Scarisbrick Village Matters
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Is produced by the committee of the Scarisbrick Newsletter Association. The Committee members are as follows: Sue Fielding, Andrew Fowler, Dominique Fuentes, John Herbert, Jane Marshall, Maureen Merone, Sally Monaghan. Please email Sally on sally@pringlegroup.co.uk for any information,
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Rolls Royce Award
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We make no apologies for again highlighting Scarisbricks “Bonkers Bugs” Project.
Almost
From all of us to all of you!
60 milli on Chris year in t m as t r Europe. ees are grown e ac h
The Bonkers Bugs Team from left to right : Dr. Heather Allison University of Liverpool Sue Fielding Project leader Pinfold school
Competition Winners
Irene James Pinfold School Community Governor Gill Gillison Headteacher Pinfold School Dr Meriel Jones University of Liverpool Denise Trewhitt Teacher St Marks Mark Nolan Head teacher of St Marys was unable to attend Dr Allison from the University of Liverpool was able to take his place.
One because it was fantastic to watch it grow from its inception to a fabulous community project with all our schools involved and two, because we really do love a happy ending! From the original 2000 entries, 50 Special merit winners were awarded and £1000 granted to implement their action plan. From those 50 they selected 9 finalists - this year that included 3 primary schools, 4 secondary schools and 2 6th form colleges across the whole of Great Britain. They also give £5000 for the further development of the project. Sue Fielding headed up the project for Pinfold School and was delighted when she was informed
that they were one of those Primary Schools. WOW one of three across the whole of the UK! Next was the invitation to the awards ceremony on 4th November at the Science Museum in London where the results would be announced. Like all good award ceremonies the results were closely guarded until they were announced. Speaking to Sue just before she left for London, nervous does not go near describing how she was feeling. Though proud, excited and thrilled were used in the conversation! Sue drove this project right from the start, not for any personal recognition (though she really does deserve lots of that!) but to get all the Scarisbrick Schools involved in a community
December 2013
project, this cannot have been easy and we are sure she will have thought many times “Why Bother?” Well, we are really thrilled that she did “Bother”. Sir Tim Smit the co founder of the Eden project presented them with the Rolls-Royce Eden award for the best ecology project and the prize of a trip to The Eden Project. Sue has asked that we pass on a HUGE thank you to everyone in the community who has contributed in so many different ways, especially the children who have brought Bonkers Bugs alive with their enthusiasm and excitement. Told you we love “Happy Endings” Sally Monaghan SVM
Bonkers Bugs Display.
CEO of Rolls-Royce John Rishton learning from Sue Fielding about Bonkers Bugs!
They were praised for this by the Rolls-Royce project manager, “This is outstanding and the best display we have ever had in the nine years we have be running the science prize, and it is going to be used as an example of how displays should look!”
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Scarisbrick Parish Council My first few months in the role of Clerk to the Parish Council have brought home to me not only the ongoing scope of austerity measures but also the extent to which local people, businesses and organisations can come together despite these difficulties.
sponsors of the garden and scarecrow competitions. Their contribution underlines commitment to the community of Scarisbrick in difficult economic times and ensures the events are possible. The Council would like to acknowledge the generosity of:
Many of you will already be aware of the measures being taken by West Lancashire Borough Council to reduce expenditure, included in which will be a significant reduction in maintenance funding to Parish Councils in the next couple of financial years. Lancashire County Council has adopted quite strict criteria for repairing pot-holes in the highways, a problem which has drawn comment from a number of residents.
