Dates for your Diary

Sunday 2nd May 10.30am Church Holy Communion Wednesday 5th May 7.30pm Zoom Filling Station Friday 7th May 7.30pm Zoom APCM Saturday 8th May 10am-12noon Smethcott Church Pre-order Bake sale Sunday 9th May 10.30am Longnor Church Morning Prayer St Michael and All Angels St Michael and All Angels Sunday 9th May 10.30am Stapleton Church Holy Communion Woolstaston Smethcott Thursday 13th May 6.30pm Smethcott Church Holy Communion Sunday 16th May 10.30am Longnor Church Holy Communion Sunday 16th May 10.30am Smethcott Church Morning Worship Wednesday 19th May 10am Dorrington Rectory Coffee Morning Steeplewood Fold Magazine Wednesday 19th May Dorrington APCM Thursday 20th May 7pm TBC Stapleton APCM Sunday 23rd May 10.30am Dorrington Rectory Holy Communion and BYO Picnic Sunday 23rd May 10.30am Longnor Church Morning Prayer Tuesday 25th May 7pm Smethcott VH Smethcott APCM Wednesday 26th May 4pm Longnor Churchyard Longnor APCM Thursday 27th May 7.30pm VH Leebotwood APCM Sunday 30th May 10.30am Leebotwood VH Holy Communion St Mary St Mary Wednesday 2nd June 7.30pm Zoom Filling Station Longnor Leebotwood Wednesday 9th June 10am Dorrington Rectory Coffee Morning Wednesday 14th July 10am Dorrington Rectory Coffee Morning

For further information on the above events see entry in Magazine Please forward any parish entries to your representative and all adverts directly to the team on [email protected].

All entries must be submitted no later than 14th May St John the Baptist St Edward To organise subscription to this magazine please contact Emily Hill (07471 474924) or email [email protected] and monthly delivery can be Stapleton Dorrington arranged. May 2021 40p 44 1 We are the Benefice of To arrange a Christening (Baptism) or Useful Contacts Steeplewood Fold including: Wedding, please contact our Rector Rector Rev. Laura Hnatiuk 01743 719578 St Edward Dorrington, Rev Laura. [email protected] St Mary Leebotwood, St Mary Longnor, You may find some useful information Associate Priest Revd Caroline Wright 01743 718790 St Michael and All Angels Smethcott, here: [email protected]

St John the Baptist Stapleton https:// Reader Mike James 01743 718110 St Michael and All Angels Woolstaston. churchofenglandchristenings.org/for- Churchwardens Dorrington Chris Breakell 01743 718555 Index parents/ Tom Williams 01743 719414 3 From Rev. Laura Hnatiuk Leebotwood Mary Wilson 01694 751266 4 From the Diocese https:// Jacqui Bore 01694 751336 5 Dorrington www.yourchurchwedding.org/ Longnor Annabel Warburg 01743 718005 6 Dorrington School News Smethcott Bridget Naylor 07977 140494 Geoff Jarrett 01694 751463 8 Dorrington WI Stapleton Susan James 01743 718110 10 Longnor For general information you may find Christine Oakley 01743 718611 11 Longnor School News the website Woolstaston Neil Cadman 01694 751275 12 Little Owl’s Preschool Henry Beaver 07976 103806 https://www.achurchnearyou.com/ 13 Smethcott useful. 14 Smethcott WI Schools 15 Henry Fletcher’s Charity For general enquiries please contact St Edward’s C of E Primary School, Dorrington The Head Kerrie Lewis 01743 718462 16 Stapleton Rev Laura on: Nursery School Penny Hill 07890 021734 18 Leebotwood and Woolstaston 19 Filling Station [email protected] Longnor (C of E Controlled) 20 Details of Service and Picnic The Head Lucy Adams 01743 718493 01743 719578 22 Service Rota Village Halls – Booking 24 Daily Hope Dorrington Michele Smout 07762 449935 [email protected] 25 Local events Leebotwood Mary Wilson 01694 751266 27 Monthly Column from Dan Morris Longnor Sandra Hasted 01743 718255 Pat Holbourn-Williams 01694 751491 28 Local Businesses Directory Stapleton Carol Beaumont 01743 718451 [email protected] 43 Useful Contacts 44 Dates for your Diary Dorrington and Leebotwood Brownies Brownie Guider Ruth Lawrence 07713 064624 Asst. Brownie Guider Jennifer Farmer 07854 731826

Magazine Articles & Advertising [email protected]

Facebook: Steeplewood Fold Diocesan Website: Hereford.anglican.org Instagram: steeplewood_fold

