Wickham Bishops Parish Magazine January 2020

Produced by St Bartholomew’s Church www.churchinwickhambishops.org.uk

Church Services for January At St Bartholomew’s and St Nicholas’

SUNDAY 5 Epiphany 8.00 am Holy Communion 10.30 am Parish Eucharist (No Messy Church in January)

(No Parish Prayers on 6th January)

WEDNESDAY 8 10.15 am Holy Communion

SUNDAY 12 Baptism of Christ 8.00 am Holy Communion 10.30 am Parish Eucharist with Confirmation

WEDNESDAY 15 10.15 am Holy Communion

SUNDAY 19 Epiphany 2 during Week of Christian Unity 9.00 am Parish Eucharist at St Nicholas* 10.30 am Morning Praise with Beacon Hill Churches Together

WEDNESDAY 22 10.15 am Holy Communion

SUNDAY 26 Epiphany 3 8.00 am Holy Communion (1662) 10.30 am Parish Eucharist

WEDNESDAY 29 10.15 am Holy Communion

*NB The 9.00am Parish Eucharist on the 3rd Sunday of the month at St Nicholas’ will be every month this year except for 12th April Easter Sunday (2nd Sunday) and 27th September Celebration Eucharist with the Bishop, (4th Sunday).

Parish Register

Baptisms Eva Pari Taylor 1st December (Service of Thanksgiving) Lydia Anne Burgess 15th December

Marriages None Funerals Janet Ruth Gilbert 18th December

Parish Contacts

Revd Hilary The Rectory, 1 Church Road, 01621 892867 Le Sève Wickham Bishops CM8 3LA Hilary’s day off Priest in Charge [email protected] is Friday.

Revd Derek Clark The Leas Farm 01245 380627 Wickham Bishops Road Priest / Curate Hatfield Peverel 07860 235778 CM3 2JL

Barry Cousins 3 Harvey Road 01621 891355 Great Totham CM9 8QA Churchwarden [email protected] Graham Wingrove 8 Arbour Lane 07398 025442 Wickham Bishops Churchwarden CM8 3NS

Peter Bates 10 Church Green 01621-893173 Wickham Bishops Magazine Editor [email protected] Kath Adkins [email protected] 01621-891143

Church Hall Bookings

Letter from Reverend Hilary

The season of Advent was hi-jacked, as many, instead of calm and hope, experienced the anxiety of the election campaign and dismay as they contemplated the future of the nation, and indeed, the planet. Now, with the election behind us, we look to the new decade and like those Wise Man, following the star, contemplate the horizon ahead, wondering where the journey of the next few years will take us. The majesty, joy and intimacy of our Lessons and Carols service and those of Christmas Eve / Day and the delight of the music making in church by young local people (thank you to June and others for Christmas in Concert), pointed our attention in the direction of a world where, in humility, we lay aside our self-interest and bring ourselves up to the challenge of being God-centred – where our standards are measured against those of compassion, tenderness, living simply, justice and mercy. As the lives of young people like Jack Merritt (RIP) and Greta Thunberg inspire us to live responsibly, may we continue to press our politicians to face up to the immediate challenge of global warming, ‘respect other faiths and cultures, fight poverty and injustice and seek those values, the truths of Advent, which are beyond GDP and a prospering economy, hope, in faith, for joy and, ultimately, peace’*. Our Prime Minister now has the chance to confound his critics and, not least, fulfil the promises made of resourcing the NHS and conducting Brexit efficiently. For those living with disappointment can they lay aside grudges, and the pleased their smugness? As we ‘follow the star’ we discover our fellow travellers are both strong and weak, triumphant and broken, resilient and vulnerable, yet it is together, by owning the part we have to play no matter how insignificant it seems, that we will bring about the united, just and caring society we seek. May the love of the Christ child be for all of us in 2020.

* Brenda Vance rootsontheweb.com

Messy Church is taking a break during the school Christmas holiday, but will return in February.

