Produced by All Saints and St Michael's Churches

September2021

No.7

Produced by All Saints and St Michael’s churches

(free of charge—please take one) Volume 31 1 Border Group of Parishes Llanyblodwel, Llanymynech, Morton & Trefonen

Rector: The Revd. Kathy Trimby Llanymynech Rectory, Rectory Lane, Pant, SY10 9RA [email protected] 01691 590025 / 07944 504330

Benefice Administrator: Michelle Scott [email protected] 01691 676383

Michelle is working from home most of the time, but still monitoring and replying to emails to the above address; this is the best means of contact. She and Revd Kathy are usually in the office each Wednesday morning, 10.00 - 12.00, when you can phone, but please do not attend in person.

Principle church contacts:

Trefonen: PCC Secretary: Helen Parish [email protected] 01691 670979

Churchwardens: Bob Kimber [email protected] 01691 679646

Malcolm Kirk [email protected] 01691 688595

Safeguarding Officer: Pat Deakin 01691 656675

Llanyblodwel: PCC Secretary: Pearl Morris [email protected] 01691 659905

Churchwardens: Roger Taylor [email protected] 01691 839929

Abie Tudor [email protected] 01691 830350

Safeguarding Officer: Abie Tudor as above

Magazine: Editor: Peter Woollam [email protected] 01691 655753

Advertising: Anne Fitchett 01691 656601

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 2 CONTENTS:

From the Editor 4 Hillwalk 5 Pedal Power 10 Our Wildlife Friendly Community 13 Christian Aid Week 2021 14 Llanyblodwel & Porth-Y-Waen Memorial Institute 17 Llanyblodwel News 21 Community Café 22 From the Rectory 25 Taking Bread and Fish and more 26 Trefonen monthly prayer meetings 26 From the Registers 26 Benefice Office 26 Sofa Club and Dementia activities 27 All hopefully will be gathered in 28 Shaping for Mission 28 Trefonen WI 31 Quiz 35 Trefonen Garden Club 36 Trefonen FC 39 Bryn Offa CE Primary School 43 Battery page 44 Church services 47 Advertising in the magazine 48 Answers to the quiz 48

3 From the editor: This edition of your magazine is subtitled ‘Hillwalk Edition’. “But!” I hear you say, “the Hillwalk is taking place over the late August Bank Holiday weekend, and isn’t this supposed to be the magazine for September?” Well, yes, but our last issue (for July and August) could give you only somewhat sketchy information about what was planned. This issue will be published a week before the event and we’re now able to bring you many more details - see pages 4 - 8.

There’s also some good news about the re-start of Trefonen’s Community Café (page 20), which I know several people have been asking about.

The back cover page has, for many years, given contact details for a number of individuals and ’Useful Services’. I am indebted to those who have let me know that some of these were out of date or simply wrong. The result is that there are a few changes. Several organisations list a choice of numbers, depending on the nature of the enquiry. I hope that the ones which I’ve chosen to list will be of use.

I’ve been forced, for technical reasons that I won’t bore you with, to use different Desk Top Publishing software to compile this (and future) editions. The one I’m now using has fewer features and offers me less flexibility in arranging items on the pages; the more observant might notice a few differences. Never mind - I’ve very few fixed ideas about the layout and a bit of variety shouldn’t hurt anyone. I’m reminded of an observation that is sometimes attributed to Henry Ford: “If you always do what you’ve always done, You’ll always get what you’ve always got.”

Finally (and this bears absolutely no relevance to anything else whatsoever), I subscribe to a variety of weekly, monthly and quarterly journals. I’ve been reading a series of articles in one of these about how the brain functions - how we process, memorise and recall information - and I couldn’t resist sharing something with you:

“The brain constantly processes data it receives, allowing us to see, smell, taste, feel and hear. It processes more information in 30 seconds than the Hubble Space Telescope has done in its 30 years of existence. In fact, each human brain is estimated to hold 200 exabytes* of data: roughly the equivalent of the entire digital content of the world.”

Wow! Peter. * The prefix ‘exa’ denotes 1018 - 10,000,000,000,000,000,000 (that’s 10 million million million)

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 4 HILLWALK WEEKEND: Helen Francis

It's happening ...... at last ...... what joy ...... and guess what ...... we missed 2020 and 2002 (foot & mouth), but the very first Trefonen Walk Weekend was in 1991 ..... 30 years ago!!! .... so we’d better make this a good one.

Already we have fund raising going on .... the lovely Sun Flowers on the Memorial Green, Scented Candles and the Copper Pot in the shop, and a 200 mile virtual cycle ride completed by Norma Jones. BRILLIANT.

Programme for the Weekend:

There will be a tent on the Chapel Green and all the Walks and the Garden Trail start from there. The Family Service will be held there too.

Saturday Aug 28th

8.00am - 4.00pm THE TREFONEN TEN. Please read Mark's article on page 8 which has all the info about this new adventure.

10.00am – 12noon PLANT & PRODUCE SALE in the Church grounds.

2.00pm MOTOR BIKE TRIAL at New Barns Farm. Spectators welcome.

Sunday Aug 29th

9.30 am AN OUTDOOR FAMILY SERVICE ON THE GREEN Everyone is WELCOME. It will be a " Songs of Praise" service, with hymns and songs chosen by some long time Hill Walk Weekenders. Bring a chair if you can, an umbrella (fingers crossed that won't be necessary !!) and just come along.

