Amberley Parish Magazine

December 2007/January 2008 For your Cornish Holiday SOUTH TRELOWIA BARNS Peaceful location 4 miles from Looe B&B and self-catering Keith & Beverly Madley Tel: 01503 240709 Email: [email protected] www.southtrelowiabarns.co.uk

2 Services for December & January Sunday 2nd Dec 8 am Holy Communion Sunday 10 am Parish Eucharist (Speaker: Mr John Fox, Trustee of Cecily Fund) 5.30 pm Advent Carol Service Wednesday 5th Dec 8 am Holy Communion

Sunday 9th Dec 8 am Holy Communion (Methodist) 10 am Parish Eucharist Wednesday 12th Dec 8 am Holy Communion

Sunday 16th Dec 8 am Holy Communion 10 am Family Service Tuesday 18th Dec 10 am Amberley Ridge School Carol Service (Everyone Welcome) Wednesday 19th Dec 8 am Holy Communion 2 pm Amberley Parochial School Carol Service (Everyone Welcome) Thursday 20th Dec 7 pm Amberley Parochial School Carol Service (Everyone Welcome) Friday 21st Dec 6 pm Service of Lessons and Carols

Sunday 23rd Dec 8 am Holy Communion (1662) 10 am Parish Eucharist

Monday 24th Dec 5.30 pm Service (see later article) 11.30 pm Midnight Mass

Tuesday 25th Dec 8 am Holy Communion Christmas Day 10 am Parish Eucharist

Sunday 30th Dec 8 am Holy Communion 10 am Celtic Eucharist

Tuesday 1st Jan 8 am Holy Communion (Circumcision of Jesus) Wednesday 2nd Jan 8 am Holy Communion (Basil & Gregory, bishops)

Sunday 6th Jan 8 am Holy Communion Epiphany 10 am Parish Eucharist Wednesday 9th Jan 8 am Holy Communion

(Continued on page 4)

3 Sunday 13th Jan 8 am Holy Communion Baptism of Christ 10 am Parish Eucharist (Methodist) Wednesday 16th Jan 8 am Holy Communion

Sunday 20th Jan 8 am Holy Communion 10 am Family Service Wednesday 23rd Jan 8 am Holy Communion Friday 25th Jan 8 am Holy Communion (Conversion of Paul)

Sunday 27th Jan 8 am Holy Communion (1662) 10 am Parish Eucharist 6 pm Unity Service at Woodchester Priory Wednesday 30th Jan 8 am Holy Communion (Charles, king & martyr)

Sunday 2nd Feb 8 am Holy Communion 10 am Parish Eucharist

Julian Group (Silent Prayer) every Friday, 9 am - 9.30 am in the Littleworth New Room – Everyone welcome

‘Common Worship’ Morning Prayer every weekday at 8 am. Evening Prayer every Thursday 5 pm. Both in Holy Trinity Church – Everyone welcome

