This time last year Parish News was in serious financial straits, with publication of the December/January issue only made possible by the generous donations of various parish institutions and individuals who wanted to ensure that the magazine remained a viable and vital community amenity.
Over last winter a new Parish News Team was formed, reviewed the magazine’s format and content and decided that, to improve its appeal to readers and help generate more income from advertising, the print edition should be produced in colour. The Team also reviewed the Editorial Policy, print costs and advertising rates and put in place a business plan, which means that the re-formatted magazine, a year down the track, is now back on a much sounder financial footing.
Parish News’s move to colour, the offer to readers of an opportunity to read a virtual copy of the magazine in a flip-page version ‘on-line’ and the development of the magazine’s media platform to include its own social media presence has helped extend its reach, making its entire content more immediately visible to a much wider audience.
And so to this final issue of the year, in which you will find the culmination of our series featuring fascinating information about things and people in the four parishes. This time it’s something a bit different – the story of how, some 66 years ago, a courageous and brave man saved many of Little Maplestead’s residents from death and the Round Church from possible destruction by a Shooting Star. You can find out more on Page 5.
In addition to the regular articles on past and future parish events, gardening, nature notes and information about a number of upcoming social events around Christmas, this issue also contains details of Pebmarsh School’s imaginative initiative to help ameliorate the damaging effects of fast fashion on the planet (Page 13), suggestions of how to Prevent Christmas Crime (Page 29) as well as a breakdown of how Essex County Council’s Household Support Fund can help vulnerable families and pensioners across the county (Page 27).
In closing, our thanks go to all our advertisers, both old and new, who have supported Parish News during 2024 and to everyone who has contributed articles, pictures and information about the events and social activities that make the magazine an essential, eclectic mix of information for anyone wanting to know what is, or has been, going on locally.
Season’s Greetings and a Merry Christmas to you all and here’s hoping for a more settled and peaceful 2025.
We’ll be back in February – until then, take care!
Cover Picture: Oak Tree on Reyes Hill – Morning by Steve Harris
Letter from the Reverend Beverley Vincent
My goodness isn’t the year flying by? I’m mindful for some it’s been a difficult year but whatever the difficulties there are always joys along the way, which we can celebrate. And with celebration in mind, we are heading towards Christmas. I’m still at the point where every time someone mentions it, I cover my ears but by the time you read this I will, I am sure, be brimming with festive spirit!
There are so many dates outlined in this magazine for all sorts of different opportunities for us to enjoy Christmas together and so I am sure I will see many of you in the coming weeks.
I wonder what lies at the heart of Christmas for you. I know you will expect me to say that Jesus is at the heart of Christmas and of course from the moment Mary said yes to the Angel Gabriel this is true. At the heart of Christmas, I would suggest is the love that God has for every person. Whatever you have been through this year God’s love is always present. The love we share with others in the coming weeks from the smallest gesture to the most lavish gift, represents the gift of the divine love poured out for the world in the person of Jesus Christ.
Our beautiful village churches stand as witness to this love expressed through successive generations and we hope you will be able to join us in them at some point over the coming weeks. Whoever you are, you are welcome to join us in church over Christmas and if you find something there you like perhaps you might feel you can join us during the year to come.
Whatever you place at the heart of Christmas this year, I pray that you may know the light of Christ and the love of God expressed through him.
