Newsletter october 2014 by Deon Tucker

FREE

Awbridgenews

Awbridge District Village Association

October 2014

Don’t forget the annual

Curry & Quiz Night 15th November - 7.30pm at Awbridge Village Hall Enjoy a two course meal including a choice of three different curries plus all the usual extras! Please bring your own drinks! The quiz will be organised in tables and will take place during the meal - try and beat the winners from last year! Tickets priced at £12.50 each Available now from Amanda Tel 340899

WIN A LUXURY HAMPER!!

Awbridge

Village

Produce Show

2014

The show was a great success despite the weather being against us!

Awb ridge V I L L A G E

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 Martin Thomas 1 Spring Field, Romsey Road - 342020 Paul Jameson Forest View, Kents Oak - 340118 Deon Tucker Bryn Gower, Romsey Road - 340230 Alex Hillier Forest View, Kents Oak - 340118

Advertising

Lynda Tucker Chanwel House, Romsey Road - 340709 Sally McLellan Coles Farm Cottage - 522402 James Child 4 Cowleas Close - 341980 Kay Murrant Old Police House, Danes Road - 340289 Paul Harvey Rowlands Barn, Dunbridge Lane - 341259 Amanda Hanson 1 Woodlands, Saunders Lane - 340899 Simon Hughes Awbridge Farm Cottage - 341783

Joss Hughes Awbridge Farm Cottage - 341783 Toby Jones Pluto House, Romsey Road - 341105 Melanie Jones Pluto House, Romsey Road - 341105 ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Peter Allen, Sandra Tebbett, Katy Stimson

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.

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available online Archives of Awbridge News are now available on the village website for anyone to view or download for personal use.

** The deadline for the next edition will be 15th October **

Page 2 | Oct 2014

From the Editor

Solent Amateur Astronomers

I thoroughly enjoyed looking at the different and amazing things people had produced at the produce show! I had a go myself, baking some cheese scones which needed two attempts, and then I only managed to get them entered on time with a few seconds to spare. It was quite an adrenaline rush to be honest. I can only imagine what it must be like for those on TGBBO! Many thanks to everyone who entered.

Solent Amateur Astronomers are a local society with an observatory at Toothill. Each month we open to allow the public to be able to use our telescope. After a long spell of adverse weather, we were lucky enough to be able to open last month. Our visitors saw a nice selection of objects through our telescope. This month we open on the 3rd and 4th at 19:30 weather permitting.

Martin Hailwood-Thomas - Editor Awbridge News

From the Chairman’s Pen After a very difficult growing year it all worked out in the end. The village show was another great success after all the watering, weeding and encouraging of the plants and produce to provide a great turn out. A big thank you to all who took part and helped to make the day a winning formula. If you did not get round to taking part why not have a go next year. We look forward to seeing you at our next events: the Curry and Quiz night and our Shoebox coffee morning - details in the magazine. Fred - Chairman ADVA

100 Club

Sky Notes MERCURY will come into view during the second half of this month in the east just before sunrise. Look to the east in the predawn twilight. VENUS is lost to view as it approaches superior conjunction (on the far side of the Sun) on the 25th. MARS is low in the west after sunset. Starting Ophiuchus it then moves into Sagittarius on the 21st. JUPITER is in Cancer and rising about 02:00. Jupiter will move into Leo on the 13th. SATURN is now setting in the evening twilight and will be in conjunction with the Sun next month. URANUS comes to opposition on the 7th and is visible all night. NEPTUNE is visible all evening in Aquarius. This month, the Moon will be at First Quarter on the 1st, Full on the 8th, at Last Quarter on the 15th, New on the 23rd and at First Quarter again on the 31st. There are two eclipses this month. The first a total lunar eclipse visible from Asia and Australia on the 8th and a partial solar eclipse on the 23rd visible from Canada and North America. Greenwich Mean Time starts on the 26th, so don’t forget to put your clocks back one hour. For more information about Solent Amateur Astronomers the club can be contacted through any of the following.