2 43 A message from Rev. Laura

“And as he sat at dinner in Levi’s house, many tax-collectors and sinners were also sitting with Jesus and his disciples—for there were many who followed him. When Books, Stationery and Jigsaws at wholesale prices the scribes of the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax-collectors, they We have an extensive range of titles for children and adults. said to his disciples, ‘Why does he eat with Check us out at www.hardwickbooks.co.uk. tax-collectors and sinners?’” The price you pay is listed as ‘Our Price’ below each book title * No login required, just place your order including your contact details. Jesus like to gather with the disciples and friends to eat, there are many occasions * Click & collect for free recorded in the Gospels, and he faced criticism from those around him for doing so. * Free delivery for orders over £10 within 8 miles of Longden SY5 For Jesus, it seems, connecting over a meal was a regular habit, and it’s easy to understand why. For deliveries over 8 miles please contact us on 01743 718666

* Payment by BACS PayPal or Cash

For many of us the past year has been marked by the occasions we’ve not been able Contact Jan or Andy on 01743 718666 or 07788 417920 for more information. to gather and bond over a cuppa, or a shared meal – birthdays, engagements, weddings, the birth of a child, funerals – these and many other events in our lives have gone without our usual rituals and family traditions. And we’ve felt the Locksmiths sadness of that.

LOCAL AND INDEPENDENT NO CALL OUT CHARGES FREE SECURITY ADVICE WOODEN,UPVC DOOR LOCKS,WINDOW LOCKS Now, as restrictions ease, the days become longer, the air a little warmer, we can ANTIQUE LOCKS and RURAL SECURITY begin to reconnect. We can take time to sit together in gardens, to chat over a IDP LOCKSMITHS (IAN) cuppa or a glass of wine, to enjoy a meal together, to enjoy the company of those BASED IN WHITCHURCH COVERING we have missed. Tel. 01948 666116 Mobile 07918 617744

Email. [email protected] Website. www.idplocksmiths.co.uk It is my hope that I can be part of that, and I’m delighted to offer an opportunity to gather over a cuppa in the Rectory garden.

Rectory Garden Coffee Morning, 10am – 12noon on Wednesday 19th May, 9th June & 14th July

42 3 From the Diocese - Written by Archdeacon Derek Chedzey Pentecost or more traditionally Whitsun is I think the Cinderella of Christian festivals, it has never really had the impact of Christmas and Easter. It doesn’t have the same traditions or social events around it which make it stand out in the wider culture either. I think increasingly the church doesn’t really know how to mark the occasion and even the recent ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ prayer campaign which has actually taken off across the churches in recent years doesn’t really make much of Pentecost itself. Yet Pentecost is perhaps one of the most exciting of the church festivals for it marks the moment when God started the church! It is in effect the Church’s birthday, the day that God sent the Holy Spirit to inspire and empower ordinary Christians to do extraordinary things for Him. The Holy Spirit is given freely to all of us as a free gift from God. Jesus promised his disciples that we would receive this gift so that we might know his presence with us as we live out our faith on a daily basis. “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another comforter to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you…” - John 14:15- 16 The problem is when most of us think of comfort we think of the luxuries of life, or being wrapped up in a warm blanket or duvet. We also think of comfort as something that consoles us when we are upset or in need. Whilst all these things are true the word used in the New Testament has a completely different meaning to those we might expect. The word comfort is the same word that we find in relation to prodding, strengthening or stirring into action. The Bayeux Tapestry has a wonderful panel of Bishop Odo, forcing his men into battle, at the end of his battle club, with the abbreviated Latin words: which when translated means: “Here, Bishop Odo, comforts his troops.” As individuals we might not find such ‘comfort’ comforting but the Holy Spirit is given to equip and spur us into action! In fact, the word comfort has traditionally also meant to give or add strength to someone or to encourage, urge or exhort. When we see the coming of the Holy Spirit in that way it makes much more sense of both Jesus words and what we see in the book of Acts as the early church begins to emerge. The Holy Spirit also empowers us to be the people God created and knows us to be, in that sense the Holy Spirit fills us with God’s wisdom and power for the tasks which he has called us to. On the day of Pentecost it is the Holy Spirit that takes the group of timid and bewildered disciples and equips them to declare the gospel message. Jesus before his Ascension had promised them that they would receive the Holy Spirit to equip them as His witnesses throughout the world. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” - Acts 1:8 This power that comes with the Holy Spirit is very real and is available to us just as it was to the first disciples. It is power to live our lives as God intended, power to encourage us and to strength us for acts of service. It is not to make us feel better, or for our own benefit but it is the power to build one another up and to inspire the Church. So as Pentecost approaches perhaps we need to re-evaluate this slightly misunderstood Christian Festival and celebrate the birthday of the church with a bit more style and flair! Our prayer certainly needs to be ‘Come Holy Spirit!’ May the Spirit, who set the Church on fire upon the Day of Pentecost, bring the world alive with the love of the risen Christ. Amen. 4 41 St Edward’s Dorrington

Services during May will continue to be on zoom. However, we are hoping to add in some face to face services outdoors, please look at the details in the centre of the magazine. In Dorrington we will hold a service in the Rectory garden on Sunday 23rd May which is Pentecost Sunday. We are invited to bring a picnic lunch and eat together after the service.

