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ASHBRITTLE GREENHAM STAWLEY BATHEALTON KITTISFORD 1 March 2020 From about 1965 PARISH NEWS March 2020 For the Parishes of ASHBRITTLE with GREENHAM, BATHEALTON, STAWLEY and KITTISFORD LIFE OF THE CHURCH Sunday 1st March 1st Sunday of Lent 09:30 Stawley Holy Communion 11:15 Bathealton Morning Worship Sunday 8th March 2nd Sunday of Lent 09:30 Ashbrittle Holy Communion 11:15 Stawley Morning Worship Sunday 15th March 3rd Sunday of Lent 09:30 Kittisford Holy Communion 11:15 Ashbrittle Morning Worship Sunday 22nd March 4th Sunday of Lent, Mothering Sunday 09:30 Bathealton Holy Communion Sunday 29th March 5th Sunday of Lent 09:30 Greenham Holy Communion Churchwardens and Clergy Ashbrittle with Greenham Charles Doble, The Old Rectory, Ashbrittle, TA21 0LQ 01823 672365 David Hanks, Manley House, Ashbrittle, TA21 0LE 01823 672436 Bathealton Pauline and Andrew Lyle, Road Hill House, Bathealton, TA4 2AW 01984 629013 Kittisford Annie Musgrove, Meadow Farm, Greenham , TA21 0JW 01823 672627 Stawley Penny Hare, Stawley Mill, Wellington, TA21 0HT 01823 672183 Graham Henson, Court Place Farm, Stawley, TA21 0HP 01823 672496 Associate Priest Revd Martin Beaumont, Hilltop, Buttsway, Milverton TA4 1JR 01823 400127 Lay Minister Elaine McNicholas, School House, Bathealton, TA4 2AN 01984 624428 Team Rector Revd Tim Treanor, The Rectory, 72 High Street, Wellington 01823 662248 Missioner and Team Vicar Revd Selina Garner, The Vicarage, 2 Thought for the month marry in church and, speaking as a good Yorkshireman, a church wedding is also cheaper Church Bells than a civil ceremony! If you or a member of your family would like to discuss a wedding or any Where we live in Milverton, Monday is bell other ceremony, please do not hesitate to contact ringing practice night. Ruth and I often open the me or one of the churchwardens. window, just to enjoy the sound of the bells and We may also be able to arrange for you the have appreciate the enthusiasm and skill of those who the bells rung in your honour; just another ring them. I know how much the parishioners in celebration of one of those great public occasions. our own group also value the dedication and With best wishes, commitment of our band of ringers and their Martin Beaumont willingness to move from tower to tower, summoning people to worship Sunday by Sunday. But church bells can also celebrate great public Lent Course occasions or warn of national emergencies. When they do, the church and its bells express the hopes As is often the custom here and in other and fears of the whole community and not just parishes, there will be a brief course of study those who may choose to attend worship on a during Lent. We will be considering the way in regular basis. A parish church is very much a part which Art might deepen our own spirituality. of the community and is used by many to celebrate Each week, we will focus our attention on a significant events at the beginning and end of our particular work of art and seek to interpret its earthly lives. It can also be used for other appeal. Each session will be ‘free - occasions; concerts, art exhibitions, a place of standing’, (you will not need to attend all of meeting, hospitality and shelter, weddings and the them), and they will last approximately one hour. blessing of marriages. We will meet at Stawley Mill on Thursday the Those who are responsible for the care of our 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th March and Thursday the church buildings in this group are keen to 2nd April at 7.00 pm. encourage the use of them by everyone in our Refreshments will be available. community. In particular, I would hope that those In advance, may I express our gratitude to who are planning a wedding may consider using Penny for her kindness and hospitality. one of our churches for their very own special occasion. Today, it is much easier for couples to Martin Beaumont Kisford Pudding Club at Greater Brimley Farm in Kittisford on Saturday 14 ththth March at 7.30pm tickets £12.50 from Stawley Village Shop or Sarah Burns-Cox on 01823 672245/07599 071 867 or Penny Stanbury on 01823 672216 Come for supper, a glass of wine and then sample and rate a selection of truly delicious homemade desserts anonymously - Best Pud wins! Proceeds go towards Kittisford Church and the Wellington Food Bank Everyone welcome – please let us know if you have special dietary requirements [email protected] 3 Country Matters Lunch Club The Daffodils January started very low key in our lunch club. Many regulars were unable to come for various For oft, when on my couch I lie reasons, so at the last minute it was decided to In vacant or in pensive mood, give our cook, Jackie White, a well earned break. They flash on that