Neighbourhood News Issue 465

Dates for the Diary 7th Oct – Harvest Festival Service 11th Oct – Calligraphy in Clyffe 12th Oct – Harvest Festival Supper 17th Oct – Bushton Bookworms 18th Oct – WI Meeting 20th Oct – Hilmarton Moviola 27th Oct – Quiz Night 28th Oct – BST Ends 31st Oct – Halloween 18th Nov – Big Breakfast 1st Dec – Christmas Bazaar

There are plenty of opportunities to meet up with members of the community this month. The Harvest Festival Service, The Harvest Festival Supper and to round it off, Quiz Night!

A reminder: Clocks go back this month.

QUIZ Night – Saturday 27th October – see separate advert for more details but please do make an effort to come – the more people the better!

101 Club Draw August: 1st Kay Woodward, 2nd Sandy Angus, 3rd Rosemary September: 1st Paul Greenway, 2nd David Dunevien, 3rd Tony Billington.

DEFIBRILLATOR – A reminder to all that a defibrillator is installed at the Village Hall, Bushton. Code for defibrillator is C159X. if you would like to borrow the CD that explains how it works please email Peter Gantlett at [email protected].

Community Website - http://www.clyffepypard-bushton.com/

What’s on in the Community

Elsewhere in this newsletter, you will read an account of another highly successful Produce Show. All it remains to say is that we thank Jan Hargrave for all the time she puts into it, ensuring its continued popularity, and making it a hugely enjoyable community event.

Looking well ahead, we are planning for our New Year Dinner in January, and many Wiltshire Federation events to mark its centenary year, as well as our own Institute’s trips and meetings. But before all that is The Big Breakfast. Do put Sunday 18th November in your diary! As ever, we will be serving a full English breakfast with tea, coffee and orange juice from 9.30am to 11.30am, all for £6.50 adult, £3.50 for 5 - 11 year olds and £2 for the under fives. It’s a great chance to catch up with friends and neighbours over brunch.

The WI’s last meeting was attended by some visitors as well as fifteen members, and we were educated and entertained on the history and construction of the Windsor Chair by a craftsman who has made many successful limited editions. This month, on Thursday 18th October, we hear from a handwriting expert, and in November welcome the return of Matthew Sproston with anecdotes and stories of the late and much loved Victoria Wood.

We offer a free “taster” evening, so do come along if you think you could be interested in joining us. Meetings begin at 7.15pm on the third Thursday of each month and are usually in the Village Hall in Bushton. Please call or e-mail Sally Fox, 01249 891442 or [email protected] to find out more.

Advanced tickets: Breda Cottage (34 Church Road, Hilmarton) or email [email protected] For more information call Geoff Procter on 01249 760312

What’s on in the Community.

Bushton Bookworms Twilight Children by Tory Hayden proved to be quite controversial – comments ranging from ‘it shouldn’t have been written’ to ‘a harrowing story that I couldn’t put down’. Always more discussion with a book like this one!

Here our book choices for the next 2 months • 17th October: The Stopping Place by Helen Slavin • 13th November: A dark and Twisted Tide by Sharon Bolton

Having sent a list of the books that we have read over the last 4 years we have gained a new member!! So, if you would like to browse the list and maybe then join us, do contact me, Barbara Davis 01793 739017 or 0796 223 6678.

Produce Show – September 8th

Well we didn’t need to be worried! Even in such a dry Summer, so many of you still managed to produce wonderful flowers, fruit and vegetables from your gardens.

There were even more exhibitors and entries than last year. As usual the most popular classes were in the photography section, although not quite so many of you had taken photos of “The Big Mistake” or wanted to share them! The patchwork class and haiku were also very well supported. How difficult it must be for our judges to make their decisions.

Thank you to everyone who made the Show possible this year, for all those who helped with the organisation, entered all the different classes or came to admire them. Thank you also to the Parish Council for their financial support, without which we would find it difficult to cover all our costs. Once again, we were delighted to welcome an exhibition of the photographs in the Hilmarton Gardening Club competition.

Many congratulations to all our trophy winners. The children’s awards were won by Rosie Gantlett (under 7), Charlotte Flight and Edward Miller (7 to 11) and Sophie Miller (11+). The Vi Wiltshire Cup for flower arrangements was won by Pam Boole, the Kitty Pill Award for Handicraft by Madelaine Flight and Nigel Bailey was awarded the Foxwell Goblet for gaining most points in the photography classes. Brian Reynolds was the gentleman with the highest number of points as well as winning the Ray Smith Goblet for his vegetables, including that most amazing pumpkin.