11.00am - 4.00pm THE BUZZARD AND CURLEW WALKS routes are open. This is the first time they have been open on the Sunday. It will give us a chance to be more "spaced out". Pick your map up from the tent and make your way up to the top of the Hill, where there will be the churn for your donation. THE CAFE WILL NOT BE OPEN TODAY, but if you want to bring a picnic, you are welcome to sit in the new cafe field and we'll make you a brew!!

1.00am - 5.00pm OPEN GARDENS (Take us as you find us; this is work in progress.) Go to the tent on the Green for all the information you need.

Monday Aug 30th

8.00am - 5.00pm THE BUZZARD AND CURLEW WALKS reopen. THE CAFÉ IS OPEN TODAY. It will be serving a delicious selection of cakes and tea and coffee and soft drinks. If you want to bring a picnic and have cakes and a brew to follow, that is absolutely fine.

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 5 THE PROMISES AND THINGS ON LINE AUCTION:

If you’re not that keen on walking or gardening or singing or motor biking, or you’re not able to be here for the Hill Walk Weekend, the Auction is your way to be part of it and help people with Parkinsons and in the communities in Uganda and Zimbabwe ...... everyone's contribution is so important.

Just go to the website www.trefonen-hillwalk.com and follow the instructions OR go to Trefonen Shop and put your offer in the Auction Box ...... you need to write your name, phone number, name of what you are bidding for and your bid.

The last bids will be taken at 4.00pm on Monday 30th Aug at the café.

Keep watching to make sure your best friend doesn't out bid you. IT'S GOING TO BE CUT-THROAT!

THE LIST:  Rich fruit cake - Mel Oakley.  One hour dog walk in Trefonen - Zak Woddy.  3 course meal for 2 to be frozen or reheated, delivered within 5 miles of Trefonen at a date to suit. Starting price £25 - Pam Johnson.  A T shirt printed just for you - Heidi Francis.  10 small bales of hay - Hubert Jones.  Mrs Mop for 2 hours - Helen Parish.  Derwen Hamper: pate, sweet and savoury biscuits, chutney, cards and silk scarf made by the students. Starting price - £30 K Kimber.  2 course meal for 2 - Barley Mow.  Mid week break (2 nights) in May or June 2022 Unique glamping in the Eden Valley https://www.airbnb.co.in/rooms/51056577 - Paul and Nic Renison.  2-3 hours baby-sitting - Erin Woddy.  A morning (up to 4 hours) autumn pruning of fruit trees or shrubs - Barbara Farr and Tim Rutherford.  Bottle of Henstone London Dry Gin - Stonehouse Brewery.  Local produce box - Yvonne Lewis.  2 dumpy bags logs - James Fancis.  Bottle of Wine - Jane Evans.  Plant one of your garden pots with a beautiful selection of bedding plants - Sue Batley.  A celebration 23cm square brownie posted direct to you or someone of your choice www.wicked-fox.com - Susie Jones.  A half day introduction to stained glass; time to be arranged - Tracy White.  Hill Walk Cake - Lexie Borie.  A ride to Oswestry and home again for up to 6 people - Ian Clarke.  Light the Beacon at the top of Mynydd Myfyr June 2nd 2022 - Roger Francis.

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 6 Hillwalk Sunflowers: Ann Hindley Hello everyone,

After two cancelled Hillwalks, we are going for a much reduced event on August Bank Holiday weekend. It won’t be the same as usual, but let’s make the most of what we can do safely! Let’s face it, Trefonen is brilliant at that!

One of those things we can do, and make an impact , is to sponsor our Trefonen sunflowers (see the poster opposite!).

As I write, the display on the Memorial Green, although very pretty, is awaiting the arrival of all those Sunflowers sitting in the shop just waiting to join the display!

Every Sunflower represents a bit more hope for The Ugandan Village struggling to buy hospital equipment and school supplies and, at home in the UK, a sponsored Sunflower will contribute towards research and practical help for all those with Parkinson’s Disease.

Another two worthy causes which I am sure you will embrace with your usual village generosity!

PLEASE MAKE OUR DISPLAY A WONDERFUL COMMUNITY TRIUMPH AND, IF IT’S NOT YOUR SCENE TO TIE A SUNFLOWER ONTO THE DISPLAY, PERHAPS YOU COULD JUST CONTRIBUTE?!

REMEMBER -- EVERY CONTRIBUTION COUNTS!

*** Thank you also to all those who spent time making the sunflowers and Simply Ribbons of Oswestry, who once again donated all those pretty ribbons! Couldn’t do it without you! ***

Plant and Produce Sale on Saturday 28th August 10am - 12 noon In the Church Grounds, in aid of the Hillwalk Charities

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 7 Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 8 Trefonen Ten: Saturday 28th August 2021 New route- new adventure!

Even now, no-one can be sure quite how things are going to go, despite Boris’s apparent confidence. So when the Hillwalk moved to August, we tried to think how we could deliver a one-off, longer walk which would be interesting and enjoyable, easy to manage, and as safe as possible.

The first criterion was easy to meet, of course; we just had to think about a suitable distance in view of the other considerations. We came up with a ten mile circular walk from the village green, which will take most folk around 5 hours to complete; some will be faster, others will be slower. The route is substantially different from the May Long Walk, but does include a couple of the usual highlights, together with some places you may not have visited before.

To ensure distancing, participants will be able to choose their own start time - anywhere between 8am and 4pm - and all that is required to receive a map with the route and some guidance. There is a fee of at least £5 per adult (cash only), payable at the tent on the village green. There are no refreshments or marshals on the route and no checking-in at the finish, so walkers must carry their own food and water and are responsible for their own personal safety. The route will be marked with the customary tape and arrows which, together with the map, should ensure navigation. Of course, you will never be too far from Trefonen!

