Awbridge Village Newsletter November 2012 by Deon Tucker

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Awbridgenews

Awbridge District Village Association

November 2012

Service of Remembrance on

Sunday 11 November 10.15 am at Awbridge School followed by a wreath laying ceremony at 11.00 am at the Awbridge Village War Memorial Service to be led by R evd Michael Halliwell, organised by All Saints, Awbridge School & the Parish Council

All welcome

There will be no service at All Saints, Awbridge For further information please contact the c hurchwardens: Fred Tucker 340709 or Mary Savage 367908

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

Page 1 | November 2012

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, Kim Stone, 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 November

Page 2 | November 2012

From the Editorial Team Having had my arm twisted into publishing the photo of my sunburned shins following my visit to the Olympic Sailing in Weymouth over the summer, I have no choice but to own up to it this month! A very painful lesson learned there indeed. Thank you to everyone who has sent in their articles for the new deadline of the 15th of the month. Hopefully this means this and future editions will arrive through your letterbox by the start of the following month. I have arranged for notices to be put up on the various noticeboards around the village – please spread the word!

//*// NEWS IN BRIEF //*// SHORT MAT BOWLS - Sessions will start again in early 2013, with the initial dates having been booked. Please keep an eye on the diary in Awbridge News, although they will fall on Monday nights at the Village Hall. ------ • -----Further news about work to the BMX track coming soon! ------ • ------

November is always a time to take stock of the world around us, both in a historical sense and for what is yet to come. This year sees the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month fall on a Sunday, with the village marking this occasion in a combined service and wreath laying at the School and War Memorial. Remembrance Sunday is always a sombre occasion, but even more so when it is Armistice Day also. In two years time it is the centenary of the start of World War One, yet will any survivors of those bloody battles still be alive? Whether our original heroes are still with us or not, we must never forget – to paraphrase a quote from the British Legion that will be heard in the coming weeks; “because the war to end all wars didn’t”.

CAROL SINGING - Coming soon to the village will be the Christmas Carol Singing. If anyone wishes to provide some/all of the musical accompaniment, please contact a member of the committee without delay.

On a more positive note, the Village’s Christmas preparations are starting to appear on the horizon. We are very nearly into November and by then we will have around 6 weeks to go to do all the shopping (or in the case of most men, put off doing the shopping!), write all our cards and so on. It was a year ago that Ruth and I first managed to make a village event, at the All Saints’ Christingle Service – we are looking forward to going to as many of the events being run in the coming months this time and their reputation should serve as a good recommendation to anyone else thinking of going.

AWBRIDGE NEWS CALLS ALL VOLUNTEERS!

I’ll end with my regular request for budding writers, young and old, to contribute something to be published in Awbridge News. You don’t have to be journalist of the year (I most definitely am not that – it is currently 11.43pm and this is the fifth version of this small part of the newsletter!), just enthusiastic, be able to come along to village events and report on what happens or be willing to pen a creative piece. If you are interested in penning a regular column, being a roving reporter or just writing something once in a while please contact me by email, phone or come along to the next ADVA meeting and meet the team there. I promise you won’t regret it!!! James Child - Co-Editor Awbridge News

From the Chairman’s Pen What a night, over 95 curries were served on Saturday night. It was great to see you all, including many new faces at the curry evening, and I would like to thank the members of the committee who worked so hard to make the evening such a success. Super choice and good quality curries! We will be starting the first of our bowls evenings for this season after Christmas and would welcome all villagers, please see the diary for details. Our next event is our annual Shoe Box collection and coffee morning, look forward to seeing you there. Fred Tucker - Chairman ADVA

------ • -----Wanted! Are you a budding writer and fancy being a roving reporter for Awbridge News? Please drop the editorial team an email on awbridge.news@gmail.com to find out more. ------ • ------

We are always on the look out for people to help count copies ready for delivery and even push through the letterboxes of all the villagers. If you would like to help, or know someone who would, please drop us a line via awbridge.news@gmail.com

The Village Website Workshop 8 Nov ** Come Along - All Are Welcome ** The village website is now live, so we will be running a small workshop on the 8th November at 7.30pm in the Village Hall. There will be a short demonstration of how to use the site, whether you want to sell something, chat about the local walks or just post some interesting facts, you can join in and get online. We are trying to establish a community feel on the site so we need you to all register and get involved and start using it! The workshop will be especially useful for all those who will be looking after their particular pages on the site. For more information please contact Deon on info@deondesign.co.uk.

