Awbridge Village February Newsletter 2013 by Deon Tucker

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Awbridgenews

Awbridge District Village Association

february 2013

awbridge.news@gmail.com | www.awbridge.info

Awb ridge

awbridge district village association

V I L L A G E

ADVA

awbridge.news@gmail.com | www.awbridge.info We’re now on Facebook - search for Awbridge Village

committee Fred Tucker - Chairman Chanwel House, Romsey Road - 340709 Laura Hailwood-Thomas - Secretary 1 Spring Field, Romsey Road - 342020 Nigel Hemsted - Treasurer Emmbrook, Newtown Road - 340986 Paul Jameson Forest View, Kents Oak - 340118 Deon Tucker Bryn Gower, Romsey Road - 340230 Alex Hillier Forest View, Kents Oak - 340118 Lynda Tucker Chanwel House, Romsey Road - 340709

Advertising

Sally McLellan Coles Farm Cottage, Awbridge Hill - 522402 James Child 4 Cowleas Close - 341980 Kay Murrant The Old Police House, Danes Road - 340289 Paul Harvey Rowlands Barn, Dunbridge Lane - 341259 Amanda Hanson 1 Woodlands, Saunders Lane - 340899 Katy Stimson Thurston House, Danes Road - 341452 ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Peter Allen, Sandra Tebbett

Special Offer – Save up to £144! Get 12 months for the price of 10 when you book and pay in advance!

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Info For further information please call 340709. Send all adverts to awbridge.news@gmail.com to book for further issues. We thank you for your support and trust that you will continue to use our magazine in the future. To book back page please add £10 and call to confirm.

Sizes and file types: Please provide adverts as print ready pdf files with no bleed or tick marks at the correct sizes, as below: ¼ page - 90 mm (w) x 133.5 mm (h) ½ page - 190 mm (w) x 133.5 mm (h) Full page - 190 mm (w) x 277 mm (h) Please ensure colour adverts are in CMYK and not RGB. If you cannot provide print ready pdf files we can take a number of different file types and create the advert for you but this may incur a cost depending on the nature of the advert, please contact us for more information. Inserts: To have an insert delivered with the newsletter would cost £72. Please contact Fred on 01794 340709 to discuss.

Articles and stories Please provide all articles, stories and text as word documents or just in the text of an email. All text and pictures will be printed black, so please provide all images as grayscale, full size at 300 dpi.

Please try to ensure all spellings and grammar are correct as, even though we proof the newsletter, we cannot be held responsible for any errors. This also applies to adverts. Send all correspondence to awbridge.news@gmail.com

subscriptions Awbridge News is now available by annual subscription. Send your details and a cheque for £15.00 made payable to ADVA

to cover costs and postage to Nigel Hemsted, Treasurer, Emmbrook, Newtown Road, Awbridge, SO51 0GJ.

The deadline for the next edition will be 15th February

Page 2 | February 2013

From the Editorial Team After a month off from the all night job that is editing Awbridge News (especially when every article needs reformatting to fit our “house style”), it’s back into the swing of things with a “festivally plump” email inbox to wade through for the February edition. Thank you as always for your articles, although please remember that to make the editorial team’s life simple, keeping things plain and unformatted is our preference! This edition of Awbridge News shows a glimpse of things to come in the village during the year, all of which we will gladly receive offers of help to run. We are lucky to have the ADVA team driving things forward, but equally it’s always nice to have the offer of help from new faces too. As noted elsewhere within this edition, please contact any member of the committee for more information. Weather forecasts predict heavy snow in the coming weeks (although at the moment they predict it for one day only – a bit precise even for the Met Office!), so now is the time we need to keep an eye on our friends and neighbours locally, to make sure no-one suffers in silence through the cold weather. There is plenty of support there for those in need, so long as people know they need it. After the busy excitement of 2012, 2013 could quite easily be a non event in comparison. It’s not every year you have the Olympics in town, not forgetting a Diamond Jubilee too. Having said that though, 2013 is very much business as usual in the village, so we’re all looking forward to a successful set of events in the coming months. A Happy New Year to you all

Please remember to park considerately – traffic bottlenecks are occurring especially around school drop off/pick up times and at the top of Saunders Lane by the School when cars are parked in the road. ------ • -----This year’s Christmas Disco will be held at the Village Hall on 20th December. An early request for help, especially from the men of the village! Whether it is manning the door, policing the toilets or general crowd control, your village needs you! ------ • -----The produce show will be held on 7th September 2013 – details to follow later in the year. ------ • -----344 days until Christmas – on print deadline day anyway! ------ • -----A gentle reminder to you all that the print deadline is the 15th of every month (barring December) and anything received after that will not be included, no matter who it is received from.

Awbridge has not got talent, so it seems! The talent show planned for early this year has had to be cancelled due to insufficient interest. Is this due to a lack of talent or of confidence? Now we will never know…

James Child - Co-Editor Awbridge News

From the Chairman’s Pen

Neighbourhood Watch

As I write these few comments the weather seems to be getting colder with the possibility of snow, so we may not see the spring flowers as soon as we thought. Did you put any weight on over Christmas and the New Year? Why not start by choosing seeds to plant and start the digging of the garden as soon as the weather allows, to make sure you are ready for the Annual show the first weekend of September. Some of you know that I have spent the last week in Bosnia delivering the Shoe boxes that some of you helped to provide before Christmas. I will endeavour to provide an article with some pictures of what turned out to be an amazing experience, in the next magazine. This year’s annual village litter pick is on 23rd March at 10am at the Village Hall, followed by refreshments. Please join us and help to ensure a clean and tidy village for the spring.