Rector’s Letter Last year it was Santa Claus, reindeer, snowmen and Christmas Trees. This year it is angels and Madonnas and Child. I’m talking of course about the Christmas issues of Royal Mail postage stamps. Many of us are pleased that, while not mind- ing our envelopes being gaily decorated as last year with stamps celebrating the secular and commercial side of the festival, this year each letter or card delivered by the postman will bear a stamp reminding us of the deeper significance of Christmas. The first of the Madonnas and Child, that on the second class stamp, is by Wil- liam Dyce, a Victorian artist who was influenced by the Italian Renaissance paint- ers such as Raphael and who was a forerunner of the more famous Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood. Dyce’s painting is of a beautiful young mother standing in a lovely mountainous landscape and affectionately holding her baby son. This is very much in tune with the rather sweet sentiments expressed in many Christmas car- ols. More in its favour, to my mind, is the fact that Jesus is portrayed as a real child, and not as an adult head on a child’s body as in many Renaissance paint- ings. To me the reality of Christ’s childhood points to his real sharing of our hu- manity, from birth to death, rather than his being a heavenly outsider looking in 4 on our earthly existence. The other Madonna and Child stamp is very different. It is an area of detail taken from a larger picture painted around 1400 by the artist Lippo di Dalmasio, not of the mother and child as in the nativity stories in gospels of Matthew and Luke, but rather of the mother and child described in Chapter 12 of the Book of the Revelation, right at the end of the New Testament. This book sets out Saint John’s vision of the end of the world and the establishment of Christ’s kingdom on earth. As depicted in the painting when viewed as a whole, John sees the woman clothed with the sun and wearing a crown of twelve stars, and persecuted by a dragon. The Woman gives birth to a male child, who is carried to heaven by angels before the dragon can devour him. The church has traditionally identified the woman with Mary and the child with Christ, whose return to earth results in the defeat of the dragon, giving way to a millennium of peace. What a contrast between the child born into beauty and safety and the one born into strife and risk. But is this not precisely the tension in Jesus’ life we find in the Gospels? In the wilderness this highly-gifted man is pulled between using his gifts to his own comfort and advantage and using them in the way God intended. Similarly in the Garden of Gethsemane he is pulled between saving his own skin and facing inevitable death for our sake. The other four stamps are of angels, creatures that appear in the scriptures as God’s messengers. These specially commissioned renaissance-style paintings are by the Italian illustrator Marco Ventura, and depict the Angel of Goodwill, the Angel of Peace, the Angel of Joy and the Angel of Glory. These four titles come from the account in Chapter 2 of the St Luke’s Gospel, in which angels appear to the shepherds, bringing “good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people” and praising God saying “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good- will toward men”. The title “Goodwill” points to the fact that, through the life and death of this Christchild Jesus, we receive all the benefits of God’s grace, his freely-given love for us despite ourselves. “Peace” implies that he comes to bring freedom to the victims of those who misuse position, those on the edge of society who are excluded by the powerful, in his day by the Roman military occupiers and the Jewish Temple establishment. “Joy” indicates that, through the resurrec- tion that will ultimately come at the end of the child’s earthly life, we his follow- ers will be blessed by the deep-down happiness that comes through faith in the essential goodness of all things and in the ultimate triumph of all that is honest, good and holy. Finally “Glory” describes how the child will come to reveal God’s true and wonderful nature in his own being. Although the events surrounding the Nativity happened two thousand years ago, the significance of them, as I have tried to indicate, is as vital today as it was then. Symbolically the six stamps serve to bring these historic events into the present, in effect as though they are happening now. Could this apply to other issues of stamps, not just Christmas ones? There is an on-going campaign, entitled “Queen (Continued on page 6)

5 (Continued from page 5) and Country” and advertised on the website www.artfund.org, to persuade the Royal Mail to bring out an issue commemorating the British service men and women who have died in the conflict in Iraq. The charity The Art Fund is sup- porting a vision by the artist Steve McQueen for the photographs of those who have died to appear on the stamps, and is asking for all in agreement to add their names to the petition on the website. Some people will no doubt think this inappropriate. But I support the proposal for reasons not dissimilar to those I have described for the Christmas stamps. Each letter we receive would continue to keep alive the memory of that service person and all his or her dead and maimed colleagues, a memory that it would be more comfortable to forget. It would make us continue to face up to the awfulness of the present situation that, on our behalf, our forces are trying to bring to an end. It would continuously appeal to us to seek solutions other than the violence of war to resolve differences and to confront evil. It would continuously impress upon us the need to keep faith “in the essential goodness of all things and in the ultimate triumph of all that is honest, good and holy.” In a way the issue of such stamps would serve to carry the message of Christmas 2007 into the New Year of 2008. May the New Year bring you and those you love every blessing.

Young People’s Diary Quest dates (6.45 – 8pm): 16th Dec, 20th Jan Youth Group dates: Junior (6.30 – 8pm): 3rd Dec (7 to 8.30), 7th and 21st Jan, 4th and 25th Feb, 10th Mar Senior (7 – 8.30pm): 3rd Dec, 14th and 28th Jan, 11th Feb, 3rd and 17th Mar Bible Storytime - 9.30am - in church Monday, 10th December

6 ACC Open Meeting There will be an Open Meeting of the ACC on Tuesday 8th January in the Little- worth Hall from 7.30pm on the subject of “The Involvement of Children, Young People and Families in Our Church Life”. We shall be joined by Revd Dr Sandra Millar, the Diocesan Children’s Officer. We hope very much you will be able to join us to meet Sandra and to consider this very important topic.

