Focal Point - October 2007

FOCAL POINT                     Issue No. 323

October 2007                    

Ed's Comments,

Well it's that sad time of the year for me when we see the end of British Summer Time. So with using the aide-memoir ‘spring forward - fall back'; as it's the autumn we put the clocks back on Sunday the 25th .

According to some research the increase in daylight hours we obtain when we put the clocks forward, saves some 1% per day of the countries energy use!

Churchill once said:-

"An extra yawn one morning in the springtime, an extra snooze one night in the autumn is all that we ask in return for dazzling gifts. We borrow an hour one night in April; we pay it back with golden interest five months later." -

It's amazing how our lives are ruled by the knowledge of time. Some 3500 years BC the Egyptians were aware of the passage of time by the shadow of the sun shining on an Obelisk. The moving shadows formed a kind of sundial, enabling citizens to partition the day into two parts by indicating noon. They also showed the year's longest and shortest days when the shadow at noon was the shortest or longest of the year. Later, markers added around the base of the monument would indicate further time subdivisions.

 Progress was then made around 325BC with the introduction of a ‘Klepysdra' (water thief) or water clock, which were among the first time-keeping devices that didn't use the sun or the passage of celestial bodies to calculate time. These were used a lot in the courts of the day to limit the time each defendant was allowed to speak.

Now for today's ‘water clock' you just need to fill the back of the clock with water and an electrochemical reaction  takes place across two electrodes and hey presto the clock is away!!

Cliff Newbold

The closing date for the November issue is the 22nd October.

COMMUNITY CENTRE

LUNCH CLUB

The next Lunch will be on Monday, 1st October so hopefully you will have seen the posters and bought your ticket by the time you see this. If not, please hurry to the Post Office to see if there are any left. The menu will be:

Roast Beef & Yorkshire Pudding

or

Tuna Bake

with

Roast Potatoes, Beans & Carrots

***

Blackberry & Apple Crumble with Custard

 

MURDER MYSTERY EVENING

 

The details for this event on Saturday, 10th November are given elsewhere in Focal Point. This is a first for the Centre and we believe it will be highly entertaining. Tickets will be available from 1st October and will be sold on a first come first served basis. We know there will be a demand from outside the village, so do not leave it too late. We look forward to seeing you there.

 

Frances Kelly, Chairman

TUESDAY CLUB

Both meetings in October will be in the Village Hall as usual.

 

Tuesday, 9th October 10.30am, Morning Coffee, 50p.

Tuesday, 23rd October 2.30pm, details to be announced.

 

Advance notices:

Tuesday 13th November.

We are holding a coffee morning in aid of The League of Friends of Newark Hospital. Christmas cards etc. will be on sale.

Tuesday, 27th November.

Outing to Springfields at Spalding. The cost will be £8.

Jean Foden

Garden Club

Stuart Dixon's talk entitled 'They Think It's All Over ' was built around the common belief that by early Autumn most colour has disappeared from our gardens.  He then proceeded to prove that this need not be the case.  Slides of the wonderful perennials in his own Stoke Bardolph garden were used to show tremendous displays in October, November and even December.  Choosing the right type of plant and its position are important in achieving good late colour with maximum sunlight essential for many.  Regular ‘dead - heading' is also a factor in prolonging flowering or providing a second flush.

We saw wonderful old - fashioned roses, helenium, rudbeckia, anthemis, phlox, penstemons, asters, nerines, and dahlias.  Stuart gardens in a largely organic manner and uses deep mulches of home compost to retain moisture and provide feed to his flowerbeds.

The club continues to thrive and we welcomed four new members on the evening. 

A note for your diaries - the cancelled evening visit to Kexby House has been rearranged for June 5th 2008!

Our next meeting is on October 17th when Dr. Andrew Ward will give a talk entitled:- Plants & Prejudice.

