In This Issue

March 2021 In this issue:

Memories of Ron……..…………………………………………… 2&24 Lockdown Memories……....……..……..……….…….…………...….5 Yarpole Group Parish Council News…….…………………..…… 10 Become a Shedder………………………….………………………...23 Snowdrops for the Churchyard………………………………….… 30 And all our regular features

Those blue remembered hills. Photo: John Cross.

RON SHAW (1942-2021) Memories of Ron

The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living’ - Cicero

Ron has been our dear friend and neighbour for over 20 years. We have many lovely memories shared with Ron and Rita. BBQ’s with wonderful food and lots to drink, theatre trips, meals out, a visit to Keukenhof and our regular Friday nights at The Bell putting the World to rights. Cheers Ron x - Sue & Roger Harrison

Ron and Rita have been our neighbours since their arrival in Yarpole - the best of neighbours, always friendly, helpful and welcoming. Ron had a fund of anecdotes that he loved to tell and I shall particularly remember his stories of his time in the RAF - especially his tales of his bugle playing! He was a keen football and rugby supporter and many a ‘discussion’ was had about the merits of England rugby v Wales, and how Terry (a keen Arsenal supporter) loved to see that Chelsea flag flying at Ron’s! - Sue & Terry Carpenter

I first met Ron at the village fête. He was selling beer and I was selling burgers at the next stall. But it was the evening fête party I will always remember. Ron and I sat by the bonfire in our field chatting and doing our best to finish the barrel of beer. At 3am we decided we could not and both wobbled home! - Jeff Woodfield

Having lived next door to Ron for the last 20 years, both myself and Sue have got to know him pretty well. From seeing him buzzing around the parish in his white Bed- ford Rascal van helping out with organising the village fête or having an animated discussion down The Bell after a few beers or chairing the Living History group, Ron was always a very active member of the village, a real character and someone who was always good at getting things done. He will be greatly missed. - Graham & Sue Brookes

Continued on page 24

Hopefully by the time you receive this copy of The Parishioner we will have received the Prime Minister’s ‘phased’ route map out of lockdown. What is certain is that many of us will emerge from lockdown without family and friends who were an important part of our life. It is, of course, not just family and friends whom we have lost. It is also those, such as Ron Shaw, who made important contributions to life in our Parish. Another person we will miss will be Tony Corby who for many years, was, in the words of Jon Pitts, the ‘go to’ relief postmaster for Yarpole. I am very conscious that there will be many others whose contribution merits recognition in The Parishioner. If you think there is someone who should be remembered please let us know.

Someone who should be thanked for her contribution to the Parish is Emma Lewis who has resigned as Clerk to Yarpole Group Parish Council. I am sure that you will want to join me in thanking her for her work and wish her all the best in her new job.

Brian Mitchell 20 February 2021

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YARPOLE COMMUNITY SHOP NEWS March 2021

Ice cream and low guilt beer Spring is in the air and as ever your local shop is filled with fresh seasonal produce to tempt you! The low/no alcohol beer and wine range is expanding and the no alcohol beer in particular is proving popular- so meals al fresco can have a guilt-free treat to accom- pany if so desired! Bennett’s ice cream continues to be a popular draw for many and it is introducing a new blackcurrant and clotted cream version at the end of March, which we suspect will be another top seller.

Post Office The Post Office has just issued guidance that all parcels being sent abroad (and following the end of the Brexit transition period this now includes all EU countries) require quite a detailed customs label attached. With effect from the 11th February each item within a given parcel must be listed and its weight accounted for and it must state whether it is a gift or a commercial item. The form must be filled in in block capitals. This is because it is scanned by a machine and it cannot read handwriting. Any deviation from this will apparently result in Customs returning the parcel back to the sender. So, for example: instead of writing “clothing” one must write “denim jeans and woollen jumper” and give an individual weight and value for each.

A sad loss. It was with great sadness that we learnt recently of the death of Tony Corby. Tony was, for many years, our go-to relief postmaster when we needed cover for annual leave, etc and was always very helpful and reliable. He really enjoyed coming to Yarpole even though he lived some way away and we will really miss him as we are sure many shop customers will too.

Poster Post You may notice some new information posters about the shop scattered around the parish (although probably only a matter of time before David Cheshire gets some photographic ‘evidence’ of them in the White House or the Kremlin). Many thanks to Kate Mangnall for the very nice redesign.