Turfland Farms Ltd
The Parish Council has previously made strong representations against cuts in policing that included a reduction in neighbourhood police officers and the loss of Scarisbrick’s police station. However, further budget cuts are on the way and it is looking increasingly likely that our PACT panel, the means by which members of the public can meet local police officers to express concerns, will be disbanded in favour of electronic social networking. I am sure that many of you will have strong opinions on these and other matters affecting Scarisbrick. The Parish Council exists to represent your views and I would encourage you to let your opinions be known. The Council meets on the first Monday of every month in the Village Hall, Smithy Lane. Please come along to listen and have your say, alternatively you may wish to contact myself or any of your Parish Councillors. Despite the savings being made elsewhere it has been particularly encouraging to see the extent to which local businesses have supported Parish events this year. The Council is particularly grateful for the ongoing support given by
Mr and Mrs F Musgrove Mr and Mrs Roger Guy Highly Commended - Thompson Family; Mrs K Rhys
Shaw Hall Caravan Park Hurlston Hall Golf and Country Club Saracen’s Head Restaurant Kershaw’s Quality Foods Cathay Garden Chinese Restaurant Heatons Bridge Inn The Elephant Restaurant Farmer Ted’s Farm Park Martin Mere Wetland Centre Windmill Animal Farm Rushton’s Nurseries
Hanging Baskets/ Window Boxes/ Containers Mr Peter Sourbutts (Winner of the Scarisbrick Parish Council Trophy) Mrs P Weir Mr and Mrs F Musgrove Best Entry From a Non– Prize Winner in Previous Years Mrs R Burrill (Winner of the Dennis Halsall Trophy)
Scarisbrick Arms Restaurant Scarisbrick Bridge Tea Rooms (Scarisbrick Marina)
Water Feature/ Garden Pond
Scarisbrick held its annual garden competition on a pleasant summer’s day in August. Entries had increased compared to last year with twentythree entrants across seven categories.
Mr Robert Sumner
The competition was once again judged by Messrs Alan Foxall and Peter Scanlan, two local horticultural experts who have supported the competition for many years. Their job proved to be particularly difficult due to the high standard of the entries but after much deliberation prizes were awarded as follows:
Mrs Grimshaw (Winner of the Holgate Maintenance Trophy) Mr John Halsall Mobile Home Garden Mrs Southworth (Winner of the Hurlston Hall Country Caravan Park Trophy) Mr A Davitt Best Non-Domestic Premises Heatons Bridge Inn (Winner of the Turfland Trophy)
Front Garden
Best Overall Entry
Mr and Mrs Roger Guy (Winner of the Scarisbrick Nurseries Trophy)
Mrs Kathleen Smith (Winner of the Bill Scarisbrick Memorial Trophy)
Mrs P Weir
Of particular note is the winner of the Rear Garden category, also judged to be Best Overall Entry. These coveted awards, including the prize of a lawnmower kindly donated
Mr Peter Sourbutts Rear garden Mrs Kathleen Smith (Winner of the Alan Foxall Trophy)
St Mary’s School News
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News From St Marks School The Autumn Term seems to have flown by with everyone at St Mark’s being included in various activities. At the beginning of the term we welcomed our new pupils and parents to the school. All pupils have settled in well to the school routines and made many friends.
We all thoroughly enjoyed the annual theatre company visit. This year the production was the Railway Children, a classic novel which pupils in Class 3 (Y5/Y6) had been studying in literacy.
Our football team have started the year well – they are top of the MiniSchools 7-a-side Football League, having won all 6 of the games they have played. The league continues in the Spring Term and we wish all the team members good luck! Our high 5 netball team won the trophy for the Mini Schools section for the second successive year following a magnificent team display. All our pupils enjoyed entering the Scarisbrick Scarecrow Competition. Special congratulations to Jack in Year 1 who won the overall drawing section and to the Pupil School Council members who, with the help of Mrs Lyness, came joint winners in the school section. Well done everyone!
Pupils in Class 2 (Y2, 3 and 4) have been on an educational visit to Chester as part of their history topic on the Romans. They explored the wall, amphitheatre and Roman remains with the help of a ‘Roman soldier’. A memorable and exciting day was had by all!
Pupils in Class 3 (Y5/Y6) took part in Bikeability training which was run by Lancashire Council. The training took place over three days and involved the children cycling in the playground and on the roads. The trainers commented on the outstanding behaviour and attitude of all the children. Well done everyone!
The whole school recently participated in a ‘Welly Walk’ around the school field to raise money for the Friends of Mulanji Orphans (FOMO) in Malawi, Southern Africa. Prior to the walk, a representative of the charity visited the school to tell the children what the charity does and the 5,000 children it helps. All pupils and staff wore wellingtons and we had prizes for the best decorated wellies in each class. The children are now busy collecting their sponsorship money. At the beginning of November the ‘Bonkers Bugs’ Project members went to London for the Rolls Royce Science Prize Award Ceremony. Whilst missing out on the top prize, the project won the Rolls Royce Eden Trophy for the best Ecological Project. A group of children and staff from the local schools will now visit the Eden Project. Congratulations to everyone who has been involved in the project.