The NHW is now up and running in Romsey Road. The coordinators are Laura Hailwood-Thomas and Peter Allen As any information from other NHW areas or from the Police comes in to us, we will send it on to those of you that give us your email address or phone numbers. Our contact details are: Laura - ljhthomas@hotmail.co.uk 342020

Fred Tucker - Chairman ADVA

Peter - allen609@btinternet.com 342040

100 club winners - January 2013

*High Speed Broadband*

£25 – Amanda Hanson

The West Tytherley and surrounding community have managed to establish enough interest to attract a commercial company (Gigaclear) to provide a high speed broadband fibre optic network.

£15 – Jane Kemish

£20 – Norman Fish

NEWS IN BRIEF It’s a year since construction on Spring Field finished and the houses were handed over. If only it had been a year since the residents were able to move in too!!!

This could come to Awbridge if enough people express an interest. To do so, go online and complete the survey at www.gigaclear.com/ can-i-get-it. The greater the number who express an interest, the higher the chance that we will be picked to get it next!! Page 3 | February 2013

All Saints Awbridge - February 2013 Happy New Year from members of Awbridge Church. Although it seems a while ago, we had some wonderful Christmas services and celebrations in the village. Thank you for supporting them and taking part in the Christmas story, we also had a great New Year’s Walk round Mottisfont followed by soup at Poppies. We (Fred and Mary) have just returned from an amazing trip to Bosnia to see how the shoeboxes from Operation Christmas Child are distributed through the local churches there. We will be giving a short presentation at our next social event which is a supper at Poppies on Friday 8 February, 7.30 pm. Tickets are £7.50 and please bring a bottle to share. Tickets from Roger Savage 367908, e-mail: savage@choiceplants. freeserve.co.uk. or James Alexander 340386 e-mail: p.alexander386@ btinternet.com. Numbers by Wednesday 6 February please. Our next First service is on 3 February 6.30 pm, do come and join us for this informal worship and praise service. Following our successful Messy Church in October about Jesus being the true vine, there will be another Messy Church on Sunday 17 February looking at Jesus being the Good Shepherd, 3.00 – 5.30 pm, Awbridge Village Hall. Please contact Pepe Alexander for more info 340386 or email: p.alexander386@btinternet.com There will be a new discussion based course starting in Lent “Lost for Words” for those of us who find it difficult to discuss our faith and may be worry we don’t have all the answers! Six sessions starting on Wed 20 February 7.30 pm in Poppies, Timsbury with refreshments. Worship and Events in Awbridge in February Sunday 3 February (2nd Sunday before Lent) 10.00 am UB Holy Communion at All Saints, Braishfield 6.30 pm First service Sunday 10 February (Sunday before Lent) 9.30 am Morning Worship & Young church Wednesday 13 February Ash Wednesday 7.30 pm Holy Communion with ashes for Lent, at All Saints, Awbridge Sunday 17 February (1st Sunday of Lent) 9.30 am Holy Communion Messy Church 3.00 pm – 5.30pm Awbridge Village Hall “I am the Good Shepherd” Wednesday 20 Feb 7.30 pm “Lost for Words” course at Poppies Sunday 24 February (2nd Sunday of Lent) 9.30 am Family Worship Wednesday 27 Feb 7.30 pm “Lost for Words” course at Poppies Friday 1 March 7.30 pm World Women’s Day of Prayer All Saints, Braishfield Sunday 3 March (3rd Sunday of Lent) 9.30 am Holy Communion 6.30 pm First Service Other Activities for February Five Alive Fellowship Monday 4 February Members Meeting 7.30 pm, Church Rooms, Braishfield

Page 4 | February 2013

Theme for Bosnian Trip “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” Micah 6 v8

Prayer Group Meets twice a month in Romsey, Prayer requests to John Twigg 521966 or via prayer request box in church Awbridge Lunch Club Wednesday 13 & 27 February at 12 noon, Awbridge Church Rooms contact Delia 340395 Housegroup Tuesday 19 February 7.45 pm Rosemary Croft, Awbridge contact John Twigg Tel 521966 Open Housegroup Thursday 14 & 28 February 7.45 pm venue TBA Contact: Sue Franklin 322185 “The Ark” The All Saints Church Toddler group meets in Awbridge Village Hall, on Fridays in term-time, 9.30 am – 11.00 am. All toddlers and their parents and carers welcome. Refreshments, craft, singing and other activities provided. Contact: Lynda Tucker 340709. Welcome Pack If you have recently moved into the Awbridge area and would like a copy of our village Welcome Pack please contact one of the churchwardens, see details below. Useful church contacts: Rector: Revd Canon Steve Pittis 01794 368335 email:pittisinc@gmail. com or Benefice Office 01794 878020 email: braishfieldbenefice@ gmail.com. Churchwardens: Fred Tucker (01794 340709) or Mary Savage (01794 367908). Young Church: Pepe Alexander (01794 340386). The Ark Toddler Group: Lynda Tucker (01794 340709). Awbridge Neighbourcare: 0845 094 6155 Other relevant information can be found on the village website www.awbridge.info

British Red Cross Romsey & District Local Office Red Cross Centre, 10 Greatwell Drive, Romsey (opposite Nightingale Surgery) 01794 513202 - 24 hour answer phone Romsey Medical Loan Open 10.30am to 12.30pm - Mon to Fri. Enquiries: 01794 513202 (24 hr answer phone). General Information 0844 871 1111. Emergency number for all of the above 07790 670840 A 70 year celebration on Saturday 7th September 2013 will be held in North Baddesley Village Hall for all who are interested or were in the Red Cross from 1943. Please phone 02380 730843. Equipment Loan As a trial period our centre will be open on Mondays 2.30 – 4.30. This is extra to the above until March 2013.

