The Littleton Link

February 2020

Editors letter

Dear All Welcome to the February edition of the Link. I hope by the time you get to read this that you will have either taken part in the Big Garden Birdwatch, for which results need to be in by 16 February, or are helping to keep our birds going through the lean months of winter? At the time of writing we’ve not had any of the white stuff yet like the cover picture taken last winter, but almost all the berries are gone from my garden shrubs. Did you get to see the ‘Wolf Moon’ penumbral lunar eclipse on 10 January? Luckily the clouds cleared when the eclipse started at 5 pm but it was a chilly evening for moon-gazing. This edition we’ve got appeals for volunteers, the final instalment of Dave Smith’s ‘Trip of a Lifetime’, plus reports from all our usual contributors too. If you’d like to see anything new in here please don’t be afraid to send it through. Kind regards, Mary

Cover photo: Redwing (Chris Jennings) 2

Dates for your diary

Day & Event Time Location Date Wed 5 Feb Wednesday Club 2:30 pm Village Hall Tues 11 Feb Littletons WI 7:30 pm Village Hall Wed 12 4:30 to 6 Middle Feb Youth Bus pm Littleton Wed 19 Feb Wednesday Club 2:30 pm Village Hall Wed 19 N&M Parish Feb Council meeting 7 pm Village Hall Thurs 20 South Parish Feb Council meeting 7:30 pm Scout Hut Tues 25 10:40 to Feb Mobile Library 12:00 various Tues 25 Feb Village Hall AGM 7:30 pm Village Hall Wed 4 Mar Wednesday Club 2:30 pm Village Hall

Details of all events can be found in this or past editions of the Link which are also available online at: http://www.southlittleton.org.uk/The_Littleton_Link_6377.aspx

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LITTLETON FOOTBALL CLUB FEBRUARY & MARCH FIXTURES February 1 WEM Town Home February 8 AFC Bridgnorth Away February 15 Worcester Raiders Home February 22 Darlaston Town Home February 29 Black Country Rgrs Away

March 7 Bilston Town Comm Home March 10 (Tues) Wednesfield (7:45pm) Home March 14 Cradley Town Away March 21 Bewdley Town Home March 28 Worcester Raiders Away

All games are 3 pm kick-off, unless otherwise stated. All home games are played at Five Acres, Road, North Littleton. Hot and cold drinks available. Please come and Support your local team Volunteers are always welcome to join existing ones who continue to carry out the everyday tasks involved with running the club. Help is always appreciated especially on match days. Should you wish to support the club you can sponsor a game for £50 or a match ball £25. Please contact the secretary. We would be pleased to see you at Five Acres to give your support to our local players and management. Looking forward to seeing you at Five Acres

Marion Brighton Secretary Telephone: 01905 909125 4

Volunteer wanted to help distribute the Link Magazine in

Due to relocation we have a gap for delivering the Link Magazine to the following roads

 Withy Trees Road 1-55  Little Road 2-10  Cocks Harbour , White’s farm x 2 , Droves cottages x 2  Holborn Kennels This totals approx. 65 magazines and will take between 1-1.5 hours of your time. The magazine is published once a month and is printed and ready for delivery in the first week of every month.

The magazines will be dropped off at your location for delivery at your convenience.

Currently the Link magazine is distributed across the Village by a loyal band of volunteers totalling 15. These residents deliver over 575 copies each month helping to keep this important Village publication viable.

If you are interested in helping and joining the distributor team please contact myself.

Richard Herborn

[email protected]

Tel 07860 439579

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SOUTH LITTLETON PARISH COUNCIL

January Meeting

 Lovely to see so many Residents attending the Christmas Event on Dec 14th. Thanks to the Brass band for the festive music and a BIG thank you to The Arden Pig Roast Co. As well as supplying us all with extremely lovely food during the night they very kindly donated their entire fee to the St Richard’s Hospice, a generous gesture and keeping with the festive spirit. With this, and kind donations collected on the night, £531.21 was raised. A certificate of appreciation from St Richards can be found in this Link Edition thanking everyone.