Church Christmas Card Yes, the white ‘tree’ at the back of the Church on which we hang our greetings to others in the community, rather than sending individual cards, is about to make its annual appearance. The tree will again be in Church from the first week in December, and as before, you are invited to attach to it one of the small cards available in a box near the tree with your greetings, and at the same time make a donation to this year’s specific cause, which is the Leprosy Mission. This is a leading international Christian development mission, working in around 30 coun- tries, which strives to eradicate the causes and consequences of leprosy. Leprosy is a disease surrounded by myth and stigma, which often traps the most vulnerable in a cycle of poverty. Contrary to popular belief it is easily treatable if caught early enough. There will be more information at the back of the church, or you might like to visit the very informative website, www.leprosymission.org.uk. Jane Foreman

The Peace with Justice candle On the Remembrance windowsill, you will see a new candle. It is surrounded by barbed wire, and is there to represent all those who have forfeited their own freedom by their fight for peace and justice for others. It will be lit at each service to encourage us to remember and pray for these people. To help focus our prayers, there will be information about indi- vidual prisoners of conscience, changed on a regular basis. We have chosen to start with Aung San Suu Kyi, under house arrest in Burma for many years. Any suggestions for other prisoners in particular need of our prayers would be welcome.

7 CHRISTMAS CROSSWORD Cryptic clues opposite, straight clues on page 10

8 CRYPTIC CLUES Clues across 1. Wound and allow to make berry colour 5. Makes a boat move holding another one, and praises! 8. Torn – so be it; made for the tree 9. Stumble over words without a saint? Complete 11. Father Yes! Cook or the young fish will make it 12. Pa takes three directions to find the tree 14. Company the French make drink 15. A pair with EP for preparing the lesson 17. The digit is to the East 18. Zip a right man?How? By making a cake covering! 20. Is he having a check-up on his cholesterol, or is he just enormous? 21. Making a gnu stiff ramming it into the bird 22 & 37. Sounds like you’ll chop firewood, but it tastes delicious 25. Run backwards like water into wild dog 26. Account demand shows approval 27 & 28. Hog’s smelly pen 28. See 27 29. Tin, may, do either 31. Gin’s an unusual way to make music! 32. Trick movable shelter to be happy 33. A loud 26 down 35. Gamble without time to exist 36. Yes 37. See 22 across 38. Good end at home from the west – angel’s? Clues down 2. List day, so HRH Mica will give wonderful festival 3. And the answer’s a…..What you have with 4 down of course 4. In cot? No! In gin 6. Small work at an age when lovely sounds are heard 7. Gives or receives 10. Attempt a light touch with two directions, mix, and hang it 11. Tart but not acid 13. The Farmers’ Union is scared of a thousand confused lug-coverers! 16. Right if loud, is the tunes foundation 17. Train sent is passing 19. Can turn air into homeopathic medicine 23. Might be rising and full of compassion, but cocky 24. Under protection from the wind, a french glove is graceful 26. Existing Alcoholics Anonymous cult 29. Cocky equine, he’s a hard nut 30. Confused it’s lessening, afresh 31. South, north, and good for a problem 34. Look, said the angel 9 Straight Clues Clues down Clues Across 2. Festival of Yuletide 3. Citrus fruit 1. Red 4. Mixer for gin 5. Adores 6. Musical theatre 8. Hangs on the tree 7. Gifts 9. State, say 10. Wall hanging 11. Cook in a shallow pan with oil 11. Tart or quiche 12. Type of tree 13. Auditory winter-warmers! 14. Fizzy drink 16.Tune (repetetive) 15. Homework 17.Temporary, not lasting 17. Digit 19. For treating sprains & bruises 18. Almond paste (homeopathic) 20. Most obese 23. Cocky 21. Forcemeat 24. Tastefully dressed 22 & 37. Christmas dessert or cake 26. Real 25. Wild dog 29. Small stocky horse; type of nut 26. Applause 30. Afresh 27 & 28. Pig’s stall 31. Problem; catch on something 28. See 27 34. “Look”, said the angel 29. Tin 31. Vocalise musically 32. Happy 33. Informedly true 35. Gamble without time to exist 36. Yes 37. See 22 across 38. Used by angels to fly with

Operation Christmas Child Shoe Boxes THANK YOU 31 times thank you for the MOUNTAIN OF JOY thank you for the RIVER OF LAUGHTER thank you for the BEACON OF HOPE thank you for THE LOVE IN A SHOEBOX