John Pitts March 2021

4 Lockdown Memories

Do you have any photographs from Lockdown that show how life was or is? I am compiling a collection of photographs that will be displayed on the Yarpole website as a record of these exciting and demanding times.

Please send any submissions by email to Julian Stokes on

[email protected]

Best wishes. Julian

TEMPORARY SHOP AND POST OFFICE OPENING HOURS

Shop Post Office Monday - Friday 9am - 1pm & 3pm-5pm 9am - 12noon Saturday 9am - 1pm 9am - 12noon Sunday/Bank Holidays closed except for pre-ordered newspapers

Tel: 01568 780148 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.yarpole.com 5

CHURCH MATTERS

March 2021

Back again not being able to meet face to face for services. We gather on Sunday at 10.00 for a ZOOM service with Matthew. If you would like to join in please contact Matthew on 01568 614399 or [email protected].

We HOPE that by Easter we will be able to hold services at Croft and St Leonard’s again. Information on these will be on the community website and on notice boards once we have it! I’m writing this in the midst of a spell of very cold weather. I hope this heralds a mild, colourful Spring when we can get started on our drab (I’m talking about mine) gardens. It lifts the spirits whatever are the restrictions on our lives.

Here are some cheerful writings on which to reflect.

"Arise, make haste, my love, my dove, my beautiful one, and come. For the winter is now past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers have appeared in our land." Song of Songs 2:10-12.

A PRAYER IN SPRING – Robert Frost

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day; And give us not to think so far away As the uncertain harvest; keep us here All simply in the springing of the year. Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white, Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night; And make us happy in the happy bees, The swarm dilating round the perfect trees. And make us happy in the darting bird That suddenly above the bees is heard, The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill, And off a blossom in mid air stands still. For this is love and nothing else is love, The which it is reserved for God above Robert Frost To sanctify to what far ends He will, American Poet But which it only needs that we fulfil. 1874-1963

Church Matters compiled by Barbara Nurse

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7 PARISH HALL

March 2021 Parish Hall News 200 Club

The winning numbers for February were:- 204 £30, 82 £20, 218 £15, 46 £15, 197 £10, 171 £10. Good Luck for next month. Pete Lloyd.

Parish Hall Update by Pete Lloyd

The window and door replacement is now complete. The window and door frames are white on the inside and have brightened up the interior and the Committee is now considering new curtains with blackout lining material or blackout blinds, and a new interior colour scheme.

Outside, we have had the moss pressure-washed away professionally but are still waiting for the garden area to be dry enough for the beds to be dug and planting to be started. We are also replacing the old gates leading to the rear car park and quotes are being obtained.

With the ongoing pandemic situation the chance of getting grants to start the ex- tension of the hall seems a few years away so we are considering buying a con- tainer to be placed in the rear car park to store equipment both from the hall and from the theatre equipment trailer which is currently in the rear car park, and pos- sibly other community equipment if space allows.

Polling stations will be safe places to vote in May, but there are other ways to vote.

In person, by post, by proxy

Want to vote by post? Apply early! Find out more at [email protected]/voter

8 Saint Leonard’s, Yarpole, HR6 0BD Due to lockdown the marquee is now closed as a café venue. We are now selling takeaway cake from the foot of the stairs, Monday - Wednesday mornings. from 10.30- 12.30, and takeaway meals and cakes on Thursdays and Fridays. The meals are available to collect from 12 noon - 3.30pm, or can be delivered. The cakes on Thursdays and Fridays will be available until 3.30pm.

Please look on the website, or the Yarpole Facebook pages or Whatsapp for the weekly menu, and place your order by Wednesday evening for Thursday, and Thursday evening for Friday. Orders can be placed by email to:

[email protected]. or by phone 01568 780594 (café) or 780189 (home) or even in person, I'm at the church most days!

OPENING TIMES Monday - Wednesday 10.30 - 12.30 Thursday - Friday 10.00 – 15.30 We are sorry, but for the time being we are closed on Saturdays Closed on Sundays.

9 Yarpole Group Parish Council News

The February 2021 Parish Council meeting was held via Zoom. The local police were in attendance to provide an update on their recent work, which includes being kept busy looking into breaches of COVID regulations. PCSO Max Beswick was introduced as the newest member of the Leominster Safer Neighbourhood Team, which covers the parish.

