Honeycomb December 2010
Rector′s Remarks
George asked, “My father′s so rich that I don′t know what to get him for Christmas. What do you give to a man who has everything?” Harry replied, “A burglar alarm!”
It′s not easy buying Christmas presents for others, particularly if they live a long distance away and you are not sure what they would really like. It can involve long hours wandering around shops hoping suddenly to see exactly the right thing. There is a huge sense of relief when that happens. My family actually make it easier for ourselves. We do Christmas lists. We never know exactly what will be under the Christmas tree but we are sure it is something we want. The only draw back to this system that I have discovered so far is when children start doing their own lists. Their initial expectation is that they will get everything that is on the list — they learn!
This Christmas I know I will be delighted with all my presents that await me under the Christmas tree. That will be the case even if, very unusally, there is a present from a friend or a more distant relative who has chosen a gift with love but slightly misjudged it all the same. Even if that is the case, and I have to say it is a pretty rare event, I will not be disappointed because the love that is behind any such gift is always valued and appreciated. The gift itself will no doubt be exactly what someone else will really value and can raise money for charity either at one of our fetes or a charity shop.
Although shopping for presents, or better still making them, is money and time consuming, it is unlikely we will ever stop the custom as it goes back at least 2000 years. As is the case with several Christian festivals, older pagan festivals were Christianised. This encouraged the pagan worshippers to join in the Christian celebrations and hopefully then to become Christians. There was a well established custom in the pre—Christian Roman Empire of giving presents to celebrate the end of the year. This was then incorporated into the new festival of Christmas. This was affirmed by the Bible story of the Magi bringing presents to the baby Jesus (or he might have been a toddler by the time the Magi arrived):
“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.” (Matt 2:11.)
These were just the kind of gifts that visitors from the east might bring, as they were all traded in this region. They were also very expensive gifts: gold, frankincense (a plant gum resin used in incense) and myrrh (another gum resin used for perfume). As well as being expensive gifts, these items were also symbolic of the future of Jesus. The gold is the gift traditionally given to kings. In Jesus at Bethlehem we see a king in baby clothes. The King who rules the hearts, minds and lives of all Christians. Frankincense was burned by the Jewish priests in the temple during worship. Frankincense symbolised that Jesus is the ultimate priest, who prays for us constantly in heaven. He can do this because he is both God and human. Myrrh was used to embalm the dead. This gift reminds us that the baby of Bethlehem would die on the cross to give his life for us.
Those gifts were given by the Maji in response to the gift God had already given them and us. God chose in love to become one of us and to live amongst us so that we could truly understand the depth, bredth and height of God′s love for each one of us. So if you open a present this Christmas that is not exactly what you had hoped for, don′t be disappointed. Remember that it was given in love at the time of year when we are celebrating God′s love for us in his gift of himself.
I hope you have a really joyous Christmas and I look forward to sharing your celebrations at one of our many Church services.
Jan Brookshaw
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Advent Carols
Advent starts at the end of November. To celebrate this there will a service of Advent Carols on December 5th at Dean at 6pm. A group of the best of our singers in Stodden are getting together under the guidance of Martin Rhodes to provide us with some truly lovely renditions of our traditional Advent carols and anthems. Do join us to what will be a really lovely celebration of Advent.
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Mothers Union
Anyone is welcome to join us for this occasion BUT we need to know numbers, so if you are coming please telephone Gillian Aylott, 01234 708174 by Monday 12th December 8.00p.m.
Members of the M.U. were saddened when Lizzie Stapleton our longest serving member who until recently ill this year attended every meeting. She died, aged 103 years and Members were privileged to be able to join in celebrating her life and take part in her funeral and thanksgiving service.
