The Parish News June 2021

Wormleighton * Priors Marston * Priors Hardwick PRIORS HARDWICK WITH PRIORS MARSTON AND WORMLEIGHTON part of The Bridges Group of Parishes www.thebridgesgroup.org.uk PRIEST-IN-CHARGE: Rev. Gillian Roberts 01926 815831 [email protected] Sycamore Lodge, Church Street, Stockton, CV47 8JG GROUP ADMINISTRATOR: Susan Holloway 01926 812383 [email protected] LAY READER: Mr Peter Jackson 01327 260169 CHURCHWARDENS: St. Leonard, Priors Marston - Mr. Malcolm Monkhouse 01327 260915 St. Peter, Wormleighton - Vacancy

PARISH COUNCIL: http://www.priorsmarston.org/parish-council/ THE PRIORS HALL: Barbara Harvey 01327 260709 [email protected] (Bookings) PRIORS SCHOOL: http://www.thepriorsschool.co.uk/ ST.LAWRENCE SCHOOL: http://www.stlawrenceprimaryschool.co.uk/ WOMENS INSTITUTE: Jane Cowan 07979 550202 Fiona Spencer 01327 263423 FILM NIGHT: Lee Robinson 01327 263268 [email protected] SPORTS CLUB: Simon Brown 07722 797735 [email protected] TENNIS CLUB: [email protected] ------PARISH NEWS CONTRIBUTIONS: Helen Menezes 01327 261222 [email protected] Hillside House, Keys Lane, Priors Marston, Southam, CV47 7SA. Deadline for contributions, 15th of the month. Please note that we are unable to correct minor mistakes in text supplied in picture format, and be aware that it may not print as clearly as text supplied in Word. PARISH NEWS PDF: You can read the Parish News in PDF format, by sending a request to the editor – [email protected]. You can also read the latest edition on the Priors Marston Parish Council website http://www.priorsmarston.org

Disclaimer: Please note that views expressed in articles in The Parish News are the views of the authors.

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PARISH NEWS CONTRIBUTIONS AND THANKS Thanks to all the contributors, advertisers and volunteers, who help to make it possible to go on producing, printing and distributing the Parish News. Thanks to all who have returned the little brown envelopes. If you have not yet contributed and would like to do so, you can still return your donation to your distributor, to any of the people named in the box on page 2 of this issue, or to Maxine Harris at Priors Hall Post Office. If you prefer to contribute by bank transfer, the details are as follows: Account name: Priors Marston PCC, Sort code 40-42-15, Ac. No.90674222. Please reference your donation as ‘Parish News’. Thank you for your support.

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PRIORS HARDWICK WEBSITE You can keep up-to-date with what’s going on in and around Priors Hardwick here:- http://www.priorshardwick.org.uk

WORMLEIGHTON CHURCH WEBSITE https://stpeterschurchwormleightonblog.wordpress.com/tag/wormleighton/

PRIORS MARSTON PARISH COUNCIL VILLAGE COMMUNICATION If you would like to be added to the village email list, to keep up to date with village news, please email the Clerk - [email protected] The Parish Council also has a Facebook page - please find us @Priors Marston parish council. Village Swap and Share WhatsApp group - if you wish to join, email the clerk for further information – Note that this isn’t run by the Parish Council.

ARE YOU NEW TO THE VILLAGE? If you would like a copy of the Priors Marston Parish Plan, please email [email protected]

PARISH COUNCIL MEETING DATES 2021 7.30PM See agenda (notice board and at www.priorsmarston.org) for venue details. Tuesday 13th July Tuesday 14th September Tuesday 9th November Annual Meeting of the Parish Council: Wednesday 26th May

4 VACANCY FOR MAINTENANCE WORK WITHIN THE PARISH Priors Marston Parish Council are seeking someone who can do ad hoc maintenance work within the Parish such as clearing of footpaths, tree work, fence repairing and basic playground maintenance. Someone local will be ideal as work would need to be carried out promptly and require own tools. If you are interested, please contact [email protected] for further details. Deadline for applications, June 7th 2021

LOCKDOWN INFORMATION FROM THE PARISH COUNCIL If you need support or know of anyone who does, please visit: www.warwickshire.gov.uk/coronavirusvulnerable and https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus-shielding-support email [email protected] or call 0800 408 1447. The Warwickshire local welfare scheme helps our most vulnerable residents at times of unavoidable crisis, when they have no other means of help. The scheme provides basic and essential help for food and energy. People can apply to the scheme by calling 0800 4081448 or 01926 359182 or emailing [email protected] with contact details.

