunate about. How quickly things change or to quote the understatement of a good friend, “That escalated quickly”!

It seems like a lifetime ago that we were arguing over the validity of cancelling public events. It was just two weeks ago. It seems equally crazy that a week ago, people were saying the postponement of the football was a step too far. And yet today, like tens of millions of workers around the world, I’m writing this holed up in my house.

The full impact of coronavirus on the public and our economies is yet to be felt, and a few still think it hype and conspiracy. Whether the lockdown is for weeks or even months is still uncertain. However, the good news is we are all together, and if we are all locked in for weeks on end, many of us are with our families. We will endeavour to print issues as usual.

These are difficult and frightening times indeed for us all. But good can and will come out of it. Human beings are resilient creatures and times of crisis can bring out the best the in us all.

We are resilient. We’ve weathered storms before, we’ll weather this.

So, let’s use this time to bring out the best in ourselves. Let’s work together as a community to support and strengthen each other – albeit not necessarily in person but over the phone or by text or email. Let’s show our friends and neighbours that we care.

Already we have seen the village as a whole rise to the occasion and 02392 632 275 02392 632 275 demonstrate great selflessness. Look at what the East Meon Care Group, countryhousecompany.co.uk countryhousecompany.co.uk the Izaak Walton and the Village Shop are arranging, see page 10.

Cover Picture: Clare de Lotbiniere EDITORIAL CONT 2 3 VOICE FROM THE VICARAGE

Dear all, If we all do what we can, we will all make this better for each other. Keep in touch – via phone, email, social media or text – with other folk in the village. I was hoping that 2020 would be a reasonably unexciting year but that is proving not to be By keeping their morale up, you’ll also be helping yourself feel better. If you the case. In the light of recent announcements from the Government and The Archbishops of Canterbury and York I am writing to let you know that we will be exploring ways of can’t make a big difference, make a small difference whenever you can. doing church differently. Due to the restrictions on gathering together, we will not be able to meet as usual so meetings and normal services are suspended until further notice. Church Keep positive, keep safe … and keep in touch. will continue to be open though, and you are very welcome to come and prayer or to have a time of quiet. During the week I will be in church saying Morning Prayer as usual so if you hear the church bell ringing you know that I will be praying for you. On Sunday mornings I will visit each of the churches in Langrish, East Meon, West Meon and Warnford. If we happen to be there at the same time, we can pray together bearing in mind the advice about hygiene and distancing. Please do email if there is anything or anyone you would like me to pray for.

We have been given a lot of information about resources for prayer which can be found on the Church of website and I will send more information when it is available.

This Sunday is Mothering Sunday and we are encouraged to join in a day of prayer to remember especially those who are sick or anxious and all involved in our Health Service. The Archbishops have asked us all to place a lighted candle in our windows at 7pm as a ‘sign of solidarity and hope in the light of Christ that can never be extinguished.’

This is not going to be an easy time for communities everywhere. We are already beginning to see the impact of this in our own village. Hazel Pamplin’s funeral will now be a private service for the family only and we will hold a memorial service for her when we are able to meet again properly. Chris and the family will be very much in our prayers on Thursday.

To paraphrase the inscription across the entablature of the James Farley Post Office Whilst there have been some negative comments about the lack of food in the supermarkets in New York City, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these and the attitude of a minority, it is also encouraging that there are so many people offering Meon Matters couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds”. help and support to those who need it. This is being co-ordinated through the Care Group so if you are able to offer help or are in need of help please contact 07050 177505. Janet and Cyrus in the Village shop have kindly offered to deliver to anyone who is unable to leave their own home. Please phone 823276. East Meon Primary staff are offering to collect and deliver shopping too so if you know someone who needs their support they can be contacted on 823218 The Editorial Team: Editors: Marc Atkinson, Sigi Goolden, Andrew Hughes, Sharon Sillence So, if you or someone you know is in need of help, please do let someone know. Whilst we Contributing Editors: Ron Ingerson, Annabel Tyrwhitt-Drake, Debbie Evans are discouraged from too much social contact, I am always available. Roving Reporter: Charlie Gaisford Photographer: Clare de Lotbiniere Best wishes, Advertising and Finance: Andy Hales Distribution: Rosemary Ryder Jane Layout and Printing: Wildy Upbeat Printers PARISH COUNCIL 4 5 ANNUAL REVIEW

From time to time we are asked what as Parish Councillors we actually do! First and foremost we are a public body elected by the residents and form the first tier of local government. Empowered by Parliament we have the authority to raise money through taxation - the precept, and to spend this public money in looking after the infrastructure of the village. The River Meon, parking, traffic, community safety, street lighting, hedges, the allotments, the football field and recreation ground, the all sports court, the 2 children’s play areas, litter, the War Memorial, seats, rights of way, stiles and kissing gates and of course We gathered as planned towards the end of January, right in the midst of the ghastly wet planning - these are some of the main issues that concern East Meon PC. weather that sadly seems to have been with us throughout this winter. So do spare a thought for our new solar powered speeding sign, which is not enjoying conditions anymore than the Each Councillor has specific areas of responsibility although the Council’s decisions are rest of us. We are countering the constant cloud cover by beefing-up the panel. made collectively and by majority. A key role of each Councillor is to represent the views of all res-idents within the Parish and to listen to, and understand, the views and needs of But we have used the rain-soaked empty playgrounds to good effect in getting on with the different groups in the community. This is why our contact details are on the Parish Website necessary structural integrity testing. And remarkably given the conditions the Five Ways and why we hold Council Meetings every 2 months to allow residents the opportunity to works have now been completed, but the area will remain closed to all users (walkers, hear what we are doing, how we are spending your money and to raise matters which you riders, cyclists and motorbike riders) until the new surface has bedded in. We will be advised would like us to act on. We do not receive any payment, as Chair I have a separate tele- by the HCC Countryside Team when Five Ways will open again. phone line which is paid for and we all have the right to claim mileage, but in essence, as so many other members of the village community, we give our time willingly and freely acting Assuming it will once again be possible to enjoy our green spaces, we have updated the village grass cutting arrangements using a new service from Town Council, and to the best of our ability. the railings alongside the river will also be given a new lick of paint. The EMPC notice board outside the village shop will also be smartened-up. This year has been particularly busy. May saw the retirement of 3 Councillors and the appointment of 3 more to take their place - Andrew Hales, Tom Tyrwhitt - Drake and Its worth noting (as its not always the case) that SSE have communicated extremely well with Charles Ritchie. All have hit the ground running continuing the work of their predecessors. us regarding their powerline renewal programme, evidence of which you will see around us. We have since attended one of their “drop-in” sessions and been assured that the works will Finances not interrupt electricity supplies. Each November the Council is required to set the precept for the coming year. In view of the fact that having planned necessary improvements to the play areas as well as undertaking On the planning side, EMPC has responded to applications for 2 major developments in a raft of capital infrastructure improvements there was likely to be a deficit of approximately the parish. One is at Westbury House - you can read our response on the SDNPA Planning £1300, the Re-sponsible Finance Officer recommended the precept be increased by Portal. The other is in Coombe Road (the principle of development on the site is approved as part of our Neighbourhood Plan) which you can read on https://www.eastmeonpc. inflation (2.5%) to ensure a balanced budget. org.uk/community/east-meon-parish-council-15063/neighbourhood-plan/. Unsurprisingly, we have highlighted water run-off and sewerage as being the principal challenges for the Recreation developer. County Council agrees with this, as do your own submissions which Our annual Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) report highlighted a we encourage. number of safety measures we needed to implement to ensure the play areas complied with modern safety standards. We have had the wooden structures stress tested, the netting on Since our meeting, the sewage problems in Workhouse Lane have been a focus for many of the climbing frame re-placed and the see saw revamped. The two areas are now inspected us, including a willing army of volunteers that have done their utmost to alleviate the worst weekly by designated Coun-cillors. The all - sports court has been professionally cleaned of the troubles. EMPC is enlisting the services of East Meon Nature Group, our County (which should lengthen its life) and one of the football goals repaired and given a new net Councillor and our MP to put pressure on Southern Water to find a solution to the current and the other removed. problems.