A number of residents have reported concerns to the Parish Council that people are walking their dogs in the community field and not picking up after them, or (and not sure which is worse) bagging the dog poo and then leaving the bag in the field. Whilst future plans for the fields are being developed, one of the councillors is kindly mowing the field; I would remind all residents walking dogs that they are both responsible for keeping their dog under control and cleaning up after it. There is no such thing as the dog poo fairy!!

As I write, the Parish Council is still in the process of recruiting a new Clerk to the Parish Council, as I shall be leaving the role at the end of March 2021. The recruitment process is being organised by the Herefordshire Association of Local Councils and if anyone thinks they’d be interested in the job – feel free to get in contact for an informal chat (01568 708694).

Just a reminder for anyone interested, I’ve started sending out updates and meeting notices via the Parish Council website – these come direct to you via email. You can sign up on the Parish Council website, on the front page of the website – on the right hand side of the page there is a box where you can enter your email address to receive the updates. The next meeting of the Parish Council will be held on Tuesday 2nd March 2021. All Parish Council information and minutes can be found at www.yarpolegroupparishcouncil.org.uk. Residents are welcome to attend meetings and time is always allowed at the start of the meeting for issues to be raised.

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11 LOCAL NEWS & NOTICES

An opportunity to buy a piece of Yarpole History

If you would like an opportunity to own a pew recently taken from St Leonard’s you have until the 31 March to make a bid to add it to your household furniture. The pew which has been renovated can be viewed in St Leonard’s. Bids should provide contact details, the name of the person making the bid, and the sum bid. It should be placed in sealed envelope marked ‘Pew Bid’ and left in the shop.

Plant Stall The Plant Stall will be opening its plant pots again this year, starting sometime around Easter – weather permitting. We are very grateful to both Janet Knight and Gilly Lloyd who have offered to take over its care and curation from Helen and Tony Collins. I am sure many others amongst us will also tidy up pots and water any thirsty subjects as we go past.

BUT WHAT WE REALLY NEED NOW IS PLANTS, seedlings, cuttings, offshoots, unwanted specimens – basically any plant you think someone else might find a home for. So when you are sowing those seeds, maybe sow a few extra for the stall or when splitting those perennials, then can you pot up the unused portions – and bring them all along to the stall. Last year the plant stall raised over £1000 for the church and this income was very helpful. Thank you. Rose Jenkins

Stay in touch: Yarpole WhatsApp Group

Enjoy chatting and sharing photos with members of our community via the Yarpole Whatsapp group. We now have more than 20 members!

To join this group, please send a message to: Katie Daniels 07786515922 with your mobile number.

Again we are in the midst of the pandemic that is hitting Hereford-shire harder than in 2020. I know you want to be at home as much as possible, so if you wish to make use of the community shop’s offer to process orders, our volunteers are ready to bring your supplies to your doorstep. Just let the shop know you need a delivery when you are ordering.

You should have received a survey questionnaire as part of our local Talk Community Scheme. As good a community as there is in Yarpole we need your ideas about what is needed or what could be better. And it’s an opportunity for you to put your ideas into practice. PLEASE RETURN THE QUESTIONNAIRE. Contributions are needed from as many people as possible to make the initiative BY AND FOR the people of Yarpole, a truly community response.

Here’s looking forward to better times to come.

Don’t forget - we can help with all sorts, refer to your fridge magnet and give us a ring. Call, in confidence, 07885 525776 (phone open Monday – Friday 9.00 – 17.00 & leave a message)

. In February we tried our first ‘The Bell at Home’, a sort of “ready meal” which we delivered cold for you to heat up at home. We also celebrated Valentine’s Day with a three-course gourmet dinner, if you took us up on these, we hope you enjoyed them. The biggest hit has been our Artisan Bread, which was sold in the shop, it has been selling fast so hopefully you got your hands on some. We have returned to our normal hot takeaway service for now, the menu can be found on our website. In March we will be doing a special takeaway for Mother’s Day on the 14th, and we would also like to do a seasonal takeaway to celebrate the start of spring using some local ingredients, please keep an eye on our website for more information. With spring just around the corner, we are now looking at how we can reopen when restrictions allow us to and we are starting work on our vegetable patches ready to stock our kitchen once again. Warmer weather is on its way and a beer with friends and family finally feels in reach!

