index of magazines
Gaydon with Chadshunt Parish Magazine March 2008
This Month's Diary
Parish Council APM Tues 4th 7.30pm Village Hall
Women's World Day Fri 7th 7pm St Giles' Church
Village Coffee Morning Sat 8th 11am Village Hall
Village Hall Committee Mon 10th 8pm Village Hall
Friendship Club Tues 16th 2.30pm Offchurch
Pilates Tuesdays 8pm Village Hall
Toddler Group Thursdays 10-11.30am Village Hall
Mobile Library Thursday 20th
Yorkshire Evening
Date for your diary; an event not to be missed: A Yorkshire Evening - come and have a GRAND TIME; Food and entertainment on Wednesday 23rd April. Full details next month.
The Children's Society
Stand By Me Box Challenge
The Children's Society is campaigning for all disabled children placed away from home to have access to an independent advocate - some one to give them a voice and keep them safe.
Many of the 13,300 disabled children and young people who are currently placed away from home in England are not consulted when decisions are made about their lives; and their communication difficulties mean that their own views can be ignored.
The Stand By Me Box Challenge is to distribute 13,300 new home donation boxes across England - one for every disabled child living away from home - helping to raise an extra £200,000 per year for their crucial work with children.
House-boxes are emptied annually by Joan Hare, the local parish co-ordinator for The Children's Society. Please contact her on 641413 and she will be pleased to supply you with a box and add your name to her list of local supporters.
Please take a House-box and make a difference to the lives of those forgotten children who face danger, discrimination or disadvantage in their daily lives. JH
Village Coffee Morning
Following a very well-attended and successful morning last month, the Village Hall will be open for the sale of cakes and preserves, tea and coffee and a small raffle - all in aid of the Church Fabric Fund - on Saturday 8 March at 11am. Everyone welcome!
Friendship Club
The March meeting will be on Tuesday 16th at Offchurch, Banbury Road, at 2.30pm, by kind invitation of Mrs Betty Davies.
Mobile Library
The Library Van, Cleopatra, will visit on Thursday 20 March.
Parish Council News
The Annual Parish Meeting will take place on the 3rd of March at 7.30pm in the Village Hall, followed by the normal Parish Council meeting. It is an opportunity to hear what has been happening in the past year and to ask questions.
Village Hall News
The next meeting of the Village hall Committee will be held on Monday 10 March at 8pm.
Gaydon Village Fête
After some consideration, Anna and I have decided that we will not be able to organise a summer fête for Gaydon this year. Most of the relatively small group of people who work on setting up the fête were flooded on July 20th and none of us are straight yet, due to the enormous amount of work involved in renovating our homes. If anyone else wants to step into the breach - now is the moment! Contact Madeleine (07778 391707) or Anna (641971).
Nature Notes
A great contrast in temperature in the last few days: intense cold nights with very low temperatures, though quite dry atmosphere; and bright sunshine by day. The sharp images of birds in the trees have a high visibility.
Rooks are beginning their courtship and Carrion Crows pair up, too, at this time. On dead branches, Buzzards often sun themselves in the early mornings along all local roads; and Kestrels also use trees as a vantage point. Raptors do not waste vital calories in flight when it is cold and prefer to spot prey with their keen eyesight.
Late night screams of foxes sound frighteningly human and the evening calls of Barn owls give you a start when walking on Watery Lane at dusk.
The early bumble bees of the previous week have returned to hibernation. There are a few early Primroses in the woods and the odd coltsfoot but the most conspicuous flower is, of course, the Snowdrop, with the usual stunning show in Chadshunt churchyard. Gaydon churchyard has also benefited from the transfer of some pioneer bulbs last year and these can also be seen in clumps around far corners and edges. It is hoped that these will spread over time, as they are known to "walk" to colonise other areas.
I enjoyed watching the delightful Long-tailed Tits pecking the nuts by my window this morning. It's well worth keeping feeders filled on a regular basis as many unusual species are attracted into our gardens during hard weather to the mutual benefit of both diners and watchers. Bernard Price
Spring Lectures at Heritage Motor Centre
The Heritage Motor Centre is running a series of lectures this spring entitled Planes, Trains and Automobiles and of particular interest to locals is one on RAF Gaydon, presented by clubs co-ordinator John Bishop.
Tickets are £20 including morning coffee, and post-lecture café lunch; for more information or to book tickets call 01926 645032 or visit www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk
Gaydon Village Shop Meeting
I would like to say a big thank you to all those who attended my public meeting in the village hall on 23 February to discuss the issue of a community-owned village shop. It was attended by around 50 people. Pat Hudson from ViRSA gave an excellent talk on how other communities have set up and run their own shops. She offered to continue to provide us with advice and assistance as the project moves along. It is important to remember that all profits made would be put back into the community.
As a result of the meeting, I now have enough volunteers to form a steering group and will aim to set up an initial meeting shortly. First item on the agenda will be to locate suitable premises.
Thank you also to the many people who telephoned or simply knocked my door to say that, although they couldn't make the meeting, they fully supported the idea and offered their help. Further updates will appear shortly but meantime feel free to contact me direct on 647 854 or claire.hamm@btconnect.com
February Flood Report
Seven months after the floods people are beginning to get back into their refurbished homes. In the Old Bakehouse I have been working full-time reinstating the floors and preparing for the arrival of a new kitchen. It should all be finished by the end of March.