Deadline For Next Month - 15th

• FREE-ADS • Give your needlework that professional finish RICCAR Overlocker for sale very little used and in good condition Please ring Lynda on 01794 340709 - £50.00 ono ADVERTISE YOUR ITEMS FOR SALE Items for sale up to £50 - Free; between £50 and £250 - £2.50; over £250 - £5.00. Please make cheques payable to ADVA. Page 3 | November 2012

All Saints Awbridge - November 2012 Messy Church – “The True Vine”: We have just enjoyed a great afternoon of Messy Church at the Village Hall. The theme was that of Jesus being the True Vine, including making footprint paintings of vines, modelling vegetables into intriguing characters, making and eating fruit kebabs, icing biscuits, making thumb print and vine leaf pictures, weaving bracelets, writing prayer cards, making hedgerow arrangements and getting wet with apple bobbing, not to mention enjoying fruits of the vine with our feast both grape juice and wine! We had a great afternoon with over 50 people (including 26 children) so please look out for the next Messy Church! If you want to find out more about what messy church is all about look up. www.messychurch.org.uk Operation Christmas Child: Saturday 10 November 10 – 12 noon Awbridge Village Hall Come and join us for coffee and shoeboxes. We trust that you are all busy creating shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, please use the leaflet, sent out in October, about making a shoebox and bring your completed box or gifts for shoeboxes, to our special coffee morning, hosted by ADVA and Awbridge Church. More leaflets are available in church, village hall and at Choice Plants, Timsbury, or you can download information from the website www. operationchristmaschild.org.uk. Boxes can also be brought to church on Sunday 18 November and these will then be taken to All Saints, Braishfield at 3pm for our Romsey Deanery Shoebox Service. We look forward to welcoming many of you to our Remembrance Day Service on Sunday 11 November, at 10.15am, in Awbridge School Hall (no service in church), followed by a wreath laying ceremony, at the village war memorial, at 11.00am. This year our service will be taken by Revd Michael Halliwell from Awbridge. At our First service in October we looked at the roundabout ways of God with Steve Pittis, and learnt lots of new worship songs, our next First is on Sunday 4 November at 6 30 pm. Element V: Deanery Worship Event for Young People – Friday 23 November 7-9pm at Broughton Village Hall. This event is taking place as part of the Bishop of Southampton’s Emmaus visit to our Deanery. Bishop Jonathan will be taking part in this event with the theme of Journeys, live worship band, prayer zones from round the deanery linked by journeys, for all young people of secondary school age. Please contact Mary of Fred for more information. Advent: If you would like to receive the travelling crib during Advent, Pepe Alexander would love to hear from you on 340386. Christmas: Saturday 15 December - Nativity on the Farm, at Butlers Wood Farm, 6.00pm, by kind permission of the Hillier Family. Carols with Christingles service, Sunday 23 December 4pm at church. Worship and Events in Awbridge in November Sunday 4 November 9.30am Holy Communion 6.30pm First service Sunday 11 November Remembrance Sunday 10.15am Remembrance Service at Awbridge School (including young church) followed by wreath laying ceremony at the war memorial at 11.00am Sunday 18 November 9.30am Holy Communion 3.00pm Romsey Deanery Service for Operation Christmas Child at All Saints, Braishfield Friday 23 November Element V, Deanery Worship Event with Bishop Jonathan 7-9pm, Broughton Village Hall Page 4 | November 2012

Jesus says - “My command is this: love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no-one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends”. John 15 v 12-13

Sunday 25 November Advent Sunday 9.30am Family Worship Sunday 2 December 9.30am Holy Communion 6.30pm First Service: speaker Steve Pittis Other Activities for November Five Alive Fellowship Mon 5 Nov: “Life so far…” with Steve Pittis. 7.30pm Braishfield Church Rooms Prayer Group Meets twice a month in Romsey, prayer requests to John Twigg 521966 or via prayer request box in church. Housegroup Tues 20 November 7.45pm contact J Twigg 521966 Open Housegroup Thurs 8 & 22 November, 7 45 pm venue tba. Sue Franklin 322185 Awbridge Lunch Club Wed 14 & 28 November at the church rooms 12pm - contact Delia Dutton 340395 The Ark Toddler Group Meets in the village hall on Fridays in term-time, 9 30 am – 11 00 am for fun, craft, refreshments. Contact Lynda Tucker 340709 for more information.

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

Awbridge Neighbourcare

Operation Christmas Child

0845 094 6155

The Christmas village lunch will be held on Wednesday 7th December, 12 noon at the village hall. Everyone in the village is welcome to come along and we hope that many of you will join us. The cost will be £6 per person, great value for a full Christmas dinner. To book, please telephone the duty Neighbourcare co-ordinator on 0845 094 6155 by Thursday 29th November.

“Operation Christmas Child: the power of a simple gift”

Should we have a repeat of the bad weather we have experienced over the last few winters, please remember that we will still try to help as much as possible with appointments and shopping.

Sasha from Montenegro now helps to give out boxes but remembers vividly the presents he received in a shoebox when he was small and how the toy car he had fell apart from so much use!

Neighbourcare Arrangements 0845 094 6155

Come and help us celebrate Operation Christmas Child by making your own shoebox gift and bringing it to our special coffee morning on Saturday 10 November 10 00 am – 12 noon at Awbridge Village Hall. Last year 1.1 million shoeboxes were sent from the UK. This year we hope to reach the 100 millionth shoebox to be given out through Operation Christmas Child!