And let me end with with an advertorial for the Annual Parish Assembly to be held at the We have continued the arrangement with Clanfield Football Club whose youth teams play Village Hall on Monday 27 April, complete with a guest speaker and wine/refreshments. We here at weekends. We encourage East Meon youngsters to join this very active club. hope to see you there. ANNUAL REVIEW 6 7 ANNUAL REVIEW Highways/Road Safety/Parking Overall, the split was similar to last year although this year we saw an increase in our We are very conscious that our Solar Powered Mobile Speed sign has not been working as requests for comments on applications not connected with dwellings, including 2 for the well as it should have done although since moving to its new location on the entry to the Sustainability Centre, 1 for East Meon School and an equestrian building.The Planning village on the West Meon Road it seems now to be flashing at cars going over 30mph. Committee visits the sites of all ap-plications before submitting a response. Our job has After initial local resistance the double yellow lines outside the School appear to have been been made a lot easier by the adoption, in July 2019, of the South Downs Local Plan, which accept-ed and are having some success although a number of parents do ignore them has clear policies covering a wide range of develop-ment types. Comments made were and, threatening the safety of pupils, park on the dangerous bend on Coombe Road. The School does its best to per-suade parents to park in the Village Hall car park at drop off varied, the most frequent being requesting planners to consider planning conditions to and collection times. At the request of residents on the High Street we have placed signs mitigate against light pollution, supporting the South Downs Local Plan Dark Skies policy, on the grass verges either side of the War Me-morial to advise visitors not to leave their and highlighting any non-compliance with the policies of our Neighbourhood Plan. vehicles there. HCC repaired a mass of potholes in the autumn, however there are still many requiring attention so please do report these at www.hants.gov.uk/roads/roadworks For the application to which the PC objected, a Planning Committee meeting was held, in public, to allow open discussion of the objection before it was submitted. In August 19, General Maintenance we also held a Plan-ning Committee meeting, open to the public, to discuss the proposed Our 2 new Lengthsmen started working in East Meon in April last year and are proving to development on the Neigh-bourhood Plan approved site, South of Coombe Road. Details be a great asset. Funded by HCC they have cleared footpaths, tidied the grass triangle by of planning applications for East Meon can be accessed on our Parish Council website under the allotments and the path through the allotments, cleaned road signs and dug out ditches. the ‘Planning Tracker’ tab. We have instituted a schedule of hedge trimming and have had work done on a number of our trees. Our tree warden is keeping an eye on all our ash trees for signs of Ash Die Back. The dead tree on Washers triangle was removed and a cherry tree will be planted in its place Biodiversity once the weather improves. The River Meon is, according to the SDNPA, in good order with In the autumn we appointed our first Biodiversity Councillor whose role it is to ensure we sightings of kingfishers, trout and water voles. Once again we would like to express our embrace measures to make us more sustainable as a parish. We work closely with the newly gratitude to the SDNP Volunteer Rangers who came in November to clear the river of willow formed East Meon Nature and are grateful to its members for their advice. Together we are herb. Sewage leaks continue to be a major problem. Our Vic-torian pipework is proving not working on a weeds management policy. fit for purpose. We continue to liaise with Southern Water in seeking short and long term solutions. Thanks warden is keeping an eye on all our ash trees for signs of Ash Die Back. The dead tree on Wash- Last but definitely not least may I thank my fellow councillors who work throughout the Infrastructureers triangle was removed and a cherry tree will be planted in its place once the weather improves. The River Meon is, according to the SDNPA, in good order with sightings of kingfishers, trout and year dealing with enquiries, reacting to reports of fallen trees or blocked drainage ditches We have watercarried voles. out Once an again enormous we would number like to express of improvements our gratitude to the in SDNPthe village Volunteer over Rangers the last 12 and initiating improve-ments to the village. We rely on our volunteers, Chris Pamplin our months. Wewho camehave inreplaced November broken to clear the stiles river with of willow new herb. kissing Sewage gates leaks in continue Frogmore to be aand major have plans ‘Womble” who organises a team of villagers to pick up the litter dropped by less caring to install problem.anoth-er Our 7 Victorian in the picomingpework isyear. proving The not Greenfit for purpose. has new We continue bollards to liaiseon the with easternSouthern edge Water in seeking short and long term solutions. members of society, John Mackinlay our Tree Warden, Chris Smith who decorated our to prevent people driving onto the grass, we have re-fenced it and by the time of the APA will haveInfrastructure put a new 5 bar gate at the entrance to the football field. We are in the process Christmas tree and all of you who take time to look after the village and its inhabitants. We have carried out an enormous number of improvements in the village over the last 12 months. of overhaulingWe have the replaced rather brok decrepiten stiles with Parish new kissingNoticeboard. gates in Frogmore In preparation and have plans for to the install VE an- Day 75 commemorationsother 7 in the we coming have year. arranged The Green for has all newthe bollards white onrailings the eastern in the edge village to prevent to be people painted so Finally my sincere thanks go to Suzie Brooker our Parish Clerk who has provided us with driving onto the grass, we have re-fenced it and by the time of the APA will have put a new 5 bar that we willgate look at the our entrance very to best the football for the field. celebrations. We are in the process of overhauling the rather decrepit objective, professional advice and support and Sarah Cowlrick who retired in November Parish Noticeboard. In preparation for the VE Day 75 commemorations we have arranged for all after 18 years as our Parish Clerk to dedicate more time to her other work. We wish her the white railings in the village to be painted so that we will look our very best for the celebrations. Planning well and are grateful to her for all her advice over the years. Planning Since MarchSince 2019, March East2019, MeonEast Meon Parish Parish Council Council has receivedreceived 41 planning41 planning applications applications requesting our requestingcomments our comments as consultees as (38consultees were received (38 inwere the same received period lastin theyear). same These period are broken last downyear). Susan Davenport as follows: These are broken down as follows: Chair East Meon Parish Council No No objection Objection In Total Total last objection with comments progress year

