RETTENDON & BATTLESBRIDGE NEWSLETTER Financed and reviewed by Rettendon Parish Council, Printed by IMAGES, Runwell Road, Wickford 01268 761900 Prepared & distributed by over 25 volunteers within the parish. December and January issue number 361. Please also note the views contained within are offered by individuals/organisations privately and not in conjunction with, but will be reviewed and may be edited by, the Rettendon Parish Council All contributions for next Newsletter to be with [email protected], by 20th January 2018 Battlesbridge and Rettendon Events To publicise your event in this diary, please send a note to the compiler giving: event, date, time, venue, organisation and/or charity benefitting. EVENT DATE / DAY TIME VENUE ORGANISATION Start of Advent / Christingle Sunday, 3rd December 11am / 11:15am Battlesbridge Free Church / All Saints Church, Rettendon Parish Meeting Tuesday, 12th December 7:30pm Memorial Village Hall Parish Residents Service of 9 Lessons Sunday, 10th December 11am Battlesbridge Free Church Pre-school Christmas Show Wednesday, 13th Decem’r 11:30am Memorial Village Hall Pre-school Carol Service Sunday 17th December 11:15am All Saints Church, Rettendon Nativity (am) – A Drama (pm) Sunday, 17th December 11am / 6:30pm Battlesbridge Free Church Young People Parish Council Meeting Tuesday, 19th December 7 for 7:30pm Battlesbridge Free Church Parish Council All Saints - Joint Service Sunday 24th December 10:30am St Nicholas Church, Rawreth Note time and place!!! Members Choice Sunday, 24th December 11am Battlesbridge Free Church Midnight (Candlelit) Service Sunday, 24th December 11:30PM Battlesbridge Free Church / All Saints Church, Rettendon Christmas Day / Communion Monday, 25th December 11am / 11:15am Battlesbridge Free Church / All Saints Church, Rettendon Service led by Mr. Wilf Tyler Sunday, 31st December 11am Battlesbridge Free Church All Saints - Joint Service Sunday 31st December 10:30am Barling Magna Church Note time and place!!! Committee Meeting Tuesday, 16th January 7:30pm Rettendon Memorial Hall Rettendon Horticultural Soc. Sunday Services Sundays 11am / 11:15am Battlesbridge Free Church / All Saints Church, Rettendon Pre-school Monday - Thursday Mornings Rettendon Memorial Hall Pre-school Bowls Mondays / Thursdays 7 - 10pm/ 2 – 4pm Rettendon Memorial Village Hall Parish Council Meeting Last Tuesday in Month 7 for 7:30pm Rettendon Memorial Hall Parish Council Knit and Natter 1st & 3rd Wednesdays 1:30 – 3:30pm Rettendon Memorial Village Hall Art group / Youth Group Wednesdays 2pm / 6:30pm Battlesbridge Free Church Jive Wednesdays 8pm – 10pm Rettendon Memorial Hall Jive Group Community Choir Fridays 7pm Battlesbridge Free Church Community Choir Country and Western 1st Saturday in month 8pm – 10pm Rettendon Memorial Hall Country & Western Society DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Committee Meeting Tuesday, 20th February 7:30pm Rettendon Memorial Hall Rettendon Horticultural Society MOBILE LIBRARY NOTE: Annual Christmas break between 25th December 2017 and 6th January 2018 Salforal Close / Meadow Road Wednesdays 16:05 – 16:25 / 16:30 – 16:45 6th & 20th December, 3rd, 17th & 31st January Goose Cottages Friday 14:00 – 14:30 1st & 15th December, 12th & 26th January Chalk Street Thursday 13:50 – 14:05 30th November, 14th December, 11th & 25th January MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE WITHDRAWAL OF BUS SERVICES 1 and 3 PARISH MEETING to be held at Rettendon Memorial Hall, Regal have announced that Bus Service 1 will end on 22nd Tuesday, December 12th at 7:30pm December 2017 and Bus Service 3 on 23rd December 2017. County Councillor Ian Grundy says that an impact assessment This meeting is open to any member of the parish of is underway. Can I please encourage everyone who is going to Rettendon who are welcome to attend and discuss parish suffer from the withdrawal of these services to contact Essex issues, in particular matters arising from the Bell Fields. County Council as soon as possible. The agenda for the meeting is available to view on the By post: Travel Information Team, Highways, Seax House, various notice boards around the Parish. County Hall, Chelmsford, CM1 1QH. Parishioners can bring up any other issues that they feel By telephone: 0345 603 7631 By email: needs to be discussed but these need to be written down [email protected] before the meeting and communicated to the meeting < mailto:[email protected] > o r chairman. It is necessary for the parishioners to be present [email protected] for discussion of their issue to take place. If anyone would like a sample letter please contact: Barbara Wright, as a non-parishioner, has agreed to be the Denise Fleming - 07834 863570 or collator of the issues to be raised and can be contacted on [email protected] 01245 321554 or by email [email protected]). <mailto:[email protected]> or Glenys Jones - 07739 530611 or [email protected] I took over compiling this publication