THE NEWSLETTER AT THE ROOTS OF THE GRAND UNION BENEFICE OF AND / SHUTLANGER, WITH GRAFTON REGIS, ALDERTON AND MILTON MALSOR

Message from our Curate, Sue Cooper Dear Reader, Hello everyone - I do hope you are getting through these short, dark days of winter with grit and grace. Keep your chins up - spring is round the corner now, and we will soon be enjoying lighter mornings and evenings. This month I am busy packing up my house in readiness for our move to Aynho, and the Astwick Vale Benefice, which will be in March sometime. My inner turmoil is hard to put into words. Of course, I am excited and thrilled at the prospect of my new call to be Rector at Astwick Vale Benefice; it is everything I have worked hard for these past ten years and everything I had hoped for in terms of answered prayer, but you all know me so well, and you know that first and foremost, I am a ‘people person’. And the highlight of my time here at the Grand Union Benefice has been getting to know and love all you good folk here, working together and worshipping our Lord together. To say that I will miss you all is an understatement. Your love, care, support and encouragement has been incredible, especially during the very hard times in the past two years with my sister’s death, and then my dad dying just before Christmas. Thank you for always being there for me, and helping me through. On the bright side, although I will be leaving you, I am not going far, and I hope to see you all from time to time; I would really love that. And I would like to take this opportunity to thank Andrea. She has trained me well and prepared me thoroughly for a multi-parish benefice, and has equipped me for the tasks that are involved. Thank you Andrea, you are an amazing teacher and mentor, and I will always be grateful that you have been my training incumbent. And thank you to all of you; you have all contributed in some way to mould me into the Priest I am today, and I will never forget you. Life takes us down many different avenues and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the rate of change, especially in our personal lives, in the Church, in our communities and in the nation. Many years ago, God gave me a word of encouragement that has always remained my source of comfort and strength throughout these past ten years of change and turmoil in my own life, and I offer them to you now as a word that you can stand on in hard times and rest securely in when times are difficult. It is Jeremiah 29:11: ‘For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’. Whatever happens in life, God is there. He always has been and always will be. There is a wonderful saying that goes, ‘We don’t know what the future holds, but we do know who holds the future!!!!’ God bless you all, with love, Sue Cooper. xxx Service Schedule for February 2019 3 February, Candlemas 17 February 9.30 a m: Holy Communion, BCP, Milton Malsor 8.00 a m: Holy Communion, BCP, Blisworth 9.30 a m: Morning Worship, Shutlanger 9.30 a m: Holy Communion, CW, Milton Malsor 11.30 a m: Word and Worship, Blisworth 11.00 a m: Holy Communion, CW, Grafton 10 February 11.00 a m: Morning Worship, Blisworth 9.30 a m: Morning Worship, Milton Malsor 24 February 9.30 a m: Holy Communion, CW, Stoke 9.30 a m: Morning Worship, Milton Malsor 11.00 a m: Holy Communion, CW, Blisworth 9.30 a m: Holy Communion, CW, Alderton 11.00 a m: Holy Communion, CW, Bliswort Every Wednesday: 9.30 a m, Morning Prayer, Blisworth and Milton Malsor

Useful Telephone Numbers for the United Benefice of Blisworth and Stoke Bruerne with Grafton Regis, Alderton and Milton Malsor Rector: Revd Andrea Watkins, tel 01604 857619 Curate: Rev’d Sue Cooper, tel 01604 764243 Churchwarden of Blisworth: Mrs Fiona McKenzie, tel 01604 859541 Churchwardens of Stoke Bruerne: Mrs Christine Frost, tel 01604-862561 and Mr Lee Arnfield, tel 01604 864553 Churchwardens of Grafton Regis: Mrs Jean Glanville, tel 01908 543463 and Mrs Judy Kendrick-Simonsen, tel 01908 542535 Churchwarden of Alderton: Mrs Amanda Selvey, tel 01327 811380. Churchwardens of Milton Malsor: Mrs Jane Treharne, tel 01604 858323 and Mrs Sue Bell, tel 01327 351043