The Parish Magazine is seeking to appoint an ADVERTISING COORDINATOR to liaise with advertisers and the magazine editor. This voluntary post impacts on January to May as contracts are updated and payments made. Run by fabulous volunteers it is the generosity of our advertisers that pays for the production of this free, informative local magazine. Contact [email protected] / 01621 892867 to find out more and express your interest.

Quiz Night

St. Bartholomew’s Church Hall Saturday 8th February - 7.30pm

Cost: £7 per person Bring your own food and drink

Teams of 6 with a maximum of 12 tables Please contact: Geraldine Spearman on 01621 893180 or [email protected]

In aid of Church Funds

Looking to the future ...

At Girlguiding we look to the future. So far over 110,000 Promises to reduce plastic use have been made across the UK thanks to our girls. Most of the promises are as small as reusing a water bottle but they add up over time. We also had many Brownies, Rainbows and Guides taking part in Parliament Week, so girls get some understanding of the importance of politics and making your point of view heard. We start with debates over their favourite animals so that one day they can debate on what they believe in. These are all little things that could make big changes over time. And you can do something like this too. Volunteering your time to help run the weekly Wickham Bishops Brownies or Beacon Hill Rainbows meetings can make a big difference. For more information go to https://www.girlguiding.org.uk/get-involved/ or call 01376 570 464 or email [email protected]

The Arts Society Blackwater WICKHAM BISHOPS JAZZ CLUB

presents The East Coast Wanderers

Thursday 9th January 2020 at Wickham Bishops Village Hall The Astonishing Master Mozart Comes To London Saturday 25th January

Graham Griffiths Doors open at 6.30 pm for a 7.30 start. Finish at 10.45 pm Visitors welcome - all enquiries to Jennifer Allen 01621 891589 Tickets £12.50 per head. Meetings are normally held at the No Bar - bring your own drinks. Wickham Bishops Village Hall at 11 am Contact Peter on 07548 775777 Visit our website or [email protected] www.theartssocietyblackwater.org.uk

Wickham Bishops Men's WICKHAM BISHOPS ART Badminton Club GROUP

We are looking for new members to join us.

We meet on Wednesdays We are a social badminton club from 2 pm - 4 pm at and play at Wickham Bishops St. Bartholomew’s Church Hall and Village Hall on Tuesday evenings are a friendly, at 8pm and welcome new players informal group with varying abilities. of all standards.

Please contact First few weeks are free and Jenny on 01621 891246 yearly subs are £60. or Rita on 01621 891130. Just turn up on the night or email Bill on [email protected] We look forward to meeting you. for more information.

Update on the Library …

Following on from our well-supported ‘Open Day’ in October, we are pleased to announce that we expect an initial six interest groups will be formed. There have been some administration issues to consider, such as insurance and health and safety, but these have been resolved. Two groups have already started: the ‘Warhammer Alliance’ modelling club has met twice, running under the auspices of the Scout Group and interest in this is increasing. The group meets on the third Saturday of each month; so next meeting is 18th January – 1.30pm to 3.30pm. The computer coding club has also started, teaching children to design and create computer programs. This is an activity already promoted by Essex Libraries in other branches and a welcome addition to our library. It is hoped that the Ancestry Tracing group, another service offered elsewhere by Essex Libraries, will start early in 2020, along with a ‘Beginner’s Bridge’ club, a Men’s Reading group and a ‘Scrabble’ club. In readiness, the latter group has its own email address of [email protected] and enquiries are welcome by email. By the time that you read this, a Facebook page will have been created to include details of all of these new groups. To find it, search Facebook for “Friends of Wickham Bishops Library”. Members of the Library Working Group held a meeting recently with Ruth Warboys of Essex County Council to discuss possible ways forward for the core library services in Wickham Bishops. Ruth is keen to promote more community involvement in the running of the library as well as providing library ‘outreach’ possibilities into places such as nursing homes and play-groups. However, Ruth stressed that in order to promote Essex CC’s five-year strategy to reverse the decline in use of library services, it is imperative that we make more use of the existing services. If you are not currently a library card holder, please consider joining and make use of the facilities on offer. It really is a case of ‘Use it or Lose it’.