The Big Breakfast The Annual BIG BREAKFAST will be held on Saturday 16th February 2013 in Lockerley Memorial Hall (SO51 0JG). Full English and Light Breakfasts will be served from 8.30 am to 1.00 pm. There will be stalls to browse and buy - Cakes, New Knitwear for children, Handicrafts and Bric a brac. This year all profits will be given to The Trussell Trust supporting food banks in the UK and working with children in Bulgaria. There is no need to book, just come, bring your friends and enjoy time together raising funds for those less fortunate than ourselves.

The proceedings were opened by John Twigg and shortly afterwards the first course was on the table and we were tucking in. The food was utterly delicious and piping hot and the conversation flowed. Somehow I managed to get one or two extra roasters (it seems my reputation has gone before me!) After Christmas pudding, mince pies, chocolate mints, and coffee, The Reverend Canon Steve Pittis reminded us of the Christmas story, wished everyone a very happy time over this festive season and advised us all to go home and have a good sleep! Mary Savage directed the carol singing and Mike Franklin played the piano. We got most of the notes but it was hard going after all the food! Presentations were made to the hardworking cooks by Sandra Tebbett and proceedings were closed by Mary Savage. Thanks are due to all those who made this such a good event and to the record number of people who attended. Please put my name down for next year’s event! Paul Harvey

LITTER PICK 2013 23rd March The next Awbridge Litter Pick is scheduled for 23rd March, starting at 10am at the Village Hall. It is an event which receives high praise and thanks from Test Valley Borough Council, who wrote to us recently thanking those who actively maintain the cleanliness of Awbridge and report any issues of note. More details to follow in the next issue!

Further information can be obtained from Marion on 01794 340695 or Vida on 01794 322480. We look forward to seeing you there. Marion Hurst

Calling All Crafters Would you like to join a new craft club in Mottisfont? If so we aim to invade Gordon Woods’ art club every Thursday afternoon from 2-4pm, and if we’re nice to Gordon he’ll provide tea and biscuits at half time and all for only £2 a week. Whether you’re new to crafting or experienced, everyone is welcome. We’ll be tackling needlework, paper crafts and more, so if you would like to join please contact Shelly on 01794 341519 or email shellyhm@btinternet.com Shelly Harrison-Morgan

Supper Evening Friday 8 February 2013 hosted by All Saints Church, Awbridge at Poppies, Choice Plants, Timsbury Images of Bosnia Jan 2013 with Fred and Mary

Awbridge Village Christmas Lunch It was “eat, drink and be merry” at the Christmas lunch on a cold but sunny winter’s day. The annual combined lunch for members of All Saints Church and Awbridge Neighbourcare was as usual held in the village hall and attracted some 70 villagers. Long before the lunch was served, those responsible for catering – Lynda, Fred, Alex, Rachel, June and others - had been busily preparing turkey, roast potatoes, carrots, sprouts, sausage in bacon and stuffing, not to mention Christmas pud and other trimmings. One could only wonder how they achieved this magnificent feat in such a calm and organised manner. Added to that, the tables were all decorated with vases of flowers and crackers.

Menu: Cottage Pie and roasted vegetables Fruit Crumble with homemade ice-cream £7 50 and bring a bottle to share To reserve tickets contact Roger Savage (367908) or e-mail: savage@choiceplants.freeserve.co.uk or sign list at back of church no later than Wed 6 February Page 5 | February 2013

AWBRIDGE VILLAGE FETE 11th May 2013 More details will follow in later editions of Awbridge News, but at this stage we are looking for anyone willing to help with the preparations for and running of the Fete. This can be as little as manning stalls for an hour or so on the day to flyering car shows in the run up to the event and much more besides. If you are interested, please contact any of the committee without delay. We require lots of the following: * Books for the book stall * Bottles for the tombola – they need to be full and in date, but can be absolutely anything! *H ELP!!!

Without wanting to labour the point, the success of the fete is down to the many people who help both in front of house and behind the scenes – YOUR VILLAGE NEEDS YOU!!!

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AWBRIDGE SUMMER FUN DAY 29TH JUNE 2013 Following on from the success of the Jubilee celebration picnic/ fun day last year, we are looking to run a similar event this coming summer and for years to come. This year we will be celebrating 60 years since the Queen’s coronation ceremony (in some minds the true Diamond Jubilee) as well as the safe arrival of the Royal baby (bearing in mind how wrong due dates can be!). Save the date! Watch this space in the coming months…

Samaritan’s Purse: Operation Christmas Child

Mob: 07860166536 Email: david@hillberryfarm.com Hillberry Farm, Awbridge. living on the streets or in dysfunctional family situations. Abdullah said “We are very smiley when you come and very sad when you leave”. Children who had never had a shoebox before, whose eyes lit up with joy from those gifts, given to them by strangers expecting photos in return, and families enjoying the fun of seeing their children receive a shoebox c/o Santa Claus with a Samaritan’s Purse badge on! We’ve seen churches energised by their faith and running social projects to help those, devastated by the Balkan wars, have the courage to live once again. Thank you again if you managed to send a box to children such as these. For up to date news and other stories please see www.samaritanspurse.org.uk/Blog or www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk. Here at home the numbers of shoeboxes distributed by the Eastleigh warehouse were as follows: 8070 shoeboxes to Swaziland, 16,272 shoeboxes to Belarus, 8944 to Romania making a total of 33,286 boxes. Well done and thank you.