0800 408 1447 – WCC Covid line 0800 408 1552 or 0808 2000 247 – WCC & National Domestic Abuse 0808 196 3651 – British Red Cross 116 123 (any phone, any time) – Samaritans 0800 1111 – Childline Please email or phone me (263788) if you need support or any help during this time as we do have volunteers from the previous Priors Support WhatsApp group that we can always reactivate if there is a need.

Emma [email protected]

5 FROM YOUR DISTRICT COUNCILLOR FOR NAPTON AND FENNY COMPTON

South Warwickshire Local Plan Residents should have had a leaflet explaining that the Local Plan is under review and is to be replaced with a combined version with Warwick District. This is the document that is the basis for planning decisions. A combined approach is part of the move towards closer working together between the two councils. The whole process lasts years, going through consultation and other technical stages. In the meantime, you can see more information at www.southwarwickshire.org.uk/swlp. I would really recommend reading the Q&A section of that web page if you can. You will see there, that central government may yet change the rules and I fear this may mean local people losing what controls there are at the moment.

Elections Congratulations to Chris Kettle on winning the Feldon County Councillor election. Whilst in the election I supported my Lib Dem colleague, who came in second place, I have worked very well with Chris in the past and look forward to doing so in his new role. Many issues cross over between District council and County Council responsibility and I am sure we will continue in working together to the best interests of everyone. At the same time, Philip Seccombe was re-elected as Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire. Both of the winning candidates are conservatives.

Covid Cases have remained pretty much stable for the last few weeks with an average of around 2 to 3 new cases a day across the district. The county numbers have also remained flat. During the month, the gradual lifting of

6 restrictions has continued, with various premises opening for constrained indoor gatherings. One opportunity the Covid emergency has provided is remote working for all sorts of situations. This had applied to council and parish council meetings. That opportunity has now ceased because the government have not extended the regulations for council meetings to be remotely held. A court case to challenge the law has failed. So, from 17th May onwards, all meetings must be face to face in a physical location i.e. no more virtual meetings. Physical access to meetings must be allowed for the public, subject to compliance with prevailing social distancing rules. This has implications for parish councils and planning meetings among others. The actual process has yet to be worked out. Whilst we are correctly being told to avoid indoor contact unless necessary, this state of affairs seems inconsistent and unwise to me. The District Council will keep arrangements under review in the light of any emerging changes in Government guidance on public health risk. Although we owe a huge debt to the scientists who have come up with the vaccine, the risk of variants is still around whilst there are high levels anywhere in the world, so I hope people can enjoy the relative freedom from restrictions, but still be careful. HS2 There is never really any good HS2 news for us, but there is perhaps some sign of a rethink regarding the A425 closure. HS2 had said it could take double the time to reopen the road from the 9 months closure declared. There is now an indication that the considerable pressure applied to HS2 from local councillors has had some effect. A plan is emerging that might reopen the road sooner than that. I still doubt that considerable disruption will be avoided, but we await the details and hope for improvement.

Nigel Rock, Councillor for Napton and Fenny Compton Ward [email protected] 07971 343065

7 Justice and mercy

I wonder if you have been caught up in the Sunday evening television dramas over the last few weeks, in particular “Line of Duty” – following the investigations of the police anti-corruption unit and “Call the Midwife” – watching a group of nuns and midwives coping with the pressures of life in the East End of London in the 1960s? I certainly was and they have generated a lot of media coverage, haven’t they?

In both programmes, we see the reality of evil and the affirmation of goodness in the world. In both programmes, we see the main characters fighting for justice, whether that is the apprehension of criminals or racism, anti-abortion, homophobia, poverty etc. We also see mercy and compassion being shown to the victims of injustice. We see justice tempered by mercy.

Justice and mercy are two sides of God’s character. God’s justice flows from his righteousness and holiness: he cannot ignore the wrong that people do – he cannot allow it to go unpunished. But through his love and mercy, he can provide a way out. When Jesus died on the cross, he bore the punishment and consequences for every sin we ever committed. If we have faith in Jesus; acknowledge, confess and turn away from our wrong-doing, then we are forgiven and put right with God. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, God’s mercy achieves God’s justice.