15 Diocese of Hereford

March 2021

As I write this we are approaching the start of Lent. Easter this year falls very early and it feels like only yesterday that we finished celebrating Christmas. One impact of COVID-19 and the pandemic is that time can feel somewhat stuck. It can feel like we are trapped between events rather like a strange Science Fiction world where we are caught up in an endless cycle of repeating the activity. It reminds me a little of the film ‘Groundhog Day’ where the main character is trapped in a world where he simply repeats February 2nd over and over again! I think if we are not careful our spiritual lives can get stuck too, with little opportunity to worship together in church and limited social interaction, we can very easily become dislocated from our faith and from each other.

Lent traditionally has been seen as a time of self-examination, self-discipline and fasting although interestingly it didn’t include Sundays as these were feast days and celebrations. It took its form from the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness following his baptism. It also marked the traditional beginning of Spring and the word Lent is based on the old English word for ‘Spring season’. As part of that preparation and self-denial, we have tradi- tions of giving things up for a season and abstinence. In more recent times we have been encouraged to take something up that is of spiritual benefit to ourselves or general benefit to others instead. One of the things we have perhaps lost sight of is it was also a season of spiritual generosity and almsgiving.

When I did some research as part of some studies into what helps churches to grow one of the common themes that emerged was that growing churches were generous churches. They held lightly to their money and buildings, giving of time, talents and money for the ‘Common Good’ through acts of service and generosity. They saw money as a resource to be used for the Kingdom rather than hoarded for a rainy day that never came.

This Lent is a prime opportunity to set time aside to realign our spiritual lives. John writing his Gospel gives us a wonderful picture in chapter 15 of the vine and its branches. In that Jesus says to his disciples:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” John 15 5-8

If we are going to be effective disciples, we need our lives to be rooted in Jesus. We have to learn not just to listen to Jesus’ words but live them out. I think one of the reasons many of us find the pandemic restrictions so hard is that the Christian faith is primarily lived out in the community and is not a solitary or individual activity.

If we are going to make the most of Lent then we need, as a church, to rediscover a communal faith which looks outwards. To put our faith not in an institution called ‘church’ but instead in the person of Jesus who longs to change us into the people God created us to be.

However you use these coming weeks why not discipline yourself to spend a few minutes each day to reflect on your spiritual journey and your relationship with God, to offer yourself to Him that we might become more like Him, as CS Lewis said:

“We must lay before Him what is in us, not what ought to be in us.” from Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer, chapter 4

Derek

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In No Strange Land (Extract) Francis Thompson

The angels keep their ancient places;- Turn but a stone and start a wing! ‘Tis ye,’tis your estranged faces, That miss the many-splendoured thing.

But (when so sad thou canst not sadder) Cry;-and upon thy so sore loss Shall shine the traffic of Jacob’s ladder Pitched betwixt Heaven and Charing Cross

Yea, in the night, my Soul, my daughter, Cry;-clinging to Heaven by the Hems; And lo, Christ walking on the water, Francis Thompson (1859- Not of Genesareth, but Thames. 1907). Catholic mystic poet and sometime rough sleeper in London. Submitted by Janet Chitham

MORTIMER MEDICAL PRACTICE

Patients’ Participation Group (PPG) March 2021

Vaccinations started on December 16th at the Hub based in the Bridge Street Sports Centre which involved 6 surgeries including Kingsland, working together and providing the staff to deliver the vaccine.

Although initially some deliveries were cancelled the vaccinations have been given to the 80’s 70’s and lately to the housebound and the chronically extremely vulnerable patients where attention has been made to give extra space.

Patients have been contacted by letter, phone or those with mobiles by text with URL link to a booking site. Letters are preferred as a questionnaire can be included but otherwise these are given out to patients on arrival at the Sports Centre to be filled in on arrival before vaccination.

Vaccinations have progressed very well, efficiently and safely for which everyone is very grateful. Appointments for the second vaccination will be confirmed at a later date.

Unfortunately it is no longer possible for inhalers to be recycled at the surgery.

Staff news

Maggie Smith has retired Julie Garfield has joined the practice Dr Dales will be emigrating in March/April Dr Morgan Cadman Davies starts on March 1st

Gilly Lloyd 01568 780328. [email protected]

Call today to have your oven, hob, extractor, microwave or Aga professionally Colin Hadley 01885 400337 07817 477850 Email: [email protected]

Leominster Safer Neighbourhood Team Newsletter 4

It is now official. PC Max Beswick has started work within our Safer Neighbourhood Team and we bid farewell to PC Chris O’Donovan. We would like to take this opportunity to thank PC O’Dononvan for all his hard work and for being a valued integral part of our team over the years. We wish them both the very best in their new roles. For the next ten weeks, we will also have student officer PC Ridyard working within our team. The aim is for him to learn about community policing and how the approach to it differs from response/patrol policing.