We were all extremely pleased to hear the news that Rev Eileen Heaney has been appointed NSM Curate of St Mark’s Church. Rev Eileen Heaney is well known to the pupils, staff and parents of the school having lead for the past year, monthly Church Collective Worship Assemblies and supported the teaching of religious education in the school. We all look forward to working with Eileen to promote our school ethos and further embed our distinctively Christian values of love, peace, equality, responsibility, trust, forgiveness and generosity in the daily life of the school.
The diary for the remainder of the Autumn Term is packed with Christmas activities. The children will take part in the traditional Christmas Nativity musicals, the Choir are looking forward to singing at local venues and the whole school will be entering into the pantomime spirit – “Oh yes they will” when we visit Southport Theatre to enjoy the performance of Jack and the Beanstalk.
Parish Council Continued………………………………. by Turfland Ltd, were both taken by Mrs K Smith on her first attempt at the competition.
Lewis (aged 4) from St Mary’s School,
So come on gardeners of Scarisbrick, keep an eye open for next year’s competition because anything is possible provided you enter. The 4th Annual Scarecrow Competition was held in September. The competition celebrates harvest time within the Parish and is judged in Best School, Best Family, Best Club / Organisation, and Best Business categories.
and Jack (aged 5) from
Entries were fewer than last year but were once again of a consistently high standard. In fact, the judges were not able to separate St Mark’s and Pinfold Schools for the top honour and they share first prize. Pinfold chose The Wizard of Oz as their theme. The display was complete with red shoes and yellow brick road as well as the scarecrow and his tin man friend! St Mark’s chose a road safety theme, a scarecrow cyclist was wisely wearing head protection and his companions were very noticeable in high visibility jackets.
It was clear that entrants took a great deal of enjoyment from this year’s competitions and the Council would encourage all residents to consider entering next year. Your support is essential for the continuing success of these community events.
The Lowery family won the family prize with their interpretation of the dangers of moles in the countryside! Turning Lane Farm won the business category with a display of scarecrow farm workers and the 41st Ormskirk Beaver Scouts won best club / organisation with a display of their latest members! The local primary schools took part in a scarecrow drawing competition. This was also a very difficult competition to judge with many excellent drawings from the children. The judges finally decided that prizes should go to the best drawing from each school. The winners were Ellie (aged 8) from Pinfold School,
St Mark’s School who was also judged to be the overall winner.
October saw the unveiling of an information board in Scarisbrick’s Millennium Wood on Drummersdale Lane. Borough Councillor William Cropper, an honorary Freeman of the Parish, performed the ceremony. In attendance were County Councillors Cynthia Dereli and Mike Otter who are present and past Lancashire County Council Parish Champions, a scheme that had contributed funding to the project together with West Lancashire
the new millennium. The various species of indigenous tree were carefully nurtured by tree wardens Eugene Feehan and David Ashton and have matured into an impressive facility. The Millennium Wood provides an oasis of tranquillity for all to enjoy, whether it is to take a woodland walk or to simply sit and watch the wildlife. At the time of going to print arrangements for Scarisbrick’s Annual Ecumenical Civic Service are well underway and we are looking forward to welcoming the Mayor and Mayoress to the event. The chosen theme for this year’s service is “unity”. I feel this is particularly appropriate having seen the manner in which the various Churches within the Parish have come together in order to bring the service to fruition. The Council is particularly grateful to St Elizabeth’s Church for hosting the service. The sermon will be delivered by the new vicar of St Mark’s, the Reverend Eileen Heaney, to whom we all extend a warm welcome. She will be ably assisted at this year’s service by Reverend Father Boniface Moran (St Elizabeth’s) and Reverend Peter Knight (Bescar Lane Methodist Church). I would like to take the opportunity to extend my personal thanks to the clergy for their help and invaluable advice in arranging the event. This is the final edition of Scarisbrick Village Matters for this year and on behalf of Scarisbrick Parish Council I would like to take the opportunity of wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Borough Council. The information board maps the various pathways around the wood and gives information on the species of tree that can be seen whilst walking. The land was purchased and trees planted as Scarisbrick Parish Council’s project to celebrate
John Herbert. Clerk to Scarisbrick Parish Council.
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Pinfold Cont’d…………….
Recipe - Mulled Wine When winter weather swirls in, nothing could be cozier than a toasty mug of mulled wine.