We know we all mess up, don’t we – that we can be dishonest, angry, impatient, greedy, selfish…… and we all deserve to be punished. When we finally stand before God, he will convict us of our sins - because he is a just God. But he will not condemn us because he is a merciful God.

The prophet Micah tells us that God requires us too “To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God.” [Micah 6:8]

God bless, Gillian

8 The Bridges Group of Parishes Church services for June 2021 BCP = Book of Common Prayer CW = Common Worship

6th June 13th June 20th June 27th June Trinity1 Trinity 2 Trinity 3 Trinity 4

Priors 9.00am 5.00pm 9.00am - Hardwick Morning Evensong BCP Worship Communion Wormleighton - 9.00am - 10.30am BCP Morning Worship Communion Lower - - - Wednesday 23rd June - Shuckburgh 10am Midweek BCP Communion Napton 10.30am 10.30am 10.30am 5.00pm CW Communion Morning CW Communion Informal Evening Worship Worship Stockton 10.30am 10.30am - 10.30am Morning Methodist CW Communion Worship Service Priors 10.30am 10.30am 10.30am 10.30am Marston Informal CW Communion Morning Informal Worship Worship Worship

Cleaning and Flower Rotas

ST. LEONARD’S CHURCH, PRIORS MARSTON 7th June Ivana Evans 21st June Jill Soffe Contact Kate Morgan on 260617 if you would like to help with flowers and/or cleaning.

ST. MARY’S CHURCH, PRIORS HARDWICK Cleaning/Flower Rota May 30th and June 6th Denise Reece June 13th and June 20th Carolyn Bath/Caroline Wilson June 27th and July 4th Debbie Mercer

The Bridges Group of Parishes Notices – June 2021

Programme for Children and Youth Please note that all our activities with Children and Youth are on hold at the moment while we plan the way forward, with the exception of:

Create & Play: we are currently running four sessions for babies & toddlers @ Stockton Church from 9.30-10.30am & 11.00am-12noon on Tuesdays & Fridays. Booking is essential – contact: Deborah Dutton 01926 819016

Mid-week programme for Adults - Home Bible Study Groups The following groups meet for Bible study, prayer and fellowship. If you would like to join, please contact the Vicar or a Group leader:

Every Wednesday at 8.00pm in Stockton Gillian [01926 815831] 1st & 3rd Thursday at 2.30pm in Stockton Jan [01926 817991] Every Thursday at 8.00pm in Napton Julia [01926 811476] Every week at 7.30pm in Napton Angie [01926 812225]

Knit & Natter – starting up again soon Tea and chat while knitting (or learning new skills or playing board games): Every Monday at 2.00pm in Stockton Church Jan [01926 817991]

Every Monday at 2.00pm in Napton Jayne [01926 813227]

Parish enquiries For initial enquiries about baptisms, weddings, funerals and graveyard matters etc, please contact Susan, our Group Administrator, on 01926 812383 or email: [email protected]. Please note that Susan works part-time, but she will get back to you as quickly as she can.

See elsewhere in the magazine for details of other church activities & events

PRIORS MARSTON & HARDWICK WI 2021

We will let you know when we can start our programme of meetings again. In the meantime, you are welcome to get in touch:

Contact: Jane Cowen 07979 550202 Fiona Spencer 01327 263423

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OPEN LEARNING https://www.open.edu/openlearn/free-courses/full-catalogue : visit for access to a wide range of free courses from the Open University.

INFORMATION CHECKING

If you need to check information you have read on the internet or elsewhere, you could try checking it on https://fullfact.org/

Full Fact is a team of independent fact checkers and campaigners who find, expose and counter the harm of bad information.

11 PRIORS HARDWICK VILLAGE MEETING At the AGM of the Village Meeting held on Thursday 29th April, Mr Stuart Hyde of Rose Cottage was elected as Chair of the Village. He may be contacted on 07540 188885 or [email protected]

The next Village Meeting will take place on (provisionally) Thursday 15th July 2021 at 7.30pm, hopefully in the Church More details will be issued nearer the time.

