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May 2016 The BRAMLEY Magazine Memories of a Clift Surgery patient Wild Wicker Walk Bramley School is rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted Plus all the regular articles and much more FOR BRAMLEY AND LITTLE LONDON 2 WELCOME Some of you may have read the satirical series of Ladybird books - “How it The Works”. One of my birthday presents this year was “How it works – the Mum” which contains several amusing comments such as “This is a Mum. A Mum has Bramley two very important jobs to do. One is to look after her children. The other is to do everything else as well.” One of the comments that struck a chord with me was: “Alice is a successful Magazine biochemist. She publishes at least one highly regarded academic paper a year for Bramley and and has won the Colworth Medal. At the school gate nobody knows this. Alice does not even have a name. Everyone calls her Olivia’s Mum. Olivia has not Little London done anything yet.” May 2016 It is funny but also true. There are probably people we meet every day but we only know one aspect of them. We may see a mother doing the school run in her Chairman of Steering Group: track suit and have no idea that she is a director of large company or a talented Rhydian Vaughan concert pianist. When I am walking to school I often pass Joy Dilliway on her [email protected] way back from the shop. You may have seen her on her mobility scooter – she Editor: always has a smile and a kind word. But how many of you knew that she played Rachel Barclay Smith hockey for English Universities? When I go to church and hear John Lenton [email protected] preach on a particularly challenging passage in the Bible it is easy to forget that he hasn’t always been a vicar and was once a senior executive at American Schools Editor: Emily Sykes Express (and a children’s entertainer if you look at page 13!). Meet the Neighbours on page 8 is a good way to find out a bit more about local Advertising: people. It was there that I learnt that John Stubbs hasn’t always been informing Christine Delve us about nature - he used to have a regular column in FHM magazine (allegedly [email protected] www.fromthesmallestseed.co.uk providing motoring advice!). In next month’s magazine I hope we will learn a bit more about one of our Little London residents, and this month we find out Treasurer: about Simon Wright. The name may not mean anything to you but if you have Alex Marianos (881665) ever read the Crimestoppers articles you will be familiar with his job. Even our [email protected] relatives can throw up surprises years after they have died, as we see on page 18. Minister: I hope you enjoy reading the magazine. Do email me if you have any comments Rev’d John Lenton (880570) or any ideas for future articles, and if you are over 65 don’t miss the advert for [email protected] www.stjamesbramley.com the tea dance on page 17. Best Wishes Bramley Parish Council Clerk: Maxta Thomas (07810 692486) Rachel [email protected] (Rachel Barclay Smith - Editor) Chairman: Anthony Durrant www.bramleypc.co.uk Artwork and Printing Ian Crossley, Greenhouse Graphics Unit 8, Cufaude Business Park, Cufaude Lane, Bramley, RG26 5DL “You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is like 01256 880770 an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean www.greenhousegraphics.co.uk does not become dirty.” Material for the June issue to be sent (preferably by email) to the editor as Mahatma Gandhi soon as possible and no later than 15 May please. Cover photo: The Queen’s 90th birthday beacon on Clift Meadow by Paul Moulton 3 6WHYHB&DQQLQJ%UDPOH\/D\RXW3DJH GENERAL DOMESTIC MAINTENANCE & REPAIRS Electrical Plumbing Painting Decorating Doors & Gates Outbuildings Steve Canning TMIET MIOSH 21, Hawkley Drive, Tadley 01189 820477 (home) 07818 422191 (mobile) [email protected] 4 CHURCH SERVICES Come and see what it’s all about Saturday 14 May, 4.30-5.30pm in Clift Meadow Pavilion, all welcome Church diary for May 2016… 1st Sixth Sunday of Easter 8.00 Holy Communion – St James 9.00 Sunday@nine – Cross House 10.30 Matins (BCP, 1662) – St James 5th Ascension Day 10.30 Holy Communion 8th Sunday after Ascension 8.00 Holy Communion (BCP, 1662) – St James 9.00 Sunday@nine – Cross House 10.30 Holy Communion – St James 14th 4.30pm **Café Church – Clift Meadow Park** 15th Pentecost Sunday 8.30 Holy Communion – Little London 10.30 All Age Family Communion – St James Catholic services 22nd Trinity Sunday Basingstoke 8.00 Holy Communion – St James Church of St Bede, Popley Way, RG24 9DX 9.00 Sunday@nine – Cross House Sunday Mass: 9.00 am, 