(keep peel to add zest to taste into cooking pot)
Mulled wine, the vine’s version of a classic hot toddy, is a traditional holiday treat in many Old World countries. Mulled wines have been warming people for centuries, they are wines that have been sweetened, spiced and slightly heated - offering a delightful alternative to traditional coffees, ciders and toddy’s at festive gatherings or just on a cold winter's night.
8-10 cloves
Ingredients: One bottle (750 mL) of red wine (suggestions: Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Merlot) One peeled and sliced orange
1/4 cup of brandy 1/3 cup honey or sugar* 3 cinnamon sticks 1 tsp fresh or 2 tsp ground ginger (allspice can be substituted)
steaming and the ingredients have been well blended it is ready to serve. Ladle the mulled wine into mugs (leave seasonings behind) and enjoy! * The 1/3 cup of honey or sugar does make a sweeterstyled mulled wine, feel free to cut honey/sugar down to taste.
preparing a variety of fund raising events. Earlier this term FOPP organised a “cash for clothes” collection and raised almost £180. They also put on a spooky, Halloween disco at the village hall which proved to be very popular and loads of fun.
Serves 4-6 Preparation: To make the perfect cup of mulled wine, combine all ingredients in either a large pot or a slow cooker. Gently warm the ingredients on low to medium heat (avoid boiling), for 20-25 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure that the honey or sugar has completely dissolved. When the wine is
They are currently focussing their attention on the upcoming Christmas Fayre which takes place
on Sunday 1st December at the village hall. FOPP would like to thank all of the local businesses, who donate prizes for the raffles, we are very grateful for your continued support. The money raised by FOPP has gone to fund equipment for Cookery Club and Craft Club, transport for Bonkers Bugs, end of year trips to Farmer Ted’s and Blackpool Pleasure Beach, class trip to the Eco Centre and new play equipment for the Nursery. FOPP are also funding the whole school trip to see “Jack and the Beanstalk” at Southport Theatre. Reverend Knight from Bescar Lane Methodist Church continues to be a regular visitor to our school. His church at Leyland Road in
Southport is a drop off point for the Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child and once again this year Pinfold Primary were happy to support this good cause by donating brightly wrapped shoe boxes filled with goodies. As this term seems to be racing by at a rate of knots we have been joined by Miss Cotton, a final year student from Edge Hill University. Miss Cotton is working with the KS2 pupils and will be helping the children prepare for the end of term performance , Alison Hedger’s “Scarecrow's Christmas!” which takes place on 16th and 17th December.
Scarisbrick Hall School – 50 Years of Education Scarisbrick Hall School was founded by Charles Oxley in 1963 and over recent years the school has grown and developed and is now one of the North West’s most progressive and forwardthinking educational establishments.
Famous For Fish Brilliant for Beef “A cutting edge Bistro Menu with prices that are as remarkable as the food.” Jim and Trudy Sines – proud to serve our local community.
Master McGraths Restaurant and Bar, 535 Southport Road, Scarisbrick, L40 9RF Tel: 01704 880050 www.mastermcgraths.co.uk
In addition to the School, there is now a Nursery and Pre-School that prioritises a holistic approach, with emphasis on literacy and mathematics, enhanced by outdoor learning in Scarisbrick Park. In September 2014 Scarisbrick Hall School will be celebrating 50 years of Education. During the School year 2013/14 there are various events taking place to celebrate this and in July 2014 there will be a Garden Party in the grounds. For more details please check the website www.scarisbrickhallschool.co.uk
Pictured here are Scarisbrick Hall School’s First School pupils
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News From Pinfold School Life is never slow at Pinfold Primary and yet it’s still amazing to think that we have only been back at school for just over a half term when we reflect on what we have done since September. The ten new children who joined our school this year have certainly needed to needed to hit the ground running! The new term started with the whole school attending a Harvest assembly at the Good Shepherd Mission. The church was beautifully decorated and the children enjoyed sharing the morning with the congregation who came to watch us give thanks for what we have and to think about those less fortunate than us. We were very grateful to all the parents for donating so generously. After Harvest the school turned their attention to the Scarecrow Competition. Our theme this year was inspired by KS2’s “Keen to be Green” topic. The children designed and produced a scarecrow and a tin man; made entirely from recycled cans, tins and foil cartons which they had brought from home. We were very pleased to achieve First Place in the School category, which we shared with St. Mark’s School. KS2 have been busy being eco warriors, learning the 3Rs – reduce, reuse and recycle and becoming very environmentally aware. As part of their topic they have been on two funtastic trips. The first was a morning at the Eco Centre in Southport where they learned about reducing their carbon footprint followed by an afternoon picking up litter on Ainsdale Beach. The children thoroughly enjoyed this trip and were shocked by the amount of rubbish that was on the beach. They were very lucky to have
Tree Tips Bond girls take part in the annual Dance Fever at Ormskirk High. So far this term the children from Yr1 to Yr6 have participated in a football tournament held over two consecutive weeks at Tarleton High School, two tag rugby tournaments and a girls’ football match.