The Julian Group for Silent Prayer In January’s issue of GRASS I wrote briefly about the 14th century anchoress, Julian of Norwich and of the ‘Julian Meetings’ for contemplative prayer which have sprung up around the country in the 20th century and which continue wherever two or three, or more, want to come together to practise waiting on God in silence. In fact Julian herself springs from an ancient tradition which goes back at least as far as the 4th century AD when in Egypt there was a movement of people into the solitude and silence of the desert to seek God’s presence in their lives. In so doing they were imitating Jesus himself whom the gospel accounts frequently report setting aside time out to be silent in the presence of God. A Julian meeting in its simplest form is such a time shared by those who recognise in themselves the need for time out, and who value the possibility of doing so in the company of others. If you would like to experience a ‘one off’ ‘taster’ of such a time to see if it might be a practice for you, set aside an hour in your diary or calendar either on the afternoon of Wednesday 8 May, (2.00 p m) or Sunday 12 May in the morning (11.00 a m) in St Mary’s Church Stoke Bruerne, and join us for refreshments and a short question and answer session and experience of silence. You will be very welcome.

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If you would like to 'taste and see' sooner, you would be welcome to join the present group which meets in Blisworth at 5.00 p m on the second Monday of the month. Our February meeting is on Monday 11 February at 2 Road, Blisworth. Sue Cutts

VILLAGE NEWS STOKE BRUERNE

Thank You A big, heartfelt thank you to all my friends and neighbours who have helped me and looked after me before and after my operation. Everyone has been so kind and continues to be so. I do hope that I will be walking around the village and along the towpath to see the swans soon. Happy New Year from a very grateful Hazel, Foxglove Cottage.

St Mary the Virgin Church for Stoke Bruerne and Shutlanger Christmas Tree Festival at Milton Malsor Church Members and friends of St Mary the Virgin Church contributed to this special festival held on 1 and 2 December. It was decided that we would make the most of this opportunity to raise awareness of the continuing battle against breast cancer, not only in women but also in men. A lot of thought, imagination and preparation went into producing this display and we received a great deal of positive feedback. In the process we managed to raise £100 for the Breast Cancer Care charity, so a big ‘thank you’ to all those people who gave so generously at this event. I must also express my special thanks to Margaret Fitzhugh, Jackie Evans, Betty Richardson and Janice Bullright who were so willing to get involved and help with the project. Lynne Wild Church Coffee Morning The first of our quarterly coffee mornings for 2019 will be held on Saturday 9 February. A raffle will be held at this event. We do hope you will be able to join us. We look forward to welcoming you. Towcester Food Bank There will be a collection for the Towcester Food Bank at our 9.30 a m. service on Sunday 10 February. We are grateful for any non- perishable food items that you are able to provide. Thank you.

Annual Parish Assembly All Stoke Bruerne residents are encouraged to attend the Annual Parish Assembly which takes place on Tuesday 12 March 2019 at 7.00 p m in the village hall. As well as reviewing the year just gone, we will be discussing priorities for 2019 and beyond. We also hope to have a representative from NCC Highways present to discuss the issue of traffic in the village. The Parish Council is trying to get agreement to "speed cushions" outside the school, but they can be very controversial and Highways are not keen because of the complaints they generate. We need to prove a majority support from residents. Please come along and give that support on 12 March.

Speed Indicator Sign A Section 50 application for the above has now been submitted to NCC Highways by the Parish Council. Subject to their agreement, the initial siting of the sign will be on the lamppost at the corner of Shutlanger Road and Church Lane. This will hopefully slow the traffic as it comes down the hill towards the school.