The Trefonen Ten is entirely on public rights of way with the occasional short stretch of tarmac. There are both hills and stiles so, if the weather has been wet, some of the ground could be slippy. Consequently, we advise stout walking shoes or boots. When checking the route, we noticed stock in some fields, so we ask that dogs be kept always under close control in order to protect stock, dogs, and the good name of the Trefonen Hillwalk. Likewise, gates should be left as you found them.

This year’s weekend will be in aid of the following charities; ‘Parkinsons in the Marches’, ‘Mirembe Clinic’ Uganda, and ‘Mkoba Clinic’, Zimbabwe. So please come along to support. Rain or shine, the Trefonen Ten is a lovely and varied walk which shows off the many and varied facets of our local countryside.

New route: new adventure!

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 9 Pedal Power and the Power of Prayer, Proves Powerful Combination Recently, Norma Jones from Trefonen was determined to ‘do her bit’ to aid the Trefonen Hill Walk charities (Parkinson’s & Clinics in Uganda and Zimbabwe). She considered various options, knowing she can no longer walk very far, so quickly dismissed the idea of a sponsored walk. She loved to swim, but swimming would involve someone taking her to the pool now that she no longer drives. Not being put off by ‘What she couldn’t do’ but refocussing rather on what she could do, she prayed, reflected and came up with the idea of doing a ‘Virtual Sponsored Cycle Ride’. But not wanting to cycle aimlessly, she looked for somewhere approximately 200kms away as she wanted to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of Trefonen Church as well. When she set off on her trusty exercise bike, she had no idea if she could do it or would do, but set herself target each day and plotted it on the map. Each day, she prayed for strength for the day and for those who might benefit from the money she might raise and we are delighted to say… She did it, she achieved her goal! Heartiest congratulations to Norma on her achievement. Her determination, commitment and trust that she could at least try to do something she was capable of is a lesson to us all. What an inspiration! Why don’t you look at what you too might do for the Hill Walk charities, other good causes, or even the church. You can if you think you can! Revd. Kathy

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 10 Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 11 Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 12 Our Wildlife Friendly community – a community wide initiative – because we care

From small beginnings, progress is being made. We believe everyone in our community is involved in this initiative – unless, of course, you don’t want to learn about and contribute to developing and protecting our wildlife. We are trying to keep people up to date with plants to look out for, possibilities of recording sightings, and apps to use to identify flowers and birds – and animal poo! You just have to log on to www.trefonen.org and look at the pages devoted to this project.

Towards the end of August we are going to work on refining how we use the website and establish, if at all possible, ways for people to contact us and establish a permanent record of wildlife activity in the area in all its forms.

Two of our members have now undertaken training with Shropshire Wildlife Trust in habitat mapping. They are building up their skills and talking knowledgeably about whether a field is species rich, and has indicator plants. They have explained the need to look for different clovers and grasses (with knees) as a starting point and aiming to identify land which could be worked on. This could include distributing seeds following cutting of meadows etc , and getting cattle to trample them in.

We are hoping to have an open meeting in the Village Hall later in the autumn, when we could show how we could build up records and analyse data. We are also trying to work with local farmers and landowners and monitoring changes in legislation which could be beneficial to them and also promote wildlife.

If you would like to take an active role in our planning of activities, do, please, contact us.

K Kimber 01691 679646 [email protected]

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 13 CHRISTIAN AID WEEK 2021

We are delighted with our Christian Aid appeal this year as we have collected a total of £1,973.77, which includes £228.77 from Gift Aid. People have been so generous, and I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who collected in the envelopes and to everyone who gave money to help others in desperate need. Much of this year’s funding will go to help communities build earth dams to collect water when there is rain. The dams will provide water through the long drought, which is lengthening each year due to the climate change crisis. When there is no water available, both people and their animals die, and the girls and older women walk for many miles each day to search for water, often finding just a muddy pond. Churches and Chapels throughout the UK are doing their best to raise money to help these poor people. The older people in these communities tell us that when they were young there was always grass for their animals and trees for shelter and an assortment of vegetables in their gardens but, with climate change, none of these now exist. Christian Aid feels that we must do our best to help these people.

Rose Katanu Jonathan sitting on the dry land caused by extreme drought in Dili Village, Kitui, Kenya (photo from the Christian Aid website) Our collection only happened because our amazing group of “collectors” enthusiastically knocked on doors and returned with wonderful collections. What stars they all are! I would especially like to thank Carol Miller and Marion Ingram who went out of their way to help raise money. Trefonen Church: This year, Carol Pickering and her team kindly offered to collect money in Church, and they managed to raise the sum of £108.00. Thank you Carol. Llanyblodwel Church: Abi Tudor kindly organised a collection in Church, and they swelled our funds by £33.00. Thank you Abi. Anne Roberts and our Christian Aid Team.