Results of the September 100 Club draw were

Club website: www.delscope.demon.co.uk. My website: www.toothill. org Tel: Pete Cutler 079 8990 4575. E-mail: nastropete@toothill.org

1st Prize Arthur Jones £25

CLEAR SKIES Pete Cutler

2nd Prize Amanda Hanson £20 3rd Prize Christine Carter £15 Next draw will be in November, including our bonus prize ! If you are not already a member and would like to join, please contact Nigel Hemsted on 01794 340986 Nigel Hemsted

Open Morning and World’s Biggest Coffee Morning

Awbridge Village Christmas Lunch & Carols 2014 Would you like to join friends and neighbours from the village for Christmas Lunch?

Thursday 16th October 9.30am to 12noon We would like to invite the local community and all current and prospective parents to visit our school on Thursday 16th October. This will be an opportunity to meet the staff, tour the school and see the children in their learning environment. We are supporting the MacMillan World’s Biggest Coffee Morning on this day and refreshments will be served in the main hall. Please come and see what Lockerley School offers. We look forward to welcoming you. Online applications for children starting school in September 2015 can be made at: www.hants.gov.uk/admissions For further details please contact Julie Black, the School Admin Officer on 01794 340485 or call into school. Julie Black

12 noon at Awbridge Village Hall

Wednesday 10th December £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 4th December. 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. Page 3 | Oct 2014

All Saints Awbridge - October ‘14 We have just celebrated Harvest so thank you for all your generous donations which have been given to Southampton City Mission and to Turn on the Tap, for decorating the church so beautifully at harvest time with a World War 1 theme and for the wonderful harvest lunch provided by our social committee in the village hall. God is good all the time, all the time God is good. In August we welcomed Emily Godfrey and in September we welcomed Katherine Emily Chase as they were baptised into the church family. Messy Church: we have just had a great “Love your World” Messy Church in Awbridge with wildlife & natural crafts including a visit to the conservation area & collecting tree leaves with Bryan Raines (24 different ones were found by Thomas from the village). Our next Messy Church will be on Sunday 12 October: Love God - come and find out more at Braishfield Church Room, 2 30 – 5pm; families welcome, fun, messy activities, celebration and feast, contact Pepe Alexander 340386 for further information. The following Messy Church will be on Sunday 30 November at the Jubilee Hall, Timsbury, 2 30pm – 5pm – Jesus Light of the World as we start to make preparations for welcoming the birth of Jesus. Operation Christmas Child: Good News Great Joy: It is now time to be thinking about making up our shoeboxes. In Awbridge there will be a special coffee morning promoting Operation Christmas Child on Saturday 8 November 10 – 12 noon at the village hall, sponsored by ADVA. Do come along with your completed boxes or bring items to go in boxes so we can make up some more. You should have received a leaflet on how to make up a shoebox with your ADVA newsletter. If you need an empty shoebox we have some at Awbridge Church and Choice Plants. The children of Awbridge School are also collecting for Operation Christmas Child. For more info see http:// www.samaritans-purse.org.uk/what-we-do/operation-christmaschild/ or contact Mary Savage 01794 367908 or email: savage@ choiceplants.freeserve.co.uk. In November we will have our annual Romsey Deanery Shoebox Service on Sunday 16 November, at 3pm, this year at at St Mary’s Church, Broughton. Craft & Chat: this craft session is going really well, meeting in the committee room of the village hall, fortnightly on Fridays, 10-12 noon. Bring your own craft or come and learn some new skills. Please contact Sue Franklin 322185 for more information. Young Church Awbridge: we are still looking at how to continue Young Church in Awbridge, and we are currently praying for a way forward for this important work. If you would like your family to be involved please contact Mary Savage 01794 367908 email: savage@ choiceplants.freeserve.co.uk. Advance dates: Operation Christmas Child: Saturday 8 November coffee morning at the village hall. Remembrance Sunday 9 November: A service will be held in Awbridge school hall at 10.15 am (not at church) which is then followed by the wreath laying ceremony at the village war memorial at 11.00 am. Our Nativity in the Barn event will be held on Saturday 13 December at 6 00 pm, at Butlers Wood Farm by kind permission of the Hillier family. Worship and Events in Awbridge in October Sunday 5 October 9 30 am Holy Communion 6 30 pm First Service Page 4 | Oct 2014