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Christmas is coming
Advent starts on November November 28th. Most of the time Advent is a time when we tend to get tied up in the practical preparations for the great day, school plays and parties leaving little time for our Spiritual preparation. To help you in your spiritual preparation an evening service of worship will be held on the four Tuesdays in Advent — November 30th and December 7th, 14th and 21st . The service will start at 8pm. To ensure our physical as well as spiritual warmth the services will be held in private homes as follows:
30th November John Braga, Crown Cottage, Lower Dean
7th December Bob Green & Denise Halson, Church Cottage, Shelton
14th December Lesley & Mike Pond, Mintaka, Stanbrook Way, Yelden
21st December Sue & William Tusting, Hillands End, Melchbourne
The service will be the late evening service of Compline. Compline is one of the oldest services we have. It dates back to at least the 4th century AD although the version we use is not the original in ancient Greek but an updated version in modern English. It is a very peaceful and relaxing service with prayers, psalms, readings and a meditation.
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Christmas worship in the Stodden villages in December 2010
Sunday 12th, 6pm, Carols, Pertenhall Church Sunday 19th, 2.30pm, Carols, Dean URC Chapel Sunday 19th, 2.45pm, Carols, Yelden Methodist Chapel Sunday 19th, 6pm, Carols, Shelton Church Friday 24th, 4pm, Carols, Dean Church Friday 24th, 6pm, Carols, Swineshead Church Friday 24th, 6pm, Carols, Melchbourne Church (with Yelden) Friday 24th, 11.30pm, Midnight Mass, Yelden Church Saturday 25th, 9am, Holy Communion, Pertenhall Church Saturday 25th, 10.30am, Holy Communion, Dean Church
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Welcome to Advent
Advent begins on Sunday November 28th. By then I guess that many of us will have done some preparation for Christmas and then following four weeks will probably be pretty busy.
One preparation that it might be easy to miss is giving thought and prayer so as to reflect on the real meaning of Advent and Christmas. To help us do that St. Alban—s diocese is giving us an opportunity to receive a daily bible verse. The verses will take us from creation to the nativity and enable us to reflect and pray on our relationship with God, each other and the world. We can sigh up for our daily emails by going to www.livinggodslove.org
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Christmas: Why does it begin at midnight with Holy Communion?
The hour was first chosen at Rome in the fifth century to symbolise the idea that Christ was born at midnight — a mystical idea in no way hindered by historical evidence! No one knows the hour of his birth or actually the date. Certainly in recent times, Holy Communion at midnight on Christmas morning has proved popular with modern families and even less modern ones. One British writer pointed out its “domestic convenience” in 1947: “for where there are children and no servants, husband and wife may be unable to communicate at any other time.”! As far as possible the Church tries to keep to the tradition of Christmas starting with midnight mass although the popularity of carol services before Christmas does dilute things. In the Church calendar Christmas is so important that we continue to celebrate it until the end of January.
Mothers Union
Will be meeting on Thursday this month since they will be going to the pub in Lt Staughton for a fish and chip lunch. They will meet at 12.30.a.m. on 15th December.
Anyone is welcome to join us for this occasion BUT we need to know numbers, so if you are coming please telephone Gillian Aylott, 01234 708174 by Monday 12th December 8.00p.m.
Members of the M.U. were saddened when Lizzie Stapleton our longest serving member who until recently ill this year attended every meeting. She died, aged 103 years and Members were privileged to be able to join in celebrating her life and take part in her funeral and thanksgiving service.
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Churches shell out for The Real Easter Egg
Yes I know, Easter is over four months away but planning for some things has to be well in advance and that includes this opportunity to buy a Real Easter Egg which will be delivered in time for Easter. At present the supermarkets wont stock them so the manufacturer is selling direct the churches and schools. If there is a good response then hopefully the supermarkets will sell them in future.
The Real Easter Egg— is the first Easter Egg in the UK to mention Jesus and the events of Holy Week on the box. It is attracting enormous interest ′ already hundreds of churches and individuals have placed orders for the eggs, due out in time for Easter 2011. David Marshall, founder of the Meaningful Chocolate Co, says: “They can′t believe a product like this has never been available in the UK. We have been overwhelmed.′
The direct sale price of The Real Easter Egg is £4.50 which includes a charitable donation, VAT, handling and delivery to a church single drop off point. 30 pence from each egg will be donated to the charity Traidcraft Exchange and a further 10% from profits will go to Baby Lifeline — buying everything from medical equipment for new mums in the UK to chickens for farmers in Africa. If you would like to consider ordering a Real Easter Egg, visit: www.realeasteregg.co.uk
If you would like to order one or more Real Easter Eggs please let me know and I will co—ordinate an order — look forward to hearing from you.