 The Precept Fund for April 20-21 was approved by the Council. The increase, given the number of new Houses in the Village, is expected to be nominal. The last 4 years has seen the Precept percentage reduce year on year. 7

 A New Lengthsman for the Village was approved. A Full detail of the work involved over the next few months will now be produced and we look forward to continually making the Village look the best it can.  County Councillor A. Adams advised that where any flooding occurred he is undertaking a Village tour with the relevant WCC departments to review what work can be undertaken or implemented. He will report back on this at the next meeting  The siding out work to the relevant pavements at South Meadow will continue in Feb.  The PC agreed to print a notice in March’s Link edition to remind dogs owners of their responsibility to maintain control of their Dogs at all times. An incident happen on the Rec ground in the New Year which has prompted this reminder.  The Next Parish Council meeting will be held on 7:30pm Thursday 20th Feb 2020 . Each meeting starts with a Residents open Forum where any items or idea can be discussed. All are welcome  Please also note that all the Agenda & minutes for each meeting are available on the PC website for your perusal at: www.southlittleton.org.uk . Why not take a look, you may be able to help with certain projects?

Richard Herborn

Chairperson SLPC

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CRUSE BEREAVEMENT CARE,

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED !

 Compassionate?  Enthusiastic?  Keen to add to your skills?

Join us in helping make sure every bereaved person can get the help and support they need. You can get involved with our work in lots of different ways – become a volunteer supporting bereaved people or helping run our local services, help us raise funds, or help us campaign for bereaved people everywhere.

If you would like to become a bereavement volunteer working directly with Worcestershire people, we can train you to support them with our excellent 6-day Bereavement Support Foundation course in Worcester, commencing on Sat. 15 February 2020 and on further dates in Feb, March and April.

For more information, please contact Julie Mills on [email protected] or ring our Helpline on 01905 222 23

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ADANA COLLECTIVE & DUNC’S DEN

At: Avonvale Holiday Lodges, Road, Offenham, WR11 8DX

ADANA COLLECTIVE At Adana We Deal in Antiques, Vintage, Retro, Curios and Salvaged Goods. We Buy and Sell almost Anything with a Twist of Individuality. Website: www.adanacollective.co.uk Email: [email protected] Mobile: 07824 381910 Instagram: adanacollective Facebook: ADANA collective

Dunc’s Den

Open each Saturday & Sunday Antiques, Collectibles & Curios THE FUTURE IS THE PAST For all enquiries and opening hours please contact Duncan Tranter T: 01386 833 155 M: 07765 946 648 E: [email protected]

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Notice board The Littletons Village Hall AGM will be open to all on Tuesday 25th February 2019 at 7:30 pm Any member of the Littleton’s community are more than welcome to come along, you’ll find us in the back room of the hall. We look forward to seeing some new faces.

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NORTH AND MIDDLE LITTLETON PARISH COUNCIL January Meeting Flooding: This was discussed and a representative from Worcestershire County Council is to visit the parish.

Trees: Western Power have authorised for work to be carried out.

Telephone Kiosk: (North Littleton) The materials have been received and refurbishments will be carried out in the spring.

Overgrown hedges: There are still some issues with these.

Cleeve Road: The unpleasant odour is still being noticed. This is being investigated by Severn Trent.

Blakes Hill: The erosion of the grass verge opposite the entrance to Clevedon Row is to be dealt with by Worcestershire County Council.

Footpaths: The condition of the footpath (through the field) from Middle to South at the south end to be reported to Worcestershire County Council.

Street lights: If you notice a light not working please report to the clerk stating location and number on lamp.

Clerk: Marion Brighton, Telephone: 01905 909125

Next meeting scheduled for Wednesday February 19, 2020 at 7 pm in the Village Hall.