It has been a fairly busy couple of weeks with RTCs and broken down vehicles due to the flooding, ice and snow. There have also been a few incidents with regards to dogs which I just want to give you a quick update on as I’m sure most of you will have seen it on social media. Within a two day period, three separate reports of missing/stolen dogs were noted, two from the Leominster area and one from the Ledbury area. As sometimes happens this was blown up to a huge degree which put a lot of dog owners in unnecessary fear.

The good news is that two of the dogs were found within a short span of time and had evidently just gone off for a wander, as is often the way with animals. The third dog was indeed stolen (it’s still under investigation) but working alongside us (the Safer Neighbourhood Team), the owner’s hard work and dedication paid off and the dog was returned to his rightful home. An excellent result! We have seen a few incidents of theft at Aymestrey/Wigmore way, so please be extra vigilant when locking your cars/sheds and outbuildings.

PC Beswick had a great start to his working week as he arrested someone who was trying to steal items from sheds and gardens. This person had been seen at several properties on the old Ludlow Road acting suspiciously but was found near to the Priory Church. The person was taken to custody and an investigation has been launched.

A slightly longer article than usual but hopefully you find the articles useful and relevant.

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Letter to the Editor

Computers for Schools

Access to a computer is important for pupils and learners of all ages. From pre-school to post-doctoral research computers are vital tools of learning. This is particularly the case in present days when learning has moved from actual to virtual classrooms Without access to a computer pupils in local schools such as Luston Primary School, can be seriously disadvantaged. Some make use of a mobile phone, but this is far from ideal. There is also the question of cost. Investing in a computer or mobile phone is expensive, and is not always easy to factor into a family budget which may already be seeking to cope with the financial challenges of the pandemic.

The importance of providing access to the internet for such pupils is widely recognised and I am pleased to report that as a result of an appeal within the Parish 4 lap tops have been donated to Luston Primary School. These will be owned by the School who will determine how they are used.

If you would like to make a donation to fund future purchases of lap tops you can be confident that you will be making a positive contribution to the education of pupils whose learning has been so cruelly threatened. Donations should be made to The Headmistress, Luston Primary School, Westland View, Luston HR6 OEA. Cheques should be made out to Herefordshire Council. Janet Chitham

Yarpole Flicks selection box

All these films are available from Yarpole Flicks. If you would like to borrow a film please contact Rebecca at [email protected] or tel. 780196. Blu-rays DVDs A Fantastic Woman Three Billboards Outside Ebbing. Missouri The Favourite The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society If Beale Street Could Talk A Street Cat Named Bob Leave No Trace Swimming with Men One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest The Lady in the Van Lion The Rider A Man Called Ove Paterson Rocketman Bridge of Spies Quartet The Shape of Water Hidden Figures Rams Song for Marion I, Daniel Blake The Square Stan and Ollie Captain Fantastic Their Finest Yesterday Guardians Brooklyn More details on the Flicks page under Parish Hall section of the Yarpole.com website. Suggested donation of £3.00. They can be delivered to you at home. 22 Become a Shedder!!

Men’s Sheds (or Sheds) are similar to garden sheds – a place to pursue practical interests at leisure, to practice skills and enjoy making and mending. The difference is that garden sheds and their activities are often solitary in nature while Men’s Sheds are the opposite.

Sheds are about meeting like-minded people, having fun, sharing skills and knowledge, building social connections and gaining a renewed sense of purpose and belonging and of course a lot of laughter.

Sheds are whatever the members (or Shedders as they are called) want them to be. Alt- hough labelled sheds, they often aren’t sheds at all. They can be Parish Halls, empty offices, portable cabins, warehouses, garages etc. Many Sheds get involved in community projects too – restoring village features, helping maintain parks and green spaces, and building things for schools, libraries and individuals in need.

Activities in Sheds vary greatly, but you can usually find woodworking, metalworking, repairing and restoring, electronics, model-building or even car building in a typical

Shed. Sheds typically attract older men, but many have younger members and women too. Whatever the activity, the essence of a Shed is not a building, but the connections and relationships between its members.

