MARCH 2008 Issue No 243
MOTHERING SUNDAY HISTORY
The correct name for Mothers Day in the UK is Mothering Sunday. Mothering Sunday is always the fourth Sunday of Lent, however, as the dates vary as to when Easter and Lent fall, the actual Sunday chosen to celebrate it may vary. It is more often referred to as "Mother's Day" and it’s origin is distinctly different to Mothers Day in America although the sentiments are similar. In Victorian times, it was a day when children, mainly daughters, who had gone to work as domestic servants were given a day off to visit their mother and family. Today it is a day when children give presents, flowers, and cards to their mothers.
Most Sundays in the year churchgoers would worship at their nearest parish or "daughter church". In times past it was considered important for people to return to their home or "mother" church at least once a year. So each year in the middle of Lent, everyone would visit their "mother" church. As the return to the "mother" church became an occasion for family reunions when children who were working away from home returned. (It was quite common in those days for children to leave home to work in service from ten years of age.)
The majority of historians think that it was this return to the "Mother" church which led to the tradition of children, particularly those working as domestic servants, or as apprentices, being given the day off to visit their mother and family. This special day has now become a time when people give thanks to their mothers and offers an opportunity to express both love and thanks for the work that they do.
WELCOME TO THE VILLAGE
Let us know of any new residents to the village. We hope you will all be very happy in Week St Mary. Keep your eyes open for news of events and activities that you can join in with in the future!
Please don’t be afraid to contact the editor (editor@weekstmaryvillage.co.uk) or Caroline in the shop if you need any further information about life in the Parish.
90th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS IN WEEK ST. MARY
Fred Axford, of Waxhill, celebrated his 90th birthday Friday 1st February. The day started with the solving of a mystery, but raising a new riddle, but more of that later. An Open House had been arranged for 2pm - 5pm and a stream of relatives and friends called during the afternoon. Daughter Kathy recorded nearly 70 names in the three-hour period - quite a squash in a small cottage. Cups of tea, birthday cake and other goodies were passed
around. Apologies to local drivers negotiating the 19 cars parked in the road outside!
A couple more visits on Saturday, a family meal out on Sunday, and a very satisfied gentleman ended his weekend. He said he had a marvellous few days following a remarkable life and thanked all who had been in touch.
Back to the mystery. A couple of weeks before Christmas, Fred bought a bag of walnuts, which daughter Carol put in a small basket with the nutcrackers. That evening Fred and Mary shared a couple of nuts and went to bed as usual. Next morning no nuts; the basket was empty except for the nutcrackers. Fred reckoned a squirrel had come down the chimney and pinched them - a suggestion pooh-poohed by some. At Christmas, elder daughter Kathy (and husband Martin) arrived to find rat[?] droppings in the corner of their bedroom and the chimney vent gnawed away. A clean up and hasty repair resolved that, and nothing more was seen or heard.
Kathy (and Martin) arrived again on the evening of the 31st January and in looking for a clothes hanger Kathy went to the bottom drawer of the dressing table [not normally used!]. At it was late, what was found was shown to ‘Dad’ on his birthday morning. In the drawer were 20 walnuts and a few dates, three of the walnuts with the tops missing, [just like one would decapitate an egg!]. Mystery of the missing nuts solved! Riddle - was it a squirrel that came down one chimney, collected one or two nuts, back up the chimney, across the roof and down the chimney the other side, gnawed through the vent, into the bedroom and under the dressing table into the drawer, then back again, and again, for 20 nuts and some dates? There were no signs anywhere else in the house.
Celebrations will continue in March as Fred & Mary have a Diamond Wedding Anniversary on Tuesday 11th March, when more relatives will meet at Trethorne on the Sunday before.
WEEK ST MARY PARISH HALL HUNDRED CLUB
The lucky winners in the February 2008 Draw are:- 1st - No 25 - £20 Mr Gordon Davison & 2nd - No 88 - £10 Nigel Barriball. April starts a new year for the `Parish Hall Hundred Club`, which is the hall`s main source of revenue.
We would take this opportunity of thanking all members for their past years support and respectfully ask you to renew your membership for another year, during this coming month. This will enable us to identify any numbers that are not allocated for sale to new members. The cost is £10 per year with a draw every month and a `Grand Draw` in December. If anyone would care to have a number, please get in touch with Ivor Barriball or myself Len Davies.