Sally Millett

10 Christmas Carols… In the last magazine, I wrote about the Advent carol service. (Sunday 2nd Decem- ber at 5.30 pm - don’t forget!) This month, I’d like to consider the music of the other Christmas services. The ‘main’ Carol Service used to be described as Nine Lessons and Carols and fol- lowed a format made popular at Kings College, Cambridge in the 1960s but we haven’t used that format for some years now - it’s not always nine lessons for a start! We try to have a theme. Last year it was ‘The Wonder of Christmas—Who Jesus is’ and this year it is ‘The Promise of God - Prophecy and Fulfilment’. Each reading - there are seven - pairs two short bible readings, one from the Old Testa- ment and one from the New; one the prophecy, one the fulfilment.. The first sec- tion is about the sign of God’s favour and we will sing ad Virginem - the Latin version of ‘The Angel ’. The second readings are about the Son of David and the carol is ‘Lord, When you Came to Earth’ followed by the hymn ‘While shepherds watched’. Next are readings about the Light in the Darkness and we’ll sing Berlioz’ well known ‘Shepherds’ Farewell’. The fourth readings are about the place of His birth and we sing ‘A little child there is y-born’. This is followed by readings about the Star so - of course - we all sing ‘We three Kings’! The sixth lesson is the Challenge of Evil and we sing the Coventry Carol - but not the version you probably know. Although the tune is the same, the arrangement is distinctly different. The final readings are about the Tri- umph of Grace and we will all sing ‘Hark, the Herald Angels Sing’ and ‘Away in a manger’. As is traditional, we will also ‘top and tail’ the service with the hymns ‘Once in Royal David’s City’ and ‘O come, all ye faithful’. This year, in a break from tradition and to spread out the Christmas services a bit, the carol service will be on Friday 21st December at 6 pm. Please do come and support it. There will also be an entirely different set of carols from the previous few years at the Christingle Service on Christmas Eve but, rest assured, you will still know them all! Lastly, Midnight Mass and Christmas Morning. Two outwardly similar services that are very different in character. Midnight Mass is probably my favourite ser- vice of the year - the joy of Christmas is there, but in a subdued and reflective way. (… and you can sing ‘It came upon the midnight clear’ at the right time!) Christmas Morning is just Christmas morning with all the happiness and joy that that brings! The choir and I hope you will join us for a very Happy Christmas… Steve Goodwin

11 News From Akany Avoko The children and staff at Akany Avoko send the warmest of greetings to all their friends and supporters in Amberley. This year they have been celebrating skills and achievements and investing in the future. With the help of donations they have been able to run a range of extra curricular activities including photography, art, sport, dance, music and even fashion design and there was an exhibition day in March. Fortunately this year has been relatively stable for finances but it remains so im- portant to invest in the structure of Akany Avoko to ensure sustainability and to improve the quality of life for these children who have suffered so much during their short lives. The full report on life at AA during 2007 is on the large board at the back of the church and has been enlarged to make it easier to read. There will be a Cub Section District Gift Service in church in the evening of De- cember 15th when the Amberley Group will present the cheque from the Gang Show that was run in October to Akany Avoko – a magnificent sum in the region of £1024. Peace & Justice

Sucking My Own Trumpet I was deeply moved earlier in the year to receive the 2007 Ig Nobel Award for Medicine for research into sword swallowing and its side effects(1). My sword swallowing co-recipient, Dan Meyer, felt the same but he is more familiar with feeling deeply moved because he practices his craft on most days. Ig Nobel prizes are awarded each year by a group of Boston academics under the leadership of Marc Abrahams, editor of the Annals of Improbable Research, to those researchers whose work best makes people laugh before it makes them think. The awards are presented at a ceremony in Harvard by real Nobel prize- winners and expressions of thanks have to be kept short or speakers are inter- rupted by an eight year old girl who repeatedly shouts “I’m bored”. Winners also have to present their work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and re- spond to searching questions. For example, the Ig Nobel Laureate from Argen- tina whose research has shown that viagra helps hamsters recover from jet lag, was asked if he had to relinquish his own prescription to facilitate the study. I am not the first British doctor to have won the medicine award since the incep- tion of the Ig Nobel Awards in 1991. Chris MacManus, Professor of Psychology and Medical Education in London won the 2002 prize for his seminal paper pub- lished in “Nature”, entitled “Scrotal Asymmetry in Man and Ancient Sculpture” and based on an intimate examination of 187 Greek sculptures. Dr Caroline