FOOD BANK Non-perishable items may be left in the telephone box in Priors Hardwick. Donations are now taken to the Food Bank at Southam, which is running mainly a delivery service locally to those in need and who have been referred by participating agencies. The donations will be taken to Southam on Monday mornings.

MOBILE LIBRARY The Mobile library visits are suspended for the time being. The Warwickshire Library Service will contact its members as soon as visits resume. Contact details, if required are: 01926 851031 and warwickshire.gov.uk/libraries

COLLECTION OF POSTCARDS – USED OR UNUSED Please continue to save your postcards (if any!). In Priors Hardwick, they may still be left in the ‘phone box, from where they will be used to raise funds for Mission Aviation Fellowship, with whom Alan and Annette Hone continue their voluntary work in Papua New Guinea

USED POSTAGE STAMPS Please continue to save your stamps, with a good margin of paper, and leave them inside the plastic box in the ‘phone box in Priors Hardwick. In Priors Marston they may be left in the church on Wednesdays or Sundays (please check opening times). The stamps will be trimmed ready for fundraising for The Leprosy Mission.

June at St Leonards 6th June: Informal Worship 13th June: Holy Communion 20th June: Fathers’ Day Service Look out for sweet treats! 27th June: Celebrate Midsummer

and Creation Come and hear about the Churchyard Wildlife Project

Every Sunday at 10.30

Covid precautions will still be in place

13 PRIORS HALL

NOW OPEN FOR COVID-SAFE ACTIVITIES

Please contact Barbara Harvey on 01327 260709, [email protected], to book, or for more information.

General rate is £15.00 per hour and Village rate is £10.00 per hour.

A mat well has been installed at the rear doors of the main hall.

Thanks to Chris and Sue Benson for their work at the Polling Station on May 6th.

There is now an Air Ambulance Clothing Bank situated in the car park, for those who wish to use it.

The curtains, pictures and kitchen blinds have been put back, after the redecorations were completed.

Badminton, darts, short mat bowls and table tennis equipment are available for use.

The Village Hall Committee is always pleased to hear from people with ideas for new activities and events.

Current activities: Monday Tuesday Post Office, Lacey’s Wednesday Play Group (am), Lacey’s Thursday Post Office, Lacey’s, Pilates Friday Lacey’s Saturday Lacey’s

Lacey’s His and Hers Hairdressing: Tuesday to Saturday, by appointment, you can have your hair done, next to the post office. The contact numbers are 01327 263330 and 07733 102564.

Post Office opening hours: 10 am-1.00 pm, 2.00 pm-4.00 pm, Tuesday and Thursday. Tel: 01327 261743. Copies of the Village Directory are available from the Post Office for a minimum donation of £3.

Film Nights: Film nights hope to resume in September, assuming Covid regulations allow this by then. If you have any questions, or wish to join the mailing list, contact the Priors Cinema Team at [email protected]. You can also call Lee Robinson Tel: 01327 263268.

AIR AMBULANCE . CLOTHING BANK . .

A new clothing bank is now situated in the car park of the Village Hall, for donations.

FROM THE CHURCH OF ST MARY PRIORS HARDWICK

As I write, we finally approach our return to church for services – still with social distancing restrictions and no singing, but nevertheless together in church. But even as the official statistics in this country show remarkable improvements, we are just receiving warnings about the potential spread of the Indian mutation of the virus which has already been discovered in Warwickshire. We really do still need to be cautious. Church Services Our first service back was on 23rd May, Pentecost, a short, very simple service of celebration with families taking part. The liturgical hangings - altar frontal and lectern and pulpit falls - were red and probably will still be in place as you receive this magazine. It will be a good opportunity, if you wish, to view the exquisite needlecraft used by Mrs Julia Gaunt, formerly of Hollow Meadow House. You will see beautiful embroideries on the red background fabric. These were found on scrap pieces of old, faded hangings and Julia removed them stitch by stitch and then applied them to the new fabric! The flowers on the altar and in the windows will be red and white for Pentecost. If all the Covid restriction plans go ahead, the church will still be open on Sunday mornings and Wednesday afternoons – but for Sunday 30th May, the hangings will change from red to white for Trinity Sunday, with blue flowers added to the floral arrangements. This is a local tradition and not a general observance of the Church of England – so I’m told! Hopefully, our normal service routine will resume in June, so please take a look at the grid elsewhere in the magazine. During what we hope will have been the last few months without services in church, the normal routines of cleaning, weekly flowers and grass cutting have continued and we are very grateful indeed for the volunteers who make such a difference by their efforts. They do not go unnoticed. Only recently, I received very grateful comments from a visitor to the church, on all three of these aspects of our church.