Final reminder that if you wish to be included on the Parish Electoral Roll you need to speak to Peter Smith or one of the Church Wardens. The Annual General Meeting of the Parish will take place on the 19th May and at that meeting all officers are up for re-election. If you would like to nominate someone or if you are interested in filling one of the offices please speak to Laura who will be pleased to advise you.

Please don’t forget to support our friends at Smethcote with their plant sale. A catalogue will be provided and you make your order further details can be found on the Smethcote page of the magazine.

What has struck you over this Easter period? I have listened to lots of messages and in one of them we were challenged with the question, “Where would you be in the crowd?” and “Can you identify with any of the characters in the accounts given to us by the Gospel writers?” Judas who betrayed, Peter who denied, Pilate who was weak or even Joseph of Arimathea who was a disciple but came by night because he feared the Jews, to name a few. I was struck by another character Thomas who doubted. Thomas had not been with the disciples when Jesus first appeared to them and would not believe. A little later Jesus appeared again and Thomas was there and because he saw he believed. Jesus said to him “stop doubting and believe.” Thomas replied “my Lord and my God.” Jesus then said, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and Boiler service, breakdown and installation yet have believed.” We fall into that group, we have not seen yet believe however, we still have our doubts. We need to turn to the eyewitness reports of the Gospel writers for the Landlord’s gas safety certificates reassurance we need. John finishes chapter 20 by saying this. “Jesus did many other and all plumbing work miraculous signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But Telephone: 07974 268627 these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name”. Read John 20: 24 -31. email: [email protected] website: richardhornerplumbingandheating.co.uk Calvary’s Anthem Heavenly Father, thou hast led me singing to the cross where I fling down all my burdens We would like to wish all our customers a BIG thank you for their continuing custom and see them vanish, where mountains of guilt are levelled to a plain, where my sins and support during the pandemic. disappear, though they are the greatest that exist, and are more in number than the grains of fine sand. For there is power in the blood of Calvary to destroy sins more than can be counted even by one from the choir of Heaven. Thou hast given me a hill side spring that washes me clear and white and as I go to it’s waters and wash I receive full and free forgiveness. Amen 40 5 St Edward’s CE Primary School

Things are changing in our playground! We are excited to be having a new play area and trim trail put in after Easter. We’ll show you all what it looks like in the next edition.

Dragonfly Class News -

Dragonfly Class finished their project ‘The Great Fire of London’ with a great fire! As part of Design and Technology the children designed and built Tudor houses. These houses were then set alight to recreate the Great Fire of London. Luckily a fire fighter (Miss Foster) was on stand by to come and help. What a great way to end the spring term.

Kingfisher Class News - The class have all written letters to Alex T Smith, the Author of the Mr Penguin books. They’ve also created Easter wreaths and re-created The Last Supper in our Forest School area for our virtual Easter performance.

Osprey Class News –

Next term our topic will be The Living World and Space. We will primarily focus on space in our science work, studying the planets of our Solar System and stars from across the galaxy. In Geography and History we will be taking a closer look at the natural world, specifically Sir David Attenborough and his work over the past 60 years. The books we read as a class will have a focus on our topic and will be used to inspire our own space stories and information texts. We now have a PTA Facebook page— to keep up to date with what’s happening in school, please search for St Edward’s CE Primary PTA on Facebook and like our page.

E-mail: Telephone: [email protected] (01743) 718462 6 39 Website: www.dorringtonschool.co.uk Lockdown by Class 4

A poem by some of the pupils of St Edwards Dorrington about lockdown.

Some of us felt like summer came early Some of us missed football Some of us cheered at an extra holiday Some of us missed netball Some of us got the paddling pool out Some of us missed rugby Some of us went on really long walks Some of us missed dancing

PICTURE FRAMING Some of us were scared Some of us made it to the seaside High Quality, Reasonably Priced. Some of us went camping Some of us felt anxious ALL PICTURES FRAMED. Some of us washed our hands repeatedly Some of us slept in a caravan I work from home Some of us stayed shut inside Some of us saw the people we’d David Fry: 01743 ~ 872573 missed

[email protected] Some of us did Joe Wicks Some of us want to play together Some of us planted vegetables Some of us find that stressful Some of us learned new talents Some of us hate the bubbles Some of us did a Zoom quiz Some of us miss playdates Andy Morgan Building Services Some of us got bored Extensions, Alterations, Roofing, Some of us can see the light UPVC Fascias, Windows, Doors Some of us felt lonely and Some of us feel hopeful Conservatories, Garden walls, Some of us missed our holiday Some of us have been vaccinated Feature brickwork. Some of us missed our family For all your maintenance needs. Some of us are planning great things

Please call 01694 751774 Some of us baked banana bread 07930 332131 Some of us made new curries Some of us baked brownies Some of us ate too much

38 7

Dorrington WI

Dorrington WI meet on the second Tuesday of each month. The meetings are usually held at Dorrington Village Hall but at the moment meetings are taking place using zoom.

In January we had a natter and chatter evening and finalised our Programme for the Year. There are a few uncertainties but we have become quite adept at making last minute changes so that we can still meet up using technology!