Grit Bins NCC Highways were going to remove three of our grit bins as they were not deemed necessary. The Parish Council disagrees with them and has therefore agreed to take on the maintenance and re-filling of the bins on the Green opposite the school, on Rookery Lane opposite the village noticeboard and near to the village nameplate on Rookery Lane. If anybody notices any maintenance issues with these bins or thinks that they need re-filling please contact Alison, our Clerk, via email: [email protected] or telephone 07724 682819.

SHUTLANGER

Parish Council The Parish Council met on Thursday 10 January with all councillors attending. We were glad to be joined as at our last meeting by two members of the public. We are pleased to announce that the defibrillator is now installed and operational. The unit was partly funded by South Northants Council. It is located within the former BT telephone kiosk in Bakers Lane near the junction with Main Road. An emergency telephone line (via intercom) will be installed within the coming weeks to assist anyone needing to use the machine. The intercom will be connected directly to the emergency services at the touch of a button. Checks will be carried out weekly on the installation and the unit. If anyone notices anything amiss with the defibrillator or has any concerns please contact one of the following: Joe Hoggins, tel 07725 208719, Debbie Hoggins, tel 07979 414515, John Scott, Parish Clerk directly either via telephone or by email at: [email protected] or John Scott, tel 07738 760618. A big thank you from the Council to Joe and Debbie for volunteering to keep the unit up and running. If anyone wants training in how to use the defibrillator, please contact John. We're also pleased to announce the winner of our Parish logo competition is Will, from Stoke Bruerne. Thanks to Will and to all of the entrants to the competition! Our new vehicle activated sign (VAS) on the road from Stoke Bruerne is busy collecting data. For the period 29 November to 22 December, 34,557 vehicles passed the sign (an estimated 46,000 a month). Sadly, 73.6% of these vehicles was doing over 30 mph although a slightly better 49.2% was doing more than 35 mph. The worst offender passed the sign at 61mph. Although rush hour at 8.00 a m is the busiest time, about the same proportion of vehicles is speeding then as the average across the day as a whole. We will be keeping an eye on the statistics to see what changes the sign brings. It's worth remembering that the people who are responsible for speeding are vehicle drivers, and not just the residents of the village or the Parish Council. We would like to do another Speedwatch this year. This is one of the best ways to get police interest and action. Speedwatch needs volunteers so please come forward when we settle on a date (this depends on our getting the speed gun etc from the police). At our meeting we received a presentation from Ability Northants Community Interest Company. Supported by South Northants Council, Ability offers a minibus service from communities around to local shopping centres or other destinations as users wish. There is a user subscription; however those with bus passes can travel for free. Ability can offer Shutlanger one slot a week, February 2019 www.grassnews.co.uk - 2 - Volume 39, Issue 2 for example comprising a trip to Towcester, and with the return a couple of hours later. Ability would want the Parish Council to contribute to the cost of this slot. Before we do so, we would want to understand what demand there is for this service. If you are interested, please let John, our Parish Clerk know. The main purpose of our meeting was to set our budget for 2019-20. We set this at £18,669 while our precept is unchanged at £17,000. With good reserves we feel we can run at a deficit this year at least. Our budget will buy a wide range of things, including paying off the playing field loan and maintaining the field, maintaining and operating our street lights (the new ones are much cheaper to run), maintain the defibrillator and maintaining the VAS sign. We will also pay our normal costs of the clerk's salary, audit, insurance etc.

During 2019-20 we have now agreed to: • Take over two of the salt grit bins that Northamptonshire County Council (NCC) will no longer support. We will make sure the bins are filled up as needed. • Install and have emptied two dog waste bins in the village. As with speeding drivers, it is up to dog owners to use the bins for them to do any good. • Clean blocked kerbside road drains. While this is an NCC responsibility, in practice the drains are often blocked. • Remove leaves from pavements next autumn. • Move the old VAS to a new location where it can discourage people approaching the chicane from the A5 at high speed, before they are forced to brake there. • Plant around the village to improve the look of the village. We're continuing to look at whether automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras have a role to play in discouraging speeding but also discouraging criminals from entering the village. ANPR is very expensive indeed so we do need to be clear that it would be worth it. Your views would be very welcome. Finally we know there are unsung heroes going round the village picking up litter chucked out of passing cars. Please let John know if you do this and we will see if we can get some proper litter picking equipment for you, such as long reach grabs, bags etc. We are planning on a village litter pick later in the year and will publicise it nearer the time.