Why don’t we start a Yarpole Shed? Interested? If you are, contact The Parishioner on [email protected] or on 01568 782271

23 Memories of Ron Shaw. Continued from page 2

He will be very missed by us all and we send our condolences to Rita and their ex- tended family. Carol Clare.

We were sad to hear of Ron’s passing recently. Ron & Rita made us very welcome when we moved to Yarpole and have been good neighbours and friends. We would often see Ron pottering in the garden as we walked past with the dogs and stop to chat and put the world to rights. We will dearly miss our Friday nights in the pub, having a beer and chatting about everything and nothing. When we are finally able to return to The Bell we will always have a smile and fond memories of our evening with Ron. Our thoughts are very much with Rita and all the family. We will miss you Ron - Rich & AJ “

Ron, David Minton and I used to meet up at The Bell on Tuesday evenings, just for an hour - three friends who used to compare war experiences and put the world to rights. I will really miss those times. Rest in peace, Ron. Alec McCully (Bicton)

Ron showed real community spirit; he could always be relied upon to support the many events put on in the village. He was a member of the Parish Hall Committee for a number of years. He was very passionate about local history and was a founder member of The Living History Group, organising in 2018 a very well received event to commemorate 100 years since the end of World War 1. Ron was a great character and he will be very much missed by the whole community.

‘Now even Heaven is blue today, you should hear the Chelsea roar - Chelsea, Chel- sea ...... ’

‘The song is ended but the melody lingers on…!’

Sue and Terry Carpenter. February 2021

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Bin bags

What could be easier than fitting a flimsy single-use plastic bag into a treasured £4.99 waste bin from J-Mart? Nothing, were it not for the fact that bags and bins are made by people on different planets. It’s not even like confusing feet and inches with metres and centimetres, like they did with that spacecraft years ago.

No bag you buy ever fits a bin that you have. Golden Rule.

Try asking in Morrisons. ‘Bin bags? Aisle 7 sir.’ ‘Yes I know that, but we have a bin that is about this high and about this wide, so which bags do I need?’ ‘I’ll call one of our specialist team, sir.’ ‘Bin bags sir? Yes, Aisle 7.’ If I pursued it any further they’d have to call armed Security.

To be fair, the wrapper tells you how many litres the bags contain, problem solved. But how many litres does your bin contain? Unless you have a grandchild doing a project on Archimedes you’re never going to know. The bins don’t tell you. And in the unlikely event that you stumble upon a bag that doesn’t actually split when you use it, you’ve thrown the wrapper away ages ago so that’s a blind alley. And so you buy more bags, and of course they don’t fit either. Golden Rule.

Then suppose, just suppose, that your grandchild says it’s 50 litres and you give him a biscuit. They’re not all the same shape. Some 50-litre bins are wide and low, some are tall and slim.

If we just had one bin I might not even be writing this. But we have umpteen, in different rooms. I don’t know why we make so much mess, but we do. There is just no an- swer to it.

From the pen of Jim Ainsworth

27 The Cheesemaker and the Piano Tuner

I had risen rapidly up the ladder at an engineering firm to the executive staff level and sat comfortably in my black and white country cottage in half an acre in the tiny village of Littleworth in Worcestershire with a tax free company car and a generous ex- pense account and I was still only 30. Then the floor fell out of the engineering business in the early 70s and I was on the dole and company loyalty went out of the window for ever.

There followed a dramatic eight year period when I went from job to job and used what little money I had to buy a small farm in the Stretton Hills. I had been sacked twice, made redundant five times, on the dole six times and resigned just once as I was about to kill my boss, so thought it better to leave.

We had food from our large veg plot and from our laying hens plus milk from our two goats. We also bred pigs so pork was our mainstay for meat. However, our main business of rearing batches of calves was sinking fast as the price of calves had doubled from £50 per head to £100 and we hadn’t got the capital to cover it.

I was on the dole again and desperate to find work so bought the local paper and scanned the jobs page. One caught my eye as it was for a boiler room engineer at Minsterley Dairies so I filled in the form they sent me and then cycled over the hill to the dairy on a mission to personally deliver the form and was met by a giant of a man who was the chief engineer and alas, he told me I was too late but would I be interested in another job but just as a labourer in the cheese making department? I told him I had a wife and two young children to support and would do any job he offered so on the Monday morning I cycled over to change into a white boiler suit with matching white wellies and joined a crew of seven other blokes and given a short stainless steel spade.

