Basingstoke Children's Centres
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The Loddon Valley Link Church and Village Magazine for Sherfield-on-Loddon, Stratfield Saye, Hartley Wespall with Stratfield Turgis and Bramley Issue 476 March 2015 www.Loddonvalleylink.org.uk Page 2 Editorial Welcome to the March edition of the Loddon Valley Link. I’m sat in the sunshine of what feels like an early spring. For those of you lucky enough to still have their mothers with them don’t forget the 15th. For the rest of us we can remember with love. Contents We’re saying goodbye to one of Editorial P 3 our most respected residents - Church Services P4&6 James Russell - in the centre Messy Church P 7 pages plus there’s the usual Register & Lent Services P 9 plethora of things going on. Pastoral Letter P 11 Stratfield Saye Reports P 17 Easter weekend looks like an arty Borough Councillors Report P 19 affair with a couple of local Probus & CSR Reports P23 exhibitions. Gardening Club P 25 Just to reinforce their appeal on Prayers P 28 P50, if you can spare any time to James Russell P 30 help with the organisation of the Sherfield Village Hall P 33 wonderful local events please get NWR P39 in touch. Sherfield Parish Council P 41 SPCC P 44 As ever, please keep your articles Poem P47 and especially photographs Beat Reports P48 coming in, as they are vital to the Help Run Events P 50 success of your magazine. This Useful Numbers P 55 month’s cover photo is from Small Adverts P 56 Andrew Dance. Committee and Deadlines P 58 Sincere apologies to the Sims family for our publishing error in the Parish Registers, Funerals section in last months Link. We’re happy to report Charles Sims is alive. [email protected] Congratulations to local councillor & PPC - Ranil Jayawardena I’m delighted to report that daughter Daisy arrived on 13th February. Alison and daughter are both doing well. Page 3 Services March 2015 Sunday 1st March Lent 2 10.00am Holy Communion with the St Leonard’s Sherfield Bishop of Basingstoke 10.00am Family Service St Mary’s Stratfield Saye* 11.45am Meet & Greet the Bishop St Mary’s Hartley Wespall Wednesday 4th 11.00am Lent Communion St Leonard’s Sherfield Sunday 8th March Lent 3 10.00am Morning Worship & Sunday Club St Leonard’s Sherfield Wednesday 11th 11.00am Lent Communion St Leonard’s Sherfield Friday 13th 4.15pm Messy Church Sherfield Community Centre Sunday 15th March Mothering Sunday Lent 4 10.00am Family Communion St Leonard’s Sherfield 6.30pm Evensong St Mary’s Hartley Wespall Wednesday 18th 11.00am Lent Communion St Leonard’s Sherfield Sunday 22nd March Lent 5 10.00am Family Service St Leonard’s Sherfield Wednesday 25th 11.00am Lent Communion St Leonard’s Sherfield Sunday 29th March Palm Sunday 10.00am Benefice Holy Communion St Leonard’s Sherfield with Palm Sunday Procession Maundy Thursday 7.00pm St Leonard’s Church Room Agape Supper with Holy Communion Good Friday 11.00am Hour at the Cross St Mary’s Hartley Wespall Sunday 5th April EASTER DAY 10.00am Family Communion with Lenten Cross St Leonard’s Sherfield 10.00am Family Communion by Ext St Mary’s Hartley Wespall 11.30am Holy Communion BCP St Mary’s Stratfield Saye* *Drive up close to the white gates, which will open automatically. Children are wel- come at all our services. Services in italics are particularly geared to children and families. BCP - Book of Common Prayer. Page 4 www.Loddonvalleylink.org.uk Page 5 BREACH LANE CHAPEL Sherfield on Loddon Geoff Belsham 01256 882534 / 07519 708416 Transport is available for all events at the chapel March 2015 Services Sunday 1st 10.30am Family Worship led by Neil Owen 11am Youth Group – “The Flock” Tuesday 3rd 7.45pm Deacons Meeting at Frimley Road Sunday 8th 10.30am Family Worship led by Graham Locke Tuesday 10th 2pm Church Walk from the Chapel Thursday 12th 7.45pm House Group & Bible Study at 9 Coopers Lane, Bramley Friday 13th 10.30am Open Morning at the Chapel Sunday 15th 10.30am Family Worship led by Neil Owen with Holy Communion Tuesday 17th 7.45pm Church Meeting at Frimley Road Sunday 22nd 10.30am Family Worship led by Steve Smith Tuesday 24th 2pm Church Walk starting at Sherfield Garden Centre Wednesday 2.30pm Midweek Fellowship at Chapel led by Geoff 25th Belsham Friday 27th 10.30am Open Morning at Chapel Saturday 28th 2.30pm Saturday Fellowship in the Chapel led by Geoff Belsham Sunday 29th 10.30am Family Worship led by Geoff Belsham Friday 27th 10.30am Open Morning at Chapel St Leonard’s Open Days Catholic