Great Totham Women’s Institute ... As our meeting date in December fell on the day of the General Election, we held our Christmas get-together at the Barn Church in Prince of Wales Road. We were made to feel very welcome and, although a little smaller than the Village Hall, all the facilities were available with Christmas decorations as an added bonus! We really appreciated the Barn providing the venue for us. Members and guests from Eve’s Corner, Danbury and Maldon Wycke Women’s Institutes were welcomed with drinks and were royally entertained by Steve Galler. Steve is an extremely versatile Banjo Player, who has been in show business for more than forty years. He encouraged us to join in with a series of songs from the fifties, sixties and seventies which he interspersed with jokes and anecdotes. A Bring and Share Buffet followed a most enjoyable hour of music and laughter and there was plenty of time to socialise and take part in the Tombola, kindly organised by Kath Welsh, which raised over £100.00 to share among local charities. Next month we will be back again in the Village Hall where we are looking forward to a visit from local resident John Doubleday, who will be talking about his sculpture and painting. Visitors are always welcome at our meetings, held on the second Thursday of the month at 8pm, in Great Totham Village Hall. For further details you will find Information on our website www.greattothamwi.weebly.com or email [email protected]

Men’s Assembly … A group of local men meet on the second Wednesday of each month for an informal evening of discussion, beer and refreshments. The meeting in January will be on Wednesday 8th from 8 pm onwards, at The Prince of Wales, and all are invited to join us. For more details please contact Lester Firkins on 01621 892913 or by email: [email protected]

A most enjoyable quiz evening in December brought the Horticultural Club year to an end. For many members, the highlight of the year was a trip to Amsterdam and the Keukenhof gardens in April. This was the club’s first trip overseas and what a success it was, despite slight problems with the return flight. The year has also seen members visiting three more local gardens and listen to a variety of talks - some good, some not so good, but the committee have now introduced a system for vetting speakers, so hopefully, the talks next year will all be good. Then, in July we held a Street Party in Church Close - a fabulous evening which included good food and wine, music and even a barn dance, finishing with music and chat around a giant fire-pit that was still alight on the following morning. At Fuller’s Mill in June Our first meeting of 2020, almost eight years to the day after the club was founded, will see us learning from three of our members who are running a workshop on ‘Winter Pruning’. This will be held in the Church Hall on Thursday 16th January, from 7.30 pm onwards. Guests and potential new members are welcome to join us - no previous experience required - for an evening of friendly chat and a glass of wine or soft drink and nibbles. Other talks planned for this year will include ‘London’s Historic Garden Squares’, ‘Developing the Vegetable Garden’, ‘The High-Line Garden in New York’ and ‘Garden Design’. All meetings will be held in the Church Hall on the third Thursday of the month, except for in August and December. We also hope to visit Walmer Castle Gardens in Kent and members will be heavily involved with the Open Gardens Festival in June. Further trips are still being planned. For more details please email [email protected] or telephone Stewart on 893360

News from Great Totham Primary School

www.greattotham.essex.sch.uk

School News

Year 3 Visit to St Peter’s Church

On Thursday 28th November, Year 3 had their school trip to St Peter’s Church. All of Year 3 were very excited. I was wondering, ‘Had anyone in Year 3 really been to a church before?’ It sounded like fun! On the way there and back, we got very tired because we had nearly walked 2 miles. What a long journey that was! We walked across roads, past cars etc… We went to the church because in R.E. we had been learning about a church’s features. We went into the church and quickly admired it. How amazing a church actually is! We got a sheet and identified its features. It was such fun and thank you to Isobel, Vicky and everyone else who gave up their time for such an amazing trip. 

Written by Isla, Year 3.