Ian Wilson

  WINTHORPE & DISTRICT W.I

 

 Well here we are again after our summer break, Mrs. Sylvia Lloyd our President welcomed members and also our speaker Mr. Malcolm Smith and his wife who are residents in the village.

Business was conducted and monies collected for our trip to Nottingham to see Pam Ayres and for calendars and diaries. Mrs. Brenda Tinsley read a letter of thanks from the Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance for our donation of £170 which came from our efforts at the Village Festival. Offers of help for the Bell-ringers tea on Saturday 15th September were requested.

It was noted that there would be fewer members at the October meeting because of the Village holiday to the Isle of  Man, therefore if anyone from the Village would like to attend this meeting, which is a demonstration of making marzipan fruits by Mrs. C. Thomas, they will be very welcome.

Mrs. Lloyd then introduced our speaker, Mr Malcolm Smith, who had brought along a selection of his collection of musical instruments. Not only does he collect these objects, he also learns to play them and checks up on the history of them, so it was a very interesting and tuneful talk. We learnt that two of our neighbouring counties, Lincolnshire and Leicestershire, have their own version of bagpipes and yes we listened to a tune on them. There were also mouth organs, a mandolin, a mediaeval instrument that was the forerunner of the guitar and his latest acquisition a melodeon. When he played this one he was accompanied by his wife Alison on a ‘fish drum.'

His own instrument, for which he had trained since a boy, is the violin and he is a member of a symphony orchestra. He and his wife also play with a folk band. Other than playing the violin he makes them and brought along one that had been processed but not finished, a great deal of time and effort goes into the making and it must be a labour of love for there is a great deal of intricate fretwork involved. We were then treated to a lovely recital on the violin.

What a wonderful evening it was, thankyou Mr and Mrs Smith.

The vote of thanks was given by Mrs. Rose Dickinson, who said Mr. Smith could play his bagpipes in his garden anytime he liked, as she enjoyed it.

The competition for a single flower was won by Mrs. Edith Pacey with Mesdames Joan Lord and Pat Nelson second and third.

Our next meeting is on October 11th  At 7.30 p.m. in the Village Hall

when the speaker is Mrs. C. Thomas with a Marzipan Fruit Demonstration. The competition is for a handkerchief.

Hostesses are Mesdames I.Chipperfield, J.Everson and L.Richardson.

Daphne Marshall

 

Our Grateful Thanks

Ron and I have been overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of so many friends and groups on the occasion of our Diamond Wedding Anniversary.

We have expressed our thanks, personally or by card to many of you. If we have missed any one, I hope you will forgive us.

We have lived in an unreal world since the 1st  September.

 

Our thanks once again,

Ron and Olga Bradshaw

 

NEW YEAR'S EVE CELEBRATION

WINTHORPE COMMUNITY CENTRE

 

This is confirmation that this event will be taking place again this year. Full details will  be published in plenty of time.

Early  indication of your interest in attending will be appreciated by

 "The Lloyds (703271) & the Fodens" (704241)

 

WINTHORPE SUMMER FESTIVAL - 2008

At the Public Meeting held on September 12th the following decisions were made about next year's Festival:

 

  • There will be no Open Gardens in 2008 but the situation will be reviewed again for 2009. This decision was based on the difficulty of getting enough people to open their gardens and the dwindling number of people coming to see them.
  • There will be a Gala Day and it will take place on Saturday 12th July 2008

 The selected charity will be Macmillan Cancer Support. The theme for the memorabilia exhibition will be "Women at Work".

Nearer the time we will publish information on what we hope will be a highly successful Gala Day and on other activities forming part of the Festival. As always we hope for lots of support, particularly from younger people, so that from 2009 the present ancient committee members can take more of a back seat!

 

Alec Stewart, Chairman, Festival Organizing Committee.

 

WINTHORPE LINE DANCERS

 

Line dancing will recommence on Tuesday 2nd October at 7.15pm in the Community Centre.

 Any new members will be given a very warm welcome.