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Sunday 12 October 9 30 am Morning Worship & Young Church 2 30 pm Messy Church “Love God” at Braishfield Ch Rm Sunday 19 October 9 30 am Holy Communion Sunday 26 October 9 30 am Family worship + Operation Christmas Child Sunday 2 November 9 30 am Holy Communion 6 30 pm First Other Activities for October Five Alive Fellowship Mon 6 October “Hearing” with Debbie Sacree 7 30 pm Btaishfield Ch Room Prayer Group Meets twice a month in Romsey, prayer requests to John Twigg 521966 or via prayer request box in church. Tuesday Housegroup Tues 21 October 7 45 pm Rosemary Croft contact J Twigg 521966 Wednesday Housegroup Wed 8 & 22 October 7 45 pm Chanwel House, Awbridge. Contact Fred Tucker 340709 Thursday Housegroup Thurs 9 &23 October 7 45 pm 27 Barnes Close, W Wellow, Sue Franklin 322185 Awbridge Lunch Club Wed 8 & 22 October 12 noon at church rooms contact Delia Dutton 340395 The Ark Baby & 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: contact one of the wardens 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

Lunchtime staff at Lockerley School

Awbridge Primary School - October

Do you have an hour to spare in the middle of the day? If so, we would love to hear from you!

Wednesday 1st - 3rd Minstead Residential Trip Year 4

We are looking to appoint caring people to join our team of lunchtime staff at Lockerley Primary School. Duties include supervising children while they eat their lunch, encouraging good table manners and supervising lunchtime play outside (and indoors if the weather is poor). You will be required to take an active role in ensuring that children have an enjoyable and safe lunchtime.

Tuesday 7th ‘Friends’ meeting at Annies Tea rooms @ 2pm

Please contact our Admin Officer Mrs Julie Black on 01794 340485 for further details and an application form. Visits to the school are most welcome.

Thursday 2nd Willow class to Awbridge Park Wednesday 8th Open Morning for Prospective new parents Monday 13 ‘Friends’ Wine and cheese, for the PTA AGM 6.30pm Tuesday 14th Cross Country yrs 3,4,5 & 6 @ Cupernham Junior Sch 4 – 5pm Thursday 16th Harvest Festival @ 2.45pm Parents welcome Wednesday 15th Willow Class trip to Longleat 8.30 coach depart Tuesday 21st Open Afternoon for Prospective new parents

Julie Black

Awbridge Parish Council Chair: Mark Caplen 342315

mcaplen@googlemail.com

Councillors: Peter Allen 342040 Peter Milani 523066 Pam Harvey 341259 Paul Legon 340539 Bryan Raines 368435

allen609@btinternet.com peter.r.milani@googlemal.com pam.harveyp@gmail.com legon@btinternet.com bryan@uraines.plus.com

Clerk: Ian Milsom 07745411274 awbridgeclerk36@googlemail.com

Friday 17th School Disco Monday 27th – Friday 31st Half term Friends of Awbridge School (PTA) are looking for a new Treasurer. If you would like to take up this honorary role please let us know. It will involve keeping the accounts up to date, banking and counting up floats for stalls. If you are interested please contact Kerry Daley on kerry2177@gmail.com or on 07824 905168. For more information on the school please visit the website at www. awbridge.hants.sch.uk.