Severn Trent were in the village for two days this month inspecting and jetting the main sewer. This is the one where water was coming out like a fountain on July 20. I had a peer down it while the covers were off. It looked clean as a whistle.
On the village flood defences, I will be attending the next Parish Council meeting to hear what progress has been made against the plan that was outined in January.
Warwickshire's Best Village of the Year 2008
The mission of the Warwickshire Rural Community Council is to enable the development of sustainable, self-reliant rural communities. It works with them in the areas of community development, consultation and planning, regeneration, social inclusion and housing. It seeks to identify needs and offer support and advice.
The competitions we run provide a valuable opportunity to encourage community cohesion and to generate pride in the communities in which people live.
We have just launched a new competition called Warwickshire's Best Village of the Year Competition which is free to enter, with eight categories to choose from and villages are encouraged to enter as many of these as they wish:
Community Projects Environment Health Business Communication Transport History and Heritage Community Buildings. Contact Ariadne Uslu, Competitions Organiser, for further information: Telephone 02476 303232 and www.ruralwarwickshire.org.uk
Seasonal Recipe
Carolina Tart, a traditional dessert from the deep South.
Ingredients
8oz shortcrust pastry
4oz caster sugar
4oz butter or margarine
3 free range eggs
½ tsp vanilla essence
4oz ground pecans or walnuts
3oz desiccated coconut
1tbs plain flour
4oz raisins
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Roll out pastry and line a 9" fluted flan case.
2. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in eggs, vanilla, ground nuts, coconut, flour, raisins.
3. Spread into flan case and bake for 35-40 mins until golden. Serve with clotted cream.
St Giles' Church Gaydon with Chadshunt Services for March 2008 AD
2nd
8.00 Eucharist Burton Dassett
10.00 Eucharist Fenny Compton
11.15 Morning Service Gaydon
11.30 Eucharist Farnborough
9th
9.00 Eucharist Fenny Compton
10.00 Morning Service Farnborough
10.00 Eucharist Northend
11.15 Growing Together Gaydon
Holy Week
Palm Sunday
16th
8.00 Eucharist Farnborough
9.00 Eucharist Gaydon
10.30 Morning Service Fenny Compton
10.30 Village Communion Knightcote
Monday
7pm Group Eucharist Fenny Compton
Tuesday
7pm Group Eucharist Farnborough
Wednesday
11.00 Eucharist Gaydon
7pm Group Eucharist Northend
Maundy Thursday
7pm Eucharist of the Lord's Last Supper and Watch at Gaydon
Good Friday
10.00 Children's Service Gaydon
11.00 Children's Service Fenny Compton
6pm Liturgy of the Passion Fenny Compton
Holy Saturday
6pm Walk from Northend to 7pm Easter Vigil at Burton Dassett
Easter Day
23rd
8.00 Eucharist Burton Dassett
10.00 Eucharist Fenny Compton
10.00 Holy Communion Northend
11.30 Eucharist Farnborough
11.30 Eucharist Gaydon
30th
10.30 Group Eucharist Farnborough
The Vicar's Letter
This year we have a very early celebration of Easter. The reason is that the date of Easter day is fixed by the lunar cycle. Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon that occurs after the spring equinox. This year, the first day of spring occurs on March 20th and the full moon occurs March 21st. The Council of Nicaea in 325AD decided that as Jesus rose on a Sunday, Easter must always be a Sunday.
Easter Day is the culmination of Holy Week and it is wrong to ignore the sequence of liturgical events from Christ'’s entry into Jerusalem to his crucifixion and just celebrate Easter Day. Lent is a time of preparation for Christians to celebrate Christ'’s Pasch - his passing over from death to life - and steps up a gear to Holy Week and then to Easter Day.
This year our Holy Week and Easter celebrations will spread across the churches within the Dassett Magna Group. This gives us the opportunity to share with other churches and gives a critical mass that can enhance our worship. Just because there is no service in your local church, it does not mean that the day in Holy Week is being ignored! Please be prepared to travel to celebrate Holy Week and Easter across the group of churches and join with Christians near and far for the most important of all the Christian celebrations.
Baptism
Isabella Forsythe was christened at St Giles Church on 24 February.
Women's World Day of Prayer Service
Friday 7 March at 7pm at St Giles Church, Gaydon. Everyone is welcome!
Jesus, My Very Special Friend
I have a very special friend, who’s closer than a brother,
He knows my very special needs, and meets them like no other.
He walks with me and talks with me, supports me when I’m weak,
He has a special quality, He’s mighty yet He’s meek.
He comforts me in sickness, in a very special way,
He treats me well, and I can tell, He hears me when I pray.
And when I’m heavy laden, with burdens hard to bear,
He’ll ease my load, along the road, with very special care.
And when I leave my earthly home, He’ll take me by the hand,
And lead me through the wilderness, into the Promised Land.
He tells me there’s a mansion, prepared for me above,
He’ll take me there, with special care, and very special love.
He’s someone very special, on whom I can depend,
He lays my fears, and dries my tears, my very special friend.
JS
Thanks
We would like to thank everyone who has supported and welcomed us to the Village over our first nine months in The Gaydon Inn. Please bear in mind that it's not too late to treat your loved ones to something special!
Mothering Sunday 2nd March - make your reservations NOW! Once again, thank you from Natalie and Marie.