Jan Brookshaw
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Digital Switchover Help Scheme
The BBC has set up the Digital Switchover Help Scheme through an agreement with the government to make sure that those who need it most benefit from practical support and advice during the switchover process. Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity (BRCC) have been asked to help those who may not be aware of what they need to do when the Sandy Heath Transmitter is switched off on the 30th March 2011. You may have received a letter referring to this recently.
If you have or if you have a family member 75 or over. Please ring — Beni Wright your Just Ask” Community Agent on 07876085146
I can help you with the next steps, explain what is happening and how the scheme is there to help make sure everyone can continue to enjoy their television programmes after the switchover . Anyone who wants more information on this free service please get in touch.
Volunteers Needed
We are also looking for more community volunteers to help co—ordinate the project. If you are interested, we would like to invite you to discuss this — please contact Roy Sinfield on 01234 832615 or by email roys@bedsrcc.org.uk
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Dillingham family and Dean(part1)
1611 A.D. which is 400 years ago, made this family very celebrated. They lived in a 27 roomed Mansion where Top Farm now exists. That house was replaced by the house, which has been enlarged in subsequent years, known as Dean House and the man we are interested in lived in Francis House.
Why? Read (part 2 ) next month.
Dean will be celebrating this over the weekend of 14th/ 15th May 2011.
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Swineshead on the Stodden Website
Have you visited www.stodden.org yet? In addition to hosting Honeycomb on—line, this exciting new website is being developed by John Braga of Dean, with lots to offer anyone in Stodden who is interested in their village history. You can already view old photographs, and special pages are being set up with details of Stodden residents past and present. There are miscellaneous pictures of Swineshead; perhaps you can help identify the children in the photo of a Sunday School outing in the 1950s? John would be very pleased to receive any copies of old photographs, documents, or information you may have about Swineshead to add to the website. You can contact him at: JohnB@crownsys.co.uk
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Is Rudolph the reindeer a ′ girl?!
Rudolph the reindeer may have a splendid bright red nose — but there is something else rather odd about him: he has antlers. And anyone who knows reindeer will tell you that Father Christmas′s favourite reindeer for foggy nights cannot be male because only female reindeer have antlers at Christmas time.
Two professors at Edinburgh University have been looking into this problem. They found that female reindeer grow antlers in time for winter in order to dig in the snow to reach lichens and so provide food for their young. Males, on the other hand, grow antlers only in order to fight with other males during the mating season in the autumn. Once that is over, they cast their antlers away, well before Christmas.
So — who are the reindeers pulling Father Christmas′s sleigh? We have always assumed that all those antlered reindeer were male. But perhaps this is not so.... perhaps we should rename Rudolph — Rudolpha!
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Why you should beware of Facebook this Christmas
Are you going to visit family or friends this Christmas? Don′t mention it on Facebook — until you get back! If you use a social networking site, don′t “advertise” your home to expectant burglars. If you do, your insurance premiums could well go up.
Police are warning people that Facebook is becoming a burglar′s best friend. In one instance in New Hampshire, USA, a gang who monitored Facebook broke into 50 homes in the space of a few days, stealing goods worth about £60,000. In Wisbech, Cambs, two young men also monitored Facebook daily, looking for what they called a “perfect opportunity” to burgle local homes. They found several.
Richard Taylor, a former burglar who is now a Methodist minister, explains: “In the old days you had to buy information from a postman or from a milkman about who was away on holiday. Now people are online giving you their updates about going to the airport!”
Det Ch Insp Ian Tandy of Cambridgeshire police says: “I would urge the public to be cautious when using social media, ensuring you know who has access to your personal information. Take full advantage of the privacy settings available.” Many Facebook users unwittingly publish their addresses for all to see — and then give full details of their holiday plans.
It is such a problem that now insurance companies are getting involved. The insurance experts warn that householders will face higher premium if they become victims of crime after publicising that they were out. As the head of home insurance at Confused.com said: “If insurance providers see a potential risk, you can bet they we′ll start pricing for it.”
