December 2018 / January 2019 the Editor Writes: to Be Honest, It Has Been a Real Struggle Getting the Magazine Done This Month
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The Four Parishes News Magazine BECKLEY FOREST HILL HORTON-cum-STUDLEY STANTON St JOHN 90�� birthday celebration in Stanton St John December 2018 / January 2019 The editor writes: To be honest, it has been a real struggle getting the magazine done this month. The double whammy of a big build up to so many different events on Remembrance Sunday after an incredibly busy October, combined with the need to cover two whole months in this edition of the magazine has not made it any easier! I hope the result will help everyone to get a really clear idea of the many wonderful community events coming up in December and that you will all be inspired to join in as many as possible. Meanwhile, I am delighted to be able to say that we have been working hard on the complicated process of preparing to search for a new vicar and, all being well, the post will be advertised in January. It only remains to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Julia Stutfield Our cover photo … is of George and Olive Lees, and was taken at a tea party in November to celebrate George’s 90�� birthday. George and Olive moved to Stanton St John 40 years ago and they ran the Stanton St John Shop and Post Office for 15 years before retiring in 1993. If you have taken a photo which you think might be suitable for the cover of the next magazine, please email it to [email protected] 2 We welcome contributions or notices for future issues. Please send them to: Beckley John Baker Tel: 07401 550537 [email protected] Forest Hill Linda Goffey Tel: 01865 873078 [email protected] Horton-cum-Studley Carol Welch Tel: 01865 358122 [email protected] Stanton St John Sue Baker Tel: 01865 351449 [email protected] The closing date for the next issue is 15 January 2019 The Four Parishes News Magazine is produced under the auspices of our four village churches for the benefit of the whole community. It is funded by advertising revenue, which is used to cover the printing costs. We are entirely dependent on unpaid volunteers to assemble the content, book and invoice the advertisers, compile and edit the magazine, collect it from the printers and distribute it throughout the four parishes. If you are interested in getting involved with any of these activities, please email Julia Stutfield [email protected] The Four Parishes News Magazine has 10 issues per year and is distributed free of charge to approximately 850 addresses in Forest Hill, Horton-cum- Studley, Stanton St John and Beckley. To advertise in the magazine please email JULIA [email protected] 3 Church Services in the Four Parishes, December 2018 St Nicolas, St John Assumption of St Barnabas, Forest Hill the Baptist, the Blessed Horton-cum- with Stanton Virgin Mary, Studley Shotover St John Beckley 2 Dec 11am 9.30am 9.30am 11am Parish Parish Family Service Morning Communion Communion Prayer 6pm 4pm Taizé Family Church (Village Hall) 9 Dec 9.30am 9.30am 11am Family Service Parish Parish at Stanton St John Communion Communion 4pm Christingle/ Advent Carols/ St Nicolas Day 16 Dec 11am 9.30am [no morning 11am Morning Parish service] Family Service Prayer (BCP) Communion 4pm 6pm 3pm Family Church Carols & Claret Carol Service (Village Hall) 18 Dec 7pm (Tues) Carol Service 23 Dec 10am Joint Benefice Service at Beckley 6pm Carol Service 24 Dec 4pm 4pm 4pm 4pm (Mon) Crib Service Crib Service Crib Service Crib Service 11pm 11pm Parish Communion at Forest Hill Parish Communion at Horton-cum-Studley 25 Dec 10am 10am (Tues) Parish Communion at Stanton Parish Communion at Beckley 30 Dec 10am Parish Communion at Horton-cum-Studley 4 Church Services in the Four Parishes, January 2019 St Nicolas, St John Assumption of St Barnabas, Forest Hill the Baptist, the Blessed Horton-cum- with Stanton Virgin Mary, Studley Shotover St John Beckley 6 Jan 11am 9.30am 9.30am 11am Parish Parish Family Service Morning Communion Communion Prayer 6pm 4pm Taizé Family Church (Village Hall) 13 Jan 9.30am 9.30am 11am Family Service Parish Parish at Stanton St John Communion Communion 4pm Choral Evensong with St Nicolas Consort 20 Jan 11am 9.30am [no morning 11am Morning Parish service] Family Service Prayer Communion (Book of Common Prayer) 4pm 6pm Family Church Iona Service (Village Hall) 27 Jan 10am Joint Benefice Service at Stanton St John 6pm 6pm Candlemas Church Without with St Nicolas Choir Walls (Village Hall) We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of our volunteer clergy, visiting clergy, and Licensed Lay Ministers for enabling us to maintain a full rota of services during this incredibly busy time of year. 5 Benefice of Beckley, Forest Hill with Shotover, Horton-cum-Studley and Stanton St John