But very special congratulations must once again go to Val Calloway who entered an amazing 47 different classes and overall gained the most first places and most points, as well as winning the individual award for Home Economics.

If you have any ideas for something you would like to see in the Show do let us know. We’ll start the planning for the next one in the new year.

What’s on in the Community.

Ellen Blacker, Health & Wellbeing Champion - Malmesbury, and Cricklade Community Areas

I am around for general help and support on a wide variety of issues including transport, mobility and safety around the home and reducing the feeling of loneliness. Give me a call on 07557 922020 and leave a message. I only work part time but will get back to you as soon as possible. Ellen Blacker Health and Wellbeing Champion | Monkton Park|Chippenham|SN15 1ER| Mob: 07557 922020

Marlborough Artists’ Pop-Up Show Christmas Saturday 24 November 10 - 4 in Avebury Social Centre

Marlborough Artists are a local group of artists from an area covering Pewsey to Hungerford to Royal Wootton Bassett. For one day only, there will be a pop-up show of their work in Avebury Social Centre which is in the main street opposite the Church.

There are very affordable paintings and hand-made cards and objects small and large. Home-made teas and Toilets available! Please come and join us.

Calligraphy in Clyffe

The Calligraphy Group usually meet twice each month on the 2nd and 4th Thursday mornings 10.00 to 12.00 in the Village Hall.

The next session is: Thursday, October 11th

All ages and abilities are represented within the group. We would be very pleased to welcome anyone else who is interested and would like to join us at the start of this new “term”. Each member pays their share of the hire of the hall and towards the general running costs.

If you are interested in joining this group or would like more information or to come for a “taster” session, please get in touch with Jan (01249 890726 or [email protected])

What’s on in the Community.

COMMUNITY NEWS

On behalf of Eve Clements, Laura Trowbridge and Linda Clements

Sadly, our wonderful husband, dad, Grampy and Peppy; Leo Clements, died on Friday 21st September. This was following a short, intense battle with a very rare complication of diabetes; liver disease.

We will be holding a celebration of his life on Monday 8th October at 1pm at the new crematorium at Royal Wootton Bassett / M4 Junction 16, then a reception afterwards at Bushton Village Hall.

We would love to see you there to join in sharing your memories of Leo with us. Please wear casual clothes, in any colour (but avoiding all black if you can). As you probably know, he hated funerals. Leo's wife and children will be doing flowers. If you would like to make a donation in his memory there will be a collection for Brighter Futures at the celebration or via Maslin’s.

Welcome to new residents: Polly Ryan and Gerry Brain have moved into May Cottage from Royal Wootton Bassett. We hope they will be very happy in their new home.

Fibre Broadband Availability

Wiltshire Online was asked to inform us when fibre broadband would be available in the Bushton/ area.

The news is that your premises now have access to a Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) connection. In order to upgrade to a fibre service, you will need to contact an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that offers FTTP. Please be aware that not all service providers offer the FTTP service - this is the choice of the service provider and is outside the scope of Wiltshire Online to influence.

We are aware that the following ISPs are offering FTTP services in Wiltshire:

• 123Telecom Ltd • 4Com Plc • Amvia • BT Retail • Eurolink Connect Limited • IDNet • Zen Internet

Please note that we do not endorse one provider over another and we encourage residents to undertake their own research to identify a provider and package that best suits their needs. In order to upgrade to an FTTP service you will need to:

• Make contact with your current service provider to let them know you would like to switch provider (if your existing ISP is not currently offering FTTP) • Make an order with your chosen provider that offers FTTP.

VILLAGE HALL NEWS

If you have visited the Village Hall in the last few weeks then you will have noticed some hard standing around the back entrance. In the next week or so, a large shed will be erected there as a storage facility for the additional chairs and tables that are not regularly used. So, we are looking for a working party not only to take these additional items out of the committee room or bar and get them into the shed but also:

• Decorate the Committee Room or whatever it is to be called • Assist with oiling the main hall floor – we have a machine to help with this • To help with re insulating the loft area

Materials will be provided but bringing appropriate tools would be helpful. If you could give a morning, an afternoon or even an hour or so to help with any of these jobs (obviously depending on your availability) could you please contact Peter Gantlett on 01793 731449 or [email protected]; and then Peter will come back to you with possible dates for the working party – thank you.