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A Fresh Approach to Christmas
What are your plans for this Christmas? Here is one man′s story....
Why is Christmas such a stressful time of year? It turns into some sort of frantic marathon that begins around mid–October. After weeks of shopping we arrive at Christmas day with precious little goodwill left for anyone! However, it is our choice whether or not we join in the commercialism of it all — or this year consider a fresh approach.
Many years ago a Lord Mayor of the City of Swansea and his family were looking forward to Christmas lunch in the very elegant surroundings of the Mansion House. Then, out of the blue, the Lord Mayor received an invitation from the Salvation Army to help serve Christmas day lunch to the homeless of the city at their Swansea Citadel.
He recalls: “I could have declined, but decided to accept. My family supported me in this — although it meant a very belated family lunch, with two of them missing out altogether (they were nurses on shifts). But none of us regretted that Christmas, and I found serving lunch to the homeless of Swansea a very humbling and rewarding experience.
Those gathered on that day were the homeless, rough sleepers, the elderly and those struggling with loneliness and poverty. Yet with dignity and great politeness they expressed their gratitude to the cooks and all of us who helped serve them Christmas lunch.”
It made the Lord Mayor think. “Members of the Salvation Army give up every Christmas and most of the year to serve their fellow man and embrace the needy, just as Jesus did for us. When I drove away that afternoon I knew I had been privileged to have participated in sharing the real Christmas message of love and joy.”
So this year, why don′t you resolve to do Christmas differently? Try to spread some good will around. Why not consider taking some disadvantaged children to a pantomime, or donating a Christmas tree to the children′s ward of the local hospital? Or you could help a homeless charity to serve meals to the homeless, or invite a lonely elderly neighbour for Christmas lunch.
Jesus Christ came into this world to serve you and me. So what better way could there be for us celebrate the joy of his coming other than by us, in our turn, showing compassion to someone in need?
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SWINESHEAD
Correspondent - Jenny Leishman
01234 709241 or email Jenny Leisham
SWINESHEAD 100 CLUB
October Draw Winners November Draw Winners
Thursday 14th Teas Thursday 11th Teas
£20 Fran Nicholson (5) Jenni Elsgood (90)
£10 Josie Thompson (Samuel)(42) Pauline McManus (36)
£ 5 Pat & Colin Ralph (30) Diana Marlow (78)
£ 5 Josie Thompson (37) Denise Slade (53)
Cheques for the distribution of the 2009/10 profit were presented to Pauline McManus (Village Hall) and Lesley Salter (P.C.C.) before November′s draw.
Swineshead Harvest Festival
A big thank you to all those who decorated the church so beautifully for Harvest Festival. The flower arrangements were lovely and were enhanced by the large quantity of produce, cakes and preserves kindly brought, in advance, to the church before the service. These all contributed to the theme of thanksgiving and made the service extra special. They were all taken to the Village Hall on Monday for the Harvest Supper.
Jan Herdan
Swineshead Village Hall News
New Chairs for the hall! The hall has been keen to replace its old plastic chairs and, thanks to generous funding by the Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation—s Grassroots Grants Fund, 50 new chairs have now been ordered and should be delivered early in December. The new chairs, with upholstered seats and backs, were unanimously voted the most comfortable of the sample chairs that the village tried out at Bar Night last May, and are a huge improvement on the old plastic chairs. The Village Hall Committee, on behalf of the village, would like to thank the Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation for their funding.
Swineshead Harvest Supper
Always a popular village event, this year—s supper was no exception. 40 people sat down to a delicious hot meal followed by a very entertaining auction of donated produce. The £630 profit is shared between the Church and the Village Hall Extension Fund. Thank you to everyone who helped to make the evening such a success, including all who donated produce and then made bids to buy it back again! Special thanks to John and Phil, who somehow managed to get us all to dig deeply into our pockets to achieve a record result.