“Julia Barnett giving out a shoebox”

Roma settlement, Zenica, Bosnia

Four of us from the Test Valley have just returned from a shoebox distribution trip to Bosnia, which was an amazing experience for everyone. We helped members of small, protestant churches deliver boxes in their local communities. This meant minibus drives throughout the country, with seemingly beautiful winter countryside until you see bombed out buildings and burnt out remains of family homes, from Banja Luka in the north to Sarajevo in the south and industrial Zenica inbetween. We met missionaries from Brazil and Costa Rica working with children & teenagers living in awful conditions in Roma settlements, and families in remote mountain villages with very basic amenities. We were forced to stop by villagers wanting a box even though they weren’t on the list, and met those Page 6 | February 2013

Julia Barnett, Pam Gravenor, Mary Savage and Fred Tucker.

Sent on behalf of the police and crime commissioner for hampshire My name is Simon Hayes and I am your new Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. When I was elected, I made a commitment to be the voice of the people, representing the views of those that Hampshire Constabulary are there to serve, and to ensure we have an efficient and effective police service. In order to do that successfully, I need to know your views. I spend much of my time meeting community representatives across the two

counties, but this is a chance to send your opinions directly to me. When I develop my Police and Crime Plan and set the policing element of the Council Tax, I need to know that the conclusions represent the thoughts of as many people as possible. There are some difficult decisions that need to be made in the coming months. The public expects more from our police service, but there is only a limited amount of money in the pot to spend. Could the police be doing more in some areas? If so, would you be prepared to pay for it through an increase in the Council Tax? Or if we need to make cuts to ensure you don’t pay more, where can we make savings? When we make these tough decisions, we need to know they are informed by the views of the public and have your agreement, so it is important we hear from you. I look forward to receiving your views via the survey which can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YSKNFLD The survey will end at midday on Friday 18th January 2013

Carol Singing

Makes 12. You will need 12 hole muffin tray lined with paper muffin or cupcake cases. For the Cupcake 150g unsalted butter (very soft) 150g caster sugar 100g Self-raising (SR) flour 3 Large eggs at room temperature, beaten 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 60g ground almonds 1 tablespoon milk 4 tablespoons raspberry jam For the icing 250g icing sugar 3 tablespoons fresh strained lemon juice 12 glace cherries, rinsed and drained (this is really important to avoid syrup leaking into the icing when decorating). Preheat oven 190degree C/375 F/gas mark 5. Beat (with electric mixer if possible) the butter and caster sugar until creamy. Add beaten eggs continue to beat until light and creamy. Add Baking powder to SR flour and together with the ground almonds fold into the mixture. Add the tablespoon of milk. Spoon the mixture into the cup cake cases, dividing it evenly. Level the mixture in each case using your fingertip. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and firm to touch and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cup cake comes out clean. Remove each cup-cake from the tray and place on a wire rack to cool. Leave until completely cool. To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a mixing bowl and work in enough of the strained lemon juice to make thick, but spoonable and runny icing. Set aside.

As you can see, a good time was had by all twenty two Awbridge locals who turned up to sing the Christmas carols this year. Roger Savage of Choice Plants provided the musical backing with his recorder, and kept us all in tune until the mulled wine and mince pies turned up care of Lynda Tucker. Peter Allen

Children Christmas Disco Write-up On Friday the 21st December 2012, ADVA had their annual children’s disco at Awbridge Village hall and it was great fun!!. 53 children turned up, there was an excellent DJ who played some brilliant music like Little Mix - Wings, JLS - Crazy for you, Robbie Williams - Candy and David Guetta - Titanium. It was great as well because there were party dances and the superman conga!. There were drinks and sweets which helped to keep us all going! I would like to say a great big thank you from me and my friends to ADVA for putting on the disco, it was my last year that I could go as I’m going to secondary school in September, but I’ll be there next year to help my mum!

Using an apple corer, remove the centre of each cup cake, cutting only two thirds of the way down. Stir the jam with a teaspoon until it is a little runny, then carefully spoon into the holes in the cup cakes until the jam just reaches the top (don’t overfill). Beat the icing sugar using a teaspoon, then spoon it over the top of each cup cake to flood the surface until the icing reaches the sides of the paper cases. Take care that the jam doesn’t become mixed into the icing. Add a cherry to the middle immediately leave to set. Enjoy!!

Please send in your favourite baking recipes to katystimson@yahoo.co.uk and we will publish them in the newsletter.

Kindling Wood £ 3 a bag !

Lara Hailwood-Thomas Age 11

Adam & Jacob’s pocket money project Clean pinewood for bird and bat box’s etc

Cherry Bakewell Cup Cakes

01794 340175

These are adapted from Mary Berry and are delicious!!

Page 7 | February 2013

Flood Advice

Beauties.” We welcome visitors either to join us as members or to attend one or more talks.

The local Police have requested that if anyone comes across flood water they do not drive through it. In recent weeks the presence of stranded cars in flood water has put enormous strain on the emergency services, so applying a bit of common sense would help all concerned.

Eileen Henderson

Farewell Friends!

Bearing in mind that we are told snow is on its way, flooding could once more hit rural Hampshire, so again it could become an inconvenience to us all.