GRAFTON REGIS

Taekwondo Class Black Belt Success Four members of the Grafton Regis Tuesday night Taekwondo class were awarded black belts following their Taekwondo gradings in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, on 24 November 2018. Jean Glanville (75), Keith Harry (75), Kathy Harry (70) and Kathy Finnegan (63) have been attending Master Tino Cesar’s classes for the last five years and during that time had already achieved yellow, green, blue, red and black tag belt levels. All four new black belts featured along with Master Cesar live on the Radio Northampton breakfast show on Wednesday 19 December 2018 and also on Look East on Tuesday 8 January. We are hoping that more people will be tempted to join our weekly classes in the village hall from 7.00 p m until 8.00 p m on Tuesdays. No previous martial arts knowledge is required and the classes are a lot of fun besides aiding flexibility, balance, coordination and memory. The cost is £5.00 per session.

Bonar-Drake wedding The village hall was transformed into a magnificent wedding venue on Monday 7 January. This was to celebrate the marriage of Alan Drake and Andy Bonar of the White Hart public house. The ceremony took place in the splendour of the Guildhall, Northampton, in the company of around 50 guests, who were then treated to a superb meal in the village hall, cooked by Alan and served by members of White Hart staff. The highlights of the decorations were the spectacular centre pieces featuring huge glass goblets filled with lilies, gypsophila and ostrich feathers and draped with strings of pearls. The hall itself is already beautifully decorated, but the wedding additions were very much in keeping with the original. The event was superbly managed and executed, and everyone present agreed that this was an outstandingly memorable and enjoyable day.

Lunch Club Another delicious lunch was enjoyed by about 26 people on 17 January; with the absence of Barry from the kitchen, Jean and Kathy had to work extra hard to serve up and clear away. We started the meal with some delicious soup and home-made bread, followed by a turkey pie, moussaka, chilli and jacket potatoes, together with assorted vegetables and sauces. There followed an array of desserts with cream, ice cream and custard, then cheese and biscuits, chocolates and finally tea and coffee – what a feast! Many thanks go to all those who work so hard to make these events so enjoyable. The next lunch will be on Thursday 21 February.

Grafton Regis: 1,000 Years of History in 100 Minutes – 11 May, 22 June and 5 October Take a leisurely Saturday afternoon walk through our picturesque village and meet some of the people linked with our amazing history. They range from Plantagenet and Tudor kings and queens to commoners, from Norman times to the present day. We start at 2.30 pm in our uniquely decorated village hall, visit the beautiful Church of St Mary the Virgin, and return to the hall for tea and cakes. The cost is £9.50 for adults, £1.00 for under 16s, and under 5s are free. All profits are equally divided between the funds for the maintenance of the church and of the village hall. Booking is essential. For further information and to book, please ring Kathy on 0791 009 2132 or email [email protected].

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White Elephant Sale There will be a white elephant event at Grafton Regis Village Hall, on Saturday 23 February from 2.00 p m to 4.30 p m to raise funds for a new set of bell ropes for the church. Work on repairing and refurbishing the tower should start in the spring. This will give us a new bell ringing floor and a better space for our bell ringers to ring in. The current set of bell ropes is worn out; one rope has already frayed and broken off. A new set of bell ropes comes at £198 per rope plus VAT and we have 5 bells to ring. Margaret Hall-Townley will also be raising funds for the refurbishment of the wooden knight at Alderton church. If you have any items you would like to donate to either cause, contact Margaret for the Alderton cause (tel 01327 811307) or me (Jean at 01908 543463) for the Grafton cause. Refreshments will be served. Do come along and have a rummage through the goods on offer.