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.

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 The difference we made during 2011 in Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Surrey. 41,447 – The number of young people who gained awareness in humanitarian education and first aid skills. 2,718 – The number of refugees and asylum seekers helped to access vital services in their new community or given destitution support. 1,922 – The number of people who learnt life-saving first aid skills through the Red Cross near you. 1,125 – The number of people given practical help, advice and comfort by the Red Cross after a fire, flood or other emergency. 216 – The number of home visits made by our volunteers to people after an accident or illness, giving them the confidence to continue their daily lives independently.

www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk

If you have never made a box before, or haven’t done one for a while, make this a special year when you can give that hope to families who struggle to survive, so that we can all experience the joy of God’s love as we fill our boxes with love and gifts. Part of our local celebration will be the Romsey Deanery Service for Operation Christmas Child which will be held on Sunday 18 November, at 3 pm at All Saints, Braishfield. All the communities in our benefice are busy getting involved in making shoeboxes. The collection dates for dropping off boxes are 1-18 November. Leaflets are available from churches in the benefice and at Choice Plants, Timsbury, and can be downloaded from the website www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk. If you make your donation on-line your shoebox can be tracked to its destination and in the new year, you will receive an email telling you where you shoebox has actually gone! Thank you for your support. Mary Savage - Rep for Samaritan’s Purse 01794 367908

Awbridge Parish Council Chair: Mark Caplen - 342315, mcaplen@googlemail.com Councillors: Peter Allen 342040 allen609@btinternet.com David Coleman 340618 davidjcoleman@madasafish.com Peter Milani 523066 peter.r.milani@googlemail.com Pam Harvey 341259 pam.harveyp@virgin.net Paul Legon 340539 legon@btinternet.com Clerk – Vacant Parish Council website: http://communities.hants.gov.uk/awbridge-index From January 2013, the Parish Council meeting will change dates to the last Thursday in the month.

Page 5 | November 2012

Polite Request From Hansard Pet Centre

From Western Country Watch

As we are approaching the season where fireworks are let off, please remember to consider neighbours who are elderly, those who have pets and livestock owners.

Please be alert for flyers being posted through doors advertising services such as tree cutting, gardening and landscaping. Information has been received that flyers are being put half way into a letter box, leaving the other half visible from the outside. The distributors then return the next day to see which flyers are still visible. This can be an indication of an unoccupied property. Please ensure you remove flyers at the earliest opportunity. If you know that your neighbours are away, please keep an eye on their letterbox also and remove any visible flyers from their property. Rural thefts: • 24/09. Awbridge. A Stihl hedge trimmer, a Husqvarna chainsaw and a Partner chainsaw were stolen from two secure sheds. • 20/09. Awbridge. 300 litres of diesel stolen from a secure lorry. • 20/09. Awbridge. Passenger side window smashed and handbag stolen from foot well. • 20/09. Awbridge. Handbag stolen from under seat in an insecure car. Vehicles of interest: • LB53 TGJ. White Nissan Cabstar. Seen around Romsey acting suspiciously. Possibly linked to scrap metal theft. • T556 KJF. Green Peugeot 206. Vehicle seen to drive onto farm premises in Romsey. Vehicle made off when approached. Two female occupants.

A quick chat with your neighbours could save unnecessary upset and embarrassment when it was never intended.

Awbridge Gardening Club Our October meeting took place on Wednesday 10th October when Mrs Patricia Elkington, who has run the Hampshire division of The National Gardens Trust for many years, talked to us about “the secret gardens of Hampshire.” Her knowledge of the subject is unrivalled and she showed us many of the lesser known gardens. Also she told us of some which will open for the first time next year giving us at once an entertaining evening and ideas for next year’s visits. The November meeting will take place on Wednesday 14th November, 7.30pm at Awbridge Village Hall when Mrs Julie Walsh-Batory will talk to us on “the no-dig garden”. Eileen Henderson

A Thank You David Coleman would like to thank everyone who supported him in his bid to obtain planning permission for a Village Arts Centre on Dunbridge Lane. Unfortunately, his application was ultimately rejected so he cannot see how things can move forward from here – the support he received however was greatly appreciated.