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RWH Accountancy Limited Company Accounts Sole Trade Accounts Bookkeeping VAT Returns Payroll Personal Tax Returns

Contact Richard: 01386 291007 [email protected]

John Betts Property maintenance Over 25 years’ experience

Extensions & Alterations / Brick Work / Stone Work Patios / Repointing / Painting No job too small / All your property needs

For a free quote phone John on 01386 761379 or 07415 144926

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NORTH AND MIDDLE LITTLETON PARISH COUNCIL

DOG WALKING The Parish Council are constantly receiving complaints from parishioners concerning the amount of dog faeces being left on the footpaths. Dog fouling is a messy eyesore. Perhaps more importantly, dog mess is also a potential health hazard. All dog owners have a legal duty to clean up dog faeces immediately after their animal fouls a public place. Dog mess laws do not allow the excuse of 'not noticing' that the canine has fouled. Owners could be liable for a ‘Fixed Penalty Fine’ of £100, rising up to £1000 if a case goes to court.

Wychavon District Council maintains over 300 dog waste bins in public open spaces and provides dog waste sacks through their Community Contact Centres. For anyone who can’t locate a Dog Waste Bin double wrap your ‘poo’ bag and dump it in a normal litter bin or take it home. Dog fouling can be reported to at: https://selfservice.wychavon.gov.uk/wsformswdc/wdc_dogfouling.jsp

GREEN DOG WALKERS is an initiative promoted by Wychavon District Council at: https://www.wychavon.gov.uk/green-dog-walkers Your local Parish Council would like to encourage you to join and help to keep our pavements and open spaces clear of dog mess. Thank you Marion Brighton Clerk North and Middle Littleton Parish Council

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Montacute House NT, Brownsea Island NT, Portland and Weymouth Luxury coach holiday from Friday 20 March. 3 days. 2 nights in the Portland Heights Hotel (dinner, bed and breakfast). You will be picked up in North Littleton. This is a superb holiday. We have combined all the places from holidays we have done before. All very good. For more information phone 01386 832095

Vale Painting Services For a quality professional job at very competitive prices. Small jobs welcome For a free quote call

Maurice on 07521 127421

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LITTLETON BOWLING CLUB

Littleton Bowling Club will be holding its spring course from early March for people who have never played lawn/flat green bowls previously. This would suit those who have been involved in competitive sports previously or those who have never been involved in a sport but would like to try the game of bowls. This traditional game needs more people to get involved and enjoy the camaraderie which is unique. The course will begin with an introductory session where you can try the sport with all equipment supplied free of charge and if you find that this is something that you have been looking for then you will be invited to a further 5 sessions (for a one-off nominal charge of £20) to gain knowledge so that you can play a game competitively upon completion of the course. The fee covers the expense of heating and lighting of our indoor bowling facility and if upon completion you decide to become a member then £10 of this fee will be deducted from the annual membership. All we ask is you come with some flat soled slippers or even bare feet and enthusiasm and we'll supply the rest. You will be coached by two qualified coaches and other members of the club who will be helping. The numbers for the course are strictly adhered to (8 maximum) and we already have some people interested in the spring course. To reserve your place please email Dave Smith at [email protected] or call 01386 832421 and I will confirm your reservation by email.

We advertise initially locally as this is your village and always get a good response but when we do not have the required number we advertise more widely so get in touch now if you would like to be part of our club.

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JAMES GLOVER Garden Maintenance Hedge Clipping / Pruning Weeding Planting & Removing Shrubs Preparing Vegetable Plots

Lawn Mowing FULLY INSURED Telephone: 01386 830409

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Benefice of East Vale and Avon Villages

The parishes of North & Middle Littleton and South Littleton are both members of the United Benefice of East Vale and Avon Villages. The priest in charge is Revd Fr Philip Morton (01386 832599) email: [email protected] For weddings, baptisms and funerals contact Wendy Stafford Parish Administrator 01386 424728 or [email protected]

For any other matters relating to St Nicholas Church, please contact Roy Powell (01386 832058) or Peter Brown (01386 831529) Hon Treasurer.

For general enquires relating to St Michaels Church, please contact the Churchwardens Robert Johnson 01386 831504 or Sue Jinks 01386 831553.