BLISWORTH

Advent Windows Throughout the month of December, a dedicated band of singers met every evening at 7.00 p m at a different house each time, to sing carols around the Advent windows which were designed and erected by the various householders. Merely as a means of fighting the cold weather, each householder has provided sustenance for the singers in the form of mulled wine, mince pies and other savoury delights. This ongoing event has proved very successful yet again in providing an opportunity for folks to not only sing the carols, but also to spend time with each other just catching up in the busy lives everybody seems to live these days. The intention is to produce a short book about the events of the month which culminated in the final “window” being exhibited at the family service in St John’s on Christmas Eve. Rev’d Andrea asked for assistance in building the final window from the many children and parents in the packed Church, and was able to find some shepherds, some wise men, Mary and Joseph and the angel Gabriel who were all shone over by the guiding star.

Advent Banner After the service on the Sunday before Christmas, it was time to reveal and install the new Advent banner, initially designed by Rev’d Andrea much earlier in the year, then constructed, sewn and glued together by Maureen Smith and Norma Bull over a period of weeks in the build up to the festive season. The culmination of much work and effort by the seamstresses was much appreciated by the congregation and should give use for many years to come throughout the Advent period.

World Vision A huge thank you to all who supported the Christmas party in aid of transforming schools in the Stepanavan area of Armenia. £650 has been raised, an excellent sum which will have a spending power of more like £6,000 as prices in Armenia are so much lower. A recent visit showed the impact of the donations made in terms of new windows, furniture, equipment and cookers. The Stepanavan area is very poor with many people living extremely simply, in poor housing, with very little protection from the harsh winter weather. Many children grow up with no toys and often no warm clothes for winter. Unemployment is very high at 43% and any families rely on subsistence agriculture on very small plots. Our benefice is making a difference and the people in Stepanavan are extremely grateful. The next fundraising event is a lent lunch (soup, bread, cheese and fruit) on Sunday 17 March from 12.30 p m to 3.00 pm. All are welcome to this social event which will hopefully help transform lives in one of the poorest parts of Europe. Hilary Spurrier

ALDERTON

Lighting up the Church for Christmas The PCC would like to thank Roger Gavan for once again lighting up the outside of our church for the Christmas period. With all the Christmas lights outside various houses around the village, Alderton looked absolutely lovely once again during the darkest days of the year.

New Year’s Day Walk We were fewer in numbers this year, but conditions were perfect both overhead and underfoot; we walked to Stoke Bruerne, where we were joined by friends who came by car. We were treated to our traditional glass of sherry and bar(s) of chocolate and watched the Morris dancers for a while before returning to Alderton, where, once again, Paul and Linda kindly invited us back to their home for what is always an enjoyable end to the day, with good food and company. Don Allen

Waitrose Green Tokens The fundraising team from St Margaret’s Church Alderton PCC, which is dedicated to the project to conserve and relocate the 800 year old wooden knight which is situated in St Margaret’s Church, applied for a Waitrose ‘green token’ charity box early in 2018. We hoped to gain additional funds to assist with the cost of conservation work on the effigy, the first part of which will cost approximately £7,000. We were lucky enough to be selected for the month of November by Waitrose and Partners, and their Towcester customers generously donated their green tokens in to our box; this produced the sum of magnificent sum of £461. This amount has gone a long way to help swell our coffers and we are very grateful. We still have a long way to go but this generous donation has given us a great deal of encouragement. Thank you to everyone who joined in the enthusiastic collection of green tokens during November and thank you to Waitrose and Partners for selecting us as recipients of their charity. Margaret H-T

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MILTON MALSOR

Milton and WI News On Thursday 14 February in Milton village hall, Roy Smart will present ‘Amy, Wonderful Amy’ - the life of Amy Johnson. On 14 March we welcome Rev’d. Will Adams to speak on the Samaritans. As always, visitors are most welcome and the £4 charge includes refreshments and a raffle ticket. Our outing this summer is to Kew Gardens on Saturday 15 June and all are very welcome. We depart Milton Village Hall at 8.30 a m and Collingtree crossroads at 8.35 a m. We will leave for the return journey at 5.00 p m. The full cost of the group entrance and coach is £30 for a senior and £31 for an adult, and we ask for a £10 deposit to secure your seat. The balance is due by our meeting on 9 May. Please phone 01604 859133 or 01604 764433 to book - cash or cheque written to Milton Malsor and Collingtree WI.

