PARISH NEWS JANUARY 2021 the villages of MARTON, SIDDINGTON, EATON, HULME WALFIELD, , CAPESTHORNE

Carrie aims to learn about churches’ tradition

Carrie Yuen-Stenton, is settling in well into her role as Benefice Administrator. Turn to page 9 to read more about her role, and what she hopes to learn about the character and tradition of our churches.

CONTACTS

Vicar: The Revd Ian Arch 01260 224447

Church Office: [email protected]

Readers: Doug Wisener 01260 274062 Diane Wisener 01260 274062 Howard Lawton 07798 828740

Reader Emeritus: Raymond Rush

Churchwardens, Marton Barrie Nolan 01260 224076 Becky Barrow 01260 280170 Churchwardens, Siddington: Janet Billington 01260 224283 Kate Hipkins 01625 618889 Churchwardens, Eaton: Helen Boxford 01260 224037 Lynn McHugh 07881 935306 Deputy Churchwardens: Rebecca Ellston 01260 278952 (Hulme Walfield) David Morris 01260 273154 Churchwardens, Swettenham: Geoff Leech 01477 571889 John Gregory 01260 224902

Treasurers: Marton: David Worth 01260 224 466 Siddington: John Smith 01260 224790 Eaton with Hulme Walfield: Paul Hibbert 01260 278850 Swettenham: Geoff Leech 01477 571889 Magazine: Editors: Annabelle Birtles-Brown Jennifer Morris Jen Urquhart

Swettenham Copy: Hilary Andow m Hard copy may be posted to the Vicarage.

Copy for the February magazine should be received by Friday 15th January

2 3 Dear Friends,

As the year draws to a close, I wonder what you will remember of it? I know, that sounds like a daft question. It is a year we will never forget. But, are there particular moments that, despite everything, we will treasure? After all, just as the faint candle shines bright at the dead of night, so also the quality of our struggles to love become evident when the trials of life put us to the test. Looking back I recall all those who banded together to ensure neighbours were fed and their errands run. I think too of the care workers, nurses and doctors who we cheered on for a while – and who are still at it today. I remember see- ing the hard work to reinvent businesses and make it possible to open schools, and the novelty of seeing each other on Zoom. And, lights shining in the dark- ened sky, my mind recalls those we have lost to this dreadful disease. One light among them I would like to share is a woman I only came to meet after she had died. Such is the peculiar habit of us clergy! We meet the de- ceased in their loved ones, as we help them to prepare for the funeral. If we listen aright, in the stories they tell, and more importantly in the way the sto- ries are told, we feel that we have come to know the deceased. So it was that I came to ‘meet’ a woman who had died of cancer. I asked about her ‘fight’ with the cancer, but I was corrected. She herself had insisted that it was not a fight. She worked with her body, which the cancer was a part of. Yes, there was dif- ficult treatment, and undesired effects, but it was with peace that she came to each day. She had a deep, though not religious, spirituality which enabled her to live that life right through to her death. If she could do that with cancer, we can do it with coronavirus. When we sing, or perhaps just hear, Silent Night, it is for me the carol which epitomises the peace and holiness of the Christmas night. But of course, the holy night is a scene in a pungent barn, far from home, without a bed and dis- tant from family. In the midst of that apparent difficulty and darkness the light of Christ shone. So this Christmas, as we sing out in the cold, as we are devoid of parties and as we miss family, we too can hear the strain of the angels song. We can live in peace and patience as we work with this virus, as we work with our fragile humanity. And as we do so, let us all nurture our spirituality from which the rest of the quality of our living will grow.

Wishing you all a peaceful Christmas, and a better New Year! Ian.

4 KEEPING IN TOUCH

The quickest way to find out what’s going on locally is to install the Rural Daneside Churches app on your smart phone, if you have one. Go to your phone’s app store and search for “School Jotter”. When you’ve downloaded it, you can search for Rural Daneside Churches and choose which church(es) you want to hear from. We have a YouTube channel – Rural Daneside TV, where you can see our ministers talking to you. Go to YouTube and search for Rural Daneside Churches. Subscribe, so that you get notice of new videos. We have Facebook pages: @eatonandhulmewalfield @martonvillagecommunity @SwettenhamChurch @RuralDanesideChurches @wackyworship. Instagram, a way to share images rather than news: @ruraldanesidechurches.