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 14 Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 15 Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 16 TRIBUTE TO OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO THE LLANYBLODWEL AND PORTHYWAEN MEMORIAL INSTITUTE

The Institute Hall between Llanyblodwel and Porthywaen village was opened in 1921. A wooden shed was removed from Llynclys hill and erected on the wharf near Nut Tree Farm in Porthywaen. The current Llanyblodwel and Porthywaen Memorial Institute was built in 1930 on land donated by the Right Honorable, the Earl of Bradford. The building was refurbished in 2003/2004 with monies from a Lotteries Grant. Over the years, this community facility has been the meeting place for many memorable and happy occasions. We owe our thanks to many individuals who have dedicated much of their time, and often personal financial contribution, to maintain and manage this facility. Our longstanding Trustees Mrs Mufyd Jones, Mr Martin Jones, Mr Brian Wilkinson, Mrs Bethan Jones and Mr Robert Eyres have served the community for, between them, more than 200 years. We thank them all for safeguarding this facility for our future generations and keeping the community spirit alive. In particular, it is fitting to recognise the considerable, individual contributions made by Mr Martin Jones and Mrs Mufyd Jones who have served this charity in many ways since 1976. Martin has been our indefatigable caretaker of the hall and Mufyd has been a constant secretary, booking secretary and treasurer. Martin, Brian and Mufyd would like to step down from their roles. We are therefore looking for others to manage this community gem so that future generations have a place to congregate and create new memories. HELP SAVE OUR VILLAGE HALL BY USING IT AND CARING FOR IT

We need volunteers to act as Treasurer, Booking Secretary, Caretaker, Social Media Secretary and to help with the general maintenance of the hall and car park.

Become a Trustee and help shape the future of this charity in promoting community activities. You may not be able to help on a regular basis, but may be able to spare an hour or two now and then to help with spring cleaning, painting, grass cutting, setting up events, building a website, managing our facebook page etc.

Please contact Andrew Beckett 07704 693691 or Bethan Cross 07305 329962

WHY NOT BOOK THE HALL FOR THAT OVERDUE CELEBRATION?

THE HALL IS EQUIPPED WITH TABLES AND CHAIRS (INCLUDED IN THE HIRE FEES) AND THE HALL HAS A MUSIC AND ALCOHOL LICENCE.

DO NOT LET OUR UNPREDICTABLE WEATHER SPOIL YOUR FUN.

CONTACT MRS M JONES TO BOOK YOUR PARTY 01691 828786

Bethan Cross

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 17 Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 18 Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 19 Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 20 Llanyblodwel news:

Church Services:

The Church is now open every week at 11.00am for Sunday worship and we have started to sing hymns wearing a mask.

The Covid regulations for the Church are being reviewed at the end of the month.

We can now start looking at our Autumn programme, starting with our HARVEST SUPPER on Friday 24th September at Llanyblodwel and Porthywaen Memorial Institute starting at 7.30pm. Tickets £10 per adult and half price for children under 12; available from Gwyneth Wigley on 01691 828282 or Church members.

Our Harvest Service is on Sunday 26th September at 11am

The building work on the disabled toilets is on schedule to start in September as planned.

We hope to have some news regarding the opening of Cafe Blodwel soon, in the next few weeks fingers crossed.

More news regarding our Autumn programme in next month's magazine.

Eirlys Williams

Llanyblodwel bridge is closed after being hit and damaged by a passing vehicle. It’s not known how long repairs will take. Thanks to Madhukesh Loomba for the photo.

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 21 The Community Cafe is planning to re-open in Trefonen Village Hall on Tuesday 7th September initially from 10.00am - 11.30am

It is hoped the Community Cafe will be open on this date with certain Covid restrictions still in place for the safety and comfort of everyone. Things might be a bit different to how they were in the past as we get used to the situation, but be assured you will still receive a very warm welcome.

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 22 Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 23 The Garden Club is planning to meet in September: 7:30p.m., Thursday 16th September at Trefonen Village Hall.

Mick Poultney will be talking on Fruit Growing - highly recommended!

Bring your friends and neighbours, it will be wonderful to see everybody again!

To keep in touch with any developments, see www.trefonengardenclub.org.uk

We will be Covid aware and abiding by Village Hall Guidelines.

Email [email protected] for more details or call 01691 583012

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 24 From the Rectory:

My dear friends, Well, the Olympics and Paralympics are over for another few years. But how inspiring they have been - more so I think than before. Why? Because they have been like no other. These were games held in the midst of a global pandemic, having been postponed a year, being held in a country whose Covid rates were high, the vaccine programme not as advanced as that of the UK, with worries and concerns about it being a super spreader and the absence of spectators. Would all these factors play a significant part and impact the games? Truth to tell, they did, but maybe not in the way we expected. Yes, the athletes and those present had to test daily and there weren’t any visitors. But that isn’t to say there was no support. The level of mutual support and camaraderie from other members of the team and, sometimes, even from rivals, was a joy and inspiration to watch. The sportsmanship and respect displayed by competing countries was also inspiring and impressive. Not to mention the humbleness of the athletes as they gratefully acknowledged support from the team around them and from home. That support helped them be where they were and their overriding conviction was that, with hard work, commitment and dedication, anyone and everyone could achieve their dream, whatever that happened to be. How inspiring is that? It was a joy to watch, it lifted the nation, and the achievements belonged to us all and we participated. In front of our very eyes and ears, a harvest of dreams, possibility and reality of what could be was unfolding. A harvest of what could be - of living, working, encouraging, caring and achieving was right there. It was and is achievable. We witnessed it, and it shone as brightly as the Olympic torch. But it doesn’t need to end, like the torch being extinguished, or like the brightness of the sun giving way to the night and the darkness that comes with it. The experience has, I hope, reawakened hope in us all. Hope for our own dreams, that they can be realised. Hope that we can dare to dream, individually and collectively, dare to dream of what could be in our homes, churches, communities and world. The harvest is possible, we just have to dream it, commit to it and work together to achieve it. Will we dream, will we believe and will we reap the harvest? Now that is the question. Til next time… Yours in Christ, Kathy

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 25 Taking Bread and Fish and More .. The song asks the question ’who took fish and bread, hungry people fed?’ Well, we hope on Sunday 29 August to have a Forest Church type Benefice Service - outdoors within sight of water and crops. We are very fortunate that Treflach Farm fits the bill and has kindly agreed for us to meet at the Fish Pool for our act of worship and our bring and share picnic. Hopefully, there’ll be enough to feed us all, and maybe one or two others that just wander by and join us! It starts at 12 noon, and you are invited to bring your own thing to sit on - a blanket or seat - and something for the picnic. We will have a few tables, but if you bring finger food it will make life a little easier! Paper plates and napkins will be provided. And we will share, rather like Jesus encouraged people to do in the story. The worship will be informal and use the surrounding area to explore the Story of the Feeding of the 5000 and what we might learn for today about our relationship with God, our environment and with others. For more information, contact Revd Kathy (07944504330 or [email protected]). It is hoped we might have more of these in the future and plans are already well advanced for a harvest one in October! Watch this space!