Parish Council Website http://communities.hants.gov.uk/awbridge-index

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Page 5 | Oct 2014

Messy Church – Explorers! The theme for this month’s Messy Church at Awbridge Village hall was ‘Love Your World’. We live in a beautiful area and so it was lovely to spend much of the afternoon outside enjoying our environment. As part of the activities, families were taken on a walk around the conservation area by Brian Raines. Brian told us that there are 35 different species of trees in the woods and challenged the children to collect as many different leaves as possible from the various trees. Even Bryan was amazed that within half an hour or so one of the children, Thomas, had managed to collect 24 out of the 35 species! He was given a beautiful wooden mushroom, turned by Brian.

Our next fund raising effort will be a Horse Racing Evening with a difference, to be held on 25th October at 7.30pm. Tickets, including a ploughman’s supper from 340067 or 341934, - it promises to be great fun! Next month we have a cookery demonstration by Judith Long who is an old friend to many and whose dishes are easy to make and always delicious; so come along and join us on 9th October, we welcome visitors and new members. Yvonne Goodridge

Other activities included making wild bird feeders, mini fruit made of icing, dragonflies from old socks and a mini aquarium! (Amazing what can be done with a jam jar and plasticene). After all the activities there was a time of reflection and worship, thanking God for all the trees, plants and flowers and all the creatures on land , sea and in the air. Remembering the important role we humans have in taking care of our world. Thomas at Messy Church

Family Football Fun For All at the Village Hall - Saturdays at 2.30 Family Footy Fun in Awbridge! Some local Dads & Kids (Girls and Boys) are getting together on Saturdays at 2.30pm @ the Village hall field for an informal kick about, all welcome, just pitch up!

Kindling Wood

For more info contact the Careys 341273, or Simon on 341783.

Kindling Wood £Kindling 3 a bag ! Wood

Finally, a picnic tea was enjoyed outside in the sunshine, making the most of the Indian summer.

£ £33aa bag bag! !

The next Messy Church in the Benefice is on 12 October, 2:30pm at Braishfield Church Room. All families are very welcome to join us. Pepe Alexander

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

Adam & Jacob’s pocket money project

Awbridge Evening W I - September Awbridge members were quite literally ‘in stitches’ when Joyce Meader, a very amusing speaker, regaled us with the history of knitting from 1800 to the present day. Illustrating her talk with dozens of items which she had hand knitted herself and which she passed among us, Joyce made everyone realise what an important part knitting played in the well-being of our country both in peace and war. She also showed examples of knitting from around the world and had examples of knitting patterns dating back to 1817, which are now worth a great deal and are sought after by enthusiasts everywhere. Final arrangements were made for the Afternoon Tea in aid of Macmillan Cancer Care to be held later in the month, and for the trip to London with a guided walk on Barrow Boys and Bankers. Several members are to attend Mottisfont and Dunbridge’s Apple Pie and coffee morning and Bramshaw’s Birthday Party, and the skittles team are ready for action at the Group contest. Some members were lucky in the ballot for tickets to hear Michael Portillo speak at the Council Meeting in Basingstoke in October.

Page 6 | Oct 2014

Clean pinewood for and bat boxes etc Clean pinewood for bird bird and bat boxes etc

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Awbridge Neighbourcare 0845 094 6155

The village lunch held on Wednesday 24th September at the village hall was well attended and everyone enjoyed a friendly chat over a delicious meal. The last village lunch of the year will be the Christmas lunch on Wednesday 10th December. This is always a special event with a full Christmas dinner and all the trimmings for a cost of only £6 per person. Why not put the date in your diary now? Volunteering is very worthwhile and as well as fulfilling a need in society it also promotes personal well-being. Awbridge Neighbourcare relies on volunteers to provide transport for villagers who would otherwise find it difficult to attend appointments. A friendly face and a chat can be very reassuring for someone waiting in a doctors’ surgery or hospital clinic. Please consider becoming a volunteer for Awbridge Neighbourcare. More information is available by calling the duty co-ordinator on 0845 094 6155. NEIGHBOURCARE ARRANGEMENTS - 0845 094 6155