Don’t forget the basics – our webpages: The up-to-date websites are hosted by A Church Near You, the Church of ’s facility. To see the list of all our churches and find your way from one to the other: www.achurchnearyou.com/church/12764/benefice/ If you don’t have a smart phone and don’t have a Face- book account, are you happy for us to use email? Please send your email address to ru- [email protected] If you don’t have access to the internet at all, please let us know if we can phone you with news. Phone 01260 224447 to give us your name and number.

5 CHURCH SERVICES IN JANUARY At the time of writing the services planned are as follows

MARTON 3rd January: 11am Parish Communion 10th January: 9am Holy Communion 17th January: 11am Morning Prayer 24th January: 9am Holy Communion

SIDDINGTON 3rd January: 8.45am BCP Communion 10th January: 10am Parish Communion 17th January: 8.45am BCP Communion 24th January: 10am Morning Prayer

EATON 3rd January: 9.45am All Age Worship 10th January: 9.45am Morning Prayer 17th January: 9.45am Parish Communion 24th January: 9.45am Communion

HULME WALFIELD 24th January: 11.30am Family Communion 31st January: 10.30am Festival Eucharist

SWETTENHAM 3rd January: 4pm Evensong 10th January: 11.30am Parish Communion 17th January: 4pm Communion 24th January: 11.30am Morning Prayer

6 REQUIREMENTS WHEN ATTENDING SUNDAY WORSHIP • If you have the following symptoms, please do not attend services: Coughs, dry throat, high temperature, loss of taste or smell, or gener- ally feeling unwell. • It is mandatory to keep face covering on at all time during the ser- vice. • On entering the church and before leaving the church, please use the hand sanitiser provided by the Door Person. • On entering the church, please go directly to the available designated pew and only share the pew with people from the same household or bubble. • Please chat to your friends from your pew and not in the aisle. At the end of the service please leave directly from your pew and do not lin- ger in the aisle or inside the church. • Please do download the Service booklet onto your smartphone or tab- let and bring with you to the service. If you do not have the facility to download the Service booklet, there will be some re-usable Service booklets at the church for you to keep and bring back each time when you attend service. • For the time being, until further notice, there will only be 2 Orders of Service which will be in your Service booklet. • There will not be a collection during the service, but a collection ves- sel will be placed at the entrance for you to deposit your money or gift aids envelope in. For those who used to contribute weekly on a Sunday, please contact your Treasurer and arrange for a standing or- der to be put in place, if you wish to do so.

ZOOM SERVICES – MIDWEEK Tuesday at 5pm: Evening Prayer Thursday at 10am: Holy Communion The service will follow the order in the Covid Season Prayer Book or Home Prayer Book in our Newsletters section of the app. You will need either a landline or a zoom account to join us, but the number or link will be the same every time. Meeting ID: 856 4816 0763 Call 0203 051 2874 and enter Meeting ID when prompted https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85648160763

7 Is your child starting primary school in September 2021?

If so, please come and visit our small and beautiful family school.

At Marton, we pride ourselves on knowing all the children as individuals, having positive relationships with our families and having a happy and hard working team. All visits adhere to Covid 19 guidelines.

