~ 1 ~ Parish Directory Team Rector Reader Revd Nicholas Brom 232883 Linda Biggs 510856 The Rectory, Tatchley Lane GL52 3DQ [email protected] [email protected] Churchwardens Team Vicars St Mary Revd Robert Wright 241398 Matthieu Allison 255508 8 Boulton Road GL50 4RZ [email protected] [email protected] Clare Wyatt 510413 Revd George Davis 702890 [email protected] The Rectory, Rectory Lane, Swindon Village St Nicolas Cheltenham GL51 9RD Marcus Steel 529539 [email protected] [email protected] Honorary Assistant Priests Brian Wood 515941 Revd Mary Bowden 07921 315894 [email protected] [email protected] PCC Secretary Revd Dr Adam Dunning via Team Office Stella Caney 676143 [email protected] Team Deacon PCC Treasurer Revd Jennifer Wood 700128 Kevin Holmes 583201 [email protected] [email protected] Team Office [email protected] 01242 244373 St Nicolas Church, Swindon Lane, Prestbury, Cheltenham, GL50 4PA The office is usually open Monday to Friday 09.00-12.00 Outside these hours please leave a message on the answer phone Baptisms (Christenings) & Weddings may be arranged with the Team Office (contact details above) Other Pastoral Matters & Reconciliation (Confession) please contact one of the clergy (telephone numbers above) Views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Editors, the Clergy, the Parochial Church Council, or of any authoritative body of the Church of England The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Mary and St Nicolas Prestbury Cheltenham – Registered Charity No 1130933 continued inside back cover Cover Photograph: Masks and Social Distancing at St Nicolas by Brian Wood Prestbury Parish Magazine September 2020 Open to All IKE THOUSANDS OF others we have had our holiday plans affected by the global pandemic. We were due to spend two weeks in the company of Mickey Mouse and his friends in the sunshine state of Florida. This was not to be our first visit to the Magic Kingdom having been twice Lpreviously but despite our ages we thoroughly enjoy the experience. As a child I always enjoyed The Magic of Disney, a programme that used to show clips from a variety of Disney films, it always seemed to be on a bank holiday Monday. Even now in my 60s I have subscribed to the television channel Disney+ in order to get my fix! One of the many highlights of Disney is the parades that take place on a daily basis. Each night in the Magic Kingdom sees the spectacle of the Electric Parade, when huge floats make their way through the park carrying all the well-loved Disney characters illuminated by many thousands of lights. It really is a sight to see. The evening concludes with a giant firework extravaganza topped off with Tinker Bell flying through the well-lit sky – now I may well be 60 plus but it really is still magical! Our first visit is one that will always be special. Standing on Main Street and looking up towards the Castle conjured up many emotions – something of a Eureka moment. The Magic Kingdom – illuminated against the summer night reminded me of the Kingdom of God illuminated by his son. ust as the Magic Kingdom of Disney is open to all those who wish to revisit their childhood, and immerse themselves in a fantasy world of make believe, so too is the Kingdom of God open to all who wish to J accept the call of Jesus, to become disciples and follow and share in Christ’s work. We are all called to be disciples, to follow Jesus and live the Christian life, and by doing so we will gain entry into the Kingdom. St Paul in his letter to the Romans talks of gifts that should characterise every Christian, ‘let love be genuine, hating evil, holding fast to the good’. Just as the Magic Kingdom of Disney is open to all those who wish to revisit their childhood, and immerse themselves in a fantasy world of make believe, so too is the Kingdom of God open to all who wish to accept the call of Jesus, to become disciples and follow and share in Christ’s work. Linda Biggs - Reader ~ 1 ~ September 2020 Prestbury Parish Magazine ADS G2 ADS G2 ~ 2 ~ Prestbury Parish Magazine September 2020 Nights and days to remember High Society When I was 11 and staying in one of the humble 18th Century Harbour Keepers’ cottages overlooking St Agnes beach and harbour in Cornwall, friends staying next door suggested that we walk into the village, about a mile up the narrow steep valley called Stippy Stappy and watch the film ‘High Society’ in the village hall (Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Louis Armstrong). I recall little of the plot but the great excitement for