Benenden Magazine December 2016
Editorial
‘Tis the season to be jolly and in Benenden there’s much to be happy about; in particular that we are lucky enough to live in a village which still has a strong sense of community, bolstered by our two thriving pubs, a butcher and, perhaps most importantly, a village shop. We’ve also had big events to bring the village together - in November the fireworks and the visit of the Countess of Wessex - and there are Carols at the Café on Wednesday 21 December to look forward too. Quite soon it will be Panto time again. Oh yes it will! Looking back over 2016 we have a lot to celebrate in Benenden not least the great success of the village shop culminating in the accolade of ‘Community Shop of the Year 2016’ and the recent visit to it of Sophie, Countess of Wessex. None of this was achievable without the considerable input of a dedicated band of volunteers who oversaw everything from the setting up of the shop and the negotiations with Benenden School, to the fitting out, the setting up of computer systems, establishing the café and saving our post office. So to them I’d like to say a big thank you, and also to those who run the shop day to day, because the shop has become the village ‘hub’ that everyone hoped it would be. Benenden is a relatively small village and the Parish Plan set out our ideas for small scale developments to take place over a period of ten years to increase the housing stock to the benefit of local people. Recently there has been a scheme for 12 houses proposed in Walkhurst Road and alarmingly large housing schemes foisted on Sissinghurst and Hawkhurst; Cranbrook too will be expanded greatly. What do we want for Benenden? There will be an opinion piece in next month’s Parish magazine so please let us have your views. Minnie Garnier, Co-Editor
The Benenden Magazine is published monthly as a joint venture by Benenden Parish Council and St George’s Parochial Church Council. It is distributed free to all residents of the parish. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the publishers. Responsibility for accuracy of information rests with contributors and advertisers.
Editors: Kent Barker, Peter Thomas, Minnie Garnier Editorial Board: PCC Rep: Tracy Claridge, PC Rep: Kent Barker, Treasurer: Charles Trollope, Acting Advertising Manager: Paul Leek, Advertising Assistant: Iain Fraser, Distribution: Marilyn and Dick Hill, Layout Editor: Camilla Macdonald
Contributions to: [email protected] by the 15th of the preceding month. Advertising orders or queries to: [email protected]. Postal address: c/o Community Office, Benenden Village Hall, Benenden, TN17 4DY 01580 240371 1 Church Calendar
St George’s Church Rector: Revd David Commander 240658 [email protected] (day off: Thursday) Churchwarden: Tracy Claridge 240454 [email protected] Churchwarden: Julia Collard 241944 [email protected] www.benendenchurch.org 850849 [email protected] Please inform the Rector or Churchwardens if you, or anyone else, is ill or would like a visit or home communion.
Friday 2 December 3pm Primary School Christingle Service Sunday 4 December 8am Communion 10am All-age Eucharist 5pm Evening Prayer and Sunday School Friday 9 December 5pm Saint Ronan’s Carol Service Sunday 11 December 8am 1662 Communion 10am Morning Worship Tuesday 13 December 2.30pm Primary School Nativity Sunday 18 December 8am Communion 10am Sung Eucharist Tuesday 20 December 1.30pm Primary School 7.30pm Parish Carol Service Carol Service Wednesday 21 December 6.30pm Carols in the Café Christmas Eve 3pm Crib Service 11.30pm Communion Christmas Day 8am Communion 10am Morning Worship 10.45am Communion
Mission Church, Sandhurst Rector: Revd David Commander 240658 [email protected] (day off: Thursday) Every Tuesday 10am Communion
Iden Green Congregational Church Pastor: Rev Peter Michell 240642 www.idengreen.org.uk Sunday Services 10am Morning Worship 5.30pm Evening Worship
The Roman Catholic Chapel Fr Barry Grant 713364 www.sttheodore-cranbrook.org Masses 9am Sundays 7.30pm Holy Days
From the Parish Registers Funerals 2 November Iris Darlington Funeral 22 November Sheila Stewart Funeral and burial 27 November Audrey Potter Interment 2 Rector’s Letter
Happy Christmas Happy Christmas! ... Enjoy the greatest gift that anyone could give or receive: the gift of new life, in the form of God’s Son Jesus - the little baby whose birth we celebrate on the 25th - Christ’s-mas. Why did God do that? Very simple: because he loves us. But he also said, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Not just, “love one another” - that would be hard enough; but “as I have loved you.” This is not God’s “do this if you feel like it/when you feel like it”. This is God’s commandment - “Love one another”. If you believe in God, there is no easy answer to this; there is no ducking this commandment. There are two things that I know for certain about this: the first is that this is really, really tough to do; but the second is that the world would be a much better place if everyone lived life loving one another. How we get from where humanity is at the moment, to where God wants us to be and how he wants us to live, is the tricky thing that we’ve not worked out yet. I know in my heart that this is the scenario that I want to get to; I honestly know that life will be better. But I also know and see so many issues in life: how am I meant to love someone whose abused someone else; or someone who may have murdered - particularly if they’ve murdered a loved-one of mine; or someone from ISIS intent on brutal, irrational killing of anyone different to them; or the killers of the RC priest, Fr. Jacques? I honestly, even as a priest, do not know how to start to do that. What I do know though is that this is what God has commanded; and if we can do that that life will be better. But I cannot wait until others stop killing, or destroying other people’s lives, before I try to start loving them. It is up to me to make the first move. I have to try and find a way in my heart to reach out and offer that love. If I don’t as a Christian, why should others? If we are not prepared to take the first step as Christians, then the world will never get to that point of everyone loving each other. God has promised that his love will ultimately be shared by all people. So I know it will happen; I trust God in that long term vision. But I cannot wait for it simply to happen. I have to be part of making it happen. Perhaps remembering the birth of the baby Jesus - the Son of God for all people - will be a starting point this Christmas for sharing that love. Revd David Commander, Rector
3
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‘Here we go again’ ‘Here we go again’ is a phrase which usually carries with it definite negative connotations. Uninvited, it pops up in association with international, national or personal situations. It conjures up visions of the same old actions, the same empty promises, boredom of unchanging routine, the demand for unwilling effort, or even the fear of an unpleasant experience or an unwanted struggle. However, although it comes round as regular as clockwork, there is one time to which we really shouldn’t apply it and that is the Christmas season. Yes, we always seem to have canned Christmas songs and carols blasting out in supermarkets and stores the moment ‘Remembrance’ is over; we approach the ‘present list’ with some trepidation being totally devoid of ideas this year; we know we will be bombarded by a plethora of special offers; charities will approach from every angle and then there is all the cooking! But in truth no one Christmas season is ever exactly the same as another. To start with we are all a year older! This means that some of us are a little less able than we were last year. Putting up decorations, shopping with the rest of the world on a Saturday afternoon or playing games that involve an inordinate amount of crawling around on the floor, seem slightly less inviting. On the other hand some of us are significantly more capable and it is a joy to see the difference a year makes in some of the players. Indeed there may be new players on the stage. Some roles in the Christmas scene will remain the same and others will subtly change. I always used to bake the Christmas cake but now my daughter makes a superb one so we will have hers on the day. In fact I will probably leave the whole cooking of the main meal to my children this year - now that really will be a present from them to me. We look forward to getting in touch with those we have not contacted for far too long, giving and receiving news. Once again arrangements have to be made for as many of the family as possible to meet up over the Christmas period. In my case one branch of the family will be immersed in school Christmas activities whilst another will be producing a couple of playgroup ‘angels’! The third will be in Switzerland on holiday from Istanbul so won’t make it here. It is true also that some people might long for ‘here we go again’, but there have been big changes and a player is no longer there, or situations have changed, and without any option the scene has altered. In these cases there will be a need for an effort to create something different but just as special. So that next year ‘here we go again’ will once more evoke positive memories and the Christmas season will be good. Sue Fisher