that I discovered that I had missed out on recording the presence of a species for which there is largely an absence of records Citrine wagtails turning up in Britain are very infrequent and often years apart, however around the 28th August there were several reported sightings, one in Lancashire and another in Cornwall, with a further sighting in the Outer Hebridies a few days later. There are three other species of wagtail that have been recorded in the area of the nature sanctuary, these include resident pied and grey wagtail as well as migratory yellow wagtail from Africa which sadly are on the decline and have not been seen in the area of the wildlife sanctuary for the last four years. Britannia The “Sc” in Scotland is the same“sc” in scalp, whereas the “Man” in Manchester derives of the mammary. The Pennines is of the spine, whereas the heart is in Hertfordshire. Entering into Wessex, the old name for Cirencester was Corinium or the core inner, Avebury was of the navel and Winchester, Venta Belgarum or the vent to the belly town.

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.

The concept of Britain being viewed in female form dates back some 5000 years, however with the arrival of a belief in one God through the belief in Jesus, there was no room for a female goddess called Britannia.

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.

Today we promote ourselves as English, Welsh and Scot, whereas primarily we are all British.

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.

Awbridge Hill Wildlife Sanctuary October 2014 Citrine wagtail turns up in Awbridge. A very rare citrine wagtail turned up on a field pond within the area of the nature sanctuary at mid day on the 28th August, thousands of miles from its normal territory in Russia. The citrine wagtail spends its summer in Siberia then migrates in autumn, southwards to Iran, Pakistan and India. Similar in appearance to a grey wagtail, the citrine wagtail is distinguished by two white bands on its wings; whereas the name “citrine” is descriptive of this bird’s citron [lemon] coloured breast. The appearance of the citrine wagtail, followed the aftermath of Hurricane Cristobel which tracked up towards Scotland, drawing winds and birds on the wing, across the North Sea from Norway. The bird in question was clearly hungry and eager to feed up on insects and only drew my attention due to its very distinctive white wing bands, as it fluttered amongst waterlillies in search of food, several yards from where I was standing. Not realising the significance of this sighting or bothering to take a photo, it was only the following day Page 8 | Oct 2014

Day time hooting tawny owls in Awbridge Over the last few years, whilst working in the woods, I have been surprised to hear tawny owls hooting intermittently during broad daylight at any time in the day, usually as the sun comes out from behind dense cloud. Sometimes other tawny owls some distance away reply with the same “too woo” call. According to research, this day time behaviour of tawny owls is a fairly isolated occurrence, mainly restricted to parts of Southern England and may set these owls apart from the European tawny owl, which remains mute during daylight hours. The behaviour of day time calling by tawny owls, is likely to be associated with the habit of basking in sunlight and the opportunity for adult birds to advertise their presence and perhaps ward off other owls from straying into already established territories. Tawny owl restrict themselves to densely wooded habitats and rarely move more than a miles from their territories. They are reluctant to fly out over water and are believed to have first arrived in Britain 9000 years ago before the land bridge with Europe was severed by rising sea levels. For this reason tawny owl are a species absent from Ireland, which separated from mainland Britain 9500 years ago. In this context, tawny owls resident in Britain are unlikely to have had any genetic exchange with tawny owls on the European mainland, since the time the land bridge with the continent was breached at the end of the last ice age. What is apparent is that day time hooting of tawny owls in Awbridge, is restricted to those owls holding territories in dense woodland away from human disturbance, where their activities go largely unnoticed.

Bryan Raines

Love god Sunday 12 October

Braishfield Church Rm & Ch SO51 0QH

2.30pm - 5pm

Messy Activities • Celebration • feast Messy Church is organised by the churches in our group of 5 parishes, Braishfield Benefice,for all families to attend. Children to be accompanied by parent/carer. For info contact: Kate Orange 367417 mrskateorange@gmail.com or Mary Savage 367908 savage@choiceplants.freeserve.co.uk.

