Price £1.00 to non-residents April 2020 ISSUE 126 OVER KELLET VIEW Photo: Peter Clinch Editorial Board: Peter Clinch (Editorial & Advertising), Paul Budd (Editorial and Production), Josie Candlin (Distribution) BOARD OF MANAGEMENT Chairs of the Parish Council and Parochial Church Council We are grateful to the above organisations for their financial support HOW TO PREPARE A CONTRIBUTION We are happy to receive electronic, typed and legible hand-written contributions. For a copy of the OK View Notes for Contributors please e-mail [email protected] Electronic text contributions should ideally be in Microsoft Word format, but we can accept most other formats. Please set the page size to A4 and use 14pt Arial font. Photos and illustrations should be sent as separate files, NOT embedded within documents; most are reproduced in black and white and benefit from good contrast. Pictures intended for the front cover should be in portrait format. For help or advice phone: Peter (01524 734591), Paul (07749 897999), Josie (01524 942079). WHERE TO SEND IT Hard-copy contributions should be sent to The Editors c/o Tree Tops, Moor Close Lane, Over Kellet, LA6 1DF; electronic ones to the e-mail address: [email protected] DEADLINE For each issue the closing date for contributions is the fifteenth of the previous month, but earlier submissions are always welcome. ADVERTISING Please e-mail us at [email protected] for an advertising stylesheet, rates and guidance. We are unable to offer a design service and will only accept material electronically. DISCLAIMER The views expressed in this magazine are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of either the Editorial and/or Management Board. Every care is taken to provide accurate information, particularly in the Village Listings, Directory and Local Services. We apologise for any errors and would be pleased to have them pointed out to us. Over Kellet View is published monthly except for January and August; it is distributed to all homes within the parish of Over Kellet and is available for purchase at the Village Store. Each issue can also be seen in a colour version on the Over Kellet village website www.overkellet.org We are grateful to Gordon Galloway, the webmaster, for his expert help. ©2020 Over Kellet View, Tree Tops, Moor Close Lane [email protected] Find us on overkelletview Printed by Bay Typesetters, Morecambe Tel: 01524 850056, 07710 405864 [email protected] 2 The April View Retaining a good community spirit In a very few weeks the national spirit has moved from one of optimism over the opportunities that Brexit may bring (though there are still many expressing concerns over the nation’s future success and place in the world), to anxiety over the spread of the coronavirus outbreak. It is worth, though, putting the mortality figures in perspective; many more people die each week in the UK from ‘flu. Of course we need to be aware of how we can prevent the spread of the virus through our own personal hygiene habits and also look out for friends and neighbours who may fall ill very quickly. The Parish Council’s March meeting discussed what its response to a local outbreak should be and on page 9 the Neighbourhood Watch team advertise themselves ready to assist residents. These are positive signs of a community recognising a common purpose and thinking about how to pull together. There is much we can do as individuals to look out for friends and neighbours and help them if it is safe to do so. Less happily, the Parish Council heard that some residents in the Greenways and Church Bank areas had received letters from the City Council seeking information on an outbreak of dog fouling on footpaths used by children going to school. One resident spoke at the Parish Council of seeing a dog walker tie a bag of dog poo to a barbed-wire fence and walk away. It seems there are some in the community who live in their own shell and do not consider the health and safety of others - especially very young children who might be tempted to pick up or play with a bag unaware of the health hazard it contains. Since the letters were sent out the problem seems to have diminished. Worryingly, another instance of anti-social behaviour has been brought to our attention by a resident – the tops of a large number of daffodils on the Village Green have been snapped off. If the culprit is a child then the parents need to instil in their off-spring a little more appreciation of the beauty of nature and a sense of appreciation of a community benefit; if the culprit is an adult – just grow up! Peter Clinch 3 Letter from the Vicar One of the major problems each of us faces in our lives is fear. With the coronavirus pandemic spreading across the world, it’s very easy to find ourselves living in fear; fear of catching it; fear of passing it on; fear of what might happen to our loved ones. Living our lives in fear is not a good place to be in. Sometimes there are good reasons to fear; it can be a natural reaction to difficult circumstances. But fear is not meant to be a way of life. As we come to the end of Lent and approach the events of Holy Week, we see many manifestations of fear in the Easter story: the Roman authorities fearful of Jesus’ teaching; Pilate’s fear of the reaction of the crowd when he wanted to release Jesus; Peter’s fear of retribution if he admitted that he was a follower of Jesus. What we see at both the cross and the resurrection is God’s response to fear. At the cross Jesus gave us the opportunity to be set free from our fears. Out of the midst of a dark and desolate situation Jesus defeated the powers of darkness, bringing freedom from fear. At the resurrection, Jesus gave us the chance to be released from our fear of death. Death is probably the last taboo in our culture, something we don’t feel we can talk about or face up to honestly. Life beyond death sounds appealing but unknowable. Jesus came back from death to offer the hope of life beyond death, showing us that death does not have to be the end. The message of Easter is ultimately one of hope: hope in the face of fear; hope in the face of darkness. Whatever it is that generates our fear - illness, loneliness, finance, death - there is hope. “There is no fear in love, because perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18). That’s the hope of Easter, offered to each one of us. Rev Paul Boulter Looking forward Suspension of services - following advice from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York on the Covid-19 outbreak, all public services at St Cuthbert's are suspended until further notice. Further announcements on their resumption will be made in due course. Funerals will still be taking place, but in a more limited format. 4 If you are concerned about the needs of anyone in our community, or for clarity about funerals and other essential ministry, please contact the Vicar on 01524 770300 or e-mail [email protected]. "Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you" 1 Peter 5:7. Looking back The World Day of Prayer on 6th March in the Village Hall was a wonderful occasion, uniting Christians from different churches and children from the school. Thanks to everyone who helped organise the event and participated. Public notice – gravestone of Ellen & Thomas Hilton During the recent storms and strong winds, the headstone of Ellen Hilton (died 1900) and Thomas Hilton (died 1909) was blown over and cracked. The memorial is not in a safe condition. As the memorial is owned by the family of the deceased, this notice is to inform any family members that the Parochial Church Council propose to have the headstone turned over and laid flat so that the inscriptions are visible. If any family members wish to discuss this proposal please can they contact the Vicar by 1st May 2020. Rev Paul Boulter 5 Wilson’s Endowed School News Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey on 9th March The children were thrilled to be smiled and waved at by the Royal Family who processed up the aisle only a few inches from our seats. Pop-star Craig David made eleven-year old pupil Laney Holt's day by greeting her with a cheery 'Hello!' Pupils also had the opportunity to speak with Commonwealth athletes and collect their autographs. These included Scotland's Commonwealth athletes, Kevin Moran and Lisa Tobias. The service was filled with colour and pageantry, celebrating the coming together of people drawn from all fifty-three Commonwealth countries. This was a most special experience for our pupils. Coming from a rural school, it enabled the children to embrace the global community through enriching partnerships enjoyed across the Commonwealth. The close proximity to royalty and special guests made for a life-long memory of an exhilarating day. George, aged eleven, said: 'I was thrilled to be there because we saw lots of people from different countries that celebrated all that is good about the Commonwealth'. Swimming Gala Every year the school competes in the Rural Schools’ Swimming Gala held at Salt Ayre Pool. This year ten schools competed, requiring heats for every race. We were thrilled to be placed 1st, 2nd or 3rd in many of the events.