Saint Valentine? Where does this seemingly mystical day come from? Christmas is over and the decorations have been taken down, the stress of buying presents is over for another year, or is it? 14th February is a date many couples remember. Forget chocolates, roses and jewellery for a second as St Valentine’s Day has a historical origin. It all started with the Ancient Romans, with naked men running through the streets. Hard to think this is how the rosy and seemingly romantic day came into existence. The exact reason why St Valentine’s Day was celebrated by the Romans is divided between the celebrations of the martyr St Valentine, and the more seemingly appropriate celebration of fertility. St Valentine lived in Rome, acted as a priest to many and it was here where he suffered and was laid to rest. The exact date of his existence is not known, however you may ask how did he manage to inspire generations of couples to express their love for each other? Not least by the exchanging of extravagant gifts? It was upon his death on the 14th February that commenced the centuries of celebrations from the Roman times throughout the middle ages to now. As with most historical figures, St Valentine’s characteristics have have “changed” through time. The name Valentine derives from the Latin word Valens, meaning worthy, strong and reliable. However it is strongly believed that today’s characteristics (loving and romantic) were given to St Valentine in the fourteenth century in England. It is strange to think that a saint who was beheaded for not rejecting Christ in front of the Emperor Claudius in the year 280, would be the centre of a romantic celebration. However the second reason for the event was deemed to be caused because of the Roman festival of Lupercalia. The festival was a celebration of the God Lupercus, the God of shepherds. The festival would include a sacrifice of two male goats and a dog. Strips of the animal’s skin were then cut and it was these strips (known as thongs) that would be used to whip young women to increase fertility. Now if I were to ask most people to sum up in 3 words Valentine’s Day, I’m pretty sure the likely answers would include love, gifts and romance. I am pretty sure you would not describe the day as bloody, naked and fertile. Jacob Grimes

Awbridge Gardening Club Our first meeting of 2013 took place on Wednesday January 9th when Mr Jim Love talked us through another of his fascinating plant hunting tours, this time through South Africa. The range of plants was quite stunning, and a delightful relief from our winter weather. Our next meeting takes place on Wednesday February 13th at 7.30pm in the Village Hall when Mr Kevin Hobbs will talk to us on “Autumn Page 8 | February 2013

Andy and Cheryl Thornton would like to say a fond final farewell to all our friends and neighbours in Awbridge as we leave to return to the Cotswolds. Although we were only here for a little over four years, we quickly felt very much a part of this friendly village community by joining in activities and volunteering for events. Something we had never done before. We were both busy and committed members of Fred’s ADVA team and Cheryl was the Editor of and Reporter for the Awbridge News. Andy regularly assisted the Parish Council by taking the minutes at the monthly meetings where we were both regular attendees. More recently we answered Debbie Harper’s call in the magazine for more volunteers to join the Church Cleaning Team rota. We will be sorry to miss the forthcoming annual Village Litter Pick organised each year by Cllr. (and ADVA team mate) Peter Allen. This was the first big event we had ever volunteered for and the warm welcome we received (and Lynda’s warming homemade soup) ensured it wasn’t our last. We obviously enjoyed it too much though as afterwards Peter presented us with our very own gold wrapped litter picking tool so we could litter pick all year round to our heart’s content! We will be renting in Cirencester whilst we search for our next (and Cheryl hopes last) property project in another active village where we can get involved. One thing we have definitely learned is that the more you put in, the more you will get out of living in a village community. We hope to come back for the Awbridge Fete in May but it will feel very strange to be part of the visiting public and not part of the organising team! In the meantime we will keep up to date with all the news thanks to the new village website. Andy and Cheryl Thornton

Carpet Bowls We went to the carpet bowls evening on Monday the 7th of January. It was a lot of fun with good company to play against, and then have a chat between goes. It would have been even better if more people turned up. the hall is lovely and warm even on these cold nights, plus there is coffee and tea available. Please join us on the the 11th of February at 19.30. It would be nice to know if you are coming, so please ring Fred Tucker on 340709 or Peter Allen on 342040. John and Jan Turner

Spring arrangement workshops Each workshop include all materials, coffee on arrival and a light lunch at the end of the class. Workshops are from 10.30am to 1.00pm.

only

£40

Spaces are limited so contact us now! 28th February

Woodlands Lodge Hotel, Bartley Road, Woodlands SO40 7GN

5th March

Annie’s Restaurant and Tea Rooms, Kimbridge Farm Shop

12th March

Milton Barns Gore Road, Nr Wakeford, New Milton BH25 6SJ

14th March

Academy Studios, Unit 10, Romsey Ind. Est., Romsey SO51 0HR

26th March

The Cromwell Arms, Mainstone, Romsey SO51 8HG

To book please contact Kay on 01794 341110 or kay@pompandpetals.co.uk

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Awbridge Neighbourcare 0845 094 6155

We are now well into 2013. Let’s hope that we will have warmer, drier weather this year! The first village lunch of the year will be held on Wednesday 27th March, starting at 12 noon at the village hall. Everyone in the village is welcome to come along to enjoy a delicious meal and a friendly chat. The lunches are great value at only £4 per person. To book,please telephone the duty Neighbourcare co-ordinator on 0845 094 6155, by Monday 25th March.

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01794 516479

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The dates for the rest of the 2013 village lunches can be seen in the advert in this edition of the Awbridge News. Neighbourcare Arrangements 0845 094 6155 Awbridge Neighbourcare volunteers are available to help, as good neighbours, to provide transport for medical appointments, or shopping, or to visit you if you would enjoy a friendly chat. Our volunteers have allocated time to be available to help you, so your requests are vital to the work of this group. All you need to do is call 0845 094 6155 to speak to the co-ordinator to see if they can help you. If you would like to use Awbridge Neighbourcare, please could you try to give at least 48 hours’ notice when you need to book transport so that the duty co-ordinator has time to make the necessary arrangements. Although we will endeavour to help if shorter notice is given, we cannot guarantee the availability of our volunteers. We would very much like to hear from you if you could volunteer as a driver. The more drivers we have to call on, the more people we are able to help. Please contact the duty co-ordinator on 0845 094 6155 if you would like to join this worthwhile organisation.

Nativity In The Barn

On Saturday 15th December Awbridge Young Church presented a nativity play to an audience of up to 100 local people in the Hillier barns at Butler’s Wood Farm.