Please contact us through admin@marton..sch.uk

or by phone on 01260 224482

8 Carrie’s journey from Hong Kong to rural Cheshire Carrie Yuen-Stenton is settling in well in her part-time role supporting our vicar as Benefice Administrator. “My brief is to facilitate the ministry of the clergy and laity of the par- ishes within the benefice by ensuring that the communication between clergy, readers, and key members of the parish teams is clear and effec- tive. I see my role as part of the church’s ministry and not just an office job. “I am learning about the running of each parish, the people involved, and the different individual characteristics of each parish. Hopefully after lockdown is over I can visit the other churches in the benefice and get to know people, to put faces to names. My understanding of the im- portance of the tradition of each church is paramount”. Carrie and her husband John were married at Christ Church, Eaton, af- ter they moved to the area in 2018. “We both felt at home here from the moment we stepped through the door”, says Carrie. Carrie’s upbringing lay in a Christian community in Hong Kong from the late 1950s to the early 70s. Her father’s background is an uplifting story of courage and indomitable Christian faith which took him from the persecution of Christians in 1950s China, to the haven of a Baptist community in Hong Kong, where he was to become involved in sup- porting people living in extreme poverty, and the development of a Baptist church which thrives today. Carrie’s adult life and career took her as a 17 year old away from Hong Kong to the UK where she studied Business Studies at colleges in Hem- el Hempstead and St. Albans. Weekend and evening jobs at a psychiat- ric hospital and a petrol station were vital to make ends meet. “I had three younger siblings still at school in Hong Kong, so money was tight for my parents”, said Carrie. Carrie’s studies eventually led to a career as PA to several senior man- agers in industry and commerce. “One post I held included arranging flights on Concorde from New York to London for job interviewees, and another was as PA to a board member of a brewery, where one perk of the job was 24 bottles of beer every month!”

9 Carrie’s life changed after a period of ill-health led her to complemen- tary medicine and therapies. “My health improved as a result, and I de- cided to train as a Complementary Practitioner and to develop an in- depth understanding of other modalities in health issues and treatments to help others. I gained a teaching degree and had a clinical and teaching practice with my late husband.” Carrie attended many churches in England during her career, but could- n’t settle with any of them – until she retired and moved north with John and started going to church at Eaton. “I feel more comfortable here than at any church since I came to the UK.” Carrie still visits her church in Hong Kong when she is able. “It has grown to the extent that they now need two services every Sunday, with a big screen upstairs for those who can’t sit in the main body of the church. It is uplifting to see so many young people there as well as many people from the ‘old days’, and there are many groups involved in vari- ous aspects of the church. What stands out the most is the gusto of the congregation when singing. It always brings tears to my eyes!”.

Article by Peter Kent

You can read more about the remarkable life of Carrie’s father in next month’s Parish News.

10 Parish News

Dear All, MARTON I hope everyone has enjoyed and is still enjoying this Festive Sea- son in spite of the exceptional circumstances and regulations. Winter is well and truly here, driving to work and coming home will be the same for a while but we can look froward soon to the

days becoming longer.

After the mini lockdown which finished on the 9th December many people ventured back to work. Marton Village has been well lit up with lovely festive lights, all shapes and colours. It has been amazing how many people have gone the extra mile during this unusual time. Thank you & well done. All the Christmas activities have gone ahead or are going ahead as usual, including Carols, Nativity, Advent, albeit on a smaller scale. Midnight Mass, conducted by Rev. Ian Arch is always a highlight and a very special representation of Christmas. I am pleased to say that the Davenport Arms has re-opened and we wish them every success for the future. Marton Golf Club is very busy now they have started to be involved in Competitions. They have a Golfing Professional instructor to teach, with a Golf Shop to supply golfing requirements. May I take this opportunity to wish you all a safe and peaceful New Year! Liz Nolan

11 MARTON ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS MARTON Dear all, I hope that you are all well. The weather has been a little misera- ble and we are approaching the winter solstice on the 21st of De- cember when our daylight time is at it’s shortest. I find this an important date as it means the seasons are rolling on and we will soon see more daylight and hopefully a better year in 2021. Although the news is inevitably full of Covid and Brexit this week saw a lot of references to the 5 yearly climate change con- ference that was due to be in Glasgow this week, but like many things has been undertaken remotely. The aim of this conference was to build on the environmental promises made at the Paris conference in 2015. Governments are now beginning to move more rap- idly towards green energy, electric cars and a huge increase in tree plant- ing to reduce carbon dioxide output into the atmosphere and create more carbon dioxide uptake. I’m pleased to say that with our environmental plan we are a little ahead of the curve, but there is a long way to go. If anyone has any small areas of land where they feel we could plant trees, please let me know. This move to a more sustainable economy Is likely to be difficult and will create lifestyle changes for us-but is already happen- ing-we all recycle, we use greener technology and are becoming more environmentally aware. We need to be: a scientist once described human- created climate change as a science experiment where all of us live in the test tube! Following from last month’s winter bird update I've been asked to sug- gest a few more species to look out for. A more common garden visitor, especially if you live near wood are long-tailed tits. These are charming small birds that leap-frog through trees in loose flocks. They favour alder and silver birch woods but will enter gardens and visit bird feeders espe- cially if the weather is cold. Rarer in our part of the word is the redpoll. There are two varieties-

