Canon Ivy writes from The Rectory, Park Road, Little Easton 01371 872509 ivycrawford@btinternet.com
We are now well into the New Year and perhaps the resolve and determination to change and to have more organisation in our lives has gone. However that initial feeling of determination and hope that comes in the New Year is a good and positive feeling, however long it lasts!
The Church calendar continually offers us time to reflect, renew and change. Used with thoughtfulness and prayer the benefits of the Church seasons are immense and beneficial to us, both spiritually and practically.
Lent is the next season on the Calendar. Lent is the time of opportunities and a time to make decisions regarding the opportunities. Some of the opportunities we will take up, and others will simply pass us by. If we only do one thing with purpose during the Lenten period, let it be to listen to God saying slow down, sit still, think and listen.
Lent comes in the spring season, the time when the world around us is full of new growth and the shoots that will bear the flowers start to show. Spring cleaning comes to mind too, and in the midst of clearing the rubbish out of the cupboards we should be clearing out of our lives all that God would want us to. Now is the time to say sorry for anger against another person or a circumstance. Now is the time to clear out those temptations that we have given into that are not of God.
Jesus did not give in to temptation, but He looked to God who was far stronger than anything that the Devil could throw at Him. It is up to us all to say sorry to God and clear out through confession, the things which make God sad.
Lent traditionally starts with the feast of pancakes followed by fasting which focuses us on God and Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness. Jesus spent those forty days without food or contact so that he could concentrate on God.
We are not going to starve or go into the desert but we can give up that which is not honouring God nor honouring the sacrifice that Jesus made to get us into the kingdom of God. By doing this, our focus on God will become stronger and our lives more powerful.
Lent is our preparation for Easter and the remembrance of Jesus’ pain and suffering for us. Lent cannot be separated from Easter and the cross, for it is the road of reflection and confession that leads us all to it.
I do hope you will come and join us for our services on Ash Wednesday (17th February) which marks the beginning of Lent – 10 am BCP Holy Communion and 7.30 pm Holy Communion, Common Worship, both services at Great Easton Church.
Ivy Crawford
FEBRUARY 2010
CHURCH SERVICES FOR FEBRUARY
2nd Sunday before Lent |
9.00 am |
TILTY |
Holy Communion B.C.P. |
Sunday next before Lent |
9.00 am |
BROXTED |
Holy Communion B.C.P. |
ASH WEDNESDAY |
10.00 am |
GREAT EASTON |
Holy Communion B.C.P. |
1st Sunday of Lent |
9.00 am |
LITTLE EASTON |
Holy Communion B.C.P. |
2nd Sunday of Lent |
11.00 am |
GREAT EASTON |
All-Age Communion |
MARCH 2010 – PREVIEW |
|||
3rd Sunday of Lent |
9.00 am |
TILTY |
Holy Communion B.C.P. |
NEWS FOR ALL PARISHES
THE WEBSITE IS BEING REBUILT IN A FAR MORE PROFESSIONAL MANNER! OUR NEW VERSION SHOULD BE AVAILABLE WITHIN A COUPLE OF MONTHS - THIS MONTHS EDITION OF OUR PARISH MAGAZINE IS SHOWN HERE - BUT THAT IS ALL!
A meeting of the Parochial Church Council will be held on Monday 8th February at 7.30 pm at The Old Vicarage, Broxted.
Christmas Services
A donation of over £1,200 was sent to The Church Urban Fund from the plate collections and grateful thanks go to everyone for their generous support. This charity’s motto is Raising Money, Changing Lives. Supported by the Diocese of Chelmsford, it works in England’s poorest communities helping the hungry, homeless, and giving support for the jobless and friendship to those who are alone and frightened.
Carol Singing
The carol singing evenings in all four village pubs were well supported, in spite of some appalling road conditions, and grateful thanks go to our landlords/ladies for their generous hospitality, to the choir for leading the singing. A very special Thank You goes to the children for their superb participation.
As Canon Ivy says in her letter, two services to mark the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday will be held in Great Easton church. There will be a Book of Common Prayer service of Communion at 10 am followed at 7.30 pm by a Common Worship Holy Communion service with hymns. Both services will include the imposition of ashes.
The Group’s weekly Lent Meetings commence on Monday 1st February at 8pm at Falcons, Park Road, Little Easton.
This year the Bishop’s Lent Appeal is supporting:
USPG Anglicans in World Mission in their community development work in the Anglican Diocese of the Amazon
The funding of technology for the library at St Andrew's College in Kabare, Kenya
The charity Friends of the Poor in South India and their work in helping to establish micro-credit schemes for local communities
The money raised at the 2009 Show, after expenses, was £23,952. Of this, £5,000 has been given to each of the four churches with the remaining money being put into the contingency fund. Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible as the money is much needed towards the maintaining of the ministry and witness of the churches in our community.
