Gaydon Parish Magazine February 2026
index of magazines
Gaydon Gazette for February
Book Club Tues 3rd at 7pm Malt Shovel
Parish Council Tues 3rd at 7.30pm Village Hall
Coffee Morning Sat 14th at 11am Village Hall
Hearty Soup Lunches Sat 14th at 12.15pm Village Hall
Mobile Library Friday 27th Phone Box
Tai Chi Mons & Weds at 7pm Village Hall
Gaydon Parish Council News
Next Meeting: Tuesday 3 February at 7.30pm in the Village Hall.
Warwickshire County Council: Northend Warm Hub
Burton Dassett Village Hall at 11.15am till 2.15pm on Tuesdays 10 and 24 February.
Warm hubs are sponsored by WCC: a free hot meal is provided. Everyone is welcome: bring your knitting or your laptop or just enjoy the company of the other guests!
February Church Services
Candlemas
1st 9.30am Morning Worship Gaydon
10.00am Holy Communion Northend
8th 9.30am Holy Communion Gaydon
10.00am Morning Service Northend
3.00pm Evensong BCP Farnborough
15th 9.30am Morning Service Gaydon
10.00am Morning Prayer Northend
Ash Wednesday
18th 7.00pm Holy Communion Fenny Compton
22nd 9.30am Songs of Praise Gaydon
10.00am Morning Worship Northend
Roman Catholic Mass
St Peter & St Paul 5.00pm Saturday Brailes
Our Lady & the Apostles 9.15am Sunday Shipston-on-Stour
St Francis of Assisi 11.00am Sunday Kineton
Home Worship via St Peter's Kineton
https://www.facebook.com/groups/stpeterskineton is your link to services at St Peter's Church Kineton if you would like to join us using your mobile phone or other device.
Pop-up Lunch
Hearty Soup in the Village Hall on Saturday 14 February at 12.15pm
Treat your Sweetheart on St Valentine's Day to a delicious lunch of home-made, healthy soup at the heart-warming price of £2.50 each! Generous wedges of artisan bread are included, with interesting sprinkles to garnish. Tea, coffee and cake will also be on hand.
N.B. This pop-up event is run by the Millennium Group as a Fund-raiser for the Over-65s lunch next Christmas. Please come and support us, especially if you are a luncher or helper. Sign up for 6th December 2026...
Free Digital Skills Training for Over-65s
Lighthorne Heath Village Hall
February Mondays: 9th, 16th and 23rd from 12-2pm
Join us for a free training session run by our friendly, expert digital skills trainers. Bring your device with you, fully charged, and AbilityNet trainers will be on hand to help.
Any Questions? Telephone 0800 048 7642. AbilityNet is a charity that supports older people with technology.
Compton Verney in February
Until Sunday 8 March
Commodities: Sculpture and Ceramics by Renée So:
Find both delight and moments of reflection in the work of Renée So. So's sculptures look at how we understand Chinese culture and history today and how perceptions surrounding history are distorted and re-fashioned over time. Discover over-sized snuff bottles, a magic mirror and the rôle of the silkworm within this exhibtion, supported by the Henry Moore Foundation.
Until Sunday 6 September
Modern Masterpieces:
Six powerful portraits of modern life - paintings from the Barber Institute of Fine Arts.
Discover everyday moments from a new perspective: a family gathering for dinner; a man lost in thought with his cigarette; the deep concentration of digging heavy earth.
Each of these paintings offers a unique glimpse into the emotional and physical lives of people as seen by master painters. This is an intimate display of six paintings by major modern artists, including Vincent van Gogh, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, E⇒douard Vuillard and Pierre Bonnard.
Thursday 5 February - Dementia Café restarts.
Saturday 7 February
Introduction to Natural Dyes:
Two-day workshop on how to dye your own fabrics and yarn from dyes made from plants you can find locally and in your own garden.
A special offer to start the year!
In our café for the month, we will be offering 25% off the Brunch, Light Bites, Salads and Children's Menus, including sandwiches.
Find out more details about the year ahead at Compton Verney by viewing our website at www.comptonverney.org.uk
Seasonal Recipe for Mardi Gras
Shrove Tuesday is on the 17th and Pancake Day inspires this simple yet delicious supper to enjoy before we all tighten our belts for Lent.