PARISH COUNCIL NEWS

TOCKENHAM NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN – your invitation to comment on our Draft plan.

Please be advised that the 6 - week Regulation 14 consultation of the draft Neighbourhood Plan will commence on 4th October.

Residents of Clyffe Pypard and Bushton who use the facilities within Tockenham are invited to participate in this consultation.

Please check our website http://www.tockenhamparishcouncil.gov.uk to see the draft Plan and to complete your consultation forms.

Diana Kirby Chair of Tockenham Parish Council [email protected]

View from the Vicarage.

Written by Padre Keith Barry, Garrison Chaplain at MOD Lyneham. This is his reflection at Hilmarton's Act of Remembrance on Sunday 2 September at 8 p.m. as part of the 100 years, 100 days.

The October reflections on War and Peace for 100 years, 100 days are the Venerable Alan Jeans, Archdeacon of Sarum (in his role as Army Cadet Force Chaplain) at 6 p.m. on 7 October 2018 at Hilmarton; Richard Holness on 14 October at 6 p.m. at (he's a lay worship leader and his father served in the Navy); 21 October 6 p.m. at Clyffe Pypard Rev'd Jonathan Beach (Chaplain at St Mary's Calne and previously chaplain at RAF Lyneham) and 28 October 5 p.m. at St Giles, Tockenham Richard Selby- Boothroyd Priest in Charge of Lyneham Parish and previously a member of the Territorial Army - can't remember his rank sorry). The 4 November will be 8 p.m. at Hilmarton and will be Colonel Ed Heal OBE - Commandant of the Defence School of Electronic and Mechanical Engineering.

Collections at the Remembrance services this year will be for SSAFA except at Hilmarton where they will be split between SSAFA and the Royal British Legion (their normal beneficiary of the Remembrance Collection.

Thanks Rachma

On Following the Leader

One of the enduring tropes of the First World War is the emergence of the war poet using the rhythms and customs of poetry to describe the futility of trench warfare and the horrors experienced by those who served in it. Many of us will have read the works of Robert Graves, Wilfred Owen and their compatriots at school, but the tradition of war poetry is much more ancient than you might think, as is the literary evidence for what 100 years ago would have been called shellshock but what we now term combat stress and PTSD.

About 700 years before Christ the Greek writer Homer wrote his epic poem, the Odyssey. The Odyssey describes the journey of the Greek warrior Odysseus as he spends 10 years travelling back from the Trojan War. Along the way he meets and does battle with various superhuman entities, powers and obstacles that try to impede him, kill him or divert him from his journey home.

Modern commentators have suggested that there was actually no intention to depict Odysseus as making a physical ten-year journey. But that, instead, he had returned home along with the rest of the troops but once home endured 10 years of mental anguish as a result of what he had experienced in the Trojan War. In effect, what scholars are suggesting is that Odysseus spends 10 years physically at home suffering from combat stress before he can mentally arrive back to the peaceable home that he left and that all the obstacles that he has supposedly encountered along his voyage are actually all allegories of mental battles that he has had to overcome.

I suspect that combat stress of some sort has existed ever since man took up arms against man. The good news however is that it is starting to be taken seriously and, that as time goes on, more and better treatments are made available to those who suffer it. The time of people hiding behind the traditional stiff upper lip and not acknowledging the mental trauma that war and military operations bring with them is starting to melt away.

A few years ago the chief fundraiser for combat stress told a story at a dinner I was at. An elderly gentleman turned up at their Scottish rehabilitation clinic door seeking help. He had been Lancaster pilot during the Second World War. When the staff at Combat Stress asked what they could do for he told them that he needed help; it turned out that he had needed help ever since the Second World War but felt that he could not ask for it for various reasons. When asked what those reasons were, he said that it was simply not something the people of his generation talked about or acknowledged and so he had filled this life with all the normal things, a wife, family, work, whilst all the time he hid and tried to cope with the trauma that he held within himself.

He came to Combat Stress after his wife had died, but not because she had died – it was because he could no longer hide behind the excuse of looking after her rather than himself. In fact, as he said, his own children were now grown up and retired and no longer needed his support and so he did not even have that excuse. He felt that it was, at last, time for him to seek help so that he could face death himself after being healed of the pain that he had carried for so long.