Dwellings 9 12 1 1 23 25

Trees 8 1 0 0 9 9

Farm buildings 2 1 0 0 3 2

Other 4 1 0 1 6 2

Total 23 15 1 2 41 38

Overall, the split was similar to last year although this year we saw an increase in our requests for comments on applications not connected with dwellings, including 2 for the Sustainability Centre, 1 for East Meon School and an equestrian building.The Planning Committee visits the sites of all ap- plications before submitting a response. Our job has been made a lot easier by the adoption, in July 2019, of the South Downs Local Plan, which has clear policies covering a wide range of devel- opment types. Comments made were varied, the most frequent being requesting planners to con- sider planning conditions to mitigate against light pollution, supporting the South Downs Local Plan Dark Skies policy, and highlighting any non-compliance with the policies of our Neighbourhood Plan.

For the application to which the PC objected, a Planning Committee meeting was held, in public, to allow open discussion of the objection before it was submitted. In August 19, we also held a Plan- ning Committee meeting, open to the public, to discuss the proposed development on the Neigh- bourhood Plan approved site, South of Coombe Road. Details of planning applications for East Meon can be accessed on our Parish Council website under the ‘Planning Tracker ’tab.

Biodiversity In the autumn we appointed our first Biodiversity Councillor whose role it is to ensure we embrace measures to make us more sustainable as a parish. We work closely with the newly formed East GARDEN CLUB 8 9 GARDEN CLUB

February 2020 Talk by Gillian Taylor - My Greenhouse Year

If you have ever toyed with the idea of getting a greenhouse then Gillian’s talk will have been a great incentive to get cracking and for you to investigate the possibility of finding space for one in your own garden. There are many reasons why people buy greenhouses, maybe they just love taking cuttings, overwintering them and then planting them out in Spring. Maybe it is the thought of growing vegetables that you can pick and eat straight away, salad leaves for example and think delicious cherry tomatoes, they are so ‘moorish’ and probably more get eaten within the greenhouse than out! Peaches, melons and nectarines are all possible when you have a greenhouse. Gillian has quite a passion for Auriculas which are members of the primula family. They do need protection from winter wet which they will not tolerate. They can be moved out to a shady spot in the garden during March and April making sure they are given shading during the hottest part of the day. Take cuttings in July by removing main plant and shaking off all the compost which will expose the individual small plants. Carefully pull these apart, removing some leaves and pot up, preferably in John Innes compost No 2. These will flower the following year. Chrysanthemums overwinter really well in the Greenhouse. Simply dig up the plants and cut back to about 6” and put in either a tray or box with soil or compost and keep in the greenhouse until planting out in Spring when they will flower from July to October. Gillian over winters her Salvias which are half-hardy and plants them out in May. Dahlia stem cuttings can be taken in April/May and dependent upon the size of a single tuber you should be able to get between 5 and 10 plants from it. Agapanthus are also in the greenhouse over winter. Some tips which Gillian wanted to pass on are: • If using a mixture of perlite and compost, do use a face mask • Having a moisture meter in the greenhouse will prevent overwatering • Stop tomatoes at 4 trusses. • For the management of Chrysanthemums growing in the Greenhouse, to prevent the risk of rust, spray them once, around June/July with Bayer Fungus Fighter Spray (the one that is licensed for Box Blight). It really does work! Thank you Gillian for your wonderful talk and everyone was left talking about your fabulous greenhouse, what an achievement, a beautiful structure which obviously fits the bill perfectly.

Pamela Peacock East Meon Garden Club COMMUNITY MATTERS 10 11 COMMUNITY MATTERS

Dear All, East Meon Voluntary Neighbourhood Care Group The Care Group has been supporting folk in our village We are putting together a group of volunteers who would be willing and able to community since the early 1980’s. help other villagers who are in isolation due to Coronavirus. We envisage this to be things such as shopping, collecting prescriptions or simply having a chat on the What do we do? phone. 1.We transport the elderly, disabled or temporarily disabled to medical appointments at surgeries, clinics and hospitals, subject to driver availability. If you would like to be involved, please email or phone me or Libby Swayne. We can 2.We visit the housebound. also be contacted on the Care Group phone number which is 07050 177505 3.We have a bank of equipment on free loan providing mobility aids etc post operation/illness. If anyone knows of someone who is in isolation and needs help please get them to 4.We organise social gatherings and outings. ring us via the Care Group phone number. How do we do it? We are keeping this as a separate group, it is just sensible to use the Care Group We are a committee of eight volunteers. phone number. We can then allocate volunteers to villagers needing help. We have eight voluntary co-ordinators who put our clients in touch with our volunteer drivers . Also, we have been told that Janet and Cyrus at the village shop are happy to deliver We have a bank of volunteer drivers and visitors. to anyone within the village, their phone number is 823276. Would YOU like to support your community by volunteering? Many thanks Mary Hales We are immensely grateful to all our drivers but are always in need of more! Driving requests are made by the Co-ordinator and all of our drivers can always say ‘No’ for that particular time/day for whatever reason.

Anyone who would like to visit the housebound on a regular basis would also be greatly appreciated. The Izaak Walton Pub Benefits of Volunteering. High St, East Meon, Petersfield GU32 1QA The feel good factor you get from helping others. Phone: 01730 823252 Getting to know the people in your community. Recent reports indicate that ‘ people who volunteer are happier, meet new people and have a better quality of life than those who don’t.’

We look forward to hearing from you.

Contacts. Chair: Mary Hales. 823074. New Drivers: Libby Swayne. 823560. Medical Equipment Bank: Jane Brown. 823416. SCHOOL 12 13 SCHOOL

What’s Happening at East Meon CE Primary School? Excitingly, towards the end of the half term, the children received a letter from Zale-an alien. He explained that he wanted to have a birthday party but All the staff and pupils at East Meon CE Primary School have been working didn’t know what kind of foods were good on Earth. The children helped Zale hard over the past term and have had some fantastic experiences. We are by writing a shopping list for him and then also had a party. They took pictures split into 4 classes – Discoverers (Year R), Adventurers (Years 1&2), Explorers to show Zale what a birthday party on Earth might look like! (Years 3&4) and Voyagers (Years 5&6). Here’s what they have been up to… The children have ust started their Discoverers new topic - The Wonderful World After Christmas the Discoverers children started to learn about Space. They of Julia Donaldson. They will be worked with the teachers to create their very own Space Station which they using lots of her stories to inspire used for role play throughout the term. their writing and in music, they will be creating soundscapes to Over the half term the pupils read some fantastic stories including ‘How to accompany the story ‘Room on the Catch a Star’ and ‘Aliens love Underpants!’ They used these books to help Broom.’ Their first music session them tell their own stories and think about what they would see if they went into space. went very well!