Ministry Team We are extremely grateful to all of our volunteer clergy and Licensed Lay Ministers for their generous support during the vacancy. Please contact the Church Wardens in the first instance with any enquiries. Rev’d Hugh Lee [email protected] Tel: 01865 316245 Rev’d Canon Beau Stevenson [email protected] Rev’d Stephanie Bullock [email protected] Rev’d Dr. Elizabeth Hoare [email protected] Betty Dye LLM [email protected] Mob: 07910 356343 Canon Prof. Nicholas Orme LLM [email protected] Tel: 01865 512676 Joanna Allen (Ordinand) [email protected] Church Wardens Beckley Georgina Robson Tel: 01865 351637 [email protected] Forest Hill Jane Walker Tel: 01865 872399 [email protected] Pat Fraser Tel: 01865 875679 [email protected] Horton-cum-Studley Andrew Payne Tel: 01865 351018 [email protected] Lynn Whitaker Tel: 01865 358838 [email protected] Stanton St John Sheila Pullen Tel: 01865 351210 [email protected] Deirdre Young Tel: 01865 351745 [email protected] 6 CHURCH NOTICE BOARD We have no vicar at present so please contact the Church Wardens with any enquiries (details on p.6). GENERAL NOTICES Oxford-Cambridge Expressway Update from Horton-cum-Studley Expressway Group (HcSE Group) There has been a lot of coverage in the local and national media over the last month about the proposed Expressway, 1 million new homes development plan and the idea of a "growth corridor". Coverage included articles in the Daily Mail, Guardian and discussions on Radio 4 and local news. Much of this has been generated by the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE), BBOWT's legal challenge and more recently a letter from 11 cross party UK MEP's to Chris Grayling regarding the lack of public consultation and the process not complying with the Aarhus convention. The Aarhus convention is important as it establishes a number of rights of the public with regard to the environment. The most significant here, is that it provides for "public participation in environmental decision making" which has not happened so far for the proposed Oxford-Cambridge Expressway programme. We want to thank you all so much for your support in helping us ensure the preferred corridor for the proposed Oxford-Cambridge Expressway does not directly impact our villages or the unique environment of Otmoor. But while we seem to have been granted the all clear for now, this decision (as we have been explicitly told on several occasions by Highways England themselves) is in fact only provisional and could change at any time. We need to safeguard the gains we have achieved and believe the following are very real threats: - It is likely the proposed Expressway will go ahead - It is likely new route proposals will include a new M40 junction near Arncott 7 - Ongoing plans for an additional 300,000 new homes in Oxfordshire alone by 2050 with all associated infrastructure/services requiring development also - The Otmoor basin & Bernwood Forest ecosystems are still at risk - Huge risk that Green Belt land will be lost to the Expressway and associated development - Highways England has confirmed in writing to the HcSE Group that they could choose a route for the Expressway outside the boundaries of their preferred Corridor B. Therefore, along with other campaign activities, our group, with the support of the Horton-cum-Studley Parish Council, will be putting up some strategically placed signs around the area, because it remains vitally important to maintain this visual reminder that we are still willing to fight to protect our countryside. If anyone would like a sign to put in their garden or if you would like to get involved or have useful contacts / exciting ideas to contribute, please contact Olivia Field at [email protected]. ******************************** Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust is launching a fundraiser to cover fees for its legal challenge against the government's Expressway project. The charity argues that the government failed to consider environmental impacts before they chose the broad corridor of land where the Expressway and up to one million new homes will be located. They are seeking to raise £40,000 to cover their legal costs http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/expressway. ******************************** Oxfordshire Growth Board Stanton St John Parish Council have asked us to draw attention to a new committee called the Oxfordshire Growth Board which is developing a plan to substantially increase the population of Oxfordshire, with the aim of delivering enhanced economic growth. In the view of the Parish Council and others , this is a choice and is NOT necessary for the residents of Oxfordshire to continue to prosper within the boundaries of 8 the existing landscape and organic population growth. We already have a successful local economy.