Rev’d Beverley
Church Services in December (January Services are on Page 38)
Sunday 1st 9.30am 9.30am 11.00am
Sunday 8th 9.30am 10.30am 11.00am
Wednesday 11th 6.30pm for 7.00pm
Sunday 15th 10.00am 4.00pm
Morning Prayer
Holy Communion Holy Communion
Holy Communion
Café Church (Christingle)
Holy Communion
Gestingthorpe
Great Maplestead Little Maplestead
Pebmarsh
Great Maplestead Gestingthorpe
Carol Service with the Exaltation! Gospel Choir Gestingthorpe
Benefice Holy Communion Silver Band Carol Concert
Tuesday 17th 7.00pm Carol Service
Wednesday 18th 7.00pm Carol Service
Sunday 22nd 9.30am 11.00am 4.00pm
Tuesday 24th Christmas Eve 4.00pm 10.00pm
Wednesday 25th Christmas Day 9.30am 10.00am 11.00am
Sunday 29th 10.30am
Holy Communion
Morning Worship Compline
Little Maplestead Pebmarsh
Little Maplestead
Great Maplestead
Great Maplestead Pebmarsh
Gestingthorpe
Crib Service Holy Communion Little Maplestead Pebmarsh
BCP Holy Communion
Christmas Worship
Holy Communion
Team Service
Gestingthorpe
Great Maplestead Little Maplestead
Holy Communion Halstead
How Skill and Courage Averted a Tragedy…
At around 11.00am on Sunday 19th October 1958 the residents of Little Maplestead and the Round Church had a close encounter with a Shooting Star. This was no celestial body however but an altogether bigger threat to the community and its church – a crashing jet plane…
Major Douglas Stewart, a USAF officer based at Wethersfield, returning alone from a sortie over Germany, had the engine of his Lockheed T33A ‘Shooting Star’ ‘flame out’ during an instrument approach to the airfield in low cloud. Without engine power, Major Stewart glided down, emerging from the cloud travelling low above the houses in School Road. Just managing to keep his plane airborne, he flew under the telegraph wires at the corner of School and Oak Roads, clipping a hedge before dropping into a field of sugar beet.
The plane slid some 200 yards across the field, killing a stray hare, before a wing caught the fence around the back of the churchyard. It then continued for a further 200 yards or so, eventually coming to rest by the footpath hedge. Major Stewart, shaken but otherwise unharmed, was helped from his plane by parishioners who had been on their way to church.
Major Stewart was invited back to Little Maplestead three weeks later where, following the Armistice Day service, he was given a specially commissioned picture of the church, in a presentation case and signed by practically everyone from the village. As well as being a memento of the incident, the gesture was also to thank Major Stewart and show appreciation for his skill at preventing what could have been a truly tragic disaster.
The inscription on the presentation case read:
By the Grace of God 1958
Major
Douglas Stewart, USAF
This print is presented with grateful thanks by the villagers of Little Maplestead for his courage and fortitude in saving our children, homes and the Round Church from destruction when his aircraft crashed here in open country on Sunday October 19th 1958. Little Maplestead, Essex.
A diorama depicting this incident is in Wethersfield Airfield Museum:
At St John the Baptist Primary School we have been thinking lots about our impact on our amazing planet. In today’s world, it’s easy to overlook the full impact of our everyday choices like the clothes we buy. However, our school community has become increasingly aware of the damaging effects of fast fashion on the planet, particularly the millions of discarded clothes that end up in landfills far from home, affecting communities in Kenya and beyond. This waste, often made of synthetic materials, takes decades to decompose and releases harmful chemicals into the soil and water.
Our Initiatives
To combat this issue, we’re committed to making small, meaningful changes that will create a big difference. Here’s what we’re doing to address this issue right here in our community:
1. Uniform Swap Shop
Our uniform swap shop allows families to donate gently-used uniforms and pick up what their children need at no extra cost. By reusing uniforms rather than purchasing new ones, we’re reducing waste and encouraging families to support each other while making a more environmentally friendly choice.
2. Christmas Jumper Shop
We all love a festive Christmas jumper, but many of us buy new ones each year that we only wear once or twice. This year, we’re setting up a Christmas Jumper Shop, where families can donate last year’s jumpers and find a new (to them!) one for the Christmas. This way, we’re helping each other cut back on consumption, reduce waste, and save money.
Call to Action
As a school, we invite you to think about your own impact and join us on this journey. Small actions, like buying second-hand, reusing items or simply asking: “Do I need this?” can collectively significantly improve our environment. Together, let’s make conscious choices for a more sustainable future.
We warmly invite parish members to consider becoming a School Governor and playing a vital role in the future of our school and its students. As a governor, you would be part of a dedicated team that helps guide our school’s vision, supports our staff, and ensures that every student receives the best education possible. If you’re passionate about the future of our children and want to be part of a team making a positive difference, we’d love to hear from you. Please call us on 01787 269 300 or e-mail: admin@st-john.essex.sch.uk to join us in this rewarding role and help us nurture a bright future for every student in our school community.