In February we shared our favourite poems and enjoyed discussing each one. We finished the evening with a version of the Generation Game with a conveyor belt full of household objects! It tested our memories and provided many laughs!

In March we had an introduction to Pilates from Wendy Joelson. Some of our members have participated in Pilates previously, but for others it was a first try! Wendy explained the origins of Pilates and then we had a go at exercises to develop our core muscles. It took a lot of concentration!

In April we had a talk from Mr Murray Jacobs entitled ‘A Virtual Tour of the Must Sees of Cambridge’. This was a very entertaining and informative talk illustrated by Google Maps taking us down the actual road that Murray was talking about and highlighting the buildings being discussed. There were also slides with information about the talk. We found out a lot about Cambridge and it has tempted those of us who have not previously visited to go and explore the ‘Must Sees’ in person. Chocolate If you would like to come and join our WI or attend one of our meetings you would be made most welcome. We have included the programme for the year below so that you can see the activities planned. There may be changes but members are always notified. Haven Programme for 2021 May: TBC, a zoom session with a speaker is being arranged For that special box of Belgian June: A history of Dorrington Chocolates, Old fashioned sweets July: Flower Arranging Fudge, Turkish Delight or just a local ice cream August: A Treasure Hunt (held in a local town with lunch to follow)

September: Bingo Come and see us at - October: An Introduction to Crocheting 2 Sandford Court, November: AGM and Christmas Door Wreath Making December: Christmas Meeting and Celebration at a local hostelry Phone: 01694 722630 If you would like any further information, please contact: Email: [email protected] Our President: Mrs Bridget Thurgood on 01743 719417 or Our Secretary: Mrs Christine Maddox on 01743 718198 8 37 AUBREY KIRKHAM Funeral Directors Netley Boarding Kennels Frankwell Island & cattery New fully heated and insulated kennels now open Telephone: 01743 368999

Full inspection and bookings Also at Phone Den or Barb 01743 718264 Mobile 07803240207 The Elms Collection & delivery service Four Crosses available Enquire for discounts Telephone: 01691 839292 Opening times 9.00 am. — 10.00 am. and www.aubreykirkhamfuneraldirector.co.uk

4.00 pm - 5.00 pm Mon. to Fri. Sat. & Sun. 9.00—10.00 am. Only For a superior standard of care

Rutter’s Cleaning and Home Maintenance Services

Window Cleaning - Pole fed pure water system

Are any of the following Pests a Home repairs and maintenance - problem to you? no job too small! RATS MICE WASPS BEES ANTS FLEAS RABBITS MOLES BIRDS RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURAL. For a FREE quote please ring or email ONE OFF TREATMENTS OR CONTRACT WORK. Guy on: IF SO CONTACT. Mobile: 07896 423 260 JIM EATON. [email protected] 01743 872577 OR 07534 409911. www.pestdoctorshropshire.co.uk

36 9 St Mary’s Longnor Longnor Church is open every Sunday between 8am and 6pm for everyone who wishes to spend time in private prayer or quiet contemplation.

Church Services in Longnor during May Sunday 9th May 10.30am Morning Prayer Sunday 16th May 10.30am Holy Communion Sunday 23rd May 10.30am Morning Prayer

We are very pleased to have resumed our pattern of holding services in the Churchyard of St Mary’s Longnor. Services will continue to be outside, unless it’s raining heavily, until further notice. Everyone is very welcome. Please bring a chair. Oliver Roberts Dip WCF

Thank you for Easter flowers MOBILE FARRIER Keeper’s Cottage, A huge thank you to everyone in the Longnor Church Flower Arrangers Group for your beauti- Netley, ful Easter flowers. It was so joyful and uplifting to have the church full of flowers again – and Dorrington, we have received lots of appreciative comments. Among the visitors on Easter Day was a cou- Shrewsbury, SY5 7LA ple who got married in the church 60 years ago. It was lovely that the church looked so stun- Telephone 07792 707220 ning for their anniversary. And many thanks to Ruth and Chris Butler and Annabel Warburg for the lovely Easter Garden.

Annual Church Meeting – Wednesday 26th May at 4.00pm The Annual Parochial Church Meeting will be held in the Churchyard on Wednesday 26th May at 4.00pm. This is a short meeting to give everyone on the Church Electoral Roll a chance to review what has been going on over the last year and to help plan for the future. Everyone is warmly invited to attend. Please bring a chair.