The church Building – Project Enable The ‘working group’ have had further discussions with Bryan Martin, our architect, and have explored further the possibilities of how we might include toilet facilities and a small kitchen area inside the church at the west end. We are currently on option 12 – having begun with 6 options originally drawn up by Bryan. Our preferred option will be presented to the PCC meeting (Monday 17th May) for approval, before being sent to the diocese for their scrutiny – but not alone: we’ve also had to submit two rather long and complicated documents detailing the significance of the building relative to its need for the improvements we’re proposing, (with which Bryan Martin has provided much help) and also of the ways in which the church can better provide facilities for the needs, both personal and community, of the village. Donations via the Phone Box Once again, I have been amazed at the generous gifts I find in the phone box when I collect the bundle of newspapers each morning. Jackie Grey, who organises the Southam Food Bank, is always very grateful to receive them. I’m only allowed as far as the doorstep of the Graham Adams centre, where I place the goods on the table provided. The Food Bank is only open on Mondays, so often the goods I pick up will have quarantined for at least 72 hours before delivery to Southam. so they can be fast-tracked to those in need if necessary. Amazingly, also used stamps are being donated and in quite large quantities. It may not seem much to put a few in the little box inside the phone box, but they are always very welcome. Thank you to all who have donated. It’s good to see new people moving into the village, but more difficult to make contact with the current lack of social interaction. So welcome to those of you who have been arriving recently. You will no doubt have received some information about our village, but please don’t hesitate to ask if we can help in any way or provide any information.

Margaret Clarke on behalf of the PCC

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PRIORS TENNIS CLUB Contact details:- Email: [email protected] Coach: [email protected] or 07938 145736 Website: https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/priorstennis Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/priorstennis Priors Tennis Club is located on Byfield Road at the entrance to the Sports and Social Club.

St Lawrence CE (VA) Primary School. Napton 01926 812447 www.stlawrenceprimaryschool.co.uk

Report for Napton Parish Council AGM May 2021 Current numbers and structures: • 196 school-aged children from Reception to Year 6 (slightly lower than last year). Numbers are expected to be again a little lower in September. The expected numbers for Reception will be reasonably healthy, with 24 out of the 26 places taken. Healthy, but we are losing a large Class 6. • The school is still arranged over 7 classes, but benefits from teachers specialising in subjects, so that children have more than just their class teachers, the older they get. This especially benefits children in larger classes, where the class is then split between the two teachers for Maths and English at least three times a week., In addition to this, extra teacher hours are employed to deliver ‘catch up support groups’: these are also to be continued in the next academic year. • Current Little Lawrences numbers stand at 35. ,It is a vibrant learning environment overseen by an outstanding Early Years Practitioner, Safeguarding and Special Needs Lead.

The character of the school: • 10.2% are on the main school SEN register. It should also be noted that those qualifying for Free School Meals and funded support has risen significantly to 9.6%. • St Lawrence was inspected in January 2020 under a Section 8 inspection framework to affirm our previous grading. The school is still very much rated as Good with Outstanding features. No additional inspections have been carried out in this past unusual year.

As a church school, we are still rated as outstanding with no areas for significant improvement. We anticipate that inspection that had been due is significantly delayed, though we will be expecting an informal visit from a member of the Diocesan Board of Education.