Jayne Foat, Sefton 'Love My Beach' Co-ordinator to accompany them on the day. The second trip was to Global Renewables, the Environmental Education Centre at Farington Waste Recovery Park. The children spent the day finding out about materials and their properties and how the waste recovery industry uses these properties to sort and recycle our rubbish. The children had such a great time that one pupil encouraged his family to go back for the guided tour! The children have read about and compared how different faiths believe the World was created and have thought how they can protect the planet, keeping it healthy for those who come after us. The junior children are currently planning a Green Day for next term with lots of exciting activities. In October Pinfold Drummers took part in the Southport Music Festival at Scarisbrick New Road Baptist Church. The group led by Sarah Marks, our Music teacher, played confidently and beat off stiff competition from three other schools to take first place. The pupils at Pinfold benefit from a wide range of after school clubs held throughout the week. The children particularly enjoy the extra-curricular sports clubs which include football, athletics, tag rugby, High 5 and running. They are always eager to sign up for the clubs and last term we had a group of seven handsome, wannabe James Bonds with nine glamorous
Sometimes decorating a Christmas tree can seem so complicated. Whether you are decorating a real tree or an artificial tree here are some steps for making the experience a little less troublesome; Step 1 - Hang the lights, try and get the wire to match the colour of your tree.
KS1 had a morning of “Being Healthy with Exercise” conducted by Debbie Young which was great fun. The children are currently gearing up to take part in an indoor athletics competition at St Bedes School as well as the annual Bickerfold Santa Dash held in conjunction with Bickerstaffe School Other popular extra-curricular clubs include First Aid, Chess, Saturday Cookery Club and Craft Club. The children recently held a craft afternoon where they made festive cards which school will send out to the many people and organisations that help us throughout the year. The children had great fun, dressed in a large selection of onesies and doing crafty things with glitter! All the money raised on the day will be donated to “Children in Need”. In November we were all very excited about the final of the Rolls Royce Project and were really pleased to have won the Eden Prize! Following our very successful Summer Fayre; where we raised over £1400; Friends of Pinfold Primary, our parent/ teacher association, have been busily
Step 2 - Drape your tinsel or garlands. Start from the top and slightly increase the amount between each wave until you reach the bottom. Step 3 - Hang your baubles favourites at the front! Next
hang your larger baubles filling the space evenly around the tree, then with the medium and smaller baubles fill in the gaps. Step 4 - Finish with the star or angel/fairy on the top.