Longnor Village Hall Refurbishment Update Although the pandemic has meant that refurbishment work has sadly not yet been able to start on the Village Hall, a lot of planning and preparatory work has been going on behind the scenes. Architect plans have been drawn up, structural engineer inspections have been carried out and planning permission has been granted. Grants have been received from the Longnor Village Trust and the Parish Council, and the Village Hall Committee have also been applying for additional grants to help fund the project. At the time of going to press, they were at the stage of seeking tenders for the building work. More updates to follow…

The Shrewsbury Ark are currently asking for lots of tinned food and ‘just add hot water’ items for example instant noodles or porridge pots, as well as the usual UHT milk and small bags of sugar, tea and coffee. Please put donations in the box at the back of church anytime between 8am and 6pm on a Sunday. 10 35 Longnor C.E. Primary School News

Sponsored Walk We’ve made it! For the past half term, we have been recording the number of miles each child has walked, scooted, run or cycled and adding them together to see if we could collectively travel from Lands’ End to John O’Groats. Two weeks ago we reached our target, so we are now seeing how far back down the country we can get by the end of the Easter holidays. The children are asking for sponsorship towards this challenge so we can buy some more iPads for the whole school to use.

Eco Schools We have recently established a new Eco-Committee who are leading our work towards renewing the Eco-School Green Flag Award. They are carrying out a review of how environmentally friendly we are as a school which will feed into an action plan to ensure the whole school is working in a way that is improving the environment within school and the local community. There are ten topics to focus on whilst working towards the Green Flag Award, some of which we are already doing very well.

Outdoor Learning We are continually looking for ways to improve our wonderful school grounds. The gardening club has been working hard to tidy up our sensory garden and establish more plants that smell, feel, look and taste good, they have also planted many vegetables, fruits and flowers in the new raised beds at the front of the school. We have refenced the Forest School area in the school grounds so that it is a cosy place to have campfires and run Forest School sessions. As soon as Covid restrictions allow we will re-start our weekly Forest School sessions in the local woods that we have recently developed.

Early Years Play Area The new early years play area to the front of the school has now been completed with a sandpit, mud kitchen, mark making facilities, picnic benches and water play area. The children are really looking forward to using the equipment when they return after the Easter holidays.

The website www.longnorschool.org.uk is continually updated and tells you about all the exciting and inspiring things we get up to at Longnor C.E. Primary School. To contact the school please email [email protected] or phone 01743 718493. 34 11

S.J. PITNEY

EXTERNAL HOUSE CLEANING SERVICES Traditionally reared on the

Gutters unblocked, Lawley & surrounding areas. cleared & cleaned Left to develop slowly to

Conservatory roofs cleaned ensure a superior eating quality. Facia’s & soffits cleaned - Patios & decking cleaned Available in 10kg & 5kg boxes to include: Driveways cleaned

Windows cleaned Roasting joints, steak,

Drains unblocked mince and stewing beef. Longnor’s Little Owls Preschool is part of Longnor CE Primary Specific orders can be catered for. School, just off the A49. Competitive prices Over 15 years experience - We place a high value on developing children’s independence and Contact Sarah or Chloe Davies on 01743 466779 07944 537375 self-confidence by learning through play and interactions with 01694 771370 or 07967 398060 others and the environment. Our curriculum is rooted in child #SupportLocal #BackBritishFarming development, providing each unique child with what they need in the here and now. We wish to offer new parents a time to chat with the Early Years Teacher where we can discuss our ethos and answer any questions or queries parents may have. This applies to both parents of children over 3 who wish to join our Preschool this academic year and children who wish to join our Reception class in September. Please call the school office on 01743 718493 or email [email protected] to book a mutually convenient time.

12 33 St. Michael and All Angels Smethcott Encouraging the whole community to discover the good news about Jesus Christ

We held an Easter quiz in the churchyard over Easter weekend and welcomed a number of individuals and families to our newly re-roofed church. Thank you to all those who took part and brought the church alive over those few days. It was good to read about people’s observations of nature in the church environment and ideas for introducing new habitats. We would also like to thank all those who had any part in the roof project – it was a truly team effort, with many local people giving their time for free, from planning, getting quotations, project management, joinery and stonemasonry, to cleaning and general tidying up. We are also very grateful to the contractors who worked for us – they were very amenable throughout and we are delighted with the standard of their work.

Plant sale - If you haven’t received a plant sale catalogue then please let us know. Orders can be placed from 3 May and collection will be from Corner House, Smethcott between 8 and 15 May. Contact Geoff Jarrett directly to make an order or Kate Phillips for a catalogue ([email protected]). We have a wide range of

IronWorks herbaceous perennials, clematis, shrubs, grasses, herbs and greenhouse vegetables. www.ironworkstoves.co.uk Please send your order to Geoffon [email protected] or hand your order to Log burner / Multi fuel Stove Geoff or a member of the PCC. Installations

Flue Liner installations Bake sale - We are also planning another bake sale on Saturday 8 May. The list of Sweeping cakes was emailed out in late April but if you didn’t receive one let us know. Orders in by Sunday 2 May please. Cakes will be available for collection on Saturday 8 May Chimney & Roof repairs / Lead work / Cowls between 10 and 12 from the church yard. All aspects of General Property Maintenance Smethcott APCM- Our Annual General Meeting of the Parish will take place on Tuesday 25th May (not on 27th) from 7 pm in the village hall. Everyone welcome to attend. Installer Sweep