5 Village Calendar
November Tuesday 29 Advent: An Introduction, Revd Rosemary van Wengen, Memorial Hall, 8pm p.9 December Thursday 1 Planning Committee Meeting, Benenden Village Hall, 8.30am Friday 2 Benenden Primary School Christingle Service, St George’s Church, 3pm Friday 2 Woodland Wide Games, Iden Green Congregational Church, 7pm Tuesday 6 Christmas Village Lunch, Benenden Village Hall, 12.30pm p.25 Thursday 8 Benenden Women’s Club, Christmas Dinner, The Bull, Benenden, 7.30pm p.15 Saturday 10 Darts Knockout and Christmas Meat Raffle, St George’s Club, 8pm Monday 12 Parish Council Meeting, Iden Green Pavilion, 7.30pm Tuesday 13 Benenden Primary School Nativity Service, St George’s Church, 2.30pm Tuesday 13 Merry and Bright, Memorial Hall, 3pm Saturday 17 Christmas Draw with nibbles, St George’s Club, 8pm Monday 19 Preparing the Church for Christmas, St George’s Church, 10am p.9 Tuesday 20 Benenden Primary School Carol Service, St George’s Church, 1.30pm Tuesday 20 Parish Carol Service by Candlelight, St George’s Church, 7.30pm p.9 Wednesday 21 Carols at the Café, Benenden’s Community Shop, 6.30pm Christmas Eve The Crib Service, St George’s Church, 3pm p.9 Christmas Day Drop In and Christmas Lunch, Memorial Hall, 12noon-6pm p.9 January Tuesday 17 Iden Green and Benenden WI, Members’ Meeting, Memorial Hall, 2pm p.21
Benenden Youth Club/Streetcruizer, age 11+ Mondays at Benenden Village Hall, 7-9pm
Coffee Shop Wednesdays in the Memorial Hall, 10-12noon
Cakes & Chaos: Cafe and Toddler Group Fridays during term time in St George’s Church, 9-11.30am
Refuse Lorry Collections Saturday 3 December, Garden Waste/Compostable Waste, Benenden, Cherryfields, 8-11am Saturday 17 December, Domestic Waste, Benenden, Village Hall layby, 8-11am
6 Parish Council Letter
Modern organisations have to work with and accommodate partners, and the Parish Council is no exception. Within the village we work with several charities and institutions such as the school and church. The most recent new initiative is the Benenden Bonfire Society which organised such a splendid event this year. In the case of the Harmsworth Memorial Trust, the Parish Council is the Trustee, although we are currently seeking to reconstitute the charity to utilise more effectively the pool of skills and experience that we have locally. Your Parish Council is also now working more in partnership with neighbouring Parish Councils. The Kent Association of Local Councils has a local committee comprising all the sixteen parishes in the Tunbridge Wells borough. Many of the issues we face are common to all - from the unsightly nature of the recycling facilities such as the bottle banks to the poor state of our roads and lanes. There are also financial issues with us being asked to do more but with only limited resources in terms of cash and manpower. It is particularly beneficial for the rural parishes in the eastern part of the borough to make common cause on issues affecting us all. We do, of course, work closely in partnership with Tunbridge Wells Borough Council covering a very wide range of local services. We meet regularly with TWBC officers and members including the portfolio holders. There is however a danger here as TWBC is also having to work more closely with other boroughs and districts. This can mean that services become more remote, reducing the effectiveness of Parish Councils to influence things. We are working with the County Council and pushing for a more proactive input in decisions affecting our roads, signage, and speeding. We want to see a dramatic reduction in the number of heavy lorries unnecessarily using our local roads. People call these roads “rat runs”, but really they aren’t, it’s just the rats driving along them! Anyway, we are approaching the season of goodwill to all people and partners! Members of the council and the officers wish you all a very happy Christmas. Peter Davies, BPC Chairman 01580 240723 [email protected]
Caroline Levett, Benenden Parish Council Clerk 01580 240371 [email protected] For more information see our website www.benendenparishcouncil.org or find us on facebook
Parish Council Meeting Planning Committee Meeting Monday 12 December 2016, Iden Green Pavilion, Thursday 1 December 2016, Benenden Village 7.30pm Hall, 8.30am 7 Quietly situated within walking distance of Benenden village Warm friendly welcome. Full English breakfast with homemadeThe Holtbreads and Bed preserves and Breakfast Charming ensuite rooms, two double and one twin ✼ ✼ ✼ Set in three acres of woodland gardens Afternoon tea and homemade cake on arrival
Limited edition of 20 linocut prints Kate Rundell 01580 240414 [email protected] www.theholt.org “Benenden Village Sign; hops and cherries” By local playful printmaker M. Nicol £25 with mount, £40 framed Available to view at ! "#$% & Benenden’s Community Shop [email protected] '()' *'+,'- ' ' ' 01580 236609 $ +!*' ' '(+ *( +'
SOUND WIZARD WANTED! The ‘World Famous’ Benenden Players are looking for someone to help their busy Sound Supremo. If you’re interested in a career in sound, or want to understand more about the backstage magic that makes the shows sparkle; then this is a great chance to learn. Installation Boiler Replacements l Full Central Heating Systems You should be: 15+ and interested in music/ Servicing l Hot Water Cylinders electronics/ music production. Keen to get some Repair experience on how sound is used in entertainment. Free Quotations Unvented Hot Water Cylinders l Available some Thursday evenings and Sunday MarshallPo weHearflushingting afternoons at Benenden Village Hall from early Gas Radiators Dec for rehearsals, and for the performance week Lpg New Builds (30 Jan-5 Feb) Oil Underfloor Heating Contact: [email protected] or Central Heating Wiring Nancy Tolhurst 07711 139218 Office: 01580 243037 Mobile: 07545 621121 MervynEmail: Carey [email protected] Valuer and Auctioneer of over 40 years experience OFFERING LONG-TERM RESIDENCE, CONVALESCENCE & RESPITE CARE Professionally prepared valuations FOR INDIVIDUALS AND COUPLES carried out in a personal and WHO VALUE PRIVACY, LUXURY considerate manner for AND HAPPINESS Insurance, Probate and Family For Brochure & Details Division of single items to complete household contents PEASMARSHChurch Lane, Peasmarsh, PLACE Rye, East Sussex TN31 6XETel: 01797 230555
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ADVENT: AN INTRODUCTION News and Events LED BY REVD ROSEMARY KOBUS VAN WENGEN