Trefonen monthly prayer meetings: These have started up again, meeting every second Tuesday of the month in the church at 7.30pm, to pray for the local community and the church. The September meeting is therefore Tuesday 14th 7.30pm. All are welcome. Linda Gladman

From the Registers: Trefonen Funeral 2nd August Margaret Helen Jones

Llanyblodwel Baptism 18th July Jacob William Wedding 31st July Ceri Jones and Richard Roberts

Benefice Office: We’ve taken the decision to move the office from All Saints to the Rectory, in part to reduce Revd. Kathy’s travelling between the two. The current office phone number will be disconnected on 3rd September and, at the time of writing, new arrangements for telephone numbers and email addresses are not finalised. We’ll publish the new details as soon as we can but, in the meantime, please bear with us.

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 26 Sofa Club and Dementia Activities:

Our August trip to that well known seaside destination of Llanymynech was enjoyed by all, as we ‘played in the sand’, making and decorating sand art magnets that are adding colour to members fridges across the Benefice. We enjoyed ‘fish and chips with salt and vinegar’ in newspaper cones, (they may have been the savoury snack variety, but we all tucked in readily and enjoyed reminiscing over times sitting on the seafront, or pier, eating the real thing!). We enjoyed cloudy lemonade and a scoop of ice cream (served in a paper cup bucket with handle, and eaten with our spoon ‘spade’) and a cup of tea. A sea-side decorated bun, complete with sand, sea and a parasol, completed our trip down memory lane of bygone trips to the seaside; we were just missing the paddle in the sea.

Sofa Club has served a useful purpose during the pandemic by meeting whenever possible and keeping in regular contact and hopefully will continue to meet every few weeks in small groups for the time being. Meetings take place outdoors wherever and whenever possible and our activities over the next few weeks will be:

9th September – ‘Walking back to Happiness’ An activity to mark ‘Ride and Stride’ weekend. At 2.30pm in Morton Churchyard if possible. 23 September – ‘My tongue will be the pen of a ready writer!’ Short service for St Matthew. This is a small group that meets and chats and is accessible to any, including those who live with or care for those living with dementia. But it is by no means limited to that. It is an informal gathering where we enjoy activities, short services, but above all chat and cake! And it is partly because this group is open to all that we can display our Dementia Friendly status in each of our Benefice churches. We have to renew that status annually and commit to three things. This year our three aims are: • To attend an online Zoom training session to refresh and renew • To undertake a memory walk in aid of the Alzheimer’s Society to raise awareness and funds. Revd Kathy & Lizzie Lawrence are doing at the beginning of September - see pew sheet for more information and of how to support if you wish to. • To plant and encourage the planting of a ‘Living Memory’ garden in the Spring. More details on this in future magazines. For further information, contact Revd Kathy 07944 504330

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 27 All Hopefully Will be Gathered In!...

It hardly seems possible that we are talking of Harvest already, but we are. Farmers have worked around the clock against some difficult weather issues, but once more the harvest is gathered in. It’s time to say thanks to God for his bounty and to those who worked in partnership with him, and to remember all those who haven’t been so fortunate.

It all starts at:

Llanyblodwel: Friday 24th September for a very simple Harvest Supper in the Institute (see page 20 for more details of time, tickets and where to obtain them). This will be followed by the Harvest service on Sunday 26th September at 11am.

Trefonen: Harvest Service on Sunday 3rd October at 9.30am followed by light refreshments. (NB the time of this service may change if Trefonen decide to have a Harvest lunch; more details in October’s magazine.)

All are subject to our current PCC thinking on Covid restrictions, so details are a little hazy at present. Look out for more on websites and Facebook pages.

At each of the services we will receive gifts for the local Foodbank and for others in need; more details will be forthcoming.

Shaping for Mission Plans bring possibilities: Meetings at each of our four churches in June allowed our Benefice reps. to reflect on the responses in the questionnaires that we had completed. These went forward to Deanery level where a combined response was compiled for the Bishop and Archdeacon in early August.

A common theme from our parishes was a willingness to try new forms of service which might be more appealing to non-churchgoers. So, from October to January, we’ll have a trial period with some new liturgies and styles of service. You’ll be able to say what you did or didn’t like and what you think did or didn’t work when we have a review at the end of this period. We might decide to keep some of the new and discard others.

Holy Communion services will remain as before during this period and the church festivals will be observed. One change that you will notice is that, on the 4th Sunday of each month, all the churches will be closed and we’ll have an online service instead, each church taking it in turns to lead. Don’t use the internet? Perhaps you can ‘buddy up’ with someone who does by going to their house. Apart from anything else, the reduced travel and heating of our buildings will save money and reduce our environmental impact.

More details will appear in the magazine in the months ahead.

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 28 Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 29 Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 30 Trefonen WI: Chickens and Chatting!