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February? May I for once, just once, be very serious? In fact what I am about to tell you is so serious that it could almost be described as funny. Most of us live with a potential killer in our homes. We never or rarely talk about it, we cannot see it, hear it, taste it, or more to the point smell it. Every year we hear or read about people, old, young, male and female, sometimes as individuals, sometimes as a family who have been found dead in their homes. I am talking about Carbon Monoxide poisoning, sometimes called “the Silent Killer”. Every year, normally during the winter months someone in the UK will die from this toxic killer. Carbon Monoxide (CO) is caused in the home by poor ventilation and possibly a device that is faulty or badly fitted. That device can be a heater, cooker, central heating boilers or anything that uses natural fuel including the normal fire where the chimney flue is blocked and the gas is unable to escape. You will also have noticed in the news that bringing barbecues indoors while smouldering also produces this deadly gas.

Joining the cast of fifteen children was Paddy, a Shetland pony, taking the part of the donkey, accompanied by some sound effects from the other inhabitants of the barn including cows, pigs, rabbits and chickens.

First signs of poisoning can be dizziness and feeling sick, tiredness and confusion, possible stomach pains and difficulty in breathing. Other symptoms can be similar to having flu, e.g high temperature etc.

After the play and carols, mulled wine and mince pies were served and a raffle took place with funds raised to go towards Awbridge Young Church and local volunteers from Romsey school going out to work in Kenya this summer.

So why am I telling you all this?

James Alexander Page 10 | February 2013

It is possible to buy battery alarms that work for about six years, for less than £40. A few weeks ago, on a cold and wet evening my alarm started to bleep. I rang the helpline number listed on the alarm and explained

that it was several years old. They suggested the batteries were getting flat, yet the alarm has a sealed unit and the batteries cannot be recharged or replaced!. The young lady on the phone was very good and efficient. She advised me to open all the doors and windows and turn the gas off at the main meter. Knowing it would take me a few minutes to find the meter and the keys to unlock the windows I told the young lady I would do as she asked as soon as I had put the phone down. The young lady refused and said I had to do everything she said before she could hang up. When I had finished my tour of duties I went back to the phone where the patient young lady was still waiting to tell me an engineer would be with me in the next two hours. My wife and I, not looking forward to a freezing two hours, put on an extra layer of clothing and prepared to wait. Thirty five minutes later a Gas Board van arrived and a very nice, helpful young man came dashing in, to turn off the gas/ I explained all that had been done under the instructions of the young woman on the phone. The engineer looked puzzled and said that was all he could do as he did not carry any metering equipment to check if there was any Carbon Monoxide gas present. He explained the company who employed him was a sub contractor of British Gas but only the official engineers were allowed to carry the special tools and were qualified to check for the gas. He was able to check I had turned the gas off and confirm the meter was not leaking. He also looked at the alarm and was able to tell me the batteries were almost flat. He also said he would put in a report and try and get a “proper” engineer out in the next two days. He also said unofficially that he could turn the gas back on, check all the appliances were working ok and suggested I ordered another alarm! The new alarm is working fine, my wife and I feel great and I think the colds we caught came from sitting in a cold house with the doors and windows wide open on a cold winters evening. Maurice Hibberd

Awbridge Church New Year’s Day Walk

Oh what a lovely day ! This year’s New Year’s Day Walk coincided with the best day’s weather we have had over the festive period. About 40 people from Awbridge met up at the Stonymarsh car park on the Test Way for a circular walk via Mottisfont. An all age group enjoyed the fantastic weather and managed to make it round the whole way despite the extremely wet conditions and were rewarded with hot soup and refreshments at Poppies café, kindly provided by Roger and Mary Savage. James Alexander

A view from the newly appointed ‘Head of Teaching and Learning’ at Awbridge Primary School. ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ is a wonderful and oft quoted proverb that I am particularly drawn to. Steeped in African origins it is recognised around the world and was even adopted by Hillary Clinton who, in 1995, famously used it as the title of her book promoting a desire to see an America where all children could become smart, able and resilient adults. I quietly contemplated this saying as I stood in the hall at Awbridge Primary School, at 3:00pm on 11 January, watching the children quietly and sensibly enter and sit in their neat rows for our celebration assembly. It was the end of the first week of the Spring term for us all, and the end of my first week as the newly appointed Head of Teaching and Learning. I then told them how I had spent the week smiling broadly and asked them why that may be. A range of answers suggested that it was because I was excited, proud, and happy. It is, of course, for all of those reasons and more. I have been so impressed with the courtesy of the children; the way they have greeted me with their own big smiles as we passed in the corridor, holding doors open for adults. The Year 6 ‘Peer Mentor’ children, wearing their florescent jackets at playtime and telling me how their role was to make sure everyone played well together. Modelling and helping the younger children to learn how to play by introducing them to playground games. And I have been impressed with how the children can happily tell me what they are learning as I sat in on their lessons, or joined them as they worked on the computers in the corridors. The school has been here since 1877. Did the first Head of Awbridge smile so broadly back in 1877? Earlier in the week I was pointed out the School House that sits beside the school. Now it is a private residence but it reminded me of how a school is an important part of the community. These days the community is also a large part of the school. During this week I have watched Mums in our playground, playing netball. I have met with our PTA (Parent Teacher Association) who raise fantastic amounts of money to help enhance the learning opportunities for the children, as well as run and organise after school clubs at the school. I have met other parents who come into the school and work with our children; listening to them read, assisting them with library books, helping them feel valued and cared for. Since September 2010 we have federated with Wellow Primary School and this has strengthened our schools, allowing teachers to share expertise, to develop pedagogical practice together. I have seen how we are part of the Romsey community and have been wonderfully impressed by the links we have with the Secondary schools there. The partnerships through sport and the shared passion that is allowing us to fulfil Hillary Clintons dream for all American Children but here within our very own ‘village’ community. In a very short period of time I have been made to feel very welcome, and very much a part of both the school and the wider community. We are a part of a great community. Where families have raised countless generations within the same community; attending the same school, playing in the same streets and fields. Maintaining those links and celebrating them is very important. After all, it does take a village to raise a child. Mark Ward

Please remember to mention Awbridge News when responding to any adverts in the newsletter Page 11 | February 2013

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awbridge district village association

V I L L A G E

Villager of the Year!