In Maths the children have been They have also been learning about counting to 20 and even adding and how to keep our bodies healthy. taking away using small numbers. The children wanted to help some They have also learned about 2D and some 3D shapes. of the Julia Donaldson characters and so last week they made In Art the children worked on healthy ham, cheese and cucumber mixing colours and creating col- sandwiches-they were delicious! our wheels while in DT, with Ms O’Toole, the children created their own mini-planetariums. They add- ed new things to their planetariums every week and, as you can see, they came out beautifully! SCHOOL 14 15 SCHOOL Explorers Adventurers Explorers loved coming back to their new topic-China and the Shang Dynasty! Adventurers spent last half term studying the Victorians. Over the term the children explored both the geography of China, as well as They found the whole topic very interesting and its fascinating history. They used aerial photographs to help them identify are- particularly enjoyed on e of their focus stories ‘Queen as of greater urban activity and then consider why these areas have such dense Victoria’s Bathing Machine’. populations. Over the half term the children used photographs, In History, the children researched and learned about Fu Hao who was a great paintings, newspapers and videos to research the lives chief in China. She was known as an elegant but powerful lady of the Shang of Victorian adults and children. They discovered that life Dynasty and was loved by both her subjects and her family. After she had died, was not very nice for Victorian children when the school her children made a beautiful chest for her which was discovered in her tomb. held a ‘Victorian Day’. The teaching was very strict and Luckily no one looted her tomb, so historians like our Explorer children can learn the children were not even allowed in to school unless a lot about Chinese history! their hands had been scrubbed clean! Some of our children even ended up wearing the Dunce’s cap! The children used the story ‘The Firework Makers Daughter’ by Philip Pullman to learn more about some of the ancient Chinese traditions and to inspire their The children improved their writing skills by creating writing. They loved this text and many of them have gone on to read more by diary entries from the perspective of Queen Victoria on stories by the same author. the day that she went to the beach and swam in the sea In Science, Explorers have been investigating electrical circuits and considering for the first time. They used some brilliant descriptive its use in the home. They used their knowledge about circuits to create burglar language and enjoyed creating the illustrations to go with alarms that could be used at home or to protect the ancient Chinese tomb of Fu the piece. Hao. In Art the children have been working on their All children in Explorers Class study a sketching technique. They have learned all about range of musical instruments through- hatching, cross-hatching, stippling and scribbling. They out Years 3&4. Currently they are then used some of these techniques to re-create one of learning how to play African percus- the most famous photographs of Queen Victoria. sion instruments including the Djem- be drum, the Dundun (or talking) In Science the children studied mini-beasts and have been drum and the Caxixi. We are all look- taking rain and temperature measurements to help them ing forward to their performance in decide why there are or are not lots of mini-beasts in our April! learning garden. The children have asked some fantastic Towards the end of last half term, the questions and have also considered how we could pupils celebrated Chinese New Year improve the environment for our mini-beasts. by performing a Dragon Dance and eating some delicious chinese food. More recently in Science, the children have been leaning about germs, how They also learned how to create Chi- easily they can spread and the importance of washing our hands properly. nese brush caligraphy pieces which were very beautiful. Finally they cre- This half term, the children have moved onto ‘Gardener’s World for their top- ated gifts for their family members ic. They have used the story ‘Oliver’s Vegetables’ as a stimulus for writing their from red paper and included choco- own stories. They will go on to plant seeds and vegetables and consider why late money in the gift. In China this is a some plants grow better than others. way to wish loved ones good luck for the year ahead. SCHOOL 16 17 SCHOOL Voyagers World Book Day The whole of this term, Voyagers will be studying the topic ‘We are Warriors’. All the pupils and staff loved World Book Day on Thursday 5th March. Every- They have and will continue to learn about the impact that the Romans, Celts one dressed as a character from one of their favourite books and the children and Saxons had on Britain and whether this influence can still be felt today. shared their books with other children from their House. Initially the class focussed on the Celts and particularly on Boudicca. The The World Book Day text for our school this year was ‘Malala’s Magic Pencil’ children were fascinated by the idea that this dramatic and impressive which tells a child friendly version of the story of Malala Yousafzai, the young leadership was carried out by a woman! They were impressed that she stood woman who was shot for standing up for her beliefs. The children took part in up for what she believed was right and united so many of the Celtic tribes in a several activities designed to help them understand and appreciate the story bid for freedom from Roman invasion. and enable them to share the story with others. This inspiring historical figure was the main stimulus for some fantastic Chromebooks character descriptions at the beginning of the term which the children spent Thanks to the generosity of both the PCC and the school PTA (FEMS) the a good deal of time editing and perfecting before publishing their final pieces. school has just managed to purchase a fleet of 30 Chromebooks. These are cloud based laptops which will allow the pupils to create and share documents In Science, the pupils worked on their investigative skills by developing across the internet. The staff are delivering teaching on internet safety along- their own scientific questions around changes of state. They went onto side the computing curriculum to ensure that pupils respect the internet and hypothesise about the potential outcomes before setting up their experiments, know when to seek support from a trusted adult. We are very proud to be at carrying them out and recording their outcomes. At East Meon we encourage the forefront of preparing our pupils for the digital workplace! the chiildren not to focus on the answer they have found but rather on what new questions their experiments prompt. The Voyagers will continue to One More Thing develop their experiments further over the term. The School Council set up their own charity last year which they have called ‘One More Thing.’ The concept is very simple. The children find out what In PSHE the class have been considering the concept ‘Respect’ and what it the Petersfield foodbank currently needs and they then ask the parents and means. As a class the pupils developed their own definition: carers to buy ‘One More Ting’ from the list, if they can afford to, next time ‘Regardless of personal opinion or differences, one should treat others equally, fairly they shop. The children collect the donations and once a half term, all the and with consideration - bearing in mind that authority figures have a role that is donations are taken to the food bank. Here we can see Nathan (Yr 4), Eliza in our best interests and must be respected accordingly.’ (Yr 3) and Ellie (Year 6) dropping off the latest donations and helping the Food Bank volunteers organise the food bank! Well done everybody! The pupils went on to discuss reasons why different members of society are often treated differently and they looked closely at the differences in perception of men and women. Shockingly, some of the children used quite negative descriptors when considering the word ‘Woman’ which they did not do when discussing the word ‘Men’. As a school we are working hard to promote gender equality to the children and to ensure that all children know that their gender should never limit their capabilities. 19 PETS MATTER

EST 2017 Meon Matters – Pets Matter

Thinking about the village and all the animals that one spots walking around, we Dampney’s thought it could be fun to have a page of MM devoted to our animals... The Cambridge dictionary defines a ‘pet’ as an animal that is kept in the home as a Remarkable Drinks companion and treated kindly. A delicious range of hand-crafted English We would like to broaden that definition to include any pets which may need to be Liqueurs kept outdoors for whatever reason, but still give the health benefits of that special relationship with a human carer. Pets, as we all know, have great health benefits. I have benefited from having a dog, however mad she may be! After having a health scare in 2015, I had a strange craving (never had it before) for a puppy and I suspect that having her in the home and bonding with this (pretty insane creature) brought www.remarkabledrinks.co.uk me through a period of uncertainty in an incredibly healthy way.