12 Mills, Consultant Dermatologist at the Royal Gwent Hospital won for her paper “The man who pricked his thumb and smelled putrid for five years” and a team from University College, London won the 2003 prize for “Navigational Related Structural Changes in the Hippocampi of London Taxi Drivers”. In addition, a Scottish team won the Ig Nobel Award for Public Health in 1993 for their report on injuries caused by collapsing toilets in Glasgow. I am proud to say, however, that I believe I am the first Britsih radiologist to be honoured with the award. I am also proud to tell you that the reviewer who commended our research to the editors of the British Medical Journal said our paper was a cut above many oth- ers, added to the incisive body of literature on sword swallowing and would keep the BMJ at the cutting edge of this literature. Most winners have to overcome stiff international competition but sometimes the category of the award is surprising. For example, last year Gauri Nanda invented an alarm clock which runs away and hides so cannot be ignored but she received an award not for invention, engineering or physics but for economics because her device can help people get to work on time. J Danforth Quayle, occupier of space and consumer of time, won an award some years ago for education not for his contribution to education but for demonstrating his need for it, and the American Nudist Research Library of Kissimmee, Florida, which has preserved nudist his- tory so everyone can see it, won an award not for history but for literature. I was apprehensive about making my short, acceptance speech in front of an audi- ence of over a thousand in Harvard’s Sander’s Memorial Theatre but my English inhibition at least contrasted with my friend and collaborator from Tennessee. He produced a sword from inside his clothing, swallowed it and said “thank-you” with a full mouth. Neighbours with enquiring minds who wish to know more about the Ig Nobel awards, or who wish to learn why woodpeckers don’t get headaches or the pres- sure produced when penguins pooh should refer to the Annals of Improbable Re- search – or just Google “Ig Awards”. Brian Witcombe (1). Witcombe B, Meyer D. Sword swallowing and its side effects. BMJ 333:1285-1287. 2006

13 Amberley Gardening Club Our November speaker was an entertaining and informative speaker, well versed on his passion for the National Parks and the council that govern them. Our nearest National Park is the Brecon Beacons but of course many people will be familiar with two of the oldest National Parks at Dartmoor and Exmoor. Although the majority of National Parks are upland areas, the Norfolk Broads is almost all at sea level and is one of the more unusual and well visited regions. The New Forest, which only became a National Park a year ago, is a mixed habitat of wood and heathland, but already bears the scars of many major roads traversing it. The South Downs is at present under consideration to be named as the next National Park al- though much of its landscape is already protected, but it takes many con- sultations, national and local, before that stage is reached. The audience were kept interested by Eric Jones’ lively presentation and excellent slides. After a break during December, our next meeting will be on January 9th, when Timothy Walker will talk to us on Euphorbias – a versatile and useful addition to most gardens in its many forms. We hope to see you there and please bring a friend with you.

Amberley Archives Group In the Summer 2008 we hope to have an exhibition devoted to the history of Am- berley Parochial School. If anyone has any memorabilia or photographs of their time at the school we would love to see them. We don’t intend to display any original photographs but we would love to have copies for our collection, or we could copy your archives. We are particularly short of the years 1950-1968. We have also had a letter from Mandy and Michael Smart who lived in Enderley House and who started at the school in 1959. Does anyone remember them? Maureen Anderson 01453 873326 and Anne Seymour 01453 873272

14 Amberley Village Events present

Fabulous Old Spot Theatre Company in THE CURSE OF ELVERADO

6.30pm Saturday 12th January Amberley Parish Room

Tickets £7.50 adults £3.50 children from Amberley PO

Be prepared for a Good Night Out with a comedy musical mystery family whodunit. Come back to the 40s & 50s, when music had a swing and when femmes were fatale. Witness first hand a culture clash cocktail as cool L.A. chic meets the Severnside Cider Society. Told with Old Spot’s wit, bravado and musical flair, The Curse of Elverado is a noir classic with a heart of gold, ideal for driving away the damp on cold winter days. Suitable for 5s to 105s! Supporting Amberley Scouts & The Door

15 From the registers …

Thanksgiving 10th Nov Mary Agate

Woodchester Priory Services Sunday, 10.30 am - Mass The Convent in Convent Lane - 8.30 am - Mass

Churchyard We shall be working at the following times:-

Jan 14 2 pm to 4 pm Jan 28 2 pm to 4 pm

We would very much like a few more volunteers to join us - please come and help.

