THE COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER BURLEY GATE . FELTON . MORETON JEFFRIES . MUCH COWARNE . OCLE PYCHARD . STOKE LACY . ULLINGSWICK Summer Harvest Time JULY - AUGUST 2021 Letter from the Editor One of the first things we learn as small children, and in turn teach the next generation, is about sharing. That is “no, I can’t have everything I want, because other people want and need things too”. Have you noticed how often small children confuse the words “need” and want”? – “I need a sweet!” The confusion is not surprising when we remember how frequently we interchange the words ourselves – “do you want / need a wee?!” (not the same things at all, when the child leaves it until the very last second and rushes off!). This confusion seems to permeate much adult thinking as well, and has now become clearly at the forefront of our current situations in several respects. Take Covid for example: (sorry, I know we would rather not, but it has to be addressed). This is one thing that we certainly don’t want to share, but since it’s here and already too well shared, the question arises about vaccination. As one of the richest countries in the world, and having bought and ordered more than enough vaccine for ourselves, should we use up our current supplies to protect younger age groups, or donate at least some to the very poor countries where only a handful of people have received the vaccine, not even including all their health care workers. Either way will help to protect the world in the longer term, but it could take years and, as we are constantly reminded, “nobody is safe until everyone is safe”. So this is about sharing the available stocks of vaccine: what do we need and what do we want? Another issue is also currently very topical – that of climate change and, completely connected, land use. We are very lucky that the land in this country, and of course locally too, is highly productive, but because it’s such an asset, so desirable, everyone wants some. Or should that be needs some? It’s in great demand because we have so many people, all with different wants and needs. We need land for crop and animal farming to feed out population, which in turn determines our choices of what to buy and eat (eg local or mass produced?); for housing (large “executive” or smaller “affordable”?); for travel (motorways, railways or airports?); for leisure (parks, golf courses or swimming pools?), and many others. We can’t fit them all in! Some of these are national decisions, which we may or may not agree with but can only really influence at elections. But there are other choices that we can make ourselves, especially in our own localities, about sharing our wonderful asset of land with the wildlife around us. My granddaughter has been “educating” me about the plants I need in the garden to sustain the bees, who have been suffering badly, and I was pleased to find that we have 90% of the recommended plants already. The hedgerows also contribute a lot, as well as acting as a haven for animals and birds. I love sharing my space with them, and can get quite diverted from writing this Letter by watching them! A final thought on sharing: here I have shared several thoughts with you, for good or ill, and now it’s your turn. Please don’t leave it to someone else, but send a Letter TO the Editor to share your thoughts with us all. Take care, stay safe and keep well. Judy Debenham. [email protected], 01432 820124 2 Apologies It seems that I had a bit of a brainstorm when preparing the May-June Newsletter, resulting in 2 errors. So my sincere apologies: firstly, especially to Much Cowarne residents, for completely omitting the Much Cowarne Church News, carefully prepared as usual by Jill Cooksley; secondly, to Carly Roper, for wrongly identifying her photo of Brockhampton as Brockington. Thank you to the sharp-eyed readers who spotted these errors and contacted me. Editor 3 Thanks to David Bayliss for supplying the dingbats 4 5 Ullingswick 100+ Club Hello all our kind Members of the 100 Club, and any others who would like to join: Here are the last two Draws of this Season: May 2021 June 2021 £20 D & R Ellis (26) £20 Ron Powell (100) £10 Laura (c/o Diana Kelly) (85) £10 Barbara Garrett (83) £5 The Allaways (111) £5 William Pickard (109) It is now nearly time to collect the subs for the next season so if you feel like parting with £12 any time from now do please give it to Sue Wright, Helen Spencer or myself, and if not we will come round to collect when we can. And here’s hoping you are lucky. The church needs the funds more than ever with ongoing work being carried out on the exterior. The gutters are looking great, pointing has been carried out, and new coping stones will soon be in place when they have arrived from the