Do you have a pet which comes with a story? Or a pet that is a curious or rare breed? BE A RESPONSIBLE DOG WALKER Or a pet that takes hilarious photos? Or a pet that has defied all the odds for one reason or another?

TAKE THE LEAD How has your pet influenced your health and life-style? southdowns.gov.uk/takethelead We would love to hear your story and if you have photos please send them to Meon Matters [email protected] and we will publish the stories. As always, thank you for your enthusiasm and participation. KEEP YOUR DOG ON THE LEAD NEAR LIVESTOCK BAG AND BIN YOUR DOG POO – ANY BIN WILL DO STICK TO THE PATH TO AVOID GROUND NESTING BIRDS DO NOT ENTER MILITARY LAND WHEN RED FLAGS ARE FLYING COMMUNITY MATTERS 20 21 COMMUNITY MATTERS

• To take part in activities with other Scouts in the District and in the County You’ll also have the opportunity to take part in East Hants Villages Scout Group activities organised by the Petersfield District and Hampshire County Scout organisations for example sailing, Start your Scouting adventure with East Hants Villages Scout Group camping competitions, assault course challenges.

Chief Scout Bear Grylls says that life is about grabbing opportunities. • To have a great deal of fun and make new friends At East Hants Villages Scout Group, we agree! Above everything else, Scouting is all about enjoying yourself, whatever you’re doing – So, what are you waiting for? and there will always be plenty to do!! FYI our Cub Pack (ages 8 - 10½) meets at East Meon Village Hall on We’re looking for boys and girls aged between 10½ and 14 years to Tuesdays from 6.00 pm until 7.15 pm. join our friendly Scout Troop that meets at West Meon Village Hall on Thursdays from 7.30 pm until 9.00 pm. If you would like more information about Cubs or Scouts, please call or email Carolyn Torkington, the Group Administrator, on 01730 Why should you join our Scout Troop? If you think that Scouting 829780 or [email protected]. We look forward to hearing is just about knots, woggles and big shorts, then prepare to be from you. surprised!

• To try lots of different activities and learn new skills Our programme includes activities such as fieldcraft, map reading, motor-mechanics, cooking and first aid. You’ll get to learn new skills whilst having lots of fun. We’ll even give you badges along the way to show you what you’ve achieved.

• To get outdoors As well as indoor activities, our Scouts regularly take part in outdoor activities such as night hikes, incident hikes, sports and orienteering.

• To go camping You’ll get the chance to go to an annual camp during the school hol- idays. Often we’ll organise weekend camps too. ECO MATTERS 22 23 ECO MATTERS

Heat your home from air Some weeks have passed and .....

It’s simple they said it’s just like a refrigerator in reverse they said...... those ignorant confused disbelievers at the start of the process now have that toasty warm house which is always warm in every room and a shower Well that didn’t help at all. What we were then told was that the air source heat cabinet we don’t ever want to leave. Not only that, but the heating bill overall is pump took in air from outside (down as low as -3 degrees) which was converted significantly lower than on the old oil fired system, exactly how much will not be to a liquid, put under pressure to increase temperature, and then fed into the known until we can see trends over time. heating system .....no, we were not a lot wiser and doubts had not been dispelled. All we wanted was the promised heat from our radiators to keep us toasty warm If you want to know more please visit our warm house and we will be pleased to and the temperature of water we crave in our shower. show you the system and do our best to answer any questions you may have. We also suggest you visit www.which.co.uk and www.energysavingtrust.org.uk So, we did our homework, we contacted a supplier of the pumps, we visited people who had pumps installed and then we decided to embark on stage one. Every time we turn on a hot tap or walk into a warm room we are delighted to be This involved parting with some money which would be returned if finally we reminded that we no longer rely on oil!! decided not to go ahead. Ron and Caroline Ingerson Having carried out the above we decided to go ahead and for brevity’s sake I feel 01730 823305 bullet points are needed here: [email protected] * there is a capital outlay to purchase the pump which includes installation and system set up * in our case this included the removal of a third of a tank of oil, the oil tank and the old boiler * there is a government support scheme, the Renewable Heating Incentive (RHI) for those purchasing these pumps (similar to that which used to be attached to solar panels) which is reviewed every 3 months * to take advantage of this government finance there are, of course, some hoops to jump through * cavities have to be filled (properties with solid walls or those listed are exempt) * insulation needs to be to an acceptable standard * an energy performance certificate must be obtained, although some people may already have one * it may be necessary to increase the number or size of radiators, but we only had to increase the size of one * on the scheme the government pays one an amount per quarter over 7 years, we were told, and is determined by the amount of renewable heat generated by the household and the current tariff rate, although it can amount to a significant portion of the initial outlay. COMMUNITY MATTERS 24 25 COMMUNITY MATTERS

Two intriguing old photos of East Meon:

We came across these photos before Christmas on a cold day in a Win- chester street market. They are marketed by Barrie Pictures – www. barriepictures.co.uk who kindly said we could reproduce them in Meon Matters – so here they are! There are other East Meon images on their website which are available for purchase.

These two images are dated 1910. There are still leaves on the trees and there has been a light snow fall, which could make the month say, November? The hour according to the church clock (21134) is 2.45. A magnifying glass is useful!

It would be extremely interesting if any reader could contribute more information about these historic photographs (meonmatter@gmail. com) which capture a glimpse of East Meon 110 years ago.

Sigi Goolden

27 NATURE Beauty Therapy Wilder paddock in Frogmore! By Nick Reed-Beale Choose from a comprehensive range of quality beauty treatments using the My family were lucky enough to buy and move into Mill Cottage in latest, including IPL & Laser therapy for permanent hair reduction & skin Frogmore in May 2018. The 400 year old cottage is sat within a 2.7 acre rejuvenation. piece of land just east of the recreation ground. For 16 years (to the best The salon offers privacy & comfort in a of my knowledge) prior to this the land was used as a horse paddock and pristine, tranquil environment - ensuring heavily compacted and over grazed. Well we decided to try and revert the a relaxing, enjoyable experience. YOUR WELLBEING IS PARAMOUNT land and give something back to wildlife. In a bid to made the land wilder than it has been for many years we decided to plant a number of native 01730 828341 / 07823 334398 trees, sow wildflower seed and be far more relaxed towards tidiness and [email protected] cleanliness. Rachel Wilkes Ltd www.rachelwilkes.co.uk An old pond has been re-established, log piles added, lots of compost heaps created! 2 owl boxes are now in place in trees and I am happy to report have been used. We have a badger sett – obviously protected by law and I am proud to say that whilst badgers are controversial, I am happy to let them do their thing (even if they do mess up my lawn looking for worms). I have cut the grass growth on the field back once to remove some nutrients from the soil and to help the wild flower seed establish (Yellow rattle has been sown to try and beat back some of the grasses!). This is certainly a work in progress but the newly planted native hedging and rough grasses and flowers seem to be attracting the birds, bees and owls, whilst the pond is bringing in dragonflies, newts and frogs!