We also invite the local community to join us for our School Christmas Fayre on Saturday, 7th December, from 12noon–2.00pm. Come and enjoy festive fun, seasonal treats and holiday cheer for the whole family!
Teresa Gage Head Teacher
Church Warden’s Report
Pebmarsh Church is beginning a busy time of year! We have just marked Remembrance Sunday with our Benefice Service which featured a display of poppies provided and made by the school children. Fifty nine people attended with many staying for refreshments afterwards.
The following Monday saw our traditional gathering at the village war memorial to mark Armistice Day. The school children provided the roll-call and different community groups laid wreaths. Forty five villagers and all the school took part in this Remembrance Service and our thanks go out to all who help to make this possible, especially Martin Elms who plays the Last Post and Reveille each year. The school provided us with refreshments in the school hall afterwards, which many enjoyed.
We are already preparing for Christmas and look forward to decorations arriving, made by the school children, and our tree going up in early December – thank you to Jim Crayston for once again providing the tree.
Posters (below) will soon be going out for our Carol Concert with the Long Melford Silver Band, which takes place on the 15th December at 4.00 pm in the Church this year and then our Christmas Eve Carol Service. The school will be performing their nativity play and their Carol Service to mark the end of term at the church again this year.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank some local families for their very generous donations in the last few months; these included the Harding Payne family, the Chamleys after their enduro event and the Pearsons in memory of their parents. We hope to have a handrail on the front steps in place soon as a memorial to Derek and Betty and the contribution they made to the village in the past.
Our eco church endeavours this year have seen two swift boxes put up and we have been lucky enough to have been given some bird boxes by a member of the community. I hope that we will also be able to provide a new compost area for the graveyard.
Wishing you all a Happy Christmas and joyful New Year.
Sarah Burgess – Pebmarsh Church Warden
Readings
Coffee, Books, Donations and Cake
Gestingthorpe Coffee Mornings & Book Exchange
Our last Coffee Morning & Book Exchange for 2024 will be on:
Friday 13th December, from 10.00am to 12 noon
Please join your friends & neighbours in the Village Hall for tea & coffee and delicious homemade cakes. Also swap or buy a book or two for a £1 each to enjoy over the Christmas holiday period. Our Bookcase is located next to the big window in the small hall.
We are taking a break after Christmas so the first Coffee Morning/Book Exchange of the New Year will be on:
Friday 17th January and fortnightly thereafter.
As always, funds raised at the coffee mornings and from the Book Exchange go towards the running & maintenance of the Village Hall.
Some thankyous:
Macmillan Coffee Morning – 4th October 2024
The Macmillan coffee morning raised a wonderful £330.55 in donations. A further £45.75 was added through Gift Aid. The total of £376.30 will be a great help to Macmillan Cancer Support.
Cake Queens
The Village Hall Management Committee would like to say a big thank you to the fabulous Cake Queens who produce such tasty and beautifully decorated cakes for the fortnightly coffee mornings and the other various fundraisers held in the village throughout the year. All of the bakers are volunteers and take no payment to cover the cost of ingredients used. The Coffee Mornings would not be the success they are without their efforts.
Gardening Corner
Leaves, leaves and more leaves. Like me, I am sure many of you have lawns buried under a carpet of fallen leaves and now is the time to rake up and compost them – apart from walnut and horse chestnut, which need to go in the green bin as they do not rot down easily. Should you rake up leaves into a pile and burn them [hopefully not…] please do make sure there are no hedgehogs hibernating in amongst the debris.
December is a time to tidy up and put items away in the garden. Hose pipes can be drained and hung up in a shed, water butts can be drained especially if they are on a north wall, they can become an enormous ice cube. Empty unused terracotta tubs and pots and store them inside or against a wall or hedge.
With Christmas nearly upon us, if you prefer a ‘live’ tree – Norway Spruce type – it is advisable to place it in a bucket of water for a couple of days before brining it into the house. Avoid placing the tree near a radiator and also place some sort of floor covering under your container to lessen the impact of fallen needles on any carpeting!
