Leigh

from December 2020/January 2021 No.331

OUR CHURCH COMMUNITIES

REPS: Philippa Toulson philippa.toulson@gmail.com Eddie Upton upton.eddie@gmail.com DISTRIBUTOR: Judy Tuke

Christmas creeps ever nearer and, in this strange year, I imagine very few of us have any firm plans. The seasons pass, and this autumn has been particularly spectacular, but the human side of life doesn't seem to have caught up with the natural world. We have been so distracted by COVID issues and regulations, domestic politics and the American election that the passage of time, for once, has been almost a side issue.

It seems more important than ever to think of our neighbours and to be aware that some are considerably worse off than we are. Not so long ago, the BBC Countryfile programme included a feature on rural food banks and focused particularly on our local one in Sherborne. What struck many of us was that they showed footage of Leigh. Surely, we aren’t touched by rural poverty – are we? Well, perhaps we are.

So please can we remind you that there is an Emergency Box in the church. This contains a variety of tinned and dried foods which are there for villagers to use in any sort of emergency, including lack of transport. If you do help yourself, please try and replace items as soon as you are able.

Finally, some very happy news that just missed last month’s magazine. Congratulations to Chloe and Steve on the birth of Fern. We look forward to making a proper fuss of them every time we see them in the village.

Philippa Toulson and Eddie Upton

St Andrew’s Church, Leigh

We at the church been lucky these past four weeks. We had two Services of Holy Communion thanks to our clergy team, and we managed a gathering in the church on Bible Sunday, 25 October, and a Remembrance Day Service in the church yard on 8 November.

For Bible Sunday we heard the remarkable story of a young, sick prisoner in 1943 on the Burma/Siam Railway who collected hundreds of bibles and set up a Bible Lending Service within the prison. This proved so popular for the 4,000 prisoners that he had to ration his bibles to one hour per person.

For Remembrance Sunday, with a small congregation from Chetnole and Leigh, we watched Caroline Birdsell enter the church alone to lay the wreath on our brass War Memorial, “on behalf of all the residents of Leigh Parish, in eternal appreciation of the sacrifice made to maintain our freedom”. We heard that on this day a hundred years ago, the body of an unknown British soldier was repatriated from France and laid in the tomb in Westminster Abbey. At the same time the Cenotaph was unveiled in Whitehall as our national memorial.

The beautiful formality of our outdoor Service in Leigh, and the awe-inspiring words from St John 15 left us all feeling serene and thankful. Our open-air commemoration continued on Armistice Day, 11 November, at the eleventh hour when we scattered poppy seed in the churchyard and remembered “In Flanders Fields the poppies blow/ Between the crosses row on row.”

Hilary Cumming

St Andrew’s Leigh has a long history of epic Carol Services! For years, the church has been packed on Christmas Eve and people of all ages have contributed to a real community event. Clearly this year will be different. At the time of writing it is not certain that anything will be possible, but we are rightly proud of our tenacity and are therefore starting to plan an event of some sort.

We hope we will be able to have a carol service in the churchyard and, in view of the shorter days, think that it would be better to hold it on the afternoon of Sunday 20 December at 2.30pm Please could you get in touch if your children would like to be involved in the nativity play. philippa.toulson@gmail.com

Philippa Toulson

Services

Well, we are writing this in November, uncertain about what we can do and when. Currently we can’t hold standard services though, thanks to our small army of cleaners, the church is open every day until 2.00pm.

According to the Government’s hopes, we should be able to start services again on 6 December, but please keep your eye on the church notice board or get in touch with one of us.

Our services are likely to be a mixture of clergy and lay-led, with the lay-led ones being our brand new Service for Six. These will be held on Sunday mornings and afternoons for just six people and it is essential that you book your place by contacting Eddie on 07813 089002 or upton.eddie@gmail.com

If all goes according to plan, our Christmas Communion service will be at 11.30pm on Christmas Eve.

Finally, we hope that we will start December with a pair of spanking new hand-crafted gates. Thanks to Mr Chutter and his craftsmen for doing such a fantastic job and thank you to the people who have made such generous contributions towards the cost. We are of course more than happy to receive further donations.

We hope you have a joyful Christmas and a very happy New Year.

Alaistair Cumming and Eddie Upton, Churchwardens

Fuel Group delivery dates 2021

The Leigh/ Yetminster Fuel Group delivery dates for 2021 are as follows: You may also order for any of the Chetnole dates which are as follows:

January 10 February 12 February 26 April 30 April 15 June 25 June 17 September 20 August 19 October 21 October 7 November 29 November 25

Buy at the 5000 litre rate. Please contact John Sanford on 01935 872973 at least five working days before delivery.

In late October, it proved necessary to close the Leigh play park due to some shortcomings in two pieces of equipment. These are now rectified, and the facility is open once more and, thankfully, permitted to remain open despite the current Covid-19 lockdown regulations. Details on the new slide that is to be installed on the mound have now been finalised, and we expect this work to commence shortly.

We aim to plant some trees and establish some occasional benches at various points around the perimeter of the village green. With the kind help of Bob Cutler, we now have a comprehensive list of desirable trees, and a provisional location plan. Anyone in the village who might be interested in sponsoring a bench or a tree, and/or helping with the planting should contact Annabel Ward (wards@totnell.co.uk ).

The Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA) can now provide a full night HEMS – Helicopter Emergency Medical Service. This night capability depends however on there being an appropriately certified night landing site near to the patient. Leigh’s village green has now been assessed by the DSAA’s chief pilot as being entirely suitable for this purpose. So, if one night (or of course, day) you see or hear their helicopter landing on the village green, do not be alarmed. It is indeed good to know that we are now so well served for anyone requiring such immediate assistance.

The restoration of our parish ‘fingerposts’ continues to progress, thanks to the on-going efforts of Graham Fudge, Gordon Morris, Les Wallis, Bill Jolliffe and Steve Addison. However, as explained in the October edition of this magazine, this is proving to be a much greater task than originally envisaged. In particular, the very large number of replacement aluminium cast letters required have driven up the cost considerably, to the extent that funding has now become an issue. Even with the discount that we have managed to secure so far from the materials supplier (Dorset AONB), renovation of each post is about £350. If anyone (or any group) is interested in sponsoring one of these parish signposts (or even one finger), please contact Graham Fudge (grahamfudge51@gmail.com)

Alan Bennett

arcbennett@hotmail.co.uk

2020 Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal

– Hermitage, Hilfield, Batcombe and Leigh

As explained in the October edition of this magazine, a door-todoor Poppy Appeal collection was ruled out for this year. Thankfully however, the RBL approved the placing of collection facilities in high footfall locations; so poppy trays and collection ‘tins’ were positioned in Leigh Village Stores and The Old Vicarage. I also established one at Stone House, as several kindly passed me their donation in person.

Despite this suspension of a personal service to your door, your ever-kind annual donations in remembrance of those of our Armed Forces personnel killed 27

during active service for their country, and in support of the severely injured who remain among us, raised a total of £482.32 in aid of the 2020 RBL poppy appeal. Although considerably down compared to normal years when our doorto-door collection team has been out and about, a huge thank you to all those who have given so generously once more to our local collection effort during this difficult year. And thank you too to those who gave so generously at the short-notice outdoor Remembrance Service held at St. Andrew’s church, during which a further £140 was donated.

Unsurprisingly, the planned talk in Leigh village hall by Admiral Sir George Zambellas had to be cancelled. However, with luck he will be available next year – Friday 12 November 2021 is the date for your diary. Let’s hope the pending vaccine and associated inoculations will allow normal service to be resumed by then.

Looking ahead, I would very much like to be able to offer some of the more senior members of our local collecting team the opportunity to pass their annual fundraising effort on to someone younger – so please do contact me if you feel you might help next year. A couple of hours of your time is all that is involved – I will provide you with all the necessary wherewithal. My email address is archennett@hotmail.co.uk

Alan Bennett

Poppy Appeal coordinator for Hermitage, Hilfield, Batcombe and Leigh

Village Hall AGM

The Village Hall’s AGM was conducted as a ‘virtual AGM’ on Tuesday 3 November. The Annual Report and its Financial Report had been forwarded to all Committee members and to the village website. There was no dissent nor any questions. So, we are healthy both physically and financially.

During the year we have had the floor resurfaced, the curtains and chairs cleaned, the old shed removed, and the new shed given a protective coat before the winter. A new sound system is installed and many of the card tables have a new baize.

We are delighted to report that all the Committee have agreed to continue their trusteeship through 2021. My thanks to Duncan Moore who has agreed to continue until after the Leigh Festival planned for mid-summer 2021. And to Michael Morrell who will put to bed our annual accounts at the end of January. Both Alaistair Cumming and I will also step down after the AGM in 2021. We will be in our 80s and it’s time for new blood.

Looking to the future, we have had a limited use of the Hall and this may be the case for a while. We will of course continue to repair and make good the Hall and its surroundings. However, a big thank you to those who have supported us and let us wish for a better time in 2021. Lastly, a grateful thank you to our mini-market Wednesday traders who have supported us through the lockdowns.

A Happy Christmas to you all.

Julian Turnbull and Alaistair Cumming

New yoga classes at Leigh Village Hall

Professional yoga teacher Angela Renton B.W.Y. is starting two new yoga classes – a class for specifically for men on Tuesdays 9.30-10.30am and a YogaFit class on Wednesdays, 9.15-10.15 am. These will start as soon as lockdown is lifted.

As we move into winter, Angela designed these classes to help people improve their strength, flexibility and stamina. Attendees will also learn various relaxation techniques and exercises to improve energy levels and boost the immune system. Exercise is known to help people physically, mentally and emotionally which, during these challenging times can be of great benefit. Taking time to relax and improve your breathing can help to maintain your health and promote better sleep.

It doesn’t matter what your level of fitness or experience may be, as Angela offers a relaxed, fun and informative style of teaching. She says she felt the need to run a men’s class to encourage more men to experience the benefits yoga has to offer. She previously taught a men’s group for two years at Guy’s Marsh Prison with great reviews about the benefits the men felt from their sessions.

For those who have a level of fitness and would like to use yoga to improve then the YogaFit class is designed to help. If you have any queries or would like to book a place, please call 0777 365 1530 or look at the website, livingrhythmsyoga.wordpress.com. Due to social distancing there are only 10 places available, so please book in advance if you can.

Message from Gill Nash

Peter James Nash 19.08.47 – 26.08.20

James Owen Nash 12.02.78 – 08.08.20

Thank you so much to all who sent such heartfelt messages of sympathy and fond memories following the deaths in August of my wonderful husband and our beloved son. They both touched the lives of many in the community, and we are heartbroken by these tragic events. There will be tributes to follow in the fullness of time.