The Littleworth Hall is open every Friday morning for a

Friday Cuppa from 10.30 am till 12 noon Why not drop in for elevenses and a chat? Tea, coffee and biscuits available If you need transport or would like to help in any way please contact

16 DECEMBER/JANUARY Items in italics are covered more fully in other sections of the magazine PR means the Parish Room and LH means Littleworth Hall

Date Start End Location 2 Dec Advent Carol Service 17:30 18:15 Church 3 Dec Youth Group Christmas Party 19:00 20:30 PR 5 Dec Advent course 19:30 21:00 LH 8 Dec Tyndale Carol Concert 19:30 - Church 8 Dec ‘Messiah’ 19:30 - Cathedral 10 Dec Bible Storytime 09:30 - Church 12 Dec Advent course 19:30 21:00 LH 16 Dec Quest 18:45 20:00 Rectory 21 Dec Carol Service 18:00 19:00 Church 26 Dec Boxing Day Carols 15:00 - Cathedral 7 Jan Junior Youth Group 18:30 20:00 PR 8 Jan ACC Open Meeting 19:30 - LH 9 Jan Gardening Club 19:45 - PR 12 Jan ‘Curse of Elverado’ 18:30 - PR 14 Jan Churchyard 14:00 16:00 Churchyard 14 Jan Senior Youth Group 19:00 20:30 PR 20 Jan Quest 18:45 20:00 Rectory 21 Jan Junior Youth Group 18:30 20:00 PR 28 Jan Churchyard 14:00 16:00 Churchyard 28 Jan Senior Youth Group 19:00 20:30 PR

YOU can add items to the events list on the Amberley web site - www.amberley.org.uk Just go to the web site, log in and then post your event. You need to register on the site first. If you click on the ‘How to…’ link on the menu on the left hand side, you can get simple instructions on how to register, how to log in, how to add an event, and many more things. Steve Goodwin

17 18 Royal British Legion The annual fortnight of Remembrance and collections for the Poppy Appeal are over for another year. Once again Amberley has shown its generosity, and this note is to say a sincere thank you. The Cheese and Wine Party made £735, nearly £200 more than ever before. The Church collection on Remembrance Sunday - at a well attended and excellent service - was up by about £120. House to House collections are up by about £350. So a very warm thank you is due to all who collected and all who donated to a very worthwhile cause. A small amount is still to come in, but some £2600 has come in from local collections. Add it all together with other donations and the total is over £4000. Well done Amberley.

RIDDLE My first is in Manger and also in hay My next is in honey but never in sleigh The next letter’s found in both egg and in glue Then easy and simple hold letter four, too My last is in LOVE, as I sit on the tree And wait for the baby who set us all free. Who am I?

FAIRTRADE There is a Fairtrade stall in church at the 10am service on the first Sunday of every month. The goods on sale range from tea and coffee, through cereals and muesli bars, to cookies and chocolate, and are all of high quality. We are de- lighted that we sell an average of £70 worth of these goods each month, and would encourage anyone who hasn’t yet sampled any of them to do so in the coming months. The principle behind Fairtrade products is that the producers receive a fair and proper proportion of the price we pay, something which doesn’t happen for most similar goods of ordinary brands. We would also encourage you to look out for Fairtrade goods on supermarket shelves, believing that the more the supermarkets sell of them the more inclined they will be to increase their range of these items. Fairtrade tea and coffee are also available when refreshments are served in church at the end of the 10am services, and at Friday Cuppa. If you would like your tea or coffee to be made from these brands please be sure to ask for them from those on duty. It is the agreed policy of the ACC that, in all these respects, we should be a ‘Fairtrade’ parish. Mike Tucker

19 Celebrate Christmas with us in Gloucester Cathedral, our much loved home. Handel’s Messiah is a perennial favourite, with superb soloists, and the Regency Sinfonia joining the GCS singers. Our carol concert gives you a chance to join in favourite carols and hear new ones sung by GCS. This year Gloucester Excelsior Band join us, adding fanfares and other exciting music. Admission free Saturday 8 December - 7.30 pm Messiah G F Handel Tickets £18 £15 £13.50 £6 from Sarah Goodwin or Liz Robertson

Wednesday 26 December - 3 pm Boxing Day Carols

News of Betty Eld Many people will remember Betty Eld from Pear Tree Cottage in Amberley and we were delighted to have some up to date news of her recently from her son John. Betty moved to a nursing home in a small village in Warwickshire just over a year ago to be near John and she has settled there. She is frail and spends much time indoors, but occasionally enjoys a walk in the lovely garden. John sees her regularly and a current project is to visit and spend a little time in different churches in the area, which gives them both pleasure. Betty sees her granddaugh- ter from time to time and is delighted at the prospect of becoming a great grand- mother next April. Betty enjoys receiving cards and notes from friends in Amber- ley, especially as this gives her something to share with her family and the staff and is an opportunity to reminisce about a place for which she still has great affec- tion. Sheila Rowley