Please ensure that this year’s show date of Sunday/Bank Holiday Monday 29th/30th August 2010 is in your diary! Meanwhile you can keep up to date with arrangements and see the wonderful array of over 100 photos from last year’s show on www.countessofwarwickshow.org.
Although several members were unable to attend in December, those who did were joined by friends and had a happy and enjoyable Christmas party. They hope the LEPRA Coffee Morning in January will be just as successful, but (submitting this on the 8th January) the weather needs to be better for travelling before then!
The next meeting is on Wednesday 17th February at 2.30pm at Easton Farm. There will be no speaker but it is hoped that all members will be there as usual. Visitors are welcome; for further details please contact in the first instance the editor on 01371 872894.
The Friends of the Five Parishes are pleased to announce that tickets are now available for this their first St. George’s Day Dinner which promises to be a unique event.
There will be a Champagne Reception, a superb English Menu, a Guest Speaker and a feast of entertainment to make this a remarkable occasion. Tickets can be obtained from 01371 870927 at £48 each and will include wine on the table. As this is an extra special occasion Evening Dress & Black Tie is preferred. Tickets will be at a premium so book now to avoid disappointment.
Friday 23rd April 2010, Great Easton Village Hall, 7 pm for 7.30 pm prompt.
The Club continues to grow and it is not too late to join. From February there are still seven chances to win. Just send a cheque for £7 to Old House, The Broadway, Great Dunmow, CM6 3BH. Please make cheques payable to ‘The Friends of the Five Parishes 50% Club’. The money raised helps to maintain the churches in The Five Parishes.
The February meeting starts with a soup lunch, at 12.30 for 1 pm, followed by a social afternoon which will be a surprise until you arrive! As usual the meeting is on the second Thursday of the month – the 11th February – at Great Easton Village Hall. The President and committee look forward to seeing you and hope the snow has cleared by then. Remember, anyone is welcome to come along. A visit to WI could be in your New Year Resolutions! For further details please contact in the first instance the editor on 01371 872894.
The Broxted SSE team are organising another of their annual quizzes to raise funds for SSE. The date is Saturday 6th March at 7 for 7.30pm in Broxted Village Hall. Teams of up to 8 people are invited to enter, the price is £10 each to include supper, but please bring your own drinks. Space is always limited, so please book your team as soon as possible at the Campaign office on 01279 870558.
Following last month’s report on the 50th Anniversary of the Ordination of the Revd Peter Street, we would like to congratulate the bell ringers of St Mary’s church, Great Dunmow who rang a peal of ‘Bob Minor’ (1,260 changes).
The next production by this renowned group of thespians will take place at the end of May commencing on the 27th. Further details will be revealed in the next edition of the Magazine.
On Tuesday 2nd February Eve Regelous will demonstrate on the theme It’s a Kind of Music. Meetings are held at the Thaxted Centre for Disabled People at 7.30 pm. Visitors are always welcome at £4. For further details please contact in the first instance the editor on 01371 872894.
The landlord and landlady from The Stag in Little Easton write:
“On behalf of the Dunmow & District organiser of the Poppy Appeal, may we express our thanks to the churches, pubs and restaurants, and especially the door to door collectors, for their efforts in 2009. The total in the Five Parishes exceeded £1,500, which is the best ever, and contributed to a record collection throughout the district. She is in her 20th year as Poppy organiser, so if you see her in town say ‘Hello and well done!’ that is her personal thank you.”
How many of you know of this charity? It offers immediate response to the needs of hard-pressed clergy and their dependants. Those helped include the single and the married, those in the inner city as well as the rural areas of the Diocese of Chelmsford, retired clergy, clergy widow(er)s. Assistance is given to the holiday grants fund administered by the Archdeacons and emergency/compassionate grants are made at times of sudden stress or illness.
The vicarage door bell continues to ring, even when clergy have their own problems. They are always there for us and this is your chance to help them in their hour of need. If you are prepared to make a donation, no matter how small, it will be gratefully received. Please send any contribution that you can make to Angela Harbottle at Old House, The Broadway, Dunmow, CM6 3BH. Cheques should be made payable to ‘The Essex Clergy Charity Corporation’.