We lined up 4 a side of a vat about 30 foot long and 5 foot wide. A chute was opened at one end and down came a flood of cheese curds that were rapidly solidifying into a one foot deep lump and it was our job to work like stink to slice it all up into smaller lumps with the spades. I was a pretty fit bloke running a farm but it was hard work and the bloke next to me was struggling. Both myself and the bloke the other side of him moved closer to give him a hand and we managed to get it all done and then we had a ten minute rest period before the next vat full.

After another couple he was absolutely exhausted and we helped him back to the rest room. ‘So, what did you do for a living before this job then Jim?’

I was a piano tuner!!’

Derek Gambie

28 Tour de Hereford 26th June – 18th July

For further information, including sign-up details, visit st-michaels-hospice.org.uk

The Children’s Society have advised that box collection should not take place until ‘the cur- rent situation is improved”. So, I haven’t for- gotten you, I will be collecting as soon as I am able to do so.

The Christmas Greeting Tree raised a total of £118.60, which has been forwarded to them.

If anyone is interested in finding out more, or to have a box for themselves, please contact me, Sue Smith on 01568 780408.

6 Market Square Tenbury Wells Worcestershire WR15 8BW

 Property sale and purchase  Property building and other disputes  Wills and Powers of Attorney  Administration of Estates and Tax Planning  Business and farm sale, purchase and Tenancies  Prenups and Cohabitation Agreements  Divorce, separation, finance and children

Tel: 01584 810575 Fax: 01584 811759 [email protected] www.norrisandmiles.co.uk

29 Legs of Stone

I met a traveller from a strange land, Who said “Two white and hairless legs of stone Stand on the golf course….their ball in the sand, All alone, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And pursed lips, and sneer of cold command, Tell that Twitter well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on this lifeless thing, The hand that mocked them, and ignored the Fed; And on his golf cart, these words appear; “My name is Trump, King of Kings; Look on my works, ye Proud Boys, and despair!” Nothing beside remains, Round the decay Of that colossal Wreck, with lacquered hair Airforce One took him far away.

Andrew Praill

Snowdrops for the Churchyard

One of the joys of living in rural Herefordshire is the much anticipated annual display of snowdrops. Amongst other places they are to be found in gardens, hedge- rows and on the site of long lost dwellings. As you may have noticed a lot of work has been put into tidying the churchyard of the Parish Church of St Leonard. This, as evidenced by the photograph on p.31, by local photographer and Post Master Julian Stokes, paid dividends this year in a much improved display of snowdrops.

The team responsible for tidying the graveyard wishes to build on this achievement. Lynn Ashton, a member of the volunteer team, requests that when your snowdrops have finished flowering but are still ‘in the green’ readers of The Parishioner con- sider donating some for transplanting in the churchyard. Lynn writes:

“Snowdrops, also known as Candlemas Bells and Mary's Tapers, have long been grown in monastic and church grounds as a symbol of Candlemas (2nd February), the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary. It would be lovely to continue the tradition in the grounds of our own ancient church.”

If you are able to donate some of these lovely plants, please dig them up, keeping the foliage intact, put them in a bag and leave in the church porch for collection by Lynn or Gill.

30 Snowdrops in the ChurchyardPhoto Courtesy of Julian Stokes

Influence in the Oval Office Photo courtesy of David Cheshire. See p.4.

Croft with Yarpole and Lucton Parish Church Services March and April 2021

At present face to face services are suspended, but churches are available for private prayer. We hopethat we will be able to celebrate Easter in Church, pending Government decisions.

Information will be on noticeboards and the website when available. In the meantime the Sunday service is on Zoom. Contact Matthew Burns if you would like to take part.

Anyone wishing to contact a priest please phone: Rev. Matthew Burns on 01568 614399, [email protected] For other information please phone: Priory Office 612124 Monday to Friday 9.30 – 1.00 Churchwarden Barbara Nurse: 780637

Welcome Help Both “Inside and outside your home”

When the day to day running of the home becomes a struggle and the chores mount up, don’t worry, help can be easily sorted and tailored to your needs.

Do you need help with some of these tasks? Light cleaning Tidying the flower beds Changing the bed linen Edging grass borders Sorting the Laundry Planting bedding plants out Ironing Sorting flower pots/tubs Meal Preparation Spring/autumn help with garden

I’m a local lady who is reliable, genuine, friendly and patient who can assist with the above tasks. To help put the shine and sparkle back into life, just call:

07816 047067 DBS checked, insured and competitive hourly rate.