Quiz and Chips Event, Friday 22 March 2019 at Milton Village Hall. £10 a head to include fish and chip supper (alternatives are available). Price includes a welcome drink. 6.45 p m for 7.00 p m prompt start. Please bring along your own drink/refreshments for the remainder of the evening. All profits will go to 1st Collingtree and Milton Malsor Scout group. Please contact Selina Smith, Group Secretary, on 01604 769439 to book your tickets. Here’s to a great evening.

Stephen Edwin Hunt The Baptist Chapel was filled to capacity on 17 January as Cyril Grant led a service of celebration for Stephen’s life. It was followed by committal at the crematorium, led by Martin Buckby. Tributes were paid for Stephen as a family man, a leader of the Baptist church and strong supporter of the village. Growing up in Milton Malsor and attending the local school, he had gone on to make a successful career working for the BBC and later the Signals Research & Development Establishment at Hanslope Park. He was a very clever and practical man who shared his expert knowledge of computing and ran the websites for his church, the Parish Council, the Historical Society, and others too. Stephen shared in the life of the village and especially the local Christian community. His spiritual stature showed the quality of his life; a gentle, generous, non-judgemental personality. Stephen had a brilliant sense of humour and could see the comical side of human life. Admiration was expressed by many for the way in which he had faced his illness with resolute faith, and for the unfailing devotion of his wife, Betsy, and the family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.

Milton Malsor Historical Society The recent talk by Dr Hillier on the history of the Blisworth surgery and the Parks Medical Practice was a real eye-opener. From a surgery housed in a shed to the present practice marks considerable progress. The next meeting is the AGM on 21 March when a new film on the history of the Racecourse in Northampton will be screened. New members are very welcome. The society meets on the third Thursday of alternate months at Raynsford House. Two summer visits are being planned, one to the Cowper Museum in Olney on 9 July and another to Delapré Abbey on 13 August. The secretary is John Brice (01604 858418) and the Chairman is Malcolm Deacon (01604 858363).

Mums and Tots This takes place every Friday morning through term time at Milton Malsor Village Hall from 9.30 a m until 11.30 a m. All mums and tots welcome. GENERAL NEWS

Blisworth Community Choir If you would like to join the choir, we rehearse at Holy Cross Church Milton Malsor every Thursday evening at 7.00 p m for 7.30 p m during the winter months. We raised over £1,400 for the Cynthia Spencer Hospice and Mind (mental illness) at our two Christmas concerts, which were both very well attended. Do come and join us - you’ll be surprised at the fun you’ll have. Keep singing! Winnie.