Pat Tate
St Nicholas Cleaning Flowers
Dec 5 Edna, Margaret, James Pauline (greenery only)
Dec 24 Pat, Jean, Jenni Christmas Carol Service
All arrangers please
Jan 9 Pauline, Clarissa, Diana, Frances Julie
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PERTENHALL
Correspondent — Chloe Reid 01480 861525
JAG — Joint Action Group
Steven Pollard is the parish council representative on this police action group. If you have police matters you would like to bring to his attention, he can be contacted on 01480 861414. He can report these concerns for discussion at the next JAG meeting.
Mulled wine and mince pies
The Pertenhall Village Hall committee invite all Pertenhall villagers to join them for a free glass of mulled wine and mince pies in the village hall from 7pm on Sunday 12th December. Children and guests are also welcome. New to the village? This is an excellent opportunity to get to know your neighbours.
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SHELTON
Correspondent — Sarah Morgan 01933 461256
Notes from Meeting of Dean & Shelton Parish Council
10th November 2010
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Why you should beware of Facebook this Christmas
Are you going to visit family or friends this Christmas? Don′t mention it on Facebook — until you get back! If you use a social networking site, don′t “advertise” your home to expectant burglars. If you do, your insurance premiums could well go up.
Police are warning people that Facebook is becoming a burglar′s best friend. In one instance in New Hampshire, USA, a gang who monitored Facebook broke into 50 homes in the space of a few days, stealing goods worth about £60,000. In Wisbech, Cambs, two young men also monitored Facebook daily, looking for what they called a “perfect opportunity” to burgle local homes. They found several.
Richard Taylor, a former burglar who is now a Methodist minister, explains: “In the old days you had to buy information from a postman or from a milkman about who was away on holiday. Now people are online giving you their updates about going to the airport!”
Det Ch Insp Ian Tandy of Cambridgeshire police says: “I would urge the public to be cautious when using social media, ensuring you know who has access to your personal information. Take full advantage of the privacy settings available.” Many Facebook users unwittingly publish their addresses for all to see — and then give full details of their holiday plans.
It is such a problem that now insurance companies are getting involved. The insurance experts warn that householders will face higher premium if they become victims of crime after publicising that they were out. As the head of home insurance at Confused.com said: “If insurance providers see a potential risk, you can bet they we′ll start pricing for it.”
Return to Menu
A Fresh Approach to Christmas
What are your plans for this Christmas? Here is one man′s story....
Why is Christmas such a stressful time of year? It turns into some sort of frantic marathon that begins around mid–October. After weeks of shopping we arrive at Christmas day with precious little goodwill left for anyone! However, it is our choice whether or not we join in the commercialism of it all — or this year consider a fresh approach.
Many years ago a Lord Mayor of the City of Swansea and his family were looking forward to Christmas lunch in the very elegant surroundings of the Mansion House. Then, out of the blue, the Lord Mayor received an invitation from the Salvation Army to help serve Christmas day lunch to the homeless of the city at their Swansea Citadel.
He recalls: “I could have declined, but decided to accept. My family supported me in this — although it meant a very belated family lunch, with two of them missing out altogether (they were nurses on shifts). But none of us regretted that Christmas, and I found serving lunch to the homeless of Swansea a very humbling and rewarding experience.
Those gathered on that day were the homeless, rough sleepers, the elderly and those struggling with loneliness and poverty. Yet with dignity and great politeness they expressed their gratitude to the cooks and all of us who helped serve them Christmas lunch.”
It made the Lord Mayor think. “Members of the Salvation Army give up every Christmas and most of the year to serve their fellow man and embrace the needy, just as Jesus did for us. When I drove away that afternoon I knew I had been privileged to have participated in sharing the real Christmas message of love and joy.”
So this year, why don′t you resolve to do Christmas differently? Try to spread some good will around. Why not consider taking some disadvantaged children to a pantomime, or donating a Christmas tree to the children′s ward of the local hospital? Or you could help a homeless charity to serve meals to the homeless, or invite a lonely elderly neighbour for Christmas lunch.
Jesus Christ came into this world to serve you and me. So what better way could there be for us celebrate the joy of his coming other than by us, in our turn, showing compassion to someone in need?
