Property professionals since 1968 Writtle’s only estate agent Residential Sales: Writtle (01245) 420880 Country Homes: Chelmsford (01245) 397475 Residential Lettings: Chelmsford (01245) 500666 Offices throughout Essex and into Central and Greater London. www.beresfordsgroup.co.uk 2 Writtle News email: [email protected] Writtle News website: http://www.writtlenews.byck.co.uk IN THIS TIME OF ‘COVID 19’ There is a great wealth of community spirit in the village of Writtle, WRITTLE NEWS 239 which I have tapped into over the past fourteen years, making my DECEMBER 2020 - JANUARY 2021 job as Editor very rewarding. There are many people I would like WRITTLE NEWS PRODUCTION TEAM to thank for their willingness to help in making the Writtle News a EDITOR: Christine Knight (420045) village community publication. There are far too many people to Writtle News email: [email protected] name and thank individually, but they will have the satisfaction of knowing they have contributed over the years to the magazine’s ADVERTISING: Wendy Kateley (420998) success. TREASURER: Anne Pegg (420200) Like a lot of our readers in this time of Covid I am missing DISTRIBUTION: Mary Steadman (421467) visiting my family and friends on a regular basis, with the prospect Copy for Issue 240 (email: [email protected] of not seeing them at Christmas, rules and regulations will make it a or typed) to Christine Knight, (420045) bit of an ordeal. Working on the Writtle News has however been my by noon on 1st January 2021 lifeline, it is not easy but it has mostly been business as usual, so a Advertisements to Wendy Kateley by 1st January 2021 big thank you to the Sponsors, Production team, the distributors, the writers and the advertisers, who have made the continuous B&W Advertising Rates If you wish to change production of the magazine possible through these trying times. 1⁄8 page £12.00 per issue your advertisement, To all our readers, ‘A Merry Christmas and hope for everyone 1⁄4 page £22.00 per issue will you please put for the New Year’. 1⁄2 page £35.00 per issue it in writing. Please Christine Knight, Editor. Whole page £65.00 per issue note that opinions expressed in articles in this Colour Advertising Rates DISTRIBUTION magazine are not necessarily 1⁄8 page £16.00 per issue A big thank you to everyone who has helped with the Writtle News the views of the Editor and 1⁄4 page £30.00 per issue distribution, especially in these difficult times. Special thanks to production team. 1⁄2 page £50.00 per issue those who volunteered to deliver extra copies. The Editor reserves the right Whole page £90.00 per issue Christmas will be rather different this year but I hope you are in her discretion to amend or able to enjoy it and keep safe and well. Advert Sizes (Type area only) abbreviate articles for reasons Best wishes, Mary. 1⁄8 page 30mm x 90mm of space and to refuse to 1⁄4 page 60mm x 90mm accept material which in her NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS 1⁄2 page 132.5mm x 90mm opinion may be regarded as To place an advert or to update your black and white advert to W/page 132.5mm x 190mm offensive or inappropriate. colour, please contact Wendy Kateley on 01245 420998. Please email art work for all new b/w and colour adverts to writtlenews@ ONCE IT’S IN WRITTLE NEWS IT’S ALL ROUND THE gmail.com VILLAGE DELIVERED TO 2,600 DOORS! Thank you. 3 ALL SAINTS CHURCH FROM THE VICAR I’m writing this on an overcast, cool and changeable autumn day at PARISH OFFICE: Tuesday-Friday 10.00am-12.00 noon the end of October that is not like some of the great, hot, glorious (422846) days in summer we had. I was lucky this summer as I got some CHURCHWARDENS: Margaret Bruce (699782), very welcome time away sailing around the East Coast - days of Tony Ripton 07799 690559 swimming off the boat, relaxing as we watched other water traffic, Email: [email protected], sleeping in the stillness of balmy summer nights. It was good to get website: www.allsaintswrittle.co.uk that change. PRIEST IN CHARGE: Rev’d Tony Cant I wonder how many of you were able to get some change from SECRETARY: Andrew Brewster Email: [email protected] the Covid claustrophobia of being stuck around home? Some of CHRISTIAN CENTRE BOOKINGS: you will have been harvesting flat out, some in offices or small Email [email protected] Phone: 07949 060567 Contact person: Andrew Brewster businesses, and some just trying to keep the kids entertained or out of your hair as you work from home. When it does its thing, the