Hymn Practice We are going to have a morning practising some of the newer or trickier hymns that we sing in our services. I’d like to do this to help everyone enjoy singing the hymns with more and more confidence. All are welcome from any church (or no church). If there are any you would like to practise please let me know about a week before on this email address: [email protected]. The date is 16 February at 10.30 a m at Blisworth church. Hilary Bull Notes from a Local Farmer Hi to everyone in the parishes. It is a couple of months since I last ‘spoke’ to you; Christmas has come and gone and the New Year is upon us. As usual, there is much uncertainty in life and no more so than in farming. It has been unusually dry for the time of year compared with last year, when it never seemed to stop raining. Up until 20 January, it has also been very mild and I do remember my father saying that on 1 February, we will be half way through winter. I’ve also noticed the daffodil bulbs have come through; they are always in flower during lambing in late March. On the farm, we are always busy, currently grazing sheep on stubble turning, drilled in August after barley. Considering it was so dry when we drilled them, they have done very well. We had the sheep scanned in December but they will not be having so many lambs due to lack of grass and their condition at the time of mating. All cultivation for spring drilling has been done in ideal conditions. We have just finished loading our last corn from harvest, so we can now use the buildings for lambing. Prices for corn are fairly static since harvest so not much point in keeping commodities when they don’t increase in value. Sheep prices have risen since Christmas in the markets so the price is very good at the moment. It has been a rollercoaster ride this year with prices, due to the weather and lack of grass. Current Government policies on the state of farming are causing concern; it would seem that producing any agricultural product is not a priority any more. Questions will be asked ‘WHY’ when there is a food shortage. Speak to you soon. Robert Davy

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News from The Old Mail For events and happenings in the nearby villages: Cosgrove, Potterspury and Yardley Gobion, see the newsletter, The Old Mail, is available online at various websites: www.cosgrovevillage.co.uk; www.potterspurypc.org.uk; www.yardleygobion.org.uk.

How to Contact the Police 999 – for a crime or incident in progress 101 – you will be asked with which police station you would like to be connected 03000 111 222 – direct dial Email for Towcester: [email protected]. Your local officers are as follows: Alderton: PCSO 7018, Peter Firth, tel 101 ext 343971 Grafton Regis: PCSO 7018, Peter Firth, tel 101 ext 343971 Stoke Bruerne: PCSO 7018, Peter Firth, tel 101 ext 343971 Blisworth: PCSO 7012 Tara Cooksammy Shutlanger: PCSO 7018, Peter Firth, tel 101 ext 343971 Milton Malsor: PCSO 7012 Tara Cooksammy For more local SCT information, visit the local policing pages at www.northants.police.uk

Fitness Classes in Paulerspury Village Hall No classes half term week, w/c 18 February 2019 Monday Pilates classes: 10.45 a m to 11.45 a m, 11.55 a m to 12.55 p m, 6.00 p m to 7.00 p m, 7.00 p m to 7.00 p m. Currently there are only places in the evening classes. Wednesday Pilates classes: 10.45 a m to 11.45 a m - currently full. Contact: Lisa 07729 608 960 Tuesday yoga classes: 10.00 a m to 11.30 a m - no vacancies. Change of date for Saturday Yoga Morning Saturday 6 April 2019: to be held in the village hall 10.00 a m to 1.00 p m. Cost - £10 (suitable for all levels including beginners). Please wear comfortable clothing, bring a mat a drink and something warm for relaxation at end. Profit will be donated to the village hall. Contact: Sue on 01327 811 596. Theatre Group Please see: http://paulerspuryparish.org.uk/local-groups/theatre-group/ then click the link new shows. Contact Sue 811 596 to reserve seats. For Sale: Extending fire guard - as new £15 (Argos price £29.99). Contact Sue: 01327 811596.

Paulerspury Picturedrome, 8 February After the harrowing realism of life in the trenches in the showing of “Journey’s End”, something lighter is called for. King of Thieves is a fictionalised version of the infamous Hatton Garden jewellery raid of a few years ago. An all-star cast includes Michael Caine, Jim Broadbent, Michael Gambon and Tom Courtney. There is plenty of good cockney humour and maybe we will find out how they did it. 8.00 p m at the village hall as usual. £5, pay at the door. See you there. Derek Batten

SNIPPETS:

Life is uncertain - eat dessert first.

Spend it and enjoy it...did you ever see. a shroud with pockets?

The smallest step in the right direction could be the biggest step of your life.

A mind is like a parachute – no good unless it’s open

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February 2019 www.grassnews.co.uk - 7 - Volume 39, Issue 2

United Benefice Calendar for 2018/19 All groups and organisations within the community are warmly invited to include events here.