11.00 am and 6.30 pm in St Bede’s 10.30 Matins (BCP, 1662) – St James Mass usually: Tues, Thurs and Sat 9.30 am in St Bede’s Holy Ghost Church, Sherborne Road, RG21 5TX: Mass usually: Mon, Wed, Fri 9.30 am in Holy Ghost Church 29th First Sunday after Trinity Phone 01256 465214 or email 8.30 Holy Communion – Little London [email protected] for information 9.00 Sunday@nine – Cross House See www.stbedesbasingstoke.org.uk 10.30 Morning Worship – St James Tadley St Michael’s Church, Bishopswood Road, RG26 4HG … and into June Saturday Mass: 6.00 pm Sunday Mass: 9.15 am 5th Second Sunday after Trinity Parish priest: 0118 9814572 8.00 Holy Communion – St James 9.00 Sunday@nine – Cross House Disclaimer: Bramley Magazine is intended to provide readers with information 10.30 Matins (BCP, 1662) – St James they may find useful and of interest. We take all reasonable steps to keep this information current and accurate, but errors can occur. The editor reserves 12th Third Sunday after Trinity the right to make changes to any contributions. Bramley Magazine is not responsible for and does not endorse any advertising, products, or opinions 8.00 Holy Communion (BCP, 1662) – St James expressed in this publication and shall not be liable to any party as a result of 9.00 Sunday@nine – Cross House information published herein. All photographs are included with kind permission and may not be reproduced. 10.30 Holy Communion – St James 5 6 ON REFLECTION or a good many years, it. Oliver-Dee reports that “over a the received wisdom has number of years the Fresh Expressions movement within the Anglican been that Christianity F Church has on average been doubling, is on a steep decline in this nearly tripling the numbers of its country. Newspapers regularly first attendees…” The term “Fresh report that church attendance Expressions” is used by the Church is down yet again, and even the to mean new ways of doing church – church itself sometimes makes for instance, “Messy Church”, which is aimed particularly at mums and gloomy comments about the younger children, held at convenient future; in 2014, the Bishop of times during the week rather than on Truro was quoted as saying a Sunday morning. Here in Bramley, that the Church of England for the last 18 months we’ve been would “struggle to exist in ten holding a monthly Café Church on Rev’d John Lenton a Saturday afternoon in non-church years’ time”. premises, targeted to draw the whole authors reported four signs that the In the 2001 UK census, 37.2 million family. And recently, we’ve launched a death of Christianity had been greatly people chose to call themselves new weekly Sunday morning informal exaggerated: first, more than 2 million Christians, approximately 71% of the Britons have been through an Alpha service, Sunday@nine, in Cross population. By 2011, when the last Course since its launch in 1993; second, House, our church hall: it features census was conducted, that number the number of adult confirmations contemporary songs, a talk from the had dropped to 33.2 million, just 59.3% had risen after falling for a number of Bible, discussions, perhaps a video, of the population, although it has been years; third, pilgrimages to places like questions and answers, all of it in a claimed with some justification that the Walsingham, Iona and St Albans, not family-friendly atmosphere. placing of the 2011 question right at the to mention Jerusalem and Lourdes, end and the options offered meant that So are we seeing any difference were 6 times what they had been in the some 7.2 million people chose not to from our Fresh Expressions efforts? 1970s; and fourthly, immigration from answer the question at all, which must Particularly with the most recent Eastern Europe, West Africa and the have skewed the end result a fair bit. innovation, our overall weekly Caribbean had dramatically swelled attendance numbers have gone up All the same, there seems to be no attendance numbers in Catholic and quite sharply – over 30% so far. Will denying the generally accepted view Pentecostal churches, especially in that continue? Who knows. But it that Christianity is on the way out. Or London. This last factor is confirmed certainly bears out what Oliver-Dee is there? by a recent survey, which found that is saying about numbers and growth. A recently-published book, God’s the number of London churchgoers Our experience here in Bramley so far Unwelcome Recovery1, says that increased between 2005 and 2012 by is that people will gladly come if they actually, the generally accepted view 720,000, equivalent to more than twice know they’ll be welcome as individuals is wrong.