ADVA

Is there someone in the village whose service to the community stands them out from the crowd? Has someone done something remarkable over the past 12 months that you feel deserves recognition? After the success of last year’s competition, we are looking for nominations for the Villager of the Year 2013. Just fill in the form and a panel of independent judges will choose the most worthwhile nominee! Please return forms to the village hall post box or Alex at Forest View, Kents Oak by 31st March. I would like to nominate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . for Villager of the Year! Reason (no more than 50 words): . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ...............................................................................................................

Your name: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Signature: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Telephone: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Email: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Please tear off the forms, fill in and return to the village hall post box or Alex at Forest View, Kents Oak!

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knightwoodkitchens@yahoo.co.uk Page 12 | February 2013

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Awbridge Hill Wildlife Sanctuary Wet weather forces January closure. As a result of the heavy winter rainfall and saturated ground, it has been necessary to close the wildlife sanctuary in January, to prevent grass pathways from being transformed into a muddy quagmire. One of the features of the conservation area, that requires protecting, is the variety of spring woodland flowers which have been established along the edge of pathways. These include emerging primroses, snowdrops, wood anemone, bluebells, orchids and wild daffodil, all of which are prone to being trampled on as walkers are forced to deviate off the pathways around muddy patches. Whilst walkers in wellies, may find mud a mere inconvenience, boggy ground is a severe problem for the use mechanical mowers and equipment used to maintain the conservation area. The closure also acts to remind walkers that the footpaths around the Wildlife Sanctuary are not a right of way. We thank you for your co operation.

The pathways we are trying to protect

“Trespass against venison” on the increase in Awbridge. In recent months there have been several incidents of roe deer being shot in the vicinity of the Wildlife Sanctuary. Roe deer are fairly widespread in the area of Awbridge, but generally lie up in cover during the day and are most likely to be seen at dawn and dusk, when they emerge into the open, to browse on trees and other vegetation, becoming an easy target for poachers. Historically deer poaching was the offence of “trespass against venison”. Stealing the King’s deer attracted imprisonment or heavy fines, though offenders were often given ample opportunity to escape or earn a pardon. The popular myth of blood thirsty courts handing down death sentences appears to be untrue, however for the poacher, if they were caught, trespassing against venison would cost them dear! Roe deer have been present and hunted by man in Britain since Neolithic times, however in medieval times their numbers were far fewer than today and only two hundred years ago, the range of this species was restricted to Scotland. Apart from the roe deer, there are two other species of deer to be seen in the countryside around Awbridge, these include fallow deer and the muntjac, which is the smallest specie of deer to be found in Britain and stand only several feet tall. Muntjac have very short antlers and distinctive fang like teeth. Introduced from Asia to country parks such as Woburn in Bedfordshire a hundred years ago, the muntjac is an escapee that is gradually spreading its range across southern Britain with occasional sightings in the area of Awbridge. Whilst muntjac and roe deer will be seen entering gardens to browse, the fallow deer tends to prefers wide open space, parkland and forest, rarely venturing near habitation. Whereas muntjac and roe deer require only a few acres of territory, fallow deer roam in feral herds over many square miles of woodland and open countryside to the north of the River Dun, occasionally appearing on the fringes of the parish boundary. Fallow deer were introduced by

the Normans and kept in enclosed parks. Apart from grazing on grass and browsing on parkland trees, fallow deer were fed hay and were semi domesticated making them an easy quarry. They were kept for producing meat from poor quality land such as the New Forest. The New Forest is also home to a small population of red and sika deer. The red deer is native however sika deer were introduced from Asia to Brownsea Island in 1896 and have swam across Poole Harbour to the mainland where in the last hundred years they have established in numbers on the Dorset Heath and western fringes of the New Forest. Sika and red deer will interbreed, threatening the genetic purity and survival of red deer as a species in the New Forest. Deer can cause serious damage to young trees, stripping off bark to eat in winter then browsing on new shoots and leaves in summer. As deer have few natural predators, they are today, one of the most serious natural problems for our woodland ecology and their numbers need to be managed. Historically deer were regarded as property of the King. The hunting of deer by royalty often took place on woodland owned by someone else. In reality most of the king’s hunting was usually done by professionals to order. By the 13TH Century hunting parties regularly journeyed to the New Forest to “take bucks and return them salted”, to London to be eaten at royal feasts. Kings often bestowed venison on their favourite subjects, in honour of weddings and festivities. In parts of England where deer were absent, sometimes hare or swine were decreed the status of venison and hence these animals were reserved as the property of the King. The word “forest” actually derives from a place of forage, where animals are left to roam unfenced. Historically, forest was an expanse of countryside (often consisting of open pasture, heath, moor as well as woodland) beyond the perimeter of enclosed land. In this context, Hampshire has both an old forest as well as a new forest, but it is the old forest that sits virtually on our doorstep. It is the old forest that attracts the poachers of venison into our area, although some of them also appear to be on the hunt for red diesel. Make sure you are not targe Bryan Raines

Forest Forge 2012 Another Village Tradition, the yearly performance from Forest Forge Theatre Company took place at Awbridge Village Hall on Friday 7th December. This year’s production was “Midnight is a Place” a play based on the novel by Joan Aitken that was adapted by Russ Tunney. It was a dark and shadowy story but had an uplifting ending, The four actors played 21 different characters between them. Much to the amusement of the younger members of the audience as Villian changed to Old Woman and back again with the simple use of a wig and shawl. Original music and songs were beautifully performed and enjoyed by all ages of the audience. The set was very well designed and helped tell this winter story in a magical and enthralling way. Although a fairly dark story the mad cap fun and physical performance meant it was suitable for our younger audience members, being held on a Friday night ensured that all could enjoy it.

