The Parish News October 2020 PLEASE NOTE THAT SOME OF THE INFORMATION IN THIS EDITION MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DUE TO EFFECTS OF CORONAVIRUS. SOME ADVERTISERS WILL BE OPERATING UNDER TEMPORARY CONDITIONS. IF IN DOUBT, CONTACT CONTRIBUTORS DIRECTLY. Priors Marston * Priors Hardwick * Wormleighton PRIORS HARDWICK WITH PRIORS MARSTON AND WORMLEIGHTON part of The Bridges Group of Parishes www.thebridgesgroup.org.uk PRIEST-IN-CHARGE: Rev. Gillian Roberts 01926 815831 [email protected] Sycamore Lodge, Church Street, Stockton, CV47 8JG GROUP ADMINISTRATOR: Susan Holloway 01926 812383 [email protected] LAY READER: Mr Peter Jackson 01327 260169 CHURCHWARDENS: St. Leonard, Priors Marston - Mr. Malcolm Monkhouse 01327 260915 St. Peter, Wormleighton - Vacancy PARISH COUNCIL: http://www.priorsmarston.org/parish-council/ THE PRIORS HALL: Barbara Harvey 01327 260709 [email protected] (Bookings) PRIORS SCHOOL: http://www.thepriorsschool.co.uk/ ST.LAWRENCE SCHOOL: http://www.stlawrenceprimaryschool.co.uk/ WOMENS INSTITUTE: Jane Cowan 07979 550202 Fiona Spencer 01327 263423 FILM NIGHT: Lee Robinson 01327 263268 [email protected] SPORTS CLUB: Simon Brown 07722 797735 [email protected] TENNIS CLUB: [email protected] CRICKET: Alan Evans 07764 627030 Disclaimer: Please note that views expressed in articles are the views of the authors. 2 CORONA VIRUS MESSAGE FROM PRIORS MARSTON PARISH COUNCIL Due to COVID-19 restrictions, all Parish Council meetings are cancelled for the foreseeable future. Please check website and Notice board for updates in the coming weeks/months. If you need to discuss anything in the meantime, please email Emma. NEW TO THE VILLAGE? Remember, particularly if you are new to Priors Marston, email [email protected] to be added to the village email distribution list. PARISH NEWS CONTRIBUTIONS: Helen Menezes 01327 261222 [email protected] Hillside House, Keys Lane, Priors Marston, Southam, CV47 7SA. Deadline for contributions, 15th of the month. Preferred format – A4 Word or JPEG (not PDF) PARISH NEWS PDF: You can read the Parish News in PDF format (pictures in colour and A4 page size), by sending a request to the editor – [email protected]. You can also read the latest edition on the Priors Marston Parish Council website http://www.priorsmarston.org THANKS! If you wonder if advertising in the Parish News can help, I have been reliably informed that, since the last issue, a project manager has come forward to manage the repairs at St. Leonard’s and the Churchyard has benefited from some maintenance work, also by volunteer response to Malcolm and Rob’s article. 3 FROM YOUR DISTRICT COUNCILLOR FOR NAPTON AND FENNY COMPTON You may have heard that central government is proposing new planning rules. Worryingly, it seems that this District could see its house building targets more than doubled under the proposals. In the government’s proposed new planning laws, local discretion over house building rates and numbers will be removed. Central government will share out an annual house building target between local councils, who will then be responsible for finding enough land to meet the target according to a formula. A national planning consultancy has applied the new formulas across all local authority areas in England. The results show that Stratford District’s increase in housing numbers would be one of the largest increases in the West Midlands. The new targets would represent a 129% increase on the current Core Strategy figures to a new requirement of 1675 homes a year. Additionally, because much of the north of the District is green belt, and therefore protected, it would presumably mean much greater increases in house building in the remaining areas, including ours. Although these are central government proposals, my colleagues and I will challenge these ideas locally where we can. Following the unexpected death of County Councillor Bob Stevens, the ‘Notice of Vacancy’ for the Feldon County Division has been published. Normally, this would trigger a by-election. As a result of emergency regulations - the Local Government (Coronavirus) Postponement of Elections and Referendums Act - it is expected that a poll cannot take place until 6 May 2021 at the earliest. If anyone wishes to know more about this position, please contact me. (The Feldon county councillor post covers Fenny Compton, Priors Marston & Hardwick, Ladbroke, Wormleighton, Harbury, Bishops & Long Itchington, Farnborough, Deppers, Ufton, Chesterton.) In these unusual times we will have to work through this extended vacancy period as best as we can. For myself, I will be working at a reduced capacity for a while as I recover from my heart attack, with support from colleagues. Again, I express my thanks for that help and for the many messages I have received wishing