Alone on Christmas Day? FROM THE CRADLE … Christmas Day, Drop In and Christmas Lunch, Memorial Hall, 12noon-6pm Does the thought of spending Christmas Day on your own fill you with dread and worry? TO THE GRAVE … AND BEYOND … If it does, then please either drop into the BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS - Memorial Hall anytime twixt 12noon and 6pm AND WHAT LIES IN-BETWEEN for tea or coffee, sherry, glass of wine, soft As we look forward to Christmas - and Beyond - we reflect on the Advent Message of Hope, and its meaning drinks, mince pies, nuts, dates, biscuits, cakes ... for us, with the help of Scripture, Art and Poetry, and/or sign up for lunch. and our own thoughts and experiences. A 3 course lunch will be served only to Do join us on Tuesday 29 November at 8pm in the Memorial Hall those people who sign up beforehand at the village shop or call Lesley Attwood on 243318. We do need to know numbers please. Everyone is invited to ... Lunch will be turkey roll with stuffing and gravy, roast potatoes and seasonal vegetables. The Crib service Followed by Christmas pudding, brandy butter at St George’s Church on Christmas Eve and cream or fresh fruit salad and cream. at 3pm Cheddar, Stilton, and Somerset Brie. Red and white wine. With The Queen’s speech at 3pm. It would be lovely if everyone - young and not so Once we have an idea of numbers, we will young - could come along dressed as a character from the Nativity story: Mary, Joseph, Shepherd, start the preparations. Please could any star Inn Keeper, Wise-men, Angel, Star, Cow, Sheep, bakers/cooks out there please volunteer their Donkey ... anything appropriate you can think of! This will enable us to bring to life the story of the services and create some festive goodies? nativity in a way that will be meaningful and fun for Please state on the form in the village shop all. (Don’t worry that being dressed up might mean you have a ‘speaking part’ ... you won’t!) what you would be able to make? Any excess We look forward to seeing you as we create the will go to Catching Lives, Canterbury, or nativity tableau together. Nourish, Tunbridge Wells. Any profit will go to David and Helen Commander Catching Lives, Canterbury. Drop in anytime. There will be cards, chess, Parish Carol service cribbage, magazines and newspapers to read, One of the main events in the Benenden maybe a quiz, who knows, we could even talk calendar is the annual Parish Carol service by to each other?! Seasons Greetings. Tracy Claridge, Lesley Attwood Candlelight at St George’s. This year it will be and St George’s Church 243318 held on Tuesday 20 December at 7.30pm and all are welcome. Preparing the church for this service, which includes setting out well over 400 candles, and for Christmas generally, will take place on Advent Home Groups Monday 19 December from 10am. If you can Tuesdays, 8pm at David and Julia Collard’s, spare an hour so on that morning to take part 7 Fuggles Court, Benenden or Wednesdays, in this enjoyable task, we would love to see you. 7.30pm in the Mission Church, Sandhurst. Dick Hill 240517 Revd David Commander 240658 9 BENENDEN C E PRIMARY SCHOOL Require an Enthusiastic and Proactive Midday Meals Supervisor
The role consists of supervising pupils during their lunchtime break from 11.50am until 1.15pm each day from Monday to Friday during term time. It involves supervising packed lunches or hot meals in the canteen and organising games for the children during their play sessions. This paid position, starting January 2017, could be a job share or full time. • Family • Charities For further information, a visit to the school • Residential Conveyancing • Civil Liberties or an application form, please contact the • Wills • Complete Legal Care • Probate • Debt Recovery School Office on 01580 240565. • Trusts • Employment Closing date: Friday 9 December. • Commercial Property • Personal Injury • Court of Protection • Professional Negligence Benenden is committed to safeguarding and • Powers of Attorney • Licensing promoting the welfare of children and young people. • Business Services • Mediation The postholder must ensure compliance with the Call: 01580 762248 Email: [email protected] school’s Child Protection Statement at all times. www.pengelly-rylands.co.uk All staff appointed will be subject to a Visit: 39/41 High Street, Tenterden, Kent, TN30 6BJ Disclosure and Barring Service Check.
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For further information and a prospectus please contact Karen Cooper on or at . 01580 883090 [email protected] www.vinehallschool.com BENENDENPLAYERSPRESENT
WRITER & DIRECTOR Beverley Beveridge
MUSICAL DIRECTOR Graham Beveridge
inocchioinocchiowithatwiwithatwist!st! 2 – 5 F E B R UARY 2 0 1 7 PPBENENDEN VILLAGE HALL Eve: 2nd-4th February 2017 (doors open 6.45pm, curtain up 7.30pm) Matinee: 4th & 5th February 2017 (doors open 1.45pm, curtain up 2.30pm) BOX OFFICE: Benenden’s Community Shop BOOK ONLINE: www.benendenplayers.co.uk Save the date for your Christmas Party at The Bull... we are here to help, so what can we do for you this Christmas?
The Bull at Benenden . 01580 240 054 . [email protected] Benenden’s ’s SHOP POST OFFICE CAFÉ B
y Pop in to Benenden’s over Christmas!y
For Wine and Cheese and Chocolate and Cakes and Wrapping Paper and a Raffle and Cards and Hot Soup and Tea and Coffee and Stamps and Fruit & Veg and Snacks
Place your order for a Hamper from the Shop Place your order for a Wreath from Hannah’s Garden Locally Sourced Decorations and Wooden Christmas Trees
Join us for y Carols at the Café y on Wednesday 21 December at 6.30pm [email protected] Tel: 01580 279808 Café and cakes fit for Council, William Benson, and Helen Grant MP, Her Royal Highness was given a short tour a Countess of the shop by Martin, accompanied by A fogbound royal helicopter had put paid to Samantha Price, Headmistress of the shop’s the day’s other official engagements, but the benevolent landlord Benenden School, during arrival of a stately blue Jaguar on The Street which she met managers Mel Harris, Sue signalled that the Countess of Wessex was Butchers, Viv Sheppard, Lorraine Charsley in no mood to be deterred from her visit and Penny Roberts, along with a few of the to Benenden’s. 40-strong team of volunteers. In fact, given the success of her recent 450- In the seats of honour in the café were mile Edinburgh-to-London charity cycle ride, it some of the village’s most senior citizens, would have been no surprise to see her make including 96-year-old George Jordan, Roma her way determinedly to the village on two Marshall, Miriam and Philip Message and former wheels instead of four, but whatever the Parish Council chairman Peter Blockley, while chosen mode of transport, Sophie arrived the Countess also chatted to Mark and Lucy looking relaxed and regal to unveil a plaque Barron-Reid from The Bull and her old flatmate, commemorating the official opening of our now Benenden’s volunteer, Ulli von Herwarth. very own revived and thriving community shop. Discharging her official duty, Sophie showed It may have been an added enticement to her true mettle by unveiling the plaque not the Countess that the trip gave her the chance once, but twice - first to an overly decorous for a catch-up and a coffee with her father, reception, then, as she politely insisted, to a local doyen Chris Rhys-Jones, but she gave more vigorous one befitting the hard work, freely of her time and enthusiasm to all the gusto and burgeoning community spirit that has assembled throng, from Martin Pexton - one brought new life to the hub of the village since of the founders and driving forces behind the it was threatened with closure. shop - who greeted her, to regular volunteer After a lengthy chat with locals the 12-year-old Lucy Hodges, who presented the Countess was whisked away again in the Jaguar, parting posy. leaving the shop to go about its vital lunchtime Having been presented by the Lord business. The plaque now takes pride of place Lieutenant of Kent, the Viscount De L’Isle, to on the café wall and can be viewed over steak the Mayor of Tunbridge Wells, Cllr David Neve, and kidney pudding and a slice of cake. the chief executive of Tunbridge Wells Borough Peter Thomas A Wood Fired Oven can provide fantastic, fresh and fast food for you and your guests. We are local to Benenden and can cater for private parties, wedding receptions and events of all kinds. Most people only think of pizza, but there are lots of alternatives. Give me a call to discuss on: 01580 279000 or 07788 279000 [email protected] or visit our website www.wowcooking.co.uk
NAMASTE KIDS & TEENS