Return to Menu
SWINESHEAD
Correspondent - Jenny Leishman
01234 709241 or email Jenny Leisham
SWINESHEAD 100 CLUB
October Draw Winners November Draw Winners Thursday 14th Teas Thursday 11th Teas £20 Fran Nicholson (5) Jenni Elsgood (90) £10 Josie Thompson (Samuel)(42) Pauline McManus (36) £ 5 Pat & Colin Ralph (30) Diana Marlow (78) £ 5 Josie Thompson (37) Denise Slade (53)Cheques for the distribution of the 2009/10 profit were presented to Pauline McManus (Village Hall) and Lesley Salter (P.C.C.) before November′s draw.
Swineshead Harvest Festival
A big thank you to all those who decorated the church so beautifully for Harvest Festival. The flower arrangements were lovely and were enhanced by the large quantity of produce, cakes and preserves kindly brought, in advance, to the church before the service. These all contributed to the theme of thanksgiving and made the service extra special. They were all taken to the Village Hall on Monday for the Harvest Supper.
Jan Herdan
Swineshead Village Hall News
New Chairs for the hall! The hall has been keen to replace its old plastic chairs and, thanks to generous funding by the Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation—s Grassroots Grants Fund, 50 new chairs have now been ordered and should be delivered early in December. The new chairs, with upholstered seats and backs, were unanimously voted the most comfortable of the sample chairs that the village tried out at Bar Night last May, and are a huge improvement on the old plastic chairs. The Village Hall Committee, on behalf of the village, would like to thank the Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation for their funding.
Swineshead Harvest Supper
Always a popular village event, this year—s supper was no exception. 40 people sat down to a delicious hot meal followed by a very entertaining auction of donated produce. The £630 profit is shared between the Church and the Village Hall Extension Fund. Thank you to everyone who helped to make the evening such a success, including all who donated produce and then made bids to buy it back again! Special thanks to John and Phil, who somehow managed to get us all to dig deeply into our pockets to achieve a record result.
Pat Tate
St Nicholas Cleaning Flowers Dec 5 Edna, Margaret, James Pauline (greenery only) Dec 24 Pat, Jean, Jenni Christmas Carol Service All arrangers please Jan 9 Pauline, Clarissa, Diana, Frances Julie
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PERTENHALL
Correspondent — Chloe Reid 01480 861525
JAG — Joint Action Group
Steven Pollard is the parish council representative on this police action group. If you have police matters you would like to bring to his attention, he can be contacted on 01480 861414. He can report these concerns for discussion at the next JAG meeting.
Mulled wine and mince pies
The Pertenhall Village Hall committee invite all Pertenhall villagers to join them for a free glass of mulled wine and mince pies in the village hall from 7pm on Sunday 12th December. Children and guests are also welcome. New to the village? This is an excellent opportunity to get to know your neighbours.
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SHELTON
Correspondent — Sarah Morgan 01933 461256
Notes from Meeting of Dean & Shelton Parish Council
10th November 2010
| 1. | Minutes of Meeting 8 September 2010 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman. | |
| 2. | A financial statement to 31 October 2010 was circulated to Councillors. At the present time, with no uncleared cheques, the balance in the Community Account is £2504.97. The Business Premium Account stands at £9314.31. | |
| 3. | It was resolved by all those present that an amount of £1000 for capital expenditure be included in the Budget for 2011—2012 for the provision of a projector and screen for viewing planning applications. A decision as to whether the projector would be fixed or portable would be taken at a later date. The Clerk was asked to approach the Eileen Wade School and ascertain the possibility and cost of hiring the school room with projector for meetings. (LGA1972 s111) | |
| 4. | It was resolved by all those present that the Budget for 2011—2012 be accepted as prepared with the addition of the Capital Expenditure item referred to in (b) above giving a total of £11846 for the year 2011—2012 and that there would be no increase in the Precept requested. | |