EVENT IS FREE BUT DONATIONS ARE WELCOME Next Messy Church: Sun 30 Nov Jesus Light of the world 2.30 pm Jubilee Hall, Timsbury

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Extracts From Old Parish Magazines In August I told you that some old Parish Magazines had come into my possession, several predating WW1. So I related the views of our then local vicar - the Rev A B HARGRAVE - at the outbreak of those hostilities. Today, on a rather lighter note, I thought you might like to share a couple of extracts from early 1914 both of which have a direct link to subjects I have touched on in former editions of the ‘Past Times!’ articles.

Wall Stickers

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The ‘Almost’ Birth of a Temperance Society? Awbridge has never had a public house. When I was a child I was always led to believe that this was due to opposition from a long established local family who were strict ‘Chapel’ members. They were apparently firm teetotallers at a time when many other people also frowned on the evils of ‘the demon drink!!’ It is, therefore, not surprising that we find in the April 1914 issue - at this time the magazine seems to have been published quarterly - the following:‘All Saints Church, Awbridge

April 1914

During the last three months the ‘Old School’ has been used as a Club Room on Monday and Wednesday evenings. Mrs Tragett, to whom the ‘Old School’ belongs, very kindly allows us to make use of it for this purpose, and Mr and Mrs Thurston have given very generous support towards meeting the necessary expenditure. On the whole, I think that may be considered a successful endeavour up to the present. We shall, of course, discontinue the Club during the Summer months, and it will soon be time to call a halt. I think we may expect greater numbers next Autumn, and I am sure we shall all do our best to make them welcome to the Club. I have for some time been wondering whether we could do anything in this parish in the way of Temperance Work. I have very little experience of such work, and so I should be glad of all the help that can be given. This is one way of helping - anyone who would care to join a Temperance Society might just tell me so; it would be an enormous help, and would give us a good start, if a few men and lads would come forward before we actually make a start. This would enable us to have a meeting and talk it all over. A B Hargrave, Vicar.’ Comment:-The ‘Old School’ referred to here is quite clearly the forerunner of Awbridge Primary School which I have previously mentioned. We now know, of course, that it was situated at ‘Halfcote’ in Danes Rd - the present home of John and Julie Bessey. I think we might, in the future, see if we can find out any more about the early history of this institution. Looking at the 1851 census for Awbridge in the Hants Record Office recently I noticed that a rather elderly lady - she was then in her eighties - being being called ‘the ex-schoolmistress’ of our original school. If this is correct then it must have been founded quite early in the 19th century. This may not be as improbable as seems at first sight. Quite clearly the Tragetts, who lived at Awbridge Danes and had provided early clergy for Awbridge Church, also still owned ‘The Old School’ in 1914 and were allowing it to be used as a sort of ‘Village Hall’. It is very likely, as was the case in many other villages, that this wealthy local family had originally endowed the first Awbridge School out of their own funds and then provided money to employ a teacher. ‘All Saints Church, Awbridge

June 1914

Baptism - 26th April 1914 Albert Edward, son of Frank William and Lydia Marie Hatcher of Newtown, Lockerley I am now able to announce the arrangements which have been made for the preliminary steps in starting a Temperance Society in Awbridge. A public meeting will be held in the ‘Old School’ on Monday evening, 8th June, at 8 o’clock, and all persons of both sexes who are over 14 years of age are invited to attend. The speaker will be the Reverend F G Hume, Rector of Church Oakley, Basingstoke, and I shall have