About me, Nick Reed-Beale, I’ve always been a keen conservationist For information about and worked across the world in various conservation and security roles our wines visit: (including managing and training counter poaching teams across Africa and www.eastmeonvineyard.co.uk Asia). I now work as a Reserves Manager for the Hampshire and Isle of or email: [email protected] Wight Wildlife Trust. I am more than happy to have found a small corner of [email protected] Hampshire to try and improve for wildlife. Myself and others in the village hope to see more wildlife return to a few wilder parts of the village and its surroundings.

I look forward to seeing what spring and summer of two brings! 29 COMMUNITY MATTERS

EAST MEON VE DAY CELEBRATIONS th FRIDAY 8 MAY 2020

2:00 Plates of food dropped off at Tea Tent on the Village Green 2.30 Assemble at War Memorial or outside the Church 2.40 Rocket Fireworks on Park Hill 2.50 The Last Post at War Memorial 3:00 Piper plays outside the Church Procession to the Village Green – collecting those at the War Memorial. 3.30 Tribute Songs and poetry by children of East Meon Primary School Tea is served Music and Songs with Kirsty and the Jazz Quartet Games on the Green 4:00 Bar opens in VH with History Club displays and pic- tures/films showing on the big screen 7:00 Church Bells – Ringing out for Peace Everyone is encouraged to dress as they would have been 75 years ago or with a touch of red, white and blue. Please could everyone intending to join the tea party bring a plate of something delicious to eat – sweet or savory – which can be dropped off at the tea tent on the village green from 2.00pm onwards. Tea, coffee and so drinks will be served. The bar will be open in the Village Hall from 4.00pm – if anyone brings drinks please do not bring glasses on to the Village Green.

NATURE 30 31 NATURE

Baby Water Voles Also, to reduce the amount of plastic in the river, we trialled cork and reducing plastic in the River Meon monitoring floats. The first ones started well but eventually sunk just below the surface, so we tried another thicker version and it stayed As the water vole breeding season drew to a close last year we were afloat, the voles seem to approve of the cork, as they have been leaving pleased to see two juvenile water voles when completing a task on the lots of droppings for us to count. River Meon back in November. This was even more surprising as they were in the centre of East Meon within a concrete channel. The voles Elaina Whittaker-Slark had been marking their territory in this section of the river through the Lead Ranger (Western Downs) summer but we couldn’t find out where their burrow was. However during the task we found that they had set up home in a disused pipe near the war memorial.

This was the section of river that we assisted the Wild Trout Trust to restore, so the river could function more naturally by creating berms (gravel banks with planted native water vegetation), which have established really well. The volunteers were removing some of the more invasive species (namely willow herb) and cleared a channel through the centre of the river so it can flow unrestricted. We were careful not to disturb the water voles and the natural river plants on the berms. Once the vegetation stops growing or water levels rise (normal for this time of year), water voles tend to move away from the river but these two were spotted again at the end of November.

We initially discovered the signs of water voles here whilst completing the new five year Water Vole monitoring plan for the River Meon. The new plan will be a lighter touch, following the first five year of more thorough monitoring. The monitoring is now being completed only once a month or until we have signs that we know the water voles are breeding and established on a site. We do this by checking for the droppings the water voles leave behind called latrines. We also adapted South Downs National Park Authority the way we complete the monitoring, with two volunteers looking after Tel: 01730 819340 Mobile: 07557 923842 sections of the river rather than a rota system to check all the sites in E-mail : [email protected] one or two days. The new system appears to have worked well, so we will be continuing it. Western Downs Area Office, Hamble 2, Wallops Wood Farm, Sheard- ley Lane, Droxford, SO32 3QY www.southdowns.gov.uk | facebook | twitter | youtube HISTORY GROUP 32 33 HISTORY GROUP

A GANG OF FIVE William Lenthall was Speaker of the House of Commons . When Charles I A talk on the Civil War by Peter Garner entered the Chamber of the House of Commons with armed support in 1642 in an attempt to seize five members he accused of treason, including John Hampden, The East Meon History Group would like to thank Peter Garner for giving Lenthall famously refused the King’s command to identify them: a fascinating talk in the Village Hall on 17th February. The talk centred on the “I have neither eyes to see nor tongue to speak but as this House is pleased to roles played by a so called ‘gang’ of five individuals in the English Civil War. John direct me whose servant I am here …” Hampden, William Lenthall, Arthur Goodwin, Simon Mayne and Sir Richard Ingoldsby had two things in common from which Peter’s description of them as a Charles I sought to identify them himself instead and lamenting : “I see my birds ‘gang’ derives. They supported and mostly bore arms for Parliament against their have flown”, stormed out of the Chamber . The event is commemorated at the King and were pupils at the same school. Interestingly they were also lawyers. State opening of Parliament each year when the doors of the Commons Chamber are slammed in the face of Black Rod, the Monarch’s messenger, symbolising the The school was Lord William’s Grammar School in Thame, Oxfordshire. Peter rights of Parliament and its independence from the Monarch. Lenthall survived the is also a former pupil at the School , named after Baron John Williams of Thame, Civil War and remained as Speaker until the restoration of Charles II. who left a sizeable bequest for its foundation in the sixteenth century. The Baron lived in turbulent times and was a veritable political and religious survivor. A The third of the five, Arthur Goodwin, served as a distinguished Parliamentary kinsman of Thomas Cromwell, he financially benefitted from the dissolution of the soldier in the early part of the war and died of ‘camp fever’, possibly cholera, in Monasteries and prospered and held senior positions under Henry VIII, Edward VI, 1643. The final two members of the gang, Simon Mayne and Sir Richard Ingoldsby, served in the Parliamentary forces but are best remembered for being two of the Mary I and briefly Elizabeth I . He was a social conservative and , notwithstanding 59 commissioners (judges) appointed to try the King and who as Regicides signed his support for the Reformation, during bloody Mary’s reign he was charged with the King’s death warrant. Following the death of Cromwell and the restoration arresting Cranmer, Latimer and Ridley ( ‘the Oxford Martyrs’ ) and also attended of the Monarchy under Charles II, their fates were very different. Mayne was their execution by burning. His bequest for the School stipulated that pupils should sentenced to death but died before the sentence could be carried out. Sir Richard, “pray his sinful soul through purgatory “. Peter informs us that this practice had who had somehow managed to avoid attending the King’s trial, escaped execution lapsed by the time he attended the school. as a Regicide by arguing he had been forced to sign the King’s death warrant by Cromwell. Peter reflected that Sir Richard’s prowess for survival was very like that Unlike the Baron, the ‘gang of five’ had more settled political allegiances. John of the founder of his former School, Baron Williams. But perhaps the same and Hampden and William Lenthall played important roles in the political conflict more could be said of William Lenthall - who deftly avoided a king’s command and between Parliament and Charles I in the 1640’s which led to the outbreak of Civil was not party to signing any death warrant. War in 1642. John Hampden is considered by historians to be one of the key Peter’s compelling footnote to his talk is that the political and religious conflicts of political and intellectual figures who led Parliamentary opposition to the King’s the Civil War ultimately resulted in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and the Bill of policies prior to the outbreak of the Civil War . He died of his wounds fighting Rights which are the basis of our current Constitutional settlement. It is hard to for Parliament in 1643 . He is commemorated by a statue in the Houses of disagree with him. Parliament and his name lives on in many public buildings including the home of Scottish Football, Hampden Park. FARMING MATTERS 34 35 FOOD MATTERS