| 5. | It was resolved that the Clerk be enrolled to attain the Certificate in Local Council Administration. (LGA 1972 s111) | |
| 6. | Un—Notified Business — A request had been received from Stodden Churches JPCC for a donation of £200 towards the publication costs of Honeycomb. It was resolved that this was approved. (LGA972 s142) | |
| 7. | The payment of the following accounts was approved by all those present: | |
| 8. | SLCC—CiLCA Management — CiLCA registration £150.00(LGA1972 s111) | |
| 9. | Campaign to Protect Rural England — membership renewal £29.00(LGA1972 s111) | |
| 10. | Stodden JPCC — donation towards publication costs of Honeycomb £200.00 (LGA1972 s142) | |
| 11. | Planning Application No. 10/02554/LDE — Single storey rear extension, Top Farm, High Street, Upper Dean. It was resolved that the Parish Council had no objection to this application. | |
| 12. | Proposal by Northampton Fire & Rescue to site live fire training facilities at former Chelveston airfield. It was resolved that no action be taken until a planning application was submitted. | |
| 13. | Letters written by neighbouring Parish Councils regarding the minimum setback distance for wind turbines. It was resolved that the Clerk write in a similar vein to the respective planning authorities. | |
| 14. | Un—Notified Business: A letter had been received from Bedford Borough Planning Department enclosing amended details of the proposed wind turbine construction (Application No: 10/00484/MAF) and due to time constraints it was decided to deal with this immediately. It was resolved that the Clerk be asked to respond re—iterating the Parish Council—s previously stated objections and commenting on the Rural Impact and the Renewable Energy Benefits & Balancing Issues. | |
| 15. | The survey from Bedfordshire Police Authority was completed and the Clerk requested to complete the survey online. | |
| 16. | Details of the final recommendations of the Local Government Boundary Commission regarding the Electoral Review of Bedford have been received. | |
| 17. | A letter has been received from Bedford Borough Council requesting information on events being held during 2011. The Clerk asked that any information be passed to him for forwarding on. | |
| 18. | The Local Transport Plan Roadshow would be at the Church in Upper Dean on 22 November between 11.45am and 12.25pm. | |
| 19. | Dates for meetings in 2011 were agreed as follows: 12 January; 9 February (planning); 9 March; 13 April (planning); 11 May; 8 June (planning); 13 July; 10 August (planning); 14 September; 5 October (planning); 16 November; 14 December (planning). Planning meetings will be held (if required) in the United Reformed Chapel others in Dalton Hall. |
DEAN
CorrespondentCorrespondent - Annette Brooks
01234 709505 or email pegasustrans@btinternet.com
Dean Chapel
Sunday 5th Dec 2.30p.m. Sunday 19th Dec at 2.30 p.m. for a Carol Service. Sunday 2nd January at 2.30p.m. to celebrate the New Year.Return to Menu
YELDEN
Correspondent - Sue Taylor
01933 355380
or email taylor.topobtinternet.com
Yelden Chapel Services
Sunday December 5th at 11.am Service led by David Hudson Sunday December 19th at 2.45pm Carol Service led by Rev. Mike Lewis.Harvest Festival
A long time ago now but St Mary′s was bedecked beautifully and bountifully. The produce was boxed up and taken down to the Prebend Centre for the Homeless. Thank you everyone who helped decorate, clean and donate all these gifts.
Compline
There will be Compline held at Mike and Lesley Pond′s house in Stanbrook Way at 8pm on Tuesday 14th December.
Carols and Chestnuts
On Sunday evening, 19th December, please join others under the holly tree by St Mary—s gate for some sizzling sausages and some seasonal carols at 6pm — weather permitting of course!
Carol Singing
The annual carol singing around the village will take place on Tuesday 21st December and we shall meet outside The Chequers at 7pm. So, with gloves, hats and torches, please come and join us and enjoy some seasonal refreshments at the end for your efforts. Those who would prefer to stay at home please remember the date and listen out for those dulcet tones!
Flower and Cleaning Plan
Please stand by for decorating the church — date to be advised by Sue Midnight Mass at 11.30pm on Christmas Eve, Saturday 24th December.