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www.cinqueportsvets.co.uk www.milbournequine.co.uk Bonfire Night goes with a bang Cakes & Chaos November 5th saw another fantastic family fun Drop-in Cafe bonfire and fireworks night in Benenden. & Toddler Group The event kicked off with acoustic music St George’s Church, Benenden and an amazing model airplane display by Every Friday during term time, 9-11.30am The Panic Team. An impressive bonfire was lit followed by an incredible firework display Please come and enjoy lovely cakes, real coffee and a selection of teas. that lit up the sky which was put together by If you’ve got little ones, let them play the Platinum Display team using Wizard in the church. Only £1 per family. fireworks. Benenden Scouts entertained visitors with a procession of glowing lanterns For more information please call Revd David or Helen Commander 01580 240658 that were truly magical. Barbecue food and an or email [email protected] array of drinks were enjoyed by visitors using or [email protected] locally sourced food from Ward & Sons Butchers, Benenden and Chaney & Sons Bakers, Cranbrook. Local Breweries such as Old Dairy, Cranbrook Choral Society Harveys and Shepherd Neame provided some much appreciated real ale along with an array Saturday 17 December at 6.30pm of soft drinks, hot chocolate and delicious mulled wine. St Dunstan’s Church, Cranbrook TN17 3HA Supported by Benenden Hospital Trust the event was a great success. So much so A CHRISTMAS CONCERT that by the end of the evening every burger For all the Family and sausage had been barbecued and enjoyed. The huge pot of homemade chilli con carne z FREE entry z was completely devoured by the visitors and z z the hot chocolate and mulled wine completely Wine and soft drinks ran out! z Mince pies z Benenden Bonfire Society would like to z Donations gratefully received z thank all those who came along and all those who helped throughout the day and night. A special thank you goes to all of the residents Benenden Women’s Club of Benenden for supporting this fund raising November saw us enjoying a wine tasting with event and their understanding as regards the Tracy Claridge. Having tested our olfactory disruption that is caused with parking for a powers with a variety of culinary flavours, few hours. ranging from liquorice to strawberry, we A breakdown of expenditure and income advanced on four very different desert wines. will be in next month’s magazine together with Our final meeting of the year is on Thursday the process for those Youth groups and/or 8 December at 7.30pm in The Bull, for a full causes within the Parish that wish to make an Christmas dinner, complete with crackers, gifts application to the Committee for funding. and carols. It is essential that places are booked Benenden Bonfire Society Committee in advance. Priority will be given to members but do call me on 240973 if you are a non- member but would like to come. Janet Beattie 15 ’
ST GEORGE S SOCIAL CLUB BENENDEN WE WELCOME ALL OVER THE AGE OF 14 SNOOKER TABLE (FULL SIZE) DARTS BOARDS GAMING MACHINES P.F. WARD CRIB BILLIARDS SNOOKER SKITTLES CORN TOSSING FAMILY & SONS BUTCHERS BARBECUES THEMED EVENINGS QUIZ NIGHTS GAMES EVENINGS FRESH LOCAL PRODUCE All of the above’s &and ch’seaper drinks! Annual Membership £5.00 VARIETY of HOME Under 18 O.A.P. £1.00 MADE SAUSAGES Contact Glenda Marshall (Club Secretary) 01580 243089 & BURGERS
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Domestic Our Private Care Service offers Care tailored packages of personal care £9.77 that can help people stay in their per hour own home for as long as possible, rather than going into a care home For a free assessment before it’s really needed. We assist of your care needs or to receive your brochure those who need help due to Call us on 01580 762244 fraility, disability or illness to live as independently as possible, with comfort & dignity, in their own home. How good a photographer are you? Town & Country Homecare Limited www.townandcountryhomecare.co.uk 102a High Street, Tenterden, Kent TN30 6HT Enter Benenden Magazine’s Cover Photo Competition email [email protected] St George’s 20-20 Project News from Benenden School A sub-group of the St George’s Parochial Church During half term several trips went out, most Council (PCC) has started meeting to review a notably those to Germany, Spain and the whole range of matters relevant to the use of United States, and I travelled to Hong Kong our parish church and the use of space within it. where the main purpose of my visit was to This includes, but is not limited to: heating, speak at a Girls’ School Association event lighting, seating, kitchen/servery, toilets, storage, about boarding in English schools, in my the “welcome” space, access (for the able-bodied capacity as Chair of the Boarding Committee. and disabled, both for services and events and Meanwhile, back at School we hosted the when the church is open but unmanned), social England Women’s Lacrosse team for a few days; events, toddler group etc. they lived on site and made use of our facilities Why this Review? The primary purpose of while they trained for the 2017 World Cup. the church is as a place of worship for the Since half term the School has been very community. However, the church, as a building, busy. It was an honour for me and two of our is under-utilised. To help secure its future we Sixth Form girls, Adeira Ariez and Natasha need to review making the building fit both for Wyke, to meet the Countess of Wessex at the worship and other community uses. We will formal opening of the shop and café in the keep you informed of our progress. village. It was such a celebratory occasion and We will be seeking input from other groups we are proud to have played a part in creating and associations within the community in the such a remarkable community asset. coming months. When we have ideas and Villagers will be used to seeing artwork concepts pulled together, these will be from our students in the shop and now you presented to the PCC for approval and then can see even more of it at a new exhibition to the community. If you would like to get at The Rye Art Gallery. Entitled A Few of My involved and believe you have skills to offer to Favourite Things, the exhibition features GCSE this project, please get in touch. work by 23 students and some pieces are for Revd David Commander 240658 sale in aid of the charity The Art Room. The [email protected] work is on display until 27 November and I would strongly encourage you to visit as the standard is exceptionally high. Our students’ musical talents were on Benenden Pre-School News display recently when the School’s Chapel Choir enjoyed the privilege of singing for Our pre-schoolers are getting into the festive Evensong in the magnificent setting of St Paul’s spirit, by crafting pretty diva candles for Diwali, Cathedral, and relished the chance to sing painting flames at Bonfire Night and creating some exciting music in front of a very large sparkly Christmas decorations and cards. Our congregation. Christmas party in the village hall will round off We have also introduced a new jacket for the term in jolly fashion for children and staff - our girls to wear when they are off the School Keli the Clown, sausages, jelly and ice cream, and site so you may see girls in unfamiliar uniform - a present from Father Christmas. And talking of but hopefully smart nonetheless! presents: we have created our own, top-quality At the time of writing our Cadets are Benenden Pre-School tea towels, complete with rehearsing hard so that they can represent the the children’s handprints and names. £4 each; School in the village’s Remembrance Parade, contact [email protected] to which is always a special occasion. purchase. The perfect stocking filler! Samantha Price, Headmistress www.benendenpreschool.co.uk 17