St. Mary’s Church in Elsenham is celebrating its 900th anniversary in 2010. As well as marking the age of this beautiful Norman building, the church is also celebrating more than 900 years of continuous worship at the site. The church was featured on Radio Essex on the 10th January. A number of events are being planned and these include a Songs of Praise evening, a Flower Festival, a Medieval Day, concerts and an evening studying the rare bats that inhabit the church building.
On Saturday 20th February there will be an illustrated talk on the history of the church in Elsenham Village Hall at 7.30 pm. For more details on any of these events please contact in the first instance the editor on 01371 872894.
The last music@stansted concert in the current season will be on Saturday 6th March at 7.30 pm, featuring The Coull String Quartet. Please visit www.musicatstansted.com for more information.
The uncertainty continues following the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) ruling which upheld one of the grounds of BAA’s appeal relating to apparent bias on the part of the Competition Commission in reaching its decision that BAA must sell three of its airports, including Stansted. The CAT emphasised that there was no suggestion of actual bias by the Competition Commission but that it had to abide by the maxim that justice must not only be done but be seen to be done.
The CAT ruled against BAA’s second ground of appeal, namely, that the timetable laid down by the Competition Commission for the sale of the three airports was too short. The CAT considered there was no merit in BAA’s arguments on this point.
The CAT has left it to the Competition Commission and BAA to agree on a way forward but that if no agreement is reached the CAT will hear further arguments from both sides before making a decision. One distinct possibility is that the whole Competition Commission inquiry into BAA’s monopoly would have to be re-run, a process which could take two years.
It remains to be seen how the Government will deal with the second runway public inquiry. This was put on hold until the future ownership of Stansted was resolved.
In these chilly days of February what could be more a welcoming thing to come home to than a warming soup? Spiced with ginger, this one should fit the bill.
Butternut squash and ginger soup
Serves 6 to 8:
4 large butternut squashes, peeled and stripped of seeds and chopped (about 1.2 kg or 3 lb prepared weight)
2 medium onions, chopped and diced
A five inch piece of root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1½ litres (2½ pts) vegetable stock
6 tbsp double cream
Fresh coriander to garnish
You will need a large saucepan. First gently sauté the chopped onions and the ginger in some olive oil, until the onions start to soften. Add the squash and sauté for a couple of minutes, then pour in the stock, bring to the boil, then simmer for about a quarter of an hour, until the squash is tender. And that is just about it! Liquidize the soup, stir in the double cream and season to taste. The soup can be made even more delicious if served with a swirl of cream and garnished with a sprig of coriander.
If you have a favourite recipe, seasonal or otherwise, which you would like to share, please contact in the first instance the editor on 01371 872894.
I am writing this month’s page from home where I have spent an unexpected extra two days recently due to the snow and ice. Despite what you may have read in the press or heard on the news, closing the school is never a decision we take lightly and is always a last resort. Being such a rural school, at the top of the hill and exposed so much to the elements we always seem to be windier, wetter or colder than anywhere else! The recent snow and freezing conditions simply added to the wild weather we are sometimes exposed too.
The actual snow itself is not really a problem, it’s the ice that comes with it that was our main reason for closing. As you are aware, Great Easton is the catchment school for the whole Five Parishes area. This means people living in Broxted, Little Easton, Tilty and beyond are unable to walk to school and have no choice but to travel in by either car or bus. The ‘back’ roads are never gritted and quickly become treacherous when the snow mixes with the freezing conditions. My staff has to drive in from all over the county, travelling again on the same dangerous roads.
In school itself we faced a battle against the ice, as fast as salt was put down more snow fell, covered the salt and refroze. The car park, playground and paths were like an ice rink, an accident waiting to happen.
We also have to consider that if we open and then the weather takes a turn for the worse during the day, we could potentially end up with children stuck at school as bus companies and parents are unable to collect them due to the frozen roads. (Many people tried but were physically unable to get to school due to a combination of the ice and the amount of hills in and around Great Easton).
The days of everyone being able to walk into school from home are a distant memory, but it is frustrating reading and hearing some of the comments in the press about schools shutting unnecessarily. The teachers themselves would rather be in school, the lessons are already planned and work already prepared. When the children return each class is then playing ‘catch-up’ in what is already a very crowded curriculum.
Perhaps in the future a compromise would be to let schools open an hour or so later, this would allow the roads more time to clear and make everyone’s journey in far less treacherous. A couple of hours missed seems far more sensible that two or three days.
Next month (weather permitting!) I will again be able to talk about school events, trips and what the children at Great Easton have been up to.
Damian Pye
Headteacher
There will be a report on the 13th January meeting in the next Magazine. The next meeting is on Wednesday 24th February, at 8 pm in the Memorial Hall. Please feel welcome to attend the meeting, either for public forum at the beginning or to observe the whole meeting.