Ingredients
For the pancakes:
4oz plain flour; 2 eggs; 1/2 pint milk; tsp olive oil
For the fillings:
4oz cheddar or gruyère cheese, grated; 4 slices ham; 2 lemons;
caster sugar
Method
Beat the flour, eggs, milk and oil in a bowl to make a smooth mixture.
Fry 4 pancakes and lay a slice of ham on each. Roll them up, lay them on the grill pan and cover with the grated cheese. Grill until the cheese is nicely melted and slightly browned.
Meanwhile, make another 4 pancakes and keep them warm while you eat the hamcakes. When you are ready for dessert, sprinkle the remaining pancakes with lemon and sugar in the traditional way. Serves 2.
February Memorial Book
1986 4th Norman Phillips
1991 7th Ruby Holder
1992 7th Irene Watts
2002 9th Prudence Averns
2017 12th John Wood Roberts
1994 13th Philip Davidson
2020 20th Mary Fox
If there is a special entry that you would like to see, let me know and I will try to make sure that the Book is open on that day. Julie Rickman
Flag Days in January
9th - Birthday of HRH The Princess of Wales; 25th - Birthday of Rabbie Burns, Scotland's National Bard.
If you have something to celebrate or commemorate, give Siobhan a ring on 07780 689582 and she will raise the flag for you, in return for a £5 contribution to Church funds.
Something to Think about
Unprecedented
In the 2020 pandemic, news channels increased their use of the term ‘unprecedented’ by a whopping 70,830%!
And it continues to be used heavily to describe everything from political events to natural disasters to economic shocks and rapid market shifts.
It has moved from a term for historically unique events to an over-used catchphrase, often employed to emphasise the severity of 21st-century crises… and there are a lot of crises.
Political tensions are higher than they have been for many decades, economic uncertainty is growing, and natural disasters are reaching new levels. There is plenty to concern us, but it is not unprecedented.
The unfortunate reality is that the times we live in are far from unique; political instability, market turmoil, natural disasters, and even pandemics have happened before and will happen again.
As we enter 2026, we are not wrong to be concerned about the state of our nation and the world: but how should we respond?
In a complex and unstable world, the multiple concerns we carry can leave us feeling overwhelmed. But many of the things that concern us are well beyond our control and worrying about them just saps our energy and focus.
The Stoics taught we could live more peaceful and fulfilling lives if we focused our attention and energy on what we could control, rather than on concerns we could do nothing about. They argued that things in our control included our thoughts, emotions, actions and reactions - and let’s be honest, we can all have a hard time controlling even those few things!
The Stoics said there are far more things beyond our control: other people’s actions and feelings, the weather, the economy, international politics, etc. They taught that dwelling on these things would only lead to unnecessary stress.
In his book, ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’, Steven Covey added another dimension to this: the things we can influence. For example, we can try to reason with people, we can volunteer to help our community, we can vote in elections, we can write to our MP or join a protest. There are countless things in our circle of concern that we cannot control or influence, and spending time worrying about them just makes us feel worse.
Covey wrote that ‘proactive people’ work on the circles of control and influence; things they can do something about. He said the nature of their energy is positive, enlarging and magnifying.
In contrast, he said that ‘reactive people’ focus on the weaknesses
of other people, the problems in the environment, and circumstances where they have no control. He said that their focus leads to blaming and accusatory attitudes, as well as increased feelings of victimisation. So, when we feel worried and anxious, we need to ask ourselves if we are focusing on things in our circle of concern. If we are, then psychologists suggest re-focusing on things within our circles of control and influence to help reduce anxiety. That is great advice - but some of the concerns we are carrying can seem huge. Therefore, I would add that it can help to give those concerns to God in prayer. God is not in control, so he’s not going to just fix the world’s problems. But naming the burdens we carry helps to free our minds… and we know that God’s influence is far
greater than ours.
That’s perhaps what is at the heart of Jesus’ teaching in
Matthew 6:25-34, where he tells his followers not to worry, but to seek first the kingdom of God.