Church services are as follows:

Date Service Time Location St Michael's, 02-Feb Family Service 9:30 AM South Candlemas Holy Eucharist 4:30 PM St Nicholas, N&M 05-Feb Eucharist 10:00 AM St James, 09-Feb St Michael's, 3rd Sunday Morning Praise 9:30 AM South before Lent Evensong 4:30 PM St Nicholas, N&M St Michael's, 12-Feb Eucharist 10:00 AM South 16-Feb St Michael's, 2nd Sunday Eucharist 9:30 AM South before Lent Holy Eucharist 4:30 PM St Nicholas, N&M St Leonards, 19-Feb Eucharist 10:00 AM Bretforton 20

Date Service Time Location St Michael's, 23-Feb Morning Praise 9:30 AM South Sunday next before Lent Evensong 4:30 PM St Nicholas, N&M 26-Feb St Mary & St Ash Milburgh, Wednesday Eucharist 7:00 PM Offenham St Michael's, 01-Mar Family Service 9:30 AM South

Family Services are short non-Eucharist service especially for families with coffee and drinks.

Other information from St Michaels Church at South Your Church is open for visitors Look out for the “Church Open” sign, and please call in.

100 Club Winners Sept – No 36, Mr LeBrun Oct – No 34, Mrs Johnson Nov - No 55, Mrs Brotheridge Dec - No 2, Mrs Hawkes (deceased)

For information on St Michael’s please visit our web site at: www.southlittletonchurch.co.uk

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From the Parish Registers November and December Weddings - none Baptisms

01-Dec-19 Bretforton Oscar George Sharp 01-Dec-19 Bretforton Amelia May Morris 01-Dec-19 Stellan Victor Holmes

Funerals

22-Nov-19 Bretforton Roger Charles Bishop 73 25-Nov-19 Cleeve Prior Elizabeth Mary Conneeley 92 06-Dec-19 Bretforton Maurice Leonard Griffiths 81 09-Dec-19 Badsey Patricia Gamble 84 11-Dec-19 Offenham William Henry Brotherton 94 11-Dec-19 Badsey Iris Joan Jelfs 76 12-Dec-19 Badsey Malcolm Stewart 80 20-Dec-19 Offenham Peter William Lewis 75

Please come and join us for crafts, activities, fun and games From 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday 1 March Theme for this session: Creation At Littleton School Free Fun for Families & Free Tea We welcome, Grannies, grandads, Mums, Dads. Uncle, Aunts. Messy Church is for everyone. Everyone is welcome so see you there For more information contact: [email protected] 22

February 2020 This month sees the first of our study away-days at village hall on 15th February. We decided to make 2020 a year of exploring our faith in a little more depth, and this first study day is a great way to get things going. We’re going to be looking at the Book of Jonah. The story of Jonah and the Whale is one that might be familiar to many people, but the whole story tells us much more about what it means to live in a close relationship with God. The story deals with very human emotions; fear, anxiety, disappointment, joy and hope, and it talks about what it means to trust in God even though things may not be clear at the time. The idea of looking at the story of Jonah is to help us reflect on our own journeys of faith and ask ourselves where God might be leading us to in the future. The number of attendees is limited, so we are working on a first come, first serve basis. If you would like to know more about the day or sign- up as an attendee, please get in touch with the Vicar or put your name down on the sign-up lists in each church. The day is free, so do come and join us!

Revd. Philip Morton

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St Michael’s Church, South Littleton 100 Club

We are now collecting subscriptions for 2020. Your support is much appreciated! Around £10,000 paid out in prizes so far!

Send your subscription as below. Cheques to South Littleton PCC, or cash. Or pay into bank account number 00150457 sort code 30-93-11

Rob Johnson (01386 831504) at 1 Greenhill Cottages Bennetts Hill South Littleton WR11 8TD; or Sue Jinks (01386 831553) at Nyali Main Street South Littleton (opposite the bus shelter).

£25 per year buys the chance to win cash prizes and helps keep our church open. 50% is paid out in monthly prizes and 50% goes to Church funds.

