December 2019-January 2020 Ettington Village News
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ETTINGTON VILLAGE NEWS with Fulready DECEMBER 2019-JANUARY 2020 For Ettington Community Centre bookings & enquiries, contact Eva Lowe on 07975 682775 or email [email protected]. The management committee meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 7.30pm in the Community Centre lounge. www.ettingtoncommunitycentre.co.uk There are various ways to keep up-to-date on community events. You can visit the village website (ettington.org), where you can view current and back issues of the newsletter, as well as keep updated on parish matters generally. You can ‘Like’ us on Facebook (Ettington & Fulready Village Newsletter) where each issue and regular updates are posted. You can email [email protected] and request to receive issues automatically (note – this is not the email to use for items for inclusion in the newsletter or general enquiries). ETTINGTON PANTOMIME GROUP Festive Bingo presents CINDERELLA Friday 6th December 7pm A pantomime by Ben Crocker Thursday 23rd January 7.30pm & Friday 24th January 7.30pm Village Breakfast Saturday 25th January 2pm & 7pm th Saturday 7 December Tickets £6 Adults / Under 15s £3.50 8.15am-10am Tickets on Sale at Ettington Stores from Monday 9th December Both in the Community Centre Barn Stored Logs for Sale - Contact Clive on 07973 850502 Christmas in Ettington Church Sunday 8th December 4pm – Messy Christingle Wednesday 18th December 7.30pm – Carol Service Christmas Eve 5pm – Crib Service Christmas Day Holy Communion 10.15am ETTINGTON PCC WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS TO EVERYONE! Deadline for items for inclusion in the FEBRUARY 2020 issue: FRIDAY 17TH JANUARY Contact Editor, Jane Evans on 01789 740446 or [email protected] Newsletter Produced by: Ettington Parochial Church Council Newsletter Printed by: Parish Magazine Printing, 01288 341617 LETTER FROM REVD SHARON GOBLE Into the mundane preoccupation of Mary’s regular household chore comes a lifeshattering and lifechanging experience. As I read Luke 1 verse 26f, it isn’t the appearance of the angel that phases Mary, making me wonder if she was actually fairly accustomed to entertaining them! It is, however, the message that so troubles her, and why wouldn’t it? This defining moment completely affects her identity, shaping who she is, will be and all she was ever meant to be. The social faces of being someone’s daughter, or wife to be, young villager, or native Galilean are disregarded by the angel’s words. God’s message to Mary is that she is full of grace – full of God and His goodness. This is the shape of her identity now and for the future. It is what she was always meant to be. Defining moments do not silence our questions, even when they cut through the lies and affirm what is really deeply true of us, and Mary’s response is full of them. What? How? Who?... What kind of greeting this might be? (verse 29) How can this be? (verse 34) Who is she but a mere young woman?.... “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said” (verse 38) Mary is known traditionally for her obedience, and as she refers to herself as the Lord’s servant, I can see why. But obedience is such a cold word that sits uncomfortably with full and meaningful relationship. I think the angel’s greeting gives us the sense of what is going on here. Mary, already full of grace, opens herself up to let boundless Grace be even more fully alive within her. As you hear again this familiar passage at carol services, you may well be wondering who we are now and what is shaping our future, bewildered by political traumas, or whether you, like me, have had that lifeshattering personal experience. Today, may you open yourself up to the God who is boundless grace and hear Him affirm you not because of any social face but because of Grace. May Grace become more fully alive in you in the person of Jesus, shaping who you are now and in the future, so you discover all you were ever meant to be in Him. Happy Christmas! Reverend Sharon Goble. With thanks for your kind patience and generosity of heart in this strange time for us all. Parish Council News On 13th November, 5 Parish Councillors, the District and County Councillors, the Clerk and 4 members of the public turned out for the monthly meeting. County Councillor Seccombe reported on the county’s efforts in relation to its joint (with Coventry and Solihull Councils) subscription to the Veteran’s Charter. A number of support services for war veterans are now in place and the Bramcote Centre at Nuneaton, developed with the kind assistance via labour and materials from Balfour Beatty, is now run by veterans. Warwickshire now rates as one of the top 2 counties supporting the scheme. The series