us four children was when 15-foot flames appeared on the screen, it seemed to us to have little to do with the plot but was certainly the most exciting part of the film so far, and we all cheered as did many of the local lads and lasses. No, nothing to do with the plot, it was simply that the film had caught fire. There were limited fire precautions in those days, so the church hall was not evacuated and we waited whilst the projector crew spliced the film together and started from where we had been, minus about 10 mins of the story. We watched avidly from then, waiting, and wanting red and yellow flashes and smoke to be projected onto the screen but alas no such luck. Nevertheless, a memorable evening. An interactive experience Newquay Cornwall. August late 1950’s. A typical August summer holiday in Cornwall, namely, monsoon rain. The whole family, including my grandparents, went to the cinema in Fore Street to get out of the rain, as had the entire population of Newquay. Sardine space only in the Entrance Foyer. The film was ‘A Night to Remember’ the original B&W version of the sinking of the Titanic (Kenneth More). The film depicted lots of dramatic water scenes and people scrambling down ladders etc... At the end of the film the lights came up, the manager came onto the stage and appealed for calm. He asked us to remain in our rows and not to move until directed. He explained that because the entrance foyer was totally packed there was no exit possible in that direction. He stated that we would, therefore, have to take it strictly in turn and leave via the narrow steel fire escape down two floors, the height of the building from the edge of the stage. With true British grit we ~ 3 ~ September 2020 Prestbury Parish Magazine found great humour in this and all neatly lined up to depart through the fire exit door onto the rusting steel fire exit stairs. By this time the monsoon had been joined by a severe wind storm which necessitated hanging on to the wet slippery rails buffeted by force 8 winds blowing straight into our faces as we made our way down some 60 slippery steel steps to a car park inundated by a powerful flood of water pouring off the hill behind the town. Now I have heard of interactive television and films but this Newquay experience was way ahead of its time. In the film we had seen passengers struggle against the elements on the screen to reach their watery ends. In our case the manager had thoughtfully provided us with a suitably soaking experience – just minus the iceberg!!!! Mid-air viewing About five years ago Angie and I flew to the Isle of Man in a twin-engine high wing aircraft from Staverton Airport. There is no soundproofing on these planes and it is impossible to even talk. So to entertain us for the 70-minute flight they showed endless black and white, silent, Buster Keaton films, on a large screen fixed across the cockpit door. One of these films showed Buster doing one of his usual slipping and sliding demonstrations on a road. As we crossed Wales and then the Irish Sea the weather, which had been clear on take-off, became more and more overcast and dark clouds loomed. Snow began to fall. As we approached the airstrip the snow became dense but the cheerful pilot decided to have a go at landing. The light twin-engine aircraft slalomed down the snow-covered runway and finally came to a halt. ‘That was interesting!!!!’ was the only comment from the cockpit. Was this another example of an interactive film?????? A relaxed view of: ‘An Inconvenient Truth’. On a trip to New Zealand in 2007 Jackie and I visited a cinema at Wanaka, South Island. The cinema is immediately striking as a venue with King Kong smashing through the roof of the building. On arrival we were invited into the restaurant to enjoy a starter and a drink, then taking the drink with us we processed into the viewing area. This area consisted of a variety of vehicles e.g. a Morris Oxford, a variety of sofas, armchairs and very large body cushions scattered on or built into the tiered platforms. Choose your mode of watching! We then started to watch the film by Al Gore ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ (Al Gore was Bill Clinton’s running mate in 1992 and 1996 and received the Nobel Peace prize for this film.) The film is about global warming, a fascinating analysis of the way we are damaging our planet. In writing this I am aware now of how little in 2007 we had really grasped of the damage to our planet and how much more we are now being forced to accept our misdemeanours.