Meat production in the Meon Valley Coming Soon...... A New Butcher The ethics of meat eating has become a hot topic over 2019 and now into 2020 with the year starting with Veganuary and a series of documentaries on TV about the damage meat production is doing to our planet. Buckinghams Artisan Butchery is relocating to West Meon, after 3 solid years trading in London Managing Director Damon Buckingham has decided its More and more livestock farmers are feeling victimised by the onslaught of negative press and time to leave the big smoke behind and settle in to a nice country village. fear the end of meat eating is nigh.

I don’t feel quite as strongly. There is no doubt the pressure is on but for us, the challenge is Damon: ‘’We have survived for 3 years in London mixing it with shops that one of re-education of where and how our food is produced in the UK. have been established for years which I am extremely proud of, but now I would like to settle somewhere long term & become part of a supporting The forefront of the argument is climate change. This has surely got to be a good thing, finally changes are being made, the government is changing the direction of its thinking, but is this the community. When I had heard that West Meon had lost its butcher shop I end of meat eating? I think not. jumped at the opportunity to relocate to this beautiful location’’

In the Meon Valley we are blessed with a beautiful landscape but if you look at it from an agricultural productivity point of view, we have steep hillsides and fairly infertile soil. Not Buckinghams has built a strong reputation for its farm to fork ethics over the exactly what you need to grow plants well. last 3 years, hand selecting the finest free-range meats available from small holdings around the country. However, one crop we grow very well is grass and to our business this is the most important crop. It is impossible to cultivate our steep land, but grass is abundant. The sticking point is humans can’t digest grass, so we rely on ruminant, grass fed sheep and cows. These spend the Damon: Animal Welfare is top of our priorities list; we know our farmers we year grazing our valley and the product is meat. The manure they produce fertilises the fields know the farming process & we know that when the time comes the animals and the extensive nature of UK animal farming leads to excellent biodiversity of flora and fauna. are treated with the upmost respect to minimise stress. On TV we are being shown massive areas of pristine rainforest being ripped down for cattle ranches and huge areas of land in the US producing soya for cattle feed lots. I don’t believe for What should we expect to find at the shop? one second anyone can directly compare these intensive systems to the grass-based systems We will have Beef, Lamb & Pork all sourced from within the Southdowns. Our of the Meon Valley or most of the UK. Chickens come up from Devon, we will have a full Deli Counter with Cooked We need a better understanding of where our meat comes from and make better choices meats, Pies, Sausage rolls, Olives, Cheese, Smoked Salmon plus Hot breakfast which will positively impact the climate. I’d rather be selling my animals locally instead of our Baguettes with teas & coffees. Oh and a friendly welcome. lamb disappearing on lorries deep into Europe with food miles in the hundreds.

I feel so passionately about local, grass fed produce that I have set up a new Lamb Meatbox Scheme called Meonside Meats to offer this to the public so the choice is there. Eating less meat is no doubt something we should all do, but the meat we do eat should be of better quality.

The debate has been made very complex but I believe; grow plants to feed people where you can, and on land where plants won’t grow well, grow grass and graze livestock to produce meat.

Will Atkinson www.meonsidemeats.weebl Find us on West Meon High Street buckinghamartisanbutchery.com 37 CHURCH FLOWERS DAVE WYATT Church Flower Report for 2019 uality ecorating 2019 has seen yet more wonderful arrangements created for various occasions throughout the year. ll asects of interior and eterior decorating

Thanks must go to all, but a few special mentions are to Clare de Lotbiniere for nuiries and booking on organising the posies for Mothering Sunday, Gaye Bartlett for the creation of the Garden of Gethsemane, all those involved with the Easter decorations, Helen Shenton for co-ordinating Harvest Festival, Joan Blackman and Jane Atkinson [email protected] for the beautiful displays for Remembrance Sunday in the church and at the War Memorial and everyone who helped with the Christmas decorations.

There were five weddings in church this year but we were only involved in two so thanks also needs to go to all those who gave their time to help make these days so special and memorable for the families. However, financially not such a successful year as our main income is from donations made after weddings if we have done the flowers.

We are looking at putting a leaflet together showing some of the arrangements and giving prospective brides an idea of what can be done.

There are six weddings booked for this year but as yet we do not know whether we will be doing the flowers.

We are very lucky to have so many wonderful gardens around the village that seem to supply seasonal flowers and greenery on demand!

We have a very dedicated and supportive team but if there is anyone in the village Leydene Tree Care who would like to join in the fun please do let me know. All aspects of Tree Work Undertaken With my thanks to all. Tree Removal | Reductions | Stump Grinding Philippa Tyrwhitt-Drake Hedgecutting | Planting [email protected] 07443 589 659 [email protected] NOTICES 38 39 NOTICES

Hampshire’s Household Waste Favourite photos of local scenes The Good Causes Fund EAST MEON’S Recycling Centres and landscapes wanted COMMUNITY CAFÉ All Hampshire residents must YOUR LOCAL ARTIST NEEDS YOU! Did you know that the village has a ‘Good register their cars or 4X4s online Causes Fund’, which is there to respond Come along and enjoy a ‘Coffee, Cake & My name is Georgia Fiennes. I am an artist for free in order to continue to ac- to applications from village organisations Chat’ at the Village hall living just outside the village next to cess Hampshire’s Household Waste requiring funds for particular projects? on Drayton Farm. If you have passed my Recycling Centres (HWRCs). Since 1999, when the fund was set up, house, you may have spotted me at work donations have been made to village Tuesdays 2.00pm – 4.00pm in my pink studio right on the road. I paint organisations such as the almshouses, & F r o m A p r i l 1 s t , 2 0 2 0 , n o n - mostly animals but having moved here Cubs, the school, village hall, Toddlers Hampshire residents will be charged nearly four years ago, I am struck daily group, Garden Club and History Group. Fridays 10.00am – 12.00am £5.00 per visit. If you haven’t but the beauty of our surroundings. I had Donations are modest and will be made registered by then, you may be an idea that I would really love to capture to projects that benefit our village charged. some of these scenes and views in a set of community. Applications for possible We look forward to welcoming you there! paintings. I have taken a number of photos funding should be made to Jane Cobley at To Register, visit https://www.hants. over the years of sunny days, frosty days, [email protected] gov.uk/vehicle-registration-hwrc snowy days, muddy cows, wet sheep but I would really like to increase my collection so I have a much bigger pool of ideas to work from.