Services Everyone is St Bede’s and Holy welcome to visit for Ghost Churches, reflection, prayer, Basingstoke. or to view with a Parish Office wedding in mind. Tues to Friday The church is open 9.30 am-1.00 pm in March on the 7thand 14th. Tel.465214. Sunday Mass 9.00 am, 11.00 am and 6.30 pm Page 6 Friday 13th March 2015 I Love You Mum! Lots of craft, worship and tea for the children! All welcome 4.15 Arrive, Register, prepare for Worship 4.30 Worship followed by activities in three groups 5.15 Meal - cafe style (finish at 5.30pm) It is essential that you book (and please advise of any food allergies). For more information and to book, please contact : Amanda Prince 01256 880733 [email protected] Or on Facebook : Messy Church-Sherfield On Loddon St Leonard’s Annual Parochial Church Meeting will be held on Sunday 22nd March 2015 at 11.30am in the Church Room. All welcome. ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL St. Leonard’s faithful hardworking cleaning teams continue to keep our church looking lovely and welcoming and they deserve our thanks. We would welcome new recruits so please consider volunteering – it is not a huge commitment but it is a great way of helping our church maintain its appeal to our local community, especially now we have our new extension up and running. Our new rota is due to be organised. We are meeting on Monday 11th May at 7:45pm in the new church room, followed by coffee/tea and cakes. For more information contact Valerie Burrows on 01256 880087 or email [email protected] Page 7 www.Loddonvalleylink.org.uk Page 8 Parish Registers Funeral Betty Banister 16.01.15 Sherfield Correction to February Parish Register Funeral Philip Donald Sims 21.01.15 Sherfield Sincere apologies to the Sims family and especially Charles for getting it wrong last month On Wednesdays in Lent there will be a short service of Holy Communion at 11.00 a.m. at St. Leonard’s .....it would be good to see you at these brief reflective services as we prepare for Easter. Wed. 4th, 11th 18th and 25th of March Join us at one of our Special Services this Easter! 29 March – PALM SUNDAY 10.00 a.m. at St. Leonard’s 2nd April – MAUNDY THURSDAY Benefice Holy Communion 7.00 p.m. with Palm Sunday Procession in St. Leonard’s Church Room Agape Supper with Holy Communion 3rd April – GOOD FRIDAY 11.00am Hour at the Foot of the Cross at St. Mary’s Hartley Wespall 5th April – EASTER DAY 10.00 a.m. Family Communion, with the Floral Lenten Cross at St. Leonard’s Page 9 www.Loddonvalleylink.org.uk GARDEN MACHINERY SERVICES Miles Elliott Servicing Repairs Tuning Adjustment Sharpening Turgis Green Phone/Fax: 01256 882224 Mobile:07810573479 E-mail: [email protected] Spring is on its way Page 10 Pastoral Letter When was the last time that your opinion was canvassed about anything? As the General Election approaches, the likelihood increases of being stopped in the street or summoned to our doorsteps to answer questions. I'm wondering what response I'd get if I was to conduct a small survey of members of St Leonard's as they left this week's Sunday service, asking them how they view this time of the Church year - or indeed from anyone else that I happened to bump into whilst in the queue at the Post Office or Village Shop. We are now in the season of Lent which begins each year on Ash Wednesday. Pancakes have been tossed and eaten and for those who have committed to giving up chocolate, coffee or alcohol, it still feels as if there's an awfully long way to go until Easter Day when all those treats can be enjoyed again. So maybe it's not surprising that for many, Lent is seen as a somewhat low and downhearted, miserable time of restraint and denial - mirroring albeit in just a little way Jesus's period of 40 days in the wilderness when he was tempted to do things more awful than sneak the odd packet of Maltesers into a supermarket trolley. This thought set me wondering - maybe that's how many who wouldn't call themselves Christians view those of us who are? Do they see us as people with lots of 'can't's or 'shouldn't's in our lives, somehow less joyful than those who don't have to worry about obeying all those commandments, written in an age that is as different from today's society as it could possibly be? In fact, quite the opposite is true - or at least it should be! For we Christians remain confident in the knowledge that God loves us so much that He sent His Son to die for us, and so we can look forward to eternal life with Him.