Since our last report we have had two splendid get togethers; the first in a member’s garden, where we were able to meet in person for the first time in a year. The second meeting was at The Barley Mow where we enjoyed catching up and making plans for our September meeting in Trefonen village hall at 7.00pm.

Visitors and new members are always welcome. For further details please contact Victoria 07773364992 or [email protected]

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 31 Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 32 Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 33 Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 34 Quiz: General knowledge again. 1. NHS ≡ National Health Service. What do the following initials denote? a) If someone is missing, they’re said to have gone AWOL. b) My trade union is affiliated to the TUC. c) Your holiday is protected by ATOL. d) When applying for a job, you might be asked for your CV. e) My current account is at HSBC. f) You can do it if you B&Q it. g) The plane landed in low cloud; good job the RADAR was working. h) I’ve bought a lovely new sofa from DFS. i) The first HMV shop opened in Oxford Street, London, in 1921. j) LGBTQ

2. The 2020 Summer Olympic Games were held recently in Tokyo. a) How many medals, in total, did the members of team GB win? b) A World Record of just 6.84 seconds was set in an event new to the Olympics. What was the event? c) This is the second time Tokyo has hosted the games. When was the other year?

3. Who is currently 5th in line to the British Throne? 4. What’s the capital of Iceland? (You must get the spelling correct to win a point) 5. How many valves does the human heart have? 6. Who has been the First Minister of Wales since 2018? 7. What nut is in the middle of a Ferrero Rocher? 8. What is a baby rabbit called? 9. To a single decimal place, how many kilometres in a mile? 10. If all the States of America were written in alphabetical order, which would be first and last? 11. What are the three water signs in Astrology? 12. Which London Underground line has the most stations? 13. In cockney rhyming slang, what is a ‘dog and bone’? 14. What is the currency of Denmark? 15. What was the old name for a Snickers bar before it changed in 1990? 16. Which surrealist artist is famous for painting melting clocks? 17. Which English football club plays its home games at The Hawthorns? 18. Which Charles Dickens novel begins with the words: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, …”? 19. What was the Turkish city of Istanbul called before 1930? 20. Which country is the smallest, by area, in the world? Answers on page 47

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 35 Garden Club - Plant and Produce Sale, Monthly Meetings:

The Garden Club has been active through the last few months, with Zoom Meetings up to June and a special Garden visit. Our thanks go to Julie and Peter Mitchell who warmly welcomed Club members to their garden in nearby Pant in July, a lovely evening, all marvelling at their hard work and expertise in developing an exceptional garden.

The Trefonen Garden Club is optimistically looking forward to an autumn programme of face to face talks in the Village Hall. There may be some restrictions, such as with refreshments, and of course appropriate precautions will be taken, being Covid aware and abiding by Village Hall Guidelines.

Keep in touch with developments at the website www.trefonengardenclub.org.uk.

Firstly, though, the Club is organising a Plant and Produce Table Sale on the Saturday of the Hill Walk/Bank Holiday weekend, 28th August, from 10 a.m. in the Trefonen Church Garden.

Any contributions of Plants – labelled and rooted where appropriate – and home grown garden produce will be welcome, from 8:30am onwards on the day. All proceeds will go to the Hill Walk Charities. For further details call 01691 583012.

What should be our first monthly meeting at Trefonen Village Hall since January 2020 is at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday 16th September. Mick Poultney, a very entertaining speaker with a great Zoom reputation, will talk on Fruit Growing. His Zoom talks have been very informative, but it is time to put Zoom behind us and see the actual person! It will be good to have a real speaker with a real audience once more.

October’s monthly meeting is again on the third Thursday of the month at the Village Hall, on 21st October at 7:30 p.m. Anne Harrison, another Zoom success, will be talking about House Plants, an appropriate subject for that time of year.

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 36 Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 37 Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 38 Trefonen FC:

General Update:

Throughout the last two months, since the most recent magazine, there has been significant activity right across the club, including the appointment of a new club Chairperson, new additions to the playing squad and an important announcement regarding our league season.

The Annual General Meeting of Trefonen Football Club was held on Thursday 22nd July. It was announced at this meeting that Howard Martin has made the decision to step down from his position of Club Chairperson after 13 years in the role. Former club secretary Simon Pugh was elected to succeed Howard, a move which sees Simon returning to the committee.

All associated with the club would like to take this opportunity to thank Howard for his time and efforts as Chairperson and wish him all the best for his future endeavours. It goes without saying that Howard has more than successfully carried out his role of Chairperson, a time in which has seen the club grow and evolve under his leadership.

A Small Piece About Howard:

Howard has been an integral figure within the club since its reformation in 2008, having primarily held the position of Chairperson throughout that time, although he also spent a season as Team Manager in 2015/16.

Howard first joined the football club back in 1982, shortly after the club’s inaugural season in the Wem & District Sunday League. He went on to make in excess of 315 appearances for the club, a record which sees him occupy 2nd place on the all-time appearance list, behind Ian Carter (335+). During his time with club, he scored a grand total of four goals before hanging up his playing boots in 1996.

Away from the pitch, Howard held many non-playing roles within the club’s committee, including Club Secretary for close to 10 years, as well as five years on the league committee as Treasurer of the Wem & District Sunday League.

During his association with the club, Howard’s honours include winning the Graham Edwards Memorial Trophy on three occasions, a Wem & District Sunday League title, circa 1988, and the First Division Cup in 1989/90.

In more recent years, Howard has overseen the running of the club and has played an important role in key areas such as organising club fundraising events, both on a weekly basis and the larger events held throughout the year.