Operation Christmas Child You are invited to join us on

Saturday 10 November at Awbridge Village Hall, 10am - 12noon Supported by ADVA and Awbridge Church Please bring with you completed shoeboxes and/ or shoebox gifts. Details for shoeboxes enclosed in the leaflets available at Awbridge Church, Awbridge Village Hall, and Choice Plants, Timsbury Refreshments and activities provided. Thank you for your support. Advance Notice: Romsey Deanery Shoebox Service, at All Saints Braishfield, on Sun 18 Nov at 3pm For info contact: Mary Savage 367908 or e-mail savage@choiceplants.freeserve.co.uk or see www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk UK charity no 1001349 Page 6 | November 2012

FROM ROMSEY RURAL POLICE Recently we have been getting increasing reports of diesel thefts including RED diesel from farm vehicles, commercial vehicles and lorries etc. Also a number of farm out-building/barns and shed breakins have increased in the rural areas recently. • We ask and advise you all to make your buildings and the contents as secure as possible, either by - reinforcing with additional panels to the internal structure. Where possible fit grilles, heavy wire mesh or strong perspex at windows. • Strengthen the door frame and secure with coach bolts or nonreturn screws with good shackle padlocks. • Fitting an alarm (if you’ve no electric supply consider a battery operated alarm). • MARK your PROPERTY - using UV Pen or SMART WATER - we recover large amounts of property. This gives a better chance of returning and identifying your property. • Secure tools and ladders and record serial numbers - Offenders will use your tools to break into your property. • Lighting - consider movement sensors, now the nights are longer, also consider where to install them. • Park vehicles (fuel tanks together where possible) making it difficult to get between vehicles to siphon fuel out. As always if you see anyone, or a vehicle acting in a suspicious manner or hear anything, please report on 101 or if a crime is taking place call 999. Have you lost your bike? If this bike (bright orange in the original photo) belongs to you or you know the owner, please contact me. PCSO Jo Cole - Call 101 and ask for Jo Cole 13289 at Romsey Police Station

It’s time to order the cards!

Personalise them with your own picture or let us design them for you! For more information contact us now

01794 340326 or deondesign.co.uk

Pomp and Petals - Vouchers seasonal Bouquet Voucher A fresh bouquet for each season, aqua wrapped and delivered to home or workplace first week in December, first week in March, first week in June and first week in September.

£120

Fresh FloWers For a Year Voucher

£360

A fresh bouquet, aqua wrapped and delivered to home or workplace during the first week of each month.

Have you wondered what to buy for someone who has everything? Do you like to remember someone regularly, but never seem to get round to that call until too late? A bouquet of flowers is always appreciated and shows how much you care and are thinking of someone. My workshops are a chance to try something new, a bit of me time, that we all need in our hectic lives. You learn a new skill, take home a beautiful arrangement and have fun, all in the space of a couple of hours.

Floral arrangement Workshop Voucher

£40

Workshops range from simple table centres, gift baskets to Christmas Wreaths. No experience necessary, suitable for both beginners and those who have some knowledge.

e: kay@ pompandpetals.co.uk t: 01794 341110 www.pompandpetals.co.uk

Page 7 | November 2012

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

Wednesday 5 December Christmas Lunch and Carols 12 noon at Awbridge Village Hall £6 per person Menu Roast Turkey, potatoes and vegetables Christmas pudding Tea or coffee with mince pies Booking and Transport arrangements:

To let us know numbers for catering, please ring the Neighbourcare Co-ordinator on 0845 094 6155 by Thursday 29th November. If you would like transport, at no cost to you, please ask the co-ordinator at the same time. This lunch is organised jointly 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 this festive event.

Something About November November is, for me, the “In between” month. The caravan has been cleaned, checked after the summer usage and put away until the summer floods return next year! Some caravan owners, I think the sensible ones, are preparing to take their caravans away for Christmas. Somewhere warm and dry, Spain or Portugal perhaps. I would like to follow them (or even lead the way!) but my wife believes that Christmas is “for families” so we stay at home, turn the heating up, wrap presents and send loads of expensive cards. I suppose we could save the cost on buying cards, spending hours making them and a fortune on the postage! In between we watch the same old films that were broadcast on television last year, in fact every year since they became available. I probably know some parts better than the original actors. If we go shopping I can really annoy my wife by jumping in and out of puddles while doing my version of “Singing in the Rain”... it made her laugh the first time! Creation and the “Big Bang” are words normally used when talking about the beginning of our planet. That time before Twitter and blogs; the time when to use the phone meant a walk down the road to a red cubicle, wait for the person to finish their call, then entering with a handful of small change, which was fed into a large black box. If you were lucky you were able to have a short conversation before the Page 8 | November 2012