me well. 4 At the beginning of the Covid crisis, Warwickshire’s recycling centres were all closed, with most reopening a few weeks later. However, Stockton and Wellesbourne did not reopen. I formally raised this matter at the Council meeting on 13th July. My concern was that Stockton, in particular, provides an important local facility serving our area. Thank you to those that signed our on-line petition organised by Cllr Louis Adam and myself to press for reopening. I am pleased to say that the County Council has now announced that reopening is planned for Saturday 26th September, with bookings scheduled to be released a week before. There is a booking system in place for residents to book a slot at all the sites at www.warwickshire.gov.uk/recyclingcentres. Initially, Stockton will be open on Saturday and Sunday only and Wellesbourne will be open on Saturday, Sunday and Monday only. Usual opening hours for these days will apply. Nigel Rock, Councillor for Napton and Fenny Compton Ward [email protected] 07971 343065 * * * * * * * * PARISH NEWS DONATIONS AND THANKS Thanks to all our generous contributors, advertisers and volunteers, who help to make it possible to go on producing, printing and distributing the Parish News. If you want to contribute, you can still give donations to your distributor, to any of the people named in the box on page 2 of this issue, or to Maxine Harris at Priors Hall Post Office. If you prefer to contribute by bank transfer, the details are as follows: Account name: Priors Marston PCC, Sort code 40-42-15, Ac. No.90674222. Please reference your donation as ‘Parish News.’ Thank you for your support. 5 THANKSGIVING – A MESSAGE FROM REVD CELIA Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life; no-one comes to the Father except through me”. All my life and ministry has been, and remains, rooted in this truth. Whilst I have retired from Parish ministry, and therefore the Bridges Group, I have not retired from the Lord’s work, which is Ministry. Although the circumstances of my departure were not of my choosing, as I was not given an option with integrity in it, so friends, this is not the end of the story. Far from it! The turning of a page will allow freedom for a new chapter to begin. I therefore look forward to the future with expectation and excitement as some of my previous ministries evolve and the Lord opens up new ones. There is much to celebrate and many people to thank. Thank you to Father God for calling me here – may I remain faithful in that calling. Thank you to my family and friends – may they continue to stand with me. Thank you to all my farming friends – our shared journey will continue. Thank you to all in these communities and I look forward to seeing you in the future, albeit in a different context. The Lord always goes ahead of us and has provided a lovely home in the heart of Byfield as from October, so we’ll not be far from you. May God bless you richly in all you do! Revd Celia 6 CELIA PARKES It is with regret that we record the departure of the Reverend Celia Parkes as an Associate Minister in the Bridges Group. Celia took services at St Mary’s on a regular basis, including the popular Sunday Evensongs arranged by Margaret Clarke. She took marriage ceremonies for several Priors Hardwick residents, including Anthony and Jojo Mackenzie and Jago and Hollie Toner and christened Arthur Darbishire. Her cheerful and welcoming disposition made each of these events special for the participants. Celia’s pastoral care and love and empathy for the countryside was evident from her popularity with the farming and wider rural community. A regular attender at the Rugby Farmers Market, she made many friends who will be delighted that she intends to remain in the neighbourhood. Her role at the Priors School was much appreciated by pupils and their parents alike. A parent writes “Celia has been a huge supporter of the school, both as a governor and as our vicar. She has been tireless in her commitment to guiding the children and has been exceptional in her pastoral care of both them and the staff. We will miss her words of wisdom and her community spirit and I know the children will miss her unique assemblies which always had them at their heart”. Whoever we are, we wish her well in whatever she chooses to do, and she will always be welcome in Priors Hardwick. Christopher Hodgson, for and on behalf of Priors Hardwick PCC 7 . The Summer holiday, so very much needed, has clearly thoroughly refreshed so many in our school community. You see it both in the eyes of staff and also in the children: we’ve had such a positive start to the academic year. I truly believe that the way in which we created the opportunity for children to return to school in the summer term to aid transition has paid dividends already.