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MELCHBOURNE
Village web site —http://mmmatmelchbourne.yolasite.com
Correspondent Phil Pahl 01234 708730 or email melchcomb@aol.com
Halloween Bonfire Party
A fun evening was enjoyed by over 80 Halloween revellers and many thanks go to Sue and William for again providing the excellent venue and great bonfire! Also thanks go to Helen for her lovely soup and to Val and Di for a great BBQ, not forgetting the barmen Tony and Ray! The costumes were fabulous and Adrian our judge again found it very difficult to decide on winners! Many thanks to all who helped to make this such an enjoyable event. Helen took this opportunity to thank Tony Lamm for all his hard work during his time on the village hall committee, and for doing a magnificent job as treasurer. He will be greatly missed by the village hall committee, and all of Melchbourne, when he leaves this month and we send him and Di our very best wishes in their new venture.
Church Cleaning and Flowers Rota
There is a regular church cleaning rota and volunteers are always welcome. Anyone wishing to be included on the rota should contact Audrey on 01234 708728.
Date
December 12th
December 24th
Cleaning
Audrey and Mary
Anyone who would like to help
decorate and prepare the Church
before this special event please
contact Audrey (as above).
Flowers
(no flowers)
Village dates for your diary
Saturday 11th December 2010
Quiz Night — 7:30 for 8:00pm
For tickets contact Malcolm on 01234 708938
(See separate poster in this month′s Honeycomb)
Friday 24th December 2010
Carol Service 6pm
St. Mary Magdelene Church, Melchbourne
Saturday 22nd January 2011 Burns Night
(see full details in January Honeycomb)
Sunday 10th July 2011
747th Melchbourne Feast Day
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Forthcoming Attractions
Halloween Bonfire Party
A fun evening was enjoyed by over 80 Halloween revellers and many thanks go to Sue and William for again providing the excellent venue and great bonfire! Also thanks go to Helen for her lovely soup and to Val and Di for a great BBQ, not forgetting the barmen Tony and Ray! The costumes were fabulous and Adrian our judge again found it very difficult to decide on winners! Many thanks to all who helped to make this such an enjoyable event. Helen took this opportunity to thank Tony Lamm for all his hard work during his time on the village hall committee, and for doing a magnificent job as treasurer. He will be greatly missed by the village hall committee, and all of Melchbourne, when he leaves this month and we send him and Di our very best wishes in their new venture.
Church Cleaning and Flowers Rota
There is a regular church cleaning rota and volunteers are always welcome. Anyone wishing to be included on the rota should contact Audrey on 01234 708728.
Date
December 12th
December 24th
December 12th
December 24th
Cleaning
Audrey and Mary
Anyone who would like to help
decorate and prepare the Church
before this special event please
contact Audrey (as above).
Audrey and Mary
Anyone who would like to help
decorate and prepare the Church
before this special event please
contact Audrey (as above).
Flowers
(no flowers)
(no flowers)
Village dates for your diary
Saturday 11th December 2010
Quiz Night — 7:30 for 8:00pm
For tickets contact Malcolm on 01234 708938
(See separate poster in this month′s Honeycomb)
Friday 24th December 2010
Carol Service 6pm
St. Mary Magdelene Church, Melchbourne
Saturday 22nd January 2011 Burns Night
(see full details in January Honeycomb)
Sunday 10th July 2011
747th Melchbourne Feast Day
Return to Menu
Forthcoming Attractions
1st December | Christmas Tree Sale Begins | Top Farm Upper Dean |
 | ||
Return to Menu | ||
3rd December | Bar–Raffle–Refreshments | Swineshead Village Hall |
 | ||
Return to Menu | ||
5th December | Advent Carol Service | All Hallows |
 | ||
Return to Menu | ||
11th December | Melchbourne Quiz Night | Village Hall |
 | ||
Return to Menu | ||
1st January | Six Bells Re-opening | Six Bells |
| ||
Return to Menu | ||
Contents this edition
Rector's Remarks
Advent Carols
Mothers Union
Christmas is coming
Christmas Worship in December
Welcome to Advent
Christmas begins and midnight
Real Easter Eggs
Dillington Family
Stodden Web Site
Rudolph is a Girl
Beware Facebook
A Fresh Approach to Christmas
Around the Villages
The Deans
Shelton
Melchbourne
Pertenhall
Swineshead
Yelden