He no longer had the excuse of distractions and familial duty to keep him from the treatment that he needed. It was, he also said, due to the fact that combat stress was now being talked about, recognised, no longer such a taboo subject and that proven treatments were helping sufferers to lead full lives again.

Mental health has, for a very long time, had a stigma about it that has made it vastly more difficult to treat because mental illness has been swept under the carpet for too long. It was a hidden malaise, something not comfortably acknowledged in society. Even in my family, I had a cousin who suffered mental health problems from childhood but I only knew about it from whispers and intimations. I think the family as a whole breathed a sigh of relief when a Dutchman swept her off to the Netherlands because it took the problem away to another country.

But the issues of mental health are all around us and always have been. In fact, they even crop up in the Bible, but often in a way that is not readily discernible. For instance, the story of Jonah in the belly of the whale is actually a story about mental health. The belly of the whale is a metaphor for depression. Those who suffer severe depression feel cut off from the world and trapped; for them the world is small and enclosed, it is dark, and they feel that they are being dragged ever further downwards, drowning as invisible tendrils of despair wrap themselves around their mind, just as Jonah describes seaweed wrapping itself around his head. Mental health needs are real and have always been with us, but they have a particular stigma that makes them hard to treat because no one has wanted to acknowledge them for such a long time.

And it was much worse in the army which is why so many soldiers in the First World War were shot for cowardice and desertion rather than acknowledged as having mental health illnesses. If you mislabel with dishonour and then shoot the problem, it goes away both physically and socially because no one wants to remember someone who was shot for cowardice.

That stigma is still with us, although it is getting better. But the only way that that stigma will be got rid of totally is if people are prepared to talk about their own problems as casually as they would about a broken leg. Invisible wounds are the last taboo. And I am going to break that taboo with you tonight.

Several years ago, I was working in a Brigade Headquarters when what I had been carrying with me since I had come back from Iraq four years earlier became unsupportable. I had got to the stage where even when I was walking around Tesco’s in Tidworth and I sensed that there was someone behind me, I felt that I was going to attacked. Finally, I found myself hiding around a corner in the brigade headquarters because the brigade commander was coming down the corridor and I was afraid of encountering him. Rationally, I knew that Brigade commanders are not in the habit of attacking their chaplains but I could not help what I was feeling. It was then that I knew that my perception of reality was completely haywire and I sought help from the medics. It turns out that having lived through 73 salvoes of rocket attacks on our camp over six months and the deaths of several comrades, I had left part of my mind in Camp Abu Naji and had never stopped feeling under mortal threat. And that that worry had warped my sense of normality. After two courses of CBT, I am now out the other side and living a normal life.

There is excellent treatment available for those who suffer from mental health problems, whether military of civilian. We just need to allow people the permission to ask for help it by removing the stigma. And the way that we can all do that is by talking about it and normalizing it.

So, what do I ask of you, this evening? Simply to talk about it and pray about it with neither shame nor censure because we can expect help neither from medic nor God if we do not first acknowledge what our health problems may be.

Notices

Weddings: There is a wedding at St Peter's Clyffe Pypard on 6th October. This is the week of the Harvest Service at Clyffe Pypard - this year a communion at 10.30 am to which all are welcome - if you just want to pop in and see the decorations please do as the church will be open till 4 p.m.

Church Schedule.

Puzzle Corner. 38 Herbs and Spices. Good luck and happy hunting. Last month’s Puzzle and Answers

AMERICAN, BLEU, BRIE, CAMEMBERT, CHEDDAR, COLBY, COTTAGE, CREAM, EDAM, FETA, GORGONZOLA, GOUDA, GRUYERE, HAVARTI, JACK, LIMBURGER, Cryptogram MASCARPONE, MOZZARELLA, TGZ ULFLYTK IRQV XLQTK KDGZDN UDGTH FCV MUENSTER, NEUFCHATEL, ZGGSK UTS SUN XN SUN FCV SVUS DVUEVK PARMESAN, PROVOLONE, RICOTTA, IUDD UTS YVDF. ROMANO, ROQUEFORT, STRING, SWISS Sudoku Cryptograph “AUTUMN IS A SECOND SPRING WHEN EVERY LEAF IS A FLOWER.”

Sudoku

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