SIX PARISHES NEWSLETTER

for

St Giles’ Church. Badger

St Milburga’s Church. Beckbury`

St Andrew’s Church. Ryton

Rector: Rev’d Keith Hodson tel 01952 750774

Email: [email protected]

Web Site: www.churches.lichfield.anglican.org/shifnal/beckbury/

Rota of Services in the 6 Parishes – September 2013 Badger Beckbury Ryton Stockton Sutton Sunday Maddock 9.30 am 9.30 am 8.15 am 11 am Sept 1st Communion Matins Communion Communion 9.30 am 11 am 11 am Sept 8th Matins Morning Matins

9.30 am Sept 15th Morning

11 am 6.30 pm 11 am Sept 22nd Harvest Evensong Morning

9.30 am 9.30 am 11 am 6.30 pm Sept 29th Matins Communion Harvest Evensong LT

Abbreviation: KH = Revd Keith Hodson; TD = Tina Dalton; LT = Local Team;

PRAYER OF THE MONTH Father God, we pray for our schools and colleges at the start of the new year. Give to teachers enthusiasm to teach, and give to pupils enthusiasm to learn Especially for those beginning at a new school or university this month. For Jesus sake. Amen

Next Newsletter Contributions for next month’s newsletter to either – David Tooth at Havenside, Beckbury – 01952 750324. Email – [email protected] Or Ruth Ferguson at Tarltons, Beckbury – 01952 750267 not later than 14th of this month, please.

FROM THE RECTORY

Photo Martyn Farnell

Dear Friends, I guess that many of us born in the 1950s had summer holidays “at the seaside”. I was brought up in Warwickshire which is about as far from seaside resorts as one can get. Every year we headed down to the south coast for a family holiday in a ‘b & b’, and part of the day was spent on the beach or walking along ‘the front’ and taking in the ‘sea air’. Perhaps because we never saw the sea at any other time of the year, those annual holidays were always to a seaside resort, and even now when I go to the coast I find myself looking for that first glimpse of the sea from the car as I get nearer.

My selective memory tells me that the sun always shone back in my childhood holidays. Recent summers in the UK have not been so good, certainly last year’s wash out summer, and more people now take their holidays overseas to guarantee sunshine and blue skies, a trend that started years ago with the advent of cheaper travel and ‘package holidays’. However the current economic situation has affected some families’ plans to go away on holiday, both overseas and in this country.

I wonder if you have good memories of beach holidays, either as a child or as a parent. For us in Warwickshire, travelling distances in all directions were about equal, and people headed for East Anglia, North Wales, the south west and the south coast. I suspect that many families from went to Wales which is the nearest coast, even if the weather may not be as dry as in the east or south.

I spent my second curacy on the edge of Eastbourne, and we soon learned to avoid the main roads on summer weekends and bank holidays as ‘day trippers’ headed for the seaside. I remember that in our first year we went on Christmas Day to Birling Gap - where there is access to the beach along the Seven Sisters near Beachy Head - and thought how special it was to be ‘at the seaside’ on Christmas Day. Strangely we soon took the seaside for granted; it was ‘home’ ‘work’ and ‘school’, so not a special place for holidays.

There is not a lot about the sea in the bible. The fishermen who followed Jesus fished on a ‘lake’, and the few references to the sea picture it as a place of monsters and the home of ‘leviathan’. In the last book of the bible (Revelation) St John’s vision includes a ‘new heaven and a new earth and there was no more sea’. There is a story of a bishop who used this verse for his address to cadets passing out at the end of their training at Dartmouth’s Royal Naval College. Imagine the cadet’s shock to hear that there is no need for sailors in the New Age! But, of course, the Book of Revelation is full of symbolism, and John’s vision goes back to the Genesis creation story in the first book of the bible where ‘in the beginning darkness was upon the face of the deep and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters’. It’s a very different and dark use of the symbol of the sea compared to our brighter happier summer holiday images and memories.