Please could you help me by sending me your favourite image that you have taken on a dog walk in the hills, in the village, in your garden, anything or everything that now available at you feel encapsulates the village in your BRICKYARDS favourite way. Please don’t feel limited to sunny scenes, I am keen to have a real variety of all sorts of days and scenery,

62 sq m office space with kitchen obviously if they include a cow, sheep, Friendly and professional chimney sweeping service and toilet. Family run on flexible, chicken, bird, alpaca or dog that’s based in East Meon, serving all the surrounding towns economic terms. Ideal for small or and villages. wonderful but not key. Please send to me startup business. Parking and via text or WhatsApp on 07811 163480. Open fireplaces Superfast Broadband included. Multi-fuel stoves Quiet rural location with Hopefully at some point in 2021 I will then CCTV flue inspection easy access to A3. hold an exhibition in the village ‘100 views www.rebl.info of the Meon Valley’ or ‘My Meon Valley’, 07827 727801 www.meonvalleychimneysweep.co.uk Contact Simon something like that, for everyone who [email protected] Ryder on 01730 would like to, to come and see. Many 239 515. thanks in advance, Georgia EAST MEON COUNTRY FAIR 40 41 EAST MEON COUNTRY FAIR

It doesn’t seem long since we were last thanking you for your wonderful

support for last year’s Country Fair, but me flies. So now its me to start Saturday 6th June 2020 1pm—5pm on the village green the organisaon for the next extravaganza on the Village Green. All your favourite activities and stalls including bouncy castles, go=karts, funfair rides, dog show and spectacular events in the main arena. For adults, we have our famous East Meon We’ve changed the date to 6th June for this year as the May Day Bank holi- Tea and Cakes and our beer tent. day has been changed for the VE celebraons on the 8th May. The village hall needs your help to organise and run the fair, please get in touch on 01730823883 if you can spare even an hour or contribute some other way. Your feedback from last year was brilliant so we are going to try to achieve Big thanks to the school for all the colouring of our posters, this one was coloured by Lilia that same friendly, relaxed and local atmosphere that we enjoyed in 2019. Tebbutt, well done Lilia. The format will remain the same with your favourite village acvies and www.eastmeonvillagehall.co.uk/country-fair-2020 [email protected] stalls. We are working to improve the range of acvies for the children so expect to see much more space given over to them. We are also working on addional features in the main arena which we’ll announce soon (well, as soon as we make a final decision and make the bookings). We’ve already started to arrange the background acons that make the day possible; insurance, licences, road closures, parking, electricity and so on. I’ve spoken to many who helped last year and am very pleased that they ELECTRICAL PLUMBING AND HEATING ENGINEERS have agreed to provide their invaluable help again this year. Obviously, I can’t let an edion of Meon Maers go by without again asking for your sup- port to make this year’s fair another one to remember. Please contact the VH commiee (numbers below) to get involved . Did you noce the border around this arcle and the advert on the inside

cover of MM? The children at the school all Marilyn 823037 Bric-a-brac had a go improving our poster with some Jean 823363 Village games, Boles great results. This one is by Jack who is 7, thank you Jack. We’ll be using many of their Diana 823413 and and Teas and Cakes designs in the run up to the Country Fair. Elizabeth 823788 George 823883 Site set up

George Thompson, Chair of VH Commiee. WE ALSO INSTALL, REPAIR AND SERVICE OIL, LPG AND NATURAL GAS BOILERS

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Change is in the air When Mary is licensed, we will begin using our new name, ‘The Upper Meon Ben- efice’ and when the legal bits are all sorted, I will become Priest in Charge of the Change can be good or bad, exciting or scary depending on the circumstances. Is United Benefice, carrying legal responsibility for all four parishes. Both Mary and I this something that we want to happen or not? How much are we in control? Even will be licensed to work in all four churches although her primary focus will be West if it’s a change we want to happen it can still be difficult or throw up things we hadn’t Meon and Warnford, mine will be East Meon and Langrish. As we look forward to expected. We’re going to be experiencing some changes in our parish this year and this next stage of our lives together, our Archdeacon – Gavin Collins – has offered definitely of the good variety. a prayer for us to use:

In December we were very pleased to appoint the Rev’d Mary Jepp as the new associate priest for West Meon and Warnford and she will be officially licensed on God of endings and beginnings, 17th May at a joint service at 10.30am in West Meon. Her licence will look a little we give you thanks for the life of our churches and different to the one that Lionel Stock held when he was there, though. Mary will be the faithful worshippers and ministers licensed as associate priest for West Meon and Warnford, East Meon and Langrish. who have served you and the people of our communities over many years. That doesn’t look like much of a difference but behind that title is a shift in how our Guided by your spirit of wisdom and courage parishes are going to be working together. help us to take this work forward in new and exciting ways that we might all be encouraged to You might have noticed that some of our services over the last few years have been Live clearly as your disciples, described as joint or cluster services, particularly those Sundays when there has Pray that many more people would come to know you and your love been a fifth Sunday. For the last couple of years we have had some shared study and Serve the world around us. courses: perhaps the most obvious joint event is the Good Friday walk, when we In Jesus’ name, start at either Warnford or Langrish and walk to the other end, calling in at the oth- Amen er churches on the way. This has been an informal relationship until last year when we began having conversations about making this more formal. Towards the end of 2019 all the churches were asked if they would like to begin the process of becom- ing a United Benefice and I’m pleased to say that all the churches agreed. With best wishes,

On the ground you will notice very little difference because this doesn’t mean be- Rev’d Jane Ball coming one big parish: all four churches will continue to have services; I will contin- ue to be the vicar for East Meon and Langrish and we will continue to celebrate the unique contribution that each church makes to its community. But there are times when being a small church creates limits to what we can do effectively. By coming together formally we can ensure more effective ministry for the whole community, which includes pastoral cover for all parishes for seven days a week and fifty-two weeks of the year; a sharing of resources across all four parishes and avoidance of duplication in services and supplies bought in. Self-storage doesn’t have to be stressful.

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