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7 >ÌiÛiÀÊÞÕÊÜ>ÌÊÌÊÃÌÀi°°° °°° ÕÃiÊÃ>iÊEÊ«ÕÀV >ÃiÊÌÊVV`}]ÊÌÀ>Ûi}]Ê ÕÃiÊLÕ`}ÊÜÀ]Ê«>«iÀÜÀÊÛiÀ>`ÊÀÊÕÃÌÊ º`iVÕÌÌiÀ}»ÊÌÊÃiÊÞÕÀÊ ÕÃiÊÀiʵÕVÞÊ qÊÜiÊvviÀÊ>ÊvÀi`ÞÊ>`ÊyiÝLiÊ ÃiÀÛViÊÊ À>LÀ°Ê7Ì ÊÃiVÕÀiÊ ÃÌÀ>}i]ÊV«iÌÌÛiÊÀ>ÌiÃ]Ê>ÊÊ iÊiÛiÊ>`Ê >ÃÃiÊvÀiiÊ Ó{ÉÇÊ>VViÃÃ]ÊVÌ>VÌÊÕÃÊÜt Êä£xnäÊÇ£ÎÓΣÊÊ ÜÜÜ°L>ÀÃÌÀi°V°Õ Iden Green and Benenden WI The master of Malbec Dark nights of Autumn into Winter are upon While Patricio Gouguenheim may not be us now. We would very much like to invite you royalty, and would no doubt stand gallantly to come and join us and brighten up your day behind the Countess of Wessex in the queue over the next few months and into the New at the community shop, he is an Argentine wine Year! Our meetings are always the 3rd Tuesday aristocrat. To put into perspective just how of the month. lucky we were to host a Gouguenheim tasting The October talk was entitled ‘Tools for in the village, Patricio had stopped off en route Africa’ and we were very interested to find out to an engagement the following day at Selfridges. that people from around the world could hand Word has clearly spread that a booking at in old sewing machines or DIY tools from their Benenden’s ranks higher in the world of wine sheds which could be renovated, and, once in than a mere date at Oxford Street’s finest, and good working order, donated to the villagers more growers are queuing up to visit. in Kenya, Zambia and Tanzania. They can use This time it was a selection of eight cool- them to make things which can be sold to make climate gems from Mendoza, where the urbane money for their families, instead of having to and entertaining Patricio established himself rely on hand outs. It made us realise how well during the economic crash of 2002. His wines off we all are. are now sold in 15 countries and found favour Please note - No WI meeting in December. among the committed drinkers at Benenden’s, The next meeting will be on Tuesday 17 who began their Argentinian journey with a perky, January 2017 in the Memorial Hall at 2pm. peachy Torrontes and an even better lightly-oaked Any queries please contact the Chair on Chardonnay before the arrival of the reds upon 01580 752232 which the region’s reputation is founded. Rather than mighty blockbusters, however, Gouguenheim uses the slopes of the snow- capped Andes to fashion stylish wines that could Phyllis Mary Cooling nonetheless go toe-to-toe with an 18oz steak and earn an honourable draw. Phyllis Mary Cooling died peacefully on Patricio suggests pairing the black cherry 31 October 2016 at Cradlehall Care Home, and French oak of the Reserva Malbec with an Inverness, aged 91. She was raised in Kent and Argentinian barbecue containing every part of married Cyril Cooling, retired Consultant the cow known to veterinary science; the great- Surgeon and former Medical Superintendent value Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon finds its at Benenden Hospital. Phyllis and Cyril lived in match in lamb ribs with fig sauce. Benenden and then Tenterden for many years. After a glass or two, there was tangoing in She was a heavily involved with St George’s the aisles, South American snacks and a raffle, Church, Benenden, and also with the Benenden proceeds to Hospice in the Weald. Patricio Players, before moving away to live nearer to presented an engraved hunt-and-carve steak family, and latterly moving with their son to knife, auctioned for £70 for the same charity. Inverness in 2010. In July 2016 they celebrated There will be many similar events in 2017. the proud achievement of their Platinum Wedding In the meantime, enjoy a Bordeaux tasting in Anniversary with family and friends. Should you the community shop’s wine department on wish to make a donation to her Vision of Hope 3 December from 10am to 1pm. fund with the Macular Society please go to *Gouguenheim’s Chardonnay, along with the http://phyllis.cooling.muchloved.com or forward Reserva Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon will to William T. Fraser and Son, Funeral Directors, be on sale in Benenden’s from mid December. Culduthel Road, Inverness IV2 6AB. Peter Thomas 21 ling in in ling ge agent el illa t V ward ward Booking Mr noah’s nursery school essential
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Free to learn to Free Benenden History Benenden - population reduction - exporting left: Outdoor Relief, the poor 19th century cartoon Some parishioners may remember an Australian below: Emigrants Bishop, in England for a Lambeth conference, wait to board a ship visiting the village to explore where his English roots lay. The following might have helped. Emigration to Australia before 1851 was But new pressure to enlarge workhouse largely driven by two public institutions - the capacity was beyond the resources of most rural penal system and the Poor Law. While the urban village overseers and even banding groups of and industrial poor were mostly affected by villages into Unions could not solve the problem. convict transportation, rural labouring families Benenden’s Thomas Law Hodges was an and artisans such as those in Benenden were ardent reformer who tried to ameliorate the effectively forced to emigrate through the assisted condition of his own labourers by agricultural passage systems which began in 1831. improvement. In the early 19th century he In the early years of the 19th century the initiated an 86 acre parish farm, following the Benenden Workhouse (at Feoffee’s) had capacity example of Cranbrook - based on its Sissinghurst for 7 families. But between 30 and 80 parish men Castle Workhouse. However the burden of the could get no employment at any time of the year. parish poor had become insuperable and the farm This was due to the deep rural and agricultural lasted only about 20 years. In 1826 Hodges gave depression in the High Weald following the earlier evidence to a Commons Select Committee on the collapse of the local weaving industry and encouragement of emigration, having himself industrialisation in the Northern mills. devised a successful scheme for giving financial The solution, seen by many parishes (in the incentives to potential local emigrants. form of the squirearchy and the village overseers) In 1826-27 fifty-four men, thirty-two women was to reduce their populations by paying and forty-nine children were helped to emigrate labourers and their families to emigrate. from Benenden to America and the parish was, for Alarmed at the cost of poor relief in the a short period anyway, able to support its poor. southern agricultural districts of England - where But by 1836 the financial burden had grown again in many areas it had become a semi-permanent and Hodges, who had become the MP for West top-up of labourers’ wages, - Parliament set up a Kent in 1830, loaned the parish £1,197 to help Royal Commission into the operation of the Poor cover its obligations. Laws. Amendments were made to legislation in Assisted emigration was particularly popular 1834 including: in East Sussex and the adjoining area of * Separate workhouses for different types of Kent where the population had risen rapidly. paupers including aged, children, able-bodied This area lacked sizeable towns but had males and able-bodied females. reasonable access to the emigration port of * The grouping of parishes into unions to Gravesend on the Thames. provide workhouses. The heaviest emigration in East Sussex was * The banning of outdoor relief so that people from Salehurst, Northiam, Brede, Icklesham and had to enter workhouses in order to claim relief. Burwash, each of which sent more than 50 * A central authority to implement these emigrants to Australia with the support of the policies and prevent the variation in practice Land and Emigration Commissioners and local which occurred under the 1601 Tudor poor laws. parishes. There were similar rural villages on the Kent side of the River Rother, all with about 1,000 inhabitants - Rolvenden, Sandhurst, Benenden, Woodchurch, Goudhurst and Hawkhurst. In 1801 Benenden’s population totaled 1,300. Ten years later it was 1,322. By 1821 there was a notable increase to 1,746. Between 1831 and 1841 it fluctuated from 1,663 to 1,594. The Earl of Cranbrook later commented that, in that decade, 160 parishioners had gone to Australia - equating to some 10% of the entire village population. Robin Dalton Holmes