RUMINATIONS FROM THE RECTORY FOR MARCH 2008
By the time you are reading this it will be half way through Lent and you will have reached the stage of hallucinating about that square of chocolate, or glass of sherry, or whatever else it was that you decided to make part of your forty day Lenten fast – or will you? But, if you have tried and failed, don’t be too despondent because, despite cultural tradition, Lent is less about ‘giving up’ and more about ‘taking on’! Among other things, it is a time to make time to reflect on the strength and consistency of our relationship with God, by prayer, by study and by quiet meditation. And when the pressure of our everyday lives builds up that is often the first and easiest thing to get ‘given up’ for Lent.
In the same way, while he was for forty days in the wilderness, Jesus was tempted by Satan to take the easy way
out of the difficult time that his relationship with God was leading him into. But he didn’t flinch, and his thorough
knowledge of the scriptures gave him a ready armoury to deal with the tempter. “Away with you Satan,” he said, “for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only him!’”
We, too, can emulate Jesus, and prepare our arsenal so that every time we are tempted to take the easy way out, we have a scriptural defence. Each one of us probably has far more of the Bible already in our memory than we think and today, with more versions of the Bible than ever before, it is not difficult to find the one that suits us best. So, if you haven’t yet done so, why not forget torturing yourself with chocolate and set aside even a small portion of each day for the remainder of this Lent for quiet reading and reflection.
Build yourself a scriptural tower of defence against Satan's subtlest temptations. Better still, why not join one of our two regular weekly bible study groups in the benefice? Dr Billy Graham once said: 'Fifteen minutes alone with God at the start of every day can change situations and remove mountains.' Why not put that to the test and see for the
remainder of this Lent? Revd Rob
THANKS FROM UMZIMVUBU!
As you will remember, in November 2006, the Venerable Vuyani Buso the Archdeacon of Umzimvubu, and his wife, Mrs Phyllis Buso, came to stay in Week St Mary. This was followed, last year, by the visit of Revd Umzikaise Fodo. They were all particularly moved by the wonderful welcome that the people of this benefice gave them during their stay. Now that we are on the way to a return visit we hope to establish a firm ongoing relationship with Umzi’s parishes and schools. By the time you read this we will be there, hopefully gleaning lots of information and pictures to bring back to show you what your generous gifts are going to support. Please keep us in your prayers. Lesley B. & Revd Rob
WEEK ST MARY PARISH COUNCIL
The Parish Council Meeting took place on Monday 11th February under the chairmanship of Mr J Ward with 8 Councillors, and 0 members of the public present. The following matters were discussed:
Playing Field - Mr L Davies has repaired the seat.
Football Club. - A 10-year plan has been prepared to meet the criteria for grant funding applications for sports-associated funding.
Parish Plan Feedback - 119 people came to the feedback day, which had provided some new information to supplement the questionnaire. It was agreed to cut up the display and leave it in booklet form in the shop for people to look at. Now it is time to write up the Parish Plan, as a main document, with an executive summary that would be distributed to all households. Everyone would be welcome to request a full copy of the plan if they wish. It
was proposed, and agreed, to launch the Parish Plan at the Open Meeting in April. It was made clear that names and addresses collected at the Feedback day would only be used for organising the activities for which people had signed up. Clerk to check with NCDC about Data Protection issues. Some immediate winners would be action on Community Speedwatch and Village Special Constables. There was support for a bus shelter in the Plan, with a
majority in support of placing it near the Parish Hall. Clerk to ascertain whether NCDC would allow a shelter next to the phone box, which is their land; Clerk to register an interest in grant money from Cornwall County Council within this financial year and put together a proposal.
New Community Centre - legal structures to support a new community centre - The Parish Hall Committee were understandably unwilling to take on the liability of the large grants needed. The Football Club did not want to take on responsibility for the whole site. The Parish Councillors would be protected from this personal liability but large grants would mostly only be available to a registered charity. It was agreed that the Parish Council would be the named applicant for interim grants to assess feasibility, but that a registered charity would be needed in the near future, and the Parish Council would eventually have to lease the ground on which the community centre would stand to this charity.
The following correspondence was dealt with:
Cornwall County Council Invitation to Vision for Cornwall workshop 7 March Millennium House Pensilva; Department of Communities & Local Government Orders & regulations Relating to the Conduct of Local Authority Members in England Consultation;NCDC- Accounts; Cornwall County Council - Annual Minerals and Waste Monitoring Report; Rescorla Festival; Community First - Set up grants for Community Shops; One Cornwall - Newsletter & invitation
to meet Electoral Review Officers 12th Feb 2008; Greenspace - New Community Network Forum; PC Gary Watts- Dates of PACT surgeries Feb/March 08; Volunteer Centre-Launceston Community Bus Project: Clerk to write with
information from the Parish Plan; Cornwall County Council-Environment & Heritage Questionnaire Survey Feb 2008: Clerk and Footpaths Co-ordinator to complete survey; Sharon Davey CRCC- Invitation to join Calor Village of the
Year Competition: Ms T Kabler would look at what is involved and what prize money is available.