There has been a consultation about removing telephones from local phone boxes and asking Parish Councils if they wish to adopt the red telephone box. Little Easton has asked BT to continue to provide a telephone service to our village, for credit/debit card use and essential emergency service.
In icy conditions, residents are asked to use road grit where provided and contact the Clerk to advise of problems or vulnerable neighbours during wintery conditions.
Your Parish Councillors are: Vincent Thompson (Chair), Nigel Holden (Vice-Chair), Sue Gilbert, Shirley Holden, Bob Halford and Brian Jenner. Please speak with them if you have any concerns or suggestions, or phone the Parish Clerk, Jackie Deane, on 01371 870059.
The Gardens of Easton Lodge are to re-open for the snowdrop season, exact opening dates to be confirmed in early February. An update can be obtained by phoning the recorded information service on 01371 876979, from www.eastonlodge.co.uk or by emailing enquiries@eastonlodge.co.uk.
A volunteer team will be manning the gates and serving home made soups, hot chocolate and other drinks in the courtyard of Warwick House to sustain visitors who venture out to see the first signs of the changing season. Opening hours will be 12 noon to dusk (around 4 pm) and entrance costs just £2.50 for adults, with admission for children free.
It is also planned to open the Gardens on the second Sunday of the month during April-October. The trustees are appealing for more volunteers. Further information on this can also be obtained from the Clerk of the Parish Council.
Meetings are not held in January. The meeting on Monday 1st February will be the Christmas lunch at The Stag at 12 noon for 12.30 pm.
For The Children’s Christmas Party
All the children, and their parents, who attended the Christmas party would like to say a really big Thank You to the organisers for a wonderful party and for all the scrumptious food. A marvellous time was had by all.
Who kindly made and donated individual Christmas puddings to some of our lonely residents. They were very much appreciated by the recipients.
The Dance held on New Year’s Eve was a very successful evening and enjoyed by everyone present. Sincere thanks to all the team for their hard work in organising the evening and also to those people who kindly gave prizes for the raffle. A profit of £550 was made which will be used for further improvements to the Hall.
The landlord writes: “My wife is away for a second hip operation on 20th January. The kitchen will be closed until approximately the end of February with the exception of Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. There will be exceptions to this if we know in advance for larger bookings, so please phone on 01371 870214 if you have a booking and we will advise if this will be possible. Thank you for your consideration in this matter and normal service will resume as soon as possible. Bookings will be appreciated for weekends.
“Christmas passed with the usual busy sessions and convivial evenings, carol singing led by the church choir and the annual Christmas draw. Our thanks to everyone for their support over the period and to those who assembled at the pub for the New Year party. We appeal to everyone to search for an engagement ring that was mislaid on New Year’s Eve, the lady concerned is offering a reward to the finder.
“Finally, the best wishes of us both to all who continue to promote The Pub is the Hub”.
The Parish Council would like to make residents of Great Easton aware that the two grit bins that were installed in the village during the summer are the property of the Parish Council and the grit/salt is for the residents or anyone to use for the ROADS. Thank you to those of you who have been using the grit to keep the road safe for pedestrians and cars; the Council were lucky to have the bins refilled and hopefully there will be enough to see us through this cold spell.
The Neighbourhood Watch scheme is going well and it is good that information of incidents throughout Uttlesford is being quickly passed on through emails to make people aware. If you want to receive this information let our Neighbourhood Watch representative (email: theswangreateaston@tiscali.co.uk ) know of your email address.
The date of the next meeting is Thursday 25th February, at 7.30 pm in Great Easton Village Hall. The public are warmly invited to attend where their input would be appreciated.
Our magazine correspondent writes: “With my house move now imminent, the position of Parish Correspondent falls vacant. It is not an onerous task, but access to email is a prerequisite. You would need to be able to put a few words together once in a while, and transcribe the odd handwritten note to be passed on to the Editor via email. If you think you might be interested in taking over this role and joining the Magazine Team, then please contact Angela Harbottle on 01371 872894.”
We thank her for all that she has done for the Magazine in the past and wish her and her family well for their move. Meanwhile any items for publication be sent to Angela direct, hand-written, typed or whichever means you prefer – but by the 10th of the month please! Contact her on 01371 872894 or by email at angela.harbottle@virgin.net or by fax on 01371 872370.
With thanks to a generous resident, Great Easton church now has a wheelchair for use by visitors to the church or village or indeed to other areas of the Five Parishes on a short term basis. It has been serviced to meet Health & Safety standards.