Contact name …………….………………………………………………………

Address………………………………………………………………………………

Email / Phone number ………………………………………………………

By completing this form you agree to The PCC of St Michaels the Archangel South Littleton holding and processing your personal data and contacting you concerning the 100 club and also general church fundraising events. You can unsubscribe at any time, by contacting the Secretary to the PCC Robert Johnson at [email protected] or 01386 831504. Details of our Data Privacy Notice are available on request.

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WORLD DAY OF PRAYER 2020 “Rise, take your mat and walk” Women, men and children of all ages are called to “Rise, take your mat and walk” to join this day of prayer. Women of Zimbabwe have prepared this year’s service and they encourage us all to reflect on the difficulties and unrest that have plagued their country over many years. They share the challenges they have met and the hopes they have for the future. They encourage us to “Rise, take your mat and walk” with them as they continue their often turbulent journey towards full reconciliation. World Day of Prayer is an international inter-church organisation which enables us to hear the thoughts of women from all parts of the world: their hopes, concerns and prayers. The preparation for the day is vast. An international committee is based in New York and there are national committees in each participating country. Regional conferences meet to consider the service and then local groups make their plans. The day of prayer is celebrated in over 170 countries. It begins in Samoa and prayer in native languages travels throughout the world – through Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas, before finishing in American Samoa more than 36 hours later. All are invited to St James’ Church, Badsey on Friday 6th March 2020 at 2:30 pm, where we will gather to celebrate the service prepared by the women of Zimbabwe. You are also welcome to join us for a light lunch, 1:00 pm at the church.

To book for lunch and for further information, please contact: Diana Condeliffe - 07910 805831 or see the WDP website: www.wwdp.org.uk 25

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Mobile Library

The mobile library visits the Littletons on the 4th Tuesday of the month (25 February) at the following times:

 10:40 to 10:55 – North Littleton, The Ivy  11:00 to 11:15 – Middle Littleton, Village Hall  11:45 to 12:00 – South Littleton, Shinehill Lane

Enquiries about this service should be made by contacting: TEL: 01905 822722 or emailing [email protected]

*************************** Next visit of the Youth Bus To Middle Littleton

Wednesday 12 February 4:30 to 6 pm Weather permitting

If you’d like to see the bus in South Littleton please get in touch with Robin Mace at: [email protected] Follow us Wychavon Youth Bus | Like us The Youth Bus For more information contact Rob Mace 07773 031205 or email [email protected]

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LITTLETONS’ WEDNESDAY CLUB Here we are again, next year already. We hope all our readers have had a good Christmas 2019 and that the New Year 2020 has started off well.

Our last meeting of 2019, on December 18th was our annual Carol Service shared with Joyce & Alan Bache, 2 of our members. We began the service by listening to Kathryn Jenkins singing, O Holy Night, not to the usual tune, but very pleasant and preparing us for the service of carols, readings, prayers and the blessing to follow. Members had requested some favourite carols after the service, and with good voice, we sang Silent Night, The First Noel, While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night and several more bringing our Carols to an end. Joyce and Alan were thanked for planning our last meeting of 2019.

Welcome to January 2020

January 8th: We are always wary of inviting speakers to our first meeting bearing in mind the weather could cause us to cancel altogether. It is titled “In House” meaning, on this occasion, paying SUBS and probably a Quiz but most definitely, a “catch up”. January 15th: 25 members, friends & visitors enjoyed our annual trip to the popular “Panto” at Birmingham Hippodrome. As usual, the celebrities performing this year are amazing and audience friendly, (but don’t sit in the front row). We were entertained by Lesley Joseph (Queen Dragonella), Matt Slack (Muddles), Joe McElderry (Spirit of the Mirror), Faye Brookes (ex-Coronation Street) (Snow White) and Jac Yarrow as Prince Harry. There were 7 Dwarves as the Magnificent Seven and Flawless were the Queen’s Guards. The scenery, props, costumes were absolutely brilliant. The Finale filled the stage which showed us how good the scenery costumes were. No wonder they get full houses and coaches from quite a 28 distance. The children up in the Gods certainly enjoyed their afternoon. Matt Slack first appeared in 2013/14 when Gok Wan was on stage and this year is his seventh year. This year is the Hippodrome’s 120th and Matt was invited back to help them celebrate. To date, he has made more than 430 appearances in 1,000 hours on the Hippodromes stage. Well I never he’s back 2020-2021 in GOLDILOCKS and the Three Bears.