money ran out and you were cut off, or put more coins into the black machine. If you were rich you probably had one of the new inventions, at home, in the front room, now called, in most cases “the lounge”. The invention had a very small screen on which between 6 pm and midnight you could watch moving pictures in black and white. The evening came to an end when the National Anthem was played and we all stood to attention. A lot of people said the television would never catch on! If we wanted to watch real action and colour, plus listen to noise in a party atmosphere, then November was the month. I remember that as a youngster my friends and I all knew about Guy Fawkes. He was the fellow that tried to blow up parliament. (I wonder what would have happened if he had succeeded. What would the media talk about if we had no government today?) Guy Fawkes died. Today we would call him a “terrorist” and put him in prison for a few months with a large screen colour television and hot food every day! November, the month between summer and Christmas. The month when we look back at the summer that might have been and towards the Christmas we cannot afford. November with bonfires and fireworks, Catherine wheels, Rockets and Bangers. When I was young the celebrations were only on 5th November. In this modern world fireworks start in September with large “organised” bonfire parties at various weekends spread over about six weeks. In the past you brought your pets in for about twenty four hours to protect them. Now you do the best you can. Talking of television I should say that our set at home is not a 3D version and neither is the smaller screen in the caravan. I was surprised when the picture in the caravan appeared to be coming towards me. I caught the television just before it hit the floor. The caravan was well situated and did not even rock in wind, plus the fact there was not even a breeze outside. I placed the television back on the wide shelf. The set was still switched on but the picture and sound had gone... so had the aerial cable which had been pulled out of the connector at the rear of the digi box. I checked outside thinking that perhaps the dish had been knocked over. The dish is fixed on a tripod and firmly pegged to the ground at the back of the caravan and was still in place. The cable runs under the caravan and comes through a small opening in to the van and is connected to the rear of the digi box and the television. There were five sheep wandering round the site and I later discovered they were to blame. It seems the grass under the caravan was tastier than the grass in the field. One of the sheep had ventured too far under the side of the caravan and got tangled in the cable. Trying to leave in a panic it had ripped the cable from the back of the set. Luckily there was no harm done but it put a new spin on “Moving Pictures” Maurice Hibberd

Kindling Wood £ 3 a bag !

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

01794 340175

Lockerley Primary School’s ‘Festival of Christmas’

fingers and feet! Following a short talk and a song, baked potatoes were served to the children with a cup of grape juice while the adults enjoyed a glass of wine together.

Friday 7th December 6 - 8pm at Lockerley School

The next Awbridge Young church event will be a ‘Nativity in the Barn’ on Saturday 15th December. See All Saints advance dates for Sunday services.

Come and join us for a fun filled evening with a Winter BBQ, bar, raffle, tombola, Santa’s grotto, games and lots of lovely craft stalls If you would like to book a stall please contact Julie on 01794 340485

The Red and White Appeal Coffee Morning Friday 30th November 2012 At Mottisfont Village Hall, starting at 10am. Come and join us for a coffee and a chat! Attractions include a raffle, art exhibition, bric-a-brac sale, John Wood (Head Gardener at Hinton Ampner) and Joan Newman (Nurse Specialist). All donations are to go to the Southampton Hospitals Charity Red and White Appeal For more information, please contact Suzie Simmons on 02380 795221 or via suzie.simmons@uhs.nhs.uk

Travelling Crib – “Posada” The Travelling Crib has become quite a tradition in our village during Advent. For several years now we’ve had two Crib boxes being passed from one family to another over the four weeks leading up to Christmas. The box stays for one night at each home and contains figures of Mary, Joseph and a donkey, an Advent candle, story book, activity sheets and a few surprise goodies. The idea originates from Mexico when two villagers dressed as Mary and Joseph walk from house to house enacting Mary and Joseph looking for lodging on their journey to Bethlehem over 2000 years ago. It is known as a Posada. If you’d like the Travelling Crib to visit your family this Advent and were not on the list last year please contact Pepe Alexander, All Saints Young Church, tel. 340386 or email p.alexander386@btinternet.com with your name and telephone number before 19th November. If you’d like to be removed from the list please let Pepe know.

Messy Church – The True Vine

Pepe Alexander

Ark Babies and Toddler Group We are a very friendly group who welcome any new mums with their babies and toddlers. Come and join us for a tea or coffee on Friday mornings from 9.30 to 11.00. Meet other mums from the village and surrounding area. Children can enjoy playing and singing and making new little friends. Many have gone from The Ark, through play school and into main school and have remained friends. Once again a warm welcome awaits you. Lynda Tucker

CALLING ALL LOCAL BUSINESSES CHRISTMAS IS COMING – PLEASE DON’T FORGET TO PLACE YOUR SEASONAL ADVERTISEMENTS WITH US! EMAIL TO awbridge.news@gmail.com

CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS DISCO PARTY!! Featuring

‘FLASH LIGHTS ENTERTAINMENT’

Fri 21st Dec - 6pm to 8pm Awbridge Village Hall ENTRY IS £1 ON THE DOOR (subsidised by ADVA)

SPOT PRIZES - TUCK SHOP(bring your money) Contact Alex on bertanddoris@btinternet.com or 340118 for more info! Please supply child’s name, address and emergency contact number on the door. Organised by ADVA for all Awbridge village and Awbridge School children aged 5 to 11 years only.