inward eye A small, but distinguished number of diners ate at Which is the bliss of solitude; Stawley Shop and enjoyed not only a good lunch, And then my heart with pleasure fills, but also some good conversation. And dances with the daffodils. Our next meeting will be on Thursday 26th March when our speaker will be Nerys Gibb, a W.Wordsworth (1770 -1850) Bathealton resident. The talk title is How to Help Hedgehogs and she will talk about their decline as Late January: The ravens have begun their a species and how to support them in building up mating and are doing acrobatics in the skies with their numbers when the environmental odds are their harsh, almost goose like, cries. They are stacked against them. Nerys already has a getting more populous in lowland areas, although reputation locally as an informative speaker, so it still predominantly found on western mountains should prove an interesting lunch time. and cliffs. If you would like to come on 26th of March, Mallard ducks are beginning to pair up. But on please let me know at least by Tuesday morning the canal there seem to be more drakes than 24th March. Jackie regularly caters for ducks. This is bad news for the ducks who can be vegetarians, but if you have any other dietary drowned by “gang rape”. requirements please let me know and Jackie may There is an old west country saying that “it’s be able to accommodate them. kissing time when the gorse is in flower”. Gorse My contact details are telephone 01823 672203 flowers can be seen all year round, but come out or email [email protected] abundantly in early February. Delia Harling Early February: The rooks in my rookery at Stawley School Appley Cross are starting to rebuild their nests but the strong winds and rain are delaying their Stawley Primary School has been ranked as the efforts, and I have yet to see them carrying new top performing primary school in Somerset for the sticks for rebuilding. second year in a row for Key Stage 2 (KS2) children between 7 and 11 years. In spite of the February weather living up to the old saying February fill dyke be it black or be it Stawley was the only Primary School in the white. But if it be white, the better to like. The County in which 100% of the children reached the hazel catkins are out, the pussy willow, primroses required standards in every subject (against a and the first sweet white violets can be seen in the national average of 65%). The school also hedgerows. achieved the highest average score for reading (111) and the second highest average score in The frogs spawned around the 9th February, unfortunately with quite a lot squashed on the maths (also 111). roads. Congratulations all of the staff for their hard Hedge sparrows, also called dunnocks, are work and dedication and of course to the children for their achievements. singing on hedge tops and small bushes. They have strange sexual arrangements to ensure the David Stirzaker Congratulations to all at Stawley School. Eds survival of their species (belt and braces!) A male may have two or three females to mate with, while a female may keep two or three males in her Pre -school Vegetable Garden territory. - There is some good news on the decline in Stawley Pre school has started work on a insects and biodiversity: some groups of species, children’s vegetable garden, thanks to the particularly freshwater ones appear to be generosity of local business Taunton Sleepers, which kindly donated the materials needed to kick undergoing a strong recovery (Charlie - Outhwaite). So look out for more dragonflies, start the project. If anyone would like to contribute to this lovely local project, we would be mayflies and caddisflies this summer. – Maybe dig a small pond in your garden! delighted to receive any spare vegetable seeds especially things that the children can easily pick Sally Merrett and eat during snack time! Becky Allder 4 Stawley Village Shop & Tea Room Your local Community Shop for bread, milk, papers, groceries, wine, beer, local produce, pasties, pies and lots more! Refill your glass milk bottles here! Meet for coffee and cake! Newspaper deliveries Monday to Saturday to Ashbrittle, Stawley, Kittisford, Bathealton, Appley and Greenham Monday to Friday 8.00 - 5.30 Saturday 8.00 - 2.00 Sunday 9.00 - 11.00 Post Office services: Thursday 11.30 - 1.30 Easter hamper draw tickets now available! Phone us on 01823 674361 Email us at [email protected] 5 Thousands are saved by Village Emergency Telephone System phone location app (VETS) A location app that simplifies GPS co -ordinates VETS is a community -run system and upon to a three -word code is proving so successful that dialling the number, all volunteers are contacted in it is being used by three -quarters of emergency an attempt to raise help locally.