Watch out for the 2013 production and book your tickets early.....

Page 13 | February 2013

Get to Know your Committee – Laura Hailwood-Thomas, Secretary I was born in Southampton and lived there until the age of 13 when my family moved to Sherfield English. As a teenager I worked in the village at the local pub, The Hatchet, and then later at Glebe Farm waking very early to milk the cows!

Awbridge Village Lunches 2012 Would you like to join friends and neighbours from the village for Lunch?

A few years later I decided I needed an adventure and went travelling in Australia, working for some of that time for a migration consultancy in Sydney, and the rest of the time travelling around all of Australia, an amazing experience I’ll never forget. On returning from Oz I began working for my Dad’s music company as the Operations Manager. In September 2001 my first daughter was born, and then a year later in September 2002 I began studying Psychology and Art as part of an Access course at Peter Symonds College in Winchester. Having completed the Access course my husband and I both began studying for our Psychology degrees in 2003 at King Alfred’s College (now the University of Winchester), with me eventually wanting to go in the counselling direction and my husband in the cognitive therapy direction (which makes for some interesting discussion and differences of opinion at times!).

Menu Main course e.g. Shepherd’s pie Home-made pudding Tea or coffee At 12 noon Awbridge Village Hall Wednesday 27th March - £4 per person Wednesday 26th June - £4 per person Wednesday 25th September - £4 per person Wednesday 11th December- £6 per person, Christmas Lunch

In 2006 our second daughter was born which was when I decided to put the studies on hold whilst my husband finished his degree. In 2009 our third daughter was born and then in 2011, daughter number four arrived making for a very busy household. I plan to study for my degree in counselling this year, beginning in September.

Booking and Transport arrangements:

I’m a member of the Ark toddler group committee and joined ADVA as the secretary in 2011, roles I thoroughly enjoy. Our family moved into Awbridge in 2012 having been allocated one of the new houses for local people at Spring Field. It was amazing to be able to move to Awbridge as our daughters attend the primary school and I’m very much involved with village life. Aside from my family life and interest in counselling, I enjoy experimenting with cooking and tasting various wines, my favourite being a nice chardonnay!.

These lunches are being jointly organised by All Saints Church and Awbridge Neighbourcare with catering provided by a team of cooks and volunteers. We hope that you will come and enjoy these events.

Awbridge Village Christmas Lunch 2012

To let us know numbers for catering,please ring the Neighbourcare co-ordinator on 0845 094 6155 by the Monday before the lunch. If you would like transport, at no cost to you, please ask the coordinator at the same time. (If you normally attend the All Saints lunch, arrangements for booking are the same as usual).

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Page 14 | February 2013

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awbridge.news@gmail.com

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If you would like your event in the diary, send the details to bertanddoris@btinternet.com

V I L L A G E

Date

Event

Venue

Diary Time

Monday 11 February

Carpet Bowls

Awbridge Village Hall

7.30pm

Sunday 19 August

Mottisfont Village Fete

Mottisfont Village Hall

2pm

Monday 11 March

Carpet Bowls

Awbridge Village Hall

7.30pm

Saturday 23 March

Litter Pick

Awbridge Village Hall

10am

Wednesday 27 March

Village Lunch

Awbridge Village Hall

12 noon

Saturday 11 May

Village Fete

Awbridge Village Hall

1pm

Wednesday 26 June

Village Lunch

Awbridge Village Hall

12 noon

Saturday 29 June

Awbridge Summer Fun Day

Awbridge Village Hall

12 noon

Saturday 07 September

Produce Show

Awbridge Village Hall

TBC

Wednesday 25 September

Village Lunch

Awbridge Village Hall

12 noon

Wednesday 11 December

Village Lunch

Awbridge Village Hall

12 noon

Friday 20 December

ADVA Disco

Awbridge Village Hall

6pm

Kooking with Kate Kate Buchan, Sous Chef at Kimbridge Restaurant. Gives you your Seasonal Produce Recipe

Cullen Skink

A traditional Scottish thick soup made using naturally smoked fish. This recipe serves 4. Shopping List: For the stock 75 grams of butter 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil 2 leeks, trimmed, washed & roughly chopped 2 onions, peeled & roughly chopped 250ml of white wine 500 grams of natural smoked haddock fillets 750ml of water For the soup 75 grams butter 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil 2 leeks, trimmed, washed & finely chopped 2 shallots, peeled & finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, peeled & crushed 300 grams of peeled potatoes, diced 500ml of double cream

How to make it: Firstly make the stock by heating the butter and vegetable oil in a large pan. Then fry off the leeks and onion until soft, but without colour. Next, add the white wine to the pan and bring to the boil. Once boiling, add the haddock fillets. Add the water, bring back to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Carefully remove any scum from the surface of the pan. Remove the haddock from the stock and cut into bite size pieces and set aside. Strain the stock and set aside. To make the soup, heat the butter and the vegetable oil and fry off the finely chopped leeks, shallots and garlic until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Once soft, add the potatoes and the chopped haddock to the pan. Add the cooking stock that you had set aside earlier and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream. Now blend until smooth. Serve the soup with a sprinkling of chopped parsley and crusty bread.

Please remember to mention Awbridge News when responding to any adverts in the newsletter Page 15 | February 2013

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If you would like your organisation/amenity in the directory, send your details to bertanddoris@btinternet.com

V I L L A G E