07971 1777 42 Maintenance Thought for the month [email protected] “How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of 32 your creatures” (Psalm 104 v 24 NIV). 13 News from Smethcote WI Ben Carter Smethcote WI Past and Present Landscaping, Grounds, Property Andrew Cookson As we celebrate our 90th anniversary, here is the annual report Maintenance prepared for the first AGM held in 1931 Hedge Cutting, Chemical Application (lawns, drives etc.) Shed, Fence Annual Report of Smethcote WI 1931 Maintenance Tree, Shrub Planting, th Woodland Management Smethcote Womens’ Institute was formed on April 8 1931 and includes Please call me on 07891 376638 or 01743 Smethcote, Picklescote, Woolstaston, Leebotwood and Lower Wood. 718802 for a quote or further information There are 50 members, with 12 on the Committee. Meetings are Landscaping, Fencing, arranged for the 2nd Wednesday in the month at Smethcote, Woolstaston, Planning a party, family reunion, local Welding, and Leebotwood alternately with 4 tea hostesses to correspond. event - need a caterer? Nine monthly meetings will have been arranged to December of this Why not approach General farm maintenance, All year, in which five demonstrations have been given, also a wild - flower types of digger work competition held and a talk on “Old Shropshire” Sue’s Catering The Annual meeting is in December. The average attendance is 34. The 01694 751257 Highfield, Stapleton, district being very scattered, many members have a long distance to 07815 733893 Shrewsbury come. SY5 7EF TEL: 01743 718863 A ‘Trading Table’ was started in August with 1d in the shilling commission charged on all goods sold. In July the deputy Treasurer and a delegate attended the Summer Council meeting at Welshampton and in October, 6 members attended the East Shrewsbury Group Conference at Meole Brace. September was a holiday month, Mrs Bather invited the members to Nobold Grange to visit her garden and have tea. A circular tour home brought a delightful day to a close. The Committee have met 4 times. Ten copies of Home and Country are taken monthly. Much regret has been felt for the long illness of our President, through whose initiative this Institute was formed and her cheery presence amongst us is now missed by all. The Committee and members heartily thank Mrs Southam (Vice P resident) who has kindly kept affairs running smoothly during the last few months ***************** Back to the Future Smethcote WI 2021-2022 What can you expect? A very warm welcome just like the first meeting in 1931, a range of excellent speakers and activities. Smethcote WI won the county’s best programme for 2018-19 an acknowledgement of how Smethcote has strived to produce a varied and enjoyable range of activities for its’ members. Obviously, the pandemic put a halt to many of our plans. However, now we have a “Road Map” set out by government concerning the reduction in restrictions, we can now start to make some plans for the next few months programme. 14 31

Importantly as a WI we have taken the decision to reduce our an-

Nick Osborne News from Smethcote WI Continued Repairs Importantly as a WI we have taken the decision to reduce our Longnor annual subscription fees by £10 to £34 for the year. As a Furniture repairs, polishing, member of a local WI you also have access to all the national small woodwork & painting repairs benefits Brass polishing, silver soldering, metalwork repairs, welding. For Example:8 copies of WI Life, the WI magazine, Exclusive access to My Small plumbing jobs, shed re- WI, the WI member-only website. Plus many more activities at a county pairs and national level. Visit the WI website: https://www.thewi.org.uk Electrical cord replacement on irons Table lamps etc, lamp holder replacement Chandelier cleaning and repairs.

Do you something that needs repairing or restoration?

Give me a call to see if I can help.

Call: O1743 718986 Mobile: 07956772432 Whatever your travel needs!

CARADOC COACHES Coach and Minibus Hire Day Tours & Holidays

Tel: 01694-724522 REV. HENRY FLETCHER’S, MUNSLOW’S AND POOR’S LAND CHARITY Email:[email protected] Apiary Park, Walls Bank, Nr. Church Stretton, SY6 7DP This is a reminder that this charity exists to help residents of Smethcott Parish who www.caradoccoaches.co.uk are in need, and additionally for the general or individual benefit of the inhabitants, as the trustees see fit.

There are five trustees. Chair being Rev. Hnatiuk, Two trustees nominated by the Parish Council, currently Martin Morris and Mike Sillence, and two co-opted trustees currently Carolyn Brunt and Geoff Jarrett.

If you feel that you, someone you know, or your organisation may be eligible and would benefit from a grant then please feel free to contact the Clerk to the Trustees, Miss Sophie Forbes (07890 149383) or any of the trustees direct. Your application will be dealt with in the strictest confidence.

30 15 St John the Baptist Stapleton

Details about Services in May are on other pages in the magazine. Church will now be open for private prayer every Saturday and Sunday.