12

MARTON

Long Tailed Tit Common Redpoll Common and Lesser and they are quite difficult to tell apart. Lo- cally, they are more common in colder spells and more frequent- ly spotted closer to the hills-Sutton seems to record some most winters! But they are present from time to time in Marton and will visit bird feeders. Finally comes are garden bird that is resident, comparatively common, but very hard to spot. This is the goldcrest, Britain’s smallest bird. It likes dense cover and favours conifer trees so has benefited from the recent trend to plant leylandii and ornamental conifers in gardens, goldcrests have a very high- pitched call which is hard to identify until you tune in! but its small size means that it can struggle to survive long cold spells. The recent run of mild winters has helped Gold crest numbers and there seem to be good numbers around the centre of Marton Take care and a very Happy Christmas and New Year to you all. Best wishes, John Percival

Goldcrest

13 SIDDINGTON Just as Christmas is a time for merriment, benevolence & a bond of family & friends, our village also fulfils all these attributes in its community spirit. Which extends into the wider world in ways you may never have realised. But as an outsider coming here over 60 years ago let me explain. The central meeting point today is our spotless Post Office & garden. It sells fresh fruit & veg grown on site & other local products. Outside there is an array of plaques & prizes awarded to You, our villagers, through the years, as a reward for your community spirit. Best Kept Village, etc. with its wooden signpost, village pump with is flower filled trough, Smithy often featured in the press & on TV. The religious centre is the church which has a ‘wow’ factor because of its posi- tion and neat tidiness, inside and out. The community spirit of all who have helped to maintain these areas has swayed the Best Kept judges to award us top marks many times. Our Village Hall which has echoes of its former role of School House over 50 years ago serves us splendidly, whilst the beautifully situated Bowl- ing Green beside it is normally busy, with matches & practices. Our Fete & Redesmere Lake attract many visitors by the beauty of their surround- ings. For most of this year we have had our lives changed by restrictions but this has brought many advantages. People make sure neighbours are Ok, shop for them and collect medications, the community spirit has in- creased during the pandemic. We are more tolerant because we are all carrying similar burdens. May God bless us all in whatever we are doing to make our bonds grow even stronger. May peace be with you in 2021 Ray Rush

14 SIDDINGTON Nativity across the generations The story of Jesus’ birth was retold across the generations by members of Siddington Church. This year’s cast was joined by a selection of former stars for a performance at Springbank Farm, home of Andy & Claire Venables who loaned a cow shed to add

authenticity to the tale.

A socially –distanced congregation of around 60 sang carols as the sto- ry unfolded under the shelter of the barn which kept the rain out, but not the chill wind. The ‘cast’ was assembled by a team led by Ruth Goodfellow and Claire Venables, and ‘Team Siddington’ came to- gether to stage the event with a backdrop of hay bales, Christmas tree an lights, with music provided by Sheila Kent and Barbara Arch. The service was led by the Revd. Arch. You can catch a recording of the performance on the Rural Dane- side Church YouTube Channel.