Most importantly pour yourself a glass of something, turn up the Christmas music, get the children involved and enjoy! Merry Christmas from all of us at The Vincents Garden Centre
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First World War Centenary The summer of 1914 was glorious, one of those that makes life worth living. The package holiday abroad was yet to be invented. People would take the air at seaside towns such as Southport and put their worries behind them, at least for a day or two. It is unlikely that many would have known the whereabouts of Sarajevo, they probably didn’t care. However, the events of 28th June 1914 would make Sarajevo the epicentre of a disaster that would engulf the world. This was the day that a Bosnian student assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, crown prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The event marked the beginning of the First World War, a conflict that would take the lives of young men on an industrial scale leaving no community untouched. “What did you do in the war, Grandad?” Like many young boys of my era this is a question I must have asked my grandfather on numerous occasions. I cannot recollect his answer, he probably changed the subject. All I really appreciated in those days was that we won, the Germans lost. Job done! As I grew older I began to gain an appreciation of the appalling conditions in which nine million young men met their untimely end. I learnt that the basic rule of engagement was to dig trenches in the ground where one would sit in the mud whilst shells rained from the skies. Periodically one set of combatants would be ordered “over the top” in order to take the holes in the ground held by their adversaries. The result would be loss of life on a grand scale as the two sides fought back and forth over a few yards of muddy, splintered landscape. This went on for weeks, months, and years. Military records were gradually released and the internet provided
the means by which they could be accessed. Matters then became more personal. I learnt of how my grandfather served with the Royal Garrison Artillery. How, at the age of eighteen, he transported ammunition to the Front. I appreciated how my very existence had been linked to his survival and how fine a line that had been. I learnt of my great-uncles whom I had never known. The elder had been wounded on three separate occasions and been sent home for treatment. I appreciated the immense courage it must have taken to be sent back in the full knowledge of what awaited his return, yet he managed to survive. His younger brother took part in the great advance of 1918 as the opposition began to be forced back. He ceased to exist during an artillery barrage whilst trying to take a farm. He was twenty-one years old and died barely eight weeks before Armistice Day. His name appears on the memorial at Ploegsteert in Belgium, his body was never found. Next year marks the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War and Scarisbrick Parish Council has become aware that the Heritage Lottery Fund is currently offering grants of £3,000 to £10,000 for community projects to mark the occasion. We believe money will also be available from central government to restore and refurbish memorials. My family story is not unique; sadly it is not even unusual. Every community in the country was affected and this provides an opportunity to remember the human costs of the conflict. The Council puts this forward as a means of getting a community project together that commemorates lives lost, conserves heritage and educates. One idea that is gaining momentum involves the parish memorial. There
is a multi- denominational memorial in St Mark’s Church, but it is apparently incomplete. Modern archiving and research facilities mean that missing names are, in fact, known. The intention would be to add the missing names and compile memorial books that could be held in each of Scarisbrick’s main churches. The names in these books would be linked to a website that would include as much detail as we could glean about these men as individuals and the conditions in which they served. The purpose would be to bring their stories to life. It is also apparent that those who returned are not commemorated in any way. Names of a number of such Scarisbrick men are known, including at least one medal winner for gallantry. Perhaps it would be appropriate at this time to mark their contribution. If you have any information, records, photographs or other memorabilia concerning men from Scarisbrick who served in the conflict we would be delighted to hear from you. Please e-mail me at scarisbrickww1@live.co.uk, or write to the address given below if you prefer. John Herbert. Clerk to Scarisbrick Parish Council. 90 Narrow Moss Lane, Scarisbrick, Lancashire. L40 8HZ
What’s On In Scarisbrick 1st Monday of every month:
2nd Thursday of the month:
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4th Thursday of every month:
Explorer club, it's for young people in The Scarisbrick Churches Youth Scarisbrick Parish Council 8pm Years 2 to 6, from any church or Fellowship meets monthly at 7pm ll Village Hall for further informa on none. All welcome to 8.30. It's for young people in Years 7 to please contact: join. 11, from any church or none. All John Herbert, Clerk to the Parish, Bescar Lane Methodist Church Hall welcome to join. Bescar Lane 07720855508 Details 880956. Methodist Church Hall Details 880956. Sequence Dancing 7.30pm 4th Monday of every month: Village Hall for further info please contact : Mr & Mrs Park Scarisbrick WI 7.30pm Village Hall, for 01704 892346 further informa on please contact: Every Thursday:
Mrs Wendy Seddon 01704 531058
Post Office open from 9.30 ‐13.30 at Bescar Lane Church, Details 880956.
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Church info
St Marks & Good Shepherd
Sunday 15th December Carols by Candlelight - 4pm St Mark’s. Tuesday 24th December Christingle Service - 4pm St Mark’s Midnight Communion 11.30pm - St Mark’s Wednesday 25th December Christmas Day Service 9.30am Good Shepherd.
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St Mark’s Church
Is That Roo? Hi There, My name is Roo and I am the most recent addition to the Lancashire Wildlife Trust Conservation Grazing Project team. The project uses native breed livestock such as Longhorn cattle and Hebridean Sheep to graze at local reserves. Conservation Grazing is a nature friendly way to look after rare habitats such as meadows, dune heath land and flood plains. As the livestock eat and trample the dominant grasses, they create ideal conditions for less competitive flowers such as Common Spotted Orchid, Cranesbill and Ragged Robin to thrive. Even their dung provides a habitat for hundreds of invertebrates which in turn are food for birds such as Lapwing, Snipe and Skylark, as well as bats such as the Brown Long Eared bat.