The emphasis, as always, is on having fun and gentle exercise.

Fiona Wright,  Spindlewood

 

Whist Drive

As advised in the September edition, the date for the October ‘meet' is Thursday the 25th at 7.30pm in the Village Hall.

Don't forget ALL ARE WELCOME to come.

Dennis Taylor

 

 

WATCH THIS SPACE

Village Christmas Dance in the

Community Centre

Saturday 1st December

Dancing to the sound of Bodgers Mate

This event is organized by Fiona Wright and David Coxon from the Lord Nelson - so a great night is assured.

The Community Centre and the Arthrogryposis Group Charity will benefit from your support.

Complete details will appear in next months edition just pencil this date in now

Many thanks

Fiona

 

GIANT SUNFLOWER COMPETITION

 

Walking around the village I have seen sunflowers growing in several front gardens. These tall yellow daisies, cousins to our common daisy, tower over you like giants. What an amazing sight. It would be nice if next year everyone grew these much loved plants whose botanical name is Helianthus annuus.

 

The heights of sunflowers are slightly down this year. This, I believe, is due to the wet period we had from May to July. Many plants were lost due to high winds and the squirrels. Squirrels ate four of my seed heads despite them being covered by old onion nets. Despite all of this we had a high number of entries.

The winner of the 2007 Giant Sunflower Competition was 9 years old Maggie Shuckburgh from Winthorpe with a height of 3mtrs 51cms. (11ft 6ins) Maggie, who is a pupil at Winthorpe Primary School also came first last year.

At school assembly, on Thursday 20th of September, Maggie was presented with a framed certificate to record her achievement, a First place card, a bookmark and a gift voucher.

The record set in 1999 by Jon Higgins of Langford with a height of 4mtrs. 48cms. (14ft. 6ins.) still stands.

 

 In second was Myles Russell with 3mtrs 40cms.

 

In third was Joshua Osborn with 3mtrs. 16cms.

 

Myles and Joshua were awarded Second and Third place cards respectively and a bookmark.

The following each received an Award of Merit card and a bookmark.

Amy Higgins 3mtrs 11cms.  Yashmin Primrose 2mtrs 90cms.  Alex Morgan-Smith 2mtrs 75cms.  Archie Morgan-Smith 2mtrs 75cms.  Joel Greatorex 2mtrs 70cms.  Hollie Cammack 2mtrs 62cms.  Samuel Mabbot 2mtrs 62cms.  Abbie Moisey 2mtrs 49cms.  Joseph Powell 2mtrs 49cms.  Rachel Cammack 2mtrs 48cms.  Katie Powell 2mtrs 39cms.  Sophie Hudspeth 2mtrs 13cms.  Holly Cowley 2mtrs 10cms.  Luke Greatorex 2mtrs 10cms.  Molly McNae 2mtrs 8cms.  Jack McNae 2mtrs.  Kimberley Russell 1mtr 93cms.  Ben George 1mtr 89cms. Oliver Stanley 1mtr 87cms.  Isaac Lyons 1mtr 83 cms.  Toby Stanley 1mtr 81cms.  Lauren Cork 1mtr 67cms.

Three teachers also joined in the fun. Mrs. S. Cobb 2mtrs 59cms.  Miss M. Blake 2mtrs 44cms.  Mrs. S. Green 1mtr 83cms.

Thank you ladies.

Well done everyone and thank you for entering the competition. I know you all enjoyed growing those giant yellow daisies.

Many thanks to your teachers, parents, in some cases grandparents, for the help and encouragement they have given to you. It is often difficult to keep children's interest going over a 20-week growing period.

Finally, thanks to Mr. G. Walker for his co-operation in having the presentation at his school, Cliff who kindly took the photographs and Mr. E. Robinson who gave me the flower that is pictured left  with the winners.

Note.

Kimberley Russell had 16 flowers on her sunflower. This sometimes happens, Kimberley. I usually take the side flowers off. In 1999 Kayleigh Williams had 20 flowers on her plant.