I trust you have some good holiday photographs to remind you of your time away this summer as we move into September and towards the autumn. Keith Hodson DIARY DATES FOR September

Every Monday to Friday Oasis Christian Shop in open 11am - 3pm Every Saturday Oasis Christian Shop in Shifnal open 11am - 1pm

Sunday 1st 12.30 pm Harvest Praise at Drayton Lodge Farm, Shifnal Wednesday 4th 7.30 pm Beckbury Parish Council meeting in Beckbury Village Hall Saturday 7th 11 am Beckbury Show opposite the Seven Stars

Sunday 8th Beckbury Show: charity auction and clay pigeon shoot opposite the Seven Stars Tuesday 10th 12 noon Friendship Club meeting by the Church for a picnic Monday 16th 7 pm Beckbury Parish Plan meeting in Beckbury Village Hall Sunday 22nd 11 am Harvest Festival at Beckbury and lunch in Village Hall Wed 25th 7.30 pm Deanery Synod meeting at St Andrews Church, Shifnal Sunday 29th 11 am Harvest Festival Service in Kemberton Church

CHURCH NEWS

Thanks to all who helped at the Lammas service and picnic on 4th August with singing, decorations and refreshments.

Churches Together in Shifnal and District have their annual Harvest Praise at Drayton Lodge 12.30pm - 4pm on Sunday 1st September with the outdoor service at 3 pm. The Six Parishes are responsible for the Produce Stall so contributions of cakes, chutneys, jams and vegetables can be given to Jacky Butlin or Angela Chatham beforehand.

Work on Ryton Church roof should now begin in mid September. This will affect Sunday services, but not funerals.

Harvest Services begin in the Six Parishes on 22nd September at Beckbury with a lunch in the Village Hall after the service. Kemberton’s service is at 11 am on 29th September, followed by refreshments in church. Stockton’s harvest in on 6th October and ’s on 13th October, both at 11 am.

Deanery Synod meets at Shifnal Church on 25th September. BAPTISMS

Congratulations to Sienna Cox, daughter of Adrian and Nikki. who was baptized on 11th August 2013 at Kemberton Church.

WEDDINGS Congratulations to Matthew Nicklin and Natalie Chappell who were married on 27th July 2013 at Ryton Church.

CONDOLENCES We extend our sympathies to the family of the late Jessie Cooper, aged 86, of who was buried on 25th July 2013 at Sutton Maddock Church.

- 3 - SIX PARISHES CHOIR 2014 CALENDAR

The Six Parishes Occasional Choir Singers 2014 Calendar, containing a series of lovely photos of all six churches inside and out on different occasions, will be available to purchase in early October when we will be having a launch evening.

Each calendar will cost £10.00, with all money raised going to the six churches. More information will be available in the October newsletter.

CHURCHES TOGETHER IN SHIFNAL Harvest Praise on Sunday 1st September 2013 At Drayton Lodge, Shifnal By kind invitation of Mr Frank Dakin 12.30 - 4 pm…..3 pm Harvest Praise Service

Affordable BBQ, Produce Stall, Rollicking Rounders, Salvation Army Band All are welcome

The Six Parishes are responsible for the Produce Stall So if you are able to help or have any items please contact; Jacky Butlin - 01952 730500

SIX PARISHES FRIENDSHIP CLUB

We held our annual bring & buy at Havenside in August with luck on our side as we chose the only dry day of the week to enable us to sit outside until around 4.30 pm. What a lovely time we had, chatting with friends and catching up on gossip, we had unexpected guests when Richard Turner and daughter Jenny arrived and were made most welcome. The bring & buy raised just over £40.00 for our club funds.

Our September meeting is for members only when, weather permitting, we will be having a picnic in one of Beckbury’s beautiful gardens. We meet at 12 noon by the church before proceeding to the gardens, and a maximum of a 15 minute walk is involved. If the weather is wet our meeting will be in Beckbury Village Hall.

BECKBURY PLAYING FIELD Beckbury Parish Council purchased the playing field for the Village in 2007. At that time we were fortunate in having a number of people who were interested in the management of the field and a committee was formed under the Chairmanship of Carl Steventon. Sadly the members of the Committee have since dwindled away and we need to recruit some new volunteers.

If there is anyone who is interested in being part of the team to help run and organize the playing field please contact either Carl Steventon on 750251 or Peter Gibbins on 750293. Please volunteer, your Playing Field needs you.

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WOLVERHAMPTON ORPHEUS MALE VOICE CHOIR Saturday 26th October at 7.30 pm Beckbury Village Hall

Tickets £5.00 each Refreshments available during the interval

For more information please call John or Linda Shorthouse on 01952 750239

All proceeds to Beckbury V C Trust.