APCM This year we will hold this important meeting on Thursday 20th May. Depending on the Covid restrictions at the time we may hold it in Church, the Churchyard or on Zoom. If you would like to join the Church Electoral Roll please let Sue know at [email protected] or 01743 718110

100 club 100 club results for April £20 Number 50 Jeanette Fox £10 Number 16 Margaret Beever Mike Downes Easyfundraising online shopping Please remember to register for this at https://www.easyfundrasising.org.uk/causes/ Domestic Electrician stjohnstapleton (Est- 1981)

Flower Rota  NICEIC Approved We will begin a new Flower Rota from May. During the pandemic we (Churchwardens and some willing helpers) have made sure that flowers have always been on the Altar  Rewires , Extensions , Heating etc but we hope that now lots of you will wish to join us. Please let me know ASAP the dates you would like to arrange flowers.  Inspections and Fault finding

If you have a spare table we can use in Church, please let us know. The one we used Phone : 01743 291528 to serve refreshments has been burned – it was full of woodworm. Website : www.mwdownesshrewsburysy5.co.uk

Village Hall The village hall will be open for events from June 21st 16 29 BROW FUELS Chartered Accountants Brow Farm Ratlinghope 1 Knights Court, Suppliers of Household Coal Archers Way, and Smokeless Fuels Battlefield Enterprise Park, Free regular deliveries Shrewsbury. SY1 3GA Tel: J Sankey Providing quality service to business and personal clients throughout Shropshire and the Borders Tel : 01588 650641

For further details telephone or email Jonathan Rimmer

Tel: 01743 453933 or Email : [email protected]

Telephone Penny Hill ~ 07890021734 or Registered by the Institute of Chartered Accountants Email ~ [email protected] in and Wales to carry out company audit * Located in the grounds of St.Edwards C of E Primary school work. * Open 8-5, term time only * Qualified and experienced staff James, Holyoak and Parker is the trading name of * 24U funding * 3 & 4yr old funding James, Holyoak and Parker Ltd. Registered in Eng- * Weekly Outdoor explorers sessions * Cooking sessions land, * Small, homely, friendly atmosphere company number 5374878 * Stay and Play session, every Monday 1pm-3pm £2 per family, All welcome.

28 17 St Michael and All Angels Woolstaston Report from Dan Morris – Shropshire Councillor for the Ward of Burnell No Church Service until further notice. I have been a member of the Place Overview Committee over the past 4 years, and I recently volunteered to be a member of a working group to examine the Shropshire We would like to thank Jo Burton for being our Parrish Roads Winter Maintenance Program, and come up with recommendations to improve how the Councillor. Jo’s dedication and commitment to the role is service responds from winter 2021/22. much appreciated. To inform the group’s work, the overview and scrutiny officers also conducted a rapid survey of

th district, town and parish councils and councillors. In total, 23 town and parish councils and We are delighted to be opening the Church on Saturday the 8 of May for the three district councillors responded to the survey. Wedding of Jonathon and Kim. The group recommended that Shropshire Council: th There will be an Annual Parochial Church Zoom Meeting on the 7 of May at 7.30pm • Undertakes a new register of its existing grit bins. on Zoom, please contact Rev. Laura for an invite. • Includes grit bins in its risk-assessed review of the defined network. • Works with town and parish council to identify locations for new grit bins. Margaret Walker who attends our Church, is awaiting an operation, our thoughts and • Explores opportunities to co-fund grit bins in settlements with town and parish councils. prayers are with her and her family. We wished her well for a speedy recovery. • Develops a standardised process for checking and refilling grit bins. • Builds into its winter service plan a gulley cleansing programme that takes into account the St Mary’s Leebotwood higher risk of prolonged wet weather during the winter period. • Recruits sufficient staff to support the flood risk manager in their work. Have you got a bit of spare energy and want to do your • Uses the new flood risk staff to work with agricultural businesses to minimise silt runoff bit for the community to help the team to keep the from fields. church grave yard near and tidy. Ray on 751228 or John • Liaises with farmers and other organisations through its agricultural vehicles group to on 751266 would like to hear from you. minimise mud and other debris left on the highway. • Works with its highways partners to develop a new snow warden scheme and aims to have On Thursday 27th May at 7.30pm our APCM will be taking place in the village hall, all this scheme in place by winter 2021-2022. are welcome. Please note that the group service on Sunday 30th May is being held at • Incorporates the afore-mentioned snow warden scheme into its revised winter service Leebotwood village hall at 10.30am. plan. • Specifies an effective customer service function within its winter plan. I would like to thank all my friends for their kind words, cards, emails, gifts and • Ensures that this function operates during the winter period, in particular during periods of prayers during my recent illness. I am now recovering well, everyone's support and cold or wet weather that is likely to result in flooded or freezing conditions. kindness has meant a great deal to me and helped me keep a positive attitude during • Ensures that existing routine reporting tools, such as MyShropshire, are monitored and this difficult time. Looking forward to seeing you all again soon. Love Jacqui x actioned upon. • Strengthens it communications plan to include closer communication with town and parish Anything you would like to put on Leebotwood's page please contact Jacqui 01694 councils, as well as community and third sector organisations. 751336 or email [email protected] before the 14th of each month. • Ensures that any communications plan includes residents who do not use the internet.