20 Duty Roster - November Readers Prayers Chalice Sidesmen 2nd December 1st Sunday of Advent 8am I McIver Clergy A Wallis M Page Holy Communion S Page S Page 10am R Leslie S Pugh A Aldridge B Preston Parish Eucharist P Mason E Walsh S Pugh 5.30pm M Gardner Advent Carol Service S Rowley 9th December 2nd Sunday of Advent 8am (M) D Piechowiak Minister S Piechowiak J Bestwick Holy Communion S Piechowiak A Shepherd 10.00am S Partridge J Keyte C Cooke S Partridge Parish Eucharist S Patient D Curram A Smith 16th December 3rd Sunday of Advent 8am J Peters S Pugh A Haslam J Peters Holy Communion S Pugh S Pugh 10am Family Service B Lane E Haughton 21st December Friday 5.30pm Lessons and Carols B Preston S Pugh 23rd December 4th Sunday of Advent 8am (1662) S Rowley S Rowley J Howard A Haslam Holy Communion Reader S Rowley 10am S Piechowiak P Mason S Piechowiak B Keyte Parish Eucharist D Piechowiak D Piechowiak A Smith 24th December Christmas Eve 5.30pm Christingle Service MU 11.30pm S Jenkins Clergy J Foreman J Keyte Midnight Mass J Keyte J Howard J Keyte 25th December Christmas Day 8am P Hankins Clergy D Maikins P Hankins Holy Communion R Westover R Westover 10am S Pugh S Millett A Haslam S Pugh Parish Eucharist L Robertson Reader S Millett

(Continued on page 22)

21 (Continued from page 21) 30th December 1st Sunday of Christmas 8am A Haslam D Curram D Curram A Haslam Holy Communion J Varley A Shepherd 10.00am J Rosselli Reader J Foreman B Preston Celtic Eucharist S Rowley M Gardner S Rowley 6th January Epiphany 8am I McIver Reader Reader M Page Holy Communion S Page S Page 10.00am H Saunders I Andrews A Aldridge S Partridge Holy Communion A Smith J Howard B Lane 13th January Baptism of Christ 8am S Piechowiak S Piechowiak D Piechowiak J Bestwick Holy Communion D Piechowiak S Rowley 10.00am (M) E Walsh Minister E Walsh A Haslam Parish Eucharist T Adkin C Cooke E Haughton 20th January 3rd Sunday of Epiphany 8am J Peters S Pugh A Wallis J Peters Holy Communion S Pugh S Pugh 10am M Gardner Family Service B Preston 27th January 4th Sunday of Epiphany 8am (1662) J Varley J Howard P Hankins Holy Communion R Westover R Westover 10.00am M Anderson S Rowley A Haslam B Keyte Parish Eucharist I Andrews J Foreman S Rowley 5.30pm No Service

What is Love? "Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." Karl - age 5 "Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy - age 6 "Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." Mary Ann - age 4 "I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." Lauren - age 4

22 MAGAZINE Remember that the next magazine covers December AND January All copy and articles for the magazine should be left at the back of the Church by the 16th of the month or emailed to [email protected] If you would like to help with any duties, please contact Margaret Gardner for magazine (872230) , Heather Pearson for church services (885477) , Rosemary Lea for flowers (872901) , Mary Meadows for church cleaning (872347) , and Peggy Bailey for after-service coffee (873709) . This magazine was produced by Deborah Curram, Kate Bertram, Helen Still- well, Heather Pearson, Anne Shepherd and Margaret Gardner

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25 DANEK PIECHOWIAK

DIAMOND POINT GLASS ENGRAVER Calligraphy specialist Choose from a wide range of gob- A creative approach to building lets, vases and bowls . Anything 20yrs experience in the Cotswolds you wish can be engraved for Individual Houses –Extensions that very special present. Corpo- Renovation- Restoration rate work also undertaken Planning approvals- Design Telephone 01453 889386 Contact: Terry Doran, St. Chloe Mobile 07900 473773 01453 872958

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26 27 AWARD ELECTRICAL Domestic, Commercial and Industrial Installations and Alterations 30 years experience 01453 887605 - 07817 438742