Pat Finn.

 

Letter from our new ‘Beat Officer'

I am writing to introduce myself as your beat manager. My name is Deborah Bakin and I have been a Police officer with Nottinghamshire Police and for the last five years. I have been a front line response officer mainly covering Newark. I also have two PCSO's (Police Community Support Officers) Mike Munro and Harriet Samson-Bailey who work along side myself patrolling the Winthorpe, Coddington, Collingham, Harby, Wigsley  and surrounding areas.

There has recently been a spate of theft from church roofs and we are paying extra attention to these in the village. If anyone does see anyone acting suspiciously in the area please report this to the Police.

Below is some useful advice as a reminder to visitors calling at your house:-

Distraction burglary

Most people who call at your home will be genuine, but sometimes someone may turn up unannounced, with the intention of tricking their way into your home.

If someone calls on you:

*LOCK - Keep your front and back doors locked, even when you are home.

*STOP - Before you answer, stop and think if you are expecting anyone. Check that you have locked the back door and taken the key out. Look through a spy hole or window to see who it is.

*CHAIN - If you decide to open the door, put the chain or door bar on first, if you have one. Keep the bar or chain on while you are talking to the person on the doorstep.

*CHECK - Even if they have a pre-arranged appointment, check their identity card carefully. Close the door while you do this. If you are still unsure, look up a phone number in the phone book and ring to verify their identity. Do not use a phone number on the identity card, as this may be fake!

Bogus callers may be smartly dressed and claim to be from the council, police or utility companies. They can also turn up as builders or gardeners and try to trick you into paying for unnecessary work. You should never agree to having work done by someone who is just passing by. If you think work needs to be done, get at least two quotes from trusted companies. If you think a bogus caller has called on you, report it to the Police immediately.

If you have any doubts, Keep them out!!

PC 2548 Deborah BAKIN:-

Beacon, Winthorpe, Collingham and Meering Safer Neighbourhood Team, mobile number : 07776460407.

Newark Police Station. 01636 605999, ext 7616

Please do not report crimes or incidents on the above,

these systems are for messages only.

Remember: Call Crimestoppers FREE on 0800 555 111

 

MURDER MYSTERY EVENING

7.30pm, Saturday,10th November, 2007

at the Community Centre

 

Actors and actresses will perform a Murder Mystery Play. All you have to do is work out who committed the murder, how and why. Tables will seat teams of six. These can be made up on the night if necessary.

The evening will open with a short Crime Quiz to get you in the mood.

Tickets at £10 including a meal are available from Al Myatt (610767), Peter Foden (704241) or the Post Office.

There will be a licensed bar.

 

Subject: God's Thoughts on Lawns.

GOD:

Frank, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is
going on down there on the planet? What happened to the dandelions,
violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect
no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil,
withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the
long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honeybees and flocks of
songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colours by now. But all
I see are these green rectangles.
 

St. FRANCIS;
It's the tribes that settled there, Lord; ‘The Suburbanites'. They
started calling your flowers "weeds" and went to great lengths to
kill them and replace them with grass.
 

GOD:
Grass? But it's so boring,  it's not colourful. It doesn't attract
butterflies, birds and bees; only grubs and sod worms. It's sensitive
to temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass
growing there?
 

ST. FRANCIS:
Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it
green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any
other plant that crops up in the lawn.
 

GOD:
The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast.
That must make the Suburbanites happy.
 

ST. FRANCIS:
Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut
it-sometimes twice a week.
 

GOD:
They cut it? Do they then bail it like hay?
 

ST. FRANCIS:
Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.
 

GOD:
They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?
 

ST. FRANCIS:
No, Sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.
 

GOD:
Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow
and when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?
 

ST. FRANCIS:
Yes, Lord.
 

GOD:
These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on
the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves
them a lot of work.

ST. FRANCIS:
You aren't going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing so
fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can
continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.
 