Future Programme: February 19th: Bring & Buy March 18th: Outing April 15th: Outing

February 5th, March 4th and April 1st will be meetings in the Village Hall at 2:30 pm. Speakers have not confirmed their dates as we go to print.

Our Charity this year is Shop Mobility and it is also a Charity collection point. Please support if you can. Thank you.

Wednesday Club welcomes new members and visitors to our meetings and outings. You will be made very welcome.

For Information: Marion Brighton: 01905 909125 Mary Hilton: 01386 830763 Eileen Meads

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S.W ELECTRICAL MAINTENANCE

LOCAL, FRIENDLY AND RELIABLE ELECTRICIAN

ALL TYPES OF DOMESTIC AND COMMERCIAL WORKS CARRIED OUT

TESTING AND INSPECTION

FULL AND PARTIAL REWIRES

FUSE BOARD UPDATES

ADDITIONAL LIGHTING AND SOCKETS

SECURITY LIGHTING

GARAGE AND SHED SUPPLY

PAT TESTING

PART P REGISTERED NAPIT APPROVED

CALL STEVE ON: 01386 833380 or MOBILE 07923672572 [email protected] 30

Littletons WI Our December meeting was our Christmas party with a very high turnout of our members. The supper was prepared by the Committee and light drinks were served on arrival. We were entertained by Phil Colins and Partner who entertained us with music and jokes. Phil judged our competition which was a Christmas tree decoration and this was won by Val with a beautiful material star. Our first meeting of the new decade was a Members Meeting. After the singing of Jerusalem President Margaret Potter commented on the success of our Christmas party in December and then covered the business matters for the January meeting including the voting for this year’s Resolution to go forward. Janice is to represent Honeybees WI at this year’s AGM. Janice also promoted “Singing for Fun” and had made a “Green Heart Quilt” to “Show the Love” on Valentines Day to start a discussion on climate change. We are organising various events to celebrate our 70th birthday this year which will be spread over the year. We have an archive of photographs going back over our many years which were available to look at during the course of the evening and hopefully members would be able to identify the occasion on which some of the unlabelled ones had been taken. Janice then read a passage from the book “Threads of Life” about women who made quilts while incarcerated in Changi Prison during the Second World War which she had illustrated with copies of photographs on the various tables. It was a very moving and interesting reading. Benita had a mystery object for us to try and guess what it was and this turned out to be a man’s leather “glove” to help getting a needle through the material for sails etc rather like a thimble is used. Some members brought in recipe books dating back to the 1950s era with recipes that are still used today. The competition, “A Winter Scene” was won by Margaret D. As usual a lovely supper had been prepared by members. The date of our next meeting is Tuesday 11th February at 7:30 p.m. at Littletons Village Hall when Rob Hemming will entertain us with the 31 history of the Regal Cinema in . The competition is an item of film memorabilia. For further information including fund raising events contact June Lloyd on 01386 830844 or view our website on www.littletonswi.moonfruit.com

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My Trip of a Lifetime – continued from last month