A messy time was had by both adults and children at the recent ‘Messy Church’ event held at Awbridge Village Hall. The theme of the afternoon was ‘Jesus, the true vine’ and activities included making fruit kebabs, vegetable modelling and painting grapevine pictures with Page 9 | November 2012

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knightwoodkitchens@yahoo.co.uk Page 10 | November 2012

www.knightwoodkitchens.co.uk

Drive Safely This Winter Essential car safety checks Now the evenings are starting to get darker, and the clocks haven’t even gone back yet, it is important to start preparing your car for winter. During the driving test, the examiner now asks pupils some questions on how to do safety and maintenance checks on the car. These should be something that we all do as a routine fortnightly check, but especially at this time of year: Check the coolant level by checking the minimum and maximum level indicator. If the coolant is below the minimum mark, when the engine is cold pour in coolant until the maximum mark is reached. Check the brake fluid reservoir against the minimum / maximum level indicator. Check your engine oil level by removing the dipstick, wipe clean the end where the minimum and maximum level indicator is and reinsert. Remove once again and check the oil level against the minimum and maximum markings. Check the windscreen washer reservoir by opening the cap and looking in to see how much fluid is in there. Check the brake lights by operating the brake pedal, make use of reflections in windows, garage doors, etc, or ask someone to help. Check that the brakes are working before starting a journey. When you brake, they should not feel spongy and the car should not pull to one side. Check that the headlights and tail lights are working by turning on the lights then walk around the car. Check that the direction indicators are working correctly by putting the hazard warning lights on and walking around the car. Tyre pressures – Check the tyre pressures by using a pressure gauge when the tyres are cold. Don’t forget the spare tyre. Check the parking brake for excessive wear. There should be tension when you pull it up. Check your head restraint is correctly adjusted so it provides the best protection in the event of a crash. The head restraint should be adjusted so the rigid part of the head restraint is at least as high as the eye or top of the ears, and as close to the back of the head as is comfortable. Tyre treads - A safe tyre will have no cuts or bulges. The tread depth should be at least 1.6mm across the central 3/4s of the breadth of the tyre and around the entire outer circumference. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) have produced a video which explains how to do these checks too – see www.rospa.com Fact of the month - did you know that at 70mph the stopping distance is 96 metres (315 feet) or about 24 car lengths – that’s almost two lengths of an Olympic swimming pool! Rebecca Eyles - Approved Driving Instructor www.lockerleydriving.co.uk

BULK LPG - PARISH BUYING SCHEME FLOGAS, Britain’s second largest LPG supplier, operate Parish Buying Schemes where individual customers are offered significant (Group) discounts on BULK LPG deliveries. Additionally, those transferring from other LPG suppliers or from bottled supplies, Oil or Solid fuels are incentivised with £100 worth of gas .There is no charge for switching and FLOGAS undertake all transfer arrangements. The only criterion for existing bulk LPG customers is that you must be out of contract with your present supplier.

ROMSEY’S EXPERT PICTURE FRAMERS At 46, The Hundred, Romsey

01794 516479 www.firstfloorgallery.co.uk Est 1982

Fully qualified fine art trade guild commended framers expert framing advice and design service A family business built on reputation and success.

www.firstfloorgallery.co.uk

This Facility is being offered to residents in Sherfield, Awbridge, Wellow and Plaitford. This will operate in a similar way to the Parish Oil purchase schemes but customers will have the facility of ordering direct to FLOGAS via a parish code rather than through local organisers. For full details and an information sheet please ring Eric on 01794 340879. Eric Hounslow

AWBRIDGE EVENING W.I. In October our speaker was Lt. Cdr Mike Hill who served for 3 1/2 years aboard the Royal Yacht Brittannia in the 1960’s. He told us how the plans for the yacht had been put on hold on the death of King George V, but went ahead in 1952. The Queen herself took a great deal of interest in the development and furnishing of the yacht and finally performed the launching ceremony in 1954. He had sailed aboard Brittannia to many ports in the British Empire and had fascinating illustrations and tales to tell of life on board the ‘Silent Ship’. Avril Piper brought along her delightful scarecrow made from recycled items which had been displayed at the Romsey Show. Various members had attended the Big Breakfast and birthday lunch, both held at Bramshaw and the Group meeting at Houghton. Three members had also joined Mottisfont and Dunbridge’s enjoyable trip to Oxford. The skittles team were ready for the Group contest, and members were reminded of the Produce Meeting on 29th October. Trips in the pipeline are to Bath, a mini-break in Matlock and a visit to London for the festive lights and other activities. Next month we welcome our good friend, May Martin for an evening of Christmas preparations; visitors will be most welcome to join us on 8th November at 7.30pm Yvonne Goodridge Page 11 | November 2012