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! " #! ! $ %&' () *&+,* -(*'*, . *''/( 0+,&-0 " 1" 2 33 " . 1" 2 33 " . 4443" 2 33 " Can you raise funds for Kent Hark! The Herald Angels Sing Association for the Blind? At different moments in time a trinity of individuals, two Englishmen and a German, There are two brilliant sporting events you collaborated to compose the spirited Christmas could be involved in. The first is called ‘The carol Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. The Rev. Virtual Cycle Ride’ and is a 24-mile cycle ride Charles Wesley, co-founder of the Methodist (on a route of your choosing over as many Church, wrote the carol lyrics originally titled days as you want). You can take part as an Hark! How All the Welkin Rings and it was individual or as a team, on a static bike at the included in the 1739 publication Hymns and gym, or outside in the park. Sacred Poems. One hundred and one years The second is the London Marathon 2017; later the genesis of the carol melody was a we would love to hear from runners who want cantata Felix Mendelssohn wrote as part of his to be a part of Team KAB. By taking part in commission to compose music for the 1840 this event you are doing something amazing Leipzig Gutenberg Festival commemorating the for our charity; not only raising awareness 400th anniversary of the invention of printing of sight loss but also raising much needed by Johann Gutenberg. funds for us to be able to continue our work But it was William Hayman Cummings, born supporting visually impaired people in the local in Sidbury, England in 1831, who wedded the area. The fundraising team is here to support music of Mendelssohn’s cantata to Wesley’s you meet your pledge amount and can offer hymn Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. It is even you fundraising ideas, personalised materials possible Cummings, a notable tenor and organist, and resources. In the new year we will be may have known Mendelssohn when he was a organising a runners’ night at our Sight Centre teenage chorister for Mendelssohn’s first London in Maidstone which is a great opportunity to performance of Elijah, the second of three learn more about our work and meet the oratorios composed by the German master. other runners on Team KAB. Perhaps it was also during that performance Kent Association for the Blind supports when Cummings developed an admiration for visually impaired people to live independent Mendelssohn. Some years later the intrepid lives. We work with people of all ages from musician decided to link Mendelssohn’s music toddlers and teenagers right through to with Charles Wesley’s hymn. Thus, on Christmas people in their nineties and beyond. KAB Day of 1855, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing was offers a range of services including mobility first sung at Waltham Abbey with the proud training, a digital Talking News service, advice William Hayman Cummings at the organ. and guidance and courses in Assistive © Ronald M. Clancy www.christmasclassics.com Technology. We provide an entirely bespoke service which is tailored to the individual’s needs. We support over 11,000 people across the region and last year we received 2,450 new referrals to our service. Christmas Village Lunch So any budding runners or cyclists out Tuesday 6 December, Benenden Village Hall, there, please visit www.kab.org.uk or contact: 12.30pm Amy Van der Weide 01622 691357 All welcome whether you have been to a village [email protected] lunch before or not - £4 a head. If you need a lift please let us know and we can arrange it. Please contact Sheila on 01580 240838 if you haven’t put your name down but would like to come. We look forward to seeing you. 25 The Village Debates
The hole truth about the state of our roads There was a time, so the village elders say, A personal view from Kent Barker, Chairman, when a trip to Hartley Dyke was a joyous Benenden Parish Council Highways experience filled with thoughts of fresh veg Committee and assorted chutneys. Earlier this year the Parish Council invited These days, sadly, it has become an assault Kent County Council cabinet member for course designed to test the motorist’s ability roads Matthew Balfour to visit the village to shop locally without wrecking an alloy and see for himself how bad they are. wheel or two, fatally damaging their suspension As our mini-bus weaved around potholes or ending up in a hedge. and bucked over sunken camber, Cllr The problem, as you will be well aware, is Balfour muttered “It’s much worse round potholes. They proliferate across the parish, where I live”, and explained KCC could not rendering many of our local roads extremely afford the £230 million required to bring hazardous. Kent’s highways up to standard. So they just Those on the B2086 are classics in their fill in potholes, ignore minor roads and own right, lining a narrow lane frequented by concentrate on the main ones. HGVs, forcing the hapless driver to make an We asked if that wasn’t a bit unfair on impossible choice: collide head-on with an areas like ours where there are loads of articulated lorry or pull into the verge and minor and few major roads? It was, he said, disappear into one of the many chasms in the all down to central government funding. tarmac, never to be seen again. Whitehall recently changed the rules and The same is true village-wide with no sign KCC now gets money depending on how of improvement and winter on the horizon, well they maintain their ‘assets’. which means motoring will be traumatic for Main roads are classed as assets, minor the foreseeable future. ones are not. Put simply, the more you Try and claim on your insurance, though, maintain your assets the more money you and statistically a council will pay out one time get and, conversely, KCC stands to lose in four (see how you get on with Kent County £13 million if they don’t keep the assets Council on 03000 418181), leaving 75 per cent up to scratch. of motorists with potentially hefty repair bills. So, if roads are well maintained, you Current repair measures seem to extend get more money to maintain them, which to shovelling in more asphalt, which soon you don’t really need because they are suffers the same fate as the original. Cost well maintained. But if they are poorly apparently precludes comprehensive stripping maintained because you can’t afford the and resurfacing. maintenance, you lose the money you really On these pages are some views on the need to carry out that maintenance! pothole epidemic. In the meantime, you can And who determines if they are well report any new ones on the KCC website, maintained or not? Ah, that will be the or contact [email protected] or on County Council itself. It self-judges its own 01580 714880. Or pray for a warm, dry winter. performance, and then is judged on the self-judging! Is it any wonder our potholes proliferate?
26 Seán Holden, County Councillor How do we deal with the pothole problem? for Benenden In Perth and Kinross this spring, the local There has been a blitz in Benenden but it’s authority cleared the backlog of pothole been mending holes rather than making repairs simply by changing the definition of a them. An extra £3 million has been poured pothole. Where once it committed to repairing into potholes by Kent County Council this holes over 40mm deep, at a stroke it changed year because elected members like me said the required depth to 60mm - problem solved. we needed more effort. In Thailand, meanwhile, a model named I don’t pretend for one moment the Palm sought to highlight the sorry state of the problem is solved and we face the threat roads in Tak province by being filmed taking a of more opening up as we slip into winter bath in one, dressed only in a towel and iciness. The problem is that ageing roads shower cap. The photos went viral and the combined with ever tightening budgets local council hurriedly made the appropriate imposed by central government mean repairs - job done. that the county council is always battling In Ramsbottom, Greater Manchester, a to catch up. mysterious pothole vigilante has taken to The multi-million pound pothole blitz encircling unrepaired holes with pictures of, this year has been an attempt to move ahem, male appendages in non-permanent forward and it has managed to do so. But spray paint on the tarmac. The council labelled there is always more and we cannot be his art “obscene vandalism” - before rushing complacent. I will always take up the cause out to fix the holes. of every pothole you tell me about with our In parts of Germany, local people have been Highways Manager, Earl Bourner, and he is encouraged to ‘buy’ a pothole, which when a responsive official. repaired would be adorned with a plaque to It’s my job to keep him like that on your commemorate their loved ones. behalf and I do and will continue to do so. Unfortunately the population of Benenden, Many roads in Benenden have had work past as well as present, would not be enough done by the county council this year, some for this to work around here, and we wouldn’t of it quite extensive, officials tell me. We recommend the other methods, either! need to keep up the pressure, but here is Peter Thomas the list of roads: Dingleden; Goddards Green Road; left: The assault course to Hartley Dyke Coldharbour Road; Stepneyford Lane; Halden Lane; Pullington Cottages; Frogs Hole Lane; Dingleden Farm Road; Standen Street; Mill Street; Babbs Lane; Hinksden Road; Spring Lane; The Street; New Pond Road; Walkhurst Road; Cranbrook Road; Hinksden Road; Iden Green Road; Mount Le Hoe; Bishopsden Road.