Return to Play & League Update:

The most recent months have seen many restrictions lifted throughout England & Wales. This has been most evident to us since April, as we have made a successful return to hosting regular team training and friendly matches.

Across Wales, July saw the return of competitive football for many clubs, with the early stages of the FAW Welsh Cup and FAW Welsh Trophy being played and the start of many leagues higher up the Welsh footballing pyramid under way. Although we have not participated in any of these competitions, I am happy to bring the news that our competitive season has been given the go ahead. Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 39 This month sees Trefonen Football Club kicking off our 2021/22 campaign by returning to play in the prestigious Montgomeryshire Cup, with our first-round fixture seeing us drawn against Llansantffraid Village FC, a tie which was played on Tuesday 10th August. Unfortunately, we suffered a 5-1 defeat after extra time, however this score line does not reflect the game, as for large periods of the game we held a deserved lead. A second half red card for goal scorer Harri Matthews meant The Pitmen tired and were unable to hold out for an impressive victory. Four goals in the second period of extra time and another red card for ourselves meant the hosts progressed into the next round.

Due to the FAW pyramid restructure, this season will look a little different to what we have become accustomed to over previous seasons. The Montgomeryshire League will consist of eight teams: Llangedwyn, Llanfechain, Llanfyllin Town Reserves, Llanymynech, Meifod, Trefonen, Trewern United and Waterloo Rovers Reserves. As a result of the reduced number of teams, it was decided by the league committee that all the cup competitions would all involve a group stage followed by knock-out rounds of Semi-Final and Final, this is to ensure each side fulfils the season having played a sufficient number of games.

The group draws for the cups are as follows:

Llansantffraid Village Bernie Jones Memorial Cup Montgomeryshire League Cup Cup (6 Teams) (8 Teams) (8 Teams) Group A TREFONEN Llanfechain TREFONEN Llanymynech TREFONEN Waterloo Rovers Reserves Llanfechain Llangedwyn Llanfyllin Town Reserves Trewern United Trewern United Group B Meifod Meifod Llangedwyn Llangedwyn Llanymynech Meifod Trewern United Llanfyllin Town Reserves Llanfechain Waterloo Rovers Reserves Llanymynech

Other cup competitions which we have entered include the Shropshire County Challenge Cup and The J Emrys Morgan Cup, in which we have been drawn at home to Newcastle (Clun), with the tie scheduled for Saturday 11th September.

New Signings:

The past weeks have seen many new additions to the playing squad. Ben Pullen and Jordan Dean have returned to the club after completing their transfers from Four Crosses FC. Luke Barry also returns, following a successful season at Morda United last year. Experienced defender Daryl Davies has been reunited with The Pitmen after a season at Chirk Town.

Manager Matthew Digwood is also delighted to secure the services of goalkeeper Tom Belton, whose previous clubs include Queens Park (Wrexham), Lex XI and Brickfield Rangers to name a few.

Sean Jones and Mat Evans also join the squad to give us more options and depth across the pitch, both joining from Llanrhaeadr, with Robert Pritchard and Jack Lawrence, who were both previously unattached. Greg Stokes.

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 40 Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 41 Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 42 Bryn Offa CE Primary School:

It seems as if hardly any length of time has passed before we prepare to return to school once more. The summer term was hectic and we crammed an awful lot into a few short weeks, including the presentation of the school leavers Bibles at the Year 6 presentation. It was a gloriously sunny afternoon and we were very lucky for our outdoor performance! Thank you once again for the gifts you give, year on year; it is appreciated by student, parent and by school alike. The holiday gave a much needed break for staff and others and we are hoping that, come September, the school may resemble something closer to normal! We are looking forward to being able to welcome back Revd Kathy and Jane, the Schools Christian Worker to lead assemblies for us in person again! We also hope to welcome back into school our Governing Body for meetings. Bubbles and staggered arrival and leaving times may stay in place until half term but gradually, gradually, step by step we are edging our way back. A new term and a new year always brings new challenges and teething difficulties as we settle back, but within a few days and weeks, it’s almost like we haven’t been away! Prayers would be welcome as we begin the new term and we look forward to sharing once again with you some happenings and thoughts re our school in future magazines. Til then, thank you for your continued interest and support.

Ed: Some readers might wonder why articles from Bryn Offa appear in this magazine, given that it lies outside the parishes of Llanyblodwel and Trefonen. The reason is simple - children from the Llanyblodwel area attend the school, and so news from the school is relevant to some of our readers. When I raised this with Revd. Kathy, she was good enough to share a little bit of the history to this of which I wasn’t aware: “When Bryn Offa was built and opened, it replaced the schools in Llanymynech, Morton and Llanyblodwel, so Bryn Offa is the school for Llanyblodwel. The parish extends to Llynclys crossroads and Llanyblodwel church does regard it as their school.” I’ve found a reference on the internet which states that Llanyblodwel School closed in 1948/49. Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 43 Battery page:

What's the difference between a battery and my wife? A battery has a negative side.

What is the liquid inside the iPhone’s battery called? Apple juice.

A man was found electrocuted, with only a car battery in the room. Police are still looking for leads.

I asked a friend if he liked his job at the battery factory. He said it has pluses and minuses.

Police arrested two Karens yesterday. One was drinking battery acid, the other was eating fireworks. They charged one and let the other one off.

I accidentally left some batteries in my pocket when I put my trousers in the wash. Now that’s what I call clean energy.

My son asked: “Why is there no such thing as a B battery?” I replied: “Bees don’t need batteries.”

My wife asked if she could have some peace and quiet while she cooked dinner. So I took the batteries out of the smoke alarm.