15 SIDDINGTON Capesthorne with Siddington W.I. Christmas 2020 Meeting, 8th December via Zoom Our Christmas meeting was a light hearted affair, but Sadly not the gathering we would have wished for, but on the bright side, this was the day of the first vaccine against Covid-19 being given in the world! Business was brief but importantly we voted that the WI can add Zooming and Whats Apping to its constitution and mentioned that we need to choose a resolution for next year's WI Campaign. We have now made our donation to Wells celebrating our 90th year, and will be kept informed of how it will be used. Looking forward, we have booked a lunch in May and still hope to have that 90th year celebration perhaps in August. We then enjoyed a virtual glass of wine and a sharing of remi- nisces and poems in the comfort of our own homes. From Sharon we heard a poignant poem 'The Game, Christmas 1914' by Ian Mc Millan, Eileen had a tale of Santa's Elves and Dee gave us "The Coming of Good Luck" by Robert Herrick. A touch of nostalgia came with seeing the Advent Calendar that Sue F made for her girls when they were young and Janet’s "angel" she has had since the age of 8. At our most recent CFWI zoom we met Sarah Drew Jones, the editor of WI Life. All 220,000 members receive the magazine and there are 8 edi- tions a year dropping through our letter boxes. They work on 3 copies at a time and since March the staff have all worked from home. There's no mention of popular culture i.e. films, singers, popstars, or politicians or age (unless relevant) or marital status, or children, so as not exclude any- one. They use female writers and photographers where possible. If you want to suggest an article but are a bit nervous about writing it they may do it for you as this encourages more women to appear in the magazine. Advertising is always contentious, but the magazine is self-funding, and Sarah says it is hard to attract more "upmarket" adverts, as marketing (mainly) men, think we want to spend our money on old fashioned things and don't recognize us as the diverse membership we are. Our finale was Sheila K playing 'White Christmas' on her piano at home. On Jan 12th, 2021 via Zoom, we will hear Pip from the North East Cheshire Food Bank. This is where all your items have gone for distri- bution, including last week's wonderful collection. Many thanks to

16 everyone and our elves Sue H. and Diane. SIDDINGTON On a final note I thought you might like to see the poem by Robert Herrick 1591-1674 that was read at the meeting.

‘So Good-Luck came, and on my roof did light, Like noiseless snow, or as the dew of night, Not all at once, but gently, as the trees are, By the sun-beams, tickled by degrees.’ Robert Herrick

Jennie Smith

The Cat A vicar and his wife were going out for the evening, and care- fully set the security lights and put the cat out. But when they opened the door to go to the taxi, the cat slipped back in and disappeared upstairs. Irritated, the vicar followed it. The wife waited with the taxi driver. Not wanting him to know that they were leaving the parsonage empty, she said: “My husband is just going upstairs for a quick word with my mother.” A few minutes later, the husband arrived, breathless. “Sorry I took so long” he said, “but she put up a fight! Stupid old thing was hiding under the bed and I had to poke her with a coat hanger and grab her by the scruff of the neck to get her out.”

What am I? A teacher gave her young class a lesson on Zoom. It was about the mag- net, and what it does. The next day in a short test, she included this ques- tion: “My full name has six letters. The first one is M. I am strong and attractive. I pick up lots of things. What am I?” When the answers were sent in, the teacher was astonished to find that more than half her students had answered the question with the word: “Mother.”

17 Flower rota SWETTENHAM There is now a new flower rota on the notice board in the church porch for anyone who wishes to put their names down

A New Year’s resolution maybe Have you got a smartphone? have you installed the app for Rural Daneside Churches? It could be your new year’s resolution to do so. You can get re- minders of events taking place aswell as useful contact details throughout the benefice when you install the app. But don’t despair if all the above is not applicable to you, there

is something called a telephone that is just as good and you can

actually talk to someone. Whatever methods you choose make a resolution to keep in touch with each other.

Swettenham WI

I hope all our members and friends had a lovely Christmas, the best it could be and stayed safe.

A massive thank you to all the WI Committee who contributed to the Goody Bags. Your efforts are very much appreciated. It was uplifting to see the delight on faces when they received their Goody Bag.

CFWI continue with The Inspirational Women’s Talks on zoom. 17th Dec Julia Fawcett CEO of The Lowry Theatre gave a fascinating insight to life at The Lowry Theatre and her career.