Dates for the Diary Saturday 16th May 2020 – Sponsored Walk (10am start) Saturday 13th June 2020 – Summer Ball Friday 10th July 2020 – Summer Fete (5-8pm) Please contact the school office for further details

Neighbourhood Watch ... In order to meet the Parish magazine publishing deadline I am writing this piece in early December, so I hope that everyone has had a happy and crime free Christmas. I have been analysing our crime statistics. Essex police has placed Wickham Bishops into the Purleigh region. Other villages within this region are Woodham Walter, Woodham Mortimer, Purleigh, Cold Norton, Latchingdon, and Stow Maries. In October 2019 (the latest figures I have at present) 8 crimes were reported in Wickham Bishops – 1 anti-social behaviour complaint, I shoplifting and 6 vehicle crimes (the one night spate of breaking into parked cars in the Holt Drive area and the taking away of a car in Wellands). For the Purleigh district as a whole, 49 crimes were reported in October, giving the district a crime rate of 4.43 as compared to Heybridge with a crime rate of 6.62 (54 crimes recorded) and Maldon a crime rate of 7.73 (110 crimes recorded). At a recent Maldon District NHW briefing we were told that changes in policing priorities mean that more officers have been dedicated to this region so hopefully we may become aware of an increase police presence. The Rural Police statistics for Maldon District (covering Wickham Bishops, Great Totham, Heybridge, Maldon, Tolleshunt D’Arcy and the Dengie) show that their team have been very active. In November 2019 they made 6 arrests, clocked up over 300 hours of high visibility patrols, worked to manage 13 unauthorised encampments, attended 50 reports of hare coursing, recovered 2 quad bikes, 1 stolen car, 1 van, 1 trailer and 1 generator, seized 7 vehicles (5 no tax, 1 no insurance and 1 used in a crime) and reported 13 speeding drivers. What you yourself should do if you see a crime being committed or are concerned about suspicious behaviour: If something needs immediate attention from the Police eg someone trying to break into a house or a car dial 999. If you are concerned about suspicious activity or other non-emergency crime eg a car slowing patrolling around with the occupants staring into gardens dial 101 or 01245 491491. To report non- emergency crime online search for www.essex.police.uk/do-it- online/report-non-emergency-crime Unfortunately some streets no longer have a street coordinator as no volunteers have come forward. These roads are Blacksmiths Lane, School Road, Great Totham Road, Church Green and Grange Road. Some roads eg Kelvedon Road are very long and it would relieve the pressure on one individual if more people would be prepared to help out. If you are interested in volunteering please contact me. Let’s all help to keep Wickham Bishops a safe place to live, and look out for each other. Sian (Village Coordinator 01621 891510 [email protected])

Wickham Bishops Women’s Institute ... At our meeting in November we listened to a very informative talk entitled ‘Arsenic - The inheritance powder’. The speaker was a jolly ex police officer who delivered the subject matter in an interesting and witty manner. We also found that he had been a founder member of the Police Museum at the Police HQ in Springfield Chelmsford which is open to the public every Saturday. Our Christmas Party was held at Peartree Pantry early in December. I’ll let you know how the festivities went next time. Next year’s itinerary is currently being arranged and will be given out to members at the January meeting on Thursday 30th January at 2pm. This will be a members day; time to do club business, chat with friends after the Christmas break and purchase produce, cakes and gifts from our sales table. You are welcome to attend as a visitor and perhaps consider becoming a member! We have a craft group called Patchers that meets every Friday from 2 to 4 pm at the same venue - St Bartholomew’s Church Hall. We close during December but will be back on Friday 17/1/20. Why not bring along your unfinished project and join us for a friendly afternoon chat and cup of tea. We also have a walking group that meets at 9:30 am on Monday morning opposite the Village Hall in Church Road for a walk around the village. For more information about WBWI please call our secretary Sharon on 01621 891631. Best regards, Jayne Kneale

Drop-in For Tea and Cake On the second and fourth Monday afternoons.

We meet from 2.30pm to 4pm ST BARTHOLOMEW’S CHURCH HALL Transport is available - please ask Sue We look forward to seeing you - Sue (892032)

Women’s Christian Fellowship ... At a packed November meeting Mr Simon Dungworth of Wilkins in Tiptree, gave a very interesting and informative talk on the history and development of the now, world famous company. Simon passed around some beautiful photographs, illustrating various parts of the industry from lovely scenes of the orchards in flower, to baskets of luscious fruit, from Cherries to Quince and Medlars to Mulberries.

