December 2016 & January 2017
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
the LINK December 2016 & January1 2017 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. Church matters 2 The Countryside 17 l Church m G For indoor gardeners 18 l of England Listening to the Story 2 r Rectory Office E e Parish Magazine a Events 20 Wildlife in our churchyards 3 t 22 Parkwood n of… C o t o Deanery Quiet Day 3 Monday Club 20 r Elmley Castle m e b b From the registers 4 Great Comberton WI 20 e m Pershore r o t o C n e l t t L i WR10 3HT Thank you 4 Whist Drive 20 Christmas in the Parish 6 Little Comberton Articles in The Link express the views of the authors and not necessarily those of Little Comberton 6 Gardening Club 21 the PCC. All text and photographs are copyright and should not be reproduced Great Comberton 7 Spats Langham evening 21 without permission. In the first instance, please contact the Editor. Elmley Castle 7 Elmley Village Café 21 Mums Aloud 8 Link Coffee Morning 22 Editorial information Christmas wreaths 8 Directory 24 The Link is published every month, except for December/January and July/ Our villages 10 In your parish 24 August, which are double issues. School news 10 Rectory office hours 24 The deadline for each issue is the 11th of the preceding month. So the deadline Elmley Castle, Bricklehampton Churchwardens 24 for February is 11th January. & Netherton Parish Council 11 Parish treasurer 24 Village organisations 25 We welcome articles of interest to our parish and villages. Articles should Stray cat 11 Weekly clubs and classes 26 normally not exceed 400 words, and may be edited for length and style. We St Mary’s Autumn Fayre 12 December events 27 are also on the lookout for photographs we can use in the magazine. These will Leaving Elmley 14 January events 28 usually be reproduced in black and white, although from time to time the cover Little Comberton 100 Club 15 Help needed 28 will be in colour. Great Comberton village email 15 Abba Sensation – into the 80s 15 Church services in January 29 Material for inclusion should be sent to the Editor, John Seely: Features 16 Transport to church 29 Address: 11, Parkwood, Elmley Castle, Pershore, WR10 3HT Services in December 30 Email: [email protected] Maggs Day Centre, Worcester 16 Phone: 01386 710301 Message from the editor Advertising I shall be stepping down as Editor of The Link in the middle of next year. As If you would like to advertise in the magazine, please contact Denys Shaw: a result, we need someone to take over this role. Ideally this person should Email: [email protected] be in place by March 2017, so that they have time to learn the ropes. It is an Phone: 01386 710462 interesting and rewarding job, that provides a valuable service to our villages. Submitting material As Editor, you get to know a lot of interesting people and learn much about If at all possible, please send text material as a Word file or as an RTF file. Images what is happening in each of the four villages. If you, or someone you know should be sent as PDF, TIFF, or JPEG. If you send a JPEG, then please make it as (not necessarily a regular church-goer), would be interested in learning how high resolution as you can. to edit a community magazine like The Link, please get in touch. I can provide full training/mentoring during and after the handover period, and I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks to Yvonne Seward for the loan of her Christmas nativity figures for the John illustrations on pages 3 and 7. Cover picture: istockphoto.com 2 1 Church matters Listening to the Story A friend wrote to me recently of her experience of working as a volunteer with the refugees who arrived in England from the camp in Calais – the Calais Jungle. She spoke of how emotionally tiring it was to hear the stories of the huge psychological and spiritual damage done to those who had fled their own country and eventually reached Calais. The account of a boy who had watched his father and brother shot dead and of the mother and sister he had left behind in Pakistan had a particularly strong impact on her. At the heart of my friend’s response is empathy, a willingness to listen openly and to receive as a gift the stories and experiences others bring. She and her husband Kenyan nativity scene from Yvonne Seward’s collection have spent a number of years working with vulnerable and marginalized people in Bangladesh, so receiving displaced people as brothers and sisters is a strong Wildlife in our churchyards instinct and commitment for them. Dennis Toon