www.deondesign.co.uk

the privilege of being in the chair, and of having the support of E H C Thurston Esq. The Temperance Society will be started some time after this meeting has been held. It will not be started at the meeting, so that those who attend the meeting will still be able to join the Society, or not, just as they please. I can only express the hope that we shall have a thoroughly good meeting, and that all of us who care in the least for the cause of Temperance, will make a great effort to come, and give a cheering reception to Mr Hume. A B Hargrave, Vicar.’ Comments:- There is, unfortunately as you already know, no existing report of the above meeting which should have been in the September issue. By then, of course, international affairs had sadly overtaken such mundane events as the setting up of a local Temperance Society! And following over 4 years of conflict a war-weary population had by 1918 other, more important, things on their minds than reviving old ideas. Even the ‘Old School’ seems to have lost its appeal as the village ‘Club House’. Within less than a decade 2 fitting memorials to ‘The Fallen’ of WW1 had been erected in our village - our War Memorial, of course, and also a spanking new Village Hall!! Accounts of fund raising efforts for these, are also recorded in those early parish magazines, and I shall be relating them soon. I’m pleased to say those magazines are proving a very valuable source of local history. What a pity there are such large gaps in their number as they could have revealed so much more of interest. Anne Head-Jones

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Operation Christmas Child

“Operation Christmas Child: Good News Great Joy Here is an amazing story from a 12 year old, from a poor family in South Asia who received a shoebox last year: “My father makes bricks in a factory and I also make bricks with my family. I have never been to school, church or Sunday school. Last month I asked my parents for new shoes because my old ones were ruined, but they didn’t have any extra money. I was upset and angry. A few days later I received a shoebox gift at the local church. When I opened the box I was amazed to see a pair of beautiful shoes that were my size and some other lovely gifts also I was able to attend school with other children in my village. I am so thankful to God and those families who send these gifts to us from a country faraway.” We can’t identify the country or location for safety reasons but a wonderful story brought about by a shoebox gift, especially as we don’t suggest shoes are actually put in the boxes! Once again it is the season for preparing shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child and you will have a leaflet with October’s issue of ADVA news. This is the world’s largest children’s Christmas project, in 2013 nearly 10 million shoeboxes were distributed by the Christian relief and development organisation Samaritan’s Purse of which 918,000 were from the UK . We would love to encourage as many people as possible from Awbridge to get really involved this year and we are holding our shoebox coffee morning on Saturday 8 November 10 00 am – 12 noon, in the village hall, kindly sponsored by ADVA. Please bring completed boxes, items for boxes and come & help to make them on the day. The annual Romsey Deanery Shoebox Service this year is being held in the village of Broughton, at St Mary’s Church, on Sunday 16 November, at 3 pm. Leaflets are available at Choice Plants and Awbridge Church & other resources including knitting patterns can be downloaded from www.samaritans-purse.org.uk/what-we-do/operation-christmaschild/. We are always in need of empty, medium-sized shoeboxes, please drop these off at Choice Plants or Awbridge Church, if you have spare ones. Thank you. Mary Savage volunteer for Samaritan’s Purse, for more information please contact 01794 367908 or email: savage@choiceplants. freeserve.co.uk.

Thatching............ I imagine most of us appreciate good craftmanship and excellent work so those of us who have been lucky to have passed or been able to visit the Blue Hayes Restaurant, Shootash during the last few weeks would have had the opportunity to admire the new thatched roof being put in place by a team of six “Thatchers” from the West Country. The complete assignment involves ten tons of Combed Wheat/straw, all of which has been transported from the Devon and Cornwall area. The company, “Celtic Thatch” is run by the two senior Thatchers, Sam Carnell and Martin French who have over fifty years experience between them. The team have worked in the Hampshire area before but I understand this is the first restaurant that has remained open during the thatchers working hours. The six craftmen have lived on the site for the working period by sleeping in tents in the restaurant Page 12 | Oct 2014