A joyous celebration took place at St Marks church on the afternoon of Sunday 17th November, the bells rang out as the Venerable Peter Bradley, Archdeacon of Warrington lead the licensing service of the church’s new minister the Reverend Eileen Heaney, who will take up the spiritual leadership at St Marks as the Church of England Assistant Priest in charge of the Parish.
Over winter the sheep come to Scarisbrick to graze at a local field to rest the heath land during the colder months. In the first part of 2014 I (Roo) am going to start learning how to move them around so that when they go back to their summer pasture I can help to look after them. The Wildlife Trust’s Living Landscape approach makes connections between people and wildlife, between nature, farming and business. We are working on a larger scale than ever before with local reserves at Freshfield and Mere Sands Wood (Rufford) both using sheep grazing as a major part of their conservation work. Recently the Trust has taken over
management of Lunt meadows in Sefton and is hoping to graze that reserve in the near future. If you would like any more information on the Wildlife Trust or the grazing project please contact Sian Parry, sparry@lancswt.org.uk or have a look at the Wildlife Trust’s website www.lancswt.org.uk where you can also volunteer if you would like to.
Sequence Dancing at Scarisbrick Village Hall Sequence Dancing is Ballroom, Latin and Old Time dancing taught in a sequence of steps to 16 bars of music. It is not formation dancing. Anyone who has a slight knowledge of ballroom or Latin dancing would be able to learn the sequence dances.
Monday of each month from 8pm. However, when new dances are released which coincide with our dances held on the first Monday of the month a lesson is arranged for 7pm to 8pm, prior to the dance starting.
Dances are held on the first
Dancing provides a wonderful environment in which to make friends, and also provides the opportunity to participate in much needed exercise. For further information please contact Ray or Joan Park on 01704 892346
Currently we not teach dancing but we do teach dances. During the teaching of dances different dance steps are taught. There are 42 new dances invented each year by various dance professionals and all new dances are taught.
informal with refreshments provided in the interval. The object is to enjoy ourselves.
The church was full to capacity with a mixture of people. Clergy and members of the Deanery churches joined together with family, friends, neighbours and teachers from St Marks School. Also present in force were members of the congregation from St John’s church in Burscough; where Eileen has been serving as curate and members her new congregation at St. Marks. This was a truly ecumenical service as Father Boniface Moran of St. Elizabeth’s church and Revd’s Peter Knight and David Benge from Bescar Lane Methodist Church together with members of their congregations added their congratulations.
The service opened with Mrs Margaret Wiltshire the church’s organ player leading the hymns. During the offertory members of St. Johns worship group led a medley of worships songs and St. Marks Brownies closed the service singing “This little light of mine” which had the congregation clapping and singing along. The brownies then led the gathering out to the church hall with their lights to enjoy an abundant array of glorious refreshments in the church hall. People were heard to say “You can always rely on St. Marks for delicious food”. The only sadness of the occasion was that two very important and key people to the church were missing, due to unforeseen circumstances and that was John and Muriel Holcroft who have worked so hard during the interregnum and our prayers and best wishes are sent to them.
Eileen joins Andy Pugh who has newly been licensed as Reader at St. Marks. She says that she is honoured and excited to have been selected as the Priest in Charge of St. Marks Church and is looking forward to joining the congregation. Her vision is to lead the church deeper into a relationship with God, to build on the ecumenical foundations that have already been laid, to support the school in their spiritual journey and to show the love of God to the people of Scarisbrick.
Eileen and her family, husband Paul and sons John and David have lived in the parish for twenty five years and have recently been joined by John’s girlfriend Chris, whom he met in South Africa.
Christmas Trivia! THE Beatles hold the record for most Xmas number 1 singles, topping the charts in 1963, 65 and 67.
THE highest-grossing festive movie is 2000's How The Grinch Stole Christmas, which has raked in £175m so far. RUDOLPH the red-nosed reindeer was invented for a US firm's Christmas promotion in 1938.
THE bestselling Xmas single ever is Bing Crosby's White Christmas, shifting over 50million copies.
Everyone is welcome to come and join out existing members. The mood is extremely relaxed and
THE largest Christmas cracker - 45.72m long and 3.04m in diameter - was pulled in Australia in 1991.