20 • The school is not an academy. Governors and I, with the Diocesan Board of Education, continue to explore options that safeguard local excellence in governance and accountability, as part of similarly-minded schools in Warwickshire. • The school continues to be part of the Southam Teaching Alliance, with a special focus on Primary Teacher Training, and will be part of their teacher training programme from September. We will, of course, continue delivering teacher training with Warwick and Birmingham universities for the foreseeable future as well. • Our bid for the Primary Science Quality Mark has been submitted and the initial feedback has been excellent. We continue to work with Bath Spa and Warwick Universities, with regard to research and excellence in science teaching. More science days, including one to kick off this Summer Term, have ensured that it remains a high-profile subject. • Napton remains an integral part of the Southam College catchment area. It will be part of the three-day transition arrangements in common with other local schools. • The Before and After School Club known as Larks ‘n’ Owls has bounced back and is as popular and well-used as ever. In fact, a good range of clubs are back on for children and they are very popular indeed, with most children accessing at least one opportunity, whether it be a sporting club, something related to art or the garden. • The school community was of course very much impacted by the lockdown, but with a good third of the school actually accessing learning in the building, with high-quality home learning in place and with Little Lawrences and LnO in play, the impact has been less than previously. As quickly as guidance allowed, learning and school life has returned to something resembling normality: we even have some of our volunteers back to help with reading and activities, and swimming has resumed.

Nevertheless, the curriculum has been ‘reworked’, so that key learning to enable access to learning in the next academic years can be focused on. Extra small-group teaching is in place for where the impact has been the greatest and this is to continue in the coming year as well. The children only have one chance, so we will endeavour to make sure that they are still able to grasp every opportunity.

21 St Lawrence continues to be a high attaining school: • Though no official tests were in place last year - and won’t be again this year as directed by the DfE - staff are assessing the progress and attainment of the children. This is being reported to parents and future schools. Though it is fair enough to say that progress and attainment for some has been impacted, the extra support has meant that the vast majority are still doing very well: children are ready for the next steps in their journeys.

• The school is officially recognised as a centre of sporting excellence. Though competitive sport with other schools has not been an option, the sporting clubs and lessons were continued wherever possible. These were boosted with regular attendance, and participation in competitions were recorded online, but took in place in school or at home! Dance, fitness, gymnastics: all have featured with the school often in the top three. They were actually great fun. Even through the last lockdown, real sports were on offer to children in school with input both from staff and outside providers, including Coventry Rugby Club. This commitment to sports has again been recognised.

• The school was recognised for its excellence in music and again received the Warwickshire Music Mark before the recent disruption. Music has been dramatically impacted, though, whilst the school has been open, face-to-face teaching has still been a rewarding feature. Online teaching has, though, had its place. It is good to note that children are still progressing through their grades. However, singing has not featured, whole class brass lessons have been affected and the school orchestra has been forced to take something of a break. Nevertheless, we did manage to create a socially-distanced orchestra for Christmas, with carols that were professionally recorded and shared on Facebook: you might have heard them bring that little bit of festive joy! Ordinary lessons have of course continued with weekly music from around the world and different traditions being studied. These have in fact been excellent and much appreciated – and we may well continue them in years to come!

• The excellence of children is celebrated every Friday: currently as two assemblies in full compliance with all the rules and regulations. We can’t wait to go back to normal with parents, families and friends attending as they always have!

22 The school continues to provide a full wealth of experiences to its children – both on and off site: ✓ Themed days have still managed to be part of school life – though fewer of them. One of them happened as a home learning experience such as the World Book Day, and we’ve had some science days. ✓ We have a Festival of Cricket coming up: it’s outdoors, it involves Warwickshire Cricket and it invites all our Year 5 and 6s to celebrate the game – I’m going to enjoy it very much – especially the refreshments! ✓ A host of trips are coming up: all outdoors, but they involve looking for fossils at the Cross Hands Quarry, going back in time to the Rollright Stones, sculpture, archaeology and 40/40 at Horley Scout Camp and many, many more opportunities for outdoor experiential learning for children across the whole school. ✓ Performances and the opportunity for every child to perform in the traditional sense did not happen, but ‘the shows must go on’. Though it seems a long time ago, two outdoor productions of ‘The Tempest’ were reinterpreted and performed in the Summer Term. The current Yr5 and 6s will get to perform again this year but how? It will all depend on the guidelines, but know that they will get that valuable chance. All of our youngest children in Little Lawrences, Reception, Class 1 and Class 2 took part in a series of Nativity Films that were very much enjoyed and shared with families: a treat for those who were not able to meet up. In our Year 3 and 4 classes, they created two very different films: one relating to a future topic – the Vikings - and one entirely written and produced by the children – it was mad, but …. they loved doing it! ✓ We are still hoping to put on a Concert Night on the 5th July – subject of course to guidelines and could be very much outside – a great opportunity to celebrate musical talent. ✓ Forest Schools are still a weekly, much-enjoyed and valuable feature of Class 1 (Forest Fridays) and extended to our Reception Class on a regular basis. Outdoor learning – you know it could catch on! ✓ Church services have been on hold but the services in school have continued with the valued input of Revd Gillian. Assemblies have been redesigned to be Covid- compliant, but they still happen, even if it means that I do twice as many! Again, we look forward to returning to the traditional pattern. One thing that the past months have taught me, though, is the value of having children together: so much of the school ethos comes from that sense of togetherness! ✓ The Head teacher contributes a continued monthly update to both the Napton and Priors Magazines.