My tree of the month for December is Cercis canadensis [Eternal Flame]; this superb tree has burgundy leaves which turn red into autumn before fading to yellows and pinks in the late autumn. A quirk of this particular tree is its pink, pea like flowers on bare branches in early spring. For January I would recommend a pot of hellebores/ borus [Christmas Rose], placed in a pot – the shiny leaves and pendulous flowers herald a touch of spring.
As I stated last month, now is the time to mulch flowers beds with whatever home-made compost you have available. Mulching at this time helps improve the soil and suppresses weeds.
Bring in any tender plants and remember to turn plants in a greenhouse, cold frame or conservatory so they make the most of the short daylight hours – carry out this job every two or three weeks.
Sincere seasonal wishes to you all!
The Arborist
Nature Notes
Walking today (Nov 11th) along Mill Lane, Great Maplestead, I was amazed to see a Common Lizard scuttling across the road in front of me. It was an adult, about 5 inches long and the word scuttling probably flatters it; its progress was slow and it stopped in plain view, only progressing again when I prompted it. I was able to get a short video before it disappeared into the verge.
The second week in November is very late to see a Common Lizard as they have usually hidden away among rock piles, below fallen timber or burrowed into the ground by the end of October, where they hibernate until the warmth of spring entices them out again.
Being reptiles, they are cold-blooded and rely on the heat of the sun to warm them sufficiently to enable then to hunt their food and avoid predators. While they are common enough, they are hard to spot and this is only the second one I’ve seen in just over 7 years in the area. I did report a record of a couple that were seen in a friend’s house in October 2021, presumably looking for a warn cranny in which to hibernate.
After a long murky spell of weather, the beautiful blue sky and sunshine today was welcome and showed the splendour of the autumn leaves to their best. At this time of year small birds gather in parties and move through the woodland together. It is not uncommon to encounter groups with four or five different species – Blue, Great and Long-Tailed Tits intermixed with Chaffinches, Greenfinches and Goldcrests, all chattering and squeaking as they move tirelessly in pursuit of tiny insects and spiders in crevices and among foliage. There must be an advantage to this behaviour, but I am at a loss to think what it might be.
Of course, November is the ‘changing of the guard’ in the bird world, with our summer visitors all gone and birds from the Arctic retreating the icy blasts to over-winter in (relatively) mild Britain. A neighbour has reported Redwings in his garden, but I have yet to see any of these, or their usual companions Fieldfares. When they do come they come in numbers and large flocks are not an uncommon sight.
Less obvious is the increase in numbers of Blackbirds and Song Thrushes, species that also flee the harsher conditions, but are inseparable from our own resident birds. There’s a lot going on out there!
Patch Patroller
Local Activity Notifications for Your Diary
Hedingham Heritage Society
Thursday 5th December
Come along to our Christmas meeting – there will be nibbles, mince pies, punch and ‘A Victorian Magic Lantern Show’.
David Tibbets-Chaplin will be inviting us to take a step back in time this Christmas, with a narration about the Victorian world, images of its people, places, events and the Festive season using some old and fascinating technology – plenty of atmosphere and charm with an original magic lantern.
All welcome - £5 per head for some festive cheer.
Please let Rob, Trudi or Mark know if you are coming.
7.30pm – Castle Hedingham Memorial Hall
>> Our new programme for 2025 will be available at this meeting <<
Friday 27th December
A Christmas Walk in our winter countryside - a circular walk of about 4 miles to the neighbouring parishes of the Maplesteads.
Meet 10.30am – Castle Hedingham Memorial Hall
Thursday 9th January 2025
AGM followed by: ‘Elemental Forces on East Anglian Art’. Artist, Art Historian and Lecturer Bruce Ronaldson will be giving an illustrated talk on the local landscape and its inspiration for many of our famous artists.
7.30pm – Castle Hedingham Memorial Hall
Do join our local and natural history society. Annual membership for 2025 remains at £15.