quarry. Do come and have a look. The church is open too if you would like a quiet place to visit. Sally and Penny Mess do a fantastic job of looking after the churchyard. We hope to be able to have some other fund-raising events, social distancing permitting, later in the year. Best wishes and thank you, Susan Dalton St Luke’s Church Ullingswick Services for July & August 2021 All Welcome 2021 Service First reading Reader * 4th July 10.00am Morning Service 2 Corinthians 12 vs 2-10 D Kelly 18th July 08.30am Holy Communion Ephesians 2 . Vs 11 to end S.Wright 1st August 10.00am Morning Service Ephesians 4 .Vs 1-16 S Mess 15th August 08.30am Holy Communion Galatians 4 Vs 4-7 A. Gardinar 29th August 10.00am Group Benefice Service - details yet to be advised In addition services of Morning Prayer will be broadcast at 10.00am Via Zoom, on the following dates :- July 4th 11th 18th 25th August 1st 8th 15th 22nd We would ask that all visitors conform to Government guidelines regarding the Covid 19 pandemic, for your protection and that of others. The Church has been specially cleaned and selected items removed to help ensure your protection. Services may be subject to change please view Parish and Church notice boards or contact the Rector on Tel: 01885 482737 Details regarding church services and events can also be found at www.achurchnearyou.com/ullingswick-st-luke *Readers - If anyone is unable to read on the day listed, please arrange a swap direct with someone else on the list and inform the Church Warden 4 5 6 7 Burley Gate CE Primary School Burley Gate C E Primary School is very pleased to be opening a nursery class in September for children aged 2-4yrs old. This will mean that once again our local community will have access to nursery provision based at Burley Gate. The Diocese of Hereford Multi-Academy Trust, which the school is a part of, has taken ownership of the log cabin, a wonderful purpose-built facility both inside and out. The school has recommissioned the building and, with the help of the local community, work has begun on the grounds so it is ready to welcome our first children in September. The School’s Early Years Teacher will oversee the work of the nursery, and we are pleased to have appointed two experienced and enthusiastic members of staff. Miss Emma Cooke, will be joining us from Bodenham, to be the Nursery Supervisor. We are delighted that she will be joined by Miss Heather Watkins, from Bright Emma Cook and Heather Watkins, our new Nursery Members of Staff Sparks in Hereford, who is a former pupil. A ‘Drop In’ Open Afternoon will be held on Wednesday 14 July between 2.30 pm until 4.00 pm. Everyone is welcome to join in. If you would further information with regards to a place in September for your child, please contact the School Office - Tel No. 01432 820367 or email [email protected] Burley Gate Village Hall Plans are being advanced to renovate the small village hall, the entrance lobby and hopefully the front doors - once we can get tradesmen to answer all our queries! The renovation of the small hall with the same acoustic baffles as the main hall we aim to complete by the end of July using grant money. Richard Leitch is leading on this project for us. As part of this we would like to thank volunteers Jill Cooksley and Annie Harding for their work on sewing new curtains using the same material as in the main hall. We hope all this work will refresh the hall. Leon Dodds, our Treasurer, is now moving house down to Sussex, so we would like to thank him for the work he has done keeping our finances under control for the past few years. The 100+ Club is now being compiled - an even worse and more disruptive year of collecting in person the cheques and cash has delayed this due to the lockdown. We hope to do the first draw in July. We are now URGENTLY looking for volunteers to help us out in any shape or form, and this may an hour here, an hour there, or longer. Giles Blackmore 7 Over the Burley Gate ‘My rubbish rant continues’. ‘Why’s that?’ ‘Well look at the photo! A volunteer litter picker told me they were considering stamping your car number plate on your take-away in the UK.’ ‘That’s not a bad idea, might pick up a few stolen cars into the bargain.’ ‘Last month the volunteer filled 400 bin bags of rubbish from around Asda’s Hereford car park.’ ‘I reckon the culprits should be made to do community litter picking for a month or two or six……..’ ‘I notice Stretton Grandison has some new white gates to remind folk it’s a 30mph area.’ ‘Ah, but we have one whacking big gate on the roundabout.’ ‘Yes, but why not white gates so drivers know they are approaching a village – after all the hint is in the name!’ ‘You know how people wax eloquently about wonderful fresh country air?’ ‘They should try opening their