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&&&F&"#$%&"#'(%+#,-."#%F6"F+G Jane’s Kitchen to cook over the gentlest possible heat for This Christmas vegetarian dish will be 3min. After that draw the pan off the heat appreciated by vegetarians everywhere to cool slightly, then add the egg yokes, whisking them in really well. Next add CHEESE AND PARSNIP ROULADE the grated cheese and sage, and taste WITH SAGE AND ONION STUFFING for seasoning. l In a large bowl (with a clean whisk) beat the FOR ROULADE egg whites till they form soft peaks. Gently 40g butter fold a spoonful of the egg-white mixture 25g plain flour into the cheese mixture-to loosen it-and 275ml cold milk then spoon this mixture, a little at a time 3 eggs, separated into the rest of the egg white. Now spread 110g cheddar, grated the whole lot evenly into the prepared tin 1 rounded tbsp chopped sage over the stuffing mixture and bake on the 40g hazelnuts, chopped, then toasted top shelf of the oven for -min, or until it 1tbsp parmesan, grated feels springy and firm in the centre. Seasoning l Meanwhile, cooked the parsnips in a steamer FOR STUFFING for 10-15min, until they are soft, then cream 40g butter them together with the butter, double 225g onions, chopped cream and some seasoning and nutmeg 1 heaped tbsp chopped sage (this can be done by hand or in a food 1tbsp chopped parsley processor). 75g white breadcrumbs l When they are ready, keep them warm while Seasoning you lay a sheet of baking parchment (slightly FOR FILLING longer than the roulade) on a work surface 350g parsnips (prepared weight) and sprinkle the hazelnuts all over it. 25g butter l When the roulade is cooked, turn it out 2tbsp double cream onto the hazelnuts and carefully peel off the Whole nutmeg, for grating base paper. Seasoning l Spread the creamed parsnip evenly all over the sage and onion stuffing. Now with the A Swiss roll tin, 30x20cm, lined with shortest end of the roulade nearest you, roll baking parchment the roulade away from you, using the Preheat oven 200c, 180c Fan, Gas mark 6 parchment to help you. l Transfer the roulade to a serving plate METHOD and sprinkle the surface with a dusting of l First make the stuffing by melting the butter grated parmesan. in a small heavy based saucepan, add the l You can serve this with all the trimmings onions and cook for about 6min, or until which could include bread sauce and they are transparent. Next add the herbs, cranberry relish. breadcrumbs and seasoning, stirring well to combine everything, and sprinkle the NOTE This can be made ahead and mixture evenly all over the lined tin. re-heated from chilled for 40min at same l Now for the roulade: place the butter, flour oven temperatures as above. Remove the and milk in a saucepan and whisk them foil for the last 10min to brown the top. together over a medium heat until Jane Drysdale 291027 thickened the season and leave the sauce [email protected] 29 45 & 51 High Street Greenacre Landscapes Tenterden Creating Beautiful Gardens since 1963 Specialists in Private Garden Design & Construction Patios - Brickwork - Decking Stonework - Ponds/Lakes Water Features - Planting Schemes Groundworks Detailed Plans - Portfolio Available Free Consultation www.greenacrelandscapes.co.uk 01580 240085 01892 722412 Furnace Lane Nursery, Furnace Lane, Brenchley, Kent TN12 7BX
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Ordinary & Executive Vehicles & 8 seater minibus with seat belts All drivers & vehicles licensed & tested Long & short journeys & courier service available Business accounts welcome Tel: 01580 240713 Mobile: 07774 672 043 [email protected] Claridge’s Wine the aged 2009 Semillon. If you are looking for an inexpensive, everyday Claret, try the A Reason to be Cheerful ... Chateau Moulin de Mallet 2014. Mostly Merlot, Christmas at Benenden’s this is fruit driven with no oak. It has been a successful year in Benenden’s wine Finally what goes with Christmas pudding? cellar. We have had two excellent wine tastings, Chateau d’Orignac, Pineau de Charentes is a welcoming Hilary Mitchell from South Australia must. Made from unfermented Merlot and and Patricio Gouguenheim from Mendoza, Cabernet Sauvignon, with the addition of 5-year- Argentina. Tickets sell out very quickly. Please old Cognac from the same Estate, and aged for see notices in the shop for future events. Thank 5 years in oak casks. The Cognac stops the you to everyone who has attended thus far. fermentation, this is effectively, a sweet, fortified- style wine. No sulphur is added, and it will keep Wine and Food Matching for about 10 days once opened. It is also perfect Much is written about this. White with fish and round the log fire with roast chestnuts. red with meat is still a useful adage but lightly Finally the cheese. Lots of sweet wines go chilled Pinot Noir works well with some fish with blue cheese, as does Amontillado sherry dishes. What would I drink on Christmas day? and Port. Stilton can work with aromatic wines Food matching, like wine tasting itself, is all very like Gewurztraminer. Try the late harvest subjective. Personally I would start the pre lunch Zuccardi Torrontes. The stronger the cheese, the proceedings with a glass more full-bodied the wine needs to be. Mature of English bubbly, either white Burgundy/Chardonnay, Rioja, Cabernet from Biddenden, or Sauvignon-based mature Claret all work well. Herbert Hall brut or For the strongest cheeses try the Campbells rosé. Alternatively, Rutherglen Muscat or the Grahams LBV Port. Barbadillo is the largest I will be at the Memorial Hall this year on producer of sherry in Christmas day, after the St George’s service. If Spain, and we will have you are on your own and want to drop in for the Manzanilla, Fino, some company, tea/coffee/sherry/wine/mince pies Amontillado and cream available. between midday and 6pm, we look forward to A crisp, dry Manzanilla or Fino is seeing you. If you would like lunch between 1pm perfect with olives. and 3pm, please sign up in the village shop. Have Moving on to starters, try the a great Christmas and the happiest of New Years. Mitchell’s Noble Semillon with a Finally I am always looking for contributions creamy terrine or foie gras, or a or topics for the blue cheese and walnut salad. wine column. Sauvignon, for me, is perfect with Last week I was goats cheese. We have Pouilly asked if it was Fume, Bailly and Sancerre, Pabiot possible to and the more commercial, less organise a wine steely and more fruity Freedom tour to Cross from S. Africa. Champagne. What with the turkey? I have Pourquoi pas? tried Rioja, Pinot Noir, Claret, Watch this Rhone red, mature white Burgundy space! and Semillon. Syrah/Shiraz gets my Tracy Claridge vote. Mitchells have the excellent TLClaridge@ 2009 Peppertree Shiraz and also TLClaridge.co.uk 31 Local Enterprise ... Enterprising Locals
CHARLOTTE MOLESWORTH
In a village full of interesting people - of which more over the following months - one of the most enterprising and original is Charlotte Molesworth. Many will know her as a creative church and wedding flower arranger, but she is also an artist and designer as well as a garden-creator and topiary fanatic.
Charlotte has lived in the village since the 1970s, moving into her current house with her husband, Donald, in the early 1980s, taking over an abandoned and neglected gardener’s cottage and garden and turning it into the haven it is today.
The house is a miniature Charleston, with painted surfaces and interesting objects, most of them found or rescued. Much like the rescue dogs, hens and the harlequin flock of rescue sheep who come rushing over to be talked to (Fig.1).
The garden was completely overgrown when they arrived. clockwise from top: Fig.1, Fig.2 and Fig.3 Originally it had been the kitchen garden of the ‘big house’ but had been let go. They set to to turn parts of it into first a vegetable garden and then a nursery bed. Almost all the yews and box you can see now were grown from cuttings and seedlings taken as and when opportunity presented itself; an abandoned yew from the side of the road, cuttings from friends or visited gardens, and seedlings and other plants from Charlotte’s mother’s garden - all grown on in rows in the nursery beds.
The garden is managed organically and dotted with found objects (Fig.6). In the midst of it is her beautifully converted small barn, which is available for holiday lets (www.thepottingshedholidaylet.com). The garden is occasionally open to the public, such as for the Open Studios scheme in June, and to wander the paths is a gardener’s delight. 32 Charlotte’s long-standing passion is topiary (Figs.2 & 3) and she has been busy producing wonderful birds and beasts in yew, from a bear and a porcupine at Penshurst to the Etchingham Bistro garden and the birds in her own garden (Fig.2). She is happy to set up new topiary schemes, and will explain how to cut and care for it. The process takes about three years.