23 In other news: School Funding: good news – we can pay the bills and there is much planned investment for Little Lawrences and for staffing across the school. With the absence of so many social experiences, activities and events nationally, it has been heartening to have a PTA that has shown great creativity to enable remodelled activities to go ahead. The Star Trail, for example, just before Christmas, was a surprising hit and very well supported, and the cake sale auctions and the recent home-finding of teddy bears have all been great fun and generated lots of interest.

Do look out for details about the forthcoming PTA Summer Festival on Friday 9th July (if guidelines allow): music, food and lots of fun for all!

In summary: This has been my 14th year as Head teacher and a year that has again illustrated that with a bit of creativity and with a ‘can do’ attitude, you can still make things happen for children and for the school community. The experience of the last year really brings home to you what is important and what perhaps is not. Nevertheless, we are doing everything humanly possible to bring a sense of normality to proceedings, and that means bringing back activities and events that shape the character of the school. If it helps children learn, if it makes learning memorable and if it makes learning fun then … surely, we have a duty to make it happen?

John Brine, Head Teacher

GARDEN JOTTINGS FROM BRIDGE NURSERY Your local Hardy Plant Specialists

As ever at this time of year, it feels like the rate of growth of most plants is jungle-like, especially the weeds. You turn your back for what seems like five minutes and suddenly some of them are knee high. There aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done and, for some of us oldies, not enough energy to keep up with it all. It is all worth it though, gardening is good for the body and soul… despite some inevitable disappointments.

It continues to be busy here, there are many new customers plus some of my favourite regulars and all are keen to buy a range of new plants for their gardens. I am in full-on plant production mode and leaving the garden more or less for Sarah to maintain while himself does the mowing and the endless fixing and mending of various structures.

Reminders... • Give houseplants a breath of fresh air for the next few months • All tender plants can be planted out now including dahlias, cannas, pelargoniums, sweet corn, runner beans and courgettes • Sow more lettuce, French beans and carrots • Sow biennials such as foxgloves, wallflowers and sweet williams for next year • … and, finally, there might be one or two weeds to deal with.

Christine Dakin, Bridge Nursery, Tomlow Road, Napton, www.bridge- nursery.co.uk ¼ mile from Crossroads Garage – look for our Tourist Sign

WEATHER JOTTINGS APRIL 2021

April this year yielded 19mm of rain, making it the fourth driest April since 1998. But until 27th we’d only received 1.5mm, plus a light fall of snow on Sunday 11th, which would have made it the driest month of all apart from June 2018 when we had no rain at all here in Priors Hardwick. The 13mm we received during the night of 27th was a huge surprise to us all. This brings the total for the year so far to 192mm – which is less than we received in January 2014 alone! (204mm). In April 2011 we received only 2.5mm, and that turned out to be the driest year since 1998 by a margin of 174mm. April that year was notable for its variety of weather – unlike this year. On 10th April 2011 there was an appreciable fall of snow and by 16th the temperature had risen to 26℃. This year, April will be remembered for its persistently low temperatures and frosty mornings. Here, we had frosts on 14 of the first 24 mornings, but in England in general there was a frost somewhere on every morning until 27th. Daytime temperatures ranged from 6℃ on Wednesday 7th to 18℃ for just one day on Saturday 24th. The long, cold, dry spell from 12th to 25th was due to a large area of high pressure, which was very slow to move. Last year, we had 18 April days at 18℃ or above! Even when the frosts had departed, the temperature remained low - 11℃ and 12℃ on the last 4 days of the month and 4 mm of rain – with no improvement as we moved into May!

Margaret Clarke

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