Wilkins started in 1757 as farmers and fruit growers, becoming makers of jam and chutney in 1902. The Royal Warrant was awarded in 1911. Eleven tea rooms have now developed and Wilkins have enlarged their products to include Christmas puddings and flavoured gins which we were lucky enough to sample! A very happy afternoon indeed.

The committee would like to wish you all a very happy and peaceful New Year. We have a very full and interesting programme lined up for 2020; do come, you will be made very welcome and our subscription is only £15 per year to include refreshments. Our next meeting will be on Wednesday January 22nd at the usual time of 2.30pm in the Church rooms when our first speaker of 2020 will be Mr Lester Firkins whose talk is intriguingly entitled " Can you tell Stork from Butter and would you eat red M and M's"

Hope to see you then.

Denise Yelland

Yomelelani Bridge Day ... The Bridge Day held in St Bartholomew’s church hall was much enjoyed by the 48 participants who attended on the 26th November. Organised by Richard Shail and Barbara, the event involved a welcome coffee, bridge in the morning, a light lunch with a glass of wine and another session of bridge in the afternoon. Thanks are due to all who attended and to those who donated prizes for the raffle and the quiches & wine for the lunch. At the end of the day the event raised £1687 for Yomelelani Trust, a wonderful contribution to the running costs of a pre-school in a South African township providing hope and support to 150 deprived but delightful children. Bryan Littlewood (Trustee) www.yomelelani.co.za

From the Parish Council …

A regular monthly meeting of the Parish Council was held on the 3rd of December. The minutes of the meeting can be found at www.wickhambishopsparishcouncil.org In January the ‘Saturday Surgery’ will be held on 18th in the Library from 10.30 to 11.30 am. Residents are invited to attend to discuss any matter that concerns them, with two Parish Councillors and a District Councillor if available. Antisocial parking continues to be a problem in some areas of the village. Please be considerate to others and do not park in such a way as to obstruct footpaths or restrict visibility at junctions. Should we experience adverse weather in the next few weeks, please be mindful of neighbours who might need extra help, and assist them, or let the Parish Council know (details below), so that we can help them. The next General Meeting of the Council will be held at 7.30 pm on Tuesday 7th January 2020 in the Village Hall boardroom and a Planning Committee meeting will be held if required, on Friday 17th January at 11.30 am. Parishioners are welcome to attend either meeting and to speak on any agenda item or other matter of concern, during the ‘Public Forum’. Councillors may be contacted individually, or via the Parish Clerk on 07542 190176, or by email [email protected] The Chairman, Councillors and Clerk wish you a Happy and Prosperous New Year

Tiptree and Tollesbury WEA ... Workshops for the Spring Term 2020 Has economics been consigned to the bin by our current political situation? Or, given this situation, is it more relevant than ever? To answer these questions, we have the ever-popular Andy Beharrell coming to Tiptree to share his knowledge with us. In his course he will look at the development of economics as a subject over time and see whether historical events offer us any insight into our current problems.

Dear Resident. The Neighbourhood Plan has moved towards the final stages of completion after the Regulation-14 Consultation, the Wildlife Survey and the Local Character Assessment have all been completed. We need some more information to add to our evidence in support of the most valuable assets and spaces within the village. If you have any knowledge of local history – in particular about properties which are listed, have particular significance, or are old dwellings, please contact the Parish Clerk with this information. We are also looking for information on local farms, woods, small-holdings, pasture and green spaces within the parish. If you have any information from your own family, friends or neighbours about the local land and its past uses, please contact the Parish Clerk. Do you have old photographs of views and buildings within the village? We would really like to include them in the Plan. This NHP needs input from local residents at this stage. It is an important document for use in the next 10 years setting out the vision for the future of the village during that time. Your replies are welcome and thank you for contributing to the future of the village for yourselves and coming generations. The NHP steering group on behalf on the Parish Council