Curry and Quiz Night Late afternoon on the 14th October the Village Hall was recovering from the chaos and mess that had been my son, Ben’s, sixth birthday party. Within a very short time a small platoon of helpers led by Fred and Lynda had transformed it to an Indian banqueting hall. Posters of Asian elephants, Indian scenery and banquets looked down on tables beautifully laid with colourful cloths. After a quick cup of tea back at home and a chance to catch my breath from the party, Joss and I made our way back to the Village Hall to meet up with Katy, Phil, Colin, Theresa and two friends from Romsey. Tickets had sold out for the Curry and Quiz night and the hall was packed with a hundred villagers with a healthy appetite and brains ready to be given a mental workout. Deon had been hard at work setting the questions, some not too bad but others too tricky for my little brain. The question sheets had been printed in top secrecy to prevent any illicit foreknowledge getting round Awbridge. We christened our team “Dr Don’t No” as almost all our table were employed at Southampton General Hospital. Whilst Lynda and her team of skilled chefs cooked the feast we set about trying to answer dingbats, recall our school days’ geography (even though half the countries seem to have changed since I was at school!) and figure out whether the cute kid in the photo was either Robbie Williams, Brad Pitt or was it even Marilyn Monroe? Poppadums and chutneys made way for really delicious chicken, beef and vegetable curries. Washing the lovely food down with the beer and wine we’d brought unfortunately only made our answers less intelligent as the night went on! Well, we struggled and did our best and reluctantly handed in our answer sheets. The cunning plan to unashamedly cheat on the marking was therefore scuppered. Nigel did a great job of revealing the tricky answers and several brows were slapped as the answers were revealed. How had we not got that one right? Are you sure that’s the right answer? Please can we have half a mark for that one? Well, scores were returned and I’m afraid we didn’t win, but we didn’t come last either and got away without having to stand in the corner of the room with a dunce cap on. It was a brilliant night and on behalf of the village I’d like to pass on our great thanks to Fred, Lynda, Deon, Nigel, Laura and particularly all the ladies and gents who worked so hard in the kitchen.

D.A.WHEELER LTD. GENERAL BUILDING & MAINTENANCE • • • • • • • • •

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AWBRIDGE HAS GOT TALENT

AWBRIDGEʼS GOT

Simon Hughes

Awbridge Village Hall – Door Locks Anyone who has booked the wonderful village hall of late may have had difficulties unlocking the front door. It is a sign of the wear and tear (perhaps due to the popularity of the venue?) of the lock, and finally it has had to be replaced. As of 23rd October 2012, the new lock will be installed. If you still have a key for the old lock, it of course will no longer work in the door – please don’t think it is just the lock being temperamental as once before and try to force it! New keys will be available from that date, with a returnable deposit of £5 to be paid each time a key is obtained. Thank you for your co-operation.

Saturday 2nd February 2013 at Awbridge Village Hall By popular demand, ADVA is running a Children’s Talent Show in the Spring. Entries are open to school age (i.e. 5 to 16 years old) although discretion will be given to those starting school under 5 due to where their birthday falls. If you think you have a talent and wish to enter, please can you contact Laura Hailwood-Thomas on 342020. ADVA reserves the right to “buzz” and say no if we have too many entries, so enter now to avoid disappointment! We are also looking for impartial and unbiased judges, especially those with no connection to any school age children likely to enter. If you have any suggestions as to suitable candidates, please can you let Laura know also.

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e h t n i r o t a l l i r b i f e d a s a h e g d i ! e s u Awbr n a c e n o y n a t a h t l l a H e g a l l Vi Call 999. Push Hard and Fast in the centre of the chest. Visit bhf.org.uk ©British Heart Foundation 2012, a registered charity in England & Wales (225971) and Scotland (SC039426)

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My First Triathlon Quiz Night Fundraising for our Volunteering Trip to Kenya

Friday 23rd November at Awbridge Village Hall 7 for 7.30pm £10 adults / £8 children to include Ploughman’s Supper In January this year an email was circulated at work inviting staff members to sign up for the Virgin Active London Triathlon. The charity that B&Q had chosen to sponsor was UK Youth and any monies raised would go to them. I was already aware of the great work that UK Youth do to help young people to become confident, responsible citizens and I was tempted, really tempted….. but instead I pressed the delete button and carried on with my work! It wasn’t until a few weeks later when Claire, a colleague of mine, said she was going to do the triathlon and did I fancy the challenge? I should at this juncture point out that Claire is 20 years younger than me, but discrimination is not tolerated in my job and I agreed, after all a lot could happen in 8 months. We were joined by some enthusiastic teammates and started a running club, no matter what the weather we’d trundle out and do a quick 3 mile circuit. As the months ebbed by we realised we needed open water swimming experience, so we ordered matching wetsuits from eBay and headed off to the Eastleigh lakes. We’d swim early on a Saturday morning (in fact I’d get home before my family had even got out of bed) which was a surprisingly invigorating experience. I practiced my cycling on my own, usually heading for the New Forest to a friend’s house, sometimes to be followed by a run, but often just coffee! By the beginning of September I felt prepared and eager to complete the mission, but with all good stories things didn’t quite go to plan! A fortnight before the day of the race I managed to slip getting out of the lake and fell down hard on my knee. I knew it was bad when I peeled off my wetsuit only to find I had a stone still lodged in my leg! A course of antibiotics and a reassuring nod from the Doc did the trick and by the 22nd I was raring to go. After arriving at the vast Excel building by Victoria Dock and racking my bike, I headed over to the swim start for the safety talk and team brief. The water in the dock was pretty cold, but once the race was started I was more concerned about avoiding flying limbs and remembering to breathe. I managed the swim in pretty good time but found I was very light headed when I got out. I took my time getting my wetsuit off and made sure I was well hydrated before heading off on my bike. The 20k ride flew by remarkably quickly and after the required 2 laps it was onto the run. Running should have been my easiest discipline as I’m out pounding the streets on a regular basis, but I was getting tired. The volunteers, spectators and fellow athletes gave invaluable encouragement and I plodded my way round the 2 lap course. I even managed a final burst to the finishing line!! Not quite a record breaker but I thought 1 hour 56 minutes wasn’t too bad. My friends and family who came to support me were fantastic, hearing them calling out my name and enthusiastically waving as I passed by made the total experience tremendously satisfying. But the most rewarding part for me was hearing my children say “I’m going to do that when I’m older”! Amanda Hanson