Finance Cheques were raised for the following: Mr J Anston-Race for Toilet cleaning; Mr W Pearce Parish Plan expenses; Nicky May Parish Plan expenses; Mr L Davies for Internal Auditor. Mr J Anston Race was awarded the contract to continue cleaning the toilets; no-one has yet come forward to take on the grass cutting. Cornwall County Council Tender for Grass Cutting at Playing Field – the Football Club has agreed to cut the grass so County tender will be declined.
Audit Commission – Appointment of External Auditor was noted and agreed.
Appointment of Internal Auditor – It was noted with thanks that Mr G Davison had agreed to look at the accounts.
EDF Energy - Notification of price rise for electricity at Playing Field. It was noted that all suppliers have raised their prices. Cornwall County Playing Fields Association – request for donation was declined.
Highways - The shortcut between Stewarts Road and Haydah is increasingly used with the new houses on Ashbury Grove coming into occupation, and needs a lot of work to remove the raised section of grass down the middle and the potholes. This has already been raised with Highways but Clerk to write again. Several holes the village side of Timberlake, terrible ruts at the roadside between Greenamoor Cross and Brendon Bridge on the left should also be
mentioned.
Dog Bins - The dog bin on the toilets is an eyesore as it appears to be overflowing on several occasions. The lid does not work properly and the bin may need replacing. Clerk to contact NCDC Community Policing – PC Gary Watts has written asking for a venue to hold a monthly police surgery for 3 hours. The Parish Council does not own a building and Gary was referred to the Chapel and the Parish Hall Committee.
Parish Open Meeting – It was agreed to have the same format as last time, requesting reports for display and limiting each speaker to 2 minutes to supplement information on the display.
Next meeting will be on Monday 17th March 2008 at 7.30pm in the Methodist Hall. Nicky May - Parish Clerk
PUBLIC TRANSPORT TIMETABLES
Your guide to buses, trains, ferries and planes - routes, stops and times available from the Post Office.
FROM THE MAGAZINE TEAM
The editor and magazine email addresses are solely for the purposes of providing information for the magazine and not for personal messages, thank you.
PARISH PLAN DISPLAY
We would like to congratulate the team who put together the display and results of the Parish Plan which was very
informative and easy to understand. Ron and Nora Jewell
THE COFFEE POT CLUB
The Coffee Pot Club meets every Tuesday. 10 till12. We meet to drink coffee and tea whilst our pre-school age children have a chance to play. New members are always welcome. We now meet at the Methodist School
Room so that the children have more space to run around. Contact Sue Booker WSM 341579 or Nicola Pugh on 341033
C A M E O - Come And Meet Each Other
Next time will be Friday March 28th at 2:30 pm. Tea and company at the Rectory Everyone welcome and Transport can be arranged Phone Sue Dickenson on 01288 341134
BIRTHDAYS THIS MONTH
Lucinda Tilley will be 30 on 10th March and Jennet Parkin will be 60 on 23rd March
BOYTON COUNTRYSIDERS CLUB
For details contact Secretary Mrs A Colwill 01566 74322
THE LATE PAT MATTHEWS
Joan, Jill, Ian and family would like to express our very deep and heartfelt thanks to all our friends in Week St Mary and beyond for the help and kindness you have shown over the past year.
Thank you so much to all who have placed flowers on Pat's memorial stone over recent months. This has meant a very great deal, as living so far away we are unable to do this ourselves. Pat loved all flowers, and we have been touched by such kindness.
A huge 'thank you' to everyone, who have expressed your love in other ways - Bell Ringers, flower arrangers, tea and cake makers, and others who made the Thanksgiving Service such an uplifting and memorable occasion. Not forgetting the many who sent such lovely cards while Joan was still in Bude, and who have kept in touch since her move to Hampshire. We shall remember you all with much love. As Tiny Tim would have so aptly put it ' God bless you, one and all'. Jill Harding
WEEK ST. MARY LADIES SKITTLES A & B
It has to be said a fun 5 weeks we have had! Team A have gathered another 12 points and Team B 8 points. This may not have pushed us too far up the league table! However it's exciting when we manage to gain 4 points per evening per team as team B achieved away against Bridgerule on 21st February. The highest score for A Team over the 5 week period was Liz Hodgson 124 Home to Whitstone and Marian Smith 141 away to Bridgerule.
|