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28 Flower Rota

Dec 2—15 Advent - No flowers Dec 23 Christmas Group Jan 5 Crib Jan 12 Crib Jan 19 Maureen Stewart Jan 26 Juliet Keyte

Coffee Rota Dec 2 Ivor and Sally Millet Dec 9 Deborah Curram and Maureen Anderson Dec 16 MU Dec 23 Laurie and Jean Needham Dec 30 Betty Lane and Ruth Westover Jan 6 Jill Murray-Smith + 1 Jan 13 Helen Stillwell and Alice Adams Jan 20 MU Jan 27 Betty Lane and Ruth Westover

Church Cleaning Teams

Dec 3 Betty Lane Dec 10 Margaret Gardner Dec 17 Mary Meadows Dec 24 Sue Pugh Dec 31 Anne Shepherd Jan 7 Alison Bell Jan 14 Betty Lane Jan 21 Margaret Gardner Jan 28 Mary Meadows Feb 4 Sue Pugh

29 The Parish Church of the Holy Trinity, Amberley Amberley Churches Together Rector Revd Canon Dr Mike Tucker 878515 Associate Minister Revd Ann Morris 872587 Methodist Minister Revd John James 764818 Churchwardens Mrs Jane Foreman 833028 Mr Tim Adkin 762491 Reader Mrs Anne Seymour 873272 Verger Mrs Cynthia Cooke 872602 Director of Music Mr Steve Goodwin 873381

Head Server Mrs Jan Howard 872689 Stewards Mrs Di Rowe 752004 Mrs Betty Lane 872416

ACC: Secretary Mrs Pat Woods 872652 Treasurer Mr Harry Davie 872787 Chairman Mr John Gilbert 836275 Vice Chairman Mrs Sue Pugh 872551 Mr Danek Piechowiak 882379 Mrs Sue Piechowiak 882379 Dr Alistair Smith 762513 Mrs Elizabeth Haughton 872496 Mrs Deborah Curram 872546 Deanery Synod Reps Mrs Sandra Tucker 878515 Mrs Anne Seymour 873272 Mr Michael Bullock 882710

Planned Giving Secretary Mrs Sarah Goodwin 873381 Social Committee Secretary Mrs Jan Howard 872689 Church Grounds Comm Chmn Mrs Margaret Gardner 872230 Sunday Club Mrs Clare Wilkins 835864 Youth Group Mrs Sue Partridge 873141 Quest Mrs Sue Pugh 872551 Parish Magazine Editor Mrs Margaret Gardner 872230 Advert Secretary Mrs Jean Davie 872787 Church Flower Rota Mrs Rosemary Lea 872901 Friday Cuppa Mrs Ann Haslam 873632 MU Secretary Mrs Pat Woods 872652

30 Village Organisations Amberley Parochial School 873349 Head Teacher - Jo Woolley Amberley Playgroup - Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, 9.30-12.15 Play Leader - Karan Hoskins 753151 Toddlers Group - Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9.45-11.45 am Leader - Karan Hoskins 753151 Royal British Legion - Joint Men & Women’s Branch Second Tuesday of even months at 7.30 pm at the Littleworth Hall Chairman - Roger Rowe 752004 Women’s Institute Third Tuesday in each month at 2.30 pm in the Parish Rooms Mrs Joyce Newton 885324 Littleworth Hall Booking Secretary - Mrs Di Rowe 752004 Parish Room Management Committee Letting Secretary - Mrs Cynthia Cooke 872602 Highlands Cottage Charity Secretary 873272

The Drake Scout HQ - Culver Hill Group Scout Leader - Mr Bob Lawson 835079

Scouts - Fridays 7-9 pm Leader - Mr. Dave Middlemiss 840003 Cub Scouts - Thursdays 6.30-8 pm Leader - Hilary Youldon 873739 Beaver Scouts - Saturday 5-6 pm Leader - Sarah Martin 872573 Guides - Wednesdays 7.30-9 pm Mrs Heather Pearson 885477

Brownies - Wednesdays 6.00-7.30 pm in the Parish Rooms Miss Joy Hopkins 834767 Baby Sitting Circle Mrs Lisa Haymon-Collins 873796 Amberley Gardening Club - 2nd Wed of each month - Parish Room Mrs Anne Shepherd 872237

Website - www.amberley.org.uk

31 From an elegant pair of curtains to your entire home · Spectacular choice of fabrics, wallcoverings and carpets · Lighting, colour and Feng Shui skills · Zoffany, Colefax and many more Phone Sophy Isaac on 01453 873688

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