As we step into 2026, I pray we’ll all get better at focusing our efforts on our circles of control and influence, and find freedom in giving God those things in our circle of concern. Rev. Barry Jackson
Mobile Library
The Mobile Library will call at the Telephone Box at 2.25pm for half an hour on Friday 27 February.
Coffee Morning
Saturday 14th at 11am in the Village Hall. Our first coffee morning of 2026 is on St Valentine's Day and is followed by the Hearty Soup pop-up lunch.
We shall be serving our usual 50p coffee and biscuits. Books & Jigsaws, White Elephant, Raffle and Chat.
Proceeds go to church funds.
Gaydon Book Club
Tuesday 3rd February. The Book Club meets at the Malt Shovel on the 1st Tuesday of each month. We begin our meeting at 7pm and welcome new members. LA
February at the Motor Museum
Monday 2nd Mellow Mondays
Saturday 7th Jaguar Breakfast Club
Half-term 14th-22nd Craft, Code, Create - Techtastic Fun
Monday 23rd Mini Motorists - Basic Coding Skills
Information and tickets at www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk
Carers4Carers
Friday 27 February: Act on Energy
We are your local support group for family carers. We usually meet on the 4th Friday of the month from 10.30am to 12 noon at Kineton Village Hall. Loved ones are welcome too; they can join our Companionship Group during the meeting.
We know energy costs can be tough, particularly with no gas supply across local areas. Sian Orchard, Act on Energy's Community Outreach Officer for Stratford District, understands these challenges and is here to help. She can offer clear guidance, explore ways to reduce bills, and support applications for available grants.
For further details about our group or help with transport arrangements to/from our meetings, please contact Gillian on 07947 893504; or send an email to kcarers4carers@gmail.com;
or explore our website www.carers4carersonthefosse.org.uk
Tai Chi
Gaydon Village Hall at 7pm. The Tai Chi group meets every Monday and Wednesday evening at 7 o'clock in the Village Hall. Please text 07514 011406 so that we can look out for you. After a month, please donate a coin for the hire of the hall.
Nature Notes for January
Seldom has a New Year's Day been so mild. There were even Hazel catkins laden with pollen and a few bees. Unfortunately, it did not last and there has been an extended period of severe frosts and even brief snowfall. The Snowdrops peeping through remain static; Helebores are still in bud.
The severe conditions drove flocks of Blue-tits out of the hedgerows and woodlands and into our gardens, attracted by the feeders. There were some welcome arrivals, an entire flock of delightful Long-tailed tits, surely one of my favourite birds. Unmistakeable pink markings and they continually 'Tweet' to each other.
You cannot help but notice the huge quantities of red berries in the hedgerows left untouched. In previous years, huge flocks of Fieldfares and Redwings - migrants from Scandinavia - would have eaten these. This week I have seen a few small flocks of both these Thrush species*, the first this year, but I fear their numbers are in decline.
The process of ecdysis has always interested me in over-wintering caterpillars which have to make frequent changes of skin during metamorphosis. This means that they are very vulnerable to being eaten by Tits. However, the colder weather is to their advantage as it drives the Tits into our gardens, away from the woodlands where the caterpillars are hardy enough to tolerate being covered in ice. Many of our rarer butterflies over-winter as larvae, like the Purple Emperor and Silver-washed Fritillaries.
Foxes are often seen around the village and they are oblivious to turning on a security light during the early hours. Roe Deer gather in large groups in nearby fields and Red Kites, Kestrels and Buzzards are easily seen perched on high vantage points along roads, taking advantage of early spring's watery sunshine to observe any potential movement of prey.
New wildlife legislation is proposed and, much like the protection of Brown Hares and accelerated tree-planting, is welcome; although to try and restrict Trail hunting is ridiculous and could never work. Our local Hunts are in general quite capable of obeying the existing law and following scent does no harm at all. There is increasing detachment from rural life and this could be a further waste of police time as well as being unenforceable.
The pleasure of seeing birds attracted to feeders reminds us that keeping them topped up is very important.
Bernard Price
*Redwings are smaller, with red underpatches, than our familiar Song Thrush. Fieldfares are much larger with lot of grey plumage.