The annual Christmas dinner took place at The Three Horseshoes on the 15th December. Thirty four guests enjoyed a traditional meal which was cooked by our local band of willing helpers. Thanks were given to all those responsible for the organisation of the evening and special thanks to the patrons of the pub who donate their loose change throughout the year for this occasion.
The popular evening of carol singing at The Three Horseshoes was held on the 17th December. The singing was led by the Five Parishes Choir. All enjoyed the sausage rolls and mince pies in the interval and the chance to sing all the old favourite carols.
Due to her work schedules, our Duton Hill correspondent has had regretfully to say that she is unable to carry on as the Correspondent for the Duton Hill/Tilty section of this Magazine. Her enthusiasm for the job and the input provided has been great and we wish her well in the future. If anyone is prepared to take on this job, please contact Angela on 01371 872894 or by email at angela.harbottle@virgin.net or by fax on 01371 872370. In the meantime any items for publication should be sent to Angela direct, hand-written, typed or whichever means you prefer –but by the 10th of the month please!
This year's Duton Hill Fun Day is scheduled for Sunday 2nd May. There will be an announcement in next month's Magazine giving a meeting date for the organizers and helpers but, in the meantime, if any body wishes to express their interest in helping out, especially new residents in Duton Hill, please contact 01371 870758.
The next meeting of the Council is on Thursday 11th February, at 8.15 p.m. in the Village Hall. All meetings of the Council are open to members of the public, and the Council always welcomes villagers and is keen to hear their opinions and ideas.
Minutes of the meetings can be viewed on the Council’s web-site at www.essexinfo.net/broxted. Other information about the village is available on the village web-site, www.broxted.org
A large number of people gathered at The Prince of Wales for carol singing on the 22nd December. The collection taken for The Children’s Society raised £86. Grateful thanks to everyone for their generosity. Thanks also to everyone at the Prince of Wales for their warm welcome and the splendid buffet.
The annual party in the Village Hall on the 13th December was enjoyed by 33 children. As well as an entertainer, games and a tea, there was a visit from Father Christmas, who had a small gift for each of the children. Many thanks to those who organised the party, and to those who donated items for the tea.
The Community Association also delivered small parcels of festive treats to the older members of our village.
The boxes will be opened at a Coffee Morning at Fistral on Friday 12th March from 10 am until 12 noon. If you are unable to attend, please contact in the first instance the editor on 01371 872894 who will arrange for someone to collect your box.
At the time of writing Broxted is gripped in the worst winter for decades. We are enormously grateful to those who have managed to carry on as normal despite the conditions, especially The Molehill Green Stores, our milkman, the postmen, bin-men and others. They may not see this, so please do thank them when you can.
See the News For All Parishes for details of the next quiz being organised in aid of SSE on Saturday 6th March to raise funds for SSE.
Submitted by a reader
An Atheist was walking through the woods. “What majestic trees! What powerful rivers! What beautiful animals!” he said to himself.
As he was walking alongside the river, he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. He turned to look and saw a 7ft grizzly bear charge towards him. He ran as fast as he could up the path. As he looked over his shoulder and saw that the bear was closing in on him, he tripped and fell on the ground. He rolled over to pick himself up but the bear was right on top of him, reaching for him with his left paw and raising his right paw to strike him. At that instant the Atheist cried out, “Oh my God!”
Time stopped.
The bear froze.
The forest was silent.
As a bright light shone upon the man, a voice came out of the sky. “You deny my existence for all these years, teach others I don’t exist and even credit creation to cosmic accident. Do you expect me to help you out of this predicament? Am I to count you as a believer?”
The atheist looked directly into the light, saying “It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask you to treat me as a Christian now, but perhaps you could make the BEAR a Christian?” “Very well,” said the voice.
The light went out. The sounds of the forest resumed. And the bear dropped his right paw, brought both paws together, bowed his head and spoke:
“Lord bless this food which I am about to receive from thy bounty through Christ our Lord, Amen.”
Use a nearby landmark such as a shop or petrol station as your “home” address on your GPS. In a recent car theft, the GPS was used to find the owner’s home. The thieves then used the garage remote control to open the garage door and gain entry to the house. They knew the owners were at a football game, they knew what time the game was scheduled to finish and so they knew how much time they had to clean out the house – which they did, using a truck to empty the house of its contents.
Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your contact list on your mobile phone. Following a recent theft, it was found that the thief had texted the owner’s husband for her pin number. He texted this information back – and her bank account was cleared out within 20 minutes! Always call back to verify that this type of text message is genuine.