the LINK November1 2016 The Link is published by The Parochial Church e Brickleh stl am Contents a p Council of Elmley Castle with Netherton, C The t y o e n Bricklehampton, Great & Little Comberton. l Church Church matters 2 Events 15 m G l of England Finding Hereward 2 r Rectory Office E e Monday Club 15 Parish Magazine a From the registers 3 t 22 Parkwood n Great Comberton Women’s of… C o t o Autumn Cleaning Party, Little r Elmley Castle m e Institute 15 b b e Comberton 3 m Pershore r o t Whist Drive 15 o C n e l t t L i WR10 3HT Advent in Little Comberton. 3 Link Coffee Morning 16 Maggs Night Shelter 4 Glad tidings 16 Articles in The Link express the views of the authors and not necessarily those of Tea with the Archbishop 5 Elmley Village Café 16 the PCC. All text and photographs are copyright and should not be reproduced Christmas shoe box appeal 5 Into the 80s 17 without permission. In the first instance, please contact the Editor. Our villages 8 Little Comberton Elmley Castle First School 8 Editorial information Gardening Club 17 Little Comberton Sports and Christmas Celebration 17 The Link is published every month, except for December/January and July/ Social Club: ‘100 Club’ 8 Directory 22 August, which are joint issues. 70th Great Comberton In your parish 22 Flower Show. 9 The deadline for each issue is the 11th of the preceding month. Articles Rectory office hours 22 Macmillan Coffee Morning 10 received after the llth will normally not be included. The next issue is a double Churchwardens 22 Features 10 issue covering December and January and the deadline is 11th November. Parish treasurer 22 The Romans Were Here 10 Village organisations 23 We welcome articles of interest to our parish and villages. Articles should Tewkesbury Refugee Support Urgent help needed 23 normally not exceed 400 words, and may be edited for length and style. We Group 12 Weekly clubs and classes 24 are also on the lookout for photographs we can use in the magazine. These will The Countryside: Floodplains 13 November events 25 usually be reproduced in black and white, although from time to time the cover Gardening tip 14 will be in colour. Material for inclusion should be sent to the Editor, John Seely: Address: 11, Parkwood, Elmley Castle, Pershore, WR10 3HT Email: [email protected] Phone: 01386 710301 Advertising If you would like to advertise in the magazine, please contact Denys Shaw: Email: [email protected] Phone: 01386 710462 Submitting material If at all possible, please send text material as a Word file or as an RTF file. Images should be sent as PDF, TIFF, or JPEG. If you send a JPEG, then please make it as high resolution as you can. Cover picture: istockphoto.com 2 1 Church matters From the registers Baptisms Finding Hereward 25th September Finley Stephen Gardner-Davies Chris and I were in the second week of our Carys Grace Gardner-Davies holiday, and on the north Norfolk coast. We St Mary’s, Elmley Castle decided to visit Cley. This took us through Blakeney. Chris spotted the local village church, Wedding which looked interesting. It had two towers, and th we wondered why. We decided to stop and get 17 September Alan David Green and Caroline Louise Davies better acquainted with it on the way back along the St Mary’s, Elmley Castle coast nearer to tea-time. Funerals We had to park in a side road – the main road was too narrow – and so stopped by the village school. This meant that we had to go into the churchyard by the 6th September John Kerslake side path. How glad I am that we did! I rather loitered up the path. I read the Worcester Crematorium names on tombstones – how interesting it is to see what the local names are! By th the church porch was a small ashes plot. I stopped and browsed a little. Then, 8 September Rose-Marie McKechnie suddenly, it was as if my whole stomach had been turned over with a mixture of St Michael’s, Bricklehampton grief and delight. I called Chris back. 15th September Chloe Elizabeth Jordan There, written on a stone near to the path were the words: Hereward Roger St Mary’s, Elmley Castle Gresham Cooke, 1939–2009, Priest and Sailor. It was Ned. He had been a good Rest eternal grant to them O Lord friend to Chris and me as we were getting married, and was senior curate in my and let light perpetual shine upon them. home parish. When I worked for the parish, a full year before the wedding, Ned let me use his house and kitchen as a stop-off point and refuge. The last time I Autumn Cleaning Party, Little Comberton saw him was three years before he died. I did not know where he was interred. Saturday 12th November 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. But now … here! It’s time again to sweep up leaves, tidy the churchyard, clean, polish and clear out Ned had died in 2009. He had cycled for Christian Aid from Norwich to some more dark corners inside the church, before winter sets in. Please come and Copenhagen! Then he ate a good meal with his companions. They found him join us. dead in his bed the next morning. The more the merrier! Coffee and cake provided. Ned had lived that others might live well. He had been both an industrial chaplain in Norwich and Deputy Leader of Norwich City Council. Above all, like Penny Spiller Abou Ben Adhem, he was one who loved his fellows. Thus he loved God. Advent 2016 in Little Comberton. The memory hit me with tears and joy. But there was above all a strange Advent is an important time in the Christian year - a time of preparation, waiting connectedness. I do not mean in a spooky way, but just in the sense that in God and hope. This is the 10th year that we have invited you to make Advent a special we are one, even through the veil of death. It is a privilege that God gives us, that time in our village. We’ve had a wonderful response over the years and it is a joy we might write our love across the sky, and be hidden and revealed. to walk around the village and see the Advent windows shining out, along every Richard road. 2 3 Advent windows churches for donations of much needed food items for all the users of the centre, We are inviting you to share in this activity again this year, by putting a light in who are provided with a hot meal each day and facilities for showering and a decorated window that is easily seen by those passing. The first window will washing their clothes. Listed below are the items most needed, so perhaps when be lit on the evening of Sunday 27th November, which is Advent Sunday. The you do your supermarket shop you could add one of the following to your basket: second window will be lit on the next evening, and so on until all the windows Tins: are shining on Christmas Eve. We would love you to join us again if you had a • corned beef • Jars of instant coffee lighted window last year, but please offer a window even if it’s your first time. We • stewing steak • Washing powder would like to encourage you to light your windows until January 6th – Twelfth • ham • liquid hand soap Night. If you would like to design and light an Advent window in your home, • fruit • antibacterial kitchen spray. please contact Yvonne to arrange a date. • custard Activity morning Val Crane – 01386 424953 Our Advent Activity morning, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. is in the Village Hall. This year it all happens on Saturday, 3rd December when we will again be encouraging Tea with the Archbishop youngsters to join in activities in readiness for Christmas. Please pre-register I felt very honoured to be invited to have afternoon tea with the Archbishop of any children who you would like to take part, as this helps us to ensure we have Canterbury on his recent visit to Worcestershire. a range of activities and materials available. There will be the usual £4 charge About a hundred people met to consider the opportunities and issues facing towards cost of materials and refreshments, payable on the day. During the the rural community. We represented a variety of businesses, churches and morning we will be making ‘Christingles’ to be used during the 10 a.m. service community groups operating in the countryside and used a SWOT analysis the following day at St Peter’s Church. (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) to focus our group If pre-registering children for the Advent Activities, please contact either Edith or discussion. Yvonne After about half an hour we were joined by Archbishop Justin, who then moved Looking forward to hearing from you! from table to table to chat with us. (At this point I would like to say he sat next to me, I was thrilled!) I don’t think he had heard of Great Comberton but was Yvonne Seward 710417 / [email protected] delighted to hear about our joint Parish of the Villages. The Archbishop showed a Edith Powell 710790 / [email protected] genuine and caring interest in all the conversations Maggs Night Shelter Wonderful memories of a special afternoon.