of well-attended roadshows for collecting feedback on the County Council’s 4 year plan is complete and the outcomes will be discussed in January. For the District Council, Councillor O’Donnell related that within the council an investigation into employees’ approach to equality and sexism had been undertaken following a recent tribunal. Training had been prescribed where necessary. She also conveyed that parking charges are due to be increased but the proposal to cull the concessionary annual fee for senior locals had been vetoed. Further to a complaint via the Public Forum regarding overhanging vegetation which makes footpath SD73 impassable, it was reported that Councillors Henry and Collins would be meeting the Warwickshire County Council Footpaths Officer later that week to clarify various issues. The Clerk will renew efforts to have the Old Halford Road pavement cleared and re-usable following a negative initial response from Warwickshire Highways Department. Whilst it has been established that no-one ‘owns’ School Lane, the latter organisation has agreed as a grace and favour gesture to maintain any hazards that arise on the tarmac roadway proper. The Parish Council resolved that it would not seek to register ownership. From the planning applications received, the Parish Council resolved that it would not object to the site variation proposed for The Brambles development with the proviso that the turning facility for service vehicles using Hockley Lane in the original plan be unaffected. A draft response to an open letter broadcast on social media from a parishioner regarding the proposed skatepark was approved by the Parish Council, which also resolved not to engage a different noise assessment company from that suggested by the skatepark provider. An invitation to the householders backing on to the playing fields to ‘host’ the actual equipment will be circulated by the Clerk. Councillor O’Donnell informed the meeting that as the individuals who wrote to her had not submitted their own objections to the Planning Office, she would be withdrawing her objection when the application is renewed. A request from a parishioner via the Community Centre for permission to hold a “sleep-out” on the tennis court on 7th December in support of a world campaign to raise awareness of the plight of the homeless was approved subject to various health and safety conditions. Actions to arrange remedial works recommended in the annual RoSPA inspection of the play area equipment were set in place and it was resolved that an objection to Stratford District Council’s proposed £40 annual fee for green bin collections would be lodged. The next two meetings of the Parish Council: Wednesday 11th December and Wednesday 8th January 7.30pm in Community Centre Lounge Community Centre News STARTLING NEWS! Following a speculative enquiry to the Business Studies Departments of various local academic institutions to establish whether helping the Management Committee to come up with a way forward for the future of the Centre would be of interest as a project for their students, the University of Warwick has turned up trumps. The Business School, which has a world-wide reputation for excellence and a high ranking, assigns groups of its full-time MBA students to short-term consultancies for businesses and various organisations each Spring. We have been fortunate enough to have the brief we submitted accepted for such a consultancy in early 2020. Our representatives will meet the group in mid January. WHAT’S ON? It’s nearly Christmas Bingo time, of course. Dig out your marker pens and present yourselves at the Community Centre on Friday 6th December. It could be your turn for a “full house” and the Community Centre would like one as well. There will be a village breakfast on the morning of Saturday 7th December so pop your festive hats on and join the community for a warming cooked brekkie and some convivial chatter. Oh, and there’s a General Election on Thursday 12th December in case you hadn’t noticed! SOMETHING THAT’S NOT ON Regrettably, the Christmas Lunch that was announced in last month’s Newsletter will NOT be taking place. Unfortunately, the logistics of such an exercise demand the availability of a number of hands to assist and it has not been possible to gather sufficient help this time around. WE DESPERATELY NEED ONE OR MORE HANDY-PERSONS Long-serving and long-suffering committee member, Tony Batchelor, announced his intention to wind down his involvement in masterminding the maintenance of your centre over 18 months ago but circumstances have conspired to prevent him from doing so. It is high time that one or more souls from within the community came forward to help out in this regard in order that Tony can step down as he intends in January.