February 2 Coffee morning, Milton Malsor Church, 10.00 a m to 12.00 noon 8 Paulerspury Picturedrome – King of Thieves, 8.00 p m 9 Coffee morning, Stoke Bruerne, 10.00 a m to 12.00 noon 12 Stoke Bruerne Parish Council meeting, 7.30 p m 14 Blisworth WI, 7.30 p m, village hall – style and image 14 Milton Malsor & Collingtree WI – life of Amy Johnson 16 Hymn practice, St John’s Church, Blisworth, 10.30 a m 21 Lunch club, Grafton Regis, 12.30 p m, village hall 21 Towcester Heartbeats meeting, The Forum, 7.00- 8.30 p m. Red Feb theme 23 White elephant sale, Grafton Regis village hall, 2.00 p m to 4.30 p m March 2 Coffee morning, Milton Malsor Church, 10.00 a m to 12.00 noon 14 Blisworth WI, 7.30 p m, village hall – First aid, Red Cross 14 Milton Malsor & Collingtree WI – talk on the Samaritans 17 Lent lunch, Blisworth 12.00 noon to 3.00 p m 17 Streetchurch team on duty 21 Lunch club, Grafton Regis, 12.30 p m, village hall 21 Towcester Heartbeats meeting, The Forum, 7.00 - 8.30 p m – gentle yoga 21 Milton Malsor Historical Society meeting – film show & AGM 22 Fish and chips event, Milton Malsor village hall, 6.45 p m 26 Stoke Bruerne Parish Council meeting, 7.30 p m April 6 Yoga morning, Paulerspury village hall 11 Blisworth WI, 7.30 p m, village hall – Easter extravaganza 18 Towcester Heartbeats meeting, The Forum, 7.00- 8.30 p m – AGM & social May 9 Blisworth WI, 7.30 p m, village hall – resolutions and social evening 11 1,000 years of history in 100 minutes, Grafton Regis 14 Stoke Bruerne Parish Council meeting, 7.30 p m June 13 Blisworth WI, 7.30 p m, village hall – fashion show 15 Milton Malsor & Collingtree WI outing to Kew Gardens 22 1,000 years of history in 100 minutes, Grafton Regis 25 Stoke Bruerne Parish Council meeting, 7.30 p m July 9 Milton Malsor Historical Society outing to Cowper Museum 11 Blisworth WI, 7.30 p m, village hall – flower arranging 21 Streetchurch team on duty August 8 Blisworth WI, 7.30 p m, village hall – surprise trip 13 Milton Malsor Historical Society outing to Delapre Abbey 13 Stoke Bruerne Parish Council meeting, 7.30 p m September 12 Blisworth WI, 7.30 p m, village hall – animal rescue 24 Stoke Bruerne Parish Council meeting, 7.30 p m October 5 1,000 years of history in 100 minutes, Grafton Regis 6 Streetchurch team on duty 10 Blisworth WI, 7.30 p m, village hall – AGM November 12 Stoke Bruerne Parish Council meeting, 7.30 p m 14 Blisworth WI, 7.30 p m, village hall – passionate about pasta December 12 Blisworth WI, 7.30 p m, village hall – Christmas party 17 Stoke Bruerne Parish Council meeting, 7.30 p m

THE CLOSING DATE FOR THE NEXT EDITION OF GRASS is 16 February 2019 thanks to Jackie Grundon for proof reading If you can get any copy to us earlier than that it would be very much appreciated Please send any copy to: Linda Dards, Moorend, Spring Lane, Alderton NN12 7LW tel 01327 811265, e-mail: [email protected]. Could you please include your name & phone number with entries in case we have any problems. If you would like to add photographs or drawings to your text these are welcome and can be supplied via email or as photos, and returned after scanning. Contributions by email are most welcome, we can accept most formats; please request a response from us on receipt – so you are sure that we have your submission. Word (any version) is preferred.

February 2019 www.grassnews.co.uk - 8 - Volume 39, Issue 2