was churchwarden of Little Comberton. He died earlier this year, Of course, there are thousands of such stories. Hearing them doesn’t solve the and his funeral took place on 17th March. At that point there were a number of complex issue of migration, but they can change our perceptions of it. In listening gifts given in memory of Dennis. It was his desire that the churchyards of our to individuals, we meet human pain and vulnerability face to face. Perhaps we parish should flourish as places of wildlife, plants and creatures. The parish is recognize in it our own humanity – in our stories of rejection, of persecution – of grateful to have received about £1,000 in his memory. This will be used to buy insecurity – albeit, for the most part, on a very different scale. wildflower seeds and to build log piles in our churchyards. We are grateful to Jean and Peter for their support in this. At the heart of our celebration of Christmas is another story of a child, who was born in a stable. Shortly afterwards he was forced to flee into Egypt with his Thank you parents to escape Herod’s persecution and threat to kill all male children under As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, let’s say a big ‘Thankyou’ to everyone who has the age of two years. helped us decorate our churches during the Christmas period. This story of Jesus is also the story of one who lived as an itinerant preacher and Deanery Quiet Day healer, who had ‘nowhere to lay his head’; a human being who, ‘came to his own people, and his own people would not accept him’. (St John Chapter 1 verse 11). The Good Samaritan As we hear again the story of God’s coming to the world as a human child, may led by Canon David Rogers this story also have the power to transform us and open us to receive the gift of Holland House 5th December 2016 God’s life in friend and stranger? Meet at 10 a.m. for coffee – close at 4 p.m. Chris Worsley Cost £15, including lunch, coffee and tea Book your place now with Peter Perry, Deanery Secretary [email protected] / 01386 861791 2 3 From the registers Wedding 8th December Jeffrey Spragg and Wendy Meddings St Mary the Virgin, Elmley Castle Funerals Having served the local community in both Pershore and Evesham since 1948, Allchurch Bailey have acted as accountants for private th 9 November Beryl Watkins and commercial clients. St Mary the Virgin, Elmley Castle 10th November Mike Newson Due to continued growth, we are happy to announce our Pershore St Mary the Virgin, Elmley Castle Office moved to bigger and brighter premises at 31 Broad Street in April 2015, helping us to further support the local community. 22nd November John Smith St Mary the Virgin, Elmley Castle Not just catering for your accountancy needs our friendly staff will be on hand to advise on our extensive range of services including : Rest eternal grant to them O Lord Private Clients: and let light perpetual shine upon them. • Will Writing, Estate Administration, • Trust Management, Elder Care, • Personal Tax Return Completion,Tax Planning, • Succession Planning for Family Businesses P K Building Services Business Client Services include: Elmley Castle est. 1997 • Business Planning and Development, All building work undertaken • Pre-year End Tax Planning Advice from small alterations to large extensions • Management Accounts, Projections, • Payroll Services, Bookkeeping and VAT returns, etc. ✔ Kitchen and Bathroom supply and fit Please feel free to call in to either office for further information ✔ Roofing – from slate and Assistance or call us on 01386 765888 to GRP ✔ Floor and wall tiling Allchurch Bailey Limited ✔ Qualified Karndean fitter 93 High Street, Evesham Worcestershire WR11 4DU ✔ Oak-framed buildings 31 Broad Street, Pershore, Worcestershire, WR10 1BB Paul 01386 710712 07976 228223 Keith 01386 710315 07970 740873 www.allchurchbailey.co.uk 4 5 Great Comberton Christmas in the Parish Carol Service Little Comberton 18th December 6 p.m. in the Church Our Advent Calendar Traditional readings and carols followed by wine and mince pies. Everyone welcome. As you walk around our village, you can enjoy the lighting up of our Advent Windows. Night by night windows are added as we approach Christmas. This Village Carol Singing year our first lights will be on 27th November, Advent Sunday 19th December: meet at the war memorial at 6.30 p.m. Our lights shine out in preparation for the Celebration of the Holy Birth – light Do come and join us – and wrap up warm. in the dark nights of winter – light in a world which is in need of enlightenment.