Today I was picked up by car and taken the short distance to Rarotonga International Airport, which sounds so grand but is a building in name only as the sides of the waiting area are completely open. The next three days of my holiday were on the island of Aitutaki, about a 45 minute flight but still within the Cook Islands. The small Saab prop plane arrived with about 12 passengers on board, they disembarked and within 30 minutes we were on the plane ready for take off. The journey was uneventful but full of beautiful sights as we flew over other islands in the Cook Islands group. Upon landing I was met by a lady from the resort I was due to stay at, who came up to me and placed a beautiful garland of flowers around my neck. For days the scent was so overwhelming. On the short journey to the resort the lady said that unfortunately my bungalow was not yet ready as the whole resort was being modernised so she suggested I leave my baggage with her in reception as she had arranged for me to be taken on a tour of the island while my bungalow was being made ready for me.. The man who took me around the island was putting his hand up to everyone he saw, he was obviously well known! He showed me the oldest tree on the island, the radio station which he was really pleased to point out. He also showed me where the Americans had blasted a hole in the coral reef from when they were

33 building an airfield on the island after Japan bombed Pearl Harbour, which was never used as the war ended just after completion. The hole they had blasted was large enough to take smallish boats but even today all imports are brought in through that gap via a "pontoon" type vessel which can carry 20 or even 40' containers which when they reach land are offloaded by a mobile crane. After showing me these he said if I didn't mind he would like to go and see a relative in the island hospital. After about 20 minutes he emerged and we continued on the tour of the island pointing out where the various chiefs and kings were buried. We stopped several times so that I could get out look at various points of interest and during a walk along a short piece of land projecting out to sea I noticed what I thought was a piece of pale grey stone which had been rounded and about 4 inches long. I showed it to the driver and he said it was a piece of coral which must have broken off during a storm. The Cook Islands are basically mountainous in the interior with a relative flat fringe where small towns and villages had sprung up over many years. The islands are in the main lush green as there is often a short and sometimes heavy shower of rain during the afternoon. We arrived back at the resort and my bungalow was now ready for me. It comprised of a large living area/bedroom and a bathroom and had airconditioning which is a must as the temperature is virtually always in the 30's C. daily. I was advised not to leave any shoes outside as the crabs would at night time take them back to the hole that they have dug under the bungalows. There were small lizards hanging on the outside of the wall and the compulsory chickens with the cockerel crowing at first light every day!

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I once again went on a glass bottom boat trip this time to One Foot Island. When the boats arrive the crew open up the Post Office where passengers can get their passports stamped with the One Foot Island stamp. On the journey out we saw many fish called trevelyan about 3 feet long (which cannot be taken from within the coral reef area) and lots of coral which grew like islands in the sea but the tops just remaining beneath the surface. From Aitutaki I returned to Roratonga to get my connection to Los Angeles. This was an uneventful flight but as I was having great difficulty walking I was greeted at LA by a lady with a motorised vehicle. For a good 20 minutes I was transported up and down in lifts and along many areas until we reached the check in desk where I had to wait for about 4 hours before boarding. Unfortunately I’d not been able to get any food, and in the ‘disabled seating area’ found myself sitting next to a Ukrainian lady (who’d visited her daughter in Hawaii and was travelling home). This lady had heard my conversation with various airport staff members that I wanted something to eat (which was not forthcoming) so she shared some of her home made biscuits with me. Again the flight was uneventful and again I was greeted by another motorised vehicle at Heathrow which took me through to customs and baggage collection which seemed to take ages to get to. I have enjoyed giving you an overview of "My trip of a lifetime" as it brought back many wonderful memories. If you have a desire to go and see another part of the world - GO as soon as you can while you have good health or you will regret it for the rest of your short life. Dave Smith 35

JCS Motors Cleeve Prior Garage Hoden Lane, Cleeve Prior, WR11 8LH

We offer a full range of garage services at competitive prices.

A regular car service ensures that your car is safe and is running at optimum performance. We provide different levels of servicing from a general check-over to a major service.

Brakes * Clutches * Diagnostics * Exhausts * Timing Belts * MOT Preparation * MOT Repairs * Servicing * Suspension We also offer a free collection and return service if required.

Over 35 years’ experience!