We are also lucky to welcome Ben Pestell, who is coming to Tollesbury, to deliver a course on a parallel theme. This time we are asking whether Gods have been consigned to the rubbish heap. Historically we have had a plethora of gods, but what of them today? Have they been replaced by other divinities or consumerism? To find out more information about these courses go to wea.org.uk or telephone 0300 3033 464

 Friday 20th March 2020 - A lunchtime Concert with soup and a roll or sandwiches  Thurs 17th September 2020 - A talk on the work of Rev. Ernest Geldart by Dr James Bettley  Sunday 27th September 2020 - Parish Eucharist at 10.30 am led by Bishop Stephen

For ‘Group Visits’ of about 1½ hrs for clubs and societies email: [email protected]

2020 at St Nicholas’ Little Braxted ... For 900 years people in our benefice have gathered at this gem of a village church to worship God and meet with each other. As our predecessors’ successors, this year we are seeking to celebrate this momentous anniversary through music, worship, the creation of a souvenir film and multiple gatherings. Starting with Archdeacon Ruth preaching for us on 19th January at 9.00am, make this celebratory year part of your pilgrimage this year.

MONTHLY UPDATE – January  Current discussions are taking place which will result in a film archive of the church and community and the year long celebrations.  The celebration signs will be erected on 6th January...  The start of Celebrations and the first opportunity to join in will be at the 9.00am Parish Eucharist on 19th January , with a special guest The Ven. Archdeacon Ruth...... followed by breakfast, well, at least coffee/tea and bacon butties, a film and photo-shoot. Please register your interest on the form at the back of St Bartholomew’s or let Elsie Rees know that you are coming at [email protected] or tel. 01621 893655  The 9.00am Eucharist will take place on the 3rd Sunday of every month through the year except April and September.  The date of the lunchtime concert has been changed to 20th March at 12.30pm for soup and a roll followed by an hour of light music. Watch this space for further details, tickets etc.  Good Friday Service ‘The last Hour at the Cross’ will be at 2.00pm and the Easter Sunday Eucharist will be on 12th April at 9.00am.  The Choral Evensong has been scheduled for 28th June at 4.00pm  There will be an Open Day on Saturday 12th September coinciding with ‘Ride and Stride’.  Thursday 17th September at 7.30pm there will be the Talk on Rev Ernest Geldart by Dr James Bettley JP DL FSA. Tickets £8.00 to include a glass of wine. Apply [email protected]  At 10.30 on 27th September we hold the Celebration Eucharist with Bishop Stephen  Songs of Praise under the auspices of BHCT is yet to be agreed , but probably at 4.00pm on 18th October.  ….more next time Barry Cousins 891355

Back Words … 2020 - the start of a new year and a new decade (though some pedants would argue that the decade starts at the end of 2020 as there was no year zero). A year which will bring change for many and, I have no doubt, a few surprises too. I write this just a couple of days after the General Election, as a result of which, the United Kingdom will soon be facing the future outside of the European Union - whether that is good or bad, time will tell. A change too for this magazine as John Baker is stepping down as Advertising Manager and we seek his replacement, hopefully before Easter. On a personal note, I reach a ‘milestone’ birthday in October, but I’ll still be young at heart - some may say still childish. And all of us in Wickham Bishops can look forward to the ‘Open Garden Festival’ in mid-June, bringing colour and excitement to our village. I wish you a very Happy and Peaceful New Year.

Items for the February 2020 magazine should be submitted to the editor by Thursday 16th January 2020 Please send items by email if possible to: [email protected] or place in an envelope marked ‘Parish Magazine’ and deliver to 10 Church Green, Wickham Bishops Priority goes to church events and information connected with Wickham Bishops.

If you would like to place an advert in this magazine please contact John Baker on [email protected] or Tel. 01621 892928

For enquiries regarding distribution of the magazine, please phone Jayne Jennings on 01621 891396

© Wickham Bishops & Little Braxted Parochial Church Council (PCC) Published by the PCC of St Bartholomew Wickham Bishops and St Nicholas Little Braxted. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the PCC nor can the Church guarantee the credentials or performance of any of the advertisers within this publication.