because the previous compiler decided to stop. Anyone else could have offered, but no one did. The Parish Council have agreed that they will review Now I know why. As I am obviously unable to do it correctly I will each edition before publication and identify any willingly step aside to allow someone better to do it. I can then get content that should not be included (because it’s on with my life again. Barbara Wright, present compiler untrue, contravenes legislation, personal opinion on a What do you call a bunch of chess players bragging about their games contentious topic). Mark Fleming, Chairman RPC 1 in a hotel lobby? Chess nuts boasting in an open foyer. THE VILLAGE QUIZ - Report of 17th Nov. KNIT & NATTER….. Nearly 80 people came to join the fun in our Village will take place on 6th December, but NOT on 20th Hall - some vary serious, some spectating, but most December (as too near Christmas). just doing their best. The atmosphere was great By popular request this will continue in the New Year, and the results close. starting on Wednesday 3rd January, then 3rd Wednesday, We can report that a total of £530 net was made 17th, and thereafter every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the and split between the Village Hall and All Saints month. Church. Many thanks to our trusty admin team, to all those who contributed to the wonderful set of prizes Sandie Cottee via Facebook, or Hazel Dale-Evans 01245 401538 for the raffle and all you brave souls who threw dignity to the wind to make this such a fun event. HORSE OF THE YEAR SHOW Watch this space for more…… We have organised a trip on Friday, December 15th by coach Hazel Dale-Evans at 9:30am from Battlesbridge returning around 8:00pm. We have 2 tickets left at the inclusive price of £52:50. Contact Pat on 07762 909351 or 01245 401328 if you are interested. Divisive Content? I regret to say it but as a resident I have become increasingly Wishing you all a Happy Christmas! concerned that as well as the worthy function it fulfils to keep the Christmas and New Year Church Services community informed, this newsletter has also continued to be an organ All Saints Church Come and Celebrate Christmas at All Saints which spread ill-feeling and as a mouthpiece for a few and I would 3rd Christingle 11:15am Children of all ages welcome politely ask that this be stopped. 17th Carol Service 11:15am Celebrate with Carols and the I should state for the record that I think 95% of this newsletter is very ancient Christmas Story retold. commendable, carrying useful information about local events, 24th Joint Service 10:30am St Nicholas church, Rawreth competitions, charities, crime, contact numbers and much more. This all 3 congregations neutral and non-contestable content is great and exactly what a parish 24th Midnight Mass 11:30pm Traditional Christmas newsletter should do, bringing people together to focus on the life and 25th Christmas Day 11:15am Communion Service well being of the village. Putting together a newsletter and delivering it 31st Joint Service 10:30am Rochford District gathering at is a difficult job and I like other residents appreciate it greatly. However, articles are continuing to appear which are offensive to Barling Magna Church some members or groups in the community or one-sided, such as one Battlesbridge Free Church alleging the parish council was thinking of stopping football on the Bell 3rd Beginning of Advent 11am Communion led by David Field for example. Over the past few months I have read peoples views 10th Service of 9 lessons 11am Bible Readings/Carols on the European referendum, one side of the debate on contested 17th Nativity 11am Young People items before the parish council and even racist remarks, (although I 17th A Drama 6:30pm Young People accept this was apologised for in a parish meeting it was still printed 24th Members Choice, 11am Carols, Readings and has no place in a publication funded by all of us). (Mince Pies) I would ask the editor or collator (for the second time), not to let our 24th Midnight Service 11:30pm by Candlelight newsletter it be used to platform for such material. The Local 31st Service 11am led by Mr. Wilf Tyler. Government Act and its codes of practice are very clear that publicly funded newsletters should not be used to put forward political points of view...from anyone. This is a vital cornerstone of our democracy, to keep it strong and fair and civilised. Rettendon Bell Field Any one of us can raise issues not only through parish council I recently saw two horse riders in the vicinity of the gated meetings, where there can be objective debate, talking to their access to the upper Bell field (opposite the Bell Pub) and neighbours, through social media, or they can pay for their own thought I would take the opportunity to speak to them about newsletter to be printed and distributed, as indeed others have done in the site and in doing so ask if they used the bell field for the past.