Charlotte is also an artist and was one of the founders of the clockwise from top: Fig.4, Fig.5 and Fig.6 Cranbrook Art Show. For many years she taught art at Benenden School, before moving to teach part time at Saint Ronan’s. She paints as well as draws and has her own press to produce the linocuts (Figs.4 & 5) for which she is well-known. She has also designed tea towels, Christmas cards … I could go on.
Her studio - visit it if you have a chance - was festooned with giant hop wreaths for a wedding when I saw it. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about her is the way in which her imagination and vision are applied to all the many things she does. Minnie Garnier
33 Bird Notes
Possibly one of the most overlooked birds in our garden is the Dunnock or, giving its old name, Hedge Sparrow. It spends most of its time on the ground and it is a classic “LBJ”, Little Brown Job. That is certainly the appearance from a distance without binoculars but at close quarters it is actually rather pretty with a smoky grey crown and neck and a rufous-brown back boldly streaked with black lines. It is quite delicate with a fine beak to pick up those small insects and spiders; it will, however, eat most food items, relying on seeds in the winter and regularly seen scavenging under bird tables/feeders. It is often seen at close quarters with the Robin and many observers think that it is a female Robin without the red breast. Both adult Robins have red breasts and it is only a young Robin with which it could possibly be confused. Clearly it is not a Sparrow in structure and is much nearer taxonomically to thrushes and warblers. It actually belongs to the genus Prunella and has a scientific name of Prunella modularis and there are no other species resident in Britain in the same genus. Its nearest relative geographically is the Alpine Accentor Prunella collaris which has very occasionally been recorded in the UK. As its name suggests it is an alpine bird and regular skiers will have seen them scavenging at mountain restaurants on the ski slopes. There has been quite some debate on what the Dunnock’s English name should be and many ornithologists preferred the name Hedge Accentor (all other five species of the genus Prunella that occur in Europe are called Accentors) but its more colloquial name Dunnock was chosen referring to its dun colour.
The Dunnock spends most of its time on the ground and it has a characteristic wing flicking feeding jizz which makes it identifiable from a distance or in poor light. It nests in small shrubs quite low down in a tidily constructed nest which is built by the hen. The four or five eggs are bright blue which is surprising as most bird eggs are blotchy in appearance and therefore much better camouflaged. The norm is two broods per year and sometimes three. The Dunnock begins it courtship quite early in the year from top: Alpine accentor, and recently I have heard it singing between Christmas and New Prunella collaris; Dunnock, Year. Its song is a cheerful ‘seeesi-weeso’ about four seconds in Prunella modularis; Siberian length repeated about seven times a minute from an exposed accentor, Prunella montanella perch. Its alarm call is a piping ‘tseeeep’ which is easily recognisable when I carry out survey work as it is a shy bird when not singing. The courtship of Dunnocks breaks every moral code imaginable and when territories overlap no holds are barred! Unusually in the bird world the hens are polyandrous and have more than one mate. This can lead to great competition amongst the males and the male bird can often be seen trying to remove its competitor’s sperm before mating. Recent DNA has shown that often a clutch of eggs has more than one father. However if there are more females than males then polygyny results and even polygynandry exists where two or more males will mate with a group of females. Research has shown that polyandry is the most common.
34 Whilst writing this piece, news has come in of a new species of Accentor having been found in the UK, in Shetland. It is the Siberian Accentor. This is a very handsome Accentor with a creamy eye stripe and a black crown and dark cheeks. On photos that I have seen the head appears to have what looks like a “Lone Ranger” eye mask. As its name suggests it breeds in Siberia on both sides of the Urals and winters in South East Asia. This autumn we have experienced mainly easterly winds resulting in many Asian migrants finding themselves in Europe and at the time of writing about a dozen Siberian Accentors have now been found in the UK, mainly in the North and East. There have also been record sightings of this species all across Scandinavia in the last few days.
Last month I mentioned the Beijing Cuckoo project where a number of Cuckoos have been satellite tagged in China to find out where they wintered. I reported that they had crossed seven international borders and were refuelling or perhaps wintering in India. It now turns out that they were refuelling as two Cuckoos have made the journey across the Indian Ocean. The first Cuckoo flew directly non-stop from India directly to Somalia a journey of an utterly amazing 3700km! Having reached the Somalian coast it flew another 250km to reach a good feeding area and has since moved into Ethiopia. The second Cuckoo took a more northerly route, crossing the Indian Ocean to Oman on the Arabian peninsula and then journeying down the African coast to Somalia. A third Cuckoo is at Goa preparing for the sea crossing. I find the use of satellite tagging migrants hugely fascinating and I will update readers of the progress of these Cuckoos in future editions. I wonder if they will join their European cousins in The Congo? Charles Trollope 240821 [email protected]
Saturday 3rd December 2016 Christmas10am - 3pm Market Dodgems Real Reindeer Santa’s Grotto Carousel Fantastic Stalls Christmas Food & Drink
www.saintronansmarket.co.ukAdults £5 / Children Free Free entry with this advert www.saintronansmarket.co.uk WaterSaint Lane, Ronan’s Hawkhurst, Kent SchoolTN18 5DJ Web: www.saintronans.co.uk Email: [email protected] 35 Foot Notes
Benenden Christmas Pub Crawl Distance: 3 miles A nice easy walk this month to walk off the Christmas treats, get out in the fresh air and maybe stop off for a pint or two.
1) The walk leaves the village along footpath WC323 to the right of St George’s church, follow the tarmac path downhill and just before the road turn left onto WC324 which passes across the front of Benenden Place. At the end of the path turn right onto the farm track WC328, where the track bears right to head back to the road turn left onto WC331 across a cattle grid heading into Moor Wood. The track to the house bears left at this point head straight ahead across the field to a gateway, go through the gate and turn right.
2) At the junction of paths WC331 and WC333 turn left, follow the well-defined path between the trees to emerge in an orchard. Head straight ahead keeping the hedge on your right. Near the brow of the hill turn left between the apple trees heading downhill WC334. There is no waymark here but take the 9th row from the top of hill. At the bottom of the hill pass through a narrow gap and pass alongside a chain link fence on your left with Southern Waters’ water treatment works. Follow the concrete road ahead up to Woodcock Lane with the Woodcock pub on your right (Fig.1).
3) Suitably refreshed turn right out of the pub and follow the lane downhill, at the bottom of the hill ignore the first path on your left (WC333) which leads back into Moor Wood and take the next path shortly after (WC330). This is a well-marked path which can get muddy after heavy rain through Strawberry Wood which is always a pleasant walk at any time of year (Fig.2). As you come out of the wood the path carries straight on uphill to the top right hand corner of the field.
4) Cross the stile and turn right on the farm track for a short distance then turn left onto WC328 and follow it diagonally right and uphill passing through 3 gates to emerge at the corner of the Recreation Ground. Turn left and The Bull is a short distance ahead to refresh yourself after the uphill walk. above: Fig.1 The Woodcock; Jim Hyde, Parish Footpath Co-ordinator below: Fig.2 Strawberry Wood
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Email [email protected] Discover the magic! or call 01580 752271 to book an appointment. Above: Remembrance Sunday with members of the Benenden School and John Wallis Academy Combined Cadet Force; The Countess of Wessex warmly marking the first anniversary of Benenden’s Community Shop; a triumphant Bonfire and Firework Night, photographs by courtesy of Stuart Kirk Photography Front cover: Will there be snow again?