 Wednesday 13th Jan ’21 Clare Pooley who had a “wine o’clock habit” writes a blog Mummy was a Secret drinker.  Thursday 28th Jan ‘21 Jacqui Felix-Mitchell, member of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture & RHS Garden Design Consultancy, will be giving talks on zoom.

Wishing you a Happy New Year. I hope you and yours stay safe and I look forward to seeing you soon.

Alison Gregory President

18 Thoughts from our roving reporter SWETTENHAM I think all of us will be pleased to say goodbye to 2020, but let us plan and hope for better times in 2021. We have all had our lei- sure times ruined, one was having our church services cancelled and restricted, but enough of all that now the vaccine looks very promising we can plan for the future, go to church, down to the club, meet up with friends for a meal and see our loved ones who live along distance away. Now is the time to be positive and hope all the businesses will pick up and carry on. Let’s not forget the staff at the NHS we owe them such a debt of gratitude for all they have done for us. With that lets all try and look forward to a more

promising year and a happy new year to all.

SPOT THE ROCKS! – DAVENPORT TO SWETTENHAM We created this trail during lockdown to give people something to look out for when they were walking. We painted around 24 different designs on stones. We started the trail at our house – Davenport House and placed them all along the bridleway to the Swettenham Arms. Chloe’s favourite one was the McDonalds fries one and Tilly’s favourite was her unicorn one. We found it funny when they moved and then appeared in a different spot. Although we did not think people would take them! They had all disappeared after a few weeks. We are planning another one soon. Chloe (age 11) and Tilly (age 8) Nicklin

19 New Year – New you SWETTENHAM

Creative space at Clonter is delighted to welcome Emayoga to the theatre for a trial session in the Carmen room on the 4th Jan- uary for up to 6 people (complying with Covid regulations).

Emma is happy to continue the sessions, if enough people are interested in Monday Mornings 10-11am. Emma is also happy to provide a 5pm -6pm Slot if that suits better; subject to Covid.

£12 per Session 10am -11am Coffee, teas supplied at the end of each session.

Face masks will be required to be worn going to the mat. Email to book: [email protected] . Form to be supplied on application.

Hope to see you on the 4th January 2021!

About Emma Hall (instructor) Yoga has been part of my life and my passion for 27 years, I put this down to my Indian heritage (I have my grandmother to thank for that). It has been a constant in my life throughout growing up and raising my 4 boys. My Yoga journey has led me to teach Yoga Classes and Yoga Tra- peze Classes in my own unique, disciplined but light-hearted way, at Emayoga I mix hatha and vinyasa to stretch, tone, warm the body and boost metabolism. The yoga class will work every muscle in the body, unlocking greater mobility, flexibility and range of motion as well as giv- ing mental calm and focus. These yoga classes are designed to be acces- sible for anyone - of any age, flexibility or ability level. So if you are new to Yoga or looking for a greater challenge, then these classes are for you.

Useful numbers This message was sent by Vodafone on behalf of SP Energy Networks. In a power cut, our teams work 24/7 to restore electricity as quickly as possible. Out Priority Services Register is free to join for anyone who feels they would benefit from extra support in a power cut. Our Special Services Statement also summarises the arrangements we have in place, 20 you can download a copy here www.spenergynetworks.co.uk/ SWETTENHAM userfiles/file. If you have noticed any potholes or highway issues around you can report it on 0300 123 5020 or email www.cheshireeasthighways.org If you notice a water mains burst contact United Utilities - the free phone number to ring is 0800 330 033 We all know to ring 999 for help in an emergency, but recently there has been a campaign on television promoting the 111 ser- vice. You can ring this number for medical advice and they ac- cess your condition and advise, if it is an emergency such as

chest pain or an accident still ring 999

To an Early Snowdrop

How amazing to see you Ahead of your hour Using your strength To reveal a small flower.

Like a pure white pearl Amid emerald blades Your head peeps through Winter’s harsh shades.

A courageous act Pushing through frozen earth To show me your beauty, To reveal your true worth.

Stand tall and proud, Delight me with your charm; For the merest sight of you Makes my heart calm.

Paul Jones

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