Contact John Stanley: 01789 773795 or 07977 333719 Email: [email protected]

Free bus service to TESCO (run by Henshaw’s Coaches) Route runs: Offenham, The Littletons, , Bretforton & Badsey Every Thursday, picking up at: 09:48 The Ivy, North Littleton 09:50 Village Hall, Middle Littleton 09:52 Shinehill Lane, South Littleton ETA at Tesco 10:30; departs Tesco 11:45 36

Looking forward to 2020 A new year, a new decade and lots to look forward to. Our land holding increased in 2019 with the purchase of two more floodplain meadows. The two new sites: Mill Bank near and Wheeler’s Meadow at North Littleton, offer exciting opportunities to bring back more flower-rich meadows to the Avon Valley.

Our most recent acquisition is Wheeler’s Meadow, an 8.5-acre floodplain meadow, one of a series of long narrow meadows adjacent to the river Avon under Cleeve Hill at North Littleton. We already own Brodie’s Meadow (another of the long meadow series) and on 23rd December 2019 as a fantastic end to our 20th year, we exchanged contracts for Wheeler’s Meadow. This meadow lies one field further along from Brodie’s so is in a perfect location to allow us to transfer seed from the more flower-rich Brodie’s Meadow. Wheeler’s has been cut early for silage in recent years and so has lost some of the characteristic wildflowers associated with floodplains but is in ideal condition for work to reinstate these missing plants. We will be surveying the meadow during 2020 and referring back to surveys carried out in the 1980s to see which species are still found here and which should be here. With patience and appropriate management, we aim to turn back the clock and restore this meadow to its former

37 glory. The purchase of this meadow was funded by Severn Waste Services through the Landfill Communities Fund.

We will also continue to manage our orchards, planting new trees and pruning existing trees to ensure these sites remain as important landscape features where wildlife can thrive, while providing us with an income to help fund the management of the sites. Funding will be a challenge this decade, with changes to farming payments and stewardship schemes as we leave the European Union. We have been incredibly fortunate to receive Landfill Communities Fund monies from Severn Waste Services over the past few years which has allowed us to purchase and manage around 320 acres of land in the Vale but this funding is likely to decrease as the amount of waste going to landfill decreases. So, we are looking at other funding opportunities, from partnership working on projects like the market gardening history (and hovels) project to floodplain meadow enhancement schemes. We are also looking at ways to increasing the number of Friends who make regular contributions. Friends’ contributions will become much more important to us so please consider putting a standing order in place with your bank to make regular (monthly or annual) donations of an amount appropriate to yourself to help us continue our work. Thank you.

Vale Landscape Heritage Trust (VLHT) is a registered charity, number 1080109. We work to protect and preserve the environment in and around the Vale of Evesham and . We work with volunteers, funders, farmers and the government to secure the future of over 320 acres.

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Policy Statement for advertisements and articles

As a local brand we want to promote local businesses, local news stories and information from relevant elements of the community, including a monthly update from our parish councils. The Link currently goes to over 1000 residential properties throughout the Littletons.

 Content of articles and advertisements are the responsibility of their authors not the Editor or Parish councils, so care should be taken to see that all information is legal and correct before posting to the editor.  Please note text and images should be appropriate for young readers. If content is judged to be inappropriate it will be refused.  Advertisements are welcomed but due to limited space, your ad may not be placed immediately you will be informed if this is the case.  Current rates for advertising are: Number of editions ½ page Full page 1 £10 £20 5 £25 £50 10 £40 £80

 All payments are to be made to South Littleton Parish Council.  The Link is produced on a volunteer basis and all funds raised from advertising or donations go directly into producing the Link.  Cut off dates are printed on the back of every Link and are strictly adhered to, to prevent delays in printing and delivery.

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Editor information: Entries and enquiries for the next Link should be sent to: -

Mary Keeling Email: [email protected]

Entries for MAR-20 to be in by 12 Midnight on Friday 21 February 2020

 All entries should be spell checked beforehand, I do not accept responsibility for any incorrect information or spelling errors.  When emailing information please use word A5 format (not PDF) or paste information directly into the email.  Any pictures for front cover need to be A5 portrait .jpg  The editor reserves the right to amend contents of articles for length.

For information regarding advertising please contact the editor for details.

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