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 44 Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 45 Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 46

On the village green the village On

TREFONEN

HILLWALK SONGS OF PRAISE OF SONGS HILLWALK SERVICE MORNING COMMUNION HOLY SERVICE MORNING COMMUNION HOLY

Jean R Jean 9.30am 9.30am 9.30am G Victoria 9.30am 9.30am M Rita G Jeremy

16, 24 16,

9 7

- -

12 end

end end end

4: 7 4:

- - -

10, 14 10,

6, 10 6,

E at the FISH POOL, TREFLACH FARM TREFLACH POOL, theFISH at E

Isaiah 50: 4 50: Isaiah Isaiah 35: 4 35: Isaiah

James 3: 1 3: James

Mark 9: 30 9: Mark

Mark 7: 24 7: Mark 27 8: Mark 38 9: Mark

James 5: 13 5: James

James 3: 3 3: James

Jeremiah 11: 18 11: Jeremiah

James 2: 1 2: James

Numbers 11: 4 11: Numbers

Bring a chair and a picnic; more details in pew sheets pew in details more picnic; a chair a and Bring

HOLY COMMUNION HOLY WORSHIP MORNING COMMUNION HOLY SERVICE HARVEST

LLANYBLODWEL

12.00 noon ‘FOREST CHURCH’ 12.00BENEFICE type noon SERVIC 11.00am 11.00am 11.00am 11.00am

Trinity 13 Trinity 14 Trinity 15 Trinity 16 Trinity 17 Trinity

29Aug 5Sept 12Sept 19Sept 26Sept

Church services in late August & September: & August late in services Church Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 47 Advertising in the magazine: We’re somewhat unusual in being able to distribute our magazine free of charge - most churches sell theirs, though usually at a low cost. We’re able to do this only because of the support we receive from our advertisers and we thank them again for their loyalty.

To our readers: please consider using the businesses you see advertised here and, most importantly, tell them where you learned about them.

We believe that we offer competitive rates. A subscription for a full page for a year (10 issues) costs £120; £60 for a half page and £30 for a quarter page and we are willing to discuss shorter periods. We can also offer some help with artwork and layout if necessary.

The number of printed copies circulated has been suppressed during the pandemic, but we’re now back to our previous figure of nearly 300 copies of each issue, and we always ‘sell out’. We don’t monitor the number of ‘hits’ on the Benefice and Trefonen village websites, but are certain that this increases our readership.

So, if you operate a business in the area, are interested in increasing your exposure and would like to discuss placing an advertisement here, please speak to either Anne Fitchett or Peter Woollam (see inside the front cover for contact details).

Answers to the Quiz: 1. a) Absent WithOut Leave b) Trades Union Congress c) Air Travel Organiser’s Licence d) Curriculum Vitae e) Hong kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation f) Block & Quayle g) RAdio DetectionA nd Ranging h) Direct Furniture Supplies i) His Masters Voice j) Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning 2. a) 65 (22G, 21S, 22B) b) Women’s 15 metre sprint climb c) 1964 3. Prince Louis of Cambridge 12. District Line (60 stations) 4. Reykjavik 13. Phone 5. 4 14. Krone 6. Mark Drakeford 15. Marathon 7. Hazelnut 16. Salvador Dali 8. A Kit 17. West Bromwich Albion 9. 1.6 18. A Tale of Two Cities 10. Alabama, Wyoming 19. Constantinople 11. Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces 20. Vatican City

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre? 48 Local contacts: Jubilee Club Alwena Martin 652791 Jubilee Field K Kimber 679646 Llanyblodwel Parish Clerk Amy Jones [email protected] 829571 Llanyblodwel & Porth-y-Waen Village Hall Sec. Myfi Jones 828786 Oswestry Rural (Trefonen) Parish Clerk Sharon Clayton 01952 884372 [email protected] Pre-School: ring 07817 641528 or Shropshire Council 01743 254452 Trefonen Garden Club Chris Kirk 688595 Trefonen Indoor Bowling Club Kath Barkley 828587 Trefonen School Cathy Dunleavy (Head Teacher) 652960 Trefonen Village Hall bookings Val Smout 657011 Trefonen Village Hall Caretaker Clive & Kath Roberts 671360 Trefonen Village website www.trefonen.org WI—Llanyblodwel Tina Griffith 830823 WI—Trefonen Gill Buckeridge 653172

Some useful services:

Electricity (Scottish Power) 0800 027 0072 Citizens Advice Bureau 0800 144 8848 Severn Trent Water 0800 783 4444 West Mercia Police 0300 333 3000

Dwr Cymru (Welsh Water) 0800 052 0130 Childline 0800 1111

National Rail enquiries 03457 484950 Samaritans 116 123

HOSPITALS: Drugs & Alcohol Helpline 0800 776600 RJ & AH Orthopaedic 01691 404000 National Domestic Violence 0808 2000 247 Helpline Royal Shrewsbury 01743 261000 Wales Domestic Abuse Helpline 0808 801 0800

Wrexham Maelor 01978 291100 Victim Support (National) 0808 168 9111

Princess Royal Telford 01952 641222 National Missing Persons Helpline 116 000

Mobile Library: Normal service resumed from 2nd August. Thursdays 9th & 23rd September, 9.05 - 9.40am, Barley Mow Inn

Deadline for copy for the magazine is the 10th of each month. This is important! It allows time for the editor to compile the contents, followed by proof reading and printing in time for publication on (usually) the last weekend of the previous month. The magazine can also be viewed online, usually a few days earlier, via either the Trefonen Village website (www.trefonen.org) or the Benefice website (www.borderparishes.org.uk).