Please bring your own drinks! To book your table (8 per team), please contact Vanessa on 340908 or email: vanessa.longman@virgin.net. Thank you! From Fergus, Georgie, Caitlen, Grace & Izi

Romsey Deanery Shoebox Service for

Operation Christmas Child

Sunday 18th November, 3.00pm All Saints Church, Braishfield Bring your friends, families and your gift-filled shoeboxes to our annual Deanery service. Followed by refreshments and a chance to help load the van. For info contact: Mary Savage 367908 or e-mail savage@choiceplants.freeserve.co.uk or see www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk UK charity no 1001349 Page 15 | November 2012

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Awb ridge

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

V I L L A G E

Diary

Date

Event

Venue

Time

Thursday 01 November

Parish Council Meeting

Awbridge Village Hall

7.30pm

Tuesday 06 November

ADVA Meeting

Awbridge Village Hall

7.30pm

Thursday 08 November

Website Workshop

Awbridge Village Hall

7.30pm

Saturday 10 November

Shoebox Coffee Morning

Awbridge Village Hall

10am

Thursday 15 November

Newsletter Deadline

Friday 23 November

Kenya Fundraising Trip - Quiz Night

Awbridge Village Hall

TBC

Tuesday 04 December

ADVA Meeting

Awbridge Village Hall

7.30pm

Wednesday 05 December

Village Christmas Lunch

Awbridge Village Hall

12 Noon

Friday 07 December

Midnight is a Place - Forest Forge

Awbridge Village Hall

7.30pm

Saturday 15 December

Newsletter Deadline

Saturday 15 December

Nativity at the Farm

Butlers Wood Farm

6pm

Monday 17 December

Carol Singing

War Memorial

6.45pm

Friday 21 December

ADVA Children's Disco

Awbridge Village Hall

6pm

2013

Monday 7th January

Indoor Bowls

Awbridge Village Hall

TBC

Saturday 02 February

Children's Talent Show

Awbridge Village Hall

TBC

Monday 11th February

Indoor Bowls

Awbridge Village Hall

TBC

Ingredients with Ian Ian Wooldridge, Head Chef at Kimbridge Farm, with your Seasonal & Local Produce Recipe

POACHED PEARS WITH CINNAMON MASCARPONE This recipe makes the most from the autumn ‘fall’ of fruit. A simple, but most effective dessert for finishing of a dinner party. Serves 6 people. Shopping List: 300ml of ruby port 300ml of full-bodied red wine Juice of 1 lemon and a large strip of rind 4 heaped dessertspoons of cranberry sauce 1 large cinnamon stick 1 vanilla pod, split in half & seeds scraped out 6 medium sized, ripe but firm dessert pears 6 heaped dessertspoons of mascarpone A large pinch of ground cinnamon plus extra for serving How to make it: Pour the port and wine into a pan. Add the lemon juice and rind, cranberry sauce, cinnamon stick and the seeds from the vanilla pod. Bring to the boil and cook for a minute or so until the cranberry sauce

dissolves in the liquid. Peel the pears, leaving the stems intact and slice the bottoms so that they stand up straight. If peeling the pears beforehand, you will need to rub them with half a lemon so they don’t turn brown. Stand the pears in a saucepan so that they fit snuggly together and then pour over the port mixture. Bring back to the boil and then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cover the pan and poach the pears for approximately 30 minutes, spooning the liquid over frequently until tender. The exact poaching time will depend on the size and firmness of the pears. The pears are cooked when pierced easily with a skewer. Now remove the pears with a slotted spoon leaving the liquid in the pan. Bring the liquid to the boil for about 10-15 minutes until reduced and syrupy. Strain through a sieve into a jug and allow to cool. In a bowl, add the mascarpone and mix in thoroughly the ground cinnamon. To serve, place each pear into a shallow bowl and pour a little of the port reduction over and then a spoonful of the cinnamon mascarpone on the side. Finally, a little sprinkling of ground cinnamon over just to finish it off!

Please remember to mention Awbridge News when responding to any adverts in the newsletter Page 17 | November 2012

Awb ridge

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

V I L L A G E