Members come free to all walks and talks : Non-Members - £5. Everybody is Welcome. Contacts: Rob: 01787 460 664 : Trudi: 01787 462 889 : Mark: 07906 472 636 E-mail: hedinghamheritage@gmail.com or visit www.hedinghamheritage.org.uk
Things to do in the New Year…
Christmas Messages
Little Maplestead Parish Council…
…has met regularly this year to discuss matters relating to planning applications, maintaining the playing field, footpath queries and speed limits within the village.
All of our meeting minutes are available on to read on the village noticeboard as well as on the Parish Council website.
We are lucky to have a stable cohort of councillors, who make a very good team and bring their varied skills to bear on their areas of responsibility.
We are always ready to listen to parishioners with ideas for the playing field and to help wherever we can, with any local issues.
There have been no major matters which have required our attention this year and it just remains to say that we wish everyone a Happy Christmas followed by a healthy and prosperous New Year.
Bill Piper – Parish Council Chairman
St Giles’ Church
We would both like to say a BIG thank you to everybody who has contributed to the life of the church during 2024. We look forward to seeing you at the Christmas services and wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Denise & Paula – St Giles’ Church Wardens
Points to Ponder over Christmas
During this wonderful season, here are a few more things to wonder about…
Can acupuncture cure pins and needles?
Is it true that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, or is it one of Granny's myths?
Binary: is it all or nothing?
The sentence "Are you as bored as I am?" can be read backwards and still make sense.
Would someone with a PhD in palindromes be known as Dr Awkward?
Does the arachnophobia helpline have a website?
Were Adam & Eve the first people not to read the Apple Terms and Conditions?
Is a Dell a computer that can sing?
Is a prison officer who paints portraits of the inmates a con-artist?
If you rip a hole in a net, there are actually fewer holes in it than there were to start with.
If you replace "W" with "T" in "What, Where and When", you get the answer to each of the questions.
Should dynamite have a sell by date in case it goes off?
If poison expires, is it more poisonous or is it no longer poisonous?
Which letter is silent in the word "scent" – the S or the C?
And finally:
If you put "er" on the end of the word short, it becomes both shorter and longer.
ECC Household Support Fund
Essex County Council’s Household Support Fund, introduced under the previous Government, is designed to support vulnerable families across the county. This scheme, whilst replicating much of what was done previously, also recognises the need for additional support following the current Government’s decision to remove the Winter Fuel Allowance from over 300,000 pensioners in Essex. Funding will be available through different access points, including the Essential Living Fund, food support groups, community supermarkets and local voluntary and community sector organisations, including Citizens Advice Bureaux.
As well as specific support for pensioners, funding for families in receipt of free school meals will continue, as will targeted support for young carers and care leavers.
With the £9.4 million support package, ECC is focusing on the following key areas:
£1 million targeted to support low-income pensioners with core costs over the winter month via the Essential Living Fund
£4.5 million for the Essential Living Fund to help with emergency crisis situations
£2.8 million for winter vouchers for families in receipt of free school meals
£100,000 for voluntary and community groups
£250,000 for food support groups
£150,000 for Citizens Advice Bureaux to provide additional support and advice
£80,000 for Community Supermarkets
£37,500 for young carers in Essex
£42,500 for care leavers’ winter hampers and vouchers
£10,000 to support winter warmth schemes working in collaboration with Essex Libraries
£40,000 for marketing and communications to direct residents to find the support available
More information on help with the cost of living can be found at https://www.essex.gov.uk/help-cost-living.
Residents are also urged to contact the Essential Living Fund if they are struggling financially. They can do this and find out more about what support is available by visiting www.southend.gov.uk/extra-financialhelp/essential-living-fund.
Preventing Christmas Crime…
Winter’s dark nights and increased seasonal consumer activity make this time of year particularly lucrative for criminals.
So home and car owners need to take certain common-sense precautions to help mitigate attempts at opportunistic seasonal crime – hopefully, following the 12 steps below will help lead to a happier, crime-free Christmas:
1. If you need to store Christmas food and drink, presents and other goodies in garages and/or outbuildings, ensure they are out of sight and any storage places are secured with good quality, well-fitted locks. Treat your shed to a security alarm.