GOD:
What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer
stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the
spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer.
In the autumn, they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to
keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. It's a
natural cycle of life.
 

ST. FRANCIS:
You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle.
As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to
have them hauled away.
 

GOD:
No. What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter
to keep the soil moist and loose?
 

ST. FRANCIS:
After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which
they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the
leaves.
 

GOD:
And where do they get this mulch?
S

T. FRANCIS:
They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch.
GOD:
Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore.

St. Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight?
 

ST. CATHERINE:
"Dumb and Dumber", Lord. It's a story about....
 

GOD:
Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.

 

Flower Ladies of All Saints Winthorpe

 

Again you have surpassed yourselves; the church was a delight to Behold all due to your efforts which are much appreciated.

M y thanks to you all, including those who also donated towards the flowers.

 

Sylvia Lloyd.   Flower Co-ordinator

 

Paul and Fiona Jones are coming to entertain us at Langford on

Sunday 28th October at 6 pm.

Tickets, at £15 each to include a glass of wine and refreshments.   Please send a cheque made out to Langford with Holme  PCC together with a stamped addressed envelope to:- 

  Jillie Steele, the Old Vicarage, Langford, Newark, NG23 7RT

 

Jillie Steele

CHURCH NOTICES

Once again we were very lucky with the beautiful weather on Sunday September 2nd for ‘Beating the Bounds' around the eight churches.

The day concluded at Winthorpe with Evensong followed by refreshments. The service was well attended, the church bells rang and Collingham Choir led the singing - A most enjoyable day.

On Saturday 15th September Sylvia & Keith's Grandchildren, Rebecca & Liam & Wanda Payne's Grandaughter , Natasha were confirmed at Southwell Minster. They were congratulated and welcomed at the Harvest Festival service on Sunday 16th. It is very encouraging to see some young people joining the church.

As usual the church was beautifully decorated and we do thank those who willingly give of their talents.

Gifts of produce etc. brought to the service were taken to the Womens' Refuge. These gifts are always gratefully received.

Also on September 15th the Bellringers Guild completed their bi-monthly meeting at Winthorpe where they had tea in the Village Hall provided by the W.I. ladies and followed by a short service in church taken by David and finishing by ringing the bells.

The church floor near the font had become uneven and hazardous and we are once again grateful to Gerry Platts for relaying the affected area for us.

As we have two churches dedicated to All Saints in the Benefice, on Thursday November 1st at 7. 30pm, there will be a service of Holy Communion in Winthorpe Church. On Saturday November 3rd at 6pm there will be a service for All Souls at St John Baptist church Collingham followed by a said service of Holy Communion. All are welcome at these services.

We all know of people in our village who are unwell at this present time. If they would like a visit from the Revd David Milner they can contact him on 892682 or telephone Ann on 702104

 

Church Bells :- they will ring for practices on Thursday evenings from  7.3Opm until 9pm and possibly for the following:-

        October 14th: Trinity 19 for 10.15 Holy Communion Service

        October 21st Trinity 20 for 10.15 Family Service

        October 28th Bible Sunday for pm Evensong.

 

Brass Cleaning:- Mr & Mrs Dennis Taylor

Up to date notices of our church services and those of the other church services in the Benefice are displayed in the Post Office.

Alan Stone

RECTOR

Dear All,

 

In my last article I listed a number of forthcoming events, some of which have now happened. The first weekend in September we took our annual journey around all our churches.  We began on Saturday evening with a service of Holy Communion at St. John the Baptist.  At 8am on Sunday we continued with a service at Girton followed by breakfast. Our day's journey ended at Winthorpe where a goodly number of people joined for Evensong. Following the service all those present tucked into a fine tea of cakes, buns, chocolate brownies and lots of other good things.

The weekend event enabled people from across the group to spend time together and learn more about one another.  I thought that there may have been nothing left to talk about by the end of the day.  The volume of sound created by animated talking at the conclusion of our time at Winthorpe lead me to realise I had worried needlessly!