BECKBURY PARISH PLAN PUBLIC MEETING

The Parish Plan is on target for publication before the end of the year. The draft plan should by now be with the Parish Council and then will be ready for sharing at a public meeting to be held in Beckbury Village Hall at 7 pm on Monday 16th September 2013. Please try to attend this important meeting. We will share the draft plan with you and invite comments either at the meeting or in writing for a short while afterwards. Light refreshments will be available.

BECKBURY PARISH PLAN STALL AT THE BECKBURY SHOW

Please come and see us at the Parish Plan Stall at Beckbury Show on Saturday 7th September. We will have the raw data from the questionnaire for you to see and we would like your opinion on the format of the final document, samples will be available for you to see to help you make up your mind. Bring the children along for free sweets and balloons. Hope to see you there.

BECKBURY BUSINESSES AND SERVICES

In the final plan we are hoping to include a section on Useful Information which will include information on businesses and services within the parish. If you would like your service or business details to be included in this section please send details to include: name, contact details and one sentence describing your business/service to Wendy Sutcliffe at ‘Jayell’, Beckbury, tel.no 01952 750358 [email protected]. Unfortunately we can only accept items from services and businesses within the parish boundary. Thank you - The Parish Plan Team

BRIDGNORTH, WORFIELD, ALVELEY & CLAVERLEY L.J.C.

Bill Longmore, The Police & Crime Commissioner, will be attending the next meeting of the L.J.C, being held in Alveley Village Hall on Wednesday 16th October at 7 pm. Members of the public are welcome to come along and question him on any crime and police issues, this could be your chance to make a difference.

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Cleobury Mortimer Concert Brass will be performing a Harvest Concert in St Mary’s Church, Sutton Maddock on Friday 11th October starting at 7.30 pm. Tickets, which cost £8.00 each and £4.00 for those aged 16 and under, include light refreshments and wine. All are welcome.

Tickets available from Jacky Butlin - 01952 730500; Angela Chatham - 01952 730216; Norma Walker - 01952 730666.

All proceeds to St Mary’s Church, Sutton Maddock.

BECKBURY ALLOTMENT ASSOCIATION

There is a half allotment available so come on and join us to grow your own. If interested please call John Shorthouse on 01952 750239

Gardeners’ Tips for September

Repair a lawn patch - Repair those unsightly gaps and worn out patches now and you will give your lawn a new lease of life so it looks its best in summer. Giving it attention now will ensure that new grass roots have time to establish before the cold weather sets in.

Fruit and Veg - The work is never done and this month is no less busy - prune old fruited stems of raspberries down to soil level, pinch out tops of main shoots on outdoor tomato plants, plant garlic cloves outside or in modular seed trays, and cover herbs like basil and parsley with cloches. Forcing narcissi - Enjoy an early scent of spring by forcing narcissi. The bulbs are in the shops from late August and if planted immediately you can have them in flower by Christmas.

Plant hyacinths in a pot - The sweet smell of hyacinths is one that lifts the spirit as a sure sign that winter has finally come to an end. Hyacinth bulbs are widely available in a broad spectrum of colours. Whatever their shade, they look spectacular planted on their own in a rustic terracotta pot. It’s a quick and easy job with stunning rewards in spring.

Save seeds - Perennial plants are often very generous in the amount of seed which they produce. Plants such as verbascum can produce thousands of seeds each year, and you can sow them to grow more plants for your garden or share them with friends and family.

Happy gardening! Linda Shorthouse

GARDENER REQUIRED

A willing worker needed for gardening, approximately 2 hours per week.

Please contact Mr Carl Sharratt on 01952 750768 or 0750 3252082 - 6 THE BADGER BITE IS BACK! TROPHIES FOR 1ST LOCAL RUNNERS

After a three year absence the ‘Badger Bite’ 6 kilometre cross-country race is back! The date is Sunday 6 th October and there is a trophy for the first male and FEMALE runners from the Six Parishes to cross the finishing line. An entry form specially for local runners was printed in the August newsletter.

The Six Parishes Championship Trophy is a cup awarded to the first local runners in the event (so you don’t have to win the whole race - just be the first ‘locals’ to cross the line). Chris Wood of Beckbury has won the trophy on the last 3 occasions, but this year for the first time, we are also awarding a trophy for the first Six Parishes lady runner, so get those running shoes on, and get training. Even if you don’t win, every runner receives a memento.