2. Avoid anything that may tempt window-shopping burglars; don’t leave presents and/or valuables in the house on full view in front of a window
3. Ensure that all your windows and doors are closed and locked before leaving the house. Don’t attract burglars by leaving your home in darkness; have lights on timers and treat yourself to a TV simulator too.
4. Lock any gates to keep unwanted visitors from getting to the rear of your home.
5. Whether on an evening out, or Christmas shopping, keep bags, handbags, wallets and mobiles safe. Busy places make it easier for a sneak thief to be undetected.
6. Park your car safely. Check that it is locked before you leave it and don’t leave valuables and gifts on display.
7. Keep your car keys hidden when they’re in the house, away from doors and windows. Keep any keyless car door and ignition remotes in a Faraday pouch to prevent signals from them being hi-jacked to open, start and steal your car.
8. When you leave the house and find your car all iced up, don’t start and leave it unattended with the engine running to deice it. It only takes a second to steal a car left like this and, by doing so, any insurance claim for theft is invalidated.
9. If you’re attending a Christmas party, make sure you have considered how you are getting home in advance and avoid using unlicensed taxis. Ensure you drink responsibly and are aware of your surroundings at all times, whilst keeping your drink and belongings safe.
10.Watch what you put on social media; check your settings to ensure that you are not publically broadcasting to all and sundry about when you are not going to be at home and all the lovely gifts you have received.
11.After Christmas don’t advertise your gifts to the thieves by putting the empty boxes out for collection. Disguise them, fold them up inside out or put them inside other nondescript boxes.
12.Record any new and valuable property free by going to www.immobilise.com and install tracking and security apps on any electrical and computer products.
The villages’ Neighbourhood Watch schemes can help with advice on how to protect you or your property against criminals – Parish Co-ordinator contact information can be found on the Inside Front Cover.
For further crime prevention advice go to: www.essex.police.uk/cp/crimeprevention/
Noise Nuisance
Excessive noise can be the cause of many disagreements and arguments among neighbours, rows which can often be avoided by being forewarned and made aware of potential situations that could cause annoyance, like having a party or letting off fireworks, say, to celebrate and welcome in 2025.
There are a number of ways of forewarning the neighbours – posting the date and at what time the party or firework display will be taking place on both the local WhatsApp and Facebook groups, for example. This will give those who use social media time to arrange to either be somewhere else or to make any necessary arrangements, particularly for their animals.
It can also be helpful to set a time limit for the ‘noisy’ element of the party or fireworks display so as to give people some idea of when it might all be over.
Of course, not everyone is on social media so it is also worth putting a note through the letterbox of the more immediate neighbours, warning them of the time and duration of the party or fireworks display, to ensure as many people as possible are made aware.
Unfortunately, most of the reasons for noise disputes are simply inconsideration – not appreciating, say, the effect that music and loud voices at a party, or a celebration fireworks display, can have on people living over quite a wide area around the party venue, particularly if it’s otherwise a quiet, still night.
Noise pollution is classed as a statutory nuisance and, under the provisions of the Noise Act 1996 and other associated legislation, Braintree District Council (not the Parish Councils) has a mandatory obligation to deal with noise deemed to be a nuisance.
However, if a neighbour’s noise has caused, or is causing annoyance, an informal, quiet chat with them in the first instance about any concerns is the preferable way to try and sort things out.
If the problem cannot be resolved by discussion, or the neighbour is unwilling to compromise, more information about what action to take can be found at:
The annual and single-issue monthly Business Advertising Rates for 10 issues of Parish News, pro-rated as applicable, will increase slightly for next year, although they will still remain less than for other local magazines.
The 2025 Advertising Rates are shown below, along with the Copy/ Artwork Deadline dates for each of the ten Parish News issues:
Contacts:
Advertising
Articles
Please submit these by e-mail, preferably as a Word document attachment with separate images:
½ page: 150-160 words + images
Full page: 400-420 words + images
Ann Harris ann66harris@gmail.com
The Parish Representatives, to whom articles and event announcement submissions should be sent, are listed on the Inside Front Cover.