At the heart of Jesus' teaching is the serious but enjoyable and essential activity of being in conversation with others, like minded or not.  The ‘Beating the Bounds' weekend  may have had the effect of building people up, both in relationships and faith, but also and of importance,  in confidence. The more confident we become the more able we are to do new things and enjoy our faith.

On Saturday the 15th  September it was my great privilege to present Natasha Smith and Liam and Rebecca Spencer to Bishop George Cassidy at a Confirmation Service.  It was both a joyful and moving occasion.  The following day I was able to present them to the congregation at our Harvest Festival service.  As this article goes to press the church is busy preparing for its harvest supper at the community centre.

It is very rewarding being part of an active church, but it takes a great deal of work at the moment done by a very small number of people. WE really do need YOUR support and practical help. 

At a recent PCC meeting it was agreed that work should be done to protect the bells from undue weathering.  I am very thankful for hard work undertaken by Ian Hasman and Keith Lloyd in raising the money so that essential work can be undertaken. Thank you to all who have supported this project. 

Jesus' teaching style relied on his audience taking part, asking questions, discussing and debating points raised.  He would create an environment that provided people with a safe place to question.  The ‘Beating the Bounds' weekend was true to the experience of our Christian fore-bears. 

Talking about our Harvest celebrations, Confirmation, the church tower and many other events, are all topics we can share as a normal part of our daily living and say more about the health of our church community than almost anything else. 

In Christian Love

David

 

 OCTOBER  SERVICES

 SUNDAY 7th  TRINITY 18

            9am                  Holy Communion, Holme.

                                      No service in Winthorpe.

 

            SUNDAY 14th  TRINITY 19

            10.15am           Holy Communion, Winthorpe.

            6pm                 Harvest Festival, Holme.

 

            THURSDAY 18th

            10am                Holy Communion, Winthorpe.

 

            SUNDAY 21st  TRINITY 20

            10,15am           Family Service, Winthorpe.

            9am                  Holy Communion, Holme.

           

            SUNDAY 28th  BIBLE SUNDAY

            5pm                 Evensong, Winthorpe.

            6pm                 An Evening with Paul and Fiona Jones, Langford

                (It is hoped that he Church will be reopened for this event)

 

            THURSDAY 1st  NOVEMBER - ALL SAINTS DAY

            7.30pm            Holy Communion, Winthorpe.

           

            SATURDAY 3rd  NOVEMBER

            6pm                 St John Baptist, Collingham. All Souls service,

                                    Followed by said Holy Communion.

                                      ALL ARE WELCOME

 

                        CHURCH CLEANING VOLUNTEERS

               OCTOBER                                         NOVEMBER

  12th Mrs Stone & Mrs McClymont.    9th Mrs Lloyd & Mrs Nelson

  26th Mrs Foden & Mrs Hill.                23rd  Miss Applewhite

                    

 

                OCTOBER CALENDAR

            Monday 1st                   Lunch Club, 12.30pm - Centre.

                                                Silver Bin

            Tuesday 2nd                  Line Dancing, 7,15pm - Centre.

            Thursday 4th                 Library Van.

            Monday 8th                  Green Bin.

            Tuesday 9th                  Tues. Club Coffee Morn. 10.30am V.H.

            Thursday 11th               WI Meeting, 7,30pm - V.H.

            Monday 15th                Silver Bin.

            Wednesday 17th           Garden Club, 7.30pm - Centre.

            Thursday 18th               Library Van.

            Monday 22nd                Green Bin.

            Tuesday 23rd                Tuesday Club, 2.30pm - V.H.

            Thursday 25th               Whist Drive, 7.30pm - V.H.

            Sunday 28th                  Paul Jones, 6pm - Langford.

            Monday 29th                Silver Bin

 

            NOVEMBER

            Saturday 10th                Murder Mystery 7.30pm - Centre