If there are any issues you feel I can help on, please do not hesitate to contact me by email [email protected], by mobile on 07902 408400, on facebook dan4burnell or Twitter @dan4burnell. Kind regards, Dan 18 27 BENEFICE WORSHIP AND ACTIVITIES 1st Dorrington & Leebotwood FILLING STATION ZOOM PRAISE Brownies Our next Filling Station is on Wednesday 5th May, on Zoom at 7.30pm. We are delighted to welcome to our next Filling Station in May, the Rev Dorrington Village Hall Joanne Dyer. Joanna’s professional role, before becoming ordained was as 6.30 - 8pm, Thursdays in Term Time HR Director for Birmingham and Solihull PCT cluster. She was the strategic Brownies is for girls aged 7 -10 years old, we play games, make friends lead for Human Resources and Organisational Development across 4 PCTs. and have fun doing crafts and outdoor activities. Jo still runs a consultancy which works with individuals, teams, and organisations to improve performance, and not just problem teams - even If your daughter would like to join us now or in the high performing teams can increase their value when they understand, future, give us a ring and we’ll tell you more. trust each other and work to their natural strengths. She was ordained in 2017 and was a curate in rural parishes before being Contact: Ruth Lawrence 07830 815071 appointed vicar or All Souls Parish in North Warwickshire which consists of the villages of Brownie Guider Austrey, Newton Regis, Seckington, Shuttington and Warton. A bit like us really. Or email: [email protected] Jo has blessed us by sharing her faith and knowledge at FS on a previous occasion. Many will remember the boxes she produced to show how easy it is to put God in a box. And Barry her husband played in the band. Andrew went to school with Barry in Birmingham! Dorrington Bowling Club We look forward to her talk based on the Lord’s Prayer to help us on our year’s journey of

learning more about the character of God Why don’t you try bowling?

Please do invite friends to join us. Bowls is a sociable sport played by people of all ages and abilities. We bowl throughout the year, outdoors in summer and indoors in winter. You need no special equipment to start, we will lend it to you.

To learn more about indoor bowling contact Tom Hewitt 01743 718420 or for outdoor bowling contact Peter Smith 01743 719294.

SENIORS LUNCH CLUB The Horseshoes, Dorrington

The Seniors Lunch Club is held on the second Thursday of each month at 12.15pm for 1.00pm.

It is open to anyone aged 50 and over. If you would like to join us phone Mrs Anne Hinchliffe on 01743 718 993.

26 19 RSPB Shropshire Local Group

Due to Covid-19, and since lockdown restrictions were imposed back in March 2020, we have been unable to hold our regular monthly meetings at Bayston Hill Memorial Hall. The uncertainty of the ongoing situation means that we can’t plan any meetings for the foreseeable future. As soon as we are given the go-ahead by RSPB HQ, we will kick off our series of illustrated talks once again. We have a line up of enthusiastic and expert speakers eager to entertain and inform us, and we would love to welcome you as soon as possible. In the meantime, you can find out more about the RSPB by checking out the website www.rspb.org.uk.

We are running a series of monthly Zoom talks and you can find out more about these on the local group website www.rspb.org.uk/groups/shropshire We are aiming to re-start our field trips as soon as we are allowed – so it’s worth keeping an eye on the local website for news! There is a “contact us” link here too, if you would like more information about us and what we do. You can also contact us by telephone 07833 647109 or email [email protected]

20 25 24 21 Services in May 2021 – Lectionary Year B *ALL SERVICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE DUE TO COVID19*

All services to be held in churchyard, unless weather poor.

Sunday Dorrington Leebotwood Longnor Smethcott Stapleton Woolstaston Also this week

2nd May 10.30am 5th Sunday of Easter CW Holy Communion Wednesday 5th May, 7.30pm (White) 1 Filling Station on Zoom Acts 8:26-40 John 15:1-8 Rev. Laura Hnatiuk

9th May 10.30am 10.30am th 6 Sunday of Easter Morning Prayer CW Holy Communion Ascension Day—Thursday 13th (White) 2 May, 6.30pm—Holy Communion

Acts 10:44-48 at Smethcott John 15: 9-17 Lay Leaders Team Rev. Laura Hnatiuk

16th May 10.30am 10.30am Sunday after Morning Worship Ascension CW Holy Communion 3

(White) Acts 1: 15-17, 21-26 Lay Leaders Team John: 17:6-9 Rev. Laura Hnatiuk

10.30am 23rd May CW Holy Communion 10.30am Pentecost Dorrington Rectory Morning Prayer (Red) 4 Garden Acts 2:1-21 Rev. Laura Hnatiuk John 15:26-27, (followed by BYO 16: 4b-15 Lay Leaders Team Picnic in garden)

30th May 10.30am Trinity Sunday CW Holy Communion Wednesday 2nd June, 7.30pm (Gold or White) 5 Leebotwood Village Filling Station on Zoom Romans 8: 12-17 Hall John 3: 1-17 Rev. Laura Hnatiuk

22 23