Great British Summer is hard to beat SUNDAY SERVICES : isn’t it. But now we’re into the new season of Autumn and soon 8.00am Holy Communion (Prayer Book) enough it will be Winter again. But not like last year. 1st 10.45am Celebrating Together So often we hear the phrase uttered about ‘getting back to 2nd 10.45am Parish Eucharist normal’. I’ve wondered a bit about this. Is it a nostalgic thing to go 6.00pm Christians Together 3rd 9.30am All Age Worship back to the past when we knew what was happening and what 11.00am Matins was coming? Life seemed more settled then, and predictable. I 4th 10.45am Parish Eucharist with Healing Ministry think we all understand that predictability helps life feel more 5th 10.45am Parish Eucharist settled. And now that it’s not predictable we feel unsettled. That can affect our human nature in ways that may be invisible to start The Sunday services are at 10.00am online in lockdown. with but then can begin to manifest through heightened anxiety, stress, tiredness, higher intakes of alcohol, etc. BAPTISM AND MARRIAGE I wonder about that nostalgic look at life in comparison to an Preliminary arrangements should be made through the Parish aspirational look at life. I mean, instead of looking backwards at life Office by calling in or telephoning (422846 Tuesday-Friday 10.00am as it was, what do we think about looking ahead at life as it could -12 noon) be? There was a lot we got wrong before Covid, and why would we want to go back to those things, just because they’re familiar and PASTORAL VISITS AND HOME COMMUNION predictable? Requests for sick or hospital visits, or to receive Holy Communion Apparently, Einstein once said that the problems of the world at home, may be made by contacting our Pastoral Assistant Hazel cannot be solved by the people who made those problems. So, Kempton (email: [email protected]) or by phoning the other people are needed who see things differently. I think that Parish Office (422846). makes sense. So, what if we asked children what to do about the 4 future? Jesus said that unless we become as children, we’ll never ALL SAINTS CALENDAR see the Kingdom of God. He placed the value of children and their The following is a list of services that will operate only if Covid ability to see things differently far higher than the culture of His day restrictions are lifted at the beginning of December. Otherwise, the did. What if, as older people, we created space for our children church will remain closed and all services will be on YouTube. to take an aspirational look at life that comes up with things we would never have thought of? Our village school is just such an DECEMBER aspirational place that encourages our children to develop and 6th Second Sunday of Advent (1st) grow in a caring and challenging environment. It’s a place where 10.00am Parish Eucharist the future is nurtured and given space and encouragement by 13th Third Sunday of Advent (2nd) valuing our children for simply being. It encourages them to live 10.00am Parish Eucharist beyond themselves and for the good of others. What if we became 20th Fourth Sunday of Advent (3rd) like children for a year, and simply asked more ‘WHY’ questions? 10.00am Parish Eucharist Things would change again, wouldn’t they? And maybe therein lies 24th Christmas Eve the problem - the uncomfortable nature of change. Can we cope 11.30pm Midnight Eucharist with it? Covid is forcing us to. Climate change is forcing us to. 25th Christmas Day And just to finish off with, things in church are changing too. 10.00am Family Eucharist It will be no surprise to you that we can’t do church in the same 27th First Sunday of Christmas (4th) ways as the past. Our usual Christmas services will not be like 10.00am Service of the Word they’ve been in previous years because of Covid, and that’s a real Due to Covid restrictions, numbers in church are greatly reduced sadness to us as we loved to share the joy of Christmas with our and we are sorry we cannot hold the normal Carols and Crib village. So, no Christingle, or crib or traditional carol services this services. And we only have space for 35 people to attend the year. Please keep an eye out for further communications as to what traditional Midnight Eucharist service on Christmas Eve. If you will take place but remember that we can’t squash loads of people would like to come please give your name to Margaret Bruce, one into church at this time due to social distancing. We can only seat of our wardens (tel.