grounds. I managed to catch them during a lunch break and it was obvious that each one was extremely keen and dedicated to their craft. They admitted that many thatched roofs were more expensive than the traditional type of roofing but the insulation and visual attraction was a bonus, especially to a commercial establishment like the Blue Hayes Restaurant. Thatching has been around for hundreds of years and the history can be checked either on line, in many Libraries or museums and even photographic galleries. Sam Carnell was proud to explain that Thatching was one of the earliest forms of roofing and evidence could be found to link it to the Bronze age and even further back than that. Richard Marshall was keen to show me some of the tools, still in use today, copies of the same equipment used hundreds of years ago. One rather vicious looking tool, a climbing frame called a “Biddle” with two large spiked hooks was the main contraption for moving over the Thatched covered rooftop. Richard explained that with just two of these climbing frames a Thatcher could get almost anywhere without any bother or worry. Richard also explained the use of a “ Legate” a tool that looked a little like a metal spade but used more as a mallet for tapping the Wheat/Straw into place. I have to admit that the only part of their equipment I could relate to were the “Spars” and only because Richard explained they were like nails made of wood! The complete and finished thatch is beautiful to look at and cosy to be under. I expect that many visitors to th e Blue Hayes will enjoy the warmth and security in months to come. Many properties that already have thatched roofs will have experienced the extra comfort that becomes available when a structure is allowed to breath but if anyone is planning to try and change from a normal tiled roof be warned that you may have difficulty in getting planning permission and do not be surprised if your insurance cover is substanually increased. Having spent some time talking with the Thatching team I now have some better idea of what is going on and although I still appreciate the beautiful structure and the skill involved in putting a thatched roof in place I think I can now look a little deeper and understand why the workers, the very close team from the West Country are so good at what they do. If I had the ability I would be proud to boast about every strand of wheat or straw I had been able to put in place.

Please remember to mention Awbridge News when responding to any adverts in the newsletter

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Page 13 | Oct 2014

Page 14 | Oct 2014

Diary

ADVERTISE IN THIS NEWSLETTER

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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

Tuesday 07 October

ADVA Meeting

ou cHall ould adv 7.30pm Awbridge Village er

Sunday 12 October

Messy Church

your brooms Braishfield Church usines

Thursday 30 October

Parish Council Meeting

Awbridge Village Hall

Saturday 15 November

Curry and Quiz Night

Awbridge Village Hall

7pm

Thursday 27 November

Parish Council Meeting

Awbridge Village Hall

7.30pm

Wednesday 10 December

Christmas Village Lunch

Awbridge Village Hall See page 2 12 noon

Saturday 13 December

Open-Air Nativity

s. Butlers Wood Farm for full detail 6pm

ADVERTISE IN THIS NEWSLETTER

Time Y

tise

s he2.30pm re

from just

£12

on from

£12

7.30pm

340709

awbridge.news@gmail.com

You coul d adverti se your busine ss here

Awbridge Neighbourcare from just

£12

0845 094 6155

Volunteer Sdrivers needed ee page 2 for Awbridge ull details. for fNeighbourcare please contact

Operation Christmas Child You & your family are invited to pack a shoebox on

Saturday 8 November at Awbridge Village Hall, 10am - 12noon

0845 094 6155

supported by ADVA and Awbridge Church

Do you have someyspare time to take people medical Contact us to NOW! l n o or fother appointments, to help with shopping or collect rom 340709 prescriptions?

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.

£12

awbridge.news@gmail.com

Would you like to help those in our neighbourhood who need transport for these journeys? If so we would like to hear from you. For more information please contact

0845 094 6155

Refreshments and activities provided. Thank you for your support. Advance Notice: Romsey Deanery Shoebox Service, at St Mary’s Church, Broughton, on Sun 16 November, at 3.00 pm

Awbridge Neighbourcare is supported by the

For info contact: Mary Savage 367908 or e-mail savage@ choiceplants.freeserve.co.uk or see www.samaritans-purse.org. uk/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child

www.goodneighbours.org.uk.

UK charity no 1001349 Page 15 | Oct 2014

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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