All abilities welcome - it’s a fairly short race so most people could jog or run it with just a little training. Remember, it’s all in a good cause, the proceeds from the event will be divided between St. Giles Church, and this year our chosen charities, Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Nurses. Entry is £9.00 and you can also enter on-line at www.badgerbite.co.uk. For more information call Robin or Sharon Greenwell on 01746 783095.

COMPUTER TRAINING WITH ALBRIGHTON BROADPLACE THE RED HOUSE, ALBRIGHTON We are a friendly group of local volunteers who offer you the chance of learning or improving your computer skills. Many of our ‘learners’ are absolute beginners. We run from 2 -4 pm each Thursday afternoon (2 x 1 hour sessions).

The training is given on a one to one basis so you learn at your speed not that of a class, we work with you on whatever you want to learn, it may be learning how to send emails or accessing the internet to open up a whole new world out there. You may wish to look at holiday destinations or visitor attractions, do ‘on- line’ shopping or just look at what a shop may have to offer before you visit. There is so much one can do on the internet, even just going onto the BBC website is a whole new experience. You decide what you want to do and we will help you achieve it. Age is no barrier; our current oldest learner is 84 years young! You may have some experience but just require more help, possibly with photographs or ‘attachments’. Quite often we can help with little tips on using your computer. You can either bring your own laptop or use ours. Why not come along and see if we can help, the first session (1 hour) is free and if you wish to continue it will only cost £2.00 per session, this charge is simply to cover the hire of the room. If you are undecided about a computer and whether it is worth buying one, why not come and try out ours and see if you enjoy it before buying. Be warned, it can become addictive.

Maybe you would like to talk to someone first, if so, contact either Geoff Page on 01902 372821 or Mike Pitchford on 01902 372016 and we would be happy to discuss it further with you.

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CRIME WATCH

More power cables stolen - A large quantity of overhead cables have been cut down in the Hinnington area of Shifnal, cutting power to several homes and businesses in the area.

Kemberton - A theft was reported in Field Lane, Kemberton between 10-10-30am on 14th August where a black McLaren pushchair and child’s purple Micro scooter (3 wheeler) were stolen from a front garden. Seen outside at the relevant time was an unknown make/reg number black Transit sized van with curtains at the rear windows and white writing over the top of the back doors. Any sightings should be report to .

As per previous bulletins regarding fly-tipping, the police will no longer take details of any fly-tipping unless it is causing a danger to road users or causing an obstruction. Fly-tipping is to be reported to the Local Authority or the Environment Agency. Enquiries have been made to the E.A and here is their reply:

“Thank you for your enquiry. Local authorities and the Environment Agency have an agreement, known as the Fly-tipping Protocol, setting out which incidents each organization will respond to. In practice this means that Local Authorities are responsible for dealing with most types of small-scale-fly-tipping. We deal with bigger incidents - also known as ‘big, bad or nasty’. Big: Large illegal waste sites (greater than 20 tonnes or more than a tipper load of waste). Bad: Evidence of organized tipping or criminal business practice. Nasty: Certain hazardous wastes which have a greater potential to damage the environment. Fly-tipped waste on private land - The land owner will need to decide how to deal with the waste that has been dumped and pay for the cost of disposal. It is unlikely that their local authority or us will clear the waste for them, although we may provide other assistance or advice if the environment or human health is under threat.

Fly-tipping on public land - In most instances this should be reported to the Local Authority, unless it fits under the ‘big, bad or nasty’ description in which case it should be reported to our incident line on 0800 807060. The Environment Agency works with the Local Authority where really serious crimes have been committed and we aim to prosecute. Offenders can be fined up to £20,000 or even sent to prison. For lesser offences the Local Authority decides whether to prosecute. But as above, who you report fly tipping to depends upon what is being tipped and where. Fly tipping statistics are recorded on a web database called “Flycapture” developed for recording incidents of fly-tipping in Great Britain. The database was created in April 2004 and we manage it on behalf of DEFRA. Both the Environment Agency and Local Authorities report details of fly-tipping incidents on the Flycapture system. More information regarding the Flycapture system is available on our website”. http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/research/library/data/41333.aspx

Stewart Riley - Environment Agency

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This month’s newsletter is kindly sponsored by

Beckbury Parochial Church Council

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